text:
[I should have posted this a couple of months back, at the end of the polling period. But I got unavoidably sidetracked, and in addition an exercise related to this poll took a little longer to complete than I figured it would. So please pardon my delay.]
Thanks for all of the participation regarding this question. Here are the results to the question of which current non-inductee deserves immediate enshrinement in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:
8 (19%) The Smiths
5 (12%) Captain Beefheart
4 (9%) Roxy Music
3 (7%) Nick Drake
3 (7%) T. Rex
3 (7%) Stevie Ray Vaughan
2 (4%) The B-52's
2 (4%) Dick Dale
2 (4%) Hall & Oates
2 (4%) Todd Rundgren
2 (4%) Sonic Youth
1 (2%) Black Flag
1 (2%) Devo
1 (2%) Yes
0 (0%) Chubby Checker
0 (0%) The Flying Burrito Brothers
0 (0%) Los Lobos
0 (0%) The Go-Go's
0 (0%) Willie Nelson
0 (0%) Jethro Tull
0 (0%) The Replacements
Frankly, almost every band and artist listed above has a legitimate claim for inclusion. But for such an intensely subjective topic, I knew that I would have trouble in attempting to come up with even a semi-objective way to measure a band's "worthiness" for the Rock Hall of Fame. I mean, I'm a big fan of The Smiths, The B-52's and X, and would love to see them in the RRHOF someday. But are they more deserving of more immediate induction then, say, Roxy Music or Captain Beefheart? And if so, how could I 'prove' it? For weeks, I wracked my brains for a method by which to compare these bands that could fend off, if now wholly withstand, partisan criticism and finger-pointing. But I had no such luck . . .
. . . until, by chance, I stumbled across a copy of a book called Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life, by an author named John Sellers. The book, released in 2007, is both a witty memoir of and heartfelt homage to the author's longtime obsession with music, especially with alternative/indie bands, like Pavement and Guided By Voices, that the vast majority of people have never heard of. The book is a little chatty, filled with anecdotes of Sellers' personal encounters with his music heroes, like Robert Pollard and Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg. But all in all, it is a very entertaining read for those of us who have the same affinity for this type of tuneage.
For me, the best part of the book came in the back, with a series of appendicies added by the author. And in one of them, I believed that I found the solution to my problem. In this section. Sellers conducts a mock debate with himself, over the relative 'coolness' of one particular band over another. To resolve this question, he actually comes up with an obsessively detailed equation, involving many factors and variables, that measures "exactly how much your favorite band rocks". These variables include the quality of an artist's entire oeuvre, their 'image', and an "X" factor, with the music quality factor accounting for the majority (2/3rds) of the overall score.
Now, admittedly, a lot of the variables that Sellers comes up with are silly and/or tongue-in-cheek ("If the band members have costumes, -10 points, unless that band is Kiss, in which case, +75"; "Every lyric equal to or better than 'Her love's a pony'?"). But the section regarding music quality was pretty straightforward. So, for lack of a better alternative, I decided to use this formula in my analysis and determination of "Worst Rock Hall of Fame Travesty of Non-Inclusion".
Utilizing album critiques and band information found on the Web to fill out the equation, I came up with the following scores/rankings:
1. Los Lobos (9,849.20)
2. Roxy Music (8,601.07)
3. Rundgren, Todd (7,542.98)
4. Yes (7,215.74)
6. Sonic Youth (3,461.98)
7. Dale, Dick (2,914.92)
8. B-52's, The (2,497.10)
9. Hall & Oates (2,242.42)
10. Smiths, The (1,859.05)
11. Captain Beefheart (1,744.35)
12. T. Rex (1,559.47)
13. Replacements, The (1,510.93)
15. Vaughan, Stevie Ray (1,157.38)
17. Devo (907.83)
18. Flying Burrito Brothers, The (764.17)
19. Go-Go's, The (465.35)
20. Jethro Tull (388.83)
21. Drake, Nick (241.52)
22. Black Flag (203.23)
23. Checker, Chubby (57.44)
Details of each band's scores are included here.
A couple of notes regarding this analysis:
- The most important consideration driving this band quality formula, the factor that raised scores the most, is that the band/artist had to have put out a high percentage (of their overall output) of critically-acclaimed studio albums over an extended period of time. For example, Los Lobos has released a total of fourteen albums in their 36-year history; two-thirds of them are considered 'good' or better, with five ranked as 'brilliant'. On the other hand, all four of The Smiths' studio albums were acclaimed, with 3 considered 'brilliant' . . . but The Smiths were only together for four years total. In this equation, longevity counts.
- According to this evaluation, the highest-scoring artist of the 24 considered was Willie Nelson. But I removed him from consideration for the RRHOF, since almost all of Nelson's celebrated output has been in the country genre (and besides, Willie's already in the Country Music Hall of Fame; give someone else a chance for the Rock Hall).
Again, this is an attempt to use objective methods to answer a subjective question. I am not a huge fan of the top five scorers on this list; my tastes lean toward bands like the aforementioned Smiths, the Bee-Fives, Devo, etc. But taking a step back and looking at each band's career with a cold, unprejudiced eye, I can see how those other bands would and could be more deserving than my own personal favorites.
If you have the chance, download and take a look at the spreadsheet, and let me know your thoughts on all of this. I'm looking forward to some comment on what is, in many ways, a highly personal issue. Thanks, and sorry again for taking so long to get this done. I'll try to come up with another poll question sometime soon.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Various Artists - O Brother Where Art Thou? Soundtrack
Hold onto your hats, folks - this is gonna be a long one . . .
I've found that the best times in your life are usually not the ones you plan, but the ones that just sort of happen. The great thing I've discovered about being alive, of being able to walk around on this nutty planet, is that even during the most mundane, ordinary days, there's potential magic and amazing experiences tucked away around every corner. Most of the time, we fail to see these opportunities, or we don't move fast enough to take advantage of them. But when that special thing actually does happen, seemingly from out of the blue, it reminds you that the possibility of magic IS out there. I have had some unique and interesting experiences in my life, and this is one of the best of them - moreso because I didn't really go looking for it, but it just sort of found me just the same.
One Friday in June of 2001, while I was living in Providence, Rhode Island, I took the day off of work to run some errands. None of the things I needed/wanted to do that day were of any major consequence - I needed a couple of things from the Stop & Shop grocery; I had to pick up some bits and pieces of dry cleaning; I needed to buy myself some new pants - typical stuff. As I was walking out of my apartment that morning, I remembered that I had a roll of undeveloped film sitting around, taken during a recent trip to California. So I turned back to grab it, figuring that I could head over to nearby Providence Place Mall and drop it off to be developed while I visited the clothing stores there for my slacks.
The mall was fairly deserted when I got there - since, of course, most other people besides me were at work. I left my film at the camera store, then wandered around the center for a bit, enjoying the sensation of not being cooped up in the office during a weekday. As I roamed, I happened upon two women sitting behind a small folding table set up in an out-of-the-way corner of the mall. It looked sort of like one of those temporary setups that insurance or credit card companies put up in shopping centers and airports - you know, the "Sign Up Today And Get A Free T-Shirt!" sort of things. This particular table didn't quite have that particular sort of vibe coming from it, but I still began to steer clear of it - I didn't feel like being hassled that time of morning.
But with no one else in the immediate vicinity, the women started waving me over, with a little more urgency than I thought necessary. My "No" radar was still flashing red, so I can't tell you why I stopped and turned back to respond to them - I suppose continuing to move away would have been impolite on my part. But in hindsight, I'm glad I did, for as I approached, one of the women greeted me with "Hi! Would you like to try out for a TV game show?"
It was then that I noticed the banner draped across the front of the table - "WEAKEST LINK SIGNUP HERE".
For those of you who may not recall, The Weakest Link was an NBC game show which had been airing in prime time since April of that year. It was the American version of the hit British show of the same name, and it even had the host of the UK version, the acerbic Anne Robinson, as the host of the U.S. show. In many ways, the show was NBC's answer to ABC's wildly popular Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, which had been running on that network for the past couple of years to great acclaim (and great profitability for the network).
In the first couple of months after its springtime debut, The Weakest Link experienced the same sort of huge popularity and success as its competitor. But with all of the hype and buzz surrounding it, I still had not bothered to watch the program. Game shows (especially prime time game shows) weren't really my bag, to be honest - I had seen Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? only a couple of times, and never all the way through. To me, all game shows just seemed so contrived and phony, with intellect not exactly being the determining factor in winning or losing. Every once in a while, I thought about trying out for Jeopardy!, since it seemed like you had to actually have (and use) some real smarts to succeed on that show. But overall, these contests weren't really the sort of thing that interested me.
I confessed my ignorance of the show to the two ladies. But they said that didn't matter; I should try out anyway, especially since I was the first one there and thus would be guaranteed a chance. Since I was going to hang around the mall anyway until my film was finished, I finally agreed. They had me sign my name to a register, and gave me a ticket with "#1" printed on it, and told me to come back in an hour or so.
I went up to the third floor food court to grab some lunch, and by the time I returned to the area where the Weakest Link table was, there were literally HUNDREDS of people gathered there, all vying for a chance to be a contestant. They only took a certain number, something like the first 300 or 400 - since I had ticket #1, I was good to go. At the appointed time, they trooped the vast lot of us through the mall, up two escalators and into a barren area that used to be a former store, now filled with folding cafeteria-style tables and benches where we all could sit.
Despite the vast size of the applicant pool, the Weakest Link folks were very efficient in their duties - it was very apparent that they had done this type of thing before, in cities all over the U.S. After greetings and preliminary remarks, they handed each of us pencils and a four-page "Biographical Questionnaire", on which we provided them with our names, addresses, education, occupation, hobbies and any other pertinent facts about ourselves. They gave us about 20 minutes to complete that. Then everyone's forms were gathered up and replaced with a single sheet of paper, with the numbers 1 through 20 listed along the left-hand side. This was the "testing" phase of the application - a staff member stood up in the middle of the room and shouted out twenty questions, one at a time, while we quickly scribbled our answers down on the sheets provided.
- "What is the capital of Wisconsin?"
- "What does DNA stand for?"
- "How many sides does a Rubik's Cube have?"; etc.
The game show recruiters then gathered up everyone's test sheets (we all put our names at the top beforehand), and took all of these papers back to another part of the room, closed off from the rest of it. In there, there appeared to be a couple of dozen additional staff members sitting, waiting to grade the exams and match them up with the bio sheets. Apparently, they were looking for both the smartest and quirkiest/most interesting personalities to be on the program. We (that is, myself and my fellow contestant applicants) sat in that room on those hard benches for what seemed like an eternity, until the group leader finally reappeared and announced the names of the applicants who would move on to the next round in the process. Out of more than 300 people, they selected about 20-25 of us for Phase II . . . and, lo and behold, I was one of the selectees.
After dismissing the others, they took my selected group back to yet another part of the store, which had been set up to vaguely resemble the actual game show set. There, we were told that we were going to assemble in groups of eight, and play a quick version of the game, all of which was to be filmed by several cameras set up around the room and "sent back to Hollywood" for the show's producer's to make the final determination as to who would and wouldn't be invited to be on the actual show. After a rapid run-through of the rules of play, we began the mock competition. While the cameras rolled, the stand-in for the show host lobbed questions and insults at us, and we all tried our best to answer/respond in kind (they claimed beforehand that it didn't matter if we answered a question incorrectly; they were just trying to see how we looked and responded on camera. Whether that was true or not, I know for a fact that I didn't miss a single question - a factor that played in my favor, as I learned later on).
After about 45 minutes of that sort of nonsense, that was that. The crew thanked us for our time, and said that they would be in touch with us soon. It was late afternoon when I finally left that store, so I went down to get my developed pictures before walking home (never did get those new pants that day, however . . .).
I didn't tell a lot of my friends about my experience that day, because despite assurances from the production staff that we would "hear from them", I honestly didn't expect to. I figured that that team had been doing the same type of recruiting all over the country, and as such there were scores of other applicants for them to choose from besides me. I was semi-hopeful to get a call from them, but I wasn't really banking on it.
However, to my surprise, an associate producer for the show contacted me in less than a week. The top-line producers, she said, were impressed with how I presented myself on camera, and they liked my background, etc. She also mentioned that, during the filmed portion of the process, I was the only one to correctly answer a question that had stumped every other applicant in the country (this is no bullshit). The question was, "Which Milwaukee band was discovered by the Pretenders in 1981?" At the time, I knew from the moment they said "Milwaukee band" that the answer was "Violent Femmes". No one else nationwide provided the correct answer - including the applicant group FROM Milwaukee (See - vast and obscure musical knowledge IS good for something!)!
The bottom line was they were very interested in getting me out to California immediately to participate in a real taping. She told me to stand by for further details, which would be coming in the next few days. I was jazzed to hear this news, but also a bit nervous, since I still had yet to actually WATCH the program. I thereby began a crash course in Weakest Link-ology, watching every episode I could and trying to discover its flow and nuances.
For those of you who don't recall, here's a rundown of how to play The Weakest Link (I edited this down from what I found on Wikipedia - sorry, but this is as brief a description as I could put together):
"Essentially, a team of players tries to reach and bank a set target within a time limit by compiling a chain of correct answers that would be broken with an incorrect answer or if a player decided to bank the money that was already in the chain. On NBC, the team was composed of eight people looking to win up to $1,000,000. One player would be eliminated after each round until two were remaining. Each round is reduced by 10 seconds thereafter (with the first round lasting for 2:30). Contestants who are eliminated in the rounds leading up to the final round are told by the host: 'You are the weakest link. Goodbye!'I received my first Weakest Link callback in mid-July, early on in my efforts to study the game. The producers wanted me to fly out to L.A. for a taping in early August. But at the last minute (and fortunately for me, in hindsight), the show I was supposed to be on was replaced with a 'celebrity' edition - they decided to tape an episode featuring the former cast of The Brady Bunch. I wasn't too disappointed - they assured me that I would be tapped for another taping "very soon", and I hadn't finished with my observations of the program yet. So it was all good.
The final vote occurs prior to the penultimate round, after which the two remaining players compete in one more round together for double stakes (with the round lasting for 1:30). The final round is a head-to-head five-question competition between the two finalists, with the contestant who answers the most questions designated the winner, or 'The Strongest Link'. The game show is winner-take-all, with the Strongest Link received the entire amount of funds banked during the show, up to a maximum of $1,000,000.
Prior to the start of the show, a random draw backstage is held among players to determine order, and the player who draws the first position starts the first round. Each round thereafter begins with the strongest link from the preceding round (or if that player had been voted off, the second strongest). For the head-to-head round, he or she also has the option of going first or passing play to the other finalist."
I watched every episode of The Weakest Link that summer, and it didn't take long for me to discover one constant in all of the shows - the smartest person in each group of contestants rarely if ever won it all. That person would do well in the early rounds, then would be voted off late in the game as the others perceived him or her as a threat to their acquisition of all the money. That's when I began to realize that not all TV game shows were fake and moronic . . . and I started to understand and appreciate just how evilly well-constructed this particular game show really was. The winner-take-all aspect of The Weakest Link was both ingenious and insidious - ingenious in that it forces team cooperation in what is essentially a non-cooperative, cutthroat competition; insidious in that it seduces individual players to go all-out to win the money for themselves, thereby attracting undue attention to their efforts that ultimately cost them a chance at the prize. The show was more than just a trivia challenge - it was a very complex psychological struggle between eight people, with Anne Robinson's role being that of a gadfly, using insults and putdowns to ratchet up the already-present internal and external tensions within and between the contestants.
Once I figured out the show's structure, the WHY, I next had to come up with the HOW - how would I actually go about winning this game show? After a few more days of observation and thought, I came up with what I thought was a good plan:
In the first couple of rounds, I would go all out, answering as many questions as possible and trying to build up the overall bank as much as I could. Then beginning in the third round, when there are six players left, I would begin dumping questions; that is, purposely answering some questions incorrectly. Not all of them, mind you - just one or two per round, hopefully in spots where my breaking the answer chain wouldn't result in a large loss of money to the team. The goal was to be very subtle about it, and refrain from antagonizing my fellow contestants - not so that they would like me, but more so that they would forget about me when it came time to vote a member off at the end of each round, and focus on one of the louder, "smarter" contestants.
I didn't consider things like stage fright (I'd been the frontman for my band for a while by then, so being under lights in front of everyone didn't worry me a bit) or being unable to answer the questions (I'm sorry to say that I have a vast knowledge of useless trivia contained in my head) would impact the execution of my game plan. I figured that if I focused on the "timely dump" plan, I would at least make it to the final three contestants. At that point, I would trust to luck to get me into the finals.
At about the time I finished formulating my plan in late August, I began hearing from the Weakest Link producers again. They claimed they were done with "celebrity" editions for the time being, and were ready to start shooting some "regular people" shows. There were solid plans to tape a block of shows near the end of the following month, and the word I received was that I would be included in one of the early productions. I received several calls from them in the days that followed, and finally they locked down the time and date with me. I was told to expect a call from the Weakest Link travel coordinator that following Tuesday, to discuss flight schedules and hotel reservations.
I arrived in my office on the sunny, beautiful morning of the appointed day full of anticipation, looking forward to what was undoubtedly going to be a great day. At just before nine, I received a call on my office phone with a Los Angeles-area area code. I had a fleeting thought that it was odd to get a call from the West Coast so early (it being six a.m. there), but quickly chocked it up to studio efficiency as I picked up the phone. However, the call wasn't from NBC at all. It was from my sister in L.A., who was calling to tell me something about a news story she just heard, an unusual aircraft accident in New York City . . .
That was the morning of Tuesday, September 11th, 2001.
. . .
I think that it goes without saying that, in the immediate aftermath of that horrific day and week, I never received a call from the game show producers. I didn't bother to contact them either; somehow, my appearance on network TV just wasn't that important all of a sudden. Finally, after a week or so, I got a call from my contact there. The word I received was that, with the events of 9/11 still fresh on everyone's mind, NBC was going to curtail producing new episodes of The Weakest Link that involved 'regular' people, and concentrate on the exclusive production of 'celebrity' editions - the obvious but unspoken implication being that they were leery about flying people across the country, and would instead use the local talent pool. The network rep made the usual mouth noises regarding "In the future, if we decide to resume normal production, we'll keep you in mind, blah, blah, blah . . .", but I figured that I'd missed my opportunity, and my chances of ever appearing on the show were over and done with. It was disappointing, but what could you do? After a few weeks, I sort of put it all out of my mind, and by the early fall of 2001 I'd moved on with my life.
I still watched The Weakest Link from time to time. But the shows became less interesting after 9/11, as the network trotted out "special edition" after "special edition" episode, featuring washed-up actors and other pseudo-"celebs" playing for charity. As the quality of "celeb" contestants began sinking further and further (pro wrestlers, redheads, Anne Robinson lookalikes, etc.), the show's once-high ratings began sinking as well. In my opinion, the producers forgot the golden rule - people watch game shows to see people like themselves win life-altering prizes - NOT to see some Troy McClure clone playing for some obscure animal shelter in Tarzana.
Unlike NBC, my company had no intention of curtailing business flights, and as such, I spent the latter part of that year flying to places like Buffalo, San Francisco and Cleveland for work. In November, we began a project with a large bank in Canada, and in support of these efforts I began making regular visits to Toronto. In early January, I was standing in line in Customs at the Toronto airport when my phone rang. I was surprised to be greeted with the excited voice of my old Weakest Link contact, who I had not heard a peep from in almost four months. The network, she told me, had decided to resume regular production, and I was at the top of their contestant list. Would I be available at the end of the month? Hell yeah, I would be!
This time, there were no hitches - a little more than three weeks later, I was using a NBC-paid ticket to board a plane bound for Los Angeles.
They pulled out all the stops for me upon my arrival that Friday evening, with a limo waiting at LAX to whisk me over to the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, where all of the next day's contestants were staying. I was pretty psyched for the show taping the next morning . . . but there was another event that weekend that shared space in the forefront of my mind - Super Bowl XXXVI, between the St. Louis Rams and the New England Patriots, was being played that weekend. And while I had no special affinity to either team (I'm a longtime Saints fan, and frankly couldn't (and still can't) STAND the Pats), the fact that I was in close proximity to Las Vegas on perhaps the biggest sports betting day of the year was too great an opportunity to pass up. I had already made plans that, regardless of the outcome of my game show experience, my ass was going to be sitting at a poker table in Sin City, with sports book tickets in my hand, by no later than Sunday morning. The Rams were heavy favorites that year, and the thrilling possibility of making a twin killing in both LA and Vegas that weekend kept me awake far into the night.
I had to be up early the next morning - there was supposed to be a shuttle bus waiting for us at the front door of the hotel at 7:30. I was knackered due to my late night, but I made it on time, and clambered aboard the ride with about a dozen other folks. The contest instructions we had been given prior to our arrival stated that we were not supposed to engage with one another prior to arriving at the studio, so the ride to Burbank was made in stone silence - an eerie silence, albeit we were all sitting cheek-by-jowl with each other.
We soon arrived at NBC's Burbank Studio complex, a rather non-
descript row of gray warehouse-type buildings, where we were met by Weakest Link assistants and herded into a receiving area in Studio 1. It was here that I learned that my show auditions were not yet at an end. Like I said earlier, there were about a dozen of us on the bus - but the show only has spaces for eight contestants. So there was some final winnowing-out to be done. One by one over the next couple of hours, we were led into a room to face a panel of three or four show producers, who took turns asking us questions like "Why do you want to be on the show?" As opposed to my earlier audition in Providence, this one was a lot more serious - not a lot of smiles or nods coming from that grim group of execs. These were the gatekeepers, the guys in charge of making sure the show was entertaining and good, so the production company and network would make money. So they were keeping a keen eye open - not for weirdoes (because the show benefited from having interesting personalities on), but for boring, 'blah' people. So I went into my final interview with the whole 'happy face', "Hey, great to be here!" sort of attitude - and it worked. I made the final cut.
They moved the final eight of us into another room for a late brunch, and a chance now to finally speak to one another, as the restriction on contact was now lifted. My fellow contestants included a college student, a former beauty queen, a psychologist, a probation officer and a small town mayor. All in all, almost everyone was pretty cool. Since they were anticipating having us indoors for the taping for the next several hours, the show runners also gave us a little time to roam around outside in the parking lot for some fresh air. Studio 1 was the same studio where The Tonight Show was filmed, and we all admired Jay Leno's car parked outside in his own special spot - a spotless old-fashioned car (looked possibly like a Duesenburg to me) painted a shiny sea green with immaculate white-wall tires.
It was during this break that one of the contestants recommended a unique strategy. Apparently, she had also been watching the program, and was struck by how little of the potential $1 million grand prize was won (on average, the Strongest Link took home somewhere between $20,000 and $40,000). Her suggestion was that in the first round (when the questions were generally easier), NONE of us would 'bank' the money until we had correctly answered eight questions in a row, giving us a maximum payout for that round of $125,000. If it worked, it would instantly make our episode one of the most lucrative in Weakest Link history. Everyone immediately agreed to give it a try - myself included, since it played right into my strategy of "going all out" in the early rounds.
After that break, things began moving very quickly. We went back inside Studio 1, and were herded into wardrobe and makeup. We had to bring a couple of extra outfits, which were reviewed and critiqued by the producers. A couple of the female contestants were told (make that 'ordered') to change into one of their alternate ensembles, which pissed them off to no end.
After everyone was powdered, primped and kitted out to the satisfaction of the powers-that-be, we were led into the back of the studio, the place where they would actually be filming us on the show. We spent a few minutes in a dingy area behind and underneath the audience seating area. It was here that we finally met the host, Anne Robinson, for the first time. Our encounter with her was brief. She was dressed in her trademark style, completely in severe black with evil-looking steel-rimmed glasses. I don't remember her offering us any pre-show words of encouragement; she did say "This is the LAST time today you will see me smile!", apparently her stock phrase to contestants. I don't recall her actually smiling when she said that . . .
We were then moved to another part of the studio, where they had us all sort of mill around and pretend to chat with one another while they filmed us, for part of the opening sequence. From there, they led us across the floor, stepping over cables and around TV cameras, and onto the main stage, which looked like something out of Close Encounters.
I was placed in position 8, the last place to Anne Robinson's right as she faced the audience. As I walked to that spot, I quickly glanced ahead, to get a glimpse of the studio audience. But they were very difficult to see - it was like an audience full of undertakers or ghouls; they were all either dressed completely in black, or draped in black blankets. All in all, it was a very freaky effect. But before I could fully process my surroundings and get settled to everything else that was happening around us, I found to my mild shock that the filming had begun. I thought there might be a couple of practice shots or something . . . but no. One second, we were sort of milling around on stage - the next second, music was playing, lights were flashing, and I was staring into a TV camera saying my name. And off we went. I quickly put everything else out of my mind, and tried to concentrate on my "questions dumping" plan developed months earlier.
But first, we had to get through the initial round and see if we could max out our winnings, according to the plan we agreed to earlier that day. The play clock showed 2:30, and Ms. Robinson spun towards the player in position 1 to start.
Q. "For $1,000, what legendary Scottish sea creature is nicknamed 'Nessie'?"
A. "The Loch Ness Monster"
And on it went around to each of the first seven players, each one of them answering without banking, with the money meter highlighting our current level rising incrementally - $5,000 . . . $10,000 . . . $50,000 . . . $75,000. I could almost FEEL the audience holding its collective breath, as the money and tension level rose higher and higher. It finally came to my turn, as the eighth player - my correct answer would be worth $125,000 and would end the round, a feat never before accomplished on the U.S. version of the show. Even with so much at stake, surprisingly, I didn't feel the least bit nervous.
Q. "What 'A' is the superhighway in Germany with no speed limit?"
I instantly responded - "Autobahn". And with that, the crowd went wild, as did all of us there on stage! A $125,000 round! Holy smokes!
After all of that excitement, it was time to vote one of the contestants off the show. The first one to get the ax was the young college student, who was frankly sort of an arrogant douche to everyone that morning, an attitude that did him no favors once the taping began. During the first round of voting, I was happy to see that no one voted to put me off the show. So far, I was flying under the radar, just as I had hoped. Things were going well.
And so the show went. Round after round progressed, with the overall bank building and contestant after contestant being voted off (After being relieved, the dismissed contestant was taken to another part of the studio to film a brief valedictory segment, then immediately taken back to the hotel in a waiting limo). Beginning with the third round, I started intentionally dumping a question or two per round, at times when it wouldn't hurt the team (i.e., cost us money) - and to my delight, my plan was working like a charm. Players kept leaving, but I survived, time and time again. There were little breaks in production every couple of rounds, so the cameras could be reset and things moved around, stuff like that. I remember standing there during one of those breaks in the middle of the taping, quietly laughing to myself in incredulity - I couldn't BELIEVE that things were going the way I hoped they would!
Finally, it came to a point where only three of us remained - the small-town mayor, a woman from Texas and me. The woman from Texas had been gunning for me for the past couple of rounds, voting for me to be removed, so I knew she was a threat I had to neutralize (in addition, she was clearly the smartest remaining player - besides me, of course!). The mayor was visibly nervous as the show wore on, but was holding his own. I knew that at this point, my 'question dump' plan had to fall by the wayside, and I needed a little bit of luck to make it to the championship rounds. At the end of that round, we all had to vote for who to remove - and the audience gasped as our votes were revealed - the three of us all voted for a different contestant!
In situations like that, the contestant who had the highest number of correct answers during that round won the tiebreaker, with the opportunity to choose the member to be removed - and by the barest of margins, the strongest player for that round . . . was me. I quickly voted the Texas woman off. With a little strategy, and a heaping dollop of luck, I had made it to the penultimate round and the finals.
"The final vote occurs prior to the penultimate round, after which the two remaining players compete in one more round together for double stakes (with the round lasting for 1:30). The final round is a head-to-head five-question competition between the two finalists, with the contestant who answers the most questions designated the winner, or 'The Strongest Link'."The penultimate round was a chance for us two remaining players to really stack some cash onto our already sizable winnings. But as I mentioned earlier, the small-town mayor was clearly rattled, especially so at nearly being eliminated the round before. So the guy kept missing question after question, limiting our take for that session. I, on the other hand, tried to remain calm and focused, particularly with the best-of-five championship round coming up.
As the strongest player from the previous round, I had the option of choosing who would go first in the final round. I told Ms. Robinson that I chose to go last, and as I did so I glanced at my opponent and watched the blood drain from his face. Wow, I thought; this guy is seriously in bad shape. And it showed - he missed his first question, a relatively easy one, as far as I was concerned. I answered mine correctly, so the score was now 1-0 in my favor. From that point, we both went on a tear, each of us giving correct responses to our next three questions. With only one question apiece left, the score stood at 4-3 for me. Still, I felt surprisingly calm.
Anne Robinson asked my opponent his fifth question - if he missed it, I would win automatically. But he nailed it, tying the score at 4 to 4. Fine - no problem. My last question was coming up - if I answered it correctly, I would be the Strongest Link, and the victory would be mine. Even with all that, I remained cool as a cucumber.
Then Ms. Robinson said " . . . if you answer this question correctly, you have won. So, for . . . ", and she said the amount of the grand prize.
THAT'S the moment when I got nervous.
Really nervous. Really, REALLY nervous. I could feel the tension and panic building inside my stomach - up to that point, I really hadn't thought about the money, per se; I was just concentrating on trying to win the game. But when she stated what exactly was at stake for me, well . . . My heart started pounding like a jackhammer, so hard that I could feel it shake my body, so loud that I was sure the folks in the audience could hear it. A low buzz started building in my ears, increasing slowly in volume - I later determined that what I was hearing was the sound of blood rushing through my head. And I got a mild case of tunnel vision - I couldn't see anything to my extreme left or right - just Anne Robinson's face right in front of me, as the Moment of Truth arrived, and she asked what hopefully would be the Final Question:
"The soundtrack of what George Clooney film - "
The answer that instantly came to my mind with those words was Out Of Sight, a recently released George Clooney/Jennifer Lopez vehicle. I instinctively knew that it was the WRONG answer . . . but that was the one that lodged in my head. And, truth be told, I almost blurted it our spasmodically. But I forced myself to calm down, and listen to the rest of the question:
" . . . won the 2001 Country Music Award for Album Of The Year?"
The answer was then obvious (at least to me), and I took several moments to compose myself. I looked away and took several deep breaths while I locked the words into my head. I then looked up, straight into Ms. Robinson's eyes, and slowly enunciated every word in my response:
"O . . . Brother . . . Where . . . Art . . . Thou?"
There was a soundless pause in the studio, then Ms. Robinson intoned these words: "That . . . is the correct answer." I was the winner!
AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! The word "relief" does not do justice to what I felt at that moment! I wanted to laugh and cry and faint and jump and hug everyone and slap five with Jesus, all at the same time! I barely heard the rest of what Ms. Robinson said, about me being the Strongest Link, and the money I had won! It was truly a mind-jolting, ecstatic experience!
They wrapped the taping on the main set shortly afterwards, and audience members came rushing up to congratulate me. I then had to go up to the little room to film my own final segment, like everyone who had gone before me. After that, it was back to the production offices to sign a shitload of paperwork, before climbing into the waiting limo that took me back to the Sheraton (now, THAT was an uncomfortable, awkward journey - as my fellow passenger on that trip was the small-town mayor, the guy I just defeated on the show. He was miserable about losing his chance at all of those winnings - understandably so. But still, for that short time, he was killing my buzz).
When we arrived back at the hotel, we found all of the other previously dismissed contestants waiting for us in the lobby. They had all gathered there that afternoon, one by one, as their limos returned them there. The word had already been passed to them that I was the winner, so when I walked through the hotel door, I was greeted with applause and a loud cheer. That was intensely gratifying - I didn't want those folks to hate me; my desire to win the show wasn't a personal issue - it was just business. I herded everyone into the nearby hotel bar, where we all partied together for the next several hours - all on my tab, of course!
But early on during our blowout, I excused myself to head up to my room for a couple of minutes, to drop off my extra show outfit and to have a moment to myself to contemplate the enormity of what had just occurred. That was the point when it all began to sink in . . . and as I looked out of my window over the smoggy San Fernando Valley, I could see the reflection of my big smile in the glass as I thought to myself how great it was to live in times like these, to revel in the unexpected, and to see a plan succeed beyond my wildest dreams. I allowed myself those precious few seconds of private, unbridled joy and satisfaction . . . then I changed my shoes and went back down to the party I was hosting.
So with all of this, I present to you the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack album to the movie of the same name, released on Mercury Records in December 2000 - the album whose name was worth six figures to me, ten years ago on this very day, one of the better days in my life. As I have stated earlier, I have no special affinity for country music. And truth be told, I have never actually seen this movie (although I should - I understand that it's excellent). But I felt that I HAD to purchase this album, if only for what it brought to me on that fine L.A. afternoon. I hope that it provides you with just as much joy and delight. Enjoy, and as always, let me know what you think.
(And thanks for reading this thing all the way through - I apologize again for the length. Pretty good story though, eh?)
Please use the email link below to contact me, and I will reply with the download link(s) ASAP:
Send Email
Posted by HFM at 11:23 AM 4 comments:
Labels: 2000, Country, Mercury Records, Soundtrack, Various Artists
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Cart Statistics
The Shopping Cart Stats page displays your Monthly Summary Shopping Cart Statistics. This page also enables you to drill down into your Monthly Summary Shopping Cart Statistics by month.
How to Use This Page
- Click the Shopping Cart Stats link.
- To view any given month, click on the the month link for that month.
You can review the Unique Customers, Completed Orders, and Total Events by an Hourly Average or by a Daily Count.
page revision: 6, last edited: 17 Jul 2013 18:52

subset: commoncrawl


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As a buy-side broker specializing in stealth-acquisitions, it's my job to dig deep and find the rightful owner of a domain name. Problem is, some domain owners make it very difficult to reach them. What's the psyche behind this rationale?
Buy-side brokers need to understand the full opportunity and any pertinent history on the previous acquisition attempts of the prospective buyer. Many domain owners like to use privacy to protect their anonymity. Sometimes, they don't want to be bothered with the Spam that gets generated on a daily basis.
Additionally, the buy-side broker should the emotion of the deal. Here are a few items to consider when attempting to secure a domain name…
- Check the DNS, see where the domain is pointing to. Is there a website, or is it undeveloped?
- Whois history is a valuable tool to understand the true history of the domain name
- Check the Way back Machine to see what other properties have been developed on the URL in the past.
- Speak with the buyer or acquisition partner to fully understand their goals and objectives including history, timing, budget etc.
- Make sure to set the expectation with the prospective buyer on price.
Furthermore, the buy-side broker add the following upside to most transactions
- Remove the emotion
- Negotiate with YOU in mind
- Provide contracts that protect ALL parties involved
- Typically save you time and money
- Allows for a third-party (non-biased) approach towards the acquisition
Take the time to do the research and find an expert that can properly assist you with all of your acquisition needs. Ask appropriate questions and make sure that you get aligned with the broker. Hold the broker accountable and require status updates so you are not left in the dark.
Stealth acquisitions should only be performed by a seasoned-domain name buy-side broker. Understand the brokers strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, the buy-side broker performs better when using an inbound sales platform. They would receive an inbound lead and reply to the inquiry. Other buy-side brokers are exceptional at proactively contacting the rightful domain owner.
Finally, when selecting a buy-side broker, make sure you ask for referrals and do your homework so you can make contact with the rightful domain owner and secure the perfect domain name for your brand.
Join the conversation here


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Art: Abstract
What is abstract art?
People sometimes wonder, and are often fooled by its {seemingly} simple aesthetic.
Abstract art is described as "art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures." (source: Internet Google search)
Artist and author Dean Nimmer explains it {here} in a 2017 post on ArtistsNetwork.com
My abstract art is a reflection of the quieter side of me {mostly}. It emerged {the art, not the quieter side!} as a result of an online class I started in fall 2016 with artist, Donna Downey.
You can find my newest work on Facebook and Instagram. If you find a piece you like, message me via FB.


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Holiday Inn Express & Suites Coldwater
City Center, 1.51 mi
389 North Willowbrook Road
Coldwater, MI 49036
United States
Holiday Inn Express Fremont (Angola Area)
City Center, 14.32 mi
6245 N. Old 27
Fremont, IN 46737
United States
City Center, 24.24 mi
12812 Harper Village Drive
Battle Creek, MI 49014
United States
City Center, 24.4 mi
329 Sam Hill Drive
Marshall, MI 49068
United States
Holiday Inn Express Howe (Sturgis, Mi)
City Center, 25.69 mi
Howe, IN 46746
United States
Whether it's your first visit or Coldwater is a favorite travel destination, get ready to explore all that Coldwater has to offer and find the perfect temporary home base with help from IHG. Compare the best hotels in Coldwater by reading through 3570 reviews from verified hotel guests. When you book your room with IHG, you're assured a great deal and lowest rate with our Best Price Guarantee. We boast 5 hotels in Coldwater, MI, all with a distinctive flair and a variety of amenities, and you can conveniently narrow down your choices and book your room directly with us.
No matter if you're travelling to Coldwater to attend a conference, unwind on vacation, or enjoy a romantic weekend getaway, we have you covered. And if your travels take you to another part of the world, you'll find an IHG accommodation that meets your needs. From hotels in the heart of it all to luxury accommodations off the beaten path, IHG offers great hotel deals in Coldwater and throughout the world.
Enter your travel dates to view the best offers on hotel accommodations, and use our advanced search features to find the hotels with the amenities you desire. When you stay as an IHG Rewards Club member, you also enjoy free in-hotel Internet access. Some of our hotels boast indoor swimming pools, while others offer hot breakfast, in-room kitchens, and spa services. We make it easy to book the perfect hotel for your trip.
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Named after the best-known evangelist and Christian media personality of our time, the Billy Graham Award goes "to a Christian organization that effectively and creatively uses multiple electronic media technologies in fulfillment of its mission, while maintaining fidelity to the message of love, redemption, and hope found in the Holy Scriptures." Past award winners include a "who's who" in Christian media.
This year's NRB convention will be held February 27–March 2 in Orlando, Florida. The NRB consists of over 1,200 member ministries from all over the world. AiG has two representatives on its board: Ken Ham, CEO, and Dale Mason, vice president of media.
NRB recognizes excellence and effectiveness in ministry through its annual Media Awards and Special Service Awards.
A Tremendous Honor
AiG has been blessed with numerous radio and web recognitions by the NRB in previous years (including this year receiving the award for Best Digital Experience and Most Innovative Digital Method). Twice the AiG website has won website of the year.
The Billy Graham Award of Excellence is a tremendous honor, acknowledging Answers in Genesis' work in affirming God's Word and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Billy Graham Award of Excellence is a tremendous honor, acknowledging Answers in Genesis' work in affirming God's Word and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through our many channels, including radio, web, TV and video, social media, publishing outlets, and other media.
The award will be publicly presented to Ken Ham on March 2 at a ceremony held at the NRB's national convention. Please pray with us that the Creator will be glorified through this recognition and the increased focus it brings to the authority of His Word.


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Archive for December, 2015
Dinosaur Tracks and Christmas
It boggles the mind that a creature could have trod so long ago on this very spot! Something with 3 toes! The American southwest is full of delightful surprises like this. It makes me feel small and insignificant in the vast scheme of time. But Christmas reminds me that I am a child of the King of kings. I was important enough for God Himself to step down from His throne to become a human baby; to come to all of us to save us all from our self-made miserable little lives. Merry Christmas and thank you, thank you to my heavenly Father for the best gift of all, Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us!Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
Barcelona's Sagrada Família
Our first approach through a little park was not a surprise as we were eagerly looking for the façade to come into view…
But the magnificence was already apparent. Begun in 1882, and designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the building is still under construction. Cranes are busy all over the place. And when we got closer we could see the line that stretched all around the entire city block on which the building sits.
In my view, it is foolish to stand in that line, wasting a whole day of your vacation! We learned our lesson at Park Güell from 2 days prior. After that bad experience of waiting too long to get in, I came back to our apartment to research buying tickets online. I was glad I did because the wait was 2 days for online tickets! It did make me a little nervous because I had never done this before and I had no way to print out the tickets I bought. I found out this is unnecessary as they will scan your phone at the entrance and you are on your way. We did have to find the proper entrance for this, but it wasn't too hard to do that and we had arrived plenty early for our entry time slot so we weren't too bothered. We bought tickets for entry and for the elevator up the towers. So, visiting this cathedral went off without a hitch for us.
I am putting a lot of photos in this post, but I have to just accept that they are so inadequate. I have been in a lot of European cathedrals, all magnificent in their own way, but this place actually took my breath away when I entered. It seemed otherworldly to me, and so special, yes, I would say holy. Holy means set apart and completely unique. These are perfect descriptions of this space.
The rainbow windows and soaring, plant-like pillars created these otherworldly effects.
Don't miss the museum in the basement showing how the building was designed. You can look into the workshop where they are still carving stone too.
After this, the bus back home for fresh fish from the market for dinner. What a great day!Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
Casa Batlló, Barcelona
We passed by on the bus in the morning. The line outside snaked around and wasn't moving at all. I made a mental note to check on it when we passed on our return because, of course, we had to see Casa Batlló, one of Antoni Gaudí's masterpiece apartment buildings from 1904.
This is another time to buy tickets online, but, happily we discovered that late in the afternoon the line disappears and you can waltz right in (at least in November.) So we squeezed an audio tour in at the end of our day. Of course this place is more magnificent in person than any pictures I'd ever seen of it.
Whenever we tour historic homes I love to imagine living there. This apartment was so unusual it was a little hard to do. It would have been quite an oddball in its day.
And yet, the attention to things like light and airflow would have made it more comfortable than most dwellings.
And the beautiful lines, colors and details are everywhere. Door handles are molded from human hands and even the servants' quarters and roof are part of the design.
This was a great way to close out our long day of Antoni Gaudí's work.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
Barcelona's Park Güell
We did some things right and some things wrong. Isn't that always the case when you are traveling by your own wits? It's also part of the adventure. Our first full day in Barcelona I was itching to get to the famous Park Güell, designed by Antoni Gaudí, the famous modernist architect in 1900 to serve a small community of well-off society. It had grown larger than life in my imagination and I wanted to sit on those undulating, mosaicked benches!
We proudly hopped on a city bus to take us to the north into very residential areas. This is always fun. You get to see how people actually live in a place, not just the busy tourist areas. Also, the number of tourists on these buses are usually low and those that are there are like us, and we often meet interesting, adventurous people! Also, it's a bit nerve-wracking because, "Yikes! How will we know where to get off! And how does one indicate to the driver to stop? And how do you get the door to open!?" All these things get figured out in a snap, sometimes with and sometimes without help of local passengers.
When you unload you are a bit rattled from the experience, but also gratified that, indeed, you used the bus to arrive! Ok, so we got to the entrance and found out that we made a big mistake. Here is my proclamation for you if you are going to Barcelona (even in the supposed low season, which I don't think really exists): Use your smartphone to make reservations at all Gaudí sites unless you go very, very late in the day except for the cathedral for which you absolutely should have reservations in advance.
We had to wait in line for an hour in the hot sun to get a ticket which gave us an entrance time 2 hours later. So we killed 3 hours of our first day in Barcelona waiting around at the entrance to the park. If I had just gotten the tickets on my telephone we could have waltzed right in. It is very easy to go on the websites of these sites and purchase tickets. Then you just show your phone and they scan it. Boom, done.
Ok, so I can learn! But for this day we were stuck. There was nowhere to go, really, and the vendors at the entrance knew they had us. Sky high prices for ice cream, water, and soda. And, although it was October, it was hot in the sun, so we did spring for some water. When we finally got in it was worth it, of course, there is no place like this anywhere in the world! I felt as though I was inside a piece of art.
In spite of the tickets and specific entrance times, it was quite crowded. We had to wait in a line of sorts to get that photo of us with the lizard fountain. The good part, though, is how all the various tourists from literally everywhere help each other out taking pictures for each other. This simple act always warms my heart.
That morning I had thoughts of seeing the park in the morning and the cathedral in the afternoon. Ha! I knew that wasn't happening, but we did pass Casa Batlló on the way to the park. The line for that stretched very, very far. But now, later in the day, I wondered what that line would look like. Next time I'll tell you about Casa Batlló!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
Sisters in a Slot Canyon
Traveling with a sister
What joy to slip
Between the slot canyon walls!
Pictures snapping all around
The colors, the lines, the space
So sinuous.
We are amazed.


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NBC: Not that it's a surprise, but Kings has been officially canceled. My heart is broken, as this could have been one of those great epics like Lost that everyone gets so invested in--the fanfic was already being written, people!
Less tears are shed for canceled NBC shows Kath & Kim, My Name is Earl, and Medium. The latter got picked up immediately by CBS, and My Name is Earl has a good chance of getting renewed life from FOX or even ABC.
NBC gave up on Life, which was also somewhat expected, though no less disappointing. At least we got something of an end for Life, in one of the finest primetime TV esisodes of any show ever. Just remember, One + One = One = Love.
ABC: I never watched finally-ended series According to Jim, and In the Motherhood and The Unusuals got about 15 minutes total of my attention before giving up. Samantha Who? had its moments, but just couldn't hang on. And ratings-challenged Cupid got canceled as well, despite my personal objections. Bobby Cannavale has a power of charm that gives even Nathan Fillion a run for his money, and I'm hoping he can swing another show.
CBS: The loss of mini-season serial drama Harper's Island probably won't upset too many people, but some surprise cancellations have hit fans hard as CBS said goodbye to The Unit, Without a Trace, and Eleventh Hour.
CW: Cult fave Reaper got the sharp end of the scythe, and CW also canceled Everybody Hates Chris, The Game and Privileged.
FOX: I reported earlier that FOX had canceled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but they also axed King of the Hill, Mad TV and Sit Down, Shut Up. King of the Hill was actually canceled last year, but then there was practically an entire season of episodes left to air--not all of which have seen the light as yet.
PHOTO: Ian McShane as King Silas, Christopher Egan as David Shepherd, Kings screencap, c2009 UMS, NBC.


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Fahrenheit 451
What are some symbolic/significant things in Guy Montag's house?
Why are they symbolic?
Why are they symbolic?
The hearth, or fireplace, is a traditional symbol of the home although Montag's house is not a home; it is an isolating place. The parlour or T.V room represents the vacuous isolation Mildred prefers to live with. This is how the state wants society to be.


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It looks like Nintendo has a surprise up their sleeve! In partnership with Best Buy, Nintendo will be offering players a chance to play Super Smash Bros. for WiiU before it launches in store later this year. This event is only going to be available in select stores on June 11th between 4-9pm and June 14th between 12-5pm at your local time. The event is called the "Super Smash Bros. Smash-Fest @ Best Buy."
This will be the same four-player demo version that people will get to play at the upcoming E3 2014. In addition to the demo, the first 70 attendees who pre-order the game for WiiU or Nintendo 3DS at each event will receive a rare collectible Super Smash Bros. gold coin! As a bonus offer people will get a $5 My Best Buy Rewards Zone certificate when they both pre-order and pick up their game upon release.
This seems like a great even and the goodies for pre-ordering aren't too shabby.
For more information on the Smash Fest and to locate participating Best Buy locations visit http://www.bestbuy.com/smashfest


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We've been working hard to help the abused and neglected youth in our community find safe, permanent homes. Here's what we've been up to lately:
Training opportunity to become Professionally Certified in Trauma and Resilience.
This was a letter written and sent by a local former foster youth to her CASA Advocate.
The community came together to provide Christmas gifts for 139 foster children!
Your support is making in the lives of abused and neglected children.
Buy or lease a new Subaru during the 2019 Subaru Share the Love Event, Nov. 14 - Jan. 2, and Subaru will donate $250 to the charity of the buyer's choice including Don "K" Subaru's 2019 Hometown Charity, CASA for Kids!
The Great Fish Award for the 2019 Great Fish Community Challenge went to CASA for Kids!
Thanks to our generous supporters and the Whitefish Community Foundation's Match Grant, we exceeded our goal, raising $125,772!
When Superheroes team up to help others there's nothing they can't accomplish. The Avengers, the Justice League and the Guardians of the Galaxy have saved the world time and again from both domestic and galactic threats.
CASA Superheroes are not alone as they work to advocate for abused and neglected children. They are part of a team. CASA staff, coaches, board members, donors and supporters team up with the CASA to help them fulfill their mission of giving the children they serve a voice.
Superheroes don't do what they do because it's easy, they do it because they believe that it is their responsibility to use their powers to help those in need.
CASA Superheroes are volunteers. They have decided to use their powers to lift up the voices of abused and neglected children. To stand and say, "I am for the child!"
Every Superhero has their day job. CASA Superheroes are no exception. Teachers, nurses, business owners, realtors, and retired – they all have their professional and personal lives. Yet, they find a way to be a superhero for a child in the midst of it all. Hear from our local CASA Superheroes on how they fit being an advocate for abused and neglected children into their daily lives.
They may not be the Guardians of the Galaxy, but they are the Guardians (ad Litem) of the Flathead! Every superhero has an Origin Story – how they came to be a superhero. Hear Scott, Emmy, Tracey and Jacki as they share their Origin Stories of how they became CASA superheroes and Guardians of the Flathead!
Jenny (a Court Appointed Special Advocate) refused to let a child on her case settle for mediocrity.
Shyanne, a former foster child, shares how her CASA, Carol, made a difference in her life.
Read about one CASA's impact on the foster children they served and their foster family.
Boy it is hot outside! We thought it would be helpful to provide useful information about keeping children safe and cool during this scorching season. Here are a few helpful pointers:
June 23 is "National Let it Go Day".
May is National Foster Care Month and is celebrated in order to recognize that we as a community can play a part in improving the lives of children and youth in foster care. At CASA, we advocate for children involved in the foster care system.
Child abuse is a serious issue that can have a lasting impact on the victim.
Last Saturday Night our Executive Director, Jamie Campbell, had the surprise of her life when she went back into the CASA office to retrieve the phone she left on her desk Friday.
In honor of World Poetry Day, CASA For Kids is hosting a poetry contest for children and teens.
January kicks off the New Year with new hopes and dreams, new opportunities, new challenges, and new doors to be opened…. and as Milton Berle once said, "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door!"
Jeannie Penner, a local CASA advocate shares what she is thankful for this season.
It was the dead of winter six years ago on the streets of Spokane.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Domestic violence negatively affects every community, as well as people of all ages and genders. CASA advocates speak for children in foster care and many of these children have experienced domestic violence - but you don't need to be a CASA to help victims of domestic violence.
The Struggle is Real is a series devoted to telling the stories of those who fight the good fight against child abuse and neglect in Flathead County. Hear the second part of Jennifer's story!
Given the newest movie craze, Wonder Woman, is at the tip of everyone's tongue, and the fact that CASA is committed to celebrating every day superheroes, it seems only appropriate to dive into a conversation about Superheroes. The specific focus of my blog series is the psychology of superheroes.
The Struggle is Real is a series devoted to telling the stories of those who fight the good fight against child abuse and neglect in Flathead County.
Do you love super heroes? Join us for a fun afternoon at Flathead Lake Lodge on July 30th from 12:00 to 4:00.
Check out this great video of one of our advocates! Chelsea Sellers shares what it means to be a CASA.
The beginning of summer brings golf for many people. CASA for Kids will be holding its 4th Annual Golf Scramble on Friday, June 16th!
Flathead has so much to offer it's not hard to amuse yourself. And yet, many parents are gearing up for those dreaded words, "I'm bored….."
"I entered care with 3 siblings, the younger 2 were adopted and I exited care with one. Saying 'I love you' when you haven't seen someone for long time, especially when you don't say 'I love you' to anyone, is difficult."
"Excuse me." A quiet, raspy voice comes from behind me. I look up from my coffee and the computer I am furiously typing away on to see an elderly woman with short messy hair and worn-out clothes. The air around her is slow and heavy, but her presence is gentle; her expression inquisitive.
You can only care for others to the extent that you care for yourself. Sometimes it feels selfish to take time for yourself. In reality, you must take time for yourself to rejuvenate your ability to empathize and care for those you love.
This is a special shout out to foster parents everywhere. Your work is not easy, but so critical in the lives of the children you take in to you hearts and homes.
It is an enormous role of responsibility, often frustrating, but in the end highly satisfying.
Why I give. I know that not all children are as lucky as I am. Some children are born into a cycle of abuse. Some children are born to parents with addictions. Some children live in a world that is not safe.
Cole eventually found a happy ending thanks to his CASA and social worker!
Learn how to make a difference during National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
National CASA Conference is March 10th-March 14th
CASA 101 training starts in April, applications due beginning of March.
CASA 101 training starts in April, apply now!
Have you ever thought about becoming a CASA? Come to our info meeting Feb. 13th!
It's easier than you think!
Wyatt's story has a happy ending because of his CASA advocate.


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In baseball, there is a term describing someone as a "five-tool player." It refers to a multi-talented team member who excels in the following five areas of the game: throwing, hitting (average), speed, power and fielding. This term is reserved for a NON-pitching position, but Little League baseball player Mo'ne Davis is making a case for being the exception, if not in baseball, then in life.
Speaking as a girl from Brooklyn who grew up with aspirations of being the first female catcher for the New York Mets, I have been following Mo'ne Davis with great interest and admiration, and no small amount of retroactive envy. As it would happen, my gender and complete lack of athleticism would get in the way of my dreams, but it has been thrilling to watch this girl live hers. The first girl to pitch a shut-out in the Little League World Series? Phenomenal.
Her class and brains and skills as a human being come through on and off the field, most recently in a controversy surrounding a tweet from a college baseball player. Joey Casselberry, a junior at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, and a star player on their baseball team, referred to the 13-year-old Davis as a "slut" when he heard Disney would be making a movie about her.
The BU Huskies took swift action and dismissed him from the team:
Bloomsburg Univ is deeply saddened by what was written about #MoneDavis by one of our student-athletes. His words do not represent us.
— BU Huskies (@GoBUHuskies) March 21, 2015
We take matter very seriously; addressed the issue with the student-athlete (who has been dismissed from team), coach, and the team.
— BU Huskies (@GoBUHuskies) March 21, 2015
It's remarkable enough that the Bloomsburg University powers-that-be took such decisive and strong action against their player for using a pejorative term to describe a 13-year-old girl. It's even more remarkable that Ms. Davis sent an email to B.U. asking he be forgiven and reinstated:
"Everyone makes mistakes…Everyone deserves a second chance. I know he didn't mean it in that type of way." – Mo'ne Davis
What incredible poise and class for a 13-year-old girl. What kindness and conviction.
While BU was moved by her email, praising her generosity and maturity, they are standing behind their decision to dismiss Casselberry:
"Right now we're standing firm." – Bloomsburg University
At the same time, I believe that the administrators and coaches at Bloomsburg University were completely correct to have taken such swift action and stand by it – even in light of Mo'Ne's request that a fellow baseball standout be re-instated. She may have been moved by his apology and his plight, but despite what he said in his apology, his life is NOT ruined. He has talent, a university education, and the ability to turn this experience into something life-changing and wonderful, should he so choose and let's hope he does. He still has many remaining options available to him now and in the future especially if he turns this into knowledge, action or progress about anything from sexism to cyber-bullying to being an upstanding member of a team. Even if all he does is sit quietly with this for a while, remember the lesson and think twice before tweeting something else like that again, he will have benefited from this chapter in his life.
He may be sincerely contrite, and I have no reason to believe he isn't. But most assuredly, his life is not ruined. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing of victims of vicious bullying (cyber or otherwise), racial discrimination, sexism.
Ms. Davis cannot possibly be expected to have the perspective of an adult, and no one in their right mind would be critical of her gracious behavior. But we live in a time period in which women are still crying out to be taken seriously when they are abused or violated. Too often, rape culture on college campuses runs unchecked, and under-reported as a result. So many women are shamed and ignored for speaking up about their experiences, that they're left with little or no support, and even sometimes forced to continue having contact with their abusers – often as a result of campus officials turning a blind eye to behavior that often begins like the tweet Joey Casselberry thoughtlessly sent out.
BU's decision is drawing praise for a reason. It represents progress. It is the kind of action that should be taken by schools when faced with abusive behavior of its students. I imagine people breathing a sigh of relief, and saying, "Finally!" It represents adults rallying around a young girl who shows immeasurable fortitude and kindness, who has been called an unspeakable name by an adult man on Twitter. It is a model for how we hope other officials will behave when a person who has been abused in a much less public sphere dares to speak up. It is a sign that even the powers that be regard this kind of behavior as intolerable, and recognize the damage it can do to people with much less inner strength than Mo'ne possesses.
Ms. Davis' generosity of spirit, maturity, strength, compassion and talent are all incredible. I wish everyone in her sphere of influence would learn from her and these "five tools" she possesses that make her an absolutely outstanding human being. I am also, though, on Team BU Huskies. In holding fast to their punishment of Casselberry, the administrators and coaches of Bloomsburg University are sending a message that too many vulnerable people are literally dying to hear.
Aliza Worthington grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and now lives in Baltimore. She began writing in 2009 at the age of 40. Sometimes her writing follows The Seinfeld Model of "no learning, no hugging." Other times it involves lots of both. She blogs about Life, Liberty and Happiness at "The Worthington Post." Her work also appears in Purple Clover, and before that, in Catonsville Patch and Kveller. She has been featured in the Community Spotlight section of Daily Kos under the username "Horque." Her piece for The Broad Side, Leaving Gender at the Door, was chosen as a BlogHer Voice of the Year in 2013. Follow her on Twitter at @AlizaWrites.


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We are pleased to bring the classics back to our fans with a scale helicopter at it's best – the Walkera 4F200LM "Lama 315B" Helicopter is inspired by the famous "Lama 315B" helicopter. The 4F200LM is a very unique model on the market, it features a special Tri-Blade Rotor and a Tri-Blade Tail Rotor which has very few competitors on the market, combining the Auto Stabilizing System (3-Axis Gyro), it performs amazingly stable! The details on the fuselage is stunning, which we've never seen on other Walkera Products before, especially the Tail Truss structure, the finishing are so well, just to see the tail pitch pushing mechanism and the tail drive shaft moves is a lot of joy. Furthermore, 4F200LM is a Collective Pitch helicopter, which means all 3 main blades can change angle to generate more wind for quick moving, for Helicopters with this design, it will move much quicker than normal Fixed Pitch Helicopters, this is a very effective design as they use on real helicopters. For this 4F200LM package, you get everything ready to fly, and all the good stuff installed, such as 3-Axis Gyro which helps to stabilize the heli body, the aluminum flybarless rotor head, brushless motor, pitch controlled tail rotor, LED Lights and a well painted body.
Taking orders at: helicopter warehouse


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There are few things better than a rich and creamy milkshake, am I right? But have you ever made one at home? One pint sized milkshake takes like a quarter gallon of ice cream. I once made the mistake of stopping to do the math on those calories and was so bummed, the milkshake *almost* lost its appeal. Happily, I've recently discovered Halo Top ice cream and the lower calorie count and increased protein make me feel like milkshakes can now be a sensible treat for me to indulge in often.
...so thick and rich I could stand a spoon up in it.
Recently I had the really hard task of sampling many of Halo Top's flavors recently (aka best job ever) and I was so impressed with the texture and quality of all of them, but my favorites had to be the mint chip, chocolate mocha chip, red velvet, and the luscious oatmeal cookie. Inspired by my love of milkshakes, the gift of a reduced-guilt ice cream, and the beautiful crop of cherries now taking over the produce department of my local market, I concocted this stunning bing cherry and oatmeal cookie milkshake.
The results were over the top delicious. Lots of fresh cherries, some dried cherries for a bit of chewy goodness, cocoa nibs, a splash of milk, and a pint of the delightful oatmeal cookie Halo Top blended for just a few seconds and I was left with a milkshake so thick and rich I could stand a spoon up in it (because no self-respecting milkshake should be thin enough to pass through a straw). I just love it when healthier doesn't mean bland and disappointing. You better believe I consumed the entire thing and didn't feel the least bit bad about it and I encourage you to indulge yourself and do the same. Your favorite flavor of Halo Top + whatever delicious toppings you have + a splash of milk + some blender time = instant summer happiness without the regret, guaranteed.
This sponsored post is written by TMP on behalf of Halo Top. The opinions and text are all ours. Thank you for supporting the brands we love.
Oatmeal Cookie and Bing Cherry Milkshake
Serves 2
|1 pint
|Halo Top Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream
|1/4 cup
|dried bing cherries
|1/4 cup
|dark red bing cherries
|2 tbsp
|milk (plant based or cow's)
|2 tbsp
|cocoa nibs
Optional Toppings
|2 tbsp
|coconut whip topping
|2 tbsp
|toasted coconut flakes
|additional cocoa nibs
|Bourdeaux Cherry
|oatmeal cookie
Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and pulse until just combine, but still has some chocolate and cherry chunks. Pour into two pint glasses and top with additional toppings. Enjoy!
- 1 pint Halo Top Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream
- 1/4 cup dried bing cherries
- 1/4 cup dark red bing cherries
- 2 tbsp milk (plant based or cow's)
- 2 tbsp cocoa nibs
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and pulse until just combine, but still has some chocolate and cherry chunks
- Pour into two pint glasses and top with additional toppings
- Enjoy!


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Mayo Clinic Employee and Community Health has many locations and ways to access care. Your provider and care team may be at a particular physical location, but they are also available through Patient Online Services and through Nurse Line support.
Click on any location at the right to find phone numbers and hours. Visit our Express Care overview for walk-in clinics and non-visit care options.
Holiday Hours vary by location and year. Review our planned holiday hours here.


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Was it supposed to get colder on the first commute of spring? I thought that my last commute with wool sweater and leg warmers was done, but nooooo, today it was quite a bit colder than last week.
I tried to capture my ride in the dark with 1 image every 5 seconds. It is a bit choppy. Still playing around with the GoPro. I think the battery went dead which is why it stopped before I got to work.


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Lucretia Endorsed By The Jewish Press
Jewish Press Endorsements
Editorial Board
Posted September 07 2010
Below are our recommendations for the contested September 14 Democratic and Republican primary races in New York. We have made every effort to identify those candidates who have shown sensitivity to the needs of the Jewish community. http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/45153
49th Assembly District: Republican Party
Lucretia Regina-Potter
We endorse Lucretia Regina-Potter in the Republican primary in the 49th district. Long involved in public affairs, she is fast emerging as a leading spokesperson for many of the issues of importance to the Jewish community there, including school choice, tuition vouchers, tax credits for small businesses and family values.
Category: Press Releases | Comments Off


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They've done it again! After joining forces last year for Burberry, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne star in ads for Burberry's new fragrance, My Burberry Eau de Toilette, shot by Mario Testino. The mods don trenches and nothing else for the B&W shots, and judging by the below vid of all the behind-the-scenes action from the London shoot, the duo seems like they had a blast on set, unsurprisingly.
So, what's different about the "bright, grand floral" scent, which hits stores this month? "The idea was to create a contemporary scent which preserved the elegant quality of My Burberry. On top, the citrus freshness of the bergamot was replaced by the lemon flower to give the Eau de Toilette its brightness…The Damask rose remains, retaining the elegance and confidence of My Burberry Eau de Parfum," said perfumer Francis Kurkdijan in a statement. Other tweaks to the scent: peonies were swapped in for geranium, peach flower provided the fruit factor instead of quince accord, and white moss and musk replaced patchouli for the base, for all you scent heads out there.
Plus! Another campaign for Moss, also shot by Testino: The supe will appear in ads for Cosme Decorté, a prestige skincare label produced by Tokyo-based Kosé Corporation. The line, which was launched in 1970, has now shortened its name to Decorté, and has inked a multiyear contract with Moss. Look out for print ads starring the mod beginning in September in titles internationally, according to WWD. In addition to Moss' glossy cameos for the brand, a vid from the making of the campaign will debut in August.


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Edward Walford Manifold was born on 28th April 1892 and grew up in the Western District of Victoria. Together with his older brother William Herbert (Bee), he travelled to England to join the Royal Field Artillery when World War I broke out. Day by day, this blog publishes his letters home and the entries he made in his diaries, from 1915 when he was first sent to France until 1918 when his service ends. (To follow on Twitter: manifold1418)
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Diary Entry - 3rd April, 1918
Go to the OP at six a.m. but take the precaution of moving the wire 200 yards to the left and further forward and gaze through a hedge. The battery was to be relieved at ten a.m. by the 77th Bde. At eleven a.m. the relieving officer was shown up by a telephonist from D36 and brought right across the open plough country instead of coming under cover of the crest. Of course the Hun was watching and we soon had a lot of machine gun bullets whistling about us. I was not sorry to hand over and get out of it. The whole battery was clear by twelve fifteen p.m. and we proceeded to Varennes, where we heard orders had been altered and, instead of entraining, we were to march north and join the 10th Corps.
Posted by zmkc at 11:32
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The Byzantine and Persian Empires were the super-powers of the time. It was during the years when the few believers were severely persecuted in Makka that the Persians utterly defeated the Byzantines. They had sweeping victories, and conquered Aleppo, Antioch, and the chief Syrian provinces, including Damascus. Jerusalem fell to their arms in 614-615. The Christians were
The concept of the Unseen pertains to what is supra-sensory and metaphysical or even meta-cosmic. In this sense, the past, as well as the future and everything beyond ordinary human senses are all included in the concept of the Unseen, provided that some concrete indications have not been manifest.
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, gave lots of information about past peoples and events
History is an important branch of knowledge. It is not a science like physics or biology. It mostly depends on documents that have remained of the past. Although we can have knowledge of the past and past events by means of documents, it is quite often very difficult to penetrate into the facts behind those events. We can hardly know the intentions of historical 'actors' or 'actresses'
Gulshan-e-Iqbal, 75300,
Karachi, Sindh
Skype us: ahledurbar


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General Overview
Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium. It is the causative agent of listeriosis, a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria. The disease generally affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems. However, rarely, persons without these risk factors can also be affected (CDC 2012; Todar 2012).
The overt form of the disease has mortality greater than 25 percent. The two main clinical manifestations are sepsis and meningitis. Meningitis is often complicated by encephalitis, a pathology that is unusual for bacterial infections (Todar 2012).
Summary Data
Czuprynski et al. ( 2003) studied susceptibility of C57BL/6 mice and A/J mice to Listeria monocytogenes (strain Scott A) inoculating them intragastrically (Czuprynski, Faith et al. 2003). Similarly, Golnazarian et al. (1989) also compared infectious dose in normal and compromised C57BL/6J mice with pathogens( strain F5817) via oral route (Golnazarian, Donnelly et al. 1989).
Recommended Model


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Ever wish you could ask a wise, kind, approachable Student Affairs Dean something without having to admit the question was yours? Maybe you think it's cringe-worthy; maybe you feel like you should know the answer already; maybe you think you will be judged; maybe you're sure you are the only medical trainee on the planet ever to have felt this way, and you need confirmation now.
Enter Dear Dr. Horton, a new feature on the CMAJ Blog. Send the anonymous questions that keep you up at night to a real former Dean of Medical Student Affairs, Dr. Jillian Horton, and get the perspective you need with no fear of judgment (rest assured, though — Student Affairs Deans in Canada are all really great people, and not only have they heard it all, but they take on these decidedly unglamorous, 24-hour call jobs because they really, really care about learners).
Submit your questions anonymously through this form, and if your question is appropriate for the column, expect an answer within a few weeks! ...continue reading


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With a pharmacist in hot pursuit, two shoplifters ran from a Boca Raton drug store with $230 in hemorrhoid suppositories, police said Wednesday.
The women walked into Gray Drugs at 499 NE Spanish River Blvd. about 7:10 p.m. Tuesday and began browsing, said police spokesman Terry Walters.
Pharmacist Leon Tedeschi told police both women were carrying "unusually large handbags." His suspicions aroused, Tedeschi watched while one woman placed 20 economy-size boxes of Preparation H in her handbag, Walters said.
When Tedeschi walked over to confront the woman, she and her companion bolted for the door as other merchandise spilled from their handbags, Walters said.
Both women climbed into a car in the parking lot and drove off, Walters said.


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The White Hot Heat is back. Whether you're a diehard fan who never misses a game or the kind who digs your number 6 jersey out of the back of your closet when playoffs roll around, it's always fun to rally behind the home team.
With one win under its belt and tonight's game at 7 p.m. at home and broadcast on TNT, the Heat hopes to earn that coveted threepeat when all is said and done. This is Heat Nation, after all, and many restaurants and bars are showing their support by offering food and drink specials that will certainly get better as the championship gets closer.
For now, here are your ten best bets for catching all of this year's NBA playoffs action.
If you're lucky enough to snag a spot at the game itself, the Triple-A has plenty of playoff specials. With new food items such as Buffalo Heat nachos and White Hot sushi rolls to drinks like White Hot sangria and bottomless fountain soda served in limited-edition White Hot Heat player cups, you don't have to settle for the standard overpriced burger and fries.
This new Brickell hot spot offers $15 Miller Lite pitchers during all games plus a dozen wings for $8. Feel good buying a special Batch White Hot T-shirt for $20, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to charity. Even better: Wear the tee during all Heat games broadcast at Batch and enjoy $5 craft beers.
If you've never watched the Heat play at Blackbird, you don't know what you're missing. Enjoy one of the hangout's expertly made cocktails or draft beers from the bar inside while watching basketball on the giant projector screen outside. Blackbird often brings in a chef to grill on the breezy patio, making for a picture-perfect Miami night.
A go-to spot for New Yorkers and Brickellites alike, Bro J's in Sunset Place recently opened. Chow down on barbecue specialties while guzzling beer with your favorite frat bros and watching the game on the many flat-screen TV sets.
With a fresh new location in Coconut Grove, Duffy's has ceaseless two-for-one drinks and plenty of TV screens. Enjoy classic sports bar snacks at this haunt that's all about anything involving a referee.
Catch the games on the five 100-inch projection screens with live audio and DJs during commercial breaks (yes, that's so Miami). Of course, you can't forget chef Todd Erickson's killer food. He'll serve special $7 sushi rolls, sliders, hot wings, and tater tots that can be washed down with $10 cocktail specials. The gastropub has also added an outdoor TV set for patio diners to get in on the action too.
Watch the game on Oak Tavern's 80-inch screen and pray for Ray Allen to sink some three-pointers. For every three-point shot made, you get a $3 shot of whiskey. You can also nosh on special food items such as smoked duck nachos with black beans and cheese sauce, Vietnamese chicken wings, and house-ground slider burgers with oxtail marmalade, pepper jack cheese, and fried shallots.
Last year, this sports bar took "White Hot Heat" to another level by turning everything from the walls to the tables white. Enjoy half-priced drinks and discount eats until 7 p.m. most days, or go on a Wednesday, when they have penny beers.
Serving some of the best chicken wings around, Sports Grill Sunset, Kendall, Bird Road, and South Miami feature all sporting events on their multiple flat-screens and pour $8.50 pitchers of Bud Light and Miller Lite.
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With a new South Beach location and a tried-and-true one in the Gables, Yard House is a fan favorite for its wide draft beer selection and extensive menu. Though there are no unique Heat specials, if you're lucky enough to watch a game during happy hour, enjoy discounted drinks, pizzas, and appetizers.
Connect with Cassie Glenn on Twitter @cassieinmiami.
Follow Short Order on Facebook, Twitter @Short_Order, and Instagram @ShortOrder.


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I admit, I cannot draw well. My doodles are generally undecipherable to me. When I make a cross stitch design on paper, I use a combination of Photoshop to start, graphing paper to find my stitches, and cross stitching software to finish. Still, I have some ideas for reverse appliqué that will need somewhat more legible drawings. So when Spoonflower issued a challenge to draw everyday for 30 days I decided to give it a try. My skills can only get better, after all.
Day 1: Cactus


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The Shop Apron is a great accessory for any craftsperson.
(and a perfect Christmas gift)
specially popular with woodworkers, but be it a blacksmith or a shoemaker, many trades appreciate it,s protection and many pockets! For this course we prepared a Pattern, that will fit the 10th to 90th percentile on the shop bell curve, meaning average size +/-.
What to bring: your curiosity, and it would be helpful to bring along a strong pair of scissors.
Equipment: We'll be using industrial straight stitch sewing machines, the CoLab also will supply black and white thread, pattern, cutting table, fabric punches, iron/ironing table, etc
Materials: Materials can be purchased at the course for $30, ( includes heavy natural coloured canvas, Nylon straps copper rivets and grommets )
It is open to participants to bring your own material, or supplying some other material for 'pockets' and or ties/straps…
Instructor: Don Carmichael, is The veteran Sewer at the CoLab.
Cost: Course fee is $50 + materials $30, for a grad total of $80 you get a awesome shop apron!
Where: at the CoLab 1907 Triumph Street, Vancouver
Maximum 3 people (Reasonably new or veteran sewers welcome)
please register at: email@example.com
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In our post on ChatOps bot frameworks we discussed Hubot and how this widely forked project is a readily extensible mechanism for creating your own ChatOps bots. In this post we take a look at building such an extension in the form of a Hubot to help administer the Amazon API Gateway. Read more
Posts Tagged: extension
Content Negotiation For Web API Longevity
Every so often, a new image file format comes along that does a better job of compressing images than JPEG or PNG. We've seen Google pushing its own Webp format, (purportedly 26% smaller in size compared to PNGs), and new formats BPG and FLIF are contenders, packaging images in less and less space and time then their predecessors. Read more