Sorry for the lack of update

Been on vacation and relaxing and I have not put much effort into the blog. This will change when I get back into the school year.
Cheers

My sister's Smile of the Week at Kandersteg

Future Man on Top Gear!

Learn more about Jay's Trip to England: Here

Google Voice- The future of Telephone? My opinons of Google:

This is an interesting development today, Google had been talking about voice for a while and finally it is here. The thing that just blows my mind is how and something like this, something so common sense has taken so long to come out. I remember talking about this when Cell phones initially came out.

Interestingly Google is forcing innovation upon the major telecommunications companies. The ability for you to have one number and they all ring at the same time. Why did no other telecommunication companies come out with a feature?

I personally feel much better with the smart people at Google having my information than the major telecoms. In this interesting and global business climate, I think Google is one of the only companies that I trust. When they say they’re going to do something, they do it. When they say my emails are only going to be read by computer to produce advertisements custom tailored for me, I’m OK with that.

I also think this technology is going to help and make it harder for telemarketers to have success!

I’m also very excited of the prospect of being able to call internationally for 2¢ per minute. I would not be surprised to see Google move towards creating their own mobile phone company (or buying one).

Their innovation in the marketplace is astonishing and it seems very few companies have the ability to compete with them. Google finds the best people available, hires them and gives them time to think. There 80/20 model is innovative. It means 80% of the time is working on projects that the company wants and 20% working on personal projects that could help the company. It is an amazing concept them seems to foster an environment of innovation.

I was a bit confused today when I was unable to send SMS’s through Google chat. This is something I usually do. I personally do not use my phone for texting. I find that I am usually in front of a computer enough of the time and appreciate the full size keyboard. Using that I can respond faster by e-mail. When I’m not near a computer, I appreciate the solace of not having to deal with text messages. I fear we are moving towards a society that does not communicate through words at least talking. You can easily misunderstand someone’s opinion if you read it, but if you hear them telling it to you definitely know what they mean. I will be honest, I have not gotten to be good at texting on the traditional phone and it is cheaper in the United States with the amount of minutes the cell phone give you to just talk. Plus it is an extra 5 bucks a month for texting!

Who is the Stig? Schumacher?

Top Gear last night apparently unveiled former formula one world champion Michael Schumacher as the show's mysterious test driver, known as "the Stig" and forever hidden beneath a white helmet and overalls.

Many media reports today took the apparent revelation at face value, including the Guardian, without questioning whether the German multi-millionaire and seven times F1 world champion would give his their spare time to test-drive cars for the BBC2 show.

While the BBC's official line today is that it would never reveal "who or what the Stig is", MediaGuardian.co.uk is surely not alone in wondering if last night's "unveiling" was merely a publicity stunt to help get the 13th series of Top Gear off to a flying start.

"It was a tongue-in-cheek piece which wasn't meant to be taken seriously," one source said. "The Stig is merely a character."

According to sources, there is no one person who is the Stig, but up to six drivers who take it in turns. Reports in January named former racer Ben Collins as the Stig, while Perry McCarthy, a former F1 driver, was the original character.

The stunt certainly succeeded in raising the profile of Top Gear, which launched its new series last night. The show has been the subject of budget cuts like other areas of the BBC and the free publicity certainly did wonders for its ratings, with the episode pulling in an average of 7.1 million viewers and a 30% share between 8pm and 9.05pm, peaking at 7.8 million for the Stig's apparent unveiling. The bumper ratings helped BBC2 to a rare all-day ratings win over ITV1.

However, last night's revelation wasn't as much of a surprise as many had been led to believe. The episode was actually filmed on Wednesday and despite presenter Jeremy Clarkson asking the audience not to reveal that Schumacher appears from under the Stig's white helmet, one person emailed several fan websites in the US which published the name, although this was apparently not picked up in the UK.

From Here

The 3 Amigos!

How to Send SMS via Gmail

Sending SMS from Gmail

You can send SMS messages to your contacts’ mobile phones using Gmail Chat. To do so from Gmail:

1. Enter your contact’s name in the ‘Search or invite friends’ box in Chat, and select Send SMS from the box of options that appears to the right of your contact’s name. Or, if you already have a Chat window open for this contact, just click Options, and select Send SMS.
2. In the dialog box, enter a phone number in the ‘Send SMS messages to this number’ field. For now, this feature works only on United States phone numbers. If you're outside the US, you can still use it, but you won't see the SMS option in Chat until you enable it manually in the Chat settings page.
3. Click Save.
4. A Chat window appears. Just type your message as you would normally. When you hit Enter, the message will be sent to the phone number you entered.

If your contact replies, the text message response will appear as a reply in Chat. These conversations are stored in your Chat history just like regular chats (but keep in mind that you can’t go off the record while communicating via SMS).

Note: depending on which mobile plans your contacts have, they may be charged by their mobile providers for receiving text messages.


More Here

Happy Father's Day!

Alicia Update #6

I have realized that it seems that my days off are always involved in something active and I am usually pretty exhausted but content by the end of the day. I seem to be attached to the feeling of being very exhausted at the end of the day and ready to relax either through reading or watching a movie. Thus today I followed my roommate to Emi in an extreme bike trip. I had considered biking around Lake Thun on a day off because I considered it to be a beautiful location and an active activity. Emi, however, had even better plans. She decided that we should bike from Adelboden to Frutigen (about 40 minutes downhill, not to strenuous) then on to Spiez and from there the real fun began. We started our loop around Lake Thun (you might remember it from when we visited Thun over xmas and the castle there) so our first stop for lunch was Interlaken (about 18 kilometers away, 13 ish miles). We enjoyed our packed lunches by the lake and went to the coop for cold drinks (for me it was chocolate milk) and nectarines. Then we walked around Interlaken for about 20 minutes which was nice but Interlaken is too touristy for me (lunch menus are written in several languages). Our next major stop was the city of Thun from Interlaken. It was quite hot today so this part of the trip was a real test for our endurance and perseverance. We almost went swimming in the lake but did not have time to do that but hopefully I will on another day off. Finally we reached Thun around 3 pm and visited another coop for cold drinks to stay hydrated with the heat. Next we started our return journey back to Spiez and Frutigen where we took a bus back to Adelboden. {This part was the hardest because everything on my body ached. (The grand finale.....the total biking portion of our trip was 100 kilometers= 62 miles). I definitely know that my bum will be sore tomorrow but I am so happy with how the day went. I think with a great pair of biking shorts with lots of bum padding I might be able to do the same thing tomorrow. {Just kidding, of course I will have to rest. I also went running this morning too. I think that the adventure and moutains here just inspire me to push myself to do more with myself and do more extreme things than I would do normally}.

so I did plan on saying more but this is all I am writing right now...
love, alicia

Ellie Switzerland Update #1

sorry it has taken so long to send you an email----but i wanted to tell you that i am here and safe!!! also everything has worked out beautifully---i didnt lose my lugguage, and i got to kandersteg on time!
Today we all went hiking around and it was really fun.........i've finally mainly gotten over jet lag which is nice. so the funny thing is that i am the only official american here. there is one staff member that is from america but will only be here for 3 weeks. otherwise, everyone is really friendly.
for the next 2 weeks i have training which means little sleep and lotsa work but still lotsa fun.
so that's all i can think of right now. ha

alright love you lots
ellie

Top Gear Season 13 Preview

looks good!

Alicia Update #6

So we started summer on Monday with a bbq and onsite orienteering, games, campfire, etc। day. I was on guest services for the day and helped with cooking and the shop. Our bbq included long bratwursts, french bread rolls, apples, toppings, and mini toblerone bars (fun fact: the toblerone bar is shaped like the matterhorn). I helped prepare the bbq and then helped with cleanup. During the afternoon I unpacked goods for the shop and counted them and then put them away. It was quite a boring job but not too stressful.

Basically my final task on Monday was dinner dishes clean up. Then on Tuesday I was on guest services again and helped in the kitchen but nothing too exciting happened that I can remember. Wednesday was my day off and I went hiking to Furggi which was quite beautiful but somehow I lost the path and was climbing up the mountain through grassy fields. I found the path again and then headed across Gsur on an alpineweg. An alpineweg is the most challenging hiking route and is only for experienced hikers. Gsur has quite exposed rock faces and a lot of loose gravel. However the most difficult part of this hike was not the rock but the snow that still hadn't melted. I crossed the snowy paths on all fours trying to keep my boots gripping the snow and using my hands for stability. It was a bit scary and I realized that it is not a good idea to cross alpinewegs in May or June when the snow is still present. I enjoyed when I finally reached Schwandfeldspitz, the top of Tschenten Alp, and ate a late lunch.

Thursday was my next day off so I decided to go hiking again but for a longer time. My hike lasted about 6-7 hours and I ran a bit of the end home to make it in time for dinner. First I began hiking toward Chuenisbargli the home of the world cup ski run. I basically hiked up the ski run and at the top I could see the box from which the skiers start. It was very neat. Next I continued on to Hahnenmoos and hiked along the top of a narrow ridge from which I could see both sides of the valley below. It was beautiful and there were great flowers to view. I finally made it to Hahnenmoos around 3:30 pm and saw middle aged men flying remote controlled airplanes in the sky. This was an interesting sight to see, and I went inside a building and witnessed the same men fixing and assembling other toy airplanes. Then on my hike back to the chalet, I think I passed a gondola that we visited on our Christmas vacation in the Sillerenbuhl. Thursday was a great hike and I was not as stressed as on Wednesday.

Friday I continued on guest services and I gave a tour in the afternoon to three people from Arizona. They were just day visitors and staying in a hotel in Kandersteg. It was a middle aged woman and her two parents. The woman had come to the chalet about 20 years ago with a friend during the winter but the chalet was closed at that time for two weeks so she could not see any of the buildings. She was so excited to finally see the chalet and asked lots of questions. The tour ended up lasting about 1.5 hours. Then I helped prepare Friday's dinner of meatloaf, veggies, and stracitella (sp. it is a vanilla pudding/ice cream like with chocolate chips mixed in and we served it with frozen berries). I was in charge of mixing the meatloaf together.

Friday marked the first of several days that our head cook Veronica is away in Scotland attending the wedding of a relative. In her place is Emily a summer volunteer from Pennsylvania whose family is Italian. Although I am not keen to eat meatloaf, Emily made the meatloaf delicious with the spices and other ingredients she added.

Saturday again I was on guest services and the highlights of my day were cleaning the main chalet, creating a box for scouts to put surveys about their stay at the center, organizing Tupperware containers (a bit like finding the mates to socks, we basically took all of the Tupperware out of the shelves and tried to match them with their mates), and making the dessert for dinner (strawberry yogurt with two pineapples on top drizzled in chocolate sauce).

Today I am on guest services and since I did not have to help with breakfast and packed lunches, I could be ready at 9:30 am instead of 7:30 am. The people on guest services rotate with the breakfast duty so some days you can sleep in more and other days you have to get up early. It is nice to have a chance to sleep in once in a while. Then this morning I helped find linen, sheets, and towels to prepare Squirrel house for guests who are coming tomorrow. Currently we have about 15 guests but soon during our mini break between a new program session (lasts 10 days and is a package which scouts book and similiar to the idea of a week long summer camp) we will have 75 guests. It will be crazy in the kitchen those days.

Now I am on a three hour lunch break which is great. I cleaned my room and did laundry and now might do some reading... Well keep me updated on your summers...

Love,
Alicia

My internet celebrity history

Here are the fine websites where you can find a images of me.
This is the sum of my Internet Celebrity Status.



As of today, you can see an image of me dancing on the front page of the Warren Wilson Website.




I was also shown on the Warren Wilson College Admissions Website




Last but not least, the Kandersteg International Scout Centre Staff Webpage.

20 Great Photographs from the American Civil War hi-res

Excellent images from the civil war with explanations.
Check it out here.

The American Civil War in 4 minutes

A pretty neat video.

The Civil War In Four Minutes

How much should my car repair cost?

This is a good site for estimating car repairs. Check it out.

Alicia on the Our Chalet Website

Hey everyone, Check out this website for staff pictures.
Alicia

Interesting News for Saturn

DETROIT — Roger Penske's dealership group doesn't hold a single Saturn franchise, but now he's offered to buy from General Motors the whole kit and caboodle. Penske's vision, as he laid it out in an exclusive interview with Edmunds' AutoObserver Friday shortly after GM and the Penske Group announced they had made a deal for Saturn, is to sell GM-made models in Saturn showrooms while shopping the globe for other vehicles to sell and eventually convincing the offshore manufacturers of those vehicles to make them in the United States.

For the moment, Saturn dealers will continue to sell GM-made models — the compact Saturn Outlook crossover. GM will make those vehicles for Penske Auto for at least three years through their model life cycles. An extension for GM-produced models could be negotiated beyond that.

"Concurrent with that, we'll go around the world to see what products could be brought into this country," Penske said. Those foreign-made products will begin filtering into Saturn showrooms in 12-18 months, he added.

High on the shopping list will be aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, safety and styling — key traits that Saturn's existing customer base finds important, Penske noted.

"We'll be focused and targeted on models that serve the existing Saturn customer base and in the price ranges that already have surfaced with the existing owner base," he said. Vehicles will include SUVs, coupes and four-door models, he said.

A former racecar driver and still a race team owner, Penske said performance, which Saturn tried to do with its Red Line models, will take a backseat for now.

"We need to be focused on the core volume before we become a specialty house. We need to generate volume," he said, noting Saturn's volume has fallen to less than 100,000 vehicles sold annually. "We need to get back to a 150,000-200,000 run rate. Then we'll look at specialty items.

"Performance is close to my heart and adds value to attract certain customers," he continued. "But first we have to be sure the customer base is satisfied with low-cost and efficient models."

Inside Line says: A very early look at Penske's very big plans for Saturn. — Michelle Krebs, Editor, Edmunds' AutoObserver.com

Art Heist: Art for arms' sake

Fascinating Article about the theft of artwork and there eventual partial retrieval.

From the Independent UK
"A Texan blonde, shadowy 'charitable' organisations, stolen artworks that may have been used to fund the Falklands War and a trail leading from London to Taiwan to Buenos Aires... Simon Worrall investigates a real-life art heist more complex and unbelievable than a Frederick Forsyth bestseller" More Here

Ettore Bugatti's Personal Car for sale

Press Release:
PRESS RELEASE

GOODING & COMPANY ANNOUNCES ETTORE BUGATTI'S PERSONAL CAR
OFFERED AT NO RESERVEFOR 2009 PEBBLE BEACH AUCTIONS ON AUGUST 15 – 16, 2009
Original 1936 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe to Headline Gooding Company's Upcoming Auction

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (May XX, 2009) – Gooding Company, the official auction house for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, is thrilled to announce the sale of an incomparable piece of Bugatti history - the 1936 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe for its annual Pebble Beach auctions, to be held August 15 – 16, 2009. The Type 57 is the quintessential Bugatti road car and this specific car is considered to be one of the most historically significant examples of its kind.

"This year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will be honoring the Bugatti marque and Gooding & Company is delighted to offer, at no reserve, one of the most spectacular Bugattis ever built," said David Gooding, founder and president of Gooding & Company. Ettore Bugatti's personal car will undoubtedly capture a great deal of attention during the week and will draw connoisseurs worldwide to our auction."

Bugatti factory employees originally assembled this 1936 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe as a birthday present for Le Patron, Ettore Bugatti. Deemed as one of its most cherished automobiles, the Bugatti works went to great lengths to protect this precious vehicle during World War II. After Ettore Bugatti's death in 1947, the car continued to be maintained and stored at the Bugatti workshop in Molsheim, France, where it received factory upgrades as developments progressed.

Those upgrades included tailored interior accessories, a unique engine and transmission combination and other subtle technical improvements that distinguished it from any other Type 57. The one-off coachwork is believed to be one of the last designs penned by Ettore's son, Jean Bugatti before his death.

Since leaving the Bugatti factory in the late 1950s, Chassis 57335 has had only a few protective caretakers, and remains one of the most correct and original Bugattis in existence. The more recent owners of the car have preserved Ettore Bugatti's intrinsic connection with this automobile. Used only sparingly, the car has never been restored and the breathtaking interior evokes the presence of the legendary Ettore Bugatti himself. Every detail on the spectacular automobile reflects the artistry of the Bugatti marque and it possesses a tangible connection to some of the most important innovators in automotive history.

The Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction preview days will be from Wednesday, August 12 through Sunday, August 16, 2009. The auctions will commence at 6:00PM and are located at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center. Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction catalogs are available for $100 and admit two to the viewing and the auction. General admission to the viewing and the auction can be purchased at the tent for $40 per person. Bidder registration forms, press credentials and additional auction information are available on www.goodingco.com. "

More Here

Alicia Update #5

A lot of things have been happening recently. On Thursday we got to move into Stockli the staff house which was very exciting. There are two bedrooms and baths as well as a kitchen and tv room on the bottom floor and two baths and about 4 bedrooms on the top floor. Most people have roommates and there is one triple and there are three single rooms. I am rooming with Emi from Japan on the bottom floor.

So the highlight of Thursday was moving my stuff into Stockli and doing laundry. But Thursday was also special because one American, from Pennsylvania who goes to Texas A &M and has Italian heritage, made dinner for the staff. There is a staff challenge which includes preparing a dinner from your country by yourself as one of the criteria. Emily made homemade ravoli filled with cheese, garlic bread, and a meatball sauce. Then dessert was fresh cannoli. It was a meal to remember and we listened to Italian music. Also that night Emily hosted an 'Aggie' night for evening program which covered a great deal of information about Texas A&M. Apparently Texas A&M does not have cheerleaders at football games but instead 'yell leaders.' Emily taught us severall yells and other A&M propaganda. It was enlightening but not exactly my favorite evening program.

Then Friday was our final staff program training day. All 10 of the summer volunteers plus the program director and assistant program director went hiking to the top of Bunderspitz a mountain behind the chalet that separates Adelboden from Kandersteg. We left at 10 am and got to the cheese makers hut at 12 pm and as we arrived at the hut, the hut owner played the Alpine horn. I trully felt at that moment that I was in the Swiss Alps. After that we started our ascent of Bunderspitz. We were in different groups because one girl had injured her leg and had to take her time on the hike. I was in the first group and we finally reached the top around 2:45 pm and ate a late lunch at that time. Then the top of Bunderspitz started becoming very cold so we put on all the clothes we had brought. Soon we left the summit and arrived in time for dinner at 6:30 pm. Saturday was my day off and I began the day making french toast with Vanessa from California for the other summer staffers. It was great having a different breakfast because my usual breakfast here is either muesli (dried oats with raisins, sugars, apricots, and some nuts mixed with plain yogurt and allowed to soak overnight), toast with cheese or jam, or cereal (cornflakes or oats).

Then in the afternoon I went hiking with 3 other Americans (one from Chicago, Vanessa, and the other from West Virginia) to the woodcarvers. I bought a woogle to put on my neckerchief which I wear daily. We also on our hike managed to find the flat/apartment where some of the senior staff from Our Chalet (they work at the chalet for more that 3 months) live. They invited us in for tea which was great considering it was beginning to rain. Finally we went back for dinner.

Also that evening we (summer staffers) found out our assignments for next week. This week marks the actual beginning of summer for the chalet with the first groups of girls for summer program. Since this week will not be busy because there are only about 16 guests, the program director assigned the summer staffers who needed more practice on program this week. Thus I will be on guest services giving tours, doing laundry, cooking meals, and cleaning. I have Wednesday and Thursday off this week. Today I went on a long run for about an hour along the river and it was very nice. Then in the afternoon I hiked by myself to the top of Tschentenalp and went down on a discovery trail (roundtrip the hike lasted about 4.5-5 hours). It rained a little but it was still enjoyable.

Tonight we had guests at dinner from Colorado and they mentioned that they had been skiing last week. The mother, daughter who just graduated from high school, and the son who is in college are all ski instructors at Copper Mountain (is apparently owned by Intrawest who owns Snowshoe). The father is a geologist. They will be at the chalet for two days and they are hiking Bunderspitz tomorrow and invited staff to join them. Too bad all staff are working tomorrow so that is not a possiblity. Oh and I learned how to play Texas Holdem (sp) tonight from Emily. Well hope all is well in the U.S.


love, alicia

Bulletproof clothing part 2

Interesting article on Teaching English Abroad

I found this really cool website about travel overseas and working. It is excellent and has some really cool posts.
The top 10 place to Teaching English Abroad.

Another Blog, Matador Abroad. Travel to study, work and explore.

Check the out.
Cheers,


Heading up to Richmond today for Ellie's Graduation Party.

Google- Searching for certain file types

One of the coolest features on Google searches is the ability to search for common file types, such as Powerpoint (.ppt), Word Documents (.doc and .docx- word 2007 default file type) and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf)

Just put your search term such as "Baader-Meinhof Gang" and put "filetype:doc" or whichever type of file for which you are searching. It is great to find ready made items or get ideas for your own work.

The Baader Meinhof Complex

I saw last night and it is excellent. I strongly recommend it:
The Baader Meinhof Complex
IMDB Link

Synopsis:
Germany in the 1970s: Murderous bomb attacks, the threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy inside are rocking the very foundations of the yet fragile German democracy. The radicalised children of the Nazi generation lead by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against what they perceive as the new face of fascism: American imperialism supported by the German establishment, many of whom have a Nazi past. Their aim is to create a more human society but by employing inhuman means they not only spread terror and bloodshed, they also lose their own humanity. The man who understands them is also their hunter: the head of the German police force Horst Herold. And while he succeeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he's only dealing with the tip of the iceberg.

Official Movie Site (UK release)

Alicia Update #4

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday was a very exciting day of program training. All of the spring volunteers plus our program director from Slovenia and assistant program director from the UK who graduated from Cambridge went to the Adventure Park in Adelboden to learn how to assist with the high rope activities with guests. We learned how to zipline across a river under a bridge many times back and forth at varying heights. Then our group went on a high ropes course. On this course we were attached to a cable over the river and walked over moving logs, trapezes, and went swinging like Tarzan. {the mountain guide leading the course told us to make Tarzan noises} Next we went abseiling off a bridge and then the most exciting part of the day occurred. It is called the Pendulum Swing. Basically I was attached to a full body harness with two ropes on the end. Basically I jumped off a ledge on a bridge into the river below and had a few seconds of free fall [very terrifying] before the rope caught me and then I swung like a pendulum back and forth. Although I was very nervous I looked calm and everyone around me commented on how calm I looked. It was an unforgettable experience. Usually scouts have to pay 20 francs extra for this swing. Then we had lunch by the river which for me was a tuna sandwich with cheese and a cucumber and cheese sandwich with an apple. For the afternoon we went outdoor rock climbing and practiced belaying. I have quite improved my climbing technique and skill since I learned that climbing centers on your feet and not your arms. I climbed the most out of our group and made it up 4 routes.

Today was another program day and we first hiked to a gorge and did abseiling/repelling in the morning. Then we had lunch by the river and got to explore the water and the large stones surrounding it. After that we went to the wood carvers where you can buy everything hand crafted from wooden cows to wooden bottle openers. Scouts can buy woggles and other souvenirs with their name put on it. A family has run this wood carving business for generations and was very engaging and loved telling us about their work. The mother treated us to orange juice, mineral water that is bottled and comes from Adelboden (apparently Adelboden is known for their spring water), and cookies. Then we visited a cafe where we will take scouts. The program assistant treated us to lemon cake there which was delicious. Today was also a great day because a could understand most of the German being spoken in the wood carvers. I am hoping to practice and learn more German while I am here. After eating the cake we hiked back to the chalet for dinner.

Finally tomorrow we get to move into the staff house called Stockli. We couldn't move in there earlier because the spring volunteers were still here. They left on Monday and I was sad to see them go because they were really engaging. Also I spent one day off with one of the spring vollies from the U.K. and I could tell we would be great hiking partners. Well the exciting news is that I have finally found out who my roommate is....It is Emi from Tokyo, Japan. Emi and I went hiking together on a day off and we get along well. Well tomorrow is a day off and I get to move into Stockli and then Friday is a staff training hike on Bunderspitz. Then I have the weekend both Saturday and Sunday off.

love, alicia

Jon Stewart on "Government Motors"

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
BiG Mess
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Economic Crisis

Church of Scientology Banned From Wikipedia

This is pretty sad.
"In an unprecedented attempt to maintain some form of creditability, the Wikipedia arbitration committee has unanimously voted to crack down on the Church of Scientology by banning all IP address assigned to the organization and its associates. The conclusion of this case marks the longest running dispute proceedings in the websites history, and the full ban goes into effect immediately. The ruling also represents the single largest ban handed down by the encyclopedia monolith, an accomplishment that I doubt the Church will be adding to their entry any time soon.

The accusations made by the Wikipedia board include several counts of failing to maintain impartiality, and using the service to promote its own personal agenda. Multiple editors from the same IP range were logged in and were accused of coordinating their efforts to force through changes. This type of behavior is clearly prohibited in the terms of service, and also prevents people from using the wiki to publish original research that cannot be properly supported.

During the dispute it was argued by the Church that those editing from Scientology IPs were acting without direction from the Church itself, however, a former member of the Scientology Office of Special Affairs suggests otherwise. "The guys I worked with posted every day all day," Tory Christman tells The Reg. "It was like a machine. I worked with someone who used five separate computers, five separate anonymous identities...to refute any facts from the internet about the Church of Scientology."

So did Wikipedia handle this properly, and more importantly, do you still trust their neutrality." more here

State and Local Budget Cuts Forcing Hickory Public Schools to Reduce Positions

This shows the ever expanding influence of the "financial crisis" especially on the local level.

The ever-increasing state-wide economic crisis is causing a serious reduction in state and local funding for Hickory Public Schools. The loss of funding may force the school system to cut a number of positions at all levels.

Have you heard of Pokémon Shock?

This is Crazyness. I had never heard of the Pokémon Shock ポケモンショック of 1997. Never to be rebroadcast again. More here. ,

An email I sent to a friend:

Very great to hear from you! I think about you sometimes and was unsure what was going on in your world! Life is treating me very well right now. I am teaching student’s history that have had trouble (drugs, violence, anger, grades, an interesting combination) at their regular high schools. I have to break up fights and have to use a lot of patience in my classroom. I teach US History and Civics. I have moved and live in a small town called Hickory in North Carolina.


I am taking night classes from Appalachian State University. I am working on my graduate degree in History/ Secondary Education. It is a two year program with Fall, Spring and Summer 1 courses. Right now, I am on my first year between Spring and Summer 1 classes.


I will be in my current town, Hickory for another year to finish graduate school and then I am going to be looking for new opportunities. I would like to move somewhere overseas or maybe work at KISC for a year? I am unsure.


My two sisters are in Switzerland this summer. My sister Alicia (20) is working at Our Chalet in Adelboden for the summer; she is already there right now. Alicia was a Short termer at kisc last summer. My other sister Ellie (18) will be heading to kisc this summer (June 14) for her Short term summer. They are both very excited. I am quite jealous of them.

My Summer Road Trip 2008

This is a google map of my summer road trip 2008.

View Summer 2008 in a larger map

My new Kandersteg Poster - Framed!

Isn't it pretty!
I have been on a bit of a poster binge lately....
Retro 60's Swiss Tourism Poster



View Larger Map

The Boys come down to Hickory and beyond

The boys came down and it was time for a trip!!!!
Despite some bad weather. We went hiking at the Cone Estate off the Blue Ridge Parkway and went all the way up to the fire tower. Amazing and beautiful, great 360 Degree Views of Blowing Rock and Boone.
Then an amazing Rib BBQ! (no pictures of that fun)



View cone estate in a larger map

Top 10 Auction Cars of 2009

The official bible of the collector car world, Sports Car Market, has a nice little slide show of top auction cars of the year so far. Leading the way is the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testarossa that recently pulled down $12.4M at an auction in Maranello.

Not surprisingly, it's one of four Ferrari's that made the list. Other entries include a Talbot-Lago, a Duesenberg and a couple of Bugatti's. Nice stuff if you've got the scratch.

Sports Car Market: Top 10 Cars of 2009

Open-Top Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Video Review

a very cool video review of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. Make sure to watch!

Alicia Update #3

This will be short but I wanted to give an update on what I am doing. On Sunday we had a staff training day in Interlaken. We began the day with a scavenger hunt around Interlaken to get to know the town. Interlaken is very touristy hence about every third person I encountered was speaking English. Tourists are attracted to this location because of water sports (rafting, canyoning, other), sky diving, paragliding, hanggliding, etc. Then we had a picnic lunch in some grass near the tourist shops. After that we visited Alpin Raft to learn about the rafting we would take groups on during the summer. I felt at Alpin Raft that I was in Californina because the company is run by Americans, Aussies, Swissies, and Kiwis. They had a sort of Tiki themed decorating and Cali music. After that we departed for Trummelbach Falls which are beautiful waterfalls which help drain the Jungfrau, Eiger, and Monch (famous Swiss mountains). Then we had a sort of tea party in the gardens near the falls. Next we visited a Chocolate Show in Interlaken and I consumed delicious chocolates and truffles.

Yesterday morning we learned evening program activities with the program assistant. Then in the afternoon I helped cook dinner which was chicken curry, rice, salad, and baked apple with cream. I was in charge of the baked apples and cored them. Then I filled them with butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins. The food was great.

Tomorrow I am going to Kandersteg in the evening with 6 other our chalet staff members. I am so excited to take them to lake oschennssee and around the center. Then on Saturday is the kanderlodge opening which our chalet is invited to...

Alicia Update #2

I hope all is well in Virginia and N.C.

Today was a great staff training day because we took a day trip to a nearby cave, a castle by lake Thun, a boat ride across Thun, and sightseeing in Thun. The trip mimicked the day trips we will take the guests on during the summer. Previously I had three days off starting last Wednesday. I biked with other staff members to Frutigen, a nearby town which took about 1.5 hours on the way there. Then we looked around the town and went grocery shopping, visited a church, and saw a lovely cemetry. I was the only one of my group to bike back to the chalet instead of taking a bus. The return trip took me about 3.5 hours becuase I got a bit lost and was biking/carrying the bike uphill. I was exhausted by the end but it was a great experience.

The next day I went on a hike to beautiful waterfalls with a Japanese fellow staff member. She is really sweet and I might go running with her in the morning. I tell her the Japanese I learned in JAPN101 which is very limited but she appreciated it. Also later that day I went running along a fitness course where their are pictures of different exercises you can do. I tried some of the exercises which was quite nice and I enjoyed running by a river. Then on Friday I went with a British spring volunteer to Niesen a.k.a. the Swiss Pyramid. We took a train to the village at the bottom of the train station/funicular. Then we hiked part of the way up and then took the funicular to the top. Niesen, the Swiss mountain, was great because the views at the top span 360 degrees and we could see the Jungfrau (mountain of the highest swiss railway) and the Eiger and other famous mountains. Sarah the girl I hiked with was very nice and she has helped with cooking the meals at the chalet. We discussed a lot of recipes and I will have to invite you to a traditional Swiss dinner when I come home. I love the food here. We normally have yogurt, muesli, and toast with cheese or jam for breakfast. Then lunch is sandwiches on bread baked in town and leaftovers from the previous night. Finally dinner is delicious and sometimes something Swiss. For example tonight we had Rosti (shredded potatoes, bacon, cheese), Ratatouille, and strattallela for dessert. I will also be helping to cook over the summer as well as cleaning and helping with program activities.

Tomorrow we have a training day in Interlaken and will visit waterfalls and a chocolate factory (I can't wait to eat more chocolate, you must tell me your favorite kind of chocolate so I can bring some back to you). Oh and everyone here is really nice. We are in a transition phase with 10 summer volunteers and 5 spring staffers who are leaving in a week. There are also about 5 or more senior staffers with specific roles who are paid such as the office manager, program assistant, world centre manager, etc.

Love,
Alicia

Alicia Update #1

Hi Everyone,

Today was my second day of training in the program department. We learned about the activities offered at the Chalet for the summer. Unlike KISC at Our chalet the groups are given a packaged week program that they cannot choose. Different day activities include hiking, visiting the Adventure park, abseiling, visiting waterfalls, exploring a castle, a day trip to Thun and Interlaken, rafting, going to a chocolate factory, on site activities, the wood cutters, rock climbing, etc. The program is a lot different from KISC in the sense that our job is almost more of a chaperon than a hiking guide. I am excited about exploring more of the cities on day trips and seeing a different part of Switzerland.

On my days off I plan on doing mostly hiking. Next week I have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off. I am thinking of visiting KISC with some girls from Our Chalet. It is nice because we can stay and eat there for free.

Today I also got my Our Chalet vest but we do not get to keep it....I might buy my own. There are also nice newish Giant bikes at the center we can use on work or days off. I plan to take the bikes somewhere on my days off and go biking. Normally I will have 2 consecutive days off each week. Another thing we did today was go into Adelboden for a scavenger hunt and to explore the town. The town is about 40 minutes from the center and it is very hilly and quite a workout. On the other hand it is about 15-20 minutes away from KISC to Kandersteg and it is flat. However, the town has a lot more to offer with a movie theater, lots of shops, bakeries, etc. It is a really cute and nice town. I also like the food in some ways more than KISC because they cook for a smaller group of people so they can make more delicious food. Tonight we had bratwurst, peas and carrots, potatoes, gravy, and a chocolate mouse type dessert.

Tomorrow I will do more program training for on camp day. The chalet is basically divided between program and guest services departments. The first official activities week is about the second week of june and each staff member will be put on either program or guest services for the entire week. This is so that the people on program will get to know the groups that come very well. Earlier in the season most of the groups will be American and later on most of the troops will be English. Currently I am residing in the attic of the main chalet and next week we [other summer staff] will move to the Squirrel house, and finally in June to the staff house/chalet. Well I am having a great time so far and am heading to Swiss night later this evening.


Love,

Alicia

KISC: Kandersteg International Scout Center


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Classic Top Gear- The Rozzers!

Mutec Rolls Royce Phantom EWB Ballistic Test

Here is a video of a ballistic test being carried out on a Rolls Royce Phantom Extended Wheel Base by the official Rolls Royce coach builder Mutec.



Holds up quite nicely.

Respect in North Carolina

Respect

The Southern drawl in language is generally charming to most outsiders. In most cases, mutual respect is expected and southern hospitality is a staple of the area. This is expressed in a number of ways: holding doors open for strangers, not honking a car horn unless necessary, and keeping one's voice down when in a crowded room.

As is common in other parts of the South, North Carolinians typically take offense at being stereotyped as "hicks" or "rednecks". While some rural residents might apply such labels to themselves as a matter of humor, it is not expected that outsiders will follow suit (this is similar to the double-standard common in American race relations, where a word may be taken as a complement or a slur depending upon the social status of the speaker). It is very strongly advised that visitors treat the locals with the same respect that you'd afford to any other group of people, and not attempt to make a joke out of age-old class discrimination.

Hickory on WikiTravel

Driving in Hickory is quite easy, although the remaining one-way streets and eclectic street naming conventions can be somewhat bewildering. If you get lost, just ask a local and say you're from out of town. They'll refrain from an age-old Hickory tradition of giving directions based on where things "used to be". Please remember, though, to always be polite when talking to locals under any circumstance. For instance, if you just barge in to somebody and ask how to get to the interstate, for example, your reception will be decidedly less-than-friendly and you won't get your answer, either. The phrases "excuse me", "please", and "thank you" go a long way.


Given Hickory's German heritage and heavy Lutheran influences, it's no surprise that beer is easy to find and fun to ingest among friends in Hickory.

Stay Safe:
Stay away from South Center Street. Everywhere else is relatively safe. Avoid the intersection of Highway 70 and Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard at rush hour.

Charlotte's Tea

If you are not from the American South, be aware that sweet iced tea is the predominant non-carbonated drink. When ordering tea, you will need to be specific if you want un-sweet tea, otherwise it will be sweetened. Diabetics should take particular note of the distinction, as a glass of sweet tea is roughly as sugary as a glass of soft drink.

Amazing things you can do with Google

This is a pretty interesting article about all the amazing things google can do.

The View's

Click for hi-res,
the new view

Laddie's new view

click for hi-res

Chase's Trophy

When I got home today, Chase took me to see his trophy. He was so proud! He
growled to keep Laddie away. It was the sport and he was not interested in
eating groundhog! He would like to have it mounted with the nice furry
possum that he got 2-3 years ago! The possum accidently got on a limb which
was within his reach in the back yard. Chase gave the possum a pretty good
shaking treatment! Mitch heard the groundhog ruckus today. Fran came over to
see it because we did not know that groundhogs were also City dwellers!
Groundhogs usually put up a pretty fierce fight so Chase must really be
proud!

The famous Swiss St. Bernard's

click for full-res

My sister's experiences in Switzerland.

Swiss Powerpoint - Alicia

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Illustrations & Maps 2007 culture

really really cool old cycling image. Click on it for Wallpaper size

I want to go to Lisbon.
Amazing!

Wired Covers the Fascinating History of Netbooks

Development from the bottom down.
When do you think Netbooks will enter the dictionary, or at least spellcheck?

craziness!
I thought bulletproof clothing was just a dream!

Good News:

Appalachian’s Reich College of Education highlighted in U.S. News & World Report

BOONE—The Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University is included in U.S. News & World Report’s recent focus on graduate programs.

The magazine lists graduate programs in business, engineering, education, law and medical schools.

While the college isn’t ranked by the magazine it is one of the colleges that is featured in the article “Picking the Right School for an Education Grad Degree: Is it more important to go to a great school or a school near where you want to teach?”

The article states that, “Appalachian State University’s Reich College of Education exemplifies the benefits of attending a high-quality program run out of a public institution. Reich’s dean, Charles Duke, says Appalachian’s ability to offer excellent but affordable teacher education in convenient locations is what leads so many future North Carolina educators to choose Appalachian.”

The article also addresses education programs that incorporate innovative teaching in the classroom. “A degree from Harvard or Stanford is certainly prestigious, but having one won’t help you become a better teacher any more than a degree from Appalachian will,” Duke says in the article, which further states that, “Reich College attracts faculty from across the country who bring the latest, most inventive teaching methods with them into the classroom. One plus: Faculty are also responsible for instructing students about the challenges they might face in different areas of the state.”

Nearly all of the graduate education students teach in North Carolina.

The article challenges those seeking graduate degrees in education to consider factors such as affordability and the school’s curriculum.

Top 50 Craft Brewers in the United States

Think of the possible ad slogans from this picture: "The Land Rover Defender. For when a flat tire is no longer your biggest problem."

About Me

Publish at Scribd or explore others: School Work Essays & Theses

If you want to open your horizons on new music check out these two links with some of the best stuff from 2008. These are really really cool and you should bookmark!

NPR Listeners Pick The Year's Best Music
Top 25 Best CDs of 2008.


Pitchfork Media's
Top 40 Music Videos of 2008

Rated R: Lamborghini Murcielago Porks Hyundai Santa Fe

Have you heard of this Train Wreck?
Granville-Paris Express wreck on 22 October 1895
crazy!

pretty amazing driving. I am a bit confused on how they did this exactly.

Saw "the alps" tonight in imax. What an amazing movie and amazing cinematography. It is playing at the science museum of virginia for the next few weeks. I highly recommend.

So I am at Virginia Tech taking a look at the school to see if my sister is interested in attending next year. Oh the fun. At least it is spring break

What is CVHS?
Hickory Public Schools operates Catawba Valley High School for the three systems, which is for students with behavioral or academic difficulties.

this is something that you can only do with a FWD motor.... amazing.. plato is amazing...

make better coffee and other ideas to supercharge your life

http://lifehacker.com/243244/want-better-tasting-coffee-try-vinegar

http://lifehacker.com/5143755/brew-the-best-possible-coffee-without-breaking-the-bank


http://lifehacker.com/5187159/supercharge-your-next-run-with-a-cup-of-coffee

So I think I got the calender function fixed on the blog.
Not much to report today. Just time to work on some school work.

You can check out all my bookmarks @ www.delicious.com\tylergrove

Podcasts I listen to:
Sound Opinions
The Economist
The Moth
Car Talk
NPR Technology Podcast
This American Life

SO I am going to try to restart this blog and put up interestign musings I have about whatever. Enjoy.
and click on the adds on the side of the screen!
Cheers
-t

Hey, So it has been a while but I want to get this blog back up to save information and Ideas.

What is your definition of Content?
Are we ever content?
I want this, I need this etc..... You know the deal.

I am making decsions which will effect my future, yet I have no idea what I need to do....
Took the GRE this past weekend. It was really hard. Showed that I might not really have learned all that information that I thought I did....

Well up at the squad, having a fun time as always. I do not know why I choose to come up her but figured that to get out of the house would be good and see the good old boys, Still can't believe I haven't gotten out and actually gone on that trip that I so wanted to go on.

I think that maybe in the next weeek I will get my stuff together and finally be able to see some cool stuff that whole northeast trip that I think in time will finally happen. I am ever hopeful... keep taking those meds and get my shit together and I will see this happen.....

I can't wait and it will be a good trip and really fun..... I swear the world is my back door....... I will have this good time and everything will work out...

In terms of philmont.................
Rich Cabins 2003....
it sucks how it all worked out but then again we were just delt a bad set of cards to begain with,.,,....

I want to go to england!!!!!
ok an email from my freind Gavin

++++++++++++++++++++++


Hey Dudes (sorry - American slang),

Things are going well here in Philmont, I have now completed Rayado and after 21 days of treking through the ranch we let the Scouts go home this morning. The experience of being out in the back country for such a long period of time was amazing - as is the fact that I survied on three showers and no shaving for the duration. Those that know me wouldn't recognise me with a beard, I think that I may keep it for a while to see how thick it grows over the remainder of the summer.

We estimate the total distance of the hike to be around 170-180 miles after we made small route changes due to the crew getting lost when we where remotely following them, also missing a big peak after one crew member suffered from bad altitude sickness and became very fatigued. I went through many camps that I hadn't seen last year and made lots of new friends and found a new home from home at a camp called Beuabien. Beuabien is a cowboy camp, the staff are very friendly and I even had my very first ride on a horse over there. In the evening I was shown to the large meadow and saw 50-60 elk several hundred metres away, I took some pictures but as it was half light i'm not sure how good they will be.

Not seen any bears in the flesh yet but I did walk 3 miles down a road following bear prints the size of my fist. I have also seen a single print that had dried in the mud which was larger than my open hand (estimated as a 300-400 pound male). I have seen lots of mule deer and wild turkey and one rattle snake on the edge of the trial which was pretty cool.
Now that Rayado has finished we have four days off prior to starting regular crew treks again lasting 4 days each. It looks like at the moment that a group of us may be driving to Colorado to chill out and do some sailing on the big lakes if it doesn't cost too much to hire a boat.

I think I have been walking/camping for 31 days now and have lost 6 pounds in weight as a result. One of the camps that I visited was a climbing camp called Dean Cow Camp, in the cabin was a Union Jack - it turns out that a British Scout called Orric had worked there in 2000 and left the flag on the cabin wall.

I hope that all is well with everyone and that the weather is treating you well, here at Philmont the rain has only bothered me three times, two of the times it was very heavy and the lightining was striking all around us - luckily for me I was hiding from the Rayado crew in a staffed cabin and managed to sleep through most of the rain and hail etc.

During the trek I was lucky if I managed to get 6-7 hours of sleep, as a result at any given oppurtunity I can now sleep anywhere and on almost anything (its called the Ranger nap and I'm good at it!). Last night was the last night with the 6 Scouts and as a result we only grabbed 3 hours of sleep - I am now a walking zombie and it's amazing that I can even write this e-mail.

All the best - write back

Gavin

Damn mike. He says one day I can take the car then the next day says no. Im irritated. I need to get out of here. I am misrible and I think he relizes this but would like to keep me as a prisoner in his little place. I will get out of her this weekend.. I mean this boring.... I can understand why Richmond sucks during the summer.. I mean hell it sucks all the time but especially during the summer.... Well Im going to bed. ... I can at least sleep through all this

Im here. in Richmond a regretable proposition but here I am... Walked down to the pool with Laddie to see about employment opportunities,.... maybe I have a job waiting for me... who knows...Feeling good about know and it is only 6 pm.... I wonder sometimes.... Need to get on the road feel better on the road.... Just something about it sooths my soul... Virginia is to hot. damn 100 degrees and no wind.... screw this...

I dont know what my friends do with there money but I am worried because I think they just waste it and use it as an exude but when I talked to Jeremy he seemed to envy my position which said I was doing something right which helps my soul in this day and age....

Maybe I am doing for them what they can not do them selves. I feel proud if this is the case.

Girls confuse me. I got this Lakeside girl but I have not clue what to do.... i mean I am just at a stage more later....