Monthly Archives: February 2014

Travel tomes to bring summer

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If you could be anywhere in the world right now (besides experiencing yet another round of the polar vortex), where would it be? The beaches of the Caribbean? The rolling fields of Tuscany? The French Riviera? The good news is you can be in any of these places just by parking yourself in a comfy chair and picking up one of these delightful tales that are as much about the people as they are about the warm and sunny places they discover.

In this classic travel tale, Mayle takes you into the heart of Provence, France, as he and his wife dare to leave England behind so as to wake up with the sun slanting through the bedroom window. The couple buy an 18th-century farmhouse in their own little protected slice of France. We saw it one afternoon and had mentally moved in by dinner, he says. As soon as they sign the contract, they begin to navigate the neighbors, the grapevines and the heavy wind known as the mistral.

From your armchair, enjoy breakfast in quaint cafes, fragrant blooming cherry trees, hearty Provencal fare, the warm Provencal greeting of its people and their proper table manners. The Mayles take you on a journey from their peaceful residence in the Luberon to the crowded Cote dAzur in summer, learn how to play the French game Boule and attend dinner parties where they are challenged to practice their French and its unique Provencal dialect.

While destinations like Tuscany, Provence and the Riviera are well known for their warmth and beauty, there are plenty of other places in the world to whet your wanderlust appetite. Take Portugal, a sun-baked country in spring and summer dotted with rocky beaches, majestic mountains, eucalyptus trees, vineyards and plenty of ancient structures. Its attached to Spain, but it has its own distinct culture.

A Cottage in Portugal, which you can probably find at your local library, follows a couple who trade in the gloomy winters of New England for a complete redo of a small Portuguese cottage in total disrepair. Along the way they find a new kitten to take up residence in their cottage, which is appropriately named Little Cats; they discover a thousand-year-old stone hammer head; they practice patience with local contractors; and they aim to steer clear of the perils of Portuguese drivers. Filled with a cast of colorful characters, the story will leave the patches of snow outside your door entirely forgotten.

Julia Child wrote a travel book, you say? Yes! This wonderful description of Julias early years (1948-1954) in France with the love of her life, Paul Child, places you squarely in the midst of France from Paris to the seaside Marseillaise, and even into the countryside of Provence. She describes these years as among the best of my life. The couple moved to Paris and then into Marseillaise for Pauls work with the United States Information Service.

Julia is a wonderful writer, and you can imagine yourself right there beside her as she discovers her passion cooking during the second half of her life. Read along as she chops pounds of onions to practice for her French cooking class and meets two ladies with whom she ends up collaborating for the now famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook. And experience her joy as they travel throughout Europe, discovering new places and new foods that will forever change her life.

The movie Julia & Julia pairs Julias My Life in France memories with a modern womans journey to cook through her Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year. I highly recommend reading Julias book and then spending a lazy Saturday afternoon enjoying the movie. Bon Appetit!

For a taste of the exotic, delve into this tale of the wonders of Morocco. Just as the couple in Portugal head for sunnier climes, so does the family in this book, which leaves the overcast skies of London for adventures in Casablanca. They, too, buy a mansion, also in ruins, that belonged to the citys caliph, a spiritual leader.

While Shah and his family experience the same types of construction delays as many transplants to a new country, its for an entirely different reason in Casablanca: jinns. These mostly wicked invisible spirits, it seems, like to take up residence in empty houses and cause much mischief.

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Travel tomes to bring summer

World's largest aircraft

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* The aircraft weighs about 22,050 lbs (10,000kg) when fully inflated

* The craft is capable of reaching speeds of 100mph

* The ship will eventually be capable of carrying 50 tonnes at a time, around 50 times more than a helicopter can carry.

* The vehicle is full of inert helium rather than hydrogen, as used the in the R101 hybrid airship.

* No runway is required for the craft to take off, and just a crew of two is needed.

* The aircraft was first developed for the American government as a surveillance craft but was affected by cutbacks to the defence budget.

* It was shipped to the UK in 15 containers, which took four days to unload.

The HAV304 arriving at Cardington

* It is being stored at the largest hangar in the world, at Cardington. This is 812ft (248m) long, 157ft (48m) high and 180ft (55m) wide.

* The craft has been designed to be heavier than air, so that it doesn't need people to hold ropes to land it

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World's largest aircraft

Child care centers to follow first lady guidelines

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BOWIE, Md. (AP) The nation's second-largest for-profit child care provider is adopting Michelle Obama's healthy eating and activity guidelines.

The Learning Care Group agreed Thursday to limit TV and computer time for children, serve fruits and-or vegetables at every meal, eliminate fried foods, replace sugary drinks with water or plain, low-fat milk and provide at least an hour of daily physical activity.

It also will allow mothers to provide breast milk for their kids and accommodate those who want to breast feed.

Mrs. Obama joined the Super Sprowtz, vegetable mascots who teach children about nutrition and wellness, in an exercise dance with 4- and 5-year-olds at one of the Learning Care Group's centers near Washington on Thursday. She also shared an afternoon snack of carrot and celery sticks and grape tomatoes with a younger group of kids.

The first lady told the youngsters that they, too, will grow up to be healthy and strong if they eat well and stay active.

"These are grown-up vegetables," Mrs. Obama said of the broccoli, carrot and eggplant costumed-characters she had just danced with. "They started out as little bitty vegetables just like you and because they kept eating right and exercising they grew up to be really big and strong."

The Learning Care Group says it provides early education and child care services to more than 100,000 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 13 years at its 900 centers. They operate under five brand names: Childtime Learning Centers, Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers, The Children's Courtyard, Montessori Unlimited and La Petite Academy. Mrs. Obama visited a La Petite Academy center in Maryland on Thursday.

The first lady this week has been marking the fourth anniversary of "Let's Move," her nationwide initiative to combat childhood obesity in the U.S. The healthy eating and activity guidelines for child care centers, which were released in 2011, are part of that program.

With the addition of the Learning Care Group, some 13,000 child care centers are now following the rules, said Sam Kass, the executive director of "Let's Move." He said getting kids off to a healthy start is "absolutely vital" because their tastes, preferences and habits are shaped in the earliest years of their lives.

More than 750,000 children are now served by facilities that have adopted the guidelines.

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Child care centers to follow first lady guidelines

Is Spirituality Meaningful? Life Stories and the Quest for Purpose – McMaster University – Video

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Is Spirituality Meaningful? Life Stories and the Quest for Purpose - McMaster University
http://www.veritas.org/talks - Featuring Tim Day, at The Veritas Forum at McMaster University 2014. Full library available AD FREE at http://www.veritas.org/...

By: The Veritas Forum

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Is Spirituality Meaningful? Life Stories and the Quest for Purpose - McMaster University - Video