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The pioneer
Robinson's entrance into the big leagues spelled the beginning of the end for the Negro Leagues
By Tom Singer/MLB.com
The beginning of the end for the Negro Leagues came when Jackie Robinson signed a pro contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945.
Jan. 31, 1919, Cairo, Ga.
Oct. 24, 1972, Stamford, Conn.
Hall of Fame induction:
Jackie Robinson videos
Buck O'Neil on hearing about Jackie Robinson signing a contract
with the Dodgers
Former Dodgers GM Buzzie Bavasi talks about Jackie Robinson.
Were he not tapped on the shoulder by destiny, all indications are Jackie Robinson would have been a transient blip on the Negro League radar. It wasn't a question of talent -- Robinson hit .387 or .345, depending on the source, in his only season with the Kansas City Monarchs -- but of inclination.
Robinson was a man of substance who, rather than live for the moment like many carefree Negro Leaguers, always considered the big picture. After all, in the spring of 1941 he had walked out on UCLA after a brilliant two-year collegiate career because he saw no athletic future in a segregated world -- older brother Mack's Silver Medal at the 1936 Olympics had earned him only a job as a street-sweeper.
Watch now>
Award winners
Jimmy Rollins and Juan Pierre accepted Legacy Awards last week from the employees at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
The motives
Branch Rickey had several reasons for signing Jackie Robinson to a pro contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Historian Steve Goldman has the details.
Segregated Baseball: A Kaleidoscopic review
While the very existence of the Negro Leagues was necessary because of the racial divides in the United States, black baseball not only survived -- it excelled.
Traveling show
Barnstorming was common place in the Negro Leagues.
Instead, Jackie Robinson spent several months working as a counselor with the National Youth Administration, until the post-Pearl Harbor Army came calling. Stationed in Texas, he was a frequent participant in camp ballgames, and one day was inadvertently scouted by Kansas City pitcher Hilton Smith, upon whose word the Monarchs signed him following his discharge.
So Robinson was already a baseball-old 26 when he became a reluctant professional in 1945 for $100 a month. There is a high probability he would not have endured the itinerant lifestyle for long before bolting in quest of deeper accomplishments.
Of course, the accomplishment came looking for him. After his one season in the Negro American League, on the appropriate date of October 23 -- he had worn uniform No. 23 as the Monarchs shortstop -- Robinson and, though buried by history, teammate pitcher John Wright both were signed into Organized Baseball by Branch Rickey.
Only one season with the International League's Montreal Royals delayed Robinson from baseball's watershed event of the 20th century. On April 15, 1947 -- a little over two years removed from playing in Army-base games -- Robinson took Ebbets Field as the Dodgers' Opening Day second baseman.
Although he is best known as a second baseman, Jackie Robinson played a handful of games at first base.
Countless African-Americans have followed in those footsteps.
"Every time I look in my wallet," Willie Mays once observed, "I see Jackie Robinson."
The courageous, proud, pioneering deed -- more than any act on the field -- inspired Robinson's immortality.
His late-blooming 10-year playing career, by any objective evaluation, was somewhat modest. He had one 200-hit season, one 30-steal season, one 100-RBI season. He never reached 20 homers.
Everything did come together for Robinson in his MVP season of 1949, when he won the National League batting title at .342 while driving in 124 runs and stealing 37 bases. Yet, it's pretty clear it was neither his bat nor his glove that earned Robinson first-ballot Hall of Fame election in 1962, but his nerve and his heart.
Reflecting on how Robinson strove through the 1947 abuse and notoriety to a .297 average and the Rookie of the Year Award, double-play partner Pee Wee Reese once said, "To be able to hit with everybody yelling at him, ... he had to block out everything but this ball coming in at 100 mph. To do what he did has to be the most tremendous thing I've ever seen in sports."
It also was the most far-reaching. Robinson's emergence in the Majors effectively submerged the Negro Leagues, which for three decades had been a profitable Black enterprise as a viable alternative for the public's sports spending.
Jackie Robinson made his last public appearance during the 1972 World Series. He told the fans that he wanted an African-American managing in baseball.
"A lot of people knew what was going to happen, because of what Jackie Robinson did to attendance at Major League games," Frank Bolden, at the time City Editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, the voice of that city's black community, recalled recently. "When the Dodgers played here ... People would come from Detroit and Washington, D.C. and all over to see the games."
By the mid-'50s, only the Monarchs, Memphis Red Sox, Birmingham Black Barons and Detroit Stars were left.
The effect of Robinson's breakthrough thus was far more immediate on the Negro Leagues than it was on the Major Leagues. The notion that his success opened the floodgates for African-American players is a common distortion.
Two other big-leagues clubs (Cleveland, with Larry Doby, and the St. Louis Cardinals, with Hank Thompson and Willard Brown) also integrated in that 1947 season. But only three other teams followed suit in the next five years.
And a sobering truth: When Robinson
in 1956, three of the 16 Major League teams had yet to field a Black player. The last of the color line was erased by the Boston Red Sox's Pumpsie Green in 1959 -- by then the Dodgers weren't even in Brooklyn.
Jackie Robinson entered the game with a mandate, and left it with clarity, saying, "The way I figured it, I was even with baseball, and baseball with me. The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it."
Ravaged by diabetes, John Roosevelt Robinson passed away in 1972 at the young age of 53.
Tom Singer covers the Angels for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Rangeland Romances Audiobook - Volume 1 - 6 hours [Audio CDs] #RA427
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Rangeland Romances
Volume 1
Read by Roy Worley
One of the most successful pulp magazines ever envisioned was
Ranch Romances
. Combining Wild West settings with the eternal struggle to snag a mate, it ran from the 1920s clear to the '70s. Naturally, other publishers jumped on the wagon train. Popular Publications did so in 1935 with
Rangeland Romances
. First editor Rogers Terrill described his approach this way:
"Over a year ago we started a new magazine with a new idea. We started a romance magazine in which the hero and heroine fight side by side, live an adventurous life together, experience hope and despair, defeat and success, and finally love together. We brought out a magazine that was true to life; that was about characters who really could have lived and done those things that the author writes about."
In other words,
Rangeland Romances
wasn't just another Cinderella love pulp. The formula—which succeeding editors tinkered with from time to time—worked like a charm.
Rangeland Romances
ran for a generation.
For our first
Rangeland Romances
audiobook, we've chosen to record the August, 1948 issue in its entirety. All seven stories. It's a hoot.
Described as a novel of "Border Romance," Marian O'Hearn's "Fiesta Kisses are Sweetest" leads off the collection. It's followed by a brace of fun frontier novelettes, Art Lawson's "Cupid Rules the Roost" and Isabel Stewart Way's "No Sirens Wanted." Four sizzling short stories follow. "Salty but Susceptible," "Petticoat-Corralin' Hombre," "I'm Claiming That Guy!" and "Gambling Gal."
These are sweet yet salty stories of determined cowgirls navigating the complicated courtship rituals of ranches ranging from the Dakotas to the Southwest. Pistol-packin' Doris Day in
Annie Get Your Gun!
gives you a good idea of the flavor of the festivities.
Read by Roy Worley.
Fiesta Kisses Are Sweetest
By Marian O'Hearn
Chapter 1: Cantina Meeting
Chapter 2: Gem-Studded Chain
Chapter 3: More Gentling for Nedra
Chapter 4: Good Night — and Good-by
Chapter 5: La Linda Mujer
Cupid Rules This Roost
By Art Lawson
Chapter 1: Luscious Miss Lamour
Chapter 2: Haunted Heart
Chapter 3: Enter the Singing Kid
No Sirens Wanted
By Isabel Stewart Way
Chapter 1: Snafued Blonde Charmer
Chapter 2: Ring in a Crystal Ball
Chapter 3: Brunette Doublecross
Salty But Susceptible
By Kenneth Fowler
Petticoat-Corralin' Hombre
By Cecilia Bartholomew
I'm Claiming That Guy!
By Thelma Knoles
Gamblin' Gal
By Ennen Reaves Hall
Reading Rangeland Romances was great fun. Each story has layers of emotion and adventure and usually a creative twist of some kind.
Roy Worley
was born in Memphis, TN where he grew up. Storytelling became part and parcel of his childhood as he heard his grandfather tell many funny stories of life as a poor boy growing up in the Mississippi Delta. It was just natural that he would pick it up. His storytelling ability has been fine-tuned over a thirty-five year ministry as a preacher, both in the US and in South America.
Roy has narrated books via ACX.com that can be found on Amazon.com, iTunes and Audible.com. They range from works of fiction, to Christian theology to civil war history. He was sought out in 2012 by mystery author Chinle Miller to narrate her Bud Shumway series.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Good stories
December 10, 2019
Reviewer: Darlene Williams from Pittsburgh, PA United States
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed each story. So glad I decided to buy this audio book. If there is another volume I will buy it.
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Everyone's had that feeling of dread when you see the flashing lights of a cop car in the rearview mirror. Maybe you slowly rolled past a stop sign.
Perhaps you forgot to buckle up, or you didn't realize you were speeding. In addition to getting a ticket, you're likely to see a hike in your car insurance premiums. But how much?
Insurance.com's new interactive tool, the "Uh-Oh! Calculator," allows you to compute the average percent increase to your auto insurance rate for 14 common violations.
Insurance.com's data analysis of more than 490,000 auto insurance quotes given to drivers reveals the following:
- Reckless driving is the most expensive violation among the 14 infractions we surveyed, with an average rate increase of 22 percent. At the other end of the spectrum, driving without a seat belt triggers a relatively small 3 percent uptick.
- Insurance rate hikes due to violations are sometimes higher for divorced drivers than for single and married people. For example, if you're divorced and are ticketed for reckless driving, your annual premium may increase an average of 7 percent more than a single person's, and 4 percent more than those who are married.
- Condo owners sometimes see higher rate increases for violations than do renters, single-family homeowners and those who live with their parents. In some cases, such as tickets for tailgating, condo owners' average rates go up 10 percent more than those of renters and people who reside with Mom and Dad, and 4 points more than those of homeowners.
How much a ticket will raise your car insurance rate
Based on Insurance.com's analysis, here's how much common infractions will impact your rates, on average:
1. Reckless driving: 22 percent
2. DUI first offense: 19 percent
3. Driving without a license or permit: 18 percent
4. Careless driving: 16 percent
5. Speeding 30 mph over the limit: 15 percent
6. Failure to stop: 15 percent
7. Improper turn: 14 percent
8. Improper passing: 14 percent
9. Following too close/tailgating: 13 percent
10. Speeding 15 to 29 mph over limit: 12 percent
11. Speeding 1 to 14 mph over limit: 11 percent
12. Failure to yield: 9 percent
13. No car insurance: 6 percent
14. Seat belt infractions: 3 percent
Getting the bad news, customized
For more tailored results, use the "Uh Oh!" Calculator to enter your own age, type of dwelling, state, marital status, and length of time you've been with your car insurance carrier.
No one's perfect: Save money on car insurance, despite your record
If you do get a ticket, don't fret: There are ways to save money on car insurance, regardless of your driving record.
To get the most affordable car insurance for your particular situation, it pays to shop around, to dig for discounts and to drop unnecessary coverage.
Review your policy each year, and get at least three quotes when doing an auto insurance quotes comparison.
It's also prudent to research bundling your auto and home policies, as many insurers will offer lower rates if you buy two or more types of coverage.
Ask your insurer if you, or any of the family members on your policy, qualify for low-mileage or good-student discounts. You may also get a lower rate for vehicle-safety features such as car alarms or anti-lock brakes.
Another option: You can raise your deductible from $250 to $500 on collision and comprehensive coverage, which typically means that you can cut that portion of your premium by up to 30 percent.
In addition, it may make financial sense to drop comprehensive and collision coverage if the value of your car is less than a $1,000. If you total your car, you receive the actual cash value of the car. So for older models that aren't worth that much on the market, it may not make sense to pay premiums for comprehensive and collision coverage.
Insurance.com analyzed more than 490,000 auto insurance quotes provided to Insurance.com users from 14 carriers between January 2009 and January 2011. We looked at quotes given to drivers with the 14 most common infractions recorded and compared them to quotes given to drivers with no violations. We used a model to estimate the annualized premium expected for certain combinations of personal attributes (residence, state, time with prior carrier, marital status and age) along with 14 violations. This ranking is not inclusive of all possible driving violations. Rates shown are averages; your own rate will depend on your personal factors. State laws governing traffic violations are subject to change.


text:
Samsung Draws a Big 'Meh' for Clunky, Pricey Galaxy Gear Smartwatch
Sep 4, 2013 3:32 PM PT
Samsung on Wednesday showed off its much-anticipated Galaxy Gear smartwatch at the IFA consumer show in Berlin.
The device serves as an ancillary to a user's Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, both also unveiled at IFA on Wednesday.
Both these devices run Android 4.3, which support the Bluetooth Low Energy standard.
Priced at US$300, the Galaxy Gear will be available in the United States in October.
The smartwatch has drawn fire for its clunky design, inadequate battery power, high price and other perceived flaws, yet the company is offering little response to the criticism.
Samsung "is not providing any executive interviews regarding products at this time," spokesperson Kimberly Kulesh told TechNewsWorld.
The Galaxy Gear's Features
The Galaxy Gear has an 800-MHz processor and a 1.63-inch Super Amoled display with 320 x 320 pixel resolution.
It has a 1.9-MP camera with autofocus that can take stills or record and playback video at 720p.
The smartwatch notifies users of incoming messages and delivers them a preview. Users can accept or ignore messages.
A built-in speaker lets users conduct hands-free calls through the Gear, in theory, although some complaints suggest that the speaker is weak and can only be used in relatively quiet areas.
The Gear's S Voice feature lets users draft messages, create new calendar entries, set alarms, and check the weather hands-free.
A variety of third-party apps are available for the Galaxy Gear, including Evernote, an eBay app and global messaging service Line.
The smartwatch has an accelerometer and a gyroscope, as well as 4 GB of internal memory.
Users can browse, play and control songs on their mobile device using the Galaxy Gear.
An Auto Lock feature automatically secures the screen of the user's smartphone when the Galaxy Gear is more than 1.5 meters away from it, and unlocks the screen when the two are in close proximity again.
The Galaxy Gear also serves as a pedometer, monitoring and tracking users' physical activity through built-in sensors.
Stripping Down the Gear
"I saw the presentation today, and one thing that really struck me was how it seems like because they're trying to satisfy every customer need, their device has become a lot more complex," Darren Hayes, a professor at Pace University, told TechNewsWorld.
The Gear is "way too large and heavy," remarked Daniel Matte, an analyst at Canalys. "I personally think the camera embedded in the strap is quite obtrusive and ugly."
On the other hand, the Galaxy Gear is "targeting a much younger, more tech-savvy audience, and I think they have a very different strategy as opposed to Apple's easy-to-use interface," Hayes remarked.
At $300, the Galaxy Gear is "pricey for me, and I've seen other smartwatches offered at a lower price point, but kids always seem to find the money to buy new toys," Hayes continued.
The smartwatch has less than one day's battery life, "which is not adequate for the mass market consumer," Canalys' Matte commented. Its user interface "does appear sluggish, though it's not a final product."
Samsung has promised to roll out Galaxy Gear support for the Galaxy S III and S4, as well as the Galaxy Note II, by October, Matte said.
Clutching at Cupertino
Samsung's announcement of the Galaxy Gear appears to have stolen the thunder from Apple's highly anticipated iWatch, which is expected to be unveiled at some as-yet-undetermined date falling somewhere between later this year and the second half of 2014.
However, "Apple in all honesty doesn't care," Canalys' Matte told TechNewsWorld.
As for the Galaxy Gear's other major current competitors, the Sony SmartWatch and the Pebble, Sony "plans to ship quite a few SmartWatch 2s at a more affordable price than the Gear," Matte stated. However, "the SmartWatch 2 is still a very iterative, uncompelling product.
Pebble "has Android and iOS interoperability going for it," Matte opined. "It's also a more focused product -- but they don't have the channel and marketing of Samsung or Sony."


text:
Friday, November 6, 2009
Cough, sniffle, cough
So I made this card a couple weeks ago and it has just been waiting for the chance to get posted. I slightly altered the Gorjuss Girl by drawing in a coat just like in a previous post... a couple lines and your done. Super easy altering!
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for all the positive feedback on the new digis...in fact if you would like to see a sneak peek of one of the elves head on over to Traci's blog for a special treat! Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and GP
paper- The Paper Patch (trees) Rebecca Sower (white)
stamps- Sugar Nellie (Bear Hug Gorjuss Girl) Hero Arts (sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox dark brown chalk ink
Cuttlebug embossing plate
Ranger gold stickles
Queen & Co star brad
Copic multiliner 0.3 pen
Copic markers:
skin- E00, E11, R20
hair- E30, Y21, E31, Y26
clothes- G20, G24, G29, E44, E47, E49, R35, R46, R59, E40, E41
polar bear- E40, E41, R11
26 comments:
- gobeagirl said...
Hi Amy, thanks for finding me that stamp! I can not wait to get her..you so ROCK! I love your card today. It is just so wintery and Christmasy fun..That does not really describe how pretty and peacefull feeling it is...I hope you feel better soon. Get some rest! Have a good Friday, Lisa G
- November 6, 2009 at 6:14 AM
- Kelly Booth said...
This card is just Precious Amy...Love it ...
And that Elf!!! WOW...it will be a MUST have for me......So cute!!
- November 6, 2009 at 6:30 AM
- Kelly Booth said...
PS...Get Some rest and Feel Better Soon!!
- November 6, 2009 at 6:31 AM
- Kerry said...
Another gorgeous card Amy, get some rest and feel better soon.
- November 6, 2009 at 6:35 AM
- Jessica Diedrich said...
beautiful card, Amy! I hope you feel better really soon! That "ick" is around everywhere...darn ick! Get some rest, girlie :)
- November 6, 2009 at 6:44 AM
- Unknown said...
I do hope you feel better soon, Amy!
As always, your card is beautiful!
- November 6, 2009 at 7:02 AM
- Tammi said...
Hugs, feel better!! Your card is sweet, love her coat and the white bear...and woohoo on releasing the elf! :)
- November 6, 2009 at 7:33 AM
- kris said...
I hope you feel better soon Amy!!! and of course, this card is just "gorjuss"... love the alteration and that christmas tree DP is very pretty! hugs, Kris
- November 6, 2009 at 7:37 AM
- Kim Costello said...
Feel better soon sweetie maybe this little card will cheer you up. Just loving your Fairies thank you, mwah! Your card is stunning love the snowflake texture! HuGs Kim :)
- November 6, 2009 at 8:12 AM
- Gabby said...
Gorjuss card Amy! The elf is ADORABLE! Can't wait to see what else you've got up your sleeve! You do amazing work! I just printed out the 4 fairies and I'm gonna be coloring them this weekend! :D
WARM HUGS in hopes you get well VERY soon my Glee chick! :D
- November 6, 2009 at 8:26 AM
- donna mikasa said...
Love this, and so glad you had it in reserve! Take good care, Amy! Hugs!
- November 6, 2009 at 9:22 AM
- Claireabelle said...
Sorry to hear your feeling under the weather Amy. As always, a fantastic card!
- November 6, 2009 at 11:17 AM
- Victoria said...
ooh some gorgeous cards whilst I've been on hols. Congrats on your stamps finally being in the for sale section! Am going to have invest!
Hope you feel better soon
- November 6, 2009 at 12:19 PM
- crafty amy said...
oh sweetie I hope you get some rest and feel better very soon :( This card is gorgeous I love the coats idea for the gorjuss girls it works so well and your colour combo as always is just perfect!
Amy xx
- November 6, 2009 at 12:28 PM
- Tonje said...
Fab card! Hope you're feeling better soon.
- November 6, 2009 at 1:33 PM
- Victoria said...
Super sweet card Amy. Love your altering and great LO! Sorry to hear you're under the weather. I'm not feeling too hot either! Feel better soon and hope you have a good weekend!
Hugs, Vicky ~x~
- November 6, 2009 at 1:56 PM
- Tracey Feeger said...
This is oh so cute. You are doing a wonderful job with the Gorjuss Girls for your christmas cards.
- November 6, 2009 at 2:15 PM
- Alice said...
LOVE the elegant design of your card! so beautiful!!
- November 6, 2009 at 2:31 PM
- Randi said...
SO cute!! Love how you altered your Gorjuss girl!! It looks so wintery!! Great idea for a holiday card!! Have a fantastic weekend!! I was just notified your stamps shipped! I am SOOOO excited!
- November 6, 2009 at 3:30 PM
- Randi said...
Oh, and I meant to say, I hope you feel better soon!! Get some rest!
- November 6, 2009 at 3:30 PM
- Erin said...
Very sweet card Amy, loved the elf on Traci's blog. Hope you feel better soon. Take some Vit. D.
- November 6, 2009 at 3:31 PM
- RiNNE said...
looks like a card from Hallmark but BETTER! Love the colors!
- November 6, 2009 at 10:38 PM
- MicheyMoo said...
I hope you are on the mend dear Amy. Nothing worse than having a weekend all to yourself and the many things you have planned and coming down with a rotten cold. :(
Cute little gorjuss card.
Hope you are back on ya feet in no time. M xxx
- November 7, 2009 at 5:55 AM
- Tasha said...
Hey there Amy this card is so fab - i would never have thought to use these SNs for xmas cards! SUper creative and beautiful
love tasha xx
- November 7, 2009 at 7:31 AM
- Angie said...
Gorgeous as usual, I'm glad you are feeling better!
- November 7, 2009 at 8:07 AM
- Nikki said...
Awe this is so Cute love those trees and how you've made it 3-D
Feel better soon :)
- November 8, 2009 at 12:23 AM


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- 6 Healthy Foods That Are Easy on Your Wallet
- P90X2™—It's Time!
- A Beachbody® Cookbook Review: Lucid Food
- Win Up to $100,000!
- Recipe: Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
6 Healthy Foods That Are Easy on Your WalletBy Suzy Buglewicz
These days, it seems like we're all trying to stretch our dollars, either by necessity or because we're becoming savvier about the benefits of saving more and spending less. If you've been looking for ways to stretch your grocery budget without filling up on cheap, empty calories, read on. It's a myth that the healthiest foods are the most expensive. With a list and a plan, it's possible—and surprisingly simple—to eat healthily without blowing your budget or sacrificing those hard-earned P90X® or INSANITY® results. If you want to keep your wallet fat and your waistline trim, try to put more of these food items in your shopping cart the next time you're at the grocery store.
- Sweet Potatoes. Also marketed as yams (which are actually a variety of sweet potato), this versatile food is as nutritious as it is economical. Sweet potatoes are used in everything from baby food to main dishes to desserts.
Why they're good for you: At about 140 calories each, sweet potatoes are filling, easy to cook, and loaded with vitamins A and C, iron, and thiamine. They also contain beta-carotene, which may help reduce the risk of certain cancers. Sweet potatoes are also low in sodium and a good source of fiber.
Best way to enjoy: Scrub and pierce the sweet potatoes, then bake them, microwave them, or cook them in boiling water. Use them in recipes that call specifically for sweet potatoes, or to make things interesting, try using them in place of white potatoes. For a special treat (and an instant kid-pleaser), add a small amount of butter and brown sugar.
- Beans. Long regarded as one of the ultimate frugal foods, beans are as versatile as they are nutritious, with a plethora of flavors, colors, and varieties to choose from. Stock up on the dried (and cheapest!) kind, as well as still-a-bargain canned beans. You'll have tons of cheap, healthy meal possibilities.
Why they're good for you: Beans are one of the best sources of dietary fiber, which can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Beans are also high in amino acids, and when combined with grains (like the brown rice mentioned below), they make an excellent source of animal-free complete protein.
Best way to enjoy: Beans can be incorporated into almost any recipe, or just eaten by themselves. Try replacing beef with black beans in chili, soup, or your favorite Mexican recipes. Eat beans hot or cold, alone, in salads, or with rice, for a high-protein, high-fiber meal.
- Brown rice. One 2-pound bag of brown rice can provide as many as 20 servings. You can combine brown rice with an assortment of other ingredients, or simply enjoy it with a few simple seasonings. Bonus? Brown rice has more flavor and nutrients than instant white rice.
Why it's good for you: Brown rice is a great source of fiber, vitamin B, iron, manganese, and selenium, nutrients that are essential for keeping the immune system strong and healthy, lowering cholesterol, and reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Best way to enjoy: Cook brown rice with water on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in a rice cooker, then either enjoy it as a side dish or add it to soups, salads, and your favorite main dish recipes.
- Eggs. At about 75 calories each and often less than $2 per dozen, eggs contain more than a dozen essential nutrients, which make them a healthy bargain. And there's no need to avoid eating eggs for fear of consuming too much cholesterol. Research has shown that egg consumption, when limited to 1 or 2 a day, contributes less than 1 percent to the risk of heart disease when other factors are considered.
Why it's good for you: Eggs have a high proportion of nutrients to calories, which means that they help you stay feeling full and energized while they help you maintain a healthy weight. Eggs are also an excellent source of folate, protein, lutein (which promotes eye health), and choline (which helps brain function).
Best way to enjoy: Eat eggs for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Try them baked, hard-boiled, scrambled, poached, in frittatas, in omelettes, or in any recipe you choose.
Whole-grain pasta. Tasty, filling, and always an economical way to feed a crowd, what's not to love about pasta?
Why it's good for you: Whole-grain pasta is low in sodium and fat and high in complex carbohydrates, which helps you maintain a consistent energy level. Unlike its refined white flour–based brethren, whole-grain pasta is also a good source of fiber.
Best way to enjoy: Whole-grain pasta is easy to combine with other foods, including vegetables, meats, and your favorite sauces. For a healthier dish, toss cooked pasta with olive oil or a marinara sauce instead of a high-calorie Alfredo sauce.
- Frozen vegetables. While fresh, raw vegetables (and fruits, for that matter) that are in season should always be a first choice, having a supply of frozen vegetables on hand is an inexpensive, nutritious, and versatile backup plan.
Why they're good for you: Frozen vegetables retain almost all of their nutritional value, since they're picked and frozen while at their peak flavor. When the perishables in your refrigerator have, well, perished, it's easy to reach for a bag of frozen vegetables and add them to any meal.
Best way to enjoy: Frozen vegetables have a high nutritional value. Keep them in the freezer and pull them out any time to toss in soups, stews, lasagna, or stir-fries. They also make great side dishes. But always read the ingredients before buying a bag—some food companies add preservatives and sodium to their frozen produce.
BONUS: Try these recipes for healthy, low-cost eating.
Three-Bean Pasta
- 1 lb. uncooked whole-grain farfalle or other pasta
- 1 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen green beans, thawed
- 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and chopped
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. In a large bowl, combine drained pasta, beans, onion, bell pepper, and chickpeas. Mix remaining ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over pasta, toss, and serve. Serves 6.
Chunky Vegetable Chili
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
- 1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, seeded, cored, and chopped
- 1 Tbsp. chile powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 28-oz. can tomatoes (with juice)
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 cup cubed zucchini, cubed
- 6 Tbsp. sour cream (optional)
Place first nine ingredients (including juice from tomatoes) in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, then stirring frequently until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini, replace cover, and simmer another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until zucchini and sweet potatoes are tender. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with 1 tablespoon of sour cream (if desired). Serves 6.
Related Articles
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Questions about your workout program, diet, the latest newsletter, or anything wellness related? Chat with Denis Faye, Beachbody Fitness Advisor, in the Beachbody Chat Room on Monday, September 26th, at 3:00 PM ET, 12:00 PM PT.
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, click here to add a comment in the newsletter review section or you can email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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A Beachbody® Cookbook Review: Lucid FoodBy Denis Faye
Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life by Louisa Shafia. Ten Speed Press, $22.50
When you're trying to eat right, it seems like no matter what positive action you take, there's something you miss. You eat organic, but then you forget to eat local. You load up on fruits and veggies, but you end up with a bunch of wasteful, unrecyclable packaging. You buy cruelty-free foods, only to learn that you're exploiting some poor Guatemalan farm worker.
And to top this all off, when you show the slightest inclination toward socially responsible eating, friends and family can often freak out and assume you're going all hippie on them. They don't seem to understand that just because you don't want to consume pesticides and GMOs, it doesn't mean you've become a recruiting agent for the Communist party.
Hopefully, an afternoon spent perusing Louisa Shafia's Lucid Food should go a long way toward helping you deal with both issues. Although at its core it's a cookbook, it's also filled with lessons on how to eat in a way that will nourish both you and the planet. Furthermore, it should also help you in dealing with your more dietetically uptight acquaintances, with several hosting suggestions that'll have even the most conservative dinner party guests coming back to the buffet for more.
The beginning of the book, "Eco-Kitchen Basics," features a huge list of ways to do the right thing when it comes to food. The nice thing about this list is that it's broken down into simple tips. It may seem overwhelming at first, but no one expects you to transform into an eco-warrior overnight. Just go through and pick a few tips that work for you. For example, "Serve seasonal produce" and "Carry your own silverware." Once you've mastered those two, grab a few more. The end of the section contains a useful glossary, so you can figure out what terms like "carbon footprint" and "locavore" really mean.
Next come the recipes. They're divided into four sections: fall, winter, spring, and summer. The recipes in each section use foods typically available in that season, such as cherries in the summer and citrus fruits in the winter. Also, the foods are appropriate to the weather outside. Cold December nights call for Creamy Red Kuri Squash Soup and Mediterranean Shepherd's Pie. Pleasant spring afternoons call for Sassafras Tea and Stinging Nettle Pesto with Seared Scallops.
Each chapter is also peppered with thought-provoking essays, like "No-Waste Entertaining" and "Gardening, Anywhere." As you may have figured from the names of recipes mentioned previously, one drawback of this book is some of the more obscure ingredients required, like lemon balm leaves and garlic ramps (which are a kind of wild leek grown from South Carolina to Canada). Fortunately, many of the recipes feature more standard foods, and you can always improvise a little if need be. The Orecchiette with Morel Mushrooms and Garlic Ramps will work fine with regular leeks, thank you very much. (And orecchiette is just a fancy kind of shell pasta.)
Lucid Food isn't a centerpiece cookbook, like Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything series, but it's a welcome addition to anyone's collection, provided that person cares about food, where it's grown, and what it does to his or her body.
Related Articles
"The Top 10 Questions About P90X2™"
"Cookbook Review: Good Fish"
"Cookbook Review: Super Natural Cooking"
Questions about your workout program, diet, the latest newsletter, or anything wellness related? Chat with Denis Faye, Beachbody Fitness Advisor, in the Beachbody Chat Room on Monday, September 26th, at 3:00 PM ET, 12:00 PM PT.
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, click here to add a comment in the newsletter review section or you can email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Check out our Fitness Advisor's responses to your comments in The Beachbody Mailbag on the Message Boards. If you'd like to receive The Beachbody Mailbag by email, click here to subscribe.
And if you'd like to know more about Beachbody Director of Results Steve Edwards' views on fitness, nutrition, and outdoor sports, read his blog, The Straight Dope, recently named one of the Top 50 blogs covering the sports industry by the Masters in Sports Administration.
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Recipe: Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
The farmers' markets are starting to show the first signs of autumn—healthy gourds like pumpkins and squashes are beginning to populate the stands. Here's a quick, easy recipe for a delicious, vitamin-filled fall soup.
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2-1/2 cups onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5-1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 3 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, for about 1 more minute. Add squash, broth, and red pepper and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until squash is soft, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly.
Once it's cooled, puree soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Return pureed squash mixture to pot. Add 1 teaspoon of thyme and stir. If desired, thin soup with more broth, then simmer 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 6 bowls, sprinkle with remaining thyme, and enjoy!
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
|Nutritional Information (per serving)
|Fat Total
|Saturated Fat
|5 grams
|4 grams
|23 grams
|5 grams
|1 gram
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The second annual iPad-an-Hour Giveaway bonanza by ZAGG is back. Same as last year, 24 iPads (this time the iPad 4 16GB Wifi model) will be given away throughout Black Friday.
Starting at 12:00 am MST on Black Friday, we'll be giving away an iPad 4 every hour. 24 iPad 4s over 24 hours. Each hour is a new opportunity to enter the giveaway. So yes, you need to go to the giveaway page each hour and enter.
Entering the giveaway will be simple. To enter, just submit your email address. For additional entries, you can share on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. A Facebook share is worth two additional entries, a Twitter share is worth one additional entry, and a Pinterest share is worth one additional entry.
You can get a reminder by texting 'hour' to 53535 and ZAGG will text you each hour to remind you to enter. The contest starts in a few hours, so if you're feeling lucky then, head over to the ZAGG Contest page to submit your entries. Good luck!


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I have this ridiculously decadent recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies that Jason won't let me make… dammit!
He simply doesn't trust himself around anything chocolate, especially if it's merged with peanut butter (or even sat next to it for that matter), as he knows both his poise and self-control would instantly strip naked and offer themselves in exchange for the aforementioned delight.
Unfortunately, it puts me in a very awkward situation on days like today when, after 48 hours of mood swings due to estrogen overdose I'm stuck in the wall teeth first… In desperate times nothing can stop me from satisfying my various PMS cravings, plaster included. One day it's calcium, then iron, and most commonly magnesium. When the levels of the latter deplete, my mind goes blank for a split of a second, and when I recover my senses I realize the control panel in my head has turned on the red emergency light that flashes: CHOCOLATE.
NOTHING will prevent me from finding a piece of chocolate and holding on to it with the whole might of my jaws, like a rat that escaped from a sinking ship clenching to a raft with all that it's got – nails, tails, teeth, harpoons, anchors, etc. Nothing, not even the stack of brand new jeans (two sizes down from the last pair I purchased mind you!) recently piled up in my closet, will stop me from satisfying THE craving.
Those jeans will stick around and I'm determined to use them as long as they fully cover my ass. One day their status will become a reminder of my "pre-pregnancy weight". (Thanks, Heather, for your post. I'm learning so much ahead of time!) On those days I'll be desperate to get the chocolate OUT of the grasp of my jaws, and lock it away in a chocolate jail with no option for a bail out.
Until then, however, play that funky music, white boy! Give me some of that rich and bittersweet chocolaty bite that will melt on my tongue and coat it with sheer satisfaction. I know my heart rate will rise, shivers will run down my spine, and I'll salivate releasing serotonins that will ultimately take me to the peak of that mountain called O. Meanwhile, perfectly oblivious to all of it, Jason will continue to put out various work related fires instead of going on this hike with me… if you know what I mean.
How might I satiate this craving when the house is chocolate proof and the closest thing to sweets I can find is a half empty jar of Dijon mustard in the refrigerator? My eyes hopelessly slide down the carton of eggs, pickles, sliced turkey, my cheese-less pesto… EGGS! I got it! Suddenly it all comes together and I know what steps to take to get me to my Happy Ending!
The answer is… KOGEL-MOGEL. I'm going back to my roots again. Kogel-Mogel is – I assure you – a real word and not an Agi-ism. It is a Polish name for a kind of mousse we used to make back in the day when sweets were scarce, and all one could find on shelves in a grocery store was vinegar. Yes, it was a very different world from everything you know.
To make Kogel-Mogel you need at least one egg, 2-3 tsp of sugar, and as much of cocoa powder, plus a mug and a teaspoon to mix it all with. If you're lazy, or want to get fancy, go ahead and grab your handheld mixer – life is hard enough as it is. Now, separate the egg white from the yolk. Save the egg white for later in a closed container inside of your refrigerator. You can use it tomorrow for the Scrambled Eggs with Roasted Acorn Squash for example, or merengues, or whatever else you want.
Drop the egg yolk into the prearranged mug, add the sugar and whip it together using the mixer. It will take a couple of minutes until the sugar is fully incorporated, thus making the egg yolk fluffy and thick at the same time. It will at least double if not triple in volume. Now turn off the mixer and add your cocoa powder (70% and organic is my preference). Whip it again for 30 seconds and YOU ARE DONE, my friend!
Go ahead and lick the mixing whisk… clean it good. You don't have much in that mug, so take your time and dress your tongue with small servings of the chocolate mousse you've just made. Delight in it. Close your eyes, open your mouth and feel the pleasure with all your senses. Start climbing that mountain, and don't look back. The world will pause and observe with envy as you get higher and higher. Forget the world, let go, breathe, relax, moan, and be free… Experience the O.


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NEW YORK (MainStreet) Your credit card info may now be posted for sale. Millions of hacked credit and debit cards involved in the Target breach are already listed on the black market, according to Brian Krebs, the security industry reporter who first broke the story. Cards issued by non-U.S. banks are fetching premium prices.
Two banks a "small, community bank and a large top-10 bank" -- have purchased their customers' stolen card data from an underground online service peddling the hacked card information, in an effort to confirm the validity of the breach.
Krebs reports the cards are being sold in batches sorted by Zip Codes, enabling fraudsters to buy stolen card data in proximity to their location. "This lets crooks who want to use the cards for in-store fraud avoid any knee-jerk fraud defenses in which a financial institution might block transactions that occur outside the legitimate cardholder's immediate geographic region," he reports on his blog KrebsOnSecurity.com.
The stolen card data is being sold for prices ranging from $20 to more than $100 per card, he says.
Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase has notified card holders impacted by the Target breach that their cards will be restricted to $100 ATM cash withdrawals and $300 card purchases until replacement cards can be issued. The new limits impact nearly 2 million debit card accounts, but not credit card holders.
Multiple class-action lawsuits are underway, with reports of three such suits having already been filed, two in California and one in Oregon.
Although consumers are usually protected from losses regarding credit and debit card fraud, Javelin Strategy and Research says cardholders affected by a security breach such as the Target hack are nearly eight times more likely to become victims of identity theft. The firm says the number of notified card-breach victims who suffered fraud increased 340% from 2010 to 2012, resulting in $4.8 billion in losses.
--Written by Hal M. Bundrick for MainStreet


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IF Statements
Write the program logic that will compute the paycheck of an employee. This is as much an exercise in designing your logic as much as a programming exercise in the grammar and syntax.
Your program's logic will perform a user to perform the following:
1. Enter the employee's LAST Name
2. Enter the employee's FIRST Name
3. Enter the employee's ID Number
4. Enter the employee's Total Hours Worked up to a maximum of 60 hours
5. Enter the employee's Pay Per Hour. The Pay per hour cannot be more than $100.00 per hour. It cannot be less than the minimum wage (i.e. $8.50 per hour). Detect any erroneous pay rate and set it to a default. If less than the minimum hourly wage, set to the minimum hourly wage. If greater than the maximum rate then set that employee to the maximum rate. Display an appropriate error message telling that data entry clerk what they did.
6. Federal tax rate and State tax rate range from zero to 40%. State and Federal tax rates cannot exceed a combined 80%.
7. Calculations include:
a) Compute the Regular Pay (any hours up to 40 hours) Regular Hours X Pay Per Hour
b) Compute the Overtime Pay if ANY (hours OVER 40 hours)
Overtime Hours X Pay Per Hour X 1.25 ("time and a quarter" for overtime)
c) Compute Gross Pay
Regular Pay + Overtime Pay (if NO overtime then Overtime Pay is zero)
d) Compute Federal Taxes Withheld (assume 20% rate, i.e. 0.2) Gross Pay X Federal Tax Rate
e) Compute State Taxes Withheld (assume 5% rate, i.e. 0.05) Gross Pay X State Tax Rate
f) Compute Net Pay (Gross Pay - Federal Taxes Withheld - State Taxes Withheld)
Output the employee's LAST Name, FIRST Name, ID Number, Total Hours, Regular Hours, Overtime Hours, if any (if NO overtime hours then don't print it), Gross Pay, Regular Pay, Overtime Pay, if any (if NO overtime hours then don't print it), Federal Taxes Withheld, State Taxes Withheld, Net Pay. Output format, I leave to your imagination (i.e. some sort of if statement?).
output where i have to show last name , first name , id, total hours, regular hours
then regular hour and over time
then gross pay then federal tax and state tax . i need the constant declare


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This article contains lore taken from Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, the manuals, and official bonus maps.
The alabaster parapets of Lordaeron's capital loom before you in the distance. The proud, defiant armies of the Alliance stand resolute in their final, fleeting moments.
All that remains is the shrill, clarion call to battle and the fulfillment of our destiny. The tides of darkness are now at hand!
- Destroy all that you behold in the name of the Horde!
In preparation for the impending attack, King Terenas ordered his guards to try to get all the people, and their belongings behind city walls. Many had abandoned their homes with little but the clothes on their back and tools and other professions they had on them when they fled. They knew their homes would be destroyed, and would have to be rebuilt later. He had few men to defend the city walls, as most had left with Lothar, as the king had not expected the Horde to attack the city.[4] (ToD 265)
The Horde offensive
Urok Scratcher and his commander were among the forces sent to destroy Capital City. Urok's unit chose to again rely on dragons to sack most of the capital. The most suitable site for the roosts was on the island where their troops had already made a successful landing. Though they already had a base started, the encampment soon fell to a constant stream of raiders. So new construction began near the mine on the island. This was far enough inland that only gryphons could harass the base, and those were taken care of by numerous guard towers and trolls.[5] (W2ToDOSG 204, 205)
All the structures necessary to develop dragon roosts were built first. Four roosts were launching the terrible beasts into the air. Once they had eight of them flying, their first targets were the numerous enemy troops stationed near the center of the island. For some odd reason the Alliance forces never organized a land attack. Next came their navy, which never stood a chance, it was destroyed by so many firebreathers flying together. Though the Alliance destroyers managed to bring down a few, these were replaced quickly. The assault continued with the removal of their shipyards. A protective circle of guard towers made the attacks on the center of the capital prohibitely expensive, but little was left to hinder an amphibious landing.[5] (W2ToDOSG 204, 205)
While the dragons incinerated towers and cleared a wide section of the coastline for landing, the rest of the forces constructed a shipyard and accompanying structures to produce two transports. These made a standard assault on the mainland with four catapults, seven ogres and a single peon to raise a barracks. The dragons then concentrated on mobile units, while the catapults methodically removed stationary targets near shore and later focused on the guard towers so the reptiles could focus on the interior. Urok was sure it would be an easy victory, and that it was the Horde's destiny to devour the world.[5] (W2ToDOSG 204, 205) King Terenas witnessed the Horde swarm across the lake. Some had crossed over by use of rough bridges. From his vantage point he couldn't see any siege weapons other than a log to be used as a battering ram.[4] (ToD 264)
As the orcs reached the walls, Terenas ordered the soldiers to drop hot oil on the orcs. The remaining soldiers tipped large cauldrons over the ramparts letting the boiling oil pour down the side of the walls. The oil spilled across the leading orcs, drenching them completely. They screamed in pain as it burned away their flesh. The entire front rank crumpled, writhing and twitching. A few staggered away but most were dead. The Alliance forces prepared more oil to drop on the heads of the Horde. While the oil would run after a few more attempts by the horde, they knew they had plenty of food and supplies and would be able hold out during a long siege if need be.[4] (ToD 266)
The Alliance forces under Turalyon reached the valley leading to Lordaeron. They had ridden hard, with Khadgar and cavalry, with the infantry marching behind them. They had traveled west through the foothills of Hearthglen and emerged north of Capital City, so they could swing back down and come at the city from the wide plain behind it, where the main gates were located. The Alliance forces clashed with the besieging Horde forces, the horsemen scattering the front line while the Lordaeron defenders rained arrow and fire down on the orcs. The success lasted for sometime until the overwhelming might of the Horde forced them back. The knights were forced back by the sheer number of the Horde for every orc they kill, another would appear with three more beside him. The Horde managed to push them across the river and left a portion to hold them while the rest turned to pound the city walls. Slowly the orcs started to climb up the walls and bring down the defenders one by one with ammunition started to run dangerously low.[4] (ToD 272, 273)
Meanwhile, Thoras Trollbane who led his surviving warriors to aid his old friend arrived in the mountains. Knowing that he needed to do something quick to prevent the whole Horde from arriving into Lordaeron, the Stromgarde king personally led his soldiers to attack and block the passes. Though the Horde already had the strength enough to storm the city, this small action would prove to be deadly later.[4] (ToD 266,267, 268)
At Lordaeron, the battle raged even fiercer and the gates were starting to crack. Terenas ordered the gates to be blocked with everything they had, knowing that they were not going to hold for long.[4] (ToD 280, 281)
Alliance victory
Just as the gates were about to fall, Doomhammer received news that Gul'dan had taken the rest of Horde across the sea. The warchief saw that despite the fact that the city was about to fall, he had already lost a large number of his standing troops. Desperate, he quickly ordered his reserves to the field only to find them already slaughtered by Stromgardian knights and warriors. Though knowing that they did not have the numbers to stand against the Alliance, Doomhammer nevertheless ordered the Blacktooth Grin, which provided a bulk of the standing troops to track down Gul'dan, hoping that he had done the right thing.[4] (ToD 282, 285, 286)
This action was all the Alliance needed and the human knights and elven rangers crossed the bridge clashing with the surviving orcs. With no sign of reinforcement and cornered by the Alliance and Lordaeron forces on one side and Stromgarde troops on the other, the standing orc forces retreated. The Alliance had won.[4] (ToD 322, 323)
Horde victory (original ending)This section concerns content exclusive to Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.
Orcs and trolls entered the Capital City, they killed every human, proceeded to the Throne Room and assassinated King Terenas, then red dragons burned down the keep.[6]
Victory for the Horde
- The victory pyres burn high into the twilight skies covering the ruined capital of Lordaeron. Your success has led Orgrim Doomhammer - War Chief of the Orcish Hordes - to elevate you to the station of Warlord, thus giving you power and the command of your own clan. The Alliance has finally been crushed, with all those surviving being slain and cremated as is dictated by the rituals. At long last Azeroth and all of its lands belong to the thunderous force known to those foolish enough to stand in its way as the Horde!


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Pettigrew last one in
When tight end Brandon Pettigrew agreed to a five-year deal with the Lions early this evening it meant the Lions had all eight rookies signed in time for the start of training camp on Saturday afternoon.
Pettigrew, a first-round pick, signed a five-year deal.
Earlier in the day the Lions confirmed that DT Sammie Hill, a fourth-round pick, signed a three-year contract while wide receiver Derrick Williams, a third-round pick out of Penn State, also agreed to a three-year deal.


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Petition seeks renamed street for slain Newtown teacher
STRATFORD (AP) — More than 2,000 petitioners are asking Stratford to rename a street to honor a teacher who was among six educators and 20 children who were fatally shot in a Newtown grade school rampage.
The Connecticut Post reports that a petition on Change.org and linked to Facebook asks the Stratford Town Council to change North Parade to Victoria Soto Way. Stratford was the 27-year-old teacher's home town.
Chris Barbee, a graduate of Stratford High School where Soto graduated, said backers of a renamed street want to make sure Soto will never be forgotten.
Mayor John Harkins did not comment to the newspaper, citing respect for the family.
Members of Soto's high school class of 2003 have started a scholarship fund in her name. They also are composing a book, called "Letters to Vicki."


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The Michigan Secretary of State's office is the latest agency to deploy an online queue system that is slashing customer wait times, and driving increased efficiencies.
One citizen described the event as the best experience they had had since the birth of their first child. They were talking about a recent trip to their local department of motor vehicles (DMV). Though likely a case of hyperbole for effect, it only sounds like a joke because going to the DMV is typically a painful experience. But a new cloud-based system designed to make waiting less painful is resulting in five-star reviews on Yelp and praise for organizations that people traditionally hate.
The service is called QLess, and in addition to a wide range of private-sector businesses, many public-sector organizations are finding value in the service too. Currently used by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Kansas Department of Revenue, many motor vehicle departments, cities and even universities, last week the Michigan Secretary of State announced a $1.1 million QLess contract that will eventually deploy the service in 10 of its offices.
Waiting in line is a waste of time, said Alex Bäcker, founder and CEO of QLess. While his service is relatively new, the problem he addresses is not. MIT engineering professor Richard Larson is known for being a pioneer in "line psychology" research. Larson published a paper in 1977 called The Psychology of Queuing and Social Justice, which established Larson in his chosen field -- where he later asserted that the average person spends two years of his life waiting in different types of lines.
Lines are bad for many reasons, Bäcker explained. Lines are wasting time that people could be spending being productive, which has a negative impact on the economy. Lines also make people unhappy, reduces the efficiency of organizations, and diminishes the relationship between organization and customer. QLess technology alleviates or solves most of those problems, according to company data and customer testimonials.
Michigan's deployment, underway first at offices in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids and Lansing, is a good representation of the features QLess offers, Bäcker said. First, QLess will allow customers to join a queue online, so they can begin waiting wherever they want, before they arrive at the office. Customers will be able to either call or text the service for various functions, such as cancelling their spot in line, or pushing their turn back if they're running late. Customers can see their place in the queue along with an estimated wait time by looking online, or by looking at onsite monitors. There will also be tickets onsite for people without phones.
The system also allows for appointments that integrate smoothly with people in the queue who did not have appointments. If the office is running late, they can notify those in line that their wait will be extended before they make their way to the office for their turn. QLess releases more than 100 updates and improvements each year, according to Bäcker. "One of the nice things about having a cloud-based infrastructure is that many of those automatically get deployed and Michigan gets the benefit as we release those," he said.
The system is also platform-agnostic and requires no existing infrastructure, he added – they can build the system into an office's existing hardware, or provide new equipment as needed.
Michigan's five-year, $1.1 million contract is expected to let Secretary of State offices do more with their existing resources while also saving customers time, said Fred Woodhams, communications manager at the Michigan Department of State.
"The department has reduced its staff by 25 percent over the last decade and consolidated offices, with the result being that we have more than 40 fewer locations across the state than we had a decade ago," he said, adding that the state now has 131 offices and there are no plans to open more, so they need all the help they can get.
Their online services and self-serve kiosks only go so far in helping with the workload, Woodhams said, so QLess will help manage the lines in 10 offices, which altogether account for 2 million transactions each year.
While the deployment isn't finished yet, Woodhams reports an uptick in customer feedback due to surveys they now administer via text message. "Previously we had been mailing customer service surveys to customers or reviewing in-office comment cards," he said. "The technology also will allow managers to better track and measure customer volume and wait times."
Evaluating metrics is a coup for most organizations, Bäcker said, because it allows them to look at their operations and continually improve. Sometimes, a QLess deployment can optimize wait times automatically, like it did in Johnson County, Kan. Two nearby offices had wait times that diverged by more than 250 percent, but after QLess was deployed, the divergence equalized to within 1 percent. People could see the wait times of each office before they chose which one they would schedule an appointment with, Bäcker explained. Providing basic information to customers can be a huge first step toward solving the line problem.
QLess is so convinced of its value to organizations based on data from current customers that it guarantees a 400 percent return on investment.
The cost savings come from a number of different dynamics, he explained. "On the one hand, there's a documented reduction in no-shows," he said. "When you let someone wait wherever they want, you increase people's patience. And then when you have a digital tether to them and let them know when we're ready to serve you and we're going to serve you very soon, you have a lot of people [show up] who might not otherwise have come back."
QLess implementations have resulted in a 75 percent reduction in the number of people who see a line, and then leave and don't come back because they don't want to wait, he said. Having the option to leave and do other things while remaining informed on the length of the wait cuts down on a lot of the frustration associated with waiting.
Using QLess also reduces the amount of human labor needed to physically manage people in lines by 90 percent, Bäcker said. With fewer people waiting on site, waiting rooms can be reduced in size or eliminated and that space can then be repurposed. It's also very easy for people to notify the office if they're dropping out of the queue. By simply texting the letter "L" (for leave) to the service, that customer is removed from line, which cuts down on those lags in service where a name or number is being called for a person who will never arrive.
While Bäcker believes strongly in his product, even he was surprised when DMVs started sharing glowing customer experience stories. "I couldn't believe it," he said. "I thought they had to be crazy to tell me a DMV customer experience was the best they ever had."
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text:
"A man walking alone on a deserted beach, brandishing a lantern in his outstretched hand, might be a fool. But, for a ship that went astray on a stormy night, he might be the savior."
Friday, October 06, 2006
Fairuz in Tartous
If I prided myself on having made a few friends through this blog, I'm risking it all with this newest and most absurd post. However, I have a lump in my throat. I need to get it out. I'm suffocating. I need to speak up, unabashed. I hate Fairuz!
My earliest memory of Fairuz is that of an old 78 rpm vinyl record. If I'm not mistaken, the song was "Ya 3akida Al-7ajibayni" (Yea, Frowning Eyebrows). For God's sake, can you imagine such a stupid title for a song. I hated her there and then. Her high pitched voice got on my nerves. Worse, as I grew up, if I were to hear Fairuz in the morning, my whole day would go into shambles. Black cats never bothered me. Passing under a ladder, opening an umbrella inside a room, Friday the 13th, a hooting owl, a screaming raven. Nope. Fairuz in the morning, oh shit! I would be jinxed all day long. Luckily though, I was able to control my environment for most of my adult life and avoided her screeching voice as best as I could. But then, she was forced on me more often than I cared to. There was a certain time, when traveling to Damascus by bus (Karnak) was almost the only option for me and everybody else. It was a painful and agonizing three hours and thirty minutes trip, and guess what! Fairuz would be screaming in her thin, piping and irritating voice for the entire duration of the ride. I would arrive to Damascus with the most terrible migraine. I would see dots floating by (more so if I closed my eyes). I would become overly sensitive to light and I would choose a dark and quiet place where I can rest for the remainder of the day to lick my mental wounds away from all. There was also one more excruciating period in my life and that was when I served in the army for 30 consecutive months. As soon as I landed home after returning from the United States, I joined the army. No, no, I didn't get shot or anything. I never even saw the enemy. But, for the six months boot camp in the cold Syrian desert north of Homs, they would brutally wake us, poor souls, at five thirty in the morning on the most annoying of all noises ever produced by a human-made device: Fairuz blasting on a half a dozen sound horns satanically distributed among the building structures which comprised our military camp.
What is it really with Fairuz? OK, it's acceptable that the Lebanese, who usually make a big deal out of everything, hail Fairuz and call her their Ambassador to the Stars. But what about us in Syria! Why do we have to revere her? There's a very appropriate Damascene proverb which certainly applies: (لا وجه حلو ولا طيز ناعمة) La Wajeh Helou Wala Teez Naemeh = No beautiful face, no smooth ass. Do excuse me please; I lose all sense when I speak of the mass infatuation with Fairuz.
Propane gas is used in Syria for cooking. There is no utility service providing an underground network to serve users. Instead, propane gas is distributed by private vendors in what is called locally a bottle of gas (cylinder). Years ago, a mule drawn carriage would be laid full of gas cylinders. The vendor, with a wrench key in hand would use it as a drumstick and knock on the cylinders producing a very disturbing clinking noise. Housewives would hear the commotion, step out on balconies and call the "traveling salesman". He would then park his carriage and bring up the gas cylinder on his shoulder and make the exchange, replacing one empty and spare cylinder with a full one. Times have changed and gas is distributed today by small trucks using the same annoying advertising method, usually with a kid sitting in the back handling the drumming. Tartous, being a unique poetic city decided to do something about it. Seven years ago, a new mayor and city council, all avid fans of Fairuz, passed the strangest law in Syria. Gas vendors can only advertise their passage in a neighborhood and their product by playing a tape of Fairuz on a loudspeaker. The tape plays endlessly, and when Fairuz is heard out loud in the streets, housewives will step on balconies to summon the gas cylinder vendor. I made a clip for your eyes and ears only. By coincidence, two separate pickup trucks, on two different days, were playing the same song (Ana Mish Sawda Bas Al-Layl Sawadni Bi Jnaho) = I'm Not Black But the Night Blackened Me With Its Wing. Just reading these words is more than a justification to present to all my critics. At least now, you should be able to understand why I hate Fairuz.
|What do you think?
59 comments:
- مترجم سوري said...
that was funny. u can join my colleagues here and start off a new group called "fairouz u can go to hell"
- مترجم سوري said...
and the video... man my dreams are coming true!!!
- Azza said...
And I used to think that I am the only one who doesn't like her.. I won't say I hate her, but I can't stand listening to her for more than 5-10 min max..
You remind me of the cold mornings where I used to go to work in the company's micro bus listening to Fairuz for whole 30 minutes everyday which usually was the main reason for all bad days there!.. Thank God I quitted that job..
- Unknown said...
Dear No One
I'm gald I was able to bring a smile to you and to your colleagues. The clip just goes to prove that I don't have a wild imagination and that I'm not making the story up.
This is how they sell gas in Tartous. Very appropriate don't you think!
- Unknown said...
Dear Azza
I'm so happy somebody else broke the taboo and spoke out saying that she doesn't like Fairuz. I, too, don't hate her (it's too strong a word). I can't stand her voice or her songs. What I can't stand even more are those addicted on starting the damn day with her while insisting that it's OK to abuse the rest of us. They would say: "Oh, I like to drink my coffee and listen to Fairuz in the morning!" Then, you're supposed to get impressed because they are so, how shall I say it, soive.
Thank you for dropping by.
- Yazan said...
يا عاقد الحاجبين على الجبين اللّجين
إن كنت تقصد قتلي قتلتني مرّتين
تمر قفز غزال بين الرّصيف و بيني
و ما نصبت شباكي ولا أذنت لعيني
تبدو كأن لا تراني و ملئ عينك عيني
و مثل فعلك فعلي ويلي من الأحمقين
مولاي لم تبق مني حيّاً سوى رمقين
أخاف تدعو القوافي عليك بالمشرقين
I didnt see this coming, this is one of my favorite poems, and songs...
anyways, I can only say, "Allah Yehdeek"... lol
- Unknown said...
Hi Yazan
I'm way beyond Hidayah. The damage inflicted on me by Fairuz is incurable.
I knew I was going to get some (Frowning Eyebrows) because of this post, but damn it feels good to finally say what I always wanted to get out of my system.
Thank you for passing by.
Don't forget to let me know whe you're around. We need to get together and listen to Fouad Fakro (hahaha)
- Omar said...
loool.. Fairouz as a gas truck alarm.. this is the best idea I have ever heard in my life...... lol
I would strongly and passionately share your sentiments Abou Fares and everyone here.. I hate Fairouz with passion (just like I love Ziad with passion)
my childhood was filled with Fairouz songs as my grandfather was one of Asi Rahbani's best friends.. he also (my grandfather) unofficially co-wrote the closely related songs: "wa2efli ou khallini boos shbabeek el 7elweh bi tartous..." (halt and let me kiss the windows of the beauty in Tartous)..
however.. my absolute nightmare was: hey ya imm el 3ayn el ka7la yelli mn7b ghnaneeha.. kinti bi hak el gherra a7la wa7yatek reddeeha (I tried to translate into english... didn't work :(
I went to see her "live" here in Montreal 2 years ago.. paid $160 to do so, and had to take 4 hours of being in a heavy lebanese presence.. longest 4 hours of my life... after that concert, I can only remember one thing: the $160 I paid for that concert..
if you ever start a "fairouz go to hell" club... count me in.. please
now who's this self conscious anonymous that dropped out of nowhere? wht the hell are you talking about ya faheem?
- Unknown said...
I'm with Yazan on this one. I love Fairuz. Perhaps it's what her songs remind me of that makes me like her so much. I used to wake up to her everyday back in Homs. My parents sipping coffee near the sobya, trying to get to wake up so I can go to school..
no worries abufares, you're still a good guy in my eyes ;)
LOL. That was hilarious!
But يا عاقد الحاجبين was the reason! This amazes me, such a wonderful poem! alas!
So, how has this وجه حلو و طيز ناعمة among your favorite singers? Farid Alatrash or Roger Waters ? :P
- Unknown said...
Dear Omar, the Fairuz Lover
Your parents did it right. Listening to Fairuz near a Sobia is what saved them from freezing due to her chilling voice.
You see, in the morning, I really don't care to listen to any music. I just like to sit quietly without even talking. This juxtapositioning of Fairuz and mornings is what kept bothering me all these years.
Thank you for dropping by. Always a pleasure.
- Yazan said...
oh okay, I'm gonna be a minority in a world of Fairuze Haters... well well, let's see how u guys treat minorities...
Will definitley have a plan set before i get on any plane from here.. ;)
- Unknown said...
Dear Shadi
Since both Roger Waters and Farid Atrach are men, I don't care much about the smoothness of their "Teez".
I tolerate Haifa Wehbe for example because I would always mute the volume on TV then just watch her Teez more so than her face.
With Fairuz, I'm left with no options at all. I hate her voice. Her face, well you know. Her Teez... Please someone take that image out of my head, it's scary.
Thank you for coming by Shadi. A pleasure, always.
- Unknown said...
Dear Omar, the Fairuz Hater
I'm really happy to know that there are a whole lot of us. We kept quiet far too long I think.
Some of her songs are absolutley crazy. The one you mentioned is gross. What about the Bousta when she sang it? When she says: "Yekhrebayt 3younik Ya 3alia Shou 7elwin". What had been a great song before her rendition she simply turned into a monster.
Glad you've been here.
Looking forward seeing you soon.
- Unknown said...
Hey Yazan
Welcome again.
Don't worry, we are the real minority as far as our taste re. Fairuz is concerned.
I remember when I was young and foolish and wanted to Tabe2 (impress) a girl. We would be sitting in some restaurant in Damascus (in the middle of the day) with Fairuz blasting on the stereo. She would dreamily look at me and say don't you just love Fairuz and I would, teary eyes, reply (biting my lip) who doesn't!
Hating Fairuz openly was a banishment from the possiblity of scoring with any girl during my time. So not only I had to suffer from involuntarily listening to her, I had to lie about it as well.
- Ghalia said...
I'll share Yazan !
- Unknown said...
Hi Ghalia
Fi Ahwe 3al Mafra
Fi Maw2adi Wfi Nar
Oh no, I'm having goose bumps remembering this beautiful song.
Only if I were 20 years younger (or you 10 years older), I would've gone through the trouble of pretending that I'm in love with Fairuz, Kirmal 3younik.
As matters stand, I see no need and I've dropped my mask.
I'm hopeless I know.
Glad you've been here, please come again.
- Karin said...
Abufares ... you got my diaphram a serious muscle-ache with this post! I laughed tears while reading and even trying to imagine your "encounters" with Fairouz, absolutely cracked me up!
I can not say I do NOT like Fairouz but to stick with the truth - I never manage to listen to her CD more than halfway! I'm not sure if this is due to the language which I understand as well (or no, actually a BIT better!) as you understand Chinese - or to something else.
I am no real fan either but occasinally I do like to listen to her ... for a limited time though.
To have her function as gas-truck alarm ... that's the craziest think I heard in a long time! I guess they force you to suffer with every singly round the car makes ... poor guy ;)!!
Thanks so much for this post ... I REALLY like what your "crazy moods" are causing you to do!!
- Unknown said...
Hi karin
I can always blame it on fasting. These mood swings, as you've called them, veer me into the rediculous rather than the depressing. It's the gift of aging I guess. Before I made it to 20, I was always depressed unless I'm with a woman. Before I made it to 30, I would often get depressed if I'm not in the presence of one particular woman. Before I made it to 40, I would sometimes get depressed if I'm in the presence of one woman only. Now, I never get depressed, I just watch football and/or write senseless posts.
- مترجم سوري said...
ya zelemh i can't start my day without a cup of milk and fairouz on the back ground:D
what did u say that make me?
coool wallah
Salamat Abufares, I discovered your delightful blog recently via Syria Planet and am really enjoying your insights. Your post on Fairuz cracked me up; my oh my, what a brave "coming out" you've had.
One of the projects I did recently for a broadcaster client (marketing research) in several Arab countries, including Syria, came out with a categorical result: many Arabs, and not just us Syrians and other Levantines, apparently NEED to wake up with Fairuz (or have her as part of the morning ritual, before or after the news). I didn't know it was this drastic!
I'm personally quite partial to many of her songs, and Sahar Al Layali, Hanna Al Sakran or Ahadir Al Bosta (don't ask me why) come to mind. However, my husband would probably be happy to initiate, organize and possibly even fund a "I hate Fairuz" club! I won't fail to alert him that he's got soulmates out there amongst our compatriots.
I look forward to reading more of your great posts.
- Ihsan said...
Oh my god Abu Fares, I love Fairuz so much but I enjoyed the way you described her...hahaha...
The secret of Fairuz is not in the sadness in her voice, but in the memories that accompanies it. I brought it with a dose of Fairuz in the morning, sweet memories, great people and all had Fairuz in the background.
Anyways, as Yazan said, Allah yehdek.. ;)
- Unknown said...
Hi Reem
I'm so happy to have you here. It's exactly this dependence on Fairuz that I find strange. Coffee with Fairuz, or the morning paper with fairuz, ...etc.
The many responses indicating that there are people out there who had suffered the same traumatic syndroms after exposure to Fairuz for many years was very reassuring for me. I don't feel alone anymore, although I'm still in the minority.
Again, thank you for dropping by.
- Unknown said...
Hi No One
Your addiction to Fairuz makes you the normal guy, according to the interesting research carried out by Reem.
We, Fairuz Haters, are obviously the weirdos.
Thank you for your comment.
- Unknown said...
Hi Ihsan
Thank you so much for coming this way.
The secret of Fairuz is her omnipresence (on microbusses, in schools, in the army, in supposedly romantic places) and her high pitched annoying voice. She should be sad. I don't see any reason why she should be happy!
hahahaha (demonic laugh) :))))
- moryarti said...
on a side note, i am trying to figure out which part of Tartous is it in your clip - but i can't really tell.. :)
- Unknown said...
Hi Moryarti
The clip was shot in 2 sequences in the same area more or less. South of the Industrial Bank (The Ommaya Circle in Al-Kosour neighborhood).
I hope you're able to place it now.
- moryarti said...
no clue boss :)
Abu Fares,
I, for one, forgive you; after all it is Ramadan.
Loved your previous post. I never took that left turn and have been here -20 years- ever since. I couldn't even if I wanted to (for many reasons).
- Mirzade said...
i dont like her and i dont have a reason ...
too cold i guess
- Unknown said...
If you know the area called Mar Elias, the clip was shot around there.
- Unknown said...
HI Abu Kareem
Glad you've been here.
So you're one of the majority:)
That was what I meant when I said that if I didn't make that decision then it could be years before I can make it again.
- Unknown said...
HI Mirzade
You gave the absolute perfect reason for not liking Fairuz: No reason at all.
Thank you for dropping by. I feel stronger now with so many people agreeing with me.
- Unknown said...
well Abufares..
you mentioned Haifa Wehbe's teez, so I thought as a gesture of good will from a Fairuz lover to a Fairuz hater, I'd pass along to you this link..
- Unknown said...
Thank you for the Wawa link. I always thought that the best feature of Haifa is her Teez, although I also thought that the Wawa was something else.
Well now, just imagine Fairuz posing for these pictures, uh, come on, are you sick already, hahaha
- Unknown said...
Dear Rime
I'm sorry I've written your name in a different manner than you do.
That was unintentional, so do forgive me please. I'm just used to writing names the English rather than the French way.
My oh my!
What a demonstration!
:x fairouz
- Unknown said...
Dear Anonymous
The clip is beautiful, I have to admit.
Listening to music, any music is a ritual to me. I have to be alone of my own choice.
The problem with Fairuz, in the Middle East in general, is that her songs have become more or less background noise. I wouldn\'t want to hear any music in a taxi for example.
Thank you for your comment. I never meant to offend anyone, especially the legions of Fairuz fans (my dad included).
Dear Abufares, not to worry, you are forgiven. :)
So Funny!!
So, the ginnie is out of the bottle!! The mask is dropped! I am afraid I can NOT agree with you there!! I mean there might be a few songs which can be a bit "annoying" (I can't remember any now) but she has a very soothing voice!! Then again, I was never on one of these Karnak Trips!!
Abu Abdo
- Unknown said...
You know Abu Abdo
What I find most surprising is that this particular post has been the most "popular" on my blog. I wonder really, is this good or bad.
- Yazan said...
It's bad, You should thank me btw, one of my "more-obsessive" friends, was gonna leave a death threat for u here, cuz obviously u are Kafer in the Fairuz Worship rulings... zendeeq!!!
I may have stopped it this time, but who knows... be careful abu fares, be very careful. ;)
- Unknown said...
You see Yazan, death threats now because of Fairuz. I told you what happens when my day starts with her :)
- Ascribo said...
Well, it seems that I'm not alone!
When I was a young child, I used to have no feeling towards Fairuz...then came the secondary school! I remember her already high-pitched voice being deranged even more by the ancient fucked-up haut-parleur of the school backyard! That's a lot of memories, but as you said: it became part of the unpleasant background noise...Whenever you were, whatever you doing, you'll hear your voice imposed by other people who can't allow themselves or other people to have a quiet contemplation...Her voice make me feel like you're pulling every single nerve of mine like a string and releasing it..it reminds me of every kind of disturbing I had..From compulsory waking-up in the camping till the neighbours who can't enjoy their morning unless they drink their coffee, listen to Fairuz, and of course, wake you up by her buzzing voice..
For all the above-mentioned reasons, listening to Fairuz make you feel at home. Remembering that, I downloaded some of her songs and tried to listen to it one morning...it was the first time I realize how bad it is to start your day with Fairuz..Every word and every meaning of the song made me feel sick! What! "sa narge3o yawman ila hayyena" "we'll be back, one day, at our neighbourhood"..How the hell are we going to be back by doing nothing about it but chanting or listening to songs! Needless to say, I deleted all her stupid songs at once...
and as for the stupid gas cyliners selling, this is another means of annyoing people..Think about it when you're sitting at home reading/studying, or trying to concentrate on anything...and then comes the gas man, and starts pacing back and fro in your neighbourhood for some 20 mins...and then another one, and a third one...etc..My brother would say: they'll keep going until you buy from them! This is compulsive marketing!
Wonderful post Abufares
- Unknown said...
Hi Ascribo
Great to hear from you.
It seems we all have suffered at one time or another from Fairuz, from our early school years all the way to buying gas cylinders for cooking.
- Shannon said...
WOW! 45 comments! I'm a bit intimidated...I don't really know much about Fairuz, but, really, what a cool clip.
- Unknown said...
You are intimidated? I am intimidated. The first time I write about something I don't like and I get this huge response.
Fairuz, whether I like it or not, is an Arab institution. It might be possible that many hate her for exactly that reason.
Just imagine that you'd have to hear "whoever happens to be your favorite singer" every morning, whether you feel like it or not, in the right or wrong mood, in a cab, on an airplane, in school,...etc. you get the idea!
The problem is compounded if you don't like the voice of the singer to start with. It becomes a tragedy when you hate the lyrics as well.
This is my exact condition. My last refuge was the gas cylinder vendor and his clinking noise. Fairuz even took that away from me:)
A Syrian friend pointed me to your blog. I love your posts, especially this one! Yalla, let's start a revolution against Fairuz. If that's the best the Lebanese can offer, somebody needs to overthrow their DJs. LOL
- Unknown said...
Hi Paige
So glad you've been here. I'm still amazed that this particular post received so much feedback (for and against). To me at least,it proves that if we're honest about our feelings and can express them in writing, with a twist of humor along the way, people are going to be stimulated. I wish I could do that all the time.
Again, thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to comment.
I do not understand a word she is saying but her voice is beautiful.
Yes! I would like to add my voice to the chorus of anti-Fairouz dissent! I love Arab music, but I just don't "get" Fairouz, her voice does nothing for me, and I find the songs all sound the same. There's only ONE song of Fairouz that I like: Nassam a3layna al hawa. I can understand why she's a legend in Lebanon, but if we judge it just on the music, I'll take Oum Kalthoum over Fairouz any day.
- Unknown said...
Om Kalthoum over Fairuz... but of course.
Shou Dakhal Tez bi Mar7aba. They don't belong to the same class at all. As a matter of fact Om Kalthoum is all alone where she stood and still stand.
Thank you for agreeing with the obvious, hahaha
Dear Abu Fares,
You can't imagine the gratitude I have for you for this courageous post. I am so sick of Fairouz and people are making me feel as if I am a retard or a sick person for not liking her. I can not stand her nagging voice in the morning and I can not stand her voice playing every single morning since we were born, oh damn, isn't it enough?
I searched for this post of yours that was recommended to me by a sane friend who also joins the anti-Fairouz lovely crowd and I am laughing loudly after reading your hilarious post and I will be from now on a constant reader of your blog.
ورجعت الشتوييييييية
Thank you and a big hello to you from Damascus
- Unknown said...
Dear L.S
Thank you so much for visiting and commenting on this old post of mine. Nothing makes me happier than meeting another Fairuz victim :-)
We should form a club to counteract the onslaught of mediocrity of the Fairuz loud fans.
her piping voice!!! OMG her annoyingly piping voice, like a fingernail being dragged on the blackboard of a classroom.
Your words, your style .....
But why, these words and the hate you have for Fayrous?I KNOW WELL THAT YOU ADORE HER and you still listening to her songs :)
So glad to visit your blog and read a bit of..
- Abufares said...
I adore her???
I really don't :-) but am glad you read this post after such a long time.
Well, What can I say. I feel sory for you for not appreciating Fairuz and her art. You obviously missed the point of having Fairouz around. Nonetheless, not everyone has to love every artist there is.
You obviously didn't wake up with her day in day out for years and years.
I just want to enlighten you about fairouz and Syria. I do agree you're beyond "hedaya", nonetheless, it is important to know that Fairouz was and still is an integral part of the Syrian Performing Art Culture. Her name is synonymous with the International Exposition of Damascus. She sang to Damascus, Barada, and Jabal al Sheick, Jabal Kasiun, (excuse the spelling) not to mention her songs about Jerusalem. She is in the heart and soul of every syrian Person.
As for Ya 3akd alhagibayne. It is unfortunate that your command of the Arabic language is not adequate enough to understand the lyrics, nor your understanding of the Arabic culture of the time when the poem was written. The phrase means; You! with a uni-brow on a golden forehead, it is a metaphor for beauty and virility in men. So, what the songs start with is "you! beautiful and vain man" I think it is a great start ot a song.
for more on uni-brow check the Wikipedia and related links.
With reference to your comment earlier regarding
Fi Ahwe 3al Mafra
Fi Maw2adi Wfi Nar
I don't think I laughed so hard for a long time. I love your sense of humor, and please don't get me wrong. I have no issue with you not liking fairuz, but so far you haven't provided any valid reason to hate her. You really need to look beyond the literal meaning of the words. it is the culture that produced those words that matter. Every song of fairuz is a snap shot in time of a situation, an event, something that many people experience every day but they don't notice.
Please don't start loving Fairuz on my account.
- Abufares said...
Hello Nabil
Sorry it took me a couple of days to post, and then to reply to your comment. Life often keeps us away from the fun things we enjoy most.
You don't have to feel sorry for me at all for not liking Fairuz. You've mistakenly assumed that I wasn't raised in Syria. I did have to wake up to her singing every morning. Perhaps that explains more than anything else my dislike for her as a "Syrian phenomenon". You'd be surprised how well read I am in Arabic literature in general and in poetry in particular as well. To be honest, I think that "Ya 3akida al 7ajibayni" is one of Fariuz's better songs. I mentioned it because it was the first song I remember from early on as a child.
Now you did ask a serious question. Why I don't like her? Seriously, I find her microphonic voice quite irritating, void of subtleties and droning. She sounds like most women (after they take a few singing lessons). She is another chorale / chorus girl. There is nothing particular about her voice that makes it stand out. She is the average of all averages when female voices are concerned.
I also hold the Rahbani Brothers in the same basket. I think they are, by far, the most overrated (along with Fairuz) team in contemporary Arabic music. Those compositions that are of a slightly better quality than their run of the mill pretentious, urbane songs are plagiarized from various western sources.
Fairuz's best songs were not written by the Rahbanis. She was at her best when she sang the works of Najib Hankash, Philemon Wehbe and a few others.
Need I say more? I truly find the Rahbani Trio's (Fairuz included) work naïve, superficial,and annoying.
Ghannaytou Makkata, arguably Fairuz's highest achievement, was written by non-other than the mercenary poet Saeed Akel, whose view of Islam and Arabism is not favorable to put it mildly. He was paid for this beautiful poem.
Am I being too harsh? Yes, I think so, but such is human nature. I'm neither a music authority nor a literary critic. Fairuz is as overrated and full of hot air as Paulo Coelho is.
Thank you for dropping by and leaving your comments on such an old post of mine. Satire was the main motivation behind this post, and a very irritated ear :-)


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