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Welcome to MusicalNerdery.com... Home of TaskRunner 3.2 and whatever else I feel like dumping onto the vast wasteland of useless content that is "the internet". Be sure to check out:
Well... it's been about 800 years since I last posted something on this blog. There was a blog post that has been sitting in my queue (mostly finished but not published) since December of 2009. I finally threw that up today just for kicks (not that there's anything useful in the article ). I don't exactly take the time to write much any more... I've closed down the recording studio, so I don't even have the "musical" side of things going any more to post about... and lately I just haven't run into any programming problems that are interesting enough to post a solution for. But Microsoft decided to really, really piss me off again, thus awakening me from my slumber, so I've decided to come out of retirement to offer this (possible) solution for all you poor souls out there who have noticed that...
...WINDOWS DOESN'T HAVE DOCKING TOOLBARS ANYMORE??!?!?1!?eleven!?
With the advent of Windows 7, I no longer have an easy way to open all my apps... and what does a nerd do when his OS doesn't have a built in way to do something? That's right...
...he writes his own.
Well... it's that time again. Something happened that was frustrating (or informative) enough for me to write about it on a website where no one will read about it. Been a while since the last one. Here's to hoping that I still remember all the buttons I gotta push to make this thing work....
So anyway... many moons ago, I was searching for an embedded database to function as the backend for TaskRunner. I went though much turmoil and gnashing of teeth. Around that time I wrote my infamous (whuh?) article titled Why do all embedded databases suck? Not long after that, I found a solution... VistaDB. They were having a "get the word out" promo that offered a free license for VistaDB to anyone who blogged about it. So I tried VistaDB... it solved my problems... I wrote the blog... I got it for free... I was ecstatic. So I wrote another article called If VistaDB was a woman... I'd marry it.
But oh how times have changed....
This should be a quick one. Here's the problem... I've got a DateTimePicker (actually, a very large amount of them) on a form, and I want to modify those DateTimePickers so that when a user highlights the "minute" portion and clicks up or down on the spinner, the minutes go up or down in 15 minute increments (instead of one minute increments). Now, the biggest challenge to this is that the separate controls of the DateTimePicker (up, down buttons, formatted textbox, etc) are not exposed in any way (thanks Microsoft!), so I have no way of figuring out if the user clicked up, or down, or entered the minute manually. Because of this, I can't (at least, I personally haven't figured out how to) create a "perfect" solution to this problem. So I settled for the next best thing... a solution that accounts for 90% of the time and that my users will be happy with...
Whenever I have trouble finding an example on the internet of how to do something in .NET, I usually throw the solution up here so that all of the other poor, unfortunate souls (like myself) have a little better chance of finding it in the future.
Today's solution is a quick one. It involves applying a format to a databound textbox. I recently delved into the wonderful would of Visual Studio Data Binding. I have always done all of my db calls manually in my code. But on this project, I was looking to basically replace an app that I wrote years ago in Access (which consisted of several forms bound to database tables), and the forms had a ridiculously large amount of fields on them (in the hundreds, all told)... so I didn't feel like coding all that myself.
As a result, I started learning how to use the "wizards" in VS.NET to add connections to a database. I created a Data Connection, a Data Source, a DataSet, dragged some controls on to my form (which created a BindingSource and TableAdapter)... and voila... my form is connected to a database.
But this simplicity is not without its problems....
I released a couple new versions of TaskRunner over the last couple days.
There were a couple minor bug fixes and changes, but the major change is a new Task: Process/Service Monitor.
You can select processes (i.e. any old executable) and services (Windows Services) on your local (or a remote) machine, and monitor them to get notified when they stop running. It'll also let you know when they start running again.
TaskRunner also just went up on Tucows today. I don't think the link is live yet, but it will eventually be at: http://www.tucows.com/preview/511107
I'm not some tree-hugging hippie... far from it. It has always been in question, but considering some of the more recent data , I think that "anthropological climate change" is just as likely to be an over-blown bunch of crap as it is to be a real issue.
But that's also not to say that I'm a ignorant boob who thinks I should keep pumping gas into everything I own no matter how much it costs just because, "that's the American way!"
I'm all for renewable energy... for independence. Not just for "American independence" from "foreign oil", but for individual independence from anyone else, as well. And in both of those arenas, renewable energies have been the biggest let-down I have ever seen...
Well, well, ladies and gentlemen... it's that time again. I realize that I have been shirking my Apple-Bashing responsibilities as of late, but this is one opportunity that I just could not pass up.
I appears that there was a big "hacker" convention the other day... the theme of this little get-together was, "If you can hack it, you can have it". Now, the average Mac fanboy would assume that millions of attendees walked away with free Windows PCs, but lo and behold... the MacBook Air was the FIRST machine to be hacked!!! Yes... that's right folks... not Windows... definitely not Linux... but instead, a Mac. And it only took two minutes to do it. Oh dear... this is so much fun I don't know where to start... how about I start by dispelling some of the feeble attempts that Mac fanboys are going to make to minimize this wondrous trouncing of an Apple product.
I've run into this problem before and always ended up falling back on crappy work-arounds, but it came up again the other day, so I figured I'd find a suitable solution once and for all. Here's the problem... I have a line chart in Excel... I want to display data going upwards and across the chart (like a typical line chart), but across the top of the chart, I want to display a horizontal line that shows a "target" (a single value in a single cell somewhere) that I'm trying to reach. There are several
ways to approach this, but none of them I had found up to this point were elegant and/or sufficient for my needs...
OK... here's the problem. I'm lazy. But aren't all programmers? I mean... if it wasn't for laziness, we wouldn't have jobs. The whole point of programming is to find something that people don't want to have to do, and write code that will do it for them so they can keep being lazy. Am I right?
So when I run into an obstacle while programming, I like to find the simplest way to get around it. If the solutions that are already out there on the internet are cumbersome and complicated, then chances are, I'm not gonna use 'em. And that was the case when I ran into this little problem.
The thing is... most of my applications start new threads. Who wants to wait around staring at a frozen Windows form while something gets processed in the background? But at the same time, you can't just kick off a thread and hope that the user doesn't try to do something else while the thread is running. You have to control the work flow... keep the user in line. So you display some kind of "Please Wait..." dialog and use it to show them the progress of what's going on in the background. But what happens if something goes wrong in the background thread? You can handle the exception in that thread, but how will the main/GUI thread (the one that created the new thread) know that an exception occurred?
....I know how.
I read a review on Wired yesterday about the new crop of TV shows that are centered towards nerds. In typical fashion, the critics gave the best review to the show that I found to be the worst (Chuck), and the worst review to the show that I actually thought was OK (Journeyman). But I had no way of knowing that without actually watching the shows first, so I went ahead and checked out NBC's new Monday night line-up last night. Before I get to trashing "Chuck", I'll start off with a little bit about Heroes and Journeyman. I am deeply saddened to say that I believe Heroes has officially jumped the shark (starting with last season's finale, which was largely a disappointment) and if they don't make a sharp left turn soon, it won't really be a show worth watching anymore. That's a shame, because Heroes was really something to look forward to last year, with its constantly looming plot devices (the Company, Linderman, and Sylar), and now it looks like it has been reduced to sub-plots involving Hiro trying to get a peasant girl to fall in love with an Englishman living in 17th century Japan (riveting, I know), and Claire getting teased by the "mean" kids at school (oh no... not the mean kids!).
But I digress. After Heroes, I saw Journeyman, and found it to be a relatively enjoyable show. The characters seemed a little "forced" in the opening scenes, but I found that they eventually fell into something resembling "chemistry". Yes, the plot is somewhat contrived (it's kind of a Quantum Leap meets Day Break... and oddly enough, the same chick who starred in Day Break stars in Journeyman, so apparently, she is being typecast as "that chick in all the time travel shows"). I didn't really see it as a "nerd" show, though, and seeing how you have to suspend belief in order to watch a show about time travel, I didn't really find much in it worth nit-picking at.
But "Chuck", on the other hand...
So I took a dive (head first, of course) into a new area of programming this week: The wonderful world of uber-large file processing. Now, I've worked with large files before... don't get me wrong... but I'm a database guy. Most of my file experience involves figuring out ways to get data into a database quickly and efficiently (and I've gotten fairly adept at it, if I do say so myself ). Recently, however, I needed to write some code to process a file, and as usual, my first assumption was that I would just load it into a db (using one of the bagillions of methods at my disposal), run a few SQL statements against the table, and be done with it. Then I found out that the file was almost 2GB. The problem with that is twofold: 1) Importing a 2GB file into a database would take a really freaking long time and then you'd still have to run queries on it to do your processing, which would take even longer. And 2) Putting the file in a db would have the net effect of doubling the file size on disk... because now it exists as the original file and as records in your db. And since most db's aren't super efficient at file storage, chances are that it'll take up more than 2GB in the db. So you're looking at turning your 2GB file into 4-6GB (if not more).
So anywhoo... once I realized that a database was not the way to go, I had to figure out how to process this huge monster in an efficient manner...


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Professional Community for Car Dealers, Marketing, Advertising and Sales Leaders
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Started this ADM discussion. Last reply by Martin Logsdon Mar 29, 2012. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Started this ADM discussion. Last reply by David Johnson Jan 11, 2011. 3 Replies 0 Likes
Shannon Page has not received a gift from an ADM Member
Posted on October 29, 2012 at 3:40pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
A couple of hours ago, I made note of a photo that Brian Pasch posted of empty shelves at his local grocery store. That photo reminded me that I'd meant to cover a back-to- the-basics concept that I struggled with while doing some research last week.
First off, let me tell you that I LOVE CARS. I have loved cars since I was able to grasp the concept of motoring. I love how cars feel when you run your hand over their cool painted metal, I love how expensive leather interior feels –…Continue
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 5:12pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
For grins, and to help me get started with this post, I Googled "Customer Expectations".
Of the 13,900,000 returned results, a link to an interview with Richard Branson stuck out because, well, he's fabulous AND he's someone who has apparently figured out how to do a lot of things right. Sir Branson says: "Pricing your product or service is only one way to exceed expectations. The other is through your front-line employees -- everyone who works with customers." He goes on: …
Posted on January 18, 2012 at 3:28pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
By Autumn 2003, I had (a meager) seven years of Internet Automotive success under my belt. I was managing a nine-franchise Internet Sales Department that encompassed five rooftops in Portland OR and Vancouver WA. New Car sales were really starting to get brutal. Every other conversation contained the words "Dave Smith" and "Kellogg, Idaho". We pursued, and…Continue
Posted on January 8, 2011 at 8:29pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
The Challenge: The automotive industry is recovering from the most massive business contraction in its history. While the playing field…
Posted on October 14, 2010 at 4:45pm 1 Comment 0 Likes
Thanks for the "friend"!
Thanks for the add, Shannon!
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text: Since 1992, Opus Restaurant on Prince Arthur has been providing one of Toronto's most exquisite fine dining experiences. Located on a gracious, tree-lined Victorian street in the heart of Toronto's exclusive Yorkville, Opus is also just steps away from the luxurious Four Seasons, Park Hyatt hotel, Hotel Intercontinental, the ROM, and the high-end fashion houses. Opus is open 7 nights a week between 5:30 and 11:30 for dinner, and drinks are served until 2 a.m. more... See more text


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First of all shout and respect to ?
Shout and respect to Lupe Fiasco
Shout out to Mr. West
Shout out to Rashid Lonnie Lynn
King Louie, L.E.P Bogus
Whole Chicago movement
Real Recognize Real, check it!
White supremacy is what I don't like!
Sugar-ass crackers, what I don't like!
The Bank of America, I don't like!
When they lynch and cynicism, yeah I don't like!
I don't like, I don't like
The way the ghetto living, man I don't like!
[Verse 1]
Got us strapped up in the system, man I don't like
Ain't too different from a prison jacket, ain't right
Ain't no freedom at the trap, hustlers everywhere
You could feel it in the air, pure despair
Hungry hands only take when they reaching out
Campaign, smoking, geek up, gun pow
Ugly politicians, new election year
Crying bout their care, they are not sincere
It's the greedy and the rich ones that make war
That the hungry, young, and poor ones paid for
The little homie stretched out in a coffin
They dying younger, and they dying more often
The rent too high, the wage too low
The top five stupid songs up on your radio, nah!
I don't like (I don't like)
All this cackling and caring on, I don't like
All this sucka-ness and scary shit I don't like
All these Afri-coon Americans, it ain't right
And that goes to crazy-ass crackers
Small claim corp. clowns, and strip club rappers
Out in broad day with they nipples out
With they stretch marks, blackheads and pimples out
Yuck, you suck, go away
You're always talking, and you never got much to say
Yuck, you suck, go away
You're always crowding space, fix your thirsty face, nah!
I don't like, I don't like
The way your shoulders looking sound, I don't like
The way I see 'em getting down, I don't like
Make you wonder how they get around, it ain't right
In the land where crooks get to write the laws
But people hide their eyes, and shut their jaws
Who the realest? Never mind
Who doing it for the best, there ain't lies
What they wearing, who is there?
Ask yourself, why you care?
Somebody going ham on a gossip site
Catching feelings over rumors that are not your life
I don't like, sometimes I even hate
But not the people, they acts and ways
I don't like, sometimes I even hate
Lord forgive, let us pray
For pussy posers, dummy greed
Polluted seas, them wacky weeds
Nazi po-lice, wasted time
Zombie recruitment, legal crime
I don't like
You don't like it neither
You said...
Rebuke, forgive, and pray for these fake niggas


text:
Recycling - we are now getting our cans collected on tuesdays, along with paper and cardboard. We're also recycling glass bottles & jars, plastic bottles and plastic carrier bags
Composting is going along nicely. We will have to stop it soon when the weather gets warmer and the flies are about. By the end of the year, we should have some useable stuff
Garden - nothing much happening in the garden. but worry not! spring is in the air!
Efficiancy - energy bills are high. We are looking for any ways to cut down on wasted energy. Can you help us to get an energy audit? Do you have any contacts in community renewables? email: firstname.lastname@example.com
- we are trying to convince high-command that energysaving lightbulbs are the way forward
Forest's environment web pages have been updated:
green update 09-03-05
Forest is people. People is you. You is us.
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I loved this article. I really want to move out of San Mateo to some quaint little town where we can pay cash for a house and raise kids. I know people who packed up and moved to Oregon, Idaho, and Texas, but really there are many great places like Plumas in California. Now only if i could convince the hubby that the Bay Area is not the greatest place on earth...
Plumas County: Hidden (Cheaper) California
I'm going to let you in on my biggest secret to living large on a tiny budget. Five years ago last month my husband and I –lifelong coastal Californians made the big literal move to a part of California we never heard of –the northeastern corner and Plumas County. You know, that place on the map of the state that's square up in the corner? Nearly three hours north of Lake Tahoe? Way, way, way up there? Yup, that's still California.
We were prompted by many things: the impending birth of our first child, the lack of space in our tiny studio apartment, me wanting to stay home with our kids, and a need for slightly less competition in our fields so we could focus and concentrate on making the family thing work, rather than killing ourselves trying to be corporate. While friends and family members were snagging up half a million dollar fixer uppers without yards in L.A., we found a great house under 200K on an acre of land with a view of a valley spotted with cows and teaming with migratory birds and awe inspiring mountains.
While rural living is probably not for everyone, there are certain frugal and lifestyle advantages to it. In 2002, while pregnant with my son I realized that none of the things I moved to San Francisco for I was still doing. I wasn't writing, I wasn't going out on the town. I couldn't afford to do anything but pay rent, basically. My husband was feeling a similar pinch in Los Angeles and though we'd been lobbying for each other to move to the other's city, my son's birth was around the corner and we still hadn't come to a decision on where to live as a family.
Enter my mothers. What about trying the mountains? My moms had moved to Plumas the year before and bought a nice house that sat in a quiet, upscale neighborhood with a meadow on one side and national forest on the other for under 150K. A whole house rented for $500 a month, there was (and still is) a shortage of professionals for a variety of necessary jobs, and our kids could start life breathing fresh air. We were broke, had nothing to lose, packed the U-haul and headed north. I mean way north. A brisk 11-hour drive up the I-5 from Los Angeles—and that's if you are starting from Santa Monica.
First the positives in the pocketbook. Plumas County—one of those tiny little northern California counties started in the Gold Rush—needs you. The industries of yester year: mining, logging, milling, are long since gone and there are a number of towns that were built around these industries still standing and looking for revitalization. Most of the areas original inhabitants leave the area upon graduation for Chico, Reno, the military. Rentals are hard to come by these days but they still exist—and where else in the state could you rent a whole house for under $1000 without it being a ghetto crack head neighborhood? This is probably the only place in the state where a mortgage won't be two-thirds of your budget. Utilities other than oil are about the same as anywhere else in the state and lots of properties are zoned commercial as well as residential so if you are wanting to start that business venture…
If you are a recreational shopper and you need your hands spanked, this is also a great place to live. There's not that many places to shop and unless hardware and general stores are a big turn on for you, you'll save money just by virtue of there being much less to spend it on (though I've dropped plenty at an antique store in Greenville, Bookstore in Chester, the Co-op in Quincy).
But the biggest positives are what I call the social and lifestyle improvements. Picture no waiting. For anything. Ever. I still recall with horror not having health insurance and having to go to an ER in Los Angeles and having to wait a month with insurance to get seen in San Francisco. Here it's 'can you make it in this afternoon?' Have you wanted to be actively involved on a committee to oversee something in your town but couldn't ever find a vacancy on a board? We need you. And not just for volunteer positions. Virtually all federal, state, and county jobs will be opening up in the next five years as most if not all are now held by baby boomers reaching retirement. Ever wonder what it would be like to leave your house and not have to factor in traffic as part of how long it will take to get somewhere or how long it will take to find parking? Ever wonder about not locking your doors?
Add in the kid factor and there is a considerable advantage: no traffic for them to accidentally run into, everyone in town will know that your baby belongs to you—parents here still run into the post office while baby is asleep 10 feet away in the car. Sending your kids to a good private school won't cost an arm and a leg. And the average daycare cost per child is the county is about $3.00 an hour. Add to this being able to raise them around horses, wild turkeys, and having a national forest as their backyard and suddenly being able to walk three blocks to the city park that's fenced in on all sides like prison and urban childrearing starts to sound silly.
But you are a life long urbanite---not unlike my husband and I and this is probably sounding way too cute and quaint. Not so. The biggest seller for me when I moved up here was the chance to live somewhere slightly economically depressed while not having my income tied to such a local economy. Enter the age of the telecommuter. Thanks to a zippy fast DSL connection, I'm doing the same work I was in the city and still getting paid my city wage. And with Internet Radio and iTunes I get to listen to KCRW and NPR in the afternoon (complete with traffic reports about people stuck on the 405) instead of some AM honky tonk station I would have gotten a decade ago out of Reno, NV. My husband, an IT guy without a degree was faced with the dotcom crash on the coast but here he's never out of work and usually has a backlog. And while it's true that this corner of California votes like it's Alabama at times, that's changing too. Morally bankrupt Rep. Doolittle (®) who never faced serious challenges to his seat is now holding on to it for dear life and is expected to lose the next election. (Yay!)
And you won't be alone in your move here. One out of three families I encounter here aren't from here. They are usually ex-Bay Area residents with at least one telecommuter in the family with a smattering of southern Californians. My neighbor is from Burbank. Another neighbor is from Tustin.
Still, I can hear the skeptic in you—not unlike the skeptic in me—screaming, yes but what about culture?! Team sports? The stuff of Little Leagues and Friday nights of our suburban youth? To this I add we have two thriving art organizations and apparently our girls' basketball team is kicking ass all over the northern part of the state¬––Go Greenville! There are the same mommy and me-ish things, same crappy California public education, a local community college, etc. But there's lots of cool hidden stuff too. I work out with a couple of women in a cool private gym I never knew existed. Mountain Maidu culture (the original inhabitants of this area are the Maidu) still prevails and helps distinguish the area and give it its diversity. There's lots of camping and fishing stuff up here that apparently people come from all over to experience.
My dealings with getting the kids some culture was making a commitment to bring them to San Francisco on a quarterly basis and Los Angeles twice a year. We pack in those short weeks with museums, movies, family, and the big one---Asian cuisines. And since we save so much by not eating out (not that many restaurants up here worth eating at), we finally get to splurge on food in the big city—something we couldn't afford to do anymore when we lived there.
Now as we look back and also hear the struggles of other parents of preschoolers in urban areas, we are still happy with our decision. Though there have been some hidden costs we did not anticipate well enough. The biggest one is the horrible combination of the high price of oil combined with a long winter. In 2006—a short winter—we spent $500 for the year on oil to heat the house and water heater. In 2007 winter started sooner, lasted longer and the price went up—we'll be lucky if we get out of this winter for under $3,000. But this is kind of a freaky year for that sort of thing so we try not to take it personal. I only fill my car up once a month since I telecommute and my husband is in a carpool in a Prius.
Still the benefits are overwhelming for the telecommuting worker or family. You get a home office that overlooks snow-capped mountains and air so clean that visitors from the city feel like their lungs are collapsing from the freshness. Your kids get to experience seasons and self-sufficiency of gardening and making things that go with the seasons, and they learn first hand what farm and wild animals look like instead of learning these things from picture books. At Christmas time you get to chop down your own tree with a $10 permit. And my goodness, if you are having children, don't you want to afford to spend more time and less money being with them?
So, show of hands. Who's up for the move?
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Hi Xin Lu,
I don't mean to advertise, I just thought it would be helpful to let you know of a few small towns that have that feel good nature to them. I reside in and around Eugene, Oregon and there are many small towns near here. I'm unsure of how large of a town you live in now to compare to the size you are looking for, but here are a few I like. Veneta, Cottage Grove, Florence, Coburg and if you are from a big city, like I am from Seattle originally; Eugene or Springfield will be small enough. If you visit my website you will find links to many of these cities through my site map. Coming from California you will find Oregon a lot less expensive also. Dream big!
Jennifer Buchanan
I like your comments on the benefits of rural living for the frugal. It is true that less shopping opportunities will save you big buck$, not to mention lower mortgage prices.
We left the big city (Richmond, VA) when it got to be too violent and we had two young children 10 years ago. We moved to one rural area in SE Virginia, but it was TOO far out, hence our move to Scottsville, VA five years ago. It is a cute town 20 minutes from Charlottesville, VA but with homes half to a third the cost of Charlottesvilles' and one hour from other bigger towns such as Richmond, Lyncburg, Staunton, and less than three hours from the "Culture" of Washington DC. (Very important to us as homeschoolers and ex-urbanites).
This figures in well, too, if we decide to sell products from our farm, or grow bored of Charlottesville, which we don't normally, because Charlottesville has plenty to do in terms of recreation and great restaurants. In Scottsville, the main recreation options are river sports (the James) and a small amount of shopping choices- there is a current opportunity for someone wanting to start a business, as there has been a recent re-do of the town, lots of vacant storefronts waiting to be reborn as cool health food stores, local food restaurants, art studios, and a bakery also would be divine.....
Local bus service to Charlottesville is in the works, and there are established carpool groups, so check it out if you are looking for something on the east coast.
Plumas sounds great for your proxmity to the National Parks, you will have to travel almost an hour west from here to reach Shenandoah Nat'l Park from Scottsville, but not quite as far to reach one of Virginia's many great county, regional and state parks. Cheers!
Even living an hour away from a national park sounds heavenly. Remember, I'm coming from L.A., where it takes an hour to get anywhere in the city!
You make me (almost) want to move to your area -- though you are 3,000 miles away. I would go rural given the housing situation in urban areas of CA; I even run into people in NC who have moved to my town to escape high (unaffordable?) housing prices.
Having lived in a small town right out of college, I'll mention that not all rural areas have the employment opportunities you describe. The ones that do often are limited by one major or just a few employers, which is okay but may be difficult for 2-earner families; and if the employer restructures and/or has a layoff, the town economy changes nearly overnight. Also, long-time residents may or may not welcome newcomers.
The tradeoffs would have been easier for me had the Internet been available (it wasn't commercially available in the 1980s), expanding job prospects, widening my circle of friends, and letting me shop somewhere besides mass merchants.
In 1994, my (now late) husband and I came for a visit to his daughter's home just north of Roseburg, Oregon over Presidents Day weekend. We were living in Seattle where I had lived over 35 years and he a transplant from Arizona. It was like stepping into a time machine and going back decades. Those 3 days we spent were eye-opening and life changing.
When we went home, I stewed and fussed over those seeds of change and finally made the decision a week after returning home. I was moving to Oregon. The story is long and involved but suffice it to say, I told the family we were moving to Oregon. I gave notice to my boss and after many tears and struggles, 5 weeks to the day after the visit, we settled into our new home in Oakland, Oregon. Population 870. A place where 3 cars at a stop sign are a traffic jam. We both found work making a fraction of what we made in Seattle in our corporate positions, but our cost of living was fractional so it all balanced nicely.
That was 14 years ago and while life does what it does by throwing curve balls occasionally, we now think of this as home. Seattle is a very fond memory but I will never return. The rats can have it with my blessing.
This sounds lovely, but for minorities, those out-of-the way places are not always so welcoming. Also, I have to consider having my children grow up in an environment where no one else looks anything like them. This can be very alienating.
You may or may not have caught from my name that we too are minorities. There is an increasing African-American presence in and around Quincy and Feather River College, a very large Native American population, and a growing Latino presence. The only 'grouping' of people not well represented are Asians though there are a few Chinese Americans
Margaret Garcia-Couoh
...or rather, are in the process. We are also Bay Area folks that just bought 5 acres for $11,000 in Yreka (Siskiyou County). We love it! All we need to do at this point is have our home built (at a FRACTION of the cost of our rent in the Bay Area) and we are on our way to early retirement. We too appreciate the concept of not doing in mid to late life what we once did on our young life (clubbing, roaming about town partying, and needing excitement on every block). Three cheers to you for this great blog!
Los Angeles native here, moved to Humboldt County for college in 2002 and never left. Property value is somewhat higher, but hey, ocean! My folks back in LA have half the house I have for twice the price.
People thought I was crazy for considering a move to Central Pennsylvania but houses there are only $25K! Real estate transaction formalities aside, I could write a check for one of those.
If you have broadband internet, getting what you need while living in a rural area is not a big problem. Amazon sells almost everything these days and super saver shipping is free even to out-of-the-way places.
Lived there for 18 years before retiring and moving to sw Idaho. My main reason for relocating? The older one gets, the less you appreciate having to shovel snow! Before a southern Californian or even someone from the SF Bay Area makes a move to Plumas County, I would suggest you consider buying a snow blower on your arrival or keep a good chiropractor on retainer from November through March. Other than that, you could not find a more peaceful place to live. And I must admit a 5 1/2' snowfall overnight is an awesome sight as long as you don't have to get out in it!
Plus in Quincy, California, at least you will find those of Hispanic, African-American and Chinese - all of whom have been there for years and many of whom are regarded as pillars of the community. For me, it's a lovely place to live from April through September. The rest of the year, I'll take sw Idaho.
We moved here in the middle of winter! I've seen the snow so long I no longer notice it LOL. It's fun though. Margaret Garcia-Couoh
Great article! It's always nice to see someone point out the benefits of rural living. It't not for everyone, but it is a wonderful life! We are just down the highway in Susanville and love it. We are transplants from Sacramento and would never dream of moving back for anything!
I already knew Plumas County was right for me, and reading this just helps confirm that moving 2,700 miles is the right thing to do. Hurray for Plumas County! The gold rush is back on!
Dr. Wife is finishing her residency and is considering a position in Portola. I'm a systems analyst in IT and hoping that I can leap to telecommuting - at least until I figure out how to make money writing. Both of us love California but don't want to live in a place where we feel like we will never have enough money to live well - like Southern California or the Bay Area. We're both middle aged with a soon-to-be teen, and are looking for a quiet place where Nature is a neighbor that we can greet every morning.
Sounds to me like Plumas County is worth exploring.
Hubby and I have been taking trips up to Plumas County from Los Angeles every so often for the last twenty years. We fly into Reno and drive over to Portola/Quincy. As soon as we get out of Reno heading towards Hwy 70 it's like a breath of fresh air (literally)! We love Plumas County. It's beautiful pastureland and mountains, pine trees and babbling brooks. We'll be up there again next month for Portola Rail Days and hey, who knows we may even do a little house hunting.
OK, perhaps this is an old gripe, but nontheless.....
Those of us who have always lived in a rural environment would really appreciate it if, when you upscale urban professionals decide to "rough it", you wouldn't jack up the real estate prices to the point where old-school locals are forced into rural ghettos.
In my rural county (Humboldt) only 15% of the population can now afford to buy a home, thanks largely to the influx of Bay Area retirees, 2nd home owners, and transplants. I know, I know, you are just THRILLED at what you can get for the money you used to spend in (fill in the blank overpriced urban setting). But when you spend $300k for a home (that 5 years ago went for $150k) where the average income is $30k can you see where average folk might have a hard time?
So hey, love your good intentions, but think about how your very presence might be impacting those who have lived rurally for generations.
I can't live in my hometown either for precisely this reason. But the town I' moved to in Plumas County was completely dying. There was nothing left. I don't feel too guilty about revitalizing this town as without us it was literally dying out. (More deaths than births reported in the local paper).
Margaret Garcia-Couoh
I grew up in Plumas County and can agree with many of the romantic, bucolic descriptions of the landscape - it is just a wonderful place!
However, in the interest of full disclosure, people should also know about the higher-than-average poverty levels and rampant child abuse which blights the area. In honesty, I don't know what the current statistics are, but historically compared to the state, the county has had higher percentages of the population living under the poverty level, and much higher incidence rates of child abuse.
Also, regarding this quest of exurbanites to come and 'revitalize the local economy':
As it was earlier mentioned, this influx of people from urban areas to parts of the rural west has by in large made the housing unaffordable for people earning 'local wages.' Prior to this huge exurbanite influx, a typical local job was sufficient to buy a house because the relatively low wages could still buy a relatively low-priced house. Now with this demand for housing caused by the influx of transplants, housing prices are driven up (and I might add, are now equal or higher than areas like Sacramento, Chico and Redding). Now all of the people working remotely and bringing home 70-150k a year (or more) can afford houses, but what about the people working locally and actually supporting the local economy base? These people can't even afford to live in their community anymore. Driving up the housing prices without creating a demand for new, higher paying jobs does NOT revitalize an economy, it does the opposite. The local economy needs local jobs to replace the dead and dying resource-extraction (timber) industry. Now, if people coming into the area were doing that, than I would applaud them and say that they are trying to revitalize a dying economy (and community).
Also, it really is my hope that folks coming into the area realize the onus they have to contribute to the local economy and create more permanent and sustainable jobs (not just construction jobs to build more expensive 2nd homes or retirement homes on golf courses). I'd sure hate to see a beautiful and special place like Plumas County turn into something like Tahoe . I'm sure that most of the citizens in Plumas County would cite the closeness to nature, clean air, uncrowdedness, quietness, and safety as major reasons for choosing to live in the area. These intangible amenities are under threat as rural areas are face with increasing growth and housing demands. It's not really in the interest of the county to control growth because more homes = more tax revenue, which means a lot to a county that is always in the red. So, rural citizens, whether transplants or generational, you need to make sure that places like Plumas County protect these intangible amenities in the face of forces such as development and growth. I know all of us want a beautiful place to live it, but please, please don't let these beautiful areas go the way of the suburbs, exurbs, or bedroom communities that many of you fled from.
But, much of your worries aren't really what's happening now. Almost all the businesses that open here are opened by those who have come from somewhere else and brought capital with them. The majority of the rental housing is still owned by the old rancher families that have been holding on to them for decades. Indian Valley could be a thriving spa resort town if it wanted to given the hot springs.
Plumas County has done well for itself ---while neighboring Lassen county went for the Wal-Mart and the state prison.
There's a huge sense of community and involvement here--a mixture of those that came recently and those that have been here a bit longer. We just had our Harvest Festival in Taylorsville!
Margaret Garcia-Couoh
Enjoyed the article --- spend a number of weekends at Lake Almanor this summer. Loved the area and looking forward to seeing it throughout the year. We are in escrow on a house . . . . we will be part time residents. We will be able to telecommute about 30% of the time --- a nice start.
Thank you for this article. My children were born here, I came here when I was 6 weeks old, my husband is 5th generation to live, work, play here. I am trying to convince my daughter to move back here with her husband and our grand daughter..who would be the 7th generation of my husbands family to live here. Having lived in the bay area during college ( Berekely)...I love it there as well...but each time I return so much is gone that made it great-there is so much congestion and the crime rate is climbing. Many of the locals are in the process of recalling the sup of schools...we are trying to bring the local schools back to what they were in the 50's and 60's...it is difficult, but with honesty (lacking at this point) and much volunteering it is happening...That is what is so unique here...that each can make a difference and in largley populated areas this has gone. My husband and I are ranchers and as we are riding through our cows..I do feel each and everyday that I am experiencing a bit of heaven. Thank you again and I am forwarding this onto my darling daughter. Heather
i really liked what you have to say about Quincy. Right now i'm in the marine corps and thinking about going to school at feather river, so i'm trying to get as much info as possible. do you know of any places where a brand new college student could live, or find a job out there for that matter. Thanks for all the input. Good luck in the future with what ever life brings you.
Jacob, In regards to college living, I do know of several students going there now and they seem to have found housing quite easily. The rents in neighboring towns are also quite reasonable if you have transportation. The winters do get interesting with snow and ice..so some are nervous about communting far. FRC is a great little college. The horse/rodeo unit is great, the sports, the outdoor ed and it is very friendly and you can't beat the setting...and to you as well -good luck with all.
I'm going to paraphrase Tom McCall here and just lay this down;
I urge you to come and come many, many times to enjoy the beauty of Plumas County. But I also ask you, for heaven's sake, don't move here to live.
I was born in Portola. Brought up here, live here still. We're not cut from the same cloth as Californians. If you haven't noticed, we want to seperate entirely from that state. The State abuses us. Truly. The reason you would want to move is becuase you realize how badly off the cities are.
There's a reason for that.
We don't want change. We don't want "help." We want to be left alone.
It's fine when you come and stay in the lodges and camp and hike, but please don't try to alter our home. Please son't get involved in our politics. We don't want help we don't want change. We're heavily conservative and libertarian. We like our second amendment rights.
If you are willing to shed your big city attitudes and egos, Plumas County is for you.
But if not, try Truckee.
(By the way, we don't want to be Truckee either.)


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Johnson breaks into acting on 'House of Cards'
PHOENIX -- It started with a simple introduction to one of his favorite actors.
While with Baltimore last July, A's closer Jim Johnson approached Kevin Spacey in the Orioles' clubhouse, while the actor was scouting set locations for his popular Netflix political drama "House of Cards," and small talk ensued for quite some time. Johnson wanted to know about life as an actor; Spacey inquired about baseball.
How quickly they intertwined.
After Spacey threw out the first pitch to Johnson at Camden Yards -- "He had no glove, so I gave him an extra batting practice glove," said Johnson -- executives of "House of Cards" decided to recreate the scene for an episode in its second season.
This time, of course, Johnson would be on the receiving end of a pitch thrown by Francis Underwood, the conniving character Spacey portrays in the series. Former Orioles teammate Nate McLouth, now with the Nationals, also makes a cameo in this scene, which takes place in the sixth episode.
All 13 episodes of the second season debuted on Netflix last week.
"They cut my lines," said Johnson, laughing, "but I don't care."
During filming, Johnson and McLouth were offered some background information on the episode, but Johnson nearly had to cover his hears, saying, "I didn't want them to tell me, because I want to watch it. I love the show so much."
He still hasn't seen the only evidence of his brief-lived acting career, since the Internet at his Spring Training home isn't working yet.
"I've gotten a couple messages from some people about it," he said, "and I still keep in touch with Kevin. He's a real nice guy. You know what was amazing, was watching him flip that switch and go into character. He automatically turned into Francis Underwood, and it was kinda creepy."
Upon hearing this, A's reliever Sean Doolittle -- another fan of the show -- yelled out to Johnson, "You're a TV star?"
"Yeah, but they had to take away my SAG card," Johnson joked, referring to membership in the Screen Actors' Guild union.
No membership required, though, to trade texts with Spacey.
When Spacey learned Johnson was traded to Oakland this winter, he reached out to the All-Star closer and informed him he had family in the Bay Area, "so it's all good."
"I'll have to have him come out for a game if he's around," said Johnson.


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Interested in coming to a Vancouver Whitecaps FC match at BC Place in the next three months? Now is the time to secure your tickets.
The first three matches this season have sold out at BC Place and this Saturday's match is also selling fast. If you don't want to miss the action at BC Place, securing your tickets early is key. There's still time to get on board with prorated season tickets and receive an exclusive scarf. It's also a perfect time to get a 5-Pack where you can select any five games that fit your schedule.
Why you ask? Here's what's in store for the next five home matches:
Beat LA
April 19 vs. LA Galaxy
What the Yankees are to MLB and the Lakers are to the NBA, LA Galaxy have become to MLS. Like it or not, the Galaxy are the big club in this league. It's always a big occasion when the Galaxy come to town – every match in Vancouver has sold out.
With the two team's playing the second match of a home-and-home series, this weekend's contest will be that much more intense. Robbie Keane gave LA a 1-0 victory in the first game, but this time the California crew must come to BC Place. Will you be there for one of the must-see matches of 2014?
May 3 vs. San Jose Earthquakes (40th anniversary match presented by Bell)
May 5, 1974. That was the date Vancouver Whitecaps took the field for the first time against San Jose Earthquakes in their first ever match.
Forty years later, it's 'Caps vs. Quakes once again as we celebrate the four-decade anniversary of that first match. It will be a special night at BC Place. The 1974 Whitecaps team will be honoured and the first induction ceremony will take place for the Whitecaps FC Ring of Honour.
Fans are encouraged to get in the spirit of the 70's and come to BC Place in their retro apparel.
Oh, and before we forget the present, these two teams have come to dislike each other a fair bit over the past few years.
Hey big spenders
May 7 vs. Toronto FC (Amway Canadian Championship semifinals, second leg)
Whitecaps FC host their Canadian rivals in the second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinals. There's no hiding the 'Caps desire to lift the Voyageurs Cup, and TFC once again stand in their way.
But that's not the only reason this match is a must-see. The Reds have gone from laughingstocks of MLS to potential powerhouse. They've brought in United States men's national team star Michael Bradley and English national team striker Jermain Defoe.
A renewed TFC will pose a strong challenge. Can the 'Caps fend off their Eastern nemesis and make it to the Canadian Championship finals for a fourth consecutive year?
Cascadia quest begins again
May 24 vs. Seattle Sounders FC
Whitecaps. Sounders. Cascadia Cup. When the schedule comes out every season, this is the first match marked on the calendar. This cross-border rivalry dates back to 1974, with some memorable moments along the way.
The Sounders have come on strong to start 2014. United States national team star Clint Dempsey – the highest paid player in MLS – has finally emerged from his slumber, leading the league with six goals in only three matches played.
Seattle will surely remember the 4-1 thumping that the Blue and White handed them at CenturyLink Field last year – thanks to a hat-trick from Kekuta Manneh. That win propelled Vancouver to a record fourth Cascadia Cup title. Will May 24 be the first step in defending their Pacific Northwest crown?
Je me souviens… toujours
June 25 vs. Montreal Impact
While there's a certain amount of bad blood with each of the opponents on this list, perhaps no team draws the ire more from 'Caps supporters than Montreal.
The irritation with the Impact stems from a coloured past, notably a quirk in the old Canadian Championship format that saw an already-eliminated Montreal side hand the 2009 title to TFC when the 'Caps were in pole position.
In recent years, Vancouver have dominated in MLS action with a 2-0 season-opening win in the Impact's first MLS match in 2012, and a 3-0 win in Quebec in 2013. But Montreal stung the 'Caps in the Canadian championship finals last year, winning on away goals.
Emotions are sure to be high. Will the 'Caps continue their MLS dominance over the Impact?
It's not too late to participate in the best sporting experience in Vancouver. Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including prorated season tickets ($294), half-season tickets ($244), 5-packs ($149), student season tickets ($199), and a youth soccer half-season ticket ($100). Single-match tickets start at $22, subject to applicable fees. For more information on all Whitecaps FC ticket options, call 604.669.9283 ext. 2 or visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.


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Country singer Alan Jackson has raised more than $150,000 to help a Virginia county rebuild schools damaged by last year's earthquake.A benefit concert by Jackson drew 6,000 people to Louisa County on Sunday, May 20. Jackson performed in the parking lot of Louisa County High School, which was closed after the magnitude-5.8 earthquake on Aug. 23, 2011.
Mineral, the town at the quake's epicenter, won the show in an online voting contest.
Media outlets report that Jackson told the crowd many of those who voted for Mineral in the contest aren't from the town. He said that shows people in America take care of each other. Capitol Records provided about 3,000 free tickets and sold another 3,000.
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This year I had brought back a few more extra items from my closet in New Hampshire.
Pictured above are a down vest, orange fleece pants, and a red wool sweater. (Why yes, our tent comes with porch).
When you tell me to work it. This is the pose that I strike.
My least favourite thing about camping (ok there are two things, #1 is popping a squat) is changing into and out of my jammies. You can solve this problem by wearing your sexy night time negligee under your ridiculous fleece pants. You're Welcome.
In the past, on these camping trips I've never had proper camping foot wear (Blundstones) - so this year my mother in law bought me a pair. I wore them for most of the weekend - love 'em (they really complete the outfit, no?)
And finally, I accessorised with a free scarf that they gave me after I visited the penguins at the Melbourne Aquarium.
I hope chocolate was prolific this past weekend?


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A virus better known for causing epidemics on cruise ships is blamed for making 229 attendees of the Washington State Cheerleading Championships sick with vomiting and diarrhea.
The Everett, Wash. Herald claims norovirus is to blame, with the majority of infections occurring due to—you guessed it—people not washing their hands properly in the bathroom.
The state health labs are collecting stool samples from competitors and spectators, and really what's a more unpleasant idea than the collection of a high school cheerleader's poo?
h/t to Rob Iracane


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IT'S been too long since I last enjoyed a Continental wheat beer. The last time I had 'Naturtrüb' naturally cloudy German-variety 'Hefeweizen' wheat beer, was straightforwardly wheaty Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier. What, then, will my next German, cloudy, wheat-beer be like? From the Bethnal Green Food Center in London's East-End, here is a bottle of Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen.
First impressions? Efficient looking but characterless bottle and appearance. It's definitely German
It has a neck label. Not that it says very much. It has a sort-of coat of arms, the words "Premium Weissbier" and a barcode. Never mind. I'm sure there's be a proper description of the beer somewhere on it. On the front-label, perhaps?
No. There's not much of a description on here, either. Just some basic details. Starting with the name and address of the brewer. For the curious, Scöfferhofer Weizenbier GMBH is from Frankfurt am Main.
Under that is a logo, if you can call it that, of Peter Schoffer von Gernsheim. An early printer who worked with Johannes Gutenberg, the Scöfferhofer brewery was apparently founded in his old home. Hands up, who wants their home turned into a brewery, when they're gone?
Under the Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen name, is some writing that I can't read or understand. If you can, or you can translate anything else on the bottle, do please leave a comment at the end of the post.
Down at the very bottom, are welcome words indeed. "Naturtrüb", I think means 'naturally cloudy'. Thanks to the person who told me that in a comment to one of my earlier posts. "Premium-Weissbier" has to be 'Premium Wheat Beer'. And "Brewed And Bottled in Germany" is just good news however you read it.
So there wasn't much of a description on the front-label. Surely, there'll be a proper description of some kind on the back?
No. There really isn't any kind of description. Or story. Or anything. Just a massive, multilingual block of ingredients lists and safety warnings, for nanny-state markets across the world.
Even looking carefully, there are only a handful of facts I can extract from the morass of text. The ingredients are water, barley malt, wheat malt, hops and yeast. All the right ingredients. Though I'd prefer if they mentioned which malts and hops they used. Even when the names mean nothing, I love it when the labels give that much extra detail.
Elsewhere, we discover the vital statistics. The bottle is your usual 500ml. Or 16.9 fl. oz. And with an alcoholic volume of 5%, it's as average as the entire output of Hollywood over the past decade.
And that's it. At least I thought it was, until I spotted in tiny writing, a web-address. That web address is www.schoefferhofer.de. It's an annoying Flash-heavy website, with no English language section. Nevertheless, a few clicks and you start discovering more bottles that will make you wish you were in Frankfurt am Main.
With all of that out of the way, it's time for the fun bit. What does Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen taste like? How different will it be to Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier? Will I like it and should you buy it? Considering my track record of loving cloudy wheat beers, it could be a foregone conclusion.
Yes, I still don't have a proper wheat beer glass. But even in my British pint-glass, it looks good. It was easy to pour, too. No glugging, it went smoothly until the last bit, where it frothed up into the sight you can see in the photograph.
The colour is of straw. Cloudy, but clear enough to see the fizz. The head is a thick, lasting, white colour. I can hardly wait to start.
First though, what does Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen smell like? If you bought it hoping for that unmistakable, rich, malty smell, you're in luck. If you've sniffed other European wheat beers, you know what it is. It's not strong. Just gorgeously rich and sweet.
What does Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen taste like? The first gulp is not bad, but I'm greeted with more bitterness than expected. A few more sips, and I'm beginning to make sense of it. The bitterness was because I was trying to drink the head. Get down to the beer, and it's much more like what you'd expect from a German wheat beer.
Being a straight-up wheat beer, there isn't much in the way of flavour. Just an undercurrent of malty-wheatiness. A sweet and savoury sort of flavour, which drifts, easily, into the aftertaste. A taste which has a surprisingly lasting bitterness, and astringent character.
How different is it to the Franziskaner German wheat beer I tried a few months ago? Unexpectedly different. I was half expecting a re-run. Instead, Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen takes the same straightforward wheat beer path, but goes on a bitterer, less smooth and less wheaty route.
What am I enjoying about Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen? Astonishingly, less than I had been expecting. Maybe I've got a less-than-perfect bottle. But a few things are nagging me. On the credit side, however, there are pluses. Even if it is bitterer than other European wheat beers, compared to others, it's well balanced. It's easy to drink, which means the ingredients are good, and it's well made. It's different, too, which scores it marks for distinctiveness. Not too gassy either.
On the debit side, there are some issues. I'm starting to think my bottle has gone off. It doesn't taste as good as I think it should. That bitterness is just too rough and odd tasting for it to be intentional. It's also somewhat lacking in the flavour and taste department. Not sure if that's intended or not. But more interestingness and complexity wouldn't go amiss. Even the main taste of wheat is hard to pin down.
How can I sum up Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen? I'm left wondering if my bottle is a bad example, or if they're all like this. Regular readers know how much I love wheat beer. So the roughness and off-notes were a surprise. If it's supposed to be like this, then you'll like it if you prefer your wheat beer to have an edge. If, like me, you love the smooth, rich, deliciousness of other wheat beers you've enjoyed, then try something else. Unless the one I bought was off, in which case, Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen is probably very good.
This puts me in a tricky situation with the rating. Do I rate lower and risk the wrath of people who love good examples. I'll take the wait-and-see escape route, and leave a rating for another time, when I've tried more bottles of Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen.
What did you bottle of Scöfferhofer Hefeweizen taste like? Did you like it? Did I get an bad bottle or does it normally taste like this? Leave your comments, translations, opinions and places to buy, here in the comments.


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - visa Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in visa Goto page 1, 2, 3 Next Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Ukraine View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message vanillaskyJoined: 02 Nov 2009Posts: 32 Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 2:33 am Post subject: visa Does anyone know how the Visa situation in Ukraine currently compares with the visa situation in Russia? Is it the same? Russia recently changed the laws so that teachers can only stay and work for 3 months. Does Ukraine offer a work visa for a full 9-12 month contract, or only three months as well? Back to top vanillaskyJoined: 02 Nov 2009Posts: 32 Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:27 am Post subject: Come on. Somebody, anybody must know this. Back to top beachguy69Joined: 06 Nov 2009Posts: 36 Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:48 pm Post subject: Ukraine is going in the same direction as Russia with visa All visa in Ukraine are good for only 90 days and 180 days out of 365. The only two ways to get around this is to get a work permit or get married. Back to top vanillaskyJoined: 02 Nov 2009Posts: 32 Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:55 am Post subject: So, do the schools issue work permits to the teachers which are hired so that they can stay for a full year contract? I have a couple other questions as well maybe you guys can help me with. Are most of the schools still hiring native English speakers, and not being forced to hired only Ukranians due to visa laws. All in all, are there still some ESL jobs to go around in Ukraine for native speakers? I would like to get my CELTA certification in the country which I will plan to get a job. It was between Russia and Ukraine since I am very familiar with that culture, and know the Russian language somewhat. I've already been accepted to the program in Moscow, but now due to the visa issues I am reconsidering taking the program in Urkaine. However, I don't want to dish out my money there either for certification if I will run into issues with getting a job and visa. Thanks for any info.! Back to top beachguy69Joined: 06 Nov 2009Posts: 36 Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:59 am Post subject: working Visa's are hard to get from schools here I do not know of any schools giving work permit today. I have had some people here tell me that a few schools in Kiev are giving them. But when I ask for names I never get any school names. So I can not beileve these people if they cannot tell me a school name. The problem here is if the school gets you a work permit, they have to pay taxes. Then you must list where you live and then your landlord would also have to pay taxes on your rent. He will either refuse to be list or double your rent.... Back to top vanillaskyJoined: 02 Nov 2009Posts: 32 Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 2:27 am Post subject: I've been doing some research, and appently plenty of the schools are still giving work permits to native English speakers, IH being one to mention. Back to top beachguy69Joined: 06 Nov 2009Posts: 36 Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 7:23 am Post subject: Many? Why do you say there are many schools giving working permits, but you only name one? I also can name hundreds of schools in Ukraine that do not. Please I am very interested in your list of additional schools. Even if the school is kind enough to offer the work permit you must also find a land lord that will sign the paper.....many will not because they do not want to pay the taxes. Thanks for your info. Back to top sarahrempeJoined: 03 Nov 2009Posts: 11 Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 10:03 pm Post subject: what about not leaving what happens if you don't leave after 90 days, stay a few more months and then leave? a bribe, a penalty, ??? incarceration?? lets say i left 3 times, payed a bribe to get back in, would it be roughly the same amount of bribe when i leave after 270 days?? Back to top beachguy69Joined: 06 Nov 2009Posts: 36 Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 2:14 pm Post subject: No Jail, just money They can not allow you to come back for 5 years....or they can fine you. Back to top Cardinal SynnJoined: 01 Nov 2004Posts: 586 Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 1:03 pm Post subject: There are schools here that will get you a work permit. These are also known as - The Only Schools Worth Working for. I don't know any teachers who come to Ukraine because they have to, so it pays to shop around and get what you need from an employer. If they don't offer legal work, why bother? As for giving names of schools which provide work permits? Do some research. Some posters here don't like to give names of individual schools. PMs are best for such info. Back to top beachguy69Joined: 06 Nov 2009Posts: 36 Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 1:13 pm Post subject: Kiev I bet you work and live in Kiev....It is very different when you leave the big city. Back to top misteradventureJoined: 18 Aug 2003Posts: 246 Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:07 am Post subject: It looks like the best deal would be to work on the Russian border (excuse me, CIS) and hop back and forth every 3 months. I'm curious- are most teachers only staying 3 months and then heading on, or has the situation changed? I notice AEC posting for multiple hiring dates in the same ad these days. Back to top Cardinal SynnJoined: 01 Nov 2004Posts: 586 Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:33 pm Post subject: Re: Kiev beachguy69 wrote: I bet you work and live in Kiev....It is very different when you leave the big city. Point taken. Back to top vanillaskyJoined: 02 Nov 2009Posts: 32 Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:19 pm Post subject: It looks like the best deal would be to work on the Russian border (excuse me, CIS) and hop back and forth every 3 months Quote: So, I wonder how safe it is, for a single young American (but "looks Russian" and speaks some Russian) female to hop back and forth by train every so often between Molodova and Odessa, Ukraine for instance? Does anybody know? Back to top misteradventureJoined: 18 Aug 2003Posts: 246 Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:10 pm Post subject: The measure of 'safety' is subjective. 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Louisiana DWF Agents Make Arrest on Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge
OutdoorHub 01.31.12
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents arrested a Texas man for allegedly driving while intoxicated (DWI) and numerous wildlife management area violations on the Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson Parish on Jan. 24.
Agents arrested Matthew M. John, 21, of Bullard, Texas, who is temporarily living in Rayne, for second offense DWI, failing to take a breathalyzer test twice within five years, possessing an illegal firearm, possessing a firearm and glass bottles on Elmer's Island and simple littering. John was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.
While on patrol, Agents found John's truck stuck on the beach. During their attempt to assist John with his truck, agents noticed that John was under the influence of alcohol. Agents then administered a field sobriety test to John, which he allegedly failed. John refused to take a breathalyzer test.
Agents impounded John's truck and seized his shotgun, which failed to have a minimum barrel length of 18 inches required under law. John also allegedly confessed to throwing beer bottles on the beach that were nearby his truck.
It is illegal to possess any firearm or glass bottles while on the Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge. John was also charged for a DWI in November of 2011 in which he refused to take a breathalyzer test.
Second offense DWI carries a fine up to $1,000 and six months in jail. Failing to take a second breathalyzer test within five years brings a $300 to $1,000 fine and between 10 days and six months in jail.
Possession of an illegal firearm brings up to a $10,000 fine and up to 10 years in jail.
Possession of a firearm on Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge carries a fine between $100 and $350 and up to 60 days in jail. Possession of glass bottles on Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge carries a $50 fine and up to 15 days in jail. Simple littering brings a fine up to $75 or up to eight hours of community service in a litter abatement program.
Agents participating in the case were Senior Agents Douglas Danna and Cody Soileau.
For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or [email protected].


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Blue Jays optimistic at season's quarter mark
Toronto currently riding four-game win streak after first winning road trip
TORONTO -- It may have taken a lot longer than anyone could have anticipated, but the Blue Jays are finally starting to prove why they were such a hyped team heading into the start of the season.
Toronto just reached the quarter mark of the season, and while the club is 8 1/2 games back in the American League East, there are suddenly signs for optimism. The offense has scored 36 runs in its past four games, while an injury-riddled starting rotation has done enough to give its team a chance.
Now the real test is about to begin, as the Blue Jays head to New York on Friday riding a four-game winning streak and ready for one of their most pivotal stretches of the season.
"It's definitely a disappointing start, no question, can't do anything about that now," manager John Gibbons said. "All we can do from here on out is play good consistent baseball. We've dug a pretty big hole, and there's a lot of good teams in our division, and good teams in the American League, so it won't be easy.
"There still is a lot of time, but you got to play better baseball from here on out. Let's face it, we've got to have some pretty good streaks in there, too."
A continued stretch of positive results could be just what the doctor ordered for the previously ailing squad. Toronto's next 10 games are against AL East rivals, with the road series against New York followed by a pair of home sets versus the Orioles and Rays.
The schedule might be tough, but it's also a prime opportunity to make up ground against three teams that are currently ahead of the Blue Jays in the standings. It would be a stretch to say that any week during the month of May could make or break a team, but considering the poor start, the Blue Jays simply can't afford to take their foot off the gas.
The margin for error is too small and Toronto can ill afford to lose any ground. The first goal is to inch closer to .500 and, while doing so, close the gap in the standings to put the Blue Jays in a prime position to make a run during the summer months.
"Obviously you'd like to be better, but I think we're starting to roll a little bit, we're starting to get things rolling," catcher J.P. Arencibia said. "The guys are starting to come around, swing the bat, do things that's going to make this team win. We have too many good players in here.
"Obviously you'd say, first quarter, we're not where we want to be, but that doesn't mean anything is out of the question. It's only a quarter in there, so we've got a lot of time left."
The start of Toronto's potential turnaround began during a recent seven-game road trip through St. Petersburg and Boston. The 4-3 record wasn't all that impressive, but it did mark the first winning road trip the Blue Jays had this year.
The mini-streak becomes more impressive when considering that on the same road trip, the Blue Jays seemed perilously close to being completely taken out of contention. After starting out with a pair of wins against the Rays, the club then proceeded to lose two heartbreakers.
Along the way, Toronto lost left-hander J.A. Happ to a scary head injury, while Josh Johnson and Sergio Santos had setbacks. But instead of wilting under the pressure, the Blue Jays responded with their best stretches this year.
"The wins and losses are what matter, but it's more concerning when you're winning games and you're not playing well, and you know the other shoe is going to drop," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "We were 4-3 on [that] trip, but we actually played much better than we had earlier in the season.
"We just played cleaner games, and we're still going to make errors from time to time. But there's a lot of good things that happened. We had some quality starts, obviously we hit a lot of home runs and started to do some things. The key is now, is that going to carry over?"
The answer to that question likely won't be known for a couple of weeks, but the important thing is that the club at least has found a base to start from. Any potential success ultimately will be tied to reliable starting pitching, but it has been the offense that has carried the load of late.
Gibbons has been tinkering with his lineup in an effort to find something that works. He has used 31 batting orders in the 41 games this season, but he appears to have finally found the right mix.
The previously dormant Melky Cabrera has found renewed life at the top of the batting order, while Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion have been equally as effective in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. During that four-game stretch, the trio has combined to go 21-for-46 (.457) with two home runs, 14 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
"That's a big part of our team to score runs," Gibbons said. "That's how we're built. Early on, we weren't doing that. The last week, couple of weeks, we've come to life a little bit.
"Regardless where those guys are hitting, those are our key guys. They're going to make our team go. They've always hit, they've always been big-time run producers. We need them to do that, and they will."
The timing of Toronto's possible turnaround ideally would have come a lot earlier, but with the looming stretch of games against divisional foes, the recent run also couldn't be more ideal.


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SAP Shares Dragged Down by Slower Than Expected Cloud Sales
Yesterday, shares of the German software giant SAP fell by more than three percent after the company reported earnings results that fell short of expectations.
Sales for the quarter ending in June rose 4.1 billion euro and earnings per share were 73 euro cents. The results were shy of the 75 euro cents and 4.2 billion euro that analysts had estimated.
SAP blamed a difficult environment for IT spending, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, plus a strong adoption cycle of its cloud products in the U.S. that is weighing down its traditional ERP software product line.
In a note to clients today, BMO analyst Karl Keirstead noted that even the cloud product, known as HANA, accounted for sales that were much weaker than expected. HANA sales at 102 million euro were off by 21 percent from the 160 million euro Keirstead had expected. "In our view, this is a disappointment and requires a huge 2H13 performance for SAP to hit the high end of its reaffirmed guidance for HANA in 2013." Keirstead trimmed his estimate for the year, saying he now expects SAP to sell 675 million worth of HANA products in 2013, down from his previous estimate of 766 million euro.
One issue, he said, is that customers aren't seeing the return on investment they had hoped for after deploying HANA. "During our field checks, we've also spoken to SAP customers that have already fine-tuned SAP's BWA product and didn't see the ROI from a conversion to HANA." Update: Keirstead was referring to a specific segment of the HANA product line known as BWA or Business Warehouse Accelerator, which amounts to only a small portion of its overall HANA revenue, not the whole thing. So when the customers he talked to complained about not seeing the ROI they expected, they were referring to the BWA product, and just the BWA product. Got that?
All told, Keirstead trimmed his earnings estimates on SAP for 2013. He now expects it to earn 3.44 euro, down from 3.48 previously, on sales of 17.27 billion euro, down from a prior forecast of 17.52 billion euro.
SAP shares were lower by more than one percent in pre-market trading today.


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The Global Voice Recognition Market to Grow At A CAGR Of 22.07 Percent over the Period 2012-2016
25 Nov, 2013, 20:39 GMT
DUBLIN, November 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/299h9v/global_voice) has announced the addition of the "Global Voice Recognition Market 2012-2016" report to their offering.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 )
One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing demand for voice biometrics. The Global Voice Recognition market has also been witnessing the increasing demand for speech recognition in mobile devices. However, the inability to suppress ambient noise could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.
The key vendors dominating this market space are Nuance Communications Inc., MModal Inc., and ValidSoft Ltd.
The other vendors mentioned in the report are Agnitio Corp., Advanced Voice recognition systems Inc., LumenVox LLC, Telisma/On Mobile Global Ltd., AT&T Inc., Raytheon BBN Technologies, Microsoft Tellme, Voxeo Corp., Speech Technology Center, Voice Trust AG, VoiceVault Inc., Voice Biometrics Group, and Auraya Systems Pty. Ltd.
Commenting on the report, an analyst from TechNavio's Enterprise Computing team said: ''The need for stronger verification is leading to the growing integration of voice authentication into mobile banking. In regions such as North America and Western Europe, a large number of banking customers use phone banking facilities. Large numbers of these financial institutions are adopting voice-based authentication solutions to accept or reject mobile transactions by a user. In addition, incorporating voice authentication in mobile devices is cost effective and at the same time provides stronger security. Hence, the trend of integrating voice authentication in mobile banking is expected to grow stronger over the years. Indeed, phone-based banking institutions are partnering with voice authentication vendors and the incorporation of voice metrics is becoming a key competitive advantage.''
According to the report, usage of speaker identification technology for forensic purposes is one of the major drivers of the Global Voice Recognition market. It undergoes a complex process of determining if the voice of a crime suspect matches the voice of forensic samples. This technology enables crime departments to identify criminals with one of the most unique human characteristics, the voice, thereby offering a relatively high level of accuracy. Forensic experts match the voice of suspects with samples until they find the criminal. Recently this technology has been utilized to help solve several criminal cases.
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/299h9v/global_voice
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager.
U.S. Fax: +1-646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
Sector: Computing and Technology
SOURCE Research and Markets


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Ajay Banga, Chanda Kochhar among Fortune 2012 businesspersons
Banga, 52 ranks eighth in the list while Kochhar comes in at the 18th position, one notch ahead of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffet. Narula ranks 36th. Fortune said investors have so far been impressed with Banga's performance at the helm of MasterCard. "Since Banga took the helm two years ago, MasterCard's stock has more than doubled, outperforming archrival Visa," it said, adding that the former Citigroup executive wants MasterCard to be a leader in the mobile payments revolution. Banga's other big bet includes prepaid cards in emerging markets such as Mexico, South Africa and Brazil, a major reason why MasterCard now generates 60 per cent of its revenues outside the US. On Kochhar, 51, Fortune said a bullish outlook through the recession helped her direct India's second largest bank, which has assets of USD 93 billion, to a "standout performance". "Next up for the ICICI lifer: More global clients," the publication added.
On Narula, Fortune said the former Lehman trader's USD 1.5 billion mortgage-focused hedge fund has "left others in the industry in the dust this year, posting 37 per cent returns through October". "Metacapital has outpaced other funds for years by taking positions with near perfect foresight of policy change and movement in the housing market".


text: 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Nissan 300ZX Car Audio Upgrades The Nissan 300ZX (originally Datsun 300ZX until the early 1983s) is an automobile nameplate that has been used on various export specification Nissan automobiles between 1975 and 2002. Here at HifiSoundConnection.com, we have a full selection of Mitsubishi Sigma and Packages that will suit your car audio needs. These products were made to its finest by the leading names in car audio products today. Feel free to browse at HifiSoundConnection.com and purchase your very own Car Audio Upgrades at its lowest prices ever!


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Time flies when you're having fun. We can scarcely believe it's been five years since the release of the original Rock Band game. Hitting America in 2007 and Europe the following year, Rock Band revolutionised the music genre by expanding past the two plastic guitars of Guitar Hero, bringing drums, singing and later keyboards into the mix - all while keeping things simple enough for everyone. After the success of the original game, sequels followed - Rock Band 2 and 3, as well as spin-offs featuring the Beatles and Green Day, and even the more family-friendly Lego Rock Band. But while each game was jam packed with songs from classic rock to today's greatest tunes, it was the downloadable store that was Rock Band's greatest secret weapon.
Play quizzes, win prizes! Test your knowledge with our quizzes, and you could win £/$/€ 20 of PSN/XBL/eShop/Steam credit!
Letting you augment your games with thousands of songs from thousands of artists, the Rock Band Music Store let you keep your game fresh. For less than £1.50 each, you could purchase a huge range of songs, from the 80s cheese of A-ha's 'Take On Me' to 60s Beatles-alike The Zombies and everything in between - Nirvana, Queen and Snoop Dogg too. However, in order to be able to release these songs in the first place, Harmonix had to sort all sorts of legal licensing out, getting permission from the artists and record companies in question - permission which seemingly only lasts five years. This means that for many of the oldest songs, their licenses will soon be expiring, and while the Rock Band people are doing their best to renew as many as possible, sometimes a deal can't be reached - which means songs have to be removed from the store.
Seemingly, Harmonix weren't quite fast enough to warn us before the first songs are gone - at the time of writing, the only songs affected are those from the Metallica Pack 01, namely 'Ride The Lightning', 'And Justice For All' and 'Blackened'. These have been removed permanently from the music store in the game as well as from the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 websites, meaning there is now no way to download the songs if you haven't already purchased them. It's important to remember, though, that this does only affect those who were looking to download the songs for the first time. If you downloaded any of the tracks in the past, you'll always be able to redownload the songs in future through your download history on the console, while the songs will still be fully playable in game.
As for why developers Harmonix struggled to reach an agreement to extend their licensing agreement, the most likely argument would be Guitar Hero: Metallica. Released in 2009, it would make sense if Activision had some sort of exclusivity deal with Metallica regarding future music games, thereby blocking Rock Band from renewing their licenses. The three tracks that have been removed from the store are the only Metallica tracks that were available, while the last Rock Band game to include them on the disc was 2008's Rock Band 2.
While Harmonix work to secure licensing extensions for "an overwhelming majority of content" on their music store, and hope to give us more advanced warning in the future, it'd probably still be a good idea to have a look through the store now, and download any tracks you may have been on the fence about. After all, should talks fall through, you never know when the next tracks will disappear.


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[Press Release]
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 16, 2012 ) —How is your city prepaing to deal with the impacts of climate change? That is the question being framed at 2012's The Mediterranean City: A Conference on Climate Change Adaptation, to be held June 27 in Downtown Los Angeles. Leaders from the five Mediterranean regions of the world will come together to focus specifically on adaptation, which seeks to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems to the effects climate change.
The conference will initiate an ongoing collaboration of Mediterranean cities working together to solve the mutual problem of adapting to an uncertain climate. In addition, the conference aims to create new and strengthen existing ties among the decision-makers, thought-leaders and academics, building bridges across disciplines.
"Our climate is changing and so it is more important than ever that cities work together around this common cause," said Executive Director, Dr. Nancy Steele. "By coming together, conference participants will share resources and knowledge across regional and national boundaries to build effective solutions. We are excited to host this first ever convening of all the Mediterranean-climate regions around the world."
Cities of the Future author Paul Brown will be the keynote speaker at the conference. Other invited speakers include: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, United State Representative Lois Capps, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, Yarqon River Authority (Israel) Executive Director David Pargament, Pacific Institute President Peter Gleick, and many more.
On June 25 and 26, an invited group of regional experts will come together for The Mediterranean City Consortium. During this time, small working groups of invited scientists, planners, engineers, resource managers, and policy makers will work collaboratively toward sharing solutions and suggest collaborative steps forward. The pre-conference working group activities will heavily shape the agenda of the The Mediterranean City Conference, which will be open to the public and present a forum for the working groups to present their shared findings and ideas for the future.
Conference Themes
Water: Resilient Water Management Strategies for a Changing Climate
Water is among the most basic of human needs and is necessary for economic vitality and food security. In the Mediterranean City, water is harnessed for consumption, industry, and waste management, while flood control systems seek to move water away from cities as efficiently as possible. Degradation of water quality occurs from urban practice and single purpose policy. As water scarcity increases with climate change, and as demand continues to outpace sustainable supplies, human and natural communities of the City and of the water-supply-shed are threatened at the most basic levels.
Energy: Transitioning to an Energy Efficient and Low Carbon Future
With a natural supply of abundant solar energy and the potential for tidal and off-shore wind and wave-to-energy power, the Mediterranean climate zones have great potential to harness renewable energy supplies. However, as urban populations in Mediterranean Cities continue to grow, renewable resource demand may outstrip renewable resource availability. Needs and costs of production must be better understood and affordable to move forward in producing green energy.
Biodiversity and Open Space: Building an Ecological City
Mediterranean ecosystems have nutrient−poor soils and are seasonally climate−limited, yet have evolved species−rich ecosystems with a great deal of endemism. Healthy ecosystems provide nature's services to urban centers, cleaning air and water; providing spaces of beauty to refresh the soul and encourage recreation; producing food, fiber, and fuel; and mitigating natural disasters (e.g., drought and flood) while cleaning of polluted urban runoff.
The Built Environment: Designing Healthier Communities
In the face of rapid development and population growth, cities are under increasing threat of loss of functionality and ability to meet the needs to their residents. By redefining the built environment to require or incentivize green building design, ecologically-functional streets, transit-oriented communities, and open spaces, cities can become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. By becoming more compact, for example, cities can promote the preservation of regionally-unique habitats while also combating urban sprawl. Smart building and landscape designs can also effectively reduce the energy footprint of buildings while contributing to the overall energy portfolio of cities.
Public Health: Preparing People for Their Future
A healthy ecosystem – dependent on clean air and water, natural hydrogeologic processes, and biological diversity – nurtures a healthy human population, which in turn must respect and tend those resources through conservation. Human systems too must reorient towards healthier outcomes for natural and human populations through changed practices in sanitation, food provisioning, and ecosystem services management. Planning for greener cities that conserve these Mediterranean resources will also provide avenues for improving public health.
Governance: Rethinking Boundaries
Cities are now the engines of the world economy and social structure and must, therefore, work as a network across sectors and national boundaries to bring more resources and knowledge to building solutions. To bring resiliency to the city and to the network of information sharing, new forms of governance and public-private partnerships must be examined for their efficacy in supporting an open exchange and transfer of ideas and technology.
Conference Organizer: Council for Watershed Health: The Council for Watershed Health supports healthy watersheds for the region by serving as a robust center for the generation of objective research and analysis. The Council has established a platform for meaningful collaboration among governmental organizations, academic institutions, businesses and other nonprofit organizations with a vested interest in clean water, reliable water supplies, ample parks and open spaces, revitalized rivers, and vibrant communities.
Founded in 1996 by leading environmental activist Dorothy Green and others, the Council produces continuing research programs that examine water usage and quality as well as create and enhance preservation and conservation tactics. The trustworthy expertise and analysis that comes from the Council's ongoing programs connects a diverse set of groups with overlapping missions in an effort to drive polices that will continually improve watershed quality.
The Mediterranean City Conference on Climate Change Adaptation is made possible thanks to the support CDM SMITH, the Department of Energy, the City of Los Angeles, The Nature Conservancy, UCLA, the Long Beach Water Department and more than 20 endorsing organizations.
For more information and to register to attend the conference, please visit the event website at www.medcityconference.org.
Recycle, Reuse, Rejoice!
Eco Consulting * Eco Media


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Shrubs of Wisconsin
incana (L.) Moench.
speckled alder
Family: Betulaceae
Speckled alder can occasionally grow to tree size, but is most often considered a large shrub. It commonly grows in wet soils and develops the multiple stemmed growth form as shown above. Leaves are simple and alternate, with toothed margins and often a few very shallow lobes as shown in the leaf photo above. The bark is often marked with conspicuous light-colored, horizontal lenticels, and the pith of twigs is angled or star-shaped. The relatively large, blunt leaf buds are stalked and there are only 2 outer bud scales.
Flowers of speckled alder are in the form of conspicuous, elongate aments (catkins) of male flowers and much smaller reddish aments of female flowers, lacking outer scales ("naked" female ament buds). They are among the first flowers to open in the spring in northeastern Wisconsin in late March or early April, preceded only by skunk cabbage and the earliest silver maples. The mature female ament is a tough, woody structure that disperses its unwinged achenes (single-seeded dry fruits) in summer and often remains on the plant through the next winter (providing a handy character for identification).
Speckled alder grows throughout Wisconsin in wet soils and full sun to very light shade. Common habitats are adjacent to sedge meadow, shrub carr and swamps, along streams and in roadside ditches. It sometimes aggressively colonizes cut-over northern conifer swamps, as appears to be the case in many dense alder stands along small streams in northern Wisconsin. The largest individual of speckled alder known in the state of Wisconsin is in Brown County. This species was long known as Alnus rugosa in the Midwest and that name is likely to be found in many of the botanical books for this area.