Victory in the Utah House: Raw Honey legalization Bill passed

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From Eric Dondero:

A Republican-sponsored measure to legalize the sale and distribution of raw honey easily passed the Utah House yesterday. It now goes on to the Senate and then to the Governor for his signature.

From the Deseret News "Utah lawmaker wants to define raw honey" Feb. 28:

The food Rep. Stephen Sandstrom wants the Legislature to define — raw honey.

The Republican from Orem is sponsoring the short, one-page bill because he said raw honey and its close cousin — pure honey — are being intermixed, and beekeepers in his district want to preserve their niche in the "raw" market.

Raw honey from Redmond Heritage Farms is picture in this hand out photo and is the subject of Rep. Stephen Sandstrom's bill that will define raw honey. Sandstrom believes raw honey and its close cousin pure honey are being intermixed, and beekeepers in his district want to preserve their niche in the "raw" market
In order to be labeled as raw under HB148, honey that is produced or sold in the Beehive State could not be pasteurized or heated above 118 degrees.

Sandstrom said raw honey legislation is "just a good place to go." He said he wants to pursue more raw food bills in the future and raw honey is an "easier transition" than, say, raw milk.

See related article at LR, from February, "Raw Milk: Obama administration cracks down on Family Farms"

Victory in Utah House: Legislators vote to allow use of Gold and Silver as legal Currency

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Republican-sponsored Bill

From Eric Dondero:

In a monumental move, the Utah House of Representatives took the first step yesterday, to full legalization of gold and silver as currency, something long supported by libertarians.

It does not mean that gold and silver will replace the dollar as the accepted currency for the State of Utah. However, the legislation allows for the use of gold and silver as "legal tender."

From Fox News "Utah House Passes Bill Recognizing Gold, Silver as Legal Tender":

The House voted 47-26 in favor of the legislation that would also exempt the sale of gold from the state capital gains tax and calls for a committee to study alternative currencies for the state.

The legislation now heads to the state Senate, where a vote is expected next week.

There are 90 members of the Utah House; 63 of them are Republicans. The Bill was sponsored by Rep. Brad Galvez, R-West Haven. He is quoted in the SLC Tribune (via Gata.org):

This is a step in preparedness, a step in security," Galvez said, "that allows us to be able to help hold up our economy as the dollar continues to shrink."

Cloud Computing Software Makes a Hard Impact

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Have you taken a hard look at a very soft-sounding computer system: cloud technology?

Cloud computing, or Software-as-a-Service, is available via paid rental or membership over the Internet. Participants share drawings, specifications, and are privy to the identical information.

The downfall t

Cloud Shock

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"Cloud computing" is the latest buzzword from the IT industry; it means Internet-connected computers can access data and applications software directly from the source and not have to go through the IT department. This is a very large break with traditional IT practice. But, as industry expert Ian G

The Vanishing PC

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We've heard the forecasts — and witnessed the possible inception of the trend — the PC as we know it is vanishing. Or, is it? Steve Jobs and Steve Ballmer marketplace jabbering notwithstanding, it's tool users who hold the answer. Will professionals who need serious computing power, stor

Best of Business Etiquette?

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While diligence and competence are important, manners also matter in the office and in the lab. When mentoring a student at a conference, I found myself discussing business etiquette and found him hesitating over behavior I considered necessary. What behaviors are most important to you? What lack of

Omnyx demonstrating Integrated Digital Pathology solution at USCAP

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If you are reading this from San Antonio this week attending the USCAP meeting, be sure to check out Omnyx's IDP solution in booth 330. 

Omnyx has focused on workflow since its inception and this demo should highlight their work to date and the efficiencies to be had with digital pathology.

Omnyx, a joint venture of GE Healthcare and UPMC is showing their IDP solution designed by pathologists, for pathologists and built from the ground up with help from a global team of collaborators with the overall goal of digitizing the pathologist's process with intuitive and efficient solutions.  

Omnyx will demonstrate its complete product line, which includes the VL4 and VL120 whole slide scanners, Pathologist Workstation, Histology Workstation, Web Viewer, Algorithms, Workflow Server, and Digital Archive for image storage. These products will be sold initially for research use only.  By digitizing the slides and corresponding workflow, the Omnyx technology is intended to do what a traditional microscope cannot -- unite an entire pathology department and improve collaboration, communication and efficiency.  

Of note, Omnyx will be demonstrating for the first time the VL120 whole slide scanner, which is capable of holding 120 slides that are automatically loaded and scanned.  When launched, this product will be used in environments where continuous scanning is critical to sustain throughput.  The VL120 is a complement to the already unveiled Omnyx VL4 scanner, currently for research use,and uses the identical scanning engine, which includes the patented Independent Dual Sensor imaging technology which can scan slides automatically at 20x or 40x magnification with speed and quality.

The Omnyx IDP solution integrates what are often stand alone products into a comprehensive platform.  It combines high speed, high quality whole slide scanning with scalable information technology products to create a solution that addresses the reliability and process requirements of pathologists and enables single and multi-site organizations to benefit from increased efficiencies and greater access to peers in the field.  It provides pathologists and histologists the tools necessary to work in closer collaboration and efficiently digitize their processes.

 

Paperback Launch Party, "Still Life" by Melissa Milgrom, March 10, The PowerHouse Arena, Brooklyn

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Next Thursday, March 10! Hope to see you there.

Paperback Launch Party: Still Life by Melissa Milgrom
Date: Thursday, March 10 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: The PowerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY
For more information, please call 718.666.3049
RSVP: rsvp@powerHouseArena.com

"Who knew a book about dead animals could be so lively? This is a wonderful look at a quirky, passionate, sometimes fanatical subculture."
— A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically

In Still Life, Milgrom exposes a world of intrepid hunter-explorers, eccentric naturalists, and gifted museum artisans, all devoted to the paradoxical pursuit of creating the illusion of life. She'll deliver a lecture on the strange art of taxidermy and sign copies of her book, just out in paperback.

Over the past five years Melissa Milgrom has come to understand just what compels people to want to preserve dead animals: an absurd—almost fanatical—love of animals and the beauty of organic forms. Still Life is a completely engrossing look at this intriguing art form that thrives despite its fringe reputation. In the end, it's the taxidermists' love of nature and their unending quest to understand it on its own terms, which ultimately unites the book's characters, more than even the science or art of their craft. Transformed from a curious onlooker to an empathetic participant, Milgrom takes us deep into the world of taxidermy and reveals its uncanny appeal. Straddling science and art, high culture and kitsch—like taxidermy itself—Still Life celebrates the beauty in the uncanny.

Melissa Milgrom has written for The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Travel & Leisure, among other publications; she has also produced segments for public radio. She holds a master's degree in American studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Milgrom lives in New York City. Please visit http://www.melissamilgrom.com.

To find out more, click here. To find out more about the book, click here.

Image: From the Still Life website; caption reads: "This orangutan, mounted in 2003 by a team of taxidermists for the Smithsonian Institution's Behring Hall of Mammals, typifies how exotic animals are procured in a post-expedition era. Photo: Cameron Davidson."

"Kingdom Under Glass: A Tale of Obsession, Adventure, and One Man’s Quest to Preserve the World’s Great Animals" This Thursday at Observatory

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This Thursday at Observatory: learn the stories of the epic dioramas of New York's Museum of Natural History and their maker, Carl Akeley, in this illustrated lecture by author Jay Kirk!

Full details follow; very much hope to see you there

Kingdom Under Glass: A Tale of Obsession, Adventure, and One Man’s Quest to Preserve the World’s Great Animals
An illustrated lecture and book signing with author Jay Kirk
Date: Thursday, March 3
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
***Books will be available for sale and signing

During the golden age of safaris in the early twentieth century, one man set out to preserve Africa's great beasts. In his new book Kingdom Under Glass: A Tale of Obsession, Adventure, and One Man's Quest to Preserve the World's Great Animals, Jay Kirk details the life and adventures of naturalist and taxidermist Carl Akeley, the brooding genius who revolutionized taxidermy and created the famed African Hall we visit today at New York's Museum of Natural History. The Gilded Age was drawing to a close, and with it came the realization that men may have hunted certain species into oblivion. Renowned taxidermist Carl Akeley joined the hunters rushing to Africa, where he risked death time and again as he stalked animals for his dioramas and hobnobbed with outsized personalities of the era such as Theodore Roosevelt and P. T. Barnum. In a tale of art, science, courage, and romance, Jay Kirk resurrects a legend and illuminates a fateful turning point when Americans had to decide whether to save nature, to destroy it, or to just stare at it under glass.

Tonight, join author Jay Kirk for an illustrated lecture based on his new book Kingdom Under Glass. Books will be available for sale and signing after the event.

Jay Kirk's nonfiction has been published in Harper's, GQ, The New York Times Magazine, and The Nation. His work has been anthologized in Best American Crime Writing 2003 and 2004, and Best American Travel Writing 2009 (edited by Simon Winchester). He is a recipient of a 2005 Pew Fellowship in the Arts and is a MacDowell Fellow. He teaches in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Pennsylvania. You can find out more about him and his work at jaykirk.info.

You can find out more about this event on the Observatory website by clicking here and can can access the event on Facebook here. You can get directions to Observatory--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library (more on that here)--by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

Tomorrow Night at Observatory: "The 'Oculus Imaginationis' of Ted Serios" with Mikita Brottman

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ted
Tomorrow night at Observatory! Hope to see you there!

An illustrated lecture with Mikita Brottman
Date: Friday, March 4
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Ted Serios was an elevator operator from Chicago who appeared to possess a genuinely uncanny ability. By holding a Polaroid camera and focusing on the lens very intently, he seemed able to produce dream-like pictures of his thoughts on the Polaroid film that subsequently emerged; he referred to these images as “thoughtographs”,This lecture will consider how the Ted Serios phenomenon goes beyond the notion of “real versus fake”, providing different kinds of insights into the relationship between photography, subjectivity, representation and the unconscious.

Mikita Brottman is a British scholar, psychoanalyst, author and cultural critic known for her psychological readings of the dark and pathological elements of contemporary culture. She is a professor of humanities at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. You can find out more about her and her work at http://www.mikitabrottman.com.

You can find out more about this event on the Observatory website by clicking here and can can access the event on Facebook here. You can get directions to Observatory--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library (more on that here)--by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.

PathXchange, the Preferred Online Pathology Community, Surpasses 12,000 Members

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Rapid growth of PathXchange signals mainstream adoption of digital pathology tools by pathologists

TUCSON, Ariz., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PathXchange.org, a global online pathology website, today announced that they have exceeded 12,000 registered members from over 160 countries. PathXchange services are the most widely used professional networking, collaboration and e-learning tools enabled by digital pathology.  

Since its launch in June 2009, PathXchange has experienced unprecedented growth.  Pathology professionals from clinical, research, and educational institutions widely utilize PathXchange for an increasing array of use cases including tumor boards, peer consultations, case conferencing, research studies, residency training, and continuing medical education (CME).

Dr. Mahul B. Amin, Chairman and Professor, Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, an active supporter of PathXchange services since its launch in June 2009, noted the power and global reach of this Web 2.0 tool. He commented, "PathXchange was instrumental in allowing us to read a second opinion case with less than 24-hour turnaround time, with the ability for pathologists in India and California to simultaneously review case slides."

PathXchange.org is available to individual users free of charge.  Dedicated and secure microsites are available at a reasonable fee to institutions seeking to leverage PathXchange networking technologies for their own pathology applications.

About PathXchange

PathXchange services brings the field of pathology into the digital age with Web 2.0 features designed to promote the exchange of pathological cases, ideas, knowledge, information, products, and services. PathXchange.org website (excluding linked sites) is controlled by Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. within the State of Arizona, United States of America. It can be accessed throughout the United States, as well as from other countries around the world.

Do you have a great seasteading concept? Win €7500 in the Prix Ars Electronica 2010 / [the next idea] Art and Technology Grant

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A representative from Prix Ars Electronica contacted The Seasteading Institute and requested a submission for their "Next Big Idea" grant. Well our staff is too busy to enter the contest for the €7500 prize and three month artist in residency, so we're turning this one over to our community. If you do win, don't forget to make a donation to us for our important work 🙂

Here's the link:
http://new.aec.at/prix/en/kategorien/the-next-idea/

Here's Prix Ars description of the contest:
[THE NEXT IDEA] VOESTALPINE ART AND TECHNOLOGY GRANT

read more

Aruba’s Top 5 Best Beaches

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The hubby and I have planned a week long escape to Aruba in July, and I’m getting very psyched looking at all the photos of the beautiful beaches. There are so many of them, and they all look so pristine and gorgeous. Here’s a list of some of five of this beautiful island’s best beaches, all of which on on the island’s western side (very few are on the eastern side). This list is by no means exhaustive (I could list about 5-6 more!), but it’s a good start if you want to get a feel for what Aruba has to offer.

Malmok Beach in Aruba

1. Malmok Beach

This beach on the northwestern tip of the island is wonderful for snorkeling because the water is shallow with lots of rocks for the fishies to swim around. There aren’t any bathroom facilities, so plan ahead.

Aruba's Eagle Beach

2. Eagle Beach

This is the beach the timeshare we’re staying at is directly across from, and some say it’s the most beautiful on the island. It’s definitely not the most deserted (which is good for activities) or the most crowded (like Palm Beach, but again that’s fine for relaxation).

A Divi Tree on Aruba's Baby Beach

3. Baby Beach

Love the name of this one! You’ll see a bunch of the island’s famous Divi trees, which grow at a 45 degree angle due to the winds on the island. Apparently, if you’re lost, you can follow the direction the Divi trees point because they always point towards the hotels.

Palm Beach in Aruba

4. Palm Beach

This beach is lined with hotels and restaurants, and it’s probably the most busy beach on the island. But, this also means there are plenty of opportunities for water sports and rentals. Palm Beach has lots of white, soft sand and tons of chairs, but get there early to grab them!

5. Arashi Beach

Arashi means “storm” in Japanese, but don’t let that fool you – the water is crystal clear here! It’s the northernmost beach on the island, near the California Lighthouse, and it has beautiful white sand and a few beach huts.

Photos: Joskrum , jen’schapter3, sergi melki, madmack66

Top 10 Secret Beaches (Courtesy of Sunset Magazine)

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Shhhh…have you heard about these beaches? I suppose that, since they’re published online, they’re no longer “secrets,” but they’re at the least beaches that not as many people know about. Which have you heard of or visited? Here’s a list of all of them, courtesy of Sunset.com, and a bit of commentary about each (I’ve only been to two of them myself, and I’m a beach person!)

Hamoa Beach

1. Hamoa Beach (Hana, Maui)

Ah, the Road to Hana. It’s long, it’s windy and did I say it’s windy already? Luckily, there’s a very pretty beach at the end of it called Hamoa Beach. It’ll take you a good 3-4 hours to reach from the start of the Road to Hana depending on how many stops you make.

2. Indian Beach (Oregon – Ecola State Park)

This beach is a perfect little horseshoe of relaxation. Surfers abound during the summer months.

3. Salt Creek Recreation Area (Washington State)

The tide pools here are wonderful, and you can camp, too! Fantastic place to bring the family.

4. Robert E. Badham Marine Conservation Area (Orange County, CA)

I’ve been here, and although it’s a bit tough to get to, it’s worth it. Get there early or you’ll be driving around for over an hour looking for street parking (seriously).

Beautiful Point Buchon

5. Point Buchon (San Luis Obispo County, CA)

Finally, beach goers can access Coon Creek Beach. Keep an eye out for the boobies, and I don’t mean the birds.

Grand Tetons from Leigh Lake

6. Leigh Lake (Teyon County, Wyoming)

Wish I had known about this tiny beach when I visited Grand Teton National Park! It sounds absolutely gorgeous.

7. Mahai’ula Beach (Kona Coast, The Big Island)

It’s amazing that there are still beaches in any part of the Hawaiian islands that few people visit, especially on The Big Island. Then again, some of the beaches are very difficult to get to and can only be accessed by kayak in good weather. This one is no exception — you can reach it by car, actually, but it’s 1.5 miles off the main highway.

8. Bean Hollow State Beach (San Mateo County, CA)

I visited this beach after I heard that, if you’re lucky, you can find glass floats that arrive all the way from Japan after a big storm – it happens more often than people realize. Gorgeous sea life in the tide pools.

Bean Hollow State Beach

9. Sandcut Beach (Sooke, B.C.)

After reading the description of this beach, I nearly packed up my bags. Waterfalls, tide pools and pebbles as smooth as eggs? Yes, please! The beach’s name just does not do it justice.

Bowling Ball Beach - Now You Can Understand the Name!

10. Bowling Ball Beach (Mendocino, CA)

Sandstone boulders are the main attraction here, and luckily, not many people make the trek down — be one of them!

Photos: Nordique, docentjoyce, Alaskan Dude, grant_joy, Peter Alfred Hess

Companion To Easter Island

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James Grant-Peterkin shares his local knowledge in A Companion To Easter Island, a 168-page guidebook which tries to bridge the gap between dry academic literature and often superficial tourist publications.

Lunch with Yulia

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UStravel23Dacha1
Country home by UStravel23

Lunch with our landlady was a nice experience. She lives outside the city of Moscow. Its about a 30 minute drive. You have to drive to a place called “Luxury Village”. This was not my first time visiting “luxury village”. I had the unusual experience before Christmas of teaching an Oligarch’s son near where our landlady lives in Luxury Village.

Yulia (Julia) lives in one of the many gated private villages that seem to be common here in and around Moscow. We have gated communities in Britain, but they are few and far between. I would not mind living in one, if I could afford it, they are safer and cleaner than regular housing estates.

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Red Caviar courtesy of Author

Yulia, made an excellent lunch of crab salad, red caviar eggs, salmon, meat burgers and mashed potato. This was all washed down with large amounts of red and white wine. I noticed that Yulia liked to make many toasts, maybe that a Russian thing to toast to everything? I like the idea a lot. A toast to welcome us to her home, a toast for the New Year, a toast for good health, a toast to us, a toast to this and a toast to that. I did not take part, as I was the unlucky driver. Her house is big and wooden. She told us that it has been in her late husbands family for years and that the land was spilt up, half was given to one son and the other half was given to another son (her late husband), the brothers did not speak to each other. The house is surrounded by birch forest and very peaceful, and the air is clean and fresh. Fresh, clean air is a luxury when you live in Moscow.

The house she lives in, is her former holiday house or “Dacha”, the flat we live in, is her former city residence.

Or rent supports Yulia and her old sick mother, of course Yulia has no mortgage, (as far as I can assume), so our money must give her a good life style. She is a widow, her husband died a few years ago, he was a famous Russian actor, who’s name I don’t know and could not pronounce anyway. The house she lives in, is her former holiday house or “Dacha”, the flat we live in, is her former city residence. She told me they used to spend the summer at the Dacha and the winter at their city flat, where we now live. Its a modest flat, small and not at all luxurious (despite the rent price) , but its only a 15 minute walk to the Kremlin, so we are paying for the location. It is a hard and large pill to swallow, since I know everyone else that lives in our block of flats, certainly does not pay the rent we pay, (or any rent) so its does make me a bit angry. But rent is rent. We can’t live for free.

I told my wife not to become too friendly with her, as after one year she may decide to increase the rent. We did agree to fix it for two years, but its common in Russia for flat owners to just increase the rent as and when they feel like it. If she does increase it, we will move and she will have to search all over again for a tenant willing to pay her the rent that she demands. However, she is a kind person and we are lucky to have chosen a nice landlady. This is very important when renting in Moscow, choose your landlord/Landlady carefully, you will save problems later.

Editor’s Note: Yulia is a real person. The author has chosen to use a fictitious name for the purposes of privacy.

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Go, See, Write: Tales of Overland Adventure

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Try covering 44 countries on 6 continents without ever having an airline boarding pass in hand at some point. This is exactly what Michael Hodson accomplished over a 16 month period. He may be a lawyer by trade but he’s a traveler at heart. After a stint back home, he’s “On the Road Again” and no doubt has Willy Nelson playing on his (mental) jukebox.

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