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Coffee Chronicles: Weekends at Hester Street
"I have a Yugoslavian mini folding bike that we want to fashion into a grinder."
Maybe it doesn't take that much to make a cup of amazing coffee—great coffee, a water source, a little electricity, and some decent equipment. And perhaps, just perhaps, a little shelter from the rain.
Among the great food fair fare at the Hester Street Fair are two of the city's newest coffee ventures: Kickstand and Dora, operating on Saturdays and Sundays, respectively, at the petit-craft-flea on the Lower East Side.
Tucked in beside the fish-shaped waffles, sock monkeys, old bikes and jewelry made of dirt are some of the most enthusiastic newcomers to NYC coffee. Kickstand's clever cart, with custom pour-over coffee setup fashioned out of sawed-off Chemex brewers. Kickstand, a fantasy project of three baristas—Neal Olson, Pete Castelein and Aaron Davis—came to fruition earlier this year at Markets at McCarren in Williamsburg.
What's New On Serious Eats
"We had pitched the idea and told them we were a mobile coffee company," said Wisconsin native Olson, "And they said yeah. So we had to actually do it! We built the carts in a week and a half."
Olson and Castelein found shop space to build their cart-coffee-bar, and soon enough were pouring by the cup to New Yorkers en plein air. Their shop at the Hester Street Fair serves coffee from Stumptown and Café Grumpy—the latter roaster's only wholesale client outside of their own shops—with that special geek-gear aesthetic forged by the kind of coffee nerds who are also bike nerds.
"We don't have bikes integrated into the actual coffee production process yet, but we are working on it." said Olson.
"I have a Yugoslavian mini folding bike that we want to fashion into a grinder."
On the more feminine side of the spectrum is Sunday's coffee service, offered by Manhattan native Nicole Slaven at Dora. Slaven, who will open a bricks-and-mortar Dora café (named for both her great grandmother, Dora Cohen, and the park adjacent the café space on East Broadway) later this fall, is a longtime NYC food veteran, winding her way through chocolate, cheese and spirits before landing in a love of coffee. The Dora stand's Stumptown by-the-cup (brewed in adorably appropriately sized one-cup Hario V60 cones) and cold-brew takeaways are, like Kickstand's, powered by minimalism—a power strip, grinder, an electric kettle, and a portable jug of water—but the customer interaction at the market is Slaven's connection to an underserved coffee community.
"I've never been able to shake wanting to work at a counter. With coffee, I can be in my own shop, make drinks, teach, people about coffee and brewing, share stories, and help make their days great."
"We're going to keep doing it until winter comes," said Olson. "The audience is really great and people are super interested."
And after Hester rolls up the sock monkeys for the year? By then Dora should be open at 221 East Broadway, and for Kickstand's portabar, it's on to the next one.
"We're about bringing awesome coffee to different parts of town, and essentially pop up in the middle of a field and make good coffee," warns Olson. So look out!
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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by Glenn Astarita
Not that there is an abundance of progressive rock-tinged acoustic guitar trios among the ranks, but this aggregation stands tall among its peers as the guitarists' inventiveness surges forward with this altogether warmhearted reckoning of Christmas carols and other pleasantries. The guitarists' nimble yet at times forceful approach is wholly evident during their highly rhythmic spin on "Jingle Bells." They perform the classic "Greensleeves" with a sensitive, chamber-like approach while also tackling the Lennon/Ono favorite "Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)." However, part of the magic resides within the trio's ability to delve into the inherent frameworks of each song, while also reformulating themes and rhythms into personalized statements. Essentially, the artists have produced a rather poignant Christmas outing, awash with interweaving lines and lilting harmonies, as they complement their superior artisanship and forward-thinking deployments with a cheerfully rendered collection of holiday favorites.
1 Carol of the Bells
2 Oh Christmas Tree
3 Greensleeves (What Child Is This?)
4 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
5 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
6 "Unto Us a Child Is Born"
7 Jingle Bells
8 Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
9 Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
10 Silent Night

subset: commoncrawl


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Events Calendar
Primary tabs
For lectures to programs for children, come visit us at one of the library events and programs listed below. For more information, call 615-862-5750 or 1-800-342-3262.
Join us from 10am to 2pm for some games! We have some standards like UNO and dominoes and you are welcome to bring your favorite board games from home! There will be a potluck lunch with soup and sandwiches. RSVP to email@example.com.


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CALABASAS, CA -- The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) recently released its Introduction to Personal Fitness Training (IPFT) course.
Previously known as Foundations for the Health and Fitness Professional, the new IPFT course provides instruction on the fundamentals of personal training and covers core concepts in flexibility, stabilization, resistance, cardiorespiratory and overall wellness.
The IPFT course is delivered entirely online and includes flash presentations, video exercise demonstrations, anatomical and conditioning photos, training technique charts, safety illustrations and printable course materials. Through the NASM eLearning Center, the course offers the ability to take quizzes and exams online.
For more information about the IPFT course, go to www.nasm.org.


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I have spent a fair amount of energy on this blog taking off against "Fact checkers" who confuse their opinions with facts. But it hasn't been systematic. Ben Domenech ranks the 10 worst fact checking moments of 2012:
10. That thing you didn't say isn't true. Politifact cannot find a fact to rebut in this Crossroads ad regarding the likelihood of employer dumping into the health insurance exchanges, since it relies on numbers from the Congressional Budget Office (the CBO appears a great deal in these fact checks, so it's a good thing it has never made a mistake or a miscalculation, and all of its predictions come true). So instead they invent "a novel new interpretation of the ad's meaning" – one surprisingly absent from the ad itself – in order to judge it false.
9. That thing you said is true, but it doesn't matter. One of my personal favorites: Senior Pinocchio Manager Glenn Kessler admits that the CBO calculates the effect of Obamacare will be 800,000 workers dropping out of the workforce. But this doesn't matter, you see, because Kessler describes 800,000 jobs as "basically a rounding error". Kessler does this while simultaneously maintaining that the stimulus had a meaningful and positive effect on jobs – "some jobs were created, and many were saved." Presumably the Washington Post's headline had the jobs report shown an 800,000 increase would have been "JOBS INCREASE BASICALLY A ROUNDING ERROR."
Perhaps Democrats could come up with their own list. But after a half hour spent clicking through the links, I can attest that Domenech's list of bizarre "fact checks" of Republicans is pretty egregious. Indeed, the checked items often read like straightforward partisan journalism.
As I've said before, I have no problem with the general idea of correcting the egregious misstatements that our politicians make. I have a very big problem, however, with presenting that work as an inarguable "fact".


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3rd SR Crapometer #27
Some people are just born assholes. Fortunately for most, in my novel, The Fatal Nature of Life, the universe offers a multitude of lifetimes for souls to learn how to rise above such faults. (huh?)
These opportunities go completely wasted on Eldridge Peet, however. Over the course of his previous lives, Eldridge has managed to devolve more and more into quite a despicable human being. To top it all off, his generally foul outlook, immoral manner and devious schemes have gotten him murdered on no less than nine occasions. And now it's beginning to look like his current life will be ending in murder number ten. (Would it be catty to say he's not living his nine lives well?)
The Fatal Nature of Life (I like the title) bounds throughout history chronicling the misadventures of a pathetic loser who, through nearly every fault of his own, just can't get things right. Along the way, Eldridge's travails run the gamut from whimsical to terrifying.
My manuscript is approximately 84,000 words in length. I would be glad to send you a hard copy upon your request.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration, Miss Snark, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
All the best,
I. M. Redacted
uh...you want me to read about a pathetic asshole? Yanno, I have Fox News for that. And while we're at it, did you want to say anything about the plot? You do have one tucked away in there right?
March 14, 1999
Over the centuries, Eldridge Peet's various lives were quite unusual in the respect that he'd been murdered on no less than nine occasions, and of late, it was beginning to look like the hands of another would do him in yet again. (me! I wanna!! I'll do it!)
Eldridge was a man that many people would've described as handsome, if not for a few minor flaws. His head was slightly larger and more round than it should be, making his protruding ears seem even bigger than they were. His complexion was pale, oily and often marred by pimples. His nose was visibly crooked, as if it were bent on pointing out the angry mole residing under his right eye--which was lazy and set a little higher than the left. His stomach bulged more than it should, causing his shoulders to slouch, and his feet sweated profusely with an odor that was nearly palpable from several feet away much like his halitosis.
(people kill him for this??)
And, just as his flawed appearance went, his personality was such that he would've been admired, if not even loved, by the majority of those who knew him, but for a small number of quirks. He tended to lie, but not like most people do, when it came to major things--although he certainly told those falsehoods too. No, Eldridge troubled himself to design fabrications concerning minor, if not completely insignificant, matters. Furthermore, he wasn't what one would call an accomplished liar, since he was caught in his dishonesty quite regularly.
(you look quite fat in that font..what, you're gonna shoot me for that??)
He was both greedy and cheap. He found fault with both his small number of friends as well as the multitude of people he didn't know, or did know, but didn't care for. (He's in publishing, right?) He never remembered to say please or thank you, but he could be counted on to point out when such politeness was due to him. He found great pleasure in the pain of others, and usually went out of his way to share that schadenfreude with them. Lastly, he thought everyone else was beneath him in at least some, if not many ways, and made no effort to conceal that opinion. He did have a few more faults, of course, but they will go unmentioned here because, after all, nobody's perfect.
Probably one of the more interesting things about Eldridge Peet though, was that over the course of all of his prior lives--as well as the current one that he'd very soon be in danger of losing--he'd not only failed to make any progress towards becoming a better human being, but had in fact, usually gotten a little worse with each reincarnation. Yes, from his first life as a nameless hunter at the cusp of mankind's beginnings, chasing mostly small game across the African savanna, until his most recent manifestation as a salesman of insurance in a rundown shop in New York City, (I thought he worked in publishing!) Eldridge Peet had slowly evolved into quite a piece of shit.
well just sign me up to read more more more....oh wait, that was a lie wasn't it? ...i"m meellllttiinnnngggg...
Look you can be sardonic as hell and I'm right there with you cheering you on. With a name like Miss Snark how can I possibly not be? But, you gotta give me a reason to read this. A litany of character flaws is for the good Father on Sunday morning in his homily, but in my slush pile it's a non starter.
12 comments:
So the entire book is about how despicable this guy is? That would be like sitting down to a rotted-food dinner and continuing to eat! We need contrast; a character we can like, someone having to deal with Eldridge Peet on a daily basis - like a care-giver. As-is it doesn't sound like something I'd read.
- 9/02/2006
My goodness gracious,
Even Lucifer, damned to hell for all eternity is more noble and worthy of consideration than Eldridge Peet.
If this is a satire on Piers Plowman, then you need to work on the humor a little more. There is a wryness here, but not enough to interest a reader in a couple hundred pages.
- 9/02/2006
The style worked better in the query than it did in the excerpt. The excerpt consisted of a bunch of telling and backstory, and no plot to draw the reader in.
Author, where does the story start? Does Eldridge ever wind up with a problem to solve? If there's no plot, then I wouldn't read on, even if Eldridge turned out to be an enormously appealing antihero (and I can't tell if he is, because I, the reader, didn't get a chance to meet him here). The main character has to do something, not just have stuff happen to him.
- 9/02/2006
He's thought of as handsome, then follows a list of icky flaws--wtf? Lists of lots of other blechy stuff abound. Telling not showing.
This is your protag?
I'm going back to my Ian Fleming.
You--writer--go read A Confederacy of Dunces and take notes.
- 9/02/2006
- Stacia said...
I actually thought rhe query made the book sound fun, but the writing was all tell. I didn't get past the beginning of the second paragraph before I started skimming.
- 9/02/2006
This is the only first page I've managed to read all the way through without dying of boredom first. I would have liked to have seen more description of plot in the query though.
I like the idea for the book and I like the author's writing voice.
- 9/03/2006
Author, you piqued my interest in the query. I was excited to start reading, but the first two paragraphs read more like a book report than a book and I pretty much threw in the towel after the third.
Fun premise, and maybe it gets good again later on, but the opening just doesn't convince me to stay with it.
- 9/03/2006
- Kristen King, Inkthinker said...
I don't love the title. It's too "Death: The High Cost of Living" for me. :/
- 9/06/2006
I loved the title. I also like the premise. Most of us evolve slowly to be better people, but Eldridge evolves into quite a piece of shit. Your set up needs work.
I agree with the others that you need someone that the reader will sympathize with.
Personally, I'd like to hear that Eldridge get repeatedly murdered by the same person/spirit. Someone who is becoming a better spirit throughout his or her reincarnations, but who because Eldridge gets worse along the way finds him/herself snapping and killing him each and every time. Like a Red Queen struggle between the improving tolerance of the murderer, and the increasing irritation that is Eldridge.
I don't know if your spirits eventually break their reincarnating to "ascend" to some higher plane of existence, but I think a great comedy could come out of a soul repeatedly being sent back to Earth because they just can't resist throttling a bastard.
- 9/06/2006
- Ski said...
Man...I loved this! I really enjoyed the time it took to hear every creepy detail about this guy. It's like standing in a pile of manure knowing that somewhere under there has to live a horse. I'd keep reading cuz the style caught me almost immediately. It's different and wry and worth the time it takes to giggle through the beginning. I don't need an atomic bomb going off in the first two sentences to get my blood pumping. Sometimes it's better to hear it ticking for a time before the explosion goes off. Of course if this didn't get better in the next twenty pages I'd put it away, but I'd bet that it does. Who ever wrote this is clever but they don't put clever on their business card. S/he is the type that quietly cracked me up in school, stole away into the hall and left me the one to get into trouble. They have grown up, but I recognize the personality. I wish you good luck with this, and I guess it just proves that there's a seat for every ass. This one suits mine just fine. Man...I'd love to read the whole thing.
- 9/06/2006
- HawkOwl said...
Still, there's gotta be something really gratifying in sending a business letter that starts with "some people are just assholes."
- 9/06/2006
Author here.
Thanks to all the Snarklings for their feedback, both positive and not so. Obviously the query needs work! Not to quibble, but to try and shed some light....
The novel has numerous positive characters, revealed as EP lives throughout history. These other likeable characters include his current wife who finds herself in peril due to EP's wonderful ways. It becomes EP's challenge to save her (and redeem himself) and so he is more of an anti-hero than I managed to convey in the query. As far as plot and conflict...each of EP's previous lives has it's own conflict and resolution and the whole are tied together to hinder or help him through his current life's dilemma. He remembers (through dreams, intuition, deja vu, etc....) some details of those other lives and those snippets are the keys, or locks, to his success or failure in surviving and saving his sweet and much put upon wife in the here and now.
Hope that rambling helps.
Huge, huge, thank you to Miss Snark for providing her time and professional savvy to all our efforts!
- 9/08/2006


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Two Android app developers removed from the Android Market seems to have galvanized critics calling Google's tactics Orwellian, a report said today.
Google suspended the accounts of two "high-profile programmers" for violating terms of agreement, according to Wired.
The offending apps were emulation software for playing console games from different systems, such as PlayStation and Super Nintendo. Not coincidentally, Google pulled these apps at the same time Sony released a PlayStation phone in late May. . . . The removal of these apps is a sign that Google's "open" regime is gradually crumbling, as the Android platform becomes more commercialized and entangled in corporate partnerships.
U.S. & World
We fail to see how Google kicking out some developers for violating terms part of a nefarious plot to become Apple's closed system. The whole piece was greatly biased, including adding a quote from an independent developer calling Google's actions dubious. "The biggest offense is that Google pulled these apps with no warning whatever," Ralph Gootee, a self-proclaimed proponent of the Android platform, told Wired. "It was a total Big Brother move."
Having read Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell several times, we can say that equating the denial of basic human rights to not allowing every application in the Android Market is probably not an accurate comparison. And wasn't it just a couple of months ago that pundits raked Google over the coals for not having more security measures and vetting in place? The Android market was heavily criticized for "allowing" infected apps to exist --- and the publication leading the charge? Yeah, Wired.
Make your choice for Android wisely: a completely open platform with possible malware and viruses, or a more controlled and vetted environment with fewer malware attempts and admins that disable accounts when users violate the terms of service. You don't get complete openness and security at the same time.


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In my post, Sexism at UW, I mentioned that Inga Muscio's book had been de-shelved from Dana Porter Library. This was an error.
A friend of mine at the library informed me tonight that she had taken it out a couple weeks ago to read, and she assures me that it is still in circulation.
While this does not make up for the events surrounding International Women's Day, it does show that there are those with integrity at our school. Universities are a hub of learning and experience, and our materials should not ever be censored. If the time ever comes where our reading materials are censored, then I hope that there is a swift and loud outcry from the entire student population.


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After the terrible shooting massacre of 20 little children, ages 6 to 7, and 6 adults nearly two weeks ago in Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Conn., there is the predictable cacophony of "Gun Control!" from the Left.
Even worse is the scapegoating of law-abiding gun owners who have committed no crime. The National Rifle Association (RFA) and its members are not just vilified, but death wishes were heaped on them by CSI star Marg Helgenberger and U. of Rhode Island history professor Erik Loomis. The irony of anti-gun advocates wishing death for others, all under the guise of caring about life, is lost on the ilk of Helgenberger and Loomis.
Joseph Farah of WND points out that Israel, a nation surrounded by madmen who seek to kill innocent Jewish children any way they can, has rarely seen the kinds of mayhem America witnessed in Newtown, Conn.
Israel protects its children with armed guards and armed teachers in its schools.
Writing in the Wall St. Journal, Massad Ayoob, director of the Lethal Force Institute in Concord, N.H., which trains police officers and military personnel in self-defense techniques, echoes Farah's message:
"In Israel armed teachers are common, and terrorist attacks at schools nonexistent. Indeed, it was only during a 1997 visit by Israeli schoolgirls to the 'Island of Peace' along the Jordanian border, in which the teachers had been asked to leave their weapons behind, that an Arab gunman took advantage of an easy opportunity to open fire, killing seven children and wounding another six."
Ayoob proposes the Israeli model for U.S. schools, a stance supported by Texas governor Rick Perry. Ayoob writes:
"[In the United States] all adult employees of the school know how to operate fire extinguishers and supervise an orderly fire drill. A school nurse is generally on hand, but virtually all teachers and school administrators have learned basic first aid and CPR. It is but a small step from here to train school personnel in the use of firearms, and to arm at least some of them.
For the concept to work, armed teachers would have to be volunteers who pass strict psychological testing, and go through at least as much training in firearms and the judicious use of deadly force as current laws demand of armed security guards. The weapons would have to be discreetly concealed, and which personnel are armed should be revealed only on a need-to-know basis."
Despite Obama's decrying of gun violence, since he's entered the White House, prosecutions for breaking gun laws have diminished sharply — a drop of 40% since the zenith reached under George W. Bush, which was 11,000.
As for the anti-gun ownership elites on the Left, their hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Both Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) not only carry concealed weapons, they are also protected by armed police escorts. The obnoxious loudmouth "entertainer" Rosie O'Donnell, who once ran roughshod over conservative actor Tom Selleck because of his stance supporting the Second Amendment, has three armed bodyguards to protect her, her wife and her children. (For more, see "Second Amendment Hypocrites.")
Michael Moore, who supports stricter gun-control laws, including a ban on automatic and semiautomatic weapons and magazine clips that hold more than seven rounds, is also a hypocrite. In one of his docufictions, "Bowling for Columbine," Moore criticizes America's "culture of fear" and its obsession with guns. But it turns out Moore has armed protection from a personal body guard. America found that out only when the body guard was arrested in January 2005 in New York's JFK airport for carrying — you guessed it — a firearm that was unlicensed for New York.
Yup, like O'Donnell, Feinstein, and Schumer, Moore also is protected by armed guards. But they don't want YOU, who don't have the millions of bucks they have to hire armed guards, to own guns to protect yourself.
Then there's anti-gun Obama and NBC's David Gregory, who send their kids to the private, self-described "highly selective" Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, where annual tuition is around $35,000 (not including fees and textbooks) and where the children are protected by 11 armed guards, with a 12th on the way.
For the Left, their motto is ever "Do as I say, not as I do".
By the way, Ayoob wrote his essay after the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. If America had heeded his advice of arming school teachers, the Sandy Hook tragedy might have been averted.
See also Sen. Feinstein's proposed bill to ban "assault weapons" including handguns.
H/t FOTM's reader Joan W.


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Each New Year's Eve, I've recommitted to the daily observation of the sunrise and sunset. The original premise- that it is possible to affirm our connection to one another and to the natural world through participation in a shared, elemental experience hasn't changed. As each new year dawns, I like to come up with a different way to invite others to join the project. 2016 is a leap year, as was 2008 when the project began. It seems mildly auspicious and a good excuse to propose something major.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
catch a falling star
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Item #7302
58 days. The snap bean (or green bean) is eaten pod and all, and is one of those vegetables like tomatoes that tastes significantly better when grown at home rather than bought at the grocery store. The three varieties in this packet are bush type beans, which means that they require no staking, and produce most of their crop over a 1 to 2 week period. Successive sowings every 1 to 2 weeks will ensure summer long harvest of fresh, colorful beans. Blue Lake 274 is an old-time favorite, noted for excellent flavor and texture, fresh or frozen. Cherokee Wax is a vigorous plant producing bright yellow pods. Purple Queen has glossy deep purple pods which turn forest green when cooked. Recipe inside.
Seedling Image
Days to Emerge:
Seed Depth:
Seed Spacing:
Row Spacing:
This packet sows five 10-foot rows.
When to sow outside: RECOMMENDED: 1 to 2 weeks after average last frost, and when soil temperature is 65°F or warmer. Successive Sowings: Every 7 to 14 days up to 60 days before first fall frost. NOTE: In very hot summer areas, sow as recommended above but skip the heat of summer as daytime temperatures consistently above 90°F will cause bean flowers to drop off (no bean formation).
When to start inside: Not recommended.
Harvesting: Snap beans are ready to pick when the pod "snaps" or breaks in half cleanly. This is when seeds have just begun to form and the pods are 4" - 6" long. Hold stem with one hand, and the pod with the other hand to avoid pulling off branches which may continue to produce. At season's end, plants are great compost material, if not diseased.
Artist: Susan Rubin
Item #7302
60.00 grams
What is Soil?
Soil is a diverse mix of substances, teeming with life and composed of minerals, decayed plant and animal matter, water, and air. It…More…
Much like homegrown tomatoes and many other vegetables, beans' flavor diminishes in storage, which is why fresh from the garden is notably more…More…


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Following the path that began with the TEC B-482, the TEC B-682 continues the enhancement of the industry renowned BX Series with features like faster processing and a larger standard memory capacity.
Furthermore, using an optional PCMCIA Ethernet LAN card offers Internet Web Printer Control.
Also available is a basic program feature allowing the B-682 to adapt and process data in new ways removing the need to reprogram existing systems.
|The item or configuration you need not listed here! Call T: 0161 902 0980 for a fast competetive quote
With many accessories, call and we make sure all are correct for your configuration.


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Registering is quick and easy.
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NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Heinz "Dip Dip Hooray" Sweepstakes starts 8/13/12 at 12:00 AM ET, and ends 9/22/12 at 11:59:59 PM ET. Click on Official Rules for details on entry instructions, prize details, restrictions, etc. Open to eligible legal residents of 50 US & DC who are at least 18 years and the age of majority in their state of residence as of time of entry. Residents of P.R. are ineligible. Void in P.R., elsewhere, and where prohibited or restricted by law. Sponsors: The H.J. Heinz Company, L.P., 357 6th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, and Tyson Foods, Inc., 2200 Don Tyson Parkway, Springdale, AR 72762. Subject to Official Rules.


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Cirque du Soleil is being brought into the comfort of your own as Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away has just been released on Blue-Ray, Blue-Ray 3D and DVD. To help celebrate the release of Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away Splash Magazines Worldwide is giving ten lucky winners a copy of the DVD.
From the Big top straight to your home Cirque Du Soleil and the groundbreaking filmmaker behind Avatar bring you a cinematic movie experience like you have never seen before. Directed by visionary - Andrew Adamson - Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away is a whole new adventure.Available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Rated PG.
For more information on Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, visit: http://www.worldsaway3d.com/
To enter you must follow @SplashMagWW on twitter and retweet the following:
Retweet for a chance to #win Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away DVD from @SplashMagWW http://lasplash.com/publish/Film_106/cirque-du-soleil-worlds-away-dvd-giveaway.php
The winners will be chosen from all valid entries April 30, 2013. The contest is open to all current residents of the United States and Canada.
Published on Apr 24, 2013


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"Lieutenant, why are you in civilian clothes?" I was reporting to my first duty assignment and quickly realized I had made a cardinal mistake by not wearing my uniform on the first day. As I rushed to change into my uniform, I started to panic. Did I make the wrong decision? What was I doing here?
After spending the previous four years in college as a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadet in the U.S. Air Force, I immediately started to question the longevity of my career as a nuclear weapons officer. Fortunately, I overcame my early snafu and learned a few things along the way that I would continue to apply long after I left the U.S. Air Force, and my uniform, behind.
After rebounding from my wardrobe malfunction, I embarked on a journey to the perpetually frozen Minot, North Dakota—one of three locations where the US military stores intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). As a nuclear weapons officer, I monitored nuclear missiles for more than 24 hour shifts from an underground launch control center—commonly known as "pulling alert." As I became more senior, I assumed supervisory responsibility of 150 nuclear weapons and nearly as many airmen. Under demanding conditions, I was charged with carrying out processes mandated by the President and National Security Council. This profession requires flawless execution, and something as simple as wearing the right uniform is a crucial building block to the discipline and attention to detail required by this career field.


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Celebrities: they're just like us! Well, they're just like us in that they have handbag preferences, anyway. Because we keep close watch on the day-to-day handbag choices of Hollywood's biggest bag lovers, we tend to pick up on those preferences over time, and today, we're here to talk about what it is that supermodel Miranda Kerr likes in a handbag.
When it comes to fashion, Miranda often wears color but she very rarely carries it. When it comes to bags, she goes for the ultimate neutral: black. She also tends to prefer big bags and mostly satchels, which is a downright practical choice for someone who has access to any bag she wants and handlers to carry her heavy stuff.
Check out eight of her favorites below.
Céline Tie Tote
This one's been in heavy rotation over the past year or two.
Givenchy Shark Satchel
$1,939 via Bluefly
We only spotted this one on Miranda's arm a couple times, which is too bad--it's such a pretty bag.
Hermès Birkin
We've probably seen Miranda carry her Birkin more times over the years than anything else, but can you blame her? It's a Birkin.
Louis Vuitton City Steamer Bag
$4,250 via Louis Vuitton
Miranda's relationship with Louis Vuitton has been close for years; she was working with the brand before designer Nicolas Ghesquiere was!
Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere 25
$2,840 via Louis Vuitton
That, of course, means access to all the black LV bags her little heart desires.
Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bag
$595 via Barneys
Miranda usually goes for satchels or totes, but this roomy, ultra-lightweight shoulder bag is a worthy exception.
Saint Laurent Classic Duffel
$1,990 via Net-a-Porter
Of course, what supermodel doesn't have a little Saint Laurent in her closet?
Saint Laurent Shopper Tote
Shop Saint Laurent via Saks
Of course, Miranda has more than a little.


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How would have Peter Jackson's The Hobbit looked as a duology?
Originally, Peter Jackson intended his adaptation of The Hobbit to be a two-film effort — a duology.
We'll never know for certain how it would have turned out, but in this feature TORn writer Captain Salt brings together the known facts to give us some idea of just how it might have shaped up.Posted in Adam Brown, Aidan Turner, Andy Serkis, Barry Humphries, Benedict Cumberbatch, Billy Connolly, Casting Rumors, Cate Blanchett, Conan Stevens, Dean O'Gorman, Director news, Elijah Wood, Evangeline Lilly, Graham McTavish, Green Books, Guillermo Del Toro, Headlines, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Hobbit Movie Rumors, Hugo Weaving, Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, Jed Brophy, John Bell, John Callen, John Rawls, Ken Stott, Lawrence Makoare, Lee Pace, Locations Sets, Luke Evans, Manu Bennett, Mark Hadlow, Martin Freeman, MGM, Mikael Persbrandt, Peter Hambleton, Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, Rob Kazinsky, Ryan Gage, Saoirse Ronan, Stephen Fry, Stephen Hunter, Studios, Sylvester McCoy, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Warner Bros., William Kircher


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Pamela Plick is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and member of the Financial Planning Association. Serving clients at Pamela Plick Wealth Management in Palm Desert, CA and the surrounding communities.
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For those living on the Eastern seaboard still cleaning up from Hurricane Sandy, we at the Financial Planning Association, wish you and yours...Read More >
In the wake of Bernie Madoff's $50 billion Ponzi scheme, many investors have grown more concerned about the safety and security of their...Read More >
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Ninja Turtles Sliding Free Game!Vote: Did you like this game? 00
Game description:
Played: 0
In this cool game you will meet once again one very famous character from the cartoons Raphael from the Ninja Turtles. Ninja Turtles Sliding game is another very fun sliding game. Your job in this game is to solve the puzzle with the Raphael. Press play to start the game. Use the mouse to click on the pieces that you want to replace. Click on the background to see which piece belongs in empty part. Try to finish the puzzle and then you can play again, but the next time it will be more difficult. Get ready, turn the music on or off and start playing. Enjoy playing this fun game!
Game controls:
Use the mouse to play this game!