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- "Nine he gave to Mortal Men, proud and great, and so ensnared them. Long ago they fell under the domination of the One, and they became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants."
- —The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Shadow of the Past"
The Nazgûl (in the Black Speech); (English: Ringwraiths, sometimes written Ring-wraiths, also referred to as the Black Riders or as the Nine; or the Ulairi in Quenya) were the dreaded ring-bound servants of the Dark Lord Sauron in Middle-earth throughout the Second and Third Age, and they dwelt during the Third Age in Minas Morgul.
Once nine great Kings of Men, they were all given Rings of Power. The Nine took them without question and subsequently, after the forging of the One Ring, became slaves of Sauron and later his chief lieutenants. After centuries the effect of the rings left the kings spectral, invisible to all but Sauron and whoever wore the One Ring. Their rings were forged approximately SA 1500.
The nine Nazgûl traveled abroad in black cloaks and hauberks of silver mail which gave them visible form. Widely feared, the Nine were known as Sauron's "most terrible servants," the most notable of whom was the Witch-king of Angmar. His second is Khamûl, who was previously a King of Rhun, making him a former Easterling. He is the one who meets Farmer Maggot at night, saying, "Shire... Baggins...", to which the farmer says that the Bagginses are "...up in Hobbiton." However, Khamûl is not the one who chases Frodo near Bucklebury Ferry, but rather the Witch-king, who is the leader of the Nine.
Second Age
During the Second Age of Middle-earth the Elven-smiths of Eregion forged the Rings of Power, nine of which were given to great and "powerful kings of Men". For many years the nine kings used these rings, which gained them great wealth, prestige and power. However, the effect of the rings made their bodily forms fade over time until they had become wraiths entirely, and served only Sauron.
The nine, known as the Nazgûl or Ringwraiths, were first seen around 2251 of the Second Age, and soon became established as Sauron's primary servants, though they were temporarily dispersed after Sauron's downfall in SA 3434 at the hands of Isildur in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. It was believed that the Northern men took their bodies and placed them in their tombs inside the High Fells of Rhudaur and sealed it off with a powerful magic that forbid anyone from opening.
Return of the Nazgûl
Because the ruling Ring was not destroyed, the Nazgûl re-emerged around 1300 of the Third Age. It was around this time that the Witch-king of Angmar launched attacks against the nearby kingdom of Arnor. The first target was the realm of Rhudaur. After conquering Rhudaur and replacing the Dúnedain king with one of the native Hillmen, possibly descended from the kin of Ulfang, in the year TA 1356 the Witch-king moved against Arthedain, resulting in the death of King Argeleb I.
But Arthedain was not yet defeated, for it still managed to maintain a line of defense along the Weather Hills. In TA 1409 came the attack on Cardolan. Also during this time, the forces of the Witch-king burned and destroyed the watchtower of Amon Sûl. With the fall of Cardolan, Arthedain's capital Fornost followed, and with that the last kingdom of Arnor was destroyed.
A year later, a prince of Gondor named Eärnur arrived with the intention of aiding Arthedain.
Discovering that he was too late, he and his army marched against the forces of the Witch-king, utterly destroying them at the Battle of Fornost. The Witch-king escaped and retreated to Mordor, Angmar having served its purpose. At some point, the Witch-king sent Barrow-wights to the Barrow-downs to prevent Cardolan from being resurrected.[citation needed] Upon his return to Mordor, the Witch-king gathered the other eight Nazgûl. In the year TA 2000 the Nazgûl attacked, and after two years conquered Minas Ithil, renaming it Minas Morgul, and acquiring a Palantír for their Dark Master.
It was from Minas Morgul that the Nine directed the rebuilding of Sauron's armies and the preparation of Mordor for their master's return. In 2942 Sauron returned to Mordor, openly declaring himself by TA 2951. He sent two or three of the Nazgûl to garrison his fortress Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. They were led by Khamul, the second most powerful of the Nazgul behind the Witch-King.
Hunt for the Ring
Shire and Bree
Near the beginning of the War of the Ring in TA 3018, the creature Gollum, who had once owned the Ring, was captured and tortured in Mordor, leading Gandalf to think the Enemy had now heard of hobbits, the Shire, and even the name Baggins. Accordingly, Gandalf advised Frodo to leave the Shire and make for Rivendell, taking the Ring with him.
Soon the Nine entered the Shire, where they learned the Ring was in the possession of Bilbo Baggins' nephew, Frodo.[citation needed] Subsequently, after searching for Frodo, one of the Nine, Khamûl the Easterling, had his first encounter with him.
As Frodo and his friends, Sam, Merry and Pippin, took Bucklebury ferry to reach Crickhollow, Khamûl, who had narrowly missed them, was forced to go around to the Brandywine Bridge instead. Shortly after this, the Nine arrived at Frodo's new home in Crickhollow.
Though Frodo had already left for Bree by the time the Nine arrived, they were soon given information regarding Frodo's whereabouts by Bill Ferny, a spy of Saruman. Consequently, the Nazgûl attacked the village of Bree, where Frodo was located. However, during the time it took the Nazgûl to reach Bree, Frodo and company were hidden from their pursuers by Gandalf the Grey's ally: Aragorn.
Unable to find the Hobbit, the Nine left Bree, and at Weathertop several days later they encountered Gandalf the Grey, who was scouting nearby on his way to Rivendell to meet up with Frodo. An all-night battle commenced at Weathertop between the Nazgûl and Gandalf. Though Gandalf was able to escape, four of the Nine pursued him, while five remained near Weathertop. Several days later, Aragorn, Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry made camp at the base of the ruins of Amon Sûl.
Discovering them, the five Nazgûl attacked the group. As they confronted the four Hobbits, Frodo put on the Ring and attempted to resist the Nazgûl. The Nazgûl leader quickly stabbed Frodo with a Morgul-blade, but the Nazgûl then fled because Aragorn arrived carrying firebrands, and also perhaps (as Aragorn surmised) because the Nazgûl were unprepared for Frodo's show of resistance.[1]
The Ford of Bruinen
- "Come back! Come back! To Mordor we will take you!"
- —The Fellowship of the Ring, "Flight to the Ford"
Regrouping, the Nazgûl continued to pursue Frodo. Eventually, they caught up with him, then riding the horse of Glorfindel. Chasing Frodo until they reached the Ford of Bruinen, the nine Nazgûl, now reunited, demanded Frodo give them the Ring.
Frodo refused and defied them. Provoked, the Nazgûl crossed the river to take the Ring by force from a weak and injured Frodo. However, the water, enchanted by Elrond and Gandalf, formed a great wave and swept the Nine away, killing their horses.
Lacking the means to successfully attack Rivendell, where Frodo and his companions took refuge, the Nazgûl were forced to retreat to Mordor on foot and stop their hunt for the Ring.[2]
War of the Ring
Battle of the Pelennor Fields
- "Come not between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shriveled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye."
- —The Return of the King, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
Returning to Mordor in complete failure, the Nazgûl were forced to abandon their hunt for the Ring. At this point the Nine received new mounts to replace their horses: Fell beasts.
With their new mounts, the nine attacked the ruined city of Osgiliath with an army of Orcs and secured it. After this, they made way for the assault on Minas Tirith. The Witch-King led Sauron's forces during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
During the battle, the Witch-King confronted Gandalf the White when attempting to enter the city. However, before the Witch-King could engage Gandalf in battle, the forces of Rohan arrived. The Witch-King immediately left Gandalf to deal with the new threat.
The Witch-King attacked King Théoden on the battlefield. As Théoden was crushed by his horse, the lord of the Nazgûl prepared to finsh him off. However, Théoden's niece Éowyn and Meriadoc Brandybuck rode up on horseback and she confronted the Witch-King.
Engaging the Witch-King in battle, Éowyn killed the Nazgûl's Fell beast. The Witch-King, however, was unaffected by this and attacked Éowyn with his mace. After breaking Éowyn's arm, the Witch King prepared to kill her, but Meriadoc stabbed him in the leg from behind with his Barrow-blade, which was of Westernesse make. Injured, the Witch-King screamed in pain and Éowyn stabbed her sword into his crown and body, thus killing the lord of the Nazgûl and fulfilling the prophecy of Glorfindel.
Battle of the Morannon and Defeat
During Battle of the Morannon the remaining eight Nazgûl, mounted on Fell beasts, attacked the Army of the West. Eventually, however, the Nazgûl were confronted by the Eagles, led by Gwaihir.
Simultaneously, Frodo Baggins claimed the Ring for himself near the fires of Mount Doom. Sauron immediately became aware of Frodo, as well as his own folly. Enraged and frantic, Sauron ordered the Nazgûl to fly with all possible speed to Mount Doom and seize the Ring.
However, the Nazgûl failed; the Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom when Gollum bit Frodo's finger and accidentally fell into the Cracks of Doom himself, with the ring. Sauron was immediately defeated by the loss of the Ring, Mount Doom underwent a gigantic volcanic eruption and all eight Nazgûl were destroyed, their form and power dissipating forever.
Weapons and Abilities
- "Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!"
- —The Return of the King, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
The Nazgûl were untouchable to mortal men, unless attacked with enchanted weapons. Their own weapons included long swords of steel, daggers, and poisonous darts. Their leader possessed a powerful black mace and a large flail as well. Their arsenal of deadly armaments was not confined to physical means; they also had powerful voices, which brought terror into the hearts of mortals. They wore hauberks of silver mail and had enhanced senses, the greatest of which was their sense of smell.
The Nine could communicate telepathically. They do not see during the day as mortals do; instead they see shadowy forms. During the night they see many signs and forms invisible to mortal eyes; it is at night that they are to be feared most. They can smell the blood of living things, and they desire and hate it. Their presence can be felt as a troubling of the heart, and they can more keenly feel the presence of others. At all times, they sense the presence of the Ring and are drawn to it.
They were surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected all living creatures; their aura (called the Black Breath) could be toxic to those hapless enough to come near them. Of course, their horrible cries put many a battle-hardened warrior to flight as well. Some of the Nazgûl appear to have been accomplished sorcerers and used magic to devastating effect. The fear the Nine inspired was one of their greatest strengths. According to Gandalf, if Sauron regained the One, they would become vastly more powerful. However, it is unclear as to how. However, as Sauron's strength grew through the books, the Nazgûl became obviously more powerful. In the Fellowship of the Ring, the Nazgûl's cries were simply unnerving to the hobbits (this may possibly be explained because it was important that the Hunt of the Ring remained in secrecy so they might have diminished their auras, and they did not have the rings of power), and they appeared to be physically weak, as five of them were driven off by Aragorn with two burning sticks. Additionally, Gandalf the Grey managed to hold off the entire Nine single handedly on Weathertop. In The Return of the King however, their cries are powerful enough to send all but the most stout-hearted of Gondor's defenders into a state of helpless terror, and the Witch King in particular has become so powerful that he is a match for Gandalf the White (which of the two is the more powerful is not revealed).
Though the Ringwraiths were among the greatest of Sauron's servants, they also had certain weaknesses that could be used against them. One of these was daylight itself. With the exception of the Witch-King of Angmar, none of them (especially Khamûl) could operate as well under the Sun and generally feared it. It can be seen that all nine Nazgul were attacking Minas Tirith, though this was due to the dark clouds of Sauron covering most of the sunlight.
They seemed to be unwilling to cross running water, although they could if they had to. Their greatest weakness was apparently fire.
At Weathertop, Aragorn used fire to drive the Ringwraiths away from Frodo. At the Ford of Bruinen, Aragorn and the hobbits that accompanied Frodo used it again to assist Glorfindel and drive the Ringwraiths into the raging water.
Even the Witch-King feared fire; though it's possible it had less of an effect on him over the other eight Nazgûl. If an enemy was strong enough so to resist fear, then the Ringwraiths (with the exception of the Witch-King) had little real power over them individually.
Heroes of Middle-earth such as Aragorn, Gandalf, and Glorfindel could single-handedly face a Ringwraith and defeat or at least elude them, provided that they were not confronted by multiple Ringwraiths or the Witch-King. However, only Glorfindel and Gandalf are able to confront multiple Ringwraiths alone because of their respective status as a High Elf and an Istari Wizard.
At the start of the War of the Ring the nine Nazgûl rode black horses descended from horses stolen from Rohan, which they relied heavily on for transport. However, after the encounter with Glorfindel at Ford of Bruinen, the Black Riders lost their horses, which were killed in the flood. Returning to Mordor by foot to regroup, the Nazgûl received winged creatures from Sauron to replace their horses. With these Fell beasts, the nine attacked the ruined city of Osgiliath in order to clear the way for a siege on Minas Tirith. Subsequently, the Nazgûl used the Fell beasts to their advantage at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the Battle of the Morannon, but most of all attempting to seek and find the ringbearer, Frodo, which the Witch-King does at Osgiliath in the second New Line film.
Names, Titles, and Terms
Sauron's Ringwraiths were unusual in that they were normally referred to by their native name - Nazgûl - which is Black Speech for "Ringwraith", or "servant"- rather than being given an Elvish name.
The rarely used Quenya name for Nazgûl is Úlairi; from this it can be conjectured that the Sindarin term is Ulaer.
They are also called the Fell Riders and Black Wings (when they ride the Fell beasts), and the Nine Riders and the Black Riders (when they ride the black horses). By the Orcs of the Tower of Cirith Ungol they are called the Shriekers.
Some Nazgûl are named or identified individually in Tolkien's works. Their leader was the Witch-king of Angmar, and his second in command was named Khamûl, the "Black Easterling" or the "Shadow of the East". Tolkien stated that three of them were great Númenórean lords. Khamûl was a lord of the Easterlings.
Portrayal in adaptations
Ralph Bakshi version
The Nazgûl appear in Prancing Pony to slash the beds of the Hobbits. After this, the Nazgûl remove their hoods, revealing black masks and armor underneath.
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Nazgûl portrayed in the films are emphasized with their deafening shrieks, provided by Peter Jackson's partner and co-screenwriter Fran Welsh. Andy Serkis voices Khamûl who briefly speaks in The Fellowship of the Ring.
According to IMDB, the Nazgûl are portrayed by the following actors: Victoria Beynon-Cole, Lee Hartley, Sam La Hood, Chris Streeter, Phil Grieve, Jonathan Jordan, Semi Kuresa, Clinton Ulyatt, Paul Bryson, Lance Fabian Kemp, Jono Manks and Ben Price. Thomas McGinty and Kate O'Rourke are uncredited. It is unknown which one of them portrayed which Nazgûl.
Non-canon Nazgûl
Games Workshop models
The Games Workshop model company give each Ringwraith a particular name. As well as The Witch King and Khamûl, the other seven are named as: The Dark Marshal, The Betrayer, The Shadow Lord, The Undying, The Dwimmerlaik, The Tainted and The Knight of Umbar.
The Dark Marshal - The most black-hearted and unrelentingly cruel of all the Nazgûl, his name is a byword for misery and death. Where the Dark Marshal passes, evil creatures fight harder, fearful of their lives whilst good warriors feel the icy touch of death upon their hearts. By his armour it is guessed that he is one of the three Númenórean Ringwraiths
The Betrayer - Cursed long ago for yielding the Southlands to Sauron's rule, the Betrayer is driven by malice and self-hatred that knows no bounds. Of all the Nazgûl, the Betrayer is amongst the lowest of Sauron's lieutenants, for even the Dark Lord is wary of placing trust in one who betrayed his kin so readily. The Betrayer was once one of the Haradrim, as seen by the ancient turban that he still wears.
The Shadow Lord - The Shadow Lord was once the king of a small and insignificant kingdom. When Sauron offered him one of the Nine Rings, the promise of its power proved irresistible. Now, his physical being all but gone, and his will enslaved to Sauron, the Shadow Lord wears his dark pride like a cloak, blotting the sun from the sky and dimming the sight of his foes.
The Undying - Originally a great sorcerer, The Undying endured longest when others fell under Sauron's sway. He is said to be the oldest of the Ringwraiths, and the last to succumb to the wasting influences of the Rings of Power. Through an obsessive mastery of evil magics, the Undying has learnt to draw sustenance from the magics of others, fortifying himself with the magical energy that flows around him.
The Dwimmerlaik - The Dwimmerlaik is possibly the most mysterious of all the Nazgûl, for scant record of his past deeds exist in the tomes of the Wise. Yet in Rohan, this particular Ringwraith is feared beyond all others, for he has been a blight upon that realm for centuries untold, directing the Dark Lord's minions against the Sons of Eorl. Because of him a person is quite possible to be blinded by greed.
The Tainted - Where the other Nazgul were slowly swallowed by the taint of their rings, the Tainted gave himself wholly and willingly to Sauron. Now all natural things rebel in his presence, vegetation withers, animals sicken and bold warriors cower. He is an abomination whose merest presence is poison to life, honour and hope.
The Knight of Umbar - The third of the Númenórean Lords to become one of Sauron's servants, the Knight of Umbar's past is shrouded in mystery. If the rumours pertaining to him hold any truth, he was once one of the great Númenórean kings who ruled the Southlands prior to the days of the Last Alliance.
The Nazgûl are the subject of the song "The Wraith Of The Rings" from the album "Middle Earth" by Bob Catley. They are also the subject for the song "Shadows" by the Swedish Power metal band Sabaton.
They are mentioned in the song "Battle of Evermore" by Led Zeppelin "The drums will shake the castle wall, the ring wraiths ride in black, Ride on."
They are the focus of the song "Flight of the Nazgul" by the Austrian Black Metal band Summoning.
The Witch-king of Angmar appears in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Dol Guldur, where he briefly fights Radagast. It is important to note that this is the first and so far only time that one of the Nazgûl can be seen in their real form without wearing the One Ring. This may be because Sauron`s power was so weak that their cloaks did not mask their appearance, and thus it was no longer necessary to be a ringbearer in order to see them as they were (more or less) in life. However, it is most likely that the Istari can see the ringwraiths which is why they are show during the Radagast encounter.
The Dementors in the Harry Potter series are often compared with the Nazgul of Middle-earth, but they are not based on the Nazgul and are the original work of J.K. Rowling.
|This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Nazgûl. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with The One Wiki to Rule Them All, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter XI: "A Knife in the Dark"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter XII: "Flight to the Ford"
- The Silmarillion: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
- Games Workshop: Nazgûl
- Note 1:
"What were the names of the nine Nazgûl?" at The Encyclopedia of Arda


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text: Seaside Spray 1/2" (1.3 cm) Scalloped Linen Ribbon is a woven linen craft ribbon with Seaside Spray scalloped edges. Ribbon is an easy way to add style to your projects. Tie it, loop it, wrap it, cut it. We have the styles you love in the colors you want.* Seaside Spray* 1/2" (1.3 cm)* 10 yards (9.1 m)


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We're back! Thank you for your feedback on our first "He Said, She Said…" post in which designer, Jon Call and I each gave our perspectives on some of the most noteworthy features in the November issues of the shelter magazines. Today, we're back with the second installment of our new series and we'll be focusing on what our must-haves are for creating the perfect bed.
{Miles Redd via WSJ.com}
Paloma Contreras: Would you say that your bed reflects your personal style?
Jon Call: Absolutely. My bed is very simple. What spells luxury to me the most at home is having a fresh and clean bed - so that is what I have assembled for myself. I guess it's funny how designers live versus the work we show the public. At work, my projects involve rooms richly layered in pattern, color, and texture. At home, on the other hand, I keep things incredibly simple. One is not better than the other, they just reflect different attitudes.
PC: So would you say you prefer something that is cozy and casual instead of something more formal and tailored?
{Jon's Crisp Bed}
JC: I think so. I'm a big proponent of the white sheet, for example-- and it's what I make my own bed with. I lived briefly in Europe and they never used a top sheet and since then I have always done the same. It just made sense - you know? I'm tall and top sheets always manage to get tangled around my feet at night! So, I just have a fitted sheet covering my mattress with a duvet on my comforter that I change weekly with my sheets. I like the visual lightness of it and it makes making the bed SOOO much easier.
PC: We are similar in that sense. I don't like the idea of feeling constricted while I sleep. Every time I'm at a hotel and they tuck the sheets in under the mattress, I always pull them out because I don't like to feel constrained. I have white linens, a white duvet, and I bring in color through other components in the room. I just got these beautiful new linens and we got them monogrammed in a chocolate graphic monogram on the duvet and on the euro shams.
JC: That sounds beautiful - I want to see a picture! Where do you resource your duvet covers? That's always a big challenge for me.
{Paloma's New Monogrammed Linens}
PC: Well, I love a good deal, so I'll turn to Pottery Barn, Overstock, Homegoods... I'll look for a nice thread count at a good price. Regardless of how often you wash, white isn't always going to look as bright and crisp as it did in the beginning. I don't want to spend a ton of money on my duvets for that reason. I have to change them out and keep them looking crisp without having them be a huge investment every time. And I get them monogrammed locally to elevate the look and make them feel special. In terms of higher-end linens I love Sferra, Peacock Alley, Matouk, and I dream of someday owning bedding from Leontine Linens.
JC: That dresses it up a bit and gives it that finished touch.
PC: Exactly.
{Percale vs. Sateen Finish Chart via The Linen Closet Online}
JC: Are you a percale or a sateen kind of girl?
PC: I think I like percale but I go back and forth. It depends on my mood.
JC: (Laughs) You're non-committal! Love a girl who reserves the right to change her mind. I'm definitely a percale kind of fella: It reminds me of a man's Oxford shirt. Percale launders well and has that slightly imperfect look that I am always drawn too. I alwaysbuy mine at Ikea.
PC: Really!?!
JC: I'm serious! Ikea is the only place I can find high thread count duvet cover that feels good against the skin. I think they're like $49 dollars, so I can buy 3 or 4 of them and stock the linen closet full. When I strip the bed and throw my bedding in the laundry, there are always fresh ones ready to go. At this price, I can buy new ones often to keep them fresh without feeling guilty!
PC: I didn't realize they had such great options, and you can't beat the price.
JC: Can't beat the price, and they are a guilt-free indulgence. I keep trying to find higher-end options but I haven't found anything yet. One day I dream of a Matteo bed: That would be my luxury indulgence. Their hand-washed linens with beautiful, mineral-like colors-- truly dreamy. But even a Matteo duvet might be a little too rough to use without a top sheet. I may have to reconsider my position on this eventually.
PC: The thing is, a linen is not going to be quite as soft and its very high maintenance because it wrinkles so easily. Not only do you have to be able to make the investment in those linens, you'd need to be able to invest in the daily housekeeper that goes along with it so she can keep it nice and pressed for you! Either that, or your new favorite hobby would have to be ironing!
JC: And, a lot of time they have those tie closures that look so beautiful when you purchase them, but they begin to look dog eared after a few washes. The maintenance question is definitely an issue.
PC: Do you have a philosophy when it comes to pillows? My husband gives me a hard time about keeping so many pillows on the bed. They're all decorative but we only sleep with two. In the morning, I think I put about 8 pillows on the bed.
{Jon's Pillow Set-Up}
JC: I have a queen bed, and I'm single, but embarrassingly enough manage to have 7 pillows -- so you're not alone. I keep four standards with white cases on the bed with three decorative ones stacked in front. For clients, we shake things up a bit with the pillows. There is this diagram that I posted to my Pinterest Board that shows all of the options for arranging pillows on the bed. A company named "Marissa Waddel Interiors" originally posted it, and I thank her daily for doing so. I will have to send it to you so you can check it out.
{Paloma's Pillow Arrangement}
PC: That's interesting. I follow a very similar formula to you. The pillows I have in front are more decorative. Everything is white with the exception of two 20x20 decorative pillows that I have in La Fiorentina in the bark colorway.
JC: I went through the Euro Sham phase -- but it always confused me. The Euro's were meant to be decorative but they were placed behind the white standards. I never liked people having access to my private pillows. White pillows are like underwear: You've got to cover that stuff up!
PC: It's a very personal thing. I thought it was interesting that you compared the bed to underwear, in the sense that it's something that's very close to you and personal. It's interesting that you would think of it that way. Again, I think the way you compose a bed- is so personal. I've seen it so many different ways even though there's a standard way--but while the euro typically goes behind, I have mine in front because they're monogrammed. I love the way they look. I have two standard pillow cases and then I've got two king pillows in front of them. Then I have two decorative La Fiorentina decorative pillows and then the two Euros in front of them.
{Utility Canvas Throw Blanket}
JC: That sounds beautiful. I'm not there yet. I should add one more layer. Maybe a quilted coverlet. There are a couple on the market that are incredibly chic. There is a store in New York called Utility Canvas. They make these coverlets that look almost like moving blankets. They're totally cool. I could cover my duvet with a quilted cover, dressing the bed up and concealing the layers that I use in the evening. You've inspired me!! What about your bedskirt? What do you do?
{Charlotte York's Bedroom: SATC fans—remember when she and Bunny had the infamous blow out over the need for a dust ruffle?}
PC: I don't have a bedskirt now. I have a sort of platform bed,I guess it's raised. I've chosen not to put a bedskirt on. We have a king sized bed, so I got an extra king size fitted sheet and I put that over the box spring and you barely see any of it.
JC: I love that.
PC: I like a really clean look and I have a sort of grand, curved, feminine, upholstered headboard with a nailhead detail. It's very feminine and if I added a bedskirt it might be too much.
{Bedroom via House Beautiful}
JC: For clients, I generally do a tailored skirt with an inverted pleat at the corner so its very clean and architectural. I have been inspired to use solid or patterned fitted sheets to wrap the box spring and it's really a thoughtful touch -- especially for guys. It's a fun place to bring design in in a way that people don't necessarily notice.
PC: You definitely have to pay attention to the details. That's what separates a beautiful space, or a beautiful bed in this case, from a regular one--paying close attention to every last detail but making it feel easy and effortless.
JC: Both you and I are talking about such simple beds, composed of essential pieces that focus on quality of materials and consider realistic daily use. So, it really does matter about the details--its a very thin line between something looking utilitarian and something looking actually considered and comfortable. I think those are defining choices, elevating it above something run of the mill.
{Do you make your bed everyday?}
PC: I couldn't agree more. Do you make your bed everyday?
JC: Well, I guess I do. I just slap that comforter back on and fluff my pillows. In the evening, I have a tendency to place my decorative pillows on a chair adjacent to the bed. That's what forces me to make the bed -- when I get up and see those pillows lying around, it drives me crazy and I have to tidy up. It's a neuroses I think !
PC: I put mine on the chair too, stacked, in the corner of the room every evening. I try to make the bed every day, unless I'm running late, or it's a weekend and I'm feeling super relaxed--I won't say lazy--just relaxed. But making it every day sets a tone for the day, having the bed look crisp. I feel more prepared and ready to take on the world.
JC: I agree. It's always so nice at the end of the day and fall into a freshly made bed. Like a cherry on top of a sundae, it's just the perfect finish. How often do you change your sheets? I'm a once a week guy.
PC: Agreed. Once a week.
{Bedroom Designed by Barbara Barry}
JC: I always feel guilty. I remember one day I was reading about Barbara Barry and she said that she changed hers daily.
PC: How lucky! She must have a full time housekeeper. Who has the time? What a lovely luxury, though. Right?
JC: It made me feel so amateur. At least now we have goals. One day I will change my sheets every day! (Laughing) Just joking. I am going to stick with once a week. Do you ever iron your sheets?
PC: I hate doing it, but I do. I'll iron the sheets for the guest bedroom if I have guests coming--I always press those. I'll press my duvet after I wash it, and the shams because they always get wrinkled. I don't always iron my pillowcases or the fitted sheet, you know—the stuff that people don't see. It takes a lot of time and I hate ironing, but I really do try.
JC: I heard a great tip from somebody once. They take the sheets out when they're damp to the hand--approximately 3/4 dry. Then they hang it and let them dry. Then you can just iron the border of the duvet and the shams so they don't curl.
PC: That's a great tip, I'll have to remember that for next time
We'd love to hear your thoughts on what it takes to create the ideal bed! What philosophies do you subscribe to when it comes to bedding? What is your idea of the perfect bed? Which of these beds is most in line with your own design style?


text:
Jameer Nelson has until 11:59 p.m. on Friday to inform the Orlando Magic whether he'll exercise his player option for the 2012-13 season.
Nelson might take every available minute to make that decision.
Nelson has played his entire NBA career with the Magic, and his strong preference is to remain with the team beyond the 2012-13 season.
Problem is, if he accepts his player option, he would become much more valuable on the trade market. Teams could seek to acquire him from the Magic in a trade because his salary of about $7.9 million would come off the books after the 2012-13 season. Nelson would not be able to block a trade.
Plus, Nelson is 30 years old now, and at his age, he could be facing his last opportunity to negotiate a multiyear deal. All things equal, it's easier for a 30-year-old to receive a multiyear free-agent deal than it is for a 31-year-old player to receive a multiyear free-agent deal.
It appears that Nelson is prepared to decline his option if he cannot get an extension or some kind of commitment from the Magic.
Declining his option almost certainly would mean that he would have to accept less money for the 2012-13 season. But at the same time, he would be gaining more long-term security in the form of extra seasons. A multiyear deal also would make him less attractive trade bait.
New Magic general manager Rob Hennigan has spoken with Nelson and Nelson's agent, Hennigan said Wednesday.
Hennigan said of Nelson: "He has a decision coming up on Friday, and we hope that he decides to stay in Orlando, and we hope he is wearing a Magic uniform next season."
But what about the 2013-14 season and beyond?
Perhaps not even Nelson knows.
Publicly, Hennigan hasn't given any specifics about his plans.
And he might be bringing that same measured tone to his discussions with players.
Much remains to be seen about the Magic's direction. The roster could be headed for a total rebuild.
Tonight's NBA draft should offer some clues.
If the Magic trade Dwight Howard tonight for a bunch of draft picks and one established player — and that's a big "if" — that would be a clear sign that the team is looking to build from the bottom up.
Or if the Magic select a point guard in the first round — perhaps North Carolina's Kendall Marshall or Kentucky's Marquis Teague or Washington'sTony Wroten Jr. — that would be a sign that the franchise is looking to get much younger at the position.
Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at email@example.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.


text:
Contest: What has some man said to you that made your heart sigh, or made you snort in laughter? The most romantic and unromantic will win prizes.
Oh...Virginia and CrystalGB are both winners of an autographed copy of Would-Be Witch. Email me at website address. christie (@) christie-craig . com
February is the month of love, chocolate, roses and red undies. It's the month of whispered sweet nothings that will melt your heart . . . or one-liners that send you running off, snorting your Dr. Pepper through your nose because of the need to laugh at some man's obnoxious, underhanded attempt to get you naked.
God love 'em. Sometimes I think men were created just to amuse us and offer us something to talk or blog about. But girls, we gotta stop being so hard on them. Seriously, we all know that men just don't excel at showing their emotions and in most cases, they're even worse at putting those emotions into words. Now, this doesn't mean we should stop laughing at them, but just give 'em a little break every now and then.
I'm not saying that some men aren't champions at talking their way into a woman's panties--men who whose sweet words are meant to melt the bra hooks right off of us. But even if they are hound dogs, wanting just one thing, you have to give 'em credit. A man who knows how to liquefy a woman's heart with a good line is a man who has worked at his craft. He knows what a woman wants and how to deliver. Well, the words anyway; why, just because a man can deliver a line, doesn't mean he can really . . . deliver.
Nor am I saying that ALL sweet nothings are spoken with ulterior motives. Once in a while a man may just have something sweet to say. I'm not going to attempt to guess the odds of that really happening, but it does happen.
However, even a few verbally talented men with ulterior motives are worthy of our affection. Face it, there are decent men who care about us, but still want to get us naked. I won't lie, this pretty much describes my hubby, and probably ever romance hero I've ever given life to in my novels.
In my next book, Gotcha!, released in June, Jake Baldwin is always putting his foot in his mouth. And my heroine Macy is surprised he hasn't lost a tonsil as he swallowed the dang thing. Like the time Macy, who is determined not to fall for Jake, tells the half-naked hero, "I'm not sleeping in this bed with you with only a thin pair of cotton boxers between me and your best friend."
Jake just grins and says, "He could be your best friend, too."
Macy's always accusing Jake of being crude and God love that man but he thinks it's a compliment. (And for that matter, don't most men?)
Ahh, but you gotta love Jake, and Macy does. Why? Well, if we'd be completely honest with ourselves, we'd admit that we all would like our man to want to get us naked. We just want them to express it in a loving, less crass, from-the-heart manner. And to express it when we want them to express it—with the right words--and after they've taken out the trash and told us how special we are. (Hey, it doesn't mean we're difficult, we just know what we want.)
Why, my hubby has said a few things to me through the years that left me thinking I'd marry that man again in a snap. Then there are the times when I start to think that, but he goes and says/does something else that has me questioning if men and women aren't two different species and should never hook up.
For example, this past week, the day before Valentine's Day, he asks me out right. "Baby, you are so good to me. You name what you want for Valentine's Day and it's yours." I think about it and tell him I want a coupon for $250 to use as a shopping spree before I go to upcoming writing conferences. He nods and says, "It's yours."
But when I get the homemade coupon, it reads. "To my love, $250 to use as you so see fit—and if you want to use it for bills or groceries, that's okay, too."
Ahh, but let me tell you, he's said some very romantic things to me, too. Some of them have even brought a tear to my eye. About a month a go hubby came in and said he'd read something online that appeared in Women's Health magazine that was so true " Every man wins the lottery when he gets a woman to love him" Hubby shot me a sweet smile and said, "I won the lottery."
Just last night, Hubby came in and gave me a hug. It was a little tighter and lasted a little longer than usual. When he let go, he said, "When I pulled into the driveway, I saw our neighbor pull into his. When I got out of the car to walk into my house, I saw our neighbor walking into his. And it occurred to me that my homecoming was going to be heck of a lot sweeter than his."
My neighbor's wife died last week. Damn! I got a tear in my eye, both for my neighbor and for knowing hubby was genuinely happy I was here.
Yup, every now and then my man knows the right thing to say and do—not that he doesn't manage to screw up sometimes. A couple of weeks ago when I read him my Valentine's blog about what love was to me, the man cried. Seriously, he had tears in his eyes. My heart swelled with emotion, then he said, "Hey, you want to go upstairs? I have a rooster I want you to meet."
I gaped at him. "That was so crude! How could…how could you say something so crass when you just got tears in your eyes at something sweet I wrote?"
His answer, "Well, that's why I said it. You threatened my masculinity when you made me tear up, and I figure this helps me get it back."
MEN! Can you see how all my heroes are created in his likeness?
Okay, so there you have it. What has your man said to melt your heart? What has he, or any man, said to you that made you snort Dr. Pepper through your nose?
I've got prizes for the most romantic sweet nothing and then the most unromantic. Both winners can choose from one of my novels, or if you have all those, I'm offering up Colleen Thompson's novel, Head On or Gerry Bartlett's novel, Real Vampires Get Lucky. Plus, there's a little something extra. So, come on, play along.
Crime Scene Christie
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Whispered Sweet Nothings
Contest: What has some man said to you that made your heart sigh, or made you snort in laughter? The most romantic and unromantic will win prizes.
Posted by Christie Craig at 5:24 AM
53 comments:
- Colleen Thompson said...
What a sweetheart you have! I enjoyed reading today's post!
- February 24, 2009 at 8:04 AM
- Christie Craig said...
Thanks Colleen.
He is a sweetheart, even if he is occasionally verbally challenged.
- February 24, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Awe, your husband is SUCH a romantic - your blogs frequently remind me of my own relationship.
I knew there wouldn't be a lot of romance in my future when my husband proposed by dropping a ring in my lap while driving down the freeway. Thirty-four years later we're still going strong. And, I've learned to appreciate the romance in the things he DOES - for instance, a few weeks ago I was having a girls only weekend at our country place - he knows I love showing the place off with the yard mowed, edged, raked, etc. - so, without telling me, he took a day off work, drove down and took care of the yard so that when my friends and I arrived that evening, everything looked great. His actions show his love in so many ways!
- February 24, 2009 at 9:16 AM
Sometimes they're just so sweet and then other times you want to beat them.
My husband came home last week and told me how lucky he was to have such a wonderful wife and best friend. I got a little teary eyed until he said "AND you put out!" Then I kicked him.
- February 24, 2009 at 9:20 AM
- Christie Craig said...
You are so right. While a lot of men, don't win awards for words, they can show their love in so many ways.
Kudos to your hubby for getting the lawn at the country place looking good for you.
Make sure you tell him again that you appreciate him. They love to praised.
Thanks so much for posting.
- February 24, 2009 at 9:54 AM
- Christie Craig said...
LOL. That's so much like man! Oh, but we gotta love 'em.
Thanks so much for sharing.
- February 24, 2009 at 9:55 AM
- Terri Osburn said...
Are you sure we can't clone your cutie? *sigh*
I know I've heard some good lines both on the romantic and unromantic side, but I can't think of any of them right now. I'll rack this swiss cheese brain of mine and be back!
- February 24, 2009 at 10:14 AM
- red said...
My husband used to ride professional rodeo(12 years) and while he is a sweet man, sometimes he doesn't think. One of the phrases I would hear him and his friends say to each other when they were hurt was "cowboy up" in other words get over it. Well he was with me when my horse stepped on and broke my foot and guess what he told me to do. I had never wanted to hit that man as badly as I did that day. Of course after he pulled his foot out of his mouth, he drove me to the hospital and then played nursemaid until I was well again. It's a good thing actions speak louder than words.
- February 24, 2009 at 10:18 AM
- Christie Craig said...
You know when I told him I was posting this, he said, "Can you put my cell number in there so if something happens to you, I'll be able to get a replacement!"
He's what we call here in the south, a real hoot!
Thanks for posting and I look foward to seeing your whispered nothings later.
- February 24, 2009 at 10:25 AM
- Rashda Khan said...
The sweetest thing he's ever said to me: "I love the way you think." Um, this has been used in various situations --just after he's read new pages from my WIP that really impressed him, just after a successful culinary project at the Soup Kitchen or --um--in the bedroom. [blushing like crazy here]
As for the worst, recently I was going out when he looked me over and said "You might want to check the mirror. There's um some hair." He looked meaningfully at my chest. I ran to the mirror and saw my dark brown top had some strings peeking out.
I fixed it and said "What you scared your wife's spouting hair on her chest?"
He grinned and said, "I was going to say that, but thought you might bean me with something."
So, I guess I'm training him or he's influencing me or something like that.
P.s. Just finished your Divorced, Desperate and Dating. Loved the way he calls her even though he's just in the other room. That was such a great way to build their relationship!
- February 24, 2009 at 10:26 AM
- Rashda Khan said...
Um, btw, that's me Rashda in the RK comment. Waves wildly at Christie.
- February 24, 2009 at 10:28 AM
- Christie Craig said...
LOL! "Cowboy up?" I might have told him when he could put his boot and spurs. Okay, I'm joking, when hubby drove me to the hospital with what turned out to be a ruptured appendix, he just kept saying, "You're going under the knife. You're going under the knife." If I could have uncurled out of the fetal position, I would have hit him.
Thanks for posting!
- February 24, 2009 at 10:31 AM
- Christie Craig said...
It seems that your hubby won the lottery, too!!
And yup, sounds like all your training is going to good use. LOL. Ahh, they are funny creatures, aren't they?
Thanks so much for joining in.
- February 24, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Awhh you have a great hubby, and I can see why you'd marry him over and over again.
The worst thing a man said to me was "do you like boxer, briefs or boxer briefs and do you want to see mine?" To which I just looked at him and said "excuse me?" I couldn't get out of there fast enough, what's worse is that was the first date--he had told me he'd never had a long term relationship and that certainly told me why.
- February 24, 2009 at 11:03 AM
- Linda Thomas-Sundstrom said...
HI Christie. I have a hubby who does quite well whispering sweet nothings most of the time. Then, at, say, Christmas, he might add: Would you like that new vaccuum cleaner you've been looking at?
Now - this is a nice question. And I did need that vaccuum cleaner. But I think we women should draw the line at household products that are for the benefit of all in the house (even though we're the only one who would use it, heaven knows)... as gifts.
Am I right?
What about those diamonds I'd also been looking at in the magazines? Huh?
ha ha ha...
My guy is great. I am so lucky.
- February 24, 2009 at 11:04 AM
- Christie Craig said...
LOL! Men! But the crazy thing is that men would love, LOVE, for woman to ask them, "Do you like bikini underwear or thong? And would you like to see mine?" This is probably every man's fantasy. That's why I say that sometimes I wonder if we're not two different species and shouldn't mate.
Thanks so much for playing along.
- February 24, 2009 at 11:11 AM
- Christie Craig said...
Hi Linda,
Ahh, men!! I know what you mean about those gifts! But the vacuum is a better option compared to the toilet brush I received a few weeks ago.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
- February 24, 2009 at 11:15 AM
- donnas said...
Aww that is such a great post. Someday I wish to have something like that happen.
- February 24, 2009 at 11:32 AM
- Christie Craig said...
Thanks girl. And never give up!
- February 24, 2009 at 11:34 AM
- Angie Fox said...
Great post! And, you know, sometimes it's not always what they say, but what they do. Like last week, I was having quite a morning with the kids. While I was bathing my 4-year-old daughter, my 2-year-old son was filling the toilet in the other bathroom with toys.
While I cleaned and disinfected those toys (yuk), my daughter was taking every stitch of clothing from her closet and mixing it in with dirty socks and wet towels. While I talked to her about how we don't do that, my son went downstairs and opened a dozen tea bags onto the kitchen floor. A spilled milk jug and a broken glass later, I was about ready to loose it.
My husband has an office at home and kept hearing snippets between conference calls, but could only watch, really. Lucky duck.
I left to take the kids to my daughter's gymnastics lesson and returned expecting to clean. A lot. Instead, the house was pristine. While we were away, Jim took time off work to mop the kitchen, clean both bathrooms, put away the now dry/disinfected toys. He did two (of the six) loads of laundry my daughter had created. What a guy.
And then he was surprised when I got all mushy on him. But I soooo needed that. When will men learn that housework is truly touching and sexy?
- February 24, 2009 at 11:45 AM
- Christie Craig said...
Hi Angie!
Ahh, girl, you gotta a great guy, too. Yup, nothing makes my heart go pitter-patter more than when hubby helps out around the house.
Seriously, more men should take up washing dishes and vacuuming if they really wanted to get lucky.
Thanks for stopping in.
- February 24, 2009 at 11:51 AM
- Keri Ford said...
Most unromantic thing...I was in labor, getting my epidural. Due to the position, we were having problems. The nurse wanted me one way, the doc needed me the other. I was all for siding with the doc, but the nurse insisted I could somehow do something with my big belly--like make it go through my thighs to get my back arched. Anyway, nurse recruited Hubs to help hold me down in her wanted position so I could get my shot. Said position forced my belly against my spine and was all over very uncomfortable. Hubs had to bend over me a little to keep my shoulders down.
After, oh, I don't know 15 minutes by the time we got in position and got the shot and hubs could let go, he stands up, puts his hands on his lower back, stretches and says, "Geez, that killed my back."
Romantic thing of late, Hubs is pressing to get me a new computer for my birthday. I keep telling him no, that we don't have the money for and don't expect me to spend that much on his birthday. He keeps insisting because he, "doesn't know what else to get me." --oh wait, is that an unromantic thing too?
- February 24, 2009 at 2:01 PM
- Hellie Sinclair said...
Cheesiest thing my honey has said to me: "Nobody puts baby in the corner."--when I was sitting in the corner of a booth and he couldn't sit next to me. (He'd scouted me out at a happy hour.) My friend fell over laughing at him.
Sweetest thing: "Just when I think I couldn't love you more, you do something that makes me love you more." That one was sweet. I liked that one. (And if he's quoting another movie, don't tell me.)
- February 24, 2009 at 2:04 PM
- Christie Craig said...
LOL. Okay... I think I might have done some more of those stretches and put my foot up his backside when he complained about his back. (SMILE)
And I think the computer is romantic, Keri. He knows how much your writing means to you.
Thanks for posting.
- February 24, 2009 at 2:06 PM
- Christie Craig said...
Too funny. And hey, I'm with you, I don't want to know if they stole it. Actually, hubby gets points for even quoting quotes.
Thanks so much for popping in.
- February 24, 2009 at 2:09 PM
- Terri Osburn said...
It's after 4 and I still got nothing. *sigh*
But some of these are so fun. Hellion is always quoting me that George Carlon bit.
Women are crazy and men are stupid. And the reason women are crazy is because men are stupid.
- February 24, 2009 at 3:18 PM
- Refhater said...
Since I'm still single, I'll have to submit an "unromantic" quote from a guy that I dated.
The guy had invited me over to his house for dinner. After we ate he proceded to tell me that before I got there he had gotten himself totally drunk because he was so nervous. Ok, I thought... That's kinda sweet in an odd way I guess. He's so nervous about impressing me that he got totally wasted.
Then after showing me some photo albums (We both have photography as a hobby) He tells me that he doesn't quite know how to tell me, but he "Doesn't know where he is right now." "He's questioning his previous relationships and not sure if he wants to get into another one right away." I found out later that he was in the process of deciding his sexual orientation and decided to he was more into men after that dinner.
- February 24, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Hi, Guys,
Christie just called me to say she is headed to the hospital - her daughter Nina is about to have a baby. Yay!!
I'll be answering CC's comments for her while she's gone.
- February 24, 2009 at 4:11 PM
Hi, Terrio,
Yep - love that George, and I love, love, LOVE that comment. LOL.
Faye, posting for CC
- February 24, 2009 at 4:12 PM
Hi, Refhater,
Okay, is it totally mean of me to be laughing my butt off right about now? LOL. Seriously, though, I can just picture that conversation.
Thanks for sharing.
Faye, posting for CC
- February 24, 2009 at 4:14 PM
- Refhater said...
Please laugh away. I did. The whole experience with that guy was like a bad country western song. Please tell me there are some decent semi-normal single men left out there.
Please tell Christie congrats on her new grandbaby!
- February 24, 2009 at 4:26 PM
How fun! I know there have been crazy times but I really can't come up with one right now (and that may be why we stay together, we focus on the fun/positive of each other).
My husband has done the laundry almost from the start of our relationship. Our sons were surprised when they went to friends' houses and their MOMS were doing the laundry; no gender roles at our house. Whenever I see a group of women standing around my husband, I know they're asking for help because he can get stains out of anything.
One of the sweetest things he ever did: the Valentine's Day before he 'officially' proposed, he gave me a card with three conversation hearts on it. "My baby" "later on" "say yes." I still have the candies on a piece of the card and every Valentine's Day, my sons have to listen to the story again :) They also used to be confused about why their dad brought flowers home with the groceries most weeks (he grocery shops, too!). Now that they have girlfriends of their own, they're starting to understand.
- February 24, 2009 at 4:51 PM
- Sandy said...
LOL We can't live with men, and we can't live without them.
When I was ill for a year my husband was there every day for me. That's when I decided he was a keeper.
- February 24, 2009 at 5:06 PM
Hi, Refhater,
I'm single also and believe me, I've met a variety of Creepers - that's what Christie and I call men who are the opposite of Keepers. Trust me, I could write a book about my dating disasters. Okay, actually, I DID write a book about it. Christie and I have a relationship/self help/humor book coming out next year called WILD, WICKED & WANTON: 101 WAYS TO LOVE LIKE YOU'RE IN A ROMANCE NOVEL. You'll appreciate some of Creeper Tales. LOL.
I'll pass along your well wishes to Christie when I speak with her.
- February 24, 2009 at 5:07 PM
Hi, Tessa,
What a great hubby you have! He sounds like a bona fide Keeper to me, and a great role model for your sons, too!
Faye, who is posting for Christie who's at the hospital doing baby patrol
- February 24, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Hi, Sandy,
Aww, what a sweetie your hubby was. Thanks for sharing your story!
Faye, posting for Christie
- February 24, 2009 at 5:12 PM
- Jo Anne said...
Faye (and Christie later), I'm so excited that Nina's having her baby!! Now we can have Grandma blogs, too.
I'm divorced, but I still have fond memories of really tacky and really romantic times. And I still love my ex - a WHOLE lot more since he moved 3 miles down the road. :-)
By the time Phil proposed, we'd talked about getting married for some time, so it was more of a 'when-we-can-find-time-to-plan-a-big-party,' thing. My mother was in town visiting and we were having lunch. Phil says "So, are we gettin' married or what?" Not to be outdown in the tacky department, I say, "On your knees, f***'r." To which he replies, "Not in this lifetime, sweetheart." By this time he and I were laughing so hard we were "spewing Dr. Pepper" as Christie would put it. My mother, of course, was appalled.
Plenty of sweet stuff in those years, too, though. One that stands out: Phil & I attended The Confederate Ball one year - a black tie, shee-shee affair. Very aristicratic and very southern - Scarlett could have learned a few tricks. Phil confiscated my dance card - and when I got it back, he'd filled in every dance with his name. He said it was the only way he knew to keep the most beautiful woman there in his arms all night.
We've been divorced since 1994, but I think I still have that dance card. :-)
- February 24, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Hey Jo Anne!
My birthday is tomorrow and I've been telling Christie that Nina will give birth on the 25th. LOL. I don't think she's going to make that long now, though. LOL.
I love your Phil stories, espeicially the one with the dance card. *sigh* That's the kind of thing men do that make up for all the totally inappropriate chit they say.
Faye, posting for Christie
- February 24, 2009 at 5:59 PM
- Cheryl said...
Great post today. I'm laughing my butt off. Don't have many memorable moments, romantic or otherwise. The only one that sticks in my mind was when I was in my mid-twenties & at a bar listening to the band. A guy I'd seen there a couple times came over to me & said, "Nice legs. Do they go all the way up?" Yeah, I know, lame pick-up line but it was so corny I couldn't stop laughing. And he probably thought it was so clever.
Cheryl S.
- February 24, 2009 at 7:53 PM
Hi, Cheryl,
The funny thing is, I bet he worked on that line for hours. LOL.
Thanks for sharing your memories.
Faye, posting for Christie
- February 24, 2009 at 8:48 PM
- Jessa Slade said...
Men. They're so... er, cute. Sigh.
My roommate in college was propositioned with "You wanna come up and see my piranhas?" We still use that line to this day.
- February 24, 2009 at 11:51 PM
- RM Kahn said...
My husband has a problem. He doesn't always think before he speaks, he has.. blurtitis.. (I know, this is rare) and he blurts out the first thing in his head without running it through the wash a few times. (ask me about Satan sometime)
Anyway, I had already had a partial hysterectomy and it was a year later that the rest of the parts had to come out. I was feeling a little upset at this, and he said "well damn, you're just losing all your feminine parts." Somehow he survived that incident.
But he does love me and every so often he shows me in a mushy way. One anniversary we were supposed to not spend much but he dragged out this huge, very heavy box for me to open.(our son dancing around excited since he was in on it).
Inside wrapped in lots of protective bubble wrap (hence the excitement for our son) was a gorgeous wall sculpture from a local artist of a woman tenderly holding a man called "Touched by a Goddess". He said that was how he felt.
Can't stay mad at him to long when I look at that sculpture.
- February 25, 2009 at 12:30 AM
Hi, Jessa,
"Come up and see my piranhas," huh? LOL. Gotta love it.
I remember being at this party once where this guy came over and said, "Hi, you're so beautiful I just had to ask. Are you a model?" Talk about a corny come-on line! Of course, being a smartass, I said, "Why, yes, I am." He sputtered for a bit. LOL.
- February 25, 2009 at 7:49 AM
Hi, RM Kahn,
I love your description of you're hubby's condition being "blurtitis." I know a lot of men who suffer the same ailment. LOL.
And I love the story about the sculpture - what a sweetie!
Thanks for posting.
Faye, still posting for Christie
- February 25, 2009 at 7:53 AM
Hi, Guys,
A quick baby update: Nina, Christie's daughter, had a baby girl around 5:15 this morning. Both are doing fine. Grandma (aka, Crime Scene Christie) is overjoyed and wants me to thank everyone for posting.
- February 25, 2009 at 7:55 AM
- Terri Osburn said...
She did make it to the 25th! Whoohoo!! Congrats, Christie!! Or should I say Grandma. LOL!
- February 25, 2009 at 8:24 AM
- Jo Anne said...
Christie's first grandbaby!! That is so cool. And you can bet Christie will never-ever forget your birthday, Faye. :-)
Big congrats to Nina and Jason and Christie (and Steve, too)!!
- February 25, 2009 at 11:56 AM
- Jenyfer Matthews said...
Once when my hubby and I were first married, I turned to him at bedtime and said "I'll love you forever." He responded, "I only wish forever was longer."
I still get a bit teary thinking of that :)
- February 25, 2009 at 12:21 PM
Hey, Jo Anne,
Yep. CC has no excuse now for ever forgetting my birthday. LOL.
- February 25, 2009 at 1:38 PM
Hi, Jenyfer,
Aww, that's a great story about your hubby. I can totally see why he's such a keeper!
Thanks for sharing.
Faye, still posting for Christie who's doing the Grandma Happy Dance down
- February 25, 2009 at 1:40 PM
Congrats on the new granddaughter!
- February 25, 2009 at 9:51 PM
Okay, guys. We'll get the winners posted to the main page but for now, I'm just going to put them here:
MOST ROMANTIC: MsHellion
MOST UN-ROMANTIC (aka foot-in-mouth): Michelle
Ladies, to claim your prize, contact Christie through her website, www.Christie-Craig.com.
Congrats and thanks for such great stories!
Faye, still posting for Christie
- February 26, 2009 at 5:50 AM
My husband is a show-er not a say-er when it comes to romance. It's the little things he does like bring me Starbucks just when I was thinking I wanted some.
- February 27, 2009 at 12:57 AM


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Analysis: Greenwich boys have eyes on FCIAC playoffs
Recommended Video:
Last season the Greenwich boys basketball team got off to a torrid start before running into the FCIACs top teams and slowing down before rallying and nearly making the FCIAC playoffs, losing on the final night of the regular season at Danbury in an overtime thriller.
The schedule broke differently this year with the Cardinals facing many of the top teams early on, but there is one constant from a year ago.
The final game will be against Danbury, this time at home, and the Cardinals are hoping a playoff berth will once again be on the line.
Greenwich has some work to do if it wants that final game to mean something two years in a row.
The Cardinals sit at 6-6, 5-5 in the FCIAC and are in a tie for ninth place in the league with the top eight teams qualifying for the postseason.
The Cardinals have shown glimmers of being a team that can make noise in the playoffs, but must focus on ball control moving forward as turnovers have plagued the team.
"We need to stop giving up the ball," Greenwich coach Bill Brehm said. "Too many turnovers in key situations. We have talked about it and we need to work more on it. We also talked about some of the fundamental stuff like if you are getting over played you have to go back door and getting the ball back to the one man to reset stuff."
Greenwich got a boost to start the season with the addition of 6-foot-9 junior forward Alex Wolf, who transferred from Blair Academy in New Jersey and has become the focus of most opposing defenses, often drawing double and triple teams.
Greenwich has been a jump shooting team in the past with the big men more likely to take the ball on the perimeter rather than posting up down low, which is where Wolf seems most comfortable.
The adjustment has not been easy, but Brehm feels the team is learning to play with the new dynamic introduced by Wolf.
"Yes and no. Last year with Sem (Kroon) he wasn't like a true big man and Wolfie is truly a big man," Brehm said. "We've worked on delivering to the post because we have had a lot of turnovers delivering to the post."
The issue speaks to the Cardinals lack of a true point guard who can take control when needed and get the ball into the hands of scorers.
Lack of a floor general aside, a few players have stepped into the spotlight this season.
Junior forward CJ Byrd broke out for 26 points against Trinity Catholic in the game of the year, so far, and has taken on a larger role in the offense since then, despite missing a few games with a broken hand.
Trinity won the game 89-81 in double overtime after Byrd fouled out during the first overtime.
Junior guard Jimmy Djema also established himself on the varsity in that game, scoring 13 points but also busting his tail chasing around Trinity's all-league guard Shadric Casimir most of the evening.
Captain Alex McMurray gives the team one thing every game.
McMurray is routinely on the floor fighting for loose balls and can be counted on for critical steals late in games, using his football background to intercept passes at the top of the key, before taking them the other way for layups.
McMurray took a more active role on the offense against Norwalk, scoring 19 points.
Sophomore Leonel Hyatt, a 6-4 forward, has started most games as he learns on the fly at the varsity level, getting more confident every time he takes the floor.
When clicking, Hyatt and Wolf could be an imposing tandem on the blocks.
Thomas Baietto, Kyle Foote and Dan Guise have all had moments in the sun offensively and defensively.
Defensive specialist Jon Palmer has just returned from a thumb injury that sidelined him for about a month and helps stabilize the defense with his quick feet and solid court awareness.
Brehm feels this version of the Cardinals has what it takes to make the FCIAC playoffs and possibly make some noise in the Class LL state playoffs.
"I totally think they can make a rally and make a run," Brehm said. "These are great kids, they work hard and I don't see them giving up. At all. They are still in it."
email@example.com; 203-625-4458; http://twitter.com/greenwichsports/


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Latest Comments
"Corn casserole and corn pudding are two distinctly different recipes in our area. Corn casserole is a savory dish made with either drained canned corn, thawed frozen corn, or fresh corn cut off the cob then mixed with cornbread mix, eggs, and cheese. Corn pudding is a sweet dish made with creamed corn, sugar, extract, milk, and eggs. Both are baked in casserole dishes, but do not taste alike."
"I wanted to get the slow cooker chicken recipe, i clicked on the link provided, and it went to a page that says error, someone needs to look imto this."
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BBQ Omelet
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If you like breakfast and you also like barbecue, this omelet is the perfect marriage of both. It's an omelet with a healthy dose of barbecue sauce built right in. Mmm-mmm!
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 small onion, chopped, divided
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped, divided
- black pepper, to taste
- seasoned salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, divided
- 1 tablespoon milk or water
- Beat eggs with milk, salt, pepper, and cheese.
- Melt the margarine in a skillet over medium heat.
- Pour egg mixture into skillet and cook gently for about two minutes or until the sides and bottom of the omelet are set.
- Turn omelet over with a pancake turner, and sprinkle one half of the tomatoes, onions, and barbecue sauce down the center.
- Fold by bringing two sides together and carefully slide omelet on plate.
- Top with remaining onions, tomatoes, and barbecue sauce.
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Facebook's semi-automatic mobile photo sync: What you need to know
by Larry Magid
Facebook announced on Monday that it is allowing users of its iOS and Android mobile app to automatically sync photos to their Facebook account so that they'll be available to share as soon as you log on via a computer.
But don't worry about accidentally posting embarrassing photos. When you enable sync, photos wind up in a holding area and are invisible to all but yourself until you decide to share them.
Follow the directions below to enable sync on your phone and to share your pictures once you log on via the web.
To enable sync:
1. If you haven't already done so, download the latest Facebook app to your phone. Launch the app and press the menu icon in the upper left of the screen (it's a blue icon with 3 lines).
2. Scroll down till you see photos and click on the word Photo
3. Then click on Sync in the lower right corner.
To share pictures
After you've enabled sync, pictures you take will automatically be syncronized to a holding area in your Facebook account. To access it, click on Add Photos/Video near the top of your Home page and notice that there is now the option to Add Synced Photos:
Click on Add Synced Photos and you'll see the pictures that you've synced. Select the pictures you want to share and click Add Photos. You will then be able to add text and share them to whatever audience you select. As with all Facebook posts you can select who gets to see it ranging from the pubic (everyone) to "only me" (just you). The widest audience available to minors under 18 is Friends of Friends.
Privacy concerns
There are already plenty of blog posts about the privacy implications of this new feature. An unsigned post at RT.com, for example, worries that Facebook could "still steal the image's geolocation data and use it to keep track of where its users are and whom they're posing with." Ewan Spence here on Forbes finds " it hard to trust Facebook's constantly evolving privacy settings to keep these images truly private."
I'm not so worried. If you don't want to share photos, then don't use the Facebook app to take pictures. Why else would you take a picture within Facebook if you didn't want to share it? And let's give Facebook a bit of credit for not making the process completely automatic. You have to confirm that you really want to share the photo and even then, you get to decide on the audience. And I'm not losing sleep over whether Facebook is "stealing" our geolocation data or planning on using our photos for some nefarious purpose. Facebook's motivation in wanting people to share photos is pretty obvious to me. It' s because people want to share photos. People do it everyday and it's one of the main reasons people use the site. And the more time people spend on Facebook, the more money the company stands to make from advertisers.


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Digital creators could take a page from expectant parents who carefully weigh names for their babies. File names can convey a great deal of meaning and are often the only clue to the contents of a digital file. A few collections of photographs at the Hoover Institution Archives show both missed opportunities and powerful names.
Douglas Smith, an American historian, was in Moscow during the attempted coup in August 1991. He took some photographs, which are part of the Douglas Smith miscellaneous papers, but their equipment-generated file names provide no information. Here's an example:
We know the photos depict the attempted coup because he told us, but a viewer must be familiar with both the place and the events to identify the content of each image. I'm reminded of the decades-old photos in a box in my mom's closet; we assume they depict various ancestors but, because they don't have captions, the people remain unnamed and unknown.
Giles Udy gave some thought to the file names for his photographs, which depict structures in the former gulag camps of Noril'sk in Russia. Some names are of the machine-generated variety, but he renamed others, as follows:
Admin block - ext (cell window far right) DSCN7527.pdf
This file name functions like a caption describing the image. Udy also retained the original file name, DSCN7527, which was smart because it connects the PDF version of the image that he gave to Hoover to the original image in its native format, which Udy chose to retain. Udy also arranged his photographs into digital folders so that all the images of the Alevrolitnaya penal camp are in one folder bearing the name of the camp.
John Bruning, who took thousands of photographs while embedded with a National Guard unit posted to Afghanistan in 2010, built on this descriptive naming by adding dates to many folder names in MMDDYY format:
Mission 02 090710 swing set
In addition, Bruning wrote accounts of the events that he photographed. This Mission 02 folder contains a Word document that describes the mission, which was intended to "pick up some U.S. Army engineers and a swing set. We would then air assault them into a landing zone next to Manny's Bazaar so they could install the swing set at the local school." Bruning's story wraps his images in context and color.
But Bruning and Udy both failed in some technical aspects of file naming. First, they included many deprecated characters, such as spaces, parentheses, and other punctuation marks. In addition, some lengthy folder and file names exceeded the directory path limitations of our software system, causing the file names to be automatically truncated. For example, when copied, the file name
Unfinished building - piles in permafrost then bldg above 3558.JPG
All these small problems take time to locate and correct. Somewhat like expectant godparents, we're still waiting for our first born-digital collection to arrive with perfect file names.


text:
Night Light Color Could Be Attitude Adjuster
Our homes glow at night. Lightbulbs, TVs, and now computers, e-readers, tablets and smartphones expose people to an increasing amount of light after dark. And the color of that light may influence mood and brain function. That's according to a study in the Journal of Neuroscience. [Tracy A. Bedrosian et al., Nocturnal Light Exposure Impairs Affective Responses in a Wavelength-Dependent Manner]
Researchers looked at the role of specialized photosensitive cells in the retina. The cells, called ipRGCs, are responsible for regulating circadian rhythms. And recent evidence suggests these cells may also play a role in mood and cognition.
To test how nocturnal lighting color affects mood, the researchers exposed hamsters to nighttime conditions of no light, red light, white light or blue light for four weeks each. Hamsters exposed to red light at night had the fewest brain changes associated with depression in humans, while blue and white light had the worst effects on mood.
So late-night work e-mail may not be the only thing ticking you off—the blue glow of your machine may also be getting you down. The best bet: shut down and get some shut-eye.
—Allie Wilkinson
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]


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Twitter: It's a San Francisco joint.
That's essentially the message CEO Dick Costolo gave onstage at the OpenCoSF conference on Thursday evening. He spoke to a crowd about how his company has evolved by being situated in the Bay Area, one of the world's premier tech and innovation hubs.
"Twitter is a city company," Costolo said. "It's gritty like the city."
This is, in part, due to its relatively new headquarters situated in the mid-Market Street neighborhood of San Francisco, an area typically known for its rough-and-tumble atmosphere (to put it nicely). Unlike many other SF-based technology companies that opt for locations in the SoMa district — an area rife with start-ups and shared workspaces — Twitter's HQ is considered a bastion of development in a sketchy neighborhood.
As of today, the new home base houses 1,200 of the company's 1,400 employees worldwide, with Twitter occupying floors seven, eight and nine of the large building at 1355 Market St. Costolo says the company isn't going anywhere for awhile; it has options on other floors in the building, which means more than enough space to scale up as Twitter continues to recruit new engineering and sales talent.
"We've got employees from all parts of the Bay coming to work here — from Marin County, where I live, to the East Bay and the Peninsula," Costolo said. Unlike Google, Facebook and many other big tech companies situated 40 miles south of San Francisco in Silicon Valley, Twitter's centralized location makes it easier for commuting and living across different parts of the city.
That location also plays into the company's internal culture, "allowing flexibility on how people work," Costolo said. Instead of driving for 40 minutes back from the Valley to a San Francisco residence, a Twitter employee can work eight hours in the office, bike home for dinner, then turn back around and work at Twitter HQ until 10 pm.
One possibility would have been to take the Google route — splitting the company between the Valley and the city. But that, Costolo said, would have impacted the company in ways he didn't want. "We needed a contiguous space, and didn't want to divvy up the culture," he said. Were they to have split the company like that, Twitter "might as well have split engineers in San Francisco and sales teams in New York."
Indeed, Twitter does have a small New York presence, with sales staff and a burgeoning engineering team flanking the East Coast. But most of the company is still situated in California.
It wasn't a completely smooth decision to keep Twitter in San Francisco, though. The company went back and forth with the city for some time, due to certain San Francisco tax codes that would have required Twitter to pay big bucks to stay in SF. Ultimately, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to give certain companies — like Twitter — payroll tax exemptions if they located in "struggling areas" of the city.
Hence the new digs, and Twitter's "gritty" vibe.


text:
The Hustleman Show [Urban Reality/Talk Show Trailer][User Submitted Vid]
Robert reports "THE HOTTEST NEW URBAN REALITY/TALK SHOW "THE HUSTLEMAN SHOW" NOW PLAYING ON THE CW (SOUTHERN REGION). IF YOU HAVN'T HEARD GOOGLE IT."
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actionmailer-javamail 0.1.1
ActionMailer-JavaMail allows the emails to be delivered via the JavaMail library. This allows to expand the capabilities of ActionMailer in the jRuby environment via existing JavaMail capabilities. The current capabilities are only implemented to send outgoing email without any support for incoming email. Action Mailer is the part of the Ruby on Rails framework that's designing email-service layers.


text:
Parts Of The Bedroom Models For An Urban Bedroom StyleThe Interior Design of Urban Style , reflecting a variety of backgrounds , featuring the non – traditional materials with design features . City residents to use the interior of galvanized steel , concrete floors , metal walls , beams and unfinished surfaces to create the image of a modern look . Bedroom Urban Orchard Interiors Style In Urban Upscale Interior , however , is much more refined look , with designer fixtures , completion of advanced and innovative solutions with a small space , such as an open floor plan that allows for multifunction room . The tightness of the vast size of the urban interior design requires innovative strategies . Urban Black Bedroom Interior Style With White Bedding Urban Style Design , you can choose to apply , such as in the bedroom . You can play using the distinctive style of urban design forms and colors that are widely used . Presents furniture beds , console tables , and cabinets of wood materials with a design firm , simple , yet elegant . Its presence makes the room seem practical as well as warm . Comfortable Urban Bedroom Interior Design Then , using the alloy frame bedroom white on all sides of the walls and floors . Add some ornaments such as standing lamp , vase , and carpet . For bedding can apply beige color , for example, cushions and bed linen . Well , the bedroom looked comfortable and gives a sense of flexibility for you when spending time in it . Modest Urban Bedroom Design Ideas with Awesome Bed In the Modern Concept of Urban Bedroom Interiors , furniture tends toward low and modular , with little ornamentation . More useful accessories , including mirrors , lighting features , shutters , furniture and materials as the focal point .
An Urban Bedroom Style Models For An Urban Bedroom Style
Cuma Tiang Tiang Tu Je Sebab Dia Buat Dekat Dengan Dining Room So
Models For An Urban Bedroom Style Models For An Urban
Dining Chairs Urban Chic Furniture Design Casino Modern Interior
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Arts And Crafts Bedroom
Stylish Comfortable Bedroom Interior Design Ideas
Comfortable Bedroom Decoration
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Inspiration To Make Comfortable Red Bedroom
Modern Home Interiors Design Rr House Brazil
Bedroom Design And Style


text:
Dementia is a loss of mental skills—such as memory, problem solving, and learning—that's bad enough to interfere with your daily life. It usually gets worse over time. But how long this takes is different for each person.
There are medicines you can take for dementia. They don't cure it, but they can slow it down for a while and make it easier to live with.
Last Revised:
October 9, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine & Peter J. Whitehouse, MD - Neurology
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text: As a leading general contractor in Canada, Bird turns ideas into reality through a tradition of building trust, delivering exceptional client service and creating value. With more than 95 years of experience in the construction industry, Bird`s resume includes pre-construction and construction services to a long list of new and repeat clients. With its broad market reach, Bird`s clients include leading firms in the multi-tenant residential, commercial, institutional, retail, industrial, mining, energy and civil sectors.


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Its landscape is famously wild and rugged, but against the odds, Connemara has produced some of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland
When it comes to feats of nature, you have to give credit to Connemara's gardens. Connemara's location right on Ireland's west coast means salt and storm is pitched against every single plant, tree and flower. But faith, and a lot of tender loving care, has prevailed, with local gardeners growing some of the most spectacular hydrangeas, rhododendrons, heather, azaleas and camellias ever to be seen.
"Connemara is such a wild and untamed place and its natural beauty is more than capable of holding one captivated," says Shirley Lanigan, author of The 100 Best Gardens of Ireland. "Any garden that can hold its own against such a backdrop must be impressive."
Think a friend might enjoy this article? Click to save and share
One way of discovering the best gardens around here is with the Connemara Garden Trail. On the trail, you'll find everything from formal to floral and from wild to whimsical, with many surrounding beautiful old houses. Some go for an exotic look – palm trees pop up here and there – others are all about maintaining 300-year-old traditions.
One of the most famous on the trail is Kylemore Abbey, with its six-acre Victorian walled garden and tragic love story. "The garden at Kylemore is so unique," says head gardener Anja Gohlke, "I love the order of the formal garden beds set against the wilderness of Connemara."
Shirley Lanigan, meanwhile, is in no doubt about which are her favourites: "The flower-filled jungle that surrounds Cashel House and Lorna McMahon's extraordinary hillside garden in Oranmore."
Despite their differences, Shirley adds that all the gardens "fit and sit well into the rugged Connemara landscape. These gardens all deserve their place here."
We couldn't agree more… Know anyone who fancies a walk on the wild side?
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Oscar Wilde called it a "savage beauty". We couldn't have described Connemara better if we tried
No wonder Connemara has become the subject of a film trail... it's got some of the most incredible landscapes on...
The story of the native Connemara pony is told in a small exhibition on the ground floor of Clifden's Station House...
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You have reached the home page of the Networking Department of the University of South Africa.
This server was recently revamped with a long over due upgrade of the operating system. To access the usual network systems, take a look at the menu to the right. Authorised access is required for these systems.
On the left you can find some FAQ's on how some of the network systems function. You can also find a file gallery which holds the downloads required for VPN access Etc.
Created by: admin last modification: Wednesday 16 of July, 2008 [06:25:20 UTC] by admin
Featured links


text:
Relationships with
Photo Credit: Julia Child's picture is courtesy of Brown University. Photographic illustrations of Julia Child are copyright © by their respective holders. The images are published with permission or as allowed by the copyright law's fair use or quotation provisions. If any copyright holder objects to an image being included, please notify us and it will be removed immediately.
Disclaimer: This information about Julia Child is derived from astrological interpretation of Julia Child's date, time, and place of birth.


text:
Views: 1098
I like the cut of your jib, Sir!
guys, please stop calling this guy Pastor mike, every time i see pastor, i think your talking to me, allow me to suggest another title, "Christian Nut Mike"
well brian these guys scare me
He's blocked his blog to outside traffic. However you can still access the google copies for many pages by entering site:pastorstahl.blogspot.com and clicking on "cache".
Also you can view pastormikeschurch.blogspot.com, his "Living Water Church"
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text:
The New Mafia
The Gotti Tapes: Including the Testimony of Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano
War on Drugs: Studies in the Failure of U.S. Narcotics Policy
Evil Money: Encounters Along the Money Trail
The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Operations
The recent trial and conviction of John Gotti on murder and racketeering charges marked not just the fall of the country's most celebrated living mobster but the decline of the American Mafia as a whole. The proceedings served as a showcase for the troubles besetting this once invincible organization. The deed at the center of the government's case—Gotti's part in murdering his rival, Paul Castellano—was one of many deadly feuds to have wracked La Cosa Nostra in recent years. The decision by Gotti's underling, Sammy Gravano, to testify against his boss showed the extent to which the once-sacred code of silence has lapsed. Most telling of all, perhaps, were the secret FBI tapes played at the trial. That the government could penetrate the Ravenite social club in Little Italy, where Gotti held court, showed just how vulnerable the organization had become.
The tapes themselves revealed Gotti as a paranoid lout with a genius for implicating himself. They make clear that even he sensed the end was near. "It's us against the world," Gotti remarks at one point. "It's over," Gravano says. "Not only it's over," Gotti replies. "Where the fuck are we going from here?"1
Even as the old Mafia is declining, though, a new underworld is taking shape. Today, many different mafias are at work in America—Colombian cartels, Chinese "triads," Jamaican "posses," Dominican crews, Vietnamese "tongs," as well as gangs of Haitians, Pakistanis, and Nigerians. Like the Italian paisanos who arrived on these shores earlier in the century, the new groups are made up mostly of recent immigrants. And, like the Mafia, they rely on ethnic ties to give their enterprises a sense of coherence and loyalty.
But in other respects the new syndicates differ markedly from La Cosa Nostra—in their use of violence, for example. The Italians' brutality has always been tempered by Old World notions of honor. If, for whatever reason, a Mafioso had to be eliminated, the deed was to be carried out professionally, without injury to innocent parties. Wives and children, in particular, were strictly off-limits. The new syndicates, by contrast, don't hesitate to gun down a rival's family along with the man himself.
The new gangsters are further distinguished by their concentration on drug trafficking. The Mafia has always had a diversified portfolio, including racketeering, loan-sharking, extortion, prostitution, and gambling, not to mention the organized looting of Kennedy Airport and other international airports. Narcotics, too, have proved profitable, but the Mafia has never completely overcome its traditional distaste for drug-dealing, and so this has remained one among many lines. Most of the new syndicates, by contrast, rely on drug trafficking as their primary source of income.
More generally, the huge increase in drug use during the last fifteen years has given rise to an international criminal network of unprecedented scope and sophistication. The Colombian cocaine syndicates manage a 5,000-mile pipeline involving hundreds of thousands of…
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1 Products
Espresso Machines
Espresso is a highly concentrated shot of brewed coffee that is prepared quickly by forcing hot pressurized water through tightly packed, finely ground espresso roasted coffee.
Often people are confused about the differences between espresso, cappuccino and latte. Espresso is the base for most specialty café beverages. Frothed milk is added to espresso to make a cappuccino and steamed milk is added to espresso to make a latte. Various other flavorings can be added to customize these beverages into a wide variety of your favorite coffeehouse drinks.