Lighthouses of Maine: Portland Head Light

PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT

State: MAINE
Location: PORTLAND HARBOR /
CASCO BAY
Nearest City: CAPE ELIZABETH
County: CUMBERLAND
U.S.C.G. District: 1
Year Station Established: 1791


NPS photo by Candace Clifford, 1994
Existing Historic Tower:
Year Light First Lit: 1791
Is the Light Operational? YES
Date Deactivated: N/A
Automated: 1989
Foundation Materials: NATURAL/EMPLACED
Construction Materials: RUBBLE STONE W/BRICK LINING
Markings/Patterns: WHITE W/BLACK TRIM
Shape: CONICAL
Relationship to Other Structures: ATTACHED
Tower Height: 80
Original Optic: FOURTH ORDER, FRESNEL
Year Original Lens Installed: 1855
Present Optic: DCB-224
Year Present Lens Installed: 1991
Height of Focal Plane: 101
Fresnel Lens Disposition: SECOND ORDER LENS REMOVED 1958, RETURNED 1992, PORTION ON DISPLAY IN TOWER
Has tower been moved? NO
Previous Tower(s): N/A

Modern Tower? NO

Existing Sound Signal Building? YES (ORIG. 1880 STRUCTURE DESTROYED IN 1975)
Year Constructed: 1975
Construction Materials: BRICK
Architectural Style: REPLICA OF 1880 STRUCTURE
Fog Signal Type: HORN
Existing Keepers Quarters? YES
Year Constructed: 1891
Number of Stories: 2
Architectural Style: DUPLEX
Construction Materials: WOOD FRAME
Other Structures: GARAGE, OIL HOUSE (PRE-1891)

US Gymnast McKayla Maroney Promotes TEN Sodas

New York City, New York - US Gymnast McKayla Maroney, 17, kept things comfortable as she promotes TEN Sodas at Penn Station on February 28, 2013 in New York City, New York. McKayla Rose Maroney is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold medal-winning US Women's Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was also the 2012 Olympic vault silver medalist.

Mila Kunis Oz: The Great And Powerful European Premiere Gorgeous

London, England - Mila Kunis, 29, looked gorgeous in a strapless gown as she attended the Oz: The Great And Powerful European Premiere in London, England on February 28th, 2013. Milena Markovna Kunis, professionally known as Mila Kunis, is an American actress. At the age of seven, she moved from Ukraine to Los Angeles with her family.

University of Southern California Announces Partnership with Mount Vernon’s Fred W. Smith National Library

University of Southern California Announces Partnership with Mount Vernon’s Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
Los Angeles, California - The USC Price School of Public Policy has announced a new partnership with The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon, a new facility under development just outside the main entrance to Washington’s Virginia estate.

Thanks to the support of Maribeth Borthwick ’73 and William Borthwick to the Campaign for the University of Southern California, USC Price and the library have jointly established the Partnership for the Study of George Washington at USC and Mount Vernon. The Borthwicks’ campaign gift also includes support of the Second Year Inquiry Program at the USC Dornsife College for Letters, Arts and Sciences.

“We are tremendously excited to partner with Mount Vernon to develop this unique leadership program at its new library,” said Jack H. Knott, dean of the USC Price School of Public Policy. “The legacy of George Washington will serve as a powerful inspiration to students at USC Price who, like Washington himself, seek to positively impact policy and government for the common good of all citizens.”

The new program will provide students and faculty at USC Price with opportunities to better understand Washington’s impact on the fields of governance, planning, public policy and leadership. Capitalizing on the resources of the library, this program will facilitate unique research and programming opportunities at USC and Mount Vernon. David Sloane, a USC Price professor and director of undergraduate programs, will direct the program elements at USC.

Slated to open in September, the 45,000-square-foot library will serve as a place to safeguard original Washington papers and volumes, as well as a center for scholarly research, educational outreach and leadership training programs. The latest initiative of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the library is being built solely through the generosity of private donors. Borthwick serves as the association’s vice regent,

Danika Yarosh & Saige Ryan Campbell Premiere Of "Phantom" Arrival Beauties

Left to Right: Danika Yarosh and Saige Ryan Campbell

Hollywood, California - Actress Danika Yarosh, 14, & Saige Ryan Campbell, 17, looked beautiful in their black dresses as they arrived at the Premiere of 'Phantom' held at the TCL Chinese Theatre on February 27, 2013 in Hollywood, California.

Danika Yarosh was born on October 1, 1998 in Morristown, New Jersey. An avid dancer, Danika quickly found her footing in the dance world, winning titles at many regional and national competitions. It was this high energy performance background that enabled her graceful transition to the Broadway stage where she played Karen Davidson in the Tony award winning hit Billy Elliot: The Musical. Since then, Danika has worked in various other mediums such as print, commercial, television, and film. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Teen star Saige Ryan Campbell born on December 3rd, 1995 in Orange County, California is a seasoned actress, a national dance and cheer leading champion, Olympic level tumbler and a highly recognizable commercial actor. A veteran of over 35 national commercials including Kodak, McDonald's, Mr. Clean and Crayola, she is most recognized as the little girl who asks her father why he folds his peanut butter sandwich over in the Jif Peanut Butter commercial. Telling her mom when she was only 3 that she wanted to be a singer, a dancer and an actress after watching kids on television, she said that she could do what they were doing. By the time she was 6, her mom finally took her seriously and she signed with the first agent they met. Her first professional job was on a Scooby Doo commercial. Saige's films include Lime Salted Love, All I Want for Christmas, Frankenhood, I Heart Huckabees where she played Mark Wahlberg's daughter, and her starring role as Libby in the psychological thriller Believers, a Warner Bros.' release. A staple on episodic television, she has appeared on such shows as Without A Trace, Entourage, The Guardian, Nip/Tuck and Passions as well as many others. Her voice can be heard on many national commercials including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Walmart and Hotels.Com and she is one of the starring voices for the popular video game Clive Barker's Jericho. Amongst her upcoming projects are starring roles in the new television series Time Detectives, Snuggy Bear and the T-Shirt Kids© and the features Shrieking Violet, Sleep Deprived, Wendy, Exit 172 and Nightmare Carnival. She has also become part of the all girls group Pink E Swear co-starring Taylor Atelian (According to Jim) which has their first album coming out in 2010. They performed and appeared in the 2008 Hollywood Santa Parade where over 1 million people lined the streets of Hollywood California. What sets Saige apart from other child stars is her positive spirit and heart. Being thankful for the talent and luck she's received, she is always willing to reach out and gives of herself to help people with groups including Special Olympics. Saige is also a huge animal lover and has rescued many lost and abandoned pets (by bringing them home) as well as appearing at many animal charity events. Through it all, this amazing young talent is still a normal kid who loves to skateboard, dance and play with her friends and her older brother and sister.

Yosemite Today

Yosemite High Sierra at 8:13 AM today,about 8,000 feet in elevation, shows Half Dome and the surrounding high country.

Yosemite Weather Today ; Sunny, with a high near 51. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning.
Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 27. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Teaching Kids To Be Resilient

Icelanders are a famously hearty lot. Norwegian Vikings trying to escape the rule and taxation of Norway’s king first inhabited the land that is now Iceland in the 9th century. So they had pluck from the start. But you simply have to be resilient to survive in such frozen, forbidding territory.

Margrét Pála (PopTech 2012) is a groundbreaking educator from that rugged country. Starting back in 1989 she was first somewhat infamous, and later more famous, for developing her own rigorous pedagogical model for educating young Icelandic kids. Pála emphasizes resilience, in part, because it is a key component to surviving and thriving in a challenging world.

It's all very Icelandic, and her ideas can seem a bit rugged to the uninitiated. But that makes sense, given that since the Vikings arrived on that isolated island in the North Atlantic, Iceland's history has been marked by wrenching poverty, volcanic eruptions, poor farming conditions, avalanches that wiped out entire villages, and repeated economic collapses.

"We are hard-wired in our resilience," Pála said in her 2012 PopTech talk, which is now available online. "'We have seen it worse,' we always say."

In practice, this means emphasizing decision-making and creativity. Rather than traditional toys, classrooms are populated with open-ended, natural materials that require children to improvise. Exercises include instructions about breaking norms and rules: "Go through the window," Pála exclaims. "Why are you always using the door?" And her kids get a bit of tough love. "Go out with your bare feet," she says to them. "Maybe it hurts a little bit. That's great."

Classrooms are also segregated by sex, children are required to wear uniforms to encourage discipline, and the curriculum includes exercises in jumping off cushions to help very young children learn the value of a little courage in life. That's something every Icelander has needed since at least the 9th century.