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Saturday, June 30, 2007
It Exists!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Friday Announcements
Also, we are presently in the midst of shipping VIDEO WATCHDOG #132, which returned from the printer on Wednesday. It's a fine looking issue, with a great diversity of films and television covered, and the general tone strikes me as more nostalgic and light-hearted than our previous CASINO ROYALE number. For those of you who have been petitioning me for the return of "Things From the Attic"... it's in here!
I also wanted to mention some additional information about THE THOMAS MANN COLLECTION titles, which I blogged about a couple of days ago. Apparently there is some uncertainty at large about whether the set includes the full-length versions of the made-for-German-television THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN and DOCTOR FAUSTUS, or their condensed theatrical versions. I am currently two episodes into DOCTOR FAUSTUS, which is certainly the miniseries version; the IMDb lists a 137m running time for the movie, and the first two parts alone nearly amount to this. It takes awhile to get going, but I'm very much caught up in it. As for THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, it's packaged in an ever stouter disc booklet than FAUSTUS and lists a running time of nearly five hours. Also, THE THOMAS MANN COLLECTION is a Koch Vision (formerly Koch Media) and this label is rapidly becoming synonymous with careless DVD transfers. DOCTOR FAUSTUS looks like it was mastered from an old PAL tape, with lots of staggering during camera pans; it's acceptable only because it's the only opportunity I've had to see this film. It's also letterboxed in a manner that requires me to wide-zoom the picture, which gives it a bit of a taffy-pull, but it's the only way I can fill my screen and get both tiers of the English subtitling. I had the same complaint about Koch Media's LA BELLE CAPTIVE, and their release of Alain Resnais' MURIEL was only somewhat better. This label is exercising superb taste about what to license and release, but they could use an employee with a clue about how to present it all on disc properly.
Lastly, as I type these words, there is a large box sitting in our living room. It contains, I am told, two preliminary copies of MARIO BAVA ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK -- the first two bound copies in the world. These copies are supposedly hand-stitched, in the manner of the dummy blank books we received last year, and once we approve these, the remainder of our order will be sent to the bindery, completing the print run. So why am I sitting here blogging, when I could be holding my book, savoring the fruits of my labors? Well, Donna wants to camcord the occasion for posterity, so rooms have to be cleaned (it's hard to find a presentable room here during the shipping of an issue, which is what's going on at the moment), showers have to be taken, and we have to learn how to use this camcorder, which we haven't touched in years, all over again. So much for spontaneity... but I hope to have some kind of report on the "grand opening" on the Bava Book Update blog later this evening.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Cronenberg's Next
Speaking of Cronenbergian things, I'm told that my Millipede Press book on VIDEODROME is proceeding nicely and now in the photo selection/clean-up stage. This past week I pulled out some additional never-before-published shots, including several of myself on the set -- images I literally haven't seen in decades. I was surprised to discover that photos exist of me standing on the actual Videodrome set, and the derelict ship where the film's closing scene takes place, and in Rick Baker's EFX workshop holding a severed arm and a big chunk of Barry Convex cancer. There are also shots of me in the company of David Cronenberg, James Woods, Debbie Harry, Mark Irwin, Carol Spier, and co-producer Victor Solnicki (who I didn't recall meeting). Since I don't anticipate seeing too much more of myself in the book than an author's photo, I will share some of those images here once Donna has a chance to digitally rejuvenate them.
PS: Truphen Newben is back with two more terrifying TALES FROM THE PUB at YouTube: "The Return" and "Doppelganger."
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Exploring Genius and Madness with Thomas Mann
This was around the time I was just dipping my toe into home video and still very much a dedicated reader. Somewhat earlier in my life, in the mid- to late-1970s as I was chain-reading my way through my literary education, I read a great deal of Mann and loved it -- those two books particularly, though I also found myself deliriously overwhelmed by the scope and style of his most colossal work of the imagination, his JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS tetralogy. I was thrilled to know that both novels had finally been adapted for the screen and couldn't wait to see them. What I did not know is that it would take another 28 years for that to happen.
Only now have the film versions of THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN [Der Zauberberg, 1982] and DOCTOR FAUSTUS [Doktor Faustus, 1982] become available for viewing with English subtitles, in a DVD box set from Koch Vision called THE THOMAS MANN COLLECTION -- along with an epic miniseries production of Mann's BUDDENBROOKS previously televised here as part of PBS' GREAT PERFORMANCES. The seven-disc set runs longer than 19 hours, making its hefty cost seem more reasonable.
I'm posting this information in a state of excitement; I haven't as yet seen the films themselves, though I plan to dig in soon. But what I can tell you is appetizing. THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN stars Rod Steiger, Marie-France Pisier and Kurt Raab, and was scripted and directed by Hans W. Geissendörfer, best known for his political vampire film of 1970, JONATHAN. DOCTOR FAUSTUS stars Jon Finch (great casting, I'm guessing) and Marie-Hélène Breillat and was written and directed by THE TIN DRUM producer Franz Seitz, who also produced both films -- some twenty years after producing a picture based on Mann's celebrated story "Tonio Krüger."
For those of you who aren't familiar with the novels, both works explore the hazy margins between disease and inspiration, art and malady, genius and madness. THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN is the magic realist chronicle of the education and elliptic romances encountered by a young German male while stuck for a long period of time at a health sanitorium high in the Swiss mountains, and DOCTOR FAUSTUS is the fictional story of classical composer Adrian Leverkuhn, whose musical genius is rumored to have been cemented through a deal with the Devil.
This is one of those DVD releases that sneak out completely under the radar, so I thought I would bring it to your attention -- merely as a public service. Incidentally, if your knowledge of Mann's work is limited to a viewing of Visconti's DEATH IN VENICE, you haven't yet discovered him. These productions bode well to be the ideal place, short of the books themselves, to get acquainted.
Building a Better Plague
Monday, June 25, 2007
The Other Addams Family
Scripted by Robert Dillon -- whose other credits include Roger Corman's X THE MAN WITH X-RAY EYES (1963), PRIME CUT (1972) and FRENCH CONNECTION II (1975)-- Castle's THE OLD DARK HOUSE is not really a remake of the 1932 Universal classic directed by James Whale, though it too claims basis in J. B. Priestley's 1928 novel BENIGHTED. I'm told that the Whale film is very faithful to the novel until just before the end, and the Castle film's storyline bears only very loose similarities to the earlier narrative. Castle's film was not accorded much respect upon its release; in the United Kingdom, it was issued in a cut 76m version, while, in America, it was issued at its full 86 minute length. However, US distributor Columbia refused the expense of color prints, releasing it only in decidedly unlustrous black-and-white. It was shown this way on American television until sometime in the late 1980s, when it began to appear on premium cable channels and local commercial stations in color. It looks startlingly good in color, and I was also pleased to discover how much precision and compositional quality Arthur Grant's photography gained when I zoomed the full-frame picture up on my widescreen set. This, too, is the way THE OLD DARK HOUSE was meant to be seen and too often hasn't.
My newfound appreciation of THE OLD DARK HOUSE certainly doesn't extend to comparing it to the 1932 version, which is truly incomparable, nor would I compare it favorably to some of Castle's own work. It's not a perfect-of-its-kind confection as were THE TINGLER and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. However, it's fairly assuredly the finest of Castle's many attempts to fuse humor and horror, and the opportunity to work with a thoroughly experienced British cast and Hammer's top-flight technical crew (including production designer Bernard Robinson and composer Benjamin Frankel) put Castle ahead of his usual game, which often made use of some less-than-impressive American supporting players. Top-billed American actor Tom Poston, returning to the Castle ranks from the previous year's ZOTZ!, carries the film confidently and amiably. In the earlier film, Poston played a variation on the absent-minded professor character played so successfully by Fred MacMurray in two then-recent Walt Disney productions, and came off as a likeable if diluted eccentric; here, he's playing a role better suited to his range and qualities and he manages to navigate a narrow and sometimes treacherous path between drama and physical comedy. Surrounding Poston are a motley crew of British players as the creepy Femm family: Robert Morley, Peter Bull, Joyce Grenfell (who fears that, if she stops knitting, the world will end -- as indeed it does), Mervyn Johns, Fenella Fielding, Danny Green, and the seemingly normal Janette Scott. Castle obtains a stronger body of performances than he got in any of the other films he directed in the 1960s, and if truth be told, the performances are uniformly stronger here than they were in the average Hammer film of this period.
So... the performances are delightful, the script's dark comedy plays well, the art direction is splendid, the music is appropriately baroque and doomy -- what is it about THE OLD DARK HOUSE that doesn't quite work? Somehow, whatever was necessary to bond these elements into a happy, organic package simply isn't in evidence. It isn't just that Danny Green makes a poor Morgan when compared to Boris Karloff -- indeed, when this film was first released, the James Whale version was considered all but lost, and few who went to see it knew much more about the earlier adaptation than the stills they had seen; the Morgan in this film isn't even the Femm's butler but rather a super-strong, strangulation-happy family member. Castle was able to cast his films, knew the atmosphere he was after, and had the right sense of humor, but he simply wasn't capable to make all these components move as one. In some ways, he didn't develop as a director beyond the abilities he'd acquired while making films for the Whistler and Crime Doctor series at Columbia in the 1940s: here as there, actors are trotted out in character when they are needed, and one almost feels them disappear as they move offscreen. The action is too stagey to convincingly blend with the mise-en-scène.
The film includes the credit "drawn by Charles Addams" (a monstrous hand actually paints the great man's signature onscreen in moon-pale ink), though the great NEW YORKER cartoonist drew neither the film poster nor designed the production. What he drew was the old dark house visible behind the main titles -- and drawn black on a deep purple background, his work isn't terribly visible, at least not in the print I viewed. Nevertheless, his presence acknowledges the debt that the Femms played in developing his own Addams Family -- indeed, he openly acknowledged that his butler Lurch had been inspired by Karloff's Morgan in the original film. It was clever of Castle to hire Addams, not only for the coup of adding his name to the credits and advertising, but for recognizing the relationship that existed between Addams drawings and the movie that he wanted to make. If you think about it, all of Castle's earlier horror films had been comedic though in a non-diegetic sense; they were genuinely horrific, but comedic in the way he sold them. After the rip-roaring success of HOMICIDAL, Castle's work in horror sought to balance horror and humor; it's there in 13 GHOSTS, in MR. SARDONICUS (if we see the version including Castle's "Punishment Poll" footage), and in I SAW WHAT YOU DID -- and it's in THE OLD DARK HOUSE that this uneasy fusion works best. It works well enough, in fact, to have inspired in other people the idea of developing Addams' cartoons as a television series.
William Castle (who died in 1977) is still about as popular among movie fans as he ever was when he was alive. Most of his best movies are available on DVD and he inspired the character played by John Goodman in Joe Dante's terrific 1993 movie MATINEE. Neither Castle's nor Hammer's most devoted admirers have had much good to say about THE OLD DARK HOUSE over the years, but it's doubtful that a cut or cropped or colorless version of the experience really passes for an intended viewing of THE OLD DARK HOUSE. My memory suitably refreshed and corrected, I think it harbors enough of the mysterious and spooky and altogether ooky to warrant a closer look, should a Sony DVD ever wend our way.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Get Twisted
I recommend the TWISTED SEX compilations, and also another equally fascinating comp called THE LATE LATE SHOW, because -- at their best -- they are like archaeological digs into a buried world of lost, or nearly lost, cinema. No one who truly loves movies can fail to become absorbed in the revelations they have to show and tell us. The trailers used to fill out THE LATE LATE SHOW, for example, are from primarily European films so obscure to American sensibilities -- stuff like X-RAY OF A KILLER, HEADLINES OF DESTRUCTION and THE BLACK MONOCLE-- that it's like a window into an alternate universe.
A couple of nights ago, I decided to load up the first volume of TWISTED SEX for the first time in at least a decade, giving myself something to watch while I decided what I really wanted to watch. It only took a few trailers for me to realize that I had already made my choice, and I stayed with it for the whole 100 or so minutes. Leaving the program's erotic content out of it, which is considerable and sometimes extends to full frontal nudity for both sexes, I found myself primarily absorbed in what these trailers have to tell us about those sidestreets of cinema history that have never been thoroughly investigated and may never be. One such case is MADAME OLGA'S MASSAGE PARLOR (1965), the fourth and final entry in American Film Distributing Corporation's notorious "Olga" series, which now survives only in the form of the promotional trailer included here and other excerpts that were used to pad AFDC's compilation film MONDO OSCENITA. Also currently believed lost are two Barry Mahon titles promo'd here, FANNY HILL MEETS LADY CHATTERLY and FANNY HILL MEETS THE RED BARON. Though it's no longer lost (thanks to the efforts of Something Weird mogul Mike Vraney), the trailer for Andy Milligan's VAPORS -- a collection of high-contrast still images -- gives the film the aura of something lost, something eluding us even as it falls within our grasp.
As interesting and poignant as it can be to witness scenes from lost movies, I find it just as remarkable to encounter familiar voices and faces in the unlikely environs of sexploitation and its ballyhoo. For example, the trailer for STRANGE COMPULSION (a 1964 film evidently influenced by PEEPING TOM as well as Sacher-Masoch) is narrated by Les Tremayne, an experienced radio and voice actor (he narrated FORBIDDEN PLANET and dubbed RODAN) principally remembered by children of the Seventies as the avuncular co-star of SHAZAM. Then there are the sightings: someone who may be Robert Alda is glimpsed in the trailer for ALL WOMAN (1967); the famous NYC photographer Weegee shows up as the unlikely star of THE IMP-PROBABLE MR. WEEGEE (1967), seemingly set in Paris; John Beck, a member of the classic psych band The Seeds before becoming an actor, can be seen in a clip from Barry Mahon's GOOD TIME WITH A BAD GIRL (1967); Richard B. Schull drowns a woman in a toilet and gloats about it in the promo for WATCH THE BIRDIE (1965); and RE-ANIMATOR's David Gale can be seen with Jennifer Welles in the trailer for A WEEKEND WITH STRANGERS (1971). I have to wonder if Farley Granger himself ever knew that he was the star of something called BAD GIRLS, apparently a reissue retitling of an Italian giallo picture alternately known as THE SLASHER IS THE SEX MANIAC and PENETRATION.
A trailer for something called THE BRUTES (1970) not only features German actor Klaus Löwitsch (DESPAIR) but turns out to be an exploitative US retitling of Roger Fritz's Mädchen... nur mit Gewalt, not a film I realized had achieved an American release. This movie is legendary among fans of progressive rock as one of the few films to be scored by the pioneering Krautrock group Can. It introduced the song "Soul Desert" from their album SOUNDTRACKS -- which can also be heard in the trailer, though not the same performance included on the album. Similarly, I noticed that the trailer for THE RAPE KILLER makes use of library music whose descending electric bass pattern I recognized from my past viewings of TWILIGHT PEOPLE and MY PLEASURE IS MY BUSINESS (with Xaviera "The Happy Hooker" Hollander). Also mixed into this highly-charged intoxicant are trailers for movies with titles like THE IMMORAL, STEFANIA, and THE WEIRD LOVEMAKERS -- which hail from the last countries you'd expect: Sweden, Greece, and Japan, respectively. (Okay, that THE WEIRD LOVEMAKERS comes from Japan is not so unexpected.)
It's an old defense that the kid caught with an issue of PLAYBOY insists that he's only perusing it for the articles, and a not-always-supportable argument among devotées of sexploitation cinema that such films often have more than eroticism to commend them. But watching TWISTED SEX VOLUME 1, I must admit that I spent almost as much time scribbling down notes as I did looking at the screen. So, apparently, did Robert Plante, whose nostalgic blog Chateau Vulgaria has been running intermittent write-ups about the TWISTED SEX series since last September. He's currently up to Volume 6, and his notes include valuable additional information about release dates and distributors. You can find them here.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Am I Still a Novelist?
You may remember that I've mentioned here in the past a novel-in-progress, one which I've actually finished several times but never fully to my liking, called THE ONLY CRIMINAL. I first got the idea for this book almost as long ago as I began researching the Bava book; it's the best idea I've ever had for a novel, but for some reason, I could never quite find my way out the other end of its maze. Some months ago, at the request of my agent, I sent her a nearly-but-not-quite-finished draft of the novel because she had found an editor who expressed interest. Last night before going to bed, I sent her an e-mail asking if there was an update. This morning, she copied me on the editor's response, which I reproduce here in full, minus his signature:
"Thank you for sending over THE ONLY CRIMINAL. I thought this was a fun, well-written book supported by a great, fantastical idea. However, I would have liked if the author focused more on one or two main characters, instead of jumping around so much, and began digging deeper into what the Only Criminal really is earlier in the book. I hope you find a good home for this project."
I must be getting old, because I can remember 1) when "fun", "well-written" books with a "great idea" were in demand by publishers, and 2) when editors still worked with writers on promising manuscripts to make the most of them. Those days, it would seem, are somewhere over our shoulder in the next county.
This editor didn't know my work, evidently, or understand the book, even if he derived pleasure from it. Like my other novels, THE ONLY CRIMINAL is about a central character and others in his immediate orbit, but it's more importantly about a global phenomenon tied to found artifacts of, shall we say, infernal provenance. That's my thing -- I've worked hard to make it my own, and according to the reviews I've received over the years, it's well-liked. You wouldn't ask J. G. Ballard to please resubmit his latest after beefing up the characterizations and leaving out the clinical lingo and psychosexual sociology, would you? And dig deeper into "what the Only Criminal really is earlier in the book"? Never mind that I begin asking that question as early as the first chapter!
This careless little paragraph got me angry enough to spend the day doing something I haven't been able to do in longer than I would care to admit: I finally finished THE ONLY CRIMINAL to my own liking. It was much closer to being finished than I suspected, and perhaps part of me hadn't been willing the cut the cord until now, until the Bava book was behind me. I sensed what still needed to be done the other day when it occurred to me that I might conclude the climactic chapter with a passage I had used to finish a novel I wrote back in the 1970s and never tried to publish, a segue from my own words into words and images imported from the Bible. I did this, and voila, it fit like a missing jigsaw piece. THE missing jigsaw piece. I excitedly spent the rest of the afternoon polishing some other areas, changing some street names and such, and now I feel the book is as good as I can make it -- at least as good as I can make it until it finds its way beneath the wing of strong editorial guidance. If such a thing still exists. I believe it does.
I've printed off a copy of the manuscript and I intend to ship it out tomorrow to another agent who has agreed to consider me as a client. It's time for a change. I'm hopeful; it's a special book. In the meantime, please be so kind as to light a candle for me and THE ONLY CRIMINAL... or I may just give T.O.C. your address.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
VIDEO WATCHDOG #132 at the Printer
I think the cover of this issue, with its Charlie Largent-created centerpiece, gives a very good indication of what fun it is. (Click it to see it giant-sized.) We're not calling it one as such, but this is very much one of our "All Review Issues." David J. Schow (who hearby joins the elite group of writers who have had their names on the cover of our magazine) contributed a wonderful piece on the delicious Season Two of THE WILD WILD WEST; Bill Cooke delivers his long-awaited coverage of THE TARZAN COLLECTION 2, with its half-dozen RKO productions starring Johnny Weissmuller; Shane Dallmann roars back with reviews of Classic Media's GOJIRA, GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN and MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA discs; and, by popular demand, "Things From the Attic" returns with my vintage tape reviews of some Paul Naschy rarities, the crazy Ed Wood-scripted THE REVENGE OF DR. X, and TOWER OF SCREAMING VIRGINS (one of the first letterboxed tapes ever to hit the market). And that's still just the beginning!
You can read all about it on the "Coming Soon" page of the VIDEO WATCHDOG website, and sample the opening pages of our WILD WILD WEST and TARZAN coverage, as well!
Incidentally, if you're keeping track, this is the first time we've featured Boris Karloff on the cover of VIDEO WATCHDOG since our fifth issue, back in 1990. That issue included the first published excerpt of MARIO BAVA ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, and we enjoy the symmetry that this will be the issue on newsstands as that book finally becomes a reality.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Into the WTF Zone with Larry Blamire
Friday, June 15, 2007
Corman's Poe: Are You Experienced?
Our visiting friends from out-of-town have departed, so today we're buckling back down to work today -- albeit slowly and not altogether willingly. Sitting in the sunlight for a few days engenders its own form of drunkenness and it's a pleasant way to wile away the waning days of spring. Maybe I'll do my proofreading outdoors on the patio swing, as the sun totters below the horizon.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Out of the Loop
So I haven't had time to blog, nor even time to watch much of anything since Sunday night's SOPRANOS finale. However, last night, I had the treat of introducing Roger Corman's Poe films to my friends' teenage son who has already made his own computer-animated Poe short without ever having seen Corman's trail-blazing work in the field. I chose PIT AND THE PENDULUM as his introduction, and he enjoyed it... almost as much as his mother did, who was shuddering anew while enjoying having her memory refreshed of a film that she saw back in the 1960s in her native Belgrade. We all loved the zinger ending, though Donna had to compromise it by asking how Barbara Steele's character got gagged after she had been tossed into the Iron Maiden.
To report some recent work I've done: my next SIGHT & SOUND columns will be devoted to DA Pennebaker's DONT LOOK BACK and Bret Wood's PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS, respectively. Also, SIGHT & SOUND requested my participation in an upcoming forum in which various critics are asked to write about their choices for "Forgotten and Overlooked Films" -- I submitted a couple hundred words on LE ROMAN DE RENARD ("The Tale of the Fox"), the 1930-37 animated feature by Ladislas Starewitch (the family's preferred spelling -- he's Wladislaw Starewicz on the IMDb).
Also my VIDEODROME book for Millipede Press is currently in the layout stage and I am supposed to see some sample layout pages tomorrow. I'll report more fully once I've seen the pages.
Monday, June 11, 2007
The SOPRANOS Finale
Friday, June 08, 2007
Remembering the "If...." Girl
McDowell certainly wasn't alone in his affections for IF....'s enigmatic, coffee dispensing heroine; in fact, I must admit that the possibility of learning more about Christine Noonan was one of the major reasons I was so keen to get to the audio commentary and extras for this superb set. On the one hand, I was disappointed in this regard because McDowell's commentary was recorded in 2002, a year before Noonan's premature death from cancer, so her passing goes unreported by the disc, even in the 2007 comments by film historian David Robinson, a visitor to the filming who augments the commentary track. But on the other hand, McDowell tells us just enough about this robust yet alluring Eastender to appease our curiosity and keep it vibrant at the same time.
The film, which Criterion will release on June 19, is a scathing criticism of Britain's public school system with surrealist passages, and was filmed by cameraman Miroslav Ondricek in both color and black-and-white. Noonan appears in only a few scenes of the film, and all but one of her scenes is in black-and-white, the palate that brings her particular qualities most to the fore. She first appears as the waitress in an off-the-A3 greasy spoon, who serves coffee to a pair of hooky-playing collegiates played by McDowell (in his first screen role) and David Hood. McDowell, sizing up the Girl (as she's called) like a predator, steals a kiss, for which she slaps him good and hard. He demands sugar for his coffee, takes two heaping helpings, then drops the polluted spoon back in the sugar bowl before walking sullenly away to a jukebox. Moments later, her hand appears on his shoulder.
He turns to face her.
Her eyes fix on him, tease him, tempt him.
It's such an odd role and Christine Noonan -- short, thick-haired, and solidly built -- seems an odd, decidedly non-ethereal actress to have been cast in it, but she lays absolute claim to it, her appeal still direct and enticingly musky after all these years. "She was really like that," marvels McDowell as he watches the moment where she turns to meet his covetous gaze through a curtain of heavy black hair.
Knowing that hanky-panky was out of the question with his wedded co-star, McDowell cheekily proposed to Anderson that he and Noonan perform some of their wrestling in the nude. ("It's up there with the one from WOMEN IN LOVE," he says of the sequence, "it was quite risqué for its time.") Anderson demurred from suggesting it to Noonan himself, but was agreeable if she had no problem with the idea. McDowell promptly approached his co-star and opened, "Lindsay has asked me to ask you..." to which she replied in her broad Eastern accent, "Oy don't moynd." Within minutes, they were both starkers and making cinema history. For his part, McDowell remembers feeling as though he had "died and gone to Heaven."
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
I'm There Right Now
For me, recently, that song is currently "Ballad of a Thin Man" from Bob Dylan's HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED album -- and, for some reason, the live version from Manchester 1966 (erroneously released as THE "ROYAL ALBERT HALL" CONCERT) seems even more insistently impassable. I've taken to playing the song every night before retiring, a ritual I've been known to enact in the past with other minor key songs like "Telstar" by The Tornados, "Love Song for the Dead Ché" by The United States of America, "Share a Little Joke" by Jefferson Airplane, and "Swimming Horses" by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
You hand in your ticket
It recently occured to me, in the course of this obsession, that if you just change "bone" to "phone," you've got a scene from David Lynch's LOST HIGHWAY.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Some Recent Viewings
Hack Sunday
The problem has been cleaned up for now, but our site was hacked earlier this week and I guess it could happen again. With that in mind, in the event we're not able to receive online orders due to malicious mischief, if you need to subscribe or renew, our toll-free number is 1-800-275-8395. If you can't telephone toll-free from your area, our you-pay-for-the-call number is 513-297-1855.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Gangway! It's Ray do Caixao!
Through a Glass, Calmly
It was my birthday on Wednesday. Donna gave me a Zen Vision: M (a 30 GB "IPod" sort of thing that can play up to fifteen hours of music or four hours of video) and a pair of Sony noiseless headphones. I don't have any plans to watch video on it, but the display is nice, and the headphones sound really fine. Donna's had a similar Zen product for a couple of years, but I've always resisted the temptation to join the IPod generation for reasons as vague as they are various. Yesterday I got it charged up, docked it with my computer, and filled half of its available giggage with mp3s. And wouldn't you know it? I love the thing. It appears to be the accessory I've long needed to make walking on the treadmill not only less of a drudgery but actual fun. I walked five laps in the late afternoon on a #5 incline (one more than I usually do at my best) and another two in the evening just because the presence of music in my head made moving around seem more pleasing than sitting or standing still. I think the internal focus on music also takes away (valuably) from some of my usual focus on myself, which can foster anxiety and lead to nail-biting and other unattractive habits, so I'm now seeing in this needlessly postponed device the possibility for positive change. As I say, it's nearly a week since Wonderfest and I still have fingernails -- not like Richie Havens has fingernails, but they are fingernails.
Producing a new issue is always anxiety-inducing, so they may not survive next week, but I'm curious to see how my ZV:M will see me through the process.
Favorite ZV:M listening so far...
Robyn Hitchcock's performance from last Saturday at a "Games for May" tribute to Syd Barrett. Backed by musicians calling themselves Robyn's "Heavy Friends," the acoustic and electric set gives us a satisfying replica of what we might have heard, had Syd not retreated from the limelight and instead returned for an anniversary performance of his music. No "Baby Lemonade" or "Opel" regrettably, but a "Dominoes" and "Wined and Dined" to weep for, and throbbing ticking whiplash performances of "Astronomy Domine" and "Interstellar Overdrive" that sound directly channelled from the night everyone made love in London. This morning, as my coffee was brewing, I picked up my acoustic bass and surprised myself by being able to play both of these numbers by ear.
I'm also still getting a lot of pleasure from revisiting Patti Smith's TWELVE, her new album of covers. I haven't been an active listener to Patti's music in many years, but her choice of covers I find both sympathetic and adventurous. "We Three," from her classic EASTER album, has also become a renewed favorite of late.
As I said at Wonderfest while accepting my Rondo Award for "Best Website," VW's return to a monthly schedule is bound to interfere with my blogging duties. I can already feel it claiming some of the energies I was putting to use here. I intend to continue as best I can, but it won't be as frequently as before, and its character may even change somewhat. Stay tuned and we'll see what it becomes together.


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Nutramax Cosequin(R) ASU Excellent for arthritis pain and perfect for long-term use and maintenance, Cosequin ASU is a multi-synergistic formula that goes above and beyond the traditional glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate products on the market with the addition of ASU, made from avocado and soybeans, which help protect cartilage from damage and increase joint mobility. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate have demonstrated synergy in stimulating the production of cartilage matrix components, while ASU acts synergistically with both glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for additional joint support. The combination has also been shown in cartilage cell studies to work better at inhibiting the expression of several agents involved in cartilage breakdown. Features: Joint health supplement Highly recommended by veterinarians Broad spectrum support in a tasty, easy-to-use powder Contains the exclusive trademarked ingredients FCHG49(R) Glucosamine, TRH122(R) Chondroitin Sulfate, NMX1000(R) Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU), and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) ASU complements the effects of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate Item Specifications: Sizes: 30-day supply: 500g 80-day supply: 1320g Ingredients per 2 level scoops (32.4g): Glucosamine Hydrochloride*: 14,400mg Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM): 10,000mg Chondroitin Sulfate*: 2400mg† Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU) Powder*: 2100mg** Ascorbic Acid: 610mg Manganese: 100mg *Cosequin(R) ASU contains FCHG49(R) Glucosamine, TRH122(R) Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, and NMX1000(R) Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables, proprietary veterinary researched specifications. †Reported on a hydrous basis. **Standardized to contain a minimum of 30% ASU. Directions for Use: Initial 2-4 Weeks: Under 600 lb.: 1 scoop daily 600-1,200 lb.: 2 scoops daily Over 1200 lb.: 3 scoops daily Long-Term Administration: Under 600 lb.: 1/2 scoop daily 600-1,200 lb.: 1 scoop daily Over 1200 lb.: 1-2 scoops daily This chart should be used for guidance. The recommended initial administration period is 2-4 weeks. Once response is noted, the number of scoops may be reduced to the long-term administration level. Prior to and during an event or strenuous exercise, administration may be increased back to the initial level for extra support. Click here to watch the product video.
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Nutramax Cosequin(R) ASU Excellent for arthritis pain and perfect for long-term use and maintenance, Cosequin ASU is a multi-synergistic formula that goes above and beyond the traditional glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate products on the market with th
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MVP Premier Plus Bronze 1
Customer Reviews: Not Yet Rated
|Plan Summary
|Plan Type
Office Visit for Primary Doctor
Find Doctors
|$40 Copay after deductible
|Office Visit for Specialist
|$80 Copay after deductible
|Office Visit for Other Practitioner (Nurse, Physician Assistant)
|$40 Copay after deductible
|Annual Deductible
|Individual: $6,600
|Separate Prescription Drugs Deductible
|$300 per person | $600 per group
|Retail Prescription Drugs
|Generic Drugs: $10 Copay after deductible;
Preferred Brand Drugs: $45 Copay after deductible;
Non-Preferred Brand Drugs: $90 Copay after deductible;
Specialty Drugs: Not Applicable;
|Annual Out-of-Pocket Limit
|Individual: $8,100
Includes deductible
|Lifetime Maximum
|Health Savings Account (HSA) Eligible
|Out-of-Network Coverage
|Emergency Care Only
|Out-of-Country Coverage
|Yes. Emergency Only
|Office Visit
|Primary Care Physician Required
|Specialist Referrals Required
|Preventive Care Coverage
|Periodic Health Exam
|No Charge
|Periodic OB-GYN Exam
|No Charge
|Well Baby Care
|No Charge
|Emergency and Urgent Care
|Emergency Room
|$500 Copay after deductible
|Emergency Ambulance Services
|$500 Copay after deductible
|Urgent Care Facility
|$80 Copay after deductible
|Prescription Drug Coverage
|Retail Prescription Drugs
|Generic Drugs: $10 Copay after deductible;
Preferred Brand Drugs: $45 Copay after deductible;
Non-Preferred Brand Drugs: $90 Copay after deductible;
Specialty Drugs: Not Applicable;
|Separate Prescription Drugs Deductible
|$300 per person | $600 per group
|Mail Order Prescription Drugs
|Mail Order Supply
|Outpatient Coverage
|Outpatient Surgery
|Outpatient Surgery Physician/Surgical Services:
$300 Copay after deductible
Outpatient Facility Fee:
$300 Copay after deductible
|Outpatient Lab/X-Ray
|Outpatient Lab:
$80 Copay after deductible
$100 Copay after deductible
|Imaging (CT and PET scans, MRIs)
|$200 Copay after deductible
|Outpatient Mental Health
|$40 Copay after deductible
|Outpatient Substance Abuse
|$40 Copay after deductible
|Outpatient Rehabilitation Services (PT, OT, ST)
|$80 Copay after deductible, limited to 54 Visit(s) per Year
|Inpatient Coverage
|Inpatient Hospital Services:
$1500 Copay per Stay after deductible
Inpatient Physician and Surgical Services:
$300 Copay after deductible
|Skilled Nursing Facility
|$1500 Copay per Stay after deductible, limited to 200 Days per Year
|Inpatient Mental Health
|$1500 Copay per Stay after deductible
|Inpatient Substance Abuse
|$1500 Copay per Stay after deductible
|Home Healthcare
|$50 Copay after deductible, limited to 60 Visit(s) per Year
|Maternity Coverage
|Pre & Postnatal Office Visit
|No Charge
|Labor & Delivery Hospital Stay
|$1800 Copay after deductible
|Pediatric Services
|Dental Checkup for Children
|Not Covered
|Vision Screening for Children
|$80 Copay after deductible, limited to 1 Exam(s) per Year
|Eye Glasses for Children
|50% Coinsurance after deductible, limited to 1 Item(s) per Year
|Major Dental Coverage (Pediatric)
|Not Covered
|Additional Coverage
|Chiropractic Coverage
|$80 Copay after deductible
|Durable Medical Equipment
|50% Coinsurance after deductible
|$300 Copay after deductible, limited to 210 Days per Year
|Major Dental Coverage (Adult)
|Not Covered
|Vision Coverage (Adult)
|Not Covered
|Out-of-Network Coverage
|Out-of-Network Authorization Required
|Out-of-Network Annual Deductible
|Out-of-Network Annual Coinsurance
|Out-of-Network Annual Out-of-Pocket Limit
|Additional Information
|A.M. Best Rating
|N/A as of 10/23/2019
|Electronic Signature for Application Available
|Details and documents about this plan
View Plan Brochure (Not available)
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- The information shown here is a summary of benefits for informational purposes only. Review the official plan documents (such as evidence of coverage, plan brochure, or insurance policy) for a detailed description of coverage benefits, limitations, and exclusions. Only the terms and conditions of coverage benefits listed in the policy are binding.
- The benefits listed may be contingent on your use of physicians, hospitals, and services within the specific insurance company's provider network.
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- The Summary of Benefits & Coverage can be found at healthcare.gov. A paper copy of this Summary of Benefits & Coverage is available upon request by calling our toll free number. Click here to view the Uniform Glossary of Coverage and Medical Terms.


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Altoona Mirror Photo by J.D. Cavrich
01/05/17 After leaving funeral services at the Blair County Convention Center A hearse carrying the body of PSP Troooper Landon Weaver travels south on Plank Road underneath a large american flag held by two fire company aerial trucks.
Altoona Mirror Photo by J.D. Cavrich
01/05/17 At the Blair County Convention Center during the funeral for PSP Troooper Landon Weaver, hundreds of law enforcement officers and officials stand at attention while wait along Convention Center Drive, Convention Center Boulevard, and in the main parking lot for the casket to be placed in a hearse.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The attorney for Michael Dunn has filed a motion of indigency, asking that his defense be paid for by the state.
A hearing has yet to be set on the motion.
Last week, the state attorney's office released surveillance video that shows what was happening inside the Gate gas station while 17-year-old Jordan Davis was shot and killed in the parking lot.
In a dark suit and white blouse, Rhonda Rouer is seen walking through the Gate station store on Southside Boulevard at Baymeadows Road, then bringing a bottle of wine and a bag of chips to the checkout counter.
Waiting for her change, the clerk reacts to gunfire in the parking lot.
"Somebody's shooting, somebody's shooting ... I swear to God," the clerk is heard saying. "Call the cops. Oh my God."
Rouer, whose face is blurred in the video by court order, leaves the chips and wine on the counter and walks out of the store to rejoin her boyfriend, Michael Dunn, who police say fired eight shots into an SUV carrying Jordan and three other teenagers.
Back in the store, the clerk describes what she sees to her co-worker and even puts both her hands up to mimic how Dunn held the gun.
About one minute later, a customer comes in with pertinent information: the license plate number for the gunman.
The problem for both defense attorneys and prosecutors is that this is the only surveillance video they have to analyze. There's no video of happening outside the store, where Davis was shot.
In the interview, Rouer said Dunn told her that the teens had threatened to kill him and that's why he opened fire. But she said he never mentioned seeing him with a gun.


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Thank you for visiting Braza's Wholesale Website.
To view and shop wholesale prices, please log in or register as a NEW customer.
If you're a NEW customer please register and we will contact you within 24 hours after we review your application.
Thank You!
Brazabra Corporation
The Leader in Lingerie and Fashion Solution Products for over 35 years!
Braza History...
Over 75 million sold and still counting!
Brazabra Corp. had its humble beginnings 35 years ago in a 300 sq. ft. office in New York City's Garment District. Our first product, the "stick on bra" would forever change the way women purchased backless, strapless clothing and become the precursor to the billion dollar "Lingerie Accessory" industry. In 1992, with the need for more space, (and a more tranquil existence) Braza relocated to the beautiful Berkshire Mountains in Western Massachusetts. In 1995 we broke ground on our own state of the art building that now houses our Administration team, Sales, Product Development and Graphics staff as well as our warehouse and world class shipping and distribution center.
Problem Solved!
The Braza product line has now grown to almost 200 products that help women dress "smarter" and more confidently. Our original slogan "Supporting Fashion In All The Right Places" still rings true and is more germane now than ever before. Our latest registered trademark "Problem Solved" really says it all and retailers around the globe continue to choose Braza when they want the very best in Lingerie Accessories. Braza holds many U.S. and International Patents and is currently involved in the development of several ground breaking products that women everywhere will applaud.
Braza Mission Statement:
Providing products that promise comfort, confidence and a carefree positive dressing experience for every woman. Supplying the highest quality, fair value products that "perform as promised" and in doing so enhance the consumers opinion of the retailer that carries the Braza product line.
Braza's Vision:
Our goal is to always be on the "cutting edge of fashion and technology" in developing new functional, problem solving products that retailers welcome and consumers expect. Braza will always be synonymous with unique quality products for the consumer.


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Definitions of light
The word light uses 5 letters:ghilt.
LIGHT is playable in:
n. - That agent, force, or action in nature by the operation of which upon the organs of sight, objects are rendered visible or luminous. 2
n. - That which furnishes, or is a source of, light, as the sun, a star, a candle, a lighthouse, etc. 2
n. - The time during which the light of the sun is visible; day; especially, the dawn of day. 2
n. - The brightness of the eye or eyes. 2
n. - The medium through which light is admitted, as a window, or window pane; a skylight; in architecture, one of the compartments of a window made by a mullion or mullions. 2
n. - Life; existence. 2
n. - Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity. 2
n. - The power of perception by vision. 2
n. - That which illumines or makes clear to the mind; mental or spiritual illumination; enlightenment; knowledge; information. 2
n. - Prosperity; happiness; joy; felicity. 2
n. - The manner in which the light strikes upon a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; -- opposed to shade. Cf. Chiaroscuro. 2
n. - Appearance due to the particular facts and circumstances presented to view; point of view; as, to state things fairly and put them in the right light. 2
n. - One who is conspicuous or noteworthy; a model or example; as, the lights of the age or of antiquity. 2
n. - A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or colored flame; as, a Bengal light. 2
superl - Having light; not dark or obscure; bright; clear; as, the apartment is light. 2
superl - White or whitish; not intense or very marked; not of a deep shade; moderately colored; as, a light color; a light brown; a light complexion. 2
n. - To set fire to; to cause to burn; to set burning; to ignite; to kindle; as, to light a candle or lamp; to light the gas; -- sometimes with up. 2
n. - To give light to; to illuminate; to fill with light; to spread over with light; -- often with up. 2
n. - To attend or conduct with a light; to show the way to by means of a light. 2
v. i. - To become ignited; to take fire; as, the match will not light. 2
v. i. - To be illuminated; to receive light; to brighten; -- with up; as, the room lights up very well. 2
superl. - Having little, or comparatively little, weight; not tending to the center of gravity with force; not heavy. 2
superl. - Not burdensome; easy to be lifted, borne, or carried by physical strength; as, a light burden, or load. 2
superl. - Easy to be endured or performed; not severe; not difficult; as, a light affliction or task. 2
superl. - Easy to be digested; not oppressive to the stomach; as, light food; also, containing little nutriment. 2
superl. - Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons; as, light troops; a troop of light horse. 2
superl. - Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift. 2
superl. - Not heavily burdened; not deeply laden; not sufficiently ballasted; as, the ship returned light. 2
superl. - Slight; not important; as, a light error. 2
superl. - Well leavened; not heavy; as, light bread. 2
superl. - Not copious or heavy; not dense; not inconsiderable; as, a light rain; a light snow; light vapors. 2
superl. - Not strong or violent; moderate; as, a light wind. 2
superl. - Not pressing heavily or hard upon; hence, having an easy, graceful manner; delicate; as, a light touch; a light style of execution. 2
superl. - Easy to admit influence; inconsiderate; easily influenced by trifling considerations; unsteady; unsettled; volatile; as, a light, vain person; a light mind. 2
superl. - Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; wanting dignity or solemnity; trifling; gay; frivolous; airy; unsubstantial. 2
superl. - Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy. 2
superl. - Easily bestowed; inconsiderately rendered. 2
superl. - Wanton; unchaste; as, a woman of light character. 2
superl. - Not of the legal, standard, or usual weight; clipped; diminished; as, light coin. 2
superl. - Loose; sandy; easily pulverized; as, a light soil. 2
adv. - Lightly; cheaply. 2
v. t. - To lighten; to ease of a burden; to take off. 2
v. i. - To dismount; to descend, as from a horse or carriage; to alight; -- with from, off, on, upon, at, in. 2
v. i. - To feel light; to be made happy. 2
v. i. - To descend from flight, and rest, perch, or settle, as a bird or insect. 2
v. i. - To come down suddenly and forcibly; to fall; -- with on or upon. 2
v. i. - To come by chance; to happen; -- with on or upon; formerly with into. 2
- A small incandescent telltale lamp on a dynamo or battery circuit to show approximately by its brightness the voltage of the current. 2
Unscramble words found within light
Words formed by adding one letter
Use our Word Unscrambler or our Anagram Solver
List all words that start with Q, adjectives that start with Q or find all 5 letter words starting with Q
List all words by word length, browse all words in the list, explore all combinations of letters or find all Adjectives with starting the letter
Words with all letters different - Letter pairs and double letters - Hook Word Lists


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The Ultimate Adventure is a fun trip, like summer camp for off-road guys, and we are the counselors. We lead our troop of off-road fanatics on a weeklong escapade as we wheel and road-trip down backroads and over extreme trails. The vehicles we take must be well rounded, big enough for gear and camping supplies, but small enough to fit between rocks and trees. They must be capable of highway speeds and slimy off-camber trails while laughing off body damage. These vehicles are part MacGyver, part Survivorman with a little of grandma's comfort thrown in since we'll be living with them for a week with countless hours of driving. As our official ride for the 2014 UA, we are building a '90 Dodge truck that started as a two-wheel-drive airplane tug.
We introduced our Tug-Truck last month, and now it is at Pacific Fabrication in Gilroy, California, getting stripped and ripped into a big yet nimble diesel wheeling machine. Simplicity yet strength is the name of the game on this build. The Cummins engine can run on three wires, so we're not going to go overboard with a computer-controlled transmission or too much extra whiz-bang. The plan is simple and stupid-proof, since we know who will be driving it –us!
The Tug-Truck is getting almost everything deleted save the reliable Cummins engine. This truck earned its stripes dragging airplanes around with gobs of low gears, so although the diesel is broken in it is not worn out. Civilian life will not be all relaxation by the pool though. We're expecting 40-inch Nittos and some anvil-tough components between them and the Cummins.
This month we are stripping it to the rails and forming a plan for monster build Dr. Frankenstein would be proud of.
1. All of the front two-wheel-drive suspension needs to go from our Tug-Truck. However, we did notice that the steering box does turn in the correct direction for a solid front axle. We'll keep that for now.
2. Whenever anything we didn't want on the front suspension couldn't be unbolted, the Pacific Fabrication team devoured it with plasma cutters. A large front suspension crossmember under the engine ties both framerails together.
3. The crossmember was torched down to just a slab running from side to side to help hold the frame square under the big Cummins while we determine where the front axle will sit. We will either reuse what is left or cut it out completely and build a new crossmember once we place the front axle and suspension.
4. Behind the 5.9 Cummins there is a two-wheel-drive TorqueFlite 727 three-speed automatic transmission. Though that is a very robust transmission, we decided that a manual transmission is a better option for this truck since simplicity is the goal.
5. On the back of the Cummins is an adapter plate that the bellhousing bolts to. Various bolt pattern adapter plates are available for the Cummins depending on the year and model of transmission. There are even adapter plates to put a GM transmission behind the Cummins if need be. Behind the engine we removed all the crossmembers and cleaned the C-channel frame for ease of fabrication for our new drivetrain.
6. Once the truck was deleted of everything unimportant it was time to begin putting it back together. Pac Fab started by attaching the bed to the frame with weld-on mounts. The bed was mounted up slightly off the frame two inches to help add space for our fuel system and align with body lines on the cab, plus this helps in ground clearance between the bed and trail obstacles. The steel surplus military trailer box will bolt directly to the frame mounts and add substantial rigidity to the fabricated C-channel frame.
7. Once the bed was attached we began mocking up our new Jaz Fuel cell. This fuel cell is 32-gallon bladdered tank that has a raked rear departure and is designed for use in a Jeep XJ for JeepSpeed desert racing. We ordered it with a 45-degree filler neck but had to modify it for an even lower fill since the fill point is right up under the bed.
8. The Jaz cell has an internal bladder and a metal case, but we also had a skidplate mount made to doubly protect it for when we drop the tail of the truck off an obstacle.
9. Currently we are not 100 percent sure on our rear axle. We have a used massive AAM 111⁄2-inch dualie rear axle from a late-model Ram 3500, but we are considering upgrading to something with better ground clearance. We do, however, plan on leaf springs in the rear and started by mocking up with some junkyard Chevy 63-inch-long leaf springs from a late-model truck. By starting with stock leaves we can easily upgrade to any size lift spring based on the ride height we start with.
10. We are mimicking our old Dodge M37 build ("The Dumpster," part 3, Sept. '10) and using an Offroad Design shackle flip kit to hang the leaf springs and then use the shackle in the rear in a tension design. This keeps our springs slanted, with the rear higher than the front, and helps with the suspension geometry.
11. Next issue we will swing the front Dynatrac ProRock 80 axle under the Cummins to get an idea of just how tall our Ultimate Tug-Truck will stand. Return in 30 days to see part three of our build.
Ultimate Adventure 2014 Sponsors
BDS Suspension
Official Suspension
Method Wheels
Official Wheels
Nitto Tire
Official Tire
Offroad Design
Official Transfer Case
Pacific Fabrication
Official Fabricator
Power Products Unlimited Inc.
Official Retailer
VooDoo Off-Road
Official Tow Rope
Warn Industries Inc.
Official Winch


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I've been away from this space for too long and very much am looking forward to a return. Things have "heated up" in the domain of identity, at least in my mind, and so I'm definitely looking "out there" for support.
More on that in my next post.
I came here right now to reflect on the dynamics of summer. This is the second, if not third, year in a row when Q, in the summer, moves much further towards the feminine. Last summer was the beginning of the pony tail. This summer has been all about barrettes, nail polish, other hair accessories, tight shirts, etc. I definitely think that he feels a freedom during the summer without the subtle gaze of peers that occurs each day in school. He did some camp, and a swim team, but the day in day out experience of school was just not there.
And I think this has him let down his guard a bit. I find it intriguing to see what emerges during these times. And, looking ahead to the start of school in 10 days or so, I do think about the effect of being back in that peer group, now with even older kiddos……
For now, though, a snapshot from tonight. My hair was unruly due to pre-hurricane humidity, so I requested a barrette loan. Q donned one too and requested a photo.
Hence, barrette twins:


text:
|Southeast Spotlight
Former NFL Quarterback teaches "Heads Up" Football in Juneau
Published: 09/12/2013 10:00:00
Football has always been, and will always be, a rather aggressive contact sport; when you're young, learning how to play the game safely is of paramount importance, and the Juneau Youth Football League has taken a very proactive approach to the issue. Jennifer Maier, the President of the League, explains.
VIDEO: JYFL takes proactive approach to safety through affiliation with USA Football sponsored training program. (Image: Rik Pruett)
"We joined a pilot program this year, we're one of many programs in lower division across the country that's been sponsored by the NFL, and it's really to help teach the fundamentals of proper tackling and safety when kids are young so when they do get into high school and progress through college and eventually into the NFL, they've received that training and that foundation of safe tackling, taking the head out of the game.
Jake Plummer came to visit us, he is here with the NFL Network, they've sponsored him, what they're doing is they're going to come talk to us about USA Football and Heads Up Concussion Training, the Juneau Youth Football League adopted Heads Up Football and joined as an affiliate this year which has brought in some great resources from the NFL."
Heads Up Football is a safety program sponsored by USA Football, with over 100 Former NFL Players traveling the country teaching safety fundamentals. Jake Plummer, a former NFL Quarterback for both the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos and one of the Ambassadors for the Heads Up program, spoke to us about their goal.
"You can't really avoid injuries in football, they're going to happen but the nature of the game changed a little bit where a lot of players were leading with their helmet and using their helmet incorrectly, now the helmet never was intended for that, it was intended to keep your skull from fracturing, not to prevent concussion so the main thing is to not use it improperly, and if we can teach these kids young age, teach them the fundamentals of how to tackle for starters, teach them to use their shoulders to wrap, to not use their head, to not duck their head down, hence the term "Heads Up" you know hopefully we can make the game safer for them and they can enjoy it."
By: Rik Pruett - firstname.lastname@example.com


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This report chronicles the history of faith-based K-12 education in America, describes the important place held by these schools in the K-12 education landscape—particularly their service of low-income urban populations—and provides explanations for their rapid disappearance. The report also proposes a variety of potential solutions to the problem, both governmental and nongovernmental, so these schools can survive and continue educating historically underserved populations.
Full Report: PDF (852K)
On April 24, 2008, President George W. Bush convened in Washington, D.C., a broad array of education and community stakeholders to address a deeply troubling but vastly under-reported phenomenon limiting the education options available to low-income urban families: the rapid disappearance of faith-based schools in America's cities.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between the 1999–2000 and 2005–06 school years, the K–12 faith-based education sector lost nearly 1,200 schools and nearly 425,000 students. This is a cause for national concern for a number of important reasons. First, for generations, these schools have played an invaluable role in America's cities. They are part of our Nation's proud story of religious freedom and tolerance, community development, immigration and assimilation, academic achievement, upward mobility, and more. To lose these schools is to lose a positive, central character in the narrative of urban America.
More importantly, the disappearance of these schools is having a tragic impact on many of our most disadvantaged families. For many urban parents, the moral grounding, community ethic, safe and structured environment, and academic rigor of faith-based schools are invaluable to their children. These qualities are especially prized because of the unfortunate alternatives many of these children and families face.
The struggles of urban public schools are well known and long-standing. The underserved children of America's cities deserve access to high-performing educational options. The disappearance of urban faith-based schools— with their strong record of serving the disadvantaged—frustrates the crucial national effort to make educational excellence available to every child.
Experience indicates that the contributions of these schools extend far beyond the classroom. A strong education institution can stabilize a community. It can attract new families and jobs. It can provide safety and hope in areas where both are in short supply. Regrettably, the inverse is also true. In addition to hurting students, the loss of a strong school in an underserved community can destabilize fragile social networks, depress job creation and economic development, and exacerbate the collective sense of despair resulting from scarce community resources and opportunities.
As serious and worrisome as this problem is, there is no villain in the story. No one purposely set about to cause an education crisis. The root causes are several and diffuse—including barriers to government aid, demographic shifts, and staffing changes—and they only begin to corrode urban faith-based schools when combined. However, these factors have, in the end, chipped away at a pillar of American K–12 education. To leave this grave and mounting challenge unaddressed would be irresponsible. The futures of too many young lives and distressed communities are at stake.
Fortunately, this problem is solvable. America's institutions—from the Federal, State, and local governments to businesses and non-profits to universities and community-based organizations—have it in their power to turn the tide. This Administration has taken the lead, raising the public awareness of this crisis through the White House Summit on Inner-City Children and Faith-Based Schools and developing and supporting promising initiatives, including Promise Scholarships, Opportunity Scholarships, Pell Grants for Kids, and the Washington, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.
However, if we are to succeed in protecting these valuable education options, more must be done. A sustained collaborative effort by educators, elected officials, philanthropists, neighborhood leaders, and many others will be required. America's faith-based urban schools—so prized by so many families—are well worth this effort. Their preservation will greatly benefit countless disadvantaged students, numerous underserved communities, and as a result, our Nation at large.


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In the current issue of Adventure Sports Journal is a piece I wrote about bodysurfing the wave in front of tower 2 at Ocean Beach, followed by a having a pint at Pizza Port. It's part of a ASJ's "Earn Your Beer" column.
photo courtesy of ASJ
ocean beach, san diego
a collaboration brew featured during san diego beer week
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I've been playing Dungeons and Dragons (v 3.5) on and off now for about 10 years. Although I consider myself a novice DM and prefer playing to refereeing, DMing is most of what I do these days. I've slowly been building up reputation here by almost exclusively asking the somewhat obvious questions easily cleared up by the sites more experienced players, and hope to someday be knowledgeable enough to start answering some. That will likely involve branching out into some new RPGs, be it Pathfinder, or one of the FATE systems. If you have a system you'd like to trumpet the merits of, feel free to convince me the next time we bump into each other in chat.
Member for 7 years, 6 months
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I'd heard that procuring tickets for Serie A fixtures had become a little more arduous since the Italian government attempted to clamp down on increasing levels of violence at games towards the end of last season. I ordered my ticket from www.ticketone.it and was instructed to pick it up at the stadium prior to the match. The Carlo Castellani stadium is a fifteen minute walk from Empoli station. It wasn't signposted but I'd come prepared, armed with a multimap printout. In picking up my ticket, I used my newly learnt (that morning) pigeon Italian to get me to the collection point. This turned out to be four little huts, three unmarked and one with a sign saying 'Press and VIPs only'. I queued up for twenty minutes at one of the unmarked ones and and was then told to move to another as mine was an 'internet only' collection. A little sign wouldn't have gone a miss. Fans of queuing would then be delighted to note that fifteen minutes in another line later and bingo; I had my ticket. I had to present my passport before they would hand it over and then had to show it again twice more before gaining entry. A couple of tips then, namely, get there early and take your passport if you want to get in.
Empoli don't have a club shop. There were several stalls outside the stadium but they had all arrived from Naples and only sold Napoli t-shirts (predominantly Maradona ones), scarves and flags. As with a lot of games abroad, match programmes were 'gratis' and laid out on the seats beforehand.
So what of the Stadio Carlo Castellani then!? Well forget your traditional four stands, this one had eleven! Ten of these were uncovered and of those nine were temporary looking structures similar to those behind one goal of the much loved Withdean Stadium, Brighton. I was in the main two-tiered covered stand on one side which had two more stands either side of that and the largest stand opposite was an open two-tiered affair which ran the length of the pitch and contained most of the home support. Of the eleven, Napoli fans were packed into six and half of them. An incredible show of support for a fixture over four hours away from Naples. They must have had five-six thousand at least. I often hear fans use the lack of a roof as an excuse for a poor atmosphere. Au contraire Blackadder. The Napoli ultras ensured a wall of noise for ninety minutes. One regular song was accompanied by fans running down the stand to the front, running back to the top, then over to the left and you've guessed it over to the right. Great to watch, dangerous to to be near was my verdict.
The game itself was fairly uninspiring, lit up only by the officials luminous clothing. Empoli were fairly solid but lacked any striking prowess. Any hope Napoli had of taking three points were diminished when they withdrew livewire Argentinean striker Ivan Lavezzi. A Carlos Tevez rather than Maradona type player both in appearance and ability who was a the centre of everything they had to offer. His partner up front, the Uruguayan Zalayeta has scored seventeen goals in over one hundred and ten appearances. It was not hard to see why, he was turgid.
I don't think it would have taken much for the Napoli fans to ignite. As it was, each unfavourable decision was greeted with a hail of bottles and next to me a couple of seats were ripped out when Blasi was shown a yellow card.
Refreshment wise in the ground, you could buy water and rather splendidly about six different varieties of cheesy biscuits. Around the pitch there were five randomly parked cars, a huge yellow semi circular inflatable advertising not a lot and everybody's favourite; the extendable players tunnel.
After the game I saw a rather menacing looking firm who had taken their belts off and were slapping them into their hands. Police helicopters hovered overhead and indeed the next morning in the papers I read of clashes outside and at the station in which one Empoli fan had his middle finger cut off. Having said that, I didn't feel personally threatened. The stand I was in was half Empoli, half Napoli. When one chap asked me who I supported, instead of a punch, my reply of 'Brighton and Hove Albion' was met with the usual combination of mirth and hilarity.
So a highly original stadium and a great day out, save for large parts of the match. After arriving back to Florence by train I rewarded myself by uncorking a bottle of Chianti and gorging myself on some magnificent Pecorino cheese.
Stadium nerds like myself might want to know that during my trip I also visited Fiorentinas Stadio Artemio Franchi which was very tricky to enter as they were training at the time but I did get in and also the Stadio Romeo Anconetani in Pisa which was a breeze to enter and brilliantly located a two minute walk from the leaning tower.


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Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court struck down the aggregate contribution limits that apply to individuals on constitutional grounds in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. The opinion can be found here and the link to the FEC litigation page containing the case history and briefs can be found here.
The case's significance lies is the narrowing of the Court's definition of corruption and the appearance of corruption to quid pro quo corruption, not in the practical effect the holding will have on money in politics.
I will be posting on this case later. In the meantime, listed are links to some of the articles discussing the decision:


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Somewhere in France
July 13, 1918
Dear sister Madaline
Well here I am again although I only wrote you yesterday. You can't realize how happy I was when I reported back from drill and found mail awaiting me. I surely was lucky as I received thirteen letters in all. Three from you, one from John, three from Anna, one from Mrs. Grabow and one from Bob Paulsen and the rest from my friends. I also received the money order you sent me which amount to five dollars. I surely do appreciate your kindness buy sending me money but please do not send any more as I have about 600 francs, this you see amounts to about $115 in American money. As yet I did not receive the papers and would gladly write the home paper but I doubt as if the censor would permit. Your letters were all very interesting and I feel from what you wrote you are all feeling in the best of health. In all your letters which dated June 10th and 16th you say you did not hear from me only that I arrived safe in France. Well I am sure that I have written you almost every day and by now you surely ought to of received at least one letter from me. I also received very interesting letters from Anna, John and Aunt Gertrude.
The weather in the last few days has turned from good to bad as we are bound to get rain at least every day. Our billets are water or rain proof but some how it doesn't seem to be rat proof as each night our small friends pay us a visit. I can't see why they come to us at nights as I can assure you dear sister that they can't come for eats as we only get enough for ourselves. Isn't it to bad Harry Ahrens joined the Navy poor child he should go away from his ma like that. I honestly think the Navy discipline will make a man out of Harry. How does Fisher like the Army life. Does it seem to agree with him.
Well I guess I have said about all I know so I will close with love to you all, I am
Your loving brother
Corp. J. Maus
105 U.S.Inf. Co A
American E.F.
Thank you very much for the money.
© Copyright 2011 by Lanny & Patti Brown, All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.


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Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning Group
Participants: Marie Baehr (Coe), Stephen Bean (Cornell), Marjorie Bond (Monmouth), Stefan Erickson (Colorado), Tim Hess (Ripon), Shonda Kuiper (Grinnell), Karen Shuman (Grinnell)
PURPOSE: To open the lines of communication among science and other department faculty (where the discipline requires quantitative skills taught by the mathematics departments) and mathematics department faculty, so student learning can be improved in both mathematics and the other departments.
Why this would be useful:
1. Mathematics courses are not JUST service courses
2. Need to enhance conversations among these groups to make sure needed concepts are covered somewhere and skills are developed somewhere
3. This process could help faculty realize the integration
4. This process could give newer faculty examples to use that are more widely supported through the ACM connection
Action Plan
1) Mathematics faculty from all ACM schools invited in some sort of appropriate forum to share with all ACM math/"science" faculty the examples they use in their classes from the various disciplines.
2) At the same time, the math. faculty request help of various kinds
a) Is this an appropriate example?
b) Can you fill me in on the basics of the "science" underlying the example so I can make it more interesting?
c) Can you help me find actual data on the subject so students can analyze as a "scientist" would?
3) The person initially posting the question will be responsible for collected the responses and make sense of the responses to create an example to be used by anyone interested (including the "science" which is being modeled).
Some examples: population model--good data set?, difference between exponential and quadratic data--good science example to show how to analyze with calculus; carbon dating--what is the science to go with the analysis?
calculus can help; global warmiing;....)
Feedback: Look at CRAFTY: http://www.maa.org/cupm/crafty/


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Rapper DMX is back in the big house again.
The the 39-year-old rapper surrendered to a judge Monday to begin serving a 90-day jail sentence for a 2002 reckless driving conviction, Los Angeles City Attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan told The Associated Press.
He said a judge ruled that the rapper cannot be freed on electronic monitoring, work release or home detention.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was originally charged with drunken driving, but those charges were later dismissed.
He has been repeatedly arrested and jailed in the past decade, recently serving a sentence in an Arizona jail for violating probation by failing a drug test.
Court records show DMX was found in violation of his probation in January and was supposed to surrender in March. He didn't appear in court and a judge revoked the rapper's $100,000 bail.
A phone message left for attorney Anthony Alexander, who recently represented DMX in the case, was not immediately returned Monday to the AP.


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DescriptionEverybody has already gone digital. So why are you still using a recipe box with tattered and stained index cards? MacGourmet Deluxe is the solution! This award-winning, powerful recipe management app enables you to easily create, edit, organize, and share your favorite recipes.
Important Details
System Requirements
What's New In Version 4?
About the DeveloperLike a lot of companies, Mariner Software started small, very small, with just two niche products. And just like other start-ups, it was the work of one person – but if Mariner was going to go anywhere – one person wasn't enough. In late 2001, the work began to give Mariner a recognizable identity and in mid-2002, with business model in hand, the new Mariner Software was born.


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text: Holding my interest all the way was Melvyn Bragg's The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language. He tells how English began around AD 500, then evolved by borrowing words from the Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, and French. Then Americans, Australians, and Indians contributed to changes. Now how widespread the language is! He predicts further alterations to English will be shaped by those who speak it as a second language.


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Nueces County, TXHome
The Honorable Lucy Rubio
Description of Office
- Hears traffic and other Class C misdemeanor cases punishable by fine only.
- Hears civil cases with up to $10,000 in controversy.
- Hears landlord and tenant disputes.
- Hears truancy cases.
- Performs magistrate duties.
- Conducts inquests.
Total 1 facility found.


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American actress Angelina Jolie holds a certificate from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees confirming her appointment as a goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR on Aug. 27, 2001, in Geneva, Switzerland. The UNHCR appoints stars as goodwill ambassadors in an effort to raise public awareness over the plight of refugees throughout the world.
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