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I loved to feed animals, swim in the pond or sit on the tractor fender watching the plow, the harrow or the planter work the rich soil. Wonderful, magical memories.
Fifty five years ago there were precious few "store bought" gadgets to compete with the creations of our childhood imaginations. Because we basically had nothing, we had to create our own fun.
The neighborhood gang in the middle l950's consisted of Bruce, Grant, Mary- Etta, and Dixie Barton… Malcolm, Momi, Jerry and Clynn L. Young… Myrna, Billy and John Gresko… Joel and Jerry Norton and me. My little brother (Stephen) got to tag along when he got old enough, but he burned down one of grandpa's haystacks one summer and I think he was blacklisted after that.
I am not sure how I got in with that crowd of mostly older kids (aside from being related to most of them) but because there were cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, cats, and dogs thrown into the mix, I was the happiest kid in the county.
From daylight to dark, anyone in the neighborhood who could break loose from their chores was welcome to join our perpetual "cowboy and Indian activities". That was the principle activity while the sun was up.
However, if we got tired of that we would go up to the town pond (where the baseball fields are now) and build a raft and swim in the muddy water. Or we would make flippers and hunt birds. Or we would work on the tree house. There were no televisions in Monticello in those days and the radio was so full of static that we knew nothing of the woes of the world.
All it took to be fully equipped to participate during the day was a stick with a shoelace or a string bridal tied around it to ride and a home-made wooden gun or bow and arrow. We took our "horses" seriously. We all tried to find the finest sticks and then we carved all kinds of equestrian magic into them, including little cloth saddles.
We chose sides for the battles. There were rules. In the end, when everyone was finally dead, we would all jump up, choose up sides again, and do battle again until hunger or the setting sun interrupted our fun.
When the sun went down, we would build a big fire and switch to "Kick-the-Can" or "Hide 'n' Seek". When we tired of that we would sit around the fire and tell ghost stories. It was a good life. We had basically nothing in the way of manufactured toys, but we were probably the happiest bunch of poor kids in the world… at least I was. I always thought that playing with older kids was more fun and I was honored to be included.
When we got hungry, we ran to Grandpa's orchard and ate apples, apricots and cherries until our tummies ached. We roasted whole potatoes in bonfires, peeled off the burned outsides and feasted. When the cows were milked we had all the milk we could drink. If we needed strawberries, raspberries, carrots, peas, or other fresh goodies, there were gardens in all directions.
From June until school started in September we lived in a world of our own making… with only our imaginations standing between us and our childish perfect world.
Contrast that world with the children of 2008. If a six-year-old disappeared for 30 minutes in most places today, parents would call 911 and would be frozen with fear.
Today's youth are so busy with their X-Box, I-Pods, computers, boom boxes and cell phones they have little time, or need, to invent their own fun. "Fun" today is having an earphone permanently planted in one ear and a cell phone glued to the other. Today's activities usually cost money (lots of it), and are often done alone.
Has technology robbed children of much of what was precious a generation or two ago? I am so grateful for the priceless memories of my first summers in the sun with a stick horse and a neighborhood full of kids who had little but their imaginations.
And that is why one of the items still on my life's "to-do" list is build a ranch with all manner of animals and acres on which to roam. A place where the sun can set and the moon can rise in silence broken only by coyotes at night and roosters in the morning.
For a few weeks each year perhaps my own grandchildren, great grandchildren and maybe some of your children can come to the Cougar Canyon Ranch and escape the noisy, dangerous, crowded cities where they now live.
And I hope some of them will discover the old fashioned magic of something as simple as a stick horse, a tree house or a late night session of "Kick-the-Can" around a roaring fire. firstname.lastname@example.com


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Rogue Trivia (Linux)
Also For
Critic Score
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
User Score
5 point score based on user ratings.
1001 Video GamesRogue appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Academic paperA sophisticated mainframe-Rogue-playing AI, the "Rog-o-matic" (A Belligerent Expert System), was the subject of an academic paper written by Michael Maudlin, Guy Jacobson, Andrew Appel and Leonard Hamey of Carnegie Mellon University and presented at the Fifth Biennial Conference of the Canadian Society for Computational Studies of Intelligence, London Ontario, May 16, 1984.
This paper can be read (and its behavior diagrams ogled) here.
Copy protectionThe commercial Rogue versions didn't fare too well, as lots of pirated copies existed. The later DOS versions were copy protected (starting at the latest with V1.48 published by Epyx), in an interesting way. You could actually play a pirated copy, but if you did, you suffered six times the normal damage from monster attacks -- which quickly ended an already pretty hard game, it was hard to even get to level two. On the tombstone, you could then read the evocative message:
Software Pirate
killed by
Copy Protection Mafia
DevelopmentRogue was first developed in 1980 on PLATO mainframes (first at Santa Cruz, then Berkeley), where it was extensively beta-tested by fellow Computing Science students. (Three months after moving to Berkeley, more compute cycles were used playing Rogue than running any other program.) The game's creators eventually calculated that their little diversion had used up approximately "a billion and a half dollars of compute time in Silicon Valley". Your taxpayer dollars at work!
Different versionsIn keeping with the game's U.C. Berkeley roots, a public domain version of it was distributed with version 4.2 of the university's popular flavour of Unix -- the Berkeley Standard Distribution, or BSD. This ended up ensuring an enduring fondness for the game among a wide and international fanbase.
In 2006, Donnie Russell released a version called ClassicRogue, which features a graphical title screen optional mouse control, and sound effects.
When Epyx re-released the DOS version of Rogue in 1985, the main addition was a graphical title screen. The developer of this version, Jon Lane, one of the original developers of Rogue, didn't seem to have liked it: In the source code, the function to display that image is called "epyx_yuck"...
ProgrammingWritten in a very early version of Lattice C (version 1.02, to be exact).
Information also contributed by FatherJack. General Error, and Pseudo_Intellectual.
Contributed by Trixter (9118) on Jul 01, 2000. [revised by : Alaka (64661) and CalaisianMindthief (8244)]. -- edit trivia

subset: commoncrawl


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|Boston Acoustics introduces the Lynnfield VR920 and Lynnfield VR 910 center channel loudspeakers
|Monday, 15 May 2000
Designed to compliment the Lynnfield VR Tower speakers, Boston Acoustics today introduced the new Lynnfield VR center channel loudspeakers. Featuring Boston Acoustics MagnaGuard which allows the speakers to safely be placed on top of TVs, the VR 920 and VR 910 are priced at $599.95 MSRP and $349.95 MSRP respectively.
Both speakers incorporate Boston Acoustics' 1 inch aluminum VR tweeter with Amplitude Modification Device (AMD). Attached to the back each tweeter is a die-cast aluminum heat sink to efficiently cool the speaker when operating at high power levels.
The 7 inch tall VR 920 is a three-way design featuring Boston Acoustics new 3 1/2-inch midrange driver that is vertically aligned with the VR tweeter. Two active 5 1/4 by 7 1/2-inch woofers provide bass down to 55Hz and allow a reduction in height without compromising performance. The VR920's rear mounted vents are smoothly flared at both ends to reduce port turbulence.
Slightly smaller at 6 inches tall, the VR910 is a three driver, two-way design housing the VR tweeter, one active 5 1/4-inch woofer and one 5 1/4-inch passive radiator.
The Lynnfield VR920 and VR910 are sold at Boston Acoustics' specialty retailers.


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Ginny Enright, 85, has lived in Chappaqua for the past 54 years.
Now, Enright is one of the first residents of Chappaqua Crossing Apartments. Her friend of over 50 years just moved in, too.
"I was ready to sell my house and not have the responsibilities and it seemed ideal to be able to come here, where I would be in the same town and be able to use the same facilities as I had been using," said Enright, who works at the Chappaqua Public Library. "It's a wonderful addition to the town."
Enright added that it's been "fun and exciting" to watch the progress taking place throughout the Chappaqua Crossing campus.
The historic former headquarters of international publisher Reader's Digest overlooks the Saw Mill River Parkway.
The mixed-use development includes office and medical spaces and soon will feature a retail village with shopping, restaurants, a Life Time Fitness, Whole Foods and other conveniences.
"With Whole Foods, I'm going to be over there everyday," Enright said.
On Thursday, June 7 as reported here by Daily Voice , New York State Homes and Community Renewal and Wilder Balter Partners announced the completion of the $21 million affordable housing project.
The Chappaqua Crossing development created 64 mixed-income apartments.
The development complements Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New Castle's $20 billion, five-year Housing Plan to make homes more accessible to all New Yorkers while combating homelessness.
State Sen. Terrence Murphy, R-Jefferson Valley, said, "Affordable housing is a highly valued and critically needed commodity in Westchester County. With its modern amenities, and features such as nearby restaurants, a theater, walking trails and convenient transportation, Chappaqua Crossing will provide hard-working families and seniors with a sense of community."
State Assemblyman David Buchwald, D-White Plains, said, "Redeveloping the iconic Reader's Digest building as homes for families is a terrific example of how we can build on the past while finding solutions to community needs. Chappaqua Crossing's affordable housing is an especially valuable component of this mixed-use development."
The decision to convert the original Reader's Digest's 680,000-square-foot headquarters from office to housing followed talks between the Town of New Castle, Chappaqua Crossing owner Felix Charney and developer William Balter.
Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.


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Is there really anyone out there that knows meat better than Pa LaFrieda? We think not. His grandfather started Pa LaFrieda Wholesale Meat Purveyors in 1922 and Pat currently runs this West Village joint that supplies the best meats to some of New York's top restaurants. The famous Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern? Yep, that's Pat's. The Spotted Pig burger? Yep, Pat! 5 Napkin Burger? Yep, Pat, again. What about Shake Shack? You guessed it! Pa LaFrieda is THE New York purveyor of incredible meat. And this weekend, he and his team will be at The Great GoogaMooga in Prospect Park serving a special cut for Googa goers. We'll let him explain:
What makes your event GREAT?
What makes what we're doing at Googamooga special is that it's not every day that you attend an outdoor food/music festival and get to see an 867-pound fully brined and rubbed prime black angus steer roasting for everyone to enjoy.
What will you be serving?
We will be serving the meat off the fully brined and roasted prime black angus steer. The steer will begin roasting at 8AM on Saturday at 200 degrees. The steer will roast for 30 hours and will be ready to serve come noon Sunday.
Best three words to describe why people should try it:
What are you personally looking forward to this weekend other than your own event?
I'm generally just excited to see the spotlight take its place on the incredible food, phenomenal chefs and delicious wines that will be present and participating in this weekend's festival. I'm also excited to see April Bloomfield give a nose-to-tail tour of a 200-pound pig!
We love saying "GoogaMooga!" Humor us--use it in a sentence… however you like.
… [silence]
The Great GoogaMooga is an "amusement park of food and drink" and live music going on this Saturday and Sunday in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Go on, get your Googa on!


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Looking out from the back door.
So I promised a crazy story. Remember my post a couple of weeks ago about the Walmart employee who was making comments about Camden and Rory? Well, I was at Walmart again on Monday (side note here: whatever possessed me to think I could go to the bank, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart in three different towns all in one big trip with a 2 and 5 year old in tow?). So, at Walmart again, and I actually saw that cashier and pulled out of her line! Well, I knew almost immediately that the new cashier was a goober. You know how you can just sometimes tell? The fact that he was practically hitting on the poor woman in front of me who not only had two small kids with her, but was about 16 months pregnant and was struggling with what groceries to put back because she didn't have enough money with her was my first clue. I mean, really, give her a break! So then it was our turn, and he was trying to talk to the kids and they didn't want anything to do with him. That's another clue, because Rory will pretty much smile or talk to anyone. So a few minutes into bagging the groceries, he turned to me and asked, "are they yours?" I realize many adoptive parents have gotten this question, but it was the first time for me. I answered yes and left it at that. He bagged a few more groceries, looked up, and said in a completely deadpan voice, "I guess I just don't see the resemblance." My blood pressure immediately shot up, but I replied that they were born in Korea in a fairly kind, but firm voice. What I really wanted to say was "seriously??"
I basically ignored him the rest of the shopping trip. Camden, was hanging out right at my elbow as usual (despite my insistence that he move). This is how he gets hit in the head with the canned grocieres on a fairly regular basis - he moves back up to my elbow while I've turned to pick up the groceries. I made him move back beside Rory, who was sitting in the cart, and told him to keep his hands to himself (because we all know how possessive Rory is of anything she's touching.). Of course, he doesn't listen and starts messing with the cart which leads to screams and whining from Rory. She is trying with all her might to pry Camden's fingers off the cart and completely ignoring my instructions to leave him alone. I finally reached over and tugged at the shoulder of her jacket. She looked over her shoulder, gave me a completely evil look, and proceeded to yell, "oooooowwwwwwww!" Can I just mention she has NEVER verbalized "ow" before! She then started fake sobbing and looking at me like I have just pinched the fire out of her, and for the record, I only tugged on her jacket!! It went on and on and on. I have a feeling that life with this drama queen is not going to be easy. We finally made it out to the car and she stopped fake crying after I threatened her within an inch of her life. As I tried to talk to her about how ugly it is to scream at Camden, she hooked her arm around my neck, leaned in and placed her cheek against mine and squeezed. Have I mentioned this is her new tactic when she's in trouble?
So, anyway, all that to say I may never shop at Walmart again! :)
Lauren Grier/Mikkel Paige: Please Refrigerate


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Blue Jays waiting on Burnett
The Toronto Blue Jays are in a holding pattern when it comes to negotiations with free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett. The club still hasn't made a formal offer to Burnett, preferring to wait to see what type of contracts it's up against.
It's believed that the Blue Jays are prepared to offer a four-year, $54 million deal for Burnett, but that's a deal that would easily be topped by the likes of the Yankees — one of the pitcher's suitors.
"We're going to let him go out and see what's out there," Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi was quoted as saying in Tuesday's Toronto Star. "That's what he wants to do – see what teams are interested, see what's available and, at that point, come back to us and see if we're even going to be in the ballpark."
Ricciardi add that, if the Jays fall short in their quest to re-sign Burnett, the team might not be in the mix for any other free-agent starters. Toronto had been rumored to have interest in Brad Penny, Ryan Dempster and Derek Lowe.
"No, I don't think there's anything out there that we can get involved in at this point that makes any sense for us," Ricciardi told the Star.
6 Comments
I'm beginning to come around on the idea that the Jays should re-tool this offseason as GS has been stating for a while now. Especially Since the Jays don't appear to be active in the trade market either.
What i'd like them to still try and do is dump Ryan and trade one of Overbay, Wells (as much as I like him) or Rios for something nice in return. It would be great if they can get a shortstop in return.
In 2010 the Jays will have Marcum back and that sets up for a pretty good rotation with Janssen having a full year under his belt and McGowan hopefully staying healthy.
At mininum and omitting any injuries they'll have
Halladay, McGowan, Marcum, Litch and Purcey, with at the very least Cecil knocking on the door.
I don't know about anyone else but I think Petrolia winning the mvp is a fixed vote. He did not deserve the award, in my opinion. He is a nice player but his numbers were ordinary. How long has it been since we've seen an mvp with only 83 rbi's and 17 hr.'s. It appears all the Boston lobbying on his behalf paid dividends, pathetic.
Sort of sounds, reading between the lines, from JB's post that if the Jays don't sign Burnett at a reasonable price, we will see a rebuild. Well, it appears the Yanks are going to offer AJ $80 million over 5 years. I for one think they're crazy to go 5 years with AJ turning 32 in January; but the Yanks can afford to pay him for that last two years if he crumbles. I am also somewhat surprised the offer only averages 16 mill per year. I get the feeling the Yanks believe AJ wants to play in Yankee stadium and be part of a winning team. Can't say as I blame him.
I for one, hope he signs with the Yanks. At that level of income, I do not believe it would be a prudent signing for the Jays, because I'm of the opinion unless Rogers is prepared to throw another 35 to 45 mill into the jar, we won't compete next year, even if we do sign him.
If I was JP, I'd be on the phone to Brian Cashman right now, trying to work out a deal to trade Wells, the Yanks are looking for an upgrade at CF and we can't afford Vernon Wells at 23 mill per year in 2010. We could probably get something in return from the Yanks who are hungry to win if we trade now., If we don't-mark my words-we will take a huge hit on Vernons contract and get nothing back.
I guess we have to re-tool if we want to compete in the future.Trade Wells,BJ,Overbay,Rolen,And I hate to say this Doooooo,,, Sorry can't say it,Forget AJ.if JP TRADES FOR GOOD PROSPECTS,Not POOR ones just to make a trade,We have some good players that can help other teams so we should get some good young players back.
If JP goes this route and does a good job you won't here me complain about him next year.
Now where is plus lol.
Garry-lol-I'll say it
Trade Ryan and Rolen next spring after they prove they're over injuries. Trade Wells, Overbay, Halliday, Downs, Barajas, Bautista, Scutaro and Macdonald now.
I can't see JP rebuilding at this point . He's got 1, 2 at the most, years left, and I'm sure he wants to take a last desperate attempt to make the playoffs. Problem is if he doesn't have enough money to spend on AJ, he probably doesn't have enough for Penny, Lowe or Dempster either (unless he can dump Ryan's salary maybe). And there are other gaps, like a power DH I'm sure he wants to explore also, to try to improve the team next year.
To be honest, with the young quality pitchers they have, the rotation might not be so bad next year. Consider this possibility: Halladay, McGowan (in April), Downs, Janssen, and Litsch (Purcey, Cecil, Mills?) might not be so bad. Question is which offense is going to show up next year: 07 version or 08 version? My guess is somewhere in between and that won't be enough (but will make for a fun season nonetheless).
I don't think Rogers is in the mood for rebuilding as long as attendance and ratings continue to be pretty good. Rogers more interested in plastering its logo everywhere and promoting its company via Jays, as it is in winning or even in making a few bucks profit off the actual club. If the Jays were to absolutely stink for a couple of years, I don't think that the Toronto fan base would support them very much. Less attendance and ratings means less visibility for Rogers. That being the case I think we will continue to see a similar budget structure and similar type of team being fielded year after year for some time. A team that has an outside shot, and that needs to catch some kind of lightning in a bottle to succeed in their division. And that lightning in a bottle – when things all come together at the same time, will happen. Question is, when, and will it be with this group?
you know ,maybe its time for baseball to have a salary cap!!its kinda rediculous that the yankees have so much to spend,i mean,theres 3 quality starters,and they could end up getting all 3,plus 1 or more of the big name hitters!doesn't seem fair!!


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The mission of the Disability Resource Center (DRC) is to ensure educational equity for students with disabilities. We provide assistance and information on issues of access to ensure the full participation of students with disabilities at Southern.
The University adheres to the letter as well as the spirit of key laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Southern continues to monitor and make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, procedures and facilities to accommodate students with disabilities who study, work or visit our campus.
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UPDATED with cooking time! Oops!!!
When I saw mushrooms marked down at the store…I took advantage…and I made this soup! That night.
I found (and slightly modified) the recipe in the Smuckers Family Favorite Recipes booklet.
Mushroom Barley Soup
Adapted from: Smuckers Family Favorite Recipes
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 50 minutes
- 2 Tbsp butter or margarine (I used dairy free)($.20)
- 1 small onion, chopped ($.20)
- 2 carrot stalks, peeled and diced ($.20)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
- About 8 oz. of mushrooms, chopped and sliced ($.99)
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups homemade chicken broth (free)(Substitute with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version!)
- 1 cup pearled barley ($.50)
- 2 tsp dried dill ($.25)
- 2 tsp fresh parsley ($.25)(wishing I'd made this earlier in the year with parsley from the garden!)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Sister Schubert's Dinner Rolls ($1) Used coupon when on sale!
- Butter and Jam ($.25)
**Throw in some leftover chicken or turkey into this soup!
- Add butter or margarine to large saucepan and let it melt. Saute the chopped onions, diced carrots and garlic. Once onions become opaque, add in the sliced and/or chopped mushrooms. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add water and broth and bring to a boil. Add the pearled barley, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. (Add cooked chicken or turkey here if you wish!). Reduce heat so the soup cooks at a rolling boil. Cook for 45 minutes, or until barley has cooked through. (Note: I used pearled barley, not quick cooking barley. Follow time directions on package if using quick cook barley!)
- Warm rolls as directed on package and serve with butter and jam.
- Serve Mushroom Barley Soup with Rolls and Jam.
Cost $3.94


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Analysis: Is IBM turning over key IC tech to China?
Keywords:IBM China plan? CMOS? semiconductor? foundry?
China's CSMC Technologies Corp. has signed an agreement with IBM, under which Big Blue will license its 0.18?m RF CMOS semiconductor technology to the specialty foundry vendor.
This is the second foundry licensing deal for IBM in China. In 2007, Chinese foundry provider Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. licensed IBM's 45nm bulk CMOS technology.
Meanwhile, under the terms with CSMC, IBM will transfer a variety of 0.18?m RF CMOS technology features and process elements as well as grant patent cross-licensing to CSMC.
The licenses are granted for use in CSMC's 200mm wafer fab in Wuxi. The 200mm wafer fab commenced production in 2009, with a planned installed capacity of 60,000 wafers per month.
"The licensing of high-performance RF advanced process platform complements our existing power analog process technology offerings," said Elvis Deng, president of CSMC, in a statement.
"The main application for the licensed technology is RF devices for receiving and transmitting RF signal of mobile phones, wireless routers and other high volume applications," he added. "The licenses will allow CSMC to maintain a major factor in the mainland China and overseas RF ICs open foundry markets."
Founded in 1997, CSMC is a pure-play specialty analog foundry. It provides processes at production technology nodes ranging from 3?m to 0.35?m. In 2008, it became a subsidiary of China Resources (Holdings) Company Ltd.
CSMC has two fabs, plus a joint venture facility. Fab 1 contains a clean room of 6,400 square meters and operates at a production capacity of 60,000 6-inch wafers per month.
Fab 2 has started initial production and is targeted for phase one production capacities in early 2010. Fab 2 contains a clean room space of 18,322 square meters and its targeted "phase one" capacity is 30,000 8-inch wafers per month by the first half of 2010. It has a "phase two" target capacity of 60,000 8-inch wafers per month by 2012, with the process technologies migrated to 0.11?m.
In 2008, CR Semiconductor Wafers & Chips Ltd (CSWC) joined CSMC's management and became CSMC Fab 5. Fab 5 is using 0.6?m capability for analog and digital circuit fabrication. Fab 5 currently contains a clean room of 3,000 square meters with production capacity of 30,000 6-inch wafers per month. The second phase clean room will be 3,000 square meters and the target production capacity will be doubled.


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Thievery Corporation
DJ Boy George
Didn't you know? Washington is the hotbed of the latest trend in dance music today, chillout. Its epicenter is the Eighteenth Street Lounge, an exclusive, unidentified club that draws straight hipsters and foreign diplomats' kids, located near the new Lizard Lounge in South Dupont. After Vienna (not Virginia), D.C. outpaces any other city in chillout, according to the Wall Street Journal. You'd barely know about D.C.'s preeminence, though, from recorded music, which more regularly comes from New York, London or Paris. At its worst, chillout is glorified easy listening, pretentious elevator music by John Tesh/Yanni imitators or producers of cinematic scores instead of songs.
"Chillout" is often slapped on any type of music with a steady, unassuming groove, the latest in a line of catchall dance music sub-genres. At its best, it's essentially mid-tempo, house-style music with strong influences from Africa, India, the Middle East and Latin America — basically World Music with a dance beat and, more often than not, English lyrics. Much of the music released on the Eighteenth Street Lounge Music label comes across as precisely the kind you'd expect to hear at your doctor's office and think nothing of. Many Eighteenth Street artists view themselves loftily as music educators bringing modern-day (smooth) jazz to new, DJ-centered audiences. Their often slow-paced, smooth-edged jazz can soothe you when you need that sort of thing (and when you need a break from Sade).
When it works, as it does on Thievery Corporation's latest, The Richest Man in Babylon, it also awes you with its deft incorporation of various musical influences — salsa, reggae, Arabic, Indian — and exotic musical instruments: sitar, conga drums, tablas. It's not always original. Nearly every melodic element of "Exilio (Exile)," for example, was copied from the 1997 Afro-Cuban All Stars CD. But it's always high concept and well-meaning.
Thievery Corporation is Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, who founded the Eighteenth Street Lounge. How you can tell the group is from Washington? It wears its politics on its album sleeves. The 34-page, bound booklet that accompanies the CD contains captivating black and white images, mostly of peoples in the midst of regional or national struggles. These, as well as the songs ("Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes," "Omid (Hope)," "The Outernationalist") seem intended to comfort and spiritually nourish human rights activists after a long day of principled activism, and maybe to inspire the rest of us to take action. The title track and the barbed lyrics of "The State of the Union," in particular, seem aimed at complacent Americans to wake up and smell injustice. The credits refer to its recording site, D.C., as the "heart of Babylon." They don't mean that as a compliment.
Boy George's London location manifests itself in his international ensemble of songs on A Night In with Boy George: A Chillout Mix, which often calls to mind the glorious Britpop of the Boy's Culture Club days. Too bad he doesn't actually sing or offer any of his own songs here. But that's the worst that can be said. The Boy is quite the superb DJ, and this diverse collection presents psychedelic touches straight from Austin Powers' Britain (Jadell's "Stick It To Em"), early hip hop with a Jamaican flavor (Mr. Live's winsome "The Good Life"), and propulsive Indian pop taken right off the wonderful "Monsoon Wedding" soundtrack (Mychael Danna's "Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa"). Even throaty-voiced Neil Diamond's influence can be heard to surprisingly good effect (El Hula's "Augustine"). In short, a remarkable collection that you never grow tired of hearing, certainly more so than A Night Out with Boy George, released a few months prior. And far more so than other similar chillout mix CDs of recent vintage.
DJ Dan
DJ Escape
Crystal Waters never got the attention she deserved with "Come On Down," last year's fun-filled song based on the over-the-top The Price Is Right game show theme. Waters, the Howard University grad who had a string of playful, catchy dance songs in the 1990s ("100 Percent Pure Love," "Gypsy Woman," "SayÂ…If You Feel Alright"), has a scratchy, robust alto voice that spreads charm over often cheesy yet inspired and always likeable melodies. Now she's back again with "Enough," a song that isn't cheesy and in every way is pleasing. "It's never enough" though, since you'll be lucky to hear it anywhere, and not just because of her label's obviously poor publicity machine.
Strictly Rhythm, Waters' current label, shut down three weeks ago, taking the artist and her yet-to-be-released single with it — along with Ultra Nate, Reina, Abigail, Duane Harden, Andrea Brown and others. Meanwhile, Strictly Rhythm's Groovilicious Music division had just released DJ Escape's Party Music 2003 — four months ahead of the calendar. Did they anticipate foreclosure? Truth is, this was to be part one of two, with the second for release in February. The CD is a typical collection of hit dance songs, of which we've seen several good ones lately from various labels. This is the best of the bunch.
"I Feel So Fine" by K.M.C. featuring Dhany is just one aptly titled standout here. The beautiful, intensely affecting song offers remarkable contrasts: sad, minor-key melody and bass juxtaposed by happy, trance-ish keyboard elements, and dispassionate vocals spouting ecstatic, flirtatious lyrics. Other hightlights include "The More I Love You," "Something" and "Safe from Harm." So from Strictly Rhythm, this is "The Sound of Goodbye." As Perpetual Dreamer tells it in this, another great moody track on the CD, "it's louder than any drumbeat."
Strictly Rhythm was the rare label that spent quality time producing mix CDs, bucking the common practice of simply piling up tracks we've heard too many times before, or, worse, tracks we'd never want to hear in the first place. Clearly the behavior appeals to some, since we wouldn't encounter these CDs if they didn't sell. How else to account for the popularity of DJ Dan, for example?
Dan's latest mix CD, Round Trip, is a departure from his usual house music funkiness, but then again this elliptical DJ has never been one for much melody. On Round Trip, he throws tracks together that are characterized by little else than repetitious noise, all in an attempt to emulate travel — "trains, planes, subway" to be exact, with all kinds of technical gimmicks and other disturbances (car horns, weed whackers, shrill blips and pings).
The first CD ends with a screech and a halt, as this train rolls into the station. But our journey is only half over, with a full second CD to go. We wanted off this train even before the woman's screams of Player's "Rub On Your Titties." You can hear your standards dropping as the annoying, uncontrolled laughing from the hyper girl in Czar & Ito's "Soiree" on CD two actually turns amusing. Nothing progresses quickly with DJ Dan's Movers and Co., and we're already in quite a stupor by the time Tony Thomas tries to stir us with the incessantly monotonous "Big Stepper." It hardly makes you want to step out and make a move. Except to turn it off.
DJ Tony Moran
DJ David DePino
Most benefit dance CDs are nothing but fast-paced noise dumped into 70-minute dustbins. Oh sure, it's for a good cause, but it's not usually clear how much of each purchase will be donated. And with thousands of CDs competing for your dollars, it seems more lucrative to donate money directly to the intended charitable recipients.
But record labels churn them out anyway, for feel-good effect. Hotlanta benefits Atlanta AIDS organizations — presumably. Proceeds from other CDs in Centaur's Party Groove collections have gone to charity, but Hotlanta doesn't actually say it benefits charity, only that the Hotlanta River Expo circuit party does. Regardless, Hotlanta isn't up to the standard Tony Moran set for himself with his first full mix CD, Global Groove: House, making him the toast of the summer. And while we might have hoped this new CD would make him the toast of fall, it instead marks a fall from grace. A battle between two songs kicks off the CD, "Summer Drummer vs. Love Is in The Music." I don't know who wins, but we lose, since two weak songs don't add up to one winner.
Smack dab in the middle is one of the only songs worth our time, the happy "Let's Get Together" by Regeneration. Produced by Moran, this number features a soothing serenade from a songstress who confidently hums her way through much of it, to our delight.
Another new CD, Dance for Life, benefits the music industry's AIDS efforts. Yes, the same benevolent music industry that has shown such compassion to its consumers by thwarting every demand-driven effort to change wants us to give it more money so it can be charitable. Well…here at least the independent dance label West End Records makes a compelling case, for this is a joy through and through — and all proceeds go to LIFEbeat, the music charity.
Right from the start, we're on higher ground with this ebullient collection, mixed by pioneering house music DJ David DePino. "Thank You (Power of Love)" is nothing less than inspirational, with its vocal calls and organ-riff responses. The beat doesn't drop for a solid three minutes, or more than halfway into the song, but we don't miss it. This is classic-style house, all churchy, happy soul that makes you want to shout "Amen" with every shift in your seat and kick of your feet, as you let Marty Thomas's refreshing, silky vocals wash over you. Newcomer Thomas, who also blesses us here with "Resurrect Me (Lift Me Up)," sounds older than his 22 years and his warm tenor comes out sounding both male and female in blissful harmony. His chief distinction is defeating Britney (yes, her) as StarSearch's Junior Vocalist Champion 10 years ago. She may now have the fame, but he's got the glory, and the pipes for both.
The year's most uproarious song has got to be "Another Man." It's remixed by Junior Vasquez, but the story and its delivery is what sells it. Singer Barbara Mason tells a familiar tale of her cheatin' man in an unfamiliar way: "I had gone out one day and bought me a vurry, VUR-ry sexy dress and opened up my closet and [it] had disappeared. Lord I hope the man isn't wearin' myÂ…" "Uh, child," interrupts the chorus. She continues, "In my case what I thought I had was not a whole entire man but a facsimile thereof. He wasn't a clone or nuthin, ya know." Yeah we know. "Another man is lovin' mine." Hmm-hmm-hmm. Ain't that just the story of our vurry, VUR-ry gay lives.
Mary J. Blige
Amber is covered only by strategically placed tufts of hair on Naked. But it's not just her amber-hewed skin that's exposed. Amber's voice has never been more upfront, and neither has her songwriting ability. While Naked is her third album, it's the first where she's wielded total control. As enjoyable as her past hits were, we wish her control had begun long ago. Naked is a remarkable accomplishment, a mark of true talent — though the album isn't perfect.
All the sophisticated fixings of the album's first song, "Yes," don't add up to a coherently satisfying single. Her second hit, "The Need to Be Naked," works far more in her favor, though the real meaning behind the lyrics will be lost on casual listeners. Amber is without question a first-rate writer of pop melodies, but she's also probably too lyrically provocative for the mainstream. She talks a lot about sex, about being naked, about dirty thoughts, but she often uses the provocation just to get your attention; it's a ruse to talk about human frailties, about revealing our true selves and being honest, about stripping down to our emotional core.
In addition to her sophistications, Naked shows off some of Amber's blemishes, almost all of which appear when she slows down and relaxes her pace. "You're Sent From Heaven" features carried-away screeches from a broken-winged angel stranded on barren-desert beats. Her cheating husband is causing her much distress in "Dirty Thoughts," but our distress comes from her head-scratching metaphor: "Here I am on a raft on a black waterfall of dirty thoughts." Her mother actually wrote the fetching fast-dance "Heavenly Proximity." Momma obviously loves to dance, though it's mostly dance-by-numbers.
Mother also co-wrote with her daughter an ode to Amber's son, "The Smile of My Child." It's a stunning departure from anything we've ever heard from the artist. Her voice has always been distinctive but disguised by forceful beats, suggesting weak Madonna pipes. But one listen to this cabaret-styled song and we realize she has a second career all lined up as a Kennedy Center chanteuse. Then there's the other standout here, "Sex & The City." Harkening back to that warm feeling Pet Shop Boys gave us with "New York City Boy," this is perhaps Amber's most satisfying song to date. And remember the Boys' joyous "Absolutely Fabulous," written for the BBC series? Amber emulates them again, though there's no guarantee the HBO series will pick up the song (which is why she wrote it un-commissioned). It'll probably only be a hit if they do, since it sounds like a commercial otherwise. But that push could just be the post-"Sexual" boost Amber needs. Come on Carrie, this is Amber's night.
And considered briefly: Is "No More Drama" Thunderpuss's best remix? No. It was a phenomenal song to begin with; it's just the duo's best remix this year. Is Dance for Me Mary J. Blige's best album? No. She puts out consistently good discs. But it is unique, and we've waited far too long for it, a full acknowledgement from Blige of her fans out on the dance floor. Is this the best dance album of the year? No. It does include amazing tracks, including the high-tide "Your Child," whose violent waves helpfully washed up all the others here. (No surprise it's from trendsetter Junior Vasquez.) But it also includes a couple pallid remixes — fortunately, everything isn't "Everything." Is there anything more that needs to be said?


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I've seen/participated in work chat threads on misc. other forums so I figured WFC needed one too. Despite the fact that WFC doesn't see alot activity nowadays, I still frequent this forum daily.
Bored at work and want to melt some time away? You've come to the right place.
Chat it up WFC fam.


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| name=Ithilien
| name=Ithilien
| pronun=
| pronun=
| othernames=
| othernames=
| location=Between [[Anduin]] and [[Ephel Dúath]]
| location=Between [[Anduin]] and [[Ephel Dúath]]
| capital=[[Minas Morgul|Minas Ithil]] (before {{TA|2002}})
[[Emyn Arnen]] ([[Fourth Age]])
| capital=[[Minas Morgul|Minas Ithil]] (before {{TA|2002}})
[[Emyn Arnen]] ([[Fourth Age]])
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| govern2=[[Stewards of Gondor]]
| govern2=[[Stewards of Gondor]]
| govern3=[[Prince of Ithilien]]
| govern3=[[Prince of Ithilien]]
| currency=
| currency=
| holiday=
| holiday=
Revision as of 00:29, 27 April 2018
This article or section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality.
|General information
|Other names
|Land of the Moon
|Between Anduin and Ephel Dúath
|Minas Ithil (before T.A. 2002)
Emyn Arnen (Fourth Age)
|Major towns
|Henneth Annûn
|North and South
|Gondorians, Rangers of Ithilien, Elves from Mirkwood
|Westron, Gondor Sindarin
|King of Gondor, later Kings of the Reunited Kingdom
Stewards of Gondor
Prince of Ithilien
Ithilien (S, pron. [iˈθiljen]) was a region and fiefdom of Gondor.
Historians in Gondor believed that, in the First Age, the Woses reached the region and were the first to cross the Anduin (probably near Cair Andros).[1]
Old records preserved in Gondor indicate that the name Arnen was once used for the larger part of the region during the Second Age.[2]
When Elendil and his sons founded the Realms in Exile, Ithilien took its name after his son, Isildur. Of old its chief city was Minas Ithil, the Tower of the Moon. It was briefly captured by Sauron in S.A. 3429 but was restored. Ithilien was a fair and prosperous land during the Second Age and the first part of the Third Age, when Gondor was strong and Mordor deserted.
In T.A. 541 Easterlings invaded northern Ithilien and King Rómendacil I was killed .[3]
Amon Dîn was used as a fortified outpost of Minas Tirith keeping watch over the passage into North Ithilien from Dagorlad and any attempt by enemies to cross the Anduin near Cair Andros.[4][5] The Tower of Cirith Ungol was also defending Ithilien from attacks from Sauron's remaining servants and stopped them from returning to Mordor, guarding the high pass over the Ephel Dúath. Gondor occupied the fortress until T.A. 1636 when the Great Plague killed large parts of the population. During the plague most of the people of Osgiliath fled the city for the western dales or the woods of Ithilien.
After the disastrous Battle of the Plains in T.A. 1856, Ithilien was the only land east of the river Anduin to be occupied as the others were abandoned.
In T.A. 1899, Marhwini warned King Calimehtar that the Wainriders were plotting to raid Calenardhon over the Undeeps. Calimehtar therefore provoked the Wainriders out of Ithilien, and his horsemen, joined by a large éored led by Marhwini, drove the Wainriders back.[4]
In T.A. 1944, Wainriders from Rhûn made an alliance with the Haradrim, and a dual attack on Ithilien was launched. While the Wainriders assaulted Ithilien from the north, the armies of the Haradrim crossed the Poros and invaded South Ithilien. The Gondorian Captain Eärnil leading Gondor's inferior Southern Army, defeated the Haradrim, and then turned north, took the Wainriders into surprise and pushed many of them into the swamplands of the Dead Marshes.
When Minas Ithil was captured by Mordor in T.A. 2002 it was renamed Minas Morgul, the Tower of Black Sorcery. During the Watchful Peace the lords of Morgul had secretly bred the Uruk-hai, and in T.A. 2475 these creatures assailed and overran Ithilien, captured Osgiliath and destroyed the great stone-bridge.
Boromir defeated the host of Morgul and regained Ithilien. However, from that time on no people dwelt in that region, and for Gondor there was never full peace again until after the defeat of Sauron.[6]
In T.A. 2885, Ithilien was invaded in great strength, King Folcwine of Rohan fulfilled the Oath of Eorl and sent many men to Gondor. With their aid Steward Túrin II won a victory at the crossings of Poros, though the princes Fastred and Folcred were slain.[3]
The majority of the people of Ithilien fled across the Anduin to escape war (T.A. 2901)[3], but the Stewards of Gondor still kept scouts there, operating out of secret locations such as Henneth Annûn. Those who stayed fled to regions such as Lossarnach when Mount Doom erupted in T.A. 2954. Steward Ecthelion II constructed the Rammas Echor as part of the now necessary defenses of Gondor.[7]
The descendants of the people who had dwelt in Ithilien, formed the corps of the Rangers of Ithilien.
War of the Ring and later
During the War of the Ring, in early March T.A. 3019, Faramir the son of the Steward Denethor, was leading the Rangers of Ithilien to ambush Haradrim who would pass through Ithilien. That same time, Gollum led Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee through Ithilien on their way to Cirith Ungol and into Mordor, and Faramir allowed them to continue when he was satisfied they were not agents of Sauron.
When the Host of the West marched on the Morannon, Mablung and his troops discovered an ambush by Orcs and Easterlings that lay hid in Ithilien. The ambush was quickly turned.[8]
During the Fourth Age, Ithilien was ruled by the Princes of Ithilien, a line that started with Faramir and Éowyn, who became known as the White Lady of Ithilien. Minas Morgul was not repopulated, and Faramir had his throne in Emyn Arnen. After the fall of Sauron, Legolas brought elves from Greenwood, and they dwelt in Ithilien, and once again it became the fairest country in all the westlands.[9]
Ithilien was the only part of Gondor on the eastern side of the Anduin, wedged in between the river and the Ephel Dúath. The northern border must have been around the Dead Marshes and its southern border was the river Poros. The region was further divided into North and South Ithilien (the division was made at or near the Cross-roads).
Irises, Anemones, Eglantine, lilies, water-lilies and Asphodel grew in Ithilien[10]. Lebethron[11] and Culumalda grew especially in the woods around the Field of Cormallen.[12][13]
|By Ardamir. (Help; more articles)
Ithilien is a Sindarin name meaning "land of the moon".[14] It has been suggested that the name consists of the elements Ithil ("moon") + the affix end.[15]
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Drúedain"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor" (edited by Carl F. Hostetter), in Vinyar Tengwar, Number 42, July 2001, p. 17
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan"
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 510
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", "The Stewards"
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 546
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Black Gate Opens"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "Journey to the Cross-Roads"
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, pp. 625-6 (citing from the Unfinished index)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names" (entry for mal-)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 233
- ↑ Compound Sindarin Names in Middle-earth at Tolkiendil.com (accessed 20 July 2011)


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KELO TV: Student Internship Enriched by Life Experiences
For the last six years, Augustana student Kendra Gottsleben has been getting enzyme treatments at Sanford Children's once a week. She's been given so much by the nurses and staff there, and now she says she's finally able to give back.
New Tennis Complex Will Serve Augustana, Community
Augustana President Rob Oliver and Athletic Director Bill Gross today announced plans to build a new tennis complex on campus that will serve the College and the community.
Norwegian Landscapes in Retrospect Exhibit
A photograph exhibit showing the landscape changes in Norway in the 19th and 20th centuries is on display at Augustana College. The exhibit, located in the Morrison Commons Siverson Lounge, is free and open to the public.
Alumna Named President of Wyoming State Board of Nursing
Questioning certain decisions made by the board led Jennifer Zettl ('93) to apply for an open position in 2007. That same spirit of questioning everything is one of the reasons Zettl was elected board president earlier this month.
Augustana Booster Organization Gets New Name
Changing the name of its athletic fund-raising organization is the latest development in Augustana's renewed institutional commitment to NCAA Division II.
Food Drive, Program Honors King and Obama
"From I Have a Dream to Yes we Can" is the theme of a weekend celebration at Augustana honoring the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama.
Band, Wind Ensemble Tour Features Soloist Dr. John Pennington
Dr. John Pennington, professor of percussion at Augustana, is the featured soloist with the Augustana Band and Wind Ensemble during the group's January Interim Tour through South Dakota and Colorado.
Argus Leader: Augustana Alum to Speak at B'nai B'rith
Mel Antonen, an Augustana '79 alum, will be the guest speaker at the 43rd annual B'nai B'rith Sportsman of Year Banquet. Antonen has been at USA Today for 22 years, primarily covering baseball.
Enrollment VP Gives Advice to Families on KELO TV
Private colleges everywhere are closely watching the numbers, to see just how the economy is impacting enrollment and enrollments nationwide are down. At Augustana College in Sioux Falls, the story's a little different.
Press & Dakotan: Augustana Senior Selected for NASA Student Ambassadors Program
Dan Johnson, an Augustana College senior, has been selected among 43 "NASA Student Ambassadors" nationwide. He will promote astronomy and NASA activities in 2009, the 400th anniversary of Galileo's discoveries with the telescope.


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Join the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and receive a subscription to JCSM with your membership
Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) is a rare sleep disorder characterized by periodic hypersomnia and various degrees of cognitive and behavioral disturbance, hyperphagia, and hypersexuality. Effective treatment is challenging. Stimulants marginally address sleepiness, but may increase irritability and do not improve cognitive and behavioral disturbances. Modafinil may shorten the symptomatic period but not the recurrence rate. Lithium and carbamazepine are beneficial in some cases, possibly related to similarities between KLS and affective disorders. Currently, no single medication is consistently successful in treating the syndrome. Here we report the short-term effect of clarithromycin in a patient with KLS.
Rezvanian E; Watson NF. Kleine-Levin syndrome treated with clarithromycin. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(11):1211-1212.
Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS) is a rare sleep disorder of unknown cause characterized by repetitive, intermittent cycles of extreme sleepiness, and cognitive/behavioral disturbances including confusion, feelings of unreality, aggressiveness, and hypersexuality. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the predominant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain with well-known effects on sleep/wake cycle regulation. The GABAA receptor is the site where sleep-inducing drugs such as diazepam have their effects, and recent research suggests GABAA receptor antagonists may be useful in the treatment of hypersomnia.1 We sought to learn if clarithromycin, an antibiotic with GABAA receptor antagonistic properties, would be beneficial in the treatment of KLS.
We report a 23-year-old female with KLS beginning at 10 years of age. Her diagnosis was consistent with ICSD-2 criteria and based on recurrent symptoms of hypersomnia, hypersexuality, irritability, and child-like behavior with a dreamlike state.2 KLS episode triggers included alcohol, upper respiratory infections, and general anesthesia. She slept 14 to 18 h/night during hypersomnia episodes, which could last from weeks to months. She typically had headache, nausea, and vomiting at episode onset. MRI perfusion showed episode related reductions in thalamic perfusion.3 Episode length and duration were variable, but over time they had decreased in severity allowing performance of some of her daily life functions. Between episodes her sleep duration was approximately 9 h/night with normal mood and activity levels. She had no comorbid illness and took no regular medications. She had tried a number of medications for KLS, including prazosin, acetazolamide, methylphenidate, and liothyronine, all of which were discontinued due to either side effects or ineffectiveness. In the midst of a recent episode she had been started on clarithromycin 500 mg every 12 hours. She was on no other medications at that time. Within 24 h, her sleepiness had improved and sleep duration had decreased from 14-18 h to 5-8 h per night. She was able to complete her school work and resume her pre-KLS episode exercise regimen. Episode-related behavioral changes also improved, but mild cognitive issues persisted. Table 1 provides sleep diary information with subjective sleep hours and activities while being treated with clarithromycin. She experienced no side effects on the medication. Over ensuing weeks her sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and ability to perform academically and physically slowly deteriorated back to pre-treatment levels. She ultimately discontinued clarithromycin after 29 days of use due to ineffectiveness.
Subjective sleep hours and activities while treated with clarithromycin
(more ...)
We report a case of KLS with an initial clinical response to clarithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic best known for inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis, but also functioning as a GABAA receptor antagonist. This latter functionality led us to use this treatment in our KLS patient.
Excitatory monoamines are either increased4 or within normal limits in the CSF of KLS patients,5 explaining the limited effectiveness of stimulants, which increase CSF monoamines, in treating this syndrome. This lack of monoaminergic involvement suggests a pathogenesis rooted in naturally occurring excess GABAergic signaling. Recent work suggests the presence of as yet undefined positive allosteric modulators of the GABAA receptor in hypersomnia patients, potentiating the effect of GABA on the receptor and enhancing GABAergic signaling.1
We observed a short-term beneficial effect of clarithromycin that dissipated over time. The time-limited effect of this medication has a number of potential explanations. Clarithromycin penetrates extra-cerebral tissue well, but reaches sufficient CSF concentration only in the presence of meningeal inflammation due to high molecular mass and affinity for P-glycoprotein.6 Viral and autoimmune causative factors have been suggested in KLS, based on the frequent report of flu-like meningeal symptoms such as headache, photophobia, confusion, altered consciousness, irritability, and drowsiness during episodes, and a significant association with DQB1*02.7,8 Meningeal inflammation that fades over time could influence CSF penetration of clarithromycin and dissipate its effectiveness. This notion supports the hypothesis of viral or post-infectious autoimmune meningoencephalitis as a cause of KLS.7 This dissipation effect may also explain why CSF is typically non-inflammatory in KLS,8 as this would be dependent on CSF sampling in relation to disease course. Another potential explanation is that undefined KLS-related CSF somnogens may act at sites in addition to the GABAA receptor.
In conclusion, this report shows a short-term beneficial effect of clarithromycin in KLS. The time-limited nature of the effect limits the practical usefulness of this medication, but it implies a role of the GABAA receptor in KLS pathophysiology. This finding suggests other medications that readily cross the blood brain barrier and act at this receptor, such as flumazenil,1 may have utility in KLS. This case also suggests the possible presence of meningeal inflammation during syndromic episodes. Further research demonstrating meningeal inflammation or disease-related CSF somnogens is needed.
This was not an industry supported study. The authors have indicated no financial conflicts of interest.
Rye DB, Bliwise DL, Parker K, et al., authors. Modulation of vigilance in the primary hypersomnias by endogenous enhancement of GABAA receptors. Sci Transl Med. 2012;4:161ra151. [PubMed]
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. International classification of sleep disorders, 2nd edition: Diagnostic and coding manual. 2005. Westchester, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Billings ME, Watson NF, Keogh B, authors. Dynamic fMRI Changes in Kleine-Levin Syndrome. Sleep Med. 2011;5:532.
Koerber RK, Torkelson R, Haven G, Donaldson J, Cohen SM, Case M, authors. Increased cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in Kleine-Levin syndrome. Neurology. 1984;34:1597–600. [PubMed]
Landtblom AM, Dige N, Schwerdt K, Safstrom P, Granerus G, authors. A Case of Kleine-Levin syndrome examined with SPECT and neuropsychological testing. Acta Neurol Scand. 2002;105:318–21. [PubMed]
Periti P, Mazzei T, Mini E, et al., authors. Clinical pharmacokinetic properties of the macrolide antibiotics. Effects of age and various pathophysiological states(part II). Clin Pharmacokinet. 1989;16:261–82. [PubMed]
Dauvilliers Y, Mayer G, Lecendreux M, et al., authors. Kleine-Levin syndrome: an autoimmune hypothesis based on clinical and genetic analyses. Neurology. 2002;59:1739–45. [PubMed]
Arnulf I, Lin L, Gadoth N, et al., authors. Kleine-Levin syndrome: a systematic study of 108 patients. Ann Neurol. 2008;63:482–93. [PubMed]


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Story highlights
- A 2-year-old male elephant pins a Sydney zookeeper against a post
- The zookeeper was initially in critical condition, but has been upgraded to stable
- The elephant herd -- including the young male -- are continuing their daily activities
A zookeeper was in stable condition at a Sydney hospital Saturday, a day after she was crushed by a young male elephant during a training session.
Lucy Melo, 40, is recovering in Royal North Shore Hospital -- her condition apparently steady, the Taronga Zoo said in a statement.
"We're all relieved to hear Lucy's condition remains stable, and we're continuing to provide support for her family and fellow keepers, while we continue our programs for the whole herd," said zoo director Cameron Kerr.
The 2-year-old elephant -- known as Pathi Harn, which means miracle in Thai -- pinned Melo to a post around 11:30 a.m., according to the zoo. Two other zookeepers at a nearby stall came over, got the animal off Melo and called for an ambulance.
The Sydney zoo launched an investigation, but as of Saturday it was unclear why Pathi Harn "challenged" the zookeeper.
That young elephant and the rest of the herd are "calm and well and in the elephant paddock as usual," according to Taronga. These pachyderms, in fact, are going about life as usual -- including normal daily activities.
An Asian elephant, Pathi Harn showed no signs of his life while his mother was in labor for eight days before his birth -- alive and well -- at 3:27 a.m. on March 10, 2010, according to Taronga's website. Weighing in at 116 kilograms (255 pounds) at birth, he grew to 506 kilograms by his first birthday.
The zoo's website describes him as a "very happy calf who is always looking for attention." "Playful and inquisitive," Pathi Harn is often found "sparring and wrestling" with Luk Chai, a 3-year-old elephant at the zoo.


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Christos Marafatsos & Kosta Dionisopoulos
Founders and Owners / Delta Produce
Ages: 25
Delta Produce began in the room next to cofounder Dionisopoulos' bedroom. He and Marafatsos operated their produce company from his house for eight months before moving into a warehouse in Washington, D.C.
"We were looking for a profit that people rely on, something that fuels our economy," Dionisopoulos says. "People eat every day, three times a day. So we wanted to get into the business of distribution."
Delta Produce's market advantage is that it is sustainable and fresh, and comes with free marketing. The partners create a strong social media presence for all their clients, advertising their deals and restaurant openings on Twitter and Facebook.
Local businesses in the Washington, D.C., area have caught on to Delta Produce's mission. Clients include Burger King, the White House, the Department of State, and the Department of Justice.
Founders / Nom Nom Food Truck
Age: 25 & 27
Chen and Green are ahead of the curve in the food truck contest. At 25 and 27 years old, these recent UCLA graduates have already competed on the Food Network's The Next Great Food Truck Race (they came in second) and have customers lining up for blocks to try their Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches.
The women started Nom Nom truck when they realized Los Angeles was lacking in Vietnamese cuisine. "We wanted to bring authentic Banh Mi sandwiches to a larger demographic," Green says.
To save money, they originally rented their truck to save on overhead costs. Additionally, none of their revenue goes into costly marketing measures.
"All of our marketing is very organic. It either comes from social media or word of mouth," Chen says. These social media efforts have served them well. Their Twitter handle, @NomNomTruck, has accrued more than 24,000 followers since 2009.
The company has even brought out their maternal instincts. "We consider our trucks our babies," Chen says. "Right now we have three babies and we're watching them grow."
Owner / Iorio's Gelateria
Age: 23
A Michigan native, Lemmer grew up visiting her grandparents on the East Coast. They emigrated from Italy and brought with them a delicious recipe for Italian water ice.
Lemmer says she would go home and ask for water ice in Michigan, only to be told by her parents that it was not available there. "They'd say, 'Well, if you want it here, you're going to have to bring it here,'" she says.
That was the genesis of Iorio's [ee-or-ee-ohs]. Lemmer skipped her junior prom to travel northeast and research Italian water ice and frozen carts. She came back and started a catering service at 15, serving water ice at private parties, music festivals, and art fairs.
Demand grew to the point that Lemmer decided to open a store in Lansing, Michigan. There was just one problem: "Italian water ice is a very summery, hot weather kind of treat," she says.
To make the business sustainable all year long, Lemmer added gelato to the concept, and Iorio's Gelateria was born. A second store opened in Ann Arbor last year, attracting the adventurous culinary college crowd at the University of Michigan.
As a young leader, Lemmer hopes to empower people. "My goal is to help everyone do their jobs better, so that I'm not the necessary ingredient to make it work," she says.
Digital Marketing Specialist / Tavistock Restaurants
Age: 22
Chen calls social media instinctive for Generation Y.
"You already know what it means to go update your status, to retweet someone, or to tag a photo, but the real challenge is knowing how to tie that to your business objective," she says.
It's a challenge Chen is up for. Her job at Tavistock Restaurants, whose portfolio includes Freebirds World Burrito, is to brainstorm social media strategy and handle customer relationships.
One example is Freebirds' Fanatics loyalty program. "Our restaurants, they're really loud, there's rock 'n' roll music blaring, it can be really intimidating to some people," Chen says. "So we want to get people in there three times so they really understand the brand and grow to love it from there."
She created a system that rewards loyalty card registrants with food, enticing them with free drinks, chips, and burritos so they would visit. Her plan worked. Fanatics registrants increased five-fold during the first days of the revamped program.
Chen says social media is especially important and useful for new and growing chains. "If you start that early on, you set that standard for the guest to communicate with you in this way, and they'll see that you're an open brand that cares about them and their opinion," she says.
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A teen assassin, "serious" Will Ferrell, sexual drama, a ton of re-issues, and Al Pacino's enduring gangster classic round out a post-Labor Weekend selection of home viewing pleasures. Note our refusal to make a "Hanna [Tony] Montana" joke here. You're welcome.
Saoirse Ronan and Eric Bana star in one of the best action flicks of the year. Ronan plays a 16 year-old trained by her father to be a lethal assassin. Imagine a less cuddly "The Professional." Read our theatrical review and watch the trailer.
Everything Must Go
Will Ferrell dusts off his "actor" pants for this adaptation of a Raymond Carver story about a relapsed alcoholic who tries to turn lemons (his wife boots him, littering the lawn with all of his possessions) into lemonade (a yard sale!). Read our theatrical review and watch the trailer
Last Night
A painfully attractive cast (Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, er, Griffin Dunne) star in this drama about fidelity, infidelity, and all that other messy boy-girl stuff. Read our theatrical review and watch the trailer
The movie that MTV's "Cribs" owes its life to arrives on Blu-ray for the first time in a handsome, limited edition steel case. It comes packed with collectible art cards and even a copy of the 1932 "Scarface" movie starring Paul Muni. Say good night to the bad guy in hi-def. Check out Al Pacino's thoughts on the "Scarface" legacy
40 Days and 40 Nights
New to Blu-ray, this quirky comedy is notable for two thing: Its young, hip, internet-savvy San Francisco setting was dated five minutes before the movie opened, and it stars Josh Hartnett and Shannyn Sossamon, making it the equivalent of the Pacino/De Niro scene in "Heat" only instead of acting legends coming together it features the two people Hollywood desperately tried to make famous but couldn't. Consider it a social artifact. Watch the trailer
Straw Dogs
Just in time for the remake to come along and make the rapists "sexy," the original 1971 "Straw Dogs" starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George arrives on Blu-ray. We're betting the new one doesn't have a fraction of the uncomfortable punch of Sam Peckinpah's controversial original. Watch the trailer


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Ouch, you're lying on my hair
__By Valerie Frankel__Woody Allen once said sex and humor don't mix. Apologies to Mr. Allen, but sex and comedy most definitely do go together. It's damn near impossible to wrench them apart. For starters, just look at the penis. The shiny bald head, the squat shape, the way it jerks around like a puppet on a string. How did the first sentient chimp-woman hybrid keep from snickering at the sight of it? When my 8-year-old daughter saw a penis for the first time (Graham Chapman's in Monty Python's Life of Brian), she turned to my husband and me and asked, "Is that what it really looks like?" We told her it was. And then she burst into a great guffaw of little girl laughter.
Think of the funniest sound in the world. A fart? A burp? Slurp? Squish? Plop? If you don't make at least three of those noises during sex, you're not doing it right. How about the silliest positions you could get yourself into? Ankles around your ears? One leg sticking straight up like a cat? On your palms and rear in the air like a camel? Now you see my point: Sex is universally the stuff of comedy.
Like everyone else, I started out with fairy tale notions of what sex should be: two people with clean, trim, hairless bodies (in soft focus, of course) moving with the fluidity and flexibility of Olympic gymnasts. I clung to this vision for years, inevitably feeling a crushing disappointment when sex turned out to be badly lit, sweaty, stubbly and fumbling, complete with feet caught in the sheets, wet spots, flying boobs, goose bumps, stomach flab and the humble homeliness that is pubic hair. Take the afternoon I lost my virginity. My deflowerer took me to his uncle's house in a neighboring town; his uncle was away and we'd have privacy, he assured me. We went out back to the pool—our plan was to do it on the lawn so as not to leave evidence on the patio. We'd only just begun when the uncle, plus his wife and their two kids, arrived home unexpectedly to find us in flagrante delicto (like you didn't see that coming). The uncle hurled accusations at us as I scurried around, clumps of grass in my hair, hunting for my shorts in a juniper bush. "I'm not a slut," I said in my own defense. "I'm an honor student!"
Things didn't get much better once I was out of school and living in the adult world. As long as I clung to my romantic vision of sex, I wasn't doing much laughing. Where was the soft focus? I wondered. Where were the simultaneous orgasms? Where were my solo orgasms, for that matter?
Once, in my early 20s, I went to see a friend's band at a New York City club that no longer exists. I met a guy there who bought me many drinks, which I greedily accepted. The band was two hours late. By the time it hit the stage, I was hammered, dancing frenetically and starting to feel green around the gills. I told the guy I needed air, which he thought was code for "a screw in the back stairwell." We started making out there, until I warned him that I felt a teeny, tiny bit sick. He told me to relax and unbuttoned my jeans. When his hands pressed against my exposed belly, I returned every drink he had bought me in a colorful, explosive arc onto his shirt, pants and combat boots. I still remember the stuff trickling gently down the stairwell wall like drops of rain. That was the end of that.
Even my first honeymoon lacked all conventional sense of romance. My then-husband, Glenn, and I were on an Alaskan cruise, and we'd brought along some massage oil as a special treat. It was apple scented and thick. I rubbed a ton of it on him and began what I intended to be the erotic massage to end all erotic massages. About three minutes in, he asked, "Is it supposed to tingle?" I said, "I don't know," and continued. A minute later, he asked, "Is it supposed to burn?" and I noticed that his skin felt hot under my hands. He jumped in the tiny cabin shower, barely tall enough for him, and washed off what he could. He started to break out in hives everywhere, and we had to rush to the infirmary and wake up the ship's doctor to get Benadryl. Glenn recovered in a day, but he was scented-oil phobic forever after. Turned out, for him, it had been the erotic massage to end all erotic massages. As for me, it is entirely possible that I was born to be sexually accident-prone.
Eventually, thanks to a rutting dog-man of a lover, I realized that the fantasy of picture-perfect sex did not mesh with the grunting honesty of colliding genitals. This guy wasn't satisfied until we were both covered in fluids, our hair tangled, the covers on the floor. He made snuffling sounds and offered an endless stream of coarse commentary. I couldn't help but laugh at how unashamed he was of his swinging balls; I even appreciated it. Once I accepted the squalid, seamy, earthy reality of sex, it suddenly got a lot more fun—and funny. The revelation was like being hit over the head with a rubber chicken. Satisfying sex should never look like a Hollywood movie, unless it's one starring Will Ferrell.
Most men I know figured this out long before I did. Take farting in bed, which, I concede, is embarrassing. You have a choice there: Either cry about it or laugh. Guys will laugh every bit as hard at the hundredth fart as they will at the first. They have no hang-ups about being the ridiculous human animals that we are. Perhaps their acceptance of bodies as gassy, lumpy, leaky amusement parks is why men have orgasms as easily as they say, "Pull my finger." Men know they're imperfect. They embrace their imperfections. Any guy would be pig-in-mud happy to do the goofiest, stupidest thing in bed, as long as it felt good.
I've come to feel the same way, which is why my now husband, Steve, and I are a sexual match made in Catskills heaven. We tend to conduct ourselves with a certain abandon that makes us forget where the edge of the bed is or that a shower curtain isn't weight bearing. I've pulled leg muscles, sprained my neck, nearly dislocated my jaw. My husband has bloodied his eyebrow, twisted his knee and bent his glasses. We've broken lamps, a lawn chair, the towel holder in the bathroom. I've had splinters in my elbows. He's endured bruises and bug bites. We've both had rashes, chafed skin, cramps and carpet burns.
Neither of us intends to harm the other, or ourselves. We're not into bondage or S&M. The most outré we get is light spanking, and even that we do with affection and witty mockery. Apologies to sadists and masochists everywhere, but I don't see how pain wormed its way into pleasure. I suppose if you really are a very bad boy and need to be punished, fine, then bend over and take the paddling you deserve. But my husband is a well-mannered grown man. He deserves kisses and clenches. If, during a position change, my elbow happens to fly directly into his nose, the Pow! is an accident of passion. And I feel much worse about it than he does. You might not be able to tell from the tittering, but really I do.
Just this week, we started kissing in the hallway—hot, steamy, with blazing intensity. In an energetic fit of passion, Steve picked me up, threw me down on the bed and lay on top of me, pinning me beneath him. If I were writing a sex scene, I'd describe how I then exposed my vulnerable throat for his delectation, swooning and writhing beneath him, already eager, urgent for the dizzying, shattering release of long-built-up tension. What actually happened was when Steve lifted me in his arms, his back gave out. Throwing me down on the bed? It was more of a drop. His release of long-built-up tension? It arrived a day later, under the ministrations of a chiropractor.
Even worse, at a friend's party one night, where we both drank too much to compensate for the fact that we didn't know anyone, I friskily pushed my game husband into the powder room and knelt in front of him. The crunch of my kneecap on the tile floor should have been a warning. But I was feeling no pain (yet). I reached for his belt and started to unzip. I tried a super sexy move of pressing my cheek to his bulge, only to ensnare my hair in the zipper of his jeans. The disentanglement took forever—longer than the blow job would have, had we ever gotten to it. I eventually had to yank out a clump of my snarled curls to free myself. By the time we left the bathroom, a line had formed. Each smirking person assumed we'd begrudged his inalienable right to bladder relief for our own selfish pleasure. The next day, I hobbled to the hair salon for bangs that took months to grow out.
One of my fondest romantic memories is of an evening we spent in the Bahamas a few winters ago, when my intrepid husband and I took off from our hotel after dinner in search of a deserted strip of beach. The moonlight bathed us softly. The waves lapped. We started going at it. Before long, a rock was digging into my back, and my husband's knees were shredded on the sand. Beach fleas savagely attacked. Still, we completed the act on principle. Then we tried to clean off in the ocean, wading into the water in the darkness, stepping on broken shells that cut our feet. Sexually speaking, it was OK. The recollection, however, of the two of us limping back into the resort lobby, feet oozing, limbs covered in sand, clothes wet and torn, flea-bite welts surfacing, busboys and guests staring as if we'd just been resurrected from a shipwreck, always makes me laugh. It's a shared treasure from our past, a sexy, funny home movie of the mind that, whenever we replay it, bonds us more deeply than if we'd had some majestic, music-swelling From Here to Eternity moment. Because when it comes right down to it, nothing is quite as life affirming as reaching a rousing climax while accidentally head butting the man you love. When our bodies find each other, I don't care that I'm not trim, hairless or gymnast flexible. I don't care if I'm seen from my best angle—and, God knows, neither does Steve. The ultimate secret of our unique chemistry: Much as we love sex, we love to laugh even more. We are real (clumsy) people, having real (sloppy) sex and very real romance together.
Quite possibly, we'll die in some bizarre sexual mishap. Given the options, it's not such a bad way to go.
My not-so-kinky sex life
__By MP Dunleavey__Let me tell you about the time I met a guy, fell in love and decided to pretend that I was kinkier than I was.
I am not the kinky type. I have been fighting my earnest, Ivory Girl, Laura Ingalls, braids-on-the-prairie aura my whole life. Plus, I was born and raised Irish Catholic. I'm not sure if that means there is a chromosomal predisposition to be somewhat sexually guilt ridden or if 2,000 years of church doctrine (Sexual pleasure, bad! Virgin birth, good!) can't help but seep into your psyche.
Despite these hurdles, the ace up my little calico sleeve was always this: I love sex. It has always come naturally to me, pun intended. I've often wondered if Irish people are really horny but are forced to repress it—or if the repression makes us all secretly more horny. In any case, although it has been a struggle for me to achieve a modicum of cool in other areas—even a thin veneer for social emergencies—I've always been confident in my abilities in bed. I may not be much of a risk taker (in college, it was always pot yes, coke no), but I've never shied away from sexual adventure. I did it on top of a mountain once. Very rocky. I don't recommend it.
So the one thing I was counting on as I got older was that my innate friskiness and sexual confidence would continue to shine even as the sun went down on my 30s. But when I found myself single again at age 36, after a devastating breakup followed by a cross-country move (always a rotten combination), I suddenly felt as if I'd fallen out of step, sexually speaking. One night, a friend happened to mention that he'd been spanked by two women at a party (at an art museum, no less); another described her decision to leave a different gathering, "you know, before the orgy started." And the one I'll never forget: I was hanging out with a few friends at an Indian restaurant, sharing plates of curry, when one woman announced that her new beau had just introduced her to nipple clamps. "It was kind of fun," she said with a giggle. I tried not to gag on my lamb korma, as I imagined cold steel on my most tender parts. I wanted to ask her if they hurt—but of course, that would be the point of clamping one's nipples, wouldn't it?—so I decided to keep my questions (was I the only one who had any?) to myself.
Clearly, I was missing something. I didn't want to spank or be spanked, clamp or be clamped. Or pee on anybody, if that's what was next. I was really looking forward to getting laid again (soon, I hoped), but these conversations left me uneasy. I read them like tea leaves, as portents of unsettling changes afoot. I'd never thought of sex in terms of trends, but I detected a hipper-than-thou air floating about these discussions, the same sort of tone people fall into when describing their kitchen remodeling projects: "Well, we decided to go with slate for the floor and Sicilian marble for the counters; the contractor said we'd love that lived-in bistro look."
I have nothing against kink (or Sicilian marble, for that matter). But the idea that sex wasn't simply for fun anymore, that there was now some cachet attached to whether you frequented nightclubs with names like The Vault or used a butt plug—now that was irritating. Suddenly there I was again, the good girl, the not-quite-cool girl, squeamish about the idea of donning a harness or handcuffs. I know I sound neurotic, but when I got home after that Indian dinner, I felt compelled to tally up my slightly off-the-beaten-path sexual experiences. The list, as it turns out, was depressingly short:
- Drugs and sex—limited
- Blindfolds—once or twice
- Whips—never
- Chains, ropes, handcuffs—nope
- Porn—a little, but you know, the production values are terrible.
- Hot wax—only accidentally, while moving a lit candle from the dinner table to the bedroom—which did not inspire me to try it on purpose, ever.
My sexual prowess had always been the one thing, my secret thing, that I believed kept me from being a dork. Now that small corner of my confidence felt threatened. (Hey, it was a vulnerable time in my life, and there's nothing like self-doubt to screw up your inner compass.) For many reasons, I now felt I had something to prove sexually—as if I were a 15-year-old trying her first cigarette. Who cares if you like it; you want to be able to say you tried it. There had been a little kink in my last relationship, in the form of anal sex. It wasn't my favorite, but I had agreed to it and added it to my repertoire the way a Girl Scout picks up another badge. I felt it gave me some cred—until my friend's nipple-clamp confession, that is.
In the midst of this crisis of sexual confidence, I happened to hook up with a guy who seemed like a safe bet for a nice, simple boink—exactly what I needed to get my groove back or exhale or whatever. Instead, he just added fat to the fire, as my mother used to say. Shortly after we started sleeping together, he launched into a merry story about one of his nights at an S&M club and repeated with gusto what it had been like to be whipped in front of a small crowd. He was fishing, clearly. And although I wasn't biting (in fact, I bid him a prompt farewell), it seemed to me that the Kama Sutra was on the wall. The whole world was a lot kinkier than I'd thought. It was time to upgrade from Mary Richards to Carrie Bradshaw.
That's where my head was when a friend suggested we organize a dinner party for a few singles we knew, ourselves included. I'd provide the women; he would bring the guys. I arrived armed and ready for anything. Or so I imagined. I spent most of that evening flirting and making small talk, bumming cigarettes from various people while claiming I didn't smoke, trying to be as swashbuckling and unconventional as possible. I thought I was Ms. Cutting Edge—or at least that my command performance might make others think so. Dating, especially in New York City, is all smoke and mirrors anyway. That night, fueled by many glasses of wine, I freely opined on masturbation and whether sex with a dildo was better or not.
Meanwhile, there was a moment that lives in my mind as proof that as much as you try to escape yourself, you show up anyway. I had invited a cousin to this gathering, also single, and both of us had been raised in very much the same Irish-Catholic climate. When the aforesaid topic of masturbation came up, I remember noticing that she looked uncomfortable, especially when I plunged in saying God knows what. We didn't speak again for several years after that night, and I always wondered if she was appalled by my brashness. On some level, I was, too.
I started dating a guy I met that night. With his wavy, slightly unkempt hair and worn motorcycle jacket, he looked every inch the downtown poser, so I was wary. But he was also sweet and well-mannered, a thorough listener and, as I found out, an amazing lover. Appearances, as they say, can be deceiving. Despite the rocker-poet garb, he was a quiet, bookish guy who was finishing writing a novel. I was smitten but also convinced that the other boot was about to drop. He was too good to be true. Surely Mr. Downtown Poser Guy had other things on his mind besides standard-issue sex. How many S&M clubs had he been to? How many orgies? Despite our obvious chemistry—most especially simply being able to talk with one another—I couldn't stop fretting that he would be leagues ahead of me experiencewise, already bored by mere blindfolds and nipple clamps. What if he was a porn-watching golden shower freak?
I can see now that my fixation on kink was mostly a manifestation of all I lacked back then: bravery, confidence, strength and the gutsiness gained from finally shoring up your life so no one else can wreck it. Then again, Freud once wrote that the fear is the wish. Perhaps beneath my anxiety about kink lurked a desire to cross lines and break taboos. What else could explain this dogged pursuit of something I didn't even want?
One night, I whispered to Mr. Downtown Poser Guy that I was open to, you know, trying different things. "What sorts of things?" he asked.
Well. He had me there. I hoped the darkness would cover the fact that my bluff had just expired, as I struggled to figure out what, exactly, to propose. Handcuffs would sound pathetically junior high. Doing it in a restaurant bathroom might make me sound like a nut. Whips? I wasn't desperate enough to suggest something I'd never actually try. So I mumbled something about "experimenting" and hoped I sounded convincing.
"OK, we can experiment," he said, snuggling me close. I could feel the flush of embarrassment crawl over my skin. Here I was, trying to prove I was hip to something that didn't even appeal to me. How stupid was that? Especially because the sex we were having didn't seem to require any embellishment.
Speaking of which, I realize that this is an essay about sex, and right about now the reader would be entitled to a description of how our lovemaking melted the sheets. Which it did. Despite my offers to tie him up or let him blindfold me (you can tell someone has no knack for kink when most of her ideas come from comic books), we were generally too lusty to do anything more creative than get our hands on each other and go at it. Mostly in bed. Although we tried the sofa once.
Yet even as those early weeks flew by and we both knew we were falling in love, I found myself waiting for him to express his dissatisfaction with our sex life, to admit that for him, two-on-one was the ultimate. Personally, I loathed the idea of a threesome, so of course I became obsessed with the notion that this must be what he craved. Then it would be farewell, Mr. Ménage à Trois. But I had to know.
So one morning, before we got out of bed, my facade by now in shreds, I put my arms around him and tried to keep my voice steady—this, after all, could be the end—and asked him if he had ever had a threesome. He didn't hesitate. "Nope," he said, with a telltale gleam in his eye that told me he knew more than I was giving him credit for. "What about you?" he asked.
"No," I admitted, so relieved I felt like flying. Almost. I inched out on the last twig of the limb. "Well, I mean, is that something you want?"
"You know, to be honest, it's never really appealed to me," he said. "It just seems pretty messy," then clarified that he didn't mean lube on the sheets, but emotionally. "I guess I'd be jealous. I don't particularly like to share my person with some other person."
But still, I needed to be absolutely sure: Did he want us to be more adventurous? More daring?
He said he wouldn't close off the possibility, but our sex life certainly didn't depend on it, no.
Did he think he might want to add a couple of exotic role-playing games or mild bondage to our repertoire?
Not really.
Wouldn't he like it if I wore high-heeled boots and no underwear?
Well, yes, he conceded, that would definitely be hot.
But, my future husband stressed, as we lay in our favorite position, limbs entwined, eyes locked, he would rather we took our time getting to know each other and let the experimenting emerge naturally from there.
Six years later, with both our facades now retired (that motorcycle jacket lives in a box under the guest bed), I have to admit that my husband and I are still pretty tepid explorers. After we saw the movie Secretary, we tried on some power games for size. That was titillating, and led us to flirt with some role playing (you won't be surprised to hear that one involved a priest and an ingenue, but that was a while ago). Every once in a while, we go nuts and try some variation on a theme, like talking dirty. Or I'll get a bikini wax and things will really heat up. To be honest, now that we've got a toddler running around, we're thrilled that we still have a sex life, unlike some couples we hear about. Straight-up though our sex life may be, I'm grateful that we continue to explore what we've always loved best: each other.
Both essays excerpted from Behind the Bedroom Door: Getting It, Giving It, Loving It, Missing It, edited by Paula Derrow. Published December 30, 2008, by Delacorte Press.
Photo Credit: John Dolan


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"Dollhouse" defied all expectations in 2009 when it was picked up for a second season. But the glory was shortlived and the ax fell on Joss Whedon's latest concoction in Nov. With the series finale set to air on Jan. 22, you only have three episodes left to find out if Echo (Eliza Dushku, also the show's producer) will get her life back, be sent to the Attic, or continue as an active. Did I fall asleep?
"Dollhouse" airs on Fox, Friday at 9pm.
Live! From New York! It's Charles Barkley? James Franco wasn't kidding last week during his opening monologue when he joked that he didn't have a movie to promote, but "Saturday Night Live" didn't have an election to exploit for ratings. "We're all doing with a little less this year" he grinned. Apparently. The only logic we can find in choosing Barkley to host "SNL" for the first time since 1993 (Nirvana was the musical guest), is that having a sports figure tees up all the Tiger Woods jokes 90 minutes can hold. Not to mention that in December a picture surfaced of Barkley with alleged Woods' mistress Jamie Jungers. While we're unsure that Barkley can turn out a performance as memorable as Peyton Manning's, the possibility of seeing him work with Kennan Thompson, who's had a field day with Barkley's DUI and gambling issues, is tantalizing enough to guarantee a viewing.
"Saturday Night Live" airs on NBC, Saturday at 11:30pm.
When we last saw everyone's favorite polygamists on "Big Love", Bill (Bill Paxton), who's running for state Senator, decreed the beginning of his own new church, fourth wife Ana (Branka Katic) divorced the family, Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) had a miscarriage, Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) admitted she had a 14-year-old daughter from a first marriage, Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) was about to be indicted but he might be dead. It was big doin's in Utah.
But this season is really about changes in the cast. Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek will join the cast as a powerful D.C. lobbyist in a multi-episode arc starting in the third episode of the season. Adam Beach will also appear as Bill's Indian gaming business partner who has an affair with Bill's first wife Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn). Meanwhile, Seyfried has announced she'll be leaving the show to focus on her film career, leaving Sarah's tumultuous future up in the air.
"Big Love" airs on HBO, Sunday at 9pm.


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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek lawmakers are fuming over colleagues who openly flout the country's anti-smoking laws in the very building where the statutes were passed.
A cross-party group of 88 representatives wrote to the Parliament speaker Thursday urging action against what they call a "pathetic and infuriating" state of affairs.
Greece has one of the European Union's highest smoking rates. It introduced a strict law in 2010 to outlaw smoking in enclosed public areas. Violators face €50-€500 ($68-$680) fines.
It was the third anti-smoking law passed in recent years, but has met with no noticeable success: People still light up freely in bars, cafes, restaurants — and Parliament.
The lawmakers wrote that, apart from assembly halls, at times there is "not a single square meter" in Parliament where the law isn't broken.


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Meadow Brook Game Farm is a shooting preserve that has been in operation since 1950. This preserve is known throughout the United States and has frequent visits from hunters as far away as California and Florida and as close as Westmoreland.
If you're looking for the perfect place to take a group hunting for pheasant, chukar, quail or dove, Meadow Brook Game Farm is the place.
Bill Hall of Channel 4 in Nashville says, "Meadow Brook Game Farm is one of the best pheasant- and bird-hunting facilities in Middle Tennessee."
Our bird-hunting season begins September 1st through April 30th. Dove hunting starts the first of September.
We furnish guides, dogs and plenty of game, quail, chukar and pheasants. You pay $120.00 per hunter for 4 pheasants or 6 chukar or 8 quail. For each additional pheasant killed, it's $22.00 per bird. Chukar is $15.00 per bird; quail is $10.00 per bird. No bag limit. Morning hunt is 8:00 a.m., and afternoon hunt is 1:00 p.m. We guarantee the limit. Children must be 12 years old and must have completed the Hunting Safety Course to be eligible to hunt.
Sales tax will be added to all prices. Prices are subject to change.
Please Make Reservations Now Before We Fill Up!


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The summer of 2016 is quickly becoming the Summer of Giving for our employees. During the month of June, Fulton, Sacramento, Paris and Hammond all participated in events that benefitted their communities and joined the fight against cancer.
Read about these great events on our new In your town page or follow the links below.
Huhtamaki - Sacramento employees help build a new home
Community Involvement Team pulls off stellar food drive in Fulton
Employees, personally affected by cancer, support Relay for Life
Paris employees host fun (and purple) Relay for Life event
"In your town" will continue to grow as more community outreach events take place. This is the online home to learn more about all the ways we support the communities where we work.