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This blog is from one of our excellent specimen preparators and research assistants, Lucia Chmurova who was lucky enough to spend some time on one of the Museum expeditions to Borneo. Here she gives us an insight into beetle collecting in the tropics!
'I was very lucky to join a big NHM expedition to Borneo in August 2012. I was extremely excited because I have missed Borneo ever since I returned from my first trip there in 2010. Upon Max Barclay's advice I agreed to sample dung beetles as my project (and unwittingly I agreed to everything that comes with it…). I followed a set protocol developed for dung beetle trapping in order for future comparison with already sampled sites by other scientists. The protocol consists of 10 dung, and 2 carrion-baited pitfall traps and 2 flight interception traps. The Malaysian dung beetle fauna is well known, well represented in the museum's collection, and there are specialists that are able to identify them. Fulfilling these three criteria suggests a promising and achievable project. With my project chosen and kit assembled I was ready to go!
A quick teaser for invertebrate fauna of Borneo; a predatory land flatworm or a 'hammerhead worm'.
© Tim Cockerill
Our expedition started in the Danum Valley, perhaps one of the busiest research stations in the world. Located in the middle of a conservation area in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, the Danum Valley field station is very well equipped and has housed hundreds of scientists from around the world. The timing of our arrival was somewhat comical, coinciding with a visit from Prince William and The Duchess of Cambridge on a leg of their Southeast Asian tour. As the couple emerged, perfectly dressed, from their helicopter, our team covered in mud and sweat looked a bit less royal in comparison.
Some readers might not know that traps for catching dung beetles must first be baited by … well … dung. This involves preparing wrapped packages of dung and hanging them above the trap to lure beetles in. I thought to myself that I should be perhaps a bit more selective about where I would go and prepare my perfumed 'dung packages' so I don't put off potential future patrons of the station. As for the perfume, I was quite well-equipped and so the highly dreaded preparation of tens of dung packages wasn't so bad after all! I have to admit I opted out from Max's tip to use a plastic bag with a hole in its corner and squeeze dung out like I would do with icing for a cake! I used a fork instead.
Me and THE package.
© Tim Cockerill
I am not going to go into much detail about what trapping techniques we used while in the field as these are already nicely described in the Tanzania blog , perhaps with the exceptions of water pan traps and fogging. Although not so much used by Coleopterists, water pan traps are very popular when trapping for wasps and bugs. These are simply plastic bowls of various colours (most commonly yellow or blue) filled with water and a few drops of detergent. Its smell in combination with yellow colour attracts insects that are eventually drawn inside the traps.
Although the contents of this pan trap might not look like much, what looks like dust to our eyes, might in fact be hundreds of tiny Hymenoptera trapped inside.
© Tim Cockerill
I could not resist showing you this sophisticated upgrade to a pitfall trap: chopsticks and a plate instead of a usual leaf to stop the trap filling with rainwater! (to find out what exactly a pitfall trap is, read …)
© Tim Cockerill
Fogging is perhaps the most efficient sampling method for insects - it collects vast amounts of all kinds of insects in a short period of time. A selective insecticide (which doesn't affect birds or mammals and evaporates quickly) is sprayed into a tree, under which collecting trays are placed to catch all falling insects.
A fogger being hoisted up the tree.
© Neil Greenwood
Collecting trays ready to collect falling insects.
© Tim Cockerill
This must be done in perfectly windless and rainless conditions, to avoid the insecticide being spread out into surrounding trees and insects sticking to the leaves once they are dead. As the name 'RAIN' forest hints, these conditions do not happen very often. All fogging kit assembled together is quite bulky so we were happy when a group of Oxford University students volunteered to help with carrying all the heavy kit for us. After a few attempts of waking up at 5 in the morning (as this is unfortunately the 'windlessest' hour of the day) and trekking to the field site only to discover that leaves are once again wet, we eventually managed to fog at least once!
At the start, the lucky chosen individual (in this case a professional fogger, Timothy), tries to start the fogger by moving the engine rod quickly in and out, looking comical and failing repeatedly. Eventually the fogger trembles vigorously and a sound similar to a lawn mower spreads through the forest. After this amusing start, thick fog starts spreading up the tree and the whole situation suddenly looks nothing but impressive. One has to wonder what insects live up 40m tall trees. It was amazing to realise that even my help and research could help to be a step closer to discovering diversity of one of the earth's least known faunas - that of tree canopies.
Some of the joys of field work:
Coleopterist Peter Hammond and lichenologist Pat Wolseley forgot their waterproofs, bin bags did well enough.
© Neil Greenwood
#Hymenopterist Andy Polaszek after a sword fight (or leech fight?!).
© Neil Greenwood
Some serious work after a successful fogging day. In case you don't recognise us, from left:
Neil Greenwood, Andrew Polaszek, Lucia Chmurova and Tim Cockerill.
© Neil Greenwood
Our last stop was Maliau Basin. The forest here looked a bit different to that in the Danum Valley; here there were many more old growth trees present with open spaces between them in comparison to vine and rattan-entwined trees in the first field station. It felt a bit less disturbed, and even the bearded pigs looked attractively slimmer here. My pitfall traps were getting so full after one day of collecting that beetles started literally spilling over and escaping from them. A picture below shows the contents of a single pit-fall trap!
The contents of a single dung pitfall trap.
© Tim Cockerill
After a few days in the Maliau Basin, and collecting kilos of dung beetles, our trip came to an end. Although very sad when leaving Borneo, I was happy about my successful trapping. At the moment, my collected material is still in Malaysia but will hopefully be sent to London soon so I can have a look at the wonderful diversity of beetles that scientific trapping reveals'.
A tenebrionid couple.
© Tim Cockerill
Some moths (notably members of the Arctiidae family) pupate in a woven basket of the caterpillar's body hairs rather than silk.
© Tim Cockerill
© Lucia Chmurova
A cockroach shedding its skin.
© Lucia Chmurova


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Filled with skyscrapers, street markets, palaces, and temples, Seoul is a buzzing hub of energy and enterprise mixed with tradition and serenity. In just 50 years Seoul has grown to one of the world's most modern and vibrant megacities and one of the hottest tourist destinations in Asia.
At first glance, Seoul is a city in a hurry. New development is shooting up around town and everyone, it seems, is rushing somewhere. This is as true in the modern business districts as it is in the maze of markets. But Seoul also has pockets of quiet—parks and palaces where the pace of life slows to a crawl as soon as one enters. While Seoul's main draw is experiencing this contrast of energy and tranquility, the city is full of excellent food, interesting arts and crafts, and has a number of impressive historic sites. Seoul is an intense city, and while great for urban explorers, travelers looking for a more relaxing experience may not want to spend too much of their trip here.

subset: commoncrawl


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How Does G1 Work?
Garbage-First is a server-style garbage collector, targeted for multi-processors with large memories, that meets a soft real-time goal with high probability [Detlefs04]. It does this while also achieving high throughput, which is an important point when comparing it to other real-time collectors.
The G1 collector divides its work into multiple phases, each described below, which operate on a heap broken down into equally sized regions (see Figure 1). In the strictest sense, the heap doesn't contain generational areas, although a subset of the regions can be treated as such. This provides flexibility in how garbage collection is performed, which is adjusted on-the-fly according to the amount of processor time available to the collector.
Regions are further broken down into 512 byte sections called cards (see Figure 2). Each card has a corresponding one-byte entry in a global card table, which is used to track which cards are modified by mutator threads. Subsets of these cards are tracked, and referred to as Remembered Sets (RS), which is discussed shortly.
The G1 collector works in stages. The main stages consist of remembered set (RS) maintenance, concurrent marking, and evacuation pauses. Let's examine these stages now.
RS Maintenance
Each region maintains an associated subset of cards that have recently been written to, called the Remembered Set (RS). Cards are placed in a region's RS via a write barrier, which is an efficient block of code that all mutator threads must execute when modifying an object reference. To be precise, for a particular region (i.e., region a), only cards that contain pointers from other regions to an object in region a are recorded in region a's RS (see Figure 3). A region's internal references, as well as null references, are ignored.
In reality, each region's remembered set is implemented as a group of collections, with the dirty cards distributed amongst them according to the number of references contained within. Three levels of courseness are maintained: sparse, fine, and course. It's broken up this way so that parallel GC threads can operate on one RS without contention, and can target the regions that will yield the most garbage. However, it's best to think of the RS as one logical set of dirty cards, as the diagrams show.
Concurrent Marking
Concurrent marking identifies live data objects per region, and maintains the pointer to the next free byte, called top. There are, however, small stop-the-world pauses (described further below) that occur to ensure the correct heap state. A marking bitmap is maintained to create a summary view of the live objects within the heap. Each bit in the bitmap corresponds to one word within the heap (an area large enough to contain an object pointer; see Figure 4). A bit in the bitmap is set when the object it represents is determined to be a live object. In reality there are two bitmaps: one for the current collection, and a second for the previously completed collection. This is one way that changes to the heap are tracked over time.
Marking is done in three stages:
- Marking Stage. The heap regions are traversed and live objects are marked:
- First, since this is the beginning of a new collection, the current marking bitmap is copied to the previous marking bitmap, and then the current marking bitmap is cleared.
- Next, all mutator threads are paused while the current TAMS pointer is moved to point to the same byte in the region as the top (next free byte) pointer.
- Next, all objects are traced from their roots, and live objects are marked in the marking bitmap. We now have a snapshot of the heap.
- Next, all mutator threads are resumed.
- Next, a write buffer is inserted for all mutator threads. This barrier records all new object allocations that take place after the snapshot into change buffers.
- Re-marking Stage. When the heap reaches a certain percentage filled, as indicated by the number of allocations since the snapshot in the Marking Stage, the heap is re-marked:
- As buffers of changed objects fill up, the contained objects are marked in the marking bitmap concurrently.
- When all filled buffers have been processed, the mutator threads are paused.
- Next, the remaining (partially filled) buffers are processed, and those objects are marked also.
- Cleanup Stage. When the Re-mark Stage completes, counts of live objects are maintained:
- All live objects are counted and recorded, per region, using the marking bitmap.
- Next, all mutator threads are paused.
- Next, all live-object counts are finalized per region.
- The TAMS pointer for the current collection is copied to the previous TAMS pointer (since the current collection is basically complete).
- The heap regions are sorted for collection priority according to a cost algorithm. As a result, the regions that will yield the highest numbers of reclaimed objects, at the smallest cost in terms of time, will be collected first. This forms what is called a collection set of regions.
- All mutator threads are resumed.
All of this work is done so that objects that are in the collection set are reclaimed as part of the evacuation process. Let's examine this process now.


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Youth Directions will hold its Passion/Purpose Finding coaching sessions over winter break from January 2-8 (no sessions Saturday or Sunday). This will be an excellent opportunity for high school and college students ages 14-22 to discover what they're passionate about and make long-term career plans based on their passions.
Why is this important? Research shows that students who have passion and a sense of purpose in their lives perform better in school, have higher self-esteem and happiness, and have greater life satisfaction than students who don't have a sense of purpose in their lives.
During these coaching sessions, participants will:
~Discover their passion and purpose in life
~Find a meaningful and fulfilling career path
~Interview professionals
~Develop a long-term career goal they'll be passionate about
~Pick the right college major
~Lunch provided
Youth Directions has been featured in the Denver Post and on 9NEWS.
Students have two options for coaching session times:
~10:00-12:30 or
Lunch 12:00-12:30
To register:


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Nov. 23, 2013
BALTIMORE, MD – Officially, 1,460 fans were in attendance at the NCAA Division III football playoff game between eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins and 14th-ranked Wesley at Homewood Field Saturday afternoon. None of those 1,460 can say they didn't get their money's worth as the Wolverines drove 82 yards in 31 seconds in the final minute to steal a 29-24 victory and move into the second round. The touchdown capped a game that saw big plays, huge swings in emotion and two touchdowns in the final 50 seconds.
Johns Hopkins (10-1) trailed 23-17 late in the game, but held the Wolverines on downs deep in their own end and forced a punt that set the Blue Jays up at their own 46 with just under two minutes remaining.
A 37-yard pass from senior quarterback Robbie Matey to senior wide receiver Dan Wodicka moved the Blue Jays to the Wolverine 15-yard line and the pair connected again from 10 yards out three plays later to give Hopkins a 24-23 lead with just 50 seconds on the clock.
The Wolverines (9-2) took over at their own 18 yard line and quickly went to work on the arm of quarterback Joe Callahan, who opened the drive with a 36-yard completion to junior wide receive Steve Koudossou. Callahan and Koudossou connected again for 13 more yards to give Wesley a first-and-10 at the Blue Jay 33, but a pair of incompletions made it third-and-10 with less than 20 seconds to play.
From there, the combination of Callahan and Koudossou gave the Wolverines the lead for good as Koudossou got inside on a post pattern and Callahan hit him between the numbers at the goal line for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with just 12.8 seconds remaining.
In a game that neither team led by more than nine points, it was Wesley that struck first as the Wolverines took the opening kickoff and went 70 yards on 14 plays and capped their opening drive with a five-yard touchdown reception by Koudossou.
The Blue Jays immediately answered on their first possession as a one-yard touchdown run by senior JD Abbott polished off a 13-play, 75-yard drive that saw the Blue Jays convert twice on fourth down, including on fourth-and-goal from the one with Abbott's touchdown.
Wesley bookended a four-yard touchdown run by Johns Hopkins freshman Stuart Walters with a 26-yard field goal by Jon Storck and a 16-yard touchdown reception by Kyle George in the second quarter to grab a 17-14 halftime lead.
That lead would hold until the second play of the fourth quarter, when Koudossou got just enough separation on a corner route in the end zone to haul in the second of his three touchdowns – this one from 10 yards out – to give Wesley the only two-score lead of the day at 23-14. Storck's extra point was wide left.
Needing to make it a one-score game, the Blue Jays got good field position to start on the ensuing possession with a 25-yard kickoff return by freshman Adrian Trammell to the Hopkins 40. Mixing the run and the pass to perfection, the Blue Jays went 52 yards in 15 plays and pulled within 23-17 on a 25-yard field goal by freshman Nick Campbell with just over 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
Hopkins, as it did all day, kept that drive alive by converting three times on third down, including a 15-yard strike from Matey to freshman Bradley Munday on a third-and-13 and a 10-yard scramble by Matey on a third-and-eight.
If the excitement of the first 50 minutes hadn't kept the fans on the edge of their seats, the craziness of the final 10 surely did.
An interception by Wesley's Derrick Bender set the Wolverines up deep in JHU territory with just over eight minutes remaining, but the Blue Jay defense didn't allow a first down and Hopkins took over at its own 33. Five plays later the Blue Jay were forced to punt, setting the stage for a wild sequence.
With a chance to run some clock after taking over with just under six minutes left, the Wolverines couldn't manage a first down and were forced to punt from their own 19. A Ryan Gerlitz punt went off the side of his foot, got caught up in the wind and bounced back behind the line of scrimmage, where it was touched, but not controlled by a Johns Hopkins player. Still rolling back towards the end zone, it was kicked around and Gerlitz eventually fell on it at the one, where Wesley maintained possession as the ball had been touched by a Johns Hopkins player.
Wesley managed one first down, but eventually Gerlitz was forced into the punt that set Hopkins up at its 46, a drive the Blue Jays capped with the Matey touchdown pass to Wodicka, which only set the stage for the Callahan-to- Koudossou late-game heroics.
Callahan was 27-of-43 for 244 yards with the four touchdowns with Koudossou was on the back end of 11 of those completions for 132 yards and the three scores. The Wesley rushing attack, which entered the game averaging 145 yards per game, was held to just 67 yards, including just 12 in the second half.
Jordan Wescott and Luke Maginnis paced the Wesley defense with 10 tackles each and the Wolverines recovered a pair of fumbles, came up with the interception by Bender and had a pair of sacks in the victory.
Matey was 22-of-33 for 194 yards and also rushed for 60 yards, while Walters rushed for a game-high 97 yards and the one score. Munday had a team-high six receptions for 65 yards and Johns Hopkins held an advantage in total offense (382-311) and converted 12-of-21 third-down chances.
Sophomore Keith Corliss paced the Blue Jay defense with eight tackles, while Michael Longo, John Arena and Ryan Rice all chipped in with seven stops. Wesley converted just six of 17 third down chances and averaged just 2.0 yards per rushing attempt, but the combination of Callahan to Koudossou had the final big play in a game full of big plays and emotional swings.
Notes: Wodicka became JHU's career receptions leader with three catches today • He finishes his career with 260 receptions, two more than former record-holder Bill Stromberg (258 • 1978-81) • The loss today snapped Hopkins' school-record 11-game home winning streak • Wesley advances to the second round of the NCAA playoffs for the ninth straight year.
- 30 -


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About Event
The ICE2CSM2E conference is an international forum for the presentation of technological advances and research results in the fields of Electrical, Electronics, Computer Science, Management and Mechanical Engineering. The conference will bring together leading researchers, engineers and scientists in the domain of interest from around the world. We warmly welcome previous and prospected authors submit your new research papers to ICE2CSM2E-2017, and share the valuable experiences with the scientist and scholars around the world.


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Boards & Commissions
Urban Design Committee Agenda
Urban Design Committee
Notice is hereby given that the Urban Design Committee will hold a meeting on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. in the County-City Building, 555 S. 10th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, in Room 214 on the 2nd Floor. For more information, please contact the Lincoln City/Lancaster County Planning Department at 402-441-7491.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
- Adoption of meeting records from the UDC meeting of December 12, 2012
- Review of design progress, 18th & Q parking/housing project(Urban Development Dept.).
- Update, Enersen Urban Design Award.
- Staff report/misc.: 2012 Annual Report.


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Michelle Rodriguez, co-starring with Vin Diesel in "Fast and Furious 6," appears on the cover of the May issue of Cosmopolitan for Latinas, and says inside that she can make any style sexy. "I'll wear a leather jacket with nothing underneath," she said. She also said she prefers "manly" men: "I can't do metrosexuals who get their nails done more than me. Which is why, living in L.A. for eight years, you can't blame me for not having a partner!" Ouch! [Cosmopolitan for Latinas]
Sofia Vergara, who plays glamorous bombshell Gloria on "Modern Family," is introducing a line of shapewear to be sold at Kmart, beginning in June. [WWD]
Actress Greta Gerwig shot an ad campaign for Band of Outsiders in Bellflower. [Fashion Gone Rogue]
The Cut blog points out that one of the latest red-carpet trends seems to be garments that are transparent on the sides, revealing hips and the outer leg, as exemplified by Gwyneth Paltrow's Antonio Berardi gown at the "Iron Man 3" world premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday. [The Cut]
A petition drive has started, calling on the Parsons School of Design to rescind its decision to have John Galliano teach a master class. It argues that it is disgraceful for the institution to hire Galliano, who was convicted of making anti-Semitic slurs and fired from his post as creative director at Dior a couple of years ago. [Fashionista]
Gwyneth Paltrow shows off at "Iron Man 3" premiere
Wear LACMA collection features Newbark, Obando, L'Oeil du Vert
Beyonce, new song star in sunny H&M summer advertising campaign


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New Appointments in the Office of Academic Affairs
Provost Josephine Modica-Napolitano, Ph.D., recently announced new appointments that have taken place within the Office of Academic Affairs, effective immediately.
"As the new semester gets underway, I encourage you to look back with pride on all that we have accomplished during the past two and a half years," said Modica-Napolitano. "As Provost, I am keenly aware of the necessity to support and assist academic leaders as they implement strategies to achieve our long-term goals. At this critical time in the College's transition, the following appointments in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will help ensure our success."
Modica-Napolitano announced that Dr. Russell Mayer and Dr. Cynthia McGowan will now serve as Vice Provosts for the College. Both will be joining Dr. Pat Sendall, who has served the College well in this capacity for the last eighteen months and will continue to take the lead on important academic initiatives such as the comprehensive internationalization program and the development of graduate student academic policies and procedures. Russ will focus his efforts on the areas of assessment, teaching and learning, and student success, and Cindy will focus her efforts on academic policy review and development, and faculty affairs.
Additionally, Mark Gould, who serves the College as Associate Vice President for Professional, Graduate and International Enrollment, has also assumed the responsibilities of Chief of Staff to the Provost. In this role, Mark will provide administrative support to the Provost and assist in coordinating a variety of matters within the Office of the Provost, between the Provost's Office and other units on campus. Furthermore, Michael Accardi has been appointed Special Assistant for Resource Development. Michael will support planning and program development, grants management, and fundraising for Academic Affairs.
Finally, the Provost announced Michelle Fastnacht's appointment to Executive Assistant to the Provost/VPAA. She has joined long-serving Executive Assistant Maribeth Zatet in this role, and together will support the Provost and Vice Provosts, in support of faculty, students, and other constituencies with regard to academic policies and procedures, and in managing the day to day affairs of the office.
Please join the Merrimack College Community in congratulating Russ, Cindy, Mark, Michael and Michelle in their new roles.


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Everything I need to know about unions, I learned during the 1983 copper miners' strike in Arizona, when a 3-year-old girl was shot in the head while lying in bed with her teddy bear. All because her father was a strikebreaker.
-- John Skookum
I'm not a Christian, but I do believe that those who live by the sword, should as Christ says, die by the sword.
I believe that those who benefit from the exercise of coercive force should be put down by force.
What are your questions on this block of instruction?


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McHenry County College has had a busy summer, addressing a variety of deferred maintenance and safety issues on campus.
The college undertook four projects that were started and mostly finished for the arrival of students Aug. 19.
The first project was the reconstruction of parking lots B and D, which had not been reconstructed since first developed. The project started with the replacement of the stormwater system underneath the parking lots. The replacement occurred after a terrific thunderstorm that our stormwater system could not handle, resulting in the flooding of Building B.
The underground work took about four weeks, during which the stormwater, sanitary sewer, water and electrical systems were replaced. The paving of the parking lots and the Ring Road took about three weeks. The lots were ready by the opening day of the semester – to the relief of everyone, especially our students. I have heard many positive comments about the new lots, including the size of the spaces and the safety improvements in the configuration.
The second project involved the replacing of 25- to 30-year-old carpeting in classrooms and offices. We also painted these areas in colors that research shows increases learning and productivity. Over 44 percent of our carpeted classrooms were affected by the project. Our faculty and students are very pleased by the new look of the college.
The installation of a sophisticated air filtration system in our art ceramics lab also occurred over the summer. An air-quality report discovered the presence of miniscule particles in the air that could lodge in the lungs of people in the lab, resulting in a health hazard. The air-filtration system that was installed in the open lab and the clay mixing room removes these tiny particles before they can be breathed in by students in the classroom. Tom Vician, our ceramics instructor, is ecstatic about the room being safer.
The last project that started this summer was the replacement of the lights in parking lots A and C and the building soffit lights with energy-efficient solutions, such as LED. A state-funded Capital Development Board project, when completed, will move the college one step closer to helping sustain the environment – and provide better lighting for a safer campus.
What's new
Building D is being remodeled so the expanded robotics and manufacturing programs will have space for their grant-funded, state-of-the-art equipment. The Building D project will be completed in time for the start of the fall, second eight-week classes. The faculty is really looking forward to having laboratories that meet students' learning needs.
We also are beginning the addition to Building E. Because the Black Box Theater was displaced to establish the manufacturing lab, the board approved building the addition to house a new Black Box Theater, plus three sorely needed general classrooms. Scheduled to be completed by mid-December, the college will have a brand-new theater.
MCC's biology department received a system that projects a virtual cadaver for students to dissect, identify parts and review MRI and CT scans. The Anatomage table will be an integral part of the educational process, allowing students to experience and learn in ways that surpass how we learned in the past. The only community college in the country with an Anatomage table, MCC's biology, nursing and occupational therapy assistant faculty are clamoring to get their classes on the system.
This past spring, MCC also had the first Massive Open Online Course in the U.S. taught by non-faculty. Taught over the Internet, more than 500 students from around the world learned how their online reputation can impact the success of their career. The college now is offering a new MOOC focused on chemistry – just another way we are providing more access to higher education in an innovative way.
All of these efforts are tied to the new 2013-2018 strategic plan that was approved by the board at the August board meeting. Each of the below initiatives further the college's mission, which is, "Our focus is learning. Student success is our goal." They are:
• Increase student engagement, completion and success.
• Maintain the college's financial stability and expand infrastructure and technology to establish state-of-the-art learning environments that inspire postsecondary education and career development.
• Ensure high-quality services and learning opportunities through a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and accountability.
• Engage in partnerships that enable MCC students to succeed in a global economy.
• Attract, develop and retain quality instructors who are outstanding scholars/teachers and an excellent, diverse staff who are committed to the mission of MCC.
This strategic roadmap provides direction for all sectors of the college to embrace and help the college accomplish our mission.
• Vicky Smith is president of McHenry County College.


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31 Jul 2013
Valentino Fall/Winter 2013/14 Campaign
Oh-so-beautiful chiaroscuro photos in the Valentino autumn/winter 2013/2014 campaign look like they were painted by Dutch Masters ... For me, it´s clearly the greatest campaign of the upcoming next season.
29 Jul 2013
Mouse Rodeo
The Mouse Ballerinas by Marc Jacobs have always been one of my favourite flats. And as my "old" grey studded mice needed some company, I got them new friends: blue and white espadrille flats with white leather details and silver studs.
Which pair do you prefer?
25 Jul 2013
Belgian National Day
On Sunday, I attended celebrations of the Belgian National Day and coronation of the new king Philippe. What a lovely sunny day, all in Belgian national colours... :-)
24 Jul 2013
New (Shoes) In
Newcomers in my shoe closet captured during sales - golden leather sandals from Sacha and brown platform heels from Zara (for unbelievable 19 €!). Can´t wait to wear them both!
22 Jul 2013
Scrawly Shorts By Replay
Jeans shorts are my definite summer must-have... And I just love these from Replay with drawings, silver stars ans a little funny owl at the back!
Btw this was the first and the last time I wore this headband, it got immediately broken...
18 Jul 2013
A Star on the Stairs
17 Jul 2013
Prada Fall/Winter 2013 Advertisement
An interesting Prada f/w 2013 advertising campaign in the film noir style... What do you think?
16 Jul 2013
Triangle Sandals from Kat Maconie
I think I´ve found a perfect pair of shoes for this summer - amazing sandals from Kat Maconie (bought on www.shoeonthecake) in black suede with golden triangles... Yesterday I matched them with a simple combination of black skinnies and a white shirt...
15 Jul 2013
Paris Haute Couture Fall Winter 2013-14
|Elie Saab
Today I´d like to show you some interesting looks from Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week Fall Winter 2013-14. This season is represented by lots of amazing monochrome looks in bold colours, biege and black and precious fabrics. Personaly I´m especially in love with feminine shapes by Elie Saab (as usual) and collection of Ulyana Sergeenko.
13 Jul 2013
Karl´s World
If you are a fan of Karl Lagerfeld (or possibly his pussycat Choupette), then you´re definitely going to enjoy this sweet video celebrating the launch of Karl´s collaboration with Tokidoki brand.
12 Jul 2013
The weather in Belgium is unbelievably great, for one week it´s actually a real summer here. The visible (!!!) sun and unusual heat makes me feel like I´m on holidays, I´m eating ice-cream twice a day and spent the last weekend sightseeing in Brussels like a tourist.
11 Jul 2013
Wingy Sandals
Currently I´m completely obsessed with these wingy Ancient Greek Sandals... What do you think, shall I get them or can I live without them?
10 Jul 2013
Floral Pencil Skirt
9 Jul 2013
There are two new pieces in my wardrobe that I´m very excited about.
First is a classic wrap ("New Julian") dress from Diane von Fürstenberg, in a beautiful bold blue and white print which is actually a reedition of an original print from 1974. It´s such a timeless piece and I can´t wait to wear it for all possible events.
Second is the famous Arty Ring from Yves Saint Laurent. I have to admit that the first time I saw this ring was some years ago I didn´t like it at all... Than I somehow got used to it and slowly started to like it. And now when they stopped producing these rings as the designer of Saint Laurent changed, I couldn´t resist to get my last-moment one. It was quite difficult to choose a colour as they are all amazing, but in the end the turquoise one won for me. :-)
8 Jul 2013
Just Casual
6 Jul 2013
Fooling on Vespa
5 Jul 2013
Street Art Exhibition
3 Jul 2013
Hey Sailor
I bought these perforated summer boots in Prague a few years ago. I used to wear them a lot, they used to be one of my favorite pairs and I think they still deserve to appear on the blog. :-)
1 Jul 2013
Swirlin´ Twirlin´
Another outfit with my orange midi circle skirt.... Which combination do you prefer, this one or the previous one?
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What delightful news President Obama delivered last night! Osama bin Laden is dead—"al Qaeda's leader and symbol," as the president called him.
Bin Laden was the founder of the al Qaeda network, which executed the devastating 9/11 attacks just under a decade ago. Thousands of Americans lost their lives in those attacks, and Americans lost the sense of security and peace of mind that had taken root in the post-Cold-War era. The 9/11 attacks catalyzed two wars, costing tens of thousands of lives and well over a trillion dollars in U.S. expenditures. Personally, bin Laden gave me a darker decade than I would have had, both professionally and personally.
When I learned the news of bin Laden's death, my first thought was of the implications for our policy. Before too long, I realized I was just plain happy about it. I took some champagne over to my neighbors, and we enjoyed watching the returns on TV.
My Cato colleagues will be parsing many details of this event over the days to come. Among the fascinating dimensions: the substantial Abottabad, Pakistan compound where bin Laden was apparently in hiding; the role of Pakistan's security service, the ISI; the brilliant success of the intelligence effort and the attack on the compound; the near-term threat that al Qaeda affiliates may try to avenge the death of bin Laden.
Osama bin Laden failed to reach any of his geopolitical goals. He did not topple any Middle East dictator toward the end of establishing a Muslim caliphate. Indeed, the people of the Middle East have begun toppling their own dictators toward the end (we earnestly hope) of establishing more liberal societies. (We examined the role of the Internet in Middle Eastern freedom movements at a Cato on Campus event a few months ago.)
Few beyond the kids that made their way to the White House Sunday night believe that bin Laden's death mean it's "over" for al Qaeda and terrorism. Indeed, a key question is whether bin Laden's death will give the U.S. and its allies an upper hand against terrorism, and for how long.
In this, the issues are the same as they have always been. As we noted in the introduction to the Cato book, Terrorizing Ourselves: "Terrorists have motivations, there is a strategic logic to their actions, and examining these things can reveal strategies that frustrate and dissipate their efforts."
The killing of bin Laden begs the question: How, and how well, will his death signal to terrorists that they are better off desisting from attacks and choosing other behaviors?
There will be many opportunities in the days and months ahead for American political and media figures to signal to terrorists and potential terrorists that theirs is a lost cause. The death of bin Laden simply initiates that effort.
This week, watch the news around bin Laden's death not only with your own apprecation, relief, or other feelings in mind. Consider how events will be perceived in the communities around the world from which terrorists have come.
How various groups around the world interpret the death of "al Qaeda's leader and symbol" will dictate our security from terrorism going forward.
You can review our two major conferences on counterterrorism policy here and here.


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Where does your food come from? Who grows it? How is it grown? If these are questions that interest you, the USDA's Census of Agriculture has all the data you could want (and, probably, more).
The US Department of Agriculture conducts the Census every five years. On Friday, USDA released data from its 2012 Census of Agriculture.
A small sampling of the data show that nationally, the average farmer is also older with each census taken over the last 30 years. In North Carolina, the average farmer is 58.9 years old. Nationally and in North Carolina, there are fewer beginning farmers in 2012 than in 2007.
An aging population of farmers, coupled with a decline in the number of beginning farmers raises questions about who will produce our food in the coming years. As young farmers enter the market, they may find it hard to make a living as the amount of capital needed to start a farming operation (e.g. land, fertilizer, seed, plants, livestock, fencing, refrigeration, and a tractor) is large. Beginning farmers may have difficulty accessing markets—national distributors may require a lot of product to do business with a particular farmer and the infrastructure to sell locally or regionally barely exists in most areas of the state. Encouraging people to enter the business of farming will require that they be able to easily access markets for their products.
Efforts to increase the ability of beginning farmers to access markets is one way to encourage new farmers to enter the business. North Carolina could also encourage new people to become farmers with equitable tax policies. Data show that the majority of farms in North Carolina gross less than $10,000 annually from farm products. State-wide, farmers are spending increasing amounts on farm inputs. The state could encourage people to enter the business of farming on a small scale by reducing barriers to entry. Last year, the General Assembly passed a law that allows farms grossing over $10,000 to avoid sales tax for the supplies needed to run a farm, while imposing sales tax on all farms grossing less than $10,000. This tax policy discourages new farmers from investing in the infrastructure they will need to get a new farm going. This policy is particularly short –sighted in the face of our rapidly aging farm population.
The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is a member-based non-profit that advocates for fair farm and food policies, builds the systems that organic family farms need to thrive, and educates communities about local, organic farming. Check out our work at www.carolinafarmstewards.org.


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Many folio-style cases for the iPad mini add quite a bit of bulk to the device--even if those cases are touted as "slim" or "skinny." But not Moshi's $50 VersaCover Mini Origami for the iPad mini: This lightweight case is slim, elegant, and deceptively simple looking, considering it offers excellent protection and has a built-in stand to boot.
Although the VersaCover is technically a folio-style case--it does, after all, have a hard backing and a folio-style cover--it's more like a rigid shell combined with a Smart Cover. The shell part of the case is made of a single molded piece of translucent plastic, which snaps easily onto your iPad mini and allows access to all ports. There's a hole for the back camera, as well as one for the microphone. The plastic shell offers decent protection from drops and scratches, though it doesn't feel like it will protect your device from serious falls onto hard surfaces.
The VersaCover's front cover is made of velvety-soft suede-like material, and comes in four colors: Velvet Gray, Denim Blue, Sakura Pink, and Aloe Green). The cover is compatible with the mini's magnetic sleep/wake function, so it will wake up your iPad mini when you flip it open, and put it back to sleep when closed.
The cover is scored with five lines--three that criss-cross across the cover to form the shape of an asterisk, and two on the top and bottom edges--and can be folded along these lines. The cover looks much more foldable than it is--you can really only fold it two different ways--but it's still versatile. With the two different folding styles, you can get the iPad mini to stand up at three different angles in landscape orientation and one angle in portrait orientation. The cover also folds flush against the back of the case and attaches magnetically to a small metal Moshi logo.
Bottom line
Moshi's VersaCover for iPad mini is an excellent case: it adds practically zero bulk to the device, it's versatile, and it looks fantastic. I'm also a huge fan of Moshi's little touches, such as the hole for the mini's microphone and the metal logo that helps keep the cover in place and out of the way. If you've got $50 to spend, the VersaCover offers protection without compromising style.


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Hair: Dieter Ferschinger and Kathrin Haseler
Photography: Matthias Hornung
Fashion Styling: Bonnie Strange
Make-up: Timo Pfaff
In the international fashion world, cheeky and charming model Bonnie Strange is known for her eccentric and bold style through her personal fashion designs, Berlin clothing store, blog and social media presence. In spite of her "strange" look, in Germany, she represents beauty, quality and strength. The combination of these characteristics made her the perfect model to showcase the colors and looks achievable through Great Lengths extensions in multiple hair looks, including ombre hair color, a french braid and her classic orange style.
"We asked Bonnie to just be herself for this photoshoot," says Dieter Ferschinger, a Great Lengths artist and partner in Austria, who created the hair for this collection. "Orange hair was Bonnie's signature look for a long time— we wanted to show her in her real-life environment, at her beloved places and wherever she spends her free time in Berlin."


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Tonight, season 8 of Bones premieres followed by the series premiere of the new drama Mob Doctor.
Last season, Bones premiered to a 3.3 adults 18-49 rating on Thursday, November 3, 2011, but it had The X Factor as a lead-in. Its season finale, on Monday May 14, 2011, garnered only a 1.9 adults 18-49 rating. So will season 8 do better or worse?
Mob Doctor inherits House's time period.The longrunning medical drama averaged in the low 2.0s during its final season. Will Mob Doctor be a hit, or the network's biggest medical flop since the little remembered Medicine Ball?


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festivals and events
raves and reviews
the sweet scoop
the sweet scoop
More Good Eatin' in New OrleansMonday, June 11, 2012 at 12:06 PM - Posted by Megan - (0) comments
So much to eat, so little time. New Orleans is one of those over-the-top eating cities that brings out the glutton in everyone, in the most delicious way possible. And no matter how many multi-course meals I've savored, po-boys I've put down, or pounds I've packed on, I always leave the Big Easy craving more.
A few short days in that sinfully tempting town never seems to be enough. I mean, how can I possibly hit up all my favorite NOLA standbys (starting the day with beignets and café au lait at Café Du Monde, bellying up to the Acme Oyster House bar for raw oysters and the charbroiled variety at Royal House, sucking down Bloody Marys and barbecued shrimp at Mr. B's Bistro, indulging in the ultimate pork supremacy at Cochon…) and expand my eating horizons at the same time!?
Since I'm always on the hunt for new flavors, places and experiences, it was essential to find the time and stomach space (in between several New Orleans Wine & Food Experience events and tastings, I may add) for a little culinary exploration while in the area. Here are a few of the incredible new discoveries and mouthwatering highlights from my recent trip:
Hungry for a standout meal outside the French Quarter? Head a few blocks due south to this elegant, modern bistro located in the up-and-coming Central Business District. Everything about Ste. Marie feels fresh and current — from the chic industrial decor, to the extensive list of Champagnes and sparkling wines, to the menu of refined French fare made with locally sourced ingredients. Since opening in early 2011, this NOLA gem has been firing up flavorful dishes such as escargot with bone marrow, tempura battered soft-shell crab BTL, velvety three cheese crawfish mac, and the best Moules Frites this side of the bayou — plump mussels nestled in a thick white wine garlic broth spiced with fiery chorizo, topped with a heap of thin cut fried potatoes to soak up the sauce remnants at the end. Très magnifique!
Contemporary and inviting, Ste. Marie impressed in all the right ways — definitely one to add to your New Orleans must-try list. And when you do stop by, ask for Miles and tell him I sent you ;-)
Ste. Marie • 930 Poydras Street • 504.304.6988 • www.stemarienola.com
'Local Ingredients, Global Inspiration' is the philosophy behind this highly anticipated Hotel Monteleone newcomer. Criollo (the Spanish word for Creole) pays homage to the unique blend of cultures and influences that comprise Louisiana cuisine, with an ingredient-driven, seasonal menu boasting the region's bounty of fresh seafood and produce. Chef de Cuisine Joseph Maynard delivers inspired dishes — like refreshing Gulf shrimp, blue crab and avocado layered over spicy tomato coulis, and savory herb marinated chicken paillard with sunchoke slaw and grilled Celeste figs — that pack the bold flavor punch New Orleans is famous for, executed with elegance and finesse to suit today's contemporary tastes.
Standout service and spot-on wine pairings added to the overall enjoyment of my lunch at Criollo, and I'm already anticipating feasting here again once dinner service starts (slated for July).
Criollo at Hotel Monteleone • 214 Royal Street • 504.681.4444 • www.criollonola.com
There aren't enough sweet sentiments to say about this darling dessert boutique from celebrated pastry chef-owner Tariq Hanna. Go here. Try everything. Smile and repeat. I can go on for days about Sucré… or you can just check out my previous post for more pictures and all the delicious details. How sweet it is!
Sucré • 3025 Magazine Street • 504.520.8311 • www.shopsucre.com
I've had the pleasure of dining at Restaurant August before (last year at a Pride Mountain Vintners dinner as part of the 2011 NOWFE), but this visit was my first à la carte experience. And it far exceeded the already high bar set during that first fine meal.
John Besh's award-winning restaurant is a New Orleans signature, located in a historic 19th century French-Creole building. The interior is rich, elegant and polished, with three breathtaking dining rooms, and the cuisine is contemporary French with a farm-to-table focus on local ingredients. A late Saturday dinner here turned out to be one of the best meals I've had in recent memory. Talented executive chef Michael Gulotta presented an impeccably prepared succession of robust dishes, each more mouthwatering than the last, leaving me eager with anticipation of what was coming next. His precision, finesse and balanced approach to flavor was remarkable. And pastry chef Kelly Field's desserts were simply stunning — she is a true artist in every sense of the word.
After this epic spread, paired with a stellar selection of wines and top-notch service, I can say with confidence that August is my favorite restaurant in all of New Orleans, hands down. Forks down, too — I was officially (and so satisfyingly) stuffed!
Restaurant August • 301 Tchoupitoulas Street • 504.299.9777 • www.restaurantaugust.com
After meeting pastry chef Zak Miller during NOWFE (and hearing from multiple sources about his dessert mastery), I just had to check out his restaurant, Coquette. Occupying the corner of Magazine and Washington in the scenic Garden District — and just down the street from Sucré — this acclaimed two-floor French bistro and wine bar charms with exposed brick walls, crystal chandeliers and paintings by local Louisiana artists. With a daily changing menu of haute cuisine at fairly reasonable prices, Coquette showcases fresh, seasonal ingredients in dishes such as succulent cochon de lait over pureed sweet potato and crisp corn relish, and plump salt-crusted sea scallops with snappy English peas, fennel and sherry vinegar. There's also house infused spirits, signature cocktails and an eclectic wine list to round out the menu. But no matter what you eat or drink, be sure to leave room for dessert. Zak's visionary confections cannot be missed!
Coquette • 2800 Magazine Street • 504.265.0421 • www.coquette-nola.com
No trip to New Orleans is complete without a po-boy or muffaletta. So, if you're in the French Quarter and that comfort food craving sets in, try Johnny's — a tiny St. Louis Street landmark that's been serving its signature sandwiches since the 1950's. This casual, order-at-the-counter spot rolls out all the standards, as well as special varieties like a seafood muffaletta (catfish, shrimp and oysters) and surf and turf (hot roast beef topped with fried shrimp) po-boy. The sandwiches here are massive and filled to the brim, so be prepared to chow down and get a little messy. And for the true experience, order 'em "Dressed, baby!" with lettuce, tomato, pickles & mayo, along with a bag of crunchy Zapp's chips and a Barq's root beer to wash it all down. For a quick, satisfying bite, no place hits the spot like Johnny's — especially on the day after a late night on Bourbon Street. You'll thank me later.
Johnny's Po-Boys • 511 Saint Louis Street • 504.525.8037 • www.johnnyspoboys.com
Until we eat again, New Orleans…
Where are some of your favorite spots to eat in the Big Easy? I'd love to hear from you!
Related posts: The Sweeter Side of a Savory City, Classic NoLa Cocktails to Kick Off Mardi Gras
The Sweeter Side of a Savory CityMonday, June 4, 2012 at 02:06 PM - Posted by Megan - (1) comment
New Orleans is world-famous for its savory cuisine — a unique combination of Creole, Cajun and French flavors that produce the city's indigenous culinary landscape.
Yet over the past several years, the Big Easy has been gaining recognition for the sweeter side of things. More and more New Orleans restaurants are employing acclaimed pastry chefs, who are elevating the level and quality of desserts across town. There's been an emergence of local sweet shops and pastry boutiques that offer far more than pralines and pecan pie. And just last week, The Big Gateaux Show brought world-renowned pastry chefs together for a theatrical cake competition and tasting to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience.
One of the pioneers of the city's pastry movement is Tariq Hanna, the celebrated chef-owner of Sucré. Upon visiting New Orleans several years ago, Tariq noticed that the local dessert scene was somewhat uninspired. "It was the same four desserts everywhere." Tariq mentioned, "Bananas Foster, beignets, pralines and bread pudding." Determined to bring something new to NoLa's dining culture, Tariq opened Sucré in 2007 — a bright, inviting sweets haven in the Garden District that specializes in exciting, handcrafted desserts and confections that weren't typically found in area restaurants at the time.
While in New Orleans last week, I had the pleasure of joining Tariq at the oh-so-charming Sucré to delight in some of his signature delicacies. Feast your eyes on the striking array of French macarons, fine chocolates, handmade marshmallows, decadent desserts, cupcakes, gelato & more featured in the gallery below.
After a generous sampling from Sucré and several other indulgent creations from Zak Miller (Coquette), Kelly Fields (August) and Phillip Lopez (Root), N'awlins officially put me in a sugar-filled state of bliss. Clearly, a new desserts standard has been set in this city and it was thrilling to witness so many restaurants stepping up their game. Afterall, there's no better way to cap off all that savory cuisine than with a sweet finish. Or a few.
For more sweet inspiration, check out this clip to see what Tariq Hanna has to say about Sucré and find out which New Orleans treats chefs John Besh, Johnny Iuzzini, Ron Ben-Israel & more can't get enough of.
Filmed during the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience at the The Big Gateaux Show event and throughout the weekend festivities. Learn more about New Orleans pastry culture in this great article on Nola.com.
Stay sweet New Orleans!


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promotion Gianni Boutique promotion Boutique Bini Boots Nectar's 11" memory foam mattress gives it an additional layer of comfort and support, which makes it much more comfortable than other mattresses with less height. For example, Purple's mattress is only 9.5" which is one of the lowest in the industry, below the average 10" height. While 1.5" might not sound like much, we think it makes a world of difference. Why? Because it allows us to incorporate all five layers, including our plush memory foams, contouring gel foams, and cooling Tencel cover. Nectar's 11" mattress is able to be the most comfortable mattress that popular review sites and customers love due to our considered design and 11" of premium materials.Read the full review of Nectar vs. Purple here.
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One of the best things about Nectar is that it is firm enough to support you but soft enough to be sensitive so your body can fully relax. Wake up rested with Nectar!
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1st April 2017 Bedford, UK
DetailsTime : 6.45pm
Venue : Quarry Theatre
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Three quarters of MPs are millionaires. A third of the country lives below the poverty line. Whatever your politics, Jonny & the Baptists think it's worth talking about.
Fresh from a smash hit Edinburgh Fringe premiere, Eat The Poor is a riotously funny musical comedy about inequality, revolution, friendship and betrayal. Join acclaimed musical comedians Jonny & the Baptists – stars of Radio 4's The Now Show and BBC Live at Television Centre – for an epic tale of modern Britain.
Setting out to explore the gap between rich and poor, Jonny & the Baptists' lives turn upside down when Jonny betrays Paddy for financial gain. As Jonny enjoys the highlife with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jerry Hall, Paddy falls into homelessness and despair.


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At a press conference Wednesday, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, provided intriguing insight on her approach to leadership. Here it is verbatim:
Q: Madam Leader, Speaker Boehner, this week, is being squeezed on the left and on the right on this deal. As a former Speaker, do you think that he can – what do you think is at risk here for him to bring a deal that President Obama could sign onto, to the House floor. And do you think he should be willing to risk his Speakership on such a deal?
Leader Pelosi. Well, that's what we all take the job to do. To risk it for something, not to just sit in the office. But let me say this, and you may recall, maybe you don't, but some of you will recall. In 2006, we won the election, we're sworn-in as the new Congress, the President of the United States was George W. Bush. The emotion in the election was about ending the war in Iraq, ending the war in Iraq – you remember that? And people thought that when the people had spoken, that something would happen to that effect. We came back here – there were two issues in the election, well three – one was stopping the privatization of Social Security, but we did that sort of early on. So, that wasn't the emotional piece of the election, the other was ending the culture of corruption that existed under the Republicans here. But the main emotional – people in the streets, by the tens of thousands, you remember that, I remember because there were a lot of them camped out in front of my home. Some of them are still there.
But the fact is, is that we came in, President Bush said to us: "no way." So how were we going to get legislation to go to the President, in a Democratic Congress, in a Democratic Senate, to a Republican President, that accomplished what we needed to do? We sent a bill that set out that planning should be starting in 90 days, of course the President vetoed that bill. But then we had to deal with Katrina, here we are Sandy, issues that related to the domestic agenda, here we are – SGR, AMT, other issues that we have to deal with now, that need to be extended, and the issue at hand then, funding for Iraq, versus right now, middle income tax cuts. I as Speaker had to make a decision, as a Democratic Speaker with a new Democratic majority, very enthusiastic about ending the war in Iraq, to bring a bill to the floor that funded the troops.
We did it in a trifurcated way, or a bifurcated, however you want to look at it. But we said: "this is one piece of the bill, those who want to fund an unlimited war in Iraq, you have your vote here." Republicans largely voted for that, some Democrats did. The next piece would be the domestic side of it, including [funding Hurricane Sandy relief], they could do that right now. They can bring a bill to the floor that does not have a – let's see, a majority, or maybe it does have the majority, but it doesn't have everybody in their Caucus on board. They can bring a bill to the floor that the Republicans don't have to vote for, except for 25 of them, and then they can, with that, bring a bill to the floor that does [Sandy] and all of the other domestic issues that will expire by the end of the year.
I had to do it as Speaker. Do you know what it was like for me to bring a bill to the floor to fund the war in Iraq, a war predicated on a misrepresentation to the American people, a highly emotional – in that war where the President said: "don't even think about it, we're not changing the policy to Iraq." So, it's tough. But you have to do it. So is the point that you don't want to put your members on the spot? Figure it out. We did. Figure it out. And then, and then go forward and continue to debate the issue, but don't have our men and women in uniform wondering if they're even going to be – if they're going to be high and dry because we couldn't have the policy debate that would later ensue – but that we couldn't have it right there that day in a way that would end the war in Iraq.
So, that was what I – you asked me about what I do, that's what I did. That's what I did. It was very unpopular and I have to tell you, I'm not sure I ever recovered amongst some on the left for that, bringing that bill to the floor.
Asked if Boehner is doing a delicate "dance" to hold his caucus together:
I just don't have the faintest idea what goes on in their Caucus, I'd be the last person to know. You know that. But I believe he is a person of good intention and maybe that gets him in trouble, my saying that, I believe he's a person of good intention. He knows his responsibility to the country and there is a way to say we have to do it, we have to do it, we have to give the middle income tax cut. Because that is the breaks, it breaks the chains that have confined our possibilities….I'm not the right person to ask about what dancing goes on – not my job, not my job – in their Caucus. But I do know there's a way to bring a bill to the floor that accommodates the needs of the American people, that protects the Republicans who don't want to vote for it, but that gets the job done for the American people. A piece of legislation that enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in the country, passed in the Senate, I'm certain would receive two-thirds at least in the House if it were brought up under suspension, but if not, then there's a way, as we did with Iraq, to bring something to the floor. It's painful, but this is the job we signed up for.


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Rose earns business degree
Ocean Isle Beach native James Rose has earned a B.S. degree in business administration/accounting from Limestone College during spring 2012 commencement exercises in the college's Fullerton Auditorium May 10-12. Graduates represented Limestone's traditional day student program, extended campus classroom and Internet offerings.
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Treating cancer pain in dogs and cats
Pain frequently accompanies cancer in people and is also common in cancer-bearing dogs and cats. Pain negatively affects quality of life and important physiological functions, and eliminating it should be a priority. Whether cancer pain has been identified, is suspected, or is expected to occur in a cancer-bearing patient, efforts should be directed at treating and preventing it effectively. While pain in certain dogs and cats with cancer will be relieved with treatment directed toward the underlying cancer, others will require symptomatic analgesic therapy to improve their quality of life. A relative abundance of literature discusses the management of cancer pain in people.1-7 In contrast, there is a paucity of information specifically regarding the management of veterinary cancer pain. Recent publications, ongoing prospective studies, and better knowledge of the available therapeutic options should provide the necessary framework for appropriate pain management in cancer-bearing pets.8-14
The most rational way to alleviate cancer pain, whenever possible, is to treat the underlying tumor. Always evaluate the possibility of surgically removing a resectable tumor or obtaining a remission by using radiation therapy for a radiosensitive tumor or chemotherapy for a chemosensitive cancer. While you are waiting for the definitive therapy to take effect and eliminate the source of pain, analgesic and supportive therapies are often required to improve a patient's quality of life. And occasionally, with resistant, refractory, recurring, or terminal cancers, only palliative therapy can truly benefit a patient.The goal in managing dogs and cats with cancer is to control pain and improve a patient's overall quality of life by using traditional anticancer therapeutic modalities, various analgesic therapies, and supportive care. Before you treat for cancer pain, you must have a basic understanding of the pathophysiology of pain and of the methods used to recognize and evaluate pain in veterinary patients (see the article "Understanding and recognizing cancer pain in dogs and cats").
Whenever possible, completely remove a painful tumor surgically. With an appropriate preemptive and multimodal analgesic program in place, including postoperative pain management, most patients with tumors causing pain will be more comfortable after radical surgeries. Surgery is the modality that can most rapidly eliminate the source of pain, and various surgical procedures can be performed, depending on the tumor's type, extent, and location. Examples of tumors best treated and possibly cured with surgery alone include canine oral tumors such as squamous cell carcinoma and fibrosarcoma, cutaneous mast cell tumors, mammary tumors, soft tissue sarcomas, splenic or hepatic tumors with painful capsular distention, nail bed tumors, synovial cell sarcoma causing bone lysis, and tumors of the ear canal.
Occasionally, patients will benefit from palliative surgeries to remove painful tumors, although the surgery itself may not positively affect the overall prognosis for survival. A classic example is a painful appendicular osteosarcoma in which metastatic disease ultimately determines the survival time. In this example, amputating the limb provides immediate relief to the patient, and adjuvant chemotherapy is administered to prolong survival and delay the growth of micrometastatic disease.
Surgically removing pulmonary metastatic lesions to provide relief from painful paraneoplastic hypertrophic osteopathy has been described. In a recent study in four dogs with osteosarcoma, pain relief from hypertrophic osteopathy was observed in all dogs less than 24 hours after metastasectomy.15 Peripheral and central neuroablative surgeries can be contemplated in select cases; these surgeries have proved valuable in people with terminal cancer and poorly responsive pain. Such salvage analgesic techniques are relatively novel and have yet to be described for the control of veterinary cancer pain.1-3


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"Silent Unity. How may we pray with you?"
Do you have a prayer request? There are several ways to contact Silent Unity, the 24/7-prayer ministry:
Call: 1-816-969-2000
International: 01-816-969-2000
uPray mobile prayer app
Write: Silent Unity, 1901 NW Blue Parkway, Unity Village, MO 64065-0001
Or use our online prayer request form.


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|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
previous taxon |
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Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Annual to tree
Leaves basal or cauline, alternate, opposite, or whorled, generally simple and toothed (to pinnately compound); stipules 0 or generally deciduous
Inflorescence: spike, raceme, panicle, or flowers solitary in axils; bracted
Flower generally bisexual, generally radial, opening at dawn or dusk; hypanthium sometimes prolonged beyond ovary (measured from ovary tip to sepal base); sepals generally 4(27); petals generally 4 (or as many as sepals, rarely 0), often "fading" darker; stamens generally 4 or 8(2), anthers 2-chambered, opening lengthwise, pollen generally interconnected by threads; ovary inferior, chambers generally 4 (sometimes becoming 1), placentas axile or parietal, ovules 1many per chamber, style 1, stigma 4-lobed (or lobes as many as sepals), club-shaped, or hemispheric
Fruit: capsule, loculicidal (sometimes berry or indehiscent and nut-like)
Seeds sometimes winged or hair-tufted
Genera in family: 15 genera, ± 650 species: worldwide, especially w North America; many cultivated (Clarkia, Epilobium, Fuchsia, Gaura, Oenothera )
Reference: [Munz 1965 North America Fl II 5:1278]
Annual, perennial herb, from taproot or lateral roots
Leaves basal, cauline, or both, alternate, simple to 2-pinnate
Inflorescence bracted; spike, raceme, or flowers solitary in axils
Flower radial, generally opening at dawn (rarely at dusk); sepals 4, reflexed (sometimes 23 remaining adherent); petals 4, yellow, white, lavender, often with darker basal spots, generally fading purplish or reddish; stamens (4)8, longer ones opposite sepals, anthers generally attached at middle (or base), pollen grains 3-angled except in polyploid taxa (visible with hand lens); ovary chambers 4, stigma ± head-like or hemispheric, generally > anthers and cross-pollinated (or ± = anthers and self-pollinated)
Fruit straight to coiled, generally sessile
Seeds in 12 rows per chamber
Species in genus: 62 species: w North America (especially CA-FP), 1 South America
Etymology: (L.A. von Chamisso, French-born German botanist, 17811838)
Reference: [Raven 1969 Contr US Natl Herb 37:161396]
Polyploidy and self-pollination have predominated in evolution of genus. Previously included in Oenothera (" O." in synonyms).
Annual, robust; rosette generally ± 0; hairs dense, spreading (some glandular, or ± 0, especially in inflorescence)
Stem erect, 530 cm
Leaf 1038(55) mm, generally narrowly elliptic, sparsely serrate
Inflorescence nodding
Flower: hypanthium 2.23.8(5.5) mm; sepals 511 mm, free; petals 818 mm, yellow fading reddish, bases with 2 large red dots
Fruit 2237 mm, 1.51.7 mm wide, cylindric, ± swollen by seeds, straight or wavy; pedicel 015 mm
Seeds in 1 row per chamber, 1.11.2 mm, shiny, minutely pitted
Chromosomes: 2n=14
Ecology: Sandy slopes, flats, washes, sagebrush scrub, Joshua-tree and pinyon/juniper woodland
Elevation: 7001800 m.
Bioregional distribution: se High Sierra Nevada, s East of Sierra Nevada (especially Inyo Co.), n&w Mojave Desert
Distribution outside California: s Nevada
Synonyms: O. k. Munz
Cross-pollinated. Related to C. parvula, C. pubens, C. pusilla. Sspp. intergrade extensively.


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|Erfworld Geography
|City, Terrain Type, Special Locations, Notable Locations
|Cities 101
|Capital Cities, Port Cities, City Zones, Building, City manager, Claiming a City, Cities of Erfworld
Proposed Canon
Cities are fixed locations in Erfworld. They can produce units and provide Shmuckers for a side's treasury, and they also provide some defense in combat.
Some cities are capitals for Capital Sides.
Cities, like Units, have Levels; the lowest being level 1 and the highest being level 5. Higher-level cities produces more Shmuckers each turn. Shmuckers can be used to pay for the growth or change of a city, improving its level. Improving upon a city, such as by creating pit traps, reduces the cost of future upgrades.
Schmucker production suffers diminishing returns if a side has a large number of cities. For example, Haffaton which was forced to use small stacks of golems and uncroaked units to maintain its cities without running out of funds. For this reason, most large sides produce Heirs and spin off new sides.
A city's level determines, in large part, its size and the strength of its defenses. However, this does not take into account natural terrain modifiers. For example, Gobwin Knob's terrain makes it a far tougher defensive position than other level 5 cities. In the same way, it is theoretically possible for a low-level city, due to its terrain, to be as tough as an unmodified Level 5. Damaged cities lose levels. Higher-level cities are better defended.Erf-b1-p133 A city's level does not necessarily take into account its true defensive strength.
Cities come complete with buildings, but no civilian inhabitants; no 'populace.' Units popped in the city or brought in from outside may live in the buildings, and they may also be used for storage, but they are not houses with families, or shops, etc. They are popped empty and remain so until filled by the city's garrison.
Capital cities are usually ruled by the ruler of a side. When a ruler dies without an heir, the cities of that side become neutral. Units inside these cities are not allowed to move, attack, or cast spells: they are essentially frozen in time, at the mercy of attackers.
Destroyed cities may be claimed by either an HeirErf-b1-p083 or Warlords of another SideErf-b1-p078. A destroyed city is not the same as a ruin
Unit Production
The ruler sets the unit production for the city. Each city can produce certain types of units, depending on the side that built the city, and the level of that city.
For example, Gobwin Knob cities can produce warlords and spidews at level two but can never produce gwiffons. Bigger units take longer to produce.Erf-b1-p043a Cities ruled by a royal can produce royals and nobles.
A ruler may also pop an heir in this way, but this takes a tremendous number of turns.
City manager
Main Article: City manager
A Warlord can be assigned to manage a city. Having a City manager boosts city income and reduces unit upkeep, among other things. To gain this bonus, the Warlord must spend his/her side's turn walking around the city, observing or "supervising," as it were.LIAB Prologue 14
City Zones
Main Article:City Zones
Cities are divided into zones. A city is treated as a single hex for the owning side: no move is expended for the owning side's units when transferring from zone to zone, allowing the defensive units to redeploy to protect the city at will (though it still takes time to actually move the distance). Enemy sides must expend move in order to enter a city zone. There may be restrictions on where a zone can be attacked from.
The most thoroughly described zones were in Gobwin Knob before it was destroyed. Other cities may be built differently.Erf-b1-p098a and Erf-b1-p116a
- Outer Walls: may only be passed if breached.
- Tunnels: may only be entered by light units, with some exceptions.
- Airspace: may only be entered by fliers.
- Garrison: may be attacked from any of the other zones above; however, if the attackers come from the Outer Walls they must breach an additional set of garrison walls. In Gobwin Knob, the garrison is further divided into three areas:
- Courtyard.
- Tower: provides a boost to casters. Erf-b1-p116a
- Dungeon: provides bonuses to dirtamancers and tunnel units.Erf-b1-p116a Units captured from other sides are also kept here.
- Special Zone:
Other City Locations
A city may include some other important locations, such as:
- Portal Room
- Cesspit
- Casting room
Capital Cities
Main Article: Capital
Each side may have only one capital city. Capital cities are the center of each side, and there are several things that can only be done at capital cities. If a side's capital falls, but its ruler or heir does not, the side's units become barbarian.
Main Article: Port
Port cities lie on hexes that are boundaries to bodies of water, allowing for the production and housing of ships, which can deliver units across water.


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What's Next? (And All About Mom 2.0)
It is pretty inspirational how much we can do when we are passionate about something. The good we can accomplish with our determination and drive to make positive change is well... pretty awesome. This view from the Ritz took my breath away, and so did much of what I was lucky enough to hear, thanks to my amazing sponsors that made it possible for me to attend: Volkswagen Canada, IKEA, Tommee Tippee, and Kellogg's.
What did I take from this particular blogging conference? So much. I am still processing everything, and to be quite honest, listening to people like Brene Brown, Karen Walrond, Lee Rhodes, Liz, Liz Lange, Gretchen Rubin, and Pilar Guzman (the editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Living) speak was a bit overwhelming.
I left Miami feeling inspired, a bit scared, and asking myself the question: What's next? In my personal life and in my professional life, I'm excited, and I'm ready to take a risk. What does this mean, exactly? Like I said, I'm still processing it all. But one thing I have always found to be true is this: taking a risk, making the jump, and asking for what you want is never wrong. I tend to follow my heart, and I've found that by doing so, dreams can come true.
I enjoyed the intimacy of this conference, and I thought the location was perfection. I loved re-connecting with old friends like Jessica, (my very first BlogHer roomie... awww...) and spending more time with the Canadian crew, Kathy, Erica, Maureen, Nadia, Julie, and Candace. I find all these incredible women and moms to be beyond inspiring.
I was excited to be sharing a room with Marinka and Stacy, and am even more excited to report I never once snored, despite what Marinka may say, ahem. I did wake up with a pillow on my face one morning, but maybe I imagined that? We had a great time, and I loved sharing a room with these awesome ladies. We had some great discussions.
I was also so thrilled to finally meet the lovely Jill, who loves fashion and shopping as much as I do (kindred spirits, I tell you) and who had the most adorable outfits I've ever seen a pregnant woman wear. She is pure awesome. I loved seeing Nicole from Momtrends again, too, who is an absolutely beautiful person, and makes me want to spend the day shopping with her.
Of course, there were tears, because when are there not, at a blogging conference, right? I loved the 7 minute sessions and listening to these speakers on a variety of different topics was moving.
I attended my first blog conference in 2010, three years after I started my blog, and that BlogHer conference was quite memorable. My first Mom 2.0 conference was just as awesome. I've actually never left a conference disappointed, because I'm always surrounded by amazing poeple. Also, you make it what you want it to be.
I'm a little sad I missed Saturday night's party at the Versace mansion in South Beach, though, I always used to take pictures outside the house whenever I visited South Beach, and to have the chance to see beyond the front doors? Wow. I'm also bummed I didn't hear fellow Canadian funny lady Sam Bee speak. However, to be able to kiss my children on Saturday night was a bit more awesome than even a party at that address. I'm Queen of the Mommy Guilt club, in case you didn't know. Also, had I not left on Saturday, I wouldn't have by total random coincidence ended up on the same plane home as my parents, who were returning from Cancun.
If you're considering going to Mom 2.0 next year, GO. Just, go. It's taking place at the Ritz Carleton, Laguna Niguel. You have a year to make it happen, so you know, make it happen. You'll leave feeling like you can do more than you thought you were capable of.
Till next time!
17 comments:
Sounds like you had an amazing time! Any chance I'll get to run into you at Blogher this year?
- May 7, 2012 at 7:07 AM
- Queen said...
I've been thinking it might be time for me to try to pull off going to a conference! Glad to hear you had such a great time!
- May 7, 2012 at 8:05 AM
- designHER Momma said...
and now I think I need to go next year. I've never been to CA and this might be the perfect reason to finally visit!
- May 7, 2012 at 8:19 AM
- Avitable said...
I'm *not* going to use this comment to point out that you misspelled "people". I will say, however, that it seems like it was a fun time and I wish I could have gone.
- May 7, 2012 at 9:24 AM
- Krista (@kristahouse) said...
Looks like you had a lot of fun. A conference where there is sand, sun and surf is always on my list. I must look into going next year :D
- May 7, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Loukia, I loved being there with you, sharing and taking it all in together. You made the right decision for you going home when you did. I hope that your confessed Mommy Guilt subsides and that next time, you'll take the leap and that one of your "next" moments will be to alleviate that guilt altogether. See your soon. xo
- May 7, 2012 at 10:44 AM
- The Empress said...
Oh, you look like such a natural in Florida.
I imagine I'd feel so different with the sun, the breeze, the patio eating...the amazing women.
I wish I could go to every conference there was: but just can't happen.
The women that attended this one? FABULOUS.
I love reading these recaps. Thank you.
- May 7, 2012 at 10:51 AM
- Mom101 said...
It was great to see you too, Loukia. I'm so glad you got so much out of it--even if there were no sun and no shopping. That's probably the best part of all.
- May 7, 2012 at 11:20 AM
- Jill said...
I am SO happy we got to spend some quality time together. You made me feel like less of an emotional freak for crying during the emotional sessions :) You're such a warm and beautiful person Loukia, even better than imagined. Can't wait to see you again in August! xoxo
- May 7, 2012 at 12:14 PM
- OHmommy said...
So so so sad I missed it. Glad you had a blast!
- May 7, 2012 at 12:35 PM
- Marinka said...
eks oh, eks oh!
- May 7, 2012 at 2:15 PM
- Titania Jordan said...
It was so nice to meet and share a cab with you! I look forward to seeing you at the next one. :) Great pictures!
- May 7, 2012 at 3:15 PM
- Stephanie said...
Oh this is one conference I would have loved to go to! So glad you had a great time and now we can start the countdown to BlogHer!
- May 7, 2012 at 10:29 PM
- Nicole Feliciano said...
Wasn't it inspiring! Great seeing you and I hope you'll come to Blogher in August.
- May 8, 2012 at 12:17 AM
- tracy@sellabitmum said...
AMAZING! I so wanted to go this year - but next year YES I will make it happen. xo
- May 8, 2012 at 12:27 PM
- Karen Sugarpants said...
Rough weekend indeed! ;) Looks like you had a blast, lady. So deserved.
- May 9, 2012 at 1:10 PM
- Elaine A. said...
Wow, that does look like an amazing location! And a good conference is always well... really GOOD! Glad you had a good time!
- May 15, 2012 at 12:10 AM


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While Fernando Verdasco keeps watch over the West Coast, Kellan Lutz is making sure all of SoHo, New York, stays safe with a new billboard at Houston and Lafayette Streets. No better way to ring in spring than with the Calvin Klein X Marks the Spot campaign.
(tsf photo)
Tags: kellan lutz


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A significant interest of mine is how public elementary and secondary schools—government schools—force diverse people into conflict rather than, as the gauzy mythology tells us, bringing them together. After all, unless people are prepared to ditch deeply held values and opinions about what's best for their kids, they have no choice but to engage in political (and sometimes actual) combat. And whether it's over evolution or "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," engage they do.
There is a corollary to this in higher education. All taxpayers are compelled to support colleges and universities, whether through direct aid to institutions or to students. As a result, either taxpayers are forced to support all academic speech—including speech they may find abhorrent—or government must deem some academic speech unacceptable. Either way, government impinges on individual liberty.
The negative consequences of this are not nearly as apparent as in K-12, where values-based conflicts make headlines almost every day. The reason such headlines aren't nearly as prevalent in higher ed may be because far fewer people have strong connections to the ivory tower.
This is not to say that collisions of taxpayer funding and academic freedom never make a loud bang. When the Ward Churchill "little Eichmanns" situation blew up in 2005, Colorado Governor Bill Owens immediately seized on the compelled-support angle, stating that "no one wants to infringe on Mr. Churchill's right to express himself. But we are not compelled to accept his pro-terrorist views at state taxpayer subsidy nor under the banner of the University of Colorado."
Colorado taxpayers, however, were technically required to pay for Churchill's "pro-terrorist views." While academic impropriety—not his 9/11 essay—officially got Churchill canned, the academic accusations were almost certainly brought to the fore by Churchill's essay-delivered infamy. Indeed, in 2009 a Colorado court concluded that Churchill had, de facto, been improperly let go due to his 9/11 essay, and awarded him $1 in damages. Just this past April, however, the state Supreme Court ruled that Churchill was neither entitled to back pay nor reinstatement.
Did you follow the clear principles guiding all those decisions, by the way? Me neither, but such is the malodorous hash you get when you try to reconcile the irreconcilable.
It is not individual cases, though, through which the death match between taxpayers' and professors' rights is most readily revealed. No, it is manifested most concretely in the seemingly endless war between conservatives and the politically correct academy.
There is little question that academia is a battleship of the left. Indeed, as the Higher Education Research Institute just found, its port-side tilt has recently gotten even worse. Conservatives, reasonably, find having to pay for their intellectual enemies disquieting. But the solution often proffered for this—achieving intellectual "balance" or "diversity"—is little better than the status quo.
For one thing, who would be the arbiter of proper balance, especially understanding that peoples' views are not monolithically liberal or conservative? And even if brilliantly proportioned ideological representation could be achieved, on what grounds could the apolitical be compelled to subsidize it?
The only fully satisfactory solution to the compelled-support problem is to, well, end compelled support of higher education. But there are good, better, and best options for reducing the problem short of complete government withdrawal.
Good: End government subsidies that go directly to schools. These are pure compulsion, with no individual choice involved. It's basically how we fund elementary and secondary education, the hottest of all culture-war battlefields.
Better: Connect all money to students, though in the form of loans, not grants. That would add a heck of a lot more choice—students would freely choose where to attend—and the decision would ultimately be paid for by the consumer. Of course, taxpayers would have no ability to choose recipients of the loans, so appreciable compulsion would remain.
Best: Move entirely to tax credits for individuals and corporations that donate to organizations providing scholarships—or perhaps even loans—to students at all levels. Donors would choose to donate and students would choose schools. There would still be government influence—your only choices would be to donate or pay taxes—but taxpayers would have the option not to subsidize higher ed at all.
Academic freedom is fantastic if it means academics have freedom from government coercion. But freedom for all is even better, and that requires ending subsidies for higher ed.
Cross-posted from SeeThruEdu.com


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BEAUFORT, N.C. - Archeologists in North Carolina have recovered five more cannons from the wreck Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.
The largest of the guns raised Monday weighs about 3,000 pounds. The wreckage of the ship is in Beaufort Inlet.
Project Director Billy Ray Morris says historians think the largest cannon was made in Sweden, indicating that Blackbeard had guns from different countries. State officials say about 280,000 artifacts have been recovered from the wreck.
Blackbeard, the world's most famous pirate, captured a French slave ship and renamed it Queen Anne's Revenge in 1717. Volunteers with the Royal Navy killed Blackbeard in Ocracoke Inlet the following year, five months after the ship sank.
The wreck was located in 1996.


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PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Portland's Damian Lillard pumped in 23 points to go with eight assists Saturday, boosting the Trail Blazers to a 105-99 win over Utah.
J.J. Hickson added 21 points and 11 rebounds while LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 and 11 for the Blazers, who improved to 17-8 at home with their fourth win in six games overall.
Nolan Smith (13 points) and Nicolas Batum (12, 10 rebounds, nine assists) also reached double figures for Portland.
Randy Foye hit six 3-pointers en route to 23 points to lead the Jazz.
Paul Millsap provided 18 points, eight boards and five assists for Utah.