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If you are inquiring about renting a film for educational purposes or for a non-for profit institution, please answer the following questions to help us quote you a rental fee.
If you would prefer to fax or mail this form to us you can download the PDF version here.
You can also call us for a price quote at (212) 274-1989.


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Toronto FC 1, San Jose Earthquakes 0 | MLS Match Recap
TORONTO – Jermain Defoe was the hero once more for Toronto FC, who defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 at BMO Field, giving Toronto their third straight home victory and a valuable three points ahead of the World Cup break.
The only goal of the game came from the penalty spot, Defoe beating the San Jose 'keeper Jon Busch in the first half and Toronto holding onto the lead for the rest of the match.
Before the game even started, Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen was forced to make a change to his starting line up. Gilberto picked up a knock while warming up, so Kyle Bekker got the start in midfield. San Jose, without Chris Wondolowski, started Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart up top in tandem.
With the change made before the match, the two teams kicked off and immediately Toronto took the game to the Earthquakes, winning a pair of corners and a free kick. Doneil Henry picked up a cautionary yellow card for a foul on Steven Lenhart in the 17th minute, and Nick Hagglund showed off his offensive side with a superbly hit karate-like shot that tested Busch.
That pressure continued relentlessly and finally paid off in the 25th minute, when Hagglund was pushed down in the box by Gordon and referee Fotis Bazakos pointed to the spot after taking a second to evaluate the situation. Defoe stepped up to the spot, placed a dagger of a shot into the left hand side and beat Busch, who dove the other way.
At the start of the second half, the San Jose Earthquakes came out hungrier, pushing the home side's back line. The two teams exchanged spells of possession and in the 65th minute, newcomer Dominic Oduro made his Toronto FC debut, coming in for Jackson.
Not long after, the referee doled out a controversial yellow card after Clarence Goodson handled an overhead ball down to stop Oduro from receiving a cross. Calls for a red card were ignored, but the resulting free kick was nearly put away by Hagglund, whose flick header flew just wide of the post.
TFC 'keeper Joe Bendik nearly conceded a goal with 20 minutes to play after spilling a floating effort but the ball was cleared. San Jose turned the intensity up in the last 10 minutes of the match, coming close on a couple of occasions but couldn't find the back of the net for the equalizer.
It's Toronto's sixth regular season victory, matching the club's total wins in 2013. The two teams now take a few weeks off for the World Cup break, before returning to action late in June.
MLSsoccer.com Men of the Match
|What We Saw
|Nick Hagglund
|The rookie right back was all over the place, stopping everything in the back and a target up top.
|Collen Warner
|Quiet but vital clog in the center of the field that contributed to the clean sheet.
|Steven Caldwell
|Steady veteran kept the backline organized, denying SJ any clear chances until late.

subset: commoncrawl


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stew in (one's) own juice(s)
stew in (one's) own juice(s)
To remain alone with one's emotions, usually unpleasant ones like anger or disappointment. Kevin was in such a foul mood at dinner that I left early and just let him stew in his own juices.
stew in one's own juice
Fig. to be left alone to suffer one's anger or disappointment. John has such a terrible temper. When he got mad at us, we just let him go away and stew in his own juice. After John stewed in his own juice for a while, he decided to come back and apologize to us.
stew in one's own juice
Suffer the consequences of one's actions, as in He's run into debt again, but this time we're leaving him to stew in his own juice. This metaphoric term alludes to cooking something in its own liquid. Versions of it, such as fry in one's own grease, date from Chaucer's time, but the present term dates from the second half of the 1800s.


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Households and the Fiscal System
42 Pages Posted: 21 Mar 2005
One of the most vexed issues in the history of the federal income tax is how family or household status should affect tax liability. This article suggests a general approach for thinking about the treatment of households in the fiscal system generally under a utilitarian social welfare norm. The fiscal rules considered include those not only in the income tax but under Social Security, Medicare, and safety net programs. Among the recommendations that emerge from the analysis are (1) recognizing couples for tax and transfer purposes without limitation to those that are married, (2) reducing the fiscal system's current distributional bias in favor of one-earner couples and its discouraging work by secondary earners, and (3) providing significantly more favorable treatment of households with children than of those with similar resources but no or fewer children, without limiting this more favorable treatment, in the manner of present law, to relatively poor households.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation


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- Home
- By Type
- By Lifestyle
- By Work Style
- Headsets
- Boardroom
- Peripherals
- Clearance
C920 Logitech HD Pro Webcam
Full HD 1080p with Skype video calls
See and be seen in high-definition quality. Logitech partnered with Skype™ to deliver high-definition 1080p resolution with the C920 webcam.*
*Make sure you have the latest version of Skype for 1080p HD video calling.
H.264 AVC compression
Get high-definition (HD) quality video at home or in the office. Real-time HD resolution over typical Internet connection bandwidths requires video compression. C920 webcam uses H.264 encoded compression to provide high quality video at low bit rates.*
Full HD 1080p recording
Record videos in widescreen Full HD 1080p at 30 frames per second. The same H.264 encoded compression that enables high-definition video calls with Skype, also lets you capture great videos.
HD 720p video call quality
If Skype is not your favorite video-call service, C920 delivers HD 720p calling on most major instant messaging services.
Sharp, rich-color images
Smooth video quality, rich colors and clear sound in real-world environments are produced by Logitech Fluid Crystal™ technology.
Auto focus
C920 uses the same type auto-focus motor used in smartphone cameras. Optimized for webcams, the auto focus gives the sharpest image possible, even as close as 10 cm.
Carl Zeiss optics
To bring you the best webcam images possible, Logitech and Carl Zeiss turned the classic four-element Zeiss Tessar® design into a five-element design. The new design focuses light onto the sensor with maximum detail and minimal distortion.
Stereo audio
A stereo recording or broadcast creates more of a sense of place; it creates a listening environment. Capture video or make a video call knowing that will be heard clearly and naturally.
Stable clip mount
Rubberized bumpers on the clip help hold C920 securely to your monitor or laptop. Also mount it to a tripod
15-megapixel snapshots
Capture brilliant, software-enhanced, 15-megapixel snapshots.
- ACCESSORY TYPE: : Webcam
System Requirements
- Windows Vista®, Windows® 7 (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows 8 or Windows 10
- Chrome OS™
- For HD 1080p video recording:
- 2.4 GHz Intel® Core 2 Duo processor
- 2 GB RAM or more
- Hard drive space for recorded videos
- USB 2.0 port (USB 3.0 ready)
- Recommended requirements for full HD 1080p and 720p video calling*:
- 1 Mbps upload/download for 720p
- 2 Mbps upload/download for 1080p
(Requirements for H.264 and MJPEG formats vary)
- For Skype® in Full HD 1080p
- Skype 5.8 for Windows*
Warranty Information
2-year limited hardware warranty
Package Contents
- Webcam with 6-foot cable
- User documentation
Part Number
Technical Specifications
- Full HD 1080p video calling (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels) with the latest version of Skype for Windows*
- 720p HD video calling (up to 1280 x 720 pixels) with supported clients
- Full HD video recording (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels) with a recommended system**
- Logitech Fluid Crystal™ Technology
- H.264 video compression*
- Carl Zeiss® lens with 20-step autofocus
- Built-in dual stereo mics with automatic noise reduction
- Automatic low-light correction
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified (USB 3.0 ready)
- Tripod-ready universal clip fits laptops, LCD or CRT monitors
- Logitech webcam software:***
- Video recording: Up to Full HD 1080p video capture**
- Photo capture: Up to 15 megapixels (software enhanced)
- 1-click Facebook®, Twitter™ and YouTube™ HD upload (registration required)
- *Please download the latest version of Skype, Skype 5.7 Beta for Windows, which offers 1080p HD video calling.
** H.264 recording requires installation of QuickTime®.
*** Requires installation of included software.


text:
Tell us about your professional journey.
I started in the industry doing market research for both IRI and Nielsen, which gave me a great foundation around analytics and data that ended up driving my future career path. I moved on to the manufacturing side, at a household products company which is now Reckitt Benckiser. There I helped drive the discipline of category management—specifically, how it interacts with sales and strategy, in addition to developing new channels of business for our portfolio. It was a great company that afforded me the ability to do big things, which set me up to move to PepsiCo, a much larger company with a much broader portfolio. I built up my reputation and credibility by working in functions I knew well in the areas of category management, analytics and strategy, so that I could focus my learning around direct store delivery (DSD) and big food and beverage categories. It was very different than coming from a warehouse company.
Over time I had the opportunity to broaden my horizons, and I moved into franchise management working with our bottlers. That assignment enabled me to prove I could succeed in an operations-driven role versus the analytics foundation I had established. Later I moved into a PepsiCo role managing sales functions and teams, as well as leading our industry association collaboration. Now I'm venturing into a new business for us, which is eCommerce.
You mentioned eCommerce, which is clearly a big trend in CPG right now. What is your take on how (or if) consumer goods companies should be focusing efforts on eCommerce?
First and foremost we need to understand where the consumer is going. Consumer trends today show a high degree of urbanization, need for personalization and growth of dual-income households, so customers' time is pressed. At the same time, technology is ubiquitous and becoming an integral part of peoples' lives. These trends are causing consumers to look for convenience and value everywhere they go, naturally leading consumers to migrate to more online shopping. It started in other industries, of course, with books, electronics and computers. And although some said no one would buy shoes or clothes online, look at the current success of Zappos, Gilt and others who have come before us.
Now consumers want to access as much as they can online, and we're following this trend very closely. Projections for online food and beverage growth show a dramatic increase in consumers shifting their behavior from trips to the store to trips online, often using their mobile devices while they are on the go. We're very bullish that there's going to be some growth opportunity to capitalize on, but we also recognize the role that brick and mortar stores play and how important that is to the shopper base. We have to be more nimble about understanding what consumers are looking for when they do make the shopping trip, and how we can help our retail partners create that experience. Most retailers are trying to figure out their own strategy online, as most of them have now understood that they need an omni-channel strategy if they're going to succeed with future generations who have grown up with technology. This means we need to take a hybrid approach, selling through online channels while continuing to support traditional retail stores as they adapt to this eCommerce trend.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing CPG companies today, and what can these organizations do to turn those challenges into opportunities?
The biggest challenge is finding long-term, profitable and sustainable growth. There is no silver bullet that is going to solve the growth challenge. It will require a series of initiatives across our portfolio to be successful. For example, our operating models were previously built for scaled, one-size fits all approaches, but now consumers want personalization and a unique experience that's different and unique to them. We have to be able to find ways to understand consumer demand for our products that leads to shopper solutions where and when they want them. Social media, targeted marketing and technology will all play a critical role in reaching the shopper in this new way. On the talent development front, we have to be able to recognize what the workplace of the future is going to be in order to attract, retain and advance the best and brightest to drive growth. If we just expect to do things the way we've always done them, use the same performance metrics, hire the same way, recruit the same way, train the same way, we're going to be challenged to find talent to bring us into our next decade of growth. Right now we're questioning a lot of our existing processes and empowering our people to think boldly and creatively at ways to work smarter and enable a greater degree of flexibility. If your workforce is diverse, represents your consumer base and is happy to come to work every day, it correlates to better performance. So in the end, it all comes back to growth.
It sounds like confronting these challenges will require taking risks. What was one of the biggest risks you've taken in your career?
I mentioned that I spent some time working with our bottling partners earlier in my career. At the time this was a lateral move from my existing role, and I chose to take that opportunity instead of going after a promotion. I realized that I needed to have a greater understanding of the franchise operations in our business before I could succeed at a higher level. The first three months were very challenging and difficult. I was totally outside my comfort zone working in a primarily male dominated environment, and working in an area of the business I knew very little about. But I found my stride and learned more than I could have ever anticipated, not only about our bottling system and what makes our franchisees successful, but even more about myself and what I was capable of. It made me an infinitely better leader, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.
You are very passionate about what you call "courageous leadership." Tell us what that means to you.
Courageous leadership for me really is really about engaging with and understanding people. If you are going to be a great leader, you have to know your peers, team members and customers. You have to be a good listener and spend more time leaning in and investing in relationships. That establishes a level of trust and respect that opens to doors to the truly authentic conversations, whether giving tough feedback to empowering and motivating teams.
You also have to take risks in doing certain assignments that put you out of your comfort zone so that you can grow and develop both professionally and personally. And you have to be willing to lead change. In my experience, the women and the men who tend to be most successful are the ones who do all of their due diligence to understand marketplace dynamics and form a well thought out opinion, and then are bold and courageous enough to drive it through the system. In many cases you will be met with adversity and resistance, but it's those willing to power through because they believe in the desired result that tend to be our best leaders.
What do you like to do in your (very limited) spare time?
Most importantly, I make sure that I do have spare time! My family is the most important thing in the world to me. I have two young children who are still in elementary school, and as amazing as my husband is, there are still times when they need their mom. My family is and will always be my biggest priority, their love and support enables me to be my very best at work. But it wasn't always that easy; I've had to learn along the way to be present wherever I am. That means when I'm home and with them the phone is down and they have 100 percent of my attention. The same goes for work; when I am traveling, with customers or with my teams I know that my husband is taking care of things at home so I can be completely focused on my job.
One of my favorite things to do with my family is vacation. I feel like travel is such a gift by expanding your horizons and perceptions of different people and cultures. It enables us to put all the technology down and really interact as a family. So I take every bit of vacation, and I enjoy all the elements of vacation planning from where we go to where we stay and even where we eat. Sometimes we travel with extended family or friends, but we always make sure we have time just for our core family to spend critical time together. That recharges my batteries and energizes me to come back to work fully motivated.
Of what achievement, personal or professional, are you most proud?
I am most proud of my children. As they are growing up and becoming their own people, I see the impact of what my husband and I have taught them about equality, gender roles and the fact that either of them can do anything they want. I have a son and a daughter so seeing me as a professional mom and having a dad who manages the home, coaches their teams and helps with the homework hopefully reinforces the notion that both men and women can be anything—gender is irrelevant. Watching them grow up has made me revise the lens through which I see the world and made me examine my own gender biases. For example, I was so excited when my daughter came along, because I thought for sure she would share my love of Disney princesses—the dressing up, the fairytale stories, the pinks and purples. She's nine now and has never been interested in princesses. What did she want to be for Halloween this year? A storm trooper—a powerful, confident and courageous storm trooper. She's her own girl, and I couldn't be more proud.


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Nags Head | 7 BR | 5 Full 1 Half BA
Nags Head
7 Bedrooms
(3K, 2Q, 2BS, 2Duo, 1DSS)
6 Bathrooms
(5 Full 1 Half)
See how close the beach is to your home! View map
per week
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New to Twiddy for 2020!
2020 Advertising Updates
11/29/2019 For the 2020 season, the name of this home will change from "Coast is Clear II" to "Sunrise Dream".
Welcome to our home on the ocean, experience a Sunrise Dream with unparalleled ocean views and endless ocean breezes. Abundant windows and doors on the top level allow the ocean views to be enjoyed from the great room and kitchen, as well as give direct access to the open decks outside.
You and your family have plenty of opportunities to bask in the salt air on the ample oceanside decking or listen to the crashing waves while soaking in the relaxing hot tub or a delightful pool. Just a short walk from this home, enjoy the many amenities available to you at the OBX Mall.
So bask in the sun, surf and pool by day, then play a friendly game of pool or watch TV in the rec room after the sun dips below the horizon. Gather everyone to experience the coastal charm of Sunrise Dream that awaits you and your family. Located at Milepost 14.
Extra: Saltwater private pool and hot tub.
Dogs welcome (1 max. under 35lbs, no cats). No additional fee or deposit required.
Southern hospitality that goes beyond your expectations.
Your information is safe and secure with our payment protection.
Our 42 years of family-owned experience.
1. Initial balance
The initial balance is due 48 hours after booking and consists of:
*IMPORTANT: The reservation can be cancelled without penalty at any time before paying the initial balance.
2. Final balance
The final balance is due 30 days prior to arrival and consists of:
Payments can be made online, by phone, or by mail.
*IMPORTANT: For reservations arriving within 30 days, payment is due at the time of booking.
We accept:
More information on payments can be found here: https://www.twiddy.com/outer-banks/guests/reservation-information/#payments
Once you make your initial balance payment, your reservation is confirmed. To cancel a confirmed reservation, please get in touch with us as soon as possible:
In the case of cancellation, you may re-rent your reservation. We can re-list the home for rent with hopes that another guest can take over your home/week. If the home/week rents, you will receive a refund less the $100 cancellation fee and Travel Insurance (if they purchased it), and any difference in price. If the home/week does not re-rent, you will not receive a refund. If you only paid the initial balance and the home/week did not re-rent, you will be liable for any additional amount owed for the reservation.
If the you purchased travel insurance and need to cancel for a covered reason, you may file a claim with CSA Travel Protection.
The advance hold fee ($50) is transferable to another home. The fee is not refundable if you choose to cancel your advance property hold.
*IMPORTANT: Select homes have a fee higher than $50.00. This higher Advance Property Hold fee is listed the home's description. This fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.
While we are waiting for the owners to confirm their future year rates, you can use the rate for the same week this year as an estimate.
Travel Insurance is OPTIONAL. You have the option to accept or decline the policy when you are booking your reservation.
If accepted, there is a 10 day grace period offered by CSA in which the travel insurance amount can be refunded if you change your mind and wish to decline.
CSA travel insurance information can be found here: https://www.twiddy.com/outer-banks/guests/reservation-information/#travel-insurance
*IMPORTANT: In the event you need to cancel your reservation and you have purchased travel insurance, the travel insurance amount is non-refundable.
Yes, you can! All information regarding the notification list can be found here: https://www.twiddy.com/outer-banks/guests/reservation-information/#notification-lis
We do not offer a military discount, but some owners may offer one if asked.
Contact us and we will be happy to see what we can do for you:
All homes are cleaned prior to arrival.
Daily cleaning is not offered.
Complimentary mid-stay cleaning is available for reservations of two weeks or longer. This service is complimentary but must be scheduled in advance and will take place on the home's changeover day (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday).
*IMPORTANT: Additional cleaning services may be available for an additional fee and must be scheduled in advance.
Pets are permitted in homes that list "Pets Allowed" in the description (NO EXCEPTIONS). There is no additional fee for bringing pets to pet-friendly homes.
Unless otherwise advertised, a maximum of two pets is allowed.
Some pet-friendly homes have specific restrictions regarding the number, size or type of pet noted in the individual description.
Private pools are generally available from the first week of May through the second week of October. Please see your home's web page for specific opening and closing dates. Pools are cleaned, vacuumed and serviced on the day of guest arrival. A mid-week service, including chemical and mechanical checks, is provided, but does not include cleaning or vacuuming.
Heated pool availability dates and fees vary by home. See the vacation home description for availability dates and the heated pool fee. The heated pool option must be requested and paid for prior to arrival.
*IMPORTANT: Pools are not heated in July and August.
The following amenities are standard to all homes unless specifically noted in the home description:
Bed and bath linens are provided for all homes EXCEPT Twiddy Traditionals (which have a "T" at the end of the property number).
Additional linens or linen packages for Twiddy Traditional (T) homes can be provided if requested and paid for prior to arrival.
Bed and bath linens include:
The kitchen is fully stocked with all dinnerware, silverware, pots and pans, and serveware.
Basic appliances, such as a coffee maker, blender, toaster, and can opener are provided.
*IMPORTANT: Paper products, soap products, trash bags, spices, etc (including toilet paper and dish soap) are not provided. Guests are responsible for purchasing or bringing these items.
Baby items, like a crib, high chair, or pack and play are not provided, but can be rented locally.
Local rental companies will deliver the items to the home (fee applies for the 4x4 beaches).
WiFi is offered in all homes except for Twiddy Traditional homes (property numbers end with a "T") unless otherwise noted.
A limited number of 1:00 pm check-ins are available for a nominal fee. Requests must be made and confirmed by phone and paid for in advance of arrival.
We cannot offer this service for certain homes, including those with 7 or more bedrooms or homes occupied by owners the preceding week. Please contact
our office to confirm availability and arrange for early check-in to be added to your reservation.
Homes are generally rented on a per week basis. We do not offer partial week stays. You can stay for as long as you like during that week, but you still have to pay for the week.
*IMPORTANT: A small number of homes do allow partial week rentals for a 3-4 night stay. These homes will only confirm a partial week stay 14 days in advance or 7 days if during a holiday week. You cannot book partial stays online at this time. Please call our office to receive availability/pricing and to book.
The majority of our rentals are from Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday, and a few Friday to Friday.
Should a home still be available for a mid-week stay 7-14 days prior to arrival. We are happy to see if the homeowner would allow it, however, most homes will still require a full week (ex. Mon-Mon).
Get in touch and we will be happy to see what we can do for you:
Live music and karaoke can be found frequently around town at the local bars & restaurants.
Below are links to some of our favorite spots depending on which town you're staying in and what you're in the mood for:
The majority of the shops on the Outer Banks are locally owned and operated with unique items you won't find anywhere else. Centrally located in each town, they are easy to reach by car or bike.
The shopping centers here have everything from boutiques and restaurants, to fresh local produce stands. Below are links to some of our favorite spots.
There is a vast variety of restaurants found on the Outer Banks. From fresh, local seafood establishments to fine dining and authentic cuisine.
Below are links to some of our favorite places to eat:
Outdoor adventure options are abundant on the Outer Banks, whether you are looking for watersports, miniature golf, go karts, wild horse tours or aerial adventure parks.
Below are links to some of our favorite activities:
There are two urgent care centers in Kitty Hawk, approximately 20-25 miles from Corolla and 5 miles from Duck.
The Outer Banks Hospital is in Nags Head which is 33 miles from Corolla and 18 miles from Duck.
Medical centers and pharmacies are listed here: https://www.twiddy.com/outer-banks/guests/general-information/#medical
Beach Warning Flags
During dangerous surf conditions, red "No Swimming" flags fly at beach entrances. Whenever red flags are flying, swimming is prohibited. At such times, ocean conditions have been determined to be unsafe and swimmers are at serious risk of injury or death if they enter the water. For your safety, please heed all red flag warnings.
Ocean Safety
Rip Currents
Rip currents are fast-moving currents of water that can quickly pull even the strongest swimmers away from the shore. Since the current flows under water, it's important to know the signs of a rip current and avoid the water in that area.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), indicators of rip currents include:
Be sure to read lifeguard stand signs when arriving at the beach. If you see warning signs of rip currents or moderate or high hazard flags, stay out of the water and alert others to do the same. If caught in a rip current, you should stay calm to conserve energy. Don't try to fight the current. Instead, swim with the current, and swim toward shore once you're out of the current.
General Beach Safety
The fun begins where the road ends on this unique stretch of Outer Banks shoreline just south of the Virginia border. A four-wheel drive vehicle and an adventurous spirit are required to explore this beach community, where there are no paved roads, no hotels or restaurants, not even a convenience store! What you'll find is an uncomplicated, fourteen-mile expanse of wide, sandy beaches, dense maritime forests and marshy soundside coves.
Home to the Corolla wild horses, the possibility of catching a glimpse of these extraordinary creatures is practically commonplace. Keep in mind, they are wild - do not approach them. County ordinance states that you may not come within 50 feet of the horses at any time. Feeding, riding or petting a wild horse is prohibited. A wild horse sighting is always an exciting event, but please remember to use caution and keep your distance.
There are no fixed lifeguard stands on the 4x4 beaches. Three roving lifeguards patrol from the end of the road to the Virginia state line from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Corolla's pristine beaches are wide with soft sand. Upon crossing the beach access over the dune line to the beach, you will find that the beach is relatively flat, which is ideal terrain for afternoon strolls.
Bringing your dog to Corolla? Beaches are pet-friendly year-round. Leashes are required, but there are no length requirements.
Corolla Beach Safety:
Corolla Lifeguard Stand Locations:
Roving lifeguards (4x4 trucks and ATVs) are on patrol, from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm from Memorial Day through Labor Day. From August 15 through Labor Day stands are manned as staffing allows. Lifeguards are located at the following locations:
Corolla Public Beach Accesses:
Activities to be enjoyed on the beaches of Corolla include; kayak tours, jet ski rentals, parasailing, and many more! Check out the following businesses for rentals and lessons:
Duck's beautiful beaches are perfect for exploring or relaxing. When spending any amount of time on the beach in Duck, it's best to keep the following information in mind.
Beaches are pet-friendly year-round. Dogs are allowed to play unleashed on the beach under close supervision of the owner. Dogs are required to be leashed when in the village or at Duck Town Park. Duck's Leash Law requires that leashes not exceed 10 feet in length.
Duck Beach Safety:
Duck Lifeguard Locations:
Roving lifeguards (4x4 trucks and ATVs) are on patrol from May 1 through October 31. Lifeguards are on duty at fixed stands from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm from late May through August. Lifeguard stands are located at the following locations:
Relax on the serene beaches of Southern Shores! When spending any amount of time on the beach in Southern Shores, it's best to keep the following information in mind.
Dogs are not allowed on the beach between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm from May 15th through September 15th. A leash law is enforced the remainder of the year, and leashes cannot exceed 10 feet in length.
There are no public beach accesses with parking in Southern Shores.
Southern Shores Lifeguard Locations:
Roving lifeguards (4x4 trucks and ATVs) are on patrol from late-May through September. Lifeguards are on duty at fixed stands from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Lifeguard stands are located at the following locations:
Southern Shores Beach Regulations:
In addition to our general beach safety information, the following regulations are specific to Southern Shores.
Salt air and sunshine are plentiful on Kitty Hawk's Beaches. Enjoy many public beach access with parking, and convenience to a variety of shops and restaurants.
Dogs are permitted on the beach. The dog owner is responsible for and must remove feces and possess a bag/container for waste removal at all times. From the Friday before Memorial Day until the day after Labor Day between the hours of 10:00 am and 6:00 pm dogs must be on a leash not exceeding 6 feet.
At all other times during the year, dogs must be restrained on a leash retractable to 12 feet. Dogs may be taken off the leash only if they will not disturb other beachgoers. Unleashed dogs must be controlled by the dog owner, who must remain within 30 feet of the dog at all times. A leash must be with owner at all times.
Kitty Hawk Beach Accesses:
Multiple public beach accesses with parking are available in the Town of Kitty Hawk. The town also has a handicap accessible public sound access at Windgrass Circle. The sound access has parking and is open from sunrise to thirty minutes past sunset.
Kitty Hawk Lifeguard Stands:
Roving lifeguards (4x4 trucks and ATVs) are on patrol from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Lifeguards are on duty at fixed stands from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, from Memorial Day through Labor Day. From Labor Day through September 30th, Ocean Rescue Staff will be on duty from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Lifeguard stands are located at the following locations:
Kitty Hawk Beach Regulations
Kill Devil Hills beaches provide the perfect backdrop for salty family fun. Bring your cooler, beach toys, and boogie boards for a good time.
Dogs are not permitted on the beach between the hours of 9:00 am to 6:00 pm from May 15th through September 15th, unless they are aiding the handicapped. At all other times, leashed dogs are permitted on the beaches.
Kill Devil Hills Lifeguard Stands:
Roving lifeguards (4x4 trucks and ATVs) are on patrol from mid-May through mid-September. Lifeguards are on duty at fixed stands from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm, from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Lifeguard stands are located at the following locations:
Kill Devil Hills Beach Accesses:
Beach accesses in Kill Devil Hills are abundant, and most have ample parking. Each lifeguard stand location listed above is a public beach access. In addition to that list, the following beach accesses are also available in Kill Devil Hills.
Kill Devil Hills Beach Regulations:
In addition to our general beach safety information, the following regulations are specific to Kill Devil Hills.
Enjoy a classic beach vacation in gorgeous Nags Head. Visitors have been relaxing and playing on the beaches of Nags Head for generations. We invite you and your loved ones to experience a vacation on the wide, sandy beaches of Nags head.
Leashed dogs are allowed on the beach year-round. Leashes cannot exceed 10 feet in length.
Nags Head Lifeguard Stands:
Roving lifeguards (4x4 trucks and ATVs) are on patrol from Memorial Day through October 15. Lifeguards are on duty at fixed stands from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Lifeguard stands are located at the following locations:
Nags Head Beach Accesses:
Beach accesses in Nags Head are abundant, and most have ample parking. Each lifeguard stand location listed above is a public beach access. In addition to that list, the following beach accesses are also available in Nags Head.
Nags Head Beach Regulations:
In addition to our general beach safety information, the following regulations are specific to Nags Head.
Rest assured we are taking all necessary precautions to prepare for your upcoming vacation in the wake of COVID-19. Hospitality and cleanliness are a top priority, especially as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters with you.
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The Outer Banks now open to visitors! We're so excited for your visit and rest assured we are taking all necessary precautions to prepare for your upcoming vacation in the wake of COVID-19. Hospitality and cleanliness are still our top priority. For more information, read our response to coronvavirus.
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In attempting to analyse and describe the art of James McNeill Whistler, one is faced at the outstart with the choice of two alternatives — such a choice as the work of no other artist would offer. For either he is great — nay, of the greatest a master, or he is what his earliest critics called him — a charlatan! There is no middle course. If his artistic aims are true, few will deny his greatness; if false, it can only be a matter of time before his works, divested of the glamour with which his admirers have surrounded them, are seen in their true light. No apology is needed for stating that it is our aim to show that he belongs to the ranks of the great masters in art. — T.R. Way and G.R. Dennis
Biographical materials and other discussions
- A gallery of Whistler portraits
- Whistler and Albert Moore in the 1860s
- Whistler and Moore
- The Falling Rocket: Ruskin, Whistler and Abstraction in Art
- Henry James on the Ruskin-Whistler trial
- Whistler's friendship with Sir George and Lady Lewis
- A Whistlerian Warble — Fun (1883)
Baldry, A. L. "James McNeill. "James McNeill Whistler, his art and influence." The Studio 29 (1903): 237-45. Internet Archive. Web. 12 January 2012. [Complete text in the Victorian Web.]
Dorment, Richard and M.F. MacDonald. . Tate Gallery Publications, 1994.
Getscher, Robert W. The Stamp of Whistler. Exhibition catalogue. Oberlin, Ohio: Allen Memorial Art Museum, 1977.
Lochnan, K. Turner, Whistler, Monet. London: Tate Publishing, 2004.
MacDonald, Margaret F., Susan Grace Galassi, and Aileen Ribiero with Patricia de Montfort. Whistler, Women, and Fashion. New Haven and London: Frick Collection and Yale University Press, 2003.
Menpes, Dorothy. "Reminiscences of Whistler by Mortimer Menpes." The Studio 29 (1903): 245-57. Internet Archive. Web. 13 January 2012. [Complete text in the Victorian Web.]
Merrill, Linda. A Pot of Paint: Aesthetics on Trial in Whistler v. Ruskin. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992.
Way, T.R., and G.R. Dennis. The Art of James McNeill Whistler. London: George Bell and Sons, 1903. Copy from the University of British Columbia available on the Internet Archive. Web. 14 January 2012.
Whistler, J.M. Mr Whistler's "Ten O'Clock". London: Chatto and Windus, 1888.
Whistler, J.M. The Gentle Art of Making Enemies. London: William Heinemann, 1890.
Weintraub, Stanley. Whistler: A Biography. New York: Weybright and Taslley, 1994.
Last modified 27 April 2016


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In 1981, Cheryl Krueger and her college roommate, Caryl Walker, opened the very first Cheryl's Cookies® in Columbus, Ohio. The modest storefront sold six kinds of cookies, along with soda pop. Within just seven years, the company broadened its offerings to include gifts and desserts, and with this growth came a new name–Cheryl's®
As the company grew, new desserts were added: gourmet brownies, cakes and fancy cookies, including seasonal cut-out cookies topped with a signature buttercream frosting. Cheryl's also expanded its gift business by producing seasonal catalogs filled with gift ideas for every occasion, and adding a customer-focused business gift department to better serve medium and large companies.
Today, Cheryl's is a multi-faceted business comprised of retail stores in Ohio, a high-traffic Internet business and a successful Business Gift Division, all headquartered in the Columbus suburb of Westerville, Ohio. A 2005 merger enabled Cheryl's to become a part of the 1-800-Flowers Family of Brands., while maintaining the company's mission to provide the finest freshly-baked gifts and desserts. The company's four divisions (Retail, Catalog, Business Gift Services and Internet) can be found at Cheryls.com.
Our Mission
To provide the finest freshly-baked gifts and desserts for all of life's moments, delivered with warmth and backed by our guarantee of excellence.
Our Promise
As our customer, we promise you:


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Fresh flowers, candles, that pricey but amazing-smelling hand soap... These are a few of the little "luxuries" that can make home life a little more satisfying. Despite the weather outside, the leaky rain gutters, or the crying child in the next room, finding pleasure in a simple little extravagance can make your days brighter and make you smile when you least expect it -- an effect that can go a long way.
Today we're celebrating these happy pleasures and sharing 14 indulgences for the home that we hope you can enjoy, too. After all, every household needs at least one guilty delight.
14 of the Most Simple But Satisfying Indulgences for the Home
1. Fresh flowers
Amanda Blake Soule, otherwise known as SouleMama, says fresh flowers are the big indulgence in her house. "In the spring/summer/fall months, I head outside nearly every morning to gather something to bring inside. And when I'm really lucky, the kids bring me 'bouquets' they find through the day. In the winter months, regularly splurging on fresh flowers feels not only a bit indulgent, but essential for a bit of color and life in our long winters."
2. Art books
"I'm a sucker for art books," admits Abbey Hendrickson of Aesthetic Outburst. "Books of any kind, really. I have never regretted buying a book and love to find new bookstores when we're traveling." Art books are usually great looking and when stacked, make for simple home decor, too.
3. A good candle
Don't underestimate the power of a refreshing scent. Blair Stocker of Wise Craft says, "The one indulgence we allow ourselves is a good candle. I really do love Mrs. Meyers basil-scented candles ($9.99) these days, and they last a long time, which is nice."
4. Warm clothes right out of the dryer.
There's probably nothing better than seeing your seven-year-old flopping around in delight when he gets pajamas fresh from the dryer.
5. Houseplants
In most any room, a little green can be so pleasing. "Plants," says Rubyellen Bratcher of Cakies. "I have plants everywhere! They bring so much life to a room, but I do make sure to get plants that don't need constant watering. Our lives are already so busy, I tend to forget to water them. I just love all my plants."
6. Color
It seems simple, but sometimes all it take is a splash of color to make you happy every time you enter a room. Go ahead, add a bit of bold color, paint your ceiling yellow, add some pretty fabric inside your drawers, deck out your floor with a new rug, or paint a boring beige room a pretty blue color. Good color can seriously change everything (mainly your attitude).
7. Good storage.
Everything in its place can feel downright decadent! "Because our house is so small we've 'invested' in some good storage boxes and materials to build storage units," says Benita Larsson of Chez Larsson. "I don't like mismatched boxes, which tend to make things still look cluttered, so we've spent a few bucks on unified white boxes for the living areas and clear plastic boxes for the utility spaces."
8. White bed linens
Veronika Pollard of a few things from my life names "white bed linens" in her list of homey indulgences. They always look so fresh and clean, and feel so mmm.
9. Clean closet
There's no better high than the one that comes with a clean, decluttered, well-organized closet. Seriously, the buzz is hardcore.
10. Candlelight dinner
Alicia Alferman of Mayfly understands that it only take a few extra minutes to make a homecooked meal special. "A white cotton tablecloth, bandannas for napkins, a few cut flowers and sprigs of greenery, and candles in jelly jars. Really it's the candles that make the difference -- and the sun setting right on cue doesn't hurt either." Don't forget to use unscented candles so their scent doesn't interfere with the delicious aromas of your meal.
11. Not worrying about resale value
Decorating our homes in a way that fills us with happiness and inspiration, without regard to the "what ifs" of reselling, is a luxury we can all try to enjoy. Ashley Campbell of Under the Sycamore says, "I paint and repaint all the time. I have rulers for a backsplash. I nailed cork flooring tiles to the wall on the staircase. Whenever one of the kids says something I don't want to forget, I write it down on scrap paper and pin it to that wall. I am thankful for a husband that encourages me to create a home that reflects me and our family."
12. Good bedding
Mary Beth Eastman of Supafine is all about spoiling herself with premium linens. "Egyptian cotton sheets and down blankets and pillows," she says. "I don't care how much I have to scrimp elsewhere. Every night I get into bed and just melt. My husband laughs at me because I literally find myself sleepily saying, 'I love this bed' every night."
13. Quality textiles
The bonus part of being a DIY'er is that sometimes you save so much that you can afford to indulge in higher quality materials. Since she makes so many items for her home, Rachel Saldaña of Buttons Magee treats herself to nice fabrics. "I only make things for the house out of natural fabrics like dupioni silk, linen, and cotton. Every six months or so, I will make new pillows and switch up the accessories to keep our tiny house feeling fresh ... Being of nicer quality, they not only make a bigger impact to the design, but they will also be more durable in the long run. If you are on a budget, I highly recommend learning how to sew."
14. Nice-smelling hand soap
It's truly the little things, isn't it? Something as small as pampering your hands with a delicious-smelling soap can perk you up throughout the day. Amy Furstenau of Everything I Love buys Cucina hand soap, "It's the best!" Myself, I love when I can score an adorable and happy-making soap on a rope.
What is your at-home indulgence? Share so we can indulge in it, too.
Images via Amanda Soule, Abbey Hendrickson, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, Rubyellen Bratcher, Benita Larsson, Veronika Pollard, Alicia Alferman, Mary Beth Eastman, Rachel Saldaña


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Ever wondered what the Nativity would look like if Jesus were a zombie growing up in late-80s Ohio? With Raising Stony Mayhall, Daryl Gregory has answered that question. We asked him where the idea came from.
Raising Stony Mayhall opens with Wanda Mayhall and her daughters finding a dead girl and a dead baby in the snow. When the boy begins to cry, the strong-willed matriarch makes the split-second decision to hide him from the authorities. She takes him home, unsure of her next move — and then he begins to grow. The novel traces Stony's isolated (but otherwise completely normal!) childhood, his traumatic flight from home, and his journey to becoming the spiritual leader of the world's ragged zombie population. We talked with Gregory about the world he created, as well as his work on the new Planet of the Apes comic.
Your central concept of a sentient zombie is a break from (to use a really bad pun) the body of zombie literature. What made you go that direction?
I really wanted to write an anti-zombie novel. There was just so much zombie stuff coming out that I thought, "Maybe there needs to be somebody going the other way." When I pitched it to my editor, I was saying, "It's kind of like the Unforgiven of zombie novels." I saw that movie and I thought, "Well, that's pretty much it for westerns for me. It said everything, took every cliche and inverted it and moved on. No one can ever film another western again." But of course, you can't stop westerns and you're certainly not going to stop zombie novels, nor should you.
Really it started out, I wanted to write about a family in which a kid was being raised with them, sort of adopted, feeling like an outsider and feeling like something was missing. In the first idea, it wasn't really a zombie novel. There was just something terribly wrong with him. When I realized that he could be dead and I could use all those tropes from zombie fiction, then it just spiralled out from there and I got really excited about it.
Of course, my agent really liked it because she thought, "Well, I can sell a zombie novel!" I didn't quite tell her that I was writing the anti-zombie novel at the time, that I was maybe just going to annoy all the people who really like zombie fiction in which zombies are monsters.
Do you consider yourself a zombie fan? Do you have a favorite zombie story?
For me, it really was the Romero movie just scared the hell out of me when I was first ran across it as a teenager. Then, you grow up with all the zombie stories, and then you get Shaun of the Dead later, and you think, "Ok, that's the best possible zombie comedy ever." I think everybody at this point has grown up with zombies. So it seemed like all the furniture of zombie novels was just waiting to be used and maybe misused in my case.
So I'm a fan of the original core stuff, but I think I've seen everything along the way. I've seen all the Resident Evil movies, I think. Though, when I was writing the book, I stayed away from reading anything new. So I deliberately have not read the Walking Dead graphic novels or seen the TV show yet. I had to wait.
Stony's life has very messianic overtones. Why take that approach with his character?
Oh, it's definitely the zombie messiah story. I wanted to cover a person's entire life. So you start with this very Moses-like beginning, where he's found along the side of the road and raised by the enemy, raised by humans. I was raised fundamentalist, raised by southern Baptists, so I can't hardly spit without seeing a Christ image or a metaphor. It just sort of comes with grits in the south. So I was like, "Oh, of course he's the zombie messiah." I was interested in the idea of the Jesus story, where he's the messiah for everybody, not just the Jews. The zombies are waiting for their messiah to deliver them from this persecution from the humans, but he's kind the messiah for everybody by the end. I was interested in telling the messiah story in this down-home, psychologically realistic way, but have it be a story about a zombie. And of course, any time you talk about zombies and rising from the dead, you go right back into Jesus territory. I kept running across scripture I wanted to use, I have him run into religious people. The zombies are going to be making up their own religions along the way about this stuff. So it just kept feeding on itself.
One of the big tensions in the novel is that zombies are this underclass, and they're wondering whether they should just die off, recruit a couple of new people annually by biting, or just launch the apocalypse. At the end, that tension is still there. Do you think it's possible for these two groups to coexist?
I would like to hold out hope that they can. Because they're sentient, maybe there's hope. But the realist in me says its not going to work out. You'd think by now we'd be done with war and racism and zenophobia, but its so persistent that I don't think this world is any sort of exception.
It depends on my mood. I end where it is because it's sort of hopeful on a local level. But on a larger level, stepping back and thinking about it, it's like, "How long can this new status quo hold out?" All happy endings are conditional until the next day.
You sort of take the original Romero outbreak and say, "Ok, that happened," and then a good bit of the book is Stony's teenage years in the 80s. Why that time period?
This is a complete cheat on my part. I decided I wanted to do his entire life, and then I decided I would base it on my own timeline. I was born in '65, the Romero movie happens in 1968 and in our world there's a guy named Romero who makes a documentary of the actual first zombie attack. I grew up in Illinois and not in Iowa like Stony does, but I wanted to write about my family, the sort of people I grew up with. I could talk about the '80s and our fascination with comic books and the way pop culture felt and the way, and also, this doesn't really anything to do with the 80s, but the kind of intense friendships boys have when they're in that preadolescent stage. I grew up in the suburbs and it was pretty undeveloped, and we were running through the woods a lot unsupervised. I like this idea of what guys end up doing when they're not being watched and mom's at work. My friend and I did shoot arrows at each other, but none of them actually struck into my heart and had to be dug out by my older sister. We were crazy.
Your previous two novels, Pandemonium and The Devil's Alphabet, straddled the lines between science fiction and fantasy. Where does Stony fall?
I'm always writing scifi in some ways, because the characters never know what kind of novel they're in. So I'm writing them realistically. They're going to ook for scientific explanations first, and then only be pushed into some other explanation if nothing else makes sense. Pandemomium was this novel about demonic possession, but nobody knew if it was a psychological problem or a neurological disorder or actual demons or what it was. And The Devil's Alphabet was pretty much straight scifi, but I put in all this stuff that made it feel like a Southern gothic kind of fantasy story.
Stony himself is kind of a scientific-minded guy and an inquisitive guy. He is always trying to study what's going on with his own body and with the bodies of others to try to crack the code. He comes to find out over the course of the novel that they just don't make sense and he can't make sense of them. They're actual dead people who nevertheless still move. How do they move? How do you think if you don't have any electrical activity in your brain? It's a blunter version of those other books, in that he's struggling with a world that makes absolutely no sense.
I think I keep coming back to this theme because the world doesn't make much sense to me, either. You hit upon things you can't reconcile, and then you either have to fall into magical thinking and make a religion out of it, or you have to say, "All right, I don't understand this but I am going to proceed with the rules as i understand them."
You've done a fair bit of work in comics, as well. How does your work in each medium influence the other?
There's a couple of things going on. One is just a structure difference. It's like going from sonnets to free verse or back and forth. There's a joy in learning a whole new structure and a way to tell stories that's in collaboration with the artist. I'm trying to write as little as possible a lot of the time when I'm writing comics and picking just the right bit of dialogue, because the form is so restrictive. There's so little space, and you want to give as much room as possible to the artists because they're carrying all the emotional weight for the story. It has changed my writing in that I'm a lot more careful about dialogue since i started working on comics, picking exactly the write phrase and cutting out the padding around it.
But they do such different things that there are certain stories that just work better as comics. A story like Stony's, where you cover an entire life and you're spending a lot of time in the beginning watching him hang out with his family and hang out with his friends — I'm not sure how well that would work as a comic. You would certainly want to have enough guaranteed issues from the publisher to take that amount of time.
You're working on the new Planet of the Apes comic right now. What are the long-term plans for that?
It's going to be an ongoing series and the sales are good, so we're going to keep going as long as we can. It's unrelated to the reboot that they're doing this August with James Franco. It's based on the classic mythology, and Fox gave us free reign. We could set it in any time period and use any characters we want. I think because they're concentrated on the Franco movie, we're at the little kids' tablet at Thanskgiving, eating whatever we want. They've approved all the scripts and they've been very easy to work with and they are basically letting me do the story I want.
So what are you most excited about, in working with that story?
What I love about the Apes movies was they were, more than almost any other scifi franchise, explicitly tackling issues. They are tackling racism, war, zenophobia. So to honor the spirit of that I said, "Ok, if I can write any Apes story, it has to be something that means something to me personally and also means something, socially, about the time we're writing it. Even if we've got these apes talking and walking around like humans and waving swords, what is it that means something about where we're at now?
For me, the story was all about security versus personal freedom. What are the trade-offs people make for a secure society. That seems like where we've been for the last ten years, since 9/11. There's this other that we're struggling against and there's us, we're trying to protect our civilization. But in this case, it's the apes running the civilization and the humans who are partitioned off and are definitely the underclass. I'm writing about that in a barely cloaked manner. And in the Apes movies it's pretty clear what they are talking about. It doesn't take a very big decoder ring to figure out what's going on.


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(Los Angeles, Calif. - May 29. 2010) Tickets are still available for full cycles of Richard Wagner's four-opera Ring (see operas and performance dates below). The first of three cycles begins tonight. And according to today's Los Angeles Times, the series is currently about $1 million short of recouping its reported $31 million cost. There are obviously some unsold seats, but perhaps not for long.
If you've ever been a patron of LA Opera, expect a call from their friendly and highly cultured telemarketers. We encourage you to take the call - and take it in. If your budget is tight (whose isn't?), or if you don't consider yourself much of a Wagnerian (we didn't), see at least one - Die Walküre. Then pray you can still get into the others.
If you are undecided and even only mildly curious about all the hype surrounding this milestone production, we offer a kind of Cliff's Notes to the series, compiled from our past reviews on LASplash.com. (Hyperlinks will take you to the original full-length articles.)
The entire cycle, called Der Ring des Nibelungen, is a monumental experience that tells a unified story, drawn from Norse mythology, over the course of four complete operas: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. It's a portrayal of a legendary war between gods and mortals for control of the earth. The plot concerns an epic struggle to win control of a magic ring that gives its bearer the power to rule the world. Created by the evil dwarf Alberich, the ring is successively possessed by Wotan, the king of the gods, then by the dragon Fafner, and eventually by Wotan's grandson, Siegfried. Ultimately, the ring comes into the possession of Siegfried's widow Brünnhilde, who returns the ring to its source, thus ending the reign of the gods.
Opera 1 - Das Rheingold - A Celebration of Teutonic Wierdness
This introduction to the Ring story tells the origins of the ring and its magic powers and the threat it poses to the arrogant gods.
Georja: The sets and imaginative renderings of the characters are eye-popping. If you like to see beings with six arms, giant characters with heads in their chests, neon hands, a large illuminated eyeball, dwarfs with huge head masks, and various other weird and robotic-looking apparitions, it is a visual feast. The stage is mostly dark, shaded further by a scrim, with the odd fluorescent blue line and other projections on it... The more I think about the show and all we saw and experienced, I think it is a superb undertaking and I'm glad I saw it. Every element is top notch.
Gerald: It's all about the power of myth. According to designer-director Achim Freyer, "The spectator decides creatively which truths contained in the exemplary strange figures and worlds exist for himself."
Opera 2 - Die Walküre - The Gods Must Be Crazy
This four-hour-plus opera centers on the love story between Siegmund and Sieglinde, the parents of superhero Siegfried. It features some of Wagner's most memorable music. Highlights include Siegmund's heroic "Spring Song" ("Winterstürme"), the love duet ("Du bist der Lenz"), the rousing "Ride of the Valkyries," Wotan's heartbreaking "Farewell" to his beloved daughter ("Leb wohl"), and the "Magic Fire Music" finale. As we said, if you see only one, let it be this one.
Georja: Before embarking on LA Opera's Ring Cycle, I had little familiarity with Norse mythology or Wagner or the work of director Achim Freyer. The first installment, Das Rheingold, seemed extremely weird and cold. It was interesting but hard to understand or relate to. However, this the second installment of the Ring, I found to be wonderful, emotional, uplifting and engaging. Unlike the first part - which seemed to be about suffering and greed - the dominant theme of Die Walküre is love.
Gerald: I agree with you that Die Walküre is much more emotional and engaging than Das Rheingold - maybe because it's natural to get pulled into Freyer's vision gradually, as the cycle unfolds. But I was more willing this time around to accept the bizarre costumes and staging, and I found myself participating in all the symbolism, although still not understanding most of it.
Opera 3 - Siegfried - Be Prepared for a Long Siege
Georja: In this Siegfried production, it is definitely James Conlon the conductor and the musicians who were on the front lines and performing in marathon fashion. They do not stop except at the two intermissions and did not hit one false note. It is so beautiful, and after awhile it is so relaxing that it is easy to be lulled into closing your eyes. But that is not acceptable, for you might miss a plot point on the supertitles or miss something from one of the fantastical ultra-creative characters.
Gerald: I agree that all the performances in this production are exceptionally strong. I remember we first saw John Treleaven as the tenor lead in LA Opera's presentation of Tristan und Isolde in 2008. We both thought then he was a strong and captivating performer.
(Georja also has high praise for Linda Watson, who plays Brünnhilde.)
Opera 4 - Götterdämmerung - A Metaphysical Ride
Georja: Perhaps it is the humanness of the love affair, the heroism, the fallibility and the intrigue that move the plot along in a way that had me on the edge of my seat. When I am enjoying an opera, it is usually not in this way. Usually the dynamics of the music and bigness of the emotions pull me in, along with the beauty onstage. Even though the themes and presentation of Götterdämmerung do not lend themselves to involvement in the characters' feelings, the intellectual intrigue, matched in pitch by the creative presentations, make this last part of the Ring cycle very engaging.
Gerald: Understand that this whole story is supposed to have happened before the ancestors of you and me came on the scene. This is a pre-human world, infused with the rules of fantasy, a place where a superhero (Siegfried) can nevertheless be defeated by little more than swig from a magic potion. As Freyer describes the story's conclusion, 'The gods burn up in flames. The stage as a world becomes empty and free. It is transformed back into its original form. It is now open to the rise of new ideas for a world worthy of humans.'
Georja: Whereas some of the earlier stories were almost too weird to relate to, this more earthly one pulls you in and has you rooting for the good guys. Brünnhilde and Siegfried are very appealing characters, and everyone else is not. I could listen to Linda Watson all day no matter what she is singing. The evil little Hagen, sung in glorious bass tones by Eric Halfvarson, is also hypnotic. With his pink gloves, gold suit and puppet legs, it is hard to take your eyes off him.
Georja Umano is an actress/comedienne and animal advocate.
Gerald Everett Jones is the author of the Rollo Hemphill series of comic novels.
Photos by Monika Rittershaus courtesy LA Opera
Ring Cycle Festival (all four episodes presented sequentially, in three successive runs)
Ring Cycle 1
Ring Cycle 2
Ring Cycle 3
Los Angeles Opera
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 972-8001
(213) 687-3490 fax
[email protected]


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Arabs expelled the Jews from all their countries.
The Jewish exodus from Arab lands refers to the 20th century expulsion or mass departure of Jews, primarily of Sephardi and Mizrahi background, from Arab and Islamic countries. The migration started in the late 19th century, but accelerated after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. According to official Arab statistics, over 989,000 Jews were forced out of their homes in Arab countries from 1948 until the early 1970's. Some 600,000 resettled in Israel, [1] leaving behind personal property valued today at more than $990 billion.[2][3] Jewish-owned real-estate left behind in Arab lands has been estimated at 120,000 square kilometers (four times the size of the State of Israel). Valued today at about 15 trillion dollars [4]
Not abused? I feel like swearing here. you can bet your rear end they were abused.
Patricia Metzger's campaign to achieve justice sheds light on a little-discussed aspect of the Israeli-Arab conflict: In the wake of the War of Independence and the establishment of Israel, two major population movements took place in the Middle East. The one that is frequently mentioned is the Palestinian exodus, but at the same time almost one million Jews were forced to leave Arab countries where they had lived for hundreds of years. According to official Arab statistics, due to persecution, some 950,000 Jews left those countries from 1948 to the beginning of the 1970's, and about 600,000 of them were absorbed in Israel. For the sake of comparison, the United Nations data estimate the original population of Arab-Palestinian refugees at 580,000.
Because we had no home for nearly two thousand years, Israel made itself independent of its Arab-British oppressors in 1948. In that year, another great Jewish Exodus occurred, leading to a large increase in the population of Israel and the decimation of some of the oldest Jewish communities on earth.
Jews have lived in the countries now occupied by Arabs since the destruction of the first Temple in 586 B.C.E. Yet, the descendants of these original inhabitants of so many Middle Eastern lands were driven out of their ancestral homes by the religious bigotry and racial animosity of the Arab invaders.
In 1945 there were more than 995,000 Jews living in Arabic speaking countries. Today, there are less than 8,000. Some Arab states like Libya are completely judenrein, i.e., cleansed of Jews, as the Arabs' best friend, Hitler, liked to say.
About 630,000 of these Jews were absorbed by Israel. Another 350,000 went to Europe, America or Australia. Evidently, then, the refugee problem in the Middle East consists of the failure of the Arab states to compensate these 986,000 for the property and assets they were forced to leave behind.
Examples are Iraq, which once had a Jewish population of 95,000 and now only has less than one hundred Jews left. A good number of Jews left Egypt in 1948. Egypt is the country where Yasser Arafat was born (Arafat is an Egyptian. His real name is Husseinei). There were 79,000 Jews in Egypt in 1948. Yet, in connection with the Egyptian aggression of 1957, more than 26,200 Jews were forced to leave Egypt. Today, the Jewish community in Egypt amounts to only 200. These Jews left assets of $25 billion, for which they should now be compensated.
There are no Jews in Algeria today. That country is also Judenrein. In 1948 there were 150,000 Jews in Algeria. In Morocco, which was the home of 296,000 Jews before 1948, there are today only 5,800 Jews. Similar decimation occurred in Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and other Arab states. The governments of the these countries forcibly expelled all Jews, who then increased the Israeli population. From the Arab point of view that was indeed as stupid a policy as the Arab incitement of the Russian population against the Jews in that country. That anti-Jewish campaign by the Arab agitators led to the arrival in Israel of over a million Russian Jews. Many of the Jews were engineers and scientists of the first order. This helped Israel a great deal. Now the Arabs are making life miserable for the Jews of France and Belgium. There are over 800,000 Jews in France. If the Arabs keep up their attacks on these European Jews then Israel will again absorb a large contingent of Jews forced to flee France (and Belgium).
The Jewish exodus from the Arab lands was dramatic. Many Jews fled on foot while others were rescued by "Operation Magic Carpet." This consisted of bringing 55,000 Yemeni Jews to Israel by plane.
It is evident, therefore, that the "refugee problem" in Israel consists of the failure of the Arabs to pay compensation to the one million Jews who were driven out of their homelands by the Arab hate mongers.
And There were riots prior to Israel existing. Simply wounding or killing Jews because there was a chance that Israel would exist.
Go on . Tell me that 5 Times the land of Israel taken from Jews and 990 Billion dollars in personal assets and Jewish-owned real-estate left behind in Arab lands has been estimated at 120,000 square kilometers (four times the size of the State of Israel). Valued today at about 15 trillion dollars isn't "Abusing " them . Its just your regular old nationalizing right? No racial hatred at all I am sure. Not to mention they were productive citizens who had no interest in moving to Palestine or they would have already done so (and wouldn't have been so bloody rich)
"If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance." – George Bernard Shaw (1856-1959)
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"Cloud Atlas" may tell six different stories set in six different time periods, with ten performers each taking on six different roles for every time line, but the trio of visionary directors at the helm make sure the film is anything but all over the map.
Andy and Lana Wachowski, the groundbreaking directorial siblings responsible for game-changing cinema in "The Matrix", and the risk-taking German filmmaker Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run," "Perfume") pooled their considerable creative resources for an ambitious film adaptation of David Mitchell's best-selling novel featuring uniquely interconnected story lines spanning 500 years. The filmmakers' most inspired leap: tapping the primary cast members to assume roles of varying depth and importance in each of the half-dozen eras to create a karmic mosaic on inter-connectivity.
Several "Cloud Atlas" castmembers – including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, James D'Arcy and Doona Bae – sat down to discuss just how easy it was for them to find their latitudes on any given day during filming.
Halle Berry: It didn't feel like six different movies, really. I thought it felt like one movie but with six different characters within one movie.
Tom Hanks: It wasn't hugely different from making a movie that shoots in six very distinctive locations. We did play different roles, but those were all thoroughly prepped and researched. We had a lot of time to do it, and a lot was expected of all this. It sounds like this was very intimidating, almost impossible to keep track of process but Lana and Andy and Tom, they wrote this I think two years before they even talked to us about it, so they knew exactly what they were doing and we knew exactly what we were shooting.
James D'Arcy: As an actor you hope that maybe one day something will come along that will be a little different. And then this thing comes along and it's not a little bit different – it's completely different. It is a film, and then after that there's really no comparison with anything else. There's three directors, two units, the actors are playing multiple roles, there's six different stories set in six different time lines. It's so insane that there's no question of 'Well, I don't know about that…' Honestly, I couldn't stop smiling for days at the idea that they might want me to be a part of it.
Berry: Honestly, it was like the most fun to stretch. I got to play a white Jewish woman in 1930 – like, when would I get to do that? So to put on that skin…the fun part was that we had these make up tests that went on and on which might seem like arduous work but when you're an actor, that's the fun of it, to create something that you've never done before and to be a part of that process.
Susan Sarandon: You'd be sitting there in makeup and Hugh Grant would come in, completely painted and naked and bitching about how much makeup he has on in a funny, funny way, and Tom (Hanks) would be sleeping through his third hour, and people were just coming in and out, so I think that was very different in terms of the whole experience. And I think that makes the experience of watching it very different. The planes of my face were different, and I had contacts in, and even though in "Enchanted" it was, I hope, unrecognizable, but I had my eyes. So when I looked at myself and my dog looked at me, she didn't get upset. But when I did this one, everything was changed, my hairline was changed, and I really didn't recognize myself, and that's never happened to me before. And it was great to freak everybody out.
Doona Bae: I think I worked harder compared to Korean films, because I had to get so many accents down: Spanish, British, American – I would repeat lines whenever I went to sleep.
Hugo Weaving: The main difference was the addition of Tom Tykwer, but I would say it was very similar as it was working with Lana and Andy on set on the first 'Matrix': the sense of playfulness and enjoyment of each other. Lot of life, a lot of conversations on and off set about life and philosophies and the project you're working on. I'm immensely fond of both of them. Of course they've changed, they got older, and changed in many different ways and they're a little more open to the outside world than they were before – not that they weren't open to it, but just protective of themselves within it.
They described Tom as their third sibling. And it's not like they're all one, but they're certainly in sync with each other and I think he brings a kind of, wonderful infectious excitement and energy, and a great mind and a great musical spirit as well to the project. They've found a real soul mate in him. That said, they don't work together on the day, not in person anyway, they run their own sets. They do all the preparatory work, but they're more open to freedom within that.
Berry: I broke my foot two days in, so that changed everything – not just for me but every single person involved in making the movie. So where they had some idea of trying to shoot it in some order, that got thrown out of the window two days into shooting. So then it was all over the place and it was traveling back and forth to Majorca then Germany then we had to go back to Majorca when my foot got a little bit better and shot some of that stuff on the mountainside when I could climb. It was all over the place.
D'Arcy: There are two ways to work your way into a character. One's from the inside out and the others from the outside in. And quite often, the makeup was so extreme that it was pointless to try and fight it. You'd apply these heavy prosthetics and after spending four hours being turned into a 78-year-old man, I felt really old at the end of it. You couldn't help it. And you didn't have to do anything. You didn't have to try at all.
Sarandon: I think you had a sense that everything was under control, even though it was chaotic, so it felt more fun than scary, ultimately, once you decided to be part of it. I've been a part of movies that are much simpler where no one's at the wheel and that's really bad, but you always knew they were calm. They didn't seem tense or cranky, they were laughing all the time, so it didn't feel like you were thrown into it, you had to jump. You didn't have time to hold on to your ego, but it never felt like it was out of control.
Hanks: "Castaway" was a movie where we thought 'We are breaking every rule here – is anybody going to give a s**t about this guy when he never talks and he's on island and all it is about falling coconuts.' Every movie is a huge minefield that you're walking into – not if it's going to be a success but if it's going to be a cohesive story that people get. In this case they just threw so deep, and it was so attractive if only for that reason that you throw your lot in. Otherwise what are you going to do? Only make movies that are guaranteed to work? Well, guess what: we could be sitting here talking about '"Forrest Gump 6," which is a lot better than "Forrest Gump 5"' – Who wants to do that for the rest of their lives?
Jim Sturgess: I loved making this film more than I ever have any film before. I didn't want it to end…Lana and Andy and Tom threw all these parties for us every few weeks where all the crew would come together with all the cast to watch what we'd shot together and we'd all get crazy drunk and get all emotional. I remember one of the drivers from the film came up and grabbed me and said 'I think we're making something amazing!' Wow, even the driver feels like that. That was the kind of atmosphere that they gave everybody: that everyone was a part of this one thing. It was just fun – it had to be fun. Otherwise it was just terrifying.


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Longest race: Citizen Toscano's run for Richmond
If the pundits are to be believed, David Toscano has been running for the 57th District delegate's seat for years. When he didn't seek reelection after 12 years on City Council in 2002, it was widely assumed he was waiting for Delegate Mitch Van Yahres to retire so he could lay claim to that solidly Democratic seat.
Van Yahres' announcement finally came in March, and Toscano was ready to roll. He even inherited Van Yahres' legislative aide, Connie Jorgensen, who is now his campaign coordinator.
Toscano says the worst moment in this year of running for state legislator was primary night, in which he faced challengers Rich Collins and Kim Tingley. "Primaries are always a little unpredictable," says Toscano. "You never feel like you have it in the bag."
One plus about running for office in the 57th District, which includes all of Charlottesville and part of Albemarle County, is that it's so compact.
"You can go to an event at 7, be home by 8:15 and go to work at 9," notes Toscano.
In a heavily Democratic district, odds would seem to favor Toscano, 55, a former mayor, over his relatively unknown Republican opponent, Tom McCrystal. Toscano hasn't done a poll, choosing to put the money he's raised– well over $100,000– into direct mail and advertising.
He refuses to use words like "shoo-in."
"I learned that," he says, although he hasn't lost a race since getting whupped in a 1982 run for Congress on the Citizen's Party ticket.
Toscano ascended to City Council as a Democrat in 1990. Shortly thereafter, he shaved off his beard and, while serving as mayor, embraced commercial developments as the salvation of downtown. Now, one local reporter says the only way to tell the difference between him and his moderate Republican opponent is that McCrystal has a mustache.
"David's a Democrat," protests Jorgensen. "He's a Democrat, and means it."
He does have one other thing in common with McCrystal, though: both took a break from campaigning to see the Rolling Stones October 6.
"I think it's probably the best concert I've ever seen," says Toscano the day after the show, "and I went to Woodstock, and I've seen Eric Clapton."
If Toscano wins, he's already pondering how to maintain a law practice while the General Assembly is in session. "It's possible to maintain a practice and run a campaign," he says. "The challenge is how to maintain a practice and be in Richmond five days a week for several months. I'll have to do a lot of law on the weekends if I'm elected." Not that he thinks anything is in the bag, of course.
Rolling Stones aside, after months of running for office, "I've forgotten how to have fun," he says. After the election, "I'm going to try to go somewhere. Anywhere. Maybe Disney World."
David Toscano PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO


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Gang Member Is Ninth To Plead Guilty In Dodge City Racketeering Case
KSCB News - June 17, 2013 9:09 pm
A Dodge City man has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting attempted murder in connection with a federal racketeering case, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Enrique Gobin , 23, Dodge City, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting attempted murder, which was a violent crime in aid of racketeering. In his plea, he admitted that on March 30, 2011, he was involved in the attempted murder of a Sureno gang member.
On the day of the crime, Gobin was with two fellow members of the Diablos Viejos gang – Jesus Sanchez and Andrew Gusman – and an LCC gang member named Alfonso Banda-Hernandez . All four of them were affiliated with the Nortenos street gang. At the east Love's convenience store in Dodge City they encountered George Gonzalez, who was a known member of the rival Sureno gang. The two sides exchanged gang signs and slurs.
The Nortenos left the store and divided themselves into two cars. Gobin and Sanchez were in one car, with Gobin driving. They returned to the area of the store and pursued a car in which Gonzalez was riding. Near 1602 6 th Ave., Gonzalez got out of his car and ran up an alley toward his girlfriend's residence. Sanchez fired at least two shots from a .40 caliber handgun at Gonzalez without hitting him.
Later, when officers of the Dodge City Police Department conducted a search of Gobin's home, they found the gun used to shoot at Sanchez.
In his plea, Gobin admitted that robberies, assaults and other crimes were part of the way Norteno gang members built their reputations and kept their rivals at bay.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 3. Gobin was one of 23 Norteno members to be indicted in May 2012. It was only the second time a federal RICO Act indictment (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) had been filed in Kansas. Gobin is the ninth defendant in the case to enter a guilty plea .


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Band Review
Naturi Naughton Discusses NBC's The Playboy Club Television Series
Naturi Naughton lead role as Bunny Brenda
By Toyin Alaka
Playboy has been an institution in American culture since its inception in 1953. With a loyal legion of fans, the company followed up in 1960 with its next venture, the Playboy Club. This week (September 19), NBC is taking viewers back to the time of the satin bodices, fluffy tails and satin headbands with ears with its new series The Playboy Club.
This past May UnRated Urban got the chance to talk to actress Naturi Naughton who will be featured in the series as Bunny Brenda. Naughton is best known as a former member of the R&B group 3LW and for her portrayal of rapper Lil Kim in the bio-pic Notorious, based on the life and death of rapper The Notorious B.I.G.
UUM: So I understand that you are in the upcoming Playboy Club series, can you tell me a little bit about it?
UUM: That's awesome and so great for you!
UUM: Tell us a little bit about your role in this series and what it's like to be an African American woman who is a bunny back then?
UUM: We are so happy for you and with how your career is taking off so nicely.
UUM: That's great, how are you enjoying Chicago?


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Let's Face It: S&P's Analysis Is A Joke... But It Still Has A Right To An Opinion
from the you-probably-just-shouldn't-believe-it deptThere's been a lot of attention paid to S&P over the past couple weeks, after it was the first of the big three credit rating agencies to "downgrade" US debt. As we pointed out at the time, it's pretty ridiculous to get worked up over the downgrade, because it's just one company's opinion. And, yes, for very ridiculous reasons, the opinions of a few ratings firms are written into the law, and some debt holders are required to hold certain types of debt based solely on the opinions of these companies. The real problem is that such opinions matter. In fact, as many commentators noticed, after the S&P downgrade, people actually rushed to buy up more US debt, driving down the cost, which is the exact opposite of what you would think should happen.
Of course, S&P has other problems. Nate Silver did a brilliant (as per usual) takedown of "Substandard and Pourous," in which he noted that S&P's ratings are pretty dreadful. He goes through the data and shows that listening to S&P will make you poorer. Basically, lots of other information will give you a much better indicator of the likelihood of default on sovereign debt. The specific problem?
S.&P. ratings tend to lag, rather than lead, the market. That is, in cases where the market's view of default risk is misaligned with S.&P.'s, S.&P. is a good bet to change their rating to catch up to market perception.And, of course, lots of people have pointed out how poorly S&P did in the housing bubble, rating crap bundles of mortgages as investment grade when it was clearly junk. Then there's other general sleaziness. Pro Publica points out that S&P -- who, it should be mentioned, apparently made a $2 trillion "error" right before downgrading the US debt, is apparently lobbying against a regulation that would require it to report "significant errors."
But does this, as some have suggested, mean that S&P should get into some sort of legal trouble? Michael Moore even made the ridiculous suggestion that the company's CEO should be arrested. Really? You would think that Moore, who has been pretty damn critical of US government policy over the years, would think twice before thinking that someone should be "arrested" for stating an opinion that was critical of the government's ability to repay its debts.
But, of course, we still have some of the First Amendment, and that means you can state an opinion -- even one that turns out to be wrong or useless -- and not be arrested for it. Once again, the real issue is this idea that we need a ratings agency to determine the quality of debt. In the equity world, plenty of investment banks issue "ratings" on the equity (usually some form of "buy, sell, hold") but no one takes them quite as seriously as the debt ratings from S&P, Moody's and Fitch. Again, I'd argue that this is because of the requirements in law about the kinds of debt certain operations can hold, and tying that to just a few opinions. If we had the same rules for equity, we'd see a very different stock market today. Sure, when a big bank downgrades a stock, people sell, but people implicitly recognize it's an opinion. When it comes to debt, something about the ratings system and the requirements about it makes people think that the ratings are more "fact" than opinion.
So, let's get away from that entirely. Let's dump the requirements that any debt holdings should be required of certain levels based solely on the opinions of these ratings agencies with terrible track records. Instead, what's wrong with just letting the market price decide how trustworthy the debt is? You don't have to do away with ratings entirely. Anyone can have an opinion. But without the requirements that make just a few firms integral to the market, you could have a lot more open competition on who really has the best opinion on the viability of certain debt.
So don't arrest the head of S&P. But, stop giving the ratings from these few firms special status that makes people think they're something more than just a random company's opinion.
Filed Under: debt, markets, michael moore, opinion, ratings
Companies: s&p