text:
Chapter One: The Plantation Next Door

The most disturbing evidence of Connecticut's long and profitable complicity in slavery lies hidden in plain sight in the town of Salem, in the fields and woods around an ice cream bar near Routes 11 and 82.

There, archaeologists from Central Connecticut State University are painstakingly uncovering the remnants of a plantation worked by as many as 60 slaves in the years before the American Revolution.

What they have found after three summers of exploration will never become a Sturbridge Village of Colonial slavery. Their discoveries are too humble for that. They've identified foundations of sawmills that slaves may have operated, huge root cellars they may have dug, rude stone shelters they may have lived in after being cast off, and stone cairns marking where they probably were buried. To the untrained eye, the burial cairns appear merely to be odd arrangements of rock and the slave hovels, animal sties built into a hillside. Still the plantation remnants that had been slowly sinking back into the earth, ugly companions to Connecticut's treasured stone walls, tell a story of global dimensions.

"One of the things we do as archaeologists is look beyond the little bit of a hole we are digging and relate to everything around us," Jerry Sawyer, the Salem site director told a field school class before the start of last summer's work. "We initially looked at very tiny things, a burial ground, a few stone piles, which later became something enormous. [Now] we've begun to paint a much broader picture. We've come up with what looks like a 13,000-acre plantation and associated archaeology [extending] across surrounding towns and this state and the whole goddamn world ..."

Sawyer's excitement begins with the fact that slavery in Connecticut, if recognized at all, was generally thought to be limited to household servants or farmhands and, unlike slavery in the South, a benevolent family affair. Yet the Salem plantation, previously no more than a footnote in history books, is stunning in scale.

In 1718, a wealthy Salem, Mass., merchant, Col. Samuel Browne, began amassing so much land in what was then Lyme that the area soon was reorganized as New Salem Parish. He rented out large tracts, but retained about 4,000 acres for himself that passed to his son and then his grandson. It was an investment that at some point became a bona-fide plantation. The Brownes, who never lived there, hired overseers to run it and, according to one old authoritative account, may have imported 60 slave families to clear the land.

Even if the number was only 60 individual slaves, it was huge for the time. For perspective on the Salem plantation, Sawyer refers to new research done by anthropologist Robert Fitts in southern Rhode Island, an area better known for having had slave plantations. Combing Colonial records, Fitts found that most Rhode Island plantations had fewer than a dozen slaves, numbers similar to those in Virginia's famed Tidewater region, and that only three had as many as 19 slaves.

Fitts also documented only one Rhode Island plantation of more than 4,000 acres. Thus in sheer size alone, never mind its slave population, the Browne plantation in Salem ranks as the second largest in southern New England. Counting the tenant farms that Sawyer believes also may have depended on slave labor, Browne's holdings, covering about half of present-day Salem, dwarfed even the average Southern plantation.

Nor were the Brownes without company in Connecticut. There was a plantation, or very large farm of 3,000 acres, in Pomfret with two dozen slaves. Its owner, Godfrey Malbone, the son of a Newport, R.I., merchant who trafficked in slaves, was once thought to be the largest slave owner in Connecticut history. The evidence comes from the deed by which the elder Malbone transferred ownership of the Pomfret estate to Godfrey and his brother in 1764.

The inventory of living creatures listed 80 cows, 45 oxen, 30 steers, 59 young cattle, six horses, 600 sheep, 180 goats, 150 hogs and 27 Negroes, in that order. The document did at least take care to identify most of the slaves by the names their owners gave them. "Prince, Harry, Pero, Dick, Tom, Adam and Christopher, all Negro men, and Dinah, Venus, Rose, Miriam, Jenny and [a second] Rose, all Negro women..." Their children were "Primus, Christopher, Sias [sic], Sharper and Little Pero."

Unlike Malbone, very little is known about Elijah Mason, a Lebanon farmer and slave master. According to the first federal census done in 1790, Mason owned 28 slaves. That number is extraordinary because slavery waned rapidly after Connecticut passed a gradual emancipation act in 1784, freeing children born to slaves after that date once they reached adulthood. Mason may have been a descendant of Capt. John Mason, who in 1637 was dispatched from Windsor to lead the attack on the Pequot Indian fort in Mystic that ended in a massacre and later the enslavement of some of the survivors. Soon afterward, Mason moved to Norwich, (where descendants of the nearly exterminated Pequot would 350 years later build the Foxwoods casino). The Browne plantation proper covered the southeast quadrant of Salem, but his other holdings stretched miles north to what used to be called Mason's Pond, now Gardner Lake.

Any Colonial comparison is only as good as the records that survive and the research that has been done. Until now, Connecticut's plantations have been either unknown or ignored. Sawyer, a doctoral candidate at the City University of New York, was enlisted to work on the Salem site by a former teacher, Central Connecticut State University professor Warren Perry, who in turn learned of them from an amateur Colchester historian, Abraham Abdul-Haqq.

Perry's ongoing work on the well-known African Burial Ground Project in New York City has helped expose the fiction that the North was unacquainted with slavery. Barring new discoveries, the Browne plantation, along with Malbone's and apparently Elijah Mason's, give Connecticut the dubious distinction of having hosted three of the largest slave enterprises in 18th century New England.

Slave markets

The nature of that enterprise is what allows Sawyer to extend his excitement about the Salem plantation to, as he said, "the whole goddamn world." In all likelihood, they engaged in the same kind of early agribusiness as the plantations in nearby Rhode Island. They grew grain, made cheese, raised livestock and cut wood with one main market in mind: the Caribbean island colonies where sugar cane was a crop of such value that it was cultivated to the exclusion of food and slaves were the main source of labor.

Why should this now sound so revelatory and so shameful? The Triangle Trade of molasses, rum and slaves between New England, the West Indies and Africa has long been a staple of U.S. history curriculums. Yet somehow in popular perception, slavery has been cut out of the trade triangle and transferred forward to the Civil War, where it became a moral problem confined to the South. Just as Connecticut was thought not to have "had slavery" because it did not have many slaves or Southern-style plantations, it was thought not to profit from slavery as much as the South did.

The truth, however, which ought to have been plain, is that Connecticut derived a great part, maybe the greatest part, of its early surplus wealth from slavery. Connecticut's slave population peaked at about 5,000 in 1774, but shipping records indicate its farms were feeding West Indies slaves by the tens of thousands. For a time after the Revolution, Connecticut's trade with the West Indies was double Boston's. As late as 1807, Middletown, thanks to the West Indies trade, was by one measure the busiest port between Cape Cod and New York.

So far Sawyer, his partner Perry, who is the principal investigator for the project, and their student assistants have been more occupied mapping the dimensions of the Salem plantation than digging for the documents that will fill out the story of what went on there. Sawyer is confident they'll find much in Colonial archives, particularly in Salem, Mass., the base of the Brownes' mercantile empire.

Generous donors to Harvard College, the Brownes reputedly were the richest family in a town that rivaled Boston in wealth. It may be no coincidence then that Salem, Mass., also is where New England's slave trade may have started. In 1638, the Salem ship Desire sailed to the West Indies loaded with captured Pequot Indians. It sold them as slaves and returned with a "cargo of salt, cotton, tobacco and Negros."

A few years later Massachusetts Gov. John Winthrop was advised by his brother-in-law that a "just war" against Indians could provide the colony with more captives to exchange for badly needed "Moores." He warned Winthrop, "I do not see how we can thrive until we get a stock of slaves sufficient to do all our business."

Slavery was about money from the start, yet even academics like the ponytailed Sawyer and the dreadlocked Perry, who are inclined to substitute the term captive for slave, because slave connotes docility and ignorance, have prestigious company in arguing that the slave economy has been severely underrated. Of hemispheric proportions, its original capital and original sin was the nearly 12 million souls bought in Africa to be transported to the New World in what was probably the greatest and most lethal forced migration in history.

A collection of essays published two years ago by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in advance of establishing a museum of New England economic history contains an astonishing judgment by Harvard Professor Bernard Bailyn.

Considered the dean of Colonial historians, Bailyn wrote that by 1770 New Englanders generally had achieved the highest standard of living the world had ever seen. Fortunes made in the West Indian trade would seed the industrial and financial fortunes to follow. "How was it that this unpromising, barely fertile region, incapable of producing a staple crop for European markets, became an economic success by the eve of the Revolution?" Bailyn asked.

His own unequivocal answer to New England's prosperity: "The most important underlying fact in this whole story, the key dynamic force, unlikely as it may seem, was slavery. New England was not a slave society. On the eve of the Revolution, blacks constituted less than 4 percent of the population in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and many of them were free. But it was slavery, nevertheless, that made the commercial economy of 18th-century New England possible and drove it forward. ... The dynamic element in the region's economy was the profits from the Atlantic trade, and they rested almost entirely, directly or indirectly, on the flow of New England's products to the slave plantations and the sugar and tobacco industries they serviced."

Crediting the work of others, Bailyn wrote that the slave plantations must be seen as "the great powerhouse" of the entire Atlantic economy. "Only a few of New England's merchants actually engaged in the slave trade, but all of them profited by it, lived off it," he wrote.

The global importance of sugar itself requires freshening.

Before Columbus brought the cane plant to the West Indies, sugar was an exotic luxury in Europe, more likely to be used in medicine than tea. But it soon passed tobacco as a mass addiction. Shipments to England alone increased a hundred-fold to 100,000 barrels a year between 1660 and 1730. Demand for Africans kept pace. Sugar plantations were labor intensive, crosses between farm and refinery. During the 18th century, just the island of Jamaica absorbed 650,000 slaves.

Bailyn did not claim the slave plantations were the only New England dynamo. Second to it was the region's miraculous population growth. It roughly doubled every generation, thanks to the family farms that spread over the countryside. They supported a high birth rate and long lives. And one by one they produced enough surplus, by husbandry or industry, to also supply a growing merchant class. Foodstuffs such as grain, preserved beef and pork, or livestock on the hoof, along with made goods such as shingles and barrel staves, trickled toward river ports like Hartford and Middletown and seaports like New London, Newport and Boston, where they joined a trade stream flowing south to the West Indies and also to the lower American colonies.

The trade fueled secondary industries like shipbuilding and distilling. Hundreds of vessels were launched from Connecticut River towns. Rum and gin poured from distilleries in New London and Hartford. Fairfield County was known for its horses, as were the farms of Hartford's merchant prince, Jeremiah Wadsworth. In Lebanon, Jonathan Trumbull, the governor who saw Connecticut through the Revolution, followed his father into the cattle business and became a major meat packer. In one year 1,000 mules were shipped from New London. Wethersfield became famous for the odor rising from its onion fields and for the "maidens" who first cultivated the pungent red variety in their kitchen gardens.

The onion brought so much wealth to town, said Brenda Milkofsky, the director of the Wethersfield Historical Society, that the First Congregational Church there is still sometimes called the church that onions built. Over a century, onions grew into a cash crop. In 1801, a peak year, nearly 100,000 ropes of onions, each weighing 5 pounds, were shipped from town, most destined for the West Indies.

"Nobody in Wethersfield ever asked where they went," Milkofsky said, "but when you look at the white population of the islands, you have to know that amount of onions was going to feed slaves." She said the onion probably was a cheap food that gave variety to the slaves' bland diet. After the onion trade died in the 1830s, people blamed a blight, Milkofsky said. But shipping records point to another cause. "I've always believed the decline in the red onion was directly related to the end of slavery in the islands," she said. "It began in 1833 [when Britain abolished slavery] and comes down like a cleaver in 1835." By then the cane plantations were losing value, their monopoly broken by the newly developed sugar beet.

The West Indies trade shifted with the tides of war and politics. Much took place off the books, in smuggling, and many shipping records were destroyed in 1781 when Benedict Arnold led British troops in torching New London. Also early in the Colonial period much Connecticut produce was shipped out of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. But after the Revolution, Connecticut came to dominate the West Indies trade more directly. In some years, more than half its exports went to French islands, especially the one known then as Santo Domingo, then the leading sugar producer in the West Indies.

Connecticut newspapers followed the slave revolts that occurred there in 1791 with dispatches that took weeks to arrive. On Oct. 24, The Courant carried vivid accounts of revolts the previous August. A writer from Cape François reported, "No longer than Monday last this large space was filled with beautiful villas, elegant seats and nearly the whole covered with sugar cane; the greatest part of which are laid [waste] and now lying in ashes. Almost the whole is destroyed! If the infernal devils were content with this destruction, it would be happy for the colonists, but they add the cruelty of savages to their incendiary conduct, inhumanly murdering all the whites they catch, sparing neither age nor sex."

Before the slave revolts, Santo Domingo may have been the world's richest colony. Columbus had named it Hispaniola when he discovered it. Today, the island is desperately poor, comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Owners and overseers

As scant as information is about the plantation in Salem, Conn., there is enough to show its owners and their elite circle were closely bound to the slave economy. According to David Wordell, a founder of the Salem Historical Society, the first owner, Col. Samuel Browne, hired Samuel Gilbert, the son of a Hartford innkeeper, as property superintendent soon after he began buying up land in what was then Lyme.

Orders Browne wrote in 1727 to the captain of one of his ships are proof of his interest in the West Indies trade. "You may touch at Barbados, St. Christopher's, or Antegoa [sic] or Jamaica, and if any good markets at any of those places, then you may dispose of my cargos," Browne wrote. "If the markets are low at ye English islands, then you may go and trade at Guardelope, Cape Francois or any of the French islands." Browne's instructions ran on in more detail and closed with a personal postscript, "Bring some oranges and limes."

After Browne died in 1731, the plantation passed to his son Samuel and then after his premature death to his grandson William Browne. His is a case study in powerful connections. A contemporary described his family as "the most respectable that has ever lived in the town of Salem ... possessing great riches." William Browne himself was surrounded by governors. His mother was a Winthrop, he attended Harvard with Jonathan Trumbull, a future governor (as well as John Adams, a future president), and married the daughter of Joseph Wanton, a future governor of Rhode Island. It was Wanton, whose family reputedly made a fortune in the slave trade, who found a new overseer for Browne when he needed one.

He was John Mumford, who came from another prominent Rhode Island slave-owning family. His father's farm, though not rated as a plantation by Fitts, sprawled over the Point Judith peninsula. Mumford apparently became an ancestor of the illustrious Bingham family that is one of the present day occupants of the land.

In an article he wrote for the Connecticut Historical Society in 1976, the late Alfred Bingham cited an old family letter that recounted how Mumford got the overseer's post. At dinner one night in Providence, Browne asked his father-in-law, "if he knew of a young man of character and energy whose services could be secured by him for some time, to enter upon the subjugation of a large tract of land he owned in Salem, Connecticut, build a house and bring the land under cultivation." Mumford jumped at the opportunity, the letter said, and "entered immediately upon his labor employing a numerous gang of blacks ..."

He speculated that outcast slaves, or Indians, built some of the stone hillside structures Sawyer and Perry are now examining. "It comes as a shock to learn how extensive was the use of black slaves in New England, yet the unsavory leadership of New England ship owners and merchants in the slave trade has long been recognized," a disillusioned Bingham wrote.

John Mumford arrived in Salem in 1759, according to Wordell, the town historian, who knew Alfred Bingham and has collaborated with Sawyer and Perry. Like them, he gleaned a lot of information about the plantation from an odd book titled "Chronicles of a Connecticut Farm."

Written in 1905 by Mary Perkins for Bingham's grandfather, "Chronicles" is a rambling and mostly rosy genealogy of the intermarried families who eventually came to own pieces of the plantation. Its few references to slavery are either mild or myopic. Describing a dinner in the "happy years" after the Revolution, Perkins wrote of "stores of ham and huge cheeses, casks of West Indian rum and brandy, and all sorts of West Indian preserves, and all the concoctions for which good housekeepers were famous in those days." At another gathering, Caesar and Pompey, "two old negro servants," provided the music.

But "Chronicles" contains one startling reference to the cauldron simmering beneath New England's supposedly benign slavery. In 1707 in Newport, John Mumford's father's first wife was impulsively murdered by a slave she ordered whipped. The panicked slave drowned himself, but he did not escape punishment. According to a court record, the Newport authorities ordered "that his head, legs and arms be cut from his body and hung up in some public place ... and his body burned to ashes, that it may, if it please God, be something of a terror to others from perpetrating a like barbarity."

John Mumford was not the only family member to move to Connecticut. A half-brother, Thomas, leased what is now the Bluff Point preserve in Groton from Gov. John Winthrop. Another older half-brother, Capt. George Mumford, leased Fisher's Island. At his death in 1756, George's estate listed 14 slaves as part of his property, including a woman named Morocco whom he'd inherited from his father. The names of the others were Great Fortune, Little Fortune, Isaac, Pompey, Will, Caesar, Toby, Barree, Sue, Patience, Hannah, Cate, and a child, Mint. (Fitts, the Rhode Island researcher, contends in his book, "Inventing New England's Slave Paradise," that slave owners used new, diminutive names as a psychological method of controlling their human property and that beatings were routine.)

Life as a slave in Connecticut

The fact that the Mumfords owned so many slaves has led Sawyer and Perry to conclude that they probably supplied the labor for the Salem plantation. Though slave names like Pompey and Caesar were common, it is possible the Pompey and Caesar owned by Capt. George Mumford were the "old servants" who later played music on the plantation. Sawyer and Perry also are intrigued by the possibility that one of Connecticut's few famous slaves, Venture Smith, passed through the plantation. There's no question he was Mumford property, and it appears the Mumfords were at least part-time slave traders.

Smith is remembered because his account of his passage from son of an African prince to slave to citizen is one of the earliest, and therefore probably most credible, of the type of slave narrative that would multiply before the Civil War. Published in New London in 1798 when he was an old man, Smith's narrative states he was born with the name Broteer in 1729 and sold into slavery at age 6. He was among 260 captives loaded onto a Rhode Island ship where the mate was Thomas Mumford and the steward was Robertson Mumford. On board, Robertson bought Smith for 4 gallons of rum and some calico cloth, and changed his name to Venture to signify the child was his private investment.

Crossing the Atlantic, a quarter of the captives died of smallpox. Most of the survivors were sold in Barbados, but Smith was brought to Narragansett where he was left with his master's sister to await transfer to his home on Fisher's Island. Thus the Mumford link is solid, except for confusion over which family member actually owned the child slave.

According to a Mumford family tree in "Chronicles," Capt. George Mumford had a nephew named Thomas and a son named Robinson, but he died young. The one son who grew to adulthood was named James and in his narrative Smith identified James Mumford as his master's son. Smith said his worst period of enslavement occurred during his adolescence when James would countermand his father's orders. Once James started to attack Smith with a pitchfork for ignoring his instructions, and Smith warded him off by grabbing a pitchfork himself. Neither harmed the other, but as punishment Smith was hung for an hour on a gallows used to slaughter cattle.

His narrative contains several more accounts of beatings or threatened beatings by later masters. He was sold three times, but the overall tone of his narrative, set down by a white ghostwriter, is self-satisfied, even triumphant. The bonds of slavery were loose enough that by age 36 he earned enough money to buy his freedom and later that of his wife and children. He also bought several slaves himself, but soon freed them, and eventually acquired more than 100 acres in Haddam Neck. (The land he owned is now occupied by the Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant. For the last several months, his descendants have been in federal court trying to stop the power plant owners from building a waste storage facility on the site until it can be excavated for archaeological remains. Sawyer has testified on their behalf.)

There's no indication in Smith's narrative that he ever stopped in Salem, but like many slaves he was often rented out and worked all over southeastern Connecticut. For a brief time he was "pawned" in Hartford.

John Mumford's tenure as overseer of the Salem plantation lasted about 10 years until 1768, when he was succeeded by his son, John Mumford Jr. According to Wordell, Browne had a house built for his new overseer that is still standing. The plantation's days, however, were numbered.

William Browne was loyal to the British crown and at the beginning of the Revolutionary War he fled to England. His property in Salem, Mass., and Connecticut was soon confiscated. An initial inventory put the size of his holdings here at about 13,000 acres, but a later one reduced it to about 9,500 acres. The nine slaves he owned at the end were appraised individually. The names of the men were Great Prince, Little Prince and Luke. The rest were a woman named Prue and children named Cato, Phillis, Rose, Jimm and Caesar. Most were valued as worth between 200 and 450 pounds each. But Jimm, who was only 6 months old, and Caesar, who was a sickly 11-year-old, were valued at only 10 pounds.

The slaves asked the General Assembly to prevent them from being sold to raise money for the war effort. "Your memorialists," as they called themselves in their formal petition, "though they have Flat Noses, Crooked Shins and other Queerness of Make Peculiar to Affricans are yet of the Human Race, free born in our own country, taken from thence by man-stealers, & sold in this Country as Cattle in the Market ..." Their petition was rejected, but according to "Chronicles" they were eventually freed. How they fared is not known. A certain Prince Brown, perhaps Great Prince, later became a landowner. The sickly Caesar probably stayed with John Mumford as a servant.

Mumford himself did not lose his home. His daughter, Elizabeth, had married into New London's Shaw family, whose wealth came from the West Indies trade. The Shaws bought a portion of the confiscated plantation, and Mumford lived there with his daughter for the rest of his life. William Browne, according to his entry in the "Dictionary of American Biography," got himself appointed governor of Bermuda, where he served well for several years before returning to England.

He never attempted to resume residency in Salem, Mass., and the Browne family mansion, kept ready by caretakers for a homecoming that never happened, became something of a haunted house. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a son of Salem, told the story that curious children as time passed began to sneak into the vacant mansion, known as Browne's Folly.

"There was one closet in the house which everybody was afraid to enter, it being supposed that an evil spirit - perhaps a domestic demon of the Browne family - was confined in it. One day three or four score years ago, some school boys happened to be playing in the deserted chambers, and took it into their heads to develop the secrets of the mysterious closet. With great difficulty and tremor, they succeeded in forcing the door. As it flew open, there was a vision of people in garments of antique magnificence - gentlemen in curled wigs, and tarnished gold lace, and ladies in brocades and quaint head-dresses, rushing tumultuously forth, and tumbling on the floor. The urchins took to their heels in huge dismay, but crept back after a while and discovered that the apparition was composed of a mighty pile of family portraits."

Hawthorne, who liked ghost stories, claimed this was a true tale, told to him by one of the boys many years later. Embellished or not, it suggests a lost and hidden wealth that came, history tells us, from the West Indies trade. One wonders how literal Hawthorne meant to be in identifying the demon in the closet as "domestic." What kind of spirit might have haunted the Brownes more: a shameful black sheep or a vengeful black slave?

Digging for new clues

One bright blue cloudless day a couple of weeks into their summer dig, Jerry Sawyer and his students took a lunch break in a shaded driveway off Witch Meadow Road in Salem, Conn. They were several miles from the stone cairns where their archaeology had started. They'd spent the morning across the road on one of the big farms the Brownes rented or sold. In the afternoon, they planned to go up to Colchester where they'd begin looking for the remnants of a hamlet slaves might have occupied and the foundation of a house that belonged to a free black carpenter, Daniel Galusha, who built the Brownes' first plantation house.

"We're expanding way beyond the Browne plantation," Sawyer said, sitting on the tailgate of his small pickup truck. "What we're finding is there were a whole bunch of big farms, some of a thousand acres or more, all of which had captives."

He said that by next year he hopes to have written his doctoral thesis on what he's found so far, but that he expects to keep coming back to Salem as long as the present day property owners to whom he is grateful let him keep digging into the past.

"As far as the work here goes, this is my life's work," Sawyer said. "I'm trying to show the extent of the landscape in the 18th century of enslavement ... It's a larger, more populated landscape than most people imagine."

Copyright © 2017, Hartford Courant


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Type: response

text:
Washington governor calls special session for Boeing 777X package

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a special session of the state legislature to approve a multifaceted incentive package that would ensure Boeing Co. will build its new 777 commercial jet in the state.

Over the last several weeks, rumors have swirled in the aerospace industry about where thousands of workers would build the next-generation version of the plane, dubbed 777X, and its massive carbon fiber wing over the next several decades.

The special session beginning Thursday centers around approving a plan that guarantees 777 manufacturing will remain in the Puget Sound region.

“If we can do this in the next seven days, we can be certain that Washington’s aerospace future will be as bright as its past,” he said in a statement. “Everyone in Washington has a stake in what we’re doing here.”

Other rumored destinations for manufacturing the twin-aisle jet were Charleston, S.C., where the Boeing builds the 787, and Long Beach, where it builds the C-17 cargo jet.

Inslee made the special session announcement late Tuesday after Boeing and the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union brokered a tentative labor agreement.

According to the union, that agreement will provide "an unprecedented degree of labor stability in the volatile and competitive industry."

The union represents more than 35,000 Boeing workers. It did not say when the vote on the agreement would occur.

“Only a project as significant as the 777X and the jobs it will bring to this region warrants consideration of the terms contained in Boeing’s proposal,” said Tom Wroblewski, the union’s directing business representative. “Not all will agree with the proposal’s merits, but we believe this is a debate and a decision that ultimately belongs to the members themselves.”

Washington's 777X incentive package contains several proposals, including: transportation improvements, investments in education, streamlined permitting for large manufacturing sites, and an extension of tax incentives to 2040.

More information about the package is available here.

Boeing 747 may be flying into the sunset

FAA to allow air travelers to go the distance with electronic gadgets

Watch Navy helicopter drone's first flight above Southern California

Copyright © 2017, Hartford Courant

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-09
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for February 2017
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
The Lady Always Wins | Courtney Milan, Historical Romance Author
cover for the lady always wins

the lady always wins

Buy it:

Read More:

about the book | connections | excerpt | code name | reviews

The Lady Always Wins is also available as part of A Novella Collection.

~ divider ~

It’s all fun and games…

Nobody has ever come close to taking the place that Virginia Barrett had in Simon Davenant’s heart. As a child, Ginny was his best friend and comrade-in-arms. As a young lady, she became his sweetheart. But when his parents discovered their growing affection, they threatened to cut Simon off without a penny if he married her. And when Simon planned an elopement, Ginny refused: She wasn’t going to marry a poor man. Ever.

…until someone loses a fortune.

In the seven years since they last saw one another, Ginny has been married and then widowed. Simon has built an empire as a railway financier. When they meet again, there’s still that same delicious, playful attraction between them. But only Simon knows how tenuous his second chance really is. Everyone believes that Simon is wealthy. In truth, his company has been taken over by a hostile competitor and he is ruined. He knows from bitter experience that Ginny won’t marry a poor man. And so he has three days until the news becomes public—three days to seduce, woo, and marry the woman he cannot forget, or risk losing her…and this time, for good.

The Lady Always Wins was originally published in the anthology Three Weddings and a Murder. It was rereleased on February 22, 2013.

~ divider ~

How is it connected?

This short story isn’t connected to any of my other series, but it was made available in 2012 for a charity anthology. All of the profits from that anthology were donated to breast cancer research and prevention.

Two other stories in that anthology have since been re-released—Tessa Dare’s The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright, and Leigh LaValle’s The Misbehaving Marquess.

~ divider ~

Praise for The Lady Always Wins

“THE LADY ALWAYS WINS is a gem…A delightful read that is sure to put a smile on your face.”

Another Look Book Reviews

“THE LADY ALWAYS WINS is witty, funny, sexy and emotional. I connected with her characters from the very first page.”

The Under Covers Book Blog

“Courtney Milan…has already become one of my favourite historical romance authors. Her writing is rich, evocative and enchanting…”

Book Lovers Inc

~ divider ~

code name

All of my books get code names as I write them. This book was code named “It’s all fun and games until someone loses a fortune,” a code name that actually survived to become a tag line.

~ divider ~

from chapter one

SIMON DAVENANT HAD JUST THREE DAYS to woo and marry a woman.

Not just a woman—the woman.

Right now, the only things standing between him and the object of his affections were an exuberant field of colored tulips, a walkway of white crushed stones, and seven years of pointed silence on his part.

It had been that long since last he’d set foot in Chester-on-Woolsey—seven long years in which he’d buried himself in his work, trying to forget dark hair and darker eyes, the feel of her skin, the sound of her laugh.

It hadn’t worked. Everything he’d done had reminded him of this place.

Simon had walked to Barrett’s Folly—the little property she had inherited from her aunt—from the railway station three miles distant. He’d diverted from his destination only long enough to leave his valise at the inn in town. The man who had assigned him his room was new to the area; he’d not even blinked in recognition when Simon gave his name.

At that early hour, only the bakery had been open. He’d stopped for a bun, but old Mrs. Brandell hadn’t remembered him, either. There was no reason the little village should recall him. He’d merely spent his childhood holidays here.

Nevertheless, it seemed unfair that he should have thought so often of Chester-on-Woolsey, while its inhabitants scarcely gave him so much as a backward glance. Still, he reminded himself as he watched the tulips wave before him, he’d come here for one reason, and one reason only. And she was in the house now in front of him.

The first glints of morning sunlight spangled off windows that needed washing. Barrett’s Folly had never been more than a cottage, but it seemed even tinier than he remembered. It had been just large enough for an aging woman and her scapegrace niece. He’d only been here twice over Easter, but both times he’d been struck by the effect of the tulips: two full acres, blooming in a riot of pinks and golds and reds.

One didn’t think of tulips as having an aroma—not like roses or gardenias. But massed in the tens of thousands, he could breathe in their scent: subtle and green and new, a smell that made him remember a time when he’d had nothing but hope for the world. It curled around his heart like a fist, that awakening nostalgia.

But even if he’d had the inclination to indulge in memories that had grown rather more bitter than sweet, he didn’t have the patience. He certainly didn’t have the time.

Simon adjusted his cravat, which was made of the finest, purest linen, and arranged his cuffs, which were held together at the wrists by gold links set with onyx stones. For richer or poorer, for better or worse, Virginia Barrett—no, damn it, Virginia Croswell—was finally going to be his.

He grabbed hold of his determination, ignored the faint protestations of his irrelevant conscience, and strode forward.

It took several minutes for someone to come when he rapped the knocker smartly. When the door finally opened, the person behind it was a maid-of-all-work, her apron layered with coal dust and white flour alike. She took one look at Simon—at Simon’s cuff links and Simon’s cravat—and frowned in puzzlement.

“Eee,” she said. “You’ll be having the wrong house, then, sir. The Granthams are two miles down, yet.”

So it was the Granthams who had purchased his parents’ old home. He didn’t care.

Simon took off his hat and brushed past her into the entry.

“I am precisely where I intend to be. Go fetch Mrs. Croswell, will you?”

The maid glanced at him, standing uninvited in the entry. Her gaze marched up the shiny gold-plated buttons on his navy coat, and settled on his unsmiling countenance.

“Yes, sir,” she finally said, and ducked back through another door.

She wasn’t a very good maid. And given the time it had taken her to respond, he suspected she was the only one. Curious, that.

He set his hat on a side table, and then his gloves. The same mirror from seven years ago sat in its fading false-gold frame on the wall; when he checked his reflection, he noticed that the edges had begun to spot with age. In the corners of the entry, dust had settled. Simon shook his head.

A door opened, and he turned from his inspection. The maid came through first. Behind him, he could hear a woman speaking.

“…very well,” she was saying. “But I don’t believe—”

The woman marched through the door, swiping flour-dusted hands over an apron. She saw him and stopped midstride.

He had envisioned this moment a thousand times. Sometimes, she threw herself at him. Sometimes, she flushed and looked away. He usually imagined her as she stood in his memory—a young, slim maiden, dressed in demure, light-colored muslins. Often, he’d thought of her in less. Far less.

But in all his imaginings, he had never pictured her as she was now: features made severe by the dark gray of half-mourning. The possibility that she’d be clad in widow’s garb should have occurred to him. Given the reason behind his swift decampment, it seemed idiotic not to have imagined her in somber colors. Maybe, deep down, he had refused to accept that she had married another man.

The years had changed her. They’d carved little laugh lines into the corners of her mouth. She’d rounded out comfortably, her hips and breasts fuller, her arms pleasantly plump.

The discontinuity in his expectations jarred him. She’d been in his thoughts so much over the years that it was disconcerting to discover that she’d existed outside them.

But of course.

She rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead, leaving a trace of flour above her eyebrow. “Mr. Davenant. Why, how lovely to see you.” She gave him a faint, patronizing smile—the sort one might grant to an old acquaintance, long forgot. It might have worked, without that streak of flour.

He crossed his arms. “Are you not going to ask why I’m here?”

She flicked her gaze behind her. “Alice,” she said to the maid, who stood near the wall, “if you’ll finish putting the bread away, I’d be most obliged. Mr. Davenant and I are old friends. We’ll visit in the parlor.”

“Old friends,” he repeated in disbelief.

“We grew up alongside one another.” She was speaking to her maid, but her eyes had not left Simon’s. “At one time, we were quite inseparable.”

“I would not have put it that way,” Simon said, not quite as mildly as he’d intended. “Inseparable means unable to separate. The last seven years suggest something rather different.”

“Oh.” Alice glanced between them, perhaps catching a hint of a dangerous undercurrent. “Shall I bring some tea, ma’am?”

Ginny pursed her lips. “Yes,” she finally said. “That will do nicely. And some of the new bread. And butter. And the raspberry preserves.”

“The, um—” The maid blushed, and glanced at Simon.

“The good raspberry preserves,” Ginny said sweetly. “Not the ones we use when the vicar comes calling.”

Simon scarcely muffled a smile at that. She had not responded to his accusatory tone. She’d always been stubborn—damned stubborn. That, apparently, hadn’t changed. It was what he’d liked best about her.

He waited until they were seated around a table, tea steeping beside them in a chipped china pot, before he spoke again. “How long has it been since last we spoke?” he mused.

She met his eyes levelly. “You know perfectly well, Simon.”

“True.” He picked up his teacup and swirled the dark liquid around. “It was seven years, two months, and three—” He cut himself off. “No. It was four days, not three. That last time we saw each other, you refused to speak to me altogether.”

She hadn’t even blinked at the precise nature of his recollection. “Of course I did.” She took a sip of her tea and smiled, as if that final, bitter argument had become nothing but a fond memory to her. “Can you blame me?”

“No,” he admitted.

In the corner, a clock ticked. He counted off the beats, watching her. Waiting for her to break the silence.

But if the tapping of his fingers unnerved her, she did not show it. Ginny rarely let her emotions show. She simply set down her teacup and turned her saucer precisely. “Sometime in the last seven years, you might have apologized.”

“Unfortunately, no. I could not have done.” He lifted his head. “What I said to you then... It was rude and unpardonable. And yet there has not been a moment between now and then when I could have truthfully taken it back. You see, I meant every word. I still mean it.”

She blinked at him. The long column of her throat contracted in a swallow. It was the first unguarded reaction he’d drawn from her. “Oh,” she said quietly. “That’s interesting.”

“Indeed.” He was watching her very closely. But other than that initial reaction, she betrayed no other response. Not even a twitch of her lips.

“You must be here for a good long while, then,” she said.

“Three days. I’ve urgent business back in town after that.”

“You’ve allotted three days to accomplish all your threats?” Now she did smile. “My. You’ll be working quickly. When last we spoke, you said that if I married Mr. Croswell, I’d regret it.”

“I don’t believe I used quite those words. But yes, you’ve got the general gist of my sentiment.”

She put her head to one side, looking off into the distance. “You claimed that when he passed away, you’d seduce me, and once I’d fallen in love with you, you’d stomp on my bleeding heart and leave me weeping.” She recited those words as sweetly as if she were discussing a favorite recipe for plum preserves. “Oh, don’t give me that freezing look; I’m just trying to make sure our memories are in accord.”

There was only one thing for it. He was going to have to lie.

He reached across the table and took her hand. “You’ve got one thing wrong, Ginny. I didn’t just claim that I’d do those things. I promised I would.” He stroked his thumb across her palm. “And you know I always keep my promises.”

His heart was racing. It was just like one of their old games—this time with a touch more bitterness, and with stakes so high he was afraid to breathe. Her hand was cool against his. Another woman might have taken him at his word and pulled away. But after all these years, Ginny still knew him, heart and soul.

She curled her fingers around his. Not in surrender; Ginny never surrendered.

“Goodness,” she said, a faint smile touching her lips. “You think you can accomplish all that in seventy-two hours?”

He drew a little circle on her wrist. “I know I can. You have no idea how these last seven years have honed my instincts.”

That was how they’d always played the game. He made some arrogant claim of utter balderdash in an attempt to provoke Ginny into an uncharacteristic response. She, in return, tried to flummox him with her restraint.

She beamed at him as if all those bitter years between them had come to nothing. “How lovely. Would you know, I’m twenty-five years old, and I’ve not once been seduced? All I’ve been exposed to thus far is the regular sort of marital intercourse. I am positively looking forward to the experience. I trust you’ll do a creditable job?”

God, he had missed her. There was a reason that no other woman had ever taken her place. He’d tried, damn it, he’d tried. But everyone else simply found him...intimidating. Announce to any other woman that you planned to seduce her, and she’d slap your face. Ginny, on the other hand, brought him to life.

He stifled a grin. “I can hardly stomp on your bleeding heart if I make a hash of your seduction.”

“Good,” she said. “Then I look forward to the…attempt.” There was a slight emphasis on that last word. That small pause, the rise in her voice…

She might as well have thrown down a gauntlet. She pulled her hand away and took a long, lingering sip of tea. As she did, she glanced at him through her eyelashes. “But you know, Simon, informing me of your plans was always your downfall. It makes you so much easier to thwart.”

“What can I say? I’m a gentleman. I have to give you a sporting chance.” He paired those words with an indulgent smile. But inside, he was grimacing. Not this time. This time, he’d lie to her, deceive her. Whatever it took to have her, he was going to do it.

“Poor Simon,” she said. “You’re checkmated already, did you know that?”

He shrugged once more, cheerful despite the wretched events of the last few weeks. He’d been right to come here—right not to wait until her mourning had passed. “So long as it’s you who mates me,” he said breezily, “I’ll have no complaints.”

The corner of her mouth twitched. No, despite what he was going to do to her, he couldn’t make himself regret it. This time, she was going to be his.

covers © 2011-2017 courtney milan
site design & text © courtney milan, 2007-2017 | privacy & disclosures


text:
Thomasville Municipal Court

See Thomasville Municipal Court location, address, and phone number, and public records search. Courts are legal institutions which resolve disputes between parties and rule on legal cases related to civil, criminal, and administrative matters. Courts vary between different types, such as criminal, civil, probate, family, traffic, state, federal, appeals, and common courts.

Thomasville Municipal Court
921 Smith Avenue, Thomasville, Georgia, 31792
(229) 227-3249

Nearby Courts

Court Distance
Thomas County Magistrate Court
Thomasville Superior Court 1 miles
Boston Municipal Court 11 miles
Coolidge Municipal Court 13 miles
Barwick Municipal Court 14 miles
Cairo Magistrate Court 15 miles
Cairo Superior Court 15 miles
Cairo Municipal Court 15 miles
Pavo Municipal Court 16 miles
Meigs Municipal Court 18 miles
Jefferson County Court 21 miles
Jefferson County Circuit Court 21 miles

Map and Directions to Thomasville Municipal Court


text:
Recent Posts - Snookslayer

DateTitleStarted ByPosts
08/23/16UFC 202 PlaysMR21931
08/21/16i promise...ufc 202 play.....MarkDogg20144
07/25/16Mike mayers34
07/11/16UFC Las VegasMR21948
06/24/16Bellator 155, WSOF 31, UFC...MR21910
06/13/16BELMONT STAKESCrusher1328
06/03/16UFC UFN 88 PlaysMR21927
05/27/16Belmont TalkRoused17
05/21/16Preakness TalkRoused42
05/17/16of course no live betting for bovad...Achilles16292
05/16/16Analyze all day and settle on the B...Bluejay508
05/13/16Gulfstream & Belmont - Friday the 1...Jr3157
05/08/16UFC UFN 87 PlaysMR21918
12/03/15Tiger Will Not Win Another MajorVegasVeteran364
10/18/15Vanderbilt at South Caroli...Covers5
10/04/15Mississippi State at Texas...Covers5
09/16/15No love for AtlantaSirBruce30
09/11/15Congrats Utah St backers...pollaxt13
09/05/15Stanford @ Northwestern 2nd half bmiller163229
09/03/15 UCFPric37
08/07/15WSOF 22 & UFC 190 PlaysMR21920
08/02/15UFC 190 41
07/26/15UFC on FOX 16 PlaysMR21924
07/14/15Greetings From Las Vegas -...MR21930
07/09/15Rays @ RoyalsogBuck9
07/07/15Cards @ Cubs Game 1ogBuck16
07/07/15Detroit @ SeattleSnookslayer2
06/26/15Trevor Maywallet5
06/11/15UFC UFN 68 PlaysMR21933
06/06/15Time to HANDICAP and ANALY...Crusher1310
05/28/15UFC 187 PlaysMR21926
05/14/15UFC UFN 65 PlaysMR21927
05/08/15Team to scor first7
05/04/15American Pharoah info that makes yo...Upside64
05/04/15Annual Derby Confidence Pooldjbrow52
05/02/15If you were capping the Derby by PP...Roused6
05/01/15ANYONE ON DORTMUND???tmurda6668
05/01/15Horse betting questionGtimeButler4
04/29/15my bet for the derby.nature19702
03/29/15***People rooting for Kentucky to g...VegasVandal74
03/07/15UFC 184 PlaysMR21915
03/01/1513 seconds ...............BookBreaker116
02/18/15UFC UFN 60 & Bellator 133 PlaysMR21918
02/01/15UFC 183 PlaysMR21941
01/25/15I Will Tatoo My Entire Back if Lake...SuperiorInsight284
01/08/15New england vs Baltimore!!! guess t...dibcompany56
01/02/15UFC Fight Night 58MR21918
12/14/14UFC on FOX & WSOF 16 PLAYSMR21927
12/13/14TUF 20MR21924
12/06/14Let's Crush the Books: 12/5imgoinhungry146
12/04/14Let's Crush the Books: 12/3imgoinhungry154
Topic Navigation:  [1 2 ]


text:
Google Plus Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Vimeo RSS

‘An American Salute’ from the Hershey Symphony OrchestraThursday: Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Derry Township

By ,

There’s no better way to celebrate Independence Day than with a concert under the fireworks!

Enjoy food, beverages and more than 80 musicians for this annual Penn State Hershey tradition.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, click here.

More From This Industry

Write to the Editorial Department at

Leave a Comment

Please note: All comments will be reviewed and may take up to 24 hours to appear on the site.

Post Comment
View Comment Policy


text:
Google Plus Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Vimeo RSS

Regional housing recovery summit on tap

By ,

The South Central Assembly and the York Housing Advisory Commission will hold a regional housing recovery summit Tuesday at the York Holiday Inn.

The daylong event will feature breakout sessions in five tracks: municipal, homeless, housing issues, housing resources and assisting senior and special-needs populations.

Three plenary sessions will be held to discuss demographic patterns, expert commentary on game changing developments in the housing arena and mayoral views on key housing concerns in Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York.

The event begins at 8 a.m. Registration also can be done online. A wine and cheese reception will follow at 4 p.m.

More From This Industry

Jason Scott

Jason Scott

Jason Scott covers state government, real estate and construction, media and marketing, and Dauphin County. Have a tip or question for him? Email him at Follow him on Twitter, @JScottJournal. Circle Jason Scott on .

Leave a Comment

Please note: All comments will be reviewed and may take up to 24 hours to appear on the site.

Post Comment
View Comment Policy


text:
Local golfers finish 26th at national tournament

Although a local team didn't return with the prestigious McGladrey golf championship, team member Brett Etzler said the experience was one he would never forget.

On Oct. 26, the team of Etzler, Nick Bomba, Richard Padon and Justin Gallegos played at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C., during the McGladrey championship, finishing with a total score of 414 during the three-day event.

"We finished 26th out of 41 teams, so maybe not as good as we would have liked, but it was a respectable finish," Etzler said. "Obviously, we would have loved to have done better, but we all played pretty well, and I'm happy with where we finished."

The team earned its chance at the McGladrey by winning an Aug. 16 qualifying tournament at Riverdale Dunes in Brighton.

The 41 teams competing in North Carolina were composed of players from across the United States.

"We had a great time, and the competition was tough," he said. "We beat 15 teams, which was gratifying."

Etzler said Pinehurst, which has twice hosted the US Open, was one of the best courses he has ever played.

"It was one of the most beautiful places I've golfed in my life," he said. "Pinehurst, for sure, is probably one of the top-five courses in the nation where I've played."

Bomba, Etzler, Gallegos and Padon were the only team from Colorado.

"I'm happy to have beaten a few teams at least, and I think we represented Colorado well," Etzler said. "It was definitely one of the best golfing experiences of my lifetime."

Playing against some of the best competition in the United States was made better by the company, Etzler said.

"I'll remember playing with three members of Yampa Valley, representing Colorado," he said. "I'm just happy to have made it that far, and I think we did pretty well."

Etzler said Yampa Valley Golf Course would sponsor a McGladrey qualifying tournament next year.

But if the team can't make it back to Pinehurst, Etzler said he was happy with the way this year's tournament went.

"I wish we could have come back and said we won the thing, but maybe next year," he said. "It may never happen again, and if it doesn't, then it was a great once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Requires free registration

Posting comments requires a free account and verification.


text:
Editorial: An important Internet issue

Our View

Moffat County Commissioner Audrey Danner has taken on the task of trying to improve broadband service in Northwest Colorado. It's not an issue that's going to warrant much attention or many headlines, but it's highly important to improving the community and creating a better environment for businesses. With Danner leaving office in January, it's vital someone step in and address this critical need for better Internet service.

An issue critical to Northwest Colorado in general and Craig and Moffat County specifically has been largely overlooked by most public officials, except one.

Audrey Danner, a Moffat County Commissioner representing District 2, has been the leading voice in our community advocating for enhanced broadband service, a necessity in today's technological age in improving the educational and economic development climates, and the quality of life for residents.

As facilitator of the Northwestern Colorado Local Technology Planning Team, an affiliation of state and local elected officials, business owners, service providers, education representatives and residents in Moffat and Rio Blanco counties, Danner has been coordinating broadband action meetings for months.

Whereas many local elected leaders are bogged down in minutia and lacking long-term vision, Danner deserves credit for recognizing the importance of technology to our community's future.

The idea, she said, is to create an information technology environment in Craig and Moffat County that is reliable, redundant and affordable.

Her words and actions are proactive on this issue.

However, with Danner leaving office in January 2013, the editorial board questions whether the better broadband issue will end before meaningful change has had a chance.

We wonder what commissioner will take the mantle from her, if anyone.

Danner was on to something when she identified broadband as an important platform for our community, and it would be highly regretful should the new composition of the county commission let it slip because no one shared her vision.

Click here to have the print version of the Craig Daily Press delivered to your home.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Requires free registration

Posting comments requires a free account and verification.


text:
Photo detail

Hunter Beckett, 10, was chosen by the Moffat County Commission to skate with the Colorado Avalanche during the warm-up before the team’s game Saturday at the Pepsi Center against the Vancouver Canucks. Becket, a Craig youth hockey player, received an official Colorado Avalanche puck, a customized Avalanche jersey and got to stand with the Avalanche players during the singing of the National Anthem.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Requires free registration

Posting comments requires a free account and verification.


text:
Four members of staff at Airedale Hospital have been officially recognised as NHS Heroes for going the extra mile to improve life for patients.

Paediatric dietician Angela Freeman, heart failure specialist nurse Tracey Hellawell, staff nurse Tracy Day and paediatric staff nurse Donna Ashcroft were nominated for a national scheme to highlight the achievements of staff who show exceptional compassion, kindness and skill above and beyond the call of everyday duty.

The initiative is part of the 64th anniversary celebrations of the NHS.

More than 70 members of staff and teams were nominated across Yorkshire and Humber by patients, their families and NHS colleagues between July and September.

Tracy Day, who has been working in end-of-life care, was described as “a dedicated staff nurse who always put the needs of patients above her own” and as being “always willing to learn and improve her knowledge and is a positive presence”.

Angela Freeman, who has more than 30 years of experience as a paediatric dietician, was described as “exceptionally committed, hard-working, very caring, totally reliable and very popular, with immense respect from colleagues and a very special gift when dealing with children”.

Tracey Hellawell is the trust’s only heart failure nurse and has a large caseload. She was nominated for giving ‘more than would ever be expected of her. She not only cares for her patients, she always ensures she is available to mentor others.”

Donna Ashcroft was nominated by the family of a young patient. The patient said she “went that extra mile just to make sure that I, as a patient, went home happy”.

Bridget Fletcher, chief executive of Airedale NHS Trust, said: “I am delighted that four of our members of staff have been recognised in this way for giving the best possible healthcare and going beyond the call of everyday duty.

“Providing top quality healthcare is not just about saving lives, it’s often the small things that make a huge difference to people when they are being looked after through their most difficult times – and we know these are what families often remember for the rest of their lives.”


text:
Top 5 Epic Fights in Football History

Sometimes the "beautiful game" can get really, really ugly...

Paul Tamburroby Paul Tamburro

Even though it's often referred to as "the beautiful game", throughout the years football has had its fair share of ugly moments.

To celebrate the not-so-aesthetically-pleasing side of the world's biggest sport, here are the top 5 on-pitch brawls:

5. Don't F*** with Elizabeth Lambert

US Junior defender Elizabeth Lambert shows that she is just one elbow in the boob away from going all She-Hulk on her opponents, methodically taking out what appears to be the entirety of the opposing team with crunching tackles and, yes, hair-pulling. Elizabeth was suspended indefinitely following the incident.

4. "He's Got a Chair!"

Chinese football club Beijing Guoan and South Korean football club Pohang Steelers come to blows in what resembles a budget version of the Royal Rumble, complete with a guy running in at the end with a folded chair in his hands.

3. Di Canio Doesn't Respond Well to Authority

Perennial anarchist and self-proclaimed fascist Paolo Di Canio sticks his middle finger up to The Man by pushing over a referee, proving that he dislikes authority almost as much as he does ethnic minorities.

2. Well, That Escalated Quickly.

This brawl between Argentinos Juniors and Fluminense escalates so quickly that the riot police are brought in. By riot police, I mean two bewildered looking guys with shields trying not to fall over.

1. Everybody was Kung Fu Fightin'

You've probably seen this already by now, but we'd wager that the image of Eric Cantona expressing his disapproval of a rowdy fan with a swift karate kick to the head never stops being funny.

Photo: Getty Images


text:
fred-dainty1 UK Artist Philip Snow did a spectacular job on the mural we have now erected at our Jurassic Ark Gympie site, shown with our builder Fred Dainty (April 2013) , and with great close ups of beautiful detail below.
Philip's mural is about Day 5 - the Creation of swimming and flying creatures, Pterodactyls and Pliosaurs, as well as whales, doves and swans. Philip is the author of a book on evidence for Creation of birds and is a professional artist who lives in Wales. More details and to contact Phillip see bottom of page. Any artist wanting to join this mural project contact
In addition, he now both writes and illustrates his own books, like the celebrated 'Light & Flight – Hebridean Wildlife & Landscape Sketchbook'; the challenging Biblical Creationist 'Design & Origin of Birds'; or one of his latest, 'Tall Tales from an Estuary', documenting the busy everyday and internationally important migratory life of Malltraeth Estuary on Anglesey, North Wales, where Philip lives and works. He also gives lavishly illustrated talks on Creationism etc, with the North Wales Biblical Creation Society. Websites & Links include: ,

LIVING FOSSIL MURAL added to our Jurassic Ark project at Gympie as UK artist Ann Squires does a fabulous painting to illustrate Darwin's bug bear – living fossils. The term "living fossil" was invented by Charles Darwin and used in 'The Origin of Species' where he wrote; "These anomalous forms may be called living fossils; they have endured to the present day. (Darwin Origin of the Species Chapter 4)

Which is a polite English way of saying what we suspect he hoped few would notice: (a) there is a huge number of them which is increasing daily and (b) they have not evolved!

Ann's mural not only shows this concept with paintings of living and fossil forms, but the specimens she has used were supplied from down under and are mostly Aussie Living fossils present day.

See more of Ann’s art on


text:
Claude’s bio

A Family Jewelry Tradition Founded in 1872

Call me Claude… not Mr. Thibaudeau, he says!

That’s how down-to-earth this world-renowned jewelry designer really is. Born in the French speaking city of Montreal on June 29, 1958 Claude learned the jewelry business at a very young age by frequenting the Thibaudeau family Jewelry shop. The shop was established by his Great Grandfather Ulric Thibaudeau in 1872 who emigrated from France, and mainly consisted of refined custom handmade jewelry, and repair. Claude watched, studied and practiced every aspect of manufacturing, design and repair, and at the age of 16 he was already an experienced gem setter. Claude had already an innovative vision of design that set him apart from the rest.

At the age of 24, he began creating his first distinctive collections in the basement of his home. He travelled throughout Canada promoting and selling his designs to retail jewelers. Keeping to his well-grounded family traditions, Claude’s wife Monique joined the business as the company’s administrator, while his 21-year-old brother Marc joined the team as sales manager.

Claude made his first foray into the United States at the Premier of JCK Las Vegas Jewelry Trade Show in 1992. In 1995, after he won the prestigious “La Griffe D’or award” for best new jewelry designer, the company expanded rapidly into the U.S. and Caribbean markets. More new doors opened in 2002, when the company was invited to exhibit at the Basel World jewelry Show in Switzerland. Of the 2,200 manufacturers represented, Claude Thibaudeau Designs was the only Canadian designer. The collections are now available at many of the finest jewelry boutiques in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Over the years, Claude has created thousands of exquisite pieces and marketed many well-known exclusive collections, such as ; Pure Perfection Collection, La Cathédrale, La Royale, and his famous patented concept, “The Inseparables” which are two-piece intertwined bands for men & women also Claude created the Black Hevea Band Collection. Claude is truly dedicated to creating the finest quality of Platinum and 18Karat jewelry, or as he says, “la crème de la crème”. His desire to create the best that can be seen with his newest collection “The Hand Crafted European Micro-Pavé Collection.” These unique pieces are recognized all over the world for their unsurpassed quality and incredible attention to detail and workmanship. His efforts have been rewarded by the countless letters and e-mails he receives weekly from consumers and retail jewelers thanking him for making such beautiful designs and creating everlasting heirloom pieces.

Claude’s enthusiasm and love of jewelry design can be directly attributed to his positive attitude and his unique philosophy of “every day surpassing what has been achieved yesterday”. Claude’s is also inspired by his two most precious creations… Hann and Francis Thibaudeau.

To know more about us, see complete family history.


text:
Company News: Page (1) of 1 - 05/26/11 Email this story to a friend. email article Print this page (Article printing at page facebook

This Vetionx Moment to Talk with Dr. Char Wilson on Pet Toxins in Another Web Show Segment

  (May 26, 2011)

Grand Rapids, MI (PRWEB) May 26, 2011

This Vetionx Moment, the Vetionx web-show featuring Dr. Char Wilson, is adding two segments on its site covering pets and toxins. Dr. Char, interviewed on camera by host Gerry Barnaby, a local Grand Rapids media personality, will be sharing her experience and knowledge on pet toxins. This Vetionx Moment is gearing up for the launch of its new social site, The HelloLife Network and will feature a variety of content on pets and their health issues.

Im looking forward to talking about some of these common compounds, said Dr. Char. This is information every pet owner should learn and viewers can be use the upcoming segment for general education. Even seasoned pet owners have something to learn from what we plan to cover, she added.

Dr. Charline Wilson, known to customers as Dr. Char, is a 1981 graduate of Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Motivated by the desire to help pets with chronic degenerative conditions not responding well to conventional treatments, Dr. Char began exploring then offering holistic care for her animal patients.

Dr. Char uses Computerized Electro-Dermal Screening to measure energetic imbalances in the body. This system screens for potential patient solutions, specifically those with energetic effectiveness. Her work with this system gives her a unique perspective on holistic, integrated pet therapies. She finds many times less is more in prescribing treatment and relies on Vetionx products for her animal patients as a supporting element of her holistic protocols.

Vetionx features a line of six safe and effective pet health care products for all pets and animals, including dogs, cats, horses, birds and reptiles. The company has been manufacturing and selling OTC pet health products since 2005. Its headquarters are located at 4460 44th St. SW, Ste. C 600, Grand Rapids, MI, 49512.

At Vetionx, we believe in helping your pet restore natural balance. By providing valuable veterinarian health coaching and unique homeopathic/oligotherapeutic solutions, we help pets around the world lead long, healthy lives, naturally. Interested consumers can visit the Vetionx website at: Customers are also invited to visit the companys Vetionx Facebook page and sign up for updates via Twitter.

If youd like more information about our sister company, HelloLife or our products, visit the website at

For additional questions, please contact Jennie Mac Anaspie at 616.808.3290 x1028 or via email at jmacanaspie at hellolife dot net.

Read the full story at

Page: 1

Related Keywords:family, family planning, animal science

Our Privacy Policy --- @ Copyright, 2015 Digital Media Online, All Rights Reserved


text:
Rejected! – Falling at the First Hurdle With Stock Photography

Posted Monday, 9 July 2007 by Chris Garrett in Photography, Technology
What is the first step many wannabe stock photographers make? I would say for most of us it is to upload some old pics and see how many make it. Read on to see how my first step turned into a stumble, and what I learned from it ...
Submitting your pictures leaves you feeling a little exposed. Most of us don't particularly enjoy rejection and stock photo sites with high quality standards reject a lot. Oh man, how they reject!

They have to, of course. Companies like Crestock are in the business of providing high quality images. If the library doesn't make the grade then who is going to buy them?

But that doesn't make us feel any better when we upload pictures we think are fantastic only to get knocked back.

For my first ever submission I decided to grab eight pictures at random from my Flickr library. While all of them were images I liked, they are in my Flickr account after all, I didn't choose any I particularly expected to get accepted. My ego is too fragile, heh.

Take a look at my pictures below and try to guess which were accepted and which were rejected. Extra points for guessing why. After each I will explain the result and the reasoning. I wonder how many of you will guess correctly 100% ... I know I wasn't expecting what happened next:

Toronto Downtown

Toronto Downtown
Evaluation: Rejected!
Reason: Brand names and logos. Even tiny, squinty, unobtrusive logos could panic a buyer away from using an image.
Advice: Clone out logos carefully and resubmit.
Detail of Toronto Downtown photo

Rogers Centre Toronto

Rogers Centre Toronto
Evaluation: Rejected!
Reason: Again the issues are the brands, copyright, and such. This time it's not just the "Rogers Centre" logo but the artwork on the outside too. Another complication could be the baseball players, would I need model releases? It could be just too risky.
Advice: Aim to not include anything that could cause legal problems down the line.
Detail of Rogers Centre Toronto photo

Evaluation: Rejected!
Reason: Out of focus and bad composition. Also recognisable logo/artwork.
Advice: If taking a photograph of a bouquet, choose if you want it to be a closeup or in whole. My attempt is neither one or the other. Also remove the florist's card, or at least clone the detail out. Most of all, make sure it is in focus and well lit!
Detail of Flowers photo

Cooling Towers

Cooling Towers
Evaluation: Borderline, but  rejected!
Reason: From my keywords it is hard to tell if this is a landmark, and therefore interesting, or just an uninspiring picture of some dumb old cooling towers.
Advice: Add detailed keywords or take more interesting compositions!

CN Tower

CN Tower
Evaluation: Rejected!
Reason: Artifacts and fringing
Advice: Don't use your bog-standard software if you expect to get a good approval rate. This picture was exported from Apple iPhoto and it shows. Also it was taken with my Canon 10-22mm lens which is notorious for colour fringing in these conditions. If shooting RAW files, this can in most cases be corrected in post processing.
Detail of CN Tower photo

Chaffinch, British Bird in natural habitat

Chaffinch, British Bird in natural habitat
Evaluation: Approved!
Reason: While at full size it exhibits some focus issues, it is good enough to be admitted in at a lower res – hurrah!
Advice: Use a tripod and a high shutter speed to make sure there are no shake or focus problems if you want to get maximum approvals and the best prices!
Detail of Bird photo

Downtown Calgary

Downtown Calgary
Evaluation: Rejected!
Reason: Underexposed, composition. Those dark areas need bringing up to show the detail. On top of that the main area of interest, the tower, is not particularly the hero of the shot.
Advice: Make it obvious what the subject of your picture is and be careful with exposure.
Detail of Downtown Calgary photo

Banff Night Scene

Banff Night Scene
Evaluation: Rejected!
Reason: This pic has got it all, artifacts, blur and logos! Not surprising when you think I was dashing across an icy road when I took it, heh.
Advice: While it might be a much-loved tourist snap, this isn't going to sell unless all the issues are taken care of. Next time, tripod, metering, and most of all, Photoshop!
Detail of Banff Night Scene photo

So there you are, one accepted out of eight submitted! How many did you guess correctly?

OK, disapointing performance on my part but I did learn a great deal and will be better armed for next time. Most of the issues are relatively painless to sort out either when you take the picture or later in Photoshop.

The key learning is to think like a buyer, what do they need and what might put them off? Only by creating sellable pictures will we succeed in this game!

Related posts

» Introduction from the Cre:Source New Guy

Daily Free Stock Photo The Weekly Free Stock Image
We are giving away a free, high quality photo every week! Get Your Image

By Mike Panic on Monday, 9 July 2007 3:04 PM
Shooting stock is much harder than most give credit for. Thinking in the way a designer can use an image and spending the time to remove all logos, even a brand name on the button of a pair of jeans is tedious work.

I wrote an article a while ago (turned into 4 and growing), Make money selling digital photos, based on my experiance selling microstock over the last 5 years.
By chrisgarrett on Monday, 9 July 2007 5:46 PM
Got to agree with you, there is more to think about than I at first thought, but it is fun learning and having a go. I will investigate your blog for more tips :)
By Christopher Scholl on Monday, 9 July 2007 5:48 PM
Very helpful article. And I couldn't agree more with your point that the key is to think like a buyer. Combined with an arsenal of solid photographic skills, that should get anyone pretty far.
By Guilherme Zühlke O'Connor on Monday, 9 July 2007 7:58 PM
Great article, and very brave of you to show so much rejection on one post, lol, I don't think I would have been brave enough.

And agreeing with Mike Panic, I think Shooting stock really is much harder that it seems.

While an artist photographer must carry the weight of being innovative and, well... artistic, a stock photographer has to have a good market vision and think pictures on the customer side.

In a way, is like being CEO of your own talent, and have the talent at the same time.
By Martin on Monday, 9 July 2007 8:31 PM
Yeah shooting stock is much harder than it is made out to be. But your biggest lesson from this batch is the trademark stuff. That will not fly on any stock website for simple legal reasons. The other pictures may do better on another site. But don't worry most everybody as more rejects than approvals as they first start you're in good company.
By chrisgarrett on Tuesday, 10 July 2007 12:02 AM
Brave doesn't come into it, I gave up worrying about looking bad :)

I think as long as each time I submit I learn something before long I will be doing ok!
By Guilherme Zühlke O'Connnor on Tuesday, 10 July 2007 4:14 AM
I agree is wise, but is also brave!
By Donncha O Caoimh on Tuesday, 10 July 2007 11:36 AM
I've had numerous images rejected by microstock agencies but I find I make more money from website advertising on my blog than any sales of my images, so I don't worry too much about it.
By chrisgarrett on Tuesday, 10 July 2007 12:04 PM
The nice thing about stock photographs (when they sell) is all the work has been done, it is a truly passive income, so it is possible to do both - work on generating content and traffic for the blog and in spare time take photographs as would always do but with additional step of uploading and keywording :)
By mo dawn on Wednesday, 11 July 2007 8:39 PM
I don't particularly agree. I think they were beautiful!!! I could see how one or two got rejected, but the others- they shouldn't be so horribly picky!! I think your photos were amazing and mny had very good composition and really expressed different things. They communicate well and thats what matters right? I do see your point, and thanks for the heads up!!!

You can always submit them elsewhere too!
By chrisgarrett on Thursday, 12 July 2007 8:42 PM
Thanks, very kind of you to say :) Once I have learned a bit more and removed the brand names I think I will re-submit
By virgil on Thursday, 26 July 2007 8:16 PM
Every agency has submission guidelines --what (photo) to submit. I noticed all the causes of rejection you pointed out were all in photo submission guidelines. Good to know you were 'in a hurry' to submit --you would likely miss the guidelines!
I'm a newbie in photography and very much interested in selling stock photos. You have just shared one heck bunch of a lesson! Thank You!!
Same as me
By bardman on Wednesday, 5 September 2007 7:51 AM
I got eight of my nine first shots rejected, too. Most of them were old pictures of relatively bad quality, though. I wonder how my next pending batch will do...
By jtotoro on Saturday, 24 November 2007 10:35 PM
You mention "exported from iPhoto" as a cause of some quality issues. Can you explain what iPhoto is doing photos on export? I also had some rejected for compression or ISO issues and am wondering if iPhoto had done something. I export from there but as original size and format and nothing should have been done. diff shows some differences but turning off "add colorsync profile on import" fixes that when I test now. It is too late to test the rejected images however as they have been removed from the memory card long ago.

First Timer
By Jessie on Wednesday, 28 November 2007 3:14 PM
Just had a look at your site as I am (possibly) interested in uploading some images to an agency. You certainly gave me some interesting and informative guidelines and having the problems in your own photos pointed out, was a fantastic eye opener. I will now look at my photos a LOT more closely!
i got no rejections
By milicentart on Saturday, 8 December 2007 2:14 AM
after uploading 10 photos and waiting a week or so for approval, I got no response, no rejections, my photos are no longer on the list to be approved. I was under impression that there was a rejection bin I could see. Were my photos just deleted? Were they that bad that you couldn't given me an iota of encouragement?

Add your comment:

Further comments have been disabled on this post.


text:
STAPELEY Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery in Nantwich has seen its 100,000th animal pass through its doors since opening in 1994.

A tiny blackbird with an infected eye became the milestone admission to the RSPCA centre, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

As part of the celebrations, centre manager Lee Stewart has been doing a count up of all the animals which have been brought into Stapeley Grange.

He said: “It is amazing when you think about it that such a large number of animals have passed through our doors during the last two decades.

“I originally only had the figures to 1995, but after further digging I managed to get the 1994 admissions and they revealed we were so close to hitting the 100,000 mark. Then this week it happened.

“It really is quite staggering to think that so many animals have been cared for at Stapeley and shows the dedication of staff and volunteers at the centre, we can’t save them all obviously and we have to make some very tough decisions, but the team works hard to find new ‘forever’ homes for our domestics and exotics and return, where possible, our wild animals back to the wild.”

To celebrate the anniversary, staff and volunteers at the centre are hoping to raise £50,000 this year through a series of fundraising events.

The next event will be a bat walk on May 30. Booking is essential via Find out more about forthcoming events at


text:
Some banter bound to happen: Bresnan

in London •
"As a fast bowling unit, we can't really use the ball to intimidate as much as we'd like in India." © Cricbuzz

England pacer Tim Bresnan says with pitches in India offering little or no assistance to pacers, he and other fast bowlers of his team are bound to use verbal volleys to intimidate the batsmen in the ongoing ODI series.

England's fast bowling, which seemed unplayable when India were on tour here in July-August, has not delivered in the ongoing series in which the visitors have lost the first two ODIs.

Bresnan said some sparks are bound to fly when the pacers don't get the bounce from the pitches to rattle the rival batsmen.

"It's part of the game. As a fast bowling unit, we can't really use the ball to intimidate as much as we'd like in India, with it not bouncing so high, so we have to do other things to get into the batsman's bubble, whether it's a little bit of a word or a look or a stare. It's all handbags, to be honest. No one really pays much attention," Bresnan was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

But Bresnan insisted that the players from the two teams remain friends.

"The Indian board charter flights for us and we all fly on the same plane, so we'll be at the airport together and we'll have a chat. It's just when you cross onto the field that it's not as friendly, but that's exactly how it is at an elite sporting level," Bresnan said.

The pacer said the Indians have enjoyed the home advantage like the English did earlier this summer.

"Obviously they feel more comfortable here. I think that's a massive thing. As well as the fact that we just haven't played well enough to beat them."

Bresnan said on Indian pitches, accuracy is the key as any stray delivery is punished by the batsmen.

"You've got to nail your basics. There's not a lot of room for error, and as soon as you do stray a little bit in width or length, you get punished," he said.

"You've got to be as accurate as you can be. That should suit the way we bowl, but we've let a few things slip. You've got to nail your yorker in India, otherwise it goes 10 rows back," he added.


text:
A Virtual Tour of our Product Lines

Crimson Trace is the leading brand of laser sighting and tactical lighting systems for personal protection firearms.  Our laser sights and lights are chosen daily by responsible gun owners, law enforcement officers, and military personnel worldwide.  That choice is an easy one because Crimson Trace products provide an Immediate, Decisive, Advantage™ to shooters who depend on them to provide repeatable accuracy, fast target acquisition, and proven dependability.

Lasergrips® for Semi-Auto Pistols

Lasergrips® are the single best accessory that you can add to a semi-automatic pistol.  Lasergrips are the original standard in laser sight technology and continue to be the platform all others are measured against - yet never met.

As demonstrated in the video, Lasergrips for semi-autos are user-installed in minutes by simply replacing the factory grips and offer our patented Instinctive Activation™ technology, which means that the laser is instantly activated with a natural firing grip.

Lasergrips® for GLOCK Pistols

Crimson Trace Lasergrips® for GLOCK Pistols are simply the best tactical accessory that you can add to your GLOCK.  Lasergrips for GLOCK are rear-attached and user-installed in minutes.  Instinctive Activation™ is provided, which allow the shooter to activate the laser sight by simply holding the weapon in a natural firing grip.

We offer Lasergrips for almost every GLOCK model available (3rd and 4th Gen), with all models featuring a Master On/Off Switch, long battery life, and the brightest beam allowed by law.

Lasergrips® for Revolvers

Many shooters prefer the simplicity, ergonomics, and firepower provided by revolvers.  Crimson Trace offers Lasergrips® for many of the most popular wheelguns on the market.

By simply replacing the factory grips with Crimson Trace Lasergrips, the shooter is provided with an unmatched tactical advantage.  Lasergrips feature Instinctive Activation™, which allows the laser to instantly be activated when the revolver is held in a natural firing grip.

Laserguard® for Semi-Auto Pistols

Crimson Trace Laserguard® is the laser sighting platform of choice for compact, polymer framed pistols.  This is due to a stable and secure under-barrel design that attaches seamlessly to the gun frame.

As most compact polymer-framed pistols feature small or almost non-existent iron sights, Laserguard units - featuring Instinctive Activation™ - provide reliable and repeatable accuracy.

Lightguard™ for Semi-Auto Pistols

Featuring the same famous Instinctive Activation™ as Crimson Trace laser sights, the Lightguard™ platform is a powerful 100 to 130 Lumen LED White Light for popular Semi-Auto Pistols.

The Lightguard platform allows the shooter to operate the weapon-mounted light "instinctively" when the weapon is held in a natural firing grip.  When combined with Crimson Trace Lasergrips®, the Lightguard offers a complete self-defense package for pistols.

Additional Product Lines

In addition to the product lines covered above, Crimson Trace products include the following platforms: Rail Master™ Universal Laser Sights & Tactical Lights, Defender Series™ Laser Sights, Pro-Custom™ Lasergrips®, Master Series™ Lasergrips®, Modular Vertical Foregrips™ (for AR-15 Rifles), and CTC Defense™ products for military and law enforcement use.  We also offer a complete line of Green and Infrared (IR) laser sights.

Find a Dealer

Powered by Google Maps™, our Store Locator can find an Authorized Crimson Trace dealer near you.

Learn More »


text:
Rua dos Caliços, Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal

 Portuguese English

Rua dos Caliços, Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal

Welcome to Cris Piessens Dental Clinic

Belgian born Dr Cris Piessens is one of Western Europe’s more experienced implantologists placing dental implants since 1987. He celebrated his 1000th dental implant in 2001, and has subsequently placed between 250 and 300 dental implants per year. His extensive clinical experience and continued academic postgraduate courses have made him a leading practitioner in the field of dental implants and oral rehabilitation.

In addition to Dental Implants, Cris Piessens Dental Clinic offers a full practice service including Orthodontics, General and Emergency Dentistry, Oral Hygiene and Teeth Whitening.

Conveniently situated in Albufeira, sunny Algarve, Cris Piessens Dental Clinic has also become the choice for many European travelling patients for affordable Dental Implants Abroad.

All staff at the Cris Piessens Clinic speak fluent English and are members of the Ordem dos Médicos Dentistas (the regulatory body for Portuguese dentists). The medical & dental diplomas of all staff members are valid in every country of the European Union.

Want to find out more about the treatment suitable for you? Call us on +351 289 589080

Bookmark and Share


text:
Printer-friendly version Email this CRN article

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella kicked off the company's Surface 3 launch event in New York City Tuesday by noting that Microsoft isn't "interested in competing" with its OEM partners in the hardware market.

Yet in light of all the features and functionality that Microsoft has packed into Surface 3 -- including a bigger screen, faster performance and longer battery life -- it's hard to see how Microsoft's laptop and tablet partners could come to any other conclusion.

The most significant addition in Surface 3 is a 12-inch, high-contrast screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 2,160 x 144 resolution. Not only is it larger than the Surface Pro 2's 10.6-inch display, the 3:2 aspect ratio allows Surface 3 to display 6 percent more content than a typical 13-inch laptop screen.

Surface 3 also comes with a choice of Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor and delivers 10 percent faster performance than the Surface Pro 2, with 15 percent to 20 percent longer battery life.

"This is the tablet that can replace your laptop," Panos Panay, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Surface Computing, said at the event.

Panay also peppered his one-hour presentation to tech reporters with frequent references to how Surface 3 delivers "the full power of a PC" in a tablet form factor.

At 9.1mm thick, Surface 3 is 1.5mm thinner than the Surface Pro 2 and, at 800 grams, it's also lighter. Panay described Surface 3 as "the thinnest Intel Core product ever made."

Surface 3 also has a new docking station that features more ports and connects the tablet to 4K monitors. Even the speakers are 40 percent more powerful than previous versions.

There's a new kickstand that can recline into virtually any position, and an improved, thinner Type Cover to match the Surface 3 design. Microsoft also has improved the Surface 3 Track Pad, making it 68 percent larger and addressing the usability issues that hampered previous Surface models, Panay said.

The lack of apps has been one issue stalling Surface sales, and Microsoft brought in Michael Gough, vice president of experience design at Adobe Systems, to demo an upcoming touch-optimized update to Photoshop that also features pen input.

Panay showed how a Surface 3 user could use the Surface pen to write a memo on the device and have it automatically backed up to Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service. There was also a demo of a New York Times crossword being done with a Surface pen.

Surface 3 will be available for pre-orders starting Wednesday. Pricing starts at $799 for a Surface 3 with an Intel Core i3 processor, 64 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM. The Core i7 Surface 3 starts at $1,549, which includes 256 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM.

The Surface 3 Core i5 will be available June 20, and Microsoft says the other versions will be available in August.

NEXT: Microsoft Partners React To Surface 3 Unveiling

Printer-friendly version Email this CRN article


text:
Rhubarb Vanilla Sponge Cake

Screen Shot 2015-03-13 at 11.47.33 PM

A version of this post first appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Sweet Paul Magazine.

Happy five year anniversary to Sweet Paul! What a beautiful five years it’s been. And Spring is a wonderful season in which to celebrate.

When Paul told me this was the anniversary issue, I naturally wanted to bake a cake – a fruit filled cake of course. And since this column is all about preserving the seasons I set out to create a jam worthy of a Sweet Paul celebration.

Rhubarb is one of my Spring favorites. Botanically a vegetable, rhubarb breaks the canning rule thatvegetables are low acid foods by being almost as acidic as citrus. As it cooks down this jam turns a brilliant shade of pink, the apples, sugar and vanilla add sweet and sultry notes, and the salt brings out the acidity. A rule breaker jam that’s beautiful, tangy and sweet – sounds like Paul to me!

Of course, you can enjoy this jam in a multitude of ways from topping toast to pairing with pork (Paul’s suggestion), and it is just sublime in an almond sponge cake with dark chocolate coconut ganache. See the full recipe for the jam and cake below.

Vanilla Rhubarb Jam
4 medium apples, peeled
7 cups diced rhubarb
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

Core and finely chop or puree apples. In a wide saucepan, mix with rhubarb, sugar, vanilla and salt.

Cook over medium heat until the jam is thickened and starts to appear dry, about 20 minutes.

Cool jam and refrigerate. Or, to can the jam, pour it into warm, clean jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Almond Sponge Cake
Yields 3 6-inch pans, 2 9-inch pans, or one bundt pan.

1/3 cup cold waterAlmond Cake with Vanilla Rhubarb Jam
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon

1 cup almond flour
½ cup millet flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

6 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups sugar, separated

Heat oven to 350˚F.

Grease and flour pans.

In a small bowl, mix together the water, vanilla, lemon juice and zest and set aside.

in a separate bowl, sift the flours together with the baking powder and salt.

In a third large bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy.

Statring with the wet ingredients, stir the wet and dry ingredients into yolk mixture in stages, starting and ending with wet.

Beat the egg whites until stiff with ½ cup of the sugar.

Fold some whites into the yolk mixture and then add that mixture to the remaining whites.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, tapping the pans to level them and bring any large bubbles to the surface.

Bake the cakes at 350˚ for 30 to 40 minutes or until the center of the cake just springs back to the touch.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Ganache
14 ounces good quality dark chocolate bar chopped in small chunks or chips
1 – 13.5 oz can coconut milkAlmond Cake with Rhubarb Jam and Chocolate Ganache
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt

Put chocolate in a large heat safe bowl.

Bring coconut milk just to a boil and pour over chocolate. Allow milk and chocolate to sit for about two minutes and then stir together.

Stir the milk and chocolate together until very smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt.

Allow the ganache to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before glazing the cake.

Photography by Paul Lowe.

2 thoughts on “Rhubarb Vanilla Sponge Cake

  1. Bonnie Williams on said:

    I just baked this cake and the layers fell terribly. I followed the recipe carefully and even had new baking powder. I folded the stiff egg whites , and the batter was lovely and light when I placed the 3-6″ pans in the oven. Temp. was correct and I did not open or move the pans while baking. This is a birthday cake but I guess I’m lucky I baked it ahead of time. I can’t use these. What could have gone wrong?

    • Michaela on said:

      Hi Bonnie. I’m sorry to hear that your cakes fell terribly! You’ve covered many of the usual suspects for a falling sponge – oven temp, baking powder, folding the egg whites. One of the other possibilities is over-beating. After you beat together the sugar and egg yolks until they are light and fluffy, did you stir the wet and dry ingredients in? Continuing to beat after the flour is added is sometimes a culprit. Also, were the cakes fully cooked at the end and just dense or were they not cooked all the way through after the allotted time? I really enjoy making this cake and I’d love to help you figure this out.

Leave a Reply