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Lady Gaga: Our Lady of Pop
How appropriate—how accurate!—her name is. It is more of a title, really, one she bestowed upon herself mere moments before she became so insanely famous. The Gaga half makes immediate, intuitive sense, an utterance that sounds like an infant's first word but is, in fact, French and means, essentially, to be utterly enthralled by something—excited to the point of being touched by madness. (That it describes both the pop star and her uniquely obsessed fans makes it even more perfect.) But it is the Lady part of her name that has gone underexplored.
Put aside for a moment that she often appears in public with no pants on, or that she performs part of her show covered in blood, or that she screams like Sam Kinison onstage, or that she says the F-word with metronomic consistency. In person, she is unfailingly polite and surprisingly dignified. She speaks in the clipped, proper diction that is often mistaken for a Madonna-like pretension but is in fact born of twelve years of attending Convent of the Sacred Heart, the oldest private girls' school in Manhattan, where Gloria Vanderbilt matriculated, an institution known for turning out self-possessed young ladies who speak perfect French and have the vocabularies of William F. Buckley, Jr. Indeed, what surprises me most during the time I spend embedded with the pop star—inside the giant plastic bubble, so to speak—while she is on tour in London and Paris at the end of December is how effortlessly she switches back and forth between "lady" and "gaga."
It is a few hours before the start of the Monster Ball, the last of five sold-out shows at London's O2 arena, and I am sitting in an empty lounge backstage, waiting for Gaga to arrive. The room—the contents of which travel with the tour (28 trucks and fourteen buses; 140 people) from city to city—is outfitted like a VIP area in a nightclub: low black leather sectionals, silver floor lamps, a stocked bar, a huge stereo system, and little black cocktail tables set with bowls of miniature candy bars. She is an hour late. Suddenly the curtains part and Lady Gaga makes her entrance, mincing into the room holding a porcelain teacup and saucer in one hand and a wineglass for me in the other. (Like fainting on command or dropping a glove, the long-lost art of making an entrance, which Gaga seems to have single-handedly revived, is a remarkably effective way to shift the conversation.) "I don't like the idea of you having to drink wine out of a plastic cup," she says as she makes her way toward me, one tiny step at a time. She proffers her powdered cheeks for a kiss-kiss as a bottle of Sancerre is opened, which she insists on serving to me herself. "Pouring your own wine is bad luck," she says.
Click here for a slideshow of Lady Gaga's best dressed moments.
She is still in her day look: a slinky black-and-white striped dress—a gown, really—with a four-foot train and shoes that—do I even need mention?—make her feet look as if they are screwed on backward. The heels bring her nearly up to my height of six feet. (She is five feet one.) She has a Bride of Frankenstein updo, with a brooch perched on top. Gaga glances down at the bowl of candy on the coffee table in front of us, shoots me a look over the top of her granny glasses, and deadpans, "What, the Mars bars aren't doing it for you?" I have eaten three of them, I tell her, and she apologizes profusely for making me wait. She then asks an assistant to bring us a proper spread, which arrives moments later and consists of enough filet mignon to feed twelve people.
Lady Gaga may be behaving as if she were a member of Marie Antoinette's coterie—the powdered wig, the binding costume, the impeccable courtliness—but it's a far cry from what I witnessed the night before. After catching her performance, I was ushered backstage to her dressing room and found a scene that seemed entirely unhinged. Gaga herself looked like a lunatic: Barefoot, still covered in fake blood, mascara running down her face, she was careening around the room in a robe made of red feathers like a cross between Alice Cooper and Big Bird. There were dancers running in and out, mixing and spilling drinks, and a peanut gallery of strangely bedazzled gay men sitting on the sofas singing "Adelaide's Lament," from Guys and Dolls, which Gaga joined in on when she wasn't bouncing off the walls.
Gaga stumbled up to me to say hello and then introduced me to the guy she was hanging all over: a tall, boyishly cute heavy metal–looking dude with a mullet, wearing a sleeveless black leather vest. "This is Luc," she said proudly. "He's my boyfriend." He looked down at her for a moment, and a knowing grin crossed his face. "OK, Bette Midler," he said. Moments later I was ushered out of the room by Wendi Morris, Gaga's road manager—in an effort, it seemed to me, to protect Gaga from herself. As I was walking through the curtains I looked back, and Gaga was in Luc's lap. "Jonathan, wait," she whined like a teenage girl in need of attention. "Don't you want to stay and ask me some questions?" Obvious to everyone but herself: not the time for an interview.
What a difference a day makes. Back in the arena not 24 hours later, she is serene, sober, and sipping tea out of her fancy cup. What did you do today? I ask, and the answer is probably not what her millions of adoring fans would expect. "I stayed in bed all day," she says. "I do this very strange thing with my foot when I am feeling lonely. I rub my left foot with the right foot. Is that weird?"
No, I tell her. It's called self-soothing. A lot of people do it.
"OK, then. So I soothed all day." She pauses for a moment. "In this hair. Because I actually wore this hairpiece out last night and then I fell asleep in it."
And then you just got up and went about your day?
"Well, no," she says, batting her eyelashes. "She had to be fluffed up first."
Gaga can be forgiven for being wiped out. She has been on tour for three years without a real break, and on the road with the Monster Ball since February 2009. "Let's call a spade a spade here," she says. "I am really fucking tired. I am at that last mile of the marathon when your fingers and your toes are numb and you can't feel your body, and I am just going on adrenaline. But in the overarching objective of my life, I am really only at mile two. I try to keep that in mind."
If you have not seen Lady Gaga live, you do not know from Lady Gaga. In an arena, her music, which has often been dismissed as run-of-the-mill Euro-pop—somehow not edgy or deep enough—takes flight. It is as if each song were written for the express purpose of being belted—roared—in front of 20,000 people on an extravagant stage set with ten dancers taking up the rear. She manages to go from insane, over-the-top rock opera to syncopated dance routine to intimate, boozy piano ballad and then back again, through thirteen costume changes, without ever losing her total command of the stage. The fact that she has a huge voice, plays the piano and the stand-up bass, and wrote every lyric and melody herself adds to the sense that you are in the presence of a true artist who has only just begun to show what she's made of.
Of course she's comfortable onstage. She has been playing the piano since she was four and by eleven was performing in big recitals. As she puts it, "I was a strange, loud little kid who could sit at the piano and kill a Beethoven piece." Still showing no false modesty, Lady Gaga says of herself now, "Speaking purely from a musical standpoint, I think I am a great performer. I am a talented entertainer. I consider myself to have one of the greatest voices in the industry. I consider myself to be one of the greatest songwriters. I wouldn't say that I am one of the greatest dancers, but I am really quite good at what I do." Big words from someone who's only been around for three years. "I think it's OK to be confident in yourself," she says.
Her fans couldn't agree more. They hang on her every word, scream when she screams, and dance throughout the entire two-hour-long extravaganza. At one show, I stood in the wings and watched as at least a dozen women were pulled out of the crush in front of the barricades and taken away on stretchers because they were overcome and near collapse.
It is no secret that Lady Gaga has an especially intense relationship with her fans, whom she refers to as her "little monsters." She has said more than once, "I see myself in them." Why is that? "I was this really bad, rebellious misfit of a person—I still am—sneaking out, going to clubs, drugs, alcohol, older men, younger men. You imagine it, I did it. I was just a bad kid. And I look at them, and every show there's a little more eyeliner, a little more freedom, and a little more 'I don't give a fuck about the bullies at my school.' For some reason, the fans didn't become more Top 40. They become even more of this cult following. It's very strange and exciting."
Unlike the chilly, hyperchoreographed seduction of Madonna, say, or the manufactured pop of Britney or Janet, Lady Gaga's performance style is raw and emotional. "I am quite literally chest open, exposed, open-heart surgery every night on that stage, bleeding for my fans and my music. It's so funny when people say, 'It's amazing to see how hard you work.' We're supposed to work hard! I have the world at my fingertips. I am not going to saunter around the stage doing pelvic thrusts and lip-synching. That's not at all why I am in this. I don't feel spiritually connected to anyone in Hollywood makeup and a gown with diamond earrings on. I am just a different breed. I want to be your cool older sister who you feel really connected with, who you feel understands you and refuses to judge anything about you because she's been there."
Her relationship with her fans occasionally seems to verge on unhealthy, as if both sides were overly invested in something that in the end is impossible. I bring up a YouTube video that got a lot of attention in late November, in which Gaga is crying in an arena in Poland as she talks to the audience. "Sometimes, being onstage is like having sex with my fans," she explains. "They're the only people on the planet who in an instant can make me just lose it."
When she talks about her fans, one hears shades of messianic zeal. "I want for people in the universe, my fans and otherwise, to essentially use me as an escape," she says. "I am the jester to the kingdom. I am the route out. I am the excuse to explore your identity. To be exactly who you are and to feel unafraid. To not judge yourself, to not hate yourself. Because, as funny as it is that I am on the cover of Vogue—and no one is laughing harder than I am—I was the girl in school who was most likely to walk down the hallway and get called a slut or a bitch or ugly or big nose or nerd or dyke. 'Why are you in the chorus?' " (She's more Glee than Gary Glitter in some ways.)
For Gaga, the stakes are high. "Because as an artist and as a performer, the person that they look up to to create this space of freedom and escapism, I want to give my fans nothing less than the greatest album of the decade. I don't want to give them something trendy. I want to give them the future."
Not everyone gets Gaga, of course, and no one is more aware of that fact than the singer herself. As she puts it, "What I do for a living is not a cheese sandwich. It's not like, either good or bad. It's much more complicated than that."
What no one can deny is her uncanny ability to mine decades of avant-garde and pop-culture history and twine them together in a way that feels like the future. She is a human synthesizer, a style aggregator, the perfect Wiki-Google-
YouTube–era pop star. Elton John calls her "the most adventurous and talented star of our age."
Gaga herself is very open about her influences. "It's not a secret that I have been inspired by tons of people," she says, "David Bowie and Prince being the most paramount in terms of live performance." She also seems to have made peace with the fact that she is compared to—or, less charitably, accused of ripping off—nearly every artist of the last 50 years. "I could go on and on about all of the people I have been compared to—from Madonna to Grace Jones to Debbie Harry to Elton John to Marilyn Manson to Yoko Ono—but at a certain point you have to realize that what they are saying is that I am cut from the cloth of performer, that I am like all of those people in spirit." She takes a bite of filet mignon and says with her mouth full, "She was born this way."
Lady Gaga's new album, Born This Way, does not come out until May, but the first single, of the same name, is, by the time you are reading this, no doubt blaring from the radio. I first hear the song when Gaga, iPod in hand, gets up from the sectional where we have been sitting, walks over to the stereo, plugs it in, and then looks at me and says, "Are you ready? I don't think you're ready." She turns it up to eleven. The song at first sounds suspiciously like a Madonna tune and then switches into something that feels a bit like a Bronski Beat hit and then finally transforms into its own thing: a Gaga original. Clearly an homage to the obscure underground disco record "I Was Born This Way"; it is an unbelievably great dance song, destined to be the anthem of every gay-pride event for the next 100 years.
She tells me that Elton John pronounced it the "gayest song" he had ever heard. "I wrote it in ten fucking minutes," she says, "and it is a completely magical message song. And after I wrote it, the gates just opened, and the songs kept coming. It was like an immaculate conception." She plays a few more songs and mentions a few others—with tantalizing titles like "Hair," "Bad Kids," and "Government Hooker."
The second single to be released is called "Judas" and is, typically, a mash-up: The melody sounds like it was written for the Ronettes, but it is set to a sledgehammering dance beat and is about falling in love with backstabbing men of the biblical variety. Another song, "Americano," which she describes as like "a big mariachi techno-house record, where I am singing about immigration law and gay marriage and all sorts of things that have to do with disenfranchised communities in America," has a resounding Piafesque chorus. Turns out it was intentional. "It sounds like a pop record, but when I sing it, I see Edith Piaf in a spotlight with an old microphone." (Piaf is an apt reference—they both evince a similar brand of heroic vulnerability.) But, she says, "there are some very rock-'n'-roll moments on the album, too: There's a Bruce Springsteen vibe, there's a Guns N' Roses moment. It's the anthemic nature of the melodies and the choruses." She feels it's different from—and better than—anything she's done before. "It is much more vocally up to par with what I've always been capable of. It's more electronic, but I have married a very theatrical vocal to it. It's like a giant musical-opus theater piece."
Troy Carter, Lady Gaga's manager, tells me that she recorded the entire album—all seventeen songs—on the road over the last year and a half, "which is not the ideal situation for most artists," he says. "But for her it was great because she was able to tap into the emotions inside of those arenas. We would have a conversation backstage about something, and the next day she'd play me a song relating to the conversation that we just had! Watching the creative process with her is incredible."
Carter's partner, Vincent Herbert, whom Gaga credits with discovering her in 2007 on Myspace, has worked as a producer with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. "She made songs that are going to touch people," he says. "The song 'Born This Way' just takes your breath away. It's like everybody from three to 103 can relate to that song. I think she made the Thriller of the twenty-first century."
Gaga's musical tastes are all over the map, which partly explains why she feels so comfortable in London. "Yes," she says, "I have a very broad taste in music, and the English don't differentiate the rock star from the pop star. It's all the same thing." But there is more to it. American music critics, for example, insist on defining her with dizzying numbers of pop-music references, but the fashion world sees something more precise: the influence of a very specific tribe of English eccentrics—Leigh Bowery, Isabella Blow, et al. "The fashion community in general got me much earlier than everyone else," she says. "But actually, I felt truly embraced by this London cultural movement, that McQueen, Isabella, Daphne Guinness wing of the English crowd. I remember when I first started doing photo shoots, people would say, 'My God, you look so much like Isabella Blow, it scares me.' And McQueen used to say, 'Oh, my God, your boobs!' He actually grabbed both of them and said, 'Even your boobs are like hers!' "
Like those style icons, Gaga demonstrates a commitment to outrageous self-presentation that makes every crazy costume worn by Elton or Cher or Madonna look like child's play. (As Karl Lagerfeld once told me, "I hate average, and she is anything but average.") But her determination to outdo them all, and herself, cuts both ways: She has been venerated and vilified for her fashion stunts. Some of her looks have been truly inspired (the red latex Elizabethan gown with sparkly red hearts covering her eyes to meet the queen), delightfully startling (the lace dress that crawled right across her face), downright silly (the Kermit cape), or simply mystifying (the meat dress). She clearly wants and expects a reaction. When she talks about her makeup for the "Born This Way" video, she says, "The whole world is going to hate it in the best kind of way."
Picked up for a M.A.C. Cosmetics campaign early on in her career, Gaga has always worked both within and outside the fashion establishment, collaborating on the one hand with designers like Lagerfeld and Armani and Prada, and on the other with artists like Terence Koh and unknown up-and-comers. "I pay for a lot of fashion myself because I want to support young designers," she says. All of her looks are filtered through the stylist Nicola Formichetti, who, along with the rest of her creative team, makes up the Haus of Gaga. Because Formichetti, who was recently appointed the creative director of Thierry Mugler, is in the midst of planning his first show for the house, I ask Gaga about it. "Our relationship does have some influence on the show, but I don't want to take any credit for it. Nicola is fashion. He's the most remarkable man."
At the end of the day, the way she dresses is part of the entire performance-art aspect of her life. "It's not about a choice," she says. "It's about a lifestyle that I live and breathe." Does she sometimes feel misunderstood? At first she says no but then retracts it. "Well, yes, actually," she says. "There is this assumption that women in music and pop culture are supposed to act a certain way, and because I'm just sort of middle fingers up, a-blazing, doing what my artistic vision tells me to do, that is what is misunderstood. People are like, 'She dresses this way for attention.' Or like, 'Ugh, the meat dress.' " She rolls her eyes. "People just want to figure it out or explain it. The truth is, the mystery and the magic is my art. That is what I am good at. You are fascinated with precisely the thing that you are trying to analyze and undo."
I am sitting in a vast suite in a very swank hotel in Place Vendôme in Paris, once again waiting for Gaga to make an entrance. Her road manager, Wendi Morris, is pacing around talking on her cell phone to Troy Carter. "I am not going to ask her that," she says. "Not now." Pause. "If you pay to have my head reattached to my body, I will ask her." She laughs. It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Gaga is not always delightful. She is at the center of a complex multimillion-dollar enterprise that does not run smoothly at all times. Indeed, as an epic snowstorm was shutting down half of Europe, Gaga and her trucks and buses were trying to make their way to Paris. When the caravan got through the Channel Tunnel, the drivers were told that they would have to idle at a way station until the roads were passable. A couple of them decided to shove right on through anyway and were promptly pulled over, the drivers arrested. The quest to free the drivers—and, more important, the Monster Ball equipment they were ferrying—in time for the show to go on on Sunday night went all the way up to President Sarkozy. The answer came back: No. The Monster Ball would have to be canceled. Gaga, Morris tells me, was livid.
The door to the suite opens, and Gaga appears in a long-sleeved, high-neck nude-verging-on-lavender dress with a train, and a décolletage encrusted with what she describes as "pinky-pearly scales." There is a diamond-shaped cutout at the cleavage, and her breasts—nipples covered with strips of white tape—occasionally make a surprise appearance. "You don't even want to know what happened yesterday," she says. "The wrath. It wasn't cute. It's not something I would want anyone to see."
She seems a little on edge still, a bit cranky. "This is boring," she says. "Let's go get something to eat." The security team is activated; the car is brought around. "I want to go out the front door," she says to her security guys. "Say hello to the fans." Are you sure? one of them asks. "Yeah, because they have been waiting. I think it's good for them to know that I care." She holds out her hand, which is nearly covered by a serpentine diamond ring. "I am going through an Elizabeth Taylor moment. Don't judge me. They are all certified non-conflict diamonds."
We head through the lobby, and I can see a barely contained mob of fans through the windows. "Awwww, see?" she says, as she approaches the entrance. "How could you go out the back when you have that waiting out front?" The doors swing open, and Gaga, surrounded by security, plunges in. "Ga_ga_! Ga_ga_! Ga_ga_!" A teenage boy pushes to the front. "I am from Milano! Please! Please! Please!" They are all holding out a scrap of something to be signed or angling to get a picture. The crowd surges forward. A security guy yells, "One at a time! Take it easy!" There are girls with tears streaming down their faces. I almost get knocked over. Morris pulls me out of the maw and shoves me into the van, and the doors close behind us. But the fans do not give up. They are banging on the windows, pressing their faces against the glass. "They are so sweet," Gaga says. Not exactly the word I would have chosen.
We pull away from the mob and head down the street, about a dozen paparazzi on motorcycles trailing close behind. "I don't know if you knew this," she says, "but the other night, in London, I had food poisoning. I was vomiting backstage during the changes." I had no idea, I say. "Nobody knew," she says. "I just Jedi mind-tricked my body. You will not vomit onstage. Because I was also thinking, If I do, they are going to think I'm drunk. And I don't want them to think I am human, let alone drunk. I certainly wouldn't want them to think I had something so ordinary as food poisoning." She laughs.
We make our way to Chez André, and Gaga orders, in perfect French, escargot, steak tartare, and chicken. She likes her protein, this pop star. Moments earlier, when we walked into the restaurant, every person in the room stopped talking and stared, forks suspended in midair. Now, seated in a corner by the window, with a curtain that comes up right to the top of her beehive, I can see people outside on the street jumping up and down, trying to catch a glimpse. Let's not forget that her first album is titled The Fame and the second The Fame Monster. "There is the fame monster, as you can see," she says, gesturing outside, "but it also comes from within. It will only change you and affect you if you allow it to. You have to reject all the evils of it and try to turn all the positive things that you can use about fame into great things. Like Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Gaga used her visibility, her unusual connection with her fans, and her social-media prowess to agitate for the repeal of the law, tweeting senators, making protest videos, and speaking at rallies. "That's me turning my fame into something that is positive and makes me feel good about my life."
I wonder out loud how her parents, Joe and Cynthia Germanotta, have handled all of this. "It was hard in the beginning, but we have wrestled fame to the ground together," she says. Gaga's father, who was very involved in her career early on, had heart surgery a few years ago. "I obsess about his health," she says. "I'm very Italian. I call him every day. I ask my mother if he's been smoking. They are in their 50s, and they still live in the same apartment on the Upper West Side. Nothing has changed since I have become a star. I am a real family girl. When it comes to love and loyalty, I am very old-fashioned. And I am quite down-to-earth for such an eccentric person."
One of the most peculiar things about Gaga is that for all the ways she's transformed the pop landscape, she herself romanticizes her early days as aspiring musician Stefani Germanotta: "It was grassroots, downtown New York, blood, sweat, and tears, dancing, music, whiskey, pummeling the streets, playing every venue I could get my hands on. It was the hustle and the grind and the traffic of New York that propelled me to where I am today. I don't in any way associate my past with anything other than the hunger and the starvation for success that I still feel. It was the most beautiful time in my life. And funnily enough, I still live in the same apartment, hang out with the same friends, drink at the same bars, and I dance in the same studios with the same dancers. Really, nothing has changed." (Is it a coincidence that astronomically successful 20-somethings Gaga and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg have rejected much of the flash and bling of the boom years, live in relatively modest accommodations, and are very close to their families—or is there a new paradigm for dominators of the Zeitgeist?)
There are an awful lot of people trying to get in on Gaga's creation myth. A mean-spirited book came out in September; an ex-lover and songwriting partner filed a $30 million lawsuit against her (later dismissed); and every bartender she ever kissed on the Lower East Side has a story. When I ask her about her life before she was discovered and signed to Interscope Records, she says, "My ride through the industry was an interesting one because people loved me but there was a very big raised eyebrow about me. I mean, a big one. So people were kind of like, well, I'm involved but not really. And as soon as I took off, it was like, I invented her, I made her, I wrote the music. When, in reality, I am completely self-invented."
We finish lunch and head back through the scrum of paparazzi and into the car for the drive to the arena. She has a show tonight and another tomorrow, the makeup show for the cancellation the night before. Despite the fact that it is just two nights before Christmas Eve, she cannot bear to leave Paris without giving her fans what they have waited so long for. Her cell phone rings. "Hi, Mom! . . . Well, I'm, you know, I'm tired, Mommy. . . . Luc's just kind of being a baby. . . . Were you able to find his earring? . . . OK, thanks, Mommy. . . . No, I'm OK. . . . I love you. . . . All right. . . . I love you." She hangs up and falls silent. I check my BlackBerry, and when I look up, she is sound asleep. A few miles later, her eyes open, and I tease her. "My friends tell me that I recharge like a robot," she says. "Jimmy Iovine, the chairman of Interscope, actually laughs at me: Whenever I have ridden on a plane with him I have fallen asleep, and apparently I don't move. I sit in my clothes, perfectly still, head straight up, and I just sleep. And then I open my eyes and he's like, 'You scare me the way you sleep.' "
It's so perfect, I say, for someone who likes to be. . . .
"Poised? As much as possible?"
Back in New York a week later, I call Iovine, and when he gets on the phone he just starts laughing. "Isn't she amazing?" he says. "Did she take you for a ride? Isn't that a great train to be on, being on tour with her?" And then he says this: "Artists like her are very rare. Artists that have that many facets of their career in line and can do that many things. She can write like Carole King, produce, sing like that, work-work-work like that. She gets her point of view across; she has the fashion, the performance—the entire vision. It's very, very rare." What does the future hold for Lady Gaga? "Only she can imagine it," he says. "I don't have that good of an imagination like she does. But she's the real thing. She will go as long as she wants to or physically can. Her talent will take her as far as she wants to take it. Most artists of this caliber, if they can stay healthy, there's no limitation. None."


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I went to the Wallace Collection and I was mesmerized!
Outfit details:
Dress: 1940s wool chartreuse bottom, smocked in a half circle, top rayon chartreuse and grey floral with radiating open work along the neck. The dress was falling apart and so I fixed by covering the ripped hole with a 1950s Native American felt patch.
Purse: Violin figural purse.
Tights: Top shop red seamed stocking with red hearts
Shoes: Red patent shoes from M&S

subset: commoncrawl


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Amethyst is a teenage girl in our world, but a princess of Gemworld with sorcerous powers in another. Constantine is, well, a chain-smoling cynical user of magic who's sort of a hero but best known to non-comic audiences as being played by Keanu Reeves in a bad movie. The comic version of Constantine, created by Alan Moore, is much better.
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In this exclusive preview from DC Comics of Sword of Sorcery #4 by Christy Marx and Travis Moore, they team up for….pizza? Naturally, something goes awry.
Catch the full issue when it's released on Wednesday in comic book stores or download it along with the three previous issue from Comixology.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.


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NEWARK — Ramadan is a yearly time of self-sacrifice and generosity, during which Muslims for a month go without food and drink during daylight hours while refocusing attention on God and others.
Though steeped in centuries of Islamic tradition, Ramadan's daily rituals present modern challenges for Bay Area Muslims, including Silicon Valley employees and other professionals who must balance hectic 21st-century schedules with fasting nearly 17 hours each day.
Many cope by slowing down and doing a little less of everything, which dovetails with Ramadan's spirit of self-restraint, said Zain Ali, who worships at the Al-Medina Education Center, a Newark religious school and mosque.
The monthlong observance — one of Islam's five key components — calls on Muslims to let go of personal grievances, give up bad habits, and grow closer to family, friends and God.
"During Ramadan, every part of the body is restrained," Ali said. "It's not just about food and drink, it's also a time of refraining from bad thoughts, words and actions."
This year, Ramadan will run from Saturday to July 28, during some of the longest days of the year. Worshipers are asked to avoid food and drink from 4 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day. For sustenance, they must rise early to eat before dawn or wait until nightfall.
"It will be harder this year because of the long days," Ali said. "The closer it is to summer solstice, the more difficult it gets."
That leads some to practical strategies to get through it, such as practicing fasting a few days per week in the months leading up to Ramadan, said Omar Bellal, president of the Al-Medina Education Center.
The temporary hunger felt during a fast helps remind Bellal that millions of people go hungry every day. Al-Medina collects food throughout the year to donate to the needy during Ramadan, when charity is especially encouraged, he said.
California's mild weather helps, the Union City resident said. "I grew up in Algeria, where the humidity made me very thirsty and there was no air-conditioning," he said. "Here, it's much easier."
Regardless of the climate, rewards come to those willing to endure the sawm — or, the daily fast, Bellal said.
First, Muslims have the celebration and relief of the nightly iftar, when families gather to eat after sunset. Secondly, they earn a sense of accomplishment from observing rituals such as taraweeh, the nightly prayers.
"When done willingly for the sake of God, it can give you a big boost," he said.
Some stay indoors to avoid dehydration, especially in the fast's first week, when people still are adjusting, said Moina Shaiq, an Alameda County Human Relations Commission member who worships at the Islamic Center of Fremont.
"It's difficult at first, but knowing that you're doing this for a higher power gives you patience and it helps you," she said.
"In the last 10 nights, especially, we stay up as long as we can to pray, repent and thank God for all his blessings. We give even more because the level of spirituality is so high."
Contact Chris De Benedetti at 510-353-7011. Follow him at Twitter.com/cdebenedetti.


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HOUSTON -- Right-hander Russ Ortiz agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the Houston Astros, hoping to make the team after a year-long injury layoff.
The 34-year-old missed last season after surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right arm. He would get a $750,000, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster.
Astros general manager Ed Wade said that scout Jack Lind saw Ortiz work out in September "and was pleased with what he saw."
"By all accounts, Russ has rebounded well from Tommy John surgery, and we have no doubt that a healthy Russ Ortiz should be able to come to camp and be a serious contender for a spot in the big league rotation," Wade said. "He'll have every opportunity in spring training to win a job."
Ortiz is 110-82 with a 4.42 ERA in 282 career games, including 253 starts. He's played for San Francisco (1998-2002, 2007), Atlanta (2003-04), Arizona (2005-06) and Baltimore (2006).
Ortiz led the NL with 21 wins in 2003 and was selected for the All-Star team.


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That little distraction of a bar room brawl between the Hunters and the Good (capital G so you understand it's about us Mages), has not distracted us from our common enemy.
… may think we have dropped the ball, turned our backs, forgiven them for past indiscretions.
Which is why, while I mourn the loss of a Great Mage blogger and rejoice at his tardy switch to fiction.
I mean, who can not love a category list like this:
I do not forget that which the Warlocks have forged. In fact, inspired by Rip's words such as:
Saresa. In honour of warlocks such as yourself, every six months I level one to twenty and then delete it whilst cackling.
Megan. I'd let you corpse camp me any day. If you know what I mean. And I mean SEX.
Hang on, that last one doesn't quite fit what I am really trying to say… but I am inspired to queue on the corpse pile.
I second Rip's thoughts on Jong as well… I mean any man with the audacity to tame BigBearButt for his alt Hunter is a god among gods. (and if you missed Jong's temp post… well… maybe it's time you subscribed to his secret feed)
Anyway.. back on topic, I to have been tardy in revealing the other entries in the Save a Soul Today competition I was running.
There is a kind of strange irony in these last two entries.. if you recall, I was calling upon Mages (primarily) to either CC and screenshot a Warlock, or describe a 10 step rehabilitation program for the poor lost souls (no not the stones, the evil keepers of the stones).
The irony is, that these two entries are from...
Mage on Mage action + Sheep
(Just watch the spam & Google searches come in on that one!)
I begin with this strangely named screen shot.. you see, this Lock has a secret double life… as a Sheep…
Ohhh no.. this Lock has a secret Mage he keeps in the cupboard.
(btw.. it's not all that clear from the screen shot.. but apparently that sheep wears goggles!)
Bun Mage in the oven
While that Warlock might be keeping a Mage in his cupboard, the other entry has a Mage in the Oven. The dear little Mage is probably kicking and screaming night and day…
MUUUM.. why you got to be a Warlock?
MUUUM.. repent NOW!
MUUUM… at least help the other Locks get away…
So from deep within near her bowels, comes this…
Save a Soul – Illidan's 10 Step Program
1. Repeat this prayer each morning upon waking:
Illidan, please grant me the Serenity to perform magic without the use of souls,
the Courage to do so,
and the Wisdom to still be more powerful than a mage.
2. Admit you are powerless over your soul addiction and believe that Illidan's power can help restore you.
3. Stay away from warlocks that are still addicted to soul stealing and demons that encourage it.
4. Attend weekly support groups with other warlocks in soul recovery.
5. Find a sponsor, preferably a warlock that has been soul free for at least one year. Otherwise, a mage could suffice temporarily.
6. Send apologies to those whose souls you've tried to steal.
7. Return all soul shards in your possession to the next of kin.
8. Burn your soul shard bag. Make it a celebration and perform this with your support group.
9. Take personal inventory of your strengths without the use of souls. Examine why you began to use souls so you can identify relapse triggers.
10. Find other warlocks in need of help and guide them to the 10 Step Program.
At the end of the day, you we find peace in the bottom of a glass
Really, we aren't all that different… them and us.
We both share a love of destruction, even if one tries to convince themselves of their destructive power by naming their Tree as such.. of course we are confident in our abilities… the word Mage = Destruction… 3 Trees of destruction.
We both like to incapacitate our foes before devouring them in a burst of Magic
There are times when we can sit peacefully at a barroom table and share tales of the Hunters we have destroyed, singularly and together.
Yes, it is true, I do hold some affection (or is that affliction) for Warlocks. I can still be heard on Twisted Gnomer Blogcast siding with the Warlocks against the Hunters… but be sure I will never truly trust them. I'm all for a friendly beer at the bar, before heading outside for a friendly brawl.
Most importantly… as Evil as Warlocks may be, they don't send spam my way (I would really like to know why I have had 6 months worth of spam since those unworthy Hunters mentioned the misleading state of Mage blogdom)
I'd like to thank My Mother…
I'd like to thank Cynwise for the screen shots (and Psynister for being the "on Mage" or "on sheep" or however they like to describe their relationship)
I would also like to that the little Mage and his/her mother-to-be, Syranna for the 10 step program. I'm sure she isn't up to step 6 yet, as I know she is completely unrepentant about stealing my soul, or refusing to give it back.. but shy she put it inside her teddy bear to cuddle each night when she has Sideshow I will never know.
I'd like to thank Euripedes one more time… I'm sure there will be more times.. but one more time for Ol' CriticalQQ's sake.. It was a blast!
I'd actually like to thank you all… this is post 699… the next one is 700… the one after that is 701… but I guess you guys could work that out.
It's also nearly 2 years since I started blogging… I started for me, I continue for me… but these 700 699 posts have really only been made possible by your continued support and encouragement in the face of Warlocks and Hunters across Azeroth!
Which I guess means I should thank my 1st, longest, staunchest supporter and blogging friend as well… yeah that's you Granny!
Ohh finally… remember to either help out, or at least use Gazimoff the Librarian's resources.. the list is growing, but I am still sure he has only scratched the top of the pimple on the giant's nose.
Gnomer and Out!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.


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It turns out not everybody wants to build a snowman.
A woman in Japan has asked her husband for a divorce because he admitted that he didn't like Frozen.
The wife, 29, became entranced by the Disney musical and made several trips to the cinema to catch the film without her 31-year-old other half.
He initially resisted her offers to come and see the musical, but realising she wouldn't let it go, he relented and came along to watch the box office hit.
At university the husband had studied Danish Literature, so the fact that Hans Christian Anderson's tale The Snow Queen served as inspiration for Frozen would suggest he'd embrace the film. Not so.
According to Japanese website Kikonsha no Hakaba (which ominously translates to 'The Gravesite of Married People'), he reviewed the film to his wife thusly: "It's an okay movie, I guess, but I didn't really care for it personally.
"Do you really think it's that good?"
"If you can't understand what makes this movie great, there's something wrong with you as a human being! I want a divorce!" his wife replied, presumably turning away to slam the door.
Now, the couple's six-year marriage appears to be over. She has moved back in with her parents, who are acting as the intermediary for the estranged pair.
Tragically, it looks like love will no longer be an open door for this couple.
Find out about Frozen's Broadway show in the video below:


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Patrick Marshall of Bluejay Basketball is the RTC correspondent for the Missouri Valley and Big 12 Conferences.
Predicted Order of Finish:
Creighton (27-4, 15-3)
Southern Illinois (25-6, 14-4)
Bradley (22-8, 12-6)
Illinois St. (22-8, 10-8)
Drake (21-10, 10-8)
Indiana St. (17-13, 7-11)
Wichita St. (15-15, 6-12)
Northern Iowa (15-15, 6-12)
Evansville (14-15, 6-12)
Missouri St. (13-17, 4-14)
WYN2K. Last season, Drake was predicted to finish 9th in the league and ended up having a dream season, winning the conference and the conference tournament, only to be knocked out by Western Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament in a thrilling game. Most coaches from the Missouri Valley after a successful season jump ship and embrace the hype of their ability to move up into the major conferences – Steve Alford (Iowa at the time), Bruce Weber (Illinois), Matt Painter (Purdue), Greg McDermott (Iowa St.), Mark Turgeon (Texas A&M) and now Drake's head man, Keno Davis. Davis jumped at the Providence job 26 days after taking Drake to its first NCAA Tournament in many, many years. The question that needs to be asked is whether Drake was that good or if the Valley was down last year. It was probably a combination of both. In the past, the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple teams make the NCAA Tournament and the known teams in the conference will be making their return. Creighton has been in the postseason (NCAA or NIT) a conference-record eleven straight seasons and Southern Illinois last year broke their six-year streak of getting into the NCAA Tournament. Creighton has a ton of experience coming back whereas Southern Illinois is going back to their roots of tough defense and a solid floor general. Drake will not reach the same level as last year as they have their third different head coach in as many years. If Drake didn't have the year they did last year, the story of the Valley would have been Illinois St. First year coach Tim Jankovich (who was an assistant at Kansas) was able to take advantage of the recruits of former coach Porter Moser and led this team to an unbelievable season themselves, but got destroyed on national TV in the Missouri Valley Tournament Championship game by Drake (79-49) and that was probably what kept them from being considered for the Big Dance. Valley Preseason Player of the Year Osiris Eldridge will be back to try to lead the Redbirds to another successful season. After getting to the finals of the inaugural CBI postseason tournament, Bradley is a tested team with experience that will make some noise this year. Former Creighton assistant and second-year head coach Kevin McKenna has started to turn the Indiana St. team around and will show improvement. Gregg Marshall is still trying to have the same success with Wichita St. that he had at Winhrop, but still has a lot of work to do. Northern Iowa gets out of the gate a ltitle behind with several injured players, one suspended for the first three games and one waiting until semester's end to become eligible. MVC cheerleader and resident little man Barry Hinson is out at Missouri St. and did not leave a lot behind. Evansville is Evansville, although they have the advantage of returning all five starters from last season.
Predicted Champion. Creighton (NCAA #9). Creighton is the obvious choice as they have eight players returning that played 12 or more minutes a game. They also led the nation in bench scoring last year and there is enough talent on this team that the two players leading the nation in scoring off the bench without receiving a start (Booker Woodfox and Cavel Witter) may still not start this season. P'Allen Stinnett is the Jays' POY candidate that can amaze and wow people with his athleticism, but will need to be a leader this season and play with emotion like he is known for (keeping it contained to keep from bugging officials and unnecessary fouls). Justin Carter comes in from the JUCO ranks as a scorer who may be able to step into the starting lineup sooner rather than later. The frontcourt may be a little suspect since they only have three players over 6'8 but it appears they have been to the weight room and if they make the impact as expected, they will solidify this team. Coach Dana Altman plans to have the high-pressure full-court defense back in motion this year to create turnovers. The veteran coach, the returning player experience and the ability to play high-pressure defense is what will cause Creighton to rise to the top. Also having eleven straight 20+ wins in a season is a streak that this team will not want to break. This team should be able to get to the NCAA Tournament and win a couple of games to continue to build this program. Here's POY candidate P'Allen Stinnett rising up for a dunk.
NCAA/NIT Teams.
Southern Illinois (NCAA #13). SIU had a high-profile non-conference schedule last season due to recent success, but came up short in justifying their hype. Fortunately, the Salukis still have a high-profile non-conference schedule, but at the expense of playing marquee home games and instead going on the road to try to regain their notoriety. They have the opportunity to be the featured team with the likes of Duke, Michigan and UCLA by being a part of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic if they win their home regional and advance to New York. They are also part of the John Wooden Tradition game against St. Mary's. So the opportunities are there to be back in the spotlight for the Valley. SIU will be led by senior point guard Bryan Mullins who was the Valley Defensive Player of the year and a solid leader. The supporting cast is hyped as SIU's best recruiting class ever and they had the opportunity to go to Canada over Labor Day to get familiar and some early playing time. However a little blow came after the Canada trip when 3-point specialist Joshua Bone (at least he has seemed like that every time I have watched him) had a tough trip and decided to leave the team once they returned. That is one less player with experience. So there will be a bit of a learning curve this season for Southern Illinois, but their tradition and fan base will keep them in contention and they should have enough to make it back to the NCAAs after settling for the NIT last season.
Bradley (NIT). People reading this who are knowledgeable of the Valley probably think I am crazy for having Bradley ranked so high compared to their own views and what other publications have written. However, it was three short seasons ago that Bradley was in the Sweet 16. Like it or not Jim Les has developed quite a program with Bradley. Last season because of injuries, suspensions and other various reasons, the actual starting lineup that was expected to be on the floor didn't occur very much, but last year's team was a solid team. Being able to be a part of the initial CBI basketball tournament gave them the chance to play longer than most Valley teams and an opportunity to improve in areas for this season. With the trio of point guard Sam Maniscalco, guard Andrew Warren and forward Theron Wilson provide a good starting group of players that if the newcomers gel could make some noise. However, Bradley probably does not have enough firepower to win the Valley this season, and are otherwise borderline in making the NCAA tournament so they probably will be in the NIT.
Illinois St. (NIT). The Illinois St. defense was a stalwart last season as they were 11th nationally in points allowed per game (59.3). Osiris Aldridge will be looked upon to continue his conference leading scoring along with the additions of transfers Champ Oguchi (Oregon) and Landon Shipley (Austin Peay). The Redbirds' frontcourt will be decimated to start the year as forwards Brandon Sampay and Bobby Hill are expected to be out until January due to injuries. So this team will just be starting to gel under a cupcake non-conference schedule and these players will be coming back once conference season starts. It may take a while for this team then to adjust to the higher level of play and integrating these players back into the lineup which will keep Illinois St. from returning to the Big Dance this season. The non-conference slate that has an RPI average of 215 is well below standards of the Valley and will not jump onto anyone's page as an at-large team for the NCAA Tournament. Unless they win the conference tournament, it is the NIT for them.
Drake (NIT). Mark Phelps takes over the Bulldogs and has now been tasked with high expectations after last year's remarkable season. Gone is the point guard, Adam Emmenecker, who really made things gel for Drake last season. However they return "Bucky" Cox who likes to shoot threes more than play inside and All-MVC pick Josh Young at guard. Keno Davis did not go too deep into his bench last season so a lot of players come in inexperienced. Also, Davis did not really talk to players extensively and sort of let the players play their game. On the other hand, new coach Phelps is more of a talker, telling the team the things they need to do that may take some adjustment. Both the coach and the team like the 3-ball so that will help the team stay on a common ground, but the moving back of the 3-point line will affect them if they live and die by the three. The Bulldogs are the hunted and not the hunters this season and will suffer through a year of transition and will probably settle for the NIT this season. In the meantime, Drake fans will still have this to remember…
Indiana St. This team took a hit when its leading returning scorer Marico Stinson unexpectedly left the team and the university, but is on an upswing with a solid coach. Look for them to make some noise next season.
Wichita St. Only one returning starter and several new players will still try to find an identity while Gregg Marshall tries to look like he is not mad at the world.
Northern Iowa. UNI gets out of the gate a little slowly with injuries and players missing from the team that won't be able to play right away. With coach Ben Jacobsen on the hot seat, he cannot afford to have another mediocre season after what Greg McDermott did with the team before Jacobsen's tenure. It may show the recruiting or coaching ability is not there.
Evansville. This team is still rebuilding as half the team is still freshman and sophomores though they have an advantage of returning all five starters. However, they will need a lot of help inside and that is not there yet.
Missouri St. The most exciting thing Missouri St. fans have to look forward to is the new $67M JQH Arena.
RPI Boosters / Key Games.
The key to this conference getting multiple bids is to have success against BCS and high mid-major teams. Unfortunately, home games for the Valley teams are far and few between.
Missouri St. @ Auburn (11.14.08)
Bradley @ Florida (CBE Classic) (11.16.08)
Southern Illinois @ 2K Sports College Classic vs. Duke and Michigan/UCLA, but of course have to get out of their regional to get to New York. (11.20-21.08)
Missouri St. vs. Arkansas (11.22.08)
Wichita St. @ Old Spice classic vs. Georgetown and Maryland, Michigan St., or Gonzaga. (11.27-30.08)
Northern Iowa vs. Marquette (Chicago Invitational) (11.28.08)
Northern Iowa vs. Auburn (Chicago Invitational) (11.29.08)
Indiana St. @ Depaul (11.29.08)
Drake vs. Vanderbilt (Cancun Tourney) (11.29.08)
Wichita St. @ Texas Tech (12.03.08)
Creighton @ St. Josephs (12.06.08)
Indiana St @ Louisville (12.06.08)
Bradley @ Michigan St. (12.07.08)
Creighton vs. Dayton (12.10.08)
Indiana St. @ Purdue (12.13.08)
Evansville @ North Carolina (12.18.08)
Southern Illinois v. St. Mary's (12.20.08) (Wooden Tradition)
Creighton vs. Depaul (in Vegas possibly) (12.23.08)
Drake and Northern Iowa also benefit from a state law requiring Iowa and Iowa St. to play both Valley teams each year which adds and extra large conference school to their schedule. (ed. note: apparently this is a myth… thanks, readers)
Then you have the key conference games that will decide the conference champ.
Creighton vs. Southern Illinois (01.14.09)
Bradley vs. Illinois St. (01.29.09)
Southern Illinois vs. Creighton (02.14.09)
Drake vs. Southern Illinois (02.25.09)
Creighton vs. Illinois St. (02.26.09)
Drake vs. Bradley (02.28.09)
Neat-O Stat. Home Sweet Home. The Missouri Valley Conference is known for defending its home court. Southern Illinois is 92-6 in overall home games since 2001-02 and is 61-2 against conference opponents at home during that same period. During that same period, Creighton is 97-17 at home. Since Creighton opened the Qwest Center in 2003-04, the Jays are 66-13 at home. These are just a couple of examples of why major conference teams don't want to visit Valley schools.
65 Team Era. The MVC is a multiple-bid league, having before last season gone a decade between single-bid years (1998 to 2008). In the 24-year history of this era, the league has only gotten one bid seven times, and even got as many as four in the high-water mark of 2006. Despite an average seed of #10.2 over this period, the Valley has gone 22-45 (.329) and put seven different teams into the Sweet 16, including S. Illinois in 2007 and both Wichita St. and Bradley in 2006. What's more, in the last six years, MVC teams play teams tough, losing by an average of 6.1 pts in their knockout games (only one double-digit loss in 14 games). We see 2008 as a one-year blip, and have no reason to believe the MVC won't continue to put numerous teams into the Dance and have them succeed.
Final Thoughts. If Creighton plays to its potential they could easily run away with the conference and have a chance to make some noise in the Big Dance. The 2-5 spots will be a dog fight between the established Southern Illinois and the questions of the one-year wonders of Drake and Illinois St. Bradley will stick its nose in and cause a little disruption in the league similar to what Drake did last year and could be the big surprise. If the Valley teams can win their high-profile non-conference games, the league will be recognized again as a powerful conference. No significant wins by the Valley in the non-conference could unfortunately put them in obscurity for another season. However, I say to look for the Valley to be a multiple-bid league once again this season and to make an impact on the college basketball world.


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Is "White" a manly color for a car?
edited March 2014 in General
I'm about to purchase a new car, an Acura RL. I'm not sure if I want white with black or tan interior. My collegues at work are all telling me only women drive white cars. What do you say guys?
bumpy Posts: 4,435for a rental car.0
euphonium Great Northwest, West of the Cascades.Posts: 3,425A man who is secure and confident can drive any color he wants to drive. Be yourself, not what you think others want you to be.0
I think men who don't care about cars can drive white cars. White doesn't work best on most cars...maybe a GTI or an old Rolls, or a car pressed into commercial service. Come to think of it, it works well on some vintage cars, more than modern cars.
My mother has had several white cars. My father had one, and it was a vintage car.0
I like white cars and probably would have one. But my wife doesn't like them. :sick:
There's a white Z3 in my garage right now and it looks great (my neighbor is remodeling his garage and I'm baby sitting his Bimmer for him). When my wife pulled into the garage and saw it for the first time, I told her I had a big project lined up so I was buying the Z3 and she almost fell for it. :shades:
Come to think of it, the Z3 belongs to my neighbor's wife, but I'd still take it off her hands.0
larsb Posts: 8,204I live in Arizona, where about 40% of all the vehicles on the road are white.
You are no more likely to see a man or a woman or a transgender or a eunuch in any of them based on the color of that vehicle.0
White a color? I thought it was the absence of color.
Anyway, I have a white car and as far as I know I am a man. I think white on a car can look good on some cars and bad on some cars. For example my Escape has alot of black trim pieces that offset its whiteness.0
No... don't get white. You are concerned with not looking like a woman, or you wouldn't have asked the question in the first place.
That said, some off whites can be attractive. Such as a nice "pearl white" perhaps. :blush:0
some off whites can be attractive. Such as a nice "pearl white" perhaps.
Frigidaire White cars won't make you look like a girl but they'll make you look like an old man.
I used to own a Pearl White metallic Audi A4, it might be the best looking car I've ever owned but the same car in Alpine(snow)White would be boring.
OTOH Ivory or Cream works very well on some cars.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E930
"Frigidaire White cars won't make you look like a girl but they'll make you look like an old man."
Good point. It all depends on the type of white.
Besides, I think the question is ill-phrased: I don't think it's a matter of 'manly' colors vs. 'girly' colors, I think it's a question of conservative/restrained colors vs. colors with some pop. On a more conservative type of automobile (like an Acura RL), a nice conservative color looks appropriate. Like a Pearl White or Silver.
Ivory or Cream? Old man.....0
au1994 GAPosts: 1,638As the male drive of a white Dodge Ram, I think its fine.
But seriously, when the guys at work start making the car payment for you, then they get to pick the color.
2019 Subaru Crosstrek Limited Venetian Red over Black
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha0
No. No. Absence of color is black. Presence of all colors is white.
I think what looks good in white really depends on the car. My brother had a white Volvo 240 wagon - it looked like a refrigerator on wheels.
I could see where white would be good in Arizona, for the same reason it is good in Florida - reflects the heat. Black, OTOH, while it can look sharp would make the car intolerably hot!2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.0
No. Both white and black are absent of color. Think of matter and anti-matter.0
A Porsche 356 looks good in white.
I saw a white W211 E55 AMG today...and that's certainly not an effeminate car...so I guess it depends a lot on the vehicle.0
"No. Both white and black are absent of color. Think of matter and anti-matter."
Congratulations - I think you just fried my synapses, jipster.
I'm reminded of something a caller said recently to the local afternoon radio talk-show host:
"It's not whether it's right...or whether it's wrong....it's whether it's wrong OR right!"
Sometimes, I think you and that caller speak the same language....0
LOL. My wife feels the same way.0
...that with pretty much any light color, it depends on how much unbroken color there is.
Older cars generally looked better in white, as there was a lot of chrome trim, bumpers, rubber, etc. to break up the field of white.
Newer cars, with all the body-colored plastic, present much more of an unbroken field of color, and for whatever reason, that doesn't seem to look as good. Esp. with the aero designs of today...you get a sorta space-pod look. :confuse:0
which come s back to color and cars.... I hadn't thought of things like chrome and rubber breaking things up. Good point.2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.0
Different strokes I guess - I'm not usually a big fan of stuff glued on the sides of my cars. My van is pretty clean for a big ol' slab sided artifact. My wagon has cladding that's mostly unobtrusive but I don't care much for it or the pinstriping. The chrome side window glass surrounds on the new breed of curvy CR-V type cars don't appeal to me much either.
Right now all the trim on my house is painted the same color as the house too.0
"Right now all the trim on my house is painted the same color as the house too."
Good plan!
Actually both of my vehicles are all a single color with no real chrome or rubber.
I think if the Ody were white it might benefit from something to break up the color to reduce the refrigerator similarities.2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.0
Back to the 60's with the airbrush for you then, LOL.
Oh, good!
You first.....2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.0
snakeweasel a Certified Edmunds Poster.Posts: 15,484No. Both white and black are absent of color. Think of matter and anti-matter.
Sorry while black is the absence of color white is a combination of all colors. Shine a white light through a prism and it will break up into individual colors.
That being said my very first car back in the late 70's was white. It was a 69 Boss Mustang, now someone try to tell me that wasn't a manly car.
2008 Sebring Ragtop, 2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2015 Honda CTX700D0
Older cars generally looked better in white, as there was a lot of chrome trim, bumpers, rubber, etc. to break up the field of white.
That applies to dark colored cars as well, particularly black ones. I've built a lot of scale models of sports cars and noticed that without a little chrome to frame the design they lose something.
Allow me to illustrate:
1969 Porsche 911S:
1990s Porsche 911:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E930
ghulet Posts: 2,628...I guess it depends on what kind of 'man' you'd like to be. I'm not generally a big fan of white cars, but I do think it looks good on a few, and on larger, more utilitarian vehicles (minivans, maybe). That said, I think it depends on where you live, too. I live in Chicago, we have tons of black cars and very few white; they're both a pain to keep clean, but white in particular looks like crap when it's covered with salt or slush, not to mention rust. I wouldn't want a black car in Texas, Arizona or Florida, but there are tons of white cars out there.0
cotterm Posts: 14I don't see white as either male or female color. Pearl white is a different story though. I get so sick of the stereotypes. I am looking to sell my f150 lariat and go to a smaller SUV or larger sedan. However, seems like all the midsize SUV's are perceived to be womens cars. Had an expedition before, and dont want to go that big. From what I read around here, it seems as though I must go with a black Hummer0
This is the first time I ever submitted a forum question. I was overwhelmed by the number of responses. Thanks so much for all your help. Like one of you suggested, I am a very self confident person. I will drive what I want to drive, so white it is. Thanks again everyone!0
Just don't let it be a pink VW New Beetle , that would be very feminine.0
I think buying a Hummer of any sort says a lot about one's masculinity. But not in the way that their buyers believe.0
rockylee Wyoming, MichiganPosts: 13,994"Real Men, Wear Black" :shades:
I think the same can be said on cars in most cases unless that color is Cadillac
"Pearl White Diamond"
lemko Philadelphia, PAPosts: 15,306My Cadillac Seville STS is White Diamond and everybody loves the color. One of the best things about white is that it hides scratches better than many colors. I also love red, but it attracts scratches and cops.0
This discussion has been closed.


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Straw-Ber-Rita Blends Bud Light With Authentic Strawberry Margarita Taste
In April 2012, Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita hit shelves, and in less than eight months became the leading flavored malt beverage brand on the market, selling more than 500,000 barrels. Anheuser-Busch continues with the trend in blending adult beverage flavors with the introduction of Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita, an 8 percent alcohol-by-volume flavored-malt beverage that blends the refreshment of Bud Light Lime with the taste of an authentic strawberry margarita.
Both Straw-Ber-Rita and Lime-A-Rita are best enjoyed over ice. The new flavor comes in three pack sizes: a 12-pack of 8-ounce cans and a four-pack of either 16- or 24-ounce cans.


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To use all features of KLM.com safely, we recommend that you update your browser, or that you choose a different one. Continuing with this version may result in parts of the website not being displayed properly, if at all. Also, the security of your personal information is better safeguarded with an updated browser.
Dubai has established itself as a luxury destination, appealing to wealthy visitors with plenty of money to spend. Many luxury hotels feature opulent guest suites and very expensive restaurants, as well as beautiful spas. After a day of sunbathing, sightseeing and shopping, take a relaxing break in one of the enormous spa complexes.
Guests are pampered with exclusive products that you won't find in an average drugstore, such as precious caviar cream by American Kerstin Florian, expensive French Thémaé tea balm, or 24-carat gold serum made by Swiss company La Prairie. The therapists, flown in from Tunisia, Turkey, Bangkok and Bali, are also top notch. The Desert Palm spa menu consists of 28 pages – the hardest part is making a choice, then just close your eyes, relax and enjoy.


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye, a decorated World War Two veteran who lost an arm in battle and represented Hawaii in Congress since its statehood more than a half century ago, died on Monday at age 88.
Inouye, who was chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and third in the line of presidential succession as the Senate's senior member, died of complications from a respiratory illness, his office said in a statement.
"Aloha" was the last word he spoke, the statement said.
The son of a Japanese immigrant father and a Hawaii-born mother whose parents came from Japan, Inouye and his family were declared "enemy aliens" by the U.S. government at the outbreak of World War Two. Inouye would later rise to become the highest-ranking elected Asian-American official in U.S. politics.
During a political career spanning seven decades, he gained national attention on the Senate Watergate Committee and as chairman of the Select Intelligence Committee during the 1970s.
He was also chairman of a special panel that investigated the Iran-Contra affair - involving secret U.S. support of anti-Communist Nicaraguan rebels with illegal sales of missiles to Iran - during Ronald Reagan's presidency in the 1980s.
At the time, he criticized what he called a "shadowy government with ... the ability to pursue its own ideas of the national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself."
His death, at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Maryland, was announced on the Senate floor by Majority Leader Harry Reid, who hailed Inouye as one of the "greats of this body."
President Barack Obama saluted Inouye as a "true American hero" for his wartime service and his work on Capitol Hill to "strengthen our military, forge bipartisan consensus and hold those of us in government accountable to the people we were elected to serve."
Under Hawaii law, Democratic Governor Neil Abercrombie will name a successor to fill Inouye's seat until a new senator is picked in the 2014 general election.
Because Abercrombie is expected to name a fellow Democrat, Inouye's death is unlikely to change the balance of power in the 100-member Senate, where Democrats were expected to maintain a 55-45 majority over Republicans.
First elected to Congress as Hawaii's first full-fledged member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Inouye took office on August 21, 1959, the date Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state. He went on to win election to the U.S. Senate in 1962.
After nine consecutive Senate terms, Inouye was the only member of the state's original congressional delegation still serving on Capitol Hill.
He was also the second longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate after the late Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, and became the most senior member when Byrd died in 2010.
Inouye thus assumed the largely ceremonial post of president pro tempore of the Senate, making him third in line to succeed to the U.S. presidency after the vice president and speaker of the House.
Inouye began his public service at age 17, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly after the 1941 Japanese attack on the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, during which he had served as a U.S. medical volunteer.
Inouye was not sent to an internment camp as were many Americans of Japanese ancestry when the war started because Hawaii, then a U.S. territory, was placed under control of military authorities, he told National Public Radio last year.
But he was declared an "enemy alien," and was among those who petitioned the government for the right to serve in the U.S. military to prove their allegiance. In late 1942, at age 17, he enlisted.
"I was angered to realize that my government thought that I was disloyal and part of the enemy, and I wanted to be able to demonstrate not only to my government but to my neighbors that I was a good American," he said in an interview aired as part of Ken Burns' 2007 documentary "The War."
He joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit of U.S. soldiers of Japanese ancestry. Serving in Europe with distinction, Inouye lost his right arm while charging a series of German machine-gun nests on a hill in Italy in 1945.
The injury earned him a Purple Heart and other awards but ended his ambitions to be a surgeon. Instead, he earned a law degree and entered politics after the war.
When asked in recent days how he wanted to be remembered, his office said Inouye replied, "I represented the people of Hawaii and this nation honestly and to the best of my ability. I think I did OK."
Inouye's death will propel Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, to become president pro tempore of the Senate, as the member with the most seniority on the majority side, a Senate leadership aide said.
Leahy was also in line to become the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, though he already chairs the Judiciary Committee and could not keep both posts without a waiver. If he did give up the gavel at Judiciary, that could open up the leadership of that committee to Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, a champion of gun control legislation.
(Reporting By Kim Dixon, David Lawder, Patricia Zengerle, Susan Cornwell and Tom Ferraro in Washington D.C., Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Malia Mattoch McManus in Honolulu; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Jackie Frank)


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Gray and silver button necklace
Product Description
Unique and original Délisa designer necklace – Gray button necklace, Eco-design upcycled vintage button necklace, Gorgeous grey and silver buttons and a silver pendant form the center of this one of a kind button statement necklace. These adorable necklaces are handmade and made to last!
These necklaces are perfect for a gift, to compliment your outfit on a special occasion or even to simply stand out from the crowd on an every day basis! Plus, this unique and original necklace can go with any outfit, regardless of the time of year.
Whether you want to stand out from your friends or coworkers, this adorable necklace is perfect for you!
* Wear this eco-design necklace with jeans or your special little black, white or summery flowery dress!
* One of a kind
* Various buttons from my collection of vintage buttons (see below for how I started collecting buttons!)
* Silver coloured metal cable necklace with screw closure, diameter approx; 14 cms
* Buttons are fixed in place with jewelry wire
* A Gift box and a little map of Grasse is included, perfect and ready to give to someone special
Hand made in my studio / boutique in the center of the historical town of Grasse. Famous for it's perfumeries, Grasse is the world's perfume capital – located on the French Riviera.
If ever you would like something more specific, please message me so we can discuss together what you would like!
The vintage button story……How my collection started….
It was my friends mums 80th birthday and she was visiting her parents for the weekend, so I made her my 'lemon cheesecake' for her to take with her. Being french, I knew a 'cheesecake' would be quite a novelty for them.
My cheesecake obviously hit the spot and she came back with a present from her mum for me.
A HUGE box of buttons which she found in the 'grenier' for me. My friend remembers being allowed' to count, play and string the buttons together when she was a child (40 odd years ago).
So, the moral of the story is : Bake more cheesecakes!
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Materialised are proud to be the new home of Florence Broadhurst textiles and wallpaper.
Horses Stampede is now available digitally printed onto a range of beautiful non woven papers.
We have curated a range of colourways ready to go but in the event you can't find what you are looking for please contact us for custom projects, or if you require commercial vinyl wall covering options.
Click here to view wallpaper design gallery


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More News
Day 4 Roundup
Draw fourteen had two very close games in the men's championship. Norway led by one shot at the halfway point of their
Day 3 Roundup
Session 10 of the World Seniors Curing Championships saw a couple of very close games in the men's section.
Day 2 Roundup
Men Session 5 saw some teams win with a high score only one game was quite tight, Russia against the Czech Republic.
Day 1 Roundup
Men The first session of the World Senior Curling Championships 2014 saw 12 men's teams take to the ice at 08:00 this
Live music, Saturday night
Local band Finding Albert is playing at DGOne on Saturday 26 April at 7pm. Free guest passes are available for all players,


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Taking continuing education classes? Please see
Financial Aid for Continuing Education.
If you will be taking classes for college credit:
Step 1: Complete the
admissions application.
Step 2: Complete the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You must be a U.S. citizen or
eligible noncitizen to apply for federal aid. Read our
FAFSA overview for some common questions and answers, plus helpful tips.If you are not a citizen and therefore are not eligible for federal aid, you may still be eligible for Texas state aid if you are certified as HB1403 eligible. To apply for state aid, you may either: 1) print and complete the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) and bring it to the Financial Aid Office or 2) pick up a TASFA from the college Financial Aid Office, then fill it out and submit it.
It is best to have the
documents required to complete the application and the
Title IV school code for each college that you may attend before you start the FAFSA process.
The FAFSA is required for almost all financial aid programs offered by the colleges of DCCCD, and most of the college
Financial Aid Offices provide computers and help with completing the FAFSA.
Net Price Calculator was designed to give an
estimate of financial aid through a series of about 10 to 15 questions similar to those listed on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It does
not replace the need for students to complete the FAFSA.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
EEOC Said Beloit Store Unlawfully Fired Worker Because of Back Condition
MINNEAPOLIS – A federal judge has approved a consent decree resolving a disability discrimination lawsuit against Woodman's Food Market's, Inc. filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. In its lawsuit, the EEOC contended that Woodman's unlawfully fired employee because of her back condition.
The EEOC charged that a Woodman's store in Beloit, Wis., terminated Kimberly McMillan-Goodwin, a long-term Woodman's employee who worked as a clerk at its gas station, because she had a back condition that kept her from lifting more than ten pounds. The EEOC contended that McMillan-Goodwin had successfully worked in that position with the lifting restriction for many years. Woodman's, however, placed McMillan-Goodwin on medical leave and then terminated her.
Disability discrimination violates the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. On August 11, 2011, Chief Judge William M. Conley of U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin approved the decree ending the suit.
In resolution of the suit, Woodman's will pay $35,000 to McMillan-Goodwin. The decree also includes substantial other relief, including injunctions against any further discrimination and retaliation. Further, the company will adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination based on disability; update its employee handbooks; conduct training on the ADA; and post a notice to employees about the resolution of the suit in all of its locations. The EEOC will monitor Woodman's compliance with the decree for two years.
"This case might never have arisen if Woodman's had had clear policies and training to guide its management and human resources employees on the requirements of the ADA," said EEOC Regional Attorney John Hendrickson of the agency's Chicago District, which has jurisdiction over Wisconsin. "Among the most important provisions in the consent decree, therefore, are the requirements that Woodman's adopt a policy to clarify its obligations and provide training to its management and human resources staff."
According to the company's website (www.woodmans-food.com), Woodman's is an employee-owned corporation operating 13 grocery store locations in Wisconsin and Illinois. The EEOC suit, captioned EEOC v. Woodman's Food Markets. Inc. (Civ. No. 10-cv-562-wmc), was filed September 28, 2010, in U.S. District Court in Madison.
The EEOC's Chicago District Office is responsible for processing charges of discrimination, administrative enforcement, and conducting agency litigation in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and North and South Dakota, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


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LISHost is a Linux Web Server devoted to the Library World. Our costs are very low, and the service level very high. You'll find more about LISHost, and the people who keep things running, on our FAQ Page.
At LISHost you're not just an account or a user, you're part of a community. All LISHost users get almost unlimited space and bandwidth. We handle DNS, account set up, and almost anything else you might need.
Who we are
Blake Carver is the guy behind LISNews, LISWire & LISHost. Blake was one of the first librarian bloggers (he created LISNews in 1999) and is a member of Library Journal's first Movers & Shakers cohort. He has worked as a web librarian, a college instructor, and a programmer at a startup, though he is currently a corporate librarian and records manager in Western New York. Blake has presented widely at professional conferences on building library websites with Drupal and ensuring computer/server security for libraries.


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WASHINGTON —Andy Pettitte will soon give a sworn deposition to staff members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and lawyers for his former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, say they believe they know part of what he will say.
Pettitte and McNamee talked in 2001 and 2002 about Roger Clemens's use of steroids and human growth hormone, McNamee's lawyers, Earl Ward and Richard Emery, said Tuesday.
As a result, Ward and Emery said they believed that Pettitte, who has acknowledged receiving H.G.H. from McNamee in 2002, will provide the first account of contemporaneous conversations with McNamee about Clemens's use of performance-enhancing drugs in earlier years.
Clemens's lawyer in Washington responded Tuesday with another strong denial that Clemens had ever used performance-enhancing drugs.
"Regardless of what Mr. McNamee purports to have said, Roger Clemens's remarkable success as a pitcher has everything to do with his extraordinary work ethic and his innate abilities, and nothing to do with H.G.H. or steroids," the lawyer, Lanny A. Breuer, said in a telephone interview.Continue reading the main story
"Let me be clear: Roger Clemens never took H.G.H. and he never took steroids," he added.
Pettitte's deposition, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was moved to Monday, a day before Clemens is scheduled to talk to committee staff members, the committee announced Tuesday.
"Mr. Pettitte is cooperating voluntarily with the committee, and we look forward to his testimony on Monday," Henry A. Waxman, the California Democrat who is the committee chairman, and Tom Davis of Virginia, the ranking Republican, said in a statement. Karen Lightfoot, a spokeswoman for Waxman, said she could give no reason for the delay. Pettitte's lawyers did not return calls for comment.
According to a lawyer familiar with the matter, an agent for Clemens, Jim Murray, has hired a lawyer and has been asked to meet with Congressional investigators in Washington about his conversations with McNamee concerning Clemens in 2003 or 2004, and more recently on Dec. 5, 2007. Murray did not return a telephone message seeking comment.
Chuck Knoblauch, the former Yankees second baseman, is scheduled to lead off the revised schedule for depositions or transcribed interviews. He will speak to committee staff members Friday. Pettitte will follow on Monday, Clemens on Tuesday, McNamee on Feb. 7 and Kirk Radomski, a former Mets clubhouse attendant who says he supplied drugs to dozens of major league baseball players, on Feb. 12. The depositions are private.
The committee has scheduled a Feb. 13 public hearing to receive testimony under oath from those five men.
The staff investigation is focused on Clemens's denials of taking steroids or H.G.H. Waxman has said the panel is relying on the report on drugs in baseball by George J. Mitchell to set the stage for tougher drug testing policies in Major League Baseball. Clemens is under scrutiny because he challenged the report.
McNamee has spoken with federal investigators on the condition that he would be prosecuted only if he did not tell the truth.
In describing H.G.H. injections, McNamee told those investigators and Mitchell that he injected Clemens at least four times in the latter part of the summer of 2000, injected Knoblauch at least seven to nine times in the spring and early summer of 2001, and injected Pettitte at least two to four times in the spring of 2002.
McNamee also said he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001. He did not say he injected Pettitte or Knoblauch with steroids.
Since the players never talked with Mitchell, the Congressional depositions or interviews will be the first questioning they face outside their lawyers' offices or, in Clemens's case, the CBS program "60 Minutes" on Jan. 6. The stakes are higher now. False statements to Congressional investigators could result in criminal charges punishable by up to five years in prison.
"Pettitte is a stand-up guy," said Emery, one of McNamee's lawyers. "We expect him to tell the truth, and if he does so, he will corroborate Brian."
Emery suggested that the reason for the delay in giving the depositions was to give Clemens more time to change his account, a suggestion rejected by Clemens's lawyer.
Emery and Ward said that not only did McNamee and Pettitte talk about Clemens's drug use on several occasions, but that Clemens might have influenced Pettitte the first time Pettitte asked to use a performance-enhancing drug.
"There was a conversation in the gym where Pettitte came over to Brian and told him, 'Why didn't you tell me about that stuff?' " Emery said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "It appeared to be after a conversation with Clemens, but he didn't know what was said in that conversation."
Ward, in a separate telephone interview, said, "Brian discouraged him at first, and then less than a year later he came back and that is when Brian injected him."
McNamee had told Mitchell he injected Pettitte in the spring of 2002 to help speed his recovery from elbow tendinitis.Continue reading the main story


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Los Angeles (i/lɔːs ˈændʒələs/, /lɔːs ˈæŋɡələs/ or i/lɒs ˈændʒəliːz/; Spanish: [los ˈaŋxeles], which is written Los Ángeles, Spanish for The Angels), officially the City of Los Angeles, often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City, with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621. It has an area of 469 square miles (1,215 km2), and is located in Southern California.
The city is the focal point of the larger Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana metropolitan statistical area and Greater Los Angeles Area region, which contain 12,828,837 and nearly 18 million people respectively as of 2010, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world and the second largest in the United States. Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the United States, while the entire Los Angeles area itself has been recognized as the most diverse of the nation's largest cities. The city's inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos.
Los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood.
Nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is a global city, with strengths in business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine and research and has been ranked sixth in the Global Cities Index and 9th Global Economic Power Index. The city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area (CSA) has a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $831 billion (as of 2008), making it the third largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. Los Angeles includes Hollywood and leads the world in the creation of television productions, video games, and recorded music; it is also one of the leaders in motion picture production. Additionally, Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984.
SchoolDigger Performance Ratings provide an overview of a school's test performance. Based on a scale of 0-5.
Niche Review Ratings are the overall ratings that are provided by either a Parent/Guardian, Teacher, Staff, Administrator, Student or Former Student. Based on a scale of 1-5.
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site. Followers will automatically be associated with your account. Enter your username and click <Continue>
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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Murray • Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he lives in Murray.
State Street in Murray is already a festive place. Big red and green snowflake lights, that are also evocative of poinsettias, line the street, and a bright theater marquee reads "Have a Murray Christmas." But Friday night, a jolly presence arrived to make the holidays merrier.
Claus stepped out of his red Ford Escape the license plate reads SNTACLS into the chilly air, ready to spread some Christmas cheer. Dressed in his classic suit with the addition of a heavy sash of bells, he jingled all the way to the Murray Arts Center.
"Merry Christmas," he shouted over holiday music as he and his wife moved through the crowd who had come to dance. He shook their hands, took pictures with them and wished them well with a big smile. His wife, dressed like Mrs. Claus, followed him and passed out candy. Everyone returned their tidings and gifts with their own smiles and blessings.
The 54-year-old Claus, born David Lynn Porter, had desired to be the jolly old elf since he was a child. He wanted to use the Christmas character's identity to bring joy and happiness to the lives of others.
He started dressing like Santa more than 20 years ago after his wife, Alise Porter, needed one for her dance productions. After a while, he decided to become Saint Nick.
He worked on his appearance by bleaching his red hair including a big beard every month. Instead of a sleigh, he used to drive a Utah Transit Authority bus while wearing his red and white suit. He took Santa jobs at receptions and parties at local churches and the Murray Ballet Centre. For years, he's appeared as Santa for holiday festivities and a food drive at The Peppermint Place, an Alpine ice cream and dessert store.
"It's the spirit of giving and caring for kids... I've always loved Christmas," he said.
With his rosy cheeks and jolly laugh, children would always ask him if he really was Santa. He was determined to make it so legally, but he had to wage a legal battle to make his yuletide identity official, one that went all the way to the Utah Supreme Court.
Legal name changes are a normal occurrence in Utah courts as people marry, divorce or decide to make a nickname their legal one, since they've gone by it most of their lives. Courts rarely refuse the petitions. But in 2000, the 3rd District Court denied Porter's request to change his name to Santa Claus.
"Honestly, I was shocked," recalled his attorney William Hadley.
In most situations, courts grant a name change unless the new moniker is offensive, overly long or the petitioner plans to commit fraud. That was not the case for Porter, but unique to his request, Judge Timothy Hanson was concerned, among other reasons, that the change would have a chilling effect on people who wanted to sue him, since they would have to sue "Santa Claus.".
So Hanson said no.
"But my man, he was gung-ho about it," Hadley said of Porter.
They appealed the decision. Porter submitted a list of men in Texas, Florida and Illinois who were in the phone book under the jolly old elf's name. His family supported him, and he had an e-mail from his credit union that the change would be fine with them, since "nobody would want to soil the name of Santa by not paying a legal obligation."
He even offered "Kris Kringle" as an alternative.
But again, the court turned them down. So Hadley and Porter took their case to the Utah Supreme Court.
"Porter is the essence of Santa Claus," Hadley wrote in his statement to the high court. "He has the twinkling eyes, rosy checks, the full white beard and the jolly laugh that causes his belly to roll like a bowl of jelly. Children continually ask Porter if he is Santa Claus."
Hadley also rebutted Hanson's "chilling effect" concern. The lawyer pointed out that there had been another Santa Claus who was sued in Utah courts, a California man who had his name legally changed and temporarily lived in Park City.
"In this case, Porter should be allowed to change his name to reflect his desire to carry the spirit of love and joy, known as Christmas, with him all year long," he argued.
In September 2001, the Supreme Court agreed and granted Porter his new name.
Claus was at a store one day when a boy shouted "It's Santa! It's Santa!" The child's parents were quick to tell him otherwise, but Claus bet them otherwise.
There it was on his driver's license: Santa Claus.
Hadley has a picture in his office of Claus and his wife Alise Porter kept her birth name along with the check he wrote to the attorney for his service. The name on the check? Santa Claus.
After the win, Hadley wrote a letter to Hanson noting that while he respects the judge's prior decision, he assured that his client will present and hold himself "as an appropriate embodiment of the thought of Santa Claus."
Claus retired from UTA a few years ago and now lives on disability with a bad back. He gets around with a cane of course, it looks like a giant candy cane. He used to make appearances two to three times a night during December as the character, though it's been a slower year. He's been ill, and the bad economy has people cutting back on holiday expenses.
But he still makes a point all year of walking down the street with his wife, the two making a convincing Mr. and Mrs. Claus even outside of their red and white outfits, to keep the spirit of Christmas alive after December. Children who see him still shout with wonder and excitement that the man over there is Santa Claus.
He responds with a jolly laugh, "Yes, I am."
Every year, as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, Claus continues to gladden the hearts of children.
Twitter: @mikeypanda


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The Hustle
Showtimes for July 6th, 2019:
Sorry. No sessions available for this movie on July 6th, 2019.
Details:In the hilarious new comedy THE HUSTLE, Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as female scam artists, one low rent and the other high class, who team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them.
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 94 Mins
Opening date: 05-10-2019
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