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via press release:
Thursday's Debut of "The Big Bang Theory" Sweeps Time Period in all Key Ratings Categories
"The Big Bang Theory" Posts Gains over its Year-Ago Monday Premiere and Last Year's Thursday 8:00 PM Time Period
The Series Premiere of "$#*! My Dad Says" Also Sweeps Time Period in all Measures
"CSI" Wins Time Period in Viewers with Gains over Last May's Finale
"The Mentalist" is #1 Show of the Night and Wins Time Period in Adults 18-49
and Adults 25-54
CBS Wins Premiere Thursday in Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 for the First Time Since 2007
CBS Wins all Four Nights of Premiere Week at 10:00 PM in Viewers and
Adults 25-54 and Three of Four in Adults 18-49
CBS launched Thursday with a "big bang" as the season premiere of THE BIG BANG THEORY swept its new 8:00 PM time period in all ratings categories with gains over last year's Monday premiere and the year-ago time period, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for Sept. 24.
At 8:00 PM, THE BIG BANG THEORY (P) was first in households (8.3/14), viewers (13.95m), adults 25-54 (5.9/17), adults 18-49 (4.8/15) and adults 18-34 (3.7/13).
Compared to last year's season premiere (on Monday, Sept. 21 at 9:30 PM), THE BIG BANG THEORY was up +5% in households (from 7.9/11), +2% in both adults 25-54 (from 5.8/12) and adults 18-49 (from 4.7/11), +23% in adults 18-34 (from 3.0/08) and added +970,000 viewers (from 12.98m, +7%).
Compared to the same time period premiere last year (SURVIVOR: SAMOA, Thursday 8:00-8:30 PM on Sept. 24), THE BIG BANG THEORY was up +28% in households (from 6.5/11), +37% in adults 25-54 (from 4.3/12), +41% in adults 18-49 (from 3.4/10), +85% in adults 18-34 (from 2.0/07) and added +2.77m viewers (from 11.18m, +25%).
At 8:30 PM, $#*! MY DAD SAYS (P) was first in households (7.5/12), viewers (12.48m), adults 25-54 (5.1/14), adults 18-49 (3.9/12) and tied for first in adults 18-34 (2.8/09, with NBC) at 8:30 PM. Compared to the time period premiere last year (SURVIVOR: SAMOA, Thursday 8:30-9:00 PM on Sept. 24), $#*! MY DAD SAYS was up +7% in households (from 7.0/11), +2% in adults 25-54 (from 5.0/13), +22% in adults 18-34 (from 2.3/07) and added +310,000 viewers (from 12.17m, +3%).
At 9:00 PM, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (P) was first in viewers (14.57m), tied for first in households (8.9/14, with ABC), second in adults 25-54 (4.6/11) and averaged a 3.4/09 in adults 18-49. Compared to last year's season finale (on May 20), CSI was up +3% in both households (from 8.6/14) and adults 18-49 (from 3.3/09), +5% in adults 25-54 (from 4.4/11) and added +210,000 viewers (from 14.36m, +1%).
At 10:00 PM, THE MENTALIST (P) was first in households (9.5/17), viewers (15.33m), adults 25-54 (4.5/12) and tied for first in adults 18-49 (3.3/10, with ABC). CBS won the 10:00-11:00 PM time slot for the fourth consecutive night in both viewers and adults 25-54, was first in adults 18-49 for the third night out of four. Compared to last year's season finale (on May 20), THE MENTALIST was up +1% in households (from 9.4/16), +3% in adults 18-49 (from 3.2/09) and added +70,000 viewers (from 15.25m). THE MENTALIST was the night's #1 program in viewers.
For the night, CBS was first in households (8.8/15), viewers (14.37m), adults 25-54 (4.9/13) and adults 18-49 (3.7/11). This was CBS's first win on a Premiere Week Thursday since 2007.
Updated Thursday ratings will be available this afternoon.
Estimated Increases in Viewers and Adults 18-49 Versus Live Plus
Same Day Results
Total Total
Viewer Lift Live +7 A18-49 Lift Live +7
The Big Bang Theory 3.69m 17.64m +1.2 6.0
$#*! My Dad Says 2.01m 14.49m +0.9 4.8
CSI 2.30m 16.87m +0.9 4.3
The Mentalist 3.06m 18.39m +0.9 4.2


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New EU transparency rules for tax planners and companies
ACTL Afternoon Seminar
On 21 June 2017, the European Commission has submitted a proposal to introduce mandatory disclosure rules for tax intermediaries and companies concerning cross-border tax arrangements.
Analyzing the impact of the Mandatory Disclosure Rules - Is this the way forward?
Tuesday 26 September 2017 - 14:30-18:00 (registration 14:30).
Venue: De Industrieële Groote Club Amsterdam (https://www.igc.nl/)
Please find the programme and registration form below:

subset: commoncrawl


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09-10 OPC Premier Trios Robinson-MacInnis-Bourque /50
92-93 Bowman Mario Lemieux Conn Smythe Foil
Part of the same bundle was this card. I don't own any other 92-93 Bowman cards except this one. I honestly was a bit of a card snob back then and Bowman had a bit of a reputation from 90-92 if you know what I mean...But these cards came out hot and before I knew it prices were far higher than I would ever pay and I just never got myself a pack let alone a set. However, I am older, prices have cooled a bit and if the right price ever came along maybe I will snag one. I have since grown to appreciate the 90-91 Bowman set, maybe it won't be long before I have a 91-92 and a 92-93.
However, this card is pretty neat and simple, features Mario and he looks like he is about to announce his pending trip to Disney World and he is very thrilled....Actually it looks more like it has been several hours since his last smoke and he could use another. Either way, I figured the price was right and my collection could use at least one 92-93 Bowman card!


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During one of her recent visits, Diana and I grabbed brunch at Public, a beautiful spot in Nolita. Consider me easily charmed by any place that uses old school Dewey Decimal style drawers in their restaurant decor and stamped butcher block paper on the tables.
We were greeted by complimentary herb biscuit-bites that were tiny, cute and lovely.
Strike that. We were really greeted by a table covered with freshly baked goods and spreads. These goods were not complimentary, but the self-serve spreads most definitely were. Diana and I decided to try one pastry, but mainly as reason to eat copious amounts of jellies and jams !
The pastry is a beaut, but the cake was much drier than I expected. But that's where these come into play!
The spreads were all delicious: there was mango, apple preserves and a lovely coconut milk sauce. It was hard to pick a favorite because they were all uniquely great. I think if you just gave us a loaf of bread, our brunch could've ended in pure bliss.
Like the black pudding waffle with red wine poached pears and whipped foie gras butter.
Oh. Not actual real pudding. Lesson learned.
So if you go in fully aware with that, this dish might be up your alley. The foie gras butter added even more creepy decadence, but the red wine poached pears were quite good and added a nice light element to this otherwise heavy dish.
210 Elizabeth St
New York, NY


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This movie is pretty great, so far. I'm about halfway through it, and I wish it were, believe it or not, longer. I think that the material would make for a terrific television series -- one that no one, not even HBO, especially not even HBO, post Albrecht, would produce.
If George Clooney and Matt Damon (and the supporting cast, including Chris Cooper and Jeffrey Wright) wanted to serialize it, I would watch it. Me, and three other people.
I am not sure there is a place for a nuanced look at the politics of petroleum, at the real, live human beings that inhabit places like Iran and Iraq and Pakistan, in a country which produces thinkers like this genius, the American version of the Taliban, but far, far scarier (we have infinitely more resources to wage rageful destruction on our supposed enemies).
In Syriana, a group of foreign workers in, presumably Saudi Arabia, attend a Madrasa and are treated to a free feast of flatbreads, dates, lamb kebobs and pilafs. The cleric, an Arab, instructing a group of young Pakistanis and Afghans, instructs the foreigners on religious thought -- turn your back on the modern secular world. Look, he says, at the Americans and the decline of their society, esteem, reputation and wealth. Draw the line from their godlessness to their problems. Surely, he says, this is Allahs will. But the Pakistanis and other foreign workers face unemployment, poverty and deportation as guests in the fertile crescent. Hope is what religious instruction offers these people, hope and hate. It is the same as in Kansas or Utah, California or Indonesia. And the same thing that is "wrong with Kansas" is surely wrong in all of Allah's vast kingdom: poor people, fed the rhetoric of hope and hate, used as pawns in a power struggle designed to keep these same people as mules for those in power, be they the emir or a president.
Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi, better known as Siddig El Fadil or even better known as Alexander Siddig (and known to me as Dr Julian Bashir) makes an appearance as Prince Nasir Al-Subaai. He also makes appearances in "24", Fox's near-pornographic Islamofascist hate-fest (a show where the fake Fox News broadcasts are hard to distinguish from the networks' "real" news broadcast), he appears as Khalid Sheik Mohammed on a TV movie called "The Hamburg Cell" and a number of other credits that appear to say the same thing: if you name is like Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi, you will get roles on TV as a terrorist. Prince Nasir is not that, nor was Julian Bashir, a positive role for Siddig on a science fiction franchise famous for its African-american communications officer, Vulcan science officer, Klingon security chief, a gay Japanese man, black, female and (gasp) British commanders and captains living in the rainbow colors of Benneton Federation future.
Well, the future looks sexier in Farscape, Firefly and Battlestar Galactica (if its not actually the past), but Star Trek could be worse -- it could be Star Wars, where politics and dialog hover down at the George W Bush level of 8-year old "hate our freedom" discourse.
Which comes back to my original point, and plaintive plea: George Clooney, if you are reading this (and I know you aren't), stop what you are doing and pitch Syriana as a series. A multi-year, multi-arc, 50+ hour television drama. Grab David Chase or, better, David Simon, and Robert Baer and Stephen Gaghan and find out who the new Chris Albrecht is and pitch it, baby, pitch it.
The Wire ends next year. What will fill the void? You can take 5 years off and film a series, can't you? America needs to know about this, think about this. Clooney, we need you. And, as a way to send a nice "fuck you" to Fox News, you can use Keith Olbermann for incidental background news clips. Think about it, it would be bril.
29 June, 2007
Movie Review: Syriana
Posted by dr von drinkensnorten at 22:42
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#234 unofficial etsy featured seller - plastique
Date joined etsy- 07/16/08
Sales to date - 2087-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.
name: jennifer murse. everyone, and i mean EVERYONE, shortens it to jen without even asking. so really i guess i'm "jen murse"
location: los angeles, ca
kids: nope
pets: nope.... no room. i want a dog one day though!
ice cream: tiramisu gelato OR back to basics cookies and cream
fave color combos: grey and pink
fave #: 3
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
well, my day is usually far too long. i have a full time job and plastique* is my "side" business except that it's taken over my life. so basically i get up around 7:45am (sometimes i snooze til 8 and then i'm slightly panicked). get to work around 9:10. work til 6-ish as a web designer. that in and of itself can be very tiring depending on how difficult the client wants to be. i design the front end of websites, mobile apps, etc. it's fun but it can be a lot of hard work. i get home around 7pm and futz around on the internet for a moment. if i feel compelled i'll hit the gym and by the time that's all said and done it's like 8:30. i start working on plastique* work while my boyfriend makes dinner (he's awesome like that!). i'll do anything and everything from make jewelry, answer emails, post new items, shoot photos, or start designing new ideas. if it's a night where i'm packing orders i'll do that for at least an hour or two. typically around 1am i start to panic that i need to sleep but realize i have a bit more work to do. and by 2ish i'm in bed. wash, rinse, repeat. oh and did i mention coffee? i drink a lot of coffee.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
when i was a little kid i used to do a lot of art contests. i didn't really think much of it but i was always doing art contests. somewhere along the way thought i got sidetracked with my love of cash registers and forms. i used to LOVE creating forms for my parents to fill out. and i used to love playing with my cash register. so when i got older and went to college i thought that my love of creating and filling out forms coupled with my love of cash registers meant i liked "business." i also loved movies so i thought, movies and business equals wanting to be a movie producer and work on the business side of films. so i went to USC for business and film and along the way realized that wasn't for me. so when i graduated i went to art school for graphic design and started my career in design. i should have realized that my love for making forms actually meant i liked grids and that's really design. i totally got sidetracked from my true passions as a little kid!
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
one day i was at a store and i saw a plastic ring. so months later i started getting the itch to make my own. i wanted to make the inverted diamond ring out of plastic. i had no idea how i'd do it so i searched for laser cut plastic. i found a place that would do it for me easily and my whole world opened up. i still remember that day. i was literally freaking out over the possibilities. i didn't know where to start. so i just started trying out stuff. i cut a few pieces of plastic and with my extras i thought i might as well post them on etsy. people liked them and as i started making more designs for myself i posted the extras on etsy. i saw the potential so i started making more designs and then in more quantity and the rest is history.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
i don't recall exactly but i'm sure it took a few weeks. it was definitely not right away. but i was ok with that because i wasn't in it for any kind of profit, recognition, etc. i didn't even have a "brand" name at the time. it was just me posting my extra pieces.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
5 foods: sushi, pizza, indian curries, all chinese food, kobe beef sliders from barclay prime in philly
5 tv shows: mad men, dexter, and seinfeld (even if it is off the air)
5 bands: i LOVE music so much that it's too hard to pick fave bands. but if i had to choose one it'd be radiohead. and since i love electronica/dance music my fave remixer is fred falke.
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
i can't sew and i've always wanted to learn. i also want to learn more about working with metals for jewelry. i took a class in silversmithing jewelry and it's hard! i loved it but it's quite hard on the hands. i'd love to get into it more. make molds and do casting. i also want to get into letterpress. i love the texture of letterpress and i think it's a great art that so few use anymore. i once tried to learn the guitar and it was not a success. i think i love music but i'm not musically inclined.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
i am noticing a very big trend in making treasuries. i've read on "etsy success" stories that people make treasuries i guess because it gets their shop out there when they message all the people they put in their treasury but also if their treasury gets picked for the front page, their shop is listed to i believe. i don't quite know all the inner workings of this promotional method but it seems to be something a lot of people do. i for one don't make treasuries. you read my average day. i have no time! i do scour etsy a lot to see what's out there and i buy a lot of stuff. but i don't make treasuries. i appreciate those that make them and put me in them! i think the best way to promote your shop is with blogs. there are some very large key blogs out there in the design world that can really boost your sales if you get picked up for a little blurb on them. i noticed that sales skyrocketed when i got onto blogs. and then of course make a facebook page and a twitter account. you need to employ social networking as best you can. get your friends to tweet about your stuff and "like" your page. slowly it will spread. there was no twitter when i started my shop. wow, that makes me sound old or something even though i'm not. "back when there was no twitter.... we had to do things the old fashioned way...." haha but seriously, twitter is a godsend to small businesses. it's free PR for yourself if you use it properly.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
machajewelry - macha jewelry is SO GORGEOUS. pricey, but gorgeous. i love the raw look and feel to it. i have 2 of her rings.
melaniefavreau - melanie favreau's stuff is just so fun yet clean. in some ways i see it as what i'd be doing if i was using pure silver. i own two of her pieces as well.
boygirlparty - susie's characters are so cute i love them all! and she's around my age and lives in southern california so i aspire to her level of creativity. she does all kinds of art shows and she's just a fabulous artist. i check back to her store a lot.
-One year from now...
well, in february i'll be showing my jewelry at POOL at the fashion tradeshow MAGIC. so that will be my make it or break it moment i think. if it goes well and i am able to pick up a lot more wholesale accounts i might just quit my fulltime job and do this for awhile. there's a good chance i'm going to be moving to NYC next year and if i do that i kind of want to go back to grad school for a masters in packaging design. so a year from now i foresee a lot of changes in my life. i'll also be 30 so it's kind of that BIG year. i'm excited!
Have an etsy shop with over 300 sales and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at email@example.com
As always, thanks for reading :)


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Conan: The Frost Giant's Daughter and Other Stories
This was another one of those titles i went digging for the minute i got back into comics. Conan (like Usagi Yojimbo, Spider-Man, and the Incredible Hulk) was one of those characters i loved as a kid and went searching for like some long lost security blanket to help ease my transition back into comicdom. My dad and i used to love to read Conan comics (and watch the Arnold adaptations) together when i was real little, and even now the barbaric Cimmerian brings back some real great memories for me. But enough sappy reminiscing (how very un-Cimmerian, Crom would not be pleased) let's talk about the new series' first compilation: The Frost Giant's Daughter and Other Stories.
After reading this trade - i can't imagine a more perfect creative team for a Conan series than Kurt Busiek (writing), Cary Nord (drawrings), and Dave Stewart (coloring). These guys are all three fantastic. The scripting, pencils, AND coloring (how often do we score the trifecta?) are all very, very "Conan", and come together seamlessly. Nord and Stewart make a great team; the art in this title is some of the best i've seen (if not THE best) since i've been back reading comics. There's a very historically gritty, painted feel to it, and a tremendous amount of attention is paid to detail. Everything has a very "real" look (far and away from my boy Humberto Ramos), from the environments to the weapons, armor and other equipment. Nord does a good job with facial expressions - displaying emotion well (especially Conan's). I also appreciate that he keeps Conan (and others) looking muscular w/o looking bulky or unrealistic (no superhero syndrome here). It takes me twice as long to read these Conan issues, if for no other reason than i can spend minutes on top of minutes just admiring the art work on every page. I'm thoroughly convinced Nord was born to draw Conan, and Stewart to color Nord's pencils.
The entire story is told (rather uniquely) from the perspective of a royal dispatch sent into the wild to survey newly conquered lands. The dispatch (the leader of which is the tenuous heir to the conquering kingdom) stumble across the ruins of an ancient city. Hidden beneath its crumbled walls is a massive (and immediately recognizable) stone statue of a great warrior king, surrounded by mountains of priceless treasure. Intrigued by the statue (and bored to tears from time spent on the kings mission in the desert), the prince commands his advisor to dig up as much information as is available about this once beloved warrior king. The results of this research unfold into Busiek's epic Conan tales.
The compilation of issues found in this first volume cover one fairly complete story arc, following Conan on his quest to sate his wanderlust and lay eyes on the mythical land of Hyperborea. Since his youth, Conan has heard stories of this faraway eutopian land, tales of rolling hills, voluptuous women, immortality, and suicide (how does that fit in you ask? oh i can't give that away). The story begins as Conan comes to the aid of a small town being pillaged and raped while it's men are off to hunt. The men return from the hunt to find their homes destroyed and their women and children robbed, killed, or otherwise harassed. A war party is called together to hunt down the "reavers" who did this (a rival band), and Conan is persuaded to join in the pursuit. What unfolds is a new-classic Conan story of battle, lust, betrayal and revenge (oh yes); combined w/ elements of mysticism, magic, and mythology (are we talking Conan now or what!?). I'd love to go into more detail about what happens in this book but i'd really be spoiling it. I will tell you that my absolute favorite part of this entire trade is the scene w/ the frost giant's daughter... really, really cool stuff. I will say thought that the overall story almost got away from me toward the end (after some incredible parts in the middle) but after reading it the second time i came to appreciate it.
I think I (we?) love Conan because he is the epitome of the ID (see ma, i DID pay attention in psychology). To borrow a phrase from my wife, he's "all that is man". Conan is driven by the most basic of instincts - he desires battle/survival, women and wine (the two of which combine to create "mirth"), and wanderlust. Busiek writes a very cool Conan (complete with Arnlod-esque one liners that are perfectly placed and seldom overdone). This Conan is classic to the character IMO - never wordy and always putting people, beasts, demons, monsters, and even God's in check with his great sword and an aptitude for finding trouble and whuppin ass.
Brings me to my favorite Conan quote of all time (i think it's from the first movie): "...to see your enemies driven before you and hear the lamentation of the women...".
I know i've been passing out the A++'s like nobodies business but i've been real lucky with my selections since i've been back (thanks in large part to this online community of resources i've got going). This is another one i won't let myself sell short just because i'm overdue to dislike something... If you're the least bit interested in Conan or LOTR style fantasy w/ a historical feel, read this at least twice.


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Painting pictures with words. Opening a part of the soul. Emotion flowing with the lines. Tapestry skillfully woven. Reflecting thoughts artfully. Yearning to make a difference. --Karen O'Leary--Whispers' Editor
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Tanka--By ayaz daryl nielsen--United States
gently falling
may my years pass
with such poise
and such grace
ayaz daryl nielsen is a husband, father, veteran, x-roughneck (as on oil rigs)/hospice nurse, editor of bear creek haiku (25+ years/120+ issues), homes include Lilliput Review, Jellyfish, Whispers, Shamrock, and! bearcreekhaiku.blogspot.com (translates as joie de vivre)
14 comments:
Really nice....ReplyDelete
Ayaz, what a beautiful sentiment expressed here! I love how this could serve as a sort of spiritual mantra for us!! It is sweet, humble and simple with a graceful simplicity that kisses the soul! I am so impressed with depth this spills out in such brevity! I am thrilled to read you on this Whispers venue! Sheri / www.poetryandbeyond.netReplyDeleteReplies
your bark is lovely, She Sta -Delete
I agree, Peggy :)ReplyDelete
Deep! I can perceive many things simultaneously: optimism, resignation, extistentialism, beauty, love for nature...Replies
you have a very worthy day!Delete
I love this! May we all be so blessed as to age this beautifully and gracefully. A really lovely piece, Ayaz. :)ReplyDeleteReplies
lovely response, Cristine - thank youDelete
Dear Ayaz,ReplyDelete
Beautifully written! To quote you it was penned "with such grace". Very nice indeed.
best to you,Delete
and thank you
Nice work, ayaz. I'm a sucker for autumn-themed poetry. Thank you for sharing and continued blessings!ReplyDelete
Nice write, Janet. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing and continued blessings!
-MJ (www.tgbtgpublictions.com)Replies
thank you, Maurice, appreciatedDelete


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Bangkok no longer excites.
The AETAS Lumpini Hotel is A1 but too far from the UNESCAP.
The taxi drivers are pimps no more.
Thai habalhabal is the best option amidst rush hour traffic jams.
The base fare for a tuktok is always B300, to be negotiated down.
I still don't know the name for that Thai green garnish which Egay described as "lasang putang-ina".
And yes, my first Thai lunch is a huge bowl of noodles and a plate of spicy pork salad that tasted like dinakdakan.


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Making a backdrop for your event has gotten HUGE lately - there are endless possibilities to use them at events. Weddings, graduations, showers, birthday parties...behind the cake table, behind the couple during the ceremony, as a colorful banner, as a photo backdrop. I made this one for the Teddy Bear Themed Baby Shower for my sister Laura.
Two challenges - they are somewhat time-consuming - not bad if you plan ahead, but not a last-minute job. And they can be expensive. Some people use ribbon, which I think would be very expensive. Some people buy fabric, which also adds up. According to other blogs, a small version costs about $16 and a large version costs $84. Good news - the materials for my version costs $6!
I had the idea to look for fabric at Goodwill. I was hosting a baby shower (my sister is pregnant with a baby boy) so I was looking for fabrics in shades of blue. I found 2 twin size flat sheets and 1 table cloth that were perfect and were $1.99 each!
I used my rotary cutter and mat to cut the sheets into 2 inch strips. I did this while watching The Book Thief - if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
Then I took some twine that I had on hand and decided on the width of backdrop I wanted and doubled the twine for added strength.
I decided it would be easiest to add the fabric with the twine hanging, so I used painters tape to attach the ends to my mantle.
To attach it, I folded each strip in half (and in varying lengths) and held the loop in front of the twine. Then I brought the two ends through the loop.
It was fun seeing the progress. For most of the strips, I tied them so that the two ends were equal, but to add visual interest, I varied some of the lengths.
The pictures in front of the fabric backdrop turned out amazing!
|My sister Laura and her husband Josh
|My mom and my sister Laura


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Another rose for my "list"!
Wow, that is a beautiful rose and your photos of it are awesome! Admittedly this is a rose that is not quite in my preferred color range, but I have to say I love this one. I would like to see it in person when I visit your garden next time.


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Kurt Sutter Teases 'Sons of Anarchy' Season 5 And The Potential Prequel Series
Last month, "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kurt Sutter quietly announced that the series had been renewed for a sixth season before casually mentioning his ambition to do a "Sons of Anarchy" prequel series about the First Nine members of SAMCRO. And last night at the "Sons of Anarchy" panel at the PaleyFest, Sutter reiterated his plans for a prequel series, even though it may be several years down the line.
According to Deadline, Sutter closed the panel by saying "I had this notion of wanting to explore the first nine. I see it as a different show – not a continuation or another version of 'Sons of Anarchy,' but a more political and socially historical sort of show. I definitely have some interest in doing it. I'd like to explore it in some capacity."
Sutter also noted that he wouldn't begin exploring a prequel series until after "Sons of Anarchy" has finished its run; which meant that if the prequel series goes forward "nobody on this stage would be with me."
For the PaleyFest, Sutter was joined by a few "Sons of Anarchy" cast members, including his wife (and "Sons of Anarchy" lead actress), Katey Sagal. Inevitably, talk turned towards the upcoming fifth season of "Sons of Anarchy;" which will be very different now that Jax Teller is running the club.
"I've always wanted to play this idea… of putting Jax at the head of the table, and the ripples of that and where people land," related Sutter (via TV Line). "For me, the interesting dynamic to play next season is the struggle that Jax has of being King — how can you be the leader of an organized crime syndicate and not become Clay? And if you choose not to become Clay, are you forced to become [Jax's late father] John Teller?"
Sutter also revealed that the fifth season will start about a month after the fourth season ended, giving Tara time to come to terms with her choice to remain with Jax.
"Tara's clearly in [the club now]," acknowledged Sutter. "And [Season 5] really will be her trying to figure out, 'Who am I in this world? Can I still be Dr. Tara Knowles and be this Queen?'"
As hinted in the season four finale, Sutter acknowledged that Tig's misguided murder of Damon Pope's daughter will draw SAMCRO into yet another war it should probably have avoided.
Sutter also mentioned his admiration for Michael Chiklis ("The Shield"), but feels that his famous role would make it impossible to cast him on "Sons of Anarchy."
"I just feel like Michael's character was so iconic on ['The Shield'], it would be really difficult to bring him on ['Sons of Anarchy'] and not have him overshadow as Vic Mackey," said Sutter. "I love Michael, but that would be a tough one."
"Sons of Anarchy" season five will debut in Fall 2012.


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Growing up, I didn't know we held such an esteemed celebration. We celebrated like most families, buying an assorted budgeted box of fireworks. Usually a Whistling Pete was in there, some cone thing, a handful of snakes, and box of sparklers.
We'd usually get around the first of July and it would sit on the dryer waiting three long days to be opened. My sisters and I tried to coerce my parents to let us light them early. And they never—not even a sparkler—went for it.
When the Fourth finally arrived, we'd have a picnic up at Aunt Marge's—the matriarch of our family. She and her husband were the first ones to migrate from Pennsylvania in the twenties to Washington. Her sister, Clara—my great grandmother—and her husband followed soon after with their four children, including my grandmother.
Anyway, we'd have a family picnic in Aunt Marge's day room—you never knew if it was going to be rainy or sunny—even on the Fourth. We'd play games in her yard and then as dusk began to fall, we'd move on down to our house for the family fireworks. We were sandwiched between Aunt Marge and our grandparents.
After Dad blew through our meager supply of fireworks, Grandpa would usually surprise us with a few—usually a bigger cone-style one was included and another Whistling Pete or two . And then we'd move down to Grandma and Grandpa's and climb a ladder to sit on their roof where we could see over the tops of the acres of filbert trees and watch the firework show that blasted the air from Fort Vancouver.
Apparently in the 1970's, sitting on the roof wasn't considered dangerous. Go figure. And it wasn't even like my grandparents had a great house—it was a cement block
hut. But we'd sit, stretched out along the long side of the house and swatting
at the feasting mosquitoes. And then as dark fell, the sky lit up with the
biggest and brightest fireworks we'd ever seen.
We didn't have always have the best selection in our own backyard, but what we had made rich memories.


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Top and Skirt:Marshall's, Shoes: Guess via DSW, necklace: Forever 21
School started again last week: my last and final year of high school! Being that we are still in the transition from summer to fall, the school is still exrememly hot and uncomfortable. So, I like wearing skirts and dresses, so that I will feel cooler, and also stylish at the same time. I bought this floral high-low skirt at Marshall's last year, for only $16.99 This crochet top is also from Marshall's, but was given to me by my sister, because she no longer wanted it. I bought these Guess wedges from DSW a few years ago, on sale. I loved the cork wedges on these shoes and the fact that they are a tan color. They complement many outfits and also give me a few inches at the same time! Again, I incorporated this yellow bag into the outfit for the pop of color. Without it, the outfit would be a little duller.


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FLAGSTAFF (Jan. 30, 2013) – The American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter is working with community partners to provide drinking water for Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation residents who are facing water shortages caused by the subfreezing temperatures in the northeast portion of Arizona.
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly declared a state of emergency Friday, citing waterlines that are in urgent need of repair and water storage containers that must soon be replenished. As many as 2,000 homeowners in the Window Rock area have been affected by waterline breakage, and people in Chinle, Dilkon, Kayenta and Pinedale have experienced water outages or low water pressure.
The Grand Canyon Chapter has collaborated with tribal, county and state authorities, including the Apache, Navajo and Coconino County Emergency Management offices, the Coconino County Sheriff's Office and the Community Emergency Response Team in Flagstaff, to get the water distributed. It has received water from the Association of Arizona Food Banks, Fry's Food Stores, Home Depot, Safeway and Walmart. From Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon Chapter transported water Wednesday to Kykotsmovi Village, and it will take water Thursday and Friday to Window Rock.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. It's a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The Grand Canyon Chapter, established in 1916, re-chartered in 1999 and expanded in 2003, ranks as the fifth-largest chapter nationally, serving the more than 5.1 million people in Apache, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, Yavapai and Yuma counties. For more information on the Grand Canyon Chapter, please visit www.arizonaredcross.org, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/redcrossgcc or follow us on Twitter under the handle @RedCrossGCC.


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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Welcome To My Blog
Very soon I will be letting you know where you can buy my books. In the mean time I'll be sharing the information that I come across as it applies to my passion which is writing. I'll be having guest authors stopping by and clue my fellow authors in on lessons that I am learning about the business of being a working author. Thanks for your intrest :D
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Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ)
Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Terry Moran
Jeff Zeleny
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
Paul Gigot
Cokie Roberts
Ana Navarro
John Heileman
Stephanopoulos: OMG John Kerry left
Geneva without a deal and the biggest
storm in history hit the Philippines
Reporter: we're hearing from social
media that's it really bad
Stephanopoulos: can Kerry make a
nuclear deal with Iran?
Moran: there was a giddiness and
then the French screwed everything up
Stephanopoulos: you're joking
Moran: the French of all people said
the deal wasn't tough enough
Stephanopoulos: criminy
Moran: the Ayatollah went on twitter was all dude where's our deal #cheeseeatingsurrendermonkeys
Stephanopoulos: Chris Christie what
would you do about Iran?
Christie: how the hell should I know?
Stephanopoulos: but would you allow
them to enrich uranium?
Christie: I dunno – is it delicious?
Stephanopoulos: can you win in Iowa?
Christie: I won in fucking Jersey!
Stephanopoulos: yes I know
Christie: I won blacks, hispanics and moderates because we cracked down on teachers – everyone hates those apple-polishing chalk eaters
Stephanopoulos: will you run in 2016?
Christie: probably but who knows
Stephanopoulos: should undocumented immigrants get state tuition?
Christie: in the states we are practical
problem solvers and in DC that never happens
Stephanopoulos: what about a path to citizenship?
Christie: I don't care – I just know those
clowns in Washington don't get things done
Stephanopoulos: but should immigrants
get a path to citizenship?
Christie: I don't give a shit George
Stephanopoulos: but you must have an opinion
Christie: I have opinions on lots
of things but I don't share them
Stephanopoulos: you shared your
opinion on Obamacare
Christie: I tell you hard truths all the
time about everything
Stephanopoulos: so you say
Christie: health care is just too big
for the government to handle – it should stick
to little things like wars and disasters
Stephanopoulos: you took Medicaid money
Christie: because it was free cash –
you're damn right I took it
Stephanopoulos: bold move
Christie: I won 61% of the vote you little twerp
Stephanopoulos: Romney's people say
you have bad secrets
Christie: yeah I don't take advice from the
fucking losers who ran the Romney campaign
Stephanopoulos: oooh snap
Stephanopoulos: Time magazine called
you fat on their cover
Christie: it's a compliment to the wisdom
of the people of New Jersey that their
Governor is on the cover of Time
Stephanopoulos: indeed
Christie: I went to a black church –
how many Republicans even do that?
Stephanopoulos: not many
Christie: damn fucking right
[ break ]
Stephanopoulos: Greeting Bob – what about Iran?
Menendez: we need to get tough on Iran
Stephanopoulos: do they have a
right to enrichment?
Menendez: even Canada doesn't enrich –
and they gave us Ted Cruz!
Stephanopoulos: good point
Menendez: we have to be careful with Iran
Stephanopoulos: what about new sanctions?
Menendez: I might be willing to
wait a week if Kerry asks nicely
Stephanopoulos: why the urgency?
Menendez: look we're playing good cop / bad cop
Stephanopoulos: who's the good cop?
Menendez: John Kerry
Stephanopoulos: who's the bad cop?
Menendez: John McCain
Stephanopoulos: I love it
[ break ]
Zeleny: is Chris Christie a real conservative?
Perry: No
Zeleny: you're skeptical
Perry: darn tootin'
Zeleny: is the tea party full of idiots?
Perry: we lost in 2008 and 2012 –
we're doin' somethin' wrong
Zeleny: Ted Cruz wrecked the government
Perry: he's a fun guy but kind of stupid
Stephanopoulos: the President apologized
for Obamacare
Perry: Obama has to admit he's a
fraud and a liar and I forget the third thing
Zeleny: are you running for President ?
Perry: you betcha
Zeleny: can you recover from your foibles?
Perry: we've had dumber Presidents
Zeleny: true
[ break ]
Stephanopoulos: It's clear Chris Christie
is running as a moderate
Gigot: he should run as a strong
conservative and an outsider
Roberts: he's a governor and a pragmatist
and a 'get things done' kind of guy
Navarro: he should not run as a
Republican but as a Christie
Stephanopoulos: nice
Navarro: if he could just win a few more
black and hispanic voters than Romney
we'd be in the White House
Ellison: he took relief money when
offered which I guess makes you a liberal
Stephanopoulos: are their skeletons in his closet?
Heileman: he was a lobbyist with Bernie Madoff
Navarro: these are all lies and Christie
is a saint who never yells at anyone
Stephanopoulos: so true


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So, I sent a box loaded with Islanders (including a trio of Kyle Okposo relics) and set builders to Scott Crawford. In return, I got a box loaded with Bills, Mets, Blue Jays and Expos. So much that I couldn't think to cover it all in one post. So, I'll cover it in 6 posts. One for each baseball team, and 3 Bills posts split into 80s & earlier, the 90s, and the 2000s on. Or basically, only one era that anybody wants to remember. At least for positive reasons.
And remember, 2000s on in terms of cards include a grand total of zero playoff appearances. Their last playoff game was when Bill Clinton was in office, meaning three Presidential terms have passed since then.
Let's cheer myself up with the cards, and the earlier ones. Some feature players before my time, but still familiar names to me.
A great start to a great trade. 5 posts to go!


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How would you like to have this guy in your sites?
A Dixie Lady Deer Hunter
Article by Fred Messina, editor of "On Target Outdoors" from The Vicksburg Evening Post on Friday, January 19, 1990. Photo by Bob Phillips.
Bob Phillips came up the other day with a photo of his wife Marian and a deer she got on Brown's Point New Years Eve. The deer was an 8-point with 16 inches of inside spread that weighed in at 190 pounds. A nice trophy in anyone's book. However, the tale Bob told is that this was Marian's fourth deer this year and he claimed that he would have done better than he did if he had not spent so much time hauling Marian's deer out of the woods. Come off it, Bob. We all know who the hunter was.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
An Awesome Buck!
2 comments:
- JDP said...
I would probably have a heart attack if I saw that buck!
- Marian Love Phillips said...
Me too John...too excited to even pull the trigger...my heart would be pumping so fast! :)
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Significant Points
Nature of the Work
Working Conditions
Training & Qualifications
Job Outlook
Additional Sources of Information
High school graduates who have experience using computer software applications, such as word processing and spreadsheets, usually qualify for entry-level positions. Although most secretaries learn their job in several weeks, many legal and medical secretaries require additional training to learn industry-specific terminology. Executive secretaries usually need several years of related work experience.
High school graduates can take courses in word processing and office procedures at technical schools or community colleges. Some temporary placement agencies also provide training in word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.
Some medical and legal secretaries learn industry-specific terminology and practices by attending courses offered at community colleges or technical schools. For executive secretary positions, employers increasingly prefer to hire those who have taken some college courses or have a bachelor's degree.
Secretaries and administrative assistants typically learn their skills through short-term on-the-job training, usually lasting a few weeks. During this time they learn about administrative procedures, including how to prepare documents. Medical and legal secretaries' training may last several months as they learn industry-specific terminology and practices.
Executive secretaries can gain experience by working in administrative positions that have less challenging responsibilities. Many secretaries and administrative assistants advance to higher level administrative positions.
Although not required, certification can demonstrate competency to employers.
The International Association of Administrative Professionals offers the Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certification. Candidates must have a minimum of 2 to 4 years of administrative work experience, depending on their level of education, and pass an examination.
Legal secretaries have several certification options. For example, those with 1 year of general office experience, or who have completed an approved training course, can acquire the Accredited Legal Professional (ALP) certification through a testing process administered by NALS (previously known as National Association of Legal Secretaries). NALS also offers the Professional Legal Secretary (PLS) certification, considered to be an advanced certification for legal support professionals.
The Certified Legal Secretary Specialist (CLSS) certification is conferred by Legal Secretaries International in areas such as intellectual property, criminal law, civil litigation, probate, and business law. Candidates typically need to have 5 years of legal experience and pass an examination to become certified.
Secretaries and administrative assistants generally advance to other administrative positions with more responsibilities, such as office supervisor, office manager, or executive secretary.
With additional training, many legal secretaries become paralegals or legal assistants.
Integrity. Many secretaries and administrative assistants are trusted to handle sensitive information. For example, medical secretaries collect patient data that is required, by law, to be kept confidential in order to protect patient privacy.
Interpersonal skills. Secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff. They should communicate effectively and be courteous when interacting with others to create a positive work environment and client experience.
Organizational skills. Secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in proper order so an office can run efficiently.
Writing skills. Secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers. Therefore, they must have good grammar, ensure accuracy, and maintain a professional tone.


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This little bit of fiddling from a public domain image continues a recent theme. Look to the sky. Be bewildered and question. Why have THEY not yet arrived, or have they? Are they too small to see? Do THEY live in a timeframe out of our own?
Is a moment to we Humans comparable to eons for such creatures. Perhaps they are in no hurry to deal with such an infant civilization as our own. Perhaps they know that we are trouble brewing for them, and want to stay hidden. Perhaps THEY are so big that we actually live inside their beings, as bacteria and viri live in our own Human bodies. There are so many possibilities. The questions are fascinating.
Hic Finis Est,


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Web Links
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Our mission is to create a more renewable energy future by manufacturing top quality wood pellet machinery under the most sustainable criteria. We can customize solutions to making wood pellets for your own home heating or commercial use. Installation and free technical support are available.


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I haven't blogged in awhile, partly because I'm lazy and writing is not something I particularly enjoy (yes, I know..why have a blog?) and partly I was just busy with life. However, sometimes I just can't continue on with my life activities and truly be present to enjoy them when there are so many injustices. I need to get it out somehow. My job has been especially taxing on me this year (emotionally and physically), so I have been somewhat emotional lately, but the execution of Troy Davis really got to me. The prison/justice system is not an area in which I work but it is an issue I really care about. Two documentaries really opened my eyes to the injustices and backward thinking of our supposed justice system: Books Not Bars about youth in the juvenile justice system and The Exonerated which follows the work of lawyers at the Innocence Project who work tirelessly to use DNA evidence to finally prove the innocence of people who have been locked up for years, sometimes more than 20 years. I've known that our justice system is far from perfect and have been very interested in restorative justice practices for about 6 years.
"LADIES - IN - WAITING" by Rita Fuchsberg
The execution of Troy Davis really struck a nerve with me...maybe because I was watching the news live and could see all the supporters and people hoping for a stay of execution. The lack of hard, physical evidence and the recantation of most of the eyewitnesses means that there was WAY beyond a reasonable doubt. I started thinking about my own husband or father or sister in his place. They could be sentenced to life or death just by a few people believing they committed a murder!?! That's extremely scary to me, especially because I know how unreliable eyewitness testimony is (The Innocence Project reports that eyewitness testimony is responsible for 75% of wrongful convictions). See video...
The one thing that gives me hope is seeing how many people were protesting the execution and hoping that more people now see how messed up our justice system is. Many people were affected by this execution, not only Troy Davis. Every person that is put to death has family - their kids, husbands/wives are affected, the executioners and prison wardens who participate are affected (executioners have said how haunting it is when someone like Troy Davis is maintaining their innocence to the end), and the victims' family is affected (I can't imagine the family in this case has no doubts). In the end, the execution probably brings more pain to everyone else who is touched by it...I can only imagine the trauma to family and executioners.
"The Anomie" by Misty Morris
One of the best art exhibits I have ever seen was about death row inmates. You could see the jumpsuits, toothbrushes, head covering, and even the catalog that items are ordered from. There were photographs made to look like posters that tested the viewer's biases towards someone in a jumpsuit. There were art works created by death row inmates. And one piece that really struck me was a small TV quietly playing tracks of inmates eating their last meals. On the wall behind, you could see a list of every person executed in the U.S. and what they requested for their last meal. It is a way to identify with the person, allow you to stop and reflect, and remember that they are human too. And we are not God.
"Finalmeal" by Barbara Caveng
"No II" by Peter Wortel
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Killing Justice
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It may seem strange that accounts receivable factoring, a form of financing that dates back further than the Silk Road, could fit into the modern world of Fintech, an industry that is less than a decade old. However, like any business that has survived since antiquity, accounts receivable factoring has constantly evolved with changing times and in many ways pioneered the path for the new Fintech industry. While you would be hard pressed to find an a true factoring company that only exists in the online realm, you would be just as hard pressed to find a traditional factoring company that doesn't offer a large variety of online tools.
In the same way that online banking and ATM machines have made it so many Millennials never had to write a check or step inside a bank branch location, accounts receivable factoring can now provide your business with the financing that you need without needing to walk away from your computer. In fact, here at DSA Factors we've been offering online tools to our clients for over a decade now. So in many ways, we were a Fintech company before Fintech even existed. But unlike Fintech, we haven't stripped down our factoring program to only offer the services and benefits that a web page can provide. Plus we are still happy to work with clients who prefer doing things the old fashioned way, via phone, mail, and fax.
Online Credit Approvals
For years now, offering online approvals has been a standard service that accounts receivable factoring companies have offered. What this means is that when you get a purchase order, you just login to your factoring company's portal and request an approval. Often times the computer is able to make an actual credit decision on the spot and offer you an instant online approval. Of course, as in any business, there is a limit to what can be completely automated, so in the case where the computer can't approve an order, it gets sent to your factoring company's office for review. When this happens at DSA Factors, we do our best to get back to you with a credit decision within 30 minutes, and will e-mail the credit decision to you.
Real-time Aging Statements
Most factoring companies will provide their clients with aging statements each week so that they know where their accounts stand. At DSA Factors we take this one step farther. At any time our clients are able to login to our portal and view a real-time aging statement.
View Transmittal Sheets
Just like how banks and credit card companies allow you to view statements online, at DSA Factors we give our clients to view transmittal sheets from our online portal. And unlike banks or credit cards that may limit you to only one or two years of statements, here at DSA Factors you can go back as far as you want to that very first payment we sent you when you first started factoring.
Access to a Variety of Online Reports
In addition to aging statements and transmittal sheets, at DSA Factors we offer our clients a variety on online reporting options. This includes being able to pull account statements for any customer. Viewing all open or used approvals. Pulling sales reports that show you how much volume each of your customers gave you over a specified period of time. Plus, if there is a report that you would like to see on the portal, all you need to do is give us a call and we will do our best to create it for you. As a family owned business, we pride ourselves on the quality service we provide our clients with, and that extends to the online services we provide as well.
Allow Customers to Pay Online
At DSA Factors we don't just extend online benefits to our clients, but also to their customers. At any time your customers may login into our portal with a login and password we provide at the bottom of every account statement we send them so that they can view a real-time statement and make payments online. After all, don't your customers deserve access to the same online conveniences as you.
Why Choose Accounts Receivable Factoring Over Fintech?
If the online services that we offer at DSA Factors doesn't seem like enough, keep in mind that we offer one huge benefit that no Fintech company is able to offer. At any time you are able to pick up a phone, give us a call, and one of our principals will be able to talk to you and help you come up with a solution that works for you. That isn't something that you will get from a large Fintech company, that is something that you can only get from a family owned accounts receivable factoring company. And the value of being able to speak with someone who can actually help you and cares about your business, is much greater than the inconvenience of being limited to only the functions that a web page is able to handle.
If you want to improve your cash flow, outsource you accounts receivable, get credit insurance, and have the convenience of being able to work online, but still want the personalized service that you deserve, give us a call today at 773-248-9000. Or if you want to go "Fintech", feel free to send us an e-mail at email@example.com or chat with us right now on this web page.


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Pop culture blog of writer ERIC WALLACE. Miracles out of nowhere upon request.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Anyone who knows me also knows that I am the world's biggest DARK SHADOWS fanatic. And I use the word "fanatic" very deliberately. Just how much of a DS enthusiast am I? Let me provide the following DS geek credentials as proof:
1.I've seen every DS episode (all 1225!) multiple times, as I usually watch the entire series from beginning to end about every 2-3 years.
2. I've memorized more dialogue from DS than I have from STAR TREK, STAR WARS, and THE X-FILES combined.
3. I have autographed photos of almost all the DS stars, both living and deceased. (Sadly, I never got to meet the late-great Grayson Hall...).
4. Way back in screenwriting school, the 2nd story outline I ever wrote was for a DS TV movie. (Believe it or not... the 1st thing I wrote was an outline for an episode of FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE SERIES. No, that's not a typo.)
5. After watching my first produced screenplay (a Season Two EUREKA episode), my proudest geek moment was the recording and release of my first Big Finish DS audio drama, "The Wicked and the Dead (available at AMAZON.COM or BIGFINISHPRODUCTIONS.COM)."
6. I have pretty much every piece of DS collectible memorabilia that exists, just some of which includes: all the Marilyn Ross novels, both Milton Bradley board games, the ultra-rare DS VIEWMASTER reels, original DS trading cards from the 60s, all the Gold Key comics--how about those new hardcover reprints? Nice, eh?--and of course a Josette's music box. And that's just the more well-known stuff. (DS cookbook, anyone? YUP. MINE.)
7. I even did a book report on Barnabas Collins in the 3rd grade.
SIDEBAR: Sometimes I think 2nd generation fans are more fanatical than 1st generation ones because we spend so much time recreating something we weren't around to fully appreciate during it's initial run (I became a devotee of the show in the early-to-mid-80s when it was rerun on PBS stations). It's as if we have to make up for the lack of 1st Gen experience by battering everyone with our fanatical 2nd Gen ability to uncover facts, anecdotes, and memorabilia our older counterparts never knew about (or in the case of memorabilia--couldn't afford). That in somehow possessing these things we balance an enormous imaginary geek scale that infinitely favors 1st Gen fans via one simple fact: they were alive to discover the thing we all love first hand and we weren't. Which those of us who have older siblings know makes the 1st Gen folks COOLER than us in some pioneering way.
Dammit, I want a time machine NOW.
Yes, the one thing a 2nd Gen fan can never do is turn back time. Just ask Cher. We are, however, the ones who carry the genre torch into subsequent generations, thereby creating a fandom market that wouldn't have existed otherwise and which allows the genre product--in this case, DS itself--to thrive beyond its original lifespan and find pop culture immortality. (So take THAT... all you DS fans were old enough to actually run home from school. I can use an iPad. Can you?!)
So now the news is out that Tim Burton & Johnny Depp are going to do a big budget feature film of my all-time favorite show. Are they going to screw it up? Is Tim Burton too weird to get the romantic aspects of the show? Will the involvement of a mega-studio-marketing-machine turns my childhood fantasies into modern day, plotless CGI garbage? And what's my two-cents on all this?
Glad you asked.
I think it's AWESOME.
Folks, I'm a huge fan of the original show, but for the DS world to continue to grow... it must be reinterpreted for a new generation of fans. The fact that vampire flicks are uber-vogue nowadays makes the timing perfect for a "mature" vampire romance tale. And sadly by mature I mean over the age of sixteen. (But I'll save that for another posting...) So, yeah, I can't wait for this movie to blow up in theaters next year.
FACT: DARK SHADOWS ORIGINATED THE ROMANTIC VAMPIRE GENRE. PERIOD. And it did so waaaaay back in 1967. That's about forty years before TWILIGHT and thirty years before BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (another one of my favorite shows). Of course it's about 70 years after Stoker's original DRACULA novel, so maybe I'll stop while I'm ahead...
DS IN A NUTSHELL: DARK SHADOWS is the continuing story of Barnabas Collins, a fallible human being who--because of a conflicted heart and conscience--is doomed to suffer the curse of vampirism for all eternity.
And most tragically of all, it's not Barnabas who suffers the most, but rather those who love him: his fiance--the beautiful and innocent Josette (above, getting kissed)--and the wicked but vulnerable sorceress Angelique Blouchard. What these three characters go through over four-plus seasons of DS continues to break hearts and inspire fandom more than 40 years after its initial airing. So with such rich characters and a great storyline to use as a starting point (no spoilers here -- just Google Dark Shadows for a complete synopsis), I'm pumped that a great filmmaker like Burton will get the opportunity to run with it and make something special even more elegant, sumptuous, and epic than any vampire movie we'll seen in decades. (Probably since Coppola's BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA...)
EWROTE GOES FAN GIRL: Johnny Depp is the the perfect casting for the role of Barnabas Collins. He's got the dark, brooding, and unconventional good looks to essay the visual essence of actor Jonathan Frid's original portrayal. Plus, since he's already a fan of the show, he'll know how to mine the complexities of Barnabas's human side, as well as the immortal one. Plus, the guy's one helluva actor!
The other big reason I'm excited for Burton & Depp to team up on Dark Shadows? It's a little movie called SLEEPY HOLLOW. Dude and dudettes, that movie was FRAKKIN' BADASSED. It was soooo obviously an homage to HAMMER HORROR movies (apparently Burton and I have the same excellent taste and influences), and was done perfectly. Cinematography? Brilliant. Mood? Spot one. Charm? Yup, got that, too. And gore? Heh. Nailed that!
Yes, Mr. Burton... I totally noticed that Michael Gambon's impaling was a perfect updating of Chris Lee's death moment at the end of Hammer's DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE. Bravo!
Now I know what you're thinking: "Hey, Ewrote. You're a screenwriter. Aren't you worried the script will suck? YES AND NO. Yes, because that's always a legitimate fear in a business where commerce comes before art. No, because top-notch scribe John August has been working on the early drafts. And that dude can write. Also, the new guy they've brought it to take things over the finish line--Seth Graham Smith--wrote a groovy little book called ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER--so he's clearly got the right sensibilities to help update DS for the baroque tastes of 21st Century geeks.
So, yeah. I'm already beyond pumped for this flick. Please let there be a midnight showing at the Cinerama Dome for this, oh Movie Godz!
Finally, I have to ask my own inner geek if there are any things I'd like to see in this movie. Things that need to happen in order for it to be a true DARK SHADOWS flick. Yeah, there are a few things. In no particular order, any good DS adaptation must have:
1. COLLINWOOD as a CHARACTER.
Collinwood is the name of the creepy estate where the Collins Family lives. But it's more than a building, it's an enormous atmospheric setting for all the show's spooky goings-on that reflects the emotions and attitudes of the characters themselves. Think of it as the HEATH in Thomas Hardy's RETURN OF THE NATIVE. So any new DS flick needs to treat Collinwood like a new starship "Enterprise" in a STAR TREK movie. It must look beyond awesome, be on full display throughout the flick, play a key role in the story, and--and this is the most important thing--evoke a specific mood, atmosphere, and thematic unity for the picture. Oh, and it should also be the ultimate spooky haunted house.
2. TIME TRAVEL as a part of the PLOT.
DS storylines are best known for traveling back in time, specifically to the years 1795, 1897, and 1840. Remember on BUFFY and ANGEL when they would flashback to see how Angelus was made into a vampire? Yeah, that was all done 30 years earlier on DARK SHADOWS. Seeing all the actors in highly-detailed, exquisite period 1795 costumes should be a no-brainer for someone of Burton's caliber, so I'm not worried here. The only question is, how much of this new DS will take place in the present vs. the past? My vote? 50-50. Start off in the present for Act 1, spend all of Act 2 in 1795, then come back to the present for Act 3. But again, I'm not the screenwriter of the movie, so I'll let them surprise me.
I've already mentioned this before, so I won't belabor the point. DS is about a guy who falls in love with one woman, then unfairly dumps her for another. So the first woman--who just happens to be a WITCH--gets back at the guy's assholeishness (that is so not a word, but who cares) and puts a curse on him for all eternity. See how all the supernatural jazz is really wrapped around a romantic love story core?
If Barnabas had just been honest with Angelique (that's her above in 1795 garb), she wouldn't have turned him into a vampire. Of course, turning someone into a creature of the night is a rather large overreaction at getting spurned. It's not like Angelique's smoking hot and could've have just found another guy, someone who would treat her a lot better (me).
Oh, and did I mention that rich Josette's maid, was also, you guessed, Angelique? Clearly, there are socio-economic jealousy issues wrapped up in Josette and Angelique's relationship... especially when Barnabas dumps the maid and announces his engagement to her mistress, the wealthy heiress Josette. HA! It's all such great soapy goodness I get goosebumps just thinking about the first time I watched the original episodes. It was all so weird, yet familiar, AND surprising at the same time. And all set against a world of magic and time travel. Sounds like a great idea for a movie, right?
Yeah, I think so, too.
Posted by EWROTE at 11:49 AM 4 comments:
Labels: Dark Shadows
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The "Family Reunions" arc continues in TITANS #29, which is out today. It's BATMAN vs. DEATHSTROKE in an all-out battle, plus we learn more about the mysterious Allegra Garcia... a young Hispanic lady with a very bad attitude towards authority. Also, the rest of the Titans continue their battle with Batman's Rogues Gallery, including MR. FREEZE, CLAYFACE, and KILLER CROC.
It's Part 2 of a 5-part story that builds up to the surprising events in TITANS #31 & 32 that will change the team forever. Seriously. I know, because I'm writing the scripts. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to work now...
Plus... WHO IS NURSERY CRYME?
TITANS #29 from DC Comics... available now at comic stores everywhere.
Posted by EWROTE at 11:10 AM 7 comments:
Labels: Batman, DC Comics, Deathstroke, Titans
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Box Office: Breaking Dawn Makes $30.25 Million From Midnight Shows
Be careful when you go to the theater this weekend, you may see more people than you had in previous weeks.
The Twilight series, like a Tyler Perry movie, is indefinitely critic proof. And if you're not a fan of the books or the previous films, the pickings are slim when it comes to decent entertainment this weekend.
If you do happen to venture out be warned, the Twilight fans will be out in full force. Overnight, the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn novel made $30.25 million from 12:01 AM post-midnight showings from 3,521 theaters. It is the best for the series thus far (Twilight made 7.5M which set record at that time, New Moon $26.3M, and Eclipse $30.1M), and that figure is good enough for it be #2 in the all-time midnights record. (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 banked $43.5 million from 3800 theaters this past summer.)
Stay tuned for more box office coverage, as Breaking Dawn looks to have between a $110 to $140 million weekend.
Tags: box office, The Twilight Saga, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, Twilight


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AUGUST 5, 2013 — Teekay LNG Partners L.P. (NYSE:TGP) has agreed to acquire a 155,900 cu.m liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier newbuild from Norwegian-based Awilco LNG ASA.
The vessel is currently under construction at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd., (DSME), South Korea, and is expected to deliver in the third quarter of 2013.
On delivery from DSME to Awilco, Teekay LNG will purchase the vessel and bareboat charter the vessel back to Awilco at a fixed rate for a firm period of five years, plus a one-year extension option.
Teekay LNG will purchase the vessel for a price of $205 million less a $50 million upfront prepayment of charter hire by Awilco which is in addition to the daily bareboat charter rate. Awilco has fixed-price purchase obligations at the end of both the firm charter period and option period.
As part of the transaction, Awilco has an option to sell to and bareboat charter back from Teekay LNG a second 155,900 cu.m LNG newbuilding under construction by DSME, under similar terms. The second LNG carrier newbuilding is expected to deliver in the fourth quarter of 2013.
The partnership intends to finance the transaction with a portion of its existing liquidity and expects to secure long-term debt financing prior to delivery.
"We are pleased to announce this mutually beneficial acquisition-leaseback arrangement with Awilco which will provide Teekay LNG with immediate accretive cash flow," commented Peter Evensen, Chief Executive Officer of Teekay GP LLC. "Together with our four LNG carrier newbuildings delivering in 2016 and the ten LPG newbuildings in our joint venture with Exmar, delivering between 2014 and 2017, this transaction with Awilco provides a near-term compliment to the Partnership's strong portfolio of long-term visible growth projects."
The ship is Awilco LNG's first vessel.
Awilco LNG CEO Jon Skule Storheill, said: "We are very pleased with the terms and structure of this facility. It fully funds the vessel and provides us with an option for our second newbuilding scheduled for delivery during Q4 2013. During the process we have developed a very good working relationship with Teekay leading to this deal. We are looking forward to the delivery of the first vessel bringing Awilco LNG to the next stage in our effort to serve the fast growing LNG market in the years to come."


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Notre Dame Professor of Law Jay Tidmarsh, an expert in complex civil litigation and civil procedure, weighed in on a case involving Google's exclusive right to digitize millions of books. His comments appeared in the September 9, 2009 edition of the "New York Times."
A proposed settlement between Google, the Authors Guild, and the Association of American Publishers is meeting with major opposition "from rival companies…advocacy organizations, groups representing authors and publishers, and even some foreign governments," according to the "Times."
Tidmarsh said, "The number and quality of opposition filings is very unusual. The court is going to have to look at the public interest in the settlement."
Read the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/technology/internet/09google.html?_r=2&sq=google%20tidmarsh&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=print
Tidmarsh is the author or co-author of six books, including casebooks in the fields of civil procedure and complex litigation, as well as numerous law-review articles in the fields of civil procedure, complex litigation, federal courts, and torts. He teaches principally in the areas of civil procedure, complex civil litigation, federal courts, torts, civil rights, constitutional law, and remedies. He has served as Chair of the AALS Section on Civil Procedure, and as a member of the AALS Committee on Professional Development.


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A loaded gun and six electric clippers were stolen from a barber shop at 23 SW First Street sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning, police said.
The thieves apparently got in by removing panes from a jalousie window to a rest room and pushing in the screen, police said.
The value of the stolen items was estimated at $933, police said.


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New PS4 Pro Videos Highlight the Tech Features, Upgraded Games
With just two days to go before PlayStation 4 Pro launches on November 10, Sony has released some new videos for the upgraded console, including two focused on the tech features and upgraded games, and there's a new 60-second ad starring Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
In the Infinite Warfare ad, Sony puts some fineprint at the end of the video, saying that you'll need a 4K display to play games in 4K on PS4 Pro. While game resolution differs from title to title, IW is "compatible with dynamic 4K resolution using output upscaling." The fineprint then adds, "4K Entertainment requires subscription to 4K-compatible content streaming service, a robust internet connection, and a compatible 4K display. PS4 Pro does not support 4K Blu-ray Discs. PS4 Pro provides auto-upscaling for standard Blu-ray Discs."
As for the PS4 Pro Tech Features video, the description says, "What makes PS4 Pro the most powerful console ever made? We've got the details." The video then highlights the visual enhancements provided on both 4K and 1080p TVs, the benefits to frame-rate, how it has more than double the GPU power of the standard PS4, and how you'll be able to watch Stranger Things in 4K:
If you want to know more about PS4 Pro's specs, check out this video:
To see some of the games getting PS4 Pro support both this year and next year, watch this video from PlayStation Europe:
Although Until Dawn: Rush of Blood will support PS4 Pro, developer Supermassive Games revealed that "there are currently no plans in place to optimize Until Dawn for PS4 Pro."
Housemarque (Alienation, Resogun), meanwhile, has said, "Brief PS4 Pro related update: We love the hardware and can't wait to announce which past, present, and future games may support it."
In our PS4 Pro review, we said, "The PS4 Pro is the greatest console ever released."
[Source: Supermassive Games (1), (2), Housemarque]


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And talking about other ideas. I
This website is about very early retirement and financial freedom, with a pinch of stoic minimalism and just the right amount of frugality. I started this journey in December 2014. You can join me and see when i will reach my goal. you can learn from my mistakes or give me the tips and tricks. Good luck and good journey.
Sunday, 2 August 2015
Monevator.com seems to be a very professional and well informed website for UK based investors. I highly recommended.
And talking about other ideas. I
will need do a earning income plan soon. At least for what is left of this year. Starting small, but thinking big. And we will deal with other problems as they appear.
And talking about other ideas. I
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Barrow Hill's roundhouse is hard to beat for railway atmosphere - it's what a railway museum should be like (take note NRM). There was a wealth of steam, diesel and electric traction to be seen and enjoyed.
My personal passion for early AC electric locomotives was sated by the presence of preserved examples from Classes 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85. Oh, and the unique 89001 was there too. Inter City-liveried 82008 took me back to my trainspotting heyday of the late 1980s/early 1990s.
More AC electrics and a '26' sit around the turntable. It was also good to see progress on the preserved 58016. You know you're old when a loco that you remember being built becomes a museum piece...
The calm before the storm! The Model Rail stand in the DPS shed looks quiet just before the gates opened, but it wouldn't stay that way for long! It was nice to meet so many readers (of MR and this Blog!) and we were all kept busy selling our various limited edition models and magazine 'Goody Bags' that fairly flew off the counter.
If only we could all work in the presence of a Deltic! This was the view from the Model Rail stand all weekend, in the Deltic Preservation Society's shed. D9015 Tulyar's progress is looking impressive and I enjoyed looking around the various spare Napier engines and components salvaged from Navy gun boats from around the world. Oulton Road, a lovely little 'OO' layout to be seen in front of the loco, is in the process of being 'snapped' by Chris Nevard - look out for it in Model Rail sometime soon.
Mr Nevard's own layout, Brewhouse Quay, was also displayed and I was lucky enough to spend a few hours operating it on the Sunday. Talk about addictive... Chris asked me to have a quick go and he had a job getting me off it!! It's a pleasure to operate and proved very popular with visitors all weekend.
The East Midlands Trains shuttles from Chesterfield to Barrow Hill proved very popular (I have to admit to taking the vintage buses instead - although they were younger than my old Micra!!). Also drawing the crowds were the steam services operated by Tornado and Mayflower. I'd fancied a ride on one of these but never got the chance. Maybe next year?!


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Last weekend was one of the most exciting weekends of my life. Exciting and nerve-wracking, all the same. My husband and I spent all of Saturday moving our stuff from our rental apartment to our renovated one. Man, do we have a lot of stuff or what! By the time we were done with hauling our stuff, we were dog tired. We knew we'd have to wake up the next morning and unpack all of it, as much as possible. But the move was smooth and the movers were efficient, trust worthy, and very obliging, a welcome change from some of the shoddy experiences we have had so far.
It was daunting to be in our new place. I was thrilled and nervous, all at once. I could get the strong smell of freshly painted walls and struggled to keep my eyes open as the paint stung my eyes to tears. Added to that, the dust and fur (I love my cat, but I could open a fur factory with the amount she sheds!) led to my sinuses acting up; the next two days I was sneezing galore.
But I tell you something. There is nothing like being in a place you like to call home. Now I feel I have finally arrived; I have landed on my feet and am ready to plant roots deep into Mother India's soil. One year it will be on September 5th, and I feel like I have come full circle. I now feel at peace in my new abode, happy with my newly attained luxuries, reveling in the pain and efforts of creating and co-creating a new sanctuary for my self – a place I am happy to call home.
I wish I could say the same about my cat, though. While I am enjoying the pleasures of my new house, Maitri has been having a hard time adjusting to yet another new place. She has been hiding behind boxes, howling in the middle of the night and in the early dawn, and following me around the house, as if in desperation to go back to the rental place. This morning I found her sleeping in the bath tub, perhaps a new discovery for her, a stronger source for solace.
I am still living amongst boxes and am surrounded by them. Everyday, I attack 1-2 boxes and try to unpack as much as possible. My goal is to clear up the mess completely by this weekend.
It's good to be at home and I am now feeling more comfortable with life in Mumbai. So watch out, Mumbai. Here I come!


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Note: I've recently resumed reviewing books for Public Libraries magazine, after a hiatus of several years. In order to toot my own horn, I've added a new "Reviews" page to this blog. What follows is the introductory text.
Even the best degree program for any career only points your attention in the right direction. Any step along the way may turn corners no curriculum could anticipate. Why stop with what you already know?
Besides, I've always joked that my real profession is being a student. My morale and my performance decline when I'm not learning new stuff.
Hence, once I graduated from the University of South Carolina's School of Library and Information Science (August, 2000) and joined Jacksonville (FL) Public Library, I jumped at the chance to review books for Public Libraries Magazine.
If nothing else, I thought, I could fill in the gaps in my MLIS preparation—I was horrified during my last term when I suddenly realized (Duh!) that I could only take twelve courses and had to skip all those electives I'd been looking forward to.
Plus, I would get all these free books!
The result has been a long series of reviews, published over the years in the "By the Book" column of that magazine. Some of these reviews I'm content with, others, perhaps not, yet the books—with one or two exceptions—were well worth reading.
Librarianship is a lifestyle, a way of looking at and interacting with the world. Our tools are our brains, our imaginations and our love of learning. Books and buildings and the Web are just the infrastructure for what we do with the people we meet.
Keep reading.


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Michael Savage, Freedom Of Speech Award
Savage Skips Own Award Ceremony
*** First In A Series Of Reports From The New Media Seminar In New York City ***
*** There Is An Updated Post On This Subject ***
What would it take to get Michael Savage to come out of his shell?
Again underscoring his ultra- reclusive nature, the "Savage Nation" host unexpectedly failed to appear at a ceremony where he was to pick up an industry honor.
Selected to receive this year's Freedom Of Speech Award at the New Media Seminar held over the weekend in New York City, Savage instead substituted a hastily- made YouTube- style home video.
Overseen by Talkers Magazine, the event provides an annual gathering place for talk show hosts, programmers and syndicators. While Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Lars Larson, Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Rusty Humphries, Michael Medved, G Gordon Liddy, Jerry Doyle and many others made the trip, Savage's failure to appear was not announced ahead of the ceremony.
His non- appearance must have been a disappointment for Talkers publisher Michael Harrison, who generally uses the award presentation to generate publicity for his magazine and seminar.
As for the video (which your Radio Equalizer is praying will soon reach YouTube), it was so bad that it was actually good. While a few obvious non- fans in the audience snickered, Savage actually came across in a friendly, conversational style rarely heard on his radio show these days.
Filmed from his boat Patriot in an undisclosed Marin County location, Savage rattled off a number of points in rapid- fire style. Occasionally during the crudely- edited production, he appeared in front of his own "Mike's Bar", which appeared to be elsewhere on his property.
The syndicated radio host railed against Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, calling them "failed radio hosts" and "frauds", while asserting that liberals have almost- universal control over the world's ideas and images, with talk radio as one of the rare exceptions.
Also warning against a possible reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, which would regulate the content of talk radio, Savage said that it merely represents "censorship with a fancy name and has no place in America."
Comparing Fairness Doctrine proposals by Democrats to Venezuelan thug Hugo Chavez's recent shutdown of an opposition television network, Savage said he considers radio broadcasting here to exist in a "perilous state" that may not be that much more free than in the South American state.
While it's not clear what kept Savage away from the event, his video presentation certainly kept the audience entertained, whether they were fans or not.
HELP us learn more about our readers: take this new blog survey and vote for your favorite sites and news shows! Aggregate data will soon be available, both for this site and the more than 1000 other bloggers also participating in this exciting research project. Closing later today.
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I am pleased to announce that I scored a massive victory over Sky TV today and am feeling pretty damn chuffed I have to say.
For the second time in 5 months my Sky+ HD box, prized possession and source of all sport failed miserably. Not just loss of signal, but now complete and utter, not even responding meltdown. Now, the last box I got cost £65 for a replacement - not enjoyable, but hey, we'd had the other for 2 yrs and I thought not bad, and certainly better than forking out £299 after all. The new box however was only guaranteed for 3 months...rubbish....another £65!
Cutting a long story short I spent 45 minutes arguing that the box should last more than 5 months and being told that I had no option - £65 or cancellation (and they were happy for me to cancel!). £130 each year for new sky boxes on top of the 50 odd quid a month subscription - daylight robbery.
Solution? Consumer Direct run by the OFT. Sky don't like it when you start talking about consumer rights (i.e. the right for a service/product to be fit for service EVEN if out of warranty) and scheduled a free call out for the day after tomorrow!! Worth remembering for the future as there are also some nice guidelines on there about how to complain (stay calm now!!). There are loads of forums online with advice about getting Sky call outs for free so don't pay for it if it happens to you.
In other exciting news, we've got another blog on the go - The ECT (Enterprise Computing Team) Celebrity Spotting Blog AKA "I've Just Seen Ray Stubbs". Go and have a look and all will be revealed :)
I am resolving to write less content more often rather than every few weeks - keep thinking of stuff to write then go and forget so hopefully shorter, more frequent bursts might be the way forward. Speaking of which I have really got back into Twitter recently - click here to follow me.
Watch out for them others...


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Hey, gpblight, if you haven't bought the Ring doorbell, and you want to, go to QVC.com. Today, Saturday, they have a special: $84.95 with 5 easy payments of $16.99 (and free shipping too!). There you can watch a video presentation and see reviews.
I hope you get this in time.


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Hi again, more RC adventure post this time! So if your only interested in the house build skip this blog post.
As I was not 100% happy of the flight characteristics of the Bristol scout it did not fill the gap with a small area slow flier. So I started searching for a new plane that, I did not want to spend to much money either. I have been following the great RC site Flite test and they built a nifty little flyer called the FT flyer. This plane was right in my speck and looked fun to build.
This is my finished plane!
It took several weeks before the weather was good enough for a maiden flight. But three weeks ago where there a calm day in between the storms. They plane flew great! I could do high alfas and near vertical. I liked the slow calm flying characteristics and the speed you can get if you like. I have trimmed the engine down about 30% because I know it is over power. So if I set it to 100% should I get vertical flight!
This plane will get allot of more flying when the weather allows.
Next up is to build my self a trainer variant with the same fuselage. But that is another blog post or two.


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For the past few weeks I've been playing around with cream cheese icing. I have tried several recipes that were fabulous in taste, but the texture didn't set up enough to successfully pipe with a pastry bag. I am proud to say I've hit my "Eureka!!" moment and the picture above shows the result. And what better to pair my magnificient cream cheese icing with than my friend Allison's Amazing Red Velvet cupcakes. This combination is not only rave-worthy, it's like Lay's potato chips... betcha can't eat just one ;-)
I'm totally late to the party - and you'll quickly realize this as I tell you that only recently have I've become quite captivated with the lovliness of cream cheese icing. Now, granted, it's not a new item for me since I been aware (though not a fan) of cream cheese icing on cinnamon rolls. I tend to like my cinnamon rolls with just a regular sugar glaze but the RPC's palette is changing! In the past few months I've realized that a good cream cheese icing is great on cake! Not just on carrot cake (though it *is* fantastic on carrot cake! LOL) but also on lemon cake and red velvet cake too.
In the past few monthsI've come to appreciate Red Velvet cake. I don't just mean I've started to *like* it... oh no... I mean I've come to really appreciate it... understand it... and, dare I say LOVE it. That's a big step for someone who doesn't get all googly-eyed over chocolate. But from where I stand, Red Velvet is not a red-colored, chocolate cake... it's a multi-dimensional, complex cake that has just enough cocoa flavor to let you know it's there :) Oh and it's red-colored too! LOL
I've made a few different red velvet cupcake recipes... and if you check out the reviews I've posted of cupcake bakeries you'll see that I've tried *more* than my fair share of bakery-made red velvet cupcakes! Not that any of this makes me a connoisseur but I will say I've eaten a LOT of red velvet! LOL LOL LOL! A while back my friend Allison passed on the recipe she uses and I finally got around to making it. It is BY FAR the ABSOLUTE BEST red velvet that I've been able to make at home. This cupcake is incredibly moist and full of flavor. I made them this weekend for a pot luck of about 35-40 people and every single person who ate them came and told me how good they are. I had made three different kinds of cupcakes but it was the Red Velvet that got the raves!!! :) :) :)
A little while back I mentioned that I was looking for a cream cheese icing that would stand up like buttercream icing and perform well when piped thru a pastry bag. I even asked you guys to let me know if you had such a recipe... and no one did! I got so many emails letting me know that I'm not the only one who has been wanting such a recipe. Of those who contacted me, every last one of you had given up and resorted to using cream cheese icing as more of a thick, spread-with-spatula coating since it didn't set up for piping beautiful designs. At best, you were able to do very simple piping with a big round tip but nothing like ribbon edge, scalloped borders, basketweave or rosettes. The cream cheese icing recipe that I'm posting here can do just that! It performs like buttercream but has the definitive twang of cream cheese! It's not overly sweet which makes it perfect for a variety of uses. If you make it and find it's not sweet enough for you, try adding more sugar... but you may need to adjust the ratio of the other ingredients because it may alter how well it stands up.
The combination of Allison's red velvet cupcakes and my cream cheese icing is a real attention-getter. This is something you really *need* to have in your repertoire so bookmark this post... print it out... tuck it away in your recipe box. Whatever method that works for you and however you save your favorites. But either way, make these cupcakes!!!
Allison's Amazing Red Velvet Cupcakes
adapted from the NY Times Red Velvet Cake recipe
1c cake flour
1/3c cocoa
1/2tsp salt
2/3c vegetable oil
3/4c sugar
1 egg
1oz (2T) red food coloring
1/2tsp vanilla
1/2c buttermilk
1/2tsp baking soda
3/4tsp white vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line12-cupcake pans with cupcake liners and spray with cooking spray.
Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.
Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time.
With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring (and water or syrup, if necessary). (Take care: it may splash.)
Add vanilla.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.
Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.
Divide batter among 12-cupcake pans, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Mine cooked for 27 minutes.)
Note:: The recipe above has been scaled down to 1/3 of the original recipe. The original recipe yields 3 dozen cupcakes: 3½ cups cake flour ½ cup cocoa powder 1½ teaspoons salt 2 cups vegetable oil 2¼ cups white sugar 3 large eggs 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring 1½ teaspoons vanilla 1¼ cup buttermilk 2 teaspoons baking soda 2½ teaspoons white vinegar
Em's Magnificent Cream Cheese Icing
adapted form the 06/98 Epicurious.com Cream Cheese Icing recipe
1 8oz pkg of cream cheese - room temperature, divided in three parts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter - COLD
1 tablespoon shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and combine very well. Add the first third of the cream cheese and combine very well. Add the shortening and combine very well. Add the remaining cream cheese one piece at a time, combining very well after each. Gradually add the sugar and combine thoroughly until light and fluffy.
Favorite Almond Sugar Cookies
1 hour ago


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While you were going about your day today, you had no idea that evil masterminds were attempting to take over the world. You had no idea because two secret agents (who shall remain nameless) were busy finding the clues to thwart their diabolical plans. On an unrelated note – we highly recommend the Kim Possible experience in Epcot.
We spent our day finding "Hidden Mickeys" around Epcot, visiting favorite rides and trying new ones. Disney continues to amaze us with their attention to detail. We tried the Living with the Land ride today. It was one of those things where we were in the area for something else but there was no line so we decided to try it. Well, it is absolutely amazing what they are doing with cultivating plants. Did you know you could grow a tomato tree?
We are most proud of our new approach to staying hydrated and unencumbered at the same time. We brought the camel pack that Jeremy uses for work and we picked up a second one before we left. Both have zippered pockets and a mesh pouch. This morning we filled the bags with ice and water. We used the pockets and pouch to hold ponchos, individual Gatorade packets and snacks. This way we had cold water all day without needing to carry or buy water bottles. We both agreed this will be the plan in the future for any theme park.
So, as I type this we are back in the room and totally exhausted. We had an amazing dinner at the Swan hotel and then explored the Boardwalk. Jeremy is watching his Disney cartoon channel and despite the cup of coffee I had less than an hour ago I'm ready to drift off. I'm not even planning in proofreading this post.
I mentioned earlier that you all are safe thanks to the secret agents who took time to save the world (twice) while visiting Epcot. It just reminds me how wonderful it is to go through life feeling safe. I'm grateful that when we go places I feel so safe with Jeremy. I have no doubt that that he would protect me if someone tried to hurt us. But I also know that he is protecting me when he doesn't tell other people when I do something embarrassing. I know I am safe to say what I'm thinking or feeling. So, I guess you and I are both safe.


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We know many of you enjoy using Twitter to see what people are talking about and to let others know what you've been up to, whether it's sharing a YouTube video or checking in on your friend's tweets. To help you and your Twitter network stay connected no matter where you are on the web, we're excited to announce that Google Friend Connect has integrated with Twitter. This means that when you join a friend connected site, you can choose to use your Twitter profile, discover people you follow on Twitter who are also members of the site, and quickly tweet that you have found a cool website.
To send a tweet about a site you have joined, click the invite link in the members gadget, then click the Twitter icon on the share tab. The next time your followers sign in to Twitter, they'll see your tweet containing a link to the interesting site you've found.
This integration with Twitter is an example of how we want to continue improving Friend Connect, extending the open social web and bringing social features to more places on the web.
Posted by Mussie Shore, Product Manager
Thursday, December 25, 2008
@Twitter: Welcome to Google Friend Connect
Labels: Official Google
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