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There is a rumor circulated on Wall St. that JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) will take over Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) within the week. The government will support the deal with a $100 billion investment in preferred shares issued by the combined entity. Alternatively, the government may guarantee the value of a large pool of Bank of America assets. The word is that Treasury Secretary Geithner has discussed the transaction with JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon.The "merger" would completely destroy the value of BAC's common shares.
The government feels that the deal may be necessary as Bank of America struggles unsuccessfully to close several transactions to bolster its balance sheet. The Wall Street Journal reported thatBusiness Insider speculated that the financial firm will need to raise $200 billion which would be another possible event that would wipe out common shareholders.
Also Read: Battle Looms For North Pole Oil
Bank of America's fortunes have been hurt by events in just the last few days. A New York State judge agreed to allow institutional investors to intervene in an $8.5 billion settlement between the bank and groups that lost money on mortgage-backed securities. China Construction Bank Corp said Bank of American will continue to hold 50% of its share in the foreign financial firm. Many investors hoped Bank of America would sell its entire stake to raise money. Several analysts believe that the costs of owning mortgage firm Countrywide Credit have grown unexpectedly large.
Also Read: The Largest American Companies Low On Female Board Members and Management
Under federal law, JP Morgan and Bank of America could not combine because together they would have too large a share of several financial markets in the US. Treasury would apparently work with other government agencies to have those rules suspended and then the new combined bank would sell assets to get back into compliance later.
The government's preference for a deal with JP Morgan rather than a federal takeover may be because it does not want to set the precedent of Washington owning one of the world's largest banks "paid for" with taxpayer money.
Also Read: The Strongest Big Gold Stocks
Note: Credit default swap insurance on the bank's unsecured debt jumped 64 basis points to 435 basis points, meaning it would cost $435,000 per year for five years to insure $10 million in bonds, according to Markit (via Reuters)
Douglas A. McIntyre
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Elkano, simply, from the sea
When asked where the beautiful Turbot on our plate had come from, our waiter simply gestured toward to sea just beyond the windows. "Everything we serve here come from right there", he said. Elkano is that kind of restaurant, where deceptively simple technique gives way to the superlative freshness of the local ingredients. And that's precisely why we had gone there in the first place.
We had arrived only a few hours prior, a flight from Paris to Biarritz, on the French side of the Basque country, then an hour or so drive to San Sebastian. After a brief rest at the hotel, our friend Mikael joined us for the drive to Guetaria, for dinner at the famous seafood house Elkano. And so began our saga of driving –or getting lost, rather- in the maze that's the highways and byways of Donostia.
By the time we arrived at the restaurant it was far too close to midnight, having gone over 40km the wrong direction and back again. We rehearsed the starving children look with each other in the car, hoping to be pathetic enough that they would serve us still, despite the hours. Happily, we once again underestimated how late people ate in Spain. Not only that they took us in without complaint, two more tables arrived even later than we did, and the restaurant seated them without missing a beat.
We took a quick glance through the menu, though it was just for show. We knew what we had come all that way for, and it's the Turbot. That majestic fish, whose sweet, succulent flesh and gelatinous bones are considered by many a great chef to be the very finest specimen of fish in the world.
We told our nice waiter that we were there for the Turbot. Yes, we came all the way out here for the Turbot so could we PLEASE have a Turbot, and might we have it NOW?
Needless to say we were a little eager. The waiter seemed quite amused by all this, and kindly assured us that they certainly did have Turbots, still. But wouldn't we be interested in a thing or two else to begin, he wondered. He had some very fresh Percebes and Kokotxa that would make a great precursor to our Turbot.
The primordial-looking Percebes landed first on the table. It is a type of shellfish that grows wild on the rocks in the Cantabric sea. The Percebes on our plate looked a bit like severed toes of small Dinosaurs. To eat, you pick one up by the part that looks like the nail, hold on to the other end with your other hand, and then give it a little twist to separate the meat from the tube-like body, so you could suck the sweet flesh off easily.
Even the act of eating it sounds primordial, no? While I was contemplating this, Mikael and David went to town, tossing the shells off to the side and squirting the juice all over themselves. I threw my manners to the wind – sorry Mother- and joined them. Eating delicately with this crowd could actually mean not eating at all.
After we quickly did away with the pile of Percebes on the plate, the second course arrived, Kokotxa, tiny morsels of meat from the throat of Hake fish. The Kokotxas were dipped in a light egg batter and then fried. The crunchy and eggy batter contrasted gorgeously with the juicy and salty meat.
Another plate arrived with yet more Kokotxas, this time simply grilled. The waiter explained that they had a special contraption that allowed the superbly fresh Kokotxas to be cooked directly on the grill without any oil. The final result was gorgeous, eating one was like biting into a delicate bubble encasing the spirit of the sea. When the plate was finished, I badly wanted more, but managed to contain myself because I knew what was to come. Yes, it was time for the Turbot.
And so it arrived, at long last, a beautiful specimen of the fish, about 3-4 pounds in size, simply grilled, glistening and slightly crisp in places and around the edges, laying in a pool of clear, viscous liquid which we knew to be nothing but the juice and gelatin from the fish itself.
The conversation ceased entirely, each of us concentrating on the beautiful piece of flesh and bones on our respective plate. We started out timidly dissecting the fish with our utensils, but quickly dispensed with them in favor of our own Mother Nature-issued hands. The goal was not only to eat the sweet meat, but to get to the best part, to suck every bit of gelatinous membrane off every single piece of bone.
That wasn't easy, mind you, my fingers kept getting stuck as if glued together by the gelatin from the fish. Far be it to let that minor detail deter me, I just had to suck my fingers as I went along to keep them separated –again, sorry mom.
Sated, and the fish reduced to an impossibly tiny pile of bones, we sat back to contemplate our great fortune. What a privilege it was to be there, to have a meal that was so glorious in its simplicity.
Elkano is my kind of restaurant. Like its neighbouring Etxebarri, Elkano is the kind of situated place that inhabits and expresses the very essence of its surroundings. It is, simply, there and nowhere else. I don't feel that way very often with restaurants: Michel Bras and Olivier Roellinger came to mind, but I'd be hard pressed to think of many others.
Not that I'm averse to foam and air and all the trickery novel culinary techniques offer. I enjoy a fun, challenging, cerebral kind of meal, delighting in unusual combinations and pushing the flavor and texture boundaries, a scientist at heart, still, me.
But sometimes, you know, sometimes, happiness is just a pile of fish bones.
Getting there
Unless you took the 40km scenic route we did, the drive to Guetaria from San Sebastian should only take you about 20 minutes (to go the 25km or 15 miles distance).
Once you get into town, head toward the direction of the port, and the restaurant will be hard to miss. Trust me, we nearly ran right into it.
Elkano Restaurant
Herrerieta 2
20808 Guetaria
Guipuzcoa, Spain
[email protected]
If you made it to Elkano and Guetaria in September 2007, you might want to check out the Balenciaga retrospective that will celebrate the completion of the multimillion-dollar museum and headquaters for the Cristobal Balenciaga Foundation. Guetaria was the birthplace of the famous designer. (Thanks the New Yorker for the info.)

subset: commoncrawl


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We hold annual summits on climate risk, sustainability and world oceans. These bring together leading scientists, politicians, NGOs and corporates to discuss the greatest issues facing our planet and steps to address them.
Global integrated research projects
To facilitate progress globally we work across finance, governance and innovation to develop a series of integrated research programmes that explore sustainability's most pressing issues. Recent research programs have focussed on sustainable economic systems, net zero and energy, resilience and adaptation and sustainable societies.


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Can it really take eleven years to make a record? Of course not; and if anyone thinks even for a single moment that all Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley and Beth Gibbons have been doing since 1997 is laying overdubs and writing lyrics for this record then their grasp on reality is tenuous at best. (Read our recent interview - Ed.)
The flipside of that question is, of course, is any record worth waiting over a decade for? The answer is as before; there have been more than enough great records released in the last eleven years to prevent even the most diehard Portishead fans from growing bored. The odd band demonstrating lackadaisical tardiness in their release schedule is hardly a tragedy.
And of course Portishead aren't alone in taking their time; three other decade-plus gaps between albums stick out in recent years – Bark Psychosis, Scott Walker and Kate Bush, each one coming back after everyone had forgotten they existed, and delivering material of the highest quality. Not to mention the countless other artists with shorter, but still pretty long, holes in their work ethic; Les Savy Fav and The Breeders each took six years to produce their latest offerings. Long waits aren't uncommon now. Hell, Mission of Burma exist. Maybe one day Fugazi will again.
Which is to say that it ought not be a big deal that Portishead have taken a while to come up with Third. Lest we forget; Beth Gibbons made a wondrous solo album in collaboration with Talk Talk's Paul Gibbs (and Adrian Utley) only, oh, five years ago. What ought to be a big deal is that Third doesn't so much mollify, exceed or fail expectations as nullify and obliterate them; this record is not the kind of thing that just-blooded young lawyers would leave on the coffee table, unless they also left a severed-head beneath it.
Several individual songs drift by almost unnoticed at first, contributing little more than a sense of unease to the collective memory of the album; an impression of oppression. Those numbers that do stand out, though, drag the record close to magnificence; 'Silence', just by dint of being first and taking so long to be recognisably by the same band as 'Glory Box' (a familiarity only made explicit when Gibbons starts singing, over two minutes in), is awesome, propelled by a drum-loop that would drive Sisyphus to despair, and dots of Morse-code-ish guitar that offer no message of hope.
In 2002, rumours abounded that Portishead's third record would be called Alien. They were wrong, but not without truth; much of Third sounds like the soundtrack to a genuinely chilling sci-fi horror film. It's not an accident that the fascistic, ossified and mechanical rhythm of 'Machine Gun' finds itself transformed and consumed by crazed Terminator /_ Blade Runner_ / Vangelis synthesisers.
The sound throughout is muffled and dark, cinematic still, but differently. 'The Rip' swells electronically just over two minutes in and suddenly becomes magnificently repetitive. The oddly falling in-and-out of earshot shuffles that open 'Plastic' are perhaps the closest thing here to trip-hop, only the crackling, noir-ish strings one might expect of Portishead are replaced by shuddering, unsettling electronic echoes.
'We Carry On' is Third's highlight, a monolith at its centre that is stomped into submission by a serial-killer drum pulse, and which climaxes in an intensifying storm of gothic guitars, before 'Deep Water' offers brief, disquieting acoustic relief. Every speck of dusty spittle on Beth Gibbons' lips is apparent in 'Small', the opening minimal pain, the mid-section and finale run through with weird bass ululations, fucked-up cello, scraping guitar and dissident synth. Huge piano chords, tick-tocking cowbell percussion, and squalling, corrupted brass characterise 'Magic Doors' while the doom-laden drum rolls and cancerous, radioactive bleeding edges of 'Threads' close the album in a clamour of nuclear alarms.
Third is not a pleasant experience. Even Mezzanine and Maxinquaye, perhaps the only other two records to have come from Bristol's stable that come close to this in terms of foreboding aura, seem like twinkly children's albums by comparison. Both ancient and futuristic, a mildewed signal from a more advanced culture that failed to survive the ice age, Third doesn't make you pay attention to its desolate contours, but rather stare out of the window, creeping panic causing your mind to dart in a million dark directions at once. This is not a nice record. It is music without a time, a place or a context. Inertia, solitude, suffocation. Third isn't so much mourning, as dead.
8Nick Southall's Score


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Intonation in Context
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Intonation Practice for Upper-intermediate and Advanced Learners of English
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Intonation in Context is for upper-intermediate and advanced learners of English who want to improve their intonation. It aims to make learners aware of the main features of intonation and provides enjoyable activities for both controlled and freer practice in a range of conversational situations. Intonation is presented as a system which has an important communicative function in any interaction between speaker and listener. Learners first explore the meaning conveyed by the parts of this system before going on to a variety of production exercises. The book is intended to be used alongside any general coursebook to provide a systematic and accessible introduction to this often neglected area of pronunciation. The easy-to-follow explanations assume no specialist knowledge of the subject and the accompanying CD provides clear models, making this an excellent choice for both classroom use and self-study.
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Welcome to Pali Village Books
When was the last time you read something that truly helped transform your life? Here at Pali Village, we want to bring true value and exquisite insight to readers. Not simply information that's been rehashed from one author to the next. Not just ramblings of a woman who just so happened to lose weight with green coffee extract or garcinia cambogia, fight cancer or overcome something with no real proof or insight as to how they accomplished it.
Yes, it's inspiring to read those types of stories and reviews. But how does it really help you? How can you take something away from the book that you can put into action? You can't. Well, you can walk away with a little more hope than before, which yes… can be helpful. But what we want is to publish those authors who truly have something groundbreaking to share. Or proof that proves naysayers wrong about something.
Health and well being has to be a priority in life. If it is, then most everything else will fall into place. If it's not, then it will only lead to trouble and heart ache. Being unhealthy, in mind or body, doesn't just affect that individual. It's something that affects everyone around them. It's something that affects their family, their neighbors, their friends and the people they work with.
Not only that, but it also affects every single person in this country almost. How? Simple. The costs of healthcare, transportation for emergency medical treatments, etc. The cost can trickle down extensively into the pockets of everyone. We won't dwell too much on this aspect, as that's almost getting political and that's not what we're about. But we do think that everyone should be aware and have some sort of understanding about how it affects the lives of every one in this great nation. Also just how garcinia cambogia extract may be able to help.
Who Can Be Published?
We don't care if you're a 17 year old who has struggled to pass creative writing in your high school class. If you can write clearly, engaging and have something worth sharing then go for it. Get in touch. On the other hand, you could be a stay at home mom who has witnessed your little one overcome severe ADHD thanks to… whatever it is that helped. You could be an established author in the medical history with knowledge of studies on something that hasn't been revealed or has not received the attention that it deserves. As you can see, we aren't biased. We want real stories. Real information. Valuable stuff that will help readers better their life in some way.
We will help you get your story to the masses by not just publishing your book, but also helping you establish yourself as an author. This can be done through our social media tutoring or sponsorship or even setting you up with your own website and marketing materials. We truly believe in our mission and if we don't help you succeed then we don't succeed. Don't be fooled into thinking that big publishers or self-publishing is the only way to go these days.


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One of the most stimulating of modern thinkers is American Orthodox theologian, David Bentley Hart (b. 1965), who earlier this year won the coveted Michael Ramsey Prize for his book "Atheist Delusions." In presenting the prize, the Archbishop of Canterbury described Hart as "a theologian of exceptional quality, but also a brilliant stylist . . ." who "shows how the most treasured principles and values of compassionate humanism are rooted in the detail of Christian doctrine." This is true of all Hart's work including "The Doors of the Sea: Where was God in the Tsunami?" The following interview with David Bentley Hart about evil and its place in the world that God created and loves was published in The Christian Century, (January 10, 2006, pp. 26-29.) Go to their website HERE.
It is often said that three claims of the Christian tradition - "God is omnipotent," "God is love" and "Evil exists" - present a logical contradiction. One of the claims has to be revised. Do you agree?
If by "evil exists" you mean that evil possesses a real substance of its own, and that it therefore exists in the way goodness exists (or, for that matter, a tree, a rabbit, an idea or a dream exists), in point of fact Christian tradition has usually denied this quite forcibly. Patristic and medieval thought (drawing, admittedly, on Platonic precedent) defined evil as a privation of the good: a purely parasitic and shadowy reality, a contamination or disease or absence, but not a real thing in itself. This, incidentally, is a logically necessary claim if one understands goodness and being as flowing alike from the very nature of God and coinciding in him as one infinite life.
That said, there surely is no contradiction between God's omnipotent goodness and the reality of evil. It may seem somewhat trite to invoke the freedom of creation as part of the works and ends of divine love, or to argue that the highest good of the creature - divinizing union with God in love - requires a realm of "secondary causality" in which the rational wills of God's creatures are at liberty; nonetheless, whether the traditional explanations of how sin and death have been set loose in the world satisfy one or not, they certainly render the claim that an omnipotent and good God would never allow unjust suffering simply vacuous. By what criterion could one render such a judgment? For Christians, one must look to the cross of Christ to take the measure of God's love, and of its worth in comparison to the sufferings of a fallen world. And one must look to the risen Christ to grasp the glory for which we are intended, and take one's understanding of the majesty and tragedy of creation's freedom from that.
In Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan Karamazov famously points to the brutal killing of children and proclaims that he refuses to believe in any God who has arranged the world in such a way that it entails such suffering - regardless of what "meaning" can be attached to it. What does a Christian say to Karamazov's protest?
Actually, what Ivan ultimately refuses is not belief but consent: he will not acknowledge that there is any justice, any glory, any truth that is worth the suffering of a child. If he were merely a truculent atheist, he would he a boring figure. Instead, he is a rebel against the divine order, and intends to remain a rebel even if that order should - in some way transcending his finite understanding - prove to be perfectly just. One might very well read his protest not as a brief for atheism, but as a kind of demythologized Gnostic manifesto, an accusation flung in the face of the demiurge.
Still, the pathos of his protest is, to my mind, exquisitely Christian - though he himself seems not to be aware of this: a rage against explanation, a refusal to grant that the cruelty or brute natural misfortune or evil of any variety can ever be justified by some "happy ending" that males sense of all our misery and mischance.
In a sense the whole of The Doors of the Sea was a response to Ivan's "rebellion" - and indeed a kind of endorsement of it. What I would say here is that it is important to understand the terms of the argument clearly: Ivan assumes - in good late-19th-century fashion - that the eschatological horizon of history and nature is, in a very direct way, the consummation of a process wherein all the apparent contingencies of history and nature have an indispensable part to play. For him, the Christian promise of the kingdom of God is the promise, as well, of a final justification not only of those who have suffered, hut of their suffering, and of the part suffering plays in bringing the final kingdom of love and knowledge to pass. This is what he finds intolerable: the notion that the suffering of children will prove to have been meaningful, to have had a purpose, to have been in some sense a good and necessary thing; for him, the suffering of children is an infinite scandal, and his conscience could never allow it to sink to the level of some provisional passage through darkness on the way to some radiant future.
My contention is that this places Ivan's sensibility much nearer to the authentic vision of the New Testament than are many of the more pious and conventional forms of Christian conviction today The gospel of the ancient church was always one of rebellion against those principalities and powers - death chief among them - that enslave and torment creation; nowhere does the New Testament rationalize evil or accord it necessity or treat it as part of the necessary fabric of God's world. All that Christian scripture asserts is that evil cannot defeat God's purposes or thwart the coming of his kingdom. Divine providence, of course, will always bring about God's good ends despite - and in a sense through - the evils of this world; but that is not the same thing as saying that evil has a necessary part to play in God's plans, and that God required evil to bring about the kingdom. As the empty tomb of Christ above all reveals, the verdict of God that rescues and redeems creation also overturns the order of the fallen world, and shatters the powers of historical and natural necessity that the fallen world comprises.
Christians often try to distinguish between what God wills and what God permits or allows. But does this distinction really help? If God allows something, or creates a world in which evil is allowed, then in some sense isn't it part of God's will?
Unless one thinks that God's act of creation is purely arbitrary - and it would be incoherent to attribute arbitrariness of any kind to a God of infinite goodness (an argument for another time) - then one must understand creation as a direct expression of God's own Logos. God does not create like an omnipotent consumer choosing one world out of an infinity of possibilities that somehow stand outside of and apart from his own nature. Here's one without cancer, there's one without Bach, over there's one with a higher infant mortality rate, and so on; this is the worst sort of anthropomorphism.
God creates the world of Jesus, the world conformed to his infinite love for his Son in the joy and light of the Spirit; he thereby also wills his goodness in all his creatures infinitely, which is to say he wills this world for eternal union with him in love, and he wills that we should become partakers of the divine nature.
There is no other world that God might have created, not because he is bound by necessity, but because he is infinitely free, and so nothing can hinder him from expressing his essential and infinite goodness perfectly, in and through the freedom of creatures created to be the fellows of his eternal Son.
That may seem obscurely phrased - it is, I know - but if one thinks through what it means to understand God as the transcendent source of all being, one must abandon the notion that God chooses to create in the way that I choose to buy blue drapes rather than red. God creates a realm of rational freedom that allows for a union between Creator and creature that is properly analogous to the Trinity's eternal union of love; or, stated otherwise, God creates his own image in his creatures, with all that that may entail.
Followers of Calvin have been particularly concerned to defend God's sovereignty. Do you think that tradition presents a particular problem for Christian thinking today?
Yes - and not only today. I quite explicitly admit in my writing that I think the traditional Calvinist understanding of divine sovereignty to be deeply defective, and destructively so. One cannot, as with Luther, trace out a direct genealogy from late medieval voluntarism to the Calvinist understanding of divine freedom; nevertheless, the way in which Calvin himself describes divine sovereignty is profoundly modern: it frequently seems to require an element of pure arbitrariness, of pure spontaneity, and this alone separates it from more traditional (and I would say more coherent) understandings of freedom, whether divine or human.
This idea of a God who can be called omnipotent only if his will is the direct efficient cause of every aspect of created reality immediately makes all the inept cavils of the village atheist seem profound: one still should not ask if God could create a stone he could not lift, perhaps, but one might legitimately ask if a God of infinite voluntaristic sovereignty and power could create a creature free to resist the divine will. The question is no cruder than the conception of God it is meant to mock, and the paradox thus produced merely reflects the deficiencies of that conception.
Frankly, any understanding of divine sovereignty so unsubtle that it requires the theologian to assert (as Calvin did) that God foreordained the fall of humanity so that his glory might be revealed in the predestined damnation of the derelict is obviously problematic, and probably far more blasphemous than anything represented by the heresies that the ancient ecumenical councils confronted.
Is universal salvation a corollary of your view of the absurdity of evil?
Probably not; but Gregory of Nyssa would say otherwise. The preferred Eastern Orthodox understanding of hell, one with profound patristic pedigrees, defines hell as something self-imposed, a condition of the soul that freely refuses to open itself in love to God and neighbor, and that thereby seals itself against the deifying love of God, thereby experiencing divine glory as an external chastisement. That hell I believe in, inasmuch as all of us from time to time have tasted it in this world. The refusal of love makes love a torment to us.
Does your understanding of evil have implications for pastoral practice in the face of evil?
I honestly don't know. I haven't a pastoral bone in my body. But I would implore pastors never to utter banal consolations concerning God's "greater plan" or the mystery of his will. The first proclamation of the gospel is that death is God's ancient enemy, whom God has defeated and will ultimately destroy. I would hope that no Christian pastor would fail to recognize that that completely shameless triumphalism - and with it an utterly sincere and unrestrained hatred of suffering and death - is the surest foundation of Christian hope, and the proper Christian response to grief.
So where was God in the tsunami?
Where was God? In and beyond all things, nearer to the essence of every creature than that creature itself, and infinitely outside the grasp of all finite things.
Almost all the reviews of The Doors of the Sea that I have read have recognized that, at the heart of the book, is a resolute insistence upon and adoration of the imperishable goodness of creation, an almost willfully naive assertion that it is the beauty and peace of the created world that truly reveal its original and ultimate nature, while the suffering and alienation and horror of mortal existence are, in an ultimate sense, fictions of fallen time, chains and veils and shadows and distortions, but no part of God╒s will for his creatures. This is why, at one point in the book, I grant the Gnostics of old the validity of their questions, though I go on to revile the answers at which they arrived.
To see the world in the Christian way - which, as I say in the book, requires the eye of charity and a faith in Easter - is in some sense to venture everything upon an absurd impracticality (I almost sound Kierkegaardian when I say it that way). But, as I was writing the book, I found myself thinking again and again of a photograph I had seen in the Baltimore Sun. The story concerned the Akhdam, the lowest social caste in Yemen, supposedly descended from Ethiopians left behind when the ancient Ethiopian empire was driven out of Arabia in the sixth century, who live in the most unimaginable squalor. In the background of the photo was a scattering of huts constructed from crates and shreds of canvas, and on all sides barren earth; but in the foreground was a little girl, extremely pretty, dressed in tatters, but with her arms outspread, a look of delight upon her face, dancing. To me that was a heartbreaking picture, of course, but it was also an image of something amazing and glorious: the sheer ecstasy of innocence, the happiness of a child who can dance amid despair and desolation because her joy came with her into the world and prompts her to dance as if she were in the midst of paradise.
She became for me the perfect image of the deep indwelling truth of creation, the divine Wisdom or Sophia who resides in the very heart of the world, the stainless image of God, the unfallen. I'm waxing quite Eastern here, I know, But that, I would say, is the nature of God's presence in the fallen world: his image, his bride, the deep joy and longing of creation, called from nothingness to be joined to him. That child's dance is nothing less than the eternal dance of divine Wisdom before God's throne, the dance of David and the angels and saints before his glory; it is the true face of creation, which God came to restore and which he will not suffer to see corruption.
David Bentley Hart receiving the Michael Ramsey Prize
from the Archbishop of Canterbury in May this year.


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The Philadelphia Inquirer has published its investigation into claims of child sexual abuse against Hall of Fame Daily News columnist Bill Conlin. We teased it earlier, but the details and the number of people willing to go on the record make Nancy Phillips's story a must-read. Here are the essentials.
• Three women and a man claim Conlin groped them, fondled them, and touched their genitals on multiple occasions in the 1970s, when the kids were between ages 7 and 12 and Conlin was the Phillies beat writer for the Daily News. There are allegations of molestation of other children who the paper wasn't able to locate or weren't willing to tell their stories.
• Kelley Blanchet is a niece of Conlin, and is now a prosecutor in Atlantic City. When she was about 7, she says, Conlin visited her house in Margate, NJ. When they were alone, Blanchet says Conlin "put his hand between her legs and touched her genitals, and penetrated her with his fingers," stopping only when her brother entered the room.
Later, Blanchet's father Harry Hasson confronted Conlin. Says Hasson,
"He swore to me that he just touched her leg. Then all of a sudden, he started crying," Hasson recalled. "He said, 'I swear to God, I just touched her leg.'"
• Blanchet did not see Conlin for years, but attended the funeral of his wife Irma in 2009. There she learned that Conlin had grandchildren, and out of concern for them approached a female relative and confided that she had been molested. That relative, in turn, said that she too had been molested by Conlin for years as a child. It was also at this time that Blanchet learned that friends of Conlin's sons also claimed to have been molested in the '70s.
• Kevin Healey was a friend of Conlin's older son. When he was about 12, he had a sleepover at Conlin's house while Conlin was out covering the Phillies game. Healey says he "awakened in the middle of the night to find Conlin fondling his genitals and leaning toward his body with his mouth."
• Kevin's sister Karen Healey says she was repeatedly molested by Conlin when she was about 10, as were two of her female friends.
• One of those friends, who spoke to the Inquirer but does not want to give her name, says she was 10 years old when she came over to visit Conlin's youngest son. The son was not there, but Conlin found himself alone with her in the family den. Says the woman,
Conlin put his arms around her, and then reached into her pants and put his fingers inside her.
"He just started fondling me and said, 'Does it feel good?' " she said. "He said, 'This is our secret.' "
It was not the first time Conlin had molested her, said the woman. But, following his warning about keeping it secret, she had told no one.
• At no time did any parents go to the police, even though they were aware of what their children said Conlin had done. Instead, they settled for "stern warnings to Conlin and a decision to shield the children from further contact with him." They cited loyalty to Conlin's wife, and a desire to put things in the past. In retrospect, says the mother of Kevin and Karen Healey, they "decided the wrong thing."
• Last year, Blanchet, the Healeys and the woman who declined to be named for the story gave videotaped testimony about Conlin's abuse to New Jersey prosecutors. But New Jersey's 1996 law abolishing statutes of limitations on sex crimes is not retroactive, so there is no legal recourse against Conlin. Says Kevin Healey, "we wanted justice."
More: Our conversation with Conlin the day before the Inquirer's story dropped.
Four say Philly Daily News writer Bill Conlin sexually abused them as children [Philadelphia Inquirer]


text: Mon Jun 28 2010 22:29 I really need to check my job at the door: ...of the bookstore. The other day in Foyles I had to physically restrain myself from re-organizing some Beast Quests that were in the wrong order. Tonight in Waterstones I found myself recommending The Sky is Everywhere to someone looking for a gift for a 15 year old. What can I say? 3 years in a bookstore and old habits die hard.


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Monday, January 30, 2017
nomad travel workshops in marrakech
An adventurous way to explore Marrakech.
The 'Nomad' travel workshops are a perfect way to discover the city of Marrakech and it's surroundings in an alternitive way.
In May and October we will organize two different workshops;
The well known Cool Crochet workshops for the 7th and 8th edition.
The Green Gardens workshops are new this year and we will show you the abundant green side of Marrakech during your stay in the Red City.
A lot of former participants enjoyed this way to travel 'alone' to Marrakech and discover the unknown with a group of International women.
For some women it's a huge adventure to travel to Nothern Africa by themselves and this is a perfect opportunity to face this adventure.
We have a few places available for adventurous women.
Below you can find more information about the nomad workshops.
Six days in Marrakech! Green is the theme. Price € 675,00 per person.
The price is based on a shared twin bedroom and excluding flight ticket. It's not possible to book a single room.
It's always possible to book extra nights, before or after the workshop (firstname.lastname@example.com)
- transfer from airport Marrakech to Riad Chambres d'amis (v.v.)
- shared twin bedroom (5 nights) including breakfast in Chambres d'Amis. (no single rooms available)
- 3 dinners & 4 lunches (drinks not included)
- veggie cooking workshop
- collecting green memories in a herbarium
- all excursions in and around Marrakech
During the workshop we will visit and explore all kinds of gardens in and around Marrakech; An Arabic garden, a rose garden, botanical gardens, secret city gardens, city parks, hidden courtyards, an art garden, museum gardens and vegetable- and herb gardens.
You will be surprised how green the Red City actually is. Urban jungle adventures with guided tours and delicious moroccan food, make this green travel-workshop unforgettable!
SPRING GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 11th of May - leaving: Tuesday 16th of May
AUTUMN GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 12th of October - leaving: Tuesday 17th of October
If you would like to join one of the workshops, please send an e-mail email@example.com for an application form.
Six days in Marrakech! Crochet while discovering the town. Price € 675,00 per person.
The price is based on a shared twin bedroom and excluding flight ticket.
It's always possible to book extra nights, before or after the workshop (email@example.com)
- transfer from airport Marrakech to Riad Chambres d'Amis (v.v.)
- shared twin bedroom (5 nights) including breakfast in Chambres d'amis. (no single rooms available)
- 3 dinners & 4 lunches (drinks not included)
- yarns, hooks and patterns
- all excursions in and around Marrakech
Buying wool, cotton and yarns in the souk. Urban jungle crochet at Jardin Majorelle. Crochet in the desert. Moroccan crochet in the open on the colourful Place des Epices. A daytrip to the Atlas mountains. Crochet on the roof of Maison de Photographie with it's wonderful view of the town... Delicious moroccan food and adventures in and around Marrakech make this travel-workshop never-to-be-forgotten!
SPRING COOL CROCHET WORKSHOP arrival: Wednesday 3rd of May - leaving: Monday 8th of May
AUTUMN COOL CROCHET WORKSHOP arrival: Wednesday 4th of October - leaving: Monday 9th of October
Do you fancy to go? Send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com
Geplaatst door wood & wool stool op 11:52 AM No comments:
Labels: adventures, chambres d'amis, cool crochet workshop, green gardens workshop, marrakech, travel
Thursday, January 26, 2017
No escape from the flu.
The Netherlands are in the grip of a mild flu epidemic.
Greetings from my current whereabouts and I hope to be back on track soon.
*For the occasion an old photo from the blog archive of december 2012.
Geplaatst door wood & wool stool op 5:31 PM 7 comments:
Labels: attic, bedroom, chambre à coucher, flu, january, woolen blanket
Saturday, January 21, 2017
winter wardrobe
A handmade midi skirt from 2008.
You can find the pattern in my Etsy shop.
Geplaatst door wood & wool stool op 8:22 AM 1 comment:
Labels: 2008, etsy shop, handmade, pattern, winter wardrobe, wood & wool midi skirt, wool, woolen skirt
Thursday, January 19, 2017
splatter sweater
Geplaatst door wood & wool stool op 7:44 AM No comments:
Labels: dusty pink, fashion, home, paint, paris, sweater, wardrobe, what to wear
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
vase d'amour
Vase d'avril, but i call it vase d'amour for the occasion.
Last week in Paris, Henk surprised me with a very special wedding anniversary gift.
We visited the shop of Tsé & Tsé Associés in Paris and while i was looking around upstairs in the amazing shop, Henk bought my favorite vase.
It was an amazing surprise!
I've been working with the Vase d'Avril for almost ten years now, during my flowerdays at Villa Augustus.
During the years I've sold a lot of vases in the market shop and told the happy new owners it's a great investment, because you can create a tiny flowerfield with just a few flowers.
This morning I bought some tulips at the flowershop, where my daughter Pippa is working and she choose those pretty pastel pink tulips for me.
I think it looks amazing on the small table in our kitchen and I'm very happy with it. So precious!
Geplaatst door wood & wool stool op 2:12 PM 3 comments:
Labels: flowers, gift, tsé & tsé associés, tulips, two days in paris, vase d'amour, vase d'avril, wedding anniversary
Friday, January 13, 2017
la chaise parisienne
'La chaise parisienne' is an unmistakable symbol of Paris.
Nothing beats a drink on a characteristic terrace to enjoy the flamboyant parisian street life.
Geplaatst door wood & wool stool op 8:09 PM 3 comments:
Labels: bamboo, chaise, colorful, inspiration, paris, parisienne, places to go, rattan, street life, terrace, terrasse, texture, vintage
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
two days in paris
Two days in Paris to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.
Paris is romantic and we enjoyed our umpteenth stay in the city of love.
Vive l'amour!
(and thanks everyone for all the kind messages on instagram)
Geplaatst door wood & wool stool op 9:53 PM 7 comments:
Labels: botanical garden, chartier, hotel henriette, jardins des plantes, l'amour toujours, le marais, merci, montmartre, paris, places to go, sacre coeur, tsé & tsé associés, wedding anniversary
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text:
Dolphin Coast, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa's Internet Speeds
August 2023
This information on internet performance in Dolphin Coast, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa is updated regularly based on Speedtest® data from millions of consumer-initiated tests taken every day. After you've learned about median download and upload speeds from Dolphin Coast over the last year, visit the list below to see mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds from additional cities within . Then compare your internet experience by taking a Speedtest below.
For additional up-to-date information about internet speeds in South Africa as a whole, visit the Speedtest Global Index™ or read our recent Market Reports for provider information.
Dolphin Coast Fixed Speeds
Download Mbps
Median download speed
Upload Mbps
Median upload speed
Latency ms
Median latency
To be added to this list for mobile or fixed broadband, 75% of a city's monthly unique user totals over a 13-month period must have a minimum of 200 monthly unique user results.
To be updated for mobile or fixed broadband, 75% of a city's monthly unique user totals over a 13-month period must have a minimum of 100 monthly unique user results.
An operator or ISP must account for 3% or more of total test samples in the market to be on this list. We display data if at least two operators or ISPs meet this threshold in a designated region or city.
Cities in KwaZulu-Natal
- Amanzimtoti
- Berea
- Blackburn
- Bluff
- Cele
- Chatsworth
- Dolphin Coast
- Durban
- Durban North
- Gillitts
- Hillcrest
- Howick
- Iqadi
- Kingsburgh
- Kloof
- La Mercy
- Ladysmith
- Margate
- Mount Edgecombe
- Newcastle
- Newlands East
- Newlands West
- Outer West Durban
- Phoenix
- Pietermaritzburg
- Pinetown
- Qiniselani Manyuswa
- Queensburgh
- Richards Bay
- Umhlanga
- Umlazi
- Westville


text:
Everything you need to run and manage contractors at scale
Hook up your accounts software or access funding via API
See the businesses that use Sonovate's growth fuel
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The world's press are with us. Check out our coverage here
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Get hold of our logo and photography
Get in touch and let us know how we can help
New product features, the latest in technology, funding solutions, and business ideas
No sales pitches. Just quality information and insights in our ebooks
Videos and step-by-step guides for all use cases
Explore how we compare to traditional invoice finance
Discover everything you need to know about entering, scaling and thriving in the UK contract recruitment market.
In this ebook


text:
Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia is proving to be quite the albatross around the company's neck. The company has stepped away from focusing on phones, and its handset sales revenue fell by almost half in the first quarter.
Microsoft sold only 2.3 million Lumia phones during the quarter, 73 percent fewer units compared with the first quarter of 2015. That meant Lumia handset revenue fell 46 percent. This dragged down the company's overall device revenue despite major gains in its Surface business.
Sales of Surface tablets and the Surface Book touchscreen laptop brought in $1.1 billion for Microsoft during the last quarter, compared with $713 million during the same period last year. That's good news for the company's future, but it's being hurt by the present state of the phone business.
Overall, the company's revenue continued to shrink slightly, with total revenue in the first quarter reaching $20.5 billion compared with $21.7 billion a year earlier. Microsoft's profit also shrank from almost $5 billion in the first quarter of 2015 to just under $3.8 billion in the first quarter of this year.
For the most part, Microsoft's story this quarter is similar to what the company has been doing for a while. Its cloud services are driving growth, while traditional parts of the company's business are shrinking alongside the PC market. A key part of the trend is Azure revenue, which grew 110 percent year over year.
Meanwhile, server software products like Windows Server and SQL Server logged year-over-year declines.
Similar to Azure, Office 365 continued to grow, reaching 22.2 million consumer subscribers, up from 12.4 million a year earlier. The number of Office 365 Commercial seats sold in the quarter grew by 57 percent, but Microsoft didn't say how many seats it has sold on that side of the business.
What will be interesting to see from Microsoft is whether the company's cloud growth will ever bring it back to its previous financial highs.


text:
4 Servings
Very fast and easy to make.
2-3 tbsp. water
1 cup thinly sliced leeks or coarsely chopped onions
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 1/4 cups water
1 tbsp. instant vegetable broth powder
1/2 tsp. saffron threads (or 1/4 tsp. turmeric)
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 1/4 cups long grain white rice
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups sliced defrosted artichoke hearts
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 3/4 cups cooked red kidney beans or 1 15-ounce can, drained
1/2 cup diced roasted red pepper
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the 2-3 tbsp. water in a large, heavy saucepan. Sauté the leeks and garlic over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in the water, stock powder, saffron, and salt, rubbing the saffron between your fingers to release its flavor as you add it. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and carrots. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 18 minutes.
Quickly sprinkle the peas, corn, kidney beans, and red pepper on top of the rice. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit until the rice is tender and the vegetables are thoroughly heated, about 2 minutes. Add pepper to taste and additional salt if needed. Stir well and serve.
Adapted from Lorna Sass' Lorna Sass' Short-Cut Vegetarian: Great Taste in No Time


text:
TV Stand for Lobbies, Fits Monitors 32 to 47", Height-Adjustable, Tilting - Black
- Steel frame and weighted base for a stable and lasting display.
- Height adjustable and 69° tilting bracket for the perfect positioning.
- VESA compatible for: 200mm x 100mm, 200mm x 200mm, 200mm x 300mm, 300mm x 300mm, 400mm x 200mm, 400mm x 400mm, & 600mm x 400mm.
- 2 wheels for moving as needed.
- Holds most flat screens 32" to 47" in size weighing less than 77 lbs.
- Bracket rotates 90 degrees to show television in landscape or portrait orientation.
- Includes a complete hardware kit for mounting most televisions. However, some televisions may require specific screws that are available at most hardware stores.
- Base is reversible so it can be slid under a table or facing outwards.
Conference Room TV Stand with Weighted Base that Slides Under Meeting Table to Save Space
This conference room tv stand that has a weighted base is sturdy and provides a lasting lcd or plasma screen mount for use during office presentations. These office monitor mounts can be used during a sit down meeting or for a stand up presentation with the adjustable steel pole. This black finish conference room tv stand is an ideal fixture for any office meeting space. The base faces inward so it can be hidden under the table and out of the way of foot traffic. This conference room tv stand is economically priced and meant to last! This display mounts lcd or plasma screens or even large computer monitors. This conference room tv stand has a black finish to blend well in any environment. This office monitor cart is ideal for meetings when placed at the head of a table for all to see. This conference room tv stand has a space to hide wires in the hollow steel post. This plasma mount is economically priced and ideal for offices of all sizes!
This height adjusting conference room tv stand, also known as an lcd mount, is certain to suit any table height. This lcd mounting post for an office can tilt up to 69 degrees. This office monitor mount, conference room tv stand that includes a tilting bracket allows users to adjust to the ideal viewing angle. This monitor kiosk has two wheels to move when desired. This conference room tv stand that has 8 set height adjustments allows users to position stand depending on the use. This office plasma or lcd screen mounting device includes a VESA bracket to fit most television mounting schematics. This conference room tv stand is ideal for placing at the end of a meeting table. This fixture blends in nicely in an office environment.
|Overall Width x Depth
|18.0" x 26.0"
|Height Range Min. x Max.
|43.0" x 70.3"
|Base Width x Height x Depth
|24.0" x 2.8" x 26.0"
|Placement Type
|Floor Standing
|Portrait, Landscape
|Wheels, Cable Management, Adjustable Height
|VESA Size
|200x100, 200x200, 300x200, 300x300, 400x200, 400x300, 400x400, 600x400, 600x200, 600x300, 400x600, 200x400, 200x300, 600x100
|Min Monitor Size
|Max Monitor Size
|Bracket Type
|Tilting, Rotating
|Max Monitor Weight
Ordering Information
Resources: Manuals, Videos, & Templates
MBWNDWSTBK - assemblyFilename: mbwndwstbk_instructions.pdf (49.13 KB)
Browse reviews from customers who have already purchased this product.
Overall 4.5 out of 5 | 2 Ratings
Customer Photos & Videos
Great, Affordable Stand
Posted 6 years ago by Displays2go
Solid build!
Posted 4 years ago by Displays2go
WARNING: This product can expose you to Nickel Compounds, which is known to the State of California to cause Cancer. For more information go to www.p65warnings.ca.gov.
Questions & Answers
|Price Each (USD)
|1 - 4
|5 - 15


text:
BNK Petroleum says to sell shale assets to Exxon
Oil and gas exploration and production company BNK Petroleum said on Sunday it had agreed to sell most of its assets in Oklahoma's Tishomingo Field to Exxon Mobil Corp for $147.5 million to fund its exploration program and repay debt.
Output from shale fields in the United States and Canada has jumped over the last three years thanks to the advent of drilling methods such as hydraulic fracturing, prompting some energy companies to sell assets to finance further exploration.
Exxon will acquire BNK's Tishomingo Field assets other than the Caney and upper Sycamore formations, BNK said in a statement. The deal is expected to close in late April subject to the completion of customary conditions, it added.
"If completed, this transaction will provide the company with sufficient funds to accelerate our planned Caney development and flexibility to pursue our exciting European projects on our own or with partners," BNK's chief executive Wolf Regener said in the statement.
BNK said it also expected to use proceeds from the deal for the repayment of a credit facility.
Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd advised BNK on the transaction.
(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Diane Craft)


text:
"That is the first thing that will be going into the design of the house, is the storm shelter and the garage," he said as he looked around piles of bricks and plywood where their home once stood.
Patterson's home was among as many as 13,000 homes damaged or destroyed Monday when the twister plowed through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore. About 33,000 people were affected, officials said, though the number left homeless was still unknown because most of the displaced were believed to have been taken in by relatives; only two dozen or so have stayed overnight at Red Cross shelters.
Officials estimated the damage could top $2 billion.
At the same time, more details emerged on the human toll, including heartbreaking stories about the final moments of some of the children who were among the 24 people killed. One elementary school was reduced to rubble when the tornado hit. Another was heavily damaged.
While anguish over the deaths was palpable as residents began picking up their shattered neighborhoods, many remained stunned that the twister didn't take a higher human toll during its 40 minutes on the ground.
"The tornado that we're talking about is the 1 or 2 percent tornado," Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood said of the twister, which measured a top-of-the-scale EF5 with winds of at least 200 mph. "This is the anomaly that flattens everything to the ground."
The medical examiner reported that six of the children who died at the Plaza Towers Elementary School suffocated after being buried under a mass of bricks, steel and other materials as the building collapsed. A seventh child who perished there, 8-year-old Kyle Davis, was killed instantly by an object -- perhaps a large piece of stone or a beam -- that fell on the back of his neck.
The first of the funerals is to take place Thursday morning, for 9-year-old Antonia Candelaria, who also died at the school.
With all of the missing now accounted for, response teams transitioned into cleanup and recovery, and authorities formally allowed residents back into the damage zone Wednesday to start the monumental task of rebuilding their lives.
Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis said Wednesday he would propose an ordinance in the next couple of days to require all new homes to have storm shelters.
The town already has some. After a massive tornado tore through a nearly identical path in 1999, the city provided incentives like federal grant dollars to help residents cover the costs of safe rooms. This time, though, Lewis thinks it is necessary to compel people to include them in all new construction.
The scale of the destruction is also bound to mean higher insurance premiums for homeowners, said Dan Ramsey, president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma.
"Three years of hail bombardments of apocalyptic proportions and then this? It has to result in some give someplace," he said.
Residents clearing massive piles of debris were also trying to get hold of essentials like mobile phones and prescription drugs lost in the destruction. Cellular service providers set up mobile retail outlets and charging stations. At least one was offering free phone calls and loaner phones.
Insurance companies have also set up emergency operation centers to take calls from people trying to get prescriptions filled and handle other health care needs.
Elsewhere in town, several hundred volunteers took it upon themselves to clean the city cemetery, which was covered in debris, so it will be ready for Memorial Day. Some veterans are buried there and it's where the town's residents gather on the holiday, placing flowers and flags among the gravestones.
The Texas Task Force 1 left early this morning for Oklahoma. The Red Cross is also sending at least two volunteers this morning and if you want to help, you can but you're asked to do it from right here in Houston.
The easiest way to help is to text the Red Cross. If you send the message Red Cross to the number 9-0-9-9-9, you'll send a $10 donation. You can also call 1-800-Red-Cross anytime.
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text:
Harry from RaymondGeddes sent me a parcel of goodies, which included MULTIPENS. I love multipens. I always need more multipens. I'm not sure why, but I do. RaymondGeddes has school supplies and novelties - there is a huge selection of things to look through. Huge. Lots of scented things, too! So anyway. Let's have a look at this Dr. Seuss multipen!
Length: 5"
Price: $11.88USD/12
Where to buy: RaymondGeddes
These are relatively short, quite wide, and very cute pens! They are approximately 5 inches long. One of these pens is the red with the barrel decorated with the "Cat in the Hat" hats, and the green pen is decorated with scenes from Green Eggs and Ham. There are two other designs that are really cute. I totally wish I had all four, because I have one-of-everythingitis. There are ten tabs around the top of the barrel to select the colours, and a big button at the top of the entire barrel to press to retract the selected colour.
The ten colours are: black, pink, light blue, purple, blue, red, green, orange, brown, and yellow. All the colours are pretty accurate, except the red may be a little less intense than expected. It's still obviously red though. The tabs extend easily and retract really well with the button on top. Often with novelty multipens, I have found the tips get jumbled and caught when trying to switch colours. The button on top fixes that problem by retracting the entire system so you can pick a new colour.
Since you can get them in packs of twelve, they'd be great for goodie bags for birthday parties, treats for giving out at Halloween, or for your classroom since the school year has just started. Or for yourself. Or Christmas. Or whatever. Do we really need a reason to get a multipen? No.
I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Review: Dr. Seuss 10 Colour Multipen @RaymondGeddes
Labels: associated addictions, Ballpoint, multipens, office supplies, pens, Reviews, stationery
2 comments:
- David said...
You know you are obsessed with writing instruments when you just spent ten minutes of your life reading a review of a toy Dr. Seuss multi-pen. But look at the bright side - at least you didn't write it.
- December 23, 2014 at 3:07 AM
- Azizah Asgarali said...
You say that like it's a bad thing :)
- January 12, 2015 at 4:51 AM
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text:
Communications faulted in N.Y. manhunt for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips
By CAROLYN THOMPSON
The Associated Press
Related: Ralph "Bucky" Phillips captured
Former fugitive, Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, center in orange, is escorted by U.S. Marshals into the U.S. District Court House in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sept. 9, 2006. Phillips, suspected of fatally shooting a state trooper and wounding two others made his first court appearance hours after surrendering in a field over the Pennsylvania state line following a five-month manhunt. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The internal report also said last year's search for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips relied too heavily on an elite unit of the New York State Police. But, it said, none of the problems significantly affected the hunt's outcome.
Phillips was captured Sept. 8 in a field near the Pennsylvania line, five months after escaping from a jail near Buffalo. While on the run, he shot one state trooper during a traffic stop and two others who were staking out his ex-girlfriend's home. One of the troopers died.
The search involved nearly 1,400 members of the state police, along with hundreds of officers from other agencies.
The review said field commanders did not clearly communicate instructions. It also said deficiencies within the state police radio system - and the belief that Phillips and acquaintances were monitoring dispatches - led commanders to use cell phones to convey assignments, a decision the report called "an error."
Based on 1,390 interviews, the review also found commanders leaned too much on the state police Mobile Response Team, whose members were not always immediately available to pursue sightings of Phillips and other major leads.
"Some apprehension opportunities may have been lost because immediate MRT response was not a practical expectation," the report said.
Changes have been recommended to avoid future problems, it said.
The troopers union, which has criticized search decisions by local commanders in western New York, said Friday it had not yet seen the report and had no immediate comment.
Phillips, 44, is serving 40 years to life in prison.


text:
Tips For Reading More Books
4 Tips to Keep in Mind If You Want to Read More Books
In the last few years, I have taken it upon myself to read more. I think I had a sort of postcollegiate reading hangover until one day, I realized I had forsaken one of my favorite pastimes. So I started a Goodreads account, joined a book club, got a library card, and was able to go from reading less than 10 books a year to reading a book a week. One thing I find funny is that whenever I talk to people about the latest book I read, they say something along the lines of "How do you read so much? I just don't have the time." I understand this excuse, because I used to use it myself, but let's get real: you do have time; you're just not making it a priority. If you really, truly do want to read more, here are four foolproof tips that helped me out.
1. Turn off the TV, and put away your phone.
It's amazing how many hours fly by watching mindless television and/or playing Candy Crush. I didn't give up TV completely, but I had to make a conscious choice when I got home or had free hours on the weekend to pick up a book instead of the remote. For me, I'd do reading first (sort of like homework) then watch TV at the end of the night.
2. Have a book or Kindle on you at all times.
Speaking of "time," do you know how many hours a day are spent just standing or sitting around waiting for stuff? Riding the bus, waiting in line for lunch, there are plenty of moments throughout the day to pack in a bit of reading, and if you have a book on you, it's as easy as pulling out your phone to check Facebook.
3. Read books you know you'll love.
Life's too short to read a book you hate. I'm a teensy bit anal about finishing things I've started, so this was groundbreaking for me. Once I just decided I'd stop trying to trudge through a painfully boring novel just to check it off my list, I started flying through books. I read reviews to see if a book sounds appealing, and I most often choose my favorite genre, mystery. You don't have to apologize for having a favorite genre; just embrace it, and dive into it. When it comes to books outside mysteries, I start reading it, and if it draws me, I keep going (this is how I discovered some of my favorite romances). If not, I move on.
4. Get a library card, shop at used bookstores, and look for Kindle deals.
Basically, don't let the cost of books keep you from reading. I keep an eye out for monthly and daily Kindle deals, but there's no replacing a library or used bookstore where you can also read a bit of the book before buying/loaning. And libraries now have ebooks, too. There are so many free and cheap books at our fingertips that it's silly not to take advantage of these opportunities.
Check out even more great tips for making reading a priority.


text:
Earn to die is back. new current version of the game earn to die 2013-2014 is cool. choose a car. and go on a journey full of..
Earn to die 2: exodus is a continuation of the successful action game serie. version earn to die in 2015 is full of zombies a..
This is the first serie of the "earn to die" game. reach a mile distant helicopter and save your skin. but be careful, there ..
"earn to die" is back! go fast as possible to the coast and destroy all zombies. pick up money and buy new enhancements (mach..
In this mobile and desktop game call silly ways to die you will get a power to protect each of silly citizens, you just have ..
In this game, you have a fire truck, truck and army high-weight truck. destroy all enemy zombies and reach the end of the lev..
Today is not your luckiest day. a bunch of hungry rabbits ate all your delicious picnic food. what will you do? Retaliation m..
Do you know the game called earn to die ? This game is a cover version of earn to die. in main role is the tank now. get in y..
Special car race. drive with your car around the world and show what tricks you can do with your car. attention, you haven't ..
The kingdom is in danger. king has a special chariot, which defeats the enemies. shoot the king with his truck. eliminate all..
A game similar earn to die. there you have a medical car. it's time of ww2. you have to deliver medical supplies to the next ..
Action game with an armored vehicle. the game is in the style of earn to die. you have to go as far as possible. you have to ..
This is a legendary flying game. in the first part we sent the penguin to the hospital. this is the part 2! let's fly with a ..
Stop the invasion of hostile monsters. have a solid base with plenty of ammunition. control with the mouse and with z,x,c. v ..
Run as fast as possible back to the "zombie land". collect coins, jump on rats, avoid the attacks of farmers and buy new and ..
Your birthday party is corrupted. the enemy demons will disrupt your bday party. there is nothing else than revenge. you will..
You are the head detective in town of winkletown and you must solve all manners of crime happening in your town. you have roo..
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Mobile and desktop game called back to candyland 5 choco mountain is very amusing colorful online game, where you tap on cand..
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Select vehicle and ride. Famous Uphill rush series presents latest part of fantastic ride.


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Booby Trap
Your View
Title :
Booby Trap
Series :
The Next Generation
Rating :
Overall Ep :
First Aired :
30 Oct 1989
Stardate :
Director :
Gabrielle Beaumont
Year :
Writers :
Ron Roman
Michael Wagner
Season Ep :
x 06
Main Cast :
LeVar Burton
Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn
Worf Rozhenko
Jonathan Frakes
William T. Riker
Gates McFadden
Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis
Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner
Patrick Stewart
Jean-Luc Picard
Wil Wheaton
Wesley Crusher
Guest Cast :
Susan Gibney
Doctor Leah Brahms
Albert Hall
Galek Dar
Colm Meaney
Miles Edward O'Brien
Guy Vardaman
Darien Wallace
Julie Warner
Christy Henshaw
The effectiveness of the artificial gravity systems in the Star Trek universe truly is awesome. After all, the Promellian battleship has been adrift for one thousand years, but her gravity systems still work perfectly!
I thought the point of the booby trap assimilator things was that you couldn't destroy them because they just absorbed the energy and radiated it back at you. So how come they can just shoot torpedoes and blow them up at the end? Why couldn't they do that earlier?
Beverly states that 26 minutes of radiation exposure is a lethal dose. Radiation really doesn't work this way. Trek frequently behaves as if there is some particular dose of radiation that is fatal, but anything below that is perfectly fine. Rather, it's a progression; low doses will give you an increased chance of cancer, higher doses cause radiation burns, lost hair and teeth, etc, up to a fatal dose. Worse, the levels at which all that happen vary considerably from person to person.
Great Moment :
Geordi's holographic date. The poor guy has put so much work into it that it ends up embarrassingly cringe worthy.
Body Count :
Factoid :
This is the first episode ever to be directed by a woman.
The original idea was to have Picard be the one who falls for Leah, but the writers decided that in a crisis he would be on the bridge, whilst Geordi would be the one trying to solve the problem. It also seemed to make sense for Geordi to fall for one of the ship's designers.
Originally Leah Brahms was to have been Navid Daystrom, a descendant of the Dr. Richard Daystrom from the TOS episode "The Ultimate Computer". However the casting department didn't realize that this would require a black actress and hired the white Susan Gibney instead. They changed the name and put in a line stating that Leah graduated from the Daystrom Institute.
Guinan tells Geordi that her attraction to Picard began when a bald man was once kind to her. This may refer to the episode "Time's Arrow, Part II", in which Picard cares for the 19th century Guinan when she is injured.
In this episode O'Brien tells Picard that he used to build model ships in bottles. Picard references this to the alternate O'Brien in "All Good Things..."
Geordi is on a holodeck date with another officer, Christy, but though he's put immense time and effort into making the perfect romantic program, she tells him she "doesn't feel that way" about him. The Enterprise-D, meanwhile, is investigating the remains of Orelious IX, a planet destroyed in an ancient war. As they explore they encounter a Promellian battlecruiser, a warship left over from the war. The ship is emitting a signal, and Picard decides to beam aboard to investigate as he has always been fascinated with the Promellians. Riker objects to the possible danger, but Picard over-rides him. He beams over with Worf and Data, finding the bodies of the crew still sitting at their posts. Picard marvels at how well designed the primitive ship is. Data discovers an intact "memory coil" and they play it to find a log entry by the Promellian captain, Galek Sar, in which he takes responsibility for the loss of his ship.
They beam back to the Enterprise and Picard orders the ship out of the asteroid field, but when the engines are engaged then energy begins to drain from the ship, and the ship is flooded with deadly radiation. There seems to be no fault in the ship, yet nothing they try has any effect. Geordi estimates that within three hours they will exhaust their energy reserve. He seeks a way to boost their power system to last longer. He goes to the holodeck to generate a recreation of the ship's original design configuration for research purposes, and with a slip of the tongue he ends up recreating one of the original designers, Leah Brahms, in holographic form. Figuring that this might be useful he has the computer look up her personality profile and animate her as a character. The two work together on ways to generate more energy for the ship.
During this time Data and Riker find more memory coils on the old battlecruiser and discover that the asteroids have been booby-trapped with aceton assimilators; these absorb the energy of a ship in the field and convert it into harmful radiation, so that the harder the ship struggles, the more lethal the environment becomes. Geordi and Leah struggle to find some solution. He goes to the bridge to talk with Picard; Riker wants to try destroying the asteroids with phasers, but Geordi says that the shields might be swamped by enough radiation to bring them down. Picard decides to try anyway, and the ship blasts some of the nearby asteroids only to find that radiation does indeed surge. The ship goes into a restricted power mode, shutting down the holodeck simulation Geordi was using. Crusher estimates that they have 26 minutes until everyone has absorbed a lethal dose. Geordi has Picard reinstate his holodeck program, explaining that the simulation is proving to be valuable in solving the problem.
Geordi keeps working, and with Leah he develops a way to overcome the effect by changing the power systems at extremely short intervals, giving the assimilators no time to adjust to the changes. Picard comes to talk about the issue with Geordi, and the engineer explains that complete control of the ship would have to be turned over to the computer as only it is fast enough to make the necessary changes.
Picard talks to Riker about the solution; Riker is unimpressed by the idea of giving the computer control, as he is confident that they can take orders but not so confident that they can give them. On the holodeck Geordi and Leah run two simulations of the method, finding that one succeeds and the other fails. As they talk the shields fail, giving the crew 26 minutes to live. Although Picard wants to implement the plan, Geordi frantically works on another option. He rushes to Picard and suggests that since their power systems are the problem, the answer is to shut them down. Use one thruster to give the ship a burst of speed, and then coast out on manual control with minimal systems active. As he tells Picard, "sometimes you just have to shut it all off."
Picard takes the helm and fires the thruster, and the ship begins to drift. He makes some minor course corrections but the ship appears to have insufficient speed to clear the field. Picard pilots it directly at a large asteroid, apparently on a collision course, but at the last instant he skims past, using the asteroid's gravity to achieve a speed boost and just clearing the field. Picard orders torpedoes used to destroy the battlecruiser and the asteroids around it, ensuring that the trap will never catch another vessel.
Geordi has a last talk with Leah, wishing that he could know her for real. She comments that in a way, the ship and the engines are a product of her, so when he touches them he is touching her. They share a kiss, and Geordi ends the program.
Overall a pretty decent episode. The booby trap idea is reasonably cool, the contrasting methods of escape are fairly plausible. And it's nice to see Geordi getting an episode where he can shine.
Where it falls down are on the smaller points; the radiation thing I mention above is one, along with the Promellian ship still having gravity, the sudden effectiveness of the weapons, etc. The gravity slingshot idea is based on a real principle, but in reality it wouldn't really work much like it is shown (though showing it realistically would be quite a slow business), and wouldn't result in much of a nudge anyway. Still and all, a reasonable episode.
© Graham & Ian Kennedy
Page views : 63,138
Last updated : 24 Nov 2014


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Choose the Best Countertop Material for Your Home and the Environment
In-depth reviews of green flooring materials -- Concrete, Laminate, Paper, Plastic, Stainless Steel, Stone, Recycled Glass (Terrazzo), Ceramic Tile, Glass Tile, Wood.
Key Considerations
Because of the beating countertops take over their lifetime, durability and stain resistance are key considerations."The truth is that there is no such thing as a burn-proof, scratch-proof, stain-proof countertop material—green or conventional—no matter what some manufacturers will claim," says designer Lydia Corser of Eco Interiors in Santa Cruz, CA. "The most important thing to realize is that nothing is foolproof."
Quick links to materials reviewed in this article
- Concrete countertops
- Laminate counters
- Paper countertops
- Plastic countertop
- Stainless steel countertops
- Stone countertops
- Recycled glass countertops (terrazzo)
- Ceramic tile countertops
- Glass tile
- Wood countertops
Lifecycle Thinking
When weighing the pros and cons of different countertop materials, remember that your countertop's environmental impact begins long before it is installed in your kitchen or bathroom and will continue after you dispose of it. Here is a basic rundown of key considerations:
- Raw materials: Are the materials used to create the countertop renewable or finite, and can they come from recycled products? Are they mined or harvested, and if so, how well managed are these processes? For example, mining the metals to produce stainless steel is very energy intensive and in some cases highly polluting, but stainless can be easily recycled. To go a step further, using salvaged material is often best for the environment since it avoids even the energy necessary to recycle.
- Manufacture: Materials that require less processing use less energy, and so have less impact. Ceramic tiles must be fired twice, consuming great amounts of energy, while untreated wood only has to be sawed and planed, using far less.
- Transport: The distance a material travels translates directly into air pollution from vehicle fuel combustion, which is responsible for emissions of sulfur and nitrous oxides, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide. Local materials from within a 500-mile radius are always preferable to reduce air pollution, since emissions can lead to acid rain, ground-level ozone formation, increased asthma rates, and breathing difficulty, according to the U.S. EPA.
- Installation: Dust from sawing and grinding as well as VOCs and other chemicals from adhesives can make your home inhospitable during and after installation. Check with your installer to minimize these impacts.
- Use and maintenance: In place, materials may offgas formaldehyde, VOCs, or other chemicals, but selecting specific materials with low impacts on air quality will cut emissions. For example, look for laminates without formaldehyde in their particleboard backing. Durability is also a major factor, directly linked to a material's lifespan and how often it must be replaced. Laminates are not very durable, but can last 20 years with conscientious care. Using low-impact cleaning materials will ensure that this care is not at the expense of your indoor air quality.
- End of life: Where will your countertop end up when its life is over? Can it be recycled, reconditioned and reused, downcycled into other products, or will it simply be sent to a landfill? Making your unwanted materials available for other uses helps avoid the extraction impacts of mining and keeps harmful chemicals out of the environment. For example, crushing concrete for use as aggregate in new concrete avoids mining of more aggregate.
When choosing a countertop material, keep in mind that "being green is not a black-and-white issue. All products have some green and some not-so-green characteristics. There is no material with zero impact on our planet," says architect Eric Corey Freed.
But plastic is so easy to care for!
Plastic solid surface materials are extremely popular due to their resistance to stains and bacterial growth, their very low impact on indoor air quality, and the ability to grind out stains and imperfections.
However, these countertops also have many undesirable aspects:
- They are made primarily from nonrenewable resources: petrochemicals and aluminum trihydrate (ATH). Petrochemicals are processed from petroleum, a finite resource that is energy-intensive and polluting to extract, ship, and process. ATH is strip-mined, disturbing very large swaths of land, and ATH may not come from recycled sources, even though aluminum recycling rates are high.
- Producing these materials uses high-energy industrial processes.
- While plastic solid surface materials can be recut and reused, or reconditioned in place, they usually cannot be recycled.
Materials in depth
For a summary of the environmental pros and cons of the materials discussed here, see GreenHomeGuide's Countertops Buyer's Guide.
Concrete is a mixture of cement, water, and an aggregate, typically sand. It is highly durable and can be poured in place for custom counters. It is not inherently a green product—cement production and transportation are extremely energy-intensive. But if the aggregate is recycled and locally sourced, the energy intensity falls.
Cement is the ingredient with the largest environmental impact. Global cement production is the third-largest producer of man-made CO2, a greenhouse gas linked to climate change; different sources estimate it accounts for 2.5 to 8 percent of total CO2 releases. Luckily, cement makes up only about 12 percent of concrete by weight, and 30 percent or more of it can, and should, be substituted with fly ash, a leftover material from coal-fired power plants. Fly ash is rendered inert during the chemical reaction that forms concrete, so it is not a health concern, and concrete does not offgas harmful chemicals.
Concrete can be molded into custom shapes in place and dyed almost any color or given distinctive blended looks, though you should inquire about the toxicity of dyes. Installation and grinding concrete can generate large quantities of dust, so make sure your contractor addresses this. Once cast into countertops, concrete can withstand heat very well. However, concrete counters should be sealed periodically to limit stains, water damage, and bacterial growth, and heat can damage the seal. Treated well, concrete can last a lifetime.
At the end of its life as a countertop, concrete can be reused whole or cut for other projects. Unwanted concrete can even be crushed into new aggregate for producing new concrete, saving energy over mining more resources to produce new concrete, as well as keeping old concrete out of landfills, according to research by the Portland Cement Association.
According to Ask the Builder, a concrete countertop can be a DIY project for a skilled homeowner. For specific product recommendations, read Low Impact Living's "Concrete for Green Countertops and Flooring" and consult the GreenSpec directory of countertop products.
Laminates are resin-impregnated paper glued to a particleboard backing. The particleboard backing typically has high VOC levels, and the laminates are most often glued to cabinet boxes using high-VOC glues. However, compared to plastic-based solid surfaces, laminates use a very small amount of resin.
Though laminates are not considered green, if the paper and plastic come from recycled sources, their impact can be reduced. Look for laminates made of recycled plastics and recycled, formaldehyde-free paper, that use nontoxic low-VOC glues for installation or that avoid glues by using mechanical fasteners. In terms of air quality, look for laminates that have been certified by Greenguard as low-emitting materials. When installing laminates, avoid first installing plywood (which typically offgasses VOCs) on top of the cabinet boxes. The laminate's backing should ideally be mechanically fastened to the cabinets, to preserve air quality.
Laminates are inexpensive and easy to clean, but they are easily marred by heat and nicks if not treated with care, so always use trivets and cutting boards in the kitchen. In the bathroom or laundry room there is less danger of damage, as laminates are chemical resistant. Their lifespan is relatively short: typically 10 to 20 years, depending on how well you treat them.
Laminates are not recyclable, and are difficult to remove and reuse if glued in place, so they quickly end up in landfills. This puts them behind many other counter choices environmentally.
Solid Surface: Paper Composite
Paper composite surfaces are composed of paper and other fibers that have been impregnated with resin. Paper composite handles heat well, is very durable and, according to Corser, "if folks are worried about staining … nothing seems to penetrate the darker colors, in my experience."
Maintaining paper composites over their long lives will reduce their overall environmental impact; a nonabrasive cleaner and a sponge are adequate for routine cleanings. This material does not nick easily or dull knives (it's often used in cutting boards), though, as with all materials, be wary of cutting directly on it to prolong the life of your counter as well as your knives. Many paper composite products can be sealed with mineral oil to improve moisture and stain resistance.
The resin does not come from recycled sources, but it constitutes a small amount of the material used. Because the resin is a thermoset plastic, paper-based solid surfaces are not recyclable, though they can be recut and retooled for future use. Overall, solid-paper composites are environmentally preferable to plastic-based solid surfaces since wood is a renewable resource while petroleum is not. Look for paper-composite countertop products that use pulp from sustainably managed forests and that incorporate recycled (especially post-consumer recycled) paper.
For specific product recommendations, see Sunset magazine's "Eco-Friendly Kitchen Counters" and consult the GreenSpec directory of environmentally preferable building products.
Solid Surface: Plastic Countertop
Plastic solid-surface countertops that incorporate recycled materials have a lower environmental impact than the typical plastic countertops mentioned above. These range widely in look, recycled content, recyclability, and composition. Some are made of compressed yogurt containers and aluminum, while others end up looking close to terrazzo. Recycled plastic surfaces are typically quite long lasting, resist moisture, and do not offgas VOCs—but they burn easily, can be scratched, and may warp, according to architect Andrea Traber.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is an alloy of steel, nickel, and at least 10.5 percent chromium. Because of the impacts of mining, particularly those associated with chromium mining, and the energy used to produce it, stainless steel is not inherently a green material. However, stainless steel typically contains 65 to 80 percent recycled content—up to 100 percent is available—and it's fully recyclable. (To find a steel recycler, use this recycler locator from the Steel Recycling Institute.)
Recycling steel uses a fraction of the energy required to produce it from virgin sources. Reclaimed stainless steel sheeting and fixtures are sometimes available from waste exchanges and specialty dealers.
Stainless steel countertops offer very high durability and low maintenance, and do not offgas. They scratch easily and show fingerprints, but if stainless steel is sanded to a brushed finish, it helps hide prints. Scratches can be reconditioned in place if they are shallow, though the nicks and marks of daily use give stainless steel a nice patina over time. Leaving extremely hot pots on stainless steel may mar it.
For more information about recycled-metal countertops, see Sunset magazine's "Eco-Friendly Kitchen Counters."
There is a wide range of stone available as countertop material. Stone is a natural material, but is not renewable or recyclable; it can only be downcycled into smaller slabs for other applications. Because it is quarried, it can have high environmental impact and can take a lot of energy to produce.
Buying locally helps reduce energy used in transit. Granite is popular, but is only environmentally preferable in states like New Hampshire where it is quarried. There are granite quarries in California as well, but serpentine (which is similar to soapstone) would be lower impact in California, since it is abundant and mined closer to the surface. Salvaged stone is sometimes available at salvage yards and avoids mining impacts altogether.
Stone is extremely durable and will last as long as your house, with certain caveats. Placing very hot materials on stone counters may damage the sealer used to increase water- and stain-resistance. Without being sealed, stone can easily be stained, especially by oils, and can be susceptible to bacteria if the type of stone is porous. If grinding and polishing take place in the home during installation, make sure dust is minimized.
Stone will not offgas VOCs, although there is some debate about radon emissions from stone. The consensus of many experts is that there is not enough radon in stone used in the home to affect you, according to architect Cassandra Adams. For more information on stone as a building material, see her article on stone and tile in GreenHomeGuide.
Terrazzo (recycled glass)
Terrazzo consists of crushed stone and glass set in a cement or epoxy substrate that is buffed smooth. Overall, terrazzo can be a good green choice due to its 40-year-plus lifespan, low maintenance, and high recycled content, especially if you use local materials to avoid the transportation-related energy and emissions. Glass, stone, and other recycled materials can make up as much as 95 percent of the materials in terrazzo.
The environmental and health impacts lie in the epoxy or cement substrate, which is up to 30 percent of the terrazzo. Epoxy is petroleum-derived, cannot be recycled, and can contain a number of potentially harmful chemicals such as phthalates. Once epoxy has cured, it has little impact on air quality, is non-porous and does not need to be sealed.
Cement binders have high embodied energy and contribute greatly to global CO2. Cement-based terrazzo should be sealed to limit staining. It resists scratches extremely well. It can be crushed and incorporated into new terrazzo, effectively recycling it. Grinding down terrazzo of either type to a smooth finish will generate dust and should be handled professionally.
For specific product recommendations, see Sunset magazine's "Eco-Friendly Kitchen Counters" and consult the GreenSpec directory of environmentally preferable building products.
Ceramic Tile
Ceramic and porcelain tiles consist of natural clays, minerals, and sands fired hard and usually glazed and fired again for a smooth water- and heat-proof finish. Extracting the materials and performing two high-temperature firings consumes a large amount of energy (though less than stainless steel recycling, for example), and shipping finished tiles is energy-intensive due to their weight.
On the other hand, ceramic tiles can contain up to 70 percent recycled materials, from ground recycled metals and minerals to post-consumer glass, which increases tiles' durability. Using recycled materials offsets some of the energy of mining new materials. Buying tiles that use local materials and that are produced locally will further cut down on transportation energy. Many areas of the country still have local ceramics industries. If you're buying imported tiles, look out for glazes containing lead or toxic materials, which are not always regulated overseas.
Durability is quite high for tile, though it should be professionally installed to ensure long life. Corser recommends that you select large, uniform tiles to reduce the amount of grout needed and that you keep grout lines thin (grout can be a hassle to clean). Use an unsanded, water-based (also called latex-based) grout to cut down on VOCs and mold growth. Keep tiles dry and clean them at least once a month. Cutting and preparing food directly on tile is not recommended.
As individual tiles wear or chip, you can replace them without having to redo your entire counter, further increasing the counter's lifespan; plan for this by buying a little extra tile initially. At the end of your counter's life, removing all of the tiles intact is difficult, and they cannot be easily cycled into new products other than aggregate for terrazzo or concrete.
For specific product recommendations, consult the GreenSpec directory of environmentally preferable building products.
Glass Tile
Glass tiles can be environmentally preferable to ceramic since they can have 100 percent recycled content. The production process for recycling glass into tiles, called sintering, consumes far less energy than making new tiles from virgin materials. Glass tiles scratch more easily than ceramic, however, and may be less uniform, making more grout necessary. Their potential surface irregularity may affect their use as countertops, which is why architects and designers often recommend using them only as accents or backsplashes.
As with ceramic tiles, locally produced tiles are environmentally preferable. Glass tiles do not offgas VOCs if water-based grout is used.
Glass tiles are easier than ceramic to reuse or recycle, but removing them is just as difficult.
For specific product recommendations, consult the GreenSpec directory of environmentally preferable building products.
Using untreated hardwood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for your countertop is the best choice on strictly environmental terms, according to architect Eric Corey Freed. FSC-certified wood from local, sustainably managed forests cuts down on shipping costs and energy. Unlike the other material types listed here, untreated wood is truly a renewable resource, and it requires relatively much less industrial processing. But growing and harvesting trees is still an environmentally disruptive activity, so salvaged wood is environmentally preferable.
In your home, wood should be kept from continually wet areas, such as the space immediately surrounding a sink. It can also be burned, scorched, dented and stained, so it requires care and regular cleaning. Otherwise, kept sealed with natural mineral oil to prevent drying, wood is a highly durable and healthy counter material. Mechanically fastening a wood countertop avoids adhesives and makes removal easier.
At the end of its use as a countertop, wood can be reused, given to materials exchanges or, if never treated with toxic materials, chipped and composted or allowed to biodegrade.
For specific product recommendations, consult the GreenSpec directory of environmentally preferable building products.
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