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Find local BMW Dealers and Certified Pre-Owned Inventory by entering your ZIP code
2060 Biscayne Blvd
Miami, FL 33137-5024
Sales: (305) 571-1200
BMW Certified, CARFAX 1-Owner, GREAT MILES 8,097! PRICE DROP FROM $33,695, $4,300 below Kelley Blue Book! FUEL EFFICIENT 35 MPG Hwy/24 MPG City! Sunroof, Rear Air, iPod/MP3 Input, Onboard Communications System, CD Player SEE MORE! WHY BUY FROM BRAMAN MIAMI? Braman Motors is Miami's first choice for luxury and performance. Call or visit us today. Our sales department has one purpose: To exceed your expectations from test drive to delivery with a no-pressure, high-integrity approach to your ownership experience. CERTIFIED Unlimited Miles for 1-Year plus the balance of original new vehicle warranty (4-Year/50,000-Miles), 24-Hour BMW Roadside Assistance, Comprehensive Inspection and Reconditioning, Trip-Interruption Services, Trip-Planning Services OPTION PACKAGES CONVENIENCE PACKAGE Storage Package, Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirror, Universal Garage-Door Opener, Auto-Dimming Interior Driver Exterior Mirrors, Moonroof, Power Front Seats, TRANSMISSION: 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC W/STEPTRONIC (STD). EXPERTS RAVE KBB.com explains 'If you're seeking a midsize-performance sedan with an unquestioned reputation for performance, quality, luxury and safety, the 2018 3 Series from BMW checks all the right boxes.'. Pricing analysis performed on 2/8/2019. Fuel economy calculations based on original manufacturer data for trim engine configuration.
2060 Biscayne Blvd
Miami, FL 33137-5024
(0 Miles)
Sales: (305) 571-1200
Year: 2018
Make: BMW
Model: 320i
Price: $28,711
Mileage: 8,090
Engine: I-4 cyl
Exterior Color: Mediterranean Blue Metallic
Interior Color: Black SensaTec
Fuel Type: Other
Stock #: BNU89232
City MPG: 24
Hwy MPG: 35
Featured Options
Convenience Package
STEPTRONIC Automatic Trans.
Standard Instrument Cluster
Tier 2
Included Packages
Convenience Package
Additional Options
STEPTRONIC Automatic Trans.
Standard Instrument Cluster
Tier 2
CO2 relevant vehicles
Tire pressure monitor
Variable sport steering
Alarm System
Rear view camera
Floor mats
Rain sensor and auto headlight
Automatic climate control
Ambient Lighting
Additional 12-V power sockets
LED Fog Lights
In-dash CD player
Hi-fi sound system
Satellite radio preparation
DVD Area coding, North America
BMW Assist eCall
BMW TeleServices
ConnectedDrive Services
Oil Chg 10,000 mls/12 months
Daytime driving lights
Shipping package
Transport protection


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Replace worn or glazed rotors when they need it and save other suspension components from harmonic vibration. Check the rotors with every brake pad change and replace the rotors if they are close to the minimum thickness. A quick visual inspection will let you know if there is a ridge on the outer edge where the brake pads have worn a deep groove in the rotor.
This brake rotor is ~316mm diameter and has a ~65mm wide braking friction surface.
IPD is the Volvo Parts, Accessories and Performance Specialists Since 1963.
We offer high quality replacement car parts, custom kit builder solutions, heavy duty parts, all with an unmatchable 50+ year reputation and customer service team committed to our clients. Our custom built online parts catalog features Genuine, OE, OEM, and IPD branded replacement parts for Volvo vehicles.
We are truly unique with a reputation that spans over 50 years. Not many others can match our knowledge, dedication to high quality products and providing the very best customer service in the market. We have a physical location, live customer service agents you can call and inventory to ship products to you quickly. Our customer and vehicle first approach means that your experience is our first priority. We have truly hassle-free returns and provide do-it-yourself (DIY) guides and videos for many of our products.
We carry quality parts in a wide range of OES and Aftermarket brands including Akebono, Behr, Bilstein, Bosch, Mahle, Mann, Elring, Corteco, Hella, Sachs, Denso, Behr, Bendix, Brembo, Centric, Girling, Meyle, SKF, Koni, Lemförder, TYC, Nissens, Genuine Volvo and many more.
Through our other website WPD, we also offer replacement parts for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Saab, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and more from a large number of manufacturers.

subset: commoncrawl


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Foley's Parents Discuss ISIS Email About Their Son
ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The parents of slain journalist James Foley say they regarded an email they received from his captors last week as a hopeful sign they could negotiate with Islamic militants.
Foley's Islamic State captors had demanded $132.5 million from his parents and political concessions from Washington. Authorities say neither obliged. The militants revealed Foley's death in a video released Tuesday.
Speaking on NBC's "Today" John and Diane Foley from Rochester, New Hampshire, said they had last heard from the captors via several emails in December. They say they set up a special email address and sent multiple messages to try to engage them.
John Foley said he was excited to see the latest email, even though it threatened execution. He says he had hoped they would be able to negotiate with the captors.


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Pcarey11 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 84 designs submitted by 39 freelance designers.
I'm a 27 year old business school student. Originally from New York, I've studied and worked in a number of countries, primarily in Europe. Prior to business school I worked as an investment banker for 3+ years. Now I'm hoping to launch a new business before the summer.
Initial target audience is university students in the United States. They would be tech-savvy, high users of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare) and likely to own iPhones.
At the same time, they'd be the type of people that would go out of their way to return something that they found to its rightful owner. So they're good people, too.
I want the brand name (LostAndFound.com) to feature clearly on the logo, and am open to a variety of potential logos.
Some basic guidelines:
1) I prefer simple, clean design to complex designs
2) Needs to be appealing to college-age students (18-22), so it's youthful, but not too child-like
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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In this activity, learners write space weather reports using current data about the Sun and create a broadcast script to present the researched information to an audience. This activity is part of the Space Weather Action Center Educator's... (View More) Instructional Guide, which follows the 5E learning cycle. (View Less)
Audience: Elementary school, Middle school, High school
Materials Cost: Free
Materials Cost: Free


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5.0 Mustang & Super FordsNews & Views
Bench Racer - May 2013
Efficiency Era
I'm a small-goverment, do-what-you-want-as-long-as-you-don't-hurt-others kinda guy. Personal responsibility and doing your own thing are ideas that I support. I'm also self-aware enough that these concepts can likely be traced back to my only-child upbringing. I'm a lot more efficient when left to my own devices.
I'm obviously kind of an odd duck. To most of you this won't come as much of surprise.
This stuff carries over to my cars. I love my cars, but I love them for my enjoyment. I like to use them to the way I want to, when I want to, and where I want to. I'm also not really about showing them off or drawing attention to them. I know it's not the way most folks are with their cars, and that's cool. Whatever works for you.
My feelings do create an odd juxtaposition for the work I do here. The only reason I can write about my stuff here or mention it on social media is because you guys aren't sitting right in front of me. If we were chatting, I'd be a lot happier asking you about your cars than talking about mine.
What's even stranger is that other people are completely comfortable discussing what I should and shouldn't do with my cars. They discuss or comment on when and where I should drive them, and how I should do so—often whether I'm around or not. This is odd, but I've grown to expect it. In the era of the Internet, people are completely comfortable giving their opinions on other people's lives.
This concept hit home with me while I was surfing that Internet. I saw a graphic coupled with the headline that essentially said the day of the gas-guzzler was over. I didn't click through to get more involved, as I got the gist. It did get my mental wheels spinning though. It's innately a good thing to have more fuel-efficient cars. However, does it change the public perspective on less-efficient cars?
These are the days when products or habits that were once socially acceptable can transition into a place where their fans are viewed with derision. Depending on the case, one can argue whether or not this treatment is deserved. However, unless it's something you are into, it's typically not a concern to most people.
So this made me wonder about how more fuel-efficient cars might change the perception of the cars we love so much. Certainly today's Mustangs combine more performance and fuel economy than any preceding Mustangs. To us that's quite impressive, and it doesn't make us think less of fuel-swilling '70s big-block Mustangs. But will 40-plus-mpg, 1.0-liter engines change the public perspective of 21-mpg, 5.0-liter V-8s?
Moreover, if they do change the general public's view of performance cars, will they become less socially acceptable to own and drive? Will it make more people introverted about their love for gas-burning eight-cylinders? Will your neighbors start to judge you and think that you shouldn't own them or you should drive them less?
I've made the case before that if the preponderance of vehicles are highly efficient, it leaves plenty of room for our niche of less-efficient, often occasional-use vehicles. In the end it's really none of their business, but sometimes that kind of peer pressure can wear on people. I certainly hope that people will always look back with a nostalgic fondness for the days of rumbling V-8s when burning gas was a more care-free experience. Since the automobile is entwined with our country's history, it seems likely there's a chance.
Let's all hope that there never comes a time when people feel like it's OK to tell us how to drive our cars...


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Find hotels & motels in Valley Park using the list below. Find cheap and/or discounted hotel rates in or near Valley Park, MO for your upcoming personal or group travel. We show the best Valley Park, Missouri hotel and motel rooms. Browse the Valley Park area hotels to find the perfect lodging! Please use the provided map of the Valley Park hotels.
The Valley Park center point is about 2 miles southwest of Museum of Transportation and 3 miles east of Lone Elk Park.
How should we direct your call?


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Touche needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 143 designs submitted by 42 freelance designers.
SPINMINDS Corp. (http://www.spinminds.com)
We are creating a new IT company. We will design websites, provide hosting, give SEO advices, sell E-Commerce packages, custom desktop applications and MANY other things. We are located in USA. We will hire new designers soon, so this will be a good test to join our team.
All markets, people that need a website, or any related service. We will target small companies like lawyers, real states, etc.
Logo is only for the words SPINMINDS, not for the word: Corp. We prefer the company in uppercase characters.
You are free to choose the colors and forms of the logo.
We have other designers working in the spiroball concept:
Logo must be professional and 100% original.
Good Luck!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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These little Kirby/Big-Boo-esque icons came about one night as I was working on something completely different. I love representing each class using different art styles- in stained glass, as variations on the iconic Twitter bird icon– and they are, as ever, free for your non-profit, credited use as avatars or blog illustrations. There were even a few variations, but those were posted exclusively on Twitter. Enjoy!
Warcraft Chibi Icons for Every Class


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In many cases of messaging where uncertainty is undesirable (e.g., a timeout on a critical transaction request), the usual solution sought is "reliable message delivery". Apart from its theoretical impossibility, "reliable messaging" is expensive. One needs "strong queuing" products, which cost a lot of money.
I've been a fan of a far simpler approach - idempotence. We're really not after reliable message delivery in most cases. We'd often be happy to settle for certainty, i.e., we don't mind whether a requested operation succeeded, failed (or indeed, timed out before it could be attempted), as long as we know what happened. What we don't want is to be stuck, not knowing what happened and afraid to retry the operation for fear of unwitting duplication.
Idempotence is, of course, the property that attempting something more than once has exactly the same effect as attempting it once. Idempotent operations can be blindly retried in a situation of uncertainty, because one is guaranteed that the operation will never be duplicated.
The trick is to identify every transaction request with a unique identifier. Provided the receiver of the message is set up to check the identifier against previously-used ones, duplication of transactions can be avoided even if requests are sent multiple times. This is extremely powerful because it allows a requesting application to simply retry the request message in situations of uncertainty until a definite response is eventually received. There is no danger of the request being acted upon more than once.
Reliability is then reduced to an endpoint-based protocol. It does not require any special capabilities on the part of the transport. In fact, the transport can afford to be quite unreliable. Idempotence allows reliable messaging solutions to be built (and quite cheaply at that) on top of unreliable components!
Here's a one-page document that illustrates the concept.
Hopefully this should make it very clear that we don't need strong queuing or "reliable message delivery" to eliminate uncertainty. A plain web server, a database and a system of one-time tokens (UUIDs?) can solve the problem.


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NAI Saig Company is the exclusive NAI Global affiliate in Memphis and the Mid-South. This affiliation provides an integrated network of specialists and a wide range of premier services. NAI Saig Company's brokers are equipped with comprehensive resources including extensive research, marketing materials, and computer technologies, while at the same time maintain the flexibility that local ownership provides. Whether you're a commercial real estate buyer, seller, owner, tenant or developer, NAI Saig Company is your ideal partner given our depth of local market expertise, and our exceptional access to a world of opportunity through the NAI Global network. >>
NAI Saig Company has many agents and professionals at your service. If you know the party you are looking for, please use the form on the right to enter the person's name to retrieve their contact information and profile.
The brokers at NAI Saig Company strive for excellence in service and reputation. Through our affiliations with international and national groups such as New America International (NAI) and Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), we are able to offer extensive information about the region and the latest information on the industry. NAI Saig Company is proud to have four members of SIOR and two brokers designated as Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).
Please use the following for contact information:
5860 Ridgeway Center Parkway
Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38120
United States
Tel (901) 526-3100
Fax (901) 526-3167
310 Mid-Continent Plaza
West Memphis, Arkansas 72301
United States
Tel (870) 735-6221
Fax (870) 735-6253
Please use the following contact information:
NAI Saig Company
5860 Ridgeway Center Parkway
Suite 400
Memphis Tennessee 38120
United States
Tel +1 901 526 3100
Fax +1 901 526 3167
For our multi-office members, this could be a map with icons showing the firm's locations. Otherwise, this panel can be removed, or renamed and its contents replaced with whatever is desired.
We offer several ways to approach your real estate in a holistic manner: either from your perspective as a Client or addressing your specific Property type.
We invite you to browse our services in relation to your specific real estate needs. Please select your Client type or Property type, depending on the focus of your current requirement.
Our professionals worldwide have significant expertise in both their areas of specialization and in their local markets. Together, we act and think as a team, strong with one purpose: to achieve our clients' goals.
With a team approach, out-of-the-box thinking and innovative resources, we combine all of our talent, skills and tools to meet and exceed our clients' expectations. Please select a specific Service or go to Expertise and select a Client type for multiple related services.
NAI Saig Company is the market-leading, full service commercial and industrial real estate brokerage firm that has been in operation in Memphis and the Mid-South area since 1963. We provide a full range of services including traditional brokerage, corporate services and specialized support in the disciplines of industrial, office, retail, tenant representation, investment brokerage and land. NAI Saig Company's full capability is by design. The company's depth of experience and capabilities work in synergy to provide the right results to our clients.


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ByteNight - It Takes Two: Perfect Pairings in Computer History
Computer History Museum NextGen Advisory Board
Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (PST)
Event Details
ByteNight - "It Takes Two: Perfect Pairings in Computer History"
Hewlett & Packard. Jobs & Woz Famous duos revolutionized computing and the world at large by uniting big ideas with technical prowess… and it all began with two friends in a garage.
Join us for a celebration of computer history's perfect pairings. As the first ByteNight of 2013, you'll have the opportunity to rub shoulders with Silicon Valley's finest, and take an exclusive tour of history-making partnerships in Revolution: The First 2,000 Years of Computing.
We encourage you to bring a plus one, or perhaps meet a plus one. In fact, we're offering a discount on the second ticket.
Hosted by the NextGen Advisory Board.
A special thank you to our sponsor: Silicon Valley Bank!
This will be a festive evening filled with:
- Wine and hors d'oeuvres.
- Curated tours of famous partnerships and teams in the "Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing" exhibit.
- Prizes!
- 6:30pm - 8:00pm: Hors d'oeuvres, wine, and networking.
- 8:00pm - 9:00pm: Open viewing of the museum with curated tours.
As with other ByteNights, this is your chance to:
- View "Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing," our 25,000-square foot exhibit featuring items such Google's first rack of servers, the first Apple computers, and much more -- for a fraction of the normal admission price!
- Mingle with young professionals in a happy hour-style event with music.
- Enjoy wide variety of complimentary appetizers and a cash bar.
When & Where
Computer History Museum
1401 N Shoreline Blvd
Mountain View,
Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (PST)
Add to my calendar


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RI Seminar: Andrea Thomaz : Designing Learning Interactions for Robots
RI Seminar: Designing Learning Interactions for Robots
Andrea Thomaz
Georgia Tech
February 22, 2013
In this talk I present recent work from the Socially Intelligent Machines Lab at Georgia Tech. One of the focuses of our lab is on Socially Guided Machine Learning, building robot systems that can learn from everyday human teachers. We look at standard Machine Learning interactions and redesign interfaces and algorithms to support the collection of learning input from naive humans. This talk starts with an initial investigation comparing self and social learning which motivates our recent work on Active Learning for robots. Then, I will present results from a study of robot active learning, which motivates two challenges: getting interaction timing right, and asking good questions. To address the first challenge we are building computational models of reciprocal social interactions. And to address the second challenge we are developing algorithms for generating Active Learning queries in embodied learning tasks.
Speaker Biography
Andrea L. Thomaz is an Assistant Professor of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She directs the Socially Intelligent Machines lab, which is affiliated with the Robotics and Intelligent Machines (RIM) Center and with the Graphics Visualization and Usability (GVU) Center. She earned a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999, and Sc.M. and Ph.D. degrees from MIT in 2002 and 2006. Dr. Thomaz is published in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, and Human-Computer Interaction. She received an ONR Young Investigator Award in 2008, and an NSF CAREER award in 2010. Her work has been featured in the front page of the New York Times, and in 2009 she was named one of MIT Technology Review's TR 35.
We hope you will enjoy this and some our 14k+ other artificial intelligence videos. We keep adding new channels and playlists all the time, so the number of fresh videos keeps growing every day.
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Declan Clifford Pro Model
Jobe Announces Declan Clifford Pro Series!
The 2012 collection of Jobe Wakeboard includes pro models of Austin Hair, Maxine Sapulette and Christian Koester. For the 2013 collection a new pro model will be added to this already impressive list, The Declan Clifford Pro Model! Jobe will introduce a Declan Clifford wakeboard as well as a Declan Clifford binding.
Cable skills
Declan Clifford has been part of the Jobe team for years now and is known as one of the most talented cable wakeboarders in the world. In 2011 he was crowned the British Cable Champion. He also took 5th place in the Protest Cable Call and got 6th at the WWA Worlds in Abu Dhabi. Jobe is extremely pleased with this renewed cooperation with Declan: "We are really proud to have been able to close this deal with Declan. He has a tremendous impression with his explosive wakeboard style recent reasons. Given his young age, his 2011 results are even more impressive. He has worked incredibly hard and deserves his own pro model more than anyone else at this point!" said Jobe's marketing manager Henk van der Werf.
The British wakeboarder is obviously very happy with his own Pro Model that will come out next season. "I have been contracted by Jobe for years now and I have seen them grow considerably in this time. The brand is going through especially exciting times now with the opening of the Jobe Concept Store in Orlando. I'm very happy I got to join the International team last season. Getting to launch my own Pro Series next season is a dream coming true. The Jobe designers are currently busy designing a graphic that fits my wakeboarding style. I work closely with them to get it perfect. I'm convinced that it will turn out to be an awesome design "says Declan himself.
Before launching his own Pro Series next season, Declan will still participate in many competitions this season. His first competition is the first stop of the WWA Triple in Texas.
The Declan Pro Model will be released October of this year. Jobe will reveal the official name of Declan's pro model very soon. Make sure to check our website at www.jobesports.com!


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In Earth-Year 1959 AD, a passing insterstellar research craft is the scene of intrigue and mutiny, as a creature who looks like E.T. on steroids steals a canister of dangerous parasites and makes a waddling bee-line for the air lock. In the ensuing hail of laser fire and gratuitous alien butt-shots, the mastermind fails to make good his escape, but does manage to fling the canister out of the ship, where it becomes trapped in Earth's orbit and crashes near the campus of an American university. A jock and his girlfriend are caught between a rock and a squishy place, as the boy falls prey to the alien worms while the girl is hacked to death by an escaped axe murderer! And all this in the first five minutes!
Nearly 20 years later, nerdy nice guy Chris (Jason Lively) is smitten by sorority girl Cynthia (super-cute Jill Whitlow). At the urging of his handicapped but fearless friend J.C. (Steve Marshall in a show-stealing performance), Chris pledges to a fraternity run by The Bradster (Allan Kayser), a sadistic Aryan preppie who is also Cynthia's erstwhile boyfriend. Brad tasks the boys to steal a corpse from the university research facility and dump it on a rival fraternity's steps--and I bet you can guess which body they corpse-nap. Soon the alien parasites are running rampant, turning students both living and dead into shambling, bloodthirsty zombies with exploding heads! It's up to Chris, J.C., and beyond-grizzled and gruff detective Ray Cameron (Tom "Fucking" Atkins) to exterminate the alien menace before the planet is overrun and the sorority formal ruined.
One of the true cult-classics of 80s horror, Night of the Creeps is a great time from beginning to end. Writer/Director Fred Dekker (the man also responsible for the much-loved 1987 kids' horror-adventure, The Monster Squad) delivers a fast-paced, quick-witted, gloriously gross hunk of grade-A cheese that should satisfy any fan of the genre. His script is full of quotable quips and unforgettable images, from the suspended-animation body of the 50s jock (which J.C. memorably terms a "corpsicle") to Cynthia in formal dress fighting off zombies with a flamethrower, to Atkin's immortal catchphrase, "Thrill me!" The acting is good across the board, with Atkins and Marshall making the best impressions. Add some great makeup effects, some fun, grody gore (watch particularly for the infected zombie cat puppet), and a special appearance by legendary character actor and national treasure Dick Miller, and there's really nothing left wanting.
A flick I haven't watched in years, and one I'm very glad I revisited. 3 thumbs!
|"I don't know, Brad...you've just been so cold to me lately."


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Punta Cana Beach - 1280x1024
To install and use these wallpapers, simply click on the size of wallpaper that pertains to your particular system and allow the full size picture to load. Then right-click on the image and select "Set as wallpaper" and you're done! This will only temporarily put the image on your hard drive so that the next time you install another wallpaper by clicking "Set as wallpaper", this one will disappear completely.
If you wish to keep this wallpaper permanently on your hard drive and not lose it, just right-click on it and choose "Save picture as", then save it to a folder of your choice and use whenever you wish.


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Rancher Mike Hanley may have to sell half his cattle after losing permission last week to graze them on a piece of public land. His wife has spent sleepless nights thinking over their options.
Uncertainty has become a way of life for a generation of ranchers here, locked in a long-running battle with environmentalists wanting to restrict grazing on public lands. The ranchers' fight, dubbed the sagebrush rebellion, has played out in communities up and down the mountain West.
The Hanleys are pinning their hopes on a treaty of sorts called the Owyhee Initiative. The deal, hashed out over years of negotiation between ranchers, conservationists, and local officials, will be presented at a congressional hearing Tuesday. It would set aside 517,000 acres in Idaho's Owyhee County as federal wilderness, while removing restrictions on or selling other public land.
It's one of a number of land-use deals heading for Congress that would break a dearth in new wilderness designations. Legislators may be wowed to see Stetson hats and environmentalists both pushing the same bill. But consensus isn't total: some warn that the concept of wilderness is being watered down in a rush to compromise.
"I suspect that the easy [wilderness designations] were done years ago. Any new ones would likely be much more complex and require a more complicated collaborative process," says John Hoehne, chief of staff for Sen. Mike Crapo (R) of Idaho, who supports the plan. "It's very clear that many areas particularly of the West are aware of the [Owyhee] effort and I'm sure they are watching to see if there is anything they can learn and apply."
Senator Crapo's support is crucial since western senators have kept new wilderness designations off the table for decades in many states. Now Idaho could see two new designations – Owyhee and Boulder-White Clouds. Wild Sky in Washington may become the state's first new wilderness area in about 20 years. Negotiations are moving ahead in Montana.
Owyhee County lies on 5 million acres of southwest Idaho, where bighorn sheep roam the high desert and rivers fork and twist in canyons below.
Unlike traditional wilderness designations, these deals are comprehensive land-management plans that seek to balance diverse interests.
The Owyhee Initiative swaps lands with ranchers, protects Shoshone-Paiute sites, regulates off-highway-vehicle (OHV) trails, and expands recreation and fire-management access. The Boulder-White Clouds deal even offers public land to private developers. Critics call it "quid pro quo wilderness."
But it's the status quo that's brought both groups to the table.
Ranchers are seeing their grazing options litigated away by environmentalists outside the talks. They also worry about the next president resurrecting Bill Clinton's plans to turn the Owyhee into a national monument– prohibiting grazing.
Conservationists want to manage the recreation influx. The Owyhee County sheriff estimates that five to 10 miles of backcountry trails a week get created by OHV riders going off established trails.
"We found that business as usual wasn't really working.... So it was time to pick up the phone and turn to our neighbors and find out if there is any common ground," says John Robison, head of the Idaho Conservation League. The Nature Conservancy, Wilderness Society, and The Campaign for America's Wilderness support the plan.
Environmentalists critical of it say these groups are anxious to secure deals to show donors or meet publicized targets. "My group, which monitors land exchanges and sales that the agencies do, has to shift a lot of what we do to watch-dogging these wilderness groups," says Janine Blaeloch, head of the Western Lands Project. "They've been pushing these deals where public land will be auctioned off, or given away, or traded away in a fast-tracked manner and cherry-picked by developers, in exchange for a wilderness designation."
The most aggressive environmental groups, critics say, were kept from negotiations. But conservationists who struck the deal say the "purists" forget that wilderness deals always work best with compromise and local buy-in.
"We want a strong economy. We live here. We're not hired guns who come in and grab wilderness and move on to the next project," says Liz Paul, of Idaho Rivers United.
Some "purists" are blunt about their disinterest in the needs of ranchers. "There's no reason that we the American people need to keep Mike [Hanley] in business in Owyhee County if the costs are as high as they are, in both dollars and [environmental] damage," says Jon Marvel, head of the Western Watersheds Project. "I suggest him moving to Nebraska, where there's a lot of grass."
Mr. Hanley has lived in the Owyhee region since he was a boy. Not yet 10 years old and on a cattle drive, he started jotting down campfire stories. Nearly 60 years later, he has become the chronicler of fellow cattlemen whose forefathers raised livestock here.
He and other ranchers reject the notion that their livelihood damages the land they hope will sustain their descendants.
"People are pretty upset about what's happened to us in the past 30, 40 years. This initiative is designed to bring some order back to the management of federal lands," says Hanley. "The people out here are the people who made America, and we feel like we've been ignored."


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4 comments:
I'm equal parts looking forward to Fall (my favourite season) but hanging onto summer (it's been such a nice one here!) I suppose that's the perfect place to be at in August!ReplyDelete
Such lovely photos. I'm envious of your a.p.c.!
I find it hard to long for Fall, even though it's my favorite season, because we didn't have any Summer. So much grey skies, so much rain, so little sunshine. I think just two weeks of Summer weather will do and have me not only ready but longing for Fall.ReplyDelete
Great shots, especially the garden photo; oh how I wish for such a day.
These are gorgeous photos!!! I have been excited for fall for months... it's my favorite time of year :)ReplyDelete
oh that apc shirt is so wonderful! and one can never go wrong with a set of babooshka dolls! :)ReplyDelete
I really appreciate your comments, so thank you for leaving one! Please though, don't leave your blog address in the comment box – it is slightly spammy, and already linked via your blogger profile. Thank you!


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MEXICO CITY — Tomas Borge, last living founder of Nicaragua's Sandinista movement and one of its most hard-line enforcers as it battled U.S.-backed forces for decades, has died. He was 81.
In Nicaragua, the government of President Daniel Ortega declared three days of national mourning and Borge's remains lay in state at the National Palace of Culture.
Borge died Monday night in a military hospital in Managua, Ortega's office said. No cause of death was given, but Borge had been ill for some time, suffering pneumonia, lung disease and other ailments.
The leftist government of Venezuela mourned the loss of "a paradigm of revolutionary militancy."
"Death is but one more step to immortality," said Rosario Murillo, Ortega's wife and spokeswoman for his government.
Borge began conspiring against Nicaragua's brutal dynastic dictatorship as a young teenager. Later, once victorious, he was a feared interior minister and intelligence czar and the leader most closely tied to human rights abuses during a decade of Sandinista rule.
But he was also a spellbinding orator who commanded the loyalty of his troops and could charm visiting foreigners.
"They accuse me of having a hard hand, but people closest to me know that is not the nature of my heart," he once said.
Tomas Borge Martinez was born in August 1930 in the Nicaraguan town of Matagalpa, north of Managua. He received a Catholic school education and attended law school but dropped out to pursue politics instead, moved in part by the social injustices he saw around him. The Somoza family ran Nicaragua like a tropical serfdom.
An arrest in 1956, part of a roundup of thousands of Nicaraguans following the assassination of dictator Anastasio Somoza Garcia, probably sealed his dedication to the cause of revolution.
In 1961, Borge helped create the Sandinista National Liberation Front, a guerrilla movement that operated from Nicaragua's hills and from exile. It fought the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle, who had taken over after his father's murder. Somoza enjoyed strong support from the United States government, but the theft or misuse of post-earthquake aid in 1972 and then the murder of a popular newspaper editor in 1978 galvanized the Sandinistas and other opposition who wanted to see an end to the regime.
In an uprising led by the Sandinistas, Somoza was finally toppled in 1979. The Sandinistas installed themselves in government, with Ortega as president, and set about creating a sometimes-harsh pro-Cuba system that swiftly earned the ire of the administration of President Reagan.
Over the following decade, the United States spent millions of dollars to build and arm the Contra rebel forces that unsuccessfully fought to oust the Sandinistas. The Contras turned out to be a fractious, unruly army; the war, meanwhile, gave the Sandinistas a pretext for tightening repression at home.
That task fell most often to Borge, a short, stocky man with large ears and narrow eyes. He commanded the state security and intelligence apparatus from an imposing building housing the Interior Ministry. Outside hung a banner with the Orwellian slogan: Guardian of the People's Happiness.
Borge was considered the most rigid member of the nine Sandinista comandantes who oversaw Nicaragua. Dissidents and opposition figures were frequently jailed or harassed, sometimes even killed. Especially targeted were clerics in the Roman Catholic Church and the Miskito Indians on Nicaragua's Atlantic coast. He repeatedly shuttered or censored the opposition press.
He had once said the Sandinistas would rule forever. But when they finally held free elections in 1990 and, to the shock of the world and themselves, lost, it was Borge who helped ease the transition by accepting it.
"There was a swagger about Tomas Borge that could be either reassuring or terrifying," writer Stephen Kinzer said in his 1991 book on Nicaragua, "Blood of Brothers." "His hairline receded and his waist thickened as the years passed, but he never lost his air of command."
Of the nine comandantes, he was "the only one who had read Flaubert and Dante, and he was also one of the few among them who mixed easily with ordinary people," Kinzer said.
Borge was also dogged by charges that he, like many other senior Sandinistas, used their posts to enrich themselves, first during the so-called piñata, when between the time the Sandinistas lost the 1990 election but before the new government took over, they hastily gave themselves property and other bounty.
And later, when Ortega returned to office in 2007 (and was reelected again last year), Borge, as one of the few original Sandinista leaders who remained loyal to Ortega, is believed to have benefited substantially. He always denied that he had amassed a secret fortune.
Borge's public role had lessened in recent years. He served as ambassador to Peru before his death.
He is survived by his second wife and several children.
MEXICO CITY — Tomas Borge, last living founder of Nicaragua's Sandinista movement and one of its most hard-line enforcers as it battled U.S.-backed forces for decades, has died. He was 81.


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So many thoughts after today's column, in which I wrote about the Keystone XL pipeline. If it's approved by President Obama, it would carry diluted bitumen — acidic crude oil — 1,700 miles from the tar sands in Alberta to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. The Times has already come out against the pipeline, citing the risk of spills, spikes in greenhouse gas emissions and massive destruction of Canada's boreal forest. Proponents cite job creation and "oil security."
Oil security suggests that by getting more oil from our peaceful upstairs neighbors and less from our suppliers in the Middle East — sometimes seen as volatile or even hostile, though the supply has been steady — our national security is enhanced. We're only "safe" if we can reliably obtain all of the oil we "need."
This is an infuriatingly shortsighted and self-destructive position. This is the behavior of addiction, and the only people who can justifiably — though still incorrectly — argue otherwise are those who truly believe that the oil that gives us such comfort now won't be causing catastrophic harm later. As far as I know, President Obama isn't one of those people, but if he doesn't block the pipeline he will be acting just as ignorantly as if he were. (He thinks this is what voters want?
(Read the rest of this post here.)


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United States of America
In the Matter of
Case Nos. 05 FSIP 96,
The Department of the Army, Rock Island Arsenal (RIA), Rock Island, Illinois (Employer) filed requests for assistance with the Federal Service Impasses Panel (the Panel) to consider a negotiation impasse under the Federal Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute), between it and Locals 15 and 2119, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFL-CIO and Local R7-68, National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), Service Employees International Union (Unions).
Following an investigation of the requests for assistance, which involve the Employer's decision to close the smoking rooms in Buildings 60, 212, and 350, the Panel determined that the matter should be resolved through written submissions with rebuttal statements. The parties were informed that after considering the entire record, the Panel would take whatever action it deems appropriate to settle the matter, which may include the issuance of a Decision and Order. Written submissions from both parties, and a rebuttal statement from the Union, were received in accordance with the Panel's determination, and it has now considered the entire record.
The Employer's mission is the manufacture and assembly of all phases of large and small weapons systems, components of such systems, spare parts, prototypes, and advanced engineering models. In addition, the Employer provides administrative, logistical, and facility support services to the U.S. Army organizations located at RIA. AFGE, Local 15 represents 2,500 professional and nonprofessional employees; AFGE, Local 2119 represents 713 WG employees; and NAGE, Local R7-68 represents 121 professional employees. The status of AFGE, Local 15's collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) are as follows: the Headquarters and Army Field Support Command (AFSC) CBA expired on July 9, 2005; the RIA CBA expired on September 3, 2005; the Tank Automotive and Armament Command (TACOM) CBA is due to expire on May 15, 2006. AFGE, Local 2119's CBA expired on September 22, 2005. NAGE, Local R7-68's CBA expired on June 16, 2005. The terms and conditions of the CBAs that have expired will remain in effect until successor agreements are negotiated.
The parties disagree over whether to close the designated smoking rooms in Buildings 60, 212, and 350.
1. The Employer's Position
The Employer proposes to: (a) close the smoking rooms on a staggered basis with Building 60 closing 60 days after resolution of the dispute, Building 350, 90 days after resolution, and Building 212, 120 days after resolution; (b) notify the workforce of the changes through a variety of media; (c) continue to offer smoking cessation clinics, at no cost to the employee, through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and reimburse employees' out-of-pocket expenses for prescription patches or other doctor prescribed smoking cessation medication on a one-time basis; (d) provide counseling through its EAP on an as needed basis; (e) maintain current outdoor smoking shelters; (f) ensure handicapped outdoor smoking shelters in areas where needed; and (g) work with the Unions to identify the need for additional outdoor shelters.
The proposal should be adopted because it is in compliance with Executive Order (E.O.) 13058 and Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 1010.15, which requires a smoke-free workplace. Moreover, closing the smoking rooms is consistent with the intent of a "provisional" Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) negotiated in 1994 that was to provide for the transition to a smoke-free workplace. This intent is further supported by the Commander's December 11, 2000, policy statement on, among other things, transitioning toward a smoke free workplace. Limiting smoking to outdoor smoking shelters is a viable alternative to keeping indoor designated smoking rooms open; outdoor shelters, while unheated, provide a measure of protection from the elements and are in close proximity to all occupied offices. Likewise, the incentives offered to support smokers through the transition to a completely smoke free workplace "go[] beyond those normally offered by Agencies or ordered by the Panel." The proposal also is "consistent with previous Panel decisions based on the employee complaints and complying with the Agency's regulation."
The designated smoking areas should be closed because the "maintenance and operating costs have continued to mount over and above the cost of regular administrative space" and is no longer cost effective. The direct cost of maintaining smoking rooms is approximately $5,800 annually. Additional costs are incurred when employee complaints have to be investigated and examined.1/ Because of the "risk and liabilities of exposing employees to second hand or environmental tobacco smoke [ETS]," each complaint is investigated, "even in the most mundane" circumstances. Problems have been cited in Building 350 relating to "weather conditions, wind direction and the number of smokers in the room at various times." While the results of the investigations have shown "the room to meet established criteria for air handling and ventilation, complaints continue," making the Employer vulnerable to claims of ETS exposure from employees working in proximity to the smoking rooms.
The Employer's concerns are also growing regarding "housekeeping problems, potential fire hazards, and general conditions of the rooms." The rooms' users are not "self-cleaning," as previously agreed to, which contributes to the increasing costs of maintenance. The effects of the smoke on the rooms' infrastructure are "readily apparent and clearly show the need for continuous maintenance and rehabilitation to keep the rooms at a minimal state of readiness for use." Since the DoDI strictly prohibits assigning employees to offices where smoke is present, the rooms cannot be cleaned during times when smoking rooms are being used. This prohibition exacerbates these maintenance concerns and "force[s] the execution of an additional service contract for cleaning services." Furthermore, the smoking rooms "no longer serve the purpose for which they were originally intended," i.e., giving cafeteria customers the option of a smoking or non-smoking setting to eat meals, and insulating cafeterias from any decline in business due to the policy. Instead, the rooms have become "a haven for smokers." Management's observations of the smoking rooms show "few employees actually purchase food at the cafeterias and use the smoking areas to eat their meals." Rather, they "eat in the general seating areas and then retire to the smoking seating areas to smoke."
2. The Unions' Position
The Unions propose that the smoking rooms remain open. The agreement establishing designated smoking rooms has been in place for 10 years. Each smoking room meets the requirements for a smoke free workplace as set forth in E.O. 13058, DoDI 1015.15, Army Regulation 600-63, and Rock Island Arsenal Regulation (RIAR) 1-19. Specifically, the rooms "are enclosed and exhausted directly to the outside and away from air intake ducts, and are maintained under negative pressure (with respect to surrounding spaces) sufficient to contain tobacco smoke within the designated area." The evidence the Employer supplies confirm the Unions' position that the ventilation and exhaust systems in the smoking rooms are working properly. Further, the RIAR allows smoking in cafeterias and eating facilities "if adequate space is available for non-smoking patrons and ventilation is adequate to provide them a healthy environment." The parties agreed it would be best to designate smoking rooms adjacent to the cafeterias in order "to prevent non-smokers from exposure to second hand smoke."
The maintenance cost data the Employer provides to justify closing the smoking rooms is flawed. In this regard, the $5,800 the Employer cites includes $1,344 per year to clean room 229, which should not have been included since the room is closed. As a practical matter, the smoking rooms have already been equipped to meet air quality standards; therefore, "there are no extraordinary costs associated with the existence of these smoking rooms." The only costs that can be "directly attributed" to the indoor smoking rooms are the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) costs. The Employer also indicates that additional costs have been incurred in maintaining the smoking rooms, but does supply the dates when these costs occurred or "what the corrective action was that was so costly." The other costs mentioned would have been incurred anyway as they are normal maintenance cost for any rooms in the buildings. As to any special cleaning requirements, "the rooms are only open for use during cafeteria hours." The rooms are available for cleaning within a "couple of hours after they are closed and the air exchange rate would have cleared out the [ETS]."
Further, the Employer's survey data "do[] not indicate the actual usage of the rooms." It performed its surveys "by standing and observing the entries into the [Building] 212 smoking area a couple of times for short periods (15 minutes or less)." Actually, smokers and nonsmokers use the cafeterias as break rooms before and after breakfast and lunch service; employees do not always purchase food or snacks when in the cafeteria. Nor is there anything in the RIAR that states that employees must eat their entire meals in the designated smoking areas. Finally, an order from the Panel to adopt the Union's proposal would be consistent with previous Panel rulings requiring an employer to show that a proposed smoking policy "adversely affected the health of others or that it had an impact on the mission of the agency."2/
Having carefully reviewed the evidence and arguments presented in support of the parties' positions on this issue, we are not persuaded that the Employer has demonstrated the need to change the status quo. In this regard, it is undisputed that the designated smoking rooms in Buildings 60, 212, and 350 meet the requirements for the exception to the general prohibition on smoking in Federal workplaces specified in Government-wide regulations and E.O. 13058. In our view, these authorities were designed to accommodate the needs of smokers without exposing nonsmokers to ETS. The Employer's cost estimates and anecdotal evidence are insufficient to overcome the fact that the current smoking rooms effectively balance the interests of smokers and nonsmokers. Therefore, we shall order the adoption of the Unions' proposal.
Pursuant to the authority vested in it by the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, 5 U.S.C. § 7119, and because of the failure of the parties to resolve their dispute during the course of proceedings instituted under the Panel's regulations, 5 C.F.R. § 2471.6(a)(2), the Federal Service Impasses Panel under § 2471.11(a) of its regulations hereby orders the following:
The parties shall adopt the Unions' proposal.
By direction of the Panel.
H. Joseph Schimansky
Executive Director
December 16, 2005
Washington, D.C.
The Employer submitted three employee complaints as follows: (a) a supervisor complained about smoke leaking from the Building 350 smoking room into work areas on windy days; (b) while investigating the ventilation in the Building 350 smoking room, the mechanical engineer complained that the "floor, walls, windows, [and] tables are filthy" and stated that it needed to be "temporarily closed for cleaning and restoration"; and (c) an employee complained about smoke entering Building 60 office windows on windy days. The Employer also provided photographs of the interiors of the rooms.
Among other cases, the Unions cite the Panel's Decision and Order in Department of the Air Force, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and Council 214, American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, Case No. 03 FSIP 175 (March 23, 2004), Panel Release No. 466, concerning use of smokeless tobacco in the workplace.


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Next Episode of NHL Live is
NHL Live is a television show on NBC Sports Network. The program airs after every National Hockey League game the network televises as part of NHL on NBC. The postgame show was initially known as Hockey Central, airing from their Stamford, Connecticut studios. With the new contract with NBC beginning in the 2011–12 season, the new pregame show is called NHL Live and the new postgame show is called NHL Overtime, which show the NHL on NBC studio host and analysts, from the NBC and Comcast (original owner of Versus) merger.
Liam McHugh(Host)
Looks like something went completely wrong!
But don't worry - it can happen to the best of us,
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Insightful lessons from the great traditions of Asian thought on:
- The essentials of wise leadership
- Decision-making without prejudice
- Inspiring loyalty and maintaining authority
- Determining an individual's true character
- Encouraging the best in people
- Achieving success without sacrificing happiness
"A glistening jewel of wisdom that gracefully rearranges the tangles of commercial life. The Human Element contains more practical 'management' advice than the last decade's worth of how-to books. Don't read it once. Not even twice. If you care about your business, work, or family you will want to read it for the rest of your life." —Paul Hawken, author of The Ecology of Commerce and Growing a Business
"Thomas Cleary's new book should be required reading for everyone at IBM and all other endangered corporations. It elucidates the principles of four Oriental traditions including Confucianism and Taoism, to show how they can be useful in the management of human resources. The Human Element is chock full of good ideas for leaders." —Milton Moskowitz, coauthor of 100 Best Companies to Work For in America


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ReleasesBack to
Cannonball Adderley
Louis Smith had a brilliant debut on this Blue Note album, his first of two before becoming a full-time teacher. The opener (Duke Pearson's "Tribute to Brownie") was a perfect piece for Smith to interpret, since his style was heavily influenced by Clifford Brown (who had died the previous year). He is also in excellent form on four of his basic originals and takes a particularly memorable solo on a haunting rendition of "Stardust." Altoist Cannonball Adderley (who used the pseudonym of "Buckshot La Funke" on this set, a name later used by Branford Marsalis), Duke Jordan or Tommy Flanagan on piano, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor make for a potent supporting cast, but the focus is mostly on the criminally obscure Louis Smith. After cutting his second Blue Note set and switching to teaching, Smith would not record again as a leader until 1978. All bop and '50s jazz fans are strongly advised to pick up this CD reissue before it disappears. ~ Scott Yanow


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Monday, October 25, 2010
Obama Makes "It Gets Better" Video
Thoughts on what Obama says or doesn't say here? Do you have a favorite "It Gets Better" video?
My personal favorite is Tim Gunn's (and not just because I watch too much Project Runway).
To learn more about the It Gets Better Project and watch some videos click here.
4 comments:
As much as I appreciate any message of hope, I can't seem to move past the fact that this man who is telling me that "my differences are a source of pride and strength" doesn't support my right to marry my romantic partner.
- October 25, 2010 at 5:04 PM
- Amelia said...
I have the same feeling, fareading.
I think it's great that Obama is making a statement like this that so so so many people will hear, but I think it would be much more meaningful coming from him if he also, you know, worked a little harder to show the LGBTQI community that he means what he says...
- October 25, 2010 at 9:44 PM
fareading, you're being very naive.
The president could very well support that 100%, but presidents introduce bills, they don't issue edicts.
Also, marriage has never been a right. For anyone. You have to get a license, which can be denied should the government wish to do so. That's why it's not an "equal rights" issue, per se.
Because it's not a right. It's a privilege.
- October 28, 2010 at 2:37 PM
I was referring to the President's remarks about his own personal views on gay marriage. I am well aware that the man is distinct from the job.
Please don't assume I'm stupid until proven otherwise. It doesn't make me particularly interested in hearing what you have to say.
- October 29, 2010 at 8:56 AM


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lives with her and they have a baby together. This is well in keeping with modern times in general but the language is lapsing behind slightly, I'm afraid. By what name (other than the obvious "Michael" in this case) should this young man be identified?
My favorite, taken from the U.S. Census Bureau, is "Posslq," pronounced "PAH-sull-kew," which stands for "Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters."
Along similar lines (and forgive me if I've already mentioned this elsewhere; I really don't recall) my daughters have a half-sister from the second marriage of my first ex-wife. Her relationship to me? She's my "daughter-in-half," of course, and conversely I am her "father-in-half," two more words I'm proud to claim coinage of but with no expectation whatsoever of ever seeing in any edition of the OED that I myself do not write.
1. 'Partner' strikes me as the established term now. It wasn't just ten years ago: I didn't know how to describe gay partners, and lovers though serviceable sounds too louche; but it now seems thoroughly natural and neutral to say partner in all cases including where they happen to have signed a scrap of paper for the government files.
2. my daughters have a half-sister from the second marriage of my first ex-wife
head-explody... ticks 'don't know' box... scrubs out 'would you like me to repeat the question?' box.
Well, welcome back, aput! It looks like people are finally beginning to meander back after that unexpected and chaotice software change a week and a half ago. Thank goodness!
I rather like the "father-in-half" terminology, though it begs the question (being a literalist and all)...which half?
I'm tempted to respond "the top half" since she is an absolute hottie and, technically, a physical relationship would not be incestual. Boy, would it be a surefire way to piss off my ex-wife, though!
The "half" comes from her being half-sister to my daughters (different father, obviously) and, like much else in my life, means nothing literally.
A comment elsewhere about "Playboy" magazine being appropriate for a father-in-law brings to mind an possible solution to the question I've asked. Michael is, obviously, my "son-not-quite-in-law."
And the term "partner" seems to be on the brink of going the way of "gay" in that it seems to be most closely related to same sex partnerships.
|<Asa Lovejoy>
Daughter-in-half? Did she inherit your wit? Does that make her a half-wit?
CJ: My daughter's boyfriend lives with her ... but the language is lapsing behind slightly, I'm afraid. By what name should this young man be identified? My favorite, taken from the U.S. Census Bureau, is "Posslq," pronounced "PAH-sull-kew," which stands for "Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters."
My understanding is that that term is POSSLQ, not Posslq.. But in spite of the language being far more than "slightly" out of date, there's no clear and commonly understood term that I know of.
One I thought clever, though only usable for the male partner of one's own child, is "sin-in-law".
Looking into "POSSLQ," I stumbled upon a gem of a word. Quote:
One empirical regularity across many societies is "hypergamy" – the tendency for women to marry up – with respect to social status, education, income, and other characteristics associated with economic well-being.
My thoughts entirely.
I refer to my other half as my wife. We have lived together for sixteen years, and no other term will do. She is not my girlfirend - that implies something new or temporary. My (religious) friends sometimes complain that I don't use the term, partner. Whenever I did in the past, I always felt the need to get she or her into the next sentence, to leave no doubt that this is a hetero relationship.
> Graham: I refer to my other half as my wife. We have lived together for sixteen years, and no other term will do. She is not my girlfirend - that implies something new or temporary.
Agreed. Indeed, in some jurisdictions the law itself, not just linguistics, would consider you to be "man and wife".
Still, I'd think it would be useful to have a word for a living together that is not so long-term. For example, you'd not use the word "wife" to mean the female of a cohabiting pair of 20-year-old college students. In fact, they probably would insist emphatically that she is not his "wife".
"Significant other", or "S.O." is a term I've seen used. Personally I think it is cringe-making in the extreme, but I offer it for what worth.
Here in England "my old man/woman" is quite often used when referring to married and non-married partners alike. The "old" part doesn't refer to their age -- it could be used by/about a 20 year-old or an 80 year-old.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Interesting acronym that POSSLQ. Typical governmental jargon: sharing living quarters rather than cohabitating, or just plain shacked up. The best term I've seen is yoke-mate from Smollett. I refer to my wife by her first name.
Japanese has two words for wife: one of which the speaker uses of his wife (kanai) and the other when he's refering to somebody else's wife (okusan). I asked my Japanese teacher what her father called her mother and she said: "Oy" which is a offensive pronoun used with inferiors, similar to "hey you".
Does anyone know why, in Spanish, esposas means both "wives" and
......... ...... "handcuffs"???
Yes, POSSLQ started out as an all-caps acronym but later evolved (devolved?) into a regular word complete with nails-on-the-chalkboard off-shoots such as "posslqing." If someone should pose the question "How many English words can you name which contain a "Q" but do not contain a "U?" feel free to bring this one up and be prepared for a major fight.
And regarding the term "S.O." (at the risk of sounding political) for several years I was a volunteer escort at a medical clinic where, among many other medical proceedures, abortions were performed. My job was to escort patients through mobs of protesters, sometimes extremely loud, obnoxious, and/or threatening, from the parking area to the clinic itself. In this context, the S.O. was usually, but not always, the boyfriend of the woman involved and part of my job was to ensure the S.O. did not respond to the taunting of the crowd with violence against the protesters. As you might imagine, boyfriends were usually the thinnest-skinned but I often had to get between the crowd and other Signifcant Others, parents and best friends and what-have-you.
Life's an adventure!
(Cross-threading sidenote: In writing the above, I originally abrieviated the term "Significant Others" as "S.O.s" but saw that this looked like a cry for help, something germaine to the topic at hand but not what I had intended. So how to pluralize "S.O."? "SO's"? No, that looks like it should preceed "...yer ol' man!" "SOs"? No, that's two thirds a shouted call for help trailing off to a whisper at the end. Some abbreviations simply must be spelled out.
Per some google-research:
CJ: Yes, POSSLQ started out as an all-caps acronym but later evolved (devolved?) into a regular word complete with nails-on-the-chalkboard off-shoots such as "posslqing."
That little acronym inspired someone (Ogden Nash) to write this little witticism:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Won't you be
my POSSLQ.
Well, I like it, Tinman!
However, I don't much like "posslq." It really doesn't seem like a word to me (though, that is becoming a daily problem for me!). However, if CJ ever started a game where we looked for 3-syllable words with the only vowel being an "o," you'd better believe I would win!
POSSLQ seems to have gotten its publicity in the early 1980s from Charles Osgood's book There's Nothing I Wouldn't Do if You Would Be My POSSLQ (1981).
I also found this little ditty:
There's nothing that I wouldn't do,
If you would be my Posslq,
You'd live for me and I for you
If you would be my Posslq.
We'd live forever, you and me,
In blessed posslq-ity!
A phrase I rather like is "other half". There is a certain romanticism in the idea that the couple are two halves of a unit. The phrase is not so "clinical" as the other examples in this thread. It can, of course, apply to married and unmarried partners.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
As young adults' shacking up gained social acceptance in America, the word "ummer" was occasionally heard, as in, "This is my daughter Penelope, and this is John, her (audible pause) ... um ... er ... friend."
Apparently "ummer" has given way to POSSLQ.
By the way, "POSSLQ" seems to be solely American. I've never (thankfully) seen or heard it used over here.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
I first heard the term ummer used in a gay context. "This is my son John and his um, er, friend."
In Scandinavian languages, the word "sambo" or "samboer" is used. It brings to mind non-PC images of Little Black Sambo, but has to do with two individuals living together, regardless of sex. The prefix "sam-" means "together" and "bo" means "to live." It is a useful term because it does not tell what kind of relationship is present - only that two people are permanently living together.
Good luck inventing something in English. It seems "partner" may be the best bet yet, but it reeks of "podners" in Western films - although perhaps that's just my generation speaking!
In response to Jerry Thomas' query as to why the Spanish word "esposas" also means "handcuffs," I would like to mention that in Norwegian, the same word is used for "married" and for "poison!"
("gift" pronounced "yift")
I would like to mention that in Norwegian, the same word is used for "married" and for "poison!"
Oh, markmywords, that is hilarious!
As far a Black Sambo, we had a nice discussion about that when the board first developed. If you keep reading the thread, there are some great links to pictures.
On another board this question came up and a Swedish woman introduced the to-her useful word sambo. It is indeed a simple construction, with much to recommend it. I might be remembering wrong, but she didn't seem to be aware of why it couldn't be used as-is in English.
Which was a little disconcerting, as her partner was a black American man.
I was tempted to ask if he creased up in laughter every time the Swedes said it, and if she'd ever wondered why.
The closest English equivalent might be something like 'bylive'... or 'byliver', except that 'liver' has an inconvenient prior claim.
Aput, there wouldn't really be a problem for the Swedish woman's black American friend, because it's not pronounced "Sambo" as English-speaking natives would do. It's pronounced something like "SAHM-boo" and therefore wouldn't directly cause association!
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After transitioning from a Hollywood heartthrob to a critically acclaimed actor, then fronting a rock band with worldwide success, Jared Leto takes on one of his biggest challenges yet, playing a transgender HIV patient in his return to film.
"Dallas Buyers Club," out in U.S. theaters on Friday, is based on a real story. Leto, 41, plays Rayon, a HIV-positive transgender woman who helps homophobic drug addict Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) smuggle much needed medication not approved in the United States to other AIDS patients.
Leto, who rose to fame as a complex teenager on 1990s TV series "My So-Called Life" and has had roles in 1999's "Fight Club," 2000's "Requiem for a Dream" and 2002's "Panic Room," recently focused on being the frontman of the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. Rayon is his first film role in five years.
Leto, spoke to Reuters about why he was drawn back to acting and what he has learned about Hollywood through his film and music.
Q: You've established a very successful career in music that seems to be keeping you occupied full time. What drew you back to film after five years away?
A: I fell in love. I was seduced by the idea of bringing (Rayon) to life. I saw her as an incredibly gracious, kind, funny, fun, big-hearted dreamer, and I couldn't say no.
Q: How did you interpret the relationship your character develops with Matthew McConaughey's Ron?
A: They need each other. Ron ultimately needs Rayon because she changes him and I think that Ron provides a certain father figure to Rayon. They both help each other in that fight, that battle to stay alive.
Q: You went through an extreme physical transformation to convey the symptoms of a HIV-positive character. How challenging was that?
A: It's one of the most challenging roles I've ever taken on, physical and emotional. But when I read this, I thought it was a really steep climb and I wanted to walk down this path.
I started at the beginning as far as research goes, listening, meeting with transgender people, learning about the culture. Then (there were) a series of other challenges, from the voice, the dialect, the register, the body center, the movement, the emotional conditions and circumstances. And then there were the heels, the waxing of the body, the removal of the eyebrows, the losing of 30-40 pounds (13-18 kilos, so there was a lot there, but it was an incredible and fascinating experience.
Q: How challenging was the weight loss?
A: It's absolutely brutal, as it should be. But the weight loss is really important because it changes the way you walk and talk, the way people treat you and the way you feel about yourself. So it becomes a really essential tool.
Q: Your role as Rayon has not only garnered critical acclaim, it has generated awards buzz. How important is it to you to have awards recognition?
A: Oh, it's certainly not important to me to have it, because I never, ever get it. I'm never around. If it was important, I'd make films more often but it's absolutely wonderful that it's happening now. It's great, it's incredible to celebrate art and creativity in a film and performance, yes I think it's great. The people that thumb their noses at that, I don't understand the bitterness there.
The funny thing about art and success is that you fail all the time, you just succeed sometimes. You fail much more than you win, there's all kinds of failures all the time, and once in a while something happens and you celebrate that.
Q: How does your music inform your acting?
A: I wasn't looking to make a film, I hadn't made a film in five or six years, and I hadn't read a script in years. That's a very wild thing to do after you've worked so hard in the business, to walk down a different path. But I think it was a really good thing for me to do. I think it made me a better actor. It gave me more to contribute because of the experiences I had with 30 Seconds to Mars and in turn with my life.
Q: Were you worried you wouldn't be taken seriously when you transitioned from acting to fronting 30 Seconds to Mars?
A: I always knew that would be a challenge but I also knew that I wasn't going to let that stop me from pursuing my dreams. I think in the end, consistency, commitment, passion and results speak the loudest.
Editing by Patricia Reaney and Doina Chiacu


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Supports GeForce FX, 6, 7, 8, and 9 series GPUs including these newly released GPUs:
GeForce 9800 GX2
GeForce 9800 GTX
GeForce 9600 GT
GeForce 9600 GSO
GeForce 8300
GeForce 8200/ nForce 730a
GeForce 8100/ nForce 720a
Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology* on DirectX 9 and OpenGL.
Adds new PureVideo HD features for GeForce 9800 GX2, 9800 GTX, 9600 GT and 9600 GSO:
Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
Dynamic Blue, Green & Skin Tone Enhancements
Dual-Stream Decode Acceleration**
Improved performance on many DirectX 9 and OpenGL applications.
Numerous game and application compatibility fixes. Please read the release notes for more information on product support, features, driver fixes and known compatibility issues.


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Paul Merton is one of the frequent costars on a hilarious radio program called Just A Minute. One of the funniest improv games you'll ever hear.
Here he is in China, bit of a fluffy thing for the BBC, but entertaining - he meets a prolific junkyard robots inventor.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Paul Merton Meets Chinese Robotmaker
Posted by Giles Bowkett at 1:41 PM
2 comments:
Actually, it was for Five (our newest, and generally crappest, terrestrial commercial station), and as a series proved to be surprisingly unfluffy.ReplyDelete
But the robot maker is definitely the highlight of the series.
Ah, my bad - forgot about the recent Cambrianesque explosion of new channels in the UK.ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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James W. Lynch
CLAREMONT, N.H. — James W. Lynch, 53, of Claremont, N.H., died on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007 at his home following a long illness. He was born in Bennington on April 12, 1954, the son of the late attorney Thomas W. Lynch and Marolyn E. (Powers) Lynch.
James grew up in East Middlebury, and his father was a prominent attorney in the area.
He is survived by his mother, Marolyn E. Lynch of Claremont; his sister, Sarah Pettengill and her husband Paul of Claremont; two brothers, Mark T. Lynch and his longtime companion, Kim Mason of Burlington, and Peter G. Lynch and his wife Kathleen of North Danville; one niece; and one nephew.
Services will be held at the convenience of the family.
MIDDLEBURY — A memorial service for Ernest "Ernie" Longey, 63, of Middlebury, who died in his sleep on Dec. 14, 2007, will be held Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at 1 p.m. at Mead Memorial Chapel on the Middlebury College campus. A reception will follow at Kirk Alumni Center.
Memorial donations may be made to Town Hall Theater Inc., PO Box 128, Middlebury, VT 05753, or to the charity of one's choice.
EAST MIDDLEBURY — Andrew J. Koll of East Middlebury died on Dec. 25, 2007.
A full obituary for Mr. Koll will appear in a future edition of the Addison Independent.
James Robert Husk
VERGENNES — James Robert Husk, 66, died Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington. He was born Feb. 26, 1941, in Ferrisburgh, the son of Florence Ann Husk.
He was a member of Vermont Tractor Pullers Association in New Haven. According to family, he loved his Farmall tractors.
James is survived by his life partner, Carol Morris of Vergennes; two brothers, Pete and his wife Loretta Hawkins of Ferrisburgh, and; Chet and his wife Connie Hawkins of Ferrisburgh; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, a nephew and cousins.
He was predeceased by his son, Patrick Husk.
Friends may call at Brown McClay Funeral Home in Vergennes on Thursday Dec. 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Vergennes Area Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 11, Vergennes, VT 05491.
Donald Chester Cheever
MIDDLEBURY — Donald Chester Cheever, 80, of Middlebury died Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, at Addison House after a long illness. He was born May 7, 1927, in Lyndeborough, N.H., the son of Florence (Hewson) and Charles Cheever.
He attended Milford High School. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy in Florida.
According to family he was known to his grandchildren as "Grampa Oyster," a nickname related to Donald's lifelong passion for oystering, fishing, clamming and eating lobster. He has been attending Project Independence in Middlebury for six years and made many new friends.
He is survived by his three children, Brenda Ford and her husband Roger of Franklin, N.H.; son Bruce Cheever and his wife Karen of New Haven;, and Nancy Bryant and her husband Ken of Warren; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister, Eleanore Jackson of LaVerne, Calif.
He was predeceased by his brother, Richard Cheever, and his second wife of fourteen years, Jean (Ramsay) Cheever.
A private ceremony will be held with a public service in the spring in Mont Vernon, N.H.


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Since 2008 Apple has introduced a new iPhone design one year and then followed it up with an S-variant the next. iPhone 3G was followed by iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 was followed by iPhone 4S. It's gotten to the point where many people are already assuming the next iPhone will be the iPhone 5s. Almost a month ago Rene wrote an article examining whether this iPhone 5s assumption could become a problem for Apple, and pointed out some ways Apple might already be moving to solve that problem. Now Apple's former ad guru, Ken Segall -- who was responsible for naming the iMac -- has shared some of his own thoughts on the matter:
More important, tacking an S onto the existing model number sends a rather weak message. It says that this is our "off-year" product, with only modest improvements. If holding off on the big number change achieved some great result, I might think otherwise.
I've talked to a lot of people who say they wait for the new model, or they wait for the S upgrade, but don't buy both. Is that really a problem, though? Is there any evidence to suggest Apple really intends for most people to buy every model, rather than just the next new model after their (typically 2 year) contract expires? If you go from iPhone 4 to iPhone 5, or iPhone 4S to iPhone 5s, what exactly is Apple losing out on?
Source: Ken Segall


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You know that weird book or zine or dress or ring or 7-inch you found at a garage sale or on eBay or in your grandmother's attic that spoke directly to your soul and that you treasure more than anything else you own? Have you ever wished there were a whole store filled exclusively with those kinds of odd and wonderful things? Well, there is, and it's Ooga Booga, Wendy Yao's store in Los Angeles.
Ooga Booga's walls are covered with work by Wendy's favorite artists; the shelves are lined with books and zines and records and postcards and little objects; the racks are filled with clothes by independent designers you can't find at your local mall. Each object is strange in its own way, but they're all tied together by Wendy's personal passions—they're whatever she's into at any given moment.
Wendy opened Ooga Booga in a tiny former storage room on the second floor of an office building in L.A.'s Chinatown, on a shoestring budget. From there she followed her heart to create a space that welcomes all comers but still feels like a secret.
It's a dream life, but one that's totally attainable, even if you don't have a lot of resources to start with. Here, Wendy explains how she did it.
ANAHEED: Can you describe what Ooga Booga is to our readers?
WENDY YAO: It's really tiny store that's upstairs from a bakery. We specialize in contemporary artists' books, music, clothing, accessories, and just stuff I like by people I'm interested in. It's not that easy to put into one category.
You've made a life and a job out of embracing the things that you like and showing them to people, and supporting work that you believe in. It's kind of what young people do with their blogs: "I like this thing; you should look at it." But you've proven that you can actually make a living out of that—your store is almost like a blog in physical form. How did you invent this life for yourself?
I just always tried to do what came most naturally, whatever that means, even though I didn't really know what I was gonna end up doing, or what I wanted to do. I just kept trying to follow what my instincts were telling me in terms of what I was interested in and what made me excited.
As a teenager, starting around 13 or 14, I started getting really obsessive about music, art, film, et cetera. In my 20s I took a lot of different odd jobs left and right, trying to figure out what I really wanted to do. I knew I wanted to do work that was in some way participating in the world of creative people. I guess in a lot of ways I was influenced by my experience in underground punk music, where if you were part of that world in any way, you were an active participant helping it to exist. Even if you were just going to shows and buying records, you were directly supporting the bands.
When I went to college I started to set up a lot of [punk] shows there, and film screenings and talks, because I've always had the urge to do stuff like that.
It seems like you've always had this kind of curatorial streak.
Yeah, when I was in college [at Stanford] I didn't really feel like there was a lot around me directly, in terms of music or artistic communities. I worked at the college radio station as a volunteer, then I had my own radio show and started a radio-station magazine. I booked shows through the station, too. I guess I didn't have the community I wanted, so I just brought it there.
In college I just ended up—of course against my parents' advice—seeking out classes I was interested in and shaped my major around that, versus my dad's suggestion, computer science, because that would be practical. I'm sure I would have a lot more money if I'd followed his advice.
There are a lot of jobs we could have where we'd be a lot richer than we are! But the punishment is that you end up having to think about something you're not that into all day long.
I took a couple of computer science classes, because I kind of liked doing it, but it wasn't my passion. I was spending Sunday nights in the computer lab watching the sun come up and eating animal crackers with clammy fingers, and I realized, This is not a life I want to live. But even a few months before I graduated, my dad told me, "It's not too late to change your major to computer science!" He still doesn't really understand what I do.
How do you describe the talent you have for making things happen and putting things together in new ways?
I don't think it's anything that special—it's just having that feeling that you can do it, and not feeling like there's that much in your way. I often didn't have a lot of resources to work with, but somehow I found creative ways to make what I wanted work out. That's been a persistent feeling for me—that something can be done even if it seems like you don't have the means to do it.
I think a lot of our readers are constantly waiting for things to come to their towns, and feel like nothing cool ever happens near them. What's the first step to bringing something cool to your town?
Just realizing that anything can be a show; it can be in any place or any situation. It could be in your basement, literally. In the '90s there were lots of shows happening in parking lots and Laundromats and stuff. I'm sure they still happen now. Whatever place you feel like you can get away with can be a thing, you know?
I want to talk about your first band, Emily's Sassy Lime.
That was my band when I was like 14 or something.
And it was you and your sister and your friend Emily Ryan?
That's right.
Did you know how to play an instrument when you formed the band?
No, not at all. Well, I knew how to play classical piano, 'cause we were all good Asian daughters. [Laughs] So we probably had some sort of basic sensibility for music structure, but we started wanting to play other instruments. So we would watch the bands really intently at shows to see how they were doing it. We watched the way they were playing and tried to figure out how it worked. At first we were going to other people's houses and borrowing their instruments. We had to hang out with kind of wack skater dudes just to be like "Um, can we just borrow your bass for a second? We'll give it back tomorrow." [Laughs]
Were you performing in public before you really knew how to play?
Yeah. We didn't even have instruments or amps. Our parents didn't want us to be in a band, so they didn't know we were doing it. We had to write songs over the phone. There used to be tape-cassette answering machines; we would call each other and record our part on the answering machine, and then the other person could play it back over and over again and figure out their part.
Our parents didn't want us to be friends, because they realized we were doing music stuff together. So we'd sneak out of the house and tell our parents we were doing a math study session or something, then go to a show, where we'd huddle in the bathroom and try to figure out our new song together acoustically. Then we'd borrow another band's instruments and play the song onstage together for the first time. [Laughs] That was when we were like 15. It was so embarrassing. But we actually thought it was hilarious. At that age it was just about getting away with as much as you can.
We were lucky. We got away with a lot. One of the first times we went to this all-ages punk club in L.A. called Jabberjaw. It was after the last day of school our freshman year. We went there with another friend, and their parents found out that we went there and flipped out because it was in, like, a bad neighborhood. The parents came to the club and yelled at the club owners, yelled at the band—which was Bratmobile—and yelled at us. They told us we were never allowed to go there again. We were supposedly banned from then on from that club, but we went back two weeks later. [Laughs] Even now, whenever I see the people in Bratmobile, they're like, "Remember that time your parents came and yelled at us?"
What bands are you into now?
I like this L.A. band a lot called Crazy Band. They're all these girls and one boy who are really good friends and hang out with each other all the time. They're super fun and kind of have their own weird vocabulary that reminds me of when I was a teenager, with my friends. They're a really good band, but they also just have a lot of fun.
If a girl makes a zine and wants lots of people to see it, what can she do to get it into a store like yours?
Just reach out to people, contact them, and send them images from the zine, or a sample if you made enough that you can spare one. Also, be patient. I think some people think they'll hear back within a few days of sending something out. But a lot of times people get so many submissions, and it's not the first order of priority in terms of running a business to go through submissions every day. So don't get discouraged if you don't hear back right away. It doesn't mean they didn't want it. Also, check in again. Being persistent does help, because it's not always that people aren't interested in hearing from you; they're just juggling so many things. Don't be overly sensitive or too discouraged, because not hearing back isn't necessarily bad news.
It just means that the people you're submitting to are overwhelmed! Also the case at Rookie, by the way.
Exactly. And even if someone doesn't want to carry your zine, it doesn't mean you suck, anyways.
Let's talk a bit about the business side of having a store. You opened it in 2004, right?
Yeah, it's been about eight years now.
How long did it take for you to actually make a profit?
I think it took a couple of years. I was doing a lot of other stuff on the side all the time [to make money]. I started the store all by myself, with very small overhead, as a very small operation. It was just me, so I didn't have anyone to pay. The store was about half the size it is now, and it's still very small. The rent was like $160 a month.
Oh my god!
It was crazy. It wasn't supposed to be a storefront, because it's the second floor of this mini office courtyard above a bakery. Previously the room was being used as storage by a Chinese importer. I had some friends who had just finished architecture school help me build stuff, and other friends who just wanted to help out. It was very much a community kind of effort. We did as much as we could ourselves, aside from electrical work and that kind of thing. We figured out ways to do everything as cheaply as possible. We started really small, with low rent, and just got friends to put their stuff on consignment, which means that you don't buy the stuff outright—you just pay when it sells, and if it doesn't sell you can return it. Starting small definitely helps if you don't have a lot of financial resources to start with. I would say start small, and keep your side job if you have one. I still do little jobs on the side for money.
Why'd you choose to make a store instead of a gallery or something else? Is there something about shopping that appeals to you?
When I was in high school, my sister and I used to spend a lot of our free time at stores. At lunch we would not spend our lunch money—we'd mooch off someone else's tater tots so that after school we could go to the record store and buy a 7-inch. We'd hang out a lot in record stores and bookstores, and just look at stuff and talk to the people who worked there. It was a really important experience for my upbringing, living in a suburban area and needing desperately to find inspiration and a connection with likeminded people. I felt like music and art and film were saving my life, in a way. So stores were a huge thing for me. I know that it may not be the same for teenagers now because they have the internet, which is a huge outlet to connect with the world, but I still really value that experience.
The internet is an incredible resource, but I think teenagers still crave physical spaces. And galleries can be so intimidating when you're young—like, how many 14-year-olds are hanging out at art galleries? But a record store you can just go and loiter in for a long time.
I was definitely not hanging out at galleries at that age. I was hanging out in stores! There were people there who would open your mind by being like, "Oh, do you know this record?" or "Have you read this book?" I love it when we have teenage kids come in [to Ooga Booga] just to use the bathroom, and they see stuff and are like, "Oh, this is collage—I just heard about this. I'm gonna go make some this weekend." And they come back and show it to me. That still happens, and I love that. I love having a place where all kinds of people can come, whether they're 12 or 80, rich and poor, whatever. It doesn't feel too precious or exclusive, hopefully.
Do you feel like college was necessary for you to be doing what you're doing?
[Laughs] No, not at all. I mean, college was useful for other reasons. It's definitely helpful to develop your thinking, and you learn other things there. But the most useful experience I had in college in terms of what I do now was working at the radio station and setting up shows and other events. That made me less intimidated to do that sort of thing after college. Although I also booked shows for our band when I was in high school, so it's not like I needed college to learn that, either. I have friends who have PhDs and friends who didn't graduate high school—I think if you're really engaged in stuff, you're gonna learn either way.
So what was important for you was having experiences where you were curating stuff and enforcing your taste, and figuring out ways to connect with a community?
I don't really consider myself a curator, although that word is often used to describe what I do.
What do you call yourself?
Just a shopkeeper. The idea of the store comes out of the tradition of the mom-and-pop store, where each store is a reflection of who the owners are, what their personality is in some way, what they want to share with the world. [Ooga Booga] is more about individuality and eccentricity, versus me putting forth a template of lifestyle or good taste that everyone should consume. I just want people to be invited in to check out what they like and discover new things they might be into. A lot of things now are trend-forecasted and focus-grouped and researched, and almost too flawlessly cool. That's not really what I'm going for. There's some pretty random stuff in the store.
Is there something about the art community in L.A. that you especially love?
What I like about L.A. is that because it's very decentralized as a city—as opposed to New York, for example, where everything is really dense, and the media is centered there as well—I feel like people can kind of do their own things and be less self-conscious about every move. There's something nice about that. It gives you a certain kind of creative freedom. Good art or good music often comes out of the moments in which people feel like no one's watching, and they freak out and do even weirder stuff. Then people notice it and think it's really cool.
There can be secrets.
Yeah, and there's less pressure on everything you do, so you can experiment and fuck up and be lame, even, too.
Tavi wanted me to somehow sneakily steer you toward talking about how you used to be pen pals with Seth Bogart of Hunx and His Punx when you guys were teenagers. So this is me doing that very subtly.
[Laughs] Oh, wow. At some point, probably in 10th grade, our band was getting letters from a lot of people all over the country, and we started getting frequent letters from this guy who had really cool handwriting, called Seth Bogart. He interviewed us for his zine—I think it was called Puberty Strike—and he would call us sometimes. We were all just bored teenagers, so we would be writing each other and calling each other all the time. I had very few friends at school, so I would come home and check my mailbox.
Was this the late '90s?
This would probably be mid-'90s. We didn't have email at the time, so we would just write each other letters. A lot of those people ended up being in bands, but back then we were all just a bunch of teenagers dying to get out of whatever our small-town or suburban-town reality was. Seth was definitely a very memorable one. It's funny knowing him before he hit puberty, then later being like, "Oh, wow." Discovering each other in a different way. ♦


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taschenwerkstatt.ch needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 85 designs submitted by 17 freelance designers.
We are a husband and wife team creating innovative bags on customer request. We are creating wing bags and various protection bags mainly for radio controlled airplanes.
http://www.taschenwerkstatt.ch (GliderBags)
We also create the bags for http://www.kitebag.ch.
Primary target audience are modellers who fly radio controlled glider airplanes who want wing bags to protect their airplanes. We also create other bags as well for various purposes. Mostly to protect goods.
We are looking for a logo for our website.
The logo should be easy to remember and easy to print on fabrics.
Especially we like the colors blue and red.
Those colors are not a must! Feel free to try out also other colors.
A bag motif should be part of the logo.
If possible (if it fits into the design), please include taschenwerkstatt.ch too.
Required file formats:
- Vector graphics format.
We have CorelDraw to convert the delivered file format.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.