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September 16, 2008 • from the WASHINGTON BLADE by Joey DiGuglielmo
Ray Boltz wanted to do something nice.
He'd visited the mostly gay Jesus Metropolitan Community Church in Indianapolis and liked Rev. Jeff Miner, so he decided to give him a copy of his 1997 holiday recording, "A Christmas Album."
It was one of 16 albums Boltz, 55, recorded during a nearly 20-year recording career that saw the Muncie, Ind., native become one of the better-known singer/songwriters in Contemporary Christian Music, a genre born out of the Jesus Movement of the early 1970s that made singers like Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman superstars in religious music with occasional excursions into mainstream pop culture.
Boltz, with about 4.5 million LPs, cassettes and CDs sold, never made a splash outside of Christian circles but he never really tried. With a handful of RIAA Gold-certified albums, three Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and a string of 12 No. 1 hits on Christian radio, Boltz is a household name in evangelical circles. "Thank You," a sentimental song about a dream in which a Christian thanks the Sunday school teacher who led him to embrace Christ, is his signature song. It was the GMA song of the year in 1990 and has become a staple of Christian funerals. Other Boltz trademarks are "Watch the Lamb," "The Anchor Holds" and "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb."
Boltz brought the Christmas CD with him to MCC-Indianapolis on that cold, sunny December 2007 day and slipped it to Miner on his way out with a note taped to it on which he'd jotted his e-mail address.
Ostensibly it was an innocuous thing to do, but for Boltz it was a big step. It eventually led to him opening up to Miner, one of the first times anybody outside Boltz's circle of family and friends knew his long-kept secret: Ray Boltz is gay.
"I didn't make a big deal of it," Boltz says during a 90-minute phone interview from his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. "But I was trembling. I'd kind of had two identities since I moved to Florida where I kind of had this other life and I'd never merged the two lives. This was the first time I was taking my old life as Ray Boltz, the gospel singer, and merging it with my new life. Emotionally it was kind of a big deal to think about that."
Ray Boltz was tired of living a lie. He'd gotten to a point nearly three years before where he couldn't continue down the road his life had gone.
His 33-year marriage to ex-wife Carol was, he says, largely a happy one. It produced four children — three daughters and a son who are now between 22 and 32 — but family life and going through the motions of being straight had grown so wearying to Boltz, he was in a serious depression, had been in therapy for years, was on Prozac and other anti-depressants and had been, for a time, suicidal.
"I thought I hid it really well," he says. "I didn't know people could see what I was going through, the darkness and the struggle. After I came out to my family, one of my daughters said she was afraid to walk in my bedroom because she was afraid she'd find me — that I'd done something to myself. And I didn't even know they'd picked it up."
The Boltz family remembers Dec. 26, 2004 for two reasons: the tsunami in the Indian Ocean but also the tsunami that their husband and father unleashed when he told them what had been bothering him for so many years.
He hadn't planned a major announcement — but sitting around the kitchen table at his daughter's house, Boltz's son, Philip, asked him what was wrong.
"I thought, 'Well, I can just do what I always do and hide the truth or I can take a risk and be honest,'" Boltz says. "That day, with the tsunami, has become very symbolic in our family."
Nobody was sure, at the time, what the ramifications of the revelation would be, least of all Ray.
"It's hard to say I came out because I didn't have all the answers. I just admitted what I was struggling with and what I was feeling. It's hard to go, 'This is the point where I accepted my sexuality and who I was,' but I came out to them and shared with them what I'd been going through."
Continuing to pretend, Boltz says, was no longer an option.
"I'd denied it ever since I was a kid. I became a Christian, I thought that was the way to deal with this and I prayed hard and tried for 30-some years and then at the end, I was just going, 'I'm still gay. I know I am.' And I just got to the place where I couldn't take it anymore … when I was going through all this darkness, I thought, 'Just end this.'"
His family's reaction took time. "I don't want to downplay it like it was just, 'Oh, well that's OK.' It was a very tough time for them too, but the bottom line was they loved me and they still love me … it's been an amazing journey of acceptance on their part … I was offered support and love from each member of my family, including my wife."
Humble beginnings
Ray Boltz was born in June 1953, the middle of three children (a fourth died shortly after birth) to William and Ruth Boltz. Ray's early religious experience centered around a small country Methodist church.
He discovered rock music in high school. Lying on his bed at age 17 hearing the Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post" awoke him to the possibilities of music. There was a smidge of budding radical in him — he participated in an anti-war rally; high school friends had gone to Woodstock, though he didn't. A hippie spin-off of sorts, the Jesus Movement was gradually making its way across the country from California.
Boltz injured his back in 1972 and was in the hospital when a visiting minister invited him to Jacob's Well, a Christian coffeehouse in nearby Harper City, Ind. When Boltz recovered, he checked it out, saw gospel group the Fisherman perform and had a life-altering experience.
"That evening had a profound impact on my life," he says. "I realized that this was the truth and that Jesus was alive … that's really where I made a commitment to Christ. I decided I could be born again and all of the things I was feeling in the past would fall away and I would have this new life."
He became a regular at Jacob's and met Carol Brammer at its upstairs Christian bookstore later that year. They attended Bible studies together and eventually wed in 1975.
Indiana — for some reason that's never been fully explored — had become a hotbed of Christian music. The Jesus Movement had a surge of early '70s activity in Boltz's part of the state and gospel music legends like Bill and Gloria Gaither, Sandi Patty, members of Petra and late gospel singer Rich Mullins all hailed from the Hoosier state.
His early years of family life were good ones and Boltz recalls them fondly. He worked for the state highway department and drove a snowplow truck while putting himself through college. He'd write songs and sing on weekends. After college he worked five years at a manufacturing plant.
A series of self-made indie cassettes of his songs, which he sold at concerts, made him realize the importance of having a producer/arranger and by the mid-1980s, he plunked "everything we had" into recording an album at Bill Gaither's Indiana studio.
Boltz financed "Watch the Lamb" for $11,000. It was picked up by Heartland Records in Orlando, Fla., and distributed by the CCM label Benson.
He quit his job in 1986 and went into music full time. Boltz's career soared with the release of his second album, "Thank You" (1988).
He spent most weekends on the road and maintained a steady output of recording. Despite Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) having its unofficial headquarters on Nashville's Music Row, by the time Boltz became well known, his children were in school in Indiana and, like the Gaithers and Sandi Patty, he remained based there. He became well regarded for an unusual level of giving back, eventually donating some concert proceeds for orphanages in Calcutta, Sri Lanka and a home for abandoned AIDS babies in Kenya.
Touring eventually involved a band, two buses and a semi-trailer truck and a crew of about 15 people with Ray headlining venues that sat between 5,000 and 7,500 people.
"Those were definitely wonderful, wonderful years," Boltz says. "There's absolutely no question about it … I believed what I sang but in the back of my mind, I always felt I could never quite measure up. So yes, they were good years, but there was also a lot of pain."
It got to the point by the early-to-mid '00s that keeping his homosexuality hidden had become an increasingly wearying notion. "You get to be 50-some years old and you go, 'This isn't changing.' I still feel the same way. I am the same way. I just can't do it anymore.'"
There was some exploration of "ex-gay" therapy though Boltz never attended an "ex-gay" camp or formal seminar. "I basically lived an 'ex-gay' life — I read every book, I read all the scriptures they use, I did everything to try and change."
Indirectly, this spilled out into his songwriting. Boltz says even though he never told his fans the specifics of his struggle, it added a dimension to his lyrics that resonated.
"It's there on every single record," he says. "That struggle of accepting myself and my feelings. There's a lot of pain there and it connected with a lot of people. They weren't struggling with the same thing necessarily but we all suffer with our humanity."
There were other signs that his music was connecting. He was shocked to see two kids from a Calcutta mission singing "Thank You" during ABC's coverage of Mother Teresa's funeral in 1997.
He'd met Bill McCartney, the founder of Promise Keepers, a controversial religious group that advocates men being the head of Christian households, at a meeting and ended up singing in front of 1.3 million Christian men at a Promise Keepers rally ("Stand in the Gap") at the Mall in Washington in October, 1997. And one of the Christian teens killed in the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado in 1999 had been a Boltz fan and had performed choreography to his music.
But on the personal side, the pain of the closet kept a tight grip. His physical relationship with his wife hadn't been torturous. He says it helped that he felt genuine affection for her, if not sexual desire.
"Sex was based on the fact that we loved each other and I wanted to make her happy," he says. "I had sexual drives as well. You know, it's like I never had to talk myself into having a relationship with her or that I was going, 'Oh God, here we're going to bed again' — it wasn't that. I loved her and we had a very full life; it's just that inside, deep inside, it really wasn't who I was."
Aside from sex, Boltz says this eventually took a toll on the couple's intimacy.
"It wasn't something that manifested itself in that we never had sex … but how can you truly be intimate with someone when you don't know who they are, when they won't reveal themselves to you … I thought if I can't say this to the people I love, then what kind of life is this?"
Retiring from singing
Boltz began slowing down in the summer of 2004. He quietly retired from singing, recording and touring. He and Carol separated in the summer of 2005 and he moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He only casually knew a few people there but thought it would be a good place to start a new, low-key life and get to know himself.
He and Carol Boltz remain close (their divorce was finalized early this year). She's become involved with the gay advocacy group Soulforce but declined, through Boltz, to be interviewed for this story.
Not many in CCM seemed to think anything was awry. Boltz says people just assumed he was ready for a break after so many years on the road. Touring and wise investing had put Boltz in a comfortable place financially; it was important to him to make sure Carol had money, too, before moving.
The early months in Florida felt strange and different, but also liberating.
His faith was in transition — tenants he'd adhered to all his life suddenly were up for reconsideration, but there was a peace he hadn't felt before.
"I had a lot of questions [about faith], but at the bottom of everything was a feeling that I didn't hate myself anymore, so in that sense I felt closer to God."
Boltz declines to go into specifics about the first time he was with a man, but says he has been dating and lives "a normal gay life" now.
"If you were to hold up the rule book and go, 'Here are all the rules Christians must live by,' did I follow every one of those rules all that time? Not at all, you know, because I kind of rejected a lot of things, but I've grown some even since then. I guess I felt that the church, that they had it wrong about how I felt with being gay all these years, so maybe they had it wrong about a lot of other things."
As he sorted out his faith, Boltz began building a new life for himself. He took some graphic design courses. He found he could be almost completely anonymous in Ft. Lauderdale. The mullet he'd sported in the '80s was long gone and CCM had always been a somewhat insular community.
Boltz says the anonymity was a blessing. "I didn't have to be who I was in the past. I didn't have to fit somebody else's viewpoint of what they thought I was. I could just be myself and I met a lot of wonderful people."
New directions
The name on the CD didn't register with MCC's Rev. Jeff Miner at first. And that was just fine with Ray Boltz. Miner liked the Christmas CD and was so impressed he e-mailed Boltz and asked him if he'd ever thought about doing music full time.
Boltz laughed as he read the note. "He obviously had no idea who I was and I just loved that," Boltz says. "I just said, 'Uh, yeah, I used to.'"
Miner showed the CD to the music leaders at MCC Indianapolis who, recognizing Boltz's name, were dumbfounded that he'd been to their church. When they mentioned some of Boltz's hits to him, Miner made the connection.
Miner told Boltz if he was ever in the area again — Boltz makes regular trips back to the Midwest to visit family — that he was welcome to sing. "I was scared to death when he said it," Boltz says. "But I finally got the courage and said, 'Yeah.'"
Boltz had no interest in rejuvenating his career but the same musical passion that had driven him since he was a teen, inspired him to use songwriting cathartically. The songs "I Will Choose to Love" and "God Knows I Tried," two of the most recent he's written, capture where he is now.
"I was so good at pretending/like an actor on a stage/but in the end nobody knew me/only the roles that I portrayed/and I would rather have you hate me/knowing who I really am/than to try and make you love me/being something that I can't" (from "God Knows I Tried").
This started a chain reaction of events that led to this story. Boltz performed at Miner's church to an enthusiastic reception. Miner then introduced him to Rev. Cindi Love, executive director of the Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, who'd just released a book called "Would Jesus Discriminate," a discussion of Christianity and homosexuality.
Love speaks highly of Boltz, whom she met in May. "After I got to know him, I thought, 'This is one of the most sincere guys I've met in a long time,'" she says. "It's an especially rare thing to see for someone who's been in the music industry. He's just clearer. He's not jumbled up in ego."
Love invited Boltz to join her at MCC Washington where he sang on May 25 and, even though it was not stated that Boltz is gay, the congregation connected with the songs. "I didn't tell them I was gay but I still felt like I was being authentic, that I could be who I was," Boltz says. "They all jumped up at the end of the song, clapping and all gave me hugs. It was pretty amazing." (Boltz will return to MCC Washington for a free concert at 3 p.m. on Sept. 21.)
Boltz is clear, though, about his reasons for coming out publicly. "I really had no master plan here," he says. "I've just been trying to go with the idea that you can either live your life out of love or out of fear. I could just stay here in Florida and be pretty anonymous. I could go work at Wal-Mart or something where nobody knows who I am, but to me, that's kind of living in fear."
Though he's open to performing, Boltz says he doesn't plan to let this issue take over his life. "I don't want to be a spokesperson, I don't want to be a poster boy for gay Christians, I don't want to be in a little box on TV with three other people in little boxes screaming about what the Bible says, I don't want to be some kind of teacher or theologian — I'm just an artist and I'm just going to sing about what I feel and write about what I feel and see where it goes."
Anti-gay discrimination
Even though Boltz plans no triumphant homecoming to Christian music, there may be rough days ahead. The Contemporary Christian Music scene has traditionally held its artists to much higher standards than their pop counterparts and it's only been those who've shown repentance for their perceived sins, who have been able to rebuild their careers.
Joe Hogue worked for years as a CCM producer in Nashville with acts like Carman, DC Talk, BeBe and CeCe Winans and others, and found the calls for work completely dried up when he divorced his wife and came out.
"There are a lot of closeted people in Christian music," says Hogue, who now lives in California and works with gay singers like Nemesis and Jason & DeMarco. "And, you know, it's not even really the artists that care about it so much, they just know their audience will."
No artist of Boltz's prominence has come out. A few minor CCM players have, but their decisions were hardly celebrated.
Marsha Stevens, a Jesus Movement songwriter famous for the Christian folk song, "For Those Tears I Died," a favorite in youth camps and churches for decades, came out in 1980. She was famously renounced by Bill Gaither, whom she'd been photographed with at one of his "Homecoming" concerts, in 2006.
Kirk Talley, a Southern Gospel singer (a slightly different genre than CCM, though there's some overlap of the players), confessed to struggling with homosexuality and came out in GQ in 2005. He's continued singing in churches but only because he's categorized his sexual orientation as a burden to be carried.
Talley initially declined to be interviewed for this story saying he'd "been through enough hell," but did consent to one comment: "I will definitely be in prayer for Ray," he said in an e-mail. "He has no idea the crap he will have to endure."
Others appear to avoid the topic altogether. Though it's not fair, of course, to assume a Christian singer who never married is gay, speculation has existed in fan circles for years that single CCM artists like Mark Lowry and Margaret Becker might be gay (Lowry has denied that he's gay; neither Lowry nor Becker responded to interview requests for this story).
Word records, which used to distribute Boltz's music, didn't respond to a request seeking comment. The Gospel Music Association, the organization that gives out Dove Awards, said via e-mail that "GMA is a trade organization that works for our members to promote gospel/Christian music, not a religious or political group. As such, we do not comment on the lifestyle choices of people in our community."
Gay Christian artists like Jason & DeMarco have never been embraced by the CCM community, but have found a degree of compensation for it in the gay community.
And things may be easing — when Christian DJ Azariah Southworth and Tony Sweet, a runner up on a gospel-music reality show, came out, reaction was muted. But neither have the prominence of a major CCM act.
Even MCC's Cindi Love anticipates tough times ahead for Boltz. "He needs to get through this initial coming-out process and just see how that feels," she says. "A lot of people will probably throw a bunch of stuff at his family. I pray they don't, but I bet they will."
Hogue, who worked with Boltz on his 1991 album "Another Child to Hold" and has helped him record a few new songs for a still-evolving possible new project, says he hopes for a day when Christians will see homosexuality as no more a perceived sin than it used to be for women to be ministers or for divorced Christians to hold leadership positions in churches.
"I like to hope for the best, but it will be slow moving," Hogue says.
Boltz admits to some nervousness, but says ultimately, he isn't worried.
He doesn't want to get into debates about scripture and has no plans to "go into First Baptist or an Assembly of God church and run in there and say, 'I'm gay and you need to love me anyway.'"
For him, the decision to come out is much more personal.
"This is what it really comes down to," he says. "If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I'm going to live. It's not like God made me this way and he'll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself."
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Reprint of Ray Boltz' original "coming out" article: "Key Changes" by Joey DiGuglielmo, Washington Blade, Sept. 12, 2008
19 comments:
Great article/interview. Thanks for reprinting it.
The early months in Florida felt strange and different, but also liberating.
His faith was in transition — tenants he'd adhered to all his life suddenly were up for reconsideration, but there was a peace he hadn't felt before.
FYI - The word is "tenets," not "tenants." "Tenants" are leased-space residents/occupants. :)
- April 17, 2010 at 1:13 AM
I realize you're just reposting someone else's piece, but the word he was looking for is tenets, not tenants. ;)
- April 17, 2010 at 1:56 AM
- Carol said...
I just copied and pasted it. :)
Evidently Joey made an error or there was a typo. Maybe that's why we no longer have the Washington Blade.
- April 17, 2010 at 8:29 AM
Hi Carol,
I am surprised that Ray decided to "out" himself in a gay publication, rather than a Christian publication.
Gay publications tend not to be a little like the gay ghetto...sometimes with personal ads in the back that are a little questionable.
I would think there would be some Christian publication that would be a little more understanding and welcoming.
- April 17, 2010 at 11:47 AM
- Carol said...
To anonymous at 11:47 - No, I think the right decision was made. If you look at the coverage that continued to reference Ray's announcement/interview, you will see the kind, no, the TYPE of "understanding" there was in the Christian media - little to none, as well as a LOT of criticism. The Blade reached plenty of people that needed to hear what Ray communicated.
- April 17, 2010 at 12:56 PM
Wow. Just wow. I wish my husband could be as open, honest and authentic as Ray has been. But he's a coward who's hidden behind me for decades and who used me to make himself socially acceptable. When I learned he was gay and saw he'd been living a secret life of promiscuous sexual encounters, many of them in our home and in the marital bed when I was gone, I knew I had to get out before he sucked me into the gutter along with him.
At moments I hate him with a vengeance. At others I pray for him to come to grips with who he is and lead an open and honest life as a gay man.
Sadly, his family members are probably amongst those who send you and Ray hate mail, so my husband will probably never come out. He's shoved me and our children into the closet with him. He's led them to believe I asked for a divorce because he had AN affair with a woman. I started counting the number of men he's been with and stopped at three dozen because it was just too depressing to count further. The last one was the one who transmitted HIV to him.
Anyway, keep up the good work.
- April 18, 2010 at 12:41 AM
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
I know this has been rough on you and your family, I also know that Rays music opened a place inside me that helped me to Accept Christ in my life. Like Ray I too had a secret I lived with most of my life hoping that one day it would go away. Unlike Ray I am not Gay-- I am transsexual --. I know the courage it took for him to finally say enough...I can't lie any longer. I came out to my family just before Christmas 2006. I wish I could have had the support you have given Ray let him know he is in my prayers as are you and your family.
Jayne A M
- April 18, 2010 at 7:47 PM
I really admire you and I hope you know that. You are a wonderful woman! I can't express enough how much I admire you.
I have seen marriages like yours where the woman has fought in court to keep visitation rights away from their father due to his lifestyle. This was mom's with younger children.
I have witnessed women with older children like your fight and have strife to turn their children against their father.
But, you are like no other : )
I have saw pictures on FB with your family all together with you and their dad. Everyone seems so happy. Better than what mine does with my ex...lol
I looked at your old blog and I was watching your kids dance at your son's wedding. I love that song and it was a great way to start my day by watching so much happiness and fun!
God Bless You Carol!
- April 19, 2010 at 9:14 AM
Promise Keepers is "controversial." Because it teaches biblically that a husband should love, give himself and serve his wife, but a man who desires to have sex with another man is "coming out," and persecuted?
There is something just a bit twisted about the logic.
- April 23, 2010 at 11:29 AM
- Carol said...
I've heard it said that the Promise Keepers rally in Washington, D.C. was probably the largest assembly of gay men EVER. But that's not what you are asking about, so, I'll explain why it is referred to as "controversial."
1) Promise Keepers elevates male-dominated families, with little regard for female empowerment or influence. As a group they belittle women's rights and asert male control in families.
2) Racially, they are led by white men, with little input of blacks, hispanics, or any other ethnic groups. This contributes to what is already true of most charismatic churches: white male priviledge.
3) I didn't write the article.
- April 23, 2010 at 12:12 PM
Dear Carol,
Promise Keepers, the "largest gathering of gay men EVER..."
Was there a survey done, please quote it? Or did you just "hear it."
As far as "they belittle women's rights.." please give an example.
I presume your desire is that people not judge others based upon ignorance? Or ignorant statements?
These statements...well, are.
- April 23, 2010 at 12:32 PM
- Carol said...
The "largest gathering of gay men" is a tongue in cheek reference to how many closeted and married gay men are in the churches. It isn't a statistic, but an acknowledgment of presumed fact.
In regards to anti-feminism, I looked up some examples from PK speakers. Here is what I came up with:
Tony Evans: ". . . I believe that feminists of the more aggressive persuasion are frustrated women unable to find the proper male leadership..." and here he talked about marriage roles: "I am not suggesting that you ask for your role back, I am urging you to take it back. There can be no compromise here."
Ami Neiberger quoted Bill McCartney, from 1992, just two years after he began PK: ""There's coming a day when the strongest voice in America will be that of a Christian male." To me, that sounds like he's disregarding women and their influence in the church of America. The fact that the rallies have been 100% male shows that they don't want or feel the need to have women bring a "strong voice" into America.
David Sweet, who founded the Canadian branch of Promise Keepers is quoted here: "Men are natural influencers, whether we like it or not. There's a particular reason why Jesus called men only. It's not that women aren't co-participators. It's because Jesus knew women would naturally follow."
hmmm...ignorant? No, I simply disagree. And again, the article was not written by ME.
- April 23, 2010 at 1:30 PM
Dear Carol,
Disagreeing is fine...
Using a "presumed fact" is not. It it a presumption or is it fact?
The arguements used for Promise Keepers being bigoted against women are at best weak. Of this, perhaps we will just agree to disagree.
It greatly concerns me the over generalizations that some Christians make toward homosexuals that come off as very hateful, and ignorant. They will give an account to our Lord.
Just as some who would defend what is clearly unnatural and unbiblical will.
I wish you and your family God's best...again, peace...
- April 23, 2010 at 1:50 PM
- Liz BR said...
Anonymous -- first of all, can I suggest that you pick a name, even a fake one, so that we know when you are the one commenting, and when someone else is? You can do that easily by choosing the Name/URL button when you post your comments.
Second, concerning the "presumed fact." You're just dealing with semantics here. The fact of the matter is that there are closeted gay Christians in the church.
The presumption is that there were probably a bunch of them at the big Promise Keepers event in DC, simply because of the numbers.
There. End of the issue.
Now, as for what you seem to believe are less-than-founded criticisms against Promise Keepers, I don't know how the quoted statements above can be dismissed as anything but anti-woman. Considering that Galatians states that in Christ there is no significant difference between men and women, any group that actively promotes the idea that God specifically calls men and NOT women shows a disregard for Scripture.
- April 25, 2010 at 4:35 PM
- Carol said...
Light of Dawn - very nice post!
- April 25, 2010 at 5:02 PM
"Just dealing with semantics..."
Writing, speaking etc. IS semantics.
If you would like to use the Bible let us do so...but in balance.
Eph 5:22 "Wives,submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord."
Perhaps you will dismiss the Holy Spirit's command for women through Paul as simply semantics?
The flip side of that is men are to "love and give themselves to their wives, as Christ gave Himself." It is the perfect balance in a marriage, which I have seen modeled hundreds of times in very well adjusted contented, happy famalies.
- April 26, 2010 at 11:39 AM
FYI - Gay weekly D.C. Agenda sets a memorable date: The return of The Washington Blade:
- April 27, 2010 at 9:34 AM
- Jim Davis said...
Thanks for sharing this story. I spent years, not only in the church, but in Christian retail as well. Ray's albums were consistently among our top sellers. I had struggled with my sexual orientation for years, beleiving the church and a relationship with God to be the "escape" I needed. I even deepened the facade during a ten year marriage. In 1997, my marriage fell apart as I reached a point where I too, could no longer live a lie. I walked away from the church and began the process of building a new life for myself. I was surprised, as well as encouraged,when I first read of Ray's coming out. I found I was able to relate to his new music, probably better than even his older material. It felt fresh and honest. Recently, I have made contact with a church that unconditionally accepts people, regardless of whatever issues they face. This past week, I went to church for the first time in over 15 years and truly felt welcome. Ray will be coming to town soon, sponsored by this same church. I hope to be able to attend and share some time with someone who knows the struggles I've gone thru.
- February 27, 2012 at 4:29 PM
- Carol said...
Thanks for your comment, Jim. I know there are so many in church who feel rejected. It's good to know that you are at one where you know acceptance. I wish I had time to write more, both blogging and writing back to you, but I have to get to work this morning. I wish you a lot of love and hope things continue to go well for you. :)
- March 1, 2012 at 7:00 AM


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Max Load: 1804 lbs
Warranty (mi.) 55,000
4.7 out of 5Submitted by Shoon in Indiana on 4/10/2017(2015 Jeep Renegade Latitude)
Side wall is very weak. I had a bulge on a tire in 3 months or so.
4.45 out of 5Submitted by Alexandra in Minnesota on 10/14/2015(2010 Cadillac SRX Premium)
I love these tires in fact I'm buying them again! :)
4.3 out of 5Submitted by Steve in Alabama on 3/16/2015(2011 Toyota Tundra (20 Inch Option))
These tires came with xsp package with 20 inch BBS wheels. The tire is rated at 55,000 miles and I currently have 54,000. Tires ride great, handle well, and have never failed. The tires do seem to wear much quicker on the right side of my truck. I would spend the extra money but my big gripe is Michelin does not manufacture these tires in 305 50 20 very often and they are not available and they are not even on Michelins production schedule.
4.45 out of 5Submitted by Richard in Missouri on 1/25/2015(2015 Toyota RAV4 LE)
Snow traction has yet to be tested. Very quiet and solid performing tires.
4.65 out of 5Submitted by Alfredo in Florida on 12/29/2014(2013 Acura MDX w/Advance Package)
The best tires for my Acura MDX 2013. Lasted 41k miles.
4.7 out of 5Submitted by Angela in Kentucky on 11/24/2014(2011 Cadillac SRX Base)
I have had a good experience with them and got almost 40,000 miles before the need to replace.
4.85 out of 5Submitted by Steve in Pennsylvania on 10/5/2014(2013 Lexus LX570 Base)
I have not been in the snow with these, which is why I did not give it a 5, but I am sure they will be great seeing the tread and the reputation of Michelin. For comfort, ride and performance and control I would choose nothing but a Michelin. I have seen many other less expensive tires but I have found you get what you pay for and with Michelin you definitely get what you pay for.
5 out of 5Submitted by Michael in Georgia on 6/23/2014(2006 Ford Freestyle Limited (FWD))
Awesome Tires
5 out of 5Submitted by Hawkins in Missouri on 5/27/2014(2014 RAM Trucks 1500 Big Horn)
5 out of 5Submitted by Jim in Wisconsin on 4/21/2014(2008 GMC Trucks Envoy SLT)
Great tires!
4.85 out of 5Submitted by Stephen in Tennessee on 1/11/2014(2011 GMC Trucks Terrain SLE (19 Inch Option))
Second set of these tires. I would definitely buy them again. Great tires and great service.
4.15 out of 5Submitted by Joe in Illinois on 1/8/2014(2006 BMW Trucks X5 3.0i)
Great tires. Bought these to replace the OEM MXV4 Energy tires. Much better tire, especially in the snow.
4.7 out of 5Submitted by Linda in Iowa on 12/30/2013(2004 Chrysler Trucks Pacifica (FWD))
When I bought my 2004 Chrysler Pacifica it had another brand of new tires on it. I thought we could get through the snow the first winter we had the vehicle in 2010. The first snow of 2010, the vehicle slid through intersections and just did not get through the snow. So we dealt with these tires until December of this year when I put on the new Michelin Latitude Tire HP. I did not like the price but I was told that would be the best to get around in the snow. I was very hesitant but the tires proved themselves when I drove the vehicle from Decorah, IA back home to Dyersville, IA in the middle of a snow storm the evening of December 24, 2013 with my family.
3.15 out of 5Submitted by Gilbert in Utah on 12/12/2013(2005 Dodge Trucks Ram 1500 SLT 4x4 Quad Cab)
I like it, runs smooth and no noise.
4 out of 5Submitted by Jonathan in Massachusetts on 12/1/2013(2008 Mazda Trucks CX-9 Touring)
So far I've been very happy with the tires. Will have them for the first winter and hope they will work great.
4.55 out of 5Submitted by Sam in Massachusetts on 11/27/2013(2011 Acura Trucks MDX Base)
Great, quiet ride.
4.55 out of 5Submitted by Linda in Massachusetts on 11/15/2013(2011 Nissan Trucks Murano LE)
The Michelin Latitude Tour HP tires are a great tire for my SUV. I drive 75 miles a day and mostly highway. Let me say, the ride on these tires is smooth and very quiet. The New England winters can be a challenge. The Michelin's and were the right decision for me.
4.55 out of 5Submitted by Frankie in Missouri on 10/28/2013(2006 Mercedes-Benz Trucks ML350 Base)
Tires made a big impact on the ride right away. The smoothest ride for an SUV. Always felt safe and in control. Big complaint is the wear. Got slightly over half life of tires. I did have my tires rotated but not every 6-8,000 miles. Would that extend the life to at least warranty expectations?
2.45 out of 5Submitted by Corey in Tennessee on 10/21/2013(2004 Land Rover Trucks Range Rover HSE)
4.15 out of 5Submitted by L in Colorado on 10/8/2013(2001 Volvo V70 X/C)
Nice tires
4.8 out of 5Submitted by Angela in California on 11/5/2012(2011 Ford Trucks Flex Limited)
Submit Review


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Interactive sessions
When: Monday 16 July
Where: The city walking tour depart's from the foyer of the Christ's College Auditorium. The workshops will be held at Christ's College.
Time: 3.00pm - 5.00pm
Select an interactive workshop OR the city walking tour during the conference registration process. Please note maximum numbers apply.
Interactive workshops
Participants choose one session to attend.
1. Best Practice: Building excellence in locally delivered infrastructure and services - FULLY BOOKED
Workshop chair:
Albert Brantley, Member, Independent Assessment Board, CouncilMARK™
Workshop facilitator:
Peter Crow, Independent Assessor, CouncilMARK™
Jim Palmer, Chief Executive and David Ayers, Mayor, Waimakariri District Council
Bill Dalton, Mayor and Wayne Jack, Chief Executive, Napier City Council
Clive Manley, Chief Executive and Don Cameron, Mayor, Ruapehu District Council
Sandra Hazlehurst, Mayor and Neil Taylor, Acting Chief Executive, Hastings District Council
Hearing about case studies, and based on the learnings and observations made in the first year of the programme, participants at the workshop will have the opportunity to learn about what good practice looks like across the four priority areas of the programme.
2. Climate change: The challenges of climate change decision making and opportunities for adaption
Workshop chair:
Pippa Coom, Chair, Waitemata Local Board
Mike Meehan, Chief Executive, West Coast Regional Council
Tony Bonne, Mayor, Whakatane District Council
Sandra Goudie, Mayor, Thames-Coromandel District Council
Adapting to the impacts of climate change is a significant challenge and priority focus for local government, iwi and communities. The way in which communities live and function is already being impacted by climate change, particularly by rising seas and increasing extreme weather events. All communities will be affected by climate change and councils will face higher costs as infrastructure is enhanced and adapted to address the impacts. Tough and courageous decisions will have to be made about how existing communities and developments are protected, and where new developments are located. Those decisions will have impacts on personal lives and private properties.
A number of communities are already taking steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change. However, there are still a number of barriers that prevent them from doing so.
The purpose of this workshop is to:
- Discuss the options available to adapt to the impacts of climate change;
- Workshop the barriers that are preventing communities from taking adaptive action; and
- Discuss the support, resources and legal frameworks needed to make effective adaptation decisions.
Kindly sponsored by
3. Water: Working together to protect and improve New Zealand's water and environment
Workshop chair:
Rachel Reese, LGNZ National Council member and Chair, Governance Reference Group Water 2050
Stuart Crosby, Vice President, LGNZ
Jonson Cox, Chair, OFWAT
Allan Prangnell, Partnerships Director, Central/Local Government Partnerships, Department of Internal Affairs
Vaughan Payne, Chief Executive, Waikato Regional Council
Brian Hanna, Mayor, Waitomo District Council
The Government is reviewing the regulation and delivery of drinking water, stormwater and wastewater. This is potentially the most significant reform for local government in many years.
Options being considered include a new, independent regulator for some or all of the three waters. This session will explore what new regulatory arrangements for three waters could mean for local government, what the implications are and how our objectives for better water management can be achieved.
Under LGNZ's Water 2050 project we have work well underway to feed into the Government's policy development processes. We will share some of the findings with workshop participants.
City walking tour Fully booked
Join City Council staff and Elected Members on an intriguing central city tour. Our compact central city is home to new exciting and innovative architecture, enticing laneways and local precincts where retail mingles with hospitality. The walk-and-talk includes time to chat with developers and stakeholders about the progress of the rebuild, view the integrated Justice and Emergency Services precinct, examples of heritage preservation, and smart and accessible city initiatives.
Key stops along the way include; Christchurch City Council building, Art's Centre, Innovation Precinct, Justice Precinct, Earthquake Memorial Wall, Margaret Mahy Playground and city centre retail and hospitality spots.
Please meet outside Christ's College at 3.15pm. The tour will conclude at the Art's Centre at 4.55pm where you can make your way back to Christ's College or your hotel.
Please ensure you wear comfortable walking shoes and warm clothing, distance covered is 3km. In the case of wet weather the tour will be conducted utilising the city's trams.
Please note numbers for this tour are limited and will be allocated on a first in basis.


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- Authors:
Publication Date:
June 2013
Many past sustainability business case analyses have not effectively incorporated key financial value drivers into the discussion. Companies should consider a framework to link environmental actions to financial value drivers. Of course, agreement on core sets of indicators will not produce sustainable enterprises overnight. A company's own time frame, as well as the level of (un)certainty associated with longer term scenarios, are critical in its investment decision making and business case analysis. But focusing on core financial value drivers helps capture the real longer-term value creation potential (three to five years and beyond) of environmental actions and green innovation.
This Director Notes is complimentary.
To gain access to it and our other free content, click "Read more" and create an account.


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Inspiration for these party favor bags from here.
I'm already pooped from all the cleaning but I know it's going to be a fun time!
These bags are so cute! 3 already? Can't be! Have fun!
Watch a little Surf's Up :) One of my little almost 3yo's favorites. I may go with a train theme this year but you are waaaay ahead of me seeing how mine's a Sept kid too. Uhh yikes.
Oh, be sure to take some pictures of your version of those cupcakes. They look yummy!


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In 1880, William Fox was listed as living in Iroquois County, Illinois working on a farm where one of my Murrphy families was living. His three children were listed in the Peoria County Illinois 1880 census as boarders at the "Bradley Hospital", which was run by religious sisters. The children were listed as:
Rosa age 10
Katie age 6
William age 4
The children's father, William Fox, was listed as still living in Iroquois County, Illinois in 1882 in his pension papers. From Peoria City Directories, William Fox was listed as living in Peoria, Illinois in 1891 and 1894. There is no indication where his children were.
14 April 1894 Application to Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home-Quincy IL: in the application William stated that he owned no property and worked as a laborer. He reported that that he has no wife and one child living, a daughter, 19 years. That he "desires that Katie Fox of Peoria be notified of his illness or death", and that in case of death his personal effects be sent to Katie Fox 303 Butler St. at Peoria. (her aunt and uncle's address-Peter and Rosa Smith Hill).
From the Peoria Illinois City Directories I found:
1895-a Miss Kate Fox listed as "cook H.G. Hirt, r. 222 First ave."
1896-a Miss Catherine Fox listed as "domestic at 208 Randolph".
1897-a Miss Katie Fox listed as a "domestic at 419 Fredonia ave."
Again, in 1897 in William's pension papers "Kattie", age twenty-three was referred to as William's only living child.
William Fox, Katie's father, died in May of 1898 in Peoria, Illinois. From papers received from the Soldier's Home records:
23 May 1898-letter sent to Mr. E.L.Higgins: "Dear Sir: A card was received from you asking the cause and date of the death of my father, William Fox. Heart failure was the cause, and date Monday evening at 5:30 May 16, 1898. Yours truly, Katie M. Fox, 303 Butler St., Peoria, IL."So, did Katie live in Peoria or Chicago?
18 June 1898-note in papers from the Soldier's Home on William: "Died on furlough at Peoria May 16, 1898. All papers sent Katie M. Fox-4757 Kenwood Ave Chicago".
There are a few more references to a Katherine Fox in Peoria over the next few years. Are these Katie?
In the 1900 Peoria, Peoria County IL Census at 430 Main St.is listed a Katherine Fox, age 25, working as a servant in the household of Thomas Goodman.
The last possible listings I have found of Katie are in the 1910 and 1911 Peoria Illinois City Directories where a Miss Katherine Fox is listed as a domestic at 807 Jackson.
The problem is Katie or Katherine Fox is a fairly common name. Did she remain in Peoria, or did she live in Chicago? Did she ever marry? With all of her family (parents and siblings) dead by the time she was twenty-four, what became of Katie? After the reference to living at her aunt and uncle's address in 1897, she was never located in records at that address or with any of the family after that. I checked the Illinois Death and Stillborn Records 1916-1947 and did not find her listed. Did she die before 1916? Or did she live past 1947? Katie's siblings who died before her mother had died were buried in the Kickapoo Cemetery, as was her mother. What became of Katie's sister Rosa and her brother William?
So many questions left unanswered about this family. I always find it strange when I find that families do not take in children of their families who are orphaned. Of course, there are always many good reasons why it is not possible, but I still am surprised. Katie's mother had twelve siblings who lived after she had died. Could no one have taken in these three children? I would love to know the story!!!


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The old minaret adjacent to St Nikolaos church is a perfect reminder of the way the East met the West in the town I made my home, Chania, Crete, Greece. The photographs I post all help to tell a part of a longer story that focuses on the town and its citizens, whether they are living there now, or have made their home in other parts of the world. As a newer resident, by writing about the town in this way, I am trying to put some order into the chaos that I seem to be confronted with.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
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Our cakes may contain allergens like eggs, milk and flour products, nuts, chocolate, fruits, etc. If you are allergic to a particular item, please contact us to specify the ingredients before placing an order. Cake photos are illustrative. The actual product may look slightly different, as all our cakes are handmade.
NB! Order online & save 15 % off our regular prices!
Buy online and you could win a 30€ gift certicate in our monthly drawing.
Our cakes from web-shop are for take-away only!
The selection, prices and sales of the Café Komeet e-shop may differ from the selection, prices and sales of Café Komeet, which belongs to Plusprisma OÜ.
Café Komeet got its start from my tiny dream to start a small café in Tallinn, which has turned into a large café with a wonderful view of Tallinn. One could say the best view in the city!At the end of 2008, Priit Rebane offered me space for a café on the fourth floor of the planned Solaris Centre.
Solaris Center, Estonia pst. 9, 4th floor, Tallinn, Estonia
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A darkly joyful tale
Sometimes the darkest moments spark our greatest transformations and the things that make us different become our biggest blessings.
The challenge is enduring the often excruciating period that precedes the metamorphosis - the period of being curled before we are unfurled.
Bondi local, Erica Harrison, knows this.
Four years ago, the 34-year-old avid runner was thrown from her motorbike when it was hit by a car.
She was critically injured and one of her legs was so shattered the doctors were unsure it would ever fully heal. Tenuously held together by a rod, screws and plates, she was confined to bed and unable to walk for six months.
Hurting, emotionally and physically, her outlet and expression of joy - running - was not an option.
"It was a really dark time," the freelance writer and filmmaker says. "My body had been drastically changed. I couldn't run... It completely threw me - my whole identity had been lost."
At the depths of depression, she contemplated death, but instead chose to express her pain by putting pen to paper.
She began writing a darkly humorous tale about a little girl who is born with a tail.
In Roald Dahl rhyming couplet-style, she began to tell the story of the little girl whose unusual appendage is also her unique means of expressing her emotions. It flicks when she is angry, wags when she is happy and curls when she is shy.
"When she's a kid, it's cool - it's beautiful and expressive," Harrison explains of the story, A Cautionary Tail. But "when she becomes a teen, it's not so cool. People think it's weird."
The little girl becomes so embarrassed by her exceptional attribute that she attempts to have it removed. What follows is the little girl's journey to reclaim lost joy as she struggles between conformity and self-expression.
"She has something that brings a lot of joy, experiences a loss and finds herself letting go of old ideas."
While it was unintentional, the parrallels between the little girl's story and her own are not lost on Harrison. They both experienced the loss of, "something that brings you joy and [it's about] finding a way back to that joy inside yourself," she says.
"The world is always going to throw crazy things at you and unexpected things - it's finding that [happiness] within yourself."
What she also discovered was that, "whenever you lose something, it's making space for something new."
Little did she know quite how big that new thing would be and what fire she was igniting with her small spark of written expression.
After a year of painfully slow progress, "I was quite depressed and if I could write just one rhyming couplet a day [that was good]," she had the finished product. She collaborated with close friend and illustrator, Simon Rippingale, to bring the tale to life after the pair realised it would make a beautiful animated short story.
They won a grant from Screen NSW and sent the script out to their dream cast. "We were like 'what have we got to lose?'."
Nothing, it seemed. In a stroke of serendipitous luck, just as they had completely run out of money, their dream cast of Barry Otto, David Wenham and Cate Blanchett agreed to come on board.
The big names helped to give the project the funding kick it needed and last week the 14 minute film premiered at Flickerfest, Australia's only Academy accredited & BAFTA recognised International Short Film Festival.
As well as being screened around Australia with the Flickerfest tour, Harrison and Rippingale have entered the film in other film festivals around Australia and internationally. Penguin is publishing the picture book and Harrison is currently working with the digital team at Heckler, who did post-production for the film, to create an interactive e-Book.
"It's wonderful. It's a bit of a whirlwind - not what I expected," she says, remarking that it has been a collaborative effort facilitated, in part, by the kindness of "complete strangers" who contributed funding for the film.
In the end, just like Harrison, despite her period of darkness and feeling different, the little girl's tail "shifts and stretches and finds its shape... until its perfect coil uncurled [and] a tail unfolds into the world."
"Everyone has a tail," Harrison says. "My tail has been different things at different periods of time - the way I looked, my sexuality, my scars after the accident.
"It was a really difficult journey for me, but it helped me to be more resilient and helped me to ... realise 'this too shall pass' and the need to look inside yourself for happiness, to embrace the things that make us unique."
Sarah Berry is a lifestyle and health writer at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.


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Referee Andre Marriner "expressed his disappointment" to Arsenal after sending off the wrong player during their 6-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday, the Premier League's refereeing body announced.
Arsenal were 2-0 down at Stamford Bridge in manager Arsene Wenger's 1,000th game in charge when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain used his hand to push a shot from Chelsea winger Eden Hazard away from goal in the 15th minute.
Marriner awarded a penalty, which Hazard subsequently scored, but showed a red card to Oxlade-Chamberlain's innocent team-mate Kieran Gibbs, who was standing nearby.
Television pictures appeared to show England midfielder Oxlade- Chamberlain telling the official: "Ref, it was me!" But Marriner let the decision stand, and Gibbs was left to storm off the pitch.
In a statement released after the game, Professional Game Match Officials Limited said: "Andre is an experienced referee and is obviously disappointed that an error of mistaken identity was made in this case.
"Incidents of mistaken identity are very rare and are often the result of a number of different technical factors.
"Whilst this was a difficult decision, Andre is disappointed that he failed to identify the correct player. He expressed his disappointment to Arsenal when he was made aware of the issue."
Fourth official Anthony Taylor confirmed to television broadcasters at half-time that Gibbs's red card had been a case of mistaken identity.
The Football Association announced during the game that Arsenal had the right to appeal against the decision, tweeting:
"Clubs can appeal mistaken identity to The FA, although The FA can pro-actively review also.
"Following a red card clubs can also review possibility of a wrongful dismissal claim to The FA, unless dismissal is for 2 yellow cards."
Wenger felt that the controversy stemmed from the fact that Marriner had not seen Oxlade-Chamberlain's handball.
"I believe it was handball, but the referee hasn't seen it," said the Frenchman.
"The ball went out and I think it's Chamberlain who touched the ball. I don't know who gave an indication to the referee that it was handball, but he has certainly not seen it."
Despite the confusion, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said that the mistake did not have a significant impact on the outcome of the game.
"It was a penalty and a red card; unfortunately the wrong boy came off," he said.
"Even the linesman couldn't help him (Marriner) to make the right decision. The important decision: is it a penalty? Yes. Is it a red card? Yes."
A similar incident occurred earlier this season during an English third-tier game between Preston North End and Port Vale in November.
On that occasion, Preston striker Joe Garner was hit with a retrospective three-game ban after team-mate Neil Kilkenny had been mistakenly sent off.


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Style + Serenity: Relaxing Bedroom Inspiration from Our House Tours
Often, you see in our posts for relaxing spaces a lot of tips about keeping colors light and cool, furniture sparse, etc. While those are definitely ways to add serenity to the place you start and end each day, they aren't the only things you can do to create a relaxing bedroom, as these gorgeous examples from our house tours prove.
So what did we spot in all of these beautiful rooms from Apartment Therapy tours that made for a relaxing bedroom? Many of these spaces have great, soft light. Windows don't let too much harsh sunlight in, and window treatments are manipulated to create soft light to filter throughout the space. Where windows aren't a possibility, warm lighting in the form of lamps is used effectively.
We definitely saw some light and cool colors, but we also saw colors that were no doubt calming to the person living in the room. We like that even if a color might feel bold to some, if it's relaxing to you, it's right. We spotted a lot of texture; in the form of great bedding, soft pillows, and more. Folks really took the time to personalize their bed in a way that would make them feel the most comfortable.
And finally, perhaps our favorite (because we tend to forget this ourselves) — we loved all the little moments of design that make you smile that we spied in the spaces. In other words, treating your bedroom with the same design eye that you use to approach more public rooms of your house, and giving care and attention to not just art arrangements, but also cute and charming vignettes.
1) Leah & Rich's Evolving Patina
2) Dean's Stylish & Social Greystone
3) Riki & Allen's Texas-Modern Remodel
4) Rutger's "Charming Hovel" in London
5) Krystal's San Francisco Studio
6) Callen & Eli's Artful Treehouse
7) Michael's Creatively Curated Home
8) Jamie & Byron's Elegant Art Canvas
9) Charley & Jessica's "Patina Clean"
10) Alison's Modern Rustic Mar Vista Home
(Images: as credited above)


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AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team jumped out to a 5-0 lead on No. 16 Columbus State on Saturday afternoon before the Cougars came storming back to hand GSW an 8-7 defeat in Game 2 of their Peach Belt Conference series at Hurricane Stadium.
Southwestern sees its current losing streak extended to six games and falls to 10-26 overall and 5-18 in the PBC. Columbus State improves to 30-11 overall and 18-5 in the PBC.
GSW opened with a four-hit, four-run barrage in the first inning, highlighted by a RBI single from Zach Moss and a RBI double by Corey Benson.
Devyn Newberry doubled for the Hurricanes to open the second inning and scored on the next play when Evan Alderman singled to center field.
CSU registered its first run in the third inning and quickly tied the game with four runs in the fourth. Jackson Oliver collected a RBI with his single in the four-run frame and Jimmy Obermark drove in a pair with his single to center.
The Hurricanes were retired in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and CSU went down 1-2-3 in the fifth.
The Cougars grabbed the lead in the seventh inning with two runs from three singles. Mike McClellan drove in a run and Blaine Miller pushed across the second with his infield ground ball to make the score 7-5.
Jarrod Taylor cut the CSU lead to one in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Alderman.
In the eighth inning the Hurricanes tied the ballgame when Alderman's single to left-center field brought home Les Cromer.
McClellan struck again in the ninth with a two-out line shot to center that brought home Obermark from second base for the game-winner.
Southwestern had two batters finish with multiple hits. Alderman collected four hits and improved his season batting average to .394 while Stephen Eldridge went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
CSU was led at the plate by three-hit performances from Oliver, Obermark and McClellan. Carson Bowers and Brendan Collins added two hits apiece for the Cougars.
Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision.
GSW starter Zac Wittmus allowed 13 hits and seven earned runs, walked one and struck out six in 6 1/3 innings of work. Earl Dupree (1-2) came out of the bullpen for the second straight day and pitched two scoreless innings before surrendering the game-winning run in the ninth. Dupree held CSU to two hits, did not walk a batter and struck out two.
CSU starter Caden Ferguson was pulled after allowing back-to-back hits to open the second inning. Ferguson gave up five runs and six hits, did not walk a batter and registered one strike out. Ryan Pistey was effective in his six innings of relief. He held GSW to two hits and one run. Taylor Cato followed with 2/3 of an inning before making way for Trey Watson (4-1). Watson kept GSW off the scoreboard for the final 1 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two.
The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.


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26 Years Ago: Skid Row Release Their First Album
When Skid Row's eponymous debut began invading millions of U.S. households on Jan. 24, 1989, the quintet seemed like the latest in a long line of hair-metal bands out for fortune and fame -- not, as history has since shown, the last major success story to emerge from a dying genre.
Timing, as they say, is everything. 'Skid Row' arrived in record stores almost five years to the day after the release of Bon Jovi's first album, and fulfilling a deal struck years before between teenage friends John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. and David Michael Sabo, who had promised each other that whoever made it first would help the other get there too.
And because Sabo had been outgunned by Richie Sambora for Bon Jovi's lead-guitar position at the 11th hour, Jon Bon Jovi did not hesitate to make good on his old vow when, a few years later, Sabo (nicknamed "The Snake") co-founded Skid Row with bassist Rachel Bolan, fellow lead guitarist Scotti Hill and drummer Rob Affuso. With the help of Bon Jovi's powerful manager, Doc McGhee, Skid Row soon found a talented and charismatic frontman in Canadian teen Sebastian Bach, and signed contracts with Bon Jovi's publishing and record companies.
By the fall of 1988, Skid Row were recording their debut album in the idyllic setting of Lake Geneva, WI, having paid a reported $35,000 to guitar god Gary Moore for the rights to the name of his '60s-era band. By January 1989, the album's first single, 'Youth Gone Wild,' was already charging onto radio-station playlists nationwide on the strength of its meticulously conceived glam-metal riffs and a chorus as large as life.
Even though Skid Row had no qualms about playing up their big-haired, pretty-boy image, satisfying the massive female market with irresistible power ballads like '18 and Life' and 'I Remember You,' their first album was largely packed with gutsy hard-rock nuggets ('Big Guns,' 'Sweet Little Sister,' 'Piece of Me') marking them more Guns N' Roses, complete with the occasional controversy, than Poison.
In other words, Skid Row were clearly intent on limiting the "pop" in their "pop-metal," a move that set them apart from bands like Warrant and Britney Fox, ensuring that their songs wouldn't sound so dated in the long run. But in the short run, the band's dedicated pursuit of heavier sounds on its sophomore album, 'Slave to the Grind,' didn't sit well with its label, management or Jon Bon Jovi, accelerating Skid Row's career collapse in the face of grunge's incoming attacking. Still, more than a quarter-century later, 'Skid Row' continues to transcend most of the period trappings that eventually doomed so many of the group's peers.
The 10 Worst Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snubs


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Children exposed to ethnic and political violence in the Middle East are more aggressive than other children, a new study shows. And the younger children are, the more strongly they are affected, in a "chain of violence" that goes from political and ethnic strife, to violence in communities, schools, and families, and ends with their own aggressive behavior.
"Our results have important implications for understanding how political struggles spill over into the everyday lives of families and children," says psychologist Paul Boxer, lead author of the study.
The study, forthcoming in the peer-reviewed journal Child Development, was conducted by a consortium of researchers from the U.S., Palestine, and Israel, and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health.
For the study, researchers conducted three yearly sets of interviews with approximately 1,500 children and their parents living in the Middle East. Participants included 600 Palestinian-Arab families, 451 Israeli Jewish families, and 450 Israeli Arab families. At the time of the first interview, one-third of the children were 8 years old, one-third were 11 years old, and one-third were 14 years old.
"We found that over time, exposure to all kinds of violence was linked to increased aggressive behavior among the children," says Boxer, who is affiliated with the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR), and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
"We also found that these effects were strongest among the youngest age group, and that they appear to result from a chain of influence in which ethnic-political violence increases violence in families, schools, and neighborhoods, which in turn increases aggressive behavior among children."
In addition to collecting demographic information from the children's parents, the researchers assessed exposure to conflict and violence by asking parents and children a series of questions. Among them: how often a friend or acquaintance had been injured as a result of political or military violence; how often they had spent a long period of time in a security shelter or under curfew, and how often they had witnessed actual violence.
Children and their parents were also asked about the extent of their exposure to violence in the community that was not ethnic or political in nature, as well as violence at school, and violent arguments within the family. And children were asked how often in the last year they themselves had engaged in violent behaviors ranging from pushing someone, punching, beating, or choking someone, saying mean things, or taking others' things without asking.
They found that Palestinian children had the greatest exposure to violence, although Israeli Jews experienced more security checks and threats. Palestinian children also showed the highest levels of aggressive behavior. And males experienced more violence and displayed higher levels of aggression than did females.
"Importantly, we found that late childhood was a critical period," says L. Rowell Huesmann, a U-M psychologist who is a co-author of the paper. "The children who were 8-years-old at the start of our study were more susceptible than older children to the effects of witnessing violence. "
Journal Reference:
- Paul Boxer, L. Rowell Huesmann, Eric F. Dubow, Simha F. Landau, Shira Dvir Gvirsman, Khalil Shikaki, Jeremy Ginges. Exposure to Violence Across the Social Ecosystem and the Development of Aggression: A Test of Ecological Theory in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Child Development, 2012; DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01848.x


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GOP: A failure on transparency
House Republicans are accusing the Obama White House — and the president's reelection campaign manager Jim Messina — of purposefully skirting disclosure rules and negating the administration's often-repeated claim to be "the most transparent administration in history."
A House Energy and Commerce Committee report out Tuesday is stocked with emails sent from private addresses and meetings scheduled away from the building to avoid official record. Among these are several sent to a pharmaceutical industry lobbyist by Messina, then President Barack Obama's then-deputy White House chief of staff, making promises about language for the health care reforms despite the resistance of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the measure.
Story Continued Below
"I will roll [P]elosi to get the 4 billion," Messina wrote Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) lobbyist Jeffrey Forbes from his personal account just days before the Affordable Care Act cleared Congress in March 2010. "As you may have heard I am literally rolling over the house. But there just isn't 8-10 billion."
The note related to the official business regarding an agreement reached by the Senate Finance Committee and PhRMA on the president's health care law. Pelosi's office referred to previous statements in which she declined to address the deal between the administration and PhRMA.
The interactions between the Finance Committee and PhRMA were detailed in an earlier report from the Energy and Commerce Committee, but Messina's use of his private email address — at issue because he was conducting government business on a non-government, undisclosed account — is a new revelation. All official communication must be preserved under the Presidential Records Act. The committee report says the White House "has refused to verify" whether emails from White House staffers' personal accounts were preserved.
Other emails released on Tuesday show Jeff Smith, a senior adviser to the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, offering to meet with Jim Kirkland, an executive from the GPS industry, off the White House grounds. LightSquared clashed with the GPS industry for years as it tried to get approval to use frequencies near those used by GPS. Republicans have alleged that contracts for LightSquared, which was backed by several major Democratic donors, had received preferential treatment from the White House.
"Jim – coffee at Caribou Coffee – across the corner from the WH – would work at 11:30 a.m. on Friday…plus getting you through the new WH security rules these days almost takes an act of Congress almost (and you know how well that's going these days)," Smith wrote. "[P]lus you'd appear on an official WH Visitor List which is maybe not want [sic] you want at this stage …"


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Alabama starting strong safety Vinnie Sunseri could be lost for the season after injuring his left knee in the Crimson Tide's 52-0 win over Arkansas on Saturday.
His knee will be examined on Sunday but Tide coach Nick Saban indicated that the injury could be serious.
Sunseri got hurt on kickoff coverage against the Razorbacks and limped off the field afterward.
The junior made many mid-season All-American teams this past week after notching 20 tackles and returning two interceptions for touchdowns in the season's first half, including one against Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel.
Sophomore Landon Collins, currently third on the team in tackles, will likely fill in for Sunseri. Luckily for the Tide, he and the rest of the Bama secondary won't face any high-powered passing attacks the rest of the way.


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If you have or know a solar project, please submit it to us for consideration as a featured project using Submit an Item. http://www.solaripedia.com/302/submit-an-item.html
Florida Power & Light's construction of the 25-megawatt DeSoto Solar Farm in Arcadia is expected to pay big alternative energy dividends. Germany leads in world solar energy production followed by Spain, Portugal and Japan. This could soon change, said Ed Smeloff of SunPower Corp., the California firm hired by FPL to create this first phase of its Solar Farm. SunPower operates about 500 solar systems worldwide. "I think the United States is going to, in the near future, pass up Spain," he said to some 50 people who had just returned from touring the solar plant near Arcadia. The $150 million plant came in $22.5 million under budget and took just 10 months to build - several months ahead of schedule. It can withstand 130-mph winds. The Nov. 3, 2009 tour was organized by the Charlotte County Economic Development Office and FPL for businesses leaders in green technologies as part of the two-day Green Futures Expo & Energy Options Conference.
The DeSoto Solar Farm is already producing enough solar electricity to serve more than 3,000 homes. The sun power eventually is sent to the grid where traditional electricity sources are stored, said Smeloff.
Fields of photovoltaic panels, visible on the tour, were similar to those seen on the roofs of some homes.
They catch the sun's rays and "excite the electrons," said plant manager John Granger.
Each of the 92,000 panels at the solar farm is 3-by-5-foot lined up 12 together for a length of 36 feet, and width of 5 feet. They look similar to a field covered with oversize picnic tables except for the tops, which are made of dark glass with shiny circles.
The panels move mechanically every 30 seconds to follow the sun's rays.
"They start at a 45-degree angle facing the east, and they are in the same position but are facing west at sundown," said FPL senior communications Jos Surez.
An electric wire goes from each panel into a central conduit to transform the solar electricity to alternative current used in homes. The power plant is mostly gas-operated with some nuclear energy and very little coal, said Surez.
The Solar Farm is built to last at least 30 years, and it will take from 25 to 30 years for FPL to recoup its investment, Surez said. It will eventually pay off because:
There is no fuel cost;
The plant does not consume water; and
There is little maintenance because rain cleans the panels;
The solar plant created 400 jobs at the height of construction for skilled labor, such as electrical, welding and steel work. The solar panels were made in the Philippines because U.S. photovoltaic panel manufacturers could not meet the demand, said Surez.
More construction could come in the future.
"We have to be ready to expand this site so DeSoto County will become an exporter (of electricity)," Surez said.
There is one drawback to solar energy production.
"With the power plant, we can control the output," Surez said. "With the solar plant, we have to take what it gives us. It depends on Mother Nature but the fuel is free."
Developing solar energy will take "leadership vision and government vision," said Surez, who drives an FPL car powered in part on electricity. The Toyota Prius has a device in the trunk, which allows him to plug into an electrical outlet to recharge the car's battery.
"I can go 35 miles on the battery," he said. "The time for solar is now and the time is now for Florida to be the leader."
The biggest maintenance cost for the Solar Farm operation is mowing grass around the panels, which are mounted on 14-foot long metal poles, half buried into the ground. A security fence is being erected all around the 300-acre Solar Farm because touching a panel could result in electrocution.
The solar plant is on land previously used for sod farmers and for grazing. Now, wetlands are restored, and there are retaining ponds to keep the solar panel area from flooding.
"It is in harmony with nature," Surez said. "Wildlife is coming back. Already, we have alligators, turtles and snakes."
Another reason to seek solar energy is fossil fuel is finite.
"One sure thing is that we are going to run out of fossil fuel," Surez said. "Whether it is in 50 or 500 years, it is going to happen."
Additional related article follows:
Florida Takes the Lead
by Colleen Castille 2009
No bragging, just fact.
Florida is leading the way to break our national dependence on foreign oil and build an economy based on clean, American-made energy.
As the former Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection under former Gov. Jeb Bush, I take pride in Florida's achievements on this front. In the last year of Bush's term we began to lay the groundwork for addressing Florida's climate and energy challenges, and Gov. Charlie Crist was smart to take up this mantle.
It's good for Florida, good for the country and good for our state's environment. As the world focused over the past two weeks on transforming our energy future during discussions in Copenhagen it is important to note that the vision of a clean, green Florida is a reality right now, even as we struggle to emerge from a steep economic slump. And our state can do even better if Congress passes the clean-energy legislation now in front of it.
Let me illustrate: You've heard about ethanol made from corn. But the future is cellulosic ethanol, made from grasses and nonfood crops like sorghum. And Florida -- not Iowa -- is in the lead.
Thanks in part to a generous grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture and the Governor's Energy Office, the nation's first-ever cellulosic ethanol plant is being constructed in Highlands County. The factory will take crops grown right next door on 35,000 acres of Lykes Brothers farmland, and turn them into 36 million gallons of fuel every year.
The facility will create 140 high-paying, permanent, full-time jobs. And the company plans to build a second plant on the Gulf Coast, putting still more people to work. Florida's biofuel industry is developing clean, green jobs here in our state.
And it's not just biofuels. Better batteries will be crucial both to powering electric vehicles and to making wind and solar power more grid-friendly. Here, too, Florida is at the front of the crowd.
One of the world's leading makers of advanced batteries, Saft, chose Jacksonville as the site for a new plant. Where the Cecil Field military base used to stand, workers will manufacture cutting-edge lithium-ion batteries for use in planes and military vehicles. And to store solar power.
Saft expects to employ hundreds of workers at the new plant. Up against dozens of competitors, the Jacksonville plant won a $95 million federal stimulus grant for high-tech batteries.
Meanwhile, our own Florida Power & Light has finished building a solar-energy center in Arcadia, east of Sarasota. And not just any solar energy center -- the largest photovoltaic facility in the country.
During construction, the solar site has provided as many as 400 jobs in DeSoto County. And now that it's complete, FPL harnesses more than 90,000 photovoltaic panels to generate pollution-free electricity to more than 1,000 homes.
That's just one of three solar sites in the works at FPL. The company has 1,000 people building a solar thermal plant in Martin County, and FPL will create another 100 jobs at its planned plant at the Kennedy Space Center in 2010. When all are completed, FPL will have 110 megawatts of capacity in the state -- making Florida the second-biggest state in the country for solar energy.
What's behind this explosion in green entrepreneurship?
A lot of it has to do with the hard work and initiative of Florida business. And a lot of it comes from Crist's leadership. With help from his Action Team on Energy and Climate Change, Crist has fought to make his vision of a clean, prosperous Florida a reality. That's why among the businesses that are hiring in the midst of a recession, many are bright green.
How can we keep the momentum going -- and do even better? The Governor's Climate and Energy Action Team's top recommendation is that Florida should support a national clean-energy law, including a ceiling on carbon pollution. That's the smart tool we used to solve the acid-rain problem at a bargain price.
The U.S. House has passed H.R. 2454 to cap carbon emissions. Now the ball is in the Senate's court. This legislation will be good for Florida's environment and, just as important, good for our economy.
Florida has already started down the path to rebuilding our economy based on a clean-energy foundation. Now is the time for Florida's representatives in Washington to turbocharge Florida's green entrepreneurs by putting a price on carbon.
Colleen Castille is managing partner of Go Green Strategies, an environmental consulting firm in Tallahassee.
Florida Power & Light Alternative Energy
Desoto Solar Center Video Link
Florida Renewable Energy Association