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Dedicated to making a difference, Ali Spizman is a national volunteer teen ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. Since she was young, Spizman's goal has been to spread kindness and make a difference while encouraging others to do the same. She has performed workshops for the Girl Scouts and is the award-winning author of The Thank You Book for Kids. Spizman has been featured by Time Magazine for Kids, Southern Living, CNN, Good Day Atlanta, Newsday Charlotte Observer, Boston Herald, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Woman's Day, American Girl, Cosmo Girl, Elle Girl, Atlanta Parent and other major media outlets. Her book was recommended by USA Today and mentioned on NBC's Today. She is also the designer of the Handbag of Hope™, an innovative new line of cause-related handbags and accompanying accessories. The bags were sold worldwide in Claire's boutiques and The Icing by Claire's and generated more than $500,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Her handbag line was launched in spring of 2005 along with her second book titled The Power of a Wish in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A transfer student originally from Atlanta, Spizman came to UGA last spring semester from Indiana University. She is a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, and she loves to draw. After graduation, she plans to move to Atlanta or New York. She wants to work as a consumer journalist and one day start her own business or become an entertainment reporter.
Atlanta, Ga.
High School:
North Springs High School
Degree objective:
B.S.F.C.S. in consumer journalism
Expected graduation:
Fall 2008
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I transferred to UGA last year from Indiana University. I affiliated and am active in my sorority, Delta Delta Delta. I was recently awarded the Atlanta Falcons Youth Quarterback Leadership Award for my involvement and contribution to the Make A Wish Foundation and previously served as their National Youth Volunteer Ambassador. I am a member of the Student Association for the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and very involved in my pursuing my major.
Family Ties to UGA:
My great uncle, Jerry Blonder, who sadly passed away last year, was very involved with the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and attended UGA.
I chose to attend UGA because…
…I realized that I wanted to be closer to home (Atlanta) and UGA had so much to offer. Transferring from Indiana University was the greatest decision I have ever made. Plus, you seriously cannot beat the HOPE scholarship. I transferred to UGA because of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Consumer Journalism is the perfect major for me and encompasses all of my interests which vary from writing to fashion to consumer topics.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
..attend sporting events and walk around the campus and downtown Athens.
Everyone is so friendly and makes you feel at home. This past fall was my first UGA football season and it was unreal. Like everybody else, I am counting down until September. I also love watching the basketball team play.
When I have free time, I like…
…to draw, work out and hang out with friends. Within the past 4 years, drawing has become a huge hobby of mine. I design these elaborate tattoo-looking drawings. Many people have told me that my drawings are really interesting and not something they would expect from me. I also love to play volleyball, basketball, tennis and soccer.
The craziest thing I've done is…
When I was 9 years old, I took a trip to New York with my mom, and we were at an event called Hollywood For Children, benefiting a children's cause and hosted by Audrey Hepburn's son. There were many celebrities there of all ages. I didn't know who Mickey Rooney was at the time, but while the paparazzi were taking photographs of him surrounded by all of the kid celebrities, I was standing nearby and walked straight into the picture and stood right next to Mickey Rooney. He knew I wasn't an actress, but gave me a huge hug, made sure I was in the photograph and I ended up being featured in all these teen magazines.
My favorite place to study is…
…Starbucks. If I study in my room, I most likely will fall asleep. Starbucks has a great atmosphere. I think that it really helps me to focus when other things are going on around me.
My favorite professor is…
…Connie Rash in UGA's College of Family and Consumer Sciences. She is one of the most amazing faculty members I have ever met. I would not be able to navigate this school without her. She has been an amazing mentor and inspiring teacher. Connie has such a welcoming personality and is such an asset to UGA.
I also think Debbie Phillips is an incredible teacher.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…Elie Weizel. There are no words to describe the magnitude of impact he has on everyone who crosses his path. Just to be able to sit in his presence would be an honor. It would be amazing to listen to him speak about his book, Night, as well as his experiences and life during the war.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…sing like Aretha Franklin. I think it would be such an amazing way to express yourself, and Aretha Franklin is beyond amazing. I love listening to music and especially reading lyrics, because you can always relate them to your personal life. I have a few songs that I listen to repeatedly that are my inspiration.
After graduation, I plan to…
…move back to Atlanta or live in New York for a few years. I want to find an ideal career match where I can really put my talents and skills to work, but also learn a great deal and grow both personally and professionally. I love a challenge and am not scared to work hard. One day I would love to start my own business, but for now I know that experience is the best teacher. I also have the dream of being a reporter for Entertainment Tonight or a national morning show and would like to be on-air in either television or radio. I also want to continue my fundraising work as I enjoy helping child-related causes and overseeing or participating in large events.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…just being a student at this school. I like being able to walk on campus and having no worries except whether you will make it to your next class on time. I always hear graduates tell me that they wish they could spend one more semester in college or be a student for life. I want to take advantage of my last year here because I love UGA.


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Today's News: Our Take - VIDEO: Watch the Best Mila Kunis Interview You'll Ever See
Mila Kunis turned the tables on a newbie interviewer for BBC Radio 1.
When Chris Stark from the Scott Mills Show began talking to Kunis about her upcoming film Oz the Great and Powerful, he admitted that this was his first time interviewing a celebrity.
"Seriously, I'm petrified," he admitted when they first sat down.
Stars who don't look their age
Kunis was a good sport, and eventually the conversation turned to doing lad bombs (Jaegermeister, double vodka and Red Bull) at the local pub, football (aka soccer), chicken and meat pies.
"I should get back to the questions," he soon said. "Why? This is way more fun for me," Kunis responded, before rattling off stock answers to the usual press junket questions.
Watch the hilarious interview below (which, of course, ends with a wedding date invitation):
View original VIDEO: Watch the Best Mila Kunis Interview You'll Ever See at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com

subset: commoncrawl


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What Martial Arts Have to Do With Atheism
An interview with Sam Harris about self-defense and the seduction of faith
Sam Harris is best known as a vocal opponent of religious faith. But he is also a student of martial arts and armed self-defense, and a practitioner of daily silent meditation.
In the May issue of The Atlantic, Graeme Wood recounts the experience of learning meditation and Brazilian jiu-jitsu with him. Harris is finishing his next book, Waking Up: Science, Skepticism, Spirituality, about self-transcendence in the absence of religion. Following their encounter, Wood caught up with Harris to discuss violence, faith, and meditation.
Would you rather be attacked by one person with a knife, or several unarmed individuals equally intent on killing you?
Both situations are invitations to a track meet: You want to run. One of my teachers, Mark Mikita, specializes in knife fighting, mostly derived from the Filipino martial arts, and one of his teachers told him: "If you train with me for ten years, and someone pulls a knife on you, and you just turn and run, then your training has been successful." The problems of a knife and multiple attackers are similar, in that they rarely end well for a person who is alone and unarmed.
Even if you know how to defend yourself against one person, fighting several people is a hugely different situation. You could be a Golden Gloves champion, but while you confront your first attacker, you'll have one or more people taking your flank. Underestimating the gravity of this problem is one of the more dangerous illusions that martial artists acquire. It is true that uncommitted or unsophisticated attackers might approach you serially, and if you have good skills, you might prevail over one at a time. But if you're swarmed by several people at once, it becomes a problem for which no martial art has a solution. Only having a weapon makes you likely to prevail.
Similarly, a knife attack is always a disaster for an unarmed person. Somebody who gets out of 10 years in a maximum-security prison has basically gone to graduate school for shanking people. A person who is seriously intent upon killing you with a knife is not going to attack in the way you've learned to expect from martial-arts class. Most martial artists have done knife-defense drills where their partners attack in a very stereotyped way--lunging forward with a single thrust and leaving their arm out there so that you can perform the technique. This is just a pantomime of combat, and it is dangerously misleading.
The reality of a knife attack is that even if you stop 50% of the thrusts and slashes, you will be taking damage with every other move. And getting cut with a knife of any size is physiologically horrible in a way that few people realize. It is arguably worse than getting shot. A bullet is a tiny ball of metal that may or may not hit something vital. Unless you're shooting someone in the brainstem or heart, you're basically waiting for blood loss to incapacitate him. A knife--especially in the hands of someone who knows how to use it--cuts through everything it touches, and it's not going to malfunction or run out of bullets. It is also much harder to wrestle a blade out of a person's hand, because you can grab a gun without getting your fingers cut off.
There is a shadow to false comfort, because it prevents people from dealing honestly with grief and loss.Not in any significant way. Once, as a freshman at Stanford, I came upon three guys abusing a dog tethered to a parking meter. Unfortunately, I had spent the day drinking with friends and had about five watts of situational awareness, so I was in no condition to defend myself or the dog. But I tried to reason with them. The next thing I knew, I was coming to, after having been hit in the head. I was out of the fight before I even realized I was in it. Of course, given what I just said about the problem of multiple attackers, I'm not sure the situation would have been much different had I been sober.
You've mentioned that having a family has made you more aware of personal security. Has it had any effect on how you think about religion? Daniel C. Dennett, who as a very young boy lost his father, has said that the ability of parents to console grieving children through religion is perhaps sufficient in itself to explain the survival of religious belief.Religion provides the only story that is fundamentally consoling in the face of the worst possible experiences--the death of a parent, for instance. In fact, many religions take away the problem entirely, because their adherents ostensibly believe that they're going to be reunited with everyone they love, and death is an illusion. There is no rational substitute for that consolation, and I think we atheists need to admit this.
But we can leave that aside, along with everything else we abandon in childhood, and be no poorer for it. There is a shadow to false comfort, because it prevents people from dealing honestly with grief and loss. If you really believe your loved one is on the right hand of Jesus, there is nothing to grieve for. I've heard from people who [said] the support they received from their religious friends often seemed to be a way of avoiding the reality of their suffering. To say something like, "She's in a better place" strikes me as total failure of compassion. It is a false claim to knowledge motivated by one's own fear of death--and by one's discomfort in the presence of another's pain.
There is much more wisdom and compassion in accepting the magnitude of another person's loss, and of our own inevitable losses, without pretending to know things we don't know. As a parent, it's my responsibility to equip my child to do this--to grieve when grief is necessary and to realize that life is still profoundly beautiful and worth living despite the fact that we inevitably lose one another and that life ends, and we don't know what happens after death.
Yanagi Ryuken, an aikido practitioner in Japan, managed to convince many people -- himself among them -- that he had mastered the "no-touch knockout": an ability to vanquish his opponents without even touching them. The first of these two videos, which you've featured in your essay about Brazilian jiu-jitsu, "The Pleasures of Drowning," shows Yanagi effortlessly thwarting dozens of his students as they appear to attack him:
In the second video, he confronts a martial artist not in on the delusion, and that second martial artist punches Yanagi in the face.
Yanagi's students seem to be under some kind of spell. Why would they be willing to go along with Yanagi's charade for so long? Are we seeing a phenomenon like religion?
Those videos defy description. They are the physical manifestation of the same kinds of reasoning errors and self-deception we see in religion--with the crucial difference that, in martial arts, it is possible to expose a person's misconceptions in real time for all to see. But what's amazing--and this should really worry people of faith--is that, even in the martial arts, a person can persist in delusion for decades, gather students, and become a famous master of his fake discipline without knowing that he has wandered completely out of contact with reality. This madman can't even begin to do what he thinks he can do--and what he is apparently renowned for doing--because the skill he is displaying and that his students are striving to emulate doesn't exist. The whole thing is a collective delusion. If religion were a sport, it would look like that first Yanagi Ryuken video. The second video, of course, is what science has been doing to religion, over and over, for the last few centuries.
It's a little hard to see how Yanagi's delusion got up and running, but once everyone began falling all over themselves, it is easy to see how it was maintained. Imagine it from his point of view: if you thought you might be able to knock people down at a distance, and then your students complied and fell down on cue, year after year, you might begin to believe that you really had these powers. To a lesser extent, this is a problem in many martial arts: because to train most techniques without getting hurt, you have to allow little elements of fantasy to creep in. Does poking someone in the eye really end a fight? People who have done this in combat probably know, but millions of martial artists pretend to poke each other in the eyes throughout their training, without ever knowing what would happen if they tried it for real. You can't train with real knives, because you'd get killed on the first day. So you train with plastic or rubber knives, and you begin to lose sight of just how far you've departed from realism. This happens to some degree no matter how tactically sound the instruction is.
Of course, in Yanagi's case, it is harder to see how a new student would suddenly get knocked off his feet based by virtue of his own self-deception. But there's so much social pressure to confirm the stated dogma. It's not that people need to fake these things consciously. They can be led by a stepwise process to fake it without ever having to confront the fact that they're faking. It is like faith healing or speaking in tongues. A person can be inducted into a performance by the performances of others.
You've studied with experts in martial arts, such as Ryron Gracie in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and with experts in meditation, such as Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Do experts in these two fields have anything in common?
Ryron strikes me as a very meditative person, although I don't know if he's practiced meditation. Some BJJ instructors are hard-charging, high testosterone, and thuggish. But Ryron is about the nicest guy you will ever meet. There's something about BJJ as a martial art that strikes a tangent to the more contemplative project of self-transcendence. In BJJ, one's ego-centric illusions get cancelled right at the outset. You can't fake being good at BJJ for even 30 seconds. As you train, you are constantly haunted by the evidence of someone else's superior skill. There's also something meditative about the experience of rolling--which is what sparring is called in BJJ--although it's by no means a straightforward way to meditative insight.
When you are in the presence of a real master of meditation, his skills are not so apparent. And if everyone around this person is behaving like he's the messiah, the room for self-deception is obvious. Spiritual life can certainly follow the pattern one sees in the fake martial arts, with most teachers making nebulous and magical claims that never get tested, while their students derange themselves with weird ideas, empty rituals, and other affectations. Nevertheless, meditation is a skill that can be taught. Self-transcendence is a repeatable experiment.
Here's one way of describing the experiment: Pay close enough attention to the nature of your own mind--to the flow of thoughts, moods, sensations, and perceptions in the present--and you can notice that the feeling of being a self, an ego, a thinker of thoughts in the midst of experience, is an illusion. Which is to say that you can actually discover the absence of the feeling that you call "I". You still have thoughts, moods, sensations, perceptions, but there it will be clear that there is no self riding around in your head owning these experiences. This is a discovery that can be made, and it's every bit as reproducible and confirmable as the proper technique for applying a triangle choke.
My own experience with meditation brought me unexpected calm and serenity. But I found that it disarmed me analytically, and banished a lot of thoughts that I usually think of as productive. Does meditation conflict with productive thinking?
No. Your mind will be active in any case, no matter how much you meditate. The goal is not to be without thought, but to be aware of the character of your experience in each moment and not suffer unnecessarily. Almost all our suffering is the product of our thoughts. We spend nearly every moment of our lives lost in thought, and hostage to the character of those thoughts. You can break this spell, but it takes training just like it takes training to defend yourself against a physical assault. You are thinking every moment and not aware of it, and the initial experience of anyone who seriously tries to meditate is one of discovering how incessant this cascade of thoughts is.
It's probably true that certain human accomplishments depend upon people's neurotic needs for achievement or their lust for money or power. A lot of art comes from a place of being captivated by selfish illusions. And if a person were to permanently dispel the illusion of the self, he might not write great novels or start the next Apple. Buddhahood might be incompatible with being the next Nabokov or Steve Jobs. Luckily, no one has ever had to choose between becoming a great artist or entrepreneur, or the next Buddha.
The relevant question for me is how neurotic and unhappy and self-deceived do we have to be while living productive lives. I think the general answer is, far less than most of us are.
Your career as one of the New Atheists has involved getting in what most would describe as unwinnable fights, arguing with opponents who will simply never agree with you. Most people, when confronted with maddeningly stubborn opponents, just shrug and move on. Do you think that your willingness to fight is a sign of a fundamentally unquiet mind? Maybe you need meditation more than most of us.
It's easy to misunderstand the situation - intellectually, ethically, and psychologically - from the outside. These fights are actually not unwinnable. I constantly discover what it looks like to win. It's just rarely visible to those who are watching the fight. For instance, if I do a public debate with a rabbi or a pastor or some other representative of Iron Age philosophy, I know he isn't going to change his mind while talking to me in front of a thousand people. But then I hear from those who watch these debates and have their views change completely. And this includes people who might have been just as incorrigible as my debate opponent in another context--rabbis, pastors, priests, life-long fundamentalists, etc.
Minds can change. And even whole cultures can change, radically and quickly. Once we understand human well-being better than we do and begin talking about the full range of spiritual experience in the context of a rational, empirical, evidence-based view of the universe, people will see that there really is no game worth playing that is best played in a church, synagogue, or mosque.
No one's ever accused me of being an optimist, but I think reason and intellectual honesty will win. They're just too useful.
Don't miss Graeme Wood's profile of Sam Harris in the May issue of The Atlantic.


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"I am going to be a little boring," Sherry Turkle announces as we sit down to tea in the living room of her sprawling Boston townhouse. "And you're going to be a little boring, too."
Turkle, for the record, is not boring. She is a psychologist and a professor at MIT whose primary academic interest—the relationship between humans and machines—is especially relevant in today's networked age. Her most recent book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other, explores our reliance on devices that can isolate us under the auspices of connection. Published in 2011, it poured 384 pages' worth of water onto technological optimism at a time when most of the culture preferred to focus on the promise and allure of digital devices. In this environment, Turkle has been one of only a handful of experts willing to come out as tech-skeptical, which has made her a regular on the op-ed/Colbert Report/TED Talk circuit.
This tech critic, however, is not tech-phobic. She works with robots. She has an iPhone; actually, she has several. She texts with her daughter. She e‑mails with me. The first decoration I saw in her entryway was a large bowl brimming with computer accessories.
As we chat, it becomes clear that Turkle is not just not boring—she's an exceptionally skilled conversationalist. After tea, we take a walk around her Back Bay neighborhood. Throughout our conversation, she occasionally touches my forearm. She speaks deliberately, pausing often. She laughs easily and heartily, a sign more of her warmth than of my wit. She has at her disposal what the best conversationalists have: a wealth of experience to draw from.
Turkle is at work on a new book, aspirationally titled Reclaiming Conversation, which will be a continuation of her thinking in Alone Together. In it, she will out herself again, this time as "a partisan of conversation." Her research for the book has involved hours upon hours of talking with people about conversation as well as eavesdropping on conversations: the kind of low-grade spying that in academia is known as "ethnography," that in journalism is known as "reporting," and that everywhere else is known as "paying attention."
"I can't, in restaurants, not watch families not talking to each other," Turkle tells me. "In parks, I can't not watch mothers not talking to their children. In streets, I can't not watch mothers texting while they're pushing their children."
Her methods are contagious; once you start noticing what Turkle notices, you can't stop. It's a beautiful day, and we walk past boutiques, restaurants, and packed sidewalk cafés. The data are everywhere: The pair of high-school-age girls walking down Boylston Street, silent, typing. The table of brunchers ignoring their mimosas (and one another) in favor of their screens. The kid in the stroller playing with an iPad. The sea of humans who are, on this sparkling Saturday, living up to Turkle's lament—they seem to be, indeed, alone together.
The conclusion she's arrived at while researching her new book is not, technically, that we're not talking to each other. We're talking all the time, in person as well as in texts, in e-mails, over the phone, on Facebook and Twitter. The world is more talkative now, in many ways, than it's ever been. The problem, Turkle argues, is that all of this talk can come at the expense of conversation. We're talking at each other rather than with each other.
Conversations, as they tend to play out in person, are messy—full of pauses and interruptions and topic changes and assorted awkwardness. But the messiness is what allows for true exchange. It gives participants the time—and, just as important, the permission—to think and react and glean insights. "You can't always tell, in a conversation, when the interesting bit is going to come," Turkle says. "It's like dancing: slow, slow, quick-quick, slow. You know? It seems boring, but all of a sudden there's something, and whoa."
Occasional dullness, in other words, is to be not only expected, but celebrated. Some of the best parts of conversation are, as Turkle puts it, "the boring bits." In software terms, they're features rather than bugs.
The logic of conversation as it plays out across the Internet, however—the into-the-ether observations and the never-ending feeds and the many, many selfies—is fundamentally different, favoring showmanship over exchange, flows over ebbs. The Internet is always on. And it's always judging you, watching you, goading you. "That's not conversation," Turkle says.
She wants us to reclaim the permission to be, when we want and need to be, dull.
She advocates limiting our device usage in "sacred spaces" like the dinner table, the places where phones and their enticements may impede intimacy and interaction. She wants us to look into each other's eyes as we talk. She wants us to read each other's movements. She wants us to have conversations that are supremely human.
On Boylston Street, we come across Boston's Apple Store. Earlier in the day, there'd been a crowd outside. New iPhones had just arrived, and the customary scrum of people wanting to be the first to own them had assembled in a neat, eager line. Some people stood under large umbrellas, shielding themselves from the sun.
Turkle and I enter the store. She scans the room. "Look at this couple," she whispers, nudging me. The middle-aged pair is chatting in a casual way that, from a distance, could indicate either long-standing familiarity or the lack of it. They're both looking down at an iPad, the surface of which they're taking turns swiping. The man points to something on the screen. The woman giggles. They're flirting. Turkle leans toward them, assessing. "They might even be picking each other up," she says. Then again, "they could be married for 40 years."
It really is hard to tell. Thanks to the buzz that ricochets off the thick glass-and-concrete floors from kids playing games on iPhones, customers getting tips from T-shirted workers, and people chatting as they stare into screens either enormous or comically small, our research capabilities are limited. But that's a good thing. Conversation—terribly boring, and wonderfully so—is everywhere.
"You wouldn't want to be churlish and say that this is not a social environment, that this is not a warm environment, that this is not a place where people are," Turkle says. "I've spent hours here, eavesdropping."
I look around the store, packed with products that promise connection, and remark that it looks and feels like a temple. Turkle nods. She surveys the airy space, streaked with sunlight, bustling with people, and thunderous with the din of human voices. "Everybody's talking," she muses. "And nobody's talking about anything except what's on the machines."


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anCnoc 12 Year old Single Malt Whisky
Review: anCnoc 12 Year old Single Malt Whisky 92/100
a Review By Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted on October 16, 2012
Inver House Distillers own five Scottish distilleries, Pulteney, Balblair, Knockdhu, Speyburn, and Balmenach. The company produces a diverse portfolio of brands which includes not only Scotch Whisky (Single Malt, Blended Malt, and Blended), but also Vodka, Gin, liqueurs, and premixes. The subject of this review, the anCnoc 12 Year is a Single Malt Whisky produced at the Knockdhu Distillery (which is located under the dark 'Knock Hill', known to the local villagers by its Gaelic name of 'Cnoc Dubh'). Production of anCnoc began at the Distillery in 1894 following the discovery of several springs of clear water on the southern slopes of the aforementioned Knock Hill.
The anCnoc whisky is produced on the distillery's original style copper pot stills and worms (which condense the vapourized alcohol), and it has been produced that way for over 100 years. The resulting whisky is aged in American oak and Spanish oak barrels (which were previously used to age either bourbon or sherry). These casks are stored in dunnage warehouses where the thick granite walls ensure a stable ambient temperature which results in a consistent (or predictable) aging regimen.
I was sent a sample of the anCnoc 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky by Woodman Wine and Spirits, who are the Ontario distributors for the anCnoc brand. The Whisky has recently been released in Ontario, Canada and is available through the Whisky Shop at the LCBO.
In the Bottle 4.5/5
We have here a typical bottle presentation for a Scottish Single Malt Whisky. A tall slender bottle which is housed in a cardboard canister. The labeling is rather simple, but the illustration of the Knockdhu Distillery sitting beside Knock Hill serves to catch the eye. I appreciate the brief tasting notes on the canister (and the bottle label) as I have maintained in previous reviews that tasting notes are a good way to let the potential consumer know whether or not the Single Malt Whisky might be appealing to him or her.
In the Glass 9.0/10
When I poured a sample of the anCoc 12 Year Old into my glencairn glass and gave it a good sniff, I was quite delighted by the complex aroma that greeted my nose. There is so much going on that it is hard to start. Smells of sweet lowland grasses, willow thicket, and almost ripe barley are I guess, as good of a place to begin as any other. Wondering in and out of the breezes above the glass are scents of fresh honey, tart green apples, and lemongrass as well. Finally, the glass has a bit of an herbal flair with heather, wetland ferns and a touches of lowland peat residing in those breezes too. Rounding things off are dabbles of butterscotch and vanilla, and the overall effect is very nice.
In the Mouth 55/60
The whisky translates very well from nose to mouth although the herbal/peaty flavours are perhaps a little stronger upon the palate than the breezes would have indicated. Everything is very well-balanced though, as just enough honey and butterscotch push through to temper the more bitter flavours of willow bark and oak sap. Fruit flavours abound, tart green apples and grapes, some gooseberry, and even a little rhubarb (which actually isn't fruit at all). And some darker drier fruits like currants and blackberries can be found if you look for them. The whisky has a nice push of oak spice which pulses through the delivery and stays with you all the way to the exit. Flavours of almond, vanilla, and malted barley (lightly beer-like) seems to lie underneath which help to soften whisky making each mouthful a delight.
The whisky has character! The rich diversity of flavours which I encounter give the dram a flamboyance which appeals to me a lot.
In the Throat 14/15
All of the flavours rush down the throat full of oak spice and white pepper. I sense hints of charcoal, lemon grass, willow thicket, and a nice soft punch of peat at the end. When all is said and done the flavours of butterscotch and honey linger on and on….
Did I mention how wonderfully smooth that exit is in spite of the rush of oak spice and white pepper… delightful.
The Afterburn 9.5/10
It is time for a bit of a confession. I received my sample of this whisky quite a while back, but something kept me from pouring a dram. The name of the distillery, Knockdhu, and the name of the whisky, anCnoc, both seemed just a bit odd to me. Subconsciously, I guess I thought the whisky would be odd too. This past summer was an odd summer for me full strange occurrences and unpleasant surprises. I think subconsciously I felt I was tempting the fates just a little too strongly by drinking something called anCnoc from a distillery called Knockdhu.
I think I should have fought off my subconscious a little sooner as there certainly were times this summer when the anCnoc 12 Year Old would really have cheered me up.
You may read some of my other Whisky Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.
As always you may interpret the scores I provide as follows.
0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn't.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky. Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven't met this bottle yet…but I want to.
Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be more familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal scale as follows:
70 – 79.5 Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5 Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95 Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+ Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)


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"Chatting With Sherri" interviews Maine author/illustrator Bette A. Stevens
This week we will speak to the lovely Bette Stevens about her wonderful children's book Amazing Matilda; A Monarch's tale. An inspirational tale of a Monarch butterfly and her meadowland friends.
Sherri Rabinowitz CHATS with Author Bette Stevens
You're invited to drop in for a listen and a share— Bette A. Stevens
Related articles
- Children's Book of the Week: Amazing Matilda – A Monarch's Tale by Bette A Stevens (mungaiandthegoaconstrictor.me)
- Amazing Matilda: A Monarch's Tale (4writersandreaders.com)


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"I didn't say look; I said listen": The People's Microphone, #OWS, and Beyond
On a Tuesday right after Valentine's Day in 2011 thousands of people marched on the Wisconsin capitol and good-naturedly, but firmly, took over the building. They came for a hearing scheduled by the state government's Joint Finance Committee, and as crowds swelled out on the snow-covered lawn a long line of citizens formed indoors, waiting their turn to address the Committee and give brief remarks about proposed changes to the state budget.
Up for discussion was the Governor's proposal to cut public employees' benefits and eliminate their collective bargaining rights, and having gotten word of widespread outcry, the co-chairs of the Committee had released this statement:
We welcome public participation in our representative democracy. Unlike two years ago when Democrats did not hold a public hearing for the last budget repair bill, we want to listen to individuals' concerns. Due to the large number of participants, each person will be given up to 2 minutes to address the committee. This will ensure that everyone has their voice heard.
Late that night, the Committee cut off public testimonies in spite of a line still stretched down the hall. One group refused to leave and staged an occupation of the capitol building in protest of both the bill and the foreclosure of public input.
Over the next few weeks, people slept overnight on the marble floor while bigger groups assembled there each day, reportedly in numbers reaching between 70,000 and 100,000. Many carried signs backing public sector workers, but the overall majority showed their solidarity with the protest simply by wearing bright "Badger red" hats, coats, sweaters, and shirts, University of Wisconsin memorabilia now transformed into signs of political support for all of the state's public institutions. The view from upper levels of the capitol rotunda struck a dramatic portrait as people ringed the center of the room facing inward. One person who spent a lot of time there told me he liked to call it the "eye of the storm."
Domed spaces tend to be noisy. Sound bounces off of the curvature of the ceiling at so many different angles that what's audible on the floor quickly takes on so many threads of reverberation that a single voice gets easily obscured. In the Wisconsin capitol, handheld electric bullhorns became instrumental for leading chants and making announcements, but people found they didn't always do the trick. In one reported instance, a megaphone still wasn't enough for one woman's voice to be heard across the rotunda, and so she broke her announcement into fragments and waited in between them as people standing near her repeated each one in loud unison. "State Senator Dale Schultz [repeated]…has withdrawn his vote for the bill [repeated]."
Today that variation of call and response is widely regarded as an iconic feature of the Occupy Wall Street campaign, where it has been likened to liturgy, to brainwashing, to a game of "telephone," to Garrett Morris's "News for the Hard of Hearing" bit from Saturday Night Live, and to Monty Python's Life of Brian.
Yet also, as the practice was manifest at lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, it has attracted great interest and variety of comment regarding how it might reflect the values and objectives of those gathering in downtown New York City. It was purported to unite a crowd; it helps ensure that "no one is left to feel isolated and alone;" it accelerates the exchange of information because it "forces everyone to edit group public speech down to the essentials;" it slows the campaign and gives it valuable time to develop; it is "a lesson in the obstinacy required for intentional, durable citizenship."
Although one need only consider the depth of history stretching out prior to the invention of electric amplification to be certain that the method of communication isn't new to this year nor even to this century, the question of its recent emergence remains important for identifying possible affinities across boundaries that might otherwise divide protest actions. Last winter in Wisconsin, after transmitting the message about Senator Schultz, the demonstrators apparently didn't carry on with it the way people did in lower Manhattan, but one need not stop at noting that this proves the technique wasn't invented this fall in New York. In the capitol building, members of the Wisconsin public instituted a different audio innovation that reflects a shared sense of purpose between the two protest actions. And if one follows a similar connection recently posited in Rolling Stone Magazine between Occupy Wall Street and factory takeovers in Argentina, one might bring into focus a call and response operating across even broader stretches of time and space.
In Wisconsin, the civil disobedience broke out immediately after lawmakers ended the budget hearing with citizens still waiting to speak, and in the following days an alternative system of public testimony took shape on the floor of the capitol rotunda. According to one member of the collective who facilitated its operation, the forum emerged in conjunction with a circle of drummers, who, during pauses in their playing, invited individuals to sequentially address all those gathered using megaphones carried in by the public. Soon after moving up to a single-speaker amplifier that had been provided on friendly loan, some of the drummers pooled their money and purchased a 70-watt (RMS) portable public address system, an additional extension speaker, and a Shure SM58 for, according to one, "whomever wanted to speak, ensuring their voices were heard, never cutting anyone off or denying anyone the right to speak." With what I submit as telling coincidence, they called the apparatus "The People's Mic."
Here is a clip that came up when I used Google to search with the terms "people's microphone Wisconsin video."
There are important contrasts between this platform for testament and the call and response technique that has garnered recent notoriety under the same name. In its Zuccotti Park incarnation, the people's microphone is often celebrated as a clever workaround designed in response to the prohibition against using electric sound amplifiers in public without a permit. However, its key feature is the reciprocity it demands between the person speaking "into" the microphone and others gathered in the space. In this way it not only attenuates the hierarchy usually exerted by one amplified person over the soundscape, but it also fosters the pursuit of accord within the group overall, because the method's very functioning relies so heavily on the crowd's ongoing willingness to participate:
In Wisconsin, the People's Mic did provide citizens a platform otherwise reserved for government and union officials (and the celebrities of their choosing), but individual testimonies were still unidirectional and the system proceeded without the same means of direct and immediate exchange, at least in the realm of sound. As we see in these clips, in Wisconsin, the People's Mic required the largest number of people to keep quiet for the longest amount of time. Sometimes people had to keep especially quiet because the sound of chanting from outside was bleeding into the space.
However, while much of the discussion of the people's microphone constructed in Zuccotti Park centers on its horizontal, consensus-oriented nature, why reduce the method's oppositional potential to a matter of challenging government's increasing control over the audible city? Fortunately, as though taking a more direct cue from the People's Mic as it was instigated in Wisconsin, people have recently begun pushing the call and response version adopted in New York past the confines of community building, realizing its practical potential to channel a message and grab the attention of leaders far too often unavailable, unwilling, or uninterested in taking time to—as the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee had grandly promised—"welcome public participation in our representative democracy."
The following clips show how the people's microphone in its new iteration has been used to satisfy the goal more explicitly associated with its Wisconsin variation—that of getting heard. The first comes from an October 25,2011 meeting of the New York City Panel for Education Policy, where a crowd packing a public forum forced board members to relinquish control of the proceedings and allow a statement conveyed on behalf of parents and teachers.
And here in a clip from a November 3, 2011 breakfast meeting at the upscale Union League Club in Chicago, people used the technique as it is now most widely associated with the New York City campaign and directly reconnected it to the efforts in Wisconsin, not only in the sense that they focused their amplifying echo at a particular intended audience, but also by virtue of whom they chose to address:
While some might take exception to these two examples as uses of the people's microphone without enough reciprocity in mind, I have some confidence that viewers will look upon the second clip, especially, as an overdue carriage bearing a bit of just that. But more importantly to the issue of how the different iterations fit together—Madison, New York City, and beyond—both of these scenes are peaceful, attention-grabbing, and they appear to stem from no more seditious an effort than to urge democratically elected leaders to entertain the voices of their constituents even, and especially, if they aren't using a "corporate microphone" to speak. Now, with New York police having cleared Zuccotti Park and thrown the Wall Street campaign into yet another bout with uncertainty, it will be especially interesting to find out where, how, and by whom, the people's microphone is picked up and repurposed again. In Wisconsin, a drive to recall Governor Scott Walker just got underway, and if demonstrations break out again at the capitol, I expect the portable PA will be back up and running. How will people use the people's mic this time? How will they speak to those recently evicted from Zuccotti Park?
Ted Sammons is completing a doctorate in anthropology at the Graduate Center, CUNY.


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Penguins Beat Bruins 5-2 For Ninth Straight Win
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward shoved Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara - all 6-foot-9 of him - in the back then nudged the puck to teammate Evgeni Malkin. The NHL's leading scorer fed Matt Niskanen at the point, and when Niskanen's slap shot hit the back of the net the league's hottest team was on its way to a 5-2 win.
"We wanted to get on (Chara) and be physical and affect him as much as possible," Neal said. "We did a good job at that from the first shift on."
Neal finished with three points - including his first goal since signing a $30-million contract extension last month - for the Penguins, who have won nine straight to keep the pressure on the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers.
Chris Kunitz, Arron Asham, Pascal Dupuis and Niskanen also scored for Pittsburgh while Malkin had three assists to move into the NHL points lead with 84, two ahead of Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos.
Malkin also became the 17th Russian-born player to top 500 career points, though he was hardly concerned with the milestone.
"I not think about my points now," Malkin said. "The season continues and playoffs come soon."
And Pittsburgh's postseason prospects appear to be improving by the day. The Penguins started the day four points behind the New York Rangers for the Atlantic Division lead and could get captain Sidney Crosby back by Thursday, when they start a pivotal three-game road trip at Madison Square Garden.
Crosby hasn't played since concussion-like symptoms returned in early December but was cleared for contact last week and said on Saturday playing soon is a possibility.
Whenever he comes back, Crosby will join a team that's starting to look like a Stanley Cup contender even without the former MVP's talents. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 34 shots to run his personal winning streak to eight, as the Penguins jumped on the Bruins early.
David Krejci scored twice for Boston, but the Penguins chased Tim Thomas after the first period. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner stopped just seven of the 10 shots he faced before making way for Marty Turco.
"I think it was a good opportunity for Marty to go in," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "When you're down by three goals against Pittsburgh, give the guy an opportunity. I wanted to see how he responded. Tim's has played a lot lately. It was an opportunity to give him some rest."
Something the defending Stanley Cup champions need.
Pittsburgh's winning streak is the second-longest in the league this season behind a 10-game run the Bruins put together in November. The Bruins have been stuck in a holding pattern since that streak ended Nov. 23, unable to play with any kind of consistency.
They appeared to be ready to bust out of their funk last week with wins over Toronto and Buffalo, but the momentum evaporated in a span of 28 hours.
The Bruins let enigmatic Washington race to a quick two-goal lead and hold on for a 4-3 victory on Saturday afternoon in Boston before hopping on a plane to Pittsburgh to prep for a game that was moved up seven hours to accommodate national television.
The sluggishness showed during Pittsburgh's dominant first period. The Penguins attacked from the opening faceoff, winning every important puck battle while slapping the Bruins around.
"We came out as physical as we have been in a long time," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "It had an effect early on. One of the things we were wanting to do is establish our offensive zone from a physicality standpoint."
Asham's fourth goal of the season came after one such victory, as Craig Adams dug the puck out of the corner then passed it to Ben Lovejoy at the point. Lovejoy's slapshot was blocked, but Asham pounced on the rolling puck and beat Thomas with ease less than four minutes in.
Niskanen's goal came in much the same fashion thanks to Neal and Malkin's hard work in the corner against Chara. By the time Neal netted his 31st goal of the season on the power play with 1:18 left in the first the Penguins were in complete control.
"We were caught chasing a two-goal deficit before the game even started," Boston forward Shawn Thornton said. "Really it wasn't for lack of effort, just bad bounces ... but for the last 40 minutes we played a solid game even with a short bench."
By then, however, it was too late though Turco did his best to pick up his teammates. The 36-year-old veteran played in Austria this winter before the Bruins signed him last week to replace injured backup Tuukka Rask. Turco's appearance was the first for Boston by a goaltender other than Thomas or Rask since Manny Fernandez took the ice for Boston in 2009.
Turco let in an early goal by Kunitz but was sharp otherwise, making a sprawling save on Jordan Staal a few minutes after entering, and the Bruins seemed to settle down.
"It was good to get in there," Turco said. "Every minute I felt a little better and more comfortable."
Boston closed with 4-2 midway through the second period on Krejci's second goal but Fleury made sure the Bruins would get no closer and Dupuis' 18th goal of the season late in the third period gave Pittsburgh extra breathing room.
NOTES: Boston D Adam McQuaid and forwards Max Sauve and Patrice Bergeron all left with injuries but Julien said they didn't appear to be serious. ... Pittsburgh's winning streak is the franchise's longest since 12 straight during the 2010-11 season ... Staal assisted on Dupuis' third-period goal to extend his points streak to a career-best seven games.
This program aired on March 12, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.


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Our human body project is over. I still can't believe it! This is a quick run down of all the printables we used while learning about the human body. I will break down the post by systems/sections of the body. This post has materials for the body chart only- so if you want to do some of the science experiments, click on the title of each section. It will take you to the blog post on that specific topic where you can get more ideas for science experiments, videos, and more.
Before starting, trace your child's body on a large piece of butcher paper. I used packaging paper from Amazon- we got a ton since we did a lot of online Christmas shopping. After tracing the body- cut out two copies. MAKE SURE that all three body outlines line up. Learn from my mistake! FYI- I will be referring to these cutouts throughout this post as "body charts".
Skeletal System (click on this link for more ideas)
- body chart
- child-size skeleton printout from eSkeletons. (I had to make some adjustments- my daughter isn't quite that tall yet, so I shrunk the size a bit before printing. Due to size issues, I also had to add a different pelvic bone (found here), ribs (found here), and I ended up drawing a skull.
- body chart
- paper cut out of the brain (I did a google search and came up with this one, but there are a ton available!
- body chart
- green embroidery floss (lymph vessels)
- green and white paint (to be used as the lymph nodes and white blood cells)
- green paper for a spleen
- body chart
- lungs (clipart from Kidopo)
- bubble wrap (air in our lungs)
- blue paper for a diaphragm
- body chart
- red and blue embroidery floss (arteries and veins)
- heart (clipart from Phillip Martin)
- body chart
- white, pink, and blue straws (upper throat, esophagus, and trachea)
- digestive system cutout (I think this is the one I used, but I am not sure…. I did print it in black and white)
- body chart
- yellow paper for a bladder, urethra, ureter, kidneys
- body chart
- red plastic tablecloth (from dollar tree)
- body chart
- clear plastic sheet protector (glue on top of the eye as the cornea)
- white, black, and blue (or whatever color your child's irises are) paper
- body chart
- 2 copies of your body chart (one for the skin, one for the clothes- just cut off the head, hands, and feet)
- yarn (hair and eyebrows)
- construction paper, material for clothes
- red paper for lips
- paint for skin


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Most people know, and love, Japanese developer Hideo Kojima for the Metal Gear series, a franchise he created all the way back in 1987.
For me, though, that's a convoluted mess of a property that's become more unwieldy and pointlessly self-referential with each passing entry. If you feel the same and would like to see a glimmer of why people still regard the man with such adoration and authority, you might want to look to 1988's Snatcher instead.
Snatcher is so much a product of its time that it hurts. An adventure game released in Japan in the late 1980's, it's played from a static first-person perspective and relies heavily on searching environments for clues and speaking with/interrogating characters in the game (in other words, scrolling through menus), the only action coming in the form of intermittent "shooting gallery" sequences (Japanese game fans will recognise it as, in many ways, a "visual novel", a genre still popular in the country today).
That's not what made the game good back then, though. And it's certainly not what makes it so fondly-remembered today.
The player, Gillian Seed, is Blade Runner's Rick Deckard. The game's bad guys, the titular Snatchers, are T-800s from the Terminator series, so much so that the American version had to be edited to avoid a lawsuit. The way the game communicates its post-apocalyptic setting is very reminiscent of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. And the manner in which the Snatchers move about the modern world taking the place of actual humans (not to mention their very name) is straight from 1956's Invasion of the Body Snatchers.Games always have, and always will, "borrow" from other mediums like film, comics and books. What Snatcher did went a little beyond this, though; it almost stole visual cues and design elements straight from some of the best science fiction works of the 1980's.
So intent was Kojima with paying direct reference to his favourite characters and properties that in one scene, in the Outer Heaven nightclub, you can see a crowd shot featuring sci-fi legends like Giger's Alien watching "entertainer" Isabella (pictured up top) shake her stuff on stage (again, this was changed for the American version of the game, movie characters replaced, bizarrely, with Konami characters like Sparkster).
This hat-tipping wasn't limited to other people's stuff, either; Metal Gear fans will find a ton of references to Kojima's first game in Snatcher, from Fox Hound to the aforementioned Outer Heaven to the name of your humorous sidekick in the game, which is, well, Metal Gear.
Stealing content from other works normally doesn't get you very far, but most of these "influences" had something in common: they were all adult science-fiction, dealing with technology in a dirty, practical fashion, and featuring dark storylines in which not everything comes up smelling of roses at the end. For fans of this kind of stuff, works of their ilk were strangely rare, and since at the time these series' fanbases (even in Japan) had a lot of dovetailing, Snatcher was a rare opportunity for them to indulge their interests, especially since the game didn't shy away from including at times very graphic imagery of things like corpses (though some of these were toned down for the game's release in the West).
The other reason Snatcher burns on in many people's hearts is its writing. Kojima is well-known for his love of telling a story, and nowhere does this work to better effect than in Snatcher. Unlike Metal Gear, which is at times simple (owing to it being an action game) and others bloated (owing to the fact it's been around for decades), Snatcher's adventure game setting means Kojima was able to weave his various influences together into a strong, coherent storyline that boasted surprisingly strong writing, both in terms of framing the story and in your dialogue with the game's characters.
Of course, it helped the game also looked gorgeous, especially in its later updates (originally released in 1988 on Japanese computers, it would later be ported and seriously upgraded for the PC Engine, Sega CD, Saturn and PlayStation). It wasn't just the graphics being updated between versions, either; later versions added improved intro sequences and voice acting, while the Sega CD edition (the only one ever released in the West) even had support for Konami's light gun peripheral to make the shooting sequences easier.
For all the game's critical success, though, it's never seen a sequel, the only other game released bearing the same name being 1990's SD Snatcher, a remake of the 1988 original in the style of a top-down RPG, complete with cute character portraits.
If you've never played Snatcher, you can check out a high quality playthrough of the Sega CD version here (or, you know, given the fact its only Western release was on a long-dead platform you could find yourself a copy). Also, if you speak Japanese, the first instalment of a radio play based on the franchise, Sdatcher, is now available for download.
Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games through their characters, franchises, developers and trends.


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In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. –Romans 8:26
My father taught me two important lessons about the human condition. First, he taught me to be kind to others on the journey because everyone is fighting a battle. Second, he reminded me that every human being has a structural weakness. Some of us struggle with greed, others fear. One person battles lust and another pride. We each have an Achilles heel and we keep it carefully hidden beneath a veneer of self-sufficiency and success. Survival of the fittest teaches us to exploit the weaknesses of others; Jesus teaches us to bind the wounds of others, not revel in discovering them.
F.B. Meyer, a Baptist evangelist and pastor from England, once said that when we see a Christian in sin, there are two things we do not know. First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. Second, we do not know the power of the forces that attacked him or her. And who knows what we would have done in the same situation.
To keep from feeling shame, we are often tempted to be more aware of the faults of others than the glaring weaknesses others probably already see in our lives. Jesus asked, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye (Matthew 7:3)?"
There is no doubt that structural weaknesses need to be dealt with. In the material world, faulty engineering can prove fatal. In the spiritual world, unchallenged character flaws can be equally catastrophic. The goal is for each of us to be healing agents who instinctively bind up the wounded, encourage those who are beaten down and restore those who have fallen.
Jesus Christ referred to His enemy, Satan, as "the Accuser." In our haste to defend ourselves and our doctrines, let's be quick to realize that each person we meet is trying to make a go of their lives. Playing judge and jury forces us into a self-righteousness that human beings weren't made to possess. Instead, we have the opportunity today to be the Encourager. When we see someone struggling, we can join our prayers with the very prayers of God for His troubled saints. The great benefit to living this way is that others will repay the favor with mercy and so will God. Who can you encourage today?
1. Are you willing to admit to your structural weakness to grow stronger in your faith?
2. Do you know someone who is struggling today and what you can do to encourage them?
Hebrews 4:16; Psalm 147:3


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I've written about a few apple brandies on this blog and firmly believe that it is the most American of spirits, but there's another brandy that belongs right up there with bourbon and apple brandy for its domestic history, and that's peach brandy. Apparently peach brandies were once quite common, which is no surprise given the pride with which certain areas of the US regard this crop. However, I've only ever been able to find one brand of peach brandy, and that was yesterday.
Kuchan O'Henry Peach Brandy is made by Old World Spirits, based in California, and aged in French oak for some amount of time (probably not too long based on the coloring).
– $40ish
– 80 proof
– Made by Old World Spirits
The bottle is nothing remarkable to look at. It reminds me of a lot of the non-grape brandy bottles we see around these days. Tall, slim, prominent label. There isn't much going on with the design either, with the name in script backed by some flourishes. The picture of the peaches is a nice touch to the extent that it conveys a sense of freshness. The back label has a charming an genuine story that traces the routes of this brandy to the eastern European fruit eau de vie tradition, which tends to be practiced by families in garages and sheds in the countryside. It does serve to indirectly highlight just how limited this country is with is spirits culture.
On the nose the brandy carries a rich, buttery quality that envelops a core of sweetness and ripe fruit. There's a burnt quality around the edges, like someone's taken a match to a teaspoon of sugar. These qualities carry through on the tongue. It is very smooth throughout, with a silky texture delivering that buttery sweet sensation. The finish is surprisingly peachy and long-lasting, yet gentle.
Over all:
I'm impressed, if this is aged for as little time as its color implies, this is an incredibly smooth brandy. What I like best about it, though, is that it does a fantastic job of conveying the fruit. Whereas apple brandy takes on qualities beyond — yet still rooted in — its base fruit when it spends time in oak, if Kuchan's aging seems to have boosted the essential peach aspects. This is great on its own, but I'm looking forward to trying a few cocktails with it.


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The most common reasons for upgrading equipment are to cut energy usage,increase the safety of the facility,and improve productivity.
As people continue to move into urban areas,the need for electricians will only increase. This is especially true as we continue to build and develop our infrastructure. The demand for licensed electricians will increase as well as the demand for electrical contractors .
Along with this increase in demand,there will also be an increase in the training and certification programs that are available. These programs ensure that those who enter into these fields have a clear understanding of what their responsibilities and obligations are to society and those they serve.
The need for licensed electricians also means that there will be a greater number of opportunities for those who wish to enter into this field of work. Opportunities exist all over the world,but some places are better than others when it comes to choosing an area with an abundance
If you're looking for an electrical contractor,we can find you the best one. If you're an electrician and want to work for a licensed contractor,we can help. You can also find a local electrician that will fit your needs as well as be able to work with your schedule.
Qualified and licensed electricians can provide electrical safety and reliability.
When we hire an electrician to work on our homes,we should make sure that they are qualified and licensed to do the job . In Nebraska,a tradesperson must be qualified as an electrician by having a Journeyperson Certificate of Qualification as a Residential Electrician from the Electrical Safety Authority before being able to work independently as either a registered or licensed electrician .
When you need a contractor,you might have a hard time finding one that does what you need. That's why we have created this website to help people find contractors in their area who can do the work they need.
Electrical services can be a little daunting for a lot of people. It might seem like an overwhelming task to have to find a licensed electrician,but it really doesn't have to be. You can find out more about what electrical services are available and who provides them by checking the map of the world below.
This interactive map will allow you to explore different cities and countries in order to find electricians that have been verified by the map's creators. You will also be able to see reviews from previous clients of these electrical contractors . This is an excellent way for you and your family members or friends to make sure you choose the right person for all of your electrical needs .
With the electrical services industry constantly changing,electricians need to be constantly adapting to new technologies and systems. In most cases,electricians are expected to have a license from a governing body in order to work.
Industrial sites rely on their electrical systems for safety reasons. The safety of employees at these types of sites is dependent on the safety of the electrician . Electricians are responsible for ensuring that their systems are properly designed and installed so as not to create a fire hazard or potential shock hazard for employees.
Finding a dependable contractor for your home is not always easy. That's why you need to make sure that you are requesting the services of a licensed electrician . Here are some of the things to look out for when hiring an electrician .
You should make sure that they are licensed by your state's government. You should also ask them if they have an insurance policy,which will cover any damages incidences.
An introduction to a section of a website talking about handyman services .
Here we will discuss about what handyman services are,and their importance.
Handyman services is a term used to describe a type of trade that usually has very little formal training . These types of contractors typically specialize in small jobs such as assembling furniture,hanging pictures,building shelves,painting or fixing things around the house.
handyman services can range from simple tasks like changing light bulbs and repairing doors to more complex jobs like installing electrical outlets and chandeliers.
Handymen also often specialize in more specific tasks such as carpentry or plumbing work.
We always focus on providing quality service and using energy efficiency parts so you save energy if you have any questions our customer service is always here for you.


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It has been a very busy week and I don't have a post ready for Sunday so I hope you don't mind this Blast From My Past . . .
I originally posted this in September 2013. I hope you enjoy it.
Oops, my straitjacket is slipping…
When you look up at the stars at night do you feel homesick? Okay, okay, bad joke. Do you know once upon a time I laughed uproariously at that joke. I ran around and told all my preteen friends. Yes, it's that old. And so am I.
As we age our funny bone seems to migrate. For some people it ends up around the nether regions. For others humour becomes more cerebral. I don't know the equation to what's funny. I don't even know what makes me laugh until I am actually laughing. When was the last time you laughed so hard there were tears running down your face? Do you remember the knee slapping, rib tickling, gut wrenching guffaws you used to hear when a group of people got together to watch a comedy film? I don't, at least not recently. The last time I had one of those all-encompassing, falling on the floor cackles was watching an old movie.
The movie was 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. I don't remember the movie. I don't even know if it was actually a comedy. What I do remember is my boyfriend and I beating on the furniture. We were laughing so hard we were crying. I remember him falling on the floor and not able to catch his breath. But I don't remember the movie. I remember that there was a series but it appeared to be about teenage angst (and vampire slaying) I wasn't interested. I had enough of that when I was a teenager! (The angst not the slaying!) Don't get me wrong I enjoy comedy. I've been known to crack a smile and even show teeth. I just haven't had a really good belly laugh in a very long time.
Laughter is a universal language. It crosses borders and brings people together. It can also alienate people and cause others to commit various forms of harm. Of course that in itself can be funny! But I digress. I don't know of any culture that doesn't have some form of laughter. Wouldn't it be nice if we could laugh more and shoot less? We spend so much of our time behaving according to the narrow dictates of societal decorum that when we let loose it can be epic! Find the time to laugh. A really good guffaw exercises the whole body!


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Cover art by: Cover design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels
TO DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION Click Here
The masters of Israel's war on Gaza have fashioned a bizarre moral code that provides humanitarian assistance to the very civilians they are shooting at.
Barack Obama has mobilized the most connected national constituency in history. But can he use it to govern?
A newsman who witnessed the carnage at Jonestown talks about the People's Temple, the power of images and the state of news.


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What do we mean by happiness? There may be as many answers to that as there are stars in the night sky, everyone has their own idea of what makes them happy, and equally what doesn't.
Maybe it is the love of a partner, being part of a family, the pay cheque at the end of the month or that new car you had always promised yourself. Whatever your idea of happiness, we all crave more of it.
We can probably agree that it is all too often a transitory state, punctuated by periods where we are unhappy, or at least a bit glum. So what would you give to have more of this illusive life-state, and how can you go about achieving a happier life?
Well speaking personally, I can almost guarantee happiness from my Buddhist practice. That might sound a little trite or even rather far-fetched, but for me it is true. My practice helps me see life from all angles, the ups and downs, from my view-point and from that of others, and it 'smoothes' out the emotional bumps we encounter each and every day.
The idea at the very core of Buddhism is the removal of suffering, and that in itself helps us to be happier. Seeing the beauty in nature, the best facets of another's personality, the joy in helping others, happiness is there for us all, all of the time and all around us. Living a life that is more concerned with others than ourselves, giving more than we take, and so on, will also bring feelings of happiness. All we have to do is look out for it.
Living in a society that is more concerned about what we own, than who we really are, we all struggle to put those ideas into action. We hear about people earning ridiculous sums, whilst providing little by way of return, and wonder how they can live with the guilt. If society valued the good in people more than the goods of people, the world would be a much fairer, happier place.
Whatever flavour your own happiness comes in, I wish you more of it, now and in the future. And when it arrives, please make sure that you share it around. That way you will find it grows and grows, and that it lasts just that little bit longer.


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Will seek additional contractors to help expand health coverage to Kentuckians
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 19, 2013) —The Cabinet for Health and Family Services' Office of the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange (KHBE) announced initial grant awards to agencies and organizations that will be known as kynectors to assist consumers who enroll for healthcare benefits through kynect, Kentucky's Healthcare Connection. A second round of grants for certain geographic areas will be awarded later.
"We're pleased to have these important partners on board with us to help Kentuckians enroll through the kynect marketplace," said CHFS Secretary Audrey Tayse Haynes. "As we approach Oct. 1, the start date for open enrollment, it is more important than ever that we be prepared to assist people across the state in navigating the new healthcare options that will be available to them, whether private insurance is the best option or they qualify for coverage under the Medicaid expansion."
The request-for-proposal (RFP) asked for applications from for-profit and nonprofit entities and community and volunteer organizations with experience reaching Kentucky's diverse populations to assist the commonwealth in reaching the goal of expanding health benefit coverage throughout Kentucky. These contractors will help individuals and small businesses in Kentucky determine their health plan needs and assist them in choosing plans to meet those needs.
Proposals were to target specific geographic areas, based on the state's eight Medicaid regions. Competitive grant awards are being made to Community Action Kentucky (CAK) for regions 1, 2, 6 and 7 totaling approximately $3.4 million and to the Kentuckiana Regional Planning Development Agency (KIPDA) for region 3 for $937,982.
Funding also is being awarded to several agencies within the Cabinet that have established partnerships with local agencies, such as the Department for Public Health (DPH), the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (BHDID), the Commission for Children with Special Health Care Needs (CCSHCN), the Family Youth Resources Services Centers (FRYSCs) and the Department of Aging and Independent Living (DAIL).
The Cabinet announced that it would issue a second RFP in the near future to seek contractors in regions 4, 5 and 8.
Duties of kynectors will include conducting public education activities to raise awareness of health plans available through kynect; distributing fair and impartial information about the available health plans; facilitating enrollment in health plans; and providing referrals to any applicable offices in the event of complaints and appeals. A kynector cannot receive any compensation or benefit directly or indirectly from any health insurance issuer or issuer of stop loss insurance in connection with the enrollment of any individual or employee in a plan.
In addition to kynector grants, other agencies and volunteers will be able to receive free training in becoming a certified application counselor. A form and instructions on how to participate with kynect as a certified application counselor will be available on the KHBE website no later than August 27.
"As we continue our outreach and education efforts leading up to open enrollment, we are pleased that Community Action and KIPDA will be joining the exchange and other Cabinet agencies in getting the word out about kynect," said Carrie Banahan, executive director of KHBE. "In addition to these kynectors grants, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration recently awarded grants to 20 Health Centers to hire 52 additional workers who will assist with enrollment, which will further complement these efforts."
The Affordable Care Act requires each state to create its own health benefit exchange or default to the federal government's exchange system. Gov. Steve Beshear issued an executive order establishing the Office of the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange in July 2012.
Kentuckians can visit the exchange's website at kynect.ky.gov or call 1-855-4kynect (459-6328) to learn more about the program, which is expected to help more than 640,000 uninsured Kentuckians get covered by private insurance plans or Medicaid and the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP).
Open enrollment for individuals seeking to purchase insurance through kynect begins Oct. 1, 2013 and runs through March 31, 2014, with coverage beginning as soon as Jan. 1, 2014. Open enrollment for small businesses also begins Oct. 1, 2013, but businesses with 50 or fewer employees will be able to choose to enroll employees in plans offered through kynect at any point after that date.
During open enrollment, Kentuckians will be able to compare and select insurance plans and find out if they qualify for programs like Medicaid and KCHIP by using the kynect website, a toll-free contact center, a mail-in application or in person. Individuals will find out if they qualify for payment assistance and special discounts on deductibles, copays and co-insurance. kynect will also be able to assist small businesses with enrolling their employees in health plans, and businesses with fewer than 25 employees may qualify for tax credits.
To learn more, visit kynect.ky.gov, or follow the program at twitter.com/kynectky or visit Facebook.Com/KynectKy.


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Treatment a breakthrough for burn victims
- Skin spray considered less invasive than traditional skin grafting
- Spray under clinical testing on 106 patients at 15 locations in U.S.
- Testing funded by Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine
PHOENIX -- Tiara Del Rio woke up from a three-week medically induced coma in November to learn the experimental surgery that saved her life may help change the future for burn patients' care in the United States.
The 21-year-old, who will be discharged from the hospital Friday, was critically burned on more than half her body in an October house explosion. Her back was the only available donor site on her body to regrow skin to treat her burns. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted special permission to the Arizona Burn Center, at Maricopa Medical Center, to use the procedure the burn center had been studying for a few years: a skin spray.
The treatment is relatively new but is considered less invasive than traditional skin grafting, in which a swath of healthy skin is transplanted to a burned area. The skin spray uses a small amount of skin that is broken down with enzymes to create a solution that is sprayed on the burned area. It has been found to heal more quickly and create less scarring while using less skin.
The spray is approved in Europe, Australia, China and Canada but not yet in the U.S. ReCell is the Australian product used to create the spray. It is under clinical testing on 106 patients at 15 locations in America, including the Arizona Burn Center. The testing began in May 2010 and is funded by the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
"If it goes well, and they approve it in the United States, it will give hope to other burn patients to look into and see how well it's done on me," Del Rio said. "I'm never going to be 100 percent, and I know that. But I look at it this way: I got a second chance, because I shouldn't have lived."
Del Rio and her boyfriend, Beau Zimbro, were winding down one day in October in a Peoria home. Authorities believe she detonated a natural-gas leak when she lit a candle. The candle exploded in her face.
Zimbro grabbed Del Rio and carried her out awindow that the explosion had blown open. He stopped, dropped and rolled. She rolled herself in dirt.
"I was sitting on the sidewalk. I burned," said Del Rio, whose dark brown hair has grown out into a short cut after doctors shaved her charred hair off for surgery.
She had second- and third-degree burns on her face, arms, hands, lower extremities and feet. More than 60 percent of Zimbro's body was covered in first- and second-degree burns, including his hands, face, head and torso. He is recovering at the Arizona Burn Center, where he also received the skin-spraytreatment.
Del Rio's mother, Christina, said she agreed to and trusted the spray procedure because it was being used by the military. She and her friends researched the method while her daughter was in a coma. They spoke with Dr. Kevin Foster, the burn center's medical director and surgical-research director, who petitioned the FDA for permission. A week later, the procedure was approved.
Foster said the treatment has the potential to decrease patients' length of stay and the number of operations they need. The skin spray also could be used on the donor-skin site, which speeds up the amount of time it takes for healthy skin to regrow. It took about half the time for the skin on Del Rio's back to regrow compared with the skin of patients who undergo grafting.
To heal the burns on Del Rio's face, doctors and nurses used another new product that includes medical-grade honey, an increasingly popular method at the burn center. The honey helps fight off infection. Aside from scabs on her forehead and some redness, Del Rio's face is healing well.
"I know it doesn't look perfect right now, but a year from now, you're going to be hard-pressed to tell that she was ever burned in her face," Foster said.
The skin that is healing after the spray procedure also is smoother than what a typical skin-graft treatment looks like. Foster said that is an added benefit of the skin spray.
When Del Rio and Zimbro first saw each other in the hospital, they sat in a room and stared at each other in awe. They did not expect to survive the blast. She often stops by his room to check up on him.
Del Rio is heading to inpatient rehabilitation for about three weeks. While she is there, she plans to communicate with her boyfriend by Skype or FaceTime. They planned a movie night Thursday at the burn center to have one last date before she leaves the hospital. They had only dated for two months before the blast.
Del Rio knows her life will never be the same again. The piercings on her face are gone. The tattoo of a pair of wings on her back is now scattered around her body, on parts of her feet and her thighs. Doctors tried to piece together a new tattoo out of parts of the wings for her when they were grafting her skin before the spray was applied to it.
But Del Rio is staying positive. She is healing well physically and hopes to return to work and become independent again after rehab so that she does not have to rely on her parents to do simple tasks, such as opening a juice box, for her. She wants to return to normalcy — and her own bed at home.
"I'm not scared. I'm more happy because I was given a second chance," she said. "I'm 21 years old. I still have a huge life ahead of me, and this is just one setback."


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The lull of my lazy, rainy weekend was broken by the news that AT&T (s t) plans to acquire T-Mobile USA for a whopping $39 billion in cash and stock. Who wins and who loses in this deal? It's hard to find winners, apart from AT&T and T-Mobile shareholders. Here is a list of who loses, in my opinion, in this deal:
Consumers. The biggest losers of this deal are going to be the consumers. While AT&T and T-Mobile are going to try to spin it as a good deal to combine wireless spectrum assets, the fact is, T-Mobile USA is now out of the market.
T-Mobile USA has been fairly aggressive in offering cheaper voice and data plans as it has tried to compete with its larger brethren. The competition has kept the prices in the market low enough. This has worked well for U.S. consumers. With the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, the market is now reduced to three national players: AT&T, Verizon (s vz) and Sprint (s S). Net-net, U.S. consumers are going to lose.
Phone Handset Makers. Before the merger was announced, the handset makers such as HTC and Motorola (s Mmi) had two major carriers who could buy their GSM-based phones. They just lost any ability to control price and profits on handsets because now there is a single buyer that can dictate what GSM phones come to market. Even with LTE becoming the standard for the 4G world, it would essentially be a market dominated by three buyers (should Sprint go with LTE), which would place handset makers at the mercy of the giants.
Sprint. The nation's third-largest carrier was in talks to buy T-Mobile according to Bloomberg, but AT&T's offer has now pushed Sprint to the bottom of the pile in terms of size and potentially spectrum assets if it goes through. If it doesn't go through, then Sprint now has a price it has to match in order to get its hands on T-Mobile. Plus, Sprint and T-Mobile often stood against AT&T and Verizon on a variety of regulatory issues, so if AT&T succeeds, Sprint will stand alone on special access and other issues.
Network Equipment Suppliers. The carrier consolidation has proved to be a living hell for companies that make infrastructure network equipment. Alcatel-Lucent (s alu), along with Ericsson (s ERIC) and Nokia Siemens (s nok) (s si), are suppliers of gears to both AT&T and T-Mobile USA. With a single customer, they will lost ability to control their own fate and are going to see their profits suffer as a result.
Google. I think the biggest loser in this could be Google (s GOOG). In T-Mobile, it has a great partner for its Android OS-based devices. Now the company will be beholden to two massive phone companies — Verizon and AT&T — who are going to try to hijack Android to serve their own ends.
Don't be surprised if you see AT&T impose its own will on what apps and service are put on its Android smartphones. I wouldn't be surprised to see the worst phone company in the U.S. (according to Consumer Reports) tries to create its own app store and force everyone to buy apps through it.
It doesn't matter how you look at it; this is just bad for wireless innovation, which means bad news for consumers. T-Mobile has been pretty experimental and innovative: It has experimented with newer technologies such as UMA, built its own handsets and has generally been a more consumer-centric company. AT&T, on the other hand, has the innovation of a lead pencil and has the mentality more suited to a monopoly: a position it wants to regain.