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Dept of Disbelief: Free Amish Fireplace?
aka The Heat Surge Original Roll-N-Glow Electric Fireplace Pitch
If you read the Sunday Times, you saw it. It's there again today and in papers all over the USA. A full page advert for an electric fireplace made by picturesque Amish people that's actually being given away free in pairs to lucky entrants. It looked like something out of an earlier time when you'd think people were gullible enough to believe all this hokum. Because it's a recession, does this mean we're dumb as well? So what's going on here?.....
Hey, this is a great pitch!
"These miracle fireplaces have what's being called the "Fireless Flame" technology that gives you the peaceful flicker of a real fire but without any flames, fumes, smells, ashes or mess. Everyone is getting them because they require no chimney and no vent. You just plug them in." (our emphasis)
Dig a little deeper and it seems that it's a weird combination of a few things:
1. An electric fireplace designed by an "engineering genius from the China coast" called the Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow electric fireplace
"The HEAT SURGE miracle heater is a work of engineering genius from the China coast, so advanced you simply plug it into any standard wall outlet. It uses about as much energy to run, as some coffee makers. Yet, it produces an amazing 5,110 BTU's."
2. Wood mantles made by the Amish who, ironically, don't use anything electric:
Real Amish Craftsmanship goes into each mantle The Amish take extraordinary pride in their innate craftsmanship ability. That's why each and every Roll-n-Glow mantle is specially crafted to last forever.
3. A sly pitch that offers to give you a heater for free if you buy an Amish mantle, but this is only viewable in the paper.
Dig a little deeper, you can find all sorts of people talking about this and the shadier it gets:
"This is extremely shady. Anything that uses electricity to produce heat consumes alot of electricity. Your coffee maker actually DOES consume alot of electricity even though it's small."
>> Heat Surge fireplace - what's up with that? - 532 comments.
"...So I used that figure, took the new firgure on my meter and found out that I (in 10 days) more than doubled my normal electric bill that I would have had FOR A WHOLE MONTH.
I was never so upset in my whole life. I called and told them and was told that it only uses 12cents per day. I told them they better look at their figures more closely. I do not want it and will return them."
>> Heat Surge Fireless Flame Fireplaces Complaint - 100+ comments
"This ad has run at least twice in our local paper as well. The "48 hour order deadline" and other hurry-up restrictions mentioned in the ad are obviously lies."
>> Amish Build Miracle Fireplace Using Steam-Powered Adobe Photoshop - 27 comments
30 Comments
I've not come across the print ads, but they're running commercials pretty frequently. Ugly AND Scammy, great combo!
Def. not Amish considering they can't use electricity.
What a horrible photoshop job ! look at the client's leg and especially its shadow on the panel behind it... and the fire is exactly the same in all the fireplaces! Sheesh they could have at least made an effort for the picture...
MCH the Amish don't make the heaters, they just made the cabinet...allegedly. You pay for the cabinet and the heater is "free". Can you tell I've seen the commercial a gazillion times?
Some Amish use electricity.
Another myth shattered.
They can use electricity, they just don't connect to large scale electrical grids. A lot of them use generators to power equipment.
I've seen the commercial dozens of times. My favorite part is at the end when they show a horse and buggy riding away with one of the fireplaces. I always think to myself, it's a good deal, but the shipping must take FOREVER. :-)
Let me change my statement: The Amish use electricity, but only electricity that they themselves generate. I grew up around them so the Amish are just normal people to me. As a kid I never quite understood the tourists that lined up to take photos with them.
Many Amish have exceptions for using phones, electricity at work, where they may not have it in their homes. They may even have computers at a shop. They are allowed phone booths if they are far from the house.
It is amazing how many things are being sold now as "Amish" since it implies higher quality.
My grandmother's brother was in Public Works in a largely Amish area, and he told me that in most cases the Amish are required by dairy boards to have at least one working phone (Which usually is kept in the barn, and thus out of temptation). They also tend to have some minor electricity that *can* be accessed. Wind power, however, is totally acceptable as there's a historic precedence.
One town over, we have a shady bunch selling "Amish" sheds & gazebos. Last time I checked, south-central Virginia didn't have a massive influx of Amish.
The commercials have been showing for months down here in Virginia and we constantly crack up over them. Seems that throwing an Amish person into almost anything sucks some people in.
Guess what community is behind many of the puppy mills in the country?
Sorry, I'm burnt out on the Amish. They know their reputation and they milk it for all it's worth.
These abominations showed up in print ads here in Austin in the fall. Austin utility bills are high in the winter, and someone knew enough to try to exploit the move towards using space heaters to cut down on the meter readings.
I thought it was a sure con job.
Don't come down hard on the Amish. Anyone can dress up like he or she is Amish and exploit their reputation for honesty and workmanship.
I'd like to know if some enterprising local district attorney has gotten to the bottom of this?
The menonites run the puppy mills. (I just rescued my rotty Nash from one here in the area... I live in Kansas.) I don't think menonite and amish are the same, are they?
The Amish are, indeed, behind the biggest puppy mills in Ohio and Pennsylvania. It's considered to be just another "cash crop".
Im not amish and i feel exploited by this so called amish fireplace! Something fishy about that commercial.
Does anyone here actually have this...Maybe i'd replace my vortex heater with this amish fireplace to save on bills
Funny how the posts topic became bout puppy mills :P
Honestly, It actually looks like one of those fake Fireplaces you can get from magazines like fingerhut!
Just been reading up on the Amish and Mennonite puppy mills -- I had no idea!
Both groups are Anabaptists (believe in adult baptism). Mennonites came first, and are followers of a Dutch Catholic priest, Menno Simons, and the Amish are followers of the Swiss Jacob Amman, who advocated shunning. So they are closely related, but not the same.
It's funny how similar both groups are to Swiss farmers ...
I saw these ads in the local paper and I honestly thought they were some weird type of satire because I live near Amish Hills, a big furniture store where real Amish people make real Amish Furniture. I had no idea people were actually BUYING these things.
My plumber was RAVING about his. He was really giving me the sales pitch. I kept telling him my $30 heater worked just fine but he was absolutely convinced that his $400 Amish heater was going to save him big bucks on his elec bill.
My fiance's parents totally have one of these! They live in NJ and drive to Amish country in PA all the time to buy stuff. They brought back one of these for their den...it's weird to look at and does not throw off that much heat. It really is a glorified space heater, but doesn't work that well. I don't know how much their electric bill has been impacted by using it, but they offered to get one for our condo in DC and I just said "No thanks, we don't have the space."
Go onto youtube and search for "Amish" and "puppy mill" and you might get your parents to stop making those trips.
Lancaster County is a hot spot for puppy mills.
All Amish are people and all people are different. I would expect these generalities (based on ignorance) on a more mainstream blog but not on this one.
Replace Amish with Black or Latino in any of the above comments and what do you get?
I am friends with many Amish in Kentucky near where I live. They are by and large wonderful. Are they all the same? Hell no!
My main problem with the ad is that they are allegedly photographing Amish, this is a no no in most any Amish community I have heard of. Something about graven images... Mennonites are different and are more integrated into the modern world. unless they are from a conservative sect, then they are similar to Amish in the avoidance of certain things.
Lay off the Amish or I'll kick yer butt, as they say here in Kentucky.
I see this commercial several times a day as they run during the Remington Steele reruns on American Life TV (a fave on my Tivo!) All I can say is, we have a weekend home smack dab in the middle of Amish country and most of our furniture for the house was purchased directly from the Amish ... and all I can say is their stuff is not cheap. (And rightfully so ... the craftsmanship is amazing! I have a dining table that is put together without any nails or screws and even has this rube goldberg-type pulley system for the extra leaves!) I can't believe for a minute that you're actually getting a real Amish-crafted mantle for that cost, let alone getting a "free" fireplace with it.
Plus, they just don't look that fantastically made anyway.
And Cupcakelady, thanks! I was a little upset at the Amish generalizations above. I can't speak for other communities (and I don't know if ours has puppy mills or not, so I can't speak for that) but as far as milking a cash cow or whatever ... I can tell you that other than one town a few stops over from ours, the Amish community that we're in the middle of is not commercialized at all. In fact, the most you see of them in public is when the women come into town to buy things like fabric. Other than that, they all stay on their farms which aren't open to tourists.
KTG, the Amish are super rich. And so are Mennonites! They hire some expensive-ass lawyers, too. Most young Mennonite kids around here drive really expensive cars- stupid ones, but still expensive. Amish people spend plenty of money on livestock, farm equipment, building materials, etc. That stuff isn't cheap! And they're totally making big bucks off of puppy mills. I live in Lancaster, PA, and it's the worst as far as puppy mills go. It's also an Amish operation- just because they are a religious community does not mean they have morals- I mean, they use their own kids like slaves, and adopt foreign kids to use the same way. This is a general overview; I'm sure not EVERY Amish person is like this. But it's quite cult-ish if you ask me!
We first looked at these last year. The company has a very aggressive sales technique and the photos in the adverts and the web site are amusing to say the least, some of the best ones have been taken down. It does really insult our intelligence to show them been polished when switched on in the factory, sorry barn. We opted for the Arrowflame electric fireplace logs instead and have been very happy with them.
Wow, this is a unique idea. I personally like regular fire places. They are super cozy! These seem cool too. I like that Amish craftsmanship goes into each fireplace. They all look great!
Emily Smith | http://www.solidoakproductions.com


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US Deal Flow to Remain Stagnant for Remainder of 2013, says EY
- Macroeconomic uncertainty continues to hinder deal activity, despite improving economic confidence
- Fundamental reset in the size of the M&A marketplace could be taking place
- Healthcare, consumer products, financial services, technology, and power & utilities show some signs of improvement in US M&A
NEW YORK, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Economic optimism is improving in the US; however, there will not be big changes in US deal volume for the remainder of 2013, according to EY Transaction Advisory Services.
"There is a significant, on-going element of uncertainty, preventing the wave of M&A we hoped for and macroeconomic pressures including slow global growth, unresolved regulatory, fiscal and tax issues, and high valuations driving down returns are slowing inorganic growth plans," said Richard Jeanneret, Americas Vice Chair, Transaction Advisory Services for the EY organization. "The stagnant US deal volumes in the first half of 2013 have done little to reassure corporate executives hoping for a strong M&A rebound this year, but we are still seeing deals in certain industries and private equity firms are looking for opportunities."
The number of deals for the first half of 2013 in the US decreased just 3% to 3,845 deals from 3,949 deals in the same period in 2012.[1] There was a larger drop quarter over quarter as overall activity slipped 11% to 1,810 deals in Q2 2013 from 2,035 deals in Q1 2013 after a relatively strong start to the year.[2] On a positive note, US deal value shot up 29% for the first half of the year to $416.3 billion in 2013 to date from $323.8 billion in the first half of 2012.[3] Similarly to deal activity, value declined 14% from Q1 2013 at $223.3 billion to $193.1 billion in Q2 2013.[4] This is due to a number of high-profile deals with hefty price tags announced in the US.
"The fact that we saw a few mega-deals in the first six months indicates that some companies are feeling more confident about the US economy and are willing to make bolder moves, but we do not expect these mega-deals to spur an uptick in the number of deals as most were opportunistic transactions," said Jeanneret.
The fundamentals for deal-making are in place and confidence is improving with plenty of cash available and open credit markets. Fortune 1000 companies continue to hold a tremendous amount of cash on their balance sheets and have over $1.8 trillion in cash.[5] According to EY's Capital Confidence Barometer; 58% think that global credit availability is improving. Forty-four percent of US companies think the global economy is improving and 76% expect global M&A volumes to improve.[6] However, only 29% of US companies expect to do a deal in the next 12 months which is consistent with prior years, suggesting that a large number of companies are unlikely to execute deals and US volumes will remain at current levels.[7]
Fundamental reset in M&A volumes?
While the necessities for deal making – cash and credit – are strong and the pent up demand for deal making is robust we are in our sixth straight year of declining deal volumes. Even as economies are recovering, the level of macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty is still very high and the structural issues underlying that uncertainty are significant and without a short term or substantive fix in sight.
"One has to wonder given that we have had more than a half decade of persistently soft M&A activity if a fundamental reset in the M&A marketplace is occurring," says Jeanneret.
This would not be unprecedented from a historical perspective. Data for M&A activity goes back over a century and during that time frame there have been long lasting and steep declines in M&A activity.
"The level of macroeconomic and geopolitical overhang to the M&A market could stall a surge in M&A activity for the foreseeable future," added Jeanneret.
Private equity continues to pursue opportunities
The slow-growth global economy and dwindling appetite for corporate M&A have created a challenging and competitive marketplace, but PE firms continue to be an opportunistic investor utilizing readily available acquisition financing to acquire businesses and refinance portfolio companies. US PE acquisitions declined in the first half of the year, down 25% in volume to 386 PE acquisitions year-to-date in 2013 from 512 during the same period in 2012.[8] However, the value of acquisitions skyrocketed 94% to $85.4 billion in deal value for the first half of 2013 from $44.1 billion in 2012 due to the return of multi-billion dollar buyouts.[9] Aggregate exits are also down for the first half of the year to 123 in 2013 from 173 in 2012.[10] PE-backed IPOs are down 31% year-to-date to 29 versus 42 in 2012; however the value is up 14% to $9.9 billion.[11]
"The run-up in the stock market has had a significant impact on valuation expectations, challenging deal activity so far this year," said Jeffrey Bunder, Global Private Equity Leader, Transaction Advisory Services for the EY organization. "There are reassuring signs; however, as funds are sitting on $350[12] billion of dry powder, the demand has held up for the sale of PE-backed businesses and the IPO market has been phenomenal from a private equity perspective."
Fundraising continues to improve in the US and year-to-date aggregate commitments have increased 38% to $96.8 billion in 2013 from $70.0 billion in 2012.[13] According to EY's Private Equity Capital Confidence Barometer, 85% of PE firms think fundraising will be positive or stable over the next year.[14] Geographic and sector based funds have been a focus of the large PE funds as they look to capitalize on expanding LP investment targets.
"Real estate, energy, consumer products and industrials have been the most active sectors for private equity. For the larger firms, a global strategy is increasingly important with an emphasis on the emerging or frontier markets. PE firms are expanding their global strategies, and exploring newer emerging markets such as Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Africa, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia," added Bunder.
Key sectors
While the total number of deals decreased globally and in the US for the first half of the year, there were a few sectors which saw growth in volume and value.
"Companies need to transform and grow in order to create shareholder value and adapt to the changing landscape within every industry. Sectors that are likely to see activity – even as overall volumes remain consistent – include healthcare, consumer products, financial services, energy, and technology, in the second half of the year," said Jeanneret.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
For the first half of 2013, healthcare services M&A rebounded, and the sector is positioned to be active through the remainder of the year. US healthcare M&A volume increased 14% with 199 deals announced so far this year compared to 174 for the same period in 2012.[15] Although deal volume was up, healthcare deal value dropped 10%, to $7.9 billion in 2013 down from $8.9 billion in 2012.[16] Continued general confidence in the debt markets has made healthcare financings easier to execute by historical standards in the areas of cost, structure and leverage.
"Deal size over the next six months will tend towards the middle-market, and we expect to see an increase in activity as companies transact for scale, convergence and to meet rolling milestones dictated by the Affordable Care Act," said Gregory Park, the US Healthcare Sector Leader for Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC. "While we will continue to see larger, opportunistic M&A, many healthcare deals – mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and affiliations – are going to be at the local or regional level, and we will start to see an increasing number of exploratory conversations between the healthcare sector and the biotech & life sciences sectors. We will also continue to see companies that have traditionally been outside of the healthcare realm – like consumer products, defense, and technology services – explore the healthcare market this year and beyond."
In the life sciences space, pharmaceutical deals were down 9%, with 117 deals in the first half of 2013 compared to 128 deals in the same period of 2012.[17] Meanwhile, deal value climbed 38% to $35.6 billion in the first half of 2013, up from $25.8 billion for the first half of 2012.[18] The number of biotechnology deals dropped 15% to 82 deals year-to-date compared to 96 in 2012.[19] Biotech deal value, however, climbed 17% to $18.2 billion deals year-to-date 2013 up from $15.5 billion.[20]
"Looking to the second half of the year, life sciences transactions will be in the diagnostics and med tech subsectors and M&A volume is likely to be consistent with what we have seen so far this year, although we may see an uptick in deal values," said Benjamin Perkins, the US Life Sciences Sector Leader for Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC. "Life sciences sector valuations are near all-time market highs and that has created a split camp among investors and strategics regarding whether the next movement is a gradual appreciation or a large step back. This divergent mindset will drive some larger players to place big bets on acquisitions while others will pause to prune their portfolio with an eye toward shifting the business model away from historic prescription innovation to capturing revenue at other points in the healthcare continuum. Emerging markets will continue to be a focus for all companies across the sector."
Consumer Products
Merger activity in the first half of the year in the consumer products sector was flat, rising only 1% to 183 deals in the first half of this year, from 182 deals over the same period in 2012.[21] Overall US deal value climbed 153% to $55.4 billion this year, up from $21.9 billion in the first half of 2012.[22]
"While overall activity continues to fall below expectations, a couple of large non-traditional deals drove values up but these deals were opportunistic and are unlikely to spur a wave of larger deals this year," said Steven Potter, US Consumer Products Leader for Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC. "We may see some activity in the future as executives position their companies in the global market due to demand in emerging markets. There is a huge supply-demand imbalance however, in the consumer products sector right now with very few quality targets but significant cash available for investment. Companies are considering divesting non-core assets and portfolio rationalization and CEOs are still reluctant to make substantial acquisitions."
Financial Services
In the US financial services sector, the insurance industry saw a 7% uptick in deal volume to 107 deals for the first half of 2013 over the same period in 2012 at 100 deals.[23] However, deal value dropped 54% to $5.0 billion for the first half of 2013.[24] Asset management deal volume dropped 19% to 68 deals for the first half of 2013 from 84 in 2012.[25] However, deal value for asset management ticked up 187% to $3.2 billion for the first six months of 2013 from $1.1 billion in 2012.[26] Deal activity in banking and capital markets was flat for the first half of 2013, declining only 1% to 235 deals compared with 238 in 2012.[27] Banking and capital markets deal value surged 25% to $13.6 billion year-to-date 2013, compared to $10.9 for the same period in 2012.[28]
"Asset management companies – especially those in the US – are poised to benefit from the rising stock trends and there continues to be transformation as the lines between traditional, alternative and PE's blur the sector," said Nadine Mirchandani, Americas Financial Services leader, Transaction Advisory Services for the EY organization. "Increasing energy around insurance, the mortgage sector, specialty finance and financial technology will drive financial services M&A activity in the remainder of 2013. Companies are prioritizing organic growth but inorganic growth is key when a boardroom wants speed-to-market and transformative change. M&A and divestments will continue to be strategic—and necessary—for financial services."
Power & Utilities
The number of US power & utilities deals rose 42% to 91 deals in the first half of 2013, up from 64 deals in the first half of 2012.[29] Power & utilities deal value spiked 381% to $17.7 billion in the first half of this year, compared to $3.7 billion from the same period last year.[30]
Joseph Fontana, Global Utilities Leader, Transaction Advisory Services for the EY organization, observed that 2013 has been a pleasant surprise for the US. "At the beginning of the year we expected the appetite for acquisitions in power & utilities to be low, both globally and in the US, due to a disconnect between buyers and sellers. Our global outlook remains grounded in the realities of the macroeconomic environment, but the US story is rosier and improved activity will be driven by P&U companies rebalancing their portfolios around generation assets, investment in renewable energy, and potentially innovative deal structures around transmission."
Oil & Gas
US oil & gas transactions fell 12% to 181 deals in the first half of 2013, down from 206 deals over the same period of 2012.[31] Deal values slipped 9% in the first half of 2013 to $48.2 billion from $52.8 billion in the first half of 2012.[32]
"Uncertainty around the near term commodity price fundamentals - both supply and demand - have put a damper on M&A activity so far this year," said Ronald Montalbano, US Oil & Gas Sector Leader for Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC. "Oil & gas deal activity could improve over the next 12 months as companies develop land positions and convert acreage to reserves and production in order to maximize value in a sale. Private equity players continue to take an active role in oil & gas. Asset optimization and industry consolidation will continue to drive the sector."
M&A deal flow in the technology sector was slow in the first half of this year; however, some headline popping deals suggest that larger companies are making moves for targets in the cloud and mobile space. The number of US technology deals dropped by 17%, down to 655 deals in the first six months of 2013 from 793 deals over the same period of 2012.[33] Although volume was lower than the norm, deal value jumped 30% to $43.0 billion in the first half of this year, up from $33.1 billion over the same period of 2012.[34] The drivers of technology M&A activity continue to be cloud computing, smart mobility, social networking, big data and accelerated adaptation.
"Historical cycles also suggest that a wave of tech M&A may be coming," said Jeffrey Liu, US Technology Sector Leader for Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC. "Previously, deal activity was driven by cycles of M&A, for example, those centered around the mainframe and client server. Now, the tech industry is experiencing a mobile and cloud M&A wave as many companies realize that those transformative trends are permanent, and they are reacting by making a land-grab for strategic assets. Even with high valuations for targets, larger companies are running to make these acquisitions before it is too late."
Additionally, divestiture activity may pick-up for the tech sector for the remainder of 2013 and in the longer term. "Carveouts are long overdue, either from businesses that have been taken private, or public companies looking to discard non-core assets and free up capital. There is a general awareness among tech companies that they need to streamline and aim for higher returns," Liu added.
Approach to deal-making transforms
Since the financial crisis, deal volumes overall continue to fall below expectations. There is not only a fundamental reset in M&A activity occurring, but a shift in the very nature of how companies are approaching deal-making. Companies are no longer weighing past performance as heavily as an indicator of future success; instead, they are focused on forward looking market dynamics and competitor response, potential market disruption and operational improvements.
"All of the pieces are in place for resurgence in deal-making down the line, but it's clear that the nature of deal-making has changed since the crisis and at least for the remainder of 2013, activity will be consistent. M&A now involves a much more deliberate strategy and an even more gradual process than it did before the economic crisis began," said Jeanneret. "In this new era of deal-making, long term strategic planning, capital allocation, filling strategic product and geographic gaps and portfolio management are in and historical look backs and regional thinking are out."
See more about how deal making has changed post-crisis here: http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Top_5_changes_in_deal_making/$FILE/ey-top-five-changes-in-deal-making.pdf
- Ends –
About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.
EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC is a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited and a member of FINRA. www.finra.org. Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC provides sector-specific advice on M&A, capital markets and capital restructuring transactions.
This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.
[1] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[2] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[3] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[4] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[5] Fortune 1000 as of 6/14/13
[6] EY US Capital Confidence Barometer, April 2013
[7] EY US Capital Confidence Barometer, April 2013
[8] Dealogic as of 24 Jun 2013, accessed 25 Jun 2013
[9] Dealogic as of 24 Jun 2013, accessed 25 Jun 2013
[10] Dealogic as of 24 Jun 2013, accessed 25 Jun 2013
[11] Dealogic as of 24 Jun 2013, accessed 25 Jun 2013
[12] Prequin as of June 2013
[13] Dealogic as of 24 Jun 2013, accessed 25 Jun 2013
[14] EY Private Equity Capital Confidence Barometer, May 2013
[15] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[16] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[17] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[18] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[19] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[20] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[21] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[22] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[23] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[24] ThomsonOne as of 4 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[25] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[26] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[27] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[28] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[29] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[30] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[31] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[32] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[33] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
[34] ThomsonOne as of 30 Jun 2013, accessed 1 July 2013
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Formal budget negotiations begin today with Democrats pushing for a multibillion-dollar job creation package aimed at speeding up economic growth. That will be in contrast with Republicans who want to maintain spending cuts under sequestration that will keep government operations running at reduced levels through the rest of FY2014. One thing that leaders in both… Read More
Budget Conference Committee Meets Today
October 30, 2013


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i wish there where some more of these I cant find any toothed, cog wheel sounds other than this :(
Thank you, perfect for our school project!
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Know This: Unknown Lacks Any Real Thrills
- Friday, February 18, 2011
So who—if anyone—is the real Martin, and should you care? Well, that depends on your tolerance for a script where little, if anything, rings true. Apparently deciding to throw all caution to the wind, the film's cobbled-together plot gets even sillier once the hit men show up.
Far more interested in trying to surprise the audience with random character revelations far too late in the game than providing any connection with Martin or his plight, there's definitely one thing we know for sure when watching Unknown—namely that escapist entertainment without the benefit of a great story rarely satisfies. But then again, if Taken ruled the box office just two years ago, then it's quite possible that Unknown could now. It's really anybody's guess, after all.
Drugs/Alcohol: Social drinking and cigarette smoking shown. Plus, one character intentionally overdoses on cyanide.
Language/Profanity: Sh--, bit--, hel- and as- are all used on a couple of instances. God's name is also taken in vain several times, once paired with da--.
Sex/Nudity: Martin has a couple of flashbacks of having sex with Liz in the shower (we only see them from the shoulders up). Martin also walks by a sex club in one scene. And when he and Gina are talking in her apartment, they hear her noisy neighbors in the throes of lovemaking.
Violence: Martin nearly dies from when the taxi he's riding in plunges into the river. Later, he's beaten, shocked and smashed through furniture and nearby mirrors by the thugs who are following him. Martin isn't afraid to fight back, however, and is successful in stabbing a man in the throat with a chunk of glass and beating one guy with a crowbar. There are also injury-causing, intense car chases and a bomb that ends more lives. A few innocent characters are the inevitable collateral damage of that plot to take Martin down.
Christa Banister is a full-time freelancer writer, specializing in music, movies and books-related reviews and interviews and is the author of two novels, Around the World in 80 Dates and Blessed Are the Meddlers. Based in Dallas, Texas, she also weighs in on various aspects of pop culture on her personal blog.
For more information, including her upcoming book signings and sample chapters of her novels, check out her Website.
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1 - 4
In response to:
AB. HUMOR is an acceptable mode of communciation. Lighten up, McGovern's post was clever and funny.
has GM paid back their Bail out loan... a big whopping YES.. Only if one choses to ignore the massive amount of GM shares still owned by the gov't.
In response to:
The relish you display over these dead men's "lack of toughness" is despicable
Dread, Do you see no difference between wall erected to to keep people out vs. those built to keep people in?
1 - 4


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
"...and most of all to what this column is or isn't - there is no rules- it is whatever we want it to be. I would like it to be a little more in depth . thats not bad or wrong. Dont shout down people with opinions that's the only way we grow."
First of all, this just makes no sense. You seem to be saying that your criticism makes Chase grow. Consider, then, that criticism aimed at YOU (that is, downvoting your comments) should make you grow. So please do. If, on the other hand, you're saying that merely having opinions makes someone grow, well, no. Everyone has opinions, and by the way there is such a thing as a stupid opinion.
Defining such a thing is beyond me, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that "once again this column is full of in accuracies and lacks in depth . If the powers that be are listening we need a new Rogue columnist badly", if it is an opinion at all rather than an unsound argument, is a stupid one.


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West TN man loses handgun carry permit after making video threats
A West Tennessee man can no longer legally carry a a handgun, after he made threatening posts on the internet site YouTube.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security announced Friday that they had suspended James Yeager's handgun carry permit.
Yeager, 42, of Camden, posted videos claiming he would "start killing people" if the Obama administration took executive action to pass gun control measures.
Officials said the decision to suspend Yeager's handgun carry permit was based on a "material likelihood of risk of harm to the public" (TCA 39-17-1352).
"The number one priority for our department is to ensure the public's safety. Mr. Yeager's comments were irresponsible, dangerous, and deserved our immediate attention. Due to our concern, as well as that of law enforcement, his handgun permit was suspended immediately. We have notified Mr. Yeager about the suspension today via e-mail. He will receive an official notification of his suspension through the mail," Commissioner Bill Gibbons said.
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guess that kinda smashes the "2nd Amendment is absolute" nonsense :)
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- Earl Shoop
- Silver Spring, MD
- United States
Founder, gridlocksmith.com
This conversation is closed.
A new peace movement, that set in a place where we can decide to be the compassionate humans that we must become to create World Peace.
"Road Peace is a step toward World Peace."
Whether we walk, cycle or drive, we can judge our own behavior and ask, "Am I acting like someone who is at peace with the world?"
We each have the absolute power to change the attitude and behavior of one person, and it is crucial that we each take on the task. World Peace may be far off in the distance, but the journey begins now, with this first step: decide to evolve into the sort of human we must each become - patient, kind, thoughtful, compassionate, caring, forgiving and loving - in order to make peace possible. If we all notice our progress, as motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, "Road Peace" may be the first milestone on the road to World Peace.
As we progress in our development of peaceful habits, on the road, our behaviors are likely to improve in other areas of our lives, as well. When people perceive that our social mores have evolved toward kindness, and away from selfishness, we will have made significant progress.
I am just a free-lance world changer, and have not yet decided to incorporate this project as a nonprofit. The website (gridlocksmith.com) is done by me, not a professional web designer. The items that I have designed were done on out of date software. "Amateur Hour" all around... but... Kon-Tiki was built by amateurs, while Titanic was built by the pros.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.
Jul 29 2011: Do you have a particular action in mind?
Up to this point, my efforts have been aimed at two things: 1) making sure that I remember to be the best example I can be, as I tend to my own evolution... and 2) gaining exposure for the concept, through promoting the website (gridlocksmith.com), where people can read about it and find items in my little online shop (mugs, t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc.) that can be used to help spread the word. I hope to raise funds for radio and TV spots to create awareness and encourage supportive behavior in the general population. Fund raising has not been going well. Currently, I am looking for odd jobs to pay the rent, etc.
Aug 7 2011: Sorry for the delay... lots to do. Anyone can help spread the ideas, encourage friends to check out the site, get some of the bumper stickers (shipping for 10 is the same as for one, plus, there is a discount) give them to friends. The site could use lots of improvement. Know anyone who can tutor me?
I'm just one guy
Who's scraping by.
With little college;
Even less knowledge...
Still, I have to try.
Thanks for your interest.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.


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Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Kevin Durant had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 127-96 rout of the Phoenix Suns.
Russell Westbrook added 17 points and six assists for the Thunder, who have won three straight games since going 3-4 over their previous seven.
"We were just more aggressive," Westbrook said. "I think our crowd has a lot to do with it. I think as a team we're getting better. When teams get closer to the All-Star Break they tend to relax. I think we just want to pick it up."
Thabo Sefolosha netted 18 points, Kendrick Perkins tallied 17 points and nine rebounds and Kevin Martin poured in 16 in the triumph.
Michael Beasley finished with 25 points and seven boards for Phoenix, which has dropped six of its last eight contests.
Oklahoma City led 55-50 at the break, but pulled away midway through the third with an elongated 21-0 run.
Serge Ibaka had seven of his nine points during the surge, which was capped on Westbrook's steal and transition layup for an 81-55 spread with 3:25 left in the period.
The Thunder took a 91-70 advantage into the fourth and led by as many as 32 in the final frame.
"This is no reason to hang our heads," Phoenix coach Lindsey Hunter said. "They have played in the Finals and they know what it's like, and a lot of our guys don't. This will be a positive teaching tool for us. It's something to learn from and something to never forget."
The hosts headed into the second with a 33-27 edge.
Oklahoma City outscored Phoenix 36-20 in the third ... Oklahoma City shot 57.5
percent (50-of-87) from the field ... The Thunder scored 29 points off 17
Phoenix turnovers.
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4 Reasons This Stock Will Make You "Big Bucks"
Marie is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
Caffeine can be addictive. But this isn't one of the reasons to load up on Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) shares. Here are four reasons why Starbucks will make you "big bucks."
1. Accomplished CEO
Earlier this week Starbucks president and CEO, Howard Schultz, was honored with the 2013 Kellogg Award for Distinguished Leadership. The press release notes he was selected in recognition for his "entrepreneurial spirit and transformation of Starbucks into a business with a social conscience." Shultz' entrepreneurial spirit is thrusting Starbucks in the right direction.
Schultz made Starbucks what it is: a coffee giant like nothing else. And the company is growing everyday. In November 2012, Starbucks announced it would acquire Teavana, a premium loose-leaf tea company for $620 million in cash. With it and its Tazo brand, it plans to do for tea what it did for coffee. In June 2012, it bought La Boulange Bakery $100 million. And in 2011, it bought Evolution Fresh, a maker of premium juices. Why the acquisitions? To increase product variety available to customers.
2. Store expansion
Starbucks has a firm grasp on the coffee shop industry. With over 9,400 company-operated stores and almost 9,000 licensed stores as of September 2012, it is no surprise to see several Starbucks shops within a short distance from one another – even as close as 100 feet apart. This raises an obvious question: whether Starbucks stores in such close proximity will "cannibalize" sales from each other.
The answer is no. People will drink coffee every day – sometimes two or three times. That's why having so many Starbucks stores is important: People love the convenience of not having to walk a few extra blocks or drive through a couple more stop lights to get that premium brew.
To prove this point, look at Starbucks' astonishing same-store sales numbers. Globally, sales are up 6%. In the Americas, sales grew 7%, while in the China/Asia Pacific region, sales posted growth of 11%. Only in the European, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) region posted negative same-store sales with a 1% decline. Thus, sales are not "cannibalized" after all.
3. Single-serve, double-digit profits
While ready-serve coffee is Starbucks' signature product, Starbucks attributes over 25% of its revenue stream to single-serve cups and pre-packaged coffee. These convenient products offer high operating margins at 10.8% last quarter. And the Starbucks growth story won't slow any time soon.
Starbucks continues to expand outside of the Americas with a strong focus on China. With each recent quarter, Starbucks has decreased its debt and increased its return on equity, preparing for expansion. Starbucks plans to add 1,300 stores this year. 600 are planned for the China/Asia Pacific region with more than 300 in China alone.
The Teavana acquisition also provides profit potential. Starbucks looks to integrate the new tea with the Tazo tea it already offers. There are numerous integration possibilities -- through increased variety of drinks in the physical coffee shops, through an expanded prepackaged product line, or through a wider product offering of single-serve cups. Starbucks is planning to open 30 new Teavana units this year.
To Starbucks' benefit, Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) recently extended their production agreement to make and sell the single-serve cups in the Starbucks and Tazo brands. Green Mountain Coffee is up 5,100% over the last decade. Most of this success is attributed to its 2006 investment of $160 million to buy the rights to Keurig's single serve cups.
Green Mountain traded at $17 a year ago. For the past few months, it's flirted between $70 and $80 as Starbucks maintains its partnership. As Starbucks continues to be successful, Green Mountain benefits. And to throw a cherry on top, coffee futures trade historically low at just $1.2325 a pound. Both Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters can buy up cheap coffee futures and ensure low raw material costs into the future.
4. Starbucks magic
Starbucks revolutionized coffee. The company transformed coffee from a mere "drink" into a "drinking experience" – a strategy that has McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) and Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA) following suit.
The "Golden Arches" is probably the most well-known restaurant chain in the world. It commands the largest revenue for a chain restaurant, offers a high 3.14% dividend yield, possesses firm growth outlook, and has a strong balance sheet to facilitate further success. McDonalds is one company for everyone's long portfolio.
In February, Panera posted quarterly revenues were up 12.7%. It is looking to open at least 115 new locations in the coming year with expected earnings per share between 17% and 19%. Both McDonalds and Panera are doing something right.
Now all three companies provide a comfortable atmosphere with free Wi-Fi. The goal is to appeal to customers who want to "hang out" in a relaxed setting, set up a meeting with clients, or spend a day working in a relatively quiet environment. From the lens of return on assets, this business model is working for all three companies. And at 18%, Starbucks is the leader.
Though competition between these three companies is inevitable, this strategy still puts them far ahead of the industry.
So go long
Starbucks has great leadership, big plans for the future (and the balance sheet to make it happen), diversified revenue streams, and a strong customer base and loyal following. Everything is falling in line to make Starbucks a great stock for any portfolio.
This article was written by Andrew Deckert and edited by Chris Marasco. Chris Marasco is Head Editor of ADifferentAngle. Neither has a position in any stocks mentioned The Motley Fool recommends Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, McDonald's, Panera Bread, and Starbucks. The Motley Fool owns shares of McDonald's, Panera Bread, and Starbucks. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is this post wrong? Click here. Think you can do better? Join us and write your own!


text:
Governments around the world increasingly rely on IT to become more efficient.
Featured Stories
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Quigley's 'Project Fox' still saving NBN Co money on fibre: Morrow
NBN Co has said that it is incorporating new fibre deployment methods to cut the cost and time of the rollout, which originated from an internal program known as Project Fox.
A federal regulatory commission for robotics could be the next FTC
A report from the Brookings Institute claims that innovation within the robotics industry could lead to the formation of a new government entity: the Federal Robotics Commission.
Google: Global government data demands up 150 percent in five years
Demands for user data requests have more than doubled in five years, with the U.S. government leading pack in the global intelligence gathering race.
Brazil IT trade bodies call for government support
"We don't want to be like India," says head of IT association in Rio.
Microsoft and Yahoo spar with U.S. government [Government IT News]
The big online and tech companies suffer from an interesting conflict: the government is both customer and the one carrying the biggest stick in the privacy battle. Unless there's a major policy change, you're going to see more stories like these.
System Monitoring Policy
It is essential that an organization's critical computer/networking systems and services are properly monitored so that staff can be made aware of and respond to problems and trends. This System...
from TechProResearch »
Treasury risk manager leaps from Microsoft Access to Azure cloud
New Zealand Treasury's Debt Management Office is a risk-management agency, but for years it relied on a risky IT environment.
NBN Co's mixture of technology not set in stone: Morrow
NBN Co won't be forced to use a percentage of fibre to the node or fibre to the premises just because that was what the strategic review said, according to CEO Bill Morrow.
NBN Co fears fibre floodgates opening on TPG decision
NBN Co CEO Bill Morrow has said that should TPG roll out fibre networks along with Telstra and Optus in competition with the NBN, it would undermine the business model for the company.
Chinese DC suppliers to grow on anti-US sentiment: Gartner
Gartner has predicted that over the next four years, the datacentre market will see dramatic changes, including Chinese suppliers increasing their market share by 2 percent at the expense of Western companies.
ACCC won't stop TPG's fibre-to-the-basement NBN threat
Australia's competition watchdog will not prevent telecommunications company TPG from rolling out fibre to the basement in metropolitan areas directly in competition with NBN Co.
Australian TV broadcasters encouraged to switch to MPEG-4
Australian Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said that the switchover to the MPEG-4 video compression standard for broadcasting will free up spectrum for new uses.
No piracy on our broadband, Foxtel warns users
Before it has even launched its broadband service, pay TV provider Foxtel has promised to take steps to ensure that its customers aren't downloading copyright-infringing TV shows and films online.
Online copyright infringement isn't 'theft': iiNet
In its response to the Australian government's online copyright infringement discussion paper, iiNet has called for the government to rethink what it means by online copyright infringements.
BBC wants ISPs to exterminate Australian Doctor Who torrenters
BBC Worldwide has revealed that 13,000 Australians downloaded leaked episodes of the new series of Doctor Who, as the company pushes to force ISPs to keep an eye out for 'suspicious behaviour' of its users downloading large amounts of data.


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#pagpag 😉😜 (at Starbucks Coffee)
Advance Monthsary Date 😘😍💏💋💍 (at House of Lasagna)
#newshoes #jordandaw #newkicksforash
#babyash #pogibaby #swagger
#piccollage #crymode #justmemories #runaway #climax #fallensomuch #whereareyouwhenineedyou #usher (at Eastwest Bank (Anonas))
#moon #amazing
#mikailoo #babylove #motherdaughter
Together again!!! 😘😍😙 #mikailoo #babylove #motherdaughter
Di ko alam kung yung picture yung like niya or yung caption about our family being broken/separated. 😕😑😡😤
#true #agree
My #sleepingbeauty with her #lalaloopsy 😴💭🍼 (at Caltex (Kamias cor Anonas))
I miss my #babyash #myonlyboy #mybabyboy I love you #myson
#mikailoo #babylove #wacky
We were a family before. We planned everything to be near perfect. We were happy. We fought all trials together. We stood beside each other and support every decision. We never thought that one selfish lie will tear this family apart. We've been through a lot of struggles and ended up giving up what we've built. As much as I want to save this I don't think that it'll be the same if we'll still push and try to fix it for the sake of the kids having a complete family coz it'll just be another risk that is too hard to take. I hope that each of us will be happy with all the decisions that we chose to pursue. Yes it'll be very hard to start all over again alone but if it will better the situation I guess it'll all be worth it in the future. Loving so much at the right time but with the wrong person is hard. In God's time I'll be okay and I'll be able to laugh about what crazy things I did for this wrong person. I'm not perfect but I don't deserve to be treated the way you did. You've wronged me not only twice and I think I din't deserve that. You were given a chance to straighten and fix things up but you chose to continue doing what pushed me to not trust you. I hope you'll find your contentment in life and be a better person for your kids. It'll be hard to explain to the kids what happened but I'll make sure that they won't feel the pain I've felt with what you did.
Alphabetic Bookshelf "AAKKOSET" by KAYIWA (Finland)
Markus Klinko & Indrani
Golden Retriever 4 weeks old
Samoyed puppy
Tokyo-based artist Katsumi Hayakawa makes intricate 3D paper sculptures.
shibafu table
Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design
(Milky Marion)


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Was £190.00
Now £133.00
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Save a total of £57.00
Standard Delivery
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Orange beaded cowl back maxi dress
Item No.0080101202
Make a statement in this orange maxi dress from Debut. It has wavy lines of beading and a draped cowl back.
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- Model wears: size 10
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Debenhams is happy to exchange or refund your purchase within 28 days providing the goods are in a fully resaleable condition (including tags) and not within the exclusion policy*. This policy does not affect your statutory rights. You can return unwanted items either by visiting your local store (the fastest way to get a refund), by arranging a courier collection or returning by post. Exclusions apply to selected products. For instructions on how to return products and information on Debenhams refund policy visit the returns and refunds section of the website.


text:
All posts tagged doga denergi
More Ink & Pain!
Yesterday saw me back at Immortal Art Studio for my next addition to my 'Giving my right arm' project. Today's subject was the hugely enigmatic Rüppell's Warbler. Richard has done an another astounding job in my opinion (though as usual the […]
Tattoo Update – Giving my right arm
I was back at Immortal Art Studio on Monday for 16th bird to be tattooed. The bird to be added was the stunning Masked Shrike, a
Monster dam will swallow an area that meets nine out of 10 UNESCO criteria for World Heritage List
Just in case you were wondering why I am going to the extreme of having permanent tattoos to raise funds to help Doğa Derneği protect their countries severely threatened biodiversity; here is their
Pain & Ink for Turkey!
I've not given an update on my 'Giving my right (and left) arm' campaign for a while and with three sessions in the past three weeks I thought it was
Journey of Loyalty to Burdur Lake
As highlighted in my previous post (http://www.talking-naturally.co.uk/shrinking-burdur-lake-turkey-threatens-globally-endangered-white-headed-ducks/) relating to Turkey's Burdur Lake, this is a very serious situation that not only affects the biodiversity of the region (Burdur Lake holds
Doğa Derneği in the UK!
As I write this I am still bemused and frustrated by the apathy of our UK and nearby European governments who are seemingly prepared to turn a blind
Tristan 'Inky' Reid: more pain in support of Turkey's biodiversity
My good mate Tristan Reid (aka Binocularface/Inky/the Sultan of Pain - insert your own epithet, but make sure it's good-humoured or you'll be getting a visit from me
Tristan Reid's latest tattoo: Northern Bald Ibis
The living pin-cushion that is the mighty Tristan Reid has been 'under the inker' again adding to his growing collection of 'Tattoos for Turkey', a fantastic project to
Tristan Reid and the world's most painful Pied Kingfisher?
My good friend, conservationist, blogger, and all-round good guy, Tristan Reid has added another startlingly large tattoo to his ever-growing 'tattoos for Turkey' collection: a cracking Pied Kingfisher.
Tristan 'Giving my Right Arm' Reid's tattoos
The very excellent Tristan 'Binocularface' Reid (blogger, conservationist, and frequent panel member on The Conference Calls) has been hitting the news (though not nearly often enough - come


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Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > MY LIFE!!!
MY LIFE!!!0 Reviews
My Chemical Romance, The Used and Avenged Sevenfold. I'm not very good at summary's, you'll see...
"I don't belong here. We gotta move on dear. Escape from this afterlife. 'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on. Far away from here," I sang in the shower. It was one of my favorite songs of all time. It was called "Afterlife" by Avenged Sevenfold (my brother Zacky's band). Great band. I kept singing as each bead of warm water sprayed out onto my naked body. I just got finished washing my body with soap and was about to get out when my little brother came pounding on the door yelling, "Sky, hurry up! Damn you take forever!" I'm Skylar not Sky. I'm a girl with a boys name. Well a boys nickname. I have two other brothers. One whose name is Frank, my older brother, and Zacky my smaller brother. They both are in bands and never pay much attention to me. I'm the only girl in a man's household. My mother died when I was five in a car accident.
Then I heard my dad scream, "Zacky, there will be no fowl mouth in my house!" My dad never liked us to use any bad language around him or to anybody for that matter. Even though he used bad language all the time.
"Fine, I'm coming calm your ass!" I yelled back at my brother turning off the shower and grabbing a clean towel from the closet in the corner of the bathroom.
I dried off my face with it and then wrapped it around my body. It was Wednesday morning and the last week of school till winter break and my dad didn't want us to be late again. I forgot my clothes in my room so I would have to go out half naked. So I opened the door only to find my brother standing at the door waiting for me to get out. "Gosh." He scoffed.
"Shut up." I elbowed him in the stomach. "Just hurry up and we won't be late for school again. Like we were last time." He made a face at me, I just ignored his childish personality and walked into my room. My bed was pushed up against the corner in my room and the sheets were tossed on the floor with no care. The window was above my bed and open for the cool air of New Jersey. It was winter and it was fucking cold outside. But I loved it anyway. The floor was covered in clothes and notes for my brother's music class.
He played the guitar and so did my brother Zacky. But Frank likes to show me what he can do. And I always like to hear.
You could only see parts of my floor but I managed to tip toe without getting anything wet. I walked over to my closet and opened the door. I looked around to find something good to wear, but I had barely anything to wear so I just grabbed a pair of skinny jeans that lay on the floor at my feet and a hot pink tee that said in black letters 'Frankie Says To Relax' and on the back 'Don't Do It'. I thought it was cute because my big brother's name was Frank and I call him Frankie. He liked it too but Zacky was jealous. He wanted a shirt that said his name on it. But the tee is a band tee. A band from the 80's. Frankie says relax, don't do it.
"Hurry up Sky!" Frank shouted from downstairs. I immediately grabbed my black high top converse and a pair of clean socks from my drawer and put them on my bear feet, put on my black hoodie, picked up my backpack and brushed my hair as fast as I could. It was short but I still took care of it. I had no time to blow-dry my hair but who really cared. I threw my brush on the floor and went out the door. I ran through the hall the shower was still on but I ignored it. "Hurry up or I'm leaving without you Sky!" Frank yelled once again.
"Wait!" I screamed back running down the stairs trying not to fall on my face. I finally got to the bottom of the stairs to see Frank waiting for me.
"Hurry up." He groaned. I wiped my hair off my face and we went out the door
I hopped into his Mustang and placed my bottom in the passengers seat. Then Frank got in and started the car. "I see you didn't have time to put on your eyeliner or anything." He commented.
"No." I giggled. And he took his right hand off the steering wheel and unzipped his backpack. He stuck his hand in and fumbled around pulling out his black eyeliner.
"Here use mine." He handed it to me.
"Okay." I took it and pulled the visor down and opened up the mirror. I placed it on and gave it back to him. "Thanks!" I said.
"No problem dude." He said back at me taking it from my hand and shoving it back in his backpack. Then we pulled up to our high school. Belleville High. "Hey, why aren't you in your uniform?" Frank said finally noticing that I did in fact did not have my school uniform on for school. He did though. He looked like such a dork in it.
"Oh I forgot it at my friends house and he is bringing it to me today." I explained. And it was the truth. I never lied to Frank. Just to Zacky and my dad. But never to Frank.
"Oh okay." He said sarcastically.
"What?" I questioned his sarcastic response.
"I know you're lying to me." He informed me.
"I never lied to you Frank. You have to believe me dude. You're my big brother and I would never lie to you." I smiled at what he said. "Only to Zacky." I grinned wider. "He's an ass." I giggled.
"Well he can be but you don't know him like I do, even though he is your brother. He is actually pretty cool." He said standing up for Zacky.
"But my question is, do you believe me?" I asked still wanting to know.
"Yes, I believe you." He laughed.
"Good, 'cause it's true." I smiled at him. Then we pulled up in a parking spot I had pointed out for Frank. He parked his car and we both got out. "God, I hate school." I said to Frank who was locking the car doors.
"C'mon it's not that bad if you have lots of friends." He reassured me.
"Which I don't have." I responded in a large sigh.
"Sure you do, there's Kyla and……" He said trying to think of another name of my friends he knew. "Yeah you're right, you're a loser." he laughed at me.
"Shut up." I hit him with my hand in his stomach.
"Look me and the boys are going to Gerard's house to practice and it would mean a lot to me and the band if you came and told us what you think about our new song we wrote. And help us with all the tech stuff that you're good at. So will you come?" He asked me putting his arm around me and making his cute puppy dog face. How could I say no to that? His lips were pursed out and his eyes wide. Awww…he was so cute.
"Fine I'll go. And where is Gerard's house?" I asked not sure 'cause I really didn't know where he lived. But there was a secret crush on his younger brother by me. He was hot. Wait, what am I saying? He was more than hot, he was gorgeous hot. Like flaming hot. HOT CHEETOH HOT!!! I've never been to his house for anything. But the only thing wrong was that he never noticed me. EVER! But he was already taken. By non other than Brittany. She was such a slut. She always ended up cheating on all her boyfriends and they eventually found out for themselves. She was a nasty bitch. If she didn't like you she would start up a nasty rumor about you. Last time she started a rumor that I was pregnant just because she didn't get the lab partner she wanted I did. Oh, how much I hate her. And of course she was popular. Every girl wanted to be her and every guy wanted to fuck her. But not my Frankie. He never really went for the popular type. Mostly the ones who sit in the back of the class and are all quiet. I found it a little weird but it's all good. And he kinda liked them a little nerdy. I found that weird too but I got use to it. I got use to his nerdy dates come over and have dinner with us, the big glasses, braces and all that fun stuff.


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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 30: The Washington Capitals surround goalie Braden Holtby #70 of the Washington Capitalsas they celebrate their 3-2 win against the New York Rangers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 30, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
April 5, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals center Jay Beagle (83) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers in the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE
MONTREAL, CANADA - JANUARY 18: Marcus Johansson #90 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his first period goal with teammates during the NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on January 18, 2012 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)


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The US
Coast Guard said it is investigating another oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico.
This is the
second sheen to appear near the site of BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster.
It is in
the same area where an abandoned piece of equipment was blamed for leaving a
sheen of oil weeks ago.
The Coast
Guard said it will inspect the oil rig's wreckage with robots to find the
2012 WAFB. All rights
844 Government
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(225) 383-9999
EEO Report
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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that the gang of eight's immigration proposal will not allow legalized immigrants to receive federal benefits such as welfare or the Obamacare coverage.
"[T]hey don't qualify for any federal benefits," Rubio said on Fox News Sunday of the current illegal immigrants slated for legalization under the proposal he helped write. "This is an important point. No federal benefits, no food stamps, no welfare, no ObamaCare. They have to prove they're gainfully employed. They have to be able to support themselves, so they'll never become a public charge."
Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee had suggested that the proposal would add trillions in federal spending because "there is nothing in the framework to apply federal public charge law to those in the country illegally before they are granted legal status." The committee staff also recalled that Immigrations and Custom Enforcement union president Chris Crane said that officers "are not permitted to enforce that statute."
Rubio indicated that wouldn't be a problem under this proposal. "Under this plan, not only do you not qualify for any federal benefits while you're in the legal status," he told Fox's Chris Wallace. "Under existing law, you don't qualify for any federal benefits during the first five years on a green card, either. Second, in order to quality — in order to keep this legal status, you must be gainfully employed and you must be paying taxes. Third, in order to get a green card in the future, you must prove you've been gainfully employed and that you can support yourself."
The top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee still thinks the bill is an entitlement program budget buster. "[I]t will expose taxpayers to enormous long-term costs, including trillions in unfunded liabilities for Medicare and Social Security from which low-wage foreign workers will draw more benefits than they pay in," Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said in a statement after Rubio's interview. "These programs need strengthening, not further weakening."


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I would like to thank Sara of Domesteading for nominating my blog for the Sunshine Award. This single girl gone back to the land brings a lot of fun to the blogosphere, and was herself awarded the: Sunshine Award.
The Sunshine Award is a bit like the Oscars – you need to give an acceptance speech!
- Thank the person who gave you the award.
- Answer questions about yourself, which seem to vary – let's keep a little mystery!
- Nominate 10 bloggers for the award and let them know they've received it.
Favorite number – 17
Favorite non-alcoholic drink – lucozade
Favorite animal – honeybee! I do also love cats, dogs, horses, lions, tigers, bears, dolphins, and other insects – bumbles, butterflies, dragonflies…
Facebook or Twitter? WordPress!
My passion – bees, nature, aromatherapy, writing, art, photography… must I choose?
Favorite day of the week – Friday, Friday, Friday!
Favorite flower – myrtle
My nominees
Inspired by Sara's blog, my nominees for this round of Sunshine Awards are selected from bloggers who have a similar passion for healthy living.
I am very guilty of sitting on my own blog awards for weeks, so there is no obligation for these nominees to do anything with their Sunshine Award except enjoy it!
A Healthy Life
The blog that inspired this page, Amy Sue brings you cooking, gardening and living a healthy life with delicious, mouthwatering recipes. I really recommend following her to find out what is yummy this week!
Denise is an Artist, a Woman, a Mother and a Vegan. Her opinions are strong as is her passion for life, health, art, and her family. Her talented Elflings are following in her footsteps.
Putney Farm
'Get some good food. Cook it. Share with friends. Have a cocktail,' says this family blog about seasonal food, cooking and entertaining for family and friends. This blog brings delicious recipes inspired by Putney Farm's garden, orchard, berry patch and bees!
This massage and spa therapist also reflects on life through: 'My corner. My worldview. The something without which other things do not make sense. The piece that holds other pieces in place'.
Homemade Wellbeing
Kristina's lovely blog about being happy and balanced, staying healthy and naturally beautiful. She has wonderful homemade recipes that will make you look and feel lovely!
Dee's Dialogue
Dee shared her passion and knowledge of aromatherapy, spa, massage as well as photography, art, colour, food, fashion, living in the tropics… in her words, 'anything else that inspires and delights my soul'.
Veganize it!
I love this blog with ideas to unleash your inner vegan. Rebecca Kaplan sets the challenge to veganize any food recipe from onion rings to cookies with a touch of humour. Enjoy finding out why cotton candy is the best vegan dessert.
Sprouting Health
A blogger with a passion for good health and wholesome living, her posts share healthy cooking and whole foods stirred with homespun stories, art and crafts and sprinkled with positive thinking.
The Garden Diaries
A down-to-earth gardener with dirty fingernails and a floral designer, this blogger loves to write about her passions, which also include cooking, entertaining, decorating, and flower arranging.
Garden Walk, Garden Talk
A blog that celebrates the beauty and creativity found while gardening in Niagara Falls, New York. This Master Gardener also paints and draws; designs and creates; and passes along tips and ideas that may inspire.
Once again throwing caution to the wind, I would like to nominate one more blogger…
A French Garden
Visit a vision of the romantic and rustic French country garden with drifts of scent and enchanting scenery, brought to life with love, passion and serendipity.


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Dessert Recipe: Croatian Stonska Torta
Recipes from The Kitchn
On my recent trip to Croatia, I went to Mali Ston, a tiny little village at the end of the isthmus that connects the Pelječac Peninsula with the mainland of the Dalmatian coast. My good friend Amy told me I must go there because "it's an oyster town!" and these were some of the best she'd ever had, so of course I went straight for Mali Ston.
She was right; it was oyster central. Oysters have been farmed here since Roman times. You can smell the salty oyster beds exhaling as you walk along the ancient Roman walls. I'll tell you about those farms and all the different ways I ate these little sea jewels soon, but today I want to tell you about a cake I encountered in a harbor-side restaurant.
I first caught sight of it on a pamphlet for the restaurant stashed in the bathroom and it made me giggle. It's not exactly the most beautiful pastry in the world, but I was intrigued. I brought the pamphlet back to the table and pointed saying "I have to try this!" and after slurping up three platters of oysters, I ordered a Stonska Torta for dessert.
It's sort of an upside down kugel pie, made in a cake pan. The fun thing that happens is when you slice it, you expose lots of layers of pasta tubes. (My five-year-old daughter affectionately refers to it as "the brain cake thing.")
I spoke with Lada Radin of Taste of Croatia, an English-language website about Croatian gastronomy. She told me that historically, like many cakes, Stonska Torta was reserved for special festivities like Christmas, Easter, and weddings, as otherwise cakes were considered a luxury. Centuries ago when this cake was born, they used pasta for the filling to economize on ingredients.
When I got home I worked through the recipe several ways, adapting a few recipes I found in Croatia; once with chocolate shaved into the filling, and once with a butter-based crust. In the end I decided to stick with the vernacular olive oil crust, and keep the filling to the citrus and almond notes. But if you like chocolate, try an ounce or two shredded into the almond meal mix.
Oddly, and I can't explain this, the crust that I settled on with olive oil tasted faintly of the sea. I think that was my sensory brain in overdrive, remembering that lunch with the floral, briny scent of the oyster beds wafting over the patio.
Stonska Torta
For the dough:
3 cups (12 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1-3 tablespoons water
For the filling:
1/2 pound dried penne or ziti pasta
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (4 1/2 ounces) almond meal
1/3 cup (1 1/3 ounces) bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 large eggs
Zest of half lemon
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
For the garnish:
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack on the center rung.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour and salt. In a small bowl whisk the eggs, olive oil and vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil mixture to the flour, stirring gently with a spoon. Do not over-work the mixture. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture loosely comes together. Let it rest covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel.
Cook the pasta in boiling unsalted water as instructed on package for al dente.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, almond meal, bread crumbs, and cinnamon. In another small bowl, beat the eggs slightly with the lemon zest and almond extract.
Rub an 8-inch springform cake pan with olive oil and dust with a spoonful of flour.
Roll out dough to 14-inch circle and nestle it into the pan, letting the extra dough drape over the sides of the pan.
Spread a handful of well-drained cooked pasta across the bottom. Sprinkle with two large handfuls of the almond meal mixture. Pour 1/2 cup of the egg mixture over the top and sprinkle with 1/3 of the butter pieces. Repeat for all layers to the top or until the ingredients are used up. After each addition, tap the pan down gently to settle all the layers. Trim the excess dough from the sides of the pan.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust is slightly brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Remove the sides of the pan then invert the cake onto a serving platter and take off the metal bottom.
Garnish with confectioners' sugar, preferably tapped onto the cake through a fine mesh sieve or tea strainer.
Related: Product Review: Dalmatia Fig Spread
(Images: Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan)
Per serving, based on 14 servings. (% daily value)
25 Comments
Not like my mothers' noodle pudding... but worth a try. Anything pasta & I am there.
Since you will be inverting the cake, I don't see the need for a springform pan. Can a regular 8" cake pan be used instead, if the sides and bottom are oiled and coated in flour?
This looks so interesting! If I made it, it would probably *be* dinner.
beautiful and strange! related to kugel in a way . . . i'm definitely going to try this!
The cake is deep - so if you have a cake pan that is at least 2" deep then yes. But most cake pans are shorter.
suggestions on creating the dough for a gluten-free household? I can adjust the filling, but I would prefer not to loose the texture of the dough, if possible. many thanks for ideas!!
What is almond meal? If i were guessing i would think finely ground almonds, BUT, if it were that one would assume that you would have phrased it in that manner. Thank you in advance for your reply.
Fal, almond meal is exactly what you described, finely ground almonds. If you went to the grocery store looking for almond meal, you would find a bag labeled almond meal. Usually in the baking section.
Kimro, I would substitute 12 oz. (or 420g) of an AP gluten-free flour mix (you can use Bob's Red Mill for an easy sub, or, if you make your own combination, a mix of 40% higher protein GF flours and 60% starchy GF flours). You have to do it by weight, not by cups since GF flours vary dramatically in weight from regular wheat flour and from each other. I'd have to play with it myself but you may want to throw in 1-2 tsp xanthan gum in there too, if you can tolerate it. Sounds yummy, may have to try it myself (or get lazy and just make the filling and bake it off)!
WHOA!! I went to Croatia last month on my honeymoon AND we went to Mali Ston for a few days. We are missing the food like crazy and will definitely try this recipe! More Croatian recipes please!
I thought it was a Timpana, a Maltese savoury dish, which is also done with dried penne or ziti, but with minced beef, tomatoe sauce etc....
MichelleZ: thank you for your suggestions on substituing GF flours; especially like the comment about weighing the flours (hadn't thought of that for GF flours, but can see the wisdom!). Will experiment soon. Thanks again!!
I immediately thought this looked like a kugel pie before I even read the description. I'm intrigued.
This looks weird and amazing.
And that bottom photograph is possibly the best food photo I've seen on The Kitchn!
Yuch! I like a sweet dessert. I would definately not try that pie.
It looks tasty. And weird. And tasty.
I really want it.
Wow. I'm from Croatia, and Mrs. Radin was my assistant professor at the uni two years ago.
I've never tried the cake unfortunately, I wonder how pasta fits in into all of that.
Can't wrap my head around "cake" and "pasta" in the same food concoction....pasta deserves sauce, cake deserves fat sugary goodness. My friend did a semester abroad in Croatia, I'll have to ask if he saw it or tried it!!
Don't worry, @Kpies, there is plenty of sugar and fat in this cake!
I'd like to try this. Pasta is nothing more than flour, water, salt and maybe egg so it could easily be sweet or savory. Something different. :)
Hahaha... Your recipe made reddit r/italy
Yes, it's fun to behold. But does it taste good?
It is really very tasty! Why calI it "strange" and "weird"? Bread-pudding is also "weird," but often delicious, depending on the ingredients. I like it with more cinnamon. This torta is not only from Ston Mali, but is made all around Dubrovnik. They call it there "Torta od Makarula" (in Italian: la torta di maccheroni/pasta). Yes, the oysters are divine! Incidentally, I was conceived there, in the summer of 1946. THOSE oysters do miracles... :-)
Well, just got around to making this today.
It came out... alright. My parents didn't enjoy it so much. (My dad claims to have eaten a bite... but I'm not sure. My mom ate most of it, but left a few noodles and crust)
It's not overly sweet and you can definitely taste the almond. The crust doesn't do anything for me though.
This looks very good to me minus the oysters. Actually as I was raised in a Slovenian-American family in Cleveland (great grandfather immigrated from Bled area in early 1900's) I grew up eating Strukla. This also is a pasta dish with eggs and cinnamon sugar. A kind of giant boiled noodle coiled around a filling of softly cooked eggs and breadcrumbs and lots of cinnamon sugar. The meatless (or seafood) factor was a necessity with the Roman Catholic church's fasting rules of the past.
Can someone please tell me what kind of breadcrumbs? ... Whenever I see "breadcrumbs" listed in a recipe I automatically go with panko. But I don't think panko would work here.


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I just got an offer from a contemporary art gallery in Bologna, for a show in Sept & October. Fuck yeah—maybe I can grab European representation eventually…
I just got an offer from a contemporary art gallery in Bologna, for a show in Sept & October. Fuck yeah—maybe I can grab European representation eventually…
Woke up this morning to discover my flickr account had passed 3,000,000 views overnight! Thank you, sincerely, to everyone following my stream, the thousands of tumblr & facebook followers, athe tens of thousands flickr followers, and for all the kind words over the last few years. Thank you especially to those who have purchased my books, my prints, or followed me through the magazines.
Thank you again, and you can look forward to more to come. :)
Here are a just a few from the first shoot with a beautiful new model, Kayla.
The series in its entirety can be viewed here (make sure your safety filter's off):
Enjoy. :)
Playing with Pictureshow and a couple other apps here. This time with Nettie Harris.
Decided to find a aged & run-down motel to do a shoot in over the holiday weekend. Some b&w, some color.
A small shoot from the weekend.
(Do you know how hard it is to find a stretch of shoreline that's NOT white sand in Florida?…)
The rest of the series can be seen here:
Below is a psychoanalysis of my work from an Ontario psychotherapist, Mr. Allan O'Marra. Allan is also a painter and due to mutual admiration, Mr. O'Marra was gracious enough to honor my request for an in-depth psychological analysis of my work (which I've been interested in for a long time but never had the opportunity for one).
Thank you again, Mr. O'Marra. Enjoy.
I looked through your entire "oeuvre" of photos on Flickr; and I also visited your web site and read your auto-bio – which certainly provides some excellent insights into your personality. However, I will base my psychoanalysis on my reactions to the observation of your photography as displayed in your Flickr page.
With such an apparent and steadfast focus of your art on the naked, or near-naked female body, one could quickly perceive it as some kind of overwhelming – possibly unhealthy — pathological fixation. That, of course, would be jumping to a conclusion that wouldn't take into account the many other aspects and involvements of your life. And that it may be, quite simply, "artistic" focus. Since you have asked me to base my feedback strictly on observations of your work, I will have to establish responses based on an overview of your focus as well as relative to variations in photo picture content, model choices, model expressions, model behaviour, interactions between models, your direct involvement in various images, etc.
First of all, I'll comment on your evident primary focus on the eroticism of females. As an artist, myself, I understand the general practice of artistic focus on specific themes – either in tangential or parallel occurrence or in long term singularity of focus. I completely get that, since it happens to me, as well. And being a fan of art and artists – as well as a columnist in a local newspaper in which I profile artists and their art-making and careers – I accept that as modus operandi for the preponderance of creative souls. And I accept and acknowledge that it is passion for subject matter that invariably drives the choice of focus – something you quite evidently have in spades for your subject material. So particularity of focus and strength of passion are quite important— even critical — for the production of "successful" art – and, indeed, for prompting the viewers response and engagement with it.
There is a theory/suggestion out there that the photographer uses their camera to maintain distance/not engage with the world/the subject – especially when it comes to people. That is a quite a voyeuristic exercise; that the photographer engages with his subject by proxy, by way of his lens. One might suggest that you engage erotically – and, possibly with the world on other levels – through your photography. However, samples of your photos indicate that in some instances you insert yourself (your penis), literally into the picture – in fact recording your erotic involvement/engagement with your subject/life in a direct and, ostensibly, healthy manner. Now, one could also suggest that the inserting of your penis into pictures could indicate exhibitionism in a kind of controlled environment, as well.
Now, the subjects/objects of your focus: nude/near-nude adult females. Your choice of models: although all are conventionally attractive and mostly all fitting a similar body type, they are not idealized-appearing, but are quite "real" people – many being friends, etc., I gathered from reading some of your comments. This would indicate a healthy level of perception of females and easy involvement with them. Your models appear natural and relaxed, even when in quite provocative, revealing poses – i.e.: spread-eagle or in close-ups of genitals. Your models display a wide range of emotion – quite evidently, being permitted to be themselves, and not being forced to "model" some emotion you are projecting onto them. Often the settings seem quite domestic and disarming – not formally in a studio, etc. This would indicate your complete natural and relaxed candour and easiness around people and the subject of sexuality. And you are quite comfortable photographing both heterosexual and homosexual sexual relations in the most intimate detail, documenting not only your comfort with the subject matter, but the trust and safety you engender from the subject couples.
So, in conclusion, my sense of your psychological make-up, based on my experience as a psychotherapist AND as a senior artist — and strictly on the evidence of observations of samples of your fine art photography — is that, although there is an apparent singularity of focus on eroticism – and primarily on female eroticism – your approach and engagement with the subject of sexuality and the objects of your focus is within the norms of "artistic" singularity of passion and focus; and the involvement and respect that is evident in your interaction and posing of your models indicate to me a compassionate and passionate human being who is expressing his artistic and sexual makeup by way of a safe (for you and your subjects) production of photographs that are not only fine art of the highest measure, but have a unique and indelible personal stamp of you as a creative individual.
These were edited & processed with (among others) a new app called "pictureshow".
Be sure to check out this month's POSI+TIVE Magazine:
A few play shots before some more serious shoots this weekend.
Stay tuned.