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Farewell to scaffolding, construction noise and walk-around barricades, and welcome to the newly configured Skinner-Jones Hall, Building 4.The move-in date is set for Friday, Dec. 15, and the following Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 18 – 19, if needed, according to Paul Stewart, director of Campus Planning, Design and Construction. As the date approaches, the campus will see new landscaping in place as well as the removal of construction equipment and vehicles. When classes resume in January, the building will be ready for students.The new facility will provide space for the School of Engineering and the Department of Construction Management, which will occupy nearly 65 percent of Skinner-Jones Hall — including civil/construction, the Taylor Engineering Research Institute, electrical and mechanical engineering, microscopy research facility, common spaces and the CCEC Dean's suite. Some of the state-of-the-art upgrades include a video teaching lab; computer labs and design, teaching and research labs for all engineering disciplines; research and teaching labs for several engineering disciplines; and Wi-Fi throughout the facility.
Dr. Mark Tumeo, CCEC dean, called the new building a great opportunity. "It's new space with state-of-the-art equipment and that's going to allow us to continue to offer the best engineering programs possible." Tumeo said. "We're very excited and pleased."The building will also house the Writing Center; Math Department offices; the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs; Social Work program suite with offices, student collaboration space and a lab; offices and labs for the Nurse Anesthetist program; and general-use classrooms.
Known previously as buildings 3 and 4, with north and south designations, Skinner-Jones Hall is now connected as one, with a complete interior renovation, a four-story addition and a new entry lobby. The state-funded $30 million transformation was handled in two phases; phase one began in August 2016, phase 2 in June 2017. With the single designation for Skinner-Jones Hall as Building 4, Stewart said that the number three will be retired on campus and not used again. The two buildings were part of the original footprint of the 1972 campus. The University dedicated the buildings in March 2013 in honor of Arthur Chester Skinner Jr., Charles Brightman Skinner and Mary Virginia Skinner Jones, Jacksonville landowners and developers. The University wouldn't exist today in its present location if it weren't for the generosity of the A. C. Skinner family's donation and sale of approximately 500 acres for part of the UNF campus.One of the final steps in the project will be to submit documentation to the U.S. Green Building Council to attain a LEED designation — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — a widely used green building rating system. The campus currently has 10 LEED buildings. LEED designations begin with a certification level, followed by silver, gold and platinum."As you design the building, you identify probable points that you believe you will achieve," Stewart said. "These are tracked and documented and then submitted at the end of the project. LEED Silver is our goal, that's what we've designed to, but we may try to reach the gold level."Sometime early in 2018, an art selection committee will select a public art piece for inclusion in the building, Stewart said, as part of the Art in State Buildings program. The ASB acquires artwork for new public facilities built with state funds.
Student artists have been busy crafting steel, fiberglass and wood into beautiful designs to display on campus and at the UNF Seaside Sculpture Park in Jacksonville Beach. On campus, the fall installation of a sundial bench across from the Brooks College of Health created the second artistic yet functional place to sit on campus. Created by sculpture student Nick DeGennaro, the structural bench is called "Celestial Chronology." The first bench titled "Immersion" — and located in the Bamboo Garden — was created by student Mary Ratcliff and installed in 2016. Both DeGennaro and Ratcliff competed with other UNF students to have their ideas selected and funded.Jenny Hager, professor of sculpture, and Lance Vickery, adjunct instructor, spearhead the program, which — in addition to the benches — has added nine creative bike racks to campus. Hager, Vickery and other faculty and staff are part of the committee that selects the student art. Hager said the students present their ideas about materials and design to the committee as well as a small-scale model of the project.A similar process has been used to select artwork for the UNF Sculpture Park, a yearlong public art installation, which opened to the public in July 2016. In early November 2017, art supporters gathered to welcome five new pieces to the park, bringing the total to 10. The new artworks include: "Strombus Alatus" by Jen Broadbent; "Cohesion" by Patricia Macias; "Ipseity" by Gabriella O'Toole; "Infinity Moth" by Victoria Priep; and "Crouching Skeletal Figure" by Matt Stanford.
The UNF Sculpture Park was established by donations from MountainStar Capital and the Lazzara Family Foundation. MountainStar also donated the use of the land, which is located at 480 First Street S., across the street from the city's Oceanfront Park.
MOCA Jacksonville will provide half-day and full-day sessions for kindergarten through fifth-grade students, with a 15 percent discount offered to UNF faculty and staff.
Experienced art educators teach a variety of media and skills while including the contemporary art history context for each project.
Learn more about schedule and pricing.
Vivian Senior is associate director of the Career Success Center in the College of Arts and Sciences. Senior manages a team of professionals dedicated to helping students clarify their career plans and develop professional and employability skills.What do you enjoy about working at UNF? I enjoy discovering and implementing ways to help students achieve success.How long have you lived in Jacksonville? I have lived in Jacksonville all of my life. Let's just leave it at that without discussing numbers …What one memory do you most treasure? My most treasured memory is seeing my son, Clayton, for the first time, hours after he was born. He's a miracle baby. He is a true blessing. He is my heart outside of my body. He is 16 now. So, recalling that memory helps me to remember that I actually do like him.☺
If you could have a dinner party and invite any four people, from the past or present, who would be on your guest list? I would love to be in their presence to glean from each what I admire … Michelle Obama (elegance, intelligence and beauty), Maya Angelou (strength and wisdom), Ellen Degeneres (likeability and natural humor), Denzel Washington (Well … have you seen him? OK, he is insightful, too.) If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be? My son will soon have his driver's license. After more closely observing other drivers while he is developing skills, I would like to work for the DMV. There are some drivers' licenses I would like to revoke. On (another) serious note, I would like to be a famous and successful jazz vocalist. Music can be a unifier and the specific style and skill of jazz artists allows them to naturally connect with and positively impact most anyone. Our world could use more of this.What would be the title for the movie version of your life? "She Did It" — Life is a journey of challenges and excitement, personally and professionally. The plot for my movie reveals perseverance, accomplishments, happiness and success.What's at the top of your bucket list? Visit Jamaica … and France … and Italy … to explore and experience the scenery and cuisines. What one food do you wish had zero calories? seaFOOD! (I know that's a category and not one item, but that's just indicative of how I feel about it. I could eat it every day … grilled, blackened, fried …)Tell us a few of your favorite things. Color: BlackIce cream flavor: Butter PecanQuote: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." ~Maya Angelou Season: FallSport to watch: Basketball
What is your major and why did you choose it? I am pursuing degrees in political science and international studies. I have always had a strong interest in foreign affairs, cultural exchanges and different languages. It is fascinating to read the news and learn what has caused certain global events. At first, I wasn't sure which of the two I should major in, but my academic advisor told me I could do both at the same time – so why not?Why did you decide to attend the University of North Florida? The University of North Florida was the only university I applied to because it was the perfect size — not too small, nor too large — and provided a competitive environment while still making it feasible to get involved in leadership roles on campus. What appealed to me most was the emphasis UNF places on studying abroad. There are plenty of scholarships available to students aspiring to intern or study in another country.Where are you from? I hail from Makati City, Philippines! However, I'm also a Navy brat, so I've lived in California, Maine and Hawaii before moving to Jacksonville.What do you like most about UNF? The people at UNF are so personable. It's easy to meet new people, get involved with campus organizations and have casual conversations with professors. Student clubs are very welcoming of new members and with the diversity of student groups there is bound to be a fit for everyone. At UNF, everybody helps everybody. Faculty and staff regularly email students about various opportunities in the community and are always delighted to have conversations about topics students are passionate about.What has been your coolest UNF experience so far? I got involved with Student Government during my first semester at UNF and it truly reshaped my whole college experience. I joined the executive branch as the project manager and later held the position of chief of staff. The professionalism and autonomy the students have in making meaningful decisions on campus never fails to impress me. I cannot think of another job I could have done in college that would have equipped me with the leadership and management skills as much as my experience in SG did. Throughout it all, I also made lifelong friends, traveled around Florida and left my mark on campus.Who is your favorite professor? Do you have a favorite class? My favorite class at UNF was Global Issues in Contemporary Politics taught by Ambassador Nancy Soderberg. This class reinforced my interest in international relations, which has led me to pursue a career in foreign affairs. Ambassador Soderberg has extensive experience as former Deputy National Security Advisor and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She has been very inspiring and has helped me with landing an internship at the U.S. Department of State.How do you recharge on campus or in Jacksonville? It's a cliché, but I enjoy long walks on the beach. I like to go to Eco Adventure on campus; it's a fun place to borrow kayaks and paddleboards to use on the pond. Also, Taco Tuesday with friends is always a great idea, even when it's not Tuesday!What's your favorite UNF tradition? I grew up playing basketball a lot and now watch the home games at UNF. My favorite UNF tradition is when everyone puts their hands up during a free-throw at a basketball game and does the Swoop when the point is made!What does being an Osprey mean to you? Being an Osprey means we're committed to soaring high. We strive for excellence in everything we do and persevere through the prerequisites needed to attain our goals. Furthermore, we lift as we climb; Ospreys are tenacious with our goals, but are always accessible to lend a wing to a fellow Osprey.When you're looking to de-stress and relax a bit, where do you go on campus? I like to hang out around The Green while reading a book or sipping coffee. It's a quaint spot on campus to sit on a park bench or lay on the grass. The Green is the perfect place on campus to soak up some sun while enjoying a subtle breeze before having to go back indoors to study.If you could meet one historical figure for coffee, who would it be? It would be Thomas Jefferson. As the first U.S. Secretary of State under President George Washington, I would love to hear his stories firsthand and gain his insight on what it was like to engage in diplomacy during our country's early years.If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see? It would be thrilling to witness the Berlin Wall come down. I can only read and listen to stories such as this, yet they are always full of emotion. I can't imagine what it was like to be there when it happened.What three traits define you? Passion, courage and humility. Passion drives me to do well in everything I commit myself to and maintain positive energy. Courage pushes me to strive for improvement, do the uncomfortable and hold myself accountable. Humility underlies the two other traits, as I always appreciate those who have helped me get to where I am today and pay it forward.Do you have any advice for high school students? Always say yes to new opportunities. Whether you think you're interested or not, when an opportunity presents itself, try it at least once and you may be surprised. You never know what other doors may open by trying different things. It is better to experiment with different interests earlier on than to stress about not knowing what to do later. There are lessons to be learned through every experience and people to meet that lead to great friendships.
Congratulations to the following employees with a milestone anniversary in December or January:
30 YearsRaymond Drayton, Pest Control Technician, Grounds20 YearsJames Baur, Associate Director, RecreationJames Roberson, Professor, Academic Technology and InnovationSusana Watts, Coordinator, Administrative Services, Coggin College of Business15 YearsJames Fletcher, Associate Professor, Mechanical EngineeringMichael Holmes, IT Systems Engineer, Systems EngineeringTorrell Poole, Groundskeeper, Residence Life ProgrammingCarl Williams, Irrigation Technician, Physical Facilities10 YearsKarla Calliste-Edgar, Coordinator, Budgets, Arts and SciencesTrudy Cochrane, Administrative Assistant, Academic AffairsPaige Lilley, Coordinator, Admissions Processing, Graduate SchoolDeborah Reed, Instructor, Exceptional Deaf and Interpreter Education5 YearsWilliam Dally, Associate Professor, Civil EngineeringBrooke Hammon, Coordinator, Career Development Services, COAS Career Success CenterMegan Lichty, Coordinator, Budgets, Academic Technology and InnovationLauren McAlister, Instructor, NursingMark Perez, IT Support Tech, User ServicesVirginia Smith, Program Assistant, University CenterWelcomeThe following employees were either hired by UNF or were promoted from OPS positions recently:
Emily Batt, Student Financial Services Coordinator, Controller Adam Brown, Associate Director, Safety Security, University Police DepartmentQuang Bui, Custodial Worker, Custodial ServicesPierre Campbell, Assistant Director, Residence Life, Residence Life ProgrammingEmma Coombs, Admissions Coordinator, Admissions Kimberly Coppedge, Executive Secretary, Telephone Services Rosalind Dexter-Harris, Director, Academic Support Services, ES Planning and OperationsTayrin Evans, Associate Director, Academic Support Services, ES Planning and OperationsDaniel Feinberg, Assistant University Librarian, Library Lauren Gibbs, Associate Director, Urban InternshipSabinina Harris, Custodial Worker, Custodial ServicesBailey Hatcher, Admissions Coordinator, Admissions Richard Hecht, Graphic Designer, Public RelationsKacy Hope, Assistant Director, Academic Support Services, Enrollment ServicesJustin Kelly, Student Financial Aid Coordinator, Financial Aid Office Brittany Lopez, Academic Support Services Coordinator, One-Stop CenterIan Mikrut, Coordinator, Marketing Publications, Alumni Services Allison Montero, Records Registration Coordinator, Registrar's Office Jennifer Murray, Coordinator, Marketing Publications, Library Robert Scanlon, Maintenance Mechanic, The FlatsDontavius Seaborn, Admissions Coordinator, Admissions Andrea Taylor, Custodial Worker, Custodial ServicesKimberly Troke, Quality Assurance Analyst, Florida Institute of Education Great jobThe following employees were promoted recently:
Kayla Aliemenious, Assistant Director, Academic Support Services, Enrollment ServicesDanny Bethune, Senior Floor Care Worker, Custodial ServicesDecato Burke, Manager Audio Visual Technician, ITS-Academic TechnologyLori Collins, Coordinator, Academic Support Services, Enrollment ServicesKristin Douberly, Assistant Director, Research Program Services, ORSPKate Learch, Director, IB Flagship, Undergraduate and International ProgramJessica LeClair, Coordinator, Marketing and Publications, Public RelationsTeresa Nichols, Assistant VP, University Development and Alumni EngagementJamie Winegardner, Custodial Supervisor, Custodial ServicesGoodbyeHeartfelt wishes in their new endeavors for the following employees who left UNF recently:
Melinda Andrew, Office Manager, Coggin College of Business Priya Arjune, Accountant, Controller Kaitlyn Bryce, Marketing Publications Coordinator, Enrollment ServicesJustin Cato, Associate Director, Intramural Sports, RecreationBianca DePass, Accounts Payable Receivable Associate, Controller Tina Gordon, Coordinator, Research Program Services, Biology
Kenneth Holmes, Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities Gia Hunt, Custodial Supervisor, Custodial ServicesDestiny Lawson, Academic Support Services Coordinator, One-Stop CenterJustin Lerman, Coordinator, Training, Distance Learning FeeDeirdre Meehan, Executive Secretary, Education and Human Services Katherine Moore, Student Affairs Coordinator, ELP-Faculty Grants and InitiativesCathleen Thero, Executive Secretary, Major Gifts Christopher Thomas, Custodial Worker, Custodial ServicesTerence Thompson, Custodial Worker, Custodial ServicesStephanie Toro, Program Assistant, Career ServicesKristine Webb, Professor, Exceptional Deaf and Interpreter Education
Brooks College of Health
Nutrition and DieteticsDr. Kristen Hicks presented three posters from her publications at the Food and Nutrition Conference in Chicago in October:"Integration of Registered Dietitians (RD) into Corporate Wellness Programs to Improve Nutrition and Lifestyle Behaviors," Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2017.117(9), pA76; "Dietitian-Led Project Based Mentoring Program for Undergraduate DPD Students," with K. Beathard, Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2017.117(10), pA135; and "Using Online CME to Educate Physicians on Collaborative Healthcare: How to Incorporate a dietitian in Practice," with M. Irion in Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2017.117(10), pA138.Dr. Kristen Hicks, with Melody Howard and Dr. Peter Murano, published "A Gap in the United States Healthcare System: Physician Nutrition Education Knowledge and Application" in MedEdPublish in November.Department of Public HealthDr. Sericea Stallings-Smith, in collaboration with Dr. Richmond Wynn and Jean Munnerlyn (MPH candidate), presented "Examining the Association Between Smoking Status and Depressive Symptoms by Sociodemographic Factors" at the annual conference of the American Public Health Association in Atlanta in November.The collaborative work of Dr. Aaron Spaulding, Dr. Sericea Stallings-Smith, Anna Mease (MPH Candidate), Dr. Angela Spaulding, and Dr. Emma Apatu titled "Are U.S. Degree-Granting Institutions Associated with Better Community Health Determinants and Outcomes?" was presented by Anna Mease at the annual conference of the American Public Health Association in Atlanta in November.Dr. Tes Tuason along with C.D. Güss, N. Göltenboth, and A. Mironova published "Creativity through the Eyes of Professional Artists in Cuba, Germany and Russia" in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.School of NursingDr. Helene Vossos presented and published "Teaching Innovations While Facilitating a Translational Research Quality Improvement De-Escalation Project for Doctoral Advanced Practice Nursing Students: Translating Research into Clinical Practice in a Hospital Setting" at the 2nd World Congress on Nursing and Nurse Education in Miami, in November. Dr. Vossos was chosen as a delegate and moderator for day two and accepted for publication.Dr. Leigh Powers presented "It Begins and ENDS with Nursing – Improving Nursing Knowledge of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) to Enhance Patient Health Outcomes" at the American Association of Psychiatric Nurses Annual Conference in Phoenix in October.Dr. Cynthia Cummings presented a poster "Differences in Perception of Clinical Preparation between Nursing Graduates and Nurse Educators" at the AACN Baccalaureate Conference in Atlanta in November.Coggin College of Business
Dr. Mina Baliamoune-Lutz, economics professor, and Dr. Albert Loh, economics professor and chair of the Department of Economics and Geography, organized the 15th induction ceremony and luncheon for the Theta Chapter of Florida (UNF's chapter) of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Economics Honor Society, held Nov. 3 at the Federal Reserve Bank — Jacksonville branch. Baliamoune-Lutz also serves the ODE faculty adviser. Eight UNF students and one professor were inducted. Department faculty and guests invited by inductees attended the event as well as the Fed leadership team, who generously hosted the UNF group and provided the luncheon and a tour of the facility.Dr. Nathan Kunz, assistant professor of operations management, with Luk N. Van Wassenhove, Maria Besiou, Christophe Hambye and Gyöngyi Kovács, published the paper "Relevance of humanitarian logistics research: best practices and way forward," in International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol 37, Issue 11, 2017.College of Arts and Sciences
Art and DesignVanessa Cruz presented her paper "Digital Sketchbook: Ireland" at SECAC 2017 in the session "The New Face of Art and the Academy."Nofa Dixon was one of two artists to serve as a judge for the Fine Arts Festival of Ocala, Florida.Jim Draper completed 10 paintings on commission for the Cowford Chophouse, the newly upscale steakhouse located in the historic Bostwick Building in downtown Jacksonville. Draper was featured in two articles: "With opening just days away, here's your chance to see inside the Cowford Chophouse," in the Jacksonville Business Journal; and "A look inside the Cowford Chophouse," Florida Times-Union. Draper also authored two pieces: "Lost Springs of Ocklawaha" and "Why Not?" about the Cathedral Arts Project. Both appeared in Arbus Magazine. Jenny Hager is the director of the Sculpture Walk in Henry J. Klutho Park in Springfield.Stephen Heywood juried into and was awarded Honorable Mention for "Vessel in The Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics — National Juried Exhibition," Seilers Gallery, Zanesville, Ohio. Heywood was invited to lecture and workshop with The FIRM at Utah Valley, Orem, Utah.Dr. Debra Murphy organized and chaired the session "Rome Eternal" at the annual meetings of SECAC in Columbus, Ohio. She also participated in a session about study abroad and presented "The Tenth Year Anniversary Year — The UNF Department of Art and Design Study Abroad in Italy: A Transformational Learning Opportunity."Christopher Luhar-Trice had his photograph "Pegasus, Bomarzo, Italy" selected for the international, juried online exhibition "Celebrating the Creative Process" at PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury, Vermont. BiologyDr. Cliff Ross, with his colleagues N. Bishop and D. Martin, published "Effects of multi-stress exposure on the infection dynamics of a Labyrinthula sp.-turtlegrass pathosystem" in Marine Ecology Progress Series, October.Dr. Vladimir Mashanov with his colleagues published "Expression of stem cell factors in the adult sea cucumber digestive tube" in Cell and Tissue Research, October.Dale Casamatta and colleagues P. Dvořák, P. Hašler, P. Pitelková, P. Tabáková and A. Poulíčková published "A new cyanobacterium from the Everglades, Florida – Chamaethrix gen. nov." in the journal Fottea.Drs. Eric Johnson and Kelly Smith received funding from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to assess ingress of juvenile American eels into Northeast Florida waters. This project, to begin in December, will provide research experience for 16 undergraduate students. CommunicationsDr. Christine Holland presented a Communication Pedagogy workshop, "Develop a culture workshop: TeamBased learning project for intercultural communication" at the 87th Annual Florida Communication Association Convention in Orlando in October.EnglishDr. Clark Lunberry presented a paper titled "'An Aquatic Reverie': Mallarmé's Writing on Water and the Naming of Waves" at the Power of the Word International Conference, University of Oxford, UK, with an accompanying "Writing on Water" poetry installation at the adjacent University of Oxford Park.PhysicsDr. Gregory Wurtz co-edited the book "Recent Trends in Computational Photonics" published by Springer. Dr. Jason T. Haraldsen, with his student I. Manuel, published "Electronic chirality in the metallic ferromagnet Fe1/3TaS2" in the Physical Review B, November.Political Science and Public Administration Dr. Pamela A. Zeiser published "New Repko & Szostak Edition Offers 'More Focused Presentation'" in Integrative Pathways, October.PsychologyThe Department of Psychology hosted the 40th Annual Meeting of the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists (SSSP) at OneOcean Resort on Nov. 3-4. Dr. Sarah Ainsworth organized the conference, which was attended by 192 undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty from 52 universities. University of North Florida psychology students and faculty had a strong presence at SSSP. Seven undergraduate students, 12 graduate students and five faculty members presented their research at the conference.Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work Dr. Tiffany Baffour presented a paper titled "Disproportionate Minority Contact Among African American and Hispanic Youth: Addressing Smart Decarceration" at The Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting in Dallas in October. At the same meeting, Baffour and colleagues Katrina Boone and Georgia Brown presented "Technology in Field Education: Innovation or Disruption? A Multi-Site Case Study."Dr. Ronald Lukens-Bull gave four presentations during October, including "Islamic Education in Indonesia: Competitive or a Unique Mission" at a Plenary Session at Halaqah Ulama ASEAN 2017, Jakarta; "Negotiating Identity in Islamic Education in Indonesia" at the International Seminary for the International Class Program, State Islamic University Malang; "Linguistic Modeling of Variation in Islam" at the State Islamic University Walisongo, Semarang; and "Islamic Education: Continuity and Change" at the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teaching Science, State Islamic University Syarif Hidyatullah, Jakarta.College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
School of Computing
Dr. William Klostermeyer,
with M.E. Messinger and A. Ayello, published "Disjoint Dominating Sets with a Perfect Matching,'' Discrete Mathematics, Algorithms, and Applications vol. 9 (2017) (20 pages)
Dr. Anirban Ghosh presented "Online unit covering in L2" at the 27th Annual Fall Workshop on Computational Geometry, Stonybrook, New York, Nov 3-4.
Dr. Karthik Umapathy, with J. Joiner, presented "Automating CIRI Ratings of Human Rights Reports Using GATE: Evaluation Results," a poster presentation at UNF DHI Digital Projects Showcase, Nov. 8. In addition, Umapathy, with G. Rousis, R. Carpenter, D. Richard, E. Copello, J. Smith and H. Pandaya, presented "Florida Data Science for Social Good (FL-DSSG): Social Trustees of Knowledge with a Unique Capacity to Do Social Good," a poster presentation at the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists (SSSP), Nov. 3-4, Atlantic Beach.Department of Construction ManagementThe Construction Management ABC Student Competition Team, led by Dr. Craig Hargis, was awarded First Place in Estimating at the Associated Builders & Contractors National Construction Management Competition in Orlando. The many schools they competed against included University of Florida, State University of Colorado, University of Central Florida, Texas A&M, Perdue University and University of Tennessee.School of EngineeringDr. Patrick Kreidl was granted Senior Membership status in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest professional organization for the advancement of technology.College of Education and Human Services
Dr. Matthew Ohlson, LSCSM, TLI, Cheryl Gonzalez, EOD director and UNF doctoral student, and Dr. Andrea Buenaño, University of Cincinnati, presented "Developing College and Career Ready Leaders" at the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Conference in Denver. In addition, Ohlson and Kirianne Suriano-Bird, AP at Flagler County Schools, presented "The Opportunity & Optimism Gap in Our Schools" at the Kappa Delta Pi Convocation in Pittsburgh.CAMP Osprey, a partnership between the COEHS and the Taylor Leadership Institute, received a Rural Community Collaboration Grant from the Northeast Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC) to continue the leadership development/mentoring work in rural schools in the region.This semester's Camp Osprey Leadership Day — the group's fifth event to date — brought more than 60 students from three schools to participate in a campus tour, lunch at the Student Union and a leadership/athletics clinic put on by the UNF Women's Soccer Team. Staff is grateful to assistance from Jennifer Joyce, Deanna Irvin and Emma Coombs from UNF Admissions as well as coach Robin Confer and Devin Zvosec, UNF women's soccer.Dr. Amanda Blakewood Pascale, with colleague Dr. Andrew Q. Morse, University of Northern Iowa, will publish "Employer Perspectives on Higher Education Accountability: Evidence of Broad Consensus or Nuanced Dissent?" in the forthcoming edition of The Journal of Higher Education Management.Dr. Luke Cornelius was interviewed and published by WalletHub in its annual college-rankings. The interview can be found here.
Center for Instruction and Research Technology
Kevin Hulen, assistant director of online course development, presented "Refining a Faculty Development Model to Provide a More Personalized Curriculum: Design Thinking in Action," at the Online Learning Consortium's OLC Accelerate conference in Orlando, Nov. 17.
David Wilson, assistant director, with colleagues Clayton McCarl, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Laura Heffernan, English, presented a panel discussion, "Building an Interdisciplinary DH Community at the University of North Florida" at HASTAC 2017: The Possible Worlds of Digital Humanities in Orlando, Nov. 3.
Office of the President
Cheryl Gonzalez, director, Equal Opportunity and Diversity, recently completed a seven-year term (2010-2017) as chairperson for the Florida Advisory Council on Small and Minority Business Development, which makes policy recommendations to the Governor, Secretary of the Department of Management Services, and legislators. She also completed a two-year term (2015-2017) as chair of the James Weldon Johnson Family YMCA Board of Directors.
Student AffairsTim Robinson, director of International Affairs, appeared on Inside Jacksonville with Jim Byard on WEJZ on Nov. 26 to discuss UNF's Peace Corps Prep Program.Thomas G. Carpenter LibraryMaria Atilano, marketing and student outreach librarian, with April Hines, journalism and mass communications librarian at the University of Florida, co-presented "How to Post So Others Will Listen: Engaging Your Audience Through Social Media," at the Library Marketing and Communications Conference in Dallas, Nov. 16. The presentation shared tips and tricks on how to create engaging social media content, attract and sustain followers, and create a sense of community among user groups.Apryl Price, head of the Acquisitions and Collections Department, with Don Gallagher, Nathan Turner and Anna Sansome, presented "A Little EBA'll Do Ya: How EBA is Driving Changes to eBook Purchasing," at the 37th Annual Charleston Conference, Issues in Book and Serial in November.Courtenay McLeland, head of Digital Projects, published an article "Artists' Books Collection Development: Considerations for New Selectors and Collections" in RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage, Fall 2017.
Ospreys Edge Eastern Michigan in Overtime, 84-81
A late three from Ivan Gandia-Rosa forced overtime and strong defense in the closing seconds sealed an 84-81 victory for the North Florida men's basketball team over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 29 at UNF Arena. Garrett Sams finished with 20 points to lead a quartet of Ospreys in double figures. Learn more about men's basketball. UNF Sets Free Throw Record with Win against Webber
In a foul-plagued game, North Florida women's basketball takes down Webber, 81-53, and sets a program record with 35 free throws made in the opening game of the Fairfield Inn Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Jacksonville University. Learn more about women's basketball.Eden Meyer Caps Cross Country Career at NCAA ChampionshipEden Meyer, one of the most decorated runners in North Florida Cross Country history, concluded her cross country career with an appearance at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 18. Learn more about Eden Meyer.#BirdsofTrey Match Program Record with 20 Threes Against Edward WatersThe North Florida men's basketball team made a memorable home debut in its 26th season, connecting on a program record matching 20 three-pointers en route to a 101-77 victory over Edward Waters. The Ospreys saw 11 players score points with six reaching double digits led by Ivan Gandia-Rosa's 19. Learn more about men's basketball.
Sesame seeds have been widely cultivated in tropical regions throughout the world since prehistoric times. Though Ethiopia is the original home of the seed, China, India, Myanmar and Sudan are currently the major producers, and there are about 36 species of the seeds in existence today. Dr. Claudia Sealey-Potts, associate professor in the Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program, shares facts about this tiny, wholesome seed.


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The Loft Cabin...Bedrooms and Bath/
Don't you love waking up in the morning feeling refreshed from a good night of sleep? That is one of the things I love about spending time in Plain. The nights are so quiet and peaceful so a good night of sleep is a pretty safe bet.
When you design the interior of a lake or mountain home, you can have a little fun with the bedrooms! Our two bedrooms in the loft cabin each have a theme. Can you guess what they are? Bedroom 1 has a Ski theme and Bedroom 2 has a Fishing theme. We already had bed frames and mattresses from our former cabin so we didn't need to purchase any furniture. Brooks did make a great little nightstand for the Fishing room since it required a customized narrow one.
Bedroom 1: Ski Room
The transom window above the door, designed by Silvermoon Studios in Plain sets the mountain scene...
Ski room bed and walls...
Ski room walk in closet with live edge shelves...
Ski room coat rack...
The only thing we still need to do for the Ski room is make pine frames for two vintage Norwegian ski posters. Just what my husband loves...another project!
The Fish room is complete, with old fishing poles, creels, and reels that were gifts from my mother and father in law years ago. The mounted fish on the walls were all caught by my husband, mostly from our years living in Alaska.
Bedroom 2: Fish Room
Another transom window designed by Silvermoon Studios...
Fish room bed...
More treasures from Alaska...all with an accompanying story, of course!
The bathroom is all finished as well, with the custom log vanity Brooks built. The bone drawer handles were crafted from antlers he had. He installed the tile flooring and tile shower too. I'm thankful he is such a talented craftsman.
To help ensure a good night of sleep, take a dip in the hot tub late in the evening...
If you need a little more help falling asleep, listen to this duet from the musical of Hansel and Gretel, "When At Night I Go To Sleep"....
The lyrics...
When at night I go to sleep
Fourteen angels watch do keep
Two my head are guarding
Two my feet are guiding
Two are on my right hand
Two are on my left hand
Two who warmly cover
Two who o'er me hover
Two to whom 'tis given
To guide my steps to Heaven.
We just had our first VRBO guests this past weekend. Thankfully, they were very pleased with our Hans Olaf Loft and enjoyed their stay. Come and enjoy sweet dreams in the loft! Warmly, Gracia
If you missed my post showing the rest of Hans Olaf Loft, you can see it here.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Natasha Colkett is a freelance violinist based in Philadelphia. She is currently a member of the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, and the Allentown Symphony, and has also performed with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Delaware Symphony, the Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and Prometheus Ensemble. She teaches violin at Settlement Music School and at their outreach program, Music Education Pathways. In the summer, Natasha plays for Central City Opera in Colorado and is a founding member of the Denver-based Boxwood Ensemble. Natasha graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Music Education and Violin Performance at Ithaca College in 2007 and her Master's in Violin Performance at the University of Denver in 2010.


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Thank you to all our supporters, family & friends!
SoulMoFunk Band and The Honeyz will have concluded some 70 plus gigs, events, parties, weddings and corporate days, along with a few community music festivals and charity support days.
All in all, the roller coaster ride that is our busy band life continues at break neck speed.
The All New 2016 SoulMoFunk Set & Line Up is BUSY
Our band following, family and friends that give the band such support have been simply fantastic! With regular followers growing by the week, the band has embarked on the busy run up to Christmas 2016, with loads of new friends that SoulMoFunk seem to gain with every passing gig, event or party.
We have had some real highlights this year starting off with a superb Soul, Funk and RnB night with our mate Matty SoulBoy from the Inspiration FM Radio team, who staged an incredible night with Luna Nightingale, a beautiful Diva vocalist and the incredible talent that is Lauren Luke, with DJ sets from FeLiX and Matty SoulBoy, a great night.
The band saw loads of Gigs which led up to a cracker of an event for the band, playing Northampton's leading music venue, the Picturedrome in March at the bands very own staged night, called Welcome2 The FUNKDROME. This was a fabulous night that the band and the party goers had the best time ever.
Following that we had the privilidge of playing a couple of weddings, loads of LIVE gigs in many pubs, clubs and birthday parties. It's great being requested back to revisit a venue for your second or third appearance, it tells you that you're doing good, pleasing the venue audience and driving much needed custom and clientel in the venue.
Other real highlights so far this year have been performing on large stages in front of some big crowds at the Northampton Carnival, The Northampton Town Show, The Willow Festival at Billing Aquadrome and a revisit to our mates at A Walk In The Park Festival.
The roller coaster ride of events, gigs and shows continues this weekend for instance with a packed three show weekend of varying gigs.
Friday 29th July, SoulMoFunk Band and The Honeyz appear LIVE on stage at the Land Rover Car Show at Billing Aquadrome and later in August at the Audi Car Show.
Saturday 30th July see's SoulMoFunk Band at the lovely Wayfarers Inn in Kettering for a return visit to entertain the locals with a raunchy set of high energy Soul, Motown and Funk classics.
Sunday 31st July, SoulMoFunk Band & The Honeyz head for Milton Keynes to perform LIVE at The Filipino British Society Summer Fiesta in the beautiful Campbell Park.
SoulMoFunk have had a great year on Social Media with our audience and followers growing rapidly. We have some wonderful followers who support us all the time with kind words of encouragement and we owe them all a BIG THANK YOU! You know who you are!!!
We also have some great DJ mates who have supported, booked and plugged the band for the last 12 months or more. In particular the likes of Paddy Grady and Matty SoulBoy from Inspiration FM 107.8 and Paul Gray from MKFM 106.3 with his fabulous SoulStew show, to which the band have appeared twice on as a live band interview, its always a lot of fun on Paul's show on a Sunday night. Another top Soul DJ who has supported and worked with the band on two LIVE sets is Hugh 'The Voice' Williams from the Souled Out Show with his weekly show available for download from iTunes. All these guys deserve a BIG, BIG THANK YOU from all at SoulMoFunk.
So to sum up, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY... but FUN, FUN, FUN and we wouldn't change a thing.
Until the next time we catch up with you at a gig, event, wedding, show or festival, 'Stay Soulful, Make it Motown and Keep it Funky'
Soulful luv
The Funky Strummer and all at SoulMoFunk Band & The Honeyz


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Now is the right time to reinforce governance and rethink your technology to support internal audit functions.
Watch this webinar replay to learn about:
Also, read the PwC report "State of the Internal Audit Profession" for insight into how Workday helps streamline controls and provide valuable information to internal audit functions.
VP of Internal Audit,
Principal, Workday Security and Controls Lead,


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Maps & Directions
Address: 1800 H Street, Union City, CA 94587
Phone: 510-471-2520
Fax: 510-487-8351
Click image for PDF version.
James Logan High School is located at the intersection of Alvarado Niles Blvd. and H Street in Union City. Adjacent to the New Haven Unified School District, the Logan campus sits on 64 acres.
Click link on map to get turn-by-turn directions.


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A weekly net pay calculator is a calculator tool that allows a person to input details about their gross pay, withholding information, deductions and taxes to calculate his net pay. Net pay is often referred to as the money a person takes home, says ADP.
A net pay calculator allows a person to input his state, local and federal tax rates, gross wages, W-4 filing status, tax filing allowances, tax exemptions and any voluntary deductions information to compute net pay. These calculators give people a rough estimate of their pay checks for planning purposes and are not designed to calculate exact deduction amounts, says Bankrate.


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One of my activities today is preparing for a lunch which I am facilitating this Friday. Its focus is to highlight and discuss the benefits of leading healthy practices in the workplace. A couple of notable speakers will lead the discussion with my role and goal is to keep the luncheon lively!
Interestingly enough, I'm working on a workbook for a Facilitation program which I offer – so I have 'facilitation' at the forefront of my brain. I'm deliberating on my approach; which techniques and tools to utilise to support the guests in achieving their interest and involvement at the lunch.
Facilitation is a strength which all leaders and SMEs can continue to develop. From my experience some folk have a good flair however the majority have to work at it to gain positive feedback. Done right, facilitating a conversation can save time, make money by generating amazing ideas, plans and strategies; build relationships and help folk discover their passionate genes!
Whether you're facilitating a group of 30 or three, these tips make meetings productive:
- Consider the questions you want to ask and ask for questions your group want answered.
- Delegate roles to ensure the outspoken are kept busy and the
quieter ones have the opportunity to contribute.
- Capture information visually and share it electronically immediately.
I will add a few more practises and tips to my site over the next few days. Maybe you have your own tips you'd like to share – these are generally the best: 'tried & tested'!


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Makers of dietary supplements are keeping a close eye on New York after several major retailers were recently accused of selling mislabeled store-branded herbal supplements.
The allegations came after testing initiated by the state's Attorney General's office found that supplements, such as ginseng and echinacea, apparently did not contain the labeled ingredients. Although dietary supplements do not have to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being sold to consumers, they must be labeled correctly and safe for consumption. They also must, according to current good manufacturing practice, be tested using scientifically valid methods–in other words, "accurate, precise, and specific for its intended purpose."1
This brings us to the reason behind the supposed missing ingredients.
It turns out that the researcher hired by the New York Attorney General's office used DNA barcoding methodology to test the herbal supplements. Had the supplements been made of raw, herbal materials, this would have been entirely appropriate.
However, these products were comprised of herbal extracts–an important distinction. Why? Because the extraction process destroys the DNA of plant material, this makes it undetectable using barcoding methods. Because the manufacturing process eliminates DNA, barcoding was not a scientifically valid way to test these supplements. A more appropriate analytic technique, like high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), would likely have provided entirely different results.
Despite the explanation, the mislabeling controversy continues to make headlines as other states consider initiating their own investigations. Adding fuel to the media fire, stimulants were recently found in some dietary supplements, sparking even more speculation and mistrust.
So what are retailers to do? Most of all, they need to have a good understanding of their supply chain, at every step of the way. Store-branded products are often manufactured by other companies. These manufacturers often source and process raw materials procured from other providers, creating a lot of opportunity for adulterants to be introduced to a product.
A rigorous testing program can help minimize that risk by ensuring that quality systems and practices are in place throughout the entire process–from raw materials to finished product. Scientifically valid testing is essential to ensure that a product is safe and has the ingredients it claims. Without it, companies are putting their brand, reputation–and most important–consumers, at risk.
By Jeff Stassi and Garrett Zielinski
Jeff Stassi is the Senior Client Manager for Dietary Supplement Testing Services at Covance Laboratories. Mr. Stassi acts as the primary liaison for dietary supplement clients as well as providing expertise on designing comprehensive testing programs to meet scientific and regulatory requirements. Jeff has over 29 years of experience in laboratory operations and client program management and has set up testing programs for hundreds of clients within the dietary supplement supply chain.
Garrett Zielinski is a Client Manager at Covance Laboratories. Mr. Zielinski acts as the primary liaison for dietary supplement clients as well as providing expertise on designing and managing testing programs to meet scientific and regulatory requirements. He participates in a number of organizations involved with the dietary supplement industry related to regulation and analytical testing. He has over 13 years of experience with organic synthesis and analysis of pharmaceuticals, and in the analysis of food and dietary supplements.
1 http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/DietarySupplements/ucm238182.htm


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After so much galavanting around the globe (a beautiful endeavor in and of itself!), I've also been thinking about home, what it means to me and how to find and/or create a home on the road, wherever I go.
To me, home is a place unlike any other, where you are comfortable and secure, with friends, and family, the people that you love most. It's not just the place where you were born, but the places you choose to invest a bit of yourself: the places you make your own. And as time goes on, we evolve and change and so it seems to follow naturally that our idea of home would be shifting and changing as well. It is not just a physical place, I've come to think, but more a feeling.
Awhile back I wrote about how Mexico City was a place for me to slow down, and now, months later I am back here again, this time putting down little baby roots.
I wanted to put down my bags (at least for a little bit), stop bopping around and feel at home, to create a space for myself. I searched and searched: for months it felt like I would never find what I was looking for! And finally I've found the place, the physical space with big windows, lots of light and two lovely roommates to share this Mexico City chapter with. This place is mine, not because I possess it but because I've left something of myself here.
And I'm happy to report that this is exactly what I've found here. Because home has more to do with the love we surround ourselves with and the little habits we accumulate that add up to a lived existence.
For what is home if not simply the place or the places that we feel love, belonging and community?


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Don't Turn That Dial Identity theft aid arrives over the airwaves We've all had that moment when we're in a tough spot and wish a booming voice would just tell us what to do. For frustrated identity theft victim Caroline Shafer*, it happened—over the radio. Shafer had tuned into Ronn Owens' radio show on KGO Newstalk 810 in San Francisco to hear his guest, Identity Theft 911 chairman and founder Adam Levin, tell listeners what to do if their identity were stolen. Everything Levin recommended Shafer knew from firsthand experience—because she'd already tried it. "I thought to myself, 'Great, I've done all that, and it didn't work,' " she said. And that's when she picked up the phone. Shafer told Levin that for more than a year, she'd struggled to correct her credit report after an identity thief used her Social Security number to open bogus accounts, get an apartment and even skip out on a traffic ticket. Despite her efforts—and those of a widely advertised identity theft prevention and recovery service—fraudulent accounts still comprised nearly half her credit history. Although Shafer didn't have Identity Theft 911's services through her bank or insurance company, Levin took her case anyway. Levin connected her with veteran fraud resolution specialist Kennetha Gwin. And things began to turn around. "When I first spoke to Ms. Shafer," Gwin said, "I told her I was here to help her, and I would be with her every step of the way. I wanted her to know that I was going to take much of the pressure and worry away from her." Gwin crafted a systematic letter-writing and calling campaign, built on affidavits, police reports and credit details supplied by Shafer. By coordinating efforts among individual creditors and the three major credit bureaus, Gwin peeled away the bogus accounts. She also shut down future fraud by placing an alert on Shafer's credit file, which requires potential creditors to call Shafer before opening a new account. Gwin recommends this free protection to all consumers and encourages everyone to check their credit reports annually at annualcreditreport.com. She also tells identity theft victims to pass along the knowledge they've acquired and help other people protect themselves. "When I send out our tip sheets, I suggest to clients that they share the information with family and friends," she said. Now, several months later, Shafer is glad she made that phone call. Her credit report finally reflects, again, the responsible person she truly is. "I'm so lucky," Shafer said. "Kennetha took charge and did an incredible amount of work. Identity Theft 911 gave me back my life." • * Identifying details have been changed to protect the victim's privacy.
Read more posts on Identity Theft 911 »


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I'd like to thank each of you for attending our Gala on Oct. 20th and bringing your passion and generous hearts to our gathering. By being at our event, we consider you a part of our Community of Hope and you can help us to bring positive changes and much needed connections to families dealing with the challenging cancer journey. We can not envision leveraging our mobile app technology without your support.
My personal respect and thanks go out to all of you.
With a grateful heart,
Tatum Fettig


text:
On the day of San Giovanni it was already three weeks ago that Tito had handed his florins to Cennini, and we have seen that as he set out towards the Via de' Bardi he showed all the outward signs of a mind at ease. How should it be otherwise? He never jarred with what was immediately around him, and his nature was too joyous, too unapprehensive, for the hidden and the distant to grasp him in the shape of a dread. As he turned out of the hot sunshine into the shelter of a narrow street, took off the black cloth berretta, or simple cap with upturned lappet, which just crowned his brown curls, pushing his hair and tossing his head backward to court the cooler air, there was no brand of duplicity on his brow; neither was there any stamp of candour: it was simply a finely-formed, square, smooth young brow. And the slow absent glance he cast around at the upper windows of the houses had neither more dissimulation in it, nor more ingenuousness, than belongs to a youthful well-opened eyelid with its unwearied breadth of gaze; to perfectly pellucid lenses; to the undimmed dark of a rich brown iris; and to a pure cerulean-tinted angle of whiteness streaked with the delicate shadows of long eyelashes. Was it that Tito's face attracted or repelled according to the mental attitude of the observer? Was it a cypher with more than one key? The strong, unmistakable expression in his whole air and person was a negative one, and it was perfectly veracious; it declared the absence of any uneasy claim, any restless vanity, and it made the admiration that followed him as he passed among the troop of holiday-makers a thoroughly willing tribute.
For by this time the stir of the Festa was felt even in the narrowest side-streets; the throng which had at one time been concentrated in the lines through which the procession had to pass, was now streaming out in all directions in pursuit of a new object. Such intervals of a Festa are precisely the moments when the vaguely active animal spirits of a crowd are likely to be the most petulant and most ready to sacrifice a stray individual to the greater happiness of the greater number. As Tito entered the neighbourhood of San Martino, he found the throng rather denser; and near the hostelry of the Bertucce, or Baboons, there was evidently some object which was arresting the passengers and forming them into a knot. It needed nothing of great interest to draw aside passengers unfreighted with a purpose, and Tito was preparing to turn aside into an adjoining street, when, amidst the loud laughter, his ear discerned a distressed childish voice crying, 'Loose me! Holy Virgin, help me!' which at once determined him to push his way into the knot of gazers. He had just had time to perceive that the distressed voice came from a young contadina, whose white hood had fallen off in the struggle to get her hands free from the grasp of a man in the parti-coloured dress of a cerretano, or conjuror, who was making laughing attempts to soothe and cajole her, evidently carrying with him the amused sympathy of the spectators. These, by a persuasive variety of words signifying simpleton, for which the Florentine dialect is rich in equivalents, seemed to be arguing with the contadina against her obstinacy. At the first moment the girl's face was turned away, and he saw only her light-brown hair plaited and fastened with a long silver pin; but in the next, the struggle brought her face opposite Tito's, and he saw the baby features of Tessa, her blue eyes filled with tears, and her under-lip quivering. Tessa, too, saw him, and through the mist of her swelling tears there beamed a sudden hope, like that in the face of a little child, when, held by a stranger against its will, it sees a familiar hand stretched out.
In an instant Tito had pushed his way through the barrier of bystanders, whose curiosity made them ready to turn aside at the sudden interference of this handsome young signor, had grasped Tessa's waist, and had said, 'Loose this child! What right have you to hold her against her will?'
The conjuror — a man with one of those faces in which the angles of the eyes and eyebrows, of the nostrils, mouth, and sharply-defined jaw, all tend upward — showed his small regular teeth in an impish but not ill-natured grin, as he let go Tessa's hands, and stretched out his own backward, shrugging his shoulders, and bending them forward a little in a half-apologetic, half-protesting manner.
'I mean the ragazza' no evil in the world, Messere: ask this respectable company. I was only going to show them a few samples of my skill, in which this little damsel might have helped me the better because of her kitten face, which would have assured them of open dealing; and I had promised her a lapful of confetti as a reward. But what then? Messer has doubtless better confetti at hand, and she knows it.'
A general laugh among the bystanders accompanied these last words of the conjuror, raised, probably, by the look of relief and confidence with which Tessa clung to Tito's arm, as he drew it from her waist, and placed her hand within it. She only cared about the laugh as she might have cared about the roar of wild beasts from which she was escaping, not attaching any meaning to it; but Tito, who had no sooner got her on his arm than he foresaw some embarrassment in the situation, hastened to get clear of observers who, having been despoiled of an expccted amusement, were sure to re-establish the balance by jests.
'See, see, little one! here is your hood,' said the conjuror, throwing the bit of white drapery over Tessa's head. 'Orsu, bear me no malice; come back to me when Messere can spare you.'
'Ah! Maestro Vaiano, she'll come back presently, as the toad said to the harrow,' called out one of the spectators, seeing how Tessa started and shrank at the action of the conjuror.
Tito pushed his way vigorously towards the corner of a side street, a little vexed at this delay in his progress to the Via de' Bardi, and intending to get rid of the poor little contadina as soon as possible. The next street, too, had its passengers inclined to make holiday remarks on so unusual a pair; but they had no sooner entered it than he said, in a kind but hurried manner, 'Now, little one, where were you going? Are you come by yourself to the Festa?'
'Ah, no!' said Tessa, looking frightened and distressed again; 'I have lost my mother in the crowd — her and my father-in-law. They will be angry — he will beat me. It was in the crowd in San Pulinari — somebody pushed me along and I couldn't stop myself, so I got away from them. Oh, I don't know where they're gone! Please, don't leave me!'
Her eyes had been swelling with tears again, and she ended with a sob.
Tito hurried along again: the Church of the Badia was not far off. They could enter it by the cloister that opened at the back, and in the church he could talk to Tessa — perhaps leave her. No! it was an hour at which the church was not open; but they paused under the shelter of the cloister, and he said, 'Have you no cousin or friend in Florence, my little Tessa, whose house you could find; or are you afraid of walking by yourself since you have been frightened by the conjuror? I am in a hurry to get to Oltrarno, but if I could take you anywhere near —'
'Oh, I am frightened: he was the devil — I know he was. And I don't know where to go. I have nobody: and my mother meant to have her dinner somewhere, and I don't know where. Holy Madonna! I shall be beaten.'
The corners of the pouting mouth went down piteously, and the poor little bosom with the beads on it above the green serge gown heaved so, that there was no longer any help for it: a loud sob would come, and the big tears fell as if they were making up for lost time. Here was a situation! It would have been brutal to leavc her, and Tito's nature was all gentleness. He wished at that moment that he had not been expected in the Via de' Bardi. As he saw her lifting up her holiday apron to catch the hurrying tears, he laid his hand, too, on the apron, and rubbed one of the cheeks and kissed the baby-like roundness.
'My poor little Tessa! leave off crying. Let us see what can be done. Where is your home — where do you live?'
There was no answer, but the sobs began to subside a little and the drops to fall less quickly.
'Come! I'll take you a little way, if you'll tell me where you want to go.'
The apron fell, and Tessa's face began to look as contented as a cherub's budding from a cloud. The diabolical conjuror, the anger and the beating, seemed a long way off.
'I think I'll go home, if you'll take me,' she said, in a half whisper, looking up at Tito with wide blue eyes, and with something sweeter than a smile — with a childlike calm.
'Come, then, little one,' said Tito, in a caressing tone, putting her arm within his again. 'Which way is it?'
'Beyond Peretola — where the large pear-tree is.'
'Peretola? Out of which gate, pazzarella? I am a stranger, you must remember.'
'Out at the Por del Prato,' said Tessa, moving along with a very fast hold on Tito's arm.
He did not know all the turnings well enough to venture on an attempt at choosing the quietest streets; and besides, it occurred to him that where the passengers were most numerous there was, perhaps, the most chance of meeting with Monna Ghita and finding an end to his knight-errantship. So he made straight for Porta Rossa, and on to Ognissanti, showing his usual bright propitiatory face to the mixed observers who threw their jests at him and his little heavy-shod maiden with much liberality. Mingled with the more decent holiday-makers there were frolicsome apprentices, rather envious of his good fortune; bold-eyed women with the badge of the yellow veil; beggars who thrust forward their caps for alms, in derision at Tito's evident haste; dicers, sharpers, and loungers of the worst sort; boys whose tongues were used to wag in concert at the most brutal street games: for the streets of Florence were not always a moral spectacle in those times, and Tessa's terror at being lost in the crowd was not wholly unreasonable.
When they reached the Piazza d'Ognissanti, Tito slackened his pace: they were both heated with their hurried walk, and here was a wider space where they could take breath. They sat down on one of the stone benches which were frequent against the walls of old Florentine houses.
'Holy Virgin' said Tessa; 'I am glad we have got away from those women and boys; but I was not frightened, because you could take care of me.'
'Pretty little Tessa!' said Tito, smiling at her. 'What makes you feel so safe with me?'
'Because you are so beautiful — like the people going into Paradise: they are all good.'
'It is a long while since you had your breakfeast, Tessa,' said Tito, seeing some stalls near, with fruit and sweetmeats upon them. 'Are you hungry?'
'Yes, I think I am — if you will have some too.'
Tito bought some apricots, and cakes, and comfits, and put them into her apron.
'Come,' he said, 'let us walk on to the Prato, and then perhaps you will not be afraid to go the rest of the way alone.'
'But you will have some of the apricots and things,' said Tessa, rising obediently and gathering up her apron as a bag for her store.
'We will see,' said Tito aloud; and to himself he said, 'Here is a little contadina who might inspire a better idyl than Lorenzo de' Medici's "Nencia da Barberino," that Nello's friends rave about; if I were only a Theocritus, or had time to cultivate the necessary experience by unseasonable walks of this sort! However, the mischief is done now: I am so late already that another half-hour will make no difference. Pretty little pigeon!'
'We have a garden and plenty of pears,' said Tessa, 'and two cows, besides the mules; and I'm very fond of them. But my father-in-law is a cross man: I wish my mother had not married him. I think he is wicked; he is very ugly.'
'And does your mother let him beat you, poverina? You said you were afraid of being beaten.'
'Ah, my mother herself scolds me: she loves my young sister better, and thinks I don't do work enough. Nobody speaks kindly to me, only the Pievano (parish priest) when I go to confession. And the men in the Mercato laugh at me and make fun of me. Nobody ever kissed me and spoke to me as you do; just as I talk to my little black-faced kid, because I'm very fond of it.'
It seemed not to have entered Tessa's mind that there was any change in Tito's appearance since the morning he begged the milk from her, and that he looked now like a personage for whom she must summon her little stock of reverent words and signs. He had impressed her too differently from any human being who had ever come near her before, for her to make any comparison of details; she took no note of his dress; he was simply a voice and a face to her, something come from Paradise into a world where most things seemed hard and angry; and she prattled with as little restraint as if he had been an imaginary companion born of her own lovingness and the sunshine.
They had now reached the Prato, which at that time was a large open space within the walls, where the Florentine youth played at their favourite Calcio — a peculiar kind of football — and otherwise exercised themselves. At this midday time it was forsaken and quiet to the very gates, where a tent had been erected in preparation for the race. On the border of this wide meadow, Tito paused and said —
'Now, Tessa, you will not be frightened if I leave you to walk the rest of the way by yourself. Addio! Shall I come and buy a cup of milk from you in the Mercato to-morrow morning, to see that you are quite safe?'
He added this question in a soothing tone, as he saw her eyes widening sorrowfully, and the corners of her mouth falling. She said nothing at first; she only opened her apron and looked down at her apricots and sweetmeats. Then she looked up at him again and said complainingly —
'I thought you would have some, and we could sit down under a tree outside the gate, and eat them together.'
'Tessa, Tessa, you little siren, you would ruin me,' said Tito, laughing, and kissing both her cheeks. 'I ought to have been in the Via de' Bardi long ago. No! I must go back now; you are in no danger. There — I'll take an apricot. Addio!'
He had already stepped two yards from her when he said the last word. Tessa could not have spoken; she was pale, and a great sob was rising; but she turned round as if she felt there was no hope for her, and stepped on, holding her apron so forgetfully that the apricots began to roll out on the grass.
Tito could not help looking after her, and seeing her shoulders rise to the bursting sob, and the apricots fall — could not help going after her and picking them up. It was very hard upon him: he was a long way off the Via de' Bardi, and very near to Tessa.
'See, my silly one,' he said, picking up the apricots. 'Come, leave off crying, I will go with you, and we'll sit down under the tree. Come, I don't like to see you cry; but you know I must go back some time.'
So it came to pass that they found a great plane-tree not far outside the gates, and they sat down under it, and all the feast was spread out on Tessa's lap, she leaning her back against the trunk of the tree, and he stretched opposite to her, resting his elbows on the rough green growth cherished by the shade, while the sunlight stole through the boughs and played about them like a winged thing. Tessa's face was all contentment again, and the taste of the apricots and sweetmeats seemed very good.
'You pretty bird!' said Tito, looking at her as she sat eyeing the remains of the feast with an evident mental debate about saving them, since he had said he would not have any more. 'To think of any one scolding you! What sins do you tell of at confession, Tessa?'
'Oh, a great many. I am often naughty. I don't like work and I can't help being idle, though I know I shall be beaten and scolded; and I give the mules the best fodder when nobody sees me, and then when the Madre is angry I say I didn't do it, and that makes me frightened at the devil. I think the conjuror was the devil. I am not so frightened after I've been to confession. And see, I've got a Breve here that a good father, who came to Prato, preaching this Easter, blessed and gave us all.' Here Tessa drew from her bosom a tiny bag carefully fastened up. 'And I think the holy Madonna will take care of me; she looks as if she would, and perhaps if I wasn't idle, she wouldn't let me be beaten.'
'If they are so cruel to you, Tessa, shouldn't you like to leave them, and go and live with a beautiful lady who would be kind to you, if she would have you to wait upon her? '
Tessa seemed to hold her breath for a moment or two. Then she said doubtfully, 'I don't know.'
'Then should you like to be my little servant, and live with me?' said Tito, smiling. He meant no more than to see what sort of pretty look and answer she would give.
There was a flush of joy immediately. 'Will you take me with you now? Ah! I shouldn't go home and be beaten then.' She paused a little while, and then added more doubtfully, 'But I should like to fetch my black-faced kid.'
'Yes, you must go back to your kid, my Tessa,' said Tito, rising, 'and I must go the other way.'
'By Jupiter!' he added, as he went from under the shade of the tree, 'it is not a pleasant time of day to walk from here to the Via de' Bardi; I am more inclined to lie down and sleep in this shade.'
It ended so. Tito had an unconquerable aversion to anything unpleasant, even when an object very much loved and desired was on the other side of it. He had risen early; had waited; had seen sights, and had been already walking in the sun: he was inclined for a siesta, and inclined all the more because little Tessa was there, and seemed to make the air softer. He lay down on the grass again, putting his cap under his head on a green tuft by the side of Tessa. That was not quite comfortable; so he moved again, and asked Tessa to let him rest his head against her lap; and in that way he soon fell asleep. Tessa sat quiet as a dove on its nest, just venturing, when he was fast asleep, to touch the wonderful dark curls that fell backward from his ear. She was too happy to go to sleep — too happy to think that Tito would wake up, and that then he would leave her, and she must go home. It takes very little water to make a perfect pool for a tiny fish, where it will find its world and paradise all in one, and never have a presentiment of the dry bank. The fretted summer shade, and stillness, and the gentle breathing of some loved life near — it would be paradise to us all, if eager thought, the strong angel with the implacable brow, had not long since closed the gates.
It really was a long while before the waking came — before the long dark eyes opened at Tessa, first with a little surprise, and then with a smile, which was soon quenched by some preoccupying thought. Tito's deeper sleep had broken into a doze, in which he felt himself in the Via de' Bardi, explaining his failure to appear at the appointed time. The clear images of that doze urged him to start up at once to a sitting posture, and as he stretched his arms and shook his cap, he said —
'Tessa, little one, you have let me sleep too long. My hunger and the shadows together tell me that the sun has done much travel since I fell asleep. I must lose no more time. Addio,' he ended, patting her cheek with one hand, and settling his cap with the other.
She said nothing, but there were signs in her face which made him speak again in as serious and as chiding a tone as he could command —
'Now, Tessa, you must not cry. I shall be angry; I shall not love you if you cry. You must go home to your black-faced kid, or if you like you may go back to the gate and see the horses start. But I can stay with you no longer, and if you cry, I shall think you are troublesome to me.'
The rising tears were checked by terror at this change in Tito's voice. Tessa turned very pale, and sat in trembling silence, with her blue eyes widened by arrested tears.
'Look now,' Tito went on, soothingly, opening the wallet that hung at his belt, 'here is a pretty charm that I have had a long while — ever since I was in Sicily, a country a long way off.'
His wallet had many little matters in it mingled with small coins, and he had the usual difficulty in laying his finger on the right thing. He unhooked his wallet, and turned out the contents on Tessa's lap. Among them was his onyx ring.
'Ah, my ring!' he exclaimed. slipping it on the forefinger of his right hand. 'I forgot to put it on again this morning. Strange, I never missed it! See, Tessa,' he added, as he spread out the smaller articles, and selected the one he was in search of. 'See this pretty little pointed bit of red coral — like your goat's horn, is it not? — and here is a hole in it, so you can put it on the cord round your neck along with your Breve, and then the evil spirits can't hurt you: if you ever see them coming in the shadow round the corner, point this little coral horn at them, and they will run away. It is a "buona fortuna," and will keep you from harm when I am not with you. Come, undo the cord.'
Tessa obeyed with a tranquillising sense that life was going to be something quite new, and that Tito would be with her often. All who remember their childhood remember the strange vague sense, when some new experience came, that everything else was going to be changed, and that there would be no lapse into the old monotony. So the bit of coral was hung beside the tiny bag with the scrap of scrawled parchment in it, and Tessa felt braver.
'And now you will give me a kiss,' said Tito, economising time by speaking while he swept in the contents of the wallet and hung it at his waist-again, 'and look happy, like a good girl, and then —'
But Tessa had obediently put forward her lips in a moment, and kissed his cheek as he hung down his head.
'Oh, you pretty pigeon!' cried Tito, laughing, pressing her round cheeks with his hands and crushing her features together so as to give them a general impartial kiss.
Then he started up and walked away, not looking round till he was ten yards from her, when he just turned and gave a parting beck. Tessa was looking after him, but he could see she was making no signs of distress. It was enough for Tito if she did not cry while he was present. The softness of his nature required that all sorrow should be hidden away from him.
'I wonder when Romola will kiss my cheek in that way?' thought Tito, as he walked along. It seemed a tiresome distance now, and he almost wished he had not been so softhearted, or so tempted to linger in the shade. No other excuse was needed to Bardo and Romola than saying simply that he had been unexpectedly hindered: he felt confident their proud delicacy would inquire no farther. He lost no time in getting to Ognissanti, and hastily taking some food there, he crossed the Arno by the Ponte alla Carraja, and made his way as directly as possible towards the Via de' Bardi.
But it was the hour when all the world who meant to be in particularly good time to see the Corso were returning from the Borghi, or villages just outside the gates, where they had dined and reposed themselves; and the thoroughfares leading to the bridges were of course the issues towards which the stream of sightseers tended. Just as Tito reached the Ponte Vecchio and the entrance of the Via de' Bardi, he was suddenly urged back towards the angle of the intersecting streets. A company on horseback, coming from the Via Guicciardini, and turning up the Via de' Bardi, had compelled the foot-passengers to recede hurriedly. Tito had been walking, as his manner was, with the thumb of his right hand resting in his belt; and as he was thus forced to pause and was looking carelessly at the passing cavaliers, he felt a very thin cold hand laid on his. He started round, and saw the Dominican friar whose upturned face had so struck him in the morning. Seen closer, the face looked more evidently worn by sickness and not by age; and again it brought some strong but indefinite reminiscences to Tito.
'Pardon me, but — from your face and your ring,' said the friar, in a faint voice, 'is not your name Tito Melema?'
'Yes,' said Tito, also speaking faintly, doubly jarred by the cold touch and the mystery. He was not apprehensive or timid through his imagination, but through his sensations and perceptions he could easily be made to shrink and turn pale like a maiden.
'Then I shall fulfil my commission.'
The friar put his hand under his scapulary, and drawing out a small linen bag which hung round his neck, took from it a bit of parchment, doubled and stuck firmly together with some black adhesive substance, and placed it in Tito's hand. On the outside uas written in Italian, in a small but distinct character —
'Tito Melenma, aged twenty-three, with a dark, beautiful face, long dark curls, the brightest smile, and a large onyx ring on his right forefinger.'
Tito did not look at the friar, but tremblingly broke open the bit of parchment. Inside, the words were —
'I am sold for a slave: I think they are going to take me to Antioch. The gems alone will serve to ransom me.'
Tito looked round at the friar, but could only ask a question with his eyes.
'I had it at Corinth,' the friar said, speaking with difficulty, like one whose small strength had been overtaxed — 'I had it from a man who was dying.'
'He is dead, then?' said Tito, with a bounding of the heart.
'Not the writer. The man who gave it me was a pilgrim, like myself, to whom the writer had intrusted it, because he was journeying to Italy.'
'You know the contents?'
'I do not know them, but I conjecture them. Your friend is in slavery: you will go and release him. But I am unable to talk now.' The friar, whose voice had become feebler an feebler, sank down on the stone bench against the wall from which he had risen to touch Tito's hand, adding —
'I am at San Marco; my name is Fra Luca.'
Last updated Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 11:54


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When I try to think back to what sparked my initial interest in politics, I remember something a lecturer told my class in one of our first seminars. She explained that while ultimately we were here to get a degree, we would get the most out of our time at university by engaging in open and meaningful dialogue with our peers. With this she stressed the importance of listening to others' opinions and perspectives, which in turn impact and shape our own.
In retrospect, I have always been socially liberal but in the past I definitely chose to turn a blind eye to certain issues when they didn't affect me personally. Conversing with others, from completely different backgrounds to my own, allowed me to become more socially aware and informed as a voter. I soon learnt that bipartisan conversation enriches you in a number of ways, and that diversity of perspective adds value to society as a whole.
During my three years at university there were two general elections, which came about in very different circumstances. The difference in political engagement that I saw in both myself and my friends in these two elections was significant.
Political disengagement amongst the young has always been an issue within society. Voter turnout levels in the 2015 general election were critically low and seemed to indicate that 18-24 year olds were a generation alienated from electoral politics, disengaged from the political process and choosing to reject a system they had little faith in.
Two years later and there is significant progress. An estimated 64% of 18-24 year olds voted in the recent election, according to an Ipsos MORI analysis - a huge increase on the 43% in 2015 - and it is interesting to consider what prompted this. Reflecting on Ed Miliband's campaign, it was moderate in its ideas, it was traditional and it was expected. In contrast, Jeremy Corbyn's manifesto was bold and progressive and he repeatedly refused to compromise on his policies. Before I continue, I should say that this article is not intended to pledge my allegiance to Corbyn. Rather, it hopes to highlight an appetite for social change that I, and I'm sure many others seek, especially among younger voters.
Whether it was his personality or his policies, Corbyn appealed to the youngest demographic. This was evident to me when I attended one of his many campaign stops in Leeds in mid-May. Originally, organisers had intended Corbyn to address a small crowd inside the venue. However, a turn-out of more than 3,000 people resulted in the closure of surrounding roads, and Corbyn standing on a bench with a megaphone in the middle of the crowd.
So often today, we experience things through a screen. We observe events rather than participate in them and I think that Corbyn's style of campaigning helped people to feel part of something. As I looked around the crowd, I saw a number of people who I knew as Labour supporters, party members and self-confessed Corbynites. But also, many people that I knew were affiliated to other political parties, and others who had never expressed an interest in politics before.
It appeared to me that whether people agreed with Corbyn or strongly opposed his ideas, by bringing young people to the top of the agenda, he increased political participation amongst us. He spoke passionately about tuition fees, mental health funding, the cost of housing and zero-hours contracts, all issues that directly affect young people. He got young people talking. If you feel the political system ignores you then it is equally as easy to ignore it. But if the issues resonate, you are all the more motivated to participate in the democratic process.
Ipsos MORI has suggested that high turnout levels in the most recent election were driven by young and minority voters. Whether you love him or hate him, Corbyn made the young a priority and they reacted. Most importantly, the young demographic can now compete with the others that make up the electorate. Looking forward, I hope that this will have a profound impact on the way in which political parties target younger voters when drawing up policies, because they just can't afford to ignore them any longer.
When I try to think back to what sparked my initial interest in politics, I remember something a lecturer told my class in one of our first seminars. She explained that while ultimately we were here to get a degree, we would get the most out of our time at university by engaging in open and meaningful dialogue with our peers. With this she stressed the importance of listening to others' opinions and perspectives, which in turn impact and shape our own.


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I've been running a Code Club at a school only a few miles away from where I work for 5 weeks now and I've been thoroughly enjoying it. Although it does a good job of challenging for 'busiest hour' of my week award each time.
As the children had already done some scratch (namely "Whack-a-Witch") in year 5 we decided to jump straight into the Level 2 projects provided by Code Club. Starting with the Fish Chomp one which the children completed in the first two weeks without any major hiccups. We then moved onto the fruit machine, this provided a fair bit of amusement with the images changing too fast to be able to tell what they were and similar. The main parts the children found challenging were:
- The event broadcasting
- The large nested conditional statement at the end of the project (to determine if the player had won).
- Scoping of variables (using "For this sprite only" for some variables and "For all sprites" for others.)
About half the group advanced onto the "What's that" project and faced some of the same complications.
However, after completing each project the children would always ask "Can I create my own game now?" and the answer was of course no… But after 4 weeks of the other projects I thought we would take a break from the official Code Club ones, and see if letting them create their own games (sort of), that require the 3 points above would help them understand them better. So I decided on a good old classic, namely "Space Invaders".
The Code Club project handouts are very nicely produced and designed well for children, they take them through the basic blocks they need for each section and show them using colour screenshots of the scripts. However the colour images of the blocks doesn't work quite as well when photocopied in black and white (as they do at school). Many of the children also know where to find the appropriate blocks in Scratch better than I do. But when they are given a black and white image of blocks they seem to rely too much on trying to work out what the picture is of, instead of working out what the block might be in order to achieve the goal.
So for the reason above and that I don't have a design team to hand I opted for producing a guide to create Space Invaders which only guided the children as to which bit to do next and hints of things to consider. But I didn't tell them which blocks they needed to make their scripts with (of course as in any programming language the same thing can be achieved in many ways anyway), this they had to work out by them selves.
As I said above the children were quite into the idea of creating their own games, but at the end of week 4 when we told them next week they were going to be making their own versions of Space Invaders they all got excited (so it was a thumbs up for that idea, phew!).
Week 5 Code Club finally came round and we had a room full of excited children wanting to get cracking on their Space Invaders games, so with my simple guide to step them through the process and their brains bursting with ideas they all got going. The first five minutes was rather peaceful as they all started drawing their laser cannons and so didn't require any scripting help.
In fact, getting the laser cannon to move left and right happened with only one or two questions where some children were trying to use the glide block, which then only allowed them to go from there current location to a hard coded one (although with extra work could have been to any location) but their class mates for the most part were able to help them keep their script simple and just use the "move # steps" block instead.
Firing the laser however turned out to be a bit more of a challenge. All the children were able to make to the laser move when the "space" key was pressed but then getting it to start from the Laser Cannon and move vertically proved more challenging. Again some children tried using the glide blocks (which again could be made to work, but you couldn't just hard code in the x and y coordinates) again using a "move # steps" block seemed the simplest one here. Getting the order of script correct was important because otherwise the Laser would always appear from the last position you fired from instead of the current one (if you put your "go to" block last). Very few of the children were aware of how to set the direction of a sprite using the compass (blue line) above the scripts tab and so initially we had some horizontally firing lasers, easily solved though.
After nearly an hour all the children had moving Laser Cannons and firing lasers. Most of them had moving aliens and several had moving and shooting aliens. So hopefully next week we should get onto some points scoring.
The handout isn't finished yet, as it only gets as far points scoring but I will complete it over the next week or two. I have made it available below for anyone who's interested. I will also improve it with my experiences from above (hopefully to make it slightly easier).


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Word Master - Pro
**Paid version without ads**
Word Master is an innovative version of the traditional "Crosswords" puzzle (or " Scrabble " board game). Not needing internet connection and using unique artificial intelligence resources, Word Master induces the player to improve their skills and reasoning in the game.
Choose the level, the duration of the game and play against the computer, with all the traditional Scrabble rules. No more waiting long hours for your opponent to play! Both computer and player tiles are randomly selected, simulating in the best way possible a game against a real opponent.
Forget luck! Find out if you are a true champion in Scrabble! In this mode, you score more points in each turn as you come closer to the best possible word. Try to beat your high scores!
• Discover what words you could have played after each round and improve your performance. Learn how to use the bonus squares on the board and the standards for the formation of words. Enrich your vocabulary.
• Don't waste your time searching whether the word you thought does or does not exist! It will be shown whether the word is valid and its score, as you place it on the board.
• Get tips for valid words being created in your rack as you are arranging your letters (You can enable or disable this feature at any time).
• SOWPODS word list. The computer DOES NOT make up words. OFFICIAL tournament word list.
• Save your game and resume later.
• Keep track of your records and stats.
• Choose from two different board designs
• Both computer and player tiles are randomly selected, simulating in the best way possible a game against a real opponent.
English, Crosswords, Classic, Traditional, Scrabble, Solo, Offline, Vocabulary, Single Player Support, Lexiko
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Homestead MuseumHome
Book Clubs
Books can connect us with history in new and exciting ways. Each fiction and non-fiction book club series focuses on a subject that relates to the history of the Los Angeles region between 1830 and 1930. Museum staff will occasionally share items from the museum's collection that pertain to the subject of a book.
We ask that participants read the assigned book in time for each meeting.
Non-Fiction Book Club
U.S. History: Race, Gender, & Modernity
Friday, June 7
Friday, July 12
Friday, August 9
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Free; space is limited and advance registration is recommended. Click HERE to reserve your spot.
June 7: Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920 by Jackson Lears
July 12: Passion and Principle: John and Jessie Fremont, the Couple Whose Power, Politics, and Love Shaped Nineteenth-Century America by Sally Denton
August 9: Slave in a Box: The Strange Career of Aunt Jemima by Maurice M. Manring
Fiction Book Club
History Mash-Ups
Wednesday, June 19
Wednesday, July 17
Wednesday, August 21
• 7 to 9 p.m.
• Free; space is limited and advance registration is recommended. Click HERE to reserve your spot.
June 19: Locked Rooms: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King
July 17: Black Hats: A Novel of Wyatt Earp and Al Capone by Patrick Culhane
August 21: Django/Zorro by Quentin Tarantino, Matt Wagner
Upcoming Book Club Themes
Non-Fiction Book Club
California & the West
October 4: California: A History by Kevin Starr
November 1: The Fragmented Metropolis: Los Angeles, 1850-1930 by Robert M. Fogelson
December 6: Kearny's March: The Epic Creation of the American West: 1846-1847 by Winston Groom
Fiction Book Club
Bestsellers of the 1920s
October 16: The Sheik (1921) by E.M. Hull
November 20: Wanderers of the Wasteland (1923) by Zane Grey
December 18: Twilight Sleep (1927) by Edith Warton
Past Book Club Themes
Spring 2019: The Birth of Noir
- February 20: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
- March 20: The Kept Girl by Kim Cooper
- April 17: Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
Fall 2018: WWI in Different Mediums
- October 17: Journey's End a play by R.C. Sherriff
- November 14: Goddamn this War! a graphic novel by Jacques Tardi and Jean-Pierre Verney
- December 19: All Quiet on the Western Front a novel by Erich Maria Remareque
Summer 2018: A Fantastical Look at California
- June 20: Kindred by Octavia Butler
- July 18: The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson
- August 15: The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour
Spring 2019: Women: Politics, Religion, Vocation
- February 1: Women of Valor: Clara Barton and the Civil War by Stephen B. Oates
- March 1: Seneca Falls and Origins of the Women's Rights Movement by Sally Gregory McMillen
- April 5: Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America by Matthew Avery Sutton
Fall 2018: Varied Views of Los Angeles
- October 5: Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California by Frances Dinkelspiel
- November 2: Whitewashed Adobe: The Rise of Los Angeles and the Remaking of Its Mexican Past by William Deverell
- December 7: The King and Queen of Malibu: The True Story of the Battle for Paradise by David K. Randall
Summer 2018: California's Nineteenth-Century Economy: The Big Picture
- June 1: The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream by H. W. Brands
- July 13: The Associates: Four Capitalists Who Created California by Richard Rayner
- August 3: River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West by Rebecca Solnit
Fiction Book Club - Bestsellers of the 1920s, Session 1 of 3
- Date: 10/16/2019 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM


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Durham Bulls
How adrenaline and selflessness are keeping the Durham Bulls going after 140 games
The Durham Bulls return to the Governor's Cup finals for the first time since 2014 and will play Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a best of five series beginning at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The first two games of the series (Tuesday and Wednesday) will be played at the DBAP, before the series heads to Scranton, home of the New York Yankees Triple-A affiliate, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Bulls defeated the Indianapolis Indians 4-3 this past Saturday, winning that series 3-1. The RailRiders (86-55) finished with the best record in Triple A, one game ahead of Durham (86-54). Scranton defeated Lehigh Valley 3-1 to advance to the finals.
Here's what you need to know before the Bulls start their quest for their fifth Governor's Cup:
Ryan Yarbrough gets the start in game one
Bulls pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (13-6) has a 6-2 record over the past 10 games (3.43 ERA), his last win coming against the Indians on Sept. 6, when he struck out five batters in six innings. His last appearance against Scranton was on Aug. 11, when he gave up nine hits in five innings.
One of Yarbrough's main goals is to treat this start like it's any other game.
"The goal is not to get too overly anxious or anything like that," Yarbrough said. "I feel like at this point I have a routine down, especially since I've had longer stretches between outings. I'm ready to go out there and compete and put ourselves in position to hopefully get a team win out of it."
Right-handed pitcher Yonny Chirinos (13-5, 2.73 ERA) will start game two. Brent Honeywell (13-9, 3.49 ERA) will start game three and Burch Smith (5-3, 2.4 ERA) gets the start in game four. If the series goes five games, the Bulls will call on Jose Mujica (14-8, 3.04 ERA), who joined the roster from Double-A Montgomery.
The best of the best
Yarbrough said the team saw the Bulls facing the RailRiders, considering they are the two best teams all season. It's a matchup both teams have been looking forward to this postseason.
The Bulls and RailRiders have only met twice this season: once in Durham, where the two teams split a four-game series, and again in Scranton in August for a three-game series, which Durham won 2-1.
"I think all in all you want to play the best team available," catcher Mike McKenry said. "It's just fortunate that it's the two best teams in our league this year."
Experience counts
Several Durham players have played in, and won, championship series before. Yarbrough won a ring in Double-A last season with the Jackson Generals. Shortstop Willy Adames, one of the Rays top prospects, won a title in the Florida State League (High A) and went to the finals in the Dominican Summer league. Like many of his teammates, he knows every little play matters.
"You have to execute and make the routine plays," Adames said. "Do the little things, that's what's going to help you win the game."
Bulls manager Jared Sandberg added, "You can lean on the experience for sure. These guys have been in a playoff atmosphere and to bring that experience helps."
Nothing hurts
The Bulls have played 140 games dating back to April. The season is a grind and at this point, everyone has some ailment they are dealing with. However, being three games away from a championship makes it easier to push through the pain.
"You go through that grind all year and everyone on this team has something that's a little flared up," outfielder Johnny Field said. "But it's the playoffs, you're out there playing with adrenaline. You just think about going out there and winning. Those bumps and bruises go away for sure."
Clubhouse environment
Going back to the first week of the season in April, Sandberg and several players talked about how this team was different from the previous season. There was talent in the room, but the roster was younger, which created a different vibe. Everyone was loose all the time, a major difference from the previous season. The team, as talented as it was, was also very competitive, and Sandberg says that recipe is why the Bulls are three games away from a championship ring.
"They are never out of it," Sandberg said. "Then they have the ability to want to win. By creating that early on we had winning months throughout, or winning the week or winning the series, whatever it is, we definitely had success in getting to the end result."
Field said the mix of the youth and the older guys in the clubhouse gelled perfectly early on.
"There aren't any selfish guys on this team," Field said. "Guys want to win. Nothing against last year's team, but that team was a little older and this is an easy going group. This clubhouse is really loose."
Jonas Pope IV: 919-419-7001, @JEPopeIV
If you go
RailRiders at Bulls
When: 6:35 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday
Where: Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham
Tickets: durhambulls.com