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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
On-line version ISSN 2078-5135
Print version ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.101 n.1 Cape Town Jan. 2011
Fit for purpose? The appropriate education of health professionals in South Africa
Sixty years ago Sidney and Emily Kark had a vision to make health care accessible to all South Africans, particularly those in rural and under-served areas.1 They established a comprehensive primary health care model that was replicated in over 40 rural communities before the apartheid government abolished their plan. In the light of these historic initiatives, what have health sciences training institutions achieved in the past 50 years to address the health care priorities of South Africans who are most in need?
In 2008 there were approximately 250 000 health care professionals employed in South Africa, with a calculated shortage of about 80 000 in the public sector and vacancy rates for doctors in excess of 50% in several provinces.2 There is a serious overall shortage of health care personnel and the maldistribution of the health workforce between the public sector and private sector is great. At least 70% of all doctors work in the private sector, leaving only approximately 10 600 doctors to provide service for the 85% of South Africans who do not have private health insurance.3 While the public-private health care situation is far from equitable, the situation in the rural areas of South Africa is appalling. At least 46% of South Africa's 49 million rural residents are served by only 12% of our doctors, mostly from the public sector, and 19% of our nurses.4 Not only are the public health services grossly insufficient and inequitable, but some of our medical schools have the greatest proportion of emigrating health care professionals in the world.5 The facts speak for themselves - we need to train more health care professionals, improve the retention of health care personnel in South Africa, improve doctor-to-population ratios in public health care facilities, and distribute doctors better so as to address the health care needs of marginalised communities.
Several government initiatives have been implemented to address these health workforce needs. All new graduates complete a year of community service after internship, about half of which are in rural or under-served communities. Although this step has made some impact on the shortage of doctors in the public service, it is not an effective retention strategy. For continuity it is better to have one doctor in a post for 5 years than five doctors for 1 year each. Furthermore, it appears that obligatory service may have negative unintended consequences, and it could be seen as 'immunising' young graduates to further work in the public service. A study of community service doctors showed that 18% of them indicated an interest in working in a rural area after they had completed their obligatory time,6 whereas much fewer actually do. Furthermore, the government offers additional financial remuneration for health professionals working in rural areas. Although this may influence the short-term career choices of up to one-third of health professionals working in rural areas, financial remuneration is not the only factor influencing career choices.7 Equally important motivators are factors such as job satisfaction, career advancement, work conditions and educational opportunities.
While these measures go some way to addressing the public-private and urban-rural inequalities of health care, we need more health care professionals in total if we are to come close to addressing the country's needs. The National Human Resources Plan for Health, published in 2006, indicated that we need to double the number of South African medical graduates from 1 200 to 2 400 by 2014.8 This cannot take place within the current framework for health sciences training, and serious consideration must be given to developing another health sciences training institution in South Africa. Since evidence indicates that medical schools situated in rural areas are more likely to produce graduates who work in rural areas,9-11 it seems appropriate that an additional training institution should be located in a province with a large rural population without a medical school, such as Mpumalanga.
What should medical schools do to address these needs? Firstly, local and international evidence indicates that students of rural origin are more likely to return to rural practice after graduation.11-14 It is therefore appropriate that applicants of rural origin be prioritised for admission to health sciences faculties in South Africa today. A recent review found that less than one-third of medical students trained in South Africa are of rural origin.15 Innovative programmes to recruit such students to urban medical schools are in place at some centres and other innovative ways of achieving this goal should be developed.13 In addition to admission criteria, it is essential that recruitment processes are suitably adjusted to cater for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Shortly after the election of a democratic government in South Africa, a new Health Act was promulgated, which emphasised the need for a primary health care based approach to the delivery of health care at all levels. These principles must therefore form the foundation of health sciences curricula and be made explicit to students at all stages of their undergraduate education. The primary health care discourse has found expression in numerous ways in individual curricula around the country.16 The paper on medical curricula in this issue of the journal17 suggests that it needs to be made more explicit all the way from the mission statement of the university to the bedside where students are taught.
Another evidence-based aspect of health sciences education that has been addressed to a variable extent is the introduction of medical students to rural clinical practice during their undergraduate years. While all faculties offer short placements of between 2 and 8 weeks, longitudinal placements extending up to a year are being implemented in some faculties.18 Serious consideration needs to be given to this strategy given the preliminary evidence emerging from Australia, USA and Canada regarding the outcomes of 'longitudinal' clinical clerkships.19 In addition to enhancing the integration of knowledge and skills, longitudinal placements of one year or more appear to increase the likelihood of choosing a rural career.20,21
Major challenges must be overcome to successfully deliver health sciences education at the level of community and district health care services in South Africa. These include physical teaching space in clinics not designed to accommodate students, heavy clinical workloads of health care workers seeing large numbers of patients each day, and academics willing to teach and work in primary care settings. We need to address these limitations to take students to the appropriate levels of health care service delivery in a sustainable manner which is also beneficial to the communities we serve.
It is well recognised that 'assessment drives learning', and the importance of primary health care needs to be emphasised by making it a fundamental component that is integrated into assessment processes in undergraduate education. Assessment practices clearly indicate to students what is valued by the faculty and so the implication is obvious: assess what is important, and students will adopt the values held in high regard by the faculty. A further concern about current assessment practices is that we aim to teach students in district-level facilities, but they return to tertiary teaching hospitals to be examined on learning experiences gained in district hospitals and community-based clinics. Such practices ultimately undermine the message about the importance and relevance of primary care.
Finally, the question of programme evaluation must be addressed. There are limited data on the key outcomes of our academic endeavours, for example the type and location of clinical practice of our graduates. We need more programme evaluation and research to endorse the major curriculum changes we have undertaken and are undertaking. The ultimate and overarching question we need to answer as we enter the next decade is whether our graduates are 'fit for purpose' in the context of the gross inequities in the health sector in which we find ourselves.
Vanessa Burch
Department of Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Cape Town
Steve Reid
Primary Health Care Directorate
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Cape Town
1. Gofin J. On 'A practice of social medicine' by Sidney and Emily Kark. Social Medicine 2006;1:107-115. [ Links ]
2. Development Bank of South Africa. DBSA roadmap process. 2008. http://www.dbsa.org/Research/Documents/Health%20Roadmap.pdf (accessed 2 November 2009). [ Links ]
3. Health Economics and HIV & AIDS Research Division (HEARD). Human Resources for Health: A Needs and Gaps Analysis of HRH in South Africa. Durban: HEARD, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2009. [ Links ]
4. Hamilton K, Yau J. The global tug-of-war for health care workers. http://www.hrhresourcecenter.org/node/1264 (accessed 2 December 2009). [ Links ]
5. Hagopian A, Thompson MJ, Fordyce M, Johnson KE, Hart LG. The migration of physicians from sub-Saharan Africa to the United States of America: measures of the African brain drain. Human Resources for Health 2004;2:17. http://www.human-resources-health/content/2/1/17 (accessed 17 December 2008). [ Links ]
6. Reid SJ. Community service for health professionals. In: South African Health Review 2002. Durban: Health Systems Trust, 2003: chapter 8. http://www.hst.org.za/publications/527 (accessed 1 December 2010). [ Links ]
7. Reid S. Monitoring the effect of the new rural allowance for health professionals. Health Systems Trust, Durban, South Africa. 2004. http://www.hst.org.za/publications/643 (accessed 1 December 2009). [ Links ]
8. Department of Health. A National Human Resources for Health Plan for Health to provide skilled human resources for healthcare adequate to take care of all South Africans. 2006. http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/discuss-f.html (accessed 12 October 2008). [ Links ]
9. Tesson G, Curran V, Pong RW, Strasser R. Advances in rural medical education in three countries: Canada, the United States and Australia. Rural Remote Health 2005;5:397 (online). [ Links ]
10. Strasser R, Neusy AJ. Context counts: training health workers in and for rural and remote areas. Bull World Health Organ 2010;88(10):777-782. [ Links ]
11. Igumbor EU, Kwizera EN. The positive impact of rural medical schools on rural intern choices. Rural Remote Health 2005;61:417-421 (online). http://www.rrh.or.au (accessed 27 September 2008). [ Links ]
12. De Vries E, Reid S. Do South African medical students of rural origin return to rural practice? S Afr Med J 2003;93:789-793. [ Links ]
13. Ross AJ. Success of a scholarship scheme for rural students. S Afr Med J 2007;97:1087-1090. [ Links ]
14. Longombe A. Medical schools in rural areas - necessity or aberration? Rural Remote Health 2009;9:1131 (online). http://www.rrh.org.au (accessed 27 September 2010). [ Links ]
15. Tumbo JM, Couper ID, Hugo JF. Rural origin health sciences students in South African universities. S Afr Med J 2009;99:54-56. [ Links ]
16. Irlam JH, Kiekelame MJ, Vivian LM, 2009. Integrating the primary health care approach into a medical curriculum: a programme logic model. African Journal of Health Professions Education 2009;1(1):8-10. [ Links ]
17. Reid SJ, Cakwe M, on behalf of the Collaboration for Health Equity through Education and Research (CHEER). The contribution of South African curricula to prepare health professionals for working in rural or under-served areas in South Africa: A peer review evaluation. S Afr Med J 2010;101: xxxx (this issue). [ Links ]
18. Norris, T E, Schaad, D C, DeWitt D, Ogur B, Hunt D, members of the Consortium of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships. Longitudinal integrated clerkships for medical students: An innovation adopted by medical schools in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United States. Acad Med 2009;84(7):902-907. [ Links ]
19. Ogur B, Hirsch D, Krupat E, Bor D. The Harvard Medical School-Cambridge Integrated Clerkship: An innovative model of clinical education. Acad Med 2007;82(4):397-404. [ Links ]
20. Eley D, Baker P. Does recruitment lead to retention? Rural clinical school training experiences and subsequent intern choices. Rural Remote Health 2006;6:511 (online). http://www.rrh.deakin.edu.au (accessed 20 August 2008). [ Links ]
21. Wilkinson D, Birks J, Davies L, Margolis S, Baker P. Preliminary evidence from Queensland that rural clinical schools have a positive impact on rural intern choices. Rural Remote Health 2004;4:340 (online). http://www.rrh.deakin.edu.au (accessed 20 October 2009). [ Links ]
Corresponding author: S Reid (email@example.com)


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subset: commoncrawl


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The new official Facebook page for ASTM students features news about ASTM student memberships, awards, paper contests, and information about standards in the classroom.
More than 450 users currently follow @ASTMIntl on Twitter. ASTM tweets include all of the latest headline news from ASTM and important information about upcoming meetings, training sessions, publications, and other general ASTM news. As with Facebook, there is also a student presence on Twitter, with the username @ASTMStudentFans.
The ASTM channel on YouTube eatures informational videos from ASTM, including membership and student videos, as well as specialized committee videos that highlight a particular ASTM technical committee or standards activity. Users can view several uploaded videos that cover a variety of standards development subjects and easily share the videos with colleagues and friends.
ASTM International is one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency.


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MACON, Ga. – The Lipscomb track and field teams had a trio named the Atlantic Sun Conference Track and Field Athletes of the Week. Tucker Peabody, Taylor Mason and Katie Bunker garnered the honors after their strong performances last week at the Billy Hayes Invitational in Bloomington, Ind.
Peabody, a junior from Memphis, Tenn., finished third in the 100-meter dash in the second-best time in the A-Sun this season. He finished in 10.49 seconds. Although finishing third, he was the second collegiate runner across the finish line. The award was the fourth of the season for Peabody and fifth of his career.
Mason, a senior from Inman, S.C., garnered her first career weekly honor after finishing second in the javelin throw. Her toss of 35.58 meters secured the silver medal.
Bunker, a junior from Cedarville, Ohio, finished second in the 1,500-meter run. Her time of 4:24.57 vaulted her second overall in the A-Sun heading into the A-Sun Championships this weekend. This is the second weekly honor of Bunker's career.
Lipscomb returns to action Friday at the A-Sun Championships in Jacksonville, Fla.


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Scott Morrison is the director of science for The Nature Conservancy in California.
Santa Cruz Island is many things to many people. An escape into a California of yesteryear. An iconic U.S. national park.
For me, it is the quintessential example of science in practice, of the extraordinary conservation outcomes that can come from the hard work of a lot of people with a shared and ambitious long-term vision.
When The Nature Conservancy first invested in the island in the late 1970s, the island was on the brink of ecological collapse. Overgrazing by sheep had turned an island once rich in oak and ironwood into a barren expanse of grass and dirt.
A decade later, most of the sheep were gone. And the island staged a remarkable recovery: Native scrublands and pine forest rebounded.
But in the 1990s, the endemic island fox suddenly stopped being so common. In fact, it almost disappeared altogether.
Turns out, golden eagles, which were not native to the island, had colonized it — an invasion made possible because the island was overrun with feral pigs that provided an abundance of food. Predation of foxes by golden eagles was enough to drive the foxes to near extinction. Today, the Santa Cruz Island fox is listed as a federally endangered species.
The strategy to recover the fox was many-pronged. A captive breeding program was established to help augment the population. Golden eagles were captured and relocated to the mainland. And the non-native pigs that subsidized the golden eagle population were removed.
And in addition, bald eagles were reintroduced. Bald eagles had been eliminated from the island a half century ago, due to pesticide contamination of their food supply. An effort to reestablish the birds to the Channel Islands culminated with the bald eagles (at last!) again nesting on Santa Cruz Island in 2006.
An additional advantage of having bald eagles back on the island was that they might help defend it from golden eagles. Unlike the golden eagles that devastated the fox populations, bald eagles eat mostly fish and carrion. And bald eagles basically don't like having golden eagles around.
Where are we now? Better on all fronts. The sheep and pigs are gone. The fox captive breeding program has been shuttered, because we now have 10 times more foxes than we did just 8 years ago. Golden eagles no longer breed on the island. But bald eagles do: We now have 4 breeding pairs on the island.
Does this mean that our work is "done"?
No. There's still much to do to enhance the resiliency of the island. We need to tackle weeds — and there is an introduced ant species on the island that is of great concern to Conservancy scientists. We also need to continue to monitor the ecological changes underway.
Just the other day, for example, a bald eagle brought a fox into its nest as food for its young. Is that a cause for alarm? No. An occasional fox being taken by eagles (though perhaps unfortunate) is not a problem. What matters is how many foxes get taken and how fast.
On the California islands, foxes coexisted with bald eagles for millennia. Hunters specialized on fox-like prey, like golden eagles, are what foxes have a hard time surviving with. Golden eagles have clearly demonstrated their ability to depredate foxes faster than they can reproduce.
So as we enter our fourth decade of adaptive management on Santa Cruz Island, we do so attentive to the threats to the unique plants and animals of this extraordinary place. We keep an especially vigilant finger on the pulse of the foxes: We regularly monitor over 70 radio-collared foxes across the island, so that if there's a population problem like a disease or a spike in predation, we'll know it in time to do something about it.
That science-based approach has brought about incredible and inspirational conservation outcomes. And it's that approach that has me so looking forward to what unfolds in the decades ahead.
— Text by Scott Morrison, Cool Green Science Blog


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Yesterday, Ghostcrawler gave us a peek at the plan for buff and debuff distribution in MoP. However, the blog format makes it tough to get a clear picture of who's bringing what, and how evenly the buffs and debuffs are distributed amongst the different specs.
To help with this, I've whipped up a quick Google Docs spreadsheet to display the buff/debuff matrix. In this format, it's much easier to see the overall distribution. You can click on the image below to get a full-sized version, or check out the generated HTML version. If you notice any mistakes (which is possible, I whipped this up in about 30 minutes), please let me know in the comments and I'll update the doc.
Green means a buff is brought independently by that class – in other words, they can always apply it, regardless of what else they do. Orange means a buff or debuff is mutually exclusive with another buff or debuff in that same row, like Blessing of Kings (Stats) and Blessing of Might (Mastery).
Buff distribution – looking at columns
For the moment, I'm going to ignore Slow Cast and Mortal Wounds, since those are pretty situational debuffs in PvE. They're obviously quite important in PvP, but I'm not really qualified to comment on PvP balance. Also note that the commentary is more focused towards 10-mans, because in a 25-man it's fairly reasonable to expect you'll cover all of these buffs and debuffs.
Overall, there are a couple buffs that seem conspicuously sparse. Magic Vulnerability is only brought by two classes, for example, and for Warlocks it's mutually exclusive with Slow Cast (Curse of Elements vs. Curse of Tongues). Physical Vulnerability is another sparse one, even though it's brought by three different classes – in this case, it's because all three classes contain a tank spec, and that tank spec cannot bring the debuff. If you're bringing tanks of those classes, you're unlikely to be doubling up with a DPS spec of that class.
Spell haste is another one that seems lacking. While three classes bring the buff, it's only one spec within each class, and again, all three of those classes also have healing specs. The combination of healer/DPS overlap (if you bring a healy priest, you're less likely to bring a dps-y priest) and spec scarcity makes this one stick out.
Melee/Ranged haste is also a bit screwy. It's brought by Rogues, non-Tank DKs, and Enhancement Shamans. Again, the tank/healer overlap issue will reduce the representation of DKs and Shamans bringing this buff. It feels like another one of the melee classes should bring this (may be a good one for Ret paladins, actually, instead of physical vulnerability, as it synergizes better with their new haste scaling).
Class distribution – Tanks
Paladin and DK tanks seem to get 1 raid buff and the Weakened Blows debuff – the difference is that DKs are locked into AP, while we get to choose Stats (Blessing of Kings) or Mastery (Blessing of Might). Warriors get to choose their raid buff (Stamina or AP), and also get to bring the Weakened Armor debuff (Sunder Armor). Bear druids get to bring crit (Leader of the Pack) and Weakened Armor (Faerie Fire), which gives them a bit of an edge.
Overall, I don't think that's horribly unbalanced. The versatility of being able to choose between two buffs is a decent advantage. I still think Bears and Warriors are in a strong position, but I'm not sure it makes sense to take away Faerie Fire, Leader of the Pack, or Sunder Armor since they have been core spells for each of those classes for a very long time. For slightly closer balance I'd probably drop Sunder and Faerie Fire, or give DKs and Paladins another debuff (Magic Vulnerability, maybe, since that seems under-represented and both classes have a decent bit of non-physical damage).
Class Distribution – DPS
I'm ignoring Slow Cast and Mortal Wounds again, and in addition I'll ignore Weakened Blows since we can assume that's provided by the tank.
Most of the DPS classes seem to bring either 2 buffs + 1 debuff (DPS DKs, Feral/Balance Druids), or 1 buff + 2 debuffs (Rogues, Warriors). Mages and Hunters both bring two buffs and no debuffs (though both classes have Heroism, and Hunter pets can bring a variety of other buffs making them quite versatile indeed). Shamans are unique in that they bring 3 buffs and no debuffs, but also bring Heroism. That said, my understanding is that Haste and SP are pretty crappy for Enhancement, so Enhancement is actually a little weaker than average. Other than the poor Enhancement shamans (sorry Quirk!), I think the DPS specs of all of the above classes are in good shape.
Enhancement could be buffed by taking away Haste and giving them AP or one of the debuffs (Weakened Armor or Physical Vulnerability, probably – maybe even both since they're stuck with SP).
DPS-y Monks (I've forgotten the spec name) only bring two buffs and no debuffs, so they're a little weak. They should probably get some sort of debuff, or another buff. Haste would be a good choice here, since they'll be a melee, agility-leather-wearing spec. Physical vulnerability would be another good choice, possibly a better choice since they already bring two strong buffs.
Ret paladins only bring one buff and one debuff at a time, but they do get the choice of which buff to bring (Kings or Might). That versatility is definitely worth something, but I'm not sure if it's worth a full buff slot. I feel like they'd be a good choice for bringing melee/ranged haste or magic vulnerability based on their spec mechanics. If it were up to me, I'd probably give them both physical and magical vulnerability (so 1 buff + 2 debuff) or just take away physical vulnerability and give them Haste (2 buffs with choice + 0 debuffs).
Shadow Priests are also in the 2 buffs + 0 debuffs boat with Mages and Hunters, but they don't get a choice in the matter and don't bring Heroism. I feel like they could use another effect, and this would be a very good spec to give magic vulnerability to.
Warlocks are in a bit of a sticky situation, in my opinion. They bring 1 buff (2 choices) and 1 debuff (2 choices). Since Curse of
Tongues Enfeeblement is not always necessary on bosses, it's probably safe to assume they can choose to bring Curse of Elements. But their buff isn't really a choice, per se. The buff they bring is tied to their pet, and thus, their spec (note that this is still an assumption at this point – that's how it works now, and the MoP talent calculator still shows Blood Pact as an Imp spell, but Fel Intelligence and Demonic Pact don't show up anywhere). So while I've shown the two as mutually exclusive for all specs, it's more likely that Affliction and Demonology will bring Spellpower (if that's tied to Felhound or Felhunter) and that Destruction will bring Stamina (tied to Imp). I'd probably give them another buff to compensate for that illusion of choice, and since spell haste is under-represented, that seems like the most logical one to give them.
<edit> As Poneria mentioned in the comments, spellpower is now an always-on buff for all warlocks via the redesigned Dark Intent. That changes things a bit, insofar as they bring the very potent combination of SP + magic vulnerability. They may also bring Weakened Blows via Curse of Enfeeblement, but it's not clear from the tooltip (and since tanks bring that by default, it's also mostly irrelevant for raiding).
That said, the haste buff is still pretty sparse, so it wouldn't hurt to give them the option of Stamina vs. Spell Haste by tying spell haste to a different pet, like the Felhunter. It might be interesting if the choice of demon was more like a hunter's pet choice. One demon could be a "max personal DPS option" (say, Felguard for Demo and Succubus for everyone else) assuming all raid buffs are provided. But the warlock could swap to the Felhunter if the group lacked spell haste, the Imp if it lacked stamina, and so forth at a slight personal DPS loss.
Proposed changes
So, taking all of that into account, here's my 5-minute fix to the Buff/Debuff matrix. This is what the matrix would look like after I tweaked it:
These matrices are also available in PDF form if you want them:


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Following a catastrophic war that swept over the entire world, mankind founded a new alliance. Its sole mission? To maintain peace and order.
Now a shady syndicate is secretly building weapons in violation of everything the alliance stands for, possibly using data stolen from memory banks all over the globe.
To accomplish your mission you must remotely operate an armed robot to infiltrate their operations, hack the mainframe, recover data and escape on a waiting spaceship. Watch out for mines, turrets and sentry bots as you make your way to your objective. Upgrade your bot's armour, weapons, shields and more to become more effective in stopping the rogues from completing their weapons.
There are 3 awards in Quantum Patrol. View All Awards


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Sunday, April 28, 2013
"I Forzati della strada" Returns to Marche Region on July 28th
"I Forzati della strada" (The Convicts of the Road) vintage ride event will be held on July 28th in Montelparo, the beautiful village overlooking the hills of the province of Fermo in the Marche region.
The name "I Forzati della Strada" originates from French journalist Albert Londres. He was a foreign affairs reporter for Le Petit Journal of Paris. In 1923 he went to the French penal colony of Cayenne in Guyana. Describing the horrors, his reports produced reactions in public opinion. Shortly after returning from Cayenne he was invited to follow and report on the 1924 Tour de France. His observation was that suffering of the riders and the convicts of Cayenne were similar. He referred to the Tour de France as the "Tour de Souffrance" (Tour of Suffering) and that the riders as the "Les Forçats de la route" (The convicts of the road; in Italian, I Forzati della strada). For this reason, this year's event is being held during July, the month of the Tour de France.
The event is part of the Giro d'Italia d'Epoca and offers participants the opportunity to choose between two routes of 40 km and 80 km, all in the open countryside and half on dirt roads. The group will be escorted by vintage cars and motorcycles, just to recreate the atmosphere cycling that is usually seen in faded black and white movies. Along the route way there will be a number of dining surprises of food and wine. To cool yourself you can also stop at some of the old water fountains in the ancient villages that dot the route.
To give an oportunity to those that do not have a vintage bicycle, road bikes (no mountain bikes permitted) of any vintage will be allowed but cycling kits prior to 1985 will be required.
The first 100 subscribers will be a given special pacco gara (race packet). All participants will have a lunch of specilialties from Fermo. During lunch the random draw prizes will be drawn, one of which will be a pair of custom made leather cycling shoes by Carlo Corvaro.
Event information: www.iforzatidellastrada.it
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Marche is a beautiful region which more cyclists need to discover.
Follow on Twitter: ITALIANCYCJOURN or receive an email when new content is added using the "Follow by Email" button on the right side column.
Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com. There are now more than 2,700 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.
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The "Josie" earring, handcut and refined silver diamond shape, a white colored chalcedony briolette shaped bead and a sterling silver hook.
Earring measurements:
Length: 1 and 1/2 inch
Width: 3/8 inch
Depth: 1/4 inch
All items will be taxed at a CA rate of 7.75% on the listed price. I also have a $3 handling fee for purchases to send you a gift wrapped and secure package.
I use the USPS and will provide delivery confirmation on all orders.
Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Satisfaction is my concern! I will accept a return and will refund within 2 weeks of delivery confirmation if you are not satisfied with your purchase upon delivery. Contact me regarding desired refund, giving reason for dissatisfaction and the mail back to me your purchased product. Upon receipt of product to my shop I will process the reimbursement. Exception to policy is: custom or personalized projects.
Items are one of a kind, but in the instance that I can re-make a purchase, I will replace a lost package at no additional charge.
Custom orders are available.
I will work with you to discuss your desired design and will begin work once 50%-100% of the agreed upon price has been paid.
Contact me for more details.


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"In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength." — Robert E. Lee
Studying the Scriptures is the central to growing in your relationship with God. By spending time reading, discussing, and pondering the Bible, we can better understand the character of God and God's plan for our lives.
We encourage everyone from preschoolers to senior adults to gather with other believers in Bible study through Sunday School and other small group classes. These small groups help our members experience God in new ways and also provide fellowship outside of worship. Our classes provide opportunities for lively discussions, support in difficult times, social gatherings, and mission involvement.
Our church provides classes for all ages and interests. Some groups are designed according to age groupings, some are gender-based, and some are based on studies of specific issues. Feel free to try out a class or two until you find the one that fits you best.


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Authorities are investigating what appeared to be a fetus that a woman was carrying in a plastic bag as she walked in downtown Bangor, police said Monday.
Police confronted the woman Friday afternoon after getting a call that she had a fetus, said Sgt. Paul Edwards. What appeared to be a fetus was inside a sealed plastic container the woman was carrying in a grocery bag, he said.
Nobody was arrested, and no charges have been filed.
The state medical examiner was expected to conduct an examination Tuesday to determine whether it was indeed a fetus, and if so how old it was, whether it came from a miscarriage or abortion, and who the mother is, Edwards said.
The woman, whose identity was not made public, was interviewed and released, he said.
"When we responded she came right to the police officer and handed it over," Edwards said. He did not elaborate.


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STOCKTON - Balance has been a key for the Pacific women's basketball team this season.
STOCKTON - Balance has been a key for the Pacific women's basketball team this season.
"That's why we've been able to win 26 games," said coach Lynne Roberts, referring to the Tigers' single-season program-record wins total.
"We do have the balance. If they pack it in, we have the kids that can shoot, and if they come out and extend and guard our shooters ..."
The Tigers have players like center Kendall Kenyon inside and guards Erica McKenzie and Gena Johnson, who can create shots off the dribble.
Arkansas-Little Rock did all it could to keep Pacific from taking open outside shots, but the Tigers defended well and scored by other means in their 69-65 win in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament on Friday at Spanos Center.
Pacific (26-7) will need balance to beat Washington (21-11) in the second round at 2 p.m. today at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
On Friday, the Huskies advanced with a 65-60 win in double overtime at home against Eastern Washington.
Today's winner will play Utah or San Diego in the third round, with time and place to be determined.
Against the Trojans, Kenyon scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds - giving her a single-season program record 320 boards and counting - and blocked two shots; McKenzie, whose 85 3-pointers are a single-season program record, scored all 10 of her points inside the 3-point arc and had five steals; and Johnson, who played with a sore knee, filled up the statistics line with 22 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
The Tigers found a way to win, despite 12.4 points-per-game scorer Kendall Rodriguez being held to five and Arkansas-Little Rock outrebounding Pacific 48-30.
Roberts said her team "just continued to grind it out, like it has all season."
"It was pretty physical, especially rebounding. They kind of bullied us in there," said Johnson, who scored 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the second half Friday.
"But we maintained and got after it, so it was good."
Pacific is 11-4 on the road, the program's most wins away from home in a season, while the Huskies are 11-4 at home. Guard Jazmine Davis scored 22 points for Washington on 7-of-22 shooting, and the Huskies made only 32 percent of their shots against the Eagles.
Contact sports editor Bob Highfill at (209) 546-8282 or email@example.com.


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Public Comment
Israel's Military Speak Out
An Oscar-nominated documentary, "The Gatekeepers" provides a stark admission by six former heads of Israel's internal security (akin to our FBI and CIA) of their agency's methods of targeted killings of militants and civilians in the Occupied Territories, including torture and the suppression of mass protests during two intifadas.
All six former heads are now critical of the methods they were assigned to use to subjugate the Palestinians and they warned that successive governments have undermined Israel's future by refusing to make peace. A former head, Carmi Gillon, admits that "We are making the lives of millions unbearable, into prolonged human suffering. Another - Avraham Shalom adds, " we have become a brutal occupation force similar to the Germans in World War II."
Israeli forces have begun the year with a spate of killings of unarmed Palestinian civilians. A 21-year-old Palestinian woman was the latest victim – gunned down at a West Bank School.
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem castigated Israeli Defense Forces accusing them of "extensively and systematically violating their own rules of engagement when suppressing protests in the West Bank."
Dror Moreh's powerful documentary might jump start the moribund peace process aided by Israel's recent election which tilted power from right wing extremists to the center. It is now up to President Obama to show leadership in brokering a lasting peace and usher in an independent Palestinian state. Failure to do so will surely lead to unending conflict.


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PHOENIX, March 25 (UPI) -- Brook Lopez put in 21 points Sunday and the Brooklyn Nets handed Phoenix its seventh loss in eight games with a 102-100 victory over the Suns.
Deron Williams added 20 points and 11 assists for Brooklyn, which improved to 3-1 on an eight-game road trip.
Kris Humphries struck for 17 points and eight rebounds for the Nets, who bounced back after a Saturday loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
C.J. Watson added 14 points off the bench for Brooklyn.
Goran Dragic had 31 points and 12 assists and Wesley Johnson scored 21 points for Phoenix, which is in last place in the Pacific Division with the worst record in the Western Conference.


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« Older: Element of Continuity May Help Titans Make Change Newer: Smith looking to close out his Cooperstown bid »
Murphy a long shot in final year on Hall ballot
By�Mark Bowman�/�MLB.com
There will be a sense of celebration and excitement among Braves fans when the 2014 Hall of Fame class is announced. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz could all be among the inductees.
But there will also likely be a sense of sadness among fans when the 2013 Hall of Fame class is announced without the inclusion of Dale Murphy.
One of the most beloved figures in Braves history, Murphy gained national fame while proving to be one of the game's most productive players during the 1980s. As he won consecutive National League MVP Awards and multiple Gold Glove Awards, he seemed to be constructing a Hall of Fame career.
But to the chagrin of many Braves fans, Murphy is a long shot be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. This year marks the 15th and final year that he will be on the Hall of Fame ballot.
"I just wish he would have had a couple more good years," longtime Braves broadcaster Pete Van Wieren said. "I would have liked to have seen him finish a little better and get to 400 home runs. That might have been enough."
There may have been a short period during the '80s when Murphy seemed to be a cinch for future Hall of Fame induction. But since being placed on the ballot in 1999, he's never received more than 24 percent of the votes.
Murphy was included on 14.5 percent of the ballots cast last year. That's 1.9 percentage points higher than he drew the previous year. There is a chance that he could see yet another increase from voters who choose to give him a tip of the cap during his final year on the ballot.
But barring a miraculous turn of events, this increase will still leave Murphy far short of the 75 percent vote total players must receive to gain election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Shortstop Barry Larkin (86.4 percent) earned his ticket to Cooperstown on the 2012 ballot. Starting pitcher Jack Morris (66.7 percent) and first baseman Jeff Bagwell (56 percent) are the top returning vote-getters from last year's ballot. Results of the 2013 election will be announced on Jan. 9.
"Dale produced great numbers and he won two MVP Awards," Cox said. "He went from catcher to first base to left field to center field and became a Gold Glove winner. Also, you can't forget his charitable work. He's first class, and that has to count for something."
Schuerholz, who currently serves as the Braves' president, campaigned last year for Murphy by sending a letter to Hall of Fame voters and other members of the BBWAA.
"The Atlanta Braves organization is extremely proud of Dale's outstanding accomplishments during an extraordinary 18-year Major League career, 15 of which were spent with the Braves," Schuerholz said in the letter.
"Not only on the field, but off the field as well, Dale represented himself and the city of Atlanta with the class and professionalism consistent with the ideals of Major League Baseball and the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Even today, he continues to be one of our game's greatest ambassadors."
Murphy won back-to-back NL MVP Awards in 1982 and '83, and he stood as just one of six players during the 1980s to record 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season ('83). He won five Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Slugger Awards and earned seven All-Star selections.
Murphy's supporters have continued to point out that he led all Major League outfielders during the 1980s in home runs (308) and RBIs (929). He ranked second among outfielders during this span in hits (1,553) and extra-base hits (596).
Murphy compiled more total bases than anybody during the '80s. Over that 10-year span, Mike Schmidt was the only player with more homers, and Eddie Murray was the only player with more RBIs. Schmidt and Murray have both been enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
"Other than a couple seasons there, he played for a team that a was a second-division team," Van Wieren said. "He was obviously the star and such a humble guy. When you talked to him about something he had done, he'd always point out what some other player did. There were times that he carried that team for two or three weeks at a time."
Murphy's candidacy has seemingly been hindered by his .265 lifetime batting average, which was damaged during some unproductive years late in his career. He hit .289 from 1982-87, but batted just .238 from 1988 until the end of his career in '93.
After playing for the Braves from 1976-90, Murphy concluded his career by playing with the Phillies (1990-92) and the Rockies ('93).
SectionsAtlanta Braves, Featured Story, MLB, Sports
TopicsBobby Cox, Dale Murphy, Gold Glove Awards, Greg Maddux, John Schuerholz, National League MVP Awards, Tom Glavine


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Earnings season may be only half over, but the focus on profits should subside next week as investors turn their attention to the coming election and Friday's jobs report, the last major data release before the Nov. 6 contest.
More bellwether companies are scheduled to report results in what will be another "peak week" of the earnings season. Such a flurry of numbers normally holds Wall Street's attention and can lead to market swings. But volume and volatility may be slight next week, with market participants opting to remain on the sidelines ahead of the jobs data and the election.
The U.S. government's October jobs report will give a snapshot of the current labor market. It could also give a bit of a lift to President Barack Obama, should it come out better than anticipated, or help Republican candidate Mitt Romney – if it is worse than forecast.
Polls currently indicate that President Obama is a slight favorite to win on Nov. 6, but the race will be tight. The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll of likely voters shows the president ahead - 47 percent to 46 percent.
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 1.5 percent this week, largely because of a spate of earnings disappointments. The Dow Jones industrial average slid 1.8 percent this week, and the Nasdaq composite index dropped 0.6 percent.
What's notable, however, is that rebounds have been brief and quick to attract sellers.
Some investors cited the approaching election as a barrier to committing new capital to the market. "Not many people have the stomach to plop down their bets when polling is so close," said Hayes Miller, the Boston-based head of asset allocation in North America at Baring Asset Management. "For the most part, investors will wait and see what happens."
Miller, who helps oversee more than $50 billion in assets, said the trend of caution would be especially pronounced in the health care, financial and energy sectors - three areas that may face different regulatory outlooks, depending on the election's outcome.
"These are the ones really in play," he said.
Expectations for the next nonfarm payrolls report, set for release on Friday, are by no means certain, either. Analysts expect 124,000 jobs were added in October - up 10,000 from September. However, the unemployment rate is also seen ticking higher - to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent.
A payroll surprise in either direction could further cloud expectations for the election's outcome. "A big change in payrolls could cause some uncertainty over the winner," said Jerry Harris, president of asset management at Sterne Agee, in Birmingham, Alabama. "I don't expect a big surprise, but while the S&P doesn't seem especially vulnerable at these levels, I don't think it is in a hurry to go up, either."
The market will also have to contend with the weather. Hurricane Sandy is expected to hit the U.S. East Coast early in the week. New York City officials were considering closing down bus and subway lines next week.
At the New York Stock Exchange, the plans call for business as usual. The exchange issued a statement on Friday saying it has contingency plans to have the market running, adding that it has back-up power generation facilities. The Big Board will make accommodations for critical staff and traders.
Rival marketplace NASDAQ OMX said in a statement that it has plans to make sure its systems are ready. It will communicate with its members before, up to and after the storm.
While the market at large may be waiting on news events, individual stocks could still be volatile as earnings season grinds along. More than half of the S&P 500 components have reported results so far. Next week, though, will bring reports from some marquee names such as Dow components Chevron and Pfizer, as well as S&P 500 stalwarts Visa, Ford Motor and Starbucks.
This earnings season, a number of high-profile companies have missed estimates, including this week's sour notes from Apple Inc, United Technologies and DuPont.
With 54 percent of the S&P 500 companies having reported results so far, 62.5 percent have topped earnings expectations, under the 67 percent average over the past four quarters. Just 37 percent have topped revenue forecasts, well under the 55 percent over the past four quarters.
The earnings disappointments led to some intensive selling, driving the Dow industrials down 243.36 points on Tuesday alone. The S&P 500 has ended down in five of the past seven trading sessions. Those declines have pushed the benchmark S&P under its 50-day moving average of around 1,434, leading some analysts to believe it may be ready for a bounce.
"We'll use any pullback as an opportunity to buy," said Chip Cobb, senior vice president at Bryn Mawr Trust Asset Management in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. "Even though we've seen a number of companies miss expectations and be overly cautious, we're focusing on how a majority have beaten."
Cobb said next week he was especially looking to results from U.S. Steel Corp. Its stock is down almost 20 percent so far this year. "Steel companies have been participating really poorly, and I'm anxious to see if that will continue," he said.


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Author: Cory Buford
Finnix is a live CD distribution designed to assist system administrators in such tasks as system recovery and network monitoring. Based on Debian testing and Linux kernel 2.6, Finnix helps with filesystem and partition manipulation as well as with data recovery, installation of other operating systems, and boot record repair.
Finnix works on both x86/AMD64 and PowerPC systems. The latest release, version 92.0, fixes the Debian SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) vulnerability that was present in previous releases.
One nice thing about the distribution is its small size. Using SquashFS, the entire 300MB distribution was compressed into a bootable distribution just a little over 100MB. Its compact size notwithstanding, Finnix includes the latest technologies and applications for system administrators, including Logical Volume Manager 2 (LVM2), encrypted partitions, and multiple filesystem support.
To start using Finnix, download it from the author's site and burn it to a CD. Since you will likely use this distribution to recover systems — the main intent of Ryan Finnie when he created it — booting it as a live CD is the preferred option. If you want to use the CD drive for other purposes, such as using Finnix tools to back up on a CD, you can also load the distribution into RAM; just make sure you have enough RAM — preferably at least 512MB — to hold the entire package.
You can also install Finnix to a hard drive using the fairly complex documentation given on the author's site. Another option, once you're inside Finnix, is to run the finnix-thumbdrive script to create a bootable Finnix USB drive.
When you boot Finnix you will see a menu with several options. Although Finnix is designed to automatically detect the type of processor (either x86/AMD64 or PowerPC), you can still choose one yourself. You can run other useful tools — including Memtest86+, a utility for memory hardware diagnostics — from the boot menu. If you want to boot multiple operating systems on the system disk, you can use Smart Boot Manager, and for those who miss the DOS command-line interface, you have FreeDOS.
After you select a system, Finnix boots with no problems and with all hardware detected. You are then presented with a simple command-line interface (CLI); no graphical user interface (GUI) is available.
Finnix tools inside
Despite the absence of a GUI, Finnix's wealth of tools and utilities should be enough to satisfy system administrators or others tasked with system recovery. While recovery offerings such as Hiren's BootCD are effective, Finnix can be more flexible, especially when you use the utilities along with proper scripting to their full extent.
Among the available disk and partition manipulation and recovery tools is Partimage, which is comparable to Norton Ghost in functionality but also lets users back up or restore an image from a network server. In addition, Finnix includes the data recovery tool ddrescue.
Finnix offers many options for creating or manipulating filesystems. For filesystems such as ext2 and ReiserFS, there are e2fsprogs and reiserfsprogs, respectively. If you need to access or recover data from an NTFS partition, NTFS-3G and ntfsprogs are available. Also included is hfsutils, which supports Macintosh HFS volumes. Other supported filesystems include Unionfs, Cramfs and Squashfs. For volume management, there is Logical Volume Manager (LVM), which also supports LVM2, and EVMS (Enterprise Volume Management System), which supports NTFS and FAT, among others. Also included is Parted, for extending Linux partitions.
In addition to its disk manipulation and management support, Finnix is host to many monitoring, benchmarking, and diagnostic tools. lm-sensors can monitor system temperature, voltage, and fan status. For benchmarking and diagnostics, memtester stress-tests the memory system and helps find intermittent faults caused by overheating, unregulated power, and so on. To test how well your hard disk system is performing, Bonnie++ is included. For a complete stress test of the system, including the CPU, memory, and IO, a tool called stress is available.
A system recovery distribution such as Finnix would not be complete if it did not allow you to back up recovered data on external media. Finnix supports CDs and DVDs as backup media and includes a range of burning utilities, such as cdbackup, wodim, and dvdrecord, to make this process as fast and easy as possible. Although most of us are used to burning data with a GUI tool, burning data using commands is not that hard as long as you know the proper format, or filesystem, to be used. If you ever have difficulties, you can always issue the
man command followed by the utility name for detailed explanations, or just search for the tool on the Internet to find its related documentation. Experienced users can also control SCSI tape drives for backup and restore using the mt-st tool. You can perform incremental backups over the network, and restore files, using rdiff-backup.
Since Finnix is for system administrators, it includes popular and useful networking tools such as Nmap, for scanning and auditing networks, and tcpdump, a powerful network packet monitoring tool. Also included are SNMP tools such as snmp; the IPTraf interactive LAN traffic monitor; network filtering and firewalls such as ipchains and iptables; various VPN tools for PPTP, IPSec, and SSL; and the common network accessibility tools ping and traceroute. Common Linux network interface management commands such as
ethtool and
ifdownup are included as well, as are tools for enabling network services such as NFS, Samba, and FTP.
I tested the partition management tools, especially Partimage and ddrescue. Although I encountered some problems because I did not use some of the parameters, I successfully created an image of a partition, stored it on a network drive, and recovered some data from a corrupted disk. I also tested the CD- and DVD-burning tools in the command line and, following the detailed explanation of the burning parameters, was able to burn data to a DVD. I found the Joe editor handy for editing configuration files; other editors, such as sed and Zile, are also provided. To see all Finnix's packages, visit the official site.
A system administrator tool
Finnix 92.0 is a useful distribution for system administrators. With many tools covering jobs such as data recovery, hardware diagnostics and benchmarking, network services, and monitoring, this distribution can greatly help an administrator. However, Finnix is not for the average user accustomed to booting up a system and doing things graphically. While Finnix's CLI-based tools are not that complex, one must have the necessary knowledge to fully understand how to use them.
I was satisfied with the packages included in this distribution, especially the filesystem management and recovery utilities, as well as the CLI backup tools. For serious network troubleshooting, I would recommend instead distributions such as Network Security Toolkit or BackTrack, which are specifically intended for such purposes.
- Distributions
- Linux
- System Administration
- Reviews
- Finnix


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> History of the ICC > 2012: Celebrating the ICC's 10th Anniversary
2012: Celebrating the ICC's 10th Anniversary
On 1 July 2002, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) entered into force, creating the world's first permanent international court to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. At the beginning of 2012, 120 nations had joined the Rome Statute and the number keeps growing. In 2011 alone there were six new ICC states parties, the most in any given year since 2003.
The ICC's 10th anniversary is a symbolic milestone that will be celebrated throughout 2012 by all actors involved in the fight against impunity for grave crimes. It is an opportunity to reflect upon the tremendous achievements made in the field of international criminal justice in the past 10 years, as well as a reminder of the urgency for all states committed to justice to ensure continued support for the Rome Statute.
Many members of the Coalition from around the world have started planning activities and events, such as lectures, conferences, demonstrations and media actions to raise awareness of this anniversary year. The Coalition Secretariat invites its members and partners to share their 10th anniversary initiatives, ideas or documents at: [email protected] so as to maximize publicity and partnerships around this important date.
The ICC has also launched a 10th anniversary website which also features useful tools and resources. The website, which is available in English and French, features a calendar of events, a photo gallery, press releases, and further background information about the Court.
On this page you will find publications and other resources related to the 10th anniversary celebrations.
The Coalition's informal list of events can be found under the heading "Events archive".


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1 killed, 3 wounded in Phoenix drive-by, police say
PHOENIX – A woman was killed and three other people wounded Friday in a drive-by shooting in a Phoenix neighborhood, police said.
A dark green vehicle with four men inside pulled up to the home around 2:30 p.m. and someone fired multiple rounds at the four victims outside, said Sgt. Steve Martos, a Phoenix police spokesman.
A woman in her 60s and another in her 20s were transported from the scene in critical condition, and Martos said one of them later died. Another woman and a man in his 20s suffered non-life threatening injuries in the shooting, Martos said.
None of the victims' names were immediately released.
Martos said it's unclear if any of the victims were related. He wouldn't speculate if the incident was gang-related or if the victims were targeted.
Arizona Department of Public Safety officers were assisting Phoenix police in the search for the shooter.
At the scene, police marked at least 20 bullet shell casings with white evidence markers in front of the home and on the roadway. All the windows at the single-story brick house appeared to be covered with tin foil.


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Sharing Memories on Sunday - Paul and Dorothy Kinnick residences
Today is literally "sharing memories" - of my own, from Mom's diary entries, from her two brothers (my uncles, Buzz and Leo; and Colleen, wife of Buzz!) and even brother Jim!
This particular line to thought started with Mom's diary entries but was really sparked by the 1940 US Census images of my grandparents, Paul and Dorothy (Sorensen) Kinnick, and son, Edward (Buzzy), in Coon Rapids, Iowa.
I realized I didn't really know how Paul and Dorothy met (even though I lived around them for many years) and I was much more vague about where they had lived over their years together than I realized. So, to add to my own research, I sent letters to their sons, Leo and Buzzy. I had a long telephone conversation with Buzzy, in response, as expected. Today, I got a nice set of responses, from Leo, via an email from his daughter, Kathleen. In the meantime, I had also talked at length with my brother, Jim, on the telephone, and he added some insights, as well.
Paul Kinnick graduated from Coon Rapids High School in 1909. Buzzy says he has a paper document (in his safe deposit box, he will get me a copy) that is a contract by Lon Kinnick (Paul's father) to buy some land near Greenfield, Adair County, Iowa (about 50 miles south and a little east of Coon Rapids), around this time. This would account for Paul traveling between Coon Rapids and Greenfield in this time period. Leo said: "I think mom did house work in Stuart and Greenfield." Stuart straddles the Guthrie and Adair county line, about 20 miles north and east of Greenfield (the Adair County Seat). Somewhere along the way, Paul met Dorothy Sorensen (she and her parents had arrived in Stuart from Denmark in about 1904; her mother died within a year of their arrival; as the oldest child, she was soon working). Another Leo quote: Dad and Uncle Robert were picking corn and if either found an ear of Indian corn they got to make a wish. Dad found one and said "I wish I could kiss that Dorothy Sorenson. He got his wish!" They were married on 12 Aug 1914, in Greenfield.
They made their first home, just "South of town in a 2 story stucco house. Eileen and I lived there too." [Quote from Leo, referring to Coon Rapids; confirms what Mom had told me! (more on this later)] Leo was born there in Mar 1917, Eileen in Dec 1918. From Mom: The little white house sits just east of Shirbroun's big barn. By August of 1928, when Buzzy was born, they were all living on Main Street (in the house where Irene Fick was living in 1997).
They moved from the Main Street house in June 1936 to the farm northwest of town (where Lon and Nettie had lived). By the time of the 1940 census, they were living back in town, in the house on old 141, now Elm Street (assume it was called 2nd Street in 1940 - east-west street, two blocks north of Main Street). According to Buzzy, they moved from there out to the "Harvey Place" on the Glidden Road.,, the Bass family lived there in the 1960s and later… Buzzy said he went to High School ('42-'46) from there. Also, from fall of '46 to Jan '48, he was in Japan in the Army - I remember his return home to that house. He reminded me that Paul Nielsen (Dorothy's nephew) came and helped farm while he was gone, and, my Dad, Pete, came over and helped out as well. I remember that, with his reminder!
When Buzz and Colleen were married in Jun 1948, they made that their home, and Paul and Dorothy moved into the Trailer House I mentioned earlier, north of our house on our farm. Colleen says she has seen a photo of Tom, about 3, with them in the house in Bayard - that would have been 1951. That all comes out about right. THANKS to all!
Families are Forever! ;-)


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The Asheville Downtown Association (ADA) today announced the recipients of its 2013 Downtown After 5 wristband grants. Chosen organizations sell wristbands at one of the five concerts and receive a grant of up to $2,000. 2013 marks the 25th Anniversary season of Downtown After 5, presented by Harmony Motors. A full lineup will be announced on Tuesday, April 30.
Selected non-profits are Asheville GreenWorks (May 17), Youth OUTright (June 21), Homeward Bound (July 19), WildSouth (August 16) and Our VOICE (September 20).
Asheville GreenWorks is a longtime recipient of the Downtown After 5 wristband grants and uses the funds to remove litter and graffiti as well as plant trees in downtown areas.
With a mission to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth to be confident and vital members of our community, Youth OUTright provides resources to youth in 18 counties across Western North Carolina.
"The money raised at Downtown After 5 will support our youth programming. We'll be able to have more meetings, more activities and more opportunities for our youth to gather in their community," said Jim Faucett, Youth OUTright's executive director.
Homeward Bound works to end chronic homelessness in the Asheville area. The organization recently celebrated placing its 500th person into permanent housing with 89 percent of those placed remaining in stable housing.
WildSouth inspires people to enjoy, value and protect the wild character and natural legacy of the South through advocacy and conservation education. To date, WildSouth has helped preserve more than half a million acres across the region.
A crisis intervention and prevention agency, Our VOICE serves victims of sexual violence, age 13 through adult, in Buncombe County and also offers educational training on topics like sexual harassment in the workplace
"Our VOICE is excited to part of the 2013 Downtown After 5 series. We have been providing 24/7 crisis response and counseling to victims of sexual assault in Asheville for nearly 40 years and know this will be a great opportunity to continue spreading the word about our services to those who may need them," noted Robin Payne, development director.
The Asheville Downtown Association has awarded more than $65,000 in wristband grant funds to local charitable organizations since the grant program's start in 2006. Previous recipients include: ABYSA, Arts 2 People, Asheville on Bikes, Asheville Grown, Blue Ridge Pride, Downtown Asheville Residential Neighbors (DARN), Katy's Kids/MANNA FoodBank, LEAF in Schools and Streets, Moog Foundation, YMCA of Western North Carolina, YMI Cultural Center and YWCA of Asheville.
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2013, Downtown After 5 is a production of the Asheville Downtown Association, a nonprofit organization committed to the preservation and improvement of the central business district. A full entertainment lineup will be announced at the April 30 Kickoff Celebration. Volunteer opportunities are still available. More information at www.ashevilledowntown.org/volunteer.
More information about Downtown After 5 and the Asheville Downtown Association can be found online at www.ashevilledowntown.org or by following through social media including Facebook (www.facebook.com/AshevilleDowntownAssociation) and Twitter (@AVLDowntown).


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The California Solar Initiative - CSI
Getting Started
The California Solar Initiative offers cash back for installing solar on your home or business.
California is striving to create megawatts of new solar-generated electricity, moving the state towards a clean energy future. And you can help!
Join the thousands of home and business owners who have earned cash back rebates by installing solar energy systems through the California Solar Initiative. Customers earn cash rebates for every watt of solar energy installed on homes, businesses, farms, schools, and government and non-profit organizations.
Do I qualify?
Rebates for PG&E customers have been exhausted and the program is closed.
Rebates for SDG&E customers have been exhausted and the program is closed.
Rebates for residential customers of SCE have been exhausted and the program is closed.
Customers of municipal utilities also qualify for incentives through their municipal service provider.
Click here to contact your IOU for information on their program.
If you don't know your utility company, you can find them via this searchable database.
What Do I Do Next?
Earning incentives for solar energy is simple. Just follow these five easy steps:
Step 1: Energy Efficiency Audit
Complete an energy efficiency audit and make sure to take advantage of all the cost-effective ways to save energy and money in your home or business.
Step 2: Find a Solar Installer
Qualified contractors are your key to getting the most productive solar energy system for your home or business.
Step 3: Apply for Rebates
Qualified contractors will handle the CSI application process for your rebates in two or three steps.
Step 4: Install Your System
If you have received your reservation confirmation letter, you're ready to install your system and interconnect to the utility's power grid.
Step 5: Claim Your Incentive
When your project is installed and operational you may submit the Incentive Claim Form.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact your Program Administrator today to apply for a solar incentive.


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Agricultural financial conditions were solid during the third quarter, according to the Minneapolis Fed's third-quarter agricultural credit conditions survey. Most financial indicators revealed that the agricultural sector improved. Farm income, capital spending, loan repayments and land values increased. Farmers and ranchers enjoyed strong prices for their commodities. While most also benefited from bountiful rainfall, cool wet weather hampered the harvest. Survey respondents expected this good news to flow into the fourth quarter as they expected their customers to increase borrowing to capture increased profit opportunities. However, concerns about rising input costs have some agricultural producers worried.
Farm income, farm household spending and capital investment
"Bumper crop yields," commented a South Dakota lender. "Cattle prices are higher," a Montana banker reported. The good yields and high prices produced robust income for farmers and ranchers, as 38 percent of lenders reported an increase and 47 percent noted no change in income. However, several negative comments were received regarding the cool growing season and a late harvest.
About a third of lenders reported their farm customers were increasing household spending and investing in purchases of machinery and equipment.
Loan repayments and renewals
Lenders indicated the broad-based financial strength of their customers. Only 5 percent indicated a decreased rate of loan repayments and 6 percent noted that loan renewals and extensions have increased. These low numbers were widespread across the district
Demand for loans, required collateral and interest rates
Some producers are expanding operations. About a fifth of lenders reporting increases in loan demand and two-thirds no change. Only 8 percent of the respondents indicated that collateral requirements have increased. However, interest rates increased during the third quarter, raising the cost of borrowing relative to the second quarter by about 20 basis points for fixed loans and 50 basis points for variable loans. Almost all lenders indicated sufficient availability of funds to lend.
Land values
Land values continue to increase across the district. Nonirrigated farm land and ranchland values increased from a year ago by an average of 14 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Lenders from western Wisconsin reported the largest increases. "Residential and development pressure is increasing the price," a western Wisconsin lender commented. (Note: land prices can vary significantly, not only from state to state, but also from parcel to parcel. For more detailed information on agricultural prices, see the Minnesota Land Economics Web site hosted by Dr. Taff at the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota.)
"Steadily going up," commented a Montana lender, reflecting the overall outlook: 75 percent expect stable or increased income in the fourth quarter. Producers plan to increase capital spending and take out loans to finance purchases. More than a third of the lenders expect customers to increase capital spending and 28 percent anticipate greater loan demand. However, higher input costs may be a negative factor. "Rising fuel prices and rising interest rates will have an impact on farm income for 2005," wrote a South Dakota lender.
Appendices: State Fact Sheet | State Fact Sheet-Outlook


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Privacy Policy
This website ("atasteofthesouth.com") recognizes the importance of maintaining the privacy of our customers ("Customers"), registered account holders and loyalty club members ("Members") and other website users (collectively "Users"). We have posted this privacy policy ("Policy") to describe our practices regarding the collection and use of information from Users.
This Policy was last amended on 10/1/14. We may update this Policy from time to time, so we invite you to review this page periodically. When we make changes, we may send an e-mail to you or notify you the next time you log-in, and we will post the updated Policy on this web page. All changes will go into effect on the date that is listed in our Policy. The new Policy will apply to all past and current users of atasteofthesouth.com and will replace any prior Policies. By using this website, you consent to the terms of this Policy.
Note: You must be 18 years or older to register as a Member or use atasteofthesouth.com
We collect the following information about you in various ways, including when you register an account, enroll in a loyalty card club, make purchases, and when you visit our website or social media sites:
If you choose to become a Member, we collect your name, address, phone number, email address, username, password, and birth date. We also collect the names, addresses, and phone numbers of those persons whom you add to your personal address book as a Member.
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We also collect any information you submit to us when you participate in our promotions, contests, and sweepstakes.
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We use the information you supply for the purpose of providing the services you have requested and as described in this Policy. The email address you provide is used for internal purposes, such as confirming and tracking your order. In addition, A Taste Of The South may contact you via email or regular mail to keep you up-to-date on the latest atasteofthesouth.com news or to send you our latest catalog. Also, we may rent, share, sell or exchange your email or postal address with third parties, who may contact you regarding their products or services that we think may be of interest to you. If you would like to opt out of receiving mailings from A Taste OF The South or our third parties, please visit Communication Preferences. Additionally, gift recipients may, from time to time, receive our latest catalog as well as offers from us regarding new products and services that we think may be of interest to them. We work with a third party service provider, who uses information collected automatically through technology to help us better understand how you use atasteofthesouth.com. The information this third party service provider collects, such as which search engine referred you to atasteofthesouth.com and how you navigated around our website, will help us to better serve you and provide you with more personalized information and product offerings. We may share your information, including your name, address, email address, as well as a record of any transactions you conduct on our website or offline with us with a third-party advertising partner and its service providers in order to deliver to you banner advertisements and other advertising tailored to your interests when you visit certain websites. Our advertising partner will make the data we provide to it anonymous. To learn more about the use of this information or choose not to have this information used by our third-party advertising partner by opting out please visit the Network Advertising Initiative.
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12. CONTACTING A Taste Of The South
If you have any questions about our Policy, you can e-mail us at email@example.com or contact us by mail atA TASTE OF THE SOUTH, P.O. BOX 210236, Columbia , SC 29221.. We'll be happy to answer your questions or hear your concerns.


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Friday, June 25, 2010
Summer strawberry cream pie
Its been a pretty nice June for us here in Nova Scotia, sunshine one day and fog the next :P I am at the Hubbard's Barn Farmers Market again tomorrow, selling my vegan goodies.What better to celebrate summer then fresh local strawberries!
I picked up a couple of baskets and at first I was thinking strawberry muffins, keeping in mind that the market is a morning thing,and then I thought why not make mini-pies or tarts?
I made the pie crust with vegetable shortening. The filling is similar to my coconut banana cream pie, but this time I used half almond milk, half coconut milk. Sliced the fresh strawberries, and arranged them nicely. TA-DA! Done :)
I still have a basket of strawberries left....muffins?
10 comments:
The tarts are just beautiful — they look so fresh and elegant.ReplyDelete
Yum! I love tarts! ... and hey, remember when we used to go berry picking :o)ReplyDelete
They look so fresh and tempting!!!ReplyDelete
HOW beautiful!! Check out the recipe I posted on my FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Opera-Singer-in-the-Kitchen/292215367925?ref=tsReplyDelete
I used my leftover strawberries. SO good! Have good sales tomorrow at the market!
Yummy. Dont have tart pans...can I make one BIG one (all for me?!?)?ReplyDelete
Nature Table - Yes, definitely wait until she's 2. You could start by just putting out silks in appropriate seasonal colors and adding some wool balls or large sticks that she won't put in her mouth. :)
Your tarts look absolutely deliciousReplyDelete
Thanks friends!ReplyDelete
Katie...Yes I do remember when we use to go berry picking,hehe. Now I just go for fun with my kids, not to make 10 cents!
Noelle...Wow, great foodies think alike! Its the season for berries.
MoonMama...Yes make a big one! but you have to refrigerate it for it to set, oh yeah, I didn't add the spices to the filling. O' silkies and wool..hmmm are they vegan?
I didn't know you were also in NS!ReplyDelete
I'm in halifax, have you ever considered selling at the HRM Farmers market in the keith's brewary?
3 Researches SHOW Why Coconut Oil Kills Waist Fat.ReplyDelete
This means that you literally kill fat by eating coconut fats (also coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).
These 3 studies from big medical magazines are sure to turn the traditional nutrition world around!


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Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica, founded in 1985, is sponsored by the Chinese Chemical Society and organized by the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, PekingUniversity. Since 1997, Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica has been indexed in SCI of ISI (US). Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica is devoted to reporting new and original experimental and theoretical basic research of interest to physical chemists, biophysical chemists, and material physical chemists. Manuscripts that are essentially reporting data, applications of data, or reviews of the literature are not suitable for publication in Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica.
Publisher: Editorial Office of Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica
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Volume 29, Number 6, 15 June 2013


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HARRISON, N.J. – The New York Red Bulls have partnered with Centenary College as a residential camp partner, the club announced today.
The residential camp at Centenary College will take place from August 7-11, and is available to boys and girls ages 9-16.
"We're are excited to add a new overnight camp location in the North West Jersey territory," said Dave Jervis, Senior Director of Training Programs. "For a number of years we have been looking for a suitable partner and Centenary College provides an excellent location to launch our programming. In addition to a residential option, day camp opportunities will also be available for children from the local soccer community."
Located in Hackettstown, N.J., and the Centenary College features a brand-new XM field turf facility located on campus. Opened in April 2014, the newly-constructed field serves as the home for Centenary's men's and women's soccer teams, men's and women's lacrosse teams and other campus activities.
The Red Bulls' residential soccer camps are offered at select residential locations in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The residential camps provide individual players and teams with the opportunity to take part in a unique youth soccer training experience. For more information, visit the residential camps page on RedBullsAcademy.com.


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Named after the beautiful Torres Strait pigeon, Wonga Beach is a quiet refuge north of Mossman. Off shore there are views to Snapper Island and it is within easy access to the Daintree River and its rainforest habitat.
This is mainly a residential community with few accommodation or shopping options. Locals love it but it may not be what you are after if you are looking for all the trappings of a tourist beach resort. The few commercial activities include horse riding along the beach and sea kayaking to Snapper Island.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


text: Upon the loss of a friend or family member, gathered loved ones seek a place to reflect, a place to remember, a place both to celebrate life and to mourn loss. Hillcrest Memorial Gardens exists as just such a space. Our grounds provide an expansive sanctuary of peace and tranquility, perfect for honoring the life and legacy of the one you lost. Meanwhile, we provide families with comprehensive funeral planning services, including help in decision-making regarding caskets and urns, cremation and burial, floral arrangements and beyond. We aim to be a comfort during your time of need, and invite you to contact us with any questions or requests.


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N° 1–2002: European space events for 2002
3 January 2002
During 2002 ESA will be involved in a series of international events worth the attention and the attendance of the media. These are the major ones that can already be pencilled in your diary.
16/01 - ESA's Director General Antonio Rodotà meets the press in Paris.
(18/12)-27/01 - "Art and Science fiction exhibition" at the Noordwijk Space Expo, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
22/01 - Edinburgh, Scotland: "Space calling", lecture by ESA astronaut Reinhold Ewald (with live link to the ISS, t.b.c.).
01-04/02 - Dublin, Ireland: "Opportunities 2002", career and education fair with ESA astronaut participation on 01/02.
04-09/02 - Vienna, Austria: Dream or Reality? Science/ Science Fiction exhibition at Donauzentrum, Vienna shopping mall.
21/02 t.b.c. - Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission 3B. Shuttle launch (STS-109) from KSC, Florida.
28.02- Launch of ESA's environmental satellite Envisat on Ariane 5 (V145/ A511) from Kourou, French Guiana.
t.b.c. - Opening of the Cologne Health Centre at ESA's European Astronauts Centre.
t.b.c. - Signature of Vega launcher development contract at ESA/Frascati (ESRIN), Italy.
18-22/03 - 32nd ESA Parabolic Flight campaign, from Bordeaux, France.
t.b.c. - ATV media day at ESA/Noordwijk (ESTEC), the Netherlands.
31-01/04 - National Dutch space days at Noordwijk Space Expo.
t.b.c. - Press day on the Rosetta spacecraft at ESA/Noordwijk (ESTEC)
02-06/04 - Physics on Stage 2: teachers conference at ESA/Noordwijk (ESTEC), the Netherlands.
04/04 t.b.c. - 13th ISS Assembly flight (8A). Shuttle launch (STS-110) from KSC, Florida.
15-20/04 - Hannover Fair, Hannover, Germany: ESA Technology Transfer stand.
t.b.c. - Envisat first image: press day at ESA/Frascati (ESRIN), Italy and in other locations.
27-02/05 - Soyuz taxi flight to the International Space Station with ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori on board.
02-13/05 - Shuttle flight (STS-111) to the International Space Station with French astronaut Philippe Perrin on board.
06-12/05 - ILA International Aerospace Exhibition and Conference, Berlin, Germany.
11-14/06 - ESA/NASA Spaceflight Safety Conference at ESA/Noordwijk (ESTEC), the Nehterlands.
18-21/06 - Rome, Italy: Global Disaster Information Network- annual conference.
27/06-13/07 - Shuttle flight (STS-107) to the ISS from KSC, Florida with ESA payload on board.
10-26/07 - Students parabolic flight campaign in Bordeaux, France.
t.b.c. - Ariane 5 Plus ESC-A launch from Kourou.
t.b.c. - Columbus trainer delivery to the ESA/European Astronaut Centre, Cologne. Press event.
22-28/07 - Farnborough air show.
01-12/08 - 15th ISS assembly flight (9A). Shuttle launch (STS-112) from KSC, Florida.
t.b.c. - Launch of MSG-1 (Meteosat Second Generation) on Ariane 4 or 5 (t.b.d.) from Kourou, French Guiana.
06-16/09 - 16th ISS assembly flight. Shuttle flight (STS-113) from KSC, Florida.
02-11/09 - Earth Summit 2002, Congress and exhibition in Johannesburg, South Africa.
t.b.d. - Inauguration of ESA's Deep Space Ground Station, New Norcia, Australia.
t.b.d. - SMART-1 international press day at ESA/Noordwijk (ESTEC), the Netherlands.
04-10/10 - World Space Week. Web marathon at ESA/Noordwijk (ESTEC) for schools, with space specialists from around the world.
10-19/10 - World Space Congress in Houston, Texas.
t.b.c. - Launch of Integral on Proton launcher from Baikonur.
t.b.c. - 33rd ESA parabolic flight campaign from Bordeaux, France. 23-26/10 - New SITEF Congress and exhibition in Toulouse, France
04-14/11 - Soyuz taxi flight to the International Space Station with ESA astronaut Frank De Winne on board
19-21/11 - CEOS (Committee on Earth Observation Satellites) plenary meeting at ESA/Frascati (ESRIN), Italy.
t.b.c. - Netdays Europe. Youth-oriented events via the Web in co-operation with the European Union.
t.b.c. - Ariane 5 Vinci engine test firing.
t.b.c. - Launch of SMART-1 on Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana
Dates of certain events, especially those of launches, depend on various factors such as readiness of the spacecraft and/or launcher, and thus remain to be confirmed (t.b.c.) for some time. All Ariane launch dates, for instance, are provisional; definite dates will be confirmed by Arianespace.
For further information on ESA, see our website at:
http://www.esa.int or contact :
ESA Media Relations Office
Tel: +33(0)184.108.40.20655
Fax: +33(0)18.104.22.16890
For further information:
Media Relations Office
Tel: +33(0)184.108.40.20655
Fax: +33(0)22.214.171.12490


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A darker side of Latakia
Picked this blend up on some recommendations. Comes only in bulk and is pretty dry and ready to fire up. I tried this straight out of the gate with no known age on it. This makes for a great late night before bed smoke. If you look at 10 to Midnight and Penzance as the lighter side of Latakia. This blend is the darker side hiding in a back alley waiting to steal your soul. It has a ton of Latakia and you will know it. One issue is the room note, when smoking it around some friends I was asked who stuffed a dead skunk in my pipe and lit it on fire. I really enjoy this blend, but it is for the outdoors or if you live alone.
Awesome Balkan
Larry's Blend is an awesome Balkan blend. It smokes extremely well - is complex and has a wonderful buttery, full bodied, smokey taste. There is a merde de cheval (aka horse manure) kind of aroma and taste - which is definitely gamey. So - I would recommend this to all lovers of fine European wines or smelly cheeses. Personally, I like gamey or funky flavors - so this one is an absolute winner for me.
A Favorite Blend
This has become a favorite blend of mine since I first tasted a sample at the Chicago 2010 Show. I am a lover of Latakia blends, and this one delivers the flavor that I look for in a blend. It lights and smokes very well. I smoke quite a few blends, but I keep Larry's blend in the rotation and smoke it at least a few times per week.
Larry's Blend
When I first received it from Pipesandcigars.com, I didn't care for it.
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