text:
Searching for the Next Art-World Star
As Art Basel Miami opens next week, here are five artists that the establishment is betting on
Every fall, collector Ella Cisneros heads into a vast warehouse in Miami to take stock of her 2,500-piece collection of contemporary art. Invariably, a few pieces she unwraps draw a blank. "I'll pull something out and think, 'Who is this guy? I bought that?,'" she says.
A similar sizing-up will occur—on a convention-center scale—next week as thousands of international collectors weave through the art-filled booths of Art Basel Miami Beach, the nation's pre-eminent fair for new art. The search, as ever, is to find artists with staying power.
After several years of roller coaster price swings, contemporary art is once again setting the pace for the entire global marketplace, at least at the high end. Earlier this month in New York, auction houses scored some of their biggest sale totals ever by offering up contemporary artworks, defined as anything created after 1945. Christie's broke records for several living artists like Jeff Koons, whose 1995-2004 sculpture, "Tulips," sold for $33.6 million. (A decade ago, his works rarely topped $2 million.)
Other contemporary artists are suddenly looking like safe bets as well. In the late 1980s, the going rate for a frenetic portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat was around $110,000. On Nov. 14, Christie's sold his 1981 untitled self-portrait for a record $26.4 million. Prices for many of Christopher Wool's conceptual abstracts have also increased sevenfold over the past decade, according to Artprice , a French auction database.
And yet contemporary art remains a minefield for collectors because the category also sweeps thousands of lesser-known living artists who haven't yet secured a lasting spot in art history. Their works rarely trade above $1 million. Wagering on the crossover potential of these artists has also become a speculative sport among the world's wealthy, so navigating this arena now requires a nimble understanding of the market's machinery as much as any artistic merits.
Those angling to invest in new art must be willing to keep tabs on hundreds of mom-and-pop-style galleries run by impresario dealers who are continually introducing new work by artists. Those same dealers generally prefer to offer their likeliest hits to museums or tastemaker collectors. (Fair director Marc Spiegler says many galleries typically owe their solvency to the largess of a half-dozen regular patrons.) Anyone hoping to cash in on a younger artist's climb must also be willing to collect early, experimental pieces that might not pan out—or else wait to pay a premium for those who found fame.
"I either buy them early or not at all," says London collector Tiqui Atencio.
Longtime collectors like Ms. Cisneros may still cringe at the notion of buying art purely for investment. But even she concedes she occasionally unloads works that no longer hold up. "Sometimes I make mistakes," she says.
If anything, the mood since the recession has only grown more circumspect—especially for buyers trying to keep step with artists whose asking prices are climbing quickly, says art adviser Clayton Press. "At some point, they all ask the question: Will this piece hold its value?" Mr. Press says. "And we already know the answer—we don't know."
The odds are even more perilous for younger artists. To succeed, they must stand out in a crowded marketplace and secure a gallery that won't close shop with the next downturn. They also need to win over enough curators and collectors and, over time, keep their expanding studios afloat. Since the auction market rewards artists with easily recognizable styles, newcomers may also be asked to produce a steady stream of signature artworks that somehow can't appear repetitious—a tough assignment at any age, says art adviser Beverly Schreiber Jacoby.
As in the worlds of music or fashion, artists breaking into the market now must weather an art scene that churns through favorites quickly. Plenty of artists who peppered auction catalogs before the recession—like painter Martin Eder—haven't been spotted in major sales lately. Mr. Eder's dealer Marc Payot says, "The market has not been great for him lately but it doesn't really matter in the long run—he's still painting." Prices for other former heavyweights like Damien Hirst are still off a third from their 2008 prices, according to auction database Artnet.
Even with all that, there are new artists just now coming into their own. Six years ago, Los Angeles artist Sterling Ruby, 40 years old, was making $35,000 a year. Now, he's watching his spray-painted works sell for over $600,000 apiece at auction. Prices for 37-year-old Elliott Hundley's elaborate collages of Greek myths have also tripled in the past couple of years. Sculptor Thomas Houseago's biggest admirer? Christie's owner François Pinault, who just paid London gallery Hauser & Wirth $725,000 for the 40-year-old's artist's 18-foot bronze, "Striding Figure II (Ghost)."
Will these artists wind up in art-history books? It's too soon to tell, but the art world is clearly campaigning on their behalf. Here's a closer look at five U.S.-based artists that collectors think will endure—and why.
The Next Art Stars: Five to Watch
Sterling Ruby
40, lives in Los Angeles
KNOWN FOR: Gestures of apocalyptic angst. Mr. Ruby is a pro at toggling several gritty series of artworks that collectively chronicle what he calls his "generation's unrest"—from lunar-like ceramic bowls that evoke ancient dig sites to drippy fang-toothed "Vampire" sculptures to neon graffiti-style paintings. At a time when some art schools still preach cerebral conceptualism, Mr. Ruby's eagerness to get messy makes him look like a maverick. When it comes to coveted artists, London collector Tiqui Atencio says this artist is "first on everyone's list."
PRICE RISE: Four years ago, auction houses were asking up to $45,000 apiece for his new spray-painted canvases. On Nov. 15, Phillips de Pury got $626,500 for a 2008 example in black-and-yellow, "SP 17." Mr. Ruby's new gallery Hauser & Wirth said prices still start around $35,000 for his ceramics and paintings sell for up to $450,000.
BACK STORY: Growing up as the only boy in his rural Pennsylvania calligraphy class, Mr. Ruby said he revered punk music but decided to pursue a life in art after seeing video-art pioneer Bruce Nauman's 1995 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. In less than a decade, Mr. Ruby had his art degree from the Art Institute of Chicago and moved to Los Angeles, where he reveled in the city's "schizophrenic" energy and worked as a teaching assistant for artist Mike Kelley. By the time his own art started selling, Mr. Ruby said he had amassed $280,000 in art-school loans. His first sale: A sculpture that cost him $700 to make but only sold for $500.
BIG BREAK: In 2006, Miami collectors Don and Mera Rubell displayed several of his pieces in their warehouse museum during Art Basel Miami Beach. A year later, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles gave Mr. Ruby his first museum solo show, "Supermax." His Berlin gallery, Spruth Magers, sold several pieces from that exhibit to British advertising executive Charles Saatchi, who subsequently auctioned them off at a profit.
BIG BUYERS: Former agent Michael Ovitz and Miami collector Rosa de la Cruz
SIGN OF ARRIVAL: Remember Mr. Ruby's first sale—the $500 sculpture? A few years ago, the work's owner wanted to put the piece up for auction, but the artist bought it back instead for $40,000. "I lost money on it twice," he joked.
Wade Guyton
40, lives in New York
KNOWN FOR: Turning his oversize inkjet printer into a paintbrush. Andy Warhol's Pop silk-screen techniques seem like last year's iPod compared with Mr. Guyton's high-tech Epson Stylus Pro 9600, an oversize printer he uses to create huge images of letters (especially "X" and "U") and workaday designs like circles and flames. But like Warhol, Mr. Guyton capitalizes on his printer's occasional rattles to turn his shapes shifty.
PRICE RISE: In 2005, collectors could get one of his "U" panels for $4,000 apiece, but his prices ticked up to $15,000 apiece a year later when he signed with the Petzel gallery. Since then, Mr. Guyton's prices have notched upward to more than $200,000 for single panels. This year, his prices at auction began to spike: In May, Sotheby's got $542,500 for an untitled "X" panel from 2007. Earlier this month, the house sold another version for $782,500, a record price for the artist.
BACK STORY: Born in Hammond, Ind., Mr. Guyton studied at Hunter College in New York and worked as a guard at the Dia:Chelsea nonprofit art space before he and his artist friend Kelley Walker began toying around with fresh ways to make art from flatbed scanners. Since then, Mr. Guyton has managed to pull off a rare, two-pronged career: He makes spare, graphically driven works under his own billing but collaborates with Mr. Walker on wildly colorful installations that are shown and sold as a team called Guyton/Walker.
BIG BREAK: In March 2005, MoMA PS1 director Klaus Biesenbach included Mr. Guyton's inkjet panels in a room with fellow newcomers Seth Price and Josh Smith—igniting three careers all at once. The following spring, European curators Daniel Birnbaum and Hans Ulrich Obrist vouched for Mr. Guyton's potential as well, including Guyton/Walker's brightly colored stacks of paint cans in their "Uncertain States of America" survey at Oslo's Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art.
BIG BUYER: Cincinnati collector Andy Stillpass
GAME CHANGER: One reason why Mr. Guyton's auction prices are soaring this season? In October, the Whitney Museum of American Art gave the artist his first major retrospective, which was hailed by critics but also wowed collectors like Marty Margulies, who said, "Before, I thought his art was pleasant, but I didn't pay it much attention. But after seeing the Whitney show, I think there's good merit to it. It clarified things for me."
SIGN OF ARRIVAL: In April, Mr. Guyton's art will be displayed alongside examples by Jeff Koons in curator Sir Norman Rosenthal's "Empire State" show at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome. "Both artists are excited," said Friedrich Petzel, Mr. Guyton's dealer.
Thomas Houseago
40, lives in Los Angeles
KNOWN FOR: Shamanistic sculptures. A century after Auguste Rodin caused a stir with his polished "Thinker," Mr. Houseago (pronounced HOWZ-a-go) is hailed for reviving the current interest in big, figurative sculpture—thanks to his own giant figures whose exposed, iron-rebar rib cages look half-finished yet potent. He also makes small bronze masks and linebacker-size figures covered in charcoal sketches.
PRICE RISE: Last year, $1 million worth of Mr. Houseago's art sold at auction—more than the auction turnover for Olafur Eliasson, Kehinde Wiley and Keith Tyson combined, according to Artprice. But don't look to the auctions to assess the upper reaches of the artist's market because he tops out at auction with a $246,705 "Figure II" from 2008. Privately, his gallery, Hauser & Wirth, gets $85,000 for the artist's new masks, $350,000 for his life-size figures and closer to $750,000 for his largest bronzes.
BACK STORY: Growing up in the northern British city of Leeds, Mr. Houseago said, he pored over his father's books on the Middle Ages and revered Pablo Picasso after seeing an exhibit during a rare visit to London with his mother, a teacher. But he equally credits pop-culture imagery—from Darth Vader to children's Claymation shows—with sparking his interest in sculptures of hulking, malleable figures. While studying at St. Martin's School of Art in London in the mid-1990s, he said, "I used to get a lot of negativity" for sculpting with clay. "People thought classical ideas like that were disappearing." He settled in Los Angeles a decade ago and recently became a U.S. citizen.
BIG BREAK: Curator Francesco Bonami invited Mr. Houseago to show in the 2010 Whitney Biennial, a proving ground for emerging artists. Mr. Houseago's contribution, "Baby," is a chalky, squatting figure—its right side formed with bulky, casting plaster and its left constructed with a thin plaster board. The contrast proved a hit with Christie's owner François Pinault: Mr. Houseago said the collector invited him to lunch the day after the biennial opening and commissioned a piece for his own museum in Venice, Palazzo Grassi. That 2011 bronze is titled, "Man in a Hurry."
BIG BUYERS: Steven Cohen, Eli Broad, Shanghai nightclub owner Qiao Zhibin
SIGN OF ARRIVAL: Five years ago, Mr. Houseago said, he "still needed a day job." Today, his studio in East Los Angeles is 25,000 square feet.
Elliott Hundley
37, lives in Los Angeles
KNOWN FOR: Billboard-size collages. The scrapbook-loving Victorians would likely hail Mr. Hundley as their BunkaCraft hero because this artist pins everything from animal jaws to tapestry fragments to stamp-size photographs onto his wall-size tableaux—many of which also recount snippets from Greek tragedies like Euripides's "The Bacchae." This artist also fashions delicate, scraggly sculptures from tree branches, netting and hanging lanterns.
PRICE RISE: Dealer Shaun Regen says the artist's small photographs and character studies sell for as little as $1,500 apiece, but prices for his fridge-sized canvases have ticked to $85,000, up from $25,000 two years ago. Want a signature billboard-sized work? Asking prices start at $150,000, triple the going rate two years ago.
BACK STORY: Growing up the son of a rock musician in Greensboro, N.C., Mr. Hundley had his own artistic epiphany when he moved to Rome at age 20 and saw the "sheer amount of information, history and time embedded in a single building's facade." He subsequently fell hard for Swedish artist Öjvind Fahlström's more-is-more drawings and wound up experimenting with his own way of telling what he calls "epic, unraveling depictions of classical literature."
BIG BREAK: In 2006, a year after the artist graduated from art school, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles devoted its project space to Mr. Hundley's works, including an oversize collage made from cutup magazines and wooden sticks called "Proscenium." A month later, London collector Charles Saatchi put his own Hundley works into his own survey of American art at the Royal Academy of Arts. Within five years, Mr. Hundley had landed a solo show at the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University.
BIG BUYERS: Eli Broad, Peter Brant and Dallas shopping mall magnate Nancy Nasher
SIGN OF ARRIVAL: Two years ago, Jeff Koons curated works from the private collection of Greek billionaire Dakis Joannou for a show at the New Museum. Among the works he chose was Mr. Hundley's 2007 sculpture "Garland."
Tauba Auerbach
31, lives in New York
KNOWN FOR: Elegant trompe l'oeil. Ms. Auerbach makes art that tries to straddle two dimensions—a pop-up book that's flat until it opens into springy sculpture, a chalky canvas that seems crumpled from afar but is actually stretched tight.
PRICE RISE: Her first major gallery, the former Deitch Projects, used to ask $8,000 and up for Ms. Auerbach's works. But two years ago, Phillips de Pury ushered Ms. Auerbach into the auction arena with a 2004 work that sold for $17,500. Since then, at least 28 other collectors have put her pieces up for bid—and nearly all reaped a profit. This year alone, Phillips pushed her top auction price from $85,500 in March to $150,775 in June to $290,500 on Nov. 15.
BACK STORY: Growing up in San Francisco as the daughter of designers, Ms. Auerbach has long toyed with typography—she has invented her own fonts and given origami-worthy calendars as gifts. Assistant curator Joseph Becker at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art said she also applies the rigor of a "scientific tinkerer" to her "Fold" paintings, which she creates by wrinkling a canvas, splaying it flat again and then painting its surface with industrial sprayers to highlight any creases. "The first time I saw one, I was hooked," Mr. Becker said.
BIG BREAK: Ms. Auerbach began winning fans while she was still studying at Stanford but her real breakthrough came when New Museum director Lisa Phillips included two of her works in the museum's 2009 survey of emerging artists, "The Generational: Younger Than Jesus."
BIG BUYERS: Rosa de la Cruz, Dakis Joannou
SIGN OF ARRIVAL: Ms. Auerbach tackled her largest surface yet when she covered an entire room at SFMoMA with 80,000 black-and-white tiles. The piece, "50/50 Floor," will be on view as part of a group show, "Field Conditions," through Jan. 6.
Write to Kelly Crow at email@example.com


text:
Advertisement | Advertise Here
BUTLER TWP — The man behind the wheel of a Ford pickup truck that crashed into a guard rail on Route 422 walked away from the scene unharmed, firefighters said.
The truck, driving westbound near the North Duffy Road overpass around 6 p.m., ended up on its side and on top of a guard rail.
The Butler Township Station 3 and Mercer Road fire departments were dispatched to the scene, but arrived to find the driver had managed to get out of the vehicle without assistance and was OK.
Traffic on the road was restricted for about an hour while the vehicle was towed and the scene cleared of debris.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Meet 'This Is Queer' (aka Enio Chiola)
The label 'independent' gets thrown around shamelessly in discussing film or music, but it doesn't really get any more independent than Enio Chiola, performing now as This is Queer. His music-making is a one-man labor of love that has morphed over the years -- a home-brewed mastery that has manifest in multiple genres. His strokes, whether guitar-based or electronic, seamlessly capture both fragility and angst.
I stumbled upon his music circa 2003. Finding his openly gay folk/pop album, "Yellowbrick," was no slight thrill for me because he brought a queer voice to the sort of music that spoke to me. Not being one to adore the divas of the day (unless you count Tori Amos), Enio filled a sort of void between my nascent sexual identity and my musical preferences. "Yellowbrick" had lament, but it also had sass. Now, in 2017, '90s nostalgia is alive and well with his new self-titled release ("This Is Queer"), which utilizes the era's beloved alternative rock sound to convey the conflicted emotions defining amorous pursuits.
When I discovered he had a new one, I asked him to take a few minutes to reflect on where he is at now.
Back to his roots
EDGE: You have been writing and recording music for quite some time. What would you say has evolved and what has remained consistent at this point?
This is Queer: This last album was like a 'back to my roots of songwriting' when I used to just pick up a guitar and write songs. It was very stream of consciousness. With the last few albums I did -- 'Panic' and 'Immolate' -- that were more electronic, I experimented with different kinds of songwriting. I would write and record and change sounds and lyrics as I would go; but this new album I made a very conscious decision to be quick and not think too much about what I was doing and just write it -- let it come from my gut. The technology and my recording capabilities have changed definitely. I can do a lot of great things that I didn't used to be able to do, but after a while you get to a point that you just want the songs to speak for themselves. The consistency is the ability to pick up a guitar and write songs like I used to when I was 18 or 19 when I had all this passion and angst.
EDGE: Can you say something about the This is Queer moniker? Are you using that exclusively now?
This is Queer: About 10 years ago, I wanted to start "This is Queer," but I wanted to make it a sort of ambient electronic sort of feel. It never took off because I was busy writing all the time. But I had the name in the back of my head. Then, in the last couple of years I realized that if you go on YouTube and ITunes there's just a whole ton of Latin rappers named Enio. There's at least a dozen now, singing in Spanish or Portuguese. I began to feel that when people saw my name they would equate it with that sort of music, so I felt that I should branch out. At that same time, I very consciously wanted this album to be very different than the last one, which was synthetic with no guitars. This one is rock -- a little heavier and a little darker -- and I wanted that disconnection, that that was Enio and this is This is Queer; it's a very different feel.
Like that grunge sound?
EDGE: I have a soft spot for this '90s grunge/alternative, and it's not a genre that has much gay or queer representation. It's refreshing to have that. Would you say that over the years gay men have connected to your music? Have you tried to reach them as an audience?
This is Queer: I try. I really try. I haven't reached a whole bunch of people. It's tough. I find music in the gay community, on a mainstream level, is not the kind that This is Queer makes. A few people here and there like that grunge sound; but a lot don't, and I don't understand exactly why not. That was the kind of music I was listening growing up -- Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt. That was it for me. Even Tori Amos was in there, too -- but most of it was heavy guitar music. Gays are not very prevalent in rock music.
EDGE: This genre of music does well to express the messiness or bittersweetness of either relationships or the artistic life. And this sound is a lot different from some of your other records. Can you say why you chose this particular sound now?
This is Queer: When I look at my career in music, I want to be able to pull out an album and be like, 'this was my EDM album; this was my folk album; this was my rock album.' I want to be able to play with other genres. I'm not a huge fan of Beck, but I appreciate how he transitions from one completely different genre to another.
With this one, I finally had the capabilities to do an alt-rock album so I decided to go with it. I put on my '90s hat. I listened to a lot of old Smashing Pumpkins and Hole albums. The new Veruca Salt album was also a big inspiration. That anger and that emotion I really wanted to convey in my music, so I decided to go for it. It wasn't that I needed to do this but more that I hadn't done it. I had played with the electronic stuff and now wanted to go back and do this. I wanted this album to be blaring at times. Even though the songs are slower, I wanted you to be able to turn it up to 10 and feel the abrasiveness of it. Stuff in the '90s had that, but a lot of stuff now doesn't have that same 'umph.' There are a few here and there.
One man band
EDGE: Do you do your own producing?
This is Queer: I do everything myself. The room you see here (via Skype) is where I record, produce everything. I put my headphones on, have my Mac Book in front of me, and just go for it. I would like to collaborate with other people, but I don't have many friends who are musically inclined that live in the same city. So, everything you hear on the album is me -- the drums I play around with and produce. My niece sings back-up vocals on "Au Pair."
EDGE: Can you say something about what it's like to be a musician in Toronto? Are you performing?
This is Queer: I performed solidly for a couple of years, playing anywhere I could get my hands on. Now I have a full-time job, my husband, our dogs... my music is really focused on the recording and having an Internet presence -- getting it out there as much as possible.
In Toronto, the scene is different than it was before. Everyone kind of knew each other; there was a small group of people who understood who you were. There's a different vibe now, which is great. I'm happy for the young artists who are putting themselves out there. But the music industry is so saturated now that it's hard to find those diamonds in the rough.
Coming from his subconscious
EDGE: What is your lyric writing process?
This is Queer: I have a friend in New York, Billy Merrill, who is a poet and he just released book called 'Vanilla,' and he and I write a lot together. He'll send me poems, and I try to turn them into lyrics. Or sometimes when I'm stumped, I'll send him a melody and he tries to write lyrics. That happens on occasion, not too often. This album I did myself. When I write lyrics there's a surreal moment when I'm not really thinking about what I'm saying. The lyrics are just coming. I'll like a line, and I'll go 'I'll put that in there'; and it's not until after I write the song that I listen and think, 'holy shit, that's what that song's about?' On occasion I'll change a lyric here or there because it doesn't really make sense. It's like I go into a zone in which I'm not conscious what I'm saying until it's put down on paper.
There's a lot of disappointment in this album because I had some friends who I am no longer friends with, and I don't really have a relationship with my father anymore; and there's a lot of stuff about me as well. I think back to when I was writing a lot of these songs; I didn't know what I was writing about, which is my favorite way of writing lyrics because it means these are as modest as they possibly can be. They are almost coming through from my subconscious. When everything is done, I connect the links and realize who the song is about.
EDGE: 'A Mess' stands out to me. It seems to be about infatuation and to be a bit dark. It skirts this edge musically.
This is Queer: That song I wrote when I was 21. The first verse and the first chorus are on my first album, 'Yellowbrick,' as an interlude. When I go back and listen to that song I always love it. When I was writing this album I was looking at my back catalogue, at songs I had abandoned or never given the attention they deserved. So, I finished this one and added a longer second chorus. And that was me -- not anymore because I'm happily married, but when I was in my 20s I was jumping head first into relationships and I fantasized about what was going to be. Then I would get super disappointed, and a lot of the time this thing would happen where guys would come up to me and be really into me. I would be cautious for a week then ease into it then after a month they would be like, "Ok, I'm done with you." And I would think, "but you started it. This was your thing. You wanted me." That song is probably the most honest in terms of what I used to go through back then -- that idea of feeling like a fool, feeling ashamed but when I look at you, you look calm and so cool. A lot of it is part of growing up, you know -- being confused, hurt, angry -- and coming to terms with it rather than being embarrassed by it.
I revived some old songs for this record. It has an angsty teenager feel, and I wanted to tap into what I was writing about back then because a lot of it fits the genre.
For more on This Is Queer (Enio Chiola), visit his website.


text:
IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering
IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Vol 13(12 Issues in 2018 ) Print ISSN: 1931-4973 Online ISSN: 1931-4981 Impact Factor: .723
IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering (hereinafter called TEEE ) publishes 6 times per year as an official journal of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (hereinafter ""IEEJ""). This peer-reviewed journal contains original research papers and review articles on the most important and latest technological advances in core areas of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and in related disciplines. The journal also publishes short communications reporting on the results of the latest research activities. TEEE -aims to provide a new forum for IEEJ members in Japan as well as fellow researchers in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from around the world to exchange ideas and research findings. To fully cover this wide field of study, IEEJ's five technical societies (subsidiary groups under IEEJ) take responsibility for editing one issue per year while additionally selecting issue topics and soliciting papers. Areas covered by the five technical societies are:
- Fundamentals and Materials
- Power and Energy
- Electronics, Information and Systems
- Industry Applications
- Sensors and Micromachines
As an official journal of IEEJ, TEEE also provides reports on important conferences and meetings sponsored by the Institute.


text:
How To Clean a Coffee Maker
My coffee-guzzling husband looked me in my non-coffee-guzzling eyes and stated with disgust, "Honey, this cup of coffee tastes like a foot." Now, I'm not a coffee drinker, but I know a few things. One of these things is that coffee is not supposed to taste like feet. I think that's a basic principle, right?
When the coffee you brew starts to taste bitter and funky it's time to give your coffee machine a little extra love. A simple cleaning will help maintain freshness, remove hard water spots from the carafe, and prevent staining. It will also remove mineral buildup and clean out the coffee oils that get left behind and turn rancid. The best news? It's easy to do and you probably have everything needed to freshen up your machine at home!
When my husband pronounced that his coffee tasted like a foot, I made my way over to our machine to check out its condition. The situation was not good. I asked him when was the last time he cleaned his machine. The response was an unintelligible mumble while avoiding eye contact. I took that as a bad sign.
I could see the hard water buildup in the carafe and some mineral deposits on the inside of the machine (not to mention its outward appearance lacking shine). So I took it upon myself to be his coffee hero. I can fix this, I thought. Pass me some vinegar, it's time to get serious.
How to Clean The Coffee Maker
What You Need
Coffee maker
White vinegar (enough to fill up half your carafe)
Hot soapy water
Damp dish towel
Dry dish towel
- Empty the carafe: Empty and rinse the carafe and dump out any coffee grounds left in the filter.
- Make a solution of water and vinegar: Fill the water chamber to its full capacity with equal parts white vinegar and water. I used the carafe to measure equal parts of each.
Run a half brew cycle: Start a brew cycle. Midway through the brew cycle, turn off the coffee maker and let it sit for an hour.
- Finish the brew cycle: After an hour, turn on the coffee maker and let the brew cycle finish.
- Discard the vinegar-water solution and run a fresh water cycle: After the brew cycle has completed, pour out the vinegar-water solution and fill the water chamber with fresh water (no vinegar). Run a whole new brew cycle just with the water. Repeat two more times, allowing your coffee maker to cool slightly between brews.
- Wipe down your coffee maker: Wipe down the exterior of your coffee maker, and wash the carafe and filter basket in hot, soapy water.
- Reassemble: Reassemble and brew a great cup of coffee!


text:
Inman Intermediate School recently held its first annual Pumpkin Contest.
The following students were winners: Top photo, Lucas Dorn, Trista Ryan, Davis Pearson, Richard Sokthy and Jaden Arias.
Left photo, Thomas Bell, Hannah Cason, Drew Settl, Jacob and Caleb Smith and Madison Morgan.
Call, email or mail Ashley Dill at:
-- 864-562-7272
-- email@example.com
-- Town Square, Herald-Journal, P.O. Box 1657, Spartanburg, SC 29304


text:
The two women who married Prince have both issued messages of love and grief in the wake of his passing.
Mayte Garcia, Prince's first wife who married the superstar in 1996, wrote on Instagram: "This man was my everything, we had a family. I am beyond deeply saddened and devastated ... I loved him then, I love him now, and will love him eternally ... He's with our son now.
Prince and Garcia had a son who died a week after birth in 1996 of a rare genetic disorder. The couple divorced in 2000.
Prince's second wife, Manuela Testolini, issued a statement saying she was "heartbroken beyond words."
"Prince and I had a magical journey together," Testolini wrote, "and I loved him immensely. The world knew him as a musical genius — I knew him as a husband, friend and fierce philanthropist. Philanthropy brought us together and it was Prince who encouraged me to start my own charity over 10 years ago."
Testolini, who heads a foundation called "In a Perfect World," wrote that she had just reached out to Prince a few days earlier to let him know she was building a school in his honor.
"My heart aches that the school will now be built in his memory," she wrote in the statement. "His passing leaves me with such a devastating feeling of pain and loss. The love we shared, the music he made and our life together is forever engraved in my heart."
Prince and Testolini were married from 2001 to 2006.


text:
You must go eat at Pho #1. Both times I've been to this brand-new Vietnamese restaurant at San Pedro and Zuni (268-0488), it's been packed with a mix of Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese patrons. What's all the fuss about? Well, the atmosphere is nothing remarkable, so it must be the fantastic food. Chef Day Nguyen previously had restaurants in Boston, Mass. and Arlington, Texas, but recently moved here for the pleasant climate. Pho #1 is owned by Nguyen's brother-in-law Hue Chung and their house specialty is the magnificent Seven Courses of Beef. Don't be intimidated by the confusing names of the dishes. Grill Hawaiian loaf leaf beef is absolutely scrumptious, for example; so is steamed beef paste/meatball mixed with glass noodles and spices. It sounds horrifying, I know, and the meatball isn't much to look at either, but I swear it's one of the best things I've eaten in recent memory. Whatever you do, don't miss the beef grilled on your table and served with a lemongrass sauce. It's to die for. Oh, and make sure you have time for a leisurely dinner. Service can be slow for a regular meal, but the seven courses of beef takes a pleasantly long time to get through as well.
New Mexico cheesemaker Nancy Coonridge and her team took home a handful of awards from the American Dairy Goat Association's recent cheese competition, which was held here in Albuquerque. Coonridge Dairy's organic cheeses are made from the milk of Alpine goats that roam freely in the mountainous terrain of the farm, located in an isolated, off-the-map part of New Mexico north of Pie Town (south of Grants and west of Socorro). Because Coonridge's product is flavored with organic herbs and spices, then packed in glass jars with organic sunflower and olive oil, it doesn't require refrigeration, though you will often find it in the refrigerated cheese case.
On the subject of olive oil, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved a health claim for olive oil. You can expect to start seeing it on labels soon. The approved wording reads, "Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about two tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day." Hmm, "limited and not conclusive" doesn't sound too persuasive, but how much of an excuse do you need to use olive oil instead of generic vegetable oil?
If you get invited to a potluck Thanksgiving and can barely boil water, try bringing a chocolate chile pecan pie from Patisserie C (Central and Edit, 247-3131). The pies are made with Amore chocolate chile pecans with Patisserie C pie crusts, and filling from Blue Plate Special.
Annapurna Chai House (Yale and Silver) is serving a vegan Thanksgiving dinner again this year. There will be two seatings on Thursday, Nov. 25, at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m. Both will include tofu pakoras, yellow split pea soup with pumpkin, baked acorn squash with basmati rice, stewed greens and beets; and pumpkin pie or cranberry rice pudding. Call 262-2424 for reservations.


text:
Background: A Sunnyside, Queens resident, Fiona O'Loughlin is originally from Ennis, Co. Clare. She moved to the U.S. to pursue an acting career.
When did you move to U.S.?
"At the age of 21, having successfully auditioned in London for the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in November 2011, I was on a flight to New York within two months. I have an uncle living in Manhattan and he gave me tremendous support on my arrival."
How did you first become interested in acting?
"My grandmother loved all the classic films and musicals. I think I developed an interest at a very early age with her being a big influence on what I am doing today. At the age of seven, I joined the School of Performing Arts in Ennis and remained with them for the next eight years, then went on to study theater performance in CSN Colaiste Stifon Naofa in Co. Cork for a year, before coming to New York."
Who are your acting influences?
"Right now I would have to say Jennifer Lawrence. She has this incredible presence about her in every performance that she gives. Meryl Streep is also someone that nearly every actress looks up to. When I'm in a scene I will always say to myself, 'Now what would Meryl Streep do?'
"I enjoy doing comedy and would love to do stand-up in a few years. I think my dream role would to be in a movie with Will Ferrell and Tina Fey."
You recently graduated from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. What was it like?
"It was an intense two year program that has given me the tools to enter into this business. I think the biggest difference was being able to study theater and film. I feel blessed to have had the best of both worlds.
"I got to work with so many talented actors who traveled from all around the world to come to this school, which is something I don't think I would have got back home. I would have never discovered the Meisner technique, which I have continued to study since graduating."
What is your big dream, to become a Broadway actress or pursue a career in TV?
"I would like to do both but I'm happy with whatever work comes my way as of now. I am very passionate about the theater, and I think all great actors have hailed from the stage. I believe it is the foundation of any great actor."
Tell us a little about the recent production you were involved in.
"I was in an off off Broadway play called Seventeen Come Sunday, written and directed by Bryan McHaffey. It was an Irish play set in the west of Ireland. My character was very promiscuous and feisty. I had a lot of fun working on this production and I can only hope that there is more to come."
Describe your life in New York in three words.
"Motivating, educational, crazy."
Interview by Molly Muldoon


text:
It's just another day at The Armory in San Francisco: A bound and naked woman is laid out on a stylish serving table. Elegantly-dressed people of both sexes gather around—enjoying the view, apparently—and take turns having their way with her. Various devices are deployed—dildos, floggers, electrical stimulators. She says "Thank you, sir" and "Thank you, madam" frequently.
Welcome to "The Upper Floor," a high-definition Internet reality show where, website copy states, "real submissive women and real submissive men become house slaves to be dominated, trained, punished, spanked, whipped, and fucked … Inspired by the legendary French BDSM erotic novel The Story of O, The Upper Floor illustrates real lifestyle BDSM as it is lived by 24/7 slaves and Masters, complete with … explicit sex in bondage, punishment, erotic humiliation, and more."
The Upper Floor is a project of Kink.com, a thriving pornography business that was founded by Peter Acworth, a British-born entrepreneur and lifelong aficionado of BDSM (for Bondage, Domination, Submission—or Sadism—and Masochism). Kink.com sells subscriptions to websites with names like Hogtied.com, SexandSubmission.com and, yes, TheUpperFloor.com. Acworth often attends these, er, corporate events. "He's the master of the house," says colleague John Sander.
Only in Satan's City by the Bay, right? Not exactly. Acworth was recently invited to speak at a summit on innovation convened by the ever-so-respectable The Economist. That's right—the king of kink was given a place on the dais alongside a Harvard Business School professor, an Intuit business executive and other decent folk. Whether you view this as the end of civilization or a sign of progress, one thing is sure: a barrier has come down.
BDSM is all over our entertainment media, too. In her latest music video, Christina Aguilera slaps a riding crop against her palm, laps from a cat dish, and sports a rhinestone-studded ball gag. In movies like the 2005 comedy hit The Wedding Crashers and television shows like the self-consciously low-brow mockumentary RENO 911!, kinky scenes are played for laughs.
The lesson, kiddies? BDSM, once viewed as the exclusive fiefdom of really creepy perverts, has crossed over and become quasi-respectable, stylish and safe. Comical, even!
The shifting public perception of BDSM is one of those seeming overnight changes that was centuries in the making. In the late 18th Century, the Marquis de Sade put his profoundly sick-puppy stamp on kink, firmly establishing it as sex play (sex pain, really) between non-consenting adults. A hundred years later, when psychologists started studying this behavior, they found their subjects in insane asylums. "Criminals were their point of reference," says Denver-based sex therapist Neil Cannon. No wonder, then, that BDSM meant a brute in a basement with an unwilling woman and a whip.
That's not what healthy kink is about—not by a long shot. "Safe, sane and consensual" is the prevailing community standard. Although Ernest Greene, the executive editor of Larry Flynt's Taboo magazineand a long-time leader in the BDSM community, has a "quibble" about the phrase—"Is it really sane to wear latex in July?"—the basic point remains. Kink done right is about sexual power games played out in circumstances that make it safe for everyone. And it's done right by almost all practitioners.
The public perception of kink is shifting to match the reality. More and more people are coming to see your typical BDSM practitioner as the man or woman next door who enjoys consensual role-play along with, maybe, a dollop of pain on the side (or elsewhere).
It's the more accurate view, according to sex therapist Cannon. "While every group has its outliers, kinky people tend to be well-adjusted and emotionally stable," he says. "These are healthy, high-functioning people."
Taboo's Ernest Greene agrees. "Most of the people who are into kink use it as a way to enhance conventional sexual practices," he says. "It's not all that different from what other people do. There's a little bit of bondage, a little bit of spanking, and then fucking."
Our entertainment culture's fascination with BDSM isn't new. Early references tended to be very indirect, though. "Emma Peel's catsuit in the television show The Avengers, back in the 1960s, is a perfect example of what would now be viewed as fetish garb," says Carol Queen, staff sexologist and chief cultural officer for Good Vibrations, a chain of sexuality boutiques. Other benchmarks along the way include Sex, Madonna's 1992 made-to-shock coffee-table book, the 1994 bomb Exit to Eden, in which Rosie O'Donnell garnered a RAZZIE nomination for her role as a dominatrix, and the 2002 BDSM-themed indie movie Secretary with Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader. "Secretary had an impact because sweet Maggie Gyllenhaal was in it,'" says Queen. "Everyone expects James Spader to be kinky."
There's a predictable pattern to how movies treat people whose sexual behavior is out of the mainstream. "Gays' emergence from the closet traced a clear narrative arc," says Queen. "Early on, gay protagonists pay a price for their sexuality. Something bad happens. They die or lose a loved one. And then, as their behavior becomes more culturally acceptable, they get to have a happy ending."
In Secretary, submissive Maggie and dominant James get married. In The Wedding Crashers, too, "The kinky girl gets the guy," notes Queen. Which suggests that in addition to being out of the dungeon, BDSM is out of the 'you'll be punished for your sins' phase, too.
It's not just Hollywood that's seeing kink differently. So are professional psychologists. "Things are in a positive transition here," says Neil Cannon. "Most sex therapists don't pathologize BDSM behavior unless it's having a negative impact on the patient."
There are still some judgmental apples in the barrel, though. "A great deal depends on the therapist's professional and religious training," continues Cannon. "I was at a cocktail party recently and a psychologist said to me, 'All kinky people are sick.' When I asked how she came to that conclusion, she said, 'I just know.' I've had clients come to me because they'd been seeing a therapist who told them they were sick."
The shifting take on BSDM will be reflected in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the psychiatric community's diagnostic bible. DSM-IV, which was published in 1992, defined kinky behavior as a "paraphilia," a fancy word for any path to sexual arousal that's not standard foreplay. The language of DSM-IV "is unclear and sometimes contradictory about whether a paraphilia is a disorder," says Susan Wright, spokesperson for theNational Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF), an advocacy group for the BDSM, swing and polyamory communities. Although the language hasn't been finalized, it's looking as if DSM-V, which will be published in 2013, will make it clear that a person can be kinky without having a disorder.
BDSM is making the transition from creepy to okay for lots of reasons, starting with all the kinky people who are out there. The statistical studies are all over the place, according to Wright, ranging from a relatively modest 5% of the population to a whopping (or is it whipping?) 50%. It's totally understandable if this range inspires skepticism, and in fact, research in this area is fraught with difficulties. It's hard to get funding for this sort of study, and it's also the case that people resist telling the truth about their bedroom behavior. There are definitional issues, too. If you ever smacked your partner on the behind (and liked it), does that make you kinky? But even if we practice safe statistics and go with the most conservative estimate, that's still 5% of the populace—a sizable number by any measure. "On any given day," says Taboo magazine's Ernest Greene, "one million people are looking at or engaging in kink."
Another reason for BDSM's emergence is that more and more kinky people are willing to go public, or at least semi-public, with their activities. Every reasonably-sized city has its own kinky community whose members get together for discussion groups and barbeques as well as more risqué activities. There are also lots of online networks. When last checked, FetLife.com, the leading website for the BDSM community, ranked an impressive 6,061 on Alexa.com's ratings of website traffic.
Where's there sexual smoke, there's also activist fire. Kinky people are a sexual minority. Organizations like the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom are working to raise people's consciousness about BDSM. Their efforts are making a difference, in no small measure by helping kinky people feel supported and empowered.
Yet another reason why kink is making inroads is its peculiarly culture-friendly personality. It gives great image and still has shock value, qualities that make it a superb way to attract attention—just ask Christina Aguilera! With its historical link to the Marquis de Sade, BDSM is also kind of scary—another cultural winner. We're collectively obsessed with the bogeyman under the bed—just think how much money we spend on horror movies! But kink, unlike Freddy Krueger, is also sorta funny. Who wouldn't agree that there's something inherently ludicrous about a naked person crawling about on all fours, barking? Scary, edgy, silly—it's a perfect combination for a culture that hungers for an adrenaline rush yet also needs to feel safe.
And then there's the ubiquitous Web. Says Peter Acworth, "Where it used to be hard for someone to get information about alternative sexual lifestyles, the Internet now makes it very easy."
Speaking of Acworth, another contributor to the mainstreaming of BDSM is pornography, which is readily accessible on the Net—and increasingly kink-friendly. Sexologist Queen reports, "When I went to the AVN (Adult Video News) convention earlier this year, I was struck by how many of the clips included choking. Inevitably, some people who see these images will try it for themselves. This isn't necessarily a good thing, because it's something you have to learn to do safely. Still, it's an example of a kinky practice that because of porn is becoming more vanilla."
Ernest Greene, who in addition to his involvement with Taboo magazine produces kink-themed movies, concurs. "The legal barrier that used to keep people in the porn industry from showing BDSM has come down," he says. "If you present kink as non-consensual, that's a problem, but if you frame it in the context in which it belongs, as sex play between consenting adults with no actual injury, it's totally defensible."
In films with names like O—The Power of Submission, The Surrender of O and The Perfect Secretary Training Day, Greene depicts bondage with penetration. "We don't have a problem with this because our performers are visibly enjoying it. These movies are big sellers, and they're accepted everywhere. One of our main distributors, Adam & Eve, couldn't be more conservative and markets to people in red states, where the films get great reviews."
Where is all this headed? "Eventually," says Greene, "we'll reach a point where bondage in a porn movie is no more controversial than a blow job."
No discussion of kinky porn would be complete without the academia-to-riches story of Kink.com's Peter Acworth. In 1997, he was studying for a Ph.D. in finance at Columbia University when he happened on an article about a fireman who was making scads of money, in the words of the headline, "pushing Internet filth." In that moment, Acworth reports, "It was suddenly clear to me that the Internet was not a gimmick, but rather a platform for genuine business and that it was going to be enormous. I realized that finance had become saturated with researchers and that the Internet was relatively untapped and under-developed. I was in the wrong field."
Thus was Kink.com born. Thirteen years later, it has about 100 employees and is producing an estimated $30 million in annual revenue. "Peter Acworth," declares Carol Queen, "is the Hugh Hefner of the 21st Century."
The parallels are unmistakable. Hefner has his Playboy Mansion. Acworth bought the San Francisco Armory, a 200,000 square foot edifice in San Francisco's Mission District that's on the National Register of Historic Places, to house his corporate headquarters. Hef reframed our culture's take on sexuality. Acworth is doing the same for kink, only without the sexism.
Acworth is totally committed to promoting BDSM's consensual-sex ethos. "We go out of our way to make it clear that we are depicting play," he says. "Each movie includes a before and after interview with the participants in order to show that the activities are negotiated and are for the enjoyment of all participants (not just the guy). In the absence of such an introduction, we feel that the activities could be misinterpreted by some people who are not used to seeing such material."
Make no mistake about it: people tune into Kink.com to get turned on. Still, in its so-not-PBS way, it also provides a form of public education.
To be sure, it's not all sunshine and floggers for BDSM practitioners. Discrimination and violence remain harsh realities. In a 2008 survey, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom found that 38% of people who self-identify as kinky reported being harassed, discriminated against, or treated violently against their will. In part, says NCSF spokesperson Susan Wright, "This is because the more visible we get, the more backlash we get, too."
A BDSM community member who blogs under the name Taw Preston fell victim to this discrimination. A Texas resident, he and his wife wanted to adopt two foster children. They were model parents, carefully keeping their sex play behind closed doors. Everything was going smoothly until, reports Preston, a Child Protective Services investigator "who was plainly an evangelical" tried to pull the plug on the adoption. The sole reason: their kinky lifestyle. For a time the children were removed from the Preston home. Two high-priced lawyers later, the kids were out of custody and the adoption went through. The ending isn't entirely happy, though. Because it was either pay the lawyers or pay the mortgage, Preston is declaring bankruptcy and his family is losing their home.
It's not only the family values crowd that has a problem with kink. Some feminists do, too. For them it's like porn gone bad—which makes it doubly despicable, since standard-issue porn is seen as already degrading to women. People of this ideological stripe, reports Ernest Greene, are convinced that "no one could legitimately consent to this sort of activity. They believe submissive women are 're-enacting a patriarchal script.'"
Greene, who's married to the porn star and 'out' submissive Nina Hartley, finds this framing laughable. "Nina is an extremely strong and independent personality," he says. "She is submissive only when we engage in dominant/submissive role-play for sexual purposes. We do this by mutual choice within negotiated limits as an expression of our sexual creativity and a way of realizing our fantasies. It has zero impact on the structure of our relationship outside its erotic context."
Kinkiness appears to be wired very early and not susceptible to change. "From a very young age, I knew this was my sexual identity," says Ernest Greene. "Bondage fascinated me." Similarly for Peter Acworth, who in 2007 told The New York Timesthat as a child, he "would get an erection while watching a cowboy-and-Indian movie where somebody was getting tied up."
You'd think that building an empire out of that turn-on would make him a pariah, right? Maybe back when, but no longer. For proof of this, we need go back no further than last March, when Acworth spoke at The Economist's innovation summit.
Just imagine: Kink.com—whips, slave-games and all—treated as another leading-edge (or is it 'cutting-edge?') business! Twenty years ago, Kink.com would have been a Great Unmentionable in decent circles—and inviting its 'porntrepreneur' CEO to address a mainstream business gathering would have been utterly unthinkable.
And today? Wherever you go, there it is. Kink is in our movie theaters, on our TV sets, and all over the Internet. It's in our communities and, for all you know, in the bedroom of the folks next door.
Hey, it's even in our supermarkets! Here's a recent scene from the deli section at the local Hannaford's (and no, it's not that kind of scene).
A woman is waiting on a customer. A co-worker comes out of the back room. He's putting on his apron. "Sorry I'm late," he says. "Don't beat me."
"C'mon," his colleague says, "you know you love it."
Right there, alongside the boiled ham and potato salad.
BDSM has come out of the dungeon and entered—smack!— into our lives.


text:
Transwest RV Taking on American Coach Lines
January 4, 2012 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on Transwest RV Taking on American Coach Lines
American Coach, the luxury coach division of Fleetwood RV Inc., today (Jan. 4) announced that it added Transwest RV, based in Frederick, Colo., to its dealer network.
According to a news release, Transwest RV serves Colorado and Wyoming and will be carrying American Revolution and American Eagle lines. The retailer will also be an authorized American Coach service center.
"We are excited to welcome Transwest to the American Coach family," said John Draheim, president and CEO of Decatur, Ind.-based Fleetwood RV. "From the showroom to the service bays, the entire team at Transwest is committed to serving their customers. This is just one of the many reasons that we're proud to have Transwest carry the American Coach line."
"We have seasoned, high-end customers that have been asking us to add a luxury brand to our product offering," said Andrew Lyons, general manager of Transwest RV. "American Coach offers an attention to detail that our customers are looking for in a luxury motorhome. Add in the fact that they are just as passionate about taking care of our customers as we are, and American Coach is the perfect partner to help grow our luxury coach business."
Located on I-25 just north of Denver, Transwest also sells and services light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks, specialty vehicles, horse trailers and over-the-road trailers. Transwest RV has earned an A+ rating from the Northern Colorado Better Business Bureau based on its superior customer satisfaction ratings.
American Coach products include a complimentary one-year membership to CoachNet. This service is available 24/7 and provides customers with emergency roadside assistance and other RV technical assistance.
For more information about American Coach and the entire 2012 product line, call 1-800-854-1344 or visit www.AmericanCoach.com.


text:
Quincy's Wollaston Elementary School held a centennial celebration Saturday, bringing together students, staffers and alumni as old as 92.
QUINCY – Students, parents, alumni and city officials turned out Saturday to celebrate the centennial of Wollaston Elementary School. Principal James Hennessy said teachers and parents worked on planning the event for more than a year.
Each grade was assigned a decade to learn about in preparation for the celebration, which drew hundreds of alumni.
"It's really been a great day down memory lane," said first-grade teacher Judy Letteney, who has taught at the school for 14 years. "They were cracking up at Polaroid cameras. We as a staff have been working on it and involved the kids."
Letteney said the preparation had students learning words about pop culture of the past.
Kristin Murphy, a member of the school's PTO, said her third-grade daughter studied 1960s fashion and learned all about Twiggy, the British model.
Student-made decorations filled classrooms and hallways.
As alumni reconnected in the gymnasium, the grade 4 and 5 chamber ensemble performed and Mayor Thomas Koch and state Sen. John Keenan, a Wollaston School alum, spoke.
Barbara Hurley, 70, a substitute teacher in Braintree who grew up on Beale Street in Quincy, attended the school from 1948 to 1954. She recalled receiving polio vaccines in the gym and filing to the school's basement in bomb drills.
George Gardiner, 74, attended the school with Hurley's (then Curtis') older brother. To Gardiner, the gym brought back vivid memories of playing the bugle during flag ceremonies.
"They were glad to get rid of me," he said, smiling. "This school hasn't changed.
He joked with Hurley, saying, "I couldn't play the bugle now to save my life."
Hurley responded: "You're still breathing."
Also at the celebration was John Peter Brewer, a former Patriot Ledger staffer who went on to be an Associated Press correspondent. He attended attended Wollaston Elementary from 1933 through 1939.
Brewer recalled that one teacher "very calmly" told him he should turn his desk around so he could write naturally – with his left hand – even though left-handedness was discouraged back then.
He also remembered what he considered the first Chinese-American family in Quincy. A 16-year-old Chinese boy who couldn't speak a word of English became one of Brewer's Wollaston School classmates. The teen could "draw a dog so superbly" that his younger classmates were awed, Brewer said.
"People in Quincy are talking away in Mandarin and Cantonese now, and it's fascinating," he added.
Quincy politicians including Koch, Keenan and state Rep. Tackey Chan were at the outdoor reception that followed the other activities, as was the Wollaston School's oldest living graduate, 92-year-old Dorothy Giarrusso.
With friends and family members alongside, Giarrusso cut a cake supplied by Montilio's to commemorate the milestone.
Giarusso is a former public relations professional who once worked for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad penning stories for the railroad's Along the Line magazine. She also did writing for Quincy Oil and Coal and Holiday Inn.
After becoming the first person in Wollaston to buy an automobile, her father would drive his three daughters around, Giarrusso said. She said the oldest of her sisters was the belle of Quincy and won many prizes and once owned her own beauty school.
"Absolutely fabulous that I've lived this long," Giarusso said. "I'm talking and I have a lovely home in Quincy."
She said listening to the music ensemble in the gym brought back memories of playing the triangle.
"There were no school buses in those days. We walked from Standish to Beale Street."
Enjoying the day's celebration with his classmates, second-grader Parker Evans, 8, predicted that in another 100 years, Wollaston Elementary will "definitely have new technology" and "a new set of children and teachers."
As for now, Letteney, the first-grade teacher, hopes the Wollaston School will get an improved heating and air conditioning system and technologies that other schools have – Smart Boards, for example.


text:
You are here: Root > Information > Learning
"Introduction à la programmation en Common Lisp" (PDF in French) and Lisp Programming Examples:
- Computing influence spheres for atoms in a protein.
- Functions to compute frequencies of characters, digrams and trigrams from a text file.
Document location: http://www.algo.be/logo1/lisp/prog.html
Learning | Open Source | Common Lisp | French
You must be logged to add a note
You must be logged to add a comment


text:
Camille Beckman's most popular product. Dive into our 8oz jar of Glycerine Hand Therapy and experience the true feeling of soft. This modern adaptation of our old family formula has received rave reviews around the world and is accredited by many as being the skin saver of the century! Sweet almond oil, vegetable glycerin and our signature herbal complex prove that miracles can come true when you only believe! A big thank you to the generations of Camille customers who send us their daily testimonials and love for this miracle cream.
Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Dimethicone, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Zinc Stearate, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Sambucus Nigra (Elder) Flower Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Parietaria Officinalis (Pellitory) Extract, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Sodium Borate, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol.
Your order will be hand-packed within 1-3 business day and shipped via the most cost-effective carrier. If you would like to use your own Camille Beckman approved shipper, all details will need to be discussed with customer service while ordering. Please call us with any additional questions at 1-800-433-0060
Sign up and be entered into our monthly drawing for a $50 gift card!
No Thanks
Sold Out


text:
November 8, 2010—American Medical Association President Cecil B. Wilson, MD, speaking today at a press conference during the AMA's semiannual meeting in San Diego, said, "The same question is on every doctor's lips: 'Will Congress act in time to block the impending Medicare cuts?'"
The AMA is urging Congress to block the cuts in Medicare payments to physicians immediately and then take 13 months to work out a long-term solution. "Congress members must act before Thanksgiving recess. It is the only way to preserve seniors' access to healthcare and prevent Medicare meltdown," Wilson emphasized. He called the proposed cuts "a catastrophe" for seniors who rely on Medicare. but he pointed out that the cuts would also adversely affect veterans, active military personnel, and their families because Tricare's rates are tied to Medicare rates.
In a recent AMA poll, the results of which were released today, 94% of respondents aged 18 and older said they view the impending cuts as a serious problem; 98% of respondents in the over-55 age group see the problem as serious and think Congress must "act immediately."
Another AMA poll, conducted earlier this year, revealed that 1 in 5 physicians are already limiting care to Medicare patients because of the threat of future cuts. Wilson said that physicians are being forced to limit the number of Medicare patients they care for and reduce the number of appointments for existing Medicare patients. Nevertheless, Wilson repeatedly emphasized that the potential catastrophe is about patients, not physicians, because patients' access to care is in jeopardy.
"Congress members need to stop playing politics and put the healthcare needs of American seniors first," Wilson said. "If they will stop the cuts for at least 13 months, that will shore up physicians' confidence in program."
The AMA has launched an ad campaign to encourage citizens to call their Congress members and urge them to act before the Thanksgiving break. They ran a full-page ad in today's edition of USA Today showing pictures of seniors, a veteran, and an active-duty military member with the caption: "They did it for us. Congress needs to do something for them." The ad campaign will continue in Washington newspapers next week as Congress reconvenes.
For more information on the AMA's efforts to halt the cuts, visit www.ama-assn.org/go/stopthecut/.


text:
The federal Conservatives are launching attack ads in B.C. tomorrow against federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's carbon tax.
The ads could also cause collateral damage for Premier Gordon Campbell, just days before B.C.'s new carbon tax takes effect.
"Dion Tax Trick" ads will blitz the airwaves on radio stations in the Lower Mainland and the Interior.
Tory strategists say it's the most expensive non-election ad-buy in B.C. for years, going into six-figure numbers, and could last up to three months.
The campaign will also feature public events at which people will wear bright yellow T-shirts with the slogans "The Dion Tax Trick" or "Dion's Tax on Everything."
I suppose the good news for Campbell, it's not like the ads are particularly effective, not to mention the geeky yellow shirt routine. That said, this is a huge media buy, and no matter the specifics, Campbell is likely to feel the heat. Essentially, Campbell will defend his plan, which indirectly validates the Liberal plan, putting him on a collision course with the Conservatives low road campaign. Campbell apparently has cordial relations with Harper, and this was evidenced by the Harper government's hypocritical initial reaction to B.C's carbon tax, but surely this puts a strain on things.
Campbell has as much as Dion to lose, one would think we see an informal alliance build over time, if we do see months of negative ads. Nothing overt, but an agreement, based on mutual self interest, since both are targets, regardless of who is characterized as the "trickster". It will be entirely fascinating to watch this battle develop in British Columbia. Could Harper push Campbell towards Dion, or does he just push back, and in so doing, buttress Dion?


text:
Southwest was the preseason favorite to win the East Central 2-A Conference football title this season as voted on by the league�s coaches.
Southwest was the preseason favorite to win the East Central 2-A Conference football title this season as voted on by the league�s coaches.
The Stallions took a big first step in trying to win the ECC in their first season back in the league with a 41-20 victory at North Brunswick last week.
But standing in Southwest�s way of another conference win is an East Duplin team coming off a tough 28-21 home loss to Northside. The Panthers (3-4, 0-1) would like nothing more than to knock off the Stallions (5-2, 1-0) and get back in the ECC race.
The two teams square off Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at The Corral.
This is the first meeting between these two teams since the Stallions defeated the Panthers 16-0 in 2008.
Quarterback Jonathan Williams led SWO in the win at North Brunswick with 102 yards passing and a touchdown pass to J�Veon Walker to go along with 65 yards rushing and another score. DaMonta Winbush added 78 yards rushing and a touchdown while Emmitt Johnson had a touchdown run for the Stallions.
Meanwhile, East Duplin totaled 277 yards rushing in the loss to Northside. Dauviea Anderson led the Panthers with 66 yards and a touchdown while Malik Baker added 61 yards and a score while Kenneth Arrington had 59 yards.
Dixon (5-2, 1-0) at Northside (4-3, 1-0)
Dixon visits Northside in a game that features a pair of teams that opened East Central 2-A Conference play last week with wins.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs defeated Croatan 62-57 while the Monarchs won 28-21 at East Duplin.
Malik Simmons led Dixon with 350 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Kris Curry had 141 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 14 carries while Josh Cabrera had four catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns for Northside.
This is the first football meeting between these two schools since Northside defeated Dixon 36-12 in 2002. Their first even meeting was in 2001 and that was won 19-9 by the Monarchs.
North Brunswick (5-2, 0-1) at Croatan (0-7, 0-1)
Croatan continues to fight for its first victory as the Cougars play host to North Brunswick in an East Central 2-A Conference game.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
The Cougars fell 62-57 at Dixon last week. Andrew Colborn threw for 468 yards and six touchdown passes in the losing effort. Beau Bryan added six receptions for 198 yards and three touchdowns while Justin Locklear had seven catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns for Croatan.
North Brunswick lost 41-20 at home to Southwest last week.
East Carteret (3-4, 0-1) at Lejeune (6-1, 1-0)
Lejeune has won six consecutive games and the Devilpups look to make it seven when they play host to East Carteret in a Coastal Plains 1-A Conference game.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Lejeune won 27-6 at Jones Senior last week. Jamaz Richardson rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries for the Devilpups.
East Carteret lost 47-7 to Pamlico last week.
Lejeune beat ECHS 35-8 last year.
West Craven (5-2, 2-0) at Richlands (3-4, 0-2)
Richlands, which had an open date last week, looks to end its two-game losing streak when the Wildcats play host to Coastal 3-A Conference foe West Craven.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Wildcats lost 18-15 at home to West Carteret on Oct. 4.
West Craven beat White Oak 38-23 last week.
Havelock (8-0, 3-0) at White Oak (3-4, 0-2)
White Oak tries to end a two-game losing streak, but it won�t be easy as the Vikings play host to two-time defending state 3-A champion Havelock in a Coastal 3-A Conference game.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Vikings lost 38-23 at West Craven last week. Elijah Harris ran for a touchdown and threw for another to Kendall White while Bobby Smith had a rushing touchdown for White Oak.
Meanwhile, Havelock defeated Swansboro 57-0 last week. The Rams are the No. 1-ranked team in The Associated Press 3-A poll.
Havelock beat WOHS 48-7 last year.
Swansboro (5-3, 1-1) at West Carteret (5-3, 1-2)
Swansboro attempts to rebound from last week�s loss at Havelock as the Pirates visit West Carteret in a Coastal 3-A Conference game.
The Pirates fell 57-0 to Havelock.
West Carteret is coming off a 35-14 home loss to Jacksonville.
Swansboro beat West Carteret 20-13 last year when they were nonconference foes.


text:
The Phillies and Rockies will open Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday with a first pitch of 2:37 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park.
Thursday's game also will be a 2:37 p.m. start in Philadelphia.
The series shifts to Denver for Game 3 and potentially Game 4 next weekend. Game 3 at Coors Field will have a start time of 9:37 p.m. Eastern.
Game times have not been set for Sunday's Game 4, if necessary, or a Game 5 in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
This mirrors the schedule in 2007 when the Phillies hosted both afternoon games in the Division Series against the Rockies. Last year, the Phillies opened against the Brewers with a day game and then had a 6:07 start for Game 2.
Also, while Charlie Manuel did not announce the identity of the Phillies' Game 1 starter, Colorado manager Jim Tracy essentially named Ubaldo Jiminez.
Jiminez went 15-12 with a 3.47 earned run average. He struck out 198 batters in 218 innings pitched. He dd not face the Phillies this year.
The Rockies' Game 2 starter depends on the health of lefthander Jorge De La Rosa, who injured his groin Saturday night against the Dodgers. Tracy said his condition remains undetermined. De La Rosa is 0-2 against the Phillies this season.
More to come ...


text:
The Bisons concluded the 2011 regular season with a 4-3 win over Atlantic Sun rival Belmont on Senior Day at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center on Saturday.
The win improved the Bisons record to 7-10 overall and 4-6 in the A-Sun. The Bisons hopes at a seed in the top six and a spot in the post-season tournament hinges on the Jacksonville vs. North Florida match which is scheduled for Sunday, April 10.
Should the Ospreys get the win over Jacksonville on Sunday, the Bisons will clinch a spot in the tournament for the first time in school history in the six-team format. If Jacksonville wins Sunday, the Dolphins will garner the final seed in the A-Sun Tournament.
The Bisons picked up an early lead, starting off the match 1-0 by winning the doubles point 2-1.
At No. 1, senior Joe McArdle and freshman Oliver Strecker defeated Rodrigo Amaral and Rafael Matos 8-5. Freshmen David Salazar and Miguel Cortez fell to Bruno Silva and Felipe Cirne Lima 8-6.
The Bisons clinched the point with a win at No. 3 doubles, where sophomores Tanner Brown and Colby Shaw defeated James Murrell and Christopher Bates 8-3.
With the doubles point under their belts, the Bisons headed into singles play with a 1-0 lead. However, the Bisons dropped their top three singles matches to the Bruins.
At No. 1, Strecker fell to Amaral 6-3, 6-3, while Salazar lost to Matos at No. 2 7-5, 6-3. Junior Chad Pierron was defeated at No. 3 by Silva in a three setter, falling 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
After dropping their lead and falling to 1-3, the bottom half of the Bisons' line up picked up the slack winning out their matches to post a 4-3 win.
Brown posted a win at No. 4, easily defeating Cirne Lima 6-1, 6-1, while Cortez took down Bates at No. 5 by a steady score of 6-3, 6-3.
Shaw closed out the tied match at No. 6 with a win over Murrell, brother of Bisons' senior James Murrell, 6-1, 6-2.
The Bisons' await the results of the Jacksonville vs. UNF match to determine their post-season fate.
James Murrell, Mario Hernandez and McArdle were honored for their contributions to the program during their careers at Lipscomb on Senior Day Saturday.
Lipscomb 4, Belmont 3
1. McArdle/ Strecker (LU) def. Amaral/ Matos (BELM) 8-5
2. Silva/ Cirne Lima (BELM) def. Salazar/ Cortez (LU) 8-6
3. Brown/ Shaw (LU) def. Murrell/ Bates (BELM) 8-3
1. Rodrigo Amaral (BELM) def. Oliver Strecker (LU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Rafael Matos (BELM) def. David Salazar (LU) 7-5, 6-3
3. Bruno Silva (BELM) def. Chad Pierron (LU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. Tanner Brown (LU) def. Felipe Cirne Lima (BELM) 6-1, 6-1
5. Miguel Cortez (LU) def. Christopher Bates (BELM) 6-3, 6-3
6. Colby Shaw (LU) def. James Murrell (BELM) 6-1, 6-2
Written by Ashlan Williams, student assistant for Lipscomb athletic media relations


text:
Welcome to the Ahr wine-making region, renowned for its red wines
The Ahr river twists and turns its way through a rocky landscape where lush vineyards cling to the bare stone. The ancient Romans appreciated the favourable climate of this wild, romantic valley, and were the first to cultivate grapes there. As well as pinot noir, the queen of the red grapes, the region's specialities include the equally prized, early-ripening pinot madeleine. Great effort is required to product top wines on the steep slopes above the Ahr river, but it is more than repaid by the high quality of the wines.
Baden is a remarkable wine region. Shielded by the Odenwald hills and the Black Forest on one side and the Vosges mountains on the other, it enjoys the sunniest and warmest climate in Germany, with temperatures that are almost mediterranean. This balmy climate and fertile soil have given rise to some of the best vineyards in Europe. Outstanding wines, delicious food and a warm welcome are the hallmarks of the Baden experience. The region is a magnet for those with refined tastes.
Franconia – a very special fusion of medieval towns and villages, scenic beauty and an almost mediterranean climate with a centuries-old tradition of wine making and people who fully appreciate all that the region has to offer. Würzburg wines from Franconia were Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's favourite tipple. At the same time, Franconia is the embodiment of a 21st century wine region with wines that win international awards and cutting-edge wine-making facilities.
It was probably the Romans who first introduced vines to the strata montana, but the earliest records of viticulture in the Bergstrasse region are from the 8th century and relate to Lorsch Imperial Abbey. In 1971, Hessische Bergstrasse became an independent wine-growing region and today it is the smallest of Germany's 13 wine regions. It consists of two separate geographical areas: Starkenburg, south of Darmstadt , comprises the towns of Alsbach, Zwingenberg, Bensheim and Heppenheim, while the 'Odenwald wine island' is the area in and around Gross-Umstadt and Rossdorf.
For the 120 kilometres between Bingen and Bonn , steep vineyard slopes join castles, glorious residences and the famous Loreley rock as the river twists and turns through a landscape steeped in history. The Siebengebirge hills and the Loreley divide the region into two distinct areas in terms of wine classification. The southern section, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Bingen, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2002 for its outstanding, vineyard-sculpted countryside. Ample motivation for the growers to continue their sterling work on the steep, vine-clad hillsides.
The Moselle, Saar and Ruwer rivers twist and turn in narrow loops through countryside where the Celts and Romans first cultivated wine 2,000 years ago. As a wine region, the Moselle is the oldest in Germany and the largest with vines on steep slopes. Terraced hillsides and precipitous slopes, which face either south or south-west, create beneficial microclimates for wine grapes but also rare plants and animals. The sublime rieslings grown in these conditions in the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer vineyards rank among the finest white wines in the world with their wonderful mineral notes.
Lush greenery, romantic river valleys and dramatic rock formations are what lend the Nahe region in south-west Germany its distinctive character. Its mild climate ensures that grapes ripen early and develop a pleasing acidity. The 130km Nahe Wine Route links wine-growing villages, castles and natural beauty such as the Rotenfels rock face and the Trollbachtal Valley. The Edelschliff showcases what this region can do: a fine riesling, chosen by a jury, is presented in a designer bottle decorated with a gemstone from Idar-Oberstein.
The easiest and most breathtaking way to explore the Palatinate wine region is along the German Wine Route . Geared towards visitors, the scenic route links numerous towns and villages associated with wine between Bockenheim in the north and Schweigen on the French border. It is the oldest route of its kind in the world, and cycle and walking trail versions of the German Wine Route allow you to explore the vineyards between the Palatinate Forest and the Rhine on foot or by bike.
The main grape varieties grown in the Rheingau are riesling and pinot noir. The Rheingau has a long tradition of wine-making, started by the abbeys many centuries ago. This reputation opened the doors to all the big stately homes for the Rheingau wineries as suppliers of premium vintages. The Rheingau also enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide as the home of the Centre for Viticulture and Oenology in Geisenheim.
Germany's largest wine-growing region, Rheinhessen is a welcoming and hospitable region on the Rhine. Everyone is amazed by what is being achieved in the triangular region between Mainz , Worms and Bingen, where a group of young vintners with great enthusiasm for wine, self-confidence, incredible dynamism and a great feel for fine wines is at work. Buzzing networks such as 'Message in a bottle' or associations such as 'Grosses Gewächs Rheinhessen', 'Selection Rheinhessen', 'Ecovin' and 'Wein vom Roten Hang' provide innovation, while Mainz and Rheinhessen represent Germany in the Great Wine Capitals international club.
The Saale-Unstrut quality wine region is characterised by unspoilt countryside swathed in vineyards, steep terraces, centuries-old dry-stone walls and romantic vineyard huts. The beauty of the river valleys and the landscape of terraced vineyards evokes an enchanting mediterranean charm. With its pleasant climate, specific soil type and yield regulations, and the experienced hands of its winegrowers, the region produces distinctive wines of the highest quality.
Wines from Saxony are known as rare gems because the Saxony wine region is the most north-easterly and one of the smallest in Europe. People have been producing wine here on the river Elbe for 850 years. Special features include the vineyards divided into small plots that are cultivated by more than 3,000 small independent growers. Saxony has a broad range of grape varieties – including gold riesling which is only grown here. The majority of Saxony wines are drunk locally, a rarity in Germany.
The majority (80 per cent) of Württemberg's wines are red, making it the biggest producer of red wine in Germany. A large part (71 per cent) of the area under vine is situated on slopes or steep hillsides, some of which have a 20 per cent gradient, making them more difficult to cultivate. Württemberg is characterised by a particularly broad range of grape varieties and is one of the few places where lemberger and trollinger are grown. Many of the new varieties that have become important to German wine-growing such as dornfelder come from Württemberg.
The Best Hotels and Resorts of Germany and the World.
Discounted First Class, Business Class, and Coach Airfares Worldwide.
JESS Kalinowsky Professional Travel Consultant


text:
She may have been the "Bean Queen" in her former life, but Durango entrepreneur Charlotte Rynott has traded in her tiara for a lasso. She's rounding up food vendors for Cha Cha's Food Truck Corral, 3478 N. Main Ave.
With a trolley stop in her front yard, a river in the back and more than a dozen condos of La Campanella in between, the one-third-acre food court eventually will be home to up to seven summer food vendors.
Less than 3 weeks old, Cha Cha's is becoming an outdoor restaurant family marked by shaded picnic tables, screened Porta-Johns and a sea of limestone, parted by pots of herbs and marigolds.
"I've finally got a home," Jocelyn Skill of Skillfully Decadent said, throwing her arms wide like a proud first-time homeowner visualizing a backyard playground for her only child.
Skill purchased a self-contained, bakery-fitted food truck two years ago. She rolls her sweets wagon to community special events and catering venues, offering tarts, scones, cupcakes, croissants, cookies and all things decadent that can be passed through a service window. Less than a month ago, Skill took the trophy for the "Best Dessert" category at Taste of Durango. That day, she sold out of the winning dessert – hazelnut chocolate crème brûlée.
Skill is grateful to fellow foodie Rynott, who once was in Skill's shoes, cradling her own specialty foods business, Cajun Zydeco Gourmet Pickling. It was that venture that earned Rynott the name "Bean Queen."
Nine years later, Rynott sold the homemade, dilly-green bean-for-Bloody Marys business, but not until she had expanded its offerings to include pickled cherry tomatoes, okra, pickled Vidalia onions and elephant garlic seed pods.
"Our product from Louisiana landed in every bar and restaurant from Texas to Florida … It was highly successful," Rynott said.
"I took it from grade school to college," Rynott said of the business she nurtured from scratch.
"We did everything by hand … it almost killed me," she said.
Flash forward through several additional entrepreneurial and managerial stints, including managing a dude ranch in Wickenburg, Ariz., and heading up tourism marketing in Lafayette, La. An interior decorator with a flair for business, Rynott eventually landed in Durango with her husband, Tim Rynott, an independent oil and gas industry consultant.
In March, while she was building out the incomplete La Campanella commercial condos, Rynott noticed the steady stream of North Main Avenue morning traffic pulling into Durango Joes' coffee kiosk across the street.
Around the same time, the city of Durango notified Rynott that she needed to put in sidewalk improvements, as required by the city and the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The vintage motels on North Main had few dining options within walking distance, Rynott also observed, so she began to investigate how she could put the commercial tract parcel of La Campanella's planned development to a use that would meet the need, she said.
"I became aware of the plight of the food vendors needing a place for a permanent base of operation," Rynott said.
When she approached the city, planners told her what would be required, including permission from La Campanella's home owners' association, which put the matter to a vote.
"The city was overjoyed. They said 'You could be the answer to the prayers of these people,'" she said.
The city was referencing the two to three calls it gets every week during summer months from food truck owners and vendors curious about Durango's rules about mobile food operations, said Nicole Killian, planning manager for the city of Durango.
Rynott applied for and was granted a special-use permit for a six-month operation for up to seven food vendors. The vendors must be inspected by and receive permits from fire safety and health inspectors, Killian said, but the special-use permit goes to the property owner, who is required to hold a business license.
While the code regarding food trucks is "kind of vague," Killian said, new code rewrites will offer an opportunity to revisit this emerging, potentially popular use.
Planner Craig Roser echoed Killian, emphasizing that no historical data is available for food truck or seasonal food vendors, but Rynott was willing to take her chances with the food truck corral on a trial basis.
"We're not even sure if this is going to fly or if it's a good idea," Roser said, but added that Serious Texas Bar-B-Q, a bricks and mortar Durango restaurant that has multiple locations, got its start as a food vendor.
Rynott said she wants five more food trucks to be in place by July 4, joining Skillfully Decadent and Mariana's Authentic Cuisine, a food truck featuring fresh Asian and Indonesian food.
Rynott purchased a food truck herself, eager to add Cajun offerings, including gumbo, jambalaya and shrimp po boys to the limited selection currently available for the corral's "soft but yummy opening," she said.
Other plans include offering prepackaged tapas of fruit and cheese as a quick, walk-up treat for less than $10 that will tide people over while they consider where they might head for dinner, she said.
"I've been listening to what people want and what I want. I'm not taking away from the restaurants," she said.
An ice cream vendor is in the final stages of negotiation, and roasted peanuts also could be on the horizon, Rynott said.
Vegan food truck owner Kathy Juracka, who recently launched "The Pod" at the La Plata County Fairgrounds Sunday flea market, may be joining the corral part time, Juracka said.
It was Juracka's all-plant-based, popular beet burger made of brown rice, oats, flax seeds and seasoning that hooked Rynott, who extended an invitation to Juracka to join others at the food court, which is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
"Even people who hate beets love this one. But why hate beets? They look like jewels and taste like heaven," Juracka said.
Juracka said she also intends to serve vegan, organic breakfast burritos made of scrambled tofu and green chiles in whole-wheat tortillas, curry veggie wraps, hummus-based treats and roasted corn on the cob.
"It's so nice that I'm not the lone vegan anymore," Juracka said of the many Durango folks who embrace an entirely plant-based diet, free of animal products and dairy.
Juracka said she decided to open a food truck so she could plant the seed for better and more nutritious eating.
"For me, it's a happy by-product of being kind to animals," she said.
Tulsa, Okla., transplants Mia and Kelly Kitchen, who call themselves "temporary residents," were pleased to bask in the sun while waiting for their Indonesian food last Saturday.
"I think it's awesome," Kelly Kitchen said.
Tulsa, like Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, and larger metropolitan cities, has similar food courts, many offering music and boasting a large following kept in the loop through social networking, Mia Kitchen said.
"We had Food Truck Wednesdays in Tulsa's Guthrie Green Park, where 10 to 12 trucks might gather. Food trucks are becoming a big, popular thing. They're really taking off," she said.
"I guess it could be a different story when it's blowing snow in your face, but you never know," her husband, Kelly Kitchen, said.
City councilor Sweetie Marbury endorsed the food-truck court concept with a thumbs-up.
"I think it's great. It fosters an entrepreneurial spirit. That's a plus," Marbury said.


text:
I thought I would list our dojo's schedule of dan ranking related fees.
- Testing Fee:
- Belt Fee:
- Certificate Fee:
- Annual Renewal Fee:
- Retesting Fee:
- Reissuance of Lost Certificate Fee:
- Recertification Fee:
- Title Fee:
- Fee to Have Certificate Signed by Dignitary:
- Fee to Have Photo Taken With Dignitary Awarding Certificate:
I think that rank is something you earn by sincere hard work, not something you can purchase. And the idea is to develop skill and a good character.
There was a Karate instructor. He was so good that his gi made a loud noise whenever he executed a technique... "ka-ching, ka-ching!"
Three students were arguing about which of them was the best.
"My instructor is the most famous," said the first, "so I am the best!"
"My instructor is a great champion," said the second, "so I am the best!"
"I have you both beat," boasted the third. "I am certainly the best."
"But your instructor is neither famous nor a champion," said the first.
"And to tell the truth, he is not very skilled," said the second.
"That may be true," conceded the third, "but he charged me a fortune for my shodan certificate!" "I must be the best!"
The best things in life are free.
Charles C. Goodin


text:
Do you ever look at the people driving the car next to yours and wonder "what kind of sleeper is she?" Or scan a movie theater before the lights dim and ask yourself "what time did that man go to bed last night"? Probably not. What if by knowing just a little about the sleep habits of the people around you, you could determine even more.
Using data derived from the answers to poll questions, NSF found five clusters or "sleep personality" types. The commonalities are based on sleep habits and more than 40 other factors including age, marital status, gender, employment status, diagnosed medical conditions, how often they feel tired/fatigued/not up to par, and the amount of caffeinated beverages consumed daily.
You may be able to identify with one of these groups more than the other four. The segment profiles for the 2005 Sleep in America poll finds two groups of "good sleepers" comprising a little less than half of those polled; they are called Healthy, Lively Larks and Sleep Savvy Seniors. Three groups comprising 52% of the respondents have sleep characteristics that are not positive; they are Dragging Duos, Overworked, Overweight and Over caffeinated and finally, Sleepless and Missin' the Kissin'.
Healthy, Lively Larks
You are the model citizen of sleep. As a Healthy, Lively Lark, you are someone who is not likely to be affected by sleep problems. You almost always get the sleep you need and you almost never feel tired or fatigued. You are younger than the other groups, often married or partnered and working full time. You consider yourself a morning person who is not diagnosed with a medical condition.
Sleep Savvy Seniors
You are the most mature of the five groups (average age 60), about half are 65 or older. As a sleep savvy senior, you get the most sleep of any group, averaging 7.3 hours/night compared to 6.8 overall. You can say you get a good night's sleep on most nights, often take two or more naps during the week, and never/rarely feel tired/fatigued. Although many Sleep Savvy Seniors have


text:
1 or more
3 or more
5 or more
ABOUT THIS PRODUCT: 100 Blue and White assorted dreidels - colors of Israeli flag. Great for Chanukah. They look festive in combination with blue fillable dreidels. Easy to spin. Size 1.75"Traditional. Economical. Fun.
Chanukah colors! Each dreidel has a Hebrew letter and English transliteration, so it's easy to play for anyone even if he or she doesn't know Hebrew alphabet. Spin these dreidels and learn the letters as you play!
It would be our pleasure to ship it to you!
Free shipping and more discounts! Chocolategelt.com is your online source for 100 Blue and White Dreidels Assorted. We serve schools, synagogues, non-profit organizations, as well as individuals. 100 Blue and White Dreidels Assorted sold retail and wholesale, you can see price break depending on quantity you buy on each product page. Our popular products are dreidels, chocolate coins also known as gelt, candles and party gifts for Chanukah. Our selection also includes wide variety of Purim supplies Thank you for shopping at our store!
- Wholesale - Contact/FAQ - Testimonials


text:
The economic consequences of a government shutdown can't be calibrated on a spreadsheet with an economic model. It all depends on who wins public opinion – congressional Republicans or the president and Democrats.
Federal spending is out of control. From 2007, the last full year before the financial crisis, to 2011, the second full year of economic recovery, spending has jumped $1.1 trillion – 40 percent, when only a $200 billion increase would have kept pace with inflation.
For any other country, a deficit exceeding 10 percent of GDP would force austerity by sending interest rates on government bonds through the roof. Alas, the United States prints the world's currency – the dollar – so it can inflate its way to solvency, and the bond market is starting to take that bet.
Enter the tea party – that troublesome bunch of youngsters pushing elder Republicans to stand up for fiscal solvency, end the madness, or halt funding for the government.
Closing federal offices for a few days will have not a great, lasting impact. On reopening, the checks will go out. What counts, though, is whether the newly elected conservative majority in the House of Representatives keeps its mandate as measured by the polls.
Republicans don't have all the answers
Through 2022, the projected cumulative deficit is $11 trillion, and House Republicans have just released a plan to cut that figure by roughly $6 trillion over the next decade.
But the means for getting there are hardly attractive – vouchers for poor folks to purchase health care and block grants to the states to replace and reduce much of federal Medicare spending. That would morph President Obama's vision of universal coverage into a victimization plan for the poor and even bigger budget crises for the states.
Americans pay too much for health care, spending 18 percent of GDP for less effective service than the Germans and Dutch receive spending only about 12 percent of GDP. Instead of taking on higher US drug prices, bloated health insurance and hospital administrative costs, and malpractice abuse, Republicans will tell the poor and the states to bargain with the big guys directly. Good luck with those ideas.
As for Social Security – hush, Republicans have a secret plan! The GOP will save money but so far has not revealed how. Private investment accounts, the favorite among free marketeers, would leave brokers smiling but the old poorer, judging by how most IRAs have faired since 2000.
Of course, if the president comes out of the government shutdown politically stronger, then its business as usual. But can it be?
Can't go back to business as usual
Thanks to huge deficits, inflation expectations are rising, and bond investors are becoming wary that the secular trend on 20- and 30-year US Treasury rates is up and up. That's not just a cyclical adjustment this summer, as unemployment falls and the Federal Reserve ends quantitative easing. Rather, the upward trend is happening in large part because federal deficits in coming years are expected to be much larger than what President Obama's budgets project. He assumes too much cost savings and additional revenue from health-care reforms, and a 4 percent growth rate for the next four years, which few economists would endorse.
As the long rate on Treasuries rises, interest payments will absorb more and more federal revenue, and austerity will be foisted on the US government in the manner of Greece or Portugal. At that point, slashing as opposed to reason will prevail. Thoughtful reforms in health care and for Social Security become even more difficult.
It's tough to forecast the consequences of a fiscal train wreck; but if the Democrats win the day in a government shutdown, it only postpones the inevitable day of reckoning.
The choices are clear. Congress must make responsible reforms to health care that harness drug, administrative, and tort costs now, and ensure solvency for Social Security by raising the retirement age to 70, or the bond vigilantes will ultimately end the party. Then more draconian changes will be forced on the American people who simply refuse to live within their means.
Peter Morici is a professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland School, and former Chief Economist at the US International Trade Commission.