text:
When the Christchurch quake struck, Celia Hay thought she was covered. What she has since discovered is a warning to all business owners, reports Diana Clement.
In the event of a catastrophe, insurance was meant to save Celia Hay's bacon. So when the building that housed Hay's Restaurant and the New Zealand School of Food and Wine was severely damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Hay was relieved that she'd been well insured for 17 years.
Lumley General Insurance (NZ), she thought, would repair the Victoria St building and pay business interruption insurance for the loss of rental income from the property, which Hay owned with a group of investors. And NZI would replace or repair the damaged fit-out and pay for the loss of profits from the restaurant and school until the businesses could reopen.
Never did Hay imagine that it would take 19 months before Lumley even decided whether to rebuild, her business interruption cover would run out, and the building would still be unusable.
Decisions by her insurers have wiped hundreds of thousands of dollars from her claims. And it could happen to any business in New Zealand.
Celia Hay is a Christchurch culinary identity, known for Hay's Restaurant and the Duvauchelle Store and Cafe on Banks Peninsula, as well as her food and wine school.
The businesses were successful enough for Hay to live comfortably and put three children through private school. They had an average turnover of $1.2 million a year and employed up to 20 full- and part-time staff.
On February 22 last year, 11 students were absorbed in cooking lamb navarin when the earthquake hit. The staff and students were shaken, but not hurt. After the dust settled, engineers declared it was too dangerous to go on using the building that housed the school and restaurant. Hay and her students relocated until the end of the current courses, and the restaurant closed for what she thought would be a couple of months until the building was repaired.
But so far only one of Hay's five claims, covering 12 months loss of rent on the building, has been paid in full. The business interruption claim on Hay's Restaurant was whittled down to a fraction of what she expected, the building insurer has only just made a verbal decision not to rebuild, the material damage claim hasn't been paid in full, and the business interruption claim for the school was stuck in no-man's land until this week. In the meantime, Hay has had to pull her children out of private school, is bleeding cash and faced insolvency action by a creditor.
Her tale, says Hay, is a lesson to anyone in business not to expect insurance to save them in a disaster.
To get back into business in Christchurch, Hay needed premises. The building, yellow-stickered after the quake, was covered by Lumley. The insurer, however, could not decide whether it was cheaper to demolish or reinstate, despite receiving its assessor's report in July last year which recommended rebuilding.
Lumley has apologised for the delays. "My over-arching comment in regard to it is we have taken far too long to come to a decision on this," says John Grant, Head of Earthquake Response at Lumley.
The insurance company's difficulty was that it was dealing with independent assessors, engineers and other experts, who were all too busy thanks to earthquake claims. Grant says Lumley has now contracted surveyors, certifying engineers and other professionals to work in its offices to speed claims processing.
Despite Lumley's commitment to settle the claim as soon as possible, Hay doesn't yet know how long it will take for the final payout to be negotiated.
Until she is paid by Lumley, the building remains closed and her businesses cannot reopen. In the meantime, her business interruption insurance on the building itself has run out, leaving a mortgage to be paid out of thin air.
The Catch-22 of Lumley's delay was that NZI, Hay's insurer for material damage to the fit-out and contents, could not pay in full until it was clear whether the building would be repaired or replaced.
The building claim is just one of Hay's insurance problems. Like many business owners, she assumed that when the crunch came, business interruption insurance would pay a sum based on the previous year's gross profit. The fine print, however, and new insurance industry practices said otherwise.
As many businesses have discovered since Christchurch started shaking, insurers can make "adjustments" to business interruption claims. Those adjustments can include reductions in payouts because of downward "trends" affecting a business. In Christchurch the adjustments have included the concepts of "depopulation" and "wider area damage", which emerged from Hurricane Katrina claims in the US.
In Hay's case, and others, the insurers argue that a downward trend in profits that started during the global financial crisis would have continued, so any payout should reflect the even smaller amount the insurance company believes the business would have made in the 12 months to February this year.
Of Hay's claims, the worst hit by the "trend" was Hay's Restaurant. Hay had expected the business interruption claim to be based on previous years' profits.
Her business adviser, Sue Sheldon, says business interruption payments are calculated on standard turnover from which a rate of gross profit is calculated, then any costs saved as a result of being closed are deducted.
"In looking at turnover the policy says it should be adjusted 'for the trend of the business' which is usually not defined [in the policy]," she says.
NZI spokesman Craig Dowling says the calculation was "evidence based", including a calculation for the downward "trend".
"A key point is that a policy's sum insured isn't the payment amount - it is the quantifiable amount (in accordance with the policy provisions) payable within the parameters set by the sum insured," says Dowling.
To date, says Hay, she has been paid $31,247 for business interruption on a business that turned over $500,000 the year before the earthquake. NZI says the payout was more than that, but the amount is confidential.
Insurance doesn't exist to make a person or business better-off than they would be otherwise. If profits are trending down or could be affected by other factors, the payout should reflect that, not the previous year's profits.
However Hay and Sheldon say work Hay had done on new revenue sources, that would turn the trend around, was ignored.
Ironically, says Sheldon, other top-end Christchurch restaurants have had huge financial windfalls from the earthquakes. With only a handful of top restaurants left in the city, their turnover has soared.
Hay says she was furious at the small payout for the restaurant. "I thought BI [business interruption] is about getting you back to where you were. That is absolutely not the case. I am being denied the right to get back to where I was."
Sheldon has other clients who have suffered from insurers' view that downward trends can only continue in that direction. "The insurers are not taking into account that a business might have done a lot of work to improve its position for the year that turned out to be immediately post-earthquake.
"Businesses in New Zealand were coming out of the global financial crisis. They were putting in place initiatives to pull out of this. Insurers are not taking account of any of that work." says Sheldon.
Auckland insurance lawyer Andrew Hooker has heard it all before. "The [insurance] assessor thinks they know more about your business than you do," he says. "They talk about how your business was going to perform, with no evidential basis. No matter how much you tell them about your predictions for the next 12 months, they don't want to listen."
When it became apparent that NZI would pay "virtually nothing" - in Hay's words - for the lost restaurant turnover, she turned her attention to the business interruption claim for the food and wine school, only to find that the insurer would again rely on the "downward trend" and other doctrines that arose from Hurricane Katrina to reduce its payout.
A common fallacy among business owners, says Hooker, was that business interruption claims would be triggered by the earthquake. They weren't. Firms were only covered for business interruption resulting from damage to their own premises caused by the quake. No damage, no claim - even though they might have no clients thanks to the cordon that kept potential customers out of the central city.
The insurers argue, says Hooker, that businesses behind the cordon with usable premises lost custom due to depopulation, not because of quake damage.
And even where a building was damaged, some businesses have found they're still not covered, says Hooker. In these cases the insurer's argument was that although the building or equipment was damaged, the cordon meant there would have been no business anyway, so there was nothing to pay out.
"Your problem is that no-one is coming in to buy your hamburgers and the insurance company says: 'stiff shit - the reason you have lost money is not due to your building being damaged'," says Hooker. "'No-one is buying your hamburgers because of the cordon, not the damage."'
At best, these companies can get limited payments if their policies included cover for prevention of access to their premises. However their main business interruption cover was not paid out.
If that wasn't enough, other businesses, including Hay's school, were told by their insurers that damage to the wider region kept tourists and other visitors away. Hay was told by NZI's assessor that overseas students would be deterred from coming to Christchurch, and it adjusted her claim accordingly.
The principles of depopulation and wider area damage emerged from a court case following Hurricane Katrina. In that case, the insurer argued that the Orient Hotel in New Orleans lost business because there were no people around to use a hotel - not from the hurricane itself. The case was heard in a court in Britain, where the insurer was based.
New Zealand insurers have regularly cited the case since February 22, 2011, says Hooker. "The insurance company says 'Orient Pacific - we are not paying your claim'. I say the insurance industry cannot base a blanket rule on a piece of UK case law on a particular policy ... it is of limited application in New Zealand."
For these and other reasons many Christchurch claims have stalled, says Sheldon. One of her clients, for example, was paid for only half the time its own engineer and contractors spent reinstating its plant, because the insurer decided this was an operational cost. Had the business used outside engineers, the entire claim would have been paid.
"The anecdotal position we hear," says Sheldon, "is that insurers are seeking settlements that are less than the full amount of cover even where companies have incurred total loss of their business, and business owners are accepting less than a full payout because it is called a negotiated settlement. They are forced to because they need some cash. The insurers withhold payments because you are not agreeing to the settlement."
Hay has seen businesses outmaneuvered in this way. "I am concerned for the whole category of business owners," she says. "I don't want to sound like a whingeing person from Christchurch.
"Every time a saving is made by an insurer it is a loss to New Zealand in terms of future investment potential. In their pursuit of savings they are hurting New Zealand. That is all going under the radar."
One of Hay's biggest problems is the business interruption insurance claim for her school. She expected regular payments from NZI within the 12-month indemnity period to cover her loss of profits. Despite progress payments of $307,900 (GST inclusive) on a sum insured of $529,000, Hay is still waiting for the claim to be finalised.
She says the NZI-appointed assessor told her verbally in April this year that he was recommending the insurer pay $150,000 to settle the food and wine school business interruption claim. She thought that was pitifully short of what she should have been paid.
Then, to her horror she found the amount had been reviewed down by $100,000 before being sent to NZI.
But NZI denies the assessor ever said the final payment would be $150,000. "The assessor's report did not recommend $150,000, it recommended $40,000," it says. "We paid $50,000 which we believe was an appropriate amount based on the information provided and further discussions that we had with Celia."
Further discussion stalled because the insurer asked Hay for details of revenue from her new Auckland School of Food and Wine. The insurer's argument was that Hay - who had accelerated long-term plans to open a new school in Auckland - had simply upped and moved the business north. It wanted to offset any Auckland revenue against the Christchurch claim payment.
This week, however, it dropped those demands.
Hay's frustration with the claim settlement process is palpable. "What is business interruption insurance about?" she asks. "It's about getting you up and running again. Somehow this key goal has been lost in the rubble of the earthquake."
Thanks to the uncertainty over the business interruption claim on the school, she was unable to make business decisions for months on end. "I don't want to spend any money on marketing. I'm scared to employ more people. If I get insurance money, I am not going to burn it. I am going to invest it in my businesses."
The Hay case is not unusual. Hooker had a similar experience with a Christchurch retailer, which before the February earthquake had plans for another Christchurch branch. "It was in the early stages of planning, and hadn't physically opened," he says. "When it opened after the earthquake the insurance company decided it wanted to offset revenues of that new store against its payout for the destroyed branch."
Many business owners have also paid dearly for taking a No 8 wire approach to fixing problems. "People are being penalised for taking action, when they had no real obligation to do so," says Hooker.
When a client's Christchurch business was put out of action by the quake, the owner redeployed staff to his Rangiora branch to keep them busy - even though there was no work for them. "The insurer is refusing to pay the lost wages," says Hooker. "My client says: 'I have a staff of people sweeping things they don't need to sweep. The insurance company said we have redeployed our people there and used the offset clause [not to pay]."' If the staff had been twiddling their thumbs the owner would have been paid.
Hooker cites another example, a medium-sized manufacturing business whose building was "munted" but still standing. The owner got some timber, propped up the building and covered it with a tarp to get back into business.
Because the owner kept things operating, he didn't immediately need his 12 months' business interruption cover. Now the insurance company is ready to do the repairs and the business will be closed temporarily, he could do with the payout, but the cover was only valid for the year from February 22, 2011, and has now expired.
The business owner, says Hooker, had assumed he could hit the pause button and claim the business interruption cover when he needed it. Not so, said the insurer.
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has heard of similar cases and says insurers "need to think very carefully what their obligations are in those circumstances. Reputationally there is an issue for insurers to consider.
"At some point the businesses will need to cease operating for a period, [yet] the period under which business interruption insurance runs has expired. The insurers need to be reasonable about it and say because they didn't have capacity [to settle the claim earlier] they have disadvantaged the businesses who had cover with them.
"It is unreasonable that [insurers] have protected their position by disadvantaging the people who had cover with them."
But Brownlee also says every business with business interruption insurance should pull out the policy and read it. "Quite often they have gone to a broker and got a cheap option without being fully aware of what [the policy] means. There are too many [businesses] I have come across who say 'I have business interruption insurance, but frankly I have never read the policy'."
And Brownlee says insurers are not getting enough credit for continuing to offer insurance in Christchurch. As he points out, "many countries don't have insurance."
Lessons from the shaky city
The aftermath of the Christchurch quakes has been an eye-opener for business owners and insurers alike. Gary Young, chief executive of the Insurance Brokers Association of NZ, recommends firms with business interruption cover consider the following:
* Negotiate the longest business interruption cover possible. Some insurers will offer two years. One year might be enough if your factory burns down. But if there is widespread damage in a city or region, one year will probably not be enough.
* Speak to your advisers before lodging a claim. That includes your insurance broker, lawyer and accountant. "Some [Christchurch] business owners seem to have gone ahead with doing things which have subsequently disadvantaged themselves," says Young. "Policies can be quite complicated in this area and you need to make sure you are doing the right thing."
* Keep really good records, including data backups. Owners who take the traditional shoebox approach to keeping records could find themselves unable to prove their claim.
* Dispute resolution services which insurance companies belong to such as the Insurance & Savings Ombudsman can hear complaints about small business claims. In the case of the ombudsman, the ceiling for claims to be considered is $200,000.


text:
This is a very jolly track with a very upbeat feel. It features the gentle sound of the Ukulele with some nice bell/glockenspiel type synths & a full string section.
This track would be great in a few different media options, ranging from motivational video to a children's television series or movie.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A nut, bolt, key, lock and napkin are presented. A spectator is asked to remove his or her ring and place it around the bolt. The nut is screwed onto the bolt, trapping the ring. A lock is placed through the hole at the end of the bolt, which now traps the nut. The spectator then covers the performer's hands holding the trapped ring. The spectator is asked to wave the key over the napkin and slowly count to three. Magically, the napkin is removed and the ring has escaped from the nut and bolt! EVERYTHING is then handed out for inspection!
Do you own this product? Write a review.


text:
Friday, March 23, 2012
Quote of the Day
"But I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was."
-- Geraldo Rivera on Fox News
I don't need to tell you that this is, in classic Geraldo fashion, a shockingly dumb thing to say. It's cut-rate reductionism expressed in the most clumsy and artless way possible, and the Huffington Post, also as it's wont to do, is already tearing Geraldo apart for it through various headlines that feign outrage in the name of page hits.
But here's the thing: While putting the blame for the death of Trayvon Martin as much on his hoodie as on the bullet fired by George Zimmerman may be ridiculous at face value, the larger point that Geraldo is making is more sound than you might think. He's just making that point very, very badly.
It goes something like this: Like it or not, a book actually is judged by its cover. There's a calculated reason that the cover of a book looks the way it does -- it's designed to immediately impart a very specific sense of recognition in the potential reader and to be a fair advertisement for the book's contents. There are certain things about your personal "cover" that can't be changed: Your race, your age, your facial features (in theory anyway). Your physical characteristics generally are what they are and therefore it's thoroughly unfair and flat-out wrong for someone to judge you based solely on them.
But the way you choose to dress or otherwise adorn yourself is exactly that -- a choice. Your choice. And while in a perfect world no one would draw immediate conclusions about you based on your personal style, news flash: We don't live in a perfect world, and ignoring or defiantly thumbing your nose at the fact that there may be certain unintended consequences to the image you choose to project is both irresponsible and thick-headed.
Is it unfair that a lot of very dumb people immediately look at a kid in a hoodie, a ball cap and low-slung pants and think "thug?" Yes.
Is it unfair that a douchebag in a bar looks at a girl in a tiny skirt, a midriff-bearing top, minus a bra, with a pierced belly-button and a tramp stamp and thinks "she wants sex?" Yes.
But again -- life isn't fair.
I have tattoos. About 20 of them, at last count. At no point while I was inking the hell out of my body did I accept anything less than full responsibility for the image that I knew I might be projecting to the world. I understood what I was signing on for when I got the things and accepted the potential consequences.
Now before anyone shouts that I'm blaming the victims*, let me go ahead and shoot the hostage: I am -- to an extent. No, unlike Geraldo I don't think that wearing a hoodie is what got Trayvon Martin killed -- not by any stretch of the imagination. A lot of people wear hoodies besides the ones who, as Geraldo puts it, are seen on surveillance tapes sticking up 7-11s. But again, his larger point about "stylizing yourself as a gangster" and how it might very well lead people to "perceive you as a menace" makes a lot of sense. As he says, the "cover" that we present to the public is in fact what people will judge you on, at least at first.
And that first impression that George Zimmerman had of Trayvon Martin -- whether caused by the color of the kid's skin or some other factor -- wound up being his last. Because the conclusion that Zimmerman wrongly jumped to got Trayvon killed.
Adding: Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post feels quite a bit differently about this subject but articulates her points really well (and makes a pretty amusing argument for the idea that, by his logic, everyone Geraldo meets should automatically assume he's an aging 70s porn star). It's very much worth taking a look at what she has to say.
*Just wanted to say that I added an "s" to the end of "victim" because people are already assuming that when I said victim, I specifically meant that I was blaming Trayvon Martin. I wasn't and I'm not. I'm talking about in general -- that each of us bears some responsibility for how we choose to present ourselves to the general public.
52 comments:
- Jay said...
Saying something with "big words" doesn't make it right. This was a text-book white privilege article.
- TK said...
I have to disagree. I don't think that what he was wearing made any difference whatsoever for two reasons:
1) Had it been a white kid in a hoodie with low-hanging pants and a ball cap, the outcome would likely have been different.
2) Had Martin been wearing shorts and a t-shirt, the outcome would likely have been the same.
Yes, the world is imperfect and unfair and we judge people based on appearances. But the comparison between this and something like tattoos doesn't really work either. I've got a mess of tattoos as well, and I guarantee that if you and I were walking down the street together in the same outfits, I'm likely the one who would be judged more harshly. Not because of one or the others' tattoos, but because of my skin compared to yours.
Of course, you and I walking down the street together in the same outfit would also be really, really awkward.
- Thomas B said...
To be fair, Chez - I don't think it's just really, really dumb people who look at the tailored "thug" image and think to themselves "thug". The five dudes who mugged me 18 years ago looked just like that. I'm not a dumb person (at least I don't think so), but if I see some dudes (or a dude) walking toward me in the dead of night on a lonely street, I'm going to fear for my safety. I'm not going to shoot the dude, but yes, if he looks like a thuggish duck and quacks like a thuggish duck, then I'm going to go ahead and see him as a thuggish duck.
- J. Dack said...
Here's the thing that sucks about this topic: I agree with you and I agree with her. It's some kind of... paradox?
The problem is that those on the "don't blame the victim" side are right, but I think they're also being naive.
Of course it shouldn't be this way, but it is, and I'm skeptical that talking about it on the internet to raise awareness is going to do anything to change human nature.
I just don't know if this is a solvable problem.
I hear what you're saying, but the kid was only 17... old enough to know people might judge him, but probably not experienced enough to understand the consequences.
And how do you explain to a teenager that he can't or shouldn't wear what his friends are wearing because of the color of his skin? How would you have reacted to that as a teenager?
Wow, Chez..
I am usually in 99% agreement with most of what you say but not this. This is akin to blaming a rape victim for "dressing like a slut". Especially since 99% of Americans own and wear a hoodie. Fuck, I'm typing with one on right now paired with baggy sweats to match (for the record, I'd like to pretend I just came from the gym..Let's keep that fantasy alive) It's an asexual practical piece of clothing, especially when it's raining, which IT WAS the night Trayvon was murdered.
Geraldo is just doing that right wing tap dance of "how can we jingle the keys and distract people from the real issue here that SYG laws are just a facade to pick off 'thug' minorities 'cuz they threaten our whitehood majority?...I Know! blame it on what the kid was wearing!" It is just another way to turn the message away from gun control and racism and back towards that dangerous misnomer of 'scary urban youths'
Can clothing be threatening?..sure. Look at the bikers and redneck motorcycle hells angles types. They might make me leery as a gorgeous petite liberal female but they don't because that's the stereotypes I grew up with in Colorado. (in fact one of our legislators ran a bill this session barring establishments from discriminating against this type of clothes-wearer. I wonder if black kids in hoodies would have gotten the same consideration?) Maybe I'm in the minority because a bunch of black kids wearing hoodies don't scare me either because I treat them like they are: kids. You know what does scare the shot out of me? Assholes wearing their gun in their holsters like some Wallmart version of John Wayne. What scares me even more? Carry and conceal laws.
- Chez said...
Totally agree, TK. I'd very likely get pegged by quite a few people -- at least in white society -- as being less of a threat because I'm white. And that's completely fucking unfair. But I think what Geraldo was trying to get at -- and it's worth mentioning that he used his own son as an example -- is that fair or not, a brown kid dressed a certain way is going to draw attention and be assumed to be a certain way. You said it yourself: a white kid in a hoodie and all that crap is no big deal -- it's when you combine it with the "wrong" skin color that things get ugly.
And yes, I do think that race was the pivotal trait that got Trayvon killed -- that led Zimmerman to make the entirely wrong assumption about him.
So you think the solution is to have black kids dress more "white" I know that's not what you are saying, but that is the perception. Just like when women starting wearing skirts and cleavage and stuff, they were put down and told "you won't be taken seriously". And we women worked hard to change that perception. It's not the clothing that needs to change, it's society's perception and it starts with placing the blame for the heinous crime where it belongs. And that ain't on a piece of clothing especially one that is as innocuous as a freakin' hoodie. They sell them at the Gap for chissake. THE GAP!
I agree. People do tend to think along the lines of "walks like a duck, talks like a duck, must be a duck". As the parent of two young men, I always told them it was their choice if they wanted to walk around looking like whatever, but they had to accept that people would judge them accordingly. Nothing excuses the fact that Zimmerman targeted and shot the poor kid with zero provocation and needs to be held accountable for his terrible actions. I would much rather see my son in a black hoodie than an orange jumpsuit!
- Chez said...
I don't want black kids to dress white. I'd love it if people could wear whatever the hell they want and there would be no judgments -- and yes, I'm all for changing the perception, absolutely. What I'm saying, though, is that right now -- at this very moment -- certain looks provoke certain responses. And actually, in the future that will happen as well -- it's human nature to jump to conclusions based on the way we choose to present ourselves. Again for the cheap seats -- the whole book/cover thing.
- TK said...
I get what you're saying, but I still disagree with the fundamental premise. Clothes may well affect how people see and judge you, but...
fair or not, a brown kid dressed a certain way is going to draw attention and be assumed to be a certain way.
My experience has been that if you take out the "dressed a certain way," that's the real truth of it.
- TK said...
Sorry, I'm not trying to belabor the point but...
Again for the cheap seats -- the whole book/cover thing.
Agreed. Totally agreed. Except that in this case, the cover was skin color, and I'm guessing it had nothing to do with clothing.
That's not to say that style or fashion wouldn't be a factor in other scenarios, but I feel that it's not relevant in this one.
@TK, Exactly. If you peruse Zimmerman's 911 calls he wasn't just concerned about 'black kids in hoodies'. It was also black kids in tank tops. Black kids in leather jackets. Black kids in Ambercrombie. This is not a book/cover scenario. This is about prejudiced perceptions of black youths. This is about distracting the nations attention away from the insane agenda of the NRA to turn this country into a a fucking war zone. "Kill upon threat" bullshit laws. Threat meaning "minority" in their eyes. It's stomach churning to think we are even talking about he was dressed as if it has a valid standing.
The hoodie argument is a red herring.
(also, forgive my typos... my hand muscles are so worn out from my vigorous gym session...)
- Jeff Metzner said...
There's truth in what you're saying, and I think that's the reason we as a society have decided that we would rather trust trained professionals to handle life-or-death situations rather than vigilantes. The problem IMO, was not that Trayvon was wearing a hoodie but that he was pursued by someone who was too bigoted and untrained to know that he was supposed to look past that. (Not that the cops are perfect, but at least they've been taught how to defuse a situation safely before they hit the street.)
- renhalz said...
Sorry Chez, love you, but can't co-sign on this one with you. The way "perceptions" are changed is when you completely destroy the excuses used for perpetuating them.
Trayvon was wearing a hoodie because it was raining. Trayvon was a young man, walking home from the corner store, talking to his girlfriend on the phone when he was accosted and assaulted by a lone, crazed lunatic that only so Trayvon's skin color as justification for confronting him and ultimately taking his life. There isn't even a hint of evidence that the hoodie was the reason this nut job was "suspicious" of Trayvon; it was the fact that Trayvon was a young black male walking through this gated community; that's what Zimmerman found "suspicious". Rivera's sorry attempt to find some justification behind Zimmerman's actions by saying it was an article of clothing that caused this is just a ridiculous red herring.
- Chez said...
I really must not have come across as clearly as I thought I did. I'm talking about the larger point, not the Trayvon case specifically. I even said that I don't think a fucking hoodie is what got him killed. Zimmerman almost certainly found the kid suspicious because he was black.
Geraldo may indeed be looking for excuses and justification beyond sheer racism, which as we know if a forbidden topic of discussion at Fox. But he is actually right when he implies that people will judge you based on the clothes you wear. For fuck's sake -- that's common sense.
- JohnF said...
Oh, Chez. You and your White Privilege!
- Chez said...
I know, right? I'm clutching my pearls.
Regarding Geraldo's comments, hoodies are controversial now? This must all be Rocky Balboa's fault, training the way he did in that gray hoodie. Sly Stallone must apologize.
- nicole said...
hmmm..i've read every comment on here, and my pov is pretty much the same as TK's.
I agree that people judge is by our appearance.
BUT. Does their judgement extend a right to take action which is detrimental to us and illegal?
OF course NOT.
You can't tell people not to wear hoodies because they might be attacked by racists, just like you can't tell women not to wear sexy clothing because they might be raped by some misogynist asshole.
If you tell them such a thing, you are implying that they have some control over it, and thus, if the worst happens, they are also at fault.
And, of course, they aren't.
- nicole said...
"I'm clutching my pearls. "
Pearls and tattoos.....sweet! :)
"We don't live in a perfect world, and ignoring or defiantly thumbing your nose at the fact that there may be certain unintended consequences to the image you choose to project is both irresponsible and thick-headed."
I think the idea that I can and should anticipated all the excuses someone could come up with to conclude that I'm a thug, is irresponsible and thick-headed. This week, it's hooded sweatshirts. Oh wait, are we sure it's not sweatshirts in general? What about gloves? They're notoriously associated with criminals. Do I need to be wary of wearing them? Exactly how am I supposed to predict what some idiot is going to use as a pretext for justifying his racist assumptions about me.
- kanye said...
I'm not sure what's harder for me to believe: That this song is 23 years old, or that's still so true. Maybe even more so now than when it was written.
House of Freaks: White Folk's Blood
- Claude Weaver said...
Here's the thing that sucks about this topic: I agree with you and I agree with her. It's some kind of... paradox?
Kinda. But it really means your brain is in working order. Much more than some.
Thing is, I get what Chez is saying. Just because it is an ugly perception, and you say it is an ugly perception, it isn't going to change that ugly perception overnight.
And unfortunately, too much of pop culture, especially that which is geared towards minority youth, glamorizes and indulges in criminal culture. We idolize some really repugnant figures, and kids naturally want to emulate idols. So they dress like them, act like them, and then wonder why people think they are like them. If this is the image you wish to project, why are you suddenly surprised that people react to it? If you dress up in a straitjacket and yell gibberish (or vote Republican in 2012), I am gonna think you are crazy until further notice.
It is a fairly complicated issue, because while on one hand you should be able to wear whatever clothes you wish without hassle, on the other, you can't control what people are gonna think about it. And in a mind as twisted and misled as Zimmerman's (and we all know as of late that he isn't the only one), applying logic and reason is futile.
To end, let me say this: while such a discussion is important to have, Geraldo was dead wrong for associating it with the Martin case. it trivializes and tries to excuse a heinous crime and an avoidable tragedy. And Rivera should be ashamed of THAT.
- Steven D Skelton said...
Being a teenager (from Seattle) in the 90's, I dressed most days in ratty jeans, a t-shirt and a flannel and wore my hair long and raggedy.
One winter, I shaved my head. The world treated me different from the day I walked out of the barber shop and continued to until I started wearing nicer clothes.
Although nothing of my being was at all a skin head...straight edge or otherwise...I looked exactly like one.
Lesson learned. I looked like a skinhead and I was treated like a skin head. Duh!
- Steven D Skelton said...
You made yourself perfectly clear...don't apologize.
And if anybody is offended by what you said, it's on them...not you.
Your point is perfectly reasonable. We dress the way we do because we want to present an image to the world.
People here are saying that isn't fair and lamenting that it hasn't changed. Load of crap if you ask me.
Do we really want a world where people make no value judgments at all based on appearance? Then what the fuck would be the purpose of all the time and effort we put into our appearance?
- Matt Osborne said...
Chez, last time I checked there were seven hoodies in my closet and not a one of 'em say "wearing this gives strangers permission to shoot you" on the tag. I'm hearing an echo of "if you don't want to be raped, don't dress like a slut."
Sure - everyone is responsible for the way they dress. Gun owners are also responsible for pulling the trigger. Hoodies don't kill people, people with guns kill people.
This didn't take very long.
- VOTAR said...
So many people missing the point here.
As I read it, Chez is not saying that Trayvon's appearance justified Zimmerman's actions, but it IS part of the explanation of them.
There is a vast difference between trying to understand Zimmerman's reaction (in an academic sense), versus justifying or excusing it. And like it or not, we live in a world where one's attire broadcasts information about us that others will interpret in ways we cannot control, based on images they've already been exposed to. Like it or not, stereotypes don't materialize out of thin air. We are taught by pop culture to expect a certain behavior from people who deliberately present themselves a certain way. And these images are often not only tacitly presented, they're often celebrated by those who adopt them.
Goths want to look dark and goth-y.
Bikers want to look like tough bearded dudes wearing dusty leather.
"Gangsta" hip-hop performers want to look thuggish and menacing.
Porn starlets want to look slutty.
Otherwise, none of them would bother to make all that effort.
So yes, Zimmerman must be held accountable for his actions, but I don't think -- however racist he may seem to us -- that he went out that night thinking "I'm gonna shoot me a black kid." But in the hyper-vigilante fever he had obviously worked himself into, it is somewhat believable -- not justified -- that his actions were informed in some part by his learned and culturally reinforced preconceptions about a person who seemed out of place in his neighborhood, and a black kid wearing a hoodie at night in a gated community certainly can, like it or not, contribute to that misconception.
I feel pretty comfortable understanding this without any hint of feeling as though I'm "blaming the victim."
Yes, but it doesn't make the hoodie-wearer any less dead to be blameless, does it?
Until we live in a perfect society, it's sensible to err on the side of caution. Wait a beat before going through the green light so the jackass trying to beat his red light doesn't T-bone you. If you're a hot young girl, don't dress in a mini skirt and tank top and get close to blackout drunk in the company of douchebags. Because you can be completely right and innocent, but it won't save you from harm.
I want to minimize the likelihood that the evil people of the world choose me to victimize, while I'm waiting for society to figure out a way to stop them from victimizing anybody.
But he is actually right when he implies that people will judge you based on the clothes you wear. For fuck's sake -- that's common sense.
No. It's really not.
Common sense would be jugding someone by their actions, not by their appearance.
Agree with TK - I don't disagree with the fundamental point. I simply don't think it's particularly applicable in this instance.
- Chez said...
I never said it was applicable. In fact, I said it wasn't. I used the remark as a jumping off point.
- SteveR said...
I think there's a lag between the initial appearance of the mode of dress and its evolved version. The hoodie look may have denoted a thug originally, but over time, it has become quite harmless in the mainstream. However, types like Zimmerman haven't caught onto the new meaning of the hoodie. There's the lag, the gap.
It's like still believing that jazz is the devil's music.
I think the middle ground is "wear what you want, but be careful where you wear it."
ok, Chez, you've got a point, the way we present ourselves to the world does have an impact on how others see us. my dad always told me that. but have you seen any pictures of Trayvon??? he has the face of a thirteen year old (and a very well behaved one!). talk about judging a book by its cover! hoodie or not. the asshole who killed him did it because he was black. would he have killed a white kid with a hoodie? hell no. and from what you wrote and replied in all of the comments you agree with that too. so why are you trying to justify or provide a reasonable motive, or an excuse, or whatever for what Geraldo said? this has has no justification and no other motive than racism (and a trigger happy white fuck with a gun). it was just a kid wearing a hoodie! for fucks sake, what kid doesn't wear a hoodie? gangster image my ass! he was a black kid and the racist killed him, end of story.
Milton (i'm posting as anonymous because for some reason that is the only way my posts are accepted)
hell, if it's because of the gangsta image, why hasn't any white vigilante asshole killed Justin Bieber yet?
Let me start by saying this.. I do not consider Geraldo in any way a brain trust or even a halfway decent interpreter of culture. So this statment just comes off to me as one more glaring example of his "lameness."
I think your assessment of Trayvon's sartorial choice as a possible contributing factor to his death is an odd and strangely formed.
I can only see it as being as wrong as saying a woman encourages rape by wearing sexy clothing. If she is naked you still shouldn't touch her unless you know her well enough to be invited. Even then you had better be damned sure she wasn't intoxicated, drugged or crazy. Because you will be called to account for your actions if she later feels she was wronged.
Which you have acknowledged.
That's a long way to say this - a hoodie is not a sign that the wearer is a threat. So before taking action against a "perceived" threat you had better be damned sure that the wearer of the hoodie is indeed "trouble." Otherwise there will be some very serious accounting to be done.
Zimmerman wasn't acting responsibly. The police had clearly told him to stand down. The police understood the nature of the situation and tried hard to inform Zimmerman that he had done enough.
Until you have been denied service at restaurant because of your color, or have been questioned by police because you kind of look like some other black guy, you will never understand.
No amount of wearing the right clothes will do. If a person has decided to judge you as a threat strictly by appearances, they have already limited your chance to carry on as any American should have the right to. I've been on the receiving side of this kind of reactionary.
It's painful and frustrating to hear someone you think might have a clue could be so lame as to "blame the hoodie."
Few years back went for a midnight run in 10 degree F weather. Icier than I planed and was mostly walking the hills and I started to freeze in my too light layers with a hoodie on top. I noticed the sun had melted the ice on the sidewalk across the street and started running pretty fast to warm up. All of a sudden a car swerves onto the sidewalk and I nearly fall over it. I realize it is a cop car and my next door neighbor was rolling down the window. I'm stammering Jesus Mike it's Mart, what the hell? And he says Jesus Mart, I see a hoodie sprinting down the street in freezing weather in the middle of the night, what the hell you expect?
- Claude Weaver said...
I love how people are still missing the point. For the cheap seats:
Chez is simply saying that Rivera, in his own stupendous;y idiotic way, did make an interesting point that should be addressed. That is all.
Or let me put it this way: there are people in this world that are indeed so backwards and reactionary that they could and would still consider a hoodie more threatening than a suit. We should be aware of this, if only to be able to prevent these deluded people from using said superficial nonsense as legitimate defense.
hell, if it's because of the gangsta image, why hasn't any white vigilante asshole killed Justin Bieber yet?
1) He has bodyguards.
2) Most likely, they don't know who Justin Bieber even is.
I know it was a joke, but it still fits the point.
Whether it was stated inartfully (at best) by Jerry Rivers or thoughtfully ( as usual) by Chez, the point is we all want a world that should be, but we live and function in a world that is.
There's huge overlap between racism and classism, and some people who are prejudiced against the racial minority underclass don't consider themselves racist because they don't have a problem with a black businessman in a suit, just "the ones who cause trouble".
The problem is when white teenagers dress down they look exactly like what they are: Teenagers trying to look cool by trying to dress rebellious. When minorities dress down, the classist/racist intersection causes a lot of people to see them as thugs.
So middle-class white teenagers caught with drugs get a slap on the wrist because they're "good kids who made a mistake", while poorer minorities who do the exact same thing get the book thrown at them because "this is the start of their criminal career".
- Chez said...
Good point, Capt.
- Anonymouse said...
I agree with the clown...a phrase I say far too often. While I still believe there is racism in today's society, and some of it is institutional, the socio-economic divisions in our country is becoming far more difficult to overcome.
When I served in the navy from 2000-2006, I was exposed to a wide variety of people throughout the country and the US. Being poor sucks and it causes a lot of long term problems. A piss poor rural kid from Kentucky ain't gonna get exposed to crack cocaine and the gansta culture of rap, but he is gonna get exposed to meth and redneck culture that puts the same emphasis on excessive drinking and other self destructive lifestyles. The poor rural kid has as much of a chance to have a supporting family unit as any poor kid from the city. If your poor and in a nicer area where people don't think you belong, the po-po gonna fuck with you, no matter your color.
The frustrating thing I always found when dealing with junior sailors (all of which had diplomas but far too many could not read or write functionally) was that they accepted their situation. Kids with clear learning disabilities were just past along until they graduated. Kids having kids, with most of them never knowing their dads and just folks struggling to stay above water with zero long term goals. Just real depressing shit.
Kids get in trouble all the time, but if their family is around and has any bit of social standing, they get a slap on the wrist. You poor? Better hope they don't execute you.
Geraldo's a jackass but there is a serious undercurrent in the US, from a variety of different social groups, that view education as either a waste of time, or something to look down upon. The US is a weird fucking country.
Claude -
"CHEZ IS NOT EXCUSING RIVERA OR ZIMMERMAN. NOBODY IS BLAMING MARTIN OR THE HOODIE." (no need to shout, man)
The point wasn't very nuanced. It leaves me "cold."
I don't think he blames Rivera. I don't feel that Chez directly blames the hoodie. But the suggestion that Trayvon's hoodie provided a negative first impression also suggests fault belongs in some way or amount in Trayvon's court.
Like I've suggested before you can't know unless you have been there. It's likely you have not.
On different note - this whole thing could have escalated into the kind of hate filled violence that took place immediately after Rodney King was beaten. This time I think people are tired and weary. All we want is justice. It doesn't seem to be on time. This incident is worse than King's. Yet people have chosen to react in a very civil manner.
I am approaching 60 years. I believe that American society suffers cycles of cultural ineptitude. I feel we have entered one more deep trench wear Trayvon's death is a marker along a road filled with misunderstanding and determined ignorance.
- TheReaperD said...
There's racism and classism. Racism sees a black man in a fancy suit and says "he must be a drug dealer" whereas classism sees anybody not dressing/looking at "their level" as either a threat or trash (because classism, like racism, goes both ways). But, no matter what the name is or why the distinction, it all comes down to human tribalism. The difference is between those who have enough reason to say, figuratively:
"They're not from my tribe. *breath* Ok, let's see if they're friendly."
Unfortunately, racists, religious fanatics, bullies, many conservatives, etc. all are driven by fear (explains why Fox news is all based on scare mongering and is so successful) and react based on that fear, rather than rational action. Does this excuse their behavior? Hell no! We live in what is supposed to be a civilized society and such behavior should never be tolerated.
To apply this to the topic at hand, does this explain Zimmerman's behavior? Yes. Should be be allowed to get away with it (assuming the facts fit what information we have been given)? No.
Dude shot an unarmed kid. What the fuck are we arguing about?
"George Zimmerman suffered a broken nose, and had an injury to the back of his head, he was attacked by Trayvon Martin on that evening," Sonner said. "This was a case of self defense."
I think i'll wait until all the facts are revealed before I jump to any conclusions.
- Chez said...
It's "would be," Fab. But unfortunately it's not at the moment.
You say that "ignoring or defiantly thumbing your nose at the fact that there may be certain unintended consequences to the image you choose to project is both irresponsible and thick-headed"
I say that your comments are not only irresponsible and thick-headed but also inflammatory and totally fucked-up!!!
As what you are implying is that black people should think a lot more carefully and not dress in the same way as their white peers or face the "natural consequences" of being hunted down and shot dead!!! And females should not dress too provocatively or face the inevitablilty of being raped!!! etc
And no matter how much you try to back-track, you are invariably placing the blame for violent, brutal, senseless acts of crime at the victims feet!!! As In your eyes victims of such heinous crimes
should have made better choices in how they chose to dress and therefore are just as culpable as their crazed offender!!!
How pathetic!!!
We are always so quick to form judgment.
There was a reason the police did not arrest Zimmerman immediately and it may be more based on the law and the facts than anything else.
But that won't get headlines.
- Chez said...
Sorry, Bev. I couldn't hear you. Could you add a few more exclamation points to your comment?
the thinking that goes behind the mentality of "blame the victim" (however suttle it may be) usually comes from one who perpetuates a lot of hurt on others. It's how they rationalize and numb themselves to the all the damage that they cause: "See, if they weren't so gullible or stupid or weak, I wouldn't have been able to hurt them, soooo they deserved it!"
About the Trayvon case, I will wait until all the facts are out because I know how the media loves to manipulate stories and/or sensationalize - it's all about how many hits they get for their story. Who cares if they destroy someone's life - they probably deserved it anyway (right?) for being so weak or stupid!


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NHL reschedules postponed Bruins/Lightning gameNHL.com @NHLdotcom
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NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League announced today the rescheduling of the game between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning that was postponed on Saturday, February 9, due to the weather-related State of Emergency in Boston.
The game will be played on Thursday, April 25, at TD Garden in Boston. Face-off is at 7:30 p.m.


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We take our ABC's for granted, learning 26 letters in a precise order from our youngest days. When introduced to a second or third language later in life we may realize that even similar tongues to English contain slightly different alphabets–the Spanish ñ, the French ç–despite the fact that they evolved from the same roots. Historical variation in the English alphabet seems largely glossed over in contemporary education, but identifying some of the "missing letters" can help explain a few historical puzzles.
First, there's ampersand, considered the 27th letter of the English alphabet until about 150 years ago. It's name comes from its position at the end of the ABC's:
The word "ampersand" came many years later when "&" was actually part of the English alphabet. In the early 1800s, school children reciting their ABCs concluded the alphabet with the &. It would have been confusing to say "X, Y, Z, and." Rather, the students said, "and per se and." "Per se" means "by itself," so the students were essentially saying, "X, Y, Z, and by itself and." Over time, "and per se and" was slurred together into the word we use today: ampersand. When a word comes about from a mistaken pronunciation, it's called a mondegreen.
Before the introduction of the Latin alphabet after the Roman conquest of Britain, Anglo-Saxon had an alphabet all its own known as furthorc. In the ensuing battle of cultural power politics Anglo-Saxon lost out. Collateral damage included the letter "thorn," pictured at right, pronounced with the hard "th" sound. It was replaced by the humble Y, always ready to do double duty in that ambiguous no-man's-land between consonants and vowels. This explains the anachronistic use of Y in titles like "Ye Olde English Shoppe"–it's just another spelling of "the."
On Friday we'll take a look at another missing letter, the long s (resembling "f"). For a sneak peek and a list of nine other extinct English letters, check out this article from MentalFloss (via @johndcook).


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Lessons From the 2012 Election
WSJ's Jerry Seib discusses some of the lessons from the election campaign, as an Obama victory becomes apparent. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... fan ... I hear it ... we have called this race yet but it certainly looking like it's Obama does tonight what you see is the big lessons tonight ... well ... look I think that the one the licenses and it did this is true that was Ohio holds and it's been called by just about everybody and that that should the present over the top ... what I think one of the lessons is that the on you know that the the demographics of the country and changes you were just discussing the Democrats have captured that better than Republicans have ... that's one lesson second lesson is I think the Obama coalition is more durable than perhaps some of us thought ... I'd you know the combination of ... of advantages among women advantages among Hispanics advantages among African Americans and advantages among young voters ... were not ... that's another lesson tonight is the third lesson is that this Obama turnout machine ... really did work you know I think a ... unit in the year in which enthusiasm was down for Democrats think there were some question about that well ... now looks is if not you know that low enthusiasm was enough to keep Obama voters turning out ... and will be you know you've done some sort of the Grand message to the the tactical messaged me to Republicans did to seek ... a grand lesson out of the survey again to say oh you know it was so close we could've won if we just this ... week a little bit more than Graham gave in Ohio we have made the comment about the forty seven percent ... you know one thing here they are ... sold with a big if ... well I think I think people are given to what about that hurricane if not for that hurt by that Mitt Romney is not a little more momentum ... I'd I think all those things are true and legitimate but I think the recriminations if Mitt Romney really as last year going to be ... broader than that they're going to be moderate saying well we should have done a big budget deal ... with Brock Obama we heard the party's brand name might not doing a tea party people and say why didn't you nominate ... more for real conservative show bigger contrast ... with present Obama and Mitt Romney can show ... them to be a lot of second guesses like that it's in and critically on the back of a not very good night for Republicans and Senate races is well ... yes and so if you look at the at the road ahead of the need to ... cut some sort of a deal to get beyond the fiscal cliff ... does this ... a help ... get used to that solution or urgent does that make it harder ... well I think it makes it harder in the sense that if Mitt Romney ... had one tonight I think there would be an inclination to ... kick the whole thing down the road six months later the president and then let them get a seat on the ground letting his team established ... buses all agree there were to wait six months to come up with a temper a solution and then try to tackle the real problem ... I don't think you get the false paths with the re elected President Obama ... I also think is gonna be more of an explanation by ... Democrats including some of the White House to say OK ... let's just watch the fiscal cliff let's raise all the tax rates ... let's let the automatic spending cuts go into effect them what's the next year how we deal with that ... and everybody can negotiate a new tax system ... under the gun essential so ... I think that the problem gets the more acute in more immediate ... if it's a reelected Brock a bomb ... you know you've already hinted that is the one of the questions is going to come up in the wake of this is ... the Paul Ryan a ... good idea bad idea did it help to differ ... what's the evidence of ... I think an added Intel and it is no evidence that the Romney the Ryan budget or its Medicare ... premium support idea for ... Mitt Romney and among senior citizens that both states strong ... for Mitt Romney all the way through ... the heat doesn't seem to turn Wisconsin but not like ... anybody expected that they would like to prove to be expected that ... and he was that he was a relatively popular the vice-presidential choice ... scores well in national polls scores extremely well on uncertainty excited the base ... I don't think there's any evidence that the Paul Ryan Pickett a bad idea him ... and what for you is the biggest surprise Tuesday evening so far ... well I think the biggest surprise ... is the floor to remain discloses it is I that's one of my Zafira was given to the Romney on the ballot is gonna be gone ... for Romney ... we can win coalition always start of states tired of the Florida ... I'm surprised it's been as tight as it has been the topic and yet ... one more nap ... I that that would be one that we write off early in the evening ... to Mitt Romney not the case ... yes ... okay Jerry thank you very much ... for being with us through this ...


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Alison Akin Clark
Saturday's WarriorHD
IMDb: 5.3
A group of siblings comes to earth to experience trials crucial to their eternal progression and learn the true meaning of their existence.
Country: USA
Genre: Musical
Actor: Mason D. Davis, Jacob Buster, Monica Moore Smith, Bailee Michelle Johnson, Kenny Holland, Anna Daines, Caroline Labrum, Devin Hansen, Chelsea Jurkiewicz, Clint Pulver, Alex Boye, Morgan Gunter, Alison Akin Clark, Christopher Buster, Jarrod Phillips
The Christmas ProjectHD
IMDb: 5.9
92 min
The Buckley family, consisting of seven brothers (and a baby on the way) and parents, deal with the antics of young boys and their struggles ...
Country: USA
Genre: Family
Actor: Jacob Buster, Caitlin E.J. Meyer, Gabe White, Clint Pulver, Anson Bagley, Caroline Labrum, Skyler M. Day, Melissa Cannon, Aimee Lynne Johnson, Alison Akin Clark, Jarrod Phillips, Brian Neal Clark, Cooper Daniel Johnson, Pam Eichner, Marlon V. Gaines


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Opinion: Twitter Hacking Hits the NFL Draft
Assistant editorial page editor James Freeman on how questionable tweets are affecting professional football. Photos: Associated Press
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... the ... intro I'm Mary Kissel ... Twitter is a powerful tool is we've learned this week the stock market crash ... after a hack ADP tweets ... disgrace politician Anthony wiener is still hanging out on Twitter ... and Bill Clinton joined today ... so it's ... going to take the NFL draft to ... the system editorial page editor James Freeman stays with us now ... I James who is teaching Frucher and ... how it happens he will lead to Twitter and the religious it's another example ... of the power of Twitter and I wonderful technology would love it but I didn't care for you point that thing because I we saw with the backpacks ... the team to weed out for a bogus Tweed on Tuesday saying that the other or explosions of the White House ... the Dow was down about a hundred fifty points immediately people realize that was good it was a hoax ... but now want something more serious I'm really when you messing with the NFL draft of really ... correction I know you're an NFL than that ... all of us are so cool okay so I would use a tackle that the universe of Alabama is coming out these in the draft ... and ... earlier this week he cut his account send out a tweet saying that in accepting money from agents while he was playing in Alabama this is a ... violation of NCAA rules are spoofing amateur athletes ... will be a his draft stock immediately started sliding in other words of people expected him to be one of the first ... ten or fifteen picks perhaps at all the sudden they were saying this guy between himself and of the second or third round if he doesn't ... get all of the social media ... will when he's in the that that was a hoax let you know I was hacked ... on you know those but was not my message a survival thing ... most teams now it seem to be accepting that ... another agent who doesn't work for him as nothing at stake and said basically I think is an issue with someone try to steal his identity ... ALM so ... so many Apple due out how I ... go out somewhere in the first round I'm hoping it stays there at nineteen the Giants will take him and is a big strong guy very good ... on the run and that's when you do in the Northeast but ... we really just shows you the power of Twitter basically I ... revisited the power of Twitter look what happens in Muncie Teo ... Raptor his fake girlfriend was expose the object of ridicule yes you think that's gonna hurt his chances and I mean ... I think ... he's probably unfortunate that that issue came out once before and people bad time to evaluate them I'm in a my sense is that ... the question with him now and then I ... think Notre Dame straight email of the fall them but you get a lot of attention ... question whether he was he was rated ... it ... a bit too highly originally I he's in he's not that big and not that fast so ... you don't wonder in his case out while he was a tad embarrassing episode for my I don't think that's really what's driving is value right but you also have some NFL players then you are great aunts winner Archie three ... the Redskins quarterback is just fantastic ... and spot an eclectic Dunkin' donuts and helped me right back to them ... on the East listening in the NFL ... you know ... needs to use more can learn while I cut the fruit business I mean it's it's very powerful and what but it's been ... in just like you in the NFL in all other businesses often ... the most interesting people are the people and a new kind of identity get close to the wild things that shouldn't science of using a lotta guys were really entertaining for a month until they realize this is killing their ... career reputation and that they stop go ... awfully people over time obviously our businesses well you know you find that the battleground where you can inform and entertain without ... blowing up your career ... informing entertained without blowing in his career let's hope the faucets in exile is not falling ... assistant editorial page and are James Freeman who is going to the first round


text:
Poor badminton play at the Olympics
Lose on purpose? Eight female badminton players were kicked out of the London Olympics, accused of trying to win a gold medal by losing. The players allegedly tanked some of their matches to gain a more favorable draw going forward. More on the badminton scandal: It was an "evening of shame."
Andres Leighton / Associated Press
Copyright © 2019, Los Angeles Times


text: The Committee on Academic Standing is a Standing Committee of the LaGuardia Community College Senate. The committee recommends regulations and policies to the Senate concerning academic standing, matriculation processes, degree requirements and grading systems. The Academic Standing Committee serves as the coordinating committee for all academic appeals. In addition, the committee assumes responsibility for reviewing and making recommendations to the Senate on the College's Academic Calendar. Academic Standing Committee membership consists of elected representatives and alternates from each of the academic departments. Membership additionally includes a representative of the Division of Adult and Continuing Education, the President of the Student Government Association or his/her designee as well as the Registrar, Director of Admissions and a designee of the Vice President for Academic Affairs as ex-officio committee members.


text: Crop Tour: Rain Will Make or Break Indiana Yields August 21, 2013 02:14 AM Tweet TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Tyne Morgan US Farm Report Host Email While Indiana isn't on the drought monitor yet, timely rains are needed to keep crops on track. National reporter Tyne Morgan reports from the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour. Watch the AgDay report: For More Information See full coverage of the 2013 Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour, hosted by Pro Farmer. DuPont Pioneer has been the Tour's lead sponsor since 2008. Other sponsors include RCIS, Chevy Truck, DuPont Crop Protection, GEOSYS, HTS Ag, Farm Credit Services of America and Montag Manufacturing. Back to news


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OWH sends handmade greeting cards overseas to our service men and women so they can send cards home to their friends and families. It's a great service! Please consider making and donating some cards!!! You'll find more information on the OWH website.
I sure hope you enjoyed stopping! Please stop again!


text:
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Chocolate layer cake with bitter-sweet ganache filling
Here's the finished cake:
Admittedly, any cake containing four and a half bars of chocolate could not be called a low fat, healthy cake. Every forkful probably contains a day's allowance of calories. But let's be honest for a minute – who cares? And dieticians are always on about how top quality dark chocolate has antioxidants in it so that's good – you might not get those antioxidants if you didn't eat a slice of this!
It was quite difficult to cut a perfect clean slice but here's the best we managed:
My one warning with this cake is that it probably isn't for children. It's a grown up's chocolate cake and is very rich with a slight bitterness to the ganache that contrasts with the sweet sponge.
It all starts with two sponges:
The process for making the ganache is interesting. The chocolate is broken into squares and placed in a bowl that you then pour the boiling cream over. And then leave it for five minutes. I looked into the bowl in trepidation:
Wondering if this was really going to work I was very pleased when the five minutes was up and I could stir it. Lo and behold – this is what I ended up with:
For the cakes:
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g golden caster sugar
3 eggs
100ml milk (whole or semi skimmed)
200g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa, I used Green and Blacks)
100g white chocolate (I used Green and Blacks as it has vanilla in it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the ganache:
284ml double cream
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa, I used Green and Blacks)
50g white chocolate
Mini chocolate eggs or maltesers to decorate
How to make:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease and line 2 x 20cm springform sandwich tins.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until they are pale and fluffy. Don't skimp on this stage – give the mixture a good beating.
- Add the eggs, flour, baking powder and milk to the bowl and beat until thoroughly combined. The mix will look deliciously creamy.
- Melt the dark and the white chocolate separately either in the microwave (each will require approximately a minute) or in a bowl above a pan of simmering water on the hob.
- Divide the cake mix into two bowls. Into one stir in the melted dark chocolate and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Into the other mix in the white chocolate and vanilla extract.
- Pour each into a sandwich tin and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Mine took a little longer – roughly 40 minutes.
- Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before removing and leaving to cool totally on a wire rack. Once cool, the cakes can be stored in an airtight container for a day or so before assembling the cake.
- Now make the ganache – only make this on the day you wish to serve the cake. Heat the cream in a saucepan, while it comes to the boil, break the dark chocolate into pieces in a bowl.
- Once the cream is just boiling pour it onto the chocolate and leave for five minutes.
- Stir it until smooth then leave it to cool as you need it to thicken.
- Cut each cake in half horizontally.
- Take a piece of cake and place on a plate. Spread ganache over it then place a piece of the opposite cake on top i.e. you want alternate colour layers. Layer up the cake and ganache until you have the top of the cake covered in ganache. You will have four layers each of cake and ganache.
- Melt the remaining white chocolate and either drizzle or pipe across the top of the cake. Finish with some mini eggs or maltersers.
- Serve on its own or with cream.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.
13 comments:
- glamah16 said...
Happy Easter.All of your pastries look great. I wish I was at your house for a slice.
- 23 March 2008 at 18:59
- Ling's Passion said...
What a cool looking cake. Happy Easter to you.
- 24 March 2008 at 04:58
- jen said...
Happy Easter :-)
What a fabulous cake - love the little chicks on top, along with the icing, the eggs and ooooh, the rest of the cake too!
- 24 March 2008 at 14:47
- Carolyn said...
Wow - this is some cake. AND includes chocolate too.....
- 24 March 2008 at 23:28
- Pixie said...
Back away from the cake kids....the cake is for us only! lol Love it!
- 25 March 2008 at 16:16
- Cakespy said...
Delicious cake!!! Oh my, I could lose myself in all those layers of goodness. It looks like the Easter chicks are like gargoyles protecting it--it might be necessary! It looks sinfully delightful--and no way would I share with the kids. :-)
- 25 March 2008 at 19:11
- Big Boys Oven said...
looks so grand! wonderful!
- 26 March 2008 at 16:24
- Mike of Mike's Table said...
I still get a kick out of the blog name, lol.
The cake looks great and I really like the Easter decorations. Also, another important argument about the lowfat/healthy thing: this is cake! Eating cake reminded me of the Cheers theme song:
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
...and then some sort of rhyme about eating this delicious cake :o
This is why I don't have a career in music. But anyways, looks excellent! :-)
- 27 March 2008 at 03:09
- Swati: Sugarcraft India said...
MMMm..addictive !! The whole presentation of the cake is very nice ..Love the chicks n the eggs..Hope you had a great easter !!
- 27 March 2008 at 11:47
- Jen said...
That reminds me of the first time I made chocolate ganache with the hot cream over chocolate method. I though this isn't going to work, this isn't working, oh my god what I have I done to all that chocolate, and then it all came together and became ganache...
I think ganache is so much better than chocolate buttercream frosting and I'm sure it was delicious on your cake.
- 27 March 2008 at 20:41
- insane scribbler said...
Saikat from BlogsJam here.
Wanted to email you, but could not locate your email address on the
blog. we have 2 cool widgets ( a slideshow widget and a content widget
) which can help enhance site interaction and reader's experience. pl contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com so that i can send you the slideshow widget for your blog.
- 29 March 2008 at 03:08
- Rosie said...
Ooooh what a devine looking choccy cake - yummy!! I just wish I could have tried a slice drool drool :P
Rosie x
- 30 March 2008 at 16:20
- Fiona said...
Oh my goodness!!!!
- 30 March 2008 at 16:54


text:
Outside awaits with a picturesque park, a rock to climb, a bike path to explore, or a view to lift your spirits. Pick a local music site with pickers and singers; or peruse some of the one-of-a-kind crafts.
There is no better pick than Pickens County - to visit or to stay!
Greater Easley Chamber now has Online Newcomer's Guide Click here to open.
Don't know where to start? Get inspired!


text:
About Me
- marcies creations
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- I am a mother of 3 wonderful children ages 14, 12 and 3 and I get to enjoy them by being a stay at home mother. I have been married for 15 years and still going strong. Out of having this Blog I hope to inspire some of you and even teach you through some of my scrapbooking projects. I am a close to my heart consultant. Feel free to visit my site. mbuzsik.mycthm.com
Saturday, October 16, 2010
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text:
The 40@20 is back, and at a record pace! After a few weeks delay (during which ride participation was a bit uneven, to say the least), we finally got a reasonable crowd together to go for a ride from corporate HQ. In case you have forgotten, the 40@20 is our regular Wednesday night group ride, featuring 2 county line sprints, a couple hills, lots of smack talk, and the goal of riding 40 miles at a pace of 20 miles per hour. Our man with the silver pen, Randy, has again provided the recap for your reading enjoyment:
After a midseason siesta to rejuvenate the riding spirit, the 40@20palooza fired up its 2-stroke engine with an angry kick-start and let out a snarl to warn mother earth her terra firma was about to become terra infirm. Seven, seven-eleven riders–thankful for a late day front that dropped temps into the lower nineties—singled up from the start and settled in to a pace that could only be described as blistering. McCarter was our leader, and his demon-fueled fury on the pedals had Baker breathing like Vader well before we needed a ShamWow to absorb the sweat from our brows. It was quickly noted that the chatter was nil, and I could swear I heard the melody of Business Time humming from Eichvalds' deep dish Zipps as we motored the rollers of Lamont Norwood and made our way onto what had become during our riding furlough the worst road in the state. River Rd looked like a training ground for how to catch first, second and third in a Trans-Am equipped with asphalt piercing Goodyears and cherry bomb-dropping twin exhausts. Pot holes the size of John Candy, sand pits deeper than Descartes, and road kill at 10 meter intervals had us all thinking we'd time warped to the 2010 Cross Crusade. McCarter ain't a big fan of remounts, so he took the lead and hammered out of the war zone into the calm before the storm.
As is always his lot, Eich was at the pull leading into the county line sprint. With 300 meters to go Eich pulled off, leaving Jones the dangling carrot and the hounds in chase. Webster made the first break, with McCarter and Rogers on his wheel. Jones sat up quickly and watched Rogers over take McCarter then pull even with Webster. It looked like the Irish lep-flute would be whistling victory, but Webster has a phobia of shamrocks and wasn't going down without a fight. Webster by a wheel, then Rogers by a wheel, Webster, Rogers, Webster, Rogers….in the end it was called a draw by both riders, the battle of attrition neither lost nor won. The soft pedal to the crossroads revealed a reduction in numbers, as Baker had slipped off the back at River and decided a quick dip in the mighty Haw would cool him down for the remainder of his personal 30@18.
The pace line reformed as we headed north, and the 2 minute pulls were strong for all riders. Swan was the first to show signs of fatigue as we neared the turn for Dairyland: he missed his mouth with a water squirt, he used a gel to make his bars more grippy, and he started tearing off his jersey and singing Olivia Newton John songs out loud. Half way up Dairyland, Swan was Dorothea Dix-bound and off the back. Guess a Bynum Ridge lunch ride and a 40@20 do not a good day make.
The final five hit rocket speeds down Dodson's, with the time trial masters Eich, McCarter, Rogers and Webster pushing 35 plus the whole way. Jones just sat in knowing that he was made for hill sprints and that his time to shine would come later. Rounding on to Old Greensboro highway, McCarter jumped up front and Rogers said what we were all thinking, "Here we go again!". At every pull of the night, McCarter elevated the level of output to pro, putting the rest of us on the rivet and barely hanging on.
Spent by the pace and the heat, the group hoped for a sit-up as Eich rounded on to Damascus. Eich, never a group think kind of guy, decided an early attack would be better. The chase for the hill was on. Rogers took after Eich, Webster after Rogers, Jones and McCarter on Webster's wheel. Eich stayed out front on the descent and into the hill home stretch, with Jones leading the chase pack as the Meacham wall came into view. Webster, McCarter and Rogers broke left, Jones slipped around Eich on the right, hoping Eich's psychedelic Grateful Dead jersey would distract the others as he stood and kicked into sprint mode. Webster was wise to the tactic, and didn't let Jones get more than a bike length away before he kicked in the jets and pulled even. Jones shifted and kicked, Webster countered. Jones shifted and kicked again, Webster countered. Jones threw an invisible Ninja star into Webster's rib cage. Jones took first. Webster hung on to second over Rogers.
Completely blown and just happy to sit up and wait for the group, Jones' cool down was quickly interrupted by McCarter yelling, "Come on, we can set a new record!". McCarter's enthusiasm was infectious and as much as it hurt, the pace line back in got us what we wanted—22.3. Nice work, gents.
It was never hinted that the night's ride would be this strong, but if I had to guess at why we all felt Mercury in our muscles….
McCarter — Just happy
Webster — Extra water, small bladder
Rogers — Isner vs Mahut
Eichvalds — 60 Flashback
Jones — No Waves