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REVIEW: Spoil of War by Phoenix Sullivan
Dear Ms. Sullivan,
When Jane put out the call for site improvements, I saw several people suggest more 'Indie' reviews. And I was inspired. I've been suffering from some lackluster reading, and I thought that reading and reviewing some Indie books would be an interesting challenge. So I started with yours.
You might want to stop reading right about here, because this is not going to be pretty.
(Also to anyone else: if you are easily triggered by rape discussion, you might also want to stop reading.)
I don't know how I happened upon your book, but I do remember being struck by the cover (and the dead-eyed stare of the couple). I was intrigued when I skimmed the blurb and saw that this seemed to be historical fiction mixed with romance, and the hero was King Leodegrance of Arthurian legend (Guinevere's father). An Arthurian prequel. Interesting. The reviews were universally positive on both Goodreads and Amazon, and I skimmed the pages and it started out in an interesting manner and you seemed like you could write, so I purchased. There was a warning about adult situations, but I don't expect historical fiction to be all sunshine and puppies, so I was fine with that. Perhaps this would be one of those 'Indie treasures' everyone keeps talking about.
I was wrong.
Before I get into the story itself, I did want to comment that editing always comes up in conversations about Indies. Upon reading this, I felt it was obvious you had not hired an editor. There were commas in places that should not have commas, random capitalization, and misspelled words like "probbing" instead of 'probing' and an egregious "fagging courage", which should have been "flagging". The errors aren't ugly enough to make one stop reading, but they did jar me from my reading on a regular basis. Luckily, the grammatical errors were overshadowed by the terrible history this 'historical novel' has, and the awful, awful storyline.
This book is the story of Elsbeth, and set in the preceding years before King Arthur unites Britain. Sort of. I'll get into the historical timeline later. For now, go along with it. Elsbeth is the daughter of a duke who is at war with the new king, Leodegrance. King Leo lays siege to Elsbeth's castle and kills or enslaves everyone there, and Elsbeth herself is taken as a 'spoil of war', hence the title.
This story starts out with a heroine that I thought would be strong and likable, and quickly descends into "what the fuck did I just read" territory. This book was so bad I emailed friends and told them what I was reading, just because I had to share the sheer insanity of what was on the page. There are so many things wrong with this storyline I don't even know where to begin. When the castle is being conquered, Leodegrance's men (and Leo is the hero, mind you), murder people left and right, and the ones that are left are 'enslaved' to take back to Cameliard aka Camelot. Her nursemaid's dead body is defiled by a soldier, and our hero tells her:
"It's the nature of war, my Lady." He laughed, and the sound was not pleasant. "Truly you can't be so naïve?"
"But she was old and – and – "
"Dead? She's also still warm. Some men prefer women with the fight taken out of them. And some men will use whatever's available to quench the passions aroused in them by the fighting. Get used to it, Lady. It's the way of war."
Our hero, ladies and gentlemen.
It gets worse – there is an eleven year old girl in the castle named Ruth. Ruth is raped by someone in Leo's army when they enter the castle (I guess all the dead old ladies were taken), and the king sees that she is pure up until that first rape, so he decides to save her as a gift for his true friend, Ector. Ector, you see, likes them young and "before their womanhood" so Leo saved her for him.
Our hero, ladies and gentlemen.
Despite these charming qualities, Elsbeth is attracted to King Leo and they share a few smoldering glances over dinner, even as she is torn over what is to happen to her. They are heading to her chambers when Leo is called away. He sends her back to her rooms with one of his guardsmen, who is drunk. The drunk guardsman then proceeds to throw Elsbeth down on her father's bed and rapes the hell out of her. Leodegrance returns while the guard is raping Elsbeth. And when he sees this, he is annoyed.
"The Duke's daughter is mine," Leodegrance told him. "Go find a scullery wench to sate your appetite."
While Elsbeth is still sitting on the floor, sprawled, Leo notices her virgin blood staining her thigh and then he gets mad.
"Trystan, get this traitor out of my sight. Take him anywhere, I don't care. And know that he's no longer welcome in Cameliard."
So to recap: rape is just annoying, unless you took her virginity before the king could. Then it is a real offense.
At this point, I'd like for the heroine to stab the hero's eyes out with a hot poker. But instead, he gets into bed, and lays his sword down between them. Instead of taking this and carving out his liver, she lays down into bed next to him and tells him her name.
I would say this is spoilery, but we are only in Chapter Two.
From here, the "what the fuck" continues to get worse. King Leo is smitten by Elsbeth, and vows not to sleep with her until she won't fight him. She doesn't have to be excited about it, just not fighting him. Elsbeth declares she will never sleep with him because he killed her father and enslaved her. I rally, thinking she is going to show some sense. The next morning, our heroine is out in the courtyard and views what is left of her people.
Today, the sun looked down on the tattered remnants of a conquered people. Miserable as her night had been, theirs would have been far worse. At least she had slept on a bed beneath a warm fur. At least she hadn't been hurt – not physically anyway. And what had happened to her had no doubt happened to every female above the age of ten. Every male, too, if the rumors she'd heard were true.
You will recall she was raped savagely the night before. I guess that does not count as being hurt.
As they ride away from the now-destroyed castle of her father, Leo puts Elsbeth on the horse in front of him and as they bounce along…she gets turned on.
Elsbeth, sitting sidesaddle, grabbed at [the horse's] mane to steady herself. Found herself steadied instead by Leodegrance's strong arm which circled her chest. Circled her so that the full swell of her breasts rested against his forearm.
She gritted her teeth, hating the king even more. Knowing he could have asked his horse to change to a smoother gait. Knowing why he didn't. Hating him because the rising and falling of the horse's stride, coupled with the jouncing of her breasts against his arm, sent peculiar sensations through her abdomen and loins. Sensations so powerful that she had to press her thighs together to keep from crying out.
Nor was Leodegrance indifferent to those same sensations that burned through her. She felt himself clutch at her, drawing her against his iron strength, matching himself to the rhythm of the horse.
You will recall she was just raped the night before. And before that, she was a virgin. And now she is dry humping her captor on horseback.
They make it to Cameliard and Leodegrance introduces Elsbeth to his wife. I'm going to let that sink in for a moment. His wife. He makes it painfully obvious that Elsbeth is going to be his mistress, and the wife is okay with it, because she doesn't want the attentions of her husband. She'd rather sit up in her rooms and read Sapphic poetry. Elsbeth is moved into posh quarters of her own, and 11-year-old Ruth (remember her?) is moved into the room next to her. This is critical to remember, because as the mental will-they-wont-they continues between Elsbeth and Leo, every night, Ector the guardsman goes to 11-year-old Ruth's room and rapes her. Every night. And Elsbeth can hear it, since their rooms are adjacent. Her reaction?
Invariably, each night before he left, Ector would call out, "God grant you a good evening, Lady." And invariably, Elsbeth, hidden behind her door, would blush, knowing that Ector knew she could hear.
Part of the blush was infuration, too. Knowing that she could hear every groan, every slap of flesh on flesh, nearly every drawn breath, still he came and still he went as if he were but a doting grandsire visiting his grandchild. No decency, no modesty, no Christian humility.
And she hated him, too, because no matter how hard she tried to ignore what was going on each night in her antechamber, her body wouldn't let her. It yearned for the feel of another's flesh on hers. Yearned for the breaching that made Ruth gasp each time it happened.
Recap: our heroine gets off on hearing a man rape a child.
We are only on Chapter Three at this point.
I won't go line by line through the rest of the book, though the insanity never stops. Instead, I'll give you a brief recap of the rest of the story because I would not wish this book on anyone.
You will be relieved to hear that the 11 year old gets pregnant by the much older Ector, tried to stab her uterus with a hot poker to kill the baby (but was prevented from doing it), and then a month later dies of a miscarriage. So now Elsbeth, who was having feelings for the king, no longer loves the king because of Ruth's death. He then whines to her that his wife is less to him than a jaded whore, and can't Elsbeth just sleep with him? He has needs.
Eventually they kiss and make up. Later in the story, a young, handsome knight named Patrise shows up while the king is gone away doing war things. The queen falls in love with him, but he wants Elsbeth. And when he gets his first chance, Patrise rapes Elsbeth.
The queen walks in mid-rape and Patrise says Elsbeth came on to him. The queen blames Elsbeth and they are no longer friends. When the king goes off to war, Elsbeth is scared to be left in the castle with evil Patrise, so she asks to stay with the camp followers and tag along in the war party. Patrise goes with the war party as well, finds her with the camp followers and rapes her again, and this time, Leo finds them mid rape. Elsbeth declares that the hero should not be mad at her, because it's not what it looks like.
Leo is, of course, mad at her and ignores her for days. Elsbeth decides to leave the camp, so she steals a guy's armor and dresses up like a boy, and gets caught up in the battle, since there is a war going on. She is discovered by the enemy, so they capture her and drag her to their leader, Uther Pendragon, who is an old and crusty man who is into BDSM. At this point, her newest captor holds her down so crusty old Uther can rape her. Repeatedly.
And then Uther ties her to a mattress in his tower and whips her and rapes her for several days, sometimes in front of his men. She is left tied to the mattress at all times. After days of this, the castle is taken by King Leo's men and Leo walks in with his new best friend, Patrise. They kill Uther and discover Elsbeth still tied to the BDSM bed. Leo realizes when Patrise grabs her boob that Patrise is not his buddy after all, and maybe he should not have blamed Elsbeth for all the rapes.
So THEN they fight, Elsbeth helps the king kill Patrise, and they all return to Camelot. The queen hears about her love Patrise's death, flings herself from the castle wall, which leaves Leo and Elsbeth free to marry. Epilogue is her pregnant with Guinevere, the future queen of Camelot.
The end.
Despite this horrible, horrible storyline, there were two other major things that bothered me. One – the rapes. Not only is she raped by every primary male character in the story except for the pedophile and the hero, she is dismissive of it, thinking it happens to everyone. Or when it does happen, she shows no reaction. For all that she cares, they might have sneezed on her. I kept reading, waiting for her to show reaction of any kind – anger, violation, sadness – but she never seems to register any sort of emotion until the hero blames her for it, and then she gets mad at him. If anything, the multiple rapings seem to make her more turned on, which totally baffles me. After she is raped, she gets turned on every time she hears someone having sex. At one point, after she has been raped twice and is following the war party with the camp followers, she is turned on yet again.
The smell of sweat and lust assailed her, wove its way into the symphony of passion that surrounded her, infiltrated her, touched her very core. She rode the crescendo as it swelled around her – eyes, ears, nose overwhelmed by the insistent, rising tide of a magic as old as life itself. Then by touch, too – her own – was she overwhelmed, plunging her into a sweet pleasure, relieved only when the wings of sleep at last closed over her.
Nothing makes me want to touch myself quite like camp followers, after all.
The rape in this book is bad enough, but there is blatant victim blaming as well. When Leo discovers Elsbeth being raped by Patrise for the second time, he turns and leaves in a fury. Elsbeth follows him to try and explain that she didn't want Patrise's attentions, and Leo slaps her across the face.
(Our hero, ladies and gentlemen.)
The other thing that bothered me with Spoil of War was the awful historical accuracy. You tout this book as a historical novel. Your website mentions you have a minor in history. And yet…there is nothing even remotely accurate about the history in this book. Most Arthurian history is fairly ambiguous due to the different versions of the legend, so I let the references to dukes and kings and pageantry slide. I blame Malory for that, not the author. I do blame you for the attempts at historical accuracy that have nothing to do with Malory, however.
I had a terrible time trying to place the history of this book. I felt like I came closest when Elsbeth and the queen are discussing Dido, the legendary founder of Carthage. One character states that Dido lived 1800 years prior to them. I did a quick wiki check and learned that Carthage was founded approximately 825 BC. Fast forward 1800 years and that places us around 1000 AD.
This is about 500 years later than most 'true' Arthurian legend is thought to be, but let's roll with that.
Very late in the book, Leo states:
Leo's eyes blazed into hers. "Just so, my Lady. Now I will bend my blade and sweep all of Britain before me. Then I will lay a land of wealth and greatness at Theodosius's feet."
There are three Theodosius (Theodosii?) mentioned in history. Wikipedia shows me:
- Theodosius I (347–395; "Theodosius the Great"), son of Count Theodosius
- Theodosius II (408–450)
- Theodosius III (715–717)
Okay. I still don't know which one it is. Throughout the book, though, Leo and his people are referred to as Romans. They have darker skin and black hair. They follow the edicts of Rome. Rome fell around 400 AD, remember? There is no 'consul' to report back to, as the book references, if they are in medieval times.
Elsbeth is stated to be of 'old blood'. She has red hair and pale skin and her mother was Celtic. Often in this book, Celtic is confused with Norse, and both are referred to as if they no longer exist. She follows a mishmash of Celtic and Norse gods, referring to Loki and the Norns repeatedly. She curses and rails against the 'new' religion of Christianity.
The heroine also dresses in houppelandes, which are late medieval dresses that appeared in about 1380. When the castle is taken, the king calls for his "Carthaginian skald" to sing him a lay.
Carthage fell in 146BC and was razed again in 698AD. A 'skald' is a Norse bard (nowhere close to Carthage, I'm afraid) and the Norse were prominent around 800-1100 AD.
'Roman' king Leodegrance has a wife from Constantinople in the Byzantine empire. At one point the queen is reading Sapphic poems. In a book. Actually several people have books in this tale. Books would not have been commonly available until after the printing press (~1450).
This feels like historical nit-picking but all the time period confusion had me googling to try and determine when and where this 'historical novel' was occurring.
My best guess is that you were attempting to set the story around 1000 AD, but that makes the heavy, heavy use of Romans as the enemy (and your reference to Londinium) as grossly incorrect. I finished the book and frankly, I'm still baffled as to what time frame you wanted this to be in.
I'm sad to say that this book was a failure on all angles for me. Your writing was easy to follow and the story flowed, but I found myself reading more from sheer horror and disgust at the trainwreck unfolding rather than any real desire to find out how the story ended up for the hero and heroine.
I really wanted to give this a better grade, lest all the January reviews seem like endless hate. But I can't give a higher grade, sorry. If anything, it should be lower. Can you give a grade lower than an F? I am leaning toward F——-.
All best,
Goodreads | Amazon | nook | Smashwords


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Civil War Monthly Featured Document return to document overview
Jefferson City Sept. 29th, 1861
My dear father,
I am in the
I have great faith that
in command of the Western
Department but 65 days,
& during that time has
had to create & equip his
army and that too under
the most disadvantageous
circumstances. Regiments
which should have come
to him have been ordered
to Washington, & it has
been almost impossible
for him to obtain arms
and clothing for his troops.
He has for instance an
entire regiment of cavalry
which he has been obliged
lances, a la John Brown,
because he could get no
sabres. For whatever he
accomplishes he should
receive a double share
of praise, for never man
had so much to contend
with. The total force
which Price is said to
be able to bring against
him is variously estimated
at from 35.000 to 50.000 men.
It is said that the late
affair at Lexington has
caused a perfect uprising
of secesh and that men
are flocking to join Price.
meet in the field, and of
this little doubt is expressed,
there will be at last a
great battle on as nearly as
possible equal terms.
On my arrival last
hopes accordingly.
I shall probably
get a definite
answer today.
Love to all at
home & believe
me affectionately
Howard Dwight

subset: commoncrawl


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Illinois state government is in trouble again.
This time, the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services let Illinois have it for its faulty way of withdrawing federal Medicaid money.
The federal audit, released last week, found that the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, during fiscal 2010 through 2012, averaged withdrawing $60 million more quarterly in Medicaid money than it actually needed.
That's a no-no.
The extra Medicaid money was deposited in the state's general fund and used for purposes for which it was not intended, such as transportation, education and pensions.
That's another no-no.
And during the time period that was audited, Illinois was two to six months late in repaying the Medicaid money, which cost the federal government nearly $800,000 in lost interest.
State officials said they justified all the money they withdrew.
The problem, according to Michael Casey, a state finance administrator, is the state's outdated, 30-year-old computer system.
It's so old it can't do daily calculations for the reimbursement rates for a half-dozen different programs. So officials basically give their best educated guess as to the dollar amounts needed.
Blaming the computer is as old an excuse as the computer age itself.
But in this case, Casey is right.
The authors of "Fixing Illinois: Politics and Policy in the Prairie State" reported the findings of a 2009 report by the Taxpayers' Action Board.
James D. Nowlan and J. Thomas Johnson wrote that Illinois' human services departments have "dozens of legacy computer systems," and many of them are 30 to 40 years old.
Such antiquated, fragmented systems "inhibit worker productivity, prevent Illinois from reducing costs, and challenge cross-department collaboration," they wrote.
That prompted Nowlan and Johnson to offer No. 27 of their 98 suggestions to improve state government.
They call on the state to develop a modern information technology system for human services, where all agencies can share information about clients.
The aging computer systems in state government are dragging it down.
Upgrades across the board could greatly lessen problems in human services agencies, and very likely other state departments and agencies.


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Regarding (Tom McDonald's column) "Free Speech and Gun Rights" in the Jan 7 paper:
I'm disappointed in the way you cherry-picked the facts when drawing comparisons between proponents of free speech and gun rights.
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College of Pharmacy faculty receives grant to study breast cancerUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Director, Media Relations, University Relations
An assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo was awarded a grant from the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation for breast cancer research.
Dr. Linda Connelly was awarded $50,000 from the Robert C. Perry Fund to study "the role of endogenous osteoprotegerin expression in breast cancer metastasis."
Connelly's research focus is on the molecular basis of primary tumor growth and metastasis, primarily in breast cancer, including investigating the role of macrophages and inflammatory signaling molecules in tumor progression.
She received her bachelor's degree with honors, first class, in biochemistry with work placement from the University of Glasgow in the U.K. and her PhD in molecular pharmacology from the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, U.K.. She also worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, UCLA and the Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
She teaches the pathophysiology course in the College of Pharmacy and is the course coordinator for the pre-pharmacy program courses.


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Estherville Lincoln Central athletic director Brad Leonard and head girls basketball coach Tony Klein had a lot of kind and soothing words for the Estherville Lincoln Central girls basketball team when they came home with the 3A runnerup trophy Saturday.
After scrapping their way to the championship game, the Midgets were handed a loss from Davenport Assumption. But there was no sign of defeat in their eyes when they entered the gym to see a large crowd gathered to wish them well.
Wisely, Leonard told the girls that in years to come, when trophies were gathering dust, they would mainly remember their times playing together. And for the seniors this year, that was so true. For years, they went above and beyond, playing basketball on a traveling team when other girls their age were playing house or watching television. As Leonard said, they made sacrifices, lots of them, and it was all worth it.
Klein noted the exemplary behavior of the girls, so exemplary, in fact, that he was able to concentrate on the game.
Let's face it. Last Friday night's game was a David-and-Goliath matchup. This time, Goliath won. But the spirit and intensity with which the ELC girls played was very obvious. They played to win and that's all that matters. And as Casey Sievert told those gathered in the ELC gym Saturday to see the girls together as a team one last time, the fans helped tremendously in getting them as far as they did.
One thing that's not known at this point, though, is what seeds the girls may have sown among younger girls - some even in grade school. They have someone to look up to, someone to emulate.
Soon, probably sometime this summer, some little girls will put away their Barbies and grab a basketball.
And who knows how many lives will be changed.


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San Jose Mercury News: Pelosi Demands Answers in Bay Oil Spill
By Paul Rogers
Vowing to make public all the facts behind a Nov. 7 oil spill in San Francisco Bay – and the questionable Coast Guard response – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Monday she will request a new investigation by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security.
'One way or another sooner or later, we will get to the bottom of this,' she said.
Pelosi spoke at a public hearing on the spill held in the Golden Gate Club at the Presidio. Ten members of Congress, including many of the Bay Area delegation, attended the hearing, sponsored by the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
Debbie Hersman, a spokeswoman for the National Transportation Safety Board, told the hearing that the agency's investigation will take a year to complete.
For Pelosi, who several days ago said she asked the top Coast Guard commander in Washington, D.C., to shift the investigation to another agency, so it wouldn't be investigating itself, the NTSB explanation was hardly satisfying.
'What I'm discouraged about is that it will take a year. That's just too long,' Pelosi said.
The board, Hersman said, still must interview many of the crew members and others involved with the collision of the 902-foot Cosco Busan with the BayBridge. The collision, which ripped a tear more than 100-feet long in the Chinese cargo ship and two of its fuel tanks, dumped 58,000 gallons of bunker oil into the bay, fouling more than 40 miles of shoreline and killing at least 1,000 birds.
Hersman said the board has not done an investigation similar to this one since 1990. It was only Friday that the agency's nine-person team investigating the spill obtained the software to properly read ship instruments and computers to confirm key details like the vessel's speed and rudder position. She also said that conversations on the ship's voice recorder are in Chinese and require an interpreter to sort out.
For much of the three-hour hearing, Bay Area members of congress blasted the Coast Guard for waiting more than four hours before notifying the public and San Francisco officials of the scope and size of the spill, along with refusing help from San Francisco fire crews, fishermen volunteering boats, and more than 1,000 members of the public who offered to help clean beaches but were initially turned away.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, said it did not augur well for larger disasters in an age of terrorism.
'What if this had been some other type of event – bad as an oil spill is – like a homeland security event?'
Similarly, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, said the accident featured nothing out of the ordinary, just 'a ship, fog and a bridge' and was entirely preventable.
'Politically some heads will have to roll,' he added later.
Few new details of the accident surfaced Monday.
Coast Guard Rear Adm. Craig Bone, the senior Coast Guard officer in California, conceded that his agency should not have waited until 9 p.m. to notify the public and San Francisco leaders that the spill was 58,000 gallons, rather than 140 gallons as the Coast Guard had been reporting.
'I'm not going to make an excuse for not telling the mayor or the citizens,' he said.
Bone relieved the top local official, Coast Guard Commander of the Port William Uberti, last week of his duties on the spill.
While communications were bad, the response to the spill was 'fabulous,' Bone said. He noted that the Coast Guard had a boat on the scene within about 45 minutes, then had its investigators board the ship. Within two hours, he said, four skimmer boats arrived from the shipping company's cleanup firm, Marine Spill Response Corp.
But the mess spread quickly. 'Two hours into the spill the oil was already covering about four square miles of the bay,' said Dr. William Conner, chief of the hazardous materials emergency response division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Rep. George Miller, D-Walnut Creek, noted that on nearly all oil spills, only about 5 percent to 20 percent of the oil is recovered.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, the chairman of the subcommittee, promised to stay closely involved as the investigation unfolds, and to write new laws to improve shipping safety.
'We can do better,' he said. 'This is not just about San Francisco. This kind of thing can happen in Chesapeake Bay where I live. It can happen all over the country.'


text:
The smell of wine, oh how much more delicate, cheerful, gratifying, celestial and delicious it is than that of oil. François Rabelais (1495-1553)
Monday, December 05, 2005
My 2005 Top Wines
This led me to wonder what were my own 2005 Top wines. A simple query to my Wine Database returned a list of almost 100 wines that I tasted in 2005 and found excellent or exceptional (four stars or better in my rating scheme). These are the wines that I enjoyed the most this year and all of them are associated with fond memories of dear friends and delicious food.
I already featured several of these coup de coeur wines in recent posts. Here are some more :
• 1980 Page Mill Cabernet Sauvignon Volker Eisele Vineyard Napa Valley
• 1985 Château Lynch-Bages
• 1986 Château Raymond-Lafon
• 1995 Château Cantenac-Brown
• 1996 Merryvale Profile
• 1996 Santenay Premier Cru Clos de Tavannes Domaine de la Pousse d'Or
• 1998 Miner Family Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
• 1999 Brunello di Montalcino La Mannella
• 1999 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Clos des Capucins Cuvée Sainte Catherine
• 2001 ZD Reserve Pinot Noir Los Carneros
• 2001 Gamba Old Vine Zinfandel Russian River Valley
• 2001 Gigondas Domaine Les Goubert Cuvée Florence
• 2001 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine de la Janasse
• 2001 Barolo Mauro Molino
• 2001 Schmelz Riesling Smaragd Durnsteiner Freiheit
• 2002 Two Hands Angel's Share Shiraz
• 2003 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese
• 2003 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru La Maltroie Michel Colin-Deleger et Fils
• 2003 Vacqueyras Blanc Domaine La Monardière
• Champagne De Meric Grande Reserve Sous Bois Brut
Technorati tags:: wine food & drink
3 comments:
- The Corkdork said...
Hi Catherine, Thanks for the link on your page! Great list here. If you liked that '96 Pousse d'Or, I urge you to keep trying some of the newer wines, as there was a change in ownership after that '96 vintage. I visited the new owner, Patrick Landanger last January at Pousse d'Or and tasted back to the '96 vintage, and the newer wines, especially '99 have a new freshness and finesse after re-vamping the viticulture process completely. - CD
- December 10, 2005 8:10 AM
- Catherine Granger said...
Thanks a lot for the info! I heard that there was a new owner but did not have the chance to try the new wines yet.
- December 12, 2005 5:49 PM
Don't pay attention to the Top 100 of the Spectator's wines... like the blogger here, create your own!!! Besides, everyone knows the Spectator is out-of-date and passe and the real deal is over at the Enthusiast!!! You want brett-infested, lack luster vino, go to the Spectatot... you want FRUIT-driven, yet complex Wines, go to the Enthusiast... seriously folks... love wine and it'll love you back!!!
- December 24, 2005 9:52 AM


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Sierra Jazz Festival: Incognito Live in Nairobi, Dec. 16 2012 @ Bomas of Kenya – Langata
November 20, 2012 at 2:15 pm Njathika Leave a comment
Date: December 16, 2012
Venue: Bomas of Kenya – langata
Time: 6.30 pm onwards
Tickets: Kshs 3000 regular & Kshs 5000 VIP on sale at Sierra Brasserie
Opening Acts: Christine Kamau – the Jazzist & Kato Change
Listen to Incognito – Goodbye to Yesterday
Entry filed under: festival. Tags: bomas of kenya, Christine Kamau, events in Nairobi, Incognito, kato change, Langata, Sierra Jazz Festival.
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If today's Nintendo news has you sweating with anticipation for the Wii U, you won't have to wait much longer. The Japanese games maker promises to showcase the system in its "final format" at E3 later this year. If you want to buy the system, you'll be pleased to know that the Wii U will be on sale "in time for the year-end sales season."
While we will undoubtedly have to wait until E3 to see the system's launch library in action, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says that it will be key to launch the system with key games. He points to the 3DS, which many pointed to as a disappointing follow-up to the DS line. Nintendo blamed the lack of key launch titles as a reason for the handheld's sluggish start. "The company is aiming to firmly complete the development of the entire system and prepare sufficient software so that the Wii U will be at its best at the time of the launch," Nintendo's Satoru Iwata promised. "Needless to say, we have learned a bitter lesson from the launch of the Nintendo 3DS."
3DS sales have surged over the recent months, thanks to a price cut and the launch of two Mario games.


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Chinese porcelains of past centuries are selling for very high prices today. There are many types. Some we identify by the color — like celadon (pale-green glaze) or blue and white (blue decoration on white porcelain, including varieties called Canton or Nanking) or multicolored patterns named for their dominant color, including famille rose, rose medallion, rose mandarin or famille verte (green).
Another American name for some Chinese porcelain is "Chinese export porcelain." It was the made-to-order dinnerware manufactured in China but decorated in the European manner and sold to foreign countries in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Because the Chinese often copy old pieces, those who have not studied antique Chinese porcelains can't tell old from the new. Unrecognized bargains have been found in American homes. The properly identified pieces sell for thousands of dollars.
Look for flawless glazes without unintentional bumps or flaws. Turn a vase over. The bottom rim that touches the tabletop is usually unglazed if Chinese. European foot rims and bottoms of lids are glazed. Decorations should be carefully painted in light, pleasing colors.
Twentieth-century Chinese wares sold to other countries are often decorated with large figures without much detail and with gold and other bright colors. A close look at a fine-quality famille rose vase would show a scene with many small people and animals in a woodland or interior setting.
Prices of Chinese porcelain vary with the quality of the work and the age. If you plan to buy an expensive piece, get expert advice. If you own any heirloom porcelains, take a close look at them. Many 18th-century and earlier pieces have been rediscovered in recent years. A decorative piece your grandma or great-grandma bought years ago could be a treasure.
Q: I own a British coronation mug dated June 22, 1911. On the front, there's a picture of King George V and Queen Mary above the phrase "Urmston Coronation 1911." Is this of any value? My grandmother brought it to the United States from England.
A: Your coronation mug is 100 years old, which qualifies it as an "antique." It's a souvenir mug made for the coronation celebration held in Urmston, a town outside of Manchester, England. The coronation of King George V (1865-1936) took place in London on June 22, 1911. He had actually risen to the throne the year before upon the death of his father, King Edward VII. Many souvenirs of King George V's coronation were made. A mug like yours auctioned last year for 10 British pounds, or a little more than $15.
Q: I have a commemorative silk handkerchief of the coronation of King George VI. It was given to my mom by her brother many years ago. It's off-white with British flags and red polka dots along the sides and a picture of the king in one corner. The words of H.M. King George VI, May 1937" surround his portrait. The edge of the handkerchief is blue. It's 11 inches square. The movie "The King's Speech" and the age of my handkerchief have made me curious. Does my hanky have any value beyond sentimental?
A: Commemorative souvenir items from the coronations, weddings and birthdays of royalty have been made since the 1800s. Great quantities of items have been made in pottery, glass, tin, silver and other materials, most with pictures of the monarchs and the date of the commemorated event. The movie may have stimulated interest in items related to King George VI, but the value of your handkerchief has probably not increased. It is worth about $30.
Q: I have a table lamp that was given to my aunt as a wedding present in 1922. I know it was made by the Mosaic Lamp Shade Co. of Chicago, but it looks so much like a Tiffany that it has been mistakenly appraised as such. I hope you can tell me something about the Chicago company and give me some idea of the value of the lamp.
A: Lamps with stained glass shades and bronze bases were first made by Tiffany in 1899. They were so popular that similar lamps were soon being made by several other companies. The company that made your lamp was listed in the 1910 Chicago city directory as "The Mosaic Shade Co." It was in business from about 1905 to 1914. All Tiffany lamps are signed, and Tiffany lamps made after 1902 also are marked with the model number on the base and shade. Not all lamps made by Tiffany's competitors are marked. Some lamps made by the Mosaic Shade Co. are marked with the name of the company on the base. The value of your lamp depends on the color and design of the shade, its size and its condition. Your lamp could sell for $2,000 to $3,000, if the shade is in good condition.
Q: I have my mother's copy of the 1915 "Priscilla Crochet Book." Would someone be interested in buying this?
A: Your crochet pattern book was published by the Priscilla Publishing Co. of Boston. Several "Priscilla Crochet" pattern books were published in the early 1900s. The secret to selling a collectible like yours is to reach a wide audience. You are almost sure to find someone interested in buying it. Several early Priscilla pattern books are being offered online for prices ranging from $10 to $20. The books have been reprinted.
Tip: Don't mechanically buff silver. It will change the color and wear away bits of the silver.
Take advantage of a free listing for your group to announce events or to find antique shows and other events. Go to Kovels.com/calendar to find and plan your antiquing trips.
Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, (Name of this newspaper), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Fenton Glass Co. bell, blue satin glass, raised pattern of lovebirds, embossed "Bride & Groom," glass clapper, 1973-'84, 4 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches, $15.
Wedding trousseau set, bra and half-slip, organza, pink, gray and pink flowers, WonderBra Intima, 1960s, medium slip, $55.
Royal Doulton Bridesmaid figurine, HN2874, white, holding colored flowers, 1979, 5 1/2 inches, $85.
Wise Potato Chips sign, easel back, image of table set with bowl of soup, salad and chips, "Delicious with soups and salads," c. 1954, 16 x 15 inches, $145.
Plush German shepherd, "Arco," mohair, sawdust stuffing, orange eyes, pink tongue, standing, ears pointed up, Steiff, missing button in ear, 1957-58, 7 x 8 1/2 inches, $175.
Bakelite pin, three red cherries on green stem, leaves, 1930s, 2 3/8 inches, $225.
"Get Smart" lunch box, Agents 86 & 99, K-13, metal, King Seeley Thermos Co., 1966, $290.
Nutcracker, cat's head, carved wood, glass eyes, pointy ears, Black Forest, c. 1900, 7 1/2 inches, $310.
William IV cellarette, carved rosewood, domed lid with acanthus finial, removable bottle case, raised lotus feet, four cut crystal decanters, c. 1835, 36 x 20 inches, $4,180.
Louis Vuitton steamer trunk, flat lift top, checkerboard canvas cover, lift-out trays, brass mounts, label, late 1800s, 28 x 43 x 24 inches, $6,035.
Give yourself or a friend a gift. "Kovels' Advertising Collectibles Price List" lists more than 10,000 current prices of your favorite advertising collectibles, from boxes and bins to trays and tins. More than 400 categories are organized by brand name, company name, product or collectible. Plus 300 photographs, logos and trademarks. A 16-page color insert features important advertising collectibles. Clubs, publications, resources and a full index. Available at your bookstore; online at Kovels.com; by phone at 800-303-1996; or send $16.95 plus $4.95 postage to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
Something Old: The story of Chinese porcelains
Chinese porcelains of past centuries are selling for very high prices today. There are many types. Some we identify by the color — like celadon (pale-green glaze) or blue and white (blue decoration on white porcelain, including varieties called Canton or Nanking) or multicolored patterns named for their dominant color, including famille rose, rose medallion, rose mandarin or famille verte (green).


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Post-Game Press Conference
FULLERTON, Calif. – The Columbia Lions used a five-run eighth inning and a RBI single from Nick Crucet in the 13th inning to knock off New Mexico for the first NCAA Tournament win in Columbia baseball history.
The win is the first in six NCAA tournament games for Columbia, with its previous two appearances resulting in 0-2 records in 1976 and 2008. The win is also the first by an Ivy League school since Dartmouth in 2010. The Big Green downed Florida International, 15-9, in the Coral Gables Regional that year.
Columbia moves to 28-20 on the season. The 28 victories matches the 1987 program record for wins in a season by a Columbia team.
"From our end, it was a tremendous comeback," said head coach Brett Boretti in the postgame press conference. "Credit goes to our guys for staying positive mentality and staying focused on it."
Seniors Nick Crucet and Alex Black led the resilient Lions. Black got the Lions on the board first with a two-run homer in the top of the eighth, while Crucet accounted for three RBI, including the game-winner in the top of the 13th. Black then came on in the bottom of the inning and procured the save and victory for Columbia.
"From the start of the season, the start of the off season, this is the hardest working group I've been around and it feels incredible," commented Black after the game when asked about how the win felt.
"I can't describe it honestly," said Crucet when asked about his game-winning hit. "I was looking for a pitch in the zone to hit the other way and it's all a blur from there."
Prior to Black taking over in the 13th, Tim Giel and Joey Donino combined to throw the first 12 innings. Donino came on in the sixth and allowed just five hits and no runs in 6.2 innings of work.
Similar to Friday evening, the Lions' opponent got on the board first. Chas Harris gave the Lobos their first base runner, when he was hit by a pitch in the leadoff at bat of the bottom of the first. Following a sacrifice bunt, Mitch Garver brought Harris home with a single to left center.
The next three innings went by scoreless, but not without the Lions threatening. In both the second and third innings, Columbia advanced base runners to third base, but the Lobos were able to get out of each inning without the tying run coming around to score.
In the fifth, DJ Peterson increased the Lobos' lead to 2-0 with an RBI double to right center. That double piggybacked Sam Haggerty's two-bagger in the previous at bat. Giel would limit the damage in that inning to one run for New Mexico, striking out Garver for the third out.
The Lions continued to get runners aboard early, with Alex Black singling to start the sixth. He would move up to second on a wild pitch, but be stranded in scoring position once again, as Wolff would get a fly out to end the inning.
The Lobos conversely took advantage of its base runners in the bottom half of the frame, plating three to improve their lead to 5-0. Alex Allbritton recorded the first RBI with a ground-rule double that bounced over the right center wall. The Lions then changed pitchers, bringing on Joey Donino in relief, but Jared Holley was unnerved. The freshman singled up the middle to bring home two of his teammates.
Sixteen innings of play in Fullerton ended up being the necessary primer for the Columbia offense, as the eighth inning saw the Lions score five runs on three hits and three walks.
Jordan Serena got things going with a one-out double to right center. Black then stepped up and ripped a shot over the left field wall to cut the Lobos' lead to three, 5-2. A trio of walks followed, with Falcone, Aaron Silbar and David Vandercook taking four balls to load the bases. Crucet then posted his first clutch hit of the contest, knocking a 2-2 pitch to right field for a two-RBI single, closing the gap to just one, 5-4. Mike Fischer provided the equalizer with a single to center field to bring in Vandercook.
The next four innings passed with relative ease despite the growing tension at Goodwin Field. Donino continued to compile the strikeouts, bringing his total to eight for the game.
In the 13th, the Lions found themselves reverting back to their old ways, using the small-ball mentality to manufacture runs. Nick Ferraresi opened the inning with a single on a 1-2 count and then he advanced to second on a Silbar sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Crucet made contact with the first pitch he saw, sending a grounder through the right side, giving Ferraresi the ability to score the go-ahead run from second. The RBI was Crucet's third of the game and second clutch hit of the ball game.
Black then came on, and after a lead-off walk, he got a pair of ground outs to make it two outs with a runner on third. Going up against one of the best hitters in the nation in Peterson, Black sat down the Lobo's power bat with a strikeout, sending the Columbia faithful into a frenzy.
Black finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBI, to go with his fifth save of the season, tying the Lions' single season record. Serena, Joey Falcone, Ferraresi and Crucet all finished with two hits as Columiba pounded out 13 hits as a team.
Columbia is back on the diamond tomorrow at 7 p.m., taking on Arizona State. The winner of that game will advance to take on Cal State Fullerton at 11 p.m.


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Sharon's Beef Soup
17 comments:
I just made a soup for much like this and even took a picture of it! heehee! Love your recipes!ReplyDelete
you are right that is a good soup. i make one similar but i like to see how other variations on it. we just love soup...thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
Whoever Sharon is, she makes one delicious soup! Thanks for posting it!ReplyDelete
That soup looks so good. I am going to try it in place of my hamburger soup recipe.ReplyDelete
What is "bistro"ReplyDelete
This looks great, but can I ask... What is Bisto?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 20, 2009 at 6:59 PM
I always like to have a pile of recipes to pick from when it's soup night. Thanks for another version! KathyReplyDelete
Oh this looks delicious. I'm off tomorrow, so this may be on the menu for tomorrow. Thanks for swinging by to see my little assistant and his work. We sure have alot of fun with all of our projects. I hope you're having a super Tuesday. hugs ~lynne~ReplyDelete
Bisto is a gravy browning/thickening agent. I'm sure it could be omitted without affecting the final outcome of the soup.ReplyDelete
Your photo is great, Rachel !ReplyDelete
I love the richness of beef flavor in soup.. I'll surely try this one!
That looks like a great, hearty winter soup!ReplyDelete
Yep I was wondering the same thing...What is bisto?ReplyDelete
Rachel the beef soup looks really yummy.. . .way to go Sharon. . .and thank you RachelReplyDelete
I made it tonight... it was a hit!!ReplyDelete
This looks like one hearty soup.ReplyDelete
And all the ingredients are in my house.
Way to go!
Where do you get bisto?ReplyDelete
This reminds me of a favorite restaurant's specialty soup, only served Thurs. and Sat. (which means I always make sure to go on Thurs. or Sat.!) Yum.ReplyDelete


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This is how I feel too. I have been through the whole experience of feeling like a failure when I had to go 50/50 when nursing my son. It took me a while before I excepted that I just didn't have enough milk for him. Now looking back I'm proud that I managed to give him what milk I had for 8 months!Quote:
is that however much breastmilk a mom can provide for her baby is important. The more the better, but every drop is important. I often get the sense that a lot of moms still think it's either breastfeeding or formula, one or the other, and if they feel like they've failed at breastfeeding then they have to give up and just do formula.
This time round with DD I had already decided that I would just accept what nature gives me and if it's to be 50/50 then so be it... she hasn't touched one drop of formula and it's been a year! Just goes to show!
I think we really need to focus on getting the idea of give your LO whatever amount of milk you have - it's better than no Mummies milk!


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CORPUS CHRISTI (Islanders Athletics) - The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi women's basketball team already eclipsed its win total from last year, picking up its fifth win of the season with a 68-54 win against Texas-Pan American on Sunday in the American Bank Center.
A strong performance in the second half led to the Islanders win, as they trailed by three heading into the final 20 minutes of play, but outscored the Broncs 37-20, including a 32-9 run, to finish out the game. In the second half, the Islanders shot 46.2 percent from the field opposed to 20 percent for UTPA.
Jasmine Shaw had a bounce-back game after scoring just seven combined points in the last two games. She only had five in the first half, but was strong down the stretch with 12 in the second half to give her a game-high 17 points. She also added six rebounds and six assists.
Brittany Mbamalu and Brandi Huff also recorded double digits in the scoring column. Mbamalu knocked down two threes and had a total of 10 points, while Huff picked up 12 on the afternoon.
For the fourth consecutive game the Islanders outrebound their opponents, snatching up 47 boards opposed to the Broncs 36. A&M – Corpus Christi got a big lift on the glass with Lexy Harris playing a significant amount of minutes after battling injury as of late. She snagged a career-high nine rebounds on the afternoon.
Shaw got the scoring started for the Islanders, knocking down a fastbreak layup after a Broncs turnover. Mbamalu then continued the hot start for the home team, knocking down a jumper in the paint followed by a deep three to go up 7-0 just 1:30 into the half.
However, the Broncs went on an 8-3 run to pull within two of A&M – Corpus Christi. A pair of free throws by Huff extended the Islanders' lead back to four, but a turnover by Gregory caused a UTPA fastbreak layup to make it 12-10 at the first media timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Broncs hit a free throw to pull within one, but Alissa Campanero hit a three in her first offensive possession of the game to make it a 15-11 game with 14:23 left in the half.
The Islanders then hit a cold streak over the next three minutes though, and the Broncs jumped out to their first lead of the game with a 7-2 run to put them ahead 18-17.
With UTPA up by two at the 8:23 mark in the half, Kassie Jones picked up her first points of the game with a jumper off of an inbound play to tie the game at 21.
A few minutes later, the teams found themselves deadlocked for the fifth time of the game, as Campanero hit her second three of the game to tie it at 28 with 4:13 left in the first 20 minutes of play.
The Broncs took the lead back on a free throw, but Huff knocked down a jumper in the paint to give the Islanders a one-point lead with 1:47 left in the half. The lead would not last long though, as the Broncs inbounded the ball quickly and came down the court in a hurry and were able to hit a wide open three to go back up two.
In the final minute of play, UTPA went 1-of-2 from the line twice, while the Islanders did so once to result in a 34-31 lead heading into halftime.
It was a somewhat lucky start to the second half for the Broncs, as a crazy bounce off of a shot from downtown managed to go in to put the visitors up by six. However, the Islanders found a rhythm offensively, as some tremendous passes led to easy buckets for them, leading to a 15-2 run for A&M – Corpus Christi. This run put the Islanders up 46-39 with 13:51 left to play in the game.
Both teams then went cold over the next 2:48, but Shaw knocked down a three to put the Islanders up by double digits. However, just 10 seconds later, the Broncs hit a three of their own to make it 51-44 with 9:57 left to play.
A Mbamlu three would extend the Islanders lead back out the 10, but A&M – Corpus Christi did not stop there, scoring the next nine points to cap of a 32-9 run over a span of 13:24. This gave the Islanders a 63-44 lead with 5:10 left to play.
The lead then was extended even more, as Camesha Davis hit a layup despite getting fouled and then hit the free throw to put A&M – Corpus Christi up by 20 with 4:18 left after trailing by six early in the half. Up until that point the Broncs had only knocked down three field goals in nearly the first 16 minutes of the half.
The Islanders only scored two points in the final four plus minutes opposed to UTPA's eight, but the lead was too big for the Broncs to overcome and A&M – Corpus Christi came away with the 68-54 win.
The Islanders will now be off for the next 10 days to focus on finals before they have a two-game roadtrip to Texas Southern and UT-Arlington on Dec. 19 and 21, respectively.
-Courtesy GoIslanders.com


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South America has always had a reputation for developing an exciting crop of young footballers, with Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, the most revered hotbeds for up-and-coming talent.
Over the past couple of years we've seen an increasing number of players from that part of the world arriving in the Premier League, completing big-money moves to some of the country's most prestigious clubs.
Historically, England's top-flight is considered a difficult platform for some of South America's most highly rated stars, with the physically demanding rigours of English football, an unnatural environment for traditionally lightweight, flair players.
However, the successful transition of the likes of Gilberto Silva at Arsenal, Carlos Tevez at West Ham, Manchester United, and Manchester City, and Luis Suarez at Liverpool, we're starting to see a shift in opinion, with more and more stars from a relatively untapped continent, making the move to Europe.
Chelsea for example, have a growing contingent of Brazilian internationals at Stamford Bridge, with Ramires, David Luiz, and Oscar all established in the Blues first-team.
Their impressive form has seen a rise in interest from other Premier League clubs, looking to negotiate deals, not only for Brazilians, Argentines or Uruguayans, but players from countries all over South America.
In some cases, clubs are looking for a value-for-money acquisition, which tends to be a player with a smaller European profile, but still with bags of potential. Other examples are stars that are already plying their respective trade in Europe, and have built a reputation for themselves.
Either way, whenever a South American star is linked with a switch to the Premier League, fans tend to get pretty excited. And, with numerous names once again making headlines, ahead of proposed moves during the January transfer window, GiveMeFootball brings you the top ten talents that could be on their way here this month…
Radamel Falcao | Atletico Madrid
The Colombian international has attracted interest from Chelsea and Manchester City, but is unlikely to leave for less than the £48million release-clause written into his current deal.
Leandro Damiao | Internacional
Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be planning a £15million bid for the Brazilian striker this month, as Emmanuel Adebayor prepares for Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Taison | Metalist
An £11million deal for the Brazilian attacking midfielder to join Chelsea was believed to have been wrapped up, but the Ukrainian club are yet to accept an offer, despite being set a deadline of January 10.
Willian | Shakhtar Donetsk
Chelsea and Tottenham are the clubs credited with an interest in the 24-year-old Brazilian winger, who has particularly impressed in the Champions League this season.
Diego Rolan | Defensor Sporting
The 19-year-old winger currently plays for Uruguay's U20's side, and has attracted interest from Manchester United in recent months.
Paulinho | Corinthians
Chelsea firmed up their interest in the Brazilian midfielder after seeing him at close quarters in the Club World Cup. Manchester City are also keen, but he won't leave without a fight, says Corinthians president Mario Gobbi Filho.
Edinson Cavani | Napoli
The Uruguayan forward has been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, with the reigning Premier League champions ready to replace Mario Balotelli, with a £45million bid for Cavani.
Lucas Biglia | Anderlecht
Arsene Wenger has been linked with an £8million bid for the Argentine international, to add some much-needed steel to Arsenal's midfield, that has been lacking since the summer sale of Alex Song.
Nicolas Gaitan | Benfica
The Argentine midfielder has been a long-term target for Manchester United, but according to his agent, Gaitan has received no offers so far this month, and is happy to remain in Portugal.
Bernard | Atletico Mineiro
The 20-year-old Brazilian midfielder is another player attracting interest from Chelsea, which the youngster admitting in December it would be a dream to move to Stamford Bridge.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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Detectives were looking into the possibility an El Monte man accidentally shot his daughter Tuesday before intentionally shooting her girlfriend to death and committing suicide, officials said.
Harry Maldonado, 65, is believed to be the gunman who fatally shot his daughter, 32-year-old Evie Maldonado, and her girlfriend, 38-year-old Diana Amaya, about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday before turning the handgun on himself, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's and coroner's officials.
The three, who lived together in a condominium in the 9900 block of Marshal Street, became involved in an argument inside the home's garage when the shooting took place, Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said.
Detectives suspected the triple-fatal shooting may have started as an accident when Harry Maldonado brandished a semi-automatic handgun during an argument. The first person shot was his daughter.
"It could have been an accidental discharge," Hernandez said. But then shots that rang out next were not believed to be accidental.
"He definitely intentionally shot (Amaya) and himself," the lieutenant said.
It was unclear what the group was arguing about when the shooting occurred, he added.
Evie Maldonado and Amaya, who had been dating about 8 years, "had a tumultuous relationship." Hernandez said.
A 21-year-old daughter of Amaya witnessed a great deal of the incident and was able to provide a description of what took place, Hernandez said.
Amaya's daughter tried to intervene, striking Harry Maldonado with a broom stick, Amaya's nephew, Eddie Ordonez said. He added he believed the gunman may have tried to shoot Amaya first, but missed, fatally wounding his daughter instead.
But with both the suspect and victims dead, Hernandez said exactly what unfolded on Marshall Street Tuesday night may never be known.
Friends said they were puzzled over how Harry Maldonado, who they described as calm and peaceful, could be responsible for the shooting. He was a former Marine who served two combat tours in Vietnam, Hernandez said.
Family members gathered at the Maldonado home Wednesday declined to comment.
Amaya is survived by four daughters and a son, Ordonez said.
"We're taking it as a family really hard," he said.
"If anyone ever knew Diana Amaya, they would know how special and one of kind she was," Ordonez said in a written statement. "She would give the shirt off her back to help anyone in need and never ask for anything in return. Her laugh filled the room and was so contagious that everyone who heard couldn't help but smile."
"Her passing was too soon and she will forever be in the hearts of those who loved her," the nephew said. "As a family, we stand together in this time of mourning and sorrow. We find strength and solace in the memories we have, and this will never be taken from us. Rest in Peace, Nana. We love and miss you."
Donations to help with cost of Amaya's services are being accepted online at www.gofundme.com/4uji0s.
PHOTO – Diane Amaya, 38, of El Monte, pictured with her five children. (Courtesy)


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Two years ago, my husband, who is a disabled veteran, and I entered the Savannah train station and had the misfortune to discover that it did not have handicapped accessible bathrooms.
After seeking answers locally, we contacted the U.S. Department of Justice and asked about the American Disability Act. Under the terms of the ADA, Amtrak had until July 26, 2010, to renovate the facilities and render them compliant - 10 years since the implementation of the ADA.
Now, 23 years since the implementation of the ADA, the Savannah train station - the portal through which many military men and women enter and leave our city, still does not have handicapped accessible bathrooms. Should any of these brave men and women have the misfortune to be disabled and wheelchair bound while serving our nation with honor, they will not be afforded a basic necessity at our train station.
Don't they deserve honor as they travel along life's pathway?
A handicap accessible bathroom is not a luxury, but a requirement by law as stated by the ADA on July 26, 1990.
Those in charge of the station should be compliant. If letter writing, calling and emailing from private citizens result with nothing, they can be shamed into doing it.
'Blue-light special' in Port Wentworth
Port Wentworth police should be investigated. The Weyerhaeuser plant has been having a shut-down for the last couple of weeks. The police have been saturating the area ever since the start.
They are stopping cars for any reason, even at the entrance to the plant. Hope the city is making plenty of money.


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The mid-to-late 1970's here in the United States was a pretty interesting time period. The Vietnam War was over, disco was in full-swing and people simply wanted to express themselves anyway they could. The custom van culture was a prime example of this and although considered to be EXTREMELY creepy by today's standards, you've got to give these guys some credit as they came up with some pretty interesting rides.
Source: Youtube.com


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Previous post with some BG here : http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=111570.0Schedule for the weekend was: Friday night, open house party at in-laws/Christmas eve afternoon & evening dinner at in-laws/Christmas day - a day alone at my house with just my kids and husband/Boxing Day boat trip with in-lawsMy SIL, her husband and his brother were coming into town for the weekend. SIL has not spoken to me in 18 months after defriending me on FB for a series of slights (I missed her grad school graduation because it was not child-friendly being the most important - DH attended alone). DH has been living with his parents, but he decided to spend the weekend at our house for the kids sake. We are trying to work out our differences.So over a four day period I had exactly one day where I didn't sit in a house with a bunch of people who aren't really speaking to me. I focused on my kids, made sure they didn't break anything at MIL's etc. We declined dinner for Christmas day because I wanted to cook and allow my kids the time to play with their new toys. After two days in a row of being dressed up and having to sit still and be somewhat formal, I thought they deserved a break too.Christmas day - opened presents, and DH took kids to the park to play with their new outdoor toys. I cleaned up the mess and got cracking on my dinner, which was simply prepared but turned out better than I had ever hoped for. i had told DH dinner would be late afternoon-ish...I was trying a new beef roasting method, and wanted to get it right. At 2pm, he comes back with the kids and says "my family is stopping by at 4pm". Well, 4pm was literally the exact time we would be sitting down to dinner. So, trying to be a good sport I said "how about 4:30?" It would mean we would have 30 mins to eat, but our kids are small and not likely to sit for longer than that. No dice, in-laws are eating at 5pm and it has to be 4pm. I say no. He says "can't you just hurry it along so we can eat earlier?" Umm...no, it's a beef roast. I cant shave an hour off! He gets mad, says I am being unreasonable and storms out to "diffuse the situation" with his parents, who are apparently just down the street at his aunts house. They didn't come over. We had dinner at 4pm, and at 5pm he left to go spend time with family. Isn't it rude to insist on showing up as a family is sitting down to dinner?
Sweetie, your ILs didn't ruin Christmas, they were the catalyst. Your HUSBAND ruined Christmas. If I were you, this would be the end of "working things out". He's demonstrated with his actions time and again that he hasn't changed. You and your kids are not his first priority. He's not planning to change but is hoping that by claiming to "try" that you will cave and let him continue in his old ways. If this relationship ends, he can blame you, because he "tried". It's a load of BS, but he's setting you up for failure.((((((((Hugs)))))))) and good luck.
I wouldn't say he isn't interested in changing things, but perhaps he doesn't understand the patterns of behavior that has caused the problems. I hope you get a chance to talk about it together in counseling.
Wait---he left his kids on Christmas day to go spend time with his family that he LIVES with and had just spent friday evening and most of Szturday and was going to spend Monday with as well? Your inlaws did not ruin Christmas your dh did. If this is his idea of working things out---my oh my. I amm afraid you are in for major disappointment. Until he decides to put his immediate family first--and that is you and your kids--this is what your life will continue to be like, always playing second fiddle to his parents.
Quote from: kudeebee on December 27, 2011, 06:33:34 PMWait---he left his kids on Christmas day to go spend time with his family that he LIVES with and had just spent friday evening and most of Szturday and was going to spend Monday with as well? Your inlaws did not ruin Christmas your dh did. If this is his idea of working things out---my oh my. I amm afraid you are in for major disappointment. Until he decides to put his immediate family first--and that is you and your kids--this is what your life will continue to be like, always playing second fiddle to his parents.i have to agree with kudeebee. the OP's husband has no intention of "working things out". he's just trying to make her the bad guy. he couldn't even spare one whole day of a four-day holiday weekend for his wife and children, away from his parents? it's good that he's moved back in with Mommy. he never should have left.Cindy, i'm sorry he did this, and spoiled your lovely roast beefbeast dinner.
Kimblee, i was thinking "beast" when i typed "beef"!
Your husband needs to quit throwing you under the bus.
I would lay it clear to your ex.Listen, this is why our marriage won't have a chance. You must put us first, in the case of our holiday dinner. You put their needs before ours when we had seen them the day before and will the day after. I even compromised by allowing them to come a half hour later and I got no compromise from you. I don't want you to choose me over your parents but to meet me halfway in these things.I will say it again, it wasn't the IL, it is 100% your ex.
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UA's China Week acclaimed as national model10/01/2013
The University of Akron's China Week captured national attention when it was recognized for its best practices at the national meeting of Confucius Institutes in North America, held at Western Kentucky University Sept. 27.
Mark Lee Pringle and members of the Coiling Dragon Chinese Kung Fu Studio will perform a lion dance at China Week's community kickoff celebration Sunday, Oct. 6, at Thomas Hall.
UA's China Week was commended for its multidisciplinary programming. The annual weeklong event includes a majority of the University's colleges, which provide speakers on Chinese topics relevant to their respective academic disciplines. With an increasing enrollment of students from China, currently 347 (up 27 from last year), and American students who study in China, UA is committed to enriching Chinese culture and language education campus-wide as part of its larger strategic plan of globalization of the campus community. China Week provides exceptional opportunities.
"The speakers and performances are embedded in the curriculum, so China Week coordination begins a year in advance with each college and faculty member planning for topics and speakers that will extend their curriculum," says Holly Harris Bane, associate vice president for strategic initiatives and partnerships and director of the Confucius Institute.
UA's China Week a 'best practice'
At the North American meeting for Confucius Institutes, Harris Bane was invited by the Chinese Ministry of Education to participate in the meeting's closing ceremonies, providing remarks on UA's China Week, which was highlighted as a best practice for all Confucius Institutes in 117 countries. More than 100 Confucius Institutes are in the United States. Confucius Institutes are hosted by a Chinese university and an American university affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education. Confucius Institutes provide Chinese language instruction and cultural teaching resources and services worldwide. Harris Bane spoke before an audience of Confucius Institute directors and university presidents and provosts from North America, including the senior leadership of the Chinese Ministry of Education.
Full China Week calendar
A complete list of events, all free to the public, and an event parking pass are on the China Week site.
This month, China Week at UA enters its fifth year, beginning Sunday, Oct. 6, with a free community celebration "Destination China: A Taste of Autumn in Kaifeng," from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Stage Door in E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall.
Performers, including lion dancer Mark Pringle, the Cleveland Chinese Music Ensemble and others, will present dance, music, poetry readings and martial arts at the chrysanthemum-themed festival. Festival goers can try their hands at Chinese calligraphy and practice t'ai chi exercises.
The week continues with outdoor t'ai chi from 8 to 10 a.m. mornings at Buchtel Common, calligraphy and kite flying demonstrations, and lectures on topics ranging from language and culture to job pathways, the "First Globals" generation and Chinese traditional medicine.
China Week event goers can practice calligraphy at the community kickoff celebration Sunday, Oct. 6, at Thomas Hall and Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 11 to 11:50 a.m. in Student Union 312.
The weeklong event ends with a traditional Chinese dumpling party on Friday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Chapel, 135 Fir Hill.
Some China Week highlights:
Evening Keynote: "Living and Laughing by the Chopsticks-Fork Principle," by Cathy Bao Bean, Monday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m., Student Union Theatre
Author of "The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, A Memoir and Manual," Bao Bean is a daughter, mother, wife, friend, sister, aerobics instructor, business manager and board member of the Claremont Graduate University School of the Arts and Humanities, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and Society for Values in Higher Education. In a previous incarnation, she was a philosophy teacher, cook, student, carpool driver as well as founding member of the Ridge and Valley Conservancy. In the process, she has been learning how to make the "foreign" more familiar and the ordinary and extraordinary into each other.
"The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, A Memoir and Manual" will be available for sale during the evening.
Evening Keynote: "China's Economic Slowdown: Opportunities and Influences from China's Market Maturity" by Bradley Feuling, CEO, Kong and Allan Consulting Wednesday, Oct. 9, 8:10 to 9:30 p.m., College of Business Administration, Room 121
After staging unprecedented fast-paced growth over the past 30 years, China's economy is becoming more mature and the growth has slowed. Feuling will discuss implications of the recent slowdown in the Chinese economy, key influences behind it and expectations for the future economic growth of China.
Evening Keynote: "Ready Set Go Global! Unleashing the Power of "First Globals" Generation" by John Zogby, founder of the Zogby Poll and Zogby Cos., Thursday, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m., Student Union Ballroom.
Internationally respected pollster, opinion leader and best-selling author, Zogby is a senior adviser at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also serves as a commissioner for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Commission on Smart Power and is a senior fellow of the Catholic University Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies. As chair of Sudan Sunrise, Zogby works to continue the vision of the late Sudanese NBA player Manute Bol to bring peace to Sudan through education.
Zogby's book, "First Globals," will be available for sale during the evening.
Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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By Teresa Rivas
Shares of Sears Holdings (SHLD) were recently falling more than 6% in after hours trading, despite a better-than-expected third-quarter earnings report, as sales trends worried investors.
For the quarter, Sears reported a loss of $1.99 per share, well ahead of the loss of $2.32 that analysts had forecasted. Revenue slumped 5.8% to $8.86 billion, compared to the Street's expectations of $8.71 billion.
The company said that the revenue decline was due to lower same stores sales in the U.S. and Canada in the quarter, and fewer Sears and Kmart stores open.
In the U.S., comparable store sales declined 3.1%, with Sears down 1.6% and Kmart down 4.8%. Sears said it saw strength in its apparel and home appliance categories. However the company said that these gains were offset in declines in the consumer electronics, grocery and household, lawn and garden and pharmacy categories.


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Last edited by kidd; 01-20-12 at 02:45 AM.
和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩
LOL ^^ My dad doesn't even know when my birthday is. I meant that, I told my dad I missed him--but he replied with "lies, you didn't even call or email or skype" in response to SS :T
However, my parents know my personality quite well. Well...at least they know where my moral compass will usually point.
I like me.
Happy Chinese New Year, every one!
What can I say? I'm still standing! No weapon against me shall prosper! I am more than a conqueror!!!
I don't care to sit by the window on an airplane. If I can't control it, why look?
Happy CNY. You have reunion dinner?
Runny nose/stuffy nose, I hate both.
Anyone who had installed IKEA furnitures in the past would have had similar problem but never to the same degree.
(Taken from Reddit)
Troll ControlOriginally Posted by bliss
LNY is over for me. Back to work tomorrow.
I really shouldn't stay up late anymore. Still sleepy and I don't think coffee will help. Nap? Taking a 15 min or 20min because I have things I need to do.
I just love how you Captivate My Mind
Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.
It's another day.
Everyone judges. If you find someone who claims that they do not do such a thing--they are delusional about themselves. If you find someone who believes that not everyone judges....then most likely they are delusional about everyone else. I am unfortunately keeping company with someone who is severely delusional.
Different judgements = still judging! It's not a bad thing. Just don't be delusional and accuse others of being overly judgmental. You are judging us!
I like me.
Internet is slow.
I'm just helping on spreading this plead and hopefully she'll find a match as well as others in her situation.
Less Than Perfect
going for a meeting soon. Hope that it is productive.
The Big Bang Theory is one of the funniest show ever!
I just love how you Captivate My Mind
Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.
Smirking at me when you coveted my position? Please don't laugh at me for working for free when you have neither the privilege nor opportunity to do so. I would sympathize with you more had you been more real.
Graduate school is competitive, man.
I like me.
I am so sleepy now.


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Argentina, Guatemala, Peru and other countries in the region, former dictators and many of those responsible for egregious human rights violations under former authoritarian regimes have been tried, or are in the process of being tried, for their crimes. In Haiti, for the first time, there appears to be genuine hope that Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier will face human rights charges in court. But there's still a difficult road ahead, and one of the main obstacles may be the US government.In
After Duvalier repeatedly failed to appear at appeals hearings regarding human rights charges, a Haitian judge issued an order for him to appear on February 28, meaning that Duvalier could be escorted there by authorities. If Duvalier finally does appear before the court, it will be the first time that he will be obliged to address political violence crimes that occurred during his 15-year dictatorship (1971-1986), which followed the 14-year dictatorship of his father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier (1957-1971).
Currently, Duvalier is facing charges of corruption which have been admitted by the Haitian courts. But on January 30, 2012, Investigative Judge Carves Jean rejected human rights charges brought against the former dictator, claiming they exceeded the statute of limitations. The hearings to which Duvalier has been summoned recently have been convened to address the appeal of the judge's decision by victims' lawyers.
Judge Jean's ruling shocked the human rights community. Duvalier is one of the hemisphere's more notorious past dictators, infamous for brutally crushing dissent with the assistance of the dreaded "Tonton Macoute" secret police and the Haitian army during 15 years in power. During his rule, thousands were killed - many of them buried in mass graves - and thousands tortured. Hundreds of thousands more fled the country, some of them turned back by US ships seeking to prevent them from reaching US shores.
Amnesty International has condemned what it determined to be "stalling" by the Haitian judiciary, while the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has pointed out that "torture, extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances committed during the regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier are crimes against humanity that, as such, are subject neither to a statute of limitations nor to amnesty laws."
A critical external factor, many observers agree, is the US government's response to the case, which has been consistently muted. Asked about Duvalier after his surprise return to Haiti in January 2011, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted that Duvalier's past abuses were old news, and that trying him could hamper efforts to "stabilize" the country. Clinton said that, "Ultimately, a decision about what is to be done is left to the government and people of Haiti," a position that has been restated in subsequent State Department press briefings and other fora. Even more distressing, former president Bill Clinton went so far as to shake Duvalier's hand at a high-profile public event last year marking the second anniversary of the Haitian earthquake - as did Haitian President Michel Martelly.
Yet this position stands in sharp contrast to US government stances regarding other fallen dictators. As Human Rights Watch described in June last year, Hillary Clinton vowed to "continue to press vigorously for expedient action by Senegal in finally holding [former Chadian dictator Hissène] Habré to account," for example, were "progress ... not forthcoming on efforts to extradite or prosecute."
Even worse, the US government may be obstructing justice by withholding documents that could be used as evidence against Duvalier, despite having made public similar documents about former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and members of Argentina's former junta, for example, prior to judicial proceedings in those countries.
The US response could signal an unwillingness to see Duvalier pay for his crimes, which might come as no surprise considering the enduring support the US government showed for Duvalier during his rule, with US aid to Haiti - including military training - increasing during the 1970s and 80s. When a popular uprising finally forced Duvalier to flee in 1986, the US flew him out on a military plane.
The US position is also ironic considering that USAID has spent $150 million on "governance and rule of law" programs in Haiti just since the earthquake, and helped to create the Superior Judicial Council - which has been dogged by controversy during its brief existence. Nor should Duvalier's return have caught US officials off guard. A WikiLeaked cable reveals that Duvalier's possible return was a concern as far back as 2006. The cable does not mention any desire by the US government to see Duvalier tried, nor any possible charges.
The international community - including the United States - must stand on the side of justice and the Haitian people and demand that Duvalier be tried for human rights crimes. Were Duvalier to evade justice, it would be a triumph for US death-squad diplomacy and for Haiti's other more infamous human rights criminals.


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Oct. 10, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007
Southern California Tournament
No. 7 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 10 Loyola Marymount, 9:20 a.m.
at Corona del Mar High School
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007
Southern California Tournament
No. 7 UC Santa Barbara vs. TBD
at Corona del Mar High School or UC Irvine's Anteater Pool
This Week In Water Polo
Following a light week with just one game, the No. 7 UC Santa Barbara men's water polo team returns to action this week at the Southern California Tournament being hosted by UC Irvine. The tournament consists of 16 teams, 14 of which are top-20 ranked teams, and will take place at two venues. The Gauchos will open tourney action with their third contest of the season against No. 10 Loyola Marymount on Saturday at Corona del Mar High School at 9:20 a.m. Also in UCSB's bracket are No. 1 USC and Redlands, the Gauchos will play one of the two teams in their second game on Saturday.
Gauchos Take Down UC San Diego, 13-10
The Gauchos played just one game last week: a non-conference match-up with UC San Diego The Tritons took an early 2-1 lead in the first quarter, but four goals in the second quarter put UCSB head 5-4 at halftime. Each team scored five goals in the third, but Santa Barbara outscored UCSD 3-1 in the final frame to capture their second win of the season over UC San Diego, 13-10. Freshman Milos Golic led the Gauchos with four goals in the win while sophomore Zsombor Vincze had a hat trick. Senior goalie Rick Wright had nine saves. UCSB now holds a 12-7 overall record and is 0-1 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation games. Santa Barbara moved up one spot in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association Top-20 Coaches Poll and is now tied with UC Irvine for seventh.
Around The Conference
No. 1 USC currently leads the MPSF with its 3-0 conference record and leads the nation with a perfect 8-0 record this season. Cal is 1-0 in MPSF games while Stanford, UCLA and UC Irvine are each 1-1. The rest of the conference is currently 0-1. The Gauchos will not return to conference play until Oct. 19 when they host Pacific, but it is likely that they will face MPSF foes at the Southern California Tournament this weekend.
Freshman Phenom
Freshman Milos Golic extended his current scoring streak to seven consecutive games with his team-leading four goals in last Friday's game against UC San Diego. The native of Belgrade, Serbia has scored a total of 24 goals in just 10 games and is tied for fifth in the MPSF with his 2.40 goals per game average. Out of the nine games he has scored in, Golic has had eight multiple goal showings, including four games with a hat trick or more. The utility player has also handed out 13 assists, collected nine steals and earned nine penalties or ejections.
The View On Vincze
Sophomore Zsombor Vincze, a 2006 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, posted his fourth hat trick of the season in Friday's win. The utility player, like Golic, has posted seven goals between the Gauchos' last two games and currently has a total of 26 goals on the season, just four shy of matching his 30 scored last season. The native of Szeged, Hungary is currently 14th in the MPSF with his 1.73 goals per game average. Vincze has posted 12 assists and is second on the team behind junior Ratko Paunovic with 17 earned penalties or ejections.
Ross On A Roll
Senior Ross Sinclair, a 2006 Third Team All-American, continues to lead UCSB in just about every statistical category. Sinclair has posted a team-leading 34 goals, 23 assists, 18 steals, and 11 field blocks. The Newport, Calif. native currently averages 1.89 goals per game, ranking 10th amongst all MPSF players. Sinclair had a pair of goals in the game against UC San Diego and is currently amidst a season-best nine game scoring streak. Even more impressive, Sinclair assisted five of the Gauchos' 13 goals on Friday. He has posted 12 multiple-goal games, including five games with a hat trick or more. The driver now ranks 12th on the UCSB career scoring list with 135 goals.
The Wright Stuff
Senior goalkeeper Rick Wright posted nine saves in Friday's win and is currently ranked third in the MPSF for saves per game with an average of 10.2 Wright has tallied double-digit saves in five games this season and averages 8.0 goals against. Additionally, Wright has tallied seven assists and five steals this season.
The Price Is Right
Junior Miles Price continues to be a solid contributor to the Gaucho offense this season. The driver is currently fifth on the team with his 21 goals scored including a pair scored Friday. The Canyon, Calif. native is also second on the team with 17 assists. Price has posted five multi-goal games this season, including two four-point showings.
Sophomore Standout
Sophomore driver Stefan Partelow, who finished the 2006 season with 18 goals, has already surpassed his freshman season output as he currently is fourth amongst the Gauchos with a 22 goals scored. The Manhattan Beach, Calif. native has scored at least one goal in 13 of the Gauchos' 19 contests this season and posted three assists and two steals in Friday's contest with UC San Diego. Partelow has also chipped in 15 assists, eight steals, eight field bocks, and nine earned penalties or ejections.
The Wigo File
Now in his third season as the head coach of the UC Santa Barbara men's water polo team is three-time Olympian and former captain of the USA Men's National Team, Wolf Wigo. Overall, Wigo has posted a 46-38 (.548) record at UCSB. In 2006, just his second year with the program, Wigo led his team to a fifth-place finish in the MPSF and an overall record of 21-14, marking the first 20-win season for UCSB since 1990. Wigo also coached three players to All-MPSF honors and Ross Sinclair became the first player he has coached to earn collegiate All-American honors.
Taming the Lions: Part 3
The first team on the slate for the Gauchos this Saturday is No. 10 Loyola Marymount, a familiar opponent this season. UCSB faced LMU just a couple of weeks ago and came out ahead with 10-7 victory on Sept. 29. The Gauchos had also defeated the Lions on Sept. 15 in the opening game of the Northern California Open by way of 10-4 score. LMU is currently 5-9 on the season. Goalie Andy Stevens averages 11.4 saves per game while Tibor Forali leads the team with 22 goals scored this season.
Coming Attractions
Next weekend the Gauchos return to conference action when they host No. 14 Pacific on Friday, Oct. 19 and No. 1 USC on Saturday, Oct. 20. Following its two-game home stand, UCSB will travel to Stanford on Oct. 27. On Nov. 4, UCSB will host its final home game of the season against Cal before finishing up the regular season on the road. The MPSF Tournament will take place Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 23-25 at Cal. The winner of the tournament automatically qualifies for the NCAA Championships, which take place the following weekend, Dec. 1-2 at Stanford.


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LARGO, Md. (AP) - Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown is holding a campaign event with President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign manager.
Brown has scheduled the event with Jim Messina in Largo on Monday.
Brown is expected to discuss his campaign to be Maryland's next governor.
Brown has been lieutenant governor since 2007.
Maryland's primary is nearly a year away in June.


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The National Theatre Live series of high-def satellite broadcasts beams live performances from Britain's premiere stage to cinema screens around the world, featuring classy British plays and the classiest English stars, from Helen Mirren to Derek Jacobi to… John Lithgow? That would be the American (but British-trained) actor best known for his stint as the hapless alien in TV's Third Rock from the Sun, but who is also a much-lauded and, yes, very classy stage actor.
He's currently in London, starring at the National in The Magistrate, by Arthur Wing Pinero, a vintage Victorian farce of the one-little-white-lie-leads-to-calamity-and-chaos school. He plays an "orderly, tidy" police-court judge whose one night on the town lands him—and his wife, the little-white-liar—in the poky.
"It's very good-hearted, wildly funny and also sweet and sentimental," Lithgow told a U.K. reporter recently.
When the performance is screened at the Amherst Cinema this week, there will be a local connection. In the 1990s Lithgow's parents, after a peripatetic life in the theater, retired to Amherst, where son John was a frequent visitor.
Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 9 at 1 p.m., Amherst Cinema Arts Center, Amity St., Amherst, (413) 253-2547, amherstcinema.org.


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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 23rd Apr 2013 22:35 UTC
"Apple just posted its hotly-anticipated Q2 2013 earnings, and the company posted a profit of $9.5b on revenues of $43.6b, compared to $11.6b in profit on $39.2b in revenue this quarter last year and $13.1b in profit on $54.5b in revenue last quarter. That's right in line with the company's guidance from last quarter. Most importantly, iPhone sales are fairly flat year-over-year. Apple sold 37.04 million in Q2 2013 versus last year's 35.1 million, a modest growth of seven percent. iPad sales for the quarter were 19.5 million, up a massive 65 percent from last year's 11.8 million, but the average selling price (ASP) dropped fairly steeply year-over-year, likely due to the introduction of the cheaper iPad mini."
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RE: apple stock purchases
by galvanash on Wed 24th Apr 2013 23:37 UTC in reply to "apple stock purchases"
most major corporations do buy back lots of shares. IBM has been doing it for years. It keeps the share price high but can provide a better ROI than just dividends.
It also does a number of other things... It demonstrates confidence from the board in the company's ability to grow relative to their current stock price. It is in effect saying "we are betting 60 billion dollars of cash from our own pockets on our ability to make our stock price go up from where it is now".
Also, it is very attractive to smaller short term investors who will see it as a quick win and will happily trade some stock for $$$. Apple can stockpile the repurchases and reissue later when the stock price is higher, making money along the way.
Lastly, it helps maintain earnings per share - the more stock they sell the more eps drops...
All in all I think Apple wants to make itself more attractive to fund managers, and to do that they need to pay dividends and demonstrate some intent to stabilize.
They don't want flighty investors, and to make yourself attractive to long term money you have to have a long term plan.
Tim Cook thinks long. Steve Jobs didn't.
Edited 2013-04-24 23:38 UTC
RE[2]: apple stock purchases
by unclefester on Fri 26th Apr 2013 06:20 in reply to "RE: apple stock purchases"


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GARDEN CITY - David Katzman was in diapers the last time Richmond Hill played in the postseason.
Friday night at Garden City Stadium, the senior tailback led a beautifully executed rushing assault, running for 225 yards on 27 carries and a trio of touchdowns to lift the Wildcats to a 44-14 Region 3-AAAAA romp over Jenkins.
The win gave Richmond Hill its first playoff berth since 1996. Jenkins must now beat Glynn Academy next week in the regular-season finale to get into the postseason.
"It's crazy right now," Katzman said. "I've been starting on varsity since my freshman year, and my fellow seniors and I have watched this program grow and come a long way. We've got so many leaders on this team, and that's made us successful."
The Wildcats (7-2 overall, 4-2 region) rattled off 31 unanswered first-half points, creating a comfortable cushion against the Warriors.
Katzman rambled 54 yards on the first play from scrimmage, weaving his way in between Jenkins defenders to the Warrior 16. After the drive stalled, Canon Rooker's field goal put the Wildcats up 3-0.
Jenkins (5-4, 3-3) moved down the field on the ensuing possession, but Richmond Hill snuffed out a fake punt attempt to get the ball back at its 49. The Wildcats needed just five plays from there as Katzman scored from 5 yards out to make it 10-0.
"Our offensive line was unreal tonight," said Katzman of the Richmond Hill front five, which paved the way for 424 rushing yards on the night. "I was hitting the hole as fast as I could, and they kept giving me all the blocks."
Richmond Hill struck again on its next trip, taking two plays to go 26 yards, with senior quarterback Dominique Allen keeping the ball and scoring from 15 yards out.
The Warriors attempted to get back in the game when junior quarterback Brenden Carter broke off a 28-yard dash to the Richmond Hill 10. But they couldn't move any further, as four straight Carter passes fell incomplete.
One play later, the Wildcats continued their attack with Allen hitting a wide-open Nick Fitzgerald for a 90-yard touchdown strike that made it 24-0 and effectively put things out of reach.
Richmond Hill tacked on one more score in the first half on a 2-yard rush by Katzman with 2:41 left.
"All season long - with the exception of our loss at Effingham County - we've been consistent and played pretty solid," Richmond Hill coach Lyman Guy said. "It was huge to come out strong, and we did a good job of that tonight. We made a big statement early."
The Warriors got on the board with a pair of scores in the third quarter thanks to Carter's efforts. He finished 23 of 48 through the air with 348 yards, throwing for two scores and tossing two interceptions. Carter lobbed a 66-yard score to a wide-open Paris Baker to make it 31-6 and later completed a 14-yard touchdown to Juan De La Rosa.
But that was as close as things would get, as the Wildcats scored two second-half touchdowns - a 29-yard run by Allen and a 6-yard scamper by Katzman - to put the game on ice.
"I can't say enough about the senior leaders on this team," Guy said. "It hasn't all settled in yet, making the playoffs. We've still got another game next week where we need to finish strong. I'm happy for the guys, and we'll enjoy this win tonight and then get back to work."
R-Canon Rooker 33 FG
R-David Katzman 5 run (Rooker kick)
R-Dominique Allen 15 run (Rooker kick)
R-Nick Fitzgerald 90 pass from Allen (Rooker kick)
R-Katzman 2 run (Rooker kick)
J-Paris Baker 66 pass from Brenden Carter (kick failed)
J-Juan De la Rosa 14 pass from Carter (Eric Johnson pass from Carter)
R-Allen 29 run (Rooker kick)
R-Katzman 6 run (kick failed)