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Last week's oral arguments: in Plain English
Last week, I wrote about several fascinating oral arguments at the Court. As Dahlia Lithwick commented with her signature dry humor, some of this week's arguments were dense and technical. On the other hand, the Justices also heard arguments about the immigration status of children born outside the U.S. to a U.S. citizen, whether medical residents are "students" for purposes of payroll taxes, and the interaction of copyright law and the "gray market" for products purchased abroad.
First up this week was Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research v. United States, in which the Justices were asked to decide whether medical residents are "students" for purposes of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) (in which case they would not be required to pay Social Security taxes) or instead employees (and therefore required to pay the taxes). If "" as the hospitals in the case contend "" the residents are students, then hospitals also save money because they do not have to pay into the government retirement program for them. The government, on the other hand, counters that the residents are employees rather than students, and both sides have arguments in their favor: the hospitals emphasize that the residents are still learning to be doctors and would not be allowed to practice in the hospitals without supervision, while the government argues that they earn full-time salaries and work full-time schedules. In short, FICA's definition of the word "student" may be ambiguous, meaning that the Court will be the final arbiter on the question of just what it means.
Sounds simple, right? Don't we know a student when we see one (to borrow a turn of phrase from Justice Potter Stewart)? Well, maybe not. As I have discussed in prior Plain English posts, the Court uses any number of "tools" to interpret statutory terms. Here, with the word "student," the Court will look to the "plain meaning" of the word (if there is one) "" what do ordinary people understand a "student" to be? But if the plain meaning does not help the Justices decide the issue, they will try to determine what Congress thought a "student" was. Whom did Congress intend to exempt from FICA taxes? The Justices will also consider the agency definition "" should they defer to what the Treasury Department thought that "students" were? The implications will be far reaching, as there are thousands of medical residents working in American hospitals today.
On to a very different type of case, this one about naturalization and U.S. citizenship. The petitioner in the case, Ruben Flores-Villar, was born in Mexico to unmarried parents, only one of whom "" his father "" is a U.S. citizen. Under the law in effect when he was born, if Flores-Villar's mother had been a U.S. citizen, he could have become a U.S. citizen as long as his mother had lived in the U.S. for at least one year before her baby's birth. However, because his father was the U.S. citizen, Flores-Villar could obtain U.S. citizenship only if his father had lived in the U.S. for ten years, five of which came after his fourteenth birthday "" a requirement that was physically impossible because his father was only sixteen when Flores-Villar was born. Without U.S. citizenship, Flores-Villar was deported for committing a crime and charged with being present in the United States illegally when he tried to return.
In his case before the Court, Flores-Villar makes what is called an equal protection claim, arguing that the federal immigration law applying to his situation treats the child of an unwed U.S. citizen father differently. He also explains that, no matter what level of scrutiny the Court applies to the law, he should win because the government has no legitimate basis for treating men differently than women.
Let's take a quick look at the concept of "scrutiny." Just as it sounds, when the Court is considering a claim that the Constitution has been violated, it uses different tests depending on the type of case before it. Some kinds of cases "" such as those claiming race discrimination by the government or government interference with free speech "" require the Court to use "strict scrutiny," which considers whether the discrimination is "necessary" and the state's interest is "compelling." Obviously, this standard is hard for the government to meet, unlike "rational basis" review (applying to most types of government action), which only requires that a violation is "rationally related" to a "legitimate" state interest. For cases involving government gender discrimination or discrimination against the children of unwed parents, the Court uses "intermediate" scrutiny, which asks whether the difference in treatment is "important" to a "substantial government interest." Here, Flores-Villar claims that he should win no matter which standard properly applies; the Court will have to decide both which level of scrutiny is appropriate and whether the INA survives that scrutiny.
But even if Flores-Villar has convinced the Court that the law governing citizenship for the children of unwed parents is unconstitutional, it appears that he still faces a big problem: at the oral argument, most Justices seemed to think that the Court did not have the power to remedy the problem and grant him citizenship, because that power properly belongs to Congress. Stay tuned for the answer, one which will be particularly important and relevant in this modern world where parents may be married (or not) and citizens of the same country (or not).
In another case this week, AT&T v. Concepcion, the Court considered whether companies can be required to submit to arbitration with a class of plaintiffs, rather than with individual plaintiffs. A "class action" is a lawsuit brought by a large group of people, all of whom have suffered the same injury. Rather than bringing separate lawsuits, they join together to bring one big lawsuit, and all members of the class agree that they will accept the same outcome. They may choose to join a class because the amount of money that each individual is seeking is small, making it impractical to find an attorney and sue on their own, or because they cannot afford to retain an attorney on their own in the first place.
"Arbitration" is an alternative means of dispute resolution that avoids the court system and allows specially trained experts "" known as arbitrators "" to resolve disputes. Arbitration is usually cheaper and faster than litigation in court, and many contracts contain clauses requiring parties to resolve their differences through arbitration. In fact, even federal law prefers arbitration as a neater, cleaner way of solving problems than traditional lawsuits.
But the wrinkle arises when class actions and arbitration come together. In this case, AT&T's cell phone contracts contained a provision prohibiting plaintiffs from bringing class actions; instead, AT&T customers were required to bring individual claims. The state court called that provision "unconscionable," which means that it was invalid because it was so unfair. Now the Court must answer several questions: Does a federal law that was intended to ensure that arbitration agreements be enforced trump, or "preempt," the state court decision? Should the Concepcions, who were forced to pay sales tax on a "free" phone, be allowed to join in a class action to recover the thirty dollars that AT&T fraudulently charged them? And if their class action can go forward, does it adversely affect arbitration? Finally, what exactly is a 9,000-foot cow, what does it have to do with cell phones, and why did Justice Breyer ask about it in the oral argument? The Court will tell us the answers to at least some of these and other hard questions by June.
In one more case, Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Omega S.A., the Court is considering the "first-sale" doctrine, an exception to copyright protection that says that the holder of a copyrighted product is only entitled to profit from the "first sale" of the product. Subsequent sales, such as between wholesalers and retailers, would not be protected under copyright law. The doctrine would allow U.S. discounters to offer bargain prices on goods made by foreign manufacturers and bought overseas, then imported. The cases arises because Costco sold Omega watches at a discounted price in its U.S. stores, incurring the wrath of Omega, who stood to gain little if anything from Costco's sale of its products. Costco points out that, if the first-sale doctrine does not apply to this situation, foreign manufacturers will have a leg up over domestic ones, to whom the doctrine applies.
Next week, the Court could issue the first signed opinion of the Term. . . and I'll explain it in Plain English.
Recommended Citation: Lisa McElroy, Last week's oral arguments: in Plain English, SCOTUSblog (Nov. 13, 2010, 10:43 PM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2010/11/last-weeks-oral-arguments-in-plain-english-2/


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Three strikes law
Three strike laws is a statute enacted by America states whereby after committing two crimes your third crime will, no matter how small, land you a life sentence. Although proving to be too liberal a policy for Texas to adopt, in turn favouring their one strike law, it is a policy spread widely over America. This statue became very popular in the early 1990s when tri-offending was at its heigh, after careful consideration of the facts it was concluded that letting people commit two felonies was permissible but on the third they would be hammered for it. The name of the bill is such because of the occasion in which its inception was made. In 1994, on Tuesday afternoon congress posed the bill to a lethargic George H. W. Bush, for him to sign. The three strikes law is primarily to deter those who commit crimes from repeat offending. As one can see from the statistics it has been extremely successful in incarcerating those who commit petty theft, carry marijuana on them, or get a parking ticket. After the introduction of the Three Strikes Law prison warders began generally agreeing that their job had become at least twice as easy, as keeping someone who hasn't returned their video tape rentals three times in a row down is far easier than suppressing a murderer.
The Three Strike Law has on balance been a rousing success, with 25% of the world prisoners being American[1]. In fact, the Three Strikes Law has done more then fill its mandate, its done overtime! There are now more black American males in prison than in college, freeing up space for all those intelligent white people, who are probably republicans! God bless America.
The history of the Three Strike Law is stooped in controversy. There have been frequent incidents of namby pamby liberals screaming out that prison isn't the place for shoplifters, that a system of justice based on baseball is wrong, and that McDonald's are run by communists who are fattening America up so they stand a chance in WW3[2]. The law was first passed in Washington, then closely followed by California in large majorities. The law, at the time, was simply called Three Strikes and you're Out to make it easily understood by even the most stereotypical of Americans. Incidentally, a BBC game show by the same name charting the rise and fall of those who were effects by this law was rejected on ground of not wanting to subject intelligent English viewers to the trials and tribulations present in rural America. Slowly the law began to spread to other states, but none adopted it as fervently as California, who took to the law like a paedophile to a insecure teenager. In fact, in 2005, over 65% of those imprisoned under the Three Strike Law were non-violent offenders. And if that wasn't good enough, African-Americans sentences in Californian state court on felonies receive a prison sentence 52% of the time, whilst whites receive it just 34%. What a triumph for the American Dream.
By 2004, twenty six states used a system of justice which fitted the criteria of being a "Three Strike Law" system. Another fantastic addition to this law is the total inability to parole until your 25th year if convicted within the Three Strike law. There isn't much one can say in that situation, except have the judge scream Youuuu'reeee out! and slam his hammer down as a final testament to the injustice of America.
Effects and Examples[edit]
The effects of this law are widespread, there have been numerous occasions of the law working exactly as intended, and even more of it working better. Take for example the vile excuse for a human, Leandro Andrade. This man is now serving two life sentences in a Californian prison for the most heinous of crimes. He shoplifted not one video tape, not two, ah I bet you think three, no he stole 9 video tapes. He had it coming is all that I can say.
Another example would be Kevin Webber, who received 26 years for stealing 4 chocolate chip cookies[3].
These two cases raise the question why when your on your third chance, you don't you do something major. I'm not for one moment condoning serious crimes, but its better to go out with a bang than with a whimper. Nobody wants to spend 26 years of their life with murderers for having an impromptu hankering for sweets next to a patisserie with no change on them. It can only lead to bad things.
One strike and you're in[edit]
This principle refers to the way in which some governments are feeling liberal and amend the Three Strike Law to be more of a one strike law. Now obviously this is grossly unfair to those who commit minor crimes but when considered carefully by a board of highly trained international relations advisor they saw this variant of the law fit for use in all states where the African-American population outnumbers the white population. I wonder why. I guess some mysteries in life will just go unsolved. Although originally they wanted to copy the principles of the Middle East, and sever your hands from your body at the neck if you were caught so much as flatulating in public this was rejected on ground of having nowhere to hide the bodies. "You cant shred the bodies like we shred all the important documents" George Bush jn. was revealed to have said in a document too thick to be shredded.
Other forms of government based on sport[edit]
Due to the popularity of the Three Strike Law[4] many new areas of government based on popular sports have been suggested. Also current ones that are loosely based on sports but could do with more clearly defined boundaries have been highlighted. The process of presidential elections for example has been pointed out to work in much the same way as a beauty pageant. But could still be improved further if all the parading around the states was cut out. The candidate would simply dress us in a sparkly sequinned robe and show the judges (the public) their one talent. For example, John McCain could impress the people of America by his ability to bore anyone, young or old, into a deep sleep with his terribly long and drawn out war stories.
Changes have also been suggested to American foreign policy, although right now it resembles one sport in particular very closely there is one simple change that could be made to make it infinitely better. Right now the similarity between American foreign policy and target shooting is uncanny. But the one change that is being suggested by congress is that instead of scoring point based on where you hit the target, you score points based on how many targets you hit. It's already going that way at the moment, so a nudge in the right direction wouldn't hurt anybody[5]

subset: commoncrawl


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Star Wars pretty much dominates our household these days – a fascination driven by my daughter, aged 6 and in grade 1, who has watched all movies, is watching the Clone Wars and carries around the Star Wars Encyclopedia day after day.
In searching for Star Wars themed party things – I was appalled to discover ToysRus Canada (@toysruscanada) considers 138 of their 139 Star Wars as toys for boys not girls. I tweeted the #fail – wondering if I am making a mountain from a molehill. But it continues to bother me and importantly, my daughter agrees with me – "I feel sad and its weird" she says to ToysRus Canada only listing 1 of the 139 Star Wars toys as a girl toy.
I had to wonder if this was hap-hazard product classification based on old stereotypes. With gender specific filters – certainly there is strong responsibility to ensure accurate classification. Could misclassified toys have a role in promoting old stereotypes? Are girls not getting into Star Wars because a large toy retailer fails to include them in their toy recommendations – thereby limiting girls out of popular sci-fi experiences?
Low interest in Star Wars by girls would surprise me – especially these days with the successful Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon tv series and their strong female character leads like Jedi Ahsoka Tano and Senator Padme Amidala. (And I do consider Ahsoka is a far better role model than pre-90s disney princesses). Could erroneous product classification give parents and boys the wrong cues about girl interests?
Upon a bit investigation, I found a wonderful anti-bullying essay by Carrie Goldman, @cmgsart , that I missed from November 2010. She spoke about her daughter, Katie Goldman, taunted by boys in her grade 1 class who believed Star Wars paraphernalia to be 'for boys only'.
Her blog post created strong internet support for girls who like Star Wars and don't deserve to conform into traditional 'sci-fi is for boys' thinking. It made me think about the role retailers, like ToysRUs Canada, has when you have gender based filtering on products – especially for kids. Did it start with the boys believing Katie should not have a Star Wars water bottle or could they have gotten their cues from retail?
A little more investigation turns up a wonderful interview by Ann Hoevel, @cnngeekout , Geek Out! producer for CNN with Ashley Eckstein, @heruniverse and voice of Ahsoka Tano – "Her Universe is Ashley Eckstein's Battle Cry" . She highlights the 2011 shift in Star War popularity from boys to include girls as girls show they are not afraid to embrace sci-fi.
'somehow even children hold fast to the idea that sci-fi is only for boys. I think we have a responsibility to the younger fans today, and I think obviously we saw that with Katie Goldman, the 'Star Wars' girl. "
Ashley goes on to say "many girls are told "this isn't for you – for so long. Told that, 'just accept that (sci-fi franchises are) a boy's and a men's property,' " – well – @toysruscanada is doing the same thing. [ Ann's interview with Ashley – excellent!]
Certainly, I have appreciated gender specific recommendations for gifting in the past. And yet, I think any retailer who offers an opinion on what is best suited by gender has a strong responsibility to ensure gender specific recommendations are accurate and do not uphold old stereotypes for either gender. Toysrus – its time to look more closely at your 139 Star Wars toys and identify many of them as gender neutral.


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Cantamus Women's Choir was created in 2000, and is one of four major choral ensembles at Iowa State University. The women of Cantamus are selected by audition and range in year from freshmen to graduate students, and come from many fields of study across campus. They all share an enthusiasm for new and challenging repertoire, along with a love for adventurous programming. Recent commissions include works by Pietro Ferrario, Ko Matsushita, Levente Gyöngyösi, Abbie Betinis, Eric Barnum, and Nathaniel Adams. Cantamus annually presents a four-concert season, which includes a tour and a choral orchestral Masterworks Concert. The ensemble rehearses three times a week, and music majors comprise ten percent of its membership. Cantamus has received invitations to give solo performances for the 2004 and 2010 North Central ACDA Conferences, the 2004 National MENC/NAfME Convention, and the 2013 & 2017 National ACDA Conferences.
Find out about our female a cappella group, Count Me In!
Selected works from 2019
Live works from ACDA 2017
Eric Barnum: Heaven Full of Stars
Ko Matsushita: Alleluia, Cantate Domino


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Celebrate a precious child's birth from 2016 with this attractive coin set that will forever commemorate that momentous beginning.• Each set contains a 2016 cent, nickel, dime, quarter and half dollar.• The actual coins will vary from our stock photo.• Great care is given to the selection of quality uncirculated coins for each set.• Dimensions: 8.5'' x 6.5'' x .75'', Photo Window: 1.75'' x 1.5''• This 2016 Birth Year Gift Set comes housed in a lovely Gift Box with its Certificate of Authenticity.
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It was only Magath's second league win since he became Fulham's third manager of the season following the 1-0 success over Newcastle on March 15 and the former Bayern Munich boss wants to see that result matched against the Canaries, who will be under the stewardship of Neil Adams for the first time.
"It helps us a lot - this feeling and the atmosphere," he said.
"You feel it this week, the players are free, laughing and so I think it was an important win to go on in fighting against relegation
We need another win in the next game and we will try against Norwich.
"They are not afraid to make mistakes and that is how we have to play and why I'm convinced we will stay in the league
The whole club now believes after the win at Aston Villa."
For Adams, the game at Craven Cottage will be seen as a crucial fixture if he is to keep the Canaries afloat with their last four games coming against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Fulham's run-in is less daunting but Magath feels that every game between now and the end of the season is pivotal to his side's survival bid while suggesting Norwich may have left it too late to replace Chris Hughton in their own fight against the drop.
"For us it doesn't matter who is the opponent because we have only important games now," he said.
"Norwich have a very bad schedule, they have very, very difficult games ahead
They have changed their manager now and this will give them new energy so we will have to be careful.
"You can never say what has happened at another club but they took a manager who knows everything about the club - it is a chance to change something and I think it was a good decision
Maybe it was just a little bit too late."
Former Ipswich striker Darren Bent, currently on loan at Fulham from Villa, will be hoping to start against Norwich having scored in the FA Cup third-round replay victory against the Norfolk club in January.
The England international has not featured on a regular basis under Magath as the German looks to give every player in his squad an opportunity to impress.
He said: "If I come here as a new manager I have to take care of all the players, not only of Darren Bent.
"I have to give everyone a chance to show the fans, the club and me how good he is and I think everybody has had their chance
He will get another chance
Everybody wants to play, if I ask the players everyone tells me they want to play.
"I'm only regarding the training sessions and I have to choose after training who was good and who has convinced me and then I decide who is playing
He is fit this weekend."
Bent will battle it out with Villa Park match-winner Hugo Rodallega and youngster Cauley Woodrow to lead the line on Saturday, with club-record signing Kostas Mitroglou once again ruled out with injury.
The Greece international has made only two appearances since moving to Craven Cottage from Olympiacos in January but Magath did confirm he hopes to have the 26-year-old available for the short trip to Tottenham in a fortnight.
Source : PA
Source: PA


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Yesterday I blogged about pesto. Today, I'm sharing one of my favorite pesto pasta dishes. But first, I hope you'll indulge me as I take a short trip down memory lane.
When I was on a culinary trip in Italy back in 2009, we visited a small village called Taormina. Perched on a mountainside about 45 minutes from the Mt. Etna volcano, Taormina is a place of jaw-dropping beauty. From the ancient Greco-Roman theater to the Saracen castle, time seems to stand still in this little village, so removed from the world.
Walking down the street, you're greeted by stores that sell colorful local pottery and crafts.
Bakeries tempt you with colorful window displays of cookies and candies. Sweet shops offer gelato in a rainbow of colors. Taormina is a feast for the eyes.
Of course, it's also a feast for the stomach. I found that out when we started exploring off the beaten path. Down a long narrow alleyway, the smell of home-cooked Italian wafted to our noses. Following the heavenly aroma, we found ourselves in front of a tiny restaurant. An old woman was serving a bowl of pasta to the only customer sitting inside. We walked in, hungry for whatever we were smelling. The old woman greeted us in Italian, and soon it became clear that she didn't speak any English. Unfortunately I only knew a couple words in Italian (spaghetti? gnocchi?… la bella luna?). But when I pointed to the bowl of pasta she'd just served, she smiled—she knew exactly what I wanted. Food is the international language!
To this day, I dream about that bowl of pasta. I was so impressed that I wrote down the name in a little notebook I carry with me when I travel. "Pasta Trenette."
When I got back home, I made it my mission to find out how to make authentic Pasta Trenette. The dish has roots in Liguria, Italy. And the secret ingredient is—you guessed it!—pesto.
Here's the recipe. It's really easy to make and so, so tasty. The Italians make it with a pasta called trenette, which is very similar to linguini or tagliatelle. I've had trouble tracking down trenette pasta, so I usually use linguini. While Pasta Trenette tastes best with traditional Basil Pesto (which includes cheese), you could also make a vegan/pareve version with my dairy-free Pareve Basil Pesto. But I really recommend the cheese. Really, really. 🙂
For my Basil Pesto and Pareve Pesto (Dairy Free) recipes, click here.
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Ligurian Pasta Trenette
6 servings
15 minutes
30 minutes
45 minutes
Learn to make Pasta Trenette from Liguria, Italy - a delicious vegetarian linguini dish with pesto, potatoes and green beans. Kosher, Dairy.
- 1 lb red new potatoes, peeled
- 1 lb green beans, trimmed and halved
- 1 lb linguini or tagliatelle pasta
- 1 cup pesto sauce (dairy)
- Extra virgin olive oil or melted butter
- Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese to taste (use a vegetarian cheese to keep the dish vegetarian)
Trim and halve your green beans, then peel your new potatoes and cut them into large chunks.
Put the potatoes and the green beans into the pot of boiling salted water. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the potato pieces are tender.
Remove vegetables from the pot with slotted spoon.
Return water to a boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions to desired tenderness.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta. Return pasta to empty pot along with the cooked vegetables.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of basil pesto with a ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or melted butter. Add additional water to create a thinner sauce, if desired.
Pour the liquefied sauce over the pasta and vegetables, toss to coat. Serve immediately. Garnish each serving with grated cheese.


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Bloom Yoga Bags – the recycled yoga bag made out of teabags
When I first came across Bloom Yoga Bags my first thought was wait, made out of teabags? This I have to see for myself. Once I had my own BlooM Ragbag yoga bag in my hands, I immediately felt how strong the material was. But I wanted to test it to see if it lived up to its expectations.
I started using the bag with me to different yoga practices, sometimes I walked around with it during rain, but the material is incredibly water-resistant so I did not have to worry about water soaking through and ruining my yoga mat.
I already thought the look of it was pretty cool, you won't come across this natural design anywhere. I felt like I wanted to know more about the company and the brand so I read a little about them on their homepage and this is what I found out.
Turns out, Bloom Yoga Mats are made out of recycled materials and only natural fibers by local initiatives for a great cause – to help communities in developing areas in India. Not only is the yoga bag good for the environment but it also benefits the local workers. I love products that help people living in poorer neighborhoods, especially when their work benefits them. It's a win win and it strengthens the morale in these parts of the world.
How the bag is actually made is even more incredible. Tamil Nadu is a province in the South of India and this is where the yoga bags are being produced. Bloom Yoga collaborates with an organisation called Raghu, in which "ragpickers" collect big teabags from different restaurants, hotels and tea factories and bring them to a collaborating rooftop factory, from there these teabags are recycled into bags and accessories. One of those bags is the BlooM Ragbag yoga bag which I'm happy to have a copy of. These bags tick every box, and they're also incredibly comfortable.
Have read about them on their website www.bloomyogabags.com.


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History Avicenna
Avicenna, Arabic Ibn Sīnā, in full Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā (born 980, near Bukhara, Iran [now in Uzbekistan]—died 1037, Hamadan, Iran) Muslim physician,the most famous and influential of the philosopher-scientists of the medieval Islamic world. He was particularly noted for his contributions in the fields of Aristotelian philosophy and medicine. He composed the Kitāb al-shifāʾ (Book of the Cure), a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopaedia, and Al-Qānūn fī al-ṭibb (The Canon of Medicine), which is among the most famous books in the history of medicine.
Avicenna did not burst upon an empty Islamic intellectual stage. It is believed that Muslim writer Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ, or possibly his son, had introduced Aristotelian logic to the Islamic world more than two centuries before Avicenna. Al-Kindī, the first Islamic Peripatetic (Aristotelian) philosopher, and Turkish polymath al-Fārābī, from whose book Avicenna would learn Aristotle's metaphysics, preceded him. Of these luminaries, however, Avicenna remains by far the greatest.
Life and education
Conventional modern portrait (on a silver vase, Avicenna Mausoleum
and Museum, Hamadan)
According to Avicenna's personal account of his life, as communicated in the records of his longtime pupil al-Jūzjānī, he read and memorized the entire Qurʾān by age 10. The tutor Nātilī instructed the youth in elementary logic, and, having soon surpassed his teacher, Avicenna took to studying the Hellenistic authors on his own. By age 16 Avicenna turned to medicine, a discipline over which he claimed "easy" mastery. When the sultan of Bukhara fell ill with an ailment that baffled the court physicians, Avicenna was called to his bedside and cured him. In gratitude, the sultan opened the royal Sāmānid library to him, a fortuitous benevolence that introduced Avicenna to a veritable cornucopia of science and philosophy.
Avicenna began his prodigious writing career at age 21. Some 240 extant titles bear his name. They cross numerous fields, including mathematics, geometry, astronomy, physics, metaphysics, philology, music, and poetry. Often caught up in the tempestuous political and religious strife of the era, Avicenna's scholarship was unquestionably hampered by a need to remain on the move. At Eṣfahān, under ʿAlā al-Dawla, he found the stability and security that had eluded him. If Avicenna could be said to have had any halcyon days, they occurred during his time at Eṣfahān, where he was insulated from political intrigues and could hold his own scholars' court every Friday, discussing topics at will. In this salubrious climate, Avicenna completed Kitāb al-shifāʾ, wrote Dānish nāma-i ʿalāʾī (Book of Knowledge) and Kitāb al-najāt (Book of Salvation), and compiled new and more-accurate astronomical tables.
While in the company of ʿAlā al-Dawla, Avicenna fell ill with colic. He treated himself by employing the heroic measure of eight self-administered celery-seed enemas in one day. However, the preparation was either inadvertently or intentionally altered by an attendant to include five measures of active ingredient instead of the prescribed two. That caused ulceration of the intestines. Following up with mithridate (a mild opium remedy attributed to Mithradates VI Eupator, king of Pontus [120–63 bce]), a slave attempted to poison Avicenna by surreptitiously adding a surfeit of opium. Weakened but indefatigable, he accompanied ʿAlā al-Dawla on his march to Hamadan. On the way he took a severe turn for the worse, lingered for a while, and died in the holy month of Ramadan.
Influence in philosophy and science
12th-century manuscript of the Canon, kept at the Azerbaijan National
Academy of Sciences.
In 1919–20 British Orientalist and acclaimed authority on Persia Edward G. Browne opined that "Avicenna was a better philosopher than physician, but al-Rāzī [Rhazes] a better physician than philosopher," a conclusion oft repeated ever since. But a judgment issued 800 years later begs the question: By what contemporary measure is an appraisal of "better" made? Several points are needed to make the philosophical and scientific views of these men comprehensible today. Theirs was the culture of the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate (750–1258), the final ruling dynasty built on the precepts of the first Muslim community (ummah) in the Islamic world. Thus, their cultural beliefs were remote from those of the 20th-century West and those of their Hellenistic predecessors. Their worldview was theocentric (centred on God)—rather than anthropocentric (centred on humans), a perspective known to the Greco-Roman world. Their cosmology was a unity of natural, supernatural, and preternatural realms.
Avicenna's cosmology centralized God as the Creator—the First Cause, the necessary Being from whom emanated the 10 intelligences and whose immutable essence and existence reigned over those intelligences. The First Intelligence descended on down to the Active Intelligence, which communicated to humans through its divine light, a symbolic attribute deriving authority from the Qurʾān.
Avicenna's most important work of philosophy and science is Kitāb al-shifāʾ, which is a four-part encyclopaedia covering logic, physics, mathematics, and metaphysics. Since science was equated with wisdom, Avicenna attempted a broad unified classification of knowledge. For example, in the physics section, nature is discussed in the context of eight principal sciences, including the sciences of general principles, of celestial and terrestrial bodies, and of primary elements, as well as meteorology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, and psychology (science of the soul). The subordinate sciences, in order of importance, as designated by Avicenna, are medicine; astrology; physiognomy, the study of the correspondence of psychological characteristics to physical structure; oneiromancy, the art of dream interpretation; talismans, objects with magical power to blend the celestial forces with the forces of particular worldly bodies, giving rise to extraordinary action on earth; theurgy, the "secrets of prodigies," whereby the combining of terrestrial forces are made to produce remarkable actions and effects; and alchemy, an arcane art studied by Avicenna, although he ultimately rejected its transmutationism (the notion that base metals, such as copper and lead, could be transformed into precious metals, such as gold and silver). Mathematics is divided into four principal sciences: numbers and arithmetic, geometry and geography, astronomy, and music.
|Image of Avicenna on the Tajikistani somoni
Logic was viewed by Avicenna as instrumental to philosophy, an art and a science to be concerned with second-order concepts. While he was generally within the tradition of al-Fārābī and al-Kindī, he more clearly dissociated himself from the Peripatetic school of Baghdad and utilized concepts of the Platonic and Stoic doctrines more openly and with a more independent mind. More importantly, his theology—the First Cause and the 10 intelligences—allowed his philosophy, with its devotion to God as Creator and the celestial hierarchy, to be imported easily into medieval European Scholastic thought.
Influence in medicine
Despite a general assessment favouring al-Rāzī's medical contributions, many physicians historically preferred Avicenna for his organization and clarity. Indeed, his influence over Europe's great medical schools extended well into the early modern period. There The Canon of Medicine (Al-Qānūn fī al-ṭibb) became the preeminent source, rather than al-Rāzī's Kitāb al-ḥāwī (Comprehensive Book).
Inside view of the Avicenna Mausoleum, designed by
Hooshang Seyhoun in 1945–1950.
Avicenna's penchant for categorizing becomes immediately evident in the Canon, which is divided into five books. The first book contains four treatises, the first of which examines the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) in light of Greek physician Galen of Pergamum's four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile). The first treatise also includes anatomy. The second treatise examines etiology (cause) and symptoms, while the third covers hygiene, health and sickness, and death's inevitability. The fourth treatise is a therapeutic nosology (classification of disease) and a general overview of regimens and dietary treatments. Book II of the Canon is a "Materia Medica," Book III covers "Head-to-Toe Diseases," Book IV examines "Diseases That Are Not Specific to Certain Organs" (fevers and other systemic and humoral pathologies), and Book V presents "Compound Drugs" (e.g., theriacs, mithridates, electuaries, and cathartics). Books II and V each offer important compendia of about 760 simple and compound drugs that elaborate upon Galen's humoral pathology.
Unfortunately, Avicenna's original clinical records, intended as an appendix to the Canon, were lost, and only an Arabic text has survived in a Roman publication of 1593. Yet, he obviously practiced Greek physician Hippocrates' treatment of spinal deformities with reduction techniques, an approach that had been refined by Greek physician and surgeon Paul of Aegina. Reduction involved the use of pressure and traction to straighten or otherwise correct bone and joint deformities such as curvature of the spine. The techniques were not used again until French surgeon Jean-François Calot reintroduced the practice in 1896. Avicenna's suggestion of wine as a wound dressing was commonly employed in medieval Europe. He also described a condition known as "Persian fire" (anthrax), correctly correlated the sweet taste of urine to diabetes, and described the guinea worm.
Avicenna's influence extends into modern medical practice. Evidence-based medicine, for example, is often presented as a wholly contemporary phenomenon driven by the double-blind clinical trial. But, as medical historian Michael McVaugh pointed out, medieval physicians went to great pains to build their practices upon reliable evidence. Here, Avicenna played a leading role as a prominent figure within the Greco-Arabic literature that influenced such 13th-century physicians as Arnold of Villanova (c. 1235–1313), Bernard de Gordon (fl. 1270–1330), and Nicholas of Poland (c. 1235–1316). It was Avicenna's concept of a proprietas (a consistently effective remedy founded directly upon experience) that permitted the testing and confirmation of remedies within a context of rational causation. Avicenna, and to a lesser extent Rhazes, gave many prominent medieval healers a framework of medicine as an empirical science integral to what McVaugh called "a rational schema of nature." This should not be assumed to have led medieval physicians to construct a modern nosology or to develop modern research protocols. However, it is equally ahistorical to dismiss the contributions of Avicenna, and the Greco-Arabic literature of which he was such a prominent part, to the construction of modalities of care that were fundamentally evidence-based.
The statue of Avicenna in United Nations Office in Vienna as a part of
the "Persian Scholars Pavilion" donated by Iran
It is difficult to fully assess Avicenna's personal life. Most of what is known of Avicenna is found in the autobiography dictated to his longtime protégé al-Jūzjānī. While his life was embellished by friends and vilified by foes, by all accounts he loved life and had a voracious appetite for lively music, strong drink, and promiscuous sex. Avicenna's mercurial wit and expansive brilliance won him many friends, but his flaunting of Islamic puritanical conventions earned him even more enemies. At times he appears arrogant. While he borrowed heavily from al-Rāzī, Avicenna dismissed his Persian predecessor by insisting that he should have stuck "to testing stools and urine." Avicenna also appears to have been a lonely, brooding figure, whose efforts at self-promotion were often tempered by a cagey instinct for survival in a politically volatile world. Despite Avicenna's personal strengths and weaknesses, his intelligence was great in theoretical and practical matters.
In addition to Avicenna's philosophy having been readily incorporated into medieval European Scholastic thought, his synthesis of Neoplatonic and Aristotelian thought and his encompassing of all human knowledge of the time into well-organized accessible texts make him one of the greatest intellects since Aristotle. British philosopher Antony Flew's appraisal of Avicenna as "one of the greatest thinkers ever to write in Arabic" expresses the modern scholarly assessment of the man.
In medicine, Avicenna exerted a profound influence over the schools of Europe into the 17th century. The Canon was subjected to increasing criticism by Renaissance instructors, yet, because Avicenna's text adhered to the practice and theories of medicine described in Greco-Roman texts, instructors used it to introduce their students to the basic principles of science. Avicenna, never wanting for enemies, was as true in death as in life. Medieval physician Arnold of Villanova berated Avicenna as "a professional scribbler who had stupefied European physicians by his misinterpretation of Galen." But such an assertion is heavy-handed. Indeed, without Avicenna much knowledge would have
|The first page of a manuscript of Avicenna's Canon, dated 1596/7
been lost. Furthermore, his resilience over the centuries belies Villanova's conclusion. Lecturing in 1913, Canadian physician and professor of medicine Sir William Osler described Avicenna as "the author of the most famous medical text-book ever written." Osler added that Avicenna, as a practitioner, was "the prototype of the successful physician who was at the same time statesman, teacher, philosopher and literary man."
Taken in his entirety, Avicenna must be seen in context with his Islamic colleagues—al-Rāzī, Ibn Rushd (Averroës), ʿAlī ibn al-ʿAbbās (Haly Abbas), Abū al-Qāsim (Albucasis), Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar), and others—who, during the Islamic golden age, served as invaluable conduits of textual transmission and interpretation of Hellenistic learning for an amnesic Europe. First through Sicily and Spain and then via the Crusades, the rich cultural enlightenment of the Islamic world awakened a benighted Europe from its intellectual slumber, and Avicenna was perhaps the movement's greatest ambassador.
Avicenna's continued importance as a towering figure in Islamic history may be seen in his tomb at Hamadan. Even though it had fallen into disrepair by the early 20th century, Osler noted that "the great Persian has still a large practice, as his tomb is much visited by pilgrims, among whom cures are said to be not uncommon." In the 1950s the tomb was refurbished and transformed into an impressive mausoleum adorned with an imposing Mughal-inspired tower, and a museum and 8,000-volume library were added as well. Avicenna's resting place remains a major stop for tourists in the region. Now, as when he was alive, the great physician and philosopher continues to attract the attention of scholars and the public alike.


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Serious Green: 6 Rules of a Good Farmers' Market
There was a time when I cultivated tomatoes over acres, not in small pots on windowsills. I now make my home in Brooklyn and have no backyard, front yard, or rooftop to speak of. But in college I spent my summers riding in the back of pickup trucks; weeding fields; and selling tomatoes and peppers, blueberries and yellow squash at farmers markets' throughout the D.C. area. Back at school, friends and I yearned for food that didn't originate in the dining hall so we founded a highly successful biweekly farmers' market. I don't claim to have the wisdom of full-time farmers, but as a former farm worker and market manager, and as an active market go-er and home cook, I feel that I know a thing or two about what makes a good farmers' market.
It's a good time to start talking about what makes a good market because there's never been a better time for farmers' markets: Food consciousness is at an all-time high around the country, and President Obama is creating serious buzz with his annoucement that he'd like to see a White House farmers' market.
Markets succeed and fail for specific reasons. If you're a loyal shopper, it's good to think about what goes into your local market and what it takes to keep it going. If you're working toward building a stronger community food system that supports local food and preserves farmland, you need to consider what will create a stable, financially viable market. Whether you're looking to start a farmers' market in your neighborhood or you want to improve the one you've already got, here are some important issues to think about.
Farmers' Markets Should ...
1. Be 'Producer-Only'
At a producer-only market, vendors are required to grow, raise, or make what they sell. Farmers' markets are a place for local food, as in grown within 125 miles. If you live in Virginia, that does not include bananas or avocados. Believe me, I had people regularly ask for them at our market. Producer-only farmers' markets do not permit middlemen, such as "truck farmers" who buy from large buying clubs such as Costco or other farmers and resell those goods to consumers.
2. Have Rigorous Rules About Local Food, Within Reason
That salsa vendor might make delicious guacamole, but it doesn't belong at an East Coast farmers' market. Food in value-added products (baked goods, jam, cider, ice cream, etc.) should be regulated and monitored.
If at a farmers' market in New York a farmer is required to grow his own apples, then the baker at the stand next door should be not using apples from Washington State in his pies. Of course some things, like salt and flour, cannot be acquired locally.
Buying local when possible keeps things on an even playing field and leads to partnerships between vendors. If you have qualms about a certain product, don't hesitate to bring it up with whomever is running the market.
3. Have Ubiquitous and Informative Signage
Vegetable varieties and prices should be clearly labeled. If there's not written information, ask. Let your farmers know you're interested in knowing more about their products. No one knows the product better than they do. Unless they have a line 20 people deep, they'd probably love to chat with you.
4. Encourage Competition and Diversity
We don't just shop at farmers' markets because it's a nice way to spend a Saturday morning, we go because the food is better and deals can be had when food is in season. Encourage your local market to recruit new vendors. Competition is good for everyone. No one stand attracts the big crowds; a variety of vendors working together are what makes a successful market. Multiple vendors selling overlapping product means quality and value have to be kept up. Having as wide an array of products as possible--fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, plants, meat, game, dairy, poultry, eggs, fish, game, honey, jams and baked goods--means you can pick up most of dinner in one place.
5. Be Professionally and Independently Managed
Farmers don't just magically agree to be in one place at one time and then, voilà, a farmers' market is born. Professional management, such as for-profit, nonprofit, or government groups, ensures a market is run like a business. Of course, professional management comes with a fee (often a percentage of vendors' sales for the day), but it keeps things fair for both consumers and vendors. Management decisions are made independently of farmers, consumers, landlords, and local businesses but for the good of all.
Good market management recruits producers, sets standard rules, reads through vendor applications, conducts farm inspections, runs educational programs, lines up market music, and publicizes the market. They also help smooth over squabbles. I've seen farmers yell at each other over who is in whose tent-pole space, and it's not pretty.
6. Run in Winter
Shoppers should have access to processed foods, such as heirloom tomato sauce, cider, peach jam, dried mushrooms, dried peaches, and pickled beets, in nontraditional market months. It helps everyone extend their local eating season and also trains shoppers to realize that good tomatoes just aren't available in February.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Related Suppliers
Unless it goes flat, a tire is something most of us take for granted. In fact, the process of making a tire is very specialized and is becoming more sophisticated all the time. Matrix Tooling, Inc., (Bryan, Ohio) specializes in making complex patterns for the automotive industry on high speed three-axis CNC machines. As part of a growth plan to diversify and open new markets, Matrix sought after and won a contract from a major tire manufacturer. The contract involved making a set of molds that would be used to make tires for large diesel trucks.
Tire molds are typically cast from a ceramic mold. The cast molds are made by first create-ing a plaster pattern that represents the shape of the tire. A urethane-like material is then poured around the pattern to create what is known as a "toughy." Next, ceramic is poured around the toughy to form a mold. The toughy is then melted out of the ceramic. Finally, molten steel is poured into the ceramic to form a cast mold that will be used to make the tire.
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While this method generally produces acceptable results, there are inevitably inaccuracies built into the mold. Matrix's customer wanted to improve the accuracy of its tires by machining certain critical surfaces on the cast mold. An example of this would be the area of the mold commonly referred to as "the road surface," which forms the portion of the tire that actually makes contact with the road.
The customer wanted to ensure that this surface was nearly perfectly round to increase the life of the tire and provide better performance. During the casting process, the road surface was left with an extra 0.040 inch of material to be machined off later. It was determined that a five-axis machine would be the most ideal way to perform this operation. In addition to improving accuracy, it was thought that the use of a five-axis machine would also reduce the number of required setups and machine time when compared to three-axis machining.
With this determined, Matrix had to overcome two problems: It needed a five-axis machine, and it needed a way to program this machine. Matrix was also on a very tight schedule. The company researched the machine tool market to find a machine that was suited for its application. It decided on the Mikron UPC 710 high speed machining center. With a machine on order, the company now needed five-axis programs. It initially thought of having the five-axis programming work contracted out, but because it was worried about lead time and quality, it decided to purchase its own sys-tem. Matrix found that there were only a few systems on the market capable of doing simultaneous five-axis contouring, and the company ultimately decided to purchase NCL multi-axis machining software from NCCS (Newport Beach, California).
NCL is a computer-aided manufacturing software package that generates simultaneous two- through five-axis NC tool paths and provides parametric 3D modeling. All geometric mod-eling and tool path functions are fully associative. A change to the model results in an immediate change to corresponding tool paths. NCL is suited for environments where design changes are frequent, such as the automotive industry.
NCL also supports full parametric pro-gramming where a family of parts can be machined by simply filling in a form. NCL is used extensively in the aerospace, turbo-machinery, power generation, tire mold and composite industries.
"We looked at three different CAM packages, and of those NCL seemed ideal for doing tire molds," says Gary Chmielewski of Matrix. "NCL was also recommended by other tire mold manu-facturers." To ensure immediate production, NCCS provided on-site technical assistance, including the provision of a postprocessor for the five-axis machine.
The mold is actually made up of nine separate pie-shaped segments, each a slightly different size. The manufacturing plan included five-axis roughing and finishing of the road surface and five-axis profiling around the edge of the tread walls. In addition, 115 vent holes per segment (for a total of 1,035 holes) were to be center drilled, drilled and reamed.
One week after the machine was delivered, programs had been generated and test cuts were being made. After determining the best cutter types and feeds and speeds to use, the NC pro-grams were optimized, and production machining began.
The company was pleased with the results. The roughing was done with a 1/4 inch by 0.02 inch corner radius bull nose end mill using a 0.125 inch stepover running at 14,000 rpm and 120 ipm. Finishing was accomplished using a 3/16 inch by 0.03 inch corner radius bull nose end mill using a 0.025 inch stepover running at 17,000 rpm and 120 ipm.
"Producing a similar finish on a three-axis machine would have required the use of a ball nose end mill using a stepover of about 0.002 inch or less and at much slower speeds," says Matrix CNC operator, Nathan Koppenhofer. "The utilization of a five-axis machine and the flexibility of the NCL software saved a conservatively estimated 15 hours of machine time per segment over conven-tional three-axis machining. Multiply this by nine segments, plus a total of four molds, and you have a time savings of 540 hours or 13 1/2 40-hour weeks. In addition to saving setup and machine time, we also achieved the desired accuracy with a 63 surface finish." Aside from these savings on the milling operations, there were additional savings on drilling and reaming.
Once the process was proven and the first mold was well into production, preparations for a second, larger mold were under way. With the parametric nature of the NCL software, the tool path from the first mold was easily applied to the geometry of the second mold. NC pro-grams were prepared very quickly, which ensured continued production on the five-axis machine.
Five-axis machining in the mold industry is still rare, but it is beginning to catch on, mainly because customers, just like Matrix, want shorter lead time and higher quality.
How One Shop Machines Advanced Ceramics
Years of trial and error combined with the appropriate machining technology allow this company to produce custom parts made of alumina, zirconia, boron nitride and other advanced ceramic materials. One example of key machining technology is a five-axis machining center used exclusively to produce the complex, tightly toleranced geometry that fire-hardened workpieces require.
Dispelling Small Machine Shop Myths
Many job shops start in a garage with a used mill and a manual lathe. The owners of this Utah job shop took a different tack. Along the way to a very successful business, they've debunked a bunch of myths commonly held about job shops.
Four Types Of Five-Axis Machining Centers
Different machines offer different approaches to rotary travel, and each design has its own strengths. Here's how they compare.


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In the capitals of two staunch allies last week, top intelligence officials spoke about the nuclear threat from Tehran. Differences were clear.
By DAVID E. SANGER and WILLIAM J. BROAD
The New York Times
Iran has crossed the technological threshold," the chief of Israeli military intelligence, Amos Yadlin, told the cabinet in Jerusalem last Sunday, in words that were immediately leaked to the press. Now, he added, "its reaching military nuclear capabilities is a matter of adapting its strategy to the target of manufacturing a nuclear bomb."
Days later in Washington, Adm. Dennis Blair, the new director of national intelligence, appeared before a Congressional committee and agreed that "there is potential for an Iran-Israeli confrontation or crisis" over reports of Iranian nuclear progress. But he said the Israelis "take more of a worst-case approach to these things."
Both men were reacting to, and interpreting, the United Nations' confirmation last month that Iran after a quarter-century of effort had collected enough atomic material, in dilute form, to produce a bomb.
Israel and the United States have worried for years about what they would do at such a moment. Now that it has arrived, the passing of the milestone has forced into the open longstanding differences between the two allies about how urgently to treat the threat. As Admiral Blair implied, the nuclear-threat clock ticks a lot faster in Jerusalem than in Washington.
Where this new dynamic leads is unclear. But the Israelis have seized on the Iranian milestone to redouble pressure on the United States for a tougher stance against Iran, and to remind the new president that their patience has a limit. In fact, Israeli officials have quietly been delivering the message that the diplomacy Mr. Obama wants to start with Iran should begin promptly — and be over quickly. "By late spring or early summer," one senior Israeli intelligence official said the other day, echoing a message delivered in Israel to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Otherwise, they argue, the Iranians will drag talks on endlessly while speeding ahead on bomb work.
The Obama team, by contrast, is taking its time to craft a new diplomatic approach to Tehran, putting the veteran Middle East diplomat Dennis Ross at the head of a team to set up what Mr. Obama last year called a strategy of "bigger carrots and bigger sticks." Real discussions may not begin until after Iran's elections in June.
Read the rest:
Never Wrong? U.S. Intelligence Says Iran Does Not Nave Any Highly Enriched Uranium
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at Natanz.


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Dr. Kizza Besigye statement on the conduct of the 2016 presidential elections (Youtube-Clip)
Dr. Kizza Besigye's message from House Arrest in Kasangati in Wakiso on the outskirts of Kampala. Listen to it! As we mourn the results and the way the Electoral Commission has taken the power of the People and given way to the President Museveni yet again. This message from the People's President is deep and strong. A worthy message from a great man! Peace.


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Two Piece Lock Corner Natural Kraft Box
Each of these Two Piece Lock Corner Gift boxes have telescoping tops and bottoms, and are made from 100% recycled paperboard. These Natural Kraft boxes can be Hot Stamped. *Due to variation, cases will either contain boxes with a kraft interior or a white matte interior.
* Disclaimer: Sold out items will be removed from the website, however delays can occur. We will contact you if an item is sold out and cannot be filled on your order. Closeout items cannot be returned. Due to color variations in monitors and printers, including settings and lighting, actual color may vary. For a true color representation, please call 888.429.5673 or email email@example.com for actual sample(s).


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Even us ragtag, everyday-is-a-bad-hair day winos can think pink without our bumhood being challenged. Blue skies and beating suns this time each year always make me think of a long departed, newspaper cartoonist friend of mine named Harry Lyons, who could always be counted on for an encouraging word; and not just during the countless hours we shared at a certain dark bar we frequented some years ago in Hawai`i.
Harry penned a series of articles called The Vagabond Gourmet for the same restaurant industry publication (long defunct) I wrote for; and my all-time favorite was one he called "Wine Bums" – about the scourge of the "Gallic dandies" who once dominated the sommelier profession in the sixties and seventies:
Not very long ago, a guy whose only felony was craving red wines with his fish course was made to feel like a buffoon and pariah. Wine stewards would turn in their keys before they'd serve the dreaded, bastard rosé wine. And to bring you wine "on the rocks?" It is to laugh. In short, diners whose tastes in wines and service requirements differed from the dreary norm were considered on the same social level as the bleary, bearded hobo with feet wrapped in newspaper and cigar stub on a toothpick, cooking his beans in a can over a fire while swilling Muscatel from a jug in a pager bag… bums!
And yes, the late, great Harry Lyons that I knew in the eighties brazenly drank all his wine on the rocks (Burgundy, Chablis or Vin Rosé, he never discriminated), which even I wouldn't dare in those days. Despite his calling himself a "wine bum," we both knew that in reality he was more of a connoisseur than so-called connoisseurs. Like a true connoisseur, he consumed his wine with knowing relish, rather than with self-conscious superficiality.
I like to think we've evolved far beyond those dark, old days of "fine dining" and "continental cuisine," when sommeliers (like me) wore velvet bows, cummerbunds, chains and ashtrays over their frilly tuxedo shirts, and when much of what was called service entailed "teaching" customers the proper ways to enjoy food or wine (or as Harry often put it, "the hoary old matches that originated in Europe"), but oft-times I wonder... especially in this day and age of 100 point scores, and the obsessive prattle of wine geeks and collectors, unknowingly (or so it seems to me) fueled by lifestyle magazines and journalists determined to pigeonhole wine into neat, little quality categorizations suitable for Consumer Reports. Shut up and drink your wine!
Where have all the wine bums gone?
Harry Lyons was ahead of his time, but he probably wouldn't have given a hoot about all this anyway. He'd just order up another round for all, asking for another side of rocks for his jug wine rosé!
Summery pink wines taste great by themselves, and are even better with food – from hobo style weenies on toothpicks, to endless Babette-like feasts among babbling foodies. The following are my favorites, which I suggest with one caveat: never, never buy a bottle that is over two years old. For pink wines, dry or sweet, it's always the-fresher-the-better…
SoloRosa (California) – Now here's an idea whose time has come: a North Coast brand specializing in exactly one wine – a bone dry rosé. And no, it's not a "Rhône Ranger" or anything gimmicky like that, but rather a serious winery, sourcing Sangiovese, Merlot and occasionally some syrah from the Russian River and Napa Valleys that are grown for the express purpose of producing the finest, juiciest pink wine possible. The good news is that it's been a winner – avoiding the rough, burnt out, annoyingly overripe taste of many North Coast rosés of the past. Instead, SoloRosa is consistently rich and refined, neither light-weight nor heavy, with creamy, barrel fermented textures underlying usually an intense mélange of raspberry, cranberry and strawberry fruitiness, with just enough citrus-like crispness to keep things honest.
One of the easiest things in the world for good dry pink is salmon – cast iron or charcoal grill charred, simply brushed with butter, or lavished in ponzu marinades or even sweetened soy glazes. But despite its dryness, SoloRosa's fruit qualities are luscious enough to balance almost any chili spiced meat, red or white, as well tearfully hot dishes like Jamaican jerks, Cajun blackened or chili specked Thai shrimp, or pork coated in Szechuan spices. This is one wine that can be put to work; which, of course, is what SoloRosa has been about since its noble inception.
Bokisch, Lodi Rosada (California) - Produced from garnacha (a.k.a. grenache), which tends to express more of a strawberry fruitiness; and Bokisch's is as fresh as they come. In the best Southern French and Spanish tradition, this a completely dry style of rosé, exuding a bell ringing varietal fruitiness with cranberry/pomegranate-like zip, its body full yet fluid on the palate. Naturally Hispanophile grower/vintners Markus and Liz Bokisch would suggest Spanish style tapas, although the wine is great sitting on patio table by its lonesome. I've enjoyed the Bokisch with marinated shrimp and fresh chopped chile spiced guacamole in one of those restaurants where they mix the avocado in an oversized stone mortar at the table for you. Given my Hawaiian island inclinations, I also think this would be dynamite with simple fried little fish (like anchovy and sardines) and rice seasoned with everything from Japanese furikake (chopped seaweed and sesame seed seasonings) to pickled ginger, umé (sweet-sour plum), soy, and sesame seeds.
Rosé di Regaleali (Sicily) - The world owes Italian wine importer Leonardo LoCascio a debt of gratitude for discovering this perennial winner and bringing it to America. Made from indigenous Sicilian grapes, this is always a completely dry rosy colored wine, and its juicy, fleshy, mouth-watering flavors allow it to cross all kinds of food barriers. Red barbecued chicken is a no-brainer; so is meatloaf in an herby, mushroomy or tomato-laced gravy, or anything pink like salmon or half-rare tuna
Robert Sinskey, Carneros Vin Gris of Pinot Noir (Napa Valley, California - Although very little of this precious fluid is made each year, I was pleased to discover (during a meeting with Rob Sinskey last year) that this full fledged Biodynamic© winery is determined to keep this wine in its portfolio. Especially since this is this is as refined as a pink wine gets, yet always more exuberant than the occasional sightings of Marsannay rosés (also made from pinot noir) coming out of Burgundy each year. Speaking of which, whenever you find a recent vintage of French rosé from Marsannay, Chinon (made from cabernet franc) or Cassis (primarily from grenache), praise the lord and buy the bottle; and I would spend more time talking about such delicacies if their supply in the U.S. were more consistent. Typically, the Sinskey vin gris is very pale in color, bone dry, lithe, delicate, and bursting with fragrant, red fruit with rose hip tea-like suggestions: not something you have to think twice about with summer pastas in fresh herbed marinara or cold shrimp with sweet-spicy cocktail sauces; and although it's not exactly everyday (unless you live in Plan du Castellet like Mr. Lynch), some duck confit, cornichons and olive oil drizzled rockette would be nice.
The iconic Kermit Lynch (Berkeley, 2009)
Château de Trinquevedel, Tavel Rosé (Rhône Valley, France) - Imported by Kermit Lynch, this is the richest French rosé I know; firmly dry, yet effusively fruity, giving deep, full, lip smacking flavors just hinting at wet stones and green leafy herbs. Wines like this easily handle grilled chicken, roast turkey, squab, pigeon, and any game bird, especially with generous sides of squash and root vegetables.
Domaine Tempier, Bandol Rosé (Provence, France) - Also associated with Kermit Lynch, and produced by the Peyraud family, who has inspired legions of American gastronomes like Richard Olney and Alice Waters. Yet this is pink wine, not the stuff of royalty. What you will always find in Domaine Tempier's rosé is something remarkably fresh, flowing, bone dry yet forwardly fruity – the essence of miniature sweet strawberries rolling across the tongue – finishing with a soft, stony smoothness. If you think "Provence" when you pop a Tempier – ravioli and ragout, salt cod (or brandade) and anchovy, pesto and aioli, ratatouille and bouillabaisse, chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, etc. – you really can't go wrong. In a pinch, Château de Pibarnon also makes an excellent Bandol Rosé – even dryer and firmer than the Domaine Tempier's, but no less soulful.


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Find Your Perfect Cover! Get 20% Off + Free Shipping! CODE: FRESH20 Details
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Cover for IKEA PS Two-seat sofa bed
Houston Off White Blended Viscose designed by Nevotex
About the product
Cover for IKEA IKEA PS Two-seat sofa-bed Houston Off White. Neutrals (black, grey, white, and brown) are basic to the decorator's tool kit. All-neutral schemes fall in and out of fashion, but their virtue lies in their flexibility: add color to liven things up; subtract it to calm things down. White brings a special meaning, energy and power of purity to interior decorating style. White is the symbol of freshness and renewal.
Please note this custom cover is tailored by CoverCouch to fit the IKEA IKEA PS Two-seat sofa-bed model. IKEA PS Two-seat sofa-bed is NOT included and is available at IKEA.
Please note this custom cover is tailored by CoverCouch to fit the IKEA IKEA PS Two-seat sofa-bed model. IKEA PS Two-seat sofa-bed is NOT included and is available at IKEA.
Fabric key facts
- 64% Polyester, 36% Viscose
- High abrasion resistance
- Good upholstery properties
- Attractively priced
- CoverCouch
About the fabric
Houston Off White is a blended viscose fabric, offering the best bang for the buck ratio. The fabric is extremely durable, available in the most popular colour combinations. Meets high resistance to piling, excellent colour fastness and abrasion performance.
A sample of this fabric was added to your shopping cart
Fabric details
|64% Polyester, 36% Viscose
|Width, cm
|Weight, g/m2
|Colour fastness to light
|Colour fastness to rubbing
|Abrasion resistance
|190 000 cycles (Martindale)
|Production / Supplier
Care instructions
Don't wash. Don't use chlorine bleach. Dry clean. Cool iron.
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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Early runs by Tennessee State volleyball pushed the Tigers past Tennessee Tech in straight sets.
Paced by junior outside hitter Naomi Wells the Tigers posted their highest hitting percentage (.237) since its Sept. 17 win over Alabama A&M. Wells finished the match with a team high 13 kills in the win to go along with a blistering .346 kill percentage. Junior Sherryce Butler provided TSU with a dynamic one-two punch with the Lexington, Ky. native putting 10 kills on the board.
Tennessee State's offense also used their service game to gain an advantage on the Golden Eagles, racking up eight aces on the evening. Senior Erika Moss, junior Katie Burnett and freshman Jamie Cooper each recorded two aces individually. Moss also dished out 30 assists to lead the Tigers in the category.
Defensively Tennessee State (5-10, 2-3) turned in their best performance of the season holding Tennessee Tech (5-10, 1-4) to just a a .048 hitting percentage, including a -.029 mark in the third set. The TTU hitting percentage was the lowest TSU has held any opponent this season. Junior Taylor Swayzer and freshman Shaunita Carr paced the defensive effort picking up three block assists a piece.
In the first set TSU raced out to a 22-7 lead taking control of the set. With the Tigers leading 9-6 Kathy Roulhac's club used 13-1 spurt to extend the advantage out to a commanding 15 points. With Wells' play igniting the Tigers picking up four kills in the stretch. During the run TSU sent two players back to serve, Jamie Cooper and Erika Moss, and each collected an ace.
The Golden Eagles wouldn't back down as the used a 8-1 break to cut the TSU back down to eight at, 23-15. Two late errors by Tennessee Tech gave the Tigers the points they needed to withstand the rally and win the opening frame, 25-16.
The two OVC conference rivals would battle back-and-forth in the early goings of the second. With bloth teams locked in a 6-6 tie, Tennessee State used a 4-0 run to gain distance. Sherryce Butler paced the run with three kills of her own to put TSU up, 10-6.
Tennessee Tech would close back within two points, 11-9, but that would be the closest they got in the second set. Once again TSU would use an 11-2 set-changing run to grab a commanding 22-11 lead. The Golden Eagles would return the run late but would only get within seven at 24-17. A Butler kill would close the set to head to the locker room up 2-0 in sets after a 25-17 second stanza win.
Out of the break, Tennessee State took control of the third frame with a 15-4 start. Wells led the early charge with three kills in the span. TSU continued to dictate the pace throughout early parts of the third. TTU battled back late cutting the Tigers lead down to eight at 23-15.
Tennessee State answered the late Golden Eagle run with two straight late points to close out the frame and the match, 25-15 and 3-0 respectively.
Tennessee State continues life on the road tomorrow as they travel to Jacksonville State for another OVC tilt, first serve is set for 7 p.m.


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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
It's been quite a bucket list month for Carrie Underwood. First, she was invited to sing with the Rolling Stones. And now, she has all the treasure from her Blown Away tour in a brand new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. At Tuesday's (June 4) reception at the museum, I asked her how it felt to check off two items from her bucket list.
"Oh, my gosh. They are both so amazing," she told me. "I just can't believe it, and I'm trying to just go with the flow."
Dress in all black and white — a white corset-like top, black satin cigarette pants and a pair of black and white platforms — Underwood told the intimate crowd inside the museum what she hopes the exhibit will do.
"So many of us spent so much energy and so much time and so much love into putting together the tour," she said. "And walking by the displays, people can relive those moments, and people who never got the opportunity to get out and see us live can get a sense of what the show was like."
But even knowing how much joy the exhibit will bring to her fans, Underwood is still genuinely humbled to have her clothes and instruments and more on display.
"I really can't believe my stuff is hanging out there with all those incredible artifacts and things from people that are far greater than I could ever hope to be," she said. "I'm honored, and I'm blessed."
Underwood will perform her current single, "See You Again," during the 2013 CMT Music Awards airing live Wednesday 8 p.m. ET/PT on CMT and CMT.com.


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Oprah Winfrey is set to appear on "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" though she never "kept" up with the family until Sunday.
Winfrey recently interviewed the whole clan for her show, "Oprah's Next Chapter," and hit it off so well with them that she agreed to make an appearance on their E! reality show, US Weekly reported.
The talk show mogul has admitted that before her interview with the Kardashians she "had never met them, nor seen the show." Winfrey wrote on Facebook that she "did a full on Kardashian Kram in preparation, watching major shows from every season." It was "the longest interviewing session I can recall" and "another level of forthrightness and honesty," Winfrey wrote.
U.S. & World
In the two-part interview, the reality stars spilled details about their controversial lives and Winfrey was moved, Us Weekly reported. Kim Kardashian opened up about her current relationship to Kanye West and public divorce from Kris Humphries.
"I've obviously made plenty of mistakes in my lifetime, but I'm not the type to sit and beat myself up over it. If a real lesson was learned, I'm so okay with having experienced that," she told Winfrey in reference to her 72-day marriage to Humphries.
"That is so perfect I could weep," Winfrey said.
"Keeping Up With The Kardashians" is currently on its seventh season and will stay on air through its ninth, according to IMDB.


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Earth's Life Support Systems
In the search for life on Mars or any planet, there is much more than the presence of carbon and oxygen to consider. Using Earth's biogeochemical cycles as a reference point, elements like nitrogen, iron and sulfur are just as important for supporting life. As explored in studies published in February's open-access Special Issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the most basic elements work together to support an extraordinary diversity of life.
Cycles of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous are intertwined and rely on organisms just as much as organisms rely on these elements, explains Edward Rastetter from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in one of the issue's articles. For instance, fallen leaves on a forest floor supply food for microbes which excrete nutrients back into the soil, benefitting nearby trees.
Microbes transform raw materials — such as chemicals, gases and sunlight — into biomass by a variety of metabolic processes. These energy-converting processes are as diverse as the microbes that conduct them, and are much more diverse than the metabolic capabilities of plants or animals, according to Amy Burgin from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and colleagues in one of the issue's articles.
Burgin and her team study rock-eating microbes, officially called chemolithotrophic microbes, and their roles in the ecosystems they inhabit. A well-known example habitat is the extreme environment of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, wherein these microbes metabolize dissolved minerals into organic forms of carbon that support complex food webs of tube worms, mussels and clams. These microbes and food webs have adapted to life without photosynthesis.
"While hydrothermal vents are an especially extreme environment where chemolithotrophic organisms play a particularly important and conspicuous role, they are also found in most aquatic environments, often at boundaries along oxygen-depleted zones of sediments or groundwater," says Burgin. "Their metabolic processes provide insight into the life forms that existed before Earth had an oxidized atmosphere. There were biogeochemical cycles, but they were driven by microbes that lived in the absence of oxygen, and these most ancient life forms persist today. Their activity helps drive biogeochemical cycling in today's world too."
In Frontiers' Life Lines column, Adrian Burton ponders a biogeochemical riddle of Mars where nitrogen is a major missing element. However, Mars may have once had much more nitrogen before losing it to space.
"The interconnectedness of biogeochemical cycles is essential for life as we know it on Earth and would be for any life on Mars," says Burton. "But did any ancient martian life that may have arisen get the time it needed to adapt to the Red Planet's changing environmental conditions, including disappearing nitrogen? Wouldn't it be nice to know!"


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Escape To Find These Unusual Egg Dishes
Omelets, scrambles, eggs Benedict: you know all about those. But eggs can be used in some more creative ways, too. An egg suspended in the bread of a brunch sandwich? A literal interpretation of "green eggs and ham"? We're fans of slightly offbeat egg dishes. Here are 5 of our favorites across the country.
What's your favorite unusual egg dish?


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I was chatting on FB with an classmate, Stephanie, who is now ACO in the town where we went to school (population 3000). She was asking for my help, but man this is way over my head!
She has a particular situation in town with a "meth" house. The people who live there have apparently gotten several "pit bulls". They have trained the dogs to guard the grounds and attack anyone who goes there wearing a uniform. I think the area is fenced though so no one has actually been attacked yet. The police want to get in there and catch these people in the act of cooking or using or whatever the meth, but can't get past the dogs. The police have asked for her help, but she doesn't know what to do. I made a few suggestions off the top of my head, like using a tranquilizer to take out the dogs. She sounded like she is actually pretty scared of the situation...made comments about how these dogs "don't feel any pain", etc. (don't worry I corrected her on that one). She also said 95% of the pit bulls she personally deals with in that town are owned by druggies who use the dogs in a similar fashion!!!!
I told Steph I would ask here and see if anyone knows what larger places, cities, etc. do about situations like this. Also for those of you who train dogs for bite work....is there any way for someone other than you to call off your dogs? Maybe it's different because you have trained the dogs to respond to your commands????
I'm still reeling from chatting with her. I've heard about the whole drug dealer/pit bull thing, but I thought that happened in cities, not a little town of 3,000 people and I had no idea the drug problem was soooooo bad there! It's only 15 miles from where I currently live and I still have family there. I'm also thoroughly disgusted with that type of use of our wonderful breeds!!!
MODS: If this thread is better suited for a different area, please move it.


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'Integrating our job flow scheduling, digital work sheets and the Webfleet Solutions connected navigation system has created a seamless workflow which has made the operation much more efficient,' says Dave Richards. 'Our ability to respond quickly to customer needs and to keep them informed of progress helps us maintain a high level of customer service, and has undoubtedly contributed to retaining and winning contracts in a fiercely competitive market.'


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As I've mentioned previously, I had quite an exciting weekend and the fun didn't end with the C-17 ride on Friday as part of the 2010 Pacific Rim Exercises.
On Saturday, the US NAVY gave me the the opportunity to land on the Aircraft Carrier USS Ronald Reagan and to get catapulted off of the buggah!
I knew for a few weeks now that I would be having a pretty wild weekend this weekend but I didn't expect it to be this crazy. I didn't even find out until a few weeks ago that I was selected to go on the ship as a "Distinguished Visitor".
The group of social media folks that were selected all gathered at the Pearl Harbor Pass and ID office at 9:00 on Saturday for what would turn out to be an all day "mission".
We then boarded vans which took us out to the Hickam Combat Squadron Station.
Once we got there, they explained about the C-2A Greyhound Plane (Carrier On-Board Delivery – C.O.D) that would be taking us out to the USS Ronald Reagan as a group of 24 folks.
We had to wear protective cranial caps and goggles…
As well as salt water activated life jackets in case the plane went down in the water.
I ended up looking like this
We all boarded the plane and then took off for the Aircraft Carrier which was located about 150 – 200 miles North of Oahu.
About an hour into the ride, my ears started to pop so I knew that we were starting to descend.
I knew to brace myself for the landing as we were going to be hooked by the tail of the plane and then stopped immediately and it was quite an exciting landing as on the first pass by… we missed the dang cord that was suppose to hook us!
So the pilot gunned it and we flew off the end of the Aircraft Carrier and made a second pass where the pilot successfully landed the plane and caught the wire that was suppose to catch us the first time. I think I jinxed us as I actually asked what the percentage of chance that could possibly happen and they said very little like maybe 5% of the times a plane misses. Well of course I was on the plane that missed!
When they finally opened the doors of the plane we were in… this is what I had a chance to see right off the bat.
I took this video of the other folks on the flight getting off the "COD"
As they quickly rushed us off the flight deck… I took this one last picture of the control tower and bridges.
They brought us into the ship and we got out of our cranials and life jackets and then quickly we were brought to the Commanders "Port Quarters" where we were introduced the ships Commanding Officer – Kenneth J. Norton, CAPT, USN (Far Right).
Commanding Officer Norton gives a brief run down of things
So after talking with the Commander for a while, it was time for a tour of the ship… or so I thought, but, what really happened is they brought us into one of the cafeterias on the ships and we had a great lunch.
It was then time to tour the ship… We started by checking out the room and museum that was devoted to former President Ronald Reagan. This plaque of Ronald Reagan is actually attached to a piece of the former Berlin Wall.
After spending some time in that room learning more about who the ship was named after we moved on to the "hangar" of the ship where I took the following pictures.
You can see more Hangar shots in the picture gallery below.
So after checking out the hangar, we then checked out the room where they do a lot of stuff such as re-enlisting folks and honoring them with honors. I figured I'd honor myself.
After that, we headed straight to the Combat Direction Center and after our tour guide had made sure that the place was "Sanitized from media folks" we were offered a first hand look at the place and were even allowed to take pictures of the place.
After that, we checked out the Flight Operations room.
We then put on cranials, goggles and life jackets again as we headed out on to the flight deck to watch some catapult lift offs and then some "recovery" of planes.
We headed out on to the flight deck and this is what I saw:
And here is a short video of one of the jets getting catapulted off the ship.
After they launched about a dozen or so planes off the carrier, it was time for a "recovery" stage, where the planes would land on the plane and then get caught by these cords that were across the carrier.
And here is a short clip of a jet landing and getting hooked as you can see… I'm REALLY CLOSE TO WHERE THESE BUGGAHS ARE LANDING!
After being on deck for about half an hour watching jets take off and land, we moved back inside of the ship and went up to the Flight Control Deck where they explained the coordination of the planes once they were on the deck.
We then went all the way up to the Bridge of the ship where the Commander spends most of his time and he briefed us on a few things.
I decided I would pirate the ship for a few minutes and I asked the Commander if I could sit in his chair and he let me!
The tour of the ship was getting ready to wind down so we went back down to the Commanding Officers "Port" Room where Captain Norton explained to us the importance and significance of the USS Ronald Reagan.
He mentioned that the average age of the folks working aboard was only 22 years of age and that he was very impressed with the folks that have been entering the military during this last generation.
He emphasized that these kids joining the military now a days… have basically spent their entire lives living in a country that has been at war during the last two decades and that there is a strong sense of patriotism amongst the kids and that he was really honored to be part of a "National Treasure" the USS Ronald Reagan.
I remembered from the USS Chung Hoon tour that I took, that most Commanders have "Coins" made that they give to dignitaries… So of course when no was looking… I asked the Commander if he had a coin… And HE TOOK OUT THE ONLY ONE THAT HE HAD IN HIS DESK… Folded it up in his hands… then shook my hand… and the next thing I knew… I was the only member of this trip that received a Commanding Officers Coin!
Commanding Officer Norton then presented us all with a certificate recognizing us as Honary Naval Aviators as well as a nice picture of the ship (top picture) as well as a picture of him with us.
We then prepared to get catapulted off of the Aircraft carrier going from 0 to 150 MPH in less then three seconds. We watched a short video on how to prepare and what to expect during the catapult and then made our way to the plane. We braced ourselves for the ride and before we new it we were flying off the end of the Aircraft Carrier!
I wasn't allowed to hold my camera during the catapult as we were instructed to put our arms across our chest… but I'm sure the look on my face must have been hilarious! Talk about an adrenaline rush!!!
Filed under: Entertainment, Military, National Affairs, Something New?, State Affairs, Technology, Transportation, Unexplained Phenomenon Tagged: | 2010 Pacific Rim Exercises, Catapulting Off Aircraft Carrier, Landing on an Aircraft Carrier, USS Ronald Reagan