Thanks all for responses. I didn't think you all would react like you did. I didn't mean any harm to the reptile community that day, and being a wildlife major in the Warner School of Forestry at U of Ga. I understood the preservation of natures creatures too. I love snakes and the reptile community very much and have learned how to overcome fear of snakes and others by knowing them inside and out. Maybe not as much as you all do though. At that moment though, my thoughts were, am I fast enough to ward off a strike to the head or neck from this Canebrake? Upper body strikes are the worst, as you all know. There were a lot of people in that area that morning on top of it all, and I made the decision against the snake. As time goes by, however, I wouldn't do that again now. It's true, the snake was communicating to me he wasn't intending harm to me through it all, I saw that too. I can communicate with most wildlife by actions, even bees. Let me know more about your thoughts if you want.

Davidro1, the salesman told me that clean air was coming down but honestly, I didn't follow it up with him as to whether he meant from inside the hood or from outside as a function of air going up... If anyone has some engineering knowledge and wishes to follow-up on the mechanism, I will be very glad to hear back. Thanks, aprince. I clearly don't know about noise/power issues with 6" duct. As to fluorescent, yes, I would rather have warm white or neutral fluorescent than bright halogen that will generate heat and most importantly, will shine in my eyes. If I had the option of a deeper hood in which the lights wre recessed, then I would go for halogen. But, I want a low profile hood to open up the space. Carol08. It's worse than you think. I will soon have the cabinets in my LR (mind you, it's a condo) and the man who said he would demolish walls and ready the space is not answering his phone. But, I hear he does that until he finishes with the job at hand. I'm giving him till next week. I have worked for months to try to line up the ducks and it's totally futile in this area.

The report structure is as follows : we have 14 criteria.. when we receive a task ( eg essay), we are graded on 2-4 criteria on that particular task... after the criteria have been assessed various times, a trend is set for those selected criteria.. at the end of each month, the 14 criteria trends ( A-F) are examined and a ratings are given accordingly ( oustanding, high achievement, satisfactory, needs improvement, failure to complete, ) The critiria we are assessed on ( for the letter grades are) 1> Can use key terms and concepts 2> Recall and understand facts and information 3> Plan, organise and undertake activities 4> Present a reasoned opinion ( in essay format usually) 5> Collect, analyse and organise information 7> Work with others in teams 8> Commmunicate ideas effectivly 9> Understand the influence of culture upon the construction and interpretation of texts 10> Use technology to access information and compose text 11> Set and achieve goals through reflection and negotiation 12> use correct spelling, punctuation and grammer 13> speak and listen effectivly 14> Evaluate conclusions in relation to evidence The report contains a checklist of skills and learning behaviors... This is discussed in the parent /teacher / student interview. During the meeting short time goals are set, ( such as working on particular criteria or developing vocabulary or improving writing clairty).. If the student successfully meets this goal and improvement has been made encouragement is given. If a parent finds a discrepancy between how the student performs in the classroom and during tests, it is discussed immediatly.. Not all kids at my school agree with the parent intereaction... ( generally students who do not endeavour to obtain good grades )... When teachers spend time thinking about the student when they write reports, they develop a greater understanding of how individual student learns.... Before acceptance into the school parents are made aware of the high interaction. Not all parents want to ( or have time to) attend the meetings, and in this case the student and teacher do this alone and a letter is sent home containing what was discussed) Our school genuinly believes in promoting parental involvement and participation... This has raised expectations for student, who now knows that more eyes are on them....

The worst cobblestones I've come across were at Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro. I fell flat on my face at one point tripping over a cobblestone, and I then went directly to a shoe shop to buy better sandals, which I still have. For Mexico, I prefer Oaxaca City (near lots of fabulous ruins), Guanajuato, San Cristóbal de las Casas, and Mérida. Oaxaca and Mérida have the best artisan markets in Mexico (outside of Mexico City), and a trip to Teotilán Del Valle, Oaxaca is worth it to see the weavers and their shops. If you are in Mexico City or Cuernavaca, a side trip to Tepoztlán is worth is for its market and the scenic beauty. I think the market there is only on week-ends. San Miguel de Allende is certainly a bit easier to get to from the U.S., but Mérida has direct flights and is close to many fabulous Mayan ruins, plus it is not far from Cancún, although I prefer to visit Cozumel for the beaches. Oaxaca City has direct flights to and from Los Angeles, and so it is easy to get to as well. For me, it is easier to get to Cabo San Lucas and San Miguel, but both are equally Americanized, which is a minus for me. I do not need to speak English in Mexico and don't even like to hear it there that much. I do have friends that own property in San Miguel, but I have not seen them in quite a few years. I've never traveled to Mexico without staying at least a week. According to Los Angeles Magazine, the best way to get to San Miguel from here is to fly to León, Guanajuato and then take a 90 minute taxi. I think I would rather rent a car in León and drive from there. That way I could also visit Guanajuato again. Thanks for sharing the photos.