text: In addition to more traditional areas of research, George Grella's interests and writings include popular culture and literature, and film. He has published widely on detective fiction and related crime novels, gangster novels, and espionage fiction; on film; and on baseball. A genre critic, he often approaches his subjects from the standpoint of myth, ritual, and archetype. He is currently writing a study of the American novelist Ross Macdonald and a book on baseball and American culture.


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Today is my baby girl's birthday. She is 27 today. Once again this day has snuck up on me. I need to drag out photos of you as a baby.
When you were little you didn't have much hair. You were practically bald under this little hat you picked out for Easter. Too cute.
This picture was taken at daycare when you were three. It is one of my most favorite pictures of you except you didn't smile. Loved the curls and girlyness of it. You would stand in front of the mirror and sing. Your favorite was Bon Jovi's "You give love a bladlame bladlame bladlame" Yep. That is how you sang it. Earrings were Jewerings. Marcaroni was brackabloney & cheese. You didn't point your poinked.
You loved your baby dolls and were always so sweet with them. You would tuck them under your arms when napping and raise up and give them a kiss.
Now you are all grown. That sweet little girl …. what happened to her? LOL. You can be sweet but sometimes you are the devil. Like when I tried to wish you a happy birthday this morning….. "MOM"…Like what??? Okay. Brief break to get over that phone call and I will be back. Hence the nickname Shithead pronounced Shi 'thead.
(Cue violins)
Okay. Back to the sweetness. You are a kid magnet. They love you and flock to you. Maybe because you are still a big kid.
And the dogs….you are the Pippi Longstocking of dogs. They love you and you love them.
Some of your "babies"
To my world traveler – From mountains
To the beach
From Europe
To Mexico
AKA Aunt Boo to Kristopher & Aiden
Girly you have been gone so much I don't have any of you and Aiden……
I know your sister loves and misses you too
I love you dearly Baby Girl and miss you terribly. I hope your day gets better as it goes and becomes one of your most wonderful birthdays ever.
Tags: Happy Birthday Jennifer
2 Comments
awwww well happy belated birthday Jennifer!
Awww so sweet and heartbreaking. I already miss my kid when he goes off into the world…..and he's only 4.
Happy Birthday Jen. (Call your Momma!)
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Posted by Editor on 11/25/05
Velolove AnnouncementsBuy Nothing Critical Mass Ride and RollFriday, November 25Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for a leisurely and spirited ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver on Buy Nothing Day. Meet at the Vancouver Art Gallery on the Georgia Street side between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m., and roll and ride at 6:00 p.m. The ride is on rain, shine, or snow! Decorated bicycles, trailers, costumes, signs, noisemakers, sound systems, drums, trailers, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged.Buy Nothing Critical Mass is in support of Buy Nothing Day (adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/), a day to challenge yourself, your family, and your friends to switch off from shopping and tune into life. People are encouraged make a pact with themselves to take a break from shopping as a personal experiment or public statement and the best thing is -- it's free with NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! Buy Nothing Day exposes the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. As consumers, we need to question the products we buy and challenge the companies who produce them. What are the true risks to the environment and developing countries? The argument is broad and deep -- while it continues we should be looking for simple solutions. Buy Nothing Day is a good place to start. And coming soon... www.buynothingchristmas.orgPre-rides to Critical Mass:UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.Celebrated around the world, Critical Mass is a grassroots reclamation of public space -- on the last Friday of the month -- which allows cyclists and other self-propelled people to move safely and comfortably through city streets in a car-free space. Non-polluting forms of transportation are promoted.For more information: firstname.lastname@example.com details may be found at:criticalmassrides.info or www.critical-mass.orgSustainable Transportation, Land Use and Highways SessionTuesday, November 29, 2005Guest speakers Ray Straatsma and Paul Kreuger6:00 - 9:00 pmVancouver City Hall, Strathcona Room, (453 West 12th Ave).More than half of all the energy we use in the province is consumed for transportation. Transportation gurus Ray Straatsma and Paul Kreuger will deliver a presentation on the sustainability of our transportation planning and infrastructure in the lower mainland. Ray is with the Design Centre for Sustainability at UBC, and was formerly the Policy Director of Better Environmentally Sound Transportation.Presented by the BC Sustainable Energy Association, join BCSEA for this free information filled evening followed by a workshop on promoting sustainable energy in BC.For more information, visit www.bcsea.org/vancouver/VACC Vancouver Committee MeetingWednesday, November 30, 2005If you ride your bike in Vancouver, come meet and work with other cyclists to help improve cycling facilities in Vancouver. Your active participation can make a real difference. Lend your voice and your support and get involved.6:30 - 8:30 p.m.Vancouver Public Library Firehall Branch, 1455 W. 10th Ave (just east of Granville St.)New participants are always welcome. These monthly meetings are open to all VACC members and non-members.For more information, or if you have any items that you would like to have on the agenda, contact Jack Becker at 604-681-5744, firstname.lastname@example.com Revolutionary Bike Radio!Thursday, December 8And every other Thursday, from 5:00 to 6:00pm, on CiTR 101.9 FMNews about bike civic politics, chopper bikes, legal issues, bike maintenance, culture, fun and of course Critical Mass. Your host: Conrad Schmidt email@example.com, 604-537-2044Web site: www.bikesexual.org/cm/radio/Listen live over the Internet: www.citr.ca/default.asp?id=19&mnu=19Margaret Charles Chopper Collective RideFriday, December 9On the Second Friday of every month, Vancouver's freak art bike collective invites you to ride with this post-apocalyptic gang of delimitation riders.Meet 6:30 pm at the Science World Gazebo (1455 Quebec Street)For more information, visit www.mcthree.ca


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SAGINAW, MI — Hugh "The Mad Bavarian" Berrneuter's heart beat a little faster when he saw the road sign to Hell covered with ice.
Yes, the Detroit Lions were finally going to win the Super Bowl.
Before that happens, however, the Madman had to thaw before trying to follow a 46-9 week of basketball predictions.
It wasn't easy. The Bavarian had a difficult time thinking thanks to a cold spell that took his breath away.
He kept the refrigerator open just to warm the kitchen. Then he had to rescue Fritz, his German Shepherd, after he was frozen to the fire hydrant.
Worst of all, the Madman was so cold, he actually wore a Snuggie.
The 46-9 week gave the Bavarian his 200th win of the season, prompting a celebration and a special cake with plenty of candles. It didn't any frosting. Actually it didn't have any cake.
But nobody complained, not until the Bavarian blew out the candles.
Week: 46-9 (84 percent)
Season: 200-58 (78 percent)
Top Games
Freeland 71, Frankenmuth 48: The Tri-Valley Conference crossover game between the top teams in the Central (Freeland) and East (Frankenmuth). Freeland has dominated teams behind star guard Tori Jankoska, while the Eagles have struggled outside the division but continue to roll in the TVC East. Both teams lost Tuesday, with Freeland falling to Nouvel Catholic Central and Frankenmuth stumbling against Reese.
Bullock Creek 58, Birch Run 48: One of the Tri-Valley Conference crossover games pitting the East against its Central counterparts features a Bullock Creek team that is ranked 10th in the state in Class B. Bullock Creek's lone two losses have come to Freeland and Hemlock. Birch Run has won four straight, including a 55-19 romp over Bridgeport. Bullock Creek has a balanced offence, with three players — Ellie Juengel, Kendra Shankel and Halee Nieman — averaging in double figures. Whitney Kelly leads Birch Run with 14 points per game.
Frankenmuth 51, Swan Valley 41: This is a TVC crossover, but while the East brings its No. 1 team in Frankenmuth, the Central's No. 1 team — Shepherd — is sitting out the East crossover because the East only has seven teams. The Eagles are undefeated thanks to a balanced offense and tough defense. Swan Valley is 5-5, 4-3 in the Central. Nick Call leads the Vikings, averaging 12 points a game.
Flint Academy 48, SASA 44
Laker High 55, Cass City 38
Clare 60, Beaverton 45
Bridgeport 41, Ovid-Elsie 35
Caro 45, Alma 41
Kingston 60, Caseville 31
Farwell 33, Houghton Lake 30
Gladwin 41, Sanford Meridian 33
Roscommon 33, Harrison 31
Michigan Lutheran Seminary 51, Merrill 35
Hemlock 55, Millington 48
Chesaning 35, North Branch 31
Peck 45, Akron-Fairgrove 28
Valley Lutheran 78, Ithaca 49
Reese 55, Sandusky 42
Breckenridge 35, St. Charles 31
Carrollton 41, St. Louis 38
Vassar 48, Bad Axe 43
Coleman 38, Vestaburg 32
Midland Dow 58, Bay City Western 31
Saginaw High 44, Harper Woods Chandler Park 41
Arthur Hill 55, Bay City Central 42
Nouvel CC 54, Carson City-Crystal 49
Midland High 48, Mount Pleasant 45
Flint Academy 71, SASA 40
Arthur Hill 85, Bay City Central 51
Ovid-Elsie 54, Birch Run 52
Cass City 49, Laker High 44
Essexville Garber 43, Freeland 41
Frankenmuth 51, Swan Valley 48
Midland Dow 61, Bay City Western 42
Midland High 61, Mount Pleasant 56
Chesaning 53, North Branch 45
Saginaw High 75, Heritage 48
St. Charles 58, Breckenridge 55
Bridgeport 54. Alma 43
Hemlock 54, Caro 41
Carrollton 58, St. Louis 52
Beaverton 65, Clare 42
Coleman 42, Vestaburg 40
Houghton Lake 55, Farwell 43
Ithaca 66, Valley Lutheran 61
Kingston 51, Akron-Fairgrove 48
Bullock Creek 61, Millington 53
Mayville 55, Port Hope 51
Reese 55, Sandusky 43
Roscommon 55, Harrison 39
Michigan Lutheran Seminary 65, Merrill 44
Sanford Meridian 58, Gladwin 42
Bad Axe 54, Vassar 48


text:
The Spa Room values community. We believe in the power of a common vision and self-less service. Each month The Spa Room chooses a local non-profit to feature as our non-profit of the month. During that month we support that non-profit through gift certificate donations, fundraising efforts and spreading the word about their organization. Over the course of the past two years we have enjoyed many creative collaborations and welcomed some wonderful people into The Spa Room family. This month we are featuring the MS Society National Chapter. They do so much for so many- from Yoga specifically for individuals with MS to counseling programs. The Spa Room thanks the MS Society for the opportunity to support their mission.
Thank You to Our Past Non-Profit Partners
2013 Partners:
January: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers/Washington
February: Taste of the Nation DC
March: American University's Women & Politics Institute
April: Woolly Mammoth Theatre
September: Dance Place
2012 Partners:
January: Public Leadership Education Network
February/March: Dance for Peace
April: Daniel Burkholder/The Playground
May: Friends of Fillmore
2011 Partners
January: Kid Power, Inc.
February: Dance Place
March: Women and Politics Institute
April: Dance/MetroDC
May: Yoga Activist
June: MOMIES TLC
July: Human Landscapes Dance
August: Marine Moms-Bethesda
September: Back on My Feet
October: Club 66: Young Professionals Supporting the Arts at Wolf Trap
November: NEST DC


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Network for Endangered Sea Turtles
Sea Turtle Rehabilitation
The Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.)
in conjunction with the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, maintains a sea turtle rehabilitation facility.
This facility was built by N.E.S.T.with donations from volunteers, a grant from the Outer Banks Community
Foundation, and cooperation from the Aquarium.
The N.E.S.T.Rehab Facility is staffed jointly by N.E.S.T. volunteers and Aquarium staff. Rehab Facility is NOT open to the public due to the sensitivity of the turtles in the Facility.
Sea Turtle Devotees Improve the Rehab Facility
For the second consecutive summer, the N.E.S.T. Rehab facility has experienced upgrades that benefit both the sea turtles and the N.E.S.T. volunteers!
In 2010 Kathy and Al Fitz along with Carolyn Leopard performed a major interior rehab cleaning, reorganization, some replacements, and painting. Needing a bit more height and humor on the painting team, Jonny Springfield came onboard. The majority of the project was covered by donations from Kathy's mother Phyllis Jaques, Carolyn's friends Chris and Dennis Stadter, and the Home Depot.
This 2011 summer has brought three much-needed upgrades:
Tank dividers for the 3 large tanks were created by a committee of Rehab volunteers: Terry Brown (committee head), John Jenkins (construction head), Rita Jenkins, Kaye Lyerly, and Linda Turowski. North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island (NCARI) aquarist Christian Legner served as consultant, advising on the adaptation of the divider plan used by the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach to the appropriate design for N.E.S.T. Rehab. Christian also reviewed all materials used regarding durability in tanks of salt water and safety for the sea turtles.
Thanks to this group, the turtles will be separated by movable and removable vinyl
fencing attached to pvc tubes instead of floating in plastic bins. No more busy turtles escaping into the next turtle's area! NCARI provided the $75 needed for purchasing materials and also donated the pvc tubes.
The entrance to Rehab, 15-year-old double doors and rotting frame, will not be letting in the cold wind this winter. NCARI purchased beautiful, durable new doors and frame/jam ($570) and had them installed by Spencer Cooper, an assistant aquarist on staff.
And… Rehab Volunteers will have no visual problems while cutting fish and writing in the log. There are four new fluorescent light fixtures in the ceiling, purchased by NCARI ($700) and installed by Tony Wilcox (operations department) and his crew.
Thank you to all those who donated money, time, and labor to these improvements, especially aquarist Christian Legner for recognizing the needs and spending time writing requisitions. Also NCARI for finding space in their budget. Rehab just keeps getting better!
Get the latest Rehab Report 6-6-11
receives cold-stunned turtles found during the cold-water months and injured turtles
found year round. Found turtles are first evaluated and treated by a veterinarian and then transferred to Rehab
Facility where the turtles are nursed back to health.
The goal of the Rehab Facility is to get the turtles sufficiently healthy as soon as possible so that the turtles can be released back into the ocean.
Latest News
Rehab Report
- Release of 5 Juvenile Green Turtless
- NEST Rehab Report 6/6/11
- NEST Rehab Report 5/31/11
- NEST Rehab Report 1/8/11
- NEST Rehab Report 12/16/10
- NEST Rehab Report 12/11/10
- 2009-2010 NEST Rehab Report Vol. 1
P.O. Box 1168
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
REPORT ALL NESTING TURTLES, TURTLE CRAWLS, stranded/dead turtles, OR HATCHING EVENTS on the Outer Banks to the
N.E.S.T. Hotline


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West Community Credit Union has partnered with the Missouri Linked Deposit Program, a state plan that aims to provide low-interest loans for job creation and retention.
Through this program, qualified lenders are able to reduce the interest rate on certain loans that borrowers can use to improve their businesses by between 2% to 3%. The $126 million West Community in O'Fallon, Mo. was approved as a qualified lender earlier this year and is the first credit union in St. Louis to qualify as designated lender, according to the CU.
"We're very excited about this new lending opportunity," said Jason Peach, chief financial officer at West Community. "Though the outlook for 2011 continues to be somewhat uncertain for businesses, we view the Missouri Linked Deposit Program as a bright spot during this otherwise bleak economic period."
The program's eligibility guidelines were expanded, making low-interest loans available to more borrowers including small businesses creating jobs, alternative energy producers and consumers, agriculture operations and local governments. This expansion also opened the door for credit unions across the state to become more active in the program, according to West Community.


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NBA.com is offering another prize pack. Here's the contest:
The Conference Finals in the NBA continue over the weekend with Game 3 of the Boston/Orlando series kicking off on Saturday at 8:30 pm EST on ESPN and Game 3 of the Los Angeles/Phoenix series continuing the fun on Sunday at 8:30 pm EST on TNT.
This is a simple (and tough one). In the comments section let us know who will have the most points, rebounds, and assists this weekend. One player each, from either game, either team. Answers must be submitted by May 22 at 6pm EST. The winner will receive a free prize package from NBA.com
A representative of NBA.com will choose the winner.


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This deal has ended.
Old Navy takes up to 50% off Baby Items. Some of the items with the biggest price drops include this 2-in-1 Halloween Bodysuit (pictured) which drops from $9.50 to $5. This 2-in-1 One-Pieces lowers from $12.50 to $8, while this Performance Fleece Hat and Mitten Sets fall from $10.50 to $5. Shipping adds a flat $7 but is free on orders of $50 or more via code ONSHIP50. Sales tax is charged in most states.No longer available


text:
Forum 35 Uncorked 2014
Thursday, June 19, 2014 8:55 PM
Inappropriate photo? Alert us.
Wine bottles are wrapped for tasting at Forum 35's Uncorked held at De La Ronde Hall in downtown Baton Rouge on Thursday, June 19, 2014. (Photo by Brianna Paciorka, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Related articles
- Forum 35's Uncorked offered wine tasting alongside benefit for Dreams Come True nonprofit June 19, 2014, 8:59 PM


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What does WLEA-4 stand for?
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Search Asia Times
Advanced Search
Middle East
The semantics of Empire
By M Shahid Alam
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say.
Please click here
if you are interested in contributing.
"Saddam Hussein is a man who is willing to gas his own people ..."
- George W Bush, March 22, 2002
"As he [Bush] said, any person that would gas his own people is a threat to the world."
- Scott McClellan, White House spokesperson, March 31, 2002
"Saddam Hussein is a tyrant who has tortured and killed his own people ..."
- Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002
"He poison-gassed his own people."
- Al Gore, December 16, 1998
We might glean a few insights about the semantics of the global order - and the reality it tries to mask - from the way in which the United States has framed the moral case against Saddam.
Saddam's unspeakable crime is that he has "tortured his
people". He has "killed his
people". He has "gassed his
people". He has "poison-gassed his
people". In all the accusations, Saddam stands inseparable from his
Rarely do his accusers charge that Saddam "tortured people", "gassed people", "gassed Iraqis", or "killed Iraqis". A Google search for "gassed his own people" and "Saddam" produced 5,980 hits. Another search for "gassed people" and Saddam produced only 276 hits.
It would appear that the indictment of Saddam gathers power, conviction, irrefutability, by adding the possessive, proprietary, emphatic "own" to the people tortured, gassed or killed. What does the grammar of accusations say about the metrics of American values?
It is revealing. For a country that claims to speak in the name of man, abstract man, universal man, the charge is not that Saddam has killed people, that he has committed murders, mass murders. Instead, the prosecution indicts him for killing a people who stand in a specific relation to the killer: they are his
This betrays tribalism. It springs from a perception that fractures the indivisibility of mankind. It divides men into tribes. It divides people into "us" and "them": "ours" and "theirs". It elevates "us" above "them": "our" kind above "their" kind. It reveals a sensibility that can feel horror only over the killing of one's
Life is sacred at the core. In the United States, we have an inalienable right to life. It is protected by law; it cannot be taken away without due process. Americans are proud, sedate, in the illusion that
president never kills his
people; their history is proof of this. An American president would never think of killing his
Saddam's crimes are most foul because he has tortured his
people; he has killed his
people; he has gassed his
people. He has violated the edict of nature. His actions are
Saddam's unnatural crimes trouble us, however, not because we feel empathy for his victims. His crimes
trouble for us. If he can kill his
kind, how much more willingly would he kill
? In Scott McClellan's version: "Any person that would gas his own people is a threat to the world" (read the United States).
Of course, Saddam might plead innocence to this charge. "You've got it all wrong about the people I kill. The Kurds I killed are not my
people. They are not even Arabs and, worse, they wanted to break up Iraq and create their own independent Kurdistan. What would you do to your blacks, Amerindians, Hispanics or Asians if they took up arms to carve out independent states of their own? Were not the Southern whites your own people? But you killed a half-million of them when they took up arms against you in the 1860s. More recently, you killed your own kind at Waco."
Now, as the United States prepares to try Saddam for torturing, gassing and killing his
people, does this absolve us of killing the same people because
are not our
? Is the killing of Iraqis a crime only when the perpetrators are local thugs - once in our pay - and not when
take up the killing, and execute it more efficiently, on
In the colonial era, racism inoculated people against feeling empathy toward those
people in the periphery. Those
people were children, barbarians, savages, if not worse. We had to kill them if they could not be useful to us, or if they stood in the way of
progress. There wasn't much squeamishness about this. It was good policy.
In the era of the Cold War, we went easy on the language of racism, though not always on its substance. When we sent our men and women to kill hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and Koreans, we justified this by claiming that we were doing it to protect
freedoms. Of course, it was all right to kill for
However, in the new era, the United States learned to contract the killing to thugs in the periphery. This was a win-win for us. We kept our hands free from bloodstains, so we could smell like roses. At the same time, we could point to colored killers (in our pay) and say: "Look, they are still incapable of civilization." What is more, we could use their savagery as justification for killing colored peoples on our own account.
More recently, the US has gone back to killing on its own account. Starting in the 1980s, taking advantage of their indebtedness - which we helped create - we began a general economic warfare against the periphery, stripping down their economies for takeover by core capital. In this new war, the colonial governors and viceroys have been replaced by two banks - the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund - and a trade enforcer, the World Trade Organization. Like the famines in British India, this war has produced tens of millions of hidden victims, dead from hunger and disease.
In 1990, the US introduced a new, deadlier form of economic warfare: it placed Iraq under a total siege. This instrument was chosen because we knew that Iraq was vulnerable: it imported much of its food, medicine, medical equipment, machinery and spare parts, nearly all paid for by oil exports. Imposed to end Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, the siege ended some 13 years later only after the US had occupied Iraq. Only after the siege had killed more than 1.5 million Iraqis, half of them children.
Once again, the US is the world's nerve center of reactionary ideologies. The postwar restraints on the use of deadly force now gone, the US revels in the use of deadly force. Not that alone, it wants to be
using deadly force. It wants to be feared, even loathed for its magnificent power, raining death from the skies as never before, like no other power before. At manufacturing death, we brook no competition.
Imperialism, militarism and wars create their own rationale. In time, Islamist enemies were elevated and magnified, with help from the Zionists. Rogue states stepped out of the shadows. The swamps began to spawn terrorists. Weapons of mass destruction proliferated. Sagely Orientalists suddenly awoke to an Arab "democracy deficit". Islam, they declared, is misogynist, anti-modernist and anti-democratic. The civilizing mission was Arabized. The musty odors of jingoism, militarism, racism and religious bigotry infested the air. Like a godsend, the attacks of September 11, 2001, galvanized America. Imperialism and racism rode into town, cheek by jowl, hand in hand.
The new colonization project has now snagged its chief prize. An Arab Ozymandias brought low. The man who tortured, killed and gassed his
people is in American hands. Our civilizing mission displays its trophy. We are repeatedly invited to peep into the oral orifice of this bedraggled Saddam. "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him."
The images of Saddam the captive, haggard, resigned, defanged, are images of our raw power. Our power to appoint, anoint, finance and arm surrogates in the periphery: and when they go wrong, our power to wage war against their people; destroy their civilian infrastructure, poison their air, water and soil with uranium; lay siege to their economy; and finally to invade and occupy their country. We will go to any lengths to save the people of the periphery from our tyrants.
Come, then, wretched denizens of the periphery, there is cause to rejoice. Lift your colas and offer a toast to the Boy Emperor even as he launches plans to establish a thousand years of
Pax Americana.
He will bring down all outmoded tyrannies, and root out rogue states, dictatorships and monarchies. He will extirpate all fundamentalists, hunt down all terrorists, track down all drug lords, and scrap all unfriendly weapons of mass destruction. This will be the great cleansing of all self-created challenges to the Empire. In the end nothing will stand between the Empire and the periphery, between capital and labor, between thesis and anti-thesis.
Rejoice, the Empire is advancing its day of reckoning with history.
M Shahid Alam
is professor of economics at Northeastern University. His last book,
Poverty from the Wealth of Nations,
was published by Palgrave in 2000. He may be reached at
Visit his
(Copyright 2004 M Shahid Alam)
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say.
Please click here
if you are interested in contributing.
Jan 17, 2004
No material from Asia Times Online may be republished in any form without written permission.
Copyright 2003, Asia Times Online, 4305 Far East Finance Centre, 16 Harcourt Rd, Central, Hong Kong
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The board discussed the search for a new superintendent at their meeting Thursday. The current superintendent, Ron Fuller, is retiring June 30.
President Delores Myers said they are making a list of people they think would be good in the job and are planning to approach those people to create a pool of six to seven candidates.
The board also is posting the job. "We'll approach candidates who are of interest to us," Tom Zarht, KRESA human resources director, told the board in a presentation Thursday. If the posting "results in a diamond candidate, than we'll consider" that person, too.
The plan is for the one or two KRESA board members at a time to meet with candidates over lunch in April and create a list of finalists.
In May, the finalists will be given a tour of KRESA and go before the board for formal interviews that will be open to the public.
"We think it's one of the best jobs in the state, so we think there will be some high-quality candidates," Zahrt said.
The job qualifications developed by the KRESA board make it clear they
want someone from the education world versus a non-traditional
candidate, saying they are looking for an experienced superintendent.
"We want someone who can hit the ground running," Myers said.
The KRESA superintendent oversees the intermediate school district, which is comprised of the nine school districts based in Kalamazoo County -- Kalamazoo, Portage, Gull Lake, Vicksburg, Comstock, Parchment, Galesburg-Augusta, Schoolcraft and Climax-Scotts.
KRESA provides those districts with support services, such as technology and business services as well as curriculum support. KRESA also operates countywide special education programs and Education for Employment and Education for the Arts, which provide specialty vocational and arts classes for Kalamazoo County high school students.
In addition, the KRESA superintendent traditionally has served as chief spokesman for the county superintendents on educational issues.
Fuller has a compensation package worth $260,00, including a base salary of $168,140.
Julie Mack is a reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact her at firstname.lastname@example.com or 269-350-0277, or follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/kzjuliemack For all posts by Julie Mack, click here.
Click here for more stories on southwest Michigan education.
Click here for more stories by Julie Mack.


text: Marion Stuart Humphreys went to be with her Lord on Sunday, December 2, 2012 with her family by her bedside. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Art; her three beloved daughters and their families: Ann (Harry) Smeltzer and son Joe of Findlay Township, Betsy (Bill) Stewart and their children Ryan, Erin, Jeff, and Bradley of Cary, NC, and Lynn Humphreys and son Bowman of Alameda, CA. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Nancy Stuart of Wilmington, DE, and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Mr. and Mrs. Earl Stuart, her brother Robert Stuart, and her sister Barbara Stuart Greenwood.


text:
Alleged attacker of officer arrested
MINGO JUNCTION – A village resident wanted for allegedly attacking a village police officer Tuesday evening was arrested Wednesday following a lengthy foot pursuit.
The officer was trying to arrest a 15-year-old male wanted for business break-ins.
The officer saw the 15-year-old male in the 100 block of Murdock Avenue. The juvenile has an outstanding warrant for break-ins. Police reported the officer chased the juvenile into a home on Murdock Avenue.
The officer found the juvenile hiding behind a bedroom door. The officer grabbed the juvenile's arm but he pulled away. The officer then was tackled by an 18-year-old man, later identified as Zackery Renforth of 132 Lincoln Ave.
While the officer was down on the ground, a pit bull in the home bit the officer in the face and caused a laceration to the nose and mouth, police reported.
The juvenile and Renforth then ran out of the house before the officer could apprehend them.
Wednesday afternoon, a juvenile court probation officer and officers from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and Wells Township initially came together with village police officers to locate Renforth and the juvenile, starting in the 100 block of Stanton Avenue. Residents said they had just left and construction workers on Lincoln Avenue reported the pair were seen running into the woods.
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers and officers from the Jefferson County Drug Task Force joined in on the chase. Police reported Renforth and the juvenile split up early in the chase.
Renforth ran into Rocky's salvage yard on Goulds Road, where he was apprehended by Tom Ellis of the drug task force.
Renforth is facing charges of assault on a police officer and obstructing official business.
There were 13 officers involved in the chase.
Officers went back to Stanton Avenue to search for the juvenile, and a cash register taken during a break-in of a village pizza shop was found in the basement of house at 135 Stanton Ave.
Items taken believed stolen in other business break-ins were discovered, police reported. Clothing worn in the break-ins also was discovered, an officer reported.
The 15-year-old still was at large this morning.


text:
Running the kitchen at Gautreau's is one of the most coveted chef gigs in town.
The restaurant's reputation for developing young talent has earned it much national press, and owner Patrick Singley allows his hires wide berth. There is only one dish he insists remain absolutely the same from chef to chef: roast chicken.
"We don't change any component of that dish, " Singley said by phone last week. "It's not just the chicken; it's the mashed potatoes, the green beans, the mushrooms, the natural jus."
It's not a recipe one would immediately associate with the cooking of Gautreau's chef, Sue Zemanick, whose style hews more toward perfect foie gras torchon and savory riffs on pain perdu. Nevertheless, Singley has regulars who make a point of congratulating him on his restaurant's frequent accolades -- and then promptly order the chicken.
Singley chuckled slightly as he told the story. His amusement speaks to the place chicken often assumes on fine dining restaurant menus.
Many diners suffer from the same misconception that I had two decades ago, when I first acquired a serious interest in food and restaurants. My own experiences, which were supported by views of elder food enthusiasts, led me to believe ambitious chefs focused their talents on more exotic ingredients.
The bird's primary value often appeared to be as an inexpensive appeasement for timid diners. The theory wasn't without merit -- at least not in the United States -- and it has lingered in the back of my mind as I've dined out all of these years.
Chicken is a star at these 13 New Orleans restaurants.
Bistro Daisy
5831 Magazine St., 504.899.6987
Bourbon House
144 Bourbon St., 504.522.0111
723 Dante St., 504.861.7610
Cafe Adelaide
300 Poydras St., 504.595.3305
800 Tchoupitoulas St., 504.528.9393
1728 Soniat St., 504.899.7397
701 St. Charles Ave., 504.524.4114
La Petite Grocery
4238 Magazine St., 504.891.3377
3637 Magazine St., 504.895.1636
333 St. Charles Ave., 504.378.2840
Mr. B's Bistro
201 Royal St., 504.523.2078
6078 Laurel St., 504.895.9441
5015 Magazine St., 504.895.2246
I'm not talking about the fried, smothered, stewed, stir-fried and kabobbed chicken dishes found at the lower-priced restaurants. I'm talking about those chicken dishes that share menu space with pedigreed lamb and duck, steaks from pampered cows and fish caught on the other side of the world. Often it's a roasted breast, the blandest part of the bird, that only underscores chicken's numbing ubiquity and almost aggressive inoffensiveness -- the culinary equivalent of wearing beige, listening to James Taylor or driving a Honda Accord.
So why is it that I've recently found chicken to be among my favorite dishes at the city's best chef-driven restaurants? In the words of Simon Hopkinson, "There is chicken, and there is chicken."
Hopkinson is a revered British chef whose ocean-spanning influence is largely due to the success of his book, "Roast Chicken and Other Stories." In both content and appearance, it is the antidote to glossy, celebrity-driven cookbooks, and considering Hopkinson's stature, the forthright simplicity of its recipes can be read as a license to forsake space-age kitchen techniques forever.
Hopkinson holds up roast chicken, which he calls "my favorite food, " as an exemplar of cooking purity. His enthusiasm is palpable, and it is easier to understand when you consider the chef's proximity to France, where the bird is considered a delicacy.
Emeril's chef de cuisine David Slater found this out for himself when he visited Paris for the first time two years ago. At Taillevent, one of the city's grandest restaurants, he ordered chicken. He called it "one of the best things I ever put in my mouth": a whole roasted poulet de Bresse, the rich-flavored species that is to chicken what Kobe is to beef.
It was served in stages -- first the breasts with pan-juices, artichokes and lardons, then the legs, which had been removed, crisped and served with frisee and sherry vinaigrette. Slater's roast chicken at Emeril's is meant to evoke the sublimity of his Taillevent experience: a breast sheathed in a rosemary-maple syrup glaze represents the first course, a crisp confit leg the second. Caramelized root vegetables and kale merged with bacon round things out. It is as delicious as any dish on Emeril's menu.
"In a good restaurant, whether it's a fine dining restaurant or just a bistro, I think a chef should put as much care into a chicken dish as any other dish, " Slater said. "Why should you pay more attention to one ingredient than another just because it's more expensive?"
Donald Link, chef and co-owner of Herbsaint and Cochon, also draws chicken inspiration from France: "When I went to Burgundy, the first thing I did was stop at the store, even before we went to this place we rented, to buy" a poulet de Bresse.
"I've always felt the chicken at Herbsaint was the best thing on the menu, " Link said, referring to a dish composed recently of a grilled, partially deboned breast, polenta, roasted Brussels sprouts and housemade chicken sausage flavored with sage. "I've always wondered why it didn't sell more. Probably because people are like, 'It's just chicken.' "
He's probably right. Over the past several months, I've asked random restaurant staffers for advice in choosing between two entrees: one chicken, one something else. Invariably they choose the latter, which is frankly understandable. New Orleans built its culinary reputation on the backs of native recipes and ingredients, particularly seafood. A waiter can't be blamed for advising against a dish easily found in another town.
Still, my dining experiences over the past several years have exposed as asinine my long-held prejudice against ordering chicken at restaurants with marquee chefs. In fact, the opposite maxim is more accurate, the one that holds, as Singley put it, that "the way to test good chefs is to taste their chicken."
The roasted chickens at Mr. B's Bistro and Brigtsen's bolster this argument. The technique that yields the juicy roasted breasts at Lilette and La Petite Grocery is difficult to ignore; the same could be said of Patois's whole roasted poussin. All are also testament to the increased quality of birds brought on by the organic, all-natural age, which has noticeably broadened the flavor profile of American chicken.
Take the Tanglewood Farms chicken on Cafe Adelaide's lunch menu. It draws porky smoke from its Nueske's bacon crust, but the white meat's strong, almost livery flavor is also a worthy foil to it. A pan-roasted chicken I ate at Bistro Daisy last summer sported a bronze, sticky, porcini-dusted skin. It arrived on a web of fettuccine and zucchini cut thin, like noodles. Dressed in a woodsy thyme demi-glace, the robust meat tasted as if the bird could have come from the wild.
Many of these creations draw on classic techniques. At the Bourbon House, chef Darin Nesbit prepares chicken in the same manner he prepared chicken Pontalba years ago in the kitchen of Commander's Palace, where chefs deboned breasts before rolling them into deboned thighs. Nesbit's own twist is the glaze, made from local honey, that causes the skin to shine.
"When you bake it, that dark meat is basting the breast," Nesbit explained. "We're a seafood restaurant, but I sell a lot of chicken."
The secret to the roast chickens served at Luke and Vizard's has less to do with the birds themselves than the juices created in cooking. These liquids are the basis for thin but rich sauces that capture the chicken's essence, only in a condensed, dippable gravy form.
Kevin Vizard calls his recipe for roast chicken "simple" -- and then takes 20 minutes to explain how he seasons brined breasts, rubs them with soy sauce and then "half roasts" them in a pan lined with leeks, carrots and celery.
There are countless more steps. A sauce is made from the vegetable-chicken juices, wine and herbs. The breasts are partially deboned and finished under a broiler, a step that sends Vizard on a reverie about a creme brulee he ate years ago in New York City.
The end result -- juicy, luscious meat, a raspy sauce the color of dark roux, chip-crisp fries -- is worth every ounce of the effort. It is also validating.
"If a chef does chicken well, " Vizard contends, "you know he knows what he's doing."
Restaurant writer Brett Anderson can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 504.826.3353.


text:
Readers: Send your caption for this cartoon by Plain Dealer artist Ted Crow to firstname.lastname@example.com. Or mail entries to PDQ Editor Marc Bona, The Plain Dealer, 1801 Superior Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114. Include your hometown. Deadline is noon Thursday. Note: No phone entries. Last week's winners:
Look Dad, Santa Gnaws has been here!
-- Larry Holden, Green
So that's the true story of how Charlie Brown chose his little tree. He decided to leave it to beavers.
-- Tom Andel, Independence
How am I supposed to get that one into the dam house?
-- Greg Skupski, Broadview Heights
Dad, should we put lights on that one or eat it for Christmas?
-- Doris Boxerbaum, Mayfield Heights
Charlie Brown Beaver finds his tree.
-- Megan Pophal, University Heights
I'll bet we could make a Christmas special about that tree in the back.
-- Dennis Waite, Lorain


text:
Somebody's getting the boot.
It's inevitable. Super sub Endy Chavez will be coming off the DL any day now, and somebody on the major league roster's gonna go to make room for him.
I'd like to nominate Guillermo Mota.
I think he's already done in New York, and I'm talking more than that obese 6.28 ERA. Guillermo's looked so bad since his juicing suspension that fans -- this one included -- are convinced he's a fraud. He's Public Enemy No. 1 at Shea, and that's gotten to him. Even when he's not getting hit hard, he folds like a cheap suit at the first sign of trouble. This marriage is over.
Could there be a curveball in this roster move? Sure.
I hate to say it because I do like him, but Shawn Green has become somewhat obsolete of late.
First he lost his rightfield job to LMillz.
Now, with Chavez, Marlon Anderson (.301) and Ruben Gotay (.331), the team already has three solid lefties on a crowded bench. And with newly acquired Jeff Conine, the team's got a professional stick who can work counts and provide depth at first base and the corner outfield spots. With better defense too.
You never now.
Anyone else on the bubble? Forgotten man Aaron Sele. (I'd say a three-year deal and a decent second half -- 3.97 ERA -- has Scott Schoeneweis off the hook.)
Stay tuned.
Ya gotta believe


text:
Event Details
Known as one of the most anticipated holidays of the year, New Year's Eve 2013 is the day when we think back at the great year we've had, and party until the strike of midnight! But rather than sticking to one party destination for this anticipated holiday, why not visit some of the best bars that Albany has to offer? Known for it's awesome bar scene, the creators of the world's largest PubCrawl, PubCrawls.com, have decided to host their next big event in Albany at year's end - The Albany New Year's Eve 2013 PubCrawl! They've enlisted the help of some of the best bars that Albany has to offer, and you'll be able to access each one of them on one of the biggest party holidays of the year!
This is the perfect opportunity for you to meet new friends, visit great bars, and enjoy phenomenal drink specials at each one of them! There's no better time of the year to be in a festive spirit than on New Year's Eve 2013, and PubCrawls.com is giving you the perfect excuse to be a part of the action. Be sure to get your tickets as soon as you can, this is one experience that you'll never forget! New Year's Eve 2013 is all about creating great memories, and you'll make hundreds on a day like this.
* Rules/Restrictions
Must be 21 years old to participate; valid State ID required. Advertised drink specials are subject to change and may vary at certain venues. 2 for 1 drinks means you get 2 drinks for the price of one. Actual drinks offered are at the venue's discretion, and are subject to change. Participating venues and advertised times are subject to change. PubCrawls.com promotes safety and urges all participants to drink responsibly. Participants must bring their Print At Home Ticket to the registration venue. No refunds. All sales are final. Each venue may only participate in the drink specials for a 2 hour period. If a venue is at capacity then you may have to wait or proceed to another venue. To retrieve your PubCrawls.com wristband and map, you must visit the registration venue during the designated registration times in order to meet our event staff. Prices are subject to change while supplies last.


text:
Half-Minute Hero 2 in the works
Developer MMV is readying a sequel to awesome time-based role-playing game Half-Minute Hero, promising new types of quests and modes.
Andriasang has translated a preview of the cleverly named Hero 30 Second (Japanese title only) in the latest issue of Famitsu. The magazine goes into depth about several new quest types and the revised time limits during quests.
Five quest scenarios will be offered--up from the original's four: Overture, Judgment, Revolution, Ragnarok, and Destiny. Each of these quest scenarios put you in control of a different hero with unique abilities. Curiously, the article says that not all quests will have time limits.
Also added is a level editor that will let you build your own scenarios. Other new modes include four-way multiplayer and consecutive boss battles.
Hero 30 Second will be available for PSP in Japan. No US or UK release has been announced.
Latest News
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 after all
- Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third gets a release date
- Adr1ft is coming to PC and consoles at the end of the summer
- EA gives the new Mirror's Edge a name – Mirror's Edge Catalyst
- ZombiU PS4 and Xbox One port reportedly in the works
- Mike Bithell's Volume to be released this August
- Gearbox's new shooter Battleborn gets a pre-E3 trailer
- Steam Controller launches in October, Steam Machines arrive in November
- Gears Of War devs Black Tusk change their name to The Coalition ahead of E3


text:
A recording of this webinar is available.
Akademie von Elevation Media
OMM Webinar 10.09.2012
- Location: Live webinar
- Language: German
- Video price: for free
- Video duration: 1 hour and 18 minutes
- Does my computer meet all the requirements?
Write a message
Please enter a subject. Please enter a message. Please specify at least one receiver.
Webinar halt


text:
This deal has ended.
This Summer Escapes 7'7" x 5'4" Inflatable Beach Play Center Swimming Pool, originally $32.97, is now $15 at Walmart.com. Even with $4.97 shipping (or free store pickup), this is the lowest price we could find. It holds 45 gallons of water and 2 children, and it takes one adult about 10 minutes to set up. Sales tax is charged in most states.No longer available


text:
On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Team Takeover's Bloodstain Lane about the controversy in the September 17 Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz fight.
Late in the fourth round of that fight, which was telecast on HBO pay-per-view, referee Joe Cortez stopped the action to deduct a point from Ortiz for a blatant head butt. When they restarted, Ortiz chose to hug Mayweather and apologize. Mayweather hugged him back, but then Ortiz stood with his hands down. Mayweather next quickly landed a left hook and a solid right which dropped Ortiz. Referee Cortez, who was looking outside the ring and talking with someone when Mayweather threw that first punch, then counted during the knockdown, and subsequently counted Ortiz out, thus indicating that the punches were indeed legal. Mayweather was declared the winner by knockout at 2:59 of round four.
Many people, however, believe that Mayweather should not have attacked Ortiz, even though the fight had resumed. In any case, this has become one of the biggest controversies in the history of boxing.
We discussed this controversy with Bloodstain Lane and replied to the critics of Mayweather. The old boxing maxim of "Protect yourself at all times" was invoked. We also discussed the comments of Larry Merchant of HBO towards Mayweather after the fight, and that the HBO announcers did not criticize the referee. And we commented on the reluctance of the Manny Pacquiao camp to comply with Mayweather's stipulation that such a fight would only take place if Pacquiao agreed to undergo random and unannounced blood and urine drug testing. In addition, we commented on what appeared to be an early stoppage in the Canelo Alvarez-Alfonso Gomez fight on that telecast. In that bout, Alvarez was declared the winner by knockout in the sixth round, even though Gomez, while hurt, had not been knocked down in that round.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Thanks, Eddie Goldman


text: I'd definitely go with nomad. I think he tried to stay at one place as long as possible but had to leave the place as soon as he couldn't find any food anymore. He simply would have eaten all the edible plants before they could regrow and if he hunted in the same area for too long, soon al the animals would have fled or been eaten.


text:
Grades 6-8 compete against your friends in the ultimate laser tag battle of the year. Snacks will be provided.
Member $10 / Community $15.
For more information contact Louis Lasko at (203) 487-0970, visit www.Stamfordjcc.org or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.
Member $10 / Community $15
Stamford JCC
(203) 487-0970
Louis Lasko
We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information. However, you should always call ahead to confirm dates, times, location, and other information.


text:
- Full Description
This book presents a thorough and detailed guide to image registration, outlining the principles and reviewing state-of-the-art tools and methods. The book begins by identifying the components of a general image registration system, and then describes the design of each component using various image analysis tools. The text reviews a vast array of tools and methods, not only describing the principles behind each tool and method, but also measuring and comparing their performances using synthetic and real data. Features: discusses similarity/dissimilarity measures, point detectors, feature extraction/selection and homogeneous/heterogeneous descriptors; examines robust estimators, point pattern matching algorithms, transformation functions, and image resampling and blending; covers principal axes methods, hierarchical methods, optimization-based methods, edge-based methods, model-based methods, and adaptive methods; includes a glossary, an extensive list of references, and an appendix on PCA.
- Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Introduction.
- Similarity and Dissimilarity Measures.
- Point Detectors.
- Feature Extraction.
- Image Descriptors.
- Feature Selection and Heterogeneous Descriptors.
- Point Pattern Matching.
- Robust Parameter Estimation.
- Transformation Functions.
- Image Resampling and Compositing.
- Image Registration Methods.
- A Principal Component Analysis (PCA).
- Errata
If you think that you've found an error in this book, please let us know by emailing to firstname.lastname@example.com . You will find any confirmed erratum below, so you can check if your concern has already been addressed. No errata are currently published


text:
An Forks Township man allegedly tried to obtain prescription drugs using a forged signature at a Walgreens in Forks Township earlier this month.
Eric L. Share, of the 1000 block of Greenleaf Street, allegedly forged the name of the doctor whose office he cleans in an attempt to get prescriptions for oxycondone, court records say.
Share was released on $15,000 unsecured bail.
On Nov. 1, a Walgreens pharmacy notified police that Share was trying to pass a forged prescription, police said.
Share told police he stole a copy of a blank prescription from Dr. Frankin Margolis' office while cleaning it. He said he wrote out the prescription and signed Margolis' name, court documents say.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 21.


text:
Some weeks, a few entertainment items get accidentally omitted from In Town & Around, or they come across my desk too late to meet our deadlines. Their consolation prize is an online shout-out. This is "This Just In ... ."
Name an instrument more fun than the trombone. You can't do it, can you? That's because there's no such thing as an instrument more fun than the trombone. And that means there's no recital quite like a trombone recital.
Want proof? You do, don't you. Well, go ahead and watch this video I found of Adrian College's newest addition to its music faculty, trombonist Dave Day, playing Luciano Berio's "Sequenza V." In a clown suit:
See? fun.
Likewise, Day's debut faculty recital on Monday promises to be an evening of "not-so-serious trombone music."
The program includes pieces ranging from the neo-romantic richness of Joseph Jongen, to the light-hearted modernism of Kazimierz Serocki, to a humorous, jazzy take on Schumann-style character pieces by contemporary composer Gordon "Dick" Goodwin.
He'll be accompanied by pianist Ra-Jung Yang, another new member of the music faculty.
- What: Trombone recital featuring Dave Day and Ra-Jung Yang
- When: 8 p.m. Monday (Jan. 25)
- Where: Dawson Auditorium, Adrian College
- Cost: Free
- Details: 517-264-3868
One more short item: Brooklyn Artists' meeting usually get a mention in the Art Notes column in In Town & Around. This one didn't. My bad.
The next meeting of the Brooklyn Artists will be on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, at 6:00 p.m., at the Columbia Middle School, 321 School Street, Brooklyn, MI.
This meeting will be devoted to completing projects for our two upcoming exhibitions. Join us if you would like to participate. Open to artists of every medium and level of experience. First session is free.
For further information contact Tom Boyer, 517-592-5439.


text:
Sutherlands story is an incredible one in every regard, especially because it is true. The idyllic island, royal life, and Muslim faith that the Suttons Bay resident found herself surrounded by each became a prison of their own, and a major obstacle to attempting to free her two children from her tyrannical husband and the powerful extremists who surrounded him.
Her harrowing journey to reach America safely with her children has been documented in a new book, "Perilous Journey: A Mothers International Quest to Rescue Her Children," which was published by New Horizon Press in late November. It traces the years from 1994-98 when Sutherland, armed with little more than an iron will, fought for her rights and her children, constantly under the threat of torture and death from the man she had once loved.
The tale begins in Asia in 1989, when the 28-year-old Sutherland was backpacking with a friend and came to meet Prince Mahmood, a Malaysian of royal descent. The two fell in love, and in short order, she had moved to his family island of Rawa, and became pregnant, a member of the Muslim faith, and married.
She led the life of the royal rich and privileged, doted on by servants and enjoying fabulous South China Sea weather, as she bore their two children, son Iskander, now, 12, and daughter Mariam, now 10.
But all was not well in the household. Sutherland was becoming increasingly disturbed by her husbands erratic behavior, which included irrational rages and lies, a tendency to wave guns around, heavy drinking, and rampant infidelity, particularly with a second family he kept in Brunei. Fearful of his temper ("Mahmood claims it's sometimes necessary to scare and/or beat the s--- out of people to get things done," she writes) and his link with a Muslim extremist group with a bitter hatred of Westerners, she contemplated ending the marriage, all the while knowing her life would be in danger for confronting him in any way.
"I was initially thrilled with him, and who wouldnt have been?" asks Sutherland. "He owned an island, and we had an idyllic life with our two children. But once I had evidence that he had other women and knew I dared not even confront him, I felt I had little choice but to leave. This was a man who spent much of time trying to wrestle control of the island from his family, and he was constantly in a terrible mood. When I realized his real nature was to be unhappy, selfish, controlling, and a spoiled heavy, it was a horrible awakening."
On a trip with her children back to the United States to visit her family in Glen Arbor in the summer of 1994, Sutherland spoke to her husband on the phone, telling him she wanted out of the relationship. She describes his reaction as "furious," and he made threats to kill both her and the children if she left him. Sutherland had no doubts about the vehemence behind his words, which were backed up by his seizing the children's passports when the three went into hiding here for about two weeks.
Eventually, they made another contact with Mahmood, who begged forgiveness and promised that he was making changes. It was enough to convince Sutherland and her children to return to him, but her hope was short-lived.
"We flew back, and as soon as I saw his face at the Singapore airport, I saw a mask of fury," she recalls. "He was incredibly angry and didnt say a word, and he had one of his goons with him. I knew I was in trouble, but I didnt know how much. He wouldnt see me for two days, then told me he was buying me a one-way ticket out of the country. He admitted he had deceived me in order to get me to come back with the kids, and that he would never be separated from them. I knew that was true, and I just felt sickened that I had believed him."
The next three years became a nightmarish battle for custody of her children and her freedom, a fight that was often without any end in sight, especially given that as a woman and a Westerner, Sutherland had virtually no rights in her adopted homeland. Mahmood had at his beck and call a number of Muslim extremist religious clerics who controlled the courts, as well. She was constantly urged by him to leave the island, and he also continued his verbal abuse of her, promising torture, death, or driving her to commit suicide as possible fates.
On and on it went, with Sutherland looking for support from international rights and womens groups and traveling back and forth between Malaysia and the U.S. With "frayed emotions" and "a heart full of despair," she began an arduous, organized effort to rescue her children and leave permanently. She sought out Michigander Betty Mahmoody, whose own similar plight had been documented in her book "Not Without My Daughter," which was made into a successful movie starring Sally Field. Nothing seemed to make a difference.
"A low point was when my own family started to feel that I should just get myself out, because there was no end in sight," said Sutherland. "I was making a life for myself, was connected with womens organization, and the 0place where I lived was stable, so I could have gone on indefinitely.
"But after three failed attempts, I finally was able to get a little tiny bit of justice, and that spurred me on. For a 16-month period, I saw my children for six hours total, but I finally went public in his country, and convinced the court to give me some decent custody. I got some sustainable visitation of four days at a stretch, which made me feel convinced that I could receive more justice if I just kept working."
Ultimately, it was a twist of fate that changed Sutherlands grim situation, and it came in the form of a wrong phone number.
She had been trying to reach Asia Week magazine to tell her story, and information gave her the number of a Hindu man who told her he was an investigative crime reporter for a different national magazine. She shared the details of her situation, and while he thought he could help impact the court process, he was also willing to introduce her to a border smuggler who could bribe guards on both sides and smuggle she and her children across and into Thailand.
On January 26, 1998, they did just that, accompanied by the smuggler, and his wife and daughter, who put the children on their lap. It only cost Sutherland about $500 U.S. dollars, which was a surprise because she had been quoted other rates as high as a quarter of a million. The children had no idea at the time what their mother was doing, but Sutherland says they "bounced off the walls with happiness" when they knew they had safely crossed over and were eventually in the care of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, where they spent a week preparing to head to America.
During this time, Mahmood launched a manhunt in his own country before learning the fate of his children, all of which made Sutherland nervous and anxious, even though she was back in America. She was unable to sleep through the night during her first four months back, and went through the process of "shutting down emotionally" in response to the traumatic ordeal she had survived. She found solace with her family, children, and the community, who welcomed her back with open arms and encouraged her to one day tell her story.
"Failure was never an option," she stated, "but even after I was back, I had reason to fear my husband and his rage. He held a press conference and said that I had kidnapped the children, but nothing ever really came of all the ranting and raving. He knew I had evidence against him, and that sending someone after me would involve huge expense and hassle. After a time, I began to feel safe here in northern Michigan and finally ready to write everything down."
In the spring of 2002, Sutherland sent her story out with introductory letters, never anticipating the response she would get. Top publishers and agents called, relishing her saga of a royal family vs. a courageous mother who, against all odds, went through years of trauma. Sutherland says she signed with an agent, but got busy being a mother to her children and settling back into life here, until she got a call early last fall from New Horizons, who wanted to publish her book.
It happened on November 20, and Sutherland, also a devout meditation student, distance runner, and first and foremost - a mother - has now received rave reviews for her tome, and interest from every major TV and radio talk show, news digest, and publication.
"Things are going to start clicking now that the holidays are past, and thanks to the regional signings, theres been a lot of local interest, as well," said Sutherland.
"I want people to understand that we are all capable of extraordinary courage and bravery, that you can overcome unbelievable obstacles and suffer beyond your capacity to suffer, and that everyone can come through incredibly strong as a result. I went through great suffering, but Im a peace activist now as a result, and I want to be of service to women and children however I can. I was so blessed with all my strengths going into this, and it was a long, hard, and expensive part of my life, but Im here now, and committed to helping other women be strong and spared."
As a footnote, Sutherland adds that her number one priority is to raise her children, whom she calls "normal, happy American kids" who are in regular phone and written contact with their father. They do stand to inherit his island one day when they are grown, so Sutherland has encouraged them to keep close bonds with him, even though they have declined wanting to go back and visit at this time, as he still has guardianship of them in his country until they have reached the age of 21.
Meanwhile, the three are forging ahead with their new life, which involves Sutherland assisting at their Montessori School and their being available to make presentations to school and church groups on their experience and life in Malaysia, in general. Book signings are also keeping Sutherland busy, and locally within the next two weeks, they will happen at Horizon Bookstore in Traverse City (with an accompanying talk) on January 9 and at Borders Bookstore on January 11.


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Will Latinos elect the next president? The Latino vote will be dissected in a panel discussion, "Nuestra Voz: Impact of Latinos on the 2012 Election" at 6 p.m. tomorrow at Seton Hall University's Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute, moderated by Univision anchor Enrique Teutelo.
Angelo Falcón, president and founder of the National Institute for Latino Policy, will be on the panel and gave Star-Ledger editorial writer Linda Ocasio a preview of some of his thoughts on the subject.
Q. What do we need to know about the Latino vote?
A. There's a lot of talk about the Latino vote, is it going to make a difference or not. The idea is to talk about how the Latino vote is characterized. On the one hand, it's important, we have large numbers and the vote could be pivotal. On the other hand, will (President) Obama be able to motivate voters to come out?
For Republicans, the question is whether they have alienated Latinos during the primary. One poll shows Mitt Romney has 14 percent of the Latino vote, which is terrible. (GOP candidate John) McCain got 30 percent in 2008. Some say Republicans need 26 percent, others say 40 percent, but without a minimal percentage of Latino votes, some people are panicking. What's the strategy to get the vote? We'll talk about that.
Q. Is the Latino vote absolutely necessary for Romney?
A. Some in Republican circles are talking about whether the Latino vote is worth going after. Because Latinos are not voting in large numbers, their turnout rates are low. Others say it's doable to reach out to Latinos.
There's concern about the Republican stance on immigration reform. Some Republicans are panicking that they are going to lose this crucial part of the electorate. It's interesting. I want to lay out the different scenarios, how people look at the Latino vote.
Q. Does that mean the Latino vote is guaranteed for Obama?
A. That Latinos turn out in large numbers for Democrats is really in question. Does there have to be more registration in the Latino community? A lot of Latinos are unhappy with Obama on the immigration question.
Q. Are there states where Latinos will be a deciding factor?
A. In Florida and Colorado, the Latino vote may be decisive. It all depends on how close the race is going to be. It's a different ballgame, politically, and no one should take anything for granted. The candidates have to take a hard critical look at the need for different strategies. For example, Newt Gingrich had a newsletter, "The Americano," in which he was trying to formulate Latino issues along conservative lines.
Q. How has the Latino community changed in recent years?
A. There's a lot of stuff in transition, including the growth of the Puerto Rican population in Florida where, for the first time, more Latinos are registered as Democrats than Republicans. The younger generation of Cubans is not tied to the old issues that were anti-Castro and supportive of the embargo. And the politics of Puerto Ricans are changing. You have a larger pro-statehood component in the South.
It raises questions about whether the old formulas work today. And then there's the elephant in the room.
Q. What's that?
A. We have a black president. There's the question of solidarity between minority groups. I think Obama is going to wind up with the vast majority of the Latino vote. But Latinos are more socially conservative than blacks, especially on abortion and same-sex marriage, and that may come into play as a way for Republicans to draw Latino votes. And we don't know what role the church and evangelicals will play in the 2012 election.


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In another angry audio recording, the seventh in a series released by RadarOnline, Mel Gibson allegedly tells ex girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva to go sleep with her ex, former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton. [RadarOnline]
Dalton is the father of Oksana's son Alexander, 12. He recently visited her for moral support.
"Did you get my last message about me being a bad father and Tim being a great dad?" Gibson asked Grigorieva. "You didn't hear that one? Well, you should go [expletive] him … because I don't care."
Then Gibson gets even angrier and tells her to go have sex with someone else in front of her son.
"The game's over," he said. "Okay. The game's over. Let the new games begin so you can get it on with anybody else and your son can watch it.
» Listen to the recording (Editor's note: The clip is unedited and contains profanity and obscenities.)
Here are the rest of Gibson's rants:
» Tape six - Gibson's ex-girlfriend claims he hit their child; he said no one will believe her.
» Tape five - Gibson calls his ex obscene names and reveals he's broke.
» Tape four - Gibson threatens to burn down the house after demanding sex.
» Tape three - Gibson uses racial slur against Latinos.
» Tape two - Gibson allegedly admits hitting Grigorieva.
» Tape one - Gibson uses the N-word and other derogatory phrases.
Related links:
» Mel Gibson and Oksana likely headed for co-parenting classes. [People]
» Oksana claims she doesn't want Mel Gibson's money. [Hollywood Life]
» Has Mel Gibson become a pariah in Hollywood? Or just for the time being? [Los Angeles Times]
» Leonardo DiCaprio to probably pass on Gibson's Viking movie. [Movieline]


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Sweet Tomatoes hosts Fundraiser and Personal Hygiene Drive for Joplin Tornado Victims
On Tuesday, June 7, the Kansas and Missouri Sweet Tomatoes locations will be hosting an all-day fundraiser to benefit the American Red Cross, Joplin tornado victims. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.
Sweet Tomatoes will also be kicking off a two week personal hygiene drive for the tornado victims. Because of the loss of many homes in Joplin and lack of space, the American Red Cross is in need of personal hygiene items to provide to tornado victims. Sweet Tomatoes will be collecting items from June 7 – June 21. Preferred personal hygiene items include toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, body soap, wipes, shavers and shaving cream.
The Sweet Tomatoes locations in Kansas and Missouri will donate 10 percent of lunch and dinner sales for the entire day on June 7 to the American Red Cross Greater Ozarks Regional Chapter located in Joplin. Sweet Tomatoes has been an on-going partner with the American Red Cross and has raised over $40,000 for the organization during the past three years. Sweet Tomatoes is involved with sponsoring events and fundraisers for the American Red Cross, providing food donations and is an on-going emergency food vendor in select regions.
Sweet Tomatoes provides a healthy salad bar full of fresh, seasonal vegetables and tossed salads, made-from-scratch soups, hand-crafted muffins, focaccia and breads and tasty desserts. For information about Sweet Tomatoes call your local restaurant or visit www.sweettomatoes.com. To make a donation to the American Red Cross visit www.redcross.org.
Participating Sweet Tomatoes:
|Kansas City
|1309 Meadow Lake Pkwy.
|9846 Watson Rd.
|Creve Coeur
|10401 Olive Blvd.
Overland Park 8505 College Blvd. 913-317-9092


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Michael Howe of Owego Public Works couldn't believe the damage.
"It upsets me. I take a lot of pride in this stuff, and it upsets me to see something like this," said Howe.
Two weeks ago, headstones were knocked over and broken in the Evergreen Cemetery that Howe helps maintain.
Much of the damage happened in the area where Civil War soldiers are buried, and now Owego is racing to get everything repaired before Memorial Day ceremonies.
"With everything else we have to do for Memorial Day, we just don't have time to go up there -- as important as it is -- we just don't have time to do it," said Public Works Superintendent Jeff Soules.
Soules has been talking with a person who has volunteered to fix the Civil War stones for free. He hopes it can be finished by Monday.
But private gravesites were also vandalized, and the village hopes families will volunteer to pay for the cost of fixing them. The gravesites are considered private property, meaning the village's insurance won't cover it. Now they are struggling to find a way to pay for all of the damage.
Soules estimates it will cost about $9,000 to fix all of the private headstones. The village will hire a company to repair them.
"Why anyone would topple a headstone is beyond me. I don't know. It's a real pain," said Howe.
"It's not nice to their family or anyone else's family. If this was your stone, your family's stone, you wouldn't like it either," said Soules.
The village hopes people get that message, so there won't be vandalism like this again.
A gazebo at the cemetery was also vandalized but has already been repaired.
The village police department is continuing its investigation into the headstone vandalism.