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Welcome to my blog and the place where I will post my photos and musings from my life as an ultrarunner. My nickname "Shining" was given to me by a group of very special students after I finished my first 100-miler, the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100. They were the inspiration that enabled me to finish this awesome race, and I try to live each day with a "shining" attitude!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Fearless, Frigid, and Fast: A Recipe for a Hellgate PR, 2008
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine
Until you feel it all around you
And I don't mind
If it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by,
It's the heart that really matters in the end
---Rob Thomas, "Little Wonders"
Where do I begin to describe Hellgate 2008? What made it all come together for me this year?
Was it the full moon? We had the good fortune to run under the largest full moon in 15 years. I felt like we were somehow cheating to be able to run without lights for most of the night. The moon followed us all night and into the morning hours, and at one point, I was running on a ridge line with the rising sun to my right and the setting moon on my left. What a gift!
Was it the weather? Frigid temperatures, bright moon, bright sun. A perfect recipe for me. Besides the full moon, the pre-race chatter focused on what the temperatures would be up on the ridges...predictions were for lows in the teens with some wind. I seem to run my best in very cold weather, as long as I am appropriately dressed. We had these conditions before in 2006, so I knew the drill: tights, two wicking layers, a vest and a sturdy wind jacket, glasses, hat and gloves. After the race, many runners were regretting running in shorts and no hat. Ouch!
Was it the trail? We were spoiled this year with leaves that had been washed off the trail by the heavy rains that came the night before. The Devil Trail had been flattened somewhat, though the rocks were still there. But somehow this trail seemed "easier" for me than in previous years. Another gift...
Was it the conservative start and support from the guys? My friends Ryan Henry and Rick Gray were looking to pace themselves at the start and asked if we could all run together given my propensity for conservative starts. Soon we added Neal Jamison, Ed Duval, and Dan Lehmann to the group and we ran together up to Camping Gap (mile 15). They stopped at the AS but since I was feeling good, I kept moving. We were running 15-20 minutes ahead of Horton's sub-15:00 splits and once again I was following them with the hope of breaking 15 hours...so I shifted into "assertive running" mode and kept at it. Neal caught up with me and kept me company until mile 42, when he took off looking strong---an amazing example of the training effect, as Neal's longest run since racing the OD100 in June was 14 miles in August...he finished Hellgate in 14:45. Awesome job, my friend. Thanks so much for the great company and the push.
Was it my nutrition? At Hellgate, you need to eat, eat, eat. You are cold and running during your sleep phase, so proper nutrition is the most important factor in finishing the race. Over the course of the race, I ate two, 5-serving flasks of raspberry Hammergel, sipping some every 15-20 minutes. I also ate 6 Clif Bloks just before the start and drank 20 ounces of Sustained Energy in the first 10 miles. After that I drank 20 ounces of water with Nuun supplemented with plain water from my pack. At daybreak I ate an egg sandwich, and then added chicken noodle soup at every AS along with a few more gels and Clif bloks, all at 20 minute intervals for 15 hours. Never did I bonk or lose energy. It was one of those perfect days!
Or, in the end, was it all in my head...or heart? I was so calm and relaxed during the pre-race, it was almost scary. After three years of running Hellgate in a variety of conditions, I knew what to wear, what to eat, how I was going to pace myself, and I was very confident in my fitness. Training for and running the Grindstone 100 ten weeks earlier played a huge role, no doubt. One word seems to best describe Hellgate 2008 for me: Fearless. I ran without fear of the dark, the cold, or the trail. It paid off in a 13 minute PR, 15:03.
Rick Gray and me at the start of Hellgate, 11:58 pm 12-12-08
(photo by Bethany Patterson)
16 comments:
- I am a runner. "We are what we repeatedly do" said...
outstanding!!! Great to hear that it all went so well. that moon had to be something! Congrats on a fantastic year. see you at Boyers to kick off 2009??
- December 14, 2008 at 7:25 PM
- Sophie Speidel said...
I am taking a long rest now...next long run will most likely be Gap to Gap...I discovered last year at Boyer's that I was not remotely recovered from Hellgate. So, have fun out there and I will see you perhaps at G2G or at TWOT?
You missed a great year to run Hellgate (if there is such a thing!).
Take care and have a Merry Christmas in your new home! - December 14, 2008 at 8:56 PM
- po' pharmer said...
Hey Sophie,
Congratulations on another great run @ Hellgate (Oh so close to 15 hours!) & thanks for the report. I really missed being out there again this year. The moon must have been phenomenal.
Jamey G. - December 14, 2008 at 11:15 PM
- run4daysbill said...
Wooo hoooooo! Awesome job, chica!
And the multimedia deal is also impressive. Great stuff, buddy. - December 15, 2008 at 8:02 AM
- Sophie Speidel said...
Thanks guys!
Jamie, we missed you this year. Come back in 09!
Gentry, you know I say this to you every year...but you really MUST run this race. You have done so many ultras and this one is unlike any other. C'mon...think about 09!!
The video is a bit rough in places but I had fun filming it---it cost me the sub-15 but it was worth it!
Merry Christmas! - December 15, 2008 at 9:26 AM
- Rick Gray said...
Sophie, You barked at that PR and it ran running away with its tail tucked between its legs. You were amazing Saturday and I appreciate all of your support and encouragement. Rest up as 2009 is just around the corner. Rick
- December 15, 2008 at 2:49 PM
- Neal Jamison said...
Yes, Sophie, the video DID cost you the sub-15. The last time I saw you, you stopped to pull out that camera. ;-)
I lost so much energy in the last third. I was really drained on those last climbs. I kept expecting you to catch me, like you always do.
Great run. See you next time. - December 15, 2008 at 3:07 PM
- Bedrock said...
Just saw the video and that was awesome. Congrats.
- December 15, 2008 at 7:55 PM
- head handler said...
Sophie, Great job! Thanks for helping Rick. You are an inspiration to all women.
Tammy Gray - December 16, 2008 at 9:31 AM
- Steve Pero said...
Fantastic run, Sophie! Guess you are finally learning how to run these beasts, ey? You've come a long way from the 05 MMT ;-)
Luckily, Deb and I withdrew because the ice storm would have kept us from coming. No power for several days at our house and many downed trees in our yard, one on our roof!
See you at Rev Ring or G2G? (If the weather doesn't get in the way) ;-)
Steve - December 16, 2008 at 3:32 PM
- annette bednosky said...
Congrats Sophie! You are awesome! I can tell you are pleased! Take care of you and relish the warmth of indoors and the "no need" to worry about calories, hydration, pace, frozen fingers, etc. I can't wait to run beside you in '09!
- December 16, 2008 at 8:44 PM
- Anne Riddle Lundblad said...
Hey Sophie,
Nice job! What a year you've had -- and it's been a result of your hard work and great attitude (and I guess a few "gifts" here and there don't hurt!)
Wishing warm and happy holidays to you and your family, Anne - December 17, 2008 at 9:08 AM
- Sophie Speidel said...
I am truly blessed with the best friends anywhere! Thanks, everyone, for all your good wishes and support. It means the world to me!
Rick, I look forward to our next adventure and especially to getting Hellgate finish #5 next year! You are one tough runner.
Tammy---you are crew from heaven and I appreciated all your help and smiles, not only at Hellgate but at all the ultras. Thank you.
Steve--I've said it before, you MUST run this race. Truly an ultra to put on your resume next to MMT and Hardrock :-)
Annette, I am looking forward to seeing you back on the trails soon. We missed hearing your lovely voice at the national anthem singing---and I LOVE those pics of us from last year that I put on the video...they make me smile. Heal up, sister.
Anne, your "three more days until Hellgate" email got me PUMPED up---so sorry you couldn't have run it this year, but I know there will be a place for you next year---100K is your baby! Thanks for all your support and good karma. Training with you this fall has been a blast!
Merry Christmas to all! xoxoxox - December 17, 2008 at 9:58 PM
- Andy said...
Hi Sophie,
I'll say it again, submit this great story to Trail Runner and get your props for some great writing! You really know how to describe a great event in colorful detail.
Nice job, as always!
Andy - December 20, 2008 at 10:48 PM
- amy said...
Great run Sophie! Glad everything came together for you for a Hellgate PR. I thought of you all often from Friday night onwards. Was really hoping to run my first Hellgate this year, but will save it for the next one. Here's to a happy and healthy 2009....
- December 21, 2008 at 7:55 PM
- farmgirl said...
Sophie, you rock. Thanks for visiting my blog. Keep commenting, it gives me a reason to keep blogging. I'm only in it for the feedback. Just kidding.
- December 23, 2008 at 5:01 PM


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This Saturday, a group of protesters in Detroit will rally in Grand Circus Park and march to the Doubletree Hotel, demanding that the hotel cancel the upcoming Conference for Men's Issues. The conference, hosted by well-known men's right's organization A Voice For Men (AVfM) is set to take place at the hotel from June 26th-28th, and many Detroit-area residents are concerned about the organization's hatred toward women.
Men's right's activists (called MRAs for short) have long been notorious in feminist circles, but have become the focus of more widespread attention in the wake of Elliot Rodger's misogynist rampage, which left six dead last month in California. Rodger himself was engaged with MRA communities online, particularly those known as "PUAhate" and other "incel" (for "involuntarily celibate") forums, filled with men like Rodger who are angry and bitter about women's refusal to have sex with them. Rodger left behind a 140-page manifesto and a YouTube video filled with the same kind of toxic anger toward women that is commonplace on MRA blogs and forums.
Leaders in the men's right's movement claim that their movement—and the conference—are intended to address issues facing men, yet their focus is primarily on blaming and harassing women. Paul Elam, founder of A Voice for Men, once declared that October should be "Bash a Violent Bitch Month." He has claimed that women are "freaking begging" to be raped. He blogged, addressing feminist writer Jaclyn Friedman, "I find you, as a feminist, to be a loathsome, vile piece of human garbage. I find you so pernicious and repugnant that the idea of fucking your shit up gives me an erection." In 2012, the Southern Poverty Law Center identified A Voice For Men in a publication titled "The Year in Hate and Extremism." It is understandable, to the say the least, that feminists and other residents are concerned about Elam and his followers converging in Detroit, and have at the time of this writing gathered nearly 3,000 signatures on a petition urging Doubletree to cancel the event.
Of course MRAs have responded to news of the protest the way they respond to everything: by harassing women. From the moment the Facebook event page went live, men involved with and sympathetic to AVfM were harassing individuals as they RSVP'd for the protest, with some unsurprisingly going so far as to threaten violence against anyone who attempted to interfere with the conference. At least one woman involved with organizing the march and rally was targeted in a classic MRA fashion, when Jonathan Taylor posted her name and email on the Voice for Men blog. Taylor accused Emma Howland-Bolton, a fifth grade public-school teacher, of being responsible for (unconfirmed) bomb and death threats against the hotel, as well as being unfairly biased against her male students. Other MRAs have since contacted Howland-Bolton's workplace and the Detroit superintendent of schools in an attempt to have her fired.
Howland-Bolton told me via email,
When A Voice for Men started targeting me, publishing my personal information online—my picture, email, place of work—I guess I was flabbergasted. But I guess it's not surprising that they acted in such an irrational manner. Sexism is irrational. Misogyny is irrational. So a male supremacist hate group like A Voice for Men that embraces sexism and misogyny is also going to be irrational. They make no effort to be coherent, to connect to reality. In fact, they can't. You cannot connect to reality if your beliefs are predicated on the assumption that, simply by virtue of your gender, you are superior to another person.
Ironically, while they have been hard at work harassing and threatening women, AVfM has also been doing the other thing they excel at: playing the victim. Elam claims to have received a letter from hotel officials warning the conference organizers that the hotel has been receiving threats, and that "the threats have escalated to include death threats, physical violence against our staff and and other guests as well as damage to the property." Neither hotel staff nor the Detroit Police have been able to offer any confirmation of the threats, but that hasn't stopped Elam from using this as a fundraising opportunity; A Voice for Men has successfully raised $29,000 to cover additional security costs, an expense that Elam suggested should be covered by feminists.
Some organizers of Saturday's protest are understandably fearful of potential violent retaliation from AVfM supporters, and are discussing ways to ensure that the peaceful march and rally are held in as safe of spaces as possible—safe both from physical harm and emotional trauma. For women who have survived domestic and sexual violence, it is particularly unsettling to confront men who excuse and even advocate for such violence. But Detroit's feminist activists refuse to be silenced by fear, and continue to hold out hope that this culture of toxic masculinity can be changed.
To support the protest from afar, activists in Detroit ask that people sign and share the petition against Doubletree, and join the Twitter campaign at #noMRA.
Photo courtesy of zakonslike via Creative Commons 2.0.

subset: commoncrawl


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How To Make Work More Fun
Many people are motivated to do tasks by knowing they're being productive, contributing to society, and/or providing good income for their family. Other people are more motivated by pleasure: Will this activity be fun? Unless a task is fun and/or easy, they're tempted to procrastinate. If the latter sounds like you, you might find it helpful to frequently ask yourself, "What's a fun way to do it?"


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MB Endorses: Vanities Fur Bow Tie
As our archives can tell you, we don't necessarily think bow ties should be illegal or even heavily regulated. But we do think you should wear them only in certain situations, namely summer weddings and black tie.
That said, we love this beaver fur bow tie from Vanities. In general, bow ties aim to convey the wearer's unique sense of style in a playful, unexpected, and attention-getting way, usually by using bright colors and/or vivid patterns. This fur bow tie, however, is simultaneously over-the-top and engagingly understated.
Also, as we have counseled in the past, artful dishevelment is a must when it comes to bow ties. And this one has the artful dishevelment built right in.
Even on sale at Barney's Warehouse, it's a little pricey. But don't think of it as a $169 bow tie. Think of it as the only bow tie in the world that can credibly double as a luxury shaving brush.
Ask the MB: Bow Ties Again
Ask the MB: Bow Ties
How To Tie a Bow Tie


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Rural Local Government (Gram Panchayat)
Rural Local Government (Gram Panchayat)
Under the three tier system of democratic decentralization of Panchayat Raj Gram Panchayat function at village level. It is the primary unit of local self government. Now the Panchayats are the agency for planning and executing the local development programme.
What is Gram Panchayat:
A Gram Panchayat is a local self government which is responsible mainly for administration of the village and which also looks after the welfare of the people in the village.
Important of Gram Panchayat:
1. It helps to train the villagers in the art of governing themselves.
2. It trains and develops local leadership.
3. It helps in securing participation of local people.
4. It trains rural people in democratic procedure.
I) Procedure for Forming Gram-Panchayat:
Every village having a population of 500 and more must have a grampanchayat. In smaller villages a group grampanchayat for two or three villages is established. The size of population covered by each panchayat varies from state to state.
The number of members of a grampanchayat depends on the size of population. It varies from 7 to 17. Members of grampanchayat are elected by villagers for a period of five years. An adult with an age of 21 years and above is eligible for contesting the election and for voting in the same. One of the members is elected as Sarpanch and another Deputy Sarpanch.
Grampanchayat has a paid secretary (Gramsevak) who is appointed by Zilla Parishad.
1. The Chief executive officer makes the inquiry and collects the information in prescribed form and put in the meeting of standing committee.
2. After approval of standing committee the proposal is send to commissioner.
3. The commissioner passes the order to district collector to form separate Grampanchayat.
4. After declaration of separate Grampanchayat, state eleven Commissioner has to conduct the election of new Grampanchayat within a period of six months.
6. After election the functioning of the Grampanchayat is started.
II) Election of Gram-Panchayat:
1. Elections of the grampanchayat are conducted by stats election Commissioner through District Collector and Tahasildar.
2. The elections are conducted for every five years. The date of 1st meeting of elected members is taken as a date of starting of the functioning of that grampanchayat.
3. Tahasildar announces the date of election.
4. The number of members is fixed according to population of village.
Sr. No. | Population | Members |
1 | Up to 1500 | 7 |
2 | 1501 to 3000 | 9 |
3 | 3000 to 4500 | 11 |
4 | 4500 to 6000 | 13 |
5 | 6000 to 7500 | 15 |
6 | above 7501 | 17 |
1. The wants are prepared considering number of members.
2. List of voters is published and the election is conducted as general selection.
3. All the villagers having age more than 18 years are the voters.
4. The villagers having age more than 21 years is eligible for contesting the election if he fulfills the other requirements.
III) Reservation of Sets of Members of Gram-Panchayat:
1. 30% seats are reserved for women.
2. 27% seats are reserved for backward class. The election Commissioner fix the number of seats reserved for other Backward Class (OBC), Nomadic tribes (NT) and Vimukth Jamati (VJ).
IV) Election of Sarpanch and Deputy Sarpanch:
1. Election of Sarpanch and Deputy Sarpanch is conducted in 1st meeting of Panchayat under Chairmanship or representative of Collection. The 1st meeting is called as early as possible after election.
2. The notice of election is given to elected members at least before three days.
3. The names in prescribed form are accepted form are accepted before 2 hours of meeting from elected members.
4. The election is conducted by open election method but if any member desires, the secrit ballel method is used.
Reservation for the Post of Sarpanch:
1. 1/3 of the seats are reserved for women.
2. 27% of the total seats of Sarpanch from the districts are reserved for backward class members.
3. 27% seats are reserved for other backward class (OBC) members.
4. In proportion of population of NT and VJ to total population the seats of the Sarpanch are reserved.
The reservation of seats is fixed by Collector by draw method.
V) Working of Grampanchayat:
1. The meeting of members is arranged once in a month to take decisions about different activities of panchayat.
2. Gram Sabha is arranged twice in a year. The first meeting is arranged in the month of April or May and the second Gram-Sabha is arranged in the month of November. If required more meeting can be arranged. All the voters are invited for meeting. In the first meeting progress report, account and audit report of last year and in 2nd meeting budget and activities of the next year are discussed.
VI) Source of Income:
1. Land revenue of village.
2. Collection of various taxes such as house tax, water tax, marriage tax, professional tax, vehicle tax, entertainment tax etc.
3. Income from stray cattle pen (Kondwade) fines and sale of compost.
4. Grants from Zilla Parishad.
5. Annual fair and festival tax.
6. Marketing tax.
VII) Functions:
1. Supply of water for domestic use.
2. Construction and repairs to public roads, drains, small irrigation bandharas.
3. Maintaining sanitation and public health.
4. Construction, repairing and maintaining public buildings, grazing lands, forest public wells and tanks in good condition.
5. Lighting on roads and public places.
6. Controlling fairs, bazaars (public market) bullets cart stands.
7. Controlling and marinating village cemetery.
8. Taking part in Agricultural development.
9. Maintaining a library and opening elementary school.
10. Providing and maintaining a playground for children.
11. Construction and maintaining public latrines.
12. Watch and ward work.
13. Planting and preservation of trees on the sides of the public roads in the village.
14. Collection of taxes.
15. Providing recreational facilities through establishment of T.V. unit.


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UN probing 35 North Korean cyberattacks in 17 countries
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. experts say they are investigating at least 35 instances in 17 countries of North Koreans using cyberattacks to illegally raise money for weapons of mass destruction programs — and they are calling for sanctions against ships providing gasoline and diesel to the country.
Last week, The Associated Press quoted a summary of a report from the experts which said that North Korea illegally acquired as much as $2 billion from its increasingly sophisticated cyber activities against financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges.
The lengthier version of the report, recently seen by the AP, reveals that neighboring South Korea was hardest-hit, the victim of 10 North Korean cyberattacks, followed by India with three attacks, and Bangladesh and Chile with two each.
Thirteen countries suffered one attack — Costa Rica, Gambia, Guatemala, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Nigeria, Poland, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia and Vietnam, it said.
The experts said they are investigating the reported attacks as attempted violations of U.N. sanctions, which the panel monitors.
The report cites three main ways that North Korean cyber hackers operate:
—Attacks through the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication or SWIFT system used to transfer money between banks, "with bank employee computers and infrastructure accessed to send fraudulent messages and destroy evidence."
—Theft of cryptocurrency "through attacks on both exchanges and users."
— And "mining of cryptocurrency as a source of funds for a professional branch of the military."
The experts stressed that implementing these increasingly sophisticated attacks "is low risk and high yield," often requiring just a laptop computer and access to the internet.
The report to the Security Council gives details on some of the North Korean cyberattacks as well as the country's successful efforts to evade sanctions on coal exports in addition to imports of refined petroleum products and luxury items including Mercedes Benz S-600 cars.
One Mercedes Maybach S-Class limousine and other S-600s, as well as a Toyota Land Cruiser, were transferred from North Korea to Vietnam for last February's summit between the country's leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, the experts said, adding that Vietnam said it asked for but was never provided a list of vehicles being brought into the country.
The panel also said it obtained information that the Taesong Department Store in Pyongyang, which reopened in April and is selling luxury goods, is part of the Taesong Group which includes two entities under U.N. sanctions and was previously linked to procurement for North Korea's ballistic missile programs.
The panel recommended sanctions against six North Korean vessels for evading sanctions and illegally carrying out ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products.
Under U.N. sanctions, North Korea is limited to importing 500,000 barrels of such products annually including gasoline and diesel. The U.S. and 25 other countries said North Korea exceeded the limit in the first four months of 2019.
The panel also recommended sanctions against the captain, owner, and parent company of the North Korean-flagged Wise Honest, which was detained by Indonesia in April 2018 with an illegal shipment of coal.
As for North Korea's military cooperation with other countries, the experts said Iran rejected an unnamed country's allegation that two North Korean entities under sanctions maintained offices in Iran — the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation known as KOMID, which is the country's primary arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons, and Saeng Pil Company.
The experts said they have requested information from Rwanda on a report that North Koreans are conducting special forces training at a military camp in Gabiro. And they said they are also waiting for a response from Uganda "to multiple inquires" about reports indicating specialized training is being conducted in the country, and KOMID and North Korean workers maintain a presence.
As examples of North Korean cyberattacks, the panel said hackers in one unnamed country accessed the infrastructure managing its entire ATM system and installed malware modifying the way transactions are processed. As a result, it forced 10,000 cash distributions to individuals working for or on behalf of North Korea "across more than 20 countries in five hours."
In Chile, the experts said, North Korean hackers demonstrated "increasing sophistication in social engineering," by using LinkedIn to offer a job to an employee of the Chilean interbank network Redbanc, which connects the ATMs of all the country's banks.
According to a report from one unnamed country cited by the experts, stolen funds following one cryptocurrency attack in 2018 "were transferred through at least 5,000 separate transactions and further routed to multiple countries before eventual conversion" to currency that a government has declared legal money, "making it highly difficult to track the funds."
In South Korea, the experts said, North Korean cyber actors shifted focus in 2019 to targeting cryptocurrency exchanges, some repeatedly.
The panel said South Korea's Bithumb, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, was reportedly attacked at least four times. It said the first two attacks in February 2017 and July 2017 each resulted in losses of approximately $7 million, while a June 2018 attack led to a $31 million loss and a March 2019 attack to a $20 million loss.
The panel said it also investigated instances of "cryptojacking" in which malware is used to infect a computer to illicitly use its resources to generate cryptocurrency. It said one report analyzed a piece of malware designed to mine the cryptocurrency Monero "and send any mined currency to servers located at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang."


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The Tree is an
Eastern Redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
Take the What Tree is That? Pocket Field Guide With You
This portable, full-color edition allows you to identify common tree species when you're out in nature, away from your computer. Steve Nix of About.com called it one of the best, pocket-sized tree identification manuals.


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Five Stylish T-Shirts You'll Want To Live In
Anyone who knows me will tell you I love a t-shirt. The staple is my all-time favourite closet chameleon--meaning it looks just as good worn with your most casual pieces as it does with your fancier, after-five essentials--and the styles I own get very little downtime. While most people associate tees with casual weekend looks, I prefer to wear them in a more professional or dressed-up scenario. Paired with the right components, such as the perfect pair of trousers, a slickly tailored jacket, and sexy shoes, a t-shirt balances out the look to make it feel effortlessly cool. Plus, the beauty of an excellent tee is that it also fits right in with a biker jacket and boyfriend jeans or can be tucked into a swingy summer skirt, so it's a piece you can wear for work, play, and the weekend. Check out my top five favourite tees below.
1. Levi's Made & Crafted Bay Tee ($85, 415.431.4000)
This striped shirt has that great worn-in, almost vintage look and reminds me of something a '60s surf Betty would adore.
2. T by Alexander Wang Slub Classic Tee ($95) in Ivory
?The nubby texture and slouchy silhouette of this T by Alexander Wang shirt make it the perfect candidate for a night out, especially if it's tucked into slouchy satin evening pants.
3. Raquel Allegra Basic Tee ($242, 212.826.8900) in Sienna Fossil
I love that this tee resembles an athletic jersey, but is still super feminine and sexy. The relaxed fit adds an element of sportiness to anything you wear it with. If you're looking for a more affordable alternative, try Marc by Marc Jacobs Slubbed Linen Jersey Tee ($98).
4. Proenza Schouler Black Printed Georgette Protestor Collar S/S T-Shirt ($475, 212.585.3200)
I'm addicted to Proenza Schouler's luxe tees; they're so simple, but fit perfectly. This one from the spring collection has a silk front panel, which makes it feel more dressed up. 3.1 Phillip Lim's Paneled Silk-Chiffon T-Shirt ($250) is another great option, as it has a similar casual-meets-elegant design.
5. LNA Desert Crew ($90)
Torn in just the right place, this pre-distressed top gets a touch of polish when styled under a snug blazer.
Jessica Baker is Who What Wear's Executive Director, Entertainment, where she ideates, books, writes, and edits celebrity and entertainment features.
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Steal her simple style.
By Drew Elovitz
The Top New York Fashion Week Trends, According to Our Editors
Yes, statement jewelry is here to stay.
By Madeline Hill
Kaia Gerber Has Conquered the Runways, so What's Next? Comedy Boot Camp
The model and actor is officially in her funny-girl era.
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9 Major Trends That Will Define Fall/Winter Fashion
Take note.
By Kristen Nichols
I Ran to Buy These $98 Gap Jeans After Seeing the Proenza Schouler Runway
And I have the receipts to prove it.
By Anna LaPlaca
Introducing the Single Most Dominant Color Trend From Fashion Month So Far
It's everywhere.
By Eliza Huber


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Browns coach Mike Pettine hinted this week that Cleveland might avoid drafting a quarterback at No. 4 overall in favor of an impact player at another position.
We called his bluff on Wednesday's podcast and still view Johnny Manziel as a juicy target for a team that hasn't housed a franchise signal-caller since Bernie Kosar roamed old Municipal Stadium seemingly eons ago.
Drafting Manziel would bring a three-ring circus to town, but Browns linebacker Quentin Groves believes the organization -- despite a newbie head coach and general manager -- would be ready for the requisite chaos.
"I think we're a mature enough team to handle it," Groves said Wednesday, per Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. "We've had some individual success here and people have handled it well. Josh Gordon and (Alex) Mack going to the Pro Bowl, Joe Thomas going to the Pro Bowl. Joe Haden and Jordan Cameron making their first Pro Bowls, things like that. I think we can handle it."
Acknowledging that Manziel would boost "the business side," Groves went out of his way to find out if the young passer has what it takes to lead an NFL team.
"I talked to one of my college coaches, coach (Terry) Price down at Texas A&M, and I asked him, 'How is Johnny? Is he a football guy?' He said, 'honestly, he's the most competitive guy you'll ever meet," said Groves. "He is a guy that will come in, be the first in, last to leave. That's just him.'"
With multiple teams in the top 10 telling NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport that the fleet-footed passer won't escape the top 10, Manziel could be long gone by the fourth pick. But "if he comes to Cleveland," said Groves, "then he's our guy. We will protect him."
The latest "Around The League Podcast" breaks out the crystal ball and predicts the potential surprises that could shake up the NFL Draft.


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UIA takes delivery of its new Boeing 737-800 NEW GENERATION aircraft
On July 24th Ukraine International Airlines expanded its fleet with the new passenger airplane –Boeing 737-800, delivered from Boeing plant in Seattle.
The new aircraft is the first of four new Boeing 737-800 aircraft scheduled for delivery in the nearest future. The second one will arrive later in autumn 2009. Two more new Boeing 737-800 aircraft are scheduled for delivery in early 2010 as a part of UIA's long term programme of fleet renewal and expansion.
This will be the first new generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the Ukrainian register (registration number UR-PSA).
The aircraft's interior will offer a number of additional improvements including an increased number of seats. The airline intends to use the new aircraft with up to 189 passenger seats on high density routes including charter, popular leisure and high load scheduled destinations allowing for more efficient fleet utilization.
The new generation -800 is equipped with the latest navigation equipment and CFM (56-7B26) engines that feature a number of technical improvements with lower fuel burn and increased reliability making the aircraft more efficient, environmentally friendly and easier to maintain.
This and all future aircraft in the UIA fleet will come with 'winglets', (extended raised wingtips) that are designed to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft by reducing drag allowing for fuel savings, and, consequently, lower carbon emissions.
"This latest version of the B737-800 is probably the most modern and reliable aircraft available today. Equipped with winglets and the latest engines, it is environmentally friendly as it has lower carbon emissions. It is a "greener" machine ," said UIA President Yuri Miroshnikov. "We continue to upgrade our classic B737 fleet. The programme to install winglets on the remaining B737-500s and -300s will be completed this coming winter. The winglets improve aerodynamics and reduce fuel burn, noise and emissions. We are committed to making UIA one of the most environmentally friendly airlines in Europe."
Ukraine International Airlines is operating Boeing aircraft since its foundation in 1992. Today UIA's fleet consists of 18 modern Boeing 737 aircraft.
UIA has its own base for full technical and engineering maintenance of Boeing aircraft, which provides technical services not only to UIA aircraft but to those of other airlines.
The new aircraft, with the latest aircraft and engine technology available in the world today, will enhance UIA's leadership position in the Ukrainian aviation market


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This week in the Election Countdown: Iowa threatens criminal action against international election observers who may violate state laws on election day; Libertarian candidate Barbara Howe of North Carolina says companies should be free to explore for energy as long it does not involve taxpayer money or tax incentives and companies are bonded for damages; Closures of government building in Pennsylvania has promted an extension in the application deadline for absentee ballots; New information on Mitt Romney's taxes indicates that he used the Mormon churches tax exempt status to evade payment; and More.
Mission elapsed time: T + 54 and counting*
Nobody knows anything. — William Goldman
Walmart. Supply chain: "In the recent strike of just two dozen subcontracted Walmart warehouse workers in Elwood, Illinois, the strikers heard reports from allies at Walmart retail stores in the region that there were already shortages of goods. This occurred less than 10 days into the strike, Elwood warehouse worker Mike Compton told me."
CO. Legalization: "As of last week, there were 266 licensed dispensaries in CO, with the possibility for almost double that number by the time the state Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division finishes licensing." … Police state: "The following photos depict those officers, dressed in combat fatigues and carrying assault weapons, before and during arrests of activists affiliated with Occupy Denver at yesterday's foreclosure defense." So bank can take over a house? WTF?
GA. Privatization: "The next big play, openly demanded by Atlanta business leaders like the Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the legislative oversight committee, and tacitly agreed to by Atlanta's black mayor, its majority black city council, and most of the local black leadership class is privatization of the city's transit assets, all at once or piece by piece. The transit agency's own governing board is on the privatization bus as well. "
IA. Voting: "Iowa has joined Texas in warning international election observers of possible criminal prosecution if they violate state laws and get near polling places on Election Day." … Voting: "Unreturned absentees usually run 7 to 10 percent once returns are official, [Chad Olsen, spokesman for Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz] said — enough to leave a losing candidate wondering what might have been.
LA. Hurricane Sandy: "The [NOLA] unwatering team successfully removed 250 billion gallons of water after Katrina, [P]lanning was credited in cutting the time needed to drain New Orleans from an original estimate of four months to less than 40 days. The team will share the lessons learned with New York [counterparts] as they address the best ways of removing millions of gallons of seawater pushed into Manhattan and other New York City boroughs by Sandy's storm surge." … Hurricane Sandy: "[H]urricanes like this one present an amazing opportunity. So let me repay all the favors you gave the Gulf Coast back then by helping you get your rebuilding plan going as you helped us get ours on the right track. The absolute first thing you have to do is fire all your public school teachers. Just fire them."
ME. Social capital: "A computer specialist had a stroke in his [University of Southern Maine office] but wasn't discovered until five days later, then died at a hospital, relatives and authorities said Wednesday." Sad.
MI. Refineries: "'It's like a Frankenstein lab experiment,' Theresa Landrum, a community leader and cancer survivor, said of the airborne chemicals that pour from industry in or near [the Marathon refinery in Detroit[s] 48217 [neighborhood] — including volatile organic compounds, many of which are carcinogens, and sulfur dioxide, a respiratory irritant. 'We actually are lab rats.' [D]ata submitted by Marathon to state regulators show that emissions of volatile organic compounds from the refinery increased by 36 percent from 2009 to 2011. The EPA has isn't keeping track of the refinery expansions around the nation."
MN. Foreclosure: "Humanity provides a foreclosure service if contacted early in the process offers significant hope for home recovery. According to Carlene Coleman, Mortgage Foreclosure Manager for Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, the mortgage group handled 406 cases last year with a 77% success rate in preventing foreclosure. They have dealt with owners at all stages of the foreclosure process."
NC. Fracking: "Libertarian candidate Barbara Howe said companies should be free to explore for energy as long it doesn't involve taxpayer money or tax incentives and companies are bonded for damages. Howe said she would have questions if someone would want to drill under her Granville County property but said that's not a good enough reason to bar it." … Racism: "[The Halloween display that popped up in his neighbor's yard:]Hanging from a noose in a backyard tree at the house next door is a stuffed body with a photo of Obama's face as the head." Creeps.
NE. Pipelines: "NE environmental regulators have released a preliminary 600-page report [which] doesn't include a recommendation about whether TransCanada should be allowed to build the Keystone XL pipeline to ship crude oil to Gulf Coast refineries. The state report says TransCanada's new route avoids the environmental sensitive Sandhills region. Pipeline opponent Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska says she's disappointed the state won't require disclosure of exactly what chemicals will be carried in the pipeline." … Pipelines: "[T]he Legislature changed direction in April, during a flurry of amendments in the final days of its regular session, and made the Nebraska DEQ the first stop for future pipeline routing decisions by the state. That decision moved the state's pipeline oversight toward a department responsible to the governor and away from independently elected officials. Because the change included in LB1161 came after committee hearings, the public never had a chance to weigh in on a departure from the November decision putting the PSC in charge." Shenanigains like this are always a sign of bad faith.
NJ. Hurricane Sandy: "12:02 p.m.: Utilities report: More than 2.4 million N.J. residents making due [sic] without power. That leaves 1.5 million residents fortunate enough to be enjoying comforts such as light and heat. 11:53 a.m.: Roughly 75 percent of Jersey City residents and businesses remain without power and prospects for the immediate future aren't great. PSE&G officials expect that power should be restored by Monday" (good live blog from the Star-Ledger). … Hurricane Sandy: "I saw the same gas station attendant twice as I refilled my 2.5 gallon container. I could tell he was exhausted from 12 hours of bending over to fill the tanks. I offered to bring him hot chocolate, cider, coffee, a beer, anything he wanted. He finally cracked a smile and said he'd love a beer but he'd be done for the day at that point.
NY. Ursula Rozum: "The Green New Deal would provide full employment, Medicare for all and student debt forgiveness, to name a few." … Hurricane Sandy: "The Governor's office has released a list of all subway and emergency shuttle bus service that will be operational as of 2 p.m. this afternoon tomorrow morning. There are three shuttle bus routes — two plying the Manhattan Bridge and one on the Williamsburg Bridge — filling some of the gaps in subway service. here will be very limited subway service restorations tomorrow today tomorrow morning, on 14 of the MTA's 23 lines. Nothing below 34th Street." (subway map) … Hurricane Sandy: "The people gathered around the side of a building on Third Avenue looked like refugees huddled around a campfire. But instead of crackling flames, their warmth came from more advanced technology: a power strip that had been offered to charge cellphones." …. Climate change: "[CUOMO: ] People will debate whether there is climate change … that's a whole political debate that I don't want to get into. I want to talk about the frequency of extreme weather situations, which is not political." Oh, semantics.
OH. Voting: "Right-wing activists bent on exposing the alleged epidemic of in-person voter fraud suffered a major misfire over the weekend when anonymous pollwatchers set off alarms over groups of Somalis getting rides to a central OH early voting center." … Balllots: "An unknown number of absentee ballot applications across the state have been rejected due to the [data glitch] delay because election officials did not have some voters' current addresses." … Hurricane Sandy: "FirstEnergy reported more than 147,000 homes and businesses without power before dawn Tuesday. More than 114,000 of those were in Cuyahoga County, which includes the city of Cleveland. Restoring all of it could take days." … Gambling: "An official of a Columbus addiction treatment center told council members that about 40 percent of the people seeking help for problem gambling frequent the unregulated gaming parlors. The Columbus area has 37 of the state's 819 Internet cafes." Not what I think of when I hear "Internet cafe.")
PA. Voting: "Monday's closures of county courthouses across the state has led Gov. Tom Corbett to extend allow some counties to extend today's deadline for applying for an absentee ballot." "Some." Shades of Operation Alberich, I'm tellin ya. … Voting: " [Cambria and Somerset] counties have backup battery packs for their electronic voting units, officials said. And, if it would be necessary to provide power for lights at some precincts, some generators are available."
TX. Pipelines: "Since it altered its route, [TransCanada] has filed a civil lawsuit against dozens of protesters and others who have encouraged action to stop the pipeline, alleging that they have caused disruptions and changes that could cost more than $500,000. TransCanada also has alleged that if protests delay the overall project, it could cost the company millions of dollars." Perhaps TransCanada should sue in a secret NAFTA court? … Privatization: Privatized TX highway overrun by feral hogs. Noted without comment.
VA. Coal: "So, if you buy the 'War on Coal' argument, consider how many other chemical processing factories are seriously considering switching to coal-fired boilers these days. My guess is that such uses went away in the 1950s or 1960s."
VT. Landfills: "Imagine nine and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools filled with the juice that dribbles off the garbage truck. That's how much garbage-infused water is pumped out of a single 20-acre cell every year in Moretown Landfill. Moretown residents are concerned that garbage-infused water, called leachate, could leak into the groundwater and make its way to their drinking water wells."
WY. Refineries: "The FBI and local police are investigating an alleged sabotage attempt at a [Rawlins WY Sinclair] refinery earlier this month. [A spokesman] declined to comment about whether there were any signs of forced entry. He added that the act 'doesn't look like' terrorism. Two May fires burned six employees, three seriously. Fires hit the refinery twice more in August but burned only one employee, who was quickly released from the hospital."
Outside baseball. Progressives: "Obama supporters who profess an intent to 'hold his feet to the fire' may successfully deceive themselves and each other, but this president is no fool. Barack Obama knows that voters have no power whatsoever over him after next Tuesday, that he'll be free to follow his own inclinations, whatever those are" (Margaret Kimberly). … Tribalism: "[P]eople (Ds and Rs both) were two and a half times as likely to think [the protagonist] was a hypocrite if they were told he belonged to the other party. This experiment only confirms a wide body of work in social psychology demonstrating that we're biased against people we take to be members of a group that isn't our own, more biased if we think of them as the opposition. The news is not that we are biased, it's how deeply biased we are." … Federalism: "[Heather] Gerken was writing down all the ways in which she thought Sunstein was wrong. What Sunstein didn't seem to realize, she wrote, was that in order for minority groups to have real influence in politics–in order for them to make meaningful contributions to the way society works–they had to have more than the right to make their voices heard. They had to have the power to actually do things their way." … Corruption: "There have been a significant number of whistle-blowers during this crisis, but none has become famous. The Bush and the Obama administrations have failed to praise and make famous as an exemplar anyone who fought within the lenders to stop their endemic fraud" (William Black). … Legalization: " A study released Wednesday by a respected Mexican think tank asserts that proposals to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in CO, OR and WA could cut Mexican drug cartels' earnings from traffic to the U.S. by as much as 30 percent."
Grand Bargain™-brand Cat Food watch. Filibuster: "Senator Jeff Merkley, the co-author of a package of filibuster reforms, has secured commitments from nine leading D Senate candidates to throw themselves behind fixing the filibuster if they are elected." So, where were they in 2009? It would sure be funny if the Ds left the filibuster to place and got a lousy stimpack and ObamaCare, then "fixed" it and passed the Grand Bargain with it. Not that I'm foily.
The trail. Precinct map: [If you're a map geek, this is really keen.] … Ground game: "Voters nationally, as well those in the closely contested battleground states, report being contacted at about the same rates by each of the campaigns. And with a fifth of likely voters reporting already having cast their ballots, neither Obama nor Romney has a clear advantage among early voters." … Swing states: "Are MN, MI and PA really in play this close to the election? Obama senior adviser Axelrod says no–and made a bet with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Wednesday that he would shave his moustache of 40 years if Obama failed to win those states. … Control of the Senate: "Republicans need a net gain of four seats for their first majority in six years, three if Romney wins, allowing a Vice President Paul Ryan to cast tie-breaking votes. Independent experts agree Rs could wind up with anywhere from a net gain of three seats to zero." … Legacy parties: "[A] case can be made that the R brand name is acting as a drag on Romney's candidacy. The average net rating for the Republican Party in this series is -13, whereas the average for the Democratic Party is +.3. Is this what's keeping a president with tepid approval numbers and a still-sluggish economy afloat?" (Note how essential the role of career "progressives" is to preserving this branding.) … Polls: "If we ran the election 100 times, Silver was saying that Obama would win 72 of them — but we'll only be running it once. Silver was predicting an approximate 50.3 percent of the two-party vote share for Obama, but shifts of as large as 1 percent of the vote could happen at any time. What if the weatherman told you there was a 30 percent chance of rain — would you be shocked if it rained that day? No." Nate Silver Wars! … Polls: "The states in which every site has Obama leading make up 271 electoral votes — one more than the president needs to clinch victory. The states in which everyone has Mr. Romney ahead represent 206 electoral votes." … Polls: "It is impossible to adequately weight to compensate for large segments of the population who cannot be reached at all in a survey, or in very low percentages, and whose opinions may have changed from previous, pre-storm measures. Gallup is now tentatively planning on conducting interviewing over the last four days of this week, Thursday through Sunday" … Recounts: "In the battleground states of CO and FL, a recount is mandatory if the margin between the candidates is within 0.5% of the total vote. In OH, it is mandatory if the margin is within 0.25%." … Biden 2016: "And after it's all over, when your insurance rates go down, then you'll vote for me in 2016. I'll talk to you later," Biden said, according a pool reporter."
Green Party. Brass: "Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was arrested Wednesday morning in east TX while attempting to bring food and Halloween candy to protesters camping out in trees to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, according to anti-pipeline activists." To adopt the immortal and NSFW words of D operative James Carviille: If Stein gave Obama one of her b*lls, they'd both have two.
Robama vs. Obomney watch. Conor Freidersdorf: "Neither the D nor the R candidate in this race is trustworthy or desirable as a leader. Obama is a left-leaning technocrat who habitually breaks his promises and is eager to assume near dictatorial powers in the realm of national security. He has little regard for the Constitution or the recklessness of the precedents that he's setting. And Romney? He's a right-leaning technocrat who unapologetically breaks his promises, is eager to assume near-dictatorial national-security powers, and has little regard for the Constitution. Each of these men would have you believe that it is imprudent to trust the other. Yet if their opponent wins, each is on record affirming that he is empowered to spy, detain and kill in secret, and wage war without Congress. Given their willingness to confer those extreme powers, how deep can their mistrust really be?"
The Romney. Taxes: "[Bloomberrg's Jesse] Drucker used FOIA to get records about another Romney trust, which uses the Mormon church's tax-exempt status to save him from paying taxes, parking money there to defer tax bills while keeping almost all of the proceeds himself." … More Kook-Aid, vicar? [Readers, I'd like a really over-the-top endorsement of The Romney that meets the standard Chait set for The Obama (below). Would you leave candidate links in comments?] … Bullshit: "The Daily reached out to Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt, famous for his essay, On Bullshit. [Frankfurt responded:] 'As for Romney, the only question is whether he is a bullshitter or simply a liar. Probably, he is both. The only remaining mystery is why the public, which often reacts strongly against lying, is so tolerant of bullshit."
The Obama. Hurricane Sandy: "[T]he pool report fails to acknowledge rumors that the president gently brushed Christie's bangs out of his face as Modern English's 'I Melt With You' blasted through the PA system." … More Kool-Aid, vicar? "[A] President Romney would probably kill [Obama's] grandest achievement of providing health insurance to those Americans too sick or poor to acquire it in the marketplace" (Jonathon Chait). CBO: "CBO and JCT now estimate that the ACA, in comparison with prior law before the enactment of the ACA, will reduce the number of nonelderly people without health insurance coverage by 14 million in 2014 and by 29 million or 30 million in the latter part of the coming decade, leaving 30 million nonelderly residents uninsured by the end of the period."
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Mr. Henry Gunderson in front of his work 'Light Weight Imbalance'.
Kevin Cyr
I stopped by the White Walls Winter Group Show before heading to some Christmas parties... some great work up, like always. -AshleyPhotos: Ashley Taylor (above) & Megan Wolfe (below dotted line)
Words from White Walls... The Winter Group Show aims to reveal the wide variety of topics and themes urban, street and lowbrow artists explore, and put forth challenging ideas about urban art. Joshua Petker consciously continues the art historical practice of exploring the nuance of human emotion through the female form. Shepard Fairey's "esthetic flirtations with… propaganda graphics" aims to inspire his audience to investigate the political and socio-economic status quo. Newcastle-based street artist Hush's portraits of geisha and anime women examine gender roles, juxtaposing Eastern imagery and Western cultural values. These three artists are just a sample of the incredible artwork that will be on display in the Winter Group Show. This exceptional collection of art will further examine the boundaries of lowbrow, street, and fine art in an exciting and novel way.
Looks like Brian and the old lady are duking it out.
Mr. Henry Gunderson in front of his work 'Light Weight Imbalance'.
Hush on the left and Joshua Petker on the right.
Shepard Fairey
Clayton Brothers on the left and ABOVE on the right.
This larger than life piece from Robert Burden.
Marilyn piece from Greg Gossel.
I love pigeons.
Jessica Hess on the left, HUSH in the middle, and Pedro Matos on the right.
Pedro Matos on the left, Becca in the middle, and HUSH on the right.
Jessica Hess on the left and the two on the right from Kevin Cyr.
Kevin Cyr
My favorite piece from the show by C3.
Diana Ruiz
D Young V on the far left then Geoff Campen and Diana Ruiz.
Happy holidays from Ashley
Below are photos and text from Megan Wolfe
Tova from White Walls tracked down a few people to interview on video for an artist biography on Henry Gunderson.
The video crew! Their boss shot a feature for Fecal Face's 10th Anniversary show. :D
Akira Beard, giving a couple of his art students some words of sagely wisdom.
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By adopting the adage "Waste not, want not," by this time next year you could find yourself in an exceptionally secure financial position, one that you never thought possible. Try it and see for yourself.
Trying to patch up a broken romance? The Astro-Graph Matchmaker can help you understand what to do to make the relationship work. Send for your Matchmaker set by mailing $3 to Astro-Graph, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You shouldn't expect others to act in a reasonable manner when you behave otherwise. Try to handle things with logic, not emotions.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- The only sure way to achieve success is to roll up your sleeves and do everything yourself. Depending on others to get things done might produce mediocre results.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- It behooves you to be democratic and bow to the will of the majority. If you're too demanding, you can expect some serious trouble to arise.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Trying to bluff your way through a serious assignment isn't likely to work. To be on the safe side, play it straight and get help if you need to.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Be extremely careful that you don't get hot under the collar should a discussion get intense. There's nothing to gain from losing your cool.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- What works for someone else won't necessarily do so for you, especially when it comes to your financial affairs. Do what is best suited for your situation.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Before getting angry, consider the source of unpleasant information being relayed to you. Use collected thinking to soothe your feelings and subdue your response.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Be extra safety-conscious when performing any kind of distasteful task. If you lose your patience and get careless, you'll create needless problems.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Do what you can to avoid a group that includes an individual whom you dislike. If you're more impatient than usual, a confrontation could erupt.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Usually your sense of humor is in good taste, but today could be an exception. Chances are, if you're not careful, you could say or act in a manner that others find unsavory.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Watch your temper and don't blow things out of proportion. You could create problems for some innocent people.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Regardless how rosy a financial presentation appears, it would be best to check things out for yourself before investing in it. It could be all talk and no substance.


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Android: There's no shortage of great podcast managers for Android, but if you're looking for a solid app that won't cost you a penny, AntennaPod is worth a look. The app packs support for OPML imports and exports, subscriptions via RSS, a homescreen widget player, and more.
The app covers all of the basics: you can bring in your podcast subscriptions from any app that lets you export them as OPML, or you can subscribe manually via RSS or ATOM. The app's search tool isn't that great, so you're better off getting the URLs for your favorite podcasts and using those instead. Once you are subscribed though, you'll find AntennaPod supports audio and video podcasts, has a sleep timer so you can listen at night, supports both downloading and streaming of podcasts, and sports a great-looking Holo UI with day and night themes.
Admittedly, you're not going to find some of the more advanced features here (variable-speed playback, subscriptions via password protected feeds, etc) that you'll get in our favorite podcast manager, Doggcatcher, but AntennaPod also doesn't come with its $5 price tag. If you want simple, free podcast management, AntennaPod is worth a download.
AntennaPod (Free) | Google Play via Addictive Tips


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Bret Michaels
Poison front man Brett Michaels makes his Billy Bob's Texas Debut and brings the TV crew to tape VH1's "Rock of Love" series.
With his glammed-up good looks and commercial songwriting skills, Bret Michaels became one of rock & roll's most recognizable frontmen during the 1980s. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Bret Michael Sychak migrated west in 1984, trading the blue-collar ambience of his native Pennsylvania for the seedy gloss of Los Angeles. Along with his three bandmates in Poison — guitarist C.C. DeVille, bassist Bobby Dall, and drummer Rikki Rockett — Michaels became an integral part of the popular hair metal scene, mixing feel-good party anthems and sensitive ballads into some of the decade's top-selling singles. Poison's popularity took a hit in the '90s, however, when the advent of grunge music (not to mention the group's unstable lineup) resulted in sluggish sales. Poison continued to record sporadically, but Bret Michaels also took time to focus on other projects, eventually launching a film company with actor Charlie Sheen. He also made his solo debut in 1998 with Letter from Death Row, the soundtrack to a movie that Michaels wrote, directed, and co-produced with Sheen. Poison reconvened the following year, and Michaels balanced his continued frontman duties with his growing singer/songwriter career, releasing the solo efforts Songs of Life and Freedom of Sound during the first half of the 2000s. He also participated in the 2005 season of Nashville Star, and later returned to reality TV with his own dating competition series, Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. The show ran for two seasons and was followed by 2008's Rock My World compilation, which also featured several new tracks. As the new decade began, Michaels continued his reign as a reality TV star: Rock of Love faded away after 2009's Rock of Love Bus, then in 2010 he won the NBC game show Celebrity Apprentice 3 in the spring and prepped for a fall show, Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It, in the fall. In between these two shows he released Custom Built which combined songs from his previous solo albums and new cuts.
Debut Date
September 27th, 2008
# of Appearances


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A long-term program launched in 2010 by Wella and UNICEF in collaboration with hairstylists and clients around the world, the WELLA-UNICEF MAKING WAVES program offers the gift of education to vulnerable young people in emerging countries.
Salon Manager in Pforzheim (Salon: Frieur Liwell)
2011 Mentor in Recife.
Heidi always participates in social programs back home in Germany. For her, WELLA-UNICE MAKING WAVES was a wonderful opportunity to interact with students in Brazil and support their professional growth.
"After all these years, I'm still passionate about my profession. Being with these kids was a unique opportunity that I'll remember for the rest of my life."


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How the Coming Demographic Shift Will Affect the Economy
You're reading this article because it promises an analysis of how demographic changes will affect the economy. Most of you probably think I'm about to talk about aging baby boomers shifting into retirement.
But I won't. There's another demographic trend that could have a big impact on the economy. So much attention has been given to the aging boomers that this separate shift has gone mostly unnoticed, though it may be more important over the coming decade.
For the first time since 2000, the population of Americans aged 30 to 44 is about to begin increasing. Until this year it had been falling steadily for the past decade. There were 3.8 million fewer Americans aged 30 to 44 in 2012 than there were in 2002. But 2013 marks the inflection point where Census Bureau projections show that the cohort will begin growing again. By 2023, there will be an estimated 5.8 million more Americans aged 30 to 44 than there are today:
Sources: Census Bureau, author's calculations.
None of this is a surprise. After the baby boom ended in the 1960s, the birth rate plunged. The baby boom peaked in 1957, when 4.3 million babies were born. By 1976, that number was down to 3.1 million. The sharp drop-off in births between the 1960s and the 1970s meant that the population of Americans aged 30 to 44 would decline in the early 2000s -- which is exactly what happened. But the birth rate tipped back up in the late 1970s and 1980s. By the 1980s, Americans were back to having close to 4 million babies per year. That cohort is now approaching its 30s, so the population of Americans aged 30 to 44 is about to begin rising again.
That's important for economic growth, because we know a few things about Americans aged 30 to 44.
For one, they start a lot of businesses. According to the Kaufman Foundation, the median age of a company founder when beginning his or her current business is 40. This should make sense -- old enough to be experienced; young enough to be ambitious. And it bodes well for jobs growth. Despite what you might hear, most jobs growth doesn't come from small businesses, per se. Instead, new businesses are the key driver to new jobs. A separate study by the Kaufman Foundation found that from 1980 to 2005, "nearly all net job creation in the United States occurred in firms less than five years old."
The group of 30- to 44-year-olds also buys a lot of homes. The median age of a homebuyer is 39, according to the National Association of Realtors. The median age of a first-time buyer -- the group expanding homeownership rather than merely shuffling it around -- is 30. This will create more natural demand for housing over the next decade than there was in the last one. Still trying to recover from the housing bust, new-home construction is already far below average. It will need to rebound sharply just to keep up with normal population growth. Add in this demographic tailwind, and it could be a remarkable decade for the housing industry.
The group also buys a lot of cars. A decade ago, 28% of new-car purchases were by those aged 35 to 44 -- the highest of any age group, and more than the cohort's 22% share of the overall population. The recession pushed the average age of a new car buyer from 48 in 2007 to 51, according to industry analysis group Polk. But the 30-to-44 cohort may take the reins again, because their average income has rebounded from the recession faster than any other group in the working-age population. Factor in used-car sales, and those aged 35 to 44 on average spend more for vehicles than any other age group. Investors bullish on the U.S. auto industry tend to cite an aging fleet of vehicles that needs to be replaced. But there's another boost many are ignoring: growing ranks of prime-age car buyers.
Go down the Census Bureau's list of spending by age group, and our rising cohort leads in several categories. Per person, they spend the most on food. The most on housing services. The most on furniture, apparel, footwear, and entertainment. In many ways they are the driver of U.S. economic growth. And they're about to begin growing again for the first time in a decade.
The aging of the baby boomers and the strain it will place on entitlements will probably be the biggest demographic story of the next several decades, particularly after about 2030. But demographics might actually work in our favor over the coming decade, especially compared with the last decade. Be thankful.
The article How the Coming Demographic Shift Will Affect the Economy originally appeared on Fool.com.
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Flower Mound Real Estate
After experiencing unprecedented residential growth in the 1990's, the Town of Flower Mound now actively promotes a burgeoning commercial development scene centered around the Lakeside Business District, located on the North Shore of Lake Grapevine, and the Denton Creek District, located in the growing I-35 West corridor. Its Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital received a Corporate Location Momentum Award and the city's two new fire stations were honored with design awards. Residents also enjoy an 80,000 square foot community Activity Center.
The majority of the Flower Mound area is serviced by the Lewisville Independent School District, which prides itself on a long-standing tradition of educational excellence. With more than 38 schools receiving the "Exemplary" rating and 20 schools earning the "Recognized" rating by the Texas Education Agency, families move into LISD because of our commitment to student success. LISD also has six National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, which is the highest designation a school can earn by the United States Department of Education.
6940 Basket Flower Road
TBD Shoreview Court
9100 Apache Trail
Flower Mound Listings Summary
Flower Mound - Town vs. County Stats
Avg Price in Flower Mound: $1,396,500 / County Avg $749,900
Avg Taxes in Flower Mound: $13,700 / County Avg $8,600
Avg Sq. Ft. in Flower Mound: 3,677 / County Avg 2,736
Avg Price per/sqft in Flower Mound:$380 / County Avg $274
Avg Walkscore in Flower Mound: 27 / County Avg 20
Avg Year Built in Flower Mound: 2004 / County Avg 2009
Avg Days on Website in Flower Mound: 74 / County Avg 66


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We had almost nil fresh produce at home and I was glancing at my freezer to find something to cook with for our lunch. I found a pack of chopped collard greens, which I had picked up on sale just before we left on our trip. I have this habit of stocking up on frozen veggies and greens whenever they are on sale and they always come in handy when I run out of fresh produce. I used up fresh tomatoes and green chillies from my little balcony garden and made this dal in minutes. We had the dal with rice, roti and some vadams for our lunch.
Collard greens (fresh or frozen) - 1 cup chopped
Toor dal - 3/4 cup
Tomatoes - 2
Green chillies - 2
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
For the seasoning
Oil - 1 spoon
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds/jeera - 1 teaspoon
Dried red chillies - 2
- If using fresh collard greens, wash them and chop them into strips. If using frozen greens, use them as is.
- In a pressure cooker, combine together washed toor dal, the collard greens, chopped tomatoes, slit green chillies and turmeric powder. Add about 4 cups of water and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles.
- When the pressure gets completely released, open the cooker lid and mash the dal with a potato masher. Add salt to taste and mix well.
- For the seasoning, heat the oil in a saucepan and add the mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add the urad dal, jeera, asafoetida and dried red chillies.
- Pour the seasoning over the cooked greens and dal and mix well.
- Serve hot with rice or roti.


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Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning Shop - HVAC
The Saint John's HVAC Shop is a one-man operation, but it's a big operation. The HVAC technician (Jason Welle) is responsible for the control of climate within our facilities. To do so, the technician concerns himself with the operation and proper calibration of air handling units (AHU), variable air volume (VAV) boxes, roof top ventilators (RTV), pneumatic and digital control operators, damper controls, thermostats, humidifiers, steam and/or chilled water coils, heat exchangers, and people. A good HVAC technician conserves energy while providing a comfortable environment.
The employment of an HVAC technician has eliminated the need to purchase an expensive service contract from an outside provider.
The HVAC systems at Saint John's have evolved over the past century, and no two buildings (except for Vincent Court and Maur/Placid Apartments) have the same system or equipment. Having an on-staff HVAC technician allows that person to learn the personalities and quirks of each individual system and respond to each more quickly.
The installation of digital controls that communicate over our existing fiber optic network allows the HVAC technician to access the controls from home and, thus, provide trouble-shooting without a costly return to campus.
The HVAC shop is directed by Jim Habiger.


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April 6, 2012
Public administration professor active throughout March and April
Krishna K. Tummala, professor of public administration, was invited by the provost of the University of Montana-Missoula to visit the campus in March-April and assess its international development studies minor. During the visit Tummala gave an invited lecture, "Politics of Preference in Public Service: A comparative Pe also rspective."
Tummala also participated in the Leadership Committee deliberations while attending the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration in Las Vegas from April 2-6. He was asked by the newly-elected president of the society to serve as his senior adviser for international relations. He will also coordinate one of the major tracks – Ethics and Corruption – for the next American Society for Public Administration conference in March 2013 in New Orleans.
At the annual conference, Tummala was also selected to serve as an academic adviser to the forthcoming International Conference on Public Administration in October at Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, while serving as a liaison between the participating organizations: the Chinese Public Administration Society, Indian Public Administration Association, Australian Public Administration and the American Society for Public Administration.


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NEW YORK (AP) -- Hedge fund Third Point LLC said Tuesday that it has acquired a significant stake in Dow Chemical and wants the company to spin off its petrochemicals division.
Dow Chemical Co. shares jumped $2.25, or 5.2 percent, to $45.32 in morning trading after rising as high as $46.70 earlier. The stock has been trading around six-year highs.
Third Point says Dow is now its biggest investment but didn't specify how many shares it had acquired other than to say it was a significant position. CNBC reported that Third Point paid $1.3 billion for the stake.
The hedge fund said Dow stock has performed poorly compared to other chemical stocks and the S&P 500 and said a spinoff of the petrochemicals business would deliver more value for shareholders. The fund took a more positive view of Dow's agricultural science and electronics and functional materials businesses, as well as Dow Corning, a joint venture with Corning Inc. that makes silicone-based adhesives, sealants and other products.
Dow Chemical spokeswoman Rebecca Brantley said the company is aware of Third Point's position. Brantley said Dow welcomes constructive input and wants to continue a dialogue with shareholders, and that the company constantly reviews its strategy. She said Dow's investments have yielded value for shareholders and will continue to do so.
Dow sold its polypropylene licensing and catalysts business in October, bringing in $500 million, and said it wanted to raise $3 billion to $4 billion by divesting other businesses. In December Dow said it wanted to spin off or sell about 40 manufacturing plants in the next one to two years as it moves away from cyclical commodity products. Dow also said it reduced its debt by more than $2 billion in 2013.
The Midland, Mich., company had $13.73 billion in revenue in the quarter that ended Sept. 30.
Third Point disclosed its investment and its views in a quarterly letter to investors that it posted on the Internet.
More from MBTMag.com
Silicon Valley Sees Shortage Of EV Charge Stations
ABInBev Repurchases Oriental Breweries
Slumping Intel To Cut More Than 5,000 Jobs In 2014


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The recording of today's webinar, "Find A Grave - The World's Largest Cemetery Database" by Russ Worthington is now available to view for free for a limited time at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com. A few comments from our viewers:
- Having been a member of Find A Grave for over 5 years, Russ taught things that I did not know. Always great learning new things. This was great information to know.
- Wow! I learned so much! I had thought I already "knew it all" about findagrave. Not so!! There is so much more there than I had thought. Thanks! Great webinar!!!
- Very informative - explained some features and search tips I was unfamiliar with even though I've used Find a Grave for years. Also appreciated Jeff's "mini-session" on source citation and cutting and pasting from FAG into the source box.
View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com
If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 39 minute recording of "Find A Grave - The World's Largest Cemetery Database" is now available to view in our webinar archives for free for a limited time. It is also available to our monthly or annual Webinar Members for the duration of your membership. Visit www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com to watch. The supplemental syllabus materials are also available for annual/monthly webinar subscribers to download/print/save. Login or subscribe.
Legacy QuickGuide - Cemetery Research
The Cemetery Research Legacy QuickGuide™ contains useful information including tips and tricks, a list of different types of cemeteries, terminology, and more. This handy 4-page PDF guide can be used on your computer or mobile device for anytime access.
For the genealogy researcher, cemeteries are considered "museums" providing a link with the past which reflect the culture, history, art, architecture and attitudes of an ancestor's era. Data found through cemetery visits, as well as through online and/or offline cemetery research, may unearth clues about an ancestor and about the time and place where an ancestor lived.
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Register for our upcoming webinars (free)
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- Bagging a Live One - Connecting with Cousins You Never Knew You Had by Mary Kircher Roddy. December 17.
Click here to register. Or click here register for multiple webinars at the same time.
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Part of First Look: Poetry as Practice, copresented with the New Museum.
Was Being Moved? (2011)
Ye Mimi
View on Vimeo
The poetry film Was Being Moved? (2011) takes the form of a series of postcards to a "Mr. Parade," interspersed with vignettes of public rituals and street life in Chicago, New York City, and Taiwan. It features music composed and played by Taiwanese musician Yujun Wang.
Ye Mimi is a Taiwanese poet and filmmaker. Having earned an MFA in creative writing at Dong Hwa University and an MFA in film at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she is the author of two volumes of poetry and has exhibited several of her poetry films internationally. Through collaging her words and images, she improvises a new landscape, trying to erase the border between poetry and image making. A bilingual chapbook of her poems was recently published by Anomalous Press under the title His Days Go by the Way Her Years (2013).


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BERLIN- Worcester Prep's boys' varsity soccer team continued its winning ways this week, beating Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC) rival Salisbury School, 4-2, on Tuesday.
With the win over the Dragons, the Mallards improved their season record to 8-1, their only loss coming to Don Bosco, 1-0, way back on September 17. Since then, Worcester has won five straight including the win over Salisbury School on Tuesday along with a 3-0 win over Holly Grove at home last Friday.
Against Salisbury School on Tuesday, Ryan McGuire led the Mallards with two goals, while Andrew Ternahan contributed one goal and one assist. Seth Conboy contributed Worcester's other goal, while Harrison Brennan added an assist. The two goals scored by Salisbury School on Tuesday were the most allowed in a single game all season by the Mallards, who have outscored their opponents by a combined 30-8.
Worcester played Holly Grove on the road yesterday in a game played too late to be included in this edition. Holly Grove is 7-1 on the season and lurks right behind Worcester in the ESIAC standings, their only loss coming to the Mallards last Friday. The Mallards play Salisbury Christian on the road next Tuesday.


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This article is more than 1 year old
A cloud hangs over the sysadmin
Reasons to be fearful?
The IT job sector has been under increasing pressure. A couple of decades ago it was easy to imagine IT as a job for life, but outsourcing, offshoring and the dot-bomb brought wave upon wave of uncertainty to IT professionals.
The past couple of years have seen redundancies in all sectors including IT.
It is not surprising, then, that cloud computing should be met with a degree of scepticism by those closest to the coalface.
Off with their heads
Public cloud services suggest that their jobs will either be done by someone else or automated away completely.
Although private cloud may still be managed in-house, the hatchet of automation still hovers over IT jobs.
This perception is false, however. Cloud computing will not result in job losses, not least because whatever promise such models may hold in principle, they will take years to enact in practice.
The short term is further protected by the sharp increase in demand for IT skills in the UK: in January recruitment company Reed reported that job opportunities were up by 23 per cent over the year before, even if lists of candidates were unnervingly long.
Cloud computing may not be about to put us all out of work, but it may change how some things are done.
Let's get technical
In other articles we have looked at the kinds of hybrid cloud environments.
What specific skills do hands-on staff need to acquire?
The answer depends on whether we are talking about private or public cloud. In the first, an organisation both manages and exploits the cloud infrastructure; in the second the organisation exploits somebody else's infrastructure.
Let's consider the management, then the exploitation of cloud-based resources, whoever owns them.
Cloud infrastructure management means configuring and running a number of servers, networking and associated storage for the dynamic delivery of IT services based predominantly on virtual machines.
Juggling skills
Keeping such an environment going requires technical staff with skills in performance tuning, fault diagnosis and maintenance of both hardware and software.
These are the same challenges faced by data centre staff in the past, but in an environment with fewer servers potentially delivering more uptime.
More insights into required skills can be learned from the High Performance Computing (HPC) community. Rooted in academia and deep research, HPC environments continue to use commodity hardware and operating systems which need to be configured and tuned to maximise their potential.
As the gap between HPC and cloud becomes smaller, skills learned in HPC become transferrable to cloud setups and vice versa, particularly when it comes to capacity planning or configuring for specific workloads such as high-end business analytics.
Going up a level, exploitation of cloud resources is tantamount to execution and management of workloads based on virtual machines.
The workloads may look similar to their physical equivalents, in that they incorporate an operating system and application stack (until somebody manages to do away with operating systems and run applications directly on the hypervisor).
So do the skills. The ability to manage a workload running on a physical server is still required in the virtual world.
Platform as a service – the multi-tenancy, cloud-based equivalent of an application server environment – is an area that will require new expertise.
The future is hybrid
Hands-on commentators such as Mark Mayo suggest that sysadmins need to become better at programming, or at least scripting interfaces between virtual machines and hosted application services, wherever the functionality happens to reside.
None of the old skills are going away in a hurry, but the opportunity exists to prepare for a hybrid future. When it arrives the experts will be those who know how to make the most of increasingly complex IT environments.
It can be easy to find that last year's must-have certifications are no longer current
As one chief technical officer says: "What really interests me about cloud are the kinds of applications we haven't even thought of yet."
We have only just started to consider the potential of public-private cloud architectures, let alone using cloud bursting to distribute small jobs over large numbers of corporate and public servers.
There is no room for complacency. In this industry, as we have seen so many times, it can be easy to find that last year's must-have certifications are no longer current. The job market may still prove challenging.
But IT administrators who take the time to broaden their skillsets should be in a good position for the future. ®


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You gotta love Al De Duco, an ex Mob enforcer with a heart of gold. Don't believe me? Well just ask the dogs--and dogs are NRVER wrong!! His boss died and he decided to go straight-(unless someone was causing him to have to go get and or save them)-then he decided to marry the woman of his dreams and somewhat settled down. He was busy spending all the money he made as a mobster. Luckily his wife could control him with the spending.
Who better to take over Jake's PI business while he had to go away for awhile. Of course Al does not follow the rules--and he reverts to his background when he has to find out who murdered Maureen, a woman with many men friends--some of whom Al knew from days gone by. Hey--have you ever known the mob NOT to get to the bottom of whatever it is they are trying to find out--me either!
I am so glad Dianne Harman decided to devote an entire book to Al De Duco--he is one character you are not likely to forget. I truly hope she continues to put him into this series a lot!
About the Book: (from Amazon)
Men, Mobsters, and Murder! Poor Maureen. Was she just collateral damage?
This is the seventh book in the Northwest Cozy Mystery Series by USA Today and Amazon Chart #1 Bestselling Author, Dianne Harman.
Men loved Maureen, but was that why she was killed?
She had an ex who wanted to reconcile, a chef she'd broken up with, and a salesman from Kansas who had fallen in love with her. Her brother-in-law had ties to the Mafia as well as some interesting business deals. Was she simply a pawn in their game? And what about Leslie, her ex-husband's fiancée? She wasn't too thrilled when Mac broke off the engagement to reconcile with Maureen. Plenty of suspects, but who's the murderer?
Al De Duco, a retired mobster, has taken over Jake's private investigation firm while Jake's helping a friend. Mobsters have a different way of dealing with murderers. Sometimes they revert to old habits.
Join Al, his food critic bride, Cassie, and his Doberman pinscher, Red, as they hunt for the killer in this page-turning cozy mystery.
Read a Chapter or Two Here
Purchase the Book Here>
About the Author: (from Amazon)
To get your free books from Dianne, just cut and paste: http://ow.ly/wgVG304NU9N Enjoy!
USA TODAY bestselling author and seven time Amazon All Star Author, Dianne Harman, draws her stories and characters from a diverse business and personal background. She owned a national antique and art appraisal business for many years, left that industry, and opened two yoga centers where she taught and certified yoga instructors. She's traveled extensively throughout the world and loves nothing more than cooking, playing backgammon with her husband, Tom, and throwing the ball for their dog, Kelly.
Being a dog lover and having attended numerous cooking schools, she couldn't resist writing about food and dogs. Dianne is the author of several cozy mystery series: Cedar Bay, Liz Lucas, High Desert, Midwest, Jack Trout, and the Northwest. Each of these books contains recipes from her travels. Alexis, the first book in the Midlife Journey Series was also recently published. She's the author of the award-winning suspenseful Coyote Series.
Murder in the Pearl District was chosen by Amazon to be one of their Mystery books in their October, 2016 homage of great writing by independent authors and several of her books have been chosen by them as PRIME books!
Authors Website
Author's Amazon Author Page
Anyone 18 years of age or older may fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to be the one lucky winners WW of a $25 Amazon or PayPal.. Rafflecopter will be used to pick the winners. I will email the winner who must reply to my email within 48 hours with the email address and the format e-book they require. Also the email they need the Amazon or PayPal sent to. I will then forward this info to the author who is responsible for getting the prizes to the winners.
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