text:
Model: Rikki Superdock
Here at VETTE, we're accustomed to bringing you Corvettes you can really sink your teeth into. But watch out: If you're not careful, this month's feature may sink its teeth into you.
"In 1998, I decided it was time to try out the brand-new-generation Corvette, the C5," says Marc Fisher, a retired school teacher from Lake Wales, Florida. "The previous C4 models were very hard for me to enter because of a back problem that left me disabled. The C5 had great ingress and egress, and I fell in love with it."
In May, 1998, Fisher ordered a '99 Vette. He says that while he expected to receive one of the first copies to roll off the factory line, GM held back customer orders to allow the initial batch of 1,200 '99 C5s to make it into dealer showrooms. "My Corvette ended up being No. 1,532, since it was built to order. I picked it up on August 8, 1998."
The Light Pewter Metallic coupe was shipped from Bowling Green with the standard LS1 engine, a 4L60E automatic transmission, the G92 Performance (3.15) Axle, and the Z51 Performance Handling Package. Other options included the Head Up Instrument Display, the Active Handling System, the Power Passenger Seat, Foglamps, the Bose Speaker Package, and the Twilight Sentinel. Fisher tested his new Corvette at Moroso Motorsports Park in Jupiter and learned that it was a 13.4-second performer in stock trim.
Four months later, the thrill of owning a new Corvette had turned into a re-evaluation of the car's potential, as Fisher was no longer satisfied with its track times. He contacted Barry Walker of Airflo Technologies in Fort Lauderdale and asked him for more horsepower.
"When the C5 came out, there wasn't an aftermarket industry like we have today," Walker says. "There weren't any bolt-on packages for the C5, and off-the-shelf head/cam packages were still years away. I ported a set of stock heads and outfitted them with one of the very first sets of 2.02/1.57 oversized valves, from Race Engine Valves (REV). It was just as challenging to find any performance cams for the LS1, so I asked Crane Cams to make us a custom grind with 222/226 degrees of duration and 0.529/0.529-inch lift."
According to Walker, the hardest part of the power upgrade was the tuning. "There are so many signals built into the LS1 system architecture, and in 1998 there was no software available to allow us to adjust the fuel, air, and spark tables to match the requirements of the heads and hotter cam. With the tuning industry still in its infancy, we developed a method where we placed resisters and a frequency modulator in-line between the sender output signals and the ECU. Through trial and error, the car got faster and faster using these Band-Aids."
Quarter-mile testing backed up his claim. Fisher consistently ran 12.8 second e.t.'s on his new combo. In celebration of the car's enhanced performance bite, he affixed over 30 custom-made vinyl bat decals to the Corvette and dubbed it the "Bat Out of Hell."
His next step was to squeeze even more performance out of the car with trans, intake, and additional tuning mods. "He brought it back to me, and I added a custom cold-air intake and a 3,800-stall Yank torque converter," Walker says. "The most important change in our performance numbers came when LS1-Edit software was released in 2001. It allowed us to remove the resistors and frequency modulator, and to tune the Corvette from our computer. Suddenly, the Vette was running in the mid-11s."
Fisher campaigned his Corvette at venues around the country, visiting Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida; Route 66 Drag Strip in Joliet, Illinois; and Old Bridge Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. But the real honor came in June 2001, when he joined in a special trip to Europe.
"My Vette was shipped to Antwerp, Belgium, as part of the C5 Registry's 'March to LeMans' to be with the C5-R factory race cars," Fisher recalls. "The Corvettes participated in the 'Grande Parade des Pilotes' on the streets of LeMans with 50,000 people cheering us on.
"The next day, we drove two laps at La Sarthe. They were supposed to be parade laps, but how many chances does one get to 'let her rip' on the most famous race course in the world? So, after leading the 20 U.S. Corvettes around on Lap One, I got to the start/finish line and went pedal to the metal. I reached 163 mph on the Mulsanne Strait. It was a thrill that will last a lifetime."
In 2003, Fisher felt it was time to give his Corvette another power fix. "He came back and told me he wanted the Corvette to scream," Walker says. "By this time, it had been accessorized with a heat-extraction hood, fixed headlamps, center driving lights, and six-point rollbar, and it weighed 3,400 pounds. I discussed with him an engine combo that would propel his heavier-than-stock C5 into the high-10s."
Walker installed a 6.0L LQ9 iron block that had been bored to 4.038 inches and stuffed with a Lunati forged rotating assembly to yield a whopping 422 ci. A Comp hydraulic roller cam with 242/248-degree duration, 0.622/0.618-inch lift, and a 114-degree lobe-separation angle was chosen to operate the valvetrain. For exhaust, Fisher decided upon LG Motorsports long-tube headers, 3-inch pipes, a MagnaFlow perforated cross-pipe, and SLP 2.75-inch quad tailpipes. More recently, Walker added a ported LS3/L92 top-end setup, bumping compression to 11:1.
GM components were retained for the front and rear suspension, though QA1 adjustable shocks were added at all four corners. Stock C5 calipers clamp drilled-and-slotted Eradispeed rotors, while CCW wheels shod in fat Michelin PS2 rubber help this "batty" Corvette put the bite on the road. All maintenance work is performed by RevXtreme of Sarasota, Florida.
With a 422ci stroker under his hood, Fisher felt obligated to increase his drag-racing involvement. He joined the Summit Racing Series and entered the Florida Corvette Challenge, where he successfully took runner-up for the '05 season and Third Place in 2006.
In 2007, Fisher decided to give his Corvette a rabid cosmetic makeover by transforming it into the ultimate homage to Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell album. He turned to Brett Newell of Buck's Body Shop and Custom Refinishing in Lake Wales for assistance.
"He asked for something that would catch everybody's eye," Newell says. "We went through dozens of paint-chip samples and both agreed on an '08 GM paint color, Sunburst Orange Metallic, which we applied using a PPG BC/CC system. Then, armed with the BOH album cover and drawings of vicious and frightening bats, we had our airbrush artist, Mike Hobbs, recreate the album theme on the Corvette's rear fascia. He also colonized the hood and side panels with similar graphics."
The paint and artwork were completed in April 2008, nearly 10 years after Fisher placed his original order for the car. "My goals with the car are ongoing," he says. "There's always something to make it better, faster, and more consistent.
"As far as the looks of the car, it's never going to change until I'm gone. And when I die, I want to go like my grandfather, who died peacefully in his sleep-not screaming like the passenger in his Corvette."


text:
There are conflicting reports that riots have broken out all across Canada. Or that everyone seems to be fine with it and is going about their day as normal. Hard to say, since they look the same.
I love to make fun of Candians every chance I get. But I do have to admit.. I envy their stereotypes. The rest of the world thinks I'm a lazy overworking fatass who prioritizes things like which gym to go to over geography.
He found a mouse in his beer bottle.
Well, that's easy enough - just attend absolutely any hockey game.
Argh, the bloody hoosers took our sticky. Gord what are you going to do aboot this? I think we need to get the RCMP and launch our non-nuclear option. Perhaps a sternly written letter from the gov general will do it.
P.S. I find it funny that the stereotype of us canadians is non-angry. We don't get angry about a lot of stupid things and can take jokes even about different sub-groups in our country (at least most people). But still we are the country that beats the shit out of each other on ice from the age
I don't like where this discussion is heading, it's a slippery slope to talk about a sticky situation like this...
They're just lucky it was a theft and the tank didn't burst [wikipedia.org].
I just pictured a Austin Powers-esque or MST3K scene where a giant blob of molasses was "chasing" after these people.
soylent syrup is made from people
It makes sense. If export demand spikes or production dips you want to have a reserve to use to stabilize the price so people keep buying the stuff instead of switching to something else, so your business model and power remain intact. It is for the exact same reason we have oil reserves.
I wouldn't be so quick to call his comment rational.
Or at least not the part about oil, unless global commerce is also fueled by maple syrup.
Nobody keeps strategic oil reserves "to stabilize the price so people keep buying the stuff instead of switching to something else"
They keep them so that the country doesn't grind to a halt the next time there's a significant supply disruption.
They keep them so that the country doesn't grind to a halt the next time there's a significant supply disruption.
He was wrong about the maple syrup too, since that is exactly our reason for keeping reserves in Canada (although perhaps not on the global scale of oil).
It's large enough to keep our military moving long enough to beat the shit out of whoever's disrupting supply.
It's the Canadian equivalent of the Federal Reserve.
With the exception that maple syrup is actually worth something.
The "reserve" is in fact a way to keep maple syrup price higher by creating a rarity and allows to cash in when price goes higher. It's literaly a maple mafia going on here, all of it being driven under the UPA (union des producteurs agricoles - the farmer union), which is the solely recognized and legal farmer union in Quebec. There's a lot of complaint and some legal wrangling going on against this monopoly.
I do mainly 2 things in my life:
1- I'm an IT consultant 9 months/year
2- I produce maple syrup on my maple farm 3 month/year
I've been doing that for years and let me tell you that it is true that is a monopoly benefiting mainly the big producers and the small one are kinda left behind. But then again, It is similar to most farming in most countries.
No. It's a hedge against radical market changes. It benefits you as well as larger producers.
Civilisation is only ever 48 hours away from dry pancakes.
Production of maple syrup can vary highly from one year to the next, depending on weather conditions. The ideal conditions are rather strict, where the temperature is below freezing at night just above 4C during the day. If it's too warm or too cold, very little production can be done.
Because of this, each year producers deliver some of their syrup to the strategic reserve, to ensure that every year a certain amount can be sold on the local and global markets. Before this initiative was taken, the were years when the price of syrup was really high, and even unavailable. That almost led to riots! Production these last few years has been much better, so the reserve isn't tapped much, but it's still a good idea, we don't know what might happen with GCC.
I'd Tap that... Strateghttp://www.xkcd.com/398/
Canada, buddy, look, seriously here. I've got numerous good friends of mine in various areas of Canada, from the coast of British Columbia to the fine metropolitan city of Toronto (sorry, I don't know any Newfies). So I spend a fair amount of time rolling my eyes at the usual Canadian stereotypes the less-cultured of my American brethren pump out on a regular basis whenever Canada is mentioned.
But, man, seriously. Your Maple Syrup Strategic Reserve isn't going to make that any easier. Come on, now.
Dear USA. The fact that you try to make fun of us... is in itself hilarious.
If you're going to laugh at us, laugh at us for our godawful government currently trying as hard as possible to make Canada as much like the USA as possible.
As is the tradition.
A little syrup in the stirrup never hurt anybody.
Police have called out the Royal Syrup Police
As is the tradition.
What the hell are you on about?
This is definitely a job for the "Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksman".
No! It was Carmen Sandiego!
Bitch stole hoover dam, and the eifel tower too!
She couldn't think of anything really noteworthy to steal from canada, and settled on stealing your precious reserves of syrup!
I hear she has a secret plan to convert the sugars into petrolium, to subvert the global supply!
I've got nothing.
I guess this could be a sticking point for the Canadian authorities. They sure made those looking after the product look like saps. But they'll catch the thief eventually, and he'll get his just desserts.
You're welcome.
It was probably all the bullshit Grade A Amber. Which they waste the first run maple syrup to make by mixing it with the garbage from the late runs.
I love the nearly clear first run stuff.
The Canadian economy cannot afford a shortage of both maple syrup and hockey sticks.
Canada needs the McKenzie brothers.
International House of Pancakes has announced that for all of the American Labour Day Weekend they will be offering free pancakes with all-you-can-slurp maple syrup, and every customer will get a free bottle of (unlabeled) genuine maple syrup to take home.
The odds that IHOP would use actual Maple Syrup approach 0, even if it were free.
Plausible, but I think the evidence suggests that Auric Maplefinger might be involved.
Millions of pounds means hundreds of thousands of gallons, means 1000 or so tanker trucks worth of the stuff. We're either dealing with an accounting error or a theft over an extremely long time frame.
Or both. Gotta watch those sticky-fingered accountants.
It was salted and probably used on hash.
The Humanity!!!
This had better not impact my bacon maple glazed doughnut supply!!!
I'm guessing the Strategic part doesn't refer to the location of the Reserve
They're part of a shadowy, polite subgroup of syrup-suckers called "Canadians."
So *that* explains how it looks like he put on 100 pounds just before the RNC!
Wish I had points to give my friend...
"Good thing you didn't order hashbrowns..."
On the first day of christmas my true love gave to me....
A beer
in a tree.
On the second day of christmas my true love gave to me....
1000 gallons of Maple syrup.
and a beer
in a tree.
... the sticky situation.
Is it just me, or does this sound like an episode of South Park?
I'm thinking the Canadian remake of Goldfinger myself, with Conrad Black as Maple Syrupfinger.
this really sounds like it could be the plot to a really bad science fiction book.. oh ya that's right.
http://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133328 [amazon.com]
For those of you who can't find the review section..
Fast-thinking entrepreneur Tyler Vernon exploits the literally universal appeal of maple syrup to make a fortune, defies the Horvath, and reveals his ideas for keeping Earth safe, but intergalactic war threatens to derail his plan
I actually liked that book (and it's sequels). The author has imagination and a sense of humour.
This was all covered in the Troy Rising series by John Ringo. Turns out that maple syrup is highly intoxicating to the Glatun species.
Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tag: homicide
New Thriller a Hit
by PatBrown on Feb.19, 2010, under Author Posts
As I prepare for my trip to Los Angeles for the 2010 Left Coast Crime conference, my newest release, L.A. Boneyard is getting noticed.
It's been nominated for Love Romances Cafe's 2009 Best GBLT Novel. I'm pumped. It's also been nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel (Arthur Ellis is the biggest Canadian mystery award) and the Daphne du Maurier award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.
Check out my web site for more information on this and all my other novels, http://www.pabrown.ca
"L.A. Boneyard is phenomenal! Full of suspense, murder, mystery and even explicit sex, Brown left nothing out! What more could you ask for in one book?" Read the rest of the review: http://bk-walker.livejournal.com/6013.html
"The crimes are as turbulent as the gay-cop emotions in this CSI-meets-butch-guys-in-love romantic thriller. Pat Brown has as
sharp an eye for crime-scene forensics as for the ins and outs of gay love among LA's men in blue."
—Richard Stevenson,
author of the Don Strachey PI novels
L.A. Boneyard, book 3 in the L.A. series, is getting rave reviews. To learn more and find reviews and buy links visit: http://www.pabrown.ca/laboneyard.htm
Evil is pursued from a shallow grave in Griffith Park, to the streets of West Hollywood into the dark heart of the gang-infested streets of East L.A.
Detective David Eric Laine is no stranger to violence and brutality, but even he is taken back at the sheer viciousness of the murder of two pregnant Ukrainian women. This was just the beginning of a baffling case which would lead from their shallow grave to a bucolic bungalow community in West Hollywood, tree-lined and tranquil, to the heart of the gang-infested streets of East Los Angeles, and points in between.
Friday, 8:20 AM, Vista del Valle Drive, Griffith Park, Los Angeles
Something had done a number on the corpse.
The early morning call-out had been brief and to the point.
Griffith Park. Shallow grave. Mutilated arm. Probably wild
LAPD homicide detective David Eric Laine hoped it was
animals. He crouched beside the makeshift grave, behind the
screen of freshly broken branches and crushed vegetation,
studying the exposed arm with the manicured nails and winking
diamond ring; the animals had nearly worked off the bone.
Wondering what her final moments had been like. Knowing it
had been ugly. He looked beyond the grave, visualizing. Had he
raped her? Had that been the last indignity she had suffered,
before the ultimate one?
Overhead, dense black clouds roiled across the western sky,
a late Pineapple Express had roared in last night, straight from
Hawaii, promising more rain in an already wet spring. The
chaparral and Ceanothus had started their seasonal bloom, thin
green shoots emerging from what had once been desiccated
limbs. Under foot the moisture retaining hydro-mulch, spread
after the ravaging 2007 and 2008 fires, soaked his feet, chilling
his skin. The steady thump-thump of the LAPD airship called
in to do an aerial survey echoed his heartbeat, driving him
relentlessly, as unforgiving of failure as he was.
David scanned the ground, taking in the fresh horse tracks,
and the fading coyote spore. The animals had scattered when
the woman who found the body nearly rode her horse over
them. She stood with her shoulder touching her horse's neck,
the animal's reins still held in her gloved hand. Blindly she
touched the burnished chestnut coat, seeking comfort. David
turned away; he had nothing to give her. His promises were for
the dead. They didn't ask for guarantees. They didn't get angry
when he was called away in the middle of the night to do his
"So what have we got?" he asked.
The first officer on the scene, Donald Lessing, pulled out his
notes, "I received a call at seven-fifty-six AM that a body had
been discovered in a shallow grave. My partner and I were
dispatched, and arrived about fifteen minutes later." He
indicated his partner, a paunchy, silver-haired Asian, who was
adding a second loop of barrier tape to keep out the curious,
then indicated the equestrienne, "We found Mrs. Rosenfield
right about where she is now. She was pretty upset."
"I'm sure the last thing she expected to find was a dead
body on her morning ride."
"Yes sir."
Nothing could be done to process the crime scene until the
photographers had taken their shots. Everything had to be kept
intact to preserve possible evidence. They had the time; the
body wasn't going anywhere. In the distance, thunder rumbled.
He amended that, maybe they didn't have so much time.
David studied the dark, crouching clouds, and wondered if
Chris would get over his snit long enough to close the windows
against the coming rain. Otherwise their newly refinished oak
floors were going to get a soaking. One more thing for Chris to
get pissed at. He retraced his steps and approached the horse
and rider.
He pulled out a notebook and twisted his arm around to
check the time, only to discover he wasn't wearing his watch.
Right, he'd stuffed it into his jacket pocket after he'd left an
angry Chris in bed this morning. Chris always seemed to be
angry these days. He got that way when he was between jobs.
He drew out the Rolex Chris had given him for his fortieth
birthday and wrote the exact time, the crime scene location, and
his own name and rank. David studied the watch ruefully. He
had told Chris a gift like that was too extravagant, but Chris
wouldn't listen. "You deserve it," he had said. "You put up with
me for four years, didn't you?" Still, David took it off when he
could; out of sight of Chris, who took it as a personal affront
when he didn't wear it all the time. David was a Timex kind of
guy. Even after four years he never got comfortable with the
easy wealth Chris displayed.
Mrs. Rosenfield looked young. David doubted she was more
than twenty-five. Under normal circumstances she would have
been attractive–large, doe eyes, soft hair flying loose from
under her riding helmet. But now her face was pale, and her
eyes were glassy with shock. David pushed aside his sympathy
and assembled his cop face; the one Chris hated so much,
claiming it made him look cold and robotic. Well, there were
times when cold and robotic was the right way.
She wore a tailored riding outfit and boots that gleamed,
even in the sunless light. A pulse beat in her throat, like a
wounded animal.
"Mrs. Rosenfield," he said. "I'm Detective David Eric Laine.
Could I have your full name, please?"
"Danielle," she said. "Just call me Danielle." Her gaze darted
toward the grave. "Who is it? Do you know–?"
"No, ma'am, Danielle, we don't know that yet. Can you take
me back to when you first spotted something out of the
"S-sure." She visibly collected herself, her hand going out to
stroke her horse's neck. "Toby and I were on our morning ride,
when these coyotes came racing right out under our noses–I
thought they were attacking us at first. You hear about how
bold they've gotten over the years."
"Yes, ma'am." What coyotes could do was frightening. What
people could do to each other was so much worse. "What
"Once they ran away I realized they were just as scared as
we were. I was going to head back home. I'm supposed to be to
work at ten." She shook her head, a strand of hair falling over
her eyes. She swept it aside with a kidskin gloved hand. "I guess
I should call my boss. I don't think I'll be in today–" Her voice
"Yes, ma'am," David said gently. "What was the first thing
you noticed before the coyotes appeared?"
"Toby spooked." Rosenfield grimaced. "I guess when he got
wind of them. He nearly dumped me. That was when I saw the
arm. I screamed. That must have scared them away without
taking…taking it with them." The grimace deepened and the
flesh around her mouth whitened.
More thunder cracked, closer this time. She looked around
"Anything else you can recall about your ride?" David asked
even more gently, knowing she was very close to losing it.
"Before you noticed anything amiss?"
"We rode by the Roosevelt Municipal golf course," she said.
"I go that way all the time. Usually it's so peaceful…"
"You see anybody on the links?"
"Two players, and a caddie." Rosenfield squinted as she
recalled her morning. "I don't pay much attention to the
golfers, unless they're driving carts. Sometimes they spook
"Would you recognize the golfers if you saw them again?"
"W-what? You don't think they had anything to do with
this, do you?"
"It's just standard procedure," David assured her. "Look, I
know this is tough. Even cops can have a hard time stumbling
across something like this. If you like, I can give you the
number of a victim's support group. They can help you with
this, if you want."
"T-thank you. I don't think that's necessary…"
David handed her the card anyway. "You might change your
mind. I hear they're good."
She slipped the card into her jacket pocket. He knew she
wouldn't call. He'd seen it before. Misplaced pride would keep
her from seeking help. "What did you see then?" he prompted.
"I didn't know what it was at first, then I thought it was a
mannequin." She gave a short bark of laughter, quickly stifled.
"That someone had stolen a storefront dummy and was playing
a gag. It was only after I saw the teeth marks that I knew." She
swallowed convulsively and David wondered if she was going to
be sick. The human arm had been heavily gnawed by strong
jaws. He distracted her as smoothly as he could.
"I need you to come down to the station, to make a formal
statement. I can send someone out to get you if you like–"
"No, that's okay. I'll drive myself. Will I have to go to
"I won't lie to you. It depends on the D.A., and whether a
suspect is found, and it all makes it to court. But I'm sure
someone from the prosecutor's office will be in touch with you
if it becomes necessary."
David watched her stiffly remount her horse and urge it
back onto the trail. They broke into a fast trot before they were
out of sight. He very much doubted she would ever ride this
peaceful trail again.
Out of the corner of his eye, David saw a white Pontiac
Firehawk, splattered with debris from the previous night's rain,
pull up beside the LAPD crime scene van. It was driven by a
lithe, dark-skinned Latino man, with that young urban scruffy
beard thing going on. Chris, always quick to adopt new fads,
had tried it once, until David complained that it was like kissing
five o'clock shadow, all day long, and he reluctantly shaved it
The Latino climbed out of the low-slung car. He surveyed
the scene of controlled chaos with dark eyes, taking in
everything in a sweeping glance, before he shrouded them with
a pair of Ray Bans. He looked like he just stepped out of GQ,
sharp creases on his wool dress pants and sedate black and blue
tie. He wore his gold detective's badge on a chain around his
neck. David caught a glimpse of his Beretta nine under his
LAPD blue nylon wind breaker. Incongruously, he wore a pair
of hand-tooled black and blue Tony Lamas boots instead of the
usual military gear most new detectives favored. David wouldn't
be surprised if he had a closet full of Levis and Stetsons at
home. He was a tall man, though not as tall as David's six-four,
dark-skinned, with high cheek bones. His eyes were dark and
dangerous. Too dangerous for David's taste.
The guy was going to spell trouble.
Already the eyes of the two female SID criminologists kept
straying his way. David had heard rumors about the guy, even
before he was assigned to Northeast; he'd ignored them at the
time, like he ignored all the trash talk around the squad room.
In the stories the guy was a wannabe actor. David had heard–
and dismissed–the story about his involvement with a
producer's wife that had ended messily. The tabloid press had
been all over it. Maybe the guy had a problem keeping his dick
in his pants. Maybe he was only guilty of bad judgment. He
wouldn't be the first. Cops and badge bunnies went together
like chili and fries.
David extended his hand and introduced himself. Might as
well give the guy the benefit of a doubt, he didn't like it when
people jumped to conclusions about him. Being one of the few
openly gay detectives carried its own baggage. "Glad to have
you on board."
"Thank you, sir," the detective said. "Detective Jairo Garcia
Hernandez." He pronounced it Yairo. "Most gringos call me
Jerry." His smile was all teeth and David knew he was being
tested by the new D.
He'd nip that one in the bud before it went south. "I think I
can handle Jairo." He gave the word a Spanish lilt. The guy
wasn't going to catch this gringo ignorant of the language.
Good looking or not, he was just another rookie D.
Jairo saw the Rolex on his wrist and whistled. "Nice watch.
Your wife give you that?"
"No, I'm not married," David said. Deciding to make small
talk, he ventured, "You?"
"How's that going for you?" Cops loved marriage; so many
of them did it so often.
"Fine." Jairo grew defensive. "You gonna tell me that's
gonna change? Already got that from my smart-ass sergeant
first time I showed up for roll-call."
"It's hard," was all David said. "Marriage is a work in
"So you were married? She divorce you?"
David shrugged. He finally slipped the Rolex off and tucked
it back into his inner pocket, over his heart. It would be safer
there, away from nosy rookies. "It's complicated." Then he saw
Jairo had noticed the plain gold band he wore on his left ring
finger. The gold band Chris had given him following the first
year they had lived together. He closed his hands into fists, but
made no attempt to hide the thing. What was the use? He was
almost as notorious in the LAPD as Mark Fuhrman.
Jairo's disingenuous eyes widened. "You're the… you're
David saw something glitter on the ground at the entrance
to the crime scene, and crouched down to study it. It was a
bottle cap. Still, he signaled a photographer over to take a
picture. Sometimes the littlest things proved useful. Sometimes
they were just litter. All around them crime scene techs were
placing evidence flags, and doing their best to catch everything,
before the skies opened up. He was glad to see that the victim's
hands had been bagged, covering the ring he had seen earlier.
"You can say it, you know." David stood up and brushed debris
off his pants. "I'm the gay cop."
Jairo flushed and looked away. "Yes, sir."
Now what was that all about? Surely as soon as he knew
who his latest senior partner was going to be, Jairo would have
known all about David's sordid "secret." He would have found
all kinds of officers eager to share the scuttlebutt about who
he'd been saddled with. "That's Detective, Hernandez." David
was already beginning to miss Martinez, his partner of ten years.
He had been reassigned to South-Central, for the next six
months, to work a gang detail. They had forged a tight
partnership; a partnership that even David's abrupt outing over
four years ago had not disrupted. David wasn't looking forward
to breaking in the new kid, even if he was, as rumor also
claimed, top of his graduating class. Good grades, like good
looks, weren't everything.
He moved around to stand beside the grave again. A tarp
had been laid over the torn earth to protect against the coming
storm. He thought he could still see the outline of the arm. He
glanced sideways when a flash of lightning illuminated the dense
brush. He almost felt sorry for the boots who was going to have
to guard this site all night.
He turned back to face the grave and its nameless victim.
Jairo came up to stand beside him. David kept his eyes on the
tarp, ignoring the man beside him.
"I'll find him," he promised.


text:
Latest update : 2011-12-07
Europe: a new political divide
Will Europe be the deciding factor of the election in France? More Europe, less Europe, better Europe? The economic morass is forcing all the candidates for the Elysée to reassess their positions. In the meantime, the ruling conservative UMP party has once again decided to bring up the issue of immigration, through a series of declarations from their point-man on the issue, Interior Minister Claude Guéant.
On the set:
- Jean-Marc GONIN, Senior writer, Le Figaro Magazine
- Philip Turle, Journalist, RFI.


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Think customs such as the Hirohata Merc, the Polynesian or the Grecian don't belong on the stratified greens of a concours show, next to Duesenbergs and Isotta-Fraschinis? Then you're far from the minds of the planners of two top concours events this year.
The above customs will join several others September 18 on the lawn of the Glenmoor Country Club in Canton, Ohio, for the 11th annual Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles, which will celebrate the chopped, smoothed lead sleds through its theme of "Classics and Kustoms." To continue the Barris theme, George Barris will be on hand to sign autographs and talk with attendees.
And as has been published several times already, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will feature a custom class, filled with notables such as the 1936 Ford three-window coupe formerly owned by Jack Calori, a 1939 Ford convertible built by Harry Westergard and a 1938 Ford convertible built by Gil and Al Ayala. The Pebble Beach show will take place August 21.
(This post originally appeared in the July 28, 2005, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)


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MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — Leaders of Indiana's nonprofit groups are expressing concern about how they'll be affected if Washington can't reach an agreement to avert the looming tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff."
Middle-income taxpayers could pay thousands more in taxes starting in January if Congress doesn't extend the Bush-era tax cuts. That could cause donations to nonprofits to drop at a time when the organizations are still struggling to recover from the recession, The Star Press reported (http://tspne.ws/VJ2IXd ).
"I don't think any of us know what this means or what's going to happen and that's the scary part," said Susan Kemp, executive director of Bridges Community Services, a transitional housing program in Muncie. "I think we each need to call our congressmen, tell them to get off their duffs and start talking to each other. This could be a major problem not only for this agency, but for the community."
The "fiscal cliff" would bring tax increases that would affect every worker who pays federal income tax. It also would involve spending cuts that would begin to bite defense and domestic programs. Economists say the combination could cause the nation to slip back into a recession at a time when the economy is still fragile.
Teresa Clemmons, executive director of A Better Way, which helps victims of domestic violence in Delaware County, said any additional drops in funding could significantly impact the agency's programs.
"Most of our donors are middle-class supporters who provide us with smaller gifts that we really need," Clemmons said.
Agencies say it's difficult to prepare for the worst because it isn't clear which programs would be affected, and how quickly. But they are concerned that programs that help the most vulnerable residents could be impacted.
"We don't know how everything will work, but hurting the people who are struggling the most isn't the way to go," said Tim Kean, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana.
Nonprofits that rely on donations as well as federal assistance believe the rise in taxes will have an impact on everyone.
Kemp said she hopes a deal is worked out to avoid the cliff.
"This is too big of a problem to let happen. But we're preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. We're driving toward the cliff, we know that. This is a new, complex problem, but it needs to get fixed."


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We moved into our home about 7 months ago. We are on city water supply, and noticed a strange taste (best described as metallic & chlorine) in the water.
If you let the tap run for about 30 seconds, the water will taste better (but still not good). We also noticed that when we fill the bathtub, the water has a slight blueish/greenish tint. Having the water tested came back with possible corrosive water, due to the low PH, and first flush copper results.
The home is 20 yrs old, with copper pipe. Three people live in the house, and we have two bathrooms. On average we use 3900 gallons of water a month and our incoming flow is about 6.8 GPM.
We're looking for a system that will correct the low PH and will also make the water taste better. If there is any additional info you need, let me know.
Water test results:
Conductivity: 43.9
Alkalinity: < 4
Acidity: 16.2
Hardness: 8
Chloride: 8
Sulfate: 1
Nitrate + Nitrite: 09
Turbidity: 0.25
Saturation: -5.3 undersaturated
Copper (first flush): 0.14
Copper (after flushing): < 0.05
Arsenic: 0.010
Lead (first flush): 0.001
Lead (after flushing): < 0.001
Iron (total): < 0.05
Manganese (total): < 0.03
zinc: 0.09
Sodium: 0.8
Potassium: 2.1


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Nolan Arenado looking healthy but rusty with Sky Sox
COLORADO SPRINGS — The good news for Rockies fans is that through three Triple-A rehab games, Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado has shown no signs of lingering issues with the left middle finger he broke sliding into second base May 23 at Atlanta. The only hint you might have that he was injured at all is the bright protective brace he wears over his left hand when he gets on base.
The bad news, though, is that he looks like a guy who hasn't played since May 23.
Arenado, who hit .305 with six home runs in 49 games for the Rockies before his stint on the disabled list, went 1-for-5 with a single and a strikeout for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox Monday night. He's just 1-for-9 in his past two rehab games after going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in his first game with the club Saturday. Read more…


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Annette MacNiven of Wainscott recently placed third in her 50-to-54-year-old age group, and thus was one of seven Americans to mount the International Triathlon Union's podium in Extremadura, Spain, following the Olympic governing body's world championships, which comprised a .6-mile lake swim, a 12.4-mile mountain bicycle leg, and a 6K (3.7 miles) overland run.
MacNiven was among the first to the swim's start line but was "pushed out of the way by the Spaniards," one of whom wound up placing second to MacNiven's impossible-to-catch rival, Beverly Enslow of Metamora, Ill.
"She's my idol," MacNiven said of Enslow, whose husband is a bicycle mechanic with an international reputation. "When I saw her crying before the race began, I asked her, 'Are you happy . . . are you sad?' "
" 'No, no,' she said, 'I'm scared.' Well, I figured if Beverly was scared, I should be too. She said she was scared because of the pressure she felt being number one. When the race began — they started us in waves three minutes apart — she went from crying to flying! And I was left flailing and hyperventilating in her wake!"
As for swimming, MacNiven, who grew up in New Mexico, said that, in contrast to the East Hampton children she coaches at the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter, "I was never used to being among 40 kids swimming in two lanes. I'm a pretty good swimmer now, but I still get panic attacks."
MacNiven gave it her all on the bike leg, but was passed during the course of it by a Spaniard. As she went out on the run, her husband, Tom, said, "You can run her down — she's only two minutes ahead of you."
"But at that point," she said, "my calves were cramping. I was happy to finish third and to be one of 7 among the 60 Americans who made the podium."
Enslow's winning age-group time was 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 8 seconds. MacNiven's time was 2:30:33 (20:51 swim, 1:33 bike, and 33:32 run, with 3:10 spent in the transition area).
"The good news," the 53-year-old MacNiven said, "is that I'll be racing as a 54-year-old all next year in the 55-to-59 division. . . . Since you race the age you'll be on Dec. 31, and since my birthday is Dec. 31, it's as good as it gets. . . . But I'll never shake Beverly."
MacNiven has been competing in off-road races for the past 20 years, in recent years at a very high level.
That her eldest son, Casey, is a part-time bike mechanic in Austin, Tex., pleases her immensely. "I've got a pretty sweet bike made for me and ordered a year ago coming," she said. "I've asked him about getting the bigger 29-inch wheel that everybody's using. The traditional wheel is 26 inches, but everybody's rocking with these 29-inchers. But he told me [she's 5 feet 2 inches tall] I'm too small, that they haven't figured out the geometry yet. So, I guess I'll have to settle."


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Meridian police are advising residents to spend their tax refunds wisely! In coming weeks Meridian Municipal Court will sponsor its second Amnesty Day.
"Rather than locking folks up and them losing their job, or us having to pay a jail fee and people staying away from their families for a certain amount of time, we're giving them jail days that would be house arrest," says Assistant Chief Buck Roberts with the Meridian Police Department.
Here's how Amnesty Day will work:
1. People who owe fines can pay 60% of their fines on that day and get another 60 days to pay the balance.
2. If there is a warrant for a person's arrest for a misdemeanor offense, he or she can appear before a judge on that day and be sentenced to house arrest instead of actually going to jail.
"You'll pay 60%; the judge will sign you up for house arrest; you will not go to jail and once again, this is not a trick!" says Roberts. He also stresses that it's necessary for the defendants to appear in court in person.
"In order to get the 60% they have to be here. If their mother wants to come in and pay their fine off completely, if jail days are not involved, they can do that, but if jail days are involved and they want to get the 60%, they have to come in person."
Last year, more than $21,000 in fines was collected, and 82 jail days were converted to house arrest as part of Amnesty Day in Meridian. This year's Amnesty Day will be held March 8th from 9 AM until 4 PM in Meridian Municipal Court. Only cash, money orders or debit and credit cards will be accepted.


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Dear Editor,
Last week, I signed on as a co-sponsor of House Bill 997, which creates the Family and Personal Protection Act and would finally allow law-abiding residents the right to conceal and carry in Illinois. This legislation is long overdue.
The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to purchase, own and carry firearms without unreasonable government interference, and I believe that restricting these rights is a clear constitutional infringement.
As a lifelong gun owner, I grew up learning the responsibilities of owning a firearm. For many across our community, owning firearms is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation.
I have spoken with constituents across our district at local events, over the phone or as I continue to go door-to-door who have expressed support for this legislation and I am grateful for their support.
I am proud to sponsor this legislation and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to finally pass this long overdue legislation.


text: Saturday Sep 04, 2010 Sep 4, 2010 0 Facebook Tweet Email Read More VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS elicit77: Why do Jack In The Box tacos taste so good? Well, put enough MSG's into anything and it will taste good. Guaranteed. P.S. I drank your coffee. Sep 14, 2010 auren: no drinking my coffee!! booooo Sep 14, 2010


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SPARKS AND RENO, NV -- Several sandbag locations were set up in Reno and Sparks in anticipation of the weekend storm. There are places you can return those sandbags.
In Sparks, you can place the sandbags on the curb of the nearest city of Sparks street. But make sure the sandbags are not in any travel lanes, sidewalks or pallets. City of Sparks employees will be going around to the areas collecting sandbags until December 14th.
The city of Sparks asks you do NOT return the sandbags to the locations from which you got them.
In Reno, you can take the sandbags to The Governor's Bowl on Line Drive and 4th Street.
In Storey County, if you want to return sandbags, deliver them bags to the location that you received them from.
If you plan on keeping sandbags for future use, make sure they're protected from the elements. You can protect them by covering them or storing them inside.
Jurisdictions offering to take them back are doing so because the bags can be reused for future flood situations.


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A fire caused an estimated $35,000 in damages Monday afternoon in Morris.
It began in the engine compartment of a motor home, which was parked in a driveway on the 1700 block of Schubert Drive, and spread to the house.
The motor home sustained most of the damages.
According to Morris Fire Protection and Ambulance District Chief Tracey Steffes, the blaze caused $25,000 worth of damage to the motor home and $10,000 to the structure.
The on-shift duty crew quickly put out the fire and no assistance from other departments was required, Steffes said.


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Nimble Storage
CEO: Suresh Vasudevan
San Jose, Calif.-based Nimble Storage unveiled important partnerships with other vendors that take advantage of its flash-optimized hybrid storage solutions. The company in May unveiled the Nimble Storage SmartStack for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) leveraging Citrix XenDesktop running on Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS). The solution combines technologies the 3U Nimble Storage CS440G-X4, the Cisco UCS B-series blade server platform, Citrix XenDesktop 5.6, and VMware vSphere 5.0 update 1 to allow a simplified deployment of scalable high-performance VDI. Nimble also unveiled Nimble Storage SmartStack for Microsoft Windows Server and System Center reference architecture, which consists of a 3U Nimble Storage CS200 Series, the Cisco UCS C-series rack-mount server platform, Microsoft Windows Server 2012 with Hyper-V, and Microsoft System Center 2012. The company said the solution was validated in a Microsoft private cloud Fast Track reference architecture for 75 virtual machines.


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The 2014 Grammys Awards show teaches us 11 things
When Beyonce and Jay Z opened the 2014 Grammys, there were chills, shrieks, applause, standing ovations, shooting stars, and fireworks. Mr. and Mrs. Carter's performance was EVERYTHING.
The Grammys got our hopes up and then ... the rest of the show happened. If it weren't for coffee, we may have fallen asleep halfway through.
During a span of almost FOUR hours, we were taken on a ride that left us aching for Grammys of years past. Where was the energy this year? Where were the big current names?
Instead of jamming to performances from nominees like Justin Timberlake (who was a no-show) and Bruno Mars (maybe he's saving his voice for the Super Bowl), we got duets by Metallica and Lang Lang (we had to look him up), Sara Bareilles and Carole King (my nana's former favorite), and Robin Thicke and Chicago (it was ... weird).
When we got over the fact that we were let down continuously, we collected 10 things worth noting.
1. Pharrell Williams channels Smokey Bear
Thanks @Pharrell for a memorable #GRAMMYs night. Only you can prevent wildfires. http://t.co/o0OQ2rH4FQ @smokey_hat pic.twitter.com/HWTqbnuEU6— Smokey Bear (@smokey_bear) January 27, 2014
We hope he wears this hat to the Oscars. In case you missed it, he's nominated for original song for "Happy" from "Despicable Me 2".
2. Taylor Swift head-bangs during the wrong songs
Taylor Swift intense head bang #emo http://t.co/vJflchvvyE— BuzzFeed Celeb (@BuzzFeedCeleb) January 27, 2014
Did taylor swift break her neck? #GRAMMYs— Chris From Paramore (@Chris_Godinez) January 27, 2014
She should have saved it for Metallica's "One" collab with Lang Lang toward the end of the night, rather than doing all that (above) during "All Too Well."
3. Beyonce and Jay Z deserve the award for power couple of the millenium
Beyoncé & Jay Z at the 2014 GRAMMYs tonight. pic.twitter.com/XfqPsP4i0w— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@Bey_Legion) January 27, 2014
No one topped Bey and Jay, although Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar came close. Really, though, who can compete with those two?
4. Madonna wants to piss you off
Madonna reveals why she's wearing a grill on the #ERedCarpet: "it pisses everybody off." http://t.co/n82IF6zuqe pic.twitter.com/4apKszufxi— E! Online (@eonline) January 27, 2014
Because apparently that's what wearing grills (grillz, if you're Nelly) are supposed to do.
5. Lorde makes us feel bad about ourselves
Lorde has won 2 #grammys at 17 years old, and I'm over here like pic.twitter.com/l5135YrnD9— Female Pains (@FemalePains) January 27, 2014
When we were 17, we were submitting college essays and scooping ice cream. So there's that.
6. Robots really are taking over the world
Daft Punk takes home both Record of the Year and Album of the Year at the 2014 Grammy Awards. #DaftPunk #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/InnpJPMAU4— Festival Snob (@FestivalSnob) January 27, 2014
Daft Punk didn't need to talk to clean house at the Grammys -- Pharrell did that for them. The duo took home five awards, including album of the year and record of the year.
7. Mass weddings are really short
Here it is: #wedding #grammys #Macklemore #gay #lgbt #equalmarriage #equality http://t.co/rEnuY3RsDV— Alistair Powell (@AlistairPowell) January 27, 2014
In a matter of seconds, 33 couples were married by Queen Latifah during the middle of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's "Same Love," featuring Mary Lambert. Oh, and Madonna came out wearing cowboy gear at the end. And she sang.
8. Yoko Ono makes 80 seem doable
Yoko Ono dancing is the new Taylor Swift dancing #Grammys http://t.co/3KTbcR19vG— HuffPost Celebrity (@HuffPostCeleb) January 27, 2014
If this is what 80 years old looks like, we'll take it.
9. Katy Perry may have jinxed her relationship
Katy Perry catches a bouquet...John Mayer now drafting a break up letter #GRAMMYs— tonystarkradio (@tonystarkradio) January 27, 2014
The "Roar" singer caught one of the bouquets after the "Same Love" marriage ceremony. Should John Mayer run in the other direction?
10. Justin Timberlake is M.I.A.
It would've been an epic #Grammys show if Daft Punk removed their helmets to uncover that they're really Justin Timberlake & Jimmy Fallon.— jessica golaszewski (@jessiegola) January 27, 2014
He wasn't on the red carpet, he wasn't in a seat, and he definitely wasn't on stage when Jay Z accepted their award for best rap/sung collab ("Holy Grail"). He doesn't have a scheduled tour date until Feb. 7, so we have to ask, what's the deal, Justin?
11. Rock and rap belong together -- when done right
Only highlight of the Grammys. But man oh man. Imagine Dragons + Kendrick Lamar - 2014 Grammy Awards: http://t.co/nAhqpI7Oy2 via @youtube— Nate Johnson (@NateJohnson20) January 27, 2014
One of the few collaborations that left us pining for more came from nominees Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar. The pair combined "Radioactive" (Imagine Dragons) and "M.A.A.D City" (Kendrick Lamar) for one of the show's rare, fantastic moments.
Emily Wright can be reached at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @missemilywright.
About Sound Effects
ContributorsSarah Rodman is a staff music critic for the Boston Globe.
James Reed is a staff music critic for the Boston Globe.
Jonathan Perry is the Globe's Scene & Heard columnist, covering local music.
Michael Brodeur is the assistant arts editor for the Boston Globe, covering pop music, TV, and nightlife.
Julian Benbow is a staff writer at the Boston Globe, covering sports and music.
Katie McLeod is Boston.com's features editor.
Rachel Raczka is a producer for Lifestyle and Arts & Entertainment at Boston.com.
Emily Wright is an Arts & Entertainment producer at Boston.com.


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Yale Finishes Second, Defeats Harvard in 2009 Yuxi Fuxian Lake World Top University Rowing Challenge
Yunnan Province, China - Battling strong headwind conditions Yale finished second in the Grand Final as the strongest representative of the four western crews, including Harvard, invited to row head-to-head with the top university crews in China. Three China crews jumped out to early leads over Yale, but the Bulldogs pushed back into contention and only came up short of catching Peking University (Beijing) in the last 500 meters.
As the Yale crew stood on the awards platform with the oarsmen from Peking and Tsinghua, a few thousand spectators cheered the medalists. An overarching theme of the event, sportsmanship and friendship were in abundance as the top three crews exchanged hearty, Obama-style handshakes. The Yale oarsmen received a beautiful trophy for their efforts, a replica of a giant, 2,000-year-old statue of a bull and tiger unearthed in the region in the 1960's.
1st Beijing University 7:16.86
2nd Yale 7:20.70
3rd Tsinghua U. 7:24.69
4th Huanan Normal U. 7:25.36
5th Shanghai Jiaotong U. 7:27.64
6th U. of London 7:28.80
7th Harvard 7:54.99
8th Cambridge U. DNF


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The city's Ordinance Committee Tuesday will review a recently drafted ordinance that would set the speed limit to 25 mph for the entire length of Lakeshore Drive.
Currently the speed limit is set to 25 from South Main Street to 600 feet west of the center line intersection of Carousel Lane and set to 30 mph beyond that. Due to the road's proximity to a city park, Lagoon Park, the city has the authority to set the limit with an ordinance.
If adopted by the committee, the speed limit ordinance will go to a full council vote Sept. 4.
Committee will also continue discussions Tuesday on two controversial ordinances: the first to allow food trucks on public property and the second to prohibit pesticide use on all city-owned right of ways.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, at the Hurley Building, 205 Saltonstall St.


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(Update) Just one day to go before Barclays (BARC.L) unveils its strategic review and investors remain hopeful that chief executive Anthony Jenkins will effect real change at the bank while improving profitability.
Barclays edged over 3p or 1.1% higher after weekend reports that Jenkins plans to cut 2,000, or one in 10, jobs at its 'casino' investment banking division and close a controversial tax avoidance unit. The moves should save £2 billion.
Shares in the bank have advanced 15% so far this year and are up nearly 29% over one year.
With Hong Kong, China and Japan closed for the Lunar Holiday, a lack of overnight momentum saw the FTSE 100 start quietly but soon resumed its upward drive, rising 28 points or 0.4% to 6,291.
European markets were flat with the FTSE Eurofirst 300 virtually unchanged at 1,161.
Miners led the way in London after fresh evidence on Friday of China's recovering economy buoyed the commodity stocks. Evraz (EVRE.L) jumped 11.4p or 3.9% higher to 300p and Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC.L) gained 11.3p or 3% to 388.8p.
Tesco (TSCO.L) gained 6.4p or 1.7% to 369p after Exane BNP Paribas upgraded the supermarket group to 'neutral' from 'underperform'.
Chip designer Arm Holdings (ARM.L) slipped 2.3% or 21p to 897p to be the biggest faller on the FTSE 100, with portable power plant provider Aggreko (AGGK.L) off 1.5% or 24p at £15.64.
The pound edged back on currency markets trading 0.5% down at $1.5719 against the dollar while the euro gained 0.8% to nearly 85.2p to the single currency. The yen strengthened 0.6% to 93.2 to the dollar.
Gold weakened 0.3% to $1,662 an ounce.
Kofax on the 'naughty step'
Kofax (KFX.L) tumbled 12.7% or 40p to 279p after the provider of business process management solutions warned full-year results would be lower than expected. George O'Connor, technology analyst at Panmure, slashed his forecasts and downgraded the stock to 'hold' from 'buy'. He commented: 'Our scenario of Kofax being the "market turnaround for 2013" seems unnecessarily starry-eyed. The shares will remain on the naughty step at least until the final results and so for investors there is little reason to revisit for the next six months.'
Rolls Royce (RR.L) added 3p or 0.3% to 979p after winning a $97 million contract with the US Air Force.
Rio Tinto (RIO.L) edged 4p to £36.62 after an Australian regulator ruled it did not need to share its iron ore rail lines with rivals.
Essar Energy (ESSR.L) rose 5p or 3.5% to 146p after India's second largest private refiner reported firmer margins in the third quarter.
Monitise (MONI.L) firmed half a penny to 34.5p after the mobile payments systems provider launched in Indonesia and half-year results showed an increase in software revenues. However, there was no news on when it might break even.


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'Ride Along' Cruises at No. 1 at Box Office
The buddy comedy "Ride Along" stayed in first place over a box office weekend that seemed stuck in cruise control.
The Ice Cube-Kevin Hart movie from Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures saw ticket sales fall about 50% since its big $48.6 million debut last weekend, collecting $21.2 million for a cumulative $75.4 million.
The weekend's only new wide release, "I, Frankenstein" starring Aaron Eckhart, couldn't come to life, premiering in sixth place with an estimated $8.3 million. The movie was produced by Lakeshore Entertainment and distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
The paltry performance of "I, Frankenstein" left room for successful holdovers like Universal's "Lone Survivor," which stayed in second place with $12.6 million in its 5th week of release. The war movie starring Mark Wahlberg has collected $93.6 million so far. In 3rd place for the second week in a row, "The Nut Job" saw its two-week total rise to a healthy $40.2 million. A sequel to the animated comedy featuring the voices of Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph is scheduled for release in January 2016, studio Open Road Films announced this week.


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Snake River level of play rising, flooding into state!
By MARK HIGH
CHUBBUCK — Like the rising waters of the Snake River the Lady Panther softball team are starting to crest, reaching a high water mark so far on the 2011 season as they advanced to next weeks state tournament with a convincing 9-4 win over Teton on Saturday afternoon.
"The last few games that we've played we've been getting better and better and we are peaking at the right time," Snake River head coach Kay Martin said. "Hey, you know what? They get to go to state and what a reward for them for the year that they've had and with the way that the girls are hitting the ball and with the way that they are playing right now, anything is possible."
Snake River set the tone defensively in the bottom of the first inning when center fielder Macy Martin leapt up and snagged a what would have been a 2-run home run.
That type of strong defensive play continued throughout the afternoon as the Lady Panthers turned in a marvelous defensive performance in support of starting pitcher Alyssa Delaney.
Chelsee Allen also turned in a web gem when she ended a threat in the bottom of the fifth inning when she snared a screaming line drive and then doubled off the runner at first base.
"We have the talent and when we put it all together we are pretty tough to beat," coach Martin said. "My hats off to the girls, I'm proud of them, they played very well today."
Offensively, Snake River had 15 hits on the day with every member of the line up reaching base at OK Ward Park. Snake River scored all the runs that they needed in the top of the second inning. Taylor Herrick led off the frame by taking the first pitch that she was offered up and out of the yard with a solo home run and a 1-0 lead. That was the start of a 6 run outburst that witnessed the Lady Panthers sending 11 hitters to the plate. Shayla Jones, Macy Martin, Cassie Alberston, Chelsee Allen and Bailey Simper all had hits in the frame.
"The spark for us was when Taylor Herrick gets up there and hits a home run on the first pitch that she sees and that just kind of set the prescidence for us for the rest of the game," coach Martin said. "A six run inning on Teton, who are a good team, was just huge for us."
Teton was able to cut the score to 6-4 by the bottom of the sixth inning but Snake River was having none of that comeback nonsense on Saturday as they struck back for 3 runs in the top of the seventh inning, stealing away any momentum that the Teton dugout had gained.
Delaney then shut down the Teton line up 1-2-3 in the home half of the seventh inning, getting the final out via the strikeout, her seventh of the day as Snake River celebrated their state play in game win.
"Alyssa did a really good job of hitting her spots today and just pitched a heck of a ball game for us," coach Martin said. "These girls have battled and battled throughout the year to just get a good as they possibly can."
Snake River (10-10) will face Kimberly at OK Ward Park in the first round of the state tournament on Friday at high noon.
Snake River 060 000 3 - 9 15 2
Teton 000 103 0 - 4 5 5
Snake River hitters - Chelsey Martin 2-4 2B, Bailey Simper 3-5 2B, Chelsee Allen 2-4 2B, Taylor Herrick 1-4 HR, Cassie Albertson 3-4; pitching - Alyssa Delaney (W) 7IP 4R 2ER 5H 7K 1BB 2HP
Teton hitters - Mikian Dansie 1-3, Matalia Farmer 1-2, Lori Brewster 1-3, Shelby McCashful 2-3; pitching - Payton Larson (L) 7IP 9R 2ER 15H 1K OBB


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It was a nice morning on the Rhine — warm, hazy, a breeze. I remember it that way and have checked the weather records to make sure I'm not idealizing it after 67 years.
I was sweeping horse manure from a Bailey bridge that my outfit, the 1251st Combat Engineer Battalion, had built from Neuss to Dusseldorf. A major driving by in a jeep pulled up, leaned toward me across the passenger seat, and said before I could free my hand to salute him, "It's over, son."
I went numb. I'd been expecting it, but couldn't believe it.
"Going to celebrate?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. We've saved up some beer and schnapps."
He looked at me as if I were young for that and sat back up at the wheel. "Make sure you clear that horse shit first," he said.
In 1939, when World War II started, 47 rail and road bridges spanned the Rhine River in Germany. By March 1945, when we reached the river, 46 had been destroyed and the one still standing, at Remagen, was near collapse.
Hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers were across the river, fighting 100 miles and more to the east, needing supplies. The solution was a Bailey bridge, the brainstorm of Donald Bailey, a British tinkerer who invented a modular bridge supported by 570-pound, 10-foot-long steel panels that six men could hand carry and set into place without resorting to cranes or special tools. The bridge, about 900 feet long in my memory's eye, had short spans on either side, with the long central portion resting on pontoons.
We had the bridge up and operating around the clock in five days, whereupon I was sent to a pontoon with my rifle to shoot at explosives we were warned the Germans would float downstream at us. I shot up empty cartons, toys, rowboats, and corpses, which I poked aside and allowed to continue down the river, but no mines came. The Germans were giving up.
Behind me on the bridge's wood planks, supply trucks, tanks, jeeps, and command cars rolled eastward toward the front 22 hours a day. The other two hours, between 5 and 7 in the morning, Germans who had fled east from our advancing armies were returning — to what, they could not know. Every morning, whatever the weather, they came in droves, on foot, aboard carriages drawn by spent, whipped, desperate horses, on the backs of chugging trucks powered by charcoal from burning, stinking old wood. With them were possessions, often surreal and burdensome, they had fled with: rosewood china cupboards and dining tables, oak four-poster beds, even grand pianos — symbols of a culture that was perishing, borne back to homes that probably no longer existed, to share with family and friends that only perhaps were still alive.
The parade would stagger up the gravel incline on the west bank, some pausing to rest, but we forced them on. Back in April, a 5-year-old boy had graciously accepted a chocolate bar from a corporal from Kentucky, slipped off to eat it, and had a leg blown off by a German mine we had failed to clear. I heard it happen — the mine's pop, a pause hanging with horror, the mother's screams, the shouting for the ambulance that was always standing by.
I stayed on the pontoon, obeying orders. Anyway, there would be no time for sympathy. Back down the road, the tanks were waiting for the bank to clear.
It is commonly believed we don't talk much about our war experiences because we want to avoid reliving them or upsetting people. This is so, but there is another reason. We believe that no one who wasn't there can understand.
On our first day in basic training, a grizzled first sergeant lined us up under a cold Georgia sun and told us our first job was to forget everything we thought we knew about war, the Army, and ourselves. Now, I feel I must say much the same thing to people who ask me about my service in World War II. The prevailing version is myth. We were not fighting for peace and justice, but to survive and come home. We were not all angels of mercy or the Germans all hard-core killers. We were rarely brave and thought it a fluke when we were. The Army was not a well-oiled, efficient machine, but from top to bottom constantly making ridiculous mistakes.
The word "snafu," which started life as an acronym for "situation normal: all fucked up," was born in World War II. Snafus twice saved me from devastating combat. The first happened in January 1945 when the major commanding our battalion got lost and led us to orchards in Brittany rather than to battle in Belgium; the second a little afterward when higher headquarters couldn't locate us and sent the 1252nd into battle instead.
Do I feel guilty? I don't think I do. So much is chance. Dumb luck, good and bad. In June, after the war, I got a five-day pass to Paris. When I returned, a Polish boy we'd adopted ran up to me weeping and shouting, "Italiano kaput! Italiano kaput!" Johnny Cisco from Brooklyn, who'd taken over my guard duty when I was away, had been killed by a falling tree. He'd just been sitting there, on a low cement wall in front of our billets, his rifle and helmet beside him, and the tree, probably weakened by shrapnel, fell on him.
But beautiful things happened too, most of all our coming together with the Germans, as individuals. Allied bombing, much of it deliberate terror bombing, killed 500,000 German civilians. The Germans had tried it out at Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, saw the possibilities, and so followed it up at Warsaw, Rotterdam, and London. We upped the ante big and reduced 45 of Germany's 60 cities to rubble. In the Rhineland, some of our outfits leveled towns that didn't hang out white sheets fast enough.
I don't write this to denigrate us. It will happen again and again until we decide to solve differences without war. I was all for it at the time.
We expected them to hate us and we gloried and strutted at the prospect of our hating them. Once there it all changed.
There's a story that encapsulates the way we looked at things. It tells how Shelly Sanders (name changed to protect the lucky), a fellow private first class, from Pittsburgh, became the first G.I. in the 1251st to go home.
Shelly was 19, tall, intense, and awkward, as I was. Unlike me, he just had to have a German pistol for a souvenir. He bought a small-caliber Luger from a Polish D.P. (displaced person) who came by every week or so selling them and an ammunition load for five packs of Chesterfields, which we got for 3 cents a pack and sometimes for free.
Accompanied by his new toy, Shelly, a virgin, went off to lose his cherry to a girl named Ursula. After what, he was to tell me then, and repeat 50 years later, would ever remain the most wonderful experience of his life, he woke up beside her, reached languidly on the bedside table for his watch, and shot his hand.
Ursula was 17. As they made love, Shelly noticed she wore a locket with a picture of her husband, a German soldier who'd been killed in Russia. She got up, kissed him, cleaned and bandaged his wound, gave him a sausage and a knife to cut it, and sent him off to the nearest American hospital, where they put him in a ward among G.I.s wounded in battle.
A bit later, a major and a sergeant appeared with a clipboard and a bucket of Purple Hearts, the country's medal for warriors wounded in combat. They went from bed to bed, the sergeant recording each soldier's name, rank, serial number, and outfit while the major scooped out a medal, pinned it to the G.I.'s pajamas, saluted, told him his country would be forever grateful, and moved on to the next bed. I can picture Shelly to this day, his eager face with its striving, unauthorized mustache, grinning as he snapped off a return salute.
It was via this process that Shelly was awarded a Purple Heart, which was worth months in demobilization points and got him home way before the rest of us. No one in the battalion or among the battle-wounded men in his ward, to whom he confessed, blamed him for accepting the medal. On the contrary, they hatched a party for him before he left. The joke of the moment was that Shelly had been mentally unbalanced by bliss fatigue and so couldn't help shooting himself.
We couldn't stop laughing about the Army's dilemma. Owning up to the real action in which Shelly sustained his wound would expose the utter failure of the policy of nonfraternization with the Germans. They were assuring wives, mothers, and prohibitionists on the home front that the policy was strictly enforced, when it was being thoroughly and blithely violated. An example: Whenever our company sergeant delivered the official shun-the-Hun warning, the company clerk would be nearby, handing out condoms.
When you think about it, how else could it be? We knew Nazis were still around, fawning and hating, and we wanted them punished. We didn't forget the death camps or the massacre of G.I. prisoners at Malmedy. And we knew much of the German warmth and welcome was motivated by opportunism. We had food, they were starving. We had real coffee, theirs was ersatz. We had gasoline, tents, towels, booze, sulfa drugs, even toys and nylons, not to mention urban planners to get their water, trains, and electricity running again.
But something else essential to human survival was present in Neuss and the rest of Germany the U.S. then occupied. Its men and our women weren't there. Our men and their women were there, tired of hating, exhausted from it. Hated-out, aching to touch one another.
It was a lot better than revenge.
Dedicated to Dr. Rheba de Tornyay, whose daily letters during the war kept me going.
Richard Rosenthal lives in East Hampton.


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Public Comment
The stakes are high.
These issues matter to me and they should matter to you!
1. Voter Suppression
2. Women's Choice
3. Global Warming
4. Public Education and Student Loans
5. Decent Jobs at Livable Wages
6. Medicare and Medicaid
7. National Health Insurance
8. Campaign Finance Reform
9. Separation of Church and State
10. PBS and NPR
11. The Supreme Court and Federal Judges
12. Increasing Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness
13. Assault Weapons on the Street
14. Social Security
15. Consumer Protection
16. Immigration Reform
17. Preemptive War and National Security
18. Disaster Preparedness
19. Mal-distribution of Wealth
20. Fair and Progressive Tax Reform
21. Basic research in Science, Health and Technology
22. Renewable Energy and a Sustainable Environment
23. National Endowment for the Arts and The Humanities
24. Cronyism, Manipulation and Incompetence in Government
25. Infrastructure Development: Mass Transit, Energy Grid, Schools, Bridges, Roads, Airports
"After careful analysis of the issues listed above, one can safely conclude that Obama's positions are mainstream, moderate and reasonable; whereas Romney's positions are ideological, opportunistic and dangerously radical.... The choices are stark and the stakes are high. The consequences could be devastating." *
It is suggested that you forward this email to at least 20 family and friends, especially those living in battleground states. Ask them to forward these "25 Reasons..." to another 20 people and help get the word out. Eleven Battleground or Swing States: Colorado, Florida, Iowa,,Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin
*Excerpts from a recent article by Professor Arthur Blaustein who teaches Community and Economic Development and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.
Blaustein's latest book is DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT....
He was chairman of the National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity under Presidents Carter and Reagan; and served on the board of The National Endowment for the Humanities under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W.Bush.


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Iowa Valley Community College District officials met in a planning session in the new Tama Education Center at the South Tama Partnership Center, 215 W. 9th St. in Tama on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Taking part were (l-r) Mary McCann Fuchsen, adult literacy instructor, Yvonne Mallory, IVCCD?District 6 director, Jacque Goodman, vice chancellor of Continuing Education, Jennifer Wilson, Education and Training Center director, Chris Duree, Iowa Valley chancellor and Cindy Schulte, director of Governmental Affairs. Registration for students was underway on Tuesday, Sept. 3, with the center set to open on Monday, Sept. 9. A grand opening is planned in October.
Article Photos
News-Herald/John Speer


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- "Fighting for Time" (vol. 5, #4) - covers cavalry delaying actions early in campaign.
- "The Battle of Mansfield" (vol. 6, #2) - coauthored with Steve Bounds.
- "The Battle of Pleasant Hill" (current issue, vol. 8, #6) - coauthored with Steve Bounds.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Curtis Milbourn
As lamented in earlier posts, the battles of the 1864 Red River Campaign lack modern definitive treatments (or really book-length studies of any kind). Additionally, the several campaign survey books cover specific military events only briefly. The best work we are likely to get for the forseeable future are the articles written by Curtis Milbourn and published in North & South Magazine. The three published articles listed below are models of modern tactical CW military history writing and are highly recommended.
2 comments:
I finally got my North & South in the mail yesterday. I've browsed through the Pleasant Hill article and it looks like a good one. Is there any chance Milbourn might one day write a campaign study of the Red River Campaign with some tactical detail.
I asked him on the N&S yahoo board and he indicated it was a possibility but way too early in the process to make anything of it.ReplyDelete
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England were handed a massive boost ahead of their World Cup match against Italy after Gianluigi Buffon was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Buffon twisted his ankle during a training session at the Arena Amazonia on Friday.
And the Italian Football Federation confirmed the experienced goalkeeper would miss the match on Saturday.
"#Italy goalkeeper and captain #Buffon has been officially ruled out of #ENGITA due to an ankle injury," the Federation posted on its official Twitter feed.
Paris St Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu is expected to start the Group D clash against England in goal.
Sirigu was voted Ligue 1 goalkeeper of the year after a series of impressive displays for PSG.
But Buffon's hegemony over the Italy number one jersey means Sirigu has very limited international experience.
Sirigu has played eight times for Italy, but only one of those came in a competitive game - and that was four years ago, when his error allowed Estonia to score in a 2-1 win for the Azzurri.
Still, Buffon hopes Sirigu will be up to the task ahead of him in Manaus. The 140-cap goalkeeper tweeted: "Life is beautiful and I am still in debt to it. Missing one game or missing another World Cup isn't going to change that. "There are a lot of ways to be important even if you aren't on the field. So, come on Salvatore! Come on magic lads."
Source: PA


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Latest update : 2011-02-21
Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner in charge of International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid & Crisis Response
We speak with Kristalina Georgieva, the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid who allocates over one billion euro each year to countries that are affected by earthquakes, floods and conflicts. In this programme, we focus on the situation in Haiti, Yemen and Egypt.
Presented by:
Christophe Robeet (France24) and Sarah Elzas (RFI)
Prepared by:
Anastassia Metral and Soumaya Benaissa


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STOCKTON - A Stagg High School teacher sustained a laceration above his right eye from a student Tuesday afternoon, officials reported.
The man was trying to break up a fight in the school's library between two girls when one of the teens turned her aggression toward him, according to the Stockton Unified School District Police Department.
The girl was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of battery. Her name is not being released because she is a minor. The teacher was taken to a hospital as a precaution, said Jim West, chief of the Stockton Unified School District Police Department.
The cause of the fight is unknown, and no weapons were used, police said.
STOCKTON - Troy Lee Wilson, 67, has been identified by the San Joaquin County Coroner's Office as the man who died in a house fire Friday evening.
Wilson was unconscious by the front door of his home in the 1800 block of Anita Street when firefighters came into the burning, one-story house about 8 p.m. The fire appears to have started in a back room and was ignited by a cigarette, according to the Stockton Fire Department.
Officials say Wilson was likely disoriented by the smoke while trying to escape.
STOCKTON - A 46-year-old Stockton man died Tuesday morning after being run over by a semitruck, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The man, whose name has not been released, was on a bicycle riding east on Highway 26/Fremont Street when a 2009 Volvo stopped at the light near northbound Highway 99 in preparation to make a right turn.
The light for the trucker out of Rio Vista turned green, and he began to turn, police said.
The cyclist did not stop and fell under the truck's rear axle, according to authorities. The man died at the scene.
STOCKTON - Police arrested a parolee at large after a block search Tuesday afternoon.
Rithy Mam, 39, was found near Astor and Bedlow drives about 4:30 p.m., according to the Stockton Police Department. Officials say Mam ran after an officer approached him to ask about his potential involvement in an active investigation. Mam sustained minor lacerations and needed medical care prior to being booked into the San Joaquin County Jail, police said.
Police say Mam also could face charges for failing to register as a sex offender.


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COLUMBUS — Gas prices are down this week in Ohio.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas was $3.37 in Monday's survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. That's 15 cents lower than a week ago and the first time in three weeks that prices are down to start the work week.
Pump prices in Ohio are 11 cents lower than this time last month. Last year at this time, state drivers were paying even less — $3.23 a gallon.
Nationally, the average cost was about $3.39 per gallon on Monday. That's 11 cents higher than the national average at this time last year.
Find the lowest gas prices in Toledo at toledoblade.com/gas.


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I've been aware of Microformats for quite a while now but I never thought it would actually kick off. I was quite wary as to whether they would get implemented much in the future but it seems like they have taken off in a big way now.
It's a concept I'm considering toying with on our Intranet – we've built an internal contacts directory which could adopt these Standards and make life easier considering the vast majority of employees are using Outlook.
Cheers for the simple walkthru anyway Drew.


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Community Calendar
Bike For Peace
Bike for Peace, a Norwegian based organization that seeks to initiate and develop a grass root concern for the local environment, as well as creating an understanding of the national and global consequences of the actions of individuals, communities and campaigns, will be in Effingham on Monday, May 5. This group has organized a "round the world" bike tour that will take them all around the world, with a stop in Effingham. We are happy to announce a reception for them at 4:00 p. m. on Monday May 5th in the Effingham City Hall Chambers. We encourage you to save the date and look for additional details to follow. We hope you'll come out to support the group and our great community. You can find more information or follow their journey on their Facebook page: https://www. facebook. com/pages/BikeForPeace/195630593782513
If you have questions, please let us know. We'll be in contact as the date nears for additional details. Right now, we just ask that you mark the date on your calendar and stop by to meet the group who will have traveled a long way by time they reach Effingham. We would appreciate the media support.