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Mira Lee biography
Mira Jennifer Lee was born in Oxford, Mississippi, on August 9, 1984 to Oliver and Evelyn Lee. Oliver worked at the University of Mississippi as financial aid counselor and Evelyn worked as a nurse at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
The Lee family was a tightly-knit group and spent most evenings and weekends together, watching movies, and cooking out in the backyard.
Mira was instantly likeable and came home the first day of kindergarten with four new best friends and two boyfriends. Her teachers described her as even-tempered, sweet, and good at sharing with the other children. This perception of her continued throughout her school years. Mira was always known as the nice girl that everyone liked.
By her teenage years at Oxford High School, Mira was a member of the band, playing clarinet and achieving first chair status by her junior year. She performed reasonably well in her coursework, not excelling by any means but trying hard enough to earn a bit of respect from her teachers. She maintained a solid B average without venturing into any advanced placement classes or other more strenuous coursework.
In her sophomore year, Mira began dating Tim Leland, a senior at Oxford High. Her parents were somewhat concerned about the intensity of the relationship, but Tim seemed like a good kid from a decent family. After he graduated high school, he began taking classes at Ole Miss with intentions of studying business.
Mira graduated from high school and enrolled in classes at Northwest Mississippi Community College. She took some classes at the main campus in Senatobia and some classes at the local Yoknapatawpha Technical Center. If they were totally honest with themselves, Mira's parents were somewhat disappointed that she wasn't attending a larger college like Ole Miss or maybe even Mississippi State.
However, everyone assumed she would be marrying Tim soon enough and raising a family shortly thereafter. And if the truth be known, Oliver and Evelyn never really raised Mira for anything different than motherhood anyway. The Lee home revolved around family and church and not much more than that. She was smart enough, but things like current events just didn't enter her world of Mama, Daddy, and Tim.
Like so many high school romances, however, Mira and Tim were not going to survive his coming of age on the campus that produced the most Miss Americas in the country. Tim began going out more and more, drinking more, meeting girls, and Mira found herself left behind.
She tried to keep up, to keep his attention by reading Cosmo and Glamour, talking to her friends and trying to make herself more sexy and exciting. She joined a gym and bought low-rise jeans and thongs.
When she finally caught Tim and a Kappa Delta from Greenwood in the hot tub at his apartment complex, she felt humiliated by not just his betrayal, but the sheer predictability of it all. Oliver and Evelyn closed ranks and tried to help their daughter nurse her broken heart as much as possible.
Eventually Mira finished her coursework at the community college, and her parents hoped she would pursue a bachelor's degree at Ole Miss, but Mira decided to get a job. She went through a couple of secretarial and receptionist jobs before landing at a law firm working for Robert Pruitt and Gary Rayburn.
Mira's hairdresser was very forthcoming with an analysis. According to the hairdresser and corroborated by her manicurist, Mira remains "the nice girl" but deep inside she is disillusioned with her girl-next-door status. She longs to be the bad girl, and she also wants people to take her seriously and treat her with respect.
She views herself as a work in progress, but she is always looking around for new role models. She careens wildly from wanting to be a Kardashian to a Michelle Obama-style community leader. She's not sure how she should pursue her goals, but she knows she doesn't ever want to be overlooked and taken for granted again.


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Following on from user workshops and the 200+ feedback forms we received from IG Toolkit users
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So I guess the real issue is I am trying to stop time...or stop the drying process to have the work look like it does when it is drying... the tips are lighter... the recessed areas darker...
I have a wish a hope a dream for 2013.
Clarity of mind.
Clarity of body.
Clarity of spirit


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A gossip magazine claims Kate Middleton is pregnant and will announce the good news early December.
Middleton's former schoolmate, Jessica Hay told Life & Style magazine, "I have this on the highest authority, and it's not to be taken lightly. It's going to be wonderful, happy news when it's announced."
According to the magazine, Hay attended the exclusive Marlborough school with the duchess and was a guest at the royal wedding reception last April.
She said the royal family is thrilled about the prospect of welcoming another member in 2013, adding, "They have been talking about William and Catherine having children for quite some time."
And she expects the couple to make perfect parents: "William will definitely be a hands-on dad and not rely heavily on nannies to raise his and Catherine's children. They both try to be as normal as possible in their private lives, and that of course is going to continue when they have children."


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I've resisted getting sucked into this "where are the 90s?" talk, because I figured that was a foolproof way of triggering an all-out heat wave.
But we're approaching the end of July, and it appears almost certain that we'll finish the month with only four 90-degree days.
Clouds and rain, possibly heavy, are likely Wednesday, for the last day of the month.
That will give us a grand total of eight 90-degree days so far this summer -- four each in June and July. We had 23 days of 90 or hotter at this point last year, and that wasn't a terribly unusual summer.
So I'm game ... where are the 90-degree days?
I was looking at some long-range forecasts for August, and while I'll focus more on that tomorrow or Thursday, suffice to say that there are no major changes in sight. It looks like we'll continue the current pattern for a week or two, then perhaps slide back into a real stormy and wet period (similar to late June and early July).
We certainly won't tie the all-time record for fewest 90-degree days. That mark is eight, set in 1967. We're already there, and it's not reasonable to expect we won't get another 90-degree day this summer. That also probably puts the No. 2 mark (nine, in 2003) and the No. 3 mark (11, in 1910) out of reach.
But we might be somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 to 14 days of 90 or warmer this summer, and that would be in the top 10 (or bottom 10) of 90-degree days in Charlotte.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
OK ... Where are the 90s?
I've resisted getting sucked into this "where are the 90s?" talk, because I figured that was a foolproof way of triggering an all-out heat wave.
Monday, July 29, 2013
The tropics: The Carolinas' 'elephant in the room'
As the absolutely insane rainfall numbers continue to mount this summer across the western Carolinas, the tropics loom increasingly large as a source of concern for the next few months.
The hurricane season likely will be ramping up during the next several weeks, and we should be concerned with then activity we've already seen.
In short, an active hurricane season along the Southeast coast could be absolutely devastating in the western Carolinas, given the heavy precipitation we've already received.
The tropical pattern so far: Systems have formed in the Cape Verde area of the eastern Atlantic (a lot earlier than is usual in the season). They've followed a generally westward path, in a corridor that includes Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. So far, strong westerlies and dry air have shared apart the systems, and that was the case with Tropical Storm Dorian last week.
Eventually, however, those westerlies are expected to relax. Westward-moving tropical systems will be able to intensify as they approach the continental United States, and we could be looking at a steering pattern similar to September 2004, when several storms made landfall in eastern Florida before sweeping across Georgia and the western Carolinas.
The remnants of hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Ivan caused major flooding in the Carolinas foothills and mountains that year.
Now, fast-forward to 2013. We've already received staggering amounts of rainfall in the region.
WCNC meteorologist Brad Panovich has been keeping tabs on Brevard, west of Asheville. He notes that Brevard's rainfall total this year is 72.02 inches. That's more than 17 inches above the record total for the WHOLE YEAR! Greenville-Spartanburg and Asheville have received about 10 inches more than average rainfall in July.
Take a look at this chart on Panovich's Facebook page -- it's a list of where various reporting stations stand, at this point in the year, for rainfall. If you see a "1" next to a city, it means that reporting station is on track for its rainiest year ever (Brad Panovich's page).
In the last week, automated gauges have reported more than 6 inches of rain at Triplett (Watauga County) and at Claremont (Catawba County). There are several reports of 12 to 15 inches of rain having fallen since late June in parts of northern Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties.
There are places in my yard where my lawnmower hasn't reached since June. It's simply too wet to mow.
Add a dying tropical storm, with its 6 to 12 inches of rain, and you have catastrophic flooding.
The tropics are always important to people in the Carolinas, but they'll be even more important this year.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
First take on Dorian ...
Tropical Storm Dorian has been a threat only to fish so far, as it remains far out in the Atlantic Ocean. It will be a few days before the storm nears any land masses, and by that time, it might have dissipated.
Most of the computer models take Dorian on a west-northwest track for the next couple days, but its future is really a question mark.
Working in favor of the storm's development ... Dorian is working with a moist atmosphere, and there is little wind shear to disrupt its organization.
Working against development ... Marginal surface sea temperatures (although Dorian will be moving into warmer waters later today and Friday), and the forecast of stronger wind shear and drier air later in the week.
Historically, most storms forming in the Cape Verde area this early in the year curve away from the Southeast coast, and that's entirely possible this time. For the next few days, Dorian will be steered to the west, along the south side of a high pressure ridge in the Atlantic.
A trough is forecast to develop along the East Coast this weekend. If the trough is deep, it would capture Dorian during the weekend and steer the storm northward, away from the United States. But there are some forecasts of a weak trough. In that case, the storm would continue westward, possibly threatening the Bahamas and the Florida coast by early next week.
As you all know, it's far too early to make a solid prediction. But we should have a much better idea by late Friday or Saturday. By then, the "wild" guesses will turned into "educated" guesses.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
July 1916 -- Carolinas' monster flood
Round after round of heavy rain belted the western Carolinas from early June through the middle of this month, washing out roads and causing plenty of damage across the region.
Some of the flooding along Mountain Island Lake was the result of heavy rain falling in the mountains, then coming down the Catawba River and its chain of reservoirs.
But the real king of July floods came 97 years ago.
A reader in Catawba County reminded me of the July 1916 floods, which were responsible for some of the worst storm-related damage ever in the Carolinas.
And as I've written many times before, it all was the result of a dying tropical weather system -- not a full-fledged, land-falling hurricane, but what was left of one. Tropical systems that move inland are capable of producing gigantic rain totals, as we learned a couple times since Tropical Storms Jerry (1995) and Danny (1997) came through the Charlotte area.
The 1916 flood was caused by the remnants of a hurricane which made landfall early Friday, July 14, near Charleston. There was little damage in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, but as the hurricane moved inland and weakened, the heavy rains spread rapidly and intensified in the mountains.
Charlotte got only 5.15 inches of rain from the storm, although sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph caused plenty of problems with downed trees and structural damage.
In the mountains, the orographic effect of incredibly moist air rising in altitude triggered extremely heavy rains. There were measurements of 20 to 24 inches in some mountain areas from July 14-16.
A recording station at Alta Pass in the mountains logged 22.22 inches, a record for a 24-hour period in the United States.
Damage, in 1916 dollars, was estimated at more than $21 million. The death toll was a guesstimate, but the number of 80 fatalities was mentioned in several reports.
Extreme flooding was reported in places like Lenoir, Taylorsville, Statesville and in the mountain counties. Dozens died, roads were completely wiped away, and businesses were destroyed. I read one account of flooding washing away a cemetery, leaving nothing behind -- not even the graves.
Just as was the case this summer, the heavy mountain rain drained into the Catawba River's headwaters and rushed downstream. In 1916, however, there was no chain of reservoirs. Duke Energy this month was able to regulate the water flow through the various reservoirs and prevent a widespread outbreak of serious flooding. That wasn't possible in 1916.
So the Catawba River roared out of its banks, washing away bridges and roads.
Residents near Mount Holly stood a distance away from the raging river and watched debris float downstream. They say livestock, parts of houses, sections of bridges, trees. All of that had been uprooted farther up the river and was headed toward South Carolina.
The Southern Railway bridge north of Mount Holly collapsed on the evening of Sunday, July 16, with 18 reported deaths. As darkness fell, according to reports, some of the men grabbed on to trees in the river in an effort to survive. By the next morning, the trees were submerged.
By some estimates, the river rose 50 feet above its usual level.
Late on the 16th, the Southern Railway bridge in Rock Hill collapsed. When that 500-foot span went down, rail traffic between Charlotte and Jacksonville was halted.
You can find a number of accounts of the flooding, but two that I found interesting were from UNC-Asheville and from a historical study in Catawba County.
If you're not a native of the Carolinas -- as many of us are not -- the July 1916 flood gives you a healthy respect for the incredible amounts of rain that can fall in a hurry around here, especially when the tropics are involved.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Rip current deaths 'shocking'
Rip current deaths along the Carolinas coast are a sad part of the annual vacation season, but the number of fatalities this month is really staggering.
By my count, there have been at least nine people killed on Carolinas beaches since July 3, and a 10th person is missing. Dozens of rescues have been reported, and a number of people were hospitalized with serious complications from their time in the surf.
The deaths have ranged geographically from the beaches north of Wilmington down to near the South Carolina-Georgia border.
Interestingly, there have been no reports of rip currents deaths from the area where they are most dangerous -- the Outer Banks.
It's almost a cliche to say that people don't understand rip currents, but I'm most surprised at how many of the victims are Carolinas residents who should be more familiar with the risk.
One official of a small town along the Carolinas coast told me last week that "it's one thing to understand what to do in a rip current, but quite another when you're actually being dragged into deeper water." I understand that point. Fear and panic make us forget what we should know.
The high death toll this month caught the attention of Dr. Robert Brander, a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He wrote me last week, saying he is a surf scientist who focuses on rip currents and has set up a safety program titled "The Science of the Surf."
"We have made great inroads educating people about rips here in Australia," Brander said, "but the drownings in the U.S. this year have been shocking."
Brander has assembled an interesting rip current website, and I recommend you take a look at it -- especially if you're planning a beach trip anytime soon (and don't forget that rip currents also take place in the Great Lakes).
While you're at it, you can participate in Brander's survey on rip current awareness. You'll find it here.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Charlotte: 16th-hottest metro area in U.S.
You couldn't prove it by this summer's temperatures, but a website that ranks the nation's cities and metro areas in various categories says Charlotte is among the United States' hot spots.
Quality of Life writer Bert Sperling's list of "Sizzling Cities" has Charlotte ranked 16th among the country's 50 largest metro areas in the category of heat and humidity.
We're hotter than Raleigh and Atlanta, incidentally.
As you might imagine, Phoenix is No. 1.
The survey (available here), released on the Sperling's BestPlaces website, ranks cities according to average high and low temperatures in summer, plus the average dew point and the relative humidity at the warmest time of day.
Humidity, for example, pushes the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metro area into fourth place, even though its average high and low temperatures are not as high as some cities ranked lower.
And overnight temperatures were included, Sperling says, because nighttime heat can be especially difficult on those suffering from hot weather.
"Nighttime heat is especially bad, because your body never has a chance to recover," says Eli Jacks, of the National Weather Service.
So here are the hottest large metro areas in the country:
1. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale
2. Las Vegas-Paradise
3. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
4. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown
5. Austin-Round Rock
6. San Antonio
7. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach
8. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner
9. Orlando-Kissimmee
10. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
11. Jacksonville, Fla.
12. Oklahoma City
13. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.
14. Memphis
15. Birmingham-Hoover
16. Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord
17. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News
18. Raleigh-Cary
19. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
20. Richmond
At the bottom of the 50 metro large areas are San Francisco (48th), Portland (49th) and Seattle (50th).
Sperling also ranked the complete list of 361 metro areas in the country. In that list, Yuma, Ariz., was the hottest place in the country, followed by El Centro, Calif., and then Phoenix.
The coolest were -- surprise! -- Fairbanks and then Anchorage.
Here is where Carolinas metro areas ranked on the overall list:
55. Charleston
75. Florence
77. Columbia
78. Augusta (Ga.)-North Augusta (S.C.)
81. Wilmington
82. Fayetteville
83. Sumter
85. Goldsboro
90. Myrtle Beach
91. Greenville, N.C.
99. Charlotte
100. Rocky Mount
102. Anderson
103. Jacksonville
113. Spartanburg
119. Burlington
123. Greensboro
126. Durham
140. Greenville, S.C.
151. Winston-Salem
234. Asheville
Monday, July 15, 2013
Don't celebrate lack of 90-degree days ... not yet
You've probably heard the statistic about the relative lack of 90-degree days so far this year in Charlotte.
Through Sunday, there had been only four days this year of 90 degrees or warmer in Charlotte. If you don't like the hot weather, I wouldn't get too excited about the rest of the season. It wouldn't take much to make major changes in that statistic in a hurry.
Obviously, the small number of hot days is a result of the heavy rainfall we've received since the beginning of June. Clouds and storms have kept high temperatures bottled in the 80s.
As National Weather Service meteorologist John Tomko noted, it's not as if the weather has been cool.
"Even those days with highs in the low and mid 80s have been very humid," Tomko says. "The morning lows were in the low 70s most days."
If the persistent upper-level low pressure system leaves our area alone for a while, just sit back and watch high pressure do its thing. There's a tremendous amount of moisture in the ground and the lower levels of the atmosphere, due to all the recent rain. That will serve to carve a few degrees off the daily high temperatures, but once some drying takes place, we could see a lot of 90s in a hurry.
Several 90-degree days are forecast this week, and we could see more of that later next week.
And there is still all of August and September ahead.
In 2009, when we had a relatively small number of 90-degree days (28), nearly half of those came in August (13).
The least 90-degree days in a year was 8, in 1967. We came close to equaling that mark in 2003, with 9. The most was 88, in the brutally hot summer of 1954. And we came close to equaling that mark also, in 2010, with 87.
We had 49 days of 90 or hotter last year, down from the 73 of 2011 and the 87 of 2010.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Some wild rainfall numbers from our crazy summer
The seemingly endless string of rainy days this summer in Charlotte and elsewhere in the western Carolinas is keeping National Weather Service meteorologist John Tomko very busy.
Tomko keeps statistics at the Weather Service's office in Greer, S.C., and he's amazed at some of what has happened in recent weeks.
"It's really hard to believe, in a way," says Tomko, who has been at the Greer office for nearly two decades. "The numbers are wild."
Today's flooding in northwest Charlotte is merely the latest chapter. In recent weeks, we've had significant flooding events in Mecklenburg, Lincoln and Cabarrus counties on June 28; in Anson, Cabarrus, Stanly and Montgomery counties on June 30; in Caldwell and Watauga counties twice last week; and most recently on Wednesday in Asheville.
And that's not a complete list.
Tomko lives in Polk County, along the N.C.-S.C. border, north of Greenville-Spartanburg.
"So far we've had 51.5 inches of rain at my house this year," he said. "That's about the average for the entire year."
Here are some other statistics, courtesy of Tomko and myself:
-- Rain has fallen somewhere in Mecklenburg County daily since June 23.
-- Since June 1, more than 11.7 inches has fallen at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Charlotte's official measuring station. That compares to 5.18 inches in an average year during that time.
-- Parts of northern Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties have received more than 16 inches since June 1.
-- Rain has fallen on 79 of the 192 days so far this year in Charlotte. That puts us on pace for the 10th-highest number of rainy days in a year.
-- Asheville, which has received about 15 more inches than Charlotte so far in 2013, is only 18 inches away from setting a record for the whole year. The city would have to average only 2.8 inches a month for the rest of the year to break a record. That's very possible.\
-- Greenville-Spartanburg is on pace for its second-rainiest year on record.
-- Thanks to the rain and clouds, we've had only four 90-degree days this year in Charlotte. The record for the smallest number of 90-degree days is eight. So we're likely to finish with one of the smallest number of 90-degree days in a single year.
-- Meteorological summer runs from June 1-Aug. 31. So far, our 11.7 inches during that period puts us on pace for the wettest summer ever.
The scary thing is we haven't entered the heart of hurricane season. If a couple dying tropical storms were to pass through the region, we easily could pick up 4, 5 or 6 inches in a single day.
By the way, we're not alone. Toronto set a single-day rainfall record earlier this week, with more than 5 inches falling in many parts of the city as thunderstorms repeatedly formed and crossed the area. They're under part of the same pattern that has brought the heavy rain to the Carolinas this summer.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
No Chantal, but plenty of water?
Tropical Storm Chantal has confounded the experts this week and done little of what was expected.
Now the question is: Will Chantal ever have any impact, even indirect, on the Charlotte region?
"That is not a pleasant thought to consider," says John Tomko, of the National Weather Service's office in Greer, S.C.
On Tuesday, Chantal was a feisty little tropical storm with 65 mph winds and an apparent path toward Hispaniola and Cuba. Forecasters expected the mountains of those two islands to disrupt the storm's circulation, but they thought it would emerge this weekend over the Bahamas as a weak tropical storm.
After that, computer models were pointing Chantal toward the Southeast coast -- possibly South Carolina.
Now all that has changed. As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, it appears as if Chantal no longer exists as a storm with circulation. Air Force hurricane-hunting planes have been flying into the storm area for several hours, and there is no real sign of a closed circulation.
It appears as if Chantal is now just a tropical wave. In the late-morning summary from the National Hurricane Center, meteorologist Lexion Avila said the official forecast is for the system to dissipate by early this weekend.
And, by the way, Chantal won't even cross Hispaniola. It has taken a more westerly track and will miss the island.
That leaves a lot of questions. The moisture from Chantal likely will remain somewhere in the Bahamas or possibly the eastern Gulf of Mexico by late this week.
Computer models predict a weakness in the atmosphere that would allow that moisture to stream northward, but the question is whether there is enough moisture left in the remnants, and exactly where that northward track would be. Would it affect the eastern Carolinas? Charlotte and the western Carolinas? Georgia and Tennessee?
We don't know yet, and weak tropical systems are very difficult to predict.
One thing is for sure ... any moisture from a dying tropical system would be bad news for the water-logged western Carolinas. Areas much farther to the west, where rain is badly needed, would appreciate Chantal's remnants a lot more than we would.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Chantal bears watching in the Carolinas
Mountains and hurricanes are not a good match, and Tropical Storm Chantal appears to be on a collision course with the high country of Hispaniola.
But it is increasingly clear that if some semblance of a tropical storm survives the trek over the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the next few days, Chantal could be a big problem for the Carolinas.
The system's threat isn't high winds and storm surge. Rather, it could bring heavy rain into an area that doesn't need it.
Early Tuesday afternoon, Chantal's center was about 325 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was racing to the west-northwest at 29 mph -- the kind of speed that often tears apart a tropical system. Chantal, which had top sustained winds of 65 mph Tuesday afternoon, is expected to hold its own until it reaches Hispaniola later Wednesday.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the Dominican Republic, and tropical storm warnings are posted for Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the north coast of Haiti. Tropical storm watches are in effect all the way into the Bahamas.
National Hurricane Center specialists and other meteorologists who follow tropical systems aren't sure what sort of storm will emerge from Hispaniola. The official forecast from the Hurricane Center is for a system with 40 to 45 mph winds to come off the coast.
There will be one other big change. Chantal will slow down -- a lot. The high pressure system that is steering the storm now is expected to weaken, allowing Chantal to curve northwestward toward the Bahamas and the Southeast coast.
In fact, by the weekend, Chantal will be crawling. It is expected to be in the southeast Bahamas on Friday morning and move only to the northwest Bahamas by Sunday morning.
Then what?
The computer models are coming to the conclusion that Chantal will move toward the South Carolina coast, on a northwest track.
A lot of things can happen between now and then ("then" being later Monday or Tuesday), but that track would bring heavy rain into South Carolina and either Georgia or western North Carolina.
By the way ... Another low pressure circulation is emerging from Africa into the eastern Atlantic. Some computer models predict that system will quickly take on tropical characteristics and move westward. Chantal and the new system are Cape Verde storms, forming in the eastern Atlantic.
It's pretty early in the season for Cape Verde storms, but that might be a sign of what's ahead this hurricane season.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Still wet, but in a different way
After several days of frequent showers and mostly light thundershowers, the weather pattern in the immediate Charlotte area will change over the next few days.
We'll move to a pattern of sunny breaks, mixed with an occasional thunderstorm. Some of those storms could be strong.
Persistent upper-level low pressure responsible for all the rain in recent days is being shoved westward. That means the steadiest rain will fall over the mountains and in Tennessee and Georgia.
In the Piedmont and parts of the foothills, we'll see a bit more sun. That will allow the atmosphere to become quite unstable, and that also means thunderstorms will be more frequent.
With more sunshine and a destabilized atmosphere, the storms could grow strong to even severe.
But we'll also see periods of sunshine, especially Friday and Saturday. A weak low pressure system might arrive Sunday. That would throw more cloudiness into the mix. Then it's back to a typical summer pattern next week -- heat, humidity, and a chance of afternoon and evening storms.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Why this strange weather?
The pattern which has been the dominant player in Carolinas' weather this week (and, really, a lot longer) is expected to break down this weekend.
But the real question is whether things really will change for very long.
We're accustomed to seeing weather systems move west to east, or northwest to southeast. This time, the pattern is moving east to west.
Throughout the week, the Carolinas -- and much of the eastern United States -- have been in the combat zone between Bermuda high pressure and a large upper-level low pressure system centered somewhere near the Mississippi River. A third player in the weather has been an old stationary front, stuck across North Carolina.
The Bermuda high's clockwise flow of air and the Mississippi Valley low pressure's counter-clockwise flow met over the eastern United States. That strong southerly flow brought plenty of moisture into the Carolinas. And occasionally, weak low pressure systems moved along the same channel.
All of that combined to create an extended period of unsettled weather.
We've talked a lot about the heavy rain and storm damage. The rain totals actually are amazing, and I'll report on that later this week. But another part of the story has been the temperatures.
A year ago at this time, we experienced three consecutive 104-degree days in Charlotte. This year, our high temperatures have struggled to reach 80 degrees. It's because of the thick cloud cover. Believe me, if the clouds weren't there, we'd be in the upper 80s and low 90s, which is typical for this time of year.
Instead, we're about to experience a very unusual Independence Day in Charlotte. Our highs probably won't climb above the lower 80s.
Anyways, back to the pattern change.
The Bermuda high is strengthening, and it's pushing the upper-level low farther to the west. As the Bermuda high grows stronger, it's spreading drier air into the Carolinas and along the rest of the East Coast. Gradually, day by day, larger chunks of the eastern United States are experiencing a decrease in storm activity and an increase in sunshine.
It happened Wednesday on the Carolinas coast. By Thursday, I expect places like Raleigh and Fayetteville to see the sun for at least part of the day. That pattern reaches Charlotte by Friday.
As that happens, the wettest weather gets pushed westward. The mountains are in for a soaking Fourth of July, and that pattern will move back into Georgia and Tennessee over the next few days.
My question is: Will the pattern shift back again? Will the Carolinas and the rest of the eastern United States find itself back in the atmospheric war zone again soon?
As I've written before, the location and strength of the Bermuda high makes me a bit nervous about hurricane season. The clockwise flow around the high could serve as a very effective steering mechanism for tropical storms and hurricanes, sending them into the Southeast Coast.


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Passion Pit's debut EP, Chunk of Change, is released today through Frenchkiss and even though it's not us who's putting it out we couldn't be more pumped about it. It's easily the finest debut we've heard this year, six tracks of unrelenting euphoria and one of the best extended players we've ever heard. Buy it here for the unbeatable price of $7 if you've got any sense in you.
To celebrate, we've got an oven fresh remix of "Sleepyhead" courtesy of Brooklyn's Landau Orchestra, who's main man Matt Young is currently holed up with the Passion Pit bros producing their as-yet-untitled debut album, due for release early next year. Landau's "Wake Up" Mix adds an ice cold snap, crackle and pop to the immense original, turning up the sleepy and bringing the twinkles in spades. Get at it below, or conversely, check out Panda Toes' very own frat-ready dance edit here.
MP3: "Sleepyhead" (Landau's Wake Up Mix) - Passion Pit
// Ryan Fitzgerald //
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Labels: frenchkiss, landau, neon gold, passion pit, remix
3 comments:
- Nicky said...
ive shown sleepyhead to everyone and get the same response -- obsession, love, and wanting more. glad to have it now
- September 16, 2008 at 6:45 PM
- Unknown said...
Yes. Love. Send me original Celtic wonder-song.
- September 16, 2008 at 11:19 PM
- theworldisalive said...
listening to the EP as i read blogs this morning actually :) too bad clubs around here don't get their hands on stuff like this. baltimore is missing out. all i hear is like rihanna these days when i go out. it's really sad. (not that i don't think rihanna is danceable, just really boring in comparison)
the EP is great. good job with signing them, so good.
- September 17, 2008 at 4:45 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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New features promised
Nigoro's challenging 2D action game La-Mulana will make an appearance on PlayStation Vita this December, Pygmy Studio has announced.
More features have been promised for this port, although the announcement post on the PlayStation Blog wasn't exactly full of details. "With the integration of these new features, we want the game to be enjoyable by both La-Mulana fans as well as retro action game fans," said CEO, producer, and art director Hisashi Koshimizu. "(For example, a Monster Bestiary is planned)."
Even a straightfoward port on PS Vita would be nice to see. Anything else is just icing on top.
La-Mulana Portable: Japanese Retro Action on PS Vita [PlayStation Blog]
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MILL CREEK — There were some special people in attendance for Thursday night's Wesco South boys basketball showdown between Jackson and Kamiak.
And it wasn't just Washington State University head coach Ken Bone.
"I don't know what it was. The basketball gods were with us," said Jackson's Jason Todd, who scored a game-high 32 points.
Todd and the Timberwolves seemed to score at will, shooting 49 percent (35-for-71) from the field, and Jackson overcame an aggressive, full-court Kamiak defense while defeating the Knights 87-47 Thursday night.
Both teams came into the Wesco South 4A matchup undefeated in league play, but instead of a close contest for first place, the game quickly turned into a rout.
"We knew they were going to pressure us and keep it uptempo," Jackson head coach Steve Johnson said. "We talked about controlling the tempo and we did a pretty good job of that."
Todd, who is the second-leading scorer in Wesco with 23.3 points per game going into the Kamiak contest, came up just short of a triple-double with 32 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. He said he didn't care about missing the triple-double, he's just happy to get the win.
"I'm not concerned about stats," Todd said. "All I want is wins."
Todd's performance caught the eye of WSU's head coach, who chatted with the Jackson junior after the game and invited him to today's Cougars game. WSU plays Buffalo at KeyArena in Seattle today.
Jackson came out firing right from the start of Thursday's game. The Timberwolves shot 48 percent (11-for-23), netting 30 points in the opening quarter. Todd had seven points in the first quarter and point guard Dan Kingma added 11.
"Dan and Jason are really good players," Johnson said. "They make good decisions."
Todd said that Jackson was fired up to face the team with which it was tied for first place.
"We were ready to go," Todd said. "Both teams were 4-0 in league. It was a big test for us. It was good to get up early on them."
The Timberwolves continued to score and with 2:44 to play in the game took a 40-point lead, ushering in a running clock.
Kingma finished with 13 points six rebounds and Brian Zehr added 12 points and five rebounds for Jackson (5-0 league, 7-0 overall), which remained undefeated while taking over sole possession of first place in the Wesco 4A South.
Wesco-leading scorer Imaan Vicente, who was averaging 24.7 points per game going into Thursday night, led the Knights (4-1, 4-3) 13 points — all of which came in the first half. He briefly left the game in the second quarter after falling hard to the floor going for a rebound, but was able to return soon after.
Senior Josh Wisnubroto added seven points and five rebounds for Kamiak.
"They're a great team," Todd said. "A lot of people were excited to see two good teams match up."
Despite the big win — and perfect record through the first third of the season — Johnson says the Timberwolves have to keep working hard and getting better.
"Things are good, but we've got to keep our nose to the grindstone," he said.
Johnson is giving Jackson a six-day break before the Timberwolves play in a holiday tournament. Then, Wesco 4A North crossover games begin.
"Before you know it we'll be back in school Jan. 2nd and continuing league play," Johnson said.
Even with the vacation Johnson is giving his team, Todd isn't sure how much of a break he'll get during the holiday season.
"My brother (Seattle Pacific University guard Ryan Todd) came back," Todd said. "I'm sure I'll be in the gym with him (today)."
At Jackson H.S.
Kamiak—Josh Wisnubroto 7, Chance Lord 1, Liam Jouett 2, Tyler Nielsen 9, Aman Hussein 0, Imaan Vicente 13, Jonathan Lee 4, Drew Blacksmith 3, Brandon Wright 4, Henderson Belk 2, Simran Mand 2. Jackson—Kyle Graff 2, Dan Kingma 13, Jason Todd 32, Brian Zehr 12, Marcus Blake 9, Derrick Bates 6, Connor Willgress 6, Blake Ozuna 0, Holden Roberts 3, Riley Waite 1. 3-point goals—Vicente 1, Wisnubroto 1, Kingma 3, Todd 2, Zehr 1, Blake 3. Records—Kamiak 4-1 league, 4-3 overall. Jackson 5-0, 7-0.
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Headline Story
Ithaca College alumni set the stage for honest political action
By Keith Davis
It's a right guaranteed to us by the founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence. But is happiness a choice? Can we choose to be happy any more than we can choose to be rich, healthy, or born in a certain country?
We consulted with a number of experts, both faculty and alumni, and the answers were...
Two Ithaca College couples find their utopias
By David McKay Wilson
Places can captivate our dreams and inspire our lives. Places draw people from near and far. Millions of immigrants were drawn to America by tales of streets paved with gold. Ithaca College economist Elia Kacapyr found that a person's native country may determine how satisfied he or she is with...
By Nichole Bazemore '94, who graduated with a degree in television-radio and is blissfully single
If you're looking to meet the love of your life, odds are that you'll need look no further than your computer, iPad, or mobile device. That's because, according to recent statistics, more than 120 million people are registered on an estimated 13,000 websites, all...
What happens when four generations By Keith Davis Generational clashes didn't begin yesterday, but...
converge in the modern workplace?
What happens when four generations
By Keith Davis
Generational clashes didn't begin yesterday, but...


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Tutorial: How to Find Course Reserves
PLAY: Learn More about Music Reserves
Time - 02:01
Books, scores, CDs, DVDs, etc.
For the fastest service, please follow these steps to locate the call number for your reserve item.
- Go to the Music Library's homepage: http://www.lib.washington.edu/music
- Click on the link for Course Reserves located under the heading 'Search the Catalog'
- Select the link to search by Professor or Course. Select the page for your course.
- Locate the item you are searching for on the list of reserve materials. The list will be sorted in alphabetical order by title.
- Under 'Call #' you will see the location of each item.
- Music Upstairs Reserve = upstairs Music Library (Room 113)
- Music Listen Ctr Reserve = downstairs Music Listening Center (Room 19)
Computers configured to stream audio are also available 24/7 in the UW Libraries.
Electronic Reserves
- Click on the link to access electronic reserve materials for your course. Log in with your UW NetID and password.
- Read the copyright terms and click 'accept.'
- Listening examples for the course and links to any online readings are shown. Click on the link for Online Listening Materials to access streaming audio.
- Listening examples are grouped according to the course syllabus.


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Just having returned from several weeks in Spain, I'm still in the mode of thinking about travel clothing – what worked and what didn't. In the coming weeks I'll share some tips on making travel clothes but for now I need to tell you about this travel skirt which is sooo comfortable.
Initially I made it for our 2 month trip to Central America where it got a lot of wear. I liked it so much that although faded and somewhat worn, I took it on this trip to Spain. Honestly, it's the most comfortable skirt I've ever owned. The inspiration came from a travel skirt on an internet site I can no longer find. Essentially it is made of 6 panels with ruching on each side of the seams, made from woven cotton/poly with lycra. This photo is a little better at showing the detail.
- 1-1/2 to 2 yards of 45″ fabric or 1 yard of 60″ woven mid-weight fabric with lycra
- 1 yard of 1-1/4″ wide elastic
- 4-6 yards of 1/4″ elastic depending on skirt length
- Twill tie if desired
1. Before cutting or sewing, do a test with the elastic and a fabric scrap to determine the ration of elastic to fabric needed to create the desired ruching effect.
2. Cut six pieces of fabric 9-10″ longer than the finished length (mine was 30″ for a 20″ skirt). For the width, use the following formula.
- Divide hip size by 6.
- For each piece, add 1-1/2″ for the seams and 1″ to create the puffy effect.
- If desired, you can flare slightly, making the lower part of the skirt wider.
- For 40″ hips, my panels were 30″ long by 10″ wide at the top and 11″ at the bottom.
3. Cut 12 pieces of elastic based on what you learned when you ran your test. (My elastic pieces were about 18″ long)
4. Serge or zig-zag edges to reduce raveling.
5. Starting 2′ from the waist edge, stretch fabric while sewing to each side of panels, one inch from each edge.
Note: You start 2″ from the top as ruching in the waistband makes it too bulky.
6. Sew panels together with a 5/8 to 3/4″ seam. Press the seams open although this is somewhat useless as the seams don't lay flat.
8. Turn waistband over and sew 1-1/2″ from the edge.
9. Insert elastic to desired length.
Note: I also put a twill tie in the waistband but it's not necessary.
10. Turn over 5/8″ at the bottom edge for a hem. Machine sew with a straight stitch.
11. Because there aren't pockets in this skirt, to have a secure place for my passport, add a travel security pocket on the inside.


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The following cancellations and closures have been announced in anticipation of severe weather conditions from Hurricane Sandy:
* Public schools are closed in Baltimore and in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties, among others in the state
* Most colleges and universities in the region are closed
* Full list of area school closings.
* Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Carroll, Harford County, Howard County: Closed for non-essential employees
* Baltimore County: Open; liberal leave in effect for non-essential employees; Baltimore County is canceling all administrative hearings, including Code Enforcement, scheduled for Tuesday, October 30. All hearings will be rescheduled.
* State and federal government: Closed for non-essential employees
* Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground: Closed for non-essential employees
* Early voting is canceled on Monday statewide
* Some airlines canceled all flights into and out of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
* Maryland Transit Administration services, including the Maryland Light Rail and subway, are suspended. All MTA service suspended Tuesday as well.
* MARC train and bus services are suspended
* Amtrak trains along the northeast corridor are suspended
* Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority suspended Washington Metro and Metrobus services
* Baltimore County's CountyRide is suspended until further notice.
* All Pratt Library locations will be closed Monday and Tuesday.
* All local malls owned by General Growth Properties have been closed for Monday, including Harborplace & The Gallery in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Towson Town Center, White Marsh Mall in White Marsh, Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore city and The Mall in Columbia. The Gallery will be accessible for office tenants and guests of the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel.
* The Strathmore arts center.
* On Tuesday: The Maryland Zoo will remain closed to the public; essential employees only are to report as scheduled.
* Baltimore County Health Centers and WIC clinics are closing at noon Monday.
* All Baltimore County Senior Centers are closed until further notice.
* All Baltimore County Recreation and Parks programming is canceled and recreation centers are closed effective 1 p.m. Monday.
* The Baltimore Public Art Commission meeting scheduled for today has been canceled. The scheduled agenda will be discussed at 4 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, 10 E. Baltimore St.
* The Maryland Film Festival's screening of Barry Levinson's new film, "The Bay," scheduled for tonight at the Maryland Institute College of Art, has been canceled. The movie will open at The Charles on Friday.
The following cancellations and closures have been announced in anticipation of severe weather conditions from Hurricane Sandy:


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Icy temperatures and bitter winds yesterday added to the woes of students and parents suffering from the city's school-bus strike.
And when the kids return to school Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the mercury is expected to dip even further, into the teens.
"When it's freezing out here, like today, my son started crying," said single dad Bernaldo Rodriguez, who said it took him 20 minutes to walk his unhappy 8- and 10-year-old kids to PS 53 in The Bronx.
"This bus strike should stop. Have some consideration for kids, man," he said.
Brooklyn mom Genice Grandison, whose 12-year-old daughter goes to Evergreen MS, added, "It's winter, and it's cold. I really don't like the strike. It's not right."
She and other parents questioned the strong-arm tactics of Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union — whose members have been found to be intimidating and blocking yellow-bus drivers who don't belong to the union from running their routes.
One union loyalist was arrested after he dangerously lay down in front of a bus departing a Bronx depot Thursday, and the Department of Education has found similar union interference at 10 other depots since the strike's launch a day earlier.
"That behavior is just making it worse,'' Grandison said.
Maria Arias, 33, another mom with a sixth-grader at Evergreen, added, "There are a lot of disabled kids having a lot of issues getting to school."
Local 1181 says it was driven to strike by the city's elimination of long-held work protections that ensured that senior members wouldn't lose their jobs when busing contracts changed hands between companies.
City officials say the busing contracts hadn't been competitively bid out since 1979 — which they point to as a large part of the reason for the city's annual yellow-busing tab of more than $1 billion.
They add that the union is asking for protections that its members don't currently have in any nearby school district — including those in Long Island and Connecticut.
The work stoppage kept nearly 70 percent of the 7,700 school-bus routes from operating yesterday, about the same as Thursday.
Additional reporting by Yoav Gonen


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What an exciting time in your life this is: a time to reflect on your accomplishments to date, and a time to plan for your professional career. I remember well this period of planning for me twenty years ago, when I received my acceptance from Saint Joseph's – and the rest is the history of my career.
Now, as I manage research and development in one of the country's largest artificial intelligence laboratories, I can look back and recognize the major impact Saint Joseph's and the professors in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department had on my future. Through my Saint Joseph's experience I learned not only how to solve technical problems, but also how to define the problems themselves. I learned how to innovate 'outside the box', and how to couple my math and computer science capabilities with solid writing skills that have become a hallmark of my current responsibilities at Lockheed Martin.
As an undergrad, Saint Joseph's gave me the opportunity to test my developing skills as a student consultant in their computer labs, and as a member of their ACM programming team. Complementing those opportunities with Saint Joseph's well-respected liberal arts education made me a technically savvy and well-rounded job candidate in 1986, when I began at Lockheed Martin (then RCA) as a software engineer upon graduation. Through a series of successive promotions leading to greater responsibility, I arrived at my current position – but that's my history.
Now is the time for you to begin to create your career history. I'm confident that Saint Joseph's will serve you well, too, and I encourage you to respond positively and become a Saint Joseph's Hawk. Twenty years has been a long time for me to reflect on the value of my Saint Joseph's education. Twenty years of progressive success tells me that you won't be disappointed, either!
Go Hawks!
Angela M. Pawlowski, B.S. '86, M.S. '89
Manager, Artificial Intelligence Programs
Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories


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John Leguizamo will perform, live on stage, his Broadway smash hit "Ghetto Klown", directed by Fisher Stevens, on a five-city tour of Texas in February. The show is a fun-filled, high-energy performance that will have have audiences laughing their faces off and holding their sides--Leguizamo holds nothing back.
Leguizamo said, "I love that all my peoples are showing up to witness the latest chapter of my life on stage; I want to keep this show open until I've messed up my 10-year-old son enough for him to be my understudy."
Check out our chat with the funny man himself.
Wast there a specific incident or reason you decided to do another autobiographical show? Was there anything in particularly that spurred you to make this show happen? How you described your show below is hilarious.
"Ghetto Klown" is all the things I say to my therapist and my manager, but would never want the general public to know. It's cheaper than a lawsuit and I get to take a bow at the end. It's like Wikileaks but with no international manhunt. Yet."
Well, what spurred the whole thing to take off was I had an attack of performance anxiety and challenged myself to do college talks--Ohio State, Michigan, Santa Barbara and Athens, Georgia--I took my career and put in on index cards with a few incidents. I would lubricate with some beer, and go on stage and just wing the whole thing, but the kids loved it. So now, I run home and type it before I pass out. And, that was true genesis of "Ghetto Klown."
You are bold--everyone in your life is up for grabs in your shows. Do you give your friends and family a heads up when you know they are going to be in the show?
I can't give my fam or friends a heads up or they will go out of their way to catch the show or read about it online or send spies... so i just say it's not ready. Then, if they make the cut then I have to man up and tell them they're in the show, but it's all good. If it's my wife, then I have to cut her section out when she comes to see it, and put it back after she leaves. We've been happily married now for years.
What is the best part of the whole process when making your show? Do you crack yourself up while you're writing?
I gotta say the most amusing part is doing for yourself, and then almost like a practical joke, it's so much better when you unleash on somebody else. I have a blast at rehearsals with Fisher Stevens. We'd lose it all the time and have to take a break and come back refreshed.
Do you find something out about yourself with each new one-man show you do?
Absolutely! I think each show is a rite of passage. I feel this is my second coming of age. I really was able to let go of a lot of pent up revenge fantasies that I get to act out every night and free myself--the more people view it and the more I do it, the freer we all get from the testifyng and witnessing.
What do you love most about taking the show on tour? What do you dislike?
Well, what I like most is that my big city small mindedness is put the test and I am so blown away by how cultured and evolved all these pockets of Americana are that come to see me. The big picture people, the hard livers of life and the down and out still can revel and have epiphanies together. It's very uplifting and inspiring for both... it shows me that we Americans really can do anything we set our minds to.
There's nothing tough about touring... whoever said that just wants to keep the circuit to themselves.
If I weren't an actor, I would be a _____________.
…therapist. Except that we'd talk and joke throughout the session, and then I would have to go write about it and make a one-man show about how weird my patients were. It would conflict with my vows.
What is your favorite late-night bite?
Chocolate, dark chocolate, salt and chocolate, raw chocolate, cheap chocolate, crumbs of chocolate, anything chocolate.
What is your favorite thing between two buns?
Ah… [clears throat] I thought this was a family show... well, besides what first came to my mind... gotta say nothing beats a good high-end 15-dollar burger in manny-hatty--all grass-fed and free-range. And, a real arrogant piece of steak, wow... with all the fixings and toppings. I feel my heart choking on the fat already... bacon, cheese, cheddar... Shoot, now I'm gonna have to go fake walk the dogs to go get one.
"Ghetto Klown" is on tour now. The venues include Paramount Theatre in Austin, February 9-11; American Bank Center Selena Auditorium in Corpus Christi on February 14; The Majestic Theatre in Dallas February 16-18; The McAllen Civic Auditorium in McAllen on February 21; and the Worthan Center Cullen Theatre in Houston February 23-25.
John Leguizamo's Broadway Smash Hit Show "Ghetto Klown" on Tour–Get in on the Fun Now!
John Leguizamo will perform, live on stage, his Broadway smash hit "Ghetto Klown", directed by Fisher Stevens, on a five-city tour of Texas in February. The show is a fun-filled, high-energy performance that will have have audiences laughing their faces off and holding their sides--Leguizamo holds nothing back.


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Mix together your favorite hobby with your vacations. West Macedonia uses her landform gifts to provide you, through modern facilities and organized trips, with the ability to accomplish the activity of your choice. Even if you are fan of x-treme sports or a peaceful trekking walk is the ideal for you, either you are an amateur or experienced, find easily what activity each count of West Macedonia has to offer and which season.
The biggest river in Greece Aliakmonas, the second tallest mountain Smolikas and one of the biggest lakes Vegoritida are included in West Macedonia. Also, is the hostess of two natural parks, the one of Valia Calda and the park of Prespes, and the famous Dragon Cave. Imagine how many natural sights there are for viewing. Take a walk over a canyon, visit an underground cave or take a boating ride to a lake so you can make your connection with nature. Learn more about the natural sights of West Macedonia and choose your trip.
Visiting other places you can see and learn from a closer view about their culture and history. West Macedonia has a lot to display in this area too,even from the prehistoric era. Get to know each count from a visit to a museum or sight, attending a local custom event and tasting a traditional cooking recipe.Find useful informations about the cultural proceedures, the sights location and the dates of the custom events.
The only sure thing is that you 're not gonna regret choosing West Macedonia as your destination place for your vacations whatever the type of tourist you are. West Macedonia provides you with a variety of accommodations regardless of you staying to a far tiny village or a big city. Easily, find hotels based your needs across the four countys.
Find useful informations, telephone numbers and driving ordes through the interactive map. Also, take a taste of West Macedonia from our photo albums and the videos we present for you.
Take a look at our Photo Gallery


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So... where is he? I didn't poison him, I swear. He did seem a bit confused by the whole "Daylight Savings" thing (in case he wasn't having trouble with time before that, missing flights and the like), but he's had a few days already. This is just weird already.
Meanwhile, I think it behooves all the people who have rights to post here to have tons of fun crashing and posting whatever we want - don't you?
I just hope Jameel's not drinking again.
UPDATE: Rumor has it he bought a place in the Hamptons.
Wherever Jameel is, he still kicks some serious Muqata butt. Maybe.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Where's Jameel!?
Posted by Unknown
7 comments:
- the sabra said...
please please please post away
i crack up every time u guys post here
- 2:20 AM, March 15, 2007
- Holy Hyrax said...
trying to cover your ass huh Ezzie? How convenient of you to post this right after I IM'ed you about his where-abouts.
- 3:35 AM, March 15, 2007
- Unknown said...
Hyrax - Oh, you know it. :P
- 4:11 AM, March 15, 2007
- Steg (dos iz nit der šteg) said...
Ezzie, Hyrax..
which of you has got Jameel locked up in your trunk?
- 4:32 AM, March 15, 2007
- Special Ed said...
i wanna play too. posting random crap in jameels blog sounds like fun
- 4:38 AM, March 15, 2007
I think Jameel needs to return really soon or he may no longer have much of a readership...
- 4:58 AM, March 15, 2007
lol :)
- 7:25 AM, March 15, 2007
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Re·al·i·ty -rē-ˈa-lə-tē
The true situation that exists.
This blog is Better than Reality - placing emphasis on the true situation by exploring a world of imagination, raw emotion and personal opinion.
Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.
Song of Solomon 2:16
My lover is mine, and I am his.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
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Andrea Nouryeh Orson Welles Collection
Andrea Nouryeh Orson Welles Collection
Universally regarded as one of the finest screen and stage directors and producers of the 20th century, George Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1915. Welles made his stage debut in Ireland in 1931 and by 1933 he was touring off-Broadway.
In 1936, Welles directed a well received new version of Shakespeare's Macbeth, called "Voodoo Macbeth" for the Federal Theater Project, featuring African-American actors. When the lead actor fell ill during a national tour, Welles stepped into the title role in blackface to great acclaim. The 20 year old director/actor was hailed as a prodigy. Over the next five decades, Welles went on to act in, produce and direct dozens of stage productions, radio broadcasts, and films, and made numerous television appearances. Among his most famous works are the radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (1938), Citizen Kane (1941), Macbeth (1948), and Othello (1952). In later years, Welles made numerous TV appearances and continued his work on stage and film. He died in 1985 two hours after being interviewed on The Merv Griffin Show.
This collection consists of materials compiled by SLU Associate Prof. Andrea Nouryeh for her research on Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater for her dissertation and later research. Included are photographs, scripts, comparative notes, correspondence and other documents related to Welles' musical version of Around the World in 80 Days for the Mercury Summer Theater and his film adaptation of Macbeth, as well as photos related to stage productions of Julius Cesar, Five Kings, Henry IV, Shoemaker's Holiday, Heartbreak House and The Cradle Will Rock. The vast majority of the non-photographic material in the collection are photocopies


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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Baby Steps
The boys used to have ice cream every night before bed. Ice cream in a dish, ice cream in a malt, a float, etc. Lots of ice cream. I began to make them a smoothie every once in a while. Now, they ask for smoothies. MOM! Smoothie! They yell out every evening, around 8 PM. I use frozen berries, cherries, fresh banana, no fat Dannon yogurt and sugar free smoothie juice, in banana strawberry, or blue berries, it's awesome stuff. They love it, and so much more healthy then their past loved malt.
For breakfasts I've moved the boys from sugared cereals and Malt O Meal to UN SUGARED Cocoa Wheats and steel cut oats. I couldn't believe it when I looked at the Malt O Meal nutrition and saw it was mostly sugar. Ugh. Cocoa Wheats isn't all sugar. Good change. They love the steel cut oats when I boil them and soak them all night, just heating up in the morning. Troy likes fresh berries on his, Tyler likes cinnamon and almonds with his.
On Saturday we went to the Renaissance. It was a beautiful day, we had a blast. When we came home they wanted chicken and noodles. Well, that takes forever: the rolling out of the noodle dough, it has to dry, etc. So I made a quickly healthy version: Chicken and Dumplings. I had 12 big fat lean chicken breasts in the freezer, so instead of boiling up three whole chickens I boiled the breasts with low fat canned chicken broth. I then prepared the dumplings with Eggbeaters and whole grain flour, instead of the dozen whole eggs and white flour I usually use. I was going to use egg whites but wanted the yellow color from the Eggbeaters.
I kind of pulled the breasts apart, so they resembled the look of the pulled, boned chickens I do. Wala! Healthy Chicken and Dumplings, and no one said a word! Nobody noticed that their mouths weren't covered in chicken fat and that the dumplings weren't sliding all over their plates. It was awesome good!
Here's another great breakfast or post cardio meal. The boys have been eating these for breakfast too.
Amy's Oat Pumpkin Bars
Mix: 6 cups oats, 5 cups eggbeaters, 1/2 c raisins, 2 cans canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie), cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to taste, 1/2 c walnuts (if desired), 10 packets Splenda (more or less to your taste).
Spray PAM into 9x13 pan, bake at 425F for 40 minutes. Cool. Cut into 12 servings, they are big servings! Store in refrigerator. Eat at room temp, toast or microwave. Very Good! Here's the stats: 226 Calories, 2G Fat, 32 G Carbohydrates, 19G Protein. An awesome good breakfast!
In other news..I'm just going to taper for Superior 100. It's a week out. I'm running on the treadmill for high intensity interval training and night runs with Topaz on the trail, those are slow and easy.
We're going to head to Lake Vermilion over Labor Day, our last summer weekend at the cabin. I'll run a few 6 miles up there and next week, on Thursday, I'll head on out for the big one.
8 comments:
- SteveQ said...
See you at Superior! I signed up to volunteer at 62 miles (Crosby); couldn't say no after seeing volunteers at Hope Pass (12600 feet) out at Leadville.
Best of luck!
- Julie B said...
Hey Steve! It will be great to see you out there, probably about 5 AM I am thinking. I'll be looking forward to the sunrise and having to battle the wild Manitou River Gorges.
- Rebecca said...
That's cool, to help your boys eat healthier in small ways that don't compromise the taste. I always find it interesting when parents diet or whatever, and still feed their kids crappy food all the time. I don't think it sends a very good message. Kudos!
- Kristy said...
Hi Julie
I was doing a search for reviews of the Afterburn program and I found your blog. You seem to rave about the program, but other people say it is torture and not very fun. I'd love to know what you think. How long does it take to do the program daily? Is it an hour a day 6 days a week. I'm just working out whether to spend the money and buy the book or not.
I think your blog is great buy the way and look forward to hearing from you.
- Travis said...
I do the steel cut oats with applesauce and peanut butter. It's not the best looking, but tastes good and gets some fruit, protien, and carbs in. And Oat pumkin bars sound great, I may have to try to whip some up.
- Julie B said...
Hi Kristy; I would definately NOT call Afterburn torture. I love it! The workouts are all body, done quickly as a circuit. It's a good change of pace from lifting with barbells/levers all of the time. I enjoy it very much. I'm only finished with week 4-he sets up 3 sections: weeks 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 and the workouts become more difficult and lengthy as you progress. I had no problems with week 1-4. Afterburn cardio is HIIT, done 3x a week the first section, then increasing to 4 and 5 sessions. The lifting sessions begin 3x a week, then progress to 4 and 5 days. Cardio weeks 1-4 is 21 minutes, strength is about 45 minutes. I'm anxious to begin weeks 5-8 after recovering from Superior 100 next week.
- keith said...
Julie! You're gonna rock it next weekend at Superior! I enjoy reading about your workouts...they inspire me to change my own routine up from time to time!
- kelly said...
Good luck at Superior! I will be running Wasatch and will remember to think of you. I am going to try the oat pumpkin bars tonight, they sound good. I really enjoy reading your blog. Take care and have fun at your 100.


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Arno Chauvel, a fourth-generation Californian, grew up hiking and fly fishing in the Sierra Nevada and developed a life-long love of all things wild. His enthusiasm for outdoor sports made him legendary among friends he cajoled into 100 mile bike rides, marathon backpack trips, mogul skiing, and rock climbing.
He graduated from the University of the Pacific, earning a doctorate in pharmacology and serving on the board of Phi Delta Chi. There, he also met the love of his life, Suzi Lusk, whom he married in 1972.
After college the two moved to Southern California to pursue their careers. Arno had proposed to Suzi on Victoria Beach in Laguna, and they often drove the hills of Laguna dreaming of living in this special place. Twenty four years ago they found their dream home and have lived on a hill overlooking Victoria Beach ever since.
Arno and Suzi loved to travel and spent time adventuring throughout the world. The two made friends with many people from different places and loved entertaining them graciously. They renewed their wedding vows several times throughout their nearly 40 years together and look forward to being together again one day.
Arno practiced medicine for 15 years, but developed a second career in commercial real estate and development. With his partner, he founded Summit Communities, a development and investment firm that continues to flourish. His professional group MHET awarded Chauvel its highest honor, inducting him into the Hall of Fame and selecting him for the Freedom Fighter Award. Most recently he was recognized with the prestigious CMPA Lifetime Achievement Award.
A third career was well underway recently as Chauvel developed skills as a promising winemaker. He loved great wine, wonderful food and friends and lived fully with enjoyment of all. His third vintage was bottled in his honor this spring. Arno was a river to his people.
Chauvel was vice chairman of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. In his honor, a rescued young seal nursed back to health and released late April, was named Arno Two. Other Laguna and California-based groups benefited from his dedication and kindness including efforts to save Hetch-Hetchy, Mono Lake, and the repopulation of wild rivers.
He adored his family. In addition to his beloved wife Suzi, he was loved by his sister Connie Gomez and her son Aaron, nephew Kainoa Lusk and niece Lehua Lembeck, sister-in-law Candice Lusk and a huge extended family of cousins and cherished friends.
Chauvel earned his way through school on a cross-country scholarship and never stopped running toward his goals in life. He accomplished much through his work with charitable organizations as well as contributions to his professions. His gusto for outdoor activity and dedication to family and friends will leave a void as well as a challenge to pick up the gauntlet and run hard to enjoy life.
Services will be held at Laguna Presbyterian Church Friday, May 13, at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center or the Chauvel Study Abroad Scholarship at Laguna College of Art and Design.
- Hate speech that is racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic slurs, or calls for violence against a particular type of person.
- Obscenity and excessive cursing.
- Libelous language, whether or not the writer knows what they're saying is false.
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There is probably a lot of information about you in cyberspace. If you have a Facebook account, or know people with a Facebook account, it's almost a certainty.
The issue leaped into the headlines in early December when Facebook made changes to its privacy settings. It was supposed to simplify things but one result was the removal of the option for users to hide themselves from the site's main search tool.
"Many people posted stuff on their timelines that they did not expect to be publicly searcheable," Mark Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said at the time.
But it's not just your comments on Facebook, but photographs too. People post millions of pictures of family and friends, and if you happen to be in the picture – and even "tagged" with your name – your image is there for all to see and no one asks you for permission.
And because pictures are easily downloaded from the Internet, once a picture of you is out there, it can end up anywhere. Vikash, of Punjab, Pakistan, reports that she discovered her likeness as the ID for someone else's Facebook account.
"I wish to make a complaint against Facebook not blocking a Facebook ID that's using my photo as the profile picture," she wrote in a ConsumerAffairs post. Facebook ID (name redacted) is a fake ID and it used my photo as the profile picture.
Then there's the recent example of a California woman whose Facebook pictures became the image of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's dead girlfriend. Your likeness, it seems, is out of control. Just ask 17 women in Texas.
The women have joined a class-action lawsuit against a "revenge-porn" website, claiming ex-boyfriends published nude photographs of them on the site. The women are suing Texxxan.com, as well as Godaddy.com, a commercial website hosting service, and all subscribing members.
The women claim their former lovers, angry at being dumped, published the photographs in an attempt to humiliate them, in an act of revenge.
"I'm going after the revenge porn industry," attorney John Morgan told the Houston Chronicle. "Those sickos who post private information of women without their knowledge."
It may be an extreme example, but it highlights the difficulty consumers have in maintaining control over their image in the Internet age. But what about other kinds of private data?
Little or no control
Microsoft, citing a survey showing 45 percent of U.S. adults feel they have little or no control over the personal information companies gather about them while they are browsing the Web or using online services, is promoting new privacy features in Windows 8.
"As online activities have become a valuable part of daily life, privacy is incredibly important," said Brendon Lynch, Microsoft's chief privacy officer.
Microsoft has produced a series of web videos that explains how consumers can use the new privacy tools in the operating system.
Mobile threats
Privacy risks, of course, are not confined to your desktop PC but increasingly are found on your mobile devices. Trend Micro, a security software company, found an explosion in Android threats in 2012, with new Android malware outpacing PC malware by a ratio of 14 to three.
Social media platforms continued to grow as areas of concern with attackers targeting them more, users putting themselves at risk by oversharing on them, and their legitimate services being co-opted to support cybercriminal activities, the company said.
How does your mobile device become compromised? In many cases it's done by downloading an app that is actually a front for malware. You can provide some measure of protection by only downloading apps from reputable sources. An app promoted through an unsolicited text or email is probably compromised.
The future may be even more hazardous. For 2013 Trend Micro expects hackers to infiltrate legitimate cloud services, using a blog or social media site like Facebook to transmit commands. Every web site now is supposed to have a privacy policy. It might be a good idea to read them.


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[image courtesy The Loudest Voice]
1. Robert House Peters was born on March 12, 1880 in Bristol, England. He didn't stay put long, traveling extensively as a young man; he sailed to China, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Central Africa (where he served in the Boer War) before returning to the land of his birth.
2. He was already a well-known stage actor both in England and the US when he was chosen to enter pictures, by Jesse Lasky himself. His first film was IN THE BISHOP'S CARRIAGE (1913), opposite Mary Pickford. Not a bad intro to movies!
[image courtesy Please Pass the Popcorn]
3. Became a very popular star of the teens, and was billed as "The Star of a Thousand Emotions". Unfortunately, those emotions were always of the "good guy", which he lamented:
I've always got to be the He-ro. I don't mind rescuing the lovely maiden -- that's fair enough; but why must I always be condemned to marry the heroine, pay off the mortgage, and live happy everafter? I tell you it gets to be monotonous. What do they think I am -- a Mormon?
[Allen Corliss, "They Won't Let Him Be Bad", Photoplay, August 1916]
4. His biggest film was THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST (1915), but after that, his career backslid. He tried for a comeback in the early 20s, but by 1928 House Peters was effectively finished. His last film was from that same year -- ROSE MARIE, starring Joan Crawford. He came out of retirement for one movie in the 1950s, which brings us to #5...
5. He married in 1914, and had three children: Ian and Patricia, who dabbled a bit in film, and House Peters Jr, who worked extensively in B-movies and TV spots throughout the 1950s and 60s. The vast majority of his resume was Westerns, one of which -- THE OLD WEST (1952) -- starred him alongside his father. However, House Peters Jr is best known for one particular role he held from the late 50s to the early 60s: the original portrayer of Mr Clean.
[image courtesy The National Enquirer (I know!)]
House Peters passed away in 1967. His son died in 2008.


text: lang. Can I also start translating? Is english translation complete (all the phrases or some descriptions like eg. OK_BUTTON_SUBMIT )? I want to start as soon as it is possible , because you said the release date will be also soon and I want to be prepared . Of course I will send it to you, and add it to some release. Regards, Snow //UPDATE : LOL i wanted to QUOTE Till or Falko , sorry , your post was next to .. doesn't matter


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On the north coast of Pembrokeshire, Triangular Poppit Sands sits at the entrance of the Teifi Estuary, near St Dogmaels.
At low water the sands stretch out north-west for about half a mile from base to apex of the triangle shaped inlet, with just a small gap where the Cardigan Bar between Poppit and Gwbert partially blocks the entrance.
In calm weather when the tide is more than half way in, Poppit is a fine bathing place, but bathers have to be wary of the incoming tide which can cut them off, with treacherous dips and channels between them and safety if they venture too far out. Treated with respect, it is an ideal location for a family day out. In the right conditions there is plenty of space for beach games of cricket or football and for wearing out over-active toddlers. There is often a brisk sea breeze, too, which is ideal for kite flying, while gentle surfing is possible when the tide is right.
If the weather is not ideal for beach days, then there is plenty of interest at nearby St Dogmaels and Cardigan to occupy the mind and body. The ruin of St Dogmaels Abbey, which is well-preserved and maintained by the Welsh Ancient Monuments authority, CADW, is full of history and there are interpretive displays to provide tourists with information about its establishment and its fluctuating fortunes up to the Reformation, when, of course, it fell victim to Henry VIII's spiteful dissolution programme.
The market town of Cardigan, across the estuary is also an interesting place to see, full of atmosphere, its old Guild Hall beautifully restored and its 12th-century castle currently undergoing repair and restoration.
A company calling itself "A Bay to Remember'" runs special exploration trips into the southern end of Cardigan Bay, which has a population estimated at 250 bottlenose dolphins, the largest resident dolphin population in Europe. The boat can be boarded at Cardigan's Prince Charles Quay, where the company has its booking office and HQ, or at Poppit or Gwbert on the other side of the estuary. The boat goes out into the Cardigan Bay Special area of Conservation, where dolphins have been seen on 90% of occasions.
These boast also take in trips round Cardigan Island, an important nesting area for a variety of seabirds, to Mwnt and Cemaes Head, where there is a colony of Atlantic Grey seals and some of the highest cliffs in Wales with spectacular sea caves into which the boats can go. And if the one hour Bay Explorer is not enough, the tripper can take can extended voyage of exploration, increasing their chances of seeing the dolphins and other wildlife.
Poppit can be either a starting point or a finishing line for the 180-mile long Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Footpath between Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, the other extreme being at Amroth on the border a few miles north-east of Tenby. The keen coastal path walker can reach Newport to the south in a few hours, or even Fishguard if they keep up a good pace.


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Last year I ended up turning Black Sun into a radioplay, and while there was some interest in further productions, I generally regarded the production work too strenuous to pursue for anything more complicated.
However, now, in July 2015, much time and many trials have passed since then and I find myself wanting to do production work again but cannot find an avenue worth pursuing.
Keep in mind, if I was to attempt another audio drama, it would 99% not take place in the TOA world from which Black Sun came from. Retribution's arc ends with its introduction into Segment 3 of TOA, which means I would have to make a TOA radioplay, and the difficulty of that would be far too great even for a studio to attempt, especially seeing as I will not live to see more than 1/6 of its writing in any reasonable state of completion.
This leaves the Apex world and very possibly a Loladin of Legend world if I wanted.
Apex, the heart of my Starcraft 2 pursuits, eventually transformed into an amalgamation of my various pet projects including a host of character designs based on CC community members.
Apex is divided into four major sections, and only two of which seem possibly viable for a potential radiodrama production.
Apex RN - a very small and manageable interlude into Alkhazir's Shogun arc that takes place before the events of Apex Prelude segments. I ran a practice run on some of the mission scripts. Here is one of those scripts.
Apex Prelude (aka Apex F)- A four-segment 40 mission campaign script, the vast majority of which is written and virtually all of it was finished in concept for sc2.
Isador (aka Apex H) - A lengthy ARPG script that was largely completed early this year.
Shogun (aka Apex H2) - Currently in concept phases.
Keep in mind, the scripts are unsuitable for radioplay as-is. I would need to basically rewrite them and expand them about 3 fold. For every paragraph of dialogue there would ultimately be another 2-3 paragraphs of related narrative. The main difficulty is translating what was once gameplay concept into writing. I came to multiple individuals in the recent past with this conundrum, and they without exception agreed that a play-by-play of a hypothetical ingame situation would make the best results.
Here is some written concept of such a thing.
I cannot decide if I should pursue further exploration of this writing at all, much less translating it into radioplay.His bunker finishes. The enemy wanted to ignore it. The invader could feel a quick victory oozing into his grip like so many expired fish assholes. He even missed the one marine that escaped Alkhazir's barracks, slipping into the Bunker before it could be returned to the earth in pieces. From its armored interior, the lone Marine unloads 2centimeter slugs into the attackers currently occupied with the command module. It is about this time Alkhazir's opponent realizes a lone SCV has been repairing the module from the opposing side. He attempts to push inwards and remove it. Alkhazir sees his opportunity at last. His remaining SCV's surge forward, their mining drills eagerly accepting the aggressive push. His opponent realizes his folly, but it's too late.
Alkhazir is not out of the morning wood yet, however. Multiple enemy bunkers have finished by now, and reinforcements are already flooding into them. His second barracks completes, and his workers return to refueling his dryheaving economy.
Ah, the wonders of local subspace gates. How odd it seems, the SCV's returning resources to the command module, only for an additional Marine to inevitably pop out of an unrelated structure. Alkhazir's calm has been joined by a sidekick of strategy, now. His two Barracks diligently formulate microcline slabs into organic compounds. Genetics are computed, nanites feverishly weave flesh and bone. The toil of his machines are muffled behind the doors of four-eyed hogwash under the hood. Alkhazir need only worry of the control.
I suspect each mission of Apex F could turn into 1-3 hours of audio. For this reason I would not be replication my Retribution recording pipeline, else this would take decades. So, the recording quality would be not quite as high. Assuming I start writing now I might be ready to start casting by autumn or winter. I would release missions episodically but I would only start recording when all writing is 100% complete and peer reviewed so I can contact outsourcees. Outsourcees include community members such as Ricky and Arcan.
Do you feel that this is something I should consider, or should I continue to focus my efforts into Unreal 4? Are you more interested in Apex or Loladins of Legend?
All of this assumes my living circumstances remain stable. For the inclined, I could be homeless at any time.
For the record, I wanted to originally turn these scripts into CGI (like how Retribution was intended to be). However, research yielded that doing so in Unreal 4 would not easily support my existing assets. I wouldn't be opposed to trying it in sc2, but after discussing with a machinima creator who used the engine, it would be extremely difficult even for the most simple scenes.


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Once again, it is Wednesday, and the NBA has 11 contests set for tonight. If you're looking to try your hand at some big stakes fantasy action, then our friends at DraftKings have a competition called "Big NBA Wednesday," which features $20,000 guaranteed in prizes. Considering a rod came loose and destroyed my engine today, I am looking at either $5,000 in repair and labor or getting a new vehicle, so I sure could use some money. Maybe your car works fine, but who can say no to fabulous cash prizes?
Let's see if I can help you earn some dough. For this week's strategyNow, , let's find a guy that can give maximum value across as many categories as possible. Kevin Durant ($10,800) has been averaging 35+ points per game over the past 2 weeks, but if you want someone who will give you some rebounds, how about DeMarcus Cousins ($9,300) and his 22 points, 12 rebound games? Don't forget, DraftKings awards 1.5 points for double doubles. Better yet, not only do you get extra points for DDs, but you get extra points for assists, so you could also roll with Tony Parker ($7,400), who can give you 23 points and 8 assists per game, although he is going up against a solid San Antonio team. No one is hitting more 3PG this month than Stephen Curry ($7.500). He comes at a reasonable price considering he delivers 4.4 threes per night, which compliments his nearly 25 points and 7 assists, plus 2 steals. Steals (and blocks) are worth 2 points each. Due to his impressive January, I would pick Curry as my main entree.
Now, if you'd like to capitalize on those juicy Blocks points and try and get a double double, be warned – both Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis are day to day, with Duncan definitely ruled out for tonight. However, you can get Serge Ibaka for the right price ($6,000), and over the past week, he has been producing 12 points, 9 rebounds and 2 1/2 blocks. He's worth the "gamble," and even if he can't make it to 10/10, you're still going to get generous swats.
Alright, folks, good luck to you tonight, and if you win big, feel free to help me get a car (just kidding, buy yourself a car…or maybe just Need for Speed: Most Wanted, which seems to be the game all my friends are playing).


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With Tony ("I would like my life back") Hayward apparently ever so keen on yachting, perhaps he should bring his 52-foot boat "Bob" (oh, that dry upper-class British wit!) to this defiled side of the pond for a sail around the Gulf of Mexico.
Not that he – or "Bob" – would get very far. Oil, water and yachting, after all, don't mix.
Neither, apparently, do Hayward and common sense – or common decency.
The news over the weekend that Hayward returned home to watch his craft compete in a corporate-sponsored yacht race around the Isle of Wight, is, by parts, comical, inexplicable and infuriating – with infuriating winning by many knots.
Hayward's yacht may have placed fourth out of 45 at the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race Saturday, but he's established himself the clear victor of the Smug-Face-of-Corporate-Callousness-and-Cluelessness Olympics.
His whine about wanting his life back in the days after the oil rig explosion that killed 11 workers and wrought what may be the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history was cruel. BP's vacillating estimates of the number of barrels spurting into the Gulf per day and the company's ever-changing declarations of containment success have proven, to put it lightly, insulting.
Hayward's lack of answers for Congress Thursday painted, at best, a frightening picture of a corporate CEO out of touch with crucial decisions made by his own company.
"Out of touch" seems to sum up the Tony Hayward experience.
Few would begrudge Hayward a day with his teenage son nearly two months into this nightmare. Next time, though, maybe they should just go to a movie – instead of watching a bunch of dandies race expensive boats in apparently unsullied waters as untold working folks see their livelihoods and our ecosystem flounder amid a growing, oily tidal wave.
But our environmental fate is tied in an unexpected way to Hayward: in a sense, the more he screws up the public relations game, the bigger losers the rest of us risk becoming.
We're all looking for a villain, or, as President Obama put it, an "ass to kick." Hayward seems to fit the bill.
But sometimes, concentrating too much of our ire on perceived bad guys can draw focus from larger, systemic problems – and from the victims. Bernie Madoff may be the vile face of greed run amok, but already we're in danger of forgetting what caused the larger economic crisis – and overlooking its victims.
The primary symbols of the Gulf tragedy should be the oil-soaked pelicans and the live video footage of the gusher – not the image of an arrogant swell at a boat race. We need to use our anger, not just to vent over one oblivious CEO's nautical nonsense, but to fuel the push for the cleanup and for lasting change.
Otherwise, we're sunk.
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NY City News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.