text:
|2011-07-03, 14:32
|Link #81
The Spear of Destiny
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: A place where the stars cross.
Age: 26
Since Chapter 6 ends Airi's story, I believe the rest of the story will focus on Kazumi, mainly her dark past that we've only seen in brief flashbacks. The earlier chapters imply that Jyubei and Kyubey are up to something concerning the Pleiades Saints, especially regarding Kazumi. What their goals are is unknown but I feel like something big is going to unfold pretty soon.
Last edited by Riga92; 2011-07-04 at 03:46.
|2011-07-04, 00:21
|Link #82
Join Date: Mar 2006
Very interesting chapter.
What the hell is Kazumi? She just started turning into a monster, ripped a chunk off the Witch with her mouth, quickly regained her senses and then partially brought back Yuuri/Airi from being a Witch? When she realizes she can't quite do it, she then one shots the Witch.
I'm sorry but there's no way she's "merely" a Magical Girl.
|2011-07-04, 20:22
|Link #84
Knowledge is the solution
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: St. Louis, MO
Age: 34
|2011-07-11, 09:16
|Link #85
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Coming back to this after a reread, it seems I was slightly off-target. Jyubei is either ignorant of how the system works or is outright lying, not because he said, "sometimes" magical girls turn into witches, but because he said "we don't know why (that happens)"
|2011-07-11, 09:19
|Link #86
Knowledge is the solution
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: St. Louis, MO
Age: 34
I guess it depends on the translation accuracy. They actually don't know how that happens, Kyuubei stated they don't understand yet the specifics of magic. We would need the original Japanese since douyate (how) and doushite (why) are actually quite often mixed up from what I've seen.
|2011-08-01, 15:52
|Link #88
The Spear of Destiny
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: A place where the stars cross.
Age: 26
Chapter 7 is finally out! http://shinitan.wordpress.com/2011/0...11-kazumi-c07/
Now this was a very interesting chapter. Chapter starts with a magical girl named Akane Sumire being cornered by the Pleiades Saints. Akane recognizes Kaoru and begs for mercy, but Kaoru seemingly kills her. From the distance, an unknown, black haired magical girl watches them, looking intently at the Saint's soul gems, saying that she wants them...
Kazumi has finished eating breakfast at Tachibana's place and see's Nico and Jyubey patrolling outside and decides to tag along with them. Nico eye's throughout this whole chapter seemingly has no life in them. Nico notes how kind Kazumi is. Even though they have hidden the truth about witches from Kazumi, Kazumi understood that they hid it so she wouldn't remember anything painful from her past. Despite that, Kazumi wants to remember her past, no matter how painful it is. Nico tells her words are heart-warming, but says that Kazumi might have regrets if she remembers.
The black haired girl then appears before them. Her name is Souju Ayase, and she reveals to them that she's been collecting soul gems. Nico says thats a disgusting hobby, but then Ayase reveals that she saw the Pleiades Saints doing the same thing at the beginning of the chapter, gem picking.
Nico and Ayase then duke it out. Nico's wish was apparently "regeneration" which allows her to shoot missiles from her fingers and make clones, pretty cool power. After a couple pages of fighting, Nico apparently wins, removing Ayase's Soul Gem from her chest, and stunning her by squeezing her Soul Gem.
Suddenly, Ayase awakens, re-transforms with a different magical girl outfit, and manages a surprise attack on Nico. It is then revealed that there are two souls residing in Ayase's body. The other soul's name is Souju Ruka.
So apparently, if you are a magical girl, and you are in possession of the soul gems of other girls, its possible for all the souls to reside in one body...interesting.
Last edited by Riga92; 2011-08-01 at 18:10.
|2011-08-01, 17:52
|Link #89
Join Date: Feb 2011
i wonder what will happen if only one of the soulgems of a multigem user turns in a witch while the other gems are not completely dark, looks complicated
maybe it would become an half-witch half-magical-girl, a magical-girl powered witch or a witch powered magical-girl or maybe it'll simply come out as a witch leaving the undarkened soulgems back
interesting to note that the soulgem hunter collects them, doesn't kill them
so each soul(and magical girl) bound to the soulgem she collected must still be there, untill the soulgem gets crushed
it looks more like a MG kidnapper than a collector :3
the limit of having multiple soulgems must be how much those souls can work together not trying to take over all the body from the others
but the advantages must be very interesting, like double wish powers, double mp, but likely also double greef seeds needed to refill
|2011-08-01, 18:08
|Link #90
The True Culprit
|2011-08-01, 18:17
|Link #91
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Last edited by Jimmy C; 2011-08-01 at 18:57.
|2011-08-03, 18:38
|Link #93
The physical body of the Magical Girl stays intact when her Soul Gem converts into a Grief Seed, so the remaining soul will still have a human vessel to work with and shouldn't have anything to worry about. That is, aside from standing directly in front of a newborn Witch.
edit: And after reading Chapter 7, whoever the mangaka for this is needs to stop ripping off my ideas. I mean goddamn.
Last edited by Hagoshod; 2011-08-03 at 19:18.
|2011-08-15, 06:41
|Link #95
Moderate Haruhiist
The newer chapter puts yet another wrinkle on the reputation of the Pleiades Saints. Just what ARE they doing with those acquired Soul Gems anyway? If they're taking them away to... somewhere, then the police in the city where Kazumi lives in probably have a LOT of unsolved cases where teenaged girls just wind up dead without any known causes...
Never mind the fate of the souls of those actual girls.
Not that the new arrival is any better of course.
|2011-09-02, 12:54
|Link #97
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Chapter 8 translated. And did someone just turn into a witch?
And more half-truths from Jyubei. "What happens when a Puella Magi's gem is taken away?", "Depending on the situation, she dies." "Situation" in this case meaning the gem is more than 100m from the girl in question.
|2011-09-03, 20:47
|Link #98
Moderate Haruhiist
It's hinted that the witch is Nico. It still might be a red herring though, given the franchise.
Note, might, as prior to this we didn't even see Nico's soul gem get soiled or blacken in any manner. It just floated off then... boom. Witch manifestation and labyrinth.
Last edited by Myssa Rei; 2011-09-04 at 00:37.
|2011-09-03, 21:32
|Link #99
The True Culprit
What I want to know is why Soujo says they could only coexist by stealing Soul Gems. By what mechanic does that work out? It can't be keeping their soul gems clean; they'd need Grief Seeds for that.
|2011-09-04, 00:08
|Link #100
TVTropes profile.
|seinen, spin-off
|Thread Tools


text:
The finish wasn't perfect, but Phil Mickelson is no longer 0-for-Great Britain.
The world's eighth-ranked golfer suffered a three-putt bogey on the 72nd hole but rebounded to win a playoff with Branden Grace and capture the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Links on Sunday.
The 17-under victory marked Mickelson's first individual title in Britain and serves as an encouraging tune-up for the British Open later this week.
"I have been coming here for some time and had some opportunities and I almost let it slip away today," Mickelson said. "To come out on top was terrific."
Needing a par five to secure victory in regulation play, Mickelson suffered that bogey on No. 18. But on the first playoff hole -- on the 18th again -- he hit a wedge to within inches of the cup and tapped in for the winning birdie.
"I was so mad at myself for mentally losing my focus that I came out on that 18th pretty focused to make a four," he said.
Henrik Stenson, who started Sunday with the lead, and J.B. Hansen finished in a tie for third at 15 under.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
All Things Change At Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series In The Name Of Uka Uka Racing
18 April 2009
Malcesine, April 18 2009 - In a challenge for the lead, and a general check of the results from the first day of racing, it is no surprise that in the first stage of the 2009 Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series that the name of Lorenzo Santini's Uka Uka Racing is now at the top of the leaderboard.
The strong team of Alessio Martinelli and Lorenzo Santini, assisted on tactics by the legendary Lorenzo Bressani, are among the teams that have suffered the least in Malcesine and going into the final day of racing are in a very good position to win.
The overtook the lead on day two from Carlo Alberini's Calvi Network and at the end of the day. If anything, the assault of Martinelli/Bressani/Santini have requested Alberini, along with tactician Gabriele Benussi to take check of their crew and ability, as they successfully walked away from racing yesterday with two firsts and a second place finish.
The second day of competition opened with an exciting first race — a picture perfect performance, right out of the handbook with Filippo Pacinotti's Brontolo with Freddy Loof calling tactics. The experienced Swede and passionate Pacinotti, also the Melges 32 European Class President, taught the fleet a great lesson in Melges 32 speed. A very good result for the first time around with this so called 'Rookie' team. Claudio Recchi on Team 93 took a satisfying second place.
Race two of the day was equally eventful as this time, it was Antonello Morina's turn on Sei Tu 32 creating a huge lead early to round the mark in first. His nearest challenger was fleet newcomer Andrew Cecchetti flanked by Vasco Vascatto. Morina took the victory with Cecchetti in second. Mauro Mocchegiani on Rush Diletta was third.
Another great final race was on tap for the 21-boat strong fleet with Uka Uka Racinggiving a full demonstration of pride and speed after a disappointing first race (finished 10th) yet took the victory in the third heat. This is a determined and driven team that coincides with their provisional leadership of the first Audi Sailing Series event.
TOP TEN RESULTS (Provisional)
1 - UKA UKA RACING (Marinelli / Santini - Bressani) 4,3,4,3, (10), 1: pt. 15
2 - CALVI NETWORK (Alberini - G. Benussi) 1,2,1, (10), 4 (13): pt. 18
3 - TEAM Barbarians (Simpson - Lee) (10), 5,6,4,6,3: pt. 24
4 - RUSH (Mocchegiani - D'Alì) 13,4,2 (16), 3,4: pt. 26
5 - PILOT ITALIA (Martino - Paoleti) 6,1,3, (19), 7.14: pt. 31
6 - BAGUA (Cecchetti-Vascotto) 7 (19), 5,5,2,12: pt. 31
7 - TEAM 93 (Recchi - J. McKee) 5.8, (11), 2,8,8: pt. 31
8 - RED (Woods-Lenz) 2,7,8, (18), 15.2: pt. 34
9 - MATRIX CORTINA D'AMPEZZO (Melegari - Matteo Ivaldi) 3, (14), 12,9,11,10: pt. 45
10 - BITIPI (Formentini-Chieffi) 14,11,7, (15), 5.9: pt. 46


text:
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text:
DAVIE, Fla. -- Barry University women's tennis team beat host Nova Southeastern, 8-1, Tuesday. The Buccaneers improved to 5-0 overall, 4-0 in the Sunshine State Conference.
Ranked No. 3 in the nation, the Bucs swept the doubles matches, despite a little challenge at the No. 2 and 3 pairs flights. Barry won five of the six singles matches in straight sets.
At No. 1 doubles, Barry's No. 1-ranked duo of Emma Onila and Linda Fritschken beat Sabrina Kierberg and Alex Kaeser, 8-2. At No. 2, Kimmy Twelker and Anaeve Pain defeated NSU's Alex Johansson and Charlotte Cote, 8-4. Blanka Szavay and Isabela Miro beat the Sharks' No. 3 tandem of Iryna Serdyuk and Linda Kornienko, 8-4.
Onila, the No. 8-ranked singles player in the nation, beat the 37th-ranked Johansson, 6-0, 6-3, at No. 1 singles. Kierberg upset the 31st-ranked Fritschken, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), at No. 2 singles. That snapped a 21-match win streak for Fritschken, a junior from Berlin, Germany.
At No. 3 singles, Barry's 19th-ranked Karina Goia was a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Carlee Rizzolo. Pain defeated Cote, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 4. Barry's ninth-ranked Elisabeth Abanda was an easy 6-1, 6-2 winner over Kornienko at No. 5. Szavay cruised by Nova's Bianca Roberts, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 6.
The Sharks fell to 2-3 overall, 2-2 in the SSC.
Barry will play at No. 8 Saint Leo Friday to begin a three-match road trip. The Bucs also play Eckerd Saturday before meeting No. 1 Armstrong Atlantic, the two-time defending national champs, Sunday at IMG Academy in Bradenton.


text:
Hotel near Sultanahmet Mosque Istanbul is probably the most beautiful mosque in Istanbul built after Sinan's (Suleymaniye Mosque architect) death. Its architect was Sedefkar Mehmet Agha, who was chief architect to Sultan Ahmed I, and it was built between 1609-1617. This masterpiece has six minarets that form an area measuring 64 by 72 meters. Four semi domes and measures 23.50 meters in diameter and 43 meters in height support the main dome of the mosque. It rests on four pillars measuring 5 meters in diameter. Owing to the effects of the light filtering through 2,609 stained-glass windows and enhanced by the dark blue tiles and paintwork, the mosque is known popularly as the "Blue Mosque".
The calligraphic decorations are by Kasim Gubera while the architect himself did the woodwork. The mosque is surrounded on three sides by a large inner courtyard. The complex includes the tomb of Sultan Ahmed I, a medresse, a soup kitchen, a hospital, a marketplace, and an
Please fill the form below to recommend us.


text:
Agthia Group is a leading Abu Dhabi based food and beverages group established in 2004. The company is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and has the symbol "Agthia". 51 percent of the company's shares are held by General Holding Corporation, an Abu Dhabi Government entity, with the balance held by individual and institutional investors.
Contact Information:
Al Ghaith Holding Tower, 2nd Floor, Airport Road,
PO Box 37725
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates


text:
CEO's message
Welcome to the Parks Canada Agency Web site. In keeping with our mission of protecting and presenting the precious natural and cultural treasures of Canada, we designed this site with you in mind. Here, you will discover a vast array of useful information to broaden your knowledge and appreciation of Canada's outstanding places and to help you experience them fully.
As the Parks Canada Charter stipulates, we are the guardians of Canada's cultural and natural heritage. In this Web site, you will discover the splendour of the national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas under our custodianship.
We are guides and, as such, we encourage you to journey with us to the most significant moments of our history, to visit those special places that witnessed them, and to learn about the special features that make them deserving of inclusion in the family of Canada's protected areas.
We are also endeavouring to present the rich tradition of our partners, Indigenous peoples and ethnocultural communities, as well as the accomplishments of the many Canadians who shaped our country.
Finally, we are storytellers, and this role is expressed in the exploits and anecdotes you will find during your virtual visit.
We will continue to improve this Web site in order to provide you with information about Parks Canada and to fulfill your needs. Please, do not hesitate to contact us with your comments, suggestions or questions.
We hope that you will find all the information for which you are searching, and that you make interesting discoveries as you take time to admire our national treasures
Daniel Watson


text:
Kim Kardashian, 31, and Kanye West, 34, seem to be savoring their time together in the Big Apple with a whirlwind of dates.
Their Manhattan romp continued Thursday night when Kardashian, stunning in sky-high black heels and a creme-colored blouse, dined with the rapper and three friends, including makeup artist Joyce Bonelli, at Cafeteria. Looking happy together at the trendy Chelsea eatery, they shared a plate of fried chicken, waffles and macaroni and cheese.
"They entered through a secret door and dined in Cafeteria"s brand new [private dining room] to have some privacy," a source tells us. "Kim and Kanye sat together, and she kept taking pictures of him on her cell phone. It was cute."
The source adds: "They had fun, but were very low-key."
Prior to their dinner out, the new couple enjoyed a movie date on Wednesday, in which they reportedly saw The Hunger Games. They were also spotted hitting up FAO Schwarz and lunching at Serafina, Kardashian"s favorite N.Y.C. eatery, on Thursday.
"Kanye and I have been friends for years," Kardashian said on Friday"s Today show of their relationship (West and Kardashian are longtime pals, and the rapper has even made appearances on the star"s E! show). "You never know what the future holds."


text:
The group representing the U.S. music industry says it will abandon its policy of suing people for sharing songs protected by copyright.
The Recording Industry Association of America says that now it will try to stop alleged music pirates by working with Internet service providers to cut access to frequent abusers.
The move ends a controversial program that saw the industry sue more than 30,000 people since 2003 for swapping songs online.
The recording association said Friday that its new efforts with several leading U.S. Internet service providers would provide a meaningful deterrent, so it will wind down its legal assault. The group says it will still carry out cases already filed.
The decision was first reported in The Wall Street Journal.


text:
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
This really irks me...
Salvaged Wood Kitchen Island ($2695) + {Reproduction} Vintage Barstools ($295)
Weathered Zinc Single Fex Mirror ($849)
I adore the quatrefoil shape of this mirror. And, while I think I'd prefer the frame's finish in something a bit more glamorous (silver leaf, perhaps), I don't even mind the weathered zinc. As it is though, I'll be waiting for this piece to go on sale before I consider making the purchase.
Lafayette Chandelier ($399)
I was absolutely shocked when I saw this chandelier in the latest Pottery Barn catalogue. It's so chic! So Pieces, etc.! The red faux coral is the perfect hit of color for a breakfast room or den. I'd maximize the beachy feel of it by pairing it when blues and turquoises -- and speaking of turquoise, wouldn't this be fabulous if there was a turquoise version? [Are you there, Pottery Barn? It's me, Averill. Bring back your Summer 2008 collection!]
43 comments:
- Dayka (Life +Style) said...
i totally agree about the books. something about displaying books you've never read seems so fake to me, but again, that's just me. i love antiques, but not stuff that's made to look antique (with a fake antique price tag to match!). i'm with you--just buy the real thing! :)
- April 6, 2010 at 9:14 AM
- Christy said...
Oh I loved this post Averill - I abhor all those same things - I mean seriously, book pages you haven't read as art?! Pitiful! And yes, that chandelier in turquoise would be oh-so-fabulous!
- April 6, 2010 at 9:16 AM
- Susan said...
Hi, I am new to your blog (Thanks, Holly, from Things that Inspire) and I have to say I agree with you! Frankly, I got the Restoration Hardware catalog and I thought it was cold and drab - everything was brown, gray, and neutral. I love color and while I think there is a place for neutrals, I'd like to see some turquoise or red or green mixed in with all those neutrals. It doesn't feel warm or inviting to me to be so monochromatic.
I like what I've seen of your blog and hope to spend some time reading through your older posts. You've done a great job with your rooms!
- April 6, 2010 at 9:27 AM
- Liz @ It's Great To Be Home said...
Agree about the books and that PB chandelier! The faux red coral is such an awesome pop of color - long live color!!!
- April 6, 2010 at 9:37 AM
- Karen@StrictlySimpleStyle said...
I too get a good belly laugh when I see massed produced "found" objects advertised in catalogs. However, I will say that I like the look of authentic salvaged pieces like those advertised in RH. I love your colorful home too, but I'm not opposed to homes with gorgeous old pieces as the center of attention rather than color. Given that the pieces are authentic, I think a home can get away with little color.
My suggestion for those who like that look are to go to antique malls, flea markets and salvage yards. (My post for tomorrow is on tips for flea market shopping.)
- April 6, 2010 at 9:50 AM
- Marija said...
Many of the things in the catalog and your post I actually like (the dining chairs, the roomy baskets, the reclaimed island) but I cannot stand the sad way they are merchandised. Why not hook that island up with some chrome Bertoia chairs? Let's see those linen chairs at a rich, dark, elegant dining table. I'm not feeling a whole lot of creativity coming out of that catalog. So much for inspiration.
The book thing. Wow. if you want to buy books that perhaps you aspire to read, that's one thing. Maybe on a rainy Saturday afternoon you'll pick one up and read it...but buying old books that are bundled together that you can't even open let alone read? Totally pretentious. And then when this is out of fashion, do you just throw them out? It's akin to faux flowers, really.
I will, however, happily take just about anything from their Outdoor Garden Collection!
- April 6, 2010 at 9:52 AM
- Isabella & Max Rooms said...
I enjoy reading a post where the writer has a strong opinion, I agree with many of your points and laughed at the comment, "we aren't poor, we just decorate like it"!
What?! That chandelier is wonderful. Crazy, when I saw it I had a similar thought about the color, thinking, could I paint the beads?
- April 6, 2010 at 9:56 AM
- Tracy @ ComfortandLuxury said...
You are not alone in your frustration! Grey on grey on brown (with some more grey thrown in just for kicks) can look good but it mostly comes off very contrived to me. Most any design with such a tightly edited color story and aesthetic does. I feel the same about all white. If you truly enjoy those looks, it shows. There's a warmth that comes from it that an interior put together just for show and to keep up with "trends" doesn't have. As for "books as decor", if I had an enormous house with a dedicated library, some of the books required to fill it would have to be bought by the yard. But here in my little house with a handful of bookcase, they're all mine. Books wrapped up in coordinated paper bug me too because it reduces them to props.
Thanks for the opportunity to rant with you, Averill!
- April 6, 2010 at 10:00 AM
- Averill said...
Marija - Totally agree re RH's outdoor furniture collection; it's all gorgeous, but I particularly love the Klismos collection.
Karen - I'm all for authentic found objects but, like you, prefer ones that have been culled from antique shops, flea markets, etc. Half the fun is in the hunt and that back story gives them a personal touch that I think all accessories should have.
Tracy - Books wrapped in coordinating paper bug the heck out of me, too! Just saw a room full of them not long ago...will see if I can find the picture.
- April 6, 2010 at 10:04 AM
- MyLittleHappyPlace said...
Very valid points. I think a whole room of ANY one style is rather unimaginative, but I guess to each his own...
I too was pleasantly surprised with the "coral" chandy from PB - looks like they did a good job on reproducing coral, and yes, they definitely need a fabulous Turq-WAZ version!
- April 6, 2010 at 10:31 AM
- Laura@JourneyChic said...
I love the honesty, Averill! Too often blogs seem to suck up to stores/brands/trends, and it's great that you called out some of the popular ones. Those ripped books are absolutely absurd! it's like buying pre-ripped jeans. If you want to recycle your own books to try a new decorating trend, go ahead. But spend money on something that's destroyed? I don't get it.
- April 6, 2010 at 11:36 AM
- Acanthus and Acorn said...
First, the easy one...I too almost fell over when I saw the red-beaded PB chandelier. Such a welcome surprise.
I do like the Belgian look...but agree w/Marija. That sad, "formula" driven way RH has adopted as their signature style is dismal and it's hard to appreciate the gems that are really worth incorporating into decor.
Ok on to books...you now I love the Penquin classics! I also have other beautiful classics handed down from parents and many antigue books. I have not read them all, but do enjoy their company very much! I do source out books for clients based on color, content, etc...it's just a fact of design.
I'll tell you what I really dislike...the faux books that are really boxes!!! And, any faux flower and plants!
- April 6, 2010 at 11:48 AM
- Poindexter said...
I'm with you on your assessment of colorless grey interiors - more is not more. I'm somewhat a fan of using touches of humble materials here and there, where it makes sense. But you're right, it's not like we're children of the Great Depression. Our grandmothers used the cloth from feed sacks for good reason, it's not a fashion statement!
- April 6, 2010 at 12:09 PM
- Valerie said...
I agree...but I think retailers always "over do it" in their catalogs deliberately to get your attention. Have you ever seen a Company C catalog? If you decorated like that you'd need sunglasses just to walk around your house. No home is going to feel like one if you purchased everything from the same store or even at the same time. I just wonder who does buy overpriced antique book bundles? I'd go to a used book store and make the bundles myself if I wanted that look. Oh well, to each their own. :)
- April 6, 2010 at 12:13 PM
- Couture Carrie said...
Agreed, darling!
On all counts!
- April 6, 2010 at 12:29 PM
- EAC said...
I do love the Belgian/Industrial look, but I also realize it is a trend for most. To spend the amount of money Restoration Hardware is asking just sucks all the creativity out of it. I might spend more on antiques, because there is a limited supply, but cannot justify spending that much on something that is readily available to all of America. RH & PB are businesses, though, and need to base their offerings on what will sell, and that means selling what America sees in shelter magazine after shelter magazine. To your point- While I can comprehend folks purchasing books because they appreciate the cover design, fake books are always in bad taste.
- April 6, 2010 at 1:07 PM
- Frøken Frost said...
I have to say: I <3 your blog!
Accidently came across it searching for eclectic interior designs. Lucky me! =) You post so many beautiful things I would love for my apartement. Thing is I live all the way over in Norway... I get lots of inspiration from the pictures though!
I'll be visiting your blog frequently here after!
Have a wonderful evening.
Ms. Frost
- April 6, 2010 at 1:39 PM
- Tara said...
I so enjoy reading your very well written posts. India Hicks (following after her father) swathed every book in white paper. Looks seamless in her Caribbean Beach house, but not practical. I agree with you Averill, the patina and character in my home is on the junk we've enjoyed accumulating for years. Our stories and love would not be had I purchased everything from RH's latest fad.
- April 6, 2010 at 1:49 PM
- Kathysue said...
Averill, you know I am a faithful follower and love your blog. I think you and I have some of the same design aesthetics. I am a lover of classic and colors. I agree totally about the books. I do not like anything that looks decorated or contrived and the shabby mis-treated books are both. I think when you see a look in all the catalogs it is on its way out! I think the die-hard collectors of Swedish and Belgian design will still be using it in their homes after it is a passing trend. Just like shabby chic, Tuscan, Country or any of the other trends that come and go. I like that you spoke out so wonderfully , Bravo to you Averill. Love your style and your blog!! Kathysue
- April 6, 2010 at 3:01 PM
- High-Heeled Foot in the door said...
Totally agreed with you on all your points.
When I went to the home shop this year I was so sad to see that the Swedish and Belgian look was still going strong.
Yes it's pretty, but there is more in the design world. I wanted to see something new and fresh, but sadly it looked just like it did the year before.
- April 6, 2010 at 3:49 PM
- The Zhush said...
Averill, I loved this post so much! I too really like the catalogs, especially RH, but when I got the latest one, I tossed it immediately feeling uninspired. I am a huge fan of gray, totally appreciate Belgian style, but the sepia-blah-gray tone of this last collection, ech! We have a few antique books in our house, that we will probably never read, BUT, they are real antiques, either purchased by us b/c of a very meaningful title or gifted to us for the same reason. That bundle of ratty paper in the first image seems like a practical joke!
- April 6, 2010 at 4:42 PM
- Kelle Dame said...
I hear ya! I couldn't quite figure out why the latest RH bugged me so much and now I get it!
- April 6, 2010 at 7:32 PM
- Kitty said...
I don't know which is more stupid: the books or the burlap cloth. My son and nephew have built more aesthetically pleasing forts out of afghans and boxes in the living room! A fool and his money are soon parted. Thanks for telling people what NOT to do, Averill! Love, Kitty
- April 6, 2010 at 7:32 PM
- Emily A. Clark said...
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed your soapbox. It's refreshing to read someone's real opinion rather than just "loving" a bunch of design trends because every one else in blog land says you should. Good for you!
I agree that the books are pretty ridiculous.
- April 6, 2010 at 7:59 PM
- Sanity Fair said...
A note to PB and CB: STOP recreating over-priced Cracker Barrel store scenarios. At least Cracker Barrel's crap is actually old.
And that's HORRIBLE about the books! Couldn't those books go to schools or other places where people could use them? At least don't deface and devalue them. Ugh. I'm completely with you on this Averill - it's the worst.
- April 6, 2010 at 8:44 PM
- Angie said...
Thank God. Someone finally is brave enough to speak up about this trend. The awful "vintage" books, the overdone Belgian look, the wanna-be antiques! Enough!
- April 6, 2010 at 8:59 PM
- Dumbwit Tellher said...
Maybe this is a nod to how we should be feeling about our depressed economy. Our homes are to reflect a depressed mood? I couldn't live that way either, especially with tattered books. I'd feel like I would need to repair them. Our homes should be all about our personalities. Those rooms lack any & all. We were thinking a like on the PB chandelier, when I opened the catalog last week I was shocked what a striking fixture that was. Love the pop of red.
Great, honest post Averill!
P.S. - are you by any chance attending the All the Best Blog/ Tory Burch cocktail party April 29th at the Galleria?
- April 6, 2010 at 9:04 PM
- Things That Inspire said...
Love this post...I am in wholehearted agreement about the discomfort of using books as ornament. It all started back in the day of that company that sold 'leather bound classics' just for the sake of creating a library that looks like it belongs to an erudite person (I love using my SAT words on your blog).
Although, I must admit, I make an exception for the library on the cover of Suzanne Kasler's book - so color coordinated - it is simply the use of books as sculpture.
- April 6, 2010 at 9:42 PM
- Jenn said...
Even though I'm totally someone who buys books for their cover, I'm with you on this one.
I hate the de-personalization (is that a word?) of accessories from the chain stores. Don't get me wrong, I'm not above a good Pottery Barn piece every now and then...but accessories give your home personality. So it should be yours, right?
- April 6, 2010 at 10:39 PM
- Karena said...
I agree with so many of your comments. There is such a thing as repurposing instead of buying new, new, new!! Occasionally fine, however I love to see estate sale finds, family pieces and keeping nice furnishings of your own and recovering, etc.
Art by Karena
- April 6, 2010 at 11:09 PM
- Susie @ Maddie's Nest said...
I received my Architectural Digest this week and there is a three page RH ad near the front....totally blah and drab if you ask me. I don't really buy much from them, I'll occasionally drop through their outlet store but the stuff is usually really damaged. That said, some of their stuff I can appreciate to stand alone....but putting it all together as they do in their latest ads/catalog is totally depressing, I'd agree. And, I have to agree somewhat on the books....luckly my husband will only read harcovers....so I have plenty of used books for our displays....if you can get over the fact that they all revolve around world wars or religious crusades!
- April 7, 2010 at 7:28 AM
- maureen @ The Inglenook Decor said...
Averill! I'm so with u on the book things...I think Anthropologie is doing that too. We all should have books that we actually read, whether it looks vintage or not. And as far as vintage pieces, I'm with u on that too. Reproductions are ok but not too much. I'd like to touch,see & feel the real thing.I was gasping with delight last weekend at Roundtop. I saw pieces with so much history that the owners are so proud to state. I mean 18th century cake closets...amazing!
On another note, if u're looking for a turquoise chandelier,this one doesn't look the same as the one above but may be close.
It's the catalonia chandelier from Shine Home
Happy Wednesday!
- April 7, 2010 at 9:24 AM
- Kara said...
Great post!! And I totally agree everything. It's so sad we can be swayed by so many trends - this is one I think is ridiculous. Buying new "old" things. Crazy!
- April 7, 2010 at 9:31 AM
- SogniSorrisi said...
I agree with A LOT of what you are saying! If you are displaying books I think it should express something about you as a person. There are even those faux books that things can be stored in and I always thought those were so funny and not something I would ever have in my own home (to each their own of course!)
I also agree that too much grey and beige can be depressing. I like a room with life and personality.
I do like that round table in the third last photo, though. Just not with those chairs.
- April 7, 2010 at 9:38 AM
- Style Redux 2 said...
Great post and totally agree. I would love to see more honesty like this on blogs.
- April 7, 2010 at 9:50 AM
- Dumbwit Tellher said...
Sorry gave you the wrong date for the ATB/Tory Burch event - it's Mon. the 26th 6pm-8pm.
- April 7, 2010 at 9:58 AM
- Nichole@40daysof said...
Well said! Maybe all of these companies are having an identity crisis as move out of the beige and brown trend and into the gray and white trend. I think I read about this trend switch over at Colour Me Happy.
- April 7, 2010 at 12:18 PM
- Patch said...
Amen sister! It's the same thing as super-pre-distressed jeans and "vintage" t-shirts en masse. Fake substance. Ick.
- April 7, 2010 at 2:15 PM
- serena at the urban farmhouse said...
I just found your blog and find your candor so refreshing! I too, am confused by the concept of 'not-real' books. As an avid reader living in a smallish house, it always pains me to have to purge books for which space won't allow.
As far as RH, I happen to really like their distressed and neutral look. As some of the other commenters pointed out, a piece here and there is the goal, they just have to display everything together. I think we can all agree that the new look is a dramatic improvement from their former style!
- April 7, 2010 at 4:43 PM
- Southern Aspirations said...
well girly you got quite a response today! I will admit that I like the fourth photo, but what I don't like is how formulaic much of this is. Especially as I, like you, am redoing my home- I DON"T want something that will look dated in 2 years. Appreciate the candor.
- April 7, 2010 at 7:12 PM
- Cote de Texas said...
Well, I have a thing for antique books that I absolutely don't read. To me, the book itself is a piece of beauty, a work of art: the worn leather, the gilt lettering, the yellowing and dried out pages - i even like pages that are torn from the cover and held together with twine. so, yes, books ARE to be read, but books can also be an object of beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, no?
great article, great chandelier - hadn't seen that one yet.
- April 8, 2010 at 3:53 PM
- Kate Coveny Hood said...
I loved reading this. I've thought many of the same things myself - and this made me laugh. It reminds me of the Friends episode when Rachael has to lie to Phoebe about where she got her new "apothocary table" from Pottery Barn and says it's an antique. Then she goes over to Ross' apartment and he has the same one. While I love a lot of Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware merchandise and styling, it does get rather ubiquitous. And some of the trends (like those book bundles and BURLAP!) are just silly.
- April 9, 2010 at 7:05 AM
- The Matters of Style Girls said...
It's like you've read our minds. We love a good book collection but are always wondering if these people who have 1,000 books have actually read any of them! And so true about the "found" furniture- go "find" it at an antique store or flea market, not at pottery barn!
- April 12, 2010 at 4:24 PM


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Andre Berto (Boxer): Beyond the Ring [Episode 2 Leading Up To His Boxing Fight April 16th][User Submitted]
Andre Berto - Beyond the Ring Episode 2
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Traditional field hunts of the wily ringneck pheasant and Kansas greater prairie chicken have been the specialty of Ringneck Ranch for over 34 years.
Since 1983 Ringneck Ranch has welcomed upland hunters to the tranquil Carr Creek Valley in the rolling Blue Hills. Our 5,000+ acres of licensed CSA is carefully managed habitat offering the finest wingshooting in Kansas today. With the welcoming staff, comfortable accommodations in the center of the hunting grounds, and hearty country gourmet meals, you and your hunting guests are guaranteed to always leave with memories lasting a lifetime. Come to Kansas with your friends, family or clients for a wonderful, quality upland game bird hunt at Ringneck Ranch, a Cabela's Outdoor Adventures Wingshooting Destination since 2002.
I have chased pheasants in South Dakota a few times and I can comfortably say that your establishment wins hands down. The personnel and the setting at the ranch are hard to beat. I will definitely try to make it an annual event."


text:
Eagles CB Fletcher out with concussion vs Chargers
September 15, 2013
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Bradley Fletcher is inactive against San Diego because of a concussion.
Fletcher started for the Eagles in their season-opening win against Washington. He was injured in the fourth quarter when he collided with a teammate.
Quarterback Matt Barkley, cornerback Shaun Prater, tackles Matt Tobin and Dennis Kelly, defensive end Vinny Curry and tight end Emil Igwenagu also were inactive Sunday.
Chargers linebacker Manti Te'o remained out with a sprained right foot. Quarterback Brad Sorensen, wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu, safety Brandon Taylor, linebacker Terrell Manning, guard Johnnie Troutman and defensive end Drake Nevis also were inactive.
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org


text:
Brand new gameplay footage of Dragon Age 2 from the Igromir Expo 2010. The video shows the battle system and pure gameplay.
Youtube link:
Thank you, website is full of pop ups and shi*
Edit---good old Mage tactic, run, spell, run some more. 70% of the time, it works every time
hahaha yep that's exactly what i was thinking while watching, runnnn! =)
game looks good so far though. def picking up the second one
I'm still playing Dragon Age Origins lol.
I've nearly completed it though, done everything except the Dalish, then i'm off to Denerim.
Anyway, Looks brilliant.
Game looks like it have been simplified immensely so that the battle system is useable on consoles. I never played the first one but watching my roomate play it, well it looked clunky to say the least.
In this video I do not see the player controlling their AI partners AT ALL. Maybe you can do something with them, and these demo'ers did not know how to use it much yet, but this does not bode well for people who want this to be as old school as the original was.
I do however have faith in Bioware, even after the Mass Effect 2 simplification debacle, so I should not base my opinion of this game on 5 minutes of demo gameplay.
By the way, the environments look awesome. Dark fantasy FTW.
ummmm someone put the wrong video up. This is dynasty warriors =\
Yeah, they made it into a brawler type game instead of an rpg tactics game. He didnt even pause the game once during combat.
Thanks for the link, the site in the article is filled with popups and crap.
im dign the new gameplay,i didnt really get into the first one,but will try it again at some point,i like the action of the new dragons age
This gameplay is designed by people like you- who couldn't get even the most basic of RPGs!
...C'mon, BioWare.
Not to be as harsh as the poster above since many people do enjoy simplistic and user friendly game interfaces (and combat mechanics), I still have to point out that dumbing down an RPG in order to appeal to the more "hack-o slash-o, button mash-o" audience is kinda disrespectful from Bioware's part. Sure, it is their ip and they can do whatever they feel like (in order to rank up sales, etc) but taken the overall complexity out of a genre that has been defined by it is just plain disrespect for that same genre that made them so popular.
PS: Not to be confused with simply bashing this new idea. I do agree that the system needed some fines in order to be more pleasurable to use, but dumping it completely and starting over with a hack&slash is something too drastic for an RPG.
RIP Bioware
you had a long run, but couldn't resist the noobs in your focus test groups...
Don't know i think the player in this video is just playing like a button smasher i have seen videos where they really go tactical switching between characters placing rogue types behind the enemies and stuff.
"This gameplay is designed by people like you- who couldn't get even the most basic of RPGs!"
I see some people prefer games where the character stands in place and slices their sword automatically every 14 seconds. Exciting stuff.
At least that requires some thinking unlike running around mashing buttons.
I didnt buy Dragon Age at launch. I heard it was pretty good from a few my friends and friends on live so i decided to give it a try. I played for like 4 hours and i just couldnt get into it. The combat is so slow and boring. Some of my favorite games were the KOTORs and the DAO combat still felt slow. Maybe Im just over the turn based stuff but Dragon Age 2 looks much more fun then the original.
loving this... surely right up my list now
I really love Bioware, but what they are doing with this dumbing down is illogical.
Look at their sales for all their AAA games and you will notice something. That something is Mass Effect 2 is their smallest selling game ever. And Dragon Age 1 is their biggest ever. KOTOR and Mass Effect 1 also sold far higher than ME2.
So why on earth ME2erize DA2?! It defies logic!
I was quite annoyed when I heard you now cannot change your party members armor anymore. I loved doing that in DAO and in ME1, I spent hours customizing and mix/matching different armors in those games. ME2 felt empty without it. Don't get me wrong, ME2 is a good game, just not a good Bioware game.
could you tell me where you heard that about the armor? Because that would suck.
Jade Empire: Hack 'n' Slash Dragon Age Edition?
DA:O was excellent but the combat system needs a renovation. The old click on enemy run up to him and auto-hack n slash is tired.
It's looks like combo attacks may take place which would be refreshing.
That being said as long as it doesn't go Dynasty Warriors style it should be fine.
I don't see how it's tired if a big-budget game with that style of gameplay hasn't been done in 10 years.
Was the first one really that good? I never took the chance to play it but this one is really looking interesting.
Dragon Age: Origins is probably the second best game I've played this gen. Really really good game. It also has a 100 hour main story, then add Awakening, the DLC's and all the other Origin story's and it gets up to about a 150 hour game. Completely free of grind as well, it is all story and fun gameplay.
The characters are really well written too.
Im playing through it now. In my opinion it's over-rated with kinda ugly graphics and not great voice acting. Im playing it on 360 and its glaringly obvious this is meant to be played on PC.
Some poor voice syncing too.
Quoted for truth. If only Bioware would realize this.
ME2, DA2, down down down hill we go.
I'm trying to decide if I like the new art style. I think I do. It's more distinctive at least.
if they are going all action no pausing...
then give us multiplayer!!!
this game needs 4-player coop
wtf is this???? i was hoping they would keep combat the same or changee it to demon souls sorta
wtf is this ? And please for the love of god ban translate sites
Ugh I blame the childish console boys for this horrible disaster. No longer will RPGs be hardcore. Well at least SWTOR won't be touched by the plague that is the console.
to a console player DA combat system was always more action base.wer're use to turn based jrpg being the staple of are role playing needs.so blame it on whoever you want.not are (console palyers)fault that all ya'll (pc gamers)dev love to cater to us.they love us and i for one ain't hating them for it.
combat system is second to none in the genre.
That damn Ogre and his boulder throws. Maybe it's because I played the game on a console, but it doesn't seem right that I can be hit even if I've moved out of the field of view (eg. if I'm standing next to the Ogre when he throws the boulder, it shouldn't hit me.)
Target locking is stupid and it completely destroyed the game for me.
Wow this looks pretty boring...not sure what you did to DA Bioware...this is just button mashing.
WRPG's are supposed to be tactical, you can no longer call DA the spiritual successor to BG.
It would be nice if this was just for the console version and the PC remained true to the WRPG formula, but I'm scared this is not the case.
It's even worse that most players don't even know what people like us are talking about, as they just slid the difficulty down to the easiest level and never had to learn what spells and skills could turn their instant party wipe into a success.
Many of them don't even know that aspect of the game exists or at least not to the extent and detail that has been implemented. All they see is sub par animations of hacking and slashing and some people following them around automatically kicking ass.
So no wonder they don't get it, because honestly, the game doesn't do a very good job of explaining it. those of us who played BG, KOTOR, NWN, know that the pause and play is what makes the otherwise bland looking combat exhilarating...but to the people who haven't been taught how to use it, and who died instantly on normal and put the difficulty down and end up not needing to, are then judging the game from an incomplete standpoint. And so then by catering to this style will DA2 risk being incomplete as well...
Well said, these type of games are extremely fun on hard difficulties because it forces you to think and plan out and execute. When its on easy its exactly how this video looks, boring and not forcing anyone to use their brain.
they turn it to hack/slash game they should implement combo system also:(
Not sure what I think of that. I like hack/slash games, but I wasn't hoping to see DA2 end up as one.
At least you can run faster by looks of things in battle.
I always thought- how are you supposed to get away from rocks that ogres chuck if all you're doing is some dodgy crab walk?
If there's gonna be a DA3 they should make it 4-player co-op, it seems strange they didn't already.
I'll still get it though, but if it sucks, I'm gonna be one unhappy bunny. I really quite liked the first one
way to ruin a franchise for the sake of console sales, the first game was ok...but a HUGE downgrade in terms of scope from neverwinter nights 1 and 2 and all those tasty expansions, this one looks like a pile of dung in graphics, here's hoping the pc version is COMPLETELY different....that video looked like utter trash!
Dragon age 2 suffers from what 90% of games suffer from ai restraints,button lag,camera control issues,lack of fluid character animations & inescapable canned animations which are all really frustrating when your trying to react in time to attack,defend & maneuver around enemies attacks especially during intense set pieces during gameplay.
in the gameinformer cover story on DA2 a couple months back Bioware stated that the pc version will still be able to pause and play like the original and go top down and direct the game like a general commanding your troops. Their developing the game to the strength of "each" machine. How can you people loose faith in one of if not the best RPG developers??? I for one love everything Bioware does, and this game just reaffirms my beliefs in that.They show love to everyone.
who ever just disagreed with me im sorry you can't face the facts but ive seen these set of problems in 90% games this gen & it needs to stop.
has been consistently delivering a more and more watered down, consolized product with each new iteration. Mass Effect 1 to 2; huge downgrade and DA2 looks to be following that pattern. Plus the lack of classes and actual rpg-ness is an obvious nod to who they are now slave to- the masses.
And lets be honest, the masses generally like crap; justin bieber, farmville, facebook, myspace, twitter, ford products, apple, starbucks, walmart, and halo.
lady gaga
the drab, dour inequities of the human condition prevail.
there is no justice
Gosh the animation sucks. It's not as fluid and realistic as how they hadle swords compared to DA:O. There's something iffy about the HUD and HP bars too.. too boxy.
OFC, not the final judgement but this ain't looking good IMO.
if they somehow keep the same strategies of the first game while adding more of an instant command system pushing it closer to action rpg is say good job.
The masses can play game on normal or below and get the watered down cookie cutter hack and slash while we can play on hardest difficulty using tactics and full party command.
I felt that Mass effect 2 did a good job catering to both kinds of gamers. Mass effect 2 on the hardest difficulty is one of the best gaming experiences I have ever had, spent way too much time playing that one.
i mean look at mass effect 1 and 2 and jade dynasty all epic fails bioware is on its way out the door :|
on a more serious note i love the direction they are taking a real fan supports the devs with any decision they make as long as it benefits the game
but you guys judge because it isnt what become acustomed to glad you guys werent around before toliet paper are we wouldnt be wiping -_-
Bioware has sold out and all their games are gonna be dumb down for the console. I was looking forward to Star Wars: The Old Republic but after seeing some game play of it I'm on the fence. Anyway between Vindictus and the Witcher 2 I won't have time for Bioware Dragon Age Console Edition.


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Fat cat keeping his New Year's resolution to lose weight
HOUSTON — Despite some midnight raids on the food pantry, Tiny Tim has probably done better than most of us with his 2012 resolution to take off pounds.
A gray tabby with a personality as big as his backside, Tiny Tim has been working on his diet-and-exercise regimen since New Year's, when he topped 35 pounds.
Now, with loving care and veterinary expertise at Southside Place Animal Hospital in Houston, the still-fat cat has made it to 27.6 pounds on the long way down to his goal weight.
"I think in an ideal world, he'd be like a 12-to-14-pound cat," said Dr. Jessica Reyna, one of four veterinarians caring for the big guy who's now a permanent resident at the clinic, where staffers call him Tiny.
Because rapid weight loss can be fatal in cats, Tiny's diet is closely monitored by the dozen clinic staff members.
He's allotted 300 calories a day, divided into two portions.
For the first five or six months of the year, his weight loss was slow but steady until he hit a puzzling plateau.
"We just couldn't get him below the 30-pound mark," Reyna said.
A staff member solved the mystery when she went to the storage closet that had become Tiny's bedroom. As she picked up an unopened, 28-pound bag of dog food for a client, food trickled out the bottom.
"We realized he had very surreptitiously chewed a hole in the bag, so at night when we would put him up, he would be having midnight snacks," Reyna said.
"He wouldn't do it in front of us during the day, and there would never be a scrap or a kibble left on the floor," she said.
Still quite food-driven, Tiny gets exercise walking back and forth to his food bowl at the front of the clinic. To make sure he keeps moving, staffers carry him to the front several times a day, releasing him to make his way to his bed in the back.
"He is still very stiff, but he is moving so much better and so much more than he did when we first got him," Reyna said.
Picked up by city animal control workers shortly before Christmas last year in far southwest Houston, Tim was so obese he could barely walk when he arrived at BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions.
Members of the Friends of BARC volunteer group who brought dinner to the city shelter staff last Christmas Eve met the fat cat and quickly bestowed his ironic nickname.
The volunteers decided to take on his recovery as a project, starting with removal from the shelter.
The day after Christmas, Friends volunteer Tim Hebert delivered the stunningly large cat to the Southside Place clinic owned by Dr. Alice Frei. After fruitless attempts to find Tiny's previous owner and several months of treatment, Frei and the clinic staff decided to keep him as a permanent resident.
"As heavy as he is, he's predisposed to become diabetic," Reyna said. "He's got some special needs, and of course now we've all fallen in love with him."
It's a natural response to a loving cat, said Hebert, who still visits Tiny.
"I'll frequently go in there and lay down right beside him, because he can't jump in your lap," Hebert said. "He looks at you with such love and devotion."
Next up for the celebrity cat who has his own Facebook page, Tiny Tim at Spah, is fatty acid treatments for flaky skin.
"They can really help with skin problems, but they're caloric, so we want to wait until he gets below 25 pounds before we add that on," Reyna said.


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Hmm, here is another idea, since you don't like the 'theives don't respawn' thought:
Thieves LOOSE points for every guard they whack.
Again, this does away with DM games, the time limit, and make it more challenging for the thief.
And Mad_Gerbil won't whine as much. Of course you could just give him his own forum category when the new TUT forums are up. "Mad_Gerbil's whine tasting room" or words to that effect.


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Tuesday, March 09, 2010
UPDATED: The pot calling the kettle black...Ball, Landis, Pevenage, oh my!
VN: What about Freddy Rodriguez and Floyd Landis?
Ball: Let me tell you something about Floyd. I like the guy, but his idea of business dealings were not a lot to be desired. It didn't work out in the end because I couldn't take his word, so it ended. I'm fine with that. It didn't end in a bad way, but didn't end in a good way.
Of course, further down the same continuum you have Rudy Pevenage, former coach to Jan "Hijo de Rudicio" Ullrich, complaining about not being paid several months' salary by Ball's Rock, moaning, "There were huge promises, but they were never fulfilled."
Ahhh, cycling. Where we all seem to deserve each other.
interview (not in part 2), Ball shows that he plays no favorites with his American riders, saying basically that Fred Rodriguez, who - to the best of my knowledge - never courted scandal or a bad image in the press, was such a douche-bag that no one on the team wanted to race with him.
VN: What about Fred Rodriguez? He has been with you since the beginning.
Ball: "I have to be honest with you, no one wanted to race with Freddy. The other riders did not want to race with him. He is a great guy, great athlete, but very difficult. What am I supposed to do when they [riders] are saying they do not want to race with him? You have to have the team dynamics. It's unfortunate, he is a great athlete and great guy, but I can't pay him for nothing..."
I personally always thought it was a shame that Fast Freddy had to return from the Continent, where he raced alongside some of the greatest names in cycling and three times wore the jersey of US Pro Champion, to finish his career in obscurity. It's not an end befitting such a champion and I'd like to see Ed Hood or Lucho interview Rodriguez so that we can learn what the real story is. UPDATED: It would also be nice to see Floyd Landis demonstrate to everyone that his word is his honor. I know from personal experience that it's not easy, but it's liberating - the truth will truly set you free.
9 comments:
Doesn't he also say no one liked racing with Fast Freddy in that interview?ReplyDelete
Indeed he does. See updated post...ReplyDelete
Joe, I find the statement "...pot calling the kettle black..." overtly racist. I prefer "...the twink calling the fag a homo..."ReplyDelete
As a Twinkie myself, I find your comments anti-processed snack food, Burt. Go make love to the ass of a bull, you monkey-fucker.ReplyDelete
- dirty10 March, 2010 13:46
One of my friends had a contract for Rock last year and not only did they fuck him and not race him at all, they still owe him back pay. Oh, he also confirmed that Freddy was, and is, a tremendous douche Lord. And this has nothing to do with cycling, but Mikey Ball settled out of court with a woman last year (former employee of the Rock and Republic company) who accused him of sexually assaulting her...from what I hear.ReplyDelete
Dirty, thanks for the comment. Pappillon just wants to clarify that Dirty's comment, while very interesting, great reading and in-line with what many others have said off the record, is not something we consider to be statement of fact, nor do we endorse it as such.ReplyDelete
Hey, anyone have the URL to the pseudo video of FR moaning to the neutral support mechanic about a wheel change, in-race? I'll look again but I couldn't find it. It's one of those "enter the dialogue, and our CGG animations will act it out for you" vids...
- Little Birdy Told Me10 March, 2010 15:01
Usually when a rip off scammer like Ball says someone is a prick, it means that someone demanded their money and knew hey were entitled to it and didn't back down from bringing legal heat.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous12 March, 2010 08:37
im not a douche detector and i dont play one on tv but i was able to talk to FF while rock racing was in arlington va for the clarendon cup and man that dude was cool. gave me free swag, let me peek on the bus, told me all about his "insanely sweet derosa" his words. took time to explain some tips on setting up a good position on the bike and in general was just a cool dude. then i saw him again at the ING direct race in DC and he totally remembered me actually waved to me while he passed by me and a group of friends which made me look cool as hell then he stopped later and autographed a bunch of stuff for my friends. total professional with a long history of coolness and some pretty righteous results racing wise. something you cant say about Mr. Ball.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous12 March, 2010 20:17
I met Fast Freddy at the NYC criterium (sponsored by BMC) one year...when Lance rode it, I believe...anyone remember when that was? Rodriguez DNF'ed I think b/c of a mechanical. Very nice guy to this fan. Not sure how he is behind closed doors but certainly didn't come across as being a douche.ReplyDelete
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Monday, May 2, 2011
Cowboys Free Agency Plans Have Been Revealed
The drafting of Tyron Smith seems to indicate that Marc Colombo may be done in Dallas. I have serious doubts that the Cowboys have any desire to keep Colombo around after picking a tackle with the #9 pick in the draft. You don't pick a top ten player to sit him on the bench. And I don't see Colombo being ok with restructuring his contract and riding the pine next year.
The DeMarco Murray signing probably signals the end of Marion Barber's career in Dallas. The Cowboys need three running backs and they currently have four on the roster. It would be hard to imagine Barber coming back for another year with his bloated contract and deteriorating skills.
Safety will be the #1 priority in free agency. Gerald Sensabaugh will be a free agent and the Cowboys have made it clear that they intend to move Alan Ball back to cornerback this year. I don't think Barry Church is ready to step into a starting role and there really isn't anyone else on the roster who could even be considered a potential starter next year. So the Cowboys will likely re-sign Sensabaugh and then target one of the top free agent safeties. With the money they'll free up by cutting Barber, Colombo and maybe a few other veterans they should have the money to go after a top tier safety.
Defensive end is the #2 priority in free agency. I didn't name this the #1 priority only because I believe the Cowboys plan to re-sign Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen. And if Marcus Spears tests the market in free agency he might find that Dallas might not be so bad after all. I think the Cowboys will bring back Hatcher and Bowen but hopefully they have a plan B in place in case they can't bring both guys back. By failing to draft a defensive end the Cowboys have back themselves into a corner at this position.
Sam Hurd has probably played his last down in Dallas. He was going to test the free agent market anyway, but now the Cowboys really have no reason to pursue him since they drafted Dwayne Harris out of East Carolina. He has return skills that will make him a valuable game day asset. So the wide receiver corp will probably be Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Roy Williams, Kevin Ogletree and Dwayne Harris on game days.
Hopefully the ruling will come down this week that forces the NFL to get the league year started so the Cowboys can fill their roster holes. I think they did a solid job with the draft, but we won't know for a few years if it was good or bad. But at least they addressed the offensive line and did enough that it isn't inconceivable that they can address enough of their needs in free agency to be a contender in 2011.
2 comments:
If there is no cap I'd like to see Dallas cut Leonard Davis and save on his contact. Davis looked like he was standing still at times last season. The Cowboys may be able to pick someone up via free agency to replace him unless Montrae can get the job done, it seems like his biggest draw back is that he can't play multiple positions so he's not a suitable option for a game day backup. Is he a viable option as a starter though? I did hear Stephen Jones say that depending on the system in place when the new league year begins they may dome be done aquiring guys on the offensive side of the ball. This line has needed an upgrade for years. They seem to have gotten stale. Of course IMO Dallas greatest need is safety (I've been saying that for years though)My top safety free agent choice is Weddle out of San Diego.ReplyDelete
- Sterling SmithMay 16, 2011 at 11:53 AM
I am in need of more info from this blog. 2 weeks is far too long to wait ;)ReplyDelete
Looking forward to more info.


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Giantin is a membrane-bound protein resident in the Golgi complex of mammalian cells. The glycoprotein, which can be found in the cis and medial Golgi regions, contains an elongated rod-like cytoplasmic domain that is at least 350 kiloDaltons in size. Highly conserved, giantin may be involved in intercisternal cross-bridge structures that are suspected to play a role in Golgi cisternae stacking. Moreover, studies indicate that endogenous giantin is very static, remaining in pericentriolar Golgi, rather than accumulating on Golgi-derived tubules with Brefeldin A treatment or onto newly formed Golgi mini-stacks upon depolymerization of microtubules. It has been suggested, therefore, that the association of giantin with the Golgi complex is very stable, and that the protein does not recycle to the endoplasmic reticulum in an efficient manner.
The U-2 OS cell culture featured above was fixed, permeabilized, washed, and blocked with 10-percent normal goat serum in phosphate-buffered saline prior to immunofluorescent labeling with rabbit primary antibodies to giantin, a protein resident in the Golgi complex of mammalian cells. The culture was subsequently stained with a mixture of secondary antibodies conjugated to Alexa Fluor 488. In addition, histones were immunofluorescently labeled with primary anti-histone mouse monoclonal antibodies followed by goat anti-mouse Fab heavy and light chain fragments conjugated to Texas Red. The filamentous actin network was counterstained with Alexa Fluor 350 conjugated to phalloidin. Images were recorded in grayscale with a QImaging Retiga Fast-EXi camera system coupled to an Olympus BX-51 microscope equipped with bandpass emission fluorescence filter optical blocks provided by Omega Optical. During the processing stage, individual image channels were pseudocolored with RGB values corresponding to each of the fluorophore emission spectral profiles.
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LA salvages draw with own goal
CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy rallied for a 2-2 draw with Portland on Friday night after the Timbers gave up an own goal in the 86th minute.
The Galaxy's Marcelo Sarvas sent a ball into the 6-yard box that was deflected into the net by Portland's Rauwshan McKenzie.
Los Angeles (5-3-6) scored in the 65th minute when Landon Donovan settled a ball outside the penalty area and tapped it to Marcelo Sarvas who sent a shot through traffic for a goal. It was Donovan's team-record 92nd assist for the Galaxy.
For the 13th time this year, Portland (4-5-9) gave up the opening goal - the most in Major League Soccer.
Two minutes later, the Timbers scored twice in a 3-minute span to take the lead. The first was a strike by Diego Valeri that was deflected into the net. The second came when Jorge Villafana knocked in failed clear.
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Add one of
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The Cliff House BlogHIGHWAY TO HEAVENLY VIEWS
01 Feb, 2014
There's more than one way to reach the summit of America's Mountain. Sure, you can hike but if you're in a hurry, hit the highway - the Pikes Peak Highway. Its a 19-mile stretch with 156 twists and turns to the 14,115-foot summit, where spectacular views (and very tasty donuts) await. Access the highway in Cascade, just four miles from Manitou Springs, and plan on a total round-trip time of at least two hours; and more if you decide to stay for lunch at the Summit House. The views are nothing sort of breathtaking. Sometimes, quite literally. If you find you're short of breath, drop by the oxygen bar at the Summit House to ease your altitude adjustment.
Address: Access the Pikes Peak Highway in nearby Cascade


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Sales Have Ended
Sales Have Ended
Move into bliss.
Join seasoned teacher and local resident Nicole in a one-hour, smooth-paced yoga class in the centre of Hamilton. With thoughtful instruction, you will be guided through a yoga flow class incorporating a balanced sequence of standing, seated and relaxation poses.
Whether you're looking to recharge after a busy week or reset for the week ahead, this class will reinvigorate and rejuvenate you while gently building strength and length in your body. This class is suitable for all levels of experience.
*Register Now! Space is Limited*
Do I have to pre-register?
You do not have to pre-register but we recommend it in case there are any last-minute scheduling changes so that we can notify participants.
How much do the classes cost?
These are donation-based "pay what you can" classes, so donations are welcome but not required. A small jar is in the studio for your donations. Money received through donations will support us to host more free classes!
What time does that class start?
Class starts promptly at 10:30am. Doors will open at 10:15am so you can arrive with enough time to sign in and set up for class.
I've never done yoga before, can I still participate?
Yes! Thorough instruction will be provided during the class and you are encouraged to take it at your own pace. A range of modifications are offered to suit your needs so you can practice at your own pace or ability. If you are working with any injuries or ailments, please raise this before class so we can discuss specific modifications to your practice.
Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the class?
You must be 18 years or older to participate. All participants will be required to fill out a health check form and/or waiver form prior to participating in the class.
What should I bring to the class?
Please bring:
- Yoga mat (a few mats are available to borrow if you do not have your own).
- Water bottle
- Comfortable exercise clothing
What are some of the benefits of yoga?
When practiced safely, yoga offers many physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits:
Increased flexibility.
Increased muscle strength and tone.
Improved respiration, energy and vitality.
Maintaining a balanced metabolism.
Weight reduction.
Cardio and circulatory health.
Improved athletic performance.
Protection from injury.
Where is the class located?
Classes are conveniently located at 93 Emerald St North, easily accessible by bus or car. Street parking is available on Emerald St North and surrounding blocks.
The classes take place in a beautiful, open and light-filled living space. The building was formerly used as a church but is now a home studio. As this is home to Nicole, her husband and their two cats, please be respectful of the space and treat it as you would your own.
Eeek! I'm allergic to cats. Can I still come?
Yes you can! The space is a cat-free zone during yoga classes but if you have a severe sensitivity or allergy to cats please be aware that there are cats on the property.
Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?
Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com with any questions.


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Dallas Event Features President White and Deans Phillips and Emmick• May 9, 2011 Share:
The Dallas-Ft. Worth crowd hosted President Pat White and Deans Gary Phillips and Joe Emmick last Friday evening.
President White delivered greetings from the college on the last day of classes. Dean Gary Phillips talked about the classroom experience at Wabash and then offered his personal insight on the new college course, Enduring Questions. After the talk, the President and Deans fielded questions.
Many thanks to Mike Gregory '70 who arranged the reception and dinner at La Cima. The view, as you can see below, was beautiful.
Top: Mike Gregory '70, Dean Joe Emmick '92, and Dan Susie '68
Bottom: the view from the dinner room at La Cima


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Mary-Kate Olsen & Olivier Sarkozy: Dinner with His Daughter!
Mary-Kate Olsen and boyfriend Olivier Sarkozy walk in NYC's West Village on Thursday (June 14).
The couple grabbed dinner together with his young daughter from his previous marriage to author Charlotte Bernard.
Mary-Kate and Olivier – a banker who is the half-brother of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy – were first spotted together at a New York Knicks game in April. They also reportedly time in the Hamptons over the Memorial Day weekend.
Also pictured inside: MK and twin sis Ashley leaving Sant Ambroeus restaurant on Monday (June 18) in New York City.
10+ pictures inside of Mary-Kate and Ashley leaving lunch in NYC…


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All Good Things…
By Dorothy Jean Weaver
Greetings, friends!
This is just a brief and final note to let you know that we have now arrived home, safely and with deep gratitude, from our Middle East sojourn in Israel/Palestine.
Last Friday morning, May 27, we enjoyed a final retreat and a closing Communion Service together at our lodgings on the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It was a special gift to have time alone for personal reflection and journaling and then to regather for a time of shared reflections around the circle. And it was likewise a special gift to share the bread and cup with each other in our final worship service together. Following our morning of "retreat," we had a wonderful lunch of St. Peter's Fish (aka tilapia) in the dining room of our guest house, in place of the sandwiches which had been "Plan A" for that meal. I noted to the group that Jesus had turned water into wine, while Tony, our inimitable tour guide, through his interventions with the travel agency on our behalf, had turned sandwiches into St. Peter's Fish! (He liked that little joke.)
From the Mount of Beatitudes we headed south and west to Caesarea Maritima, the amazing sea harbor built by Herod the Great and the site where Paul was held in custody for several years and from which he set off by ship for Rome. Here we paid a short visit to the aquaduct (and the beach!), then visited the archaeological site. And from Caesarea we headed on south to Netanya on the coast and the Blue Bay, a hotel situated directly on the shore of the Mediterranean. It was a striking setting for our last few hours in the Holy Land. And the sound of the waves was delightful background music throughout our short stay. But our time was very brief. At 12:00 midnight we rolled out of bed, ever-so-unwillingly, to drag our bags down to the reception, drink early-morning beverages, and wait for our bus driver to show up and open the bus for our trip to Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion International Airport.
We were on the road by 1:00 AM and at the airport prior to 2:00 AM, in advance of our 5:30 AM flight to Frankfurt and our onward flight to Washington Dulles. It took several hours before we had all cleared security and checked in for our flight. And then it was all over except for the long, long, long flight home and the 31-hour day (24 + 7) which replaced for us the seven hours that we had lost on the trip east some 3 1/2 weeks earlier.
And now we are home, in body and in spirit. But our trip will continue to live with us in coming days and weeks and on into the future, as we reflect on all that we have encountered and experienced. Our worlds will never be quite the same again. And that is the gift–and the ongoing challenge–of travel and encounter with new worlds and new people.
Thanks to all of you for your participation in our journey as you have read our daily blogs and prayed for us along the way! We are deeply grateful for your gifts of interest and support as we have traveled. And if any of you have been intrigued by our travel experiences and would love to join such a travel group in future (2013), please feel free to be in touch. We would love to hear from you.


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During these tough economic times, many electrical contractors in the residential service business — much like professionals in other industries — are simply hanging on until things turn around. But what if you could actually grow your business now, instead of only treading water?
On the residential services side of the business, my firm maintained double-digit profitability in 2008 with more than 70% growth in sales. In fact, we've already exceeded last year's sales through February by 20%. Our minimum goal for this year is to increase sales by 9%; however, our target is to gain 10% on top of that. I believe we can achieve this goal in spite of the gloomy market forecast for several reasons: 1) We practice the fundamentals; 2) we are marketing harder now than ever before to build our brand; and 3) we track our numbers daily.
Here are five tips you can use to help grow your business in this dismal economy. This isn't crystal ball stuff — it's what we do every day.
1. Track your numbers.
Once we started departmentalizing our business between commercial and residential, we started really tracking the numbers. There is a lot of risk with new construction you can't actually manage, such as delays in client decisions or dependence on other trades for completion. It's difficult to get in and out on a timely basis so you can make money.
If you don't departmentalize your business, you don't really know what's making you money and what's costing you money. Our top three performance indicators are: 1) Number of calls coming in; 2) closing percentage on those calls; and 3) average ticket values. Amazingly, from January 2008 through January 2009, we were within five calls a month to the budget we designed.
2. Market more than ever.
One reason for our consistent sales performance is that we plan our marketing efforts to achieve the number of calls we need. We are much more proactive now than we have ever been — and we haven't cut back on our marketing. In fact, times like these provide an opportunity because most competitors are cutting back. This is a chance to really build the brand. Then, when the economy turns around, our brand will have won greater market awareness.
We don't just throw our money at marketing, and hope it sticks. We track our leads monthly and adjust our budget accordingly. It can be tough to know if marketing tools are working in this economy, so it does take some perseverance. Nevertheless, we tweak proven tools that aren't working as well, and we're always looking for new ideas.
3. Think like a customer.
Our customers are constantly being pounded with negative media messages about the economy. Of course, they are tightening their purse strings. However, what's important to realize is that sometimes a small repair now can head off a major expensive problem later. The last thing we want is a customer calling us back to repair something that we walked right past when we were there. It's our job to evaluate their systems to prevent serious breakdowns and advise on cost-effective prevention.
Life safety devices, such as smoke detectors, arc fault breakers, and ground fault receptacles, weren't available when the majority of houses were built years ago. We are the electrical experts; therefore, we should educate our customers on what's available and how these products could save a life. The customer doesn't have to rewire the whole house and spend a fortune, but if life safety devices are required on new homes these days, it's even more important to retrofit an older structure.
4. Find your strength, and train on it.
Our business model succeeds partly because our highly knowledgeable technical staff is also trained to provide impeccable customer service and professional consultation. That is our strength, but it is a whole new way of thinking for an electrician. Electricians are generally trained to think in terms of production on a job — how much line was pulled, how many boxes installed, etc.
Changing that mindset in my business was a challenge; however, we kept at it through constant training and paying attention to customer feedback. We train several times a week on technical as well as communication skills. We practice our systems and even use online courses provided by the franchise system, which allows our employees to repeat essential training without the cost of travel or tuition.
5. Stay in tune with your industry.
Talk with other owners nationwide about the issues and opportunities they face every day. Trade associations and business development organizations can offer similar benefits. There's nothing like being able to hash out an issue with someone who has been there or is dealing with the same situation. We can learn quite a bit from listening to our peers.
It's reassuring to know that even in tough economic times, there are proactive steps, such as those outlined above, you can take to build a stronger business. When the economy turns around — and it will — you'll be one of the few left standing, ready to capitalize on pent-up demand.
Murdy owns the Mister Sparky franchise serving Nassau County on Long Island, N.Y. He can be reached at [email protected].


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Burlington City Manager Harold Owen called the city�s most recent requests for water, which beg the question of annexation, a �difficult policy issue.�
Burlington leaders have to decide whether or not the city will extend water lines to property owners who live outside city limits, but close to the newly laid utility lines serving the planned Sheetz distribution center on Whites Kennel Road.
Shortly after Burlington approved incentives in September to bring the Sheetz distribution center to the site in September, the city extended water and sewer services to the location with the help of a state grant.
In October, City Engineer Lanny Rhew said not only will the extended water line serve the 43-acre Sheetz facility, it also �opens up 100 additional acres of vacant industrial-zoned property, and the potential to serve 200 acres of commercial property with water.�
Meanwhile, a couple of residential property owners living just past the site are having trouble securing city water for their homes, and Burlington is faced with a possible annexation conundrum.
Sharon McGee, who lives at 2054 Gardner Holt Road, and Elmer and Bonnie Foster at 1511 Whites Kennel Road, submitted requests for water service to Burlington�s Planning Department.
�Those requests came to me in early October, and they�d just installed the water line along Whites Kennel,� said City Planner Daniel Shoffner. He said once that water line was extended to service the Sheetz building, city staff figured property owners would begin asking to tap onto the line.
However, Shoffner said, it�s not that simple in the case of these two property owners.
Though the water main is near enough, those two houses don�t have sewer lines nearby, meaning the city wouldn�t be able to provide both water and sewer services � which Burlington typically does when a property owner agrees to be voluntarily annexed.
�There�s basically three ways to go with this� Shoffner told the city council last week.
The city can either deny the services and not annex, provide services once the property owners agree to be annexed, or provide the services without annexing � which would mean property owners would pay double tap-on and water bill rates.
McGee said she�d be happy with either of the latter options � as long as her home receives city water.
However, the majority of city council members at the work session were of the opinion that, with all the uncertainties about annexation, satellite annexation wouldn�t be prudent for Burlington. City Councilman Celo Faucette�s opinion differed and said if people needed clean water and Burlington had it, the city should find a way to provide it.
�I�ve been here for 36 years,� said McGee. Her family � like her few neighbors in the area � has a personal well, but the water is of poor quality.
�We only use it for bathing,� said McGee. �We have to buy bottled water for everything else.�
Not only is it low quality, the water is also in short supply during times of drought, she said.
This year isn�t the first time McGee has pursued tapping onto city water lines.
�I have done petitions in the past at the request of Buddy Baker,� former city manager, said McGee. �They surveyed it about 15 years ago, but nothing happened,� she said. �I�m waiting.�
McGee said, �I always was told over the years that as soon as water got in this area, we�d be able to tap on.� And when the new water lines were extended to the Sheetz facility, McGee said she was told she could apply to be annexed, which was the first step to potentially tapping onto city water lines.
The city�s sewer lines don�t run past the Sheetz property, making it difficult to provide both services � which is required by state statute in satellite annexations.
Owen said, �If they touched the existing (city) property lines, the sewer thing would not become an issue.�
However, �Sewer is a pretty good distance away, and it would be a substantial cost to run sewer up � to those (two) homes,� Owen said, particularly if the property sat above the existing sewer line and required pumping.
Owen said city staff is currently looking at different options � including finding a way to provide water and no sewer � if legally possible.


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To-date, election results indicate Americans, by a 4.6 million majority, choose President Obama's stance of higher taxes for the upper 2 percent. The right seeks extension of Bush tax breaks for the upper two percent, dismissing more than 65 percent of Americans who denounce continuing "welfare for the rich," which has kindled the current fiscal calamity.
The majority supports tax increases to reduce the deficit/debt: 67 percent favor raising the Social Security tax wage cap, 66 percent support raising income tax rates on incomes more than $250,000, 62 percent favor limiting tax deductions for large corporations. Even 68 percent of polled Republicans oppose raising the Medicare age.
This year GOP Senators prevented publication of a non-partisan tax report by Congressional Research Service, because they didn't like the verdict: "Tax breaks for the wealthy do NOT create jobs."
Repeating the fable that tax increases stifle economic growth is blatantly dishonest. If tax cuts created jobs, we'd be awash in jobs by now, instead the rich are thriving and corporations nestle comfortably on trillions, awaiting additional preferential legislation.
Think Progress tax graphs compare USA versus other western countries - our corporate tax revenue is one-fourth less than 25 OECD countries, including Canada and United Kingdom.
Over time, millionaire lawmakers crafted a tax code allowing deductions, deferrals, credits and machinations to reduce corporate federal taxes to a laughable average effective rate of 13 percent. Taxpayers should revolt over Corning, Pepco, Exxon, GE, FedEx, Verizon, Wells Fargo, Boeing, DuPont, etc., operating virtually tax-free.
Where USA does lead is earnings disparity, with American CEOs pocketing 475 times that of the average worker. The median CEO salary is $9.587 million - a minimum wage worker would have to work 636 years to earn that. A median salary employee must work 244 years to attain that.
Tax reform is imperative. Congressional Budget Office reports pre-tax income since 1979 has increased $700,000 for the top 1 percent - the bottom 90 percent has lost $900 income. One faction wants that to continue.
A GOP strategist recently claimed "GOP policy is what America needs." Let's examine some economic facts to verify that claim. Currently the GOP is condemning America's crippling debt, demanding benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, balking at infrastructure stimulus, but championing defense budget bloat.
In December 2002, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill warned of looming fiscal crisis when objecting to additional tax cuts. O'Neill publicly warned Vice President Dick Cheney that growing budget deficits - expected to top $500 billion in 2002 alone - posed dangerous economic threat. Cheney barked, "...Reagan proved deficits don't matter. We won the midterms." Cheney promptly coerced O'Neill's resignation.
Clearly, deficits are acceptable under GOP rule, especially if you hide the evidence. Bush/Cheney deficit spending was deceitfully camouflaged when Republicans framed 2001 (rates) and 2003 (dividends/capital gains) tax cuts as temporary, a strategy which conceals the costs. (New York Times, 2012)
Medicare Part D - former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker called "the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s" - joined Iraq/Afghanistan wars as "off the books" GOP budget frauds.
Bush/Cheney 2006 Part D had no dedicated financing, no offsets, no revenue-raisers - 100 percent of the cost swelled the deficit/debt. Obamacare is funded with spending cuts and tax increases, adding nothing to the debt over the next decade. (CBO)
Mitt Romney's infamous "47 percent" slur was right - Romney/Ryan received 47 percent of the popular vote, and look who voted for them - nine of the ten lowest median household income states are Republican led "red states." Voters in eight of the 10 lowest state/local tax states favored Romney/Ryan, and 10 of the top 12 states paying the lowest federal income tax are all "red states" which receive the most federal aid. It seems those 47 percent "takers" might be Republicans.
Given the "fiscal conservative" fingerprints all over our $16 trillion debt, is GOP policy really good for America? Must our transportation, energy and water infrastructure investment, half that of 50 years ago, languish awaiting a Republican administration for it to be the "right" time, the "right" policy?
Must America suffer GOP roadblock every time crucial legislation needs passage until practical, responsible, and truly patriotic Republicans (please, please) ignore detrimental ideology?
There is no doubt the majority of Americans support President Obama - tell your representatives to stop obstructing and govern.
Sherry McKnight is a Sun City resident and can be reached at email@example.com.


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I have found two new problems with BOB since the update on Dec. 24th. There seem to be <CR>s missing.
1. When "Take Snapshot in Chat" is pressed, the snap appears in the "Write to Game Chat" window, but isn't actually posted in chat. Have to press "Post Reply" manually at the end to post it in chat.
1(b) Also, some of the snaps I've taken are unreadable, so it may be that there is something more being being left off the end, besides the <CR>.
2. When stats are listed on the page, they are all strung out in one line, as in "3-cluster J06 (1)3-cluster H09 (1)3-cluster P11 (1)3-cluster P14 (1)6-cluster R04 (3)" with no <CR> or <LF> in between.
Running Vista and Firefox 3.6.25


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Pages: 1
Good evening,
What is the proper capitalization standard to be used when referring to the XFCE/Xfce desktop environment? I have seen it capitalized in both ways, and was wondering if there is an accepted 'official' version.
Also, when pronouncing it, does one simply treat it like an acronym (X F C E) or as a word (One person I know of pronounces it as 'ExFace')?
Thank you,
I think this has been asked and answered many times on here but look at the FAQ - http://wiki.xfce.org/faq
you may want to look here: http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=7192
Pages: 1


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Making Commandments Beautiful: Part I
June 21, 2013
Every week, Jody Hirsh, the JCC's Judaic Education Director, provides a Shabbat message that is featured at the top of the JCC's weekly email newsletter. Below is the Shabbat message for Friday, June 21, 2013.
Making Commandments Beautiful: Part I
There is a traditional Jewish value of "Hiddur Mitzvah – making commandments beautiful." The Torah tells us: "This is my God and I will glorify Him." (Exodus 15:2) How have the rabbis interpreted this phrase?
Adorn yourself before God in commandments: make a beautiful sukkah in God's honor, a beautiful lulav, a beautiful shofar, beautiful fringes, and a beautiful Torah scroll, and write it for God with fine ink, a fine reed, and a skilled penman, and wrap it with beautiful silks.
Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 133b
Nowhere is this "beautification" more evident than on Shabbat. One area of fantastic beautification and embellishment is the Kiddish Cup. Every Shabbat, there is a special blessing over wine, the Kiddush – connecting the joy of drinking wine to the joy of the Sabbath. A wine cup could be any wine cup – not fancy. A paper cup even is perfectly acceptable. But… if we are glorifying the commandment of saying a blessing over Shabbat wine, why not have a beautiful one?
Beautiful Israeli Kiddush cups are often gifts of the congregation for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah child. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries, affluent European Jews would often commission famous non-Jewish silversmiths to create their special Kiddush cups. There are even Paul Revere Kiddish cups made by one of our US Founding Fathers (he was, after all, a silversmith).
Shabbat Shalom
Are there particular Shabbat foods that are traditional in your family? Let us know! firstname.lastname@example.com
Kiddush Cup created by the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem c. 1910 & Modern Israeli Kiddush Cup by Emanuel


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November 4, 2009
Wilbur Grisham, Basehor, was a medic during World War II. At an Army hospital in Hawaii, he was in charge of admitting and discharging each patient, a task he said was both rewarding and agonizing.
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The chip is obvious, they've got it turned to the back so you can't see it.
I'm always happy with the it was cheap and it displays well option when I buy things in the flesh rather than from cyber space.
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