text:
Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan wants Israel to take its "hungry eyes" off the Temple Mount.
Speaking to his country's state-run Petra news agency, Jordanian Information Minister Mohammad Momani said his government, which still officially oversees religious control of the Temple Mount, finds it unacceptable that Israel maintains security cameras at the holy site.
"Jordan rejects Israel's installation of surveillance cameras," said Momani, adding that his government also "does not accept that Israel has set up a police station inside the compound. It is a flagrant military violation of the freedom of worshippers as well as an interference in the affairs of the Jordanian Islamic waqf [Islamic endowment]."
Momani spoke of the security cameras and police station as though they were an effort to "impose a new status quo in Jerusalem," despite the fact that both security measures have been in place for decades.
He also for some reason found it necessary to imply that Israel's security cameras were put in place, at least in part, in order to play "Peeping Tom" on Muslim women.
When Israel captured, or, rather, liberated the Temple Mount from internationally unrecognized Jordanian control in 1967, one of then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan's first post-war acts was to hand control of the sacred plateau back to the Hashemites.
Many Israelis now see that decision as a historical mistake, given that today Jews and Christians are unable to pray on the Temple Mount without sparking an outburst of Muslim violence.
Israel's Knesset recently renewed debate on enforcing freedom of religion for Jews and Christians on the Temple Mount. But Sheikh Azzam Khatib, director-general of the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic Trust), told the AP that if Jews and Christians are permitted to say even silent prayers at the site, "there will be a lot of bloodshed."
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates
For Information & Reservations:
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Israel Today
Free to Your Inbox


text:
Scanning Services
- 35mm Slide Scanning
- 35mm Negative Scanning
- Video Tape Transfers
- Movie Film 8mm & 16mm
- Photograph Scanning
- Stereo Slide Scanning
- 127 Format Slide Scanning
- APS Film Scanning
- Large Format 4x5 Film
- Reel to Reel Audio
- Vinyl Records
- Digital Photo Restoration
- Scrapbook Page Scanning
- 126 Slide Scanning
- 126 Negative Scanning
- 110 Slide Scanning
- 110 Negative Scanning
- Medium Format 120/220
- Audio Tape Transfer
- Floppy & Zip Discs
- CD & DVD Duplication
- Gift Cards
Quick Links
- Order Form
- Why Scan?
- About Us
- Testimonials
- Film Types
- Scanning Examples
- Resolution Examples
- Turnaround Times
- Video Slideshow Demo
- Slide Scanning
- Privacy Statement
- Satisfaction Guarantee
News Feed
Is this the oldest photo of a human?
See Details
Say Goodbye to Cord Clutter.
See Details
15 Vintage Photos of Disneyland that will take you back. See photos
Why Pick Larsen Digital?
We Care: We are known for our excellent customer service. Just give us a call and you will see!
We Are Professional: We stay up to date with current trends in technology, so we can offer our customers exactly what they want.
We Stay in the US: We know how important your irreplaceable memories are, which is why we do all our work ourselves. We don't outsource our scanning to other companies, especially to facilities located outside the US.
We Let You Download Your Images:No one likes to wait! Choose to download your images from Google Drive! Google Drive Details
We Offer Options: Everyone has different needs, which is why we offer different scanning resolutions, disc options, different levels of color correction... you name it!
We Offer Online Photo Organizing: Getting your slides, negatives and photos in order before they are scanned is a pain! Once your order is converted to digital you can view everything online and get everything in the perfect order! Details
Because We Are The Best!
Digital Conversion Professionals!
Professional Digital Scanning Conversion for slides, negatives, video, movie film & audio.
Download Your Files!
Now you can download your images & video files right from us!
All work done in the USA!
Your slides, negatives, photos, videos and movie film are irreplaceable, which is why we would never outsource our work- especially outside the USA. All our scanning conversion work is done ourselves in our Utah location. You can call our office and speak to our awesome customer service staff and they can answer any question you have.
Free Sample Scanning
Not sure what to expect when you have your slides, negatives or photos converted? You are not alone! That is why we offer a free sample - so you can see for yourself how great our quality is. We are confident that after you see your new digital images that you will be 100% satisfied.
Don't Want? Don't Pay!
Save yourself some time (and your sanity) and oragnize your slides, negatives and photos after they have been converted to digital. With our online organizer, you can view your images, organize the digital files and delete unwanted images.
Digital Color Correction
All slide film fades over time, which is why we digital color correct all digital images. Our free standard color correction will balance our the colors, restoring the fading and adjust the contrast of each digital image. If your slide film is really faded, we offer premium digital color correction.
We were featured on Good Things Utah!
We were so excited to be invited back onto ABC's Good Things Utah. Kristin Harding sat down with Troy Thompson to talk about giving unique & thoughtful gifts. Don't give your loved ones more "stuff" - give them a gift they will treasure for generations to come.
Corporate Clients & Universities
We provide scanning services to government agencies, corporations, doctors, universities, dentists, libraries, NFL Teams, NHL Teams, Sports Organizations, and professors every day. Why Corporations Go DigitalView Our Past Clients
iOS App Reviews
Knowing what to do with all your new digital images and video files is easier than it sounds. Take advantage of all the great apps available for phones and tablets. Here are some reviews on our favorites. App Reviews
We service customers from every state in the US and every province in Canada. We ship orders via UPS Express, Ground, and Home Delivery. To find the UPS Ground and Home Delivery transit times click on your state.
Larsen Digital Information
Digital Image Correction
Preparation Guides
Slide Scanning Services
DVD Video Slideshow Services
Cloud Upload & Online Viewing
Seasonal Pages
Larsen Digital is:
Best Slide Scanning Service
Best Photo Scanning Service
Best Movie Film Conversion Service
Best VHS Transfer Service
Larsen Digital is a scanning service that will convert your slides and negatives into industry standard TIFF ( tif ) or JPEG ( jpg ) image files, not proprietary formats such as Kodak's PictureCD or PhotoCD. With Kodak's proprietary formats, you are limited to the usefulness, ability to copy, and compatibility with your software. There has never been a better time for transferring slides to DVD. This is a great opportunity to pass your precious memories to your kids and their kids.
So take your time -- look around our web site. You'll agree that THESE ARE the best values around!
We believe that our DVD Video Slide Show is the finest offering available from anyone in the film scanning industry. We have devoted thousands of hours in research and programming to develop a fully customized video slideshow product. In addition, we now offer a PC version of the video slideshow with even higher resolution than what's available at DVD resolution. There is simply no better way to share your memories.
We convert slides to digital pictures
DVD Video Slideshow
Add a DVD Video Slideshow to your slide scanning project. Once we have scanned & digitized your slides, we can create a custom DVD video Slideshow. This DVD Video Slideshow will play on your TV using your DVD player. You can add music and title slides. For more information about our DVD Slideshow offerings. Having your slides, negatives, photos, vhs & movie film put to a DVD is a great gift.
SlidesWe can convert slides (any type) that you might have. 35mm slides are in a 2"x2" mount, 110 Slides are in a 2"x2" or 1"1" mounts, 126 slides are in a 2"x2" mount, 127 slides are in a 2"x2" mount, medium format slides are 2.75"x2.75". Whatever type of slide you have, we can convert it to digital & put it on a CD or DVD. Don't leave your slides in a box, convert your slides to digital.
We can transfer slides that are from the 40's, no slide is too old for us! Slides became prominent in the 30's-40's, and slides slowly faded out in the 1970's. However slides are still a preferred method for some photographers, and slides still had a market in the 80's, 90's & 2000's.
B&W slides & color slides are all priced the same. Digital Ice does not work on B&W slides, but we can still scan your B&W slide to digital.
Specialty Slides are not uncommon to us. Send us your specialty slides whatever mount or size your slide may be, we can convert your slide to digital.
All slides are color corrected. The color in your slides will fade over time, leaving your slide looking old. We will bring the color back into your slide.
We transfer all brands of slides. Kodak slides, Fuji Slides, Kodachrome slides, Ektachrome slides can come in different mount types, but no matter the brand of slide, we can convert your slide to digital.
Movie Film 8mm Super8 16mmWe can convert your 8mm Super8 16mm Movie Film to DVD , Blu-Ray or MP4 Video File. We convert silent 8mm Super8 16mm Movie Film and 16mm sound.
NegativesWe convert Negatives to digital, whether they are 35mm negatives or Medium Format negatives. Other specialty negatives that we convert to digital are: 110 negatives, 126 negatives, 127 negatives and large format negatives.
Negatives are difficult to organize, which is why we offer our online image organization. You can see your negatives after we have converted them to a digital image. You can view your negatives online and create custom groupings. Here are our Negative Preparation Tips.
Once we have received your negatives we will notify you that they arrived safely. All negatives are scanned with digital ice, fade restoration & color correction. All negatives will be color corrected by a trained individual.
The NCAA's Fiesta Bowl and the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected Larsen Digital for their slide and film scanning projects, and with good reason. We are the world's premier provider of slide scanning services.
In addition to our "industry best" slide scanning and film scanning, we also provide Video Tape (VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, & 8mm digital tape transfer to DVD), and Super8, 8mm, and 16mm movie film transfer to DVD.
We understand the value of your film and we also know this should be a once in a lifetime expenditure. We promise to take care of your film as if it was our own treasured memories. And we will do everything in our power to ensure that the quality is unsurpassed so that we never have an unsatisfied customer. Nobody has more experience in scanning slides than we do.
When it comes right down to it -- there are 6 main reasons why you should select Larsen Digital to digitize your valuable and irreplaceable family memories.
1. A reputation for quality and customer satisfaction is number one. We pride ourselves in our track record since we started business back in 1995. We have always made sure that each and every one of our customers are treated with professionalism along with a personal touch.
2. An assurance that your precious photos and film are NOT shipped to India or Costa Rico for scanning. We scan everything right here in the USA and we store your film in our fireproof vault while it is awaiting work to begin.
3. State of the art equipment is a must and we use nothing but the finest scanners available on the market today. All film (slides & negatives) is scanned with Nikon Coolscan scanners with Digital ICE (infra-red film surface dust and defect elimination technology). We use the finest equipment and processes for our film transfers to DVD.
4. A simplified system for the customer.
Our new on-line Image Organization System makes organizing your scans a simple task; avoiding the need to identify and arrange your slides, negatives, and photos ahead of time.
5. A broad range of options to choose from. We have tried to bring as many options as possible to our customers. We have options to fit the needs of everyone from professional photographers, Libraries, Universities, and the family history and genealogy buff.
6. And finally -- Cost. We believe that cost should be the final decision maker after the other three. Fortunately for you, our costs are as low as or in almost every case substantially lower than our competitors.
We convert your slides and negatives into industry standard TIFF ( tif ) or JPEG ( jpg ) image files, not proprietary formats such as Kodak's PictureCD or PhotoCD. With Kodak's proprietary formats, you are limited to the usefulness, ability to copy, and compatibility with your software. There has never been a better time for transferring slides to DVD.
This is a great opportunity to pass your precious memories to your kids and their kids.
So take your time -- look around our web site. You'll agree that THESE ARE the best values around!
We believe that our DVD Video Slide Show is the finest offering available from anyone in the film scanning industry. We have devoted thousands of hours in research and programming to develop a fully customized video slideshow product. In addition, we now offer a PC version of the video slideshow with even higher resolution than what's available at DVD resolution. There is simply no better way to share your memories.
Larsen Digital will never send your film to another country for scanning.
When searching for a reputable company to transfer and preserve your irreplaceable memories make sure that they won't be sending your film to another country to take advantage of cheap labor rates.
Several relatively new film scanning companies such as BritePix and ScanCafe have popped up overnight which are sending the film to India, Costa Rica, and other countries to have the work done. This practice explains the "too good to be true" pricing.
We Digitize and Restore Your Photo, Film, and Video Memories by transferring all of your precious memories to digital on CDs and DVDs.
Everything is now going digital. Your memories should be no different. Why take a chance of letting your photos, slides, and video degrade from years of deterioration.
We can digitize your entire photo, slide, and video collection for you. Your memories will fade over time and so will your slides, negatives, and photos.
We digitize and restore your photo, film, slides, and video memories so that you and your posterity can enjoy them for decades to come.
Photo Restoration Service
Let our professional graphic artists restore your photographs or digital images. Using PhotoShop and other digital tools, we can easily complete the task of simple photo restoration or photo retouching by enhancing, correcting for fade, removing scratches and folds, ink, or spots from your priceless and irreplaceable cherished photos.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It's time for the 14th annual drive to collect clothes for children whose parents have difficulty in providing new items for school. The program falls under the umbrella of the FISH Basket Brigade, and the goal is to assure that all Pine Island and Matlacha students have new outfits for their first two days of school.
Last year, 152 youngsters proudly wore their new attire, thanks to the generosity of fellow Pine Islanders, most of whom "adopted" participants and bought clothes for a specific child (or two or three) and others who made cash donations so that FISH shoppers could purchase the items.
FISH is compiling a list of children by age, gender and size and will match the clothes to the kids, although only their first names will be divulged. Those who wish to "adopt" will be provided that information and will be requested to buy two tops, two pants, shorts or skirts and a package of underwear.
Additionally, FISH will provide a $20 Payless Shoe Source for each child. If Eagle readers are aware of children who should be included on the list, please call Peg Harmon at 283-3874 or Mary Jo Roane at 283-7862.
The drop-off point for clothes is Fire Station Number One at Pine Island Center. For those who prefer a monetary contribution, tax-deductible donations may be made to Pine Island FISH, indicating "Clothes for Kids" in the memo line. Checks may be mailed to Pine Island FISH, P.O. Box 357, Matlacha 33993.
For further information, call Mary Jo or Peg at the phone numbers shown above.


text:
Dr. James M. Garrison, Jr., passed away Thursday, Sept. 12, after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday.
A celebration of his life was held Saturday, Sept. 21 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Seattle.
James Garrison Jr., a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity graduated with honors from West Virginia State University in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science Degree.
He was designated a Distinguished Military Student and Graduate with a Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Regular Army. His first assignment was at Fort Bragg, NC where he completed the mandatory four years commitment before resigning his commission to enroll at Tufts University Medical School. He earned the degree of Doctorate of Medicine and reentered the U.S. Army as a Medical Officer in the U.S. Army. He continued on Active Duty serving at Ft Lewis, Wash., and Munich, Germany with a final station at Fort Riley, KS. He resigned his Active Duty commission after the death of his beloved wife, Nellie in 1967. He continued his military service in the U.S. Army Reserve from which he finally retired as a Colonel 06. He was awarded The Legion of Merit Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Army Reserve Forces Medal.
During his time as an Army Reservist he was appointed the first black officer to command the 50th General Hospital of the U.S. Army Reserve at Ft. Lawton in 1977
Garrison joined Group Health Cooperative in 1969. He had the distinction of being the first black physician hired by Group Health. Within the next 20 years Dr. Garrison rose to become chief of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department and Chief of Staff of the Central Region, serving greater Seattle. During his career as an OB/GYN physician, Dr. Garrison estimated that he delivered more than 6,000 babies.
In 1977 Garrison was awarded the position of Clinical Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Washington, which he held until his death. In 1980 Dr. Garrison was inducted into the West Virginia State University ROTC Hall of Fame, The ROTC Hall of Fame honors graduates of the college ROTC program that have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits.
Garrison was a long time member of the 9th & 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association which represents and honors the Buffalo Soldiers who originated in Fort Riley, KS.
He was appointed in 1988 by Gov. Mike Lowery to the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission serving as Chairman. He served on the Federation of State Medical Boards and the governing council of Pacific Medical Center.
Garrison is survived by his daughters, Diane and her husband Russell Faria and Alicia Rinehart; his sons, Michael Garrison and David Garrison and his wife Janet Berwick; brother, Melvyn and his wife May Garrison and niece, Sylvia; grandchildren, James M Garrison IV, Joseph Garrison, Jessie Garrison, William Faria and Rachel Faria. Dr. Garrison was preceded in death by his wife Nellie, his son James M Garrison, III and his sister, Sylvia Garrison.


text:
Our plant food range has a product for everyone who wants to give their garden a boost!
From all-purpose and slow-release feeds that can be used all around the garden, to straights and specialist plant foods, like tomato food, rose food and chicken manure.
With big brands like Westland, Gro-Sure and Seramis, we can help your plants, vegetables, trees, shrubs, indoor plants and bulbs bloom better than ever before.
No spam, we promise


text:
80th Birthday Party Favor Popcorn Treat Box
The Kitchen PEG Board
Get ready for a fun party with tasty treats from "The Kitchen PEG Board".
Your guests will be so impressed when they receive one of our 80th Birthday Party - personalized birthday party popcorn favor boxes filled with PEG's Gourmet Caramel Corn!
They come with one line of personalized text on the 80th Birthday Party birthday party popcorn favor box itself as well as a coordinating gift card that can be personalized inside by you with an appreciative message for each individual guest. Also included is a solid colored ribbon to attach the gift card. Impressively detailed and totally unique, our 80th Birthday Party personalized birthday party popcorn favor boxes are an easy birthday party idea!
80th Birthday Party - Personalized Birthday Party Popcorn Favor Boxes:
- Favor Boxes measure: Width 4.75" x Height 7" x Depth 2.25"
- 1 - 3-Ounce Bag of PEG's Gourmet Caramel Corn (Flavors: Almond Cluster, Caramel Cluster, Pecan Cluster, or Walnut Cluster) - you choose the flavor
- Matching Gift Tag and Ribbon
- Minimum order quantity: 12
"You'll just love it!"


text:
Download the authoritative guide: Cloud Computing 2019: Using the Cloud for Competitive AdvantageWith business intelligence (BI) heading more widely into Linux these days, vendors are adding more open source componentry in a variety of places, much to the glee of users ranging from financial services firm Tradewinds to health care IT specialist Nequalsone.
Traditional BI vendors such as Business Objects and Microstrategies are joining specialized start-ups such as JasperSoft, Pentaho, Greenplum, and Kinetic Networks in open sourcing their componentry.
Meanwhile, IT giants such as Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, and Siebel are also expanding more broadly into BI.
Nequalsone, for example, is now using Oracle's 10g database and Web portal, running on Linux, as the basis for a series of applications aimed at building patient loyalty for hospitals by tracking patients' impressions of health care experiences.
A slew of recent vendor announcements from Oracle, Business Objects, JasperSoft and others has delivered mainstream attention to the broadening availability of BI products for Linux.
Actually, though, BI for Linux is not exactly entirely new, points out Dan Everett, an analyst at Ventana Research, during another interview.
Companies like Hyperion began adding offering software for Linux a number of years ago. JasperSoft, Pentaho, Actuate, and other open source start-ups came into the mix later.
Many of the first open source BI products, however, were aimed at report-writing, and for the most part, these tools have been used by developers, Everett said.
"What's newer is for [traditional] BI vendors to [incorporate] open source componentry at the middle of the stack," the analyst told LinuxPlanet.
Some long-time BI vendors are offering open source databases as embedded BI repositories, while at the same time allowing customers with existing commercial databases to keep using SQL Server or DB2 instead, for instance.
Business Objects, for example, is now using MySQL as a repository, said James Thomas, the company's director of marketing, in another interview.
One big intent behind the use of open source componentry is to lower prices for users, according to Everett. "BI vendors know that their traditional pricing models make it difficult for companies in the midmarket to use BI [among all their employees]. It'd cost way too much money," the analyst elaborated.
At pricing of $1,000 per user seat, for example, a company with 16,000 employees would need to pay $160,000 for a full-fledged BI deployment, Everett hypothesized.
"Among midmarket companies, there's been a real push toward TCO," concurred Business Objects' Thomas.
At the same time, open source BI start-ups are spreading out into new directions.
Pentaho, for example, recently acquired the Weka open source project in a bid to add data mining capabilities to its BI suite.
Pentaho is also teaming with vendors such as IBM, Actuate, Scapa Technologies, and Zend in support of the Eclipse Foundation's BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools) 2.0 project.
For its part, JasperSoft has announced a Jboss reporting portal.
But the industry convergence upon BI doesn't stop there. For instance, Oracle's emerging BI suite brings together products created at both Oracle and PeopleSoft for data warehousing, data mining, reporting, management, and information delivery.
Not to be outdone, long-time BI specialists are taking new steps into open source.
Business Objects recently announced a version of its Crystal Reports report-writer for the Eclipse crossplatform development environment.
"We understand that customers are using Linux and open source componentry within their organizations," said James Thomas, Business Objects' director of marketing, also in an interview
Crystal Reports, a product originated by Cognos, has supported Linux ever since version 9. Business Objects has been in charge of Crystal Reports since the acquistion of Cognos.
"Linux is certainly not the most popular platform we've seen, but it's starting to hit more of a mainstream deal," according to Thomas.
As Thomas sees it, some Linux customers are moving to the platform from Windows, yet more of them are migrating from Unix platforms from Sun, HP, and IBM.
"One of the big areas where we're seeing a lot of Linux is in financial centers. And in Europe, there's been a push toward non-Microsoft environments," he observed.
"We've had really solid partnerships with Red Hat and Novell. We do a lot of joint selling and joint engagements."
Business Objects customer Tradewinds is just one example of a financial service firm that's adopted Linux.
"Linux is our strategic platform," affirmed Tradewinds CTO David Meredith, also in an interview.
Within the midmarket, many customers are now runing Crystal Reports Server on Linux, according to Thomas.
But although open source componentry seems to be widening the market for business intelligence, it's also bringing new competitive challenges to traditional BI players.
"They are tending to wish that the JasperSofts and Pentahos of the world would just go away," said Ventana's Everett.
"But they're also dealing with reality, and looking at [what kinds of opportunities] open source can bring."
As a result, veteran players in this market are starting to change their business models, the analyst observed.
Emerging approaches include BI appliances, embedding BI reporting tools into applications, and the "software as a service" business model.
"And some companies are building hosted [BI] solutions," Everett added.
Systems integrators and other partners are becoming increasingly important, the Ventana analyst suggested.
Business Objects is one of the companies that is already modifying its business model. "We recognize that developers are accustomed to getting [report-writers] for free," said Business Objects' Thomas.
"Our philosophy is that you can download Crystal Reports [for Eclipse] for free. But for things like higher-end support and greater scalability, customers need to pay," Thomas told LinuxPlanet.
This article was first published on LinuxPlanet.com.
Submit a Comment
Loading Comments...
Submit a Comment


text:
ok I really like both boards. the waldorf blofeld and the studiologic/waldorf sledge. say the cost is 800 for the blo and 1000 for the sledge. that's what I'd pay used, in good condition.
I have heard that the sledge is the same engine as the blofeld. and although the user interface rocks (wich I love btw) it's not as "meaty" as the blofeld. kind of how the ion has more s**t outside and the micron has more s**t inside. so basically are these 2 keyboards sonically the same? or is the blofeld more of a "micron" inside?
I don't care about color, i don't own a mopho so i wouldn't mind having a yellow board, and I love the interface on the sledge, and would really like to snag up 1 of these 2 boards for my new years keyboard hunt.
happy spanks givings


text:
He loved that raccoon. Say what you will about the rest of it—his campy countryness, the rampant media attention, the decision to enter politics—but Mark "Coonrippy" Brown adored his pet varmint.
Her name was Rebekah. He'd raised her from a baby. Fed her bottles. Cooked her scrambled eggs, her favorite. He trained her and gave her the run of his home in Gallatin, Tenn., outside Nashville. He posted YouTube clips of them playing. One video showed Rebekah perched on his shoulder as he showered. It was a hit, watched 400,000 times. But last summer, state wildlife agents, tipped off by the viral scene, seized Rebekah. Brown was devastated. He delivered the news to his son in a voice so somber that his son thought for sure he was talking about a family member. "Well," Brown told him, "she's gone."
Story Continued Below
The raccoon was gone, and Brown begged the governor to intervene. He hired an attorney and went to court. A petition with 6,000 signatures called for the raccoon's release. Nothing happened. Brown says he still doesn't know exactly what became of Rebekah. And so, earlier this year, he decided to go from appealing for help from the state's highest office to seeking it himself.
"He owes me an explanation," Brown says of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. "And I thought, I'll run for governor. And when somebody asks me for help, I'll respond."
It might sound like a bit of fun. But earlier this year, Brown filed the proper forms and garnered the necessary signatures—the local sheriff even signed his petition. This 55-year-old political novice qualified for the ballot in Tennessee's Republican primary. He'll face Haslam in August.
It could be dismissed as a stunt. When a reporter in Tennessee asked Haslam last month if he was confident he could survive Brown's challenge, the governor laughed. That makes sense. Brown's bid certainly feels like a no-shot, odd-ball affair. The loads of press attention so far have centered on the campaign's novelty. Suspicions about his true intentions don't soften when you learn that before he lost the raccoon, he snagged a deal for a reality TV show based on his country ways. But Brown insists his political ambitions have nothing to do with that.
He points out that he's not the first politician in Tennessee—or anywhere else, really—to blur the lines of who deserves to be taken seriously as a candidate. Fred Thompson, the TV and film actor, served two terms as a U.S. senator from the Volunteer State. In 1948, the official Republican nominee for Tennessee governor was Roy Acuff, the Grand Ole Opry star. The country crooner sought the office on a lark. (And lost.)
And there is something seemingly genuine about Brown's bid, a campaign based on the right to seek a redress of grievances, a political outsider pushing back with Tea Party-ish vigor against the established order, even if it does center on his right to keep and bear a raccoon.
Brown is a mountain of a man with a Moses-like beard. He was born so close to the Cumberland River that he was, he says, "300 yards from being a duck." He has lived all his life in Gallatin, a town of 30,000 that once was small enough that if his truck broke down on Highway 31, he'd be certain to see someone he knew to give him a ride.
He took the nickname "Coonrippy" from his great-great grandmother, Lucinda Coon Rippy. "I don't know what caused someone to name a girl child Coon," Brown explains, "but it's on her headstone." It's also the name of the trading company selling his clay figurines and other wares at folk festivals, and he hot-brands "CR" on the wood furniture he crafts.
Brown is a longtime federally licensed firearms dealer, but doesn't sell much in the way of guns anymore. He has held a slew of jobs, including pipefitter and a short stint as Gallatin's animal control officer. He once ran his own wildlife management company. He thinks that's why he got the call about Rebekah last May.
"I had a reputation for knowing how to care for animals," he says.
A high school student called him about some raccoon babies needing a home. Brown took one and gave her a Biblical name, Rebekah. He has kept wild animals as pets since he was teenager. When he was about 18, he had a hawk named Aesop. Then a screech owl named Mr. Bird. Crowman the crow. Trophy the deer. A possum named Henry.
A few years ago, he found a baby raccoon and named him Gunshow. He trained the raccoon, even got him to use a litter box. In July 2012, Brown was playing around with Gunshow when his girlfriend decided to shoot some video and upload it to YouTube. The clip lasts 30 seconds. It shows a shirtless Brown with Gunshow nibbling on his arm. "Oww, would you quit it?" Brown says. He applies a few squirts of Hannah Montana body spray. Gunshow suddenly loses all interest in biting. The "Hannah Montana Coon Repellent" video has gotten more than 1.2 million views. A few weeks later, another video. In this one, Brown dances to Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" on his front porch, holding Gunshow by his front paws. That attracted 1.3 million views.
Reality show producers noticed, likely with dreams of a Duck Dynasty II. Brown even took meetings in New York City. "I was like a lost person in tall grass in Manhattan," he says. He is now tentatively developing a show with Hot Snakes Media, makers of TLC's "Breaking Amish."
But in January 2013, Brown posted a new video: A 4-1/2 minute tribute to Gunshow set to Dolly Parton singing the sappy ballad "Just When I Needed You Most." Gunshow had died. As he talks about his pet in the video, Brown sounds like he's choking up.


text:
According to the blog search engine Technorati, around 77% of active Internet users read blogs; ComScore claims this figure to be around 346 million people. However, if Internet World Stats makes any sense this figure should be close to 1.3 billion and the percentage of active users should be closer to 20% rather than 77% if ComScore is correct.
Either way it's a big number! The bottom line is that everything is being talked about and companies deciding not to take part in the talk need to at least listen and react.


text:
With gardening season under way in all but the coldest of zones, we have gathered a gaggle of gardeners from around the country and asked them to share some tips with us. The slide show is a peek into the beginnings of their space for this 2011 growing season.
Mike Lieberman - California - Balcony Gardening
Mike prides himself in learning gardening the old fashion way, trial and error. He says, "I might have a vegetable garden, but I grow food." Follow what Mike is growing on his blog,Urban Organic Gardener.
Simran Sethi - Kansas - Yardshare
The award-winning journalist and associate professor at the University of Kansas has decided to share her big backyard in Lawrence. Read "Sharing the Yard" on Oprah.com about the beginnings of her yard-share last year. Find out more of out what Simran is up to.
Tess and Jack Kenney - Wisconsin - Mushroom farmers and more
Tess, an active member of Victory Garden Initiative and the Kilbourn Gardens in Milwaukee, and her husband Jack are growing mushrooms, onions, asparagus, blueberries and more and are also composting in a newly built bin. Read Tess' organic food posts on examiner.com.
Wendimere Reilley - Florida - Backyard Aquaponics
The Health Chic, herbalist, author & TV host, growing lettuce and more in her backyard aquaponics systems. Check out what the Health Chic is creating.
Anne Dailey - Maine - Big garden (really big)
Writer, activist and aspiring agrarian, gardening on a 30 x 40 plot with two fruit trees and some berries too! Keep up with Anne on her website.
Mike Lieberman, CA
What is your favorite part about this time of the year for gardening?
My favorite part about this time of the year for gardening is that nearly everyone around the country is starting to grow something. Whether it's the experienced grower who's been doing this for decades or the first-timer who is scared to kill all of their plants.
It's exciting because it starts conversations and gets people talking about food, growing it and the importance of it. How it affects us on many levels and what we can do about it. I believe that it's the best way to get more people interested or at least thinking differently about our current food system and what's going on.
Are self-watering containers really better than planting in regular containers?
My only experience is with self-watering containers, so I'm a bit partial. Let me put it this way, I took a two week vacation and when I came home nearly all of the plants were still doing great. Not sure if they would have if I used regular containers.
Simran Sethi, KS
What is your favorite part about this time of the year for gardening?
Well, this is the time for birth and rebirth. The perennials start to bloom and the ground is ready for new veggies.
Yard sharing! What a great idea. Why did you do it and what benefits have you seen from sharing? And how can a person find a shared yard?
I did this because I have a big yard and very little experience in terms of what to do with it. I know a lot of people with incredible expertise here in Lawrence but not all of them have land. Sharing the yard made sense. I am sure there are yardshare websites. People can also just ask around. I asked friends which is how I ended up with my first share. (This is year two.) This year, I asked someone who works at our local food coop and completely lucked out. Her name is Lily and she also helps manage many of our school gardens. Lily and her friend Sally are putting in (all organic) beets, onions, yukon gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers, winter squash, okra, peppers and herbs. I have another friend Daniel (co-founder of the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture) who is bringing me organic tomatoes, eggplant and herbs and another dear friend who just brought me red kale. All these people I love are in my yard, close to me, feeding me.
Tess and Jack Kenney, WI
What is your favorite part about spring for gardening?
Like most, I would suspect, we love the Spring because it signifies a reawakening and revitalization, and, especially here in Wisconsin where the winters are long, the arrival of gardening season means we can begin to plant our vegetables organically, watch our fruit trees grow and bloom and anticipate mother nature's abundance towards the end of the season. Just a day ago, we planted two new apple trees to go along with the two we already had and one cherry tree.
What does it take to grow mushrooms? What kind will you be growing? (And what has happened since you became involved in the Victory Garden Initiative?)
As for the mushrooms......we've learned that Elm or maple trees are the best from which to get logs for mushroom growth. We search local parks for downed and cut wood. The diameter of the log dictates how long the log will produce mushrooms; that is, a six inch diameter log should produce mushrooms for six years so the wider the better. We growing shitake and blue oyster mushrooms using spores that are inserted into 1" deep holes drilled into the logs. It's best to leave about 2" between each hole. After inserting the spores, wax is used to plug the holes and keep other bacteria out. The logs should be kept damp and out of the sun. The logs should produce mushrooms within about six months to nine months.
The mushrooms grown in logs are said to be five times more nutritious than those organic kinds that can be purchased in a store.
In addition to what is happening outside, we have planted lots of seeds and are presently repotting them to larger containers. Still too cool in Wisconsin to put them into the garden, but soon. Before the Victory Garden Initiative came to our home and put in our backyard beds neither one of us had gardened in years. But since the blitz two years ago we have added another 8×4 foot raised bed, four apple trees, a cherry tree and four hazelnut bushes. We have strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. We also participate in a community garden (Kilbourn Gardens - 123 beds) across the street. Did the Victory Garden Initiative blitz change our lives - that would be a very happy yes.
Wendimere Reilley, FL
What is your favorite part about this time of year for gardening?
Spring gardening in Florida is amazingly inspirational. After the hot and humid summer, brief Fall (where most of us are too busy with football to garden) and an extremely cold winter (anytime you have to turn the heat on is "cold" to us) Spring finally arrives. It seems like every year at the start of Spring I say that I am not going to plant anything new this year. The yard is overgrown with weeds and decay and it all seems overwhelming. Then, like clockwork, leaves appear on my blackberries, the daisies which I thought were long dead magically show signs of life... you get the idea. I look at the calendar and can't bear the thought of not attending my favorite garden festivals where I will buy fresh herb starters, edible flowers and some native plants.
Are aquaponics for everyone? Can a person just set that up in their backyard? What are the benefits?
Anyone can set up an aquaponic system -- you need a pond, pump and some fish. We use tilapia and gold fish. Your systems can be small and simple or very extravagant. The one pictured can be constructed for under $500. I prefer aquaponics to hydroponics because you don't need to purchase expensive liquid foods and fertilizers or other chemicals. Once you get it going an aquaponic system is very low maintenance. The biggest issue is keeping your fish alive. Tilapia do not do well in cold weather. Also keep in mind that once you harvest your crop you need to replant immediately or just let everything go wild- just don't pull it all out or there will be nothing growing to filter the water for the fish. It's the one time you don't have to weed.
Anne Dailey, ME
What is your favorite part about spring for gardening?
Winter for home gardeners in the Northeast is a mixture of pleasure and pain. Pleasure because your mailbox fills with colorful seed catalogs promising a bountiful and beautiful crop, and you've got ample time to plan out an over-ambitious garden. Pain because your garden is covered with snow and you are just plum sick of root vegetables. But Spring...Spring brings the reality of gardening to bear. The snow has melted, reminding you of all the work you have to do but at this time of year, before much of that work actually starts, what will feel overwhelming in a few short months just feels invigorating and exciting! Seeds have arrived, and their promise is now tangible - more than a colorful photo or vivid description in a magazine. This is the time of year when I can almost taste those crops, almost feel the dirt on my fingers. I should also mention that this particular Spring there is the added bonus of Spring-dug parsnips! Last fall I decided to leave about 3/4 of my parsnip planting in the ground for the winter. It was the first time I'd given that a shot, and I'm now reaping the delicious benefits of that decision. You really do learn something (or 100 somethings) each year
I know you just got your seeds... what is important to look for? Where did you get your seeds? How can one determine what will grow in their space (did you try some last year that were better than others)?
I'll admit that this season I've broadened my horizons a bit when it comes to selecting seeds. Last year every variety I planted was an open-pollinated heirloom and I remain a staunch supporter of the importance (and deliciousness) of heirloom seeds, those who save them and those who sell them. Last season, though, I worked all summer and fall on a local organic farm, where the farmers grow a mix of heirlooms and hybrids and maintain that both are important to their business and sustainability. Then this winter I took a job a Johnny's Selected Seeds, a long-standing and respected seed company here in Maine. Our catalog has many organic, heirloom and open-pollinated varieties, but we also have a strong breeding program, and offer just as many hybrid seeds. Being a fan of nuance and diversity, and having listened to some good arguments for including a few hybrids, I decided to mix it up a bit for this season. Most of my garden will be heirlooms, but I'll be growing a hybrid sweet corn, a cucumber and a radish. They sound like good varieties, well-suited to my climate and bred for taste, not for shelf-life or the ability to survive a cross-country trip in a tractor trailer. Since I wouldn't be saving the seed myself anyway, it seems a reasonable choice.
I think it's important to note that hybrids are not the same as a genetically engineered varieties, which Johnny's does not sell and I would never plant. I find myself explaining this on the phone with customers quite frequently, so in the interest of disseminating accurate information, here's a quick guide:
open pollinated - a non-hybrid variety that can reproduce itself in kind. i.e. grow some nothstine dent corn, save the seed, plant it the next year and you'll get nothstine dent again.
hybrid - the offspring of a cross between two or more varieties, usually of the same species. A hybrid will not reproduce itself in kind. Plant a hybrid sweet corn and the next year you'll get a mutant, which may be delicious or entirely terrible.
genetic engineering - the mechanical transfer of DNA (the stuff in cells that carries the genetic code, the recipe for the plant). This kind of transfer, which may be outside of the plant species, is most certainly not natural and poses great potential biological, cultural and economic risks.
The good seedsmen behind the companies I order from are more informed (and sometimes more opinionated) than I on this subject. Here are a few of their statements and definitions.
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Seed Saver's Exchange
- Fedco Seeds
- Sustainable Seed Co.
Most genetically modified seeds at this point are not geared towards home gardeners. We're talking about sugar beets, dry corn for things like high fructose corn syrup and animal feed, alfalfa and soybeans. Nevertheless, we all eat so we should all care, and do our best to be well informed. I'd predict we'll see more and more genetically engineered seeds appearing on the market in the next few years.
I've decided that the best course of action is simply to do my research and purchase seeds from small companies whose missions and practices I trust. There are new seed companies starting up all over the country, and chances are there's at least one near you. Seek them out, ask them questions, and give their varieties a chance. If we all work and grow together we can ensure that our gardens remain diverse, beautiful and bountiful.


text:
COMPILED BY BRENT SCHROTENBOER, ERIN HOBBS and MERRIE MONTEAGUDO / UNION-TRIBUNE
About this project: The following are arrests and citations involving NFL players since 2000 that were more serious than speeding tickets. The San Diego Union-Tribune reviewed hundreds of news reports and public records in compiling it. The list cannot be considered comprehensive in part because some incidents may not have been reported and some public records proved to be elusive. Increased media coverage of incidents also probably accounts for more incidents listed in recent years. Attorneys for Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones used the Union-Tribune list in their attempt to have Jones' season-long suspension reduced in May 2007. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Using the database: Search for a specific name, team or position. Once you get a table of results, you can click on the title of any column to sort the database by that column. Click your back button to return to the search prompt. To browse the full database of NFL arrests, click here.
Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.
Contact SignOnSanDiego.com | Online Media Kit | Print Media Kit | Frequently Asked Questions | Make us your homepage
Contact the Union-Tribune | About the Union-Tribune | Site Index | Privacy & Copyright Policy | Your California Privacy Rights


text:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two New York financiers have launched an independent film company to make and sell low-budget movies in a tight U.S. market that has seen hard times for two years due to competition, slowing DVD sales and a lack of fresh money.
Mary Dickinson and Charlene Fisher unveiled DF Indie Studios late Friday to eventually produce 10-12 films annually with a production cost of $10 million or less. They plan to guarantee distribution in the U.S. and Canada, backed by what they say is $150 million in equity financing.
DF Indie Studios (DFIS) has the support of big-name movie makers such as brothers Tony and Ridley Scott ("Gladiator") and independent film veterans Ted Hope and Anne Carey. ("Adventureland" and "In the Bedroom").
"We've been amazed to see the competitors in our budget range have pretty much disappeared," Dickinson told Reuters.
"That's why we're excited about this time period," added Fisher. "We see it working in our favor."
Dickinson and Fisher plan to usher low-budget movies from script through production, editing, marketing and distribution, and they believe they are entering the market for art house flicks at a low-point after many studio players fell on hard times starting in late 2007.
Many independent film producers making contemporary art house films like Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire" hope to sell their distribution rights at festivals like Sundance. But DF Indie Studios vows to self-distribute movies they produce.
Currently many of the specialty divisions of major studios, such as Twentieth Century Fox's Fox Searchlight or Universal Pictures' Focus Features and even major independent companies like Lions Gate, routinely crank out films at a cost of $15 million to $30 million and more.
But with a production cost of less than $10 million, DF Indie Studios hopes to hit it big with movies more in the vein of a "Napoleon Dynamite," which was a festival favorite before hitting mainstream success.
But DFIS comes into the market at a difficult time after a glut of low-budget movies met keen competition about two years ago, causing several indie companies to fail in 2008, a trend that continues this year.
Moreover, declining DVD sales have cut revenues and digital downloads remain a future uncertainty.
Still, Dickinson and Fisher could be entering the market poised for an uptick. At May's Cannes film festival, many major players said they were starting to see signs the glut of movies easing and that late 2009 and 2010 could mark a turning point.
Like others, Dickinson and Fisher also noted that amid the recession, theater ticket sales were currently on an upswing as people were flocking to theaters for cheap entertainment.


text:
{Sunshine Soiree}: Shades of Yellow, Gray + White
{Shades of Yellow, Gray + White}
Details We Love
Beautiful Bouquet + Invitation Design
A beautiful palette, indeed :)
Oh, WOW!!! I love, love, love this one.
Never get tired of this combo. SO LOVELY!
I will never get enough of yellow + grey. Love!
Lovely palette =)
sooooo unique and fun.
Cheers to summer sunshine!
pretty palette!
I just adore this board!
Gorgeous color palette!
Yellow's my favorite color...I like this sunshine palette...so cheery.
Gorgeous color, i found the details are unique.
That invitation is divine! LOVE!
Love the different hues of yellow. Since destination weddings in Hawaii are awesome in the summer, yellow goes great with the beautiful sun.
I love the spring and summer look on the concept.
For the ideal bridesmaid dresses check out Myriad 6 convertible dresses. One dress you can wear in so many different ways and all your bridesmaids can find a style that best suits their shape and size. What's better is that the bridesmaids can wear their dresses again and not shove them a t the back of the wardrobe never to be seen again.
Heres one of the many designs http://www.myriad6.com/the-myriad-6-plain-long-77-p.asp
I love this http://www.myriad6.com/the-lace-trim-short-81-p.asp
Yellow is the Key!
I really agree with Sara (last comment). Why to buy a dress that noone will wear again ??!
I love these colors! Perfect for summer weddings.
yellow is my favourite.
beautiful color palette X:X love the invitation design
That yellow dress is adorable!Love the bouquet!
Veyr interesting and unique color.
It's the most unusual combos that also conjure up a wow effect.
I'd love to surprise my soon to be hubby with this sexy little number - pick me, pick me!
I really love the combination of yellow and grey. It really gives a classic touch with a pop of color! I love when personal touches are added to weddings.
My Summer Bohemian invitation is now available on elli.com. Love seeing my invitation designs pop up on the blogs and pinterest boards I follow! Thanks, Emily
Everything you an imagine is real. Have a good day! Keep on sharing knowledgable ideas :)


text:
Since Thanksgiving is coming up at the end of the month here in the States, some place card projects are in order. These mini potted topiaries for Project Wedding fit the bill, and of course can also function as escort cards and favors. Find full instructions at Project Wedding. I added an extra autumnal touch by gilding the mini terracotta pots with a gold leaf kit (available at craft stores for around $8) before beginning the project.
Friday, November 5, 2010
A Tiny Topiary
Labels: Crafts, Entertaining, Styling, Tutorial, Wedding
16 comments:
- Plantress said...
These are pretty for your table and can transition later onto your mantle for festive little Christmas trees. They are great looking when grouped. I have some sterling baby cups that make great topiary holders. I like to use something old for part of the project...
- November 5, 2010 at 5:13 AM
- Sarah Knight said...
Looks lovely : )
- November 5, 2010 at 6:24 AM
- Eli said...
- November 5, 2010 at 6:41 AM
- birdie blue said...
so sweet. why is everything cuter in miniature?
- November 5, 2010 at 6:55 AM
- Jean said...
What a great idea. Love them.
- November 5, 2010 at 7:44 AM
- Lila said...
I love topiaries. But, to put them as a place setting decor is genius!
Lila Ferraro
- November 5, 2010 at 10:27 AM
- Veronika said...
Just stumbled upon your beautiful blog. I love the pictures. May I ask where you find the fonts that you use on many of your pictures?
- November 5, 2010 at 10:34 AM
- Star said...
Really cute. I like. The placemats are pretty too.
Very creative.
Blessings, Star
- November 5, 2010 at 2:47 PM
- Marinka said...
love those they are really cute
- November 5, 2010 at 9:26 PM
- richelle jean said...
aww those are so cute! i've never seen them so little. thanks for sharing.
- November 6, 2010 at 9:01 AM
- Detailing Life said...
I really like the color of them, that muted down almost brownish moss color, instead of the more brighter shade of green that most people are using to make these. And the size is adorable! Everything is more cute when miniaturized!
- November 7, 2010 at 2:07 AM
- Buttons & Ribbons Paperie said...
These are adorable! Love the gold color!
I love your blog, very creative and your photos are awesome =)
- November 9, 2010 at 5:15 AM
- Blessedmom's Simple Home said...
These would look pretty anywhere. I just did a post about your sweet leaf garland, and linked back to you :-)
- November 9, 2010 at 8:05 PM
- Linda Starr said...
Those could be used any time of year, great idea.
- November 9, 2010 at 11:44 PM
- neva said...
interesting idea.
- November 10, 2010 at 4:14 AM
- Kristy said...
I love everything miniature!
- November 12, 2010 at 7:36 PM


text:
Ringer T Shirts
Our women's ringer tees from Hyp are made of 100% fine cotton jersey. Tees feature contrasting neck and cuff trim as well as contrasting stitching.
Available in Pink, Yellow and Mint Green
100 hottest Nader Ringer T Shirts
10keveryday.com is a
groovynet production
© Copyright Stacy Beatty, 1998 - 2008


text:
Adobe is pleased to announce at the Adobe MAX 2010 conference the availability of Adobe AIR 2.5 for televisions, tablets, smartphones and desktop operating systems. Adobe AIR 2.5 now supports:
- Smartphones and tablets based on BlackBerry® Tablet OS, Android™ and iOS
- Desktops running on Windows®, Macintosh and Linux® operating systems
- Televisions with Samsung as the first television manufacturer to ship Adobe AIR in its line of Samsung SmartTV devices
Also device manufactures Acer, HTC, Motorola, RIM, Samsung and others are expected to ship the AIR runtime pre-installed on a variety of devices including tablets and smartphones later this year and early 2011. A list of mobile devices that meet the AIR system requirements can be found on Adobe.com.
Now with the Flash Platform, developers can use their existing web skills and reuse common code across devices and platforms to develop applications, content and video for the web on both personal computers and mobile devices or build standalone applications that run outside the browser on a wide range of devices, including TVs.
In just two short weeks after the AIR runtime was released on the Android Market, hundreds of AIR apps are already available in the Android Market for smartphones and tablets with AIR currently ranked 4.5 out of 5 stars on the Android Market. In addition, AIR apps are also available in Apple's App Store. You can visit AppBrain for a list of AIR apps for Android currently available on the Android Market. This is what a few of our customers had to say about AIR 2.5:
Associated Press: "The Associated Press is very pleased using Adobe AIR to make some of our features covering the upcoming midterm elections available on the iPhone and Android devices."
– Brian R. Scanlon, Director, Election Services, The Associated Press
Emantras: The ROI and resource savings to create applications with Adobe AIR and the Flash Platform is truly game changing. It is the only solution available that allows you to reuse code to target smartphones, tablets, desktops, and TV's. The ability to deliver elearning content on multiple devices makes learning accessible to just about everyone.
– Sesh Kumar, CEO, Emantras Inc.
South Park Digital Studios: "With Adobe AIR 2.5, we were able to leverage existing code to quickly launch a new version of our popular South Park Avatar Creator across multiple platforms, letting our fans create their own South Park alter ego on the web or their Android smartphones and tablets."
-Greg Kampanis, Senior Vice President of Content Strategy and Operations, South Park Studios
MixMatchMusic: With Adobe AIR we use the same code for desktops, tablets and smart phones, which saves us time, money and provides efficiencies of deployment. Then, we can quickly and efficiently distribute these apps through Adobe's application distribution service, Adobe InMarket.
– Charles Feinn, CEO and co-founder of MixMatchMusic, developer of the MobBase mobile app service
You can learn more about all the new features for television, mobile and desktop devices in the article "What's new in AIR 2.5" written by the AIR product management team and if you can't join us at MAX you can attend MAX virtually by watching the keynote speech live. Here is the schedule of the MAX live broadcasts:
- Welcome to the Revolution: Monday, October 25, 9:30 am-11:30 am PDT
- User Experience: The Next Generation: Tuesday, October 26, 10:00 am-12:00 pm PDT
Finally, Adobe also announced two additional pieces of AIR related news. First, an update to the open source Flex framework and a preview release of Flash Builder that will enable developers to now build applications for mobile devices as well as desktops and TVs. Also, Adobe InMarket™, a new service that allows developers to easily distribute and sell their applications on app stores across different device types on app stores from Acer, Intel, and others is now available.
Stay tuned this week for more exciting information from the MAX conference and new about AIR.
- Get the AIR SDK (Available for download on Oct 25 at Noon PDT )
- Tell us about your AIR app for Android after you've posted to the Android Market at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
New! Order by phone
Nicholas Kirkwood's collections focus on the curvature of the foot, with architectural designs and sculptured shapes creating elegant and refined silhouettes that fuse the traditional with the contemporary. Crafted in Italy, these burgundy suede Mira Pearl pumps from Nicholas Kirkwood feature a pointed toe, a branded insole, a slip-on style and a mid high stiletto heel.
Designer colour: R39 Burgundy
Made in Italy
Designer Style ID: 905A40SLS5R39
Farfetch ID: 13257292
Measurement Information
Below are the measurements for Pumps in size 37 IT
All measurements are made by Farfetch
Still need some help? Try our Size Guide
One shipping fee, on multiple pieces, from multiple locations.
No matter how many items you purchase, or where in the world you order from, you will only pay one fee.
Click here to find out more about our shipping options, including Click & Collect and Same Day Delivery.
Free returns pick-up
We offer free global returns.
You have 14 days from receiving your order to return the item. We strongly recommend that you book your free returns pick-up within 7 days of receiving your order to ensure that it arrives back in time. Click here to read our full returns policy.
Import duties information
Delivery duties are included in the item price when shipping to all EU countries plus USA, Canada, China, Australia, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Singapore, Republic Of Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, Qatar, India, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, U.A.E., Japan. This means all import duties are included in your order. The price you see is the price you pay.
Delivery duties are not included in the item price when shipping to all other countries. This means you may be liable to pay import duties on receipt of your order.
After honing his skills at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design and Cordwainers College, British shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood launched his eponymous label in 2005. Focusing on high-quality craftsmanship and technical innovation, Kirkwood's collections are defined by bold silhouettes that play with ideas of femininity and dynamism; subverting expectations and presenting a new aesthetic for luxury footwear. From the label's signature Beya and Cassati styles, shop the Farfetch edit which also includes Kirkwood's capsule collection of customisable Beya Bespoke flat shoes.
Please Wait
Please Wait


text:
TCU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Chris Del Conte announced the hiring of Lee Taylor Walker as head women's tennis coach on Tuesday. Walker becomes the 12th head coach in the history of the women's tennis program.
Walker comes to TCU after spending the last seven seasons as head coach at Memphis, where he made significant improvements to a program that hadn't posted a winning season until his takeover. The Jackson, Tenn., native led the Lady Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance and win, while also compiling a 39-match home win streak.
"Lee Taylor Walker is a perfect fit for the TCU and Fort Worth communities," Del Conte said. "Lee has done a remarkable job at Memphis and has truly set the standard for combining excellence on the court and in the classroom.
"Lee is very highly respected on the collegiate tennis scene. After inheriting a Memphis team that was 1-17, he built a program that became a fixture in the national rankings as well as reaching the postseason. He also places a tremendous focus on academics, as his team posted a 3.9 grade-point average this past semester. Lee will be outstanding in continuing the momentum in our women's tennis program. We're very excited to welcome Lee and his wife, Erin, to our TCU family!"
The 2013 Wilson/ITA Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year, Walker had an overall career record of 96-74 at Memphis and guided 10 Lady Tigers to all-conference honors in his seven seasons at the helm. Memphis had unprecedented success under Walker, with the up-and-coming coach leading the team to multiple program firsts.
Some of the many accomplishments that Memphis achieved under Walker include reaching a program-high national ranking of No. 22, defeating the highest ranked opponent in program history (No. 16 Virginia on Feb. 26, 2013), recording two straight seasons of a program-high six wins over ranked opponents and guiding the first-ever singles player in program history to the NCAA Women's Singles Championships (Courtney Collins, 2012 and 2013).
"It's a real privilege to have this opportunity, and I'm very grateful to Chris Del Conte and (TCU associate athletics director/senior woman administrator) Kim Johnson for the hospitality and kindness they showed me the past few weeks," Walker said. "TCU is a world class university, sits in a great community and city and has an athletics department that is committed to excellence in every way. There is nothing holding the tennis program back from dreaming big and going for it. I love coaching and building new relationships, and I look forward to doing this at TCU for a long time.
"It is also a real blessing for me to get to work alongside (TCU men's tennis head coach) David Roditi and the men's team. I had an outstanding relationship with the men's coach at Memphis and this is crucial in building a great experience for both tennis teams. Two teams, one program was our motto and I know it will be the same with David here at TCU. He's a super coach with a great reputation around the country."
This past season, Walker helped Memphis to a 14-9 record and a final ranking of No. 41 in the country. The Lady Tigers advanced to their third-straight conference tournament semifinal match and nabbed their biggest win of the season with a 4-3 victory at home over No. 26 Pepperdine to continue the squad's school record home win streak to 36 matches. Memphis reached as high as No. 27 in the ITA poll and never dropped below No. 45 during the 2014 season.
After spending five seasons rebuilding the program, all of Walker's hard work came to fruition in 2013 when he guided the Lady Tigers to the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament and a win in the first round of postseason play. Memphis entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Tuscaloosa Regional before defeating the No. 2 seed Florida State in dominant fashion, 4-1, to advance to the second round before falling to No. 9 Alabama.
The 18 wins for the 2013 team tied for the fifth-most wins in a single season in program history. The Lady Tigers posted six wins over ranked teams during the season, with three victories over teams in the top 25 (Virginia, Notre Dame and Florida State).
Memphis also received much recognition in Conference USA in 2013, as six Lady Tigers earned C-USA accolades, tying a conference record. Skylar Kuykendall was named C-USA Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Lady Tiger to earn the honor. Walker helped Courtney Collins advance to her second-straight NCAA Singles Championships and a season-ending ranking of No. 50.
Walker has also kept a presence on the national scene in the offseason and was recently selected to coach the USTA Women's Collegiate National Team for the second-straight season. Walker will travel around the country during the summer coaching some of the top American collegiate players. Under Walker's guidance in 2013, two former All-Americans won titles during the competitions.
In 2012, Walker guided Collins to become the program's first participant in the NCAA Women's Singles Championships after ending the regular season ranked No. 31. Collins' 2012 ITA Ohio Valley Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship and All-C-USA First Team selection highlighted the 17 postseason awards earned by those five athletes and Kelly Gray.
Walker took over the women's program prior to the 2007 season after spending three seasons as an assistant coach on the men's team and one as an assistant with the women's team. The Lady Tigers steadily improved in the rankings and wins column under Walker's direction in his first few seasons and posted their first winning record since 2003 during the 2011-12 season.
Academics has also been a strength for the Lady Tigers under Walker, claiming ITA All-Academic Team honors from 2010-13, NCAA Public Recognition Awards from 2012-14 and Conference USA Sport Academic Awards from 2012-13. From 2008-13, 13 Lady Tigers were named ITA Scholar-Athletes, while Courtney Collins was named the C-USA Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete in 2012 and 2013.
In 2013, Memphis placed a program-high seven student-athletes on the ITA Scholar-Athlete list for maintaining a 3.5 GPA for the academic year. On the season, the squad posted a 3.695 GPA to claim their second-straight C-USA Sport Academic Award for having the highest GPA among all women's tennis teams in the league. In addition, the team also recorded the highest GPA among all sports in C-USA.
In the spring of 2014, the Lady Tigers recorded a 3.91 GPA, the highest for any Memphis athletics program in school history with all eight student-athletes earning Dean's List honors. It was the first time in Memphis athletics history that an entire team had all earned Dean's List distinction.
"The student-athletes are the center of any great program," Walker said. "Shaping them into tennis champions is something I very much look forward to, but more importantly, it's about developing high quality character individuals who will be great employees, spouses, parents and alumni. It is about building the total person and launching them out into life ready for anything and everything. I'm passionate about this process and I'm anxious to meet the team and get started."
Walker played for Memphis from 2001-04, teaming with current Memphis assistant coach Ben Stapp in his first season. The duo became the highest-ranked doubles tandem in school history at the time, ranking No. 12 in the country at the end of the 2001 fall season. Walker was also a nationally-ranked singles player, climbing as high as No. 48 in the country. He won 54 singles matches, playing primarily at the No. 1 and 2 positions during his three-year Tigers career and also compiled a 64-29 record in doubles action. He was the school's first Conference USA First Team honoree and also was named to the C-USA Men's Tennis All-Decade Team (1995-2005).
Off the court, Walker was named the recipient of the 2004 ITA/Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership award, which he received as part of U.S. Open festivities.
Walker received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Memphis, graduating in December of 2006 with a Master's Degree in human movement sciences. After graduating, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Memphis men's program and spent the 2006-07 season as an assistant for the Lady Tigers prior to being named the head coach of the program in 2007.
Walker is married to former Memphis soccer player Erin May Ferris. He has one brother, Matt, who is a tennis coach in Bradenton, Fla. Walker is the son of Susan and Dr. Danny Walker, who was a quarterback at Vanderbilt and UT Martin.


text:
Beefeater Rustles Up a New Expression
- April 23, 2009 |
- By Jack Bettridge
The resurgent gin category gets another boost as one of its classic brands, Beefeater, enters the superpremium category with a new expression that at once brings new flavors to gin while revisiting the heritage of the company.
Beefeater 24 introduces tea as well as grapefruit peel to the complex list of botanicals that inform this storied London Dry Gin. Desmond Payne, Beefeater's master blender, says he hit upon the addition of tea when researching the history of the original blend, which was created in 1860 by James Burrough. Payne discovered that the company Burrough led had been tea merchants (specifically by appointment to the queen), and decided to experiment with adding tea to the mix.
"Juniper [as a flavor component] was proscribed. I could add anything else as long as it was decent, honest and legal," says Payne, a 40-year veteran of gin making. He alone was charged with engineering Beefeater's superpremium foray, and took 18 months to create it as he jiggered and rejiggered the different proportions of flavoring. Payne stresses his emphasis during the process on retaining the inherent balance of Beefeater gin, rather than creating a tea-flavored spirit. "It was a juggling act."
Gin is based on a neutral grain spirit (similar to vodka) and flavored with botanicals that must contain juniper. It typically also includes citrus rind, such roots as orris, licorice and angelica, and such herbs as coriander and cinnamon. London Dry Gin, as well as having a dry flavor profile typically attributable to bitter orange, is distinguished by the requirement that the botanicals be added in an extra distillation process rather than simply mixed into the spirit as is the case with compound gin.
The numeral "24" in the Beefeater superpremium's name honors a process also used in the standard Beefeater by which the botanicals are steeped for 24 hours in the grain spirit before the final distillation. Payne says that the base spirit is made with wheat in a column still and the flavoring distillation takes place in a pot still.
The new gin also bears the subtitle "Artisan Cut," referring to the practice of taking the center cut of the final distillation, ignoring the first and final parts—heads and tails—of the gin run. Payne says that for Beefeater 24 the cut into the tail of the run is done much earlier than usual and 30 percent of the gin is discarded in the process.
Beefeater 24 contains 12 aromatics, adding hand-prepared grapefruit and Japanese Sencha and Chinese green teas to its standard lineup of juniper, Seville oranges, lemon peel, licorice, coriander, angelica root, angelica seeds, almonds and orris root.
While Beefeater is known as a citrus-led gin, that flavor component had been previously contributed only by orange and lemon. "We hadn't used grapefruit," remarks Payne, "but I reasoned since it works well as an additive to gin cocktails it should work well in gin."
The distiller added that the choice of tea was also inspired by his discovery that the Japanese tend to eschew quinine-flavored soft drinks in favor of tea-flavored ones. One of his concerns, however, was tea leaves would introduce too much tannin to the gin, and the 18-month process was necessitated partially to his efforts to ensure that wasn't the case.
Prior to the launch, Beefeater worked with renowned mixologists to create mixed drinks based on the new gin. "We knew it had damn well better work with tonic and as a martini," says Payne, "but the modern cocktail culture was the aim." In the artisan-cocktail revival bartenders have more and more returned to gin for its superb mixability and new gins are recently entering the market to serve that need.
The beefeater24.com Web site lists a number of different concoctions that Beefeater's contracted mixologists have created. Of course, tea- and grapefruit-flavored drinks are among the efforts, but they also reach into some unusual combinations like The Everest, which includes coconut. Even the standards are updated: the Gin & Tonic is made with orange, lemon and lime slices and shaken and strained; the Martini is paired with Lillet instead of Vermouth (3:1) and includes Regan's No. 6 bitters and a twist of grapefruit.
On tasting it is easy to see the 24 as a bartender's darling. Payne certainly achieved his goal of creating a balanced gin. The expected juniper and citrus notes come on the front of nose and are trailed by the hint of tea. The mouth feel is particularly soft, giving a glycerin sensation even though the gin isn't sweetened. The tea is more forceful on the palate, but still not dominating, allowing all the typical Beefeater notes—fruit, bitterness and licorice—to come through. The finish is long and full of sweetness, and is also where you get the grapefruit taste.
An early-twentieth-century flask found in the James Burrough Company archive inspired the bottle design, with its leafy art nouveau motif. The bottle's base is colored in the signature Beefeater red, which is based on the uniform of the Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London, nicknamed Beefeaters and used as the symbol for the gin.
The spirit is 90 proof (45 percent alcohol by volume) and retails for about $32 for a 750 milliliter bottle.


text:
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
the joy of... fish
Being the type who can't resist a challenge (and yes, that's a trait has got me into more scrapes than I care to recall), and as someone who adores all things fish, I promptly sent off my email. And so it's come to pass that I'm now the proud owner of said book.
Here it is...
Ah, but, you see, that's just where you're wrong.
What's so special about it? Well, until her death in 1990, Jane Grigson was one of the UK's finest food writers. And not just a writer, either, but also an extraordinary font of culinary wisdom and expertise, not to mention a dry humourist to boot. Such an enviable combination of talents makes this book (and her others) an inimitable and irresistible read. Take this extract, for example, on eels:
'I love eel... It is delicate, but rich; it falls neatly from the bone; grilled to golden brown and flecked with dark crustiness from a charcoal fire, it makes the best of all picnic food; stewed in red wine, cushioned with onions and mushrooms, bordered with triangles of fried bread, it is the meal for cold nights in autumn; smoked and cut into elegant fillets, it starts a wedding feast or a Christmas Eve dinner with style and confidence. Its skin is so tough that it was used to join the two parts of a flail together... or to make a whip for a boy's top, or to bind the elastic to his catapult...'
Fantastic, isn't it?
No, it doesn't have glossy pictures. Or any pictures, come to that. But trust me, it really doesn't matter.
I'm so looking forward to having a quiet moment in which to have a proper read of it – and, of course, to trying some of the recipes (monkfish fritters with skordalia, anyone? scallops with white wine and Jerusalem artichokes? chilled gumbo bisque?). And when I do – try the recipes, that is – you can be sure I'll be blogging about it...
Thanks again, Joanna!
10 comments:
- Joanna said...
Great post, Helen ... I'm off to find my copy and read the recipe for monkfish and skordalia!
- 29 January 2008 at 17:41
- Pixie said...
How lovely to receive a free cookbook! Cookbooks, w/o photos scare me, so can't wait to see your photos for the recipes!!!
- 30 January 2008 at 10:24
- Rosie said...
Congrats and what a lovely gift to receive a cook book and Jane Grigson's books are very good.
I found your lovely blog through Margaret @ Kitchen Delights.
Please feel free to visit my blog anytime :)
Rosie x
- 30 January 2008 at 22:34
- Kate the Foodie said...
Oh my, that looks excellent. As a seafood fanatic, I say, "Hear, hear!"
- 1 February 2008 at 03:12
- Margaret said...
I've got a couple of Jane Grigson's books they are a wonderful read. Enjoy the book.
- 1 February 2008 at 12:26
- Casey said...
I have this book on order--so happy to find someone who'll be testing and reporting on the recipes. Cook on!
- 1 February 2008 at 21:40
- David Hall said...
Who needs glossy photos when the writing is as good as Jane's - one of the very best food writers ever, I love her books. Lucky you gettin git for free!
- 2 February 2008 at 08:40
- Susan said...
Jane Grigson was an amazing & unique culinary presence. There is no such thing as just another cookbook when it comes to her. Enjoy it in good health!
- 6 February 2008 at 14:13
Many jewelers have personnel links jewellery on staff that is able to create a unique piece of jewelry to your specifications, links of london bracelet sale and if there are no personnel that can accomplish this task, links of london charms sale they can order it specially made for you. Not only do you have links of london womens watches the option of making this piece exactly the way you want it links of london rings sale to look, but no one will have one exactly like it. links of london necklaces sale Unique diamond jewelry does not have to be gaudy, but many people think gaudy is gorgeous.
- 16 August 2010 at 04:04
- china electronics said...
Great post, Helen ... I'm off to find my copy and read the recipe for monkfish and skordalia! 2945abc45 0215
- 15 February 2011 at 08:32


text:
A child may be more at risk for JAS if he or she has:
Symptoms can happen a bit differently in each child. They tend to come and go over time, and can include:
The symptoms of juvenile ankylosing spondylitis can be like other health conditions. Make sure your child sees his or her healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
Because the symptoms are similar to those in other conditions, JAS can be hard to diagnose.
The healthcare provider will ask about your child's symptoms and health history. He or she may also ask about your family's health history. He or she will give your child a physical exam. Your child may also have tests, such as:
The diagnosis of JAS can be difficult. Your child's healthcare provider may advise that he or she be seen by a healthcare provider who specializes in joint diseases (rheumatologist).
The goals of treatment for JAS are to:
Treatment will depend on your child's symptoms, age, and general health. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. Treatment may include:
Possible complications of JAS include:
JAS is a long-term (chronic) condition. Some people will have periods of time in which the disease is not active or mild (remission). Others will have more symptoms ongoing.
Early diagnosis and treatment are important in order to lessen or delay complications. Make sure to help your child:
Also make sure your child stops smoking or never starts. Smoking has been linked to having more problems with JAS.
Work with your child's healthcare team to create an ongoing treatment plan that's best for your child.
Call your child's healthcare provider if your child has joint and back pain, morning stiffness or other symptoms of JAS.
If your child has JAS, call the healthcare provider if your child has any of these:
Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your child's healthcare provider:


text: Drake performed last night at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest and we got the pictures from that even at Drake Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest. We also got some footage of Drake doing his thing on stage performing tracks from his Thank Me Later album. He also added newly released track Paris Morton Music. Videos after the jump.


text:
Kate Middleton's Alexander McQueen wedding dress, along with her veil, shoes and jewelry, goes on public display at Buckingham Palace starting tomorrow. Middleton and her grandmother-in-law just checked out the exhibition, which we know because the Official Royal Twitterer (The Lady Of The Tweets? The Keeper Of Her Majesty's @Reply? The Honorable Corps Of Gentlemen-At-BlackBerrys?) just Twitpic'd it. Welcome to the 21st Century. [@RoyalMonarchy]
Up to 650,000 people are expected to attend the show. [AP]
Katie Holmes dressed up in a skintight black lace catsuit and leather daddy's cap for the cover of Spanish Vogue. [E]
Today we're going to talk about perfume bottles that are topped with oversized, stylized flowers with three-dimensional plastic petals. The first entry in recent memory into this niche category was Marc Jacobs' "Lola" (right). Then Justin Bieber launched "Someday," (center) which made a ton of money, and everyone thought it was funny that the bottle looked so much like Lola, but Marc Jacobs said he wasn't going to sue them or whatever. Perhaps emboldened by that news, BCBG has now made its contribution to the Large Flower Perfume meme (left). Um, what gives? [WWD]
There's something wrong with this sign spotted at the Bloomingdale's New York flagship. [Racked]
Karmen Pedaru stars in Michael Kors' fall campaign. [Ford]
Here's David Beckham's ad for his new scent David Beckham Homme. [WWD]
Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham has designed a "limited-edition" handbag in white crocodile. It costs £8,995. [Vogue UK]
- It takes Tom Ford a while to assume the identity of Tom Ford and all that it connotes, okay? "It takes me a long time in the morning to become the person that other people expect me to be. When I feel depressed and I have a bad day or something terrible has happened or I have to face something, I go through a very precise ritual getting dressed in the morning. In a sense it is armor; I'm building up a layer. If everything in my material world is in order, I will be able to get through it." The designer is also sad that nobody hits on him these days. "I am married but no one comes on to me, ever. It is like I don't exist sexually...No one, no one flirts, no one comes on to me. Usually when people are personal with me, then they want to give me their business card at the end of the conversation." Would he like to be hit on more often, then? "Of course! (Laughs) Why not? I am not saying I would act on it, but it would be nice." [TheTalks]
- Marc Jacobs' favorite movie is Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?. [ONTD]
- Hussein Chalayan kinda wishes you would shut up about that coffee-table dress already. "We've done so many projects, and those showpieces as I call them are not the essence of what we are. Our real clothes inspire more people. The showpieces, like the coffee table dress, are monuments of the clothes we make. It's the real clothes that take up the most of my time. As a journalist you're interested in those big, experimental pieces but it is the real clothes that are really important. My work is an experimental relational approach to design, that ends up as real clothes that people want to wear." [Vogue UK]
- Real Something-Or-Other Bethenny Frankel is getting into skincare in a big way: her new line of Skinnygirl lotions and potions will ship to select Wal-Mart stores this November, expanding to 1,500 locations just after Christmas. Given the success of her margarita business, which she sold for a rumored $100 million, retail analysts estimate the skincare could do $18 million at retail in its first year. Frankel talks a good game: "A $150 eye cream is ridiculous and absurd," she says. "I don't make false promises.…I don't want people to think in three days they'll have no cellulite. That's not going to happen." [WWD]
- Also launching a beauty line is Charlotte Ronson. Her collection, priced at $14-$28, will hit Sephora in September. [WWD]
- Vogue is launching a new website in December, but what it is and what it does is a secret for now. [AW]
- Maybelline Great Lash turns 40 this year. A tube is sold somewhere on earth every 1.7 seconds. [WWD]
- Cotton prices, which had been nudging up against all-time highs in the spring have fallen 38% in the past month. The volatility has apparel manufacturers and designers thoroughly perplexed. [WSJ]
- People have forked over $850 million of their hard-earned cash in exchange for Céline Dion's perfumes since the first one launched in 2003. Who are these people? Titanic die-hards? The singer has a new one, called Signature. [WWD]
- The Olsen twins have launched a collaboration with Toms shoes, resulting in $150 Toms made of cashmere. Perfect for July! [Vogue UK]
- In case you were in any doubt before, Women's Wear Daily just tipped its hand in the ongoing Yves Saint Laurent/Christian Louboutin intellectual property dispute over the former's use of red soles, which the latter holds as a legal trademark. In an item entitled "RED, RED WHINE," the fashion trade writes, "Giancarlo Giammetti, the longtime business partner of designer Valentino Garavani, has been watching with some bemusement the polemic over red soles ignited by Christian Louboutin's legal action in New York against Yves Saint Laurent, alleging infringement on its trademark color. Giammetti points out that the now-retired Roman couturier, famous for his red gowns, also designed shoes with red soles way back in 1969 and 1983...Louboutin started using red soles in 1992." Ouch. It's not Christian Louboutin's fault that a trademark can be lost if the holder fails to defend it vigorously from alleged infringement. [WWD]
- Helena Christensen: "I was once stranded on a broken-down boat in shark-infested waters in the middle of the Indian Ocean for five days before we were rescued while doing a Vogue shoot. We ended up shooting the story on our way to the airport on the last day." [Vogue UK]
- Male model David Gandy watches what he eats. "I love my food, but I do have to be careful. Everything in moderation. Drink, fatty foods, trans fats, everything. A lot of the American guys have such a strict diet of fish and vegetables, and there are things they just will not touch, like a latte. If they're having a coffee, they will not touch milk. And of course, they won't have any sort of chocolates, sweets, or bread. That, to me, isn't living. I'm careful, but I'm not pedantic about it...If I have a big underwear shot, like when I had the Light Blue campaign shoot, maybe a month and a half before that I'm extremely careful. I come off the drink, and I come off a lot of carbohydrates and salts. I won't eat carbohydrates after 5 p.m. when I have something coming up." Gandy, who previously criticized Zoolander, has now come around: "The only access people have had to male modeling is really Zoolander — which is an amazing film and I hope No. 2 gets made. But it's an exaggerated version of what happens. That really is the major question I get asked about male modeling: 'Is it like Zoolander?' Well, Zoolander is a comedy. It's not a documentary." [Details]
- Australian model Dempsey Stewart sews her own clothes. Cool! [The Cut]
- According to a survey of college students, Asian American teenagers spend more on average than any other ethnic group on back-to-school shopping: a whopping $140.97 a month. Black teenagers spend $137.37, Latinos spend an average of $132.96, and white teens spend $111.58. [Fashionista]


text:
This whole BDSM thingy is crap. Seriously, anyone who likes being hit and cut and harmed is mentally ill. Why is it called self-harm (a horrible, life-sucking addiction to be sure) when you do it to yourself, but when others do it to you it's "liberating" or "empowering"? It's just fucking sick.My only comment is "what makes you think we haven't researched it?"
Defenders of this crap, please research abuse and coping methods for it. People convince themselves that they like abuse so they can deal with the reality of it. Victims often seek out places in which to re-enact the abuse which is probably why these folks keep coming back to it.
Handy, isn't it, to assume ignorance on the part of your opponents? Still makes you look like a damn fool, though.


text:
We all want health care to be based, as much as possible, on a scientific basis. When we initiate a treatment or make a diagnosis, we need evidence that the diagnostic methods are accurate and that the treatment is efficacious. But when "evidence based" medicine goes through the political process it can turn into "algorithm based" medicine. Let me explain.
Algorithm based medicine uses data from large groups and applies that to the individual. The NICE commission of Great Britain does that with their decisions about how much money they are willing to spend to prolong a patient's life by six months. The recent new mammogram recommendations put forth by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force do that for American women. Recommendations of this sort portend thinking that may soon be put into law. This approach places economics and so-called efficiency at a higher rank than autonomy and beneficence.
Going even farther than the U.S. PSTF, both the Pelosi and Reid versions of the Health Care Reform act currently before Congress mandate such algorithm decisions. For example, if you are 75 years old, have type 2 diabetes, had prostate cancer surgery six years ago, and have mild hypertension, you may have enough "points" against you that the algorithm will deny you hip replacement surgery on grounds that it is a bad economic investment. Your neighbor, who does not have type 2 diabetes but in all other ways matches you, might qualify.
This form of algorithm-based medicine is presented to the public as a way of containing costs and increasing efficiency. However, a truly intellectually honest way to present the matter is the following: "The algorithm dictates that it is preferable for a certain percentage of women in their 40's die of breast cancer in order to make the cost of mammograms for women in their 50's more affordable." If presented this way the public would have a clearer picture of choices.
Here is another real life example. My fiancé, Beau Briese, a first year Resident in Emergency Medicine at Stanford, is currently working on a series of research projects that involve the PESI score, or the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index score – an algorithmic method for determining the risk of mortality for patients who have image proven pulmonary embolisms. The score categorizes patients into five classes of risk for in-patient and 30 day mortality based upon 11 characteristics including gender, age, heart rate, and whether or not the patient has altered mental status. The goal of this score is to help physicians determine who needs to be admitted to the hospital and who can be discharged from the emergency room on the day of diagnosis. While I am glad that Beau is working on an algorithm that will help physicians determine an otherwise potentially subjective decision for hospitalization, it is also a method that if implemented strictly as rule rather than guideline may be detrimental to healthcare in general. For example, the PESI score class II has a 0.5% risk of mortality. That means that 1 out of every 200 patients who are sent home with this score will unnecessarily die at home. On the other hand, 199 out of those 200 people will not risk being needlessly hospitalized, which will save the patient time and worry and the hospital money and resources.
Putting distributive justice above autonomy and individual responsibility seems superficially to improve health care efficiency. However its long-term dangers are grave. Should the emphasis on health care be efficiency and equality? Imagine the following scenario.
Identical twin brothers graduate from the same high school and college in the same field. They live in the same neighborhood. One spends his money on fancy cars, fine wines, expensive restaurants, and trips to Las Vegas. He decides he is healthy and does not buy health insurance, using his resources for fun. His brother, who makes the exact same amount of money, buys a "Cadillac" health insurance policy, puts money aside to tide himself over in the event of disability, and drives modest cars. When they turn 40 they both develop the identical cancer. Should their treatment be the same? Should the prudent brother's foresight gain him nothing? Should the brother who elected not to buy insurance until after he was diagnosed be allowed to have the same new health insurance as the one who bought it before the diagnosis?
The following are links to a description of the tragedy of the commons and defense of the proposed mammography guidelines and feel free to email me if you would like a pdf of the JEM PESI Score article:


text:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Miguel was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on Thursday near Los Angeles, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol said.
Miguel, 27, was pulled over by CHP officers in the early hours of Thursday in the seaside community of Marina del Rey for driving over the speed limit and having the front windows of the car tinted, CHP spokeswoman Sergeant Denise Joslin said.
"The officers investigating observed alcohol intoxication and he (Miguel) was arrested on suspicion of DUI," Joslin said.
The Grammy-winning "Adorn" singer, whose full name is Miguel Jontel Pimentel, was booked and released within a couple of hours on bail for $5,000 and is due in court on September 9, according Los Angeles County jail records.
Miguel was driving a BMW car with passengers, and upon arrest, the car was released to one of the passengers who was not intoxicated, Joslin said.
Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Kelsey


text:
Philostrate, Puck played by Simon Trinder
A Midsummer Night's Dream (2002)
Written by: William Shakespeare
Simon Trinder played Puck and Philostrate in the 2002 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, his first production at Shakespeare's Globe.
latest updates
This is Simon's final blog post. This week he discusses the technical rehearsal, problems with LEDs and the difficulty of making concrete decisions when playing Puck.
In his third blog post Simon discusses how the production is coming together in the final rehearsals, what he thinks of his costume and making Puck more physical.
In his second blog post, Simon discusses the work the company has done on the Globe stage, how he learns his lines and his thoughts on Philostrate.
This is Simon's first blog post. This week he discusses the early rehearsals, his and other's interpretations of Puck, and he anticipates performing on the Globe stage.


text:
In this event I have covered breakfast dishes,appetizers,main course,snack and dessert so i couldnt think of a better way to end it than with a glass of cold drink. So I prepared a juice with one of my favorite fruit - Watermelon.
Fresh sweet watermelon - Few chunks
sugar - add accordingly (depends on the sweetness of the watermelon)
ice cubes - 5-6 nos
Grind everything smoothly in a blender.Serve cold.
Dont forget to check the last days menu for the marathon today!!!
Divya - Paneer peas kurma
Anu - Spinach with corn


text:
17 Aug 2012, 9:33 AM
I have a horizontal tabbar at bottom.I need to change bootom horizontal tabbar to vertical tabbar in landscape orientation. I have gone many articles but they are explained only for bottom and top tabbar position.i didn't not got about vertical tabbar position in landscape orientation. Is it possible to achieve in sencha touch2?. Any one can tell me how to acieve this one .