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 It was 9AM on Friday when Felicia Mohan, a/k/a Sista Felicia, was caught in the act of leaving Intershell Seafood with the main ingredient of her Traditional Octopus Salad.

Pez is like the greatest invention of all times. How you open it up and it magically dispenses a piece of candy is straight genius.
Whoever designed the classic pez dispenser deserves a Pulitzer and a Nobel and a JD Powers and Associate’s Award.
I’m fairly certain that when the girls come home and I give them these, there’s a 50/50 chance their heads might explode because they’ll be so excited.
Dollar for dollar huge bang for your child bribing dollar.
#Truth!

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou

New Year Eve Menu

Three course meal $55

w/ complimentary glass of champagne

Amuse Bouche

1^st course

Tempura Ahi Roll & Sashimi Chazuke sushi rice porridge, dashi broth

Beef Tartare & Chevre Crostini beet & arugala salad & beet aioli

Shrimp Meatballs grilled crostini, Sicilian soffritto, garlic white wine clam jus

Crispy Duck Confit Triangles Island mint chutney, Chinese black bean hot mustard sauce

Mac ~n~ Cheese “Two Ways” haricot vert, pickled asparagus & ricotta gnocchi

Roasted Eggplant & Porcini Crostini bell pepper soffritto, yogurt feta crème

Creamy Mussels & Potato Soup saffron fennel relish, lemon olive butter vinaigrette

Warm Goat Cheese Dates Salad blood orange, candied pistachio & pomegranate vinaigrette

2^nd course

“Surf & Turf” Pan Roasted Sea Bass braised oxtail, salsify, shemije & potato fricassee

Lemongrass Mahimahi pineapple sticky rice, chutney & sweet potato foam, coconut banana thai curry

Schichimi Seared Scallop edamame pomme puree, lomi tomato vegetable & truffled yuzu miso sauce

Herb Brioche Salmon wild mushroom & potato cassoulet, beet cabernet, radish & carrot salad

Garganelli Alla Ragu Bolognese soffritto & parmigiano, parsley gremolata

Whole Roasted Suckling Pig risotto Milanese, lemon vanilla pears & spicy pepper relish

Rack of Lamb Farcie mascarpone hash, truffle crème, fried cauliflower, ginger calamansi demi

Rosemary Filet Mignon foie gras torchon, potato alla aligot, grilled asparagus & dark soubise

3^rd course

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse banana white chocolate, feuilletine, candied caramel ice cream

Mascarpone & Chocolate Panna Cotta Cheesecake blueberry ice cream & apple vanilla caramel

Warm Pineapple Up-Side Down Tart milk chocolate mascarpone crème & ricotta ice cream

Chocolate Coffee Marshmallow Truffle Bomb dark chocolate cake & eggnog truffle shake

Check out the feature on us which aired on Chronicle http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle/From-Hawaii-to-Massachusetts/-/12523032/17395792/-/qsgl10/-/index.html

Our first dinner with our friends from Ryan & Wood was a great success.  Bob Ryan is a talented storyteller and had all us captivated. We are looking forward to the next event on Sunday January 6th at 6:00 PM.

Students in the sixth grade at O’Maley Middle School have caught a couple of really big fish – an endangered Atlantic sturgeon and an endangered shortnose sturgeon – right under the watchful eye of the National Marine Fisheries Service!
In fact, the students have been studying the endangered species of sturgeon using a set of interdisciplinary lessons created by the NMFS as the closing piece of their semester-long study of environmental science.  Social studies classes have looked into the economic exploitation of sturgeon.  Math classes have done data analysis with sturgeon statistics. Science classes have examined the sturgeons’ life cycle and adaptations, with a view to the environmental impact on the sturgeon population of river dams on their fresh water spawning behavior.  The English/language arts teachers have conducted mock public hearings on fishing and the protection of threatened species, leading up to a composition written from the point of view of different interests.
This kind of interdisciplinary project based learning is the kind of work being developed at O’Maley as part of its new efforts as an Innovation School. The lessons and activities were developed by teachers and staff from NOAA’s education branch here in Gloucester and shared with teachers from across the country, including Roger Davis, science teacher from O’Maley, at a conference at the NOAA offices in November.  O’Maley is one of the first schools to field test these interdisciplinary lessons, providing NOAA with valuable feedback.
Ms. Edith Carson of NOAA has been visiting all O’Maley sixth grade classes this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with two life-size models, one of an Atlantic sturgeon and the other a shortnose sturgeon, its smaller cousin.  Students also explored the sturgeons’ life cycle, spawing habits, and the adaptations that made it a successful species since the Cretaceous Period, over 120 million years ago.  They explored the effects of overfishing in the early 1900’s (primarily for the caviar made from sturgeon roe).  The sturgeon is now a protected species, under a fishing moratorium.
The students examined preserved samples of sturgeon collected from sturgeon fish farms, explored how paleontologists draw conclusions from fossils of sturgeon scales, called scutes, and discovered how sturgeon use their sense of smell to find their way back to their native spawning grounds such as those in the Merrimack River.  The students enjoyed the interaction and direct contact with these special materials and activities.
This special week will conclude Friday with a guest panel representing two sides of the difficult question of sustaining the fish population and the fishing industry into the future.  Mr. Peter Ferrante, a Sicilian immigrant and longtime Gloucester fisherman, who recently retired from his work on the custodial staff of O’Maley, his job after being forced to abandon fishing due to the increasing restrictions, will represent the point of view of the traditional Gloucester fishing fleet.  On the other side, Ms. Colleen Coogan, an educator and researcher on the staff of NMFS, will explain the fishing laws and regulations to the students of the sixth grade.  This will be the third year for this guest panel, and while the subject can be controversial and the discussion of conservation methods lively, the program has always helped the students understand that both fisherman and regulators share the same goal, that of preserving a sustainable fishery to feed more people and provide more jobs long into the future.

Bradley Bass Inducted Into International Master Sales Society

Danvers, Massachusetts:  Bradley Bass, an area sales professional with Century 21 North Shore, has been inducted into the Master Sales Society™, an international association comprised of an elite group of sales professionals who have successfully accomplished the level of MASTER.  Members of this Society share an uncompromising commitment to provide the highest level of professionalism, service and integrity to their clients while subscribing to a set of essential CORE VALUES. 

This distinction is earned by the very few committed sales professionals who place value and service of their clients above all else.

On October 25, 2012, Bradley Bass completed forty-two days of training and took an oath to uphold the high standards and Core Values that the Master Sales Society demands.  Less than 1% of all salespeople nationwide have earned this select designation.

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Heritage Films Schedule

Dec 25 and Dec 27 :"Gloucestermen" at 11:30a, "Civil War Life and Medicine" at 12:15 at Hollywood Hits Theater Bulding, 7 Hutchinson Dr., Danvers. $5, $4 Seniors. Info 9787772711.
"Puritans Arrival in New England" to be screened at Peabody Institute   Library, Danvers at 7pm in the Gordon Room Dec 27. Free.
Films by Dan Tremblay, Danvers Filmmaker.
All films shot in Massachusetts.

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Art Haven and The Hive is kicking off 2013 with new programs.www.arthaven.org

What a way to beat the winter blues!

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CAT Collaborative Auditions

CAPE ANN THEATRE COLLABORATIVE AUDITIONS JANUARY 16 and 17!

Read on for information on place and time…

Cape Ann Theatre Collaborative members look over set designs for its spring production "Becky Shaw" at the

Gorton Theatre. Left to right standing: Joey Arsenault, Mary Lou Nye, Lauren Ashley Suchecki, Marc

St. Pierre, Pat Maloney-Brown, Pia Juhl. Seated, Mary Spittle.

Auditions for the Cape Ann Theatre Collaborative’s Spring show, "Becky Shaw",  Gina Gionfriddo’s searingly funny comedy about love, marriage, blind dates from hell and the quirks of family dynamics will be held January 16 and 17 at 7:30pm at the Pigeon Cove Circle, 6 Breakwater Ave., Rockport. The show will run for 3 weekends, April 26, 27,28 and May 3,4,5 and 10,11,12 at Gorton Theatre, home of Gloucester Stage Company. Past productions of CAT Collaborative include "Rumors," "Sylvia," "Beyond Therapy," "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," and "The Weir."  Visit our website at www.catcollaborative.org

Roles for Becky Shaw are:

Max Garrett, the acerbically funny family "adoptee" and family financial advisor -  mid to late 30’s

Suzanna Slater, Max’s "sister," neurotic and funny, redeemed by play’s end  – mid to late 30’sSusan Slater, family matriarch with a no nonsense bent with no "sugar coating" life -  60-ish

Becky Shaw, the blind date from hell  -  mid to late 30’s

Andrew Proctor, Suzanna’s naive would-be writer husband -  mid to late 30’s

Hope to see you at auditions!

Thinking Next Year I Ought To Create A Christmas Card Featuring The Tree And Donate A Percentage Of The Sales To Art Haven

http://www.goodmorninggloucester.com Do you get it?

In the spirit of the holiday season, the Rockport Pageant Committee, in partnership with the Rockport Art Association, the Rockport Division of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, and the Christmas in Rockport Committee, is presenting Rockport’s annual Christmas Nativity Pageant on Saturday, December 22, 2012, beginning at 5 pm. (Rain date: Sunday, December 23 at 5 pm)

Each year hundreds of spectators gather to watch the live re-enactment of the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of baby Jesus. The pageant begins with a torch lit procession which starts at Dock Square and proceeds up Main Street, with a brief stop at the Rockport Art Association, representing the Bethlehem inn, and then on to the stable at the Congregational Church. Along the way the story of Jesus’ birth is brought to life through a live narration and Christmas hymns sung by a full choir.

The pageant was originated by Dr. William F. Strangman and Mrs. Aldro Hibbard in
1947, as a gift from the Rockport Art Association to the village. It remains a solid holiday
season fixture to this day.

The Rockport Pageant Committee wishes to thank this year’s lead sponsors Granite Savings Bank, Rockport National Bank, and Rockport Rotary Club for their generous financial support; Rockport Art Association for providing the space for cast costuming and costume and crèche  storage;  Rockport Music for the use of the Shalin Liu Performance Center to broadcast the narration by Mike Costello, and for hosting a free community sing-along and presentation of vintage Christmas TV specials following the Pageant; Rockport National Bank for hosting the post-pageant open house reception; carpenters George and Jeff Hobbs, Bill and Billy Elwell and Jake Rowe for building the crèche; Bruce Rowell of Bayside Electric for lighting; Brad Bigelow for crowd management; Pat Marshall and Marshall’s Farm for providing Jasper the donkey; Mark Nelson and his choir; Rockport Congregational Church for the use of the church lawn for the crèche and the church to house and broadcast the choir, and for providing a community ham and bean supper following the Pageant; as well as the efforts of scores of dedicated individuals both in the cast and providing support behind the scenes. Cast List to follow soon.

Wait, WTF did she just say?  and in the greater scheme of things does it really matter?

Its a hack.

It would say something like Hey, check this out – and then a single link. Dont click on the link

The ability to modify an image that the camera produces has been an integral part of the art of photography from its earliest days. Allowing more light to “burn” through the negative onto the chemically treated paper  produced a darker image. Interfering with that light, or “dodging,” produced a lighter image. These techniques are often applied to selected portions of the image to produce the unique effect desired by the photographer.

In addition to burning and dodging, traditional film photographers use a variety of filters when making the exposure to capture what they see as important components of the image. For example, in a black and white shot, a red filter on the camera will produce a dramatically darkened blue sky and will add dazzling contrast with white clouds.

Other techniques such as push processing, cross processing, selection of specialized films to produce vivid colors or dramatic grain, toning, high key or low key exposures, artificial vignetting and masking were all found in the photographer’s tool bag.

Our greatest practitioners of the art were all well versed in the use of these tools. One of the most iconic images of the 20^th century is “Monolith, The Face of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California 1927” by Ansel Adams.

“I saw the photograph as a brooding form, with deep shadows and a distant sharp white peak against a dark sky,” Adams later said. To achieve that image he used a red filter when making the exposure and in the darkroom he was able to “apply the numerous controls of the craft in precise ways that contribute to achieving the desired result. *  *  * I can still recall the excitement of seeing the visualization ‘come true’ when I removed the plate from the fixing bath for examination. The desired values were all there in their beautiful negative interpretation. This was one of the most exciting moments of my photographic career,” he said.

These days most photography enthusiasts no longer spend long hours in the “wet” darkroom to see our “visualizations come true.” The digital equivalents of all of the traditional tools are a keystroke away. The trick, now as then, is to learn how to use them artfully and effectively  to produce images that are true to the photographer’s vision and that evoke emotional or esthetic responses from those who view them.

“Monolith, The Face of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California 1927” by Ansel Adams.

My name is Chester.  I am a six-month-old Beagle mix.  I am an affectionate and playful pup who is so excited about joining a family.  If you would like to learn more about me, please visit www.CapeAnnAnimalAid.com  or stop by the Cape Ann Animal Aid, located at the Christopher Cutler Rich Animal Shelter, Four Paws Lane, Gloucester.   If you are up to the challenge of a new pup like me and the joy I can bring your home. Don’t wait – visit me as soon as possible.

Remember – it is okay when you visit to bring toys for shelter animals and that includes me, CHESTER!