Chef Brendan Keegan's 208 Talbot Restaurant & Wine Bar is the premier restaurant on the Eastern Shore and considered by many to be one of the top restaurants in all of Maryland. Together with his Brother-in-law and partner Brian Fox, Chef Brendan Keegan offers an exquisite dining experience in newly redesigned surroundings in Historic St. Michaels.

Described by Zagat as "sophisticated", and by customers as "Spectacular" and "…to die for," Brendan Keegan's 208 Talbot puts emphasize on fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Chef Keegan has evolved his own style of cooking reflecting the influence of his travels and culinary experiences. Having been taught to cook at an early age by his grandmother from Georgia, Chef Keegan has a "soulful" twist on his cooking; however, he will keep you guessing as his travels to Italy and Spain also make appearances.

Chef Keegan spends a lot of time tracking down the freshest ingredients and prides himself for using local product on the menu. Each ingredient, in each dish, is made from scratch and the menu will always reflect the time of year. Whether it's soft shell crabs in the summer, lamb in the spring or locally-grown apples in the fall. His team puts in a lot of time and effort to make each meal a memorable one.

Their highly trained, friendly staff is always available to answer questions, clarify instructions and assist you with your scheduling needs, Monday through Friday, 9AM- 5PM.Once they have helped you elect your treatments, they will provide you with the highest quality, state-of-the-art care, with an emphasis on excellence and comfort.   The Center for Eye and Laser Surgery invites you to visit and experience the difference!

Center for Eye & Laser Surgery
819 Ritchie Hwy Suite 1020
Severna Park, MD 21146
Telephone: 443.988.0058
Fax: 410.647.7670
E-mail: manager@myeyelids.com

The Annapolis Digby Region in Nova Scotia enjoys a unique confluence of the fruit of land and sea, combined with some of the oldest historic sites in Canada and unparalled natural beauty... a virtual paradise for guests and residents alike! 

To further build tourism opportunities on this already rich foundation, the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency is facilitating a cuisine based experiential tourism workshop November 17-18, 2008. With farmers, fishers, processors, restauranteurs, accomodations providers and experience providers all working together to develop new experiential tourism products and packages, our region will be poised to become a leader in cuisine based experiential tourism.

Think of world famous Digby scallops, fresh Annapolis Valley pork, organic produce from across our region, Bear River wines and more, all served with authentic Valley hospitality... the possibilities are endless. Think how much more fun it could be to not only savour such a feast, but to be involved in its harvest and preparation, to enjoy authentic stories told of harvests past, and to drink in the rich heritage and artistry of this welcoming land with hands on experiences. This workshop will enable local businesses to collaboratively develop such cuisine based tourism products, growing the region's tourism visitation and their businesses' bottom lines in the process. Think of the possibilities...

Celes Davar of Earth Rhythms Inc., a renowned authority on experiential tourism, will be the workshop leader. Having just returned from an international conference on experiential tourism in Santa Fe New Mexico, Celes is brimming with new ideas for our area and will be further developing the practises he brought to us during his first workshop in Annapolis Digby in November 2007.  

Planning for the workshop is well underway. We will be updating this blog as other details become available. For additional information, please contact:

Joy O'Neill, Economic Development Officer

Phone: (902) 638-8139 or (902) 638-3490.

Email: joneill@annapolisdigby.com.

Hi there.. I was wondering if you may be able to answer a question about this lamp I recently acquired from my great grandmothers house. It's a Miller lamp, about 26 inches high. It's marked EM& Co 1149 underneath. I haven't seen it in any old catalogs, eBay, or even your book, that I recently purchased on Amazon. I'm trying to narrow down the exact year. All I have heard so far is anywhere between 1900 and 1920. Have you ever come across this particular lamp? Thanks for any info and for your time.
A.L. Wakefield MA

You have inherited a very handsome lamp by the Edward Miller Company founded in the mid 1840's and located in Meriden, Connecticut. The company is still in business, so if you want to specifically determine the exact year of manufacture you could try contacting them and see what they have in their files from the early 1900's. I have placed their contact information for you at the end of this blog entry.
Generally, based on the style and design of your lamp I estimate your lamp was made in approximately 1920. I base this on the simple geometric style of the sillouette cutwork influenced by the Art Deco style. However, there were many overlaps in style influences so your lamp could be as early as 1905. I take it you already examined it for any patent numbers or dates on the sockets or base. These may provide further clues. You can contact the U.S. patent office to look up dates of specific patents, however this only helps approximate age as an older patented socket might be used on a newer lamp.
275 Pratt Street
Meriden, CT 06450 USA
sales@themillerco.com
Telephone:
(203) 235-4474
Want to read more articles on antiques by Nadja Maril? Here is another one you'll enjoy from the WhatsUpMag.com website. Go to www.WhatsUpMag.com

5th Quarter was recently featured in the Broadneck section The Capital newspaper. Thank you to Wendi Winters for writing a great, informative article about 5th Quarter! Read more about it here!

It's Wednesday, the middle of the work week... Tipping Point... so here's a dog blog. There is a park and beach for dogs on the South River in Annapolis at Quiet Waters Park. Here's a video clip of a really cute Borderstanian dog going for a swim a few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon. Full disclosure: Yeah, she's our dog and we think she's the cutest dog in Borderstan (which is saying a lot).

PLEASE send us a photo or two of your dog and we will post them under Dog Blogging. Send your photos and a short message about your dog to borderstan@gmail.com.

JUNE

Nathan went to Sentimental Journey in PA.  He was able to visit his grandparents and spend time with family.

We celebrated Father's Day with Nate's parents at the New Garden Airshow. 

We completed LOTS of paperwork for our adoption process!

We celebrated the marriage of our friend's, Jay & Laura.

JULY

  July 4th was spent at Nate's family reunion

We spent a wonderful weekend on a small group retreat in Annapolis at our friend's, Mark & Rebecca, beautiful home.

We survived two family assessment meetings for our home study for the adoption process.

We celebrated Nate's birthday at the Cecil Count Fair Demolition Derby.

AUGUST

In August we just laid pretty low as we had our final home study visit and worked lots of hours on our Adoption profile. 

In our down time we spent some time hanging out with friends and enjoyed getting to know a new friend, Jude.

We also had the opportunity to see our friend, Caitlin, in concert at a local coffee shop.  Check out her myspace for some amazing lyrics and vocals.

I'll try to do an update for the month of September soon.  We had a VERY busy month! 

Our adoption application and home study is complete and our profile has been turned in.  Now we are just waiting for a birthmother to choose us.  Please pray that we will have patience as we hope to become parents very soon! 

Oktoberfest is the premier street festival in Annapolis with over a hundred vendors, beer, brats, and live oom-pah music.  Yours truly will be there with koozies for your beers, there is no admission fee, AND the weatherman is calling for a sunny 72 degrees. Perfekt!

Here are the event details:
Annapolis Street from Taylor to Melvin
10am until 5pm

We don't know exactly where we'll be along the street yet, so look out for our green tent and striped tablecloth.  We'll see you there!

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Send your favorite wedding photos to: Stephanie@whatsupmag.com.

Return to What's Up? Weddings home page: http://www.whatsupmag.com/weddings/wedding-features.aspx

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Statements condemning Israeli settlements have not been accompanied by "concrete measures" to ensure Israel's compliance. This "marked failure to hold the Israeli authorities to their obligations" has resulted in a significant "acceleration in construction" of settlements and "no serious attempts by the Israeli authorities to dismantle outposts". According to Peace Now (.pdf), in the first half of 2008 the pace of construction "almost doubled in all of the settlements and outposts on both sides of the Separation Barrier". This is part of an "intensive" effort "intended to create a territorial connection between the blocks of settlements and isolated settlements in the heart of the West Bank", thereby "[e]liminating the Green Line" and with it any chance of a two-state settlement. The number of tenders issued for building projects in the settlements in the first half of this year was up 550%, while tenders issued for East Jerusalem increased by a factor of 38.

The settlements and their associated infrastructure - the annexation wall, the outposts, the thousands of miles of restricted roads "connecting illegal Israeli settlements and usurping Palestinian land" and the closure policy, discussed below - combine to make nearly 40% of the West Bank inaccessible to Palestinians, with "devastat[ing]" consequences for Palestinian social and economic life.

Israel's contempt for international denunciations of its settlement policies was dramatically illustrated when, the day after the Quartet issued its June 24 statement expressing "deep concern" at continuing Israeli construction in the West Bank and calling for a complete settlement freeze, it "announced new settlement building or tendering in Neve Yaacov, Beitar Illit, Har Homa, Pisgat Ze’ev, Ariel, and Maskiot." Similarly, almost immediately after agreeing to halt settlement activity at the Annapolis conference last November the Israeli government published tenders for the construction of 747 housing units in East Jerusalem. These acts are timed to send a very clear message to Palestinians and others that Israel has no intention of withdrawing to its legal borders, irrespective of any "peace process".

Rejecting claims of a 'new reality' in the West Bank (also dismissed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Bank), the report warns that the Palestinian "economy continues to stagnate". Aside from occasional "isolated successes", there has been "little demonstrable progress in ... invigorating the Palestinian economy". Despite Israel's repeated promises to remove restrictions on movement in the West Bank, the number of roadblocks actually increased over the past six months, while the average weekly number of 'flying' checkpoints has increased by approximately 10% in recent months. This in the context of a 62% increase in roadblocks and checkpoints since the Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA) was signed in 2005. The relationship between these restrictions and "the expansion and protection of illegal Israeli settlement activity" has, the report notes, been "well documented", by the UN, human rights organisations and many others. As the World Bank reported last week, the evidence that "the current restrictions correlate to settlement locations and expansions" is "[o]verwhelming". Indeed, Israeli military experts have repeatedly proposed alternative locations for the checkpoints and other restrictions that would inflict less humanitarian and economic hardship on the Palestinians without conceding anything in terms of Israel's security. Their proposals have not, needless to say, been implemented.

Construction of the wall, ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice four years ago, has continued apace. When complete the wall will annexe nearly 10% of the most fertile West Bank land, severing over 400,000 Palestinians from their land, their jobs, basic services and each other and isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. The British government has acknowledged that the wall constitutes an attempt by Israel to "create facts on the grounds" to "prejudice future final-status negotiations", a situation it evidently finds perfectly acceptable, judging by its decision to unconditionally upgrade Israel's bilateral ties with the EU earlier this year. Israel's closure policy has resulted in "the annexation of land and water supplies, and the forced displacement of Palestinians", and has generally had a "profound effect on the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank". It has, for example, "significantly contributed to the fact that over half the population (57.2 per cent) is living in poverty ... with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world." As the UN OCHA concludes, Israel has constructed in the West Bank,

"an entrenched multi-layered system of obstacles and restrictions, fragmenting the West Bank territory and affecting the freedom of movement of the entire Palestinian population and its economy. This system is transforming the geographical reality of the West Bank and Jerusalem towards a more permanent territorial fragmentation".

In Gaza meanwhile, the blockade continues despite the ceasefire, which has been highly successful in reducing the violence despite occasional "violations on both sides". While there have been slight increases in imports of humanitarian and commercial goods, these remain very "limited" and are "failing to meet the basic needs of Gaza's population." The blockade has led to the closure of a full 98% of Gaza's factories, and there has been "no relaxation of the total ban on exports, without which there can be no regeneration of the Gazan economy." As such the humanitarian situation (.pdf) in Gaza remains "dire", with no sign of imminent improvement (quite the opposite - current trends point only to "deepening poverty"). The World Bank and the IMF recently concluded, once again, that while Israel's network of settlements and restrictions remain in West Bank, and while the siege of Gaza continues, no amount of aid or reform will revive the Palestinian economy, which looks set to slide further into de-development and aid dependency.

In short, under the cover of the hand-shakes and photo-ops of the Annapolis "peace process", the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and annexation of Palestinian land has been sharply accelerated. The aid agencies' report twice suggests that, given its failure to achieve anything positive of note either politically or economically in the occupied territories, it will soon become "necessary to question what the future is for the Middle East Quartet." In fact, the U.S. and the EU, at least, are guilty of far more than a failure to act - they have both actively supported and facilitated many of the policies described above. Indeed, while the report emphasises that "[t]he only sustainable solution to the crisis is a comprehensive peace settlement between Israelis and Palestinians based on international law", the Quartet has failed to even mention the authoritative ICJ judgement outlining Israel's legal obligations, due largely to the rejectionist influence of the United States. Instead it remains formally committed to the "road map" - a framework almost universally recognised to be, in the words of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, "an irrelevance" - and refuses to pursue any concrete measures against Israel's flagrant violations of international law. At the very least, the UN should contemplate John Dugard's advice (.pdf) and consider removing itself from the charade, thus depriving it of whatever false legitimacy it currently enjoys. This fraud has continued long enough.

Shot by San Diego High Definition Weddings

Model (name): Yael Waddell
Height: 5'2
Weight: 104
Measurements: chest- 34C, waist- 24 hips- 34
Nationality: USA, ISRAEL
Hometown: Annapolis, Md
DOB: 2-13-1985
Sign: Aquarius
Turn-ons: a man who isn't afraid to take charge
Turn-offs: too many to list!
Special skills:
Occupation: Massage Therapist

More Photos and the Full Interview posted here

Joining the ranks of the premier haunted attractions throughout the country, Bennett's Curse has once again been named one of America's Best Haunts for 2008. Founded by the authority on thrill park haunts to recognize the attractions that are head and shoulders above the rest, americasbesthaunts.com selects only a chosen few to proudly proclaim its seal and Bennett's Curse is one of only 11 to be selected.

“Training never ends. Advanced technical skills and artistic perspective demand hundreds of hours of ongoing training and education,” says Dr. Djawdan.

Dr. Djawdan is one of about 4% of dentists in the United States that has the advanced training, experience, and technology to be able to personally handle every step of a patient’s cosmetic and reconstructive dental goals.

He has earned a Fellowship with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and the Academy of General Dentistry and a Sustaining Membership with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. These accreditation programs require both rigorous exams and personal case studies to be accepted. Dr. Djawdan is the only general dentist in Annapolis, Maryland licensed to administer IV sedation.

He is an active member of the following organizations:

• Academy of General Dentistry
• American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
• American Dental Society of Anesthesiology
• International Congress of Oral Implantologists

Practice Philosophy

“One size does not fit all in modern dentistry. I truly believe in listening to what the patient wants and then designing a custom treatment plan based on what the patient wants to achieve,” says Dr. Djawdan. “Most patients I see in my practice have not been to the dentist in seven, ten or even twenty years. Many of them cover their mouths when they laugh or smile. Often men grow mustaches or beards to cover their embarrassment. I truly understand the fear and embarrassment associated with going to the dentist. I am not here to judge my patients; I am pleased to be given the opportunity to help them renew their smile and confidence.”

Dr. Djawdan, his wife and Practice Coordinator Renee, their daughter, Shelby, and two dogs, Rhody and Gabby live in Annapolis, Maryland. Dr. Djawdan enjoys spending time with his family, as well as skiing, flying, scuba diving and sailing.

My dad and I recently went "shooting" twice in the last few weeks. Once to downtown Annapolis, and another time at an Orioles vs. Twins game. Here are a few photos from our adventures...

As big and detailed as Annapolis is, the wealth of technical information (including dozens of step-by-step instructions) is presented here in a way that is uniquely readable; it's both useful and easy to use. This is because John Rousmaniere and artist Mark Smith bring to Annapolis decades of experience both as sailors and as professional communicators.

Annapolis emphasizes the standard skills and proven methods that eliminate error and confusion, ensure security in emergencies, and allow every sailor more time for enjoyment on the water. Much has changed on the water since 1983 when this book was originally published. Black buoys are now green, the Global Positioning Satellite navigation system (GPS) is almost universally used, new types of anchors and sails have appeared, safety skills and gear are vastly improved, many more women are commanding boats, and catamarans and trimarans are common where only monohulls used to sail.

But for all these modern developments, the basic skills and spirit of sailing have not changed at all. Sail trimming, keeping up steerageway, maintaining the dead reckoning plot, heaving-to -- these fundamentals are as important now as ever and receive much attention here. Among the innovations in this edition are:

* Basic skills in early chapters: Fundamental sailing and boat-handling skills and gear, which are introduced in chapters 1, 2, and 3.

* "Hands On" segments: Three dozen special sections, each devoted to a particular seamanship problem and an expert solution.

* More how-to tips: Additional rules of thumb that guide a crew quickly and successfully through seamanship problems.

* New coverage of multihulls: Advice on evaluating, anchoring, and handling catamarans and trimarans under sail (including in storms).

* More on emergencies: New material on emergencies, safety, and heavy-weather sailing, including a section on preparing a docked boat for a hurricane.

* Equipment updates: Expanded coverage of the use and care of modern gear and hardware, including radar, GPS, rescue devices, and asymmetrical spinnakers.

* Terminology: Full definition and illustration of major terms when they're first introduced, with alternative language provided in parentheses.

* Gender: The use of feminine personal pronouns, which reflect the fact that more women are captaining and sailing boats than ever before.

From navigation and seamanship to boat and gear maintenance, from pleasure cruising to heavy-weather sailing, here is the definitive, state-of-the-art guide that provides systematic step-by-step techniques to see you through every situation on deck and in the cockpit.

The Annapolis Book of Seamanship: Third Edition, Completely Revised, Expanded and Updated is available at Amazon for $29.70. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing
• Sailing Fundamentals
• How to Read a Nautical Chart : A Complete Guide to the Symbols, Abbreviations, and Data Displayed on Nautical Charts
• Sailing For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies))
• Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 65th Edition (Chapman Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling)

• Good Food and Drink: A dozen beers/microbrews and wine. Buy your beer by the cup or go for the souvenir value cup. (Information on safe transportation options will be available at the block party.)

• Entertainment: The block party offers music all evening, including Blues DeVille; guitarist Mike Elzey (and several fellow performers and students from his guitar studio); Evan Button, a 10-year-old guitar whiz; and top performers from the DelMarVa’s Got Talent competition (the top winner will be declared on September 17 at Scoop Station, 400 Muir Street). There will also be a DJ.

And half a block away, Scoop Station will be featuring a “Hootenanny” organized by the Wednesday Morning Artists starting at 7 p.m. The event will feature local singer and accordianist T. George Wittstadt, along with Ray Parker and Terry White performing music of the 1960s and 1970s. Entry is free. There will also be an auction with proceeds benefiting the Mosaic Mural (at 444 Race Street) and future mural projects. For details on the Hootenanny, call (410) 221-2951.

The music continues late into the night at the Hyatt’s Deck Party at Blue Point Provision Company, featuring the band, Time and Again, from Annapolis, performing from 9 p.m. until 12:30 a.m.

• Main Street Mile: At 6:30 p.m., cheer on the brave competitors in the Main Street Mile, a hilarious spoof of the two triathlons that happen in Cambridge each year (the ChesapeakeMan Ultra Triathlon is the following weekend, September 27). For 18 and over only—no training or experience required! Each four-person team will take on the terrifying Tricycle Tumble, the suspenseful Snorkel Sprint, and the extraordinary Egg Walk. Will there be a team powerful enough to topple the reigning champions from the Hyatt? The top team wins the coveted Main Street Mile trophy and $100 in Main Street Dollars! Gather your friends, workmates, or neighbors together and form a team. Register by September 12: download a registration form at http://www.cambridgemainstreet.com/, e-mail office@cambridgemainstreet.com, or call 410.228.0020. Registration costs $20 per team (all proceeds go to downtown revitalization efforts).

• Powerboats: On display during the Summer Send-Off Party will be offshore powerboats from the sixth annual Cambridge Offshore Racing Challenge and National Championship Race (happening September 20–21 with race headquarters at the Hyatt). Race teams will be on hand to sign autographs. You can also enjoy the powerboat races at the Hyatt from noon to 2:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

For more information about Summer Send-Off, call (410) 228-1000.

Insider Tips: Get to Cambridge a few hours before the event so you have time to take a drive through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The views are spectacular this time of year, with geese and other migratory birds moving in for the winter. Historians will enjoy stopping by the Harriet Tubman Museum in downtown Cambridge. Check out your dining options in our reader-rated Restaurant Guide or read fine dining reviews, and be sure to share your dining experiences with us.

Hammonds Lane Theatre at the Chesapeake Arts Center
Brooklyn Park

7:30 p.m.

$22

(410) 636-6597

http://www.chesapeakearts.org