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We discovered this omelette dish about a year ago and make it once every few weeks. It's quick to pull together and I always work to have the ingredients on hand for an easy meal. We often eat it for dinner on an especially chaotic night because by the time we're ready to sit down to eat, it's cooled to the perfect temperature. Nigella suggests this as a great item for a picnic lunch though as the warmest you want to eat it is room temperature and it's easy to transport.
What I love about it though is the combination of colours and flavours. Simple ingredients highlighted together in an equally simple dish. The sweetness of the peppers, the sharpness of the cheese, the texture of the soft potatoes with vibrant colour of the bright green onions.
Spanish Omelette
Serves 4
- 12-15 baby new potatoes, halved and boiled until cooked through
- 5 eggs
- 3/4 of a jar of flame roasted peppers, roughly chopped
- 3 green onions, finely sliced
- 3/4 cup old cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 tsp butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- Heat an oven-safe, heavy-based frying pan on medium heat
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs, add the peppers, green onions and cheese and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked, drained potatoes
- Heat the butter in frying pan and, when hot, pour in the omelette mix and cook gently for five minutes
- By this time, the bottom of the omelette should be set and, rather than turn it, simply sit the pan under the grill for a few minutes to set the top. It should be a little wobbly in the middle still but it will continue to cook as it cools
- Once cool, slice into wedges and serve at room temperature

subset: commoncrawl


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By Any Other Name!
Revolution, civil war, proxy war — they are all terms that denote transformation, heaven knows we needed it. The challenge ahead of us now is to remain vigilant and to keep learning, not just fighting. For whatever the immediate outcome of all these goings-on might be, it will not mark the end of the road, but a solitary milestone telling us what we still need to do to get where we want.
Today's Death Toll: 170 (including 14 children and 10 women)
74 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (20 of them in Douma), 26 martyrs in Idlib (7 of them in Qmeinas), 21 martyrs in Aleppo, 16 martyrs in Daraa, 12 martyrs in Homs, 10 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 7 martyrs in Hama and 6 martyrs in Raqqa.
Points of Random Shelling: 303
21 points were shelled by warplane, 5 points by barrel bombs, 3 points by Thermobaric bombs and 2 points by Cluster bombs. The mortar shelling was reported in 115 points, the artillery shelling in 126 points and the missile shelling in 30 points (LCCs).
Clashes: FSA rebels clashed with the regime forces in 143 locations and downed 4 warplanes today: 2 fighter jets in Aleppo Suburbs, 1 MiG in Deir Ezzor and 1 Helicopter in Taftanaz. The FSA gained control of 70% of Taftanaz Military Airport and killed the leader of the airport and the leader of communications. In Jabal Al-Zawiya, FSA rebels liberated Baidar checkpoint in the town of Rami and captured all the vehicles and ammunitions, they also gained control of Madjana Haboush checkpoint. In Zakiya in Damascus Suburbs, the FSA forced the Air Defense Battalion belonging to the regime forces to retreat from Abassiya area completely, and blocked at attempt by the regime forces to storm Dariya from the southern side. In Raqqa the FSA was able to control the Safeeh Oil Field arresting 15 soldiers and 2 officers in the process. FSA rebels also tried but failed to down a warplane that was shelling the area (LCCs).
Special Reports
Where are the demonstrations? The shocking disclosure that Syria's civil war has claimed at least 60,000 lives has brought precious little reaction. To place this in context, President Bashar al-Assad's murderous struggle to keep his stranglehold on power has now killed more people than any of the Arab-Israeli wars. Not one of those conflicts, going back to and including 1948, was remotely as bloody as the conflagration in Syria. The nearest comparison is the Six Day War of 1967, which killed 23,500 Arabs and 1,000 Israelis – barely a third of the death toll in today's Syria.
Those grim assessments by U.N. officials are clearly intended to spur international stakeholders to act more urgently to end the conflict.
Rami Jarrah, a Syrian anti-regime activist now living in Cairo, is launching Syria's first non-state-run news outlet to provide something he sees as sorely missing: objective reporting.
The Benetech report is only a reflection of available data — not a projection, estimate or demographic study. But there is information in the actual dataset itself that points towards a higher — and maybe even much higher — number of dead.
Though the humanitarian stakes are high, the European Union (France at the forefront) and the U.S. have chosen their allies and continue to defend geostrategic and economic interests by pushing for the fall of the Syrian regime. To pursue this objective, the political discourse is idealistic and focuses on the massacres and humanitarian issues while national interests are real, but not mentioned.
However, from a realistic point of view, the conflict can be viewed as a broader struggle between mainly Russia and Western countries which attempt to advance their national interests. For the West these interests are isolating Iran and bolstering the strategic and economic alliance with Arab allies like Qatar, which invests in Europe and offers an alternative to Russian gas.
This is an excellent analysis of why the conflict in Syria metastasized into a proxy war pitting Russia and Iran on one side, and U.S. and Europe on the other. By now, the reality of this development and the factors contributing to it are simply hard to deny.
Some would even like to argue that the entire conflict in Syria, not to mention the entire Arab Spring phenomenon, were indeed instigated as a reflection of an ongoing geopolitical alignment seeking to isolate Iran, support Gulf allies, and secure future natural gas pipelines. The problem with such analysis is that it simply ignores the genuine democratic aspirations involved on part of revolutionaries and the objective factors that paved the way to the revolutions: authoritarianism, corruption, the youth bulge, and the breakdown of the middle class as a result of introduction of neoliberal economic policies coupled with lack social safety nets and lack of economic opportunity. The Arab Spring and the Syrian Revolution are genuine indigenous phenomena which are now being coopted by a combination of external and domestic players with their own particular agendas. In Syria, the situation has indeed (d)evolved into a proxy war pitting Russia and Iran against the United States and Europe, involving the issues highlighted earlier.
Another thing we should bear in mind while reading this article is that the author, Milad Jokar, had previously made a similar argument and reached a conclusion that was a bit too facile in my view.
Earlier this summer, Vali Nasr, former special adviser to the White House and now Dean of the SAIS of Johns Hopkins University explained on Australia Network News that "the rebels are not democrats, they are too fractured. This is an uprising that is becoming increasingly bloody. It is now essentially a sectarian war between a minority Alawite regime and its Christian and Kurdish allies, and the majority Sunnis".
Nasr already argued that the conflict "is no longer about democracy, and a liberal democracy does not emerge in these kinds of circumstances of violence and fratricide."
He compares a possible fall of Assad to the situation of Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2005 where "very quickly al Qaeda began to recruit among Iraqis and then sent Saudis, Egyptians, Syrians to come to Iraq to serve as suicide bombers and take over territories and confront U.S. forces and they became a major muscle within the insurgency".
Today, we can clearly see this picture in Syria and the current situation confirms the words of Nasr, who warned months ago, "the more the control of the Assad regime erodes, the more you are going to have opportunities in which varieties of forms of illegal activities, from drug lords to criminal to mafia types and to al Qaeda, begin to finding the ability to taking over towns, villages and neighborhoods to operate at will because there is not going to be any police or military to push them out."
What is happening in Syria is no longer about a democratic movement against a dictatorship, nor is it simply a civil war between two camps. Syria has become the theater of a proxy war which is spilling over to its neighbors. Consequently, to focus only on the departure of President Bashar al Assad is a strategy doomed to failure because it will not solve the conflict. The crisis is spreading far beyond the person of Bashar al Assad. Demanding the departure of the dictator can only be viewed as an attempt to advance the West's geostrategic and economic interests, namely isolating Iran, securing Western energy supply policies and competing with Russia, and bolstering Arab Gulf allies; what it will not achieve is a lasting ceasefire to stop the bloodshed and a transition to a brighter political future for the Syrian people.
The last paragraph in particular is quite telling: Assad's departure serves the West's interests and is not conducive to a lasting ceasefire or a transition to democracy.
By the same logic, however, we can argue that keeping Assad serves Russia's interests and is equally unhelpful when it comes to achieving a lasting ceasefire, or any ceasefire for that matter, not to mention facilitating transition to democracy. So, the author did not follow his own logic to its own logical conclusion and was unable to say that irrespective of Assad's fate, no lasting ceasefire or a transition towards democracy is likely at this stage, thanks to this ongoing proxy war. As such, what we have to look forward to in the near future is civil strife and state failure. Both Russia and the West might be willing to live with this outcome for a while, albeit, Russia and Iran might be the ones hurt by it the most. The West might end up wiggling out a victory of some sorts in time, at which point we have to hope that the state can still be put back together, a development that cannot logically happen with Assad and his top aides on board. We simply cannot ignore the element of psychopathy involved in their case. But this development cannot happen unless a highly decentralized vision for administering the country is adopted by all parties. It's this decentralized vision that might give minority groups a way to decouple themselves from Assad without fearing for their existence.
Be that as it may, the final outcome relies heavily on the nature of unfolding developments on the ground. Surprises can still happen that could twist things around.
Video Highlights
Many activists on the ground are still confusing incendiary cluster bombs with white phosphorous bombs, I did for a while as well. But experts who reviewed this video among others have confirmed that these are white incendiary cluster bombs, treatment for wounds resulting from such bombs is quite different from those resulting from use of white phosphorous. We have alerted many activists to this, and we hope to mount an awareness raising campaign in this regard as well, not that treatment is readily available. This video was taking in Jobar, Homs City where pro-Assad militias have intensified their attacks on restive neighborhood in order to drive out rebels and take full control of the cityhttp://youtu.be/rWWeO4ewnts Nearby village of Eastern Bouaydah was also pounded with cluster bombs http://youtu.be/SqQ1bb6zFKI
A leaked video shows loyalist militias abusing the dead bodies of rebelshttp://youtu.be/Qa2WuMQTp7c
This video reportage by Al-Arabiya shows how Syrian regime media fabricate lies about the rebels. In this part of this video, we see a girl with her face blurred claiming that she has been kidnapped and raped by rebels in the Damascene suburb of Harasta. In the second part, we see clips smuggled by a defector showing the same girl as she rehearsed her parts, giggling, making mistakes and is being corrected by her handlers http://youtu.be/zlyUTBtRq_8
Scud missiles are now being used more regularly in pounding rebel strongholds. This particular missile was fired from Al-Hisheh military base near Tartous City, the target: the Hama countryside http://youtu.be/C69xUPCcQOg
Shelling leaves many dead in Eastern Ghouta, Damascus Suburbs, especially inDouma http://youtu.be/VcRr-1ofV4c , http://youtu.be/qLUmdfFfabY A martyred child http://youtu.be/7qu2wMQIInY Arbeen http://youtu.be/6ZDv-lAZVNE Putting out a fire http://youtu.be/i6-k2RdoM1s And the pounding continued: Hamouriyehhttp://youtu.be/eu-Jfne3Mdk , http://youtu.be/QtxF15DSjP8 ,http://youtu.be/AUGyf012otk Saqba http://youtu.be/nwg4zlpQLVo
In Idlib, the shelling of the town of Qmeinas left many deadhttp://youtu.be/RBslSnKe7jY
Rebels laying siege to Manag Airport, Aleppo http://youtu.be/fuUyvqGndx0 ,http://youtu.be/8zAh1uJTeIA , http://youtu.be/rWV4quacW-Y
Clashes in Aleppo City http://youtu.be/Yy9F4mmFdZc


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Google's Top 10 Questions Answered
Know how when you go to type something into Google it offers all those helpful suggestions? Here are the top 10 things that come up when people type in "Why is..." And here are the answers. Wonder no more!
Why is the sky blue? This might blow up your pretty little head, but the sky actually isn't blue. The sky is a certain hue that we've given the name "blue." This isn't a question of science, but one of semantics. It doesn't matter how it takes on the color it has, what matters is what we call it. Some color blind people may not see the same shade that you've been looking at, but because they have been perceiving that color their entire lives, they believe that whatever slice of the color wheel they're looking at is also called "blue." To them the sky isn't the blue that you consider blue, but it's the blue that they consider blue. Get it? Actually, the answer to the question is pretty much the same as when you were eight and you asked your mother this in the car on your way to soccer practice. It is blue because we said it is. Now shut up and sit down or I'm going to pull over.
Why is my poop green? The long answer is that it is because you were probably eating certain foods that are either naturally or artificially colored blue or purple. Blueberries will do it if you eat enough. So will grape-flavored Kool-Aid, which any 7-year-old can tell you. The short answer is because you are a disgusting freak of nature. Now stop staring at your turds and go do something productive.
Why is a raven like a writing desk? It's not. Next!
Why is Lil Wayne going to jail? It's because Lil Wayne is a very bad man who did very bad things. He had a loaded gun on a tour bus and he wasn't supposed to have it, oh no he wasn't. And now he's in jail and we are all safe from another marauding rapper with lots of tattoos. But don't worry. He won't be gone long. He'll be back in March 2011 (or November with good behavior). Until then, you can keep in touch with him (or keep track of him) on his blog.
Why is everyone posting colors on Facebook? Because Facebook is a very stupid place, that's why. Facebook is basically all your proverbial friends jumping off a bridge at the same time. You always said that if Joe jumped off a bridge, you wouldn't, but you would. You know you would. So Joe posted some color on his page and said, "Hey everyone, be like me." And they did, and it spread from friend to friend to friend like some sort of electronic contagion until it infested the entire population. It's like memes gone mental, and it is all Joe's fault. Instead of wondering about this, why don't you stop posting colors or your "doppleganger" or some stupid grid of "Little Miss" characters with all your friends tagged in different roles and manage a bit of original and independent thought. Or better yet, move on to Twitter like everyone else.
Why is Haiti so poor? Because you won't write them a check. Now get off your fat, lazy ass and go donate some fucking money. If you can't figure out who to send it to or don't have any checks, just put $40 in an envelope and write "Sean Penn, Hollywood, USA" on it and put it in the mail with a stamp. They will find Sean Penn and he will personally hand-deliver the money for you as you sit at home and shovel Lite Cool Ranch Doritos into your gob while watching The Biggest Loser and fretting about people in other parts of the world not being able to survive.
Why is the world going to end in 2012? It's fucking not, you moron. There was some silly Mayan prediction that the world would end in the world 2012 because the entrails of some sacrificed virgin spilled out of her body in the shape of a 20 and a 12 and they said that meant the world would end or some shit. Who cares because it's not real. You probably believe in Nostradamus, too. And conspiracy theories. And that there's something under your bed. You probably saw 2012 and thought that John Cusack was driving an actual car when the world crashed down around him. No, the world will not end in 2012, but it might be a better place if you weren't in it by then.
Why Is yawning contagious? It's because you are lame, your stories aren't very amusing, and no one wants to be around you. It's not that one person talking to you yawns and then everyone else is struck by that yawn. It's just that you bore the hell out of everyone simultaneously.
Why Is Lil Wayne in jail? First you're asking why he's going to jail, now you're asking why he's in jail? Are you confused? Didn't we just tell you?
Why is my computer so slow? Our friends at Gizmodo would tell you it's because of your memory, RAM, hard drive, connection speed, browser optimizations, or some tedious crap like that. That's a lie. It's probably because you look at porn. That's right. Your computer is full of pictures and videos of naked people fucking. And when you go looking for those things—and you download pirated videos from shady Bulgarian websites—you're also picking up viruses, spyware, cookies, malware, and all sorts of other things that slowly erode the health of your computer until getting anything to process is like watching Betty White compete in a marathon. You broke your machine by being a nasty, slutty whore. If your computer had a dick, it would have fallen off by now. Are you happy?


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Venture Patrol Letter
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
|This article is about the emblem for Venture Patrols. For the 'V' emblem awarded to youth and adult Varsity Scouts see Varsity Scout Letter.
|Venture Patrol Letter
The letter is attached at the bottom front
corner of the merit badge sash.
The letter may also be worn on
the red wool Boy Scout Jac-shirt.
A Venture patrol letter may be earned by Boy Scouts in a who participate in an ultimate activity or sporting activity.
A Venture patrol is an optional patrol within a Boy Scout troop for boys 13 to 17 years old. The Venture patrol's youth leader is the Venture patrol leader. The Venture patrol letter is administered by the Assistant Scoutmaster-Venture. A Venture patrol can be a full-time, part-time, or one-time activity.
Venture patrol letter
The Venture patrol letter is awarded to members of the Venture patrol who participate in an "ultimate activity." Ultimate activities are high-adventure or sports activities that are preceded by training sessions.
Venture patrol activity pins
|— The Boy Scout Handbook (38105), *Boy Scout/Varsity Scout Uniform Inspection Sheet (34283)
Remember that a Venture Patrol is NOT part of Venturing and as such cannot wear Venturing Green or Green Shoulder Loops.
Help with these requirements
External links
- Venture/Varsity (1989-present) on the "A History of Senior Scouting Programs in the BSA" site.
- The Venture Patrol Program (40K PPT) on the U.S. Scouting Service Project site.


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Is there anything better than the joy of kids at Christmas? Although Owen is still too young to really "get" it, we had a lot of fun this year with his presents and his wonder at the tree.
But wow, taking photos of a very active one year old is HARD! No one warned me that taking photos at this age would make me want to tear my hair out!
Here's little O attempting to de-decorate the tree:
And after succeeding:
Discovering presents:
Christmas morning gift inspection… penguin pillow pet!
"Is this big one for ME!?"
And of course the holiday would not be complete without the standard "child screaming on Santa's lap" photo… maybe we'll have better luck next year but honestly I think I got the Bad Mama award for thinking this situation was *hilarious*.


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• Repeat John Morrissey winner Saginaw may race at Saratoga again in 2013; Hudson long-term objective
• Maiden winner Dancing House headed to G1 Spinaway
• Mylute's status uncertain; So Many Ways possible for G1 Test
• Weaver, G1 winner, enjoying strong start to meet
• Tagg returns to the Saratoga winner's circle with Confrontation
• NYRA.com to host exclusive bonus coverage following Saturday's G1 Whitney
McPeek is co-defending champion in the "Mid-Summer Derby," having trained Golden Ticket to a dead-heat victory with Alpha in 2012.
"We're likely to have one and possibly two horses in the race, yes," McPeek said. "They'll both be nominated."
Earlier in the meet, McPeek indicated he was considering a surface switch to the dirt for War Dancer, winner of the Grade 2 Virginia Derby on turf, for the Travers. The War Front colt is owned through McPeek's Magdalena Racing partnership.
McPeek was pointing Java's War to the Grade 1 Secretariat on grass at Arlington Park on August 17. Owned by Charles Fipke, the War Pass colt won the Grade 1 Blue Grass on Keeneland's Polytrack on April 13, was 13th in the Kentucky Derby, and fourth in his most recent effort, the Grade 2 Swaps over the all-weather track at Betfair Hollywood Park.
"Mr. Fipke and I have discussed it, and he was inclined to try him on the dirt again," McPeek said. "At this point, they're both doing well. We've still got to do the math. We've got to look at the past performances, we've got to see how the horses are training, make sure everybody's hitting on all cylinders, that they're drilling the feed tubs; all the details."
War Dancer and Java's War, who McPeek said do not typically breeze together, will go out around 7:30 a.m.
"I just think it's a good maintenance breeze, and it sounds like a good idea for both horses," he said.
* * *
Win machine Saginawcame out of his title defense in the $100,000 John Morrissey in good shape, according to trainer David Jacobson, and may find another race toward the end of the Saratoga meet.
The 7-year-old gelding, owned by Jacobson with Drawing Away Stable, picked up his fifth straight victory in the Morrissey on Thursday and now is 21 for 40 in his career, becoming one of the most popular New York-breds on the NYRA racing circuit.
"He's got a little wear and tear, but nothing he's not used to overcoming," Jacobson said outside his Clare Court barn Friday morning. "Being here in Saratoga will make it that much easier. Saginaw will let us know [when to run him next]."
Jacobson said the primary goal for Saginaw will be the $150,000 Hudson at six furlongs, one of seven stakes races on New York Showcase Day, October 19 at Belmont Park.
* * *
Kiaran McLaughlin said that July 31maiden winner Dancing House will be pointed to the Grade 1 Spinaway on September 1 for her next start.
The daughter of Tapit is out of Grade 1 winner and 2000 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf runner-up Tout Charmant. Despite a turf-oriented female family, McLaughlin chose to run the Darley homebred six furlongs on the dirt for her first start.
"She trained so well on the dirt that we decided to run her on the dirt, and being that she won, we hope she never sees the turf," McLaughlin said, adding that turf is always a backup option if her dirt form weakens.
Entering Wednesday's race, McLaughlin had won with nine percent of his past 104 first-time starters, making Dancing House's win all the more impressive. The filly raced mid-pack under Irad Ortiz, Jr. before angling out and running past Claiborne Farm's Quilt.
"She ran very well and is going to improve," said McLaughlin. "She was in tight and was very professional."
* * *
A decision is expected this weekend on a possible next start for Mylute, most recently eighth in the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy on July 27.
The 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy was the worst finish of a 13-race career for Mylute, who was fifth in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Preakness in his previous two starts.
"Mylute's plans are on hold right now," said trainer Tom Amoss of the 3-year-old Midnight Lute colt, who is owned by GoldMark Farm and Whisper Hill Farm. "He came out of the race fine. I think we'll make a decision on what's next for him, whether it be another race or a bit of a breather, probably Sunday or so."
Amoss had no explanation for the Jim Dandy, in which Mylute failed to make his typical late move and wound up next-to-last, beaten nearly 20 lengths.
"He got up here and, for the first week, it was hot. He was miserable," Amoss said. "He did not have a good week. But then the next week, the weather broke and he had a great week. I don't know how much all that affected him, or whether the track itself had something to do with it. I simply don't know. But, I can tell you in terms of soundness, he looks good."
Amoss said the Maggi Moss-owned So Many Ways, fourth in the Grade 1 Prioress on July 27, may come back in the Grade 1, $500,000 Test Stakes on August 24.
"Quite frankly, the only spot that's going to be available to us - and it's going to be Maggie's decision - is the Test. We'll have to see," he said. "The good thing about that race is it's seven-eighths; that's a good distance for our filly. I think you'll see a much more prepared filly than the one you saw the first week of Saratoga."
The Prioress was the first loss in three Saratoga starts for So Many Ways, who won the Grade 3 Schulylerville and Grade 1 Spinaway here last summer for previous trainer Tony Dutrow.
"She was a little temperamental [before the Prioress], more than she usually is, and she is a temperamental filly," Amoss said. "We've been able to control that pretty well, but I don't think we did a great job of controlling it in her most recent race, quite honestly. She just got a little upset in the paddock, a little hot.
"We're really good about having our horses calm, cool and collected. I don't know if she's going to run back here or not, but if she does, she's not going to be that kind of filly. We'll have done a better job of getting her ready than we did last time around."
So far at the meet, Amoss has failed to hit the board in three starts through 11 days. He will saddle Delaunay on Sunday in the Grade 1, $300,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, which attracted a field of five sprinters.
"We haven't had much luck up here so far," Amoss said. "Hopefully, our luck will change with Delaunay. Everyone keeps talking about how small the field is, but they ought to look at how good the field is. It's a strong group."
* * *
No stranger to winning races at Saratoga, trainer George Weaver is off to a strong start in 2013.
A former assistant to D. Wayne Lukas and Todd Pletcher, who have combined to win 607 races and 15 training titles at Saratoga, Weaver entered Friday's card tied for third in the standings with five wins from 11 starters (45 percent).
Weaver also had one second and one third (64 percent in the money) and purses of $378,423, which ranked fourth.
"You never know with Saratoga," Weaver said Friday morning. "When it gets started you hope you have some live horses and you do what you're supposed to do, but it's very tough to win up here. You have to catch the right horses to be in against and you have to have good trips. There are so many things that go into it, but things have fallen into place. We're very happy."
Weaver went 11-for-58 with purses of $543,259 at Saratoga in 2012, and won with seven of 52 starters in 2011, earning purses of $332,290.
"We have had very good meets here, but I think everybody has got the Saratoga meet in their minds and they want to come up here and win," he said. "They're thinking about it and everybody's watching. This is a place where everybody wants to have a favorable impression."
The biggest win for Weaver came on July 27, when Lighthouse Bay upset the Grade 1 Prioress at odds of 21-1 ($45.20). It was his first win at that level since Saratoga County took the Group 1, $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen in 2004.
"That was awesome," Weaver said. "I'm ecstatic for myself, our staff, the owners, the filly herself, [jockey] Joe Rocco, Jr. That was very exciting. It's good to do that every once in a while. I know people know we can win races, but a lot of times if you don't come up with those stakes horses, people are like, 'Well, he's good, but he doesn't really develop top horses.'
"You have to get a top horse in your barn to develop one," he added. "It's good. That's part of the gratification of the win. People are going to look at our barn and say these guys have done a nice job developing this filly and brought her into this race and won a Grade 1 with her. It's nice."
Weaver indicated that the Grade 1 Test would be next for Lighthouse Bay, a 3-year-old Speightstown filly owned by Richlyn Farm.
"There's really not a whole lot of options," Weaver said. "Once you win a Grade 1, it's not like you go around trying to duck horses. The Test is a very prestigious race, it's right here, the timing's right. She's never run seven furlongs, but that's why they call it the Test. It's going to be a test."
Weaver's most recent win came in Thursday's fifth race with Rapid Burn, a 3-year-old Bernstein gelding who captured the one-mile maiden claimer by 2 ½ lengths on the inner turf as the favorite.
"We'll probably try to run him back here," he said. "He was in for a $35,000 claim yesterday. Depending on how things go, perhaps some type of starter allowance would be available. That might be a good way to run him without him having to be for sale and see if he wants to continue to improve. In the back of my mind, that's what we'll try to catch next time around."
* * *
Veteran trainer Barclay Tagg, not known for cranking up horses for their first start, scored Thursday with Confrontation, a 7 ¼-length winner in the third race, a $50,000 maiden claimer.
Confrontation, a 3-year-old son of 2007 juvenile champion War Pass, ran six furlongs in 1:10.30 and became Tagg's first Saratoga winner since July 30, 2011.
Tagg last won with a first-time starter at Saratoga in 2010, and the veteran trainer said it took a lot of patience to get this one ready.
"I bought him at the Timonium sales two sales ago, and, of course, when you buy them out of the sale, and they've had a work in the sale, the owners think they can run right away," Tagg said. "Sometimes they can, but mostly they can't. The owners [Eric Dattner and Harry Astarita] held onto him the whole time. It got a little tenuous there for a while, but they stayed in there and it worked out. I'm happy for that."
Confrontation reminded Tagg of Showing Up, his two-time Grade 1 stakes winner, in the amount of time it took to get to the races.
"It took me until February of his 3-year-old year to run him, and he won first time out rather easily . . . and second time and third time," Tagg said. "I try to have them fit and ready so they won't get hurt. People talk about, 'Oh, this horse just needs one more work and then he'll be just perfect, and I can squeeze him a little more and tighten the screws,' and that kind of stuff. If they're fit, they'll do it, and if they're not fit, and if they can't do it, they're not going to no matter how fit you get them."
Tagg isn't sure what might be next for Confrontation, but he believes he has a strong team of turf runners for the Saratoga meet.
One of them, the 3-year-old Mills worked five furlongs in 1:00.62 on the Oklahoma turf training course Friday morning, the eighth best of 26 works at the distance. The son of Any Given Saturday has two wins and two seconds from his first four starts and hails from a superb female family that produced a slew of top-shelf stakes winners on the grass, including Miss Josh, Royal Mountain Inn, Highland Springs and Highland Crystal.
Tagg has Mills penned in for a run in the $100,000 Stroll, an overnight stakes race for 3-year-olds going 1 3/16 miles on the Mellon turf course on August 14.
* * *
NYRA.com will host a special live webcast for post-race coverage of Saturday's 86th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Invitational Handicap. Beginning at 6 p.m., exclusive content will be provided by NBC analysts Jerry Bailey, Donna Brothers, Randy Moss, Laffit Pincay, III, and Kenny Rice. The webcast can be viewed on NYRA.com/SummeratSaratoga at the conclusion of live coverage on NBC.


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Student or Learner
Hello, I would be really greatful if somebody can check this recommendation letter. Thanks a lot.
Dear Selection Committee,
it is my immense pleasure to recommend one of my best students, XXX, into your program for the next coming academic year.
XXX has been my student since her first year in YYY University and I have to admit that she has been very talented, ambitious and quick in grasping concepts and ideas. It was a great pleasure to have her among my students, as she was very enthusiastic to learn new things. In additions, she has demonstrated good work ethic and the ability to accomplish tasks independently with great amount of creativity. Indeed, she had put in a large amount of extra effort in helping the other students with revisions and class notes.
Although she has had a chance to follow her Masters Degree at our department without any additional obstacles, she has determined to face higher challenges and stronger competitions in other country. I have a strong confidence that your faculty provide her with new opportunities to progress her knowledge and skills. I believe that XXX will be one of the most promising students in your program and I am sure that she will succeed in the future.
To sum up, it was a great pleasure having XXX here as a student and I would strongly recommend her for a place in your program.
Please feel free contact me if I can provide additional information.


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Sort by: Most Recent | Alphabetical
Finishing the Globe
To paint or not to paint?
Music at the Globe
Claire van Kampen, Original Practices and Theatrical Experimentation
Calling The Globe
Original Practices and Stage Management at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
The problem of the Heath - King Lear (2008)
Where do the climactic storm scenes of King Lear take place? asks Gwilym Jones.
Myths of Honour - The Merry Wives of Windsor (2008)
It was no accident that Shakespeare set his play in Windsor, as Gwilym Jones reveals.
Playing the Murderer - Love's Labour's Lost
The hunting scene in Love's Labour's Lost makes use of many complex associations, as Farah Karim-Cooper explains.
Laughter in King Lear (2008)
Can we laugh at King Lear? Even in Shakespeare's greatest tragedies there are moments of comedy – and never more than in King Lear, writes Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper.
Fairies Refashioned - A Midsummer Night's Dream (2008)
There are many strands to Shakespeare's fairy lore, as Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper reveals.


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Nurse Jackie Welcomes Its Newest Cast Member!
Gbenga Akinnagbe debuted his new role on May 2 as a manipulative nurse on 'Nurse Jackie!'
Gbenga Akkinnagbe has signed onto Nurse Jackie for season 3 in which he plays the role of Nurse Kelly Slater. His character shows "tension be[tween] Jackie and himself, but it's a lot of fun! It's not malicious, it's on the boarder of a healthy competition." he says.
Beginning on May 9, Gbenga will be a constant on the show and it seems as if he's having a great time being apart of the cast! "Working with Edie Falco [Nurse Jackie] is great, I have a lot of fun with her. Besides, she is so talented. She is really down to earth. She is one of the most generous actresses I've ever worked with–ever," he says about his co-star.
Better known for his breakout role on HBO's 'The Wire,' this Showtime hit series will make a major star out of the renowned Gbenga. Adding to that, he's had quite an impressive list of credits — he later scored parts in film and television including the Oscar Nominated Indie — The Savages, The Edge of Darkness (co-starring with Mel Gibson), and CBS' The Good Wife.
Life wasn't always so glamorous though for Gbenga! He went from rags to riches, being one of six children living in an unstable environment, moving from shelter to shelter. It was not until after college that Gbenga gained interest in acting. After his father's passing, he relocated to NYC and began auditioning for acting gigs.
It certainly paid off! Way to go Gbenga! Hollywoodlifers, don't forget to tune into Nurse Jackie, Monday's 10 p.m. ET!


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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.
There is currently no available "Beginner" label. The following is the default level label: Calipers of this size and type are lumber measuring tools, for both logs and boards. Scales are printed on the long bar of these tools and are read after the moveable jaw is set to the width of the tree or board. These scales give the measurement between the jaws and may also measure board feet, cubic feet, or cords per given foot of length. This example, marked "P. Field," is made of wood and has a scale in inches. Such a tool was indispensable to anyone dealing in wood before standardization of lumber sizes. Foresters and sawmill operators still use such calipers.
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Logging at the Oxbow on the Connecticut River near Holyoke, Mass.
"Log Drive Nears Turners Falls" article in Greenfield's Gazette and Courier newspaper
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Dax Coan needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 24 designs submitted by 9 freelance designers.
Imaging Solutions
Imaging Solutions does image scanning and document conversion work for clients. We are a subsidiary of scribbles software. I have attached a scibbles logo for your perusal.
K-12 and Higher Education Clients.
We want to use the 'Sun' in our logo. We also want the Imaging Solutions (http://www.imgsol.com) logo to match with the scribbles logo. The font used in scribbles is MUSEO but I don't know if you need that.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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gordonm needed a new stationery design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 97 designs submitted by 11 freelance designers.
gordon Mackinnon Photography
Im a wedding and portrait photographer from the UK. My business serves middle class england! my business image is modern but classic.
middle class women 25-38 years old
standard size business cards (no rounded corners please)
a4 letter head
210x99mm compliment slips
envelopes c5 229x162mm
I want the colours that are in my logo to be used please.
I have no preconceived ideas as to what I want them to look like so its up to you guys to be creative!
I would like all the following details on all the artwork
my business details are
vulcan place
website: http://www.gordonmackinnon.com
email: email@example.com
telephone: 01670 825698
supplied as AI files please


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DonS needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 20 designs submitted by 12 freelance designers.
We would like to update our existing logo for a software product we sell. We've used the same design since 2003 and it's branded to us but we'd like to freshen it up and make it look more contemporary
We are Parental Control Products, LLC. A Missouri corporation and we manufacture and sell software that helps parents keep their children safe online.
Launched in 2003 our product, PC Tattletale is one of the original parental control software products designed to allow parents to monitor what their children do online. As well as block offending websites.
Our existing logo has served us well, but it is time for an update.
- Should use the existing elements of the current design
- Maintain the color pallet
- Maintain the sub head
- Looking for an updated, fresh web 2.0 feel.
I don't want the design to stray abandon our original concept
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Cisco and Telluride
Blogging the Digital Video RevolutionA look back at Cisco's participation in the Telluride Film Festival earlier this month shows the company's focus on the digital video revolution hit a cord that reverberated through the blogosphere.Cisco's panel discussion, called "The New Media Future: The Impact of Broadband on the Creative Process and Content Distribution," included Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, Josh Goldman from Akimbo Systems, Yair Landau, President of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, director Kevin MacDonald (Touching the Void, Last King of Scotland) and Dan Scheinman, SVP of Corporate Development for Cisco Systems.Alex Williams's feedia blog pointed to the important issues at stake as broadband changes the entertainment equation."I am listening to a News@Cisco podcast. And it's pretty good. Why? It's a great discussion from the Telluride Film Festival about the movie business, the long tail, You Tube, machinima and all the impacts that people are having all over the world as they continue to get online and make stuff.Kim Voynor, in her Cinematical blog, chimed in:"I was about as happy as a film-geek girl could be after meeting Nair and seeing a great film, but there was more to come. After the film, we headed over to Chair 8 where Anne Thompson from The Hollywood Reporter was moderating a panel- This was a lively panel with a full crowd, with lots of interesting things to say about digital media, the impact of YOU TUBE, blogger versus journalists and more. The very nice Cisco folks told me the entire panel will be podcast on the Cisco site, so as soon as they send me the link, I'll point you to it so you can check it out."Anne Thompson, deputy editor of The Holoywood Reporter, blogged about the same panel discussion from her perspective as moderator."œI missed the first screening of Little Children because I was prepping and then moderating a panel put together by the folks at Cisco on the digital broadband future-a topic I seem to come back to a lot. I bonded with Cisco exec Claudia Ceniceros on last year's Telluride panel, and she signed me up for this one," she wrote. "Cisco sr vp of development Dan Scheinman talked about creating set top boxes to intermediate between consumers and their TVs; Josh Goldman, CEO of 3-year-old Akimbo, also believes that set top boxes act as curators for audiences who need someone to point them where to choose in a long tail digital world. "Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired and author of The Long Tail, described how the internet dissemination of little music files has been followed by little YouTube video clips and now short TV shows," Thomspon added. "Long movies will take more time, he said. Sony Digital president Yair Landau said that audiences crave stylized animation in a world where it's difficult to suspend disbelief when everyone knows too much about movie stars. Filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (who arrived at the panel just after seeing the 130-minute Little Children) added that the flip side of Landau's observation is that audiences are responding well to documentaries because they are so real. Macdonald, who filmed Last King of Scotland in 16 mm with a digital intermediate but is shooting his next on DV, also talked about a Nokia contest involving movies for mobile phones that are 15 seconds long."There's much more on News@Cisco on Telluride. Check out the following content:Audio Podcast – The New Media Future: The impact of broadband on the creative process and content distribution Video – The New Media Future: Panel highlights and 1:1 interviews with panelists: Video: – Telluride Film Festival Attendees Address Digital Video Q&A with Dan Scheinman: Broadband is Revolutionizing the Film Industry
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
1 Comments
Susan Schmitt
Great post. Thnks, Susan Schmitt


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Ichthyology has been a part of research at the Academy since its beginnings, but its importance has increased dramatically since 1898 when it acquired the entire personal collection of the famous 19th century naturalist Edward Drinker Cope and Henry Weed Fowler became its first full-time curator. The collection has continued to grow in size, scope, and importance; the department is now rated as one of the top five ichthyology centers in North America. It currently houses 1.2 million cataloged specimens representing an estimated 11,000 species and 2,797 primary types. The collection is taxonomically diverse, but its especially strong among eels, characiforms and catfish. Its geographic scope is world-wide, but it's strengths include freshwater species of North and South America and marine species of the Bahamas, Western Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Continued growth results from recent expeditions to the Bahamas, South America and Asia.
The ANSP Ichthyology Online Collection Database contains 129,122 records of specimens from the collection.
The Ichthyology Collection began as an assortment of fish specimens acquired as gifts from members and friends of the Academy. It has since grown to nearly 1.2 million cataloged specimens (1,181,937 in alcohol, 5,479 dry or stained skeletons) in 129,715 lots (de-accessions excluded) representing an estimated 11,000 species. The taxonomic strength of the collection is general across most higher groups of fish-like vertebrates, with especially large collections of eels, characiforms and catfishes. Geographically the collection's main strengths are South and North American freshwater, and marine waters of the Bahamas, Western Atlantic and Indian Ocean. In addition to specimens, the collection maintains about 3,000 tissue samples in 100% ethanol stored at –20° (predominantly neotropical fishes from the Amazon, Essequibo and Orinoco basins). Over the past five years tissue samples of 340 specimens have been released in response to 41 separate requests. A comprehensive survey of fish collections in the US and Canada conducted by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists ranked ANSP 5th among 118 major North American ichthyological resource centers and 2nd with respect to numbers of primary types (Poss and Collette, 1995).
In the past five years significant additions have resulted from expeditions to Argentina (2005), Brazil (2002, 2004), Columbia (2006), Guyana (2002, 2003), Mongolia (2006), Peru (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005), Venezuela (2004, 2005), and Thailand (2001). Future expeditions Surinam (2007) and the Bahamas. Gordon Chaplin is leading a project to document changes in the island's coral reefs and fish fauna by re-surveying localities visited by his father Charles Chaplin and James E. Böhlke, former ANSP curator. Other recent and important accessions to the ANSP fish collection include material from past expeditions to Brazil and Venezuela and "orphaned collections" of Brazilian fishes (received from USNM) and Ugandan cichlids (from D. Livingstone, Duke Univ.). Although significant portions of some accessions remain uncataloged, all of this material is currently available for study by request or visitation.
Among the most scientifically important specimens are the types, the specimens that officially and uniquely link published scientific names to described species. The ANSP primary type collection has 2,797 specimens (1,456 holotypes, 110 lectotypes, 8 neotypes, 1,223 syntypes) of freshwater and marine taxa (59 and 41% of specimens, respectively) representing a total of 1,822 species/subspecies in 42 orders of fishes. Its scope is worldwide with specimens from North America (25%), South America (18%), Europe/Mediterranean (15%), Pacific Ocean (13%), Atlantic Ocean (12%), Africa (7%), Asia/Australia (7%) and the Indian Ocean/Red Sea (3%). The collection also includes about 14,755 paratypes of 1,690 species published or in preparation. ANSP has one of the largest and most diverse collections of type specimens of fishes in world. Among collections in Canada and the US, the ANSP ichthyological type collection is exceeded only by the collection at the National Museum of Natural History (USNM) in terms of diversity (nominal species represented) and number of primary types (Poss and Collette, 1995). Overall, the Academy's ichthyology collection is ranked third in terms of the number of species represented by types and fourth for the number of secondary types (Poss and Collette, 1995).
Highlights among the ANSP fish types are those of species described by some of the founding fathers of North American ichthyology: Charles Alexander Lesueur, John Edwards Holbrook, Theodore Nicholas Gill, Edward Drinker Cope, David Starr Jordan, and even Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. The private collection of Edward Drinker Cope largely seeded the ANSP type collection. Cope's types were gifted to the Academy in 1898, painstakingly sorted and documented by the Academy's first curator of fishes, Henry W. Fowler, and currently include 766 primary types of 341 fishes described by Cope between 1861 and 1894. A prolific taxonomist, Fowler greatly expanded the type collection with 1,001 primary types of 997 species described by him between 1899 and 1958.
Other important types are among the collection of Charles Lucien Bonaparte, nephew of the Emperor Napoleon. Primarily from Italy and the Mediterranean, the Bonaparte collection includes 430 primary types (97% syntypes) of 49 species described by him between 1833 and 1846. Originally preserved in alcohol, the Bonaparte specimens have become uniquely valuable as sources of DNA for the characterization of species prior to man-mediated translocations. Ketmaier et al. (2004) amplified 786 bp of cytb (about 70% of the gene) from a syntype (ANSP 6212) of the minnow Scardinius scardafa (Bonaparte, 1837). They used this sequence data to help identify the single surviving "pure" population of S. scardafa in Italy and make recommendations for its proper management.
John G. Lundberg (firstname.lastname@example.com) is the department's Curator and Chaplin Chair of Ichthyology. Mark Sabaj Pérez (email@example.com) is the Collection Manager. See Collection Policies for more information on collection access, loan policy and specimen accession.
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©2019 The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University | 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 299-1000


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MIAMI, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers fell to the FIU Panthers 66-52 in a women's basketball exhibition tune-up on Friday night on Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena.
The Buccaneers were led by the newcomers, including Nyjah Porcher, who scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sharnese Neal led the Buccaneers on the glass with 11 rebounds. Ines Kerin chipped in 12 points.
Barry shot 37.3 percent from the floor (22-of-59) and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc (4-of-12).
The Bucs trailed 35-19 at the half, but out-scored the NCAA Division I Panthers 33-31 in the second period, including a late 15-0 run.
Jerica Coley, who led D-I in scoring last year, led the Panthers with 30 points and nine rebounds. Brianna Wright added 14 points and nine boards.
The Bucs open the regular season on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 9-10, at the Nova Southeastern Tip-off Tournament. They face seventh-ranked Stonehill on Saturday and 22nd-ranked Washburn on Sunday.


text: Last night, Erin Brady was crowned Miss USA. (Nana Meriwether, we hardly knew ya!) The Glastonbury, Connecticut, native distinguished herself from competitors before a judging panel that included such luminaries as NeNe Leakes and TV personality Mo Rocca with her winning smile, studied poise, and remarkable practice of subject-verb agreement. Of course, not everyone is a fan of the weeklong competition. Disparagers of the pageant decry its heavy use of spandex and hairspray. Critics continue to denounce its "alleged" misogynistic undertones as anti-feminist and outdated. You're telling us! We, too, are horrified by this backwards spectacle. From crop tops to color blocking, Sunday evening's telecast spotlighted a disappointing show of officially tired trends. Erin Brady, it's 2013. Please, back away from the mullet dress.


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Advanced Search
STEM | News
Through a new NASA-sponsored initiative, ten teams of undergrads will get the chance to perform scientific experiments on board suborbital platforms like rockets, Zero-G aircraft, and weather balloons.
The Undergraduate Student Instrument Program is sponsored by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and designed to promote STEM education through hands-on Earth or space science projects. Ten teams from universities across the country, led by undergrads but also featuring faculty advisers, were selected the first year. Launches began in June and will continue through the spring of 2015.
The team from the University of Virginia, for example, will build and test a CubeSat Cosmic Ray Dosimeter--a small satellite--for launch aboard a scientific balloon. West Virginia University is testing Ionospheric response to interplanetary disturbances during magnetic storms on a sounding rocket.
"USIP challenges students to apply their academic skills to a real problem," said Marc Allen, SMD's deputy associate administrator for research in a statement. "The lessons they learn will help them be better prepared for today's workforce."
About the Author
Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo. Follow @stephenoonoo
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Although "Argo" took home the Oscar for best picture, it fell short against several of its competitors in another category: the domestic box office.
The thriller from Warner Bros. has grossed $129.8 million through Sunday, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box office data. That is only the fourth biggest take among the nine films that were nominated for the top prize.
Atop the list is "Lincoln," which so far has taken in $178.6 million. The Steven Spielberg-directed film, which was distributed by Walt Disney Co., is followed closely by the Weinstein Co.'s "Django Unchained" with $158.8 million. At No. 3, Universal Pictures' "Les Misérables" has grossed $146.7 million.
Oscars 2013: Nominee list | Red carpet | Highlights
For the first time ever, six best picture nominees took in more than $100 million domestically. That bests the 2010 Oscars, when five films nominated for best picture crossed the $100-million mark.


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Region gains 1,300 jobs in June
The Norwich-New London area, which has been trailing the rest of the state in job growth for most of the past four years, finally saw a ray of sunshine Thursday.
While the rest of Connecticut recorded job losses totaling 800 last month, the region gained 1,300 positions in June, according to figures released Thursday by the state Department of Labor.
"The Norwich-New London labor market ... finally added jobs in June," the Connecticut Business & Industry Association said in a release.
The local jobs increase was the largest monthly rise in at least a year. It comes on the heels of the reported loss of 2,200 jobs in the Norwich-New London region in May.
Despite the upbeat report, the region had 1,700 fewer jobs this June than it had in the same month last year.
Statewide, only 500 jobs were added in June, according to preliminary estimates. The report also included a revision of May data showing Connecticut gaining only 600 jobs that month, versus the 1,000 previously reported.
"The second wettest June on record in the state may have dampened job growth in some sectors," Andy Condon, director of the Labor Department's Office of Research, said in a statement.
Condon added that the extended school year, thanks to this year's blizzard and last year's hurricane, "may have some influence on summer hiring patterns going forward."
The Labor Department pointed out that June's job growth represented the fourth month in a row of employment increases statewide. And the pace of growth this year, averaging 1,800 jobs a month, is significantly above levels seen in the previous four years of recovery since the Great Recession ended.
The state has now recovered nearly 59,000 of the 121,200 jobs lost during the recession, the report said.
"What we're seeing right now is sustainable job growth but at a slow rate," CBIA economist Pete Gioia said in a statement.
Despite the job gains, Connecticut's unemployment rate inched up a tenth of a point to 8.1 percent.
Don Klepper-Smith, a leading state economist with DataCore Partners LLC in New Haven, called the latest report "below expectations." In a note to clients Thursday, he added that Connecticut's economy is making "modest progress" but that consumer spending power is still far below the rate of growth seen in previous recoveries.
Klepper-Smith also pointed out that Connecticut continues to be hit by an almost unprecedented decline in the labor force of about 31,000 workers over the past year.
"The present Connecticut economy is more 'flat' than anything else," he said.
State employment
Monthly job losses or gains in the Norwich-New London Region*
June +1,300
May -2,200
April -200
March -400
February +100
January +200
December -400
November +500
October -600
September +1,000
August -1,900
July NO CHANGE
June +900
Source: Connecticut Department
of Labor
*Before revisions
Never forgive, never forget: Trump once again bashes John McCain over health-care vote
Is the long tradition of cursive handwriting on the way out?
With cap on H-2B visas for foreign workers, businesses struggle to find summer employees


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Investment U Research Analyst
Tony D'Altorio is a former broker and trading supervisor with Charles Schwab & Co., where he was directly involved with retail investors for almost two decades. This included the 1987 stock market crash, where he provided crucial advice to customers and handed tens of millions of investment dollars.
After leaving Schwab, Tony combined his financial market expertise and knowledge of investing with his flair for writing and embarked on a new career as an investment writer and analyst.
In addition to Investment U, his articles have been featured in other well-known financial media publications such as Investopedia, ETF Trends and Seeking Alpha.
Following his Investment U article on "Shale Natural Gas Resources" in March 2010, Tony was invited to appear on Clean Skies News - a Washington D.C.-based energy and environmental radio news network - hosted by former CBS Morning News anchor, Susan McGinnis. In addition, Tony is also the investing editor for BellaOnline - the second most visited website devoted to women, next to iVillage.
Additional Articles
You can view previous articles by Tony D'Altorio below, or explore the Investment U archives.
- Coke vs. Pepsi... Are the Cola Wars Finally Over?
- Molycorp's Domestic Rare Earth Production About to Get Underway
- The Looming U.S. Debt Downgrade
- Is Walmart Past Its Prime?
- A Black Gold Rush in Texas
- Market in Shock as Oil Prices Fall
- European Sovereign Debt Contagion Continues to Spread
- Shell's FLNG Breakthrough
- Can Apple's iCloud Save Hollywood?
- The Boeing-Airbus Dogfight
- Did Nokia Win the Battle Against Apple, But Lose the War?
- Indonesia's Emerging-Market Growth Story
- Solar Power Industry Outlook
- Cloud Computing: An Unstoppable Yet Vulnerable Force
- Backdoor IPOs and Reverse Mergers: A Chinese Recipe for Scandal


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After raiding the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers for new additions on defense, the Jacksonville Jaguars have re-signed one of their own.
Pass rusher Jason Babin has re-upped with the team, according to the Jaguars' official website.
The 11th-year defensive end voided his contract Monday, likely after being asked to take a pay cut. We expect his contract to dip significantly from the $6 million per year Babin originally was scheduled to earn over the next two seasons.
He notched 7.5 sacks in 2013 as the team's "Leo" pass rusher, but Babin, at 34, is bound for fewer snaps come September.
The Jaguars are stocking up on defensive linemen after adding ex-Seahawks pass rusher Chris Clemons and tackle Red Bryant. The team also agreed to terms with former Steelers interior lineman Ziggy Hood, another addition for a deep front that will allow coach Gus Bradley to attack opponents in waves.
Assuming they nabbed Babin at a bargain price, it's hard to argue with the Jags adding another piece of the puzzle to a defense we see plenty of promise in.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" recaps the wild start of free agency.


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On September 18th we are participating in a day long fundraiser called Marathon of Sport. All funds raised at the event are donated to the Special Olympics Canada Foundation. Throughout the day, we will be competing alongside Special Olympics Athletes in a variety of sports such as basketball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, volleyball and football.
Marathon of Sport is organized by motionball, whose mandate is to introduce the next generation of donors, volunteers and sponsors to the Special Olympics movement through integrated social and sporting events. motionball now proudly hosts 15 annual events in 12 cities across the country. Through these events and since inception in 2002, motionball has donated over $6 million to the Special Olympics Canada Foundation.For more information on motionball please visit motionball.com
Thank you very much for your support,
Team Brown


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AERA Recognizes Three Penn State Faculty Members
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has announced three faculty members from Penn State's College of Education as winners of various academic awards. AERA will honor the recipients for their outstanding scholarship and service at an awards ceremony on April 4 & 5 at the AERA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
Gregory R. Kelly, Associate Dean for Research, Outreach and Technology, has been announced as one of the 22 scholars selected as 2014 AERA Fellows. AERA Fellows are selected based on their notable and sustained research achievements. The 2014 Fellows were nominated by their peers, selected by the AERA Fellows Committee, and approved by the AERA Council, the association's elected governing body. Currently there are 557 AERA Fellows.
"AERA Fellows exemplify the best of research in terms of accomplishment, quality, mentoring, and the highest professional standards. We welcome the class of 2014 to these ranks," said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine.
Greg Kelly is a professor of science education and the Associate Dean for Research, Outreach, Technology in the College of Education. He was a physics and mathematics teacher and served for four years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His research explores issues of knowledge and discourse in science education settings. Kelly teaches courses on teaching and learning science in secondary schools and uses history, philosophy, sociology of science in science education.ill honor the recipients for their outstanding scholarship and service at an awards ceremony on April 4 & 5 at the AERA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
Liliana M. Garces, assistant professor for Higher Education, will receive the The Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award for her article, "Understanding the Impact of Affirmative Action Bans in Different Graduate Fields of Study," published in "American Educational Research Journal."
The Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award is presented annually to recognize the highest quality of academic scholarship published in one of the following AERA publications: "American Educational Research Journal," "Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis," "Educational Researcher," or "Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics."
Dr. Garces is an assistant professor in the higher education program and a research associate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education. Dr. Garces' research lies at the intersection of law and social science fields. She employs quantitative, qualitative, and legal analysis research methods to understand and inform policies that can assist educators and policymakers address racial and ethnic inequities in K-12 and postsecondary education.
A copy of Garces' article is available here.
Erica Frankenberg, assistant professor in the Department of Education Policy Studies, has won the Early Career Award for Division L from AERA. Division L is a division in the AERA which represents educational policy and politics. The Early Career Award recognizes a scholar whose initial career shows a high level of productivity and scholarly excellence. Frankenberg's work on issues such as race, integration, and educational equity is exceptional in its volume, range, and seriousness of purpose.
As one of her nominators wrote, "(she) combines a wide knowledge of the field, a rare and deep understanding of the relationship between social science and law, a multi-layered expertise in the implementation of educational and social change, and a high level of talent in conceptualizing and leading large research projects."
Frankenberg is an assistant professor in the Department of Education Policy Studies in the College of Education. Her research interests focus on racial desegregation and inequality in K-12 schools, and the connections between school segregation and other metropolitan policies. She enjoys working with graduate students through research projects, and has published articles and chapters co-authored with students.
Frankenberg's award will be presented to her at the Division L Business Meeting on April 4.


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A good pair of shoes is often described as "an investment", but unlike most investments this is one that you put your feet into and then hit repeatedly against the ground. Small wonder, then, that even the best-made pairs can eventually end up looking somewhat sub-prime.
Having said that, only the most obsessive footwear nut would advocate wrapping your shoes up in cotton wool, and in our opinion a pair of lovingly worn old Oxfords says something about a man that box-fresh sneakers never could. So, unless you're planning on spending the rest of your life indoors, you'd best come to terms with the universal truth that all shoes, however treasured, must age.
With this in mind, don't forget that there are steps you can take to revive even the most beaten-up pair. One man who knows more about this than most is Mr Costas Xenophontos, director of Classic Shoe Repairs (classicshoerepairs.com). Tucked away on an unassuming street in North London, his workshop was founded in 1963 and has since built a reputation as the finest cobbler in the city, entrusted with repairing worn and damaged shoes from some of the world's best designers.
Here, he shares some of his wisdom.
This is a great way to ruin your shoes, making the leather brittle and causing it to crack. If they're really drenched, stuff them with absorbent material - newspaper works well - and let them dry naturally.
A tempting option, but it's the worst stuff for leather. It's impossible to take it off without damaging the surface underneath, and if a shoe needs stitching the needle won't be able to pierce it.
Your average high-street cobbler might not be used to handling classic, handmade shoes on a regular basis. It's worth the expense to avoid the risk of seeing your favourite pair come back to you with a cheap plastic heel, or worse.


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August 24, 2012 - Reality Squared Games -- Last week, Reality Squared Games announced the open beta for their highly-anticipated, hybrid strategy-RPG, WarTune.
Over 60,000 players registered to play the game since the open beta launch on August 17, 2012, and now, a second server will be launched Friday morning followed by an EU server tonight at 10:00 pm PST. You can participate in the open beta events listed here.
In Wartune, players take on the role of a knight, mage, or archer to progress through a fantasy-based RPG plotline, while constructing and maintaining a thriving city and participating in dozens of daily quests and events. With thousand-person boss battles, city-building, PvP battle grounds and arenas, stunning graphics, a fascinating storyline, angels, demons, monsters, and farming, Wartune is bound to entertain both the casual and hardcore gamer alike.
Play WarTune today on the official website and stay updated with the latest information on their new forums.
Subscribe to Daily Browser Games News!


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by Sue Ann Rybak
Eric Rawls, 37, and Shelvell Freeman, 27, both of Tacoma Street in Germantown were arrested on Wednesday, July 3 on the 8100 block of Germantown Avenue for allegedly robbing a 31-year-old woman, police said.
According to the police report, the Chestnut Hill resident was walking down the 8500 block of Shawnee Street when a man approached her from behind, pointed a gun at her and demanded she give him her purse and wedding ring. After she gave him the items, he fled on foot. The woman walked home and immediately called police.
Police charged Rawls and Freeman with robbery, simple assault, terroristic threats, criminal conspiracy, Violation of Uniform Firearms Act and other related offenses.


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Find hotels in Richwood using the list and search tools below. Find discounted hotel accommodations in or close to Richwood, KY for your upcoming personal or group trip. We show the best Richwood Kentucky hotel/motel rooms. Review the Richwood hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Richwood hotels. Booking 5+ Rooms? Find Richwood Group Hotel Discounts
The Richwood center point is around 1 mile west of Florence Speedway and 6 miles south of Florence Freedom Ballpark.
How should we direct your call?


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The SHAtter exploit found by pod2g appears to have been leaked. Who leaked it and for what reason is still unclear. What is clear is that Apple will certainly find a way to patch the hardware if it did in fact leak. When Limera1n was released, it kept the SHAtter bootrom exploit safe for future jailbreaks as it would require a complete hardware revision to be done by Apple.
SHAtter basically used a hardware exploit in the A4 series of devices (iPhone 4, iPad, AppleTV 2nd generation, and iPod Touch 4G). You can bet Apple will make a hardware revision to patch SHAtter. It seems there is some drama between some members of the jailbreak community over who actually "leaked" the SHAtter exploit.
@P0isixninja of the Chronic Dev Team is pointing a blame finger to @Musclenerd. As Musclenerd concentrates on unlocks, it seems unreasonable to think he'd leak an exploit he would need in order to create an unlock. Click through for a response to the drama from @comex, who claims if it doesn't stop, he'll just e-mail the exploit directly to Apple. Not good news for the jailbreak community.
The part of Comex's tweet that got me was where he said (the real) SHAtter. Digging further into Twitter shows that maybe a fake exploit was leaked on purpose. We'll update when we know more.
What are you guys' thoughts? It's been a crazy evening for jailbreakers. First Comex stated the Christmas untethered deadline would be missed, and now a leaked exploit. Lend us your thoughts in the comments!


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Sheri Sheppard has been a Stanford Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Design division since 1986. Her research focuses on weld fatigue and impact failures, fracture mechanics and applied finite element analysis. Sheri is also co-director of the Center for Design Research in Stanford's School of Engineering.
Sheri is a nationally recognized expert on engineering education. She led a three-year study of engineering education, "Educating Engineers," in the United States at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For the last decade, she has been the faculty adviser to the Mechanical Engineering Women's Group at Stanford, which holds an annual seminar series and a welcome program for all female engineers. In 2010, she received the Stanford Gores Award, the university's highest award for excellence in teaching.


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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Colrain, Massachusetts, was settled by Scots-Irish immigrants in the mid-18th century who named their settlement after Lord Coleraine of Northern Ireland. By the 1890s the "e's" had disappeared from general usage. This postcard spells the name in a third way, "Colerain". Colrain is located on the Vermont border. The center of town has remained almost completely unchanged over the last 150 years, and was declared a state historic district in 2006.
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The Game of Life
February 11, 2013 12:34 am
Tags: 3D, Cinema 4D, Game Development, Games, Maxon
At-Risk Youth Get A Glimpse Of Their Future Selves During Bay Area 3D Animation and Gaming Classes
Recently, a dozen bright and adventurous students participated in the Bay Area Video Coalition's (BAVC) Digital Pathways Next Gen Youth Program's class on 3D Animation & Gaming. And in creating projects rooted in where they are today, each budding video game designer offered a personal glimpse of where they hope to be in ten years.
Alex, one of Sirron Norris' students, is known for being efficient and self-contained
and the room he created for his future self using Cinema 4D only reinforces that notion.
Under the direction of critically acclaimed San Francisco artist Sirron Norris (http://www.sirronnorris.com), students used Maxon's Cinema 4D along with Unity 3D to work on their projects. Assignments over the course of the class were designed to teach students how to use the technology at their fingertips while also learning about themselves. "I think it's essential to give youth a voice," Norris explains. "Allowing them to express themselves through technology is an amazing way for them to learn."BAVC's mission is to inspire social change by enabling the telling of diverse stories through art, education and technology. Norris, a dynamic, energetic artist and instructor who has painted over a dozen murals around San Francisco, describes his work as "cartoon literalism." "Cartooning is a gateway to creativity, and that freedom of expression is necessary for a healthy well-being."
Seventeen-year-old Jesus had no experience with technology or software of any kind when he started attending Norris' classes.
In class, students used Cinema 4D to create a room that they envisioned would be part of their future in 10 years. The result, Norris say, would be a visual metaphor for attaining a future goal or maybe many goals. In other words, where did they see themselves a decade from now?
Alex, a recent high school graduate who won the school's competition for "best room," plans to attend Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University). Analytical and creative, he has an entrepreneurial spirit and wants to make serious video games for a living.
Jesus, who is 17 years old, is a great example of how BAVC's classes benefit youth at all skill levels. After coming into class having no experience with technology, or even basic software, he has excelled rapidly. Asked what he sees himself doing in ten years, Jesus said he would like to be working on feature films or maybe in an auto body shop.
Norris describes fourteen-year-old 14-year-old Koby as "not afraid to try anything." He picked up the application so quickly that he had extra time to learn advance features such as scripting animations. In ten years, Koby envisions himself in college, hopefully Harvard.
Safia, who is also 14, started the course with absolutely no computer experience. But after a slightly bumpy start, she learned quickly and produced impressive results. See more of Norris' students' work here: http://www.youtube.com/user/DP3DGaming?feature=watch
Bridging the gap
BAVC hired Norris to bring a new sense of life and energy to their video game program classes, which were languishing because the software program they were using was too challenging and complicated for students to learn. Norris was asked to build a curriculum combining Cinema 4D and Unity 3D, and classes are also offered in Photoshop, Illustrator, web design and more. Having written the curriculum for the City College of San Francisco's video game program, Norris was confident that he could make a valuable contribution to BAVC.Though he was already familiar with creating art and video games with computers, Norris had to teach himself C4D in just a few months before the first class began. "Even if you didn't know how to use a computer, Cinema 4D is so user friendly that even a novice could pick it up relatively quickly," he says.
Safia had no experience with computers when she started Norris' class. But she learned quickly and did great work.
Students who participated in BAVC's recent Next Gen Youth Program's 3D Animation & Gaming classes were recruited based on the need for the classes in their lives. At-risk youth, particularly kids from single-parent families and troubled backgrounds, were a top priority and potential students were asked to write an essay on why they deserved to be in the program.
"The classes are a bridge program that helps youth connect learning and work experience," Norris explains. "We build technology skills and aim to give students confidence that they can truly pursue dreams that they previously may not even have envisioned."
Why video games?
Building the curriculum as he went, Norris had his students learn the basics of C4D before taking on Unity 3D. After the students learned to create rooms and 3D assets with Cinema 4D, he had them import their work into Unity. Students used Photoshop to manipulate textures.Norris chose video game animation and creation as the focus of the classes because games are so popular and pervasive. So while the National Science Foundation may view 3D animation and gaming as a forum for teaching kids science and math, Norris believes video games are "the way the younger generation communicates and learns so this is the way that we can keep them engaged."
Koby, 14, was one of the first students to complete his room design, which includes a world map on the ceiling.
He envisions himself attending Harvard, earning a law degree, and making 3D games on the side to sell to developers.
But engagement doesn't come easy. As any 3D artist will attest, mastering the technology takes time and patience. Problems arise and challenges are inevitable. "Technology's not always going to work," says Norris, who believes the process of finding solutions and coming up with workarounds is a positive experience for his students, many of whom have expressed an interest in the gaming industry."It's very rewarding when you're able to confront a technology problem and figure it out," he continues. "I think that's important if they choose gaming as their career, but it's also important for life."
Editor's Note: Be sure to check out the following related links:
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Article by Scott Strohmaier
Scott Strohmaier is a writer living in Los Angeles living with his wife and son.
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Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert + More Make 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival Lineup
Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley will join pop and rock music's elite for the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival, which will take place on one stage over two nights at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on September 21 and 22.
Also scheduled to perform are No Doubt, Rihanna, Aerosmith, P!nk, Green Day, Bon Jovi, Usher, Pitbull. deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia, Lil Wayne, Linkin Park, Enrqique Iglesias, Mary J. Blige and Calvin Harris. Ryan Seacrest will return to host the second-annual all-star music festival.
In May, the iHeartRadio online application reached a staggering 10 million registered users in only eight months on the market, becoming the fastest-growing popular entertainment media platform on the web. The iHeartRadio official Facebook page gained more than four million fans in less than a year following last year's inaugural music festival, proving that it was a big hit with music fans.
Tickets for the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival will be available to the public through Ticketmaster beginning July 14 at 1PM ET. Fans not able to travel to stage show extravaganza can watch the festival from the comfort of their living room through a live broadcast through the iHeartRadio application, Yahoo! and XBox. Click here for more details.
2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival Lineup:
Sept. 21
Green Day
Jason Aldean
Lil Wayne
Miranda Lambert
No Doubt
Swedish House Mafia
Sept. 22
Bon Jovi
Brad Paisley
Calvin Harris
Enrique Iglesias
Mary J. Blige
Taylor Swift


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Lhasa Rug Orange
From picnics in the park to epic board game matches, good times can happen on the ground. Woven from recycled plastic straws, this indoor/outdoor rug is a fitting foundation for fun. Cleaning it is a breeze, and an inverted pattern on the reverse side means you can flip it on a whim. So use it year-round, and when the weather 's good, roll it up, slip it in the handy jute bag, and take it on all your alfresco adventures.


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Today, Microsoft release a security advisory about a new vulnerability in Microsoft Excel. This one affects both PCs and Macs. The Microsoft Security Response Center blog has a post there as well. SecurityFocus has a bit more information, basically indicating Symantec is detecting files containing an exploit to the vulnerability as Trojan.Mdropper.AC.
Basically, the vulnerability is an attacker can create a malformed file which can then execute code on the system. That code will run in the context of the user opening the Excel document.
Thus far the indications from both Microsoft and Symantec is the attack is not very widespread. However, as with any attachment or download, make sure it's from someone or somewhere you trust and make sure it's expected before opening said file.


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Students in the School of Humanities and Sciences excel academically, pursuing challenging upper-level courses in their major and minor areas of study and undertaking research and honors projects that reflect their commitment to learning and their desire to push the knowledge frontier in a wide variety of disciplines.
Honor Societies
We recognize and celebrate students' academic commitment and achievement by inducting students into disciplinary honor societies. These honor societies provide students with a connection to the discipline and to scholars in the field beyond Ithaca College. Membership in these societies is one way that students can demonstrate to others the high level of academic excellence they have attained.
Awards and Grants
We also recognize students' dedication by awarding prizes based on academic excellence and by offering competitive grants to support students who undertake special academic projects. Some of these opportunities are offered at the School level, but most are offered by the departments within the School. Awards and grants attest to the academic accomplishments of our students.


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Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management (Managing People)
Provided by The London School of International Business
About the course
Learn and develop business strategies into performance with targets, taking into consideration costs, cooperation and changes across different levels. Also learn to manage operational risks and drive growth for a successful organisation. With LSIB you will get following advantage in order to study on-line: Same diploma as on-campus students; Recognised diploma accepted by universities for Top up with a degree; Assessments via assignment submission; You study on-line at your own pace.
Learners who successfully complete this course will be able to progress onto: Masters (Top-up). Directly into employment at a relevent field.


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Celebs Need Worry About New Photoshop Rating System
These days, it's almost unheard of to see a celebrity photo that hasn't been airbrushed or otherwise digitally manipulated to make the person in the picture look nearly flawless. While they may make pretty magazine covers, two researchers are proposing a ratings system to let people know exactly how much a photo has been manipulated.
The rating would take into account two types of adjustments: geometric, which includes making legs, hips or arms smaller, adjusting facial symmetry or enlarging the eyes, and photometric, which affects skin tone and texture and encompasses changes that remove wrinkles, cellulite, dark circles under the eyes, and facial blemishes.
"We start with the before-and-after digital images, from which we automatically estimate the geometric and photometric changes, effectively reverse-engineering the manipulations that a photo retoucher has made," said Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at Dartmouth College.
"Such a rating may provide incentive for publishers and models to reduce some of the more extreme forms of digital retouching that are common today," Farid and his research partner, Eric Kee, a doctoral student, wrote in an article published November 28 in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.' "It remains to be seen if this rating can mediate the adverse effects of being inundated with unrealistic body images."


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Wally Boag delighted audiences the world over for six decades. Although most of his fans associate his comic career with "The Golden Horseshoe" at Disneyland, his story really begins much earlier than this wonderful relationship with the Disney organization. This delightful book recounts the saga of a farm boy from Portland Oregon "making it big" in the world of vaudeville as a "hoofer" and a comic rolled into one. His early days were those of the quintessential artist struggling to find his niche in a world of talented artists all competing for the same spot. He, like all successful entertainers, stood out early and he soon found his way onto the "circuit." He would eventually entertain kings and presidents, American troops at home and abroad, thousands of vaudeville and nightclub patrons on three continents, and millions of Disneyland guests.
The Disney organization appreciated Wally so much that it engaged his talents in a gamut of enterprises ranging from performing on its television shows and in its films, to script writing and show development. In these pages one can follow the adventures of a gifted man and see how he shared his laughs with the world. This is a must read not just for all of those interested in the Disney Legend, but in the path taken by a trail blazer in the world of Vaudeville and one man's voyage through the labyrinth of the entertainment world of the twentieth century.


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Loveland, CO
My first camera was a 35mm Yashica, acquired by trading an ancient Royal typewriter to a fellow college student who was desperate to finish a term paper. It was a long time ago and that camera was my passport to an art that has fascinated me ever since.
I owned a professional studio in central Kansas for 20 years until I sold the business and moved to Colorado. Part of the studio's early success came from creating outdoor portraiture using controlled lighting techniques that my clients were used to seeing only in studio-produced portraits.
In addition to portraits of all types, business and corporate, family, glamour, bridal, and high school seniors, the studio's operations included a video recording studio and an on-site color production lab that produced award-winning, heritage-quality color portraits.
With the addition of this Fine Art website, the photographic adventure that began with a single spring image of a freshly watered central Kansas ditch has come full circle using modern digital techniques.
Photography is all about using light to capture the emotion and the beauty of a fleeting moment. Discover the difference; I am available for assignment. Contact me for details.
Signed original Somerset Velvet Gicl'e as well as Gicl'e Canvas images in all sizes are available. Please contact me via email if you are interested in these services. Purchased images will not have the FAA watermark.
- All images on this website are copyright Jon Burch Photography.


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Cutizzi Vineyard of Feudi di San Gregorio (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
It's early of course, but it appears that 2009 may be judged a great year for Italian wines throughout the country. I've written earlier posts about the white wines and now that I've tasted a few dozen reds from this vintage, I'm beginning to think that you really can't go wrong with just about any 2009 Italian wine type.
The Italian whites from 2009 are first-rate, offering the depth of fruit of the 2007s with the structure and acidity of the 2008s. I've tasted several dozen of these wines, predominantly from the regions of Friuli and Campania and many of the top examples show the potential to drink well for 3-5 years. Among the top 2009 whites I've tasted so far are the following:
- Edi Keber Biano (Collio)
- Gradis'ciutta Sauvignon (Collio)
- Livio Felluga Sauvignon (Colli Orientali)
- Isidoro Polencic Ribolla Gialla (Collio)
- La Tunella "Biancosesto" (Colli Orientali)
- Zuani "Vigne" (Collio)
- Feudi di San Gregorio "Cutizzi"
- Mastroberardino Greco di Tufo "Nova Serra"
- Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino
- San Paolo Greco di Tufo "Montefusco"
- Marisa Cuomo "Fiorduva"
- Coffele Soave Classico "Ca'Visco"
- Guado al Tasso Vermentino (Bolgheri)
- Lunae Bosoni Vermentino Lunae "Etichetta Nera" (Liguria)
- Malvira Roero Arneis "Trinita"(Piemonte)
- Planeta Fiano "Cometa" (Sicilia)
Of course, many of the top whites, especially the blended whites and selezioni from Friuli, Campania and Alto Adige are yet to be released, so the list should dramatically expand.
Paolo Veglio, Cascina Roccalini (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
As for the reds, a few 2009s have been released, ranging from Dolcetto and Barbera in Piemonte to Valpolicella from Veneto and Chiantis of all types and Morellino di Scansano in Toscana. I love the purity of fruit, concentration and acidity of these wines. It was a warm year, especially in Piemonte, so there is an explosion of fruit in these wines. Yet as there were several cool spells during the growing season, there is beautifully defined acidity, as the grapes experienced a long hang time. Among my favorites so far are these:
- Cascina Roccalini Dolcetto d'Alba
- Cascina Roccalini Barbera d'Alba (arriving in the US market in a few months)
- Pio Cesare Dolcetto d'Alba
- Fontanabianca Langhe Nebbiolo
- Motta Morellino di Scansano
Of course, most Italian reds from 2009 have not been released and in some instances, such as Barbaresco, Barolo, Amarone, Taurasi and Brunello di Montalcino, we will not see them in the market for at least another 1-5 years. But based on what I've tasted so far, Italian wine lovers should be in for several years of finds from the 2009 vintage – white and red.