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Take charge of your mornings
Write a book.
Train for a marathon.
Tackle the big project at work that never gets done.
If you think you don't have time for any of the above, says Laura Vanderkam, author, blogger and mother of three, think again.
The trick, she says, is taking advantage of the early morning hours.
Vanderkam specializes in issues related to time, money and productivity.
At 33, she's already published three books, "All The Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending," "168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think," and "Grindhopping: Build a Rewarding Career Without Paying Your Dues."
Her latest effort is a 10,000 word e-book, "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast."
If you want your mornings to be so successful it barely matters what you do at 3 p.m., Vanderkam offers these suggestions:
Think about how you spend your time now.
Eliminate the activities that take time and energy but don't need to be done by you.
If, for example, you're loading school backpacks every night, chances are the kids should be doing that themselves.
Just an hour earlier
Imagine what you could accomplish by rolling out of bed an hour or two earlier.
(Vanderkam hesitates to define "early morning." It could be 4:30 a.m. for some time-poor individuals or 8 a.m. for college students.)
Finally, set your alarm, keep your mitts off the snooze button, get up and get going.
One woman in a time management workshop with Vanderkam was frustrated because she was interrupted so frequently at work that she wasn't making progress on long-term projects.
This same woman was dropping her daughter off at school at 7 a.m. for water polo practice, then driving to work and cleaning out her in-box.
Vanderkam suggested that she forget about her in-box and use the quiet interlude at work for the demanding projects that had been worrying her.
After a few weeks, the woman was thrilled with her new efficiency.
She told Vanderkam she was getting more work done before breakfast than she used to do in an entire day.
While that woman was taking care of business, Vanderkam says others choose to use their early morning hours to nurture themselves or their families.
Another parent in a workshop was frustrated because she had to work late almost every night, and she felt she was missing valuable time with her baby.
Kids tend to wake up frightfully early anyway, Vanderkam says, so the solution for that mom was to spend the early morning playing with her daughter.
When the woman did leave for work, she was happy and guilt-free.
Many of the super-organized early risers are multitasking. Vanderkam mentions former Pepsico Chairman and CEO Steve Reinemund, who would wake up at 5 a.m., run four miles, pray and eat breakfast with his family before heading to the office. Of course, one problem with all the super-duper time management ideas is that we can get time-managed to death. We are, most of us think, working as efficiently as we can. Enough already! The point, Vanderkam responds mildly, is not to squeeze more, more, more out of people but to help them spend their time in a more focused and productive way.
Going to bed later
Another problem is that some folks are so distracted by work, late night TV and the Internet that they are going to bed later, making it difficult if not impossible to wake up early, as Vanderkam suggests. "Burning the candle at both ends is a problem," she says.
"I love staying up late. It's quiet, the kids are in bed, it's 'me' time and I don't want to give it up."
But, she says, adults need to establish bedtimes just as much as kids do.
"If you're surfing the Web or watching TV at 1 a.m., you'll never get up in the morning."
Vanderkam, who also writes the "168 Hours" blog for CBS MoneyWatch, used to spend her early mornings running in her suburban Philadelphia neighborhood. Then her best laid plans for the 168 hours in her week changed.
"My 10-month-old daughter decides when my morning starts. When she wants to eat, that involves me."


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The Prophet Lyrics
Oh dear God, there's vultures everywhere threatening to tear my heart apart. Withdraw yourself from me not even for a moment. Oh how I fear all might be lost. I've been down that road before, I've been so lost. I will not be afraid, I was born for this. Surrounded by a million faces, all they know is fear. All they know is doubt. All they fear is death. Death is not the worst that can happen to a man. Oh how there's prophets, priests, teachers who preach you with their lips. Father, let us not turn our eye from the plow, no matter the cost. This world means nothing without Christ at the crown. Oh how I'd hate to think about everything I'd be without Grace upon the cross. I can sing of Your love forever.

subset: commoncrawl


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If you looking for Icarus Verilog, you're close. You're at the right domain, go here: http://iverilog.icarus.com.
If you are looking for Stephen Williams Archery, go here: http://stephenwilliamsarchery.com.
If you are looking for Stephen Williams in particular, go here: http://stevewilliams.icarus.com.
If you are looking for Stephen Williams' astronomy blog, go here: http://steveastronomy.blogspot.com.
The home page for my employer is http://www.picturel.com. We do nifty image processing boards and chips.
For math tutoring, go here: http://www.propermath.com.
Spam delivered to Icarus.com gets reported to spamcop.net, and
this domain uses the blacklist from spamcop and other sources to
aggressively filter spam. Such black lists are normally used to tag
potential spam to be set aside and checked for spamminess later, but
this domain gets way to much of it to do anything other the block it
outright. See http://www.spamcop.net
for information about spamcop.
Icarus.com also uses other black lists to filter spam. Due to huge volumes of spam from China and Korea, and the large number of open proxies, relays, or otherwise poorly configured systems in those regions, mail traffic from them may be blocked outright.
Other IP ranges are collected ad hoc to form a sendmail format access list for rejecting known or likely sources of spam. This list is collected (and edited) by hand. If your IP is on this list, then try to contact someone at icarus.com to arrange for its removal. The list, as it stands currently, is here: <ftp://ftp.icarus.com/pub/access.spam>


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by Anatoly Liberman
This is the promised continuation of the previous post. As I said last week, break is an old word. In the foggy days of Proto-Indo-European, it may have begun with the consonant bh (or simply bh), pronounced as in Modern Engl. abhor or Rob Hanson. For our purposes, the difference between b and bh matters not at all, because today we are only interested in observing how many words referring to breaking begin with br-. The subject of this essay is: "To what extent is classifying break with sound imitative (onomatopoeic) words justified?"
Moo, meow, and, admittedly, oink-oink are sound imitative. But once we leave the animal world and exclamations like phew and whew, assigning words to onomatopoeia is always problematic. Thus, each member of the set—crack, crash, crush, creak, croak, and cry—looks like any other word beginning with kr-, for example, craft, crawl, and creep, but in their entirety they produce the impression of belonging together and suggest a rather obvious sound effect. The same holds for initial gr-: compare groan, growl, grumble, grunt, and possibly grind. Numerous words signifying grouchy people, as well as grim and gruesome things, also begin with gr-. Labeling them sound imitative will not take us too far, since they have well-developed bodies and not only heads.
Modern scholars have no idea how language originated (or rather they have many ideas that cancel one another out; the usual cliché is "shrouded in mystery"), but in the existing languages words are conventional signs, that is, when we look at a word, we usually do not know its referent in the world of things. If we possessed such knowledge, explanatory and bilingual dictionaries would not be necessary: anybody would be able to look at a "sign" like bed or ten, or give and guess what it means. Moo is fine (presumably, no dictionary is required for translating it), but oink-oink is obscure: perhaps it is a soothing exclamation like tut-tut, a verb like pooh-pooh, a noun like tomtom (a drum), or the name of a disease like beriberi. I am not sure that pigs go oink-oink, and anybody can notice that the canine language is represented by several dialects: compare bow-wow, barf-barf, and yap-yap. And yet, crash, crush, crack, and so forth rather obviously have something to do with onomatopoeia. People seem to have begun with the sound imitative complex kr and added a syllable, to make the words pronounceable. This may be a bit of a stretch, but the etymological principle behind my statement is (if a pun will be allowed) sound.
Old English had the verb breotan, which also meant "break." It has been lost, except for its cognate brittle "liable to break, fragile." Breotan lacks attested cognates, and its origin is unknown. But the fact remains that, like break, which had many cognates, it also begins with br-. Though today burst contains a well-formed group bur-, its most ancient form was brestan (in such groups vowels and consonants often play leapfrog—this process is called metathesis: compare Engl. burn and German brennen; the German verb has preserved a more ancient stage: the original form was brannjan; the Old English for run was rinnan alternating with iernan; Peter Maher called my attention to gurn ~ girn "contort one's face, grimace," possibly from grin; nucelar for nuclear and progidy for prodigy, the latter with whole syllables transposed, are modern instances of metathesis). Bursting implies breaking suddenly with a loud noise; thus, another br-word. Brake "an instrument for retarding motion," as also mentioned last week, has several homophones. Since brake is related to break, it too has a sound imitative nature. A brake "breaks" motion; consequently, this conclusion should arouse no protest. But what about the other nouns called brake?
There is brake "thicket" (from Old Engl. -bracu; it has been recorded only as the second element of a compound). If, as has been suggested, bracu meant "broken wood," it is akin to the verb break. But perhaps one had to make one's way through a bracu with an ax. The result, as far as we are concerned, will be the same. Middle Low German (that is, the Northern German of the medieval period) had the word brake "branch." The name must have been given to a branch broken off (branch itself, a noun borrowed from French, has obscure antecedents: another br– word or a coincidence?). To the extent that brake was applied to various crushing instruments (see more about it in the previous post), we are again among the progeny of break. Another word for "thicket" is brush (from French, with cognates elsewhere in the Romance languages). Its ultimate origin is not quite clear, but the initial meaning of brush was "lopping of trees." Inasmuch as onomatopoeia has no national borders, one can risk the conjecture that br- in brush and bracu goes back to similar sources. Brusque, brash, and brunt deserve more than a passing mention, but, considering their meaning, their form is suggestive.
The hardest word to etymologize is bracken. Brake "fern" surfaced in the 14th century and may be a shortening of bracken, recorded at approximately the same time, though the reason for shortening is unknown. Bracken has Scandinavian cognates: Swedish bräken, Danish bregne, and Norwegian bregne (or burkne). This plant name seems to be related to Old Engl. bracu. Was fern called this because it breaks easily? With some satisfaction we learn that Old Icelandic brak and brakan meant "a creaking noise" and that brák was the name a tanner's instrument for processing leather (á designated long a, again as in Engl. father), so, in a way, another crushing instrument. Presumably, the entire brake family, or rather the part of it that is of ascertained Germanic origin, belongs with break; all its members seem to owe something to sound imitation. Saying that does not settle the question about their etymology, but it tells us something about how they came about. A little irony of word history is that the compound in which Old Engl. bracu occurred was fernbraca (genitive plural), that is, "fern thicket, fern bed." The original meaning of fern is doubtful, probably "a feathered plant," for it may be related to the Greek word for "wing," as in Engl. pterodactyl, literally "feather-finger"; nothing in its name suggests breaking or braking.
Anatoly Liberman is the author of Word Origins…And How We Know Them as well as An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology: An Introduction. His column on word origins, The Oxford Etymologist, appears here, each Wednesday. Send your etymology question to firstname.lastname@example.com; he'll do his best to avoid responding with "origin unknown."


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|International Language Centre Language Link
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Vehicular barges and passenger ferries arrive and depart from Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island. Dunwich is a small relaxed and friendly township, rich in history and culture. Take a heritage trail and visit the many significant sites signposted for visitors. Visit the old leper colony station and asylum, or Straddie's former military sites, or take it all in at the museum which charts the island's history from the Aboriginal times through to its shipwrecks and its sand-mining period.
Just a short drive out of town you will find Brown Lake, a hidden treasure and a favourite swimming and picnic spot for locals who attest to the nourishing effects of the native tea trees which give the water its tinge.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


text:
2112TD is a sci-fi tower defence game for Android and iOS combining both classic tower defence and real time strategy features. Set 100 years in the future, battle inter-dimensional hell spawn across the solar system and defend Humanity from complete annihilation.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
Battle on Uranus


text:
Last edited by Uppercut; 19-06-2010 at 08:51 PM.
Think uppercut has a crush on the offside rule...
In my first post I wasn't suggesting just being in an offside position itself was an offence, I presumed (wrongly it turns out) anyone with the vaguest interest in the sport would automatically assume I meant when the ball is played by a teammate, but it appears not.
Cricket Web's current Premier League Tipping Champion
- As featured in The Independent.
"Ben Stokes, that most unlikely saint, worked the second of the two miracles he needs for his canonisation." - The Guardian's Andy Bell on the England all-rounder's Headingley ton
Whilst we're on the topic of off side, would someone like to take this opportunity to outline the off-side rules in relation to the calling of 'shotgun'?
Thank you.
Parmi | #1 draft pick | Jake King is **** | Big Bash League tipping champion of the universeCome and Paint Turtle
It was excruciating,in the lower leagues there were countless teams just trying to do an Arse, including notably Brumbers "other" team.
Comes to something when most of the training is taking up with the practice of this exceedingly negative ploy. Which allegedly it was for many teams.
I just wish they'd take it further, they already have "attackers should get the benefit of the doubt", and it would be good if they really stressed this. Winds me up seeing pundits say how good a linos decision is, when the attackers about 6 inches offside.
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.
Walt Whitman
Uppercut not doing a good job of explaining it but he is right that direction of the ball played has nothing to do with the law. Of course, mostly it will involve a ball being played backwards but the law states a player cannot be offside if he is behind the ball.
In real life that will mostly mean a cut back or the like but there are times when a forward ball is legitimately played a player in an otherwise offside position.
The law talks about the position of the ball in relation to the receiver rather than the direction it is played.
Last edited by Goughy; 20-06-2010 at 10:36 AM.
If I only just posted the above post, please wait 5 mins before replying as there will be edits
West Robham Rabid Wolves Caedere lemma quod eat lemma
I kinda skimread after a bit because it was a bit like a CC debate. So correct me if I'm wrong, but is this what's happened here:
Brumby has said 'interfering with play' never used to be a consideration
UC took it literally by thinking he meant straying offside used to be an offence
Just to check I'm on the right page here.
Originally Posted by Axl Rose
RIP Craigos. A true CW legend. You will be missed.
Its pretty much always been there. Just what constitutes it has changed. Anyway, I dont want to get bogged down in the law.
I just wanted to mention the direction of the ball thing as it is common and often not properly understood by a lot of fans and players alike.
Last edited by Goughy; 20-06-2010 at 10:44 AM.
Have to say I don't know if the actual law changed, but sometime around 94 the interpretation seemed to. Before then when the ball was played if a player was offside he was (almost) invariably flagged.
I remember Romario in that year's world cup seemed to be forever wandering back from offisde positions, which was the first time I can recall the distinction between active and passive being a factor.
Yeah, I remember the change in 94 as well, had everyone confused at first
The old man spent plenty of times talking to me about the things that were different in his day as well and your interpretation of offisde is the same as his (he's slightly older than you of coruse ).
Two questions regarding off-sides:
-Is off-sides called when the pass is made or when its received?
-I was watching the USA-Slovenia match and I had a question about the last USA goal that was waived off. In this situation, I noticed the US striker received the pass in the penalty box while ahead of all the defenders. Could that have been called off-sides?
Apologies if the questions seem silly.
Forever 63* at the SCG
It's when the ball's passed.
I'm 99% sure the third US "goal" was (incorrectly, IMHO) ruled out for a striker impeding a defender rather than offside.
&, FYI, we generally call it "offside" rather than "off-sides".
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From Russia with love
Three hundred thousand visitors in less than a year. That was the landmark reached at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello at 11.41 today, when Yuliya Gilazova bought admission tickets for herself and her friend Yuriy Petrov. Yuliya and Yuriy are from Saint Petersburg, Russia and are on a touring holiday of Italy. вАЬWe have visited a lot of cities and decided to also come to Maranello to visit the Ferrari Museum, which we found out about on the Internet,вАЭ said the young woman, in a mixture of English with a few words of Italian. вАЬItвАЩs been a great surprise to be received in such a special way, we couldnвАЩt believe it!вАЭ
For Yuriy, this visit was the realization of a dream to finally see Ferraris at first handвАЭ вАЬAt home I have a collection of Ferrari model cars which I have been making ever since I was little and itвАЩs really special to be here and visit this fantastic Museum.вАЭ
Next year, Russia will, for the first time, host a Formula 1 Grand Prix at the new circuit built at Sochi. вАЬWe will go there for the Winter Olympics and would be wonderful to go back there to see the race too!, they said in unison.
Yuliya and Yuriy were given a great reception by the Museum staff, led by its Director, Antonio Ghini. The Petersburg couple were presented with commemorative T-shirts , featuring a Ferrari rev-counter, showing the speed passing the 300,000 markвА¶of visitors and they wore them proudly during the visit.
The three hundred thousand visitors per year mark is very significant and confirms that the Maranello facility is one of the most visited in Italy. The increase in visitor over the past years вАУ going from just over 220,000 in 2011 to 250,000 last year вАУ confirms that the work carried out, by increasing the permanent collections and creating a packed programme of themed displays, such as Ferrari Sporting Spirit, which allows people the opportunity to see the latest beauties produced at Maranello alongside extremely rare models, is going in the right direction.


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The parking lot at KNXV-TV Channel 15 contains a vestige of the station's earlier, quirkier incarnation. The rusting "Al's World" convertible, which once carried reporter Al Feinberg around the state for a series of offbeat stories, now rests under a tarp. One tire is flat.
Like many trademark elements of the former "No Chit Chat" newscast, the vehicle no longer fits the station's image of itself.
But so many of Channel 15's signature elements--aggressive reporting; investigative pieces; a stylized, perpetual-motion MTV look and sound; a dearth of vacuous anchor banter--have been junked in the past six months, the car's denouement is no surprise.
In September, Channel 15's new station manager, Michael Kronley, began making significant changes to the two-year-old newscast.
Kronley had a fixation with live spots--putting reporters on camera and on location even when the reporters were standing in front of darkened office buildings. The live spots, combined with an emphasis on crime, car crashes, health-and-consumer reporting, began crowding out the investigative reporting, inventive photography and offbeat features which had come to characterize the station.
By January, when Kronley hired the young station's fourth news director, Channel 15 had completed its transformation. New billboards soon appeared around town, replacing slogans like "No Chit Chat" and "What's Buggin' You?" with the reassuring smiles of Marc Bailey, Robin Sewell and Paul Joncich.
Like the other stations, Channel 15 now wants you to fall in love with its anchors.
Kronley says the changes are merely a new marketing approach, that the newsroom environment and its newscast remain substantially the same.
His employees tell a different story.
New Times interviewed dozens of present and former employees, including on-air talent, photographers, producers and managers, and what they had to say was remarkably consistent.
They tell of a "utopian" newsroom under previous news director Susan Sullivan. They say Sullivan demanded a commitment to creativity and experimentation, and gave reporters and producers the time and resources to outdo the competition.
Under Kronley, Channel 15's newscast has been dumbed down and mainstreamed. Anchors now emote as if they were breaking bad news unwillingly or can't wait to read an upbeat story. Reporters, meanwhile, have been hamstrung in their attempts to cover any story that takes more than a few hours to prepare.
Employees say those changes produced a newsroom smoldering with resentment. Morale, they say, reached low ebb in December and since has been replaced with a quiet resignation.
As experienced reporters and photographers leave the station in droves, they are replaced with less-experienced (and lower-paid) employees capable of the easier regimen of live shots and spot news.
Kronley's retooling of Channel 15 may prove to be very profitable for Scripps Howard, the station's parent company. In previous jobs, he's ridden the traditional model to ratings success. His emphasis on mayhem covered live (even if the bodies have all been carted away) may turn out to be the best strategy for cutting into the huge lead enjoyed by KPNX-TV Channel 12, the leader at 10 p.m., and its warm-and-fuzzy newscast read by well-loved anchors.
But Phoenix loses what for a short time was one of the rarest of television phenomena: a newscast that didn't look or act like all the rest.
Local television news has an awesome responsibility it probably doesn't deserve: Most Americans now rely on local TV as their sole source of information about their communities.
But to judge by local newscasts, those communities are defined by an endless series of violent crimes, spectacular car crashes, celebrity crises and last-second sports victories.
Little of it resembles everyday life.
TV's obsession with such stories largely results from a simple economic fact: It's easier and cheaper to cover crime and car crashes than to look for more profound stories.
And such mayhem lures huge audiences.
To make sure every local station gets that message, networks pay consultants to school local affiliates in coverage of death and mayhem, ensuring that newscasts in Portland, Maine, look remarkably like newscasts in Portland, Oregon.
The model the consultants are pushing this year is the mantra shared by both KNXV ("live, local, late-breaking") and KPHO-TV Channel 5 ("local, live, late-breaking").
News directors are quick to point out that an emphasis on reporting live from crime scenes is what viewers tell them they want in a broadcast. But news directors are less candid about how that philosophy conveniently dovetails with their cost-cutting desires.
Television news is primarily reactive; producers monitor police scanners, scan wire services, read press releases and dispatch reporters to be briefed by government officials, police officers and firefighters.
It's unusual for a television reporter to spend more than a day on a story. Three days is usually the maximum, and that's considered an "in-depth" piece which may be apportioned a full minute on the air.
Unlike daily print reporters, television reporters rarely cover beats. So when they do encounter more complex issues, they may have little or no background to help them contextualize a story. Even experienced reporters can find it daunting to summarize a far-reaching piece of legislation or a labyrinthine legal fight with only an hour or two of preparation.
It's much easier to point a camera at a burning car and tell viewers about an alternate way home.
Money saved by eschewing difficult news stories (which require hunting for documents, interviewing reluctant people and eliminating false leads) can be poured instead into expensive promotions and anchor salaries which run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For station managers, it's a lucrative trade-off. They know that besides the strength of prime-time programming, one of the main reasons viewers choose a newscast is for its anchors.
The result: Across the nation, smarmy anchors send us live to the pileup on the interstate or gush about promising new breakthroughs in the war on fat because that, TV researchers tell them, is what we want.
But some stations manage to be different.
In KNXV's case, its highly recognizable, sometimes annoying, and often hard-hitting style emerged from the confluence of three key people, a shuffle of network affiliations, and a sleepy TV news market ripe for change. The station went on the air in 1979; media chain Scripps Howard purchased it in 1985, and a year later KNXV became the Valley's Fox affiliate.
But it took 15 years for KNXV to get into the news business. The station's first newscast aired August 1, 1994. Its first story: Tony Kovaleski reporting on a priest who had run afoul of the law.
When the newscast debuted, however, it was known that in a few months the station would become an ABC affiliate. In January 1995, a complex shakeup would rearrange network outlets on the local television dial, and a Fox station intending to produce 30 minutes of news each night aimed primarily at a younger audience would suddenly have to put on a full complement of daily shows as the ABC station.
News director Mary Cox had to hire a lot more people, and quickly.
Employees credit Cox with assembling a tightly knit and eclectic newsroom. Photographers in particular praise Cox for creating a newsroom where they were encouraged to collaborate with, rather than serve, reporters and anchors. Channel 15 was the first in the Valley to regularly credit photographers on the air.
The newscast's second important godfather arrived when Scripps Howard sent Bob Rowe to KNXV as its station manager.
"Bob Rowe was a wacky guy who treated everyone equally badly," says a Channel 15 producer who, like several current employees, asked not to be identified. "Bob was 'excommunicated' [by Scripps Howard] to Phoenix because he was a radical-idea person. That's why the first shows were so jarring."
Employees say Rowe was the one who came up with the "No Chit Chat" slogan and the extreme visual style. "Discontinuity was the key to his vision. He said we needed to be jarring because viewers were complacent. It lacked continuity, but it made people pay attention," says the producer.
Channel 15 reporters didn't stand and talk to the camera, they threw things at it. They walked or ran up stairs while they talked. The station's cameras appeared to have been seized by a pack of hyperactive children who couldn't stay still for a second.
Add frenetic editing, staccato, synthesized rock riffs, and prismatic blue graphics, and a truly eye-catching--if sometimes irksome--newscast was created.
"Everyone was really into making it happen. If one of the anchors did chitchat, they got hammered. . . . It was a positive atmosphere for people to be creative," the producer adds.
In October 1994, Susan Sullivan, New York attorney and journalist, replaced news director Mary Cox (who is presently assistant news director at KPHO-TV Channel 5 but did not return calls from New Times).
Employees describe a battle for control over the newsroom between station manager Rowe and news director Sullivan.
Sullivan won the battle, they say, and before long Rowe left for Cleveland. General manager Brad Nilsen--a man with a sales, not news, background--chose not to replace Rowe, and for nearly a year Sullivan ran her newsroom with almost no interference from upper management.
Cox had hired a creative and an egalitarian crew, Bob Rowe had directed it to create an eye-catching style, and Sullivan added the final ingredient: a commitment to aggressive, serious journalism.
On January 9, 1995, the No Chit Chat newscast became the Valley's ABC affiliate. Its impact on viewers, critics and other stations was almost immediate.
Anchor Paul Joncich is a newcomer, having arrived just last October, but he's aware that things at Channel 15 were very different in the not-too-distant past.
"They say it was like a utopia, the perfect news world," he tells New Times. "I've been in some pretty big markets, and I've never seen anything like what they are describing. Sometimes I wonder if they're exaggerating. What they describe sure sounds like a nice place."
Reporters who worked in that environment say they're not exaggerating. Even though many of them have scattered to markets across the country, they still remember vividly their Channel 15 experience.
Jaie Avila, one of "The Investigators" who now covers the Inland Empire for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles: "I remember working on a story for three weeks and going in to my news director, Susan Sullivan, and saying: 'You know, I just don't have it. I'm missing x, y and z.' And she said, 'It's not ready? We'll wait. Eventually, you'll get it.' Sure enough, a month and a half passed, and I had the story together. . . . That's unheard of in local TV news."
Darya Folsom, former anchor, now reporting at the Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C.: "If a story had many layers to it, we were told to be as in-depth as we could. And the whole idea of layering the stories was to get some context and get to something deeper.
"Creativity was encouraged to the point that if you did something mainstream, you were laughed at. You would never be laughed at for trying something new and failing."
Tony Kovaleski, who will soon move to a station in Houston: "We were going after the stories that other news organizations wouldn't because they took time. You had to invest hours and days and weeks. . . . That's what Susan Sullivan brought in. She brought in a big-city, a big-league perspective. She wanted to tell stories that were bigger than the fire on the corner or the three-car accident down the street."
Avila again: "There was a tremendous competition between reporters there. And between photographers. I came in every day and I knew Chris Heinbaugh and Tony Kovaleski and Bob Woodruff had these fabulous stories in the hopper . . . and it put pressure on you to come up with something yourself . . . even if it took months and tons of overtime, you did it because you had to keep up with these outstanding people. . . . It was like an oasis for reporters and photographers. And word did get out around the nation."
Another reporter, who asked not to be named: "What Bob Rowe and Mary Cox were trying to establish from the very beginning was a philosophy that if something wasn't happening that moment, you didn't pretend that it was. That's what every other newscast in the country does. They go live for live's sake and we wanted to get away from that. We wanted to get away from anchors just talking to each other for no reason. We didn't want to limit our stories to a minute and 20 seconds. And it was working, as far as I was concerned."
A sign that things indeed were working: At other stations in the Valley, cameras suddenly began bobbing and weaving and "investigations" got more play (even if the "investigator" did nothing more than report on a meeting).
Another indication: In 1995, KNXV received 29 regional Emmy nominations, second only to KTVK-TV Channel 3's 36 nominations, for work the previous year (Phoenix and Tucson stations compete against their counterparts in Salt Lake City and Albuquerque). KNXV placed second even though its newscast had been on the air for less than half of 1994. Ratings leader KPNX Channel 12 placed third, with 26 nominations.
The following year, KNXV dominated the regional Emmys, garnering 51 nominations, more than doubling second-place KPHO's 24. Ratings leader KPNX finished fourth with 16.
The station rose quickly in the all-important race for ratings, usually coming in just ahead of KTVK Channel 3 for second place in the five-station market at 10 p.m. (Channel 3's strength is remarkable, considering that it had lost its ABC affiliation.)
Susan Sullivan and her reporters also made an impact on local law enforcement. Police and prosecutors weren't used to such an aggressive television station; in March 1995, County Attorney Richard Romley pursued a court order to force Channel 15 to turn over a tape of child pornography, and threatened station employees with prosecution for possessing it. The station had acquired the tape during a Chris Heinbaugh investigation of porn on the Internet.
"[Sullivan] seems stunned by the controversy, which has included condemnation by radio talk-show hosts who used the incidents to keep their phone lines buzzing," wrote the Arizona Republic.
Heinbaugh won an Emmy for his story, which showed that child pornography--and child predators--lurked on computer networks.
Other award-winning pieces by "The Investigators" included a Tony Kovaleski report about a controversial Payson church; a Chris Heinbaugh expose of Challenged Workers of America, a telemarketing company whose workers pretended to be retarded; and last year's series by Kovaleski on the Cartwright School District, whose administrators allegedly used public money for private use.
"Investigators" pieces weren't universally hard-hitting, however. Republic television critic Dave Walker teased Channel 15 for a Bill Spencer piece that featured the reporter, in full Mike Wallace mode, confronting a baker for selling fattening muffins advertised as low-fat.
But even if Channel 15 didn't always live up to 60 Minutes-like standards, or if its anchors still occasionally lapsed into chitchat, the station's sense of urgency was palpable. KNXV's reporters seemed relatively fearless; they might not get the whole story, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
That such a commitment to enterprising reporting was noteworthy reflects the normally limited credibility given to local television news in the pantheon of American journalism. Newspapers have eagerly pointed out in the past that the transcript of a 30-minute newscast cannot fill even a single page of newsprint.
So KNXV was king of a rather short hill.
Naturally, the other stations are reluctant to praise Channel 15 or admit that the station had any impact. But some manage to be magnanimous.
"Not every 'Investigators' piece was all that investigative, but they did some good stuff," says KTVK Channel 3's vice president for news, Phil Alvidrez. "Their style would overwhelm the substance sometimes, but the competition they've brought has been good for the market. If they hadn't been an ABC affiliate, they would have been considered an incredible success."
But KNXV was an ABC affiliate, and one owned by Scripps Howard, a company few would consider offbeat or cutting edge. It's not surprising that the station's parent company would want greater ratings than second place. It's also not surprising that the young station would go through many changes. But what employees say they weren't prepared for is that a newscast with such impact would, in only a few months, be almost completely scrapped.
Susan Sullivan, wanting to be closer to her ailing mother, left for Washington, D.C., in July 1996. General manager Brad Nilsen finally filled the vacant position of station manager with Michael Kronley, who for five years had run WSOC-TV, the No. 1 newscast in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kronley has hired two news directors since Sullivan's departure, but employees say Kronley was, and still is, in firm control of the newsroom.
And Kronley's vision of news, they say, is no utopia.
For some employees, it was the way Darya Folsom was forced out. For others, it was the cancellation of "Al's World."
But for still others, the moment when they realized that KNXV had changed utterly occurred during a 5 p.m. broadcast in October when they watched Emmy-award-winning investigative reporter Bob Woodruff standing on the 202 Freeway in a hard hat.
Woodruff had been sent to cover the opening of a new lane on the freeway. And under the new Channel 15 rubric, the opening of a freeway lane was earth-shattering information that had to be covered live.
So Woodruff, who might have been out talking to sources or gathering more compelling news, was stuck standing on the highway so he could talk to anchors via the magic of live television. An ADOT official had insisted that Woodruff wear a hard hat.
He looked ridiculous, employees say, which magnified for them the moment's symbolic weight: They knew their news utopia was gone forever.
"Everybody realized it," says one reporter. "Bob about blew a gasket."
Michael Kronley, predictably, disagrees.
"The investigative element that the station developed a few years ago is terrific, and certainly no one has suggested losing that edge. And we certainly haven't in the past few months since I've been here," Kronley says in a telephone interview. "Perhaps using the 'Live, local, late-breaking' as a slogan as opposed to 'No Chit Chat' represents a change, certainly. But I think that's more a change in the marketing."
Jaie Avila remembers things differently. The reporter says Kronley made it clear to him that time-consuming investigations were out: "The current management never told me we can't afford to do these types of stories. They just came out and said we don't want to do these kind of stories. Instead of having a two-minute piece on tape that you spent a month and a half investigating, they all of a sudden just wanted long live shots from the news of the day, the traffic accident or warehouse fire of the day.
"I asked [Kronley] when I first met him, 'How do the people at the parent company, Scripps Howard, feel about the job we're doing out here? We just started up, and yet we're getting all this critical acclaim, blowing people away in the Emmy competition and we're not doing too bad in the ratings.' . . . And he looked at me and said, 'Well, you know the awards are nice, but ratings are what's important.'
"In the business world of news, he's right. And maybe we were all a little naive to think that all of the interesting stories we were doing and the awards we were winning and respect we were gaining was going to make a difference and change the economic reality," Avila says.
And economic reality, in Kronley's newsroom, means listening to market research.
"Viewers have told us, through several research projects we have done, that they enjoy seeing live reports," Kronley says. "So once the journalism is taken care of . . . it becomes a function of how do you want that particular story to look.
"Viewers like seeing reporters live. It gives them an impression that the story is complete and up-to-date . . ."
"It's kind of like the happy news," says a reporter derisively. "You see it in every market. . . . Make everything live, make it look like you have a million people out there working for you. Every reporter knows what that means: You're not going to have time to do your stories. . . . It's not a good thing, from a reporter's standpoint, unless, of course, you're just in love with being on television, because it does give you more face time. I think most of the people who worked at Channel 15 didn't give a shit about that. They cared about doing a good story and doing it in a very honest way."
"After Kronley came," Jaie Avila says, "suddenly there was a quota--just like there is at every other station--that there had to be a couple of live shots in every show whether they were warranted or not. Live is fun. But as any reporter will tell you, you cannot . . . do real news gathering if you're standing around waiting for a live shot."
It's a frustrating change for reporters. One reporter remembers Bob Rowe confronting him after he had done a Thanksgiving live shot to inform viewers that holiday traffic was heavy.
"He said to us, 'Why did we do that live shot? What was so newsworthy that we needed to stand out there and talk to people? . . . Why are we out there? Is it any surprise that it's busy?'
"Now contrast that with poor Bob Woodruff having to stand in front of Gammage Auditorium hours after [a Bill Clinton appearance] while behind him trash trucks are cleaning up the mess. You know. That, to me, is a clear indication of the difference."
Carl Lemon, a former photographer, says that reporters aren't the only ones affected by the new policies. "When you start doing live shots instead of shooting and editing packages, you're taken out of the loop. A live shot isn't nearly as creative as telling a story, meeting somebody, going through their life for a day, then going back and editing a story. When you're doing a live shot, your creative input is lessened. You just don't have the time."
Former producer Luke Funk says that KNXV's previous lack of live coverage forced it to do better reporting. "We didn't have a helicopter at that time, so we went down and covered news on the ground. And nine times out of 10, we got a better story than the other guys because we were down on the ground talking to people. . . . I won an award on a show I did last year on a car accident on the freeway and everyone else did their 30-second bits with their helicopters hovering overhead. We went down with a reporter, Tony Kovaleski, and found out that all of these people were having problems getting through to 911 on their cell phones so, bingo, we had a great lead story because we went down and covered it like a traditional news story."
The KNXV newscast from that night won an Associated Press award for newscast of the year.
"If we had had our helicopter there, we wouldn't have had the story," Funk says.
But Luke Funk is gone, and KNXV has since acquired a helicopter.
Many in KNXV's newsroom say they're still hurt by the way Kronley introduced change to the station. Like the day in September when Darya Folsom went home early.
People at Channel 15 had expected the station to bring in a new team of anchors to share responsibilities with Marc Bailey and Folsom, but no one expected Folsom to be treated the way she was. One afternoon the diminutive, energetic anchor was told that she would be replaced in the 10 and six o'clock broadcasts. Folsom would be relegated to the 5 p.m. news, and would return to reporting. With the demotion came a substantial cut in pay. Folsom was given the rest of the day off, and after she had left, the rest of the newsroom was told of the change. It felt like an execution, employees say.
No one was surprised that she left in December to rejoin Susan Sullivan in Washington, D.C.
Folsom was replaced by Robin Sewell, who more closely fits the typical newsreader-as-celebrity model. Sewell majored in theater arts at UCLA and tried, unsuccessfully, to make a career as an actress. She turned to television news in 1990, interning in Phoenix at then-CBS affiliate Channel 10. She's worked in several cities since then, most recently in Sacramento, where she met San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. Sewell regularly shows up on San Francisco society pages, accompanying Brown to public events.
A month after Folsom's demotion, weekend weather forecaster Janie Peterson was fired. Peterson says she still doesn't know why. Other employees wonder why, too.
Some also wonder why "Al's World" had to go. "That just mystifies me," Avila says. "Here you have someone who I still view as the best television feature reporter and one of the funniest guys in television, best writers, and he comes to News 15 and everyone recognizes his genius, and yet they put him through just a nightmare."
Al Feinberg's clever feature stories had seemed to provide a smart counterpoint to the investigative, hard news stories that were leading the broadcast. After his "Al's World" trademark was canned, however, Feinberg has seldom been seen on camera. Employees complain that Feinberg has been squandered, that it was insulting to see the talented writer and reporter relegated to writing copy for special reports read by anchors as if they had reported the stories themselves.
(Several employees say that Kronley has a clever line about feature stories that he uses to impress people with his purported hard-news style: "My idea of a feature is a rapist getting caught.")
Feinberg decided not to talk to New Times, and Kronley says Feinberg is appearing on camera now more often. For a time, Kronley says, Feinberg could not go on air for health reasons. Recently, viewers could catch him standing knee deep in snow reporting--live--that snow was falling in Flagstaff.
The dismissals and reassignments in September and October threw a pall over the newsroom. Even Kronley, in an October 4 memo to general manager Brad Nilsen, recognized that low morale had become a "threat." Since then, firings have given way to a steady stream of resignations as experienced employees take jobs elsewhere.
"I think the newsroom is pretty happy," Kronley says, noting that he's met with every employee and only heard one or two questions about the emphasis on live TV.
In the October memo to Nilsen, however, Kronley seems well aware that he was making fundamental changes to the station, and that it had resulted in resentment. The memo--not meant for circulation in the newsroom when it was written--also gives a look into Kronley's strategic vision.
Kronley was sure to list the station's strengths first, and at the top of that list: "Upper management."
He also paid homage to Robin Sewell and sports anchor Brad Steinke--whom he had hired--and to the ABC Network.
Among the station's weaknesses, Kronley listed male anchor Marc Bailey, the newscast's "on-air look," and "unfocused, irrelevant newscasts."
Under "threats" to KNXV, Kronley lists "Complacency over news awards," the "Old 'Foxies'" and their refusal or failure to adapt, "morale," and "inattention to viewers."
Kronley then writes an assessment of the other stations in the market (see accompanying story) and concludes with a narrative history of Channel 15.
Kronley avers that viewers were not as impressed as the "Old Foxies" were with the No Chit Chat format. The station's mission, he writes, "resulted in a commitment to investigative reporting . . . and an internal belief that the station was providing, for Phoenix, a radically different content alternative." (emphasis added)
"News 15 must continue to move to the center, while retaining its edge. . . . We will retain the investigative edge. Features and light material need to be eliminated from the newscast. . . . While the station favors continuing the philosophy, we wonder if we have been branded "No Chit Chat" forever . . .
"Eliminating our weaknesses, concentrating on our strengths, and hoping for a break in NBC's stranglehold on prime time, leaves us with a clear shot at winning the late news. . . . The market is ripe for the taking."
If the No. 1 spot is ripe for the taking, Kronley may be just the person who will take Channel 15 there. For five years, he led WSOC, the ratings leader in the Charlotte market.
He also led in another category. A 1995 study of local newscasts found that Kronley's WSOC was among the nation's top 10 for mayhem content.
Kronley's success at WSOC doesn't encourage some KNXV employees. "WSOC is notoriously live everything," says one reporter. "They even did these things in Charlotte called 'look lives' [taped packages edited to appear live]. . . . They never said it was live, but the obvious impression you get is that that's a live shot. But it's completely taped. It's one of the most unethical things I've ever heard about."
"We never said that they were live," Kronley responds when he's asked about the "look lives." "We had a different graphic sense for something that was live and something that was taped."
Could the viewer tell the difference?
"I have no idea what the viewers might see or not. I mean, it's a standard thing in the industry."
"Ican't imagine Kronley admitted to that," says a media consultant who studies the Phoenix market. The consultant is paid to help another Valley station improve its numbers, so he didn't want that station knowing how much he admired the old Channel 15 newscast.
"I think all of us wish we had as many people as they did working on investigations. People noticed. It had impact. I went to IRE [the Investigative Reporters and Editors convention] last year, and [KNXV reporter] Chris Heinbaugh was like the lead panelist. Everybody wanted to hear him, and he had good impact stuff. His panel was very well-attended. People around the country recognized him."
The consultant says he's surprised that Channel 15 didn't attempt to build on the identity--and the audience--that it had already established rather than simply scrapping it for a traditional format.
But media expert Phyllis Kaniss, author of Making Local News and an assistant dean at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, explains that the kind of change Kronley is bringing to KNXV is occurring all over the country.
"There's a fair amount of push in recent years to really squeeze those last few ratings points out. You could have had a very good show that was drawing in a substantial number of people. But you decide that to make a little extra money, you make it more sensational, you package things differently, you do a number of things to bring in more viewers," Kaniss says.
Partly because of the fragmented nature of local government, she explains, news in recent years has gravitated to subjects that affect as many people as possible, such as health or consumer news, sports and weather, and the lurid crimes that are shocking no matter where they occur.
That's partly why we're not likely in the future to see a nine-minute Tony Kovaleski report exposing corruption at the Cartwright School District; news directors worry that people in suburban areas might not care about problems with inner-city schools.
An inner-city five-car pileup, however, is another matter.
Stations can't get a reporter there for a live report fast enough. "It's a marketing gimmick," Kaniss says. "They're not there for a journalistic purpose. They're there for a marketing purpose, to give the illusion that the reporter is giving you the latest information, and that the reporter is an active journalist.
"I think there's a lot of illusion in local television news, that people think of the reporter and anchor as being things that they're not. They think that the anchor is out there actively reporting the news when many of them are just reading copy that's written by somebody else.
"Part of the promotional strategy of TV stations is to make viewers feel as if anchors and to some extent reporters also are their friends and their protectors. Whereas anyone who knows the business well knows that these are people who are trying to maximize profit, and in some cases exaggerating and distorting what's happening in your world and even needlessly frightening you in order to gain your attention and viewership."
Kaniss says that a station dedicated to more thorough investigations and not obsessed with live news is a rarity. It doesn't surprise her to hear that such a station is rapidly becoming like all the others.
"We didn't come here to look the same, to do the same crap as everyone else," says a Channel 15 employee. "They've never sold us on why we need to look like all the other stations. I mean, why do they want us to look just like Channel 12? They've never explained it to us."
Ironically, as Channel 15's anchors become more chatty, slow-paced Channel 12 and other local stations seem to be appropriating some of KNXV's old tactics.
KPHO Channel 5 and KPNX Channel 12 are now promoting their own investigative units more heavily. But it's KTVK Channel 3, the station stripped of its network affiliation in the 1995 reshuffle, which now seems to be taking the most chances--both in unconventional presentation and harder-hitting reports of the governor's travails, for example--and making them pay off.
In the last ratings period, Channel 3 overtook KPNX Channel 12 at five o'clock and was just behind at 6 p.m.
It's early, yet, to tell how the changes at KNXV will affect its standings in the ratings.
At 6 p.m., Channel 15 has, since July, increased both its rating (percentage of total TV households watching a particular station) and share (percentage of households with TV sets in use tuned in to the station). The station's share, for example, increased from 8 percent to 10 percent of Valley households with TV sets in use.
At 10 p.m., however, the most coveted time slot, Channel 15's numbers have decreased slightly. The station finished fourth with a 12 percent share in the most recent ratings period, behind not only KPNX and KTVK, but also KPHO Channel 5's mininews/Seinfeld-rerun combination.
Demographics at 10 p.m. have also declined. In TV land, "demos" is shorthand for the number of 25-to-54-year-olds watching--the most treasured audience, from an advertising standpoint. Between May and July, Channel 15's demos dipped from a share of 13 to a share of 10. It's a significant change, and employees say it will be difficult to improve those numbers as long as the newscast continues to be dumbed down.
Such ratings have a direct impact on the bottom line. At 10 p.m., ratings leader KPNX Channel 12 charges about $2,500 for a 30-second ad. On Thursday nights, when Channel 12 enjoys a huge ratings lead, advertisers pay $3,500.
In the same time slot, KNXV charges about $1,700 for a 30-second spot.
Producer Luke Funk says he didn't wait for many of the changes to occur at Channel 15 before he decided to leave.
"I saw the handwriting on the wall. I saw that we were moving away from a cutting-edge station that was trying to do news in a different style and moving back toward the status quo. And it seemed like it was becoming a consultant-driven product."
It's also beginning to openly pander to its audience.
Recently, the broadcast has begun to resemble more a game show than a news program. "Call in and see if you have money waiting!" said anchors cheerfully during a broadcast last month; in another room, a phone bank manned by volunteers waited to take calls from viewers. Days earlier, the state had published a list of thousands of people who had never claimed money the state owed them. Channel 15 was eager to help those viewers who were not only unaware they had cash coming but also apparently couldn't look themselves up on an alphabetical list.
Other phone banks are appearing with regularity. The most recent: for viewers who want to donate money to charity.
Perhaps if the station does enough good works, viewers will forgive it for calling them at home to tell them about sex addicts.
During the February sweeps period, a tired story about "sex addicts"--which exposed the shocking truth that some men spend too much of their salaries on strip joints--was salaciously teased for days using snippets of porno films and topless-bar footage.
But in a move that set a new low even for television promotions, KNXV hired a telemarketing firm to call households to pimp the piece.
Employees in the newsroom say the outrage of viewers was only matched by their own.
"We made a decision," Kronley says of the promotion. "There are very traditional ways to advertise our product. Radio, TV, newspapers. A number of stations around the country have been experimenting with alternative ways of advertising. And on four nights during the February rating period, we contracted with a telemarketing company to make a certain number of phone calls to see if it could help us to drive viewers. . . . I don't mind telling you the results were inconclusive as far as whether it drove viewers to it. And we're not sure if that's a direction we'll go with again, but we're not going to stop experimenting with other forms of promotion."
Others have joined Luke Funk in an exit stampede. It's left the station understaffed; new news director Jeff Klotzman says he plans to hire two new reporters. Both, he says, will do investigative work.
Not all employees are unhappy, of course. Mark Lodato, a reporter who's been around since the beginning of the newscast, says he's encouraged by the changes: "Personally, I have no problem with the chain of events at the station. Today, we're doing a lot more breaking news coverage, a lot more live reports, and personally I enjoy doing those kinds of stories, too. So I am just as happy today as I was two years ago. . . . Now I think we're more responsive to the viewers' needs," he says.
Another former employee, promotions man Galen Herod, says that he misses the old Channel 15, but he thinks employee unhappiness is overwrought. "I think people are unhappy because it's a human nature thing. . . . They had some pride of ownership of [the station's original format] and then . . . when the management took it back, it hurt people's feelings. And management tried to be gentle as possible about this, I feel. . . . You know how employees talk to each other and keep each other depressed.
"You can't blame the morale thing just on management. There's also people cashing in and feeling that the little group is fracturing," Herod says.
Kronley agrees, pointing out that the departure of most of "The Investigators" is a testament to the good work they did at Channel 15: Reporters like Bob Woodruff and Tony Kovaleski are snaring plum assignments in great markets.
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"Money plays a big role in it," Jaie Avila responds. "You move on to a new market and you make a lot more money, but I think they would have held on to a lot of the core people just for love of working there." More of the experienced reporters would have stayed if the environment hadn't changed so drastically, he says.
"It's becoming a typical newsroom . . . everything has changed," says another reporter. "As a journalist, it's a big bummer to have to worry about getting the ratings up, not necessarily putting out a good product. They make no bones about it; they tell us this isn't a prison . . . if you want to leave, you can leave."
Last week, Virginia Silva, one of the original "Investigators," let KNXV know that she's doing just that. In two weeks, she leaves for Los Angeles.
Only Chris Heinbaugh--who, with his six Emmy awards, is one of the most respected local television reporters in the country--remains from the original team. Asked to discuss the state of Channel 15, Heinbaugh responded: "It's probably best if I just say nothing.


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The National Trust for Scotland's Grampian Conservation Volunteer Group will be hard at work protecting Scotland's spectacular scenery this summer.
The dedicated volunteers are looking for new members to join their group and get involved in caring for Scotland's treasures.
The group will be working on projects at properties cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, Scotland's largest conservation charity, across the North East.
Julie Bond, conservation volunteer co-ordinator, said: "Our conservation volunteers make a massive contribution to the care of the Trust's 200,000 acres of countryside, historic estates and beautiful gardens. They've got a packed programme of activities planned for the next few months. As the summer approaches, volunteering with the Trust is a great opportunity to get out, explore your outdoors and play a key part in caring for our countryside too."
Travel, accommodation and meals are all organised for volunteers signing up for these projects. For more information on becoming a conservation volunteer and the full programme, visit http://www.nts.org.uk/Volunteering/Outdoor/.


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Big day in Gerard Butler land! Tonight, July 16, Gerard appears on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and will, of course, be the main attraction at the World Premiere of The Ugly Truth!
Best of luck Gerry from everyone here at GB.Net! Leave your best wishes for Gerry here…
We will be tweeting during The Tonight Show and updating on new gallery additions as they are added from the premiere (to be held at the ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles). Follow the tweets below:
In addition, Hulu.com will have the episode of The Tonight Show online after it airs, watch the box below to see it in high definition video once it comes online:
Gerard is scheduled to be the first guest on tonight's show, followed by Venus Williams and musical guest Daughtry.
We have also been adding advance screening pass opportunities for The Ugly Truth to our calendar. Watch it daily for new additions.
Interviews with Gerard on the making of The Ugly Truth:
Behind the scenes footage, bloopers and working on The Ugly Truth:
Gerard talks to SciFi Wire about Gamer. Read more…
More set pictures have been added to the gallery for The Bounty Hunter, aka The Bounty.


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text: Seller: folkestonefixings (659.558) 99.6%, Location: Folkestone, Ships to: EuropeanUnion, Item: 392278487942 Official eBay OutletView FeedbackNewsletter SignupeBay ShopToolsHardware & ConsumablesClothing & ProtectionOutdoors & GardenManPartNum-->Mafell 206921 Dust BagOnly £45.39 Authorised Reseller ×Authorised seller:This is a product listing by an authorised sellerThis seller has been authorised by the brand and received special training, has knowledge about the brand's product portfolio and access to service instruments. Authorised Reseller ×Authorised seller:This is a product listing by an authorised sellerThis seller has been authorised by the brand and received special training, has knowledge about the brand's product portfolio and access to service instruments.--> FREE UK DELIVERY Brand NewUK StockVAT included Mafell Dust Bag 206921 The Mafell 206921 Dust Bag is designed for use with the MT55 line of plunge saws and attaches to provide dust extraction, clearing the view and saving the user from having to clean up. Features and Benefits: Official Mafell Machine AccessoryTechnical Specification:Brand: MafellSupplied With:1 x Mafell 206921 Dust BagFEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS ACCESSORIESVIDEOSPECIAL OFFERBROWSE STORE BY BRANDPAYMENTPOSTAGEEUROPEAN SHIPPINGPayment We accept many methods of payment.Paypal - the preferred payment method ensuring fastest dispatch.Credit / Debit card - please call 01303 852692 - dispatch to cardholder registered address only.Cheque / Bankers draft - goods dispatched once funds cleared (3-5 days)Bank transfer - please call 01303 852692 for more information.Postage Of course we want you to buy as many goods as possible from our shop. If you want to buy more than one of a particular product or multiple items, we will always try to combine postage and packaging costs. Due to charges levied by our delivery agents, some Highland & Island locations incur a surcharge when being delivered by courier. In these instances we will attempt to use an alternative delivery service but this is not always possible. If your postcode is listed below, please contact us prior to purchasing goods and we can confirm cost of shipping. - AB, BT, FK, GY, HS, IM, IV, KA, KW, PA, PH, ZE, all Islands excluding IOW FFX ship most goods within 24hrs of cleared payment on a next day delivery service* (Next day is defined as the next working day i.e. Friday pm-Sunday orders will be shipped Monday) In most cases, orders received before 1pm are shipped the same day. Orders are dispatched on one of the following services. (Details are within each listing) - Royal Mail First Class - Courier Delivery (24hr*) All customers should expect to receive their orders within 2-3 days maximum. If goods have not been delivered after 3 days, please contact us and we will be able to advise you of our remedial action. * The following postcodes may take an additional day - AB, BT, IV, KW, PA, PH, all Islands Disclaimer: FFX reserve the right to change the terms, set out above, at any time. European Shipping We are happy to ship goods to many EU countries. We are able to ship up to 25kg in a single parcel via tracked and insured courier service. Zone 1 - Ireland (Republic), France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands 2-3 days Goods under £150 - £18.95 Goods over £150 - £24.95 Zone 2 - Austria, Czech Rep, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain 3-4 days Goods under £150 - £23.95 Goods over £150 - £29.95 Zone 3 - Finland, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia 4-5 days Goods under £150 - £32.95 Goods over £150 - £39.95 Zone 4 - Bulgaria, Estonia, Italian Islands, Latvia, Lichenstein, Macedonia, Serbia Goods under £150 - £36.95 Goods over £150 - £44.95 Zone 5 - Gibraltar, Iceland, Romania, Turkey, Lithuania Goods under £150 - £61.95 Goods over £150 - £69.95 Please email us for details on smaller, lightweight items that may be able to be shipped via Airmail. Please email us for other countries. FFXThis listing is currently undergoing maintenance, we apologise for any inconvenience caused. Condition: New, Item Type: Machine Accessory, Manufacturer: Mafell, Type: Accessories, Units per Pack: 1 piece, Brand: Mafell, MPN: 206921, Weight: 0.5kg, Height: 20cm, Width: 10cm, Depth: 10cm, Manufacturer Part Number: 206921, Item Weight: 0.5kg, Item Height: 20cm, Item Width: 10cm, Item Depth: 10cm


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Reuters –
(Reuters) – T-Mobile US Inc said on Tuesday its third-quarter revenue rose 7.4 percent and it added many more wireless subscribers than expected.
The No. 4 U.S. mobile provider, which is 74 percent owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, also increased its customer growth target for 2013 to a range of 1.6 million to 1.8 million from a previous 1 million to 1.2 million.
It said it added 648,000 net subscribers in the quarter.
(Reporting by Sinead Carew; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
FACEBOOK COMMENT by JETZTKAUFEN.INFO - best online store


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"Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" (1968 – 1972)
Episode 6 | 1h 51m 17s
Episode 6 | Learn how country music responds to a nation divided by the Vietnam War, as Army captain turned songwriter Kris Kristofferson sets a new lyrical standard, and artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds find a recording home in Nashville.
Aired: 09/22/19
Expires: 05/31/20Video has closed captioning.
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Funding for Country Music was provided by Bank of America, the Annenberg Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Belmont University, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Rosalind P. Walter and by members of 'The Better Angels Society,' including: The Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, the Pfeil Foundation, Diane and Hal Brierley, John and Catherine Debs, the Fullerton Family Charitable Fund, the Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation, Jay Alix and Una Jackman, Mercedes T. Bass, Fred and Donna Seigel, Gilchrist and Amy Berg, James R. Berdell Foundation, David Bonderman, Deborah P. and Jonathan T. Dawson, Senator Bill and Tracy Frist, Susan and David Kreisman, Rocco and Debby Landesman, Lillian Lovelace, John and Leslie McQuown, Mindy's Hope Foundation, the Segal Family Foundation, Michelle Smith. Major funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.


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Welcome to Le Richelieu
Book directly to receive the Best Available Rate
The Le Richelieu Hotel preserves the beauty and charm of New Orleans' rich and colorful past for you to enjoy. Our rooms are decorated to evoke the memory of the many different cultures which make up our history: French, Spanish, English, Italian and others.
When you walk through the French Quarter, your footsteps will follow the past of a dozen generations of these fascinating people. Imagine the old soldiers, fashionable aristocrats or brave patriots walking with you through this beautiful area where they lived and worked.
From the historic buildings to the magnificent Mississippi, New Orleans offers you fun, music, excitement, delicious food, beauty and history. So, help yourself to her charms, and come back soon!
"…exciting from the moment of arrival… a place you don't want to ever leave."
- The New York Times
From its very inception, Le Richelieu was created to capture the flavor and essence of New Orleans. Casual elegance is complemented by the charm of this historic city. A full range of service is accented with a personal touch, and the vibrancy of the French Quarter is balanced by the quiet intimacy of a small hotel.


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Konrad Dias
September 27, 2012
BS in Exercise Physiology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
MS in Physical Therapy, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
DPT, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
PhD, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Courses Taught
Exercise Physiology; Systems and Diseases IV; Cardiopulmonary Conditions and Management; Patient Management; Advanced Physiology
Research Interests
Exercise Physiology, CHF and exercise, COPD and exercise, Continuing Education competence
Selected Publications
Dias KJ, Collins SM, Cahalin LP. Physical Therapy Implications in managing patients with pacemakers and defibrillators. Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal. 17(2) 67-74; 2006.
Collins SM. Dias KJ. Cardiac System. Acute Care Handbook for Physical Therapists, 3rd Edition, Butterworth and Heinemann. Saunders Elsevier 2009.
Dias KJ, Collins SM, Amos K, Smiddy J, Martchink P. Blood Pressure and RPE in Upper vs. Lower Extremity Exercise. Abstract. Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal, 2007; 18(4) 38.
Collins SM, Dias KJ, Cahalin LP. Pacer Settings and Exercise Tolerance in Heart Failure: A Case Presentation. Abstract. Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal. 15(4); 2004.
When I'm Not Teaching
I enjoy spending time with my wife and two sons, Aidan and Evan, trying the eclectic cuisine that St Louis offers, and travelling both nationally and internationally.


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Silk and wool keep you cool. They are all natural fibers, renewable, fast drying, moisture wicking. I enjoy sewing and wearing silk for summer, nothing compares to it, feels so airy and almost naked like. People worry about washing it, or are afraid of it thinking that it can only be dry cleaned. I prewash my fabric before cutting, so it handles great even after it is sewn together, a quick hand wash with hand soap and line dry does the trick. It is amazing how fast it dries. A great source for silk is online at the fashion fabrics club, really good deals.
Fabric: hammered silk charmeuse
Pattern: Burda 06/2009 model 123 with the 122 sleeves and no frills.
The blouse in the magazine has some great sewn beads around the collar and along the frills, but I could not get the frills to be as delicate. The pom poms are made out of fabric strips, wrapped around two round pieces of cardboard with a hole in the center, then cut in between the cardboard pieces and tied together through the center. I'm not going to write another tutorial for this, there are plenty online. Here is my favorite: http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-make-pom-poms.html Awesome blog by the way, the techknitting.
This magazine does have some other great patterns that I keep on my list of things to sew, like the 128 dress
the 102 top that I have sewn and love, that would look just as good as the 101 dress.
108 is also pretty nice as a top or a dress and I just have to match it with the right fabric.
113 is also on the list from a jersey I got a while back in Israel.
Plus, it has a shirt dress, from the cover and many great plus sizes patterns. Great Issue!
Do you sew from "old" magazines? I think Burda patterns are too classic to go out of style and use old issues all the time.


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(Portland, Ore.) May 5, 2010 – The nation's leading forum for a humanities perspective on sustainability returns to Portland State University (PSU), May 20-22, 2010. (LINEUP UPDATED)
This free, three-day event brings over 60 scholars from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to Portland to draw out the controversies over the meaning and practice of sustainability, through an inspiring array of panel discussions and conversations.
Organized by the Portland Center for Public Humanities at PSU, this year's conference includes a trio of plenary talks with three innovative thinkers: Natalie Jeremijenko, Stephen Gardiner, and Cary Wolfe. Each of these sessions showcases a unique perspective on sustainability, combining a keynote presentation and follow-up discussion with selected respondents.
Panels run from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 21-22, 2010, with sample topics including "Urban and Civic Ecology," "Sustainability in Art and New Media," "Political Strategy Roundtable," "Green Business Practices and the Question of Corporate Responsibility," and much more. A complete program is available for download at www.understandingsustainability.org.
All events are free and will be held at PSU's Native American Student and Community Center (NASCC), 710 S.W. Jackson St., Portland, Ore., unless otherwise noted.
Thursday, May 20, 7–9 p.m.
Cary Wolfe, "Biopolitics and Species Difference"
Cary Wolfe, professor of English at Rice University, researches and publishes widely in areas such as animal studies and posthumanism, systems theory and pragmatism, biopolitics and biophilosophy, and American literature and culture.
Friday, May 21, 9–10:30 a.m.
Stephen Gardiner, "Climate Justice"
Stephen Gardiner is associate professor of philosophy and affiliate faculty with the Program on Values in Society at the University of Washington. He specializes in ethics, political philosophy and environmental ethics.
Saturday, May 22th, 9–10:30 a.m.
Natalie Jeremijenko, "After Copenhagen: Emerging Strategies of Political Participation"
Natalie Jeremijenko is an internationally recognized artist and engineer whose work primarily explores the interface between society, the environment and technology. She is currently an associate professor at New York University in the Visual Art Department, and has affiliated faculty appointments in Computer Science and Environmental Studies.
About "Understanding Sustainability: Perspectives from the Humanities"
Talk of "sustainability" is everywhere—sometimes as an ecological vision, an advertising strategy, a countercultural dream or even a business model. The goal of the second-annual international conference on "Understanding Sustainability" is to encourage innovative dialogues and debate between these diverse groups:
- Humanities scholars working in fields such as eco-criticism, green cultural studies, environmental ethics, philosophy of science and environmental history;
- Social scientists working in the areas of social sustainability, environmental justice, environmental economics and sustainable business practices;
- Local designers, city planners, and social service providers who are building Portland's reputation as a leader in sustainability; and,
- Artists and activists shaping ideas of green ethics and aesthetics or new strategies of political participation.
The conference is supported in part by PSU's Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices with funding from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation's ten-year, $25 million grant for sustainability to Portland State University.
Additional support comes from a critical exchange grant from the Imagining America consortium of colleges and universities, in acknowledgement of innovative work in the humanities and sustainability.
About the Portland Center for Public Humanities
The Portland Center for the Public Humanities at Portland State University (PCPH) promotes rigorous humanistic inquiry into the languages, histories, and ideas that shape our ways of life, as well as those that offer a means of positively transforming them. In our view, the underlying purpose of the core humanistic disciplines is to engage public life by reframing our perspectives, interrogating our assumptions, and raising questions about human thought, history, and culture. PCPH seeks to let knowledge serve the Portland community in the most direct possible sense, by building partnerships and providing forums where intellectual inquiry and civic engagement come together. https://www.pdx.edu/public-humanities
About Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the nation's most livable cities, the University's innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University's 49-acre downtown campus provides a living laboratory for Portland State's commitment to sustainability, with many of the 125 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees incorporating sustainability into the curriculum. PSU's motto, "Let Knowledge Serve the City," inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe.
# # #
For immediate release (#10-019)


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innovationXchange is DFAT's development innovation hub.
A celebration of Australia delivered in a country or region of strategic significance.
Ensuring Australia continues to build soft power and exercise influence effectively.
To help Australians avoid difficulties overseas, we maintain travel advisories for more than 170 destinations.
The Australian Passport Office and its agents are committed to providing a secure, efficient and responsive passport service for Australia.
The Australia - New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (known as ANZCERTA or the CER Agreement) is one of the most comprehensive bilateral free trade agreements in existence. It covers substantially all trans-Tasman trade in goods, including agricultural products, and was the first to include free trade in services.
The Agreement's central provision is the creation of a World Trade Organization (WTO)-consistent Free Trade Area encompassing Australia and New Zealand.
Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Mr Lionel Bowen, and the New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia, Sir Laurie Francis, sign the Australia - New Zealand Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Agreement in Canberra on 28th March 1983.
Seated, Sir Laurie Francis, left, and Mr Lionel Bowen sign the agreement, watched by officials.
Photograph by BARRY LE LIEVRE
The first trade agreement between Australia and New Zealand dates back to 1922, and essentially stated that each party would trade with the other. This was followed by the Australia New Zealand Trade Agreement in 1933, by which the two countries gave each other preferences and some special rates of duty. A partial free trade treaty, the New Zealand Australia Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), entered into force in 1966, leading to the removal of tariffs and quantitative restrictions on 80 per cent of trans-Tasman trade by the late-1970s. Because NAFTA was not structured to address the changing international economic environment and because it lacked an effective mechanism for removing remaining restrictions, Australia and New Zealand agreed to develop a more open bilateral trading system.
The objectives of ANZCERTA are to:
Since 1 July 1990, all goods meeting ANZCERTA Rules of Origin criteria can be traded across the Tasman free of duty and quantitative import restrictions.
The Trade in Services Protocol brought services into ANZCERTA from January 1989 allowing most services to be traded free of restriction across the Tasman with limited exclusions which were last reviewed 2014.
ANZCERTA has underpinned a strong growth in trade across the Tasman with an average growth in two-way trade of 6.6 per cent, and in 2014-15 total trade (goods and services) was valued at $A23.7 billion. New Zealand is currently Australia's eighth largest trading partner. The level of Australian investment in New Zealand was valued at $A99.93 billion and New Zealand investment in Australia (our twelfth largest source) was valued at $A38.52 billion at the end of 2014.
Since CER was signed, the composition of trade between Australia and New Zealand has changed dramatically, reflecting changes in technology, competitiveness, domestic industry structure, trade liberalisation and consumer demand.
ANZCERTA forms the foundation of a broader economic and trade relationship with New Zealand. It is supplemented by more than 80 government-to-government bilateral treaties, protocols and other arrangements — covering trade and the movement of people, investment, aviation, business law coordination, mutual recognition of goods and professions, taxation, health care, social security, superannuation portability, food standards and government procurement.
With most of the trade goals having been met, the Australian and New Zealand Governments decided to take a Single Economic Market (SEM) approach to closer economic relations. SEM aims to harmonise the two economies to enable business, consumers and investors to conduct operations across the Tasman in a seamless regulatory environment.
New Zealand is also a party to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA). To compare market access outcomes under these agreements, please visit the FTA Portal.
Last updated December 2018
Here you can locate the full text of the Australia - New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement and many other associated official documents.
See the FTA Portal for tariff details on specific products under ANZCERTA
Closer Economic Relations—Background Guide to the Australia New Zealand Economic Relationship—February 1997
More about New Zealand


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When the Milwaukee County Historical Society celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2010, the staff chose 75 items from the collections that they considered "both unique and enlightening" and told a story about Milwaukee County's past or about the Historical Society. Imagine my surprise recently on discovering that 2 of the 75 items have a direct connection to my own ancestors.
First, you can view the entire collection of 75 items ranging from a red A. O. Smith Flyer to Christopher Bach's violin to Increase Lapham's bookcase to Arthur McArthur's desk to Old Settlers Club albums. These items and collections help illuminate Milwaukee's history and people. Each is worth exploring to learn more.
Second, as noted, 2 of the 75 items have family connections.
One consists of a pair of daguerreotypes featuring Byron Kilbourn, one of Milwaukee's founders, and his wife Henrietta. The main connection is that these pictures for some years were on display at the Benjamin Church House or Kilbourntown house built by my ancestor Benjamin Church and now a museum. Another connection is that Benjamin was an early Milwaukee settler, arriving in 1835 and living in Kilbourntown on the west side of the Milwaukee River. He was a political associate of Kilbourn's in early Milwaukee.
The other is the William George Bruce Collection featuring family chronicles from 1916 to 1948. A Milwaukee publisher, historian and civic leader, William George Bruce was the oldest brother of my great-grandfather Martin P. Bruce.
These two members of my extended family are featured in a recent blog post I did on writing and posting biographical sketches on Wikipedia about selected ancestors.
There are other family connections to 75 items in the anniversary collection, but they less specific. Benjamin Church was a member of the Old Settlers Club and may be mentioned in one or more of the Old Settlers Club Albums while several family members have documents in the collection of Naturalization Papers.
When working on your family history, keep a look out for materials from the historical society where they lived. You too may be pleasantly surprised!
Please follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBPetura
Why not check out my helpful Genealogy Resources webpage: http://bit.ly/GenealogyResources
Please join my group Finding Family for Free at GenealogyWise:
Thank you! And good researching!


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Most people are content to while away the hours on a beach with a good book in hand and a picnic cooler at their feet. Others (like me) last about an hour before they need to do something more physical. Here are 10 of my favorite activities along the coast:
North of Freeport, fingers of land dangle off coastal Route 1 to create miles of sheltered bays to paddle. One of my favorite spots is Georgetown, where I usually rent a room from Coveside Bed-and-Breakfast (www.covesidebandb.com) and have Seaspray Kayaking (www.seaspraykayaking.com) deliver an oceanworthy kayak to Coveside's dock. Careful not to start or end near low tide (or I'll be digging for clams in the muck), I paddle south past the lobster boats to the Five Islands Lobster Co. wharf. On the way, I spot ospreys atop their oversized nests, seals popping their heads out of the water like periscopes, and the distinctive orange beak of the American oystercatcher. Yet, it's paddling north on Little Sheepscot River, sheltered from the surf by MacMahan Island, that I truly cherish. The boulder-strewn shoreline is draped in seaweed and topped with velvety moss, creating a soothing, shady retreat in the late afternoon hours.
Newport's Cliff Walk boasts exquisite ocean views and glimpses of Gilded Age mansions. Prouts Neck's rocky shoreline will always be known as the place where painter Winslow Homer woke up early to take his daily stroll with his dog, Sam. Unfortunately, neither of those walks leaves you at Barnacle Billy's (www.barnbilly.com), a beloved lobster-in-the-rough joint in Perkins Cove. Ogunquit's Marginal Way rises atop the rugged shoreline, rewarding folks with views of pocket-sized beaches buttressed by boulders as you amble by century-old cedar trees and pines that have been stunted by the wind. The paved trail is accessible to all, from babies in strollers to the elderly in wheelchairs. Once in Perkins Cove, order that cup of chowder and lobster roll at the counter and grab a seat on the deck overlooking the harbor while you wait for your number to be called. You can make the return trip on the Marginal Way or take a trolley back into town.
Biking is my favorite mode of travel on Nantucket. If I'm craving a long ride by myself, I head east from old Nantucket town (where the ferries arrive) through the moors and cranberry bogs until I arrive at the rose-trellised cottages of Sconset. If I'm with the family, we choose an easy 3-mile bike trail to the waves of Surfside Beach. Child-free, my wife and I relish a late afternoon pedal to Madaket Beach. On the westernmost tip of the island, the beach has a narrow, wild feel to it as the white sand quickly drops down to the waters of the Atlantic. We bring a backpack full of provisions, say fresh sushi from Yoshii (2 East Chestnut St.) and sinfully good truffles from the Nantucket Chocolatier (One (1 Cambridge St.), plop ourselves on the beach (preferably after 6 p.m., when most families have vanished), and get ready to savor the sunset. Wine could help bring on that blissful "From Here to Eternity'' moment of rolling in the waves, but we know full well that it's a 5-mile jaunt on a rolling path back into town. So a bottle of seltzer water with lime is the more pragmatic choice.
Cape Cod is blessed with a bevy of paved trails, from the Shining Sea Bikeway that extends from Falmouth to Woods Hole to the Cape Cod Canal Bike Path that snakes under the Sagamore and Bourne bridges to the 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail that meanders through the middle of the Cape from South Dennis to Wellfleet. Many bike trails, like the CCRT, are former railroad lines with little or no grade. If you have a hankering for hills (not to mention ocean views), head to the 8-mile-long Province Lands Bike Trail at the tip of the Cape. The roller coaster route dips in and out of dunes, weaving through scrub-pine forests and along beaches in one of the most unique bike paths you will ever ride. The loop starts at Herring Cove Beach and heads inland through Beech Forest, where the trees are often home to colorful warblers. Before sweeping downhill to the Province Lands Visitors Center, stop and look at the mounds of sand as they roll to the ocean - the Cape Cod National Seashore at its finest.
Feel like mountain biking to the beach? At the 778-acre Bluff Point State Park fat wheelers are allowed to ride the dirt roads and numerous single-track trails that spread out in every direction like spokes in a wheel. Ride alongside Poquonock River as you head straight to Bluff Point Beach, choose one of the narrower trails to ramble along the shores, or veer inland to the John Winthrop house that dates to the early 1700s. Take a breather on the rocky bluffs where, on a clear day, you can see directly across Long Island Sound to New York's Fishers Island and, to the left, Rhode Island's Napatree Point.
WALK WINGAERSHEEK BEACH, GLOUCESTER Others such as Nauset Beach on the Cape and Hammonasset Beach on Long Island Sound are ideally suited for a long beach walk. At Wingaersheek, families wait for low tide to arrive so they can wade into the Atlantic. A long sand bar stretches almost a mile out to sea, coming close to that gleaming white lighthouse that juts out from the tip of land at Annisquam. When the water rushes in, indentations in the sand form warm wading pools for toddlers who may be wary of ocean waves. The older kids love the large rock formations on either side of the beach where they can clamber up and down the boulders, looking for crabs.
Sure, there are the peregrine falcons that nest in cliffs of Acadia National Park, those adorable puffins found offshore near Machias Seal Island, Maine, and the numerous piping plovers protected at Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, but I like Odiorne Pointe State Park because of its unique location. The only spit of undeveloped coastline in the state, Odiorne Point is situated on the far end of Portsmouth Harbor. Its 135 acres of protected land make this a routine stop for our feathered friends along the Atlantic Flyway. It's a good place to find black-backed gulls feeding along the shores or watch for double-crested cormorants drying their wings on the rocks. A 2-mile loop along the coast is a favorite of bird-watchers.
There's a reason why saltwater fly-fishing has outpaced all other categories of sport fishing the last several years. It's called striped bass. Found all along the New England coast, these fish have voracious appetites, grow to more than 50 pounds, and fight like champions. Stripers, can be found in remarkable numbers along the rips that lead from the ocean into the island's ponds. The beach south of the Edgartown Great Pond and Tisbury Great Pond are popular with local anglers. For expertise or gear, head to Coop's Bait and Tackle (coopsbaitandtackle.com, 147 West Tisbury Road) near Edgartown. Cooper Gilkes is a third-generation islander who knows where the fish are biting.
WINDSURFING KALMUS BEACH, HYANNIS The southern shores of the Cape are known for their strong and consistent winds. Add shallow waters and a steady diet of waves, like the ones found at Kalmus Beach, and you have a board sailing mecca than can get crowded on weekends. If you can't find your wind without knocking into another board, head down the road to West Dennis Beach, or Forest Beach at the end of Forest Beach Road, off Route 28 in Chatham.
The prevailing wind on Narragansett Bay is the "smoky sou'wester,'' the same breeze that drew the America's Cup race to Rhode Island for more than 50 years, until Australia's victory in 1983. Almost without exception, calm, sunny mornings are followed by windy afternoons with the onshore breeze arriving between noon and 1 p.m. By midafternoon, the wind can build to 25 knots or more, but average speed is normally 10-20 knots. Experienced sailors can rent J/22s and Rhodes 19s from Sail Newport (www.sailnewport.org) at Fort Adams State Park. Novices can book a 34-foot O'Day with Sightsailing (www.sightsailing.com) and for two hours be under the watchful eye of Captain Ed. He delivers an in-depth history of the region while tacking between the yachts and lighthouses.
Stephen Jermanok can be reach-ed at www.activetravels.com.


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Home › Classroom Resources › Calendar Activities
Calendar Activities See All Calendar Activities
Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students. View by day, by week, or by month.
February 9, 2020
Author Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944.
After students read the novel The Color Purple, dialect is discussed and students write a short piece of fiction or poetry using the dialect of their peer group.
Grades 9 – 12
Author Matt de la Peña was born today.
Students use an essay by de la Peña as a model for writing their own literacy autobiography.
Grades 8 – 12
Types of Calendar Activities
Authors & Texts
Birthdays, publication dates, and more
Historical Figures & Events
Notable people and happenings in history
Holidays & School Celebrations
Special days and how to observe them
Literacy-Related Events
Celebrations that promote and encourage literacy