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Musings of Linda Star Wolf, Co-Founder of Venus Rising Association for Transformation. News and happenings from Venus Rising; Isis Cove, the NC community that VR calls home; and Venus Rising University, the burgeoning, one-of-a-kind educational institution, offering advanced degrees in Psychospiritual Studies.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Shamanic Breathwork a Best-Seller on Amazon!
My new book, Shamanic Breathwork: Journeying Beyond the Limits of the Self, about my life's work, is currently a best-seller in three categories on Amazon! When a book becomes an Amazon best-seller, Amazon recommends it to customers interested in related topics, thus raising consciousness of Shamanic Breathwork for thousands of people. Please help us keep Shamanic Breathwork's ratings up by purchasing a copy for yourself and one for a friend today and together we will continue healing ourselves and sharing our healing with others, one person at a time.
Here is a link to Amazon:
Thank you for your support
In love and service,
Linda Star Wolf
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Temples of Light by Danielle Rama Hoffman
The Temples of Light guides the reader, as the initiate, on a spiritual journey through thirteen of Egypt's sacred temples--a journey into the sanctuary of the open heart. Each sacred site is a portal to ancient wisdom that can assist the modern-day pilgrim with everyday life issues and struggles--love, purpose, money, and health--and the deeper questions of enlightenment and our divine origin.
I invite you to visit - www.thetemplesoflight.com/promotion and then click on the "order" link, order the book on Amazon and return to the promotional page. Enter your name and email address to reach the bonus page. The bonuses are not available until December 8th.
Danielle Rama Hoffman is a spiritual teacher, author, energy intuitive and ancient wisdom keeper. Her passion is to transmit innovative and ancient wisdoms that inspire personal growth and elevate consciousness. Her areas of expertise include moving into and living from the Aquarian age of the open heart, initiatory rites and passages from ancient Egypt and manifesting health, wealth and happiness.
Danielle is a conduit of infinite intelligence and divine transmissions that create a quantum field ofinfinite possibility. Since 1994 she has shared her expertise in the areas of metaphysics, the healing arts, energy medicine, massage therapy, counseling and the Egyptian Mysteries to assist 1000's of people to enhance their quality of life. Danielle provides high vibrational wisdom and cutting edge practical tools that uplift consciousness and inspire you to lead your best life.
In loving service to the One Source,
Star Wolf
Blog Archive
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Star Wolf's Welcome
My journey in life has been a spiral path of wholeness that continues to move through cycles of change taking me through many symbolic death and rebirth experiences, which I refer to as "shamanic portals of transformation." I have learned more than I ever thought possible through a process I will share with you in my future writings, called the Shamanic Breathwork™ process, and the five initiations process called S.H.I.P. Once I have made sense of the lessons on my path and discovered the bigger picture, I am ready to pass on and share both my stumblings and my leaps along the way. In my own spiritual quest, I have always appreciated most those who shared their struggles and victories in an authentic way. That will be my humble attempt within the context of this blog.
I believe that we are all indigenous to this earth. I respect all my relations, whether they be human, animal, plant, mineral, visible or invisible ones. We are all related by the great web of life and sent here from the great beyond. Everything we say and do touches all parts of this magnificent web of creation. If I treat myself or anyone else unfairly, we are all affected in some way. Fortunately, the converse is true, as well. I am not perfect. If I am honest and have humility, I can admit that I will make mistakes as I seek to further evolve my conscious awareness. I can also make living amends by striving to change my negative thoughts and behaviors, and live from a more open-hearted connection to others and to myself. I have learned over time that all the changes I seek in the outer world must begin by looking within myself first. I have also learned that it is imperative that I have the courage to be honest with myself and to look at the "shadow" side of my personality. When I have had the courage to truly know myself better, the light and the dark, I have found the inner strength to change my life and shape-shift myself into the light of my true soul's image.
From time to time I will share different programs and events that are being offered through my non profit organization (Venus Rising Institute for Shamanic Healing Arts) in my blog, as well as photos, videos and teachings, etc. But the main purpose of this blog is to provide an outlet to share the inner musings of my shamanic spirit and journey, and to hear yours as well. I look forward to connecting with all of you who intuitively know that you, too, are a valuable part of the shamanic process of conscious co-creation and evolution on the planet at this time. We each have a role to play and a soul purpose in the drama unfolding in our world today. Together we can create a better place for all beings on earth to live and leave a powerful legacy for those who are yet to come.
I believe we will all be remembered by future generations for the choices we make during this time of huge evolutionary change. In the words of the wonderful poem, "Summer Day," by Mary Oliver, "what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
In Love, In Service, In Gratitude,
Star Wolf
Feb 2nd 2009


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"I agree with Tolstoy that the best way to tell a story is invisibly," Ursula K. Le Guin says. "But I also hear what I write, and I think if you can't read it out loud, there's something wrong with it."
It's hard to find a literary career as varied as Le Guin's. At 79, she's worked for half a century on the ever-shifting frontier between literary and genre writing, a line she has helped redraw with her elegant prose.
Le Guin has long been celebrated as a pioneer of young adult literature. Just two weeks ago she won a sixth Nebula Award for her YA novel "Powers." With last year's death of Arthur C. Clarke, she is also arguably the most acclaimed science fiction writer on the planet. But she's more.
Her 1968 novel, "A Wizard of Earthsea," concerned a school for wizards; the National Endowment for the Arts made the book a selection of its program the Big Read.
"I think Le Guin is vastly underrated by the critical establishment, which continues to stereotype her as a genre writer," says former NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "She's become a deeply serious writer without losing the vitality and the excitement of popular literature."
Her admirers include Salman Rushdie as well as the generation working genre's borderlands: Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Jonathan Lethem and Kelly Link.
For all this, she is in a curious position: She's achieved these things almost entirely on the basis of work now three and four decades old. "She was the big thing for almost 20 years," said Donna White, author of "Dancing With Dragons: Ursula Le Guin and the Critics." "The 1970s and 1980s were her big decades; she was revered by scholars. But now people have moved on."
Her status is further confused because of the variety of fields -- YA, fantasy, science fiction, essays -- in which she writes.
But don't count Le Guin out. Her recent "Lavinia," a novel set in the world of Virgil's "Aeneid," was compared by Publishers Weekly to Robert Graves' "I, Claudius."
Le Guin's early years help explain her abiding concern: Is there such a thing as a stable human nature? She grew up in Berkeley, the daughter of Alfred Kroeber, a founder of modern anthropology, and Theodora Kroeber, author of "Ishi in Two Worlds," about an American Indian who had outlived his tribe. Her childhood, which included summers at a family ranch in Napa, was full of reading, storytelling and visits from European intellectuals and Native Americans.
"I was privileged," she says, "to know the kind of people that most American kids, most bourgeois white kids, don't." She was raised "as irreligious as a jack rabbit."
Eric Rabkin, who teaches at the University of Michigan, sees her work as profoundly shaped by her exposure to alien cultures as well as her father's ambition to find as specifically as he could the time and place from which Western civilization had sprung.
"There's a kind of romance to that view," Rabkin says. "That once upon a time, the worst antagonisms were merely inter-familial -- that basically we're all alike and trustworthy. And I believe she grew up in a family in which that was considered not a fantasy but a scientific fact."
As a kid, Le Guin thought science fiction was corny.
"When I was about 11," she recalls, "my brother and I used to buy Astounding [and other pulps]. We sneered at a lot of it. We were pretty arrogant kids."
Then, around age 30, a friend drew her attention to Cordwainer Smith and Theodore Sturgeon. "I thought, 'Oh, look at that. That could be fun.' "
Some of the SF faithful hold it against Le Guin that she prefers Borges and Virginia Woolf to what she calls the "white man conquers the universe" tradition of Robert A. Heinlein. Yet science fiction clearly fit this daughter of anthropologists. Here, she wrote, "All alternatives are thinkable. It's not a comfortable, reassuring place. It's a very large house, a drafty house. But it's the house we live in."
From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Le Guin went on a streak inspired by her interest in thought experiments and a Taoist concern for equilibrium.
The ferment of the Vietnam War and Watergate, of feminism and civil rights, stimulated her imagination: She took these concerns and transmuted them, setting them on other planets and in other centuries. This was an artist working at the peak of her powers.
All her books of this period have powerful images that suggest her importance to the environmental movement: a forest world, a harsh desert moon, flooded cities, island planets.
Her breakthrough novel was "A Wizard of Earthsea," the coming-of-age tale of a young sorcerer who possesses great power but has also, through reckless pride, done damage to the world. After it came two undisputed SF masterpieces: "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed."
Le Guin started writing the former as a book about a planet caught in an ice age. It evolved into the tale of a race with no fixed gender: Every month, people go through a process in which they take on masculine or feminine characteristics.
This world is fully imagined, its texture coming from myths and folk tales wrapped around the narrative.
"I'm following Tolkien's prescription for fantasy creation," Le Guin says, sitting in her living room. "You are making a world out of words, and the only thing that's going to hold it together is its inner consistency."
"The Dispossessed" was equally celebrated; it's a lively novel of ideas about a planet resembling the Cold War Earth and its anarchist moon and the troubled, soulful man who tries to restore their connection. When it won the Hugo Award (given by the fans) and the Nebula (given by the writers), Le Guin became the first author to win the doubleheader for two novels.
In 1973, Le Guin wrote that science fiction had too little real criticism, that "the writer is almost his only critic." Soon criticism came thick and fast, not only from fandom and newspapers but also from an academia discovering SF. Le Guin joined the dialogue, firing back in some cases. Critics approached her work from so many directions -- Jungian, Taoist, environmental, feminist -- that they often talked past each other.
During the last 20 years, however, all that has changed. Even many of those who admire Le Guin describe a falling off.
For guardians of SF tradition, her most devastating move may have been co-editing "The Norton Book of Science Fiction," a 1993 anthology that George Slusser -- who once wrote an admiring study of her and has taught for 30 years at UC Riverside -- called "an act of condescension." With 26 of 67 stories by women, he says, the book lacks respect for SF's roots and established figures and "does not reflect the field."
In his study "The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of," Thomas M. Disch, a novelist of SF's New Wave who died last year, dismissed the book as "a one-volume affirmative action campaign" for gender balance, resenting its "equation of male sexuality with aggression and physical violence."
And yet, Le Guin's later efforts do have their champions. Writer and critic Carter Scholz describes "Always Coming Home," a 1985 novel about a post-apocalyptic California dominated by hunter-gatherer tribes, as "her most ambitious, experimental work."
"Lavinia," meanwhile -- which Kirkus Reviews called "arguably her best novel" -- makes clear that Le Guin can still write in her classic style. "It isn't like anything else I've done," she says. "But the dignified style is the way I used to write, in the first Earthsea books. Some of the cadences are storytelling rather than story writing."
Le Guin relearned Latin to read "The Aeneid" and research its era. But because so little is known about daily life in the days when Rome was a dusty village, she was able largely to create that world.
Le Guin knows her work isn't reaching audiences as it once did. But if there's less breaking ground in her recent writing, she's not striving for that anymore. Her familiar concerns -- environmental devastation and energy shortages -- don't seem like remnants of the 1970s but have become pertinent all over again.
"Writing science fiction and fantasy allow you to back off a little bit," she says, sipping an Oregon beer on her deck, "to try to find the problems that always come back, that we never solve. Like gender relations, war -- once there's more than 50 of us living in one place we seem to have war.
"How do we and why do we enslave one another? Slavery is maybe another way of saying class. And of course race, which is involved in the others. I'm just circling around these subjects, which have become somewhat clearer to me as I've gotten older, as being the big problems."
Timberg blogs at scott-timberg.blogspot.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Houston teen is one week away from being crowned "The Voice."
Danielle Bradbery, 16, was one of three singers voted into next week's finale. The Cypress teen is the youngest in the competition and has been a frontrunner since her blind audition. Her performance songs have regularly topped the iTunes singles chart. She returned home last week for a visit to Cy-Ranch High School and performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at a Houston Astros Game.
Electro-pop singer Michelle Chamuel, whose strength is transforming well-worn songs into personal, passionate anthems, also made the cut. She joined Fall Out Boy onstage for a raging performance.
The biggest surprise, if there is one, was Oklahoma brother duo the Swon Brothers, whose aw-shucks persona incited a surge in recent weeks. They earned the final slot over stronger singers Sasha Allen and Amber Carrington. I'm not completely anti-Swon, but one of the eliminated females would have made for a much more interesting finale.
Still, Sasha did herself no favors Monday singing an iconic Whitney Houston tune, and Amber's song choices (Katy Perry, Maroon 5) simply weren't the best showcases for her dynamic voice.
The entire top five took the stage for a bland take on "Every Rose Has its Thorn." (Group songs never work, people. Learn this. Even though "Idol" has not.) And former "Voice"-s returned, including season 3's Nicholas David and Terry McDermott and season 2's Tony Lucca. None were particularly memorable.
Team Danielle or Team Michelle — I can't decide. Where do you stand?
"The Voice" airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and 8 p.m. Tuesdays on NBC.


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New Tax Break for Start-Up Investors Attracts Financiers in Malaysia
Malaysia's efforts to encourage initial funding into startups may take years to win wider appeal, although a tax break announced recently could help attract some investors.
In September, Malaysia's government announced tax breaks for individuals that take at least a 30% stake in startup companies for two years. It also recently launched a trade body to accredit and educate potential angel investors, who unlike venture capitalists, invest their own funds.
While the government-run Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd., which has 150 million ringgit ($49.6 million) under management, invests in startups in the country, Malaysian entrepreneurs seeking early-stage capital usually flock to neighboring Singapore.
However, the tax break offer is attracting a pool of investors such as Wei Chuan Beng. Mr. Wei, who is also group managing director of Kuala Lumpur-listed data and broadband services provider Redtone International Bhd., has invested around MYR7 million of his personal money in startups. He said he plans more investments following the tax incentives.
Some successful exits, such as that of Auto Discounts Sdn. Bhd., could also prompt more funding into start-ups, say investors.
Auto Discounts, which owns Carlist.my, an automotive classified web portal, scored its big break when publicly traded magazine publisher and online luxury goods retailer Catcha Media Bhd. bought a 50% stake in the company in November 2011 for $1.6 million.
Like many other startups, Auto Discounts' founder Teoh Yew Jin said banks were reluctant to lend money and the company instead received a MYR500,000 grant from the Cradle Fund in 2010 to hire more employees and expand sales. "It was a dotcom business and banks were not willing to loan money without collateral, plus it was difficult to value a website," he said.
Catcha Media eventually acquired the remaining 50% in Auto Discount, before spinning off the business and other websites into iCar Asia, which listed in Australia on Sept. 11.
"The tax incentive is not the cure-all medicine, but it lays the correct foundation for the future," Cradle Fund Chief Executive Nazrin Hassan told The Wall Street Journal.
As part of efforts to boost domestic investments, the Cradle Fund set up the Malaysian Business Angel Network in December to register and train individuals who are keen on becoming "angel investors" and have a monthly net income of at least MYR15,000.
Still, Malaysia is years away reaching the level of countries like the U.K. or the U.S., in seeding growth firms.
Cradle Fund estimates that angel investments in Malaysia totaled around MYR10 million in the past two years, a fraction of the approximately 850 million pound sterling ($1.37 billion) worth of annual investments in the U.K., according to data from the U.K. Business Angels Association.
The industry is still in infancy and "it will take five to seven years after the tax incentive kicks in before we can see a boom in angel investment," Mr. Nazrin said.
Singapore is more developed than Malaysia in funding start-ups with many Silicon valley entrepreneurs having offices in the city.
Neoteny Labs, an early-stage fund backed by U.S. venture capitalist Joi Ito has an office in Singapore. Mr. Ito helped fund Twitter and other online companies. Golden Gate Ventures, managed by three Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, opened its Singapore office early this year.
"We're not just looking for a catch-up but we need to build up the industry in Malaysia," said Johnathan Lee, Angel Network's interim secretary.
Mr. Nazrin said the availability of lower risk, traditional asset classes such as property hurt the growth prospects of angel investment.
"Property prices in Malaysia can easily double in the first few years, so there is no natural capacity for angel investing," he said.


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Bloomberg Blasts Teacher Evals As 'Sham,' '...
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday blasted new teacher evaluations statewide as "shams" and "a fraud on the public," created to extract school aid, not improve teachers.
He told state legislators that it was irresponsible for them to pass the 2010 law because he said it ties school aid to union approval of local teacher evaluations. He said unions have no incentive to approve effective evaluations and that denying aid only hurts students.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pushed for passage of the law.
Bloomberg and the United Federation of Teachers union failed to agree on a local system to evaluate teachers. The local evaluations aim to identify "unsatisfactory" teachers and provide remedial help to improve instruction.
Failure to meet the Jan. 17 deadline is expected to cost New York City schools $250 million in state aid as a penalty, and result in a lower base of state aid for years to come. Bloomberg said that will continue shortchange New York City's 1 million students for years.
After his three-hour testimony, Bloomberg wouldn't say if he has any indication he can recover the city schools' lost aid through the Legislature despite failing to agree on a union deal.
Blooomberg said no other state requires union approval of effective, local teacher evaluations, which he said is "impossible."
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew has blamed Bloomberg for the lack of a deal. Mulgrew said the Bloomberg administration has been uncompromising on key issues, making it impossible to reach agreement.
Without the evaluation plan for its 75,000 teachers, the city stands to lose $250 million in state aid and $200 million in grants this year. Although the city Department of Education has a $19.7 billion operating budget for the nation's largest school district, the lost state aid would be felt.
Cuomo, however, has declared his teacher evaluation system a success. Ninety-nine percent of the state's 700 school districts met the deadline for putting teacher and principal evaluations in place. The evaluations were part of a package of education reforms included in the Obama administration's "Race to the Top" competition among states. New York schools were awarded $700 million.
On Monday, Assembly Education Committee Chairwoman Catherine Nolan, a Queens Democrat, engaged Bloomberg in an uncharacteristically loud confrontation. She pressed Bloomberg to take some responsibility for failing to agree with the union, costing students like her son critical resources.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman John DeFrancisco of Onondaga County also bristled at Bloomberg's criticism of the law and the Legislature. DeFrancisco said Bloomberg's use of the words fraud and sham were overstated when 99 percent of other school districts found a way to comply with the law and avoid the penalty of losing the state's 4 percent increase in state school aid.
Bloomberg, however, blamed the union for last-minute proposals that he said would have made the evaluation system unworkable. He said the negotiations would have required the teacher evaluations to end after two years, before any teachers completed the evaluation process. He said the vast majority of other school districts statewide agreed to bad deals to keep their school aid.
He said the state Education Department "accepted the plans they know were total frauds."
He also criticized the Legislature for adopting the law.
"Sometimes," Bloomberg said, "you have to stand on principle."
The state Legislature's budget hearing continued through Monday with testimony by other municipal leaders statewide.


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Norco Knee Spreader
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The Norco Knee Spreader provides excellent distribution of pressure because one-third of the leg is supported.
Made of dense foam for durability.
Measures 6" high x 5" wide (15 x 13cm).
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Norco Knee Spreader
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Travel Alert Extended Statewide
The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and the North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) have extended the Travel Alert for all areas of North Dakota, excluding the south west portion of the state due to areas of reduced visibility and slush and snow covered roadways. Wet roadways have the potential to turn into ice as the temperatures drop this evening. The Travel Alert remains in effect until Saturday morning for areas surrounding the cities of Williston, Minot, Bismarck, Jamestown, Valley City, Devils Lake, Grand Forks, and Fargo.
For road information, call 511 from any type of phone or go to the website: www.dot.nd.gov.
NDDOT releases information to inform the public about travel conditions throughout the state. The three categories are as follows:
TRAVEL ALERT – Motorists can still travel but may encounter areas of challenging winter weather driving conditions on roadways. Motorists should allow extra time to reach their destination and be alert to conditions that may make travel difficult, change rapidly, or cause travel delays. A TRAVEL ALERT has the potential to change to a NO TRAVEL ADVISED if conditions deteriorate.
NO TRAVEL ADVISED – Motorists should not travel due to hazardous conditions which may make it unsafe to travel. Snow plows may be pulled from the roads during severe conditions. Motorists should take NO TRAVEL ADVISED seriously as those motorists who choose to travel at their own risk may become stranded and emergency responders may not be able to reach them safely. A NO TRAVEL ADVISED has the potential to change to a ROAD CLOSED OR BLOCKED if conditions deteriorate.
ROAD CLOSED OR BLOCKED – Motorists are not allowed to travel on a closed road due to life threatening conditions. The road may be impassible or blocked. Motorists who drive past a road closure device may be fined up to $250.
Please be advised that road condition information on 511 and the travel map is updated daily from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. CDT. The road report is based upon the information available to the NDDOT at the time of preparation and is provided solely as a public service. Conditions may vary from those reported.
If you become stranded, motorists should stay with their vehicle and call 911 for emergency assistance.


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Question: Can you tell me about the Code of Ethics of the AAFPRS?
Answer: Founded to provide opportunities for the continuing education of surgeons, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) has had a deep and effective concern for the improvement of patient care and for the ethical practice of medicine. This Code of Ethics is comprised of ethical standards and codes chosen by the AAFPRS Board of Directors from established and authoritative sources and adapted as applicable. References in this Code to "members" includes all classes and categories of membership. See more details about this at our Code of Ethics document.


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Created by Amit Varma
A solving guide to Extrowords: 1. The themed clues are in the squares with the grey background. The rest are general clues. 2. The selected word will be highlighted in blue and the selected letter in yellow 3. You can reach a word by pointing your mouse to it, or you can navigate with the arrow keys of your keyboard, 4 Extrowords are meant to be fun crosswords that combine general knowledge with basic vocabulary. They contain no elements of cryptic crosswords, and all clues should be taken at face value. 5. We will be playful once in a while. 6 This is a work in progress. Feel free to send feedback by emailing us. 7. If you enjoy Extrowords, do share the fun and tell all your friends about it!
Question by Amit Varma
This character's creator described him as "insufferable", and called him a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep". On August 6 1975, the New York Times carried his obituary, the only time it has thus honoured a fictional character. Who?
This Salman Khan deserves to be called a hero. Terrific educational videos. (Via Prashant.)
Elisabeth Rosenthal has some good Swine-Flu advice. (Via Griff.)
By Amit Varma in Miscellaneous
Sita Sings the Blues: The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told
Read more...
Dev.D doesn't flinch from depicting the individual's downward spiral
Read more...


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About Community Matters
Community Matters is recognized as an innovative and thought-leading organization committed to improving the social-emotional climate of our nation's schools and communities. Our work has been featured in numerous media outlets, and we have presented to audiences at the local, state, regional and national levels.
Founded in 1996, Community Matters (CM) has evolved from its earliest focus on youth development to become a widely respected consulting, training and presenting organization in the field of bullying prevention and school climate improvement.
What We Provide
We provide programs and services for educational, youth-serving and governmental entities. We equip youth and adults with the knowledge, tools, and support to create safer, high performing and thriving schools and communities:
- Assessment, planning, coaching and training to help schools and districts implement our Whole School Climate Framework, a cost-effective and sustainable blueprint for educational success that uses school climate as the guiding principle for decision-making.
- Student-centered programs that build bridges of understanding and harness the power of young people to prevent and stop the bullying and violence they see around them;
- Trainings and workshops that help parents and/or staff of schools and youth-serving organizations effectively connect and work with youth to achieve success;
- Regional summits and community forums that engage influential youth and/or adults in learning, relationship building, dialogue, and planning to address and resolve issues of concern to them;
- Keynote addresses and presentations at local, state, regional and national conferences.
Learn more about Our Approach and our Programs and Services
Organizations Served
During the past two decades, Community Matters has worked with more than 1,700 schools, agencies and organizations across 38 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Canada. We have served hundreds of elementary, middle and high schools in rural, urban and suburban communities. We have also worked with many youth-serving organizations, including the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, The Search Institute, Youth Crime Watch of America and The National Crime Prevention Council.
Funding Sources
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit CM derives its funding from a variety of public and private sources, including:
- Corporate partnerships and underwriting
- Private foundations
- Government grants
- Donors and service organizations
- Fee for services
Contact Us
Phone: 707.823.6159
Fax: 707.823.3373
General inquiries: email@example.com
Programs & Services: firstname.lastname@example.com
Media inquiries: email@example.com
Mailing Address:
Community Matters
P.O. Box 14816
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Home Office:
120 Stony Point Road, Suite 120, Santa Rosa, CA 95401


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Comics were easy to spot at this year's SXSW with high profile appearances by Comixology and Marvel as well as cartoonists Matthew Inman delivering a keynote address and Ted Rall offering a short presentation on models of syndication for political cartoonists. But there were also other comics professionals on hand, among them Erin Polgreen, cofounder of Symbolia: The Tablet of Illustrated Journalism.
Comixology and Marvel certainly made their presence felt, even beyond the spectacular meltdown of the Comixology servers after the Marvel announcement offering 700 free #1 issues of Marvel comics—let's be clear, this is a really great deal, maybe a little too great—through the digital comics vendor over two days. Unfortunately the mad online rush to take advantage of the offer brought the House of Ideas down, crashing the Comixology servers and Web site and the promotion is on hold until further notice. The Comixology and Marvel announcements were made at SXSW Gaming Expo, now held at the Palmer Center, on Sunday on a stage plunked down in the middle of a giant (and darkened) exhibition hall constantly exploding with the crackling, blaring, chaotic sounds of hundreds of videogames of all kinds being played in every corner of the hall.
Marvel also made other announcements the same day, including the expansion of its Infinite Comics line of digital-born comics designed to unfold image by image rather than page by page. The expanded line of digital comics will debut in July 9 with Wolverine: Japan's Most Wanted. There is also Project Gamma, digital comics with music audio tracks that will "adapt" to how the comics are read and to events in the comics themselves. And for fans of the former G4 network and the now defunct Attack of the Show and Fresh Ink, the network's web based comics news and review show, former host Blair Butler has been tabbed by Marvel to host Earth's Mightiest Heroes, a comics interview and variety show that seems patterned after Fresh Ink. The new show will feature Butler hosting interviews with top comics writers and artists and, we were told, there's even a reality show. More to come on that.
But Comixology (which also sponsored the closing party for the Gaming Expo on Sunday night) had a few announcements to make about itself at Saturday's Comixology panel at the Palmer Center (PW Comics World also sat down with cofounder David Steinberger for an interview running on the More to Come Podcast this week). Steinberger and cofounder John Roberts were joined by Too Much Coffee man creator Shannon Wheeler (who is from Austin) to announce the launch of Comixology Submit, its digital comics self-publishing platform, with 35 titles including many from well known artists like Wheeler and Becky Cloonan. Submit lets artists upload comics and, if approved by Comixology, they will be converted into the Comixology format and supported with nonexclusive distribution by the vendor. Comixology and the artist will split sales 50/50 and the platform offers artists global distribution of their comics.
Steinberger also used the panel to recap the vendors extraordinary growth since it launched in 2009 with 80 comics from 8 small publishers (yes, no Marvel or DC). The vendor now offers more than 30,000 comics and is adding more than 300 comics a week to its inventory. The vendor hit 100 million downloads last year, released a Windows 8 app this year and was the #3 top grossing book app on Apple. Comixology just keeps on growing—indeed, more than 40% of its sales come from overseas and in recent weeks the vendor launched a French version of the app with French language comics. And in 2012, Steinberger said the digital comics vendor's sales out grossed all previous year's sales combined.
Calling himself a "standup comedian whose platform is comics," Matthew Inman gave a keynote speech that described his efforts raising money to pay off a nuisance law suit that eventually raised more than $200,000 for charity. "Inspiration is like food poisoning, it spews out of you when you don't need it." And Ted Rall was on hand giving a short presentation, "Political Cartooning: From Dead Trees to Live Wire"—he was forced to blitz through a dense and history-laden session at breakneck speed in order meet the 15 minute time limit—outlining the difficuties of making money when you're a cartoonist. Concerned about the shrinking outlets for cartooning in print, Rall speculated about plans to get payment for cartoonists and the possibility of an ad-supported package for forwarding the content around the world by email. PW offered a comics panel of its own at SXSW this year, Publishing Graphic Novels in the Kickstarter Era, organized and moderated by this reporter. And PW photographer Jody Culkin (who is married to this reporter), who is really a tenured professor in the Media Arts and Technology Department at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York, also gave a lively 15 minute session on instructional comics and technology called, "Making and Drawing: Comics and The DIY/Maker World," in front of a crowded and enthusiastic audience, surveying the history of the genre from Will Eisner's 1940s PS magazine to the How-Toon features of Make magazine today.
At last year's SXSW Erin Polgreen announced her plans to launch Symbolia: The Tablet Magazine of Illustrated Journalism, an iPad publication with multimedia effects and content focused on the use of comics for journalism. This year Polgreen was back, but this time as a judge for Accelerator, the SXSW competition for new tech startups, and for a chance to walk the floor and sit in on a few panels. The first issue of Symbolia was released in December and the newest issue, We Don't Belong, a look at family issues, has just been released. Polgreen said the mag "is well on its way to our goal of 3,000 subscribers and we're happy with the rate of growth. Polgreen said in the coming year she's looking to raise more revenue and raise the pay rate to artists and writers. An Android version of Symbolia, "is coming in several weeks." The third issue of the iPad comics journalism magazine is called The Mating Ritual and will feature stories on "sex, relationships and interpersonal encounters."
[Additional reporting for this story was supplied by Jody Culkin]


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Welcome to JLL. As a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate, we offer challenging and unmatched career opportunities. Our future success as a firm depends on our ability to offer our employees numerous opportunities for personal and professional growth.
We promote an atmosphere of openness, respect and trust, and bring a sense of teamwork, collegiality and diversity to all we do. Our clients see the results as we address their needs, solve their problems and bring new ideas. To serve our clients in this way, we hire, develop and retain the very best people in the business.
Through it all, our employees develop strong relationships, forge successful partnerships and establish lasting friendships. Explore a rewarding career with extraordinary potential at JLL.


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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech tennis team made it 13 straight Ohio Valley Conference regular season wins, including their 5-0 mark this season, after they knocked off a strong Jacksonville State team, 4-3, Wednesday afternoon. The Golden Eagles are tied with Austin Peay for first place in the OVC.
Tech continued its OVC success in doubles by claiming the early point and giving the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Senior Syrym Abdukhalikov and sophomore Alejandro Augusto defeated Axel Sunberg and Nenad Marcec, 8-3, on the No. 1 court; the pair is 5-0 in OVC matches.
Freshman duo Alvaro Cintas and Othon Lima provided the deciding match in the No. 3 spot, winning 8-6 over Felipe Diaz and Felipe Watanabe.
With the doubles point already decided, the No. 2 match went unfinished.
In singles play, Augusto was the first off the courts when he collected his fifth consecutive singles win, 6-1, 6-2, in straight sets by defeating Axel Sundberg in the No. 2 spot.
The Gamecocks grabbed a point when Nenad Marcec knocked off sophomore Artem Tarasov in straight sets at the No. 3 spot.
In the No. 4 spot, Junior Vasily Eremeev won a hard-fought match against Felipe Diaz, 6-4, 7-6 on a tiebreaker.
Abdukhalikov captured a win and the deciding match point for Tennessee Tech when he defeated Igor Santo with a straight set win, 6-4, 7-5, at No. 1 which improves Abdukhalikov's singles record to 10-2 and 5-0 in OVC play.
Arturo Santa Ruiz and Lima fell in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots.
Tennessee Tech wraps up its home conference schedule this weekend as it faces SIUE on Saturday at 12 noon, and Eastern Illinois on Sunday at 12 noon.
Admission is free for all of Tech's home matches.
Tennessee Tech 4, Jacksonville State 3
April 03, 2013 at Cookeville, Tenn.
(Tech Tennis Courts)
|Singles competition
|1. Syrym Abdukhalikov (TTU) def. SANTOS, Igor (JSUM) 6-4, 7-5
|2. Alejandro Augusto (TTU) def. SUNDBERG, Axel (JSUM) 6-1, 6-2
|3. MARCEC, Nenad (JSUM) def. Artem Tarasov (TTU) 6-4, 6-0
|4. Vasily Eremeev (TTU) def. DIAZ, Felipe (JSUM) 6-4, 7-6
|5. WENZEL, Felipe (JSUM) def. Arturo Santa Ruiz (TTU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
|6. WATANABE, Felipe (JSUM) def. Othon Lima (TTU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
|Doubles competition
|1. Syrym Abdukhalikov/Alejandro Augusto (TTU) def. SUNDBERG, Axel/MARCEC, Nenad (JSUM) 8-3
|2. Vasily Eremeev/Artem Tarasov (TTU) vs. SANTOS, Igor/WENZEL, Felipe (JSUM) 4-5, unfinished
|3. Alvaro Cintas/Othon Lima (TTU) def. DIAZ, Felipe/WATANABE, Felipe (JSUM) 8-6
|Match Notes
|Jacksonville State 7-11 (3-2)
|Tennessee Tech 5-9 (5-0)
|Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (2,3,4,1,6,5)


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Last year was a banner one for personal technology, with big stories dominating the landscape. From Facebook's botched IPO, to the introduction of a redesigned iPhone and a smaller iPad, to the overhaul of Windows' interface, 2012 was a helluva year for tech news.
And because we can count the number of times any given story is get read, we know which of them appeal to the TechBlog community. Here are the top five stories from 2012 based on page views. Note that many different factors can impact the popularity of a story, including whether it's played on the Chron.com home page; whether it's linked from a high-traffic site; whether a story has a photo gallery; and whether it goes viral on social media.
5. More iPhone 5 impressions, and a case recommendation – This was a follow-up to my iPhone 5 first-looks review, but its popularity was driven by the case recommendation. At the time, there weren't many iPhone 5 cases available, but Best Buy had a decent stock of them and I found a winner there: A clear, silicone case made by Rocketfish, which is Best Buy's house brand. Originally, I was going to use this as a stopgap case until I found a better one, but you know what? I never did. This is an excellent case, and I still recommend it to those who ask. It's thin and clear, so it shows off the iPhone 5's sleek design nicely.
4. Windows 8 final read for download, and there's a 90-day trial – Microsoft released the finished version of Windows 8 as a download via its TechNet and MSDN sites in mid-August, but changed the way users could try it out. Windows 7 downloads didn't require that you activate the software for 30 days (which, through a variety of tricks, could be extended to 120 days), but Win8 wanted to activate most of its editions as part of the setup process. However, the Enterprise edition has a 90-day trial, and it's a great way to try out the operating system if you're unsure about making it your primary OS. That tidbit helped drive the popularity of this story.
3. Your iPhone 5 may have already shipped. Here's how to tell. – When Apple began shipping iPhone 5s to those who'd pre-ordered them, the delivery tracking system didn't seem to work properly. This entry highlighted a trick on the UPS website for finding out where the package was in the process. Needless to say, a lot of anxious iPhone 5 buyers clicked on this one. Interestingly, it continues to get a decent amount of traffic.
2. Houston's newest Apple Store opening March 16: Source – With this story, I broke the news that Apple would hope its new Highland Village store on March 16, which turned out to be the same day that the third generation of the iPad went on sale.
1. Windows 8 Consumer Preview: Should you install it? – The most-read story on TechBlog in 2012 is one that was written back in February, but continues to get steady traffic. The reason: People are searching on "Should I install Windows 8?" This was the first pre-release of Windows 8 that Microsoft aimed at consumers.
What were some of your favorite tech stories from 2012? Bonus points if you include a link.


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Did you know that we have a site that hosts all of our training webinars (videos & slides) and other training resources? Visit our Training Materials website - you'll find tutorials, resources, and reference guides on topics in programming, bioinformatics, visualization, and getting started with high performance computing. Questions? Email us.
Ready to get started? Or need support beyond the basics?We can help. email@example.com
Based electronic structure and molecular dynamics program.


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NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA-The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's swimming team swept visiting Bridgewater State at the Tripp Athletic Center Tuesday evening.
The women won, 124-110, while the men won, 118-108.
For the women, senior Morgan Cooper (Sunderland, MA/Frontier Regional HS) won three events: the 200 yard freestyle in 2:04.08, the 500 yard freestyle in 5:33.38, and the 100 yard breaststroke in 1:13.92. Freshman Caroline Corcoran (West Boylston, MA/ West Boylston) won the 200 yard individual medley in 2:22.39, and the 100 yard butterfly in 1:03.62. Junior Katelyn Kidney (Lynn, MA / Lynn Classical) took the 100 yard backstroke in 1:06.42, senior Maggie Conlon (Methuen, MA/Methuen HS) won the 100 yard freestyle and sophomore Brooke Garvey (North Billerica, MA/Billerica HS) took the one meter diving with 160.72 points. The 200 medley relay team of freshman Caissie Niles (Raynham, MA/Bridgewater-Raynham HS), senior Lindsay Days (Mattapoisett, MA/Bishop Stang HS), Corcoran and Conlon was victorious in 2:02.78.
Winners for the men included freshman Bryan Baranick (Assonet, MA/Apponequet HS) in the 100 yard backstroke (59.63 seconds) and the 1000 yard freestyle (10:56.89), freshman Justin Floeck (Middleboro, MA/Middleboro HS) in the 50 yard freestyle in 23.54 seconds and the 100 yard freestyle in 52.35 seconds, senior Kevin Janofsky (Brookfield, CT/Brookfield HS) in the 200 yard freestyle in 1:58.62, sophomore Michael Gryss (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford HS) in the 100 yard butterfly in 1:00.02, junior Conor Szarek (Leominster, MA/Leominster HS) in both the one meter diving (169.35 points) and the three meter diving (184.20 points), and freshman Robert Braza (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro HS) in the 200 yard individual medley in 2:19.97 and the 500 yard freestyle in 5:41.18.
"It was a great win for the women's team, who really stepped it up and swam events that they don't normally swim due to an injury," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Cathy Motta. "This is the first time they have started the season 3-0, and I am so proud of them. The leadership, hard work and dedication of this team is a reflection of the leadership of our captains, and is paying off in their performances.
UMass Dartmouth's women are now 3-0, while the UMD men are 2-0. BSU's women are now 1-2, while their men are now 1-2.
Both teams will return to action Saturday when the Corsairs host the Louise Goodrum Invitational.


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Apparently the parents of this unfortunate baby didn't read this helpful parenting book.
More hysterical images can be seen here.
25 January 2008
Practical tips for new parents
Apparently the parents of this unfortunate baby didn't read this helpful parenting book.
Posted by shadowfax at 10:00 AM
5 comments:
- Ellie1/25/2008 10:32 AM
This is the funniest thing I have seen in a LONG time, and had me laughing so hard that I had tears rolling down my cheeks. Now my sides hurt.ReplyDelete
And the tips are handy, too. It seems I've been shopping with my two month old the wrong way.
Those were fantastic--thanks for the good laugh.ReplyDelete
With all the videos for the kids these days, its a wonder we don't start hanging tv's over their cribs.
If you liked those helpful hints, you will definitely love Baby Cages!ReplyDelete
Very funny -thanks for sharing. :)ReplyDelete
I just laughed for a good 5 minutes, great stuff!ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Dr. Peter Ester, who is a social scientist and professor at Rotterdam University and a Dutch Senator, will present "Dutch American Entrepreneurs" and "Dutch Politics" on Monday, July 29, at 7 p.m. at the City Council Chambers at Holland City Hall.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Ester is speaking at locations across the United States through the 2013 Netherland-America Foundation (NAF) Lecture Tour. His visit to Holland is co-sponsored by the A.C. Van Raalte Institute at Hope College and the Dutch Heritage Coordinating Council.
Ester is the author of "Faith, Family & Fortune. Reformed Upbringing and Calvinist Values of Highly Successful Dutch-American Entrepreneurs," published by the A.C. Van Raalte Institute's Van Raalte Press in 2012. He was an adjunct research professor at the institute from 2008 to 2011, while conducting research for the book.
In the first part of his presentation, Ester will consider the cultural roots of the success of the Dutch-American entrepreneurs who founded companies such as Amway, Herman Miller, Meijer and Prince Manufacturing, with an emphasis on the relationship between immigration, culture, religion and entrepreneurship. He will subsequently comment on recent political developments in the Netherlands and will share his experiences as a participant in the inauguration of King Willem Alexander in April.
Ester has published numerous books and scholarly articles on social and economic issues and on Dutch-American culture. As a senator, he is a member of the Upper House of the Dutch parliament. He is also a former Crown Member of the Dutch Social and Economic Council (SER).
Prior to his visit to Holland, Ester will have spoken at the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York City. Following his appearance in West Michigan, he will continue the tour in Chicago, Ill., and San Francisco, Calif.
The Netherland-America Foundation, which is based in New York City, seeks to strengthen the bonds of friendship and appreciation between the two nations through exchange in the arts, culture, education, business and policy-making. The foundation's mission is supported by donations from individual and corporate donors to provide grants for dance, chamber music, jazz, historic preservation and architecture, visiting professorships and educational exchange.
Established in 1994, the A.C. Van Raalte Institute is located in the Theil Research Center on the Hope College campus and specializes in scholarly research and writing on immigration and the contributions of the Dutch and their descendants in the United States. The institute is also dedicated to the study of the history of all the people who have comprised the community of Holland throughout its history.
The Dutch Heritage Coordinating Council seeks to provide a forum to further the preservation and promotion of Dutch heritage in the Greater Holland/Zeeland Area. The council was established in 2009 by the Holland Historic Trust, Joint Archives of Holland, Tulip Time Festival, Van Raalte Institute and Zeeland Historical Society.
Holland City Hall is located at 270 S. River Ave., on River Avenue between 11th and 12th streets. A reception will follow the lecture in the City Council Chambers


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Fishing reports for the Chesapeake Bay and the surroundings area including stripers, cobia, drum and more
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Negative equity — a key factor slowing the return of a healthy supply of homes for sale — is continuing to drop across the Bay Area, according to a report Thursday from online real estate service Zillow.
But it's still high in the areas hardest hit by the housing crash, such as parts of Contra Costa County, Zillow said in a quarterly report on homes that are underwater — worth less than their mortgage.
That could slow sales this year, since homeowners are reluctant to sell at a loss.
The good news is that the percentage of all houses, townhomes and condos with a mortgage that's underwater has been dropping in all four counties of the East Bay, Peninsula and South Bay for more than a year, Zillow said.
"The Bay Area has had a fantastic recovery," said Stan Humphries, Zillow's chief economist. Home prices are back to their pre-crash peaks in Santa Clara County, off by only 1 percent in San Mateo County, and down 13 percent from their peak in Alameda County and 32 percent in Contra Costa County, Humphries said.
But home price gains are slowing, which will keep many homes from returning to positive equity, Zillow said.
"A lot of people may not even be aware of their negative equity," Humphries said, "but if they have to move in the next couple of years, they're going to have to talk to their bank about a short sale," he said.
And by a measure that Zillow calls "effective" negative equity — homes with less than 20 percent positive equity — the San Francisco metro area, which includes the East Bay and San Mateo County, is still high at 21.1 percent of all homes with a mortgage. The rate for homes actually underwater is only 10.7 percent in the metro area, but 20 percent equity is considered what's needed to sell a home, pay all costs and make a down payment on the next home.
Over the past year, home prices have soared, partly because of intense competition for a small number of homes for sale. Declines in the percentage of underwater homes should eventually help home sales.
"Right now in San Francisco, a lot of homeowners are locked out of the marketplace because they are underwater," Humphries said, adding that in the face of strong demand, prices have nowhere to go but up.
From the fourth quarter of 2012 to the fourth quarter of 2013, Zillow reported, the percentage of underwater homes in Alameda County has dropped from 25.4 percent to 11.3 percent; in Contra Costa County from 33.1 percent to 16.9 percent; in San Mateo County from 15.1 percent to 5.3 percent, and in Santa Clara County from 15.2 percent to 6.3 percent.
The top three Bay Area cities with negative equity were San Pablo, Pittsburg and Crockett, all with about 30 percent of their homes underwater.
Atherton, Los Altos and Portola Valley had the least, hovering at around one.
Contact Pete Carey at 408-920-5419. Follow him on Twitter.com/petecarey.


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DUBLIN — Just weeks after voters picked new members for both the City Council and school board. there are already vacancies to fill.
How come? Someone from each panel in the fast growing city got elected to higher office.
The Dublin school district board decided Tuesday that it will appoint a replacement for David Haubert rather than spend up to $185,000 on a special election. Haubert stepped down last week from the school board to start the City Council term he was elected to on Nov. 6.
And, the council must decide how to replace Councilman Eric Swalwell, who will take his new seat in Congress in January. Swalwell upset longtime incumbent Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont in the Nov. 6 election in the 15th district.
When the council discusses the vacancy in January, Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti said he will favor an appointment to replace Swalwell.
Holding a special election would be expensive and very likely yield a low voter turnout, as is common with special elections, the mayor said.
Sbranti also said he favors having open applications rather than picking the candidate with the next highest vote count in the November election.
"I don't think we should limit our choices but pick the best applicant who comes forward," Sbranti said. "You don't know who wants to be on the council until you ask."
Haubert and incumbent Councilman Kevin Hart handily won the two council seats in the election. Finishing next in the field of six were Doreen Wehrenberg, a city planning commissioner, and Anita Carr, a city heritage and cultural arts commissioner.
The Dublin school board, meanwhile, set 4 p.m. Jan. 11 as the deadline to submit board applications to the school district.
A two-member school board subcommittee will interview applicants behind closed doors and recommend two finalists to be interviewed in public by the full board.
Board President Greg Tomlinson said he thinks the fairest and best way to fill the vacancy is to let the public apply rather than automatically picking the next highest vote-getter in the November election.
In this case, that means Austin Ogden, an 18-year-old graduate of Dublin High School, who finished a close fourth and last in the running for three seats won by three incumbents. Ogden said he will apply for the vacancy because he wants to bring a student's point of view to the board.
"I think he (Ogden) deserves serious consideration," Tomlinson said. "He showed he has a lot of support."
The school board plans to pick the new school board member Jan. 22.
Contact Denis Cuff at 925-943-8267. Follow him at Twitter.com/deniscuff
The deadline is 4 p.m. Jan. 11 for Dublin residents to apply for a school board vacancy.
For details, call Shelley Fischer at 925-828-2551, Ext. 8002.


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Sunday, March 10, 2013
Ichiro's Blend - "Houou-uhi" for Isetan
7 comments:
Do you know anything about the flavour profile of this whisky and how many bottle were realised?
- March 11, 2013 at 6:43 AM
- Stefan said...
I asked about the number of bottles but they weren't sure or couldn't tell. Based on other Ichiro's Blends, I'd imagine at least 500. As far as the flavour profile is concerned... well, I tried it on two occassions and I would say, it's a more aromatic version of Berry Bros & Rudd's Blue Hanger 5th edition.
- March 11, 2013 at 7:25 AM
Thank you Stefan, I will give it a go then.
- March 11, 2013 at 12:18 PM
- roaming said...
Already through our second bottle at Gyu+! This is one of my favorites this year. Great post!
- March 11, 2013 at 1:34 PM
- Stefan said...
I can see why! It's a real gem. The moment I tried it, I fell in love with it.
- March 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM
Hi Stefan,
I just opened a bottle last week and it was great! One of the best blends of Hanyu ever.
- March 20, 2013 at 8:19 PM
- Stefan said...
Hi Aaron,
Thanks very much for the feedback. It's always nice to help spread the word about exceptional whiskies - and this one certainly is! - but then to hear that someone else feels the same way and is happy savoring it, well, that kind of feedback really makes our day. Thanks again!
- March 20, 2013 at 8:28 PM


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HAMPTON — In just over one hour's time, Winnacunnet High School's hopes to reach the Division I girls basketball semifinals went from looking unrealistic to very, very possible.
The turnaround started with the Warriors' own play. A lackluster first 12 minutes was followed by a scintillating stretch that saw sixth-seeded Winnacunnet outscore No. 11 Dover 39-4 en route to Wednesday's 61-21 preliminary-round win.
Then a few minutes after the game ended, word came in that No. 14 Manchester Memorial, a team with five regular-season wins that Winnacunnet beat by 30 points last Friday, had shocked No. 3 Pinkerton Academy, 40-39.
That means Saturday's quarterfinal game will be Memorial (6-13) at Winnacunnet (14-5).
"I jumped up and down when I heard," Memorial had won, Winnacunnet coach Cassie Turcotte said. She quickly added, "but we can't take them lightly."
It looked a bit like the Warriors were doing that with Dover in the opening minutes. Add in an aggressive defensive presence by the Green Wave (7-12) and their willingness to run a patient perimeter offense looking for back-door passing and Winnacunnet was struggling.
Dover's Molly St. Germain had six early points and Molly Wotton scored twice inside in the second quarter. The Green Wave was crashing the offensive boards and Winnacunnet was strictly a two-girl offense with Mimi Macleod and Carly Gould.
Trailing 13-10, Turcotte went to her bench and inserted freshman Katie Valcich. Primarily a junior varsity player, Valcich has gradually gotten a bit more playing time.
The box score says Valcich scored two points.
The eye test said she changed the game.
"She is a diamond in the rough and not that rough," Turcotte said. "She unleashes a certain level of energy on the floor that is contagious."
Suddenly Valcich was right on top of Dover's lead ball handler or overplaying a passing lane. Gould's long reach and athletic ability was making the inbound pass extremely difficult. Senior guard Maelan Castro, Macleod and junior Shauna Morrison were also getting involved in creating intense pressure defense.
"I just needed to push the ball up the floor, because halftime it was a close game," Valcich said. "Everybody was playing good and I was making good passes."
When Valcich left the court for a breather just before the third quarter ended, Winnacunnet led 43-17. Eight quick points to start the fourth quarter eliminated any doubt.
"That first quarter and a half we were staying pretty disciplined with what we wanted to do," Dover coach Dan Casey said. "We had a couple things go wrong and their pressure affected us and we just fed into it."
Macleod led Winnacunnet with 22 points, shooting 11-of-18 from the floor. Gould added 19 points and was the top rebounder. They veterans recognized what Valcich brought to the floor.
"She adds a lot of aggression," Gould said.
"She's a really mature player. She doesn't look like a freshman out on the court," Macleod added.
"She understands basketball better than most people," Gould concluded.


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Savory Sable Cookies Recipes
Crab Appetizers (Savory Cheese Cookies)
If you've been following my culinary adventures for a while, you probably know how much I love seafood. There's a French word "gourmande" that merely translates to "greedy" and I think it accurately sums up my personality when it comes to les fruits de mer (seafood). Thus it was fitting that at the Asian market this week I bought way too many crabs (again)!
Lulu's grand-uncle, who also enjoys crab, came to visit us, so I made a few crab appetizers for him. At first, I didn't know how I was going to present the crab, but I finally settled on savory "cookies" flavored with Dubliner cheese. A bit of cottage cheese serves as the "glue" for the whole appetizer, and the depression in each cookie is perfect for a spoonful of crab meat.
Full Recipe...
Herb and Pecorino Cheese Crackers
Despite the name, these treats more closely resemble a savory shortbread cookie than a cracker. They are buttery, crumbly and absolutely delicious.
Regardless of what you call them, they are packed with flavor. Using a melon baller, I created a small cavity in the center of each cracker, which I filled with a savory pecorino basil pesto.
Pecorino, rosemary and thyme are not subtle ingredients, so serve this with a mild, creamy cheese at your next dinner party.
Full Recipe...


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Until the age of 6, I had never eaten raw unpickled cucumbers. Like everyone else in my Cantonese family, I ate cucumbers only in stir-fries, never imagining that they could be served any other way. So it was a shock in the elementary school cafeteria to find that Americans eat this thing called a salad, with itty bitty pieces of raw unseasoned cucumber, mixed with equally bland raw carrots and iceberg lettuce. I'll admit. It took me a few years to get used to raw cucumbers, especially when the accompaniment was Thousand Island dressing.
Lately I've rediscovered the joys of stir-fried cucumbers. They're sauce sponges, soaking up the best flavors of whatever meat or liquid they're cooked with. The best kind to use for stir-frying are Chinese cucumbers, also called Asian or Peking cucumbers, the long skinny ones with a bumpy outside. They tend to be more crisp, though other varieties would also work.
In this pork stir-fry, you just need to cook the meat, set it aside, and briefly stir-fry and steam the vegetables for a few minutes. If you have extra pieces left over, make a Sichuan cucumber salad.
Pork and Cucumber Stir-fry
Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal
- 1 cucumber
- 4 to 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 pound lean pork
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Slice cucumber into 2-inch long segments, then quarter the segments length-wise. Thinly slice shiitake mushrooms and red onion. Thinly slice the pork.
- Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry pork until cooked and no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.
- Stir-fry garlic and ginger until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms, and onions and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar. Add water, cover the wok with a lid, and let the vegetables steam for 3 to 4 more minutes. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper.
- Once the liquid has been reduced to sauce-like consistency, uncover the wok and return pork to the wok. Cook for another 30 seconds, then serve.


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At Indaba Mining, the annual gathering Feb. 3-5 in Cape Town of leaders of Africa's mining sector—from government, corporations and civil society—the words "sustainability" and "stakeholder outreach" were ubiquitous. This focus on sustainability issues reflects impressive progress made in recent years around how mining can contribute to shared value.
Many Indaba veterans commented that just five years ago, sustainability issues, and more specifically stakeholder engagement strategies, were barely discussed. But one could have spent this month's entire conference learning about community outreach, stakeholder engagement and communications.
The rise of stakeholder outreach to the top of the priority list at Indaba is a notable achievement. But more can always be done, as was pointed out by the "Alternative Indaba", a counter-conference organized by civil society groups parallel to Mining
Indaba to press for a clear agenda to support mining communities. What struck me, though, was that mining companies were asking for the same thing; clear guidelines on how to manage community engagement.
The focus on outreach to mining communities from both sides of the dialogue makes it clear that "stakeholder outreach" is the new science of the mining community. While the science of environmental, health and safety management has developed into a structured and transparent system over the past decade, this process is now underway for stakeholder outreach— but it is at an earlier stage, still tentative and exploratory.
Sir Paul Collier, the author, former World Bank economist and expert on African economies, focused his Indaba keynote speech on one clear message, "communications first" when mining companies enter the field. Over and over again, companies emphasized the importance of listening to communities, rather than communicating from the top down.
The next step in developing this science of stakeholder outreach is to focus the discussion on management structures companies need to guide their efforts and evaluate performance. Companies would benefit from case studies of stakeholder management structures that include good and bad experiences, common standards for measurement and key performance indicators for evaluation. These metrics are needed to enable companies to show that they are managing stakeholder outreach systematically, rather than committing to communications and community outreach without evidence to prove that they are delivering.
One speaker highlighted the need for stakeholder outreach to be mainstreamed into corporate structures, as is done for risk management. Risk management is a standard practice in almost all companies. It brings all employees to the table to identify, measure and assess risks they face, along with their consequences and how these risks will be managed to minimize their impact. Each risk is quantified in terms of likelihood, impact and cost so that corporate leaders can budget for contingencies.
Stakeholder outreach needs to be managed the same way, as a cross-cutting issue that is part of each employee's responsibility and everyone must "own" some of the responsibility for making it work.
While some companies already do this, the discussion at Mining Indaba should inspire more of them to make these management structures more transparent. Other companies, majors and juniors, can learn from them. Due to the complexity of stakeholder outreach, in which diverse and sometimes contentious social, economic, cultural and environmental issues interact, a scientific approach may be difficult to achieve. But steering the discussion in this direction will make great strides in helping both companies manage stakeholder outreach and communities share the value of mining operations. One relevant tool is the EI Sourcebook (http://www.eisourcebook.org/) an online compendium of mining practice produced by the World Bank Group in partnership with the University of Dundee's Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy. It includes a detailed section on Stakeholder Consultation and Participation.


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New photos of Daniel Radcliffe emerging from a stage door in London looking extremely skinny and pale may have had some fans worried, but fear not, Harry Potter fans! We have the inside scoop on why he's looking slightly gaunt.
It's for a role!
Daniel currently is starring every night in the Martin McDonagh play "The Cripple of Inishmaan" in London's West End. In the show, Daniel plays an Irish character called "Billy the Cripple," a 17-year-old orphan with a weakened left arm, a permanently stiff right leg, and an unrequited crush on a local girl. When a Hollywood film crew comes to town to scout talent, the young dreamer sees it as his opportunity to escape his formerly dreary life.
The revival opened last month to rave reviews, including the U.K.'s Guardian, which called him "a fine stage actor with a gift for playing social outsiders" and Variety, which said he "considerably increases his range" with this role.
But regardless of the raves or reasons, at least one outlet wrote on Friday about how the actor's appearance when emerging from the theater was "spark(-ing) concern."
Omg! spoke with Radcliffe's rep who explains that the star's current gig "is a very demanding role physically."
As for why Daniel may have looked serious for a brief moment when this pic was snapped, his rep adds, "at every night's performance, there is large crowd at the stage door and he takes the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures at length. Regardless of the extreme London heat wave."
Since the end of the Harry Potter franchise, Daniel has spoken many times about how the roles he is picking are intended to stretch his range and establish himself as a very serious actor.
And this isn't the first time Radcliffe has earned rave reviews on stage. In 2007, he appeared naked in a revival "Equus" in London and later reprised the role on Broadway in New York City. And in 2011, he sang and danced his way into people's hearts on Broadway in a revival of the musical "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
Daniel has remained busy in his involvement with several charities that are important to him. He's a major supporter of The Trevor Project in the U.S., which provides a suicide hotline for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth. In the U.K., he just shot a new PSA for "Get Connected,"an organization also dedicated to helping young people.
Daniel's highly-anticipated Beat Generation film, "Kill Your Darlings," in which he plays poet Allen Ginsberg, is set to hit U.S. theaters in limited release on October 18, with a national roll-out to follow.


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I first discovered calendula when my son had diaper rash that just wouldn't. Go. Away. I tried all the bum creams, ointments and pastes I could get my hands on but nothing really worked till some guru-mom suggested California Baby Calendula Cream, $13. Within one day, his diaper rash was cleared. If it ever comes back, just a touch of calendula will take care of it. If it can do that to Ian's sensitive baby tush, imagine what it can do to your dry skin. With properties that reduce inflammation and soothe irritation, it can calm almost any skin flare up — especially when it's exposed to harsh winter weather. If this sounds good to you too, here are a few other incredible calendula products to check out:
Weleda Calendula Baby Cream, $12
Erbe Calendula and Orange Blossom Body Lotion, $69


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How to view and print your 1098-T form in MyCCRI
Please note: This important tax information has been furnished to the Internal Revenue Service. For specific questions about your tax deductions please consult your personal tax consultant.
To obtain a copy of your 1098-T form or to find an itemization of the box totals, please follow the directions below:
Login to your MyCCRI account
- Click the For Students tab
- Click on "Tax Information" under "Registration Tools"
- Enter the tax year (not the current calendar year)
- Click "Submit"
- You can now see your 1098-T tax form:
Return to MyCCRI Documentation Page »
This page developed and maintained by the Information Technology Department. Send comments and suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.com .


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Sure it made for good copy when Terence Moore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote back in April that "The Falcons just blew it" by drafting Matt Ryan. Did he think that wouldn't come back on him?
Not likely, thanks to Real Clear Sports, which keeps track of such things in its annual Top 10 Erroneous Columns post. We mentioned this in Morning Blogdome, but think it needs to be emphasized. Moore's little gem, which appeared on April 26, came in at No. 4 (applause), and also included the graph: Matt Ryan? Not a brutal pick for the Falcons at No. 3 overall in the NFL draft on Saturday, but it was far from brilliant. Mediocre comes to mind, and so does this thought: If Michael Vick wasn't officially gone before as the face of the Falcons, he is now.
Ha. We also have Scoop Jackson at No. 7, with his immortal "Kobe Bryant will not win the MVP," Ashley Fox of the Philadelphia Inquirer at No. 6 for "McNabb's Reign In Philly Is Likely Over," and one of my all-time favorites, at No. 3, from Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post:
"It would be a hell of a story, the Rays finishing ahead of the Red Sox, ahead of the Yankees. A hell of a baseball story. A hell of a Cinderella story. Too bad it isn't going to happen ... It's just not logical to assume they can keep it up for eight more weeks while fighting off these two teams. It's not practical ... They are a good story. Easy to root for. And...just a week or two away from seeing a couple of blurs zip by them in the passing lane."
No. 2 is the most hilarious of all, and the author of No. 1 will not surprise you, being that it's Jay Mariotti.
Writers go out on limb like this, of course, because it makes them sound smart and decisive, and they figure no one is going to keep the paper around long enough to check on their accuracy. But then along came the Internets, and hilarity ensued. One of my favorite tragic columnist predictions actually occurred on the radio, however. It was November of 1995, when the 49ers were about to play the Cowboys in Irving. Steve Young was out with multiple bruisings, which meant that the estimable Elvis Grbac would be starting at quarterback for the 49ers.
That Friday, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ira Miller was a guest on KNBR radio, and when asked what the Niners' chances were of winning, replied, "Zero." Host Ralph Barbieri wondered how an NFL team could be given no chance. "How about one percent?" he asked. "No," replied Miller, emphatically. "They have absolutely no chance of winning this game. None."
Of course the 49ers led 31-7 at halftime and won, 38-20. And I so I learned never to predict anything in any form other than smoke signals or disappearing ink. The SI cover below is for you, Ira, wherever you are.
Top 10 Erroneous Column Predictions Of 2008 [Real Clear Sports]


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In addition to accelerating the aging process, lack of exercise leads to less desirable body composition (more fat and less muscle), increased risk of injury, and decreased athletic performance. On the other hand, brightening your winter days with some sensible exercise can reverse many degenerative conditions, reduce your injury potential, improve your physical appearance, and enhance your sports participation.
For example, strength exercise has been shown to provide the following benefits.
Endurance exercise also provides numerous benefits, with particular emphasis on the cardiovascular system. Consider the following physiological benefits that may be attained through regular aerobic activity.
In addition, both strength and endurance exercise help people sleep better, eat better, digest better, feel more energetic, and eliminate unhealthy habits, such as smoking.
With all of these advantages, why don't more men and women participate in an exercise program? The typical answer is lack of time, but this is rarely the real reason why people don't exercise. My 26 years in the fitness profession have convinced me that the main reason most adults don't exercise is lack of confidence.
Understandably, previously sedentary individuals generally feel uncomfortable initiating a home-based exercise program. Most inactive adults are well-aware that they do not possess the knowledge and skills to design a safe, productive and progressive training protocol on their own.
However, they are even more unlikely to pass through the doors of a fitness facility. For obvious reasons, people who consider themselves to be in poor physical condition may not want to surround themselves with people who seem to be in superb physical condition. Even when instructional staff are present for guidance and assistance, training next to other members who are lifting three times as much weight on the Nautilus machines or moving twice as fast on the treadmills can be disheartening.


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Valley of Tears
Standing on top of Mount Bental you can see across the border and into Syria - where the farm fields end. Today there is a conflict within their border, but during the Yom Kippur war a major battle was fought in this valley. 160 Israeli tanks managed to hold off 1500 Syrian tanks. The Israelis were decimated, but after losing 400 tanks, the Syrians thinking they were fighting a much larger force retreated.
Western Wall
No caption needed for this one.
Ancient Spotlight
Indiana Jones exploring the bell caves in Beit Guvrin National Park.
Fresh Duckling
Showing off the newest of 25,000 ducks at Duck Village, Israel's only Duck Farm.
An Israeli outpost watching over a dangerous Palestinian neighborhood.
Jaffa, a 7000 year old port city just minutes away from Tel Aviv's skyscrapers.
Dead Sea Sunrise
Sunrise over the Israeli/Jordan Border, seen from on top of Masada, an ancient Jewish mountain fortress. At -1400 ft, The Dead Sea is Earth's lowest elevation
Hump Day
Riding Camels on a Wednesday.
West Bank Sunset
An often hostile area, our drive through the West Bank included a stop at a Palestinian gas station, and this pretty sunset.
Banias Waterfall
An hour hike through the Banias Nature Reserve lead to this waterfall. Definitely not what I picture when I imagine Israel.
Bedouin Life
A Bedouin taking a break from tourists in the southern part of Israel.
1.5 Million
A Memorial honoring the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered by the Nazis.The pillars are broken to symbolize the lives that were cut short.
Schindler's Tree
By planting a tree, the Garden of the Righteous honors non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. This is Oskar and Emilie Schindler's tree.
Shabbat Shuk
Normally wall to wall customers and vendors, the Shuk is deserted on Shabbat.
The Shuk
The Shuk hours before Shabbat; the market is packed with last minute shoppers.
Hanging Out
Two young girls in one of Jerusalem's ultra-orthodox neighborhoods doing nothing because it is Shabbat.
Jerusalem Volleyball
Friday afternoon, while everyone is preparing for Shabbat, these young orthodox boys kill time by playing a makeshift game of volleyball.
Hiking down Masada's Snake Path. 2000 years ago, after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, this mountain fortress was the last stand of the Jewish resistance. During a long siege, the Romans moved tons of rocks and built a ramp up the mountain. They breached the wall only to find 960 men, women, and children dead; deciding death was better than capture, overnight all but two people killed each other. The square in the top right is one of many camps for the 15,000 troops of the Roman 10th Legion
An orthodox man praying at the Western Wall.
Rabin's Grave
Here lies the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, Ytizhak Rabin. He was assassinated while in office.
Golda Meir
Golda Meir, the 4th Prime Minister of Israel. Often called, "the best man in the government".
National Military Cemetery
Most of these graves or 18-21 year olds.
Here lies the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, Ytizhak Rabin. He was assassinated while in office.
Adler PhotoBirthrightCanonCanon 60DCemetaryHar HaZikaronIsaac AdlerIsraelIsrael's national cemeteryJerusalemJerusalem ForestJewish Federation of Metropolitan DetroitMiddle EastMount HerzlMount Herzl CemeteryNational Civil Cemetery of the State of IsraelPhotoPhotographyRabinTaglitTaglitBirthright IsraelYitzhak RabinYitzhak and Leah Rabin


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|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
previous taxon |
next taxon
Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Shrub, vine, tree, generally erect, often thorny
Leaves simple, generally alternate, often clustered on short-shoots, generally petioled, generally stipuled; blade often 13-ribbed from base
Inflorescence: cyme, panicle, or flowers solitary in axils
Flower generally bisexual, radial; hypanthium subtending, surrounding, or partly fused to ovary; sepals 4 or 5; petals 0, 4, or 5, clawed; stamens 4 or 5, alternate sepals, attached to hypanthium top, each generally fitting into a petal concavity; ovary superior or partly inferior, chambers 25, each 12-ovuled, style lobes or parts 13
Fruit: capsule, drupe
Genera in family: 55 genera, 900 species: especially tropical, subtropical; some cultivated (Ceanothus ; Colletia , anchor-plant; Gouania ; Phylica ; Rhamnus ; Ventilago ; Ziziphus )
Reference: [Brizicky 1965 J Arnold Arbor 45:439463]
Shrub, small tree
Stem: branches alternate, flexible; twigs sometimes thorn-tipped
Leaves sometimes clustered on short-shoots, deciduous or evergreen, petioled; stipules deciduous; blade 1-ribbed from base, entire or not
Inflorescence: umbel or flowers solitary, axillary
Flower bisexual or unisexual, generally < 3 mm; hypanthium at base fused to, developing around ovary in fruit, above base deciduous; sepals 4 or 5; petals 0, 4, or 5; stamens 4 or 5; ovary appearing partly inferior, chambers 24, each 12-ovuled, style lobes 24
Fruit: drupe, 24-stoned
Species in genus: 125 species: temp, few tropical
Etymology: (Greek: name for plants of this genus)
Reference: [Wolf 1938 Rancho Santa Ana Bot Gard Monogr 1]
Some of value in medicine or as dyes.
Shrub < 4 m
Stem: bark gray; branches ascending, stiff; twigs glabrous to densely hairy; terminal bud scales 3 mm
Leaves evergreen; petiole 210 mm; blade 2040 mm, ovate to round, thick, base and tip rounded, margin spiny, surfaces glabrous or hairy, lower concave, veins not prominent
Inflorescence 16-flowered; pedicels 24 mm
Flower unisexual; hypanthium 2 mm; sepals 4; petals 0; style exserted
Fruit 2-stoned, 8 mm, red
Chromosomes: 2n=24
Ecology: Chaparral, montane forests
Elevation: < 2000 m.
Bioregional distribution: California Floristic Province, Desert Mountains
Distribution outside California: Arizona, Baja California
Flowering time: MarJun
Synonyms: R. crocea subsp. i. (Kellogg) C. Wolf
Horticultural information: DRN, DRY: 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23 &SHD: 18, 19.


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All of us here at the newspaper would like to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Thank you for continuing to read and advertise with us online and in print - everything we do 365 days a year is for you.
Here's to another news-filled and prosperous year in 2016.
And, if you've got a shiny new phone, tablet or laptop for Christmas don't forget to bookmark this website to keep up with what's going on locally and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!


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Authorities in the Dallas area are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found Sunday in a tanning bed.
Investigators said they were called to a residence in the 5700 block of Terrace Trail (in the municipality of Sansom Park) at 12:17 a.m. A man told police he returned home to find his girlfriend, identified as 46-year-old Rhonda Waits, on the tanning bed and unresponsive.
Authorities told the station there were no signs of trauma.
The Tarrant County medical examiner has not ruled on a cause of death.
WFAA published an update to the story on Monday:
In a statement released Monday, authorities reported that the tanning bed was not on at the time Waits was found. However, the tanning bed does have a timer that turns the machine off when the time expires.
Television station KXAS reported, meanwhile, that the woman was discovered by a boyfriend who had been away from the house for the weekend.


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Chappellet is a producer of extraordinary Cabernets from its' Pritchard Hill vineyard. Since 1967, the Chappellet family has farmed and made wines from their estate in the eastern hills of the Napa Valley. The dry, rugged hillsides of the Chappellet estate produce wines of exceptional depth, concentration and finesse.
Plan a trip to Chappellet Vineyard on our interactive winery map:
Walk the vineyard and taste in the cellar amongst the barrels!View from Tasting Room: Spectacular!
Wine clubs are a great way to stay connected to your favorite wineries.
To join the wine club, visit www.chappellet.com or call 707-286-4219.
Pritchard Hill Club members receive premiere access to the Chappellet collection and many other special privileges.
The offer listed below is valid for all Napa Valley residents age 21 and over.
Chappellet Vineyard is pleased to offer Napa Neighbors two complimentary seated Cellar Tastings per visit (Monday-Thursday).
The Napa Green program is supported by a wide variety of groups including the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and the University of California. The Napa Valley Vintners, along with Fish Friendly Farming, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, the Napa County Farm Bureau and others developed the Napa Green program. Learn more about the program at napagreen.org.
Chappellet Vineyard is certified under the Napa Green Winery Program by the Napa County Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Association of Bay Area Government's (ABAG) Green Business Program and completed all the regulatory components needed for environmental sustainability. These components included developing water and energy conservation methods, preventing pollution, and reducing solid waste. In addition to developing sustainable winery practices, this program is set to become the standard for the state of California.
Chappellet Vineyard is certified under the Napa Green Certified Land Program. Chappellet Vineyard has created and implemented a customized farm plan with measured results that addressed all aspects of its property, vineyard land as well as non-farmed land, including practicing soil conservation, water conservation, stable drainage, riparian corridor enhancement, fisheries and wildlife habitat enhancement and long-term improvement and sustainability.
Certification - certification is granted by the Napa County Agricultural Commissioners Office of Pesticide Regulation, the Regional Water Quality Control board, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Once a year the rarest new Napa Valley wines become available under one roof at Premiere Napa Valley. Wineries throughout the Napa Valley are given one task to participate: create a one-of-a-kind wine for this event to be purchased by one lucky bidder. This event is only open to select members of the wine trade and the successful bidder is the sole owner of this unique wine.
Chappellet Vineyard
Cases: 5
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2017
Release Date: October - 2019
Appellation: Napa Valley
To purchase this wine or check on availability contact:
San Antonio TX
Adopt-a-School is a cooperative effort by businesses, industry and government to stimulate support of education and public school students.
Chappellet Vineyard has proudly adopted the following school:
St. Helena Elementary


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Ivan Reis was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He started his career at the age of 14, working with Brazil's famous cartoon artist, Mauricio de Sousa. Through this association, he contributed to the review Histórias Reais de Drácula, published by Bloch Editores, and drew several cartoons for Editora Fênix. At the same time, Reis worked for an advertising agency.
Then in 1995, he attracted the attention of Dark Horse Publishing in the United States and appeared in their anthology, Dark Horse Presents. Ivan became the penciller on a title called Ghost, and continued to work on that project until 1996. Other Dark Horse books that Reis illustrated were Time Cop, The Mask, Máscara and Xena. During this period, he also drew a number of Lady Death comics for Chaos!
In 1997, another American comic book company took notice of Ivan. That company was DC Comics. DC put him to work on The Invisibles under its Vertigo imprint.
From 1998 to 2004 he also worked for Marvel, pencilling The Thing: Freakshow, Thing & She-Hulk: The Long Night, The Order, Supernaturals, Avengers Icons: Vision, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Defenders, and Avengers.
But since 2004, Ivan has been an exclusive artist to DC and pencilled titles such as Action Comics, Green Lantern, Justice League of America, Rann-Thanagar War, The Authority, Wildcats, Teen Titans, 52, Superman, Countdown, Infinite Crisis, Green Lantern , the mini-series Blackest Night and Brightest Day, Aquaman. He's currently pencilling Justice League. He has also done covers for numerous other DC series.


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The Mennonite Central Committee will have its 16th Flatlander Bike Ride on Saturday in North Newton. There will be 8-, 16-, 35-, 45-, and 65-mile rides, all starting at the MCC Warehouse off K-15 near 30th Street in North Newton.
Registration will be 7 to 8 a.m. Saturday with a mass start at 8. Participants should bring a bicycle, helmet, extra tire tube, and water bottle. Helmets are mandatory. The terrain is mostly flat with some rolling hills.
Riders will get cookies at water stops along the ride, and a catered lunch will be provided afterward at the MCC center. Steering committee member Annette Voth said she hopes the ride raises at least $7,000 to help construction of sand dams in Tanzania.
For more information, including entry fees, contact Donna Becker at (316) 283-5437 or email@example.com.


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