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Difference between revisions of "Athens"
Revision as of 08:21, 16 June 2013
Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína), is the capital city of Greece with a metropolitan population of 3.7 million inhabitants. It is in many ways the birthplace of Classical Greece, and therefore of Western civilization.
The sprawling city is bounded on three sides by Mt Ymettos, Mt Parnitha and Mt Pendeli; whilst inside Athens are twelve hills [the seven historical are: Acropolis, Areopagus, Hill of Philopappus, Observatory Hill (Muses Hill), Pnyx, Lycabettus, Tourkovounia (Anchesmus)], the Acropolis and Lykavittos being the most prominent. These hills provide a refuge from the noise and commotion of the crowded city streets, offering amazing views down to Saronic Gulf, Athens' boundary with the Aegean Sea on its southern side. The streets of Athens (clearly signposted in Greek and English) now meld imperceptibly into Piraeus, the city's ancient (and still bustling) port.
Places of interest to travellers can be found within a relatively small area surrounding the city centre at Syntagma Square (Plateia Syntagmatos). This epicentre is surrounded by the districts of the Plaka to the south, Monastiraki and Thissio to the west, Kolonaki to the northeast and Omonia to the northwest.
The first pre-historic settlements were constructed in 3000 BC around the hill of Acropolis. The legend says that the King of Athens, Theseus unified the ten tribes of early Athens into one kingdom (c. 1230 BC). This process of synoikismos – bringing together in one home – created the largest and wealthiest state on the Greek mainland, but it also created a larger class of people excluded from political life by the nobility. By the 7th century BC, social unrest had become widespread, and the Areopagus appointed Draco to draft a strict new lawcode (hence "draconian"). When this failed, they appointed Solon, with a mandate to create a new constitution (594). This was the great beginning of a new social revolution, which was the result of the democracy under Clisthenes (508 BC). During the Middle Ages, Athens experienced a decline, but re-emerged under Byzantian rule. Athens was thriving and prosperous during the Crusades, actually benefitting from the Italian trade during this period. However, this fruitful period was shortlived, as Greece suffered badly under the Ottoman Empire, only to recover in the 19th century as the capital of independent Greece.
Athens was just a small provincial village when it was chosen in the 1830s to serve as the national capital of the modern Greek State. Although it had a prestigious past, the city's political, economic, and cultural importance had declined over the centuries, leaving behind only its classical ruins as a reminder of better times. With the decision to move the national capital from Nafplio to Athens, architects and city planners were hired to build a new city next to the classical ruins, with grand neoclassical homes and public buildings, large city squares, green spaces, and wide avenues, making a conscious, decisive turn from the city's Ottoman past. The city regained its importance in Greek civilization, and by 1900 had evolved into a very attractive cosmopolitan city, with abundant neoclassical architecture harking to the nation's past.
The 20th century however, marked the rapid development of Athens. The city suffered minor damage during WWII, and suffered extensive urban planning in the decades that followed, as the nation rapidly industrialized and urbanized. In the 1960s and 1970s, many 19th century neoclassical buildings, often small and private, were demolished to make way for office buildings, often designed by great Greek architects. The city also expanded outward through rash development, particularly towards the west, as its population grew by absorbing job-seekers from the provinces. With the onset of the automobile, public officials reduced the city's public transportation services without foreseeing the traffic gridlock and smog that would menace the city by the 1980s.
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the city's reality led to a rude awakening among local and national officials and, coupled with the country's newfound remarkable prosperity, large scale projects began to slowly regenerate the city and undo some of the damages of recent decades. Over the course of the next 15 years, money was poured into new transportation infrastructure projects, the restoration of surviving neoclassical buildings, the gentrification of the city's historical center and the renovation of many former industrial areas and the city's coastline. The restoration of charming neoclassical buildings in the city's historical center has been accompanied by the construction of attractive post-modern buildings in newer districts; both of which have begun to improve the aesthetic essence of the city. Athens today is ever evolving, forging a brand new identity for the 21st century.
Olympic Games
Athens hosted the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. While most of the sporting venues were located outside the city proper -in various locations throughout Attica- the entire urban area of Athens underwent major lasting changes that have improved the quality of life for visitors and residents alike. Aside from the excellent transportation infrastructure that was completed in time for the 2004 Olympics (from new freeways to light rail systems), the city's historic center underwent serious renovation. Most notable among the city's facelift projects are the Unification of Archaelogical Sites -which connects the city's classical-era ruins and monuments to each other through a network of pleasant pedestrianized streets- and the restoration of the picturesque neoclassical Thissio and Pláka districts.
Spring and late autumn are the best times to visit Athens. Summer can be extremely hot and dry during heatwaves, but this rarely happens. Winter is definitely low season, with the occasional rainy or snowy day, but also an ideal time to save money while enjoying the city without countless other travelers and tourists.
Whilst peak traffic hour can be a bit smoggy on the main roads, on most sunny days the skies are azure blue. The main reason attributed for the pollution of Athens is because the city is enclosed by mountains in a basin which does not let the smog leave. The government's ban on diesel vehicles within Athens and the early 1990s initiatives to improve car emissions have greatly contributed to better atmospheric conditions in the basin.
Get in
By plane
Athens airport is a major hub in the Aegean, Balkan and East Mediterranean regions. Air Canada, US Airways and Delta maintain non-stop flights from North America, while a large number of European carriers fly direct into Athens.
The airport
The new Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport [30] 27 km (17 miles) east of the city center, near the suburb of Spáta, opened in 2001 as part of the infrastructure improvements in preparation for the Olympics and is allegedly now one of the more attractive and efficient major European airports, though some old Athenian hands say they miss the messy atmosphere of the old Hellenikon. The airport has excellent public transit connections to the city (see below) and the usual array of food stands, duty-free shops, and other airport services.
There is a Tourist information station in Arrivals that will have the latest literature put out by the Tourist Information Department; this is useful for getting information of arranged local festivities in Athens and Attica. They will also have a printed brochure of Ferry information from Piraeus and other Attica ports.
There is also a small museum on the top floor that has an interesting history on Athens as well as a space put aside for temporary exhibits.
You are going to need euro coins if you want a trolley for your luggage; trolleys are available at the airport, you will find them in the baggage hall on arrival and they use coins the same way supermarket trolleys do. You insert your coin, and you get it back by placing the trolley back to its original position.
If you stay in Athens for a short time, consider leaving part of your luggage in a baggage storage. It is run by Pacific Travel [31], and is located in the end of left-hand wing, arrivals level. Storage time differentiates between 6 to 36 hours and sizes vary from small to large. The only inconvenience is that the same queue is used for collecting and for leaving – allow extra time before your flight. No automatic lockers can be found in the airport.
If your schedule has you arriving on a long flight with some fatigue likely, you might use the decent Sofitel hotel at the airport, just a short walk from the arrivals hall. As a popular business hotel, you'd best reserve your room in-advance, and ask for a non-smoking room if important.
There is Free WiFi in the Airport, which is limited to one hour, with no promise of security. However when your time is up if you shut down your computer, you can log back in for another hour.
From the airport to the city
Be aware, recent strike activity has caused mayhem for tourists trying to get from the airport to Athens city centre. Combinations of local trains, buses, taxis and little old walking that take hours have been they way of the strike effected traveller to get to there accommodation in the city. So check before departure to see what the latest situation is.
From the airport you can reach the city:
(If you are heading into Athens to see the Acropolis, you can use the Metro (blue) line to go from the Airport straight to Monastiráki station near the northern side of the Acropolis. An alternative is to go to Syntagma station, where you change from the blue line to the red line heading south, and get off at the first stop of Acropolis metro station which is at the southern more photogenic side of the Acropolis.)
A private airport transfer can be also booked in advance. This service is especially convenient for large groups.
It is advisable to grab a free copy of city transport map in the airport – in the city it is extremely helpful.
By regional coach
Regional coaches (KTEL) connect Athens to other cities in Greece. The fleet of buses has recently been upgraded, which makes the journey pleasant and safe. For some destinations one can also use the buses of the railroad company (OSE, see next paragraph) that might be international, but can also be used for in-country transport.
At times there are collaborations with companies from adjacent countries such as Turkey, Bulgaria,Serbia, FYROM and Albania, so your best move will always be to ask on both the bus and the train companies about your available options.
By train
The national rail service, Trainose, [33] connects Athens to other cities in Greece -however, do not expect the diversity and complexity of railroads you usually find in other European countries; the national railroad system is poor in Greece, in effect having only two train lines. One goes south to the Pelopponese and the other to the north, connecting Athens with the second major city in Greece, Thessaloniki. From there the line continues further to the north and all the way to the east, passing through many other cities of northern Greece and eventually reaching Istanbul. Be advised that there are two kinds of train you can use; normal, slow, type of train equipped with beds, and the so called new 'Intercity' type which is more expensive because of a 'quality supplement fee' that grows with distance. For example, travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki by the 'Intercity' type will save you one hour at most, but the ticket will be almost double the price. 'Intercity' tends to be more reliable, yet more 'bumpy' than the normal train. There are no longer any international trains to and from Greece.
By boat
The port of Piraeus acts as the marine gateway to Athens, and is served by many ferries. Cruise ships also regularly visit, especially during warm months. Generally, pedestrian ferry users will be closer than cruise passengers to the Metro station providing access to Athens; walking distances can vary considerably.
Cruise passengers on larger ships usually reach the main cruise terminal by port shuttle bus; otherwise, it can be a non-trivial walk. Smaller ships (e.g., 1200 or fewer passengers) may dock near the terminal...an easy walk. From the terminal, pedestrians face a safe, level walk of over a mile to the Piraeus Metro station; taxis are readily available to go there, but are not inexpensive.
Get around
Public transport in Athens has improved by leaps and bounds in the last ten years. The simple €1,40 ("integrated") ticket lets you travel on any means of transport — metro, suburban trains, trams, trolleybuses, buses — with unlimited transfers anywhere within Athens (except the metro airport line east of Doukissis Plakentias and the airport buses) for 90 minutes, and you can also get a €4 ticket valid for 24 hours or a €14 weekly ticket. Workers at the public transport are lately on strike at least one day per week, causing major troubles on traffic of Athens. Make sure that you are informed before your arrival because there is a strong possibility that you reach the airport and have no means to go downtown, or vice versa.
By metro
The new Athens Metro system [34], opened in 2001 (and followed by a restoration of the old Line 1) and currently being extended, is a wonder to behold, and puts many better-known metro systems to shame. Many metro stations resemble museums as they exhibit artifacts found during excavations for the system (i.e. Syntagma). Greeks are very proud about the new subway system. You should not even think about littering and by all means avoid any urge for graffiti -- you will be intercepted by security at once. You are also not allowed to consume food or drink in the subway system. During rush hour, when it could become very crowded, you would have to leave your personal space at the door. There are three lines:
Tickets[37]: Metro uses the "integrated" ticket that costs €1.40 as of January 2013 (half price for seniors over 65 and youth under 18). Tickets can be purchased over manned booths or automated vending machines (some of which accept banknotes) in every station. You must validate your ticket prior to going to the platform. There currently are no turnstiles controlling access to the trains, so in theory you could try to ride for free, if however you're caught without a properly validated ticket you'll be asked to pay a hefty 60x the normal fare [currently €84]. Greece's latest economic misadventures have led into intensified inspections in a try to raise more cash; keep in mind that refusing to pay the fine on-the-spot guarantees that you will be escorted away to the nearest police station for a background check and potentially notify your home embassy.
From the moment of validating your €1.40 ticket, you can use it to ride any "Metro" train to every station (except the Airport) or any of the buses or tram (see below) for the next 90 minutes. It's perfectly fine to reverse direction of travel with the same ticket, as long as you are below the 90 minutes mark; if your last trip is expected to go beyond it, you must validate your ticket for a second and last time just before the mark. In more recent times, as a sign of solidarity to those most affected from the financial crisis, many Athenians elect to "drop" their still-good 90-minute tickets in convenient locations near the station entrance for the next person to pick. While you might feel tempted joining or trying to benefit from them, keep in mind that giving away or accepting an already-used ticket is illegal and you can get fined for fare evasion (see above) or station littering.
If you plan to do multiple trips within a day, it makes more sense to buy a 24-hour ticket (which again, works for all destinations except the airport) for €4. This needs to be validated only once, at the start of the first trip. The standard fare to or from the Airport is €8 (half price for seniors over 65 and youth under 18), €14 for a return trip within 48 hours, €14 for a one-way trip for a 2-person group, and €20 for a one-way trip for a 3-person group.
Subway is daily from 05:30 am to midnight, except for Fridays and Saturdays when it is up till 2 am. Riding late at night is very safe (stations and trains are heavily monitored and policed) so you should not have a second thought about it.
By suburban rail
The Suburban Railway [38] (Proastiakos by Trainose) is a new addition to Athens's network. The main line starts from Piraeus, passes through the main line train station of Larissis in Athens, and forks at Neratziotissa west to Kiato and Corinth and east towards the Airport.
By tram
The new Athens Tram [39] connects the city centre with the southern suburbs and has connections with the metro lines. There are three tram lines:
A single ticket costs 60 cents.
By bus
Athens is served by a network of diesel buses, natural gas buses and electric trolley buses run by the Athens Urban Transport Organisation [40]. A standard bus ticket costs €1. It is called the Integrated ticket and allows for multiple trips within 90 minutes, and it's available in most kiosks. Use a €3.20 ticket to travel to or from the airport. If you tend to stay for more than a week then a weekly pass for €10 is the most cost-effective. It gives you unlimited rides on almost all public transit (bus, tram, train, subway) for 7 days. You only need to validate once, before first use. Buses will not stop unless you signal the driver by raising your arm.
Night buses. As of March 2006 the night bus routes are:
At the airport you can pick up a multitude of public transport maps, especially for buses, tram and trolleys that cover the whole of Athens, and parts of Attica like Sounio and other ports. These maps can be found in display stands. They are blue and marked with big Numbers, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in different colors.
By taxi
Canary yellow taxis are a common sight in Athens and are a reasonably priced way of getting around (if you can avoid the traffic jams). The starting fee is €1, after which the meter ticks up at €0.34/km ("rate 1") or €0.64/km ("rate 2"), with a minimum fare of €3.10. Rate 1 applies through Athens city limits, including the airport, while rate 2 applies outside the city and from midnight to 5 AM. Legal surcharges apply for calling a cab by radio (€1.60), trips to or from the airport (€3.20) and heavy bags (€0.32). Tipping is not necessary, although it's common to round up to the nearest full euro.
Taxi fare fraud is not as widespread as it used to be, but it still happens, so insist on the meter and make sure the rate is correct. At busy tourist locations cab drivers can try and con you with a set rate that is ridiculously high (e.g. 20€ for a short trip). In these cases it is best to find another and again insist on the charge shown on the meter. If you feel you have been overcharged, ask for a receipt (they are obliged to give one) and take the plate number, then phone the tourist police to report the driver on 171.
Be aware that the taxi drivers rarely obey all of the rules of the road. Expect that if you are leaving Athens on an early flight, that the driver will likely drive aggressively to get you there as quickly as possible.
Taxis are considered as fairly cheap in Athens. As such you can expect to share the ride during rush hours if you can find one, and at night after the Metro has shutdown. As such if you hail a taxi which is already occupied (Free Taxis have a brightly lit TAXI sign on top of the cab) the driver will ask where you want to go to before he will let you in to join the other customers. Strikes by cabbies and public transit are common so be prepared and watch the local news.
By bicycle
Athens is certainly not the city to go around with a bicycle, as it does not have much bicycle lanes and the car drivers tend to drive quite aggressively. Nevertheless (or maybe because of this) riding a bicycle in Athens has become lately some sort of a political (counter-)action, especially by young people with an alternative lifestyle. In general, tourists not familiar with the terrible Athenian traffic are not advised to use a bicycle as a principal means of transport. Small rides are safe though in the long network of pedestrian streets around the Historical Centre of the city and can be quite enjoyable indeed.
On foot
Athens offers some of the best and worst urban walking in Europe. Several major streets have been recently pedestrianized, and a mostly car-free archeological walk which starts at Vasilisis Amalias Street, passes in front of the New Acropolis Museum, Acropolis, Herodion Theatre, Thiseio (Apostolou Pavlou Str), Ermou Street and ends at the popular area of Kerameikos (Gkazi) where numerous bars and clubs are located. Pleasant walking can also be had in Plaka, especially its upper reaches, and in much of Kolonaki, and the National Garden can provide a welcome respite from the heat and noise of the city center. On the other hand, Athens' horrendous traffic can make crossing the street in many areas a hair-raising proposition, and even walking down many major streets can be an unpleasant experience of noise and pollution. Cars and motorbikes parked blocking the sidewalks (illegal but ubiquitous) can also make a stroll difficult. Fortunately, much of the traffic-plagued area of the city can be avoided by judicious use of the new Metro, which goes most places a visitor would want to see or to walk around in.
You can now visit the Acropolis, walk along the picturesque streets of Plaka or the hills around the Acropolis at your own pace, with i Pod Pocket tours audioguides. It's informative and fun! They are available for rent at Athens Hilton Hotel, Sofitel Athens Airport, King George Palace and Baby Grand Hotel.
While Greek is the main language used in Athens, most Athenians speak English and those in the tourist industry are likely to speak French and German too. Notices, menus and road signs are written in both English and Greek.
Museums and Galleries
Because of its antiquity and influence, Athens is full of museums and galleries. The major ones are the National Archeological Museum near Omonia, the New Acropolis Museum by the Acropolis, the Benaki and Museum of Cycladic Art in Kolonaki, the Agora Museum near Monastiraki, and the Kanellopoulos and Folk Art Museums in Plaka. Details of these and others will be found in the district sections.
Arts and Culture
The visual arts enjoy a big share in the Athenian cultural and everyday life. Next to big institutions such as the National Gallery and the Benaki Museum, a big number of small private galleries are spread within the city centre and the surrounding areas, hosting the works of contemporary visual and media artists. In recent years a number of bar galleries have sprung up, where you can have a drink or a coffee whilst visiting an exhibition.
Parnitha National Park has well-marked paths, gorges, springs, torrents and caves do the protected area. Hiking and mountain-biking in all four mountains remain popular outdoor activities for many residents of the city. The National Garden of Athens is a peaceful and beautiful park in the centre of Athens, where visitors can enjoy their walk and spend hours of relaxation. The Garden encloses luxuriant vegetation, plenty of flowers, some ancient ruins, two duck ponds and a small zoo. In addition, there is a children's playground and a café as well. It's located between the Parliament and Zappeion buildings.The landmark Dionysiou Aeropagitou street has been pedestrianised, forming a scenic route. The route starts from the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, continues under the southern slopes of the Acropolis near Plaka, and finishes just beyond the Temple of Hephaestus in Thiseio. The route in its entirety provides visitors with views of the Parthenon and the Agora (the meeting point of ancient Athenians), away from the busy city centre.The hills of Athens provide also green space. Lycabettus, Philopappos hill and the area around it including Pnyx and Ardettos hill are all planted with pines and other trees and they are more like small forests than typical urban parks. There is also Pedion tou Areos (Field of Mars) of 27.7 hectares near National Archaeological Museum which is currently under renovation.
Disabled Access
Most attractions in Athens offer free or discounted admission for disabled people living in the European Union (badge or card required). The discount is not advertised and you have to ask staff to get the information. You will also be offered assistance and lifts access if necessary.
Theater and Performing Arts
Athens is home to 148 theatrical stages, more than any other city in the world, including the famous ancient Herodes Atticus Theatre, home to the Athens Festival, which runs from May to October each year. In addition to a large number of multiplexes, Athens plays host to a variety of romantic, open air garden cinemas. The city also supports a vast number of music venues, including the Athens Concert Hall, known as the "Mégaron Musikis", which attracts world-famous artists all year round.
Although a huge city, Athens has relatively few shopping malls or large department stores; the small, family run shop still conquers all. Souvenirs are of course available everywhere that tourists go. Other shopping opportunities are antiques, museum reproductions, embroideries and other folk art goods, and Greek food and drink products. Here is an overview of the Athens shopping scene; detailed listings will be found on the relevant district pages:
For listings of specific restaurants, see the individual district sections, especially Kolonaki and Plaka.
Clubbing & Night Life
Athens is famous for its vibrant nightlife. The Athenians like to party and will do so almost every night of the week. The choices are plenty and they appeal to all tastes and lifestyles. In general, things get started pretty late: after midnight for bars and clubbing and after 10:00 p.m. for dinner at the city's tavernas, Athens Restaurants and bar-restaurants.
Hip areas include Gazi, Psirri, Metaxourgio, Exarcheia, Monastiraki, Theseion and Kolonaki. Traditional Greek evenings can be spent in Plaka.
Until recently at Psirri, some of Athens' hottest clubs and bars were to be spotted. During recent years Gazi has seen some tremendous change. Most of the galleries, mainstream bars, restaurants, clubs and Greek nightclubs here (featuring live Greek pop singers), are trademarked by their industrial design as many of them are housed in remodelled -- and once abandoned -- factories. Gazi is one of the trendiest neighbourhoods of Athens nightlife. You can get there by metro line 3 at Kerameikos station.
Plaka - Monastiraki are two ancient, historic and all-time classic Athenian neighborhoods popular with visitors, they do not have many big dance clubs and bars, but offer lively, traditional places to enjoy Greek culture year-round as well as several rock and jazz clubs.
You will find plenty nightclubs with live Greek music along Syggrou Avenue and at the industrial strips of Iera Odos and Pireos Street in Gazi. In the summer months, the action moves to Poseidon Avenue and the coastal towns of Glyfada, Voula and Vouliagmeni. Kolonaki is a staple dining and entertainment destination, catering to the city's urban working professionals who enjoy an after work cocktail at many of its bars that are open - and busy - until after midnight, even on weekdays. The clubs here are also very chic. Exarchia is where to go for smaller more bohemian style haunts that cater to artists and college students. At the foot of Strefi Hill is where you will find most of the bars and clubs, many of which play rock music. An alternative option of Athens nightlife.
Athens has a wide variety of accommodation options, from camping and hostels, right up to 5 star luxury hotels. For listings of specific hotels, see the individual district sections.
There are many free wireless hotspots across the city. Wi-Fi internet connection is available at Syntagma Square, Kotzia Square and Theseion. Alternatively, you can go to one of the many internet cafés located in the center of the city. Many bars, restaurants and cafes offer free wi-fi for their guests.
Greece's mobile networks are second to none in terms of quality (one of the first countries to roll out LTE in Europe) and Athens is very densely covered. Prepaid connections from all major operators(Cosmote, Vodafone and Wind) are available in most stores and offer very reasonably priced voice and data packages; you will be asked to show a passport and have your details registered at the point of first purchase. Public phones are found all over the city and phone cards are available from most kiosks.
Stay safe
While Athens is generally a very safe city, there have been a huge number reports of pickpockets on the Metro (especially at the interchanges with the line from Airport), buses and in other crowded areas, including Plaka. You will notice that natives travel with their hands on their bags and pockets and keeping their bag in front rather than on their side or back, which unfortunately is not without reason. You will probably be warned about pickpockets by hotel staff and friendly waiters, but this may be too late. Be extremely cautious and split all your documents, cards and money into different places. Street crime is rare; when it happens, it's most commonly purse-snatching from women walking away from banks and ATM machines.
The friendly stranger bar scam has been reported from areas of central Athens frequented by travelers, including Omonia, Syntagma, and Plaka. Recently, there have been some reports of fraud. Usually, someone will stop you and ask for directions. A couple of other guys then show up claiming to be police, showing a badge (obviously a fake one). They ask if you were getting drugs from the other guy and then ask for your passport and wallet for verification. While you are busy trying to convince them that your passport is valid, one of them sneaks out some money from your wallet.
Another danger recently reported, especially by travelers boarding the Airport Express Bus in Piraeus, and at metro interchanges, is pickpocket gangs operating buses used by tourists. As the bus is boarding, a large group traveling together (who are reported often to be of various nationalities other than Greek) will divide itself in two, with half of them going on board and then stopping in the aisle to cause a jam-up among passengers trying to board through the door behind them, the other half then offering to help the jammed passengers lift their luggage on board. Just before the bus leaves, the half of this group on the bus gets off. Then, joining the other half outside the door, they all quickly disperse.
What has happened, of course, is that the passengers who were being "helped" with their luggage by some of this group were being pick-pocketed by others. The theft is particularly effective because it's directed at travelers who are leaving the country and are thus not likely to report it--many victims don't realize they've been robbed until they get to the airport or even until after they get on the plane. Some travelers have claimed that certain bus drivers are party to these crimes by neglecting to open the rear door of the bus for boarding passengers, thus ensuring a tighter and more confused crowd of jammed passengers trying to board through the center door, making the criminals' job easier.
A variation to this on Metro and escalators is when a gang tries to block part of a group from exiting the train so that one or two members are left behind and separated, thus the group is split and distracted for them to steal valuables. The gang may also try to help/split the group into individual people by helping with the luggage or simply forcing themselves inbetween at the escalators. This way, the tourists are focused towards the person standing between them making sure he does not steal, while another gang member you may not have noticed before would be stealing items from the last person in the group on the escalator. It would be best to wear tight pocket pants with valuables in front. Carry all bags forward. Keep values out of reach or very low in the bag with a noisy plastic wrapper on the entrances to the bag, so anyone reaching in would make lots of noise, zip up everything and lock if possible, and avoid bags with smooth zips, so when the gang tries to open the zip, you would feel a movement.
Athens is one of the most political cities in Europe. Demonstrations and riots are common and accepted as part of everyday life and democracy by most Athenians. Keep abreast of news of demonstrations, and avoid them if you don't want to run the risk of being arrested or tear-gassed.
Anarchist and leftist groups often target police, government, and corporate targets during the night. It is unlikely that tourists would be hurt, as the anarchists usually take care to damage only property as opposed to people. Nonetheless, parking by a McDonald's, police station, or bank could get your car damaged.
In addition, you should be aware that Athens has many stray dogs. Though the large dogs are usually friendly, they may be alarming and unusual upon your first arriving into the city. Athenians feed and take care of them, and it is not unusual to see a shop owner offering plastic plates full of leftovers to the dogs on the street.
Many greeks are high passionate with their football teams and there is hostility between the major football club fans. You should never wear a Panathinaikos t-shirt in Piraeus greater area or an Olympiakos t-shirt in the Ampelokipi, Zografou and Gyzi districts.
Rough areas
Athenians hold negative perceptions for the areas around Omonoia Square and locals advise you to avoid these areas late at night.
There are many beggars and homeless people who walk around the streets asking for money or food. Often they use children as sympathy tools. Vathis Square can be populated by druggies using even at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the roads on the right of the National Archaelogical Museum appear as a gathering place for the beggars of the city - the density is enormous; the south end of 3 September Street should be avoided.
The back streets of Piraeus are probably also places where its unwise to wander around late at night. More recently, Sofokleous Street (a major street south of Omonia), especially the western part near Pireos Street, has gotten a reputation for crime and drugs; some Athenians will advise you to avoid it even during the daytime. Some may also argue that wandering around the Zappeio gardens and the Pedion Areos parks at night time may not be wise.
Embassies and consulates
Get out
Kessariani, 9km from Athens. There's a road beyond the bus terminus climbing up the verdant slope. After 3 km the Kessariani Monastery appears on the right. The serene monastery was dedicatet to the Presentation of the Virgin; it is now deconsecrated. A recess in the outer wall of the monastery on the east side of the first counrtyard contains the famous Ram's Head Fountain, a sacred spring in antiquity that was celebrated by the Latin poet Ovid in his Ars Amatoria. Ancient fragments dot the inner court-yard. In the Middle Ages the 11C building on the left was the monk's bathhouse. The adjoining wing has a gallery at first-floor levele serving the monk's cells. The church is decorated with murals, those in the narthex date from 1682; Opposite the church are the convent buildings. Leave the Monastery behind ant take the path up trhough the trees to a sanctuary. Fine views of Athens, Attica and the Saronica Gulf.
Continue up the road past the 11C Asteri Monastery. There are views of Athens and the Saronic Gulf as far as the Pelopponnese to the west, and of the Attic peninsula (Mesogia), its eastern shore ad Euboea to the east. The summit is prohibited.
Piraeus, the harbour of Athens, and Rafina (on the east coast of Attica) are the departure points for a large number of ferry services to the Greek Islands and other destinations in the eastern Mediterranean, including ports in Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Israel and Cyprus. Fast hydrofoil, catamaran or helicopter services also take you to the Greek Islands. Italy is easily approached by boat from Patras (take a train or a bus to Patras).
The port of Lavrion in southern Attica is being increasingly developed as a ferry port, especially for (some) Cyclades routes. Rafina and, especially, Piraeus remain, however, the main hubs for the Cyclades and the Dodecanese.
The closest islands, suitable for a day trip from Piraeus, are located in the Argosaronic (or Saronic) gulf: Hydra, Aegina, Poros, Spetses and Salamina. Kea (also pronounced Tzia) is a very nearby destination, too, less than two hours from the port of Lavrio. If what you are thinking is an island further away from Piraeus, like Paros, Naxos, Ios, Santorini or any of the Dodecanese or Northern Aegean isles, you should probably consider with extra days off Athens because of their distance from the mainland. Flying is, ofcourse, also an option to many of the more distant islands.
Day trips to the Corinth Canal, the ancient theatre at Epidaurus and to the ancient sites of Olympia, Delphi and Mycenae are easy with a rental car. Other towns along the Peloponnese such as Nafplion are charming and worthwhile.
On the weekends you can visity the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre in Glyfada from 11:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Just take the tram to Glyfada and get off at Paleo Demarhio. http://www.archelon.gr/eng/pedio_rescue.php?row=row5
External links


text:
See all Quick Bytes posts.
Here are a few of the interesting links & bits that we've seen recently from the world of food & cooking. We hope you enjoy them and find them useful!
Who says a fountain can be used only for chocolate?
You can use any chocolate fountain with your favourite sauce or dip. Surround with vegetables and it makes for an interesting party center-piece!
Foodpairing is based on scientific flavor analysis. It is based on the principle that foods can be combined when they share major flavor components. But the nice thing is that is you don't have to understand anything from these complicated scientific analyses to use Foodpairing. Read More
From hulling strawberries to stoping cut apples from browning.
Why didn't I think of that?! We guarantee you'll be uttering those words more than once at these ingenious little tips, tricks and ideas that solve everyday problems … some you never knew you had! Read More
How can you tell if the pasta is high quality
If you're shopping in a supermarket for commercial yellow pasta, a way to tell is the more shapes a pasta company makes the better the quality of semolina used. Using cheaper grade flours cause many shapes to break during the drying process, so the companies stay away from those shapes. Read More
See all Quick Bytes posts.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Grief Support
Helpful Links
Contact Us
Welcome to the Sorensen-Root-Thompson Funeral Home website. The business is family owned and operated by Jerry and Val Thompson.
Our funeral business has a long history of service to the communities of Aitkin County. We have funeral homes located in Aitkin and McGregor, Minnesota.
We offer a complete range of quality services from traditional funerals to cremation. Our staff strives to meet the special needs of your family. It is our goal to support you throughout the arrangement process and to assist you in paying tribute to the memory of your loved one.
Our Staff
Jerry Thompson -
Jerry was born and raised in Stillwater, MN. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Mortuary Science program in 1979. He was employed at funeral homes in Willmar, Bemidji and Walker. In 1986, he relocated to Aitkin, Minnesota to work for the Brenny Funeral Home. He and his wife, Val, became owners in 1990. They have three children: Jonathan, Bethany and Mackenzie.
Jason Brezinsky -
Jason was born in Brainerd, MN and raised in Pine River, MN. His family owned Northland Funeral Home of Pine River and Pequot Lakes. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Mortuary Science program in 1997. He was employed at the Range Funeral Home in Virginia, MN and later returned to his family business. He and his family moved to Aitkin in 2000, when Jason began employment at Sorensen-Root-Thompson. He has three children: Jaron, Peyton and Brooklyn.
Our History
Initially, the Aitkin area was served by two funeral homes. The first was that of the Elmer Seavey family - having migrated from Maine to Aitkin. Mr. Seavey started a hardware store in the 1800's. He later started building some furniture and coffins in a nearby building. The second funeral home was originated by the Hartman Family in another downtown storefront.
During the 1940's, the funeral parlors moved from the main street and purchased large old Aitkin mansions. The Seaveys moved to the Hodgedon Home. The building remained a funeral home until 1962 when it was converted to law offices. The Hartmans moved to the Foley House - which is the current location of the Sorensen-Root-Thompson Funeral Home.
The two funeral homes were combined in the 1960's as Ivan Sorensen and Gordon Root became partners. The business then became known as Sorensen-Root Funeral Home. The Brenny Family of Little Falls, MN purchased the funeral home in the mid 1980's. During their period of ownership, the Brennys also purchased the McGregor Funeral Home. Jerry and Val Thompson became owners in 1990, when the Thompson name was added to the business. They continue to serve the families of the Aitkin and McGregor communities.


text:
Oh Say, Can You See' History in the Making?
Our country is defined by the lyrics of our National Anthem. And our NASCAR Sprint Cup races don't run until fans, drivers and crew pay their respects to the stars and stripes. This summer, New Hampshire Motor Speedway will mark this tradition with even greater meaning as "The National Anthem Girl" performs before her largest crowd at the Camping World RV Sales 301 on July 13.
Janine Stange, also known as "The National Anthem Girl" will stand before a crowd of nearly 100,000 fans on July 13 and sing "The Star Spangled Banner" as part of a 50-state tour to celebrate our nation's patriotic song.
The Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be stop No. 41. This will be her largest live audience yet. She will sing a salute to our nation in every state by September 14, the official bicentennial of the national anthem, famously penned by Francis Scott Key.
"NASCAR fans are known for their patriotic pride and I am absolutely honored to be able to sing the National Anthem at New Hampshire Motor Speedway," said Stange, whose most recent stop will be in Clarinda, Iowa on Thursday, May 22. "Having a connection to the community with a long history of supporting our country, and military, makes me proud as I'm on this journey to sing 'The Star Spangled Banner' in all 50 states. I look forward to the moment we all rise, unite and put our hands over our hearts and sing our national anthem on July 13."
Fueled by a desire to promote patriotism, Stange began her journey across the United States singing at venues that include Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J; Madison Square Garden (New York Knicks) in New York, N.Y.; Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colo., and the Pauley Pavilion, home of UCLA Bruins college basketball. She recently appeared on the morning cable talk show, "Fox & Friends" and sang the national anthem to millions of viewers who donated funds to support her travelling expenses.
In addition to singing the national anthem at the race, Stange will have a table located on the speedway grounds with special cards for NASCAR fans to sign and be placed with care packages provided by Operation Gratitude and sent to the troops overseas.
"Our fans have huge hearts, and there is no question they will be eager to participate in any activity that brings attention and appreciation to the men and women who defend and protect our country," said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "We are proud to be a part of this unique event."
Stange founded the nonprofit National Anthem Girl Organization and has performed "The Star Spangled Banner" hundreds of times over the last several years in her journey across the United States. For more information on Strange, visit her website at www.nationalanthemgirl.org or her Indiegogo campaign which has been setup to help cover traveling costs at www.igg.me/at/NationalAnthem.
Follow @TheAnthemGirl on her journey to @NHMS on social media via #roadtonhms. Visit http://www.nhms.com/media/headlines/help-theanthemgirl-drive-her-roadtonhms.html to help Stange on her journey.
This year's racing season will once against be highlighted by two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends, including the Camping World RV Sales 301 on July 13 and the SYLVANIA 300 on Sept. 21. To purchase tickets, which now include special pricing for kids under the age of 12, call the track's ticket hotline at (603) 783-4931 or by visiting www.nhms.com.


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I�d like to explain in more detail the nonsense that has been going around the Media for some time.
I�d like to explain in more detail the nonsense that has been going around the Media for some time.
CO2 is a vital gas that feeds all plant life on Earth. No CO2 no life, period.
During the Medieval years 1100 to 1600, The earth warmed by several degrees. Vikings cultivated Greenland, vineyards grew in Scotland, much of northern Russia had wheat fields and it was the beginning of the renaissance period from 1400 to 1700 where great churches were built. This was followed by a mini-ice age in the mid-1800s. None of these climate changes were caused by humans burning fossil fuels.
The idea that CO2 is causing the Earth to warm up is false. Let�s take a good look at this fable.
At the present time CO2 is 400 PPM. That�s .04 percent of the atmosphere, the smallest gas molecule percent in the air. The largest volume of gas is water vapor, or clouds. It is estimated that human activity contributes about 2 percent of the CO2; the remaining 98 percent is from natural sources, the biggest is the oceans.
Second is the false claim that CO2 traps the heat reflecting off the earth. I would suggest that those who believe this should get a freshmen physic and there you will find that heat is energy and you cannot trap energy. Take a football field and evenly spread one million golf balls over the field. Now replace 400 with red golf balls. Get the idea? And by the way science is never settled.
I think that most folks that believe that CO2 is causing Global Warming are confusing this with pollution of the air we breathe. This is a big problem and it looks like the EPA has addressed this with cleaner smoke stacks and shutting down coal plants that are spewing dangerous gasses.
Yes we should design and build cleaner fossil fuel engines and strive to protect the earth from pollutants. Clean water and clean air is something we all should work toward.
One more note that should be remembered.
Wind farms that can power thousands of homes do not eliminate power plants. They have to be able to switch the power source to the grid from wind to power plant in half a cycle so there is never any disruption in the power.
There is a BBC film that explains the global warming panic and how it is being exploited and it can be viewed at http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=YtevF4B4RtQ.
Albert Rodrick, Havelock


text:
Matagorda (Texas) with #USlgu #tagcoding hashtag
|Matagorda (Texas)
|#USlgu hashtag:#US48321
Why and how to use this hashtag is explained at Your community & #opendata via #USlgu hashtags.
Employment rates in the county?
Check it via the article shared in below Tweet. Share the employment data for Matagorda using #US48321.
Find a nearby public library
Find the nearest public library 'online' via LibWeb - Library Servers via WWW:Public libraries in Texas.
Find the state libraries of Texas at US State Libraries.
Is your local public library already measuring its outcomes? For details, check Outcome measurement made easy (January 12, 2017), from Public Library Association (PLA).
More #OpenData about Matagorda
Check the US Census website for Quick Facts about Matagorda.
Check Data.gov for data (sets) about Matagorda.
Invite your friends and neighbors
Tweet #US48321 is the #USlgu hashtag for making Matagorda (Texas) prosper #WWlgu


text:
A lot goes on behind-the-scenes at Toronto Pearson where we welcomed just over 47 million passengers in 2017! We are pleased to be able, once again, to show you some of what happens at the airport, from inside the fence. Each tour is slightly different so there are no guarantees what you will see on any one tour. But, we do guarantee you will find it fascinating, exciting and enjoyable!
Please choose a tour date from the many available options, or you can put your name on the waiting list for specific dates. Also, check back regularly as we will add additional dates during the summer with the last tours taking place in October.
Are there ID requirements, age limits or accessibility issues to participate on the tour?
- EACH PERSON—children included—MUST PROVIDE GOVERNMENT-ISSUED IDENTIFICATION WITH A PHOTO to enter the airfield. A non-expired, government-issued photo ID can only be a passport, Canadian driver's license, Ontario PHOTO health card, Permanent Resident Card, or a Nexus card.
- EACH SEAT IS LIMITED TO THOSE AGED 10 AND OLDER and each person must have a reservation.
- WHEELCHAIRS: The majority of our tours can accomodate special needs, but we do need to know in advance to ensure we have the space.
- CLIMBING into a van: some tours are using a van rather than a bus, so if there are issues getting into or out of standard passenger van, please let us know.
- WASHROOM ACCESS - once the tour begins, there will be no access to washroom facilities for the approximately two hour duration.
Where do I meet the tour?
The GTAA Administration Building is located at 3111 Convair Drive—at the corner of Renforth Drive and Convair Drive. There is free visitor parking available in front of the main steps.
There will be standard airport security checks so please limit what you bring with you to expedite the process. Water bottles and cameras are, however, allowed.
PLEASE NOTE YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL ONE WEEK BEFORE YOUR TOUR ASKING YOU TO RECONFIRM. If you do not reconfirm, then your seats will be given to those on the waiting list.
How do I contact the Tour Desk about special requirements, questions, or the need to cancel my seat?
Please call 416-776-TOUR (8687) or email firstname.lastname@example.com so that we can address your concern, or so that someone else may take the seat you no longer require. The busses and vans have very limited seats and we can only accomodate wheelchairs on our bus tours, not our van tours.
Can I take photos on the tour?
Yes, please! We also you encourage you to post on social media. You can tag us @TorontoPearson on Twitter and Instagram.
Can I bring other people along?
No. Only those with booked tickets and valid identification are able to attend.


text:
|OpenBSD General Other questions regarding OpenBSD which do not fit in any of the categories below.
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Playing internet radio streams under OpenBSD
At this moment I am listening to http://www.zappa.com/zapparadio/ under Ubuntu (long story). This Zappa audio stream from live365.com is played by the Gnome Totem movie player.
Would that player work under OpenBSD? I don't mind installing Gnome on one of my snapshot machines.
Does anybody have experiences with the audio/aqualung port? It is the only port/package I could find via http://openports.se/audio
PS. Yes I have read the FAQ (http://openbsd.org/faq/faq13.html#streaming)
You don't need to be a genius to debug a pf.conf firewall ruleset, you just need the guts to run tcpdump
Last edited by J65nko; 24th August 2009 at 11:03 PM. Reason: Added FAQ remark
I am so happy you asked that question. Just couple of days ago I was playing with similar things. Namely, I want to listen to Moskva.fm radio as well as Radio Television Serbia live program.
Moskva.fm uses flash to deliver radio as many other internet radio stations. So I was unable to play it. Recently swfdec-plugin was updated to the latest 8.2 for 4.6 release. The reason the port was stale is the lack of support for OSS audio by swfdec which was dropped around 6.8. I heard good reports about latest swfdec. It should be as good as Flash 9. Unfortunately I have no clue if there is work around for OSS problem. I know that Jake has submitted some patches to swfdec but they refuse because they want to support only ALSA.
Speaking of RTS it is RAM file. Theoretically mplayer plugin should play it without any problems. I had no luck on OpenBSD. I tested with SLAX. Plays without any problems.The Mplayer, ffmpeg, and similar ports are badly outdated for OpenBSD. However as we speak the MAJOR effort is under way to bring those ports to the latest releases. Just look the versions in current.
I absolutely have no experience with audio/Aqualung. Please let me know when you test it.
I found shell-fm which is the shell client for British Last.fm radio. It is FANTASTIC. I am speechless how good are both
the client and Last.fm station.
xmms has fm plugin. It didn't work for me.
There is also something called /net/flvstreamer for streaming media content. The problem with that is that you have to supply rtmp url which means you have to see the source code of the web-site.
It looks like /multimedia/get_iplayer should help but I have not played enough with it.
I am all ears and eyes to see posts on this thread.
Thank you,
Last edited by Oko; 25th August 2009 at 01:07 AM.
You can play this stream with mplayer.. vlc.. or even ffmpeg, it is MP3 encoded.
This file is a text play list, copy the link from within it into any program and.. wait.
is far better. You do have to register for free account however.
BSDfan666 could you check if you can play the following link?
The RAM file contains
How do you play that crap?
Last edited by Oko; 25th August 2009 at 03:43 AM.
This is how you can even record the file
mplayer -noframedrop -dumpfile out.rm -dumpstream rtsp://url/to/file.rm
mplayer -rtsp-stream-over-tcp rtsp://url/to/file.rm
Last edited by Oko; 25th August 2009 at 03:44 AM.
I am able to play http://live365.com streams with mplayer. My problem was that firefox didn't offer to save a play.pls file.
After creating an live365 account, you can configure not to use the default Flash player.
Now firefox offered to save a play.pls file.
My first stage was to copy the url from the play.pls file and feed it to mplayer
$ mplayer 'http://www.live365.com/play/304512?auth=d16b3e911d9de95d3b0dedcfff6 4c6f8-1251516247-compaxx&ss=major_j65%3AREH00CtMQNt4L5F&tag= live365&token=660e15ffc46c9233b349666b0788788c-2419280080601 251&sid=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx-1251418953547076&lid =nh-nld&from=pls'
After reading the mplayer manual I found you can pass it the name of a playlist file. So it is as simple as
$ mplayer -playlist Desktop/play.pls
MPlayer 1.0rc2-3.3.5 (C) 2000-2007 MPlayer Team CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.00GHz (Family: 15, Model: 2, Stepping: 4) CPUflags: MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1 Compiled with runtime CPU detection. Playing http://www.live365.com/play/191432?auth=a29fa8004035f62b6793f59de4a33b71 -1251521875-joerockusa&ss=major_j65%3AREH00CtMQNt4L5F&tag=live365&token =bdfa0d1bd6f35d927ee9249ebcd96abd-5720280080701251&sid=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -1251418953547076&lid=nh-nld&from=pls. Resolving www.live365.com for AF_INET6... Couldn't resolve name for AF_INET6: www.live365.com Resolving www.live365.com for AF_INET... Connecting to server www.live365.com[188.8.131.52]: 80... Resolving 22.214.171.124 for AF_INET6... Couldn't resolve name for AF_INET6: 220.127.116.11 Connecting to server 126.96.36.199[184.108.40.206]: 80... Cache size set to 320 KBytes Cache fill: 15.00% (49152 bytes) Audio file file format detected. ========================================================================== Opening audio decoder: [mp3lib] MPEG layer-2, layer-3 AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 128.0 kbit/9.07% (ratio: 16000->176400) Selected audio codec: [mp3] afm: mp3lib (mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3) ========================================================================== AO: [sndio] 44100Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample) Video: no video Starting playback... Blocktype == 0 and window-switching == 1 not allowed. A:2351.8 (39:11.8) of 0.0 (unknown) 0.9% 35%
The stream is over TCP as shown by netstat
$ netstat -an -f inet Active Internet connections (including servers) Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address (state) tcp 15560 0 192.168.222.244.33004 220.127.116.11.80 ESTABLISHED tcp 0 0 *.6000 *.* LISTEN tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1.587 *.* LISTEN tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1.25 *.* LISTEN tcp 0 0 *.22 *.* LISTEN tcp 0 0 *.37 *.* LISTEN tcp 0 0 *.13 *.* LISTEN tcp 0 0 *.113 *.* LISTEN Active Internet connections (including servers) Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address (state) udp 0 0 192.168.222.244.19487 22.214.171.124.123 udp 0 0 192.168.222.244.1923 22.214.171.124.123 udp 0 0 192.168.222.244.33484 184.108.40.206.123 udp 0 0 192.168.222.244.37586 18.104.22.168.123 udp 0 0 192.168.222.244.19194 188.8.131.52.123 udp 0 0 127.0.0.1.512 *.* udp 0 0 *.514 *.*
You don't need to be a genius to debug a pf.conf firewall ruleset, you just need the guts to run tcpdump
Last edited by J65nko; 28th August 2009 at 11:49 PM. Reason: netstat output added
Great info. Thanks guys.
|audio stream, live365.com, mplayer, radio, rtsp
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Linear Mode
|Similar Threads
|Thread Starter
|Last Post
|Playing a CD.
|FreeBSD General
|22nd July 2009 07:24 PM
|Internet Access Problem OpenBSD 4.3
|OpenBSD General
|19th September 2008 06:00 PM
|OSS , playing a sound via command line..
|FreeBSD General
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|30th May 2008 02:46 PM


text:
How To Make Sun Prints
Sun prints are an art project that I vividly remember making as a young girl and being fascinated with - especially all the different types of silhouettes I could create. It became an engaging challenge scavenging around my house and yard for anything I could imagine would make a cool shadow-version of itself on the sun-sensitive paper I'd received as a gift. I used up my entire package in a week!
Luckily, the same company I had devoured a packet of papers from back in the 80's is still producing and recently purchasing another packet became the perfect fall art project for our toddler and preschool friend. What better way to celebrate autumn and the falling leaves than gathering a few around the yard to create an art project worthy of framing.
You only need to purchase one supply for this art project and that's the sun-sensitive paper. The type of paper I used is called, NaturePrint Paper, and a 40-sheet package is only $9. If you don't already have some tacked up on a nearby cork-board, some pushpins are also handy.
• 5x7 sun-sensitive paper (other sizes available from different brands)
• thumbtacks or pushpins of any kind
• leaves, berries, branches, etc.
• (optional) found items around the house, ex. comb, sea-shell, feather, small toys, etc.
• large/flat bowl to hold your water wash in for "fixing the image"
• a flat surface to place your paper upon and to secure your paper to with pushpins (make sure it's something you don't mind putting small holes into). We used an outside wooden picnic table, but you could also use a stiff piece of cardboard, a small bulletin cork-board, or even a wooden kitchen cutting board.
• Timer (kitchen, watch, phone, etc.)
Making the sun prints is very simple and can be accomplished by a child as young as two, but with close supervision. Children older than four can probably do all of the steps themselves. The hardest part is waiting the recommended amount of time to "develop" your print by sunlight and not peeking under a leaf to see if it has left a shadow impression yet!
1. Start by laying out all your materials, including your pushpins and the foliage/found objects you have gathered. Prepare your bowl with enough water to cover the surface of the paper when laid flat. (I used a shallow bowl, so I only needed about 1.5" of water).
2. Carefully and quickly remove a single piece of sun-sensitive paper and tack it down to your flat surface with the pushpins. (Note: the adult may want to be in charge of this step since the paper packet as a whole is sensitive to light and you only want to expose one piece of paper at a time).
3. Lay the items you have gathered for silhouettes onto your paper. Also do this quickly so that you don't lose time resulting in over-exposed paper.
4. After everything is in place, wait the recommended time, per the manufacturer's recommendation. (Our directions indicated 90 secs, but I found through trial and error that 2 minutes produced a more contrasting print for us).
5. Once your timer goes off, lift found objects off paper and take off pushpins. Submerge in your water bath for X amount of time, per the manufacturer's recommendation. Hang or lay flat to dry.
Besides hanging on your family's art wall or fridge, you could also easily frame the 5x7 sheets in an 8x10 frame and give as a gift to grandparents and such. If you use larger papers, you could also use as gift wrap or cut into several pieces and adhere to card stock to make cards or gift-tags.
You will be amazed at how lovely the prints turn out, even the ones done by the littlest kiddos!
(Images: Jena Murray)


text:
Country Verifying Certificate Authority - electronic Identity
This website contains information about the root certificate authority CVCA-eID operated by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
The CVCA-eID represents the national trust anchor of the authorization PKI, that grants access to the identity function of electronic ID cards, by endowing the Document Verifier (DV) at the next hierarchical level with the necessary access rights.
The certificates used in the eID-CVCA PKI are self-descriptive Card Verifiable Certificates (CV-certificates) compliant with the ISO Standard 7816 (ISO/IEC 7816-4:2005, ISO/IEC 7816-6:2004, ISO/IEC 7816-8:2004).
Information for Document Verifier
The BSI offers a test certification to organizations that wish to act as a Document Verifier within the CVCA-eID PKI. This offer should be used to test the DV's internal processes, as well as the automated communication with the CVCA-eID.
The tests take place in a separated test infrastructure, which is very similar to the live system. Digitial keys generated or used in the test-system shall not be used in the live-system and vice versa.
A test certification can be applied for by sending a certificate request to the following email address: email@example.com.
You can also encrypt your messages to the specified email address: S/MIME certificate for email@example.com.
Additionally, the request must contain:
- Name of organization
- Contact person(s)
- Contact information
Certificate Policy
The certificate policy of the CVCA-eID (CVCA-eID CP) describes the conditions under which the authorization certificates in the eID-CVCA PKI are issued.
In general, organizational and technical requirements for the recognition, issue, management, usage and the renewal of certificates for the access to the eID feature of electronic ID cards are defined in the certificate policy.
Download of the Certificate Policy for the eID application of German official documents CP CVCA-eID Version 2.2, 24.10.2017 (PDF, 2MB, File is accessible) (in German)
Key Lifecycle Security Requirements Version 1.0.2 (PDF, 371KB, File is accessible)


text:
Get a website
Budget €250-750 EUR
18 freelancers are bidding on average €563 for this job
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text: Every thought provoking issue of Art+Auction takes you deep inside the world of art. The movers. The shakers. The deal makers. The established names. The young upstarts. The auction houses. The rare finds. The leading galleries both at home and around the globe. You'll get it all – and more – each and every month.


text:
|Princeton, N.J.
|High School:
|The Lawrenceville School
|Middle Distance
|Global affairs
|Residential College:
|Ezra Stiles
Yale PRs
800m 1:52.89
1000m 2:27.82
1500m 3:48.12
Mile 4:05.43
3000m 8:11.35
5000m 14:17.84
XC 8k 24:53.6
XC 10k 33:01.1
2012-2013: Elected captain of the Yale men's track and field team...Finished in Yale's top seven five times in cross country...Fifth on the team against Harvard and at the Paul Short Invitational...Fourth on the team at Fordham and at XC Heps...Placed third in the mile against Dartmouth and Columbia...Set his PRs in the mile and 1,000-meters at the Terrier Classic...Ran the sixth-fastest PR in Yale history with a first-place finish in the 3,000-meters at the Giegengack Invitational...Competed in the DMR and 3,000-meters at indoor Heps...Set sixth-fastest PR in Yale history in 5,000-meters at Raleigh Relays...Placed first in the 5,000-meters against Oxford and Cambridge...Competed at the Penn Relays and outdoor Heps.
2011-2012: Breakout season in which he stepped up to some longer distances…Second in mile at Yale Season Opener and at Dartmouth-Yale-Columbia; fourth at HYP…Ran his PR in the 3000-meter run at the BU Terrier Classic, placing 14th…Fourth at indoor Heps in the 3000-meter run…Indoor IC4A qualifier in the 3000-meter and mile runs…Seventh-best 3000-meter time in Yale history…Second-best 1500-meter time on the team, run at the Larry Ellis Invitational…Won the 1500-meter run at the UConn Invitational…Outdoor IC4A qualifier in the 1500-meter run.
2010-2011: Ended outdoor season with PR in 1500m at Springtime Invitational, placing fifth … Placed eighth in 1500m at Larry Ellis Invitational … Competed in the 4x800m relay at indoor Heps and IC4As.
2009-2010: Competed in the 4x800m relay at outdoor Heps … Indoors, ran on 4x800m relay at indoor IC4As ending with a season best.
High School: Competed at both indoor and outdoor as a member of the Lawrenceville 4x800m Relays teams.
Personal: Ezra Stiles College … Global Affairs major.


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Every day about 500 agricultural workers suffer lost-time injuries, and 25 of them result in permanent impairment, according to the National Agriculture Statistics Service.
Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries, with an increased risk of both fatal and non-fatal injuries. And it's one of the most hazardous jobs for youth.
Last month the U. S. Department of Labor announced proposed rules that would help ensure the safety of youth on farms. But, the devil is in the details, as farm advocates claim the proposals are far too restrictive.
The DOL says its proposed rules would "strengthen the safety requirements for young workers employed in agriculture and related fields." The revisions, the first since 1970, would impact the Fair Labor Standards Act that currently bars young workers from certain tasks, and are intended to bring restrictions on young agricultural workers more in line with those that already exist for young people working in other industries.
The DOL published the Proposed Rules on September 2, and the comment period ends November 1.
In a prepared statement, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said, "Children employed in agriculture are some of the most vulnerable workers in America. Ensuring their welfare is a priority of the department, and this proposal is another element of our comprehensive approach."
Specifically, the new rules would prohibit farm workers under age 16 from participating in the cultivation, harvesting and curing of tobacco. And it would prohibit youth in both agricultural and non-agricultural employment from using electronic, including communication, devices while operating power-driven equipment.
There is also a new non-agricultural hazardous occupations order proposed that would prevent minors under 18 from being employed in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials. Prohibited places of employment would include country grain elevators, grain bins, silos, feedlots, stockyards, livestock exchanges and livestock auctions.
The proposal also would prohibit farm workers under 16 from operating almost all power-driven equipment. A limited exemption would allow some student learners to operate certain farm implements and tractors, when equipped with proper rollover protection and seat belts, under specified conditions.
At first glance the rules seem to be an effort to reduce youth accidents. But many in agriculture say the proposed rules are another example of over-reach by the federal government.
"Here's what the government thinks is common sense," says Craig Anderson, Agriculture Labor and Safety Services division manager at the Michigan Farm Bureau. "Eliminate work to protect workers. If you don't work, you can't be hurt on the job. Who can argue with that?"
According to Anderson, who was quoted in Michigan Farm News, after examining the DOL's proposed rules he found a lot for farmers not to like.
"If you thought the new non-agriculture rules prohibiting virtually all employment of youth under 16 were overzealous, the details in this document are downright oppressive," Anderson says. "The DOL assumes that youth under age 16 lack the 'cognitive ability" to herd animals on horseback, use battery-powered drills, put hay bales on a bale elevator or use any equipment except if powered by hand or foot."
He believes the new rules would further hurt the structure of family farms in America.
"In agriculture it is common for farms to be operated by two, three or even five generations of family members," Anderson said. "The grandparents own the land, their children are buying into the farm and may have some land on their own, and the grandchildren are working to understand what it takes to be a farmer. If the parents and grandparents operate the farm, the grandchildren under 16 would be prohibited from working on the operation."
"Don't let the spin fool you," Anderson says. "They'll say there's nothing for farm families to worry about because there is an exemption for children working on their parents' farm. The DOL proposal says it will maintain the family exemption, but later limits the exemption for any business or multi-generation farm."
Of particular interest to livestock operations are the restrictions for animal handling. The document would seem to eliminate working with 4-H and FFA animals, or proper care and well-being of animals. DOL says youth would be "prohibited from engaging, or assisting in…treating sick or injured animals."
Youth also would not be allowed, under the proposal, to cut and separate cattle from a herd if riding a horse. "No youth development data exists to suggest youth younger than 16 years have the cognitive ability to handle this responsibility," the proposal suggests.
Such restrictions and inconsistencies are why Anderson and other Michigan Farm Bureau officials are pleading with farmers to submit comments to the DOL before the Nov. 1 comment period expires. Submit comments here.


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I just installed the debian version of 6.1.8740, and I enabled the signup service to test it out. When I tried adding a user, it says Sorry wrong Captcha. Please try again. Well there is no captcha displayed. Is this a known bug or did i miss a setting somewhere?
EDIT: this has to be a bug. It shows in IE 11 but not firefox (v49), nor Chrome (v54)
EDIT2: is there a way to disable captcha? I don't really need it


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25 March 2014
'Haiku Prelude – Haiku Kami 2014', 7 – 12 April 2014 in London
Project Haiku Prelude – Haiku Kami is dedicated to the victims of the Great Eastern Tohoku Earthquake at 11th March 2011. It consists series of paintings inspired by haiku. The project's publication, proceeds from which are donated annually to Momo – Kaki Orphans Fund, is chaired by Tadao Ando (www.momokaki.org). It is the first publication of its kind and as such it has received support and encouragement from all the living authors, whose haiku is included in the project as well as institutions and organisations.Read on


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Researchers from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago say older people are more likely to believe in god. They assert this to be true unilaterally throughout the world. Per the article:
Across the world, people have varying levels of belief (and disbelief) in God, with some nations being more devout than others. But new research reveals one constant across parts of the globe: As people age, their belief in God seems to increase. The new study is based on data collected as part of the General Social Survey by researchers at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.... "This suggests that belief in God is especially likely to increase among the oldest groups, perhaps in response to the increasing anticipation of mortality."...."Belief in God has decreased in most countries, but the declines are quite modest, especially when calculated on a per annum basis," the researchers write in their April 18 report of the survey....."If the modest, general trend away from belief in God continues uninterrupted, it will accumulate to larger proportions and the atheism that is now prominent mainly in northwest Europe and some ex-Socialist states may spread more widely," they write, adding that it is possible the trend could go the other way, with belief in God seeing a rebound.
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I think there is both beauty and ugliness in both. I think nature has an ugly part because it can be so ruthlessly unfair to good natured things.
Love your thoughts Joan. I thought of my Dad when you said "We sit with one another when one of us goes through the process of dying and we celebrate their lives, even as they return to the earth."
My dad died 3 years ago. Several of us children spoke at his funeral. The others talked quite a bit about him being with God and seeing him again. He was my hero and I miss him, but even though I know I'll never see him again, he's in my memory. In my talk, I think I celebrated his life by talking about my remembrances of him: What he taught me, the good influence he was in my life, and the life of all that knew him.
I'm thinking that I should talk more to people about what a wonderful human being he was, to keep his example alive.
Last night I watched the movie "All of Me" (Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin). Steve hired a band to walk behind the casket playing upbeat music, an idea I'm in favor of. If I have any influence in a funeral again, I'm going to try to include upbeat, joyful music to further celebrate the life of the person.
He's in my memory." . . .
Yes, that is how it is with all of us.
However, when we die those memories disappear.
This is why I am writing a huge autobiography in order that my children and their descendants will know of my memories, of those of my ascendants, for otherwise they will be lost too.
I like the idea of writing a huge autobiography. I've written a very small amount of my memories of dad, and some of my autobiography. I plan on writing more.
Indeed, yes.
And don't I wish that my dad had written his autobiography---and Mum hers too.
The best that I can do is record everything that I can remember about them and especially of my years at home with them---which lasted until I left for University.
Another thing worth doing is having one's DNA tested and explained. I got this done for me and my wife. And then at least research the basics of genealogy by interviewing one's parents deeply before they die. I did this with my mother, but I thought of it too late for my dad.
Yes, those old stories die with one's death. I'm the family historian but I write the dates and facts. My cousin, Paula, writes the stories and yield far more value to those who read them.
Thank you Idaho Spud. I like your idea of remembering and celebrating with joyful music. What kind of music do you think you may choose? I love the rhythm and joy of "When the Saints ..." but the lyrics don't fit my experience. I wonder what I would choose?
I have chosen two pieces of music to be played at my funeral---which will take place as a burial in a natural environment woodland setting.
This is one of them: "May the long time sun shine upon you".
I'd like to know what choice of music others might have in mind for themselves.
This is lovely. The image of a natural woodland evokes such peace.
Yes Joan. So peaceful. A natural woodland just may be my favorite place.
I have already made arrangements to have my body donated to science when I die so I don't expect to have a funeral per se. I can still think about what song I would like to celebrate my life. Ideally, it would convey a combination of courage, humility and fun. I'm not so sure a song like that has been written yet. I think I would need three different songs to convey these feelings completely.
I've been an organ donor for a long time, but never thought of donating my body to science. Sounds like a good idea. If I die at 90, I would guess my organs wouldn't be any use for transplanting anymore, but the body could still be used as education, training & such.
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Memphis-based PLC International Inc. has filed a $1.4 million loan through BrightBridge Inc. on the 67,538-square-foot strip center at 1150 N. Germantown Parkway (also known as 1140 Cordova Road) in Cordova.
The company, which owns the Winchester Farmer's Market at the corner of Winchester Road and Kirby Parkway, bought the former Schnucks supermarket at the end of last year and converted the building into a similar concept, the Cordova Farmer's Market.
The new store and Winchester Farmer's Market, which operates out of a former Seessel's supermarket, specialize in international food as well as produce.
Built in 1999, the Class A supermarket is in a shopping center on 6.24 acres at the southwest corner of Cordova Road and Country Village Drive. The Shelby County Assessor of Property's 2012 appraisal of the property is $4.5 million.
James Heesung Lee signed the trust deed as president of PLC International.
Schnuck Markets Inc. closed the Cordova supermarket in August 2010, citing stiff competition from five competitors within a two-mile radius, including two supercenters: a Walmart Supercenter and a SuperTarget.
Schnucks exited the Memphis market in September 2011, selling nine of its stores to The Kroger Co. Kroger reopened eight of the stores under its flagship name and chose to close the ninth store.
Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports
– Daily News staff
Tennessee Shakespeare Co. is presenting "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" inside Dixon Gallery & Garden's Winegardner Auditorium next month.
Adapted by Joe Landry from the beloved Frank Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart, the film comes to life in this play, which will be performed Dec. 6 through Dec. 16.
Directed by TSC's Stephanie Shine, the production is sponsored by FedEx Corp. Memphis' public radio station WKNO-FM 91.1 will broadcast the Dec. 6 performance live for listeners.
All performances begin at 7 p.m. except for Sunday shows, which begin at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 day of show. Tickets for the Dec. 6 preview performance/WKNO Live Broadcast are $15 regardless of when bought.
Tickets are on sale Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at TSC's office at 2260 West St. in Germantown or by calling 759-0604 or by going to www.tnshakespeare.org.
– Andy Meek
Taylor Berger, principal in YoLo Frozen Yogurt & Gelato, recently bought Memphis Contract Furniture, a designer and manufacturer of custom furniture for the hospitality industry, for $190,000.
The purchase included the business, started by Warren Williams more than 30 years ago, as well as the real property, a 25,000-square-foot warehouse at 910 Thompson in West Memphis.
Williams sold Memphis Contract Furniture to prepare for retirement. He met Berger a few years back when Memphis Contract Furniture provided banquette seating and tables to YoLo.
Berger partnered with Stephen McIntosh, an executive at International Paper, in the purchase. They brought on two employees to run the business: Corey Nelson to manage plant operations and Rob Elder to oversee sales and marketing.
The team has rolled out a new website, memphiscontractfurniture.com, showcasing its custom booths, banquettes, tables and chairs. Memphis Contract Furniture plans to broaden its product line to include higher-end items such as bars, cabinetry and showcase furniture made of reclaimed wood.
Memphis Contract Furniture hopes to expand its operation across the river soon. Berger has also discussed the possibility of Memphis Contract Furniture leasing space in the renovated Sears Crosstown development with Todd Richardson of Crosstown Arts.
Over the next two years, Memphis Contract Furniture will hire up to 10 employees. The company anticipates its customer base to eventually include hotels, casinos, universities and retirement homes.
– Sarah Baker
Gov. Bill Haslam has declared November pancreatic cancer awareness month in Tennessee.
The Republican governor made the announcement at a ceremony in Nashville on Monday, Nov. 19. Among those joining the governor was Democratic Rep. Lois DeBerry of Memphis, a pancreatic cancer survivor and the first female speaker pro tempore in the House.
According to the National Cancer Institute, there were about 44,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer in the U.S. this year and more than 37,000 deaths.
Among those killed by the disease was Apple founder Steve Jobs and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Adolpho A. Birch, who DeBerry said encouraged her before he died even though he was ailing.
– The Associated Press
U.S. builders started construction last month on the most homes and apartments since July 2008, more evidence that the housing recovery is gaining momentum.
The Commerce Department said Tuesday that builders broke ground on homes in October at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 894,000. That's a 3.6 percent gain from September.
Single-family home construction dipped 0.2 percent to an annual rate of 594,000, down from a four-year high in the previous month. Apartment construction, which is more volatile from month to month, rose 10 percent to an annual rate of 285,000.
Applications for building permits, a sign of future construction, fell 2.7 percent to 866,000, after jumping 12 percent in September to a four-year high. Still, permit applications to build single-family homes rose to their highest level since July 2008.
Housing starts are 87 percent above the annual rate of 478,000 in April 2009, the recession low. That's still short of the 1.5 million annual rate considered healthy.
The housing market has been making consistent gains this year, helping prop up an economy that's being squeezed by a global slowdown and looming spending cuts and tax increases.
Builder confidence rose to its highest level in six and a half years, according to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo. Their index of builder sentiment rose to 46 this month, up from 41 in October. It was the highest reading since May 2006, just before the housing bubble burst.
Readings below 50 signal negative sentiment about the housing market. The index has been rising since October 2011, when it was 17.
Nashville-based Kirkland's lost money in its fiscal third quarter as sales weakened a bit. The home decor company also said Tuesday that President and CEO Robert Alderson is taking a temporary medical leave of absence.
For the period ended Oct. 27, Kirkland's Inc. lost $416,000, or 2 cents per share. That compares with a profit of $1.2 million, or 6 cents per share, a year earlier. Analysts predicted a bigger loss of 5 cents per share, according to a FactSet poll.
Revenue edged down slightly to $96.7 million from $97.1 million. Wall Street forecast revenue of $98.2 million.
Revenue at stores open at least a year dropped 4.7 percent. The results include online sales. This figure is a key indicator of a retailer's health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.
For the fourth quarter, Kirkland's anticipates earnings of 71 cents to 76 cents per share. Revenue is expected in a range of $160 million to $163 million.
The company said Tuesday that it foresees fiscal 2012 earnings of 67 cents to 72 cents per share on revenue between $$445.5 million and $448.5 million.
Analysts expect fourth-quarter earnings of 83 cents per share on revenue of $165.3 million and full-year earnings of 76 cents per share on revenue of $452.3 million.
Kirkland's also announced that Alderson's temporary medical leave will begin on Monday. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mike Madden will serve as acting president and CEO.
Kirkland's currently runs 313 stores in 33 states.
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by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks advanced Tuesday, propelling the Dow Jones Industrial Average to its highest close since late 2007, after a report indicated U.S. manufacturing expanded in April, offsetting concern about the economic recovery.
"It certainly suggests that things may not be rolling over as badly as one might have thought; the bears need to take that seriously," Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank, said of the manufacturing gauge from the Institute for Supply Management.
The group's manufacturing index rose to 54.8% last month from 53.4% in March. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast the index would fall to 53.3%. Read more about ISM manufacturing data.
After climbing as much as 125 points, the Dow industrials DJIA, +0.59% finished at 13,279.32, up 65.69 points, or 0.5%. The finish marked its highest close since December 2007.
The S&P 500 SPX, +0.22% climbed 7.91 points, or 0.6%, to 1,405.82, with energy the strongest performer of its 10 industry sectors.
Sears Holding Corp. SHLD, +1.06% rallied 14% after the retailer said it expects to report a first-quarter operating profit later this month.
The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.15% rose 4.08 points, or 0.1%, to 3,050.44.
For every stock falling nearly two gained on the New York Stock Exchange, where 771 million shares traded; composite volume neared 3.8 billion.
"There is relief that the [ISM] number didn't show a decline, which would be further evidence the economy is slowing," said Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott.
Luschini also found reason for cheer in the data's underlying components, with the ISM's new-orders measure rising to 58.2% from 54.5%, and its employment gauge advancing to 57.3% from 56.1% in March.
"All fall into the mixer of steady if unspectacular activity across the manufacturing sector, which is good, but still only 12% of our economy," he said.
Tuesday's gains came after the S&P 500 pulled the plug on a four-month rally in April.
Providing critical information for the U.S. trading day. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Need to Know newsletter. Sign up here.


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UTEP reaches Atlantis semis, tops Tennessee 78-70
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Tim Floyd was getting plenty of attention before the Battle 4 Atlantis even started, for all the wrong reasons.
A good win certainly put him in a more cheery mood.
McKenzie Moore led a balanced attack with 19 points and UTEP moved into tournament semifinals with a 78-70 win over Tennessee on Thursday night, the victory coming one night after Floyd and Southern California coach Andy Enfield were involved in a verbal altercation at a pre-tourney reception.
"We played like our last game, our loss to New Mexico State, bothered us," Floyd said. "And it should have bothered us."
That clearly wasn't the only thing bothering the Miners this week.
Floyd and Enfield were among those exchanging some heated words Wednesday, as months of back-and-forth between the programs came to a head. Floyd called Enfield in April because he thought USC was tampering with a UTEP signee who wound up signing with UCLA. And in recent days, Enfield had some harsh comments about Floyd, telling Men's Journal that the UTEP coach "shows up every day at work and realizes he lives in El Paso, Texas. And he's (angry) that he didn't get the USC job."
Floyd is a former USC coach. Enfield said he was reaching out to apologize to Floyd on Wednesday night, when the mood immediately soured.
"I don't see reason to talk," Floyd said Thursday night. "It's over with. It's over with, that's for sure. That's for sure. ... I damn sure didn't appreciate the comments he made last week, publicly about El Paso, Texas."
Floyd has deep, long-standing family ties to El Paso, and said if Enfield wanted to apologize he should have called weeks earlier.
His team had little to apologize to Floyd about, however.
John Bohannon scored 16, while Julian Washburn and Justin Crosgile each had 12 for the Miners, who had shot 41 percent in their last two games but came out sizzling against the Volunteers.
UTEP (4-2) plays No. 23 Iowa on Friday night for a berth in the title game. Tennessee (3-2) faces Xavier in the consolation round.
"Tennessee was a Top 25 team starting the season and we just came off a tough loss to New Mexico State so we needed this win," Washburn said. "I'm glad we got it."
Jordan McRae scored 22 points for the Volunteers, who will be facing Xavier for the second time in 2½ weeks. Xavier beat Tennessee 67-63 on Nov. 12, and the teams even shared the same charter flight from the U.S. to the Bahamas earlier this week.
Jarnell Stokes finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds for Tennessee, which got 13 points from Josh Richardson.
"Tough loss. Give UTEP credit," Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said. "They played well. They competed from start to finish."
Tennessee had its share of chances. Midway through the second half, the Vols were shooting 14 for 43 from the field, a putrid 11 for 22 from the foul line — and were only down 52-42, easily within striking distance.
They just couldn't get anything going, looking nothing like the team that averaged 87 points in its two most recent games before arriving in the Bahamas.
That is, until six quick points got a 15-point UTEP lead back into single digits, with a dunk by McRae cutting the Miners' edge to 60-51. Tennessee was within six after a pair of free throws by McRae with 2:35 left, and the Vols almost forced a turnover with their press on the next possession.
Key word: Almost.
After the Miners barely beat the 10-second clock to get the ball past midcourt, Crosgile hit a 3-pointer to restore the nine-point lead.
"Didn't rebound it great, didn't make free throws down the stretch," Floyd said. "But we survived."
UTEP went on a 16-5 run late in the first half, turning a 21-20 deficit into a 36-26 lead after a pair of jumpers by Bohannon ended the quick spurt that gave the Miners a cushion.
More than anything, it was the Miners' defense that was proving most critical. UTEP was outrebounded 27-15 in the opening 20 minutes (15-3 on the offensive glass alone), took only four free throws to Tennessee's 16, but the key was that the Miners were just opportunistic. Tennessee had seven turnovers in the first half, hardly that bad a number — but UTEP turned those miscues into 11 points.
If losing wasn't tough enough for Tennessee, the turnaround from Thursday to Friday might also be difficult. The Vols' game with UTEP ended at 12:16 a.m.; their game with Xavier is a 1 p.m. start.
"I just know we've got to be ready to play," Richardson said.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 10, 2008) - The ETSU men's soccer team dropped another close game Friday night falling to Lipscomb on a late goal at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex in Nashville, Tenn., 2-1.
The Bisons took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute as Garret Pettis netted a pass from Andrew Chamberlain. Lipscomb continued to put pressure on ETSU, but the Bucs were able to get on the board in the 37th minute as Kyle Franklin (
In the second half, both teams played back and forth until the 84th minute as Lipscomb was awarded a penalty kick after an ETSU foul. Miguel DeSilva took the penalty kick for Lipscomb, beating the Buccaneer keeper to put the Bisons on top 2-1. ETSU had a couple chances to tie the game in the final minutes, but the Lipscomb defense played tough denying an equalizing goal.
The Bucs (4-6, 0-3 A-Sun) were outshot by Lipscomb 25-11. James Holt (
The Bucs are back in action Sunday at 3 p.m. against conference opponent Belmont. Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on ETSU men's soccer or any other Buccaneer athletic team.


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This is the first module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Activities are self-directed by students or student teams using online videos and data from the SDO satellite to explore, research and build knowledge about... (View More) features of the Sun. Students build vocabulary, apply or demonstrate learning through real world connections, and creating resources to use in their investigations. Each activity comes with both a teacher and student guide with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos and internet resources. Activity 1A: Structure of the Earth's Star takes students through the features and function of the Sun's structures using online videos, completing a "Sun Primer" data sheet using information from the videos, and creating a 3D origami model of the Sun. Students use a KWL chart to track what they have learned. Activity 1B: Observing the Sun has students capture real solar images from SDO data to find and record sunspots and track their movement across the surface of the Sun. Activity 1C has students create a pin-hole camera to use in calculating the actual diameter of the Sun, and then calculate scales to create a Earth-Sun scale model. Students reflect on their learning and results at the end of the module. An internet connection and access to computers are needed to complete this module. See related and supplementary resources for link to full curriculum. The appendix includes an alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). (View Less)
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In this assessment activity, students generate a data sample from either the Hubble Deep Field-North or Hubble Deep Field-South images, and compare the sample to data from the unselected field. This provides students with a real-life example of how... (View More) statistics can be used by scientists. After completing this activity students will be able to compare sample data with the population parameter to determine accuracy of sampling techniques and use statistical data to make conjectures about the universe. This interactive online activity is part of the online exploration "Galaxy Hunter". Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title pages of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. (View Less)


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Kristen Stewart: Soho House Party at TIFF!
Kristen Stewart ducks inside a party at the Soho House during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night (September 8) in Toronto, Canada.
The 22-year-old actress is currently in town to promote her film On The Road, which premiered earlier this week at the festival.
"Professionally, from an actor's standpoint, you do what you have to do. I think it's about feeling safe with who you're with and that you're both there for the right reasons," Kristen told USA Today about doing passionate love scenes in the film with her co-star Garrett Hedlund.
On The Road will be released in the US on December 21.
FYI: Kristen is wearing Barbara Bui high-top sneakers.