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Prior Knowledge, Or He Isn't Going to Pick on the Baseball Study

Teacher question: You wrote recently that it was a good idea to teach comprehension skills, but our school district says we shouldn’t, that it’s prior knowledge that matters. Do you know the baseball study? Have you read Natalie Wexler’s research? It is really difficult to trust research when everyone tells us something different. Shanahan's response:  I feel your pain.





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AllVideos v5.0.0 released - now with web-native media playback

We have just released a major update to AllVideos, version 5.0.0, for Joomla versions 1.5 to 3.x.

It introduces web-native media playback with no 3rd party dependencies.

Here's what's been added or changed in this new release of AllVideos:

  • AllVideos now supports web-native media only (for self-hosted files) and uses browser-native playback controls, without a single 3rd party dependency. AllVideos will now load a single CSS file for its template and a single JS file to assist in self-hosted media playback - a total of less than 7KBs. As such, both Clappr and JW Player have been removed from AllVideos, as well as any helper JS files that were previously utilized for media playback (e.g. for QuickTime).
  • Modern media playback includes video and audio formats like H.264/MPEG-4 (.mp4/.m4v/.m4a), WebM (.webm), Ogg Theora Vorbis (.ogg/.ogv/.oga), MP3 (.mp3), WAVE PCM (.wav) & FLAC (.flac). AllVideos will also playback .avi and .mkv files as they are used as container formats for H.264/MPEG-4 most of the times. Every other format that was previously supported by AllVideos (e.g. Flash Video, QuickTime or Windows Media), will now appear as a link to download the file as browsers no longer support playback directly or require plugin activation to do so. By utilizing modern media playback only, we ensure that AllVideos can be used as your go-to solution for media embedding across any device.
  • By using web-native media formats in AllVideos, we can now do cool stuff like auto-generate poster/preview images for videos, without the need for server-side software (like FFMPEG). If you already uploaded your own poster/preview images, well, don't worry as they will still take precedence over the auto-generated ones.
  • Added support for custom poster/preview images for both video and audio utilizing the .webp format. This means you can now use all 4 web-native image formats for previews (jpg/png/gif/webp). For added fun, try using animated GIFs as your media preview :)
  • Support for small 3rd party video providers has been dropped, as most are now either defunct or using a service like YouTube for serving content (e.g. Funny or Die or GodTube). This means that AllVideos will now support only the 6 major media providers: YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Facebook (videos), Flickr (videos) and SoundCloud.
  • All 3 templates in AllVideos have been re-configured and tested across all device types. The "Responsive" template is of course still the default template when you install AllVideos for the first time.
  • A new option has been added that allows you to limit the maximum width responsive media can occupy. This will come handy with sites that extend beyond 1200px in width as media can be limited to a percentage of the page's width or to a fixed pixel size (e.g. no more than 1000px width for media playback).
  • You can now allow your visitors to directly download a self-hosted video file (previously possible for audio files only).
  • The options have been significantly simplified with the removal of Clappr & JW Player as well as the removal of QuickTime support.
  • AllVideos continues to be PHP 5 to 7 compatible, for Joomla 1.5 to 3.x. There is really no reason to ditch support for PHP 5 and/or Joomla 1.5/2.5 when it's easy to maintain support for them. Neither security nor performance are sacrificed either way.

 

DEMO

The JoomlaWorks demo site has been updated to use the latest AllVideos release. See here: http://demo.joomlaworks.net/allvideos

DOWNLOAD

You can download this version by visiting the extension's page at: https://www.joomlaworks.net/allvideos/

UPGRADING

If you use the latest Joomla 3.x releases (or Joomla 2.5), this new update will appear in the Joomla extension updater. If you're using Joomla 1.5, you can simply upload the new version and it will overwrite the old one. After that step, visit the plugin's parameters page, check if everything is OK or adjust as needed and save the parameters.




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AllVideos v5.1.0 released - now with Twitch support

Version 5.1.0 of AllVideos is now available, adding support for Twitch and fixing a couple of bugs introduced in v5.0.0.

Here's what's been added or changed in this new release of AllVideos:

  • AllVideos now supports Twitch as a 3rd party video provider. You can use the full URL inside {twitch}...{/twitch} tags.
  • When you disable media downloading, AllVideos will also make sure that the native download option is also turned off in supporting browsers (Chromium based).
  • Fixed audio playback in K2 forms and content when using the Media tab in K2 to embed an audio file.

Additionally, the documentation page for AllVideos has been updated to reflect the changes introduced in v5.

DEMO

The JoomlaWorks demo site has been updated to use the latest AllVideos release. See here: http://demo.joomlaworks.net/allvideos

DOWNLOAD

You can download this version by visiting the extension's page at: https://www.joomlaworks.net/allvideos/

UPGRADING

If you use the latest Joomla 3.x releases (or Joomla 2.5), this new update will appear in the Joomla extension updater. If you're using Joomla 1.5, you can simply upload the new version and it will overwrite the old one. After that step, visit the plugin's parameters page, check if everything is OK or adjust as needed and save the parameters.




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Simple Image Gallery (free) v4.0.0 released - now Joomla 4 compatible!

Simple Image Gallery (free) version 4.0.0 is now available to download. This marks our first extension update that supports the upcoming Joomla version 4 (currently in "beta").


Here's what's been added or changed in Simple Image Gallery (free) with the release of v4.0.0:

  • Fully compatible with the upcoming Joomla version 4 (currently in "beta"). As with every beta software, Joomla 4 should not be used on production websites, but rather for preparing your skills for when it's officially released as the next "stable" Joomla version. You can download the nightly build of Joomla 4.0.0 "Beta 1" here: https://developer.joomla.org/nightly-builds.html
  • Fancybox has been updated to its latest release (v3.5.7) and it's now loaded off the jsDelivr CDN (which is also "GFW" friendly).
  • Localization has been extended to support all language strings used by the plugin as well as Fancybox. So it's now possible to fully translate Simple Image Gallery (free) to your language of choice.
  • Updated the plugin's default parameter values to use larger thumbnails by default and longer caching.
  • Still rocking Joomla 1.5, 2.5, 3.x and now 4.x compatiblity, for PHP 5 and 7 (tested up to PHP 7.4 to be exact).

In the coming weeks we wil gradually roll out updates for our smaller extensions (e.g. AllVideos, Simple RSS Feed Reader etc.) to also support Joomla 4.

DEMO

The JoomlaWorks demo site has been updated to use the latest Simple Image Gallery (free) release. See here: https://demo.joomlaworks.net/simple-image-gallery

DOWNLOAD

You can download this version by visiting the extension's page at: https://www.joomlaworks.net/extensions/free/simple-image-gallery

UPGRADING

If you use Joomla 2.5 and 3.x releases, this new update will appear in the Joomla extension updater. If you're using Joomla 1.5 or have started to test out the beta releases of Joomla 4, you can simply upload the new version and it will overwrite the old one. After that step, visit the plugin's parameters page, check if everything is OK or adjust as needed and save the parameters.

 




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AllVideos v6.0.0 released - now Joomla 4 compatible!

Version 6.0.0 of AllVideos is now available. This is a feature release, which also introduces full support with the upcoming Joomla version 4 release.

Here's what's been added or changed in this new release of AllVideos:

  • Fully compatible with the upcoming Joomla version 4 (currently in "beta"). As with every beta software, Joomla 4 should not be used on production websites, but rather for preparing your skills for when it's officially released as the next "stable" Joomla version. You can download the nightly build of Joomla 4.0.0 "Beta 1" here: https://developer.joomla.org/nightly-builds.html
  • Added new "muted" option for initial playback of video files. This option allows you to use AllVideos to embed background videos without sound, either hosted files or videos from YouTube, Vimeo etc.
  • Need a simple way to have random preview images for your hosted audio files? Enable the new Unsplash.com integration and your audio files will use random music/audio related images as previews from the popular stock image service.
  • AllVideos plugin parameters now follow a new unified design (inspired by K2's recent re-design) across all supported Joomla versions.
  • Various code cleanups and improvements.

If you use K2 v2.10.x, we highly recommend you upgrade to this new version of AllVideos.

DEMO

The JoomlaWorks demo site has been updated to use the latest AllVideos release. See here: https://demo.joomlaworks.net/allvideos

DOWNLOAD

You can download this version by visiting the extension's page at: https://www.joomlaworks.net/allvideos/

UPGRADING

If you use the latest Joomla 3.x releases (or Joomla 2.5), this new update will appear in the Joomla extension updater. If you're using Joomla 1.5, you can simply upload the new version and it will overwrite the old one. After that step, visit the plugin's parameters page, check if everything is OK or adjust as needed and save the parameters.

 




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Getting Snowflake (the open source graphical SSH/SFTP client) to run on macOS

I don't usually write similar blog posts, but I've been really enjoying Snowflake recently. What's Snowflake you ask? Well, it's a new open source graphical SSH/SFTP client which makes working with remote servers a breeze. It works like Panic's Coda when it comes to managing content on remote servers, e.g. browse files and have a terminal open at the same time. But most importantly, it's cross-platform. And I'd like to share with everyone how to easily get it to run on macOS.

 

At the time, Snowflake's developer has only released binaries for Windows and Debian/Ubuntu with a macOS version planned for the future.

However, since the app is based on Java, the developer also provides Snowflake as a .jar file which we can run anywhere, including macOS.

So here are the steps to get Snowflake to work on your Mac:

 

Step 1

Uninstall that outdated Java version on your Mac. Ironically the best guide is on Java.com, so follow it to the letter: https://www.java.com/en/download/help/mac_uninstall_java.xml

 

Step 2

If you currently go to Java.com, the available release for macOS is pretty outdated. And apparently it relates to recent changes in Java's licensing by Oracle.

So how do you get the most recent Java release for macOS? Well, you can either signup for an account at Oracle.com (the looooong, hard way) or just grab a ready-made binary for macOS, provided by AdoptOpenJDK (the easy way). AdoptOpenJDK is a new community effort (backed by the likes of Red Hat/IBM, Amazon, Microsoft to name a few) to create ready-to-install & cross-platform binaries from OpenJDK, the open source implementation of the Java platform.

You can download the most recent runtime for Java from AdoptOpenJDK (version 13 at the time of writing) here: https://adoptopenjdk.net/?variant=openjdk13&jvmVariant=hotspot (it's a .pkg file to install)

 

Step 3

After you install the related .pkg file, it's time to download Snowflake. Head over to https://github.com/subhra74/snowflake/releases and grab the .jar file from the latest release available (v1.0.4 at the time of writing - https://github.com/subhra74/snowflake/releases/download/v1.0.4/snowflake.jar).

Now we'll make a shortcut to easily launch Snowflake.

Create a folder called "Applications" (if it doesn't already exist) in your home directory and place the snowflake.jar file in there.

Then open up your terminal and do:

chmod +x ~/Applications/snowflake.jar
ln -s ~/Applications/snowflake.jar /Applications/Snowflake.app

That's it.

You'll now find "Snowflake" in your Mac's apps and you can easily launch the app from there, or just drag and drop its icon to your Mac's dock.

(If you get a security warning when you open the app the first time, it's because the app is not signed by Apple. Just go to Preferences and then "Security & Privacy" and you should see the option to allow the app to launch always.)

 





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6 Industries Blockchain Technology Will Revolutionize

In line with new evolving computer technologies, a lot of issues previously found complicated are now seen as an easygoing task, for example, e-commerce, contactless payment, secured online transactions, and ride-hailing. All thanks to blockchain, a new technology that massively revitalized all-around sectors, equipping the financial industry with enhanced solutions with less or no additional […]

The post 6 Industries Blockchain Technology Will Revolutionize appeared first on ReadWrite.




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Secret to Getting Leads with Digital Marketing Technology

Nowadays most companies are doing SEO, PPC, and Content Marketing. Yet sometimes the company’s are not getting the leads they need. Some businesses get leads — but not quality leads, or they don’t get the leads that fit their expectations. The main reason a company doesn’t get the leads they need is that they are […]

The post Secret to Getting Leads with Digital Marketing Technology appeared first on ReadWrite.




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What You Need to Know to Use Drones for Your Wedding

The popularity of wedding drone photography is constantly rising. It’s not surprising because these flying machines can take really amazing photos and videos. But many people still aren’t sure about the necessity of aerial photography at weddings or different events. We’ve gathered for you the most important information you need to know about drones if […]

The post What You Need to Know to Use Drones for Your Wedding appeared first on ReadWrite.




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A script that detects anomalies at a local level

This script alerts advertisers when regional differences related to the coronavirus have an impact on your PPC campaigns.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.




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Google Search Console now supports SpecialAnnouncement schema

The Rich Results Test tool now also supports SpecialAnnouncement markup.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.




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Less than essential: Why smart speakers are like smartwatches, not smartphones

The devices have reached 50% of US homes, but fallen flat as a channel

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.




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Now, Shopify merchants can quickly turn their catalogs into shoppable Pins

The new Pinterest app on Shopify is now available in the U.S. and Canada.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.




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News24.com | US rocked by another unarmed black man being shot dead

Politicians, celebrities and people speaking out on social media are angrily demanding the arrest of two white men in the shooting death of an unarmed black jogger in Georgia.




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News24.com | CDC guidance ignored | Trump tests negative: WATCH the top world news videos for today

As US states reopen, White House keeps CDC guidance on the shelf | Trump tests negative after valet contracts virus; here are the top world news videos for today. WATCH.




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German rights holders want to sue Kino.to viewers

Have you ever watched a TV show episode or Hollywood blockbuster on a website that didn’t have the proper licenses? Then you could be in trouble, at least if the example of Kino.to catches on. Rights holders are threatening to sue users of the now-defunct site. Continue reading on NewTeeVee.


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Vodafone does a 180 as its 360 handsets are canned – I'm not surprised

The hardware business is a tough one. And in the smartphone space an incredibly crowded, expensive and competitive one. It’s perhaps noble then that Vodafone tried but ultimately failed with its bespoke Vodafone 360 handsets, which were based on the LiMo operating system and manufactured by Samsung. The mobile operator announced this week that while [...]




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Nokia World: Very quick hands-on impressions of Nokia’s three new smartphones

Yesterday was a really fun day spent at Nokia World, the Finnish handset maker’s annual shindig. Conveniently, this year it was held in my home city of London and I got to cover the event for TechCrunch Europe. On day one, Nokia unveiled three new smartphones running Symbian^3, the C6, C7 and E7, which I [...]




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Review: Nokia N8 and the Symbian 3 verdict

Announced back in July, Nokia’s new flagship N8 smartphone began shipping on the last day of September to those that had pre-ordered the device (it’s now available on most UK networks). As did the first review units sent out with almost military provision to chosen technology bloggers, this writer included. Having already declared “Nokia is [...]




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Ten things you might not know about me (tenthings.me)

Introducing tenthings.me What started off as a bit of fun on a long New Year’s day weekend, has launched as TenThings.me: … a place to share (up to) ten things about yourself that your friends and co-workers might not know. It’s in part inspired by the recent viral hit threewords.me but also an old blogging [...]




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Review: Nokia E6 (a must have upgrade)

On paper at least, Nokia’s E6 smartphone could have been designed just for me. It keeps most of the design cues and form-factor first seen on the E71 and its successor the E72 – easy one handed operation, great physical QWERTY keyboard, rock solid build (well, the E71 at least), superb call quality, free turn-by-turn [...]




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Nokia World: How do you own the platform when you don’t own the platform?

Nokia World, London - Having jumped off of a burning platform and into Redmond’s arms – a story that I (partially) broke on TechCrunch back in February this year – Nokia this morning finally took the wraps off its much anticipated entry into the Windows Phone world with two new devices: The flagship Lumia 800 [...]




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Review: Samsung Galaxy Note

I’m not entirely sure who the Samsung Galaxy Note is aimed at, but as somebody who gets to observe from the sidelines, this is one fun, functional and loveable device — although it comes at an out of contract price of around £450-500 upwards, give or take. The biggest talking point of the Galaxy Note is its [...]




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A Note About the State of My Photography Tours and Workshops

This is a quick update about how things are going to be working with my travel photography tours during this time of crisis.  Obviously, with international travel nearly impossible right now, some changes needed to happen, and some adjustments are going to need to continue over the next couple months. Below, I chat quickly about […]

The post A Note About the State of My Photography Tours and Workshops appeared first on Brendan van Son Photography.



  • Travel Photography Blog

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velocityconf: Free webcast w/ @jon lives http://t.co/TxL60Oagos 'Michelin Starred Cooking with Chef at Etsy' starting NOW. #velocityconf #devops

velocityconf: Free webcast w/ @jon lives http://t.co/TxL60Oagos 'Michelin Starred Cooking with Chef at Etsy' starting NOW. #velocityconf #devops




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velocityconf: New #velocityconf speaker interview w/ @sascha_d http://t.co/zg4tzDzIlH Config Management: It's Not About the Tool

velocityconf: New #velocityconf speaker interview w/ @sascha_d http://t.co/zg4tzDzIlH Config Management: It's Not About the Tool




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velocityconf: @tsantero @garethr No, there's just a lot that goes into producing #velocityconf. Plus the chairs are getting ready for Santa Clara + NY! :)

velocityconf: @tsantero @garethr No, there's just a lot that goes into producing #velocityconf. Plus the chairs are getting ready for Santa Clara + NY! :)




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velocityconf: @da3mon Sorry! We were just doing some followup with past Velocity attendees. Sorry to intrude. No harm intended. :-(

velocityconf: @da3mon Sorry! We were just doing some followup with past Velocity attendees. Sorry to intrude. No harm intended. :-(




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velocityconf: RT @courtneynash: Bill Scott's #fluentconf keynote theme also rings true re #velocityconf: tech change is really about people/culture change

velocityconf: RT @courtneynash: Bill Scott's #fluentconf keynote theme also rings true re #velocityconf: tech change is really about people/culture change




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News24.com | Covid-19: These are the inmates who will not be eligible for special parole

While at least 19 000 inmates inside South Africa's prisons will be eligible for special parole to curb the spread of Covid-19, those sentenced for a range of serious crimes will not make the cut.




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Channel24.co.za | WATCH NOW: She’s a Joburg princess who moves to Cape Town and must now plan her wedding!

This episode of Tali's Wedding Diary is proudly shared with you by Channel24 and Showmax.




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Channel24.co.za | 'Isibaya' actress Asavela Mngqithi announces pregnancy

'Isibaya' actress Asavela Mngqithi announced that she is pregnant on Instagram.




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News24.com | Putting a rand value to the enormity of SA’s unemployment crisis

The message is clear: we must do everything to encourage direct investment in SA - failure to do so will likely see the "pot boiling over", with fiscal shortages (taxes falling short), increased hunger/poverty, civil unrest (and perhaps even civil war).




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News24.com | Measures in place to avoid the coronavirus are not practical for disadvantaged South Africans

It is at times like these that we as a country rely on the relevant stakeholders to take care of our people and put into action the promises made in the preamble of our Constitution, particularly where it is stated that through our freely elected representatives, the quality of life of all citizens is to be improved.




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2019 Must-Know Trends for Online Business – Live Panel Wrap-up

We recently hosted an engaging live discussion with industry experts from G2Crowd, Instapage and Subscription Insider, covering trends and growth tips for online businesses. Check out what these leaders had to say about what they learned last year in the software industry, where people are missing opportunities and what’s coming next.




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How Each Home Sale Adds to the Economy

NAR calculated the total economic impact that real estate–related industries can have on state economies. See how your state fares in this interactive map.




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AT#53 - Travel to Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illionois




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AT#66 - Travel to Norway

Norway




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AT#93 - Life as an Exchange Student in Northern Italy

Life as an Exchange Student in Northern Italy




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AT#151 - Travel to the Outer Banks of North Carolina

The Outer Banks of North Carolina




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Special Announcement - Lonely Planet Awards Voting

The Amateur Traveler was nominated for a Lonely Planet Travel Blogging Award in the Podcast category and I could use your help. You will find a link to vote on http://AmateurTraveler.com




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AT#229 - Travel to Northern Virginia

The Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Stone about his home in Northern Virginia. Matthew describes things to do in Northern Virginia either as a side trip from Washington D.C. or a trip in its own right. We start at the famous monuments and Arlington National Cemetary just south of the District of Columbia and proceed to George Washington’s home of Mount Vernon. Matthew then describes some parks and places to escape the city a short drive away. Sure you know that the National Cemetery is in Virginia but did you know you can find a Black History museum, an Apothecary museum and a Tony award winning regional theater all within walking distance of the Metro? Add in some National Parks, Civil War Battlefields, and the SR 71 Blackbird and you may just have to rearrange your plans for your next vacation to the nation’s capital.




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AT#240 - Travel to New Zealand's North Island

Chris, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about a recent trip to New Zealand’s North Island where he went to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and took a dolphin watching cruise up by the Bay of Islands. He visited the Coromandel Peninsula with Cathedral Cove and Hot Water beach, toured but can’t talk about Hobbiton near Matamata, climbed Mt Maunganui, saw (and smelled) the geysers and baths at Rotorua, journeyed south to the Capital at Wellington, visited a ski area on a volcano and rafted the caves of Waitaomo.




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AT#246 - Travel to Northern Ohio

The Amateur Traveler talks to Seth Oakley about traveling to his birthplace in Northern Ohio. Years ago Ohio and Northern Ohio in particular, had a very bad reputation for pollution that one can only get when a river (the Cuyahoga) catches fire. But these days Lake Erie is cleaner than it has been in maybe a hundred years and boasts sites like the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame, Cedar Point, surfing, and even a burgeoning wine region. The area is rich in history as the site of the Battle of Lake Erie, the birthplace of Thomas Edison and one of the first states added to the new United States. Seth also gives us a glimpse of small town life with a side trip to his hometown of Milan which is the home for both the Milan Melon Festival and the little-known superhero Melon Man.

News

Chris takes a new job

Show Notes

Northwest Territory
Cuyahoga River
Moon Handbooks: Ohio
Ohio: Off the Beaten Path
Milan, Ohio
Lake Erie
Zebra mussels
Ohio on Wikipedia
Firelands
History of Ohio
City of Cleveland
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Great Lakes Science Center
Ohio’s sports misery
LeBron adds to Cleveland sports setbacks
A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor
LeBron signs with Miami
Sandusky, Ohio
Cedar Point Amusement Park
Cedar Point
Destination: Cedar Point Amusement Park
Soak City
Sandusky Hotels
Lake-effect snow
Lake Erie Islands
Battle of Lake Erie
Paper Moon Vineyards
Paper Moon Vineyards, Vermillion, Ohio
Thomas Edison
Ohio Festivals and Events
Milan Melon Festival
Firelands Wineyards
Great Lakes Brewery
Melon Man’s Facebook




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AT#253 - Hurtigruten Cruise to the Coast of Norway

The Amateur Traveler talks to Jeremy from Palm Beach Gardens Florida who talks to use about cruising up the Norwegian coastline into the Arctic Circle on a Hurtigruten cruise. Jeremy lives someplace warm so when he and his wife travel they often travel someplace cold so cruising into the small fjords of Norway during the Winter appealed to them. Hurtigruten started as the boat that delivered the mail to the isolated villages on the coast of Norway (which it still does) but added passenger and ferry service also.




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AT#260 - Biking Spain's Camino di Santiago

The Amateur Traveler talks to Ben Dixon about biking the route of the Camino di Santiago in northern Spain. The Camino di Santiago is a an ancient pilgrim trail that runs across northern Spain from the border with France to Santiago di Compostella. The cathedral in Santiago di Compostella reputedly holds the remains of St. James. Modern day pilgrims are sometimes drawn by faith and sometimes just drawn by the journey itself to trek for a month across the varied landscapes of northern Spain. As an American, Ben did not have a month of vacation but rather than be one of those pilgrims who only traverses the very end of the trail he chose to take on the pilgrim route on a bicycle. Along the way he stayed in the hostels that house the many pilgrims where he met people who had been walking from far beyond the border with France. Through countryside, cities and picturesque towns he rode in both sunshine and driving rain, but the highlight of the trip might not be what you think.




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AT#263 - Travel to Northwest Argentina

The Amateur Traveler talks to Jeff Jung from Career Break Secrets about a trip to Northwest Argentina that left an impression on this intrepid traveler. Jeff, an expat, who lives in Colombia, traveled to the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, far away from the normal tourist spots of Buenos Aires and Patagonia.




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AT#273 - Travel to Lebanon

The Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott again about a very recent trip to Lebanon. Sherry traveled to Lebanon as part of a program with a cultural exchange program with Geovisions which involved in a home stay. She stayed much of her visit in Beirut which at least used to be known as the “Paris of the Middle East”. Since that time Lebanon and Beirut in particular has come through a horrific civil war as well as a war with Israel. Now that peace has come again to the country Sherry could still see the scars from the prolonged conflict but also could enjoy the recovering city, the nightlife, shopping and food in Beirut. In March in Lebanon you can ski in the morning and go to the beach in the afternoon. She also had a chance to visit the historic city of Tripoli where she say the traditional souk and the ancient city of Sidon (Saida) which is over 6000 years old.