Monday, April 28, 2008

The Midlands






This past weekend we got away to the Midlands, an area about a 1.5 hours drive northwest of Durban in the foothills of the Drakensburg Mountains. We stayed in a rustic cottage on a very old farm. It was a relaxing time in a beautiful spot. The photos are of the grounds and gardens around the farm. The big trees (called Yellowoods) are close to 1000 years old according to the owners.

2 comments:

jimal said...

it's hard to believe you're in the same country -- how beautiful! i would guess england, kentucky, maybe even somewhere in texas!

Chris said...

Blogging Research

I am a doctoral student, studying at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY.

I am conducting a research project on the topic of blogging and would like to invite you to participate as a subject in my study. Ferkauf faculty member Dr. Shelly Goldklank is supervising this project. You have been selected for participation in this study as part of a random sample of bloggers.

I would greatly appreciate your assistance in completing a questionnaire regarding your use of your blog, as well as an online survey of your personality traits. Additionally, I ask for demographic information, such as age, gender, etc. After I receive your answers to the questionnaire on your blog usage, I will contact you again to review your responses or to ask new questions that arise from your initial responses. The time to complete the entire survey is about 30-50 minutes. This study has been reviewed and approved by the Committee on Clinical Investigations Institutional Review Board at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

To participate in this research study you must be at least 18 years old. You must also be a blogger who updates your blog at least weekly for a minimum of 3 months. At least one of your blogs must be public. Your participation in the study is voluntary. Your identity will be kept confidential and data referenced in the final results will be stripped of identifying information. Your name and contact information will be kept in a locked box for the duration of the research study and this same contact information will be destroyed six months after completion of the study. The research study will be completed June 2008 at the latest. Within six months after the completion of the study those subjects interested in obtaining the results may receive them at the end of the study, at which time I may retrieve the names and addresses from the locked file.

There are no direct benefits to all participants in the study. Your completion of the on-line survey will indicate that you have read, understood, and agree to the terms of participation in this study as outlined above.

If you are interested in participate in this study, please email me at chrisbelz@gmail.com. I will then email you a link to the online survey, as well as the questionnaire I have designed.

Thank you again for your assistance with the completion of this research project.

Sincerely,

Christopher Belz, M.A.
Doctoral Student
chrisbelz@gmail.com (preferred email)
cbelz@yu.edu (school email)
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
Rousso Building
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Yeshiva University
1165 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461