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|Pre-Employment HIV/AIDS Testing
Oct 26, 2005
Can an employer required HIV/AIDS testing as a condition of employment? Are there any laws to protect a person with HIV/AIDS from being tested as a condition of employment?
Response from Ms. Breuer
Surgeon? Pilot? No? Then an employer cannot demand HIV testing. None of employer's business.
job loss
Med school disclosue?
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What the Shutdown Means for Investors
MarketWatch's Chuck Jaffe warns that making snap decisions based on current events is far more likely to do long-lasting damage to a lifetime portfolio than any of these passing news events.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... ay ay ay ay ay Mr. one seconds or unwilling to ... lead News not watching to ... see it they're ... a long story obviously this is the new loan isn't a lot ... that means I'll lot of selling in the Stock Market Dow Jones down almost seventy points ... the other major indexes down as well ... oil is down also Nasdaq that ... goal I believe is to build it leans up a little VCU ... and yet half a percent ... what ... as you might imagine MarketWatch's Chuck Jaffe things jumping at the screaming headlines of the day ... in only her Utrecht LRA today ... I'm doing well and on avoiding most of the headlines as best I can ... you are diligent there they're pretty swimming shot ... taken in or update can ignore ... well that they were pre screening last week on me and you know lol the top and a little but it down and in all this is bad gonna get worse of maybe there's gonna be a resolution to go up ... you know basically ... we're moving right now ... not only from one crisis to the next in terms of you know and we went from fiscal cliff the sequester to whatever ... the right now we servers seem to be in a What's the crisis of the day ... and that's not a way for somebody who has invested for a long stretch of time to invest at all ... I e I completely agree the right I mean the headlines on ... every second is a new one coming at you with all of a short-term we know this is not the end of the world ... scenario ... but on the other hand ... that that that that debt ceiling ... the idea that U S default ... I mean how investors not pay attention to ... well it's not about not paying attention to it ... it's about are you going to wind up blowing up your long-term plans for something that we think it's still gonna be short-term in nature ... Baloch the of the overarching problem is that this country has ... well they've been in place for a long time they're gonna be in place no matter how the debt ceiling gets resolved ... and ... whether you like it or not ... if you do a critical analysis right now we are in the world you should be investing ... it still wind up coming out with the United States for all of the problems ... so ... does the honorable my portfolio let's just remember that you could've done this in the past on any number of things in light of all the packet it's ... that time ... many women saying ... you know ... but not a big deal ... there is no one Eli was forty five today ... who is going to get the state courts ... look back at age sixty five and oh dang it ... I could retire because ... I stayed the course during the debt ceiling issue of ... two thousand thirteen that's not gonna happen ... there might be people ... who blow themselves up ... and get twenty years out go ... the more complex for years because I did something stupid in the middle of the headlines ... the company ... instead the example of the exceptions that will have to be two thousand and eight ... Lehman Brothers financial panic ... people bought the same things going into that of the mill will collapse of can't be that bad ... I was that bad and consumer mentality obviously five years later still lingers ... absolutely ... and that's the sign that says how well are you plan and what are you doing I would not necessarily mean ... is sticking with your plan ... is not the same as I this is a buying opportunity for this is a selling opportunity ... the problem with the Lehman ... was that you have folks saying well it's too big to fail so it's not going to fail so what will come out of this wine but the buy in on the cheap ... write them so they were doubling down to some extent folks who held steady yet they made suffered their marketing campaigns but they recovered much faster than the folks he said let me see where I can do and I will tell you ... I interviewed folks everyday on my show MoneyLife ... when talking to you know economists in all kinds of books and ... of all the crises we've had in the last eighteen months ... this by far is the one with is the least consensus over what to do ... we are ... to get somebody like Elaine Garzarelli who is the one person to call the nineteen eighty seven crash correctly ... she's gone up up of its kind this is the gonna be a big deal ... you get somebody like ... Sony are some of them from Wells Fargo Advisors in like ... rally this is not a buying opportunity and I can name just after dusk when those ... go for any other one does ... go for ... any answers you're caught in the middle and its top even for me where I understand what these folks are saying ... they come up with anybody rego yet that's the right thing ... and you feel that way ... mostly you can do for years ... high Chuck Jaffe good stuff thank you very much ... always a pleasure ...

subset: commoncrawl


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Water Log is a simple way to track your water consumption from your Windows Phone. While we liked the app, there was room for improvement. Improvements that have been added with latest update.
The version 1.2 update for Water Log includes a log of your daily water consumption, adds the ability to generate a chart to view your progress and resets the water log counter each day. You also get optional sound effects and a few performance issues were addressed with the update. All total, the update makes Water Log a very nice health/fitness app for our Windows Phones.
Daily consumption of water is a key element for proper health and fitness. Water Log helps track that consumption and reminds you to drink water throughout the day. It may sound like an easy thing to remember but you'de be surprised how easy it is to remember to grab a bottle of water or down a glass during the day. Water Log can help you develop that pattern.
Water Log is a free app for your Windows Phone and you can find it here in the Windows Phone Store.
Thanks, Mark, for the tip!


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Mens Down Jackets Thick Warm Fur Collar Hooded Parkas Winter Puffer
- Selleritchi.eu
- List PriceUS$284.84piece
- Sale PriceUS$92.43piece
- ShippingFree Shipping
- Ratings
Product Description
Attention: Please note that you should place your order in US size, however the tags inside the items will show in Asian size.
Product: Men Down Jackets
Shell Material: 100% Polyester
Lining Material: 80% Polyester
Filler Material: 51% - 55% White Duck Down
Collar: Detachable Hood
Closure Type: Zipper and Button
Thickness: Plus Thick
Clothing Length: Mid-long
Color: Black, Army Green, Orange, Khaki
Tag Size: L, XL, 2XL, 3XL
US Size: S, M, L, XL
Feaures: Windproof, Waterproof, Keep Warm, Anti-static
Occasion: Casual, Outdoor
Season: Winter
Gender: Men
Package includes:
1* Men Down Jacket
More details:
Disclaimer :
About Size:Size may be 3cm/1.5 inch inaccuracy due to hand measure.These measurements are meant as a
guide to help you select the correct size. Please take your own measurements and choose your size
accordingly.we cannot accept responsibility for incorrect purchases.
About Color:The precise color of the clothing items may vary depending on the specific monitor,the settings
and the lighting conditions.The items colors depicted should only be used as an approximate guide


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Since Apple still hasn't shipped a white iPhone 4 -- much less a pink one -- I decided try out a few, fun Incipio Ultra Light Feather Cases instead. Because really, why should I have to wait for style? They come in black, turquoise, metallic black, metallic white, pink, metallic orange, forest green, yellow green, metallic gray, coral, metallic purple, and bright purple (phew!), and are thin and unobtrusive enough you'll barely notice the difference in your pocket or purse. They also come with a screen protector, so if you're worried about scratches, they've got you covered.
Changing the color of my iPhone 4 to white or pink was as simple as snapping on the case. There are openings for all of your buttons and ports with the exception of the small micro sim slot opening on the side. I do not think this omission is a big deal. I have an officially unlocked iPhone 4 from Apple and it's just something I rarely need to have access to in the first place.
Also noteworthy, the Incipio Ultra Light Feather Case should be compatible with most iPhone 4 chargers and sync cables. The wide cut around the 30-pin dock port meant everything from my slim Apple USB cable to my bulky car adapter worked just fine. I did have some problems with Apple's own dock but that is to be expected as most Apple chargers are made to exacting measurements. (I did not have any trouble with the Seidio Inno Dock Jr. of course!)
Overall I liked the look and feel of the Incipio Ultra Light Feather Case, especially the matte finish which lessens the chance that I will drop it and damage my precious iPhone. Also, the case doesn't come up over the iPhone screen which is one of my pet peeves. The white version is a little different, it feels more solid and less flexible, but that's probably due to the more difficult nature of making a white product, something Apple no doubt understands!
So if, like me, you're tired of waiting for a white iPhone (or any color iPhone really) give the Incipio Ultra Light Feather Case a try. It's the perfect way to add a splash of fun and excitement to your iPhone 4.
[gallery link="file" columns="2"]


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Guerin used Olympic disappointment as motivationby Dan Rosen
Bill Guerin and Keith Tkachuk were packing to go to the 1992 Albertville Olympics when the phone rang in their room. The call was for Guerin. His life was about to change.
"They called me up and cut me," Guerin told NHL.com. "I don't know what the reason was."
Guerin chose not to sign with the New Jersey Devils after his second season at Boston College because he wanted to try to make the Olympic team, because playing for the United States meant that much to him.
Three days after he was cut, Guerin signed with the Devils, who selected him with the fifth pick in the 1989 NHL Draft. He was immediately shipped to Utica, N.Y., to play for New Jersey's American Hockey League affiliate. His coach there was Herb Brooks, one of the few people who could truly sympathize with Guerin and his close-but-no-cigar Olympic bid.
Brooks was cut from the 1960 U.S. Olympic team one week before the Games in Squaw Valley, Calif. He made it his mission to get back to the Olympics in whatever capacity to make up for the crushing blow, to prove he could do it. He got there as a coach in 1980 and helped make a miracle come true.
USA Hockey names 2013 Hall of Fame ClassBy Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer
The honorees, announced by USA Hockey, are former NHL forwards Bill Guerin and Doug Weight, former Michigan State University men's coach Ron Mason, women's international record-holder Cindy Curley, and Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. READ MORE ›
Guerin wasn't sure if he ever would get another Olympic chance, let alone have a chance to make history. Professionals were allowed to go to the Olympics at that time, but NHL players were not participating and Guerin was working his way to the NHL, the final destination on his long journey up from the ponds of Wilbraham, Mass.
So Guerin gave up on his Olympic dream and instead carried the pain of getting cut into his pro career, where he would meet up with several players who made the 1992 U.S. squad, guys he knew well from Massachusetts: Tkachuk, Ted Drury, Ted Donato, Steve Heinze, Shawn McEachern, Marty McInnis and Scott Young.
"I carried that with me for a long time, I mean a long time," Guerin said. "It did motivate me. I wanted to outperform every player that made that team over me to show them that they made a mistake."
Guerin proved it was a mistake, one USA Hockey would never make again.
Four years after getting cut from the Olympic team, Guerin helped the U.S. win the gold medal at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Two years later he represented the United States in the Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and in 2002 he won a silver medal in Salt Lake City. He played in the World Cup again in 2004 and returned to the Olympics in 2006.
Guerin said the pain from getting cut in 1992 "still burns a little bit," but he won't feel it Monday when he is inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame along with teammate and close friend Doug Weight, as well as Cindy Curley, Ron Mason and Peter Karmanos.
"Every chance I had to put on the U.S. jersey was an amazing experience," said Guerin, who also played in the IIHF World Junior Championship in 1989 and 1990. "I don't want to say I appreciated it more than anyone else, but I appreciated it more within myself because it was taken away from me once. The first time that I got to play in the Olympics meant so much to me. It meant so much that I finally made that team, that I finally had my chance.
"I loved playing for the U.S. I loved it. I just thought it was the greatest thing."
The guys he played with loved having him in all of those tournaments.
"One of the greatest teammates on the planet," Jeremy Roenick said.
John LeClair, Mike Modano, Mike Richter and Tkachuk said virtually the same thing. When told of the comments, Guerin was near tears.
"It gives me chills," he said. "That's all I ever wanted. Looking back on my career, if I had the respect of my teammates like I respected them, and if they felt I was a good teammate, that means everything. It makes everything you did worth it if those guys thought you were a good teammate. I believe there was a bond created there that will last a lifetime."
Guerin was part of the glue that bonded that group, arguably the greatest generation of American players.
He was the comic relief off the ice and the power forward on it. There wasn't anything Guerin wouldn't say off the ice or anything he wouldn't do on the ice.
"There was no ego in him. There was no 'me' in him," Roenick said. "He was all about being with the boys. He was all about everybody pulling one way. He was all about being a leader, being fierce. He was always that guy that made you laugh, that guy that was playing practical jokes when the time was right. But when the time was to play, Billy was one of the fiercest competitors and strongest competitors that I ever played with or against.
"He thought of his teammates and his team before he thought of himself. He epitomizes to me what a true teammate is."
Guerin loved his role, especially when it came to tournaments with the national team. There were times when he would go fight the toughest guy on the other team, and other times when he would have the boys in the dressing room howling with laughter as he impersonated Brooks, something Tkachuk said Guerin did before a game at the 2002 Olympics.
"Herb liked to get animated a little bit," Tkachuk said. "He'd be like, 'Come on guys, on the penalty kill you have to bend your knees, bend your knees,' And he would actually do it, show us in the locker room or in the dorm we were at. He'd be doing it. So one day in the locker room before one of the games Billy is facing me and a couple of guys, the door behind him is open, and the goofy guy Billy is he starts going, 'Bend your knees, bend your knees.' He started pretending to be Herb, going down and bending his knees.
"Well, all of a sudden Herb walks in and Billy doesn't see him, so he keeps doing it. Our faces change a little bit and he looks at me and goes, 'Walt, he's right behind me, right?' I'm like, 'Yup,' and we just started dying laughing. Thankfully Herb got a big kick out of it too. We were laughing so hard."
Guerin said he isn't certain why he fell into that role as part-comedian, part-tough guy, part-scorer, but thinks it has something to do with his ability to never take anybody too seriously no matter how big of a star they are. He also thinks he understood the role players as much as the stars because he broke into the NHL as a third- or fourth-liner and worked his way up to be a top-six power forward.
Modano said everybody in the dressing room was fair game for Guerin, and never would he hold back.
"Maybe it's because I'm dumb enough to say some of the things that cross my mind, but it worked," Guerin said, laughing. "The times were stressful. I mean, we were in big tournaments, there was a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves, but we had some world-class players, some legendary players and sometimes you need a little icebreaker. But I always remember that they also relied on me to perform on the ice."
He did that part well too.
"He was the kind of player that when he was on the ice you were completely calm and confident because this was a guy who rarely made mistakes and performed so well," USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean said.
Guerin had eight points, including five goals, in 16 career games in the Olympics. He had six points on two goals and four assists in 12 World Cup games. His best performance came in the 2002 Olympics, when he had four goals in six games.
He had 856 points and 1,660 penalty minutes in 1,263 NHL games during an 18-year career. He won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 1995 and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, when he was acquired before the NHL Trade Deadline and found a home on Sidney Crosby's right wing.
"This is a guy who got cut from the '92 Olympic team and that could have gone either way," Tkachuk said. "He went out and proved to everybody that he was going to be a solid player.
"You will not hear anybody say anything bad about Billy Guerin unless it's Billy Guerin himself. He's a funny, guy, just a good person to be around, and he had an unbelievable career."


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So you've made the commitment to change your life and/or the lives of the people in your family. You've changed the way you eat, move, and think. It's awesome. You're feeling better, and you might even get used to this! But suddenly, you realize…it's holiday time. The time of year that you cook all the yummy stuff your mom and grandma used to make. The time when you stuff yourself silly, then watch football and pass out in your recliner. How is this going to work? What about tradition? What about my candied yams??
Take a deep breath. Don't panic. We can help.
First of all, remember that Thanksgiving is intended to be a day to appreciate and give thanks for our gifts. It was not intended to be a day of stress. And one thing Doc always says is "Progress, not perfection." So if on this one day, you just HAVE to have a slice of Mom's apple pie, don't beat yourself up about it too much. The problem is this: one day of cheating can open a floodgate. We've all done it before. "I'll just cheat today, and get back on the wagon tomorrow!" Then tomorrow comes and you tell yourself, "after the weekend." Before you know it, it's Christmas and you're eating a dozen cookies with milk that were meant to be for Santa.
Secondly, the Bonfire way of life is just that – a LIFELONG journey toward health and wellness. That means many, many Thanksgivings! So we'd better figure out how to do it the healthy way from now on. In that spirit, Bonfire presents some Paleo, Bonfire-approved Thanksgiving Day recipes and ideas…enjoy!
FUEL: What to Eat on Turkey Day
- Turkey, of course! – use your favorite recipe to cook your turkey, or try something new this year and brine it overnight! It's delicious.
- Bonfire-Approved Stuffing
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Salad!- the bigger the better.
- Cranberry Sauce
- Bonfire Chocolate Mousse
- Dr. Paul's Pumpkin Pie [video]
AIR: Get Your People Moving!
In the midst of the chaos that big family holidays can bring, make sure that you take some time for yourself to move! Try to get your family members involved…maybe it means a family football game in the yard, or a family walk after dinner to help digest. Or MAYBE, if you're feeling crazy, you do 5 air squats for every commercial you see involving food! We know that moving helps elevate our serotonin levels and keeps us in a better mood. Couldn't hurt when dealing with in-laws, right?
SPARK: Bring the "Thanks" back into Thanksgiving
Try starting a new tradition at your house – a gratitude tree! Cut out some leaves from construction paper and have each person write down what they are thankful for when they arrive. We used a jewelry tree and ornament hooks to hang them, but you could use clothespins to hang them on a garland or twine strung over the fireplace, or have people put them into a basket. After dinner ask one of your younger guests to read each one out loud. Have people guess who wrote what, and soak in all the gratitude and positive energy!
Don't forget to sit back, relax, and enjoy the day. Appreciate your blessings, embrace your family, laugh often, and eat some healthy food that's going to fuel your body! We hope this post helps make this special day just a little bit healthier and less stressful. And we're thankful for you!!
Special thanks to Amanda Cannon photography for the pictures!


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There is an undocumented filter flag for FILTER_VALIDATE_BOOLEAN. The documentation implies that it will return NULL if the value doesn't match the allowed true/false values. However this doesn't happen unless you give it the FILTER_NULL_ON_FAILURE flag like this:
$value = 'car';
$result = filter_var($value, FILTER_VALIDATE_BOOLEAN, FILTER_NULL_ON_FAILURE);
In the above $result will equal NULL. Without the extra flag it would equal FALSE, which isn't usually a desired result for this specific filter.


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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and other advocates for a congressional resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide are taking a new tack this year, seeking both a genocide recognition vote and approval of a measure condemning religious discrimination against Armenian Christians in Turkey.
A strategic ally that allows the U.S. to operate a key military base on its soil, Turkey has been an implacable foe of official U.S. recognition of the death of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks from 1915-23. Schiff has tried for several years to get such a measure passed.
On Tuesday, Schiff and Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.) reintroduced the genocide resolution. Separately, Schiff co-sponsored a resolution by Reps. Howard Berman (D-Valley Village) and Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) demanding that Turkey return property that once belonged to the Armenian Church and to end religious discrimination against Christians.
Armenian Christians represent about 1% of the population in Turkey.
"We're taking a little different approach this year," Schiff said. "I think this improves our chances of making progress."
The second resolution may draw support from more lawmakers than the genocide measure has, he added.
Last year, Congress approved a resolution by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) calling for greater religious freedom in Cyprus. The Turkish military, which occupies about one-third of Cyprus, has been accused of desecrating churches and restricting access to religious sites.
"We think having more than one iron in the fire will be a productive strategy," Schiff said.
Lincoln McCurdy, president of the Turkish of Coalition of America, said the new resolution is "totally distorted" and that the genocide recognition measure has a smaller chance of passing than it did in the last Congress.
"This is a completely new Congress, more domestically focused," McCurdy said. "I think our efforts in trying to have balanced dialogue are paying off, and the leadership is not as passionate about it as [former Speaker Nancy] Pelosi was."
McCurdy said the Turkish resolution fails to recognize historic persecution or disenfranchisement of Muslims in the region, including Armenia and Greece.
"Our position is, we wish there was more effort to bring the Turkish and Armenian people together," he said.
Schiff said passing the genocide recognition resolution remains a high priority, not only for his Armenian American constituents, but for the United States' human rights record.
"This is too important a cause to give up," Schiff said. "We'll keep fighting for recognition until we're successful, and we will be."
Congressman honors Armenian church leader
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) on Thursday honored Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian, former Primate of the Armenian Church of North America, by reading into the Congressional Record comments on Hovsepian's 60th year in the priesthood.
A native of Lebanon, Hovsepian came to the United States in 1956, and later led the Armenian church in Canada . He became Archbishop of the church, which now has its Western Diocese headquarters in Burbank, in 1971, and launched several Armenian schools in Southern California.
Schiff commended Hovsepian "for his selfless dedication and commitment to the Armenian community."
Assemblyman takes heat for 'Soprano' remark
Two local members of the Assembly with Italian heritage took umbrage at comments made Wednesday by Assemblyman Don Wagner (R-Irvine).
In skewering the proposal to eliminate the state's 400-plus redevelopment agencies, Wagner likened the plan to a "Tony Soprano" scheme, referring to the fictional mob boss from the popular HBO series.
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) immediately called for an apology. Wagner obliged, but missed the mark.
"I will apologize to any Italian Americans who are not in the Mafia and engaged in insurance scams," he said.
Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) said he believes Wagner meant no harm with the Soprano comment, but the apology required a response.
"He made a really odd choice of words for his so-called apology, and it came out really badly," Gatto said.
The decision to gut redevelopment agencies is supported by Gov. Jerry Brown and opposed by many legislative Republicans. Brown vetoed the budget Thursday on other grounds.
Lawmakers honor local businesswomen
Three state lawmakers will honor 21 local businesswomen, including several from Burbank, Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge, July 15 at the Women in Business awards at Castaways in Burbank.
Among the women to be honored by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) and Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) are: Dale Gorman, Kids Community Dental Clinic, Burbank; Liza Boubari, Heal Within, Glendale; Robin Goldsworthy, Crescenta Valley Weekly, Glendale; Celeste Licea, Platinum Home Financing, Glendale; Dr. Katrina Demaris Miller, Family Practice of Glendale Adventist Medical Center; Kim Milstien, Glendale Adventist Medical Center; Roubina Der Sarkissian, Glenoaks Escrow, Glendale; and Diana Schultz, Cyber-Rain, La Cañada Flintridge.
For more information, contact Portantino's Pasadena office at (626) 577-9944.
Sherman expects district map to change again
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) last week expressed skepticism about the new legislative maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The preliminary map knocked Sherman out of Burbank, half of which he currently represents, and placed him in the same district as longtime ally Rep. Howard Berman (D-Valley Village).
Both plan to run for the seat in 2012, though Sherman said he believes the shape of the district will change again when final maps are issued in August.
"They might just put a pin in my home and measure nine miles out in every direction," Sherman said. "And I can't think of a better way to draw a district."


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Anonymous at on
Answer your own questions
When you are learning to use a tool, sometimes you post questions and then figure out the answer on your own. It would be nice to be able to post the answer, in case one forgets later, and also to help other beginner users. (No t-shirt needed :)
At this point it is not possible to post answers to your own questions.


text:
Ewan MacLeod needed a new wordpress theme design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 50 designs submitted by 15 freelance designers.
Bladewatch (url is http://www.bladewatch.com)
The bladewatch blog is all about IT news, 'how to' articles and best practice, we post 4-5 articles a day, it features video and text and gets read by vendors and end users alike.
I'm looking for a new professional design that's clean and easy on the eye.
Our readers are tech geeks, managers and cio's. They typically work in the financial and telecoms industries and use the site to keep up to date on news that's likely to affect their daily business (e.g. if HP or Dell buys one of their competitor, that can have huge technical implications for our readers). They also download our guides and links to specific areas of interest.
The site needs a nice clear, clean news frontpage. We usually post 4-5 articles a day and we'd like to have the ability to select 'headline' posts that are shown in a featured section with image.
As well as a 'featured posts' section, we'd like you to arrange the latest articles in a nice way. We are a blog/news site, so we'd like our layout to represent that.
Articles themselves should be clearly and attractively laid out. Please allow for different types/sizes of images to be included.
We've got an existing new logo (see the attachment). Also we're looking at having a sponsor (like the current one) so there needs to be a space to put that logo.


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I am super excited to be included in a feature on AOL's ShelterPop called "My Living Room is My…"! Please check it out when you have a moment to see what a few other creative personalities and I use our living rooms for. Thank you, ShelterPop!
Friday, May 7, 2010
My Living Room is on AOL's ShelterPop!
18 comments:
- Jaime @ La vie...J'aime said...
How exciting- youre living room is lovely...so I can see why it's included!
- May 7, 2010 at 3:14 PM
- Laura Trevey said...
So exciting, and I love your room!!
xoxo Laura
- May 7, 2010 at 3:17 PM
- Averill said...
Congrats, Paloma!
- May 7, 2010 at 3:23 PM
- Ludmila {CreamyLife.com} said...
'My living room is My library' - nice said! Congrats, Paloma! xo
- May 7, 2010 at 3:25 PM
- Chateau 809 said...
Congrats!! Love the room!
- May 7, 2010 at 3:25 PM
- Amy@ShelterPop said...
Paloma we loved having you! I'd love to read on that cozy chic sofa. xoA
- May 7, 2010 at 4:07 PM
- Hello Lover... said...
- May 7, 2010 at 4:32 PM
- Caitlin @ Sacramento Street said...
Congrats! Just went over to ShelterPop to take a look. I'm in love with your floor lamp. Where is it from?
Congrats again, you have great taste!
- May 7, 2010 at 5:54 PM
- Ariane said...
Beautiful pillows! Congrats!
- May 7, 2010 at 9:45 PM
- Jesseca | Vinyl Banner Printing said...
You're living room reminds me of my boss who's a map enthusiast! He even belongs to a society of map lovers!
- May 7, 2010 at 11:28 PM
- DC Metro Mommy said...
Beautiful! I can't find the original post. Does anyone know the paint color in the living room?
- May 8, 2010 at 9:33 AM
- Paloma {La Dolce Vita} said...
Thank you so much everyone!
DC Metro Mommy, the paint is "Aging Barrel" from BEHR's Premium Plus line at Home Depot.
- May 8, 2010 at 9:36 AM
- Meredith and Allen Crump said...
Awesome. The new paint color looks great.
- May 8, 2010 at 9:50 AM
- Cristin said...
Congrats! The wall color is a great choice. The stacked books is whimsical... love it!
- May 8, 2010 at 10:47 AM
- Lovely Little Nest said...
Oh my goodness, your living room is lovely! And look at all of those pretty books! :)
P.S. Where did you find the vintage maps?
- May 8, 2010 at 2:45 PM
- Dagny @ Scandinavian Chic said...
Congrats!!! Looks fabulous!!
- May 8, 2010 at 3:22 PM
- Francine Gardner said...
My living room is also filled with books, art books, not to mention the bookshelves in the library, entry, dining room,family room, hallway....my books have overtaken the house, overflowing onto the floor...did i mention magazine?? your living room looks so inviting and perfect for reading or..a nap
have a lovely sunday
- May 8, 2010 at 11:09 PM
- Angela said...
Oh, I loved the shot of your living room!!! I'm in there as well (that's my hand holding the teacup in that series). SO much fun!
- May 10, 2010 at 5:27 PM


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By JOHN FLOWERS
MONTPELIER — The Vermont House and Senate have asked the Agency of Agriculture to study the impact of milk hauling and stop charges on Vermont dairy farmers, and determine whether those expenses could be reasonably shifted to manufacturers and/or consumers.
As it stands, farmers pay the costs for haulers to stop and collect their milk. They are also assessed a fee to have that milk hauled to processing facilities. The fees are deducted from the farmers' milk checks.
For many farmers, these hauling and stop charges are not insignificant. Sen. Harold Giard, D-Bridport, a former dairy farmer, said he paid upward of $20,000 per year to have his milk hauled to processing facilities in Massachusetts. Giard said he has a cousin in Bridport who milks 90 cows and paid $21,000 in charges last year. He heard recently from a farmer in the Northeast Kingdom who milks 30 cows and pays $4,800 annually in charges.
MONTPELIER — Addison County will reap more than $2.5 million from the fiscal year 2007 state capital bill, money that will be used to pay off a new vocational education building; complete a new Vermont State Police barracks in New Haven; and purchase a harvester to trim milfoil from the southern portion of Lake Champlain.
Sen. Phil Scott, R-Montpelier, confirmed on Monday that Senate and House negotiators had agreed on all money items to be included in the capital bill, which includes a list of more than $50 million in construction projects throughout Vermont that have been budgeted for the next fiscal year.
MIDDLEBURY — The Counseling Service of Addison County (CSAC) is planning a new school in Middlebury that would cater to local students who cannot thrive in traditional public school settings due to severe emotional and behavioral problems.
Counseling Service officials brought their CSAC school proposal to the Middlebury Zoning Board of Adjustment on Monday. They are seeking the board's permission to establish the new school in 1,450 square feet of space in the Middlebury College-owned office building located off Route 7 South, across from the A&W Restaurant.
Robert Thorn, executive director of CSAC, said his agency would work with local middle and high schools to identify students who might benefit from the Counseling Service program. Those students, according to a CSAC project narrative, would have "severe emotional disturbance and behavioral and emotional issues that prevent public school placement.�
ADDISON COUNTY — Green Up Vermont and volunteer coordinators around state are distributing 40,000 green trash bags so that Vermonters can clean up the highways and byways of their towns this Saturday, Green Up Day 2006.
Join the thousands of people who are expected to take an hour or two on this, the 36th anniversary of this unique Vermont tradition, by picking up trash in public areas. The success of Green Up Day depends on the generous support of the many volunteers who help organize the clean up and on businesses and groups that help fund the distribution of the trash bags.
MIDDLEBURY — Until recentÂly, Martha Rainville's presence in a room would command either great trepidation or intense joy among those who would hang on her every word.
As adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard, it was Maj. Gen. Rainville's duty to send troops off to battle zones and make somber walks to a podium to release the names of Vermont soldiers killed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Rainville presided over many a repatriation ceremony, at which soldiers and their families celebrated joyful reunions.
Rainville last month traded in her military fatigues for some civilian attire en route to what she hopes will be a new career serving the public — as Vermont's lone U.S. House member in Washington, D.C.
By JOHN S. McCRIGHT
BRISTOL — Vermont State Police arrested Bristol police officer Shawn Dillon on Friday and charged him with fraud in connection with an application for a $350,000 home mortgage.
Dillon, a Bristol resident, resigned from the Bristol Police Department on Saturday. He had been on the force for just under two years, according to Bristol Police Chief Kevin Gibbs.
According to VSP, Dillon, 28, had claimed on an application for a home mortgage that he was a state police trooper. He had applied for such a job, but had been denied the position.
Troopers arrested Dillon on Friday morning and charged him with fraud and resisting arrest. He was arraigned in Chittenden District Court Friday afternoon and released on conditions, including that he not contact witnesses. He is scheduled to appear before Judge Edward Cashman in that court on May 17.
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Sporting News' Hall of Fame college basketball writer takes a deep dive into one topic and answers four questions burning in his sport -- while contemplating the impact that the late, great Hiroshi Yamauchi had on his life.
Donte Hill was aware when he decided to leave Clemson what those eight minutes meant. Under NCAA rules, they represented an entire year of eligibility spent. If he insisted on leaving, his sophomore season was over. This was not some hidden technicality, an obscure rule buried inside a manual of regulations heavy and awkward enough to throw out your back.
This is one of the obvious ones, along with not taking money, not signing with an agent and carrying a full-time class load. If you play, you've played. That simple.
Hill left Clemson, anyway. Having participated for eight minutes in the Tigers' scrimmage against Georgia in the fall of 2010, he decided there might be a better place to continue his college career. He chose Old Dominion, close to his home in Virginia Beach. He played there in the spring of 2012, and then the whole of last season. Oddly, ODU chose to list him as a junior during the 2012-13 campaign. The NCAA was not fooled.
Hill had spent his four seasons of eligibility. His college athletic career is over. A couple of appeals this summer did not change that. Which is as it should be.
On Twitter, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale has been crusading for more than a month to change the NCAA's mind, to perhaps bring about a reversal similar to what occurred with Rutgers transfer Kerwin Okoro. After leaving Iowa State, he originally was denied a hardship waiver to compete for the Knights this season even though his brother and father had died in the past year and he wished to be at a school closer to his mother. Media pressure sometimes works to effect change, and that's mostly a good thing.
The media ought to be leaving this one alone, though. The NCAA got it right with Hill. It was the same course the organization followed with guard Jai Lucas, who transferred from Florida after playing in an exhibition game in the fall of 2008 in what came to represent his entire sophomore season. Lucas played two years at Texas, appealed to the NCAA for another year and was rightly declined.
There are hundreds of players in college sports who'll spend an entire year's eligibility on a few minutes here or there. Ever see "Rudy"? Michigan walk-on guard Josh Bartelstein's entire three-year career to this point has comprised 43 minutes. Does he get a do-over, another three years to see if he can get more PT?
One fundamental difference between Bartelstein and Hill -- aside from the fact Bartelstein wrote a book about the Wolverines' run to the Final Four, I mean -- is Bartelstein did not walk away from his team.
One of the first lessons taught to anyone who plays sports is that quitting is not acceptable. Little Leaguers learn that. In choosing to return to Clemson as a sophomore in 2010, Hill agreed to try playing for the new Clemson staff after Oliver Purnell had left for DePaul. Hill decided a few weeks of practice and eight minutes of scrimmage time were sufficient to make a judgment about whether the coaching change would work for him. There was a price for rushing to make up his mind.
This is not to say all transferring equals quitting, or that it's never acceptable. All of us change our minds at one point or another: switching jobs, breaking up with a significant other or, indeed, transferring colleges.
For athletes, the proper time for the last of those is at the close of a completed season. The NCAA allows them to depart after any semester, but the mid-year transfer always winds up getting a crummy deal. It seems appealing to transfer without having to watch a full season go by, but whether a year's eligibility is spent on eight games or eight minutes, the college basketball player who transfers at mid-year is voluntarily cutting his college career short.
And he's walking out on his teammates and coaches. That merits no reward.
2) We know recruiting can be a no-holds barred environment, but what about talk that coaches are using the fact that Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy has Parkinson's disease against him?
DeCourcy: What if I'd told you in the fall of 1999 there was an energy firm using accounting gimmicks and tricks to illegally hide billions of dollars in losses from the company's board of directors and stockholders, which meant the stock that was one of the hottest on Wall Street was probably closer to worthless?
Would you have just shaken your head and said, "Oh, those energy folks, they sure can be ruthless."
Of course not. You'd have wanted to know the name of the company and the identity of the executives who were running those games. Without that information, the suggestion something awful was going on somewhere in the energy industry would be worthless.
This is my issue with the stories about other schools using Kennedy's illness to recruit against A&M. The declaration that it's happening serves no purpose. In fact, if anything, reporting that it happened while refusing to identify the culprits, which is the approach young point guard Alex Robinson took, actually reinforces the behavior.
A coach sick or desperate enough to use this sort of recruiting is going to look at the fact that no one was willing to name him as nothing more than an opportunity to go ahead and do it again, with the next prospect torn between his school and the Aggies. Maybe that next kid isn't as bright or loyal as Robinson, who chose A&M this week.
If there's a coach out there who is willing to go this far, the only remedy for the behavior is to make his name public and disgrace him.
You think those Enron dudes wouldn't still be living large—and living a lie—if they had the chance?
3) Power forward Cliff Alexander and guard JaQuan Lyle apparently want to be like Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones in teaming up in college. With friendships that can form on the AAU circuit, will we be seeing more of these decisions in the future?
DeCourcy: I'd like to see one or two of them actually happen before I'm convinced it's a trend. Before I wrote about the expected pairing in college of center Jahlil Okafor (from Chicago) and point guard Tyus Jones (from the Minneapolis area), I asked Jones what the protocol would be for the two making their decision. Would they discuss it with each other beforehand? With their parents? Would one guy make up his mind first and try to talk the other into his favored school?
Jones didn't really have an answer. So it wouldn't be shocking if they failed to agree on the school where they wanted to play.
The next couple of months likely will show whether these players can agree with one another on their preferred choices. If they can figure it out, perhaps we'll have something. In the meantime, I'm going to make one final pitch to my colleagues in the media to stop referring to these as "package deals." It's like calling a base on balls a "single." The terminology is wrong.
Okafor and Jones are not a "package deal." If you get them both, that's a bonanza or a jackpot, or something. A package deal is when a program takes one middling or unqualified recruit to land a star player. That practice has been operational for decades. And we know that it still goes on.
4) New Mexico no longer has to worry about Steve Alford's buyout. It just has to worry about not having Steve Alford (or his son, for that matter). Forecast the Lobos' fortunes for us.
DeCourcy: Alford is an excellent basketball coach. There are many who suggest otherwise because of his poor NCAA Tournament record, but UNM was a wreck when he arrived, and he turned a 4-12 league record into 11-5 in one year, then won four of the next five Mountain West championships. So spare me the arguments against his technical ability. They're absurd.
All that said, if you'd asked me a year ago to name one assistant coach who was ready for his own program, I'd have told you Craig Neal. I might have called him "Noodles," because that's what I've called him since we met nearly two decades ago, but he'd have been my choice. He will be an excellent recruiter. As a former NBA scout, he has a keen eye for talent, which is essential for a program that can't merely target 5-star players and see which ones are interested.
How will he do with game preparation and strategy? Those are issues for any first-time head coach, but he has been around the game long enough to have a handle on what he'll want to do. And the team he inherits gives him an excellent chance at a nice start: four starters back from last season's 29-win team. They'll need to find some scoring punch to replace NBA pick Tony Snell, as well as some depth, but UNM is the pick to win the Mountain West Conference according to my friend Steve Carp in the Sporting News College Basketball yearbook.
5) We've seen women officiate men's basketball games. Will we see the day when a woman is on the sideline for a men's Division I team?
DeCourcy: One is trained to never say never. But I doubt it will be in my lifetime. It's not that there aren't female coaches skilled enough to coach men. There are lots. It's just that the path to that head coaching seat generally follows the same course: college player, office staffer, recruiting assistant, head coach, and I'm not aware of any women currently pursuing it.
There are only a few women working in any job in Division I basketball programs. When I spoke to Eastern Michigan director of operations Victoria Sun two years ago, she indicated it was not her ambition to become a coach, but rather to remain in the game in an administrative capacity.
Let's just hope this: If a woman comes along who desires to coach Division I men, she'll get the same opportunity to climb that ladder as a similarly skilled man. That's how it should be.


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Representatives of the focal points of the Group of Friends of Mediation gathered at the House of the Estates in Helsinki for a two-day meeting on 17 and 18 January. In all, 32 of the Group of Friends' member countries and organisations arrived in Helsinki to share their experiences and discuss the Group's future challenges.
The Group of Friends of Mediation was established in 2010 at the initiative of the foreign ministers of Finland and Turkey. During its existence of just over two years, the Group of Friends has succeeded in strengthening the role of mediation in the UN. The Resolutions achieved at the Group's initiative have strengthened the normative base of mediation.
In addition, the Group of Friends played an important role in drawing up the UN Secretary-General's Guidance for Effective Mediation. Another indication of the Group's success is the growing interest shown in it. At present the membership of the Group of Friends includes 34 countries, the United Nations and regional organisations – the AU, the Arab League, ASEAN, the EU, the OSCE, the OAS and the OIC. In addition, several countries have expressed interest in joining the Group. The Group of Friends operates mainly in New York, and now its network of focal points is also becoming active.
The meeting held in Helsinki was the second meeting of the network of focal points. Themes that were raised many times included strengthening of the role of women in peace processes, the importance of education and the relationship between peace and justice. Normative work was called for in, for instance, the role of religious and traditional leaders and the position of the so-called traditional administration of justice. In order to strengthen the role of women in practice, it is necessary that Member States put forward female candidates, for instance for the tasks of the Secretary-General's special representative.
There was also much discussion on the role of mediation in conflict prevention. Mediation is more than bringing the parties to a conflict to the negotiating table; in the best of cases it can also prevent the outbreak of violence. It emerged clearly during the discussions that alongside the mutual exchange of information, the Group of Friends of Mediation would have the potential to deepen our knowledge of mediation further and to disseminate information outside the Group as well.
In his opening address, Foreign Minister Tuomioja highlighted the importance of the Group of Friends' focal points. The role of the representatives of the Group of Friends' focal points in developing mediation work at the national and regional level was stressed throughout the meeting. In particular, the Group's newest members felt that they received ideas to be implemented in their own foreign ministries. For instance, the compilation of a national action plan for mediation along the lines of the Finnish example received support.
The chairs of the meeting, Head of Unit Katri Viinikka of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Director General Levent Gümrükcü of the Foreign Ministry of Turkey underlined the importance of the activities of each member state and member organisation in alongside the Group's joint efforts.
The role of regional organisations in conflict resolution and peace processes was one of the most important themes of the meeting. Regional organisations are closer to the conflict and have good knowledge of the parties to the conflict and its context. It is therefore often easier for them to support the peace process and to act as a mediator between the parties. The representatives of various regional organisation present at the meeting gave presentations on their recent mediation activities and reported on their work more broadly.
The regional organisations also thanked the UN Mediation Support Unit (MSU) for its support. It was considered necessary for the Group of Friends to take an active approach in presenting itself at the meetings of regional organisations, in order to attain an even stronger commitment on the part of the organisations' member countries.
In addition to the discussions held amongst themselves, during the two-day meeting the Group of Friends of Mediation heard presentations by Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and Finn Church Aid. CMI's Executive Director Tuija Talvitie shed light on the importance of non-State actors in peace processes and told about the CMI's activities in the field in more detail. Finn Church Aid Executive Director Antti Pentikäinen conducted a panel discussion on the significance of religious and traditional leaders as mediators.
The role of religious leaders in mediation is great, but in the past it has not been known how to benefit from its value in international activities. Many important local actors participated in the panel discussion, for instance from Myanmar and Somalia, who gave concrete examples of their work as conflict mediators. Two Somalis, Sultan Abdisalam, Director of the Horn of Africa Peace Center and Halima Ismail Ibrahim, an active promoter of women's rights, said that their work had even been dangerous at times. More recently, however, cooperation between the clans has made considerable progress in Somalia.
The enthusiastic atmosphere that prevailed throughout the conference showed clearly that there is great need for mediation. Despite the significant achievements of the Group of Friends, much remains to be done and the Group of Friends has an important role in the development of mediation internationally. The Group of Friends led by Finland and Turkey is an example of the UN's important cooperation across the borders of country groups.
At the end of the meeting, the Group of Friends' focal point representatives agreed to meet on a regular basis twice a year in future. The arrival of focal point representatives from as far as Uganda and Columbia to a freezing cold Helsinki was itself an indication of staunch commitment to the Group of Friends.
• Speech by Foreign Minister Tuomioja at the Group of Friends of Mediation meeting
• Read more on the Mediation pages of Ministry for Foreign Affairs


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This module covers methods for choosing and narrowing the topic of a research project.
When you have completed this module of EMPOWER, you will be able to:
- write a defendable thesis statement
- define the purpose of your research
- broaden and narrow a topic
- build a research question to help focus your research
Original EMPOWER material ©2007-2011 is a tutorial developed by Wichita State University Libraries. EMPOWER incorporates material from inflite, a tutorial developed by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis ©2003, and Searchpath, a tutorial developed by Western Michigan University, ©2001-2002, both of which are based on material from TILT, a tutorial developed by the Digital Information Literacy Office for the University of Texas System Digital Library, ©1998-2002. This material may be reproduced, distributed, or incorporated only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the EMPOWER Creative Commons License.


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Moderators: Rev. Sylvanus, warman45
Rev. Sylvanus wrote:Actually, this topic of singe-die skill ratings has been prominent in several other threads if I'm not mistaken, Whiteagle.
Natalya wrote:Wtf is going on in this thread?
samuelzz10 wrote:too many of my stats use more than one die.
Warhead wrote:my head burns with War.
But what if I need to win the lottery?IVhorseman wrote:samuelzz10 wrote:too many of my stats use more than one die.
Nobody needs to roll that high for skill. For any reason.
Give em a d12 if you're gonna be so paranoid about failing your rolls.
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Research Excellence: Two USU Scientists Named 2012 AAAS Fellows
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012
Utah State University professors Patricia Lambert and Lance Seefeldt join the elite ranks of the nation's top scientists as 2012 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows.
Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed on AAAS members by their peers in recognition of outstanding efforts to advance science or its applications. Lambert and Seefeldt are among 702 scientists who will be formally recognized at a Feb. 16 ceremony during the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, Mass. Their award will also be announced in the Nov. 30, 2012, issue of the journal Science.
"Designation as an AAAS fellow is a distinct honor reserved for the nation's top scientists," says USU President Stan Albrecht. "It's not only an honor for these two professors to be recognized for outstanding contributions in their respective fields, but also for Utah State University."
Lambert and Seefeldt join James "Jim" MacMahon, trustee professor of biology and dean of USU's College of Science, who is the university's only current AAAS fellow.
Lambert, professor in USU's Department of Sociology, Social Studies and Anthropology, is recognized for her contributions to physical anthropology, especially her research in bioarchaeology and professional service in the ethics and application of repatriation law.
Seefeldt, professor in USU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is honored for his contributions to the advancement of understanding the mechanism of the enzyme nitrogenase.
Patricia Lambert
Lambert, associate dean of research for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, studies health and violence in prehistoric American populations. Her work has been covered on the Discovery and National Geographic channels and published in journals, including Nature.
As a bioarchaeologist, she analyzes ancient human remains to gain insights into the history of infectious disease, and to address larger questions about the causes and consequences of changes in diet, health and patterns of violence. She has documented a strong causal link between drought and warfare in western North America. Not surprisingly, her work requires sensitivity in the treatment and respect for the dead.
From 1999-2010 Lambert served on and later chaired the Repatriation Committee of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA). In this capacity she engaged in national conversations on behalf of the AAPA concerning the interpretation and implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a law designed to empower tribes in decision-making regarding the disposition of ancestral remains and sacred objects.
A professor at USU since 1996, Lambert has helped advance graduate and research opportunities for anthropology students. She oversaw the effort to establish a master's program in anthropology in 2008 and was part of a research team awarded a $418,000 NSF MRI grant in 2010 to establish the Spatial Data Collection, Analysis and Visualization Lab on campus. She also directs the university's Museum of Anthropology and the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies.
Lance Seefeldt
Seefeldt, recipient of USU's 2012 D. Wynne Thorne Career Research Award, has pioneered efforts to solve a long-standing mystery of how bacterial enzymes known as nitrogenases convert nitrogen into life-sustaining compounds on which all plants and animals depend. He and his colleagues' discoveries could have energy-saving implications for the world's food supply and fuel production.
In addition to his nitrogenase work, Seefeldt, conducts biofuels research, including investigation of the feasibility of using algae as a fuel source. With colleagues in USU's College of Engineering, Seefeldt was a major player in the establishment of the university's USTAR Biofuels team. He and his students recently supplied yeast biodiesel developed in Seefeldt's lab that powered a USU-built dragster to a land-speed record.
Since joining USU in 1993, Seefeldt has secured more than $4 million in extramural funding for his laboratory. He has conducted 72 invited presentations at conferences and universities and has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts that have been cited more than 3,000 times in the scientific literature.
Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society. The organization includes 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The tradition of AAAS Fellows was initiated in 1874.
Related links:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- USU Anthropology Program
- USU Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology
- USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences
- USU Chemistry and Biochemistry Department
- USU College of Science
Contact: Patricia Lambert, 435-797-2603, firstname.lastname@example.com
Contact: Lance Seefeldt, 435-797-3964, firstname.lastname@example.com
Writers: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517, email@example.com; Kristen Munson, (435) 797-0267, email@example.com


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Looks like Sonia is criticizing Charlotte's cooking (or tea?) again, much to the chagrin of Mule.
My unauthoritative take on what Rickert says to him: You're the leader of the Falcons, not the Falcon of Light.
Wonder of at the end griff turns ol' ricky to mush.
But.. but.. but.. he's less a man and more a magnificient painting, never to be touched.
Now will the slap come first in the conversation and then some explaining? Or explanations followed by and uncontrollable slap?! This is exciting!
I hope poor Ganishka could see it from wherever he is now.
I'm guessing Rickert is going to try to appeal to Griffith's humanity and it's going to be more of Griff's cold tone deaf bullshit about their dream and being the falcon blah blah blah that brings on the slap. Think back to when he told Guts that standing on what amounted to the Falcons' graves was an appropriate reunion. This could be Rickert's, "Never say that name again!" moment.
Episode title is "The Bridge of Separation."
He tells him that the leader (of the Band of the Falcon) isn't the Falcon of Light. Depending on the other panels, "leader" could be meant in that sentence as a replacement for "you", as in "you aren't the Falcon of Light".
Quote from: Mangetsu on Today at 05:56:34 PM HOLY FUCKING SHITQuote from: Rupert Sinclair on Today at 06:02:26 PM Holy shit.Quote from: m on Today at 06:10:44 PM There really is no other way of putting it: Holy Shit! Quote from: Walter on Today at 06:43:52 PM My reaction: HOLY SHIT! Quote from: Griffith on Today at 07:02:05 PMJust to add to the consensus I literally involuntarily exclaimed, "Holy shit!" when I saw that, and I'm at work. Go Rickert!
This is the first time we've seen Griffith incarnate allow a blow against himself. That slap (for what its worth) is more than Guts or anybody has been able to get.
Of course that's true, but this is hardly a combat scenario.
That's the best thing I've ever seen, in the series and in my life. Holy shit.
There really is no other way of putting it: Holy Shit! I can't wait to see the full episode.
My reaction: HOLY SHIT!
Just to add to the consensus I literally involuntarily exclaimed, "Holy shit!" when I saw that, and I'm at work. Go Rickert!
Holy crap! (See what I did there?)
So we can continue keeping an accurate tally- I too exclaimed Holy Shit! Just, wow.
Ominous. Could be that the major action happens on the bridge, or maybe it's allegorical?
I also think Griffith is allowing Rickert that slap in some way.
Thinking back to how Rickert was just a small boy when Guts first joined the Band of The Falcon to now slapping Griffith, the Falcon of Light, the absolute ruler.


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Mindi — SuicideGirl of the Day
Meet Mini, a 22-year-old SuicideGirl from Colombia who spends most of her free time sleeping. When this sleeping beauty is conscious, she enjoys cuddling up and watching Gone With the Wind.
Meet: Mindi
Age: 22
Location: Colombia
Into: Tattoos, candles, design
Makes me happy: The future
Makes me sad: The past
Five things I can't live without: My cellphone, my boyfriend, my family, high heels, ink
I spend most of my free time: Sleeping
Favorite bands:
- A Perfect Circle
- Cattle Decapitation
- Job For A Cowboy
- Iron Maiden
- Protest the Hero
- The Human Abstract
Favorite films:
- Buried
- Gone With the Wind
- The Lake House
- Natural Born Killers
Favorite books:
- Gone With the Wind
- Del Amor y Otros Demonios
- Al Este del Eden
- Muertos o Algo Mejor
SuicideGirls is a community that celebrates alternative beauty and alternative culture from all over the world. Since 2001, tens of thousands of models have submitted millions of photos to their website hoping to become SuicideGirls.


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You'll find private vacation homes, condo rentals, oceanfront villas, mountain lodges and all other types of vacation rentals here at 10k. Just click on the desired destination to view the specific properties. From there you can contact the property owners or their agent directly for availability, rates and booking information. Dealing directly with the owner or agent provides more intimate information regarding the vacation home and its features, leading to a more enjoyable vacation for you and your family.
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Sunday, June 24, 2007
Baguettes--the Steamfast way
Somewhere in her blog, Rose recommended the Steam Maker , and I mentioned to Jim that I wanted to get one someday when we were rich. Instead of waiting for wealth, however, he wanted to get one for my birthday last month. I told him it was a frivolous purchase, but he bought it anyway. I just made amazing baguettes with this contraption, and I'm now so glad that I have it.
It's a little bit Rube Goldberg-ish, and I was kind of scared to do the big swish of steam myself because I thought I might burn myself. "Danger," the instructions say. "This unit is not a toy." "Never point nozzle at people or pets."
Here's what you do--you just make your baguettes (I followed Rose's recipe, which somehow seemed much easier than the first time I did it). You put them on a baking stone in a 450-degree oven. Then you cover them with the lid to the Steam Maker, and you get your spouse to spray steam in the hole in the cover for 30 seconds. This is really fun, especially if you're not doing it yourself. Then you bake it, covered, for six or seven minutes.
Then you take the lid off and bake it for another 23 minutes or so, turning the oven stone once during the process.
When the loaves come out of the oven, the look pretty good. But it's not until you tap them with your fingernail that you realize that they have an extraordinary crust--the kind that you get only in the very best artisan loaf. Honestly, I may have eaten baguettes that were this good, but I have never eaten one that was any better. And I have never eaten one that was so fresh out of the oven. I feel that all of my work last year, as I was making my way through The Bread Bible for the first time, led to this point, and I may never bake another bread that (to me, at least) is this satisfying.
You know that game where you have to pick three foods that you'd want if you were stranded on a desert island and you could have three things each day? This bread would be one of mine. The only problem with that is that it really couldn't be a humid island. Jim and I ate the first loaf in about 15 minutes. Then we couldn't eat any more. I thought about freezing the second one, but decided we could just eat it for breakfast. The lovely crispy, crackly crust did not make it through a humid Minnesota summer night unscathed, however. The bread was still good the second day, but the crust became chewy rather than crisp. I will therefore have to specify that my bread must be delivered to my desert island immediately after being baked. No day-old bread in my fantasy.
12 comments:
- Melinda said...
Aren't you flash with your steam maker!
Good to know it actually works.
The baguettes look gorgeous.
they have to be the best looking baguettes I have ever seen. I actually considered buying the steam maker but I also thought it was a bit frivolous, now I may have to purchase one. What size did you buy? Your desert island will need to have a wolfe oven.
- breadbasketcase said...
Although I'm a fairly skeptical person, I actually didn't even entertain the possibility that it might not work--probably because Rose recommended it.
I bought the two-thirds size because that matched the oven stone that I have, but the taller-sized top so I could bake boule-shaped bread instead of just the baguette shapes. Was it worth it? Probably not from a strictly cost-benefit analysis. I could buy a lot of good baguettes for what I spent for the steam maker, but for satisfaction--priceless!
- pinknest said...
*gasp!* they're so adorable!!!
- Srivalli said...
wow...you have a great blog here...full of information on baking...thanks for sharing all the info..
My name is Mark Schimpf and I'm the President/Owner of the Steam Maker Bread Baker Company. I'm going to have a little fun here with the question of cost vs. benefit. Please don't take me too serious here; I realize it is an expensive item.
I have spent my working career in manufacturing. When manufacturing people are deciding on whether or not to make an equipment purchase, one of the things they look at is pay back time period. If a capital equipment purchase pays for itself in terms of labor or material savings in less then two years, it is generally done. If pay back period is longer then two years, there needs to be another compelling reason to make the purchase.
The steam maker price ranges from $160 - 244 (including shipping), so lets pick the middle of the range for our analysis, say $200.
If the average cost of a good quality baguette is $2.00, then the steam maker breaks even after 100 loaves. If you buy this quality bread twice a week on average, then after 50 weeks the unit has paid for itself.
I realize this is a simplistic analysis because it does not take into account the cost of material and your labor when you bake your own bread. As I said in the beginning, don't take me too seriously here.
Our product works, as breadbasketcase found and was kind enough to share. My marketing challenge is convincing people it is a worthwhile investment.
- breadbasketcase said...
Pink Nest,
I (ahem) have to agree with you there. They are quite adorable!
Thanks for visiting! I love Indian food, and really want to try some of your recipes. I'm especially intrigued by the one "American" dish--vegetarian hot dogs.
I love your product, but I honestly don't think that a traditional cost/benefit analysis works, unless you live somewhere with no access to good bread at all. It's much, much easier for me to go to my favorite bakery and buy very good bread than to make my own. It's only when you factor in the intangibles--like the enormous satisfaction in taking this beautiful, delicious bread out of your own oven--that the benefits outweigh the cost. I do highly recommend your product, however. I've tried ice cubes in the oven, boiling water in the oven, La Cloche--you name it. These methods all make fine bread, but yours makes the finest.
- Melinda said...
Hey Marie, I know I blog slow but haven't you got anything cooking in that new oven that we should know about. Miss your blogging!
I agree with Melinda, we miss your blogs, I know it is hard to follow those incredible baguettes.
- Melinda said...
Marie? Are you there? I got tagged to list 7 things you may not know about me. I have to tag 7 others but (I am such a loser!) I only have 5 people who might respond to the tag...you were one of them. I would be interested to learn some secrets about you. Perhaps you were a part- time belly dancer to pay for law school? Do tell!
- breadbasketcase said...
Melinda and KneadtoBake,
I have finally arisen from my summer-induced torpor and am back to baking again!
I've been trying to think of seven things that people might not know about me. Most of the things I can think of are also in the category of things that people wouldn't give a fig about, but I'll give it more thought. Unfortunately, there's no belly dancing in my past. We might do better if we were allowed to invent.
- Chubbypanda said...
Wow. Much more effective than the ice cube method.


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Egypt's Interior Ministry and the Muslim Brotherhood Plan to Eliminate Copts, Says Former Politician
Mohamed Hamd el-Gamal, former head of the State Council, stated that Egypt's Interior Ministry and the Muslim Brotherhood have adopted a plan to eliminate Copts and media figures supportive of Copts in the country.
Gamal added that the detention of Coptic activists who had been injured during the skirmish was a reflection of the current discrimination Copts experience by those in power.
Gamal noted that the authorities have not arrested those people who attacked St. Mark's Cathedral, although cameras captured a large number of them carrying firearms during the attack.
For Gamal, the main problem in Egypt lies in the absence of constitutional and legal legitimacy, as Egyptians are currently living in a non-state. He sees the current collaboration between the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists as another problem.
"According to the Penal Code, the arrest of any citizen cannot be conducted without providing the serious evidences," Gamal pointed out, highlighting the arrest of Christian mourners who were in the cathedral during the attack.
Gamal denounced the arrest of the Coptic activists, insisting such actions reflect the current security problems and the absence of law in the country.
Gamal said that both the Interior Ministry and the presidency committed a violation of arresting the Coptic activists who were injured during the aggression that targeted the cathedral. He added such institutions could be punished for such discrimination between the citizens.
Egyptian security forces arrested a number of Coptic activists on Friday against the backdrop of the attacks committed against the cathedral on Sunday in Cairo's St. Mark's Cathedral after the funeral of the victims of Khosos.


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'It's About Time' Devils Lake Perch Anglers Say
Ice fishing for jumbo perch has been a tradition for generations of Devils Lake anglers. If they could speak collectively about the coming ice season, they would say, "It's about time. We're ready to go fishing." To date, the ice on the main lake is about 4" thick, and anglers are starting to slowly walk out.
With that in mind, area ice fishing guides share secrets that will make the upcoming perch season a success. Most have combined their on-ice action with lodging and resort packages that make a winter trip as simple as "one-call does it all." The North Dakota Fish and Game surveys ranked this year's Devils Lake perch populations as the best in the past decade, with test-net catch rates the highest since 2003.
Guide Mark Bry (brysguideservice.com) said, "There's always a bite going on somewhere. Last winter and this past summer was one of the best bites on jumbos, and this winter looks very promising. Our number one lure is the 1/8th to 1/4th Buckshot or Forage Minnow spoon with a minnow head. Chartreuse is a favorite color, but orange, pink and gold are also good. A flasher is an absolute key. If aggressive doesn't work, try subtle."
Kyle Blanchfield of Woodland Resort (woodlandresort.com) said, "Keep it simple and stay mobile. With 25 years working with winter anglers, fish with light easy-to-feel rods, light tackle and a Vexilar. The more you drill, the more perch go in the bucket. Don't get fooled by crowds. Most of the time, this is where the fish used to be. Work the outer edges of crowds and run parallel depth lines to find where the school has moved."
Jason Mitchell of the Perch Patrol (perchpatrol.com) said, "Learn to read deep-water perch with the Vexilar in 'zoom mode.' Devils Lake perch are attracted to aggressive jigging, but once in close, subtle shakes, slow lifts or no movement at all will entice biters. Move to find fish, and then camp on them to see what makes them bite, or wait until the next feeding window."
Aaron McQuoid of McQuoid Outdoors & Lodging (mcquoidguides.com) said, "Keep moving, using the Vexilar to find fish. If they're biting right away, good, if not, mark the spot and return. The 2-pound perch feed like walleyes, and will hit a Buckshot rattle spoon with a full minnow. Other times they feed like the smallest panfish and demand light line (2-pound) and 1/64th ounce jigs with wax worms or PowerBait. Our guides know when to switch."
Jason Feldner of Perch-Eyes Outfitters & Lodging (percheyes.com) said, "Start where hard bottom meets mud, and work along this transition – it could be a hump or point – using a GPS with a Lakemaster chip. My go-to lure is a 1/8th or 1/4th Lindy Rattle-n-Flyer tipped with a minnow head. Pump the rod a few times; follow with a shimmy-shake. If the lookers don't bite, downsize to spikes or waxxies on a Lindy toad. A minnow on a plain hook can be unbeatable at times."
Johnnie Candle (johnniecandle.com) said simply, "Drill more holes. These perch move and rarely hover on structure. They like the basin, so moving to locate an active school is important."
Clint DeVier of Gonefshn Guide Service said, "After 40 years fishing Devils Lake, it used to be perch schools would spread for miles, but with the lake now at 200,000 acres, 5-times its former size, finding active schools can be a bit more challenging. I've found they school on the wide open flats where fresh-water shrimp seem to be the key. With a Lakemaster chip, I locate and concentrate on the shelves (wide spots in otherwise consistent contour lines) that extend from shallow to deep water. These can be from 15 to 50 feet deep. When your group finds perch, it is worth the search!"
Ross Sensiba of Rush Valley Guide Service (rushvalleyguideservice.com) said, "I prefer sunrise or earlier with a live bait, subtle presentation. As morning progresses, I get more aggressive with spoons and wax worms. A dead-stick is always next to me with live bait. At first ice, outer weed edges in 8 to 12 feet are good, moving to 20 feet or more as the sun brightens the day. Lure presentation is an inch or two off bottom, lifting up to one and one-half feet. I like large flats with steep edges and weeds on top. During mid-day, I fish the tops of submerged trees that are in 24-feet or deeper."
Steve "Zippy" Dahl, owner of the Perch Patrol Guide Service (perchpatrol.com) said, "Concentrate on finding the biters and don't settle for the sniffers." His guides use a team-work approach to attacking this 200,000 acre lake and spend a lot of time trying to find the large schools of perch that prove to be 5 to 6 foot thick on the Vexilar. "Nothing beats good old fashion competition, and there is nothing like fishing perch that scream off the bottom to meet your lure. It is important to use small horizontal jigs that fish heavy, small buckshot rattle spoons, or hali's with dropper chains will all get to the bottom fairly quickly in deep water."
The new fish-cleaning station located just south of Ed's Bait Shop on Hwy 20 (south of the City of Devils Lake) will be open at the beginning of 2013. The 20 x 32 building will be able to handle 15 anglers at one time. It has two grinders, a separate clean-up sink, a handicapped bathroom, is heated (A/C for summer), has plenty of parking for trucks and trailers and is well-lit with a coded entry. The code is available at Ed's Bait Shop between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The cleaning facility is free to use.
Devils Lake has some of the largest winter ice fishing guide services anywhere, with perch, walleyes and pike the main targets. These experts take the "searching for fish" to a completely new level. They make every first-time angler feel like this is home, and the thousands of anglers who return year after year to fish with the same guides know that's the case. For information on Devils Lake guides, winter ice conditions and roads, the Jan. 27, 2013 ice fishing tournament, activities, fish-cleaning station (open all year), lodging, resorts and restaurants, check www.devilslakend.com, or call 701-662-4903 for a free fishing packet.
[photo courtesy of the Perch Patrol]


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Join us in caring for the people of the Hebrides.
About Hearts of Olden Glory
We suggest a donation of £1 to download this track (as an MP3), but you are free to donate whatever amount you see fit -- all money goes directly to Bethesda.
Video - Keep the Hope Alive
Alison Macdonald - Keep The Hope Alive from PointMedia on Vimeo.
Calum Martin writes:
"We are now in the 30th year since Alison was abducted in Northern India in August 1981 and to mark this occasion and in an effort to maximise and re-awaken publicity I have decided to release a song specially written for this purpose where musical friends from both sides of the Atlantic have kindly given of their talents to be part of the project.
"At the request of her father Rev Kenny Macdonald (and in view of the Island connection with the Macdonald family), all proceeds from the sale of this project will be donated to The Bethesda Home and Hospice here in Stornoway.
"At this stage, two songs will be released for Digital Download, one song which I have written 'Keep the Hope Alive' and a version of the Runrig song 'Hearts of Olden Glory'. It is also intended to make it available for sale as a CD Single if there is a demand for this, especially on the Islands. Also in today's global music market, (and to make the necessary impact), a Video of the project is also being envisaged."


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Lights, Camera, Cigars
- By Joel Drucker
- | From Greg Raymer, Sept/Oct 2004
Set in a cigar club, the new film Blowing Smoke elevates the stogie to a starring role to help explore man's essential nature gangster and the ambitious swagger of the business titan. No question, the cigar amplifies. Yet despite its many credits and reliability, the cigar has always been strictly a character actor, a sidekick never showcased on the marquee.
That's all about to change with the fall release of Blowing Smoke, the first feature film that places the cigar front and center as both star and venue. Set to make its debut this fall, every scene of Blowing Smoke takes place in what's called The Havana Club, an exclusive cigar club patterned, right down to the humidor and plush couches, after the Grand Havana Room located in Beverly Hills, California.
But Blowing Smoke is no mere travelogue. Its title reveals a story laced with double entendres. On the surface, the plot focuses on six male cigar lovers. Most of these gentlemen hold jobs in the entertainment industry—a business, of course, where blowing smoke in pursuit of fame and riches is no mere tactic, but a fundamental strategy. Each week they gather at The Havana Club after midnight for a high-stakes poker game. As they enjoy their cigars, they continually blow smoke in their conversation. "This is a film about what men talk about among themselves," says writer-director James Orr (other credits include writing Three Men and a Baby and producing Father of the Bride). A charter member of the Grand Havana Room, he wrote, narrated and produced the two-part documentary film The Fuente Family: An American Dream and Fuente Fuente OpusX: Making of a Legend. "You're talking about sports or business, but there's also one thing they talk about most of all when they're by themselves: women. And that's what becomes the big topic in this movie."
In this case, Orr's six male stars are blowing smoke both literally and figuratively. Says Ray (played by Daniel Roebuck), The Havana Club's owner who always keeps a spare bathrobe in his office for a welcome guest, "Women hate football. You cannot bribe a female into talking about football, not even with credit cards or trips to the Caribbean." As the men continue talking, as the poker game's ante rises, their voices rise and the verbal smoke becomes even thicker than that generated by the cigars. "The main problem, as I see it," says the character Michael (Shaun Baker), a music producer, "is that love just doesn't last. Maybe a couple of centuries ago, when we only lived to be 35, love would last forever, but not now. Serial monogamy, that's my advice." And this is only the "G"-rated dialogue. If you're familiar with the work of playwright David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross, American Buffalo)—at once profane, pointed and even poignant in its ability to mix male bluster with unintentional vulnerability—you've got an idea of the territory occupied by Blowing Smoke.
Everything changes when a woman enters the room. And not just any woman, but an extremely attractive one played by Estella Warren, a one-time Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue model. Her character, Faye, is on the run from a dangerous boyfriend. Says Orr, "So suddenly these guys who've been whining about women start pursuing her. It starts off good-natured, but soon it's escalating, and as the story goes on, a lot is revealed about men—all in this one-room cigar club."
According to Warren, "I sort of wreak havoc on the evening, and they all come up to me and try to seduce me. Little do they know that I'm the one playing them. It's not often you see a script with so many interesting twists."
Though Warren's damsel in distress becomes the object of affection (or, more accurately, desired affection), the film is truly an ensemble piece. The entire cast was so drawn to the script written by Orr and his partner, Jim Cruickshank, that each actor worked for scale and shot the film in 18 furious days (most shoots take at least twice as long).
But no single actor in Blowing Smoke dares take the spotlight away from its true star, the cigar. The film is at once a celebration and exploration of the cigar as everything from bonding agent to sexual symbol to, most of all, escape valve from the stresses of contemporary life. As Michael notes, "Each cigar represents a unit of time. A robusto is half an hour, for example; a Churchill is 45 minutes and a double corona is an hour. It's a gift of time you give yourself." Or as Nick (Brian Scolaro), a swift-talking agent with the legendary William Morris Agency, explains, "The difference between a woman and a cigar is: A cigar doesn't judge. It just provides pleasure." And as another character, Steven (Chris Elwood), a Brad Pitt wannabe actor, notes, "Men need an excuse to come together and share their experiences. A cigar is like smoking in the hunting lodge at the end of a hard day, comparing stories of the day's battles. It's a bonding experience. It allows our true selves to emerge."
With the all-male lair suddenly transformed, the question hangs in the air: which self is most true? These guys may beef all they want about the toxic qualities of women, but when given a chance to cozy up to one, they blindly shift into autopilot. As the film's poster declares in all its overt bluntness, "My cigar is bigger than yours." It's notable that when Faye declares she's never smoked a cigar before, Steven offers her a nine-inch Monte "A." Then again, it's Ray, the most cigar-savvy of all the film's characters, who asks, "Do you really think that if this were a symbol for a man's most sensitive organ, we would cut one end and set the other end on fire?" The answer is yes. In that mix of the phallic and the philosophical rests the film's humorous and serious effort to grasp an understanding of man's elemental nature.
The idea for Blowing Smoke came to Orr in the mid-1990s. For a month during his daily trips to The Grand Havana Room, he and Cruickshank paid close attention to nearby conversations. "We'd see all sorts of people from all over town come here to eat and talk and sit back with their cigars," says Orr. "I think there's something about the cigar that helps a man unwind more. You can't rush your way through a cigar. And I'd watch these guys talk, and never did they get more vocal than when they talked about women. We thought it was hysterical, particularly one day when a beautiful woman walked in and the whole room suddenly went silent. It's like you could hear a pin drop."
Orr and Cruickshank first wrote Blowing Smoke in 1997. Five different producers contemplated making the film, but never put the right deal together. Finally, in 2003, Orr joined forces with Kamal Aboukhater, a former investment banker and Grand Havana Room member who agreed to put up the $1.2 million budget and fund a production independent of any major studios.
The key, notes Aboukhater, "was to make the film as authentic to the spirit of cigars as possible." A set resembling The Grand Havana Room was built, with a nicely appointed bar, dozens of lockers for cigars, a big-screen TV and velvet couches. A consultant was hired to teach the actors the nuances of holding, toasting, smoking and wielding cigars, to the point where, as Orr says, "the cigar is nothing more than an extension of your hand." A crew member was specifically assigned the task of monitoring how much of each character's cigar was smoked so that whenever shooting was stopped and resumed, all would be in sync. To keep every scene accurate, the production required 200 cigars per character.
Most notable was Orr's contact with executives at seven leading cigar companies. He had a vision of a specific cigar to reflect the sensibilities of each character. As befits a man in the music industry, Michael favors the $40 Zino Platinum Crown Series, the most popular cigar in the world of hip-hop. Ray, owner of The Havana Club, would invariably have the most refined palate and be drawn to the cigar equivalent of a Bentley: the stylish Padrón Anniversary Series. Steven, the young actor eager to make a name for himself, enjoys the most famous non-Cuban cigar in the world, the Fuente Fuente OpusX. For Nick, the results-oriented agent, it's a rich and hearty Diamond Crown Maximus. Eric (Sean Barnes), the erudite attorney who quotes poetry, smokes an Ashton VSG, a cigar, says Orr, "for men who discriminate." Bob (Eyal Podell), an impish young documentary producer who's making a movie about the weekly poker game, smokes the OneOff, a cigar with a peace symbol on the band. And Phil (Lennie Loftin), the brutally honest business manager, puffs a strong cigar, the La Flor Dominicana Chisel, because, as Orr puts it, "he chisels through everything." And Faye, it turns out, is not exactly a cigar novice.
Executives within the cigar industry are impressed by Orr's creativity and meticulousness. Says Keith Park, president of Prometheus International, a manufacturer and distributor of cigar accoutrements who provided Blowing Smoke with a range of humidors, cutters, lighters and ashtrays, "I visited the set, and it was amazing to see how accurately they'd created the atmosphere of a cigar club." Among the manufacturers who willingly donated their cigars, Robert Levin, president of Ashton, says, "James is very talented. He knows what he's doing. He has a very good palate, a real taste for the finer things in life—able to really tell what makes for a good cigar."
None of the actors had ever smoked cigars prior to making the film. Warren admits it wasn't always easy to smoke five cigars by noon on shooting days, but in time was surprised by what she learned. "I have a lot of respect for the craft of making a cigar," she says. "It's very elegant, very sexy. It's something I appreciate a lot more than I thought I did. It's an art form."
If the upside of independence from major studios for Blowing Smoke was creative control, the downside for Orr and Aboukhater is a lack of the classic distribution and promotional resources that typically make an independent film widely known. Instead, using film festivals as springboards, they'll need to individually entice various theater owners. In other words, they'll have to blow some smoke of their own.
But then again, Orr and Aboukhater are confident they've created something that's simultaneously an intimate look at cigars and a big-picture portrait of how, if you look closely enough, they stand for something far more significant. As Wayne Suarez, an executive with Fuente, says, "You can go into a room and if you're not familiar with a lot of people there, the cigar is a great tool for meeting and getting to know people. The cigar brings everybody together." And as Blowing Smoke shows, that's only half the story.
Oakland-based Joel Drucker's first book, Jimmy Connors Saved My Life, was published in the summer of 2004.


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U.S. farmers are being asked to give up more than $3 billion in farm program benefits over the next five years so other taxpayers can avoid paying the alternative minimum tax on some incomes above $100,000 a year.
The budget reconciliation legislation under consideration in Congress contains tax cuts of $70 billion between 2006 and 2010, but the alternative minimum tax reduction would account for more than a third of the total.
The House Agriculture Committee voted 24-20 on Oct. 28 to approve $3.7 billion in spending cuts in USDA's budget over the next five years. Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., boasted that the decrease was 23 percent higher than the $3 billion required in the House-Senate Budget Resolution passed last spring.
Food stamp cuts of $844 million account for most of the difference in the House Agriculture Committee's $3.7 billion reconciliation plan and the $3.14 billion in spending reductions passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee on Oct. 19. But farmers will still feel plenty of pain from cuts in either proposal.
Chairman Goodlatte said he was pleased his committee passed a balanced and fiscally responsible package. "It is unrealistic to think we can meet the pressing challenges facing our nation without reducing federal spending and redirecting priorities," he said.
Democrat members of the House and Senate Ag Committees complained that neither reconciliation package — $39 billion in the Senate and up to $50 billion in the House — will reduce the federal deficit because they also include the $70 billion in tax cuts.
Several blue-state senators added the phrase "for the wealthiest Americans," which drew a strong rebuke from Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, accusing the Democrats of engaging in "class warfare rhetoric."
Without the $70 billion, Grassley said Congress would be adding to the tax burdens of the "little people." Among the extensions and amounts he cited:
Increased limits on IRAs, $5.3 billion; college tuition deductions, $9.4 billion; state and local tax deductions, $2 billion; research and development tax credits, $7 billion; and deductions for classroom supplies teachers buy out of their own pockets, $200 million.
If Congress does not include his alternative minimum tax provision, Grassley said, 5 million more middle income taxpayers would have to pay $27 billion more in taxes next year.
The latter, enacted in 1969 for 155 wealthy individuals who had not paid any income tax the previous year, is hitting more Americans pushed into the AMT brackets by inflation. Grassley introduced legislation repealing the tax but has been unable to find a way to replace lost revenue. His latest proposal would prevent more Americans from having to pay the tax next year.
If you're one of those faced with higher taxes because of the alternative minimum tax or the failure to extend other tax provisions, you may support the ag spending cuts. If you're not worried about your tax bill because of drought or storm damage or higher fuel prices, you might want to contact your congressman.