text:
KRAD's Inaccurate Guide to Life
Keith R.A. DeCandido's mad ramblings
who is this Keith fella?
Keith's web site
Keith's Facebook
Keith's Twitter
Dead Kitchen Radio: The Keith R.A. DeCandido Podcast
higher, further, faster: Captain Marvel has set a new record for comments….
Posted on September 29, 2019 by krad418
It's not entirely surprising to see which movies in "4-Color to 35-Millimeter: The Great Superhero Movie Rewatch" get lots of comments and which ones don't. If the movie has Superman or Batman or the X-Men in it, or if it's part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then it's likely to get tons more comment than if any of those things aren't true.
But today Captain Marvel finally unseated Avengers: Age of Ultron for the top spot in most comments. Can't say I'm surprised, given how much this movie meant to a lot of people and, conversely, how many people are really invested in trashing this movie about a powerful woman, gee gosh golly whillikers. Plus there's the people in the middle who are neither enthusiastic about it nor revolted by it, who have made their voices heard as well.
Here's the current leaderboard (all those with 75 comments or more):
180: Captain Marvel
168: Man of Steel
167: The Dark Knight Rises
133: Captain America: The First Avenger
121: Iron Man 3
121: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
118: X-Men
113: Ant-Man
108: Superman, Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
107: The Dark Knight
106: Watchmen
104: Iron Man
102: Deadpool 2
96: The Amazing Spider-Man
96: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
93: Thor: The Dark World
92: X-Men: The Last Stand
90: Justice League
89: Wonder Woman (2017)
88: Avengers
83: Suicide Squad
82: Spider-Man (2002)
82: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
80: Flash Gordon (1980) and Flash Gordon (2007)
80: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
79: Thor
79: X-Men: Days of Future Past
76: Spider-Man 2
76: Guardians of the Galaxy
76: Fantastic Four (2015)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Movie, Superheroes, Tor.com | Leave a reply
4-Color to 35-Millimeter: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
"He said, 'Welcome to the frickin' Guardians of the Galaxy.' Only he didn't say 'frickin'.'"
"I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"
"I am Groot."
The great superhero movie rewatch does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
An excerpt:
But as with the first film, the real stars are Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and especially Karen Gillan. Nebula's anguish and pain is etched on every blue pore of Gillan's face, as she perfectly embodies the victim of abuse that she and Gamora both are after being raised by the mad Titan. And Cooper and Diesel continue to be a delight, with Diesel making every (now high-pitched) "I am Groot" meaningful, while Cooper makes Rocket the most complex character—and, yet, still the funniest. He gets all the best lines—in a movie full of great ones—and also has the most pathos and one of the strongest emotional journeys.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Marvel, Movie, Review, Rewatch, Superheroes, Tor.com | Leave a reply
a nice review of The Case of the Claw
Heather Grove on her Errant Dreams blog has reviewed my 2011 novel The Case of the Claw, the first story featuring the Super City Police Department. It's a very favorable review, too!
The pacing is excellent, with the police commissioner and mayor raining crap down on Garcia's head with every day that goes by without the Claw having been apprehended. People continue to die, and various calamities pull the police in all different directions. There's a hostage situation, a Pulitzer-winning gruff journalist, heroes with names like "Spectacular Man" and "The Bruiser," and nifty pieces of technology passed along by Ms. Terrific. It's satisfying as both a mystery and a super hero story!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged My Books, Review, Super City Cops | Leave a reply
15 years of karate and counting
On 20 September 2019, I spent four hours at the dojo. I taught a private lesson, I did two separate hours working with black-belt promotion candidates on various things they need to know, and I had my usual Friday night fighting class.
This was appropriate behavior for that day, as it was also the fifteenth anniversary of the day I stepped into the dojo for the first time.
On 20 September 2004, at the age of 35 and facing myriad physical infirmities, and having spent my entire adult life not exercising anything but my futility, I decided to take up martial arts.
Fifteen years later, I'm a third-degree black belt, one of the senior members of the dojo, one of the regular teachers at the dojo, and if you'd told me sixteen years ago that that would be the case, I'd have thought you were talking to the wrong person. But becoming a karateka has been one of the best things I've done with my life. Besides the physical and mental benefits, it's also turned me into a teacher, which I absolutely love doing.
So happy anniversary to my karate career. Here's to the next fifteen years…..
(The picture is the oldest one I could find of me doing karate, from my promotion to advanced green belt in 2007. I couldn't find any pics of me from any earlier, sadly.)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged karate | Leave a reply
4-Color to 35-Millimeter: Captain Marvel
We kick off Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the chronologically earliest one of the bunch, Captain Marvel, which mostly takes place in 1995 (with bits in 1989 and 2019). The great superhero movie rewatch looks at the MCU's long overdue first solo female-led film.
This is a truly magnificent movie, an absolute delight from beginning to end. Great performances, great writing, great directing, plus a nice inversion of the origin formula that Marvel has used a bit too often. It took fourteen years for there to be a Marvel movie that starred a woman by herself as the solo lead, and indeed it was the failure of Elektra (a bad spinoff of a bad movie) and Catwoman the same year that was often cited as "proof" that women can't lead superhero films. Strangely, the failures of Hulk and Daredevil two years earlier didn't lead to similar complaints about men leading superhero films. Wonder why…
Many of the dopey complaints that have been made about this movie (I hasten to add, not all the complaints—there are legitimate criticisms to be made of the film) are pretty much just code for "I don't wanna watch a movie with a girl."
a great review of Alien: Isolation
Every once in a while, as an author you get a review that makes you punch the air and say, "Yes! They got it! Woo!"
This is one such: Amy Walker of the Trans Scribe book review blog reviewed Alien: Isolation, and she totally got what I was going for.
Decandido doesn't just build this new backstory, but has the difficult job of condensing down the whole game-play scenario into a story that wont leave readers bored. Whilst walking through countless corridors for hours on end worked for the game, thanks in large part to the massive levels of tension the game built, it wasn't going to make an entertaining read. Thankfully, the books narrative is able to capture a lot of this atmosphere, and hits all of the major beats of the game.
This doesn't just include the big story moments, which of course would be included, but little things like the scrawled graffiti players find on the walls, Amanda making smoke-bombs out of scrap materials, and having to collect tools to progress through the station. Sometimes game adaptations can feel like poor novels as the writers work hard to include as much of the game-play experience as they can. I found this to be true in the Resident Evil novel series, where the game adaptations were not quite as good as the stories that the writer was able to craft themselves. Thankfully, this kind of thing didn't happen here, largely thanks to the inclusion of all of the backstory segments.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alien, Horror, My Books, Review, Science Fiction | Leave a reply
from Patreon: toxic masculinity and Carol Danvers
I wrote this piece in February, originally submitting it to Tor.com as part of the ramp-up to the release of Captain Marvel. However, Tor was inundated with pitches, and they decided to pass on it, so I ran it on Patreon instead. With my rewatch of Captain Marvel coming this Friday on Tor.com, I thought it would be good to run this rant about the appalling treatment of Carol Danvers in the leadup to Avengers #200 in 1980. Every once in a while it's good to see that, as crappy as things are, it used to be a lot worse.
My first exposure to Carol Danvers was in her Ms. Marvel identity, specifically in the 1977 trade paperback The Superhero Women. One of a bunch of reprint anthologies Simon & Schuster published in the late 1970s, presented by Stan Lee, this volume included important stories featuring various female characters, among them the debut issue of Ms. Marvel published the same year the book came out. It was part of my introduction to Marvel's heroes, and eventually I started buying much of Marvel's stable—including the comics featuring the X-Men and the Avengers.
The ones that really stuck out in my head, beyond that initial introduction, were Avengers #200 and Avengers Annual #10, published in, respectively, 1980 and 1981.
I picked up the annual as a back issue a few years after it was published. I'd been reading Uncanny X-Men, and Danvers started showing up as a supporting character. I knew she'd been Ms. Marvel from that Superhero Women trade, but she had apparently had her powers stolen by the villain Rogue. So I tracked down the issue where that happened.
Most of the annual is a pretty straightforward battle between the Avengers and the then-recently-formed Mystique-led version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. But the issue opens with Danvers having her powers and memory stolen by Rogue.
With the help of Professor Charles Xavier, the X-Men's mentor and a powerful telepath, Danvers gets many of her memories back, and the final pages of the annual are her upbraiding the Avengers for their behavior in Danvers's previous appearance in Avengers #200. This led me to then tracking down that issue as well.
Danvers was originally created in 1968 as a supporting character in the stories featuring Captain Mar-Vell of the Kree, a.k.a. Captain Marvel—first in Marvel Super-Heroes, then in Captain Marvel. She became the hero Ms. Marvel in her self-titled first issue (the one I read in The Superhero Women), as Marvel was trying very hard to keep up with the current trends and have a "women's libber" as a headliner.
While Ms. Marvel only lasted twenty-three issues, the character also appeared on and off in Avengers, where her strength and independence made the very old-fashioned Wonder Man very uncomfortable.
The storyline that culminated in the landmark 200th issue of Avengers is one that I read then, and read now, and continue to be utterly appalled every single time I read it.
Over the course of the previous several issues, there'd been a subplot where Danvers collapsed on a beach while walking with the Scarlet Witch, and turned out to be three months pregnant, despite not having actually had sex in the previous three months. (That wasn't spoken out loud, but merely implied heavily, as it was 1980 and the Comics Code Authority didn't let you talk about such stuff openly.)
Danvers gives birth at the top of issue #200. She herself is appalled by the whole thing, and feels used—but the rest of the Avengers are mostly all giddy and happy about her having a baby. Never mind that the pregnancy can't possibly be natural, you've got the Wasp being all coo-ey, the Beast playing teddy bear to the kid, and the rest of the Avengers expressing surprisingly little concern for Danvers.
It gets worse when the baby grows up in a day's time, and turns out to be the son of the time-master Immortus. When Immortus disappeared (due to time-travel shenanigans in a previous Avengers issue), Marcus found himself bored all alone in Immortus's time-neutral realm of Limbo. So he kidnapped Danvers, wooed her for weeks, and eventually they fell in love.
Well, kinda. He wanted a way to get to Earth, and Marcus himself describes the process thusly: "While I knew Immortus's devices could bend your will to mine, I didn't want you that way. And so I set about…winning you." And then on the next page: "Finally, after relative weeks of such efforts—and, admittedly, with a subtle boost from Immortus' machines—you became mine." To be clear, the technical term for this is rape. Then he sent her back to Earth a half-second after he took her, with no memory of what happened.
He built a machine to stabilize himself so his presence on Earth wouldn't be disruptive to the timestream. (Because of him, time was becoming wonky, with dinosaurs and futuristic gun emplacements and knights in shining armor all parading through New York.) Unfortunately, because he was parsimonious with details of who he was and what he was doing, Hawkeye assumed he was a bad guy and destroyed his machine, meaning he'd have to return to Limbo.
And then Danvers offers to go with him out of the blue. She says she has a connection to him and that she's been denying her feelings for a long time (because as we all know, feminists are really just women who are trying so hard to be liberated that they forget how to be women, ack, gack, barf), and she goes with him, not even saying goodbye to the other Avengers, just buggering off with this random interdimensional rapist dude.
Said random dude has, at this point done the following: kidnapped Danvers, tried to "win" her by kidnapping more people (William Shakespeare to write her a sonnet, Ludwig von Beethoven to perform a piece of music in her honor, and, my favorite, Marie Antoinette to put her in silk dresses, because that's what ladies want, am I right, guys?), used "a subtle boost from Immortus' machines" (nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more) to make her fall in love with him, had sex with her against her will, wiped her memory of that entire thing, placed himself inside her body and simulated a pregnancy on fast-forward (thus freaking her the hell out), and then grew from an infant to adulthood in a day, revealing himself to be the son of one of the Avengers' most powerful foes.
And when she decides to go with him, do the Avengers say, "Uh, no, maybe don't go off with the crazy person who kidnapped and brainwashed and raped you"? No, they just let her go. Thor gives them a lift back to Limbo, for crying out loud.
The ways in which this was appalling are legion, as a character who has been one of Marvel's strongest female characters is written out of the Marvel Universe so she can go off and have a love affair with her combination rapist/son. The yucky butch feminist gets to do what women really want: have a baby and live happily ever after with a good-looking man, and better yet, they're both the same guy!
Luckily, it only lasted a year. Chris Claremont—by this time, one of Marvel's powerhouse writers, as he was responsible for scripting Uncanny X-Men, Marvel's best-selling and most acclaimed title—wrote the 1981 Avengers Annual for the express purpose of calling Avengers #200 out. Indeed, Claremont's position as Marvel's rock star writer is probably why he was able to get away with it, given that Avengers #200 was scripted by David Michelinie—one of Marvel's stalwarts—based on a plot by Michelinie, artists George Pérez (who also penciled the issue) and Bob Layton, and Marvel's editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. (Four guys plotted this story, and it never occurred to any of them that celebrating one of their flagship team titles' 200th issue with an interdimensional space rape was perhaps not a great idea…) Claremont was also the primary writer on Ms. Marvel's comic from 1977-1979, having taken over scripting chores with issue #3 and continuing until it was cancelled with issue #23 (and beyond, as #24 was written and illustrated and #25 was partially done when the cancellation order came in; those two issues were eventually finished and released in two issues of Marvel Super-Heroes in 1992).
In the annual, Claremont established that Marcus continued to age rapidly when he returned to Limbo, and grew old and died in a matter of weeks. Once he died, his brainwashing of Danvers ended, and she was able to work her way back to Earth. Livid at the Avengers, Danvers moved to San Francisco, and never even contacted her former teammates.
I didn't read Avengers #200 until after reading the annual, so I was a bit biased, having first encountered the story as described in flashback, but I can imagine that readers encountering it for the first time in 1980 probably thought it was a love story with a happy ending. After all, isn't that what every woman wants? Sigh.
The phrase "toxic masculinity" wasn't really a thing in the 1980s when I read those comics as a teenager, but the story of Ms. Marvel's "love affair" with Marcus is a classic example of it. Marcus's behavior is criminal, yet the Avengers go along with it because it's twue wuv! Never mind that Marcus said right there in front of them that he used "a subtle boost from Immortus' machines," thus clearly making it a sexual assault.
That's honestly the part that I had a problem with even as a teenager in the Reagan years. Marcus said he didn't want Danvers by brainwashing her with the fancy-shmancy technology in Limbo, but we only had his word for that—and even then, he admitted to using that technology. And none of the other Avengers thought it was odd that this teammate who, let's face it, wore her feminism on her sleeve would just go off with this asshole who was reduced to roofie-ing her with technology after he failed to woo her with poetry, music, and fancy dresses. (That fancy dresses thing still bugs me. I mean, Marie Antoinette? She was dressed by other people, what makes you think she'd even know where to find a nice dress? Would've made more sense to have Marcus kidnap the royal seamstress, or whatever, but that would've required caring about the nuances of 18th-century work done by women.) Oh, and she goes off to live happily ever after with the guy she gave birth to, and nobody thinks that's weird…
But if you look back through Ms. Marvel's tenure on the team for the previous twenty or so issues, after Michelinie took over from Shooter as the regular writer, you see that she's regularly marginalized and belittled. Often her feminist pronouncements are shot down by one of her teammates, or she makes defensive assumptions about said teammates that are also shot down. Right before she collapses from nausea from her sudden super-fast pregnancy, she's convincing the Scarlet Witch that it's okay to not want to have children, at which point she becomes pregnant herself, as her punishment, I guess, for saying such a horrible thing. (It's not just Ms. Marvel, mind you. The Wasp's effectiveness as a hero is virtually nonexistent during this run, and at one point Hawkeye defeats the Shi'ar villain Deathbird, and right before she's carried off to prison, he grabs her and kisses her as something to remember him by. Shudder.)
However, what makes this a memorable Carol Danvers story to me isn't what led up to it, but the final story that told the truth about Marcus in Avengers Annual #10. Danvers speaks a brutal truth to the Avengers, telling them that they screwed up. That was impressive as hell to me as a teenager, that the superheroes could actually be wrong, and admit to it.
Danvers herself says in the annual: "You screwed up, Avengers. That's human. What's also human is the ability to learn from those mistakes, to grow, to mature. If you do that—even a little—then perhaps what I went through will have a positive meaning."
And Danvers was prophetic in one sense: getting her out of the Avengers and becoming a supporting character in the X-Men led to her being experimented on by the Brood and being transformed into the immensely powerful Binary. The tagline of the 2012 Captain Marvel series in which Danvers finally took on the Captain Marvel name (having previously gone by Ms. Marvel, Binary, and Warbird) was "Earth's Mightiest Hero," and it was gaining those powers in the pages of Uncanny X-Men #163-164 that led to her deserving that description. And she wouldn't have been with the X-Men on their adventure against the Brood (a classic six-issue storyline from 1982-1983 that marked Paul Smith's debut as the artist on the book about halfway through) if she hadn't been so utterly trashed as a character in Avengers.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Marvel, Patreon | 3 Replies
4-Color to 35-Millimeter: Fantastic Four (2015), Marvel's Inhumans, and Venom
With all my travelling, I haven't updated y'all with my superhero movie rewatches. Sorry about that. The last three weeks, I've covered three Marvel properties that are a) not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe directly and b) terrible. We've got the 2015 Fantastic Four, which takes far too much from the awful Ultimate Fantastic Four comic, 2017's Marvel's Inhumans, the first two episodes of the horrendous TV miniseries released theatrically due to a partnership with IMAX to make it, and 2018's Venom, a Spider-Man-adjacent movie that wasn't allowed to reference Spider-Man.
Some excerpts:
Fantastic Four:
It's funny, one of the reasons for the wholesale changes to the FF's origin is because a lot of the origin from 1961 is dumber than a box of hammers. Richards and Grimm taking the space flight made sense, but Susan's insistence on going along just because she's dating Richards is specious at best, and Johnny's reasoning is literally, "And I'm taggin' along with sis—so it's settled." And yet, while they gave Johnny and Susan actual reasons to be part of the science project that gives them powers, they fail to manage it with Grimm, as turning it into a capsule that travels dimensions removes the need for a pilot.
Instead, Grimm comes along because Richards wants him there, which is no better than "And I'm taggin' along with sis—so it's settled."
Inhumans:
One of the reasons why S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, the Punisher, and Peggy Carter all worked on television is because they're all smaller scale. Most of the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (past and present) are normal folks with cool toys, and the occasional super-powered foe. The folks done on Netflix are all street-level and don't require much by way of fancy-shmancy F/X.
The Inhumans, though, are a whole 'nother kettle of beeswax, he says, mixing his metaphors. All the Inhumans have significant powers, and they also include a big dog and an exotic hidden city.
Doing all this on a TV budget is just asking for trouble, and Inhumans doesn't just ask, but begs for it.
Venom:
I actually liked this movie less than I did a year ago when I first saw it in that theatre. Billing itself as a different kind of superhero movie, Venom is, in fact, exactly the same kind of superhero movie that we've seen a billion times before. The formula for an origin story is painstakingly followed: flawed person has difficulties, gets superpowers, adjusts to the powers, realizes they need to become a hero, fights bad guy in action-packed climax, lather, rinse, repeat. We've seen it before in Iron Man, Spider-Man (both the 1977 and 2002 versions), Doctor Strange (both the 1978 and 2016 versions), The Amazing Spider-Man, Swamp Thing, The Rocketeer, Steel, Spawn, the 1987 The Spirit, Hulk, Witchblade, Catwoman, Batman Begins, Green Lantern, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, and Shazam! with team-up versions in Generation X, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Suicide Squad. Not to mention variations on it in two Wonder Woman movies and Thor.
I'll be at RocCon this weekend
It's September, so it must be RocCon! This Rochester pop-culture con has been a good con for me for several years now, and I'm doing it again this year, even though I've been to cons each of the last two weekends. Yes, I'm insane.
RocCon is gonna be this weekend, Saturday and Sunday only, now at the Main Street Armory in Rochester.
I'll be spending most of my time in the dealer area selling and signing books, and also Wrenn's stuffies, but I'm also doing some programming!
1.30-2.30pm: Michael Dorn Q & A, which I'll be moderating (Panel Room 3)
3.30-4.30pm: Costume Contest, which I'll be co-MCing with Squally (Panel Room 3)
12.30-1.30pm: I'm giving a talk/Q & A on the upcoming Picard show (Panel Room 1)
3.30-4.30pm: Costume Contest, which I'll again be co-MCing with Squally (Panel Room 3)
Hope to see folks there!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Convention | Leave a reply
eighteen years…
On this day, eighteen years ago some people flew planes into buildings. It was the textbook definition of a terrorist attack, one designed to scare us and to ruin our way of life. It is a day I will never forget, as I spent it sitting on my couch watching the live coverage and being appalled and scared and frightened and curious and confused and every other possible emotion.
Everyone's talking about how the day "changed everything," and they're both right and wrong. In so many ways, it worked 100% as a terrorist attack and as a ruination of our way of life, from the passing of the PATRIOT Act (the most despicable law this country had passed to that point, in my not-so-humble opinion), to the current fetish for imprisoning or refusing entry to brown-skinned people who mistakenly believe the words on the base of the Statue of Liberty, to Islamophobia and racism spiking to the point that we somehow elected a white supremacist to be president, to our government performing torture in violation of good sense and human rights (it's not a coincidence that actionable intelligence on al-Qaeda didn't start showing up until the torture stopped and humane interrogations began; torture is only useful to torture people, as an interrogation tool, it's useless and counterproductive), to the insane contortions air travellers have to go through for imagined and wholly nonexistent "security." It fooled people into thinking that George W. Bush was a strong president, leading to the only presidential election since 1988 where the Republican got more votes than the Democrat; it fooled people into thinking Rudy Giuliani was a good mayor (and he did handle the aftermath of the crisis well — but then, fascists are at their most useful in such circumstances). And it led to two wars, only one of which had anything to do with the event, and both of which were quagmires with appalling loss of life on all sides.
Congratulations, Mr. bin Laden. You won.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Miscellaneous | Leave a reply


text:
tryouts@philadelphialonestarfc.com
info@philadelphialonestarfc.com
Season Tickets & Membership
First Team Matches
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AcademyClub
Junior Lone Star Launches Academy
PHILADELPHIA - The Junior Lone Star Football Club is pleased to announce the formation of a Youth Academy Program for 8 - 18 year old players, beginning with the Fall 2015 season. The Academy program is designed to allow elite-level players to develop skills and maximize potential without having to leave the community.
The focus of the Academy is on producing a soccer player who is exposed earlier to a culture that includes a dedication to physical training, mental training, nutrition management, recovery principles, injury treatment and prevention.
The program operates as a player pool that fields various boys teams for travel play against other regional Academy teams. In addition to local and travel games, teams will participate in at least one tournament during the season. There is no cost in participating in the program.
Thomas George, who runs the AFKAN Sports Management Firm, and George Beyan will serve as the Academy's Coordinators.
Thomas George is an accomplished player and coach who currently serves as Assistant Coach for JLSFC First Team and has served as a head coach for JLSFC U19 Team, a team he won the USL Super-20 Mid-Atlantic Title with as well as a place at the USL Super 20 Nationals. He has been with Junior Lone Star Football Club for 14 years, both as a player and as a coach.
George Beyan is also a licensed coach who has been with the club for 14 years. He has won several State titles with JLSFC U23s and he was at the helm of the U23s when the club won its first U-23 Regional Title and subsequently qualified for the USASA U-23 Nationals.
"I believe it's an exciting project that we are embarking on. The good thing here is we will be giving kids in our community the chance to improve their skills and develop a desire for soccer than other sports," said Thomas.
"It's also a great opportunity for the parents to keep their children actively involved in programs like these and it costs absolutely nothing as compared to other programs which charge exorbitant fees."
About 10 to 18 adults will be involved with running the six teams (U8s, U10s, U12s, U14s, U16s, U18s), including six coaches, six First Team players, a physical performance coach, and a goalkeeping instructor. The program will run for 48 weeks and teams will compete at the highest level that Junior Lone Star FC can offer at any particular age level.
Academy Evaluations/Tryouts for the year-round program will be held on Oct. 24th from 9:00am - 1:00pm, at the McCreesh Playground Soccer Field. Players not currently registered with JLSFC must bring a birth certificate.
The road to the Academy has been a bumpy one, admits Junior Lone Star Football Club president Paul Konneh, as parents don't have the means of paying fees for the program so the club will have to solicit funds to cover the cost of running the Academy which includes league and club fees, equipment, uniforms, referees and the use of higher quality fields.
"From what I've seen since I have been with the club, we have always find the means of persevering against difficulties that have come our way and I don't see that changing anytime soon," said Konneh, who has served as club president since 2010.
"We are presently in consultations with the Philadelphia Union as well as the U.S. Soccer Foundation for assistance. We have also sent out few letters of sponsorship and we are hoping for favorable responses."
In addition to the Academy, the club will continue to offer competitive programs for the U20s, the U23s, and the First Team.
For more information, see our Academy Page at www.juniorlonestarfc.org/academy, or contact Thomas George at 267-770-8088.
Stars in College / Pros
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From the journal:
Detecting a transition-metal ammine at tailored surfaces
Sayeedha Iqbal, Felix J. B. Kremer, Jon A. Preece, Helmut Ringsdorf, Martin Steinbeck, J. Fraser Stoddart, Jie Shen and Nigel D. Tinker
The fabrication of surfaces by forming Langmuir films, which incorporate amphiphiles containing hydrophilic 18-crown-6 (18C6) derivatives, at a gas/water interface is described. These Langmuir films can be transferred to a hydrophobised quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), using the Langmuir–Blodgett technique. The QCM response has been measured in aqueous solution as a function of the concentration of the transition metal complex [Co(NH 3 ) 6 ]Cl 3 which was injected into a vial in which the film-coated QCM had been immersed. By comparing various surfaces covered with hydrophilic polyether and hydroxy functions and hydrophobic methyl groups, and by varying the composition of the films so as to increase the separation between the 18C6 macrocycles, it has been demonstrated that surfaces can be tailored that will enhance the binding of the [Co(NH 3 ) 6 ] 3+ trications.
This article is part of the themed collection: Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the German Chemical Society
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https://doi.org/10.1039/A700325K
J. Mater. Chem., 1997,7, 1147-1154
BibTex EndNote MEDLINE ProCite ReferenceManager RefWorks RIS
S. Iqbal, F. J. B. Kremer, Jon A. Preece, H. Ringsdorf, M. Steinbeck, J. Fraser Stoddart, J. Shen and N. D. Tinker, J. Mater. Chem., 1997, 7, 1147
DOI: 10.1039/A700325K
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a dry fruit consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell.
Botany. a hard, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit, as the chestnut or the acorn.
any of various devices or ornaments resembling a nut.
a block, usually of metal and generally square or hexagonal, perforated with a threaded hole so that it can be screwed down on a bolt to hold together objects through which the bolt passes.
a person who is very enthusiastic about something; buff; enthusiast; devotee: He's a real circus nut.
an extremely concerned or zealous person: My boss is a nut on double-checking everything.
a foolish, silly, or eccentric person.
the operating expenses, usually figured weekly, of a theatrical production or other commercial enterprise; a break-even point.
the total cost of producing a theatrical production or of forming and opening any new business venture.
the ledge, as of ebony, at the upper end of the fingerboard, over which the strings pass.
the movable piece at the lower end of the bow, by means of which the hairs may be slackened or tightened.
verb (used without object), nut·ted, nut·ting.
to seek for or gather nuts: to go nutting in late autumn.
from soup to nuts. soup(def 7).
a problem difficult to solve; a formidable undertaking.
a person difficult to know, understand, or convince.
Also tough nut to crack.
Sometimes Offensive.foolish, silly, or insane.
mistaken or wrong: You're off your nut if you think such a plan can succeed.
"hard seed," Old English hnutu, from Proto-Germanic *khnut- (cf. Old Norse hnot, Dutch noot, Old High German hnuz, German nuß "nut"), from PIE *kneu- "nut" (cf. Latin nux; see nucleus). Sense of "testicle" is attested from 1915. Nut-brown is from c.1300 of animals; c.1500 of complexions of women.
Meaning "crazy person, crank" is attested from 1903, (British form nutter first attested 1958; nut-case is from 1959); see nuts. American English slang sense of "amount of money required for something" is first recorded 1912. The nut that goes onto a bolt is first recorded 1610s (used of other small mechanical pieces since early 15c.). Nuts and bolts "fundamentals" is from 1960.
A dry, indehiscent simple fruit consisting of one seed surrounded by a hard and thick pericarp (fruit wall). The seed does not adhere to the pericarp but is connected to it by the funiculus. A nut is similar to an achene but larger. Acorns, beechnuts, chestnuts, and hazelnuts are true nuts. Informally, other edible seeds or dry fruits enclosed in a hard or leathery shell are also called nuts, though they are not true nuts. For instance, an almond kernel is actually the seed of a drupe. Its familiar whitish shell is an endocarp found within the greenish fruit of the almond tree. Peanuts are actually individual seeds from a seed pod called a legume.


Sarah P's comments: I don't usually post US or Canadian positions but Hawaii is a special place with a culture all its own. FYI: the salary seems fantastic but Hawaii is a very expensive place to live.
Windward Community College is a public, co-educational college in Kāneʻohe CDP, City and County of Honolulu, in the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi on the island of Oʻahu. It is one of ten campuses of the University of Hawaiʻi system and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
With the lush serenity of O'ahu's Ko'olau mountains as a breathtaking natural backdrop, Windward Community College provides a nurturing environment for student learning in the liberal and creative arts, the sciences, Hawaiian studies, and select vocations.
WCC seeks applications for a Head Librarian. This is a full time, permanent, 11-month, tenure track position with a minimum salary of $7,098/month (commensurate with education and experience).
Sarah P's comments: For librarians who speak French and English here is a short-term opportunity in Europe, a rare find.
As the Business School for the World, INSEAD brings together people, cultures and ideas from around the world to change lives and transform organizations. The unique global perspective and multicultural diversity of INSEAD are reflected in all aspects of its research and teaching.
We are currently accepting applications for a Research and Instruction Librarian role in the Faculty & Research department (temporary full time contract of 6 months, starting as soon as possible).
Reporting to the Head librarian, the Research and Instruction Librarian assists Library patrons in accessing and using the specialised resources. He/she performs searches (such as targeted literature reviews) for faculty on request and provides accurate and updated data on research impact. To this end, he/she keeps abreast of evolutions in the scholarly landscape.
The candidate will work regular shifts and one evening per week at the information desk and will fill the majority of requests for library instruction.
If you are interested in applying, please send your CV and a cover letter in English by email to recrute.ftb@insead.edu by August 16th 2015.
Wonder (wonderlib.com) is a fast-growing Internet company committed to making online research more accessible to those who need it. We want to employ excellent, seasoned researchers who can efficiently track down the highest quality resources across the web and explain the results to our users in a personable, human way. Check out our feature in Library Journal for more on what we're up to.
Wonder is a global on-demand research network. Here's a bit more about how it works: users submit questions about a topic they're interested in learning more about. This question then gets listed on a central dashboard, from which our researchers can claim it. The researcher's job is then to find the absolute best content (articles, videos, images, etc.) that help explain the topic, and formulate a rich, written summary of insights.
The best researchers will have a wide breadth of knowledge and specific expertise in several subjects, with an equal penchant for diving into uncharted territory and swiftly becoming an authority. Because many of our users depend on hard data to make decisions, quantitative proficiency is preferred. You not only know how to extract and validate hard stats, but can calculate some of your own on the fly if need be. Previous experience working in a research-intensive role is a definite plus, though not required. Most of all, our researchers are all problem solvers with a sense of imagination that helps them dig deep and find meaningful intelligence.
"What percentage of doctor visits are "house calls" vs. visits to the doctor's office? What is the total size of the "house call" market in the US today?
For each search you claim, you'll be tasked with finding 5+ links to high-quality sources, and writing a rich summary directly answering the user's query while adding any insights you gleaned along the way.
We pay $8-16 for each research question you respond to, rate variable depending upon the difficulty of the question.
In this application, we have a few basic questions for you about your background and availability, followed by two trial research requests, intended to give you a sense for what to expect, and give us an opportunity to better determine if it's a fit. Our users demand a lot from us, so these questions are tough and our QA team, which reviews your application, will be looking for something very specific.
We'll give you two trial searches to test your mettle before making a decision about whether to bring you aboard. Please reach out to research@wonderlib.com with any questions.
The University Library at Hong Kong Baptist University (http://library.hkbu.edu.hk) supports teaching, promotes learning, and enables research at HKBU, as a partner in whole person education.
HKBU Library's Information Services Section now seeks an Assistant Librarian to join their dynamic team in delivering a suite of evolving and responsive services to the University community. Reporting to the Section Head, the appointee will be responsible for providing high quality reference, research, and instructional services in a variety of different modes. Special projects, liaison roles with faculty, and a wide variety of public service duties will be integral to the position.
The General Library of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus, seeks an innovative, flexible, user-centered, and visionary director that could serve as leader in library transformation for future generations. Reporting to the Dean of Academic Affairs, this position leads and manages all aspects of the library. The successful candidate must be fully bilingual in English & Spanish and should possess the ability to interact effectively with multiple constituencies. The director will serve as an active representative of the library within the academic community fostering successful partnerships to customize and adapt programs and services that support change within the institution. A thorough understanding of library technology and its applications and a collaborative style to create teamwork environment are expected.
The library provides a broad array of services, collections and resources for a community of approximately 12,100 students and supports more than 90 academic programs. An overview of the library and the university can be obtained through www.uprm.edu/library/en.
(a) assisting in operating the LegCo Archives; (b) researching and implementing policies, standards, and the best practices for a comprehensive and sustainable archives and records management programme of the LegCo and the LegCo Secretariat; (c) developing procedures, guidelines and manuals for the creation, maintenance, protection and disposal of records in different formats and content; (d) compiling records disposal authorities and disposal schedules; (e) appraising records for preservation as archives; (f) arranging and describing archival records according to international standards and preparing suitable findings aids; (g) performing records access review and providing records access and reference services; (h) conducting public outreach programmes; and (i) offering advice, guidance, training and conducting inspections on archives and records management.
(a) have (i) a recognized Bachelor's degree in History, Political Science, Public Administration, or a related field; and (ii) a recognized postgraduate diploma or Master's degree in Archives and Records Management. Candidates who do not meet the requirement of (ii) but possess a recognized Master's degree in the discipline of Information Management, Library Science, History or a related field, and with specialization in Archives and Records Management may also be considered; (b) have at least six years' professional working experience in archives and records management, preferably three years of which in supervisory capacity. Candidates with less than six years' relevant experience may also be considered and, if appointed, will be offered an appropriate salary point below the minimum point of the salary scale; (c) have sound knowledge and experience in records appraisal theory and practices; arrangement, description and accessioning of archival records; and records access and reference services; should be conversant with conducting historical research and using General International Standard Archival Description ("ISAD(G)") issued by the International Council on Archives; (d) have the ability to analyze, organize and interpret records and records systems including records captured and stored in electronic environment, and to solve practical archival or records management problems; (e) have excellent command of written and spoken Chinese and English languages; and (f) possess very good interpersonal, supervisory and time management skills.
Additional Salary Information: The starting salary of this position is $47,280 per month, increasing by 5 annual increments to $59,485 (to be adjusted to $49,465 and $62,235 respectively subject to the approval by the Legislative Council). A monthly cash allowance applicable to the rank of Archivist on the date of appointment (the current rate is $1,155 per month) is also payable. The successful candidate will be appointed on three-year agreement terms subject to renewal upon satisfactory completion of service, at which the appointee will be eligible for an end-of-agreement gratuity. The gratuity, when added together with the employer's contribution to a Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme, is equal to 15% of the total basic salary drawn during the agreement period. Fringe benefits include paid leave as well as medical and dental benefits.
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority welcomes exceptional talent with a passion to realise the vision and mission of making the West Kowloon Cultural District a prime local and international destination for arts, culture and entertainment.
• advising and contributing to the planning of physical spaces for archival functions for both storage and accessibility as part of the museum building project.
7) be proficient in written and spoken English, and preferably Chinese.


Can someone hand me a tissue, please? I think I'm tearing up...I'm so impressed with the fact that tissue companies are now really taking note of the importance of design. Have you noticed that lately? Some of the tissue boxes are actually really beautiful to look at and mesh so nicely with your decor. And why not? I'm surprised they didn't think of it sooner. From Puff's to Kleenex, tissue companies are really stepping up their game. Kleenex now provides you the option to view the box type and design. Sweet!
Both Puffs and Kleenex have also started a 'build your own box' program.
An amazing pic i took of a circle around the sun a few minutes ago..check out it worth!
I love the new design on your blog!


text:
Trump quotes Jason Chaffetz and says dossier is "bogus"
Erica Pandey, author of Axios Finish Line
The president watched Fox & Friends and tweeted Tuesday morning...
He was quoting former congressman Jason Chaffetz, who appeared on the show and said, "The dossier we have long known is bogus. The question is, how was it funded? And that question has not been answered yet."
Follow the money:
The dossier — which contains salacious but unverified claims about Russian intelligence officers possessing video tapes of Trump's conduct in a Moscow hotel room — was prepared by former British intelligence officer Christoper Steele, who was sought out by Washington-based investigative firm Fusion GPS.
Fusion GPS was initially hired by the Free Beacon, whose owner supported Marco Rubio's candidacy, to collect damaging information about Trump.
After it became clear Trump would be the nominee, a lawyer representing Clinton and the DNC enlisted Fusion GPS, which in turn sought out Steele's services.
The FBI agreed to pay Steele to continue his work after the election, but ultimately backed out when Steele was identified publicly.
Go deeper: The big questions surrounding the Trump-Russia dossier


Imam Mikaeel Ahmed Smith (Michael V Smith) is an Islamic scholar, writer, and activist striving to meet the educational needs of communities in D.C, M.D. and V.A. He currently serves as the Islamic & Quran Coordinator and Islamic Studies Teacher for the Tarbiyah Academy. Imam Mikaeel previously served as a resident scholar at the Islamic Society of Annapolis and the Islamic Society of Baltimore. At the age of 18, he embraced Islam after reading the Qur'an and the Autobiography of Malcolm X. Within a year after his shahadah, Imam Mikaeel enrolled at the Dar ul-Uloom al-Madania in Buffalo, NY, where he learned to read Arabic and memorized the Qur'an. In 2008, he traveled overseas to study Arabic at the Jami'a Abu Noor in Damascus, Syria. Imam Mikaeel is passionate about meeting the needs of students of knowledge, building Islamic literacy, working with youth, and striving for social justice.


While everybody is comparing our newest Hawk, Trae Young, to Steph Curry, Jeff sees him a little different. Trae Young has struggled with his shot during Summer League, but what he has not struggled with is ability to distribute the ball. His court vision and chemistry with John Collins shows flashes of HOF point guard Steve Nash. With that comparison, Jeff thinks that the trio of Young, Collins, and Prince are very similar to the early 2000's Suns trio of Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion.


William Esson (17 May 1838 in Carnoustie, Scotland – 28 August 1916 in Abingdon, England) was a British mathematician.
Esson attended St John's College, Oxford, and then became a Fellow of Merton College. In 1892, he became the Savilian Professor of Geometry at the University of Oxford, based at New College. He worked on problems in chemistry with Augustus George Vernon Harcourt.
In 1874, Esson leased 13 Bradmore Road in North Oxford.
^ Hinchcliffe, Tanis (1992). North Oxford. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. p. 220. ISBN 0-14-071045-0.


Jordon Buscemi recalls a fun childhood full of adventure and competition. So, it's no surprise that he fell in love with OCR… a sport that lets him be a kid every race weekend. Jordon has competed in nearly 100 OCR events and won nearly half of them. One would assume he trains all day, but Jordon is a full-time auto mechanic and father of 2 young boys. With the support of his lovely fiance, Jordon enjoys training at home and inspiring his boys to follow in his footsteps.
"I believe God has blessed everyone with the ability to do what they love; the choice is yours whether to pursue it or not." –Jordon B.


An expectation that an employee work late can lead to a claim for disability discrimination, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has found.
The Claimant worked for an independent brokerage and research firm since 2011. He had opted out of the 48-hour working week, working from 8am to as late as 11pm until he was involved in a serious car accident in July 2012. As a result of the accident he began suffering from dizziness, fatigue, headaches and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms became more severe in the evenings if he worked late and the Respondent was aware this.
Working late hours was expected and necessary as the firm dealt with US markets affected by time zone difference. The Claimant began working later hours but complained to the Respondent that he was forced to work "unsuitable hours". The Respondent had not requested or been provided with any medical records, however he had left the Claimant to work late only when he thought he was able to. In fact, in October 2013, the Claimant began requesting to work until 9:00 pm. As his 9:00 pm shifts became more regular, the Respondent began making requests that he stay and work until that time. Later these requests turned into an assumption that the Claimant would work late at least one or two nights a week.
In February 2014, the Claimant complained in a formal email about working the long hours he worked. During a heated discussion with the owner he was told that he could leave if he didn't like the company. No attempts were made to mend the working relationship and the Claimant resigned because he alleged, among other reasons, the Respondent's behaviour was abusive, unacceptable and intimidating.
The Employment Tribunal was satisfied that the Claimant was a disabled person within the meaning of the Equality Act and that the Respondent was aware of that, however it dismissed the claims of disability discrimination and constructive unfair dismissal because the Claimant had not been forced to work late. An expectation that he would work late was not a provision, criterion or practice (PCP) which required him to do so.
The EAT held that the ET had taken too narrow of an approach. It concluded that a "requirement" can come under "practice". Although a simple request cannot be a PCP, the Respondents had gone beyond a request – there was an expectation and an assumption which put him at a disadvantage.


The challenge here was to create a scenario 3D and make a composition with photos. As you can see all of the elements on the scene are in 3D illustration. Each 2D illustration for the helmets was done for this project. It was a online campaign.


Find the spare parts you need today.
Online research and ordering of parts and machines.
TVH is delighted to inform you about its long-term plans for supporting its valued customers in the UK market. TVH has now purchased a much larger warehouse in the UK, based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. This will TVH to stock the majority of its parts here, where they are required, in the UK.


JUUL was created to be a satisfying alternative to cigarettes. Learn about our mission to improve the lives of the world's one billion adult smokers.
SmokenCigar is your one-stop-shop destination for all of the best eJuice and vape juice options on the market today. Our catalog is full of the most flavorful e Juice, e Liquid, and vape juice options at amazing prices. There's absolutely zero reason to settle for anything less than the best!


This apartment exudes Quito's wide variety of styles. The ideal accommodations for two or more guests travelling together. This spacious duplex features two bedrooms with luxurious linens, a marble bathroom stuffed with luxury amenities, soft towels, slippers, robes, a fully equipped vintage-look kitchen, sitting and dining area. The solid wooden floor and beams will give you a taste of Quito's splendour.


HS6024 Module 1 Assignment 3 Communication Culture and Context NEW Submitted a well-written document addressing all the assignment requirements. Provided an analysis of a recent conversation. Provided responses to the questions posed in the assignment. Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized ..
HS6024 Module 2 Assignment 2 Interview with a Human Service Professional NEW Submitted a well-written document addressing all the assignment requirements. Provided an analysis of a recent interview. Conducted research on how listening skills impact and are critical to a client-patient relationshi..
HS6024 Module 4 Assignment 2 Cultural Influences in Development NEW Submitted a well-written document addressing all the assignment requirements. Provided responses to the questions posed in the assignment. Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in ..


ADx and Nipro have agreed to collaborate on the development of next-generation diagnostic tools for Alzheimer's disease. Together, the companies will focus on Point Of Care IVD products.
As Japan has one of the oldest populations worldwide, the country invests heavily in solutions for Alzheimer's. In this context, Nipro has a long standing experience in the development and commercialization of diagnostics and treatments of the disease.


Use this chart to help identify your segmented tooling.
Use this chart to help identify the replacement o'rings for your specific Huth segment set.
Use this chart to identify your segment rings.
Add to your bending versatility! These universal bending dies allow you to bend a large variety of solid materials.
The 5531 Controlled Wrinkle Die has been designed to bend 3", 304 SS with a .059 wall (1.5mm) or heavier. This die works with our Heavy Duty Model 2600 Bender only. We have the capability to add the wrinkle cavities to other radius dies suited for your specific model. For more information, please contact us.


[[http://mp4cam2avi.sourceforge.net|MP4Cam2AVI]], Fantastic program to convert .MOV files into .AVI files that can import into windows movie maker. Has batch capability (multiple files) and can split and join files as well. Best of all it just re-packs the files and doesn't re-encode them. This means it works **super fast** with **no loss of quality**. [[http://mp4cam2avi.sourceforge.net|MP4Cam2AVI]], Fantastic program to convert .MOV files into .AVI files that can import into windows movie maker. Has batch capability (multiple files) and can split and join files as well. Best of all it just re-packs the files and doesn't re-encode them. This means it works **super fast** with **no loss of quality**.
**EDIT:** with the [[https://sourceforge.net/projects/virtualdubffmpeginputplugin/|Virtualdub FFMpeg Input Plugin]] there is no need to convert to avi first! Saves a bit of time. **EDIT:** with the [[https://sourceforge.net/projects/virtualdubffmpeginputplugin/|Virtualdub FFMpeg Input Plugin]] there is no need to convert to avi first! Saves a bit of time.
+ **EDIT EDIT:** You can get a complete install including all plugins and codexes you need [[https://www.videohelp.com/software/Virtualdub-AIO|here]]! Very easy.
Problem two: My videos are often shaky! This happens when you make people stand in the cold to film your boat projects on a windy day. The solution is to run them through a video stabilizer. Youtube can do this for you, but where is the fun in that? Problem two: My videos are often shaky! This happens when you make people stand in the cold to film your boat projects on a windy day. The solution is to run them through a video stabilizer. Youtube can do this for you, but where is the fun in that?
[[http://www.virtualdub.org|VirtualDub Website]]. Download and extract to program files folder. Create a desktop shortcut. [[http://www.virtualdub.org|VirtualDub Website]]. Download and extract to program files folder. Create a desktop shortcut.
- [[http://www.guthspot.se/video/deshaker.htm|DeShaker Plugin]]. Download and extract to programfiles\virtualdub\plugins.  + [[http://www.guthspot.se/video/deshaker.htm|DeShaker Plugin]]. Download and extract to programfiles\virtualdub\plugins.
[[http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net|ffdshow tryouts]]. This is a Codec which allows you to encode your new video in h.264, without this or another codec you will get giant video files. While installing, make sure you tick the box that says install as plugin for VirtualDub, and select the plugin folder where it needs to go at the appropriate time. I left all the other settings to default. [[http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net|ffdshow tryouts]]. This is a Codec which allows you to encode your new video in h.264, without this or another codec you will get giant video files. While installing, make sure you tick the box that says install as plugin for VirtualDub, and select the plugin folder where it needs to go at the appropriate time. I left all the other settings to default.
That's it! To use, I open the video (after conversion to avi) in virtualdub. In video>filters enable the deshaker plugin, make sure it's on pass one. Play your video using the play button with the little o on it. Now go back to the deshaker filter and select pass 2. You can set your output to not have black borders there if desired. Press OK. Under video>compression make sure ffdshow is selected. Now you can save using file>save as avi. The end. That's it! To use, I open the video (after conversion to avi) in virtualdub. In video>filters enable the deshaker plugin, make sure it's on pass one. Play your video using the play button with the little o on it. Now go back to the deshaker filter and select pass 2. You can set your output to not have black borders there if desired. Press OK. Under video>compression make sure ffdshow is selected. Now you can save using file>save as avi. The end.
There is a program which acts as a wrapper for VirtualDub/Deshaker. It's called VideoShakeFix from TechLive. It automatically converts the mp4 (or almost anything) to the right format (avi), deshakes it and the converts back to mp4. The conversions mean that it does take a little longer. But it is a bit easier to use. There is no control over how the deshaking is done, but the defaults look quite good. There is a program which acts as a wrapper for VirtualDub/Deshaker. It's called VideoShakeFix from TechLive. It automatically converts the mp4 (or almost anything) to the right format (avi), deshakes it and the converts back to mp4. The conversions mean that it does take a little longer. But it is a bit easier to use. There is no control over how the deshaking is done, but the defaults look quite good.
There is some integration with virtualdub possible. Virtualdub can be installed as an assistant application. This means that a section on the timeline can be marked, and sent to virtualdub for editing. This means only parts of the video that you actually end up using in your final edit need to be deshaked. Very handy! There is some integration with virtualdub possible. Virtualdub can be installed as an assistant application. This means that a section on the timeline can be marked, and sent to virtualdub for editing. This means only parts of the video that you actually end up using in your final edit need to be deshaked. Very handy!
I think I also saw a post somewhere on how to get this working on Linux using wine. Kdenlive does have stabilisation built in, but I've never tried it. I think I also saw a post somewhere on how to get this working on Linux using wine. Kdenlive does have stabilisation built in, but I've never tried it.
- Good news: Virtualdub and deshaker, as well as MP4Cam2AVI all work pretty much perfectly in wine! + Good news: Virtualdub and deshaker, as well as MP4Cam2AVI all work pretty much perfectly in wine!
I've had a few annoyances with lightworks, including audio stuttering and crashes. As well as the annoyance of having to log in on a regular basis. Also mixing media types is a pain. I've had a few annoyances with lightworks, including audio stuttering and crashes. As well as the annoyance of having to log in on a regular basis. Also mixing media types is a pain.
One feature Shotcut appears to be missing is reordering tracks. That is, if you insert a new track it is always before the current track, which can be very annoying. One feature Shotcut appears to be missing is reordering tracks. That is, if you insert a new track it is always before the current track, which can be very annoying.
Note the shotcut:name property which helps you identify which "playlist" is which track. Now all you need to do to reorder your tracks is swap the id of your two tracks! Note the shotcut:name property which helps you identify which "playlist" is which track. Now all you need to do to reorder your tracks is swap the id of your two tracks!
Next time you load this file the changes are applied. Needless to say you should create a backup of the file first! This procedure has not really been tested extensively, but seems to work so far. Next time you load this file the changes are applied. Needless to say you should create a backup of the file first! This procedure has not really been tested extensively, but seems to work so far.


I'm not sure when I began reading books by Thomas Merton. Probably late high school or early college. I'm also not sure how I discovered them. Though I was naturally drawn to contemplative prayer, the word was unfamiliar to me until Merton's writings provided it. "Contemplative" was not something you heard about sitting in the pews on Sundays or even in religion classes. Not usually. Reflecting on that later, I never understood why. Christianity has a long, rich contemplative tradition.
Some of my friends from those early days, searching as college students do and longing for an alternative to rote prayers and rituals that, for them, had become mindless habit, explored meditation found in Eastern traditions. They hungered for a deeper relationship with God.
A way to sink deeply into that relationship is contemplative prayer. Not reserved for "special" people or for a few "advanced" souls as sometimes thought, it is simply resting in silence with the loving God who dwells within each of us.
I was lucky to find not only Thomas Merton, but also a small community that introduced me to classics in Christian literature like Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross and provided a vocabulary to talk about contemplative prayer. What a gift it was to finally have others with whom to pray and share the journey.
Later, I found the Desert Fathers and Mothers, The Cloud of Unknowing (written by an anonymous 14thcentury English monk), John Cassian, Julian of Norwich, and other mystical writers. I had begun to practice Lectio Divina and realized that my longtime journaling was part of my contemplative prayer journey (something I love to share at retreats and workshops). Time spent with Benedictine monks and sisters broadened and deepened my prayer experience.
The hunger for contemplative prayer among many Christians remains as deep as ever. Even if it's not talked about much in parishes, there are many resources available today.
This prayer practice began in the 1970s at Saint Joseph's Abbey in Spencer Massachusetts where Keating was abbot for twenty years. It was a prompted by conversations with young Christians, who, like my college friends, were seeking a prayer path that was meditative and transformative. They stopped by the Abbey to ask directions to a Buddhist meditation center that had been opened nearby in what once had been a Catholic retreat house. When Keating asked the young searchers why they didn't look for a path in the Christian tradition, their answer was the same as my friends' might have been: There's a Christian path?
Keating talked to the monks at the Abbey about developing a method of meditation—based on Scripture and Christian tradition—that would be accessible to anyone, those beyond the monastery walls as well as inside them. The result is what is now known as Centering Prayer.
There are many resources available if you are interested in learning more about it; here are a few: Open Mind, Open Heartby Keating; Finding Grace at the Centerby Thomas Keating, M. Basil Pennington, OCSO and Thomas E. Clark, SJ.; Centering Prayer and Inner Awakeningby Episcopalian priest Cynthia Bourgeault. The Contemplative Outreach, an organization Keating founded in 1984, has a website full of information and resources. Some parishes have Centering Prayer groups that meet weekly.
There are many! If you find yourself drawn to contemplation, Centering Prayer is one method to consider. It is popular, accessible, and practiced by hundreds of thousands around the globe.


bits of paper & smoke . . .
Fireworks have been an integral part of many Asian cultures for centuries, especially that of the Japanese. We see many examples of this in the woodblock prints by Hiroshige, in haiku by Masaoka Shiki and other masters, in prose by Yasushi Inoue, and by countless others.
Fireworks are ancient, temporal, intangible, celebratory, exciting, powerful, dangerous, and meditative. Fireworks have often been compared to flowers in the sky. Blossoming for a moment and falling to the earth like a cherry blossom. Even the technical names of many fireworks in Japan and China incorporate names of flowers.
On this side of the Pacific, one can easily remember those summer nights in our youth setting off fireworks in the street or going with our families to see a 4th of July celebration in a nearby town. What I remember most is the humble bottle rocket. Placing it in a bottle or sticking it into the ground. Aiming it into the sky and lighting the fuse. I would stand back and watch the orange and yellow sparks spit and hiss in a cobalt blue night and then with a gray streak it was gone, gone into the sky. Someplace in the darkness overhead I would hear a bang and see a blossom of light. The brilliance would dissipate quickly and you would find yourself standing alone in silence, mesmerized by what you had just seen and felt.
This is why bottle rockets.


Become Doge and I will get a lot of attention.
I take steroids, then I eat my parents.
Drink milk. Lots of it. Then I'd go to sleep.
Repeat this for 2 months.
Bite my siblings as hard as I can and drink their blood.
I eat the coins I find on the floor and take them to my daddy.
Bite them and then eat their flesh.
I make the owners if there are any ._. try to make me walk out side. After I can walk without a leash, I run for my lief escaping.
fien. After two months... continue what I said.
Dog listen to Justin Bieber and dies.
Den cat appirs en slaps teh doge. Doge revives and eats teh cat.


I've had the pleasure of photographing this family 3 times now: Once when their daughter was born, once again when she was 6 months old, and now again when their youngest son is about the same age. I love photographing families over a span of several years (or in the case of babies, over the span of one year). I love to watch how a family changes and grows as time goes on.
This entry was posted in Family Portraits and tagged child portrait, children portrait, family portrait, outdoor portrait.


text:
District of Columbia approves 'yoga tax' as part of budget
Ian Simpson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The District of Columbia Council on Tuesday approved a "yoga tax" on gymnasiums and yoga classes that has angered fitness buffs in the U.S. capital.
The Democratic-controlled council voted 12-1 to give final approval to a $10.6 billion budget for 2015 that included a sales tax on gyms, yoga studios and other athletic businesses, a spokeswoman for Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
The budget also includes a substantial income tax cut that would be offset by expanding the existing 5.75 percent sales tax to such services as tanning salons, health clubs, car washes and bowling alleys. The move is expected to raise $5 million a year.
Dubbed the "yoga tax," the proposal has been protested by gym owners and patrons. Dozens of protesters struck yoga warrior poses outside city hall this month and chanted, "Tax Slurpees, not burpees!"
Mayor Vincent Gray, who opposes the tax, must sign the budget for it to take effect on Oct. 1.
Washington has seen an influx of younger, fitness-minded residents in recent years and on the streets of the district, one often sees joggers, cyclists and people with rolled-up yoga mats.
A survey by the American College of Sports Medicine this year ranked the Washington, D.C. region first for fitness among the 50 biggest U.S. metropolitan areas.
Reporting by Ian Simpson, editing by G Crosse


text:
Damien C. Kurek
Back in Session
It is an honour to be able to fight for the interests of Battle River-Crowfoot in Ottawa. Over the last number of weeks, I have been busy traveling across the constituency attending events and hosting meetings. At the constituency office, I have been replying to your correspondence, following up on casework and catching up.
With Parliament returning, I wanted to share with you the priorities that my colleagues and I will be focusing on in this winter Parliament session. They are:
Keep Canada united and strong
Help Canadians get ahead
Restore ethics and accountability to Government
Fight to get the energy sector back to work
This new Parliament demonstrates that the days of the Liberal Government's free ride is over. The election saw the Liberals lose over a million votes, their majority in the House of Commons and the support of western Canada. They were sent a serious message from western Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau and his team need to be willing to work with all parties for the benefit of the country.
My Conservative colleagues and I believe Canadians need strong defenders who will promote lowering taxes, responsible spending and enable the success of small businesses as the way forward. Canada's Conservatives will work hard for all Canadians to deliver fiscally responsible solutions to economic challenges.
As I shared earlier this year, it is an honour to serve as the Deputy Shadow Minister of Rural Economic Development. You can count on me to stand up for rural interests, ensure that a "rural lens" is applied to public policy, fight for infrastructure, promote our legacy industries (agriculture & energy), and fight for rural prosperity.
On January 8, Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752 was struck by two Iranian missiles killing all 176 people on board, including 57 Canadians. The victims' families and all Canadians deserve answers. The Iranian Government needs to compensate families and ensure the bodies are returned for proper burial. We are calling on the Government to immediately implement our 2018 Motion to list Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. This a loss for all of Canada and my condolences go out to all those affected by this horrific incident.
I will continue to address your many concerns including the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), the absurd targeting of law-abiding firearms owners, rural crime, and the out of control deficits. We also need to address accountability in Government, Canada's diminished status on the world stage, western alienation, and the 2020 federal budget.
Thank you again to the constituents of Battle River-Crowfoot for the honour of allowing me to represent you in Ottawa.
Community and the Christmas Season
Liberal Tax Hikes Tone-Deaf as Recession Fears Grow


Abstract: In this paper the model of rolling of spherical bodies on a plane without slipping is presented taking into account viscous rolling friction. Results of experiments aimed at investigating the influence of friction on the dynamics of rolling motion are presented. The proposed dynamical friction model for spherical bodies is verified and the limits of its applicability are estimated. A method for determining friction coefficients from experimental data is formulated.


Branding your logo on physical products can be a great way to get in front of a wide audience, whether this be at an event or just targeting a local area. Below are 11 physical products that can promote your business for you. You can either offer these free, as samples or paid options.
Pens / Pencils – Probably the oldest known branded product, pens are useful as most people don't mind what's on them, if it promotes your company that's usually not an issue when someone just wants to jot a note down. As a result your brand gets in front of anyone around the area instantly.
Clothing / T-Shirts – Again a commonly used source of free advertising, clothing is a step above pens as generally people look at the clothing you wear, this means your brand gets more eyeballs than if you simply wore a plain top. The additional benefit is you can become a walking billboard for your brand.
Plush toys – This option tends to depend on the industry your in, but plush toys are great as free or paid options for your customers or clients. Kids that receive the toys may hold on to them for years, showing them to many different people in the process!
Bags – Jute bags can easily be branded with a company's logo or slogan. You can offer these at £1 or £5 and sales are generally very good for this type of product.
Mugs – Another relatively common promotional product, the best use of branded mugs is as an add-on product, such as in a gift set. Also mugs can be highly profitable with a confident following, e.g. A West-end show.
Caps / Hats – The primary position for your corporate information (on the top of someone else), this leads to the highest number of eyeballs and hence the product price should be slightly lower to entice sales.
Chairs / Furniture – This is for a modern, corporate brand that is looking to promote stylishly when a prospect is walking through their office, this creates a "team" feel too.
Keyrings – A very common promotional item, but this is due to the effectiveness of these. A well made keyrings can stay with someone for almost a decade! Getting in front of a number of eyeballs in that time.
Notepads / Paper weights – Stylish paper weights or branded notepads can be used at any time and by anyone, you never know who your brand will be in-front of with a simple note.
Memory Sticks – These are the modern day equivalent to branded pens, although you might not whip out a memory stick at every opportunity, it's usually in important situations, such as before a presentation, this is an easy and non-intrusive way to promote your brand. Also individuals are mor e likely to pay £5-£10 for a memory stick than any other item.
Corporate Gifts – The higher end promotional products, such as branded wine sets, corkscrews or non alcoholic options. These are not for everyone and should only be sent to high end clients or prospects.
Whatever items you decide, ensure your brand is clearly visible and the quality of the product is high. You don't want your brand being featured on a low quality item.


While Amazon and Microsoft made the cut for the Pentagon's $10 billion cloud services contract, Oracle and IBM did not.
uniper Networks' SD-WAN strategy has been in the works for a while now, but this week's announcement brings it into a sharper focus.
Fortinet is well known as a security vendor, but it made waves in mid-2018 when it began offering SD-WAN directly to consumers.


A busy Giro d'Italia for Scicon Bags, part of 14 of 21 stage wins.
Of the 21 stages at this year's eventful Giro, SCICON partnered teams managed to bag no less than 14 of them – perhaps traveling and staying organized with Scicon Bags could be the secret to success.
With a race start in Jerusalem, a first for any Grand Tour to start outside of Europe, it was set to be a spectacular grand tour from the off. This also meant that teams and staff were under travel and organizational pressure from the off. Three days in Israel flew by, with two wins for SCICON Ambassador Elia Viviani, Quick-Step Floors, setting his sights on the Maglia Ciclamino jersey early.
Over the following weeks Viviani found a new sprint rival in Sam Bennett, BORA-hansgrohe, who bested the Italian three times, making Bennett the most successful Irish rider in Giro d'Italia history. Three visits to the top step of the podium weren't enough however to outdo his Quick-Step Floors rival Viviani who took four wins and secured the sprinter's jersey in Rome.
In the battle for GC, once again the Giro provided a spectacular battle fought out over the mountains, with the final blow only being dealt in the final days of the race. After the teams had packed their bike bags and left Israel for Sicily, it was Mitchelton-Scott who took command early in the race on stage 6, as Esteban Chaves and Simon Yates took flight to finish 1-2 atop Mount Etna, the first uphill battle of the race. The result, Yates in pink.
The Briton went on to win three stages in the leader's jersey and fend off his competitors convincingly in the race's long time trial. A Scicon Bags supported rider taking home the pink jersey once again was looking more and more likely. That was until an epic stage 19.
Chris Froome's audacious 80km solo attack set the race on fire and turned it on its head. Yates fell apart early in the stage, dropping out of the top-10, whilst Froome ahead never faltered and rode himself into pink. A defensive day followed for Froome on the final mountain test seeing the Team Sky rider secure a historic Grand Tour victory treble.
Of the teams at the race using Scicon Bags, Mitchelton-Scott and Quick-Step Floors were the most successful with five stage wins a-piece. BORA-hansgrohe took three, while Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling taking one stage win as well, making it an impressive two-thirds of stage wins going to teams partnered with Scicon Bags.
You can show support for your favorite teams with the custom Scicon Team Edition Bags – travel in style when you #bringyourbike.


So far this year my travels have taken me up the coast of California and parts north. Then I headed a bit east to explore the Sierra Nevada. Statistics show that the drought is affecting all parts of the state. I'd heard that the Tahoe Queen had to modify it's path around the rim of Lake Tahoe to avoid rocks. I had to check it out for myself. Just how low could that big blue body of water be? And what affect is the water situation having on the gardeners up there?
From the first glimpse of the Truckee river that is the sole outlet for Lake Tahoe I could see that the water was lower than usual. Still looked like enough water to negotiate a tube or small raft but the rafting companies have already closed for the season with the flow from the lake at only half of what it is normally in August. Hiking on the Tahoe Rim Trail next to the river was beautiful. The native plants and trees can exist even without the normal snowfall. They might not put on a lot of growth during dry years but they still looked healthy.
There is a chart at the dam where the Truckee river originates on the north side of Lake Tahoe. The graph shows that this is not the only drought event to have hit the Tahoe Basin. I was told the lake has been lower than this many times. Back in the 1930's, 1962, 1976 and especially during the early 90's the lake level dipped even lower. 2004 and 2010 were also low years. The lake level is just above the natural rim right now. The average daily evaporation rate of the lake is 397 million gallons.
In Tahoe City there is a destination nursery that I always visit when I'm in the area. In addition to several acres of trees and plants, the Tahoe Tree Company's grounds are beautifully landscaped. A small lawn in surrounded by perennial beds loaded with flowers and a gazebo bordered with Autumn Joy sedum was just starting to bloom. Stands of quaking aspen towered over the shade beds of hosta, begonia, astilbe and New Guinea impatiens.
I asked one of the employees about how the drought has affected their customers. I noticed that many of the local residents had bright green lawns surrounded by dahlias, rudbeckia and ornamental grasses. She told me that many water companies serve the communities around the lake. They get some water from the lake itself but the rest is from springs which are drying up. The Tahoe City Public Utility District recommendation is to reduce water consumption by 20% with watering on even or odd days depending on your address.
Changes this season at the nursery range from reduced sale of seeds because seeds need regular watering to get started. Also customers are requesting more native plants but I was told that some of those requested are high water usage plants like dogwoods and willows. Customers are mulching more and learning which plants are drought tolerant. Popular natives include Sierra currant, Bitter and West Sand cherry, Mountain spiraea and elderberry.
Strolling the grounds of the nursery a brilliant gold plant caught my eye. Morning sun shone on a group of Sun King aralia and I had to find out more about this beautiful plant. In mid-spring this fast growing, 6 foot plant emerges with bright gold leaves. In sun the foliage remains gold through out the summer. In full shade, the foliage will be chartreuse to lime green in color. Spikes of tiny white flowers emerge in summer followed by ornamental black fruit. This plant is deer resistant. It's needs some moisture so combine it with other average water users in the same bed.
We are all hoping this winter will bring us some relief from the drought, even those who live next to that big blue lake.
Last fall my sister lost her favorite tree in a windstorm. She lives on Fox Island in the southern part of Puget Sound. I remember hearing about the extraordinary Pacific storm on the national news shattering records in the Northwest. Gusts up to 76 mph closed bridges, falling trees hurt 2 people and thousands lost power. Her Silk Tree didn't stand a chance.
While visiting over the Christmas holiday I thought it would be a nice present to replace her dearly departed tree. Several nice ornamental trees made the short list including the Katsura tree with leaves that smell like vanilla in the fall and Forest Pansy redbud with magenta spring flowers, burgundy heart-shaped summer leaves and reddish-orange fall color. We also considered the native Pacific dogwood but she already had one in the yard. Driving around we started to notice the beautiful color of the Coral Bark Japanese maples in many landscapes and the decision was made.
I knew we would have no trouble finding a good specimen in the Pacific Northwest and I was right. Close by in Gig Harbor we found Yang's Nursery and I walked into the realm of a Japanese maple expert. Owner Won Yang opened the nursery to give us a tour of the grounds. We walked between rows of hundreds of maples and marveled at the huge bonsai specimens of Weeping Katsura tree, Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, several different conifers and a very impressive, beautifully pruned Oshio Beni Japanese maple all over 20 years old.
Won showed us his greenhouses where he propagates the maples himself. He has been in the business for 30 years so he knows his stuff. Starting with a small green maple seedling with a half inch stem that is cut off 6″ above the ground, he carefully grafts a tiny tip of new growth from the desired specimen onto the larger stem. It will take at least 3 years before the new tree will be big enough to sell. Won's pride in his work was apparent as he smiled at the rows of newly grafted maples.
Back out among the maples, I had my eye on the rows of coral barked Sangu Kaku maples when I saw them. Lined up alongside were several trees with bark so bright I couldn't believe my eyes. "What are these", I asked? Won just smiled and told me they were called Beni Kawa Japanese maples and were a cultivar originally developed in 1987. They are prized for their brilliant salmon red bark which is much brighter than the regular coral bark maple. I was hooked. How could I not plant this gorgeous tree in my sister's yard?
I learned that the bark of this tree can be polished to keep the bright color. Lichen often grows on older trees hiding the salmon red bark of the new branches. I'll have to try using a soft cloth on my coral bark maple and see how it turns out. The Beni Kawa is a fast growing Japanese maple that will eventually reach 10-15 ft tall and 5-12 ft wide. It is hardy to 15 degrees.
Won grows his trees in a 50/50 mixture of top soil blend and fine crushed bark. He fertilizes with a balanced granular fertilizer and prunes in the winter. The 6 ft tree I bought my sister will not need to be pruned for a couple of years allowing it to establish a strong root system.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the new tree evolves as it grows especially since I know where this Beni Kawa Japanese maple was born.
Gardeners are always on the look out for new plants. I recall when I worked at a nursery looking over the showy dahlia shipment for the one that was a deeper, more vivid shade than all the rest. One color that always gets my attention is chocolate. Whether I find it in the foliage of a plant or the flower itself it's one of my favorites. You can imagine my delight when I discovered the Chocolate Flower Farm in Langley on Whidbey Island while I was visiting the Puget Sound recently. I was a kid in the candy store.
As a landscape designer I often get requests for certain colors to be included in the plant palette. Mahogany,burgundy, deep magenta, midnight blue, eggplant often make the list. Many people like dark flowers or foliage paired with ivory, others prefer peach or chartreuse. I marveled at all the combinations at the Chocolate Flower Farm.
Some plants are the color of chocolate and some smell like the real thing. Chocolate cosmos looks and smells just like a dark chocolate bar. The warmth of the day releases this delicious fragrance. A favorite flower for the perennial bed it's always a winner with kids.
In addition to chocolate cosmos, a wildflower called chocolate flower or berlandiera lyrata grew at the farm. I also enjoyed the fragrance of warm chocolate in the flowers of chocolate akebia, chocolate mint and chocolate snakeroot.
Strolling the grassy paths at the Chocolate Flower Farm I admired a Sparkling Burgundy pineapple lily. The foliage, nearly black, glistened in the sun growing next to a white-flowering Nine Bark called Summer Wine.
Nearby a clump of two-tone chocolate and ivory daylillies bloomed. With grazing horses nearby and a dozen ducks taking turns bathing in a kiddie pool the scene was idyllic. At every turn a different pairing of chocolate flowers and foliage caught my attention.
One section featured plants for a kid's chocolate garden. Easy to grow chocolate pincushion flower, chocolate viola, chocolate nasturtium, chocolate snapdragon, chocolate sunflower and chocolate painted tongue would be fun for any child to have in their own garden.
I loved a penstemon called Chocolate Drop as well as a Mahogany monarda the color of deepest magenta. Blooming black sweet peas grew up and and over an old bed frame. A dark purple-black clematis from Russia called Negritanka intertwined with lime green hops covering an arbor. Toffee Twist sedge, Royal Purple smokebush, Chocolate Sundae dahlia, Sweet Hot Chocolate daylily, Chocolate Plant and Hot Cocoa roses grew in many of the flower beds.
What makes dark foliage or dark flowers pop? At The Chocolate Farm each bed pairs the deep rich chocolate color with another contrasting shade. I don't know which was my favorite. One area featured peach, pink and silver to offset the darker shades. Pink dahlia and fairy wand, blue oat grass and rose colored sedum 'Autumn Joy' made a lovely vignette. Another bed paired the yellow flowers of phygelius 'Moonraker' and digitalis grandiflora with white anemone and ivory dahlias set among Chocolate Baby New Zealand flax.
Not to be ignored the dark chocolate shade of black sambucus growing next to a golden Himalayan Pheasant Berry made an impression. All-gold Japanese Forest grass at the base of dark leaved Tropicana canna lily was also a show stopper.
If you are up on Whidbey Island, the Chocolate Flower Farm is a great place to spend an afternoon. If your vacation plans don't include the Pacific Northwest, plant some chocolate in your own garden.
My summer travel season started this year in the Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest. My sister lives on Fox Island overlooking the sound with a breathtaking view of Mt. Rainier. There are so many gardens and nurseries in this area I hardly know where to start when I come up here. Any destination was sure to provide lush landscapes and a cornucopia of colorful flowers.
green island at the southern end of Puget Sound. After the ferry docked we headed south to visit The Country Store and Gardens. This nursery in the heart of the island boasts mature plantings on a 10 acre site with the nursery featuring rare and and unusual plants along with a wide selection of perennials, shrubs and blueberries.
The flowers of a deep, dark purple clematis mingled with a rich pink, climbing cabbage rose both growing on a long trellis surrounding the front porch of the store. A dead fruit tree was left to provide support for another midnight purple clematis blooming above a bed of deep red Lucifer crocosmia. I'll remember this exciting pairing for a future design where the spreading crocosmia won't be a problem.
This nursery propagates many of their plants from their own stock. Mature specimens of ornamental grape, lace-cap hydrangeas, tangerine colored alstroemeria, hellebore and heuchera grew in the perennial beds bordered by sections of cut logs. We enjoyed the sweet scent of Summer Ice daphne and admired the velvet red blossoms of Serotina honeysuckle before moving on to our next destination.
The Pacific Northwest is famous for their lavender fields. The soil and climate here really agrees with this plant.
Lavender Hill Farm is just one of many lavender growing concerns on the island. On a hill overlooking the picturesque Quartermaster Harbor, several lavender varieties are grown.
You can pick some for yourself or buy some already harvested. Sitting under an apple tree, a young worker introduced herself as Audrey and told me the farm grows several French lavender varieties. Grosso is grown for the long stems and fat flower buds, Provence for intense fragrance and Melissa and Coconut Ice for their pink flower buds. It's a beautiful spot with sailboats docked below in the tiny harbor.
Next stop, famous in the nursery world, was Dig Nursery. I've seen it mentioned in Pacific Horticulture and Sunset magazines. The plants here are displayed in very unique ways making this destination nursery something to be experienced. Massive gabion pillars made of heavy wire fencing and river rocks provide the base for rusted ornamental iron trellises and arbors. More rusted iron is fashioned into hanging planters overflowing with flowers, succulents and grasses.
Repurposed cyclone fence sections provided a perfectly drained platform for more succulents, native plants, herbs and grasses. Several pots of unique black daylilies caught our attention as did the large collection of Darlingtonia and other carnivorous plants. In the shade section, a lime-green lace cap hydrangea was offered for sale with mopheads, Japanese forest grass and hellebore. We wondered if the resting Swallowtail butterfly came with the pot of hydrangeas.
Another ferry another island. This time the ferry takes us to Whidbey Island. Here there are flowers blooming everywhere. Hanging baskets of purple and lilac supertunia, lobelia and red ivy geraniums grace every light pole. The container plantings burst with color. White rugosa roses grow on a split rail fence overlooking the harbor in Langley.
One of our stops on the island is Meerkerk Rhododendron Garden. At this time of year we thought the show would be over but we were pleasantly surprised to find several very specimens still blooming. There are so many kinds of rhododendrons here and we were drawn to one called Golfer with silver fuzzy leaves. Another one had velvety rusty red leaves that sparkled backlit by the late afternoon sun.
The perennial beds were filled with lilac oriental poppy, dahlia, campanula, lavender and shasta daisy. A 30 ft white dogwood shone like a beacon surrounded by the deep green fir trees. Bordering the curving paths, oregano and moss covered fieldstone beckoned one to linger and admire the smaller jewels of the garden.
Another highlight of my tour of gardens was a visit to Chocolate Flower Farm in Langley. If you like deep burgundy, chocolate, black, midnight blue, deep magenta or mahogany flowers and foliage like I do you would also be amazed by this garden. There is so much to share about this special place that I plant to write about all it's treasures in another column. Stay tuned.
As I left to fly back to California and the redwoods I thought that in some ways this temperate rain forest is not so different from ours. It's a little greener up here during the summer and the daylight from 5am to 10 pm makes the plants bloom like crazy, but there's no place like home.