I wear two hats. I am a vice president of Berman Enterprises LP (a multigenerational real estate development & management company that owns more than 9m sf of commercial office & retail space as well as close to a thousand multifamily units with thousands more in various stages of development) and I am also a managing director for our wholly owned venture company, Camber Creek. On the real estate side, I am primarily responsible for leasing & operations. On the venture side, I focus on deal flow and business development for our portfolio companies (we currently have 20).
We became interested in real estate tech/innovation roughly 6 years ago when CRE Tech was at its embryonic stage. Whether it was a question of efficiencies, revenue maximization or planning, or permitting & development, it was apparent to us that our industry was lagging behind others that had been radically disrupted & improved by tech. We began evaluating start-ups in 2009 & didn't make our first portfolio investment until 2011.
Night and day. In fact, it's night and day from just 6 years ago! This is one of the issues we face as investors; similar to the early adopting consumer who buys the latest gadget (I'm looking at you Apple Watch'ers), we evaluate each company by where we think it and its market segment is going – not where they are right now. As I mentioned above, when we got into the tech space, CRE Tech was at its embryonic stage. We think it's at its infancy just now.
That's a tough question. From an operations perspective, it's a relatively old one (that's been improved by the cloud): our enterprise network which allows our partners access to any file on our network from any device anywhere we are (i.e. Dropbox).
As CRE Tech investors, it's our job to stay on top of the latest breakthroughs affecting our space. We also keep a running dialogue going with other real estate development/management companies who may have been exposed to something that we haven't.
The value we bring as a mentor is the same value proposition we offer as an investor to our portfolio companies: as a potential end-user of myriad CRE Tech products we can offer product/service level strategy that other vc's may not (though within the MetaProp NYC family I think this is less unique - which is a tremendous strength of the community!). Perhaps more importantly, due to our size, chances are if we're using a particular product or service, others will too.
My Grandfather, father & uncle.
I lived in Russia (on & off) for a five year period from 2001. Nazdarovya!


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Opinion|We the Bachelors
We the Bachelors
By JOHN G. McCURDY JULY 3, 2009
Ypsilanti, Mich.
BY July 4, 1776, Elbridge Gerry had tired of independence. A delegate at the Second Continental Congress, Gerry had worked for months to secure his country's freedom. But in the oppressive heat of a Philadelphia summer, Gerry's mind turned to the woman he had left behind in Massachusetts. While America's freedom was important to Gerry, he was simultaneously determined to extinguish a more personal type of independence: his bachelorhood.
Mere days from his 32nd birthday, Gerry was already an old bachelor by 18th-century standards. Abigail Adams was particularly cold toward him. Although she tried to forgive Gerry "because he is a stranger to domestic felicity," she confessed to her husband, John, that she could not reconcile herself to "the stoicism which every bachelor discovers." Sadly for Gerry, his progress toward matrimony proved unsuccessful. Although he courted Catherine Hunt throughout the summer, by September he returned to Philadelphia still a bachelor.
Elbridge Gerry was not the only man to struggle with the taint of bachelorhood in Revolutionary America. As the delegates created a new nation, they assailed sexual immorality, luxury and sloth — all of which they associated with the single life. Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania advised a young man to wed for his own health "for your disorder is seldom met with in married life," while Benjamin Franklin made a small fortune with such aphorisms as "a man without a wife is but half a man."
Nor was it just inside Independence Hall that bachelors were scorned. For 80 years, Pennsylvania had collected a levy on single men who earned wages but did not own property.
This tax had been devised as a means of easing the burden on men with large families, but it had become increasingly onerous for the colony's bachelors. Since the 1740s, landless singles had been paying higher taxes than 90 percent of property owners. At the same time, these bachelors were denied the right to vote because they owned no property.
As we commemorate Independence Day, we often remember the familial connections of our founders: John and Abigail, George and Martha. It's a way to integrate women into the story, but also reminds us that the delegates were working not for themselves but for future generations. Single men fall out of this narrative, rebuked by the Revolutionaries and historians as selfish men who chose personal pleasure over duty to country.
Yet to tell such a story misstates what really happened in Independence Hall in the summer of 1776. Not far from Elbridge Gerry sat 46-year-old Joseph Hewes of North Carolina. In his youth Hewes had courted a governor's daughter, but a few days before the wedding, his fiancée died. Heartbroken, Hewes lived out the rest of his life a bachelor.
Also in attendance was Caesar Rodney, the frail delegate from Delaware. Rodney never married, instead keeping house with his sister and helping to raise his brother and nephew.
Hewes and Rodney were decidedly less self-conscious about their marital status than Gerry, and they devoted themselves to the cause of independence. Hewes worked himself into an early grave. Rodney earned his place on the back of the Delaware quarter for his midnight ride to cast the deciding vote for independence and was his state's governor. For these men, bachelorhood was a personal difference that separated them from the rest of the delegates, but it hardly impeded their work.
Indeed, this may be the most profound lesson we can derive from our bachelor founders. Although they envisioned a nation built on morals and families, the men who declared independence dreamed of a country where the intimate details of one's life did not matter to citizenship. Bachelorhood might be an undesirable lifestyle, but it should not abrogate a man's rights.
A week after Congress completed its work, another group of delegates met in Philadelphia to put this theory to the test. Convening to draft Pennsylvania's first constitution, these delegates swept away the laws that required bachelors' taxation without representation. Henceforth all men who paid taxes would have the right to vote. Significantly, the Pennsylvania Constitution did not seek to empower bachelors — it did not even mention them by name — it simply asserted that all men were to be treated equally.
After his disappointing courtship in 1776, Elbridge Gerry returned to Congress. Finally, in 1786, he married Ann Thompson and began a family. Yet Gerry stood at the dawn of a new era when personal differences — first marital status, but later sex and race — no longer mattered in determining one's citizenship.
John Gilbert McCurdy, an assistant professor of history at Eastern Michigan University, is the author of "Citizen Bachelors: Manhood and the Creation of the United States."
A version of this op-ed appears in print on , on Page A21 of the New York edition with the headline: We the Bachelors. Today's Paper|Subscribe

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Facilitation and inhibition of return (IOR) are, respectively, faster and slower responses to a peripherally cued target. In a spatially uninformative peripheral cueing task, facilitation is normally observed when the interval between the cue and target stimulus, the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), is shorter than 250 ms, while IOR is normally observed when an SOA greater than 250 ms is used. Since Posner and Cohen抯 (Attention and performance X, 1984) seminal study, IOR has become an actively investigated component of orienting. In this study, using ERPs and the source localization algorithm, LORETA, we seek to examine the brain mechanisms involved in IOR by localizing the different stages of processing after the appearance of a cue that captures attention exogenously. Unlike previous ERP investigations of IOR, this study analyzes the neural activity (via EEG) produced in response to the cue, prior to the appearance of the target. Neural activations were approximately divided into three stages. In the early stage (110�0 ms), involved activations are in the prefrontal cortex, the bilateral intraparietal cortex, and the contralateral occipito-temporal cortex. In the middle stage (240�0 ms), activations are primarily found in the frontal cortex and the parietal cortex. In the late stage (350�0 ms), the main activations are in the occipito-parietal cortex, but unlike in the early stage, the activation areas have shifted to the hemisphere ipsilateral to the cued location. These findings indicate that IOR is related to both attentional and motor response processes and suggest that the time course of initial facilitation and IOR is concurrent and mediated by two neural networks. Building upon our results, electrophysiological, electroencephalographic, and behavioral results in the literature and extending previous spatial theories of IOR, we propose here a spatio-temporal theory of IOR based upon post-cue dynamics.


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Transit Brooklyn Boro
DiNapoli: Much of MTA infrastructure is vulnerable to flooding
December 4, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
One of the facilities at the subway system's massive Coney Island yard, which is vulnerable to climate events due to its low elevation and its proximity to water. Wikimedia photo by Wuse1007
Much of Brooklyn, a borough surrounded by water on three sides, is vulnerable to extreme weather events. According to official maps, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Floyd Bennett Field, Mill Basin and nearby areas are all in a "flood zone," as are the areas around Red Hook, Gowanus and the Navy Yard.
Parts of the borough, including its transit system, have suffered due to extreme climate events, not only during Superstorm Sandy but during the more recent Hurricane Ida this past September. During this storm, for example, Brooklyn's Newkirk Avenue subway station, which is below ground but not covered by the street, was not only flooded, but tiles came off the walls.
According to a new report by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the MTA needs to publish a new assessment of its long-term capital needs that pays particular attention to the growing threat climate change poses to transit, and its most recent 20-year needs assessment shows many capital needs are overdue for attention.
To prepare for the release of its five-year capital programs, the MTA creates a 20-year capital needs assessment detailing long-term infrastructure priorities for maintaining and improving its system. The last assessment, covering 2015-2034, was published in 2013 and is overdue for an update. The MTA is now required by state law to produce a needs assessment every five years starting in 2023.
The MTA's 2013 assessment did not include any recovery and resiliency work beyond what was already planned to recover from Superstorm Sandy and mitigate against similar storms. Climate change impacts are intensifying and the increased risk of flooding, storm surges and other damage to transit need to be incorporated into the plan as soon as possible before the October 2023 deadline to inform public debate and ensure targeted investment, Di Napoli said.
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese
Although the 2013 assessment is out of date, it serves as a measuring stick for the MTA's capital investments and its progress in maintaining the safety and reliability of its assets. DiNapoli's report notes that in some areas — such as important upgrades to stations, tracks and switches — the MTA either has gone beyond its 2013 assessed needs or is near meeting its targets, but in many others, the MTA has barely addressed important goals:
Subway flooding is increasingly disruptive and destructive, yet since 2015 the MTA has only spent $56 million on pump rooms and other line equipment with another $189 million committed, out of the $1.7 billion called for in the needs assessment for 2015 through 2024.
The MTA said it needed to invest $4.9 billion in new subway cars from 2015 through 2024, but it only spent $700,000 on subway car projects since 2015. It did order 460 subway cars during its 2015-2019 capital program — to replace those over 40 years old and prone to break downs — but the new cars are not expected until 2025.
The MTA has spent just half of the $3.4 billion it said it needed to replace buses and keep fleets in good working order.
Upgrading antiquated subway signals was the top priority for long-term capital needs in the last assessment. The signals overhaul — budgeted at $8.7 billion through 2024 — was needed to resolve signal malfunctions that regularly disrupted service and to address overcrowding by allowing trains to run closer together. MTA has completed only $900 million in signals work through September 2021.
One example of a Brooklyn-based flood-mitigation project that was announced but has not yet begun, DiNapoli's report said, involves repairs to the Coney Island rapid transit yard, the biggest in the subway system.
Some $374 million has been allocated to shops and yards, mostly to replace storm-damaged signals and associated track and switches at the Coney yard, the report says. The yard is particularly vulnerable because it's near the water and at a low elevation.
DiNapoli recommended improvements to the MTA's online capital program "dashboard," which keeps track of spending. The report suggests tracking spending on projects as they progress and can demonstrate benefits to the system, not just when they're completed; tracking how completed projects change the MTA's state of good repair measurements for various system assets; and showing how spending on capital projects affects riders' experience such as safety and reliability of service.
DiNapoli also urged the MTA to improve reporting on capital spending to better align its public data with the Governor's recent transparency initiative. The transparency plan that the MTA submitted to the governor did not address capital spending as it should, said the comptroller.
Airlines cancel some flights after reduced 5G rollout in US
January 20 | Jon Gambrell and David Koenig, Associated Press
Adams focuses on dangerous intersections in pedestrian safety plan
Transportation: Trends to Watch for the Future of NYC
January 19 | Suhail Bhat, THE CITY
New York to receive $6B chunk of federal aid for transit
January 12 | Associated Press
New York City's most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of 'cool and hip' in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been 'uncool'.
https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/12/04/dinapoli-much-of-mta-infrastructure-is-vulnerable-to-flooding/


A team of astronomers, using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) on the Gemini South telescope in Chile, has given us our best view yet of an exoplanet moving in its orbit around a distant star. A series of images captured between November 2013 and April 2015 shows the exoplanet β Pictoris b as it moves through 1½ years of its 22-year orbital period.
The Gemini Planet Imager instrument has discovered and photographed its first planet. Dubbed 51 Eridani b, the body is a methane-enshrouded gas giant that is the most Jupiter-like exoplanet ever directly imaged, in a planetary system just 20 million years old. It may hold the key to understanding how large planets form in the swirling accretion discs around stars.


The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) is a rights based charity which operates across England and Wales for children, young people and adults.
Advocacy for children in care and those in need – including children subject to child protection plans, care leavers, children and young people with disabilities.
The provision of independent visitors for children in care.
Legal representation of children in private family law.
Advocacy to adults in-inpatient mental health settings.
We exist to support children, vulnerable adults, parents and carers to be heard through the provision of confidential advice, information and representation.
We offer a wide range of services designed to provide appropriate help to young people and vulnerable adults.


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Home Scores Bracket Rankings Standings Stats Video Final Four History NIT
Ralph D. Russo | The Associated Press | April 2, 2018
Michigan's 3-point defense is key to upsetting Villanova
Moe Wagner was Michigan's spark
SAN ANTONIO — Facing a team that shoots as well as Villanova, limiting the takes from 3-point range is about as important as limiting the makes.
It just so happens that Michigan is among the best teams in the country at defending 3-point offense. If the Wolverines can pull an upset on Monday night and beat the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament championship game, the biggest reason is likely to be their ability to force Villanova inside the 3-point line.
MARCH MADNESS SHOP
Villanova is coming off a record-setting performance in the Final Four victory against Kansas with 18 3-pointers, prompting fans to compare the Wildcats to the NBA's Golden State Warriors. Villanova is third in the country in 3-pointers made per game at 11.6.
According to KenPom.com's advanced stats, Villanova is the most efficient offensive team in the country, and the Wildcats generate 40 percent of that offense from 3-pointers, which ranks 15th in the country.
"They can all shoot," Michigan center Moe Wagner said. "Usually when you play a good team, there's usually something you can give up and make a defensive game plan. But that's not the case here. You know what? It's not supposed to be easy."
MORE MADNESS: The surprising stories behind Villanova and Michigan's paths to the title game
Facing Michigan's defense has not been easy, either. After last season, coach John Beilein hired Luke Yaklich, a longtime high school coach in Illinois who was working as an assistant at Illinois State, to be Michigan's defensive coordinator.
The results have been stellar. The Wolverines have the third-best defense in the country by KenPom's ratings and pargicularly focus on stopping the 3-point shot.
Michigan is 10th-best in the country in percentage of points allowed via the 3, according to KenPom. During the 14-game winning streak the Wolverines will take into the championship game, Michigan's opponents are shooting 27 percent from 3-point range.
John Beilein and Jay Wright have a lot of shared history. @tracywolfson talks to both coaches about their road to the National Championship. pic.twitter.com/pLjvhaaKay
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) April 1, 2018
Maybe even more important, Michigan has held its opponent under their season average for 3-point attempts 12 times during the 14 games.
Loyola-Chicago attempted only 10 3s in the semifinals, eight below its average. Florida State and Texas A&M were both held five attempts below their season averages in losing to Michigan in the NCAA Tournament. Houston took four fewer 3-pointers than it usually does in the second round against the Wolverines.
"You can't stop everything unless you have eight or nine guys and size across the board and unique skill sets on defense," Yaklich said Sunday. "You just try to maximize the strengths of your individual parts on defense. The way we play is to make people take the tough contested 2s."
RELATED: 11 things to watch for in Monday's national championship game
When the opposing teams do get 3-pointers off, there needs to be a hand in the face — obviously. But it's easier said than done, especially against teams that move the ball the quickly and have shooters all over the floor. No team plays the spacing game better than Villanova.
"It's just being able to contest without fouling," Yaklich said. "It's an imperfect game. You can't hope people miss. You have to make them miss. You make people miss because you contest. Our contest rate is the backbone of how we play defense."
Yaklich said Loyola was a good tuneup for preparing for Villanova. During the regular season, Big Ten rival Purdue probably presented the most similar challenges as Villanova for Michigan.
We caught up with the guys today as we prepare for tomorrow night's National Championship game. #GoBlue | #NationalChampionships pic.twitter.com/kKXyQOiTZm
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) April 1, 2018
The Boilermakers beat Michigan twice in January, going 23 for 41 from 3-point range. The second loss, a 92-88 setback on the road, led to an especially tough film session with Yaklich and the players.
"It taught us all that we have to be more cognizant of the things we can control and not to take shortcuts on the little details, like how you get through screens and those type of things," Yaklich said.
The Wolverines apparently learned their lessons. Michigan played Purdue again in the Big Ten Tournament championship game and the Boilermakers went 4 for 17 from behind the arc.
To earn the biggest prize of all, Michigan's defense will have to conquer the toughest challenge yet.
This article was written by Ralph D. Russo from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
College football preview: Predictions for the 2019 season
The 2019 college football season isn't far away. As we get closer to kickoff, we make some bold predictions for the upcoming season.
The 25 biggest college football stadiums in the country
Here are the 25 biggest college football stadiums in the United States, beginning with the Big House in Ann Arbor with a capacity of 107,601.
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With the NBA Summer League Championship set for Monday night, here are Andy Katz's 10 favorite former college players that he watched in Las Vegas.
DI Men's Basketball News
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Here are the longest active home winning streaks in DI men's basketball
Kentucky athletics director named future leader of DI Men's Basketball Committee
UNC basketball will return to the house that built Michael Jordan, James Worthy
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Watch 2019 One Shining Moment
SHOP 2019 VIRGINIA CHAMPIONSHIP GEAR
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Chester A. Arthur: The Canadian President?
Numerous candidates for both the presidency and vice presidency have faced questions regarding their eligibility for the top job based upon the Constitutional requirements for the position, which require a president to be a "natural born citizen of the United States." Most allegations tend to dissipate quickly, but one has stuck around for over 150 years.
Chester Alan Arthur, the twenty-first President of the United States, has been the subject of swirling conspiracy theories dating back to his own lifetime. The most famous of these was that he had conspired with Senator Roscoe Conkling of New York to arrange the assassination of President James Garfield at the hands of Charles Guiteau in order to retard the progress of civil service reform. This inventive theory largely died out in the aftermath of Arthur's inauguration, however, especially as he continued Garfield's work towards civil service reform.
The theories regarding Arthur's birth, however, never quite died out. Essentially, the theory that Chester A. Arthur was not a natural-born citizen rested on the background of his father. William Arthur was an Irish-born school teacher and preacher who settled in modern-day Quebec. While he frequently traveled to the United States, he was not a U.S. citizen during this time.
William Arthur later met Malvina Stone, with whom he eloped. While they later fled to Vermont, it is not clear whether Chester A. Arthur was born in Vermont or Quebec. The U.S. Information Service records that Chester A. Arthur was born on October 5, 1830. However, other sources have indicated that his birth year was actually 1829, and that Arthur used 1830 to make himself appear younger. However, could other factors be at play?
Some individuals in Arthur's hometown in Fairfield, Vermont, did not believe that a Chester Alan Arthur had been born in their town, and that an individual named Chester Abell Arthur had instead been born in their town. Chester Abell Arthur, under this theory, died early in childbirth, and his Canadian-born brother assumed the deceased brother's identity. Proponents often state that Chester A. Arthur was instead born in Dunham, Quebec, though a fire destroyed all birth records from the town, making the theory difficult to verify. There is likewise no record of the birth of a child named Chester A. Arthur in Fairfield, Vermont.
Some relatives of Chester A. Arthur believed this theory. For instance, one of his aunts believed Arthur was "born on British soil," stating "there is no doubt that the son who died in Burlington is the one said to be born at Fairfield." Other sources, such as Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America, also lent credence to the idea, suggesting that Chester A. Arthur "was probably born in Canada."
Does it really matter whether Chester A. Arthur was born in Canada? Under modern interpretations of the "natural-born citizen" clause, it does not matter at all. Arthur's mother, Malvini Stone Arthur, was born in Vermont. Given that she was clearly a U.S. citizen by birth, Chester A. Arthur would likewise be a natural-born U.S. citizen regardless of where he was born.
At the time of Arthur's birth, however, this issue had not been settled. The Naturalization Acts in place at the time granted U.S. citizenship to the children of U.S. citizens born overseas, but did not speak of "natural born U.S. citizenship." It is thus possible that Arthur would not have been considered a "natural-born U.S. citizen" at the time of his birth. However, it is more likely that, even if he was born in Canada, he was a natural-born U.S. citizen under contemporary understandings, given the language in the Naturalization Acts.
Chester A. Arthur probably was not a Canadian interloper after all. Americans can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Andrew G. Johnson August 23, 2020 August 23, 2020 Arthur, canada, canadian, Chester A Arthur, President, presidents, Quebec, us, Vermont
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The second annual birth mother meet-up, sponsored by Adoption: Share the Love, drew in a group of 70 birth parents.
"Hi! My name is Haley and I'm a Birth Mom!" I jokingly tell people that this is how I introduce myself to new friends. Now, in reality I might not be quite as sudden to announce my love for adoption, but it's pretty close. Adoption is so extremely close to me, it is a part of me, every single day.
I am a proud birth mom to a beautiful little girl whom I placed for adoption. It took me a long time to be able to slip the word "proud" into that sentence, but after six years of running from my story, I finally decided to turn around, face it all, and embrace the beautiful decision I made.
In 2012, I slowly started to open up my heart to the world by sharing my story. It was scary (okay, terrifying), but in doing so, I started to find people like me . . . finally! People like me! When they said the words "I understand," they actually meant it! They knew what emotions I was experiencing; they understood the pain, the joy, the love, the loss. It was such a liberating moment for me. Each of our stories was so different, but we all had one life changing moment in common . . . we created a family.
Once I found this new community full of love and support, I just wanted to share it with the world. I wanted every single birth parent to know what it felt like. I was angry that I had not allowed myself to find it sooner; six years of suffering when I could have had all of these beautiful people in my life. I was determined to make sure every birth parent I could possibly find would someday feel the love of fellow birth parents.
In early 2013, I threw out a crazy and very "out of my comfort zone" idea to my dear friend. What if we throw together a meet-up? For birth parents? I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but with the help of my friend and so many people supporting me, we had our first meet-up that August. We had just around 50 Birth Parents attend. It was a wonderful day full of so many fantastic people; I could not wait to do it again!
Fast forward another six months, and here I was planning for my SECOND Birth Parent Event! The support was even bigger and better, more birth parents were interested, and the love was pouring in from every angle. I wanted to make sure that every single birth parent who attended the event would leave that day with a new best friend, a new shoulder to cry on, a new person to text on those dreadful "bad days," and someone to celebrate with them when they got a new picture or update. I wanted every single one of them to understand how completely loved and appreciated they are by so many, to feel that love, and to be recognized for their complete selfless-ness.
On August 30th, 2014, I watched 70 Birth Parents walk into a room, ready to share a very tender piece of their heart. I cannot even describe this feeling to you. The love, the support, the vulnerability, the tears, the laughter, the friendships made, all of it. I have chills just thinking back on that beautiful day. I watched as so many of my dreams and wishes for these birth parents unfolded in front of me. I am so excited to continue this tradition and reach even more birth parents who are seeking support. No birth parent should feel alone in their journey: they need this, we need this, adoption needs this!


Personal training is no longer an exclusive luxury for the rich and famous because we have some of the best personal training offers in Brighton for you here. You can enjoy Personal training studios in and around the city and personal training sessions from qualifies experts who can get you on the route to a super- fit you in next to no time. A personal trainer will take you through some intense exercise programmes and train with you, both indoors and outside in the fresh air, and will also be able to advise on healthy easting and living programmes to give you a package that will make a difference. When you see the incredible low prices on personal training, you'll see why it is an unmissable investment!


MINCA's Trash'n'Treasure held last Sunday (World Environment Day) was also an opportunity for the community to demonstrate their support for a price on carbon. Scores of buyers and sellers made a very obvious and green statement by having the word 'YES" painted on some part of their body.
'Painter' Wendy Tubman said she found willing canvasses everywhere - "I painted heads, brows, arms, backs and chests, with non-toxic Australian-made body paint" she said. "It was a fun and effective way to spread the message that we support polluters being made to pay a price for the damage they are doing to our environment. We are not allowed to leave trash in the bush and are asked to pay (directly or indirectly) to dump our waste at the tip - why should the big 'invisible' polluters be allowed to freely dump their often much more dangerous waste in the environment?"
According to MINCA VP Pen Sheridan, the event "raised approx $450 last Sunday through the sale of books, clothes and other donated gear and the payment of stalls. It wasn't a bad effort considering the event came off the back of another community garage sale a week before and a big sale at All Seasons on the same day! "The morning was a terrific way of promoting MINCA's activities and profile.
"We had 20+ cards written - supporting a price on carbon - to the minister for Climate Change, Greg Combet. We also had a number of people take membership brochures...hopefully we will get few new members from this.
"Thank you to everyone who came down on the day and who donated stuff. Thanks also to the 7 stall holders - I hope you made a mint!"


Our Sacramento, CA location is currently accepting applications for experienced Insulation Installers to join our team. This position pays union wages and benefits.
Under the direction of the Superintendent, this position is responsible for installing insulation at a variety of job sites according to established work methods and procedures.
Assures there is sufficient and appropriate material and equipment on truck to adequately complete the insulation job.
Drives to and from the job site and unloads insulation materials at the job site.
Installs insulation in accordance with company standards as well as manufacturer's printed label regarding thickness and density.
Previous insulation/construction experience is preferred but not required.
Ability to use a staple gun, hammer, utility knife and work on scaffolding.


Bee's Cooking and Chromosomes and Anita's reply reminded me of a much repeated exchange whenever we are going out to shop for essentials.
He: Why do I always have to drive?
Me: Why do I always have to cook?
Me: OK but then you cook today.
Medha: Daddy! Please! Please drive!
It's not a mistake that all four - yes, only four - ingredients in Ammini's Paal Paayasam are white.
How does this fit in with food and the satiation of discerning taste buds, one might wonder! Well, I have a theory that there there are certain foods in Indian cuisine that are deliberately slow-cooked, and it is not just for the enhanced flavor. These foods require a fair amount of interaction from the cook, unlike foods cooked in the slow-cooker. Think back to the days when families were not nuclear, when the stoves in the kitchen were lit well before dawn, in preparation for the first meal of the day. There may have been a cook, or there may have been several women who cooked together. Grandmother, mother, daughter-in-law, unmarried daughter, niece, sister-in-law and so on. Every woman needed a periodic break, pun intended, and that is how the isolation during the monthly menses can be explained away. But what about the rest of the month? I think that in order to give the women a break from the fast and exhausting pace of cooking and serving meals for a large family, they were sometimes given a chance to sit by and stir the same pot and perhaps get a chance to reflect on their own needs. Maybe find some inspiration in the continuous swirls and bubbles in the pot they sat by.
I could be totally wrong, of course. Maybe I need to call it a hypothesis, and not a theory! But I found this little piece of nirvana when I made Ammini's Paal Paayasam. I let go of time. I stirred and stirred. I enjoyed the constant motion in the food and my chosen immobility. The smell of milk as it neared boiling point has never seemed so divine. Add to it the incredible aroma of rice as it cooks. The sloshing white liquid had me enthralled. At the end of it all, I was incredibly relaxed, very rejuvenated and I also had a creamy silken delight to serve with dinner.
Of course, another reason for the all-white ingredients could a symbolic toast to purity since it is a dish offered to the Gods at the temple.
Paal paayasam is believed to be the favorite dessert of Lord Krishna. On Janmashtami, Lord Krishna's birthday, paal paayasam is offered at all Krishna temples across the country.
Perhaps this was not the right dish to make at a cook together and it would have been preferable if I had cooked it in advance, with the desserts. It took up one whole burner for the entire duration of the cook together. So I was very lucky that Lee brought her induction burner and its special pot and we were able to include it anyway. My friend Charlotte stirred away and did not complain even once. Given how active the kitchen was and how involved she was with the rest of the dishes, I don't think she quite got a piece of the meditation I was talking about earlier. But the circumstances were different so my hypothesis still holds. According to me, anyway!
From Ammini Ramachandran's Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts .
Much is made of rice in Kerala, and in its best incarnation, it becomes amazingly delicate and creamy, nestled in a pool of slowly simmered, condensed, and sweetened milk. Traditionally, paayasam is cooked over a slow-burning wood fire for several hours, so that the milk cooks down and thickens. Once the sugar is added, the rice stops cooking, and the long, slow simmer will not make it into a soggy lump. Instead, the milk will condense and develop a reddish hue.
Ammini's recipe is a simpler and quicker version of the traditional slow-cooked version.
Wash and rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear. Do not drain the water completely just yet.
Heat the milk in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Do not leave it unattended as it can get scorched. I lowered the heat to medium-low and stirred every so often.
When it comes to a boil - about an hour or so - drain the water from the rice and add only the rice to the pot. Lower the heat further, and cook stirring continually to prevent scorching. It will take between 15 to 20 minutes for the rice to cook. To test if the rice is ready, try to mash some rice grains with a spoon after taking them out into a katori. It is done if it is very soft to touch and gives way easily. Cook for another five to ten minutes, if necessary. Remember that the rice will stop cooking once you add sugar!
Stir in the sugar, and cook for another ten to twelve minutes.
Pour in the heavy cream, and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat, and simmer for twenty-five to thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the pan from the stove, and keep it covered to prevent the milk from forming a skin.
Served either warm or cold but preferably along with the meal and not after the meal.
Unless you are sure you like paal paayasam very sweet, add 1 cup of sugar, stir till it is dissolved and do a taste test. Add more sugar, 1/4 cup at a time until you are sure it is at the level of sweetness you like. For us, 1 cup of sugar was not quite enough and 1 and 1/2 cups were too sweet.
A pint of heavy cream is a little over 2 cups, so you can just go ahead and add the entire pint.
Why were we stirring so much? The pots we were cooking in seemed likely to scorch the milk if it was not stirred. Unless you have cooked down milk before and are sure that it will not get scorched, keep stirring the milk as you bring it to a boil.
Resist the urge to add cardamom powder or to sprinkle cinnamom powder. Also resist the urge to add raisins or cashew nuts. Trust me, this paal paayasam simply does not need anything besides the four pure white ingredients.
Paal paayasam, made the traditional way, has a gorgeous pinkish hue. The sugars caramelize as it cooks slowly for a longer period of time. As Priya of Akshayapaatram mentioned in her comments to this post, paal paayasam can be made using condensed milk instead of heavy cream and sugar. And, you can get that coveted pinkish color within a much shorter cooking time! Ammini suggests that you first cook the rice in the whole milk, then pour a can of condensed milk in a thin stream as you stir continuously. Keep stirring until the condensed milk is properly incorporated. Simmer for another fifteen minutes, and add more sugar if you like it sweeter.
I am reluctant to call this rice pudding because it is in a class of its own. No rice pudding can touch this! And that is from someone who does not care much for Indian sweets, especially our Maharashtrian version of Paal Paayasam, also called kheer. It is certainly not ye olde rice pudding, the western version for which multiple recipes abound.
The quality of ingredients always makes a great difference in the end product; the rice used for paayasam is no different. Back home, hand-pounded unakkalari, the aristocrat of rice varieties, is used for making paayasam. But like all true aristocrats, it is scarce, and I believe it is never exported abroad. It has a delicate flavor and a consistency that has just the right cling, and it cooks into a perfect paayasam. The clinging consistency of the paayasam depends on the starchiness of the rice. The rice should possess just enough starch to cling in cooking, but not too much to become gummy.
The authentic pot for cooking paayasam is the uruli, a heavy and shallow bell-metal pan with a curved interior. A heavy pot that transmits consistent, even heat is a perfect substitute. Do not use parboiled rice for paayasam; those grains always stay separate. In the absence of the real stuff, medium-grain or long-grain white rice is the preferred substitute.
We may not have wood fires in our kitchens but I would urge you to take time off from your daily chores and sit awhile by a pot of milk and stir. Put the phone off the hook, turn off your cellphone, take off that headset, turn off that computer, let the light stream into your kitchen and let go!
Okra. Bhendi. Bhindi. A much loved vegetable in India but looked upon with distaste in the US. I could not get just why for the longest time. A friend, who was also at the cook together I hosted in December, had once remarked that okra was one vegetable that she detested. I remember offering her some bhendichi bhaji when she had dropped by and we were in the middle of a late dinner. She was thrilled with the roti but I could see her body stiffen and her mind freeze when she put a piece of bhendi in her mouth. She chewed on it slowly, relaxed visibly and said, "That was the best piece of okra I have ever had in my life!" She had only eaten slimy okra before.
I had no idea that what I take for granted about okra, is apparently not the norm for many of my friends. Until I came across Marc's Okra without the slime! So before we move on, here's a quick primer on selecting and preparing okra.
Choose young and tender okra that are smaller in size. If in doubt, try bending the tail end of the pod. It should snap readily and cleanly. Use this to get a feel for young okra and do it quickly. Don't practice on too many okra pods otherwise you will not be welcome at the grocer's again!
Wash and dry each pod completely.
Use a dry cutting board and a dry knife.
As the okra is chopped, you will see some mucilage collecting on the knife. Keep a paper towel handy and wipe the knife as often as possible.
Cook the okra with slightly more oil than normal and on high heat. My theory is that high heat seals the outer edges preventing further oozing.
Do not cover the pan while cooking as moisture undoes what you have worked hard to avoid.
Because of years of negative conditioning towards okra, I was not very keen on featuring Okra Kichadi on the menu. Then I tried it. It took bhendi to a new level. Seriously! There was no way I was not sharing it with my friends and if I could dispel some myths about the slimy okra in the bargain, I figured this would be well worth it on all fronts!
Okra, the quintessential ingredient in gumbo, has a tendency to become slimy when cooked. In this mildly spiced curry, diced okra is panfried before being added to the sauce, which prevents it from turning slimy. It is spiced mainly with mustard seeds. This curry delicately balances the heat of the sambar and spicy pickles that are typically served along with it.
Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a large saucepan.
Add chopped okra and cook on medium-high until the okra is a slightly browned at the edges.
Toss it about periodically so that it does not burn. Do not cover the saucepan. Typically, this takes about 10-15 minutes depending on high you are. In altitude, of course!
While the okra is cooking, blend the coconut, 1 tbsp mustard seeds, Thai green chillies and yogurt into a thick purée.
When the okra is done, transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Do not cover.
For those of you who are wondering...there were 32 pods in about 1 lb of okra. Yes, I counted them. He looked at the bowl and said: That's one pound worth? Only that much? I'm hoping it's finally registered why we need more than 10.
Next, prepare the tempered oil for the seasoning. Add 1 tbsp oil to the saucepan and when hot, add mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds start popping, add the dried red chilli and curry leaves. Do not allow the red chilli to burn. Turn the heat down if necessary or take the saucepan off the stove.
Pour the coconut-yogurt mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce simmers.
Gently stir in the okra.
Cover and set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
The okra kichadi is a sensual mix of flavors from few ingredients. It is so delectable that it is hard to tell that the saucepan it was cooked in was ever used at all. It's literally licked clean!
Since I don't get good quality fresh coconut, I buy frozen coconut. The best I have had is the one that says "Product of Kerala". No prizes for guessing that! The last time I made this, I bought Colombian grated coconut that was naturally so sweet that it was hard to believe that no sugar was added to the product. I thaw the coconut in the refrigerator and cut the packet in half using my kitchen shears. I use one half for curries like okra kichadi and save the other half for coconut chutney or fish curry. I generally use the second half within 1 day of thawing.
Ammini's recipe suggests blending the coconut with green chillies and mustard first, and then stirring in the yogurt. Since my blender groans while grinding coconut with little or no water, I add yogurt while blending. I use 2 cups of yogurt because we like the sauce to be a little runny and we like to smother and drown our rice in it.
The okra can get slightly slimy when covered towards the end of the process. I have found that if I cook it till it is crispier and more brown, the return of the slime can be averted.
I like to add 1 tsp of urad dal to the tempered oil. Medha loves these crunchies in her okra kichadi.
Whether it is a wedding or a religious holiday or a birthday, the recipes in this section are the standard fare at any sadya (feast).At a traditional sadya, there are no fancy table settings or beautiful vases of fresh-cut flowers, and there is no particular main course. The perfection of the dishes is more important than the presentation itself. They come just as they are, served on a large banana leaf spread on a clean floor or a simple table, with rice in the center accompanied by several vegetable dishes, both wet and dry, and several different accompaniments. And as you begin to relish the meal, so many different flavors are blended on the palate that each bite tastes different and better than the one before. Food's greatest glory is in its infinite variety of textures and flavors.
She draws you into her childhood memories. She walks you into her world of culture and traditions. She leads you deeper into the history of her land and her people. And, she regales you with vegetarian recipes from the royal family of Kochi and from the people of the bountiful Indian state of Kerala.
She is Ammini Ramachandran and she does this through her just released book, Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts . The title itself evokes visuals of lush landscapes, rich produce and delightful recipes! And the book does not disappoint.
Morning begins before sunrise in India. I still remember, from my childhood in lush, tropical Kerala in southwestern India, the sounds of a large joint-family household coming alive before daybreak. I could hear the clatter of brass pots and copper pans being washed and the rhythmic creak of the granite grinding stone pureeing coconut and green chilies for fresh chutney. Temple bells rang in the distance, announcing predawn prayers. The fragrance from the wood-burning stoves and the aroma of fresh decoction coffee permeated the entire house. Soon, the sizzle of dosa batter falling on the hot griddle would entice everyone to get up and get ready for breakfast.
Wouldn't you want to read more? I sure did. And I am still finding new gems in this just released cookbook, for example, Ammini's thoughts that resonate with healthy, environmentally sound food.
The two most important aspects of this vegetarian cooking are seasonality and flexibility. This cuisine is all about creating the tastiest and most satisfying dishes from a few fresh, seasonally available ingredients.
It's the perfect kind of book to curl up with and experience Kerala cooking at its best. A little bit of a paradox, that! But yes, it's entirely possible!
Back home, we are taught to cultivate a sense of smell and color, and we try to accomplish perfection in cooking through exploration. Almost every ingredient is measured only by hand—a handful, a little, a pinch, and so on. Cooking is an expression of the cook's personal tastes and preferences. The joy of it is in experimenting. The delight in cooking is not necessarily derived from the end product alone, but from the endless possibilities available for flavoring a dish. I urge you to use these recipes for ideas and suggestions. Improvise, but never let a cookbook order you around.
If eating by the season did not strike a chord with you, surely this last excerpt must!
This is no ordinary cookbook. The recipes have been adapted for modern kitchens, with suggestions for substitutions and variations. There is a comprehensive glossary that provides the origins and history of each grain and spice. There are a mind-boggling number of recipes, 175 to be precise! There is an amazing section on the spice trade in the Indian Ocean and Kerala's cultural history. It's no surprise then that Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts was selected to be Publisher's Choice!
Ammini is the grand-daughter of the Maharaja of Kochi and was brought up in a large joint family of matrilineal Nayars. She has delved deep into her past and her roots over the last seven years to put together this masterpiece. A natural at culinary arts, it was a surprise to learn that Ammini had made her career in finance before this. She is an accomplished writer, having contributed to several food journals. I first found her on Pepper Trail, her web site where she chronicles the history, traditions and culture of Kerala. I was therefore thrilled to find that she was an active member of the food forums that I frequented. Never flippant, always cordial and extremely forthcoming, interactions with Ammini have been both enjoyable as well as educational.
On December 3 last year, I invited four of my friends for a cook together. We couldn't meet over Thanksgiving so this was the next best time, before everyone became busy with the upcoming holidays. I was looking for recipes for this rather ambitious, never-before-attempted-by-me event and I wasn't quite sure what kind of a menu to put together. I was thrilled and very honored when Ammini agreed to let me use some of her recipes for this cook together.
The menu was entirely vegetarian and was met with hearty approval by all my friends. I left the door open for a meat dish and sure enough, Hyderabadi Marag was added to the list by popular demand.
Ammini's Fresh Tomato Chutney was also on the menu but we dropped it as we had too much going all at the same time! (I will be sharing the recipe as I've made it several times since.) Think about it: 5 women, one a little sick but who wouldn't miss this event, bumping into each other in my little kitchen! We were cutting, chopping, stirring, talking, laughing, tasting...oh! it was so much fun. A little disorganized, but a lot of fun!
It was a good thing that I made the desserts the previous day! I made Gajjar halwa and SH's delectable Coconut Burfi. Chai, red wine, sparkling cider and beer flowed freely.
We started cooking at about 3pm and dinner was finally served at almost 7pm - over an hour late! There were 10 of us for dinner that night as the men were invited to join us for the feast. And a feast, it was! It wouldn't have been possible to share so much of India with my friends if it hadn't been for Ammini's help and guidance.
Stay tuned for a peek at the recipes that Ammini so graciously shared with me, marked with ** in the menu. And while you're waiting, go check out her web site, read an excerpt from the introduction to the book, let your eyes be pleasantly surprised by the fantastic contents and, if you're convinced, order Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts . If you need more cajoling, wait a bit, see the recipes come alive on Indian Food Rocks and I am sure you will be convinced that this book is a must-have. Remember that there are very few books on vegetarian Kerala cuisine and even fewer that are well-written. This is a very special cookbook that I hope to pass on to my daughter, especially since she is already enjoying the results so much!
Update: Whoops! Comments were not enabled for this post earlier! That was not by design but a mistake. They are now enabled again! Thanks, Anita!
Except that all of us really prefer potatoes. No kidding! We will forego the delicious cold treat for another helping of that terrific tuber.
I have been enchanted by Gini's Oven roasted potatoes with Indian spices ever since she posted them over a year ago, with perfectly broiled lamb chops. It was only this January that I actually did something about it besides periodically going to Gini's blog to salivate over the pictures!
Broiled lamb chops and roasted potatoes soon became a mid-week favorite. Instead of indulging in some touch-and-feel-and-put-it-back-on-the-shelf therapy at Kohl's, I started going to Sam's Club to pick up a tray of delicious New Zealand lamb chops while Medha was at piano lessons. We'd hurry home and by the time she was done with her shower (read: finished all the hot water), a delicious meal would be ready for the two of us, with plenty leftover for the next day.
Coarsely pound all the spices using your mortar-pestle.
Sprinkle the spices and salt over the chopped potatoes and toss till they are covered evenly.
Drizzle the olive oil over the spiced potatoes and toss again.
If these are being cooked as a side for broiled lamb chops, then put these in the oven with the lamb. When you turn the lamb over, toss the potatoes, too. Um...otherwise broil these and pull them out after 10 minutes or so to toss them about and return to broil till done - another 10 minutes or so. It really depends on the potatoes so you will have to wing it as far as the total time is concerned.
I served these to-die-for potatoes with lamb chops, a refreshing salad and rumali rotis that I found in the freezer section at my Indian grocer. What I loved about this meal was that it was quick, with minimal clean-up. It was also the perfect meal to satisfy those mid-week cravings and chase away the winter blues.
I'm sending this over to the ever resourceful and entertaining Vaishali as my very first entry ever in Indira's Jihva for Ingredients. The ingredient in the spotlight is Potato!
Yahoo! India stole content from Malayalam food bloggers to create content on the fly for their new Malayalam portal. They stole images from non-Malayalam bloggers, too. Shame!
Worse still, they shirked any responsibility saying they were misled by their subcontractor, Webdunia. More shame! To both!
They did it once. They need to be stopped before they do it again on the other regional language portals they are bound to launch in India. They - Yahoo! - need to acknowledge intellectual property and copyrights of those whose contents they plagiarized. This holds for every company seeking to launch a portal in India and the world over.
Our content is not yours for the taking.
Thank you, Sandeepa, for the image!


Home St. - It's all about sprouting and activating!
Our buns have been baked with sprouted and activated seeds meaning the nutrient store has been unlocked, making them more bioavailable. Thanks little seeds for coming to life for us!


Division four premier: Shepparton Park.
Shepparton Park's division four grand final win against Dookie on Saturday offered a glimpse into the future.
Lachlan Robertson, 11, capped his first Goulburn Valley Bowls Division Saturday pennant season with a premiership as the Parkers pulled away to win 105-84 at Shepparton Golf.
Robertson, the son of star Benalla coach Matt, played a superb game leading for skipper Wes Gibbs in a rink alongside his grandfather Glenn Lockwood (third) and Steve Russell (second).
Dookie's Ian McDermott earned a shot on the last end to pip Gibbs 23-22, but the Parkers won the other three rinks to clinch the club's first division four flag.
Bill Chilcott's rink of Vince Mazzella (lead), Angelo Russo (second) and the experienced Reg Jeffery (third) combined wonderfully for a 28-17 rout of Bill Kirkby's quartet.
Chilcott raced to a 15-shot lead at one stage and was the difference at smoko when Park was just six shots ahead overall.
Doug Freeman pulled away in the last five ends to beat Dookie's Gerald ''Speedy'' Ryan 28-19, while division four's leading skipper Stan Hester overcame a deficit to reel in Neil Swainston 27-25.
Hester lost just once in 16 matches this season as Park converted the minor premiership into the club's lone pennant flag this season.
The Parkers had all five Saturday teams and three of four Tuesday sides make finals.


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Arrival in Athens. Meeting with our local tourist guide and transfer to the hotel in Athens or in Mati. After the accommodation in the hotel, a short info-discussion about the trip follows and subsequently a common dinner occurs.
In the morning begins the visitation of Athens, the cradle of the European Culture. Sightseeing through the Greek metropolis, past the Byzantine museum, the War museum, the Palace, the ancient stadium, the Zappeion, the Temple of Zeus and the Arch of Hadrian. Further across the Syntagma Square, face to the Parliament and the monument of the unnamed soldier. Going on to the highest rock of Athens, where the Acropolis stands proudly, facing the entire city. Here we visit the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of the city: the Propylea, the monumental gateway to the Acropolis; the Temple of Athena Nike, resting on a rocky outcrop, positioned so the Athenian people could worship the goddess of victory (= Athena Nike) in hope for prosperous outcomes in the war's endeavors; the Erechtheion, associated with some of the most ancient and holly relics of the Athenians; and finally we stop to admire the Parthenon, an enduring symbol of ancient Greece, the Athenian Democracy and the western civilization. Built exclusively with pentelic marble during the 5th century BC, when Athenian Empire was at its highest power, the Parthenon took its name Athena Parthenos, Athens' patron goddess. A visit at the Acropolis museum follows afterwards. This brand new museum has been founded to exhibit all the significant finds from the Sacred Rock and its foothills. Finally, after a walk around Plaka, return to your hotel for dinner and accommodation.
Today it's time to leave Athens and drive to Delphi. In Ancient Greece, people used to travel to Delphi to seek the wisdom of the famous Oracle. The Sanctuary of Delphi, set within a most spectacular landscape, was for many centuries the cultural and religious center and symbol of unity for the Hellenic world. Your guide will lead you through the site; the Temple of Apollo, where the statues and all other offerings to the god were kept and the cult rituals took place; the Treasury of the Athenians, a small building which contains trophies from important Athenian victories and other votive objects dedicated to the sanctuary; the Ancient Theatre, where the musical contests of the Pythian games and other religious festivals took place; the Sacred Way, the main road leading from the entrance of the temenos to the altar of the Chians and the temple of Apollo; the Ancient Gymnasium, one of the most complete examples of an ancient gymnasium complex, which included the gymnasium proper, a palaestra and baths; the Ancient Stadium, one of the best preserved monuments of its kind, situated above the sanctuary of Apollo, in the highest part of the ancient city and closely connected to the history of the Pythian games; the Castalian Fountain, where Pythia, the priests and the temple staff washed and where the water used to clean the temple came from; the Tholos of Athena Pronaia, perhaps the most characteristic monument at Delphi, a masterpiece of Classical architecture. The last part of your visit takes place at the Museum of Delphi, an archaeological museum which exhibits the history of the Delphic sanctuary. In the afternoon, you drive to Peloponnese and reach your hotel in the area of Corinth for 5 overnights. Dinner and accommodation.
The day begins with a drive to Epidaurus in order to visit the Sanctuary of the god-physician Asklepios, the most famous healing center of the Greek and Roman world. It is considered the birthplace of medicine and is thought to have had more than 200 dependent spas in the eastern Mediterranean. Afterwards you will stand at the Great Theater of Epidaurus, this amazingly well-preserved, 2300-year-old open-air theater in Epidaurus combines perfect acoustics with elegance and symmetrical proportions. Continue for a short stop in a beautiful and romantic city, Nauplia, the first capital of the newly born Greek state back in 1823. Later, you reach Mycenae with the ancient ruins dating from 1350 to 1200 BC and described by Homer. Τhe kingdom of mythical Agamemnon, is the most important and richest palatial center of the Late Bronze Age in Greece. You will visit among others the Treasure of Atreus, the most impressive of the preserved Mycenaean tholos tombs; the Lion Gate and the Cyclopean Walls. Finally, return back to your hotel for dinner and accommodation.
In the morning, begins your excursion to Olympia. You 've watched the Olympics in TV, now it's your chance to walk among the remains in Olympia, where the Olympics began in 776 BC. The Games were held in honor of Zeus, king of the gods, and were staged every four years at Olympia. People from all over the Greek world came to watch and take part. Your guide will lead you through the Olympian monuments, among others, the Temple of Zeus, the largest temple at Peloponnese, a perfect example of Doric architecture; the Temple of Hera; the Bouleuterion, the council house, where the athletes registered and drew lots, and where their names and the program of events were announced; the Prytaneion, the administrative center of the sanctuary's political life and of the Olympic Games; the Ancient Stadium, where the ancient Olympic Games and the Heraia, the women's games in honor of Hera, were held; the Ancient Gymnasium, where athletes practiced track and field and the pentathlon; the Palaestra, used to practice boxing, wrestling and jumping; the Philippeion, dedicated to Zeus by Philip II of Macedon after his victory at Chaironeia in 338 BC, proving the important political role of the sanctuary at that time. The last part of your visit takes place at the Olympian Archaeological Museum, which presents the long history of the most celebrated sanctuary of antiquity, where the Olympic games were born. In the afternoon, you take the road back to the area of Corinth for dinner and accommodation.
Today your excursion begins with a small tour at Sparta, the mythical place of Homeric heroes. Authentic natural beauty, picturesque villages, crystal clear waters, lush vegetation, interesting flora and fauna, imposing snowy peaks make up the beautiful landscape of Sparta. Your next stop is at Mystras, "the wonder of the Morea". During the Byzantine period, Mystras used to be the second most important town after Constantinople. Among others you will visit the Medieval Castle and several Byzantine churches and discover the region around, which is crossed by many trekking paths, leading to beautiful spots. In the afternoon, return back to your hotel for dinner and accommodation.
First visiting point for today is the Ancient Corinth, once most important port and effective place of Apostle Paul, who visited Korinth in his first trip two times and stayed there 18 months. He established in Korinth the largest christian community in Europe. You will visit also the small port in Lechaio, where Paulus first arrived in Corinth. Among others you can see the ruins at Pirini fountain, the courtyard of Apollo, the foundations of a significant Roman basilica, the temple of the goddess Tyche (Fortune) or Apollo Klarios, the stores in the agora, the temple of Apollo, the ruins of the theatre and the Lerna fountain. Drive further to the port of Isthmia, where a cruise through the Corinth Canal will follow. Return to hotel for accommodation and dinner.


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Q: Functions in for loop. Only the last element is affected This is a part of my chrome extension, but the part that I'm not understanding is from javascript.
let elementsArray = [
    document.getElementById("main_keywords"),
    document.getElementById("search_side"),
    document.getElementById("news_emotion"),
    document.getElementById("news_comments")
];

for (elem of elementsArray) {
  var key = elem.getAttribute("id");

  chrome.storage.sync.set({ key: false }, function() {
      console.log(key + " saved : " + false);

      chrome.storage.sync.get({ key }, function (result) {
        console.log(key + " is " + result.key)
      });
  });
}

My intention was, for every element in elementsArray, it should set {key:false} to chrome.storage api using the id of the element. The result was that only the last element of elementsArray, which is news_comments, was saved 4 times. Console output is as below.
news_comments saved : false
news_comments saved : false
news_comments saved : false
news_comments saved : false
news_comments is false
news_comments is false
news_comments is false
news_comments is false

Chrome APIs are asynchronous but I don't have solid understanding on this concept although I'm not sure if this has to do with that.

A: Create a function and call it with argument which will save the key variable in its scope and will remember the value.
When your code using that variable is inside loop, your loop will end and the callbacks for get()are still pending (async callbacks). So when those callbacks will be executed, that key variable must have been updated to last value.
But when you move that code into a function, and call that function inside a loop. On every iteration, that function will be in invoked with a new value and that will remain for there for the code inside that function even value of passed variable outside has been updated but value passed to function will remain same due to scope of function. Read more about scopes in JavaScript.

const update = key => {
  chrome.storage.sync.set({ [key]: false }, function() {
      console.log(key + " saved : " + false);
      chrome.storage.sync.get({ key }, function (result) {
        console.log(key + " is " + result.key)
      });
  });
}
for (elem of elementsArray) {
  var key = elem.getAttribute("id");
  update(key);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
About MR. WILL
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Reese's Pieces.
Such a fun Cocktail Night celebrating the Season 2
"Unlimited" Salad x Breadsticks. We miss our cross
It ain't no lie! 👋👋👋 #ByeByeBye #NSync
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We got to join the international press junket for
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Let's make 2021 about compassion. When people don'
This is a Stick Up. Empty your pockets and give me
happy new year! 🎉
#2020 was bad, but it wasn't all bad. In fact, I a
So thrilled to share Team Mr. Will's Top Tens of 2
Winter wonders. •Social Princessting with @api
WORLD-FAMOUS SELFIES
#FIRSTLOOK: "THE DISNEY FAMILY SINGALONG" NOW ON DISNEY+
In case you missed it, Disney's "The Disney Family Singalong" is now available on Disney+ in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The celebration of all things Disney, hosted by Ryan Seacrest is here for you to enjoy whenever you want!
Appearances and performances from home include those by: Christina Aguilera, Erin Andrews, Bobby Bones, Michael Bublé, Kristin Chenoweth, Auliʻi Cravalho, Darren Criss, Luke Evans, Elle Fanning, Jordan Fisher, Josh Gad, Ariana Grande, Josh Groban, Derek Hough, Julianne Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, Tori Kelly, Little Big Town, Demi Lovato, Alan Menken, Kenny Ortega, Donny Osmond, Thomas Rhett, Amber Riley, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner, John Stamos, and an epic performance of "We're All in This Together" with Kenny Ortega and his friends from "High School Musical," "Descendants," "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," "Zombies" and beyond, including Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Raven-Symoné, Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, Sarah Jeffery, Meg Donnelly, Milo Manheim, Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo, Sofia Wylie, Charli D'Amelio, Dixie D'Amelio; and additional surprise appearances. Plus, James Monroe Iglehart and the Broadway Company of Disney's "ALADDIN" will reunite for a mesmerizing rendition of "Friend Like Me".
See a Sneak Peek of Christina Aguilera performing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight":
Ariana Grande performing "I Won't Say I'm in Love"
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
#FIRSTLOOK – DISNEY'S 2021 RELEASE SCHEDULE
#FIRSTLOOK: "INSIDE PIXAR" TRAILER
#FIRSTLOOK: "WONDERFUL WORLD OF MICKEY MOUSE" TRAILER
#FIRSTLOOK: "MARVEL'S 616" TRAILER
Note: All fields are required to fill in!
#COOKING: BLOOD ORANGE CHICKEN RECIPE
#FIRSTLOOK: STREAMING OPTIONS ON DISNEY+ ON EARTH DAY 50
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