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What do you get when you blend 21 writers, a pile of shoes, and a fire? Believe it or not, that's not the first line of a joke. What you get is one of the most interesting anthologies that has come out in a long time.
The Shoe Burnin' Anthology and CD available now for pre-order from River's Edge Media (Order here) includes poems, stories, essays, and songs from Chuck Cannon, Susan Cushman, Joe Formichella, Ed Southern, Michael Reno Harrell, Suzanne Hudson, Shari Smith, Scott Owens and a baker's dozen more notable Southern musicians and literati based on the premise that "Any pair of shoes has a story to tell."
The first Shoe Burnin' occurred on a cold winter's night some years ago in Alabama; when the firewood ran out, a box of old shoes provided the assembled group of friends and artists with the fuel they needed to stock the hearth and share stories and songs late into the night. The bond forged that night began a tradition of fireside Shoe Burnin's, and in remembrance, many stories and songs shared since have involved shoes — all the places they trod and the myriad experiences of those who wore them. "The Shoe Burnin', Stories of Southern Soul" is a collection of those works.
Grammy Award winning musician, Rodney Crowell, says "Homicidal librarians, French twisted, stilletto'd and on the lam, flip flop shod Bessie Smith wannabe's and cowboy booted, beauties out to prove that to get gone a woman doesn't need fast footwear; good-ole-boys sporting Red Wing lace-up's and an emergency medical trained aversion to Converse wearing co-ed's pulling volunteer duty on a cat-4 tornado cleanup crew; guilt ridden bird-dog lover's and holders onto of life's half-forgotten keepsakes: all this and more from a coalition of wordsmiths, story-tellers and song-swappers whose whiskey whetted forebears first stumbled onto the notion that on a cold winter's night in the deep south, it's better to burn shoe leather than brave a trip to the woodpile."


text:
The slide above is from Noah Brier's Brand vs. Utility presentation, which reminded me of a post I wrote a long time ago in my young blogging days on a concept I called 'The Expectation Gap". I've left the article as is, therefore, it is slightly out of context, but the core concept still shines through. Also I wanted to showcase my ever greater skill as manipulating the English language….. Yes, I'm well aware it is a futile endeavor…
Without further ado:
The essence of conversational marketing is of course to get people talking. To ignite conversation around a given service or product. To seed the conversation and amplify it, you need the right people to say right things about your product. For example you want the camera buff to evangelize your new digital camera to his friends for he is a trusted source of information regarding cameras. At least within his network. However, how do you get the camera buff to crank up the volume of your message, to amplify it.
The key is in managing the expectation gap. To explain this concept I will use 4 scenarios at a local pizza shop.
1. You are hungry so you walk into a pizza shop you've never been to before. You are expecting a decent slice of pizza, but you're primarily just trying to get a quick fix. The expectations are relatively low, but the pizza isn't bad in fact it is slightly better than anticipated. You go back to the office and might mention it. The expectation gap was too small to register.
2. Now this time you walk into the same pizza place and are BLOWN away by the flavor. When you get to the office this time you tell everybody about this transcendental pizza experience. The expectation gap was huge, therefore the quality and volume of amplification is equally exaggerated.
3. Now if you get a slightly subpar pizza it's also not a talking point as the expectation gap was insignificant.
4. The final scenario is if your best friend, whose pizza taste you agree with, raves about a particular pizza joint and you decide to give it a shot. However, the pizza was so bad you ended up throwing it away. Due to the hype, the expectations were astronomical and subsequently the negative expectation gap was equally as large. You now go back to your friend and curse him out for making you endure such a terrible gastronomic experience, and vow to never heed another recommendation from him. In addition, you tell everyone else you know how bad it was. Finally, your friend, the evangelist, loses confidence in his recommendation and stops promoting the shop. The repercussions are severe.
The greater the expectation gap, the more conversation, good or bad, is catalyzed around the product.
The key to conversational marketing is optimizing the expectation gap, not simply hyping a product to unrealistic levels. In today's world if the product under delivers word travels fast. As marketers we need to find the balance between building positive buzz around our products and not over-hyping.
Create as great a gap as possible between expectations and delivery to catalyze conversation.

subset: commoncrawl


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August 09, 2012
By Maleena Lawrence
LAWT Contributing Writer
Over 100 members of The Black Los Angeles Young Democrats (BLAYD) supported the community launch of The CATALYST Awards. This inaugural event honored trailblazers, Congresswoman Karen Bass and Nii-Quartelai Quartey, CEO of The Sankofa Group for Civic Engagement for catapulting significant progress within Los Angeles communities, and for inspiring the next generation of democratic leadership.
"The CATALYST event is about Service; we are honoring individuals who put others before themselves and support those who want to serve. This time allows BLAYD to work together, bridge the gaps and make short to the long strides in our community," says BLAYD Founder, Ebony Lewis. The resounding messages from the honorees, attendees as well as the guest host, Alonzo Bodden and "Hollywood's Champion of New Sound," DJ B Hen was to encourage attendees be active in the 2012 Election cycle by getting involved in local and national politics, voting, moving messages through social media and public policy initiatives that directly impacts the African-American community.
BLAYD's president, Darryn Harris reminds the community, "We are all capable of being a catalyst for creating the communities we deserve. This event was about igniting our greatest resource, which is you." BLAYD is dedicated to building a membership movement overflowing with catalyst in all areas of government and professional networks. The Catalyst also plays a significant role in placing a spotlight on community organizations serving solutions to people in need and the next generation of power players. In solidarity with a national celebration for President Barack Obama's birthday, the event was concluded with celebratory cupcakes.
For more information on BLAYD, The CATALYS Award Honorees and 2012 Endorsements go to: www.blayd.weebly.com;


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Shaky defense foils Wacha's strong outing
Molina's error after wild pitch proves costly against Nationals
WASHINGTON -- A day after the Nationals' defense came under scrutiny for its bevy of miscues, the Cardinals did no favors for Michael Wacha as he worked to wiggle out of seventh-inning trouble in a tie game.
A missed catch by Matt Carpenter and an errant throw by Yadier Molina following a wild pitch compounded the inning and helped the Nationals to a pair of unearned runs on Friday night. That's all Washington required to even the series with a 3-1 win in a game where the Cardinals' hottest hitter watched the game end from the on-deck circle.
Matt Adams was denied the pinch-hit opportunity when Shane Robinson grounded into a game-ending double play. Manager Mike Matheny said later he hoped to deploy Adams for a shot at more than just a tie.
"To get Adams to the plate, we're looking to try to win this game," Matheny said. "It didn't work out."
The two clubs had traded runs early, with the Nationals scoring first on Anthony Rendon's third-inning homer and the Cardinals answering with Mark Ellis' RBI single in the fourth. In front of a crowd of 31,237 at Nationals Park, there was little other traffic on the bases through the first six innings. Wacha sailed, and Washington lefty Gio Gonzalez matched him.
"I felt very good," Wacha said. "I was able to attack them with pretty much everything tonight."
Gonzalez retired 11 straight after Ellis' hit, and his offense started pecking away for him in the seventh. Singles by Adam LaRoche and Ian Desmond put Wacha into quick trouble and initiated a players-only mound meeting as Danny Espinosa prepared to hit.
They talked about their bunt defense -- there would be no wheel play to protect against Espinosa pulling back from the bunt -- but were clear in their objective. This was the time to be aggressive.
"We need to get that [out] at third base," Molina said. "That's the idea."
Espinosa gave them that chance. His bunt was fielded by Wacha, who didn't hesitate to throw to Carpenter at third. The ball glanced off Carpenter's glove for the third baseman's second error of the night.
"We got the perfect bunt. Michael made a great play," Carpenter said. "I got back to the bag and pretty much what happened was I stretched before I saw where it was going and ended up missing it. It was a good throw; I should have caught it."
With the bases then full, Wacha still had a chance at preserving the tie. He garnered his first out with a strikeout of Nate McLouth. A forceout at the plate secured the second. Nationals manager Matt Williams then pulled Gonzalez for pinch-hitter Zach Walters, who didn't have to do anything but watch Wacha bounce a 0-1 changeup that Molina couldn't keep in front of him.
"I've got to make a better pitch in that situation," Wacha said. "I spiked a changeup down in the dirt."
Desmond scored as the ball scooted away, and Espinosa followed when Molina's throw shot past Wacha and into the Cardinals' dugout.
"Talking about that play, I just blocked it, went after it, threw it away," Molina said. "It's that simple. I'm just trying to make a play and threw it away. My fault."
"You never see a ball get away from Yadi," Williams said. "Ever."
"How many times can you count Yadi has balls bounced at him?" Matheny added. "He's as good as anybody I've ever seen as far as keeping balls in front. That's a spot we want [Wacha] being able to throw balls in the dirt because we know [Molina] is going to make that play almost all the time. Today was one of those times that's very rare."
Wacha went on to retire Walters on a groundout.
Though only one of Washington's three runs off Wacha was earned, it was a considerably more successful offensive night for the Nationals than the last one they had against the right-hander. That came during the final week of the 2013 season, when Wacha held them hitless for 8 2/3 innings before Ryan Zimmerman prevented history by legging out an infield single.
He opened Friday's start by retiring five straight before an infield hit -- this a push bunt by Espinosa -- ensured there would be no run at a no-hitter again. Wacha gave up only two other hits, one the home run, before the seventh.
"That's one of the better pitched games we've seen from him and he's thrown some really good ones in a very young career," Matheny said. "Everything you could ask for."
The Cardinals, employing a right-handed-heavy lineup, did little against Gonzalez outside of stringing together three consecutive fourth-inning hits. A double by Allen Craig, who had a two-hit game, and singles by Molina and Ellis tied the game in the frame.
"We tried to do a good job of getting his pitch count up, but we just weren't able to get enough offense going," Carpenter said. "He was as good as he usually is and kept us off balance and was attacking that zone with his fastball."
The club did threaten against Washington's bullpen. The first two batters reached in the eighth and moved into scoring position with Jhonny Peralta's 11-pitch groundout. Drew Storen relieved Tyler Clippard and squashed that momentum by retiring Matt Holliday on a popup and Craig on a groundout.
Robinson's double play an inning later ended the final threat and snapped the Cardinals' eight-game winning streak -- one that dated back to the final game of the 2012 National League Division Series -- against the Nationals.
"I know that guys have a lot of faith in the defensive team that we are right now, and I believe we're going to get better," said Matheny. "But it just shows you that when you are facing a pitcher that is on like Gonzalez was today, you can't give them extra outs."


text:
take it into (one's) head (to do something)
take it into (one's) head (to do something)
To decide or become set on the idea to do something, often something capricious. Jane has taken it into her head to become a glassblower, and she's already ordered all the tools.
take it into your head
If somebody takes it into their head to do something, especially something strange or foolish, they suddenly decide to do it. He suddenly took it into his head to go out to Australia to stay with his son.
take it into your head to do somethingdecide impetuously to do something.
1991 Ben Okri The Famished Road Fearing that the supervisor might notice me as well and take it into his head to order me to break my neck carrying cement bags, I hurried on.


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Interview on grief, Dark Optimism, aliveness and activism
by Shaun Chamberlin on December 21st, 2014
This is an excerpt from a longer video interview Rhonda Fabian conducted with Shaun Chamberlin at the opening of the New Story Summit in Findhorn, Scotland. Part of a Findhorn Foundation documentary initiative.
Transcript originally published in the Kosmos Journal.
Rhonda Fabian: Shaun, please tell me what Dark Optimism means to you.
Dark Optimism is a widely misunderstood term. I get a lot of people coming up to me saying, "Are you feeling dark today, or optimistic?" That's not quite what I mean. Dark Optimism means being unashamedly positive about the kind of world we could create, but unashamedly realistic about how far we are from doing that right now.
So it's not that sort of bright shiny optimism, which I can find quite frustrating. It's more like, "Well everything isn't fine actually", you know? It's an ability to look at the more difficult aspects of where we are and what we're doing, whilst also retaining a sort of deep faith in human potential. And also drawing on the deeper questions of why we're really here. And does the state of the world in any way challenge our purpose in being here, or make that impossible? I don't think it does.
Read more »


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Well here we are in June already. Always a busy month. Between graduations, farming our corn and fathers day. On top of that it is "Dairy Month". For a dairy farmer every day is dairy day, week, month and year. The cows need their food and milking everyday, 24 /7 the cows are on our minds and run our daily lives, but we love it and most of us agree it is our calling.
This is the 24th Father's day without my Dad. I still miss him terribly, yet his legacy and passion lives within me. My Dad was not a man of many words. He liked his routine and was just happy to be in the barn with his beloved cows. We were pretty much polar opposites when it came to socializing and chit-chat. I think he thought me a bit quirky, a bit boisterous, and always on the go. I was just like my mother. It was a yin/yang thing. All I know is it worked. I truly think that my life growing up was as perfect as it gets. I had the best of both worlds. A free and easy, hippy style mom and a quiet hard working Dad that like routine and structure.
We have all of these fancy terms for everything these days. I think that my Dad might have been termed, OCD. He was the cleanest person I have ever met. He spent so much of his time that he should have been sleeping, cleaning. He only slept about 4 hours a night.
My first memories of my Dad was by his side…working and cleaning. You see I was the oldest, I know in his heart I was supposed to be a boy, thus his nickname for me was Bobbi. (He had married later and I was born when he was 35 years old). He needed a worker and well, I ended up doing just that. At four years of age he put steel wool in my hand and taught me to help him scrub the line. My very favorite memories was about that same time when he put me in the big stainless steel milk tank to help him clean it. He said that my hands were nice and small to get into the "crannies". It was such fun slipping and sliding around. I remember we used a lot of cleaning chemicals. I told him, "Daddy I can't breath", he calmly said to me "it's OK honey, just hold your breath". I did just that. While others might not think that was the best parenting moment, it was one of my happiest times.
My Dad was even picky about the color of his cows. He liked them mostly black with only a little white on the bottom. When asked why, he would simply reply, "They look cleaner like that". He was known by many of this preference and any bull in his breeding program reflected this and any cow that was purchased had to fit that bill. (I am blessed to have a aerial photo of our dairy farm and his "Vacas Pretas" as he would call them in Portuguese are prevalent and a beautiful keepsake of our life).
That desire for quality and cleanliness was passed down to me. A good product starts with the best quality milk. Once you have the milk, so pure and pristine, processing it must also retain cleanliness and quality. The importance of this has been passed onto me and I pass that on through my cheese and milk. So many people tell me that my cheese and milk lasts long after the "best by date". I tell them that is because of our clean milk and processing. It makes me so very proud. I am so lucky that my husband also is a stickler for quality. It is, to my delight that my daughter, Tara, has also inherited that gene. I am so happy to have her heading up all of our production.
I am sorry that my Dad did not get to see "Dairy Goddess" come to life. I know he would have just shook his head and smiled that crooked grin. My father told me out loud only one time that he was proud of me. That was on my wedding day. I always knew that he was, but like I said he was a man of few words. He did often tell me he loved me, especially towards the end of his life.
There has been many times since his passing that I have heard him. When I had been lost in my thoughts or worried about this thing or that, his voice will pop into my head and say "I love you, Bobbi"… and then it's gone, but that moment stays with me and I know that he is right here watching the whole thing. Our loved ones never really leave us. We carry them in our hearts and in our actions. We hope that all of the best parts that they gave us are then passed down to our children.
Happy Fathers Day Dad….and to all you Fathers! Don't forget June is Dairy Month…go on out and celebrate. Think about all of the hard working dairy farmers out there bringing you the best of what Dairy has to offer.
Cheers…preferably a big cold glass of milk!


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So I went to see Waitress, starring Keri Russell, at the Main Art Theater (in Royal Oak, MI). I like Keri, unfortunately there is something about the parts she plays that I generally don't like. But the reviews have been giving her great acclaim for this movie. Rightly so, she did an excellent job and I really liked her and her character in this film.
She plays a small-town waitress in a rotten marriage who makes pies. These aren't ordinary pies, they're extra-ordinary pies. She thinks these pies out according to her mood, they might be called:
And everyone just thinks they are the best thing ever. She's trying to save money and wants to win a $25,000 pie contest so that she can finally leave her husband.
The interactions with the other waitresses and with Joe, the old coot in one of the booths, (played by Andy Griffith) are excellent and I laughed aloud in the theatre many times. Her Ob-Gyn is played by Nathan Fillion and they have some hysterical interactions and strange conversations, so strange it makes me wonder if they had a script, or if they didn't if they re-edited it to make it so goofy. I loved it!
Tags: Adrienne Shelly, Andy Griffith, Keri Russell, movies, Nathan Fillion, pie, Waitress


text:
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text:
Ports of Call
- Castries
Castries Port of Call
Cruise ships in St Lucia © jster91
St Lucia's capital Castries owes much of its existence to the many cruise ships that dock in its deep water port. The town is attractive enough, but apart from shopping has little to offer visitors.
St Lucia's real charms are revealed in day trips away from Castries, into the glorious hinterland and along the scenic coastline. The local people are famously friendly and the weather perpetually sunny.
Cruise ships docks at quays on both the north and south sides of the harbour. The two sides are linked by water taxis. The north side is called La Place Carenage and is closest to Castries. Passengers exit through a duty-free shopping centre into Castries old town. The south quay is closer to a larger duty-free shopping centre at Pointe Seraphine across the water.
Tourist Board office
Tel: +758 452 4094
The Sureline Building, Vive Bouteille
Old Castries is easily accessible by foot from the disembarkation areas. Buses with green license plates leave from Castries to all parts of the island. Taxis, with blue plates, are also a good option, and recommended over car rental as the roads can be dangerous for drivers unused to local conditions. Take a helicopter ride for a scenic view of the whole island.
Check out the Diamond Botanical Gardens with its impressive waterfall and the bubbling sulphur springs of Soufriere volcano. Visit the enormous banana plantation of Marquis Estate, climb Morne Fortune, for photo opportunities, and stop by Marigot Bay, one of the most picturesque bays in the Caribbean. The local beaches are fabulous too; Malabar Beach, Choc Beach, and La Toc Beach are close to Castries.
The Pink Plantation - local cuisine on a large veranda with excellent views
Chic - fine dining at The Royal Hotel
Brown Sugar Restaurant and Bar - Caribbean food with a fun and lively atmosphere
Best Dish
Fresh line fish
Visit the old market at the corner of Jeremie and Peynier streets for indigenous crafts and colourful scenes from local life. Look out for wood carvings, spices, and banana ketchups. Two substantial duty-free shopping centres are at La Place Carenage Pointe Seraphine, although the goods are fairly uninspiring and aimed squarely at tourists. Eudovic studios in Goodlands sells unique and finely crafted wood carvings.
Best Buy
A traditional St. Lucia two-sided doll
Hunt for orchids between the Pitons that guard the island
See Marigot Bay, where scenes from Dr No were filmed
Explore Pigeon Island St Lucia's first national park
Become our St Lucia Travel Expert
We are looking for contributors for our St Lucia travel guide. If you are a local, a regular traveller to St Lucia or a travel professional with time to contribute and answer occasional forum questions, please contact us.


text:
PIA MARIE T. CORDERO ALOUA, Plaintiff,
AURORA LOAN SERVICES, LLC; LEHMAN BROTHERS BANK, FSB; QUALITY LOAN SERVICE CORPORATION; Does I-X, inclusive, Defendants.
Case No. 2:09-CV-00207-KJD-RJJ.
United States District Court, D. Nevada.
June 23, 2010.
KENT J. DAWSON, District Judge. Currently before the Court is Defendants Aurora Loan Services, LLC, and Lehman Brothers Bank, FSB's Motion to Dismiss (#15).[1] Plaintiff Pia Marie T. Cordero Aloua filed a Response and Opposition (#18) to Defendants' Motion on October 5, 2009, to which Defendants filed a Reply (#19) on October 20, 2009.
I. Background
Plaintiff financed the real property located at 116 Peachy Court in Las Vegas, Nevada ("subject property") on or about the 5th day of July, 2007. At that time, Plaintiff executed an adjustable rate loan ("first loan") in the principal amount of $768,987.00 and a fixed-rate balloon loan ("second loan") in the principal amount of $144,185.00. Lehman Brothers, which changed its name to Aurora Bank on April 24, 2009, was the original lender, and Aurora Loan Services ("ALS") was appointed as the loan servicer on August 16, 2007. Plaintiff's first loan, which was placed in the sub-prime category, was financed based upon a yearly adjustable interest rate of 9.375% and was to be paid to Lehman Brothers by monthly payments beginning in September 2007. Plaintiff avers that the sub-prime designation of her loan, which led to higher fees and interest, was in error because Plaintiff had verifiable income and a credit score sufficient to qualify for the traditional prime rate. Defendants aver that Plaintiff defaulted on her loans in December 2007, leading to foreclosure proceedings which were ultimately completed on July 14, 2008 through Quality Loan Service Corporation ("QLS"), the appointed substitute trustee. ALS claims to have acquired title to the subject property through said foreclosure proceedings. Plaintiff avers, however, that she did not default on her loans and that the foreclosure sale was carried out without serving the required notices and without giving Plaintiff the appropriate opportunity to avert the sale. On January 7, 2009, Plaintiff commenced this action in the District Court for Clark County, Nevada. The action was removed to this Court on February 2, 2009 on the basis of federal question and diversity jurisdiction. (See #1.) On September 2, 2009, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint against all Defendants, alleging the following causes of action: (1) intentional misrepresentation; (2) negligence per se under the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ("RESPA") and the federal Truth in Lending Act ("TILA"); (3) negligence; (4) rescission under TILA; (5) wrongful foreclosure; and (6) quiet title. On September 21, 2009, Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss the First Amended Complaint (#15). For the reasons discussed below, the Court grants the Motion to Dismiss in part and denies it in part.
II. Discussion
A. Motion to Dismiss
A court may dismiss a plaintiff's complaint for "failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." FED. R. CIV. P. 12(b)(6). A properly pled complaint must provide "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." FED. R. CIV. P. 8(a)(2); Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). While Rule 8 does not require detailed factual allegations, it demands "more than labels and conclusions" or a "formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action." Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009) (citing Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286 (1986)). "Factual allegations must be enough to rise above the speculative level." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. Thus, to survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter to "state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. at 1949 (internal citation omitted). In Iqbal, the Supreme Court recently clarified the two-step approach district courts are to apply when considering motions to dismiss. First, the Court must accept as true all well-pled factual allegations in the complaint; however, legal conclusions are not entitled to the assumption of truth. Id. at 1950. Mere recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported only by conclusory statements, do not suffice. Id. at 1949. Second, the Court must consider whether the factual allegations in the complaint allege a plausible claim for relief. Id. at 1950. A claim is facially plausible when the plaintiff's complaint alleges facts that allow the court to draw a reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the alleged misconduct. Id. at 1949. Where the complaint does not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has "alleged—but not shown—that the pleader is entitled to relief." Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). When the claims in a complaint have not crossed the line from conceivable to plausible, plaintiff's complaint must be dismissed. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570.
III. Analysis
A. Intentional Misrepresentation
Plaintiff alleges Defendants knowingly made false misrepresentations to Plaintiff, upon which Plaintiff justifiably relied to her detriment. To state a claim for fraudulent misrepresentation in Nevada, a plaintiff must allege that (1) defendant made a false representation; (2) defendant knew or believed the representation to be false; (3) defendant intended to induce plaintiff to rely on the misrepresentation; and (4) plaintiff suffered damages as a result of his reliance. Bartmettler v. Reno Air, Inc., 956 P.2d 1382, 1386 (Nev. 1998). Misrepresentation is a form of fraud where a false representation is relied on in fact. See Pacific Maxon, Inc. v. Wilson, 96 Nev. 867, 871 (Nev. 1980). Fraud has a stricter pleading standard under Rule 9, which requires a party to "state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud." FED. R. CIV. P. 9(b). Pleading fraud with particularity requires "an account of the time, place, and specific content of the false representations, as well as the identities of the parties of the misrepresentations." Swartz v. KPMG LLP, 476 F.3d 756, 764 (9th Cir. 2007); see also Morris v. Bank of Nev., 886 P.2d 454, 456 n.1 (Nev. 1994). The Ninth Circuit has held, however, that the stricter pleading requirements of Rule 9(b) "may be relaxed with respect to matters within the opposing party's knowledge," reasoning that "[i]n such situations, plaintiffs can not (sic) be expected to have personal knowledge of the relevant facts." Neubronner v. Milken, 6 F.3d 666, 672 (9th Cir. 1993) (citing Wool v. Tandem Computers, Inc., 818 F.2d 1433, 1439 (9th Cir. 1987); Moore v. Kayport Package Express, Inc., 885 F.2d 531, 540 (9th Cir. 1989). Even under this relaxed version of Rule 9(b), however, "a plaintiff who makes allegations on information and belief must state the factual basis for the belief." Id. Here, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants knowingly concealed the true nature of her credit score and defrauded her by placing her loan in the sub-prime category to charge higher commissions. Plaintiff also alleges, among other things, that Defendants misrepresented the fees charged and paid in association with her loan, as well as her eligibility to participate in a loan modification program. Taking these assertions as true, the Court finds Plaintiff has sufficiently stated a claim for fraud: Plaintiff alleges that Defendants intentionally misrepresented information to her, that she relied on these representations, and that she was damaged as a result.
B. Negligence per se
To state a claim for negligence per se, a plaintiff must allege that (1) he or she belongs to a class of persons that a statute was intended to protect; (2) defendant violated the relevant statute; (3) plaintiff's injuries are the type against which the statute was intended to protect; (4) the violation was the legal cause of plaintiff's injury; and (5) plaintiff suffered damages. See Anderson v. Baltrusaitus, 944 P.2d 797, 799 (Nev. 1997). Whether a particular statute establishes a standard of care in a negligence action is a question of law. Vega v. E. Courtyard Assocs., 24 P.3d 219, 221 (Nev. 2001). Plaintiff claims Defendants violated provisions of TILA, 15 U.S.C. § 1601, et seq., and RESPA, 12 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq., dealing with a lender's disclosure duties. Defendants argue that the TILA claim is time barred because the statute of limitations has run. Section 1640(e) of TILA requires that claims be brought within one year of the date of the loan transaction. Interpreting this provision, the Ninth Circuit has held that while as a general rule the limitations period runs from the date the transaction is consummated, the doctrine of equitable tolling may, when appropriate, toll the limitations period until the borrower has had a reasonable opportunity to discover the facts giving rise to a TILA claim. King v. California, 784 F.2d 910, 915 (9th Cir. 1986). The Ninth Circuit has also held that the equitable tolling analysis is a factual one: the finder of fact must determine whether equitable tolling will prevent unjust results or maintain the integrity of the relevant statute. Id. Because these factual questions are yet to be resolved, the Court is unable to say at this stage in the litigation whether the statute of limitations has run. Therefore, Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's TILA claim on statute of limitations grounds is denied. Moreover, after reviewing the Complaint, the Court finds Plaintiff has adequately stated a TILA claim against Defendants. Plaintiff alleges Defendants (1) failed to disclose the identity of persons and entities who share the service fees and other charges for her loans; (2) failed to disclose the percentage of the loan amount paid to the nominal lender; and (3) failed to disclose relevant credit terms to enable Plaintiff to compare market rates and prevent unfair credit practices. (Dkt. #14, Compl. ¶ 26-28.) Taking these assertions as true, Plaintiff has stated a viable claim for relief under TILA. Plaintiff has failed, however, to sufficiently state a claim for negligence per se under RESPA. 12 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq. As a general rule, RESPA does not create an express or implied private right of action. Collins v. FMHA-USDA, 105 F.3d 1366, 1367-68 (11th Cir. 1997); Bamba v. Resource Bank, 568 F. Supp. 2d 32, 34-35 (D.D.C. 2008); Morrison v. Brookstone, 415 F. Supp. 2d 801, 806 (S.D. Ohio 2005); McWhorter v. Ford Consumer Fin. Co., 33 F. Supp. 2d 1059, 1064 (N.D. Ga. 1997). A limited exception to this rule exists: a private right of action exists under RESPA when a specific statutory provision mentions such a right. See Bloom v. Martin, 865 F. Supp. 1377, 1384-85 (N.D. Cal. 1994). Although Plaintiff alleges Defendants violated several provisions of RESPA, the only section she references with any specificity is § 2605. Accordingly, because this section of the statute does not provide a private right of action, Plaintiff's claim for negligence per se under RESPA fails.
C. Rescission
Plaintiff also alleges she is entitled to a rescission of the mortgage contract under TILA, 15 U.S.C. § 1635. Plaintiff is incorrect. Section 1635 of TILA establishes that lenders must notify borrowers of their right to rescind and outlines the penalties for failure to comply with this requirement. Nonetheless, § 1635 expressly states that these provisions do not apply to "residential mortgage transactions." A residential mortgage transaction is defined in 15 U.S.C. § 1602(w) as a "transaction in which a mortgage . . . interest is created or retained against the consumer's principal dwelling." See also 12 C.F.R. § 226.2(a)(24). This is precisely what Plaintiff's mortgage contract entailed: the parties entered into a transaction in which Plaintiff attained financing from Defendants to acquire residential property. Because Plaintiff is not entitled to rescind the mortgage contract, her rescission claim under § 1635 fails as a matter of law and Defendant's Motion to Dismiss is granted as to Plaintiff's rescission claims.
D. Wrongful Foreclosure
Plaintiff also alleges wrongful foreclosure. "An action for the tort of wrongful foreclosure will lie if the trustor or mortgagor can establish that at the time the power of sale was exercised or the foreclosure occurred, no breach of condition or failure of performance existed on the mortgagor's or trustor's part which would have authorized the foreclosure or exercise of the power of sale." Collins v. Union Federal Sav. & Loan Ass'n, 662 P.2d 610, 623 (Nev. 1983). "The material issue of fact in a wrongful foreclosure claim is whether the trustor was in default when the power of sale was exercised." Id. Here, Plaintiff affirmatively alleges that she was not in default of payment to the lender at the time the foreclosure occurred, and therefore, the representations as stated on the Notice of Default were false.[2] Taking these assertions as true, the Court finds that Plaintiff has adequately stated a claim for wrongful foreclosure against Defendants. Therefore, Defendants' Motion to Dismiss is denied as to Plaintiff's wrongful foreclosure claim.
E. Negligence against QLS
To bring a negligence claim in Nevada, a plaintiff must show that (1) defendant owed a duty of care to plaintiff; (2) defendant breached that duty; (3) defendant's breach was the actual and proximate cause of plaintiff's injuries; and (4) plaintiff was injured. Scialabba v. Brandise Constr., 921 P.2d 928, 930 (Nev. 1996). Liability based on negligence does not exist without a breach of duty. Bradshaw v. Blystone Equip. Co. of Nev., 386 P.2d 396, 397 (Nev. 1963). Plaintiff claims that Defendant QLS, "as trustee under the deed of trust, had a duty to Plaintiff to ensure that any party instructing it to conduct a foreclosure sale of the property actually owned and had rights under the note and deed of trust." (See #14, Compl. ¶ 32.) Plaintiff also alleges that Defendant QLS's failure to take the appropriate steps to comply with this duty was the actual and proximate cause of damages to Plaintiff. Id. at ¶ 33-39.) At this point, because Plaintiff's claim for wrongful foreclosure remains, the Court also finds that Plaintiff has sufficiently pled a claim for negligence.
F. Quiet Title
Finally, Plaintiff brings a claim of quiet title, arguing that because foreclosure was wrongful, Plaintiff remains the rightful owner of the subject property. Taking these assertions as true, Plaintiff has stated a claim for wrongful foreclosure against Defendants. Therefore, Defendants' Motion to Dismiss is denied as to Plaintiff's quiet title claim.
IV. Conclusion
Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (#15) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part as follows:
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's claim for intentional misrepresentation is DENIED.
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's claim for negligence per se under TILA is DENIED.
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's claim for negligence per se under RESPA is GRANTED.
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's claim for negligence against QLS is DENIED.
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's claim for rescission under TILA is GRANTED.
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's claim for wrongful foreclosure is DENIED.
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's claim for quiet title in DENIED.
[1] Defendant Quality Loan Service Corporation filed a Joinder (#22) to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss that is considered together with Defendant's Motion herein. [2] If matters outside of the pleadings are submitted in conjunction with a motion to dismiss, Rule 12(b) grants courts discretion to either accept and consider, or to disregard such materials. See Isquith v. Middle S. Utils., Inc., 847 F.2d 186, 193 n.3 (5th Cir.1988). A court exercises this discretion by examining whether the submitted material, and the resulting conversion from the Rule 12(b)(6) to the Rule 56 procedure, may facilitate disposing of the action. Id. at 193 n.3. If the court elects to convert the motion, "[a]ll parties must be given a reasonable opportunity to present all the material that is pertinent to the motion." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(d). Here, Defendants have attempted to provide evidence refuting Plaintiff's no default claim, Plaintiff however, has not had an adequate opportunity to fully brief this issue. Accordingly, without opining whether Plaintiff's claims may survive a summary judgment motion, the Court elects not to convert Defendants' immediate Motion into one for summary judgment.


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Top Gun Val Kilmer ICEMAN signed photo LARGE - With Photo provenance
Stunning HUGE official Top Gun 16" x 20" photo of Tom Cruise as "Maverick", and Val Kilmer "Iceman" signed by Val Kilmer.
Rare full flight gear promo shot in such a large format. This is the largest signed photo of Kilmer we have seen.
Val Kilmer doesn't usually put extra words or quotes after his signature. He will only occasionally add "Top Gun / Iceman" at private signings.
A stunning rare undedicated promo photo, signed at the same time, he signed our flight helmet.
See webshop for our full Top Gun collection. (Search on "Top Gun")
One of Hollywoods favourite actors.
Signed by:
Val Kilmer ( Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kazanski)
Comes with our own Devon Autographs COA, and Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee.
Devon Autographs [ UACC Registered Dealer #RD336 ]
Comes with original Celebrity Authentic USA certification and sticker.
Photo Provenance of Val Kilmer signing this photo included.


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Like hamburger & fries and turkey & dressing, JRuby allows you to harness the awesome power of Ruby in your Java projects. This session describes the origins, capabilities, and limitations of JRuby, the 100% pure-Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. This session also demonstrates some areas where it makes sense to mixin Ruby and Java code: building swing applications, testing, and dynamic programming.
Neal Ford is Software Architect and Meme Wrangler at *Thought*Works, a global IT consultancy with an exclusive focus on end-to-end software development and delivery. He is also the designer and developer of applications, instructional materials, magazine articles, courseware, video/DVD presentations, and author and/or editor of 6 books spanning a variety of technologies, including the most recent The Productive Programmer. He focuses on designing and building of large-scale enterprise applications. He is also an internationally acclaimed speaker, speaking at over 100 developer conferences worldwide, delivering more than 600 talks. Check out his web site at http://www.nealford.com. He welcomes feedback and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Comments on this page are now closed.
This was a fantastic tutorial. Neal Ford is one of my favorite speakers
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By Philip Blenkinsop
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone inflation due on Friday will be firmly in the sights of financial markets eager to establish whether the European Central Bank (ECB) has enough ammunition to ease monetary policy in the following week.
Inflation in the 18-member euro zone unexpectedly slowed to 0.7 percent year-on-year in January, matching a four-year low set last October and confounding expectations for a rise to 0.9 percent.
The ECB cut its main refinancing rate to a record low of 0.25 percent in November and left it at that level at its meeting earlier this month, but put markets on alert for a possible move in March.
ECB President Mario Draghi said the Governing Council had not acted because of the complexity of the situation and the need to have more information.
The next meeting on March 6 will have new forecasts from the bank's staff extending into 2016.
Friday's February inflation figure could cause a fine-tuning of those forecasts, which form the basis of the ECB's monetary policy.
"The big issue is whether they are comfortable with their medium-term trajectory. That's obviously something that's going to get revised down a bit ... Next week's reading will in some sense influence their thinking," said David Mackie, chief European economist at JP Morgan.
Further country data could mean the January figure being revised up to 0.8 percent on Monday, but the consensus view is for a 0.7 percent reading for February.
Commerzbank, which predicted the 0.7 percent figure in January, sees a further drop to 0.6 percent for February. Christoph Weil, economist at the bank, said this would prompt the ECB to reduce its 2014 and 2015 inflation forecasts each by 0.2 percentage points from already low levels of 1.1 and 1.3 percent respectively.
"It's a close call, but we see the ECB cutting interest rates," Weil said, adding Commerzbank's view is that the main repo rate would drop to a fresh low of 0.1 percent.
The market consensus is for no further cut.
Inflation data will arrive at the same time as unemployment figures. The typically lagging indicator is expected to show no improvement in January from the 12.0 percent rate of December.
Across the Atlantic, the debate rages on about whether the U.S. economy's apparent weakness at the start of this year is purely a temporary blip caused by an exceptionally cold winter or something longer-lasting.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, some two weeks after she told the House Financial Service Committee that the central bank would keep on reducing its stimulus.
Lawmakers may ask whether she has a different view on the weather question, although few expect an abrupt change.
After a week featuring a promising survey of U.S. manufacturers, but a decline of housing starts, factory activity and home sales, there will be more data on home prices and sales, consumer confidence and durable goods orders.
For Nomura's chief U.S. economist Lewis Alexander, the latter, due on Thursday, is particularly important given that higher fixed investment by businesses underpins many economists' outlook of a better rest of the year.
Alexander said some weakness in the first quarter had been expected, even without the harsh weather, because of a strong second half of 2013 supported by inventory accumulation.
The jury would be out until a spring thaw on whether the weakness went beyond the weather and the inventories issue.
"If you look at the breadth of the weakness we've seen in the last six weeks or so, in things like the retail sales report and the weakness on payrolls, I think it certainly is consistent with the notion that there's something bigger going on than just those two temporary factors," he said.
The weather of course will influence the durable goods data, such as in terms of capital goods for the construction sector.
In China meanwhile, the economy really is weakening.
Activity in China's factories shrank again in February, a survey showed, the minor slowdown in the world's second-largest economy enough to upset markets across the region.
The flash Markit/HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), released last week, dropped to a seven-month low of 48.3 in February, the second month at a level below 50, indicating contraction.
Official PMI from the National Bureau of Statistics, with a bigger sample size, will provide a further guide on Saturday and could add to the view of some economists, still in the minority, who believe China will need to ease policy to support growth of 7.5 percent.
In Japan, data due on Thursday are expected to show factory activity accelerated in January, after disappointing fourth-quarter growth figures cast doubt on the effectiveness of the aggressive stimulus of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's year-old government.
Thursday is also likely to see Japan's core inflation hovering at five-year highs above 1 percent, but still well below the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) 2 percent goal.
A Reuters poll last week showed the BoJ is expected to ease monetary policy further by the summer to help boost the economy as the effects of the government's stimulus begins to wane.
(Additional reporting by Jason Lange in Washington, Gui Qing Koh in Beijing and Tetsushi Kajimoto in Tokyo; Editing by David Holmes)


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« All Events, Meetings & Groups
- This event has passed.
October 3, 2018 @ 9:30 am - 11:30 am
An event every month that begins at 9:30 am on day First of the month, repeating indefinitely
NAMI Connection Support Group Meetings
NAMI Connection is a peer-led recovery support group for people living with mental illness in which people learn from each other's experiences, share coping strategies, and offer each other encouragement and understanding. All meetings are free of charge.
Please click here for more information on NAMI Connection: http://www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-Programs/NAMI-Connection
Cottonwood (1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month)
Time: 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location: Spectrum Healthcare, Mingus Room*, 8 E. Cottonwood St., Cottonwood, AZ 86326
Please note that the meetings start promptly at 10:00 AM. We appreciate your being there on time to avoid disruption to the flow of the support group meetings. Thank you!
NOTE: Separate meetings for family members take place on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at 10:00 AM, at Spectrum's Mingus Room in Cottonwood.
* The Mingus Room is adjacent to the large Community Meeting Room at Spectrum's main campus – Building A (building with flagpole in front). There is a door to the Mingus Room from outside the building, right next to the soda vending machine and picnic table.


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Chez Lionel
Rating: 2 out of 4
1052 rue Lionel-Daunais, Boucherville
Phone: 450-906-3886
website: www.chezlionel.ca
Open: Lunch weekdays 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner daily 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. (until 11 p.m. Fri. and Sat.)
Reservations: Essential
Wheelchair access: Yes
Cards: All major
Vegetarian friendly: Not especially
Parking: Lot on site
Price range: Lunch, two-courses $17.17; Dinner, starters $7-$13; main courses $16-$24; desserts $7-$8
MONTREAL - Ian Perreault is a chef who has buzzed above and below the Montreal restaurant radar for the past 20 years. Having started as a promising commis in the Toqué! kitchen, Perreault burst on the scene in 2000 at the age of 24 with his restaurant, Area. His cooking style was bold and filled with outré flavour combinations. In your bowl of soup, you'd find an ice cube spiked with wasabi, and the fried sweetbreads were served with a sweet and sour sauce. Most every bite was an adventure. But he did the classics justice as well. I have yet to taste a lemon tart as good as the one at Area. There were other projects, too: Rest Area … La Tartine … Halte Urbaine. The kid was on a roll.
Yet all, alas, were short-lived. Then in 2007, Area, too, was no more. I remember Perreault telling me he was closing his restaurant one night, on what turned out to be the last time I dined there. I thought, how rotten, but for sure this talented chef would bounce back. However, when asked whether he would open another restaurant in the near future, Perreault didn't mince words: "Why would I? For the last 14 years I haven't had a Saturday night meal with friends or family. My wife and I work close to 100 hours a week. It's a crazy life. But cooking is the only profession I know. I still love it."
As promised, his next business was not a restaurant but a high-end takeout counter. He and his wife, Mélanie Martin, opened Ian Perreault Prêt à Manger, which is still going strong in its bright locale next door to the Theâtre d'Outremont. Last year, there was a brief collaboration with the now-defunct bistro Le Murphy on Bernard Ave. in Outremont, which closed before I got around to reviewing it. I worried he would throw in the towel, but Perreault's back on the radar again, this time in Boucherville, at a happening restaurant opened in June called Chez Lionel.
Located in Boucherville's "Le Centre urbain," an impressive new development filled with restaurants, Perreault's latest is one bustling bistro. Packed to the rafters on the balmy Friday night I visited, Chez Lionel features high ceilings, a large bar, chandeliers, curved banquettes, a sprawling terrasse and a huge glassed-in wine fridge. The clientele consists of the sort of moneyed 40-to-50 somethings every restaurateur aims to attract. It reminds me of places like Les Enfants Terribles in Nun's Island, La Tomate Blanche in Brossard's Quartier DIX30 and Bottega Pizzeria in Laval, restaurants in the distant suburbs that are drawing in the locals at quite a clip. Look no further than such wildly popular establishments for proof that the downtown core is losing residents in favour of the 'burbs.
Chez Lionel is so busy, in fact, that we had to settle for a table near the bar area instead of the main dining room, which is a better option than the mind-bendingly loud bar itself (to be fair, they probably welcome the rollicking ambience). After a long wait, we were handed menus, and I was thrilled to see Perreault's cuisine is still so appealing. His style remains funky without going overboard, and we jumped in with three starters: tempura shrimp, chicken brochettes and salmon tartare. The wine list is eclectic and affordable (especially the wines by the glass), made up of a majority of private imports and dominated by New World selections. We started with a Spanish white, Basa Rueda 2012, which was not only a great choice but just $35. Sweet.
As for the food, the first round was brilliant. Crisp and grease-free, the shrimp were delectable, and even better when dipped in the accompanying herb sauce. The satay-sized chicken brochettes were given the Indian curry treatment and served with a light mango yogurt. Super. But my fave of the three was the salmon tartare spring rolls. Fresh and summery, these rolls turned out to be a great vehicle for showing off this ubiquitous tartare. The lime dipping sauce served alongside was a bit strong for the delicate fish, but go easy on it and you'll be fine.
Despite the great starters, the wait for the main courses was so long that our nice waiter came to apologize. Service at Chez Lionel is out of whack, for not only were the waits excessive, but every so often, a server would come up to the table with a dish asking if we had ordered it. I even received an order of french fries that I had requested with the main courses, before the appetizers arrived. Ugh.
But when the mains finally hit the table, boy, they looked great. A copious bowl of ricotta-stuffed ravioli scored with its al-dente fresh pasta, rich mushroom and duck confit garnish and light, buttery sauce. I dreaded the calorie count on that one, but it sure was good. Also generous in portion, the ribs arrived on top of roasted ratte potatoes and sautéed kale. With a slightly sweet barbecue sauce and firm but tender meat, these "côtes levées" were a great late-summer treat. The only real letdown, the rock cornish game hen, was a big one. Served on a bed of dry and frazzled white navy beans with swirls of insipid green sauce, the chicken was flaccid-skinned and dull. Hard to believe the ravioli and the ribs came out of the same kitchen as that bird.
Sadly, desserts didn't help resuscitate the meal post-game hen. A chocolate pot de crème lacked unctuousness and punch (a better-quality chocolate would make a world of difference). The lemon cake tasted more of uncooked flour than lemon. And while eating a forgettable chocolate-ganache-stuffed pistachio macaron served with blotches of raspberry fruit purée, all I could think was, "Quel mess."
I'm a fan of Perreault, so I'm happy to see him back in the saddle. But the ride at present is a bumpy one. It's still early days at Chez Lionel, but this team has to get a grip. That said, there was no missing how all the folks around me sure looked happy. Ah, the joys of the captive audience at the hip suburban restaurant. Young chef restaurateurs … take note!
Twitter: LesleyChestrman


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Free Dental Health Consultation
Your Dentist in Brookfield, WI - Geary Dentistry
Conveniently located on the border of Wauwatosa,
Brookfield and Elm Grove. Members of Brookfield Chamber of Commerce.
Welcome to Geary Dentistry.
At Geary Dentistry, our priority is to deliver quality care to informed patients in a comfortable and convenient setting.
Quality Care
When you have dental problems, you need to turn to a dentist who listens and responds ... an experienced doctor who knows the field and can effectively diagnose and treat your needs ... a friendly dentist who counsels you on the best ways to maintain and improve your health. Our staff meets all these criteria. Plus, you benefit from a dedicated team of trained professionals who gives you the individualized attention you deserve.
Terence Geary, D.D.S Emily Eckdahl, D.D.S. Mary Eileen Geary, D.D.S.
Informed Patients
Geary Dentistry believes that informed patients are better prepared to make decisions regarding their health and well-being. That is why we've included an extensive section on this website covering the full array of topics associated with dentistry and dental diagnoses and treatments. We encourage you to look through these pages whenever you have an interest or concern about your dental needs and care.
Our goal is to provide the highest quality dental care in a safe and comfortable environment for all our patients. Here are a few of the many dental services that our office offers Brookfield, Elm Grove, and Wauwatosa residents.
- Cosmetic Dentistry
- Dental Implants
- Crowns and Bridges
- Lumineers
- Veneers
- Invisalign Orthodontics
- General Dentistry
Comfortable, Convenient Setting
The best care in the world doesn't mean anything if you can't access it. At Geary Dentistry, we strive to make our Brookfield office as efficient and convenient as possible. Included in these web pages is information about Geary Dentistry's office, including our Brookfield location, maps, directions, hours, insurance policies, and appointment scheduling. You can even email a request for an appointment right here!
We hope you find this website useful and invite you to contact us with your questions at any time.
Geary Dentistry 12780 W North Ave Brookfield, WI 53005 (262) 860-1500


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Happy New Year From the Hill
Mama had a gorgeous photo on her phone and I asked her where that was? She said - the porch. Ahh, yes. The memories. Only a few short months ago and the bug lanterns were lit, the trees were green, the ferns were green and we were in our Summertime mode. Painting and planting. Dirt smells and cricket yells. Now the fog has rolled in and as Mama says we look like we are in old London Town.
Yesterday it hit 69 up on the hill. A stormy tropical balm settling in. Which meant I was pulling things out of the closet under the stairs and putting Momma's camp chair in there while the weather channel forecasted Tornado weather. That's my total prep. Mom's camp chair. (for her) Two old pillows. (for me) And a gallon of water. I had an emergency light with corroded batteries and began taking the batteries out and one got stuck and then I was off working on something else. So - that's about as far as I made it on my Emergency plan. Glad the storm passed or it was about to cozy. And dark.
The Charmings came over and spent the night. They were perfect right up until the time they weren't. We cooked pigs in a blanket mini style. They told school stories - which cracked us up because the four year old only answers questions with an angry the cops are questioning me mode tone. In other words he answers in ALL CAPS!!! The boys read books, watched puppy pals, and rocked with Nana. They called Kevin who ran up on the porch so happy they were here and rushed to get inside. Only Kevin had found something really SPECIAL to roll in that was strong enough Damon started gagging and saying, WHAT IS THAT SMELL??? And I said - that's a dog's happy place. And then we ran inside and locked the door in case he developed thumbs. They brushed teeth, put on pajamas. Got into bed. And then started cracking up and laughing and rolling out of bed, and changing places, until - ZAZA said - ENOUGH! And Happy New Year. Go to sleep! This morning we had pancakes and they had very, sleepy eyes. Their sleepy eyes do not compare with MY sleepy eyes.
When they went home I tried to go back to sleep. For the day. But I started thinking that the PULPWOOD QUEENS GIRLFRIEND GETAWAY WEEKEND AND BIG HAIR BALL book club event of the season is basically TWO WEEKS away and that I will be headed to Jefferson, TEXAS because they have made CONFESSIONS OF A CHRISTIAN MYSTIC as their April Book Club of the month. Ok, that's the official sounding reason. BUT I also get to be on a panel that is like a wish list before I die panel on Thursday (if you want to call it a panel because we are the entertainment) for one of the greatest events known as the AUTHOR DINNER. But get this - it's where the AUTHORS serve the BOOK CLUB MEMBERS AND Attendees DINNER. Imagine looking up to see Pat Conroy pouring your ice tea. Yes, this is the kind of event it is and so I will be there as a contributor to the Southern Writers on Writing Anthology and as the April book club author and more than that as a friend to the Pulpwood Queen book club members who have been with me since my very, first novel, The Gin Girl. It's an honor to be in the company of such great readers, the writers they support, and Kathy Murphy the wild woman who founded the whole thing. I hope if you have a way to clear your schedule and check on remaining tickets and treat yourself to a way to kick off your New Year in one of the most memorable ways possible.
All that to say - I got excited about Texas and thinking of the million things I needed to do before I got there and I couldn't go back to sleep. Perhaps, at some point today - a nap.
SIDENOTE SPIDER RANT: I just killed a spider the size of Texas in my kitchen. I THINK I brought him in on Kevin's food bowl. BUT - it is not a good thing to have a spider the size of TEXAS within five miles of your house much less in your kitchen. On the counter. I was on the phone with a good friend who was in Nashville for the night and apologizing for being ZAZA wiped out and that I couldn't meet her which is really just a crying shame and then suddenly I went crazy sailor on her began to explain at least she was safe from the spider. I could not find a sledgehammer to kill this massive beastive so I found an old can of RAID that had a smidgen of ant killer in it and then I sprayed it till it coughed twice. And picked up speed. Which is when I dropped the can and ran and found that old deep woods off from the porch summertime days and let go of a cloud that is still hanging around the kitchen downstairs as I write this. (Mama had managed to go back to sleep so she has been safe in her room during this entire show-down) I suspect that I will go down the stairs and the spider will have come to life and crawled away the way that sneaky scorpions do pretending to die but they do not so you have to cut them into little pieces. I am sorry if this offends you but if you have never been in a cabin that has become infested with scorpions when you are trying to complete a novel under deadline and have woken up with a scorpion ON YOUR PILLOW STARING AT YOU and one UNDER YOUR PILLOW WAITING FOR YOU - then you will not know the depths of my anti-scorpian behavior. You may be able to possibly search this blog and find reference to this chilling moments. (For the record. I stayed. I became Ramboette. I slept with my shoes on. Tied my hair in a scarf. Moved the bed to the middle of the room. And I killed Scorpions by the dozen daily. When you are a writer and you are serious about your deadlines you will do these things. ) Back to the spider. I once had a wolf spider walk under my arm while I was holding a hammer. He was just asking for it. This spider was asking for it because he came in my house. I have forty thousand acres of woods around my house. They can live there and I have no problem with them and their lifestyle choices. They may NOT come to my house and eat my grandchildren. End of story.
Everybody has been reflecting on the past year And I have been sick. When you are sick you are not good at reflecting. You don't care. I was so sick I didn't even watch tv. Watching tv when you are sick is a good thing because you don't feel like doing anything else. It gives you an official card - I CAN WATCH TV IF I WANT TO AND OLD EPISODES OF THE TWILIGHTZONE ARE JUST FINE. I just laid in bed and thought about how being sick was not fun. And that I was an immense admirer of all the brave strong souls that are fighting terrible diseases and overcoming cancer and carrying on in their lives to the best of their ability every single day. You guys are all awesome. And for people who are depressed and have trouble putting on both their shoes and walking out the door and they do anyway. All the people in the world who keep carrying on in the middle of what they are going through - this moment's for you. You deserve someone to say - atta girl, atta boy, - and Happy New Year to you to. I hope you get well, get healthy, get something special just for you.
Reflection: I kept Mama busy with those plants for awhile this summer. Well, really, that's the other way around. That was a lot of flower boxes and water and dirt. Mama says keeping stuff alive is not easy. I wanted to tell her yeah, well all this digging feels like it's killing me but it didn't and was probably a healthy thing in the long run. Except now. I don't have a green house. And I keep dragging plants in and out, in and out, and covering things up and I need grow lights and the ferns are looking puny and sad and like they wish I would just buy them a ticket to the south of somewhere. (PS - I have learned that I can grow ivy. Probably this means anyone can grow Ivy but me learning I can grow Ivy and not kill Ivy is a major surprise.) So this experience stands out to me.
Reflection from this year: My native hometown of Panama City was hit hard by Hurricane Michael and is still on the long road to recovery. My heart was heaviest this year over that loss and the burden its put on the Panhandle and so many friends and family. But it has amazed me to watch how they pulled together down there and without thought of political party or church affiliation - set out to be true neighbors. Showing up, sharing food, rescuing people from trapped houses. Making new friends for life when they didn't have power or water. What one writer called 'the new normal.' having a true view of the priorities in life that changes everything. That's something that I'm carrying with me into the New Year. Deciding what my 'new normal' will look like. Not accepting the limitations of my own preconceptions and prejudices to keep me locked in where I don't belong. Out there. We all belong out there. Helping each other.
News from the HILL: Cousin Deb of Cousin Deb fame was just here for Christmas. I was supposed to be happily selling books when she showed up so son picked her up from airport but I was home sick in bed. Ho Ho HO. Not a fun way to start your vacation. She picked up the mantle and took on the Christmas shopping and cooking. (There was a method to my madness of NOT telling her I was sick before she got on that plane) And Deb said - WOW - you can grow IVY!!!????
Then suddenly Christmas turned into New Years Eve and Reflections were in order. This past year a lot of great things happened. They happened one at a time, a little here and little there. One day rolled into the next without me counting them. Sometimes, my blessings snuck up on me while I was busy with something else. When I wasn't looking. Or I was focusing too hard on the wrong thing. Looking hard at where the glass was half full. Where my deadline wasn't finished. Funny that. And all the time here is the rain pouring down of blessing upon blessing upon blessing.
Confessions of a Christian Mystic was completed, edited, put to bed, and soon - and very soon - will find it's way to bookstores and readers. The advance praise has been astounding and I thank every single person who gave it an early read endorsement. You can now preorder the book here at all of your favorite stores. Hachette has tapped me to do the official audio and we begin recording next week. (I'm so excited!). That new novel set in Nashville is nearing completion finally! And a new top secret project is underway that I can't wait to announce to you in a few weeks. In the world of writing 2018 was a grand year but just a whisper compared to what's to come. (And TO ALL OF YOU who have been reading my words for years, cheering me on and waiting for more I LOVE YOU LIKE HAPPY CRAZY!!)
Reflection: Another year of teaching writing in small groups brought some great, new friends into my life by way of students. They have wowed me with their work, their love of the written word and their energy. It has been one of my greatest pleasures in watching them grow and succeed. It's something I love doing and as time and space and writer conference opportunities open up I'll continue to do more.
Reflection: So Many great things happened that it's only in listing them I realize how I've waisted a lot of time to the nonsense of worry, toil and trouble. My oldest son married his partner in time and I was able to travel with the youngest son (who showed his Mom a whole lot of patience on that trip) to celebrate the marriage in style on the beach. I was able to vacation with all the family as they hit PC (before the Hurricane) to visit with Nana. Most of all - this past year I counted my blessings of family and friends being safe and healthy and being able to spend time with them. (I've lost a few loved ones due to illness, I've cried over the loss of so many strangers to the fires of Paradise, California- but it does bring to mind to be thankful for our days - all of our days.)
I think it has a good ring to it. I think it holds some promise. Something good to come. This year I'll be on the road again, traveling to stores, meeting readers where they live and I hope to see you out there. In the meantime, my prayers are for you and all that hold dear. For all of us overcoming, growing, holding onto each other in process of our everyday lives and challenges. And remembering what it means to be human. In our most glorious, moments. I must leave you here with the words that Author Silas House posted on his Facebook page:
So, excerpts from T.S. Eliot's "Little Gidding" to usher in the new year.
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
By the purification of the motive
In the ground of our beseeching...
For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice...
May we each find the voice we were gifted at birth, the one we need to use to carry into a New Year and in doing so bring a much needed light into the world.
Wishing you a year filled with Peace and Love,
Doris Kooyer
1/3/2019 06:27:13 am
I write on my bathroom mirror with Sharpies. (It comes off with alcohol.)
1/3/2019 06:55:14 am
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July 2020


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Page One
Who Paid for "the Sierra Club's" Yes on R mailer? (News Analysis)
If you're a Berkeley voter, you'll have received the colorful mailer from the Yes on Measure R campaign conspicuously designed to look as if it had come from the Sierra Club.
Like Measure R itself, the mailer harps on the word "green" numerous times. Of course, there is nothing in the ballot language that guarantees any green (or even rosy) outcome for downtown Berkeley.
What we have here is a case of flagrant greenwashing, financed by developers.
California Form 460, Monetary Contributions Received, was made available on October 5. As of 30 September 2010, the Yes on Measure R campaign reports having received $32,450 in contributions.
By far the largest contribution—$25,000 (see a scan of the disclosure form)—was given by Equity Residential, an S&P 500 company and landlord to over 200,000 tenants nationwide.
Equity Residential's chairman is Chicago billionaire Sam Zell (yes, he who bought and destroyed the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times).
Why would a Chicago real estate firm throw money into a Berkeley race? Because Equity Residential is one of downtown Berkeley's major landowners. In 2007, it acquired developer Patrick Kennedy's portfolio of seven apartment buildings. Recently, the company purchased the Acheson properties on University Avenue between Shattuck and Walnut, where it plans a major development.
Equity Residential has a serious stake in Berkeley, and it's anything but green.
Nor is the second-largest donor to Yes on Measure R a green environmentalist. In fact, he's none other than the infamous Lakireddy Bali Reddy, major landlord, developer, and convicted importer of sex slaves.
The L.B. Reddy Estate Co., LLC, donated $2,500 to the Yes on Measure R campaign.
In third place is William Falik, who contributed $1,000.
Falik's bio on the U.C. Berkeley Law School's website tells us that he has "practiced land use, real estate, and environmental law and mediation in Northern California for the past 37 years and during this period he has pursued a dual career as attorney and real estate developer. [...] Currently, he is the Managing Partner of Westpark Community Builders which developed 1,500 acres in Roseville, California and planned and entitled 4300 residential units which were sold to the three largest builders in the United States. In addition, as CEO of Live Oak Enterprises, he has developed the Whitney Oaks master planned community in Rocklin, California with a championship Johnny Miller designed golf course and 2000 homes."
And here's an even more interesting fact about Falik, reported by Peter Byrne:
In the late 1980s, [developer Angelo] Tsakopoulos and [Phil] Angelides were trying to plow over protected vernal pools in the flood plains of Sacramento county. But their development projects were stalled due to federal and state environmental concerns. Suddenly, a real estate partnership called Live Oak Associates II bought up part of the flood plain adjacent to AKT Development's land. Government disapproval of wetland development vaporized.
The land was lifted from the flood plain—on paper. Live Oak Associates II mysteriously obtained permission to roll over the wetlands.
Tied with Falik in third place is City Councilmember Gordon Wozniak, who also contributed $1,000.
Two contributors came in with $500 each:
• Diablo Holdings Ltd. of Alamo, CA, is a property & asset management company representing The Lineweaver Trust, a private investment company (John L. Lineweaver is president of Diablo Holdings). The company manages real estate assets in Alamo and Berkeley, including the Cambridge Apartments at 2500 Durant Avenue and an office building at 2000 Center Street.
• Marjorie Randolph, senior vice-president of Human Resources and Administration for The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. She resides in Los Angeles.
Three contributors came in with $250 each:
• S. Osborn Erickson, chairman of the Emerald Fund. On its website, the company claims to be "San Francisco's premier real estate developer" and displays an array of large developments. • • Julie Matlof Kennedy of Piedmont, a lawyer and lecturer at Stanford Law School, is married to Patrick Kennedy. • • Jack Schafer of San Francisco is president of Jack Schafer Associates, which provides consulting services to shopping centers and department stores in Asia.
Liveable Berkeley contributed $200.
William Falik, Marjorie Randolph, S. Osborn Erickson, Julie Matlof Kennedy, and Jack Schafer have something else in common: they are all members of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre's board of trustees.
Other Berkeley Rep trustees who contributed to Yes on R are John Field of San Francisco, retired chairman of Field Paoli Architects ($100); David Cox of San Francisco, former president and CEO of Cowles Media Company ($100); Sandra R. McCandless of Lafayette, a partner in the international law firm SNR Denton LLP (formerly Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP) ($100); Thalia Dorwick of Oakland, an author and editor retired from McGraw-Hill Higher Education ($100); Jean Z. Strunsky of San Francisco, vice-president of administration and trustee of the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts ($100); Kerry L. Francis of Oakland, former chairman of Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP's Corporate Investigations practice ($100); David Hoffman, associate director of External Collaboration with the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at Stanford University ($100); and Dale Rogers Marshall, president emerita of Wheaton College ($100).
The Rep's managing director, Susan Medak, also contributed $100 to Yes on R.
That leaves one individual. Pamela Nichter of Novato, who is vice-president, COO and CFO of Osterweis Capital Management in San Francisco, contributed $100. Nichter and her husband are donors to the Berkeley Rep. In the Rep's 2009 annual report, their donation is listed in the Directors category ($1,500–$2,999).
Julie and Patrick Kennedy's donation to the Rep is listed in the Presidents category ($3,000–$5,999), and Kennedy's Panoramic Interests is listed as a Berkeley Rep corporate sponsor, under gifts of $6,000–$11,999. S. Osborn "Oz" Erickson, who sits on the Rep's finance committee with Julie Kennedy, is a donor in the Associate Producers category ($6,000–$11,999). Bill Falik, who is chair of the Rep's facilities committee, donated even more. He and his wife are listed in the Executive Producers category ($25,000–$49,999). This might explain why Susan Medak is so eager to support Measure R.
And there you have it. These are the "green" individuals and companies who paid for the "Sierra Club" Yes on R mailer.
Daniella Thompson has written for the Planet about architecture, but this commentary represents her own opinion. It originally appeared on the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Blog.


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Spring Enrollment Exceeds Budget Expectations; Retention High
The Registrar's Office released enrollment figures today that exceed projected budget numbers for the 2010 spring semester. Augustana began the 2010 spring semester on February 4 with a head count of 1,700 students, the fifth straight year for spring semester enrollment growth.
Dr. Rick Davis, Associate Academic Dean, Dies at Age 52
Dr. Rick Davis, who had served as Augustana's Associate Academic Dean since June 2005, died Tuesday, February 16, after an eight-month battle with brain cancer. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Feb. 20, at Spirit of Peace United Church of Christ in Sioux Falls.
Faith Fest 2010: Fighting World Hunger
Seventy high school youth from around the region participated in Faith Fest 2010 at Augustana on Saturday, February 13. Participants and Augustana volunteers packed 15,608 meals at Kids Against Hunger, preparing enough food to feed 36 people for a year.
Council for Exceptional Children Honors Augustana Senior
Augustana senior Kelsey Erickson is the recipient of the 2010 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Graduation Award-Undergraduate. Erickson will receive a certificate of recognition and a cash award at the CEC Convention & Expo in Nashville, Tenn.
French Club Selling Beads to Support Rwanda Project
Members of Augustana's French Club, Le Cercle Français, will be selling Mardi Gras beads February 15 and 16, with proceeds going to Project Akilah, a new leadership school in Rwanda. Monique Schmidt, class of 1998, is the program director for The Akilah Institute.
Augustana Improv Group Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Formed in 2000 by Augustana Theatre professor Dr. Julia Bennett, Brand Name Improv (BNi) offers quality, audience friendly performance at the College and in the region as well as coursework, workshops, and celebrations of the art and craft of improvisation.
Augustana Community Providing School Kits for Haitian Children
Beginning Thursday, February 4, the Augustana community will be preparing school kits to be sent to children in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Collection boxes for the school supplies have been placed in many buildings throughout the Augustana campus.
Professor Wright's Book Receives National Recognition
Augustana Professor Robert E. Wright's book, One Nation Under Debt: Hamilton, Jefferson, and the History of What We Owe has been selected as one of the National Chamber Foundation's (NCF) Books That Drive the Free Enterprise Debate.
Alumnus is Noted Expert on Terrorism
As a senior consultant to the U.S. government, alumnus Dr. Jarret Brachman is a noted expert on terrorism. Dr. Brachman studied government/international affairs at Augustana and graduated magna cum laude in 2000.
Alumnus receives South Dakota Retailer of the Year Award
Augustana alumnus Kevin Nyberg, class of 1979, and his father, Roy, are the recipients of the 2010 South Dakota Retailer of the Year Award. They were chosen for their vision, commitment to outstanding customer service, and extensive involvement in civic and community activities.


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"Machete," writer-director Robert Rodriguez's grindhouse homage about an ex-federale with a fondness for cutlery, is a bloody, violent polemic about the injustice of U.S. immigration policy, but it's also a gut-ripping good time—if you're into that kind of thing.
The film stars Danny Trejo—"that guy" from dozens upon dozens of films—in the title role, a former Mexican cop recruited to assassinate fervent anti-immigration Texas state senator John McLaughlin (Robert De Niro). But the job turns out to be a set-up, an effort to prove McLaughlin's point about the dangers of all those Mexicans storming our borders.
It would take another 500 words to explain the plot in all its ridiculous details: Michelle Rodriguez runs a taco truck as a front for her work running a modern-day Underground Railroad called The Network; Jessica Alba is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent trying to break up The Network; Lindsay Lohan as a drugged out web-star wannabe who shoots a racy 3-way video with our hero and her mom; Cheech Marin plays a pump-action shotgun-weidling priest… and on and on and on.
As befits the genre, the violence is splattered to the point of absudrity. Yes, the sight of a sword slicing through a door into a thug's mouth may give you a start, but only the most squeamish would be put off by the "blood," there's to much of it for it to be gross. And everything, from the script to the acting to the action, the editing and art direction is purposely a wee goofy. But it's all done with love, because Rodriguez knows his stuff. He may not be as talented a filmmaker as his former "Grindhouse" collaborator, Quentin Tarantino, but he's just as skilled.
Cries of "Race War Bait!" rang out from more reactionary corners of the country upon the film's release, as people freaked out over "Machete"'s aggressively pro-immigration stance and the vilification of all but one of the white characters (the lone holdout being a white kid who was adopted my Mexicans and has joined The Network).
Accusing the folks behind "Machete" of trying to incite a race war is, of course, nonsense--why, some of Rodriguez's best friends are white. As inflammatory as it is, "Machete" is, like Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," just a revenge-porn fantasy. And "Machete," again like "Basterds," is also pretty damn funny—watching Machete use a weedwacker to terrorize a henchman is hilarious.
The DVD has few extras to speak of, and they're little more than filler. You can watch the film with the soundtrack of a live audience reacting to the film in a theater, which seems kinda cool at first, but does little more than remind you how much better it is to see a movie live. There are also a half-dozen deleted scenes, four of which definitely deserved to be. The other two are reasonably amusing, featuring Jessica Alba's ICE agent twice walking in on her slutty twin sister astride her latest conquest, but the effects are too intentionally cheesy, even to be included in the film itself.
It's hard to imagine anyone who thinks they might enjoy "Machete" not actually enjoying it, the film is exactly as advertised: an over-the-top, blood-gushing spoof of a bygone cinematic era, with simplistic-enough-to-ignore political message. The only people who'll be offended or outraged by "Machete" are those looking to be offended or outraged.
"Machete" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.


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The biggest problem at Logan Airport this week isn't canceled flights or icy runways or surly TSA agents. It's the parking.
Finding a place to stow your car is often tough at Logan, as anyone who has prowled the crowded central parking garage long enough to almost miss a flight knows well. But it's even more trying during school vacation week, when hordes of families leave cars at the airport on their way to warmer climes, and the airport's usual stream of business travelers keeps on coming.
This week, as many as 18,000 cars will need to be parked at Logan each day, a roughly 13 percent jump above normal. The 16,200 spaces at the airport, however, remain unchanged.
"Ironically, ground access is one of the biggest challenges the airport faces," said Thomas Glynn, chief executive of the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan.
With lots overflowing, the airport has come up with a solution usually reserved for high-end restaurants and hotels: valet parking. This week, the airport will valet 2,600 cars, paying bundled-up attendants overtime to take passengers' keys, write down their license-plate numbers and return dates, and find a convenient spot for their vehicles before they get back. The service is free, included in the $27-a-day parking fee.
The valets squeeze arriving cars between rows of parked vehicles in the garage, with the occasional mad dash to move a car blocking someone in. This year, the airport also tucked more than 750 vehicles underneath the elevated roadway that runs between the terminals; some snow-covered sedans were stuck behind decorative pine trees there, creating a sort of frozen woodland traffic jam amid a sea of concrete.
Bostonians are used to parking woes: circling the block waiting for a spot to open up, putting out old chairs to save shoveled spaces. And while some Logan passengers are certainly glad they don't have to hunt for a spot, others aren't so pleased.
"I'm annoyed," said Shawn Jeffries as he took his suitcase out of his Chevy Silverado and hurried to catch a flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Wednesday. "I prefer not to leave my keys in my car and walk away."
Logan handles more travelers on a smaller footprint of land than any other airport in the country. Not only is there little room to build lots, but a citywide parking cap that went into effect in the 1970s limits the number of spaces the airport can have. Massport is trying to find room to add 2,000 spots allowed under the cap, possibly increasing levels to the service lot between the central garage and the Hilton hotel.
But until then, the airport is stuck with what it has, even as passenger numbers increase every year, topping 30 million in 2013. Massport is working on other solutions to the parking crunch, offering discounts to take the Logan Express shuttle, expanding remote lots, and raising on-site parking rates.
"We have to be more creative about how we solve these problems," Glynn said, "because they're not making any more land for Logan Airport.
Logan's parking lots hit capacity more than 50 days a year, usually on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when business travel peaks. The airport started the complimentary valet system four years ago to deal with the overflow, relying on overtime shifts and temporary workers — at a cost of $1 million a year — to shuffle up to 1,000 cars a day.
Last year, more than 37,413 cars were valet parked.
"It's not the best business model," Glynn acknowledged.
Earlier this week, a row of parking attendants fended off the cold in neon-yellow coats, hooded sweat shirts, ski pants, boots, and gloves. They carried out an intricate balancing act in the chilly central garage, with wet concrete underfoot, dingy lights overhead, and salt-crusted cars all around. Within an hour, 220 extra cars filled the aisles on the sixth floor, and the operation moved to another level, a process called "stacking."
Each attendant fills out a ticket with a passenger's flight and car information, including any damage, and gives one section to the car owner and leaves the rest on the dash.
A supervisor records all the data on a laptop and gives a list to the valets so that they can move each car close to a passenger's arriving terminal. Keys are left at a valet desk in each terminal.
By 10 o'clock each night, 99 percent of the cars have a home, said supervisor Valerie Travers, who started working at Massport 28 years ago, right out of high school.
Some cars reek of wet dog or are overflowing with trash, but some attendants say that the pristine BMWs, Lexuses, and Maseratis make up for it.
"I'm in paradise," said attendant Pedro Medina, who drives a Chrysler minivan when he's off duty.
A few people ignore instructions to pull into the valet line, driving over cones to hunt for a spot on their own. Most do as they are told, though not always calmly.
"Between the tunnel closure and the parking, Boston is a mess," said an agitated Laurie Barry of Litchfield, N.H., as she rolled her suitcase across the lot to catch a flight to San Francisco.
Seasoned travelers, and those who often use valets, usually don't mind.
"All the businessmen, they'll leave their cars anywhere," said Susan Connolly, a Revere resident who has been a parking attendant at Logan for the last decade. "The people who have the Mercedes, the Porsches, they have no problem valeting."
Lisa Rowe and her teenage daughter, Becca, of Plymouth, left their car with the valet on level 6, then were told to go down to level 4 to get to Terminal C. Rowe found it confusing but not all that different from other times she's flown out of Logan: "It's kind of a nail-biting experience anytime you park in here."
Katie Johnston can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @ktkjohnston.


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Tuesday marks the deadline for first baseman Paul Konerko and right-handed reliever J.J. Putz to accept or decline the salary arbitration offered by the White Sox on Nov. 23. If either player accepts, he will be under team control for 2011 at an increase from last year's respective salaries. Konerko earned $12 million in 2010 in the finale of a five-year, $60-million deal, and Putz earned $3 million.
Both are expected to turn down arbitration in pursuit of multiyear deals. Their decline would mean that the White Sox would receive two Draft picks for Konerko and one for Putz. It wouldn't mean that the White Sox are done with an organization staple for the past 12 years, in Konerko, and a key cog to a talented bullpen, in Putz.
You can sign players that turned down arbitration this year.


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The Voice has seen a number of great coaches come and go (and come back) over the years, but only two have been there every season since the start: Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. With the NBC reality competition's return just a month away (Monday, Sept. 22 at 8/7c), Levine doesn't underestimate the impact the past six seasons have had on his life, both professionally and personally.
"The show has changed my life in a profound way," Levine says in the exclusive behind-the-scenes video below. "I don't know how it happened. It all seemed so quick. But the show changed my perspective on a lot of things."
2014 Emmy fashions: White hot looks
Levine has done seven seasons in three years, all while juggling his duties as the lead singer of Maroon 5 with his blossoming acting career. Despite the busy schedule, it doesn't sound like Levine will give up his big red chair anytime soon. "It was so much fun getting into the show and loving it and still loving it after seven seasons. I don't know how it happened but I'm really enjoying it."
So how has The Voice changed Levine as a musician? And what can he tease about Maroon 5's upcoming album? Watch the exclusive video below to find out:
The Voice premieres on Monday, Sept. 22 at 8/7c on NBC.