text:
Whenever Lipscomb and Belmont meet the contest is always fiercely fought and the second volleyball version of the "Battle of the Boulevard" Tuesday night at Allen Arena was no exception. The Lady Bisons won the match 3-1, taking the first set 25-20, losing set two 25-20 and then coming back to win set three 25-16 and set four 25-19.
The game was played in front of a record crowd of 1,379 fans, a new record for a volleyball match at Allen Arena. It was billed as "White Out" Night. Lady Bisons coach Brandon Rosenthal directed his team wearing a white tuxedo complete with a white tie and white shoes, courtesy of Street Tuxedo.
"It was fun match," said Rosenthal. "I can't talk about the match without talking about the atmosphere.
"This is what it all about with everybody dressed in white. They really bought into it. This is what these girls practice so hard for each day. I want to give a big thanks to the crowd and to the athletic department. This was a big time college volleyball atmosphere."
It marked the first time that the Lady Bisons have swept the Bruins of Belmont in volleyball in the regular season.
The match started the second round of the Atlantic Sun round robin. The Lady Bisons were 10-0 in the first round and are the first team to start out with an 11-0 record in A-Sun play. They went into the match tied with former conference member UCF which had also started conference play with 10 wins in 1994 and 2003.
The win was the 50th in the A-Sun for Rosenthal, who is in his seventh year as head coach of the Lady Bisons.
The Lady Bisons started out with the lead in each set, but they were challenged in many ways by Belmont's defensive strategy.
"I thought Belmont did a nice job of game planning against us," said Rosenthal. "Every time we play we know it is going to be a battle. In the first set we came out and tried to do too much, but then we settled in and moved forward.
"It probably wasn't as crisp of a match as we wanted. We had to regroup between sets two and three. We were able to get out to leads in sets three and four and even in one. We were able to get out to a lead in set two, but we couldn't hold onto it. And we will definitely work on that."
Middle hitter Alex Kelly made a match-high 17 kills and added 13 digs. Amy Trykowski, also a middle hitter, earned praise from Rosenthal for her seven kills, one error, 14 attempts and .429 hitting percentage.
"Amy played a tremendous match," said Rosenthal. "Her numbers really stand out in this match. We really needed her because they were doing a lot of doubling on our outsides. I kept telling Jake (Stefine Pease) to trust in Amy and she did a fantastic job.
"There were a lot of little plays by Amy that don't show up on the stats. She made plays at the net; she kept balls alive and did a pretty good job blocking. I loved it. I'm really proud of what she did and the intensity she played with."
Rosenthal gave credit to his two players in the middle for setting the tone of the game for the Lady Bisons.
"They did a nice job of slowing Alex down, but she really kept the pressure on Belmont," said Rosenthal. "A real good amount of the credit should go to our middles, Alex and Amy, and what they did."
Libero Katie Rose posted a match-high 18 digs, her new season high. Her previous season-high of 17 was set at Belmont Sept. 8.
"Katie played a good match," said Rosenthal. "There were a couple of plays that she could have let get to her, but she didn't. She hung in there and played well."
Outside hitter Kaycee Green made 10 kills and Pease made 10 digs.
The Lady Bisons are 16-3, 11-0 in the conference. Belmont is 11-10, 7-4 in the A-Sun.
"I definitely wouldn't say this was our top match, but credit that to what Belmont was doing to us," said Rosenthal. "Belmont just fought and that is what a rivalry is all about.
"Belmont is the real deal. They will be there at the end. Belmont will be one of the teams to beat in the tournament."


text:
Luke Benn from Old Colwyn passed on 11th June 2019. Luke passed in Rhyl with just 2 minors after a course of driving lessons in Old Colwyn and Rhyl with Andrew's.
Book your lessons now with Colwyn Bays leading driving school and driving instructor trainers.
North Wales driving lesson prices
0 Comments
Submit a Comment
How many driving lessons do i need?
Facebook Twitter Instagram Google+ How many driving lessons will I need? This is a question which we are asked a lot. It is also a really difficult question to answer. How many driving lessons? The official Dvsa figures state that on average a 17 year old will take 44...
Learner Drivers on Motorway
Learner drivers are now allowed to have driving lessons on Motorways. This new ruling came into force on 4th June 2018.
Extended driving test
What you need to know if you need to take an extended driving test.
First Driving Lesson what to expect
Find out just what will happen on your first driving lesson
Find a good driving instructor
Find a good driving instructor
Driving test questions 2017
All of the questions that you may be asked on the new driving test.
Learning to drive with parents
A few guidelines to help you with private driving practice.
Breakdown cover explained
Breakdown cover is essential if travelling far from home or on motorways, read our guide explaining different types of cover available.
Ford Focus tdci 1.5 diesel Engine Diagram
Ford Focus 1.5 tdci diesel engine clearly labelled for the show me tell me questions which are asked on the driving test
Hyundai i20 engine labelled for show me tell me questions
Clearly marked diagram of Hyundai i20, labelled for show me tell me questions.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
62 User Reviews of Golden Princess Cruise Ship
We just completed a short three (3) day cruise up the Pacific Coast on the Golden Princess which we had booked for our wedding anniversary (May 11) while on the Sea Princess in November last year. The cruise was from Los Angeles USA to Vancouver BC Canada and was May 11 - 14, 2011.
As we live in Victoria British Columbia , Vancouver Island Canada I arranged for us to fly Victoria via Vancouver to Los Angeles the day prior to the cruise and fly from Vancouver to Victoria the day after the cruise.
If I say so myself that was a wise (Owl pun of course) move as when we docked in Vancouver on May 14, 2011 another four ships also docked at the same time. Instant pandemonium had by all who were waiting for taxis and busses including the ones arriving to get on these ships.
As we got off the ship, I saw a person with a shuttle bus sign to hotels or airports so was able to get the shuttle in about 45 minutes later and in our hotel by about 11:30 am while our friends were backat the terminal still waiting for the ferry bus to Vancouver Island at 1pm. We did stay at a boutique hotel (Sutton Place) in Vancouver that for dinner also had a Chocolate Fountain Buffet and all the sins you could eat. My wife was very excited.
Back to going down to LA. We flew to Vancouver then went to USA pre-clearance where they showed us our luggage on the computer screen in colour to verify it was ours, nifty as we did not have to transfer then between fights.
We must have been asked five times for our passports and boarding cards while going through Homeland security area and I got moved aside for extra wand checking where it beeped on top of my bald head and my shoeless feet. Give me a break.
We flew on an Embrer I90 , about a 2 hours 30 minutes flight into LAX and our bags arrived on time but to get to the pickup area you have to walk by where all the outbound security are is, a tight squeeze.
We took a taxi to Long Beach where our Hotel Hyatt Regency is located as were told more shops existed in that area as I originally wanted to stay at the Queen Mary Hotel . The taxi ride was about $65 US and the ride from that hotel the next day to San Pedro for Princess cruise port was about $30 US.
WE took a walk around the Hotel which is lovely but went the wrong direction as the next four blocks were all dining or fast food places, no shops or malls in sight. Had we gone the other direction we would have seen the marina and shops and the beach but we had fun. The staff at the hotel are very nice and say hello, it is a clean and safe hotel but no safe in the room for passports and tickets and they charge for WiFi. Otherwise we had a good time and used room service for our supper while in the morning we had coffee and muffins in thr lobby then they ordered a taxi for us to the pier. Next time I might use the hotels in San Pedro but taxi costs will still be about the same.
If you use a taxi, tell then you want to pay by CC when you get in and they do not carry change over $5 US. I elected to get cash prior to our trip.
Finally , we got to the ship about 12:30pm and boarded in about 30 - 45 minutes. I tipped the porter who I had to find as our taxi dropped us off behind a pile of bus passengers, she was only a few feet away, gave her $5 or two bags and she just smiled at me called me "dear' and pointed to where I should go and promised my bags would be on the ship. At least I made her day.
Go in the terminal, a pile of people , a lot of families with children from Disney World and five bus loads of folks from Las Vegas, Lots of Canadians on this trip. Quite a mixed bag of cultures onboard.
It was a sunny day, left port on time and averaged 20.7 knots for 2,700 kilometers from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday Am at 7am.
It was all sea days and the dress code was smart casual , staff were fine considering they would only know us for a few days and we had a mini-suite with two TV's but the remote batteries were weak so one had to stretch to adjust the controls. Balcony was fully out from the ship , not enclosed but the weather of course dropped into the fifties F so we did not sit out a lot but we could have course enjoy the breeze and the sea.
We had swells such at lunch the MDR windows were clear from middle of MDR and then the you could see the swell come up halfway in the window. Stabilizers help and one lady ssaid as she walked , I've not had anything to drink.
We were at a table for eight for 1st seating (6pm) but felt like Mum and Dad . One were a young couple in twenties, other a brother and sister (she left hubby and son at home) in thirties and another couple who must have just got connected (fifties) as he fed her food all the time and she just smiled and said nice things. They were great to know as we all got to know each other but we were a diverse table.
Service was very good and prompt as we got to see the shows this time and our wine when ordered was delivered on time. Lately I noticed on last two Princess Ships you have to remind staff in MDR to give you your receipts while elsewhere not an issue. Front desk and cabin staff were great but the Library has been reduced to about three chairs inside the Internet Cafe which as usual has it often slow moments.
Casino was running all day and night as we were cruising for three days and it was doing a good business , course on the Golden Princess you still have to walk through the casino to move from stern to bow and the MDR you have to walk down the photshop deck to use the stairs to get to the MDR as the kitchens are in the middle.
Art Auctions was doing a great business and people were buying anything for hundreds of dollars in a fast pace, still amazes me. One day they had a Trivia contest in the main bar while we sat near the windows reading as my E-Book (a Kobo) while Liz shuffled her paperback and tried to prevent ourselves from yelling out the answers.
All the meals were great including room service and we really had no complaints but you do notice a slight difference when on a short re-positioning cruise in that all of a sudden you have to pack on the third evening and Princess has not yet gotten to the point where you can stay in your cabin till your number is called as we had to leave the cabin by 8am Saturday. We met in the Vista room for a scheduled 9:05 am departure but did not leave till 9:40am approx. as Canada Customs had only assigned four staff to the 2,800 people leaving our ship.
All in all we had a great time and going back to my earlier entry in this post, 'Owl' made a very wise decision to book a hotel for the night after arriving in Vancouver and getting the Shuttle Bus to the Hotels instead of a taxi.
The lesson here is that if five ships are unloading passengers in Vancouver and getting new passengers on the same day be prepared for a wait or find alternatives as in take a cruise ship bus to the airport or a post cruise hotel to bypass and relax as you deserve it.
Cheers Rob (aka robh) (aka Owl)
Just back from a 7-day on the Golden Princess. First let me say this was my 10th cruise overall, first on Princess, 8 on Carnival and 1 on NCL. My wife and I are both in our 50's and are real easy to please. I'm not going to get into great detail on everything, but will try to keep things to a point.
We booked this cruise on Princess mainly because of the itinerary, ship times in port, and price. We chose an inside room for this trip. This being my first trip on Princess we really didn't no what to expect but were expecting just a little more than we got, I'm talking cruise ship. Our first impression of the ship was rather dull, not much done to the interior to add that bling affect. The ship was very clean and well maintained, but just didn't sparkle. I will get into that later. First the ports and check-in.
Seattle Check-in: If you fly in it's a 40-50 dollar cab ride depending on number of people. This is way cheaper than the ship offered transfer. The terminal area is rather smallbut these people really knew how to get you checked in promptly, this had to be the easiest check-in we have ever had, showed up at 12.30 and was on the ship by 1.30 very impressive.
Juneau: We booked a ship tour of the Glacier and Fish Hatchery, well worth the price. If you haven't seen a Glacier up close this is a must see in your life. The town in general was awful, the same Jewelry stores that you find in any cruise port, and for that matter it was like being at any other cruise port with one exception, everyone speaks great English. If you travel here get outta town fast and see what they have to offer, which is the real beauty of Alaska
Skagway: The ship offered many tours but we decided to venture out on our own. We rented a mini van and traveled the Klondike Highway all the way to Emerald Lake, which is in Canada; this was another one of the great experiences of my life. This is the only way to see Alaska, plenty of stops that offer real souvenirs not the crap they sell in town. Be prepared to be stopped at the Canada border, these guys are very hard-core so don't make any jokes they are way too serious. The same for the trip back into the US, our border guards are the same but it gave me a good sense of security. (DO NOT FORGET YOUR PASSPORT) Both ways don't care if you're on a cruise ship or not. The town was just like I said for Juneau.
Tracy Arm Fjord: One word AWESOME, this is a must see in your lifetime. Nothing else to say.
Ketchikan: We decided to just walk the town, Creek Street and the town is very pleasant, the town still has the same stores as in each port but it was still a nice place to visit.
Victoria B.C: Not much to say, we stayed on the ship.
We stayed on deck 10. Room C532, our room Stewart had to be the hardest working gal on that ship, her name was Lilia and was just Outstanding, she was courteous, kind, and gracious. She seemed to always be at your door greeting you with a smile. She was by far the best we have ever had on a ship. Now for the not so good, this was the only ship we've been on that did not display any towel animals on your bed, way disappointing. This was always something we looked forward to at night, but not on this ship. Sorry Princess you missed the boat on this one. Every previous ship that we've been on was designed with some theme in mind, this ship was about as plain as you could get.
We had assigned dining at 5.30 in the Bernini Dining Room, our waiter and busboy did a superb job, they truly seemed like their jobs. The weeklong dinner menu was just ok; they seemed to put more emphasis on how fancy to make food vice making it taste good. A+ for creativity and a C- for taste. The only night that we truly enjoyed was Lobster night, hats off to the cooks on that night.
Shipboard shows: In twelve words ( The worst shows on any cruise ship we've been on to date), if I was the Princess show director I would resign, the shows had very little flair, no talent and frankly lacked that showroom experience. Very disappointing.
Tours: Be prepared to spend a lot for these tours, I'm by no means tight, but I think with the seasonal tours they have to up the prices to cover their yearly cost.
Disembark: Like check-in this was just way too smooth, we stayed in our room until our assigned meeting time of 9.45 in one the lounges, once we arrived in the lounge we were allowed off the boat and our luggage was waiting for us. (Way too easy). Was kind of hard to get a cab but nothing to complain about.
Overall we would rate this cruise as an 8 out of 10, so taking the good with the bad at least we got to see Alaska. The cruises we've taken on Carnival were always a 9 out of 10. Now, having said that, we always talk to a lot of people while cruising and find many with more cruises under their belts than us. Each of these folks had the identical experience we had. So if the issues we had don't seem big to you then Princess may be the way to go. For me I am going back to Carnival.
Once again there were problems with a Princess cruise.
Since cruising with another Princess cruise ship in June, I must report that I will not be cruising with this cruise line again.
Their ships are very well kept and clean,and the crew very good,but these problems persist (on this repositioning cruise):Food - very average, and sometimes unacceptable. Their desserts are uninspiring and industrial The coffee is tasteless, even at their coffee house (not free) Poor entertainment, with no main theater shows at all No upper sheet on the beds Breakfast not available in the cabins (at least a full breakfast) Poor movies and bad TV programming The on-deck big screen movies are noisy and a nuisance There is a 15% hotel fee every day per person (meant to cover tips). But tips are asked for on every order as well!
All this I believe is due to cost cutting. The only result is that I will choose another cruise line next time.
Wonderful cruise to Hawaii for a Thanksgiving. The only thing I have to say bad about the ship is that the casino is very tight. Service was perfect in every way. Food was excellent in everyway. Stateroom service was perfect in everyway. Thanks Golden princess. I just think the casino was very tight and I have sailed on this ship more than once.
First of all, the showers are Not That Small. Just wanted to say that right out there. I'm not a small woman, by any means (Plus size clothing section), and I had plenty of room in the shower. Even DH, who is 6 ft tall, felt comfortable in the shower.
Okay... my review of the Golden Princess. Wow. Great time, wonderful, fabulous, excellent food, service, amenities, venues, and activities. I got writer's cramp filling out all the "You made a difference" comment cards (you fill them out to highlight a crew member that really made your cruise memorable... I think they expect one or two. Yeah. Right.) on the last day. On the bright side, it made me run all over the ship to the various bars, dining rooms, and service counters getting names of people that had truly gone above and beyond to make our cruise PERFECT. Any chance for exercise is good!
Just in case you get to cruise the Golden soon, look for Maria in the Bernini dining room... tell her the Ninja Ducks sent you. Antonio was our waiter, with Cyril assisting... sort of a Portuguese Jackie Chan& Chris Tucker. Angela and Whinn at the Lobby Bar--they just went through barista training (went from damned good to truly excellent), and they make incredible soy mochas! Get a coffee card, trust me on this.
Our room steward, Jaime (a guy; pronounced "Hi - me") was amazing. We think he stayed in the hidden bunk bed in the ceiling of our room so he could pop out and clean up every time we stepped out. Always a smile, always greeted us happily, opened our door for us, found me a vase for the flowers I brought on board, always remembered the extra washcloths that I like to have handy, and found me a great fluffy pillow quickly!
Next, the FOOD. I'm a vegan, and my DH is a vegetarian, so after the first night, we tried the Bernini dining room, and asked for the head waiter. Maria was awesome. She made us a standing reservation for a table for two by the window, where the best waiters would spoil us rotten, and I think she beat the kitchen staff into submission, frequently. After a couple of meals, I just left it in her hands, and we were indulged with the most incredible meals, prepared artistically, with incredible flavors and textures... great variety! It's all her fault that we booked another cruise! Not once did I ever feel deprived of the "cruise experience" by my dietary choices... in fact, our waiter, Antonio, would pop into the kitchen to verify that something that sounded good to me would be okay "Madam, I think that dressing is too creamy... it has cream in it. No, we'll do a nice vinegarette for you, okay?" They made us laugh every night, too! Lovely people.
We also had breakfast and lunch in the dining room (Donatelli's), with only an occasional foray to the buffet. Afternoon Tea is certainly a wonderful experience! The buffet was okay, we did find the sushi buffet one day... WOW, FRESH WASABI!! consider this a warning! it was great. We did grab fresh fruit at the buffet a couple of times, as there was always a great selection of fruit.
Our stateroom: a balcony on the Baja deck, starboard side. Small room, yes, but so cleverly appointed, that we were able to misplace things regularily! Both of our HUGE suitcases fit under the bed easily... I think we could have put three of them under there. Plenty of closet room... more than I have at home, actually.
The safe uses a code only... no card required (we had taken along a card to use just for that purpose; a membership card that would not be a problem to lose/replace). Nice safe, just big enough. Lots of shelves, and a few drawers. The beds. Very firm. Also, as it was two twins shoved together to make a queen, and we did not use an eggcrate pad, the edges of the mattresses that were touching were a little raised, and rather firm. It wasn't a problem, but if I were on a longer cruise, I'd ask for a mattress pad, to facilitate cuddling a little better. The bedding was very nice, and comfortable.
Temperature control seemed very good... we kept our thermostat very low. It was warm everywhere on the ship, unless we were in port, and the gangways were out. Then, it was a bit cool and breezy near them.
I was impressed with the constant maintenance going on. Every day, we'd notice some crew members, somewhere, sprucing up something on the ship! One of the pools was closed one day, as it was drained, scrubbed, touched up, and then refilled. No matter, there was three other pools to choose from! All very nice, warm, and didn't seem over chlorinated to me. The hot tubs were great!! The ones outside were rarely in use, so we had no crowding issues.
We only did a couple of shows... first night welcome show, very nicely done. Later that week, we did a comedy juggler (Steve Patient), he was great! We also attended the champagne waterfall... I got to help pour! and danced afterwards. It was fun. (DH also poured some champagne!!)
The Wheelhouse Bar. Oh, yes... ask the bar tender, Ricardo, to show you his wine cork magic trick! Christian is another waiter that always was cheerful, prompt, accurate, and attentive. There was a latin band there, and we loved dancing there. Just sitting and people watching was good, too!
Let me mention... all the drinks that we enjoyed onboard, whether at the cocktail party (free ones) or bought in the bars/lounges, seemed pretty strong to us. Not at all "watered down"... DH had the "Iced tea" drinks... Long Island and Beverly Hills... and they were almost entirely alcohol. We did notice that the care taken in making drinks seemed a little bit more meticulous in the Wheelhouse, the Lobby bar, the Martini Bar, and the Vista Lounge (all inside bars), more than the bars at the pools, which seemed more crowded, and the bartenders a little more rushed. That may have made a difference. The price was the same, regardless of which bar one ordered at. Oh, and the bartenders did not seem to mind at all if you brought in your own drink, sat and drank it, and then left.
Water was always available. Every waiter and bartender was happy to bring me a glass of "tap" water (free, not bottled) at any time. I was asked ONCE if I wanted bottled water... they must have all told each other that I was happy with tap water, because I always got it after that, without question! It was great to sit in bars and not feel pressured to buy a drink! and, if I wanted a drink, I got a GREAT drink! (no cheap-ass booze, it was all quality stuff)
Unfortunately, none of the photos taken of us onboard were worth buying. There were a few of DH that were good, but none of me. I am not photogenic. DH wouldn't buy any if I didn't look good in them. We did buy the Reflections DVD, though... thought that might be fun.
There was a problem with Noro onboard, apparently. Seemed to us like it was only a few people, and the crew was great... no huge inconvenience, though they did have to cancel our tour of the bridge (shhh...don't tell anyone. We were asked to be discreet about it, but we were invited, yay!), which is a bit of a disappointment. Hopefully, next cruise, we can manage to be invited again.
Hated to leave. Disembarkation was okay, we were off the ship fairly promptly... it seemed longer, as I misread my watch and got us to the waiting area an hour early. Darn. We could have sat at the Lobby bar longer!
Okay, we booked another cruise (open booking)... Princess has spoiled us. Badly. I'm at home, looking around for a waiter to bring me some coffee...
We just had our first Alaskan Cruise with two other couples, our best friends on the Golden Princess. So excited to see what everyone is talking about the "Glaciers". We probably picked the wrong time of the year knowing the weather might not cooperate with us. And We were disappointed as the Ship decided not to go thru the Tracy Arm Glaciers due to Fog and Ice forming (small pieces). Our whole point of the trip was for that but other than that and getting so lost finding the right floor on this Huge ship for the different Dinning Rooms, and Bars, we had a great time.
14 day RT Hawaii from LA to LA. I can only sight one fault with this ship and that is with the food both in the DR and Lido. Most dishes were tasteless and the beef was of a poor quality. First night's prime rib looked as if it had been washed, no flavor and tough. My fellow table mates said the same thing. My husband and I had the pot roast one night and it was nothing but fat and grizzle covered in gravy.
We had an inside cabin which had enough storage space, but the pillows were as flat as pancakes and I had to ask for an egg crate mattress cover as the beds are too firm.
The service in all departments on this ship was excellent. The Staff was very friendly and always willing to help you. Also the ship itself was very clean and smoking limited to certain areas.
The entertainment was very good,especially the 2 lectures who were outstanding. We spent most of our time at the Lotus Spa pool which is in a very quiet area. The Promenade which seems to be narrower than otherships had only benches to sit on, missed the deck chairs.
There were many excursions in the Ports of call in Hawaii to select from. In Hilo we did the volcano crater and the lava tube, not to be missed and in Honolulu we did Pearl Harbor and the Arizon Memorial. A very moving experience. We just walked around Kona and Maui as we had been there before.
We loved all the sea days despite the wind and the few showers.
Golden Princess has been refurbished.
We just sailed out of Seattle to Alaska -- Juneau, etc.
The food was better than expected. Food was so good in the Food Court that we often skipped the 1+ hour sit down meal. Try the International Café. Best doughnuts around in the morning. Fresh cookies baked on site. Lunch snack grilled ham and cheese croissant, fresh soup, and the best lime marinated giant shrimp you will find anywhere. Service was wonderful.
Three separate swimming areas. Really enjoyed the small pool (as hot as a hot tub) on the rear deck. They also have an Under the Stars outdoor movie which was okay, but the sound didn't work the night we went.
Procedures in general were very smooth. Embarkation and debarkation took only a few minutes and there were actually friendly, patient staff to help answer "dumb" questions.
I disagree with the review that the food is not world class. Pretty close to the best I have had cruising, especially at a buffet. Enjoyed the movies and shows. Singers and dancers were of advanced amateur theater talent. Male lead singers were average at best.
Negatives Only 2 serving "lines"for 2000 guests. Tables are hard to find. Sitting outside with a 20+ knot wind going to Alaska is not fun. Food courts clog up quickly because there is no flow to the serving line. Carnival has a much larger area to serve food in. For that many people you really need 4 separate areas. Also, only 1 sit down area for lunch. Lines to get in and when we would leave at 12:45 there would still be people in line. Beverage service in the food court was inconsistent. Even in slow times there were a few staff members who were bored, maybe afraid to speak English? -- puttering around, they would walk past you and didn't bother to ask if you needed anything. Princess does not serve "punch." You will find milk to drink rarely, unless you steal it from the cereal or coffee area. Juice in the morning is hidden, even in the self serve areas.
Do not miss the cooking demo with the Chef and the Maitre'd. Entertaining and informative.
General Criticisms Foreigners just don't understand American breakfasts -- scrambled eggs, "hash browns," occasional gravy are much better at Denney's or Cracker Barrel. Pizza, even though freshly made, was sub-par. Pastries always looked good, but were tasteless. "Pies" have no real fruit, just use the jellied fruit cake fillings.
Coffee in the buffet area is very weak. I guess they want to push the $2.50 premium coffee/espressos.
Sabatini ($20 extra) was a good experience, but the food itself was not what I would call classic Italian. I had langoustine which were large crawdads (with the eyes looking at you) About 12 bites of meat from 6 large critters. Service was outstanding.
Exercise Area: They were always pushing the spa treatments. The exercise area was standing room only in the early morning. Despite the number of machines, the room was overflowing. So you have to go later in the day. Maybe they should open at 6AM instead of 7.
Also we did not get real close to a glacier. The fjords are real narrow (Endicott Tracy Arm was iced up). It is amazing to maneuver the ship in such tight quarters, but you might as well go to Mendenhall glacier if you want up close viewing.
This cruise was a special occasion, as we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary on May 23rd.
SEATTLE We left Fort Lauderdale very early Friday morning headed for Seattle (through Nashville) on Southwest Airlines. The weather was good and the flight smooth. We arrived at our hotel, the Westin downtown Seattle, around 4 pm Pacific time. The sun was shining and it was cool about in the 60's. There was a Princess desk set up in the lobby and we introduced ourselves to the representative, who gave us information about the next morning. We then visited with the concierge, who made reservations for us for Saturday May 23rd at Daniel's Broiler Restaurant on Union Lake. More about that later.
We toured Seattle by foot -- walked to Pike Place Market and wished there was something like it in Fort Lauderdale! The Westin Hotel is in a great location. You can walk or take the monorail or trolley just about anywhere you want to go. Service at the hotel was A+.
THE GOLDEN PRINCESS Boarding around 11:30, we went straight to our cabin (D-602 mini-suite), which was ready for us. We have had mini-suites before onPrincess and always found them to be very spacious. The bathroom had a tub-shower and plenty of room to move around. The closet space was more than we needed and we were able to stow our large suitcases under our bed. The two flat screen televisions were a nice addition. We had four chairs and a table on the balcony. Two of the chairs fully reclined so that you could position them with the other chairs and have a makeshift chaise lounge.
The constuction on Deck 6 was still not finished so there was no steak house option (it was an option in the corner of the Hoirizon Court but not the option that it will be when completed). The wedding chapel was also under construction and there are several luxury suites being built on deck 6. There was a Sabatini's on board but we had eaten there several times on other ships and enjoyed it --- no need to indulge this time. The spa was nice and I availed myself of it several times and was happy with it although the dressing room and shower area was a little tight on space.
The Sanctuary is beautiful. I can see using it on a Caribbean cruise; however, it was cold in Alaska so we opted out especially since we also had a balcony cabin and we were able to enjoy the sights from it without much restriction.
The mid-ship was redone and the Piazza is very pretty. "Vines" is the name of the new wine bar. More than a wine bar, it also had a wide and good selection of wine from which to choose to purchase for enjoyment at the wine bar, take back to your room, or enjoy with dinner. The prices were only a little higher than what we pay on land in Fort Lauderdale. Also at Vines is a cheese and sushi bar. You can select cheeses to taste and/or add them to a "wine flight", which is a selection of 3 wines for tasting. There are many combos of wine and cheese available. Also in Vines is a wine accessory store that sells things like coasters, corkscrews, napkins, etc. It is very nice but it needs more seating and it seems like the wine store part is wasted space. Bistro tables would work well in the wine store space, I think. The only complaint I have is that during the week the staff at Vines was so enamoured with a particular Swiss cheese that they brought it out every day. The odor from it was so strong and pungent -- it smelled like a wet dog in a boys' middle school gym locker room. Whew! You could smell it all over the Piazza. Not good.
The movies under the stars ("MUTS") was nice but it was too cold for us to indulge. Still, they offered comfy padded lounge chairs, red plaid wool blankets and popcorn. We will definitely use MUTS on our next Caribbean cruise as it is a nice idea.
DAY ONE The sun comes up early here in the Spring and Summer so by 4:30 a.m. it was like 8:30 a.m. back home. The sun did not set until after 9:00 pm so we had a lot of daylight. Our first day was spent cruising from Seattle to Juneau. It was sunny but cold on deck. The ship was moving quickly so we could feel the rocking back and forth; however, except for losing our balance a few times, the movement did not bother us.
JUNEAU Our first port was Juneau. The weather was sunny and cold (mid 40's) and windy but it warmed up into the high 50's later on. Dressing in layers was key. There were plenty of shops in town. We took the Mendenhall Glacier tour. It was a beautiful day and the glacier was impressive, even though it has receded considerably in the past several years. We saw a porcupine in the wild. The rangers said a black bear had crossed the highway we had just driven on but we did not see it.
SKAGWAY Next stop was Skagway, a small town of about 850 people. It was very cute and in excellent condition -- you can really see the pride of the community. Lots of shops were open; one very beautiful glass shop caught our eye. We took a bus tour up the mountains to the summit, crossed into British Columbia, where we boarded the White Pass & Yukon Railway for the ride down the mountain. It was very cold at the summit but sunny. Really refreshingly cold, though. Snow everywhere. Some of the lakes were starting to thaw and the ice was blue in places. Very pretty. We also panned for gold in one of those touristy stops!
TRACY ARM This was really wonderful. Our Captain was fearless. There were huge icebergs all around us but he manuevered the ship brilliantly. We got some great photos of the blue ice. We could hear the icebergs cracking as they melted just like when you put ice into a warm beverage! Again, it was sunny but very cold in the morning. As we entered the last turn before the glacier, we passed the Star Princess going the other direction. It was fun to cheer them on as they did us! We took some pics of their ship. We were on the port side, which faced west, so we did not get the morning sun. The captain turned the ship around at the glacier so that both port and starboad had a good view. We saw black bears on shore (but our camera was too weak to make out what they were -- need a zoom lens). We also saw mountain goats, bald eagles, and seals at Sawyer Glacier. There was a naturalist on board who spoke during the trip along Tracy Arm both on the TV and over the ship's loudspeakers. He was interesting, helpful, yet not intrusive. Very enjoyable. Took lots of photos here.
KETCHIKAN The shops here open early and we got into port early, so by 6 am we were shopping! We only had a half day here so we had to make some time to visit the town. A very cute town it is -- part of which is built on stilts over the water. Very clean and pleasant. Again, cold but sunny. There was a little drizzle later in the day, which we missed because we were on tour. The tour we took here was the most wonderful one of all! We are hooked on the TV show "The Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel -- about the life of Alaskan King Crab fishermen. We decided to take the tour on the Aleutian Ballad. This ship was in Season 2 of the show and it had sustained a rogue wave on the show that nearly destroyed the ship. After many successful years crab fishing the owner decided to retire the ship and use it for tourists. I was a little hesitant at first because I was afraid of two things: (1) that the boat would be "icky" and (2) that we were going into rough open waters. Neither fear was realized. The boat was totally refurbished since its working days. It was clean, beautiful and in pristine condition. They put in heaters that radiated from the ceiling and had a covered sheltered "stadium seating" area for us. They gave us very long, warm hooded jackets that kept us warm and dry. They had hot coffee, hot tea and hot chocolate as well as a gift shop. They were superb! Really nice people. We sailed into a bay area that is owned by the native tribe -- sovereign land. We were allowed to fish for crab and other fish -- but only catch and release. We saw whales too. We pulled up pots of rock crab, dungeness crab, and king crab. We were able to hold them and take photos with the crab. We also pulled up a 70 pound octopus and observed it for awhile.
We then stopped in the bay and the crew threw halibut over the side and all of a sudden, the shy and hard to photograph American bald eagles came from nowhere and descended upon the halibut in a feeding freny! There were hundreds of eagles. I just held my camera out and kept snapping pictures without regard for whether I got them or not. When it was over, I had taken about 40 photos (some were duds), most of which were amazing shots of eagles in flight, eagles coming straight at the camera lens in mid-flight, eagles descending to the water with their talons down, ready to grab the fish, eagles flying to the tree tops and some tress that had so many eagles in them that it looked like a Christmas tree with white bulbs! That was the best part of the whole tour! The tour was the best one we did. I highly recommend it. The weather was again sunny and cool, but the water was smooth as glass. Even the most fainthearted should not be afraid of taking this tour. It was magnificent.
VICTORIA This was our last port and we only had about 4 hours here from 7-11 pm. We have to visit a foreign port so that is the reason for the stop in Victoria, British Columbia. But, it was too bad we had only 4 hours. We were smitten with this city. It is gorgeous. Again, it was a sunny day and although it was cool, it was a refreshing temperature, not uncomfotable, even for this South Floridian. The tour guide took us through town -- beautiful parks, neatly kept homes (many Victorian style old beauties) and the best part was there were people everywhere enjoying the day. Young families with babies in strollers, people walking their dogs, old folks out for a stroll. The backdrop to the City: the magnificent snow-capped Cascade Mountains. We took the tour to Butchart Gardens and we were glad we did! It was stunning. Even though we only had about 2 hours there and really only 1.5 hours of it was daylight, it was well worth it. I have never seen such gorgeous gardens. The flowers and shrubs were meticulously manicured. We got some fantastic photos. Wish we could have spent more time there. We definitely have to go back to Victoria.
OVERALL I would be remiss if I failed to tell you that we were so fortunate to have as our Cruise Director, Richard Joseph. We first met him when we took the Coral Princess through the Panama Canal in 2004. We were then with him on the Diamond Princess touring the Mexican Riviera in 2007. We enjoy him so much because he is knowledgeable about the ships and tours, has a pleasant personality and is low-key. Just our style.
The 7 days went by too fast but it was a trip to remember. We could not have asked for better weather.
THE LAST DAY The last day was our actual anniversary. The restaurant (Daniel's) the hotel concierge selected was just perfect. Located on the shore at Union Lake, it is close to downtown Seattle. We had a beautiful view, excellent service and delicious steaks and seafood. It was a nice way to end a fantastic and memorable cruise.
We wanted to write our review of our cruise. It was so nice and the weather was fabulous every day. We had only 10 minutes of rain in Ketchikan. One day it was 74 degrees. Wonderful.
The ship was nice and our room was the least expensive on board, an inside cabin. I was worried but it was wonderful. I really thought they had done a great job without a window.
We do not like buffet eating so we ate at the restaurants on board. Very good food with one exception. My husband ordered lobster and it was to well done. Ruined I would say.
We ate most lunches at the "international foods" bar. We had wonderful salads and soups and paninni sandwiches. Wonderful. We wish they would expand that are and have breakfast paninnis. This are was called the Piazza. Just great. My understaning is that this is new for the ship. This is were we had our espresso drinks in the morning. Only the espresso was not covered. All the food was included without charge and in the evenings they had wonderful appetizers you could pick up and enjoy.
Iwould say the entertainment was not great. It was okay but I have been on one other Princess Cruise and that was to the Carribean and the entertainment was top notch.
The crew aboard was fantastic and without exception we felt cared for and spoiled.
Princess really has the hosptiality down pat. No complaints and the ship was really nice.
I wanted to write a review because I really do read others and use them to make decisions. We were hesitant to go to Alaska in May but after reading the reviews I found out that May has the least amount of rain. Who knew?
And the last thing but definitely not the least. The Glacier. Words cannot describe how wonderful that was. It took us two hours to go into the Fjord and two hours out. It was fantastic. The pictures we have are pricelss. This was the best part of our cruise. The captain spun the boat around once we were back in to the glacier and it was marvelous. Not enough adjectives to describe this part of our week aboard the Golden Princess.


text:
Monica88 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 181 diseños de 23 diseñadores freelance.
Elite Energy
As a group fitness instructor, I often saw women coming to my classes that hadn't exercised in 10-15 years because they simply had no time. This is usually, but not solely, because they had children. As a result, I decided to become a personal trainer, so that I could make it easier for women to get active and healthy.
Elite Energy is a personal training business that comes to a client's home, office, or anywhere they like. It is meant to make exercise as convenient as possible. "Elite"- is meant to show that clients will receive a highly educated and safe workout. "Energy"- is because I'm known for making exercise high energy and fun. Hence, Elite Energy!
Women aged 25-65. Women who are intimidated by the gym or are just too busy to get there. This could include women with young children or busy business women. It could also include women who are already fit, but would rather have a convenient workout at their home or office.
I would like the "Elite Energy" to be the main words of the logo with "Mobile Personal Training" in smaller letters.
I would like a feminine design keeping in mind the age group of 25-65. Colors I like, but you are not limited by are: hot pink, grey, black, purple.
There are a few other mobile personal trainers in town, so I would like the logo to stand out.
You are definitely free to be creative and feedback will be given to everyone! Try things out and I will let you know if it's working or not.
If you have questions or if you need any other information, please leave comments for me to answer!
New note for Designers:
Could you use hot pink instead of purple! I like the pink much more.
If you're using a female in the logo, can you make sure that she has legs instead of swooshes.
Please don't replace any of the letters with a girl unless you can see that it is still easy to read.
I do need vector format logos. The logos will need to change size easily. Please include a PDF, PSD, and a JPEG.
The winning logo will be put on a business card, so I need a PDF.
It will also be featured on my website, so I need a PSD too.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
@louannlynch Just a casual Monday sesh. #robertpattinson #lovedmyhair #mademeblush #tookhisorder #gavehimgarlicbread #therover
click for the full size
click for the full size
Source | Via | Source | Via
Her hashtag love is awesome!!!!! as is his face!!
Cutie, so sweet. Thanks again :)
Loved those hash tags... XD
WOW what a lucky girl! I want it tooo pleas!
It looks like Rob is bulking up, very nice.
Rob you have some serious hotness going on there. But that sunburn must really smart!
ohh he's loooking good! :0
Are those TOMS? Beaut man!
Look at those pecs! Someone's working out :-)
I'm so happy for Rob. No papz pics. Just a few fan pics every now and then. Hope he's enjoying his time down under.
Great to see a handsome ,fit Rob !!


text:
New Hampshire man charged with assaulting infant
RAYMOND, N.H. (AP) � Police in Raymond, N.H., say a 26-year-old man is facing charges of assaulting an infant less than a year old.
Police say they received reports that an infant about 2 months old had received injuries in recent weeks. An examination of the baby at the Exeter Hospital showed that the child had suffered multiple fractures.
The baby is not being identified, but police say the child was injured in a Raymond residence over the past several weeks.
Cavan G. Moore of Raymond faces three counts second degree assault on a victim less than a year old. He's being held on $25,000 cash bail pending an arraignment in the Candia Circuit Court.


text:
As you do your holiday book shopping, you might want to think about audio books. We have some suggestions for great audio books this year. Robin Whitten is the editor and founder of Audio File magazine, which has a little list. Robin, thanks for joining us.
ROBIN WHITTEN: I'm so glad to be here, and to talk about some things to listen to.
WERTHEIMER: Now, a number of books on this year's list are really quite different from the audio books many of us are used to. Let's start with one of the new ones, where "The Storm King" is read by someone we generally hear singing.
PETE SEEGER: I met my wife, Toshi, when she was still a teenager because I went to sing for a little square dance club in New York, and she was a member of it.
WERTHEIMER: Now that, of course, is Pete Seeger - in case you didn't recognize him. But Robin, tell us about this book. This is not an audio version of a novel. This is a whole series of spoken-word performances.
WHITTEN: That's right. It's really a production of a program that was written to be recorded with Pete talking about stories, and the music is all integrated into the program. It's really a very exciting and special program.
WERTHEIMER: And the recording itself is full of music; almost everything has music underneath it. Now, here's another; real change of pace - "Civil War," which is based on a Marvel comics series about super humans. I gather that this is to reach out to a younger audience. Maybe these are not people who are listening to audio books 'cause they can't see, to read.
WHITTEN: Oh, not at all. And this is the sort of audio theater and drama at - taken to a new level, with a real soundscape written underneath the story and the acting, the theater of the production.
WERTHEIMER: Let's listen to a bit of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Energy tingled across his skin, dancing along the millimeter-thick sheath covering his body. Wireless sensors reached out, touched matching circuits on boots, chest plate, leggings...
WERTHEIMER: So what do you think? Do you think we're headed in the direction of audio theater? Has Marvel got the right sort of thing going on here?
WHITTEN: It expands what audio listening can be, so that we can't just think of it as a single narrator who sort of takes you through a literary novel or a fabulous mystery. But you know, there's more to it; and the audio publishers are really expanding the envelope in the way they look with multiple narrators, sound effects and sound design, as well as a single voice just telling you a great story.
WERTHEIMER: We do have one of those single-narrator books. This one is called "The Good Lord Bird." It's written by James McBride, and narrated by the actor Michael Boatman. It's about a slave child who joins John Brown's crusade against slavery, and dresses as a little girl.
MICHAEL BOATMAN: I was born a colored man, and don't you forget it. But I lived as a colored woman for 17 years.
WERTHEIMER: Now, how do you feel about the traditional, single-narrator book? Does it sound like we're not getting our money's worth after listening to some of these others?
WHITTEN: No, I think you're getting something very special in Michael Boatman's narration there. You get the accent and the dialogue and the dialect that was written into the book. And yet, you know, it comes alive in his voice.
WERTHEIMER: Thank so much for this, Robin.
WHITTEN: Thank you, Linda.
WERTHEIMER: Robin Whitten is the editor of Audio File magazine.
Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.


text:
The M210EZ is a maximum security deadbolt and requires NO DRILLING during installation. A simple thumb-turn for exit and entry makes this lock simple to operate while provide maximum security. The M210 deadbolt is used on any door requiring deadbolt security. This lock is most commonly used on residential homes for entry doors.
- Residential Entry Doors
- Garage Doors
- Commercial Doors
- 4 7/8" H x 1 7/16" W x 1 3/4" D
- Total Coverage w/ Trim Plates Is: 5-5/8" x 2-1/2"
- No drilling required during installation!
- Deadbolt Security
- Heavy Duty
- Will cover a standard 2 1/8" hole
- Fits all doors 1 3/8" - 2"
- Easy changeable combination
- For right or left handed doors / changeable handing
- Replaces existing deadbolt or for new door preps
- Adjustable Deadbolt
- Easy code change as often as required
- To change the code the lock must be taken off the door
- Covers 2 1/8" hole
- Mechanical Reliability
Additional Info
Additional Info
|Part Number
|What's in the box
(1) Outside Body


text:
After a wild winter storm that dumped nearly 20" of snow upon the streets of Minneapolis in one day, I needed to feel cozy. I wanted to bake. And immediately, I thought of banana bread. Truthfully, I can't take credit for the idea - I was influenced by one of my most favorite blogs, My New Roots. Sarah wrote a lovely post that discusses the Danish interest in hygge, the concept of being cozy, and her amazingly cozy recipe for Banana Bread. I have always loved the notion of hygge (perhaps my Danish ancestry makes me predisposed?), and was giddy to see her writing about it, especially in relationship to a lovely bread recipe.So, I found my way into the kitchen - where I spent most of last weekend - and made a batch of this lovely bread. Sarah's culinary style is right up my alley, so I didn't need to do much to tweak the bread. I made the recipe gluten-free, using freshly ground flours, and made a few other small changes, but kept the spirit true to the original.
The result was lovely. It is sweet, but not too sweet. It is dense but still has a well-defined crumb. It is moist, but not gummy. It is flavorful and soft and chewy and makes me feel cozy inside. I really like this bread. And the bread stored well at room-temperature for almost 4 days (I don't believe it lasted that long). We all agreed it was best toasted or warmed up, but it was also good eaten plain. I think it would make great french toast. My housemate Mike (a guy who can eat everything) said, "This is good. Can I have another slice?" while chewing the last bite of a warm slice. He promptly returned from the kitchen with more, and ate it up. Over the next few days, we devoured the loaf, eating it slightly toasted, smeared with ghee. So good! My grain-free eating plan went totally out the window when the temperatures started diving toward the 0º F mark.
I like to grind my flours fresh for the best flavor and freshness. For this recipe, the bulk of the flour is freshly ground hulled buckwheat groats and freshly ground millet. If you've never baked with freshly ground buckwheat flour made from buckwheat groats, you're missing out. It has all the same great texture as regular dark buckwheat flour, but with a lighter, more neutral flavor and a light tan color. Regular buckwheat flour is made from buckwheat groats that still have the dark hull, which lend a dark color. When you grind hulled groats, you get light buckwheat flour. Pretty cool, right? Freshly ground millet flour is no different than what you'd buy in stores, except that it tastes better and is fresher.
I use a Vitamix to grind my flours. You can also use another high-powered blender like a Blendtech, a grain mill, a coffee or spice grinder, or perhaps a really good high-quality regular blender. Just grind until you have a fine powder, like flour. Done!
I think you'll really like this bread. It made me feel cozy inside and out, and filled the house with a warm, lovely smell that made us all smile. Winter is totally bearable with food like this around, isn't it?
Oh, and one more thing...
I'm starting a monthly newsletter! I think it will be fun. Sign up here, and I'll start sending out newsletters in January 2011. It's free and should be lots of fun. I plan to include all sorts of unique information, tips, featured foods, and a recipe each month. So sign up!
This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday for 1/11/11 on Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free. Yay!
Buckwheat Banana Bread, Gluten-Free and Vegan
adapted from My New Roots| yield 1 loaf pan
This recipe calls for freshly ground flour. If you don't have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtech, you can use a coffee grinder, spice grinder, grain mill, or even a high-quality regular blender - you just want to get a very fine flour. If you don't want to grind them yourself, feel free to use pre-ground millet and light/white buckwheat flour.
If you are vegan, be sure to choose a vegan oil instead of butter/ghee.
- ¼ cup water or milk of your choice (coconut, rice, almond, hemp, cow, goat, soy…)
- 1 cup whole buckwheat groats (or 1 cup + 2 Tbsp LIGHT buckwheat flour)
- 1/2 cup whole millet grains (or 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp millet flour)
- 1/4 cup dark buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch/flour, tapioca starch/flour, or a mixture of both
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum (you can omit, but bread will be slightly crumbly)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 6 Tbsp. olive oil or melted butter, ghee, or coconut oil
- 6 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups mashed ripe bananas (approximately 5 medium bananas)
- 1 cup chopped nuts/seeds (I used cashews and sunflower seeds)
- optional: 1/3 cup raw cacao nibs OR 1/2-3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, carob chips, or homemade chocolate/carob chips
- more cashews + chocolate/cocao for sprinkling on top
Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a loaf pan with baking paper.
Grind buckwheat groats and millet in a high-powered blender, coffee grinder, grain mill, or a very high quality regular blender. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with other dry ingredients, and set aside.
Put the milk, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and bananas in the blender and blend until smooth. Add banana mixture and combine using as few stroked as possible. Fold in nuts/seeds and chocolate/cacao.
Spread into a cake pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with additional nuts/chocolate. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Do not overbake.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan by lifting on the sides of the baking paper. Finish cooling on a rack, and store cooled loaf in an airtight container. This bread is delicious toasted, and freezes very well.
*The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
*Heads up! This post may contain some affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links you won't pay a single cent more, but I'll get a small commission that helps keep the content flowing. P.S. I only recommend products I use in my own daily life!


text:
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
WoW 5.2.0
WarcraftRealms.com Forum Index
General Discussion
View previous topic
View next topic
Forums Admin & general flunky
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Posts: 1402
Location: Texas, USA
WR Updates: 9,214,598
bringoutyourdead WR Profile
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:56 pm
Post subject: WoW 5.2.0
Changes what is considered current TOC
As such.. a new release has been pushed up to Curse.com
The only change at this time is to update the TOC from 50100 to 50200
Considering Blizzard restarted the server I had just gotten on after the patch was released.. they aren't stable yet.. and I haven't had a chance to check out if any other changes need to be made to CensusPlus.
(I don't have access to PTR)
From what I have been reading I don't think any other changes need to be made at this time.
The link for the new version (is/ will be)
As of the time of this message the newest version hasn't made it through the Curse.com approval process.. but I expect it will soon.
Edit: about 20 minutes later.. it was approved at curseforge the addon input point.. but Curse itself hasn't been updated.
Edit2: about 8 minutes later. I was successful with a Census run.. so unless you tell me otherwise I believe the client is good to go... but nope. curse still doesn't have the update.
edit3: and some time less then 5 hours later Curse.com has the update available for downloading.
Back to top
Joined: 30 Sep 2005
Posts: 1728
Location: UK
WR Updates: 13,008,338
Balgair WR Profile
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:56 pm
Post subject:
No errors for me here anyway
And a nice little fact: it takes 1 hour 1 min to census 4010 people, that's the highest I've seen... no flippin' wonder it's a lagfest everywhere I go tonight lol
Back to top
Epic Censi
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Posts: 760
WR Updates: 32,238,443
1974ER WR Profile
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:12 pm
Post subject:
No errors with the addon, more errors with the site. :/
Last processed file was uploaded on 2013-02-16 17:59:34.
Current server time is 2013-03-06 14:09:16
Feb 16, 13 18:08:24 0 0 E
Feb 16, 13 16:24:30 0 0 E
Seems the the server hang itself on my files, because it has been looking like that for pretty long while already.
Back to top
Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 3
WR Updates: 306,231
frostorb WR Profile
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 4:14 pm
Post subject:
Ok, so anyone know what the story is with submissions taking so long to be processed? I'm an IT guy and I have some spare hardware that I don't have much use for and it sounds like the site needs more hardware. So anyone know how I can help or something? I've been using this site for years and I'd hate to see all this information disappear into the void of time. It's nice to look up my really old characters and see their progression over the years.
Just because I'm curious.. how does all this stuff work? What hardware and software is used to keep all this info? Anybody know?
Back to top
Forums Admin & general flunky
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Posts: 1402
Location: Texas, USA
WR Updates: 9,214,598
bringoutyourdead WR Profile
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:59 pm
Post subject:
Only "the Shadow" knows, or I should say only Rollie knows.
But from statements he has made here in the forums and some simple internet investigation I can make a reasonable guess.
Rollie has this site setup with two servers, the public facing web server which is the host for
and the private side server which runs the DB engine.
I don't know which version of *inx Rollie is using.. if it is Linux based or BSD based not that it matters that much in many respects.
Rollie replaced his first server implementation back on 2-Mar-2005 with a machine he exclaimed to be a "screamer" i.e. fast, but only six days later as more and more people discovered warcraftrealms.com and another website wowcensus.com died, Rollie started his long road of struggling to keep ahead of the load we keep adding to the site.
By 24-Feb-2005 his optimizing of the MySQL processes had pushed update processing into "thousands of characters/second."
16-Oct-2006 Rollie called for help, he was looking for a broad range of skills to greatly expand how Warcraftrealms.com would look to the world, but I believe after some reconsideration he decided to not go down that path.
30-Dec-2006 Rollie rolled out the new user interface experience ... what we currently have here at the site.
30-Jan-2007 Rollie brought out the 3rd generation of the DB (Database) server
18-Jul-2008 ditto for the Web server.
Then the world changed... the US real estate debt driven stock market crash drove many business into bankruptcy. And the companies that survived pulled back, cutting all costs such as outside IT contracting and development. I'm sure Rollie got caught up in that mess since he has been busy since that time taking care of real life issues.
It is long pass time for major hardware update of the DB server and possibly the web server, the two are tied together in that most of pages delivered to your web browser are created on the fly with data from the DB server each time you refresh most pages on this site. A side effect of this is that when the DB server goes down, the web side goes non-responsive.
Pure speculation from this point.
The DB server may be based on a dual core cpu but most likely is based on an older single core chip. The MySQL database is almost certainly the 5.0 version released this and previous versions couldn't make optimal use of mutilple core cpu's. Major updates made to mysql could improve processing of uploaded data by a major factor. The other issue of the currently used implementation of MySQL is the problem the database has with extended character set handling. One of the reasons Rollie wasn't able to support our Russian players.
I expect Rollie would like to get a modern multi core system with a large Ram memory system so he could keep much of the indices in ram all the time. Possibly with SSD (Solid State Drive) for all or most of the database, since paging in and out data from mechanical hard drives is the most time consuming part of database processing. But it wouldn't make sense to spend the cash resources that would require if Rollie didn't have the time to update the software including his many PHP scripts to make use of the better hardware.
Rollie I know would love to have someone help him with the maintenance of the website. But it is his baby, and unless he had positive proof that the person(s) assisting really had a clue of what they are doing... they could break things here real quick, and make it very hard and time consuming to pick up the pieces after.
Rollie didn't have much problem when I asked to take over maintenance of the actual CensusPlus add on, considering I was limited by what Blizzard allowed and required and any additions I might have wanted to add to the uploaded data would just be ignored if it didn't fit in Rollie's specifications. Also by the time Rollie and I got in contact, I nearly had the CensusPlus update finished and had been testing with someone Rollie has a trust relationship for along time.
Back to top
Superior Census Taker
Joined: 02 Aug 2005
Posts: 49
Location: Germany
WR Updates: 4,930,610
Djambo WR Profile
Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:42 am
Post subject:
Or it's probably like that:
The game lost its appeal years ago, he's still clocking numerous hours coding in front of a pc, his kids grew up in the meantime so he can spent his valuable offtime outdoors with his family biking, hiking etc.
My guess is: He could spent time on the site if he wanted to but he doesn't want to. Upgrading the server is stuffing money down the drain. As long as the servers are running it's good but fixing or restructuring anything is the lowest of his priorities. Until the db is completely fubar shutting down of the site won't happen. So we have to live with the status quo.
Just my 2 cts. Sorry for my bad english.
Back to top
Forums Admin & general flunky
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Posts: 1402
Location: Texas, USA
WR Updates: 9,214,598
bringoutyourdead WR Profile
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:31 am
Post subject:
I expect the truth is somewhere in between our two guesses.
While it is true that he is less interested in this site then any of us would like. Allowing it to totally fall apart or even just allowing it to visibly degrade as it has isn't the best thing that Rollie could do for his professional career. I say this after looking over his professional profile on various sites.
Back to top
Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 3
WR Updates: 306,231
frostorb WR Profile
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:59 pm
Post subject: I have some hardware....
I have an i7-870k CPU(4 core + HT) and motherboard(full size ATX) that I'd gladly donate to this site if it would help. I don't have any RAM(uses DDR3) but RAM is so cheap it would require much $$$ to get it working. The system has worked great for me, but I'm onto much bigger and better things.
So Rollie.. if you are out there and you want my hardware let me know.
Back to top
Display posts from previous:
All Posts
1 Day
7 Days
2 Weeks
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
1 Year
Oldest First
Newest First
WarcraftRealms.com Forum Index
General Discussion
All times are GMT - 6 Hours
Jump to:
Select a forum
News and Announcements
General Discussion
WarcraftRealms.com Bugs
Census Talks
WarcraftRealms Developers
Other Mods
Guild Recruitment
Classic Discussion
WarcraftRealms UI Mods
CensusPlus UI Mod Bugs
CensusPlus UI Mod for Classic
Killing Fields UI Mod Bugs
post new topics in this forum
reply to topics in this forum
edit your posts in this forum
delete your posts in this forum
vote in polls in this forum
Powered by
© 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


text:
Restaurants By Cuisine
Featured Dinner Restaurant
Featured Lunch Restaurant
Recently Added Restaurants
(647) 748-4711
Recently Updated Restaurants
(416) 264-0000
Best Toronto Restaurants
Purists will discover both authentic Chinese comfort food and world-class fusion cuisine from the hundreds of restaurants located within and outside Chinatown. Similarly, Little Italy/Little Portugal and Greektown are home to top restaurants in Toronto that offers food buffs samples of traditional and modern variations of healthy European and Mediterranean cooking. It is a measure of the capital's sophistication that it features quality Toronto restaurants featuring lesser known cuisine such as the Ethiopian or Caribbean Fusion in addition to upscale eating establishments that attract the more urbane food connoisseurs.
To enjoy the best of both worlds, dine at CN Tower's top-floor restaurant to complement the spectacular food and wine with an equally amazing panoramic view of the city from the top, or cap a night of live artistic entertainment at the Elgin and Winter Garden theatres with a hearty dinner and award-winning beer at the nearby pubs in the area.
Did you know that we have 500+ Toronto delivery
and take out menus online?
Try searching for "menu near" a major intersection.
Toronto's Recent Reviews
I ate here last weekend the food was really great. It wasn't too heavy or oily like a lot of ...
Poor. I attended last night with a group of 30 people. We made a reservation. There ...
best pizza. Amazing prices. They just did some renos and it was torture waiting for them to ...
Top Rated Restaurants
To get delivery menus or takeout menus just add menu to your search chinese menus
Did you know that you can search by major landmark. Here are some restaurants near City Hall
We're on Twitter! Follow us for great suggestions and to stay up to date on the local dining scene. fyood


text:
ROCKLEDGE, FL (July 15, 2013) – Health First is pleased to announce Kinard Cooper, RN as its new care coordinator for the Center for Fracture Care at Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center. Cooper has worked as a staff nurse at Health First Holmes for the past two years. He received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the College of Staten Island and an Associate in Science Nursing RN degree from Brevard Community College.
The new Center for Fracture Care at Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center, will help prioritize specialty care for people who experience fractures. The Center's surgeons, physicians, physician assistants, nurses and therapists all work together to maximize outcomes. The Center is located on the orthopedic floor which has 47 beds—six of which are solely dedicated to fractures. This is the only fracture center in Brevard County.
About Health First
Founded in 1995, Health First is Central Florida's only fully integrated health system and employs more than 7,500 people and has four hospitals (including Holmes Regional Medical Center, Palm Bay Hospital, Cape Canaveral Hospital and Viera Hospital). Health First Health Plans also offers a wide variety of health insurance plan options for Brevard and Indian River Counties. In addition, Health First is home to Brevard County's only Trauma Center. Health First Medical Group is the largest multi-specialty physician group on the Space Coast. Health First offers numerous outpatient and wellness services, including four Pro-Health and Fitness Centers. Visit www.Health-First.org for more information.


text:
CHAPTER 114.1. Any license, granted to retail spirituous liquor, wine or cordials at Chapel Hill, or within two miles thereof, shall be void.2. No person shall erect, keep, maintain or have at Chapel Hill, or within two miles thereof, any tippling house, establishment or place, for the sale of wine, cordials, spirituous or malt liquor.3 No person in the State, without permission in writing from the President of the University, or some member of the Faculty, shall sell, or offer to sell or deliver to any Student of the University, or to any other person, any cordial, wine, spirituous or malt liquor for the purpose of being used, or with knowledge that the same will be used, at Chapel Hill, or within two miles thereof, by any such Student.4. No person, at or within two miles of Chapel Hill, shall give or furnish any electioneering treat or entertainment.5. No person shall set up, keep or maintain at Chapel Hill, or within five miles thereof, any public billiard table, or other public table of any kind, at which games of chance or skill, by whatever name called, may be played.6. No person, without permission in writing obtained therefor from the President of the University, or some member of its Faculty, seven days beforehand, shall exhibit at Chapel Hill, or within five miles thereof, any theatricals, sleight of hand or equestrian performances, or any dramatic recitations or representations, or any rope or wire dancing, natural or artificial curiosities, or any concert, serenade or performance in music, singing or dancing.7. Any person who shall offend against any of the provisions of this chapter, hereinbefore recited, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.8. Any contract or agreement by any Student of the University being then a minor, with any shopkeeper, merchant, trader or other person, upon the sale of any wine, cordial, spirituous or malt liquor, or of any goods, wares or merchandize, or any article of trade or with the keeper of any livery stable, shall be void, unless the same, if made at or within two miles of Chapel Hill, be made under the written permission of the President of the University, or some member of its Faculty; or if made at a greater distance from Chapel Hill, under the written consent of the person who may have the control and authority over such Student.9. Every contract made with a Student of the University, contrary to the provisions of the preceding section, shall be void, and may be avoided on account of any of the matters therein contained, on the plea of the general issue: on the trial whereof, if it appear that the defendant was, at the time of the alleged contract, a Student of the University, it shall be presumed that he was, at the making thereof, a minor.10. Every such contract shall be incapable of being confirmed, and any promise or obligation given by such Student, after his arrival at full age, shall be void.
Yours, very respectfully,
DAVID L. SWAIN , President.


text:
With Sandy having left a path of destruction in its wake, a lot of people are understandably thinking about what they can do to better protect themselves for when the next big one hits. Japan is no stranger to natural disasters, and a company there is marketing a crushproof, floating ball as their solution. Called the Life Armor, its spherical shape and materials allow it to withstand up to 9,3 tons of compressive pressure, and can take a plunge from 25m. Whether the four humans it's able to carry inside will survive such a fall is a different matter. It does float, and the thought of having four people trapped inside a 1.2m diameter sphere floating about doesn't exactly strike us as the best way to protect yourself from… well, anything. Still, if you fancy this particular solution, it does appear to sell for roughly $5,000.
[ Google Translated Product Page ] VIA [ Damn Geeky ]


text:
Journaling Solutions: May/June 2011
May and June are a time to celebrate Mother's Day, Father's Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, and Visit Your Relatives Day. So take the time this month to scrapbook about the people who mean the most to you. Whether your layout is about your mother, grandfather, or favorite teacher, let our journaling tips and quotes help get you started.
Journal It
* Things grandpa taught me:
* years have brought me . . .
* Every day I find inspiration in . . .
* Now that your child has graduated, make a list of things you hope and dream for him or her as an adult.
* Write about a teacher who inspired you or who had a special influence in your life.
Quote It
* "Wherever you go, go with all your heart." -Confucius
* "All our dreams can come true. . . if we have the courage to pursue them." -Walt Disney
* "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." -Elizabeth Stone
* "It takes a long time to grow young." -Pablo Picasso
Title It
* Lessons from My Grandchildren
* Happy Birthday to Me
* My Dreams
* Who I Came From
* As sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.
Download a PDF of these framed quotes to use on your scrapbook page.
Download a PNG of these framed quotes to use on your digital layout.
For more journaling solutions for your scrapbook layouts, check out the May/June 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
For more quotes and journaling ideas, visit Journaling Solutions, as seen in the March/April 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
Related Links:
Journaling Solutions: February 2011
Journaling Solutions: January 2011
Journaling Solutions: May/June 2010
Appeared in:
|To comment on this article you must be logged in. Not a member?


text:
After being released by the Green Bay Packers early in the week, linebacker Desmond Bishop quickly paid visits to the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs. He revealed Thursday night that the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers also have expressed interest.
"The Giants and Jacksonville are the next two that are interested," Bishop told SiriusXM NFL Radio Thursday. "Actually, the Niners called but of course, you know, they're kind of set over there. I appreciate their interest in me regardless. But the Giants, which is a real good situation, and Jacksonville as well."
A healthy Bishop would be an upgrade over Mark Herzlich and Dan Connor at middle linebacker for the Giants, but New York is only $3.3 million under the salary cap and have yet to sign first-round draft pick Justin Pugh and fourth-round pick Ryan Nassib.
Bishop insists he's "100 percent" recovered from last year's hamstring surgery.
Although the Jaguars have Paul Posluszny locked in at middle linebacker, Bishop could take over for Geno Hayes on the strong side.
The six-year veteran understands that he will have to settle for a one-year contract to prove he can return to 2011 form.
UPDATE: A source who speaks to Bishop told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport on Friday that Bishop is deciding between the Chiefs, Giants and Vikings.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.


text:
To empower the people of our bioregion to develop sustainable, collaborative, and socially just communities leading to a self-sufficient post petroleum society.
Click here to make a tax deductible donation!
Or send check payable to:
Post Oil Solutions
PO Box 431
Townshend, VT 05353
Come visit us on Facebook
Who We Are
POST OIL SOLUTIONS is a group of citizens from the Southeast Vermont bio-region who began meeting in June 2005. We joined together to take our first, modest steps toward creating more cooperative, self-sufficient communities. Our goal is to learn about and develop sustainable practices in our homes, neighborhoods, and larger communities, so as to begin creating the infrastructure in our region necessary for a post oil society.
We believe in Sustainability and Community Building!
Support our Market Match Coupon Program Learn More Here
Check Out Our New Climate Change Cafe
Join us for a monthly gathering at the Brooks Memorial Library with others who are concerned about the most tremendous challenge of our time. The 4th Tuesday of the month at 6 PM. Check calender for more details.
What We Do
- Brattleboro Winter Farmers' Market
- Townshend Common Farmer's Market
- (Re)Learning to Feed Ourselves Workshop
- Windham Area Food System Collaborative


text:
Los Angeles Gets Okay For A New Stadium; An NFL Team — Not So Fast
By Barry Janoff
October 1, 2012: Unlike the iconic phrase from Field of Dreams, if you can build it, they won't necessarily come.
The last time an NFL team played a home game in Los Angeles, Bill Clinton was president, Forrest Gump won the Academy Award for best picture of the year, Frasier won the Emmy for best TV comedy and Aerosmith's "Cryin'" was the MTV video of the year.
Fast-forward to 2012, when Los Angeles is the closest it has been to having a NFL team since the Raiders and Rams left town following the 1994 season.
This past Friday, the Los Angeles City Council approved ay a unanimous 12-0 vote a series of plans that now allow the Anschutz Entertainment Group to proceed with a project to build the estimated $1.2 billion 72,000-seat Farmers Field, to be erected on 15 acres in downtown Los Angeles on the current site of the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center (which would be rebuilt as part of the plan).
The major hurdle still to overcome: The approval is contingent on AEG securing "a long-term lease with an NFL franchise."
The new Los Angeles team would have to come via the relocation of an existing franchise. The NFL has already stated that it would not consider expansion, as that would require two new teams to maintain the balance of the league's divisional and scheduling logistics.
With the stadium plan now approved, the plan to move a franchise could be on the agenda at a meeting of NFL team owners in March 2013. Teams can apply to make that move beginning January 1, 2013.
None of this, however, is written is stone and, in effect, could take several years to come to fruition, according to NFL analysts.
"To me this is the end of selling and now this is the beginning of doing, and we have some work to do," Tim Leiweke, president of AEG, told reporters following the City Council's vote. "But I will tell you if you just look at the logistical facts that we now work with, first of all a partnership with the city, that we're done on the political front, we're done on the environmental front and we're done on the community front and now it's time to get this stadium built."
The Farmers Field Web site proclaims that the stadium "is coming" and is encouraging visitors to register for season tickets. Still, even Leiweke knows the reality of the next months and years, including facing lawsuits and other legal actions in addition to convincing an NFL team to relocate. "We're going to reach out to teams, we've been talking to teams and now we're going to go with a lot ammunition," he said.
Should all of that happen, AEG and lead partners including the Wasserman Media Group could proceed with stadium construction that would allow Famers Field to open for the 2017 NFL season.
Among the top franchises being speculated for relocation by analysts and investors are the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders. Each has a reason to relocate due to financial and other issues with their current respective situation.
A second proposed stadium to house a NFL team is still under consideration for the City of Industry, located some 20 miles east, under the auspices of real estate businessman Ed Roski.
"We're done on the environmental front and we're done on the community front and now it's time to get this stadium built."
For the Raiders and Rams, a move would be a return to the city of angels. The Raiders played in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1982-94. Last game was a 19-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in front of 64,000 people on December 24, 1994.
The Rams played 49 seasons in Los Angeles, the final game on Dec. 24, 1994, a home loss to the Washington Redskins, 24-21, in front of 25,700 people at Anaheim Stadium, the lowest attendance of the season.
Los Angeles was the site of Super Bowl I (then known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) on Jan. 15, 1967 in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
"Farmers Insurance is proud to be part of the team working to make Farmers Field a reality in downtown Los Angeles," Jeff Dailey, CEO of Farmers Insurance Group, which in February 2011 paid $700 million for a 30-year naming rights deal, said in a statement. "This is a community that we believe in, and that we have served for nearly 85 years. We are ready for football to return to Los Angeles — and we look forward to the revitalization that Farmers Field will bring."
Among the proposals and plans approved last week by the Los Angeles City Council were the environmental impact report, a development agreement for the event center and parking garages and amendments to the (nearby) Staples Center and Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District .
The City Council also approved a resolution inviting the NFL to visit downtown Los Angeles.
"We have to find the reasons to inspire our young people and to many tens of thousands of people in our region, that is sports," councilman Richard Alarcon said in a statement. "The fact that we don't have a football team in Los Angeles — honestly we've done OK, but I believe we have the potential to inspire tens of thousands more to stay just afloat until they finally figure out that education is what they want to achieve."
According to Casey Wasserman, head of Wasserman Media Group, "The Los Angeles City Council and my friends at AEG, led by Tim Leiweke, brought us one step closer to seeing an NFL team in Los Angeles. I applaud Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, whose fortitude shaped this idea from my initial napkin concept into a statewide effort to bring football to the second largest market in the country."
AEG's holdings include the Staples Center arena and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy and the Home Depot Center, part-ownership of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and MLS's Houston Dynamo, The O2 in London and other arenas in the U.S., Sweden, China and Australia.
Parent company Anschultz Co., Denver, recently initiated a process to sell AEG.
Farmers Field Renditions: AEG


text:
On The Daily Show last night, Samantha Bee was on hand to give us a little history lesson about suffering in the Catholic Church.
"The liberal media is really torturing the church," she begins. You can guess where it goes from there. It's like they're all on some kind of crusade.


text:
- Home
- Editor's Desk
- Features
- Columns
- Arts & Culture
- Special Editions
- Advertising
Sunday October 20, 2019; 10:13 pm EDT
Grading the Bay's health and Maryland's congressional delegation
Sister Ignatius enters her final week at Bay Theatre Company, but Sisters Alphonse, Clotilda and Extrema cast an eternal shadow in my memory. I suspect it's the image of numbers inked in their neat hands that makes me to this day averse to report cards.
My grades were pretty good, in the 90s (except in arithmetic). But what we endured to earn those grades, 50 of us in a single classroom presided over by a nun whose patience had long since ended!
From our own experience or our children's, who among us doesn't cringe at a report card's commentary on what we have yet to achieve?
Look at Chesapeake Bay reports and score cards, as we do this week, and there's plenty to cringe at.
The State of the Bay is a D, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It's complex, according to the Bay Barometer of the Chesapeake Bay Program. And it's soon to be measured again, by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, whose grade last year was D+.
Rivers get report cards, too: The West/Rhode Riverkeeper will soon be releasing one. The Anacostia, Chester, Choptank, Miles and Wye rivers have theirs. So does the Potomac.
Making sense of it all is a challenge.
Inspired by the Chesapeake Bay Program's Bay Barometer, which reports on advances as well as shortcomings, we decided to look at what it would take to raise the score of just one indicator.
Shad — one of spring's earliest arrivals to the Bay — is our choice.
The founding fish that fed our forbearers is now a failing fish, near the very bottom of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's State of the Bay report.
The steps necessary for its recovery are daunting. But they're specific, achievable and being climbed right now.
Read all about it — and a little about Bay scorecards — in this week's paired features: Shad, Our Failing Fish and Reporting on Chesapeake Report Cards.
If you like this approach, let me know, and we'll continue reporting on how to raise the grades on other Bay health indicators.
In Grading Congress, F to One Scorer Is A to Another
How'd your senator and representatives do on your latest report card?
Depends on who's doing the scoring.
On one newly released 2012 scorecard, eight of our 10 Maryland representatives in Congress earn failing grades.
On another, those eight failures soar to A's and one C.
Naturally, the two F's on one card become A's on the other. And vice versa.
Americans for Prosperity-Maryland ranked members of Congress on their votes for economic freedom.
On that scorecard, Andy Harris scores an A and since-unseated Roscoe Bartlett a B. Both are Republicans. Maryland's eight Democrats in Congress earn high scores of D (Sen. Barbara Mikulski) and lows of D- (Sen. Ben Cardin and Reps. Elijah Cummings, Donna Edwards, Chris Van Hollen, Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes.
One of the bills Americans for Prosperity graded for would have stopped the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases. Voting to preempt its authority earned an A.
Maryland League of Conservation Voters ranked members of Congress on their votes on "defending against the U.S. House of Representatives' unprecedented assault on our nation's environmental and public health safeguards."
On that scorecard, Harris and Bartlett both earn F's, Harris at 6 percent and Bartlett at a much higher 28.
Earning 89 percent to 100 percent are, from the top down, Mikulski and Cardin, Edwards, Sarbanes, Hoyer, Van Hollen and Cummings. Ruppersberger is low man on the list at 71 percent.
The Conservation Voters' scorecard includes 14 Senate votes and, for the second consecutive year, a record 35 House votes, on issues ranging from public health protections to clean energy to land and wildlife conservation.
A Modest Proposal
Except for report cards, we Americans love to keep score — especially when what's being scored is a competition. I'd like to see our Chesapeake Bay and river report cards adopt that principle. Add conflict and drama, and we'd read these reports as avidly as we do sports scores.
Sandra Olivetti Martin
Editor and publisher; [email protected]


text:
Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
James Baldwin
Born in Harlem in 1924, Baldwin was the son of a domestic worker and a father he never knew. When Baldwin was three, his mother married a factory worker who was also a minister. At 14, Baldwin became a minister at a small church in Harlem. "Those three years in the pulpit -- I didn't realize it then -- that is what turned me into a writer, really, dealing with all that anguish and that despair and that beauty," he later wrote. Critics have often pointed to the influence of the church in his writing, both in his recurrent themes of redemption, and in his cadences and style.
An avid reader who published his first story in a church newspaper when he was 12, Baldwin left home at 17 and moved to Greenwich Village. His first novel, the partly autobiographical Go Tell It on the Mountain, was published in 1953 to great critical acclaim. The essay collections that followed -- Notes of a Native Son (1955), Nobody Knows My Name (1963), and The Fire Next Time (1963) -- made him known to a larger, white audience.
In 1948 Baldwin moved to France. "I left America," he wrote in 1959, "because I doubted my ability to survive the fury of the colour problem here ... I wanted to prevent myself from becoming merely a Negro; or even merely a Negro writer." In Paris, he was befriended by the writer Richard Wright, also an African American, and through him, Baldwin was introduced to the American expatriate arts community. He lived in the south of France for most of the rest of his life, although he returned regularly to the United States to lecture and teach. Though he was a "black writer" before the Civil Rights Movement and a "homosexual writer" before the Gay Rights Movement, Baldwin nonetheless saw himself as an American writer first and foremost. He died in 1987.
Works by the Author
© Annenberg Foundation 2017. All rights reserved. Legal Policy