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'Empire of the Beetle': Reflections on the Kenai spruce bark beetle outbreak
'Empire of the Beetle': Reflections on the Kenai spruce bark beetle outbreak
11 November 2011
published by www.peninsulaclarion.com
Canada — When the spruce bark beetle outbreak hit Homer in the mid-1990s, I spent my weekends felling trees, cutting firewood and burning slash. My wife and I lived in a thick old-growth Sitka spruce forest, with no view of Kachemak Bay and hidden from the road. As the trees came down, our land became what realtors gleefully called an "emerging view" property. When a 160-acre clearcut appeared below us, our view of the Bay improved dramatically but cold day breezes meant the end of shorts on sunny summer days, and we found ourselves in full view from a noisy road. We loved our Sitka spruce and underlying thick moss, and it was heart wrenching to see it turned into a grass-filled stump farm.
Those troubled memories vividly resurfaced when I read Canadian journalist Andrew Nikiforuk's ""Empire of the Beetle": How Human Folly and a Tiny Bug are Killing North America's Great Forests" (Greystone Books, 2011). I couldn't have known it in the 1990s, but the Kenai outbreak was only the opening wave of a tsunami that has since swept British Columbia and most of the western United States, fueled by a rapidly warming climate. The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) has been the primary culprit further south, targeting lodgepole, ponderosa, and whitebark pines, with our spruce bark beetle (D. rufipennis) being a relatively minor player. Similarly, the pinyon engraver beetle (Ips confusus) has stripped the pinyon pine from pinyon-juniper forests in the Southwest.
As an ecologist at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in the 1990s, I had an insider's vantage point on the spruce bark beetle outbreak in Southcentral Alaska. As the Kenai forests turned red, I and my colleagues wondered if the magnitude of this outbreak was unprecedented. There had been a modest beetle kill in the 1970s on the northern peninsula, but it was peanuts compared to what was now happening. Using tree-ring methodology, we discovered growth releases in the 1810s, 1870s, 1910s, and 1970s throughout the peninsula and across Cook Inlet, indicating that beetles have long been major players in our forests.
The Kenai was the initial epicenter of the present North American outbreak, and Nikiforuk begins his odyssey with an account of "The Alaska Storm." He spent four years researching this book, which included an extensive review of more than a hundred years of bark beetle studies in the U.S., Canada and Scandinavia, as well as spending time in Canadian logging communities and traveling in the field with some of the top bark beetle experts.
"Empire of the Beetle" tells lots of interesting stories about bark beetle life, and the lives of the people who have studied them or been impacted by them. I found especially fascinating his description of the beetles as "buses" carrying fungi, mites, nematodes, yeasts and bacteria. Each beetle is a mini-ecosystem. Adult beetles, for example, carry fungi that release nitrogen from the wood, which larvae require because they can't live on the sugar-rich inner bark (phloem) alone.
The real message of this book, however, is the human response to the beetles. Ecologists have long noted that the human response to most natural disturbances is usually much worse than the disturbance itself. The bark beetle story is an extreme example of this proposition.
Lower-48 reporters often asked me about the ecological consequences of the Kenai outbreak. They expected stories of starving moose, massive forest fires and homeless songbirds. I told them instead that the most important consequences were logging, new roads and land subdivision. When the trees died, most private landowners on the Kenai logged their forests, seeking to salvage what little value remained. Logging usually required new roads, thereby improving the land for building (especially if the new view was attractive). Dense, roadless forests that wouldn't have been subdivided for decades were suddenly ready for subdivision and sales.
Reading Nikiforuk's book I feel that the Kenai got off very lightly compared to British Columbia in the logging aspect. In BC, most of the land is owned by the Crown. The BC Forest Service essentially gave loggers carte blanche to clearcut everything saleable, dead or alive, with few environmental restrictions. Some clearcuts exceeded 250,000 acres. Green pines were harvested in anticipation of beetle attack, and unaffected species like fir, balsam and spruce were also swept up in this frantic "gold rush" during the early 2000s. But the boom is winding down now and communities have lots of unemployed loggers, even as BC has spent more than a billion dollars repairing road damage caused by heavy logging trucks.
What lessons can be learned from all this? Except for a cold winter, Nikiforuk shows that a bark beetle outbreak cannot be stopped by logging, spraying, electrocution, burning, or explosives once it has gotten under way. Nevertheless, the public and politicians feel the need "to do something" about the problem, even if the cure is worse than the disease.
The second lesson is that unselective logging can intensify and prolong a beetle outbreak by leaving slash which breeds more beetles. Trees on clearcut perimeters typically are blown down and provide the best possible beetle nurseries. Slash and bucked up logs left along the Bradley Lake powerline in the late 1980s probably helped spread the outbreak at the head of Kachemak Bay.
The third lesson is that massive fires did not follow beetle kill in either Colorado or Alaska. Beetle-killed spruce does indeed burn, especially in the first-year red-needle stage, but drought-stressed live trees with dry needles burn even better. The rate of spread of most fires on the Kenai is determined by ground fuel moisture in litter or grass, and not by tree crowns, whether dead or alive. Dry weather, especially in the spring, is the chief fire danger.
The fourth lesson is that diverse forests are the best guarantee of healthy forests in the future. BC forests were mostly even-aged, post-fire stands that had been protected with years of fire suppression. The southern Kenai forests were also quite homogeneous with a long fire cycle of 400-600 years, historically protected by a cool and moist climate. In both cases these forests were loaded guns, waiting for a trigger to be pulled. The trigger was climate warming. In BC, prior to the 1980s, cold winters often reached the lethal temperature of minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which kills beetle larvae. Once winters warmed up, beetle populations exploded. On the Kenai, winters of that severity rarely occur and aren't a limiting factor; it was consecutive warm summers that pulled the trigger. An unprecedented 11-year run of warm summers from 1987 to 1997 allowed beetle populations to increase exponentially until they simply ate themselves out of house and home.
What should we do with logged land, if anything? I wish that Nikiforuk had addressed this conundrum. It is certainly on the minds of Kenai landowners. In my opinion, the best response is to do nothing. Planting white, Sitka or Lutz spruce is pointless because they will be susceptible to beetle kill with warming summers. Planted spruce could be harvested for pulp in 40-50 years, but I expect beetles will hammer these trees when their diameters reach 6-8 inches. Some landowners have successfully planted lodgepole pine, but it is only a matter of time before mountain pine beetles arrive from northern BC. Monoculture stands of lodgepole pine provide poor wildlife habitat and require fire to open their pitch-sealed (serotinus) cones for reproduction. Siberian larch also grows here, but it is susceptible to moose and hare browsing, and to larch sawfly, and it is expected to do poorly with warmer summers. Birch and aspen are nice in the yard, but they require fences or wire mesh to keep the moose off. From either an economic or ecological point of view, there appears to be no tree species worth planting on the Kenai on a large scale.
Cutover grasslands on the Kenai will eventually burn, as some have already done. If they burn late in the season, which we expect with warmer and drier summers, exposed mineral soil will provide a good seedbed for both spruce and hardwood germination. In beetle-killed forests that haven't been logged, the trees are falling down and rotting, becoming nurse wood for the next generation of trees.
The Canadian experience, as chronicled by Nikiforuk, makes a strong case that the best defense against massive insect outbreaks and large forest fires is to have a diverse landscape with a variety of stand ages and tree composition. The central and northern Kenai forests have this diversity because of the short fire cycle of 130 years in upland mixed white spruce and hardwoods, and 80 years in lowland black spruce. The southern Kenai could well achieve similar diversity because new forests will be recruited very unevenly if we wait for fire and nurse wood to do their natural work at their own pace.
In British Columbia there is great political pressure to reforest cutover Crown lands. Forestry is big business in BC, but it should be approached with great care and with an eye to the future. To simply replant monoculture crops of pine and spruce will create a mosaic of even-aged stands that serve as beetle fodder in a warming climate. A safer approach is to plant a variety of species, both softwoods and hardwood, on the same plots so as to mimic a natural forest. Forest pests like bark beetles, defoliators or blight can take out one tree species but not the whole stand. Foresters are developing poly-crop methods in the tropics and these methods certainly deserve study in our northern forests.
Ed Berg, PhD, was the ecologist at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge from 1993-2010. He is now retired and lives with his wife Sara in Homer, where he is researching a book on the geology of the Kenai Peninsula, as well as teaching at the Kenai Peninsula College. This article is condensed from a longer version published in the Homer Tribune.


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During my career, I've had more than one person tell me that their job would be great if not for their boss. As it turns out, these people were not too far off the mark. Creative Boom lists the traits of how horrible a boss can be and how to deal with them.
The Egomaniac
They love the fact that they're your boss. Their ego is so big, it could travel around the world and back again. They love to be centre of attention. They always have to be right. And if they're not? The toys will most definitely be thrown out of the pram.
The Solution: Of all the horrible bosses, this one is the easiest to deal with. All you have to do is stroke their ego. Allow them to be centre of attention and give them the impression that you hang on their every word. And that you think the sun shines out of their backside. Say their first name often, as psychologists conclude it's the sweetest sound in the world to them. Feed the ego and the ego will leave you alone.
There's also "The Politician", "The Bitter Lemon" and "The Neglector", all names that seem to recall Pre-Prohibition Era Cocktails.
Or maybe it's just that you'll need a drink after dealing with bosses like these.

subset: commoncrawl


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The App Store has seen over 170 billion downloads over the past decade, totaling over $130 billion in consumer spend. This data was shared this morning by app intelligence firm App Annie, which is marking the App Store's 10th Anniversary with a look back on the store's growth and the larger trends it's seen. These figures aren't the full picture, however – the App Store launched on July 10, 2008 with just 500 applications, but App Annie arrived in 2010. The historical data for this report, therefore, goes from July 2010 through December 2017.
That means the true numbers are even higher that what App Annie can confirm.
The report paints a picture of the continued growth of the App Store over the years, noting that iOS App Store revenue growth outpaces downloads, and that nearly doubled between 2015 to 2017.
iOS devices owners apparently love to spend on apps, too.
The iOS App Store only has a 30 percent share of worldwide downloads, but accounts for 66 percent of consumer spend, the report says.
But this isn't a complete picture of the iOS vs. Android battle, as Google Play isn't available in China. App Annie's data is incomplete on this front as it's not accounting for the third-party Android app stores in China.
China today plays an outsized role, as App Annie has repeatedly reported, in terms of App Store revenue, even without Google Play. In fact, the APAC region accounts for nearly 60 percent of consumer spend – a trend that began in earnest with the October 2014 release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in China.
But when you look back at the App Store trends to date (or, as of July 2010 – which is as far back as App Annie's data goes), it's the U.S. that leads by a slim margin. China has quickly caught up but the U.S. is still the top country for all-time downloads, with 40.1 billion to China's 39.9 billion; and it has generated $36 billion in consumer spend to China's $27.7 billion.
iPhone users are heavy app users, too, the report notes.
In several markets, users have 100 or more apps installed, including Australia, India, China, Germany, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and France. The U.S., U.K., and Mexico come close, with 96, 90, and 89 average monthly apps installed in 2017, respectively.
Of course the numbers of apps used monthly are much smaller, but still range in the high 30's to low 40's, App Annie claims.
The report additionally examines the impact of games, which accounted for only 31 percent of downloads in 2017, but generated 75 percent of the revenue. The APAC regions plays a large role here as well, with 3.4 billion game downloads last year, and $19.3 billion in consumer spend.
Subscriptions, meanwhile, are a newer trend, but one that's already boosting App Store revenues considerably, accounting for $10.6 billion in consumer spend in 2017. This is driven mainly by media streaming apps like Netflix, Pandora, and Tencent Video, for example, but Tinder makes a notable showing as one of the top five worldwide apps by revenue.
Thanks to subscriptions and other trends, App Annie predicts the worldwide iOS App Store revenue will grow 80 percent from 2017 to $75.7 billion by 2022.
And while the App Store today has over 2 million apps, it has seen over 4.5 million apps released on its store to date. Many of these have been removed by Apple or the developers in the months and years, which is why the number of live apps is so much lower.
The full report with the charts included is here.


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GSB – German Scholars Boston is an independent organization for and of German speaking scholars, alumni and professionals living and working in Cambridge or the greater Boston area interested in Germanic culture. It comprises scientists, scholars, students, fellows, post-docs and alumni from all major universities in the area, including but not limited to Boston University, Harvard, MIT, and Tufts, as well as professionals from different companies, and people from government- and non-governmental organizations. With more than 7K+ alumni, GSB's worldwide membership is at 11K+ now.
GSB provides a forum for its members to meet, discuss, exchange ideas and vital information. As such, GSB invites to specific cultural and social events to get together on a regular basis.
GSB's Basic Membership is FREE. Independent of nationality, profession or background you are invited to join! Membership provides an excellent opportunity to get in touch with the German speaking community – within & beyond GSB.


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Welcome to Our Practice
Welcome to Adkins Family Dentistry, Your Dentist in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Welcome to our website! At Adkins Family Dentistry our philosophy is to provide treatment to the whole person – with a special focus on how your teeth and gums relate to your total body health. We want you to be confident that your smile achieves your goals for comfort, function and appearance. We're here to make that happen.
We also understand that choosing a Greeneville dentist is an important decision. After all, your smile is your greatest asset and says a lot about your overall health. From the moment you walk in the door, you'll be welcomed by a caring staff in a relaxed, stress-free environment where the whole family can feel at ease. Adkins Family Dentistry offers a full range of dental treatments at our office to help you achieve your perfect smile, such as general dentistry, teeth whitening, crowns, implants, complete dentures, partial dentures, preventive care and/or periodontal exams. We utilize the latest in dental technology and techniques in order to offer you the best preventive care and treatment available.
To learn more about our comprehensive service offering and office procedures, take a few moments to look over the informative pages on our website. For additional information, you can always contact our office by calling 423-638-5141 or by stopping in.
Relax with confidence at Adkins Family Dentistry. We're your neighbors and we're here to help you maximize the health of your smile.


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Fatal encounters with black bears have been exceedingly rare during the last century, but appear to be mainly the result of predatory male bears targeting humans in their wilderness home ranges, according to a new study led by the world's leading expert on bear attacks.
In an article published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, University of Calgary professor emeritus Dr. Stephen Herrero, University of Calgary graduate Andrew Higgins, and colleagues from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and Brigham Young University analyzed the circumstances of all recorded deaths inflicted by non-captive black bears in North America between 1900 and 2009. The study found that 63 people were killed in 59 incidents in Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 states. The researchers determined that the majority (88%) of fatal attacks involved a bear exhibiting predatory behaviour, and 92% of the predatory bears were males. The authors suggest male black bears have evolved some different behaviours than females.
"Each year there are millions of interactions between people and black bears with no injuries to people. So while the risk is low, it does exist," said Herrero, an expert in bear behaviour and ecology in the U of C's Faculty of Environmental Design. "Our findings raise some important new insights that can be used to better understand the cause of attacks and how they can be avoided in both the front and backcountry."
In particular, the common belief that surprising a mother bear with cubs is the most dangerous kind of black bear encounter is inaccurate. Instead, lone male black bears hunting people as a potential source of food are a greater cause of deadly maulings and related predatory attempts. The study also found that fatal attacks do not typically involve bears that are familiar with humans, although some fatal attacks did.
"Most fatal black bear attacks were predatory and all fatal attacks were carried out by a single bear," Herrero said. "With training, people can learn to recognize the behaviour of a bear that is considering them as prey and deter an attack by taking aggressive action such as fighting back."
The paper confirms other current perceptions and bear management practices. It found that bears that have previously killed people are more likely to attack again; parties of more than two people are much less likely to be attacked; and human food and garbage tends to attract bears and may increase the likelihood of serious bear attacks.
Examining 110 years of data also allowed the researchers to identify historical and geographic trends of black bear attacks. They found that 86% of fatal attacks occurred since 1960; that fatalities are more common in Canada and Alaska despite lower human populations and less contact between humans and bears than in the lower 48 states; and that human population growth is accompanied by rising fatal bear attacks.
"We didn't demonstrate why population growth is correlated with more bear attacks but we suspect it is because there are more people pursuing recreational and commercial activities in black bear habitat," Herrero said. "Similarly, we don't know exactly why there have been more attacks in Canada and Alaska, but we speculate that it could be because bears in those areas are living in less productive habitat with periodic food stress, which may predispose some bears to consider people as prey."
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Calgary. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
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Cookies, Food, Family and Friends, mixed with a little Fun. That's my secret recipe for happiness.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Italian Lemon Ice
36 comments:
Great stories and I love having my daughter help in the kitchen, even if I do start to get all "head chef" on her ha ha. The recipes look awesome!!ReplyDelete
Ohh I can totally relate to you...kids are at all time behind me:))) and endless "mom, mom, mommy" I feel like commercial from "family guy":))))ReplyDelete
Your kids did fantastic job, well apple doesn't fall far from the tree..Wonderful presentations and both delicious recipes!!!:)
Love what your daughters have whipped up! Clearly they're budding chefs too :) The heart shaped pizza is absolutely adorable... and the food styling with the lemon ice is impeccable! :) Cannot wait to see your next post! It sounds like it's going to be awesome. It would be cruel to make us wait too long :) Lovely post, Gina!ReplyDelete
Hey Gina..I'm totally speechless at your lemon ice! Love the color and presentation :)ReplyDelete
In fact this is a lovely post, I love everything in it ;D
Thanks everyone. Sandra, I love that commercial.ReplyDelete
Really adorable dog! I love how you keep the kids busy while honing their cooking skills!ReplyDelete
How clever to present the lemon ice in hallowed lemons! It looks very pretty.ReplyDelete
The lemon ice looks so pretty in the lemons. It would be great for a party. I love that your daughter shaped the pizza like a heart - so cute!ReplyDelete
Wow Gina, wish I had a daughter like yours! You must feel really proud :) I love those lemons, they're gorgeous! Have a great week and enjoy your time with your children, these days it's so rare to have time for family!ReplyDelete
Gina, you lead a jam-packed life and seem to have a great time doing it. I love your lemon ice recipe and heart shaped pizza. This is my first visit here but I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...MaryReplyDelete
Sounds like you had some fun in the kitchen with your daughters! Both of those creations look delicious. oh- Be sure to post a picture of your daughters dresser when it is done-I want to see it!ReplyDelete
I'm sure there are lots of good aromas for Rusty and Teddy in your lovely kitchen! Lucky dogs! I didn't know you had doxie's, so now I love you even more (my little spoiled girl is a black & tan doxie who stays very close in the kitchen just in case I need her help).ReplyDelete
The pizza is adorable and the lemons are gorgeous! Your daughters are so talented...just like mom!
First off, because I'm blessed with my dog-child, 'Sushi' who is always underfoot waiting for a crumb to fall...I was thrilled to read that your 'Rusty' is doing so much better ;o)ReplyDelete
Now, how charmingly these foodies of yours took their task to heart and did a wonderful job...you must be so proud. Gina, I get the feeling they must be a real joyful handful too. LOL
Ciao for now and flavourful wishes,
So nice that your daughters are doing some cooking. It is tough sometimes when everyone's home and expects you to cook up a storm because everyone's home. Can't wait to see YOUR post.ReplyDelete
I wanted to be a teacher too! But judas said there was no money in teaching so I became an accountant. Do you have any idea how boring accounting is??? I hated it.ReplyDelete
I don't hate anything about this Lemon ice though! And the heart pizza is a work of art. Keep it up girls!
Btw... It took Live about two and a half hours on Friday to say she was bored!
Oh I could never be a teacher, I don't have the patience! The lemon ice is just too cute!! The heart pizza is just awesome, how on earth did you even manage that?! Your pizza dough must love you.ReplyDelete
At least you have found a way to keep your kids busy! This is our 3rd week on break, and I am going to go crazy! I love my son, but really I am not your sole form of entertainment! The lemon ice looks great, and I love the heart shaped pizza!ReplyDelete
I need some of this citrusy good ice! Such a pretty presentation too, Gina! Pinning to make one weekend soon...ReplyDelete
I don't think anything beats seeing a child's hand working with food. I could look at that picture of her patting out the heart-shaped pie dough for hours. Made with love. That's perfect. What a keeper.ReplyDelete
mmm...lemon ice..delish with pretty presentation. I am not surprised that heartshaped pizza was gone before you could have taken a shot.ReplyDelete
WOW that looks soooo pretty! Beautiful presentation, Gina... I'm wishing that I could just reach over and eat it up!ReplyDelete
Hi Gina! Your daughter is funny about insisting it's her recipe. So cute! Both girls did such a wonderful job. I'm a mom already but I never made lemon ice or pizza from scratch! You should be really proud of yourself! Gina the entertainer. Haha. My kids always ask me "mama what's next?" "What do we do next?"...drive me crazy but I'll feel so lonely if they are gone. By the way, we went to Brentwood for cherry picking yesterday and I thought of you. :-)ReplyDelete
Gina your girls are so creative and I can see they are as talented as their mom in the kitchen. Tell your girls I love the lemon ice styling and the heart shaped pizza. I can't wait to make the ice for my hubby, we both are going to love it. Congrats on your awards. Glad to hear Rusty and Teddy are doing well. Have a great week you busy bee:)ReplyDelete
Gina- you are pretty entertaining;-) I remember those days after school gets out, nice to have no schedule and time with the kids but your life definitely runs at a different pace. I like that everyone is keeping busy in the kitchen, the pink ribbons on the lemons are striking and pretty. I also like the heart shaped pizza, I think that's the first time I've seen a pizza shaped so lovingly;-)ReplyDelete
I love this post! Nothing better than being in the kitchen with your kids! The Italian Ices look adorable!ReplyDelete
What lovely treats. I adore the heart shaped pizza. :)ReplyDelete
Yes, its great having them home, but.... My girl has been home only a few days - she needs to start baking soon :) Haha I always freak out at the mess when I'm not the one cooking! Love the vibrant colors and styling of the Italian ice ,and the heart-shaped pizza is so cute!ReplyDelete
What a fantastic post Gina! How I used to spend timein the kitchen with my boys. those lemons, that pizza are so so creative. Enjoy; you are doing it right!ReplyDelete
Your daughters are little prodigy chefs! Great food that looks fantastic :) And I can't WAIT to see your next post, you big tease! BuzzedReplyDelete
I think you are brilliant to have your girls cooking. That lemon ice sounds perfect for a hot day like today.ReplyDelete
I love it when the kids are in kitchen helping. That lemon ice sounds perfect for a hot day. Pizza looks good too. Great photos!ReplyDelete
What a fun post! Love the heart shaped pizza. Lemon ice would be perfect for the bit of warm up that we are having right now. Delish!!!ReplyDelete
Italian Lemon Ice is perfect for me, This is suitable for tropical climates like my country. Thanks for sahreReplyDelete
I love lemon ice and the picture at the top is amazing!ReplyDelete
It does seem like summer has made everything even more insane...I am nut sure I will ever catch up.ReplyDelete
Your daughters Italian ice looks wonderful and love the way she presented it. Plus the pizza is just too lovely :)
Your daughters seem like great hands in the kitchen, and no wonder with a super duper chef mom like you, Gina! I would've loved to see that orange cake, but so glad I got to see the other two creations. The heart pizza is just.... heartwarming ;-).ReplyDelete


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The food world is quick to throw around buzzwords like "party spot" and "buzzy scene" when anointing the latest $75-a-head downtown hot spot. But too often, these restaurants and bars are a huge letdown for people who believe that real partying involves conga lines, booze luges, and sing-a-longs, not just a generic '90s hip-hop soundtrack and cocktails with cheeky names.
If you really want to get it popping, you need to delve deeper into the fabric of New York—the Russian vodka palaces of Brighton Beach, the Brazilian joints that channel the energy of the favela, the Peruvian party spots, and the uptown joints where you might literally hear someone yell, "Turn down for what!" These are places to escape into a scene that simply can't be faked by pretenders to the party throne.
Visit any one of these 12 NYC restaurants, and you're guaranteed to get real loose by the time the evening's over.


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Spring 1994
I will discuss methods for simulating galaxies (or other collisionless stellar-dynamical systems). The material will be fairly self- contained, although some programming experience (in C or Fortran) and a little background knowledge of galactic dynamics will be helpful. I plan to focus on modern techniques for three-dimensional systems. These will be illustrated by examples from the literature, including simulations of dynamical instabilities, secular evolution, collisions, and mergers of galaxies.
Go back to class and seminar list.


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Bride's brother
Displaying 1 to 2 of 24 example lines
Good evening, I'm John. As Linda's big brother, I always knew this day would come. I would stand before a crowd at her wedding, as I do today; look the man she has chosen in the eye and say, "You are not worthy. Go home." What I didn't expect, was to be standing here as Paul's best man and to be admitting that he is most certainly worthy of my sister.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to be with you as we celebrate the union of my little sister, Linda, to the love of her life, Paul. Nothing means more to them and our families than sharing this special day with you. Ever since she was a little girl, Linda dreamed of a lavish outdoor wedding with garlands of roses on a warm summer day. Today, her dream came true; though speaking as a man in a tux, an unseasonably cool summer day would have been a fine wish too. But anything for my little sister.


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A Garden by Paul Cullen has recently opened on the Sculpture Terrace's Outer Terrace. The project draws on Paul's interest in the history and practice of garden design and also his ongoing interest in the methods and models of science.
The work was installed over a two week period beginning with some skilled help from a blocklayer who came with his concrete mixer to lay two low block walls.
From those foundational parts that echo the lines of the architecture, the rest of the installation was arranged. The two-level blue platform, yellow trestle and the lamp were incorporated into the block walls.
The relationship of the trestle, platforms and lamp to the walls, the nature of the walls as building materials and the relationship of the walls to the architecture makes these two parts of A Garden the most fixed or permanent aspects of the installation.
The other elements – the metal tables and benches and the manufactured ornamental rocks – are predominantly at angles to the architecture and to each other. Their placement is deliberately scattered about the space to give interesting angles to view and to guide visitors movement within the terrace space.
Working with space is a key aspect of garden design. For one there is the concept of the borrowed view where gardeners work with the lansdscape outside of the garden area, incorporating it into the view to enlarge the garden and enhance it. Garden designers also work with elements within the confines of the garden to frame the borrowed view and to create possibilities for negotiating the space of the garden itself.
By now you will have noticed that this is a garden without plants. Paul's choice to keep this vegetation free may not be a surprise to those who are familiar with his outdoor works. His interest lies more in the type of scientific observational installation often found in public gardens such as botanic gardens, or rooftop gardens. As seen in this recent project Weather Stations for Sculpture on the Gulf.
Taking the Outer Terrace at its face value as an observation point six stories up overlooking the harbour, Paul has responded to the site as an ideal place to meausure and observe. However, whether the objects in A Garden might be made for measuring, and if so just what they might measure, is left completely unclear.
A Garden responds to the location by drawing in the common uses for such sites – rooftop gardens and observation decks. Paul draws these references into the work visually with the objects and their placement to make a garden space that is an ideal place for observation and contemplation.
If you'd like to see more of Paul's work, he has work currently on show at the Waikato Museum and at Jane Sanders, Art Agent in Auckland.


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Public-Assisted "Homeschooling"
What Is the Cost?
By Steve Walden
The flyer arrived one day in the mail. It was from a school district in Colorado announcing their introduction of a Home School Academy. Someone had meticulously filed it with the other junk mail, and I had to grab it off the top of the trash. I had heard about colleges offering credit courses for homeschoolers, but this was different. It was a grade school option offered by the public school district. This was a new twist, I thought. Why were they offering this? What would they demand in return? What could they bring my children that I couldn't?
What Does It Offer to Homeschoolers?
The public school-assisted homeschool model essentially offers public school facilities, such as teachers and classes, for homeschooling children for a portion of the school week. During this time, the children sit in class and learn one or more subjects taught by a public school teacher. Each child spends the rest of the week in homeschool, taught by his or her parent. The instruction provided by the public school can be core curricula, such as reading or arithmetic, but more often it is intended to complement core instruction provided by the homeschool. The courses can range from art to robotics to sports and physical education.
It sounds generous, doesn't it? Art supplies, spare mechanical parts, and soccer balls all cost money, to say nothing of the buildings and teachers. If schools are as under-funded as the public is led to believe, how could they afford this offer? Wouldn't homeschoolers add to the financial burden schools are facing? In reality, schools opening their doors to homeschoolers would lose even more money if it weren't for the ability of these schools to claim the children as part-time or even full-time students. Depending on how the district is funded, schools can claim additional funds for these students because of their enrollment and use the funds however they see fit.
What's the Catch?
This ability to claim the child is important. For those school districts, during those hours each week a child is in the care of the school with all the legal implications and pitfalls of a public school student. For Kimberly Cunningham of Durango, Colorado, it had serious implications. She found this out one day when she walked into the school to pick up her kids early from their class.
"They weren't in the homeschoolers' classroom" Kimberly states, "so I wandered around the school looking for them. I ended up at the office and was told there was a special assembly, and I'd find them in the gym. Sure enough, the whole school was in there watching a visiting theater troupe perform. The first story I saw was a Hindu theatrical dramatization of Shiva coming to life. Next up was a dramatization from the southwest United States of the beginnings of time. They didn't explain that early Native Americans believed this. They just said, 'This is how our part of the country came in to being and why it exists.' "
What troubled Kimberly was the worldview the theater troupe presented. "They were great actors and very convincing, but from a Biblical worldview, this was totally unacceptable," she said. There was no explanation of what is right or wrong about it or any encouragement to critical analysis. What's even more troubling, however, was the fact that her children were taken to the assembly with no notice given about the assembly or its content.
"I went to the principal, and I expressed my distress in not knowing this assembly was taking place and asked why I wasn't informed," Kimberly continues. "I told him my disappointment that they would assume this would be okay, and I wouldn't care." Instead of taking her concerns seriously, Kimberly was rebuffed. "I was told that since they were the 'experts' and I was 'just a mom,' I should leave the education . . . to the experts." Taking her concerns to the homeschool liaison, she was told the same things, but a bit stronger. Kimberly came away from that meeting with a very distinct impression. "The response was like 'Listen, lady, once you drop the kids off at our door, they're ours, and you need to just trust us to take good care of them.' " Although it was only their first semester in public school-assisted homeschooling, both Kimberly and her husband agreed it would be their last.
We Shouldn't Be Surprised
The attitude of the teachers toward a homeschooling mom and her concerns shouldn't be all that surprising. The National Education Association, the largest teachers' union, has long supported and actively promoted the erroneous belief that homeschools are run by "well-meaning amateurs." In fact, this is the belief behind the marketing of public school-assisted homeschooling. Treon Goossen, private home educator and Home Education Legislative Analyst/Liaison for the Cunninghams' state of Colorado, agrees: "In order to get parents to enroll, public schools will imply that homeschooling parents are not capable of providing an adequate education on their own. They play on the emotions of parents and tug on their insecurities to make the argument that home schooled children cannot possibly succeed in life with only parental involvement. They plant seeds of doubt and water them with their answer to this imagined dilemma. They say, 'Let us help you, and it won't cost you anything.' "
In fact, the cost can be high. The effects of the public school-assisted homeschooling concept are very noticeable in the families Kimberly has observed since then. "Parents are drawn in for a semester," Kimberly says. "It doesn't visibly hurt their kids, and the mom enjoys the break so much that she decides to put them all back in public school. We only know one other family that has shared school longer than a year and still predominantly homeschools. The others have been sucked back into the public system."
Of the fifteen families who were enrolled in the shared school program with Kimberly's family—all of whom solely homeschooled prior to the shared school option—only one besides Kimberly's is still homeschooling.
A Slippery Slope?
Such trends are alarming to Treon. "Over time, the public school system has slowly but surely infiltrated the homeschool community and it has steadily eroded parental commitment in education, which could possibly lead to the erosion of parental freedom in education. They say 'it is all homeschooling,' but this blurring of the lines of independent homeschools and the public school programs at home is a dangerous, slippery slope."
Treon continues: "The public school system wants people to believe that 'it is all homeschooling,' so when they make their move to eliminate the control of parents over their independent homeschools and thrust them back under state control, it will appear to be the most natural thing to do. They want to make the argument that because so many parents have voluntarily placed themselves under state control by participating in such programs, this must be what all homeschoolers need. The strong possibility then exists to press their case by saying that homeschooling can be simplified by being placed under state supervision, where all aspects are under the same guidelines and use the same curriculum, and that the state can be assured that quality education is taking place in homeschools."
Following is an excerpt from an article by Baylor University's Perry Glanzer, quoting Rob Reich, Department of Political Science at Stanford University in a discussion on the regulation of home education: "Reich admits in the end that he is not merely interested in regulating a freedom in order to ensure that it is not abused. He also hopes that such regulation will persuade parents not to exercise their freedom and, as his conclusion indicates: 'In fact, finding ways to draw homeschooling families back to the public school system seems to me a necessary complement to the passage of effective regulations.' "1
Reich's closing lines of his chapter on homeschooling, as many closing lines do, perhaps reveal his underlying agenda. He states, "In fact, finding ways to draw homeschooling families back to the public school system seems to me a necessary complement to the passage of effective regulations" (Bridging Liberalism and Multiculturalism in America, 172). It is quite clear that for Reich, homeschooling is not a freedom to be celebrated in liberal democracies but a freedom to be feared.
Inadequate-or More Than Inadequate?
Homeschooling parents desire the best education for their children, which is why they educate their children at home. Yet some parents feel inadequate when they compare their efforts with the public school programs out there. What alternatives do homeschooling parents have to using these public school programs? Homeschool co-ops, support groups, and church groups offer similar alternatives, including science labs, art classes, field trips, and even sports and scholastic competitions. Additionally, these support groups can help parents seek out solutions to the issues parents may struggle with, solutions far better than what a school district can offer.
Whatever the effort parents put into these activities, they cannot lose sight of the fact that homeschooling has proven to be a superior option. Time and again, independent homeschooling has proven itself as a superior means of providing an education to future leaders. Research from the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) continues to verify that homeschoolers outperform their public school counterparts in academic testing. Reports of outstanding achievements by homeschoolers in national scholastic competitions continue to roll in. Homeschool graduates are eagerly sought by many top colleges. This hardly sounds like the inadequate, well-meaning amateurs that homeschooling parents have been made out to be.
Like other aspects of parenting, homeschooling here in Colorado has its challenges, but the flyer we received that day preyed on our fears and offered an invitation to surrender our freedoms as homeschooing parents. We would so needlessly because our abilities are more than equal to the task, especially when we look to each other for the help we need. Our dependence on our own well-founded abilities as well as on each other's support preserves our independence from government intrusion and our freedom as Homeschool families.
Steve Walden lives in Colorado with his wife, and together they homeschool their three children, ages 13, 10, and 6. Steve is a freelance writer, and when he's not blogging at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/SteveWalden, he's searching for new opportunities to write about homeschooling, coping with disabilities, and connecting with God. Steve's desire is to help others rediscover God as their first love and the source of their strength.
1. "Rethinking the Boundaries and Burdens of Parental Authority Over Education: A Response to Rob Reich's Case Study of Homeschooling," (Perry L. Glanzer , Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Baylor University quoting Rob Reich, Department of Political Science Stanford University). You can find the full quote (Bridging Liberalism and Multiculturalism in America, 172) linked www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgibin/fulltext/119389971/main.html,ftx_abs#ss11#ss11.
Copyright 2009. Originally appeared in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, Summer 2009.
Used with permission. Visit them at


text: Here is a great upbeat song for summer! Combining an island rhythm with a strummed ukulele, finger picked guitar, and a strong piano melody, this song drives along, picking up a new instrument on each verse. Positive and toe tapping, this cheerful tune is perfect for a breezy high spirited feel.


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luvcookin posted 11-22-99 7:06 PM pt (US)
Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie
Basic Flaky Pie Crust for a 9-inch pie (see recipe)
1 tablespoon egg white, lightly beaten
4 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried
1/2 liquid cup and two tablespoons water, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups whipped cream (optional)
Make the crust: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll.
Using a pastry cloth and sleeve rubbed with flour or two sheetes of plastic wrap lightly sprinkled with flour, roll the dough 1/8 inch thick or less and large enough to cut a 13-inch circle. Use an expandable flan ring or a cardboard template and a sharp knife as a guide to cut out the circle.
Transfer the dough to the pie pan, fold under the excess, and crimp the border using a fork or your fingers. Cover it loosely and refrigerate it for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425°F at least 20 minutes before baking.
Line the pastry with parchment, pleating it as necessary so it fits into the pan, and fill it with rice or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the rice or beans with the parchment.
With a fork, prick the bottom and sides, and bake 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is pale golden. Check after 3 minutes and prick any bubbles that may have formed.
Cool the crust on a rack for 3 minutes, so it is no longer piping hot, then brush the bottom and sides with the egg white.
Make the filling:
Measure out 1 cup of the blueberries, choosing he softest ones. Place them in a medium saucepan together with the 1/2 cup water. Cover and bring them to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Set it aside.
When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken.
Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries.
Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room
temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust.
Just before serving, if desired, pipe or spread the whipped cream around the sides of the pie, leaving the center unadorned and brilliantly glistening.
Room temperature, up to 2 days (without the whipped cream).
The low amount of sugar in this pie maintains the tart freshness of the berries. Taste the berries before you begin. If they are very tart, increase the sugar by a few tablespoons.
Serves 6.
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Return to Mimi's Recipe Request Line


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BRIDGTON, Maine — Two-time Newbery Medal winner Lois Lowry did not set out to be a trailblazer when she published "The Giver" in 1993. But without "The Giver," there would be no "Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins or "Matched" series by Ally Condie. "The Giver" is a precursor to these bestsellers and others in so many ways. It was a dystopian novel for young readers before post-apocalyptic settings became a trend; a title with adult appeal before parents started unabashedly perusing the teen sections of libraries; and beautifully written exploration of human connection when many thought children were not ready for such depth. Lowry, who has penned more than 40 picture books and novels, did not set out to become famous, but she has become just that — and no one is more surprised than she.
"People are starting to refer to 'The Giver' as a classic, but I don't know how that is defined," she says, leaning forward slightly out of a white wicker chair on the porch of her summer home in Bridgton, as if she could jump up at any moment. "But if it means that 10, 20, 50 years from now kids will still be reading it, that is kind of awe-inspiring."
At age 75, the Cambridge-based author has plenty of books she still plans to write. But before she can move on to a new project she has to see one through that began almost two decades ago. Her new novel, "Son," which is published today, will follow "Gathering Blue," "Messenger," and "The Giver," to become the final entry in the "Giver Quartet."
"The Giver," the winner of the 1994 Newbery, has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. It's assigned reading in countless classrooms and has won Lowry devoted fans as well as ardent protesters. It was one of the top 100 most frequently challenged/banned books of the past decade, according to the American Library Association (ALA). "Ms. Lowry's books are well-written and popular, and we find that books that get read are books that get challenged," said the ALA's assistant director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, Angela Maycock, in an e-mail.
Writing the book to end such a beginning must feel a bit like launching a rocket to Neptune after walking on the Moon: Just landing among the stars is not an option. Margaret Raymo, Lowry's editor, said in her office at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on Berkeley Street in Boston that even though she is a 25-year veteran of the publishing industry she still had trepidations about the pressures surrounding "Son." "I was very intimidated to work on this book, just the expectations about it, what everybody thinks about it, I wonder if Lois felt similar. I don't think she actually did. She has got complete confidence."
Confident, indeed, is one thing Lowry certainly is. She is also articulate, opinionated, and independent — good qualities to possess when you are asked to speak to crowds of thousands. At the same time, she can be charmingly self-deprecating, making jokes about spilling lunch on her blue jeans and struggling to heed her mother's frequent admonition to "sit up straight." During lapses of quiet, she gives the impression that behind the veteran of numerous interviews is still the solitary child for whom "the most exciting thing I could do was to have a new book."
Lowry was born in Hawaii. Her father was an Army dentist, and she, her mother, and her two siblings moved with him around the world, spending her junior high years in post-World War II Tokyo. She dropped out of Brown University after her sophomore year, married, and had four children before the age of 25. "So I was very busy those years," she said without sarcasm, her unnervingly bright blue eyes sparkling and her short gray/blond hair spiky in parts as though she has just removed a winter hat. She made taking care of a houseful of toddlers and babies while trekking across the country with her Navy officer husband sound as easy as maneuvering a grocery cart. "And then the children one by one went off to school, and when the youngest one went to kindergarten I went back to college."
Lowry, who admits a penchant for Scandinavian mysteries and Booker Prize winners, explains that her writing career was born out of necessity when she was 40 years old. She was going through a divorce and struggling to make ends meet as a freelance writer in Maine. Her first book, "A Summer to Die," was published in 1977 and is based on the death of her older sister from cancer. In many of Lowry's novels that followed, there's an element of autobiography. "There's something about her work that dares to disturb, that dares to take a complex look at what it means to be human," said Cathryn M. Mercier, director of the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College, in an e-mail.
In "Son," Lowry not only touches on the pain of losing her son Grey, an Air Force pilot who died in a plane crash in 1995, but she also draws on her love for her other son, Benjamin, to whom she's very close. However the novel is dedicated simply "In memory of Martin." Martin Small, Lowry's partner of 31 years, passed away unexpectedly in May 2011 after a short illness. He was her friend, her traveling companion, and her first reader.
Early responses to "Son" — which follows a mother's quest to find her child — have been positive. It has garnered three-star reviews. With the book "Lowry explores the complexities of love, longing, and loss in ways that underscore the power of fiction itself," said Mercier. She also addresses many questions her fans often ask about "The Giver." One particularly popular question from young readers is answered by Lowry's T-shirt, which she designed herself. It reads, "Jonas Lives" across the front.
Lowry will need to trade the peace of her 1768 farmhouse — with its overflowing gardens, Adirondack chairs pointed toward the mountain view and cool, musty barn — for a book tour to promote "Son": a whirl of hotels, airplanes, and signings. "The grand surprise has really been the fact that being an author, which to me had always implied being a private person, actually requires you to be a public person as well, and those are two separate entities to me," Lowry says.
Since its publication"The Giver" has elicited a wide range of passionate responses. Lowry regularly receives angry letters and e-mails. "Your story, 'The Giver' is a sickening and twisted tale, obviously derived by someone with very deep issues," wrote one person. But she also gets more fan mail than she can ever respond to from parents, children, teachers, and readers from all walks of life. She writes back to both groups whenever possible. "If somebody takes the time, a: to read a book that I have written, and then to b: care about it enough to write me and ask questions, surely I owe them a response," she says.
As generous as Lowry is with the most precious resource a writer has, her time, she realizes that only in fiction can it go on forever. She has begun making quiet preparations for the day when her home in Cambridge will feel too large to keep, putting her name on a long waiting list for a retirement community and planning a much anticipated trip to Patagonia — a trip she and Small talked about even as he lay in the hospital.
"I have been fortunate," she says, a slight smile pulling at her lips. "I have done so many things and enjoyed so many things and had such a great life, not to imply that it is ending, but that there aren't many things that I feel I have left undone."
Chelsey Philpot is a book reviews editor at School Library Journal and can be reached at email@example.com.


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Migration Policy Institute, Wilson Center Convene High-Level Study Group on Migration & Economic Competitiveness
WASHINGTON — The U.S. relationship with Mexico and much of Central America is defined more by the workforce and societal implications of regional migration than by any other single issue. Yet the United States and its neighbors have failed, thus far, to consider the most effective approach to build upon and smartly manage the region's human resources to common advantage, including increasing the economic benefits from migration for all concerned.
Today, 1 out of every 5 high school graduates entering the U.S. workforce is from Mexico or Central America, and about 10 percent of Mexicans and Central Americans live in the United States — and these numbers will only get larger. Hence the importance of a long-term, strategic vision for building up the region's human-capital infrastructure as a means of improving the lives of the region's people; laying the foundation for stronger, more consistent and more equitable economic growth; helping foster a more economically competitive region in an unforgiving global economy; and, over time, making migration relations within the region normal and ordinary, rather than a subject of constant tension.
To develop and promote that vision, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and the Latin American Program/Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars are convening a Regional Migration Study Group, co-chaired by former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and former Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein. In addition to the co-chairs, the Study Group's membership consists of 17 high-ranking former officials, civil-society leaders, policy intellectuals and immigration specialists in the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
"We can no longer look for unilateral answers to complex economic realities that have even more complex social and political consequences for all of our countries," Zedillo said. "Enhancing the economic and social prospects of the region by building up and better leveraging its human capital is vital to our future prosperity, particularly at a time when the global economy is being rebalanced and will lead to a different migration relationship than today."
The Study Group aims to act as a virtual think tank to the region's policymakers who manage day-to-day migration relations and issues related to human capital and economic competitiveness, while also minding the many legitimate concerns of civil society across the region. Among the i ssues to be explored are safer and better functioning borders; more orderly migration flows that better serve the interests of all who engage, or are affected by, the migration system; the development and coordinated promotion of more efficient education and workforce-development systems; and new strategies to advance successful immigrant integration.
"Countries aren't like people; they don't necessarily get wiser with age," Gutierrez said. "By working together and understanding and tapping regional demographic advantages, we aim to build on previous policy discussions to ensure that smarter ways to manage our human resources become a top priority within the United States and throughout the region. A key outcome of smarter policies in this regard will be greater benefits for the U.S. economy, including gaining more from immigration."
"Migration is a global phenomenon, but the history and geography of the United States, Mexico and the northern triangle of Central America mean that our countries share a common set of challenges and opportunities," Stein said. "By setting the stage for thinking and acting as a region, we have the chance to develop wiser and farther-reaching policy responses than any one country could ever hope to accomplish on its own."
The Study Group will commission and issue research over the next two years in preparation for final recommendations that will be released in early 2013. "Strengthening the region's human-capital infrastructure – through education and workforce-development reforms that gradually develop common standards in key sectors – will create improved economic opportunities for people, fuel the engine for growth in each country and strengthen the region's competitiveness," said MPI President and Study Group Co-Director Demetrios Papademetriou.
Study Group Co-Director Andrew Selee, who directs the Wilson Center's Mexico Institute, agreed. "Reaching a common understanding of the complexity of our migration situation is vital to ensuring that 'immigration' is not a controversial word; and that ultimately migration becomes a choice rather than a need."
The Study Group's third co-director is MPI Senior Fellow Doris Meissner, who leads MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program and is former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. MPI Policy Analyst Aaron Terrazas is the initiative's project manager.
The Study Group is launching the initiative with an accompanying research publication and a website. The first release in a series of papers, Evolving Demographic and Human-Capital Trends in Mexico and Central America and Their Implications for Regional Migration, examines the demographic and human-capital dynamics that have shaped the immigration influx into the United States from Mexico and Central America. The paper, by Terrazas, Papademetriou and former MPI Senior Policy Analyst Marc Rosenblum, notes that the combination of demographic and human-capital characteristics of Mexico and Central America and economic conditions in the United States have been at the heart of recent migration flows . These constantly evolving patterns mean that in the years ahead, policymakers throughout the region may no longer be able to rely on the conventional wisdom about regional labor mobility that has guided decision-making to date. The report is available here.
The group's website, www.migrationpolicy.org/regionalstudygroup, showcases the initiative's mission, member bios and selected background readings. It will host further research and the Study Group's findings.
The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C. dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. MPI provides analysis, development and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at the local, national and international levels. For more on MPI, visit www.migrationpolicy.org.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the national, living memorial honoring President Woodrow Wilson. The Center promotes policy-relevant research and dialogue in an effort to address current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. Created by an Act of Congress in 1968, the Center is a nonpartisan institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., and supported by both public and private funds. For more on the Wilson Center, visit www.wilsoncenter.org.


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Think back and remember all the greatest supercars; the McLaren F1, the original Koeniggsegg, Ferrari F40 and F50, the Saleen S7 and so on. Now think of how quickly they can reach 60mph; blistering fast, most in the low 3-4 second range. Of all these cars and of all the supercars that you could get, which do you suppose held the title for fastest 0-60 for the longest amount of time? McLaren? Ferrari? Nope, none of those. In fact the longest title for 0-60 was actually held by a Ford. This one to be specific.
This is an RS200 Evolution, it is a homologated road car that was meant to race in WRC's Group B era. You probably know it from when the series had cars going close to 165mph over dirt, snow, gravel, and ice. During the same period that saw countless spectators and drivers killed because of the insanity of these cars. But the RS200 Evolution stands out from the crowd because while homologation rules require the manufacturer to build a road going version, the rules don't really specify how similar you need to make it to the road going version.
Most manufacturers will detune the rally engines to be more compliant on the street by reducing suspension travel and a whole host of other things to make the car actually drivable. Look at Audi's Quattro, both the rally car version and the consumer car had similar layouts and the same type of engine, but that's where the similarity stopped. Ford decided that having "just" similarities was a stupid idea with the RS200 and gave the road version the whole bhp from the rally car with added interior. All 580bhp where put into this car. Let that sink in for a moment. 580bhp from a 2.1l inline 4 cylinder running 23 pounds of boost! That coupled with the low weight of 2300lbs and AWD, make this car an absolute animal. Take a look at some of these figures.
Engine: Ford/Cosworth BDT-E Inline-4position, Mid Longitudinal
Aspiration: Garrett Turbocharger
Valvetrain: DOHC, 4 Valves per CYL
Power: 432.5 kw / 580 bhp @ 8000 rpm, 491.53 bhp per ton
Torque: 400lb ft@5500rpm
One of my favorite stats is the tire widths. 225/50's on all four corners. They aren't massive Veyron tires, or anything you would think would have the ability to hook up all that power. They are practically Corolla tires. It's ridiculous. It had a full double wishbone suspension in both front and rear, and was mounted to the front and rear steel sub frames that attached to the aluminum chassis.
The rally and consumer car were co-developed by Ford and Cosworth as a mid-engine rally rocket ship. They saw how fast and how well a Formula 1 car handled and accelerated, so they tried to figure out how to build a rally car in the same way. What Ford did next was create Frankenstein's monster and then sold it to the general public. They took the very mundane road going Escort and threw away everything that actually made it a consumer car, and then replaced all of it with go-faster bits. They called the FiA and told them this is the consumer car, because it had a glove box, and were done with it. It was literally a rally car with some interior pieces in it. Ford built a total of 200 road legal cars and only 24 were converted to the Evolution spec. And. It. Was. Glorious. However, Ford didn't realize what they had done with this car until a bit later.
1986, in comes some bloke named Stig Blomvist, if you don't know who he is go to YouTube immediately, I will wait.Back? Amazed? Yeah, he's that awesome.
Stig decided to set 0-60 times in the RS200 Evolution. He set the fastest 0-60 time of any road car for the next 12yrs. 3.07seconds. In 1986. In a homologated rally car. From Ford. The same company that brought you this in the same year.
If none of this is making your heart race, you are either dead, or insane. And usually the insane people get this rally. That's why I love this car. It is absolutely the most ridiculous car ever made.
Take into account just the engine, or the low weight, or even the unbelievably short wheelbase, which comes out to be 99"! It's a car of improbable numbers. For 12yrs it was the fastest from 0-60; beating out Ferrari, McLaren, and all the rest. Some say it could have gone faster, that Stig was actually short shifting it to save the transmission on the day Guinness was there. When turned up, the fastest Evolution's got to 60 in 2.1 seconds. That's amazing even by today's hypercar standards. It all comes down to the fact that I need one of these cars immediately. I may not fit due to my height, but I couldn't care less. This is a legend.
Photos via Speedhunters and Ford
//Follow @jonathon_klein


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Q. I'm confused about the use of oats in the gluten-free diet. I thought oats were not safe but now I hear they are allowed. What's the truth?
Shelley Case: In a sense, you're right on both counts. Historically, oats were not allowed on the gluten-free diet (GF diet) used to treat those with celiac disease. Oats were believed to trigger the same toxic reaction in the small intestine as wheat, rye and barley. However, many studies from the United States and Europe reveal that consumption of oats is safe for the majority of children and adults with celiac disease.
Most of these studies used pure, uncontaminated oats, but it should be noted that a very small number of individuals with celiac disease may not even tolerate pure oats. The mechanism causing this intolerance has yet to be established.
Related: All About Oats & the Gluten-Free Diet
Based on this research, a growing number of health professionals and celiac organizations around the world now allow consumption of moderate amounts of pure, uncontaminated oat products in a GF diet. In Canada, Health Canada has issued a position paper on the safety of oats in celiac disease, while the Canadian Celiac Association's professional advisory board has developed a position statement on using pure, uncontaminated oats. It says that adults with celiac can safely consume half to three-quarters of a cup (50 to 70 grams) of dry rolled oats per day. For children, it's one-quarter cup (20 to 25 grams) per day.
Unfortunately though, most commercial oat products on the market have been cross-contaminated with wheat, barley and/or rye, which occur during harvesting, transportation, storage, milling, processing and packaging.
The good news is there are specialty companies in North America and Europe who produce pure, uncontaminated oat products that are grown on dedicated fields and equipment and packaged in dedicated gluten-free facilities. The American companies include Bob's Red Mill, GF Harvest (formerly Gluten-Free Oats), Montana's Gifts of Nature and Montana Monster Munchies (Legacy Valley). The Canadian companies are Cream Hill Estates (Lara's brand) and Avena Foods (Only Oats brand).
Many other companies are using these pure, uncontaminated oats from the producers listed above (and in the chart below) in their gluten-free products. Examples include Glutenfreeda Foods' oatmeal, NoNuttin granola bars and granola, and Holly's oatmeal.
Before adding pure, uncontaminated oat products to your diet, I recommend that you consult with your physician and dietitian. It is also very important that your celiac disease be well-controlled on the GF diet and that you have no gastrointestinal complaints.
A diet containing oats is often higher in fiber than the typical GF diet, therefore some individuals may experience a change in stool pattern or mild gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal bloating and gas. This will resolve as the body adjusts to the change in the amount and type of fiber.
When adding a new fiber source such as oats, it is important to consume more fluids, especially water.
|Avena Foods (Only Oats brand)
|Rolled oats, oatmeal cereal (various flavours), mixes (muffin and pancake), oat bran, oat flour
|Bob's Red Mill
|Rolled oats
|Montana's Naked Oats
|Rolled oats, oat groats
|GF Harvest
|Rolled oats, oat groats
|Gluten-free Prairie
|Oatmeal, oat groats, granola, chocolate brownie mix
Related stories:
Tricks to easy gluten-free eating
Allergic Living's gluten-free recipes
Shelley Case is a consulting dietitian and author of Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide. She is on the advisory boards of the Canadian Celiac Association, the Celiac Disease Foundation and Gluten Intolerance Group.


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Thursday, May 31, 2012
Crime Fiction Alphabet: Letter B
7 comments:
Bev - Oh, thank you for reminding me of Mary Roberts Rinehart! I really enjoyed those novels but haven't thought about them for a long time. What a terrific choice for B!
- May 31, 2012 at 9:21 PM
- Ryan said...
Love this one, and love the movie version with Agnes Moorehead and Vincent Price even more
- May 31, 2012 at 9:48 PM
- Bev Hankins said...
@Ryan: I have now seen the movie. I enjoy both very much. The movie (as is often the case) changes some things from the book. But in this case it doesn't make me like the movie any less--which sometimes happens when they change up a book I really like.
- May 31, 2012 at 10:04 PM
- Peggy Ann said...
I enjoyed both the book and movie!
- June 1, 2012 at 7:11 AM
- srivalli said...
I enjoyed reading the Man in lower ten last year. Bat sounds interesting. I am adding it to my TBR.
- June 1, 2012 at 7:21 AM
- Unknown said...
I have that book in a collection of mine. I really should read it. Thanks for the review.
- June 1, 2012 at 1:02 PM
- J.L. Campbell said...
Haven't come across this book or writer before. The bat is an apt name for the villain.
- June 1, 2012 at 10:52 PM


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Custom at every step this initial ring involves a CAD drawing and a lost wax process. This ring is available in Sterling Silver, 14 Karat Gold, 14 Karat White Gold and 14 Karat Rose Gold. Enter your custom initials and any other requests in the box above.
- 1/4 of an inch tall
- This ring takes 8-10 weeks to make and ship.
If you are unsure of your size we can help you out with that! Just select the "Not Sure of my Size" option and we will send a ring sizer to you and confirm your ideal fit.
*Kristin Hayes Jewelry is happy to work with customers to get the perfect custom piece created. It is important to make sure that the ring size and initials are correct before the final process to ensure accuracy. If for some reason the size or initials provided are incorrect it will be $150 fee to correct the issue. If for some reason you ordered the wrong ring (meaning to order the larger initial ring) it will be the price difference of the rings. Due to the custom nature this item is not available for returns/refunds. Please contact us with any questions!


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I'm creating a datamining process with weka so I have added an
selecting the datasource file, linked to a
before pass the input to a classifier I need to use some filters, so I have linked the ClassAssigner out to a filter series, now the problem is that seems I cannot link the filter out to the classifier, when I click with right click of the mouse on dataset when I'm on NominalToString filter to attach its outo to BayesNet classifier, Weka show the arrow but this doesn't link to classifier. I have tried with different filter series, always the same problem.
What is wrong in the shown section of my workflow?


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One day, second year high school student Kanade Amamiya is suddenly scouted by legendary idol Haruto Mikami. He now faces the life an idol with others in the same agency. He aims to make his CD debut in Dream Festival!, joined by the mysterious Shin Oikawa, the stoic Junya Sasaki, the kind but passionate Itsuki Katagiri, and the clumsy but smart Chizuru Sawamura. In order to receive the Dream Festival! Cards sent by fans, can Kanade and the others become the best on stage?
It still exists!
Chat still exists! To use chat, all you have to do is sign in to your free Animegg account!
You can create an account here!


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Ride warriors get ready! Cedar Point unveils it's newest ride–The GateKeeper.
Located at the front of the park, GateKeeper, will forever change the landscape of the Cedar Point Peninsula. This mammoth ride will be the longest wing roller coaster and boast the longest drop of any wing roller coaster on the planet!
Riders sit suspended from the train as if on the wings of a plane, giving them the sensation of flight. They'll dangle 170 feet above the Cedar Point Beach before experiencing a sharp, 180-degree turn and plummeting to within six feet above the ground. Six unique inversions and rolling hills help create the feeling of weightlessness. Adding to the excitement, riders will soar through two massive keyhole towers that guard the park's redesigned main entrance, twisting just in time to nearly miss them at speeds of almost 70 mph.
Check out the GateKeeper for yourself! Cedar Point opens Saturday, May 11th.
Read more https://www.michronicleonline.com/index.php/entertainment-original/11275-cedar-point-unveils-the-gatekeeper


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Why am I reminded of Animal Farm when the animals heard a crash one night and found Squealer with a can of paint under the list of laws?
Recent Revelations Prompt Motion To Block NYPD's Surveillance Of Muslims
from the this-will-all-seem-eerily-familiar-to-the-presiding-judge dept
A recent investigative report on the NYPD's surveillance of mosques has led to a possible revisiting of the Handschu Agreement by the federal judge presiding over a lawsuit filed against the city seeking to bar further surveillance of Muslims in New York City.
According to the 1985 ruling, the Handschu Agreement limited indiscriminate surveillance of purely political activity. If such surveillance was to take place, it first had to be approved by the three-member Handschu Authority and performed only by the specially-designated Public Security Section, a division of NYPD Intelligence. It also prohibited the videotaping or photographing of large public gatherings when there was no indication of criminal activity and forbade the sharing of information with outside agencies unless they agreed to be bound by the limitations of the Agreement.
This is what was assumed to be in place. When the plaintiffs filed in February, their attorney pointed out that the police activity that had been observed clearly violated those limitations.
The police measures directed at Muslims violate the Handschu decree "because they're not rooted in the fact that there's a criminal predicate," said plaintiff attorney Paul Chevigny. "They're rooted in the fact that the subjects are Muslims."
It was exactly as it looked: Muslims being placed under surveillance simply because they attended certain mosques — mosques the NYPD had declared to be "terrorist organizations."
The city has countered by claiming that it closely observes the Handschu guidelines when making decisions about how to fight terror. A city lawyer, Peter Farrell, told the judge on Tuesday that the department launches investigations based on evidence of legitimate threats, not on religion.
"It's undeniable that New York City remains at the center of the threat by Islamists who have been radicalized to violence," he said.
What the city lawyer's conveniently left out was that the Handschu guidelines had been deliberately weakened by the NYPD, thanks to the efforts of a former CIA officer and his CIA liaison, who formed a so-called "Demographics Group" that was charged with monitoring activity by the city's Muslims.
[T]he activities that [CIA liaison Larry] Sanchez and [former senior CIA officer David] Cohen were proposing would not have been permitted under the Handschu guidelines. So, on September 12, 2002, Cohen filed a 23-page document in federal court asking a judge to throw out the guidelines and give his officers more leeway.
Cohen insisted that the world had changed since Al Qaeda attacked America, and the NYPD needed to change with it. "These changes were not envisioned when the Handschu guidelines were agreed upon," he wrote, "and their continuation dangerously limits the ability of the NYPD to protect the people it is sworn to serve."
The severely watered-down Handschu guidelines were approved by Judge Charles Haight. The name remained unchanged and most New Yorkers were unaware that hardly any limitations remained tied to the Agreement.
After securing this expanded definition (which also thoroughly abused the word "related"), the Demographics Group proceeded to declare entire mosques as "terrorist organizations" and began constant surveillance of their members. And, contrary to what the city's lawyer declared, it has yet to be proven by the NYPD or anyone else that New York is the "center of the threat by Islamists." The NYPD has spent millions of dollars and thousands of manhours surveilling and investigating Muslims and has turned up exactly zero useful leads.
When the plaintiffs filed this case, they had no idea the Handschu guidelines had been so thoroughly eviscerated. Armed with this new knowledge, the plaintiffs have asked the city to turn over so-called "investigative statements" related to these surveillance operations. The city won't even meet them halfway, offering only to turn over a "handful" for the plaintiffs' lawyers to view without making them part of the public record.
Technically, the city is correct: the NYPD is following the guidelines, as they have been altered, not as they were originally written.
The presiding judge says he will rule at a later date. However, one key factor is problematic. The presiding judge is Charles Haight, the same judge who agreed to relax those rules for the NYPD back in 2002. When he says something like this, it's hard to know how to take it.
"I've come to think of this case as a volcano that's asleep most of the time … but every now and then blows up," U.S. District Judge Charles Haight said at the start of a hearing in federal court in Manhattan.
This "volcano" is at least partially of his own making. Haight knows how few restrictions remain under those guidelines. The NYPD can "closely observe" the relaxed Handschu guidelines and still place entire mosques under surveillance. The protections remaining are so weak and the scope of what is deemed "terrorist-related" so broad that even the CIA itself is unable to use the information collected by the Demographics Unit because doing so means violating CIA policies regarding domestic surveillance.
But it appears (although details are incredibly light) that Haight may revisit his own decision relaxing those guidelines. His upcoming ruling will determine whether the near-useless offer the city's lawyer made will be sufficient or if the city will need to cough up what's been requested: investigative statements related to "any operation targeting Muslims." Haight will also make the call as to whether the documents will remain "off the record."
The NYPD has never been very responsive when asked to turn over information, but considering this order may come from a federal judge, rather than a member of the public, the response time might be a little quicker. As for the plaintiffs, it would seem they drew possibly the least sympathetic judge to hear this case. But who knows, maybe Haight's had a change of heart over the years. Many rash legislative and legal decisions were made shortly after the 9/11 attacks and there have been more than a few who have expressed regret for their decisions or dismay at the continual expansion of already-broad policies. Haight might be one of the ones who regrets his decision. Fortunately, he's still in a position to make some changes.
Filed Under: handschu authority, mosques, muslims, nypd, surveillance


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Live Music and Other Events
La Santa Cecila 2018 Denver
July 8, 2018, at the Globe Hall
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