Foody Forty in Florida - Nov/Dec 2018 - COMPLETE!
I've learned a lot from reading everyone's food reports, so I thought I'd try to contribute one of my own in the hopes of helping others in a similar fashion!
This trip is to celebrate my fortieth birthday (which was in the summer). We have no kids so it's just me and DH.
We're staying in the Point resort by International Drive/Universal Blvd for three nights, then we have 12 nights at the Wilderness Lodge with DDP (I'm most excited about this as although we've visited Florida many times, this is our first onsite trip) and we finish with three nights at RPR.
We really enjoy going out to eat, and we're not that fussy - we will eat most things and as far as we're concerned there's a time and a place for both chains and fine dining!
We were up at stupid o'clock for our flight to Gatwick. Everything went smoothly and we were actually at the airport before the BA lounge opened!
One we were allowed in, I had some yogurt and tea; they do have warm ham and cheese croissants now but I was trying not to peak too early!
This is because, as we were flying Club, I knew we'd get the cooked breakfast on the plane. The cabin crew were great and offered champagne when they realised we were going on holiday, so being good went out the window!
We arrived in Gatwick on time and headed for the lounge there for our third breakfast. I also had some kettle chips later but stuck to tea and water as I wanted to be hydrated for the flight.
Our flight was delayed for about 40 minutes but once on board I had a pre-dinner G&T with almonds.
Then it was time for lunch. I had Sauvignon Blanc with this, which is the kind of wine I really enjoy. I skipped a starter as neither appealed, while DH went for the stuffed pepper but didn't think much of it.
The mains were good though - I would have liked more of the massaman sauce with my chicken as it was delicious and fragrant, and my husband enjoyed most of the steak although the edge was a little dry.
We shared cheese and the citrus delice for dessert - the former was more successful as the delice was unfortunately mostly soggy and flavourless. I had a baileys afterwards, I do have a picture but am not sharing it as it's a bit dull LOL.
During the flight I visited the club kitchen for some fizzy juice and chocolate, again the photo is too boring to show (plus I took it after everything was finished, oops!).
Before landing into Tampa we had afternoon tea; I'm not a great flier so normally don't eat this, but I actually felt good this time and enjoyed the sandwiches, the chocolate cake and the scone (not pictured but with jam then cream, of course!).
We were off the plane, through immigration and had our bags within 30 minutes, which was great - but then disaster struck and we waited an hour and twenty minutes for our hire car . By the time we had the car and had driven the hour to the International Drive area, all we wanted was bed - so thanks to BA for supplying all our food for the day!
A great start to travel day with champagne. I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip.
My husband was entertained as I'd just finished saying that I'd probably avoid alcohol until we got on the long haul flight, but you can't turn down free champagne right?!
We were up ridiculously early but that's ok because it's Black Friday and the shops are already open!
We've flown to Florida on Thanksgiving once before so had a rough plan of what we wanted to do. We do have a complimentary breakfast in our hotel rate but that didn't start until 7, so we skipped breakfast in favour of being in the Florida mall by that time!
We shared a two entree combo - bourbon chicken and orange chicken, with rice - and a large Diet Coke. This was just under $13 and was quickly demolished.
We went back to the hotel to drop off stuff and take a nap before heading out again. We knew by this time that both premium outlets would be packed, so instead we headed for the factory outlet at Lake Buena Vista (mostly for Old Navy and GAP). It was also busy but we luckily got a space quickly and shopped, then headed on to both Walmart and Target to get some Barbie stuff requested for my niece. We also picked up some in room snacks as well as bottled water.
Holiday margaritas are the best, especially when it's happy hour and only $5!
The bread turned up - I normally love bread but I'm not a huge fan of this kind, so I only had a small piece. We didn't finish this because knowing what was to come, we didn't want to fill up on bread.
We also ordered a blooming petals to share first.
Sometimes it can be greasy but this one wasn't at all and we loved the spicy coating. It is best eaten hot though - we didn't finish it as it wasn't as nice as it cooled (still ate most of it LOL).
The steak was cooked medium-rare as I'd requested and I ate all of it and the asparagus, plus most of the baked potato and a couple of bonus fries.
He enjoyed all of this and especially the shrimp - he let me try one and they were indeed coconutty!
We were too full for dessert so asked for the check. The above came to just over $58 (from memory) and we left $70 to include a tip. We love Outback and had another great meal but it can be relatively expensive when compared to other chains.
We had a short walk to stretch our legs then back to the hotel where both the Pringles and M&Ms were later opened!
We were up early again and wanted to hit the outlets, but as they didn't open until 8am we had time to eat. When planning I didn't realise we had a breakfast inclusive rate so was thinking about going to Denny's; however DH objected to spending money when we had free food (watch this space for later though!) so off to the breakfast room we went!
It was a small area but there was a good selection. I had strawberry yogurt with granola, grapes and melon, then eggs, sausage and a hash brown, but they also had cereal, grits, pancakes and bagels. It was all fresh too, but not particularly hot. They also had a selection of fruit juices and tea/coffee. I enjoyed what I ate. DH refused to let me take pics of his breakfast, spoilsport!
We got to the outlets shortly before they opened, the security guard was checking where everyone was going before directing you to park but we got a space easily. We spent a happy 2.5 hours shopping, then headed back to the hotel for a nap and more Pringles.
After a brief rest, we decided to head to the Mall at Millenia. When we passed the food court we saw Haagen Dazs were selling peppermint bark ice cream. I developed an addiction to peppermint bark when we last visited Florida during thanksgiving (I make my own at home every year now) so I was set on having the limited edition dazzler sundae. DH was happy to share it too!
It was delicious! And just under $8.
After yet more shopping and the purchase of two bundt tins for my home baking, we headed to Super Target across the road. When we didn't buy anything, we knew we were finally shopped out and decided to head for dinner!
We went to Chili's on Apopka-Vineland (after stopping at the one on International Drive, which was busy and didn't look all that clean, which made me uncomfortable). We were seated immediately and promptly ordered what we always order at Chili's.
DH's designated driver Coke sneaked into my pic! We then shared chips and guacamole (a server at Chili's once explained to me that since it also comes with salsa, ordering this is the way to get guacamole for free, rather than just ordering the chips and salsa than adding guacamole later - I've never forgotten LOL).
For entree I ordered bacon ranch chicken quesadilla, and I surprised myself by eating all of this, as it was a huge portion as usual.
Husband ordered his usual chicken crispers, although he went plain crispy this time while he normally goes for honey-chipotle. He really enjoyed these too, I tried one and it was nice and crispy.
Anyway as our meal was on the 2 for $25 menu, all of the above came to just over $33 and we left $40 to include a tip. To me, that's a really delicious bargain!
the steel family - WL here we come!
Again I'd had other plans for breakfast but the lure of free food was too much for my husband (until later in the day anyway) so we were at breakfast in the hotel just before 8. Some slight variations in menu from the day before - they were offering French toast rather than pancakes, oatmeal rather than grits, bacon rather than sausages and pineapple rather than melon. You hand in your breakfast voucher and get all of your crockery and cutlery in return, then you help yourself. I had yogurt, granola and fruit again, then bacon (love US bacon, so crispy), eggs and a hash brown.
After that we returned to the room and repacked the bags to fit in all our Black Friday purchases, before checking out and heading for the Wilderness Lodge!
I'd done online check in and our room was ready as we arrived at 11.30, which I was surprised about given how busy I assume it would have been over thanksgiving. I had done a room request with Touring Plans and while we didn't get the exact room, I could tell from the room number that it was in the right location - a fifth floor view of the Contemporary and, more importantly a castle and a (space) mountain greeted us!
We headed down to Roaring Fork to pick up our refillable mugs. They only had regular mugs out but after seeing someone else do it, I asked at the counter if they had holiday ones and was given the green one. This isn't the burgundy holiday gingerbread house mug I've seen lots of others with, and I think the colours of the picture look a little off, but it has Pluto so I'm happy!
We then took the boat over to MK for a few hours. We had FP for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain first - so in between we popped into Peco Bill's to use the dining plan for the first time.
We then used our third FP on Peter Pan's Flight, used the regular line for Buzz Lightyear and then decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Getting the boat back was a bit of an ordeal, because MK was closing for MVMCP and everyone was leaving around the same time, but we made it!
We showered and changed for dinner at Narcoossee's and left about 90 minutes before our reservation to make sure we had enough time (after the earlier boat fiasco). This trip was much smoother - we got the boat to MK then decided to take the resort monorail, mostly so we could quote the Simpsons at each other (that's more a Shelbyville idea). We looked around GF for a while, saw the gingerbread house, got our picture by the Christmas tree, and witnessed a proposal (she said yes thankfully). Then it was time for food.
I had been explaining the intricacies of the dining plan to DH for some time but he doesn't appear to have been listening that well. Our server told us we could we could swap dessert for the salad or soup, but as she walked away DH declared he wanted both soup and dessert, so I agreed we could pay for apps out of pocket (even though I knew it would be too much food - he had to learn!). I also agreed to a side of Brussels OOP because we both love those...at least I talked him out of the bottle of wine! What happened to the man who only wanted free food?
Drinks first - I had a Grand martini, which is Grey Goose Vodka, Chambord, and a Splash of Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial. I enjoyed this, which was not unexpected given I like all the components! DH had a glass of Pinot Gris.
Bread service - sourdough and salted butter are right up my street so it was a struggle not to eat all of this!
We could see the castle from our table, which was cool.
with House-Made Parisian Gnocchi, Shiitake Mushrooms, Virginia Ham, English Peas, Preserved Meyer Lemon Emulsion Cream. The scallops were perfectly cooked, the gnocchi light and I loved both the mushrooms and truffle shavings, but the cream sauce was too rich for me to be able to finish the portion - I knew going in that would probably be the case as I generally prefer lighter sauces but my love of the other ingredients swayed me to pick it. It was still delicious, just too much!
Toy Box Tomatoes, Marble Potatoes and Basil Aioli. Fish is his favourite thing and unfortunately he felt the halibut was overcooked, making the texture unpleasant. He still ate most of it and also thought the side of roasted Brussel sprouts was a good choice.
Onto desserts. DH loves sorbet so was eyeing up the mango sorbet - I warned him that the no sugar added desserts aren't always up to much but he ignored me (again) and ordered it anyway. He soon regretted it - the sorbet was three tiny islands in the middle of the sea of fruit, and it was very very frozen.
I, meanwhile, am a creme brûlée fiend so I knew I had to have the Coconut and Chocolate Creme Brulee - Layered Coconut and Chocolate with Whipped Chantilly Cream and Toasted Coconut.
It was divine and I wish I could eat it again right now.
Since DH had disregarded all of my instructions about ordering extras, I'd also decided to throw caution to the wind and have a dessert cocktail. I ordered the Key Lime Martini - Absolut Elyx Vodka, Midori Melon Liqueur, Vanilla Cream & Graham Cracker Rim.
I thought the chocolate stick was weird and when I took my first sip I knew why - it was because it was an espresso martini.
I do like those too and in my younger years would probably have meekly accepted the wrong drink, but now that I'm older I find it much easier to assert myself (in all the times I've done it, no one has died!) so we called over the waitress and politely (I'm still British after all) explained. Soon enough the wrong drink was replaced with the right one.
It was the right pale neon green colour but didn't really taste much like a key lime pie.
Just before 10pm we paid the check - the bill before credits were applied was $212 but in the end the meal cost us 4TS credits and $48 for the extras. We tipped $40 in cash. I know you're only supposed to get one alcoholic drink on the plan but I can see we didn't get charged for my second cocktail; whether that was due to the mix up or not, I don't know.
We topped off the night by watching the MVMCP fireworks from the restaurant's veranda.


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HIMSS18: Key Exhibitor Booths for Open Solutions, Collaboration, and Interoperability
OSEHRA To Hold Innovation Webinar on Open Source Clinical Quality Tools
See the following -
Fighting Ebola with Open Source Collaboration
By Jeff Neiman | August 31, 2016
The enormity and severity of the West African Ebola epidemic that began in 2014 is hard to fathom. Over 10,000 people died with hundreds of thousands deeply affected by loss. In treating any medical condition, information is needed to provide adequate care, but when it's an epidemic so severe, so dangerous and so fast-moving, it's required more than ever. Ebola creates enormous barriers for patient care. It's communicability means those who directly treat patients within the "Red Zone" must take extreme precautions. The lack of knowledge about who is infected and what constitutes effective treatment — not to mention the swift and severe toll it takes on the human body — makes caring for those affected extremely difficult...
Increase in International Cyber Attacks Calls for National Testbed
HSD Foundation | The Hague Security Delta | October 24, 2016
On Friday 21st of October The United States was subjected to massive and widespread cyberattacks which disrupted website domains and internet traffic through DDoS attacks. DDoS attacks flood websites with traffic and impairs normal services. "The massive outage drew the attention of the FBI which said Friday that it was "investigating all potential causes" of the attack." Popular websites like Twitter, Amazon, Spotify and Netflix went down for some users on Friday...
Promoting Earthquake Readiness
Harvey V. Fineberg | Washington Monthly | July 1, 2016
In Oregon, Washington State and California, an early warning system helps citizens and officials better prepare for and respond to earthquakes. In the early morning hours on August 24, 2014, scientists at UC Berkeley received a "ShakeAlert" – an alarm providing warning of a pending earthquake. Five seconds later, the city of Napa felt a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. That five-second warning was an early success for a broader goal: the creation of an earthquake early warning system that can communicate the size, extent and timing of imminent earthquakes on the West Coast...
Spying on Mental Health Records is a Dangerous Idea
Graham Panther | Medium | July 22, 2016
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull just made a surprising announcement: the Government is considering accessing the mental health records of Australians suspected of terrorist activity. This is supposed to be a way of preventing so-called "lone wolf" attacks — such as in Nice, or Orlando— because apparently these horrific acts are primarily the result of mental health issues. So why do I feel like our society just got that much more unsafe with this announcement?...
The Challenge of Saving Lives with 'Big Data'
Staff Writer | BBC News | February 7, 2016
Every day, more data about our lives is being generated than ever before. When it comes to saving lives, the bigger the data the better - but what to do with it all? Ninety per cent of the data in the world has been created in the past two years alone, experts estimate - and the reason for that is technological innovation. The internet, mobile phones, cameras, sensors, bank cards and social media are just some of the items responsible for the massive volume of "big data" that is currently amassed every single second...
Why China Is Beating the U.S. at Innovation
Paul Davidson | USA Today | April 17, 2017
For decades, America lost factories and jobs to China but retained a coveted title: the world's leader in inventing and commercializing new products. Now, even that status has been eroded, and it's hurting the economy. While the United States is still at the top in total investment in research and development — spending $500 billion in 2015 — a new Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study released Monday has made a startling finding: A couple of years ago, China quietly surpassed the U.S. in spending on the later stage of R&D that turns discoveries into commercial products. And at its current rate of spending, China will invest up to twice as much as the U.S., or $658 billion, by 2018 on this critical late-stage research...
Why Giving Birth Is Safer In Britain Than In The US
Kate Womersley | Digg | September 1, 2017
At 11:58 pm this past June 25, Helen Taylor gave birth to her first baby, a boy, at West Suffolk Hospital in the east of England. At 11:59 pm, with 15 seconds to spare before midnight, his sister was born. The obstetrician and her team were pleased; the cesarean section was going smoothly, fulfilling Helen's wish that her twins share a birthday...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


During the winter, geothermal heating and cooling systems absorb heat stored in the ground through the water that circulates in its underground loop. This heat is carried to the ground source heat pumps where it's concentrated and then sent as warm, comfortable air throughout your home. When you need heating the most, the air outside is coldest. As a result, a traditional air source heat pump works hard to extract the amount of heat from the cold air needed to properly heat your home.
In contrast, a geothermal system consumes less energy as it easily absorbs heat from the abundant supply stored below ground, making geothermal heating significantly more energy efficient. Gas furnaces burn natural gas to provide heat for your home and are only 98% efficient, while geothermal systems use significantly less energy collecting heat from the earth, achieving 400-600% efficiency.
During the summer, geothermal heating and cooling systems absorb heat from your home and transfers it to the underground loop where it is then absorbed by the cooler earth. The geothermal heat pump uses the cool water returning from the earth to create cool, dehumidified air for your home. When you need cooling the most, the outside air is hottest. A traditional air source heat pump must work hard to force the heat from your home into the already heat saturated air. In contrast, a geothermal heat pump consumes less energy as it easily rejects heat into the cool earth, making geothermal cooling significantly more energy efficient.
Climate Master geothermal heating and cooling systems qualify for a recently implemented federal tax credit allowing homeowners to deduct 30% of the total geothermal system installed cost from their tax liability or tax due. The Residential Energy Efficient Property Tax Credits (Section 1122) program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. These nonrefundable federal energy tax credits help homeowners pay for qualified residential alternative energy equipment, such as geothermal heat pumps.
ClimateMaster geothermal can save you up to 80% on your monthly heating, cooling and hot water bills!


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Is Mesa's Fiesta District the next hotspot?
Parker Leavitt
For those who have written off Mesa's Fiesta District after years of decline, the idea that the once-thriving commercial center could again become a major regional destination may seem absurd.
They've watched as buildings rot behind chain-link fences and big-box stores succumb to the merciless advance of Internet commerce. Shuttered restaurants seem more plentiful than busy ones, and a mostly empty Fiesta Mall parking lot doesn't exactly project a vibrant image.
At its low point, some began to associate the Fiesta District, which spans Southern Avenue near Dobson and Alma School roads, with blight and crime, Mesa Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh said. Although the area never had a huge spike in crime, many who lived and worked outside the district developed that perception, he said.
So is it realistic or foolish to buy into a vision of the Fiesta District as a cultural hotspot, one where residents, workers and shoppers can mingle in an urban environment?
Look a little closer, and you'll see a steady comeback is underway, boosted by $400 million in public and private investment in the last few years. Sure, skeptics will still find plenty of reason for doubt, but it's clear the business community is starting to believe.
Previously a retail hub with big-box stores surrounding the mall, Fiesta is re-emerging with a stronger presence in the office and education sectors.
Some of the redevelopment activity is obvious, like the $12 million city project to narrow Southern Avenue to two lanes in each direction, making room for trees, sidewalks and, hopefully, more pedestrians and bikers. Or the Project Centrica banners announcing the conversion of a former Circuit City and Bed, Bath and Beyond into Class A office space.
Much of the work, however, would go unnoticed during a casual drive past the Mesa Financial Plaza, the 16-story office tower on the southeastern corner of Southern and Alma School that provides the area's most-visible landmark.
A dirt field at Extension Road east of the tower appears fruitless now but will soon give rise to nearly 400 apartments, with the first phase expected to open in 2015. Southern Avenue Villas will be west Mesa's first major housing project in about 20 years, according to Kavanaugh, whose district includes the Fiesta area.
Just south of the tower, a vacant Chevy's restaurant has sat empty for two years, but not for much longer.
A developer plans to demolish the old restaurant, where the famous "El Machino" contraption mass-produced warm tortillas while diners watched, to make way for a three-tenant retail building. The project is expected to have a mix of food and retail businesses to serve students at the nearby Upper Iowa University campus, which set up in a former Borders bookstore.
The dilapidated Fiesta Village shopping center on the northwestern corner of Southern and Alma School, considered one of the city's biggest eyesores, still looks bad but is perhaps closer to a solution than ever before.
Mesa's abandoned Fiesta District
During his brief stint as mayor this year, Alex Finter and other city officials sat down with the property owners to discuss the site's future. While relations have historically been cool, Finter's visit initiated something of a breakthrough, and the city now expects demolition of the unsightly buildings to happen soon.
Owner W.M. Grace Co., long content to sit on the land rather than pursue redevelopment, has expressed interest in using the prominent corner for a mixed-use complex, Kavanaugh said.
Reached by phone, Grace Co. Vice President Michael Pearlstein declined to comment on plans for the high-profile corner.
The Mesa Financial Plaza itself, covered in reflective glass windows and topped by a Bank of America logo, is the site of another recent Fiesta District success story with the relocation of a Chandler-based education company.
Synergis Education, which helps higher-learning institutions develop degree programs, moved 41 corporate employees into the tower's ninth floor, Chief Technology Officer Lowell Vande Kamp told The Arizona Republic.
The company has about 160 employees across the United States and has contracted with schools like the University of Southern California and the University of Oklahoma.
Synergis selected the Fiesta area for its relocation because of its central location, affordability and investment from the city, Vande Kamp said.
"It may not be perfect right now, but it's getting better," he said. "It's definitely an area on the rise."
Across Southern Avenue from Synergis' new digs, the Poca Fiesta shopping center has reinvented itself and landed several major anchor tenants. A mini-mecca of sorts for discount shopping, the strip mall now has Big Lots, Epic Thrift and Dollar Tree.
Oma's Place, a family-owned German bakery and cafe, opened at Poca Fiesta in June. The restaurant serves dishes like schnitzel, rouladen and potato pancakes.
Substantial investment from the public, through voter-approved bond projects, continues to play a huge role in the area's redevelopment.
Mesa opened a $15 million police station at Grove Avenue and Westwood last year, and the building doubles as a community center. The ongoing Southern Avenue road construction should wrap up its first phase by November, and the city expects to add five "pocket parks" along the street by March.
As drivers pass through the Alma School and Southern intersection, they'll be welcomed to the Fiesta area by colorful monuments that light up at night. Utility poles will be wrapped with 30-foot decals.
Mesa Community College, on the west end of the district, has poured millions into its own campus in recent years, adding student facilities that are also community attractions.
A $15 million, 462-seat performing arts center is set to open at MCC next month, with the musical "Hairspray" as its first show. The college redeveloped an old Harkins movie theater to support the arts center with classrooms and a seam shop. It turned a former Fuddruckers restaurant into a storage building.
MCC is also preparing to open a $1.7 million art gallery and in 2008 included a planetarium — open to the public once a month — in its new physical-science building.
To build on the momentum, property owners and private developers in the Fiesta District will need to recognize the strategic opportunities that come with adaptive reuse, or redevelopment, of existing structures, Economic Development Director Bill Jabjiniak said.
"We see the future of the Fiesta District as a well-defined, vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, urban destination that will be home to health-care companies, educational institutions, corporate and high-tech offices and, of course, retail and entertainment," Jabjiniak said.
Kavanaugh sees a vast improvement in the way the district is being perceived by the investment and development community. The area boasts access to major freeways, undervalued property and an excellent workforce, he said.
"The Fiesta District brand is a positive one now, with even a demand to expand its boundaries," Kavanaugh said. "The combination of new public and private investment has been a catalyst for that change in perception."


A locale is basically a language. Each locale you add allows your customers to view the site in another language. Please see here for more information on localization.
From this page, you can create new locales with the 'Add New' button, or 'Edit' or 'Delete' an existing locale.
To create a new locale, click the 'Add New' button and fill in the necessary fields.
NOTE: If your locale is going to use a different currency than USD, make sure that the currency is published before creating the new locale. See here for details on doing that.
Name This is the locale's name for use within the admin site. This must be a valid .NET locale name, in the format of aa-AA.
Description This is a label for the locale, which customers will see when choosing which language to view the site in (French, Spanish, etc).
Default Currency If you have multiple currencies published on your site, you can associate one of them with this locale so that when customers change to this language, they see prices in the associated currency.
Display Order This controls the order languages will be listed in the pulldown menu customers use to change languages.


MM #242: Does smartphone use breed homogeneity?
The United States has gone smartphone crazy as you will see by the stats Chuck presents in this episode. As adoption skyrockets, so too do the sites and apps we all interact with. Pay close attention to the commonality among the websites we visit and the apps we use from our smartphones – is this homogeneity good?


(George H.W.) Bush did not let domestic opposition, or the views of Mikhail Gorbachev, who sought a negotiated solution, stand in the way of what he came to see as a moral cause of surpassing importance. On December 31, 1990, he wrote a letter to his five children: "How many lives might have been saved if appeasement had given way to force earlier in the late 30s or earliest 40s?" it read. "How many Jews might have been spared the gas chambers, or how many Polish patriots might be alive today? I look at today's crisis as 'good' vs. 'evil'-yes, it is that clear."


world heritage site. enough said.
As the newly minted UNESCO World Heritage Site (2015), Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG) should be added to your busy Singapore itinerary, regardless. Set in lush greenery and a short hop from the shopping mania of Orchard Road, it's beauty and serenity, and the place it played in world history certainly warrants that trip to Cluny Road where its at. It's here that the experimental planting of rubber tree and the commercial farming of it took life and literally set the wheels in motion with the rise of the automobile and need for rubber tires. You'll be strolling through handsomely manicured lawns, carefully textured and landscaped, and verdant valleys with some surprisingly exotic bird calls to accompany you.
The 74 hectares Singapore Botanic Gardens started life as a personal musing of Sir Stamford Raffles the founder of Singapore in 1822 on Fort Canning (where he briefly stayed while in Singapore) as the 'Botanical and Experimental Gardens'. It was never a run away success then, and it was only in 1859 that it moved to the current site at Cluny Road as a privately run garden, with the British colonial government taking over its operation officially in 1874. Many Kew Gardens trained botanists and Directors ran the show and the Botanic Gardens took off.
Today it is expertly managed by the NParks, a part of the Singapore government. The Gardens is also home to 750,000 herbarium specimens, botanical research facilities, Orchid breeding and Botanical libraries.
The Gardens is laid out on a north-south grid, bounded by - Holland Road (south) and Bukit Timah Road (north), and Tyersall Ave/Cluny Park Road (west) and Cluny/Evans Road (east).
Its divided into the Tanglin Core, Central Core and Bukit Timah Core south to north.
Enter through the Main Gate or Tanglin Gate from the south to get to the Tanglin Core (see directions to get there below).
Visiting the Botany Centre, Swan Lake, Bandstand, Holttum Hall (SBG Heritage Museum), Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim (Previously known as Vanda Miss Joaquim) - National flower of Singapore.
Enter through the Nassim Gate to get to the Central Core (Main Visitor Centre and NParks HQ).
Hop-On Hop-Off buses, Taxi Stands, Nassim Gate Visitor Centre, E J H Corner House (French restaurant), Evolution Garden, Healing Garden, Rain Forest (almost pristine patch of rain forest closest to town), Palm Valley and Symphony Lake.
National Orchid Garden (A 'Must-See' segment. Over 1000 species and 2000 hybrids on display, entrance fee is applicable), Ginger Garden, Fragrant Garden.
Enter through Bukit Timah Gate from the north (Bukit Timah MRT stations on the Circle Line).
Eco-Garden and Eco-Lake (For bird-watching), Jacob Ballas Children's Garden (Kids will love it), Foliage Garden (NEW- ornamental plants).
Wear comfortable shoes, pack water/snacks, insect repellent and a good sun block or umbrella.
Go early in the morning and in the evening to beat the heat.
No smoking allowed any where inside the Gardens.
Food Canopy food court at the Raffles Building.
If the time permits schedule your visit to coincide with a delightful concert* organised by the gardens at the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage. Pack a picnic and a nice wine (yes its allowed) and sit by the palm Valley lawn to enjoy the concert.
Plan for a jog through the gardens, you'll love it!
The Singapore Botanic Gardens (the Gardens) has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Germany, Bonn.
The Gardens is the first and only tropical botanic garden on the UNESCO's World Heritage List. It is the first in Asia and the third botanic gardens inscribed in the world following Orto botanico di Padova and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Opened Daily : 5am to 12 midnight.
*The Children's Garden is open to children up to 12 years old. All children have to be accompanied by an adult.
Duck and Hippo, Funvee City Tour/Pass, SIA Hop-On Bus.


Collies are known as proud, graceful, and devoted dogs, and although they're not as popular as they were when the world's most famous Collie, Lassie, graced television screens, they still remain the 37th most popular dog breed according to the American Kennel Club.
Characteristics: This playful young Collie looks ready to leap into its companion's arms. Collies are very energetic dogs, as this figure captures.
Size and Color: Featuring the classic white fur framing the face and a light brown coat, this Collie puppy is amazingly realistic and detailed. At 3 ¼ inches long, it's about the length of a salt shaker.
The Collie Puppy is part of the Best in Show collection.
Several famous dog breeds have their origins in Scotland, and the Collie is one of these. They were bred as herding dogs to help farmers corral sheep and other livestock, and thanks to their speed, intelligence, and devotion, they were great at the job. Illustrations of Collies were found in English woodcuttings dating to 1800, so it's likely the breed extends to an even earlier time. In any case, Collies were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885.
If a Collie puppy nips at your heels, it??s exhibiting herding behavior. They housetrain very quickly and will grow to be gentle, friendly, and especially protective of young children.


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Anne of Avonlea (no Brasil: Anne de Avonlea) é o segundo livro da série Anne of Green Gables, escrita pela autora canadense Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Introdução
Seguindo Anne of Green Gables, o livro cobre o segundo capítulo da vida de Anne Shirley. Este livro acompanha Anne dos 16 aos 18 anos, durante os dois anos em que leciona na escola de Avonlea. Inclui muitos dos personagens de Anne of Green Gables, bem como novos como o Sr. Harrison, Srta. Lavendar Lewis, Paul Irving e os gêmeos Dora e Davy. Anne não é mais simplesmente "de Green Gables", como era no livro anterior, mas agora assume seu lugar entre as pessoas "importantes" da pequena vila de Avonlea. Além de ser a única professora da pequena comunidade, ela também é a membro-fundadora da A.V.I.S. (Avonlea Village Improvement Society), que tenta melhorar (com resultados questionáveis) a paisagem urbana de Avonlea.

Sobre o livro
Montgomery foi criada com a tradicional educação presbiteriana escocesa e em uma cultura que valorizava muito a educação. A famosa frase de John Knox, "A school in every village, a college in every town.", foi adotada pela igreja presbiteriana. A educação de Montgomery foi extremamente disciplinadora e exigente. Montgomery seguiu as teorias de reformadores educacionais como John Dewey, e a tensão entre a educação tradicional e as novas teorias refletiu-se em Anne of Avonlea, à medida que Anne passava muito tempo discutindo sobre os méritos agressivos de chicotear estudantes e apoiava a persuasão como métodos de ensino. No livro, Anne faz com que seus alunos escrevam resumos sobre seus pensamentos e sentimentos no lugar do aprendizado tradicional.

Sinopse
Anne está prestes a começar seu primeiro semestre lecionando na escola de Avonlea, embora ela ainda continue seus estudos em casa com Gilbert, que está ensinando no vilarejo vizinho de White Sands. O livro logo apresenta o novo e problemático vizinho de Anne, o Sr. Harrison, e seu papagaio desbocado, bem como os gêmeos Davy e Dora. Eles são filhos do primo de 3º grau de Marilla e ela os acolhe quando a mãe morre enquanto o tio está fora do país. Dora é uma garota legal e bem comportada, um tanto entediante em seu comportamento perfeito. Davy é exatamente o oposto de Dora, muito mais extrovertido e está constantemente se metendo em muitas encrencas. Inicialmente, eles deveriam ficar por pouco tempo, mas o tio dos gêmeos adia seu retorno para buscar os gêmeos e depois morre. Anne e Marilla então, ficam aliviadas (Marilla interiormente, é claro) por saberem que os gêmeos permanecerão com elas.

Outros personagens apresentados são alguns dos novos alunos de Anne, como Paul Irving, um garoto ianque que vive com sua avó em Avonlea enquanto seu pai viúvo trabalha nos Estados Unidos. Ele encanta Anne com sua imaginação e modos caprichosos, que lembram os de Anne em sua infância. Mais tarde no livro, Anne e suas amigas conhecem a Srta. Lavendar Lewis, uma doce, mas solitária senhora de 40 anos que foi noiva do pai de Paul 25 anos antes, mas se separou dele após um desentendimento. No final do livro, o Sr. Irving retorna e ele e a Srta. Lavendar se casam.

Anne descobre as delícias e as dificuldades de ser professora, participa da criação de Davy e Dora e organiza o A.V.I.S. (Avonlea Village Improvement Society) junto com Gilbert, Diana e Fred Wright, embora seus esforços para melhorar a cidade nem sempre tenham sucesso, como na vez em que a sociedade fez um abaixo-assinado para repintar a antiga prefeitura de Avonlea, para que no fim o pintor entregasse a cor errada de tinta, transformando a prefeitura em uma monstruosidade azul brilhante.

No final do livro, o marido da Sra. Rachel Lynde morre e a Sra. Lynde vai morar com Marilla em Green Gables, permitindo que Anne finalmente fosse para a faculdade. Ela e Gilbert fazem planos para estudar no Redmond College no outono.

Este livro mostra Anne amadurecendo ligeiramente, embora ela ainda não possa evitar uma série de dificuldades familiares, incluindo vender a vaca do Sr. Harrison depois de confundi-la com a sua, acidentalmente esfregar tinta vermelha em seu nariz e ficar presa no telhado do celeiro enquanto espiava pela janela da despensa.

Personagens

 Anne Shirley - Uma vez que órfã, corajosa, com cabeça cor de cenoura e sardenta, Anne cresceu e agora serve como professora na escola de Avonlea. Ela ainda não perdeu seu espírito imaginativo e criativo e é a ruiva que mais se destaca de todas as outras e se adapta ao seu novo ambiente em "Anne of Avonlea".
 Marilla Cuthbert - A mulher que cinco anos atrás havia adotado uma certa garotinha sardenta para viver com ela e seu irmão Matthew, hoje encara a dor e a falta do mesmo.
 Gilbert Blythe - O inimigo de infância de Anne e agora bom amigo, também é professor na vizinha White Sands School. Ele está apaixonado por Anne, mas ainda não admite isso para ela.
 Diana Barry - A melhor amiga de infância de Anne, Diana, agora está mais junto dela do que nunca.
 Rachel Lynde - A melhor amiga e vizinha de Marilla, ainda que discuta com Anne, desenvolve uma relação muito melhor com ela.
 Davy & Dora Keith - Um dos gêmeos que Marilla acolhe, Davy, é travesso, adora comer doces e raramente faz o que mandam. Ele tem cachos claros e felpudos por toda a cabeça, olhos castanhos com covinhas malandras, nariz arrebitado e está sempre sorrindo. Dora, irmã de Davy, é completamente o contrário. Ela faz tudo o que é mandado sem nenhum erro e é muito dócil. Ela tem cachos louros, longos e elegantes, olhos castanhos suaves, nariz reto e boca de "ameixas e prismas".
 Paul Irving - Um dos alunos de Anne, um menino criativo e amigável. Ele foi criado nos Estados Unidos e veio para Avonlea para morar com sua avó paterna.
 Sr. Harrison - O novo vizinho de Anne e Marilla, um homem que inicialmente parece mal-humorado, mas se torna um bom amigo de Anne com sua atitude prática e fundamentada. Ele tem um papagaio muito rude chamado Ginger que morre mais tarde por causa de uma tempestade de granizo, uma morte "nada trágica e incomum".
 Sra. Lavendar Lewis - Uma velha solteirona, criativa, atraente e com cabelo branco como a neve que Anne e Diana encontram durante uma caminha. Ela mora em Echo Lodge e também se torna boa amiga de Anne.

Livros relacionados

Adaptações cinematográficas ou teatrais
 A minissérie Anne of Avonlea de 1975, foi estrelada por Kim Braden como Anne. Além de ser baseada neste romance, foi também na sua sequência, Anne of the Island.
 O livro também serviu de base para o musical Anne & Gilbert, e para a minissérie da CBC Television, Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, que foi ao ar como Anne of Avonlea no Disney Channel dos Estados Unidos.

Avonlea
Livros de 1909
!Mais Teoria da História na Wiki (Mulheres)
!Mais Teoria da História na Wiki (Wikiconcurso de edição)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Eric Simonson, who hales from Ashford, Washington, boasts a climbing career that spans nearly 30 years, including 20 years in the Himalayas. He climbed Everest in 1991, on his third attempt. Three times since then, he has stood within 100 meters of the summit. As expedition leader, Simonson is responsible for expedition logistics and organization for the climbing team.
NOVA: What is the purpose of this expedition?
SIMONSON: Our mission is twofold. On the one hand, we want to evaluate whether it was technically feasible for the 1924 expedition to have summited. Obviously we are aware of the significant climbing challenge afforded by the Second Step and we want to try to pin a more quantitative evaluation upon that climbing to see just how hard it really was. Virtually every climber that has climbed the Second Step since 1975 has done so utilizing the Chinese ladder. If we can climb the Second Step without the ladder I think we'll have a better idea of whether Mallory could have done it. Secondly we want to do a search in the area of the high camp looking for relics and artifacts from the 1924 expedition, and that would include obviously the camera.
NOVA: Do you think that Mallory and Irvine could have climbed the Second Step?
SIMONSON: When I climbed the Second Step in 1991 I used the Chinese ladder and I thought the terrain was quite difficult and challenging. It is difficult for me to think that they did it in 1924. Again, we know that Mallory was an excellent climber, and we know that the weather was quite good that day, so I'd be the first one to look forward to being corrected. But presently I'm dubious as to whether they would've been able to do it.
We know from accounts of past expeditions that there is evidence of early Everest climbers in the vicinity of the high camp. The fact is that no one has really taken the time to look closely in those areas so our goal is to do just that: spend several days at extreme altitude examining as best we can the area around 27,000 feet to the west of the high camp. We think there may be a body in that area, and we know from the Chinese accounts that that body was dressed in old English attire, and we know that the climbers in 1924 were carrying cameras with them, so we will be looking for the cameras.
NOVA: What happened to Mallory and Irvine?
SIMONSON: I think it is very plausible that at some time they split up, and that Mallory pushed on. It was his third try on the mountain. I know when I went to the summit on my third try I was utterly determined and I felt the same way. I think it's utterly plausible that he perished high on the mountain. Whether he climbed the Second Step, again, I have doubts. My guess is that Irvine might have given Mallory his own oxygen and perhaps he tried to go down on his own without oxygen, and fell or got lost on the way down and the body that we think we may find at 27,000 feet may be that of Irvine.
I see the interest in Mallory and Irvine from two different sides. On the one hand the public is interested in the obvious: Who was the first to climb Mount Everest? For me I find that less compelling a reason for my interest. From the standpoint of a mountaineer I think it is a lot more interesting to consider what they were doing 75 years ago with utterly primitive equipment—leather boots, canvas tents, iron oxygen cylinders—and to see the evolution of mountaineering in that context. It has been suggested that had they been successful and returned from the summit in 1924 that mountaineering might have evolved entirely differently than it has over the last 75 years. We've seen mountaineering evolve through a series of large expeditions. Only in the last decade or two has there been a swing to a more smaller or self-sufficient style. Also, I don't think we can take anything away from the British in 1953, to Hillary and Tenzing and their remarkable expedition and their achievement of the summit of Everest.


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Loaded words and modeling
December 16, 2011 / jdc / Leave a comment
Here is a nice review by Burton Malkiel of "Models Behaving Badly" by Emanuel Derman. The models of the title are from the world of finance: how are assets priced?
I am a layperson to the world of finance, so I find it difficult how to apportion "blame" for financial crises on faulty models or fraudulent inputs to them. Certainly history is littered with financial crises, so the influence of modern modeling alone cannot explain everything.
In any case, I just want to take this opportunity for a small lament that the beautiful act of modeling must be dragged through the mud by a financial crisis in this way. It would be fair to say that I am almost fanatical about the virtues of the concept and practice of modeling. I believe that modeling is inescapable. The world is complicated. Our senses deliver so much information, our mental apparatus must work so hard, that to process the world around us is to model. It is too much to ask that we understand everything; we have to understand a version of everything that is not so complex as the world.
This is also why economics works with models. We don't have a scale replica of the world that we can play with to see how this affects that. We have to build a scale replica from scratch, using our best judgment to push insistently at the boundary between complexity (so that we can understand our model) and usefulness (so that we can make something from it).
In a way we are much luckier in economics than in finance. Progress in economic theory comes as our models are improved upon and refined, but we are more able to iterate forward because our models are not embedded in a Leviathan global finance industry that depends on their continued function. Creative destruction of old models is hard when the house comes down with them.
With all this in mind I want to highlight this passage from the review:
He sums up his key points about how to keep models from going bad by quoting excerpts from his "Financial Modeler's Manifesto" (written with Paul Wilmott), a paper he published a couple of years ago. Among its admonitions: "I will always look over my shoulder and never forget that the model is not the world"; "I will not be overly impressed with mathematics"; "I will never sacrifice reality for elegance"; "I will not give the people who use my models false comfort about their accuracy"; "I understand that my work may have enormous effects on society and the economy, many beyond my apprehension."
How many of these will I accept for economics? Certainly the first; the model is not reality. Certainly the second; math is helpful in model-building but is not the point of model-building. The fourth and fifth are hard to argue with.
The third I don't like. Everything that we do must sacrifice reality. The test of a model is not its realism (a realistic model airplane would be no fun at all). All models are unrealistic because all models are wrong. Of course elegance is not the test of a model either, except that an elegant model is one that illuminates a relationship in a clear way by cutting to the heart of what matters.
Anyway, the point is that I think that "model" is not a dirty word. I feel possessive about "modeling" much the same way as I feel possessive about "rationality" – what they mean to me is important and wonderful and I hate to see them sullied by misrepresentation that stems from their overlap with the real-world ideas of modeling and rationality. I wish that all of the things like these could have their own words that are not borrowed from natural language.
Simplify, simplify
February 28, 2008 / jdc / Leave a comment
I might just go ahead and quote myself:
"One of the principles of writing economic theory is to create a simplified abstraction of reality."
This is from an article by Russell Jacoby in the Chronicle of Higher Education:
"The world is complicated, but how did "complication" turn from an undeniable reality to a desirable goal? Shouldn't scholarship seek to clarify, illuminate, or — egad! — simplify, not complicate? How did the act of complicating become a virtue?"
This is quite clearly not an article about economics (phew). It goes to show how very, very different we've become from the other social sciences and arts. Yesterday I was talking about the development lab at MIT; would they say, "Ah, there's a million and one things that affect the quality of education. I'm going for a drink."? Of course not. Economics seeks to expose in the simplest possible terms the relationships around us. Indeed, the world is complicated; that's why the MIT lab has to perform randomized trials to isolate the effects of programs. It's why theorists create little models of the world.
Contrast this with this characterization from Jacoby:
"The refashioning of "complicate" derives from many sources…. [acaemics] will prize efforts not only to complicate but also to "problematize," "contextualize," "relativize," "particularize," and "complexify.""
In economics we want to know: what you're saying, why you're right, and what could make you wrong. That's about it. One of the most valuable consequences of treating economics as a science is that we parachuted out of this borderline nonsense:
"They will denounce anything that appears "binary." They will see "multiplicities" everywhere. They will add "s" to everything: trope, regime, truth. They will sprinkle their conversations with words like "pluralistic," "heterogenous," "elastic," and "hybridities." A call for "coherence" will arrest the discussion. Isn't that "reductionist"?"
This explains a big part of the schism between positive economics and other social sciences; we are OK with leaving some things out if it helps. When it comes to the policy debate and the normative questions, we have to throw all the other stuff back in, but "it depends" is a conclusion acceptable in positive economic research only if you can tell me exactly how and why it depends.
Jacoby has the neat sign-off:
"The cult of complication has led — to alter a phrase of Hegel's — to a fog in which all cows are gray."
In economics, our judgment cows are gray, but our scientific cows are black and white.
Too complicated?
February 1, 2008 / jdc / Leave a comment
One of the principles of writing economic theory is to create a simplified abstraction of reality. If the theory convincingly isolates an idea, it cannot be too simple; hopefully, the narrower the question, the simpler the theory can be written.
Economists therefore appeal to the "all else equal" assumption a lot. The oft-perceived superiority complex of economists is traceable to our willingness to use the "all else equal" clause to make our questions answerable, theoretically and empirically. If we want to write relevant economic models that investigate the link between A and B, we hold C equal; whether or not C would really be equal or relevant in reality, we can't isolate the effect we're interested in if we don't figure out a way stop it from contaminating the abstraction.
It's the same principle that underlies the ideal of "controlled experiments" in all science; empirically, if we want to figure out how A and B are related, I need to be careful to avoid finding an effect because a third factor C is involved. For example, there's an important difference between "people who exercise more have a longer lifespan" and "people who exercise more also eat well, and people who eat well have a longer lifespan". That's well understood in statistics and empirics generally; there's no reason why the same principle is not also needed when we use the theoretical standard of proof rather than the empirical standard of proof.
Why, then, is "economic theory" so amazingly bewildering? With very little exaggeration, we can claim that no great development in the science of economics has used very complicated techniques, even when math was involved, yet even to the technically competent a lot of economics research is very difficult to understand. Of course, if an economist could all find ground-breaking theory that can be represented in two lines, I'm sure she'd write it. Is the reason for the complexity an attempt to make average ideas look better?
Let's be charitable and assume that's not the case. I think that once we exclude the "obfuscation motive", there are two possible reasons why economic theory is technically complex. One might be that the relationships being investigated are broader, that less is held equal, that we're looking to more nuanced explanations. Another possible reason is, paradoxically, that theory gets more complex as the questions get narrower – the more we assume, the higher the complexity.
Why? Imagine I want to figure out the relationship between a person's income and the number of hours that person does voluntary work. This is a question that asks about how people allocate a scarce resource, time. I might make an abstraction that says "if all people like both money and helping others, then people with higher incomes will spend more time helping others, while people with lower incomes will spend more time trying to earn extra money." I might make an abstraction that says "people with more income work more so have less time to volunteer". What assumptions lead to the first conclusion, and what to the second?
If I wanted to broaden my question, I might start including in my theory labor market conditions, the availability of volunteering opportunities, the peer pressure to volunteer, the social pressure to earn more money to buy a big car, and so on and so forth. That would certainly make my theory more complicated; whether or not it makes it a better theory than the one that kept all that stuff equal and abstracted from it is a matter of preference, but I'm sure it would be more difficult to understand.
The second way to make the theory more "complicated", at least superficially, might be to keep all the same stuff equal, but to say "imagine the person cares this much about money and this much about volunteering; then someone with this income will volunteer this much". The abstraction is getting more abstract; we are getting more and more specific about the conditions of our model, and we must use more specific techniques to, in particular, quantify the result.
What do we gain from this quantification, and what do we lose? Perhaps we can look at actual evidence on the link between income and volunteering, and compare it to the quantified prediction, but that only works if all else is equal in our evidence, too. A better justification is that we can get a theoretical idea of how big our effect is. However, as we get more specific we get more abstract; in this example, we're getting more abstract about preferences, which are themselves unobservable. We've gone from "a person cares about money and volunteering" to attaching magnitudes to those cares.
The link between simplicity and usefulness is not just in the realism of the abstraction; it's also in the procedure itself. Economic theory should be neither too broad or too narrow, but "just right", whatever that means. Assume too little and we can't figure out what's really causing what; assume too much and you rest an entire argument on a special case. What's the simplest model that explores the relationship I care about, and what's the simplest model that shows what I want to show about that relationship?
Oh, and a practical suggestion: I'd love it if we all stopped writing ceteris paribus and used "all else equal". What's with the Latin?


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text:
Western Washington forecast
This Tacoma company has been defying Mother Nature for more than 100 years
The JL Darling Company makes waterproof paper among other Rite In The Rain products. #k5evening
Author: Saint Bryan, KING 5 Evening (KING 5)
Published: 5:19 PM PST February 8, 2021
Updated: 12:44 PM PST December 1, 2021
TACOMA, Wash — Rite in the Rain makes paper so tough it holds up in the rain, in the washing machine, under a pick-up truck, even deep underwater. And it's all made in Tacoma.
"It's a real product made in a real city made in the USA," says Todd Silver, who once ran the company with his brother Scott.
The year is 1916 and the Northwest timber industry is churning out more than a 100 million board-feet a year. But keeping track of all that wood is tricky in a rain forest.
Enter World War I vet Jerry Darling and his waterproof paper.
"They literally dipped paper into the secret sauce and hung it on an indoor clothesline," says Silver, "and when it was dried they would sell it to all the lumber and logging companies."
Todd Silver's dad joins the JL Darling Company in the 1950s. Then his sons take over. Both are retired, but Todd Silver enjoys visiting now and again.
"It's totally mind-boggling to see the scale now," says Silver. "We used to make spiral books in batches of 500 books and now we make them in batches of 10 or 50,000. And we ship all over the planet now!"
Artists and arborists use Rite in the Rain products. So do explorers, athletes, construction workers and fishermen.
"People outdoors who use Rite In The Rain swear by it because it enables them to work and save the data," says Silver. "You write it down. It is there for good."
The products are so widespread they can be seen in movies and on TV.
"We are always watching for the flash of the yellow cover," says Silver, "and I'm taking pictures on the TV."
The company also makes pens that work upside down and underwater. On this visit, Silver checks out a new machine that is churning out notebooks at an even faster rate. He's obviously having a good time.
Credit: KING TV
Todd Silver checks out a new machine at the JL Darling Company, makers of Rite In The Rain products.
"Every time I come, there's new innovations, new equipment, new art," he says. "It's very cool."
And so is a machine in the back. It's the result of nine years of research to change that secret waterproofing sauce so there's no petroleum involved.
"It's all now very green water-based coating," says Silver. "This machine is literally a Lamborghini, and it creates tons of paper a day. So it's tremendous and very green.
Rite in the Rain: successfully defying Mother Nature for more than a hundred years.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.
The larger-than-life birds of Tacoma artist Curtis Ashby


Forced by duty to return to his racially divided East Texas hometown, an African-American Texas Ranger risks his job and reputation to investigate a highly charged double-murder case involving a black Chicago lawyer and a local white woman.
A woman from a family of take-no-prisoners police detectives relocates from Brooklyn to Dallas, where she tackles adversaries ranging from drug cartels and cult leaders to difficult vagrants and society wives before a first major investigation is challenged by unruly subordinates, a stalker, a criminal organization and an unsupportive girlfriend.
Hiding on the French Riviera when his cover is blown, Bernie Gunther finds himself in a cat-and-mouse game with an old and dangerous enemy before fleeing to Berlin, where he places his survival in the hands of dubious former allies.
In the days of the British Raj in 1919, Captain Sam Wyndham, a former Scotland Yard detective newly arrived in Calcutta, is confronted with the murder of a British official who was found with a note in his mouth warning the British to leave India.
A once-professional killer protects his daughter from the legacy of his criminal past, an effort that is challenged by his daughter's struggles with the death of her mother and the reckoning of old enemies.
All summaries are from the publishers.
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No Country for Old Men (2007) based on the book of the same title by Cormac McCarthy.
Million Dollar Baby (2004) based on Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner by F. X. Toole.
How many awards do you think will be given to films based on books this Sunday??


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INKA Organic Loose mineral eye shadow in Coco Motion | This is a new to me brand but I love the color and the ingredients are mineral based.
Honeybee Gardens Eyeliner In Belgian Chocolate | Another makeup line I respect and love (their setting powders are wonderful!) this eyeliner is smooth and creamy in a universally flattering shade.
Juara Rice Milk Cleanser | Another new brand for me, this was so welcomed because I love cleansers, seriously I really don't like sleeping with makeup on so cleansing is like a ritual for me. I'm still trying to find a cleanser that is suitable for my skin (I'm other super dry or oily) so this is a treat. Made with rice bran, candlenut oil, and botanicals – I am excited to see how my skin reacts to this cleanser.
There was an extra goody in January's box. Pure Vegan Vitamin B12 spray! Whether you eat plant based or not, it's really important to get vitamin B12 and this is a quality supplement you can carry anywhere or on days you don't have nutritional yeast. Here's a good article on getting your vitamin B12.
I was genuinely impressed with Kinder Beauty Box . You receive plenty of full sized products which is always the payoff for me. The company wants to invite people to experience true cruelty free beauty. I appreciate showing that vegan products can rise above and beyond expectations. Honest thoughts? I have subscribed to previous vegan beauty boxes in the past but Kinder Beauty Box is getting my seal of approval due to the: variety and quality of the products and price point.
The January Kinder Beauty Box was kindly provided to I, all thoughts and opinions are our own.


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Real Estate Cases (FIN 580) Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated to a maximum of 18 hours in a semester; may be repeated to a maximum of 32 hours in subsequent semesters.


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Lifewater Home / Blog / Celebrating the Life of Jim Gehrels of Lifewater Canada
Celebrating the Life of Jim Gehrels of Lifewater Canada
August 18, 2020 | Faith in Action News
The Lifewater International team is grieved to announce the passing of Jim Gehrels, Founder and President of Lifewater Canada.
Although Lifewater Canada is it's own water charity apart from Lifewater International, Jim and Lifewater International Founder Bill Ashe were great friends and inspirations to one another. Both men were driven to serve others with safe water and life-saving health improvements. In July of this year, Jim went to be with the Lord.
Beginning in the mid-1990's, Jim dedicated his life to bringing clean water to countries in need—principally Liberia, Nigeria, Kenya and Haiti.
Jim operated Lifewater Canada with the core belief that every person on earth deserves access to safe drinking water. The organization helps communities adopt healthy habits to prevent disease and constructs safe water sources built to last.
"Jim was really important to a whole lot of us at Lifewater," Pat Klever, Lifewater International Board Member said. "He was Canadian, had the most hilarious sense of humor and always inspired the rest of us with his innovations in Liberia."
Lifewater Canada served in Liberia before and after the civil war that ravaged the country, working within communities who had recently experienced devastating loss.
Jim Gehrels stands proudly next to a safe water well
"Jim was extremely intelligent… He could make everything work," Cheryl Hertan, Board Chair at Lifewater Canada said, remember Jim. "But, he was a big teddy bear, and he loved to laugh more than anybody I know."
Jim's skill as a hydrogeologist and heart for those in need brought hope to entire communities over the course of his lifetime.
He will be remembered as a man with great faith in God, a person loved by many all over the world, and someone who dedicated his life to ending the global water crisis one community at a time. He is survived by his wife, Lynda, and their three children, Jesse, Ben, and Hannah.
We pray for Jim's family and extended family at Lifewater Canada. May God's comfort, mercy, grace, and unfailing love surround them during this time.
Lifewater Results in Kokosa, Ethiopia: Safe Water and Brighter Futures Lifewater Summer Newsletter 2022 Lifewater International Releases 2021 Annual Report


Not posted much about moving countries yet. As I'm on a roll I might as well just give a little update for all those who know me and wonder what I'm up to.
We're not out of the boxes yet but working hard to get there. Hayley's work and my CCIE are both ensuring that many hours are spent cleaning, drilling, moving and sorting. Trying to fit the same ammount of stuff in a different house is proving to be quite the challenge. It's much like one of those kiddy puzzles where you have to move the squares around to find the picture. I often ended up picking the squares out and then putting them back in order. Sadly I can't apply the same process here.
Due to family and work related deadlines we'll have to get the study in order before the end of the month. Now if only I can get my phone system to behave and get myself access to nscglobals CCIE lab then I should be all set to go come March.


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Why aren't we building more zero-bills homes?
By Will Ing2018-09-18T06:00:00+01:00
Architect Bill Dunster is renowned as a pioneer of sustainability. He founded ZEDfactory, a practice dedicated to zero-carbon development, in 1999. Its eco-friendly housing development BedZED in Sutton won a RIBA sustainability award in 2003 and was nominated for the Stirling prize. In 2010 he received an OBE for services to sustainable housing design.
Building's Will Ing caught up with Dunster to chat about the ideas in his new book, Zed Life: How to Build a Low-Carbon Society Today.
What's the book about?
It suggests that there is a workable plan to deliver a higher quality of life for most people, and that cumulative improvements in performance, energy efficiency and economies of scale in renewable energy production have now created a turning point where we can all make a big difference to the future of the construction industry. The book identifies the tools that could deliver this step change. It doesn't require legislation or government intervention – just a will for each of us to become part of the solution rather than contribute to the problems embodied in much of current industry practice.
About five years ago we stopped talking about climate change and started talking about building houses with zero-energy bills. The zero-bills home is probably the most important concept we've got to give.
Can carbon neutral housing be built for the same price as non-carbon neutral housing?
Yes, but it requires some joined-up thinking. On a zero-energy-bills home you can generate double the amount of electricity required to run an all-electric home. That means you only connect to the grid for about 20% of the year – mostly during winter. Then you don't have to build a power station because you put in battery storage in the garage, or under the stairs, and that means peak demand is mostly met from the building's solar-energy generator. And, more often than not, you'll have enough electricity left over to get you to work and back in your electric vehicle or export it to the grid to get some money. So if you put all that together, it is way cheaper than exporting all the on-site energy problems and then building power stations.
Our new all electric zero-bills homes use on average 4kWh per day for a four-bedroom house, which for most of the year is about half the average daily electric output generated by the integrated photovoltaic roofing system that we have spent the last 10 years developing. The payback on this roof is reduced to around seven years even without grants because the solar system is waterproof and fully tested at the BRE, so we no longer must buy a roof to sit underneath the panels.
Why aren't the big housebuilders engaging more with these technologies?
The government has scrapped increased environmental performance legislation, so the housebuilders are sitting back on their laurels. It's a shame, however, as this approach won't solve society's problems.
Do you think we'll see progress in building sustainable buildings?
It wasn't a big deal building energy-positive homes. And does the public want them? Yes, they do – and the houses also have increased sales value. Designing zero-bills homes has been hard work to date, but due to a mixture of better technology, volume production and increased understanding, it's got to the point where it's a no-brainer. It doesn't require all this soul searching; it just requires enlightened finances and the construction industry to get behind it – instead of lobbying against it.
The housebuilders haven't made any effort to make zero-energy bills homes work. If they want to work with us, we'll show how it can work: that it sells well, and their shareholders can make a nice profit. But they can't be bothered. It would be nice to work with a big housebuilder – we look forward to the telephone ringing!
If you're building thousands of homes a year it's not going to hurt you to build five or six like this, is it? What we see is that volume housebuilders build homes to try and prove these ideas don't work, rather than to prove that they do work.
Do you think we should have much stricter environmental regulations, or has change got to come from customer demand?
I think it's coming from customer demand already. I've got one of my sites next to a volume housebuilder's, and we'll outsell them. Nobody in their right mind is going to buy themselves into energy bills of £1,500-£2,000 a year and a plastic window. When there's a straight shootout, mass housebuilders don't stand a chance.
Having said that, we had very high standards in the UK by summer 2016. They were going to be mandatory, and we'd spent the whole summer preparing for it, but under pressure from housebuilders it was pulled. That was about the most stupid thing they've ever done, because they've made five years' short-term gain, but thereafter they'll lose heavily. Countries and companies that set the highest standards get the international market: they develop the technology, bring cost down and get the export orders.
Zed Life How to Build a Low-Carbon Society Today is published by RIBA Publishing and is available now
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Home » blog » My Holo Love (2020): Netflix's Latest Romantic, Sci-Fi K-Drama
My Holo Love (2020): Netflix's Latest Romantic, Sci-Fi K-Drama
by Jessica Jørgensen
Is it real love if you love a hologram?
Series Review: My Holo Love (2020)
My Holo Love is a new Netflix K-drama series, released on the 7th of February. The Holo of the title is the name of a hologram prototype. And yes, the premise of My Holo Love is a budding romantic relationship between a lonely, socially awkward woman and her A.I. companion. A companion who is for her eyes only.
Stir into the mix, a reclusive, brilliant, profoundly flawed hologram maker, nefarious tech competitors out to steal the hologram technology and more significant issues of a surveillance society. Oh, and don't forget childhood traumas or the fact that our lonely woman suffers from face blindness. And what you get is one exciting, thought-provoking, very entertaining paranormal romance.
The Lonely Damsel and Her Gallant Hologram
Psychological trauma from childhood has left Han So-yeon (Ko Sung-hee) with the inability to see and recognize faces. The ordeal has left Han So-yeon intensely aware of her handicap, a handicap she keeps hidden from all around her, keeping to herself. All her coworkers consider her an aloof snob. She is socially awkward and incredibly lonely.
And then she finds a pair of glasses in her bag, and she has no idea how they got there. She didn't notice the frantic woman, on the run from goons, who slipped the glasses into her bag. Putting them on, she meets Holo (Yoon Hyun-min). At first, she thinks she's going mad, seeing ghosts. But Holo's persistent in explaining just who and what he is. And So-yeon quickly realizes just how helpful it is to have an unseen hologram by your side.
RELATED: MEMORIES OF THE ALHAMBRA: HOW TO GET YOUR SON AND YOURSELF HOOKED ON A K-DRAMA
Yes, with glasses on and Holo's commentary in her ear, So-yeon can "recognize" faces. Well, Holo tells her who's who. And with this information, the withdrawn So-yeon is no longer quite so withdrawn. She starts socializing with work colleagues, flirting with her boss, gaining more confidence. And becoming more and more heavily reliant on her faithful and trustworthy Holo to help her navigate all these social engagements.
He becomes her friend and confidant, a comforting presence in her otherwise heretofore lonely life. But with Holo by her side, she is never alone.
But Holo is a prototype, belonging to a tech company, and Holo's maker is looking to get his hologram back. And those tech rivals are still out there, wanting Holo for themselves.
Holo and His Maker
Go Nan-do (Yoon Hyun-min) created Holo in his image. Childhood trauma has left that tech wizard deeply wary of social relations. He lives his life as a ghost, making no ties other than those of the digital type. Nan-do's adoptive sister, who is the outward face of their company, understands that Holo is the man that the scarred and scared Nan-do wishes he could be.
Holo and Nan-do are two sides of the same coin. One is temperamental, arrogant, abrasive, bitter, sardonic, and very real. The other is infinitely patient and understanding, supportive, giving, and giving and giving. The perfect boyfriend material.
In seeking to retrieve Holo from So-yeon, Nan-do meets her. She doesn't recognize him. Indeed, she cannot. But he remembers her. His dearest memories from childhood are those of spending time with the neighbor girl, his only friend. Her name was Han So-yeon. And when she is suddenly before him, all those memories and feelings come rushing back.
RELATED: PARANORMAL ROMANCE WATCHLIST: 12 KOREAN DRAMAS TO BINGE – FROM GRIM REAPERS, GHOSTS, TO VAMPIRES AND EVEN MERMAIDS
Seeing how much she depends upon Holo, he cannot bring himself to take him away. So, he watches and protects from a distance, even moving into the apartment next door and fighting off goons (all unbeknownst to So-jeon). And he sees So-jeon developing a deeper and deeper relationship with Holo, his creation, a side of himself that he cannot and will not show.
Yes, Nan-do falls in love with So-jeon, even as she is falling in love with Holo, who is developing some surprising and alarming abilities of his own. Yup, Holo, that A.I. without feelings is developing feelings, learning what it is to love.
Yeah, it's a bit of a complicated love triangle going on here. And just how it all gets sorted is something you'll have to see for yourself.
Entertaining Fun
My Holo Love is a very engaging and fun series. There's good chemistry between the leads. There are some deliciously evil baddies. The story works. Sure, there is a point where Nan-do is pretending to be Holo, and So-jeon doesn't pick up on this. That is craving some leaps of logic to keep that going for too long.
But that said, there is this message in My Holo Love about the seemingly untouchable perfection of digital life. And learning that maybe there is something to be said for the imperfect, the gruff and grumpy and bad hair days of real, hands-on, touchable life. Then there are thoughts on surveillance society and how much of our privacy we share in our search for the latest gimmick. And to what ends that private information is possibly being collated and used to nefarious ends.
RELATED: 31 HAUNTING LOVE STORIES FOR HALLOWEEN
Yes, there are lots of apt and imminent threads in My Holo Love. Just as a good science fiction should. And My Holo Love is a solid sci-fi with a good mystery, gripping action, and binge-worthy romance.
Stream it.
Content Note: Rated TV-14
Where to Watch: Netflix.
Photo Credit: Netflix.
"Hello, Gorgeous."
Romance Archives: A Collection Sorted by Genre
Categories Adventure Romance, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy Romance, Foreign Romance, International, Korean Dramas, Movies & TV, Netflix, Paranormal Romance, Reviews, Romance, Romantic Drama, Romantic Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Sci-fi & Dystopian Romance, Streaming, TV Reviews, Urban Fantasy
By Jessica Jørgensen on March 11th, 2020
About Jessica Jørgensen
A lover of words, stories and storytellers since her youth and just plain curious by nature, Jessica embarked on a very long academic journey that took her across a continent (from Canada's west coast to its east) and even to the other side of the globe, where she currently lives an expat existence in Denmark. She now trails many fancy initials behind her name, if she ever cares to use them, and continues to be ever so curious. She's a folklorist, a mother, a wife, a middle child, a small town girl, a beekeeper, an occasional quilter, a jam-maker. She curates museum exhibits, gets involved in many cultural projects for this and that, collects oral histories when she can find the time and continues to love stories in all their many and varied forms. The local librarians all know her by name.


This entry was posted in FREE READ, The Ludlow Hall Series and tagged blogging, cc mackenzie, FREE READ, HITCHED to the ITALIAN, Humour, Kids, KINDNESS, Kobo, KOBO WRITING LIFE, love and marriage, USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, writing process by CC MacKenzie. Bookmark the permalink.
I hope that the Island of Guam is on your map!
I know how you feel as I lost both my parents within 6 months of each other a few years ago.