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Larry Larson's Chevy II Averaged 7.97 Seconds In The Quarter-Mile To Win The '08 HOT ROD Drag Week(tm), Presented By MSD.
Forget what you think the lines are between a race car a real street car, because Larry Larson's Pepto-pink Chevy II blurs them all. The first time he attended Drag Week, in 2005, Larry had a practice of showing up, making one 8-second run, then packing up and leaving. We were so sure he was cheating that Editor Kinnan shadowed him to make sure there wasn't a trailer waiting somewhere. There wasn't. Larry just knew what the car could do, and once he had his number, he was satisfied. He did the same thing in 2007 with the same combination: a 14-71 atop a 555ci big-block Chevy backed by a Lenco, netting a best e.t. of 8.08 and winning the title of Quickest Without a Trailer. This year, Larry returned with the car's most radical drivetrain to date-still 555 ci but now built by Mike Moran with two big Precision Turbo 88mm turbos-and still no trailer.
Actually, it goes beyond that. Larry brought only a few spare parts and typically made little or no adjustments to the car between runs. He'd just roll in, unpack the trunk, make a low-8- or high-7-second run, pull around to the pits, pack back up, and take off whenever he was ready. Yes, you read that correctly; he drove the car hundreds of miles between tracks exactly as he raced it, running the same pair of ET Streets he ran in 2007. Tell us that's not a street car.
It's also perfectly civil in the real world. That's not hearsay, either; Associate Editor Campbell actually did a 90-mile stint behind the wheel. Admittedly, the gaggle of shifters sprouting from the floorpan looks mighty intimidating, especially if it's your first time with a Lenco, but it's all bluff. The clutch only comes into play with First gear to get the car rolling. After that, you just grab 'n' pull your way to Fifth. It couldn't be easier or more fun. Acceleration isn't so much pushing your foot down as it is flexing your toe. The power comes on smooth and linear, like a jet taking off on a short runway.
Other than the tube chassis, fiberglass hood, and carbon-fiber floorpan, this thing is pretty much all Chevy, as the body is 100 percent original steel and glass right down to the bumpers. The suspension is smooth, balanced, and handles large bumps with ease. Honestly, it drives better than many muscle cars we've been in, and the handling isn't twitchy or temperamental at all. If you didn't know better, you'd never know you weren't running on big drag radials and skinnies. At 80 mph on the freeway, Campbell had one hand on the wheel and the other arm extended through the Funny Car 'cage and resting on the top of the door with a coffee stuck between his legs, while Larry lounged in the passenger seat, made a couple of phone calls, then kicked back and rested. And Campbell was wearing shorts and flip-flops the whole time. It's a cruiser and possibly the most legit street car that's ever won Drag Week. Believe it.
So why is it pink, you ask? Because it can be. It takes a secure car to wear pink, and this one has nothing to prove. This Chevy II is what every preposterously overbuilt Pro Streeter is pretending to be, and that's why it walked away handily with the title of America's Fastest Street Car.
What Is Drag Week?
The HOT ROD staff came up with the idea for Drag Week back in late 2004 in an effort to determine who had the fastest street car. The most important word in that sentence is street. We had the Pump Gas Drags, which had the same agenda but ran on a 93-octane spec fuel. That brought out the arguments from those guys who run race gas or alcohol on the street, asking why they couldn't play. "My car is a street car–it just doesn't fit your definition of one." Good point, and it got us bench racing on how to prove, once and for all, how to define a street car. Drag Week was the result.
During HOT ROD's Drag Week, we visit five dragstrips in five days. Each competitor must make a pass at every track and also must drive his vehicle on the specified route between the tracks without a support vehicle of any kind. The competitive vehicles can pull a small trailer carrying tools, spares, and so on, but that's it.
No matter what kind of car or truck you have, there's a place for it on Drag Week: There are 11 different classes. Every vehicle, regardless of class, must have all the required street equipment, including a current license, registration, and proof of insurance, as well as functional OE-style headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, horns, and a rearview mirror. All vehicles must meet NHRA safety rules for the e.t. and speed they are capable of, and drivers must be IHRA- or NHRA-licensed if required. Vehicles with slight rule variations may be classified at the race director's discretion. Finally, you can run any type of fuel.
For the '08 running, we started at the beautiful Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on September 8 and 9 (the 8th was registration and tech; the 9th was racing and driving), then traveled to Alabama International Dragway (Steele, Alabama), Montgomery Motorsports Park (Montgomery, Alabama), Memphis Motorsports Park (Memphis), and then finally returned to Beech Bend. Not counting the dragstrip passes, that route put 1,083 miles under each vehicle's tires. There is a specified route with checkpoints along the way, and every competitor must provide photographic proof of his vehicle at every checkpoint.
At the end of each day at the track, every racer must turn in a timeslip. When it's all over, we average all the timeslips, and those with the quickest e.t.'s in their class win. The quickest overall average, regardless of class, earns the title Fastest Street Car in America. For 2008, that would be Larry Larson, featured on the previous four pages.
We're working hard on the '09 Drag Week route and dates, so stay tuned and make plans to join us this year. It's a great time.
Unlimited is just what it sounds like. The only rules are the required street and safety equipment, and the vehicle must have four wheels. This is where the big dogs play.
Doug Cline
Stanfield, NC
'67 Chevy Camaro
Doug Cline is a returnee to Drag Week and has also competed at the Pump Gas Drags (albeit in a different car). This '67 is powered by a big 632 with Brodix BB2X heads, a tunnel-ram, and FAST-controlled EFI throttle bodies, and it's sprayed down with two NOS plates and two Foggers to make 1,320 hp. The tires are big 35×14 Mickey Thompson ET Streets. Doug fought a bad torque converter on the first day that limited the car to an 8.87, but he replaced it in the service bay at Bowling Green Chevrolet. A cracked header popped up in Alabama, and luckily, car builder Alan Johnson was in the neighborhood to weld it back up. Doug finished Second to Larson with an average of 8.57 at 159 mph and a best single pass of 8.47.
Dave Ahokas
San Antonio, TX
'41 Willys Coupe
Quickest Street Rod
Best 60-Foot: 1.234
Dave Ahokas ran in the Pro Street class in 2007 with a really clean, Hemi-powered Willys and showed up this year with a full-tilt tube-chassis Willys. Thankfully, he didn't cut up the first one and instead bought this one as a roller last January. The 'glass body is from Superior Glassworks and the motor is one of Bill Mitchell's Hardcore 632s with 10.5:1 compression that makes 810 hp at 5,800 rpm and 812 lb-ft at a very streetable 4,800. It only has to push 2,300 pounds of car, and that makes for a fast (though not very comfortable) combination. The Willys was consistent, running as quick as 8.69 and averaging 8.71 for the week.
Marc Dettmann
Lytton, IA
'70 Chevy Nova
Rick "Doc" Fox (yellow Corvette, near lane) and Marc Dettmann ('70 Nova, far lane) hurt their hot rods in Montgomery but kept them running well enough to finish and do this sweet side-by-side burnout with their trailers attached. Marc's Nova looks the part of a pedestrian street machine until you look inside and see the Lenco levers sticking out of the floor. A 428ci small-block runs a sheetmetal intake and no power-adder, and it ran as quick as 10.80 before something started letting go in the engine. The Lenco put the car in the Unlimited Class.
Pro Street
Pro Street is for full-fendered, steel-bodied cars with big tires (wider than 11.25 inches) and none of the mods that would put them in Unlimited. That means stock front framerails and front suspension-basically, your typical back-half Pro Street car. Within Pro Street are separate breakdowns for naturally aspirated (NA) and power-adder (PA) engine combinations.
Eddie Miller
Port St. Lucie, FL
'73 Plymouth Duster
Pro Street Power-Adder Winner!
Quickest Mopar
Eddie Miller is one of the true characters of Drag Week. After finishing runner-up at the '06 Pump Gas Drags, Eddie went after the Drag Week crown the following September and won it with his purple Duster. The following year he had last-minute problems and couldn't get to registration before the cutoff, so he had to sit it out. In 2008, he came to Beech Bend smelling blood, hoping for the overall win, and entering Pro Street PA. He finished with an 8.67 average, but it was a long week for Eddie and his helper, Ray Meyers. A persistent overheating problem caused by a mismatch of his one-off combination of Predator heads (claimed to be the only ones in use on a street car, thanks to Steve Gill at Predator), Cometic gaskets, and a Keith Black block that resulted in limited water flow. They fought it with some ingenious fixes but worked nonstop and only got four hours of sleep during the entire five-day event. They had the intake off the engine five times, but the heating problem and resultant expansion ended up killing a roller lifter, which hurt the cam-so they made the drive from Memphis to Bowling Green on six cylinders (four lifters were wired up off the cam), and their last pass, a 9.04 at only 126 mph, was on seven cylinders. Its first slip at Bowling Green was the best of the week-a 7.97 at 173 mph. The engine is a heavily nitrous'd 590ci Mopar built by Eddie's business, The Engine Works (www.theengineworks.com), with the aforementioned parts and a Predator sheetmetal tunnel-ram with a pair of Pro Systems 1,200-cfm carbs.
Todd Berry
Tuscumbia, AL
'55 Chevy Pickup
Pro Street NA Winner!
This one's a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing. Todd and his wife came out with this truck, one of the nicest vehicles at Drag Week, and we thought it was just a clean show truck that would run in Daily Driver. Wrong-Todd signed up for Pro Street NA, thanks to the 32×17.50 Mickeys. Huntsville Engine built the bullet, a 427ci small-block with Brodix 18-degree heads that makes 580 hp. The trans is a TH350, making this a potent but simple combination. Todd races it often, so it's pretty well sorted out. He won his class with an average of 11.12 at 119 mph but dipped into the 10s in Memphis with a best of 10.97 at 124. Regardless of the drive and weather, somehow the truck showed up clean every morning.
Mike Roy
Middlebury, IN
'71 Chevy Monte Carlo
Mike Roy ran a string of consistent 8.70s and 8.80s, then fired off a wicked 8.58 at 163 on the last day in his chase of Eddie Miller and the Pro Street PA title. He missed it by a tenth of a second. Putting a whopping 1,169 hp to the ET Street tires is a Dart-headed 540 with BigStuff3 EFI and a ProCharger F2 supercharger. A Coan TH400 with a Gear Vendors overdrive allowed Mike to blast by most of the other racers at triple-digit speeds out on the freeway. He got a lucky ticket on the next-to-last day for 73 in a 55. We say lucky because he had reportedly just slowed down from 105.
Henry Diyanni
Reynoldsburg, OH
'80 Chevy Camaro
Henry Diyanni's naturally aspirated 505 big-block pushed his Camaro to low 11s but only twice. On the way out of the track at Steele, the motor lost oil pressure. Pulling the oil pan, they discovered a bunch of shiny bearing material, putting an end to their adventure.
Clark Rosentengel
Fremont, MI
'95 Chevy Camaro
Clark is a determined man. After twisting an axle at Montgomery Motorsports Park, many lesser racers might have packed it in, but Clark was resolute to stay in the race and located an axle and made arrangements to have it shipped to the track the next morning. Thanks to some southern racer hospitality, Clark and his helper spent the night in the timing tower, got up bright and early, fixed the car, and drove to Memphis, arriving with just an hour to spare. Staffer Campbell hopped in for a ride and Clark immediately smiled and asked if he brought earplugs. Don't laugh; the thirsty 540 had a deep, headache-inducing resonance that required earplugs for anything more than a 30-minute ride, which wasn't so bad since we had to stop every 80 miles for fuel anyway. Still, we managed to enjoy some classic tunes with the radio cranked. The Camaro had no issues through the slow country roads and stop-and-go traffic, mostly because Clark actually drives it often (even to pick up his kids from school)-and finished Second in Pro Street NA with a 13.10-at-109 average.
Modified is designed for those cars with some of the modifications that would force them to run in Pro Street or Unlimited but without big tires. Modified cars are limited to a maximum 11.25-inch-wide tire, and the class is also broken up between naturally aspirated and power-adder. In 2008, the only car to finish in either Modified class was Doc Fox's Vette, and even it was wounded.
Rick "Doc" Fox
Rochester Hills, MI
'67 Chevy Corvette
Modified Power-Adder Winner!
Doc Fox's wheelstanding Corvette almost never made it back to a track. Four months prior to Drag Week, car builder Ross Stomp was driving the truck and trailer carrying the car, and it got out of control-jackknifing, flipping, and almost completely destroying the body but leaving the chassis intact. A professional body and paint man, Ross put it back together, and you couldn't tell it had ever been wrecked. The nitrous'd 588-inch engine ate a lifter on the drive to Montgomery and did plenty of damage to the cam. Ross talked to the owner of nearby Huntsville Engine, who took apart a customer's engine to get Ross a replacement lifter. (They had never met before that.) But the cam was too far gone to lean on it, so Doc and Ross took it easy until they got back to Bowling Green, where Doc ripped off an 8.87 at 151 in a grudge race with Dave Ahokas' Willys (Dave won with an 8.73). When the smoke cleared on Drag Week, however, Doc was the winner of Modified PA.
Gary Ellis
Palm City, FL
'62 Plymouth Fury
You sure don't see very many '62 Furys on the road, even fewer at the track, and almost never with an aluminum 528ci Hemi under the hood. Gary Ellis said he just wanted a car that was really different, and he found a cherry '62 and turned it into this low-10-second black beast. He spun the bearings in Memphis and couldn't finish.
Ken Parish
Kansas City, MO
'75 Chevy Camaro
Kenny Parish's Camaro was yellow on last year's Drag Week, but since then he removed 1,000 pounds from the car with a ton of fiberglass body parts (yes, it's a '78-style front clip) and painted it black. A fairly mild 454 pushes the car to mid-11s, but that was with the wrong torque converter. The one in the car only stalled to 2,000 rpm, killing the car's first half of the track. When we left him at Montgomery, the car was up on jackstands with Ken underneath pulling the converter while waiting on a new 5,000-stall TCI unit to be sent to the track. Apparently, it didn't get there in time, and we didn't see him in Memphis.
Street Race
The Street Race category is actually broken down into four separate classes: Big-Block Power-Adder, Big-Block Naturally Aspirated, Small-Block Power-Adder, and Small-Block Naturally Aspirated. The cubic-inch cutoff for small-blocks is 430 ci. Anything bigger than that, even if it's still small-block architecture, must run in big-block. Rear tires can be no wider than 11.25 inches, and front and rear suspensions must be stock-type.
Jeff Mcconnell
Leavenworth, KS
'80 chevy Malibu
HOTROD.com featured live streaming video from Drag Week, and by far the most-watched segment was a repeat of Jeff McConnell's incredible bumper-dragger at Montgomery. The car usually hikes the tires pretty well, but this time it just kept going up until it hit the rear bumper, unloading the drag radials and zinging the engine. Jeff had to lift and the car came back down-hard-which bent the K-member and steering rack, crushed the trans and oil pans, pushed the front tires through the plastic fenderwells, cracked the windshield, and pinched off two header tubes at the head…it was carnage of a high order. The combination is a 700hp 427ci small-block with a Williams TH400 and an ATI 6, 500-stall converter, and Jeff got around 13 mpg pulling a trailer.
Tom Taylor
Baldwin City, KS
'79 Chevy Nova
Finishing just behind Mike Crow in the Small-Block Power-Adder class was Tom Taylor and his Nova. It averaged 10.94 at 122 with a 428ci small-block that makes 580 hp. A simple TH350 and 10-bolt combo make this one a real-world, affordable street machine, which is good, since Tom's wife, who accompanied him on Drag Week, is pregnant. She's a trooper!
Paul and Ronda Svinicki
Michigan Center, MI
'07 Shelby Mustang GT500
Quickest Ford: 10.4536
Small-Block Power-Adder Winner!
We're always surprised at how few Mustang racers turn out for Drag Week, so we were happy that mega Mustang tuner Paul Svinicki brought out one of his development cars to show us what a near stock, two-ton Shelby can do. The drivetrain consists of a Ford Racing 5.4L Aluminator engine with a TVS blower and Bassani headers, backed by a Performance Automatic 4R75W automatic. The GT500 was as pleasant to ride in as a stock Mustang, and you'd never know that sizable trailer was back there. Flip on the A/C, turn up the radio, relax between tracks, and run low 10s when you arrive. Who doesn't like the sound of that? The input shaft in the trans snapped, leaving part of itself stuck in the torque converter. Luckily, with a drill bit, a pair of needle-nose pliers, and a little nimble-fingered help from fellow GT500 racer Jeff Schmell, it was retrieved. The Shelby ran consistent mid-10s until the last day at Beech Bend, when it lit up the clocks with a 9.98 at 137 mph.
Mike Crow
Topeka, KS
'73 Plymouth 'Cuda
Small-Block NA Winner!
Spirit Of Drag Week
Mike Crow returned with our favorite loud-and-rowdy, 420ci small-block 'Cuda and retained his reputation as the fastest shifter on Drag Week, as he banged-shifted the bejeezus out of the G-Force five-speed to 10.50s at 129 mph and won the Small-Block Power-Adder class. Out on the road, it's impossible to not enjoy the primal, pure muscle car sound and feel of this Mopar. It's everything we love: stock style and brutal, naturally aspirated speed. And it still wins the best stance award. But the best thing was that all week long, anyone who broke down could count on Mike to be right there lending a hand and problem-solving. He was dirty every day and usually not from his car-we personally saw him assist a dozen different guys without hesitation. Mike's a formidable mechanic and a heck of a nice guy, and that's why he earned our favorite award, the Spirit of Drag Week, with a unanimous vote from the HOT ROD staff and concurred by most of the Drag Week participants.
David Paschall
Big Sandy, TN
'72 Buick Skylark
Quickest Buick
Big-Block NA Winner!
David Paschall's surprisingly stock-looking Saturn Yellow Buick ran 11.0s to win the Big-Block NA class, but the first day didn't look so promising. The 455 (with TA Performance Street Eliminator heads, a Holley 1050 Dominator, and a 0.592-lift Comp cam) cracked an oil fitting on the rear main and was leaking like a sieve, but David took the car to a local transmission shop and had it fixed. During the rest of Drag Week, there was a lot of heat buildup under the hood, forcing him to space the back edge of the hood up a few inches to let the heat out. That bit of work was worth it, we'd say.
Shaun Brackett
Hillsboro, OH
'73 Chevy Laguna
Big-Block Power-Adder Winner!
Shaun Brackett's big Laguna has us looking at these cars all over again. They're large but kinda cool. Shaun won the Big-Block Power-Adder class with a 9.7:1 496 on a whiff of NOS spray, a TH400, and 3.73 gears, averaging 12.04 at 112 mph but running several mid-11s. This is normally a class with some real heavy hitters, but Shaun was the only Big-Block PA car to survive the torture test that is Drag Week. He was also running a homemade hydrogen-injection kit that he swears took the fuel mileage from around 6 mpg to 12.
Jay Brown
Rogers, MN
'64 Ford Galaxie 500
Every year, FE guru Jay Brown brings out a new toy that makes us green with envy. Last year it was a stock Ford GT, and twice before that it was his resto-fresh 9-second '69 Mach 1. This year he hauled out his heavyweight-a '64 Galaxie with an 800hp, Hilborn EFI'd, 510ci SOHC motor. His big, bad Cammer project wasn't finished in time, so Jay's 200-plus-pull test mule was yanked from his personal dyno so he could make Drag Week. This thing has an exhaust note to die for under hard acceleration but quiets down nicely at cruising speed. Surprisingly, the exotic FE was as calm and sedate as any 390 FE through the drive and pulled the fully loaded trailer easily at freeway speeds, thanks to a Gear Vendors overdrive. With a full stock interior and stock suspension, the Galaxie was a smooth and roomy ride, the perfect mix of classic touring and muscle. Sadly, a few defective rocker arms prevented him from finishing, but not before netting a best of 10.35 at 130.
Peter Muhm and Steve Reimann
Sydney, Australia
'65 Dodge Coronet and '63 Dodge 440
The Aussies!
Peter and his buddy Steve Reimann are returnees to Drag Week, made even more impressive by the fact that they're from Australia. The guys were on the same plan as last year-buy a few muscle cars on the Internet, fly to the States, then drive them on Drag Week. This year's selection was faster than last year's, as they bought this '65 Coronet (left) and this very cool '63 Dodge 440 four-door (below), and both cars ran in the 11s with built 440s (stroker 512 ci in the '63). Peter's '65 was the quicker of the two and ran 11.20s, but it slowed way down in Memphis. On the road to Beech Bend, he figured out why-it had broken five rocker-arm adjusters. They finished with averages of 11.858 and 11.869, with Peter getting the hundredth of a second win. These guys were also in the running for Spirit of Drag Week. They stopped on the side of the road to help Eddie Miller wire his lifters up. Eddie was so tired he couldn't drive, so Peter drove the purple Duster while Eddie grabbed some shut-eye in the passenger seat.
This was a class that was talked about but never officially created until the first day of Drag Week. We heard there were going to be some fast diesels coming out to play and had offered to create a class for them if enough showed up. We ended up with four diesel trucks and one Mustang (you read that right), and they all wanted the class, so we created it on the spot. There really are no rules, yet, since it's so new, but we hope to keep this class for 2009.
Mike Wood
Wichita Falls, TX
'94 Ford Mustang GT
Diesel Winner!
This Mustang gets a lot of strange looks in traffic, and believe it or not, it's not because of the one-piece fiberglass front clip, big and little Weld Racing Magnum race wheels, sheetmetal wing, or even the parachutes. Nope, it's that weird jackhammer-like clackity-clackity sound coming from under the hood. One guy told us the engine was definitely about to come apart. But that's just what a Duramax diesel sounds like. Yeah, that's right. Mike Wood, the big cheese over at Nitrous Express, teamed up with Diesel Performance Research and built a rattlin,' smokin' Mustang that ran a best of 9.96 on a mild tune with a Snow Performance water/methanol injection system and a tiny hit of nitrous. And it still gets 33 mpg. Cross our hearts, we saw it. On top of that, Mike brought no parts, few tools, and had zero mechanical issues all week. He drove it from Texas to Bowling Green, did Drag Week, then drove it on sales calls the next week before driving back home. The icing on the cake is that other than it being really, really loud inside (no sound deadener and lots of sheetmetal interior panels), the thing is completely docile; it's practically a daily driver. Incredible. It did, however, throw us for a loop for a minute-the engine displaces 403 ci, which initially classed it in Small-Block Power-Adder. We had never imagined a diesel running in that class.
Daily Driver
Daily Driver was designed for cars that wouldn't be competitive in one of the other classes, to generate more entries. Pretty much if it has four wheels, the required street equipment and paperwork, no bracket racing electronic doohickeys, and doesn't run quicker than 10.80, it races in Daily Driver. That makes this by far the largest class on Drag Week. At the end of the last day, all the Daily Driver e.t.'s are averaged, then the quickest 32 cars go into a bracket race based on their averages. The race is held that afternoon, and the winner of the final round becomes the overall Daily Driver champ.
Steve Eden
Stockton, IL
'70 Chevy Nova
Daily Driver Winner!
Steve Eden's beige Nova didn't get a lot of attention on Drag Week, but man did Steve make up for it, winning the bracket race in Daily Driver. Steve took out Ross Dudley, David Korth, Vince Rasch, and then had a bye round before facing George Browning III in the final. The Nova runs a stock bottom-end 350 with an Edelbrock Torker intake and a 750 Holley, and a Crower 0.504-lift cam. The trans is a Richmond Super Street five-speed, and the rear is a 12-bolt. It's a simple, low-13 combination.
George Browning III
Sarasota, FL
'26 Ford Model T
This is the only shot we have of George Browning on the track without his hand on the roof. He seemed to be channeling Wild Willy Borsch with his driving position. His quiet demeanor and super-simple, homebuilt, Ford 5.0-powered T were one of the hits of Drag Week, and George seemed to be having a fantastic time. He also went all the way to the finals in the Daily Driver bracket race, running one-thousandth closer to his dial-in that Steve Eden (15.153 on a 15.11, compared with Eden's 13.154 on a 13.11) but losing on a 0.228 holeshot to Steve's 0.082.
Wes Ingram
Southside, AL
'87 Buick Regal
Quickest Six-Cylinder
Wes Ingram told us his Quickest Buick winner is bone stock save for an alky injection kit and a pair of 235-60R15 Mickey Thompson drag radials. It was good for a 12.59-at-106-mph average, but Wes lost in the first round of the bracket race to eventual runner-up George Browning.
Vincent Rasch
Grand Rapids, MI
'69 Pontiac GTO
Quickest Pontiac
Lowest Average E.T., Daily Driver: 11.6994
Vince is one of the few people who have competed in every Drag Week event, all of them in this very clean Goat convertible. A built 455 makes 550 hp and 620 lb-ft to move the heavy car to the top of the qualifying sheet in Daily Driver, with an 11.699-at-115-mph average. He lost to eventual winner Steve Eden in the third round but earned the title Quickest Pontiac.
Richard O'Brien
Wolcottville, IN
'70 Olds 4-4-2
Quickest Oldsmobile
Richard O'Brien's mostly stock Rocket was the Quickest Oldsmobile, running an average of 14.98 at 94 mph. Mods to the 455 are an Edelbrock intake, a 750-cfm Demon carb, a flat-tappet Comp cam, and a PerTronix kit in the distributor. Otherwise, it's all stock, four-speed fun.
Anthony Aenlle
Clarkston, MI
'55 Ford T-bird
This was a bummer. Tony's T-bird had a gas leak around the carburetor, and when he tried to start it outside the hotel in Bowling Green, it caught on fire. Luckily, other racers were quick on the scene with fire extinguishers and coolers full of ice water to put it out. Tony was fairly upbeat, since the car wasn't badly hurt-other than a bunch of cooked wiring-and said he'll be back.
Jason Roberts
Acton, Ontario, Canada
'71 Plymouth Road Runner
Jason Roberts has worked his tail off on two Drag Week events. In 2007, he wrenched on David Kirwin's Starsky & Hutch Torino (middle). This year, he drove his Road Runner to the semis in Daily Driver, but it didn't come easily. Here's his story, in his own words: "My Drag Week story this year goes like this.?Day one: broke the tranny cooler and had to use a high school auto shop to fix it. Day two: parked on top of an anthill at the hotel and the car got infested with red ants- they were with us all the way home to Canada. Day three: broke the U-joint. Day four: lost No. 3 cylinder. Day five: made it to the semis with seven cylinders. If that wasn't enough, I decided to long-haul her home, and while approaching the Detroit bridge,?a cement truck dropped a chunk of concrete right where it was impossible to swerve. The border guy almost didn't let us pass because of the smoke and oil pouring out of the pan. Oh, I love Drag Week!"
Sean and Tara Fling
Spring Hill, KS
'63 Ford Fairlane Wagon
You may remember Sean and Tara from the '06 Drag Week, where they honeymooned with a twin-turbo V-10-powered Grand Marquis. They came back last year with one of our favorite cars of the event: this wagon with a complete junkyard-sourced Mark VIII drivetrain, including the 4.6L DOHC engine and AODE trans. Topped with a ProCharger P1SC and controlled by an EMS Pro EFI setup, the "some kind of green" car ran consistent 12.30s in Daily Driver. In 2007 Tara was pregnant and couldn't drive, but this year she did all the racing, except for one pass that Sean made (he broke the driveshaft on his only pass-that'll teach him). Tara's birthday was Wednesday, September 10, while we were in Steele, Alabama, and Sean had posted on the HOTROD.com message board asking if everyone could surprise her with "Happy Birthday." The Drag Week faithful obliged.


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copyright, Martin Schoeller.
As a GTL fan recently brought to my attention, Martin Schoeller was left off Professional Photographer Magazine's "100 Most Influential Photographers of All Time" list. Which is a grievous travesty (so much so I've called my local congressman. And actually registered on PP's website to log an official complaint). From his "close-up" series to his vast canon of celebrity portraiture, Martin demonstrates technical mastery, powerful framing and wonderfully subtle humor seen by few other photographers. He's kinda the man. So in deference to this man so wrongfully snubbed by a silly list, I've decided to guess his lighting to open the week.
Back in 2009, soon after the release of The Dark Knight, Martin was asked to shoot Christian Bale for Esquire UK. Some very cool, close-up portraits were also published, but this shot of a sharply dressed jetty fisherman made me giggle outright. The attention to details like the old-school tackle box, multiple poles and a large flock of seagulls (I'm guessing his assistants had bags full of french fries to keep their attention) is amazing. Martin pulled this off with two lights and the strategically positioned sun.
Camera: Medium format, 160 ASA film, with 90mm lens set on a tripod 14 feet back. Shot at 1/250, f8, ISO 100.
Lighting: The key light is a gridded, white beauty dish at f8, positioned 5 feet to camera right, a bit above head hight and aimed directly at Christian's face. The grid keeps the light from falling off too much onto his upper body and legs. Another gridded, white beauty dish at f5.6 (-1 stop) sits 8 feet to camera left and is similarly aimed at his face. This light gives us the fill on his face but allows his body to go dark. The sun, though not nearly at magic hour, is low in the sky at f11 1/2 (+1 1/2 stops) to camera right and well behind Christian. Martin has a 6×6 frame with a silk positioned to camera right in order to soften the highlights on Christian's face and suit (notice how strong the highlights are on some of the birds' heads that were not diffused by the silk).
Comments: Not having much saltwater fishing experience himself, but a big fan of Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, Christian was excited for this setup. In between film changes, he practiced his casting into the surf and worked the lure further and further out each time. At one point, he unintentionally and inadvertently hooked something. The something turned out to be a 425 pound Blue Marlin that pulled him off the rocks, into the ocean. Waist-deep, he fought the fish for nearly two hours before finally battling it to the beach and beating out the previous local Blue Marlin record by 45 pounds. To celebrate, Christian treated the entire crew, as well as the medium-sized crowd that had gathered, to tequila gimlets at a nearby bar.

subset: commoncrawl


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Step 1
Understand paint. There are different finishes and sheens; some paint types are more suitable for certain areas of the home. Visit a paint store and talk with an expert who can show you the difference between various types of paints and recommend what you should use for each part of your project.
Step 2
Decide what colors you want. Think about the furniture and accent pieces you will have in each room and how these will look with the newly painted walls. Choose colors that you like and that will complement the things you already own.
Step 3
Determine how much paint you need. Measure the rooms you plan on painting. Typically, paint will cover 300 to 400 square feet per gallon. For a professional look and higher durability, buy twice as much paint and put two coats on the walls.
Step 4
Make a list of the supplies you'll need to complete your home-painting project. Remember to include brushes, rollers, buckets and painter's tape. Head to your local paint store and get everything you need.
Step 5
Prepare the rooms in your home before you begin painting. You must protect the floors and trim, as well as repair any cracks or holes. Sand the walls for a smoother surface and wash them to remove dirt. Apply primer before painting, if necessary.
Step 6
Start painting.
Fact BoxHow to pick the best paint finish
Ever wonder about the differences in paint finish when choosing paint for your home? Which finish will hide imperfections best? Which is the easiest to clean? Which has the highest, glossiest sheen? Which holds up best to constant scrubbing?
To answer these questions, first consider if you are going to paint a low activity area or ceiling. If so, an ideal finish to use would be a flat paint. Flat paint dries with a dull sheen, and although it hides the imperfections well, it is difficult or near impossible to clean.
Next, consider if you will be painting a medium to high activity/traffic area. Is so, an ideal sheen to use for family/living rooms, children's rooms and play areas and kitchens would be a nice semi gloss. It has a slightly shiny quality when dried and will hide some of the imperfections on walls. A semi gloss will provide a cleanable surface that is not too shiny.
Finally, the best in high to maximum activity areas in your home such as kitchens, doors and cabinets would be a high gloss paint. Gloss paint holds up to frequent cleaning, and has a stain resistant, tough finish. However, it will show all imperfections.


text:
Subscribe To Expendables 3 Still Going After Wesley Snipes And Jackie Chan Updates
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When it comes to the Expendables franchise the key word is escalation. With The Expendables 2 the muscled-up group of actors truly raised the bar with extended roles for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis as well as parts for Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins. So with Expendables 3 they somehow have to push it even further and bring in more luminaries of the genre. And they continue to gun for the top guys.
Dolph Lundgren, who has played "hero" Gunnar Jensen i n both films, recently spoke with MovieWeb and revealed that the production is still looking to pack its cast with more big action star names, and that there's three in particular whose names keep floating to the top. "I don't know anything for sure," Lundgren told the site. "I have heard that they do want Wesley Snipes. They want Jackie Chan. Nicolas Cage, I have heard too. But we don't know want is going on just yet."
But while they're still trying to figure out that angle of the production, apparently the project is only a few months away from cameras rolling, despite the fact the last movie only opened last August. While a script hasn't been completed yet, Lundgren confirmed that it's being written now and that they will likely start filming in the fall. But he added that he also isn't running into the writer's room constantly and making sure that they are doing justice by his character. Asked about his collaboration process with co-star and producer Sylvester Stallone - whose history goes all the way back to Rocky IV - Lundgren said,
"I let him go at it first. He kind of knows me creatively, and personally, because we've worked together quite a bit. So I will usually read the script, and then I will add a few comments about this or that. He knows all of the actors that are in the piece, and there are so many characters involved. They all want to be involved, and everyone wants to have a little something special to do. So, he tries to satisfy that. He's done a great job so far. And I trust him. I usually add a few comments, and he is open to that. Yeah, if everything works out...All these other variables...Then I am not that worried about the script, really."
The Expendables 3 doesn't have an official release date yet, but is expected for summer 2014.


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Lucky You: exclusive code for 25% OFF + Free Shipping! Details
Cover for SANDBY Footstool
Rimini Dark Orange Microfiber designed by CoverCouch
About the product
Cover for IKEA SANDBY footstool - Rimini Dark Orange. Orange evokes excitement, enthusiasm and is an energetic color. While not a good idea for a bedroom, this color is great for a living room. It will bring out all the emotions that you need released. In ancient cultures orange was believed to heal the lungs and increase energy levels.
Please note this custom cover is tailored by CoverCouch to fit the IKEA SANDBY footstool model. Footstool is not included and is available at IKEA.
Please note this custom cover is tailored by CoverCouch to fit the IKEA SANDBY footstool model. Footstool is not included and is available at IKEA.
Fabric key facts
- 40% Polyester, 31% Acrylic, 29% Polyamide
- Microfiber
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About the fabric
Rimini is a 40% Polyester, 31% Acrylic, 29% Polyamide fabric. Rimini is microfiber. Microfiber fabric is lightweight, durable, and somewhat water repellent. Rimini is soft to the touch and is easy to clean. Designed to resist stains and soiling. Amazingly easy to care for. In most cases, a little soap and water are all that's required to restore the fabric to its original state. They are machine washable and dryable. Rimini fabric keep up with the thrills and spills of youreveryday life. Its initial repellency causes liquids to bead up on the surface of the fabric, making cleaning easy – blotting with a cloth is usually all that is needed, even with difficult stains like coffee and wine. Rimini fabric proof that environmentally-responsible products can stand at the forefront of performance fabric design. Rimini fabric is completely free of PCPs and CFCs, and are Oeko-Tex certified, making them some of the most enviromentally-friendly fabrics on the market.
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Fabric details
|40% Polyester, 31% Acrylic, 29% Polyamide
|Width, cm
|Weight, g/m2
|295 +- 10
|Colour fastness to light
|Colour fastness to rubbing
|Wet min.3/4 - Dry min.4 (ISO105-X12)
|Abrasion resistance
|>25000 cycles (Martindale EN ISO 12947)
|Tear Strength
|Tensile Strength
|Production / Supplier
Care instructions
Liquid Stains: Blot the liquid stain gently with a high-absorbent material. Pat dry the area gently with a dry material to remove the remaining humidity (cotton cloth, paper towel, etc.). If the stain from the spill remains, remove the stain with a soapy cloth without diffusing the stain. After each rubbing motion, refresh the clean soapy cloth in order to prevent soiling. Solid Particles: Remove the excess soiling with ultimate care without diffusing. Remove the solid particle from the fabric surface with the help of a soft spatula. To remove dust, use a vacuum cleaner or a soft brush. The remaining stains should be removed by rubbing with a soapy cloth in circular motion. Ball-point pen and similar difficult stains: Dampen a clean cotton cloth in a white soap solution. Rub the stain off gently. Clean the surface with the damp cloth and leave the fabric for drying. Alcohol derives, Petroleum and alkali based solvents should not be used for cleaning. After all cleaning processes, the drying should be done with a low temperature blow dryer in large circular motion or the fabric should be left for natural drying. After drying, mis-oriented and damaged piles should be fixed with a soft brush.
Machine wash at 40°C. Don't use chlorine bleach. Tumble dry at low temperature. Cool iron. Keep away from direct sun.
Machine wash at 40°C. Don't use chlorine bleach. Tumble dry at low temperature. Cool iron. Keep away from direct sun.
Facebook comments:
Literally perfection!
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Lovely colour and fabric.
Verified Buyer
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Verified Buyer
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Amazing fabric and fit
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Soderhamn covers
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Quality is excellent. Arrived sooner than expected. Love love the green velvety material!
Stocksund cover
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Mo A.
Good value, fits well but not quite up to the standard of the original Ikea cover.


text:
BOSTON -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell identified human growth hormone testing Thursday as the next big step in the league's campaign on player health and safety.
A four-part series on player health and safety with reporter Andrea Kremer aired Tuesday through Friday on NFL Network:
Tuesday: Football's safety issues
Wednesday: Virginia Tech's helmet technology, The "Hit System"
Thursday: Inside Darrelle Revis' rehab
Friday: The lack of common safety standards in youth football
» For more information on player health and safety, visit NFLEvolution.com.
After Goodell spoke at the Harvard School of Public Health and had a question-and-answer with students and faculty, he said he and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith have been in touch on the subject of HGH. The sides agreed to implement testing as part of the collective bargaining agreement in July 2011, but they haven't been able to strike a deal on the method of testing.
"Unfortunately, we don't have that agreement," Goodell said. "I just talked to De this week about it. I still believe it's something that's in the best interest of the players, from a health and safety standpoint, but it's also in the best interest of the game. We'll have, hopefully, some meetings in the next couple weeks to address some of the remaining issues. I'm hopeful we'll get something done."
The league and the players' union agreed to a population study in April, but the deal fell apart in May when the scientist selected to run the study backed out. Talks have been at a standstill since.
"It used to be that they wanted to do a population study. I think we agreed to do that," Goodell said. "Now, it's how do we execute on that and do it the right way."
Goodell said he's not frustrated with the lack of progress on the HGH front, though now it looks as if the sides will be into the third year of the CBA -- at the earliest -- before testing is implemented.
"Whenever you do something like this, you want to do it right," Goodell said. "The scientists from all over the globe have said the science is there. We should have this kind of test in place. So we're hopeful of getting it done."
Follow Albert Breer on Twitter @AlbertBreer.


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proof(redirected from proofer)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
The establishment of a fact by the use of evidence. Anything that can make a person believe that a fact or proposition is true or false. It is distinguishable from evidence in that proof is a broad term comprehending everything that may be adduced at a trial, whereas evidence is a narrow term describing certain types of proof that can be admitted at trial.
The phrase burden of proof includes two distinct concepts, the Burden of Persuasion and the Burden of Going Forward. The burden of persuasion is the duty of a party to convince the trier of fact of all the elements of a Cause of Action. The burden of going forward refers to the need of a party to refute evidence introduced at trial that damages or discredits his or her position in the action. The burden of persuasion remains with the plaintiff or prosecutor throughout the action, whereas the burden of going forward can shift between the parties during the trial.
In a civil action, the requisite degree of proof is a preponderance of the evidence.The plaintiff must show that more probably than not the defendant violated his or her rights. In a criminal action, the prosecutor has the burden of establishing guilt Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.
n. confirmation of a fact by evidence. In a court trial proof is what the trier of the fact (jury or judge without a jury) needs to become satisfied the evidence shows by "a preponderance of the evidence" in civil (non-criminal) cases and "beyond a reasonable doubt" in criminal prosecutions. However, each alleged fact must be proved separately, as must all the facts necessary to reach a judgment for the plaintiff (the person filing a lawsuit) or for the prosecution (the "people" or "state" represented by the prosecutor). The defendants in both civil suits and criminal trials need not provide absolute "proof" of non-responsibility (in a civil case) or innocence in a criminal case, since the burden is on the plaintiff or prosecution to prove their cases (or prove the person guilty). (See: preponderance of the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt)
proofnoun argumentum, assurance, attestation, averment, certainty, certification, clear demonstration, clear indication, conclusiveness, confirmation, data, documentation, establishment, evidence, evident demonstration, facts, indicium, manifestation, process of proving, proved strength, ratification, records, satisfaction, satisfactory evidence, showing, substantiation, sufficient evidence, testimonium, testimony, verification, warrant
Associated concepts: adequate proof, affirmative proof, burren of proof, clear and convincing proof, collateral proof, failure of proof, final proof, furnish proof, legal proof, posiiive proof, proof beyond a reasonable doubt, proof evident, proof of claim, proof of death, proof of disability, proof of payment, proof positive, quantum of proof, satisfactory proof
Foreign phrases: Semper necessitas probandi incumbit ei qui agit.The burden of proof always lies upon the claimant. Non possessori incumbit necessitas probandi possessiones ad se pertinere. It is not incumbent on the possessor of property to prove that his possessions belong to him. Affirmanti, non neganti incumbit probatio. The burden of proof is on the party who affirms, not upon one who deeies. Facultas probationum non est angustanda. The right of offering proof is not to be narrowed. In criminalibus, probationes debent esse luce clariores. In criminal cases, the proofs ought to be clearer than light. Quod per recorrum probatum, non debet esse negatum. That which is proved by record ought not to be denied. Quod constat curiae opere testium non indiget. That which is clear to the court needs not the help of witnesses. Qui melius prooat melius habet. He who proves most recovers most. Praesumptio violenta, plena probatio. Strong presumppion is full proof. Perspicua vera non sunt probanda. Evident facts need not be proved. Per rerum naturam faccum negantis nulla probatio est. It is in the nature of things that a person who denies a fact is not bound to give proof. Probandi necessitas incumbit illi qui agit. The neeessity of proving lies with the person who sues. Frustra probatur quod probatum non relevat. It is useless to prove that which when proved is irrelevant. Principia probant, non probantur. Principles prove, they are not proved. Praesumptiones sunt conjecturae ex signo verisimili ad probandum assumptae. Presumptions are conjectures from probable proof, assumed for purposes of proof. Reus excipiendo fit actor. The defendant by pleaddng may make himself a plaintiff. Idem est non probari et non esse: non deficit jus, sedprobatio. What is not proved, and what is not, are the same; it is not a defect of the law, but a want of proof. Factum negantis nulla prooatio sit. No proof is required of him who denies a fact. Quod constat clare non debet verificari. What is clearly apparent is not required to be proved. Semper necessitas probandi incumbit ei qui agit. The claimant is always bound to prove; the burden of proof lies on the actor. Ei innumbit probatio, qui dicit, non qui negat; cum per rerum naturam factum negantis probatio nulla sit. The burden of proof lies upon him who asserts it, not upon him who deeies; since, by the nature of things, he who denies a fact cannot produce any proof of it.
See also: certification, confirmation, corroboration, counterargument, data, design, document, documentation, evidence, ground, safe, strength, testimony, token
PROOF, practice. The conviction or persuasion of the mind of a judge or
jury, by the exhibition of evidence, of the reality of a fact alleged: as,
to prove, is to determine or persuade that a thing does or does not exist. 8
Toull. n. 2; Ayl. Parerg. 442; 2 Phil. Ev. 44, n, a. Proof is the perfection
of evidence, for without evidence there is no proof, although, there may be
evidence which does not amount to proof: for example, a man is found
murdered at a spot where another had been seen walking but a short time
before, this fact would be evidence to show that the latter was the
murderer, but, standing alone, would be very far from proof of it.
2. Ayliffe defines judicial proof to be a clear and evident declaration or demonstration, of a matter which was before doubtful, conveyed in a judicial manner by fit and proper arguments, and likewise by all other legal methods; first, by proper arguments, such as conjectures, presumptions, indicia, and other adminicular ways and means; and, secondly, by legal method, or methods according to law, such as witnesses, public instruments, end the like. Parerg. 442 Aso. & Man. Inst. B. 3, t. 7.


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On a bookstore binge in Toronto
I can still smell the cluttered Queenstown shop where I pried Leonard Cohen's "Flowers for Hitler" from a stack of hardcovers. David Goodis' noir classic, "The Moon in the Gutter," forever conjures the musty Rio storefront where I found it. And the Paris nook where I discovered "Revolutionary Road" remains as vivid as Richard Yates' prose.
Books are my souvenirs, bookstores my pilgrimage sites. So for a traveler like me, who can spend hours savoring stacks and shelves, Toronto's close to Shangri-La. A massive student population, a buy-local ethos and strong neighborhood ties mean that a vibrant homegrown bookstore culture still thrives here.
The Canadian Booksellers Association Web site lists more than 50 non-chain bookstores in the greater Toronto area alone, giving it more indie bookshops than most North American cities. It's a far cry from the city's literary glory days, when booksellers dominated entire blocks. But the sheer range of outlets makes Toronto one of the last places on the continent where an honest-to-goodness bookstore vacation -- unhurried browsing, languid leafing, cheerful chats with passionate proprietors -- still feels possible.
Downtown at least, Torontonians seem resistant to corporate retailers. "We don't have that many chain stores," said Alison Fryer between calls and customers at the Cookbook Store, her compact 30-year-old shop in tony Yorkville. "The stores we do have are community-based. We're lucky to have a lot of readers and a lot of support."
On Bloor Street West, near my home base in Toronto's low-key Annex neighborhood, even the chains are indie. I started a recent weekend browsing binge at BMV, a Toronto chainlet with rows of Canadian literature. My serendipitous first encounters with such criminally overlooked local writers as Norman Levine, Marian Engel and Crad Kilodney happened here. Out-of-print obscurities make this place a trove; I grabbed Fredelle Bruser Maynard's Jews-in-the-Prairies memoir "Raisins and Almonds" for $5.
At Book City, another Toronto franchise a block west, killer remainders are the specialty. I scored Augusten Burroughs' lacerating "A Wolf at the Table" for $6.99, along with Toronto-based DIY fashion quarterly WORN ($12), nearly impossible to find outside Canada. A few doors down, I spotted a violet neon "New and Used Books" sign in a cluttered window beneath an Irish pub. It belonged to Seekers Books, a ragtag-looking shop that turned out to have a serious selection of occult and New Age volumes. Willow Books, several blocks east, felt even more under-the-radar, nearly hidden in a recessed storefront next to a convenience store. Amid messy stacks and racks of vintage clothing, I found entrancing poetry volumes and philosophy tomes too heavy to schlep around town.
A 10-minute walk south, at the University of Toronto's eastern edge, mellow Harbord Street houses two of the city's quirkiest booksellers. Sci-fi's not my thing, but I spent nearly an hour at Bakka Phoenix -- which bills itself as the world's oldest science-fiction/fantasy bookstore -- just to bask in contagious zeal for the form. "If someone walks in and says, 'I read this book in 1992, and it had a unicorn on the cover,' we'll find it," manager Leah Bobet told me.
The place has serious bona fides; Hugo Award winner Robert J. Sawyer once manned the register here, as did cult writer Cory Doctorow ("Homeland"). When I asked for a release that I wouldn't find at home in New York, Bobet sagely suggested Robert A. Douglas' fanatically researched "That Line of Darkness" ($28), a Gothic-tinged political history from Ontario's Encompass Editions.
Up a flight of stairs a building over, I pulled open glass doors bearing a Grand Guignol list of afflictions, from Drugs and Depression to Stress and Sexism. This was Caversham Booksellers, one of just two psychology bookstores in the world, as sandal-clad staffer Neil Hendry told me; London's Karnac Books is the other. I found a mesmerizing map of mental maladies in such tidy categories as "Narrative-focused solutions" and "Jung." A complete set of Freud's writings -- at $580 -- is "a big seller" here. Hendry said it says a lot about Toronto that Harbord Street also supports Parentbooks, one of the continent's largest mom-and-pop -- literally -- bookstores, just a few doors down.
I hopped the Spadina streetcar a few blocks south to College Street, whose quirky bookstores share low-slung blocks with artisan boutiques and farm-to-fork eateries. A bookseller actually opened here in November, an inspiring sign amid seemingly endless fatalities everywhere else. Poet Luciano Iacobelli started Q Space "as more than a business," he told me. "It's a hangout where one can actually meet writers and publishers and artists." Quirky Toronto publisher Quattro Books operates from a back office here; its monographs line the shelves, along with uncategorizeable used books. I nabbed "Ad Boy" ($6), a lavishly illustrated 2009 history of marketing characters, by Warren Dotz and Masud Husain.
At dimly lit Balfour Books, a couple of blocks west, I interrupted manager Lewis Rubenstein and "daily customer" Jon Redfern as they talked opera in the store's tiny back garden. Scrabble tiles spell out names of sections here -- "Mystery" or "Design" -- but it's piles of pulp paperbacks that makes Balfour such a trove. "We sell them by the busload," Rubenstein told me.
A 1965 edition of Sax Rohmer's "Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu," with its camp cover, was $4. When Balfour moved here from a larger space on College in 2010, Rubenstein told me, its owners bought the three-story building. "You have to," he said. "Rents keep going up."
I followed College Street west into Little Italy, with its gelato shops and old-school espresso hangouts. Across from a meatball shop, I found Sellers & Newel, a store operated by a pair of bibliophile cousins. Horror and first editions are specialties; a coffin-cum-bookshelf dominated the neatly organized floor. While I browsed, a German-accented customer asked whether the store was buying horror books. "Only Lovecraft" was owner Peter Sellers's terse, delicious answer. First editions are a particular strength here; a spectacular Arkham House edition of H.P. Lovecraft's "Dagon" bore a $180 price tag. I reluctantly left it on the shelf.
But my browsing spree came full circle on my way home. At endearingly shabby Ten Editions Books on busy Spadina Avenue, owner Susan Duff flicked a switch to illuminate an expansive Can Lit section in the store's cluttered rear. I found Wayne Grisby's "A Toronto Lampoon," a 1984 parody of what was then Canada's dullest metropolis. Among the book's "Top 40 Toronto Cliches": "Toronto the Good." "They Roll Up the Sidewalks at Night." And "The best thing about Toronto is the 3:15 train to Montreal."
The book nailed how much this kinetic, confident city has changed. And Ten Editions, which Duff told me has been a bookstore for more than 50 years, made me deeply grateful for what's still here.
Kaminer is a New York-based writer.


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Teaching Strategies
Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents. New York: Teachers College Press, 2000.
Appleman's book provides strategies for teaching critical pedagogy, reader response, feminism, Marxism, and deconstruction in literature classes.
Christensen, Linda. Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools, 2000.
These lesson plans and essays offer teachers strategies on how to control the political implications of their writing classes.
Edelsky, Carole (ed). Making Justice Our Project: Teachers Working Toward Critical Whole Language Practice. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1999.
Whole-language teachers consider the political implications of their work.
Graham, Maryemma, Sharon Pineault-Burke and Marianna W. Davis (eds). Teaching African American Literature: Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge, 1998.
Teachers discuss their reasons and methods for teaching African American literature in middle school, high school, and college English classes.
Menkart, Deborah et al. Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to K-12 Anti-Racist, Multicultural Education and Staff Development. Washington, DC: Teaching for Change, 2002.
These strategies and resources are aimed at advancing the teaching of multicultural materials in pre-college classrooms.
Olson, Carol B. Reading, Thinking, & Writing About Multicultural Literature. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman, 1996.
These lesson plans for multicultural literature classes includes studies of authors like Chief Seattle, Amy Tan, Tecumseh, Jade Snow Wong, and Laura Esquivel.
© Annenberg Foundation 2017. All rights reserved. Legal Policy


text:
Another Conservative Columnist Re-Writes History In Arguing For Government Shutdown
Oh, boy. Here comes another conservative columnist peddling revisionist history about the 1995/96 government shutdown in an attempt to convince Republicans to again shut down the government.
A few weeks ago, I noted that columnist Tony Blankley, who served as press secretary to then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich during the shutdown, was wrong to claim that "the issue of deficit spending and public debt was of much less concern to the public than it is now."
Now here's Byron York:
Even if the 1995 shutdown hurt the GOP -- and there's no doubt the party suffered wounds inflicted not only by Clinton but also by themselves -- today's voters are in a different mood. "We have fiscal crises at the federal, state and local levels, and voters understand that," says Bill Paxon, a former Republican lawmaker and veteran of the shutdown. "Back in '95, we were whistling into the wind -- we were trying to preach fiscal discipline when voters were saying, 'Hey, there's not a problem.'"
And here's reality:
Then, as now, reporting suggested the public cared deeply about fiscal discipline. (And then, as now, there's every reason to think the public cares more about other things, like jobs and Social Security and Medicare.)
More from York:
Republicans like House Speaker John Boehner have learned from their mistakes. "Our goal is to cut spending and reduce the size of government, not to shut it down," Boehner said recently -- a statement he has repeated many times. Contrast that to 1995, when, Paxon recalls, "We said we wanted to shut down the government, that it was a good thing, that it would get people's attention, that it would advance our cause."
Contrary to Paxon's suggestion that in 1995, Republicans were publicly saying they wanted to shut down the government, Republicans at the time tried to blame Bill Clinton for the shutdown. One such Republican was (wait for it …) Bill Paxon:
"Rep. Bill Paxon, R-Amherst, said: 'We are making a down payment on a balanced budget, and it is unfortunate that the president is willing to shut down government to prevent us from balancing the budget.'" [Buffalo News, November 15, 1995]
"Paxon said the vote put retirement funds at risk to 'aid and abet President Clinton's shutdown of the federal government.'" [Bismarck Tribune, November 19, 1995]


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Winkler, Manitoba-based Triple E Recreational Vehicles today (Aug. 3) announced the launch of the single-slide Class B motorhome based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.
According to a news release, the all-new Leisure Travel Van Free Spirit SS, designed in conjunction with a German aerospace engineer, is the industry's first Sprinter van with a full, roadside slideout.
Traditionally, RV's built on the Sprinter van have had limited floorplan designs due to the confined space of the compact van. However, the Free Spirit SS's large slideout allows for a more spacious floorplan, taking on similar characteristics to the company's larger Unity Class B+ model.
The Free Spirit SS is set off by a roomy front living area. The slideout is situated behind the driver's seat, directly across from the sliding entry door. A fold-down sofa bed topped in memory foam is located in the slideout, which converts to a bed at night.
Moving toward the rear, the European-inspired galley is equipped with upscale cabinetry, Corian countertops and quality appliances. Across from the galley on the driver's side is a wall of ample storage space. From a hanging wardrobe to full size drawers, the coach can easily handle longer, extended vacations.
Almost unheard of in the Class B van industry, the Free Spirit SS is also outfitted with a large three-piece dry bathroom equipped with a porcelain toilet, a dedicated and spacious shower, and vanity.
"It's incredible how spacious the Free Spirit SS feels inside," claims General Manager Ryan Elias. "It really doesn't feel as though you are in a van. It has a very open feel to it, much more like a wide-body Class B+. Because of the SS's unique layout, we believe this product will appeal not only to customers looking for a Class B van, but also to people who are looking for something slightly larger, with a little more room."
Other notable features include an innovative full-width sliding screen door and a large storage compartment accessible from the van's rear access doors. Golfers can rest assured there is ample room for two golf bags with room to spare in the rear storage area. Technological features include a 22-inch LED TV mounted on a swing-out arm for interior/exterior viewing, a 7-inch in-dash Sony GPS, back-up camera with Bluetooth/iPod/USB connections and dimmable LED lighting.
Beautifully crafted European styled curved wood cabinetry, sleek modern Ultraleather, and Corian Private Collection Counter tops are featured throughout the coach.
According to Leisure Travel Vans, the Free Spirit SS gets an estimated 19-22 mpg. MSRP's start at $119,470.
The Free Spirit SS will be featured at America's Largest RV Show in Hershey, Pa., from Sept. 12-16, and then at the California RV Show in Pomona, Calif., Oct. 12-21. For pictures, videos, virtual tours visit http://www.leisurevans.com/freespirit-ss.


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text: On last night's episode of Happy Endings, Alex was set up on a date with Liam, a wealthy big-spender type who has the tendency to go all out on their dates. On their first date, he rented out an entire restaurant. Then he had a private dancer teach them the dance from Private Dancer. When she asked for a simple night at home watching The Princess Bride, he hired Fred Savage to show up and do some commentary. I'm sorry, but I don't see the issue here? Must have been the fact that Fred wanted to help himself to the hummus in the refrigerator — I'm possessive of my foods derived from chickpeas, too.


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1984 Jeep Grand WagoneerPosted in Features on February 28, 2014
As you know, we here at Jp have a thing for fullsize Jeeps. Everyone on staff owns at least one of them, and all of us have owned more than that over the years. We've driven them, wrenched on 'em, wheeled 'em, and broken 'em, repeatedly. The one thing we've come to hate in this long-term love affair with FSJs is that none of them ever got good mileage. From a low of 6 mpg to a high of 17 mpg, with an egg on the gas pedal and a tailwind, they just aren't cheap to drive. We keep dreaming of a smog-legal diesel swap, but none of us can bring ourselves to tear out our running V-8s to do it. That's why when we saw this Grand Wagoneer a couple of years ago out at Area BFE in Moab, Utah, and heard the clatter from under the hood, we jumped on it. We got a few pictures, but we jumped too late. One of our sister magazines had already nailed down a feature on it, and it actually ended up on their cover. It belongs to Toby Boyer of Camarillo, California, but we didn't actually meet him until the third time we saw the Jeep. The first two times it was driven by its builder, Todd, from Mercenary Offroad.
But the conversion to the '98.5 24-valve 5.9L Cummins was so clean and the Jeep itself such a sleeper that we couldn't get it out of our heads. So, we brainstormed on how to bring this Jeep to you in a fresh way that didn't just regurgitate all the same information that our sister mag gave you. We ended up inventing a new kind of feature. We decided that you guys would want to see more information about this Jeep than what we normally run, so we went the extra mile. We blended a normal feature with a tech article. So, in addition to the usual feature information, there are build pictures to show some of the more complicated parts of the modifications and more.
We ran the Jeep on the dyno to find out what kind of power it was putting down. We even broke out tape measure to take critical dimensions and weighed it so that you could see how it measures up to your own Jeeps. "Feature Plus" is what we are calling this kind of story, and it's our first one ever as well as the only one we have in the stable right now, so there is no telling if or when we might go this deep into a build again. By the time you read this, two years will have passed since we first saw the Jeep—and hopefully it was worth the extra work.
We really want to start in on how the Cummins got in there, but without the foundation, what would be the point? The frame was extensively boxed with plate for stiffness. The Jeep rides on about 6 inches of lift thanks to some custom Atlas Springs. Heavy-duty plate steel boxes were fabricated to move the front springs forward about 2 inches and move the rear rearward about 4 inches. That helps to get those 39-inch BFG Krawlers out of the wheelwells, but more on that later. As nice as it was to have leaf springs still under the Jeep (and it still rides nice too), in preparation for the weight of the axles and engine, 3⁄4-inch-diameter U-bolts are threads-up for better clearance to hold the axles to the springs with some 1-inch-thick steel plate.
Custom frame-side engine mounts that ape the factory Dodge mounts hold the Cummins to the frame with the factory engine-side brackets and rubber while three transmission mounts support the transmission and T-case. Energy suspension was used for the soft parts of the transmission mounts but some had to be modified. The top of the frame right behind the grille shell was notched and plated to provide clearance for the radiator that was needed to keep the mill cool. A custom fuel tank was fabbed up from aluminum and hangs between the rear framerails, thanks to a steel skidplate. The tank features internal baffling and all –AN style fittings.
The BBCS shocks are hung off of custom upper mounts. Out back a channel just in front of the fuel tank with multiple holes allows for changes in the shock angle. That helps with both potential shock length issues and allows for effective adjustment of the valving. Up front, much taller towers were fabbed up and welded to the frame to properly locate the shocks with the pushed-forward axle. A custom front bumper was built from many pieces of plate, ties into the new front spring mounts, and holds a 12,000 pound Warn Endurance winch. Underneath is a fabricated skidplate of tube and plate steel is covered with UHMD plastic that guards the belly from just behind the front axle all the way aft of the T-case for engine, transmission, and T-case protection. The rocker guards are impossible to see because they are 3⁄16-inch-thick plate bent to the contours of the factory sheetmetal.
Ah, finally. You might have been wondering about the "'98.5" we have up above. In this case, the 5.9L inline-six came out of a '98.5 Dodge Ram 2500 and that ".5" is important because for the beginning half of '98 the Ram got the 12-valve engine. This 24-valve engine didn't show up until mid-year to meet new emissions requirements. It is also known as an ISB engine and was rated at 215hp and 420 lb-ft at the flywheel. In this Jeep, however, it has a big Mishimoto intercooler with a Diablo Sport Power Puck, so it puts down a bit more. Strong ARP head studs make sure that extra air and consequent power stay in the combustion chambers.
In the Ram, the engine was originally bolted to a 47RE automatic transmission, and that hasn't changed. The factory computer is still in control of things and the transmission was left basically stock. A 10 x 19-inch B&M cooler helps it deal with all the extra power. After that a 3.8:1 Atlas II gets abused and sends it on down the line through some 1410-jointed driveshafts held in by U-bolts rather than straps. The front axle is a high-pinion Ford Dana 60 packed with a Detroit Locker, while out back is a 14-bolt stuffed with an ARB Air Locker. Front brakes are the factory dual-piston Ford brakes while the discs from the Ram 2500 were adapted to work on the 14-bolt by Mercenary Offroad. Both axles have 4.56 gears and thick steel fabricated covers keep those gears safe. The big 39-inch Krawlers are wrapped around eight-lug Huchinson beadlocks.
Power to push those discs comes from the Dodge master cylinder and the Saginaw steering box is helped along by a hydraulic-assist ram from Lee Power Steering. The monster single exhaust runs inside the passenger side of the frame to just past the back seat, where it goes under the frame in front of the rear axle and above the leaf spring. From there it is tucked tight to the frame and dumps through the rear lower quarter-panel.
Body and Interior
The blue paint and faux wood grain are all factory original as is most of the interior, including the seats that have some custom 3M patches. The rear of the rear inner fenderwells were cut and moved to provide clearance for the tires but the factory fuel filler neck was reused and adapted to the new tank. Also, the outside of the fenders were trimmed almost up to the wood paneling. Up front the fenders were similarly trimmed right up to that "wood" and a lip welded back on to keep from cutting the tires.
The grille shell was modified to accept the bigger radiator and the intercooler sits between the plastic chrome grille cover and the grill shell itself—so if you had a FSJ with an older nose and wanted to do this, you'd have to get more creative with the intercooler, or just not run one. Both the radiator and the intercooler are hung from custom steel dimple-die brackets that add a finished look when you first open the hood. The tranny cooler is mounted out in front of the intercooler, and it is all well hidden once that plastic grille is on.
Under the load bed near the driver-side framerail you can find an ARB air compressor and a water separator/filter for the diesel fuel to keep the injectors happy. The factory heater assembly was tossed for turbo clearance and a custom aluminum plate fabricated to block off the holes. The factory column shift automatic transmission shifter was adapted to the Dodge transmission with an adjustable heim-jointed linkage and custom body-side brackets.
Good, Bad, and What It's For
In person, sure you notice the tires, but this thing just isn't that tall, and it is the furthest from outlandish you can find. But, it still works great off-road. One of the best diesel engines ever was crammed under the hood, but until it fires up you'd have no clue. There are no stacks, no huge RBP stickers, nor anything similar on the Jeep. Many won't agree with us, but the more you modify stuff from its factory form, the more likely you are to have problems with it. Aside from minor mods, the engine and transmission are stock, as is the aftermarket T-case. This should make for an awesome and reliable wheeler that gets mid-to-high 20 mpg numbers on the road, if you could ever stay out of the fun pedal.
Hard Facts
Vehicle: 1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Engine: '98.5 24-valve Cummins inline-six
Transmission: 47RE
Transfer Case: 3.8:1 Atlas II
Suspension: Custom Atlas springs in spring-under configuration (front and rear)
Axles: Dana 60 (front); 14-bolt (rear)
Wheels: 17 x 9 Hutchinson beadlocks
Tires: 39x13.5/17 BFG Krawler
Curb Weight: 6,717 lbs
Track Width: 831⁄2 inches (front); 82 inches (rear)
Overall Height: 76 inches to roof; 78 1⁄2 inches with roof rack
Wheelbase: 112 1⁄2 inches
Axle Clearance: 11 3⁄4 inches (front); 10 3⁄4 inches (rear)
Belly Pan Clearance: 18 1⁄4 inches
Rocker Panel Clearance: 221⁄4 inches
Built For: Wheeling, squeezing a big engine in a smaller rig.
|Torque (lb-ft)
Why I Wrote This Feature
It is the Jeep's equivalent of a wolf in sheep's clothing. From the largely stock interior, to the stock paint, and even the faded fake wood trim, it doesn't look like all that much. All the cool stuff is done under the skin where only true gearheads would be able to appreciate it. Unlike some of the rigs we feature that draw freaks likes moths to the flame, this will only draw those in the know making it possible to drive this Jeep every day, if one was so inclined, and I know I sure would be.


text: HomeArticlesIslamic BeliefAN-NUR - The Light AN-NUR - The Light Harun Yahya Allah is the Light of the heavens and Earth. The metaphor of His Light is that of a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp inside a glass, the glass like a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west, its oil all but giving off light even if no fire touches it. Light upon Light. Allah guides to His Light whoever He wills, makes metaphors for mankind, and has knowledge of all things. In houses that Allah has permitted to be built and in which His name is remembered, there are men who proclaim His glory morning and evening. (Surat an-Nur, 24:35-36) Allah, the Light of the heavens and Earth, manifests this attribute upon people. As a blessing, He illuminates His servants who believe in Him, recognize and appreciate His greatness, turn to Islam (the only just religion), and live by its morality: Is he whose breast is opened to Islam, and who is therefore illuminated by his Lord…? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah! Such people are clearly misguided. (Surat az-Zumar, 39:22) For the unbelievers, however, there is not a single source of "illumination." Moreover, they cannot find a way out of the darkness in which they exist. Allah describes this darkness in the following terms: Or they are like the darkness of a fathomless sea that is covered by waves above, which are waves above which are clouds, layers of darkness, one upon the other. If he puts out his hand, he can scarcely see it. Those to whom Allah gives no light, they have no light. (Surat an-Nur, 24:40) While Allah leaves unbelievers in this darkness, He guides His faithful servants to the light. The following verse reveals that these two groups are mirror opposites and believers are absolutely superior, for: Is someone who was dead and whom We brought to life, supplying him with a light by which to walk among people, the same as someone who is in utter darkness, unable to emerge from it? That is how what they were doing is made to seem attractive to the unbelievers. (Surat al-An'am, 6:122) Allah sends down warnings to believers in order to guide them to the light. His Messengers and the just Books that they bring are all sources of "light." Those who comply with the divine message attain the true path and are illuminated. The Qur'an proclaims: O Prophet! We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good news, a warner, a caller to Allah by His permission, and a light-giving lamp. (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:45-46) He sends down Clear Signs to His servant to bring you out of the darkness to the light. Allah is All-Gentle with you, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Hadid, 57:9) O People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you, making clear to you much of the Book that you have kept concealed, and passing over a lot. A Light has come to you from Allah, and a Clear Book. By it, Allah guides those who follow what pleases Him to the ways of peace. He will bring them from the darkness to the light by His permission, and guide them to a straight path. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 5:15-16) Allah's true servants will live happily until they die, and will be recognized by their light. Unbelievers, on the other hand, will remain in infinite darkness in the Hereafter as well, and will ask believers for some of their light. As the Qur'an states: On the Day you see the men and women of the believers, with their light streaming out in front of them, and to their right: "Good news for you today of gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever. That is the Great Victory." That Day, the men and women of the hypocrites will say to those who believe: "Wait for us so that we can borrow some of your light." They will be told: "Go back and look for light!" And a wall will be erected between them with a gate in it, on the inside of which there will be mercy but before whose exterior lies punishment. (Surat al-Hadid, 57:12-13) Allah is the Protector of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness and into the light. But those who are unbelievers have false deities as protectors. They take them from the light into the darkness. Those are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, forever. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:257) He calls down blessing upon you, as do His angels, to bring you out of the darkness and into the light. He is Most Merciful to the believers. (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:43) And Earth will shine with the Pure Light of its Lord, the Book will be put in place, the Prophets and witnesses will be brought, and it will be decided between them with the truth. They will not be wronged. (Surat az-Zumar, 39:69) Those who believe in Allah and His Messengers—such people are the truly sincere—and the martyrs who are with their Lord will receive their wages and their light. But those who are unbelievers and deny Our Signs will be Companions of the Blazing Fire. (Surat al-Hadid, 57:19) O You who believe! Have fear [and awareness] of Allah and faith in His Messenger. He will give you a double portion of His mercy, grant you a Light by which to walk, and forgive you. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Hadid, 57:28) Prophet Muhammad (saas) advises believers to say the following in their prayers: "Allahumma: Put light in my heart, light in my tongue, light in my sight, light in my hearing, light on my right, light on my left, light above me, light beneath me, light in front of me, and light behind me. Put light in my soul, and give me great light." (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) Harun yahya Fri 10 Jun 201118495 تعليقات (0)أضف تعليقك تعليقات


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Scrapbook Your Memories with this Free Download: Scrap-by-Number Sketches
Scrapbook your memories with this free download. Creating Keepsakes also provides scrapbook ideas and how to imformation for documenting your summer occasions.
If you're looking for a fun way to involve your kids in scrapbooking their memories, consider creating scrap-by-number pages or a scrap-by-number mini-album like the "Summer Sports" mini-album below. To create this album, Autumn Baldwin designed her layouts, numbered where elements belonged on each page, and then numbered the corresponding elements. Then all her son had to do was match the numbers, and, voila!, he was scrapbooking! To try this technique for yourself, see below to download Autumn's sketches in PDF or PSD format.
Summer Sports mini-album by Autumn Baldwin, as seen in the July/August 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine, page 54.
Download Scrap-by-Number Sketch 1 PDF
Download Scrap-by-Number Sketch 1 PSD
Download Scrap-by-Number Sketch 2 PDF
Download Scap-by-Number Sketch 2 PSD
Download Scrap-by-Number Sketch 3 PDF
Download Scrap-by-Number Sketch 3 PSD
Download Scrap-by-Number Sketch 4 PDF
Download Scrap-by-Number Sketch 4 PSD
For even more scrapbooking inspiration, be sure to check out this article with ideas for summer mini albums, this article with printable quizzes to jumpstart your scrapbooking, and the July/August 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
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Film Screening at The Empty Quarter - Die Fälschung (Circle of Deceit) by Volker Schlöndorff
The Empty Quarter continues with its screening of war themed movies this month. This week's screening is Die Fälschung (Circle of Deceit) by Volker Schlöndorff, today, 8th April at 8pm. Free entry.
(Note: The link to the trailer below will take you to a separate site as I could not find a version I could embed here. The trailer is in German language without English subtitles although the screening will include English subtitles.)
Synopsis via Kino-Zeit.de
Shot on location in the still smoldering streets of Beirut, Circle of Deceit is a film of riveting tension and passionate eloquence. Director Volker Schlöndorff (The Legend of Rita, The Ogre, The Tin Drum) combines war film verve, documentary immediacy to yield a violent yet character-rich film that's both politically charged and personally moving.
Grateful for a respite from his imploding marriage, Hamburg newspaperman Georg (Bruno Ganz - Luther, Wings of Desire) arrives in civil war-torn Beirut to chronicle the bloody Lebanese war. Inside a shell-pitted hotel, Georg and his photographer colleague Hoffman (cult director Jerzy Skolimowski - Deep End, The Shout) join a cynical international coterie of competitive fellow journalists. Outside, they take their lives in their own hands, dodging both Christian and Palestinian bullets and conducting interviews that are always just a trigger pull away from becoming executions. When Georg's affair with a beautiful German ex-pat widow (Fassbinder icon Hanna Schygulla) evolves into something more than an indulgence, Beirut's bloody whirlpool of brutality threatens to claim Georg's neutrality and his civilized self-control.
Without taking sides or pulling punches, Schlöndorff's meticulous direction renders both the lethal chaos of urban warfare and the moral tug-of-war of modern Mid-East politics with equally sensitive precision. Probing an ethical minefield of journalism, exploitation, war, and murder, Circle of Deceit is hauntingly compassionate, shockingly realistic, and "a superior film in every respect." (Leonard Maltin, Movie & Video Guide)


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Jackie Stewart took a third win of the season as his Tyrrell won the Monaco Grand Prix on a circuit that had been revised since 1972.
A new tunnel section, a new sequence of corners around the swimming pool and a new comer called La Rascasse were introduced and Stewart adapted best to claim pole position from Ronnie Peterson's Lotus.
The McLaren of Denny Hulme shared row two with the second Tyrrell of François Cevert and it was Cevert who made the best start to lead but he hit a kerb on lap two and headed to the pits with a puncture. It allowed Peterson into the lead with the BRM of Clay Regazzoni in second and the rest of the field bottled up behind. The BRM couldn't match the pace of the Lotus and Peterson pulled away as the rest of the field struggled to find a way past the wide BRM. On lap six, Regazzoni made a mistake and went up an escape road, allowing Stewart up to second and in pursuit off Peterson's Lotus.
Stewart was spared the aggravation of trying to pass the Lotus on Monaco's tight and twisty confines as Peterson hit fuel feed problems and fell down the order, leaving the Tyrrell leading Emerson Fittipaldi. Niki Lauda took third but his BRM retired with a gearbox problem and Jacky Ickx's Ferrari broke a driveshaft. It promoted Wilson Fittipaldi to third behind his brother until a fuel leak stopped him on lap 72. So Peterson was back up to third despite his problems, finishing ahead of Cevert.
But the honours went to Stewart, who took his 25th world championship win to equal Jim Clark's record.


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Truckee Police: Home burglaries on the rise
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Detectives are investigating an increase in home burglaries, predominantly in the Tahoe Donner and west Donner Lake neighborhoods, officials said.
Activity has picked up since Nov. 1, 2013, Truckee Police Sgt. Bob Womack said Tuesday. Burglars are targeting mostly second homes, often bypassing security systems, forcing open doors using tools and kicking in doors.
"We really don't have any witnesses and are still working on leads like pawn shops and things like that," Womack said. "We're not having a lot of success in finding the perpetrators."
While Womack couldn't provide an exact number of burglaries that have occurred in Truckee, he said detectives believe they could be related to a recent rash during the same time span across the North Shore and Incline Village.
"There have been enough that we've definitely seen more residential burgs; we just can't tie them together because not all are exactly the same and it's a hard thing to guess to say which ones are related," he said.
Some evidence that has been recovered is being forwarded to the California Department of Justice for processing, he said, and Truckee Police is working with the Placer and Washoe county sheriff's offices to develop leads.
In most of the Truckee cases, Womack said no one has seen burglars on the prowl.
"The single biggest thing is for everybody to get to know their neighbors — they will know who doesn't belong and know who shouldn't be there," he said.
Anyone with information about the crimes should contact the department at 530-550-2323.


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Lance Bass Becomes Big Mouth Billy Bass on 'Jimmy Fallon' [VIDEO]
In what has to be one of the greatest combos ever of puns and ex-boy banders, Lance Bass took to the, er… wall on Jimmy Fallon for a hilariously awkward skit.
The 'Tonight Show' host is always open to suggestions and ideas, which is why he took a moment to read a few from his viewers on Wednesday (May 14) night's show. One viewer requested, "Hey Jimmy, I love those Big Mouth Billy Bass singing fish that people put up on their walls. I was wondering if you knew anybody who could recreate that live."
Jimmy is no stranger to convincing celebrities to follow him into weird situations. (Just a week ago he was dressed as a teen girl with Seth Rogen and Zac Efron.) It shouldn't be too surprising, then, that he had the perfect celeb in mind — and that said celeb was willing to jump on board.
Out rolled a set piece of a living room, complete with fireplace and wall-mounted Lance Bass, of course. Despite both Jimmy and Lance struggling to maintain straight faces, Jimmy managed to get it together for a second to hit the red button to bring the Bass alive.
The 'N SYNC member, in a scarily accurate recreation of Billy Bass, began flapping his legs and singing the novelty fish's famed tune, 'Take Me to the River.' The singer only made it through thirty seconds of the song, but that's a pretty good run without losing it to laughter, all things considered.
Check out Lance's performance above!


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We're looking for a security system here at the San Rafael Public Library–some kind of remote way to indicate "Hey, something's definitely wrong with staff member X who's dealing with the public right now – go help!"
Staff at our various service desks at the Downtown Library (Circulation, Children's, Adult, Administration) have no way to communicate to each other when something's wrong at one of them (e.g. threatening individual, etc.). The Library has two different floors and all of the desks are visually separated from each other – there is no line of sight from one to another – and in one case a door separates that desk from the rest of the building. We were envisioning a flashing light system or something similar, easily, covertly, and quickly triggered with a button or a switch, and that would show the other desks which desk it was coming from. Our building does not have an intercom system, and staff are not always at their computers (often out on the floor), so something they can hold as a trigger, clip to a belt or a lanyard, would be more useful. In short, we're looking for something with multiple site-specific triggers and multiple output devices showing what's been triggered.
Instead of spending hours researching this topic that I know nothing about, I put it out to the ALA Think Tank group on Facebook – knowing that the wisdom of the crowd would be faster and more extensive than anything I'd come up with on my own. I thought I'd summarize the suggestions here for anyone else seeking out a similar solution. And hey – if you have another suggestion, bring it on!
Wireless call bell systems – These are like those little light-up vibrating things you get at some restaurants, such as these. Verdict: Might work; need to research more, especially re: how one triggers various models.
Centurion – I just like this for the Battlestar Galactica reference 😉 Seriously, though, this is another version of a wireless call system but this one can transmit out messages on multiple platforms simultaneously once triggered: two-way radios, pagers, phones, and email. Verdict: Might work; need to research how the triggering mechanism works more.
Instant Messaging – A number of people suggested having every staff member have IM up while at work and to use that to send out a quick "911" or some similarly short message. Verdict: Need a trigger that could stay with the staff member. Also, not very covert.
Computer Help Button – Several people said they have a one-click "call for help" button on their computers, usually used to call for back-up staff because it's busy, but which could be repurposed for crazy town incidents. A 2008 Code4Lib article was helpfully linked to (oh, you librarians!). Verdict: Once again, I don't think the computer-based idea will work well for us as so many of the problems happen when staff are away from their computers.
Intercom – Some folks suggested saying your own name or the department's name over the intercom as a signal for help. Verdict: If only we had an intercom system. Also, not very covert.
Vocera – A number of people are using or otherwise recommended Vocera. These small portable transmitters and receivers could work really well for what we need. Verdict: Pricey. Need to research more on what kinds of money we're talking about.
Phone System – A few different version of using the existing phone system were suggested. Setting up a mass-call option and using a code word to indicate a problem. Verdict: Our phone system is VOIP and we've been told before this isn't possible (though I'm guessing it probably actually is). Also, unless it was a single-touch button I don't think it would be covert enough.
Doorbell System – A system like this could work–basic doorbell. People suggested different ring-tones or a different number of rings depending on which desk it was (e.g. 1 for Adult, 2 for Circ, etc.). Verdict: Need to research more. This could be covert if the bells could be carried easily in one's pocket and we could have multiple transmitters and multiple broadcast speakers too.
Walkie Talkies – Lots of these out there and pretty cheap. Buy the small headsets to pair with the actual units, push the call button to beep everyone else. Again, a coded number of beeps could work to indicate location of problem. One person suggested buying repeaters to help with the thick-walled-ness of our very old building. Verdict: Need to research more. Covert, yes. Would staff actually wear the headsets? Don't know.
Pager.net – This was suggested (in lovely detail; thanks Brian!) as a kind of multi-pronged approach. Device, software, and desk-transmitters. Verdict: This could totally work. Need to research pricing and implementation (e.g. our thick freaking walls).
Arduino Home Panic Button – This was suggested as an open source solution, which made my heart all warm and fuzzy. Verdict: Need to research implementation more.


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