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Somewhere, a US government official is reading through a list of those who sent or received an email from Jacob Appelbaum, a 28-year-old computer science researcher at the University of Washington who volunteered for WikiLeaks. Among those listed will be my name, a journalist who interviewed Appelbaum for a book about the digital revolution.
Appelbaum is a spokesman for Tor, a free internet anonymising software that helps people defend themselves against internet surveillance. He's spent five years teaching activists around the world how to install and use the service to avoid being monitored by repressive governments. It's exactly the sort of technology Secretary of State Hilary Clinton praised in her famous "Internet Freedom" speech in January 2010, when she promised US government support for the designers of technology that circumvented blocks or firewalls. Now, Appelbaum finds himself a target of his own government as a result of his friendship with Julian Assange and the fact WikiLeaks used the Tor software.
Appelbaum has not been charged with any wrongdoing; nor has the government shown probable cause that he is guilty of any criminal offence.
That matters not a jot, because, as the law stands, government officials don't need a search warrant to access our digital data. Searching someone's home requires a warrant that can only be obtained by proving probable cause, but digital searches require no such burden of proof. Instead, officials essentially "self-certify" to a judge that the information they seek is, in their opinion, relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation. On this basis, Google and a small ISP called Sonic were made to hand over to the government all Appelbaum's email headers from the past two years.
Most people are not aware of the ease with which governments – free, open and so-called democratic – can access and peruse our private communications. This is because these court orders are commonly sealed. What is uncommon is for internet service providers to request the orders be unsealed so they can inform their customers, as Sonic and Google did in Appelbaum's case.
Privacy researcher Chris Soghoian estimates there are likely tens of thousands of these 2703(d) orders made annually by the federal government under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. He bases this on the number of pen registers granted to the federal government annually: 12,000. These allow officials to intercept telephone and internet meta-data in real time.
"There's far more data to be had after the fact, so probably these 2703(d) orders are even more common," Soghoian says.
The fourth amendment of the US Constitution should protect against unwarranted search and seizure. Its inclusion in the Bill of Rights was a result of colonialists' anger at abuse suffered at the hands of British officials using writs of assistance. Writs were general warrants issued by the British Parliament to allow customs officials to search for smuggled goods, but in the American colonies, they were used by agents of the British state to interrogate people and raid their homes on the pretext of searching and seizing any "prohibited and uncustomed goods", which often meant "seditious" publications that criticised government policies or the King.
The colony of Massachusetts banned these general warrants in 1756 and when the governor overturned the ban, it was one of the sparks for the American Revolution. It's ironic then to see how, under the guise of "patriotism", these court orders have stripped away fourth amendment protections and granted to US officials the same unlimited powers of search and seizure that so aggravated the American revolutionaries.
Today, the privacy law surrounding our emails is woefully outdated, as it is based on the technology of the first email services of the 1980s. Back then, people dialled up their provider to download email onto their home computer. Mail left for over 180 days was considered in storage, so was not subject to the wiretap protections which were for information in transmission. This means email older than 180 days doesn't require a warrant whereas anything newer does. Now, with cloud services and extensive storage available through services such as Gmail, our primary archive of email is held more or less indefinitely. Ironically, this means the most important or sensitive emails receive the lowest legal protections. (The law is also weighted to protect unread mail over read mail so, strangely, spam that remains unopened because it goes straight to your junk folder has more privacy protections than read mail in your archives.)
Few citizens of the world will be adequately clued up on US surveillance laws, yet information stored on Facebook, Twitter, Google or any other American companies is subject to them. Unwarranted search and seizure by the government officials was unacceptable to the American revolutionaries. Shouldn't it be unacceptable in the digital age, too?


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Tidbit from Rowling: Bio on minor Potter character
LONDON (AP) — J.K. Rowling has posted new details about a minor character from her Harry Potter books on the fan website Pottermore.com.
The author has written a short biography of Celestina Warbeck, a glamorous singing sorceress resembling Shirley Bassey and a favorite of Mrs. Weasley's.
The new backstory for the character, who was only mentioned briefly in the series about a boy wizard, was posted online Monday along with one of her songs, recorded by a singer at the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.
Rowling calls her one of her favorite "offstage" characters in the whole series. She writes that Warbeck's special abilities include tap-dancing and an extraordinary voice that can "drown out a chorus of banshees."

subset: commoncrawl


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By Simon Evans and Mitch Phillips
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The leaders of Mexico and Canada gleefully cheered winning the right to host the 2026 World Cup jointly with the United States on Wednesday, emphasizing unity at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has frayed relations with the two neighbors during his 18 months in office.
Trump, who as part of a tougher U.S. immigration policy has called for a wall to be built on the country's southern border and paid for by Mexico, just days ago personally insulted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a trade dispute.
U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro suggested to reporters on a conference call that bringing the three countries together was more of a challenge than any Trump effect.
"If you stop and appreciate for a second just the vast number of assurances, guarantees that we had to get from all three governments working together, that is a massive undertaking for one nation, let alone three nations," Cordeiro said after the vote by the Congress of world soccer's governing body FIFA in Moscow, where the 2018 World Cup kicks off on Thursday.
"So if there were any complexity here it was three nations working together which just raised the difficulty of getting stuff done," Cordeiro said.
The joint bid received 134 votes to 65 for Morocco. One FIFA Congress member voted for "neither bid."
Trump, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Trudeau all took to Twitter to post their reactions to the news.
"The U.S., together with Mexico and Canada, just got the World Cup. Congratulations – a great deal of hard work!" Trump said.
Pena Nieto posted a video to his Twitter feed in which he said: "Football knows that Canada, the United States and Mexico are deeply united."
Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa: "It's an opportunity to bring the world together and highlight how well things work between Canada, Mexico and the United States."
The North Americans pledged their tournament would generate an $11 billion profit for FIFA – greater than any previous World Cup finals – a financial shot in the arm for world soccer's governing body, which has been rocked by a corruption and bribery scandal ensnaring top officials.
The "United Bid" projected that its tournament would generate more than $5 billion in short-term economic activity, including the creation of 40,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in incremental worker earnings. More than 5.8 million tickets are expected to be sold, generating over $2 billion in ticketing revenue, according to the winning bid's projections.
Morocco, which has now failed in five bids to host the FIFA World Cup, said their tournament would make $5 billion. The North African country would have needed to invest billions of dollars to build new stadiums while the United States, Mexico and Canada will mostly use existing venues.
Under Trump, relations between the United States, Canada and Mexico have plumbed new lows thanks to disputes in the renegotiation of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, a $1.1 trillion trade pact that ties the three countries' economies together and which Trump has said should be scrapped.
Although it will be the first World Cup to be hosted by three countries, most matches will be played in the United States. As part of the joint bid, Trump pledged that those traveling to the United States for the tournament would not be subject to stringent visa restrictions.
Even if Trump were to be elected for a second four-year term in 2020 he would not be in office when the World Cup kicks off in 2026.
Trump had earlier warned that any countries voting against the North American bid would suffer consequences in trade deals. The president has regularly assailed world leaders, including allies like Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron, for "ripping" America off over trade.
Under FIFA's new system for choosing the host, all eligible national football federations that attend the Congress were given a vote. The last time FIFA voted on World Cup hosting rights was in 2010, the decision rested with the former executive committee which chose Russia to host the 2018 finals and Qatar for 2022.
Several members of that committee were later banned for life from the sport after they were caught up in the corruption scandal that engulfed FIFA in 2015.
The three hosts were all expected to qualify automatically for the tournament as has been the tradition for host nations. The U.S. previously hosted the World Cup in 1994 and Mexico staged it in 1970 and 1986. Canada has never staged a men's World Cup, but hosted the women's tournament in 2015.
Soccer is Mexico's national sport, but is still considered a niche sport in the United States and Canada. Hosting the 2026 World Cup will be used as an incentive to involve more people in the game, U.S. Soccer's Cordeiro told reporters.
"We believe this event will become a lightning rod … (and) transformational for the sport as kids who are now 8-, 10-, 12-years-old can all dream of potentially playing for a national team," Cordeiro said.
The national team failed to qualify for the Russia tournament.
The 2026 finals will be the first expanded tournament featuring 48 teams, up from the current 32-team event.
Of the 80 games, 60 will be played in the United States with 10 each in Canada and Mexico. The final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, home to the National Football League's New York Giants and New York Jets.
Ten of the eventual 16 chosen venues for the tournament will be in the United States with Mexico and Canada having three venues each.
(Reporting by Simon Evans and Mitch Phillips in Moscow; additional reporting by Mark Gleeson, Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber, Christian Radnedge and Frank Pingue; Writing by Ken Ferris and Grant McCool; editing by David Chance and G Crosse)


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Dulce de leche, which means milk jam in Spanish, is a sweet, caramelly concoction made from boiling and concentrating condensed milk. Nothing is added to the milk, but the cooking process imbues it with a rich sweetness well suited to cakes and confectionary.
My first attempt at this recipe was a complete disaster, and I'd been a little gunshy ever since. Then my friend Ozoz, the Kitchen Butterfly, posted her recipe for making dulce de leche in the microwave. Since I had three cans of condensed milk in the pantry, I thought it was worth a second attempt.
I emptied two cans of condensed milk (one skim, one full fat) into a large pyrex bowl.
This went into my 1100 watt microwave for :
- 6 minutes at 50% power, whisking every two minutes, then
- 14 minutes at 30% power, whisking every one to two minutes, or whenever the milk threatened to boil over.
Be prepared to stand by the microwave and watch this – it's not a set and leave dish, as it can boil over in a heartbeat!
The finished dulce de leche came out of the microwave lumpy, but whisked into a smooth and silky caramel, which we spooned into sterilised glass jars and stored in the fridge.
. . . . .
The following day, I made dulce de leche truffles, dropping spoonfuls of the cold caramel into tempered chocolate. These were pleasant, but the balance of flavours wasn't quite right.
. . . . .
I also made dulce de leche scrolls, which were absolutely delicious – Big Boy loved these! I followed the methodology for nutella scrolls, using the sweet dough from the Pain Viennois recipe. The dulce de leche worked particularly well with the sweet milk dough. Prior to baking, I brushed the tops of the risen buns with eggwash and scattered over a little demerara sugar for added crunch.
. . . . .
Since the oven was on all morning, I decided to try David Lebovitz' recipe for dulce de leche with my last remaining tin of condensed milk. This entailed pouring the milk into an ovenproof dish and covering it with foil, then baking it in a water bath for an hour or so at 220C. The milk set in the oven like a soft baked custard, but was easily transformed into creamy dulce de leche with a little whisking.
What a fantastic ingredient! Maybe I need to try a Chilean Torta De Hojas next…
Edit 26/2: I was inspired by the comments below to try making dulce de leche from scratch. Have a look here – seriously chuffed with the results!


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CC image courtesy of Flickr, Paul Jerry.
The following post is written by Gary. The author's name has been changed to ensure anonymity. "Gary" is a pseudonym. Also by Gary on HA: "The Deep Drone of Unseen Cicadas" and "Hurts Me More Than You: Gary's Story".
To begin with I would like to state several things.
1. I do not know the Naugler family. I have never met them. All of the following observations are based solely from the information this family posted, publicly, on their blog and public Facebook page.
2. Much of the "information" being spread about the internet in regards to this family is clearly, factually incorrect. This can be seen through simple observation of posts on the family's public Facebook page and blog.
Most of the information people are referencing is based only from the first few photos and/or posts on the family's blog and Facebook page. For instance, the cover photo used in much of media coverage is clearly (based off the age of the youngest child featured) taken as much as two years ago. Another instance would be the "cabin". When the family first moved to the property they did, indeed, have a cabin of sorts. In reality it was a small prefab home bought on credit. But this cabin was later returned. Where it stood is now a concrete slab, bare and seen in photos as a resting place for a heard of goats.
Since then the family has lived in a series of small open air shacks and tents — none of which even have 4 walls, windows, a solid floor, or a working door. This as well is clearly visible from photos publicly posted.
3. The dates of the photos posted on the family's pages do not necessarily correlate to the date the photos were actually taken. Once again, this can be established by noting certain structures (or lack there of) on the land, the ages of the youngest children, and the time of year the photos were taken. Thus, no reliable timeline of any kind as to the health and welfare of the children, at the time they were taken, can be established by the online information. The most recent group photo I could find (once again based from the ages of the children) might have been taken as long ago as last fall.
4. The situation at the homestead, based off the photos and posts available, seems to be getting worse. There are several reasons for this, and they have to do with the effects of animals (goats, chickens, dogs, etc.) and human habitation on a spot of land. In the beginning the pond appears to be a real pond (turtles and fish are pictured), by the (apparently) latest photos, the pond has turned into a filthy mud pit devoid of most life. This is the natural consequence of animal dung running off the surrounding landscape with the rain and melting snow, the traffic of people, animals, etc.
This same trend can be seen in the yards and areas surrounding the shack. At first the dirt is held down by plant roots, but as the small trees were killed by the goats or chopped down to form fences, the dirt turned to mud. This mud gets mixed with the animal dung (goat, chicken and dog) and gets tracked by the bare feet of the children over every surface of the homestead. This state of affairs is clearly visible in the photos.
With this comes water from rain running straight off into the pond, carrying with it animal dung and any and all other forms of filth, from oil and gasoline from the generator, to cooking and food waste. This means that any photos taken at the beginning of this homestead experience simply can not be relied on to show the true living conditions of the current day.
We do see some photos of a shallow ditch covered by a few muddy boards, that was dug in an attempt to keep this filthy rain run off from flooding the shack.
5. These conditions will continue to get worse unless there are major and lasting changes to every aspect of the family's food preparation area, sleeping area etc. The mud and run-off water will get worse as the hillside continues to break apart. The pond will become even worse of a health hazard as it fills with more animal dung and garbage. The structures, such as they are, will begin to mold and rot from the ground up. (This is, in fact, based off photos. It is already taking place).
6. I am not going to talk here about the family's religious beliefs, their choice to un-school or homeschool their children, their practice of not providing their children with immunizations, Social Security numbers, or birth certificates.
All those issues are, in my opinion, secondary to the very real and pressing issues of the health and physical safety of these ten children.
Despite all the media coverage to the contrary, that does seem, based off all information available, to be the actual and factual reason the children were taken from their parents.
So without further ado, here is a bit of what is going on.
My family is sick.. We never get sick, its been nearly 3 years since we have been sick…But I think the children ate some bad food. ~lesson learned, ask mom before you eat something.. 7 of 10 children down. Olivia, being the nurturing one that she is, is taking care of everyone with me. She is bringing water to them, making sure they are all cared for..She has been on top of it not missing a step even when I stopped to feed the baby. Quinten made up everyone's spot.. .. ,,,,at least they like to sleep outside. ( true campers!) But no one is up for roasted marshmallows
-Direct quote from the "Blessed Little Homestead" Facebook page, posted on July 24th 2014
In the photo (which got over 20 likes) we see multiple children, dressed in dirty shorts, sprawled on mounds of blankets in the dirt around an open air fire pit.
They are obviously sick:
Food poisoning. Or was it? They, "the children" had eaten some unidentified "food" with out asking their mother if it was safe to eat.
Was it some of the wild mushrooms featured in many photos on the "Blessed Little Homestead" (BLH) Facebook page?
Was it rotting left over food sitting in any number of the unwashed and grime incrusted Tupperware and plastic containers lying scattered around the open air "kitchen" (really a stack of bricks filled with open flame and topped with rusty and filth incrusted wire racks)?
Was it Salmonella?
Let us see if this description matches some of the living environments seen on the BLH Facebook page.
Food: Contaminated eggs, poultry, meat, unpasteurized milk or juice, cheese, contaminated raw fruits and vegetables (alfalfa sprouts, melons), spices, and nuts
Animals and their environment: Particularly reptiles (snakes, turtles, lizards), amphibians (frogs), birds (baby chicks) and pet food and treats.
There are picture after picture after picture of small children, covered in grime, holding and handling:
- Snakes.
- Toads.
- Baby Chicks.
- Turtles.
- The list goes on and on.
There is photo after photo of a "homestead" coated inches deep in mud, and with up to eight goats roughly a dozen chickens, two cats and seven dogs running loose around and in the shacks that serve as "home" for this family, one can know, with absolute mathematical certainty, that this "mud" that coats everything form the children to the floors and walls in a persistent layer of grime, is at least in a significant part, animal dung.
So, was it Salmonella?
Was it E-Coli?
Was it poison mushrooms cooked up by an unknowing child in a grimy pot over an open fire? (The kids, after all, are shown doing the "cooking", and the mother brags in several posts about how "the kids do almost all the cooking for the family."
We don't know. The mother doesn't know either. And that's a big problem when it comes to the health and safety of the 10 children living in filth and squalor in a 380 ft. three sided shack.
But what makes you an expert you may ask?
I grew up in a similar environment.
My family bought 12 acres of land, 50 miles from the nearest town, in the North West back in 1982. We spent that first summer living in an army tent. During that first summer my father and mother and older brother built a 20 by 15 foot log cabin. That's 300 square feet.
By snow fall we had a insulated, steel roofed, 300 square foot log home, it had a real cinderblock foundation, it had 3 double pained insulated windows, and it had a barrel stove.
We did not have electric, we did not have a well, we did not have indoor plumbing. Internet and cell phones did not exist in 1982. The nearest phone was at a neighbors home over three miles away. Then over the next 3 summers my father and mother built a 8 room, two story, glass windowed and hard wood floored, log home. It has a stone fireplace, a full basement, and a root cellar and a pantry.
They also built: an animal shed, a shop, a tool shed, and a woodshed.
During those years we became a working "homestead", including 4 goats, two dozen chickens, geese, a small horse, a dog, 35 rabbits and two cats. We had a large garden as well. During none of this did we ever have: a well, a phone, air conditioning or refrigeration. We lit our home first with kerosene lamps and candles and then later with propane lanterns. We cooked our meals first on a wood stove, and later on a propane stove. We gathered our water from a local public well. (for drinking) and from a system of rain barrels, (for bathing and watering the garden.) After about 10 years we hooked up solar power and ran a system of electric lights.
We were (and my parents still are) "off the grid":
- 33 years with no well.
- 33 years with no internet.
- 33 years with no indoor plumbing.
- 33 years with no eclectic grid hook up.
- 33 years of gardening and eating wild game.
- 33 years of gathering drinking water at a local public well.
All of us children were raised, from 1982 till 2013 when the youngest left home, in a true "homestead" environment.
We lived it.
I lived it.
For the first 18 years of my life.
I ran free in the woods, home schooled only 4 months out of the year, much of it self directed learning. I milked goats, I hunted wild game, I tilled that garden by hand, and toted water from rain barrels to water the plants. I was barefoot all summer long, from May to October. I fished in the river, at the age of 9, with no adult supervision.
It was, quite literal, "homestead" living.
It really was.
We had a real house, insulated, enclosed on all 6 sides, and heated. We had a fully enclosed, 7 foot deep, ventilated outhouse, with a real toilet seat and a locking door located a sanitary distance form the house. We had bedrooms, with real beds and real mattresses, for the children, one for the girls, one for the boys, (bunk beds with your brothers can be great!) We had a bathtub. We were kept clean, very clean, by the constant work and insistence of my mother. Our farm animals were kept separate from our yard and our home by fences.
Even our yard was clean, swept with a push broom till it was smooth hard packed earth.
We were healthy.
Our meals were cooked in spotless pans and served on real ceramic plates at a real table, (solid oak, passed down from Grandpa). We had a "real" Homeschooling curriculum for all 12 grades (sure, it said electricity was a mystery and people road dinosaurs like horses just 4,000 years ago, but what can you do?)
The family of 12 (soon to be 13) living on the "Blessed Little Homestead" have none of those things.
I have been on their Facebook page.
I have looked through years of photographs.
I have read post after post, on the public Facebook page and on their public blog.
Their living conditions are among the worst I have ever seen. Ever.
My family was not the only one "homesteading" in this remote area of the Pacific North West. I knew over a dozen families living in nearly the same conditions as my self. That is: living on clean, well organized and maintained farms and homesteads, usually with out electric or plumbing, often home schooled, and deeply conservative. I knew a family living in a teepee for two years. I knew a small commune of three families living in a communal yurt. And I never, ever, saw living conditions even half as dangerous, anarchistic or filthy as what is shown on the "Blessed Little Homestead" site and Facebook page.
This family isn't "homesteading", they are, for all practical purposes, homeless.
This family does not have the cabin featured in some of the photographs, it was bought on credit and later "returned".
This family was living, twelve deep, in a tree sided shack. The floor is covered in dirt and filth, the children are as well. The shack they sleep in is built from old pallets and two by fours. I won't bore you with the details of structural integrity, but let's just say that I am very surprised the shack did not collapse under last winters several feet of snow (photos of which are on the BLH public Facebook page) and kill or injure the 12 family members huddled inside.
(Note how the two by fours are driven, with out foundation, strait into the dirt, and how the load bearing single two by fours in the front of the shack are spaced 6 feet apart.)
I could go on for pages about the myriad dangers from accident and infection and disease these children were being exposed to on a daily basis. I could mention the animal dung covering the whole area in a layer of slime, pounded into a grimy coating by the bare feet of ten children, draining with the rain and melting snow, down hill from the "homestead" into the pond that has now, after several years of occupation, apparently gone from being home to fish and turtles (in earlier photos) to being a mud pit doubling as an open sewer choked with animal dung.
I could mention the generator and gasoline cans, (visible in several photos) located right next to the shack ( there is an extreme danger of carbon monoxide poisoning killing the entire family, in fact, the only reason I suspect this hasn't happened yet is the fact the dwelling is not enclosed on all four sides).
I could mention the filthy conditions of the "cooking area", including dirt encrusted plastic cups, drifting smoke and food being eaten by the grimy unwashed hands of children as young as 4 who cooked their own meals, over the open flames. (also clearly visible in photos on the B.L.H. public Facebook page.)
I could mention the photos of dog bites, wasp stings, scrapes, cuts, and bruises.
I could mention that the BLH blog links to articles about how Tetanus shots aren't needed as long as the: "wound bleeds, cus Tetanus can't live in oxygen and there is oxygen in your blood" (I kid you not).
I could mention the fact that with out any doubt what so ever, this "homestead" also smells like an open sewer.
It does.
I know because I grew up on a farm/homestead.
I know because you simply can't have 8 goats, 7 dogs, two cats, a dozen chickens and twelve people living loose around a muddy pond in the Kentucky summer heat with no running water and not have it smell so rancid that it could be smelled half a mile away.
It's impossible.
This has been framed as a "off the grid" issue. It is not. "Off the grid" does not mean, by default: dangerous, filthy, ignorant of basic food preparation and safety, anti Government and anti documentation. "Off the Grid" living can be done safely, cleanly, and in full compliance with all local laws and regulations (in many states). I know. I lived it.
This has been framed as a homeschool issue.
It is not.
Kentucky has very open homeschooling laws. It's legal. Heck, "un-schooling" is legal there too.
The children were taken because it was unsafe. VERY unsafe, not because they were homeschooled.
This, surprisingly, has not been overly framed as a religious issue, at least not yet.
But this isn't about homeschooling, parents rights, "off the grid living" "government control", "erosion of our right to do what we please" etc.
It isn't.
It is about the fact that the conditions at this particular site, in this particular case, with this particular family, where absolutely horrifyingly dangerous, unsanitary, and unsafe on multiple levels. This isn't hearsay or supposing.
This is clearly visible in dozens on dozens of posts and photos posted publicly by the family themselves.
Quite frankly, I am surprised all the children made it out alive.


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Rickrack Mini Purse
Designer: Terry Atkinson
- 9x22" piece (fat eighth) solid teal (lining)
- 1/4 yard total assorted prints in teal, green, and yellow (bag)
- 18x22" piece (fat quarter) teal tone-on-tone (binding, strap)
- 1/4 yard fusible fleece (such as Pellon No. 987F)
- 7"-long piece jumbo rickrack: teal
- 9"-long or longer green zipper
- Water-soluble pen
Finished bag: 6x7"
Quantities are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics.
Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.
Cut Fabrics
From solid teal, cut:
- 2--7x9" rectangles
From assorted teal, green, and yellow prints, cut:
- 14--1-1/2x6-1/2" strips
From teal tone-on-tone, cut:
- Enough 2-1/2"-wide bias strips to total 75" for binding and strap
From fusible fleece, cut:
- 2--6-3/4x8-3/4" rectangles
Assemble Bag Body
1. Following manufacturer's instructions, center and fuse a 6-3/4x8-3/4" fleece rectangle to wrong side of a solid teal 7x9" rectangle to make a bag lining unit. Repeat with remaining fleece rectangle and solid teal rectangle to make a second bag lining unit.
2. Referring to Diagram 1, center an assorted print 1-1/2x6-1/2" strip, right side up, along a short end of a bag lining unit on fleece side.
3. With right side down, place an assorted print 1-1/2x6-1/2" strip atop first strip; align edges. Sew together through all layers (Diagram 2). Finger-press top strip open.
4. Repeat Step 3 to sew eight assorted print strips total onto bag lining unit. Sew a scant 1/4" seam across top of last strip added to bag lining unit (Diagram 3). Trim bag lining unit to 6-1/2x8-1/2" including seam allowances to make bag back.
5. Referring to steps 2–4, add six assorted print 1-1/2x6-1/2" strips to remaining bag lining unit (Diagram 4). Sew a scant 1/4" seam across the top of last strip. Center and trim bag lining unit to 6-1/2" square including seam allowances to make bag front.
Add Rickrack and Zipper
1. Referring to Diagram 5 and photo for placement, center and pin rickrack in place. With matching thread, topstitch along long edges to secure. Trim even with raw edges.
2. Place bag front, right side up, on work surface. Center and align green zipper facedown along top edge of bag front. Using a zipper foot and 1/4" seam allowance, sew zipper to bag front (Diagram 5).
3. Finger-press bag front away from zipper. The zipper tape and seam allowance should be pressed toward the bag front. Topstitch a scant 1/4" from fold (Diagram 6).
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to add bag back to remaining edge of zipper (Diagram 7).
5. Fold bag front and back with wrong sides together. Trim bag back lower edge to match bag front. Stitch 1/4" seam across top edge, enclosing raw edge of zipper at bag top, to make bag body (Diagram 8).
Assemble and Finish Bag
Click on "Download this Project" for the Half Circle Pattern and tips for making a template of the pattern.
1. Place bag body, front side up, on work surface. Position Half Circle template on bottom edge of bag body. Using a water-soluble marking pen, trace around template curve on bottom edge of bag body (Diagram 9).
2. Move zipper tab to center of bag body. Referring to Diagram 10, stitch a scant 1/4" seam along sides and marked curve on bottom of bag. Trim zipper and bag next to stitching lines.
3. Using diagonal seams, join teal tone-on-tone 2-1/2"-wide bias strips to make a 75"-long binding strip (Diagram 11). Press binding strip in half lengthwise with wrong side inside. Fold in half crosswise and mark center of strip with a pin.
4. Fold bag body in half lengthwise to find center of bag bottom; mark with pin. Match pin at center of binding strip with center of bag bottom. Sew binding to front of bag along side and bottom edges (Diagram 12). Fold binding to back of bag, press, and pin in place.
5. Starting at one end of binding strip and working toward bag, fold long binding strip edges into thirds with raw edges inside. Repeat with remaining binding strip.
6. Stitch along folded binding edges from one end of binding to the other, including around bag body, to make strap and finish bag edge.
7. Determine desired length of bag strap. Tie ends of strap in a bow and trim ends at an angle to complete bag.


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ZL-37 - 20 Gallon Drum
- Brand: Magnaflux
- Product Code: 01-3188-30
- Availability: Quote - This item is available for quotation only.
Magnaflux Post Emulsifiable Liquid Penetrant
Essential for critical component applications, ultra-high sensitivity ZL-37 post-emulsifiable penetrant is designed for detecting fine, tight discontinuities in safety-critical components, such as titanium turbine components, and in high-stress parts, such as investment castings. This Type 1 penetrant is non-water-soluble so there is minimal risk of washing ZL-37 penetrant from a fine or shallow defect which makes this penetrant inspection the most reliable, dependable form of PT testing. ZL-37 has a high flash point and provides long tank life when used in open dip tanks, but this penetrant can also be applied in a variety of other ways, including electrostatic spray. ZL-37 can be removed with ZE-4E Method B lipophilic emulsifier or ZR-10E Method D hydrophilic emulsifier. ZL-37 is listed on the QPL SAE AMS 2644 Qualified Product List and is approved for use by Pratt & Whitney.
NOTE: Aerosols have been discontinued for this product. The few cases we have left will be the last we receive. The 1-gallon cans will completely replace the cases of aerosols.


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Hey! I just figured how to schedule posts! There WILL be Feature Fun Friday after all! Huzzah! *does the Snoopy Happy Dance*
My New Mission!
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on ipod right now): Rosanna by Toto.
After Tuesday's awesomeness of book releases, I have decided to start including book reviews on my blog. I know, novel idea, right? (cymbals for the pun). :D
But it is not going to be just be your normal blog review. I've set up some very interesting rules for myself. I want to highlight unknown fiction. In a post on my old blog, I had a Publisher Weekly's report. It said that there was something like 30,000 Children and YA books released LAST YEAR alone. That does not include non-fiction or any other genre, just YA and kids. That is a lot of books getting passed over. One of my new super-hero missions is to try and bring some of them forward. Go digging for diamonds in the rough. What can I say? I thrive on a challenge.
So my rules:
I will focus on YA and Children's literature (with very rare exceptions).
I will not review any book that is one of the top 25,000 selling books (based on amazon ranks)
I will try and aim for books 100,000 or bigger.
I will not review books before my 2005 (with very rare exceptions).
I will try and lead up every review with an interview.
I want books to succeed, and some get lost in the shuffle. That's what a superhero is all about, right? Saving people? I aim to save books from obscurity. Who's with me?! If you have a book you love but no one seems to know about it, shoot me a message, a comment, an email, anything! And I'll get on it. Together, we'll save the world, one book at a time. Woohoo! Superheroes unite!
Release Day!
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Oceano by Josh Groban.
Today has been the most amazing day for YA releases. Seriously people, what are you trying to do to me? Bankrupt me? Couldn't you spread the love over a few weeks? Nah, I know how eager you've been to see your babies come out. Here are just a few that have sent my heart a pitter pat that were released today. Gosh, I love YA literature.
Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon – Here I put this on my old blog under my "undiscovered gems" post and now it looks like it is going to be one of the biggest releases that will soon be talked about. Not only does she have a dang hot-awesome book trailer (see here) but I'm seeing this thing everywhere. I am humbled (and ecstatic, so so ecstatic) that Cindy Pon has agreed to do an interview on here. Can I squee yet? I think I'm going to. This title is so big that I couldn't even find it at my bookstore today when I went hunting for it.
Once a Princess by Sherwood Smith – Now this is a huge soft spot in my heart. I really love Sherwood's work. Her worlds are characters are so unique, but still so familiar somehow. And this premise just rocks. I'm bummed it's not being first released in hardcover (I'm a hardcover girl, and yes, I do know I'm crazy), but I'm buying it the second my bookstore can order it in. It was too small to reach the normal shelves, so all the more reason I need to spread the love. Her work is amazing, and well worth reading.
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman – Another debuter! And wow, besides that title and that cover (all I can say is dang!), she has got it covered. The story is a retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades, but with a twist. What if she wasn't kidnapped by the lord of the underworld, but went willingly? (and Hades isn't the automatic total evil guy? Heck yeah!). She nailed my third favorite Greek myth down in blissful book-length form, and for that reason alone I'm already in love (I can't tell you my first favorite because I want to write it, and three separate authors have already taken one of my favorite fairy tales I was planning on writing. And here I thought East of the Sun, West of the Moon was an unknown story. Can I still claim King Thrushbeard though?) :) But yes, rock on Ms. Witman. I'm keeping an eager eye on you.
And I cannot CANNOT forget to give a shout out to a little known author, you might have heard of her. Nelle Harper Lee, Pulitzer prize winner of To Kill a Mockinbird? Happy birthday ole' gal. You're 83 today. Thank you for one of my most treasured books.
(that was my eighteenth birthday present to myself, you know. I bought a signed facsimile copy of the original. You know Kuzco's speech about his birthday present to himself? Yeah, totally did that).
I'm flying, in a jet plane!
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Wunderkind by Harry Gregson Williams.
The Secret Adventures of Writer Girl: The Archived Episodes!
I'm in an airplane right now, writing this. I've already played "Leaving on a Jet Plane," so I'm set. I did get a little choked up when the chorus came and sang "I'm leaving, on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again." I hate leaving places I've come to love, but I do it a fair bit. It comes with the territory of being a college student. I'm looking forward to the day when I can truly call a place my own, a place I can stay and have for keeps.
And I'm discovering things all over again:
- ipods are a gift from the gods. They make even the longest flight positively pleasant. Add audiobooks and I'm in heaven.
- Complimentary juice drinkies are still one of the best things on any flight. Nice flight attendants even more so. ^_^
- I'm also discovering turbulence is really fun. No seriously, I mean that. We've had out fair share this flight (and definitely more than I've ever experienced before. Then again, I've only been on three other flights, and that includes the flight out here). And I really like it – that gut-wrenching feeling when you drop and then jerk back up – it's like a roller coaster, but a wee bit higher in the air. ;) I don't know where I can use it in a book, but it's gonna happen. :D
Speaking of being high up, one of the coolest things I've discovered up here is that the sky has a landscape all its own. The clouds have their own terrain, complete with hills, valleys, rivers, and mountains. It's incredible. I have been privileged to see such sights. And even luckier, I was able to capture some of them. *wicked grin*
(warning: these photos may be contraband. I never checked to see if cameras were on the "approved electronics" list. Better to beg forgiveness and all that) :)
Aren't they amazing?! We live in such a beautiful world. What a grand adventure we are all on. Oooh, and it looks like another adventure is about to begin. Turbulence is back. Wee!
Feature Fun Friday - Silver Phoenix book trailer!
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Dreams by The Cranberries.
You've been holding out on me Cindy. Shame on you. I had to go digging for this. Tsk tsk. For those of you who don't know, Cindy Pon is the author of a debut novel, Silver Phoenix, a fantasy adventure based in ancient China (how cool is that!?). It is going to be released this Tuesday (my plug - go buy it. I'm totally stoked for this book, and not just because I pretend to know the beautiful and gorgeous Cindy). She also has a fabulous website and blog.
I am picky about the book trailers I put on my Feature Fun Fridays. I am a strict censor. I'm like a big burly bar hop who only lets the best of the best in (do you see me crossing my arms?). Slideshows don't usually impress me, but this trailer actually did a pretty darn good job of following a realistic story/character arc (without using different photos that are "supposed" to be the same person - hate that). But what really got me was the music. Oh my gosh! My heart fluttered in joy and rapture when the music took off. It's amazing. I really need this book. And something to look forward to as well - Cindy promised to do an interview on here, so keep an eye out for that. Enjoy your pre-release trailer and have an absolutely amazing weekend everyone!
(Look Cindy, I even gave you a pretty little border. :) I say break out the sparkling cider, it's a time to celebrate. Your book is about to be released!)
Goodbye DC
The Tourist Philosopher
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): One Jump Ahead - Aladdin Soundtrack.
The Secret Adventures of Writer-Girl - The Archived Episodes!
You've turned me into looking like a perpetual tourist. (How else do you think I get these photos for you?). But you know what? I don't think that is such a bad thing. Because seriously, what is the point of lugging around a camera and entering the ultimate level of geekdom? So that we can capture the moment and take everything in so that we don't forget. Because what I said two posts ago is really true. This moment, right now, only happens once. Even something as repetative as work or school can be, that moment, with those people, only happens once. I learned this from my personal finance professor of all places, on my last day in his class, and I have never forgotten it.
It is the single greatest lesson that has helped me see life entirely differently. It makes it so I don't have "boring" days anymore. And it has helped me so much as a writer. When you see every moment as something slipping away forever, you soak it all in so you don't forget. I drink life up now, even more than I did before. I love waking, loving every day just a little bit more. I love life, and I am soaking every sight and sound while I am still here. Life is a fantastic thing, and I want to live every moment of it. That is what being an author, and a human, is all about - living.
Remember this moment, and every moment. It's all we have.
What I found in my room. . .
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Into the Fire by Thirteen Senses
This is perhaps the weirdest thing I have ever found cleaning my room. Some bizarre homework assignment from my little sisters gone horribly wrong? Gremlins branching out to the arts? A strange outpouring of my subconscious? Either way, written here, in full verbatim, is a transcription of a piece of paper I found in my room that made me go "what the. . ."
The short (very short) stories:
Once upon a time there was a pretty little kitten, this kitten's name was Sophia. One day there was a evil grumpy dog that decided to eat Sofia, she died.
Once upon a time there was a toad named Manfred, he liked to hop on lily pads, One day there was a snake that decided to gobble Manfred up, he died.
Once upon a time there was a whale named Stew he loved to eat krill, they died.
Once upon a time there was a sailor named Rodger, he liked to knit. One day while out at sea, the infamous giant squid came up and Rodger showed him his knitting work.
Once upon a time there was a girl in class who was very bored, she typed about random things, Then the chair she sat on grew teeth, she d.....d..i..............................fajearigjwtewlsjd;;'/.....
Children's book, anyone? :)
Stupid Telepathic Song
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Upside Down by Jack Johnson.
The Secret Adventures of Writer-Girl - The Archived Episodes!
When you realize you are leaving a place you have grown to love, everything seems more important, especially the little things. Like the walk through the underground tunnels to your metro stop, the green mural that has given me more book ideas than I can name, the view from my balcony, the wind that blasts my hair back as the train arrives.
The view from my balcony is not much of a view at all. In fact I mostly see the other side of my building.
(look at me and my amazing paint skillz. So cool that I must add the "z":)
You know, the little things. Oh, now that's just not fair. My theme song just switched and guess what it is playing, just guess. "I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane," sung by Chantal Kreviazuk. I have 432 songs on this thing and it decides to pick that one? That's just cruel. Boo. Did you know I played this song when I left for Washington DC to begin my internship here at the Smithsonian? I was going to play it exactly as we took off, but they told us to turn off all electronics, you know, so it doesn't crash the plane and all... Oh! And the water on the river each day as I pass over it. I'm going to miss that so much (can you tell I'm crossing it right now?). I take the yellow line every day just so I can cross over the river instead of under it (it was faster anyway, but even if it wasn't I would have done it anyway). So many memories. And the lesson I've learned from living out here where every single day has been an adventure? Live each day to the fullest. Live every moment live it won't ever happen again. Because it won't. I'm not going to let any moment pass me by that I have left here. Now, off to work, and then Coldstone. Ice cream makes everything happier. ^_^ (see my secret loves if you don't believe me). Mmm, ice cream.
And don't forget my hot-awesome contest where you can win any book you want. That's right, any book. And there are 3.7 kajilllion ways you can win. I counted. (I didn't. But it's close:).
Feature Fun Friday - A - B - Cs and Kermit
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Awakening by Switchfoot
This was a special feature on my old blog. Each week I scour the internet for the best videos on all things related to books - author interviews, book trailers, clips from movies based on books, you name it. I've found some really awesome things, but this one has to be one of the sweetest of all.
Old clip. 1970's. Kermit the frog singing ABCs with small, adorable child. You can't get better than this. Particularly if that little girl has some ideas of her own on how the song should go. If you are ever having a bad day, just come back to this clip and you will cheer right up. I've done it on many occasions.
Kelsey will know this one, I think. She's been around long enough for it. This was one of my original Feature Fun Fridays, but has been so long since buried in my archives, I think it deserves a revival. And really, what better place to start Feature Fun Friday's than with your A-B-C's? Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
Thursday's proof of my insanity
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Wish You Were Here by Blackmore's Night.
Part 2 of my cleaning escapade yesterday. I keep having phantom "fresh" scent following me everywhere. It's kinda bizarre and I'm beginning to wonder if I didn't inhale a bit too much (you are now forewarned when your parents make you clean your oven. Learn from those who have gone before to bring back such precious knowledge).
Photo op! Scrub that icky grime away. And my ipod fell out of my ear. Poo.
Me rocking out with a very dirt wash cloth. I think the look could catch on. :)
And look! After one day, look at all the pretty lights across the country of people who have seen my little piece of the cyber-world. :) Though I'm pretty sure Virginia is completely because of me. :D But look at Ohio and New Jersey! I don't know anyone over there! I love you!
[Edit]: Massachusetts! I'm sorry! I was remembering the wrong state. I promise I know what you look like. And in other announcements, today is Support Teen Literature Day, how cool is that?!
Adventures in cleaning!
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Aftermath by Soul Eclipse
6:30 in the morning is too early to clean an oven. Just saying. I learned things one should never learn at that hour.
Tell me if these directions wouldn't worry you: LIBERALLY lay down newspaper so as to cause no damage to the floor. Do not come in contact with eyes, skin, clothes or other mucus membranes (!?). Rinse cap immediately and drain excess water. Replace cap PROMPTLY.
Yeah, I had those yellow gloves on faster than you could say "toxic waste in a can."
Thoroughly dorkified, I set to work scrubbing. Warm water washing over rubber gloves is a very cool feeling, but that poor rag turned color that I don't think are quite natural. I don't think he can be saved. Poor thing. But because of his sacrifice, the oven is now squeaky clean. Like, literally. I squeaked it to be sure.
Last night also proved to be fruitful for my Writer-Girl skills. I got a ton of character shadowing done. For example, I now know what it feels like to breathe with no air. That was an experience. I sprayed the oven cleaner (following the directions to the letter, mind you), but nowhere did it say "don't breathe in before, during, or after spraying." I probably should have taken the hint when it said HEAVY DUTY on the label though. There was literally no oxygen in the air. It smelled fantastic ("fresh" scent!), but it was the only smell in the air. It felt like it sucked air from my lungs. You cough a lot when you can't breathe. And I scooted back on my butt faster than all get out. So, fantastic research for a sci-fi or other place with little to no air. Like a mine. Oooh, a mine, now that's a cool idea. *rummaging for scratch paper*
Who would've thunk you could learn so much from daily chores? So that was my adventure in cleaning. Oh, and it also rained today. So pretty on the metro over the Potomac. It's going to be so sad when I have to leave. I've really come to love DC.
P.S Photos are coming tomorrow. My blankety blank blank internet isn't working. I'm in a internet cafe right now. Internet cafe = no photos.
P.P.S My hands still smell like rubber. :)
Big Contest, I mean BIG.
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Turn of a Friendly Card, Part 2 by Alan Parsons Project
Now here it is, front and center: my first contest ever. And it's big. And I mean BIG. And it is so easy. I tried to think of every possible way you could win. The prize? Simply any book you want in the entire world. No joke. One book, under $50, no questions asked. It doesn't even have to be in print. Yes, I have my diabolical ways. It's all a part of being Writer-Girl (though if it is out of print, an ISBN number helps immensely). If I were to win – definitely Diana Wynn Jones' Howl's Moving Castle, first edition, hardcover (I'm a sucker for hardcovers). Or The Arrival by Shaun Tan. But I can't win, lucky you. So, comment away, there are about a million ways you can get "points" – entries with your name on it. It's all in your court. Let's get this party started! Contest closes Saturday May 2nd, on the digital turn of midnight.
3 points: become a follower (and you can see yourself over on that side bar. So cute)
1 point: Commenting, even saying "yo." (note: "yo" comment only works once. Of course, this would be a perfect time to tell which book you want me to send you)
1 point: Commenting with email address and/blog address: (2 potential points).
1 point: Giving favorite blogs/websites. You have to say why.
3 points: Mentioning this on your blog: (an extra point if you tell everyone to add it too. 4 potential points).
2 points: Comment and say what superhero you are (because you are whether you see it or not).
Uh… (trying to think of more ways you can rack up points)…
1 point: Adding me in Google Reader or similar RSS feeder
2 points: Telling me what else I can give you points for.
10 points for whoever can get me mentioned on Nathan Bransford's blog ;) (If you can do that, I'll buy you a book outright). ^_^
To those twelve subscribers who followed my previous version of this blog: 2 extra points to you. Thanks for sticking around from the beginning. I know who most of you are, but you have to comment to get the point! And those lurkers I don't know had better come forward. I'm looking at you, wherever you are.
My Secret Identity - Revealed!
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Escape by Hoobastank.
Hello everyone! Some of you are new, some of you are old friends. Welcome everyone. So this is something that has been in the pipeline for quite a while. I had just kind of outgrown my old blog. This fits me much better. Like a warm fuzzy glove. So why the title, you may ask? Because this is the story of my adventures of being Writer-Girl. It's full of action, adventure, intrigue, romance (okay, not yet. But I will let you know when it happens!). So, basically, it's got it all. Because I firmly believe everyone is living a great story all their own. So - same blog, same great flavor, only better. Just a new address and a bit more focused (ie: cooler). I'm still going to do Feature Fun Friday, never fear. A lot of people really liked it. Heck, I do too.
So what is a superhero without an introduction? Here's all the basics you could need about Writer-Girl *cues supercool music*
Secret Power: photography, writing, creating worlds all my own that I want to share. I also make a mean roasted chicken sandwich.
Secret loves: anime/manga/graphic novels, Jack Skellington, music, geocaching (aka treasure hunting), ice cream.
Weapon of choice: typewriter, laptop, notebook – in that order. Then comes the camera.
Superhero weakness: books. Could it be anything else?
Undercover disguise: currently as a Smithsonian intern.
Alias: Heather A. Zundel – ordinary girl extraordinaire.
How I plan to save the world: one story at a time.
Everyone has a story. Here's mine.


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Boys and girls, do I have some news for you. Although apparently, much like Blaine Anderson, this has been out for a while.
The Warblers, as in those blue blazer-sporting Dalton Academy crooners you hear on Glee, are really Tufts University's Beelzebubs!! So cool, right?!
…What, you mean you never went out of your way to see them perform, and by out of your way I mean really just to a church in the next town over? Well, I have, because let me tell you, the Beelzebubs are THE top college a cappella group in the country. Nay, the world!
As a long time college a cappella fan, you can take my word for it.
Now you might be asking – who the heck are those guys on the show, then? They're the ones who do the background vocals for Glee, all those 'boo bop bop bops' you hear as the football bullies go slush-happy or Sue Sylvester hatches another evil plan.
Before you start to think it's all a sham, rest assured that Darren Criss is indeed the killer voice behind the lead vocals, and the Beelzebubs re-record their hit tunes specifically for Glee. Besides, isn't it super spiffy that they're using real a cappella kids??
For a fun article on this, including some Warbler vids, click here.
P.S. – Mini Warbler is back, and I think the 'Bubs should save a place for him in about 12 years!


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Luzanov's mansion
30, Marazlievskaya Street
A small two-storey Luzanov's mansion is probably one of the most mysterious buildings of Marazlievskaya Street. There is no unambiguous data either about the construction year, or about the author of the project, or about the owner of that particular land site of that period.
Type: mansion
Style: neoclassicism
Architect: D. E. Mazirov (?)
Construction year: unknown, probably the beginning of the 20th century
Status: background development object
In the beginning of 1880s Marazlievskaya was quite a deserted street, but by the end of the 19th century it had been built up with apartments owed by aristocracy — moderate, but sophisticated multiple dwellings and mansions. Some houses, designed as urban mansions, were located deep in their yards, which were isolated from the street by elegant fences — No. 18, 26 and 30 were among them.
The most representative of them is No. 30, information about the owner of which is quite contradictory. A regional ethnographer V. P. Netrebsky claims that this mansion belonged to an official of the construction department of the City Council M. P. Ozmidov, while another ethnographer O. I. Gubar, who managed to trace all the changes of the house owners at Marazlievskaya street, is sure that Ozmidov owed a site at the corner, while the site we are talking about was purchased by E. Lesly between 1875 and 1884.
According to "All Odessa" catalogue, in 1900 G. Goller bought this land site and in 1902 Klimovetskaya outbid it. Between 1902 and 1907 this site became property of Mikhail Fomich Luzanov, who had owed it at least till 1913.
The Luzanov family owed a large plot of land in the countryside and their patrimony — Luzanov's khutor (Luzamov's farm) — was located on the site of the modern Luzanovsky park, which is an "heir" of the former manor park.
During World War I catalogues weren't published, which makes it difficult to trace the further fate of the site in Marazlievskaya Street. Frequent change of owners may indicate that this site was intended for development and we can assume that most probably this house was built by Luzanov in the beginning of the 20th century.
This building brings to mind a manor of classicism. Despite its simplicity, it has graceful proportions.
This two-storey building with a basement is characterized by a highly tectonic composition; its façade has no stucco décor. Between two avant-corps a veranda is located, and its columns support a balcony over it.
Tuscan order columns have a small cross section and give a bit of aristocracy to the mansion.
Both balcony and veranda are fenced with stone balustrade, but the stair rails are made of iron, which can probably be a result of the renovation done in 2000s. Unfortunately, nowadays the view of the facade is distorted with various annexes and glass balconies, chaotically sticked to its surface. This unpleasant picture is completed by an additional floor overbuilt at the right side, which destroys the symmetry of the building.
Veranda stairs
Unlike the moderate façade, the vestibule is decorated a lot richer. On the 2nd floor the ceiling is ornamented with a classical stucco cornice and on the ground floor you can see a stucco bracket, which supports a beam — this system was quite common in the interiors of odessian houses of the 19th —20th centuries.
Vestibule, stucco decor
The stair rails, stylized rococo, are still in perfect condition. Their ornament echoes with the round medallions on the entrance gates of the mansion. Stairs are decorated with black frames and appear to be more moderate. Staircases are made of concrete mosaic, unlike in most elite buildings, which have marble or wooden staircases (you can find some perfect examples of those on Marazlievskaya Street).
Vestibule, stair rails
As it was mentioned before, the fence of the site is also stylized rococo.
The fence and the gates of the mansion
A non-decorated outbuilding, which appears to be an oblong one-storey construction, adjoins the party wall of the nearby mansion of E. Ya. Mendelevitch. Its only décor element left to the present day is a canopy over the entrance door.
The outbuilding
In general the architect was trying to make the building look aristocratically using a small amount of décor elements — and he succeeded: the mansion took its place among much more richly decorated houses.
- "Architecture of Odessa. Style and Time". V. Pilyavsky
- "Along Marazlievskaya Street…" Article by Tatiana Zayarnaya
- Oleg Kreposnyak compiler
- Dmitry Shamatazhi, photographer, compiler and editor
- Alexander Levitsky, art director, editor, photographer and colorist
- Marina Tomenko, editor
- Valeria Vazhnova, translator


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The head of manuscripts at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Najeh Bkeirat, has accused Israel of trying to "Judaize" the Temple Mount by building a new Holy Temple.
Speaking on January 4 to the Palestine journal, which is affiliated with the Hamas terrorist group, Bkeirat claimed that "the construction of the false Temple is closer than ever before."
Bkeirat claimed in the interview that an analysis of Jerusalem's development plans finds there is an intention to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and within this framework build the Temple on its ruins and to then reduce the number of Arab residents in the city.
In order to deal with the "danger" of such a move, he called to increase the Muslim presence in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and hold educational programs in it, in addition to public relations activities about the importance of the mosque and the other Islamic holy places in Jerusalem.
Arabs continuously accuse Israel of "Judaizing" the Temple Mount, sometimes resorting to ridiculous propaganda such as accusing Israel of using chemicals to erode the foundations of the mosque in order to cause it to collapse.
The Popular Resistance Committees terrorist organization has threatened Israel that any harm to the Al-Aqsa mosque would "open the gates of hell against the Zionist enemy."
Meanwhile the Waqf, which was left in charge of the Temple Mount following Jerusalem's reunification in 1967, has removed every sign of ancient Jewish presence at the Jewish holy site. The decision to leave the Temple Mount in the hands of the Waqf was made by then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan.
At the entrance to the Temple Mount, a Waqf sign says, "The Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard and everything in it is Islamic property".
Police, in an attempt to appease the Waqf, discriminate against Jews. They limit the number of Jewish worshippers allowed on the Temple Mount at one time in order to prevent conflict with Muslim worshippers. They often close the Mount to Jews in response to Muslim riots – despite evidence that Muslim riots have been planned in advance for the specific purpose of forcing Jews out.
A recent report by archaeologists found that the Waqf is continuing to destroy Jewish antiquities on the Temple Mount in a direct violation of a ruling by the Supreme Court.


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Who is Cortana? It's Halo's Jen Taylor
SAN FRANCISCO — Fans of the Halo video game franchise will recognize the voice of Windows Phone 8.1's new Cortana voice assistant: It's voice actress Jen Taylor, who voiced the character in the video game.
The beta version of Cortana that will launch in coming months actually uses more than one source, including synthesized voices. But over time, the feature's voice will become more and more centered on Taylor, Microsoft's Greg Sullivan told USA TODAY.
"Cortana from Halo embodies what we are trying to achieve here," he says.
In the Halo series, Cortana is an artificial intelligence guide who is the right hand to series hero Master Chief. As in the game franchise, there is an evolution in the relationship that deepens over time — as the smartphone voice assistant gathers more information on how you use the phone, he says.
For now, Taylor's voice is behind many of the "chit-chat" exchanges on the phone.
In a demonstration Wednesday, Sullivan asked Cortana "who is your father?"
Her response: "Technically speaking, that'd be Bill Gates. No big deal."
Cortana is powered by Microsoft's Bing search engine and essentially replaces the search function on a Windows Phone smartphone. You can use it to make phone calls, send texts, take a note or give you a reminder.
Cortana has a "notebook" where you can store your interests, places you frequent, calendar, relationships with friends, family and colleagues and your "quiet hours." So for instance, during your quiet hours you can let only certain calls come through.
The more you use the search function the more Cortana learns about you, by asking you if you want her to store it.The Windows Phone 8.1 update starts rolling out to consumers who currently own Windows Phones in the next few months.
The new feature adds functionality to Windows Phones that Apple and Google's Android customers have come to know through Siri (Apple) and Google Now (Android).
Check out the accompanying video see how some of the features stack up.


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As promised:
We petition the government to review all treaties and international commitments which may inhibit the ability of Parliament to restore capital punishment. Following this review, the Ministry of Justice should map out the necessary legislative steps which will be required to restore the death penalty for the murder of children and police officers when killed in the line of duty.
The findings of the review and the necessary substantive legislation to be presented to House of Commons for debate no later than 12 months after this petition passes the acceptance threshold.
One of the problems with our modern unrepresentative democracy is that it is disconnected from the voters. Despite focus groups, polling and intense marketing to voters, politicians are still unable to engage successfully with voters.
There are a number of issues where the political class refuses to carry out the wishes of the people. All polls show that there is majority support for capital punishment, yet there is no majority for it in parliament. It is not even an issue for parliamentarians even though the incidence of homicide is higher now than it was before the abolition of hanging. Now that the government has launched an e-petitions site, Guido will put all the resources at his command into a campaign for a vote on the restoration of capital punishment for child and cop killers. Even if we don't win the vote on the floor of the House, we shall at least see which MPs believe salus populi suprema est lex, and those that put the welfare of child killers above the wider community. Let them be counted.
Guido intends to launch a campaign website at the end of next week, if you want to help the campaign, in any way, use the contact form below. If 100,000 voters sign the petition we have a chance of getting real justice for the next Baby P…


text:
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- High-speed linking which reduces overall cycle time and optimizes machine motion by minimizing rapid moves and eliminating abrupt changes in direction
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- Unparalleled surface finishes that increase productivity by reducing secondary machining processes
- Tapered tool support with full gouge avoidance
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Red Wings 3, Bruins 2: Boston's road streak snapped
Gustav Nyquist broke a tie with 7:12 left in the third period, and the Detroit Red Wings held on to beat the Boston Bruins, 3-2, on Wednesday night.
DETROIT — The NHL-leading Boston Bruins followed their game plan of keeping Gustav Nyquist in front of them for more than two periods.
When the puck got loose, and Nyquist got to it, though, one of the game's best defenseman and goalies couldn't stop the surging goal-scorer.
Nyquist broke a tie with 7:12 left in the third period on his only shot of the game, and the Detroit Red Wings held on to beat Boston 3-2 on Wednesday night.
"I didn't think Gus had one of his best games by any means, but he scored a big goal," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
Nyquist has a league-high 23 goals since Jan. 20 and a team-high 27 this season. He has given the Red Wings the breakout player they needed to boost their chances of extending their postseason streak to 23 seasons while missing many key players, including Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.
The 24-year-old Swede started the season with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins after scoring a total of four goals in 40 games the previous two seasons.
"That's one of the young players that has come in here, and given the chance to be a front guy has taken total of advantage of it," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "Those things probably don't happen if Datsyuk and Zetterberg are still in the lineup.
"When things like that happen, some guys are really good at stepping to the forefront. He's done an unbelievable job of doing that."
The Bruins turned the puck over near Detroit's blue line, paving the way for Nyquist to score. He raced up ice, skated around defenseman Zdeno Chara and ended his blurring sequence by scoring against Tuukka Rask.
"I think (Chara) came off the bench so it was tough for him to get enough time to gap up, got kind of flat-footed," Nyquist said. "I just tried to use my speed."
He has done that a lot lately, scoring in three straight games and having at least one point in 10 games in a row.
Nyquist scored 1:42 after teammate Tomas Jurco tied the game. Jimmy Howard finished with 33 saves to seal the win, strengthening Detroit's spot as a wild-card team in the Eastern Conference with six games left.
"Howie kept us in the game and gave us a chance," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "We didn't play great, but we found a way."
The Atlantic Division-champion Bruins have been doing that for a while, winning a franchise-record nine straight on the road and earning at least a point in their previous 16 games.
Boston led the Red Wings twice, but couldn't put away the young, scrappy and short-handed team.
"They've got really good speed," Rask said. "We did a pretty good job of shutting them down, but not good enough."
Rask made 17 saves before being pulled for an extra skater with 1:14 left.
Detroit's Tomas Tatar scored early in the second period to tie the game the Bruins were basically dominating. Tatar used his left skate to push the puck across the front of the crease to set up Jurco's goal.
The Bruins held out 36-year-old forward Jarome Iginla because of a lower-body injury, and the team said he is day to day. Iginla played in Boston's first 75 games this season, leading the team with 30 goals and ranking second with 61 points.
The defending Eastern Conference champions outshot Detroit 11-4 in the first period and 14-7 in the second before seemingly playing less aggressively in the third when they went ahead.
"I thought we let our guard down the second part of the third and they capitalized on it," Julien said.
Johnny Boychuk's slap shot put the Bruins up 1-0 late in the first, and Carl Soderberg gave them a 2-1 lead early in the third. Boychuk scored shortly after an apparent Boston goal was waved off because Chara was in the crease.
Tatar tied it 4:45 into the second with a wrist shot from the right circle that went across traffic and got past Rask as his view was obstructed by Detroit's Riley Sheahan. Tatar, another one of many young players who has made the most of an opportunity to play a lot for the banged-up team, has 19 goals after scoring five times in 27 games the previous two seasons.
The Bruins went back ahead 1:10 into the third when Soderberg scored from the left circle off a cross-ice pass from Patrice Bergeron.
Detroit, though, refused to go away and rallied for a much-needed win.
NOTES: The Bruins hadn't lost in regulation since March 1 in a 4-2 loss to Washington. … The Red Wings kept forward Daniel Alfredsson out of the lineup because of a lower-body injury. … Datsyuk skated with teammates Wednesday morning, but missed his 16th straight game because of an injured left knee. Datsyuk wouldn't say if he expected to play Friday at home against Buffalo. … Bergeron extended his point streak to nine games.


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Julius Röntgen: Piano Concertos nos.2 (Op.18) and 4
Matthias Kirschnereit piano
NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover
David Porcelijn conductor
These two concertos both have much to commend them, but they also have one very big problem – a complete lack of originality. Julius Röntgen was obviously very keen on Beethoven, Schumann, Bruckner, Wagner, Verdi, and above all Brahms. Given the premium status afforded to originality in the Romantic era, Röntgen's willingness to just rip off these composers for tunes and harmonic progressions is surprising, and it is tempting to listen to this disc as just a string of homages/ripoffs of the great German composers of the 19th century.
But that's only fun for a couple of minutes, and a much better way to approach this music is to listen in for its own considerable merits. Röntgen's loyalty to Brahms wasn't unusual among composers of his generation, and like them he added something of himself to his thinly veiled imitations. If, like me, you find Brahms' piano concertos a bit heavy, the levity of Röntgen's versions is very welcome. His music isn't based on the same sense of tight symphonic argument. Instead, it usually takes a more laid back and free flowing melodic approach. That often brings him closer to Schumann's concerto, another work that he comes dangerously close to plagiarising wholesale.
And the technical skill in Röntgen's writing, both for the piano and the orchestra, is undeniable. In the 2nd Concerto he often gives melodies or obbligatos to solo woodwind instruments, and the way that these lines match the timbres of the instruments is very finely judged.
I find the slow movements of the two concertos the most satisfying, especially that of the Fourth. Ok, so the movement starts off sounding just like the second movement of Bruckner 7, but it then evolves into something surprisingly individual and heartfelt. And emotion is something all of this music has in spades. The piano writing in particular is always in the grand heart-on-sleeve Romantic tradition.
Like all of Röntgen's works, these concertos have suffered more neglect than they deserve. The derivative nature of the musical prose may be partly to blame, but the sheer difficulties of the solo part must also be a factor. The outer movements of the Fourth Concerto in particular make the kind of demands that you will only find in the most complex of Romantic concertos. Credit then to Matthias Kirschnereit, who plays everything with grace and panache. He puts in quite a lot of rubato, but no more than the music itself suggests. The clarity of his touch is a real asset. Röntgen's piano writing, difficult as it is, doesn't really need help in terms of clarity from the player. Even so, this expressive yet clear sighted reading is exactly what is needed to do the music justice.
The NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover are sympathetic accompanists, and conductor David Porcelijn follows the contours of Kirschnereit's phrasing with pinpoint precision. The recording quality is excellent, with a lively sound from the piano, clearly delineated sections in the orchestra and a perfectly judged balance between the two.
An interesting addition then to the CPO's Röntgen Edition, but one that highlights his failings as much as his qualities. It's well worth hearing, just as long as you're not expecting anything radical or new.


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MLB Season in Review: San Francisco Giants Hitters
By Eriq Gardner //
Biggest Surprise
Andres Torres spent 13 years in the minors before finally getting a shot to play every day in the majors this season. His numbers on the farm were decent, but nothing that hinted he'd be any better than a serviceable backup. He showed some promise in 2009, hitting .270/.343/.533. This year, Torres has hit 15 homers, knocked in 61 runs, scored 83, and stolen 23 bases in 549 plate appearances. He's certainly earned an outfield spot again next season, even though he'll be 33 with a light pedigree. The guy who came out of nowhere edges the spectacular comeback year of Aubrey Huff as the team's biggest surprise.
Biggest Bust
Pablo Sandoval was coming off a 25-HR season in 2009 and looked like a good bet to develop as one of the league's most valuable corner infielders. After all, Kung Fu Panda has an elite ability to make contact with the ball — hardly ever striking out. So what happened in 2010? Sandoval hit only a dozen home runs and his batting average dropped from .330 all the way down to .267. It's hard to explain his complete absence of power this year except to speculate about his body weight, a hidden injury, or just pure bad luck. It's also possible that Sandoval enjoyed a career year in 2009 (including a very high .350 BABIP) and that he had little to no shot to repeat that performance.
2011 Keeper Alert
Buster Posey arrived on the scene in late May and quickly established himself as one of baseball's top catchers. This season, in just 426 plate appearances, Posey has hit 16 HR, knocked in 64, and hit .311. Posey was highly touted coming into the league, but few catching prospects are ever this good, this quickly. Now, he has made a case that he could possibly be the most valuable catcher in baseball next year, especially if Joe Mauer fails to regain his 2009 power stroke. Posey's value is helped by the fact that he plays nearly every day — another rarity among catchers — and hits high up in San Francisco's lineup.
2011 Regression Alert
Expect better things from Sandoval next season. He's still making contact and putting the ball in the air, but a 6.6% HR/FB rate is flukishly low and bound to improve.


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Walkthrough part 4
Alpha Protocol Walkthrough
You'll naturally find yourself stuck in the interrogation room, and this is where Michael will come in contact with Yancy Westridge, a CIA Agent who's looking for young blood.
There are certain attributes that Westbridge doesn't like, and sarcasm is one of them. Choose "Impatient" when it first appears, as he will admire your ruthless nature and will increase Michael's rep.
Surviving this conversation will allow you to level Michael's skills up, meaning you can alter his proficiency in combat and other areas. No skills are permanent, so you can alter them later on by opening up the PDA and selecting "Service Record."
It's now time to head to the training centre and customise your hero. Changes aren't permanent, so don't worry if you give him a hair cut you later regret. After moving past Michael's locker, there's a laptop waiting to be hacked. This'll provide you with some interesting emails from the Alpha Protocol staff, and also rewards you with 25 XP. Turn around and turn on the flat-screen television after doing this, and Internet terrorist Shaheed will explain the downing of the passenger jet in the opening scene.
Now you have the choice to enter three doors. Although orientation sessions are optional, they introduce simple mechanics that you may want to practise before heading out on a real mission. You can complete Technical Ops to the east, Marksmanship to the south and Covert Ops on the west. Each will put you in conversations with characters who appreciate different personality traits, so be alert when they're talking.
Alan Parker's course shouldn't fill you with much dread, as it involves techniques you would have used already to escape. He is a professional, and responds well to players who aren't suave and trying to be cocky.
The course is straightforward until you come to a zip-line. Here all you need to do is hop on, and if the guard is in the landing zone, Michael will automatically take him out. If he isn't, you'll need beat him up until he doesn't poses a threat.
If you score over 100 on Parker's challenge an additional mission will be unlocked. This is similar to the objective you completed earlier in the level, where you must bypass guards and retrieve a briefcase. By using your initiative here you'll be able to successfully complete the mission without being seen. Follow each of the guards on the bonus mission and you'll be able to nail them with minimal hassle.
This will be your first meeting with Sean Darcy, someone who Mina quickly identifies as a rival for Michael. You can gain points with him by being suave or annoy him by being aggressive. After talking to Darcy you need to go to the gadget range, and approach the cabinet at the bottom of the stairs to get your hands on Concussion Grenades and EMP Charges.
It's rewarding to take part in this orientation process, as not only are you introduced to the most irritating ally in the game, you'll be able to use the Concussion Grenades which aren't available anywhere else.
All you need to do is lob a few grenades to take out the targets, and then throw an EMP Grenade to get through the locked door. After going through the next door, there's another cabinet full of goodies for you to use. Both the Shock Traps and Sound Generators will help you get rid of three incoming guards, so listen to Darcy and follow his instructions. Remember, if the traps fail, martial arts is your best friend.
If you manage to score 100 on this course, Darcy will challenge you to complete the last part of the course again for money. If you manage to deactivate three alarms while holding off numerous guards he'll give you $20,000, and a the Betting Man perk will be unlocked. Utilise all the techniques you've just been taught here, as Shock Traps and explosives will turn this gamble into your favour.
Saving the most fun until last, it's time to use some real weapons. Mina is the obvious love interest, so when she asks you if you remember her name, make sure you get it right if you want to be Alpha Protocol's number one playboy.
From here on in, this orientation is rather simple. All you need to do is pick up guns and fire them at targets while Mina guides you on how to improve your accuracy. There's no need to aim for critical shots here, as any contact will send the target down with a bang. Everything here is self-explanatory, so follow the on-screen prompts as avidly as possible.
After the course has been completed Mina will state that Darcy is trying to beat your score. Now you can begin to make her fall for you, so act suave and she'll appreciate your tone.
Scoring 100 or more on this task will unlock a humorous bonus event. Armed with rubber bullets, you must shoot Darcy while he practises on the range. Simply climb up the exit ladder, move to the end of the ledge and shoot him when he appears. Before long, he'll be on the floor and announcing he's going to tell his mummy what you just did. Completing this will unlock the Cage Match perk and will force Mina to like you even more.
Once all tutorials are complete, head back to the interrogation room and flirt with Westgate once more. Depending on the orientations you finished, the dialogue will alter slightly, but will always come round to discussing dossiers and other vital information.


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Scientists in Tibet discover earliest known cat fossil
The big feline, which lived between 5.9. million and 4.1 million years ago, is a sister species of the snow leopard, say scientists.
The earliest known big cat lived in what is now China between 5.9 million and 4.1 million years ago, newfound fossils of the ancient prowler suggest.
The fossils, which were discovered on the Tibetan plateau, belong to a sister species of the snow leopard that prowls the Himalayan region today, said study co-author Zhijie Jack Tseng, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The new study also reveals that all cats diverged about 16 million years ago, about 5 million years earlier than was previously thought. [See Images of the Oldest Big Cat Fossils]
Big cats
The group of felines known as "big cats" includes tigers, leopards, lions and jaguars, as well as snow leopards and clouded leopards. But exactly where and when they evolved hasn't been clear.
Tseng and his colleagues were excavating a rocky region of badlands in the Tibetan plateau in 2010 when they uncovered a fossil skull and one other bone that seemed to belong to a big cat. On return trips, they excavated five more specimens of the cat. [See Images of the Big Cat Fossils]
The team didn't know how old the fossils were, so the researchers looked at the orientation of magnetic minerals in the rock layers around the fossils. Because the Earth's magnetic poles have flipped at known points in geologic time, counting the number of times magnetic particles switch orientation in nearby rocks can reveal the approximate age of a fossil.
The team concluded the big cat was at least 4 million years old — a few million years older than some other ancient tiger fossils.
A detailed look at the anatomy in comparison with other living and extinct cats revealed the primeval cat didn't look too different from a modern snow leopard.
But this cat is by no means the first feline from which all other cats evolved. After combining an analysis of the fossil cat's physical features with genetic data — including some from a fossil cave lion — the team puts the origin of all cats (including housecats) somewhere around 16 million years ago.
"These fossils are the oldest, but they're by no means the most primitive," Tseng told LiveScience. "There is some big cat out there that has yet to be described."
The findings are exciting because they corroborate genetic estimates of when cats first emerged, and because the fossils were found near Central Asia, the area where most scientists believe cats first evolved, said Julie Meachen, a paleontologist at Des Moines University in Iowa, who was not involved in the study.
In addition, the cat skull came from a region where other fossils of mega-creatures have been found, suggesting perhaps this is the region where Pleistocene megafauna, including "big furry guys" such as wooly mammoths and rhinos, evolved, Meachen said. (Megafauna are large or giant animals.)
It's also fascinating how little cats have changed over the past several million years, she said.
"The reason they don't change is that they are so good at what they do that they don't need to change," Meachen told LiveScience. "They're just really effective killers of prey right from the get-go."
The cat fossil was described today (Nov. 12) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Follow Tia Ghose on Twitterand Google+. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.
- Here, Kitty, Kitty: 10 Facts for Cat Lovers
- Images: One-of-a-Kind Places on Earth
- Big Cats: Photos Reveal Elusive Jaguars
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Good varieties of lavender to try growing in the Hudson Valley
Q: I would like to plant lavender this spring. Is there a particular variety that grows well in the Lower Hudson Valley?
A: Lavender, a fragrant herb that belongs to the mint family, grows as a compact, rounded shrub, about 2 feet tall with many erect stems. It has fragrant silvery-gray leaves and lavender-purple, pink or white flowers that bloom in early summer. Bees love them.
Lavender grows best in full sun, in well-drained, alkaline soil and, once established, can tolerate drought. Because many of our local soils are acidic and very dense, it may be a challenge to find a suitable site in your yard. You may grow lavender in containers as long as you have a protected place to winter them over. Containers drain well, you can adjust the soil pH, and move them to your sunniest location, if necessary.
The hardiest lavender is Lavandula angustifolia, also known as English lavender, a stocky plant with full flowers. Popular varieties are 'Compacta' (very hardy), 'Dwarf White,' 'Hidcote,' and 'Munstead.' 'Premier,' 'Sharon Roberts' and 'Susan Belsinger' are hardy varieties that may rebloom.
Prune back any damaged stems in mid to late spring. Do not prune after midsummer, or soft new shoots will be injured. In early summer, when lavender is blooming, harvest in the morning, after the dew has evaporated.
Once dried, the buds are easily stripped from the stems and can be used to make sachets or potpourri. With luck, you may get at least two pickings of lavender each summer. Enjoy!
Amy Albam, Senior Horticulturist, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester


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Police in Calgary believe they have found the bodies of a missing woman and toddler who were reported missing nearly two weeks ago.
The suspected remains of Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her 22-month-old daughter, Aliyah Sanderson, were found about 4 a.m. Monday in a heavily wooded part of Kananaskis Country, a wilderness area on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains.
"To protect the integrity of this investigation and future court proceedings, we are unable to release details about what lead to the discovery of the bodies," police said in a news release.
They said officers rearrested a man they briefly took into custody two weeks ago, but are not identifying him until charges are laid. That was expected to happen later Monday or Tuesday.
Robert Leeming, 34, previously told media outlets that he was the one police questioned and that Lovett and the child lived in his southeast Calgary home.
He has said he is innocent.
Autopsies were to begin Monday, but the cause of death was not expected to be released.
Lovett and the girl were last seen April 16. Police said an online purchase from Lovett's account was made two days later, but they don't know if she's the one who made it.
The pair were reported missing after they failed to show up for a family dinner.
"Our lives have been devastated and our hearts are heavy," the Lovett family said in a statement released by police.
"We are trying to understand how this tragedy could have happened to our loved ones."
Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press