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Let's say you're a 2D artist. Well, you my friend are the Supreme Master of Your Universe. You decree the time of day. Location is yours to decide, be it under the sea, on a distant planet, an endless desert or a Starbucks. The light bends at your desire; blinding sun, dappled shadows, the brooding gloom of a cloud sliced moon or the humming neon of an office cubicle. Time? Your call. Pick a century. Make up a century! In your Universe, people fly, men with super powers lift city blocks with the flex of a finger. Jugglers juggle. Pumas pounce. Robots emit lasers through their eyes with devastating effect. In short, your only constraint is the limits of your imagination.
Now, pity the plight of the poor sculptor. We share some of your powers; creation of character, size, shape, mass. We determine finesse of finish, level of detail. Action. Intent of action. Same as you. But that's it. The context in which our work is viewed is out of our control. The conditions under which our sculptures are seen is left to the whim and whimsy of an art director who will decide which lighting setup to use. (For some inexplicable reason, they sometimes choose to light a sculpture from beneath. Will ya look at those nostrils!)
Or, the consumer who may place his sculpture in a cabinet, on a mantle, in a bookshelf or next to the toaster on the kitchen counter. And then there's the gallery with its pin point overheads that makes everything under them look like a Judy Garland revival.
And it gets worse. In your world, you compose proximity. The dragon battles the valiant knight. A group of bug-eyed aliens abducts a leggy blonde.
Unless the sculptor's statue contains two or more figures, it's just as likely that Superman will be sharing shelf space with Under Dog or Wolverine paling around with Uncle Creepy.
So, what's a sculptor to do? Well, there ain't a lot of options, but there are a few. A base is a good contexter. (I made that up, but you get the idea) A well designed base can help set the location. It can even infer distance like a mountain top or a valley.
Then there's weather. In the sculptor's world, there's often a lot of wind. Usually it blows in against the character, sending hair and wardrobe alike, undulating in elegant inverted "S" curves. Flying is a tough one. It's that damn pesky gravity that gets in the way of a convincing airborne composition. But a sculptor is like a magician. Its all about misdirection. Look here! Don't look there. A character who's supposed to be flying needs to be supported somehow. It's the sculptor's job to help you suspend logic and physics in support of make believe.
Most problematic is the concession to the material. Its often going to be resin or silicone, and in some case, bronze. They each carry their own liabilities. Resin, as with all thermal cure plastics, is subject to heat warp. In winter, that flying super hero defies gravity at ninety degrees. During the summer swelter of late July, he's kissing the ground. There's a one word cure for that. Buttress! As long as you can't see what it is, it's a damn dandy solution. So, knowing what a material can do, or more importantly, what it can't do, and knowing how to make it look like it can… that there is golden.
But, the sculptor has one special power all our own. And it's a doozey! The element of surprise. All you 2D guys, you can make anything happen anywhere, anytime. You can make the impossible, possible. But the sculptor, we can give the audience something you can't. A back view. And don't you know, we play it for all their worth. Why, look here. It's a statue of Wonder Woman. Just standing there, minding her own Amazonian business. But turn her around and she's standing on a pile of skulls of her vanquished foes. Try that in 2D! A good sculptor will stack the visual deck. We'll leave visual bread crumbs for you to follow and take you where we want you to go and back again.
And then there's presence. As compelling and as a brilliant as 2D work can be, and man, a lot of it is just jaw dropping, they don't share the presence that occupies the same physical space as we all do. Might not seem like a big deal, but it kind of is. You can get up all in that, with a piece of sculpture. You can get up all in that with a wonderful work in 2D art, but it takes more work.
I've said this before, sculptors are like the drummers of the art world. If you've ever been in a band or are a sculptor, you'll know what I mean. We sculptors are not prone to great conceptual leaps. We're often too busy trying to figure out how make a squint look intense as opposed to myopic.
She: This is something I've been rolling around for a couple of years. How could I contextualize a sculpture the same way a 2D guy can? Well, you'd have to start with creating an environment that, by and large, accepts traditional lighting methods as overhead and be willing to embrace the variables of that. This is the rough clay. When she's done, the leaves will be cast in translucent resin allowing a little more light and increasing the play between light and shadow. I'll let you know how it turns out.


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Tag: azven back to life review
Back To Life Review
Best Seller September 25, 2023 0
Pain can be debilitating and bring your life to an absolute standstill. Have you ever stubbed your little toe on the couch? In that moment, your entire world becomes your pinky toe as you grimace in pain and press your toe to ease the agony. That's how crippling pain can be. Now imagine living in constant pain. Millions of people endure nagging neck, shoulder and back pain daily. Painkillers help but the effects are only temporary. Masking... Read more »

subset: commoncrawl


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Don't be fooled by the Matador logo: there's very little "alt" in Laura Cantrell's country. Her first two albums, released on Brooklyn indie Diesel Only, were accessible, amiable collections of uptempo country-rock, more stripped-down than today's Nashville schlock but firmly rooted in tradition. Humming By the Flowered Vine, Cantrell's first effort for Matador, sees some changes in style, but sticks with the audience-friendly approach of its predecessors. If anything, Humming is a little too friendly: its slick production and heart-tugging ballads sound like a direct appeal to the adult contemporary market already breached by the likes of Lucinda Williams (one of whose songs Cantrell performs here), Gillian Welch, and pretty much everybody on the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack.
In theory, there may be nothing wrong with a desire for mainstream acceptance, but Cantrell's music suffers for it. The 10 tracks on Humming feel considerably less immediate, organic and effortless than their counterparts on her previous two albums. This shortcoming is graver than it might sound, since much Cantrell's appeal lies in her easygoing, almost guileless approach. The contagious joy in music-making so apparent in her earlier records is less apparent here, and an increased production budget may well be the cause. Cantrell's skill as a songwriter and connoisseur of fine material is still very much in effect, but is often undercut by cluttered arrangements and poor production choices (the gratuitous and frankly puzzling use of synthesizers on "Khaki and Corduroy" and "Old Downtown" being a case in point).
Most importantly, Cantrell sounds less involved here as a performer, a problem glaringly apparent on "Poor Ellen Smith," in which she recounts the tale of a falsely accused murderer as though describing a visit to the pet shop. Downtempo tracks like "And Still" and "Bees" suffer from a similar lack of expressiveness; Cantrell's voice sounds too processed, as though she may be using a digital pitch corrector. The more traditionally-minded country of "What You Said" and "California Rose" suits her much better, emphasizing her clear voice and charming way with a melody over any deep emotion.
Humming By The Flowered Vine may sound like a perfectly admirable album to some, and may well succeed in garnering a fanbase for Laura Cantrell. Longtime fans, however, may notice the absence of some of the qualities that made her music such a joy to listen to in the first place. While far from a total letdown, Humming is certainly something of a disappointment.
By Michael Cramer


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06 July 2012
Robert Fisk Demonizes Mideast's Persecuted Christians
Robert Fisk, the Middle East correspondent for the U.K.'s widely-read Independent, recently showed why it is that Islamic jihadists and terrorists, including the late Osama bin Laden, strongly recommend his propaganda to Western readers.
In a recent article, Fisk goes out of his way to demonize the abused Christian minorities of the Middle East for supporting those secularist leaders most likely to preserve their freedoms and dignity. For instance, after portraying the Middle East's "old guard" in the worst possible terms, he complains that "Ahmed Shafiq, the Mubarak loyalist, has the support of the Christian Copts, and Assad has the support of the Syrian Christians. The Christians support the dictators. Not much of a line, is it?"
In Fisk's way of thinking, Christians of Egypt and Syria are unpatriotic freedom-haters because they support secularists, whereas the Sharia-pushing Islamists are patriotic freedom-lovers for not.
"Not much of a line, is it?"—especially from someone who supposedly lives and travels in the Middle East and is deemed an authority on the region. Completely missing from his narrative is why Christians are supporting Shafiq and Assad: because the alternatives, the Islamists, have been making their lives a living hell.
Fisk's biased narrative is, of course, not original to him, but rather originates with his friends—the Islamists. Soon after the first presidential elections in Egypt, many Islamists bemoaned Shafiq's good showing, laying the blame directly on Egypt's Christian Copts, who reportedly came out in large numbers voting for the secular candidates. Tarek al-Zomor, a prominent figure of the Gama'a al-Islamiyya, the terrorist organization that slaughtered some 60 European tourists, including several of Fisk's countrymen, during the Luxor Massacre, "demanded an apology from the Copts" for voting for Shafiq, threatening that "this was a fatal error."
Others, like Abu Ismail, the Salafi presidential candidate who was disqualified, expressed "great disappointment" in "our Coptic brethren," saying that "I do not understand why the Copts so adamantly voted for Ahmed Shafiq," portraying it as some sort of conspiracy between the Copts, the old regime, and even Israel: "Exactly what relationship and benefit do the Copts have with the old regime"?
The uncritical Fisk follows suit and asks the same questions, portraying the Mideast's Christians as unpatriotic.
Missing from the Islamists'—and Fisk's—narrative is the fact that Christians are under attack by Islamists, especially in Egypt and Syria, where Christian women and children and regularly abducted, molested, and forced to convert; where churches and monasteries are regularly attacked; where blasphemy laws imprison or kill and calls for jizya are back—in short, where Christians are persecuted (see entries for Egypt and Syria in my monthly "Muslim Persecution of Christians" for an idea). Moreover, the ultimate goal of Fisk's supposedly "freedom-loving Islamists—the enforcement of a decidedly anti-freedom Sharia law—will naturally spell disaster for Christians, since this draconian law code emphatically condemns non-Muslim "infidels" to dhimmi status—barely-tolerated, second-class "citizens" of the Islamic state.
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Once upon a time, there lived a wood-cutter and his wife who had three sons. The eldest two were strong and tall, and their mother and father were always telling them how handsome and clever they were. But the youngest son was, to tell you the truth, just a bit simple in the head. He wasn't very tall, and he wasn't very strong, and his family thought he was good for nothing. They hardly ever called him by his real name, but instead they gave him a cruel nickname. They called him Dummy, because they said he was stupid.
One day the eldest son wanted to go to the forest to cut wood. The mother praised him for being such a useful boy and before he set out, she gave him some of her best fruit cake for his lunch, and a bottle of wine to wash it down. While the boy was walking through the forest, he met a little grey old man who said to him:
«Do give me a little piece of you cake and a swig of your wine. I'm so terribly hungry and thirsty."
And the eldest son replied;
«Be off with you, you filthy old beggar. »
And the little grey old man went away, but not without taking his revenge. He put a curse on the boy, so that when he started to cut a tree down, his axe slipped and went into his leg. The boy limped home to his mother who washed his wound and bandaged him.
The next day, the second eldest son went out to the forest to cut wood. Before he set out, his mother praised him for being such a useful boy, but especially asked him to be careful with the axe, so as not to have a nasty accident like his brother. The boy promised to not to be careless, and his mother gave him some of her best sponge cake for his lunch, and a bottle of wine to wash it down.
It happened that as the boy was walking through the woods, he came across the same little gray old man. The man said to him, «Do please share your sponge cake and your wine with me, for I am so terribly weak with hunger and thirst." And the boy said;
«Be off with you, you lazy old scoundrel. If you want to eat, you'd better work."
And the little grey old man went away, but not without taking his revenge. Not long after, when the boy was cutting down a tree, his axe flew out of his hand and hit him on the head. He crawled home to his mother who bandaged up his wound and asked him why he had not kept his promise to be more careful.
For the rest of the week, the two eldest sons were both lying in bed recovering from their wounds. The father said to the third and youngest son:
«Get on your feet, you lazy Dummy, why are you sitting around doing nothing, when both brothers are hurt and unable to work? Get out to the forest and cut some wood – if you're not too stupid to do that."
The mother laughed at him and said, «It's more than likely that Dummy will cut his own head off – but it won't be much of loss to anyone." And before he left she gave him some cake that she had burnt almost to a crust in the oven, and a bottle of sour beer to wash it down.
As the youngest boy was going through the woods, he met the same little gray old man who had crossed the path of his brothers. The man said to him:
«Do please share some of your cake and beer with me. I am so terribly hungry and thirsty, and I fear that if I don't have something to eat and drink soon, I will surely die"
The young boy replied;
«Old man, I will gladly share with you what I have. But the cake is burned and the beer is sour."
«Never mind that," said the man. «I am grateful for what you can give me."
And the boy and the little gray old man sat down and shared the cake and the beer. After they had finished their lunch, the man said:
«Since you have a good heart, and have shared what you have with me, I will give you a reward. You see that old tree over there. Cut it down with your axe and you will find something of value inside its hollow trunk."
And so when the little gray old man had left, the young boy, whose parents called him «Dummy", took his axe and cut down the hollow tree just as he had been told. Inside he found a goose – but this was no ordinary bird – for its feathers were made of gold.
The boy realised that he was in luck, and thought to himself: «Why should I go home now and suffer the insults of my parents and brothers? They will take this valuable bird from me, and I shall have nothing."
And so the boy decided to run away from home. He put the golden goose under his arm and set out for the town. Then he went to the inn, intending to stay there. He stood at the bar and asked the innkeeper if he would accept a golden feather as payment for his board and lodgings. When the innkeeper, saw the golden goose, he readily agreed. But after the boy had gone to bed he said his three daughters:
«That young boy whose parents call him Dummy is staying up in our guest room. But he can't be a simple in the head as they say – for he's got a valuable bird with him – a goose with feathers made of gold."
The eldest daughter thought to herself, » Well fancy that. Feathers made of gold. I'll pluck one or maybe more of those for myself."
After the clock struck midnight, she sneaked into the boy's room, and saw that he was asleep with his arm around the golden goose. She crept up and tried to pluck a feather. But the feather wouldn't budge, and when she tried to take her hand away, she found that she was stuck to it. She couldn't move, and she couldn't cry out for fear of waking the boy. She had to stay where she was, on her knees by the bead, with her hand on the feather.
After the clock struck one in the morning, the second sister came in the room, planning to take one feather or more for herself. In the dark she didn't see her sister, but as soon as she touched her back, she found that her hand was stuck fast to her, and she had to say where she was, not moving and not making a sound.
After the clock struck two in the morning, the third sister came in. The other two shouted: «Stay back !" but it was two late, – she reached out hoping to steal a feather and found that her hand was stuck to the middle sister.
The boy and the goose slept soundly through all of this. In the morning the boy got up, paid his bill with a golden feather, and left with inn with the goose under his arm. The sisters had no choice but to follow on behind him. A pretty procession they made.
Along the way they met the Bishop:
«What a sight!" he exclaimed. «It's hardly right for three young women to follow a boy around like that !"
And as the girls went past he tapped the youngest on the shoulder. In doing so he found that he was stuck to her and had to follow.
Further up the road they met a police sergeant. The Bishop called out to him «Sergeant: Help me get free from this young woman's shoulder. I'm stuck to her and people are bound to start all kind of gossip about it!"
The police sergeant tried to pull the Bishop free, but in doing so he found that both his hands stuck to his waste, and he had to follow along with the procession.
At the top of the road they met the mayor.
'What's this town coming to?" cried the mayor. «The Bishop and the police sergeant following three young girls who are following a young boy, all holding on to each other in a most unseemly fashion. Have they gone mad?"
And as he spoke, he tried to pull the police sergeant and the Bishop away – but in doing so he found that he was stuck to both of them, and had to follow on.
The boy and led the little line of townspeople along up the road, and at the top of the hill they passed the Kings Palace. Now the king's daughter was very beautiful, but she had the saddest face in the whole wide world. She had never laughed and not once even smiled. The king was so troubled by the young princesses' unhappiness, that he had made a special law. Whosoever could make her laugh and smile would win her hand in marriage.
But the truth was that nothing very funny ever happened inside the Royal Palace. All the kings servants and advisers were far to high and mighty to understand what would make a young girl laugh – or indeed to allow anything amusing to happen at all.
As the boy known as Dummy went past the palace, he still held the golden goose under his arm, and he was followed by the innkeeper's three daughters, the Bishop, the police sergeant, and the mayor. The princess looked out at saw the important people in their uniforms being tugged along behind three girls and a boy with a goose, and she thought that it was the first thing she had seen in her life that was truly funny. She burst out laughing and ran, still giggling, to her father to tell him all about what she had seen. When the King looked out of his window and saw the procession, he couldn't help laughing himself. He sent for his guards and told them to bring the boy and his followers directly to him. When the boy entered the King's chamber, with the followers behind him, the mayor, the Bishop and the policeman all called out angrily that he should pay for his crime with his head. The king, still laughing, said that on the contrary – he would be rewarded with the hand in marriage of his daughter the princess.
For an entire week after that , the inn keepers three daughters, the Bishop, the policeman, and the mayor were all stuck to the gold goose and to one another. And while they were stuck , all the towns people and the whole court laughed and laughed at them.
And the boy whose family called him Dummy married the princess and inherited the kingdom. He lived with his beautiful wife and they had six happy smiling children, and the palace was often filled with laughter.
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Radios come in all shapes and sizes and with so many different features and configurations available it can be tough finding the one built to satisfy your needs. Whether you want a pocket radio for your daily jog, a portable radio for your next camping trip or one that will be the focal piece of your home entertainment center, we're going to lay out the details on what to look for in your perfect match.
Size Matters
If you are an avid broadcast radio listener, you will want the best reception possible. In general, bigger means better. The more space a radio has inside for a bigger antenna, the more stations you will find and at a much greater distance. If you're going on a 3-mile day-trek in the woods, you're not going to want a massive communications receiver in your backpack. Conversely, you'll probably need more than something with a 2-inch speaker to fill your living room with quality audio.
Trying to group all radios together in their own separate categories is a daunting task in itself, so we will narrow our field to three general sizes. Those will include:
• Pocket Radios
• Portable Radios
• Table-top Radios
The first choice is for people on the move or someone with very limited space. Pocket radios can be as big as a paperback book or as small as a wristwatch. As the radio gets smaller, a sacrifice has to be made for features and functionality. You probably won't find too many good quality pocket-sized units with a full-function keypad or a high definition color display. They exist, but they cost as much and sometimes more than the bigger radios.
The next category is what can be called the "middle ground". Portable radios can range from something you can comfortably toss into your purse all the way up to massive "boom boxes". Anything that can be run on batteries and you are willing to carry with you to where you're going can be considered portable. This group also has some of the best reception capabilities available due to their ability to be adjusted easily. They are, in simple terms, the best of both worlds.
The third group contains the work horses of consumer radios. Devices that would fall into the table-top category have all the bells and whistles anyone could ever want and even some nobody will ever need. They plug directly into the wall for their power and have extra connections for external antennas, speakers, controllers and accessories. They come with remote controls, multi-line digital displays, built-in keypads and multiple dials for every function available. Some even come with connections for hooking up to a home computer for added flexibility. These are where you will probably spend the greatest amount of money due to their complexity, but since their capabilities are far more advanced, you'll be getting what you paid for and more.
The fact that some portables can be used as table-top radios gives them a great advantage when searching for the right one. You could leave it plugged into the wall for daily (or nightly) use, but you could then take it to the back yard for a family cookout.
Location, Location, Location
Where the radio will ultimately live and find its heaviest usage is a massive factor in choosing its size, function and capabilities. Many of the larger radios wouldn't be able to sit comfortably on your bedside stand, so we'll start by finding where you're going to use the radio most. Once you have a better idea of where the radio will be, you can then make a more informed decision on the radio you want.
Most companies will have the dimensions of the radio either right on the box or at least detailed somewhere on their website. This will give you a chance to see if it really will fit on your side stand or that little shelf in the bathroom where your wife keeps the potpourri.
What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
Some research into which features you need will be necessary. So many different features exist, though, that this one may be the most intimidating task of all. Start with the major broadcast bands you will be tuning in, such as:
• AM (Amplitude Modulation)
• FM (Frequency Modulation)
• Weather (162.400 MHz to 162.550 MHz)
• Shortwave (1.8 MHz – 30 MHz)
Includes the popular 10-meter band
• Marine VHF Band
• Amateur and Citizen's Band
• Ham Bands
• Digital or WiFi radio reception
As you look through the specifications of a particular radio, it may have only one band, just a few or a huge selection of them. You'll likely never find a radio that contains all the bands, so choosing which you will use most and focusing on those few will narrow your search to a much smarter selection.
Function Over Form
Bells and whistles, knobs and buttons, colors, shapes and styles. We all want radios for specific listening reasons, but how you make it get to where it's supposed to be can run the gamut of combinations.
• Clock
Alarm function
Sleep timer function
• Memory presets
• Auto Scan
• Built-in Speaker
• Headphone and/or Line-level output Jack
• Antenna Jack
• Direct input keypads
• Internal or external antenna
Jack for outdoor antenna access
• Tone controls
• Battery or AC power
• Remote control
The amount of functions you want in a radio will depend greatly on its size. Many smaller radios sacrifice external controls or an external speaker for higher audio quality or a larger antenna.
Analog v. Digital: A New Challenger
Even though they are relatively new technology, digital streaming radios, also more commonly known as internet or WiFi radios, are quickly becoming more popular, especially with younger, more tech savvy users. Streaming media can be found all across the internet, and people are discovering that these streams are much clearer and easier to listen to than the radios of yesteryear.
The chances are better and better as time progresses that the station you listen to is already streaming their broadcast on the internet, so it doesn't matter that you're in your concrete basement workshop that gets horrible reception. Anywhere you can receive an internet connection, whether wired or wireless, is where you can put these digital streaming radios. Some models will only get internet streams while others can connect to a home media server and play your own personal music collection.
They may not be exactly what you're looking for right at this point in time, but a quality media streaming device could very well take the place of your favorite radio in the very near future.
You're Gonna Pay for That
Setting a budget for a new radio isn't unheard of today, what with the multitude of different radios available. Do you want to spend just enough to get a couple of the features you need, or go all out and get your dream rig all at once? It's worth working out what your budget is before you even start looking so that you can narrow your choices before spending money on something you don't really like. Radios with a lower price tag will usually have fewer features, and sound quality will be diminished when compared to larger, more expensive units.
You may even want to include a little extra in the budget for accessories like headphones, cases, antennas, AC adapters or batteries depending on which type you're looking for. The perfect radio would already come with all the accessories you need, but the perfect package doesn't always exist, so we have to plan ahead to get the biggest benefit.
Don't Panic!
Everyone has experienced some type of emergency situation where communication with the outside world has been severed by one method or another. Tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding and other natural disasters happen no matter where you are, so being able to get information before, during and after these events is critical for the survival of you and your family.
Emergency radios can save your life. You won't always have access to electricity, and they fill the communications gap when all other power is out. They have multiple power choices, such as alkaline or rechargeable batteries, crank generators, 12-volt adapters (for use in vehicles) and, more recently, built-in solar panels. They will generally have your standard AM/FM radio bands, but what really sets them apart is the weather band. Broadcasts on the NOAA weather frequencies keep you abreast of news and critical information regarding your immediate location and surrounding areas.
Finding the right radio for you may seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Once you know where and how your new radio will be used, as well as what you will ultimately be listening to the most, you can begin to find out just which radio will fit the bill the best. Also, it never hurts to ask for assistance. The staff at C. Crane have decades of accumulated and combined knowledge regarding radio in all its forms. If you're stuck, give us a call. We are here to assist you with any questions you may have.


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The Monitor Movie Guide
Reviews in this weekly guide are written by Monitor critic David Sterritt (the first set of '+' marks in each review) unless otherwise noted. Ratings and comments by the Monitor staff panel (the second set of '+' marks in each review) reflect the sometimes diverse views of at least three other viewers. Information on violence, drugs, sex/nudity, and profanity is compiled by the panel.
++++ Excellent
+++1/2 Very Good
+++ Good
++ 1/2 Average
++ Fair
+1/2 Poor
+ Worst
New Releases
Director: Vincenzo Natali. With Nicole deBoer, Nicky Guadagni, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller, Julian Richings, Wayne Robson, Maurice Dean Wint. (90 min.)
++ Surreal fantasy about a group of strangers who find themselves trapped in a mysterious structure where all the rooms are cube-shaped cages, many of them booby-trapped with deadly dangers. The characters are stereotypes and the psychology is simplistic, but the movie builds an effective sense of claustrophobic menace that thriller fans may enjoy.
Director: John Dahl. With Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Gretchen Moll, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Martin Landau, Famke Janssen. (120 min.)
++ The hero is an on-and-off law student with a passion for poker, and an honest streak that keeps him from cheating even when he's desperate for money to pay off dangerous debtors. The acting is solid, but the story builds less drama and suspense than its high-stakes subject might lead you to expect.
Director: Mark Steven Johnson. With Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Ashley Judd, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, Dana Ivey, Jan Hooks. (110 min.)
+++ The hero is a very small boy who's convinced his "abnormal" physique is proof of God's particular interest in him, and feels he'll fulfill some special purpose as soon as he can figure out what it's supposed to be. The movie is lively, funny, and endearing until melodramatics and sentimentality take over in the last few scenes.
+++ Tear-jerker, intriguing, literary.
Sex/Nudity: Several adolescent references to female anatomy. Violence: None. Profanity: 19 expressions, usually mild. Drugs: 5 scenes with smoking.
Director: Orson Welles. With Orson Welles, Janet Leigh, Charlton Heston, Marlene Dietrich, Dennis Weaver, Joseph Cotten, Zsa Zsa Gabor. (108 min.)
++++ This explosive 1958 crime drama was altered by its studio to make it more conventional, but now a team of experts has restored it to Welles's own specifications, making it more clear and coherent - if not more exciting and original - than in its previous version. Welles gives one of his boldest performances as a crooked American cop, ably supported by Heston as the Mexican policeman who ferrets out his nasty secrets.
Director: Robert Towne. With Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland, Monica Potter, Judith Ivey, Dean Norris. (116 min.)
+++ The story of Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine, focusing on his feisty individuality and his relationship with a crusty old coach who ends up learning a lesson or two from his student. The athletic scenes are so lively and the main performances are so magnetic that even moviegoers who resist sports-centered pictures may be won over. But while Towne's screenplay carries the worthwhile message that competition is better than conquest, it fails to go a step further and teach that cooperation is best of all.
Currently in Release
Director: Jeremiah Chechik. With Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery, Jim Broadbent. (90 min.)
+ This dull spinoff of the 1960s TV series has a spectacular cast but little energy and no ideas, squandering its resources on an idiotic story about government agents chasing a villain who wants to control the world's weather. At least the original TV show broke some ground by allowing the Emma Peel character to become one of pop culture's most liberated women; the wan movie version fails to come up with anything of comparable worth for the '90s.
++ Style without substance, disjointed, surreal.
Sex/Nudity: None. Violence: A lot of bloodless, cartoonish shootings and explosions. Profanity: 2 expressions. Drugs: 7 scenes with cigarettes, some social drinking.
Director: Terry Gilliam. With Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin. (131 min.)
++++ Revival of Gilliam's great 1985 fantasy about an imaginative man lusting for freedom in an insanely bureaucratized society. Pryce gives his most memorable performance as the ill-starred hero, and De Niro is brilliant as a guerrilla air-conditioner repairman. But the movie's main asset is its astonishing visual style, one part Monty Python extravaganza and one part sheer cinematic delirium.
Director: J.J. Bigas Luna. With Romane Bohringer, Aitana Snchez Gijn, Didier Bezace, Aldo Maccione. (96 min.)
+++ Often enchanting, always entertaining comedy-drama about a laborer who has an "overnight fling" with a mysterious woman, enthralls his working-class buddies with tales about the experience, and becomes a celebrity through the strength of his hitherto unsuspected storytelling skills. Acted with sparkling enthusiasm by an excellent cast, and directed by Luna with more gentleness and understatement than some of his earlier pictures contain.
+++ Original, interesting plot, should be rated "R."
Sex/Nudity: Seven sexual situations. Violence: Five brief and mild scenes. Profanity: 24 oaths and obscenities. Drugs: 4 scenes with drinking, 8 with smoking.
Director: Randa Haines. With Vanessa L. Williams, Chayanne, Kris Kristofferson. (126 min.)
++1/2 Dancing is supposed to be fun, a teacher reminds an arguing dance team, and the dancing is what's fun in this picture. A young Cuban (Chayanne) comes to the United States as a dance-studio handyman in search of his family. Turns out he dances, too. Intrusive editing sometimes detracts from the musical sequences, and the dramatic scenes tend to drag. But great dancing, upbeat music, and a likable multiethnic cast make it worth watching. By M.K. Terrell
+++ Energetic, romantic, well danced.
Sex/Nudity/Violence: None. Profanity: 1 expression in Spanish. Drugs: 5 instances of drinking.
Director: Mark Christopher. With Mike Myers, Ryan Phillippe, Neve Campbell, Salma Hayek, Sela Ward. (90 min.)
DUD Myers plays the late Steve Rubell, Studio 54's real-life co-owner in the 1970s, who turns an innocent young man, Shane O'Shea (Phillippe), into a desirable young stud. It's been reported that first-time feature director Christopher toned the film down for Miramax, but he watered it down so much that he forgot to include a plot, lively disco music and dancing, or believable characters. And what about the groovy '70s fashion? That's missing too. Contains strong language, heavy drug use, and sex and nudity. By Lisa Leigh Parney
++ Graphic, weak plot, not for kids.
Sex/Nudity: Several scenes of nudity and sex; homosexual undertone. Violence: None. Profanity: Several dozen harsh expressions. Drugs: 65 instances of drugs and alcohol.
Director: William Nicholson. With Sophie Marceau, Stephen Dillane, Kevin Anderson, Lia Williams, Dominique Belcourt, Joss Ackland. (103 min.)
++ Needing money to settle her father's debts, a young woman agrees to bear a child for a wealthy man whose wife is an invalid, then tracks down the little girl years later and takes a job as her governess. The story is compassionate and humane, but many scenes are trite or unbelievable, and the movie is drenched in corny music that detracts from the emotions it's supposed to enhance.
+++ Romantic, Bront-esque, period drama.
Sex/Nudity: 4 brief sex scenes, 2 include partial nudity. Violence: None. Profanity: 9 mild expressions. Drugs: 8 instances of social drinking. .
Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan. With Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King. (125 min.)
++ Vacationing in Jamaica after getting downsized from her executive desk, a 40-year-old woman falls for a 20-year-old man who refuses to be dissuaded by either their age difference or the skepticism of their friends and relatives. Bassett and Diggs are appealing as the slightly odd couple, but the movie rambles on too long and falls back on steamy clichs.
+++ Warm, funny, refreshing.
Sex/Nudity: 2 scenes of nudity, 2 scenes of sex. Violence: None. Profanity: 21 expressions. Drugs: 1 cigar smoker, 1 scene with alcohol, drugs discussed in a hospital.
Director: Arnaud Desplechins. With Emmanuel Salinger, Thibault de Montalembert, Valerie Dreville, Bruno Todeschini. (150 min.)
+++ After a train journey during the height of the cold war, a European student finds a shrunken head inexplicably placed into his luggage and encounters a series of sociopolitical enigmas as he tries to unravel this mystery. Although it loses some of its punch as its secrets are revealed, this 1992 drama placed Desplechins on the cinematic map as a thoughtful French filmmaker whose style is a saVy blend of the cool, the calculated, and the paradoxical.
Director: Robert Bierman. With Richard E. Grant, Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Wadham. (101 min.)
+++ Entertaining adaptation of George Orwell's amusing novel "Keep the Aspidistra Flying," about a young poet who declares war on money and sticks to his guns even when the ugliness of poverty draws uncomfortably near. The filmmaking is smooth and the acting is excellent, but the picture shares the novel's weakness of a flabby final scene.
Director: Brad Anderson. With Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Gelfant, Jos Zuiga, Lyn Vaus, Robert Klein, Victor Argo, Arnie Reisman. (94 min.)
++ A young woman tries to convince herself that contented solitude is preferable to the unenticing men who dog her trail, but can't stop wondering if a really nice guy will ever come her way. The movie gains a few points for its colorfully filmed Boston background and bright bossa-nova music. But it's filmed in a fake-spontaneous style that's as stale and artificial as the relationships between the characters.
+++ Down-to-earth, contemporary, romantic.
Sex/Nudity: 1 scene of implied sex. Violence: None. Profanity: 19 expressions, mostly mild. Drugs: Some social drinking and smoking, the main character drinks and smokes to relieve boredom.
Director: Tamara Jenkins. With Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, David Krumholtz. (91 min.)
+++ The tacky side of the 90210 ZIP Code is spotlighted in this sardonic comedy about a teenage girl coping with adolescent uncertainties plus an eccentric family that can't hold onto the bottom rung of the bourgeoisie. SaVy performances and an unpredictable story make this a memorable debut for filmmaker Jenkins, a newcomer with a promising future.
++1/2 Offbeat, lightweight, humorous.
Sex/Nudity: Four scenes with nudity, one scene of implied sex. Violence: 2 instances of stabbing a man's thigh with a fork. Profanity: 50 somewhat-mild expressions. Drugs: 4 scenes including cigarette smoking, drug overdose, and selling pot.
Director: Gregory Nava. With Larenz Tate, Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, Lela Rochon, Little Richard (120 min.)
++ The story of pop singer, bigamist, and drug abuser Frankie Lymon as seen through the eyes of his three widows. Many of the comic and dramatic scenes are wildly off-kilter, but the doo-wop music packs a nostalgic wallop and Little Richard shows up occasionally to blow the movie wide open.
+ Uninspired, melodramatic, good sound track.
Sex/Nudity: 2 fully nude love scenes, one highly suggestive scene. Violence: 4 scenes of physical fighting. Profanity: 82 expressions. Drugs: 2 hallucinogen scenes, 1 scene of heroin use.
Director: Neil LaBute. With Ben Stiller, Catherine Keener, Aaron Eckhart, Nastassja Kinski, Jason Patric. (100 min.)
++ Six young urbanites turn their personal relationships into a complicated web of friendship, romance, deception, and betrayal, which LaBute appears to believe is normal behavior for the Generation X crowd. The results have a grim fascination, but as with his earlier "In the Company of Men," the movie is a lot nastier than necessary to make its cautionary points.
Sex/Nudity: 13 instances of sex enacted, depicted on stage, fantasized, or explicitly described; also constant talk about sex. Violence: Discussion of homosexual rape and sex used for revenge; man beats violently on locked bathroom door. Profanity: 133 expressions, mostly strong. Drugs: Social drinking; cigarette smoking.
(In stores Sept. 15)
Director: Brad Silberling. With Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, Dennis Franz. (112 min.)
++ In love with a beautiful heart surgeon, an angel decides to "fall" into mortality so he can experience human love.
+++ Life-affirming, thought-provoking, pensive.
Director: Stephen Sommers. With Trent Williams, Famke Janssen, Anthony Heald. (110 min.)
+ Assorted adventurers battle sea monsters in the briny deep.
++ Alien-esque, good sense of humor, scary.
Director: Spike Lee. With Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, John Turturro, Lonette McKee. (128 min.)
+++ A father is offered early release from prison if he can persuade his son, a gifted basketball player, to attend the local college instead of signing with one of the high-powered institutions that are tempting him with offers of money, sex, and sin.
+++ Gritty, lurid, ambitious.
Director: Jonathan Darby. With Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow, Johnathon Schaech, Nina Foch. (98 min.)
+ A woman inflicts unconscionable cruelty on her pregnant daughter-in-law attempting to keep her son on the beautiful Virginia farm.


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LOS ANGELES -- A 7-year-old girl's video spreading awareness about Down Syndrome Awareness Month is inspiring thousands.
According to FoxNews.com, little Sofia, who has Down syndrome, was abandoned at birth and spent the first year of her life at an orphanage in Russia.
Jennifer Sanchez told Fox News her family decided to adopt Sofia in 2010 after their youngest of three sons was born with Down syndrome. Since then, Sofia has become a hit on Instagram, where she shares heartfelt messages about the disorder.
Sofia has a bit more to share about Down syndrome for this wonderful month of awareness! #dsawareness #changingthefaceofbeauty #itsnotscaryatall
The video, which was posted onthe family's Instagram page a week ago, has garnered thousands of views and more than 250 comments.
Jennifer posted their short conversation on Facebook, where it quickly spread.
"Little miss, do you have Down syndrome?" Jennifer asks Sofia in the phone-shot video.
"Yes, I do have Down syndrome," she replies. Sofia explains that Down syndrome is "in your blood," to which her mom responds, "Does it make your blood special?"
"Yeah!" Sofia exclaims.
"Is Down syndrome scary?" Jennifer then asks, and Sofia responds, "No, it's not scary! It's so exciting!"


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October 9, 2012
Tortillas on the Roaster
Higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns could transform the agricultural landscape of Central America, threatening the livelihoods of one million maize and bean...More
May 6, 2012
Branding Agricultural Commodities
Raising the value of commodities can do much to reduce poverty. By using commercial marketing principles and supply-chain innovations, farmers in developing countries can create...More
November 7, 2012
Research›Case Studies
Dried Beans in Ethiopia
This case study focuses on collaborative efforts to link white pea bean farmers in Ethiopia to canning factories and retailers in the U.K. It explores the benefits and risks of...More
November 7, 2012
Research›Case Studies
Certified Cocoa
This case study describes efforts to meet growing industry demand for certified cocoa by rapidly scaling up a network of certified farmers in the cocoa-producing countries of...More
June 7, 2012
Research›Case Studies
Leveraging Municipal Government Support for Agricultural Value Chains in Nicaragua
Until recently, municipal governments in Nicaragua have not considered agricultural development to be part of their institutional mandate. This has made it difficult for small...More
December 9, 2012
Tools for Field Staff›Manuals
Climate Change
Climate change poses threats and opportunities to the rural poor. This guide reviews the evidence of climate change, introduces three strategies for dealing with climate change...More
November 9, 2012
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Reaching High-Value Markets
Accessing high-end markets can be lucrative for farmers. But doing so not only requires specialized skills and technology but also relies on direct market linkages. What can we...More
September 9, 2012
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The Ethical Agent
An ethical agent is ideally a person or team with both development experience and commercial experience. The agent builds relationships with all the actors along the supply chain...More
July 9, 2012
The Faithful House and Uganda's National Campaign
CRS and Maternal Life International/Uganda collaboratively created The Faithful House program (TFH) as a couples-based approach to HIV prevention. TFH is a faith-based, skills-...More
August 3, 2012
Longer-Term Impact of Faithfulness-Focused Curriculum on HIV-Positive Couples From Four Regions in Ethiopia
Catholic Relief Services evaluated a version of the Faithful House curriculum that is tailored to strengthening the relationships of couples living with HIV. This version of the...More


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Why Try?
If you've ever stared at a blank computer screen in frustration over a genealogical brick wall and just typed your most wanted's name in the search bar on Google™, then you know how easy it can be to bring up thousands of results in less than a second.
How to Start
You knew there was going to be this caveat.
Just like fishing, it may take some sacrifices before you land your big catch—like getting up early (or my preference: staying up later), shivering with doubt in the momentary cold, preparing ahead of time by getting decent equipment to use.
How to Spread the Word
How to Dangle That Bait
"Cousin Bait" is the concept of putting information about your ancestors out on the web to attract the attention of other descendants.


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Nozles for Nitro Systems.
If you've had a problem with something you've bought online, you can use the ОРС site to try to reach an out-of-court settlement.
All products, listed on this page are subject to changes. The information on this website can be updated at any time without this being necessarily announced on the website.


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You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Murray Pura earned his Master of Divinity degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and his ThM degree in theology and interdisciplinary studies from Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more than twenty-five years, in addition to his writing, he has pastored churches in Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Alberta. Murray's writings have been shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award, the John Spencer Hill Literary Award, the Paraclete Fiction Award, and Toronto's Kobzar Literary Award. Murray pastors and writes in southern Alberta near the Rocky Mountains. He and his wife Linda have a son and a daughter.
Visit the author's website.
Lovers of Amish fiction will quickly sign on as fans of award-winning author Murray Pura as they keep turning the pages of this exciting new historical romance set in 1917 during America's participation in World War I.
Jude Whetstone and Lyyndaya Kurtz, whose families are converts to the Amish faith, are slowly falling in love. Jude has also fallen in love with flying that new-fangled invention, the aeroplane.
The Amish communities have rejected the telephone and have forbidden motorcar ownership but not yet electricity or aeroplanes.
Though exempt from military service on religious grounds, Jude is manipulated by unscrupulous army officers into enlisting in order to protect several Amish men. No one in the community understands Jude's sudden enlistment and so he is shunned. Lyyndaya's despair deepens at the reports that Jude has been shot down in France. In her grief, she turns to nursing Spanish flu victims in Philadelphia. After many months of caring for stricken soldiers, Lyyndaya is stunned when an emaciated Jude turns up in her ward.
Lyyndaya's joy at receiving Jude back from the dead is quickly diminished when the Amish leadership insist the shunning remain in force. How then can they marry without the blessing of their families? Will happiness elude them forever?
Welcome a powerful new voice to the world of Amish fiction!
List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (February 1, 2012)
Language: English
Lyyndaya Kurtz straightened her back and looked up at the blue and bronze evening sky. It was that strange sound again, like a large swarm of bees at their hive, and it grew louder and louder. She leaned the hoe against the picket fence her father had built around the garden. Her mother, whose hearing was no longer very good, continued to chop at weeds between the rows of radishes and lettuce. She glanced at her daughter as Lyyndaya shielded her eyes from the slowly setting sun.
"Was ist los?" she asked, using Pennsylvania Dutch.
"Can't you hear them, Mama?" Lyyndaya responded. "There are aeroplanes coming."
Her mother stood up, still holding the hoe in her brown hands, and squinted at the sun and sky. "I don't see anything. Is it a small one?"
"No, it's too loud for just one aeroplane. Do you see, Mama?" Lyyndaya pointed. "Coming out of the west. Coming out of the sun."
Now her mother shielded her eyes. "All I am seeing is spots in front of my eyes from looking into the light."
"Look higher. There are—three, four, six—there are half a dozen of them."
The planes were not that far from the ground, Lyyndaya thought, only a thousand feet, not much more. Each with two wings, the top wing longer than the bottom one, each plane painted a yellow that gleamed in the sunlight. As she watched, one of them broke away from the others and dropped toward them. It came so low that the roar of the engine filled the air and children ran from their houses and yards into the dirt road and the hay fields. They were soon followed by their mothers and fathers and older brothers and sisters.
Lyyndaya laughed as the plane flew over their house. A hand waved at her from the plane's open cockpit and she waved back with all her might. "Can you see the plane now, Mama?" she teased.
Her mother had crouched among the heads of lettuce as the plane flashed past. "Ach," she exclaimed with a cross look on her face, "this must be your crazy boy, Jude Whetstone."
"He's coming back!"
The plane had banked to the left over Jacob Miller's wheat field and was heading back over the farmhouses while the other five planes carried on to the east. Its yellow wings dipped lower and lower. Lyyndaya's green eyes widened.
"He's going to land in Papa's field!" she cried. "Where the hay was cut on Monday!"
She lifted the hem of her dress in both hands and began to run. The black kaap that covered her hair at the back, left untied, flew off her head.
"Lyyndaya! This is not seemly!" her mother called after her.
But the young woman had reached the old gray fence around the hay field, gathered the bottom of her navy blue dress in one hand, and climbed over, and with strands of sand-colored hair unraveling from their pins, she was racing over the stubble to where the plane's wheels were just touching the earth. Others were running toward the plane from all directions, jumping the fence if they were spry enough, opening the gate to the field if they were not.
The aeroplane came to a stop in the middle of the field and when the propeller stopped spinning a young man in a brown leather jacket and helmet pushed his goggles from his eyes and jumped from the cockpit to the ground. He was immediately surrounded by the several boys and girls who had outrun the adults in their rush toward the craft. He mussed the hair of two of the boys who came up to him and tugged the pigtail of a red-headed girl.
"Jude!" Lyyndaya exclaimed as she ran up to him, the tan on her face flushed. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello, Lyyndy," the young man smiled, lifting one of the boys up on his shoulders. "The whole flying club went up and I convinced them to come this way to Paradise. I wanted to see you."
"To see me? You fly a plane from Philadelphia just to see me?"
"Why not?"
"But you were coming back on the train in a few days."
"A few days. I couldn't wait that long."
Lyyndaya could feel the heat in her face as neighbors looked on. She saw one or two frown, but most of the men and women smiled. A very tall man in a maroon shirt wearing a straw hat laughed. She dropped her eyes.
"Bishop Zook," she murmured, "how are you?"
"Gute, gute," he responded. "Well, Jude, what is all this? Why has a pigeon dropped out of the sky?"
Bishop Zook was not only tall, at least six-foot-nine, but broad-shouldered and strong. He shook Jude's hand with a grip like rock. The young man pulled his leather helmet off his head so that his dark brown hair tumbled loose. Lyyndaya fought down an overwhelming urge to take Jude and hug him as she had done so many times when they were nine and ten.
"I wanted the children to see the plane, Bishop Zook," said Jude.
"Only the children?"
"Well—" Jude stumbled. "I thought perhaps—I might ask Miss Kurtz—"
"Ah," smiled the bishop. "You want to take her up, as you flying men say?"
"I thought—"
"Are you two courting?"
"You remember what is courting, my boy—you have not been among the English in Philadelphia that long, eh?"
Everyone laughed, and Lyyndaya thought the heat in her face and hands would make her hair and skin catch on fire.
Bishop Zook put an arm like a plank around Jude's slender shoulders. "You know when there is the courting here, we let the boy take the girl home in the buggy after the Sunday singing. You remember that much after a week away?"
"So your horse and buggy are where?" the bishop said.
Jude continued to hunt desperately for his words. "In the barn, but I wanted—" He stopped, his tongue failing him as the whole colony stood watching and listening.
The bishop waited a moment and then walked over and touched the top wing of the plane. He ran his hand over the coated fabric and nodded. "A beautiful buggy. Pulled by horses with wings, eh? How many, Master Whetstone?"
Jude was trying not to look at Lyyndaya for help, but did anyway, and she was making sure she did not look at him or offer any by keeping her eyes on the stubble directly in front of the toes of her boots.
"There are—" Jude stepped away from the crowd pressing in on him and Lyyndaya and turned around to look at the plane behind him as if he were seeing it for the first time—"there are—" He stood utterly still and stared at the engine as if it did not belong there. Then he looked at Bishop Zook's thick black beard and broad face. "Ninety. Ninety horses."
The bishop nodded again and kept running his hand over the wing. "More than enough. There is the problem however—if God had meant us to fly, Master Whetstone, wouldn't he have given us wings, hm?"
He took his hand from the plane and looked at Jude directly. Several of the men and women murmured their agreement with the bishop's question and nodded their heads. Most remained silent, waiting for Jude's answer. Jude stared at the bishop, trying to gauge the look in the tall man's blue eyes. He thought he saw a flash of humor so he went ahead with the answer he had used a hundred times in their own Amish colony as well as in dozens of the ones around it.
"Bishop Zook," he responded, "if God had meant us to ride a buggy he would have given us wheels and four legs."
"Ah ha!" shouted the bishop, slapping his huge hand against his leg and making most of the people jump, including Lyyndaya. "You have it, Master Whetstone, you have it." He clapped his hands lightly in appreciation and a smattering of relieved laughter came from the small crowd. "So now take me up."
"As bishop, I must make sure it is safe for Miss Kurtz, ja? After all, who has ever had such a horse and buggy in our colony, eh?" He gave his hat to one of the men and climbed into the front of the two cockpits.
"I only have a little time before I must head back to Philadelphia—" Jude began, again glancing at Lyyndaya for help, who had gone so far as to raise her gaze to stare fixedly at the bishop and the plane, but still refused to make eye contact with the young man.
"Five minutes," said the bishop with a gleam in his eye. "That is all I ask. I am not the one you are courting, eh?"
The people laughed again. The thought passed through Jude's head that the bishop was enjoying a lot of laughter at his expense. Then he shrugged and climbed into the rear cockpit. He saw his father in the crowd and gestured with his hand.
"Papa, will you give the propeller a turn?" he asked.
"Of course, my boy."
As Jude's father, a tall, slender man with a short beard and warm brown eyes, walked toward the plane, Bishop Zook leaned his head back and asked, "Now, before the engine noise, tell me, what is the name of this aeroplane and where do they make such things?"
Jude handed the bishop a leather helmet and goggles. "It's a Curtiss JN-4, the Jenny, and they're usually made in Buffalo, New York. But our flying club outside of Philadelphia was able to purchase these at a very good price from our Canadian friends just across the border. They are built there by Curtiss's Canadian associate, the Canadian Aeroplane Company, so we call them the Canuck."
"But they are the same as the New York ones?"
"Almost. They have one great advantage. I use a stick, a joystick, to control the aeroplane in these. The old American ones have a wheel that is not as good."
"Why don't we put the stick in ours then?"
"We will. The next model has the stick, the JN-4D. But they have only brought it out this month. There are not enough of them. Besides, it's 1917 and they are all going to the army. Civilian clubs will not be able to purchase them while the war is on."
Jude's father, in his brown summer shirt and straw hat, was standing in front of the plane and smiling. Jude played with a switch on the control panel in his cockpit. Then he pulled down his goggles and smiled back at his father and made a circle in the air with his hand. His father nodded, put both hands on the top blade of the wooden propeller, and swung it downward. The engine coughed twice and roared. His father's hat went spinning into the sky with the prop wash.
"Contact," Jude said loudly. "Please buckle on your harness, Bishop Zook."
"Ah. So we truly do have something in common with the horses."
Jude's father had caught up with his hat. He looked back at his son and pointed east. Jude turned the plane in that direction.
"What is your father telling us?" shouted Bishop Zook.
"The direction the wind or breeze is coming from. We take off into the wind."
"It gives us lift to help get the aeroplane off the ground."
The craft moved ahead, slowly bouncing over the field, then gathering speed and rising into the air. Jude took it to a thousand feet and made sure he flew over the entire town of Paradise and especially the bishop's dairy farm on the west end. The sun was still an hour or two over the horizon and covered the plane in light. The bishop began to laugh and slapped one of his hands against the side of the Jenny.
"Too beautiful, too beautiful," Jude heard him call out. "Mein Gott, what a gift you have given the birds, such a gift, such a world."
When they landed again and the propeller had spun down to a stop, Bishop Zook climbed out, pumped Jude's hand like an excited boy, and then beckoned to Lyyndaya.
"Come, come, my dear," he smiled, "your buggy awaits."
Feeling every eye on her, the skin of her face burning, she stepped up to the plane and the bishop helped her into the front cockpit. She used one hand to manage her dress and the other to grab onto parts of the plane. When she was finally in her seat, the bishop gave her the helmet and goggles and showed her how to tighten the buckles of the shoulder harnesses. Then he walked to the front of the plane and bent his head at Jude's father.
"May I?"
Jude's father stood back from the propeller. "Of course."
"I just pull it downward?"
"Ja, just a sharp tug and then let it go. Do not hold on."
"Yes, yes, all right—when?"
"My son will tell you."
Lyyndaya sat in her cockpit feeling an odd mixture of embarrassment, excitement, and fear. Suddenly Jude's hand squeezed her left shoulder from behind.
"You will be all right, Lyyndy Lyyndy Lou," he said.
She could not turn all the way around to see him, but she knew he would be smiling just as his use of the childhood nickname had made her smile as well. Now, ten years later, without having had a chance to discuss it between themselves, the plane ride had become a buggy ride and they were courting, thanks to Bishop Zook. Well, it would give them something to talk about besides the weather and the crops when he came back to Lancaster County from Philadelphia in a few days.
She could not see what Jude was doing, but the bishop all of a sudden nodded, swung down on the propeller with his enormous hands and arms, and the engine burst into life. They began to roll across the ground faster than she had ever traveled in anything before, faster than galloping her mare, Anna, bareback. She felt her heart hammering and her mouth go dry.
"Hang on!" shouted Jude.
The wind was rushing against her face and body. The earth streamed past brown and green. The sky was a streak of blue and silver. Then the plane lifted into the air and her stomach seemed to turn inside out and upside down. She looked down and the men and women and children were like dolls and the wagons like toys and the houses like tiny boxes. Suddenly the plane banked to the right and she felt herself falling out of her seat. The leather flying helmet, unfastened, was torn from her head, her hair exploded in the rush of air, and as her arms dropped over the side into empty space she could not stop herself and started to scream.
My Review: This is an Amish romance story, and nothing like any you have ever read before! The story is set beginning in 1917 and includes WWI and the Spanish Flu epidemic.
Lyyndaya Kurtz's family and the fellow she has eyes for Jude Whetstone's family are both converts to the Lapp Amish...very unusual. Again another unusual feature is Jude flying aeroplanes! When it is discovered what a great pilot he is, I can't stand what happens! I want to believe that these things happen in another Country, but not here...how naieve I am.
With this horrible War, and the Amish speaking German, and now a flu epidemic. You will wonder who is going to survive, never mind make a love match.
A great and unusual read. Do not miss this one!! It is a one of a kind!
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A few years ago, in a Washington D.C. area iHop, I had an extremely disgusting experience.
Well, it was actually my dad who had the disgusting experience--I was just with him--but what he encountered affected me a great deal to this very day.
While waiting for our breakfast, Dad took a sip of his orange juice and made a face that indicated something was very wrong. He then said to me, "The glass tastes like an egg," and he found a dried yellow substance on it, probably an egg yolk, which made both of us gag.
And since then, I always do a glass and silverware inspection before I go into an iHop or diner, and I'll also do the same at restaurants on occasion, because you never really know how well an establishment is cleaned.
According to the CDC, one in six Americans become sick from foodborne illnesses, 128,000 needs to be hospitalized and 3,000 people lose their lives. The government agency also says about 36% of documented outbreaks are because restaurants are handling foods improperly.
A ways back, a national news show did a segment on the top-ten fast-food places that had the dirtiest locations, which were caused by cooks and cashiers handling foods with bare or dirty hands or employees being sick and coughing or sneezing around food, and these were just some of the troubling things the news team found.
The top-ten fast-food places that had the dirtiest restaurants were, Burger King at No. 1, then Arby's, Wendy's, Hardees, Dairy Queen, Jack in the Box, Subway, KFC, McDonald's and Taco Bell, which means you may want to do an extra eye check when going to these places to determine if everything is cleaned properly, namely the trays, tables, floors and the bathroom, and if you see something you should definitely say something to one of the workers, experts say.
Speak up
And although most would probably assume that everyone would speak to a restaurant owner or manager when seeing a potential health violation, apparently, the opposite is true.
According to a study conducted by Harris Interactive and released by Tork, a company which offers a host of cleaning products and services, 25% of consumers said they wouldn't notify a restaurant worker if they noticed something was dirty or unkempt.
And out of the 75% of people in the U.S. who said they would complain, many of them admitted they would only be somewhat likely to speak up, and not definitely, which not only lets a restaurant off the hook for its uncleanliness, but it also forces other guests to encounter unsanitary conditions, which will probably continue unless the restaurant is held accountable.
In another Harris survey it was found that 27% of consumers don't like it when restaurant workers use cloths to clean tables as opposed to single-use sanitary napkins, while 46% said it didn't matter how tables were cleaned as long as they were cleaned properly.
Donna Duberg, who's an expert on foodborne illnesses caused by restaurants and also an assistant professor at St. Louis University, agrees with the survey results and says waiters or busboys using reusable rags to clean tables should be the first sign that an establishment may not be paying attention to the necessary details when it comes to being clean and diminishing the risk of getting people sick.
"Public hygiene, specifically in areas where consumers eat, is top-of-mind with the American public and restaurant owners stand to lose a lot if they aren't paying attention to what is important to their customers," she said in a published interview.
"A simple change in practice, such as using single-use, nonwoven food service wipers to clean eating and cooking surfaces, can create a healthier work environment and a more positive consumer experience."
Pay attention
Other experts say consumers should pay attention to a restaurant's bathroom to determine how well it's keeping the kitchen, tables and silverware cleaned, and if a restroom happens to be messy and wet, it should definitely raise some concerns.
"There are restaurants where the washrooms are always clean; they always smell good and there is never water on the floor," said Tom Bianco, the CEO of Centripetal Management, a restaurant consulting firm in Atlanta, Ga.
"If a restaurant takes that kind of pride in the hygiene of their washrooms, it is a good indication that they are going to take that kind of pride in the food and in the quality of the product," he said.
"If a customer goes into a restaurant where the washrooms are disgusting, that customer tends to view those washrooms as an indicator of how things are run. If the operator isn't willing to take the time to clean the bathrooms, customers will wonder what else the operator is slacking on."
And it's not only bathrooms that restaurant patrons should be worried about. Many experts say restaurant ice machines can be filled with loads of bacteria and in some cases researchers have found the same amount of bacteria in ice cubes that happens to be in toilet water.
In May of 2012, an Indiana news team visited a total of 18 restaurants in the local area and asked for cups of ice that were then given to a scientific lab for testing. The restaurants tested were a combination of fancy eateries, diners, casino restaurants and fast-food places and among the 18 places visited, a number of them had ice cubes and cups that contained E.coli and other bacteria.
Dr. Rebecca Wong, a microbiologist who tested the cups of ice, says a common way for ice cubes to become contaminated is from employees using the bathroom, not washing their hands and dipping those hands into the ice machine to prepare drinks.
"You have this stuff swimming in your cup and it's not supposed to be there," she said. "These restaurants should definitely take some action to find out where this contamination is coming from."
But obviously, not all places do, so consumers should use their eyes and ears to determine if there are any violations being committed and also visit government websites that can give you a restaurant's history when it comes to cleanliness or receiving health violations.
The address of these types of sites differ from state to state, so it's best to do a Google search to find the specific websites for your area, and most of all, if you see something that looks a little off, report it, as it's one of your many duties as a consumer, because we all need to share information to keep each other safe and healthy.


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Buffered C Crystals - 4oz
by Natures Life
- Our Price:
- $9.99
- Subscribe and Save:
- $6.93ea.
- Description:
- More Details
|Ingredients: Amount per serving: % Daily Value: +
Vitamin C (Non-Acidic) (as Calcium Ascorbate) 3,600 mg 6,000%
Calcium (from Calcium Ascorbate) 423 mg 42%
Other Ingredients:
Vitamin C is an essential,
water-soluble vitamin that is a powerful antioxidant, as well as a
metabolic co-factor in many body processes. Vitamin C first gained fame
for the prevention of scurvy,*1 the oldest known nutritional deficiency
disease; ascorbic acid, another name for vitamin C, literally means
"without scurvy."
Against Free Radicals
As an
antioxidant, vitamin C protects the water-based areas of the body, such
as the blood, lymph fluid, and the areas within and between the cells,
from free-radical damage.*2 Free radicals are highly reactive compounds
formed by radiation; found in air pollution, ozone, and cigarette smoke;
consumed in rancid fats; and produced during certain normal body
processes. Peroxides and superoxides are examples of free radicals
frequently present in the body. If left unchecked, free radicals damage
cell membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids (which comprise the genetic
code within each cell).3
antioxidant capability of vitamin C is impressive, and antioxidant
experts note that vitamin C is "...probably the most effective, least
toxic antioxidant identified in mammalian systems."*4 Vitamin C also
supports the body's antioxidant defenses by recycling the vitamin E
radical (produced when vitamin E neutralizes free radicals) back to its
functional form.*5
major role of vitamin C is the formation and manufacture of collagen.*6
Collagen, a protein that forms the basis of connective tissue, acts as a
cementing substance between cells and is found in bones, tendons,
muscles, skin, gums, joints, and other tissues.
Vitamin C
helps support the immune system.*7 Vitamin C also helps increase the
body's resistance to damaging invasions of bacteria and viruses.*8, 9
Larger doses (i.e., 1 to 8 grams/day) taken early during an
"invasion" of bacteria or viruses supports immune function even more
during these times of greater stress.10
A combination of antioxidant vitamin C and bioflavonoids also
helps reduce the damaging affects of trama.*11
Life Bioflavonoid Complex concentrate contains 50% active flavonoids—the
highest concentration sold. Dietary supplement labels from other
companies can be misleading as to the quantity of active flavonoids,
since some appear to contain 100% active flavonoids, when in reality
they may contain as little as 5%. Nature's Life products contain
unadulterated Testlabs® 50% active true bioflavonoids.
What's the Best Amount?
it only takes about 10 mg of vitamin C each day to keep scurvy at bay,*
many doctors believe that much more than this amount is necessary to
ensure good health.31 The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for
vitamin C is:
animals do not require a dietary source of vitamin C, since they can
manufacture this vitamin in their bodies. Humans are an exception—(we
are one of only a handful of mammals that cannot produce our own vitamin
C) and consequently we are dependent on a daily dietary source of this
vitamin. Using data from animal studies, an average-size adult would
need to consume 1.75 to 3.5 grams of vitamin C daily to equal the amount
produced by many other animals.33
In order
to clarify the requirement for vitamin C, one research study examined
vitamin C absorption and excretion in a group of healthy, adult men.34
Daily intake of 200 mg was required to reach 100% bioavailability.
Vitamin C at the highest intake level tested (2,500 mg) caused no
adverse effects. On the other hand, even a marginal deficiency of
vitamin C resulted in feelings of fatigue and irritability in the
Alliance for Aging Research, a national health organization comprised of
leading scientific researchers, also recommends a vitamin C intake
significantly higher than the RDA. This organization suggests vitamin C
intake to range from 250 to 1,000 mg.35 Because vitamin C is
water-soluble, it is not stored in the body for long-term use.
Consequently, taking vitamin C several times throughout the day (as
opposed to only once) should enhance the body's access to this
vitamin. Sustained release forms of vitamin C supplements may also
enhance the body's access to vitamin C.36 Vitamin C is found in a wide
variety of fruits and vegetables. However, even popular food sources of
vitamin C (such as an orange or a serving of strawberries) only provide
about 60 mg (the RDA) of this vitamin.
Different Forms of Vitamin
Vitamin C is a well absorbed nutrient—80%-90% of the vitamin C from foods is absorbed.37 Dietary supplements of vitamin C are also well absorbed and tolerated by the body.37
forms of vitamin C, such as the calcium ascorbate provided in several
Nature's Life formulas, reduce the acidity of vitamin C, which lessens
the potential for stomach upset.
One form
of vitamin C not used by Nature's Life are "esterfied" mineral
ascorbates, because these forms have not been shown to have an advantage
in peer-reviewed human studies that would justify their increased cost.
A recent double-blind study compared the bioavailability of regular
vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin C with bioflavonoids, and Ester-C®.†38
The ascorbic acid and ascorbic acid with bioflavonoids were found to be
equal to or superior to the Ester-C®† form of vitamin C.38
A common
myth is that hypoallergenic vitamin C supplements are "special." In
actuality, all vitamin C is hypoallergenic, because allergies to vitamin
C do not exist. Vitamin C is manufactured from any starchy food such as
corn, potatoes, rice or sugar beets. No manufacturer tracks the source
of vitamin C from the food to finished ascorbic acid—because there is
no difference in the final product. Regardless of the original food
source, the ascorbic acid vitamin C used in most dietary supplements is
purified, meaning that no traces of the food source will remain in the
final product. (Note: allergies do exist to many foods rich in vitamin C
and bioflavonoids such as oranges or grapefruit.)
Confirmation of Safety
Vitamin C
intake of ten to one hundred times the RDA of 60 mg are very common in
the United States and is not generally associated with adverse
effects.39 Several reviews of vitamin safety report that even prolonged,
high intakes of vitamin C are generally without adverse effects.40
Although rare, the most likely adverse effect reported for high vitamin
C intake (several grams daily) is gastrointestinal upset, such as
nausea, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.41
scurvy," in which the cessation of high vitamin C intake prompts
scurvy symptoms has been theorized to exist. However, a detailed review
of the published evidence suggests that there is not a factual basis for
this hypothetical phenomenon.41
Nature's Life Vitamin C
Vitamin C
is essential to sustain life and maintain a healthy body. This
antioxidant nutrient also neutralizes free radicals to delay or prevent
damage to cells. Nature's Life provides high quality vitamin C
products in several forms — something for everyone!


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As the title says, I got to play all of the new instances this weekend, and I must say....FUCK YEAH.
This is what I like in an instance. They don't take forever. I think I did all three in succession in about the same ammount of time to clear a troll instance. There are legit upgrades in them. I finally got some epic shoulders on my Warrior, which was all that was holding me back from getting Cataclysmically epic. There is an interesting story. It was pretty awesome to fight alongside Illidan and see some of those lore figures.
Auction House news....Holy crap I am selling a lot of gems and enchants. The new instances means more upgrades which means more people buying consumables. I made 50k on both Saturday and Sunday. The only problem, as Illidan would put it was, I WAS NOT PREPARED!!!! Red gems have been selling between 300-500 gold and I have had to buy stacks of ore for 150 plus a stack. What a pain in my ass.
The third big thing for the weekend was the Darkmoon Faire. We went right after it opened on midnight and did all of the dailies before the reset. I must say that I liked this...alot. The dailies are short and fun circus games. No problems. I LOVED the profession quests. Really a great opportunity to get 5 points in your profession if they are not maxed out yet.
The only daily that really annoyed me was the cannon. Mostly because of the fact that I had to run back to the cannon every time. Pro-tip. There is a gnome wearing green next to the water. He will teleport you back for 30 silver. Facepalm.
I have yet to pick up any of the random Darkmoon Faire quest items that you can turn in for rep and tickets. The cheapest ones on the AH are sitting at 1500 gold each. I do not want to pay that much.
My wife was on a pet kick this weekend as she is trying to get to 150 (think she made it to 146). She got the Clockwork bot form the Gnome guy (no idea why she did not have it already), the Black Tabby Cat (I footed half of the bill which was much too expensive), and a friend bought her Lil KT. She got the Fox kit after a few hours of farming (and skinning the mobs). This is her new favorite pet I think. Then we did the quest chain that leads up to ZG to get the little raptor pet. We killed the first boss and then moved on to Mandokir where we killed him in one shot and got the pet. Then we killed the Archaeology boss and kept moving forward. On the way there, my wife died several times in the spouting tiki faces. Much hilarity ensued.
We had a wipe on the whirlwinding mobs inside the temple and went back. We almost wiped once again. The only two remaining were our Rogue and my wife on her Boomkin. She books it for the exit. Rogue dies and the chase is on. She get thru the fire spouts without dying, and about 5 minutes runs out of the instance. We were cracking up the entire time. Unfortunately for our group, I was the only one who got to see it as we were sitting next to each other.
All in all, a great weekend of fun with my wife and friends.