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Tell Me About This | Real Estate | Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City Weekly

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Tell Me About This

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Many people move to Salt Lake City because they’ve been accepted to Westminster College or the University of Utah. When they arrive they often want to buy a home or condo, as they will be attached to their higher-ed program for several years and don’t want to rent. I often get this question from buyers, “So tell me about this Sugar Hood?”

That Sugar “Hood” is really named Sugar House. Some people spell it as one word, others as two words. The Community Council there spells it as two words, and provides information of the boundaries at Most folks consider the corner of 1100 East and 2100 South as the heart of the neighborhood, and even more will debate you on its boundaries to the east, west, north and south.

The actual area was settled 1853, and here’s my story of this neighborhood’s history: First, the Mormon leader Brigham Young wanted a sugar mill to produce sugar from sugar beets. The seeds were ordered and the pioneers planted acres of the ugly, gigantic, jicama-looking root plants to be the new cash crop. Sugar was as valuable as gold back then, and the Mormon in charge of ordering the machinery was quoted in the local paper as saying, “We need sugar. The sisters won’t like to get along without their tea.” The new business wasn’t profitable and the building was converted into a paper mill, and a bucket factory (among other things). It was located in Sugar House Park. Then, the area became the land for the Utah State Penitentiary. Yes, the first big prison was right there where you sled, swing, walk your dog or play soccer. The first warden was Albert Rockwood and, according to Utah history, there were 244 prison cells. The place was torn down in 1951 and moved to the Point of the Mountain.

My favorite bits of trivia about Sugar House are: 1. For a few years (way back when) they had a huge Turkey Days celebration each year before Thanksgiving and threw live turkeys off the roof of the Rockwood Furniture store for people to catch and take home to butcher. Thousands of people would come to watch and catch. 2. The most famous inmate of the Penitentiary to be executed was union leader Joe Hill, back in 1915. Joan Baez wrote a song about him, and there are numerous books and Websites about the possible trumped up charges and how he was set up to die. 3. All the exterior walls of the Granite Furniture building are made of petrified wood rocks.

Nowadays, the Sugar Hood has become one of the most popular parts of Salt Lake City proper to live in or shop. It’s been named in the past as the “most walkable” town in the USA. The Community Council there is the largest bunch of involved citizens in neighborhood planning I’ve ever met, and I should know…I met a lot of ‘em as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner for SLC for eight years! Sugar House will be getting back a trolley track/train like it did in the old days, and soon a tunnel will be built under 1300 East so folks can walk safely along Parleys Creek in the future from the park down to the library and west.

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Trading Up

They'll never receive a badge of courage for it, but European Union leaders and President Bush have stuck their necks out lately to expand global free trade.

On a campaign swing through key Midwestern states, Mr. Bush tried to convince voters - many of them government-supported farmers or workers laid off after their jobs went overseas - that Americans can retool themselves or their businesses to compete in a more globalized economy.

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And he's told his chief trade negotiator that he wants a new global trade pact by July, despite the coming election.

Then last week, European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy made a dramatic concession by proposing to eliminate export subsidies to farmers in the 25-member EU. That agricultural aid, costing taxpayers more than $3.6 billion a year, was a main reason that talks to create a new global pact collapsed last September in Cancún, Mexico. Developing nations said they wouldn't even begin to make trade concessions if their farmers had to compete unfairly with subsidized rich farmers in the West who can flood world markets with their products.

Now the EU has followed a US move made last January and laid a critical portion of its agricultural aid on the table as another trade barrier to be cut down. The move has given new life to the so-called Doha round of multilateral negotiations. Those talks are meant to further open up markets in agriculture, services, and other sectors that the 1994 creation of the World Trade Organization failed to address.

While the EU offer comes with some conditions and faces the ire of French farmers, the EU's current leaders nonetheless decided they couldn't take the blame for Doha's failure on their watch (the talks faced a December deadline). And with the global economy growing again, making trade concessions is easier. Most of all, freer trade is seen as uplifting poor nations to make them less susceptible to worldwide problems such as AIDS and terrorism.

The main burden in the negotiations now falls on poor nations. They must propose cuts in tariffs. It's not easy to show the future benefits of expanded trade while facing the transitional costs of helping farmers or workers adjust. It takes courage to stand up for open markets and people's ability to be globally competitive.

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Interest rate hikes: Wall Street expects three more in 2016

The Fed is expected to raise interest rates for the first time in nine years this week, and as many as three more times next year, according to a recent survey.

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Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen prepares to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Banking Committee earlier this year. The financial world’s worst-kept secret is that the Federal Reserve is all but sure to raise interest rates from record lows, on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. The uncertainty is what the Fed will say about how much and how fast it expects to raise rates again in coming months.

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Markets expect the Fed to hike interest rates this week and as many as three more times next year, according to the CNBC Fed Survey, and respondents believe it's bad for stocks, housing and the economy.

As a result, the 42 respondents, including money managers, economists and strategists, have boosted the probability of a recession in the next year to 22.9 percent, the fifth straight increase and the highest level since 2012.

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"No one has successfully gotten off zero," writes Jim Bianco, founder of Bianco Research. "The Japanese tried in 2006 (hike once and then cut). The ECB tried in a 2010 hike (once and then cut to negative). What the Fed is about to do is unprecedented."

"Never before has the Fed initiated a series of rate hikes amid a high-yield spread above 600 bp, a rising default rate, flat to lower profits, sluggish business sales and severe industrial commodity price deflation," said John Lonski, chief economist at Moody's. Fed ChairJanet Yellen is expected to explain the reason for the central bank's decision on Wednesday.

On the plus side, the negative effects of rate hikes are not viewed as being extreme. On a scale of -5 to 5, the overall economic effect average is just -0.2. Bond prices are seen taking the worst of it, with an average -1.2 and housing is next with -0.7. Consumer spending is actually seen benefiting slightly.

"Six years into this economic cycle, ZIRP (zero interest rate policy) is now penalizing savers more than it is rewarding borrowers," said John Augustine, chief investment officer of Huntington National Bank.

Overall, 38 percent of respondents think the process of rate normalization will end badly for the U.S. economy, 44 percent see it as neutral and 13 percent believe it ends well.

While respondents on average see three rate hikes in 2016, they are actually quite divided: a third expects just two, a third expects as many as four and 21 percent look for three. About 60 percent see the next hike after December coming in March. The funds rate is seen hitting just 0.9 percent next year, 1.61 percent in 2017 en route to a terminal rate of 2.6 percent in early 2018, which is lower than the prior survey.

On average, respondents also see the Fed allowing its balance sheet to begin declining at the end of next year.

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"One-third of active investors have never seen a rate hike and think it is the end of the world," writes Art Hogan, director of equity research of Wunderlich Securities. "It is not."

Stocks are expected to offer modest returns during the next two years amid Fed rate increases. The S&P is seen closing next year at 2,140, up 5.8 percent from the current level. In 2017, the S&P is seen rising to 2,223, or a 10 percent gain from the current level in two years.

The 10-year Treasury yield is expected to rise to around 2.67 percent next year and nudge above 3 percent in 2017. But respondents overwhelmingly say a rate hike on Wednesday is already baked into the stock and bond markets.

Some are more optimistic on stocks. Writes Scott Wren, global equity strategist of the Wells Fargo Investment Institute: "Nobody is chasing this market as we sit just 4 percent below the all-time record high in the S&P 500. Retail investors are underinvested in stocks and sitting on too much cash."

Wall Street lowered its forecast for GDP, seeing growth of 2.3 percent this year and around 2.4 percent for the next two years. Global economic weakness is by far seen as the biggest threat facing the U.S. economic recovery. Inflation is expected to tick up next year and to finally reach 2.12 percent by the end of 2017, but many don't see much of it and question whether hiking rates without inflation makes sense.

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Hurricane Earl cooking secrets: what to eat if you're without power

Hurricane Earl could knock out power and services as it makes its way up the eastern seaboard. Here's what shoppers should grab if they're stocking up for Hurricane Earl.

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A worker boards up an oceanfront window in Atlantic Beach, N.C., ahead of Hurricane Earl on Wednesday.

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Here's a scenario some people are dealing with this week: Hurricane Earl is bearing down. You've been told you don't need to evacuate, but you could be without power for a couple of days, maybe longer. Your windows are boarded. Your flashlights and portable radios sport fresh batteries. Your yard is cleared of potential wind-launched projectiles.

But what sort of food have you squirreled away?

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That's a question that ate at Marcia Magnus after watching people grab food from grocery-store shelves in advance of one of five tropical cyclones that hit Florida in 2004.

"People were getting as much canned meat as they could find – Spam, sausage, corned beef," says the assistant professor of dietetics and nutrition at Florida International University in Miami, Fla., and a consultant to UNICEF. "That's the worst thing you can do."

Shoppers cleared out the meats section of the canned-goods aisle while virtually ignoring shelves holding canned vegetables, as well as canned and dried beans and peas – to say nothing of the fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole-grain products still available.

The outcome of that experience: "The Healthy Hurricane/Disaster Cookbook," an 18-page set of tips for gathering and storing food in advance of a storm, as well as several pages of recipes that take no electricity to prepare.

Out are foods heavy in fat, salt, and sugar. In are crab dip, shrimp cole slaw, or cashew chicken-salad sandwiches. Breakfasts? Try oatmeal laced with raisins, dried apricots, and cranberry sauce, and moistened with low-fat soy milk.

Just be sure to have a hand-operated can opener at the ready.

The challenge, Dr. Magnus says, is that "under post-disaster conditions, everybody is at maximum anxiety levels. If there isn't physical loss, there often is emotional loss. What we tend to do when we have emotional loss is find comfort in food. And we don't usually find it in vegetables."

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Yet it's at these times of high anxiety that it's most important to take in the nutrients a human needs to function well, "and not just the tastes that you want," she says.

To give people a blueprint for dining with Earl or any other uninvited tropically cyclonic guest, Magnus enlisted the help of 16 students in one of her 2004 public-health courses to develop and test the recipes, as well as compile a pre-storm culinary to-do list.

Among the preparation tips: Store drinking water in plastic jugs (1 gallon a day per person), then store them in the freezer so they can help keep the freezer section chilled if the power fails. Any water for cooking is in addition to this drinking-water supply.

By all means buy perishable fruit and vegetables, but buy the least ripe fruit. And rinse and refrigerate both before the power fails. After rinsing, wrap vegetables in paper towels before putting them in the refrigerator to absorb any remaining moisture.

Indeed, pack the fridge and freezer with as much food as is practical, she advises. The more refrigerators contain, the colder their contents will remain for longer periods of time after the electricity fails.

Pick up whole-grain breads of various kinds and store them in the fridge as well.

For the whole hurricane-cooking enchilada, you can download the cookbook here.

And if you don't live in hurricane country? The tips can readily be applied to any disaster-preparedness effort, Mangus says. The Healthy Hurricane Cook Book isn't just for hurricanes anymore.

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The Critical Dozen - The Dozen Things President Zuma Must Do

There are a dozen critical things that President Zuma must personally attend to during the remaining four years of his presidency to ensure a legacy of admiration and respect.

The country is sliding into a muddle of belligerent activism that must be quelled otherwise we will soon see public protests becoming waves of violent revolt, flames and ruin. The youth especially, is under threat of being usurped by revolutionaries and opportunists. The twelve actions must be undertaken promptly and coherently to produce and broadcast the positive resonance that will galvanize and save the nation from ruin. The actions will stop the slide into misery and will build a legacy of safety, unity, enterprise and prosperity for which the president will be remembered.

The actions are:

1.       Publicly demand zero tolerance for poor public service delivery. Demanding and measuring performance excellence on a task and project basis, will change behaviour and citizens will soon experience the positive effects of efficiency and effectiveness.

2.        Appoint senior executives in the public service on the basis of proficiency and proven excellence. Ensure that the qualifications of all public officials are valid and that promotions are based on sterling accomplishments.

3.       Ban public demonstrations in public roads, barricading of roads and burning of tyres and buildings. Create a public service delivery grievance resolution procedure involving the media, which results in immediate investigations and corrections.

4.       Compensate and reward teachers for tuition excellence and youth development. Institute a process that ensures our school education system and teacher compensation structure is on par with the best in the world.

5.       Make high school education free. Reduce the high school drop-out rate and youth substance abuse by increasing funding to public schools to cover school fees, cost of uniforms and sport, nourishment and transport.

6.       Implement a strategy to make our soccer internationally competitive and popular. Make soccer the first choice official school sport and establish at least one soccer academy for talented players in every town with a sizable young people population.

7.       Launch a patriotism building drive and secure a national patriotic bond between all black, coloured and white South Africans. Put in place an Apartheid forgiveness and reconciliation process that unifies all races in shared patriotism.

8.       Reward small enterprise owners for successful employment, on-job training and retention of young people. Reduce the funding for employee training going to state education and training agencies and channel the funds to entrepreneurs on the basis of fixed employment and job-creation performance history and value-added on-job training.

9.       Put the police force through social virtues and moral values training. Ensure that every police officer undergoes training in the root causes of crime and violence and the effects of substance abuse, crime, violence, virtues and values on human behaviour.

10.   Turn prisons for non-lifers into craft training centres. Establish a craft training centre in every prison and train those prisoners who are incarcerated for more than one year, but less than five years, in a craft and set of skills that will ensure employability on release.

11.   Prohibit the building of shacks and un-serviced settlements for the poor and authorise regional municipal councils to build decent housing and infrastructure on suitable vacant ground owned by the state.

12.   Shield and protect the President against political and media attacks that harm his reputation and dignity and give rise to citizen shame, hopelessness and interracial ill-will in communities. Find a way to get rid of the ills and wrongs of the past and a way to engage and build the future with confidence.

The mental, emotional and spiritual influence in our society of doing and succeeding with the above critical dozen will generate the hope, enthusiasm and resolve that is needed to turn South Africa into a winning nation within four years. The President’s tolerant nature and charismatic style of leadership will ensure that he will succeed with the above and all South Africans will benefit.

Martin Jansen 2014-08-21 04:25:22 PM
A dozen things will take him years. Just do one simple thing; go play in the traffic.
Margaret Cox 2014-08-21 05:51:27 PM
And do you think Zuma gives a toss about anything that doesn't bother him personally?


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Man held for Bryanston stabbing

Johannesburg - A man was arrested in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday in connection with the stabbing of a woman in Bryanston, Johannesburg, Gauteng police said.

"The suspect was on the run following the murder of a woman on Saturday afternoon at the corner of Peter Place and Karen Street, Bryanston," police spokesperson Tsekiso Mofokeng said.

The 42-year-old would appear in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

The woman was found around 17:00 on Saturday by a passer-by after being stabbed multiple times.

On Sunday, ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak said the woman, believed to be in her late 30s, died after being stabbed about 50 times.

"It is understood that another woman and her child were driving along Peter Place when the child noticed [the woman] lying near a boom gate at an office park," Vermaak said.

"Paramedics found the injured woman barely responsive and breathing. Paramedics indicated that she [the victim] lost a vast amount of blood and counted approximately 50 stab wounds on her body."

Vermaak said the woman was rushed to the Medi-Clinic Sandton for further care, but she died.

Beeld newspaper reported that she told the woman who had stopped to help her and that it was her husband who had stabbed her.

The Star on Tuesday reported that the woman was stabbed on the premises of a Sandton company by her husband.

The man, believed to be her husband, reportedly did not arrive for work on Monday.

Blood had to be cleaned off the walls and floor of the office, according to the paper.

David Jones 2014-08-19 06:47:08 PM
Now and then we will read about women killings or stoning in Arab countries. But it seems like RSA men are worse than them a hundred fold.


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News & Opinion » News

PHOTONICS: Building Rochester's future

This article has been corrected.

Rochester was handed a big task when the Department of Defense picked the city to anchor a national photonics effort. The region has a central role in growing a domestic ultra-high-tech industry out of research, lab projects, and the few super-high-end products already on the market.

It's been a year, almost to the day, since Vice President Joe Biden flew into town to announce that Rochester would be the home of what's now known as AIM Photonics. That news generated a lot of excitement, especially among politicians who boldly predicted that the effort would lead to thousands of jobs.

Those jobs haven't materialized yet, but local companies and people involved in the initiative aren't worried. Integrated photonics — which weds miniaturized optical systems with electronic computer chips — is an industry that's just found its footing, they say. Job growth will come a few years down the line, after companies get to a point where they have mature products ready to be manufactured, they say.

"What people didn't understand when the announcement got made was nobody is making these things yet," says Tom Battley, executive director of Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster and New York Photonics, a trade association and lobbying group. "They're still trying to figure out how to do it. So the research and development portion is needed before any manufacturing gets done, and there's really nothing to make yet."

Tom Battley.
  • Tom Battley.

The nascent effort had a rocky start. A few months in, a dispute over the location of AIM Photonics' headquarters went public in an ugly way. The feud was between some local leaders and representatives of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, which is in charge of AIM Photonics operations.

Legacy Tower, which is the former Bausch + Lomb office building, was ultimately chosen for the headquarters, but the clash caused many people to wonder whether the photonics institute was doomed before it even got off the ground.

But some in the local photonics industry say that the quarrel, while certainly not helpful, amounted to growing pains with little lasting impact.

Bryce Tennant, chief technology officer for Brockport-based Precision Optical Transceivers, says that sort of struggle would probably have happened anywhere. He's not worried about it and his company would rather focus on helping the broader effort succeed, he says. (The company has been part of AIM Photonics for a while, but officially became a member in late June.)

"AIM is a fantastic opportunity put in our lap," Tennant says.

The effort has momentum, he says. Universities and companies, including Precision Optical Transceivers, are working on projects through AIM Photonics. And more partners are coming on board.

Another sign of progress: a state board recently approved $106 million in funding for operations and key facilities in the state. The majority of that money — $95 million — will be used to buy equipment and cover other costs to outfit a critical photonics tech development and testing facility in the Rochester area.

The budget is an important milestone, since it shows that AIM Photonics is serious about one of its primary objectives: getting technology out of research and development and into marketable products. The money also reaffirms the Rochester region as the hub of the broader national photonics initiative.

AIM Photonics is a massive undertaking. Within five years, the photonics collaborative is supposed to be self-sustaining and showing real gains toward developing a national photonics development and manufacturing industry.

Why doesn't Rochester have more photonics jobs yet?

The main reason is that companies have to develop things to manufacture. Manufacturing is where AIM Photonics representatives and participants expect the largest job gains, but that work is still a few years away.

Integrated photonics technologies aren't a pipe dream; they're already on the market in some of the very powerful (and expensive) switches that route massive amounts of traffic into, out of, and inside of data centers. Other researchers and firms have developed experimental products, such as biomedical sensors.

AIM Photonics' end goal is manufacturing; the US Department of Defense wants these technologies developed and produced domestically. So it's bringing together companies small and large, as well as academics, to work together to develop technologies and to transition them from labs to factories.

These companies and researchers will be able to license their innovations in some cases, and generally will be able to pursue some financial benefit from them, says Laura Magee, a spokesperson for Empire State Development. In other words, companies will have incentive to invest resources into research, development, and commercialization work.

Bryce Tennant. - PHOTO PROVIDED
  • Bryce Tennant.

Down the road, new jobs will be created through research and development work. Tennant says that Precision Optical Transceivers, which has 20 employees, plans to hire additional engineers as AIM Photonics grows, for example.

State and local leaders also expect that companies in the field will want to have a presence close to the resources that'll be available in the Rochester region. That may mean that out-of-area companies relocate here or open offices here, and either scenario could mean job gains for the region.

A handful of high-level positions have been filled. Some are essentially operations jobs; Ed White, a longtime Kodak executive, was hired to handle corporate relations for AIM Photonics, a move that has drawn praise. The photonics institute has also made technical hires for a forthcoming development and testing facility, though some of those people were already part of AIM, Magee says.

Representatives from Empire State Development and SUNY Polytechnic did not provide the number of hires.

Monroe Community College, University of Rochester, and Rochester Institute of Technology have workforce development programs in the works to make sure that Rochester residents are able to get photonics-related jobs, and that the companies have the scientists, engineers, and manufacturing workers needed to make their products.

What's this development and testing facility, and the $95 million set aside for it all about?

The testing, assembly, and packaging facility, as it's called, is the first big investment for AIM Photonics, and it's a crucial part of the whole effort. Dolores Kruchten, who is Kodak's vice president for the Eastman Business Park, says nothing like it exists in the United States as far as she knows.

There may be good reason for that: the equipment is too expensive for most companies to buy and install on their own. But a collaborative, multi-user facility such as TAP would give companies access which, in turn, will help get their products into production.

In short, the state buys the equipment, sets up the facility, and then the dues-paying members that belong to the collaborative — AIM Photonics in this case — get access in order to work on their products. SUNY Polytechnic used a similar model to build up the Capital Region semiconductor industry.

Albany's semiconductor foundries will fabricate silicon wafers — completed photonics chips, basically — designed by AIM Photonics members. Silicon wafer production is complicated, and since Albany already has the facilities and expertise, it makes sense for the work to happen there.

But the wafers will then be sent to Rochester's TAP facility, where companies will "package" and assemble the chips for use in products, and test the chips as well as the systems that they're components of.

"That's the Rochester portion of how we're going to benefit from this in terms of direct connection," Battley, of the trade association says. "We will take the devices; slice them, dice them, test them, and integrate them into packages that people can then put in their products."

Packaging wafers is a complex process that goes beyond simply covering them with materials such as glass, plastics, or other materials. The photonics chips are tiny and extremely sensitive. And during packaging, light sources have to be connected to the almost microscopic optical channels in the chip. It's precise, time consuming work.

Packaging is the most expensive part of making a complete photonics chip, says Bob Duffy, chair of the AIM Photonics Leadership Council and president of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.

Where will the TAP facility be located?

This is one of the next big decisions around AIM Photonics. Empire State Development, which is the state's economic development arm, will solicit proposals for the location, but the two front runners are Kodak-owned Eastman Business Park and SUNY Polytechnic-owned space at Canal Ponds Business Park in Greece.

It's possible, though unlikely, that neither site is chosen; TAP could also be split between more than one site, Duffy says. So some equipment and work could go to Canal Ponds, some to Eastman Business Park, for example.

The money budgeted for TAP equipment and renovation is site-neutral, and the decision on the location will be based on technical specifications developed by some of AIM Photonics' scientific leaders, Duffy says.

  • Dolores Kruchten.

Canal Ponds and Eastman Business Park have clean room, assembly, lab, and office space in single buildings. All of those are necessary for TAP.

Kodak's Kruchten says that Eastman Business Park is built for R&D and manufacturing work, and that the staff has experience scaling-up complex technologies and products for production.

The park also has space that companies, including start-ups, can move into, she says. State officials have already pegged Eastman Business Park as a likely location for photonics manufacturing operations.

Ultimately, Kruchten expects activity at Canal Ponds, Eastman Business Park, and other locations.

"With the size of this project, I think you're going to find every clean room in Rochester and broader that will be leveraged," she says. "The thing no one knows is how long will that take, from when they have their first product or their first piece that's packaged, to when it actually starts going into product."

Some of Eastman Business Park's backers point to another reason that the park should get the TAP facility: state and federal investigations into SUNY Polytechnic. The investigations center on whether SUNY Poly President Alain Kaloyeros and a lobbyist hired by the school, Todd Howe, rigged bids for certain projects. The federal investigation deals with the Buffalo Billion, while the state investigation deals with a SUNY Poly dorm.

They say that Canal Ponds could get caught up in legal complications if the investigations lead to charges.

It's not clear when a decision on the TAP facility's location will be made, since Empire State Development hasn't released its proposal request. But Duffy says that the facility should be up and running by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

What kinds of projects will local companies work on?

Some local optics and photonics companies are hanging back and waiting to see where the overall effort heads. Precision Optical Transceivers is not one of them.

The company produces optical transceivers, which are essential in fiber optic networks. They receive encoded light from the fibers, translate it into data that a device's chips can use, and transmit encoded light back into the network. Some of the company's transceivers are used in fiber Internet modems, for example.

Data communication just so happens to be a focus area for AIM Photonics. And Precision Optical Transceivers wants to provide better systems for its customers, which means driving up the quality and speed of its equipment while cutting down its power usage and costs. The company sees integrated photonics technologies, particularly the subset of silicon photonics, as the way to accomplish that.

Precision Optical Transceivers has already started on a project through AIM Photonics, working with professors at Rochester Institute of Technology and Columbia University. Another company is working on the same project, so there will probably be a chance for the businesses to collaborate, Tennant says. Because intellectual property is involved, however, Tennant couldn't discuss details.

It's costing the company money and time to participate in AIM Photonics; it's a Tier 3 member, and is covering its $100,000 obligation partly in cash and partly through in-kind contributions, Tennant says. And it wants to move up a tier within the next year.

But Tennant considers the cost an investment. Within five years, the company will have access to a cutting-edge factory, will have better products to offer customers, and will have built connections across the photonics industry and academia, he says.

"How do I put a number on that investment?" Tennant says. "You can't."

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Install Wings 3D on Mac OSX

About the App

Install the App

  1. Press Command+Space and type Terminal and press enter/return key.
  2. Run in Terminal app:
    ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL" < /dev/null 2> /dev/null ; brew install caskroom/cask/brew-cask 2> /dev/null
    and press enter/return key. Wait for the command to finish.
  3. Run:
    brew cask install wings3d

Done! You can now use Wings 3D.

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The Courage To Go On: Taking Care of Children After A Major Surgery

January 19, 2013  |

Who will care for your children when you are released?

The naïve social worker looked empathetically at me.

As I lay in my hospital gown, I stared that women in the eye and said:

“I will take care of them – end of story.”

Her shock should not have surprised me. I had just been taken off Propifol (yeah, the meds that Michael Jackson took) and maybe it clouded my vision. I had suffered a bilateral hemorrhage, a stroke. I was given a fifty percent chance of survival. I was told that it was a miracle that I could function – walk, talk, all of it.

Fast forward – 2 weeks after being discharged there were no outward signs of my disability. All that I was experiencing I kept to myself. My mom, fooled by my brave façade had gone back home, my husband to work, and I was left alone for 12 hour long days with a one month old and a 2 year old. What was I going to do?

Expectant moms who had a fear of poop, or anxiety around bathing newborns, after giving birth, we often realize that maternal instincts are just that – instinctual. I had the stroke just a week after giving birth to my second son. I was weak. But my children needed me. Maternal instincts did kick in, but I learned quickly that I had to be purposeful about the way I approached raising my babies.

If you just had a surgery or a major diagnosis that has killed your spirit – here are some of the things that I have utilized throughout my recovery that helped me both emotionally and practically;

Trending on MadameNoire

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Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN


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Apr 142014

La Fi is the voice of The Thulukan Chronicles. La Fi’s real name is Fiona Bartlett Thulukan and she tells the story of magic returning to Earth. We see her and Thulu’s (her husband) roles change and expand through the course of the series.

La Fi was described by one reviewer as a reluctant heroine and I think this is apt. Throughout the three novelettes, as well as the novels, she prefers to fly under the radar in spite of her special gifts. La Fi is able to see and speak to the dead. She’s also able to understand any language, whether she knows it or not. It’s her connection to those who have not yet passed on that gives her a unique perspective on the world. As the world around her changes, it is her connection to the dead which actually serves as her anchor.

Her sense of humor tends to be dry and she has a paranoia about being locked up and studied in a lab somewhere. Throughout all the changes and turmoil around her, she maintains a very stoic view, showing an inner strength, that has yet to be shaken. However, that may (or may not) change in Book 3.  🙂

What will tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “M” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

 April 14, 2014  Posted by at 12:27 AM Home Tagged with: , , , ,  Add comments

  2 Responses to “A to Z Challenge – L is for La Fi”

  1. I love the concept of a reluctant heroine!

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Vintage Better Homes and Gardens 1956

Don’t you just love to get special gifts in the mail? It is Christmas time now so I am sure lots of things are arriving in the mail but a few months back I received a package completely out of the blue from a good friend who also happens to be a fellow vintage lover. […]


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Auras and Kirlian Photography

A Pentagram that has absorbed some of the owner's aura
A Pentagram that has absorbed some of the owner’s aura

You don’t need any psychic powers to see auras but for those who are a bit sceptical (I used to be!) Kirlian Photograpy can show you some proof. It was discovered by the Russian scientists Semyon and Valentina Kirlian when they accidently touched camera film through an electrical current that had been generated by connecting two metal electrodes (small poles) to an electrical source. When the film was developed they saw a glow round the hand that they thought was the life force, what many call the aura of living things, but also things like crystals, rock, metal and minerals.

A Leaf that still 'remembered' part of it's aura, hours after the corner was cut off
A Leaf that still ‘remembered’ part of it’s aura, hours after the corner was cut off

Kirlian photography can show many things, from when a plant has a leaf cut off it remembers it in the aura for a few hours, or a sigil or jewellery kept near the body temporarily absorbs some of the owners aura.

Interestingly one photo I saw shows two people about to kiss, their auras have merged already. I compared this to another photo where two people who don’t like each other have their fingers close but the auras are keeping tightly away from each other.

Is Aura photography genuine?

Many people are skeptical about Aura photography when it is done of the head and shoulders.  Skeptic’s Dictionary explains that true Kirlian Photography is contact based, therefore the item must touch the camera for it to work.

What is the aura?

Auras are thought to be the emissions of photons of light, and tiny electrical currents that exist in the body.  This is what the aura is made of (although for more detailed info check this Wikipedia link), but the next question is, what does the aura signify?

What does the aura mean and what can Kirlian photography be used for?

Many believe auras can be used to diagnose illnesses in the body, and also to interpret moods, and give insights on people’s personality.  For instance a common colour for a spiritual teacher’s aura is yellow or gold.  Someone who is meditating is likely to emit a purple/pink aura.

As well as being able to show physical illnesses, they can also indicate energy blockages, which may be caused by emotional issues, among other things. It can also be used to show a before and after image of energy flows, when someone has had healing, to demonstrate the removal of energy blockages.

Kirlian Photography used to diagnose energy blockages
Kirlian Photography can be used to diagnose energy blockages

This photo, taken from Full Spectrum, shows one hand emitting a much weaker aura.  Full Spectrum explain the meaning:

StormJewel's Psychic Readings

‘there is more radiation on the left compared with the right suggesting more right (emotional) brain activity. Energy flow is restricted and needs a yang correction.

This can be interpreted as follows: The individual has a lot of ‘heart’ but is holding back emotionally, inhibiting their ability to express themselves freely. ‘

Interestingly, Kirlian photography can also be done on foods, to show the difference between organic and processed foods.

Although there is little scientific evidence to support it, many people believe and have experienced (including some I have met) that eating a raw food diet makes you feel much more healthy and alive, because the energy you are getting from your food is much stronger. Kirlian Photography supports this.

Aura from an organic bean sprout
Aura from an organic bean sprout
Aura from an organic lentil sprout cooked for 2-3 mins
Aura from an organic lentil sprout cooked for 2-3 min

As you can see, the lentil sprout on the right, which was blanched for only two minutes, has a much smaller aura, and this leads people to believe that there is much more nutrition and vital energy to be gained from the raw sprout.

Can you see auras without Kirlian Photography?

Yes! – With a little practice.  Although they do look a bit different when seen with the naked eye.  Part 2, how to see auras and more about what they mean!

What do you think about Kirlian Photography? Genuine or not?  Have you got a Kirlian Camera or tried it with a friend’s one?

StormJewel's Psychic Readings

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Book review: A Thousand Mornings

Book review: A Thousand Mornings
The Penguin Press, New York, 2012
82 pages

Mary Oliver does it again with A Thousand Mornings, a short collection of poetry that offers her signature realism and wholesome, literal evocation of her tasteful and spectacularly insightful reactions to the world around her, and around us.

The reader is never in doubt about what she’s saying—obscurity is not her thing, and disjointed word play and annoying sentence fragments are not her thing. I take instruction from Mary Oliver every time I read her work.

There is calm, quiet joy in her words. She invites the reader to respect stillness. Here’s an excerpt from “Today”

“…But I’m taking the day off.
Quiet as a feather.
I hardly move though really I’m traveling
a terrific distance.

Stillness. One of the doors
into the temple.”

Copyright © Richard Carl Subber 2016 All rights reserved.

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text: I've looked at the Bulk Import stuff, and I'm curious as to whether it's possible to achieve the same effects but avoiding having to format the CSV file in a special way? Ideally, I'd like to be able to switch the database into a creation mode - I don't mind giving up concurrent access, transactions or anything like that, I'm purely interested in creating a database with as much speed as possible with a varying range of types as far as possible, without throwing away (too much) SQL compatibility. Also, is it possible to get some notification when a database is recovering? It just seems to take forever in the boot stage and progress information would be desirable. Finally, we wish to enumerate metadata for an arbitary SQL query in the fastest possible way - what is the suggested way of achieving this? We need to know basically the column names and types of a given query (preferably without having to parse the SQL ourselves!) I assume that Derby already knows this, but at the moment we actually execute the query (which has it's own performance bottleneck). Sorry for the laundry list of questions, just wondering if there are any good answers :)


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16 September 2007

Theme: The Power to Encourage. Illustrate your favorite word of encouragement (word included in art) regular post card size sent through postal system
Documentation to participants.

Arranging to display works in Dundas Art Gallery (Dundas, ONT) some time next year. Mail Art is not widely known in this area.
Deadline to be received: February 15, 2008

204 - 1928 Main St. W.
Hamilton, ON L8S 1J4

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Maine: An Encyclopedia

Cape Elizabeth

Location Map for Cape Elizabeth

Location Map, Cape Elizabeth

Year Population
1970 7,873
1980 7,838
1990 8,854
2000 9,068
2010 9,015
Cape Elizabeth Population Chart 1790-2010

Population Trend 1790-2010

Geographic Data
N. Latitude 43:33:37
W. Latitude 70:12:38
Maine House Dist 30,32
Maine Senate District 29
Congress District 1
Area sq. mi. (total) 58.4
Area sq. mi. (land) 14.7
Population/sq.mi. (land) 613.3
County: Cumberland

Total=land+water; Land=land only

Clipper Ships Built Here

  • Black Squall–1850
  • Snow Squall–1851
  • Warner–1851
  • Phoenix–1853
  • Portland–1853
Fire Control Tower for Battery 201, Two Lights State Park (2007)

Fire Control Tower for Battery 201, Two Lights State Park (2007)

Sign: Welcome to Cape Elizabeth (2002)[CAPE ELIZ-ah-beth] a town in Cumberland County, incorporated on November 1, 1765 as a District from a portion of ancient Falmouth, most of which became Portland in 1786. On August 23, 1775 it was incorporated as a town.

On March 15, 1895 the town was split, a portion forming South Portland and the remainder retaining the name Cape Elizabeth. The sharp drop in population in the chart below documents the results of the division.

The earliest European presence was on Richmond Island, off the southern portion of the town.  It was visited about 1605 by Samuel de Champlain and was the site of a trading post in 1628.

Sprague Hall, Grange No. 242 (2002)

Sprague Hall, Grange No. 242 (2002)

The area was first settled by Europeans in the 1630’s and shared the difficulties of frontier life and Indian raids as did the surrounding “ancient Falmouth” area. In 1635 John Winter, who had a fishing station there, established Maine’s first shipyard on Richmond Island. Letters to his patron in England describe the scene, according to William Rowe:

We see the various buildings go up, the boats’ crews arrive from England go out with their lines and bait, returning with their fare, sometimes good, sometimes light. . . . We read Winter’s orders to his patron for clothing, strong waters, and fishing gear, or the iron work of a vessel he is building.

The clipper ship Snow Squall was built at the Alford Butler shipyard in 1851, along with others in Cape Elizabeth.

Currently a wealthy suburb of Portland, the town has a scenic coastline and a series of attractions including lighthouses at Two Lights State Park, Crescent Beach State Park, Fort Williams, and Portland Head Light. Just offshore shines Ram Island Ledge Light Station.

Olympic gold medalist runner Joan Benoit Samuelson was born in Cape Elizabeth, as was film director John Ford.

Sunset on Casco Bay (2007)

Sunset on Casco Bay

Site of Battery 201 in Two Lights State Park (2007)

Site of Battery 201 in Two Lights State Park (2007)

Form of Government: Council-Manager

Additional resources

See also South Portland

Cape Elizabeth (Me.). Collected manuscripts. 1730-1865. References are made to the following: Oakes Angier, John Avery, Henry Baldwin, Barrett Potter, Benjamin Blackman, Jonathan and Joseph Cobb, William Davis, Benjamin Dix, David Drowne, John Emery, Moses Gill, Rebecka Goodwill, Samuel Haines, Capt. Hammen, William Hammond, Edward Hines, Samuel Jackson, Eleanor Lee, North Proctor, Joseph Sawyer, Benjamin Thrasher, Samuel Treat, Nancy Thurston, Stephen Thurston, John Wadsworth, Joshua Webb, Lucy Wheeler. Access restricted to serious research. Includes receipts, official lists, military orders, memoranda, commissions, accounts, one each: indenture, license, deed and affidavit. [University of Maine, Raymond H. Fogler Library, Special Collections]

Cape Elizabeth: Past to Present. Portland, Me. Associated Graphics/Portland Lithograph. 1991.

Collections from Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Cape Elizabeth. Town of Cape Elizabeth. 1965.

Isaacson, Dorris. Maine:A Guide Downeast, p. 462.

Jordan, William B. A History of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Bowie, MD. Heritage Books. 1987, 1965.

Jordan, William B. Chapters in the Early History of the Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. 1953.

Ledman, Paul J. A Maine Town Responds: Cape Elizabeth & South Portland in the Civil War. Cape Elizabeth, Me. Next Steps Publishing. 2003.

*United States. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. “Ram Island Ledge Light Station.” (accessed February 20, 2017)

Ray, Roger B. Cape Elizabeth and the American Revolution. Cape Elizabeth, Me. 1975.

Rowe, William Hutchinson. The Maritime History of Maine: Three Centuries of Ship Building and Seafaring. W.W. Norton. 1948. Reprinted: Gardiner, Me. Harpswell Press. 1989. Quote from p. 25.

Smith, Jared A. Sketch of Portland Harbor, Maine showing the improvements made in 1866-86, also projected improvements. [cartographic material] Washington, D.C. Government Printing Office. 1886. (including portions of Cape Elizabeth)

South Portland and Cape Elizabeth. Dover, N.H. Arcadia Publishing. 1995. (pictorial)

Thompson, Kenneth E. Portland Head Light & Fort Williams: an illustrated history with a walking guide map. Portland, Me. Thompson Group. 1998.

National Register of Historic Places – Listings

Beckett’s Castle

[off Maine Route 77]

Brown, C. A., Cottage

[9 Delano Park]

Dyer–Hutchinson Farm

[1148 Sawyer Road]

Portland Head Light

Portland Head Light (2001)

Portland Head Light (2001)

[Portland Head off Shore Road] Portland Headlight is one of the four lighthouses in whose construction was authorized by President Washington and that has never been rebuilt. The main section of the tower remains in the same form as when it was completed in 1790. First lighted 1791, the tower was built of stone taken from nearby fields and the shore.

The original structure was 72 feet high with a 15 foot lantern. In 1813, twenty feet was removed from the tower and in 1883 another 21 feet was removed. Due to public reaction, it was raised again with brickwork in 1885. In 1900, it was repaired using the original stones from the section that had been removed in 1813. The first keepers’ quarters was built in 1816. The current one was built in 1891 on the foundation of the old cottage.

Ram Island Ledge Light Station

Sailboat passing Ram Island Light in Casco Bay (2001)[Ram Island Ledge, Portland Harbor] This Light Station was established in 1905 to mark the hazardous and frequently submerged shoals at the northern side of the entrance to Portland Harbor. After the steamship California ran aground on the ledge in 1900, Congress appropriated funds in 1902 to begin construction of a light station on Ram Island Ledge. Work had not begun before the British schooner Glenrosa struck the reef during a heavy fog September 22, 1902. She was followed less than three months later by the fishing schooner Cora and Lillian.

These mishaps clearly illustrated the need for a light and fog signal on the island in the busy shipping lanes near Portland. The light in the 77 fo0t tower operated for the first time on April 10, 1905. Sixty years later it was automated.*

Richmond’s Island Archeological Site

[Address Restricted]

Spurwink Congregational Church

[Spurwink Avenue]

Two Lights

[off Maine Route 77] The lighted eastern (black capped) beacon is one of the most important along the northeast coast. Marking the entrance to Portland Harbor, it is a key navigation landmark. The twin towers also represent an era when double lights were used for ranging (finding one’s position at sea).

In 1811 a 50-foot rubblestone and lime mortar tower was built on the site of the east light by Revolutionary War General Henry Dearborn. In response to rapid growth in shipping, twin 65-foot stone beacons 129 feet above sea level were installed in 1827. Located 300 yards apart, the eastern tower showed a fixed light and the western, a flashing light 45 seconds on and off. In 1854, the new Fresnel lenses were added to both.

In 1855 the western light was discontinued. Protests, especially by fishermen who used the lights for triangulating the position of nets and traps, resulted in the light being restored in 1856.

Two Lights Western Tower (2002)

Western Tower (2002)

Two Lights Eaestern Tower (2002)

Eaestern Tower (2002)

In 1874, the stone towers were torn down and replaced by the cast iron structures now remaining. For economy in 1882 the western light was extinguished. Congressman Thomas B. Reed overturned the decision. Finally, despite protests, the western light was permanently extinguished in 1924. During the Second World War, it was stripped of its lantern and used as an observation post. In 1959, the tower along with 10½ acres, was sold by bid to the screen actor, Gary Merrill.* [See lighthouses.]

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Monday, February 8, 2010

Week 9: Last Post

It has been interesting completing the Web 2.0 exercises. There were some things I already know about such as Facebook, Youtube, Downloadable Media, NetLibrary, Tumblebooks, TumbleReadables and RSS feeds. However there were many terms and websites I had heard about so often but never bothered to find out what it was. I had seen many teenagers use Bebo on the computers but never knew that it was a social networking site just like Facebook. I did not know what "Podcast" was before I started this exercise. One of my favourite websites was "Flickr". I always had difficulty using Photo Wizard but Flickr made it so easy for me to touch up photos. I will definitely recommend this website to customers who need help with digital photography.

I learned many new things in the last couple of weeks. Thank you and I look forward to doing more exercises about Web 2.0!

Week 9: eBooks and eAudiobooks

I already know about netlibrary, tumble readables and tumblebooks. Customers have come up to me asking where to find an ebook and I have shown them how to use netlibrary. Netlibrary is extremely useful if you don't want to buy the book but want to read the contents for free. I would recommends TumbleReadables for early readers because it has a read along audio component along with the ebook. Also, there is a quiz after you finish the book to make sure the child understands the content of the book. Downloadable media is something I am not too keen on. As I said earlier in my blog, I don't like listening to audiobooks. I have recommended this software to several customers but it is extremely hard to give them exact instructions on how to use it because we cannot install it onto our library computers. All I can do is to show them the button where they can take a guided tour online and find out how to use it.

Week 9: Podcasts

Podcast.... I never knew what it was until I did this exercise. I signed up for a Bloglines account. Then I went to to search for graphic novel reviews. I thought it might be of use to our teen book group to listen to some good book reviews. There were many podcast about manga reviews so I downloaded one on "Death Note" (This is a really popular manga in Asia). Unfortunately, the sound quality was not that good and the first 2 minutes, I heard a song by an unknown artist. I must admit I don't like listening to audiobooks or PODCASTS. I still prefer reading a book or reading a review on the internet. I can't think of a use for Podcast except that we can do book reviews for people with difficulty reading small print.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Week 9: Youtube

I am quite familiar with Youtube because I often watch music videos and anime on this website. I embedded the video about Mr Bean at the library. Mr Bean was the first comedy I watched when I first came to New Zealand. The good thing about Mr Bean is that he hardly says a word of English but you understand the funny stuff he does. The reason I included this video was because it was situated in the library. You can't help but compare the working environment we are in nowadays. Back in those days, all the libraries were quiet and librarians would stare at you, raising their fingers and go "shhh". Not any more. The library I work in is so noisy that sometimes I can't hear what the other customers are saying. There was nothing I don't like about youtube except that they have included ads onto some popular videos so you have to wait about 10 seconds before watching the video. Also, some videos get deleted because of copyright infringement.
It took me a while to figure out how to embed the video into my blog. But I finally worked it. Just copy the embed link on the right hand side of youtube. Go to Edit Html on your blog and paste it there. I think ACL can use youtube to make videos to educate the public about searching the catalogue, searching the digital library, subscribing to newsletters, using the scanners, attaching documents to email etc.

Week 8: Discovering web 2.0 tools

I went to the list of all the winners of the Web 2.0 applications. I chose "Farecast" because I was planning to travel overseas next month and wanted to find cheap tickets. I have been on the Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand website in hopes of finding cheap airfare but no luck. I was quite surprised when I went onto "Farecast". Everything was quite simple. Selecting your destination and dates, non-stop, how many people etc etc. The search came up with a quite reasonable price range about $1468-$1495. The travel agent had quoted a similar price. When I clicked on the price, it was immediately linked to Cathay Pacific so I could order it online. At the same time that you do this search, it also compares their results with other results from different travel websites like Expedia, Hotwire, Booking Buddy, Priceline and Travelocity. Another thing I like is "Price predictor" which can predict whether the airfare price will go up so you should buy now or whether it will go down so you should wait.

I am quite satisfied with this website. I have been on other sites such as "webjet" but I think this is the best one if you are looking for good deals. In the past, I had quite a number of customers asking me about finding cheap tickets online. Now I can recommend this site to them.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Week 8: Online productivity tools

I signed in Google docs because I already have a gmail account. Google docs is great. You can upload your documents and access them online. I have no usb memory stick at home so what I usually do is attach documents to my gmail and save it as a draft. Now that I know about Google docs, I can just upload them or create them on Google docs. The only disadvantage is that they can't upload documents bigger than 500mbs. I have included a link to my strawberry jelly cheesecake recipe.

Week 7: PBwiki

This exercise was so simple that it took 2 minutes to finish it. I logged on using the acl elgar gmail address and the password given. I went to favourite blogs. Clicked on edit and then "insert/edit link". I copied and pasted my blog url address. It was interesting reading about what people's favourite destination and restaurants are. But I think I find this exercise too easy and boring.


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A printshop located in Alameda, CA.

We specialize in printing silkscreened posters, giclee prints and short-run record covers with Eco-friendly waterbased inks. We would love to print your next job.. please contact us for a quote.

Equipment & Machinery:

Take your concept drawings and reference materials to these factories. They will assist in refining your concept and thinking through the components involved in the Making Process.

Tooling factories produce custom tools that accelerate the production time of the end product.

These factories will mass produce your designs.


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Place of Refuge

Place of Refuge

30 January 2012

Skin Words

Your skin
the biggest of all;
it just happens to be
in open air.

But it's not like a fabric,
not a curtain,
not a veil; it's
organic and it tells
you the tale of your innards.

These skin words so often
go so utterly unheard,
despite the clear warnings
of demise,
or simply the signs
that our skin
is changing,
or adapting to the changes
around us.

So why must we
why do we
do things like this:

rather than listen to this organ's song --

it's a swan song
about life
about love
about care
about food
about earth
about air

about heart
about soul
about generation
and re-generation.

There is no sin
in the skin
you're in.

Imagine what it would be like
if we did some of the same damage to
our heart
our colon
our liver
our gall bladder
our stomach
that we do to our skin?

Just imagine.

Play all your organs with care
                             and love
                             my love,
and you will live peaceably
until eternity
and you
come to meet.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I generally enjoy watching my skin age, although I sometimes miss how it used to be.

Makropoulos said...

Me, too, on both counts. But I also really respect beautiful older women and men who aren't afraid to be exactly what they are, and what they've become over the years, physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally!


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Thursday, June 14, 2007

Hybrids in fiction

Hybrids aren't just cars that run on more than one fuel source.

There are hybrid animals, and hybrid plants which occur either naturally or with the assistance of mankind, also hybrids in Greek and Roman mythology. Some hybrids are sterile, and some are not. Some hybrids are called after a combination of the father's name and the mother's (father's name first).

The mythological creatures do not appear to follow this convention... and in fact, now I understand the convention, my mind boggles over the Manticore (man-lion-scorpion).

The etymology is delightful. According to wikipedia, hybrid comes from the ancient Greek for "son of outrageous conduct."

I could have called my Tigron world's black sabre-toothed tigers ... pangers, or tigthers, but I think that would have complicated matters.

After the discussion with Josh about what carnivores in fiction should and should not eat, I spent several hours reading the ingredients on dry pet food for research purposes, I do have to wonder under what circumstances a dog in the wild would eat corn on the cob. Or rice!

There are some schools of alternative healing thought that claim some of our painful ailments (such as arthritis) are a consequence of us eating fruits or vegetables that we are not adapted for, or to which some of us are allergic. My mother cured very painful arthritic swelling in her hands by giving up all produce in the tomato families. Other people have a problem with potatoes. (Some have a problem but don't know it.)

In Insufficient Mating Material, the hero and heroine are marooned on an island on an alien world, and they have to test food and deal with the possibility that the heroine might not have a tolerance for some of the fruits and vegetables growing there.
They also notice some strange and apparently inappropriate alien animal behaviour and wonder how those animals evolved.

(For those who like to watch such things, it's quite instructive to see some of the videos that You-Tube in its wisdom has decided should be bundled with Insufficient Mating Material... a lot of animals going about their business!)

Best wishes,

Rowena Cherry
Insufficient Mating Material
"racy, wildly entertaining futuristic romance" ~Writers Write

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I am so excited to tell you about these cookies, you just won’t BeANlieve it!

Gluten Free Chick Pea Chocolate Chip Cookies

OK, so that pun was really bad, but these cookies are really good!  They’re made with chick peas – as in garbanzo beans – STOPMAKINGTHATFACE!  They’re good! It’s true.

I have no problem making and eating “healthy” cookies or treats (like Secret (Spinach and Carrot) BrowniesBanana Oatmeal Cookies or Black Bean Brownies) but if it’s so healthy that it tastes healthy and no one will eat them but me (like White Bean Blondies), then there’s just no point.

Crunchy Coconut Cups

February 11th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Short or Sweet - (10 Comments)

Yesterday marked 11 weeks until the Flower City Half Marathon at the end of April.  Since we’re going to chat about running on Monday’s from now until then, this week I want to tell you about my current favorite pre-run snack – originally inspired by Lisa’s Coconut Oil Chocolate PB cups.

I make these all the time, people.

Coconut Oil Almond Butter Cups

ALL THE TIME.  (yes, that required shouting.)  These are easy and delicious, and even good for you too.

No Bake Grain Free Granola

December 30th, 2012 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (4 Comments)

I make Lisa’s peanut butter coconut oil cups all the time, they have become a fast favorite around here. (Have you tried these yet?  You need to get on it!) Once they’re made, they are a quick, easy, satisfying snack – I love to pop one before a run (sort of like a direct fuel bite a la Brendan Brazier from Thrive) and we often find ourselves sneaking in to the freezer for one (or two!) after dinner.

A New Green Machine

April 8th, 2012 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (15 Comments)

Guess what?!

Brand New Vitamix

OK, to be fair, unless you are a food nerd who reads a lot of foodie blogs, you might not be able to guess and/or be squealing the same way I did when the UPS man dropped this guy off last week.

On the right? Our old blender. The lean mean muscle machine on the left? My Our new VITAMIX!

Thanks to the fact that my birthday was last week (33! WOOT!) AND that Zak was finally bitten by the Vitamix bug AND a 20% Off coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond that saved us a bundle, we bit the bullet and welcomed this majestic marvel into our appliance family a few short days ago.

I have Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in my freezer.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in My Freezer

Blasted Halloween.

These are Maxine’s, and it was her idea to put them in the freezer. I think there is something programmed into women from birth to know that chocolate + peanut butter are best when cold.

I will not eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for breakfast, but I totally could.

Good thing they aren’t mine. And good thing I also have frozen bananas in my freezer.

I Do Have Frozen Bananas

Because frozen bananas + oats + cocoa powder are the start of something magical.

Cocoa Powder

Zucchini Oatmeal Breakfast Cakes

September 26th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (9 Comments)

I seem to be on a pancake kick recently – but ’tis the season for warm breakfasts after all! Let’s roll with it.

After I spied a small zucchini hanging out in the fridge this morning and feeling very much in the mood for something substantial after an early morning bike ride, I decide to whip up some zucchini pancakes today. Zucchini is awesome for it’s ability to taste like nothing in baked goods, while quite generously giving you a serving of vegetables at the same time.

Zucchini Pancake Ingredients

Not Another Cookie Recipe

September 24th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Short or Sweet - (4 Comments)

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

-Chinese Proverb

That’s great, but we’re not going to talk about fish today.  We’re going to talk about cookies.

One of the best things that happens when you learn how to cook is learning out how to get along without a recipe.

If you make something a couple of times, soon you begin to understand what ingredients and steps are most important.  Make something a bunch of times and soon you begin to see the variety of ways you might be able change it up.  Make something a couple of dozen times and soon you start see cooking from a whole new perspective.

September 15, 2011 started out a lot like September 15, 2006.

Everyone asleep.  Everyone but me.

Waking up Zak and telling him it was time to go.

Getting dressed and moving around with hushed voices, get ready to leave the house in the wee hours of the morning.

The cat meowing and meowing and meowing as I tried to make my way to the door.

Except this year it was 5:55 AM, not 1:45 AM.  And this year we weren’t headed to the hospital, I was headed to the grocery store.  (The cat was still meowing and meowing and meowing though.)

Homeschool Lessons for All

September 13th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Fitness - (1 Comments)

Now that Maxine can ride her bike, Homeschool Phys Ed class is officially in session.

Riding Buds The Claw Over My Shoulder Ready to Ride

Is this really Phys Ed? Or is this just a morning run in disguise?

Whatever you want to call it, a bunch of lessons were learned on our group outing this morning – lessons for both young and old.

A Lesson for Mom

When Maxine says “Whoa, whoa, whoa!!”, that means she’s about to come to a sudden and complete stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

This lead to the discovery that I run too closely behind Maxine.

Banana Whip Oats

August 21st, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (5 Comments)

I go through phases where I eat oats every day. And then there are times where the oatmeal canister gathers dust on its top. This week I’ve been back in that oat phase, and am apparently in a frozen banana phase too.

I discovered this concoction last week by accident, really – I can’t even tell you what possessed me to throw oats in the food processor when making banana whip. I just know that I did.

Banana Whip Oats

1 frozen banana (approx.)
1/2 c rolled oats
1 heaping Tbsp hemp seeds (optional, for protein)

Frozen Bananas Rolled Oats Hemp Seeds


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    Landmark study: Intensive blood pressure management may save lives

    For appropriate patients ages 50 and older, more intensive treatment of blood pressure may prevent poor cardiovascular outcomes and death, according to initial results of a landmark clinical trial released at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

    The NIH-sponsored Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) enrolled more than 9,300 participants ages 50 and older with high blood pressure. Participants were randomized to a systolic blood pressure target of 120 mm Hg or the usual target of 140 mm Hg, then had the amount and type of blood pressure medication adjusted to achieve the different blood pressure targets.

    “Preliminary results show that more intensive management of high blood pressure below a currently commonly recommended systolic blood pressure target [140 mm Hg] to a lower target [120 mm Hg] reduced rates of cardiovascular events by almost one third and the risk of death by almost one quarter in adults age 50 years and older,” according to Cora E. Lewis, MD, co-principal investigator of The University of Alabama (UAB) Hub in this trial and professor of preventive medicine, internist and epidemiologist at UAB. “The true earth-shattering finding is the reduced rate of mortality from all causes.”

    The SPRINT study, which began in the fall of 2009, recruited approximately 100 medical centers and clinical practices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. UAB was selected by the NIH as one of five hubs to recruit and direct almost 20 of these clinics from Massachusetts to Puerto Rico; UAB-directed clinics recruited more than 1,950 study participants, surpassing the study’s initial goal for UAB’s network. The study’s blood pressure intervention, which was to finish in summer 2016, has finished earlier after the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Director Gary H. Gibbons, MD, took action when the Data and Safety Monitoring Board interpreted the benefits of the lower goal as far outweighing the harms.

    In the SPRINT study, patients at baseline were at increased risk of cardiovascular disease based on the Framingham risk equation, had chronic kidney disease, or already had coronary heart disease. The study excluded patients who already had stroke, polycystic kidney disease, or diabetes because other research addressed those patient groups. For the intensive group, three or more drugs on average were required. SPRINT is the largest U.S. randomized clinical trial to study how maintaining systolic blood pressure at a level lower than currently recommended will impact cardiovascular and kidney diseases, and cognitive decline.

    “The data are preliminary at this point and should not cause people to change their medications, stop or decrease their medications,” Lewis says. “People with high blood pressure should consult with their own healthcare provider on what their goals of treatment should be.”

    The study was conducted “because there was a lack of data on systolic blood pressure goals and recommendations varied due to this evidence gap,” she says. “At the time the study was designed, the commonly recommended target was 140 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure.”

    The important public health message now is for patients to consult with their healthcare provider about their own individual goals, according to Lewis. “We have yet to collect and analyze important data on dementia incidence, cognitive function, kidney function, and brain structure changes.”

    The detailed results will appear in a paper that Lewis anticipates will be published by late 2015. Providers and patients should await the full publication of results before making changes, according to Lewis.

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The Manaslu Circuit Trek is the best all round tea-house hike in Nepal on the Great Himalaya Trail; the new Annapurna Circuit. No camping needed.

Manaslu Circuit Trekking Map

Online Trekking Map for Manaslu

Thanks to Pawan and the cartographers at Himalayan Map House for this version of the Manaslu Circuit Trek map. You can buy the latest Manaslu Trekking Map from Amazon.

You can download the original 1:50,000 series maps of Nepal here.

While you’re at it, for your next trek, here is another map of Kanchenjunga trek.

Click the right most button for a fullscreen version. See other online maps of Ganesh Himal, Tsum Valley, Great Himalaya Trail here.

manaslu trekking map

Buy a map now!

31 Responses

  1. Felix said on October 14, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    Thanks guys for uploading this great map, looks briliant !

  2. Rishi Pd Nepal said on December 21, 2011 at 10:54 am

    Great map

  3. Johan said on March 22, 2012 at 10:00 am

    This map has been great and I used it a lot in the planning for my Manaslu and Tsum valley trek.

  4. JUAN said on July 30, 2012 at 5:42 pm

    • admin@manaslu said on July 31, 2012 at 2:43 am

      You have to contact a local trekking agency to arrange that.

  5. Dan R. said on January 14, 2013 at 10:05 pm

    How long does it take to recieve a permit?

    • admin@manaslu said on January 15, 2013 at 1:54 am

      Can be done in a single day. But festivals, Saturdays and some other days are not worked. Has to be done by agent. Providing agent with passport scan and electronic version of your photo for printing helps them prepare. Give them your original passport on arrival and then with luck you’ll have the permit within the day, or next day.

  6. zuz said on January 16, 2013 at 9:58 pm

    hi guys, i am interested in trekking manaslu circuit and continue to annapurna (to jomsom) – do you know do i need my own tent or it’s possible to stay at homestays/lodges all the way? thanks in advance //sue

  7. Julia said on June 14, 2013 at 8:51 am

    Dose anyone know if its possible to take a jeep as far up as Deng? Or close to Deng from Argaht?

    I have read eleswhere that it is possible to take a jeep to Soti Pascal. And i understand that the reason why Manasulu is the new Annapurna is because it has no roads…but i thought maybe this may have changed? Or that there may be another way,by motobike for example??

    Only reason why im inquiring is because i need to cut the trek short due to a return flight.

    • admin@manaslu said on June 14, 2013 at 8:55 am

      You can reach Soti Khola beyond Argughat. From there nothing more. You can manage the circuit to Dharapani in as little as 9 days. From there you can use jeeps, then buses and micros to Kathmandu. How many days do you have?

  8. Julia said on June 14, 2013 at 9:07 am

    Thanks for your reply!

    We were planning to cross over onto the Annapurna circuit around Thonje and on to Jomson. Was hoping to do the manasulu part in as little days as possible, and as the weather is not that great until higher altitude, another reason to try and get past Deng!

    Do local people only use yak and buff to transport goods past Soti Pascal??

    • admin@manaslu said on June 14, 2013 at 9:19 am

      Soti Pascal? Soti Khola?

      There are mules, and some horses. But at the other end you can also take a jeep from Muktinath to Jomsom and save a day.

      You could also consider trekking up to Naar and Phu instead of keeping on the main route to Thorung La, then descend and jeep out from Dharapani.

  9. Julia said on June 14, 2013 at 9:33 am

    Yes, i mean Soti Kohla!

    That would be amazing to trek through Nar-Phuu, i did think of that. But that would be a camping trek, which would possibly be out of our budget, plus the permit fees..

    One of the main reasons to get to Jomson was because when i last did the Annapurna cicuit (in April this yr) i jeeped it from Muktina…and realized that was a mistake as that small section of the trail is soo starkly different to the rest of the circut!

    Would have been ideal to cut the beginning days of the Manasulu trek due to the weather…maybe we can try hitch a yak? Haha

    • admin@manaslu said on June 14, 2013 at 9:39 am

      What date are you planning to go? Will check about Naar Phu – several tea houses there now.

  10. Julia said on June 14, 2013 at 10:17 am

    Planning to go in the next couple of days…im just looking now at the Nar-phuu trail to see where it intercepts and how many days it might be as an add on before joining Annapurna…Would be great to know which stops are tea house! Thanks..

  11. anthony said on August 21, 2013 at 9:51 am

    The map doesn’t seem to be working at the moment…

  12. Travel to Nepal said on September 26, 2013 at 8:37 am

    Hello together, is it possible to do Manaslu Trek comfortably with fused ankle when hiring a horse?

  13. F/verst said on October 30, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    Hi Guys, somebody also planning on doing the Manaslu circuit leaving on the 4th of november? Sharing a guide and planning to do the trip in 9 days.

  14. Richard McCharles said on October 31, 2013 at 7:41 am

    Hey F/verst

    Myself and another solo hiker from the U.K are looking to do the Circuit independently starting about that date.

    Email me at

  15. horst jaeger said on September 8, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    schöne karte, viele details zu erkennen. falls jemand ab ca 22 oktober 14 den manaslu circuit gehen möchte und noch begleitung sucht- bitte melden, wir haben das gleiche vor. s & h

  16. Internet at Samdo 3800 m said on October 23, 2014 at 9:57 am

    To the all Manaslu lovers and trekkers,
    This is to inform you all that now you can have internet and STD/ISTD services 24hrs at Samdo Larkye .
    So,dont forget to share you beautiful moments with ur nears and dears one who could not visit Manaslu circuit.
    Thank you
    Samdo Youth cyber and communication centre-3800 m
    Samdo,Larkye Pass

  17. joanne said on November 10, 2014 at 5:09 am

    This map is fantastic. It is great to have such an online resource.
    Is it possible to go by road to Barpak? Is it possible to go by horse to Tsum Valley?

  18. Nyima said on April 7, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    Good NEWS !!!!
    There is 24 hrs wi fi and international call services at SAMDO , Larke pass way.
    Don’t forget to visit and share your experience with your dear and near one.

    Other services
    >post card selling
    >gadget charging services
    >hot drinks
    >enquire about village
    >weather NEWS etc..

    Thank you
    Samdo Youth Cyber and Communication Centre.

  19. Sven B said on September 20, 2016 at 7:57 pm

    we want to go the the Tsum valley in october 2017. Just on question left. Are there always lodges ore homestays available? we would like to avoid camping.

  20. Cenda said on December 15, 2016 at 2:43 pm

    Hi, where is the RAP permit collect, only in KTM? For the 1st week it is 70 USD, and when I would stay there longer , where I would pay the extra-days fee (10 USD/day) ? At Dharapani ? Thanks

    • admin@manaslu said on February 3, 2017 at 7:15 pm

      Generally they don’t check on exit. You pay in advance for planned days, but if say you got sick and stayed extra days, then the only place to pay is Kathmandu, which means you don’t have to pay extra as it is impossible.

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We would like to hear your ideas, comments or concerns about how we are doing, what is working well and thoughts or suggestions on how we might do better. The state priorities and performance measures related to children with special health care needs may be reviewed on pages 41 through 67 of the 2013 Narrative. Please send any comments directly to Dyanne Herrera at or complete our online survey at

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The Personal Disquiet of

Mark Boulton

Ch… Ch… Changes

– December 3rd, 2003 –

Just a few little changes on Snooch today. I’ve finally got round to makig a stylesheet switcher. I toyed with using a php switcher but I only needed something basic to supply a text only alternative. I opted for using a javascript version i’d seen on ALA. It’s an old switcher but it does the job.

And as it’s Christmas soon, i’ve added some snow for that extra christmassy feel. Aw… nice…

Filed in: markboulton-co-uk.

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The Personal Disquiet of

Mark Boulton

New BBC Wales homepage

– March 10th, 2003 –

BBC Wales HomepageThe new homepage for BBC Cymru Wales is launched. The homepage has seen a radical redesign using design and usability feedback from a nember of user testing sessions. The result is a more legible and usable gateway.

The gateway has functionality of chosing a colour palette based on an image. The image quality has improved dramatically and it includes the new News and Sport feeds.

Inital feedback has been good and the gateway page has been well received by management and nations and regions management.

I’ll be wrting a case study for this soon but in the meantime have a look -

Filed in: bbc.

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