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Chimes at Midnight (Criterion, Blu-ray, DVD) has been difficult to see under any circumstances for at least the last three decades. It suffered from distribution issues during its original release (a woefully misguided pan by New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther, an old-school moralist at sea in the era of new visions, essentially sunk it American release) and has been in legal limbo thanks to competing claims of ownership for decades. Original 35mm prints had issues with image and sound mixing and timing and surviving prints were worn and degraded over time. After years of negotiating and gathering materials, the film was restored in 2015. The re-release was a revelation and the first time that many Americans had the opportunity to finally see the film that Welles had called his favorite (admittedly he had said that about more than one of his films over his career, but Chimes did hold a special place in his heart). Welles called Falstaff "the greatest creation by Shakespeare" and said of the film: "If I wanted to get into heaven on the basis of one movie, that's the one I would offer up."
Orson Welles
Keith Baxter: On Acting in Orson Welles' 'Chimes at Midnight'
Keith Baxter was a struggling young Welsh actor when Orson Welles tapped him to play Prince Hal in the 1960 stage production of Chimes at Midnight in Ireland. Like Welles' earlier Five Kings, this massive production brought together elements of numerous Shakespeare plays, in particular Henry IV Part I and Henry IV Part II, to chronicle the education of a king, and like the earlier production is was commercial failure. But Welles was still determined to make his production. As Baxter related in a 1988 interview, "on the last night, coming back to England, he [Welles] said to me on the ship, 'This is only a rehearsal for the movie, Keith, and I'll never make it unless you play Hal in that, too.'" Welles was true to his word and Baxter, in his first major screen role, starred opposite Welles in a cast that included John Gielgud, Jeanne Moreau and Margaret Rutherford.
Mr. Baxter, now eighty-two years old and a grand old man of British and American theater, was in New York City to introduce the American debut of the new restoration if Chimes at Midnight on Friday, January 8. Before the event, he granted a few interviews. "Ask me whatever you want to ask," he said with a bright enthusiasm as our phone conversation began.
Sean Axmaker: You starred as Prince Hal in the 1960 stage production of Chimes at Midnight with Orson Welles in Ireland. You were the only member of that production (besides Welles) to appear in the film. Was there any change in the way that you played Hal and in the relationship between Hal and Welles' Falstaff between the stage production and the film a few years later?
Keith Baxter: Well not really, you know. The thing is that Welles discovered me when I was out of work, washing dishes, so it was a wonderful opportunity to play on the stage with him. And, how can I explain? He really loved me and I really loved him. I don't mean in any sexual sense. I mean because he'd given me a whole opportunity to play a wonderful part with a great actor instead of washing dishes and being out of work. So of course I felt a tremendous debt towards him. And he was wonderful to act with. He didn't direct the play in Dublin, it was directed by an old friend of his who had discovered him when he was a teenager in Ireland [ed. note: Hilton Edwards]. Because when we started rehearsing Welles wasn't there for two weeks, he was in Paris working on his film of The Trial, so we rehearsed without him and then he arrived. And of course we were all mightily… not in awe of him, well yes, in awe of him, whatever, and it was quite clear that he liked acting with me and I was a source of light.
Orson Welles Has a Daughter Named Rebecca
[Originally published in Movietone News 38, January 1975]
What do Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940) and Welles's Citizen Kane (1941) have in common? Quite a lot, it seems to me. And yet, in all my reading on film, I have run across only one brief speculation on the subject: Andrew Sarris's, in the context of his rebuttals to Pauline Kael's Kane articles.
Both films, to begin with, deal with the search for a hidden secret in the life of an important man, and both use a flashback framework as means of narration (though Rebecca maintains a single point of view through most of its story, while Citizen Kane crisscrosses the memories of several characters in a network of flashbacks). Both films are informed by the presence of a dead person, though Charles Foster Kane is the central character in Welles's film, while Hitchcock's title character never appears. Nevertheless, each film's ghostly presence is signaled by the recurrent motif of an initial-monogram, 'R' and 'K,' respectively. In each film a scandal—hushed up in Rebecca, headlined in Kane—attends the end of the important man's first marriage, and overshadows his second marriage to a "common" woman.
Mr. Arkadin
[This is a program note written for "The Cinema of Orson Welles," the Autumn 1971 film series of the University of Washington Office of Lectures & Concerts, and distributed at the November 9, 1971, showing of the film.]
Mr. Arkadin is another of Welles's European productions. The soundtrack is consequently erratic, and this, plus the fact that the storyline is so crowded with events and characters, suggests the advisability of offering a brief outline of the scenario for reference either before or after viewing:
*Pre-title sequence. Typed words: "A certain great and powerful king said to a poet, 'What can I give you of all that I have?' He wisely replied, 'Anything, sir … except your secret.'" A plane is seen sweeping over a barren landscape. The director's voice tells us that this pilotless craft was sighted one Christmas morning, that investigation of the incident "reached into the highest circles," and that the attendant scandal very nearly toppled a government. "This motion picture is a fictionalized reconstruction of the events leading up to the murder, and to the appearance, last Christmas morning, of the empty plane."
*The titles. The main title is formed out of newspaper cuttings. The cast is introduced in order of appearance, each seen in a subsequent shot from the film. Various other shots are seen now, to be repeated in context later.
The Trial
"[I]t's my own picture, unspoiled in the cutting or anything else…. The producers were heroic and got it made, and there isn't anything I had to compromise—except no sets, and I was happy with the other solution, as it turned out, even though I was kind of in love with all the work I'd done. Still, I was happy enough to scuttle it, as I always am."
–Orson Welles on The Trial, from This is Orson Welles
Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (1959) is now celebrated as a masterpiece, but the version released in 1959 was not the film that Welles had intended and it was largely dismissed as a glorified B-movie. It had been for Welles one last attempt to make films inside the studio system and he brought the film in on time and on budget. Yet Universal thought that his labyrinthine nightmare of a crime movie was too dark and confusing for audiences and took the editing from his hands. Welles' famous fifty-eight-page memo (which became the basis of a 1998 revision undertaken by producer Rick Schmidlin and editor Walter Murch) was politic, polite and even supportive of some of the changes made by Universal's editor as it made the case for editing refinements. Welles played by the rules right to the end, attempting to work with the producers rather than fight them, but it became clear that Hollywood simply did not want the kinds of films that Welles made and he left for Europe. Never again did he work with the budgets or the resources of a major studio production. That was his trade-off for creative control.
The Trial (1963) was not Welles' first project after Touch of Evil—he started shooting Don Quixote in Mexico and Spain and made a series of documentaries for Spanish TV—but it was the first film he completed after leaving Hollywood.
Orson Welles goes 'Around the World'
When handed the raw materials from an unfinished documentary about Elmyr de Hory, an art forger whose life was being written up by biographer Clifford Irving, Orson Welles took the opportunity to make something far beyond the concept of the traditional documentary. F for Fake has been called the Orson Welles' first essay film, a true enough statement if you limit the accounting to feature films, but he had been doing short-form non-fiction since 1955, when he made Around the World with Orson Welles (a.k.a. Around the World) for British television.
It was ostensibly a series of travelogues, shot on location with Welles as tour guide, host, and narrator. Welles himself described them as "all sort of home movies—a vacation documented…," but these are sort of home movies that only Welles could make. They are built on Welles's public persona as much as on his directorial personality. He is "as always, obediently yours," the worldly yet personable host who casts a spell with his voice, disarms with a boyish grin and invites the audience into his confidence as he tosses out cultural observations and historical asides.
Schooled by Orson Welles: Roberto Perpignani
Roberto Perpignani quite auspiciously made his official debut as professional film editor on Bernardo Bertolucci's feature debut Before the Revolution (1964). He went on to work with Bertolucci on The Spider's Stratagem (1970) and The Last Tango in Paris (1972) and became the longtime editor for Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, a collaboration that begin in 1972 with St. Michael Had a Rooster. Perpignani won the David di Donatello Award (the Italian equivalent of the Oscar) for film editing three times, twice for Taviani films—The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982) and Caesar Must Die (2012)—and in between for the international hit Il Postino (1994). But it was Orson Welles that started his career as a film editor, first on In the Land of Don Quixote, a series of short documentaries that Welles made for Spanish TV, and then as one of his primary assistant editors on The Trial. Perpignani cut the film at a makeshift editing bay in the abandoned train station Gare d'Orsay in Paris, where Welles was shooting in another section of the station, and worked on the film practically up to its debut in the final weeks of December, 1962.
I had the great honor of meeting Perpignani when he came to Seattle to introduce a screening of Bertolucci's The Spider's Stratagem at the Seattle Art Museum, a 1999 event co-sponsored by the University of Washington. He graciously agreed to sit for an interview the next day. "I'm sorry my English is terrible today," he remarked. "Worse than usual." Perhaps, but it was certainly better than my Italian, and he had help translating some phrases and words from a professor of Italian Studies at University of Washington, who hosted the interview at his home. It's with some embarrassment that I confess that in the years since I lost that man's name, for he was essential in making this interview happen.
Orson Welles at 100
Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on May 6, 1915. This week marks his centenary: the hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of the most influential, ambitious, unique, and complicated filmmakers in the American cinema, or any cinema, for that matter. The occasion has been celebrated with a number of new books and documentaries on Welles, the first significant progress on completing his unfinished feature The Other Side of the Wind, retrospectives of his films, a tribute to Welles at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and a symposium at Indiana University featuring many of the top Orson Welles scholars in the world. Here's what Parallax View contributors have written about Orson Welles. – Sean Axmaker
'Citizen Kane' by Richard T. Jameson
'The Magnificent Ambersons' by Richard T. Jameson
'The Magnificent Ambersons' by Robert Horton
The Earth is Made of Glass: Orson Welles' 'The Stranger' by Peter Richards
'The Lady from Shanghai' by Richard T. Jameson
'Othello' by Richard T. Jameson
'Mr. Arkadin' by Richard Jameson
'Touch of Evil' by Richard T. Jameson
'Touch of Evil': Crossing the Line by Robert C. Cumbow
The Making, Unmaking and Reclamation of 'Touch of Evil' by Sean Axmaker
"A tremendous piece of filmmaking": Walter Murch on 'Touch of Evil' interview
"Let's give them something to really work with": Rick Schmidlin on revising 'Touch of Evil' interview by Sean Axmaker
"A once in a lifetime project": Bob O'Neil on restoring and revising 'Touch of Evil' interview by Sean Axmaker
"A rough, jagged, jarring, shaking-you-up kind of movie": Janet Leigh on 'Touch of Evil' interview by Sean Axmaker
"Actors loved him": Charlton Heston on Orson Welles and 'Touch of Evil' interview by Sean Axmaker
Cinematic Archeology: 'Orson Welles' Don Quixote'? Not even close by Sean Axmaker
Related features on other sites:
Orson Welles: The Enigmatic Independent (Sean Axmaker, Keyframe)
The Orson Welles Bookshelf (Sean Axmaker, Keyframe)
Rediscovery: Orson Welles' 'Too Much Johnson' (Sean Axmaker, Keyframe)
Schooled by Orson Welles: Roberto Perpignani (Sean Axmaker, Keyframe)
Orson Welles goes 'Around the World' (Sean Axmaker, Keyframe)
Orson Welles: 'The Trial' (Sean Axmaker, Keyframe)
The Magnificent Ambersons
[Originally published on The Crop Duster]
This piece dates to a program note written for a Welles series in 1986. I was a co-founder, with Tom Keogh, of a nonprofit called Seattle Filmhouse, and we brought a few notable critics (Jonathan Rosenbaum and David Thomson among them), as well as Welles' hard-working latterday cinematographer, Gary Graver, to Seattle to talk about the movies and the life. The note on The Magnificent Ambersons was meant to be read in close proximity to seeing the movie, of course, and reads that way. – Robert Horton
There are films that creep up on you, and there are films that astonish from the first frame. The films of Orson Welles may do many things, but they do not creep, and almost all of his movies begin with a striking image or sequence. None begins more beautifully than The Magnificent Ambersons; in this beginning is the word, Welles' voice (his only presence as an actor in the movie), which starts its rolling rumble even before the fist image appears onscreen. "The magnificence of the Ambersons began in 1873," he says, and the screen is still black until a gorgeously-appointed mansion emerges, looming majestically, dominating and defining the lithograph-like composition of the shot—as, indeed, the Amberson mansion and all the rich and sad meaning it embodies will seem to dominate and define and even obliterate the family it houses. Welles' voice is rich and sad too, with that first line setting a nostalgic tone: listen to the rhyming sounds—magnificence, Ambersons, began—and consider the name Amberson itself, golden and preserving but also smoky, dark, fading, like the amber Sun or the amber son. (Kudos to Booth Tarkington, author of a novel that was partly based on Orson Welles' father, for the canny choice.)
The Orson Welles Bookshelf
There are more published books on Orson Welles than on any other film director past or present.
The above statement is based on my own anecdotal, far-from-exhaustive and thoroughly unverified research, mind you and yes, it's possible that Alfred Hitchcock tops him (if so it's a close call), but why let the details get in the way of a dramatic statement? Welles certainly didn't. Maybe that's one reason for so many books—there's so much myth behind the man.
There's also so much career behind him. Welles made his name in theater and radio as a director, writer, producer and actor before coming to Hollywood, and he had a fascination with complex, contradictory characters who shaped their public images. His debut feature was built on the struggle to find the "key" insight to explain the character and motivation of a public figure and discovering a multiplicity of facets. Welles himself spun fictions around his own story, creating an aura of myth around the "boy wonder" genius that was taken for fact by many critics, while Hollywood (through gossip columnists and trade papers) created its own story: the "failed" genius who defied the system and was brought low by his own hubris. For most of his life, writers were content to print the legend(s), but there was is grist for multiple takes on his life and art in separating fact from fiction alone, never mind challenging clichés and preconceptions that have settled into common knowledge.
Now I should confess that I am somewhat obsessive when it comes to Welles. I own more than fifty books—biographies, studies, monographs, scripts, essay collections—on Welles, and that's far from a complete accounting. For the vast majority of folks interested in delving deeper into the life and career of Welles, however, one book will suffice, at least as a starting point. The question is where to start?
Orson Welles: The Enigmatic Independent
The legend of Orson Welles looms so large it overtakes the man, a legend partly engineered by Welles himself from his beginnings in the theater. Welles was the enfant terrible of Broadway, the Depression-era hope of American Theater, the radical genius of radio. He came to Hollywood in grand style and on his own terms, a display of egotism so great that the Hollywood establishment turned up its nose and waited for his comeuppance. And he got it three times filled and running over, as far as they are concerned.
Welles completed only fourteen features in his lifetime, five of them Hollywood productions (it's hard to consider the Republic-backed Macbeth, 1948, a studio film) and only one of those, Citizen Kane (1941), completed to Welles' satisfaction and released in its intended form. It has been so longed hailed as "the greatest film ever made" (Sight and Sound and American Film Institute polls made it official for a time) that it's become a dry truism. Along with its creator (and let's face it, Pauline Kael was simply wrong: this is Welles' creation), the legends surrounding the film have long overshadowed the actual production. Above all, Welles was a showman and Citizen Kane a three ring circus of cinematic ingenuity, a startlingly entertaining blend of dime store melodrama, historical biography, detective story, political drama, storytelling confabulation and plain old theatrical flourish. It has a cinematic brio and love of expressive possibilities that you rarely see from directors coming to the movies from the stage, but it also is a terrific piece of storytelling. Welles brought an understanding of power of sound design from the radio and applied a sophisticated, layered soundtrack and a pioneering piece of dramatic composition by Bernard Herrmann for the score. Stunningly designed to appear bigger and more lavish than its budget would support, brilliantly lit and shot by Gregg Toland with a creative invention that pushed the envelope of motion picture photography, Citizen Kane is a vital, exciting moment of American cinema brought back to life with every viewing.
Orson Welles: The Enigmatic Independent
[Expanded from a piece originally published on Greencine in 2003]
"And now I'm going to tell you a story about a scorpion. A scorpion wanted to cross a river, so he asked a frog to carry him. 'No,' said the frog. 'No, thank you. If I let you on my back you may sting me, and the sting of a scorpion means death.' 'Now, where,' asked the scorpion, 'is the logic of that?' – for scorpions always try to be logical – 'If I sting you, you will die—I will drown.' The frog was convinced and allowed the scorpion on his back but just in the middle of the river he felt a terrible pain and realized that after all the scorpion had stung him. 'Logic!' cried the dying frog as he started under, bearing the scorpion down with him. 'There is no logic in this.' 'I know,' said the scorpion, 'but I can't help it – it's my character.' Let's drink to character." – Orson Welles as Gregory Arkadin in Mr. Arkadin
The legend of Orson Welles looms so large it overtakes the man, a legend partly engineered by Welles himself from his beginnings in the theater. Welles was the enfant terrible of Broadway, the depression-era hope American Theater, the radical genius of radio. He came to Hollywood in grand style and on his own terms, a display of egotism so great that the Hollywood establishment turned up its nose and waited for his comeuppance. And he got it three times filled and running over.
Welles finished only 14 features in his lifetime, five of them Hollywood productions (it's hard to consider the Republic backed Macbeth, 1948, a studio film) and only one of those, Citizen Kane, (1941) completed and released in its intended form. It's has been so longed hailed as "the greatest film ever made" that's it's become a dry truism. With the AFI imprimatur stamped like some official seal, its reputation is in serious danger of becoming the least seen masterpiece around, and with its creator (and let's face it, Pauline Kael was simply wrong: this is Welles' creation) the legends surrounding the film have long overshadowed the actual production. Above all, Welles was a showman and Citizen Kane a three ring circus of cinematic ingenuity, a startlingly entertaining blend of dime store melodrama, historical biography, detective story, political drama, storytelling confabulation, and plain old theatrical flourish. Years ahead of its time in its layered use of sound and score (a pioneering piece of dramatic composition by Bernard Herrmann), stunningly designed, and brilliantly shot by Gregg Toland with a creative invention that pushed the envelope of motion picture photography, Citizen Kane is a vital, exciting moment of American cinema brought back to life with every viewing.
Streamers: See Orson Welles' 'Too Much Johnson' and Amazon's Third Pilot Season for Free
Too Much Johnson, the Orson Welles film (or rather film project) that was long thought lost (the last print was reportedly destroyed in a fire in Welles' Spanish home in 1970), was found a few years ago and restored. It's not a feature or even a short, per se, more of an experiment shot to accompany a production of the theater farce "Too Much Johnson," but at least the first section plays just fine on its own as a tribute to silent slapstick comedy with Joseph Cotten doing Harold Lloyd antics and Buster Keaton chases as a serial philanderer pursued by a jealous husband. The film was unfinished but mostly complete and you can watch both the workprint and a "reimagined" version with the outtakes removed at the National Film Preservation Foundation website. An HD version of both are available through the subscription streaming service Fandor.
I wrote an essay on the film for Keyframe: "This would all be interesting but academic if it wasn't also entertaining and Too Much Johnson is a hoot. The prologue was designed to open the play, introduce the characters and situations, and set the racing pace for the stage scenes with a wild slapstick chase through the streets of New York to the ship that carries the story to Cuba. It plays just fine on its own (with an assist from intertitles added by NFPF), like an open-ended Mack Sennett farce that races through German Expressionism and Russian Formalism on the way to the docks. The subsequent sequences, both much shorter and apparently incomplete, are not as self-contained or coherent but they do feature some eye-opening moments for Welles fans."
The third wave of Amazon Prime Instant Video Pilot Season shows will be available to sample on Thursday, August 28. As in previous waves, Amazon has made the pilot episodes of five new shows available to all Amazon customers (you don't have to be a Prime member to watch them), and they will decide which shows move forward to full series based on audience feedback.
This time through, they have enlisted some interesting directors to create for the small screen. Whit Stillman heads to Paris for The Cosmopolitans, a continental romantic comedy, David Gordon Green (director of Pineapple Express and HBO's Eastbound and Down) stays home in New Jersey for Red Oaks, a coming-of-age comedy set in 1985 (it's produced by Steven Soderbergh), and Jay Chandrasekhar offers the sitcom Really, about a tight-knit group of married couples in Chicago. Each of these are in the half-hour format.
There are also two hour-long shows: Marc Forster (World War Z) takes the helm on Hand of God, starring Ron Perlman as a judge of dubious morals who goes vigilante after receiving messages from God, and writer / producer Shaun Cassidy delivers Hysteria, with Mena Suvari as a neurologist faced with virtual virus spread through social media.
Rediscovery: Orson Welles' 'Too Much Johnson'
Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the slapstick stylings of Orson Welles, the boy wonder of Broadway!
Not exactly how we think of Welles, is it? We know he had a rich career both on radio and on the New York stage before he made Citizen Kane, but the few comedies he made were far outnumbered by the dramas and the thrillers and the literary adaptation. Yet after his first attention-getting success with Voodoo Macbeth for the WPA, Welles took a sharp turn to farce with his follow-up, Horse Eats Hat, which also had the honor of presenting Joseph Cotten in his first starring role.
There is no film record of Horse Eats Hat or any of his stage comedies and, though he had developed a few proposals for screen comedies, no producer ever took him up on them. So apart from a few cheeky supporting roles, a couple of TV appearances and fragments from unfinished projects, the record shows Orson Welles as a grand artist of serious subjects and baroque tastes.
That alone is reason enough to hail the discovery, restoration and presentation of the long-thought-lost Too Much Johnson, a tribute to the silent slapstick shorts of Mack Sennett, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. It is an unfinished project in its own right but is nonetheless complete enough in this "The Films Reimagined" form to reveal a side of Welles so rarely exhibited to the public. That it was made three years before Citizen Kane makes it an invaluable find, a glimpse of the artist exploring the new medium of film with a natural affinity for the possibilities inherent in cinema. But that's a matter of historical scholarship. What matters to the rest of us is that Too Much Johnson is funny, clever, cheeky, inventive and genuinely accomplished, which makes it worth watching on its own modest yet playful merits.
Orson Welles's 'Othello'
Northwest Film Forum is about to showcase a new 4K restoration of Orson Welles's Othello, one of the director's greatest—and rarest—films. In anticipation of that, Parallax View presents a detailed program note written when Othello appeared in an autumn 1971 film series devoted to Welles on the University of Washington campus. The original text remains essentially unaltered, with references to earlier Welles films the series-goers would have seen and, at the outset, one they had not.
In anticipation of that May 2-8 engagement, Parallax View presents…
Welles's last American film of the Forties was not a happy experience. He had once considered Macbeth for his cinematic debut, remarking in 1940 that "Macbeth and its gloomy moors might be grand" for the movies: "A perfect cross between Wuthering Heights and The Bride of Frankenstein." But when he came to make the film some seven years later, he was to enjoy nothing like the production resources behind the Goldwyn–Wyler Wuthering Heights; and—save for isolated passages that fairly leap out of the body of the film—he seemed curiously paralyzed, his style grown monotonously murky and overbearingly static, as though he had yet to grasp the full implications of The Lady from Shanghai: little of Macbeth is on a par with its predecessors in the Welles canon or, for that matter, with the extravagant cinematic imagination of James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein.
To be specific on production matters, Welles made Macbeth at Republic Studios, a company that specialized in westerns and action flicks. He had a slightly larger budget than he'd enjoyed on Kane, but his shooting schedule was staggering: a mere 21 days. With an awesome surge of creative energy and organizational genius, he came in on schedule, although he begged in vain for another two days in which to do some retakes. Not the least of the difficulties during shooting was that Welles had pre-recorded the soundtrack and asked the actors to synchronize their on-camera performances with their former readings (a method attempted on The Magnificent Ambersons but abandoned almost immediately). The technique wore heavily on the players and the sound of the dialogue displeased the producers and the first preview audiences: it was delivered with a heavy Scots burr. Actors were called back for re-dubbing some of it in clear English, some in purest American. Welles wasn't around; he delivered his own new lines from London, and production assistants Richard Wilson and William Alland (Kane's Thompson, also the Second Murderer here) coordinated the various tracks as best they could. The soundtrack of the present Macbeth includes material from all the endeavors, so that Duncan and (at first) Malcolm are still heard burring away. Small wonder that Welles forsook Hollywood following this experience and began filming on the Continent by hook or crook.


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APRS radio setup question.
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Using the FT-2900 for APRS is fine, you can tuck it away out of sight once configured and forget about it. There's no need to watch the radio on APRS, although remember to lock the controls so the frequency can't be changed.
Yes, the FTM-350 can run APRS in the background with regular use on the other side. When it needs to transmit an APRS packet it blanks the other side. If you are currently transmitting it will skip the packet and if you are receiving it goes quiet for a second or so. This is an improvement over the FT-8800/8900, which can listen to two bands at the same time but can only transmit on the selected side. So if the APRS tracker wants to TX, it will do it on the frequency you're using currently and not the secondary side.
It sorta depends on which radios you use, but if you are starting from zero going with a FTM-350 or TM-D710A might be competitive, particularly if you are looking at a FT-8800 or other fairly expensive radio already. If you have any old junk, probably cheaper to build your own. You can use one of those Chinese HTs for APRS, potentially a whole APRS set up might be $100 ~ $150. You'd also need to run two antennas, which can also be a pain.
BTW, the FTM-350 is discontinued, so existing stock is all that's available. Yaesu came out with the FTM-400, which is a 350 with digital modes added. Not sure the cost, but probably not cheap.
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Over the last few months, some very unexpected and crazy things have happened. We spent March biking 500 miles down the east coast on our mountain bikes, and then spent a next few weeks relaxing with family and friends and adventuring in Arkansas, Maryland, and DC. We even spent a few days enjoying the beach and cycling around breweries in Tampa, Florida on yet another DIY-bicycle brewery tour.
So what's the blog-changing update that's kept me so quiet for the past few weeks?


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The recent changes to mortgage rules in Canada — maximum terms of 25 years, only able to borrow up to 80% of the home's value — are designed to "cool down" Canada's hot housing market. For the average home owner, the changes will mean paying more each month to pay off the loan sooner. But that will also mean that families can borrow less — it's estimated that a family with a household income of $75,000 will be able to borrow $50,000 less over the term of a 25 mortgage than they could if it was a 30-year.
And those who already own homes will have to ramp up their payments to cover off the loan in a shorter time frame after they refinance. In the long run, that will save them money on interest payments, but many Canadians are so leveraged that it may be hard to float the few hundred extra bucks a month that will cost them. CBC News quoted one woman in Edmonton as saying the added costs to her mortgage may mean the difference between her family "eating soup or real human food."
Since when is soup not food? Soup is fantastic.
That particular woman's irrational dismissal of wonderful, tasty broths and stews aside, the fact remains that the government is acting for a reason. The Canadian housing market is hot — over the last few years, it's become common to hear real estate experts musing about whether Canada is in a housing bubble. The answer is probably more complex than that — certain cities in Canada may well be in a bubble, such as Vancouver, or even just certain sectors of individual cities, like Toronto's condo market. But the rapid rise in real estate values in major markets, plus the general trend toward Canadian household indebtedness (Canadians now hold more consumer debt, as a percentage of earnings, than our friends to the south did before the 2008 crash), are certainly alarming. It's no surprise that the government feels like it has to step up and do something.
But it is always faintly — or not so faintly — ridiculous to hear government officials or Bank of Canada suits warning about Canadian household debt when interest rates remain at near-historic lows. It was just last month that the Bank of Canada announced that it was keeping the overnight lending rate at 1%. The banks set their mortgage rates for the rest of us based on how low a rate they can get from the Bank of Canada, so keeping the overnight lending rate low keeps bank interest rates low. That lets people borrow money that they spend, both adding to their household debt and driving up the value of the goods they buy. This isn't hard. Cheap borrowing equals debt and rising prices. Always has, always will.
The decision to keep the interest rate low is a very deliberate one by the government, of course. Given global economic uncertainty, they obviously worry that slowing down the Canadian economy could tip us back into recession — perhaps a nasty one, if the rest of the world also heads in that direction. Granted. But in ominously warning about rising debt levels while continuing to shovel cash out the door as fast as possible, the government is sending a clear and unpleasant signal. They know that what they're doing is bad. They just don't see a way they can stop doing it without bringing the economy crashing down.
It'll be up to the individual consumer to interpret that message, buried not so subtley between the lines, and make their own choices to minimize the risk. But for many, it's probably too late.
National Post


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Body found in search for missing girl, 13
Police hunting for a missing 13 year old for have found a body.
Sophie Clark was last seen leaving her home in Sherborne, Dorset, on Tuesday night.
She left the house in Acreman Place at 6pm and told her parents she was going for a walk and would be back at 8pm.
Sophie Clark was last seen leaving her home in Sherborne on Tuesday night (Dorset Police/PA)
Police using dogs and a helicopter launched a search for Sophie in the local area.
Officers said the teenager may have been "upset or worried" when she left home but her disappearance was out of character.
A body, which is believed to be the teenager, was discovered in woods off Dancing Hill in Sherborne on Wednesday.
A Dorset Police spokeswoman said: "Formal identification has not yet taken place but Sophie's family have been informed of this tragic update and are being supported by officers.
"The death is not being treated as suspicious and the coroner has been informed.
"Enquiries are under way to establish the circumstances leading to her death on behalf of the coroner."
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Puppy: Rigby
Profile: Without my dog, I wouldn't be on a career path to working with animals. She's changed my life for the better. I can't imagine a day with out her.
Friends: 11
Member Since: September 8, 2008Add to Friends
December of 2009 will mark 3 years with my bluetick beagle, Rigby. She has a total sweet tooth and will climb in your lap if you're eating ice cream. She smells so intensely that she sounds like a piggy most of the time. She's one of the happiest dogs I have ever met, she greets me every morning with a wagging tail and constant licks to the face. She's a major, MAJOR, licker. She loves to rough house and cuddle when she's ready for bed. She's a true beagle, her nose leads her everywhere. Even though it means that she moves at slug speed...her nose must pick up every scent! She also doubles as a vacuum; she eats up every crumb imaginable that is on the floor.View Profile


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We still have this nice coupon available to print for $1.00 off any FOUR (4) Heinz HomeStyle Gravy and now the Heinz Gravy jars are on price lock for only $1 each. This will make them only 75¢ each after coupon! Giant Eagle carries a wide selection of Heinz Homestyle gravies including Bistro au Jus, Country Style Sausage, zesty onion, chicken, pork, turkey, beef and more. So, here's the deal you can get…
Heinz Homestyle Gravy 12 oz $1 (Price Lock)
-$1.00 off any FOUR (4) Heinz HomeStyle Gravy
=75¢ each wyb 4 after coupon and price lock (reg. $1.99)!


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The Rocket Man has spoken.
Elton John says he has the perfect person in mind to play him in an upcoming movie about his life, which his husband David Furnish recently called "very extraordinary and unique."
"No. 1 on my wish list is Justin Timberlake, because he played me before in a David LaChapelle video of 'Rocket Man' and was superb," John, 64, tells the Los Angeles Times.
There has been speculation about who might play John in the biopic – titled Rocketman – with Scottish actor James McAvoy recently rumored to be the frontrunner.
RELATED: Justin Timberlake's Marine Corps Date Tells Her Story
John and Timberlake do have a connection, and were spotted hanging out in New York together in October.
But the final decision won't be revealed quiet yet.
"We're making an announcement about that very, very soon," John says. "We have a director on board, and then it's just going to be a matter of getting the script exactly the way we want it."


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Vital organs: 'My wife gave me the gift of life'
The news this week that Joe Brolly's donation of a kidney had failed drew attention to amazing acts of generosity that take place regularly – and to the fact that most transplants are very successful
THE ISSUE OF live organ donation came to the fore this week through an act of selflessness between two friends. When the GAA pundit and former Derry footballer Joe Brolly heard that the only possibility for a kidney transplant for a fellow under-10s coach, Shane Finnegan, was through a live organ donor, he presented himself as a candidate. Finnegan had been waiting for a transplant for more than six years, and, given the waiting lists and the availability of organ donors, his chances were slim. So, given that most people can function perfectly well with one kidney, Brolly went through detailed screening that determined his organ would be a suitable match for Finnegan.
Unfortunately, although the transplanted organ functioned well initially, complications arose, and last weekend, after nine days, later the transplanted kidney had to be removed because of what medical staff called a "rare and unfortunate occurrence". Both men are now recovering, and despite the setback they are expected to lead a public drive for more living organ donations in the near future.
The chances of a living organ donation being unsuccessful are about one in every 100 transplants. About 5 per cent of all transplants, living or deceased, are unsuccessful after the first year. The risk of death to a living donor as a result of the operation is one in 3,000, while the risk of a person donating a kidney and subsequently developing kidney failure themselves is one in 500.
Before any living organ donation is carried out, the potential donor must pass a series of medical and psychological tests to ensure they are of sound body and mind. Most living donors are back on their feet within six or eight weeks of surgery, and can continue living on one organ with no great hindrance to their daily life.
"It is a traumatic experience if it doesn't work out, but Brolly needs to be admired for the gift of donation," says Dr David Hickey, the director of transplantation at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. "Living donors tend to live longer than the general population . . . It is so tightly screened, and you have to be in tip-top medical shape and assessed independently by the transplant team. Things can go wrong, and it happens in the best of places. It is a rare but well-reported occurrence."
Richard Costello and his wife, Anna, who own the Locke Bar, a gastropub in Limerick, epitomise successful living organ donation. In early 2010, Richard, a former Munster rugby player, was diagnosed with acute kidney failure at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital. He began dialysis in May that year, and because he is 6ft 7in tall, he needed four or five hours of dialysis four times a week.
"There were no signs this was coming," says Anna. "He had high blood pressure, but it all happened within a few weeks. When he went to hospital he was very unwell, and they said his kidneys were not working. My first response was, 'Well, how do we get them working?' " Richard went on the transplant list, and Anna began to investigate becoming a living donor. "I went through medical and psychological reports led by a wonderful team in Beaumont Hospital," she says. "It turned out I was a match, so we talked about it and I decided to proceed. My eldest boy was worried that both of us would be going into hospital at the same time, but we went ahead with it three months ago."
The family has just returned from a break in Paris, and so far the transplant has proved a success, with Richard slowly regaining his strength and energy. "Because it wasn't an anonymous organ donation, I did worry about my wife's health as well as my own," says Richard. "She made the decision totally on her own, and we had our own separate medical teams in Beaumont."
Has the transplant changed the couple's relationship? "I am very grateful to her and the family," Richard says. "They'll be getting plenty of Christmas presents this year. Dialysis was very difficult, and I feel like I am returning to normal. She gave me the gift of life, and it is an unbelievable gift to get from anyone."
VIVIENNE TRAYNOR, a legal-affairs reporter at RTÉ and a mother of four, donated a kidney to her nephew Martin in 2009, after he suffered renal failure and she had just had her third child. "I came into the picture when I saw Martin beginning to get frustrated with the system and the way the waiting list operates," she says. "I suppose I, like many people, didn't realise how tough it is to be on dialysis. When it became apparent I could survive on one kidney, and this person desperately needed one, then why not? It was a case of the more knowledge you had, the more it made sense."
It took eight or 10 weeks for Traynor to recover, and besides taking care with certain medication, she says there has been no impact on her health. "Thankfully it was a success. If it had failed and he had rejected the kidney, I would have been devastated for him, just as I'm sure Joe Brolly is. I had to make a decision that once it left my body it was no longer my kidney. That's how I planned to deal with it if things hadn't worked out."
Her act also brought complicated emotions. "You think, Do I need to hang on to my kidneys in case one of my own children needs one? The way I looked at it was that Martin's own mother was not a match for him, so there was no certainty that I would be a match for my children."
The process has brought her closer to her nephew, particularly as they spent so much time together before, during and after the operation. "I was very close to his parents, and he and I weren't particularly close before this," says Traynor. "We have a real closeness now, and we stay in touch a lot more. He is doing really well, and thankfully the hospital visits are less and less frequent."
ANOTHER FAMILY to have emerged successfully from a living organ donation are the O'Gormans from Lismore. When he was seven years old Oisín O'Gorman fell off his bicycle and lacerated his kidney, which then had to be removed. During that surgery the medical team discovered that Oisín had been born with only one kidney, and he then had to go on dialysis.
When it later turned out that his father, Kieran, was a match for him, they went ahead with a living organ donation in June 2009, when Oisín was almost eight. "I didn't worry about myself at all once he was going to be okay," says Kieran. "I knew I was healthy going into it, and I think the hardest part was that we were in two different hospitals: he was in Temple Street and I was in Beaumont."
After some initial complications, the transplant was a success, and last year,, Oisín competed for Ireland at the World Transplant Games in Gothenburg, winning two gold medals.
"Living with one kidney is no change whatsoever," says Kieran. "I just have a bit of a scar. The two of us are very alike and we get on, but we still have our rows like any father and son. He is not treated any differently to my other son. Like every father, he drives me up the walls, like I drove my father up the walls. He doesn't get any special treatment, but every now and again, just out of the blue, he will say, 'Dad, thanks for the kidney.' "
See www.ika.iefor more details. For organ donor cards, freetext DONOR to 50050, Locall 1890-543639 or download the Organ Donor E-card app from iTunes or Android Play
Donations calculations
About one live organ transplant in 100 fails.
At any one time, between 500 and 600 people are waiting for organ donations in Ireland. Kidneys are the most common living donations.
In some countries, partial living liver transplants are carried out and living lung transplants are at an experimental stage. A live pancreas donor programme was attempted in the US some decades ago, but it was later abandoned.
Dr David Hickey, who is the director of transplantation at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and has carried out more than 1,500 kidney transplants, says the living organ donor programme restarted in Ireland only in recent years as, ironically, the reduction in road-traffic deaths has led to an increased demand for organs.
Of the 192 kidney transplant operations carried out in Ireland last year, 27, or 15 per cent, came from living donors. The EU average in 2011 was just over 20 per cent, although some countries do not have living donor programmes.
It is expected that about 180 kidney transplants will be carried out in Ireland this year, meaning there are significantly more patients than organs donated.


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1.3 acres in Christian County, Missouri
Call Kim Hagan at 417-527-2800.OFFICIAL LISTING AGENT.Become one of the newest members of this master planned community Saddlebrooke, MO. Located between Springfield and Branson this is an amazing location. The panoramic mountain views, peaceful creek side picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, community room and community pool, endless hiking trails. Don't miss out on the opportunity to build your dream home with several lots to pick from ranging from half acre to several acre parcels. Go to www.saddlebrookemissouri.com for more information.
Hwy 65 north to main entrance of Saddlebrooke, stay on Saddlebrooke Drive to left on Ranch Rd to left on Mark Twain. Lot will be on your left.
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Kimberly Hagan
Keller Williams Tri-Lakes
Branson, MO 65616
Other Land for Sale in Christian County
- Properties for Sale in Nearby Counties
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NOTE: The information contained herein is provided as general information only and has been obtained from sources deemed reliable. It is provided without any guaranty, warranty or representation, expressed or implied, made by Lands of America, or any related entity, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information. The information is presented subject to errors, omissions, change of price or conditions, prior sale or withdrawal without notice. Prospective purchasers should make their own investigations, projections and conclusions concerning the information.


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If you're here, then you already know we love all things electronic/techie/gadgety/online. 😀
Knowing that, it would make sense to share when we find something that appeals to us, and would more than likely appeal to our readers. With that, I'd like to let you know about a new elementary homeschool science program called Science4Us.
The Science4Us curriculum is a complete, standards-based, core science curriculum that delivers digital science experiences to early elementary students. While it would be a perfect addition to any homeschool, it would also be a great supplemental program for those in public/private schools.
They have some great interactive demos for both teachers/parents AND students! Head on over, give it a look, and come back and let me know what you think. 🙂


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Engine Performance problem
2000 Kia Sportage 4 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic
I checked the plugs and the third plug was really fouled out. I mean really black. I changed the plugs and swithed the coil packs around to see if it was a coil pack issue. I still came up with the third plug as a misfire. I don't have a fuel pressure tester so I took off the fuel filter and blew through it and no restriction. The car jumps at slow speeds, but at high speeds it doesn't. I even tested the plug wires, purge solenoid, canister clossed valve, tps, maf sensor, and iac.
have the same problem?
Friday, September 12th, 2008 AT 2:54 PM


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Stop Spark Plug Damage and Save Valuable Time With Revolutionary Spark Plug Sockets! Eliminate Broken Insulators and Smashed Electrodes Caused By Binding Or Dropping Spark Plugs
See Video and Comments from Sam and Dave at Two Guys Garage
Proven socket design utilizes a patented spring clip method to grip spark plugs firmly and release easily.
- Holds and releases plugs perfectly with NO RUBBER INSERT!
- Slim profile allows easy access in tight places.
- "Gnarly Knurl" provides great grip, even with oily fingers.
- No contact with porcelain insulator.
- Allows for clean non-conductive application of dielectric grease.
- Lifetime socket warrantee.
- 1 year clip warrantee-extra clip included with purchase.
- Made in U.S.A from highest quality domestic high carbon steel.
- Precise heat treating and testing for exact hardness.
- Durable black oxide finish keeps tools looking great.
Discover how the Lockit Socket spark plug socket simplifies spark plug service by eliminating a little nuisance that's been around forever: the rubber socket insert. These inserts grip too tightly when new, won't hold a spark plug when they're worn or oily, and take up space, making the socket diameter larger. Many technicians mistakenly think the rubber insert cushions the spark plug. In reality, because the rubber insert holds the spark plug by gripping the porcelain, insulator breakage can result when this type of socket is forced sideways. With some of the spark plugs for newer vehicles costing upwards of $30.00, breakage is just not acceptable.
Worn Rubber Inserts Lead to Dropped Spark Plugs!
Impact from dropping a spark plug due to a worn out insert can bend and weaken the electrode. Depending on where it lands, the plug can become contaminated from grease, oil or coolant. In fifteen years as a mobile tool distributor, the Lockit Socket spark plug socket generated more favorable customer comments than any other single tool I can think of. Automotive, marine, and motorcycle technicians love the way these sockets make their jobs easier.
Here are some typical responses:
Gary, I was so pleasantly surprised on Monday evening when I got home and got my mail. My new "Lockit Socket" was waiting for me. Wow! The design and craftsmanship are top notch. Thanks again for such fine tooling.
Your favorite toolaholic,
-Rich Ploeser, Dual Master ASE certified trainer.
Seguin, Texas
Dear Gary,
As a Technical Service Engineer with Champion Spark Plug for forty years, I changed a lot of spark plugs. By far, the best spark plug socket design that I ever used was the one now made by Lockit Socket.
The additional designs that you have introduced make it an even better buy than before and that is hard to do. I totally endorse your product and I hope that technicians will give them a try. Unless they leave them under the hood or loan them to another technician, this will be the last spark plug socket they will ever purchase. Best of success to you and your company.
Sincerely, Ken Friedman
Automotive Electronics Services
Lockit Socket tools are two time winners of Professional Tool & Equipment News magazine's Innovation Award:
This prestigious award is given to manufacturers of tools or equipment that change the way a service has been performed, increase safety, save time or make the process more efficient. Our panelists base their decisions entirely on their years of experience and observations as master technicians and shop owners, and free from any suggestion or political pressure from Tool & Equipment News."
"These will be a big plus for the hard to reach plugs that are getting more and more common."
- Mike Steptoe, Owner Reliable Auto Center Fort Atkinson, WI
~ From Professional Tool & Equipment News ~
- You'll save time and effort thanks to the positive grip and easy release made possible by the patented Lockit Socket spring clip retention design.
- Spark plug insulator damage is a thing of the past due to the thin outside profile and added roominess inside the Lockit Socket.
- The aggravation you may have experienced when your oil slick hands couldn't retrieve a spark plug socket will be a thing of the past. The superb grip of the 'gnarly gnurl' will be a pleasant surprise!
Some of today's high performance Iridium spark plugs cost upwards of $30.00 each. Preventing damage to just one of these spark plugs pays for most of the $44.95 price of the most expensive Lockit Socket. For technicians working at current shop rates (usually $80.00 and up), saving less than ½ hour over time repays the purchase price. The convenience is an added bonus!
The Lockit Socket spark plug socket has a lifetime unconditional guarantee against any defects or breakage. While damage to the replaceable spring clip is very rare, a spare spring clip is included with the purchase of each tool, just in case.
Try Lockit Socket tools for 90 days, and if you're not entirely satisfied, return them for a full refund. We're confident that once you've used these tools, you'll never give them up!
9/16" Socket for Ford Triton Spark Plugs
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Original 13/16" spark plug socket
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For Harley Davidson 11/16" Screamin' Eagle plugs & Big Twin Clutches
Image: LS22HD on a Harley Big Twin clutch.
3/4" Lockit Socket for Chain Saws.


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Kennedy's greatest legacy was 'hopefulness', Aldous says
JFK created scale of what is expected of a president which still holds, historian tells summer school
Prof. Richard Aldous speaking to Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, Co Wexford. Photograph: Mary Browne
The greatest legacy of US president John Kennedy was that "he brought hopefulness to politics", historian Richard Aldous told the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross this afternoon.
Professor Aldous said the Kennedys were greatly aided in keeping the legacy of the slain president alive through the work of many of the "brilliant minds" who had worked for or observed the "Kennedy White House".
The sense of what it was like to be inside the white house was created with "power and ability" by people such as historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr who wrote "A Thousand Days - John F Kennedy in the White House" and speechwriter Theodore Sorensen , Prof Aldous said.
Prof Aldous is Eugene Meyer Chair at Bard College, New York and is currently writing a biography of Schlesinger who was JFK's special assistant.
John Kennedy's personal style in mastering television, dressing elegantly and appearing youthful and energetic had created "the Kennedy scale" for what is expected from a presidential candidate, he said. And this holds true "even 50 years later" said Prof Aldous .
Behind the eloquence and sense that Kennedy was a cultured man who listened to classical music, was a widespread belief in the president's ability to make decisions - particularly after the Cuban missile crisis, he said.
But what had really mattered was John Kennedy's "temperament", his ability to personify "hopefulness", he said. This was something the professor suggested, was only seen in a few presidents, including Roosevelt and Reagan.
The assassination of Kennedy and the iconic image of a dignified Jackie Kennedy standing in a blood-stained dress on board Air Force One, as Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the next US president, cemented a sense of duty to America, beyond the needs of family.
The years after his death were a high point for the Kennedy legacy when JFK was "almost a saint" and Prof Aldous said the assassination of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy in 1968, had led to Schlesinger proclaiming that what had occurred in that decade was the "murder of hope".
Prof Aldous said Kennedy's reputation diminished somewhat with the publication of details of his private life, and the publication by journalist Seymour Hersh of his book The Dark Side of Camelot".
He said a middle ground assessment of Kennedy's legacy would still see that his style was not without substance but "his greatest legacy was that he brought hopefulness to politics".


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Welcome to Guide magazine's online chat room, where you can interact with Seventh-day Adventist juniors and earliteens from around the world and have fun making new friends.
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Uncle Andy Live
The Guide chat room is open only when adult moderators are online for supervision. Current scheduled chat times are:
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Click the links below to get better acquainted with the volunteer moderators who chat with you from week to week. (Keep in mind that we have some valuable moderator staff who either have not yet done an introduction page, or maybe would prefer not to. That is OK too!)
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Would you like to help with the CyberClub chat? Junior and teen moderators help out with activities and offer positive Christian leadership for their peers in the chat room. For safety, there is always an adult moderator (age 18+) in each room. Moderators help guide the discussion, lead out in activities, and enforce chat rules when needed. Caring adults are encouraged to join the moderator team and help point young people toward Christ through the chat ministry.
Junior Moderator Application (ages 10-14)
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"Uncle Andy Live" allows you to view Uncle Andy's screen and hear audio from him. You can't see or hear the other chatters, and they can't see or hear you, but you can type messages to Uncle Andy and the other chatters just as in the chat room.
Here are some of the activities during "Uncle Andy Live":
-Play interactive Bible trivia tic-tac-toe with other chatters.
-Listen to a story read by Uncle Andy.
Click here to join Uncle Andy Live.
Quoting chloe.sweet123:Check out my amazing BLOG posts
And cute bunny pictures
Check out my amazing BLOG posts
And cute bunny pictures
Factory Game
Nile River Frog
Fellow Sheep
Escape From Punch Bully Ranch
George's Wonderful Disaster
Faith on Fire Music Video
Back to School Facts
What a Bear
Stay Out of My Room!
Bad Boy From Coney Island: The Ron Halverson Story
The Never-to-Be-Forgotten Birthday
The Trouble With Gavin


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Kempinski Summerland opens in Beirut
Completely renovated, the new Kempinski Summerland in Beirut blends holiday, romance, culture, and most importantly, memories of the city's iconic Summerland Resort. Set on 25,000 sq m of pure nostalgia, the hotel acts as a pillar that reflects Kempinski's unparalleled standard of hotelier services and a reminder of Beirut's golden years.
Carefully designed to serve the needs of both travelers and locals, the hotel boasts 153 elegantly furnished rooms and suites, in addition to 6 private bungalows, with an incomparable view of the Mediterranean Sea that circles the Lebanese shore. Those who want to soak in the sun can enjoy a set of pools and a wide variety of water-activities such as water skiing and parasailing to choose from.
The Kempinski Summerland Hotel enjoys a cohesive architecture that highlights Lebanon's culture, which features the historic Cedar tree forest, Mount Lebanon, and Byblos ruins, amongst many others. A star highlight at the hotel would be the Presidential Suite on 300 sqm, a celebration of cherished memories and modern luxury: the suite ceiling features a one-of-a-kind design element, a 400-year-old hand painted and wooden ceiling retrieved from the lobby of the original Summerland Hotel and integrated into the new contemporary design.
A Resense Spa adds to the uniqueness of the project with more than 1,000 sqm of space designated solely to fitness and wellness enthusiasts, offering them state-of-the-art equipment and rejuvenating spa treatments for ultimate relaxation. In addition, a private marina with 40 berths is fully equipped to welcome yachts and the finest boats.
Seven culinary outlets are ready to take each guest on a gastronomic journey, offering the best of contemporary and traditional fine dining. Food aficionados will have a wide array of possibilities to choose from, all created and mastered to perfection by Kempinski Summerland Hotel's Executive chef.
Providing a luxurious hotel experience infusing the best of all European standards, the Kempinski Summerland Hotel is now open and ready to welcome all guests during all seasons be it for a getaway, a gourmet dinner, a relaxing spa retreat, or a dream wedding like no other.


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|( 18 upvotes )
|Really Funny Milk-Bag
|it doesn't here either (bagged milk is a lie)....And if you had a set price list you wouldn't get in fights outside the 711. (it would also help if you stopped telling the johns you were "post-op"
|We Actually Have One, I Had A Fight In Front Of It, Good Memories :D At Least Milk Doesn't Come In bags Here :P
|HaHa....Hammy's ethnic!!!
|I don't think they have 711 in Jordan....or the did but it's just a pile of rubble now.
|I Have My Ways
|Same old same old......Winding down...
|Who let you outta the stocking room at the 7 11 hammy?
|Lol You Called Him Mustafa, that Is Funny To Me, Because I Am Arab You Know.
|How you doing this morning moooooooooostafa?
|( 21 upvotes )
|Excellent! My kind of humor. 5 sticks
|a.k.a. woomera
|( 38 upvotes )
|The way any true beta would !
|Love this poster H. 5L, Fav'd, saved and anonymously e-mailed to the (secret) love of my life
|Thank You Guys
|5L Sad
touching. now where's my damn anti-depressants. 5 hammy...n1...again.
|( 10 upvotes )
|( 11 upvotes )
|Derrrrr... Russian? RussiaN? Nice spelliNg.
Misc info


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Change has become an undeniable theme during the past year, and the baking industry continues to adjust to demands for increased automation, formulation adaptations, staffing expectations and policy changes, making it necessary for industry leaders to think and work in new ways. Oftentimes the actions of these leaders become so integral to the industry that their work becomes accepted as a collective victory, when in actuality that success is a direct result of individuals working quietly but diligently behind the scenes.
To honor those enriching the industry through their actions, Baking & Snack presents its inaugural Leadership Awards to John Khoury, president, Custom Foods, Inc., DeSoto, KS; Stuart Rosen, vice-president, Highland Baking, Inc., Northbrook, IL; and Lee Sanders, senior vice-president, government relations and public affairs, American Bakers Association, Washington, DC.
Finding Consensus
In the office, she's known as the Steel Magnolia. This Georgia native has perfected the use of Southern manners and diplomacy to build consensus among members of the baking industry as well as legislators and regulators. Lee Sanders, senior vice-president, government relations and public affairs, American Bakers Association (ABA), is no stranger to politics.
After college, Ms. Sanders worked for Sen. Thad Cochran, Mississippi, and later served in the White House under George H.W. Bush as an assistant to the associate counsel to the President and with the US Treasury as confidential assistant to the under secretary for legislative affairs. At the conclusion of the first Bush administration, Ms. Sanders moved into the private sector to work for ABA.
Being already familiar with the legislative and regulatory process, Ms. Sanders began learning the baking industry by serving as assistant to the president for legislative and regulatory affairs for Paul Abenante, ABA president and c.e.o. She was next promoted to director of legislative and regulatory affairs. In these roles, Ms. Sanders set out to conquer the technical side of the business, learn to manage a large committee and create the consensus for which the Food Technical Regulatory Affairs Committee (FTRAC) has become know.
"There are constantly new things to learn about the industry," Ms. Sanders said. "Washington, DC, is always evolving and changing, especially when there is a turnover in presidential administration."
According to Ms. Sanders, ABA currently represents more than 80% of wholesale baking companies and their suppliers. She acknowledged that there was some membership overlap with the Independent Bakers Association, Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Biscuit and Cracker Manufacturers Association.
She also noted that she gained a great deal of insight regarding effective leadership and management from observing the ABA Executive Committee and the past ABA chairmen, each of whom brought a different perspective and approach to the table.
"With the new leadership team in place ABA has hit its stride and is making great progress in achieving its objectives and goals for bakers, and people around town are taking notice of ABA's accomplishments," Ms. Sanders said.
As chief lobbyist for ABA, Ms. Sanders leads the strategic implementation of government and public affairs at the international, federal and state levels and oversees the association's team of lobbyists. Ms. Sanders' expertise is in the area of food safety and labeling policy and public relations, as well as USDA-regulated issues such as nutrition, biotechnology and wheat research. She is one of the few in the baking industry with federal security clearance, making her the go-to source for all matters concerning food safety.
"Lee Sanders is a leader in all aspects of the baking industry," said Robb MacKie, president and c.e.o., ABA. Her role on the boards and executive committees of organizations such as ASB, American Institute of Baking (AIB), American Association of Cereal Chemists, Society of Bakery Women (SBW) and many others is proof of the high regard in which she is held."
During the past two years, Ms. Sanders rebuilt the ABA government relations team educating and imparting her passion for the baking industry to the politically savvy staff she assembled. "We live and breathe politics in this town, but it is important for ABA to approach things from the bakers' perspective," Ms. Sanders said. "I try to always think about things not only from the legislative angle but how it will impact the bakers' bottom line."
"In my work, I want to use my expertise to help others advance," she said.
That philosophy was instrumental for Ms. Sanders as a key member in the establishment of the Grain Foods Foundation and co-founder of SBW. Designed to showcase the opportunities for women in the baking industry, today SBW has more than 325 members. This year, the society, which also mentors students at KSU, gave its first scholarship.
Using Facebook and LinkedIn, SBW is expanding its network to appeal to women already established within the industry as well as a new generation of women entering the workforce. "These various outlets have enabled us to expand the network and also appeal to the new generation of women entering the workforce giving them a 'home' for networking, mentoring and making new connections in the industry," Ms. Sanders said.
She was instrumental in the coordination of the successful Band of Bakers March on Washington, which encouraged bakers to be more active in the legislative process. Grassroots movements such as the March on DC and Day on the Hill have been initiated by ABA to provide a fresh approach to the way things have been traditionally done, evoking new energy to support ABA's critical efforts.
"ABA wants to continue increasing the industry's visibility in Washington, and encouraging a consensus among our members," Ms. Sanders said. "ABA and the baking industry can be even more effective with additional participants and increased understanding of the issues."
"Careful strategic planning will enable ABA to be more successful as we address the changing needs and issues facing bakers," Ms. Sanders said. "Ongoing communication between bakers and legislators puts a personal face and story on many of the issues. In January, ABA identified 72 policy issues, and the organization realizes the need to focus its efforts on a more narrow scope in order to more effectively reach the goals and solutions that are the greatest benefit for the industry."
ABA has also increased communications resources among members through e-mail and biweekly newsletters. "We must be both strategic and creative in working with issues and with the people affected by the issues," she said.
"Since becoming president and c.e.o., I have relied heavily on Lee's support, advice and enthusiasm to increase the value of ABA membership to its members and the effectiveness of ABA in Washington," Mr. MacKie said. Any successes ABA has enjoyed have been a direct result of Lee and the rest of the ABA team's energetic efforts."
John Khoury's baking career started on the ground floor and continues to climb. The president and co-owner of Custom Foods, Inc. was introduced to the baking industry by Jim McLain, the father of a high-school girlfriend who worked for Penny Curtiss Baking Co. in Syracuse, NY.
"Over the years, I've met so many who are passionate about the industry, and I'll always remember Jim McLain telling me, 'You won't be rich. You won't be poor. But you'll always have a job,'" Mr. Khoury said.
Bakery science students at KSU have the opportunity to work closely with AIB, also located in Manhattan, to further their scientific education with hands-on baking experience. Looking to enhance his baking knowledge, Mr. Khoury enrolled in AIB's 20-week Baking Science and Technology course immediately after receiving his degree from KSU.
KSU encourages its bakery science students to become active in the baking industry, and through KSU's Bakery Science club, they have the opportunity to attend the American Society of Baking (ASB) meetings in Chicago, IL, each year. At these ASB conferences, Mr. Khoury directly interacted with leaders of the industry and would always pick up valuable knowledge through these interactions.
"The combination of education and experience early in my career at KSU and AIB provided me with a broad horizon of the industry and many networking opportunities," Mr. Khoury said.
After graduation from AIB, Mr. Khoury returned to Penny Curtiss to serve as a production, quality and R&D supervisor over the next three years. While working at Penny Curtiss, Mr. Khoury gained hands-on experience with fresh breads, rolls and donuts, as well as a wide range of frozen dough experience. After leaving Penny Curtiss, Mr. Khoury accepted a position with Heinz Bakery Products, Mississagua, ON, as a Q&A manager and eventual plant manager at the age of 28. Subsequent career advancements were as a plant manager for Sara Lee/Wolferman's, Lenexa, KS, and later as a plant and regional sales manager at ADM Arkady, Olathe, KS.
In each of these positions, Mr. Khoury made it a priority to observe how the company leaders interacted with staff and how they attended to the business and its employees, noting which efforts produced the best results. Mr. Khoury credited hard work and the power of observation for his success within the baking industry, making it a priority to incorporate the actions of successful leaders into his business and personal interactions.
Those leadership goals have also extended to his personal life. Active in his community, Mr. Khoury coaches his children's basketball and baseball teams, stays active in their school events and has served as president and assistant district governor of his local Rotary Club. "I have lived by the philosophy that if you work hard while you are young, hopefully you can relax when you're older. I also believe that you should always go above and beyond the call of duty," he said. "This is what will distance you from the crowd."
This intense work ethic drove Mr. Khoury for many years, but he admitted that over the years, he has mellowed and learned from experience that you can get more done by being nice and being clear about expectations for yourself and others, rather than being overly aggressive all of the time.
In 2002, Mr. Khoury joined Custom Foods and, within a few months, was named president of the company. In 2007, he became co-owner. Mr. Khoury attributed his wide range of industry experience as helpful when deciding to become a part of Custom Foods, which produces frozen dough. At Custom Foods Mr. Khoury oversees managers in sales, QA/R&D, maintenance and production.
Based upon observations from his first baking job, Mr. Khoury sought to emulate the actions of the president of Penny Curtiss, making it a priority to be visible on the production floor and participate in R&D work at Custom Foods. As the co-owner of a privately owned business, Mr. Khoury philosophized that while many private companies don't have the deep pockets of larger corporations, they do have the luxury of giving back their time through teaching and mentoring.
Bolstered by his chairman's theme of "Harvest the Past to Fortify the Future," Mr. Khoury plans to encourage mentoring and the involvement of the younger generation in the baking industry.
"I believe it's the duty of the older generation to go out and promote the industry to the younger generation," he said. "The industry is built on friendships, and I count Jim McLain and Gerry Degnan of
Manildra Milling as people who have mentored me throughout the years and helped me to move ahead in the business. I hope that mentoring students and younger people in the industry becomes the norm."
Mr. Khoury plans to leave ASB with a legacy of promoting the industry and creating a support group of mentors for a future generation of bakers.
"I've had many challenges over my 25 years in the industry, and I always look to my experiences, whether good or bad, as learning experiences that have made me a well-rounded manager, father, husband and individual," Mr. Khoury said.
Strengthening the Family Business
Stuart Rosen, vice-president, Highland Baking, can trace his baking roots back several generations, but it's not the bread that gets him out of bed in the morning; it's the opportunity to be a part of the family business. Mr. Rosen likened his involvement with the family bakery as the occasion to "come home."
With the bakery as a home away from home, Mr. Rosen spent many hours there visiting his father Jim and later working alongside him. With encouragement from his father, Mr. Rosen assumed tasks within the bakery such as installing its first computer system at the age of 19. These projects solidified Mr. Rosen's niche as a valuable member of the family business. While earning his undergraduate degree in management, Mr. Rosen sought out experiences and management opportunities that would ultimately prepare him to handle the financial and business aspects of Highland Baking.
"In a family business and in a bakery even when the work is hard, you know that the fruits of your labor are going to the people you care about," Mr. Rosen said. "Here, the highs are very high and the lows are low."
The long-term approach also holds advantages for Highland Baking's employees. The Rosen family prides itself as an organization that places little emphasis on titles. Employees within the bakery are known for jumping in where they are needed to accomplish the job the best way possible. Underscoring the team atmosphere, Mr. Rosen said that although blood relatives comprise a small ratio of Highland Baking's employees, he relies on the managerial staff as much as, if not more than, he relies on actual family. "Other than having different blood, I consider them family," he said.
Mr. Rosen pointed out that family-owned businesses have the advantage of focusing on long-term rewards. Highland Baking chooses its staff and suppliers carefully, to make the company successful both now and in the future, as opposed to a short-term approach that focuses on quarterly gains and stock returns. "We make decisions that have effects one, five and even 20 years down the road," Mr. Rosen said. "We see people as a long-term commitment, something that deserves to be invested in, and the people who stay build a family."
Many employees come to work for Highland Baking based on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends or family, and the Rosen family likes that. The family approach has also proven successful in an industry that struggles to attract a younger generation. "Family can give a different selling tag to a job in the baking industry," Mr. Rosen said. "The combination of a strong industry and a strong family business hopefully appeals to a part of the workforce who looks to make baking their long-term career."
Highland Baking continues to experience growth as it expands within its newest plant. Mr. Rosen has witnessed the company increase from a staff of less than 100 to more than 400 employees presently. The growth has been built on the family's approach to running the company like a team, which Mr. Rosen jokingly described as a "benevolent monarchy where my father gets the tie-breaking vote."
Company wide, Mr. Rosen and his father encourage upper-level management to cultivate a right-hand man approach so there is always someone who can substitute in the case of an emergency or staffing change. Mr. Rosen admitted he is still working on his delegation skills.
The right-hand-man concept is designed to prepare the bakery for the future, making the business more valuable because the bakery is training people to be better at their jobs and managers are learning something new from the people they are training in the process. "I look at this like raising your children — you want them to be better and have more
opportunities than you had," Mr. Rosen said. "I believe that supervisors have failed if they don't create people better than themselves. And then, by not creating a better workforce, we ultimately fail as a company."
In an effort to recruit employees who possess these stellar qualities, Highland Baking invites new management hires and their families to visit the bakery. Mr. Rosen explained that it is important for its employees and their families to understand that Highland Baking expects everything an employee can give to the company, and at times that commitment demands the employee will be "taken" from the family in the form of longer hours or middle-of-the-night phone calls.
In terms of balance, at times the family must take priority over the bakery, and employees need that flexibility in a business that runs 24/7. "If it applies to Jim and Stu, it applies to others," Mr. Rosen said. "You need the freedom so you don't get burned out, and you can avoid short-sighted gains if you cultivate balance in your life."
For Stuart Rosen, it's difficult to separate personal goals from business goals because the personal goals learned from his father are also the goals of the business. "A lot of my job is not to screw a good thing up. Because when you let down your dad, you also let down the company, your mentor and your best friend," Mr. Rosen said. "It's all tied together, so how could I separate it out? Hopefully, I can assist in bringing some positive light to the bakery so that our employees continually feel proud to be here and more potential partners want to work with us."
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John 1
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
I love John's description of the coming of Christ.
The word "word," gets roughly translated as "breath" meaning the being or essence of ones being. Read back through this passage using "breath" or "essence" in the place of "Word." Note how John lays out how personal, how it was from His core that Jesus came for us. A rewrite of the 14th verse might be:
"God's essence, God's being, became flesh and dwelt among us."
May God's essence, God's being be the focus of your joy this Christmas!
In Christ,


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Don't Just Drive Through Tuscany – Secrets from our experience
If it's a trip to Italy that's on your mind, a drive through Tuscany probably ranks pretty high on the list of things you want to do. And sure enough, when we were planning our trip, we were both very sure we wanted to drive through the little hills and villages we'd seen during our research. We later discovered that there's little that actually matches the experience of discovering these magical hill


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Your neighborhood is about to be blown up by alien invaders. You have 24 hours to pack your car and get out of the city. What do you bring?
You have to choose the most
essential, useful , meaningful items that you can possibly fit in a limited space. You have plenty of time to choose, but – still. You might seriously regret taking the gun instead of the pitchfork two months from now when you've run out of bullets and discover you have to grow your own food.
Sometimes the things that seem essential are really just taking up space.
That's what it's like to write a novel.
It's also one last tip in how to write a page-turner.
Cut the fluff.
Fluff drags the writing. It's clutter. Every unnecessary word makes a sentence harder to understand. The brain must sort through what's important and what's not, sometimes going over a sentence three or four times to make sure it read it right. More work for your readers' weary eyes and minds. And yet another reason to stop reading.
"But I don't have any fluff," you might say, "Everything I say is relevant
," you might insist.
Are you sure
about that?
Here are 19 examples of pointlessly wordy expressions from Strunk & White's Rule no. 17:
- The question as to whether (instead, say: whether)
- There is no doubt but that (no doubt/doubtless)
- Used for fuel purposes (used for fuel)
- He is a man who (he)
- In a hasty manner (hastily)
- This is a subject that (this subject)
- His story is a strange one. (His story is strange.)
- The reason why is that (because)
"the fact that" is never necessary:
- Owing to the fact that (since / because)
- In spite of the fact that (though / although)
- Call your attention to the fact that (remind you / notify you)
- I was unaware of the fact that ( I was unaware that / did not know)
- The fact that he had not succeeded (his failure)
- The fact that I had arrived (my arrival)
Case, character and nature are rarely necessary:
- In many cases, the rooms were poorly ventilated (Many of the rooms were poorly ventilated)
- It has rarely been the case that any mistake has been made (Few mistakes have been made)
- Acts of a hostile character/nature (Hostile acts)
Who is, which was, etc. are rarely necessary:
- His brother, who is a member of the same firm (His brother, a member of the same firm)
- Trafalgar, which was Nelson's last battler (Trafalgar, Nelson's last battle)
In On Writing Well, William Zinsser has plenty to say about clutter.
It won't do to say that the reader is too dumb or too lazy to keep pace with the train of thought. If the reader is lost, it's usually because the writer hasn't been careful enough….A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time.
He points out "[clutter] slows the reader and makes the writer seem pretentious."
Here are 24 examples:
- Assistance ( Help)
- Numerous (Many)
- Facilitate (Ease)
- Individual (Man or woman)
- Remainder (Rest)
- Initial (First)
- Implement (Do)
- Sufficient (Enough)
- Attempt (Try)
- Referred to as (Called)
- With the possible exception of (Except)
- He totally lacked the ability to (He couldn't)
- Until such time as (Until)
- For the purpose of (For)
Currently, at the present time, and at this point in time can all be replaced with now or today.
Cut fluff
phrases like:
- I might add
- It should be pointed out
- It is interesting to note
And phrases that indicate self-doubt (
thereby and weaken ing the tone), like:
- A bit
- Sort of
- I'm tempted to say
- In a sense
I'll add a few of my own:
- Very [usually superfluous: very loud, very tall]
- That [can often be cut: he thought that she was pretty vs. he thought she was pretty]
- In order to (To)
- Help to (Help)
Will Your voice may demand that you break some of these rules ? Possibly. But only some. I challenge you to commit to cut ting 500 words from out of your first chapter.* Take a word count, write it on a sticky note, stick it to your monitor and start cutting. You don't have to cut whole paragraphs. You may not even have to cut whole sentences. Just a phrase here or there. Change from passive voice to active to save a word or two. Get clever. When you've cut reached your 500 mark, go back and reread the chapter. See just how much sharper the writing is.
This is assuming Only if you're in the final editing stages. If you're still fixing plot problems, don't worry about line editing yet.
NOTE: The actual edits in this post are examples, not rules. For voice, it might have been wise to leave some of the phrasing as it was. But none of the cuts confused the meaning – good to know if you're ever up against a word limit.