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Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued fines totaling $305,200 against insurance companies, agents, and brokers who violated state insurance regulations during April 2014.
Affiliated FM Insurance Co., Johnston, R.I.; fined $3,700
Affiliated is a continuing insurance education provider. It failed to report continuing education of attendees within the timeframe required by state rules and made errors in giving credit to attendees.
McSwain Financial Services LLC, Olympia; fined $250
The company, which is a licensed producer, started a "doing business as" health insurance brokerage called Best Choice Health Plan Finder without registering, and it displayed the official Seal of Washington State on its website, a violation of state law.
Zale Delaware Inc., Irving, Teas; fined $300,000 plus $290,221 in premium taxes
Zale Delaware Inc., a company connected to Zales Jewelers, Gordon Jewelers, and Piercing Pagoda, sold more than 425,000 jewelry service contracts worth $14.5 million to Washington consumers from 1999-2013 without being licensed. The agency sought a penalty as well as recovery of the 2 percent premium tax that licensed warranty service contract companies pay in Washington.
Agents and brokers
Adrian B. Abenojar, Seattle; fined $250
Abenojar falsely reported completing a continuing education class. Insurance agents and brokers are required to complete 24 hours of continuing education, including three credit hours of ethics education, every two years.
Clete D. Hoiness, Moses Lake; fined $1,000
A consumer sought insurance for a new ATV and was provided two quotes, but never purchased insurance. Later that month, the client submitted a claim for the ATV's theft under a separate existing policy. After speaking with the client, Hoiness agreed to submit the prior quote as an formal application and failed to inform the insurer that he knew about a claim for losses. The company paid the claim for the stolen ATV. Hoiness was later terminated by his employer.
From 2001 through 2013, Kreidler's office has assessed more than $14 million in fines. Fines are deposited in the state's general fund to pay for other state services.
The Insurance Commissioner's Office posts on its website the disciplinary orders against companies, agents, and brokers. Consumers can also look up complaints against insurance companies.
For an insurance question or complaint, contact the Insurance Commissioner's consumer advocates at 800-562-6900 or online.
For more information for boomer consumers, see my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.


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On Thursday, July 22, 2004, 11:17:36 PM, Boris wrote: BZ> Chris Lilley wrote: >> MM> handle this syntax (probably due to the incompatible definition of >> MM> <style> element content between HTML 4, and XHTML 1). The effect is that >> MM> the first rule is ignored (or all rules in the case of Firefox). >> >> Bleurgh. BZ> That was my reaction too. Per conversation with Mark, this ONLY happens when BZ> the file is served as "text/html". Using XML or XHTML MIME types works fine in BZ> firefox. OK, I un-bleurgh. Whatever a browser does in tag-soup mode is undocumented black magic. If it works in the standards mode then fine. BZ> The reason CDATA sections in text/html cause issues is that the tag-soup parser BZ> doesn't really understand them, so the "<[CDATA[" part is passed to the CSS BZ> parser. This last treats it as an error and skips forward, matching pairs of BZ> quotes, parentheses, and (most importantly) square brackets. So the entire BZ> sheet is skipped. Right. I agree that putting this into something served as text/html is a really bad idea. Since the discussion was xhtml I assumed it was served with the correct MIME type. BZ> Of course sending XHTML 1.1 markup (which these tests are) as text/html is an BZ> issue in itself... Yes, its a broken misfeature that should never have been suggested. Trying to send XML to a tag-souper and saying "don't use this" "leave a space here it might help" etc is a disaster. -- Chris Lilley mailto:email@example.com Chair, W3C SVG Working Group Member, W3C Technical Architecture GroupReceived on Thursday, 22 July 2004 17:24:17 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Monday, 2 May 2016 14:27:14 UTC

subset: commoncrawl


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The Gospel According to Matthew
In 1962 Pier Paolo Pasolini received a suspended sentence for his allegedly blasphemous contribution to the portmanteau film Rogopag, a brilliant sketch satirising biblical movies. Two years later the gay, Marxist atheist showed the world how a life of Christ should be made, and it is a magnificent achievement, far superior to Scorsese's or Gibson's films.
Shot in stark, grainy black and white on austere locations in impoverished southern Italy and based solely on St Matthew's gospel, it is neorealist in style but draws on 500 years of Christian art. The actors are mostly non-professionals (Jack Kerouac was Pasolini's first choice for Christ, before a Spanish law student was cast), the score is eclectic (Bach, Mozart, Prokofiev, Weber, Missa Luba). Christ is a brisk, urgent, often angry figure, his strength residing in his will rather than his physique. John the Baptist is scrawny, balding, undernourished, with a mouthful of bad teeth and the radiance of a true believer.
The miracles are confronted head on, but when the loaves and fishes suddenly appear they're rapidly covered by flies. This is how this fringe of the Roman empire must have appeared to people at the time. This DVD/Blu-ray edition is accompanied by an informative documentary.


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The Future of Farming is Now
By Brian Middleton
From the air, the American Corn Belt looks like a corduroy quilt: mile upon mile of rectangular patches stitched together by ribbons of country road. Here and there sits a house, surrounded by a few trees and a bit of lawn, garden, or (less often) a tiny scrap of uncultivated land. But mostly what you see is that vast expanse of fine wale, stretching in every direction.
This is monoculture—the practice of growing a single crop intensively over a large area of land—and it is the hallmark of the industrial system of food production that has dominated the Corn Belt since World War II. This system was once hailed as a technological breakthrough that would solve the problems of feeding a burgeoning world population. But that hasn't happened, and today the fabric of industrial agriculture is growing threadbare and fraying at the edges. Its reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics has led to depleted soils, herbicide-resistant "superweeds, " and pollution that has fouled drinking water and created coastal "dead zones."
In short, industrial agriculture is unsustainable—a dead end. If we keep growing our food this way, we will eventually exhaust our farmland and despoil our air and water. Fortunately, we have a better option.
Enter the Healthy Farm
The future of farming is what scientists call agro-ecological agriculture, but we simply call it "healthy farms." Healthy farms must be:
- Productive enough to ensure abundant, affordable food for U.S. consumers while helping meet the needs of others around the globe; it should also produce a wide variety of foods important to healthful diets (see the sidebar below)
- Economically viable—capable of providing a good living for farmers and farm workers while contributing to a robust regional economy
- Environmentally sustainable, using and replenishing resources in a way that maintains the fertility of the soil—and the health of the surrounding landscape—for future generations
Meeting all three goals will be a challenge. However, a growing body of scientific research and agricultural practice shows it can be done, and on farms of any scale. The key is to avoid the temptation of relying on incremental improvements to the existing industrial system, and instead apply our knowledge to build a new system altogether— one that recognizes farms to be multifunctional, regenerative, biodiverse, and interconnected with the natural and human landscape.
A conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (left) meets with an Oklahoma farmer to review the progress of a grass-planting project on his farmland.
Practices Make Perfect
Farmers face many practical questions in their day-to-day operations: How do I keep my soil and maintain its fertility? How do I prevent my crops from being overwhelmed by weeds and pests, or shriveled by drought? How do I make the most of the available resources, maximizing productivity and efficiency?
Industrial agriculture's answers to these questions tend to be simplistic, generally involving a liberal application of costly chemicals. This approach may work in the short run, but in the long run it leads to the erosion of both farmland and farming knowledge. Healthy farms, on the other hand, use a more sophisticated, science-based toolkit for ensuring both short- and long-term productivity. UCS has identified the following four practices as central to healthy farming:
Take a landscape approach. The industrial model treats the farm as a production facility isolated from its surroundings. But scientists and farmers are finding that the uncultivated areas around the farm are a powerful resource; the biodiversity they foster provides important benefits including pollination and pest control.
Grow and rotate more crops. Monoculture depletes the soil while creating an inviting habitat for pests. Growing a wider variety of crops—including fruits, vegetables, and even energy crops—avoids those problems and can facilitate longer, more complex crop rotations that enhance productivity while reducing the farm's reliance on chemical inputs.
Reintegrate livestock and crops. The industrial system separates animal and plant agriculture, with animals crowded into CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations), where the large volume of manure produced often leads to environmental hazards such as polluting spills. On a healthy farm (or group of neighboring farms), livestock manure can be used to fertilize nearby field crops, making it a valuable resource; well-managed pastures also reduce erosion, store carbon, and provide habitat for beneficial organisms.
Use more cover crops. Cover crops such as rye, clover, and hairy vetch are grown not for harvest and sale but to cover the soil between plantings of cash crops. This practice reduces erosion, retains or adds soil nutrients, reduces pests and weeds, and makes the farm less vulnerable to drought.
Learn more about the principles and practices behind healthy farms with our interactive graphic.
Some of these practices, such as crop rotation and crop/livestock integration, have been around for a long time. But there is nothing "old school" about the way forward-looking farmers are using them, and scientific evidence shows they can be just as productive as industrial methods.
Last year, for instance, a peer-reviewed report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa State University, and the University of Minnesota examined the effects of increased crop diversity—particularly long, complex crop rotations—and bringing animals back into the mix. The study found compelling evidence that these practices do pay dividends. Other recent studies have provided evidence for the benefits of cover crops and whole-landscape approaches, as well as the viability of developing new markets for fruits and vegetables that can be sold at premium prices based on their place of origin.
How to Make Every Farm Healthy
If the evidence shows that healthy farms are better for farmers, the environment, and the community, why has this approach been slow to gain a foothold in mainstream U.S. agriculture?
The answer is complex, lying at the intersection of market realities, corporate influence, and public policy. Some healthy practices, such as cover crops, require up-front investment. Others, like taking land out of cultivation, may reduce revenue in the short term. In addition, the domination of U.S. agriculture by corn and soybeans tends to be self-perpetuating; farmers who want to grow a broader range of crops may have difficulty finding markets for them, or obtaining insurance and credit (as our 2012 report Ensuring the Harvest, found). Federal farm policy and publicly funded research, which have evolved to serve the needs of "Big Ag," currently offer farmers little help in addressing these issues.
The good news is that none of these barriers are immovable. Smart, evidence-based agricultural policy, along with more research and outreach on healthy practices, can level the playing field for healthy farms, giving them the incentives and resources they need to thrive.
The resulting fabric of twenty-first-century agriculture will be different from the old industrial corduroy; it will be a more complex weave with many different threads. And with the help of smart policies and investments, and the contributions of innovative farmers and scientists, it will also be a more durable material—one that can serve our needs for many generations to come.
UCS Web Content Manager Brian Middleton writes on food and agriculture issues.
Do Healthy Farms = Healthy Food?
A change in farming practices could steer our diet in a better direction.
One of the key healthy farming practices UCS advocates is diversifying U.S. crop portfolios. As farmers add more fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes to the mix, the percentage of corn and soybeans in our national harvest should drop while the percentage of healthy foods increases. In other words, as our agriculture sector becomes healthier in its practices, it should become healthier in its products as well.
Of course, this outcome is not guaranteed; farmers can (and do) grow fruits and vegetables using industrial methods—as a visit to California's Central Valley will attest. Conversely, healthy farming methods can be used to produce the raw materials for sugary drinks and other processed foods. Farmers, by themselves, may not be able to fix what's wrong with our nation's food system and the unhealthy ways of eating it encourages, but they can contribute to the solution by adopting healthy farming practices and demanding more support for them.
Learn more about—and get involved in—our campaign to transform U.S. farm policy.


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- Record the plant's location as exactly as you can (GPS coordinates, if possible), the date you saw it, and an estimate of how many there were. Include the site's landowner or manager, if known.
- Take some identifying photos, especially clear closeups of flowers and/or leaves from different angles.
- If you take a sample, place it immediately into a sealed bag.
- To avoid spreading the plant, check your clothing and shoes thoroughly before leaving the area, and remove and bag all traces of seeds.
- Report the find immediately to .
We'll take it to the next essential steps: Rapid Response
- Confirming the species involved and possibly field checking and mapping the colony.
- Alerting the appropriate land manager and/or stewardship group and facilitating the response.
- The removal may be done by the land manager's staff and/or stewardship program, and/or via a contractor, and/or by an OC-CNPS-organized Weed Pull.
- On-going management may also be established.
Contact to be notified about Weed Pulls.
OC's native plants, and their lands' managers, thank you!
Invasive Plant Identification
If you are uncertain about a weed identification please send


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I am not a vegetarian or a vegan. This post is not intended to promote vegetarianism or veganism (or, indeed, meat-eating). Its purpose is to point out that some of the things many meat-eaters say about vegetarians and vegans are really stupid. And they should stop saying them, because they're embarrassing the rest of us.
Here they are (I'm sure you can think of more):
But other animals eat meat!
The stupidity of this should be obvious. Are other animals good moral examples suddenly? If another animal does something, is it therefore OK to do it? Have you watched how cats mate?
There's a slightly more sophisticated version of this argument, where it's pointed out that vegetarians are more concerned with human morality than with actually reducing animals' suffering. If they were really concerned with the latter, the argument goes, they'd try to stop other animals eating meat too. This is a better argument, but not much. Most meat-eaters tend to agree that torturing small rodents is bad, so they don't do it and are quick to condemn others who do so. But very few of them form vigilante groups devoted to saving mice from cats. We'll also note in passing that stopping obligate carnivores like cats from hunting mice and eating meat is itself rather cruel (ooh, a dilemma. Why don't our brains explode?).
What would you do if you were starving and the only available food was meat?
Well, what would you do if you were starving and the only available food was human being?
If you visit vegetarians/vegans, you have to eat vegetarian/vegan food. If they visit you, you have to make them vegetarian/vegan food!
Curiously the people who make this argument seem more tolerant of friends whose diet is restricted on cultural or religious grounds. Which is rather silly. I'd rather accommodate to life choices that are based on ethical considerations than tradition or old books. In any case, the argument's stupid. It seems to be trying to imply that non-meat-eaters are being selfish. If anything, it's the reverse. How many meat-eaters eat meat because they think doing so is ethically preferable to not eating it?
I don't feel as if I've had a proper meal if it didn't contain meat!
Then your diet probably isn't very healthy. And you either have little experience of good vegetarian food (plus an impoverished imagination) or you're very fussy. The problem is all your own.
We evolved to eat meat!
At least this is about us, not other animals. It's still a bad argument though. We evolved to be able to eat meat. This doesn't mean we should, or that it's unhealthy not to. We evolved to do a lot of things we don't do now.
I don't understand vegetarians who eat fake meat products. Why don't they just eat meat?!
This is a bizarrely common question. It's also a really really stupid one. Weren't these people paying attention? If someone thinks eating meat is wrong, then they're right not to eat it. And if they miss the experience of eating meat, then it's entirely reasonable for them to choose something meat-like to eat. You might as well ask, "I can't understand people who chew nicotine gum. Why don't they just smoke a cigarette?!" And anyway, what if you just happen to really like nicotine gum? Seitan is pretty delicious.
That's it for now. I may think of more. Also look out for upcoming posts on stupid things vegetarians and vegans say. It turns out no one has a monopoly on saying stupid things about diet.


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Paul Draper's forty years and the making of Ridge Monte Bello
Paul Draper is, without question, one of the world's great winemakers. Even though he has every reason to be an egotistical blowhard, he remains humble and democratic in spirit, asking sincere questions of those around him and quick to point to his team as the reason for the winery's success. It may sound absurd to think that a winemaker's personality is as discernible in the glass as the terroir, but that combination of curiosity, humility, and respectful excellence comes through in the wines of Ridge Vineyards.
Presiding over forty harvests at Monte Bello in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the winemaker and CEO at Ridge, has seen an almost unparalleled run of excellence. It is rare among the top producers of the world not to hit a rough patch, where something just stops working for a string of vintages. But after tasting several dozen wines from vintages dating back to 1968, it's clear to me that from vines grown on the fractured limestone, Ridge Monte Bello has been able to achieve this rare feat.
The road to Monte Bello
Born in 1936, Draper's father was hit hard by the depression and returned to a farm outside of Chicago (Barrington, IL, is now a suburb). He eventually went to Stanford where he studied philosophy; he later worked for the US government in Italy and made some wine in Chile before being hired by the four partners of Ridge—all Stanford engineers—in 1969.
The four-and-a-half mile road to Ridge starts as two lanes. The ear-popping ascent from the floor of Silicon Valley winds under moss-covered trees, eventually becoming decidedly too small for two cars to pass. That's about when the first vines appear.
As I arrived at the upper winery one day last week, about 2,600 feet in elevation, the rain was falling. There was Paul Draper to meet me and the dozen other journalists and members of the trade attending the tasting, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ridge.* Wearing a Gore-Tex shell, and sporting his signature trim goatee with his polarized glasses, dark in the cloudy glare, Draper smiled warmly.
We went into the cool Monte Bello barrel room where we were given two unmarked glasses. Monte Bello, the estate's top wine, is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and some Merlot, but also, in some vintages, some petit verdot. In our two glasses of the just-blended 2009 Monte Bello, we had to discern which one had just 0.9 percent more of one element than another.
The labels that adorn bottles of Ridge wines are models of precision. Retro-chic all-caps, blare the vineyard site; smaller font highlights each grape variety's contribution to the blend. But nothing is as small as 0.9%. It turned out that the wine that had slightly more lift included the addition of a small amount of press wine. Almost everyone in our group preferred that wine. And it was also the current blend Draper & Co. had chosen.
Fine tuning the blend
The blending process at Ridge occurs in stages. In the February after harvest, most of the wines have completed their secondary (malolactic) fermentation. A group of ten tasters from the winery sits down to blind taste about five flights of six wines, which come from the individual vineyard plots, fermented separately. Each one is given a thumbs up or a thumbs down to qualify for the final blend. (Draper and the Monte Bello winemaker, Eric Baugher, and Lytton Springs winemaker, John Olney, admitted that their votes weigh more.) Interestingly, it is a relative way since only three from each flight can pass to the final round. In this way, each vineyard or block has an equal shot to reach the final wine. In a process known as assemblage, the various samples are then blended and set aside for another few weeks, when a second and final blend occurs.
A crucial part of achieving the consistency at Ridge Monte Bello remains the blind tasting of the various parcels. Draper said that they have also added a blind tasting of previous vintages against the final wine to assure consistency in house style from year to year, something that had escaped them one year in the 1980s.
We got to play along with the assemblage, tracing the blending process in five glasses. The first glass was a big, tight, highly structured wine, St. Estephe-like in its tannins; turns out it was 76% cabernet sauvignon and 24% merlot. Glass two saw the addition of 11% something else that added floral (lavender) aromas—turns out that was 11% petit verdot. The third glass moderated the aromatics but give the wine more depth on the palate—this addition was a dollop of cabernet sauvignon from the Steep Terrace parcel, which almost always makes it in the blend. Another shot of cabernet added more acidity and a final bolt of 7% surprisingly tannic merlot made the 2009 Monte Bello tapestry complete (for now since there's a final blend assembled in May). The resulting wine, although still tightly wound, has excellent, depth, complexity and aromatic appeal.
The wines that do not make the top wine either end up in the Santa Cruz Mountains wine. At a list price of $42 (although often available from retailers for less), these are quite serious wines for at least a third the price of Monte Bello. The 2006 red has pretty aromas and is approachable now despite a sold core of fine tannins; the 2007 was more tightly wound at this stance and a more serious wine.
Curiously, the wines age in American oak barrels, rather than the French oak that acts as a vessel for many of the world's top cabernets for their first year or two. Draper said that the site provided a European style of fruit and that with French oak, the wines would be mere imitations of Bordeaux and that wasn't what he was seeking to do. The team at Ridge works with French coopers to source the wood from three forests of quercus alba (white oak) across the US (he wouldn't reveal which, citing scarcity of the wood). The staves are aged outdoors near the forest of origin for two years, which provides many cycles of wetting and drying to leech out the harshest elements of the wood. (Coopers had tried to bring the wood to California for aging but it was too dry in the summer for Draper's taste.)
But the real magic of the winemaking is the fact that there is no magic: winemaking occurs with a non-interventionist approach. In an age when commercial yeasts fire the fermentations of a vast majority of the world's wines, the Ridge wines all occur with only the natural yeasts. Some say that is risky, but at Ridge it is an integral a part of the program. The yeasts appear in the winery and on the skins of the grape; damaged berries get put in the crusher since they are likely to have an abundance of yeasts as they attracted insects on the vine. There's no micro-oxygenation and no reverse osmosis. The wines resulting from this winemaking are big and flavorful but also gracefully low in alcohol, always under 14%.
In the glass
And how do they age? Gracefully. We tasted fifteen vintages of Monte Bello over the course of one day and had no clunkers. The younger vintages are all tightly wound and will reward with more than a decade of cellaring; the world's best cabernet assumes a delicacy and refinement that make it very much worth the wait. Of the younger releases, the 2005 stood out as particularly gorgeous with fresh acidity, minerality and youthful tannin under a seductive wrap of dark fruit.
Of the mature Monte Bellos, the legendary 1970 exhibited a gorgeous nose of delicate tobacco with the wine in a lovely place, mature yet still very much alive. This was my favorite of the pre-1990 wines and my second favorite of the night. The 1988 was really sublime with aromas of alluring mint and tobacco and a pinot-like delicacy. It had extraordinary length; I would like to try against top Bordeaux of the same vintage. The 1992 was also a superlative wine showing beautifully. The 1968 was served at the end of the meal with blue cheese. It was not port-like but, then-winemaker David Bennion left it on the lees for extended periods. Rich and ripe and mature it was a rare treat still showing impressively.
But the wine of the night, in my view, was the 1991. This wine has all the pleasure of top cabernet with age from a superior vintage and producer. That evening, it showed a multilayered subtle elegance, with a beautiful blend of mature fruit. The wine's beautiful arc lingers impressively.
* For those who enjoy the full disclosure policies of this blog, I paid for my ground transportation on both ends of my trip, as well as my flight; Ridge paid for the hotel and meals. The wines were all from their cellars.
60-year-old cabernet vines at Monte Bello Ridge
Vineyard hazards!
With Paul Draper, both live and on the tshirt from Terroir wine bar in New York City. Draper told me that he went to Terroir where the server, upon seeing him, said that he looked better than in real life than he does on his tshirt. I'm sure that happened to Che all the time too.
Coming up in a future post, answers to the question: can Zinfandel age gracefully?


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So Lonelyam pregnant and alone, i have friends but everyone is busy in this counrty. my husband is out of town,he doesnt really have my time,whenevr he calls its to condemn me about one thing or the other. So lonely right now i dunno whatelse to do.
nicling 26-30 0 Jul 31, 2012


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Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Okay… this has to be a fast one. I walked over to the Southern Festival of Books during my lunch break (when I usually write and post the blog) to see Julie Christensen and part of Stone Cupid (Chris Tench and Sergio Webb). They killed it as usual.
Last night – quickly – some highlights: Week 2 Campfire Propaganda Residency… guests Ariel Buie and Actual Wolf. Megan Palmer – on keyboard playing a new song and a John Moreland song. Nellie Clay with Actual Wolf, Tim Easton as usual, Brian Wright – fighting jet lag and killing it (with Aaron Lee Tasjan for a couple of songs), Darrin Bradbury and Megan Palmer – Darrin leading his own more of meditation…
Coverfest at Basement East!!! Major props to Terry Rickards for putting this together. Everyone was great, and I don't have time for a full report, but I will just say Los Colognes doing Bob Dylan's Infidels album in its entirety and nailing it and Allen Thompson Band as The Eagles were my absolute favorites (it was all good). The Eagles segment was so much fun!
Also, ICYMI – #E2TG posted the new single from Zachariah Red this morning.
Check it out here.
"Out of the Depths" by The Unravelling
A dose of heavy prog metal to start this Friday. The album is called Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision. We've been spinning tracks from it for a while… it's great!
"(You've Got) The Right to be Wrong" by Reckless Johnny Wales
Another really cool track from American Heart by Reckless Johnny!
"Meet My Maker" by Sammy Brue
"Jealous" by Sammy Brue
Two tracks from 14 year old wunderkind Sammy Brue's EP, I Don't Want You To Leave.
"April Fire" by Benchmarks
Flashback to before the Summer… another awesome song from the Benchmarks record.
"Issac Woodard's Eyes" by Angela Easterling
Another from Common Law Wife… Angela Easterling just came into my consciousness this year, and she is already a favorite.
"Trouble on my Mind" by Tiffany Huggins Grant
One more from Jonquil Child. Tiffany will be following David Olney on the Music Stage at the Southern Festival of Books. Olney at 10:00a.m., Tiffany at 11:00.
"Drunk" by Eight O'Five Jive
The award winning Eight O'Five Jive with another track from their Too Many Men album.
"Play Me" by Rich Robbins (feat. Saba)
And we close out our Featured Friday Shuffle with one from Nimbus which is the debut album from the awesome Rich Robbins. Hip Hop of the highest order.
window.amznpubstudioTag = "eartothegro00-20"; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js


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Informative·Our Life·GoodCo-BadCo
Passing the Sniff TestOctober 22nd, 2012 · stk
Passing the Sniff Test -- Scott & Rachel are replacing their broken Lumix DMC-TZ5 digital camera. They can buy it locally for $349 CAD, but know they are cheaper in the States. They almost pulled the trigger on one for $162, but the company - smarttechcases.com - turned out to be a SCAM. Find out more.
SmartTechCases.com Scam
British Columbia - NAFTA woes continue for Scott & Rachel. While backpacking in Cape Scott two summer's ago, the Lumix camera they loved (Leica-lens, 10X optical zoom), popped out of it's soft case, landing hard on a wooden bridge. It wouldn't work any more. They took it to a camera repair shop, but thought the $180 repair bill was a tad expensive.
Fast-forward to this summer, when they had an amazing kayaking trip in Johnstone Strait. They missed lots of great wildlife shots, because they lacked a good digital camera with a decent zoom lens. The decided that they would bite the bullet and purchase the latest Lumix camera. (Updated to a 20X optical zoom - same weight and form factor, plus a few other goodies - GPS, touch-screen menu).
They've highlighted the disparity in digital camera prices between the United States and Canada. First with their Casio EX-Z875 digital camera and again with the Lumix DMC-TZ5 that broke.
Today, this latest Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 camera is "on sale" at their local Canadian Future Shop (if money weren't an object, they could drive right down and buy the camera, today and be instantly gratified knowing that they got it on sale). The sale price is $349.99 ("Save $30" the online advert says).
Knowing that they could probably buy the camera in the States for a lot less money, they headed to their friendly shopping bots and gave them a spin. Actually, it was their head that spun, when they saw a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 camera on sale through a Yahoo e-commerce vendor (SmartTechCases.com) for $160. Wow!
To learn how cheaply they were able to buy this camera (and how they were almost swindled out of nearly $165) ... read on brave consumer ...
Views: 57627 views
Updated: 1-Nov-2012
Scott·Our Life
Pickled Tongue RecipeMay 28th, 2012 · stk
Growing up in Bakersfield, California meant eating Basque food. Why? Because the Basque followed the sheep at the turn of the 20th century and Basque boardinghouses were clustered down by the old Bakersfield train station. One of the things we ate was pickled cow tongue. Not tried it? Just head down to your local grocer (or butcher), buy a tongue and use the easy "Randsco Basque Pickled Tongue Recipe" herein! You'll either love it or hate it, but either way ... it'll be a culinary conversation piece!
Randsco Basque Pickled Tongue Recipe
When you think of appetizers, most don't think of pickled cow tongue. Heck, if you've spent any time around cows, you know what they use that long tongue of theirs for - picking their nose! Eating that nose-picking thing doesn't sound very appetizing at all!
But it is! Pickled cow tongue may be an acquired flavor, but because I grew up in Bakersfield, California - it's a dish I've learned to love!
If you too, love pickled tongue, or are a brave soul eager to try a new Basque delicacy, I'm happy to say, "You've come to the right place!" We have an authentic (and easy) Basque Pickled Tongue recipe for you to try.
Views: 117775 views
Updated: 30-Dec-2013
Canada Post on StrikeJune 20th, 2011 · stk
Did you know Canada Post is on strike? The Canadian postal system shut down over a week ago. The United States is no longer accepting mail addressed to Canada. Who cares? In the age of text messages, email & a myriad of private parcel delivery companies to choose from - is Canada Post even relevant?
Canada Post is on Strike? Who Cares?
My seven (and a half) year-old daughter recently participated in day-long "Hands-Across the Border" event, where girl scouts (Brownies) from Canada and the United States traded goodies and celebrated at the near-by Peace Arch border crossing. Alex had obtained some nice "City of Nanaimo" and "Canada Flag" trader-pins from our MLA, Leonard Krog, when Rachel visited his office a couple of weeks ago.
"What's this got to do with the Canada Postal Union strike?" you might ask.
Well, Alex wrote a very nice, colorful, personal letter of "thanks" to MLA Leonard Krog and we took it down to the post box this morning to mail it. We couldn't put it into the outgoing mail slot, as it had been covered over with the Canada Post "closed" sign shown above.
"Oh, right," I told Alex, "Canada Post is on strike, so there's no mail delivery."
Sadly, MLA Leonard Krog will have an easier time finding his mail here, than he will finding it in his mailbox (an e-mail from his website will let him know that he can read his "Canada Post mail" here!)
This incident made me curious about the Canada Post strike. I know the Postal Union members have been on strike for a while and that mail delivery stopped over a week ago. But ... why are they on strike? If the strike doesn't affect me much, how many others don't care? How relevant is Canada Post in today's world of electronic mail, Skype, cell phone text-messaging, FaceBook, Twitter and private parcel services (e.g., UPS, Fed-Ex & DHL)?
Views: 74026 views
Updated: 24-Oct-2011
Our Life
BC Nursing Crisis - Five Years LaterMarch 15th, 2011 · stk
Five years ago, we wrote about the nursing crisis that British Columbia anticipated. How did British Columbia respond? How is socialized Health Care working out for residents of British Columbia now? Find out in our "BC Nursing Crisis" update ...
BC Government Cuts Health Care Despite Shortages & Overcrowding
Back in 2005, when Rachel had just over a year to complete her BSN degree, we wrote about the BC nursing crisis facing the Canadian Province of British Columbia. This bode well for job placement and when Rachel graduated from the UofA in 2006, many of the BC Health Authorities were hiring nursing graduates. (She accepted an offer from VIHA and has been gainfully employed there since).
Fast-forward to 2011 and the latest issue of "BCNU Update" (a BC Nurses' Union publication) describes a very different experience for those now graduating with a BSN degree. Despite an acknowledged and continued shortage of nurses, BC Health Authorities are facing government cut-backs and many recent nursing graduates are finding it difficult to find full-time nursing jobs. In an effort to make ends meet, many newly educated nurses are having to accept work outside of health care - namely in the service-sector - serving coffee Tim Horton's doughnut shops or selling paperback books at Chapters. Sadly, it's their only employment option.
Views: 37740 views
Updated: 28-Apr-2011
Family·Informative·Our Life
Ollie the OctopusDecember 31st, 2010 · stk
In July, we caught a juvenile North Pacific Giant Octopus in one of our prawn traps. We took it back to the floating cabin for Alex to see. She named him "Ollie" and kept him as her "pet" for the afternoon. Ollie's story, with video, pictures and interesting facts about octopuses.
6-year-old Alex Meets an Octopus
One of the stories worth telling from Alex's summertime fun is the story about an octopus Alex named "Ollie".
The story begins as many of our more interesting stories do - at the floating cabin The Floating Cabin Picture of the floating cabin in the Barkley Sound. Located off the west coast of Vancouver Island and not far from the Broken Group Islands and the West Coast Trail. It's a wild, pristine wilderness area and wildlife abounds. Black bear, killer whales, sea lions, bald eagles, seals, sea otters, mink, cougar are among the inhabitants. There's oodles of sea food here too. Clams, oysters, prawn, crab, salmon, halibut, ling cod and snapper. It's an amazing area and we're lucky to be part-owners of this unique floating cabin. Click to learn more about the floating cabin (map, photos, etc). . The cabin is situated in the Barkley Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, very close to the Pacific Rim National Park. It's a wet and wild place, accessible only by boat and we love sharing it with family and friends. It was late July and Scott's folks were at the cabin. It was their second visit and they too, love the solitude, the wild nature and rugged west coast scenery.
We had taken the boat out to pull up our prawn traps, though Alex elected to remain behind at the cabin, on this particular trip. It's about a 10-minute boat-ride from the cabin to the traps and we usually check them several times a day, when we're prawning.
Pulling up prawn traps from the depths of the ocean sometimes yields sea creatures other than prawns. The most common of these creatures is also the least desirable - the dreaded slime eel About Slime Eels (Hagfish) A slime eel isn't an eel at all, rather a very primitive fish called a Hagfish. They've been around for 550 million years. Because of their unusual feeding habits and slime-producing capabilities, the hagfish is often referred to as the most "disgusting" of all sea creatures. Hagfish have a sluggish metabolism and can survive months between feedings. However, hagfish often enter and eat the bodies of dead, dying or injured sea creatures that are much larger than themselves. Lovely, eh? More of nuisance to us, however, is the slime one of these "eels" can generate if agitated inside of a prawn trap. This slime encases the eel, the trap and the prawn and can take an hour or more to remove. An adult slime eel can secrete enough slime to turn a 20 liter (5 gal) bucket of water into slime in a matter of minutes. Yuck! Click the red-underlined link to learn more about Hagfish (Wikipedia) . This time, however, as Scott manually hauled up two traps from a depth of 250 feet, we noticed a reddish octopus in one of the traps!
Since Alex wasn't with us, we thought it would be fun to show her the octopus, so we carefully lifted it out of the prawn trap, put it into a pail of seawater and took it for a boat ride, back to the cabin. We were curious to see how Alex would react to this soft, eight-armed Cepholapod.
What follows is the story about Alex's encounter with an octopus, along with some interesting facts, video and pictures of these amazing and intelligent sea creatures.
Views: 34887 views
Updated: 7-Jan-2011


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Jeb Bush doesn't regret using the term 'anchor babies'
Published 11:46 pm, Thursday, August 20, 2015
Jeb Bush used the term "anchor babies" on Wednesday to describe the children born to undocumented immigrants, and doesn't regret using the controversial term.
He doesn't want the automatic birthright citizenship to go away, but he is calling for stronger enforcement for people who abuse it.
"If there's abuse, if people are bringing — pregnant women are coming in to have babies simply because they can do it, then there ought to be greater enforcement," Bush said on Bill Bennett's conservative radio show "Morning in America" Wednesday.
"That's (the) legitimate side of this. Better enforcement so that you don't have these, you know, 'anchor babies,' as they are described, coming into the country."
RELATED: Man gets a 'Jeb 4 Prez' tattoo
On Thursday, when asked by reporters if he regrets using the term, Bush quickly responses with, "No I don't. I don't regret it ... No, do you have a better term?"
Reporters asked if the Republican presidential hopeful thought it was a bombastic term to use and Bush stood by his original phrase.
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said she was incredibly offended and described the "term 'anchor baby' so vile we don't even have an equivalent for it in Spanish," according to reports from Facticists.
The 14th Amendment allows children born in the United States to become citizens, regardless of their parents' legal status, and Bush has been a supporter of this. He criticizes Donald Trump's proposal to remove the amendment.
RELATED: Trump's immigration comments are said to inspire a beating in Boston
"It's a long process, and I think it would take too long. I'd much rather find out whether or not anchor babies are citizens because a lot of people don't think they are," he said.


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Skylark Oversize Pillow:
Measures 20"H X 45"L. Double faced oversized pillow with invisible zipper in Michael Berman for Kravet's 33648.15 on the front and reverse and finished with a knife edge. Made to order in the USA. Available with or without a 95/5 feather/down insert.
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Add To Cart
Add To Cart
Save the Planets! 3-2-1 Penguins! #7, DVD
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In "The Green-Eyed Monster," green-eyed monsters appear and start eating everything in sight when jealousy arises between two groups of sheep. Can the Penguins restore peace before the planet completely disappears in a monster lunch-munch? Then in "More is More," the citizens of Gutt are addicted to sugar frosted cereal, and their insatiable appetites are threatening to throw the planet off course! Can these over-indulgers learn that moderation is the key to restoring a healthy orbit? In "Give and Let Give," a planet populated by a feisty bunch of garden gnomes and pink flamingos argue over water rights during a draught. Will these feuding lawn ornaments learn to share so everyone has enough to drink? Running time: Approximately 66 minutes. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
Bonus Features:
- Pearls of Wisdom
- Make Your Own Planet
- Animation Progression
- Video Trivia
- Studio Commentary
- Discussion Guide
- Fun Games: How to Draw Kevin and Chancellor Gutt
- DVD-Rom Fun
- Closed Captioned
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- English and Spanish subtitles
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Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue, VeggieTales DVDBig Idea / DVD$6.99 Retail:4.5 Stars Out Of 5 60 Reviews
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greenmomma3 Stars Out Of 5it was ok, and good enough for the priceDecember 1, 2014greenmommaQuality: 4Value: 3Meets Expectations: 3My kids range from 2 to 9 and I had expected that they would LOVE the penguins. It is a so-so hit. They don't "ask" for it to be put on, but if I choose it and put it on they usually don't ask for something different.
Dorothy5 Stars Out Of 5June 15, 2009DorothyMy kids love 3-2-1 Penguins (and else everything VeggieTales makes) this one didn't disappoint - it was packed with adventure and fun and full of Christian references. Great alternative to all the cartoon junk that they are bombarding our kids out there.
Mrs. Lindsey2 Stars Out Of 5November 18, 2008Mrs. LindseyWe bought this for our 4 yr. old who has each of the others in the series and was excited to have a new one. We were disappointed to say the least. It isn't remotely Christian, mostly promoting morals, but not citing the Bible or even "the Good Book" as before. Now there are Scriptures coming from fortune cookies. Bizzarre! We actually ended up throwing away our copy. My son is too young to understand that "The Green-Eyed Monster" comes from envy and doesn't just appear out of nowhere. And even with the recommendation of ages 5 and up, it is going to take some explaining to figure out the monster thing. Let's get back to the Bible as the source of authority and morals. Not fortune cookies.
Mrs. Vickie Niedrauer5 Stars Out Of 5October 20, 2008Mrs. Vickie NiedrauerVery Veggie Talish. Loved it, especially the first one with the sheep. We loved loved all the episodes in the DVD. Looking forward to some more!


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Ratedfor violence/terror and disturbing content
Director: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Writers: Sebastian Gutierrez
Studio: VN Productions
Studio: VN Productions
Synopsis: Violinist Sydney Wells was accidentally blinded by her sister Helen when she was five years old. She submits to a cornea transplantation, and while recovering from the operation, she realizes that she is seeing dead people.
- Jessica AlbaSydney Wells
- Alessandro NivolaDr. Paul Faulkner
- Parker PoseyHelen Wells
- Rade SerbedzijaSimon McCullough
- Fernanda RomeroAna Christina Martinez
- Rachel TicotinRosa Martinez
- Obba BabatundéDr. Haskins
- Danny MoraMiguel
- Chloe MoretzAlicia
- Brett A. HaworthShadowman
Photo Galleries
- Jessica Alba43 Pictures


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If you're staying on the monorail resort loop, you can't go wrong with breakfast at Kona Café! Best know for the World famous Tonga Toast, this awesome eatery in Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is a great place to enjoy the most important meal of the day! (Note: Kona Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and if you're using the Disney Dining Plan, requires one table service credit per meal.)
Disney's Kona Café Breakfast
We're not normally the kind of Disney vacationers to waste time on a sit-down breakfast. Usually, we like to get a jump on the day by arriving at our chosen park destination at opening (or shortly thereafter). During our post-Christmas WDW visit, though, you may recall we'd decided to do things a bit differently and booked a ton of dining reservations…including breakfast! We'd only been to Kona Café for dinner once prior to our first breakfast there. I was looking forward to trying Tonga Toast (even though I prefer savory over sweet most of the time at breakfast). Our breakfast experience was wonderful! So much so, Raymond specifically asked to go back one morning a few weeks ago. Now that we have TWO breakfasts at Kona under our belts (LOL! I crack me up!), I'll tell you specifically why we love this place so much.
Convenient location from Magic Kingdom and any monorail resort. Hit Kona early before heading to Magic Kingdom or rope-drop Magic Kingdom for an Extra Magic Hour then catch the monorail over to the Polynesian for breakfast. Maybe you'd rather have a leisurely breakfast and relax. If you're staying at the Contemporary or Grand Floridian resorts, Kona Café is just a short ride away.
Very tasty menu options – sure to please everyone. Yes, the Tonga Toast is famous, but we absolutely love the egg-white omelet with goat cheese which comes with a humongous bowl of fresh, gorgeous, delicious berries. Not enough? Try the grits! Seriously, if you're a fan, these are without a doubt the best grits at Walt Disney World.
The Coffee! It's fantastic. Of course, it's Kona coffee! Absolutely wonderful and the very best part? Your server will be happy to prepare a to-go cup for you to take with you when you leave. We enjoyed our coffee while waiting at the bus stop – we were still very sleepy!
Top notch service. Sure, it's "only" breakfast, but the service is noteworthy. The servers we had were kind, friendly, and very professional. We thought it added a certain special-ness to the experience that started our day off with extra Disney magic.
Have you tried breakfast at the Kona Café? Are you a Tonga Toast fan?


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By Stan Sakai
24 pages, black and white
Published by Dark Horse
In the world of monthly comics, there are a handful of creators who really should reign supreme. At the top of the list? Stan Sakai and his long-running title Usagi Yojimbo. Usagi Yojimbo chronicles the adventures of Usagi, a ronin (masterless samurai) who wanders Japan during the early 17th century. In the latest Usagi Yojimbo, we've got everything you can want in an issue; action, intrigue, bad guys, and soy sauce recipes. No, really.
One of the things that is so great about Usagi Yojimbo is how well Sakai is able to mix adventure with a bit of a Japanese history lesson (don't worry, there's no quiz and it's interesting to boot). In "Shoyu" Part 1, Usagi gets caught up in the middle of a dispute between the owners of two soy sauce manufacturers in a small town, as a young spoiled heir tries to sabotage the property of the long-established rival. After saving Mitsui's warehouse, Usagi is taken on a tour of the facilities, and we learn how soy sauce is made. What could have been boring is instead somewhat fascinating; it feels very conversational instead of being lectured at, and it also helps explain why the young Hata's soy sauce business is faltering. It's not simply a matter of, "His isn't good enough" but rather, "He refused to listen to good advice and made poor decisions."
It's that lack of respect that is an ongoing theme in Usagi Yojimbo, which has always placed a high value on listening to those with wisdom and applying it appropriately. It's not simply a matter of, "Old is best" but rather, "Use all your resources and then make decisions wisely." But then again, that's to some extent Usagi Yojimbo in a nutshell. Sure, the protagonist is a rabbit, but at the same time it also looks backward and learns from both great samurai literature as well as the comic book greats. Sakai's stories mix just the right amounts of influence from its predecessors while still not being afraid to move forward and come up with brand-new, original ideas.
As always, Usagi Yojimbo #143 looks great, too. The backgrounds are always full of detail, with varied building styles creating the town, different designs on people's clothing, and even making sure to draw all the vats of fermenting soy beans in the processing plant. Usagi himself is quite expressive too; I love how Sakai can shift him from inquisitive to alarmed in the blink of an eye. Usagi's energy—from flinging a rock on top of a torii arch to helping put out a fire—is always fluid and lively. Sakai handles a lot those details well, like how the rock bouncing across the torii is broken up with panel borders so that we get that extra passage of time as we see it skip and move.
Usagi Yojimbo is consistently one of the great monthly comics being published, and if you aren't reading it yet, you owe it to yourself to try. Sakai's always good about making sure each new story is a good introduction, and this one is no exception. Or if you'd rather just buy a collected edition? I can guarantee you'll find it just as easy to step into. Usagi Yojimbo is always welcoming new readers, and as one of the top monthly books being published, I suspect you'll like it once you try it.
Purchase Links: Amazon.com | Powell's Books


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Suppose that g is a continuous function on the interval [0,1] with g(0)=0. Define a sequence of functions on the interval [0,1] by . Does it follow that the sequence of functions converges uniformly on [0,1]? Either prove this is true or give an example of a function g for which the conclusion fails.
Any help on this?


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Australian cricket's single voice
"All men are created equal. It is only men themselves who place themselves above equality."
-- David Allan Coe
A good friend of mine, Professor Patrick Weller, a learned and wise man, once wrote a book called First Among Equals. I have long pondered that clever title, long after I forgot the content of the book itself. In recent times, thinking about the changing landscape that is Australian cricket, it strikes me that it has always been thus: first among equals. Until now perhaps.
The recent imbroglio over Tim May, the ICC, and the perceived influence of the BCCI is a perfect case in point. There is no doubt that some countries believe that India's influence in the ICC has got to the point where they, India, are clearly first among equals. While this may or may not be true, it must be remembered that it wasn't that long ago that some other nations were running cricket's agenda, and they clearly had no issue with being "equal but more equal" than the other members. Two wrongs don't make a right, of course, so it will be interesting to see how this diplomatic game plays out. Not all votes are equal; never have been.
For too long, the bizarre voting system that governed the Australian Cricket Board, now Cricket Australia, spoke to this very notion of a national cricket body that was meant to represent the interests of the nation as a whole but was always dogged by the perception that it was a triumvirate controlled by NSW, Victoria and South Australia, probably a hangover from the early colonial days when these established states provided the vast majority of cricketers to the Australian team.
As SA's production line of international cricketers started to wane in the 1980s, coinciding with a dramatic rise in representation from WA and Queensland (and more recently Tasmania), that shift of power was not reflected in the boardroom. NSW, Victoria and SA continued to have more votes at board level than the other states, further fuelling the notion that this was a democracy in name only. It was difficult to understand the reasoning behind a so-called system of equality that allowed equal partners to have unequal voting rights. Some men were more equal than others (if you came from Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide).
With a system such as this, it was inevitable that accusations of bias were aired, sometimes in whispers, more increasingly in stentorian protest. It did not need to be true - the mere suspicion of parochial bias was enough to undermine the sanctity of the process, making Cricket Australia's job of running the national game an even harder task than was already the case in a country so geographically wide.
The good news, of course, is that common sense has eventually prevailed and the new governance system reflects a much purer democracy. What is even more encouraging is the perception that Cricket Australia has finally appointed a visionary, Marianne Roux, to drive a cultural change that has many sensible administrators nodding their heads in agreement. No surprises that it apparently took a woman to kickstart some cultural changes that 130 years of male governance could not manage. Perhaps intelligent women are more experienced in fighting battles for equality.
From my understanding of the situation, there is now a commendable push for the whole of Australian cricket to operate as "one voice" when looking at the future of the game in a holistic sense. Most of the national football codes have managed to walk this tightrope adroitly, balancing the ambitions of local clubs with the interests (and parental control) of the national body. It behooves intelligent men (hitherto not so intelligent one must presume) to look at the big picture and realise that while it is natural to want the best for your state, the long-term future of the sport is very much dependent on the national team. Especially so for a sport like cricket, which has a profitable and strong national brand but essentially runs a loss-leader program at interstate level, in direct contrast to, say, the AFL and NRL, whose main revenue streams derive from hosting the world's best competition each weekend at club level.
Cricket administrators in Australia have long known that the purpose of Sheffield Shield cricket these days is to foster the production line of talent to feed upwards into the Australian team. Interstate cricket by itself, even allowing for the Big Bash, loses money hand over fist. That in itself is manageable so long as the local administrators, who may otherwise choose to stand in the way of big-picture vision, realise that if the golden goose does not receive the best feed, it will eventually stop laying golden eggs. No amount of domestic triumphalism will pay the bills if the national team is struggling on the world stage.
Australia's domestic cricket is unlike England's county cricket, where teams have smaller distances to travel, and a long history of loyal membership. It is also not on the same scale as the IPL, which despite being of little interest to most Australians, has enough of a domestic (and expat) following to sustain a localised product. But even the IPL needs more than just the Indian stars, hence the foreign mercenaries, even ageing ones, sail gleefully on Indian trade winds.
What is encouraging about the mooted changes (as far as I can glean from respected and quietly spoken administrators, who can look beyond their own backyards), is that the first tranche of funding will now be equally distributed to all states, so that there is some semblance of a level playing field. After that, extra funding requests can be made by states but on a case-by-case basis, and in a manner showing some synergy with the strategic vision that underpins the notion of what's best for Australian cricket as a whole. No doubt I am simplifying it to some degree but the basic logic of this system cannot be faulted if it truly ends up doing what it purports to do.
If Shield cricket is indeed a nursery for producing better Australian cricketers, then any extra funding for facilities, programmes, coaches, junior cricket and so on should, in a perfectly sensible world, be tied to outcomes that lead to this state of nirvana. No one really remembers who won the domestic tournaments - they used to, but that era has long passed - but as a cricket-loving nation, we still ride the rollercoaster of three consecutive World Cup victories, Ashes triumphs, world domination throughout the halcyon days of the Taylor-Waugh era, and the downward lurch of consecutive Ashes losses and the recent drubbing in India. Let's face it: wouldn't most Aussies still prefer that Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey were scoring runs for the baggy green rather than for the citadels of Hobart, Perth, Mumbai and Chennai?
This "one voice" mantra, though, needs to be disseminated throughout the cricket family, selectors included. That is the only way by which people will develop long-term confidence in the system. Sometimes the selectors will need to look beyond short-term gain and make decisions that reflect a value system that all young cricketers can have faith in. The selection of the talented but "risky" Mitchell Marsh is a case in point. Despite repeated warnings from anyone who saw that train smash coming with both Marsh boys, their continued selection for national honours just undermines any genuine messages to young cricketers that in order to play for Australia you need more than just runs and wickets.
If on the other hand the selectors argue that it is just sheer weight of performances that count, the notion of breaking that "first among equals" perception will apply on the field too in the next few months. Will they simply select the best players on the day, irrespective of other considerations? If so, Chris Rogers has surely batted himself into the team, all things being equal. Given his leadership experience, is it too ridiculous to suggest that he might even be a shock captaincy choice if Michael Clarke is ruled out with injury and Brad Haddin is unavailable (through injury or lack of form)? If Australian cricket is indeed speaking with one voice, anything is possible. First among equals indeed.
Michael Jeh is an Oxford Blue who played first-class cricket, and a Playing Member of the MCC. He lives in Brisbane


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In one of the flurry of eleventh-hour e-mails that Steve James sent to the subject of his documentary - Chicago Sun-Times movie critic Roger Ebert - the director asked what the title of his memoir, Life Itself, meant.
James never got an answer.
Life Itself, the touching, inspiring film based on Ebert's 2011 book, begins and ends with the famous thumb-slinging cinephile propped up in a bed, communicating via computer. He had been battling cancer for 11 years, had lost his jaw and chin, was being fed through tubes, was in visible pain, but managed to blog, e-mail, tweet, and text until the very end. The kid from Urbana, Ill., who in the 1950s delivered his own self-published newspaper to neighbors and later won a Pulitzer Prize (the first for a movie critic), was an early adopter, to say the least.
James, a fellow Chicagoan whose Oscar-nominated Hoop Dreams was championed by Ebert, offers a powerfully affectionate portrait of a man who lived, breathed, and dreamed movies. Ebert wrote with clarity and concision, conveying what moved him about a film (or didn't), be it Hollywood spectacle or Bergman or Bresson. He never wrote down to readers, and during his nearly 25-year on-air relationship with his Windy City sparring partner, Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel, Ebert never talked down to his TV audience, either.
He did, however, condescend to Siskel. The Siskel & Ebert at the Movies outtakes in Life Itself are rife with sniping and swiping, from both parties. They were like boys in the schoolyard, hurling insults instead of punches. Yet, despite an aggressive professional rivalry, in the end they were friends. The anecdotes from Siskel's widow, Marlene (Siskel died in 1999, of a brain tumor), are some of the most telling in the documentary.
Thanks to the duo's variously titled TV shows, which began on PBS and then became syndicated through Disney, Siskel and Ebert's influence was immense. Ebert's reviews in the Sun-Times were syndicated, too, and he produced a shelf of books and hosted (and later curated) festivals. But it was his TV presence, and his guest stints on Johnny Carson and David Letterman's talk shows, that had the most impact. In the days before aggregators, bloggers, and fan sites, a thumbs-up from Ebert meant everything.
The proverbial third act in Ebert's life, and in Life Itself, centers on his relationship with Charlie "Chaz" Hammelsmith, an African American trial lawyer he met through Alcoholics Anonymous. (Ebert, who hit the bars frequented by Sun-Times staffers as soon as he finished for the night, was a recovering alcoholic.) They married in 1992, when Ebert was 50. He embraced her grandchildren as if they were his own; step-granddaughter Raven Evans' reflections on him are particularly poignant. The family's summer trips abroad became as much a ritual in his life as his annual pitstops in Cannes and Boulder, Colo. (for the Conference on World Affairs, where Ebert, a long-standing fixture, talked films, politics, social media).
If Ebert's personal connection with filmmakers - he was friends with directors, writers, and stars - raises ethical issues, they are quickly put to rest with a clip James uses of Ebert thoroughly trashing Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money. Scorsese, a dear friend (and an executive producer of Life Itself), speaks of how deeply that review hurt, but also how instructive it was. Other directors - Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, Ramin Bahrani - express their deep regard for the man who shared their passion.
Two days before his death in spring 2013, Ebert sent a final blog post to his (yes) hundreds of thousands of followers. It was headed "A Leave of Presence," and he ended it this way:
"So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies."
And see him at this movie. Life Itself is quite a story.
Life Itself ***1/2 (Out of four stars)
Directed by Steve James. With Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Marlene Iglitzen, Ramin Bahrani. Distributed by Magnolia Pictures.
Running time: 1 hour, 55 mins.
Parent's guide: R (adult themes).
Playing at: Ritz Five.


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Kevin Sustaire was the USRA Modified feature winner.
By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
RPM Speedway (Crandall)
May 10 (Friday)
RPM Speedway was revved up and ready for some racing after several weeks of inclement weather. Friday night was the Valvoline Express Care of Seagoville Night. A good crowd was on hand along with 125 race teams in the pits. There was over $19,000 in cash and prizes for the drivers and fans.
USRA Modified Winner: Kevin Sustaire, No. 71k, ran away with the USRA Modified feature. J. McCoy, No. 87, was second, B. Ruffin, No. 121, was third, D. Byrns, No. 32, was fourth and L. McCullough, No. 202, was fifth.
To view a video of the USRA Modified feature, click below:
USRA Modified Makeup Winner: Chaz Ezum, No. 21x, was the USRA Modified makeup feature winner. D. Byrns, No. 32, was second, K. Sustaire, No. 71k, was third, J. McCoy, No. 87, was fourth and M. Heedham, No. 99, was fifth.
To view a video of the USRA Modified Makeup feature, click below:
RaceSaver Sprints Winner: Palm Harbor Homes Michael Lang, No. 14, was the Sprint feature winner. D. J. Estes, No. 74, was second, D. Stevens, No. 99x, was third, L. Payne, No. 2, was fourth and C. Estes, No. 74e, was fifth.
Justin Melton was involved in a Sprint wreck.
To view a video of the Racesaver Sprints feature, click below:
Limited Modified Winner: Ken Miller, No. m1, was the feature winner. J. Gore, No. 1, was second, R. Petty Jr., No. 25, was third, T. Davis Jr., No. 17, was fourth and J. Day, No. 23m, was fifth.
Street Stock Winner: Tim Clonch, No. 25c, was the Street Stock feature winner. C. Davis, No. 98, was second, T. Davis Jr., No. 08, was third, B. Sartain, No. 90, was fourth and J. Gore, No. 021g, was fifth.
Factory Stock Winner: Brandon Palmer, No. 2x, was the factory Stocks feature winner. J. Finelli, No. 17, was second, B. Marusak, No. XLV, was third, J. Lowery, No. 146, was fourth and C. Morris, No. 97.
To view a video of the Limited Modifieds, Street Stocks and Factory Stocks features, click below:
Jason Howell and the Express Care Girls.
A nice crowd was on hand to watch the races.
For OFFICIAL results and more information, go to: www.rpmspeedwaytx.com
To view some pictures from RPM Speedway, click below:


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While on the neutral gray theme, here are some of my favorite neutral-colored pieces from eco label Stewart + Brown's spring 2010 collection. These organic and comfy outfits are a must-have this spring!
- I'm Ange, a web | graphic designer with a passion for all things artful. This is where I share my eclectic finds of art, design, fashion, creative ideas and visual inspirations. You may contact me here.


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Most travel books will not give you the fine details about traveling between Colombia and Ecuador. There are also some people that will tell you buses will cross the border between the two countries. At the time of writing this post, it isn't true. This post shows how my girlfriend Marisol and I did it.
Buses from Colombia to Ecuador
First, from Colombia to Ecuador. From cities like Cali (11-12 hours), Popayán (9-10 hours), and Pasto (2 hours) in Colombia, it's possible to get a bus to the border town of Ipiales. I've taken an overnight bus from Cali with TransIpiales and a daytime bus going the other way with Bolivariano. Both companies have good service but beware – book your tickets early for weekend travel.
There are also different levels of service. Both companies offer buses and busetas (minibuses). The buses are large and comfortable and ran about COP$70,000 per person while the busetas are small, cramped, and uncomfortable for about COP$45,000 each. The buseta on TransIpiales was a miserable experience for me – the seat didn't recline and my legs were too long to fit. If you have the extra cash to burn, it's well worth it for the regular bus.
From Ipiales to the Border
Once at the Ipiales bus terminal, you can take a taxi to the border, Rumichaca. It costs COP$8,000. From there, get your passport stamped in Colombia and walk across the bridge to Ecuador to follow the procedure there. Money changers will be waiting outside each immigration office offering to change pesos into dollars and vice versa. Ask for the rate before changing and make sure they are wearing a badge. We were able to get a fair rate of COP$2,500 per dollar.
From the Border to Tulcán
After crossing into Ecuador, you can take a minibus (US$0.75/COP$2,000) to the center of Tulcán at Parque Isidro Ayora. It's then necessary to take another minibus or taxi (US$1) to the Tulcán bus terminal for onward travel to cities like Quito (5 hours) or Ibarra (2 ½ hours). We traveled to Otavalo (3 hours). Alternatively, you can take a taxi to the center of Tulcán (US$3.50) or directly to the bus terminal (US$4-5).
When traveling south from Tulcán, avoid Expreso Turismo at all costs – service was rude, they wouldn't let us get off the bus after three hours to use the bathroom, and they stopped way too many times, making the trip to Otavalo almost 90 minutes longer than it should've been. They also didn't bother to let us know when we were in Otavalo even though we asked them to tell us at least three times. They almost passed up the city completely, and when they let us off the bus they took our bags out of the luggage compartment and threw them onto the ground.
From Ecuador to Colombia
Coming from Ecuador to Colombia, follow the directions in reverse and you won't have a problem.
If you need a hotel in either city, there are several near the bus terminals on both sides of the border. Many will accept both pesos and dollars. The majority will accept cash only. We stayed at the Hotel Lumar in Tulcán for US$33 for a double room. It was a nice, comfortable room. We didn't stay overnight in Ipiales.


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Having a notepad next to your bed is essential for creative folk who like to jot down spontaneous ideas throughout the night. I actually use my mobile phone; although these sticky note style pillows by Veinticuatrodentes seem like a far better alternative.
It only takes a splash of water to erase friendly reminders, little love letters and random contemplations written directly onto the Post My Pillow. And the best thing is the water-soluble fabric marker is actually included with the pillow for $24.


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Getting Started with WordPress
As much as WordPress is a popular platform for blogging or building a website, it can be confusing for newbies to learn how to use it. Although there is a lot of information available from WordPress, you really have to dig to get what you need to get started building a WordPress Blog or website.
Finding out how to build a website or blog with WordPress doesn't have to be so hard. But you need the right tools. Fortunately, I came across
a Video that will make it really easy for you to learn how to use WordPress to do this.
It really is a step by step guide which will help you easily build a WordPress website or blog or……….both! No need for you to know any programming code. Follow the steps and you will succeed.
No need for you to know any programming code.


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AYEBRO had a convo of sorts with a living pioneer of the homegrown scene, Darryl Thomson AKA DJ DLT. Read up on his personal views about Hip Hop and its inception here in New Zealand...Read More →
Official music video from Tipene featuring DLT, Tyna and Dam Native performing 'Pioneers'. Single available via iTunes. Director/Producer: Tipene DOP: Rakai Karaitiana Filming: Rakai Karaitiana,Jay Araia,John Norris,Matiu Scott Post Production: John Norris Grading: John Norris...Read More →
Uptown Swuite provides a verse to Dam Native's 1997 classic 'The Son' featuring Che Fu....Read More →
Tipene teams up with DLT, Dam Native and Tyna on new track 'Pioneers'. Produced by SickDrumz. | Visuals dropping 20th December 2014....Read More →
Another mean classic by Dam Native 'The Son' featuring Che Fu – off the 'Kaupapa Driven Rhymes Uplifted' album (1997)....Read More →
Lick My Patu video shot in Paris and London October/November 2012 by Rongotai Lomas. Produced by Tracey Tawhiao. Edited by Lennie Hill and Tracey Tawhiao. Directed by Daniel Haimona, Rongotai Lomas. Thanks and Love to...Read More →
Artist: DJ CXL Title: Represent Album Released: 2012 Track breakdown: 8. Number One ft K One & PNC – The beat was just something i slapped together, i liked the sample but didn't really think to much about...Read More →
Directed by prolific music video maker and now feature film director Jonathan King, this clip won Best Video at the 1996 NZ Music Awards. The sepia-tinged print, colonial photo studio-styled art direction and details (tokotoko...Read More →
Dam Native and Kaipara Jammers at The Kings Arms this Saturday 17th March 2012....Read More →
Visit their website for more info. http://www.khuja.co.nz/...Read More →
If you're in the H tomorrow night, visit Flow Bar to see Dam Native & more for a good night of music entertainment....Read More →
A leak from Perpetual Motion Part One Capturing the moment is what Auckland based Beez aka Bennett Pomana has set his sights for 2012. Since the early days of UHP & Dam Native in the...Read More →
Tracklist: 1. Usual Suspects – Profile 2. Deceptikonz – More Than Meets The Eye 3. P-Money – Synchronised Thoughts (feat. Scribe and 4 Corners) 4. Dam Native – Behold My Kool Style 5. Tourettes –...Read More →
Native Foundation – Aotearoa Hip Hop & Reggae Unite 02/04/11 Saturday 2nd April 2011 | The Kings Arms Tavern, 59 France St, Newton, Auckland Performances by: Dam Native, Chong Nee & Foundation with special guest:...Read More →
Featuring Teremoana Rapley … This is still a classic, mean! More music and info via http://www.damnative.com/...Read More →
Facebook Events http://www.damnative.com...Read More →
You can download this MP3 here....Read More →
More info & music at www.damnative.com...Read More →


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SAN ANTONIO -- Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA is expected to announce plans for a San Antonio-area store.
This proposed location will be the fifth in Texas, according to the company.
Currently, the closest locations to the Alamo City include IKEA stores in Round Rock and Houston.
The company said in a media release Monday that it will reveal details about the proposed store, including the exact location, store size and an opening date.
That announcement is expected to come Tuesday morning at the Hilton Garden Inn Live Oak Conference Center.


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The Night Watch
Sarah Water's new book, which is getting loads of critical praise and is being short listed for literary awards left and right, is set in seedy 1940s London and features all sorts of noirish characters, a taut plot, and plenty of historical crosshatching. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 228-4651
Philip Levine
Dignity, humor, and compassion are the recurring themes in Levine's generation-spanning body of work, which you, dear reader, have the chance to hear tonight. Don't blow this opportunity. First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park Ave, 227-2583, 7:30 pm, $5-18
La Mano 21
Zak Sally, bassist for the awesome Minneapolis band Low, has his own underground comic imprint, La Mano, and tonight he'll be in town with Sara Lund of Unwound, hawking and promoting his Twin City schwag. Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak, 274-1449, 7 pm


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JERUSALEM (Aug. 29)
Between 1896 and 1968, 131 Jews from 17 nations won 236 medals–101 gold, 68 silver and 67 bronze–in Olympic competition. Divided by sport, the first place went to fencing where Jews won 71 medals–31 by Jews from Hungary and 13 from the USSR. Thirty-three medals were won by Jews in track and field events, 15 of them by competitors from the US, and 25 in gymnastics, 14 of them from Hungary. Twenty-four medals were won by Jews in swimming and 20 in water polo. Only one Jew has ever won a medal in ice hockey, judo or rowing.
Taken by countries, Hungarian Jews lead with 76 medals followed by the US with 47 medals and the USSR with 30. Next is Austria with 20 and Belgium with 14. In the first modern Olympic Games at Athens in 1896, seven Jewish athletes won 13 medals. In basketball Jews have excelled as coaches. Julius Goldman, an American, coached Canada to an Olympic medal in 1936 and Alexander Gomelsky did the same for the Soviet Union in 1964 and 1968.
A Jew has also won Olympic medals in cycling–Felix Schmal of Austria who won a gold and two bronze medals at the first Olympic Games. Two brothers, Alfred and Felix Flatow of Germany, won six medals – five gold – in the 1896 Games. At the first Olympic Games Jews were outstanding in swimming, winning all three events. Mark Spitz, who won four medals for the US in the 1968 games, set records in the butterfly stroke this week.
Israel has never won an Olympic medal but one of the most distinguished of Jewish medalists. Agnes Keleti of Hungary, who won no less than 11 medals, settled in Israel after the 1956 revolution in Hungary and became one of the country's main gymnastic trainers.
One of the great track and field athletes of the early 20th century was Myer Prinstein of the US who won medals at several Olympic Games. Britain's Harold Abrahams won the 100 meters race in 1924, was captain of the British Olympic team in 1928 and today is chairman of the British Amateur Athletics Board. His brother, Sir Sidney Abrahams, who became Chief Justice of Uganda, ran for Great Britain in the 1908 and 1912 Olympics. Jews won 24 medals in the 1956 Olympics, 18 in 1964 and 19 in 1968.


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We all know the importance of having positive outlets. You may enjoy the arts, watching or participating, maybe you enjoy reading or writing - or maybe you prefer to play board or video games.
But what about a beneficial outlet? Sure, the above mentioned are all wonderful, however, there is a true magic to using fitness as an outlet. The benefits of exercise have time and again been proven with scientific studies. So, how is one to use exercise as an outlet?
In my first blog that recognizes the triggers than can cause a person to fall into addictive behavior, we will look into the unresolved issues from one's past, how they affect the present, and the tools to help you move beyond them.
© 2011 SummerFit, All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer • Privacy Policy • Contact Summer
Site Developed by Kamm Creative Solutions


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This is just a small announcement to say that I have put my Effects window proposal, previousely discussed here:http://www.blender.org/modules.php?op=m ... le&start=0 online.
It is slightly more detailed than before. See it here: http://www.shadeless.dk/ui/effectswindow.htm
Effects window
Animation tools, character animation, non linear animation
Moderators: jesterKing, stiv
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Effects window
Website: http://www.shadeless.dk
http://www.blender.org/modules.php?op=m ... pic&t=3486
Actually it has already started to be implemented. Download a version with it here (it's not done at all, but the actual window is there):any word on its implementation?
http://www.blender.org/modules.php?op=m ... pic&t=3486
Website: http://www.shadeless.dk
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Obituary Preview for Mark Thomas Jr.
Mark Thomas Jr. Obituary
Published in The Huntsville Times on Jan. 1, 1900
22 of 22 words
: Nov. 26, 1922 - Feb. 25, 2013 Mark Thomas, Jr. Funeral will be Wed. at 2pm with visitation at 1pm, McConnell Funeral.
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Just want a second, third, etc opinion. I am going to be using Linux as my primary OS. Which distribution, in your opinion, is best?
Just want a second, third, etc opinion. I am going to be using Linux as my primary OS. Which distribution, in your opinion, is best?
Well which car is the best?
Depends on what you want to do and what experiences you have had with Linux. If your new to Linux then go with Ubuntu.
The only way your going to find a distro your comfortable with is try the ones out there.
Pretty much exactly what TheCreeper said. I started out with Kubuntu because the KDE interface was similar to Windows so I could get a hang of it pretty easily, and Ubuntu is great for beginners. If you know what you are doing and can work with the terminal without being terrified of breaking something, Arch is a great lightweight distro that you can customize to your preference down to the most minor of details. Plus the wiki documentation is awesome.
IMO, start with either Linux Mint, or Ubuntu (including its derivatives).
There is no "Best" Linux distro.
They are what you make of it and they reflect on how you use it. Just take time to see which Desktop environment you like best, you can test these out within Ubuntu respectively and can just switch to each one via login (it's quite simple really)
First Press these set of keys:then type/copy and press SHIFT+CTRL+V in the desktop environment you wish to use such as these:Code:CTRL+ALT+T
Lubuntu (lightweight and great for performance)KubuntuCode:sudo apt-get install lxdeXubuntuCode:sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktopand just type your password if needed and test for which one you like and so forth.Code:sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
Also if you don't like Ubuntu's current Unity style tablet looking piece of shit you can switch to it's better counter-part (or original desktop environment) GnomeI hope I have helped.Code:sudo apt-get install gnome
I use Ubuntu and it rocks.
Any Debian based linux distribution is good too.
Stability: Debian
Server: FreeBSD (not linux but whatever)
Ease of Use: Fedora
Everything Else: Arch Linux
Linux Mint 13 is bad-ass.
should i use xfce or something else
I myself has always preferred Gentoo. Sure, it might take a while to install programs as they mostly have to be compiled from scratch. If you know what you're doing (or at least think you are), and your USE-flags are properly set then Gentoo isn't much harder to use than Ubuntu.
Fun trivia; When I first tried linux I used Ubuntu (5.04 I think it was), which lasted for a few weeks before I basically went "what the hell, let's jump in the deep end".
Took me a full day to set up a gentoo install following the gentoo handbook, another day to get X running. The install only lasted about a week before I wrecked it by mistake but it was fun :D
Have sort of stuck with Gentoo after that.
Getting it installed isn't hard, you just follow instructions. I'm convinced you knew what I meant though.
But of course, there's going to be idiots that cannot even do such simple things. They're usually the ones who can't even install a program that only has a simple "install" button.
I wasn't really going for name calling either, just stating that it's sad there's people out there unwilling to use their brains and follow instructions. Gain knowledge, and then be able to do amazing things. It was in regards to Linux distros, but I think it's pretty general too.
And yeah, you're right, more people should try to learn what they use every day.


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Wedding party in Mahogany Hills, Iligan City.
1st week of July, I received a wedding invitation from a very long high school classmate from Iligan City National High School batch '97 – Cristine F. Wow! Finally, she's getting married. At the age of 29, it's really time to settle down.
I personally got an invitation because her husband to-be happened to be a good co-worker of mine. Of course, I should be invited or I'll kick his a*s. Lols!
Anyway, what immediately comes to my attention when I got the invitation was the reception after the wedding (Eto naman yung una natin tinitingnan sa wedding invitation card.. hahaha!).
The card only states: Reception at Mahogany Hills, Palao Iligan City. What? WTF? Where in the place is Mahogany Hills? It sounds to me like a street and not a place.
Out of curiosity, I asked my fellow Iliganons if they happen to hear and know about Mahogany Hills in Palao but alas, they didn't even hear the name. What a shame! – Born in Iligan and who lives in Iligan for almost 20 yrs and doesn't even know where Mahogany Hills is? Toinks!
Well, you would not believably recognized the place since it was an vestigial transmitted parcel of land form her parents. Enlivened Tita Mae to transform it into something creative. Her endless ideas on how to decorate the place and yet maintain the terrain paved the way for the development of the place.
At the start it was intended to be planted with whatever plants,vegetables and fruit bearing trees or raise tilapia for consumption. Activity in Kaplag started with planting of mahogany trees all over the land spearheaded by Tita Mae thus the name MAHOGANY HILLS.
A small bamboo house was built for family to rest and bond. The usual Sunday get together. What was intended as fish pond for tilapia raising was then converted to a swimming pool for the grand children to enjoy.
And so acquaintances were request if they can accommodate seminars, retreats or any small parties. This made them decide to finally open the property for business.
Mahogany Hills is now the location of choice for people who want to party with utmost privacy. It has become an alternative place for garden weddings. Being away from the hustle and bustle of the city makes it a perfect choice for such an event.
Upon entering the gates you develop the impression of being in a rain forest because of the lush vegetation- assorted array of tropical ornamental plants, fruit bearing trees and of course the majestic mahoganies all over the area, all of which were landscaped by Tita Mae and her son Jose Manolo. A natural spring can also be found flowing freely adding up to the beauty of the terrain.
The serenity of the place makes it an ideal venue for retreats and reflection.
….. and now, its CAKE time!


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Books to beat the gloom
Today is "Blue Monday", the "most depressing day of the year", a perfect storm of mid-winter drudgery, post-Christmas comedown and credit card overload. Or is it? This entirely spurious "equation" was actually devised for a travel firm to help sell holidays in the sun, but it's the sort of ritualized non-story that runs well in certain sections of the media, and as you read this blog, the web is awash with comment pieces and interviews featuring concerned psychologists explaining why the third Monday in January is a day for hiding beneath the duvet.
At the TLS we are, however, of an altogether more cheerful disposition, which is why our thoughts turn to the uplifting matter of this year's forthcoming fiction titles. (And if you are cowering beneath the duvet, then a good novel can surely only help you.)
Among the highlights to arrive in Britain over the next month are Dave Eggers's A Hologram for the King – a tale about America, globalization and the world economy, set in Saudi Arabia – and Nadeem Aslam's The Blind Man's Garden – which looks at the effects of war and geopolitical upheaval in contemporary Afghanistan and Pakistan. Jim Crace's Harvest considers a rather different kind of political upheaval, moving back three centuries to a Britain torn apart by the new acts of enclosure.
If that isn't enough to raise some cheer, then March spells the return of William Gass – now in his late eighties – with his first novel in almost two decades. Middle C moves from 1930s Austria to post-war Ohio, and features a piano-playing fantasist struggling to come to terms with the mysterious disappearance of his father. Also out in March is Javier Marías's "metaphysical murder mystery" The Infatuations (published in 2011 in Spain as Los enamoramientos), in which a woman becomes embroiled in the fall-out of an apparently random killing. Marías is joined by J. M. Coetzee, whose novel The Childhood of Jesus will already have bookies speculating (regardless of their having read it) on the possibility of the author winning a record-breaking third Booker Prize.
In April, we will be treated to new novels by Kate Atkinson and Rupert Thomson. Atkinson's Life after Life features a woman who is given the chance to overcome death – again and again. Thomson's Secrecy follows a man being pursued by his past in Renaissance Florence, Naples and Sicily. (Renaissance Italy is also the time and place for Sarah Dunant's Blood and Beauty, which appears later in the year.)
In the same month, Granta's "Best of Young British Novelists" circus swings around again, while a young British novelist (and TLS reviewer) who may or may not be on the Granta list arrives with his debut, Idiopathy: Sam Byers's novel is billed as a tale of "tangled relationships", "unhinged narcissism" and "self-help quackery".
As the days begin to lengthen, we can look forward to new novels, in May, by John Le Carré (A Delicate Truth), Lionel Shriver (Big Brother) and James Salter (All That Is). Summer solstice arrives just in time for The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and the final instalment of Jane Gardam's "Old Filth" trilogy, Last Friends; in August, Margaret Atwood unveils the final instalment of her trilogy, MaddAddam. By September, it will be back to school with Jonathan Coe (Expo 58) and Iain Pears, whose novel, Arcadia, will first appear as an app.
But those days of long shadows are far off in the distance, and for now we must now embrace – or shrink from – the winter gloom. Whether you're feeling morose or optimistic, we hope you'll enjoy reading more about these novels, all of which will be reviewed in future editions of the TLS.


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Le Nu Spa Massage
Healing massage dates back 4000 years in the Asian cultures. But closer to home, anyone in Cary looking to relieve tension, soothe aches and pains, or simply relax after a strenuous week, doesn't need to drive that far to find tranquility. Le Nu Spa is the Triangle's premier massage spa.
At Le Nu, we understand your massage goals are unique, so we always work with clients to customize your experience.
Benefits of Massage
- Relieve muscle tension
- Reduce stress
- Calms the body and mind
- Enhance health and well-being
History of Massage
- Dates back 4000 years in China
- Swedish massage arrives in America in 1850
- First massage clinic opens in late 19th century
With more than 80 different styles of massage available, deciding which to choose can be overwhelming. The highly trained staff at Le Nu Spa is ready to guide you through the process, and recommend the best fit for your needs. We look forward to relieving your tension in a calm and soothing environment.
Massage Menu
- Swedish
- Deep Tissue
- Qi Gong
- Tui Na
With so many reasons to choose massage, such as pain relief, stress reduction or enhancing athletic performance, we want to make your experience as positive as possible. At Le Nu, we work to put you at ease, as we take care of your health and beauty needs. Whether it is your first time to try massage, or you are a regular client, we are confident you will come away with a sense of peace and a smile.
Come by our spa, or call us at 919-346-4717, to find out what we can do for you. Owner Colette Le, and her team promise to help you quiet your mind, and invigorate your body!


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Rich Dad's Advisors : The ABC's of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss
Want to get rich through real estate? Then you need The ABC's of Real Estate Investing. It's the definitive guide that will teach you how to find property, evaluate its worth, negotiate the deal and make money in the process. There are no 'get rich quick' tricks on these pages, just proven methods that deliver bottom-line profits and increased property values. -Ken McElroy, Real Estate Investor, Property Management Expert, Business Owner, and Author The ABC's of Real Estate Investing will: * Achieve wealth and cash flow through real estate * Overcome the myths that are holding you back * Find property with real profit potential * Evaluate a property and set your own purchase price * Negotiate the deal based on the numbers * Discover hidden profits in the properties you buy or own * Increase your income through proven property management techniques.
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