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CNN's Piers Morgan played right into the hand of the Obama campaign's co-chair on Monday night, casting the fallout from Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) rape remarks as "Romney's worst nightmare."
"Yeah, I think you've hit the nail on the head," Morgan told Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) after she delivered her liberal spin tying Akin to Paul Ryan and the GOP. "Now it [the debate] has become Romney's worst nightmare. It's gone right back to the social conservative issues he was so desperate to move off on."
Instead of challenging Schakowsky's liberal spin bewailing some Republicans' opposition to contraception and abortion in all cases, Morgan credited her analysis and agreed that the whole situation was an albatross to Romney and the GOP.
"Well, I mean I think they're damned if they do, damned if they don't now," Morgan said of Republicans with regards to Akin's senate race in Missouri.
Akin was talking about abortion in cases of rape in Sunday in an interview when he said that pregnancies in cases of rape were "really rare." He added that "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," and that "let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something: I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child."
The Romney campaign distanced itself from Akin's comments and stated its support for abortion in cases of rape.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on August 20 on Piers Morgan Tonight at 9:01 p.m. EDT, is as follows:
PIERS MORGAN: What do you make of all this? So we had Mr. Akin. He was going to come in here and explain himself and point out why we had all failed to understand that it was quite straightforward -- jumbling of words. And then unfortunately he bailed on us. What do you think is going on here?
Rep. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D-Ill.): Well, the Republicans are just in a dither over what Todd Akin said. And of course it would be interesting to hear from him exactly what the science was about what women have our ways of determining whether we keep a pregnancy that's from rape or not, which is really very amazing. And he's on the Science Committee. So maybe there's some mysterious fact that we're unaware of.
And of course the 32,000 women who get pregnant from rape I'm sure, would be very interested to know whether or not that rape was really a legitimate rape, a real rape. It's just incredible. But the thing that's interesting to me, Piers, is that I haven't really heard Republicans criticize, essentially their position, along with Akin's position, when it comes to women's reproductive rights and health.
Paul Ryan and Todd Akin, like two peas in a pod, have endorsed the same legislation that would limit women's rights to access to contraception. That would make even rape and incest not reasons for having an abortion. That would say that forcible – it has to be forcible rape – I guess a woman has to have black eyes and black and blue marks in order to actually claim that she was forcibly raped.
So the – I think what's really going on is that the positions, the real positions of the Republican Party, have now been unveiled. And everybody's really uncomfortable on the Republican side of the aisle with that.
MORGAN: Yeah, I think you've hit the nail on the head. I think the big problem here for Mitt Romney is that he brought in Paul Ryan, I think, as an economic battering ram against the President. And it was all going quite well. And the debate was moving to the economy and how they would fix it together. And the polls were showing a certain spirited spike as a result of it. Now it's become Romney's worst nightmare. It's gone right back to the social conservative issues he was so desperate to move off on.
And the reason he's so desperate to move off is that on abortion, for example, he has carried out one of the great flip-flops in political history. I mean this was a guy who was completely pro-choice and is now completely pro-life. Paul Ryan was against any form of abortion for anybody, including anyone who had been raped, and now he himself has had to move to this sort of new position alongside Mitt Romney's new position. And if you're looking at this from the outside, you're saying, well, what do these guys really believe?
SCHAKOWSKY: Well, and we'll find out some more tomorrow, because the Republican Platform Committee is going to have a vote on whether or not the Human Life Amendment, which would ban most -- almost all abortions, I believe only maybe the life of the mother would be an exception. Mitt Romney said he supports it. Paul Ryan supports it. Let's see if that becomes part of the Republican platform. And so that that brings in to very clear focus what the Republican Party really is about. But I just want to say one thing about the economy. For women, the issue of access to contraception and abortion is very much an economic issue. Being able to space families, to decide when or if to have children is very, very much an economic issue for women, and determines our economic future. And so for women, they're really not all that separate issue – an issue.
MORGAN: No, I totally understand that. I mean it'll be very interesting to see how this plays out, not least because neither Mitt Romney nor Paul Ryan, at the moment has demanded that Akin stand down. Now they've got until 6 p.m. tomorrow -- this a clock that's ticking. And, you know, if they don't denounce him and don't call for him to go, and he stays, you could, A, see him lose any way because of the tidal wave of fury that's building around what he said.
And you know whatever he says about I was misunderstood or whatever, forget it. We all know you were trying to repeat some piece of junk science, which whatever it was was complete lunacy. And the idea that you are a congressman, who's in, what, his sixth term or -- you know, whatever it is, absolutely unbelievable. But regardless of that, if they do not demand that he go, where does that leave them on this? This will run the long run until the election.
SCHAKOWSKY: Well, I think either way, that they're in big trouble because it really has, as you said, focused the campaign on an issue that they don't really want to go to. They don't want to be talking about women's health. The President was absolutely right. It really underscores that politicians, who are mainly men, should really not be making decisions on behalf of women's health, and that's what's going on.
There's a huge gender gap already. For women under 50 the gender gap, that is, the women who choose Obama over Romney, is 31 percent. I mean, it is just huge. Women are getting the message. And unfortunately for them, getting rid of Todd Akin I don't think is going to get rid of their problem.
MORGAN: Well, I mean I think they're damned if they do, damned if they don't now because either they get rid of him and he pulls out and it's a huge embarrassment and they probably then lose that seat, or they keep him and he becomes this huge talisman of fury about, you know, right-wing conservative social values, and I just think it's a huge problem for them.


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Larry King has filed for divorce, according to court papers filed in LA County Superior Court and obtained byAccess Hollywood on Wednesday.
The broadcaster is calling it quits with Shawn Southwick – his seventh wife, and his eighth divorce overall. (He was twice married to Alene Aknis during the '60s and '70s.)
Larry, 76, and Shawn, 50, wed in 1997 and have two children, which a rep for Larry told Access are the star's main priority.
"His major concern is the welfare of his children," the rep said. "Beyond that he is not commenting about the divorce."
Shawn did not immediately return calls for comment from Access.
However, she also filed divorce papers on Wednesday.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Romanian melodrama 'Child's Pose' wins Golden Bear
The 63rd Berlin film festival wrapped up Sunday after awarding its Golden Bear top prize to the Romanian melodrama "Child's Pose" in a banner year for cinema from post-communist Eastern Europe.
Director Calin Peter Netzer, a member of Romania's renowned new wave in film-making, told the story of a wealthy and controlling mother who fights to get her son acquitted after he kills a poor teenager with his car.
"I want to thank the jury for this amazing prize, this wonderful prize," Netzer, 37, told the panel led by Chinese director Wong Kar Wai, adding later at a press conference that he was "shellshocked" by the honour.
The Berlinale, the first major European film festival of the year and typically its most politically minded, handed two prizes to the Bosnian docu-drama "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker".
Nazif Mujic, the real-life protagonist of the picture about a Roma couple denied life-saving medical treatment, was the surprise winner of the Silver Bear best actor prize.
The ultra-low-budget film also took the runner-up jury prize.
Its director Danis Tanovic, who won an Oscar for his 2001 wartime black comedy "No Man's Land", said his anger after reading news reports about the couple led him to seek them out.
"I'm so happy for Nazif and his family because the whole point of this film was to try and change their lives and I hope it changes their lives," he told reporters.
Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel hailed "worthy" winners in what it described as a disappointing competition.
The Golden Bear for Netzer "reflects not only the relatively strong showing of eastern European directors this year but also the political nature of the festival", which got its start during the Cold War, it said.
"17,000 euros and amateur actors are enough to beat the arthouse productions with budgets in the millions at a major film festival when a moving story is told well and beautifully," the website of Der Spiegel news weekly said, referring to the meagre budget of the Bosnian film.
"That is the message this Berlinale jury is sending to all the film-makers from eastern Europe, a region often ignored by Cannes and Venice, whose citizens are struggling with the social upheaval of post-communism."
David Gordon Green picked up the Silver Bear best director award for his quirky US buddy picture "Prince Avalanche", a remake of the 2011 Icelandic film "Either Way".
The movie, the only comedy among the 19 contenders at the festival, stars Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch as highway maintenance workers in Texas at crossroads in their lives.
Best actress went to Chile's Paulina Garcia for "Gloria", a feel-good movie about a middle-aged divorcee who refuses to give up on a shot at happiness.
Best screenplay went to "Closed Curtain" by Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi and his longtime collaborator Kambuzia Partovi, a film made in secret in defiance of a ban by Tehran authorities.
"It is impossible to stop a thinker and a poet. Their thoughts bear fruit everywhere," Partovi said, accepting the award because Panahi was not granted permission to travel.
"Child's Pose" figured in a particularly strong year for films exposing new fissures and rampant corruption in the former communist bloc.
Lead actress Luminita Gheorghiu, best known for the 2005 dark comedy "The Death of Mr Lazarescu", dazzled movie-goers as a manipulative mother who sees the fatal accident as a chance to reconnect with her estranged son.
In spite of triumphs like the 2007 Cannes Palme d'Or for Cristian Mungiu's chilling drama "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days", "Child's Pose" producer Ada Solomon said Romanian cinema needed the boost the Golden Bear would offer.
"I think that Romanian politicians should pay much more attention to the ambassador that our cinema is around the world," she said, slamming subsidy cuts.
"I want to thank those people who didn't help us and didn't support us and that made us more determined."


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How to Get Started
If you care about your neighborhood and want to get involved, consider talking with your neighbors to see if a few people are interested in learning more about Neighborhood Watch. A group can be a few homes, the entire block, or an apartment complex. Contact the Police Department to schedule an informational meeting so your neighbors can learn more about the program.
What Happens Next?
Each group designates a Block Captain who serves as the liaison with the Police Department. The members can set neighborhood goals. Some examples might include:


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Attacks are the various moves Pokemon know and learn as they level up. Every Pokemon has at least one move they know from the moment they're born. From there, they can learn up to four moves at one time. If you wish to learn a new move, you'll have to replace one of the four moves.
Attacks can be learned through leveling up, using TMs or HMs, Breeding, or using Move Tutors. Certain attacks can be used outside of battles, most of them being HMs.
For a list of all attacks and moves in Pokemon, see the Move Dex.
Three Different Move Types[edit]
All Pokemon Attacks are separated into three categories: Physical, Special, and Status. In the older days, Attacks were always Physical or Special depending on the Type they used. These days, attacks can be either Physical or Special with an Element attached to it.
All Physical attacks use the Attack stat to deal damage, while the Defense stat is used to resist that damage. Just the same, all Special attacks use the Special Attack stat to deal damage, while the Special Defense stat is used to resist that damage. There may be select moves that criss cross.
Status attacks are moves that change Stats or inflict Status Effects on other Pokemon. Elements may not play a role when using these types of Attacks. Sand-Attack (a Ground move) can hit a Flying Pokemon, but Thunder Wave (an Electric move) cannot hit a Ground Pokemon.
Unique Attacks[edit]
There are very few unique attacks where Types follow the rules of Immunity (Ground can't hit Flying); however, the Type will not cause any more or less damage than usual (Super Effect / Not Very Effective). Examples are Dragon Rage, Night Shade, and Seismic Toss. Dragon Rage will always take away 40 HP, no matter what. Night Shade and Seismic Toss will take away HP that is equal to the level of the Pokemon using it.
Type Advantage[edit]
Pokemon Types - or Elements - are usually the most obvious choice when choosing Attacks in battle. Elements can easily increase or decrease the power of an attack while in battle. Certain types are stronger, weaker, or even completely immune to other types. Make note, Types should not be the only thing you look at when choosing attacks. Remember to look at a Pokemon's Stats when choosing the right move. For more information on Types, check out the Types page.
Another semi-known fact is STAB, short for Same Type Attack Boost. When a Pokemon of a certain Type uses an attack of the same Type, it will increase the damage of the attack by 50%. For example, if an Electric Pokemon uses an Electric Attack, that move will now be boosted because it has a "Same Type Attack Boost."
Attack Conditions[edit]
Certain attacks may have certain common conditions to them. See more at the following pages:
Was this guide helpful?


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text: Maurice Nicoll, born at the Manse in Kelso, Scotland was the son of William Robertson Nicoll, a preacher of the Free Church of Scotland. He studied Science at Cambridge, before going on to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich where he became a colleague of Carl Gustav Jung. Jung's psychological relevations and his work with Jung during this period left a lasting influence… (more)


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With the MySchoolAnywhere app your parent group is now in your pocket (or purse :). Search the directory, checkout volunteering opportunities and make your donations all in the palm of your hand.
Note: The app is only available to registered users. If you don't have an account, check with your school for details on how to register.


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Mexican gang leader gets life term for U.S. consulate killings
A federal judge in Texas on Thursday sentenced a Mexican gang leader to life in prison for ordering the 2010 murders of three people linked to the U.S. consulate in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.
The sentencing came two months after a jury convicted Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, 35, of ordering hit men from the Barrio Azteca street gang to carry out the killings.
The slayings deeply angered the U.S. government and led to steadily increased counter-narcotics assistance to Mexico that continues to this day.
In one of the slayings, Barrio Azteca gunmen laid siege to a white Toyota SUV, killing Lesley A. Enriquez, who worked at the consulate, and her husband, Arthur Redelfs, an employee of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office in Texas. Both were U.S. citizens. The couple's infant daughter was unharmed in the back seat. Enriquez was pregnant with a second child at the time of the shooting.
The family had just left the consulate compound on March 13, 2010, after attending a child's birthday party when they were ambushed.
The third victim, Jorge Alberto Salcido, the husband of another consulate employee, had attended the same birthday party shortly before he was killed when gang members opened fired on his white Honda SUV. The couple's two children, who were in the back seat, were wounded. Salcido was a Mexican citizen.
The motive for the killings was not clarified during Gallegos' trial. An FBI agent testified that Gallegos had told him that the victims "were not intended targets." A former Barrio Azteca gang member testified that he overheard radio chatter by gang leaders saying the slayings were "a mistake."
In addition to conspiracy to commit murder and murder in a foreign country, Gallegos, a stocky native of the city of Chihuahua, was found guilty of several other crimes, including narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The February trial featured testimony that Gallegos had trained teams of hit men who gripped Ciudad Juarez in bloody savagery as part of a turf battle between the Juarez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, which was then trying to take control of the area's smuggling routes.
From 2008 to 2010, hit teams that Gallegos directly supervised "killed up to 800 persons," a Justice Department statement said.
"His gang of killers terrorized and victimized men and women on both sides of the border," acting Assistant Attorney General David A. O'Neil said in a statement.
Barrio Azteca, a street and prison gang that emerged in the late 1980s, operates on both sides of the border. More than half a decade ago, it allied with a Ciudad Juarez gang known as La Linea, and both groups served as enforcers for the Juarez Cartel, which is also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes trafficking group, trial testimony revealed.
By the turn of the decade, Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, had become known as "Murder City," tallying an average of 10 executions per day. By mid-2012, the drug war there had taken 10,000 lives, making it the city with the highest rate of homicides in the world.
In the past 18 months or so, however, violence has fallen as the Sinaloa Cartel appears to have secured control of the region.
In addition to handing Gallegos a life prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso ordered him to pay restitution of more than $998,000 to his victims.
Michele Leonhart, the chief of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said in a statement that punishing killers of U.S. citizens is a high priority for Washington.
The conviction and life sentence of Gallegos "is a clear sign that the DEA, along with our law enforcement partners, will not tolerate those who attack Americans abroad and is committed to upholding the rule of law, protecting our citizens and bringing to justice the world's worst criminals," she said.
Email: email@example.com; Twitter: @timjohnson4


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Please note: IPS Right Web neither represents nor endorses any of the individuals or groups profiled on this site.
Founded in 1998 "to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East," MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) claims to be an "independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit" organization. However, while the group is lauded by some observers for revealing various facets of Arab society to broader audiences, its trajectory and direction have been largely dominated by hawkish "pro-Israel" politics, and its work has been repeatedly criticized for being biased and at times purposely misleading.
Among MEMRI's key activities are publishing translations and analyses of news sources from throughout the Greater Middle East. It claims to maintain "the largest archive in the world of translated Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, and Urdu research material." As of 2011, MEMRI provided translations of Middle Eastern sources in Hebrew, English, Chinese, German, Japanese, Spanish, Polish, French, Italian, and Russian.[1] MEMRI maintains offices in various cities, including Washington, D.C., Jerusalem, Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin, and London.
According to its website, MEMRI's core projects as of October 2011 included: "Democratization in the Arab and Muslim World"; "The Tom Lantos Archives on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial"; "The Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor"; "Global Jihad News"; "Palestinian Media Studies Project"; "South Asia Studies Project"; "9/11 Documentation Project"; "Economic Studies Project"; and the "Cartoon Initiative," which presents translations of cartoons from Arab media, including "reform cartoons," "anti-American cartoons," and "conspiracy cartoons." One representative publication on MEMRI's website from the 9/11 Documentation Project is a collection of translations of cartoons "from Arab media on the 9/11 attacks, beginning from the days immediately after it." Titled "Cartoons on 9/11," the publication includes many conspiracy-minded cartoons alleging that the attacks were an "inside job" as well as several that suggest the attacks were a result of U.S. actions abroad.
MEMRI was founded by Meyrav Wurmser and Yigal Carmon, both of whom have ideological affinities with Israel's conservative Likud Party. Wurmser, the spouse of former Dick Cheney adviser David Wurmser, left her position as executive director in 2002 to join the Hudson Institute. As of 2011, Carmon, who is a former colonel in the Israeli military intelligence, remains MEMRI's president. Steven Stalinksy, a former assistant to the Clinton/Gore campaign who has contributed to numerous neoconservative publications (including the Weekly Standard and the in-house journal of the Middle East Forum), has served as MEMRI's executive director since Wurmser stepped down.[2]
MEMRI's directors and advisory boards are top-heavy with neoconservatives and other supporters of hawkish U.S. and Israeli policies. Current and former board members include Elliott Abrams, Steve Emerson, Bernard Lewis, Elie Wiesel, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, Jose Maria Aznar, Donald Rumsfeld, James Woolsey, John Bolton, John Ashcroft, Ehud Barak, Mort Zuckerman, Michael Mukasey, Norman Podhoretz, William Bennett, Christopher DeMuth (former president of the American Enterprise Institute), Paul Bremer, Herb London (president of the Hudson Institute), Natan Sharanksy, James Q. Wilson, Alan Dershowitz, Richard Holbrooke, Jack Kemp, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and Irving Kristol. (As of October 2011, information about MEMRI staff and directors was available online. However, previously, the organization was criticized for not providing access to this information online and for attempting to disguise its political ties.[3])
According to tax records, in 2001 MEMRI had an operating budget of just under $2 million. By 2009, operating expenses reached just over $5 million, decreasing to $4.5 million in 2010. Aside from salaries, MEMRI's largest operating expense during 2010 was for translation services, for which it paid $1.3 million to its long-standing Jerusalem-based contractor Yesodot Shalom (Foundations for Peace). Additionally, it spent nearly $1 million for the MEMRI TV Project, which monitors Middle East TV broadcasts, and more than $300,000 to maintain its website.[4]
According to a non-exhaustive review of Form 990 tax documents filed by U.S. philanthropic organizations, Right Web estimates that some 45 U.S.-based charitable foundations provided more than $8 million to MEMRI during the period 1999-2009. By far, MEMRI's largest donor among this group has been the Newton D. & Rochelle F. Becker Foundation, which gave nearly $2.5 million during 2004-2009. Other donors have included the Daniel Pipes-led Middle East Forum ($100,000), the Irving I. Moskowitz Foundation ($110,000), the Bradley Foundation ($160,000), the Adelson Family Foundation ($250,000), the Russel Berrie Foundation ($250,000), the Koret Foundation ($375,000), and the Donors Capital Fund ($550,000). (For a complete list of results of Right Web's investigation, see the attached document "MEMRI 501(c)3 Financing, 1999-2009.")
Additionally, in August 2011, the U.S. State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor announced that it was awarding a $200,000 grant to MEMRI "to conduct a project that documents anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and Holocaust glorification in the Middle East. This grant will enable MEMRI to expand its efforts to monitor the media, translate materials into ten languages, analyze trends in anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial and glorification, and increase distribution of materials through its website and other outlets."
Responding to the announcement, one observer quipped: "Finding examples of anti-Semitism is already a robust MEMRI project and one wonders why exactly they needed the cash. … What's more troubling, MEMRI has faced accusations of mistranslating items and cherry-picking incendiary sources to portray regional media and attitudes in an overly-negative fashion. One of the most common issues has been with MEMRI's mistranslations, which appear to show anti-Semitism on thin evidence. In 2007, CNN correspondent Atika Shubert checked MEMRI's translations of a Palestinian children's program against those provided by the cable news channel's own interpreters: 'Media watchdog MEMRI translates one caller as saying—quote—"We will annihilate the Jews." But, according to several Arabic speakers used by CNN, the caller actually says "The Jews are killing us." MEMRI told us it stood by its translation.'"[5]
During a presentation at the Secular Islam Summit in St. Petersburg, Florida in March 2007, Wafa Sultan, a Syrian-born apostate Muslim living in the United States who has a reputation for demonizing Islam, said: "I don't believe there is any difference between radical Islam and regular Islam." At the summit, Sultan received an award in recognition of her outspoken criticism of some Muslim practices, which first gained her global fame in early 2006 when she debated Ibrahim Al-Khouli on Al Jazeera's weekly discussion program The Opposite Direction. MEMRI quickly translated the interview, which has had millions of views on YouTube and was reported on by Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal. During the debate, Sultan said: "Only Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down their churches." Al-Khouli responded to Sultan's criticisms by calling her a "heretic."[6]
The Wafa Sultan translation is an example of the role MEMRI has played in publicizing critical views of Islam. Indeed, in a widely noted 2011 report on the so-called "Islamophobia network"—a patchwork of prominent U.S. foundations, opinion makers, and media personalities who spread negative impressions about Islam and Muslims in the United States—the Center for American Progress (CAP) called MEMRI "the Islamophobia network's go-to place for selective translations of Islamist rhetoric abroad." The report notes the organization has received praise from prominent U.S. neoconservatives and Islamophobes like Frank Gaffney, Daniel Pipes, and Robert Spencer, and has received funding from several foundations identified in the report, notably the Bradley foundations, the Russell Berrie Foundation, the Donors Capital Fund, the Becker Foundation, the William Rosenwald Family Fund, and the Fairbook Foundation.
After the 9/11 attacks and the onset of the "war on terror," MEMRI gained public prominence as a source of news and analysis about the Muslim world. Its translations and reports are distributed without charge, according to MEMRI, to "congresspersons, congressional staff, policy makers, journalists, academics, and interested parties." Articles translated by MEMRI, as well as commentary by its own staff, are routinely cited in national media outlets in the United States, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. Analyses by MEMRI staff and officers are frequently published by right-wing and neoconservative media outlets such as the National Review, Fox News, Commentary, and the Weekly Standard. Both critics and supporters of MEMRI note its increasing influence in shaping perceptions of the Middle East.
Some observers credit the group with effectively demonstrating the various forces that exist within Arab society. For instance, a Right Web reader once argued in a letter to the project that MEMRI has "opened my eyes to the conflict within Islam regarding modernity vs. tradition; the reformists' calls for democracy in all the Middle East states; the calls for women to be educated, protected from spousal abuse, and [to] obtain equality before the law; the incisive self-criticism regarding the decline of Arab culture and importance; as well as the ugly anti-Semitic news (of which there is no Western counterpart) and the violence of sharia law."[7]
As the 2011 CAP study discussed above demonstrates, however, many observers see a darker side to MEMRI's work, arguing that the organization "cherry picks" the items it translates in an effort to bolster hardline Israeli policies as well as the militarist advocacy campaigns of neoconservatives and other right-wing backers of Israel. A case in point came in mid-June 2006, when discussions over the fate of Iran's nuclear program were reaching a fever pitch in Washington. MEMRI held an event on Capitol Hill titled "Must See Iran TV II." The event, cosponsored by then-Sens. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Evan Bayh (D-IN), was aimed at spurring fear in Congress of Iran's posture toward the United States and its allies in the Middle East. The MEMRI presentation included translated clips from Iranian television that highlighted "themes associated with Iran's nuclear aspirations, its acquisition of offensive weapons, anti-Americanism, and statements by leading Iranian government officials, including President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad," according to an article in the New York Sun written by MEMRI Executive Director Steven Stalinsky.[8]
In a 2006 op-ed for the Rocky Mountain News, Rima Barakat, a Denver-based Muslim activist, accused MEMRI of producing "unbalanced propaganda [that is] littered with inflammatory articles aimed to incite hate and bigotry toward any person whom MEMRI considers anti-Israeli or anti-Zionist". MEMRI's bias, claimed Barakat, is also apparent in its translations. In once instance, wrote Barakat, "Halim Barakat (no relation), a professor at Georgetown University, published an article in Al-Hayat Daily of London titled 'The Wild Beast that Zionism Created: Self-Destruction.' By the time MEMRI 'translated' it, the title had been distorted to 'Jews Have Lost Their Humanity.' Barakat objected, 'Every time I wrote Zionism, MEMRI replaced the word [with] Jew or Judaism. They want to give the impression that I'm not criticizing Israeli policy, but that what I'm saying is anti-Semitic.'"[9]
Another critic, former CIA counterintelligence official Vincent Cannistraro, has argued that "they [MEMRI] are selective and act as propagandists for their political point of view, which is the extreme-right of Likud. … They simply don't present the whole picture."[10]
Several observers have argued that MEMRI's political bias affects the accuracy of its translations. The Guardian's Brian Whitaker took MEMRI's president to task for mistranslating a question that included an implied criticism of Israel. The question was, "How do you deal with the Jews who are besieging Al Aqsa and are scattered around it?" But MEMRI translated this as: "How do you feel about the Jews?"[11]
In another case, MEMRI reinterpreted and circulated a 2004 speech by Osama bin Laden in which, according to MEMRI, he threatened to attack individual U.S. states if they voted for George W. Bush. At the end of the speech, bin Laden says, "In conclusion, I tell you in truth, that your security is not in the hands of Kerry, nor Bush, nor al-Qaida. No. Your security is in your own hands. And every state [wilayah] that doesn't play with our security has automatically guaranteed its own security." MEMRI argued that bin Laden's use of the word wilayah signified U.S. states, like New Jersey or New Hampshire. But Juan Cole, a University of Michigan professor, Arabic speaker, and noted blogger, had a different interpretation: "Bin Laden says that such a 'state' should not trifle with Muslims' security. He cannot possibly mean that he thinks Rhode Island is in a position to do so. Nor can he be referring to which way a state votes, since he begins by saying that the security of Americans is not in the hands of Bush or Kerry. He has already dismissed them as equivalent and irrelevant, in and of themselves." After observing that MEMRI is closely aligned with the policies of Israel's Likud Party and opining that it "cleverly cherry-picks the vast Arabic press," Cole added: "I am not suggesting that the MEMRI report was an attempt on behalf of the Likud Party to intervene in the U.S. election. I suspect they just didn't think through the issue and depended on a surface reference to modern standard Arabic."[12]
A few weeks after Cole posted his article about the bin Laden translation, MEMRI's Yigal Carmon wrote a letter to Cole threatening to sue him if he didn't "retract the false statements" Cole had allegedly made in his piece. "If you will not do so," wrote Carmon, "we will be forced to pursue legal action against you personally and against the University of Michigan, which the article identifies you as an employee of. We hope this will not be necessary." Carmon took issue with Cole's assertion that MEMRI received $60 million a year and with what he interpreted as Cole's suggestions that MEMRI was affiliated with the Likud Party and presented a biased picture of the Middle East.[13]
Cole responded publicly, urging Carmon to reveal MEMRI's budget and its funders: "I think [Carmon] would find that in democratic countries, in any case, a dispute over an organization's level of funding would be laughed out of court as a basis for a libel action. In fact, I am giggling as I write this." Regarding Carmon's charge that he unfairly accused the group of cherry-picking the news, he wrote: "On more than one occasion I have seen, say, a bigoted Arabic article translated by MEMRI and when I went to the source on the web, found that it was on the same op-ed page with other, moderate articles arguing for tolerance. These latter were not translated." As for Carmon's last complaint, Cole said: "I did not allege that MEMRI or Col. Carmon are 'affiliated' with the Likud Party. What I said was that MEMRI functions as a PR campaign for Likud Party goals. Col. Carmon and Meyrav Wurmser, who run MEMRI, were both die-hard opponents of the Oslo peace process, and so ipso facto were identified with the Likud rejectionists on that central issue."[14]
About MEMRI's Founders
Yigal Carmon served in the IDF Intelligence Branch from 1968 to 1988. In that capacity, the Romanian-born Carmon, served as acting head of the civil administration in the West Bank from 1977 to 1982. He served as counterterrorism adviser to premiers Shamir and Menachem Begin (the latter a founder of the Likud Party) from 1988 to 1993. In 1991 and 1992, Carmon was a senior member of the Israeli delegation to peace negotiations with Syria in Madrid and Washington.
Meyrav Wurmser, an Israeli-born analyst of Mideast affairs, received her doctorate from George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she wrote on Vladimir Jabotinsky, the notorious leader of the Revisionist Zionist Movement whose followers have included Dalck Feith, a Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist whose son, Douglas Feith, was a controversial adviser under Paul Wolfowitz in the Donald Rumsfeld Pentagon.[15] Wurmser, who has taught at Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Naval Academy, has played a role in several neoconservative and Likud-aligned policy initiatives. For example, she was participant in the study group that led to the publication of the 1996 report, "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm," which was published by the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies, a Jerusalem- and DC-based think tank. The report, which urged Israel to break off then-ongoing peace initiatives, contained six pages of recommendations for Likud Party leader and then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to work closely with Turkey and Jordan to contain, destabilize, and roll back" regional threats, help overthrow Saddam Hussein, and to strike "Syrian military targets in Lebanon" and possibly in Syria. Other study participants included Richard Perle, David Wurmser, and Douglas Feith.
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[1] MEMRI website, http://www.memri.org/content/en/main.htm.
[2] MEMRI, "About," http://www.memri.org/content/en/about.htm.
[3] Arab Media Watch, "Media Myths: The Middle East Media Research Institute Is Objective and Independent," Arab Media Watch, August 19, 2006, web.archive.org/web/20050326085210/http://www.arabmediawatch.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=436.
[4] MEMRI Form 990s are available at guidestar.com.
[5] Ali Gharib, "State Department Grants $200K To Discredited Neocon-Aligned Middle East Media Watchdog," ThinkProgress, August 12, 2011, http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/08/12/294357/state-department-memri-neocon/.
[6] Bret Stephens, "Down with 'Moderate' Islam," Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2007.
[7] Right Web News, January 5, 2007, http://web.archive.org/web/20070109193145/https://rightweb.irc-online.org/rwnews/3873.
[8] Steven Stalinsky, "Must See Iran TV II: The MEMRI Report," New York Sun, June 14, 2006.
[9] Rima Barakat, "MEMRI's Systematic Distortions," Rocky Mountain News, March 27, 2006.
[10] Marc Perelman, "No Longer Obscure, MEMRI Translates the Arab World: But Detractors Say a Right-Wing Agenda Distorts Think-Tank's Service to Journalists," Forward, December 7, 2001.
[11] Brian Whitaker, "Selective MEMRI," Guardian, August 12, 2002.
[12] Juan Cole, "Bin Laden's Audio: Threat to States?" JuanCole.com, November 2, 2004, www.juancole.com/2004/11/bin-ladens-audio-threat-to-states.html.
[13] Juan Cole, "Intimidation by Israeli-Linked Organization Aimed at U.S. Academic; MEMRI Tries a SLAPP," JuanCole.com, November 23, 2004, www.juancole.com/2004/11/intimidation-by-israeli-linked.html.
[14] Juan Cole, "Intimidation by Israeli-Linked Organization Aimed at U.S. Academic; MEMRI Tries a SLAPP," JuanCole.com, November 23, 2004, www.juancole.com/2004/11/intimidation-by-israeli-linked.html.
[15] Jim Lobe, "All in the Neocon Family," Alternet, March 27, 2003, http://www.alternet.org/world/15481/.


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WORCESTER � The Federal Aviation Administration is spending $486,000 to remove trees and other vegetation next to the runway at Worcester Regional Airport.
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns and operates the airport, shared the cost by spending $414,000 on the most recent phase of a five-year vegetation management plan.
Last year, the FAA spent $400,000 and Massport $334,000 on removing vegetation at the Worcester airport.
Worcester's airport has no commercial service, but JetBlue Airways Corp. is scheduled to start flying in November to the Florida cities Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
"With the upcoming resumption of commercial service at the airport in November, it is vital that we continue to improve the infrastructure at the facility," U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, said in a news release.
Massport's vegetation management plan was approved by the conservation commissions in Worcester and Leicester.


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Earlier this year, Business Insider's Megan Dickey broke the news that Google is working on a smartwatch to rival Apple's coming "iWatch."
Now, GigaOm is reporting that, last year, Google bought a startup that makes smartwatches. The company was called WIMM labs. WIMM Labs engineers are currently working in Google's Android division.
Back when it was an independent company, WIMM made a watch that looked like this:
Robert Scoble did an interview with WIMM last year.
You can watch:
Besides Google and Apple, lots of big tech companies are betting consumers will want to wear these kinds of watches. Samsung is revealing its effort next week. There have been rumors about a Microsoft watch.
Meanwhile, the best known smartwatch startup is probably Pebble. Dylan Love reviewed the Pebble watch, here >
See Also:Doctors At Ohio State University Were The First To Transmit A Surgery Live Using Google GlassGoogle+ Is Regaining Momentum, Proving Its Many Skeptics WrongThe Next $1 Trillion In Mobile Will Come From A Wave Of Apps And Streaming Services


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July Sale – Free Aurifil Thread & Precuts Package
We offer free shipping in Canada to a maximum of $10.00 when you spend $100.00 and for our USA and International customers we will pay up to $6.99 towards your shipping costs. $100.00 excludes tax & ship costs. Free Gifts of Aurifil Thread – Regular price $10.99 & Precuts Package – Regular priced $9.99 – $11.99.
Fat Quarters Free with Purchase – See our June Sale for Details
Quilting Precut Cutting Service – Sale All Summer Long
Purchase fabric from our beautiful selection and have it cut into precut shapes so all you will have to do is sew! No more sore wrists, backs, costly cutting mistakes or scraps laying in baskets! We will cut your fabric from $1.99 per 1/4 yard to $6.99 per yard. We are having a sale on cutting 3.5″ & 4.5″ Squares & Hst's as well as our 6″ Tumbler Blocks all summer long.
Check out all our Summer Sales by just clicking on the picture to get to our website.
We sell our fabric by the inch starting at 9″ = quarter yard – so you only need to purchase what you need.
Sale – Free Aurifil Thread with purchase
Quarter Square Triangles – Precut and Ready to Sew
Congratulations to our Free Draw Winner!
Julie McCluney of California has won 72 – 3.5″ Unfinished Qst Blocks in her choice of Fabrics. Julie has chosen Change of Heart – Moody Blues 4620-85 and she paired it with Vintage Rosie 2819-81. These two fabrics will look amazing together! The value of her gift is $17.99.
Thank You To Everyone Who Entered Our Free Draw Advertised During the Coupon for the Week At Quilting Gallery!
Our customers choose the fabrics for their Precut Shapes from our selection of Beautiful Fabrics! Choose from many different shapes and sizes. Our prices are very reasonable for Premium Fabrics and we charge only $6.99 per yard for the cutting fees.
Check out our Shop by Clicking on the Pictures!
Winding Ways Tutorial
Cheryl has invited me to post a little tutorial on how to create a Winding Ways block using precut shapes. These precut blocks are available from the shop and they really do make it very easy to create a gorgeous quilt.
This is my first tutorial so wish me luck! I took the photos of the first block I made and I used pins. For the rest of the blocks I used the Fons and Porter glue stick and I had good results with both techniques. When I sewed with the pins it forced me to sew more slowly and, therefore, it was easier to sew more accurately but it was more time-consuming to do all of the pinning. Using the glue stick was quick and easy and it took less time for me to sew the blocks together. Whichever process you use, please be careful to keep the 1/4″ seam allowance as accurate as possible.
Once I laid out the pieces, the first thing I noticed was that it was very easy to align the block components together because of the notches that are strategically placed on the pieces. This was very helpful in getting the pieces together with the proper alignment – it definitely made the job a lot easier and quicker. Another important advantage of using the precut pieces was that they were accurately cut and that made it a breeze to put the block together. So let's go!
Starting with one corner, lay one outer and one inner triangular piece together and either pin or glue starting with the notched area to ensure proper alignment. Next align the outer edges and secure in place.
Once the pieces are together all you have to do is sew them along the curve. Just go slow until you feel comfortable with the process of sewing along the curved edge. When sewing the glued pieces together, I did find that it was easier to sew them with the curved edges facing up rather than trying to flatten it down.
When it came to pressing, I mostly pressed toward the darker fabric but sometimes I just went with the way the pieces wanted to go.
Once the corners of the block were made, I added one of the narrow center strips to each of two corners and that left two narrow strips remaining that will become the center strip.
The next step was to add a second corner unit to the freshly added center strip. Follow the same steps for the other half of the block. See how easy it really is! You should now have two sections ready to sew together as well as two center strips. Just make sure that both sides of the block are pressed in the same direction, it will make it a lot easier to add the next component to the block.
Take the last two center strips and sew them together end to end and press in the opposite direction of the other 2 sides of the block. This will allow you to butt the seam allowances together and will make it easier for you to join the components together accurately.
Align the long joined center strip to one side of the block by nesting the two seams together and either pin or glue the segment into position. Sew it into place.
Once sewn, check to make sure the seams align properly and if all is good then pin and sew the second side making sure to nest the center seam again.
The next step is the most important one of all – make sure you take a few minutes to admire the beautiful block that you have created.
After I got a few blocks made I joined them together and if the seams didn't match the way I wanted them to then I just adjusted when I could.
These blocks were a lot of fun to put together and they really were not that difficult to make either and they make such a gorgeous quilt. I definitely have a Winding Ways quilt on my list to make!
Thank you Ellen. Great Job. Well Done!
Cheryl at Quilting and Applique Shop


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Printed short sleeve T-shirt
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T-shirt with print
Puff sleeve cropped sweater
Short sleeve leopard print T-shirt
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Billie Eilish x Bershka reflective T-shirt
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T-shirt with rhinestone-embellished print
The Lion King T-shirt
Maleficent T-shirt
T-shirt with front knot
Round neck T-shirt
Disney T-shirt
Bodysuit with gem buttons
T-shirt with back knot
Long short sleeve T-shirt
High neck T-shirt
T-shirt with rhinestones
Friends T-shirt
Mickey Mouse T-shirt
Donald Duck T-shirt
V-neck T-shirt
Mickey & Minnie T-shirt
Hello Kitty T-shirt
T-shirt with ruffled hem
T-shirt with raglan sleeves
Pokémon short sleeve T-shirt
Mrs & Mr Monster T-shirt
Sesame Street T-shirt
Cropped short sleeve T-shirt
Megadeth T-shirt
Boxy T-shirt
Oversized short sleeve T-shirt
Bershka logo T-shirt
Slogan print T-shirt
Sex Pistols T-shirt
Cropped Tekken T-shirt
Dumbo T-shirt
Rolling Stones T-shirt
Embroidered T-shirt
Queens of the Stone Age T-shirt
Beauty and the Beast T-shirt
Timon and Pumbaa T-shirt
Aladdin T-shirt
Oversized Snoopy T-shirt
Printed T-shirt with front knot
Metallica sleeveless sweatshirt
KISS print bodysuit
Top with straps and low neckline
Cropped halterneck top
Curly T-shirt
Nautical print T-shirt
Oversized T-shirt with Betty Boop print
Betty Boop print T-shirt
T-shirt with slogan and rose print
Shark print T-shirt
Disney print T-shirt
Snoopy print T-shirt
Lion King print T-shirt
Aladdin print T-shirt
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Book Clubs & Writers' Groups
Scarborough Seniors Write!
Thu Oct 24, 2019 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location: Kennedy/Eglinton
Are you a creative writer looking to meet other writers? Maybe you write stories, poems, fan fiction, songs or plays? Come share your work with other seniors and get feedback to make your writing stronger. Not sure what to w...
Tea and Books
Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location: Agincourt
Join us for an entertaining and relaxing afternoon, with tea, snacks, and a librarian who will introduce you to compelling and exciting library materials! Drop in. No registration required.
Write On! With the Toronto Writers Collective
Fri Oct 25, 2019 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: Parliament Street
Are you working on a memoir, poem, or short story and looking to develop your craft? Join Write On! A free writing workshop, open to all writers. You will have the opportunity to hone your writing skills in a suppo...
Weston Low-Vision Friendly Book Club
Sat Oct 26, 2019 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Location: Weston
Join in a monthly discussion on selected books at Weston's low-vision friendly book club! Book selections are also available in Audiobook or Large Print format. Meets the last Saturday of each month, unless otherwise specifie...
High Park Writing Group
Sat Oct 26, 2019 9:30 am - 11:00 am
Location: High Park
Find inspiration and share your work in an informal, supportive environment. Writer's of all genres, published or unpublished are welcome! Bring a piece of writing to share. Drop in. No registration required.
Mimico Adult Book Club
Tue Oct 29, 2019 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Mimico Centennial
The book club offers an informal book discussion, with lively and stimulating conversation.
The Joy of Writing
Tue Oct 29, 2019 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Queen/Saulter
The Joy of Writing is a weekly writers' workshop and gathering where we read, write, laugh and inspire each other. Call Lucile at 437-774-8831 for more information.
Adult Book Club (FULL)
Tue Oct 29, 2019 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Location: Fairview
Participate in lively discussions about fiction and non fiction titles with other book lovers. Registration required. Call 416-395-5750 for more information.
Book Club
Tue Oct 29, 2019 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location: Palmerston
Join us each month on a Tuesday afternoon for a book discussion in a friendly and welcoming environment. No registration required. All are welcome. October 29th - All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews...
Long Branch Adult Book Club
Tue Oct 29, 2019 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Long Branch
join us


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The latest victim could be Mike MacDougal, whose control problems continued Saturday in the midst of a collective meltdown in a 9-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
"Well, I think the bullpen is lucky we're in Toronto," manager Ozzie Guillen said after MacDougal walked Frank Thomas with two outs in the seventh inning and David Aardsma gave up five runs in the eighth. "If we were in Chicago, people would be [sent] out."
Guillen planned to talk about roster moves with general manager Ken Williams and assistant GM Rick Hahn. MacDougal has issued 17 walks in 17 2/3 innings. His walk to Thomas preceded pinch-hitter Vernon Wells' broken-bat, two-run single and Aaron Hill's RBI double, both off Matt Thornton, that gave the Jays a 4-3 lead.
"We can't continue to struggle and be nice with people, and all of a sudden we fail," Guillen said of a bullpen that has a 9.41 ERA in its last 21 games. "It's not easy when you make moves, and day in and day out you make the wrong one. It's up to us what we're going to do when we get to Chicago, but don't be surprised if someone isn't there.
"We don't have the luxury to lose games like that. The way we've been playing, we can't give away games like this."
The Sox (25-26) were exploring all possibilities, including optioning MacDougal to Triple-A Charlotte.
Aardsma, whose ERA was 1.72 in April but now stands at 6.18, also has one minor-league option.
MacDougal, 30, the only member of a retooled bullpen with more than three years of major-league experience, hasn't displayed dependability as a setup reliever. He carries a 7.13 ERA.
His struggles have been puzzling because he had a 1.80 ERA in 25 games for the Sox after arriving from the Royals in a July 24 trade and being rewarded in the off-season with a three-year, $6.45 million contract.
"He made me make a move that I didn't want to (using Thornton)," Guillen said. "Wells was going to pinch-hit [for Matt Stairs]. I know that, and everyone in the ballpark knew that.
"In the meanwhile, I don't trust him to throw the ball in the middle of the plate. He wasn't even close to guys making contact."
MacDougal was unconcerned about roster moves, saying he felt healthy and confident.
"I don't worry about that," MacDougal said. "That's their decision. Next time I'll try to get the job done and work hard. It's up to them."
Guillen ruled out using Nick Masset in a setup role because of his inexperience.
"It's not easy for any manager when you don't have confidence with people out of the bullpen," Guillen said. "No matter how hard you throw, your manager has no confidence to bring you in. That's a big problem."
The bullpen was viewed as the team's savior after posting a 3.29 ERA in its first 27 games. But it has quickly eroded, and left-hander Andrew Sisco was optioned to Charlotte last Sunday.
The next move should happen soon. Bret Prinz, who has a 0.56 ERA in 15 appearances with Charlotte and was a setup man for most of 2001 with the Diamondbacks, could be called up by Monday.
The bullpen wasn't the only guilty party. Shortstop Juan Uribe committed an error that led to a run in the second. The offense didn't produce a hit after the third inning, and the final 13 batters were retired in order.
The Sox are now hitless in their last 47 at-bats against opposing relievers.
"Every day it seems like the same soap opera," Guillen said. "We start real good, we had a chance to score runs, we didn't and then we get flat. We're facing a pretty good pitching team right now, but in the meanwhile, we're not helping each other."


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Blues Sanctuary will play Bennington Battle Day
BENNINGTON -- Active members of the local music scene since the late '60s, the musicians of Blues Sanctuary have watched the music world change before their eyes, and they're still going strong.
"We're like the bees," said drummer Ken Pallman. "Radiation has hit, and we're still living. Everybody comes and goes, and we're still here." Soon to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame through the Albany chapter, Blues Sanctuary formed in early 2002 as a trio with Rick Burgess on guitar and vocals, Pallman on drums and Jeff Bentley on bass, and has since expanded to a quintet with Bruce Mariani taking over on bass, Joe Candal playing keyboards and John O'Rourke adding a second guitar to the band.
Although the core of the band has been playing together for over a decade, Pallman said their current lineup feels better than ever before.
"John coming into the band brought us a whole new breath. It finally felt complete, and that was seven years in," he said. "John came in with a completely different sound. He has this Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck sound. It brought a whole different dimension to the band." Pallman said adding O'Rourke has turned Blues Sanctuary into two bands in one, matching the classic, "old-school Chicago, down and dirty" style that Rick Burgess brings with his vocals and guitar playing with O'Rourke's contemporary style.
"With John in the band and Bruce's modern, higher-pitched voice, we were able to start playing things like Joe Bonamassa and covering some things that we weren't able to do before," he said. "It brought a new voice to the original stuff that we had written before too. It was a whole new voice completely."
"John's got some big you-know-whats to go out and play some of the stuff that he plays," he continued. "We do 'Cliffs of Dover' by Eric Johnson, and it takes some guts to go up and do that."
Pallman said O'Rourke's mastery of such complex, acrobatic guitar songs are especially impressive, because an accident left him without feeling in his left index finger, a critically important finger for a guitarist.
"He needs to watch where his fingers are, so when you watch him he always has his head buried in the guitar," Pallman said. "He's playing incredible stuff, but he looks stone cold because he's concentrating on where his finger is on the fretboard. It's truly amazing." While O'Rourke represents the contemporary element of the band, Blues Sanctuary stays connected to the roots of electric blues through Rick Burgess, the band's central singer. With his growly vocals, Burgess taps into the sounds made famous by legends like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and B. B. King.
Burgess says he first learned about the blues when he was introduced to B. B. King by one of his bandmates in Pure Lard, a popular local band in the late 1960s.
"We had been playing a lot of really good venues -- we played in concert with the Byrds and the Guess Who," said Burgess. "The agency that handled them wanted to send up on a tour for the whole summer, and unfortunately we couldn't do that tour because we had a female singer in the band at the time who was going to Bennington College. So that was the end of that. But that girl turned me onto B.B. King. Right off the bat, the emotion and feeling that he played with really touched me."
Since then Burgess has played in other local bands, like the Off-Balance Blues Band, and he spent 13 years working in physical therapy at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington, where Blues Sanctuary played a concert July 16.
"We love playing for the vets at the vets home," said Pallman. "A lot of them are Vietnam vets now -- they come from the rock era and they love the blues. They're a rocking crowd, they were digging it. It was a joy to play for them."
Although they say they don't often have the chance to play hometown shows, Blues Sanctuary have a handful of Bennington concerts lined up over the next few weeks, performing for Bennington's Battle Day celebration at Willow Park on Aug. 16 at 6 p.m., then again at Bennington's Garlic and Herb festival on Aug. 30 at 3 p.m., and then finishing their run with a performance at the final First Friday Downtown Music Series in front of town hall at 6 p.m.on Sept 5.
"I dont know if we're going to overstay our welcome here," Pallman joked.
After leading the local music scene for decades, Blues Sanctuary seem to know they will always be welcome here in their hometown. For more information on Blues Sanctuary, visit their website at http://bluessanctuary2012.com/.
If you go ...
What: Bennington Battle Day weekend
When: Celebration Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16 and 17, with parade, cannon, soldiers and ceremonies. 5K race and fun run Parade 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Living history encampment
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days
Where: Bennington Monument, 15 Monument Circle
Admission: Free
What: Battle of Bennington
Where: New York State Bennington Battlefield Historic Site, Route 67, Hoosick Falls
When: Begins 4 p.m. Saturday
Open camps with re-enactors
11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Sunday
Information: benningtonbattle
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American Watchmakers Rise Again
After decades of Swiss watchmaking domination, U.S. brands are starting to tick
- 1. Tyndall PVD, $1,495, xetum.com
- 2. Schofield Automatic, $8,300, Bozeman Watch Company, 406-585-0062
- 3. SMG-2 USA Watch, $4,250, Kobold, 412-722-1277
- 4. PS 801 E in Stainless Steel, $9,700, RGM Watch Company, 717-653-9799
PHILADELPHIA, 1876. The U.S. celebrates 100 years of nationhood with the Centennial Exhibition, held in a 285-acre park in the country's first capital. Nine million people attend, including a small delegation of Swiss watchmakers eager to visit the pavilions that house exhibitions of the flourishing American watch industry.
That moment became a turning point. What the Swiss saw frightened them. In Switzerland, watchmaking happened mostly by hand in small workshops with an output of about 1,000 expensive watches a year. In stark contrast, the U.S. manufactured watches in large factories where machines operated by unskilled workers churned out interchangeable parts, enabling the production of hundreds of thousands of affordable timepieces a year.
The Swiss delegation returned home and issued a warning to their country's watchmakers: Adopt the American methods or perish. They listened. In less than a century, inexpensive watches from the Alpine republic obliterated the American industry.
But in the last two decades, U.S.-based entrepreneurs have been finding the money and skills to relaunch watchmaking on a small scale with potential for future growth.
Though most of these American companies use Swiss-made parts—manufacturing the components of a mechanical watch is complex and expensive—a few brands are investing the money and time necessary to craft their own, producing watches that have 80% to 90% U.S.-made parts. Here, four companies that are making it possible to buy American.
Established: 2009
Location: San Francisco
Annual Production: Under 5,000
When Xetum founder Jeff Kuo abandoned management consulting to design watches, he drew on the clean and functional aesthetic of his home base, Northern California. Think Apple, aerospace and the state's pervasive car culture.
Even though the watches are manufactured in Switzerland, Mr. Kuo's designs are distinctly American, down to the timepieces' monikers. The Stinson is named for a Marin County beach, the Tyndall for a mountain in the Sierra Nevada range and the Kendrick after a mountain in Yosemite National Park.
All three Xetum watches have stainless steel cases without lugs (the pieces at the top and bottom of a watch case that hold the band in place), something Mr. Kuo sees as part of the brand's uncluttered look. He added, "Our designs appeal to people who want a watch they can wear anywhere."
Bozeman Watch Company
Established: 2002
Location: Bozeman, Mont.
Annual Production: About 200
Bozeman's watch names, like Xetum's, reference local icons. His styles include the Yellowstone, as in the park, and the Sidewinder, as in the Western American rattlesnake. The designs are crisp with clean dials. Though Bozemans are assembled both in Montana and Europe—with components made mostly in Germany, Switzerland and Italy—wearing one is like having a piece of Big Sky on your wrist.
In 2009, the brand worked with baseball player Josh Beckett to create the Herradura, a watch named for Mr. Beckett's Texas ranch and the Spanish word for "horseshoe." It has a handsome beige dial with red symbols reminiscent of Western blankets, matching red numerals and red and silver arrowhead hands.
"Our clients are people who are over the big, famous brands," said Bozeman founder Chris Wardle. "They're buying a bit of the lifestyle associated with an American Western company. Don't underestimate the touch of class that folks have out here. We're rugged but also refined."
Established: 1998
Location: Pittsburgh
Annual Production: 800
Kobold may be the only watch brand that began as a class project. Michael Kobold, a scion of the German family that controls manufacturing conglomerate Kobold Group, attended Carnegie Mellon University in the late '90s and founded Kobold in a class on entrepreneurship. "I was slated to take over from my dad," said Mr. Kobold, "but I never liked that idea. I always loved watches." After graduation, he made the watch company a full-time gig.
Mr. Kobold retains his German citizenship but considers the brand 100% American. "We do all the designing, assembly and advertising here in Pittsburgh," he said. "You can't be more American than that."
At first, Mr. Kobold depended on Swiss and German suppliers for everything. However, in 2008, after about a decade of research and a cash injection, including $250,000 from the late actor James Gandolfini, Kobold launched the Spirit of America, a watch with 87% U.S.-made components. "I wanted to bring watchmaking back to America," said Mr. Kobold. The Spirit, Mr. Kobold said, is the first mechanical watch (that's not a limited edition) produced in this country in more than 40 years.
RGM Watch Company
Established: 1992
Location: Mount Joy, Penn.
Annual Production: 250 to 300
Roland George Murphy trained to be a watchmaker, first in his native Maryland, and then in Switzerland. In the 1980s, he worked for Hamilton, a Swiss-owned American brand, but eventually went solo.
"I wanted to do things my own way and see my own name on the dial," Mr. Murphy said. He began with one employee, designing and making watches with components imported from Switzerland, the way RGM still produces most of its watches. But in 2000, the company embarked on an in-house manufacturing effort. Seven years and an untold amount of money later, RGM became the only company in the U.S. turning out some of its watches with 90% American components. Today, 50 to 70 watches in RGM's yearly output are made mostly in Pennsylvania. "It was very difficult to do," said Mr. Murphy. "The investment was steep, and to maintain quality we have to keep production small. It is not an equation for getting rich."
RGM is now the sole American entry in the Swiss-dominated haute horlogerie market. Its Pennsylvania Tourbillon required two years to develop and takes months to complete. With a stainless steel case, the watch costs $95,000.
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Fans of James Cameron's Avatar have been eagerly awaiting a sequel since the film was released in 2009. Cameron has been teasing us with the slightest details of what the next Pandora-set adventures might involve, but he has been very coy about story specifics and start dates. However, it now looks like Cameron is finally about to start shooting THREE new Avatar movies back-to-back.
Avatar SPOILERS follow.
Sigourney Weaver divulged the details to Showbiz 441 at the premiere of her new Clinton –inspired series, Political Animals. The actress stated that once she completes work on the series, she will feature in a short run of a Christopher Durang play and then segue into James Cameron's three Avatar sequels. This again confirms Weaver's involvement in the Avatar world – even though her character died in the last film. It should be noted that when the actress was asked about a timeline for the production of these movies, she said that she didn't know, replying "I just show up". However, it does look like a second series of the six-part Political Animals will have to wait until Cameron completes work on this new trilogy.
This mammoth undertaking is probably one of the reasons why Avatar 2 was bumped from its intended Christmas 2014 release date, and it gels with what we heard last month when Cameron said:
"I'm not interested in developing anything. I'm in the Avatar business. Period. That's it. I'm making Avatar 2, Avatar 3, maybe Avatar 4, and I'm not going to produce other people's movies for them."
The move to shoot three Avatar sequels at the same time makes sense for a number of reasons. Avatar wasn't cheap to produce (over $200 million), and three films would come at a reduced cost if Cameron concentrated on one extended shoot, rather than dismantling everything only to have to rebuild (and re-hire) a few months later. Peter Jackson shot the Lord of the Rings trilogy at the same time, a move which kept costs to a minimum - and we all know how that turned out. The move also ensures the availability of cast and crew. One blocked time-frame means that you may not have to recast roles, or shoot around actors who are busy elsewhere (hence the reason why Political Animals will have to wait for Weaver).
However, there could be a downside to this plan. Avatar was so successful ($2.7 billion globally) because audiences had never seen anything like it before – it was a "game changer". The effects, coupled with the use of 3D, made it a true cinematic experience, but Cameron risks cheapening the brand, (if you will) by flooding the market with too many Avatar films. Sure, there is pent-up demand for Avatar 2 now, but will fans be so willing to part with their cash to see parts three and four in quick succession?
Screen Rant readers will know that Cameron likes to keep his Avatar cards close to his chest and this should be treated as speculation until it is confirmed or denied by the director. After all, how many times has Tom Arnold said that True Lies 2 was on the way?
Source: Showbiz411


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Available with the MyIHR upgrade personal Interactive Health Record. Keep conditions, medications, insurance and other important information updated and organised.
Emergency access with PIN engraved on medical ID.
Learn More.
Item #43
Next START BUILDING YOUR ID
Gold/Gold-Filled Dog Tag
Number of Reviews: 83,
Thu Sep 10, 2017: This is a pretty nice dog tag. Seems like there is room to put more on the Name side. Like DOB as a second identifier.
Reviewer: Robert G.
Wed Dec 17, 2016: It's what a wanted. I only wished the chain came in 28 inches.
Reviewer: Mary H.
Thu Jun 28, 2012: I ordered for my son and it was sent in a timely manor.Well before the delivery date you gave me.
Reviewer: Stephen B.
Fri Mar 30, 2012: the gold on the medical side is half tarnished already after 1 week, very disapointed
Reviewer: Cherry C.
Wed Feb 29, 2012: the dog tag really looks great. I would have liked a heavier chain. the pictures of the chain did not indicate that it was really lightweight. In all though the purchase as a gift was greatly appreciated.
Reviewer: Jean R.
Fri Jan 06, 2012: We had to return the necklace for a larger size, we are waiting for the larger one to come.
Reviewer: Thomas C.
Wed Nov 02, 2011: Very pleased with the quality and engraving of the gold tag. Delivery was sooner then stated when ordered
Reviewer: Sandra W.
Wed Oct 05, 2011: The child really loved her dog tag. The quality and appearance appears to be something she will enjoy wearing and will be something she can wear for a long time.
Reviewer: Beverley M.
Wed Jun 08, 2011: I like the dog tag itself, but I feel the box heavy chain could be a little thicker.
Reviewer: Thomas M.
Thu Apr 14, 2011: The dog tag is very nice, but it's very hard to read the letters, and the chain is to small.Tom Mear
Reviewer: William L.
Sat Mar 26, 2011: engraving could be a little better
Reviewer: Steve
Sat Mar 19, 2011: Dog tag is fine buy the necklace is a heavy duty is not very heavy at all.
Reviewer: Ronald S.
Wed Dec 15, 2010: I wish it was just a little bigger but not like a full dog tag. very please with purchase
Reviewer: Danny B.
Thu Dec 02, 2010: I was pleased with the timeliness of the process as well as the quality of the dog tag. Had to get a different chain since you only had the 20 in chain and when I tried it, it was too short.
Thu Oct 21, 2010: Excellent quality. Not bulky at all. Thin, but not too thin. The smaller one is perfect for a woman.
Reviewer: Clifford B.
Fri Oct 08, 2010: It is just as I expected. It is nice quality.
Reviewer: Stephanie M.
Fri Aug 27, 2010: I like it very much, but was not sure of the actual size. It's hard to visualize sometimes when ordering off line. None the less, it's very nice and it works out well. Thanks for the ability to create it online and see it. Order forms never allowed the room to add what I wanted.
Reviewer: Leslie D. H.
Wed Aug 04, 2010: I bought your Dog Tag style ID tag. it seems to be OK so far. I am comfortable knowing My medical problems can be identified more easily.
Reviewer: Wesley L.
Mon Aug 02, 2010: Great product, I ordered to small a neck chain though and it was rubbing off onto my skin. I will reorder a bracelet now instead.
Reviewer: Barbara H. M.
Tue Jul 06, 2010: Very nice. I like the length of the chain.
Reviewer: Marjory G.
Tue Jun 15, 2010: I love it. It has put my mind at ease to know I will be taken care of in case of an emergency.
Reviewer: Donna G.
Fri May 21, 2010: I do not like the brushed design, but am happy otherwise with my choice
Reviewer: Donna M.
Fri Apr 30, 2010: have not rec. items yet. ordered two dog tags -1 mans st. steel dog tag and 1 womans gold filled.
Reviewer: Susan G.
Wed Feb 17, 2010: I am very impressed with the laser engraving. It is very smooth and does not scratch my sensitive skin. I also liked the thickness of the gold. I wished I had ordered a longer chain, though.
Reviewer: Costas M.
Sat Jan 02, 2010: Very pleased with the dog tag appearance and quality. Only suggestion would be to backfill the lettering to make reading the text easier.
Reviewer: Gail B.
Sat Jan 02, 2010: Adequate. Gold plated dog tag tarnished at first wearing.
Reviewer: Lenore T.
Sun Dec 27, 2009: Very pleased with the overall impression. Thought that possibly the print could be in black so it was more obvious. It needed to be more of a contrast. However, I feel better that my husband has the necklace, and I would recommend it to others.
Reviewer: Tom H.
Wed Dec 23, 2009: I believe it will do its job. My body has to get used to the chain as it pulls the hair on my chest. It is heavy duty and will with stand the use of time. Good product.
Reviewer: Wayman C.
Tue Dec 22, 2009: Exactly what I ordered. Engraving better than I expected.
Reviewer: Alejandro F C.
Tue Dec 22, 2009: I like the material and the way look, but the ring is holdding the tag from the chain and the lock i wich to be more big to let the tag move more freely amd easy lo lock the chain
Reviewer: John S.
Tue Dec 08, 2009: For a 10k gold filled product finish is not to good. Chain loop to small for chain purchased and chain length 2 inches to short. Overall design of product good as well as engraving. Had to take product to jewelers to have chain loop replaced with a larger one.
Reviewer: Charlotte Z.
Sun Nov 01, 2009: I like it.
Reviewer: Roberta O.
Thu Oct 22, 2009: the good is it matches my other jewelry. the negative is it looks like jewelry not a medical tag, also the words are kind of hard to read.
Reviewer: Richard M.
Mon Oct 19, 2009: Very functionan. Nice looking. Comfortable to wear. No negatives. Also bought sport bracelet, also very pleased
Mon Oct 19, 2009: nice quality
Reviewer: Anna L.
Fri Sep 18, 2009: I don 't have anything negative to say; I feel relieved to be wearing my DNR wish and my multiple allergies. I am grateful.
Reviewer: Adalgiza M.
Fri Sep 18, 2009: I LIKE IT VERY MUCH, IT IS NOT FLAMBOYANT. THE COLOR IS MATTED
Reviewer: Mary Elaine W.
Sun Sep 13, 2009: Very good quality and everyone will be able to see it. The only thing I think should be changed it that the chain doesn 't slide well thru the ring on the dog tag, I think the ring needs to be a little larger.
Reviewer: Charles B.
Sun Sep 13, 2009: I really like my choice. But the one thing I did not like was the loop that holds the tag on the necklace. But this is going to be a life saver.
Reviewer: Chris S.
Sat Sep 12, 2009: Like the dog tag, but it is a little heavier than expected it to be.
Reviewer: Eldon T.
Sat Sep 12, 2009: My overall impression is that I 'm very satisfied and the quality is much better than I expected. It was very quick service, thanks so much.
Reviewer: Nelson M.
Sat Sep 12, 2009: Quality workmanship-I am totally pleased.
Reviewer: Sandra D.
Sat Sep 12, 2009: The tag was purchased for my grandson who is an asthmatic. He thought it was cool .
Reviewer: Scott A.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: Years ago I had bought a bracelet from another company and in a few years the bracelet was no good and there prices were so high I could not get a new. I saw your info in the dr office and tried you out and I am very happy
Reviewer: Douglas L.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: The only thing I don 't like, is that the chain I purchased is really too short. I got the 28 chain.
Reviewer: Richard F.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: My medical ID is great It is everything that I expected from American Medical ID.
Reviewer: Ed G.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: This is my 3rd. It is very legible and has proven to be invaluable in emergency situations.
Reviewer: Mary H.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: Very attractive and enough room for all the necessary medical details.
Reviewer: Paul C.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: I needed to change my dog tags (military) due to MD retirement & change in medication. It is good to know I have somewhere to get this done with certainty. Thanks.
Reviewer: Gloria L.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: In addition to the Dog Tag, I also purchased a bracelet, which turned out to be too small (my own misjudgement in size) When I discovered the size problem upon receiving my orders, I called American Medical ID. With prompt and friendly service, the young lady said for issues like this they could mail additional links to be added to the bracelet. My links arrived in approx. 7-10 days. I am a totally happy customer.
Reviewer: Everette P.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: Very professional, easy to read
Reviewer: Tony H.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: Looks very good. I ordered a bracelet and dog tags. My father wants to order from you also.
Reviewer: Clay C.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: I couldn 't be happier.
Reviewer: James C.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: The dog tag should be a clear indication of my medical issues.
Reviewer: James C.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: The dog tag should be a clear indication of my medical issues.
Reviewer: Kenneth N.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: Engraving needs to be larger and easier to read. Print should be in color in order for emergeney provider to read quickly. Quality of tag is very good.
Reviewer: William E.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: I ordered two items but received only one wallet card and medical provider card. One phone call to customer service had them on their way.
Reviewer: John R.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: It is just what I wanted, I like it very much. It will help if I ever have an emergency.
Reviewer: Vicky Y.
Fri Sep 11, 2009: We thought that the necklace was exactly what we was wanting. Had the heart surgeon look at it and he was very impressed. Wanted to know where we got it so he could recommend you to others.
Reviewer: John J.
Tue Sep 08, 2009: I am pleased with the quality and look of my medical ID purchases. It is a bonus to have my medical information on great looking jewelry.
Reviewer: Debbie C.
Sun Sep 06, 2009: I have nothing negative to say, only positive and that would be the medical ID is perfect, and in fact just paid for itself when my husband was in an emergency situation last week and rushed to the hospital. It 's value has become completely price less and I can 't thank you enough. Mrs. Debra Cobb for my husband Dwain.
Reviewer: Karen M.
Sun Sep 06, 2009: I was very impressed by the quality of the dog tag ID for my son. He is 14 so we will have to see how it holds up to his life style. Will recommend your product to others we know who have Children who need ID 's.
Reviewer: C P.
Sun Sep 06, 2009: Excellent product; just as described and just as we ordered. We would use this supplier again.
Reviewer: James C.
Sat Sep 05, 2009: very positive overall. one thing - the description or photos of the products, especially the chains, could be more detailed.
Reviewer: Joe A.
Fri Sep 04, 2009: I am very well pleased.
Reviewer: Donna K.
Fri Sep 04, 2009: I purchased the tag for my husband. He doesn,t normally like to wear anything around his neck but he does not mind the dog tag. I feel much better knowing that his medical information is our their in case of an emergency.
Reviewer: Walt M.
Fri Sep 04, 2009: I wanted something simple and to the point. Nobody needs to know I 'm wearing it until needed. The only negative is that I need to wear it in the first place.
Reviewer: Leon F M.
Fri Sep 04, 2009: I feel confident with it.
Reviewer: Andres T.
Fri Sep 04, 2009: WHEN I SAW THE DOG TAG I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT... JUST WHAT I NEEDED...
Reviewer: Loretta D.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: The dog tag is fine, seems to be good quality, but the print is SO SMALL and lightly engraved that it 's hard to read the 2 medications listed, so what 's the point?????
Reviewer: Stanley S.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: Well made and appropriate. It makes me more comfortable and reassured.
Reviewer: Anthony J. M.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: The only thing I would change is to polish the Stainless and having an option on the chain.
Reviewer: Nicholas H. B.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: Seems to be very good quality...thanks
Reviewer: John S.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: Sturdy and well engraved, lightweight to wear should last quite a long time.
Reviewer: Barbara E.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: My husband Walter likes the Dog Tag I perchased for him. So far he has kept it on. He was worried about getting lost and not beeing able to tell anyone who he is and were he can get help. It is a good looking tag and he really likes it.
Reviewer: Mary Rae F.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: Very high quality and comfortable for my husband to wear. The engraving was perfect. Thanks.
Reviewer: Richard S.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: Very Pleased with the Dog Tag - I would have preferred to have an option of a 30 necklace chain with my particular purchase, but it was not offered. I can get the 24 over my head, but just barely. Overall very satisfied with the engraving (Great Accuracy on all of the spelling).
Reviewer: John S.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: Script on back of tag could have been more centered from top to bottom, and letters could have been slightly larger. All lettering is crowded at the top of the tag with space to spare at the bottom.
Reviewer: Michael P.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: I was a little disappointed in the engraving; it seems too fine for such a heavy piece. I expected deeper/bolder engraving.
Reviewer: Jeff W.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: I like it, it has some weigh tto it, which I like and it is comfortable.
Reviewer: John B.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: New Dog Tag is substantially sturdier than my first one from American Medical Id.
Reviewer: Teresa B.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: The necklace came exactly as I ordered it. More than being pleased with how it looks, I am more concerned with how it could save my life. Thank you for making this product available. (It looks just fine )
Reviewer: Ron R.
Thu Sep 03, 2009: In short I have already received several compliments on the ID. It serves its purpose as a medalert dog tag and also has a good appearance to it.Ron


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Gifted: Shouldering Music Through The New Music Movement
Gifted has been working behind the scenes of the music industry for several years. Now as an acclaimed songwriter and producer, he is ready to break into the forefront of the New Music Movement—a collective group of young musicians who are uniting to resuscitate the life of true Hip Hop through their innovative beats and lyrics—as one of the industry's leading male artists.
Born and raised in the Entertainment Capital of the World—where tourism, gambling, and conventions are primary drivers of the Las Vegas economy—Gifted Johnson has always been exposed to various cultural backgrounds. Gifted is one of seven siblings and has lived in Arizona, Chicago, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. His involvement in childhood sports has helped him find comfort in the midst of the pressures that come with adulthood. Gifted—who has already written or produced songs for renowned musicians such as NeYo, Bel Biv Devoe, Jagged Edge and many more—took a few moments to talk with the Black Star News. Through the exposition of his multi-layered individuality, we discover why his name speaks for itself.
"I always wanted to be a dominant figure in the National Basketball Association," explains Gifted when asked about his childhood dreams. If Gifted hadn't been adroit to the music industry, he would be an active ambassador for the youth. "My ideal position outside of the music industry is to be an advocate for children who suffer from various illnesses," he continues.
Gifted has been working behind the scenes of the music industry for several years. Now as an acclaimed songwriter and producer, he is ready to break into the forefront of the New Music Movement—a collective group of young musicians who are uniting to resuscitate the life of true Hip Hop and R & B through their innovative beats and lyrics—as one of the industry's leading male R&B and Pop artists. "I am currently working on several major projects of my own and have an amazingly supportive driven team that keeps me on a tight clock," said Gifted. In describing his upcoming album he assures that his listeners can expect to go on a timeless journey of inspirational stories that intertwine with beautiful melodies and breathtaking lyrics.
Here are some more fun and interesting facts about Gifted that we discovered and hope you'll find just as engaging as we at the Black Star News did…
What word of wisdom do you live by?
"Life chooses the hardest obstacles only for the most extraordinary people." Anais Nin
How do you define success?
Success is the sum of one's goals, knowledge and life accomplishments.
What is your definition of happiness?
Happiness is the ability to provide for my loved ones while walking in my purpose.
What is your favorite movie?
My favorite movie is Pursuit of Happiness, the biography of Chris Gardner, which depicts the power of human strength and perseverance.
What is your favorite book?
The 4 agreements because it is a book, which offers a code of conduct to promote freedom, true happiness and joy.
Who are the leaders that most inspire you?
Franklin Raines for groundbreaking work on Wall Street. Dr. Patricia Bath who created a cure for cataracts. Clarence Avant, who is a founding father, philanthropist and R&B music pioneer. Finally, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
What is the first thing you would do as President of the United States?
I would aim to maintain the integrity and respect of our great nation.
Who is your favorite entertainer?
It's a tie between Shawn Carter and Curtis Jackson because they are the perfect balance between power, intellect, and hard work. They are also great visionaries.
What are your top three phone applications?
Google Maps, Angry Birds and Pandora
What would be the first thing you would do if today were your last day?
I would wake up and thank the powers at be for having a wonderful life thus far.
What's your vision of a perfect society?
A society that's not afraid to embrace its differences.
How will you impact the people around you with your fame?
I will use my fame to create platforms and give back to not only my community, but also communities all over the world.
Tell BSN something brief that most people don't know about you.
Music is not what I do but rather an emotion that I feel.
Latest comments
- Ann GarrisonFebruary 22,2018 @ 08:03 PM
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
googletag.pubads().definePassback('6785150/BENN/BlackStarNews', [[300,250]]).setTargeting('fold',['BTF']).display();


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Who says a garden in front of the house is a trivial job ? While it might be done , but it makes a beautiful looking plants need process . Do not give up right away because the beauty of the park can not you get instantly . Actually you can, if you buy a mature plant , along with the grass , and various decorations . However , if you are someone who appreciates the process , remain consistent in Caring for Your Home Garden . Most Luxury Houses With Beautiful Gardens First of all , get rid of fears begin to Build Your Home Garden . Make variations of species , plant tinggi , shape , color , and texture . If there are plants in the process you are dead , do not give up . Then make mistakes and failures as lessons taking care of plants . Heal the first plant , or replace with new seedlings . Save money , buy a pot of water with a smaller size . Then , start by developing your own plants from seed . Modern Luxury Homes Beautiful Garden Designs Ideas Once your plants grow fast , it's time to fill the void in the park . Find what looks do not fit in the park . Your garden may need higher trees , shrubs to fill the bottom of the garden , lawn , or plants with other colors . Along the way , you 'll find mistakes ever made . It's possible your plant will die because it is planted too close to other plants . Next you just wait Presence Beautiful House Garden .
Caring for Your Home Garden to Keep it Beautiful
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On Saturday I saw "Red Hook Summer," the latest in Spike Lee's "Chronicles of Brooklyn" series (of which 1989's terrific "Do the Right Thing" is the most famous member). The plot is straightforward–a rebellious boy's mom sends him to her father, a preacher in Brooklyn, and he spends a summer falling in love and learning painful truths about the world and his own family. That's pretty much the only straightforward thing about this meandering, confused movie, which throws a lot of rich and provocative material onto the table but seems to wander away without delving deeply into any of it. The movie doesn't end so much as it gives up.
Early into "Summer's" two hours, the D.C. audience was really into it: We laughed with recognition when Brooklyn girl Chazz caught our hero Flik stealing potato chips from the church and busted out a perfect tattletale's "Oooooohhhhhhh!" (I swear I heard that exact noise every other day of my childhood.) We were thrilled when Spike Lee himself turned up onscreen reprising his "Do the Right Thing" role as Mookie–still delivering pizzas decades later. When Bishop Enoch preached that there are "too many baby mamas," several women in the audience "mm-hmm'd" their approval. After a while, though, it started to feel like we were really not getting anything new and a couple people sneaked out.
Those people missed the shocking twist, the dark secret at the heart of Little Peace of Heaven Church. But that twist just sort of lies there, like the dead rat Flik finds in the church basement at the beginning of the movie. The other characters have oddly suppressed reactions. Nobody talks in any serious way about repentance, even though a church has just been confronted with evidence of serious sin. (Nobody talks about sin at all, actually.) The church has already been exposed as fake on many levels–all its Jesuses are blond, and Bishop Enoch's preaching always returns to the central theme of raising money. But even after the climactic revelation there's no sense of how the events of the movie have changed any of the characters.
That's partly because there are no alternatives. There are literally no other churches in the movie, for example. There's one Jehovah's Witness lady who is sweet but pathetic; and Flik is a vegan atheist with an iPad, which is not exactly a worldview. If you show the collapse of the only source of hope and authority in a community, I would expect the movie to end on a despairing note–but instead Lee closes with a bizarrely cute montage of cheerful Brooklyn life, which seems to shiver queasily from ice-cold satire to warm nostalgia. Seriously, people, a rainbow appears behind the girl Flik loves, and I don't think that's especially ironic. You just can't end this movie this way.
In the earlier part of the movie I was powerfully reminded of Stew's musical "Passing Strange," which Spike Lee himself made into a movie in 2009. "Passing Strange" offers much gentler satire of the black church. But its satire also feels fresher (even though it's older!) and more lived-in, more real. It also offers actual alternative worldviews and communities. You should watch it; it's available streaming on Netflix if you have it. It's not a substitute for "Red Hook Summer" by any means. Lee's new movie tries to be a much more ferocious assault on money- and power-hungry, self-satisfied black preachers. But Stew's imagination is larger than Lee's.
Clarke Peters, as Bishop Enoch, does probably the best acting here. Jonathan Batiste, as coded-gay organist T.K. Hazelton, has a surprising amount of charm and poignancy in a tiny role. (The moment when he underlines one of Bishop Enoch's polemics against absent fathers by caroling, "They ain't men!" is played for laughs in a way which struck me as more than a little mean-spirited.) The two children, Jules Brown and Toni Lysaith, have fantastically expressive faces but when they speak they tend to sound like they're reciting lines. The film's infrequent anti-naturalistic touches always make it preachier, giving it a shrill but startlingly empty moral voice.
There will be better movies about shame, cruelty, and doubt in the black church. Those movies will owe Spike Lee a debt, even as they surpass him.


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Flashback Friday: Witches' Brew, A Brief History Of Paganism
The High Priestess: Love, Sex, Magick
Master Of Hash: Frenchy Cannoli's Plan To Change The World Of Hashmaking
Dear Danko: Expert Grow Advice
Weed Weirdness
The Best Hydroponic Methods For Growing Cannabis Yourself
The Rebirth Of Subcool: The Inside Story Of A Legendary Bud Breeder
The Winners of the 2019 Bay Area Cannabis Cup
The Winners of the 2019 SoCal Cannabis Cup
The Winners of the 2019 NorCal Cannabis Cup
New Subscription Service Ships Concentrates Directly to Consumers
6 Brands Who Are Giving Back To The LGBTQ Community This Pride Month
Talk about a cool cannabis collaboration!