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Nico Bezuidenhout, who returns to low-cost airline Mango as CEO on October 1, intends to start off by doing a proper stock take of the current state of the business, he told Fin24 on Wednesday.
He wants to see where the business has improved and where it has perhaps gone backwards and then he will make an informed decision - after engaging with people at Mango and at SAA - on the course of action to take going forward.
"The market constantly changes. So, that does not mean the way we started the airline would be 100% applicable in the current circumstances," says Bezuidenhout.
During his 10 years at the helm of Mango, Bezuidenhout was twice called upon to act as CEO of SAA before he took up the position of CEO at Fastjet. He is also on the advisory board of an aviation technology company in the US.
"Mango has always been close to my heart. It enabled more people to fly," says Bezuidenhout. He is happy with the large number of jobs the airline provides and points out that, at the time he left, Mango had the highest B-BBEE rating.
"Mango has always been non-racial, non-sexist and theft, corruption and fraud were never tolerated. Those are the golden rules I live by," says Bezuidenhout.
BMF objects to white male appointed as Mango CEO
When Bezuidenhout's appointment was announced recently, Fin24 reported that the Black Management Forum (BMF) objected to a white male being appointed. It also raised the issue of Bezuidenhout's qualifications.
As in the past, Bezuidenhout said that both the boards of Mango as well as SAA had repeatedly indicated that at no time had they been misled about his qualifications.
'Dumbfounded' by BMF
"I am dumbfounded by the libellous statements made by the BMF president about my character. I did not draft the job specs for the Mango CEO position. I assume that job has been vacant for three years, so there has been ample opportunity to recruit someone (else)," says Bezuidenhout.
He adds that he does not understand why the BMF on the one hand objects to the appointment of a white male at Mango, while also releasing a statement earlier in June, urging black professionals not to apply for leadership positions at SA's state-owned entities on the basis that government interference at these companies was setting black leaders up for failure.
Asked about what he experienced while acting as CEO at SAA, Bezuidenhout says he is glad of the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture and he expects to be called to testify there as well in due course. However, he adds, some of the controversial deals already mentioned before the commission, took place after he left as acting SAA CEO.


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By a vote of 10 to 13, the Senate Finance Committee rejects Schumer's public option amendment. This was considered the weaker of the two proposals and would have allowed for negotiated reimbursement rates. Baucus, Conrad, and Lincoln voted with the Republicans to defeat the amendment. As with the Rockefeller Amendment, Finance Comm. Chairman Baucus used circular logic to vote against it "because [he] doesn't see how it can get 60 votes" on the Senate floor.
It is now unlikely the Senate Finance version of HCR will contain a public option. The Senate HELP Committee and the House versions all include a public option, however. Speaker Pelosi and the majority of the House Progressive Caucus have vowed not to support legislation that does not include the public option.

subset: commoncrawl


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Update, October 2011:
"UV coated polycarbonate panels, nearly indestructible"
...several Harbor Freight greenhouse owners in warm climates began reporting early deterioration of the polycarbonate panels. After contacting Harbor Freight with questions about this new issue, and receiving some email replies from them, my personal opinion is there's a good chance the polycarbonate panels supplied with this kit do not have the critical UV coating as advertised on the Harbor Freight website. Or, if there is a UV coating applied to the panels, it's inadequate to protect the polycarbonate from damage when exposed to strong sun/high temperatures. Some variation in manufacturing quality may also exist, since some Harbor Freight owners don't report this problem.
Here's part of an email I received from Harbor Freight customer support, May 5, 2008:
"Our panels are constructed to resist the higher ambient temperatures but
that may differ depending on what state the customers are in. Places like Arizona, Las Vegas, and Texas may cause them to deteriorate faster. Unfortunately our warranty on the parts for this item is only 90 days and we take case by case in determining how we replace the panels for each customer. We know that the panels last longer than that but from a company stand point that is the warranty."
I thought it best to post about my own experiences with the Harbor Freight panels, so you can take this into consideration. Even with this setback, I still think the Harbor Freight is a great value, since the frame is sound...but I am disappointed about the next (expensive) step I'll need to take as I buy new panels elsewhere. If you're interested, here's a link to a 2008 thread at GardenWeb, which documents this problem first coming to light: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/strucs/msg0410080322640.html?39
October 2011
Okay, back to business, and the start of my 2007 blog!
Click here to see the greenhouse we bought from Harbor Freight.
It has an aluminum frame, a sliding double door, four roof vents, and 2 ply 4mm polycarbonate panels. It's 10' wide, 12' deep, and stands about 10'3" tall at the peak (taller if you put it on a wooden foundation.) It comes in one box that weighs about 200 pounds. If you're wondering if it will fit in your vehicle, the box is 8 ft long, 25 in wide and 13 inches deep.
Harbor Freight currently sells it for $799, but they put it on sale occasionally. The price makes it attractive; at this time, I don't know of another 120 square foot greenhouse with twinwall polycarbonate glazing in this price range. If you sign up for Harbor Freight's mailing list, they'll mail you flyers, and occasionally these have coupons for up to 15% off. Sometimes you can buy Harbor Freight coupons on eBay. My local HF store kindly honored the internet sale price (even though it wasn't on sale in the store) and they applied a discount coupon on top of that. Nice!
After putting ours up in August of 2007, I think this greenhouse is a fit for people who aren't ready to spend thousands of dollars on a greenhouse kit, and who also have the time, skills, and patience to make the necessary modifications to it.
If you do much reading on the internet, you'll find the HF 10x12 has a reputation among some for being lightweight and unstable in winds, if built only as the manual specifies. (In a very sheltered location it might not require all the modifications we made, but personally I wouldn't take that risk.) When the unmodified structures are exposed to high winds, some people have lost their greenhouses entirely, and others had damage. People who've taken the time to share their stories about these heartbreaking failures have helped others pinpoint weaknesses in the kit.
Since its introduction (early 2006, I believe) creative folks have been working on ways to modify the Harbor Freight 10 x 12 kit and defeat the weaknesses. The people who post in the greenhouse forum on Garden Web have been especially helpful, blazing a trail through the murky confusion of the Harbor Freight greenhouse manual, and freely sharing ideas for critical changes to the kit. They have been absolute lifesavers for us, and I highly recommend some reading there. To find these posts, just go to Garden Web and enter "HFGH 10x12" in the search engine box.
Our experience has been that the Harbor Freight 10x12 can be successfully modified to correct the kit weaknesses, with some patience, a little extra work, and a few extra materials. We've never had a greenhouse before, but I'll show you what we did, and you can probably do even better.
Here are some commonly discussed issues with the kit:
Aggravating Assembly Instructions: We think the manufacturing quality of the Harbor Freight 10x12 is actually quite good. We've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of most of the parts, which seem to be well made. There were no misdrilled or ill-fitting parts in our kit. However, the instructions are even worse that we thought (and that's bad!) No photos, tiny drawings, missing info and errors make assembly harder than it needs to be. This is a shame!
Sometimes it's easier to just look at the parts and figure out how they logically go together, or look at photos of other HF 10x12 greenhouses online. I've included many photos for this reason. You still need the manual, but hopefully our photos will help.
Here's a link to a PDF file of the manual on the Harbor Freight website. As I write this, the manual in this link is the same as the one in my kit (dated 05/06 on the manual cover.)
Missing Parts: It's a very good idea to check your kit early against the parts list. Some people report missing parts, and this can be a major setback. People report that Harbor Freight says they'll ship the missing part in 6-8 weeks, but I know several people who have waited over a year. This seems to be the biggest customer service problem with Harbor Freight (incredibly slow shipping of parts.) If you find a part missing, and you bought your kit at a local store, you might consider taking the whole kit back and requesting a new one. Or, see if you can convince your local store to pull the missing part from another kit (some people have been able to do that.) Our kit was complete.
Harbor Freight says they're aware of this problem, but they don't foresee the ability to stock all the parts for quick shipping anytime in the near future. (Moral: check your kit.) I think the need for aftermarket replacement parts will increase as more of these units are sold, so I'm hoping they'll focus on this as an area of opportunity for future sales. (Come on, guys!)
Order Extra Panel Glazing Clips Early. They do keep glazing clips in stock, so you can usually receive them in a reasonable time frame. To find out why you need them, you can skip ahead to the "Adding the Panels" section.
Questionable Bolt Quality: The bolts supplied with the kit look like aluminum, but they do stick to magnets, and seem to actually be plated mild steel. They're not great quality, and sometimes the nuts wouldn't thread easily on the bolts without force. On the plus side, they have square heads that bind nicely in the stud tracks, which helps when you're tightening them. Also, the heads are quite flat, so they lay low under the polycarbonate panels on the outside of the greenhouse.
Some people use the kit bolts; others toss them and go buy stainless steel (or other) bolts and nuts instead. We used the kit bolts and bought a few extras as we needed them.
Wrong Bolt Quantity: A really annoying error in this manual lists wrong quantities and lengths of bolts to insert at key points. This means you have to take things apart later to add more bolts. The manual dated 05/06 contains these errors (I'll point it out when we get there.) Earlier kits did not even include enough long bolts to complete the construction, but recent kits seem to be shipping with closer to the right number of bolts. Still, you may well need to buy at least a few that aren't supplied.
If you buy bolts, the heads need to fit in the track of the posts. Some bolt heads are too large. We took a wall stud to the store with us. One kind person posted this specific info for Fastenal bolts that fit:
Bolts: hex head 6mm-1.0x35mm zinc, Fastenal part#1138568, $17.95 for 100
Nuts: 6mm Fastenal Part #1140305 $3.40 for 100
You can also add bolts after assembly by using T bolts (from Fastenal or Charley's Greenhouse Supply.) Or, some people just take a grinder to a regular bolt head to make it fit. In a pinch, we also used 3/16" carriage bolts, clipping off part of the head with a bolt cutter.
Changes To The Kit: To their credit, Harbor Freight has revised the manual several times to correct some errors (mine is dated 05/06.) Also, some parts have been changed or improved from one kit to the next, so they may not exactly match the manual. This makes it harder to be helpful in this blog, since your kit might be slightly different from ours. Some of the errors mentioned here will probably be corrected in future manuals and kits.
The photo to the right shows the tool we found the most useful for tightening the bolts...a 10mm nutdriver.
And here's a photo of the little wrench that Harbor Freight includes with the kit. Other than making you smile, it's not helpful. (I'm pretty sure the Chinese manufacturer only includes these to prove they have a sense of humor.) Actually there were two in our kit, but that did not convince my husband and I to use them.
Click here to go to Part Two: The Foundation, the first modification we made to the kit.


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"Psycho IV: The Beginning." "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days." "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd." It used to be that a prequel marked the last gasp of a dying brand, a desperate and cynical money grab. Not any more.
The last year has seen a seismic shift in Hollywood's approach to such films, which are benefiting from improved technology, more creative storytelling and audiences who are accustomed to back stories.
Though director Ridley Scott says that his latest film, "Prometheus" (opening Friday), is not a prequel to his 1979 classic "Alien," it's very much a part of this new tradition, following in the footsteps of films like "X-Men: First Class," "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Thing."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Starring Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace, the film follows a team of scientists on a mission to investigate what they believe is an invitation from an alien race. The film hits many of the same notes as its predecessor--Weyland Industries, a female protagonist, androids, the Space Jockey, a very unwanted pregnancy--but explores horrors all its own.
Damon Lindelof, who shares a screenwriting credit on "Prometheus" with Jonathan Spaihts, says one of the reasons prequels are so much better than they once were is that filmmakers are working in an age when the science and art of filmmaking are evolving by leaps and bounds. Apply that to great source material and you can make something special.
For example, as great as the original 1968 "Planet of the Apes" is, the simians that populated that film looked only marginally better than hand puppets.
Lindelof says 2011's "Rise of Planet of the Apes" is "a much, much more sophisticated rendering of that idea than the originals were. Not in terms of storytelling, but in terms of filmmaking. I think Andy Serkis' performance and the visual effects in that movie are just so incredible. And that's in addition to a really, really cool story, that sort of explains the first step on the way to the Statue of Liberty being overturned and washed up on a beach."
Spaihts notes that this new generation of prequels are made with "real respectable budgets and craftspeople and artists up and down the ladder, and that's all it really takes to enter a known story universe with a new story and have it be good."
Case in point: Spaihts spent hundreds of hours talking over the story of "Prometheus" with Scott, crafting five drafts.
Or look at the care that went into "The Thing," a prequel released last fall, which shares the same title as the 1982 version of the story (which was actually an adaptation of a 1951 film). It ends exactly where the other began--you could watch the two films back-to-back and the narrative would feel seamless. "Thing" screenwriter Eric Heisserer re-watched the original "over and over again," which led to "creating a story by autopsy."
"We had all these bits and pieces, all this forensic evidence, of what had happened at the Norwegian base, given to us by the '82 film. You didn't want to have (a film) that just explained what happened, you wanted to have something that included the evidence that we saw from the '82 movie and then expanded the story beyond that."
But that's not to say that today's audience need all the dots to be connected. Lindelof, who also employed a great deal of non-linear story-telling on the hit show "Lost," argues that knowing where a story is going -- but not know how it will get there -- can actually heighten the tension.
"There's a huge power of knowing 'the bomb is under the table.' So that if Magneto and Charles Xavier befriend each other," says Lindelof, speaking of the original X-Men-turned-enemies, "every scene they have together, there's an undercurrent of tension that neither of the characters is aware of. But you as an audience are sitting there gritting your teeth thinking, 'Oh my God… This is just not gonna end well.' And that's fascinating to watch, in the same way that a freeway chase is fascinating to watch."
"Prometheus" similarly benefits from non-linear story-telling, though, again, it's not a "prequel."
"If a prequel is, strictly speaking, a story that sets up the events of some existing tale, in the way the 'Star Wars' prequels brought us around to the birth of the original trilogy," explains Spaihts. "[Prometheus] is not merely a continuation of an existing franchise, but a jumping off point into something new, a reinterpretation."
Heisserer, who's also written a sequel, feels prequels are "sexier," explaining "as storytellers, as audience members, I think we love origin stories."
And even though we live in a time when we understand so much about the science of life, Lindelof believes origin stories are as vital as ever.
"I don't want to get into heretical conversation, but Adam and Eve is a very hard story to relate to based on the science that we have," Lindelof says. "We want to sort of bridge that gap and say, 'I want to continue to have a spiritual system of beliefs, I want to believe that I'm connected to other beings in the universe, that there is a purpose to my life, I want to feel that when my life is over, corporeally, I will go on in some for, but at the same time, all the scientific evidence I'm getting is running contrary to all those beliefs, and how do I wrestle with that?'"


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The number of Germans converting Islam is on the rise. According to figures released by the Islam-Archive Central Institute, a record number of Christians have converted to Islam since September 11, 2001. Aslan Khassan and Rizki Nugraha report
In 2005 the number of German converts has quadrupled in comparison to previous years. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is concerned over the growing number of citizens converting to Islam. This definitely has "something very menacing about it," he recently stated to a German newspaper.
Of course not every convert is a potential terrorist, says Schäuble. But "among us the phenomenon of 'home-grown terrorism' – terrorism that is more or less grown on our own dung" – is on the rise. Criticism of Schäuble's statement came from the Islam Council for the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the Central Muslim Council in Berlin.
The chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany, Kenan Kolat, even wants Schäuble's remarks to be the theme of this year's German Islam Conference.
But why are more and more German Christians converting to Islam? One example is Rüdiger Deutsch, who now calls himself Arif Abdurrachman ("Servant of the merciful one") and converted to Islam last September.
The urge to do good
The 67-year-old was a relatively prosperous small businessman. His company manufactured slot machines. Neither he nor anyone else in his family were baptized or had a Christian upbringing.
He frequently felt the urge to do something good. He repeatedly donated money to charitable projects, for instance, for founding a Waldorf kindergarten and for two natural food stores.
But in the end he was not able to cope with the situation: "On the one hand, I had this ideal; on the other hand, the slot machines – it just didn't work," explains Deutsch. "I felt that this was not my path. I couldn't do it anymore. I could no longer continue to live in two different worlds."
Nevertheless, Rüdiger Deutsch kept on working in his company and in charitable projects. He tried to overcome his personal crisis, but he didn't succeed. The outcome: his company went bankrupt, and his wife left him. He fell into a depression and required medical treatment. Finally, he withdrew from public life.
In his search for a new identity he came in contact with Islam. He began an intensive study of the religion, read much about it, and eventually made Muslim friends. With them he also visited the mosque. In the Islam community he feels safe. He finally converted to Islam in September 2006.
The fact that Rüdiger Deutsch and many other Germans are converting to Islam at a time in which fear of terrorism and talk about honor killings are so widespread, surprises many people.
According to a study financed by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and conducted by the Islam-Archive Central Institute, approximately 4,000 Germans converted to Islam in the past year alone.
"Solidarity reflex"
Salim Abdullah, director of the institute, sees this phenomenon as a "solidarity reflex," which is not really new: "We have observed this since 1972 – that is, for instance, whenever a press campaign against Islam continues for a longer period of time, the number of converts to Islam increases," explains Abdullah.
Religion sociologist, Monica Wohlrab-Sahr, has another explanation. She is skeptical about the idea that a "solidarity reflex" has led many Germans to change their beliefs. Instead Wohlrab-Sahr sees the main motive, for instance, in marrying into a Muslim family or an encounter with Oriental cultures.
Wohlrab-Sahr also surmises that only a smaller number of converts were actually motivated by religious or theological grounds that draw on their own biographical background. "These are persons who are in a biographical process of upheaval or are in crisis or are searching for a new inner stability," explains the religion sociologist.
Spiritual search leading to Islam
It was no sudden inner upheaval that led Dorothee Sabriyah Palm to change her beliefs. The 46-year-old woman had been in contact with Islam for years before her conversion. As an Islam scholar she had studied Islam for many years, learned Arabic, and frequently traveled to Muslim countries.
For Sabriyah Palm Islam is primarily a way to feel closer to God. "Praying five times a day brings me back into contact with my origins," says Palm. "This is very healing for me. I can retire from my everyday life for a short time. And this stabilizes me and gives me strength."
Converting to Islam was the end of a long spiritual search for Dorothee Palm. At first it led her to various Catholic cloisters and Christian sects. But she did not find here what she was really looking for. She says: "I was spiritually starving and instead of a fat roast they offered me water soup!" In any case, after a long search she is now certain that she has found her true religion.
Aslan Khassan, Rizki Nugraha
© DEUTSCHE WELLE/Qantara.de 2007
Translated from the German by Nancy Joyce
Muslim Converts
"Less Restricted by the Burden of Tradition"
Converts often practise their new religion with particular zeal; but as they are often less bound to the traditional cultural norms of their religious community, they can also be the source of new, reformist impulses. Ursula Trüper reports from Berlin.
Interview with Yusuf Islam
"To Be, You Must Give up What You Are"
Yusuf Islam, the man who was once Cat Stevens, talks about his first pop album for almost three decades, about metamorphosis and about happiness. Interview by Guido Mingels


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Views: 293
Salmon Rushdie, The Satanic Verses
James Morrow,Towing Jehovah
There is also Douglas Adams with his subtle jabs at religion in his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books...
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move."
"He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife."
"Your God person puts an apple tree in the middle of a garden and says, do what you like, guys, oh, but don't eat the apple. Surprise surprise, they eat it and he leaps out from behind a bush shouting "Gotcha". It wouldn't have made any difference if they hadn't eaten it.'
'Why not?'
'Because if you're dealing with somebody who has the sort of mentality which likes leaving hats on the pavement with bricks under them you know perfectly well they won't give up. They'll get you in the end."
"I refuse to prove that I exist says God, for proof denies faith, and without faith, I am nothing. Oh, says man, but the Babel Fish is a dead give-away, isn't it? It proves You exist, and so therefore You don't. Q.E.D. Oh, I hadn't thought of that, says God, who promptly vanishes in a puff of logic."
Small Gods and Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett...also The Last Continent


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Story highlights
- James Patterson currently has three books on the best-seller lists
- Patterson turns out 10 books a year, with help from co-writers
- His latest, "Guilty Wives," arrives in stores next week
James Patterson may be the top-selling writer in the world; he might very well be the busiest, too. Patterson has three books near the top of the bestseller lists right now. His latest, "Guilty Wives," arrives in stores next week.
With the help of his co-writers, Patterson is turning out about 10 books a year. Patterson holds the world record for the most No. 1 bestsellers of any author. He's also the first author to reach 5 million e-books sold. All together, he's sold an astounding 220 million books worldwide.
Adult fans love Patterson for novels such as "The Women's Murder Club" or his Alex Cross series. A new movie starring Tyler Perry as the detective is coming this year.
Younger readers love Patterson for titles like "Maximum Ride" and "Witch & Wizard" or his Middle School series.
When he's not writing books, Patterson is working to get more kids to read through his website, ReadKiddoRead.com. He's also sent thousands of books to U.S. troops overseas. This month. Patterson donated 200,000 books that are now on their way to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with the help of organizations like Operation Gratitude and Books for Heroes.
CNN recently caught up with the bestselling writer to talk to him about his latest novel and his philanthropic efforts. The following is an edited transcript.
CNN: Let's start by talking about Operation Gratitude and how you recently donated thousands of books to U.S. troops.
Patterson: Books are on the way overseas this week, which is the big subject for me. It started in part because a friend of mine, a partner in my entertainment company, was a captain in Vietnam, and his son did a couple of tours in Iraq. He's a bright guy; he used to send letters home every week and also letters from his friends. I read a lot of them, and they were really kind of mind-blowing in terms of just putting you in touch with what it's like to be a soldier overseas right now.
It really got me interested. If I could, I would like to shake the hands of everybody over there, because I don't think they get the attention that they should. I can't do that, so we're going to put 200,000 books in the hands of thousands of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan instead, which I think is a big deal.
CNN: What kind of feedback have you received from U.S. servicemen and -women for your efforts?
Patterson: We've been doing this on a smaller scale for five or six years now, 20 or 30,000 books, so I've had hundreds and hundreds of letters and ... lots of pictures, with troops saying, 'here I am reading your book in some sort of foxhole or in my truck or jeep or whatever.'
I also hear from families, people from home saying, 'I got a note from our son, and he talked about getting a couple of your books,' and that's very cool. It's very rewarding.
CNN: You're also a big believer in getting kids to read.
Patterson: It's a huge thing with me. Getting the books out, going to schools, talking to kids about how important it is for them to read so that they really become better human beings. I think at this stage in our civilization, I think books are probably the best place to get varying points of view on things, understand how other people think and live their lives and have more understanding and compassion for people.
Obviously, if a kid can't read well by the time they get out of middle school, most likely they're going to have problems. It's just so much harder to go through school and get a decent job. The implications are huge.
There are a lot of things we as individuals can't do much about. We can't solve global warming as individuals or health care problems, but as individuals, most of us can get our kids reading. We can do that.
CNN: You have several books on the bestseller list right now, a new novel coming out and a handful of others in the works, plus your other projects. So how do you keep up with everything?
Patterson: Oh, yeah, the books, too. I don't know. I don't feel stressed out. It's just a pattern I am comfortable with. I get up every morning and chop wood, and I pretty much do it seven days a week, and I like to do it. I still have time for my wife and my son, who's 14, and at this point, my head is still above water. I think part of it is, you can take on more, and you do, but at a certain point I may say, that's it. I can't do anymore. I read a fair amount, but I don't read as much as I used to, so that's suffered a little.
CNN: You work with a number of co-authors on some of your books. How do you divide the workload?
Patterson: We alternate words. Just kidding. Actually, I write an outline of about 50 to 60 pages that will lay out every chapter. I then ask the co-writer to contribute to the outline. I want their opinions, and I want them to feel they're part of the process right from the get-go. Then they will write a draft.
I like to look at things every two weeks. That way you can say 'that part's great' or 'hold it, let's talk about this.' I was just talking to Mike Ledwidge a little while ago; he and I do the Michael Bennett books. When I have a first draft, then I will do another, and in some cases I've done, seven, eight, nine drafts. And that's the process. I do the outline, the co-writer does the first draft, and I'll do subsequent drafts. Although my co-writers might call it 'Jim screwing up the book,' but so far, it's working well.
CNN: "Guilty Wives" comes out next week. What was the spark behind this book?
Patterson: I had this idea of four women going off on a cool vacation and getting in big trouble, really big trouble. They're accused of murder in France, and it's a huge, huge trial, and I don't want to give too much away, but I really liked that idea.
CNN: What are you working on next?
Patterson: There's the next Alex Cross and then a couple of kids books, a follow-up to "Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life." I'm trying to write books that are really funny but also have things for kids to sink their teeth into and think about. I'm writing one now about middle school and summer camp, and then right around Christmas, I'll have a book about a middle school kid who desperately wants to be a stand-up comedian, and he knows every joke in the history of mankind, so that's kind of a fun one.
CNN: How is the Alex Cross movie coming together?
Patterson: I've been to two test screenings, and I visited the set, and it's looking really, really good. Tyler Perry is going to blow everybody's mind. He's very, very good. Not that you wouldn't expect that, but he hasn't done this kind of a movie before.
You'll see him as a very dramatic, very physical actor. Also, Matthew Fox is going to blow people's minds as the bad guy. It's unusual for a thriller, because it's both exciting and very emotional. I think it's going to do extremely well.
CNN: How do you come up with all of your story ideas?
Patterson: Sometimes it can just be a title, or I just have a sense that I can build a story around something and I'm going to like the story. I have to feel emotional about it to do it. I used to, like a lot of writers, get up at 2:30 in the morning and start scribbling stuff down.
I've kind of stopped doing that, because the good ideas I tend to remember. I have more than enough ideas right now. I have a folder in my office with about 400 ideas in it. So it will take me another 40 years to get through those.


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Yesterday, the Obama administration unveiled its proposal to avert the looming fiscal showdown. The plan included $1.6 trillion in increased taxes on the rich over the next decade, $400 billion in savings to be found in Medicare and other social programs, $50 billion in stimulus spending to begin next year, and an end to current debt ceiling rules.
This proposal is not new. It reflects the very policies Obama not only put forth in 2011, as Kevin Drum noted, but also campaigned on extensively this year. They are the very policies that the American public voted for in November when they granted Obama another four years. Exit polling also showed that 60 percent of voters wanted to see income taxes increased for wealthy Americans.
However, these facts didn't stop conservatives from acting as though Obama had proposed the "Kill All The Puppies Act of 2012″. Here are five overreactions to Obama's plan:
- Worse than surrender in the Civil War: Leading conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer likened Obama's proposal to the terms of surrender offered to Confederates in the Civil War, only the president's deal was worse. "It's not just a bad deal, this is really an insulting deal… Robert E. Lee was offered easier terms at Appomattox and he lost the Civil War," said Krauthammer.
- Out of a fairytale: Writing in her Wall Street Journal column, Kimberley Strassel lambasted the plan as "something out of Wonderland and Oz combined." She went on to argue that Obama wasn't negotiating in good faith. "The most frightening aspect of the White House proposal is that it wasn't an error."
- "Nothing good can come of negotiating further": RedState editor Erick Erickson, whose counsel congressional Republicans regularly seek, advised the GOP to pack up, go home, and take the country over the cliff. "Nothing good can come of negotiating further," Erickson wrote. "The GOP should pass what they want and promptly go home. Let the Democrats stay and sort things out. Dive."
- "I'd walk out": MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former GOP congressman, said that his Party ought to walk out of negotiations, saying Obama's proposal was solely meant to "provoke" House Republicans. Speaking on his morning show, Scarborough detailed what his reaction would have been had he been in negotiations: "I would have said, 'We're all busy people, this is a critical time, if you're going to come over here and insult us and intentionally try to provoke us, you can do that but I'm going back to work now.' And I'd walk out."
- "Congress should dive headlong off fiscal cliff": After a lengthy column detailing how going over the fiscal cliff "would shock the economy," Daily Caller editor Tucker Carlson advised GOPers to "dive headlong off fiscal cliff" following Obama's proposal. "Republicans don't have a lot of good choices right now," Tucker wrote. "They might as well try it."


text:
For Great Eggs Benedict, Make the Muffins From Scratch
If you think of English muffins as coming from a package or from across the Atlantic, this recipe will raise your brunch game
MY LOVE AFFAIR with English muffins began when I was barely big enough to chew. Yet, while I think nothing of making my own mayonnaise or putting up jars of marmalade, until recently it never occurred to me that these bundles of nooked and crannied goodness were something I could make myself. Blame the power of marketing—like Heinz with ketchup and Kleenex with tissue, Thomas's has always seemed less a brand name than a synonym. And then there's my abiding anxiety about working with yeast.
If I'd known what I was missing, I would have come around sooner. Instead, it took a visit to my parents and a wine-fueled kitchen confessional, during which it became apparent my irrational fear that the dough would fail to rise was inherited. Mom and I declared it was time we conquered our phobia, together.
The following morning I pulled a dusty copy of Elizabeth David's classic "English Bread and Yeast Cookery" from the shelf where it had languished for years, and began to thumb around. There they were, my old chums, English muffins. The recipe seemed like a cinch, calling for just a handful of ingredients and a cast-iron skillet.
Though they've become a modern supermarket staple in the States, the chewy, cornmeal-dusted buns we call English muffins have a much longer history in the British Isles, where the teatime treats are known simply as muffins. Indeed, if you ever sang about "The Muffin Man" as a child, you were singing their praises.
Once we'd stirred together the flour, milk, salt, sugar and butter, and inoculated the mixture with yeast, the dough quickly cohered. The first rise was complete before we'd finished our coffee. I measured out 10 portions of dough, and Mom scooped them up, rolling them into balls and setting them on baking sheets. Then she gently flattened them with an open palm and dusted the rounds with cornmeal. Shrouded with a tea towel and left in a warm corner to rise once more, the dough was soon pert and pillowy.
I warmed a cast-iron pan and set in the muffins three at a time. Then I watched in amazement as they quietly puffed. When I gave them a flip, I found perfectly browned, cornmeal-freckled bottoms. Finally, I popped them in the oven for a few minutes to ensure that the centers set fully.
While the muffins cooled, we prepared the reward for our brave work: eggs Benedict to rival anything turned out by the kitchen at the Waldorf. Split with a fork and toasted until the edges crisped, our muffins made ideal cradles for thick slices of Canadian bacon, poached eggs and a buttery blanket of hollandaise. Mom and I agreed that from here on in, nothing less will do for Mother's Day brunch.
Eggs Benedict
Total Time: 20 minutes Serves: 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices Canadian bacon
4 English muffins (see recipe below)
4 tablespoons white vinegar
8 eggs
1 cup hollandaise sauce (see recipe below)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Paprika, to taste
1. Add oil to a frying pan set over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
2. Use a fork to split English muffins in half and toast until golden brown. Set aside.
3. Fill a large, deep sauté pan with water and bring to boil over high heat. Add vinegar and lower to a simmer. Gently crack eggs into simmering water. Poach until whites are set, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
4. To assemble: Place two English muffin halves on each plate. Top each muffin half with a slice of bacon, a poached egg and 2 tablespoons of warm hollandaise. Season with salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
English Muffins
Adapted from Elizabeth David's "English Bread and Yeast Cookery"
Active Time: 60 minutes Total Time: 2½ hours Makes: 10 muffins
4 loosely packed cups bread flour
1 (8.75-gram) packet active dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2¼ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter, plus more for greasing pan
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, yeast, salt and sugar.
2. In a small saucepan, heat milk until warm. Stir in oil or butter.
3. While stirring, slowly pour warm milk into flour mixture until just incorporated. Using your hands, work dough until ingredients are well combined and just starting to form a ball. (Dough will be slightly sticky.) Cover bowl with a towel, set in a warm place and let dough rest until it has risen by half, 45-60 minutes.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 10 equal-size pieces. Flour your hands, then roll each portion gently between your palms to form a rough ball. Transfer balls to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Press down with your palm to flatten each dough ball into a ½- to ¾-inch-thick round. Sprinkle both sides of dough lightly with cornmeal. Cover sheet, set in a warm place and let rest until risen again by half, 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cast-iron skillet or griddle and set over low heat. When hot, place 3 muffins on griddle and cook until both sides are golden brown, about 8 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining muffins. When all muffins have been cooked, return to baking sheet and place in oven for 5 minutes. Eat within 2 days or freeze. Muffins will keep about a month in the freezer.
Hollandaise Sauce
Adapted from "James Beard's Menus for Entertaining"
Total Time: 10 minutes Makes: About 1 cup
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of hot sauce
1 stick butter
1. Place yolks, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce in a blender or food processor. Pulse to combine.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter, then remove pan from heat.
3. Turn on blender or food processor and drizzle melted butter into yolk mixture. Continue blending until mixture emulsifies and thickens slightly. Serve immediately or keep warm in a double boiler.
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text:
Photographer Camilo José Vergara writes for LightBox about his photographs of the World Trade Center taken over the past 41 years.
For more than four decades, Camilo José Vergara has photographed the poorest and most segregated communities in urban America. From California and the Midwest to Detroit, Newark and New York, Vergara has become a documentarian of decline, capturing cities as they change and decay, (and sometimes bounce back) and using photography as a way to understand and appreciate the spirit of those places. Vergara tends to shoot from a variety of elevated vantage points which provide his photographs with different levels and angles, forming a dense web of images that record neighborhoods as they change over time. Forty-one years ago, Vergara began photographing the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. They became both a focal point and a backdrop in his photographs for years. After they were gone, Vergara returned to many of the places from where he had photographed the Towers years ago. Within his images, the Towers' absence speaks perhaps even more powerfully than their presence.
New York City is an ideal place to work. I can photograph neighborhoods from various viewpoints. Foremost among these elevated spots are the high-rise buildings of the New York City Housing Authority, the elevated rail tracks and subway stations, and even the roof of any car I'm using. This gives my photographs different levels and angles, forming a dense web of images that record neighborhoods as they change over time.
I was immediately attracted to the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in 1970 because they were so big and so American. At the time, I was a recent arrival in the city having been raised in the provincial town of Rengo, Chile, whose modest number of inhabitants could have easily fit inside just one of the Towers. As the Vietnam War raged, the Twin Towers rose to become the tallest buildings in the world. At the time, I regarded them as a wild expression of hubris, arrogance and mistaken priorities, a point I emphasized by photographing them with homeless people in the foreground or in harsh sunlight, which turned them into blades of shinning steel. I followed their construction closely, watching the many heavy trucks bringing in steel or hauling away dirt amid the noise of drills and metal clanking. But as I moved farther away from these behemoths to photograph the inner cities, they seemed to lose their solidity in the distance and become mysterious, alluring shapes that hovered in the skyline over otherwise ordinary neighborhoods. I regularly photographed the Towers from places like the wildlife refuge in Jamaica Bay, Queens, and from struggling neighborhoods in the Bronx. I liked to see them in the background of my photos rising above the waterways, vegetation, junkyards, expressways, subways and tract houses that were in the foreground.
Driving north along the New Jersey Turnpike I used to catch sight of the Towers, a clear sign that home was near. From a distance, they were elegant silver slabs, larger than anything else on the horizon yet often smaller than the nearby smokestacks, bridges and church steeples in the foreground. Almost weightless, the Towers disappeared into the sky, their rectangular shapes barely visible among the spires of the older skyscrapers and the darker forms of the newer ones. Their simple geometric forms — symbols of order and progress — made for a strong presence in the skyline.
In their massiveness, the Twin Towers naturally dominated the Lower Manhattan skyline, which until then had been made up of many tall and slender skyscrapers in revival styles. Later, Battery Park City, erected on a landfill extracted from the Twin Towers' foundations, came between the waterfront and the Towers. Gradually, the entire southern end of the island became bounded by a massive assemblage of these shiny new buildings. They brought new colors to the skyline — greens and blues in their tinted glass facades, and reds and yellows from the brickwork — but their bulky form gradually obscured the wonderful slivers of sky previously visible between the older skyscrapers.
I was unaware of the intensity of my interest in the Towers until they were destroyed on 9/11. Immediately after the attack, I photographed the posted portraits of those missing or unaccounted for, often with poignant notes attached requesting any information. Later I spent several months gathering together any images of mine that included the Twin Towers, using some of them for a memorial exhibition and a small book. My hope is that chronicling the buildings as part of metropolitan New York will help make them seen as they appeared to ordinary people and explain why they were so well liked.
I returned to many of the original sites from which I had photographed the Towers to record the same view with their absence in the skyline. Over time, in cities as far away as Richmond, California and Detroit, I even documented street murals depicting the Towers as local residents sought to express their solidarity with the people of New York.
In recent years I have continued to document New York's neighborhoods while capturing the city's ever-changing skyline. Rebuilding has changed the look of the outer boroughs, where previously vacant lots are now often new houses and stores, and abandoned factories have been demolished to make way for parking lots and waterfront parks, or been transformed into lofts and apartment buildings.
Joining the best of the new with the best of the old is the silvery 76-story Eight Spruce Street building designed by Frank Gehry, which shines near the neo-gothic Woolworth Building, constructed in 1913. Contrasting with these jewels, One World Trade Center makes a powerful yet unsettling trust as it rises immediately to the north of the former Towers. During the past decade, Jersey City, too, has acquired its own distinctive skyline, including the tallest and the third tallest buildings in New Jersey.
Watching the WTC Towers being built, I never imagined that I would outlive them. Today, those tall silvery buildings that once anchored the southern end of Manhattan and indeed shaped the entire city skyline are gone. But the city, ever resilient, has survived 9/11 and now moves on.
Camilo José Vergara is a 2002 MacArthur fellow whose books include American Ruins and How the Other Half Worships You can see more of his photos on his Web site and can contact him at email@example.com.
The Twin Towers and the City: Photographs by Camilo José Vergara is on exhibition at The Museum of the City of New York from September 3 through December 4, 2011.
To visit TIME's Beyond 9/11: A Portrait of Resilience, a project that chronicles 9/11 and its aftermath, click here.


text:
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Freshman Matt Rambo made his Terrapin debut a memorable one with four goals and two assists to lead the No. 6 University of Maryland men's lacrosse team to a 16-3 victory over Mount St. Mary's Saturday afternoon in front of 1,203 at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.
Senior midfielder Mike Chanenchuk had three goals and an assist, while junior attackman Jay Carlson also chipped in with a hat trick for the Terps (1-0), who opened the season with a victory for the 21st-straight season.
Rambo's six-point effort is the most points for a Terrapin making his Maryland debut since 2004 when sophomore Xander Ritz had seven points on three goals and four assists in his first game after transferring from Delaware. Rambo's four goals were the most for a Maryland freshman in his collegiate debut since 2008 when Grant Catalino score four times in an 11-6 win at Georgetown.
Maryland jumped on the Mount (0-1) right from the start as Chanenchuk opened the scoring just 1:05 into the game with his first goal of the game. That kick-started a 5-0 run for the Terps.
The 2014 season got off to a good start for the Terrapin extra-man unit when senior Rustin Bryant found freshmanConnor Cannizzaro open inside on the crease for an easy one-timer just 13 seconds into the first extra-man opportunity of the season to give Maryland a 2-0 lead.
Carlson scored his first of the season to up the lead to 3-0 at the 10:49 mark off of a nice inside feed from juniorKevin Forster, who made is return to the field after missing all of 2013 due to injury.
Rambo picked up his first collegiate goal just 19 seconds later with an unassisted effort.
The 5-0 run was capped off by sophomore Henry West, who picked up his first goal as a Terp with 5:35 left in the first quarter on a bounce shot from the right alley.
The Mount rallied near the end of the first quarter with goals from Ryan Lamon and Bubba Johnson to close the gap to 5-2 heading into the second quarter.
But the Terps scored six unanswered goals in the second to blow the game wide open.
Rambo and Chanenchuk scored back-to-back unassisted goals to give Maryland a 7-2 lead with just over 12:00 to play in the first half.
The extra-man unit cashed in again with 10:52 on the clock when junior midfielder Joe LoCascio ripped a laser into the top corner from the left alley to make it an 8-2 game.
Carlson netted his second of the game to put the Terps up by seven with 9:54 to play. Junior midfielder Bryan Colemade a nice move to dip under his defender and finish in close to up the Terps' lead to 10-2 48 seconds later.
The first-half scoring was capped off with a transition goal that began with a terrific ride by senior midfielder Brian Cooper, who caused a Mountaineer turnover and picked up the groundball to begin the play. Cooper then pushed the ball into the box and found Rambo open for the easy shot and score with 6:13 to play.
The second half saw the Terps extend their scoring run to eight straight goals, beginning with Chanenchuk's third of the game at the 14:904 mark. This one came on a big-time shot from the left top slot off of a feed from Cannizzaro.
Rambo closed out the run with his fourth of the game with 9:27 left in the third to make it a 13-2 Maryland lead.
Robert Jones scored an extra-man goal for Mount St. Mary's with 3:39 remaining in the third to close the game to 10 goals, but Maryland responded with a goal by Cannizzaro off an assist from Rambo to up its lead to 14-3 at the 2:39 mark.
With time running down in the third, senior Michael Ehrhardt, who finished with three groundballs and three caused turnovers, caused a Mountaineer turnover and picked up the groundball to give the Terps the ball back. Carlson made the effort pay off with a spectacular underhand, back-handed sweeping shot off of a quick feed from Rambo with just two seconds left on the clock to make it a 15-3 Maryland advantage.
That's the way it would stay until just two seconds remained in the fourth quarter when freshman midfielder Ben Chisolm scored his first collegiate goal on a rip from the right wing off of a feed from junior midfielder Zack Wholley.
Maryland's defense was stout all day, allowing just 22 shots. Senior goalie Niko Amato played the first three quarters and made seven stops. Junior Kyle Bernlohr came in for the fourth quarter and recorded four saves for the Terps.
Maryland dominated possession thanks in large part to junior Charlie Raffa winning 8-of-12 faceoffs and picking up a game-high seven groundballs. Sophomore Jon Garino relieved Raffa as the team's primary faceoff man in the second half and he won 4-of-6 draws with three groundballs and one caused turnover.
The Terps will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 15 when it welcomes in-state rival UMBC to Captial One Field for a noon start. That match is scheduled to be streamed live on TerpsTV.
Game Notes:
• With today's 16-3 win Maryland is now 11-0 all-time vs. Mount St. Mary's.
• Maryland has won 21 straight season openers and is 85-3-1 all-time to start the season.
• With four points on three goals and an assist, senior Mike Chanenchuk now has 11 hat tricks, 28 multi-point and 20 multi-goal games for his career.
• With three points on three goals, junior Jay Carlson now has five hat tricks, 12 multi-point and 10 multi-goal games for his career.
• With six points on four goals and two assists, freshman Matt Rambo registered the first hat trick, multi-point, multi-goal and multi-assist game of his career.
• With three points on two goals and an assist, freshman Connor Cannizzaro registered the first multi-point and multi-goal game of his career.
• With his seven saves, senior Niko Amato now has 480 for his career, moving him out of a tie with Brian Phipps (2007-10) and past Jake Reed (479, 1974-77) for third place on Maryland's all-time saves list.
• The Maryland defense held Mount St. Mary's without a goal for 26:37 from 0:16 in the first quarter to 3:39 in the third quarter to register the team's first 20-plus minute scoreless stretch of the season.


text:
(Culver City, CA - May 13, 2010) In his play Palomino, which premiered tonight at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, David Cale portrays seven people in a sensuous tale that follows Kieren McGrath, a beautiful, literate, and mysterious Irish Central Park carriage driver. Kieren dreams of writing a book, and when the opportunity to become an escort to rich, lonely women in New York City comes up, he's found his subject. Or has he?
The multi-talented Cale is best known for his solo works "A Likely Story," "Deep in a Dream of You," "Smooch Music," "The Redthroats" (which was presented by Center Theatre Group in the 1988 Taper, Too season), and the Obie Award-winning "Lillian." His monologues have been featured on Public Radio's "This American Life" and NPR's "The Next Big Thing." His musical, "Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky," for which he wrote the book, lyrics, co-composed the music and played Floyd, received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical.
As a lyricist, his words have been sung by Elvis Costello, Deborah Harry and the Jazz Passengers. As an actor he performed on Broadway in "The Threepenny Opera" and most recently starred in the off-Broadway production of "Mouth to Mouth" at The New Group. He has appeared in films including "Two Lovers," "Pollock" and most notably, playing the homeless drifter Studebaker in "The Slaughter Rule," opposite David Morse and Ryan Gosling.
For this world premiere production, scenic design is by Takeshi Kata, costume design by Laura Bauer, lighting design by Beverly Emmons, sound design by Andre Pluess and projection design by Jason H. Thompson. The production stage manager is William Joseph Barnes.
Georja: Palomino centers on the main character of Kieren, a 28 year old, wildly handsome Irish rake who drives a dashing Palomino-drawn horse carriage in Central Park. His charms are both homey and literate and he proclaims he is not the worrying type. His relationships have all been fleeting in the past. So when he has an opportunity to use his talents to thrill a few middle-aged Upper East Side ladies for cash, it appeals to his sense of adventure and easy lifestyle.
Gerald: This play is mostly about intimacy between people who are barely acquainted with one another. So it's also a lot about loneliness. The one deep relationship that's portrayed is Vallie's love for her dead husband, a love she really didn't appreciate when he was alive.
Georja: Cale explores an unlikely pairing with Vallie and Kieren. The lonely widowed Vallie, after much self analyzing and rationalizing about paying for sex, actually starts to fall for Kieren. It seems he too is smitten up to a point. She is the only woman he has ever had deep discussions with and enjoys the company of. But it is too much for him to deal with. He proclaims that they just do not fit into each other's lives. After his abrupt departure, Vallie is thrown back into a kind of desperate aching for the realness of her marital bond.
Gerald: Cale is engaging, involves the audience. He had me with him most of the time. He's certainly full of energy, and I was reminded of your (Georja's) work as a standup comic and how incredibly challenging it is to carry a show all by yourself. He seemed brave and fearless, and certainly that's what it takes.
Georja: If we had gone to a storytelling conference, this piece would certainly be seen in all of its genius, and the richness of characters and intertwining of people's lives would be greatly appreciated. However, the sparseness of this show left a little something to be desired. For one thing, I wish Cale wasn't wearing the plaid flannel shirt as he represented all the characters, the majority of them well drawn women. Secondly, although this takes place primarily in Manhattan, the main characters are Irish, Australian and English. The Irish accent is pretty believable, but the Aussie and British seem like blends. Not much flavor of the environment here - didn't seem like New York was much of a factor at all. Put this together with the fact that Cale has a bit of a sweet lilting voice himself, and the ongoing narrative along with the set and costume needed more oomph and variation. I found my eyes closing a few times and I saw a couple of people checking the time.
Gerald: One-person shows have become a staple of low-budget legitimate theater. When they work, they are totally absorbing, but the audience has to invest all its interest in one person, even if that person gives us several characters, as Cale does. Personally, I'm tired of this form, especially in upscale theaters that can aspire to more. I expect to see a black-box set with projected backdrops in a 99-seat venue, but not at the Kirk Douglas. Hard times have hit the arts, no question, but you have to give the audience more reason to make the trip.
Georja: Cale's writing is clever, and I especially appreciated a few turns of phrase, as when Vallie first meets Kieren, it's as though he "sprinkled Xanax in his voice." After having sex, she "morphs from a nervous wreck to Barbara Stanwyck in 'Double Indemnity'." I enjoy the HBO series 'Hung' with a similar theme and have been used to seeing women go through this situation on that show. Kudos to Cale for understanding much about the female psyche, although for me it is more enjoyable to see real women living it out onstage.
Gerald: Cale's performance is admirable. And generous in its gifts of energy and wit. But I find the material mundane and, frankly, soapy. I could sympathize with his characters, but I didn't empathize with them. In the main love story, Kieren comes off as something of a snot (even though he has fits of kindness), and Vallie is your stereotypical jaded socialite (who also is given to fits of kindness). As characters, they didn't give me many insights I could take away.
Georja Umano is an actress/comedienne and animal advocate.
Gerald Everett Jones is the author of the Rollo Hemphill series of comic novels.
Photos by Craig Schwartz
Center Theatre Group
Kirk Douglas Theatre
9820 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
May 13 - June 6, 2010
Tickets are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, in person at the Center Theatre Group box office at the Ahmanson Theatre or two hours prior to performances at the Kirk Douglas Theatre box office.
Friday, May 14, 2010, 8:00 pm
Saturday, May 15, 2010, 2:00 pm
Saturday, May 15, 2010, 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 16, 2010, 1:00 pm
Sunday, May 16, 2010, 6:30 pm
Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 8:00 pm
Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 8:00 pm
Thursday, May 20, 2010, 8:00 pm
Friday, May 21, 2010, 8:00 pm
Saturday, May 22, 2010, 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 23, 2010, 1:00 pm
Sunday, May 23, 2010, 6:30 pm
Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 8:00 pm
Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 8:00 pm
Thursday, May 27, 2010, 8:00 pm
Friday, May 28, 2010, 8:00 pm
Saturday, May 29, 2010, 2:00 pm
Saturday, May 29, 2010, 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 30, 2010, 1:00 pm
Sunday, May 30, 2010, 6:30 pm
Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 8:00 pm
Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 8:00 pm
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 8:00 pm
Friday, June 4, 2010, 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 2:00 pm
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 6, 2010, 1:00 pm
Sunday, June 6, 2010, 6:30 pm


text:
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text:
Hello, everybody!
There are only couple days left until Christmas holidays which I'm so so waiting for :) I hope you, dear readers, are also excited about this holiday... I assume, all decorations are ready, and gifts are wrapped up. And today, I'd like to share a printable banner which can be like a final touch to your home decorations.
So you just need to download the images, print them, punch holes and attache to a ribbon. And it's ready!
There are 7 digital files in JPG format: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Every letter is 4x6 inches. I would recommend to print them on pretty much heavy paper on laser printer for best results.
Enjoy! And happy holidays :)
Monday, December 22, 2014
Printable Holidays Garland Banner
Posted by IrinaN at 12:32 AM 0 comments
Labels: Christmas, Christmas ideas, DIY, free digital download, free graphics, FREE STUFF, holiday
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text:
Pallet-Picker 2.0
Innovative Software Makes Indecipherable Websites Readable
Pallet-Picker is to colors, as a spelling checker is to words.
We've all seen web sites and catalogues with print that just isn't readable. Sometimes the type is too small, sometimes it's poor color selection. Here is a tool that a designer can use to fight color selection problems.
Pallet-Picker 2 assists graphics arts designers in two ways.
First, it creates a pallet of five compatible colors that works with any controlling color the designer may select.
Second, it seeks good, readable colors for the text by approximating the judgment of many sets of human eyes. PP2 is the only program in existence that performs this important function in this way.
The price is only $20, with substantial discounts for educators and site licenses. Visit www.notesoft.com for more information.
Version notes: Pallet-Picker 2 may be downloaded as a runtime for Mac or Win. For users or Filemaker Pro (8.5 or better) PP2 may be obtained as a Filemaker file with the necessary extensions, which is a smaller download.


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Posted by Editor on 12/15/07
IMG Academies to Open on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island will soon be home to a professional sports academy run by international multi-sport giant IMG Academies (IMGA). The new academy will be part of Sage Hills - a proposed sustainable, mixed-use community on a 2,083-acre parcel in the Comox Valley.
Ted Everett, Chairman of Sage Hills Developments, and Ted Meekma, IMGA Director, signed the partnership agreement at a press conference on Friday [December 14th] afternoon.
"We are excited to have IMG Academies on board and believe they are a perfect fit with the Sage Hills vision," said Everett. "IMGA's world-renowned programs are not only recognized for producing high-calibre professional athletes but, more importantly, outstanding students and leaders."
"The academy will help make Sage Hills and the Comox Valley an international destination, and contribute to sports and education opportunities for residents in the region," added Dave Russell, President of Sage Hills Developments.
Meekma said he was thrilled with the opportunity. "With Western Canada's natural beauty, recreation and quality of life, the Comox Valley is a prime location for the next IMG Academy," he said. "Our priority will be to offer extensive programs for serious athletes and committed sports enthusiasts of all ages and ability levels."
IMGA is partnering with Sage Hills to assist in the master planning for the academy, and to brand and manage it. The full-time, boarding sports academy is planned to include facilities for hockey, skating, golf, tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball and mountain sports. Two 18-hole championship golf courses (including one for training) will cover approximately 350 acres. The academy will also offer performance and coach training, as well as local family and community programs.
The Sage Hills community vision is built on integrating education, sports and lifestyle themes, providing its residents with opportunities for progressive, inspired living and learning. Complementing the sports academy will be a University Canada West campus, research park and private K-12 School, a variety of family, student and seniors housing options, and a hotel and corporate retreat centre. Master planning has now commenced and will incorporate economic, social and environmental sustainability principles. www.sagehills.ca
IMG Academies is the world's largest and most successful multi-sport training and education facility for junior, collegiate, adult/corporate and professional athletes. On 300 acres in Bradenton, Florida, the IMG Academies complex encompasses the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Swimming Academies, the Professional Fishing Academy, IMG Academies International Performance Institute, The Pendleton School, The Wellness Spa, IMG Academies Golf and Country Club and Crested Butte Mountain Sports. Alumni of IMG Academies include Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova, Paula Creamer and Sean O'Hair. www.imgacademies.com.
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The caged bird sings
With a fearful trill
Of things unknown
But longed for still
And his tune is heard
On the distant hill
For the caged bird
Sings of freedom.
—Dr. Maya Angelou (from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings)
Greetings in the name of the Most High…
As you can imagine, the Gargamel Music Family's entire world was shattered by the outcome of Buju's trial. Two months have passed and the heartache has not eased at all. We lost a long, hard-fought battle but, alas, this legal war wages on. We remain confident in Buju's innocence and vigilant in our fight for his ultimate freedom. There is nuff work to be done and the time has come for us to pick up the pieces and march forward in the struggle.
Buju's strength and resolve throughout this painful ordeal has been nothing short of inspiring. He is a true soldier who continues to stand firm in his beliefs and will not be broken. He earnestly thanks his friends for life — the fans worldwide — for your unyielding support and only asks that you remember him in a positive light and continue to play his music in the days to come.
We encourage you to send uplifting letters to Buju at the address below:
Mark Anthony Myrie – Docket # 1443397
Pinellas County Jail
14400 49th Street North
Clearwater, Florida 33762-2877
If you feel like you want to top up B's commissary, include a money order with all of the above information written on it (Mark's legal name/docket number, etc…) and place it in the envelope with your letter. The guards who open the mail will make sure it's added onto his account.
We recently sat down with Buju's attorney, David Oscar Markus, who took the time to school us on how the sentencing and appeal processes works so we have a better sense of what to expect.
The trial and sentencing judge, James Moody, Jr. still has yet to rule on either of the post trial motions filed by Markus back in February: 1) motion for judgement of acquittal 2) motion for a new trial. Markus filed a separate third motion for bond pending sentencing and appeal that he is also waiting to hear from the Court on.
Buju's sentencing is currently scheduled for June 23rd. While Judge Moody can take other things into account, he still must abide by the current mandatory minimum drug sentencing guidelines, which based on the three convictions: 1) Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 or more kilograms of a substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine 2) knowing and intentionally possessing a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and 3) using the wires to facilitate a drug trafficking offense, bring the mandatory minimum in this case to 15 years.
- After sentencing, Markus has 14 days to file a notice of appeal. Then he will order the trial transcripts, which will take about 30 days.
- As soon as Markus gets the transcripts, he has 40 days to file a brief, which will contain his arguments.
- The government gets 40 days to respond. Markus gets 40 days to reply.
- Then the Court will decide whether to allow oral argument (where 3 judges listen to the case). Only 10% of all appeal cases are granted this opportunity.
- After oral argument, the Court usually takes between a month and a year to rule.
Those who wish to donate funds toward the appeal may send a wire transfer to the official Buju Banton Defense Fund set up by his attorney:
Markus & Markus, PLLC(Defense Fund for Buju Banton)Citibank, N ACoral Way Branch1600 Coral WayMiami, FL 33145ABA # 266086554Account # 9118130472
You may also make a donation via Paypal. Just log in and direct monies to firstname.lastname@example.com
The Gargamel Music Family remains steadfast in our efforts to promote and preserve the musical legacy of Buju Banton. As he reiterated in his Miami New Times cover story in January of this year, "they can lock the flesh but they can never lock the spirit of Rasta." We intend to keep Buju's spirit moving and his voice soaring — through music… And we already have several projects in development:
Buju Banton & Friends: Before The Dawn Concert DVD
We are working out the logistics to make the official DVD of the Before The Dawn Concert available for sale later this year. We are aware of the weak bootleg circulating on the streets and will deal with the culprits accordingly. In the meantime, we just ask that the fans hold on and support the real product when it comes out. It will definitely be worth the wait.
New Buju Banton Studio Album
While the General was out on bail and under house arrest he finished up some tracks for an album co-produced with longtime UK brethren, Blacker Dread. The pair previously worked together on the rousing 2010 anthem "Innocent" featured on Buju's Grammy-winning album Before The Dawn (Gargamel Music). This new album will drop some time in 2012 on Gargamel Music, Inc.
Buju Banton Live Album
Team Gargamel has collected some amazing live material over the past few years and we plan to release the first Buju Banton live album some time in the near future.
Buju Banton Coffee Table Book
For the past few years we've been shooting with esteemed celebrity photographer Jonathan Mannion (Too Bad and Rasta Got Soul album covers) to produce a photography book that visually captures the excitement and frenetic energy of Buju's live performances along with some exclusive behind-the-scenes moments on the road with the artist and his band.
Gargamel Music Website
At long last, we are in the process of revamping the Gargamel Music website. www.GARGAMELMUSIC.com will be the hub for all things Buju Banton on the web. We will also be selling authentic Buju Banton merchandise, including the Official Free Buju T-Shirts, which are now available in a Limited Edition Red in addition to the original Black and Green color waves. And keep your eyes peeled for the brand new Buju Banton Logo Tee that will be available at relaunch!
The Gargamel Music Family Thanks You For Your Support!


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Can the following groups of components of metric tensor can assigned a clear sense?
I have marked gray component as "newtonian gravitation", blue components as "space curving", green as "gravielectricity" and pink as "gravimagnetism".
I understand that this is wrong, since "gravitoelectrivity" should be newtonian gravitation. Also I understand, that components of this tensor are closer to electromagnetic potential rather than to field intensity components.
But provided this picture as starting point for explanation.


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New Potawatomi Hotel may keep basements from flooding
City requires developers to avoid overwhelming stormwater system
The new Potawatomi Hotel has put concrete where soil would naturally absorb rainwater, so the city has required engineers design a way to capture rainwater and slowly release it.
Soon the massive hole next to the new Potawatomi Casino Hotel will become an underground concrete stormwater retention tank. On top will be a new parking structure.
"It helps us be able to do this development without causing flood potential," Potawatomi Facilities Director David Brien said.
"It will take about 650,000 gallons of rainwater in any given event, and it will hold that until the city's system is ready for it," Brien said.
When a new building is constructed in Milwaukee, the city requires developers to capture rainwater so the stormwater system isn't overwhelmed.
No rainwater that will come from the new hotel will actually end up in the new underground storage tank. Instead, rainwater will drain from the top of the casino's three parking garages.
"It's very similar to what the deep tunnel does for the city," Brien said.
The engineer for the project said the new tank will also be environmentally friendly, stripping road grime left behind by cars.
"The water from the top of the parking structure has some pollutants in it, but the system also includes an area that would filter those pollutants out," Graef engineer John McCarthy said. "It's not only dealing with the flooding potential or the quantity issue, but it's also providing improved water quality."
The new Northwestern Mutual Building downtown will use a different technology to hold rainwater.
The building will feature a green roof with an extra absorbent soil that can trap up to 2 inches of rain, as well as grow plants.


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It seems like only yesterday that the big new thing in gaming was the Nintendo Wii.
Wait a minute — wasn't it only yesterday?
Actually, it was 2006 when holiday shoppers camped outside stores to fight for their chance to own a brand new Wii. Even so, the console is still fairly new, although according to CNNMoney, its days are numbered.
Nintendo plans to launch a replacement gaming system in 2012. A playable model of this system, as well as more information about it, will be available at the E3 Expo in June.
As for the Wii? It will join the ranks of Sega Dreamcast and arcade consoles — though perhaps its discontinuation will up its cool factor.
But no matter what, I plan to stay true to Wii Boxing.


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Alexander Falk
Alex Falk has been dancing and singing since he was a child, when he acted at the Miniteatern children's drama school, for example. He then attended the Rytmus upper secondary music school, followed by the Ballet Academy's musicals course, both in Stockholm. Since he turned sixteen, he has been singing in studios, choirs and on recordings, including for Alcazar and issued the cover tune Just Can't Get Enough with the band Starlight, with which he then went on tour, even as a warm-up band for Take That. Alex has sung with artists like Shirley Clamp, Velvet, Sarah Dawn Finer and Gladys del Pilar. In 2001, he performed in the musical Rent at Göta Lejon and then at the Göteborg Opera, was also understudy for the lead role of Angel and had to step into this role several times. In 2004, Alex performed on the TV4 Idol programme and finished up among the ten finalists. After the competition, a Swedish tour followed with TV4 and Stadskampen. With the pop duo 6 AM and Cissi Ramsby, he released the single I'm Gay which was selected as the official Pride song in 2007 and reached number one in the charts. Alex has taught Latin American dance at the Laising Dance Institute and the Allemana Dancesport Club and, in recent years, he has sung at Wallman's Salons in Stockholm, Helsingborg and Oslo.


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BlackBerry maker Research in Motion hasn't given up the fight just yet. The company says it's still on track to launch BlackBerry 10 in early 2013, and has scheduled a launch event for January 30.
Well, several events, actually. RIM says it will hold simultaneous launches around the world, where it will show off its new operating system and announce the first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones, along with details on availability.
What do we know about BlackBerry 10? From the company's various developer conferences over the last several months, we're able to piece together an idea of what RIM's next generation of BlackBerry devices will be like.
All About the Flow
RIM refers to the BlackBerry 10 interface as "Flow," due to the way that users can swipe between applications without tapping any buttons. Swipe upwards when the phone is locked, for instance, and you slide into a screen of "Active Frames," showing thumbnail images of your recent apps. These frames can contain useful information such as calendar appointments, BBM status updates and weather forecasts, so they're similar to the Live Tiles in Windows Phone and widgets in Android.
(MORE: BlackBerry 10: Good Enough Won't Be Anywhere Near Good Enough)
BlackBerry 10 also puts an emphasis on communications. When you're inside an app, you can swipe up from the bottom bezel to peek at notifications, then keep swiping over to the right to jump into a unified inbox, called BlackBerry Hub. This inbox brings e-mails, messages, missed calls, calendar events and social network updates into a single list.
RIM has a video that shows how this works:
A New Take on Software Keyboards
Although the physical keyboard is BlackBerry's claim to fame, RIM is trying to change that in BlackBerry 10. Full touchscreen BlackBerry phones will have software keyboards with predictive text. As the user types, suggested words appear above every next possible letter, so after typing "L-E," the word "learned" appears above "A" and the word "left" appears above "F." To enter the word, users must swipe upwards from the next letter. Suggestions will improve over time based on what users type most often.
A Camera that Rewinds Time
One of BlackBerry 10's most impressive features is its camera app, which automatically grabs a few frames before every photo taken. That way, if one of the subjects blinks or makes an odd face, users can "rewind" time for the area around that person's face, going back to when he or she had a perfect smile. Although some Android phones now offer burst shooting, BlackBerry 10's ability to selectively edit individual faces–and only when necessary–seems more useful than snapping 10 photos at a time in burst mode.
Here's another video that demonstrates the feature:
Separation of Business and Pleasure
For enterprise users, a feature called BlackBerry Balance creates separate work and personal profiles on their phones, each with their own apps and information. The business side is encrypted and password-protected, and users can switch between the two profiles at will.
The Actual Phones
RIM plans to announce two BlackBerry phones at its January launch event, and we'll be surprised if they aren't similar to two phones that popped up in a leaked video in September, as spotted by CrackBerry.com. One of the phones will apparently have a full touch screen, while the other will supposedly resemble the classic BlackBerry Bold with a physical keyboard on the bottom.
Another purported leak, posted on RapidBerry, claims that the touchscreen phone will have a 4.65-inch 720p display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, a microSD card slot, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera and a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera. If true, those specs would put the phone on par with others that are on the market now. Not as much is known, however, about the supposed BlackBerry with the physical keyboard.
Questions Remain
We have a general sense of how BlackBerry 10 will work and what the phones might look like, but plenty of details are still unknown. The depth and breadth of BlackBerry 10's app store is the biggest mystery, though RIM says it will offer "a large catalog of the leading applications from across the globe and across all categories." We'll also need to see if RIM will offer connected music and video services similar to Apple's iTunes in the Cloud, Google Play and Microsoft's Xbox Music and Video. As for availability, no wireless carriers in the United States have said publicly whether they'll sell BlackBerry 10 devices, but RIM says 50 carriers around the world are testing the phones in their labs.
There's also one other nagging question: Has all this time allowed BlackBerry 10 to be flawless? It's already been more than a year since RIM's last major software update, BlackBerry 7, and the company has said it's taking the time to get things right. That sounds good, especially after the disastrous launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook, but we won't know how RIM has fared until we actually try the hardware.
Once all those details are revealed, the only thing left to see is whether people will still care about the BlackBerry brand after it's spent more than a year in hiding. For RIM, BlackBerry 10 has always been a long shot, but at least the company is preparing something different and is finally on track to deliver.


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'Act with Care' update: All Clark Realty sales offices are open for scheduled appointments with your agent. Property showings with required safety protocols are possible. Our top priority, always, is the health and well-being of our clients, agents, employees, and communities. Contact your agent for more information or View the latest Big Island listings with Virtual Tours.
As the saying goes, "In Hawaii, if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes." Or, drive a few miles. Most days, it's true.
Home to 4 of the world's 5 climate zones (and 10 of the 13 sub-zones), the Big Island has something to offer for everyone.
At sea level, temperatures are generally mild and breezes are usually blowing. In the higher elevations, you can escape into a cool, misty rainforest that feels a world away from the ocean waves and palm trees just a few miles away. On the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, temperatures can dip below 30°F and snowfall accumulates several times each year, usually above 9,000' elevation.
To identify what part of the Big Island will suit you best, a good starting point is to ask whether you're looking for mostly sunny skies and few rainy days per year, or if you are more comfortable in a wetter, greener environment. For anyone planning extensive gardening, landscaping or agricultural production, questions about water supply and cost will be important to consider.
If you generally prefer cooler temperatures (without the need for air-conditioning), you may want to focus your search above 700-800' elevation, especially in North and West Hawaii.
The Rainfall Atlas of Hawaii, produced by the Geography Department of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is an excellent resource for a deeper investigation into Hawaii's weather and climate patterns. Your real estate agent can also provide additional information about particular properties using mapping tools provided by our MLS service.
To get you started, here are a few neighborhoods to compare:
|Avg Rainfall
|Alii Heights (Kona)
|30-40 in
|Puu Lani Ranch (Kona)
|20-30 in
|Waikoloa Village
|10 in
|Lualai (Waimea)
|30 in
|Avg Rainfall
|Sunrise Ridge (Hilo)
|160 in
|Kaumana City (Hilo)
|200 in
|Hawaiian Paradise Park (Puna)
|120 in
|Volcano Golf & Country Club
|78 in


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Lexington Medical Center Irmo Earns Awards for Outstanding Patient Care
Lexington Medical Center's outpatient surgery center in Irmo has been named one of the highest-rated ambulatory surgery facilities in the nation for patient satisfaction by Press Ganey, a national organization that measures health care experience. With patient satisfaction scores that consistently rank in the 99th percentile, Lexington Medical Center Irmo has received Press Ganey's national Beacon of Excellence Award. The award goes to top performing organizations that have maintained patient satisfaction scores above the 95th percentile for three years in a row.
"The employees at Lexinton Medical Center Irmo never rest on their laurels," said Susan Horton, Director of Guest Services at Lexington Medical Center. "They are always looking for ways to raise the bar in providing the most extraordinary care."
In addition, Lexington Medical Center Irmo also won Press Ganey's Guardian of Excellence Award for reaching the 95th percentile for patient satisfaction in ambulatory surgery for each reporting period of the year. Fewer than 5% of organizations measured by Press Ganey qualify for this award. Press Ganey partners with more than 10,000 health care facilities across the nation to measure and improve patient experience.
"Achieving this level of excellence reflects Lexington Medical Center's commitment to delivering outstanding service and quality," said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. "Lexington Medical Center's efforts benefit patients in the Irmo area and lead to better patient experiences."
Lexington Medical Center Irmo has been serving the people of the Irmo community for 27 years. Approximately 150 surgeries per month are performed at Lexington Medical Center Irmo. Procedures include general surgery, gynecological surgery, vascular port placement, gallbladder surgery, podiatry and plastic surgery. One of the newest surgeries at Lexington Medical Center Irmo's Outpatient Surgery department is Same Day/Next Day Surgery, a first-of-its-kind program in the Midlands. In Same Day/Next Day Surgery, consultations are scheduled daily with procedures performed that afternoon or the next morning.
Lexington Medical Center Irmo's outpatient surgery department offers comprehensive health care for the people of Irmo in their own neighborhood.


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Alright, by now you know we're selling a new summer seasonal, and it's called Rolle Bolle (and it's delicious). But the question of "what the hell is a Rolle Bolle? (pronounced Roll-ee Bowl-ee)) keeps coming up. But ask no more because I am here to explain it...
Rolle Bolle is a game, played in Belgium (and other places to, like Ghent, Minnesota!). The game is a bit like Bocce Ball, but instaed of rolling balls, you roll big discs. These discs look a lot like wheels of cheese. It's pretty awesome. The player rolls these wheels towards targets, like a stake in the ground, or a painted circle. The closest wins points. We have two courts at the brewery, you should come by and play.
And to help in Rolle Bolle (beer and game) PR we had some totally awesome, custom Rolle Bolle sets made to giveaway (we'll get to that in a minute). The sets were made by Tyler Morris Woodworking here in Fort Collins. The fellows at TMWW did extreme amounts of research and it shows. Rolle Bolle wheels are not quite even, side to side, so they roll in an arc. And this arc adds one more dynamic you have to play during the game. Meaning you can't roll it in a straight line to get to the stake. Ideally you would want the arc to be the same on all the Rolle Bolles in the set and this is where all the research from TMWW paid off. All of them had to be hand cut from European Beech into blocks. Then cut from blocks into rough wheels, then lathed to the right shape. Then each Rolle Bolle had to pass the roll test. If they didn't pass they went back to the lathe for correction.
I got to go to their shop and see some sets get made, here's a quick video:
Pretty awesome, right? These fellows hand-lathed 127 sets of eight. That's 1,016 total bolles. At roughly 5 minutes on the lathe each (and that's not counting the all the work to get to this step) equals 5,080 minutes of lathe work. Seriously, lots of work, but they came out awesome. A big, huge THANK YOU is in order for those guys, they do great work.
And then, let's get to the part where you can win a set... Just go here and enter to win: WIN AN AWESOME ROLLE BOLLE SET OF YOUR OWN!!!!!!! It's that easy...
And then (again), if you win, you should play all the time, with your friends and family.
Have a great day,


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(Phoenix, AZ – September 19, 2003) Attorney General Terry Goddard will officially open his Sun City Satellite Office on Thursday, October 9 at 10:00 a.m.
The satellite office will serve as a repository for information on consumer rights, telemarketing fraud, and consumer scams. As well, specially trained volunteers will provide consumer complaint forms and offer some assistance in completing those forms.
"By bringing the office into the community, we hope that the word about scams and unscrupulous businesses will spread quicker than the con artists can. That way, not only will we help those victimized, but hopefully prevent others in the community from becoming victims," said Attorney General Goddard.
The office, which will be totally staffed by volunteers, will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Fairway Recreation Center, 10600 W. Peoria Avenue, Sun City. The volunteers have all received consumer fraud complaint intake training from the Attorney General's Office…and most have a public service background.
The Attorney General's popular Life Care Planning documents and the Senior Citizen Protection Manual will be available at the office and for those attending the opening ceremonies on October 9.
The opening is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Music Room of the Fairway Recreation Center. Questions can be directed to Dana Browning at the Attorney General's Office, 602-542-2079.


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