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e – Voice Of Human Rights Watch – e-news weekly
Spreading the light of humanity & freedom
Editor : Nagaraj.M.R………………..vol.3…issue.08…………………05/05/2007
Editorial : FAKE ENCOUNTERS , LOCK-UP DEATHS & 3RD DEGREE TORTURE BY POLICE IN INDIA
Recently, it has been reported in the media , how in gujarath state high ranking police officials took SUPARI to murder & committed the murders by giving it the name of encounter. Nowadays , it has become common place that police take law into their own hands , settle scores , conducts their own courts of justice like compromise panchayaths at police stations. All these acts of police are illegal , the police must first thought the lessons of law before enforcing it. The murderers ,criminals in police uniform must be punished at the earliest. JAI HIND. VANDE MATARAM.
Your's sincerely,
3RD DEGREE TORTURE PERPETRATED BY POLICE IN INDIA- Gross violations of human rights by police
At the outset , HRW salutes the few honest police personnel who are silently doing their duties inspite of pressures , harassment by
political bosses & corrupt superiors , inspite of frequent transfers , promotion holdups , etc. overcoming the lure of bribe ,those few are silently doing their duties without any publicity or fanfare. we salute them & pay our respects to them and hereby appeal to those few honest to catch their corrupt colleagues.
The police are trained , to crack open the cases of crimes by just holding onto a thread of clue. Based on that clue they investigate
like "Sherlock holmes" and apprehend the real criminals. nowadays , when police are under various pressures , stresses – they are
frequently using 3rd degree torture methods on innocents. Mainly there are 3 reasons for this :
1) when the investigating officer (I.O) lacks the brains of Sherlock holmes , to cover-up his own inefficiency he uses 3rd degree
torture on innocents.
2) When the I.O is biased towards rich , powerful crooks , to frame innocents & to extract false confessions from them , 3rd degree
torture is used on innocents.
3) When the I.O is properly doing the investigations , but the higher-ups need very quick results – under work stress I.O uses 3rd
degree torture on innocents.
Nowhere in statuette books , police are legally authorized to punish let alone torture the detainees / arrested / accussed / suspects. Only the judiciary has the right to punish the guilty not the police. Even the judiciary doesn't have the right to punish the accussed / suspects , then how come police are using 3rd degree torture unabetted. Even during encounters , police only have the legal right , authority to immobilize the opponents so as to arrest them but not to kill them.
There is a reasoning among some sections of society & police that use of 3RD DEGREE TORTURE by police is a detterent of crimes. It is false & biased. Take for instance there are numerous scams involving 100's of crores of public money – like stock scam , fodder scam , etc involving rich businessmen , VVIP crooks. Why don't police use 3rd degree torture against such rich crooks and recover crores of public money where as the police use 3rd degree torture against a pick-pocketer to recover hundred rupees stolen ? double standards by police.
In media we have seen numerous cases of corrupt police officials in league with criminals. For the sake of bribe , such police officials bury cases , destroy evidences , go slow , frame innocents , murder innocents in the name of encounter , etc. why don't police use 3rd degree torture against their corrupt colleagues who are aiding criminals , anti nationals ? double standards by police.
All the bravery of police is shown before poor , innocents , tribals , dalits , before them police give the pose of heroes. Whereas ,
before rich , VVIP crooks , they are zeroes. They are simply like scarecrows before rich crooks.
Torture in any form by anybody is inhuman & illegal. For the purpose of investigations police have scientific investigative tools like
polygraph, brain mapping , lie detector , etc. these scientific tools must be used against rich crooks & petty criminals without bias.
hereby we urge the GOI & all state governments :
1) to book cases of murder against police personnel who use 3rd degree torture on detainees and kill detainees in the name of
encounter killings.
2) To dismiss such inhuman , cruel personnel from police service and to forfeit all monetary benefits due to them like gratuity ,
pension , etc.
3) To pay such forfeited amount together with matching government contribution as compensation to family of the victim's of 3rd degree torture & encounter killings.
4) To review , all cases where false confessions were extracted from innocents by 3rd degree torture.
5) To make liable the executive magistrate of the area , in whose jurisdiction torture is perpetrated by police on innocents.
6) To make it incumbent on all judicial magistrates ,to provide a torture free climate to all parties , witnesses in cases before his court.
7) To make public the amount & source of ransom money paid to forest brigand veerappan to secure the release of matinee idol mr. raj kumar.
8) To make public justice A.J.Sadashiva's report on "torture of tribals , human rights violations by Karnataka police in M.M.HILLS ,
9) To make it mandatory for police to use scientific tools of investigations like brain mapping , polygraph , etc without bias
against suspects rich or poor.
10) To include human rights education in preliminary & refresher training of police personnel.
11) To recruit persons on merit to police force who have aptitude & knack for investigations.
12) To insulate police from interference from politicians & superiors.
13) To make police force answerable to a neutral apex body instead of political bosses. Such body must be empowered to deal with all service matters of police.
14) The political bosses & the society must treat police in a humane manner and must know that they too have practical limitations. Then on a reciprocal basis , police will also treat others humanely.
15) The police must be relieved fully from the sentry duties of biggies & must be put on detective , investigative works.
The Business Of Encounter Killing By Sorit Gupto
Encounter killing is again a hot topic nowadays but with a little difference. This time it is for the suspension of a sub inspector from Mumbai, Daya nayak, who is better known as a Encounter specialist.
Encounters or extra judicial killings are not a new phenomena for Indian state, though it has changed its position or acceptability in the public psyche for past few years. Thanks goes largely to the Mumbai film industry for making several films 'inspired' by the real life of an encounter specialist. After the box office success of such films, one can say that the act of extra judicial killing , which otherwise is a gross violation of the Justice system, the very aspect of our Constitution( by denying the fundamental right to live), the civil liberties and the human rights, now got legitimacy in the Indian society.
The 'Rise and Fall' of this Sub inspector is nothing but story of complete violation of the very rule of law , which the police department is supposed to enforce.
We are catered with the biographical sketch of this encounter specialist by different news channels , about how from a humble beginning as a boy in a tea stall he becomes the heroic face of the state police department . According to an unconfirmed 'estimate' he has gunned down some 80-90 persons till date.
However the most strange thing about the whole saga is the fact that, every one is bothering about his crime of earning the huge amount of wealth , disproportionate to his known source of income, but no one is giving a damn to his murderous record which is much more disturbing vis-a-vis to his known source of power to do so. Now it is not just a known fact but established fact also that what ever he did in his tenure ,he had actually killed people without having any right ,like many other famous or yet to famous 'Encounter Specialists' are doing .Now, they keep on doing because they are doing the same under the full protection and patronage of the state. It is a chilling fact for any civilized society but as far as we are concern , we simply habituated and grasped it.
Be it Ansal Plaza Shoot out in New Delhi , Or Killing of four person in the outskirts of Ahmedabd , more or less after every encounter, the story or the logic provided by the state to the people, is too innocent to compared only with the Aesop's fables , that there was a bad man who fired at the police, and police in retaliation fired back to him and he died on the spot. Simple. Very simple. And for the sake of the rule of law please do not make complications by raising disturbing quarries as how not even a single police person hurt by the firing of the bad man? Why police did not tried to catch the person alive ? and so on…
However after 9-11, we the people are provided with some upgraded set of logic's. One can name it Gen X logic's. These are logic's with veiled threat. Now it is not just a mere fable but with a strong massage encrypted in it ,' either you are with us or you are part of enemy' and that is why if you try to raise all these disturbing question you could be branded as the enemy. Better you believe what the state says.
Now coming again to the very police sub inspector. It is said that he has earned enormous amount of wealth by manipulating his duty of executing extra judicial killings , in other words ,a long list of fake encounters, by favoring one group of criminal against the other. His departmental bosses are very much concern about his alleged misuse of power. The Irony is, being an encounter specialist itself is the product of gross indiscipline and utter misuse of the power provided by the state to the police department .
So, what new thing they are going to get through "the trial"?
If it is proved that this encounter specialist really has earned this huge wealth by manipulating his ability of encounters, by favoring ( read killing) individual of one particular gang of mafia against the other, which is a truth yet to discover, what charges are going to frame against this fellow?
Dealing with this particular case one should have to keep in the mind that , this fellow has acquired this huge amount of sum by simply cold blooded murdering a number of people. Just like any other member of the organized crime he had taken 'supari'.
This case is a typical in the nature as corruption is just one part of it and the other part is made up of homicide. Part of the media is shrewdly downplaying the later half by overplaying the first half and that is the most dangerous aspect of this particular case.
Though there are number of punishments prescribed in IPC for killing a fellow human being starting to rigorous imprisonment for years to death penalty, but our encounter specialist do not have to be worry about all that , rather he knows it very well that he will face some petty charges of corruption to maximum.
A simple sub inspector can not become an encounter specialist over night if there is no political patronage behind him. As far as patronage is concern we have this news published in The Hindu on 23 Nov '03, which says that, The then Home Minister of Karnataka, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, ruled out a probe into the encounter killing of two alleged women naxalites in a village near Karkala in Udupi district . In a press conference Mr. Kharge said, "We cannot disbelieve the version of police officials who witnessed the encounter. We have to believe somebody."
And last but not least ,If a mere police sub inspector can doctor or manipulate this phenomena of 'Encounter', It would be a chilling realization for anyone that magnitude wise how much scope of manipulation is there for the state to eliminate their political rivals through this 'simple' mechanism of extra judicial killings.
Today, Daya nayak has been arrested after a prolonged drama of "to arrest and not to arrest'.
JUDICIAL PROPRIETY AND TEHELKA By: Rajeev Dhavan
India needs a policy of embargoing post-retirement jobs for judges whilst increasing their retiring age.
THE JUDICIARY is in the news in ways that do not do it credit. Beginning with the `defeated'
Justice V. Ramaswamy impeachment in the early 1990s, the last decade portrays scandals. These include the Bombay Pay-off Scandal of 1990, the controversy over the Bombay High Court Chief Justice Bhattacharjee receiving large "foreign" royalties in 1995, controversies, however founded or unfounded, over Justices Punchi and Anand – both Chief Justices of India – and Justice Bharucha's declaration that 20 per cent of judges are corrupt. The year 2002 has been a bad year. In Punjab, High Court judges are accused of having received favours from the Chairman of the Public Service Commission. In Rajasthan, the allegations countenance a High Court judge and his Deputy Registrar soliciting sexual favours. In Karnataka, allegations canvass compromising sexual conduct involving High Court judges. In Patna, there are serious allegations of corrupting the legal process by lawyers and the registry. Public confidence is shaken.
Judges reign and rule – with little external effective oversight over their conduct. Judicial independence cannot encompass judicial lawlessness, rampant corruption or conduct unbecoming. Justice Ramaswamy's impeachment suffered defeat in Parliament. The Supreme Court's Committee opined he could not be denied work. In Bombay, resignations took place. Using the `transfer' policy – now abandoned – does not satisfactorily deal with serious allegations against judges. Corruption is transferred, not dealt with. In the mid-1990s, the Supreme Court felt that the Chief Justice of India (CJI) could use his prestige to persuade judges to resign or not attend court, But, such an approach eludes results if the delinquent tells the CJI to mind his own business.
Witness the cases of Hastings and Clairbourne in America where judges refused to demit office until impeachment – in one case, even though the judge was imprisoned! Informal methods have failed; and do not command confidence in India.
An intermediate method has to be created so that judges are answerable and can be disciplined without compromising their independence. But, it is not just a question of disciplining judges; but, also of dealing with complaints against them in a swift and effective way. Such mechanisms exist for the lower judiciary, but not for High Court and Supreme Court judges. From the supercession controversy of 1973 when three judges were superceded for the post of CJI, there have been calls for a National Judicial Commission both to (a) make judicial appointments (which after the 1982, 1993 and 1998 judgments are – and, that too, not quite satisfactorily – in the hands of a conclave of Supreme Court judges) and (b) deal with complaints, corruption and misconduct. But, ongoing suggestions for a National Commission have fallen on fallow ground. Having wrested the patronage of appointment, the judges have dragged their feet on issues of judicial discipline except to produce unenforceable codes of conduct. What are required are constitutional and statutory amendments.
Recent history shows that where there is a will, constitutional amendments are possible. But, there is a lack of political and judicial will to introduce changes. Today, judges collectively and in judicial orders make all kinds of suggestions on their pay, salary, perks and other things. But no consensus suggestion to interrogate judicial indiscipline emerges with credible clarity. Individually India's Chief Justices provide evasive and contradictory answers.
In the midst of all this comes the controversy over the commendable resignation of Justice Venkataswami who was the sole Commissioner of the Tehelka Commission. Three issues arise. The first is: what went wrong? Something did. Sometimes judges do hold two post-retirement posts – without conflict or demur. But, the Tehelka Commission was not just an inquiry but an inquisition in which the Government had a massive political stake. The proposal to give another assignment to Mr. Venkataswami whilst he investigated Tehelka and its discontents should never have been made. The next slip up was Chief Justice Bharucha's recommendation behind which the Government seeks refuge. No less, the offer of appointment should have been declined. This is not a case of conspiracy, corruption or misconduct. Mr. Venkataswami integrity is beyond dispute.
The famous Pinochet case (1991) was re-heard because Lord Hoffman had broad links with a charity which, though not before the 'Lords', had a stake in the cause. In the Curative Petition case (2002), the Indian Supreme Court drew sustenance from the `Pinochet' example on the premise that justice must not only be done but always appear to be done. This sets the tone. Mr. Venkataswami has led by example. Purity is as important as cleanliness. At least one present judge of the Supreme Court declined an above board invitation to a seminar from an American university on the basis that it was unacceptable that anyone other than the Government of India should pay for such trips. This sets a standard.
The second issue that arises out of Tehelka is whether Mr. Venkataswami can simply be replaced by another judge. There is a stateable case that he cannot. Section 8A of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, was amended in 1971 to permit a Commission to continue if a vacancy arose in a multi-member Commission. The assumption of continuity would survive because a member or members would continue. But, section 8A is inapplicable for a single-member Commission or where an entire Commission ceases to exist. It becomes non-existent (non est) and ceases to function (functus officio). Continuity is broken. Replacing Commissions afresh contrives its own politics. There is an even chance that any replacement appointment would be challenged to the discomfiture of any new appointee. This does not mean that the records of the Commission are not available for public use. So far, the only real public interest part of the Commission's work was over the military deals – which was heard in camera. These can be examined by a Joint Parliamentary Committee as raw evidence to interrogate lapses. The other aspect of the Commission's inquiry investigates Tehelka's journalistic conduct and wild, unfounded allegations that Tehelka tried to destabilise the stock exchange and personally benefit Tehelka's people and financiers. A lot of this is humbug. The `journalistic' ethics issue does not need a Commission's wisdom, but along with the accountability of the electronic media should be generally examined by public discourse. There are enough legal provisions to deal with `destabilising' frauds; but, the Government knows that they do not have a credible leg to stand on. On this basis, the Tehelka Commission needs to be wound up; but the `defence deals' examined by Parliament.
The third issue relates to the desirability of post-retirement appointments for judges. There is a dilemma here. Although Inquiry Commission reports generally gather dust, there is a public faith that only judges should head such inquiries – indeed, that is what made the T.T. Krishnamachari and Kairon inquiries of the 1950s credible. The answer lies in less inquiries and carefully chosen incumbents. Today, an inquiry is a general panacea to avoid any public allegation. The Commission process has been devalued. Several statutes – such as the Human Rights and others – necessitate judicial appointments. Such jobs cannot be multiplied as inducements.
India needs a policy on embargoing post-retirement jobs for judges whilst increasing their retiring age. The Public Commission procedure came to the fore in 1921 after the Marconi scandal around 1918 because Parliament could not be wholly trusted. Parliament needs to be more rigorous and credible – even though the nation was let down by the Bofors Joint Committee which wrongly absolved the, then, Prime Minister and others in 1987.The Indian judiciary has to confront its public image. India's judges
are massively powerful. They both compensate bad governance as well as fulfil the judicial quest for power. Judges may err in their judgments. But, if confidence in the Judiciary abates, Indian governance is in peril.
Are our Indian Judges Dictators? No.. – BY JOY KAIDARATH
Do we have Dictators in India?
For this question we will have to find out what are the qualifications of a Dictator.
Dictator is a person who makes laws. Dictator is a person who interprets laws. Dictator is a person who executes laws. A person behaves in an tyrannical manner. A ruler who is unconstrained by law
If this is true who makes laws in India? We say it is the Legislature. But Legislator is an elected body and people at least have a vague hope that one day we can change a Legislative body if that body is corrupt one. People can Criticize Legislative actions if they are wrong. They can go to Courts if they violate any rights. Opposition is there to check the uncontrolled behavior of a Ruling party. So Actually Legislature is checked by Courts and opposition and they can be thrown out if they are wrong. (Whatever may be the thing our polititians and Babus are afraid of courts. poor people are not even able to make good laws without fearing the court)
Executive: Again executive body is also under check. You can criticize them openly. (You can even criticize Indian President) They get all the criticism. There are many ways to check their power if one wants to.
Judiciary – they are people who are not elected. They make hundreds of laws (in the name of precedents). They interpret laws as they like or as per the rules of interpretation (May be some of the time no rules of interpretation is followed, that must be mistake – will not anyone think?). Do they Condon delays and denies justice to the worthy person without even asking explanation from the guilty , i do not think so.
Even in the cases where the legislature has given remedy to the people to have speedy remedy do they delays the matters forever? I do not think so. Does any one has a different openion? There is no real move from the part of the judiciary to fasten up the matters. Can we actually say this? They say the Government does not take steps to speed up the matters, and the governments say that they are not guilty. Do you think that this blame game is going on? Ultimately what happens, in India you can do any thing if you have money and know how to manage? That must be a wrong statement. (Even if this may not be the case this is want I may tend to think from the affairs I am seeing in the court.)
Recently I was sitting in a Court Room of Bombay High Court. Matters of 1980 and 1983 are being examined now. These matters are suppose to be under the title of Commercial Causes. In one Case a government body (or Bank) has to get back 37 lacks. Please consider the fact that the matter is that of 1980ees. In 1980ees the amount 37 is equal to more or less our 37 crores in the present time. Now the preciding judge was asking the plaintiff (Government Body or Bank), how they are going to get back the money. And the person appearing of the Government body or bank was playfully saying that it would be impossible to execute the decree even if they get a favorable judgment, because according to him they do not know where many of the defendants are. Then Judge asked why they are not withdrawing the matter. Then person appearing was saying that since it is Govenrnment matter it cannot be withrawned. So an Advocate is arguing a matter where he gets his fees, and ultimately Govenement or (Government Body would lose). (Is that violation of Chapter XV, Commercial Causes, Rules 228 to 236 OF THE BOMBAY HIGH COURT (ORIGINAL SIDE) RULES? It must not be. There must be some other provisions which the Judges and Court officers know. Because Our courts would not do any thing illegal. They are guardians of Justice. If I doubt and say something against it, it would be contempt of court. So I say that the courts are not violating anything)
Now who lost the money? Government – that is the public lost the money. Who cares? No one cares. The persons who got money are wise people, because they do not have to pay it back. Why? because of the long duration. Now they cannot even punish the Bank or Government officers, because most of them might be dead or by the time all appeal and all are over all will be dead.
Nobody cares, Even now this is happening. Long delays you make, you can escape with everything. Even if this may not be the case this is want I may tend to think from the affairs I am seeing in the court
Just think According to the preset way of running of the court and from the information I gathered, commercial causes are being dealt with by a judge twice a week. Even if a judge decide on 25 matters per week at least 1000 cases (I am calculating 25 X 40 weeks) would be over. If even this cannot be done, then why do we need a judiciary, just for incurring expenditure? (Are our judges so incapable of producing the results? I do not think so) If this could be done, then how this back log has come? Then what is the difference between commercial causes cases and other cases?
No body can criticize the judges (Because it would be contempt of Court). Even if a judge make a judgment violating all kinds of interpretation rules it is very difficult to complain against that judge. CBI will not take case, no executive can take case against them, Even if you complain to Chief Justice (Even Cheif Justice of India) they would not take any action. Even many judges have pointed out that there are corrupted judges among them (Cannot prove becasue none say these things on record). This is not only in the Lower courts, but also even in the Higher courts. From High court judges How many have ever been caught because of the corruption? Not many any way. Personally I cannot remember any High court judges name who was caught in Corruption. Is that because there is no corruption in the judiciary? May be because of that. But for me it is very hard to believe. May be I have paranoia . If I am not Paranoid, then I think we Indians are ruled by Dictators, I must be wrong. Becuase otherwise there are ways to find out all these things. At leaset that is everybody is saying.
When British went from here they gave us Laws and a court system. (May not be efficient once as Indians are capable of making). Even after 55 + years of Independence we are still cricising the inefficiency of their laws and their systems. We are not capable of making a good system. And when we criticise we do not have any shame.
Now Are we ruled by Dictators? Are our judges dictators according to the defenitions given above – not in theory but in practice? I think I am not able to decide. I do not know the answer. I do not think that they are dictoctors. I think our judges are good judges, without having any kind of corruption, otherwise they would have find it out.
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Madonna: 'Give Me All Your Luvin'' Video Premiere!
Check out the video premeire for Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin'" featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.!
"Fans can make you famous, a contract can make you rich, the press can make you a superstar, but only luv can make you a player," the video states in the beginning, before cutting to M.I.A. and Nicki as cheerleaders.
"Give Me All Your Luvin'" is now available on iTunes. You can also pre-order an 18-track deluxe edition of Madonna's upcoming album, MDNA, out March 26!
FYI: Madonna is wearing Norma Kamali's black midriff top with Sergio Rossi pumps, while Nicki wore Norma Kamali's white lace Zora swimdress.
WHAT DO YOU THINK of Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin'" video?
Madonna – Give Me All Your Luvin' (Feat. M.I.A. & Nicki Minaj)


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Adventures on the Gorge
In 1972, the words "adventure resort," had yet to be uttered. Little did we know that more than 40 years later, a handful of small outfitters would join together to become just such a place—where lodging, dining and a whole host of surprising amenities come together—where Play Wild and Stay Wonderful are the orders of the day.
Adventures on the Gorge is where a sense of belonging among our staff and guests transcends merely "going on vacation." Here on the very rim of West Virginia's New River Gorge, adjacent to the National Park and mere minutes from Fayetteville, WV and the New River Gorge Bridge, we promise you an experience that is more than memorable. It's unforgettable.


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Comic artist Tyler Kirkham took website CBR behind the scenes of his home/workplace the other day. There were pencils, couches, posters, bookshelves and... oh, yeah, an enormous customised Skyrim-themed dungeon.
You'll have to scroll a fair way down in this gallery to hit the basement, but once you do, you'll know it. Just look for the objective marker.
NOTE: One of our readers pointed out that Kotaku has already posted about the basement mentioned in this story, back in October. That's correct! However, since then, new shots have been published in the original Bethesda forums thread where the photos originate from—hence the current post.
Shelf Porn Saturday | See where Tyler Kirkham works and plays [CBR, thanks Rick!]


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Reel World
48 Hour Films Finished!
It's all over but the crying. Or the cheering. Or the laughing. Depends on what kind of film they were trying to make. A grand total of 40 filmmaking teams raced around Albuquerque last weekend trying to write, direct and edit short films in just two days as part of the annual 48 Hour Film Project. All teams were required to include the same three things: a character (a gardener named Jay or Julie Michaels), a prop (a bag) and a line of dialogue ("It works for me."). In addition, each team was given a specific genre in which their film was supposed to fit (horror, film noir, Western, romance, comedy, etc.). Now the films are done and it's time to see what our local teams were able to come up with. On Thursday, July 15, at 6:30 p.m., Friday, July 16, at 6 and 8:15 p.m., and on Sunday, July 18, at 6 p.m. blocks of completed 48 Hour films will be screened at the KiMo Theatre in Downtown Albuquerque. It'll cost you $10 a screening, $17 for two separate screenings or $30 for all four screenings. Judges will pick the best films to represent Albuquerque at the national 48 Hour Film competition later this year. For a complete rundown of the screening schedule, log on to the 48 Hour homepage. ... And congrats to all the weary teams who braved the two-day challenge!
Film Review
Christopher Nolan's newest takes viewers on a major head-trip
Are you familiar with brain freeze? That icy, slightly painful but ultimately exhilarating sensation you get from sucking down a slushie or other tasty frozen beverage? It kinda hurts, but you kinda want more. Inception is hell of a lot like that.
Idiot Box
No Statue for You!
The 2010 Emmy Award nominations
The winners of the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards won't officially be announced until Aug. 29. But there are already a few clear winners and losers just based on last week's Emmy nominee announcement.


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Welcome to another installment of Arcane Brilliance, the weekly mage column that thinks nothing goes better with strudel than a warm ball of fire.
Ok, so last week, we all clicked the "Create Character" button and selected a mage. We picked a race for that mage, gave him or her facial features, a skin tone, a hairstyle, possibly even a lower jaw, and chose a non-stupid name for our fledgling master of the arcane arts. This week, we're backing our new mage out of the garage and taking him for a spin. Interesting fact: mages actually appreciate in value the more mileage you put on them!
The first few levels can be a trying time for a new mage. A couple things you'll notice:
- You're wearing a skirt and wielding a stick.
- You're a huge wuss.
Anyway, the fact remains that mages are wimps at low levels. Rest easy, though. It gets better.


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If the appliance is found to be defective in material or workmanship, EURO-PRO Operating LLC will repair or replace it free of charge. Proof of purchase is required and a fee of $19.95 will apply to cover the cost of return freight. * The liability of EURO-PRO Operating LLC is limited solely to the cost of the repair or replacement of the unit at our option. This warranty does not cover normal wear of parts and does not apply to any unit that has been tampered with or used for commercial purposes. This limited warranty does not cover damage caused by misuse, abuse, negligent handling or damage due to faulty packaging or mishandling in transit. This warranty does not cover damage or defects caused by or resulting from damages from shipping or repairs, service or alterations to the product or any of its parts, which have been performed by a repair person not authorized by EURO-PRO Operating LLC
This warranty is extended to the original purchaser of the unit and excludes all other legal and/or conventional warranties. The responsibility of EURO-PRO Operating LLC warranty if any, is limited to the specific obligations expressly assumed by it under the terms of the limited warranty. In no event is EURO-PRO Operating LLC liable for incidental or consequential damages of any nature whatsoever. Some states/provinces do not permit the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state or province to province.


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Strength & Flexibility Expert
For those who have poor flexibility, tight hamstrings and want a simple program that will help them to get looser in a gentle, non-painful manner. You'll be … [Read More]
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This is for anybody who wants to get strong and have fun with a gymnastics-inspired routine. It is highly bodyweight-exercise oriented (no external weights) and … [Read More]


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I had Custom LASIK 22 days ago. Prior to the surgery, I was -9.00 in both eyes. Since the day after the surgery, I have double vision in one eye, and triple vision out of the other. My Dr. is claiming that my retinas are swollen and causing the problem. He prescribed Xibrom drops for me. He said it can take months to heal.
I asked him to explain the corneal topography printout to me. He said the different colors show different elevations of my cornea. I noticed on my "better" eye, there was 1 spot just off center that showed a little elevation, and on the other eye, there were 3 or 4 random spots that were elevated. Most of the printout of the topography was a blue color, but these elevated spots were showing as yellow colors.
If I am putting 2 and 2 together, wouldn't what I'm seeing (double in one eye and triple in the other) be as a result of these elevated spots on my cornea?? If so, what does this have to do with him telling me my retinas are swollen? Will these elevated spots eventually go away or can they be corrected somehow?
I am worried that maybe something didn't go right and the surgeon is using an excuse that he knows may take some time to heal to delay telling me what is actually wrong.


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DING! Max in Hobblers - Goblin Transmuter with Extra Glyph, Transmutation Seal + Sword and IMAWAL and WONNAFYT. Use the lvl1 popcorn, edge out all the bonuses you can (silly potions) and then convert all the stuff on the floor. Should work with less than I had
DING! Max in Hobblers - Also doable with a Gnome Berseker with WHEYTWUT and IMAWAL, provided you find/save Yendor.
Like - New Crystal Ball - Playing like a moron with it keeps screwing me over, and when I actually pay attention not to spam it too hard it's still very, very strong. Loving the changes.
PQI Miser Goblin Monk in CO Was more difficult than most VICIOUS. Would do again for challenge value, but dear god... Took Everything Mysterea had to offer, a TT desecration and then everythign Drac had to offer, and CB to boot.
AA's in CO - Put you in a nasty situation where you have to kill magic attack monsters in the real world and go wraith hunting in the curse world (and everyone knows how fun that is. Not.). That is if you want to get anywhere with mysterea - and with all the curse about, you really want to get good with mysterea on this map, so their inclusion really makes it ugly. I'd take golems, even steel ones, over this...
PQI Purist Gorgon in Havendale Bridge - Was interesting - found the fireball really, really late and had no combat glyphs but APHEELSICK. MAde good use out of IMAWAL and the fact that I started with ENDISWAL. Mysterea most of the way through.


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Lute Olson's LegacyPosted by rtmsf on October 23rd, 2008
Now that we've had a little bit of time to digest the news of Lute Olson's retirement from Arizona after 24 seasons, it's time to take a look at his legacy. Lute wore his humanity on his sleeve for the past year or so as he's piloted the usually steady Arizona ship into some rough waters through a minefield of health issues, marital problems, leadership changes and various other snafus. But for the previous 34 years of coaching, Olson has consistently fielded talented teams that were a threat to win it all. Consider the following accomplishments of a first-ballot HOF career:
781-280 (.736) in 34 seasons as a head coach
3 losing seasons in 34 years
1 National Championship (1997)
5 Final Fours (1980 – Iowa; 1988, 1994, 1997, 2001 – Arizona)
15 Sweet Sixteens
45-27 (.625) NCAA Tournament record
23 consecutive NCAA appearances (1985-2007)
11 Pac-10 titles
2 National COY Awards (1988, 1990)
Photo Credit (Tucson Citizen)
Olson's numbers place him in an elite group of one-title coaches, including contemporaries Jim Boeheim, Tubby Smith, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, and Gary Williams. The one thing, however, that separates him from those other names is that each of those coaches entered programs as new coaches where basketball was already an established way of life. In Tucson, Lute Olson IS Arizona basketball.
When Lute Olson stepped off the plane from the icy midwest in 1983, he encountered sunshine, babes and bikinis, but also an Arizona program that was so far off the map in terms of basketball success, you needed a magnifying glass to find it. In the 78 previous years of its existence, the program had managed to make it to three NCAA Tournaments (1951, 1976, 1977) and three NITs (1946, 1950, 1951). The combined NCAA record of those teams was 2-3, with both wins coming in the 1976 tournament (two upsets over Georgetown and UNLV to reach the Elite Eight). The combined NIT record was 0-3, which meant that, upon Lute Olson's arrival, the Wildcats had enjoyed only a single year (1976) in its basketball history with postseason wins of any kind. To make matters worse, the team that Olson inherited was coming off the absolute worst year in the history of the program (4-24, 1-17 in the Pac-10).
To say that Olson built the Arizona program up from the ashes insults the concept of fire. After one mediocre year in 1983-84 (11-17), Olson found the mojo that he had utilized during previous stints at Long Beach St. (24-2) and Iowa ( 168-90), and set off onto the triumphant career in the desert that we're talking about today. The key, of course, was recruiting, and Lute mined the west coast hoops hotbeds (especially SoCal) on an annual basis, and it showed on the court. Prior to Lute's arrival in Tucson, Arizona had produced one first-round draft pick (Larry Demic in 1979). Beginning in 1989 with the transcendental Sean Elliott, Olson put 13 first-rounders and 17 second-rounders into the NBA Draft, including such fantastic pros like Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, and Andre Iguodala. By the time Lute got it really going in the mid-90s, Arizona had become a chic destination school for America's blue chippers, and he was able to recruit nationally – Jason Gardner (Indianapolis) and Loren Woods (St. Louis via Wake Forest) from the 2001 runner-up team come to mind, but there were many others. Let there be no question – Arizona basketball wouldn't exist on the national stage were it not for Lute Olson. Here's his crowning moment.
There's no doubt that Lute was a tremendous program-builder, teacher and recruiter, but if we had to pick one criticism of his illustrious career, it would be that his teams sometimes appeared to lose focus and/or lack motivation. Maybe it was the laid-back lifestyle of Tucson or simply something about the kids Olson tended to recruit, but in our view, it is somewhat telling that he won his sole national championship in 1997 with a #4 seed. Don't take that the wrong way – that was a SICK team that just hadn't come together until very late in the season (and we had the privilege of watch cut down the nets). But they were an underdog in each of their three games against #1 seeds Kentucky, UNC and Kansas, and we always felt that Lute relished and managed the underdog role a little more than he was able to do so as the favorite. Let's make the case statistically.
As stated above, Lute Olson has gone to five Final Fours. Here are the NCAA Tournament seeds for those years – #5, #1, #2, #4, #2 (avg. = 2.8). Arizona also received five #1 seeds during Olson's tenure. Here's the result for those five Tourneys – F4, S16, E8, R32, E8 (avg. = 2.6 games won). When Lute was expected to go to the F4, he went once; when he was not expected to go, he went four other times. This quick examination of the numbers confirms what we wrote last year when we surveyed the top overachieving and underachieving programs of the 64/65-team era of the NCAA Tournament. From 1985-2007, Arizona averaged a #4.1 seed in the NCAAs. The historical model (above) suggests that Arizona should have won 44.1 NCAA contests over this period – the Cats won 39, which means they 'underachieved' by nearly five Ws, and therefore puts UA in terms of performance in the bottom third of schools with greater than eight appearances over the era. The most obvious examples of this phenomenon were first-round upsets in 1992 (#3 UA loses to #14 ETSU), 1993 (#2 UA loses to #15 Santa Clara), and 1999 (#4 UA loses to #13 Oklahoma). Even Olson's most talented and decorated team, the 1998 #1 Wildcats led by Mike Bibby and Jason Terry, had a major letdown in the E8 against #3 Utah, getting run out of the gym by 25 points. What were we saying about focus and motivation?
(Photo Credit: Tucson Citizen)
It'll be sad to see Lute Olson go. Even last year, when Kevin O'Neill was busily turning Arizona into Tennessee ca. 1998 (ugh), we still thought the Silver Fox would make his way back to the sidelines again. You could always count on Olson teams to have athletes who made the game fun to watch. If his medical problems are serious enough to warrant missing another season, then he probably is making the right decision in riding off into the desert sunset. Best of luck to him and his family.
Now, about that Bob Knight looking to get back into coaching thing… what odds did we lay? 10:1? Associate coach Mike Dunlap is expected to take over the reins on an interim basis.


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Amber Hahn
Amber Hahn and her natural 32 DDD boobs are on display in all their glory on her brand new website. Updated multiple times per week with fresh picture and video sets, her site delivers all the goods of the beautiful Amber.
Amber Hahn on the stairway to heaven.


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The presence of plastic octopus pots on beaches in Little Cayman and throughout the Caribbean is shedding light on how the oceans' currents are distributing a huge assortment of marine debris around the world.
Beachcomber Judie Clee, who lives usually in Bermuda but also owns a home in Little Cayman, has found the plastic pots in both places and with the help of a wildlife biologist based in Florida has even managed to trace some of the pots to their source in Africa.
Similar pots have also been found in the Bahamas, Grand Turk and the US Virgin Islands.
Research done by wildlife biologist Tom Pitchford revealed that one pot found in Little Cayman came from an octopus fisheries area in Morocco, while two other pots that washed up on beaches in Florida turned out to have floated from Mauritania.
Ms Clee and other beachcombers in Little Cayman are taking the octopus pots they find along to Keith Neale, the Cayman Islands Department of Environment officer based on the island.
"I've got eight or nine of the pots now," Mr. Neale said. "People keep dropping them off. I'm storing them until we come up with a plan."
The pots, along with a lot of other marine plastic debris, are being found throughout Little Cayman, but mostly on the eastern side.
Mr. Neale said he and others had been seeing these plastic pots among the marine debris on the beaches for some time, but had not known what they were until Ms Clee and Mr. Pitchford established they were octopus pots.
"There's a loose affiliation of beachcombers in several locations who are scanning the beaches for the pots and trying to collect information about them to help determine where they are coming from," Mr. Pitchford said.
He said tracing the source of the octopus pots and finding out they had travelled halfway around the world on the sea was indicative of the persistent plastic marine pollution that is being seen globally.
"Little Cayman getting a plastic pot from the Western Sahara is the same as the UK receiving plastic debris from the United States, or Florida receiving plastic items from the Caribbean. We are all on the conveyor belt, the plastic is circulating the gyres (large systems of rotating ocean currents)," he said, adding that storms can pull the debris out of the gyres and onto beaches.
Efforts are afoot by conservationists to convince fishermen to revert to using clay octopus pots rather than the plastic versions.
The pots are fished in trawls on the seabed and then tied together and also tied to a surface float. The fishermen use cement as ballast to weigh the lightweight pots down, but when the ropes break and the ballast breaks up and is lost, the octopus pots float up and drift away in the currents. The original terracotta pots were heavy enough to remain at the sea floor.
Ms Clee's discovery of the pots in Bermuda and Little Cayman and her curiosity to find out what they were sparked a wider interest in the pots among the beachcombing community. She has long had an interest in combatting the plastic marine debris problem.
"They're [the octopus pots] not the type of thing you really notice because we don't know what they are. We do a lot of beachcombing and a lot of work on plastic debris awareness. One of the beachcombers asked what are these things that keep washing up. A few days later, I got a message from Tom [Pitchford] saying what they were and we sent them to him, so he could try to track them.
"Suddenly, there was this awareness," she said.
In Bermuda, partly to raise awareness of the impact of marine debris, art displays of items made from plastic rubbish that had washed up on local beaches have been held. Ms Clee described one piece of artwork made from the octopus pots, "but we didn't know what they were".
Markings on the pots can identify their origins, although quite often those markings are degraded from being at sea. However, it was one such marking cut from the pot found in Little Cayman that led Mr. Pitchford to identify where it had come from.
"The idea is to try to find the source and one day find a solution to stop them coming loose," Ms Clee said.
Urged by Mr. Pitchford to send the markings from the pots, she and her husband cut pieces from the pots they found, with her husband cutting a bit beyond the area where the obvious markings were. It turned out a tiny stamp and lettering at the edge of the plastic he had cut off was the key to finding out the source of that particular pot.
The octopus pots are usually about 1 feet long and come in a variety of types and thickness of plastic. The markings on the pots are often lettering or words in different languages, including French, Arabic, English and Portuguese.


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Archive for the 'Web security' Category:
Concerns about SaaS – Uptime
While our "Future of SaaS" Survey has only been open for a few days, the trend of the responses to the question: Are There Any Concerns or Reluctance to Using Cloud-based Services? are clear. Even though the remaining options are getting votes, the top four answers are as we expected.
- Security – Does anyone have unauthorized access to my data in the "cloud"? (59% of respondents)
- Uptime – Can I get to my data when I need to? (64%)
- Data Ownership – Who owns our data? (55%)
- Retrieve-ability – Can we retrieve our data if we want to take it back on-premise? (50%)
Respondents are permitted to select more than one concern.
We may see some shift in the ordering of these concerns but, we expect these to remain the top four. We'll cover each of the four in the next several blog entries. The blog on Security was posted earlier.
Click the link to download the results in our Whitepaper- The Future of SaaS – Survey Results.
Uptime – Can I get to my data when I need to?
What good is secure data if you can't gain access to it? Microsoft's recent and recurrent downtime problems have brought this issue front and center again.
Having a service hosted is an important part of your business. To a SaaS provider, hosting services is their entire business. SaaS providers stake their entire reputation on uptime and security. A loss of reputation in either one will see a rush of businesses migrating to a more capable provider.
Concerns about uptime involve four main questions:
- What percent of time is the service guaranteed to be available?
- What counts as downtime?
- How does a SaaS provider prevent downtime?
- Are there penalties involved for excessive downtime expressed in the Service Level Agreement?
How many "9"s is enough?
Uptime is measured as a percentage of service availability against unavailability. An uptime of 100% may be desirable but if it were possible to achieve, it would be very expensive. So the question is, "How much uptime can we afford?" or "How much downtime is tolerable?"
Some large SaaS providers promise 99.9% uptime. That sounds like a great until you realize that 99.9% uptime means downtime of over 43 minutes per month or over 8¾ hours per year. This may tolerable if the downtime occurred only on Sundays at 2 AM. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. The best SaaS providers will guarantee 99.999% uptime; only 25 seconds per month or 5 minutes of downtime per year.
As you consider migrating from an on-premise solution to a SaaS solution, compare the downtime promised against the downtime in your own data center. Usually, SaaS providers' uptime far exceeds that of the data centers in the small- to medium-sized businesses.
Scheduled vs. unscheduled downtime
So, when a server needs a patch or a switch needs to be changed out. Does that count as downtime? Well, sometimes.
Some providers define scheduled maintenance as "planned outages" rather than downtime. Most on-premise data center tolerate a level of planned outages for upgrades, reboots & patches. But, what about critical services for which any downtime costs an organization lost revenue? It costs an airline reservation system approximately $89,000 per hour of downtime. In that case, downtime is downtime period.
When evaluating a potential SaaS provider find out their SLA has to say about which type of downtime counts against their uptime calculations.
How does a SaaS provider prevent downtime?
When an on-premise server is down, only that organization is affected. When a SaaS provider's multi-tenant server goes down, all the affected organizations are down. A excellent SaaS provider has clusters of servers with built-in redundancy and replication. These clusters are often housed in geographically dispersed data centers. That ensures the services will be available when you need them. Our recommended email archive SaaS provider (Sonian) has a cross-cluster uptime of 99.999,999,999% (that's 11 "9"s) of uptime.
With this level of SaaS providers, a client's data is hosted on a primary server. That server is coupled with a redundant server in a different cluster as well as a backup server. We have a vendor-partner with such an arrangement which has a promised 99.999% uptime and an historic track record of 100% uptime over 10 years.
Penalties for excess downtime
An explanation as to why we are such strong advocates of cloud-based services may be in order. Several years ago the power distribution room in our office building blew a fuse. It took building management four days to restore power. What did they offer their tenants as recompense? A Mexican buffet complete with a Mariachi band. Now, I enjoy occasional Mexican food and music but, four days without power and all they come with is tacos and re-fried beans? Really?
Leaving the lessons learned about disaster recovery and redundancy plans aside, What financial compensation for excessive downtime does the SaaS provider offer? The best ones offer a sliding scale based based on monthly calculations. The more downtime, the greater the penalty.
So, how do you become comfortable with a potential SaaS vendor? Ask questions. Contrast their solution among vendors and your on-premise solution. For a list of good questions to ask, read our, Questions to Ask a Potential SaaS Provider.
To discuss cloud-based services for your organization, email us or call us at 770-603-0300. Click the link to download the results in our Whitepaper- The Future of SaaS – Survey Results.


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Google Reveals Some Data About National Security Letters, May Have Exposed DOJ Duplicity
from the transparency... dept
By itself, the data doesn't seem that enlightening.
Sanchez wonders if the DOJ is effectively under-counting how many NSLs it uses by pretending that some of the NSLs they issue shouldn't count towards its official tally of NSLs.
It's illuminating to compare the minimum number of users affected by NSLs each year to the numbers we find in the government's official annual reports. In 2011—the last year for which we have a tally—the Justice Department acknowledged issuing 16,511 NSLs seeking information about U.S. persons, with a total of 7,201 Americans' information thus obtained. That's actually down from a staggering 14,212 Americans whose information DOJ reported obtaining via NSL the previous year. Remember, this total includes National Security Letters issued not just to all telecommunications providers—including online services like Google, broadband Internet companies, and cell phone carriers—but also "financial institutions," which are defined broadly to include a vast array of businesses beyond such obvious candidates as banks and credit card companies.
What ought to leap out at you here is the magnitude of Google's tally relative to that total: They got requests affecting at least 1,000 users in a year when DOJ reports just over 7,000 Americans affected by all NSLs—and it seems impossible that Google could account for anywhere remotely near a seventh of all NSL requests. Google, of course, is not limiting their tally to requests for information about Americans, which may explain part of the gap—but we know that, at least of a few years ago, the substantial majority of NSLs targeted Americans, and the proportion of the total targeting Americans was increasing year after year. As of 2006, for instance, 57 percent of NSL requests were for information about U.S. persons. So even if we reduce Google's minimum proportionately, that seems awfully high.
There's a simple enough explanation for this apparent discrepancy: The numbers DOJ reports each year explicitly exclude NSL requests for "basic subscriber information," meaning the "name, address, and length of service" associated with an account, and only count more expansive requests that also demand more detailed "electronic communications transactional records" that are "parallel to" the "toll billing records" maintained by traditional phone companies.That would mean that the NSL number that the DOJ reports is not particularly accurate, and that the FBI really issues a hell of a lot more NSLs (not so). Shocking reveal of the day: the DOJ may not be entirely forthright about how often it's spying on Americans using a widely abused process with little oversight.


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photos by Kyle Johnson
intro by Christy Thacker
With subzero blood and a southern devil soul, Americana gothic band, The Builders and The Butchers, is bringing musical salvation to the Northwest. Three years after playing on the streets and busking in front of venues the fivesome has refined their sound, picked up several awards and released their critically acclaimed second album, Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well.
The group did it the old fashion way starting out with nothing but themselves and a garage full of instruments. Between 2002 and 2005, each member traded Alaskan ice for Portland rain in the pursuit of music. Frontman Ryan Sollee changed more than just his address, setting aside his punk roots to explore the antiquated sounds of the deep south.
On a rainy afternoon, Sollee decided to unveil his new musical workings to the others. What started as a ordinary hangout in drummer Ray Rude's garage soon turned into a jam session that would impact the rest of their lives. After reassigning instruments (Alex Ellis on guitar and Harvey Tumbleson on mandolin) and adding a second drummer (Paul Seeley), The Builders and The Butchers were born and ready to haunt Portland's folk scene.
Once off the damp streets and into the warmth of actual venues, the band played strictly acoustic and on the floor. Their debut self-titled release showcases their earlier raw approach, as the five developed most of the dark tunes at rehearsal or during live performances. After shifting to stages, they created the "trunk of percussion," a mass of thrift store toys and instruments for the audience to play in order to assure fan/band unity.
Even with a refined, less middle-of-the-night-graveyard-gathering sound, The Builders and The Butchers still manage to stay in touch with their barn-burning, dirty southern selves. Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well doesn't skimp on ghostly strings or possessed preacher vocals. Aside from some bolder brass, the record hasn't abandoned the band's obession with religious imagery, nature, and death.
Who said making a pack with the devil is always a bad thing?
Check out their Web site for a full list of tour dates.


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Scientists facing a $2m shortfall on bionic eye project
A MAJOR funding shortfall could derail Australia's hopes of developing the world's first bionic eye, with a key group working on the project reporting a need of almost $2 million.
Bionic Vision Australia, a consortium of some of the country's top research institutions, secured a four-year, $42 million federal grant in 2009 after the idea was floated at the 2020 summit in 2008.
Delivered in instalments, the money was to last until the end of next year. But on Wednesday the group will launch a public appeal for funds, without which it says it will be unable to leap-frog international rivals or secure on-going contracts for researchers.
Originally the grant was to cover the development and implantation into a patient of a 98-electrode bionic eye by 2013. A 256-electrode, high-acuity device, being developed at Melbourne University, would then be refined the year after the grant expired.
But the group's decision to accelerate research and build and implant a 24-electrode device this year instead of next - making results available earlier in the project rather than at the end - has left a $1.8 million hole that needs to be filled within six months.
''When we are planning for what we need to do in 2013, we've got a major shortfall,'' Bionic Vision Australia chairman David Penington said. ''Certain things are now being held back which, if we did have more money, we could complete and have a better outcome in 2013.'' While the group has enough money to complete the work with the three patients who this year received a 24-electrode implant, there is concern that without a financial boost the project is in danger of losing some of its 150 staff.
An IT specialist has already been lost due to lack of funds.
''If we can raise even half a million, it will make a difference to the most urgent things,'' he said. ''Otherwise people will be looking for other jobs if their future is not secure.''
Bionic Vision Australia includes Melbourne University, the ICT research centre NICTA, the University of NSW, the Bionics Institute and the Australian National University.
Requests for a new three-year funding deal made to state and federal governments have so far failed.
Philanthropic foundations and individuals are being approached but Professor Penington said overseas donors would not be contacted until the commercial development stage begins - scheduled for the end of 2014.
''Like the bionic ear, it's an Australian development and we want to get it to the point where we really do have something from Australia to offer before we run the risk of losing control,'' he said.
Among the first three patients to receive the 24-electrode prototype is Murray Rowland, who had the bionic eye implanted in July. It was switched on in October - a moment he described as ''mind blowing''.
''It was like a little candle light flickering and then a minute later when they turned it up it was like a bolt of lightning,'' he said.
Mr Rowland, 50, has been blind since his late teens after suffering retinitis pigmentosa. The degenerative eye condition left him only able to perceive a degree of light and dark. And while his bionic eye is only switched on once a week for assessment, he said he was thrilled to be part of the project.
''Providing the state and federal governments can dip into their pockets, I'm pleased to know I am helping my fellow blind people and giving back to the community'' he said. ''And I feel very honoured to be doing that.''


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2019 Wall Calendars Now Available!!
The Chris-Craft Commander Club 2019 Wall Calendar is now available!!. We're having to do things a little differently this year, so for calendar details & ordering, Click Here
2018 Photo Contest Winner
The 4th Annual Chris-Craft Commander Club Photo Contest had more than 50 entries and selecting the winners was not an easy task.
First place: submitted by Pat Chaps
Second place: submitted by Martin Krall;
Third place: submitted by Jeff Pacy.
To view all entries to this year's contest, Click Here
The 2018 Chris-Craft Commander Club National Rendezvous is in the books and it was a great time!!
The city of Mentor, Ohio and the Lawnfield Inn & Suites were wonderful hosts. A special Thanks to Rob Kneen, the local member sponsor, and Char Pike for the hours of hard work put in organizing and coordinating an amazing weekend.
The Rendezvous Photo Albums can be accessed through the links below, as well as, under Library, Photo Albums. We will continue to add links to other albums as they become available. Also below, you will find links to a couple articles written for the local newspaper.
Photo Album 1 Photo Album 2
Photo Album 3
Chris-Craft Commander Club Celebrates Anniversary in Mentor
Chris-Craft Commander connoisseurs congregate at Mentor Lagoons Marina
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... As with the amber/brown and aventurine vase in another recent thread this posy bowl belongs with the same group of pieces often mistaken as Monart in the past and often, without any positive proof (certainly in this case), thought to be Czech. ...
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Product Highlights
This Bowens 40 Degree Soft Egg Crate for Lumiair Softstrip 140 by Lightools is made up of precisely angled cells that tightly control off-axis light while maintaining the beautifully soft light quality delivered by Lumiair softboxes
The lightweight fabric grid is highly portable and able to be folded away easily into a handy almost pocket-sized pouch for transport or storage. When tight light control is needed, the grid fits neatly into the inner recess of the Lumiair softbox and affixed with touch-fastener style strips along each edge.
|15.75 x 55" (40 x 140 cm)
|Packaging Info
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|1.15 lb
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|9.8 x 4.4 x 2.8"


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The opera Faust is one of the most popular French operas, second only to Carmen, but some individual arias and songs from it are even more popular as stage ōhitsö ¢ MargueriteÆs ōjewel songö, SiebelÆs romance, ValentinÆs cavatina, MephistophelèsÆ couplets and serenade and FaustÆs cavatina. Today it is hard to believe that the first production at the Theâtre Lyrique in Paris enjoyed little success ¢ the public did not like it and no publisher agreed to print the score. Antoine Choudens was the most shrewd publisher (later he was the first to print BizetÆs Carmen and works by the young Debussy). Having purchased the rights to the masterpiece, despite its lack of popularity, Choudens was also its first ōproducerö, fervently offering Faust to other theatres. In 1860 this French opera was performed at German theatres. And only after the opera began its triumphant march from one European and American theatre to another (it was staged in New York in 1863) did it finally come to the attention of the Opera de Paris where it was staged in 1869, though for this to take place the composer had to add the ballet scene Walpurgis Night. The same year, on 15 September 1869, the opera was staged at the Mariinsky Theatre.
TheĀoperaĀisĀnow being staged byĀIsabellaĀBywater, who has already worked at theĀMariinsky Theatre as aĀproductionĀdesigner for BrittenÆs operaĀAĀMidsummer NightÆs Dream(productionĀbyĀClaudiaĀSolti).ĀFaustĀisĀBywaterÆs first work as aĀproductionĀdirector. IsabellaĀBywater isĀconvinced thatĀthere isĀaĀhidden danger inĀtheĀmusic: ōIt isĀinteresting toĀlisten toĀbeautiful music while at theĀsame time dark forces areĀafoot on-stage. ThisĀincredible counterpoint influences your view ofĀtheĀmusicĀ¢ you hear its beauty butĀat theĀsame time you sense theĀdanger.ö
TheĀlead roles areĀbeing rehearsed byĀKhachatur Badalyan, Sergei Semishkur, Alexander Trofimov, Dmitry Voropaev and Nikolai Yemtsov (Dr Faust), IrinaĀChurilova, YekaterinaĀGoncharova, ViolettaĀLukyanenko, OxanaĀShilovaĀand EleonoraĀVindau (Marguerite), Askar Abdrazakov, Ildar Abdrazakov, Vladimir Felyauer and Alexei Tanovitsky (Méphistophélès), Viktor Korotich, Alexei Markov, Vladimir Moroz and Vladislav Sulimsky (Valentin), Nikolai Kamensky, Yevgeny Ulanov and Grigor Verner (Wagner), YuliaĀMatochkina, YekaterinaĀSergeyeva, IrinaĀShishkovaĀand MayramĀSokolovaĀ(Siébel) and ElenaĀVitman and SvetlanaĀVolkovaĀ(Marthe).
FaustĀis a grand opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carre from Carre's playĀFaust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe'sĀFaust, Part 1. It debuted at the TheŌtre Lyrique on the Boulevard du Temple in Paris on 19 March 1859.
FaustĀwas rejected by the Paris Opera, on the grounds that it was not sufficiently "showy", and its appearance at the Theatre-Lyrique was delayed for a year because Adolphe d'Ennery's dramaFaustĀwas playing at the Porte St. Martin. The manager Leon Carvalho (who cast his wife Marie Miolan-Carvalho asĀMarguerite) insisted on various changes during production, including cutting several numbers.
FaustĀwas not initially well-received. The publisher Antoine Choudens, who purchased the copyright for 10,000 francs, took the work (with added recitatives replacing the original spoken dialogue) on tour through Germany, Belgium, Italy and England, with Marie Miolan-Carvalho repeating her role.
It was revived in Paris in 1862, and was a hit. A ballet had to be inserted before the work could be played at the Opera in 1869: it became the most frequently performed opera at that house and a staple of the international repertory, which it remained for decades, being translated into at least 25 languages.
Its popularity and critical reputation have declined somewhat since around 1950. A full production, with its large chorus and elaborate sets and costumes, is an expensive undertaking, particularly if the act 5 ballet is included. However, it appears as number 35 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.
It wasĀFaustĀwith which the Metropolitan Opera in New York City opened for the first time on 22 October 1883. It is the eighth most frequently performed opera there, with 747 performances through the 2011-2012 season. It was not until the period between 1965 and 1977 that the full version was performed (and then with some minor cuts), and all performances in that production included theĀWalpurgisnachtĀand the ballet.
Act 1Faust, an aging professor, despairs that his life has been wasted, since his studies, and religious faith have not given him the answers he was looking for (Rien! En vain j'interroge). He prepares to kill himself with poison but hesitates in doubt. He curses science and faith, and asks for infernal guidance. Méphistophélès appears (duet: Me voice) and, with a tempting image of young Marguerite at her looking glass, he persuades Faust to buy Méphistophélès's services on earth in exchange for Faust's in Hell. Faust's glass of poison becomes an elixir of youth, making the middle-aged doctor feel young; the strange companions then set out into the world.
Act 2A chorus of academics, soldiers and students sing a drinking song (Vin ou Bière). Valentin, Marguerite's brother, is soon leaving for war and he entrusts the care of his sister to her friend Siébel (O sainte médaille ... Avant de quitter ces lieux). Méphistophélès appears and sings a rousing, irreverent song about the Golden Calf (Le veau d'or) and after, provides the uneasy crowdwine. Méphistophélès maligns Marguerite, and Valentin tries to strike him with his sword, which shatters in the air. Valentin uses the cross-shaped hilt of his sword to fend off what they now fear is an infernal power (chorus: De l'enfer). Méphistophélès is joined by Faust and the young girls in a waltz (Ainsi que la brise légère). Marguerite appears briefly and Faust attempts to charm her, but she refuses his offer to walk her home out of modesty.
Act 3Siébel leaves a bouquet for Marguerite (Faites-lui mes aveux). Méphistophélès insists in searching for a more tempting gift for Marguerite and Faust sings a cavatina (Salut, demeure chaste et pure) idealizing Marguerite as a pure child of nature. Méphistophélès returns with a beautiful box containing exquisite jewelry and Faust leaves it on Marguerite's doorstep, near Siébel's flowers. Marguerite enters, pondering her encounter with Faust, and sings a melancholy ballad about the King of Thulé (Il était un roi de Thulé). Marthe, Marguerite's neighbour, notices the jewelry and says it must be from an admirer. Marguerite tries on the jewels and is captivated by how they enhance her beauty, as she sings in the famous aria, the Jewel Song (Ah! je ris de me voir si belle en ce miroir). Méphistophélès and Faust join the women, Mephistopheles distracts Marthe and leaves Faust to seduce Marguerite. Marguerite eventually allows Faust to kiss her (Laisse-moi, laisse-moi contempler ton visage), but then in panic demands he goes away. She sings at her window of her interest in him, and Faust, listening, returns. Under the watchful eye and malevolent laughter of Méphistophélès, it is clear that Faust's seduction of young Marguerite is achieved.
Act 4After being impregnated and abandoned by Faust, Marguerite is a social outcast. She is alone in her room (Il ne revient pas). Siébel visits and stands by her. Marguerite goes to the church and tries to pray there but is frightened, first by Méphistophélès and then by a choir of demons. She finishes her prayer but faints when she is cursed again by Méphistophélès. The scene shifts to the return of the soldiers - Valentin's company returns from the war to a military march (Deposons les armes and Gloire immortelle de nos aïeux). Siébel tries to keep Valentin from Marguerite as she is afraid he will punish her, but after looking for her in the church he returns to Marguerites room and breaks in. While he is inside Faust and Méphistophélès appear, and Méphistophélès sings her a mocking burlesque of a lover's serenade (Vous qui faites l'endormie). Valentin emerges from her room, furious at what has happened to Marguerite and suspecting that it is Faust who has debauched his sister. The men fight, Méphistophélès blocking Valentin's sword, allowing Faust to make the fatal thrust. With his dying breath Valentin blames Marguerite for his death and condemns her to Hell (Ecoute-moi bien Marguerite).
Act 5Méphistophélès and Faust return to visit Marguerite. Outside is Siebel, asleep, guarding her friend. Faust retrieves the key from the sleeping figure and enters Marguerite's room. He sees she is in a terrible state, bleeding and pale, and may die. He and Marguerite sing a love duet (Oui, c'est toi que j'aime). Méphistophélès states that only Faust can deliver Marguerite from her fate, and he tries to help her, but she prefers to trust her fate to God and His angels (Anges purs, anges radieux). At the end she asks why Faust's hands are covered in her blood, pushes him away, and collapses. Méphistophélès curses, as a voice on high sings "Sauvée!" ("Saved!"). The bells of Easter sound and a chorus of angels sings "Christ est ressuscité!" ('"Christ is risen!"). And Marguerite's soul rises to heaven. In despair Faust follows it with his eyes; he falls to his knees and prays.
Isabella Bywater


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In his defense though, the whole 2006/2007 thing is quite confusing... I mean, it's april... Calling this set the "2007 Rankings" is very strange indeed.
Wow... what a way to get things started. I can just see the OP sitting in a room somewhere, fuming about how stupid everyone else in the world is, finally gathering the courage to put it all out there, in writing, and let everyone else know what's what. If not for the OP's courage, we would not have had the laughter that we share now. Bravo, OP. Bravo.


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This is the 14th challenge in a weekly series from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy and history, suggested by Amy Coffin, that invite genealogists to record memories and insights about their own lives for future descendants. Week 14 – Spring
I really don't have much to say about the topic of Spring. It doesn't hold any particular special or romantic memories – childhood or otherwise.
I guess that if there is one thing that sticks in my mind it is about the tradition in our family of getting new clothes for Whitsuntide. Here I am in my new blazer and probably everything else was new as well. This picture is taken outside the home of my grandma and granddad in Leeds, England. I was glad when my brother and sister came along because I didn't have to suffer this trial on my own.
Was this a tradition for anyone else?


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Women Reps in Michigan barred from speaking, one for "vagina" mention.
Two women serving in the state House have been barred from participating in floor debates for one day. The sanction is a punishment for things they said during a debate on anti-abortion legislation.
State Representatives Lisa Brown and Barb Byrum are both Democrats. Brown made a reference to her vagina in a floor statement.
"I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina," she said, "but 'no' means 'no.'"
Byrum shouted at the presiding officer after she was not recognized to speak.
Ari Adler is the spokesman for the House Republican leadership.
"It is the responsibility of every member who serves in the House of Representatives to maintain decorum on the House floor and when they do not do that, there can be actions because of that. And the action today is to not recognize either representative to speak on the House floor," he said.
Brown was speaking during a debate on anti-abortion bills, and has no apologies for what she said.
"I used an anatomically correct word. I said 'vagina,'" she said. "Can I not say 'elbow?' I don't see what the difference is."
This is the first time in memory that lawmakers have been formally barred from participating in floor debates.
And then
Two Democratic lawmakers say they have been barred from speaking during House debates.
The House Republican leadership confirms that state Representative Lisa Brown will not be recognized during debates as a sanction for mentioning her vagina during a debate on anti-abortion legislation.
State Representative Barb Byrum also says she has been barred from speaking in the future because of an outburst after she was not called on during the abortion debate.
It is so unbelievable!
Is it America? Or is it Saudi Arabia? It is a nasty war on women's health. It is a war on women by nasty men.
Be brave. Fight it out.
Sometimes I feel that men who are against abortion, against choice, against women's reproductive health, are exactly like those men who used to beat women up on the streets because they demanded voting rights for women.
'Several times constables and plain-clothes men who were in the crowds passed their arms round me from the back and clutched hold of my breasts in as public a manner as possible, and men in the crowd followed their example. I was also pummeled in the chest […] my skirt was lifted up as high as possible and the constable attempted to lift me off the ground by raising his knee. This he could not do, so he threw me into the crowd and incited the men to treat me as they wished. 18 NOVEMBER 1910.'
Time has passed So much has changed. But the hatred against women has remained the same.


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Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu will leave "Bigg Boss 6" house Friday to campaign for next month's assembly elections in Gujarat, his wife Navjot Kaur announced here Thursday.
She told media persons that she had received a call from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who wanted Sidhu to campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in Gujarat.
She said she approached the channel (Colors) following the call and was told to announce that Sidhu will leave the show.
"Navjot Sidhu will leave the 'Bigg Boss' house tomorrow (Friday) to campaign for the Gujarat assembly elections," Kaur said.
Sidhu is the BJP Lok Sabha member from Amritsar in Punjab.
His wife is a BJP legislator from the Amritsar-east constituency. She is also the chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) for health.
Kaur said television was a source of income for Sidhu, but he's ready to leave the show to fulfill his political obligations.
About Sidhu's performance in the high-drama show, Kaur said Sidhu behaved like a "fatherly figure" to other participants.


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Boston Architectural College
Story by Allison Postlethwait
The Boston Architectural College (BAC) is pleased to announce the College's Green Alley Project was presented a 2014 Greenovate Boston Award by Mayor Martin J. Walsh at the 8th Annual Greenovate Boston Community Summit on May 31, 2014.
The BAC Green Alley project, constructed in 2013 with assistance from Halvorson Design Partnership, INC, converted Back Bay's Public Alley #444, between the BAC's campus buildings on Boylston and Newbury Streets, to capture stormwater runoff and recharge groundwater, two environmental challenges facing the city of Boston. Since it's opening in October 2013, the Green Alley has captured almost 100% of the stormwater and filtered and infiltrated it into the groundwater system of the Back Bay.
Permeable paving allows water to percolate downward into the earth below rather than be conveyed across a paved surface to the Charles River via a conventional storm sewer. Both permeable asphalt and permeable unit paver systems were installed over a large common gravel bed designed to collect, store, and drain rain water from the alley surfaces and two BAC rooftops. Below ground, designers and construction managers on the project had to work around many existing utilities, including the infrastructure of the recently installed geothermal wells. The longer-term vision for the Green Alley effort includes the connection of the geothermal well system to serve the College's core buildings and lead the BAC toward a net zero campus energy goal.
"This Green Alley is the kind of asset that rejuvenates our neighborhoods and infrastructure, is highly innovative, and is essential to the long-term sustainability of our city," said BAC President Ted Landsmark.
The 8th Annual Greenovate Summit was a one-day event that empowered the Boston community to address climate change and provide direct input into the 2014 Climate Action Plan Update to make Boston the greenest and most climate-prepared city in the US. It concluded with Mayor Martin J. Walsh presenting the Greenovate Boston Awards, which recognized Boston's sustainability leaders who are helping reach the City's goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
The BAC Green Alley project demonstrates that immediate and long-term environmental challenges facing the city of Boston can be met through public/private partnerships between experts and institutions. Its success extends beyond the intelligent beautification of a single area. It is a replicable design with potentially far-reaching effects.


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O Root of Jesse, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.
There is a line that is often attributed to St. Augustine and that others, like St. Bonaventure, later appropriated and paraphrased. It reflects the intimacy and immanence of God: "God is closer to you than you are to yourself." This year, while reflecting on today's O Antiphon, O Root of Jesse, I thought of this line because of the way in which the coming of God as emmanuel is anticipated here as coming from within. It is not an utterly transcendent God that comes from outside, as if beaming down from outer space, but a God who comes from within the family of the People of Israel, from within the limitations of human form, from within the time and space of our existence in creation.
This is partly what is conveyed in the reference to the messiah's coming from the lineage of King David's father, Jesse. Jesus arrives as a member of that family tree (hence the importance of the 'boring' genealogies in Matthew and Luke) and it should indeed give us pause about how we view our families and the importance of that connection with our past, present, and future lineage. Like all of humanity, God enters our world as part of a particular line of human persons with their own diverse histories, blessings, and sinful pasts. God knows a thing or two about what it's like to be part of a family.
Yet, it is not just those who follow in the line of David that can appreciate that Jesus was born in that line, for the broader human family is what we celebrate on Christmas. Because God enters the world as one like us, it was necessary for there to be a particular family line into which Christ would be born, but it is the fact that God becomes human and, therefore, part of the human family that is so much more significant than any particular clan to which the infant Jesus would be associated.
In light of this familial dimension to the Incarnation and the coming of Christ, I wonder how we might understand the last line of the antiphon: "let nothing keep you from coming to our aid." Superficially, it almost appears as though we are praying that God doesn't get stuck in traffic or become distracted by something else or disinterested for some reason. Yet, there is a profound implication that this line bears when we put the whole familial observation in perspective.
Christ continues to come into our world today in many and varied ways, albeit not in quite the same way as that day in Bethlehem. The way that Christ comes into our world to aid us, however, is through the other members of the body of Christ. As Teresa of Avila so brilliantly said:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
God is only ever prevented from coming to the aid of humankind by the inaction or disinterest of other human persons. This antiphon reminds us of our familial bond to God in Christ through the Incarnation, but it should also remind us of our role in salvation history to care for one another as Jesus cared for those he encountered during his earthly lifetime.
When we pray for the Root of Jesse to come, we are praying that the Spirit of God take root in our heart so that we can be instruments of God's peace in this world, allowing God to indeed come to the aid of our brothers and sisters. But it only happens through us. It only happens from the God who comes from within: within human history and within our hearts.


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Words by Mr Dan Cairns
In all these years of sitting down to chew the fat with pop stars, I have never met one quite as sartorially elegant as Mr Anderson. That's not to say he's a flash Harry when it comes to selecting his wardrobe. Today, the Suede front man and one-time dedicated hedonist, who in the band's Britpop-begetting heyday would take to the stage in hipsters and a see-through blouse, is sporting an understated - though almost certainly high-end - black shirt and designer jeans. Far from being foppish and effete, as those early heroin-chic Suede photographs and videos had led me to expect, Mr Anderson in person is tall, tanned, well-built, unselfconsciously masculine and unmistakably groomed. Who knew?
Looking back on my career, lots of people distrusted the band, and especially me. I definitely regret that
The 44-year-old is here to talk about his new solo album, Black Rainbows, which sees the singer return to the sphere of rock for the first time since his brief 2004 reunion with Suede's first guitarist Mr Bernard Butler, as The Tears. Gone are the instrumentally Spartan and lyrically questioning ruminations of Mr Anderson's two previous releases, Wilderness and Slow Attack. Working with Mr Leo Abrahams, he has returned to the sounds and subject matter that first fired his imagination, and captivated fans, when Suede exploded on to the front pages of the music press in 1992, louche, androgynous and feral. One of the best - and most underrated - lyricists of his generation, he scatters fresh gems across the new album, singing of people with "ashtray eyes" and "carpet burns", his Mr Patrick Hamiltonesque skill for shining a light on the seedy underbelly of disappointed lives as sharp as ever.
Combine Black Rainbows' brilliance with last year's thrilling and rapturously received Suede reunion shows and it isn't surprising to find Mr Anderson in such good spirits, chatting over a slice of Bakewell tart and a cup of tea. Gone is the slightly hangdog demeanour of recent years; today, he's beaming. "Looking back on my career," Mr Anderson says, hindsight bestowing its benefits, "the one thing I have regrets about is that I messed around with the media a bit, and did prance about for the cameras, all those kinds of things - which were fun, and very much part of the whole hype maelstrom about Suede at the time. But lots of people distrusted the band, and especially me, as a consequence, and that did drag attention away from the music. So I definitely regret that. But, you know, what can you do? You're 24, last week you signed off the dole, and you're in a studio in the East End having your photo taken for a magazine cover. And that's kind of fun. You really do think, 'Thank f*** for that - this is a more interesting life than the past three years, scraping money together for cat food'."
The Work
Mr Anderson's solo album, Black Rainbows, sees the artist return to the sphere of rock for the first time in seven years
The singer admits that, until last year, he had spent many years refusing to engage with his musical past - rather as, before Black Rainbows relit the fire, he had resisted rock music. The reissue of Suede's back catalogue last year and the band's comeback shows forced him to confront it, however. "I've always had this thing," he continues, "of 'Never look back, always move forwards'." Does he feel as if he's competing against his past? "Oh, definitely. But lots of people, if they've made great work, they're always in its shadow, aren't they? For me, it's [the second Suede album] Dog Man Star. My fanbase is always comparing everything I do with that record. And that can become tiring - until the moment when you think, 'Yeah, Dog Man Star is a great album. What can I do about it?' I mean, I can imagine being oppressed by the past in that way, but at least you have made something great, and can use that as a positive. If you've never made something that casts that shadow, surely that's more worrying."
I was very lippy and out there in the early days, but I'm not embarrassed about it; it's very much part of me
Mr Anderson says he has much more perspective now - and affection, even compassion, for his younger self. "I was very lippy and very out there in the early days, but I'm not embarrassed about it; it's very much part of me, and I quite respect it in a funny sort of way. I mean, I don't want to act like that any more, because I have more confidence in myself, in the different sides of myself; but I still respect the fact that I had the guts to do something that stuck out."
He admits he finds the homogenisation of today's alternative music trying, and blames what he calls "the shuffle culture, which has reduced tribalism". "You can listen to a whole host of eclectic music, and that's wonderful in a way, because it means that lots of new bands are boundless in the way they will pilfer from multiple genres. But there was something to be said for being at school and getting beaten up because you liked punk music. That sort of thing gave a real frisson to being a music fan, and gave you a personal badge of identity."
In their prime, Suede's music was sleazy and dangerous - to the point where you could almost smell it. The best moments on Black Rainbows exude the same sense of ambiguity and menace. "That, for me, is what great music is," says Mr Anderson, finishing his cup of tea. "It's about personality rather than proficiency, that feeling that you've got something of the writer left behind when they've left the room." And with that he is off. Gone, maybe - but a trace of Mr Brett Anderson still lingers.
Black Rainbows is out now


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Central Saint Martins, graduate Christopher Shannon's collections are always a jocular debate between the creative and the commercial. For next spring Shannon continues his well-executed ploy to subvert sportswear within a modern chap's wardrobe.
Leslie Winers's 'Witch' album instigated Shannon's thoughts that brought a sharper edge to his new collection. Synthetic shirting, paneled sweaters and short-sleeved shirts were simple and angular. Checked shirt fabrics and college sweaters signaled to Americana aesthetic, while tassels dangling off shirt tales referenced Shannon's signature quirks - and the collection could have benefited from a few more of these classic menswear subversions.
Accessories for the head in the form of handmade hair comb headpieces worked brilliantly and they lightened the well executed, more serious than usual, collection. New shoes with Swear involved classic brogues re-interpreted with a raised platform and two-tone block coloured sole.
Shannon's ability to stay on track with his menswear message is admirable. A clear sensibility in designing something men would want to wear, men he sees around is what defines the designers continued success. The charm in the clothes is their unashamedly commercial approach and Shannon can be pleased with latest triumph.


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Reviewed by Amelia G. (age 9)
My favorite part is when Sam's mom and dad told him that the water that flushes down the toilet goes into the ocean. The clouds then suck in that water and it comes down when it rains. So, Sam thought if he flushed a watch down the toilet it would rain watches! But, as you may have guessed, it didn't. The toilet just got plugged! I also thought that this book was very entertaining, Sam does so many crazy things that it makes me want to read more. I think that older sisters and brothers that read this book will be grateful for the siblings that they have after reading abour Sam! I know I am! How about you?
I recommend this book to older sisters or older brothers that think their younger sibling is trouble. They will be able to relate to what it feels like to have a younger brother or sister that acts a little crazy! People who do not have younger siblings may enjoy reading this book too because they will be happy they are an only child!