NYPL Historic Maps
OASIS / NYPL maps help compare historical lower Manhattan with contemporary street grid
In partnership with the New York Public Library's Map Division, www.OASISnyc.net now displays digitized historic maps aligned to the city's current street grid. Using OASIS's dynamic transparency tool, you can fade between current property maps (and aerial photos) and maps from the 18th and 19th centuries. Currently we've integrated three maps (two in lower Manhattan, one covering all of Manhattan): the Montresor map from 1775, the Poppleton map from 1817, and the Viele map from 1874.
More maps will be added soon, based on the groundbreaking NYPL "Map Rectifier" project. But as we were working with Map Division staff to incorporate their digitized maps, an amazing find at the World Trade Center construction site prompted us to speed up our work.
Maps and an 18th century find
On July 13, 2010, workers at a portion of the WTC construction site unearthed the remnants of an old ship, what the New York Times City Room described as "a 30-foot length of a wood-hulled vessel" from sometime in the 18th century. The article noted that the ship "was evidently undisturbed more than 200 years."
The construction site is located between Liberty and Cedar streets in lower Manhattan, just south of the WTC site. We've now updated the OASIS website with historical maps from the New York Public Library, to help provide mapped evidence dating the ship and identifing the pier where it may have been docked in the late 1700s.
Fading from 1817 to 1775 (and back again to the present)
Dynamic transparencies peel back the layers
Here's how you can access the maps on OASIS:
- zoom into the block b/w Liberty and Cedar streets (enter "140 Liberty Street" in the address search) - you may want to zoom out one level to see the property in relation to the surrounding blocks;
- expand the "Historical Land Use" legend section, and check the box next to the "Montresor map" entry;
- move the "Poppleton map" entry to the "Transparency Control" box (just click and drag it to the box);
- use the slider to change the transparency of the Poppleton map. The Montresor map underneath with fade in and out of view. You can see that in 1775 the Liberty/Cedar street block was mainly under water, and also had a pier extending along Cedar Street.
- by 1817, the Liberty/Cedar street block had been filled in extending to West Street (which had been partly built and was planned further south).
- you can click on the "Poppleton" or "Montresor" map links to find out more about them, along with a link to the detailed page at NYPL with citation information.
Bird's eye view of the construction site
Click on the Liberty/Cedar Street block, and an orange "camera icon" will appear. Click it to display a bird's eye view of the property (from Bing maps). Use the N/S/E/W icon in the upper left of the bird's eye view to see different perspectives on the area -- if you click W, you'll get a good view of the construction area.
Of course, the NYPL maps are not the only historical info available via OASIS. We also have a great partnership with the Mannahatta Project. More on this in a separate post. But in the meantime you can use OASIS to view some amazing map layers created by Mannahatta -- the 1609 shoreline around Manhattan island, ecosystems, a photorealisic image of what the island likely looked like, and you can click on any block for a link to the Mannahatta Project's website with detailed info about the 1609 flora and fauna for that area.


What is the Feast of Dedication?
The Feast of Dedication is not one of the 7 core FEASTS mandated by MOSES, (in Lev 23). It was instituted by a Levitical warrior Priest, namely JUDAS MACCBEUS, or Judah Maccabee, in the time known in history as classical antiquity, Biblical scholars refer to this period as ‘the inter-testimentary’ period, this is the 400 year gap between the end of the BOOK OF MALACHI in our BIBLES, (the last book of the Old/ First Testament), to the start of the GOSPELS, (in the New Testament).
Judah, who was surnamed by his father on account of his anointing, MACCABEE, (from an Aramaic root word, MAQQABA) meaning ‘THE HAMMER’ led both a 3 year uprising against the then ruling Seleucid, Greek-Assyrian EMPIRE, and an internal civil conflict against the ‘phil-hellene’, Greek- culture loving Jews of his people, who conspired to stamp out YASHAR’EL-ite religious observance and values. The struggle culminated in the recapture of the Temple at Jerusalem in 165BC, and was commemorated by the RE-DEDICATION of the Temple, after its defilement by pagan images and sacrifices; and the restoration of YASHAR’EL-ite (or Black Israelite) traditional service, sacrifices and worship and also marked the restoration of YASHAR’EL-ite political sovereignty, all but briefly over their land, (it was subsequently lost again, this time to the Romans in a squabble over succession to the High Priesthood, several generations after Judas’ decease). However, it was to this second, restored, Re-dedicated Temple that CHRIST Himself later came.
When is the Feast?
The Feast is observed or celebrated over 8 days, starting on the 25th Day of Casleu, or Kislev, ‘The Ninth Month’ The story, or history behind the Feast of Dedication is perhaps the best documented of our /YASHAR'EL-ite history in the secular historical record of the Gentiles, particularly that of the Greeks who actually named it 'HANNUKAH', a Greek word meaning 'LIGHTS'
15th Oct 2023 /1st Casleu or Kislev, ‘The Ninth Month


White Lies, my latest novel, will be out in paperback on Amazon within a few days. It’s a story about an adoption seen from three angles. The image continues on the back cover but in the Kindle version, shown above, the white band for the title makes it look as though it’s floating in space. Maybe it’s appropriate for a white lie to float.
I’ve also discovered that several writers before me have called their novels White Lies. Will this help or hinder potential sales? I should have researched more carefully before deciding on the title – but never mind. The much more problematic doubling-up is with my name. I’m not the only fiction-writer called Susan Barrett. Perhaps the other SBs are as put out as I was when I realised a doppelganger had snuck up beside me.
Beth is a guest at a wedding. The bride is Tess, her natural daughter, who’d been adopted as a baby. During the moments leading up to the marriage ceremony, Beth recalls the lifetime events that led to her present state of sick fear. Recent revelations have made her suspect that the bridegroom is the first child she’d given up for adoption, and therefore Tess’s half-brother. Will she speak of this impediment to matrimony or, as invited by the priest, forever hold her peace?
White Lies gives the answer in a way that reveals the complexities of truth-telling in the context of adoption. It is a story told from three perspectives: that of Beth, the natural mother; Liz, the adoptive mother, and Tess, her adopted daughter. The reader’s sympathy is engaged with each woman in turn, as the intricacies of the plot demonstrate the joys and sorrows of adoption and how nature and nurture interplay in the formation of personality.


Edward Townsend Gray
- Born: 26 Jul 1881, Oswego, Oswego, New York
- Marriage: Sarah Jean Lomison in 1906 in Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA
- Died: 18 Jun 1956, Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA at age 74
- Buried: 20 Jun 1956, Grandview Cemetery, Johnstown, Cambria, PA
Noted events in his life were:
• Residence: Reason for moving to Johnstown PA from Oswego NY. Family lore has it that he took a job to help rebuild Johnstown after the flood in 1889. He had a room at the Lomison's. Prior to that he worked for the forestry service out west.
• Occupation: Cambria Steel: Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA. From Obituary.
• Religion: Member of Westmont Presbeterian Church: Johnstown, Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Occupation: Member of Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers: Pennsylvania.
• Service Club: Founding member of Johnstown Lions Club: Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA.
• Education: Graduated from Cornell University as a Civil Engineer, 1901, Ithica, NY.
• Graduation: OSWEGO DAILY TIMES, FRIDAY Evening, 21 Jun 1901, Oswego Town, Oswego, New York. OSWEGO DAILY TIMES, FRIDAY Evening, June 21,1901.
Three Oswego Young Men Receive Diplomas During the Week.
HAVE RETURNED HOME
Edward T. Gray, of Oswego Center, graduated from the College of Civil Engineering receiving the degree of C. E. He had been one of the hand ball players in the University and won the University championship doubles with one another.
• Book: From Google Book Search, 1901, Cornell, NY. Title: The fire protection of mill buildings
Author: Edward Townsend Gray
Publisher: Cornell University, 1901
Length 118 pages
• Residence: From newspaper article on Thyrza Gray's 100th birthday, 1902, Logan, Indiana.
• Residence: 752 Nepoleon Street, 1910, Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA. From 1910 Census.
He is living with the Lomisons.
• Occupation: Civil Engineer at Steel Mill, 1910, Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA. Listed in census.
• Draft Card: From Family Search org, 1918, Cambria, Pennsylvania. Name: Edward Townsend Gray
Event Type: Draft Registration
Event Date: 1917-1918
Event Place: Cambria County no 1, Pennsylvania, United States
Birth Date: 23 Jul 1880
Birthplace: , , United States
Nationality: United States
Affiliate Publication Title: World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards
Affiliate Publication Number: M1509
GS Film number: 1877827
Digital Folder Number: 5266936
Image Number: 1379
• Residence: 126 Tioga Street, 1920, Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA. From 1920 Census
Edward T Gray
United States Census, 1920
Name Edward T Gray
Event Type Census
Event Date 1920
Event Place Westmont, Cambria, Pennsylvania, United States
Marital Status Married
Race (Original) White
Can Read Yes
Can Write Yes
Relationship to Head of Household Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Head
Own or Rent Own
Birth Year (Estimated) 1881
Birthplace New York
Father's Birthplace New York
Mother's Birthplace New York
Sheet Letter B
Sheet Number 9
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Edward T Gray Head M 39 New York
Sarah J Gray Wife F 46 Pennsylvania
Robert D Gray Son M 7 Pennsylvania
• Occupation: Chief Civil Engineer, 1920, Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA. From Census.
• Census: 1920 Census, 8 Jan 1920.
• Occupation: Own Civil Engineering firm with Fred W. Claflin, After 1920, Johnstown, Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA. From Obituary and The Cornell civil engineer, Volumes 31-32
By Cornell University. Association of Civil Engineers
Gray Edward T CE 01
126 Tioga St Johnstown Pa.; Gray & Claflin Engineers
Nothing on E. T. Gray but found the following on Fred W. Calfin.
Fred W. Claflin
Mr. Claflin was born at Hopkinton, Mass., Aug. 8, 1879, and is a son of Winslow Weld and Susan I. (Belknap) Claflin. He attended the public schools of Hopkinton, Mass., was graduated from high school in 1897, and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1901. He served as instrument man with Alex H. French of Brookline, Mass., doing city engineering work, and from May, 1901, until January, 1905, was with the engineering department of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, Boston & Albany Division as surveyor and inspector of construction in charge of separation of grades at Chester, Mass.; Niverville, N. Y. ; East Chatham and Chatham Center, N. Y. He was later in charge of installing block signals between Chicago and Buffalo on the L. S. & M. S. Railroad, and from 1905 until 1906 was associated with F. C. Greene, mining engineer of Cleveland, a special engineer in charge of two large stadium surveys in Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio. He was later connected with the Brilliant (Ohio) Coal Company, and from May, 1906, until October, 1907, was in charge of surveying parties on Stadia and Topographical Surveys for location of Quemahoning dam and pipe line. From January, 1907, until May he was also in charge of surveys and preliminary plans of two water supply schemes in the vicinity of Johnstown. From October, 1907, until January, 1909, he was in charge of surveying and inspection of all construction work in the lower plant of the Cambria Steel Company, including the setting of heavy engines, rebuilding of blast furnaces, building of two condensing systems, erection of blast furnaces, stock bins, etc. From January, 1909, until December, 1913, he was resident engineer and superintendent of construction of Quemahoning Dam and a portion of the pipe line, a $5,000,000 force account work. From December, 1913, until June, 1914, he was superintendent of construction in charge of all forces remodeling No. 5 blast furnace and hot blast stoves, as well as general improvement of the Cambria plant of the Cambria Steel Company of Johnstown. Mr. Claflin suffered a breakdown in health in 1914 and until 1916 was confined in a hospital. From October, 1916, until February, 1917, he was field engineer in charge of all field operations in connection with the Nickel Plate Railroad, elimination of grade crossings, work on the west side of Cleveland. From February, 1917, until September, 1917, he was engineer in charge of erection of 10 six-ton Herault electric blast furnaces at Toronto, Canada, for the British government, this being the largest electric steel plant in the world. From September until November, 1917, he was engineer in charge of the dismantling of the Battelle (Alabama) blast furnace, and loading same on ship at New Orleans for export to India. From November, 1911, until December, 1921, Mr. Claflin was general superintendent of construction of the Tata Iron and Steel Company, Jamshedpur, India, the cost of these improvements amounting to $65,000,000. In December, 1921, Mr. Claflin returned to Johnstown, where he has since been a member of the firm of Gray & Claflin. They are consulting, civil and mining engineers and specialize in sewerage and sewer disposal, water supply and purification, development of town sites, municipal engineering valuations, examinations and reports of mining properties, and the design of industrial and mining plants, highways and bridges.
On January 24, 1914, Mr. Claflin was married to Miss Amelia W. Wertz, the daughter of George M. and Louisa (Glitch) Wertz. Mr. Wertz has served as congressman from this district and as a leader of the Senate at Harrisburg. He resides at Arbutus Park, Cambria County. Mr. and Mrs. Claflin have a daughter, Louisa W., born in February, 1919.
Mr. Claflin is a Republican, a member of the Congregational Church and is identified with the American Society of Civil Engineers, Johnstown Builders' Exchange and Chamber of Commerce.
• Residence: From 1930 Census, 1930, Southmont, Cambria, Pennsylvania. Name: Edward F Gray
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: Southmont, Cambria, Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Married
Birthplace: New York
Estimated Birth Year: 1883
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Birthplace: New York
Enumeration District Number: 108
Family Number: 422
Sheet Number and Letter: 18A
Line Number: 23 NARA
Publication: T626, roll 2013
Film Number: 2341747
Digital Folder Number: 4639685
Image Number: 00973
Edward F Gray M 47
Spouse Sara J Gray F 56
Child Robert B Gray M 18
Mary E Lomison F 63
Bell C Lomison F 60
Address: 1012 Millcreek Road
• Occupation: Civil Engineer with Federal Flood Control, 1940, Washington, DC. From 1940 Census
• Residence: From 1940 Census, 1940, Washington, DC. E T Gray
First Name: E
Middle Name: T
Last Name: Gray
Age at Time of Census: 60
Estimated Birth Year: 1880
Birth Location: New York Map
Enumeration District: Jan-99
Residence: Tract 53, District of Columbia, Police Precinct 3, District of Columbia
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Other People in Household:
67 yrs, Female
Marital Status: Married
Genealogical Society Number: 5461941
NARA Publication Number: T627
NARA Microfilm Roll Number: 556
Line Number: 72
Sheet Number: 3
Collection: U.S. 1940 Census Records
Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
E T Gray Head M 60 New York
Sarah Jean Gray Wife F 67 Pennsylvania
• Residence: OSWEGO Palladium Times, Wednesday, 24 Oct 1940, Oswego Town, Oswego, New York. OSWEGO CENTER
Wednesday Callers At Nelson G. Thompson Home
OSWEGO CENTER, Oct. ______
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gray of Washington, D. C, and Miss Thyrza and Miss Florence Gray of Oswego, called Wednesday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson G. Thompson.
• Draft Registration: From Find a Grave.
• Family: Visiting his son, Bob, and daughter-in-law, Betty, Dec 1953, Erie, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Obituary: The Tribune-Democrat, 19 Jun 1956, Johnstown, Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Death: Johnstown Tribune Democrat, Tuesday, Page 20, 19 Jun 1956, Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA.
• Death Certificate: From Find a Grave.
• Cemetery: Grandview Cemetery, 1956, Johnstown, Cambria, Pennsylvania. Inter. No. 33323
First Name EDWARD
Last Name GRAY
Middle Name T.
Interment Date 6/20/1956
Date of Death 6/18/1956
Place Deceased JOHNSTOWN, PA
Date of Birth
Place of Birth OSWEGO, NY
• Gravestone: Grandview Cemetery, 1956, Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA. Section CE3
He does not have a gravestone. Family plot is shown.
Edward married Sarah Jean Lomison, daughter of John Nelson Lomison and Miriam St. Clair "Danny" Stewart, in 1906 in Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA. (Sarah Jean Lomison was born on 27 Jul 1871 in Homer City, Indiana, Pennsylvania, died on 25 Sep 1946 in Johnstown, , Pennsylvania, USA and was buried on 26 Sep 1946 in Grandview Cemetery, Johnstown, Cambria, PA.)
Noted events in their marriage were:
• Marriage License: MARRIAGE: Licenses, Cambria Freeman; October, 1906; Cambria County, PA, 12 Oct 1906, Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Patty Millich
Friday, 12 Oct 1906
Volume 40, Number 41
Edward Gray and Sarah J. Lomison of Johnstown.
• Wedding Trip: The Pittsburgh Press, Page 11, 28 Oct 1906, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Johnstown
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Townsend Gray are home from a wedding trip.


Curated by Chris Finn, The Journals of Susanna Moodie, Margaret Atwood’s best known book of poems, inspired by the writing of Susanna Moodie, was published in a limited edition format with Charles Pachter’s interpretive graphic works in the 1980s. The marriage of graphic work with literary text created a unique art form, the livre d’artiste. The exhibition explored the unique collaboration between these two artists.
- Brushed Aluminum
- Dimensions: Not Available
- 190 Fort York Blvd. Toronto Public Library, Toronto
About the artwork
About the artist
Charles Pachter is a painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer, historian, and lecturer. He is a former graduate of the University of Toronto, Sorbonne-Paris, and the Cranbrook Academyof Art, Michigan. Through his career he worked and collaborated with different artists, notably assisting Alexander Calder at Expo 67 in Montreal, exhibiting his work around the world and Canada.
Margaret Atwood is a prominent Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. She has published multiple books of poetry, novels, non-fiction, entire collections of short fiction, some children’s books, as well as graphic novels. Over the years, Atwood has won numerous awards and honours for her writing, including the Booker Prize (twice), Arthur C. Clarke Award, Governor General’s Award, Franz Kafka Prize, Princess of Asturias Awards, and the National Book Critics and PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Awards. Atwood’s works encompass a variety of themes including gender and identity, religion and myth, the power of language, climate change, and “power politics”.
- Both artists were constantly writing to each other, over 300 letters. Atwood was interested in Pachter as an artist, supporting Pachter in his creative endeavour. Once Atwood told him, “...someday you’ll be writing God’s murals in the sky”.
- Do you think this is an interesting artist collaboration?
- How does this artwork make you feel?


IJTIDS is endowed with opportunity for both academic and industrial communities to address new trends, challenges and emerging technologies on topics relevant to today’s technology innovations and data sciences. It also serves as a dais of research collaboration among the experts.
The journal will publish its issues as at when due and ensure a reliable distribution network within and outside Malaysia.
The vision of the journal is to be a globally acclaimed medium of dissemination of excellent and reliable information, technology and innovative research findings.
Each edition will be published annually and special issues may be published as needs may arise. The journal has a wide scope to cover every area in the field of Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, and Data Sciences.
The journal is managed by the Faculty of Computer Science and Multimedia, Lincoln University College, Malaysia under the watch of the Editor-in-chief and a group of Editors each representing the aforementioned fields.


Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives
The Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives (SOVA) provides integrated access to descriptions and detailed inventories of thousands of primary resource collections maintained by archival units across the Smithsonian.
Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.
The New York Public Library Digital Collections
This site is a living database with new materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.
American Archive of Public Broadcasting
Discover historic programs of publicly funded radio and television across America. Watch and listen.
This site offers access to 1,500+ video narratives of survivors and witnesses to the Holocaust and other genocides.
World Digital Library
The WDL makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from all countries and cultures.
An online tool for users to access thousands of primary sources such as letters, photographs, speeches, posters, maps and videos throughout American history.
An online tool for users to access photos, documents, and popular media on endless U.S. historic topics and themes.
Government Documents for Kids
Our Mission: To promote government information in order to engage K-12 students in learning about the arts, literature, history, culture, science, technology, and government through games and other interactive activities; to assist teachers and school librarians with locating teaching aids, lesson plans, and exciting tools to enhance students' learning; and to provide librarians with a collection of free government resources to advance their reference interview and collection development decisions.
Our Vision: To be an authoritative source for government resources and information for children, specifically in grades K - 12 by providing resources and lesson plans for students, classroom teachers, and librarians in the subjects of the Arts, Language Arts, Social Studies, and STEM.


Hayley and Jess are joined by Chriselle Lim, co-founder of Bumo Parent, Bumo Brain, and Bumo Work and host of the Being Bumo podcast, a collection of community, education, and childcare resources for families. A mother to two girls, a stylist, and the OG digital influencer, Chriselle discusses how to balance work, family, relationships, and friends and how to take a step back when you’re not sure if you’re parenting in the way you intend. Chriselle also shares her experiences growing up as an Asian American and explores how we, as parents, can start to have conversations with our kids about race and culture so that we positively shape the next generation.
If you’re looking for ways to bring awareness to the Asian American experience, check out Stop AAPI Hate and the hashtag #stopaapihate. Stop AAPI Hate was created in response to the alarming escalation in hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also, check out Chriselle’s book recommendation, Eyes That Kiss in the Corners. This children’s book is about a young Asian girl who finds uniqueness in her beauty, and it is a wonderful story about self-love and empowerment.


Resources on ICE arrests at courthouses
and entanglement with local law enforcement
Groups Call for an End to ICE Arrests in Oregon Courthouses, Innovation Law Lab. May 3, 2019.
No ICE Arrests In Courthouses Without Judicial Warrants N.Y. Court Directive Says, National Public Radio. April 17, 2019.
IMIrJ Letter to Washington County Presiding Judge & Officials, IMIrJ. November 19, 2018.
One Pager: What To Do if ICE Attempts an Arrest (& the Oregon Privilege Against Civil Arrests at Courthouses), Innovation Law Lab. May 2019.


I recently organized a couple of bookcases. In our former home I had reached Reader’s Nirvana/Self-Actualization/Bliss in that I had an entire wall of bookcases, floor to ceiling where on I had ALL my books displayed with ROOM FOR MORE.
I know it’s show offy just writing that. All of you with boxes of books in the basement/attic/garage/barn, just hang in there.
Since we moved to this house I’ve had a bit of trouble. Although there are plenty of built in bookshelves and several smaller bookcases, we left the huge wall and I haven’t achieved the order and organization that I had before. My books have been separated and stacked, then moved around and finally shelved only to be evicted when a room is repurposed to begin the whole process again. It’s a sort of reservation system gone awry and the saddest part is that the governing body (me!) is trying to pull everyone closer rather than banish them to the hinterlands. Where others have a library, I have a gulag.
We had some ceiling work done this summer which necessitated emptying a couple of bookcases and it gave me the opportunity to rethink our front entry. I had a small desk in an alcove on one side and a narrow bookshelf in a smaller alcove on the other side of the front door. The desk, though pretty and useful, was soon buried under stacks of papers and books. It was the first thing anyone saw upon entering our home. I also have a much larger desk upstairs which is more masculine than my small white desk, but it gives me room to spread out my junk and stack the books I always like to have at hand, as well as provides room for a comfortable chair. The white desk only afforded space for a narrow, wooden chair that makes my tailbone wince just considering it.
The narrow bookshelf was filled with memoirs and biographies as well as all my books on writing. Since my only desk is going to be upstairs, I wanted all these books there too. I decided to move a larger bookcase in the larger alcove where the desk was. The question became what books should should now reside there. I decided on fiction. How to divide fiction was the greater dilemma, but I settled on Americans on the narrow bookcase and anyone else on the wider case opposite, with the exception of the top two shelves that hold my collection of Modern Library and a shelf of small volumes (a set of Shakespeare’s plays, a partial set of Twain, the extremely old “Masterpieces of the World’s Best Literature” with the exception of Volume 2 and assorted copies of classics that were schoolbooks owned by my grandparents).
To make things easy on myself I decided, on the shelves devoted to fiction, to organize the authors alphabetically and not categorize the books in any other way. This has made some strange companions. An old Agatha Christie is next to “A Christmas Carol” and “The Joy Luck Club” is next to a newer, (taller) set of Mark Twain. The shelf pictured above is a jumble of old and new, paperback and hardcover. The slim paperback on the far left is a very light novel about a bed and breakfast but it discusses other novels, travel and food, which makes it a keeper, but only the author’s last name (Richardson) qualifies it to sit on the same shelf as “Gilead,” “Franny and Zooey” and “East of Eden.”
There are probably quite a few books in boxes and all my childhood books (that weren’t lost) are shelved upstairs, and yet I was surprised at how few novels I own. There are a variety of reasons for this: I tend to borrow fiction from the library and the novels I do buy I find much easier to part with. If I don’t want to read a book again, I get rid of it.
The memoirs, biographies, collections of personal essays and large set of history books that were on the narrow shelf are now stacked on the stairs. A lot of painting is going to need to occur in the schoolroom before they find their new home.
For now, I am pleased with my uncluttered entry and the sight of my cleanly, ordered books.


All vintage jewellery is collectible and none more so than that made from paua shell. No longer regarded as the tourist kitsch of yesteryear, the book explores this fascinating history and shares the many stories of how and why it came to be produced and by whom, and also who bought it and for what reason, whether as a souvenir of New Zealand or to commemorate a special place or event.
The beauty of numerous pieces of paua shell jewellery is showcased in nearly 400 photographs in over 190 pages. The accompanying narrative traces its roots from the Classic pre-European Maori period, through the years of its main production in New Zealand from the 1920s to the 1980s, before the market was flooded by mass-produced imports, to its present status as Kiwi icon. An accompanying e-book, New Zealand Paua Shell Jewellery: A Cultural History, which gives a more detailed account of this story is also available.
Elly van de Wijdeven lives in Auckland. She is an academic and researcher in the field of material culture, and along with her interest in paua shell jewellery, she writes and speaks on New Zealand textiles.


Summer, Summer, Summertime…
“… time to sit back and unwind” is what DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince said in 1991. For nonprofit leaders and fundraisers, it’s a real challenge to find time for rest and relaxation. We all know by now how important it is, but it’s still tough to make it happen.
First, I hope you find time at some point this summer to recharge. It’s important for you, your organization, and those you work with, including donors, that you take good care of yourself.
For me, summer is prime reading and planning season. We’re halfway through the year, and it’s a great time to evaluate your progress and make adjustments to your strategies. Plus, summer reading has always given me new ideas that can improve our plans for the rest of the year and beyond.
Here’s a list to kick off summer reading season:
click the title to learn more on Amazon
- This is what I’m currently reading. Not yet a recommendation, but hopefully has some good ideas for my next speaking engagement.
2. Insanely Simple: The Obsession that Drives Apple’s Success by Ken Segall
- A believer in the power of simplicity, I loved reading these stories and real examples of the difficulty and strength in making messages, processes, and products simple.
- Insightful and fun to learn about the business and strategy behind some incredibly familiar brands from one of the most accomplished CEO’s ever. The story of Disney’s acquisition of Pixar and the conversations between Bob Iger and Steve Jobs is captivating.
4. Planned Giving Basics: The Why and the How by Carol Weisman
- This is a great book to learn about planned giving. While a lot has changed in the five years since this book was written, it’s still a must read if you’re new to fundraising or planned giving and a great reminder for those of us who have experience in the field.
5. David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
- Nonprofits have a tendency to get stuck focusing barriers that keep them from accomplishing more. This book provides a new way to look at your perceived disadvantages and how they might actually be able to help you.
As always, THANK YOU for reading. Have a great day!
All the best,
Kenny Sigler, CFRE


It was my plan never to read The Fault in Our Stars, afraid that I would find it maudlin and contrived and unable to hide my cynical critique from the teenagers who populate my life and home and car. Teenagers love John Green's book, and they love it with an unreserved adulation, a wholeness of feeling, an uncritical embrace that seems by turns charmingly and irritatingly naive. It's also slightly surprising, especially in the light of media reports that the younger generation hardly reads anything much longer than a status update anymore, and as a result is in danger of losing the capacity for empathy that novelistic reading provides.
In the end, it wasn't the teenagers who convinced me to read it after all, but a colleague who was reading The Fault In Our Stars while administering a final exam, only to have one student after another deliver a completed test booklet along with a spontaneous exchange about how much he or she loved the book. I wondered whether reading Green's novel might reveal something about this generation to me, and figured that at the very least it would give us something to talk about.
And yet I worried: would this be a story of a hyper-idealistic youthful romance cruelly riven by the tragedy of cancer, an updated version of Love Story, that 1970 sobfest that catalyzed into a source of affective shame for its early adopters? My weird solution to this dilemma was to take to twitter, as if doing so might either ward off or preemptively expose any potential for humiliation. I would tweet my reactions and responses as I read. If I couldn't privately feel this book the way a teenager might, maybe I could at least publicly think this book, the way a teacher of writing or a parent of teenagers might.
It didn't take me long to realize that The Fault in Our Stars is about books and reading, not cancer and dying. We start here: a teenage girl dying of cancer is in love with a book about a teenage girl who is dying of cancer. She meets a boy who is a cancer survivor, they exchange their favorite books, and they fall in love--with each other and with this book, called An Imperial Affliction. This is a kind of triangulated desire (A and C express their desire for each other through their mutual desire for B), but one in which B stands not for a person but for a Book. The problem is that this mutually-adored book ends in the middle of a sentence and Hazel really really wants to know what happened after that, so Augustus cashes in his own extant cancer-kid wish (Hazel has already blown hers on a trip to Disneyland) to take her to Amsterdam, where the novelist lives, so she can ask him what really happens--to its protagonist, but also to her family, her friends, her hamster.
Along the way, Hazel and Augustus and their friend, Isaac--all of whom are missing one working body part or another (lungs, a leg, one and then both eyes)--engage in charmingly wry and improbably witty banter rife with literary references. There is the Shakespeare line that provides the book its title, but in addition the novel makes reference to--in no particular order--Frederick Douglass, T.S. Eliot, Emily Dickinson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Samuel Beckett, William Carlos Williams, Alan Ginsburg, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Anne Frank, and Soren Kierkegaard. I would like to say it's enough to make a teenage reader of John Green want to read Eliot and Dickinson and Shakespeare, except I have yet to hear of any teenager who has actually done this. What I have heard of is teenagers eager to get their hands on An Imperial Affliction, the book Hazel loves but that does not actually exist in our world. (The Beckett reference should now be kicking in.)
I tweeted much of this kind of meta-commentary as I read. In doing so, I was basically behaving exactly like all of the adults in Green's novel, who lurk in the background, waiting in cars or lobbies or kitchens, ready to offer advice their kids don't really want and which won't really work anyway. In The Fault in Our Stars, adults care, and cry, and grieve, and talk, and drink, but in the end they're pretty useless beings who can't keep their shit together any more than their kids can. As Anne Frank's father reports in the documentary playing as our two cancer kids crawl and limp through her attic: "my conclusion is ... most people don't really know their children."
I was managing to get through a couple of chapters per sitting, posting a handful of tweets each time, trying not to lose my momentum by missing too many days between readings. And then, somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters of the way through the book, something shifted. For one thing, I'd stopped tweeting, without even realizing it. It wasn't only because I no longer wanted to stop to tweet; it was because I had nothing to say. I wasn't rowing this boat anymore. I cared about the characters and wanted to get to the end, to know what happened. But it wasn't even really that, because, just like Hazel, I both knew and didn't know what was going to happen. I had fallen in.
I teach a course on theories of the novel, and the students wade through some pretty difficult prose--by Georg Lukacs, Fredric Jameson, Nancy Armstrong, Mikhail Bakhtin--before it even occurs to them to ask how novels do this, how they manage to make us feel that fictional characters (and their often improbable stories) are real to us, how they convince us to care about them, enough to lose ourselves, to let go, to cry, to fall in. Is it just a trick of language, the effect of formal realism's use of concrete particulars, the illusory consciousness created by narrated monologues that are neither entirely inside nor quite outside of a character's head?
Theorists of the novel point to a host of mostly interconnected world historical changes--like global empire, linguistic and cultural contact, nationalism, the growth of cities and suburbs, the Protestant Reformation, print capitalism, the scientific revolution--to explain the emergence of modernity and its signature genre, the novel. If there is one phenomenon running through these changes that align with the world of the novel, it is the arrival of individualism, of selves not only newly isolated from an earlier communal integration but hollowed out by a newly psychologized interior. We tend to read novels alone, in the private domestic spaces of our bedrooms or studies, where we voyeuristically peer into the equally private lives of pretend others.
It can be tempting to see this kind of identification as a self-involved act, a way of pitying or caring about ourselves through a fictional other. This explanation is even more tempting in the case of teenage readers preoccupied by the adolescent melodramas of being perpetually misunderstood, and who are easy to imagine weeping over magnified versions of their own griefs and worries.
But what if it's exactly the opposite? What if at the secret core of novel reading is an experience of losing the self, a de-individualized intersubjectivity in which we are able to forget ourselves by sharing subjective space with another self? This experience of slipping into someone else is by turns freeing and frightening, amazing and--strangely enough--embarrassing. Losing ourselves like that makes us feel like we've lost control, lost our grip, been duped into caring about something that isn't even real. Maybe teenagers can help us get past that last part.


On my return from Barnes, I found I'd been left a very precious present by my Daughter and Grandson.
"Little Laureate 2008 (Surrey)" is a book that has just been published by Young Writers. An extract from the Forward states:
Quote "This year's Young Writers competition has proven as vibrant and dynamic as ever.... Each poem has been selected from a wealth of Little Laureates 2008 entries before ultimately being published in this, our seventeenth primary school poetry series." Unquote.
This is one of the poems; I think it's great - it is written by my 10-year old Grandson :)who's appeared in many of my blogs.
What is a Star?
A star is like a diamond in the sky shining bright,
A star is like a ship sailing and shining through the night,
A star is like a ghost that fades in the day's light,
A star is a tiny sun shining in the high sky,
A star is a gateway to another world glistening and shining,
But everyone knows a star is a gateway to Heaven.
Well done young man - it's a beautiful poem and thank you both for the gift.
11 hours ago


WELCOME, CAROLYN BROWN!!
We are so excited to have you with us today, Thank you for spending time with us and our readers!
- Series: Lucky Penny Ranch (Book 3)
- Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Forever (September 27, 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1455534943
- ISBN-13: 978-1455534944
About the Book….
THIS CHRISTMAS, SANTA’S WEARING A STETSON
‘Tis the night before Christmas and all through the house is the presence of one wickedly hot cowboy who’s come to stay for the holiday. Fiona Logan is downright shocked to return to her childhood home and find that the tall blond stranger who came to her rescue on an icy road will be sleeping just across the hall from her bedroom. Talk about temptation . . .
Jud Dawson never believed the Lucky Penny Ranch would live up to its name until now. Fiona is gorgeous, smart, funny, and everything he thought he’d never find. Now all he has to do is convince her to stick around town instead of hightailing it back to Houston. But with wild weather, nosy neighbors, and a new baby in the family, getting her to admit that she’s falling in love might just take a Christmas miracle.
About the author….
New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author and RITA® Finalist, Carolyn Brown, has published more than seventy-five books. She presently writes both women’s fiction and cowboy romance. She has also written historical single title, historical series, contemporary single title and contemporary series. She lives in southern Oklahoma with her husband, a former English teacher, who is not allowed to read her books until they are published. They have three children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. For a complete listing of her books (series in order) check out her website at www.carolynlbrown.com
Forever & Forever Yours
MERRY COWBOY CHRISTMAS by Carolyn Brown is Book 3 in the “Lucky Penny Ranch”, but can be read as a stand alone. See, “Hot Cowboy Nights” and “Wild Cowboy Ways”. Readers will find re-appearing characters. A great Contemporary Holidays Western!
This is Fiona Logan and Jud Dawson’s story. A cute, humorous, sweet Southern Holiday story, with a captivating cast of characters, that will capture your heart and hold you glued to the pages of “Merry Cowboy Christmas”.
Can a wickedly sexy, Texas cowboy, who wears a stetson and has a Texan drawl, win the heart of a funny, smart girl from Houston, returning home after a failed marriage? Definitely makes for some humorous but touching moments with the wild weather reeking havoc, neighbors who are definitely nosy, a family with a new baby, and sizzling attraction between Jud and Fiona, will have readers turning pages. A Christmas miracle is in order! Can a Christmas miracle, and a few others things, help bring Jud and Fiona their HEA?
Ms. Brown has a way of telling a story that is mesmerizing, as well as captivating! She is such a talented author and never disappoints her readers. Her characters are realistic and engaging, her storylines are about everyday life, flawed characters, small town, sexy heroes and smart, feisty heroines. Readers will be caught up in a “Merry Cowboy Christmas”, and lose their hearts to Jud and Fiona. Oh my gosh, you can’t help but love this enduring, humorous, and wickedly sweet Cowboy Romance. “Merry Cowboy Christmas”, is such a special holiday romance! Once again, Ms. Brown has delivered! A must read Contemporary Holiday Western Romance. Fans of romance, Western stories, Modern day romances, Holiday stories and HEA, should pick up a copy today.
Received for an honest review from Net Galley. However, all opinions, insights, and thoughts are my own personal opinions.


Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine by R. Barker Bausell, Ph.D.
What if someone with impeccable academic credentials and years of experience in designing rigorous clinical trials turned this expertise toward CAM (complementary and alternative medicine)? What if this same person reviewed the controversial and contradictory literature of CAM for efficacy? What if this same person went the extra mile and helped to develop a credible placebo for, say, acupuncture?
Find out answers to all 3 questions in this book, written by the former Research Director of a National Institutes of Health-funded Complementary and Alternative Medicine Specialized Research Center.
If I had 10 hands, I'd give this book all 10 thumbs up.


Examining the Importance of Total Geography for ICSE Class 10 Students
Geography has always been one of the most interesting subjects for students. It not only widens their knowledge but also educated them about the planet. With the help of Geography, students can explore other places on Earth’s surface and how human beings interact.
All this can be gained with the help of effective learning material. The total Geography class 10 ICSE is an ultimate example to ensure deeper learning and comprehension of the subject. The book helps students to explore the subject and perform well in the examination. It designs a framework for students at every step, assuring long time retention of the concepts.
Total Geography for ICSE Class 10 Students
The book is designed in a way to cover all topics related to the subject. It follows the latest ICSE syllabus and has been written in simple language. The total Geography class 10 ICSE brings you a unique way of learning Geography while also focusing on the real-life implementation of the concepts.
The book is divided into sections that focus on other parts of Geography. These sections include the following:
● Physical Geography
● Human Geography
● Environmental Geography, and more.
All these different sections have been presented with great detail and comprehensive explanations that can help students understand the complex concept easily.
How Does Total Geography Class 10 ICSE Help You?
It assures you to perform well in your examinations and pass the subject with flying colours. Some of its benefits are the following:
● Detailed and Comprehensive Explanations
One of the most important aspects of any book is to ascertain that the explanation and language are easily understandable to students and fellow readers. The simple language used by the authors of Total Geography makes the subject easy to comprehend and retain.
Moreover, the book facilitates students in delving into more advanced concepts that may have previously proved challenging to comprehend. Its thorough and elaborate explanations simplify complex ideas, enabling students to write efficiently during exams.
● Includes Maps, Diagrams, and Photographs
Typically, students can become disinterested when faced with an entirely theoretical textbook. Moreover, it can be challenging to keep their attention focused. However, this book stands out from others by offering a blend of maps, diagrams, and photographs that aid in understanding the concepts while also keeping students engaged and interested in learning Geography.
Geography relies heavily on maps to convey positions, plains, and locations, while diagrams are crucial for comprehending the underlying principles of Geographic concepts. Therefore, a book filled with visual aids, such as pictures, diagrams, and maps, proves to be the optimal solution.
● Understand Better Case Studies
Case studies play a crucial role in helping students grasp the concepts presented in the book. Through case studies, students can gain a deeper understanding of various scenarios and apply the concepts they have learned to real-world problems, finding effective solutions.
Well-planned case studies offer an excellent opportunity to enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills in an open learning environment. They provide a platform for analysing complex geographical problems by utilising the concepts learned in the book. This enables students to develop a practical understanding of how to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world situations.
● Glossary of Key Concepts and Terms
Every chapter covers fundamental concepts and terms that help students understand the topic in one go. Some chapters can be lengthy, covering many terms and concepts that become challenging to comprehend and revise. For this purpose, the total Geography class 10 ICSE brings you all the terms and key concepts at the end of every chapter.
In this way, even when you need to revise them before your examination, you can easily do so without having to browse the entire book. And the glossary provides you with the concepts in a compact, quick and easy way to retain.
● Amalgamation of Engaging Features
It has clear and concise language, detailed and crisp explanations, a glossary of key concepts and terms, maps, diagrams, pictures, and case studies. To find so many benefits in one book is rare.
It also strictly follows the ICSE syllabus and provides all the information you will need to ace your examination. With this book, you won’t have to consult another Geography book.
The Total Geography Class 10 ICSE is a fantastic book to get a grasp on the subject. Though it is available in the market easily, you can try different sellers to get the best deal. Check their reviews to be sure about their services.


If someone asked you to describe what you think the natives of the new world looked like, the kind of shelters they lived in, what their clothing looked like, what would you say? Would you describe naked heathens who lived in huts. If you did you'd only be partially correct.
There was another side to the new world that included civilizations who had built cities, erected grand monuments, written books, were fully clothed in beautiful garments and jewelry, and valued scholars and knowledge as much as the neighboring cannibals valued chaos and war. Of course now that 2012 is upon us you may already have recognized the culture of which I speak, the Mayans.
In 'the Eight Decades' I have read the first written accounts in English of Mayan civilization. The Spaniards were amazed to find that the Mayans were not only amiable and welcoming but also very intelligent (arguably more so than most of the sailors who first encountered them.) Apparently upon landing at the shore of the Yucatan the Spaniards were greeted by natives. With no interpreter present the Spaniards tried to glean the name of the land by gestures to which the natives replied "Yucatan, Yucatan." The Spaniards assumed this was the name and it has been called that ever since. However, 'Yucatan' in the native tongue meant roughly "I do not understand you." The actual name of the land according to the natives who lived there was Eccampi.
It is a sad fact that contact with the Spaniards brought about as much destruction as construction. Libraries of books were destroyed by Bishop Diego de Landa, a nasty little book burner brought to the Yucatan to teach the natives about the Catholic Church.
He gained the trust of the Mayans by showing interest in their culture and heritage. They allowed him to view their sacred texts, which he then had burned deciding that they were full of nothing but superstition and the devil. The number of books burned is argued over, some say thousands others say a more exact figure of 27, but even if it was just one, oh what a loss! Only 3 or 4 books survived. The Mayans tried to recoup their losses by rewriting from memory what they could but just imagine if someone burned the only copy of the bible and it then had to be rewritten by memory. All those teachings and observations done by different people over years and years...the amount lost would be unimaginable. Thus it was this way with the Mayans.
But wait! What would a history lesson be without a little blood? And as in all stories pertaining to the new world, there will be blood.
As fabulously advanced as the Mayans were, they still believed in the seemingly primitive act of human sacrifice. Sacrificing boys and girls to the creator was a regular practice done at harvest time and other necessary times of the year.
Boys and girls were encouraged to volunteer for such a treat and if no one did then a slave was taken and fattened up like a Christmas goose before being offered up. The Mayans feared if they didn't do this then the creator would let loose a plague of locusts (they pop up all over the place don't they?) or hail on them destroying their crops. An odd correlation between that belief and the Christian belief of revelation don't you think? Considering this civilization was completely separated from the bible and yet both believe in a creator who wanted proper adoration or else humans should feel the wrath!
On a lighter note, the Spaniards did observe a baptismal like practice amongst the Mayans. At the age of one year boys and girls were carried to the temple in a grand ceremony where they were then sprinkled with water over there heads.
To be continued...


I like to drop in there now and then, just to see what they've got in the way of knitting books. I was not disappointed this time. There, on the shelf, in pristine condition, was a copy of Alice Starmore's "Book of Fair Isle Knitting". This book has been on my wish list since I borrowed it from the library last year. The marked price was $9.95, but when I brought it to the till to pay for it, I was informed that all crafting books were 30% off. I got this book for about $7.00! It was only after I'd paid for it that I let the clerk know that I'd seen this book online, through Amazon.com, for up to $120. I'd say I got a deal, wouldn't you?
I can see more fairisle knitting in my future.
Now, I leave you with a picture of Trinity with her new baby brother, while I get to my knitting.


Video DVDs & Audio CDs available for shipping by Postal Mail.
Shipping charges are added.
Residents of Texas also are charged a State Sales Tax.
| 40th Anniversary Observance |
of the Sinking of the
S/S TEXACO OKLAHOMA
At approximately 3:30 a.m. on the morning of Saturday March 27, 1971, the S/S Texaco Oklahoma was unexpectedly struck by a massive wave while proceeding at a very slow speed in a severe storm about 120 miles northeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on its journey from Port Arthur, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts.
The S/S Texaco Oklahoma, carrying 220,000 barrels of fuel oil broke apart, with the bow section sinking with 13 men aboard around noon on the day of the mishap, and the stern section sinking with 31 men aboard around 6:00 a.m. the following morning.
Sadly, only 13 of the 44 crew members were rescued.
On Friday, March 25, 2011, a memorial service for the crew of the S/S Texaco Oklahoma was held in Port Arthur, Texas at the Seamen's Memorial Sundial on Lakeshore Drive, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Sabine-Neches Intracoastal Canal. Also, a Maritime Safety Symposium, dealing with the sinking of the S/S Texaco Oklahoma and subsequent safey changes in the maritime industry, was held at the Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center.
This 40th Anniversary Observance of the Sinking of the S/S Texaco Oklahoma was recorded on Video and Audio. Unfortunately the Video recording of the Sundial & Wreath Laying Ceremony was not usable...however, the audio was succesfully recorded and some still photos.
This special Anniversary Observance is available on either (or both) Audio CDs, and Video DVDs. The DVD Video set contains 3 DVDs of the Maritime Safety Symposium and an Audio CD of the Sundial & Wreath Laying Ceremony. The CD Audio set contains 3 Audio CDs of the Maritime Safety Symposium and an Audio CD of the Sundial & Wreath Laying Ceremony. In addition, an extra bonus CD will be included with both sets of recordings containing over 250 photo's of the days events (.JPG format) and documents (.PDF and Word.DOC format).
All orders may be safely placed by credit card on this Website. Credit card processing is by PayPal. All Major Credit cards are accepted.
Part of the proceeds from sale of these DVDs and CDs go to the Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center.
| DVD VIDEO SET -Shipped to you by Postal Mail |
Price: $29.95 (USD)plus shipping
|CD AUDIO SET -Shipped to you by Postal Mail |
Price: $24.95 (USD)plus shipping


Swenson, R., 1997. "Evolutionary Theory Developing: The
Problem(s) With Darwin's Dangerous Idea," Ecological Psychology,
9(1), 47-96, 1997.
Daniel Dennett's book, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, is presented
as an historical account and explication of evolutionary theory,
and a demonstration of how Darwin's "dangerous idea"
provides an explanation of the psychological or epistemic dimension
of the world (or of "mind" in nature). Its real agenda
is to present Dennett's own theory of the origin of "mind"
in nature, a kind of computer age, neo-Pythagoreanism, which
seeks to legitimize the claims of Artificial Intelligence by
locating the source of all agency, meaning, or "mind",
in an otherwise "dead" world of physics in algorithms.
This approach continues the dominant tradition in modern science
of radically separating the psychological and physical into two
incommensurable parts, and it is this, the paradigmatic dualism
at its core, and the erroneous and outdated empirical assumptions
on which it is based, that are the book's undoing. By correcting
these assumptions a principled basis is provided for grounding
a commensurable theory that dissolves the anomalies inherent
in such Cartesian accounts.


Pelican is a library of components for prototyping designs in the browser. It has a modularized Sass implementation of Skeleton with tiny additional CSS modules.
Pelican uses Gulp to compile Sass and inject changes live into the browser.
Clone this entire repo
$ git clone https://github.com/whaleen/pelican.git
Move into the directory containing Pelican
$ cd pelican
$ npm install
$ npm start
Sass color variables allow you to define a pallate of 17 colors. Here are the defaults.
You can use Panels for menus, important messages, off canvas page elements, or any other thing you want.
Thank you authors. Component documentation, licensing, and author urls listed below.


Digital data communication is the backbone of modern civilization. It is defined as exchange of data between various devices via some form of transmission medium. The sets of such devices (or nodes) connected by medium (or link) are called Computer Networks.
- 1.1 Introduction to Computer Networks
- 1.2 Basics of Computer Networks
- 2.1 The OSI Model: Introduction and Network Support Layers
- 2.2 The OSI Model (Contd.)
These notes are completely for educational purposes and not for any commercial purpose. They are my understanding of Computer Networks which I have written in the form of tutorials. I have taken references from Wikipedia and my class notes. Also, I would recommend you to read Data Communications and Networking (4th Edition) by Behrouz A. Forouzan if you want deeper insights into the concepts of Computer Networks.


Tame this Dr Christopher Green.
My friend at WorkingBerlinMum is looking for birth and childcare book recommendations.
Way back at the beginning of last year before we ever made the move to Berlin, I started clearing out some stuff I didn't need and discovered that I had around 22 baby books. As in, a little mountain of books on the topic of pregnancy, birth, babies, and toddlers. I utterly loved them. I especially loved the pregnancy books that tell you what's happening month by month - when you baby is the size of the Giant Snickers you just ate, which month you can teach it to love listening to the Sugababes, so that you have at least 1 person who understands you. You know, that sort of thing.
My pregnancies weren't exactly typical as such. As a diabetic things are a little bit different. You have more frequent scans - which is lovely because I have about a dozen scan pictures of each of my two, but the flip side is that you have a lot more to worry about. I would go to one scan and at the end of it the sonographer would say "Ok, well at your next scan we're going to be looking for heart problems and so on, as the children of diabetics tend to have heart defects" which would give you something new to mull over for the next 4 weeks and have you worrying yourself to death. Every scan there would be something new to 'look forward' to. So poerhaps these books provided me with a window into a nice, fluffy, normal pregnancy.
My favourite pregnancy books were:
The Best Friend's Guide to Pregnancy - funny and informative, and down to earth.
The Rough Guide to Pregnancy & Birth - a week by week guide and very funny to boot following the authors pregnancy.
What to Expect When You're Expecting - month by month, and serious in tone, but it's indispensible and answers most questions you might have or worries that are niggling you.
Expecting - by Anna McGrail & Daphne Maitland - I really liked this book. I found it one of the most informative and covered a lot of ground and dealt with health issues well. Can't remember much more about it though now, just remember I looked at it quite a lot!
Minus 9 to 1: Jools Oliver's book telling her story of problems conceiving and her journey through pregnancy to having a new baby. A nice insight for those who haven't had a baby before.
Birth. I was/am terrified of giving birth, and dreamed of being knocked out and coming round after the caesarian scar had healed. I had expected to have a c-section as I am diabetic, and that's what I wanted, but I am also desperately scared of surgery and being 'awake' during an operation was not high on my list of things I wanted to do in 2007 and 2008. But then I found this book:
Stand & Deliver by Emma Mahony. It's lots and lots of individual stories about birth and all the different experiences women can have. I read this book, and I swear I felt confident and far less scared than I could ever have imagined. This would be THE book I would recommend for anyone who is at all frightened about giving birth. It's excellent.
My favourite baby books were (oh, and I'd advise reading these prior to having a baby as you don't get any time to do so afterwards):
What to Expect: The First Year - great if you have problems. It's got an answer for everything.
The Baby Whisperer - I never had the proper full-on 'Baby Whisperer' book, but I did have one called 'The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems' or was it sleep problems?? I can't remember because my mind was so addled from lack of sleep. Anyway, I bought it for sleep problems, and I quite liked it. This author strikes a halfway point between Gina Ford and someone who doesn't give a crap. Perfect! I remember it did work, but I was never good at not caving in after a week or two and brining them back into my bed. Hence the reason I have a 2 and a half year old cuddling into me most nights.
The Best Friend's Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood - it's all there in the title. I'm saying no more.
The Baby Book: How to Enjoy Year One by Rachel Waddilove. This is a great book and really practical. But I've never heard anyone else talking about it that I know of. It's an excellent book for first time mums. Oh and it's got a foreword by Gwyneth Paltrow as the author helped her out when she had Apple.
The Rough Guide to Babies - Miranda Levy - good, but not as good as the Rough Guide to Pregnancy & Birth. Different author, but I see now that there's another book by Kaz Cooke the author of the RG to Pregnancy about babies - so it might be good.
I don't have favourite Toddler books as such - I kind of gave up - the novelty was over ha, ha! Plus, by the time I had a toddler I already had another baby, and my problems surpassed those that even Tracey Hogg herself could solve. But, I did have, and would recommend:
The Best Friend's Guide to Toddlers - excellent as per the other books and I might actually have a look at it again, if I can find it under the mess.
What to Expect: The Toddler Years - great if you want to give yourself a complex about what your child can't achieve, or give yourself a pat on the back because they are over-achieving! Otherwise, pretty pointless, unless you are really stuggling with your toddler, or don't have the confidence yet to trust your instincts. Having said that - I still bought it.
Toddler Taming - Dr. Christopher Green. This outlines all the problems you are likely to come up against with your toddler. Easy to read too. I only had a quick read of this before a friend asked to borrow it and never gave it back, so it must be really good. Though not that good that I felt compelled to ask for it back.
So that's my list of recommendations. Other pregnancy, birth, baby & toddler books are available. I know. I've read pretty much all of them.


This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
Nine cousins must recover buried treasure before five bandits can stop them in Gundaga Island.
Port Clinton, Ohio (PRWEB) February 19, 2014
In Gundaga Island (published by AuthorHouse), author Lizanne Holland takes readers to the shores of Gundaga Island where nine cousins face off against five bank robbers in a race for buried treasure.
While vacationing at their grandmothers house on Gundaga Island, nine cousins accidentally cross paths with a gang of bank robbers searching for stolen money. When the cousins find a secret message, they team up to solve the mystery and find the treasure, but the thieves are hot on their trail. Will they recover the treasure before the thieves get to it first?
Filled with excitement and adventure, Gundaga Island combines well-crafted characters together with a thrilling plot that young readers are sure to find both fun and engaging.
An excerpt from Gundaga Island:
Walking down to the water after the necessary paper work had been filled out to see their boat Planks just had to ask under his breath Orney whats, what did he mean Razor?
The study of birds you ninny his frustrated partner told him, dont you know anything?
Well big fancy word it is and I aint no scholar Planks replied with annoyance.
About the Author
Elizabeth Holland was born and raised on a farm in Lancashire, England. One of her goals in life was to write a fictitious adventure book for children but with a real life theme. She has lived in Australia and now resides in Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie. Gundaga Island is her first book.
AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrated 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011.For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.
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There so many books on repairing or troubleshooting computers that it can be confusing to which one to pick. I’ve picked up many books on the subject. Some of which have been helpful and some haven’t. Many get looked at a few times and then to collect dust on my bookshelf. There is two books I do recommend above all else. Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts and The Laptop Repair Workbook both by author Morris Rosenthal. I wish I had picked these up a long time ago. They are thin in comparison to other computer books but, they pack a good punch.
Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts
As the author says to us in his introduction this book is not meant to read from cover to cover. This is meant to be a reference or guide. This book is full of flowcharts meant to guide those repairing or troubleshooting a computer. It does have the premise that you have at least some working knowledge of a computer is and what the different pieces are. It has no pictures to help you along. The flowcharts are easy to follow. Following each flowchart is an explanation of each symbol on that chart.
Some examples of the subjects included:
- Power Supply Failure
- Video Failure
- Motherboard, RAM, CPU failure
The Laptop Repair Workbook
This book covers laptops and is very similar than the previous book. It only makes sense to have a laptop troubleshooting book. Laptops by there very nature have there own unique problems and can be more difficult to diagnose. This one is split into two parts. The first half of the book is a guide which gives a good overview of troubleshooting laptops. The second half we have the flowcharts with explanations following them. Some of the contents include:
- Laptop Basics
- Laptop Upgrades
- Troubleshooting power problems
- Laptop Video Troubleshooting
- Troubleshooting Laptop Overheating
Taking your computer to the local PC repair shop can be expensive. At the very least you’ll be more knowledgeable and less likely to be taken advantage of. If you solve the problem yourself you’ve already covered the cost of these books. If your a computer enthusiast or even an A+ Certified Tech I believe you’d find these books an essential part of your toolbox. They are written in a way that isn’t overwhelmingly technical nor condescending to the newcomer. Like I said before I wished I had gotten these books a long time ago and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.


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Two Thumbs up! In Anthea Carson’s The Dark Lake, a woman searches for her own past in her memories. Jane, the protagonist, struggles with alcoholism, hallucinations, and blackouts as she tries to recall the events surrounding an automobile accident that she and her friends experienced in high school. This book deserves reading and rereading.
This novel has plenty of conflict, but character drives the story. We get to know Jane, her parents, Jane’s therapist, and her friends quite well in the course of the novel. Many of the characters, like Jane’s mother and Jane’s best friend Krishna, develop into characterswith stories and conflicts of their own.
As Jane recalls incidents of her life, her environment changes. She becomes confused about her own surroundings and whether she’s telling about events or living them. Readers experience a bumpy ride at first, but the narrative smooths out as it spirals in on Jane’s lost recollections. Some readers may feel that they’re as lost in the story as Jane, but this experience may in turn enhance their identification with her.
Jane narrates story in a voice that’s convincingly genuine. Her diction is conversational, Midwestern, and fluent. Her word choices never confuse us. Her recollections of dialogues with other characters aren’t stilted or awkward. The fluency of Jane’s speech contrasts with the discontinuity of her memory, giving the reader the sense of sliding on a smooth surface and then falling into a gulf.
Categorizing this book is difficult. The author herself calls it a psychological suspense novel. It’s also a quest story told with stream-of-consciousness technique. The DarkLake made this reviewer think of particular experimental films by Maya Deren and poems by Emily Dickinson because the novel has cinema-like transitions that might be described as jump cuts and a poetic use of symbols.
Although it's an excellent book, The Dark Lake has a few drawbacks that might make it inappropriate for some readers:
*The Dark Lake is the first volume of a proposed trilogy, so all the loose ends of the story are not tied up or even gathered together at the end. This reviewer is looking forward to a volume that tells Krishna’s story.
*The story includes incidents of substance abuse and implied casual sex.
*This book is only available from Amazon, perhaps because its author signed on to the KDP Select program. No .pdf or Nook version is available from Smashwords.
*Like many self-published books, The Dark Lake has a few typos.
An earlier version of this article appeared on Triond's Quazen website: http://quazen.com/shopping/book-review-the-dark-lake/ .


The British Club Bangkok
….. a short history
After the end of the Second World War, there was some local confusion over the ownership of the premises, which was initially given to the YMCA. It took a number of months but eventually Brigadier Victor Jacques obtained the deeds from the bank and ownership was restored. Victor Jacques was a retired military man from the First World War who was a partner at Tilleke & Gibbins. At the start of the war in Asia, he rejoined the British Army in India and was attached to the Free Thai Movement. After the liberation of Bangkok, he became British Commander here and then rejoined Tilleke & Gibbins. Upon returning to civilian life, he called together as many past Club members as he could and set about re-establishing it. He also wrote the first post-war Constitution, served as Chairman until 1947 and set the Club on track to its first century. As part of the War reparations paid by the Siam Ministry of the Interior to the Club, the Club imported two billiards tables made by Messrs W. Jelks & Son of Holloway, London for the grand cost of £528 5s 6d, one of which is still in use today.
The history of the Club is well documented after WWII with the entire Minutes archive surviving. These minutes outline the growth of various aspirations within the Club such as the idea of building a swimming pool, of expanding membership beyond persons of Britain descent, and even the (then outrageous) idea of permitting females to hold membership. It can never be said that the old Committees ever rushed things as these ideas took twenty, thirty and forty years respectively to actually come about, forcibly contested on both sides on all issues.
The Club has always been conscious of its being part of the greater community within Bangkok thus in 1948 the British Club Bangkok was the major organiser of a Joint Charity Fair for British, US, Dutch and Scandinavian residents to raise funds for Thai causes. This event was held frequently over the next decade and became known as The Ploenchit Fair when in 1957 it moved to its second home of the British Embassy. The Ploenchit Fair continues to this day but, sadly, no longer in the Embassy Grounds, which have themselves been largely sold off.
The Post-War years saw a lot of changes in Bangkok, and within the Club. In the sixties as the Dusit Thani took to the skies as Thailand’s tallest building, the Club developed and expanded its offering with much of the Tennis Court land being turned into the present day poolside offering both adult and children’s swimming pools. The seventies saw the opening of the dining room and the kitchens, and in the early eighties, the Silom and Suriwongse Salas were opened and the clubhouse internal rooms were redesigned to give birth to the ‘Churchill Bar’ and the ‘Lord’s Dining Room’, with the ‘Wordsworth Lounge’ opening on the first floor offering somewhere quieter than the bar. A Fitness Centre opened in the 1990s.
The Club membership was also changing: the Club was refounded after the war with only “Gentlemen of British Descent” being allowed membership. In the seventies this was changed to allow four core nationalities of British, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian as well as a limited number of other nationalities to be permitted to join as associate members. In addition, the eighties saw women being allowed to hold membership in their own right and children became an everyday part of the Club – the days of the British male bastion were gone, forever! Indeed as a direct consequence of the membership changes, the Club was able to reciprocate with other membership clubs throughout the world and by 2013 the reciprocation list was numbering around 252.
The major event of the nineties was the Asian financial crisis, which nearly bankrupted the Club as companies drastically reduced their expatriate staff numbers and thus membership rapidly declined. The Club, however, did not close by increasing the number of non-core nationality members allowed, so that now there are members of 45 different nationalities.
As the Millennium bug failed to bite (or is that byte?), the Club moved into a new century and began looking back at its history as it approached the year of its centenary – 23rd April 2003. Planning for the Club’s centenary started in the late nineties and the majority of the work was done in the final year. The first major task undertaken was the commissioning of a Centenary Book, which was written by local author and Club member John Hoskins, and which covered not only the 100 years of the Club’s history but also took a look at British interests in Siam since the early traders landed here in 1612. The book was honoured by congratulatory letters from H.M. King Bhumiphol of Thailand and Queen Elizabeth II of the Commonwealth Realms (including United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand). The book was launched in the summer of 2003 at Gala Party on the Club’s front lawn attended the then British Ambassador Lloyd Barnaby Smith, who presided over ‘Hundred Minutes’ of free drink … a very British way of celebrating!
Keep reading! Click here for History 2004 and beyond


Die deutsche Besiedlung des Oberwallis – Das Zeugnis der Ortsnamen
The German colonization of the Upper Valais, part of a bilingual canton (French-German), has been a subject of lively debate over the last two centuries. Previous explanations of this colonization are briefly discussed and dialectological studies of the Upper Valais are presented and analysed. No studies exist, however, on the matter of the place names of the six districts in the Upper Valais. It seems that most of the place names in the valley of the Rhone (such as Leuk, Raron, Visp, Brig, Mörel and Münster) are Gallo-Roman ones while the Alemannic ones are found in areas higher up (e. g. Zeneggen, Bürchen or Unterbäch). The conclusion is clear, then: the German colonisers (if they came from the North of Switzerland) settled in the higher places while the traditional population of the Gallo-Roman places in the valley was Germanized later on.
Copyright (c) 2023 Iwar Werlen
Dieses Werk steht unter der Lizenz Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International.


12 April 2008
Feminist book club - part 1
So, it's my unilateral decision this time - democracy can come later - and I'm suggesting two books, to read over two months, as that gives us all a bit more flexibility, especially those of us with finals in May...Books one and two are The female eunuch by Germaine Greer and The dialectic of sex by Shulamith Firestone. Anyone interested in reading along is very welcome to, and eventually we'll have a drink and discuss the books. Men are very welcome to join in!


First, a little background.
The Culture is a post-scarcity, socialist/anarchist and hedonistic society run by sentient AI’s known as ‘Minds’. Since the humans of the Culture have no need to work most can spend their lives pursuing their hobbies. Enter Jernau Gurgeh- a famous board game player who, bored with the low stakes of wagering in a post-scarcity society, is convinced by the Culture’s ‘Special Circumstances’ section to visit a brutal Empire held together by the intricate game of Azad. Played every six years, the Azad tournament determines a contestant’s position in society- and the ultimate winner is crowned Emperor (the argument goes that the skill it takes to win Azad are the same skills it’d take to run the Empire).
The Player of Games a great introduction to the Culture series. The first third of the book is spent in the Culture itself- giving us a feel for what life in this society is like and Gurgeh’s growing boredom with winning. The rest of the book gives us an opportunity to view the Culture through the eyes of a far less advanced society as Gurgeh competes in the Azad tournament.
It’s a testament to Banks’ writing that descriptions of fictional board games can be so beautifully written and enthralling, even when the actual rules and mechanics of them are kept vague.
The shortest of the Culture novels, Player of Games is has a fairly linear storyline but there are a few things I wish Banks had expanded on. For example, Gurgeh’s tactics in the game become more aggressive as time goes on. But it is impossible for Gurgeh to beat the Azadians using their own tactics as the opponents get tougher. It’s only after his Mind companion convinces him to switch from the harsh Azadian language back to the language of the Culture (Marain) that he is able to return to his original style of play. I would have loved more of a ‘language shaping thought’ motif throughout the novel, though I’m aware this is quite a personal bias as I’ve always been interested in this subject.
The Player of Games serves as the perfect introduction to the wider Culture universe but is equally suited to being a self-contained, old-fashioned sci-fi adventure story. Pick it up if you get a chance.


Have you ever wondered how maple got big? How it went from a subsistence crop to a farmer's sideline, to a product that could mount a flavor challenge to pumpkin spice? Well the answer may surprise you: it was the Maple King who made it happen.
Who was the Maple King? George C. Cary. And how can you learn more about him? By reading "Maple King: The Making of a Maple Syrup Empire" by Matthew M. Thomas, a fascinating and well-written book about a personality that looms as large in the (relatively small) world of maple as Rockefeller does in oil, Carnegie in steel, and the Great Gatsby did in your high school English class.
"The Maple King," is the story of Cary's life as well as the story of the commodification of maple syrup. It is as academic as a history text, but entertaining enough to make a reader wonder when the movie rights will be sold. There are antic-prone travelling salesmen, epic train journeys, New York City eateries, women on the side, a stock market crash, bankruptcy and sudden death between this book's covers. And plenty of the action takes place in the roaring twenties. What's not to love!? We've already purchased our popcorn.
Thomas starts by describing just how different the maple business was in the nineteenth century from what it is today. For those of you who have read either The Maple Sugar Book, or Maple Sugarin' in Vermont, the narrative covers familiar terrain by describing maple sugaring---and by that, we mean the boiling of maple sap down to actual sugar---as an ancillary springtime activity on the farm or rural homesteads of northeastern United States and southeastern Canada during that period. What you wouldn't have known was that people like Patrick J. Towle of Towle's Log Cabin Syrup Company (purveyors of what we sugar makers pejoratively call "the fake stuff" since 1887) were actually responsible for creating a national market for table syrup as such. In fact, without the marketing efforts of Log Cabin and the like, it would have been harder for maple producers to transition from selling sugar to selling syrup when, after the Civil War, the price of cane sugar dropped to below the price of maple sugar for the first (and all) time, and for that and other reasons became more popular than maple.
Cary's reign as Maple King spanned that whole transition, and then some. But we're getting ahead of ourselves, for one of the most interesting parts of Cary's story occurs before he's a maple man at all, and is theatrical in its serendipity (cue the dramatic music, here).
Cary started life as a member of the merchant class in a small town in northern Maine. He was educated at public school, attended college, and began his working life as a rural school teacher and local farm-machinery salesman. Just a year after Cary took up work as a travelling grocery salesman, however, he started selling maple sugar accidentally. Hard pressed to make a grocery sale in Craftsbury, Vermont, Cary agreed to take a large amount of maple sugar as payment for an order instead of cash. His bosses were none too pleased, and told Cary to turn the sugar into money. Cary, who would show himself to be capable of that alchemy until the end, did just that. While on the road once again, Cary convinced a tobacco salesman to use maple sugar in his plug tobacco instead of cane sugar, at a savings to the tobacco company. The switch stuck, and pretty soon, Cary was out on his own, buying up almost all of the maple sugar made in Vermont and selling it to big tobacco. He was, as such, the first to consolidate the small maple crops of thousands of farmers, create a standard maple product, and sell it in bulk, the precursor of how maple syrup is traded today.
The rest, as they say, is history, including the transition from sugar to syrup, the boom and bust of Cary's businesses, and with it St. Johnsbury, Vermont, the creation of the Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec, the maple cartel that grew from the need to compete with the Maple King and that still sets global prices today, and the legacy---still going strong---of finding new and different ways to sell maple products.
"Maple King" is a good, fast read that will teach you your maple history while holding your interest with more than just places and dates. While Thomas doesn't stray far from his original source materials, he gives the reader enough extra to truly enjoy imagining the life and times of maple's own magnate.
Maple Sugarin' In Vermont: A Sweet History by Betty Ann Lockhart is a perfect fair-weather read for the Vermont history buff, but has hidden gems for all.
With a tone that toggles between history text and folktale, Maple Sugarin' In Vermont: A Sweet History by Betty Ann Lockhart traces the story of Vermont Maple from the early recorded history of colonization to the middle of the 20th Century.
Although there are some unfortunate moments---such as the author's reopening of the closed case as to who discovered maple---and despite the all-but-inevitable dryness of some of the weedy historical material, the book nevertheless left this reader hoping that Ms. Lockhart was well into her work on a sequel. Please, Ms. Lockhart, for your next book, take us into the contemporary era of Vermont maple, with attention to the back-to-the-land and organic food movements, the incredible recent industry consolidation, run-ins with labeling authorities, and (yes, selfishly) the backyard sugarmaking revolution currently underway among young people here!
Maple Sugarin' is organized chronologically as much as it is thematically and opens with the Abenaki and early settlers. Ms. Lockhart's treatment of the early recorded history of maple sugaring in Vermont is disappointing only in its suggestion that scholars are still at odds as to whether settlers from lands with no sugaring tradition could possibly have taught peoples having logged (tens?) of thousands of years in sugar country how to produce sugar from the maple tree. (For, surely that argument was satisfactorily dispatched by the prior scholarship of Helen Nearing in The Maple Sugar Book.) Nevertheless, these first chapters contain some gems; the story Lockhart tells of early sugar making is well illustrated both by words and by photographs of authentic and reproduction tools and equipment used by the first Vermont sugar makers. The rudimentary nature of early methods will impress any modern sugar maker with just how easy we have it!
After deftly weaving a tale of the advent of the 1791 sugaring season in with the story of Vermont becoming the fourteenth state of the Union (both occurred on March 4th of that year), Lockhart turns in Chapters 3 through 7 to Vermont sugarmaking as it existed in the early days of the Union through the Civil War. With entire chapters devoted to Thomas Jefferson's first exposure to Vermont maple (and subsequent failure to bring maple to Monticello) and the role consumption of maple sugar played in the Vermont abolition movement, Lockhart nevertheless pays scrupulous attention as well to advances in equipment and methods during this time, bringing us from wooden buckets and spiles and kettle systems to the advent of the evaporator, the sugar house, and all-things metal (even metal tubing---an experiment that would fail and keep on failing until its eventual demise in the 20th Century).
The balance of the book chronicles the rise of the Vermont maple industry through the middle of the 20th Century. According to Lockhart, the turn of the 20th Century is about when syrup starts surpassing sugar as the maple crop of choice. Ironically, it is also when Vermont producers start getting organized through the Vermont Maple "Sugar" Makers Association, and otherwise, to advocate for the protection and promotion of their crop. Lockhart goes on to detail the contributions of such notables as George C. Cary ("The Maple King") and the Proctor family. A reader's reward for making it through the dry-but-important subsequent exploration of the legal and regulatory environment of the era are the absolute gems at the end. Chapter 13 contains entertaining tales of and by actual Vermont sugarmakers, and Chapter 15 a primer on odd tools of the trade that will pique the interest of any peruser of antiques. The book ends, as any book on maple probably should, with recipes---these ones a bit basic but purporting to be authentic to old Vermont.
Any maple history enthusiast will find value in reading this thorough and, at times, supremely entertaining book. Widely available online and orderable at your local bookstore, if you or someone you know loves all things maple, give Betty Ann Lockhart's Maple Sugarin' In Vermont; A Sweet History a read one of these days!
On Teaspoon of Sugar, we write about maple sugaring, maple syrup, starting and running a small business, and living the sweet life here in beautiful, downtown Montpelier, Vermont.


July 12, 2022
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Our children’s Sunday School is during the second half of our church service. After attending the first portion of the worship service, children are excused to study, through reading, art, games, and discussion, the same scriptures being read in the worship service. Children in grades Pre-K 3 (potty trained)through kindergarten, and 1st through 4th grade will meet in classrooms on the second floor of the church for their time together. Children older than 4th grade are encouraged to remain in the worship service.
*Though children have Sunday school during the worship service, there is choir (and a movie) during the entire adult Sunday school time period.
Each Sunday morning, from 9:15 (or so) until 10:15, Barrett leads “News, Views, and Brews,” a Sunday school centered on some headlines (or less newsworthy events) from the previous week. The group discusses their views, and the views held by other Christians, over a warm coffee brew. The group meets in fellowship hall.
The “Library class” which meets in the library from 9:15-10:15 holds prayerful discussions, generally centered around a book chosen by the group. For information about the topic or book being discussed, please contact the church office.


Stephen King entered into the gang of horror authors with Carrie.
The cover picture has a mysterious girl clearly depicting the theme of the book. Since the time it was published it remained as one of the best horror novels of all times. Carrie is a sixteen year old teenage girl who possesses great telekinetic powers. She was basically ill-treated all her life by her ridiculous mother and even the fellow students at school.
Her mother used to lock her up in the closet so that she is forced to pray to be relieved of her sins. She thought her to be the offspring of the Satan. Due to all these pressures she begins to unleash her mysterious powers. The story goes on talking about the several ways she is teased at school and how cruelly her mother treats her. She is a basically a shy girl, with low grades and unattractive looks. The story depicts this with a weird episode where Carrie has her first periods and has no idea what is happening to her. It is a teacher who helps her from the teasing students and a fellow school mate gets detention for this.
The prom party is the turning point of the novel where the lead character is offered to go to the prom party with Tommy Ross. Two fellow students had planned to humiliate Carrie publicly and this eventually makes Carrie furious. She goes about destroying the whole city, her mother and everything else in her way and finally she too dies due to the stab on her shoulder by her mother.
The novel has a very tragic end where the school teacher resigns as she feels guilty of not having understood the girl. A friend of this mysterious girl writes an autobiography with her experiences after the prom that day and the possibility of a similar incident later. And finally the book ends horrifying the readers with a letter which tells about a girl developing telekinetic powers.
The adolescent age has been well depicted with things like sexuality, maturation, religion, society and several other aspects in a scientific and broader view. Once the novel ends, you will realize that it is not Carrie who is horrifying, but the people around her. The book was later made into a feature film in 1976 by Brian De Palma and is a great horror novel adaptation. The lead role players even received nominations in the Academy Awards.
Five years after the success of the movie, MGM and GEMS have joined hands with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa as the script writer to remodel Carrie as a closer adaptation of the book. It was commented by Stephen King that he would have liked to have Lindsay Lohan take up the role of Carrie, but in this movie this role is done by Chloe Moretz. The movie will be directed by Kimberly Pierce. The movie is well awaited as it will have Sarah Palin, the US Vice President candidate playing the pivotal role of Carrie's mother. The filming is supposed to begin this summer.
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