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From: Josh Levin
To: Barry Petchesky
Last Monday, Andrew Luck was set to lead the Colts to a championship, and Robert Griffin III was a sad, concussed public service announcement for the perils of hybrid quarterbacking. Seven days later, Luck sucks, and RG3 is, in the words of his Redskins teammate Fred Davis, "Black Jesus." Next week, no doubt, Luck will throw four touchdown passes and run for four more, Griffin will hurt himself throwing a game-losing interception, and Fred Davis will decree that RG3 is "Black Ryan Leaf."
For the second year in a row, Slate and Deadspin are teaming up for a season-long NFL roundtable. Check back here each week as a rotating cast of football watchers discusses the weekend's key plays, coaching decisions, and traumatic brain injuries. And click here to play the latest episode of Slate's sports podcast Hang Up and Listen.
The message: Beware, all ye who attempt to forecast a rookie's career path based on a handful of games. Given the assignment by Slate readers (as part of our Reader Takeover) to write about Russell Wilson, I won't embarrass myself by trying to divine the measurements of the Seattle rookie's future trophy case. Yes, the Seahawks are 4-2 (albeit with a Space-Needle-sized asterisk), and Wilson played his best game yet in pulling out a come-from-behind, one-point victory against the mighty Patriots. And yes, as we've read in laudatory profiles and seen in TV spots, the rookie is smart, studious, humble, and looks fantastic in denim. But the smartest player isn't always the best one—Ryan "that guy with the beard who went to Harvard" Fitzpatrick would be a lot more valuable if close games were decided by quarterback-on-quarterback Boggle.
Though Wilson's brain won't guarantee his long-term success, it did probably win him the Seahawks' starting job, and the chance to show he deserves to keep it. And that's the most interesting thing about the 5-foot-10-and-5/8-inches African-American quarterback: He is proof that, in the NFL circa 2012, looking the part isn't about being a certain height or a certain race. In the post-JaMarcus Russell era, when talent evaluators don't just give lip service to caring about character, Russell Wilson character-ed his way into one of the most exclusive gigs in sports.
Off the field, Wilson is Tim Tebow without the proselytizing. (Or without as much proselytizing—he does regularly tweet Bible verses.) As ESPN.com's Elizabeth Merrill explained last month: "Wilson almost seems too good to be true. The first time he did an interview at Wisconsin, he asked to borrow a shirt with a collar from the equipment manager because he doesn't do interviews in T-shirts and shorts. The interview wasn't even on-camera." At North Carolina State, the story tells us, an uncomplaining Wilson would "wake up at 4:30 in the morning, lift with the football team, go to class, then practice baseball in the afternoon." When he transferred to Wisconsin, he drove for 17 hours "just to get a copy of the playbook so he could become one with it over the Fourth of July weekend." (Just wait until he discovers email!) He took his Seahawks' playbook on his honeymoon. He works tirelessly owing to the example of his father, a successful lawyer who died in 2010. "There's just something about what he stands for and how he handles himself," the Seahawks' Golden Tate told Merrill. "You get a feeling that someone's just very, very special."
It's not just feature writers and wide receivers who've fallen under Wilson's spell. Merrill also quotes Gil Brandt, the longtime Cowboys player personnel man and the personification of NFL conventional wisdom. "For every guy that you draft that's three inches and four inches below the accepted minimum, 99 of 100 are going to fail. He's a real exception," Brandt told ESPN.com. "Have you ever talked to him personally? He's the most dynamic guy you'll ever be around. He has such an unusual flair. I mean, this guy wins you over with two minutes' talk. I don't know that I've ever seen a quarterback that's undersized like he is that has been so dynamic."
Irrespective of his work ethic and his height, Wilson's college numbers suggest he deserved a shot in the NFL. As a senior at Wisconsin, he led the NCAA in passing efficiency, throwing 33 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. If he stood six-foot-five, Wilson would have been picked in the first round. Instead, he fell to Seattle in the third, a position that reflects Wilson's position at the midpoint between the bias and generalization that keeps talented, atypical quarterbacks from getting an opportunity and the magical thinking about work ethic and winning attitudes that led the Denver Broncos to talk themselves into Tebow.
Wilson, who beat out free agent signee Matt Flynn by posting a 110.3 passer rating in the preseason, will get the chance to succeed that many others never do. Boise State's adorably tiny, hyper-efficient Kellen Moore, one of the best college quarterbacks ever, went undrafted this year. (He's now the third-stringer for the Detroit Lions.) And in 2006, Ohio State senior Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy, throwing 30 touchdowns and six interceptions. The six-foot, supposedly character-deficient Smith—he was suspended in college for taking money from a booster, which counts as a character issue in a world that reckons Mel Kiper a moral authority—wasn't taken until the fifth round of the NFL draft, and he's accrued only 145 pass attempts as a pro. He was last seen as the quarterback for the UFL's Omaha Nighthawks, where he battled for playing time with Eric Crouch and Jeremiah Masoli.
But Wilson, at least, will have the opportunity to fail or succeed on his own merits, just like the last rookie quarterback who was supposed to be the Seahawks' savior. In 1993, the Seahawks started 3-2 behind the stellar play of … Rick Mirer. Take it away, Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Art Thiel:
Seahawk fans … haven't seen a three-game win streak in three seasons. Then again, they have not seen a Seahawk quarterback like Rick Mirer in 18 years.
Charger cornerback Donald Frank has seen somebody like him.
"It's hard when a quarterback can scramble like that," he said. "Right now Steve Young stands out, and the guy who's moving up is Mirer. I think he made all the difference."
Five games into his rookie season, Mirer indeed is a difference-maker, not just a snap-taker. The analogy to the eminent San Francisco quarterback is as flattering as it is premature, yet it is not too soon to say Mirer is on the verge of one of the great rookie-quarterback seasons in NFL history.
Nineteen years later, Seahawks fans are hoping they're not seeing another quarterback like Rick Mirer. The 6-foot-3 Notre Dame star, who was drafted second overall in 1993—and who did not go on to have one of the great rookie-quarterback seasons in history—was the Jake Locker of his day: a guy with a bad college completion percentage and an "NFL body." The only thing that Mirer and Russell Wilson have in common is that they were both touted for their leadership skills. In the NFL, Mirer led his teams to oblivion, compiling a 24-44 overall record because of an errant arm. By all appearances, Wilson is not that kind of quarterback. The difference between untested rookie Rick Mirer and untested rookie Russell Wilson suggests that the NFL has been doing its homework, too.
Josh Levin is Slate's executive editor. You can e-mail him at firstname.lastname@example.com, visit his website, and follow him on Twitter.


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Aretha Franklin says Cissy Houston raised her daughter Whitney Houston well — and that an interview where Franklin said parents need to make sure children "leave home prepared" was taken out of context.
Franklin released a statement Wednesday, four days after Houston's funeral. She was expected to sing at the funeral in Newark, N.J., Houston's hometown, but bowed out because of leg spasms she said she suffered after a concert at Radio City Music Hall the night before. She performed again at Radio City the night of Houston's funeral, and paid tribute to Houston as "a very fine young lady."
In an interview about Houston on NBC's "Today" show last week, Al Roker asked Franklin about Houston's superstardom.
Franklin said: "I think parents have to really talk to their children before they leave home ... (that they) leave home prepared, really. She left home with all the right things."
After Franklin didn't attend the funeral, there were some reports that Houston's mother was upset over Franklin's comments and that Franklin was uninvited, a charge Franklin denies.
"Cissy Houston and I have been longtime friends for almost 50 years. I have four invitations and parking passes that were sent to me for the funeral," Franklin said. "Cissy does not need ridiculous speculation and neither do I — particularly at this time."
Franklin also said her full statement — "This is no reflection on Cissy or Nippy's upbringing," using a nickname for Houston — wasn't aired (a request for comment wasn't immediately returned by the "Today" show).
"Knowing Cissy as well as I do, I know Whitney left home right and properly. I was generalizing and it was a well-intended statement for any young adult coming into the music industry," she said. "I was not speaking of anyone specifically. "
Houston had fought substance abuse for years. She was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 11, the day before the Grammy Awards. A cause of death has yet to be determined.
Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

subset: commoncrawl


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1 Result Found
Search Results
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What does a popular ski resort turn into when the snow melts? Challenging terrain and even a man-made obstacle course transform Boyne Highlands Resort into a mountain biker's paradise. Looking for a little less daring experience on two wheels? Cruise the Little Traverse Wheelway, a mostly paved and non-motorized trail connecting Charlevoix to Harbor Springs.
Little Traverse Wheelway
This turn-of-the-century former railway, stretching more than 26 miles along the bay between Charlevoix and Harbor Springs, now serves as one of the region's most scenic nonmotorized trails—a haven for recreational riders. The wide, paved pathway makes it especially friendly for families with small children. The "East Segment" in Petoskey is a lovely section; start at the Little Traverse History Museum, and continue northeast along Bayfront Park (note: a perfect picnic spot) and through the gorgeous Victorian-era community of Bay View. Map available online.
Boyne Highlands Resort
Hop the chairlift for a ride to the top of the mountain, where you'll find a range of trails suited to all levels of riders. Cross-country mountain bikers can test their skills on scenic downhill runs; for experts, there's the experts-only Bike Park, where obstacles like ramps and jumps will challenge even the most aggressive riders. Bike rentals available on-site.
Wilderness State Park
This 10,000-acre park west of Mackinaw City has a vast network of trails, many of which are former two-tracks open to mountain biking. The terrain is mostly flat—great for beginner riders and those more interested in scenery than an adrenaline rush. For an easy 11K loop, follow these trails in succession: Swamp Line to South Boundary to Nebo to Wiikenhas. Maps and other loop suggestions available at the ranger station.


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Heater Element - Toyota (87510-34020)
Heater Element - Toyota (87510-34020)
- Genuine:
- Positions: Left Rear, Right Rear
- Other Names: Heater Assembly Seat
- Description:
With double cab, 2004, seat back.
- Condition: New
- Sold In Quantity: 1
Also Purchased
Vehicle Fitment
|Body & Trim
|Engine & Transmission
|Limited, SR5
|3.4L V6 - Gas, 4.7L V8 - Gas
Online prices may not be available at our store. You will need to order from website to get online pricing. We DO NOT accept credit cards over the phone. All orders will need to be placed through the website. Prices are subject to change without notice.
We can only get parts for vehicles and models sold in the US. Although the part number may show on our website, were are unable to get parts for vehicles sold outside the US, including models such as the Hilux, Rush, Allion, etc. Any order for part(s) for non-US vehicles will be cancelled.
We do ship to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. You will need to email us if you want to place an order going to these locations!
Overnight Shipping & Expedited Shipping:
Only items IN STOCK at our dealership will ship same day. Just because the item shows available on the website does not mean it's in stock at our dealership. Any special ordered items will be shipped overnight & expedited once they arrive to our dealership. Most items in stock at our local warehouse and are ordered before 2 pm ET, will ship next day. Items that back order or ship from a different warehouse may take extra time to arrive to us. Please be aware of this before choosing overnight or expedited shipping. You may contact us at email@example.com prior to placing your order to get an ETA on an Overnight Shipment.
We ship most overnight orders via Priority Mail Express, which can be 1 to 2 days anywhere in the US. We are able to also ship UPS Overnight and FedEx Overnight, but these methods may require an additional cost. Please contact us if you wish to have your overnight packaged shipped by a method other than USPS Priority Mail Express for a quote.


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Lighter, shorter, more spacious, and equipped with possibly the best readily-available GPS system possible: the 2015 Honda Fit looks like a lesson in doing a hatchback right. Forget that, it's a lesson on how to do any car right.
There were a lot of ways to look at the first Honda Fit. It was a Wagovan for the modern era, it was a mini-minivan, it was a practical car that was fun to drive.
The second Honda Fit sort of lost the plot. It was one thing that it got bigger and bloatier, it was another that it lost its joyful feel and its supremely space-efficient cool.
This third Fit appears to fix some of the second generation's faults. The 2015 car is wider than the car is replaces, but it's shorter and it rides on a longer wheelbase. Space efficiency is back.
There's tons of room in this thing. Here's Automotive News' Mark Rechtin (not a short guy) sitting behind the driver's seat adjusted for himself. He's got plenty of head and leg room, even with a cast on. I came back the next day and squeezed myself into the middle seat next to Alex Kierstien (we're both middle-sized guys) and found that hip room remains a little tight in the back of this Fit, though not awful.
Oh, and dropping the rear seats is easy and gives you plenty of space to crawl around, even when you're wearing a suit. This test may have confused some of the Honda reps on hand.
Honda also cut the weight of the new car. The structure of the 2015 Fit is 57 pounds lighter than the car it replaces. One representative from Honda US explained that they would probably fill up that weight loss with added features, but still, it's a noble effort from the engineers back in Japan.
I went ahead and asked what exactly was different about the 2015 Fit we get here in America and the one that's currently the best-selling car back in Japan. I was told:
The front and rear bumpers are different (thanks to different crash tests).
The headlights are different.
The grille is different.
We don't get Japan's smallest engine; we start with the 130 horsepower 1.5 liter.
The suspension tuning is different.
All things considered, that's pretty damn similar. That last change, the one to the ride, is the one question mark over the Fit. Honda claims that the 2015 Fit is more refined than the car it replaces, with a better highway ride and less interior noise. I kinda like my Hondas tinny and darty, so this might be a pain for the enthusiast crowd, but nobody will know until Honda gives out test drives.
That said, the average carbuyer seems more interested in mileage than handling, otherwise Alfa Romeo would be the world's biggest manufacturer. The 2015 Fit with a new CVT is expecting 41 mpg highway and 33 mpg city. Compare that to the old model's 28/35.
The last and best feature of the car is Honda's GPS solution: it's your phone. You can order the car with navigation for something around $1500, or you can download the HondaLink app from Honda for $59.99 and get something better. With the app, the car will display your phone's GPS on its seven-inch display. That means as you upgrade your phone, you'll be upgrading your GPS, too. I can't think of a better system.
So the 2015 Fit seems like a great effort by Honda, with the only question remaining if it's as fun to drive as the original. I certainly hope it does.
Photo Credits: Raphael Orlove


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Oh, look - the ACLU just updated their page on these things.
https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-...-whos-got-themStingrays, also known as "cell site simulators" or "IMSI catchers," are invasive cell phone surveillance devices that mimic cell phone towers and send out signals to trick cell phones in the area into transmitting their locations and identifying information. When used to track a suspect's cell phone, they also gather information about the phones of countless bystanders who happen to be nearby.


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No Hesitation, No Surrender, No Man Left Behind: "Thunder Gun" -- the best damn movie of all time (which is probably Sylvester Stalone's 2010 classic, "The Expendables") sounds pretty freaking sweet. Unfortunately, Obama caused a traffic jam and the Gang members fear they won't make it to the movies on time. Should somebody tell them that movie times are really when the previews start?
Thunder Gun: (verb) To overcome ordinary human rules and circumstances regardless of the consequences, i.e., (while stuck in traffic) "Dennis, Thunder Gun over the curb."
Going for a quick tour: In a desperate attempt to get to "The Best Damn Movie of All Time," Frank comes up with the bright idea of hijacking a tour boat filled with East Asian tourists. Frank is exposed as the worst tour guide in the world.
14:11 … I loved "24" more than almost any other action/drama series on television. The entire episode displays a ticking digital clock as the Gang runs out of time.
Fat Mac Strikes Again: When Charlie and Dee decide to take to the Philly Sewers in order to make their movie time, Mac's buff physique can't seem to gain access. So he tries to steal a motorcycle. Unfortunately, all his skills and all his training do not enable him to pilot a motorbike.
Lightning fast scene change: Dennis rear-ends the bumper of a fabulous-looking Latina. He is smitten. She seems annoyed.
Weird Charlie quote: "Oh, Queen Dee is too good to get naked with her buddy." While traveling through the sewage system of Philadelphia, Charlie suggests the possibility of a rushing wall of water. Think "The Day after Tomorrow." His fear of being engulfed in sewer water conceives the idea of getting naked and holding -- because you don't want to get your clothes all wet.
Dee rejects the idea but then walks right into a grate in the floor, getting her heel stuck. Charlie ditches her. When she hears a rushing wall of water approaching, she begins stripping.
A couple of more quick scenes: Just to fill you in, Dennis seems to have hit it off with Elaina, his accident-mate, Mac ditches his stolen motorcycle and third-wheels Dennis out of a kiss. Frank, who has now told his entire life story to his hijacked tour ship, finally reaches land and is confronted by the authorities.
The Gang finally reunites in the movie theater. Mac gets prime seating. After carrying on a loud conversation with Charlie from across the room, he persuades the people next to him to exchange their seats for silence. Dee shows up, covered in fecal matter, and persuades the people next to Mac to give up their seats so they won't have to smell the crap in her hair. And Dennis, who is loudly bragging to Mac about having Elaina pleasure him in the theater, also exchanges silence for prime seating next to his buds.
Frank finally "Thunder Guns" the entire crowd, using his one phone call from prison to call a bomb threat to the movie theater. The episode ends, and fans are left with a B- minus product. Only a few episodes left in this subpar season.


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Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Directed by Howard Hawks
Genres - Drama, Romance, Comedy | Sub-Genres - Screwball Comedy, Romantic Comedy | Release Date - Feb 18, 1938 (USA) | Run Time - 102 min. | Countries - United States | MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Don Kaye
Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant star in this inspired comedy about a madcap heiress with a pet leopard who meets an absent-minded paleontologist and unwittingly makes a fiasco of both their lives. David Huxley (Grant) is the stuffy paleontologist who needs to finish an exhibit on dinosaurs and thus land a $1 million grant for his museum. At a golf outing with his potential benefactors, Huxley is spotted by Susan Vance (Hepburn) who decides that she must have the reserved scientist at all costs. She uses her pet leopard, Baby, to trick him into driving to her Connecticut home, where a dog wanders into Huxley's room and steals the vital last bone that he needs to complete his project. The real trouble begins when another leopard escapes from the local zoo and Baby is mistaken for it, leading Huxley and Susan into a series of harebrained and increasingly more insane schemes to save the cat from the authorities. Inevitably, the two end up in the local jail, where things get even more out of hand: Susan pretends to be the gun moll to David's diabolical, supposedly wanted criminal. Naturally, the mismatched pair falls in love through all the lunacy. Director Howard Hawks delivers a funny, fast-paced, and offbeat story, enlivened by animated performances from the two leads, in what has become a definitive screwball comedy.
leopard, professor, animal, battle-of-the-sexes, golf, heir, mistaken-identity, socialite, absentmindedness, search
High Artistic Quality, High Historical Importance


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Snapchat is the fastest way to share a moment with friends.
You control how long your friends can view your message -
simply set the timer up to ten seconds and send.
They'll have that long to view your message and then it disappears forever.
We'll let you know if they take a Screenshot
Build relationships, collect points, and view your best friends.
Snapchat is instantly fun and insanely playful.
Show your friends how clever You Can be and enjoy the lightness of being!
Snapchat welcomes and appreciates any questions or feedback! :)
Write us an Email firstname.lastname@example.com or send us a Snap: teamsnapchat
We'll do our best to get back to you within 24 hours.
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AP News
23 States Sue Trump to Keep California's Auto Emission Rules
SACRAMENTO — California and 22 other states sued Friday to stop the Trump administration from revoking the authority of the nation's most populous state to set emission standards for cars and trucks.
Related Story: California Vows To Take Trump To Court Over Emissions StandardsBecerra, a Democrat, said two other courts have already upheld California's emission standards.
"The Oval Office is really not a place for on-the-job training. President Trump should have at least read the instruction manual he inherited when he assumed the presidency, in particular the chapter on respecting the rule of law," Becerra said in a statement.
Federal law sets standards for how much pollution can come from cars and trucks. But since the 1970s, the federal government has given California permission to set its own rules because it has the most cars on the road of any state and struggles to meet air quality standards.
The Trump administration's decision does not just affect California. Thirteen other states, plus the District of Columbia, have adopted California's emission rules for cars and trucks.
The Latest Battle Between the Federal Government and California
Joining California in the lawsuit are attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
The cities of New York and Los Angeles also joined the lawsuit.
The lawsuit marks the latest battle between the federal government and California, whose Democratic leaders have prided themselves on heading a resistance to President Donald Trump and his policies, particularly those related to the environment.
"We will not let political agendas in a single state be forced upon the other 49," Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Thursday at a news conference in Washington.
The Trump administration has been working on setting new auto emission rules. But in July, Ford, BMW, Honda and Volkswagen announced they would voluntarily follow California's rules, bypassing the Trump administration.
The Department of Justice then launched an antitrust investigation.


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Actress Olga Kurylenko poses on the red carpet during a screening for the movie "To the Wonder" at the 69th Venice Film Festival September 2, 2012.[Photo/Agencies]
Terrence Malick divides opinion like almost no other director working today, and "To the Wonder", his impressionistic and virtually dialogue-free story of love and faith, was booed as loudly as it was cheered at the Venice film festival on Sunday.
The movie is the reclusive American director's second in two years, after "The Tree of Life" won the Palme d'Or for best picture at the 2011 Cannes film festival.
To the Wonder is competing for the equivalent prize in Venice, the Golden Lion, as one of 18 main competition entries, although if it emerges victorious at the closing ceremony on Saturday it would be a major surprise.
The publicity-shy Malick was not in Venice to promote his movie ahead of its red carpet world premiere, but more surprisingly the only lead actor in Italy for interviews and photoshoots was Olga Kurylenko.
Co-stars Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem did not make the trip, adding to a sense of anti-climax surrounding one of the most eagerly-anticipated titles of the festival.
To the Wonder centers around Affleck and Kurylenko, the Ukraine-born actress until now best known as Camille in Bond film "Quantum of Solace", as a couple deeply in love yet unable to live together.
She leaves Paris for a small town in the United States, and after struggling to adapt to her new life, decides to return to France. Affleck's character has an affair with an old friend, played by McAdams, before his first flame returns.
Spanish actor Bardem appears as a troubled priest facing a crisis of faith, extending the plot into the realm of the spiritual from the physical and emotional.
The most controversial aspect of To the Wonder is not the plot, however.
With only a few words of dialogue, it is voiced over by the characters uttering phrases like: "The world so far away, a ghost, ashes," and "Love makes us one, two, one."
Affleck is virtually emotionless, the camera circles its subjects, there are many close-up facial images shot into the sunlight, and characters dance, prance and twirl their way across fields, parks and gardens.
Early reviews were mixed.
"However accomplished Malick's technique might be in some ways, this mostly comes off, especially in the laborious second hour, as visual doodling without focused thematic goals," wrote Todd McCarthy in The Hollywood Reporter.
"Currently without a distributor domestically, this ultimately enervating film will have trouble rustling up audiences in any market."
But publication Variety called it "ravishing" and "from a filmmaker who hasn't lost his capacity to move and surprise".
Malick may not care too much about what the critics say. According to his producer Sarah Green, who was in Venice, he does not read reviews and is too busy making movies.
The world had to wait 20 years between his 1978 movie "Days of Heaven" and "The Thin Red Line", and he has still only released six feature films in nearly 40 years, adding to the mystique surrounding the 68-year-old.
"No he's not here," Green told a news conference, when asked whether he was in Venice incognito.
"He's buried in work right now. He's on a creative roll as some of you may have heard. We've just finished shooting another movie, we're about to start another one. He's having a very exciting time creatively."
The British press has focused on Malick's decision to leave footage of Rachel Weisz on the cutting room floor, a fate that several leading actors have suffered at his hands.
"It seems that my part has been cut, so I had the experience of working with him but I will not have the pleasure of seeing my work," Italian newspaper La Stampa quoted her as saying.


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A January 17 memo seen by The Sun discusses the cameras, which can see through clothes.
It says "detection of weapons and explosives will become easier" and says cameras could be deployed in street furniture.
It adds: "Some technologies used in airports have already been used as part of police operations looking for drugs and weapons in nightclubs. These and others could be developed for a much more widespread use in public spaces.
"Street furniture could routinely house detection systems that would indicate the likely presence of a gun, for example."
Now every writeup you see about this keeps referring to these "X-Ray cameras", forgetting apparently that X-rays are a specific band of light which pass effortlessly through human flesh and the likes. These special "naked" cameras don't do that...so can we please stop calling them X-rays just because they probe below the level revealed by visible light?
Beside cameras, officials are also considering systems known as millimetre wave imaging and THz imaging and spectroscopy.
See? It's right there in the article how these cameras are being considered along with other non-X-ray technologies. Yet again passengers requiring "full X-ray inspections" are brought up as if this is already a "seeing you naked" feature. It's not: as the Mad magazine parody of Doogie Howser once said, forget seeing women with their clothes off, he got to see them with their skin off!.
I unfortunately tried to find a whole thread of angry geeks up on this at Slashdot. But they're too busy freaking out about global warming and cheap PS3s to actually fact-check mistyped media science summaries.
(h/t ABFreedom)


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LWP::Socket - TCP/IP socket interface
$socket = new LWP::Socket;
$socket->connect('localhost', 7); # echo
$quote = 'I dunno, I dream in Perl sometimes...';
$socket->read_until("\n", \$buffer);
$socket = undef; # close
Beware: New code should not use this module. The IO::Socket::INET module provide the standard Perl interface to OO Internet sockets. Even LWP is now rewritten to use IO::Socket::INET throughout.
This class implements TCP/IP sockets. It groups socket generation, TCP address manipulation and buffered reading. Errors are handled by dying (throws exceptions).
Running this module standalone executes a self test which requires localhost to serve chargen and echo protocols.
The following methods are available:
Constructs a new socket object.
Connect the socket to given host and port.
Shuts down the connection.
Binds a name to the socket.
Set up listen queue for socket.
Accepts a new connection. Returns a new LWP::Socket object if successful. Timeout not implemented yet.
Returns a 2 element array ($host, $port)
Reads data from the socket, up to a delimiter specified by a regular expression. If $delim is undefined all data is read. If $size is defined, data will be read internally in chunks of $size bytes. This does not mean that we will return the data when size bytes are read.
Note that $delim is discarded from the data returned.
Reads data of the socket. Not more than $size bytes. Might return less if the data is available. Dies on timeout.
Put data back into the socket. Data will returned next time you read(). Can be used if you find out that you have read too much.
Write data to socket. The $data argument might be a scalar or code.
If data is a reference to a subroutine, then we will call this routine to obtain the data to be written. The routine will be called until it returns undef or empty data. Data might be returned from the callback as a scalar or as a reference to a scalar.
Write returns the number of bytes written to the socket.
Given a host and a port, it will return the address (sockaddr_in) suitable as the name argument for connect() or bind(). Might return several addresses in array context if the hostname is bound to several IP addresses.
This self test is only executed when this file is run standalone. It tests its functions against some standard TCP services implemented by inetd. If you do not have them around the tests will fail.
To install LWP::IO, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm LWP::IO
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell
install LWP::IO
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.


text:
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Appellant oil companies do business in New Jersey and are subject to that State's Corporation Business Tax. They are also subject to the federal windfall profit tax on their crude-oil production, which does not occur in New Jersey. They each sought a deduction for the federal tax in calculating "entire net income" on their 1980 and 1981 state tax returns, but appellee, the Director of the New Jersey Division of Taxation, assessed deficiencies on the ground that the "add-back" provision of the state tax statute prohibited corporations from deducting a federal tax that is "on or measured by profits or income." The State Tax Court affirmed the assessments, but the Appellate Division of the State Superior Court reversed. The State Supreme Court in turn reversed and reinstated the Tax Court's judgment, holding that the windfall profit tax is measured by "profits or income" for the purposes of the add-back provision and that, as so construed, that provision did not violate the Commerce Clause or the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution.
BLACKMUN, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which REHNQUIST, C. J., and BRENNAN, WHITE, MARSHALL, STEVENS, and KENNEDY, JJ., joined. SCALIA, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment, post, p. 80. O'CONNOR, J., took no part in the consideration or decision of the cases.
[ Footnote * ] Together with No. 87-464, Texaco Inc. et al. v. Director, Division of Taxation, New Jersey Department of the Treasury, also on appeal from the same court.
Mark L. Evans argued the cause for appellants in both cases. With him on the briefs were Robert L. Moore II, James P. Tuite, Charles M. Costenbader, Charles H. Friedrich III, Laurence Reich, Frederic K. Becker, Robert E. McManus, James R. Ron, Tom O. Foster III, Paul Wehrle, John A. Carrig, and William D. Peltz.
Mary R. Hamill, Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey, argued the cause for appellee in both cases. With her on the brief were Cary Edwards, Attorney General, John P. Miscione and Sarah T. Darrow, Deputy Attorneys General, Martin Lobel, and James F. Flug.Fn
Fn [490 U.S. 66, 67] Briefs of amici curiae urging reversal were filed for the American Mining Congress et al. by William L. Goldman and James A. Riedy; and for the Committee on State Taxation of the Council of State Chambers of [490 U.S. 66, 68] Commerce by E. Susan Garsh, John S. Brown, Jody E. Forchheimer, Stephen A. Bokat, Jan S. Amundson, Jean A. Walker, and Paul H. Frankel. A brief of amici curiae urging affirmance was filed for the State of Iowa et al. by Thomas J. Miller, Attorney General of Iowa, Harry M. Griger, Special Attorney General, and Marcia Mason, Assistant Attorney General, joined by the Attorneys General for their respective States as follows: John K. Van de Kamp of California, Robert A. Butterworth of Florida, Michael J. Bowers of Georgia, James T. Jones of Idaho, Frank J. Kelley of Michigan, Mike Greely of Montana, Robert Abrams of New York, Nicholas J. Spaeth of North Dakota, James E. O'Neil of Rhode Island, T. Travis Medlock of South Carolina, and Joseph B. Meyer of Wyoming. Solicitor General Fried, Deputy Solicitor General Wallace, and Richard G. Taranto filed a brief for the United States as amicus curiae. [490 U.S. 66, 68]
JUSTICE BLACKMUN delivered the opinion of the Court.
Appellants in this litigation are 13 major oil companies that do business in the State of New Jersey. They are subject to New Jersey's Corporation Business Tax. They also are subject to the federal windfall profit tax imposed on producers of crude oil. None of appellants' oil production takes place in New Jersey.
Each appellant has sought to deduct its federal windfall profit tax in calculating "entire net income" for purposes of the New Jersey Corporation Business Tax. Under the applicable New Jersey statute, however, a corporation may not deduct a federal tax that is "on or measured by profits or income." The Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled that the windfall profit tax is a tax "on or measured by profits or income." The question before us is whether, as so construed, the New Jersey provision runs afoul of the Commerce Clause or of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
In conjunction with the decontrol of oil prices, Congress enacted the Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980, Pub. L. 96-223, Tit. I, 94 Stat. 230, now codified as [490 U.S. 66, 69] 26 U.S.C. 4986-4998 (Act). 1 The Act imposes a tax on the "windfall profit" that a crude-oil producer receives from the oil it produces. The "windfall profit" for each barrel of oil is essentially the difference between (a) the deregulated price for the oil (that is, its actual sales price) 2 and (b) the regulated price that would have applied had decontrol not taken place. 3
One significant provision of the Act, known as the "net income limitation," places a cap on the amount of a producer's windfall profit that may be taxed each year: "The windfall profit on any barrel of crude oil shall not exceed 90 percent of the net income attributable to such barrel." 4988(b)(1). The net income attributable to each barrel is the taxable income derived from the oil removed from a particular property for a given year divided by the number of barrels from that property taken into account for that year. 4988(b)(2). 4
Congress specifically has provided that, for federal income tax purposes, the windfall profit tax is deductible. [490 U.S. 66, 70] 26 U.S.C. 164(a)(4) (1982 ed., Supp. V). Although Congress may have assumed that "the windfall profit tax generally would be deductible under State income taxes," see H. R. Rep. No. 96-304, p. 9 (1979), the Act does not require a State, in imposing a tax, to allow the deduction.
New Jersey's Corporation Business Tax Act, N. J. Stat. Ann. 54:10A-1 et seq. (West 1986), imposes a tax on a portion of the "entire net income" of a corporation "for the privilege of doing business, employing or owning capital or property, or maintaining an office in this State." 54:10A-2. For a corporation doing business both within and outside New Jersey, the portion of the "entire net income" to be taxed is determined according to a three-factor formula concerning property, receipts, and payroll. The formula calls for the average of three ratios: in-state property to total property; in-state to total receipts; and in-state to total wages, salaries, and other forms of employee compensation. 54:10A-6. Cf. Moorman Mfg. Co. v. Bair, 437 U.S. 267 (1978).
Under the Corporation Business Tax Act, a corporation's "entire net income" is presumptively the same as its federal taxable income "before net operating loss deduction and special deductions." 54:10A-4(k). The statute also provides: "Entire net income shall be determined without the exclusion, deduction, or credit of . . . [t]axes paid or accrued to the United States on or measured by profits or income." Ibid. The New Jersey Legislature adopted this "add-back" provision in 1958, long before Congress enacted the windfall profit tax in 1980. 1958 N. J. Laws, ch. 63. See 107 N. J. 307, 313, 526 A. 2d 1029, 1032 (1987).
In reporting to New Jersey its "entire net income" for 1980 and 1981, each of the appellants did not "add back" the [490 U.S. 66, 71] amount of its federal windfall profit tax. In effect, then, each appellant claimed a deduction for that tax from its "entire net income." As a result, appellee, the Director of the New Jersey Division of Taxation, assessed deficiencies. 5 Appellants then brought suit against appellee in the Tax Court of New Jersey. 6 They contended, first, that the windfall profit tax was not a "tax on or measured by profits or income," within the meaning of the add-back provision, and, second, that a contrary construction of the add-back provision would contravene the Federal Constitution.
The Tax Court rejected these contentions and affirmed the deficiency assessments. 7 N. J. Tax 51 (1984). A consolidated motion for reconsideration was denied. 7 N. J. Tax 275 (1985). The Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey reversed, holding that the windfall profit tax was not a tax on or measured by profits or income, and, therefore, that it could be deducted from entire net income. 208 N. J. Super. 201, 505 A. 2d 186 (1986).
The Supreme Court of New Jersey, in its turn, reversed and reinstated the Tax Court's judgment. 107 N. J. 307, 526 A. 2d 1029 (1987). The five participating justices in a unanimous opinion held that the windfall profit tax is a tax measured by "profits or income" for the purposes of the add-back provision. The court first observed that there obviously was no significant legislative intent on the point, given the fact that the add-back provision predated the windfall profit tax by over 20 years. Id., at 313, 526 A. 2d, at 1032. Lacking evidence of legislative intent, the court went on to reason that the windfall profit tax was a tax on "income" or "profits" as a matter of both ordinary usage and "economic sense." [490 U.S. 66, 72] Id., at 324, 331, 526 A. 2d, at 1038, 1042. The court noted that the windfall profit tax, by its terms, is limited to "that increment of [an oil producer's] income representing the excess of the uncontrolled price of oil over the controlled price." Id., at 326, 526 A. 2d, at 1040. Also, because of the net income limitation provision, the court concluded that the amount taxed under the windfall profit tax cannot exceed a producer's "net income per barrel." Id., at 328, 526 A. 2d, at 1041. For these reasons, the court found it appropriate to classify the windfall profit tax as measured by income or profits.
Having determined that the add-back provision applied to the windfall profit tax, the court rejected appellants' federal constitutional challenge. "Because the denial of a deduction for the [windfall profit tax] was not based on the interstate nature of [appellants'] businesses and did not burden out-of-state companies, consumers, or transactions while favoring in-state activities, the disallowance did not discriminate against interstate commerce." Id., at 338, 526 A. 2d, at 1046.
Appellants now press their federal constitutional claims in this Court. After first seeking the views of the Solicitor General of the United States, 484 U.S. 942 , î (1987), we noted probable jurisdiction. 486 U.S. 1004 (1988).
In Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady, 430 U.S. 274 (1977), this Court sustained a state tax "against Commerce Clause challenge when the tax is applied to an activity with a substantial nexus with the taxing State, is fairly apportioned, does not discriminate against interstate commerce, and is fairly related to the services provided by the State." We repeatedly have applied this principle in subsequent cases, most recently this Term in Goldberg v. Sweet, 488 U.S. 252 (1989). See also id., at 260, n. 12 (citing other applications of the principle). Appellants do not dispute the soundness of [490 U.S. 66, 73] the Complete Auto standard or the propriety of its application here. See Brief for Appellants 21. Rather, they argue that the New Jersey Corporation Business Tax, in denying them a deduction for windfall profit tax payments, fails each of the four prongs of the Complete Auto test. We disagree.
There can be no doubt that New Jersey has "a substantial nexus" with the activities that generate appellants' "entire net income," including oil production occurring entirely outside the State. Each appellant's New Jersey operations are part of an integrated "unitary business," which includes the appellant's crude-oil production. Reply Brief for Appellants 3. Consequently, there exists a "clear and sufficient nexus between [each] appellant's interstate activities and the taxing State." Exxon Corp. v. Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue, 447 U.S. 207, 225 (1980). That New Jersey denies a deduction for windfall profit tax does not change this conclusion. Denying a deduction for a cost associated with the production of oil cannot alter the fact that New Jersey has a substantial connection to the oil-producing activity, by virtue of the determination that this activity is conducted by a unitary business.
Nor has New Jersey imposed upon appellants an unfairly apportioned tax. New Jersey employs an apportionment formula that averages the percentages of in-state property, receipts, and payroll. See Part I-B, supra. We have expressly approved this apportionment formula in the past. See, e. g., Container Corp. of America v. Franchise Tax Board, 463 U.S. 159, 170 (1983). Indeed, this three-factor formula "has become . . . something of a benchmark against which other apportionment formulas are judged." Ibid.
The use of this formula is not invalid as applied to appellants simply because New Jersey denies a deduction for windfall profit tax payments. Appellants contend otherwise, [490 U.S. 66, 74] asserting that the windfall profit tax is an exclusively out-of-state expense because it is associated with the production of oil outside New Jersey. They argue that the denial of a deduction for an out-of-state expense causes a State to tax more than its fair share of a unitary business' income. Brief for Appellants 4, 15.
Appellants, however, underestimate the fact that, for apportionment purposes, it is inappropriate to consider the windfall profit tax as an out-of-state expense. Rather, just as each appellant's oil-producing revenue - as part of a unitary business - is not confined to a single State, Exxon Corp., 447 U.S., at 226 ; Brief for Appellants 3, so too the costs of producing this revenue are unitary in nature. See Container Corp., 463 U.S., at 182 (the costs of a unitary business cannot be deemed confined to the locality in which they are incurred). Thus, when a State denies a deduction for a cost of a unitary business, the resulting net figure is still a unitary one, which a State may legitimately decide to apportion according to the standard three-factor apportionment formula. 7
It may be that the application of this formula to appellants results in a somewhat "imperfect" measure of the New Jersey component of their unitary net income. Id., at 183. But this fact alone does not render the tax on appellants unlawful. "The Constitution does not `invalidat[e] an apportionment formula whenever it may result in taxation of some income that did not have its source in the taxing State.'" [490 U.S. 66, 75] Id., at 169-170, quoting Moorman Mfg. Co. v. Bair, 437 U.S., at 272 (emphasis added in Container Corp.). On the contrary, as we have said repeatedly, in order to show unfair apportionment, a taxpayer "must demonstrate that there is no rational relationship between the income attributed to the State and the intrastate values of the enterprise" (internal quotation marks omitted). Container Corp., 463 U.S., at 180 . Given the unitary nature of appellants' oil-producing activities, coupled with New Jersey's use of the bench-mark apportionment formula, appellants have not met this burden. 8
Even if a tax is fairly apportioned, it may discriminate against interstate commerce. Westinghouse Electric Corp. v. Tully, 466 U.S. 388, 398 -399 (1984). As our precedents show, a tax may violate the Commerce Clause if it is facially discriminatory, has a discriminatory intent, or has the effect of unduly burdening interstate commerce. See generally Smith, State Discriminations against Interstate Commerce, 74 Calif. L. Rev. 1203, 1239 (1986). In Tully, for example, we considered a New York income tax provision that expressly provided a tax credit for shipping products from New York rather than other States. Although the tax was fairly apportioned, the tax credit, "on its face, [was] designed to have discriminatory economic effects" and thus was invalid under the Commerce Clause. 466 U.S., at 406 -407.
Of course, a tax provision need not be facially discriminatory in the Tully sense in order to violate the Commerce Clause. For example, in Bacchus Imports, Ltd. v. Dias, [490 U.S. 66, 76] 468 U.S. 263 (1984), a Hawaii statute exempted from the State's liquor tax a brandy distilled from the root of a shrub indigenous to Hawaii. Because this was a local product, the tax exemption did not need to be drafted explicitly along state lines in order to demonstrate its discriminatory design.
Bacchus Imports also involved a tax exemption for fruit wine. Although this exemption was general in nature and did not specify an indigenous product, there was evidence that it was enacted to promote the local pineapple-wine industry. Id., at 270-271. Thus, because the exemption was motivated by an intent to confer a benefit upon local industry not granted to out-of-state industry, the exemption was invalid.
Finally, American Trucking Assns., Inc. v. Scheiner, 483 U.S. 266 (1987), concerned, among other things, an unapportioned Pennsylvania axle tax on the use of Pennsylvania highways by trucks over 26,000 pounds. Although this "flat" tax applied to both in-state and out-of-state trucks, it nonetheless had a discriminatory effect by exerting "an inexorable hydraulic pressure on interstate businesses to ply their trade within the State that enacted the measure rather than `among the several States,'" id., at 287, quoting U.S. Const., Art. I, 8, cl. 3. See also Halliburton Oil Well Co. v. Reily, 373 U.S. 64, 72 (1963) (Louisiana statute had the discriminatory effect of imposing a greater tax on the same goods if they were manufactured outside Louisiana than if they were manufactured within the State, thereby creating an incentive to locate the manufacturing process within the State).
New Jersey's add-back provision, however, does not contravene any of the principles articulated in these cases. It obviously is not facially discriminatory in the Tully sense, as there is no explicit discriminatory design to the tax. Nor does it apply exclusively to a localized industry, as in Bacchus Imports. Instead, the add-back provision applies generally to any federal tax "on or measured by income or profits." [490 U.S. 66, 77] Thus, it includes the federal income tax, as well as the windfall profit tax. 9 The federal income tax, of course, applies to corporate activity throughout the Nation. Consequently, what could be said of the statute in Bacchus Imports cannot be said of the add-back provision: that it discriminates on the basis of geographic location. See 468 U.S., at 271 .
Appellants, it seems to us, miss this essential point. They argue: "The question here is whether a state may single out for special tax burdens a form of business activity that is conducted only in other jurisdictions." Brief for Appellants 44. But this question is not presented in this litigation. The add-back provision does not single out the windfall profit tax for a deduction denial, and we need not consider here whether a statute that did so would impermissibly discriminate against interstate commerce.
Moreover, appellants concede that no discriminatory motive underlies the add-back provision. Tr. of Oral Arg. 21. Nor does the add-back provision exert a pressure on an interstate [490 U.S. 66, 78] business to conduct more of its activities in New Jersey. Denying a deduction for windfall profit tax payments cannot create oil reserves where none exist and therefore cannot be considered an incentive for oil producers to move their oil-producing activities to New Jersey. Given these attributes of the add-back provision, it is difficult to see how it unconstitutionally discriminates against interstate commerce.
Appellants nonetheless claim that the add-back provision, by denying a deduction for windfall profit tax payments, discriminates against oil producers who market their oil in favor of independent retailers who do not produce oil. But whatever disadvantage this deduction denial might impose on integrated oil companies does not constitute discrimination against interstate commerce. Appellants operate both in New Jersey and outside New Jersey. Similarly, nonproducing retailers may operate both in New Jersey and outside the State. Whatever different effect the add-back provision may have on these two categories of companies results solely from differences between the nature of their businesses, not from the location of their activities. See Exxon Corp. v. Governor of Maryland, 437 U.S. 117, 125 -129 (1978) (prohibiting oil producers from retailing oil in Maryland does not impermissibly burden interstate commerce because independent interstate retailers still may compete with purely local retailers). In this respect, we agree with the analysis of the New Jersey Supreme Court. 107 N. J., at 337-338, 526 A. 2d, at 1046. 10 [490 U.S. 66, 79]
For all these reasons, we conclude that the add-back provision does not discriminate against interstate commerce.
There is also no doubt that New Jersey's Corporation Business Tax is "fairly related" to the benefits that New Jersey provides appellants, "which include police and fire protection, the benefit of a trained work force, and `the advantages of a civilized society.'" Exxon Corp. v. Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue, 447 U.S., at 228 , quoting Japan Line, Ltd. v. County of Los Angeles, 441 U.S. 434, 445 (1979). Appellants acknowledge, as they must, that New Jersey may impose a reasonable tax on a portion of their "unitary business" income. Brief for Appellants 3. That New Jersey denies a deduction for windfall profit tax payments "does not alter the fact that the . . . tax paid by [appellants] . . . is related to the advantages provided by the State which aid [each] appellant's business." D. H. Holmes Co. v. McNamara, 486 U.S. 24, 32 (1988).
In sum, then, the Corporation Business Tax imposed on appellants satisfies all four elements of the Complete Auto test, even considering that the add-back provision denies a deduction for windfall profit tax payments.
Appellants also contend that, by denying a deduction for windfall profit tax payments, the add-back provision violates the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. In light of the foregoing discussion, this contention is plainly meritless. First, appellants recognize that the Complete Auto test encompasses due process standards. Brief for Appellants 21; see also 1 J. Hellerstein, [490 U.S. 66, 80] State Taxation § 4.8, p. 123 (1983). Accordingly, having determined that the Corporation Business Tax passes all four prongs of the Complete Auto test, we also conclude that it does not violate due process.
Second, although some forms of discriminatory state taxation may violate the Equal Protection Clause even when they pose no Commerce Clause problem, see Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. Ward, 470 U.S. 869, 881 (1985), the add-back provision is not among them. In contrast to Ward, there is no discriminatory classification underlying the add-back provision. Moreover, there is unquestionably a rational basis for the State's refusal to allow a deduction for federal windfall profit tax.
There being no constitutional infirmity to the add-back provision as authoritatively construed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, the judgment of that court is affirmed.
[ Footnote 1 ] See Joint Committee on Taxation, General Explanation of the Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980, 96th Cong., 2d Sess., 6 (Jt. Comm. Print 1981); S. Rep. No. 96-394, p. 6 (1979); H. R. Rep. No. 96-304, p. 4 (1979).
[ Footnote 2 ] If the oil is converted into a refined product before it is sold, or if it is removed from the producer's premises before it is sold, the oil is assigned a "constructive sales price," 26 U.S.C. 4988(c)(3), which is "the representative market or [field] price of the oil . . . before conversion or transportation." 26 CFR 1. 613-3(a) (1988).
[ Footnote 3 ] The Act defines "windfall profit" as "the excess of the removal price of the barrel of crude oil over the sum of - (1) the adjusted base price of such barrel, and (2) the amount of the severance tax adjustment with respect to such barrel provided by section 4996(c)." 26 U.S.C. 4988(a). The "adjusted base price" is derived from the price of the oil in 1979, adjusted for inflation. 4989. The "severance tax adjustment" is the amount by which any severance tax imposed on the oil exceeds the severance tax that would have been imposed if the oil had been valued at its adjusted base price. 4996(c).
[ Footnote 4 ] The annual taxable income for an oil-producing property is determined by reference to 613(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, 26 U.S.C. 613(a). See 4988(b)(3)(A).
[ Footnote 5 ] At issue in these cases are the 1980 taxes of all 13 appellants and the 1981 taxes of 5 of them. Appellee has deferred action on the 1981 taxes of the other 8 appellants pending the final outcome of this litigation.
[ Footnote 6 ] The Tax Court consolidated 14 separate complaints raising identical issues. See 7 N. J. Tax 51, 53 (1984). Thirteen of those fourteen original plaintiffs remain parties to this litigation.
[ Footnote 7 ] Appellee contends that the windfall profit tax is not "site-specific" because three essential attributes of the tax do not depend on any particular location: the calculation of "removal price" (which may be constructed from market price of the oil in places far from the site at which the oil was removed from the ground); the inflation-adjustment factor; and the net income limitation. See Brief for Appellee 26-33. Whatever the merits of these contentions, we think it is unnecessary to reach them. For fair-apportionment purposes, the relevant question is whether the windfall profit tax is a cost of a unitary business, rather than what the attributes of that cost may be.
[ Footnote 8 ] We note, too, that if every State denied a deduction for windfall profit tax payments while applying the three-factor formula, the result would not be equivalent to an unapportioned tax, imposed by a single State on an oil company's entire net income. In other words, "no multiple taxation would result" from more than one State's following New Jersey's lead. See Goldberg v. Sweet, 488 U.S. 252, 260 -265 (1989) (discussing a tax to which no apportionment formula was applied).
[ Footnote 9 ] Appellants also contend that the windfall profit tax is not "comparable" to the federal income tax. Brief for Appellants 35. But we certainly do not find the State's treatment of the windfall profit tax as "on or measured by income or profits" irrational or arbitrary. In significant respects, the windfall profit tax is similar to a tax on income. First, by taxing only the difference between the deregulated and regulated price for the oil, the windfall profit tax was intended to reach only the excess income derived from oil production as a result of decontrol. H. R. Rep. No. 96-304, p. 7 (1979). Second, the net income limitation exists precisely to assure that the tax is imposed only upon above-cost receipts. S. Rep. No. 96-394, p. 29 (1979). Moreover, although the Act itself characterizes the windfall profit tax as an "excise tax," 26 U.S.C. 4986(a), the Internal Revenue Service states that the tax's "structure and computation bear more resemblance to an income tax." IRS Manual Supplement - Windfall Profit Tax Program, 42 RDD-57 (Rev. 3) § 2.01 (Aug. 28, 1987), reprinted in 2 CCH Internal Revenue Manual - Audit, p. 7567 (1987). Because the IRS believes that the windfall profit tax resembles an income tax, it surely is not irrational for New Jersey to classify the windfall profit tax, along with the federal income tax, as part of a general provision relating to federal taxes "on or measured by income or profits."
[ Footnote 10 ] The Solicitor General of the United States has suggested that denying a deduction for windfall profit tax payments might impermissibly give appellants an incentive to shift operations from oil production, which does not occur in New Jersey, to activities that do occur in New Jersey. Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 18. But even if this deduction denial caused appellants to shift from oil production, there is no evidence that appellants would shift to other New Jersey activities, rather than non-oil-producing activities outside New Jersey. Indeed, precisely because the deduction denial results in a larger New Jersey tax for appellants, it creates some incentive for appellants to move their operations out of that [490 U.S. 66, 79] State. Thus, in the absence of discriminatory intent or a statute directed specifically at economic activity that occurs only in a particular location (as in Bacchus Imports), a deduction denial does not unduly burden interstate commerce just because the deduction denied relates to an economic activity performed outside the taxing State.
JUSTICE SCALIA, concurring in the judgment.
I agree with the Court's determination that the New Jersey Corporation Business Tax does not facially discriminate against interstate commerce. See ante, at 76-77. Since I am of the view that this conclusion suffices to decide a claim that a state tax violates the Commerce Clause, see American Trucking Assns., Inc. v. Scheiner, 483 U.S. 266, 304 (1987) (SCALIA, J., dissenting), I would refrain from applying, for Commerce Clause purposes, the remainder of the analysis articulated in Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady, 430 U.S. 274, 279 (1977). To the extent, however, that the Complete Auto analysis pertains to the due process requirements that there be "a `minimal connection' between the interstate activities and the taxing State, and a rational relationship [490 U.S. 66, 81] between the income attributed to the State and the intrastate values of the enterprise," Mobil Oil Corp. v. Commissioner of Taxes of Vermont, 445 U.S. 425, 436 -437 (1980) (citation omitted), I agree with the Court's conclusion that those requirements have been met. See ante, at 79-80. Finally, for the reasons set forth in Part III of the Court's opinion, I agree that the tax in this case does not violate the Equal Protection Clause. [490 U.S. 66, 82]
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text:
GSK Bets on Chimp Virus with $321 Million Vaccines Buy
29.05.2013 -
GlaxoSmithKline is betting on a new vaccine technology based on chimpanzee viruses by acquiring Swiss-based Okairos for €250 million ($321 million) - the latest bolt-on biotech buy by a big drugmaker.
Britain's largest pharmaceuticals group said on Wednesday that the privately owned company's know-how was expected to play an important role in GSK's development of vaccines to both prevent and treat diseases.
Okairos was spun out from Merck & Co in 2007 and has laboratories in Rome and Naples, with headquarters in Basel.
It specialises in making vaccines that target the immune system's CD8 T-cells - an approach that could yield preventative vaccines against several intractable infectious diseases, including hepatitis C, and also help fight cancer.
It does this by delivering genetic material using deactivated chimpanzee-derived adenoviruses that produce a very strong response against target diseases.
Adenoviruses, which cause the common cold, have long been studied as a useful delivery vehicle for genetic material - but they are so common that many people already have antibodies against them.
Chimp viruses, which are not so easily detected by the body's immune system, have an advantage since they can operate for longer and therefore elicit a powerful T-cell response.
The Okairos technology has already been tested in clinical studies involving more than 700 subjects, including mid-stage Phase II programmes in hepatitis C and malaria.
A hepatitis C shot could be particularly promising commercially, since there is currently no vaccine and treating the condition with drugs has become a multibillion-dollar business.
Okairos also has early stage products for diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), tuberculosis, ebola and HIV.
New generation of vaccines
The real attraction lies less in individual products than in the company's technology platform, which GSK hopes to exploit within its own vaccine development programmes.
As such, the deal represents a long-term investment in a promising new scientific area, rather than one that will yield immediate financial rewards.
Christophe Weber, GSK's head of vaccines, said the acquisition of Okairos was "expected to contribute to the development efforts for an exciting new generation of vaccines".
GSK's Chief Executive Andrew Witty said earlier this year he had a "very low appetite" for acquisitions but, like many rivals in the industry, his company is constantly looking for bolt-on transactions to boost its pharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer healthcare operations.
Last November, for example, GSK agreed to spend $1 billion to raise the stakes it holds in Indian and Nigerian consumer healthcare subsidiaries.
Smaller British rival AstraZeneca has a more urgent need for acquisitions, given its thin pipeline of new medicines to replace those losing patent protection. It agreed on Tuesday to pay up to $443 million for Omthera Pharmaceuticals, a U.S.-based specialist in fish oil-derived medicine.
Okairos's venture capital investors include BioMedInvest, the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, LSP, Novartis Venture Funds and Versant Ventures.


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New Instruments
Nikita is bored of mixing drinks. She might have the Shy trait, but that doesn't mean she hates people. Plus, with saint's career not advancing as fast as they were planning on due to his long time in achieving celebrity status, she remians bored at home.
Using some of their spare money, Nikita buys a custom bass guitar to take advantage of the new music skills. Starting with the Late Night expansion, your Sims can learn skills in bass guitars, pianos, and drums, in addition to the base game's normal guitar skill! Each of those items are available through Buy Mode and, strangely enough, are all portable. It makes sense; if a Sim can shove a pickup truck in their pockets, an entire drum set shouldn't be trouble either.
Pianos and drums do take a lot of room once they're placed in the environment, more room than they can afford to have in their little Bridgeport apartment. She could practice outside of course, but that's awfully inconvenient, especially given the fact that she'd have to ride the elevator down each time. So that leaves normal guitars or bass guitars, and she figures the bassists are a little bit more out of the spotlight.
With the bass in her personal inventory, we interact with it to practice. She pulls it out of her pockets, finds the closest spot to practice, and begins. Like with drums and pianos, canceling the command will cause her to just pocket the instrument again.
Starting a Band
Nikita quickly achieves level 1 in her bass skill. Playing alone isn't very fun though, and now that she's had a taste of the night life, she wants more! The perfect solution is to be in a band. You can't ever join one, but that's no big deal: Nikita decides to start one!
She heads over to the Sports Zone and finds Buster Round waiting in the lobby to take the elevator up. She quickly uses her seldom-used Charisma skills to start a conversation, then quickly uses the "Friendly... | Ask To Form Band" social interaction. Despite them just meeting for the first time, Buster accepts, and Nikita is asked for the band name! "Woo Hoo Warriors" is the first name given, so... why not?
Band can have up to four Sims, but can get along with two. It's always easier if all the bandmates are under your control, but as you're about to see, it's not required.
Now, Buster doesn't have any music skills, but that doesn't matter: you can ask anyone to join a band regardless of their skills so long as they're not already in one. When it comes time to perform, Sims choose their instruments based on what they're best at, but if they're not good at anything, they'll randomly pick one of the instruments and naturally get better at it.
Nikita invites Buster into a group, then heads up with him to the Sports Zone. There, in front of her bar, is a stage with instruments already placed. Nikita takes up the bass with a "Start Jam" command, then uses the "Ask To Join Jam" remote social interaction on Buster, who comes over and grabs the lead guitar. With enough practice, he'll be good enough at the guitar that he'll automatically take it up for future performances.
Jamming like this does lead to skill gains, and the band automatically sets out tip jars. Nikita could invite Buster over to their apartment so he can conitnue practicing with her privately, or they can continue to meet up in town. It's slow going at first, and it's always easier to form bands among multiple members of the same active household, but it's possible to work with townies like this.
Performing Gigs
Once Nikita is done messing around in Sports Zone, she heads over to the city hall and registers as a self-employed band member. Without doing that, she's just a Sim with a dream and the ability to make terrible noises by plucking strings.
Nikita continues to live life as normal, but just aren't any calls coming in for any real performances. The thing is, no one knows who Nikita is; she's got the same problem Saint had with his film career. So, she deicdes to use the same solution. She makes Saint call Odine over to the apartment, then Nikita impresses her to become a 1-star celebrity.
To be in a band however, it takes a lot more exposure than simple celebrity levels, and that's one thing the game doesn't tell you. You receive gigs as a band through phone calls, but the opportunities specifically attached to your band are not random. Each band opportunity has a specific order in which it's received, and there seem to be invisible requirements in order to trigger them. In general, you need to work with your band in public to get noticed.
Nikita heads over to the nearest park, then accesses her cell phone. Because she's in a band, she gets a special commanded called "Invite Band Members." With one phone call, all band members (just Buster in this case) will be alerted. The best part is that the bandmates will drop anything they're doing to join you, including their own conventional jobs. This way, your band wouldn't have to juggle up to four different work schedules, which might be close to impossible.
Once everyone is here, Nikita uses a specific command with her bass: "Start a Jam Session," just like she did at Sports Zone. It must be that command: playing for tips, performing, and "Play Alone" don't work. Once Nikita starts jamming, she interacts with Buster and, again just like at the Sports Zone, invites him to join her. If he doesn't have an instrument, he'll spawn one in his inventory and start playing along. As you can see to the right, Buster created a bass out of nothingness.
Performing jam sessions automatically makes them put out tip jars. We had some bad luck, as there aren't many people here, but the important thing isn't profits: it's getting the band to practice together. Doing this will get the band noticed by the unseen forces that control your band's destiny.
At the end of the day, as they start to finish their session, Nikita gets a phone call. Reading over the opportunity, we see it's tailored specifically to the band; the Woo Hoo Warriors' name is in the opportunity description. Nikita accepts it, then attends the rock concert as instructed.
Gigs will eventually come the same way, instructing the band to visit a specific venue at a specific time and play. Even outside of official gigs, the band can always get together for a jam session and earn tips, especially at clubs. The audience is more free with their money when you're good, so keep practicing and work on your celebrity level to keep the money rolling in.


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World of wonders can offer a very wide range of dried and unmounted insects.
(still folded in paper/ to be set by buyer, unless it is stated otherwise)
Size : +/- 55-59 mm
Latin name : Prosopocoilus astacoides pallidipennis
Origine : Java - Indonesia
Quality : A1
2-7 business days
I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 21 days of delivery
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.


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Friday, April 30, 2010
Another Dress in the Queue
Here's the pattern envelope (bought from Booty Vintage, by the way). I added it to my collection even though the neckline details would be easy enough to draft on one's own and add to a standard sheath dress. Sometimes I like to buy a pattern just to study construction details and such - sewing geekery at its best!
I think this would be just smashing in a clingy doubleknit for ultimate Joan Holloway curviness - fitted rather snugly, of course. I'm thinking a deep plummy red like Christina's dress above, or maybe even basic black.
And so another dress is added to the queue! Isn't it funny how inspiration strikes from out of nowhere sometimes - in the form of a dress just begging to be made? If only there were more time to sew . . . Story of a seamstress's life, right?
31 comments:
Its because that 60's dress has a bow on TOP of everything else, right? Considering your recent obsession with bows now you get the best of both worlds.ReplyDelete
DEAR GOD. That pic of Ms Hendricks almost made me choke on my wine mid-sip. Oh, to be so gorgeous...!ReplyDelete
The neckline of the dress pattern on the right is quite 'chaste' really, but I know what you mean about the edgy. There's always something rather naughty about a cutout, even if it doesn't reveal much- do you remember the dress Demi Moore wore in Indecent Proposal? It was quite dramatic at the time.
Sweet lord, she is more gorgeous every time I see her! Great pattern find, what a match!ReplyDelete
No, there just isn't enough time. But even if I could sew 24 hours a day I wouldn't have enough time. My hands are simply not working as fast as my thoughts.ReplyDelete
wowee, C.H. looks so knockout gorgeous! The cutout vaguely reminds me of that black dress Demi Moore wore in Indecent Proposal (if memory serves)... OH, wait, just saw EmilyKate noticed the same thing ;)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 30, 2010 at 8:39 AM
She IS a goddess. Such gorgeousness. And yes, inspiration comes in the most unlikely moments. Plum red or black sounds perfect, but I thing a more eggplant-y color (or cranberry) will work, too.ReplyDelete
What a knockout! Can't wait to see your version of the dress!ReplyDelete
I Love her character on Mad Men...she is a goddess.ReplyDelete
I can't wait to see the finished dress. It is gorgeous!!
I love it. I am new to vintage patterns and it has become an obsession. I love also that C.H. is bringing the curvey figure to the forefront and making it sexier than ever..but alas I am stuck with my 32" bust.ReplyDelete
WOW. I literally gasped when I saw that picture of C.H. It's great that you show us your whole creative process, from initial inspiration to pattern search to garment creation to modeling the finished product.ReplyDelete
YOWZA! What a dress! I'd wear either one, if I had an hourglass figure...sigh. I can definitely see you in this, Gertie. The color of Christina's dress is perfection, but I think anything in that color family would work very well. Can't wait to see this one!ReplyDelete
Beautiful dress. I love the mix of the modern cut with the cuteness added by the bow. Personally, I would go for a version in salmon or coral red instead of black (too strict).ReplyDelete
Oh, my word! That is a drop dead gorgeous dress. My jaw dropped open when I saw this. Like you, I love how the bow adds a bit of sweetness to it. I'm thinking this should be moved to the top. What do you think?ReplyDelete
I think the thing I like best about her dress is the detailing under the bust and the way the bustline is draped. I would love to see how to add in details like that.ReplyDelete
I've loved that dress since I saw that photo of her too, despite my not-craziness about bandage dresses. Definitely do a double-knit for maximum bombshell factor!ReplyDelete
The neckline detail kind of reminds me of some of the options of the American Apparel Le Sac dress--which is a huge sack, just about the polar opposite, sewing-wise, of doing these fancy neckline cutouts the "right" way... but features lots of different ways of draping and tying the ribbons for interesting effects.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 30, 2010 at 11:24 AM
Don't you think she's wearing some kind of really powerful girdle under that, though?ReplyDelete
Nice find! It's always amazing when you find a close pattern match to what you're picturing in mind, isn't it?ReplyDelete
Anonymous, I don't know what she's wearing under her dress, but it doesn't change the inspiration for me!ReplyDelete
Gertie - this would look lovely on you but I see you in a deep green, deep purple or turquoise color - jewel colors! I think you would be stunning and stand out in one of those colors...but that's just my opinion! :)ReplyDelete
Whoa, that dress is gorgeous, can't wait to see your version.ReplyDelete
That dress is amazing on her and I'm sure whatever you make in homage will be great too!ReplyDelete
I've been wanting to make something derivative of a very similar Herve Leger for a while now, but though my sewing experience runs fairly deep, my drafting skills are not up to it. What a great find on the vintage sheath dress. I wish I could borrow it for a while ;)
CRAZY gorgeous! I want to throw away everything I own and wear only THAT DRESS.ReplyDelete
Definitely rocking the shapewear under that (those bandage dresses were deisgned for women with no boobs or fake boobs) Hendricks' are clearly not man-made wonders, they are all natural (and awsome) and are bound to need a little support.ReplyDelete
Ms Hendricks' dress is stunning! She looks beautiful, oh to have that dress *fist shake*. Well done on the pattern find! Snaps for you!ReplyDelete
Oooh definitely a Joan dress, that's fab! I think a deep red colour is the way to go, black might make it a bit more basic...can't wait to see how you get on :DReplyDelete
Anonymous, bandage dresses like that are basically one big girdle.ReplyDelete
If you are looking for more cut-out looks, check-out evadress.com. In her 1940's collection there are two dresses with cut-outs. They are more drapey then fitted. I prefer the one on page 4 "1946 Frock". I bought this pattern a year ago, cut out the fabric but have yet to assemble. You've inspired me to return to it!ReplyDelete
yeah, i don't know. i think the very top of CH's dress is trashy. like you wouldn't get much wear from it being that... conspicuous. gertie, i think you're better off with the neckline of your pattern, though i don't know if you were going to add sleeves...ReplyDelete
Sigh... she's just so gorgeous! But I bet you'll look just as great in your version! The pattern look like a very nice match, and covers you bow-love... I would also say it's a little more modest, and thus easier to use? I agree with Stacy, the fact that you share your research/creative process, from inspiration to final product! Hope this project is high on your to-do list!ReplyDelete
Lovely dress. It emphasizes your curves well.ReplyDelete


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Hubbard Radio Washington DC, LLC. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
April 17, 2015 4:53 pm
Lawmakers are far from satisfied with the White House's proposals to change the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members Thursday wanted more details and data from the Office of Personnel Management before committing to any of the ideas.
Still, committee members expressed the belief that the 50-year-old law creating the FEHBP is in need of a major update.
"The proposal itself is inherently good. Let's open up the process, let's recognize that artificial, historic definitions need to be gone," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the full committee, during a hearing of the subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the Census. "I do believe, although I'm willing to support a law change that would create a regional opportunity and certainly a law change that would create a greater opportunity for nationals [insurance companies] to come in, I believe, as you go back today with your proposals from us, are you willing to go through a process that says, 'You can only do any of these if there is a finding scored by CBO or found by GAO to be an actual savings?'"
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Issa said he's concerned about false estimates by OPM and that the changes could actually cost the government more in the long-run.
As part of the fiscal 2014 budget request sent to Congress Wednesday, the administration offered up three major changes.
The administration wants to:
Jonathan Foley, the director of planning and policy analysis for OPM, said the law creating the FEHBP in 1959 has not kept pace with the times.
"Missing from the current mix are regional plans that are widely available in the commercial market," he said. "If these regional plans were available, FEHBP enrollees would benefit from having greater choices that represent best practices in the private sector, and more closely resemble product combinations to private employees in state and local governments."
Foley said he wouldn't open the program up nor contract with every regional carrier. The proposed update just gives them the option if the agency determines it's in the best interest of the government, the employees and the retirees.
Foley said OPM estimates that, for example, changes to the prescription drug program could save $1.6 billion over 10 years, and the self-plus-one option would save another $5.2 billion over the next decade.
Trust, but verify
Read more: Budget
But Issa was not satisfied with those estimates alone. He said history has shown that trusting the word of the agency or administration that there are savings isn't good enough.
He said he would like to see a pilot program demonstrating how the regional preferred provider organizations (PPOs) or self-plus-one or prescription drug changes would work first.
Issa also said he would like to see an independent review from a third party in terms of how much money the government would save.
Other committee members wanted more clarification from OPM on how these proposals would work.
Del. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-D.C.) said she's concerned that OPM is heading into two different directions with these proposals.
Under the prescription drug plan, OPM is trying to take advantage of their large number of members to get better prices. But with the self-plus-one option and the regional PPOs option, it seems as if the agency is losing the value of having a large pool of customers.
Foley said OPM is not creating regional pools, but regional carriers whose prices would be based on the entire federal membership. He said, for example, if a regional carrier just wanted to work in Oregon and Washington states, OPM could require they also offer services in Alaska to ensure carriers are not "cherry-picking" only high premium or low-cost states.
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Blue Cross-Blue Shield and the American Federation of Government Employees also questioned the administration's proposals.
Support from insurance companies mixed
Blue Cross-Blue Shield didn't support the regional PPOs or prescription drug ideas.
William Breskin, the vice president of government programs for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, said OPM has underestimated the costs of the program and the regional PPOs. He said federal employees and the government would end up paying more — as much as $5.7 billion over 10 years.
He said regional PPOs would make the playing field unfair to national carriers because regional carriers would charge different prices in different states. But the reason Blue Cross-Blue Shield may not have liked the plan is because they would face more competition from companies such as United HealthCare, which supported the regional option.
Thomas Coate, chief growth officer at United HealthCare, said one plan — Blue Cross-Blue Shield — doubled market share to 62 percent from 30 percent of federal workers, while the second largest plan has 7 percent of the market share. He says a 55 percent differential in this market is not a market where real competition exists.
Jacqueline Simon, AFGE's public policy director, said the problem with the proposals is less about the changes per se and more about OPM's lack of information or discussion with the union.
"For many, many years, as long as I've been involved with advocating for federal employees regarding FEHBP, OPM's actuaries have told us self-plus-one would actually be more expensive than families with more than two persons. And now, suddenly we are getting different numbers, but we are only getting the bottom line," she said. "We have not been able to see what kinds of assumptions OPM has used for its calculations for saying, 'This will cost this, or this will cost that, or this will save this amount of money.' We really do want to know how they arrived at their estimates for changes in premiums to family coverage, what the premiums would be for self-plus-one and we have been denied that information. We really can't say one way or another whether this would be good, who would be the winners and who would be the losers until we see how those numbers were constructed."
AFGE also suggested OPM create an insurance advisory council similar to the salary advisory board to provide feedback and make recommendations on these types of issues.
But despite these concerns, many of the committee members expressed support to change the law.
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) said the FEHBP program is seriously hampered in responding to the needs in the marketplace.
"Due to the lack of authority for OPM to entertain scores of new and different insurance products, the program has stagnated. Roughly there are 50 percent fewer carriers participating in the program today than in 1990. Many federal employees and retirees, depending on where they live, have limited options to choose from," he said. "Many of the latest plan designs and innovations in health care management are not available to OPM as administrator of the plan or federal employees and retirees as participants in the plan. For all these reasons, opening up the FEHBP to greater competition and therefore greater choice will serve the federal government, federal employees, retirees and taxpayers well."
Walberg said most reforms outlined in the budget request can give FEHBP the necessary tools to increase competition and lower costs.
President's 2014 budget includes pay increase, but retirement changes loom large
OPM in talks to add six new carriers to FEHBP
Premiums for federal health plan set to increase 3.4 percent
USPS plan to set up own health plan faces lawmakers' skepticism
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Jason Miller is executive editor of Federal News Network and directs news coverage on the people, policy and programs of the federal government.
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Nine Inch Nails Biography
Nine Inch Nailsrock group
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Formed in 1988, this rock and roll band achieved commercial success in the 1990s with a blend of industrial sonics, pop conventions, heavy-metal aggression, and dance-club rhythms. Current members include bandleader Trent Reznor, Clarlie Clouser, and Danny Lohner. Albums include The Downward Spiral Nothing (1994), Pretty Hate Machine (1989). Singles include: "Closer To God", "March of the Pigs" (both 1994), and "Sin" (1990).
|Leonard Nimoy
|98 Degrees
See also:
Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.


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Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Region: Italy, Campania-Naples
Category: Pasta with Vegetables
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy
This famous Neapolitan pasta dish, it seems, was invented after World War II. Puttanesca derives from a vulgar word for "prostitute." It is said that Neapolitan harlots would entice customers with plates of their favorite pasta. That story may be fanciful given its other names. Vittorio Gleijeses in his 1977 book A Napoli si mangia cosi' tells us that the dish is also known as alla provenzale, alla martinique, alla marinara, and alla bonne femme. The Italian culinary authority Vincenzo Buonassisi suggests that the dish arose from the post-World War II chaos on Ischia, while Paula Wolfert relates a story that respectable women served the dish to the men with whom they were having affairs. In fact, the Neapolitan culinary authority Jeanne Caròla Francesconi claims that the name is a post-World War II invention of the artist Eduardo Colucci. If you want a hotter sauce, crumble the chile.
[photo: Clifford A. Wright]
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, 2 crushed and 2 finely chopped
1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, drained, and chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped if large
20 imported black olives, pitted and cut in half
1 large dried red chile
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1 pound spaghetti
12 salted anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1. In a large casserole, heat the olive oil with the 2 crushed garlic cloves over medium-high heat until they begin to turn light brown, about 4 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic.
2. Add the tomatoes, capers, olives, chile, oregano, black pepper, and chopped garlic. Cook, stirring almost constantly, over medium-high heat until the tomatoes are a bit thicker, 7 to 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, salt abundantly, and add the pasta. Drain when al dente.
4. Reduce the heat of the sauce to low and add the anchovies and parsley and simmer 2 minutes. Discard the chile. Transfer the spaghetti to the casserole with the sauce and toss well. Transfer to a serving platter or bowl and serve.
Posted: 11/29/2009