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- Joe Champion
- Rick Warren
- George O. Wood
- Bryant Wright
- Kevin Springer
- Thom S. Rainer
- Keith Burkhart
- Steve Sonderman
- Kevin Trick
- Chris Hodges
- Rev. Dr. Clive Calver
- Brian Doyle
- Tom Blackaby
- Mark Merrill
- Rick Friesen
- Paul Coughlin
- Joe Gibbs
- Tommy Bowden
- Phil Cooke
- Russell Verhey
- Phil Hopper
- Chris Shirley
"With an authentic voice, Kenny Luck leads with the essence of what it really means to be "every man". His style is relatable, effective and firmly rooted with biblical integrity. Sleeping Giant is a powerful tool that will elevate you and the men in your church to the next level!"
Joe Champion, founding and senior pastor, Celebration Church
And author of Rocked
"Saddleback Church is built on a strong foundation of men—strong, respected, godly men who lead by authentic example, through honest communication and inspirational action in our church. In Sleeping Giant, my men's pastor Kenny Luck gives you a local church blueprint for moving men from being an audience sitting in a seat to becoming an army marching on the field in your congregation. Discover the pathway to engaging the men in your church to be all God intended them to be as they serve as leaders, counselors, shepherds, husbands, and fathers. Sleeping Giant shares the secret to building a healthy leader-making growth and development engine that supports the vision of your church." —Rick Warren, founding pastor, Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life Watch a message
"Sleeping Giant does what it infers—awakening men to their calling and potential. Every pastor, church, and leader that desires to activate men for God's work should read this book, and so should every man. Its a life-changer and a church-changer."
—George O. Wood, general superintendent, The General Council of the Assemblies of God
"Kenny takes on the monumental task of rightly charging men with their biblical roles as husbands, leaders, fathers, and much more. He examines the current trends of media and society that continually push men into a less than masculine role and contrasts them with God's design for men. Kenny has written a great book that can lead men and men's ministries to the rightful place in Gods economy."
—Bryant Wright, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Marietta, Georgia
"We were struggling to establish a dynamic men's ministry. That is no longer the case. Our church now has new men's small groups meeting weekly, with plans for expansion and leadership development in the future thanks to Kenny's model represented in Sleeping Giant, It started a revolution that infected our men, their marriages, and our overall leadership." —Kevin Springer pastor of life development. Living Oaks Community Church, Newbury Park, California, and author of Power Evangelism
"The mission of God advances most powerfully when God's men are engaged and deployed. As the church has struggled to enlist men over the past decades, Kenny Luck has faithfully and effectively led an army of men in the mission of God. Sleeping Giant skillfully shows church leaders how to reach and launch men into a world of great need for God's great glory. Devour this book!" —Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO, LifeWay Christian Resources
''Sleeping Giant is a masterpiece! As I read it my heart leaped inside. I cant wait for pastors and men's ministry leaders to begin using it to awaken the sleeping giant in their churches and communities to reach and transform broken culture." —Keith Burkhart, Baptist General Convention, Family and Men's Ministry
"I loved it! I have been working with men for the past twenty years of my life and this book is the best book on how to minister to I have read, because it comes from someone who is actually doing it in the context of the local church. It is a must read for any pastor or leader serious about awakening the sleeping giant of the church—the men. Thank you, Kenny." —Steve Sonderman, associate pastor of men's ministry, Elmbrook Church, Brookfield, Wisconsin, and founder of No Regrets Men's Ministry
"In Sleeping Giant Kenny puts his finger on the pulse of where masculinity is today, correctly diagnosing the challenges before the church, and giving the church a solid course of action to activate men for their kingdom mission. Sleeping Giant will move men from the audiences of the church to the armies of the church, unleashing the '800-pound Gorilla' for battle. I believe this could lead to a worldwide revival of men and the church!" -Kevin Trick, community pastor- men's ministry, Centre Street Church, Calgary, Alberta
"Kenny Luck has a proven track record of raising up a generation of godly men and equipping them to make a difference. Sleeping Giant is solid, empowering, and biblical. I highly recommend this book for you and your church." —Chris Hodges, founding and senior pastor, Church of the Highlands
"This book is neither flamboyant nor extravagant . . . it's not melodramatic or controversial—it is simply helpful. Few books that I have seen in recent years so explores unexplored potential in the church as this one does. Kenny Luck has offered an opportunity that we must not miss. Here is help for all of us, don't miss it!" —Rev. Dr. Clive Calver, senior pastor, Walnut Hill Community Church, Bethel, Connecticut, and former president of World Relief
"Church ministry can be all consuming. The opportunities and the needs seem endless. Rarely does the servant leader have the legitimate chance to step aside and reflect on the dreams that brought him into ministry. I am here to tell you that Sleeping Giant will fuel new dreams for your ministry. What would it look like if the men in and around your church began to operate fully under the lordship of Christ, become spiritual leaders in their homes, and then out of their homes, stand tall for Christ in the community and enthusiastically align the vision and mission for your church? Wow! I would urge you to allow God to use Kenny Luck and Sleeping Giant to fuel these dreams." —Brian Doyle, founder and president of Iron Sharpens Iron
"Many books contain filler you have to dig through to find the nuggets of truth. No so in Sleeping Giant. I found it impossible to run or skip through the book; instead I had to walk slowly, stop and think, and even sit a while and reflect on the insights that touched my mind and my heart. Sleeping Giant opens the wound many churches are ignoring or covering over and provides strong medicine for not only healing but for thriving. I appreciate how Kenny speaks from a wealth of practical, hands on experiences with real men in real churches. No theoretical solutions, unrealistic suggestions or guilt tripping here. Thank you Kenny for caring enough about the church and God's people to help put our feet back on the right track." —Tom Blackaby, coauthor of The Man God Uses, The Family God Uses, and many others and international director of Blackaby Ministries International
"Unless the American church seriously overhauls its approach to reaching and teaching men, our country may be in for a long spiritual winter. Sleeping Giant is a great resource to help us identify and solve one of our nation's most urgent needs—calling and equipping men to lead God-centered lives." —Mark Merrill, president, Family First and All Pro Dad
"Kenny Luck makes the statement in Sleeping Giant, 'Inspiration without progression leads to confusion.' This is true in so many churches with men's groups. We inspire men but then don't give an outlet for action. Sleeping Giant is the action step. our church just recently started applying the action steps of Get In, Get Healthy, Get Strong, and Get Going in our weekly men's group. I highly recommend Sleeping Giant. It will transform the men in our church, their homes, and their community."
Rick Friesen, Executive Pastor, Abundant Life Baptist Church, Lee's Summit, Missouri
"As one of the most respected men's ministry leaders in the country, Luck has taken his years of hard-earned experience to create a rare and effective resource for pastors who struggle to enlist men into God's magnanimous will. I especially appreciate his emphasis on justice in Sleeping Giants which is so important to God and to male spirituality. Consume this manifesto. Deploy its power today." —Paul Coughlin, author of No More Christian Nice Guy and founder of The Protectors: Freedom From Bullying-Courage and Character for Life
"Life is a game and we are the players. Having a Game Plan for Life continues to be my message for men. In Sleeping Giant, Kenny gives us a view of the team that was 2-14 and missed the playoffs. When the players caught the vision of the coach and worked together for the same goal, they found themselves competing for a championship. The time is now for men in the church to get up and get in the game!" —Joe Gibbs, three-time Super Bowl winning NFL coach, three-time NASCAR Championship team owner, and two-time NHRA Pro Stock team owner, and author of Game Plan for Life
"I think it s obvious in today's family unit that most men have fumbled the ball in their role as spiritual leader. Kenny Luck shares with us the right game plan for men to re-establish their God ordained responsibilities. I highly recommend this book for any pastor, husband, father, or young man who wants to be a godly role model in today's society." —Tommy Bowden, FOX sports analyst and former head football coach, Clemson University
"Too often, in today's politically correct culture, men have become afraid to step out into spiritual leadership. Kenny Luck's Sleeping Giant is a wake-up call. It's a manifesto for the kind of difference men can make when they're unafraid to make a difference." —Phil Cooke, filmmaker, media consultant, and author of Jolt! Get the Jump on a World That's Constantly Changing
"Sleeping Giant calls out to awaken men in the church today. As Jethro challenged Moses, 'What you are doing is not good' (Exod. 18:17), even Moses needed leaders around him; and those leaders were waiting and ready to be called. We need to see men activated and raised up together to carry the mantle of leadership in our areas of influence. It's going to take men stirred from their slumber—encouraged, equipped, empowered, then released as men of strength and full of courage. Sleeping Giant will awaken and ignite the men of the church." —Russell Verhey, men's pastor, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
"Since the moment God created Adam and gave him 'dominion' over the earth, God has put 'conquering energy' inside the heart of every man. While this 'conquering energy' has at times through history been used for evil—God intended it to be used for good. There is an 'unstoppable' force for good that is lying dormant in our society! That unstoppable God given force is lying dormant inside our churches. In a society that has marginalized the role of men that 'unstoppable' force for good is lying dormant inside of men. But Sleeping Giant promises to be an "awakening"! Men are waking up all over America to their true identity and are embarking on a journey to their God-given destiny! Men were born for battle. With Kenny
"There is no greater need in the church today than to mobilize God's men for kingdom work. With Sleeping Giant, Kenny Luck has provided the body of Christ with a catalyst for unleashing the explosive power of truly discipled men—and not a moment too soon." —Chris Shirley, Ph.D., assistant professor of Adult Ministry, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas
Our community is strong , and our endorsers include people like Rick Warren, George O. Wood, Perry Noble, and Judd Wilhite. Real men and church leaders give their opinions and feedback on the Sleeping Giant program and Every Man Ministries.


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UTS Library asked 8 years ago:
URLs in my reference list look like <Error! Hyperlink not valid. How do I fix this? Also: how can I remove hypertext links from the URLs in my reference list?
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The error message can arise when using Harvard (UTS) and other styles, where the URLs in the reference list are supposed to be enclosed in angle brackets, < >
The solution is to remove the automatic hypertext links in the reference list.
If you are using Windows, open Word and:
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subset: commoncrawl


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Imagine my surprise when my friends in Denver invited me to attend the local Goth club. Not the invitation itself, but the destination: a Goth club called "The Church". That's funny, we have one of those in Dallas, too.
So, of course I have to write a comparison and contrast. It's pretty much required of we suckers who got English degrees (cc: Princeton from Avenue Q).
Now, I'm not going to declare one or the other to be the definitive Church experience (especially since the Dallas Church freely admits to being "inspired" by another club in Miami), nor am I going to delve into a hundred years of city records to parse out the venues' minute histories, but I think a quick look could be revealing.
Aside from the obvious (name, resonant playlists, sustained devotion to a dying faction of freakdom), both Churches host primarily on Sunday nights, with a smattering of special events on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Both have big stages, lights and videos, and excellent sound systems primed to pump the acerbic basslines of industrial and a thousand offshoots directly into your cardiac muscles. They laugh in the faces of high school segregation by hosting 80s music in special rooms. Each has been around for over a decade and are facing upstart competitors on alternate nights (Dallas has Cafe Excuses' Panoptikon, Denver has The Shelter), and while the old guards reign the old venues in both towns, the newer clubs have been more successful in drawing newer, younger regulars (more on that later).
The Scene…
Dallas' Church is dark, loud, and successfully moody. Housed in a former trolley repair shop and dinner theater, every surface across four rooms is black and/or velvety – unless it's metallic, like the club's famous and fingerprint-y stripper pole. Equally important are the two wood-planked patios, which offer respite from the crowd for smoker and non-smoker alike. (I've heard rumors that Joan Jett & the Blackhearts shot the video for "I Love Rock & Roll" here; I've watched it a half-dozen times and I'm more inclined to believe it was shot at Gilley's or somewhere in Deep Ellum – if in Dallas at all.)
Dancing is the main attraction; regulars go to the uppermost platforms (see above re: stripper pole) to show off, the stage to meet people, and the pit to move. And yet everything about this Church is built on a foundational control of visibility; you come to watch, to be watched, or to disappear entirely (if this last part makes no sense, you have probably never experienced the bittersweet individuality of being too beautiful, too hideous, or too bodily-modified to blend in anywhere but a Goth club). Newbies and voyeurs linger along the outer railing, or in the cushy chairs behind. Each patron of the Dallas Church gets to decide for zirself whether to be a wallflower or a spectacle, and there is no expectation that either choice is a lifetime commitment. To emphasize this freedom all the more, the main room has an upstairs balcony with a full view of the stage and dancefloor and just enough lighting for the bouncers to make sure no one is actually having sex on the decadent velvet armchairs.
An outlying fixture through the death and gentrified rebirth of Deep Ellum, The Church (Dallas) recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. This Church rewards loyalty and is rewarded in kind. Regulars can buy dogtags that earn the wearer free admission on Thursday nights (when the Goth angle is downplayed and the music and looks focus more on hard industrial) and discounts to other events, and for many Church-goers, the question is never whether one will return, but when.
The first thing you notice about Denver's Church is – holy guyliner, Gothman! – it's located in an actual, honest-to-weirdness, goddamned stone-and-mortar church!
I'll let that soak in.
Legend has it that the Saint Mark's Parish Church was an active parish until a priest committed suicide there (I don't want to meet the Goth whose pants don't cream at the thought of shuffling steel-toes across such un-hallowed grounds). And while the temptation is probably there to revamp the building (dig a moat, put in more ornate crosses, and paint it black), the exterior is pretty much untouched from its days as a house of God (it will remain that way, thanks to the church's 1975 placement on the National Register of Historic Places). It is only at night – when club lights escape through the stained glass and thuddy basslines demand your attention – that its true, nefarious purpose is apparent.
Once inside, it's hard to just think of Denver's Church as a club. Every detail seems to remind one of the importance of one's environment, and with good reason. It's a club in a fucking church. Unfortunately, the crowd on the night I visited was too small to justify opening the main room – the big, church-iest hall, where once were pews and hymnals and Easter pageants and big metal collection plates – but that big empty space was just visible enough to further enhance the atmosphere, like it was a forbidden hallway to some dark lord's throne room and only the most malevolent dark minions were allowed.
You could spend an entire night examining the little nooks and crannies, gasping at the Goth-y-ness of it all, and walk away satisfied at the end of your night. On a quiet night like the one I attended, hell, that might be the best idea. Without a lot of people to watch, one can be forgiven for walking the walls for deeper and deeper appreciation, until you finally decided to touch each brick tenderly and ask how it feels to be a mindfuck.
So What About the Congregation…
While I know of no holy suicides at Dallas' Church, plenty of messed up people and events have passed through on their way to oblivion – and I mean that in the best way possible. My first time, a regular showed me around; she'd had to pick WHICH Gothic outfit to wear, and everyone knew her by her profile name on the Church's website. That summer night back in '05, even the rooftop patio was crowded, and I felt overwhelmed and underdressed by all of the costumes and the flaunting – oh, the flaunting! Of skin! Of personality! Of deviance! Of rubber and leather and metal (or cheap approximations thereof)!
The legendary Sunday night freakshows managed to convene dark horse DIYers, up-and-coming fetish models and photographers, mischievous barely-legals who worked last-minute Wal-Mart lingerie purchases like they were stomping a Parisian catwalk, and lurkers of all ages who redrew the line between creepy and sexy before Edward Cullen was a gleam in Stephanie Meyer's eye. Innocent that I was at the time, my personal Virgil had to drag me into the women's room to show me how unimportant was gender here – thanks to the cadre of drag queens, transvestites, and royal genderfucks who held court there.
It was all so fucking hot. And while the best days of Dallas' Church were behind it before I'd ever set foot inside, it is still the place to go for events that belong in Dallas (but not anywhere visible in Dallas). The Church regularly hosts open fetish parties ranging from latex fashion shows to baby's first spanking bench; concerts featuring industrial anti-heroes of Europe, the mid-'90s, and, well, the late '90s; and old-guard reunions for early loyalists who want to break out the trip pants and the steel corset to scare off some errant frat-boys or tell out-of-towners about the good ol' days.
Denver's Church offered a superficially similar experience: I danced a bit, I stepped out on the smokers' patio for a phone call, I had a drink and went to the restroom… but it just never quite got to feeling like a club. Amplified, it could have felt like anything from a loud Christian youth lock-in to a stealth rave, but everyone was just too damned chill. People were sexy, perhaps even sexier than in Dallas, but they were not as sexual. I couldn't help thinking of when Denver DJ Fetish Dolly came to Panoptikon (Dallas' other Goth club) few years back: she wore fabulous latex that did all the work, played good (not great) music, and flirted across the dance floor without the slightest indication of what she might do if someone were to flirt back. I wondered then what she would have thought of the ladies room at Dallas' Church; these days I wonder how she'd fair at the hands of one of Dallas' expert sadists.
And while the Denver folks probably had more square yards of black textile than a Dallas crowd twice as large, that was as deep as the Goth went. No one was particularly lascivious. No one was creepy. There weren't huge groups to join or avoid. I didn't feel like a voyeur, here; I felt like a 16-year-old attending my first Teen Night, trying not to be disappointed that THIS was what all the fuss had been all about.
Worshipping Online
That Goth communities have endured this long is, in large part, thanks to the concurrent development of online networking, and few businesses of leisure have ever milked that opportunity as brilliantly as Dallas' Church. Since before there was Facebook, or even MySpace, The (Dallas) Church's three websites offered a community where DFW's lost young adults could grow from bad poets to bad dancers to bad-asses who, at long last, know the strength of numbers – the strength of belonging – and also might happen to make their own leather goods.
The homepage boosts information, events, and highlights content from sister sites. For visitors of all stripes who go to see or be seen, there's The Church Pictures, which posts pictures from special events and other nights. Dallas' Church has long capitalized on their voyeuristic allure by welcoming professional photographers and local models at every event, stamping their pics for credited sharing, and encouraging Church-goes to share their own. Before the advent of Facebook, hard-core fiends went to The Church Boards, a third website where even the most sporadic visitor could feel like a regular (socializing is easier to manage typing to a screen than shouting into the darkness).
Although The Boards appear to have fallen, the Facebook page is active, updated, and well-administered. Dallas' Church has always stayed at the forefront of online social networking, luring newcomers via MySpace, Facebook, and even Twitter, while avoiding niche sites like Foursquare and LinkedIn that are, frankly, irrelevant. Somehow, the club rarely panders too hard, yet it maintains a strong online profile. And while most of the Dallas fetish community might not be in regular attendance, they do follow the local Church on Fetlife and can attend kink-themed events without embarrassment or irony. (An opposite cross-over posture is maintained by Dallas' thriving fetish model community, most of whom are only kinky when the camera is on but know better than to bite the hand that feeds them.)
As for Denver's Church… um, they have a Facebook, I think? One that, despite having three times as many fans as the Dallas page (ooo, dems is fightin' words!), exhibits only a minimal online presence. Seriously, I did an online search for "Church Goth club". Out of the first 10 links, 6 are for Dallas, 2 are for Denver (none of them an official homepage), 1 is for yet another "Church" in Ohio, and the last is to SecondLife. Need I go on? No wonder there was no sense of community…
Deviation from Deviance
Despite its infamy, Dallas' Church has experienced a steady decline in attendance for about as long as I've been old enough to attend. The O.G. scene (Original Goths, or at least "original" within my lifetime) got older and had to move on when work got tiring, babysitters wouldn't work Sunday nights, and the clothes at Hot Topic just didn't seem to fit any longer (sometimes figuratively, sometimes horizontally). It didn't help that Deep Ellum was crashing and burning under the willful oversight of late '90s and early '00s City Hall.
But the thing about anachronistic subcultures: eventually, they simply fade away. It is a credit to the fetish, burlesque, and even steampunk aftershocks that Dallas' Church still gets its two nights a week; Friday and Saturday nights, the building is known as The Lizard Lounge, a decidedly non-alternative club predating (and technically operating) The Church and catering to kids who would have gone Greek if they hadn't gone to community college. The more The Church loses its infamy, the more these heretical brats show up on the wrong night, degrading the once-proud costumes of black, royal purple, and red wine with just a few too many white polo shirts and (Goth forbid!) ballcaps.
In Denver, I didn't have to step into the swank (and empty) cigar lounge and eye the (brilliantly idiosyncratic) sushi bar on ground level to suspect the same thing might be happening there. But I suspect these quirks make sense to folks in Denver, and there are definitely some upsides. The Church in Denver is only ever The Church; there are no aliases, no frat nights, no Invasions of School Girls that I can tell (all fishnets aside, Dallas, there's nothing Gothic about plaid skirts when their invasion is timed perfectly with Spring Break). Denver's Church gets concerts in the great hall that stretch the boundaries of "Gothic/industrial" to include even rap; this probably says less about Denver's Goth community than it does about Denver's entire population, which is generally more laid back, homogeneous, and Caucasian than is Dallas'.
The fact of the matter is, Denver's Church has everything it needs to throw a good party – namely, a smaller prevalence of white ballcaps.
In Summary (A Slow Night…)
I wish I'd had more than one brief night to draw from in writing about Denver, but little things tell a lot. The setting is incomparable, but that can only go so far. I get the sense there's room for more interesting people – and therefor more potential for a resurgence – in Denver. Dallas appears to have the better crowd, but the well of black gold is nearly exhausted, and their absence just makes slow nights more painful. A slow night in Denver would probably just mean more room to dance and a better chance of hearing your friends, while a slow night in Dallas could mean a run-in with a drunk rich kid or a decidedly underwhelming visual adventure.
What I'd really like to see is a Goth-exchange program; just once, let's take a busload of Dallas freaks up and invade Denver's Church for the greatest night Goth America has ever seen.
And then, when we get home, let's all bury the NIN T-shirts, give leather back to the S&M community, and start creating some new ways to access the darkness of it all so the up-and-coming moody teenagers have something to aspire toward that is more original, authentic, and revolutionary than sparkly vampires and girls who only make out with girls when their boyfriends are watching.


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Story highlights
- Teddy Roosevelt addressed Progressive Party 100 years ago as their candidate
- John Avlon says the issues he championed were ahead of their time, many still relevant today
- Roosevelt lost the election but gained the highest third-party vote in U.S. history
- Avlon: Roosevelt's "vigorous citizenship and heroic sense of politics still inspire"
One hundred years ago Monday, Theodore Roosevelt launched the most successful third party presidential bid in American history, declaring, "We stand at Armageddon, and we battle for the Lord!"
It was the culmination of the Progressive Party Convention in Chicago on August 6, 1912. And its influence still echoes through our politics today.
Roosevelt, the former president, had tried and failed to wrest the GOP nomination from his successor, William Howard Taft. His supporters believed that the nomination had been stolen by the conservative power brokers and declared their independence.
And so the Progressive Party was briefly born. Known as "The Bull Moose" party, after Roosevelt's declaration that he felt "as strong as a bull moose," supporters saw it as defending the legacy of Abraham Lincoln against the big business establishment that had taken over the Republican Party after the Civil War. The Democrats -- the populist party whose base was in corrupt, big-city bosses and the states of the former Confederacy -- were also an unappealing alternative.
"The old parties are husks, with no real soul within either, divided on artificial lines, boss-ridden and privilege-controlled," Roosevelt declared, "each a jumble of incongruous elements, and neither daring to speak out wisely and fearlessly what should be said on the vital issues of the day."
Roosevelt's Progressive Party definitely did not shy away from taking fearless stands on the vital issues of the day. The party's platform backed giving women the right to vote, the abolition of child labor, minimum wages, social security, public health standards, wildlife conservation, workman's compensation, insurance against sickness and unemployment, lobbying reform, campaign finance reform and election reform.
With socialist, communist and anarchist forces gaining momentum across the Atlantic, this was a platform dedicated to Roosevelt's wise belief that "reform is the antidote to revolution."
The assembled crowd was not radical, described by the famed Kansas newspaper editor William Allen White as "successful, middle class country town citizens, the farmer whose barn was painted, the well-paid railroad engineer and the country editor ... women doctors, women lawyers, women teachers. .. Proletarian and Plutocrat were absent." In other words, this was a Main Street, middle-class revolt against special interests on the far left and far right.
Among the Bull Moosers in the crowd were former Democrats and Republicans, including future Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, columnist Walter Lippman, "wise-use conservationist" Gifford Pinchot, Judge Learned Hand and settlement house pioneer Jane Addams, who became the first woman to give a nominating speech at an American political convention. The energy of the occasion left an indelible impression on a generation.
The best recent recounting of the convention comes in Edmund Morris' "Colonel Roosevelt," the third volume of his essential work of American biography. In the moment, White described Roosevelt "charging down the hotel corridors, stalking down an aisle of the Coliseum while the crowds roared, walking like a gladiator to the lions."
In contrast to the upcoming conventions in Tampa, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, the atmosphere was one of real, not canned, drama -- electric and unexpected.
"Can we imagine a convention today erupting in 'Onward Christian Soldiers' just impromptu?" asks Terrence Brown, the Theodore Roosevelt Association's executive director. "We've come to a place where putting out fresh ideas is dangerous in politics. Candidates don't want to give an agenda. That's the difference. TR campaigned with an agenda. He told the convention, 'use me up and cast me aside.' Take all of these ideas and run with them. ... The goal was moving along the Progressive Party's vision for what the new America in the 20th century should be."
Roosevelt and the Progressive Party were not successful in their effort to win the White House in 1912. But they won 27% of the popular vote -- an all-time high for third parties in presidential elections -- and Roosevelt won 88 electoral votes to Taft's eight. The Democrats cannily nominated their own progressive candidate, Woodrow Wilson, and he won the election in a landslide against the divided Republicans.
But the ideas Roosevelt and the Progressives fought for did succeed in time.
Some, such as expanding the right to vote, enacting Social Security and ending child labor, seem obvious to modern eyes. Others, such as the fight for expanded health insurance, remain contentious civic debates. And concerns about the disproportionate influence of big business and other special interests on American elections and policy seem ripped from modern headlines.
The political fault lines of the 1912 elections endure to this day as well.
President Barack Obama has explicitly tried to cast himself as the inheritor of Roosevelt's progressive party fight in a Kansas speech earlier this year. The Republican Party still contains competing establishment and reform factions, most recently seen in the factional split between George W. Bush and John McCain in 2000. And certainly there remain many independent-minded Americans who feel frustrated and politically homeless when faced with the two parties today. They are reformers in a world of radicals and reactionaries.
Politics is history in the present tense, and the study of history can inspire us to aim high in our own lives. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1912 election, the Theodore Roosevelt birthplace in Manhattan has mounted an exhibit focused on his Bull Moose campaign. Enclosed are speeches, campaign cartoons and political posters. (Full disclosure, I'm on the advisory board of the Theodore Roosevelt Association).
Perhaps most striking is the sight of Roosevelt's still-faintly bloodstained shirt, where bullet holes mark the October 1912 assassination attempt, alongside the gun the would-be killer fired. The bullet's velocity was stopped by an eyeglass case and a thick manuscript, for a speech which Roosevelt characteristically insisted on giving before going to the hospital.
"I have altogether too important things to think of to feel any concern over my own death," Roosevelt declared. "I am ahead of the game anyway. No man has had a happier life than I have led."
One hundred years later, Roosevelt's vigorous citizenship and heroic sense of politics still inspire. If we understand the lessons of his life correctly, it can still instruct.
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Hamilton inducted into Iowa Sports Hall of Fame
HOUSTON -- Astros Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton has been inducted into the Des Moines Sunday Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
Hamilton, who grew up in Fairfield, Iowa, is the 215th inductee into this Hall of Fame as he joins the likes of Major League Baseball great Bob Feller, Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner, former NFL greats Alex Karras, Emlen Tunnell, Roger Craig and Kurt Warner and legendary University of Iowa football coach Hayden Fry.
"Being from your state and being honored, it's very special and very humbling," Hamilton said. "When the state you were born, raised and went to University of Iowa, when that paper puts you in the Hall of Fame, that's special."
This marks the sixth Hall of Fame honor for Hamilton, whose 59 seasons as a Major League broadcaster are second all-time to Vin Scully's record of 65 seasons in the booth. Hamilton served as the radio voice of the Houston Astros from 1985-2012, and in that span, called some of the greatest moments in franchise history.
"Congratulations to Milo on another well-deserved honor," said Astros president of business operations Reid Ryan in a statement. "He truly is a broadcasting icon that has been a part of Astros baseball for decades. This is another fitting honor for one of baseball's broadcasting greats."
Hamilton is best-known for his radio call of Hank Aaron's historic 715th home run on April 8, 1974, while serving as the Atlanta Braves' play-by-play announcer. Hamilton and Aaron have a special bond that remains today. When the Astros honored Hamilton's career with a special night in 2012, Aaron made the trip to Houston to speak at the event.
Other highlights from Hamilton's illustrious career include calling 11 no-hitters, Nolan Ryan's 4,000th career strikeout and Craig Biggio's 3,000th hit. In addition to the Astros and Braves, Hamilton also had stints with the Pirates, including their 1979 World Championship season, and with the White Sox, Cubs and Cardinals.
In 1992, Hamilton received the industry's highest honor, receiving the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2009, in honor of his 25th season in Houston, a street outside Minute Maid Park was renamed Milo Hamilton Way. Later that year, Hamilton was named "King of Baseball" by Minor League Baseball at the annual MLB Winter Meetings.


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Judges already citing Wal-Mart ruling in environmental cases
A major Supreme Court ruling from last year that is widely predicted to reduce the number of successful class-action claims against big companies is already being cited in environmental cases.
In Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the court ruled that a massive class action of 1.5 million women employees at big-box retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. who said they were discriminated against in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act should not be certified.
Class certification is granted when a judge is persuaded that large numbers of related claims against a single defendant can be handled as a single case. It is a type of litigation that can lead to sizable judgments and big pay days for trial lawyers.
Although the court was unanimous in holding that the class should not be certified in the Wal-Mart case, Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion -- to which four other justices joined -- went further, shutting down the case and making it clear that it will be harder in the future for plaintiffs' attorneys to make huge class actions against big companies work.
Scalia stressed the need for "commonality" of claims. In other words, the bigger the company, the more delegation of authority, the more individual workplaces, the harder it will become to certify a class-action suit.
The case has been seized upon by corporate defendants in a wide range of class-action cases, including those involving environmental claims. Although the Wal-Mart case was in federal court, it is being mentioned both in federal and state court rulings.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Louisiana Supreme Court and a state court in Michigan are among courts that have already cited the Wal-Mart decision in rulings against plaintiffs in environmental cases.
"The Wal-Mart decision will likely have a major impact in environmental cases because in those cases plaintiffs' lawyers often try to bundle together highly individualized claims that have nothing in common," said Theodore Boutrous, the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher attorney who argued the case for Wal-Mart.
The Supreme Court has now explicitly rejected what he called the "trial by formula" approach that many plaintiffs' attorneys take, he added.
Scott Summy, a trial lawyer with Baron Budd in Dallas, said the ruling "will obviously be used by corporate America in an attempt to avoid class certification in many contexts, including environmental cases."
Impact on water-pollution rulings
Judge Leopold Borrello likely holds the distinction of being the first jurist to cite Wal-Mart v. Dukes in the environmental context.
On July 18 of last year, barely a month after the Supreme Court issued its decision, Borrello issued a ruling denying class certification in a case against Dow Chemical Co.
The plaintiffs alleged in Henry v. Dow that Dow had released dioxin into the Tittabawassee River flood plain from its plant in Midland, Mich.
In his decision, Borrello noted that the Supreme Court ruling "has far-reaching implications for certification of class action lawsuits, including the present case."
Relying heavily on Wal-Mart, Borrello found "the plaintiff has failed to provide this court with sufficient information to establish that the commonality prerequisite to class certification is satisfied in this case."
In the 3rd Circuit case, Gates v. Rohm and Haas, the federal appeals court tackled claims made under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as the Superfund law.
Residents of McCullom Lake Village in Illinois sued Rohm and Haas Co. and other chemical companies that operated a facility nearby. The plaintiffs asserted that the chemical companies had dumped polluted wastewater that seeped into an underground aquifer.
Judge Anthony Scirica mentioned Wal-Mart on multiple occasions in upholding a district judge's decision to deny class certification.
At one point he wrote that "in light of the Supreme Court's recent decision ... we question whether the kind of medical monitoring sought here can be certified" although the court ultimately did not decide that specific issue.
Later in the opinion, on a different question, he noted that the Supreme Court had "recently highlighted the importance of cohesiveness" in class-action claims.
The Louisiana Supreme Court issued its ruling that cited the Wal-Mart case on Dec. 6.
In Price v. Martin, the court reversed a lower court that had certified a class action against Alexandria, La.-based Dura-Wood Treating Co. The plaintiffs claimed that the company had discharged creosote and wastewater into a creek.
Noting that Louisiana law mirrors federal law on the issue, the court concluded that it was correct to take note of what the Supreme Court had said.
Therefore, "there must be some common thread that holds the claims together," Justice John Weimer wrote. "With regard to causation, plaintiffs failed to present sufficient evidence to prove the existence of that common thread."
Lasting impact?
For trial lawyer Summy, Wal-Mart v. Dukes is just one of a series of decisions that have made it harder to secure class certification in recent years.
The ruling means that lawyers representing plaintiffs will need to "use common sense in requesting certification of classes" especially in a legal climate in which courts are "more stringent than ever on granting class certifications," he added.
The post-Wal-Mart court rulings so far also illustrate how keen the defense bar is to make the most of the Supreme Court case, according to Richard Samp, a lawyer at the conservative Washington Legal Foundation.
"The decision is being cited by virtually every defendant who is opposing class certification," he said.
Click here to read the Michigan court ruling.
Click here to read the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling.
Click here to read the Louisiana court ruling.
Click here to read the Supreme Court's Wal-Mart v. Dukes ruling.
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|English Conversation Group
Event Type: Adult Education
Age Group(s): Adults
Date: 8/26/2019
Start Time: 2:00 PM
End Time: 3:00 PM
A librarian and library volunteer lead conversation groups with ESL speakers. Adults who speak English as a second language are welcome and encouraged to bring conversation topics.
Location: Classroom 1
Contact: Austin Duffy
Contact Number: (914) 422-6922
Presenter: Adult Staff


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Getty Images stock
Adjusting to the daylight saving time switch can be toughest for night owls and people who are sleep-deprived.
For many Americans, the switch to daylight saving time is an annual rite of exhaustion. Gaining that extra hour of daylight at night means losing it in the morning.
The time shift disrupts the body's natural circadian rhythm, according to sleep scientists. So the alarm clock blares just as your internal sleep-wake cycle orders you to stay snugly in bed.
It's always harder to adjust to the "spring ahead" time change (as we did Sunday morning) than to the "fall back" change (on November 4), just as it's harder to fly east than west. Circadian rhythms are likely genetically determined and not fully understood.
But research shows that the natural sleep-wake cycle is slightly longer than 24 hours. Therefore, "the circadian clock prefers us to extend our sleep in the morning when permitted," making it easier to stay asleep later than to fall asleep earlier, said Dr. James Wyatt, a specialist in sleep disorders at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Genetic traits also determine your chronotype -- whether you are a night owl or a morning lark. Owls tend to have more difficulty with the daylight-saving shift, Wyatt said.
People vary greatly in their reactions to the sleep deprivation prompted by the time change. Some 70 to 80 percent of people aren't significantly bothered, said Dr. Shyam Subramanian, director of the sleep center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, and can adjust successfully in a day or two. Others yawn their way through the week.
For them, the consequences can be grave. Rates of workplace and traffic accidents, as well as of heart attacks, rise in the days following the spring time change. One study showed a nearly 6 percent rise in workplace injuries on the Monday after the daylight-saving switch.
People already sleep-deprived are likely to have the toughest time. "With work, school, family and social obligations, most of us carry a chronic sleep debt into the weekend," Wyatt said.
Wyatt and other researchers say people then spend the weekend trying to catch up. Even if they go to bed earlier, they can't easily fight their circadian rhythm. So they end up lying awake.
Though some argue that the time change is "just an hour," that amount of time is not insignificant, said Phyllis Zee, a professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., who is president of the Sleep Research Society.
People who are nodding off will insist that they are "just resting their eyes," said Zee. "But the data shows they are impaired from an attention and safety standpoint. People are not aware of their level of impairment."
Sleep experts suggest the following tips to dealing with the time switch:
- Perk up with coffee or another caffeinated beverage in the morning; avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.
- Expose yourself to daylight soon after waking. Doing so helps adjust the circadian rhythm.
- Avoid bright light in the evening. Computer screens mimic daylight and throw your circadian rhythm off.
- Practice good sleep habits, with a comfy bed, a quiet room and white noise to drown out sounds if necessary.
- Be especially careful while driving or engaging in other activities requiring full alertness.


text: Freddie awakens from hibernation to discover he is not on his beloved Treble Clef Island. Freddie's search for home leads him through Frog Land, a strange place full of bizarre creatures all pointing him to the Bass Clef Monster, who "loves frogs." Discover the dancing bees, a moonlit cocoon garden, the fire-breathing dragon, and dare to meet the Bass Clef Monster. As in the first book, Freddie the Frog and the Thump in the Night, the lines and spaces represent a map of this eerie adventure, and the sound effects and music bring it to life.


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So happy that you have found my website!
On Lifestyle2go.com I share through weekly blogs, all my personal findings in the field of Lifestyle, which are life-enriching.
For years people have been picking my brains for tips on travel, fashion, interior, recipes, beauty, events and much more.
My creativity is partly due to the many worldwide travels I've made and the different countries and places where I have lived as a child with my parents, alone and with my family.
My work as an interior designer is something I have inherited from home. My mother was always busy with decorating and changing our interior. Subconsciously, I took the habit on as a child and made sure my room was always contemporary with a personal warm touch.
Since then I have assisted many projects, or with complete renovations, or with the intervention of the whole device with my company: MOS interiors.
As an interior specialist and editor of a lifestyle magazine, all wonderful places in the world that I have visited as well as the many people I meet on my path, have inspired me in my sense of color, space and insights into trends.
I am also very privileged to be allowed to live in an inspiring piece of world heritage: our own capital 'Amsterdam'.
Let me and my guest bloggers take you to the beautiful things in life and especially do not hesitate to provide us with your comments at the bottom of each blog-posts or on the Facebook page of Lifestyle2go.
Enjoy reading and viewing with pleasure!
Madelon Oudshoorn Spaargaren
Click here for more information.
Visiting Stockholm last june, I fell head over heels in love with this appealing city. Besides great museums and nice boutiques, there are many hip, but above all good restaurants. One of them is Sturehof, a trendy tied up hotspot, not to be visited in the evening (overcrowded).
Stockholm is amazingly fun, relaxed and green. From now on it will definitively be in my personal top 5 of best cities. We stayed at Nobis Hotel, a nice, attractive design boutique hotel. It's housed in two stylish 19th century buildings at Norrmalmstorg square, right in the centre of the shopping district.


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In the last few days, Magic Johnson has sold his share of the Los Angeles Lakers and his stake in 105 Starbucks franchises for a rumored sum in the neighborhood of $100 million. So, uh, what's going on there?
Needless to say, these sales sparked some discussion, mainly: Why would Magic be doing this? Is he having money trouble? Does he have some sort of scheme up his sleeve? It's still not 100% clear. Yesterday, after not commenting on the previous sales, Magic was quoted as saying it was "a business decision" to sell his stakes in the Lakers and Starbucks. But a business decision to what end? It's not like the Lakers and Starbucks will be depreciating any time soon.
As the Los Angeles Times's Broderick Turner points out, Magic isn't planning on joining the new ownership groups for the Warriors or Pistons, nor he is planning on buying into the Dodgers—presuming the team will be sold once McCourt divorce is finalized—so what is he going to do with the extra ~$100 million burning a hole in his pocket? Could it be the 33rd NFL franchise?
Saying he "really, really wants the NFL to come back to L.A." Magic hedged by confirming that he had not talked specifics with anyone about such a move. Obviously this would be a huge development for the NFL, and there are enough possibilities for relocation—Chargers, Jaguars, Raiders, to name three—that if Los Angeles weren't granted a new franchise, a new team could be trucked into town rather easily.
This has been an interesting week for Magic, and we're curious to see just what he's planning to do going forward. Let's just hope he's not expanding his theater chain, since all those places will be closed in a few months because of bed bug infestations. That wouldn't be a good business decision, Earvin.
Magic Johnson sells his 105 Starbucks franchises [LA Times Lakers Blog]
Magic Johnson sells Lakers for business reasons; would like to see NFL team in L.A. [LA Times Lakers Blog]


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Wizcraft International confirms the IIFA Awards team is not heading to Vancouver this year. Bids are still open for a host country for the 2013 awards ceremony
The 14th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards will not be held in Vancouver, as was announced earlier. The bid from the British Columbia government on behalf of Vancouver was rejected for 2013, said a statement from IIFA organisers, Wizcraft International.
The bidding process for the awards is currently on with a number of countries from the Middle East, South America, Europe and Africa vying for the Bollywood extravaganza to come to their city.
"The decision is subject to many contributing factors that are required of a host destination in terms of support initiatives for Hindi cinema production, funding and distribution; event-funding, support, facilitation, and infrastructure," said Sabbas Joseph, director, IIFA and Wizcraft International. "We are committed to the film Industry and hosting an IIFA in any destination must meet the larger interests of Indian cinema and a spectacular staging of the annual celebration," he added.
The dates and venue for the 2013 edition of the IIFA Weekend and Awards will be formally announced soon.
In 2011, IIFA successfully forayed into North America, marking its premiere in Canada, in the city of Toronto. Following its success there, there was keen interest from the country to play host once more in 2013, with Christy Clark, the Premier of British Columbia formally extending an invitation to the organisers to hold its 14th edition in Vancouver.
Over the years, IIFA has already been to destinations like London, Yorkshire, Johannesburg, Dubai, Amsterdam, Singapore, Bangkok, Colombo and Macau.
Source: http://www.bollywoodlife.com/trade-news-2/where-will-iifa-awards-2013-be-held/
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- Parent Category: News
East-Central Illinois Soldier Killed in Accident >
Pfc. Joseph Eveland of Mattoon, assigned to Company A, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Mattoon, was pronounced dead Sunday (May 6) at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon after an off-duty motorcycle accident.
The family of the 27-year-old Pfc. Eveland released a statement through the Illinois National Guard.
"In our darkest moment, our hearts are warmed by the collective love and support of our family, our friends, our neighbors and our community. The outpouring of support and kindness has been tremendous and we cannot thank everyone enough. Joe was an excellent father, husband, brother, son, and Soldier; he would be proud and honored. This is not an easy time for us. As we navigate this difficult journey we ask media to maintain a respectful distance."
Eveland deployed with Company A to Afghanistan as part of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in August 2008 to provide transportation and supply support for Task Force Phoenix VIII. He logged more than 3,000 miles as a gunner, with the majority in the lead truck.
"Joe was a well-liked Soldier who always knew how to make Soldiers laugh while accomplishing the mission," said Capt. Elizabeth Bickett of Lake in the Hills, Company A commander. Bickett added, "He was always upbeat and never let anything get him down. He consistently maximized his score on the Army Physical Fitness Test. There will be a big void in the alpha company ranks without Pfc. Eveland.
Eveland, a resident of Mattoon, joined the Illinois Army National Guard in October 2006 and completed basic training in September 2007. He married April May Nadolny April 17, 2010. He is survived by his wife. April, sons Jordan Lee Eveland and Cayden Hayes-Thompson and daughter Chloe May Eveland, all of Mattoon.
"The death of Pfc. Eveland marks a sad day in the Illinois National Guard," said Maj. Gen. William Enyart, Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. "When we lose an Illinois National Guard Soldier, their absence is felt throughout the ranks. On behalf of all the men and women of the Illinois National Guard, we offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Pfc. Eveland."
Visitation for family and friends will be held May 9 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Schilling Funeral Home, 1301 Charleston Ave., Mattoon.
Funeral services honoring his life will begin at 10 a.m.Thursday (May 10) at Schilling Funeral Home with a military burial following at Dodge Grove Cemetery in Mattoon.
Schilling Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
[Above news release is from the Illinois National Guard.]


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PGA Logo
Latest Class to Graduate in The PGA Professional Golf Management Program
By PGA of America
Published on
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Forty-six graduates, representing 20 states and Puerto Rico, comprised the most recent class to advance through The PGA Professional Golf Management Program. The graduates were honored in ceremonies conducted June 29, at The PGA Education Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The PGA Professional Golf Management Program, which originated in 1996, has produced 8,253 graduates. Of that total, the PGA Education Center in Port St. Lucie has produced graduates since 2002 representing 48 states, Canada, The District of Columbia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Spain, The Netherlands and the Virgin Islands. Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been twofold; to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.
The PGA Professional Golf Management graduates of June 29, 2010:
Clint Avara of Richardson, Texas Kurt J. Battenberg of McLeansville, N.C. Carlo Borunda of Rancho Santa Margari, Calif. Robert T. Brooks of Pendleton, Ore. Jason C. Bruce of Dawsonville, Ga. Michael D. Campbell of Kingwood, Texas Matthew Closter of Brighton, Mass Jack O. Crosley III of Palm Desert, Calif. Joseph W Dolby of Mountain View, Calif. Aaron M. Dressel of Sarasota, Fla. Joseph A. Fiore Jr of Calabash, N.C. Zachary J. Gavlak of Overland Park, Kan. Jason M. Gebhart of Hanover, Pa. Clemente S. Grijalva of Socorro, N.M. Soonwung Ham of Murrieta, Calif. Donald G. Hawkins of Nashville, Ill. Wesley P. Hayden of Auburn, Wash. Graham F. Honeycutt of Nashville, Tenn. Faber B. Jamerson of Appomattox, Va. David Kendall of Tacoma, Wash. John J. Kim of Granada Hills, Calif. Jon A. King of Raleigh, N.C. Timothy R. Knowles of Fort Myers, Fla. Richard D. Krebs of Spring Grove, Pa. William E. Leety of Hendersonville, Tenn. Kyle A. Mills of Punta Gorda, Fla. Edward T. Monroe of Spring Valley, Calif. Richard Ortega of Santa Ana, Calif. Youngju Park of San Diego, Calif. Joseph D. Penaflor of Phoenix, Ariz. Lucas R. Ramey of Atlanta, Ga. Jeffrey D. Ritchey of Westlake, Ohio Jose Rodriguez of Trujillo Alto, P.R. John B. Rowley of La Verne, Calif. David C. Runde of Charlotte, N.C. Benjamin B. Schade of Mendham, N.J. Robert T. Shaffer of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jon B. Spradley of Austin, Texas Peter Stracka III of Naples, Fla. Mark D. Summervill of San Diego, Calif Jeffrey K. Valliere of Gainesville, Fla. Eve M. VanderWeele of Johns Island, S.C. Nathan A. Wickline of Macon, Ga. Jamieson E. Wierenga of West Palm Beach, Fla Clayton A. Wood of Lecompte, La. Stephen M. Worthy of Guntersville, Ala.


text:
RESNET Now Offers Insurance Opportunity
A version of this article appears in the September/October 2004 issue of Home Energy Magazine.
September 01, 2004
RESNET Now Offers Insurance Opportunity With the attention given in the mass media to mold problems in buildings and the coverage of costly litigation regarding mold and indoor air quality over the past few years, more than a few contractors have thought long and hard about insurance coverage.A recent issue of Home Energy addressed this topic with articles about the challenges facing home energy raters and weatherization program providers who are seeking general liability insurance or professional liability insurance (see "Desperately Seeking Insurance," Jan/Feb '04, p. 28). General liability insurance is standard commercial insurance that covers property damage. Professional insurance covers errors and omissions on the part of the insured. The challenges facing raters and weatherization professionals looking for insurance include clients who require that raters and contractors have insurance; insurance companies that have no idea what home energy raters do; and the high cost of insurance. In California, for example, general liability insurance can cost up to $5,000 per year.Want professional liability insurance also? That will cost you up to $3,000 more in California. But thanks to efforts by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), ...
To read complete online articles, you need to sign up for an Online Subscription.
Once an order has been placed there is an automatic $10 processing fee that will be deducted with any cancellation.
The Home Energy Online articles are for personal use only and may not be printed for distribution. For permission to reprint, please send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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"Washoku" — traditional Japanese cuisine — is now likely to be designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.
A UNESCO body that screens cultural asset candidates has recommended that "washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese," gain the status, the Cultural Affairs Agency said Tuesday.
An intergovernmental panel is expected to make a final decision on listing the Japanese food culture at a meeting in Azerbaijan in early December.
Currently, 21 Japanese assets, all designated as important cultural assets by the government, are on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Washoku would be the first Japanese asset related to food to make the list.
The government proposed washoku in March 2012, saying it is closely "associated with an essential spirit of respect for nature."
"Washoku has developed as part of daily life and with a connection to annual events" such as New Year's celebrations and rice planting, and "is constantly re-created in response to changes in human relationship with natural and social environment," the government said, adding that washoku also "has important social functions for the Japanese to reaffirm identity, to foster familial and community cohesion, and to contribute to healthy life."
Washoku is nutritionally well-balanced and thus contributes to long life and the prevention of obesity, the government stressed in its proposal to UNESCO.
Japan also sought washoku's registration as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage to dispel false information about the safety of Japanese food amid the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
At present, 257 items, including oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, and knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts have received the UNESCO designation.
The 21 Japanese items on the list are eight government-designated important intangible cultural assets, including kabuki and noh, and 13 important intangible folk cultural assets, including traditional dance of the Ainu.
Four food-related items are on the list. They are French cuisine, the Mediterranean diet in Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco, Mexican cuisine and "keskek," a traditional ceremonial dish in Turkey.


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The colleges of DCCCD offer many courses for personal and professional advancement designed to broaden your personal, professional, cultural and recreational interests.
Continuing education courses are a great way to meet new people, learn a new hobby or develop a skill. Instructors come from all walks of life, bringing rich and varied experiences to the classroom.
Choose from a wide range of courses, seminars and workshops offered throughout the year. Course offerings include:
Check out our
class schedules to see the personal interest courses offered now at all of the colleges of DCCCD.
We're always adding new courses in response to your requests and community interests. Don't see the class you want?
Suggest a class, and we may offer it in the future.


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|Budget Cocktail Parties
|Budget Barbecues
|Budget Fingerfoods
Spit Roast
|Budget Weddings
|Catering Australia wide Contact budgetcatering.com.au Free call 1300 785 701 Email: [email protected]
When looking for a catering service company, it is important to look for professional caterers that provide different menus and priced-packages options that surely fit everyone's budget. Nowadays, people organize their events and parties even if they are on a strict or tight budget. They organize parties for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and even simple occasion that they want to share with their loved ones and friends. With all those occasions, high quality service is very important. It does not need to be expensive so we it is really advisable to look for various low-budget cost solutions. Money is hard to earn these days so it is just fair to look for options that will make every penny worth it. Yes, you want your wedding, birthday or anniversary to be memorable and special but would you go all out in spending just to do that? The best thing to do is to look for a catering service company that could provide the things that you want. It is good to ask for your friends' recommendations or you could even look online as different companies nowadays have official websites and also very active in social networking sites. Budget Catering is one example of catering service that caters for various occasions like weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, BBQ parties or even corporate and office parties and seminars. They want for their customers to have a one-stop professional caterers company that they could contact for any occasion that they may be having. They are very good in making simple weddings to an elegant one with the kinds of foods and of course the high quality service that they provide.If you have inquiries or you want to make reservations you could call them at 1300 785 701. Or you could also visit their office at Unit 7, 504-508 Victoria Street, Wetherill Park, Sydney, Australia 2164.
For FREE catering advice call Budget Catering NOW on 1300 785 701
Terms and Conditions and Cancellation Policy | FAQs | Budget Catering


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City of Boston hosting victory parade for Boston Red Sox
You can watch the entire parade from start to finish on WMTW News 8
It's a party that's 95 years in the making, and while the Boston Red Sox have won three World Series since 2005, Wednesday's championship victory was their first win at Fenway since 1918.
Saturday, fans will be lining the streets of Boston to cheer on the champs.
WMTW News 8 is the only place you can watch the entire parade from start to finish. We'll have live coverage starting at 9 a.m. with a special ceremony from Fenway. You can watch the coverage live on air, online and on the News 8 mobile app.
The city has instituted temporary parking restrictions along the parade route which went into effect just after midnight Saturday morning, and streets will begin to be closed off to traffic around 9 a.m. Vehicles will also be kept off the streets until 1 p.m.
Boston police will have extra staff on duty and will be randomly checking backpacks.
The parade route will follow a similar route to 2004's victory lap around Boston, starting at Fenway at 10 a.m., continuing up Boylston Street and then right into the Charles River before coming back on land to end the parade at the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston.
And a reminder if you are heading down from Maine today, the two morning Downeaster trains are sold out. Be sure to check the website or call for tickets before heading out.


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So I understand that Corona allows me to "write once," and deploy on both iPhone and Android. And I understand that I cannot get any iPhone app into the app store without having (at the moment of submission/distribution) an (Intel-based?) mac (physical hardware).
I assume that if I only own PC hardware, I will not be able to test-deploy my game to an iPhone, nor see how the performance might be on an iPhone; but given those limitations, can I expect my Corona app to work decently if it performs decently on the Windows SDK and iPhone versions?


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Worship with us Sunday at 9:00am/6:00pm and Wednesday at 7:00pm
Allen Greeley
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Country Club Road church of Christ
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(520) 326-3634


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Playing up on the shock value here, but click on through and let me tell you about this dish. Get ready for it, because it's a tease.
Note: Every Thursday, post a food photo: it can be of what you're eating, what you want to eat, etc. It can be shot with any device, from a mobile phone, tablet, to a regular camera – point & shoot or SLR. It's all up to you but it must be YOUR photo, no ripping off of somebody else's work. And please include a short description. We want to know what it is and where to eat it too, if possible.
Chefs Sau del Rosario and Jam Melchor were one of the purveyors at my Christmas Gift List event last year but they didn't serve this dish. If they had, they might've had people swooning to the floor. But it's on the menu at Villa Café, their showcase of heirloom recipes from Pampanga, from which they both hail.
A rather harmless name it is, Garlic Susu with Lemongrass (P275) and the decidedly benign description, Coriander Butter, Puff Pastry. A handwritten font with an arrow pointing at the item name reads as "extically good!" I'm unsure if I read it wrong, it could be "ecstatically good!" but the font is so stylized as to render it indecipherable.
No matter, for it arrives in a large, deep bowl. It's rather enigmatic this dish, veiled by a protective cover of puff pastry. I pierce it with a spoon and no, none of the characteristic steam escaping through. What could this be? The receptacle is large for the amount it presents, and the bits of black at the bottom are initially off-putting. They seem to scintillate in the overhead lights, the yellow glow of the bulbs further emphasizing the black bits' butter- olive oil outlines. These are the susu (suh-SOO): say it quickly, staccato-like. Snails, or if I'd like to be fancy about it, local escargot. Now that I know what it is, there's no turning back.
I take a spoonful and BOOM! It's several things simultaneously. Every chew puts up gentle resistance surrendering a gush of oil seasoned with garlic and pimiento. Somewhere on the sides of my tongue, I feel sensations of spice then saltiness, alternating like the beats of a heart – my heart! – pulsing with excitement. Tough-tender, the susu spreads out and is spooned up, a dish that initially underwhelms but when pried, offers an all-out assault that leaves me wanting more. A titillating treasury of textures and tastes, and oh what a tease this dish is.
Rip it open and be rewarded.
Villa Café
7427 Glory Building, Yakal St., San Antonio Village, Makati
0917 434.3143
02 478.2659
Open Monday to Sunday
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|Accommodation: complete Europe travel guide and accommodation. Italy vacation packages and top destinations. Italy hotels, guesthouses, villas and apartments in Rome, Florence, Venice, Sicily.
Casa Guercio
C.da Guarneri - Cefalù
Tel.: +39 921 923320 - Fax: +39 0921 923320 - Mobile: +39 333 9267672
This is a house with furniture within the Natural Park of Madonie at 7 km from Cefalù. It offers kitchen, living room, 3 bedrooms (7 sleeps), 2 bathrooms with shower. It is air conditioned. A private parking, washing machine and fridge are at your disposal. This comfortable accommodation on a hillside (Guarneri, 300 m) within Madonie National Park offers a panoramic view of 'La Calura' Bay and Cefalù promontory. With its relaxed friendly atmosphere, woods and sandy beaches nearby it is a perfect base for active or a leisure holidays.
Sleeps: 7 - Bedrooms: 3
From Cefalù, take the national road toward Messina (SS 113). At Km 182 of this road (after 3 Km from Cefalù), just after a little railway bridge numbered 29, you find at right a cross-road for Guarneri (Church).
You have to reach this church (exactly 4 Km from the cross-road) ... the house is there at 20 meters down and right of the little church.
Photo gallery
|www.rentago.net | email@example.com


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With under two days to go Paul Pogba continues to be the centre of attention as he eyes up a big move to Barcelona. Meanwhile, Chelsea are lining up a record £71.5m move for Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The English transfer window shuts tomorrow at 5pm - keep an eye on the latest comings and goings across the Premier League as the panic purchases ramp up. Hit refresh for updates


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THE TL SERIES features an open concept that will add to any room's decor and design. It's superior grade of quality glass is tempered with highly polished edges. The top shelves feature aesthetically contoured curves on the front and all corners. The TL - Video Series is not only designed for the current generation video monitors (Plasma, DLP, and LCD), but also the larger direct view TV's. The TL Series combines both the functionality for displaying and organizing your components while providing a visually impressive statement to your quality audio/video/home theater system.
Overall: 18.5" (H) x 59" (W) x 20.25 (D)Net available shelf space from top down: 10"Thickness: Top 5/16"; Bottom 1/4"
Shelf Capacity Top: 300 lbs.Bottom: 100 lbs.
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Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW) Homepage
Contact UsGeneral inquiries should be directed to:Board on Higher Education and WorkforceThe National Academies500 Fifth Street, NW WS533Washington, DC 20001Email: firstname.lastname@example.com: 202.334.2700Fax: 202.334.2725
Revised March 13, 2008
This study will assess the quality and characteristics of research-doctorate programs at institutions in the United States. The study will be conducted by a 15 person committee, and their work will be supported by an 11 person panel that will address data collection.The study will consist of:
The methodology for the study will be a refinement of that described by the Committee to Examine the Methodology for the Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the report Assessing Research-Doctorate Programs: A Methodology Study.During the first stage of the study the committee will review and finalize the recommendations of the methodology study concerning the field taxonomy for the programs, the questionnaires and data definitions. Procedures for data collection will also be developed. The next stage will be devoted to data collection at the institutions. This will begin with an institutional questionnaire to identify programs and will be followed by a program questionnaire that gathers information about the programs and the faculty participating in the programs. The faculty will then be surveyed concerning their activities, and students in selected fields will be asked to provide information related to their studies and career development. In the final stage the data will be analyzed and an on-line database will be developed and made available to the public at the end of 2007. In conjunction with the availability of the database the committee will issue a report describing how the database can be used.The committee will conduct a second phase of the study during 2008 when a group of experts will analyze the data and write essays that will be part of a final report.


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Byers Peak Ranch annexation headed to next step
Fraser, CO Colorado
The public hearing for the proposed annexation of the Byers Peak Ranch development continued Wednesday with testimony being provided by a number of citizens who voiced their concerns about the proposed development.
The continuation of the hearing was the last chance for citizens to submit verbal comments about the proposed annexation as the Fraser Board of Trustees unanimously voted to close the verbal comment period. The board also voted to allow for written comments to continue to be submitted until the public hearing continues on April 24 during the regular meeting of the Fraser Board of Trustees.
During the April 24 continuation of the hearing, the applicant for the annexation, Byers peak Properties LLC, will have the opportunity to respond to public comments as will the Fraser Board of Trustees. After both the applicants' and board's comments have been submitted, the board will deliberate about the annexation.
All information pertaining to the proposed annexation can be found at the Town of Fraser's website at frasercolorado.com. Under the government tab, click on the Board of Trustees link and the information can be found towards the bottom of the page.
You can submit a written comment about the proposed annexation to the Fraser Town Clerk Lu Berger electronically by emailing your comment to firstname.lastname@example.com or your can submit a hard copy to Berger at the Fraser Town Hall.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.


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Benchmark Media has hit the 25 year mark, and has been an established name in broadcasting, pro audio, and more recently, in the home audiophile market. Audio engineers swear by their reliable, compact, and great sounding gear that works well in a variety of listening environments. Their products have included microphone preamps, DAC's, headphone amplifiers, and many other essential tools used in critical professional applications such as recording and mastering studios.
Benchmark is based in Syracuse, New York, and their products are designed and built there. Benchmark is committed to keeping it that way, unlike some of their competitors, who have gone offshore. They are known for customer service, employee and customer loyalty, as well as solid and fairly priced products. What sometimes gets overlooked is Benchmark's reputation for cutting edge technology.
Benchmark DAC1: An Evolution
For years, Benchmark was essentially a manufactuer of pro audio gear. I like to call their penetration of the home audio market a happy accident. Several of the well known domestic and U.K. high end audio publications got samples of the DAC1 and were quite exuberant about the price to performance ratio. Once some of the better known audio journalists had put their stamp of approval on the DAC1, the flood gates opened and a wave of positive reviews followed as well as robust sales. Today Benchmark products are available in high end audio salons and web only stores.
Benchmark was quick to capitalize on this new market and kept the DAC1 moving forward with several updated incarnations. The DAC1 USB followed the original DAC1. As the name implies, it included a USB input to accommodate the growing use of computers as preferred digital source. Then came the DAC1 Pre, which was well reviewed as a very competent linestage with a highly engineered volume control. Was it a fantastic DAC with a preamp built in? Or an excellent preamp with an DAC on board? Probably both. Or how about an excellent headphone amp? Yes, all the DAC1 models also include this feature. Even though the HDR is roughly half the size of most components, it is extremely well built with a solid feel to the connectors, knobs, and chassis. The aluminum faceplate is quite luxurious for a component under $2000.
I received the latest incarnation of the DAC1, the DAC1 HDR, which retails for $1895. With this newest offering, Benchmark adds a remote control. It allows for input switching volume control, muting, and power on and off. On the analog side, the HDR offers one set of phono inputs and outputs, and one set of Nuetrik XLR outputs. On the digital side, there are 5 inputs, one USB, one TOSlink, and three coaxial. It is interesting to note that other versions of the DAC1 offer a BNC connection as well. There is an IEC connector on the back for a detachable power cord.
To sum up the back panel, there is a small toggle switch for Output Level. This a vital area to pay attention to. On the Calibrated setting, the output is factory set to 2V max. However, by opening the unit, one can increase or decrease the output in 2db increments via a trimmer that requires a small screwdriver. It should be noted, that is very important NOT to have the toggle set to Calibrated if the HDR is going to be connected directly to a power amp. Amplifier and speaker damage will most likely occur. The other options are Variable, which allow the output to be controlled via the digital volume control knob on the front panel or the remote. Another option is Mute, which does not affect the headphone output. Other options including defeating the headphone output and calibrating the headphone output level.
Benchmark claims the DAC1 family is packed with proprietary technology that puts it first in its class. I have no idea if it is first in its class, but the tech inside the DAC HDR is very interesting. The 52 page manual goes into vast detail regarding the advances, so I will only sum up the major points. First, AdvancedUSB Audio(tm) supports 96khz sampling rates and 24 bit word lengths and is plug and play with no software installation required. It is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Mac OS X. Secondly, their HDR-VC(tm) (High Dynamic Range Volume Control) claims to sacrifice nothing sonically, which traditional volume controls do. It is based on a custom Alps motor driven potentiometer. Finally, Benchmark's ace in the hole is their 100% jitter proof UltraLock system ™, which Benchmark claims makes all the digital inputs perform superbly.
I set up the DAC1 HDR first as a straight ahead DAC in Calibrated mode. It was connected to my "secondary" system via my Squeezebox3 network server on TOSlink and my Marantz CD 5003 via a coaxial cable. The analog output of the HDR then went into my Belles preamp. My usual DAC is a Channel Islands Audio VDA-2 with its matching external power supply. First impressions of the DAC1 HDR were extremely good; clean, detailed, and focused sound. I must have read a good dozen reviews of Benchmark products and it was a pleasure to finally hear what all the fuss was about. While listening to FLAC files via the Squeezebox, I was impressed. The same applies when I used the Marantz as a transport. Images were very nicely defined with good bass weight. Comparing the analog output of the player was a bit tricky, as the Marantz was a bit warmer and the Benchmark was more detailed.
Comparing the Benchmark and the CIA was an exercise in futility. Sometimes I preferred the CIA, sometimes the Benchmark. A tough call. Sonically, the CIA was again, a bit warmer, and the Benchmark was slightly leaner. During my second experience with USB audio, I plugged my little Dell notebook laptop running Windows XP and iTunes into the USB input of the Benchmark with the supplied cable. Long ago, my first experience with USB audio was unimpressive. The sound felt boxy, closed in and not comparable to a CD player. The Benchmark really surprised me here. I was quite amazed at how good the files on the laptop sounded compared to CD equivilent. They were so close that I would probably chalk up differences to slight differences in output level; a definite ear opener for sure. And mind you, I am not a fan of audio directly off a computer. But it sounded damn good through the Benchmark.
Next up, I used the HDR as a preamplifier and a DAC. I toggled the output switch to Variable, connected the HDR to my Revox power amp, and off I went. I was pretty blown away at how good the Benchmark functioned in this capacity. It was very dynamic and clean with excellent soundstaging. This was not some thrown together, full function preamplifier for convenience; this was the real thing. One would do very, very well to make this the centerpiece of a digital setup, connecting a transport and a music server as well. You gain very short signal paths, a dynamic presentation and a small footprint. If you have an analog source component, it can be accommodated. Limitations? Sure, there is only one analog input and no preamp out for use with an active subwoofer. Nitpicking aside, Benchmark has opened up a whole new market by adding remote control capability.
Switching inputs was lightning fast and the digital signals were locked in very quickly. A word of warning: the HDR ran surprisingly warm during my audition. It actually generated more heat than any other component in the rack. I would recommend a decent amount of ventilation around the unit.
After about a week in my bedroom system, I moved the Benchmark into my main room and fed it the digital output of the Marantz SA-11S2 SACD player (reviewed here) via a QED coaxial digital cable. I also fed it the output of the Naim CD5 XS via a custom DH Labs BNC to RCA digital cable. Some of the same things I heard in earlier comparisons were still apparent. The Naim and Marantz via their analog outputs were a bit chunkier and warmer. The Benchmark was slightly leaner, a bit airier, and more detailed. Again, pick your preference. There was a level of transparency that was quite stunning. Details in studio recordings were laid threadbare and little things like reverb decays, acoustic guitar strums, and delicate cymbal splashes were startling in their clarity. Some of this clarity may seem to some as a bit clinical, but that depends on what camp you are in. Do you want to know exactly what is on the digital file or disc you are listening to or do you prefer it a bit sugar coated and wrapped in a little velvet?
I enjoyed a wide variety of music while evaluating the Benchmark. Older, analog recordings sounded really alive, and somewhat benefited from the HDR's presentation. For example the track "Chime of a City Clock, from the late genius Nick Drake, found on his 2nd album, Bryter Later, sounded like something recorded by a current indie darling, rather than a 40 year old song, which it is. I recently bought the Simon & Garfunkel Complete Columbia Studio Recordings and was amazed at how much sparkle and texture was on those old records. To throw one more oldies example, on a whim I threw on some late 80's to mid 90's Duran Duran. Even with their more synthetic productions, the Benchmark organized everything well, and it was interesting to not that some of Duran's mid period work would sound right at home in the current environment, with the resurgent genre of electro pop.
Moving on to the year 2010, I really enjoyed soul revivalists Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings I Learned the Hardway. This album, ironically, is a new recording masquerading as a classic analog production, tape saturation and all. I really felt I was at the mixing board on this one, with punchy horns and syncopated bass lines really rocking the joint. Another recent purchase I find my self returning to is Veckatimest, by a very cool band called Grizzly Bear. It is a textured album, recalling a bit of Pink Floyd mixed in with freak folk. The HDR spread the soundstage wide and deep, with excellent focus. On lesser systems, this album can sounded jumbled, as some of the tracks are quite dense with psychedelic vibes. One final musical example is the album of the year for me, Bonfires on the Heath, by the English band The Clientele. The dreamy tracks seemed to float free of the speakers, with a nice balance of obsessive studio detail and real musical involvement.
Benchmark's reputation and fast rise into the home audiophile market is justly deserved in my opinion. Benchmark has responded to the demands of the marketplace, adding features to the DAC1 and maintaining a high standard of quality. I was very impressed with the HDR as a preamp, a USB DAC, and of course, as a DAC. I did not use the HDR as headphone amplifier, as I am not a huge headphone listener, but several other reviewers have raved about it in that capacity.
If accuracy, neutrality, and a very detailed sound is what you seek from your digital music collection, the Benchmark delivers in spades. If you like warmed over, lush, or retro sounding source components, you may want to look elsewhere. I can conclude by telling you if I was building another system from scratch, it would more than likely include the DAC1 HDR to serve both as linestage and DAC for a music server and transport. I don't believe you can do better if you are looking for a made in the USA DAC and preamplifier for $1895. Buying a separate DAC and remote controlled preamp will without a doubt set you back more, and in my opinion, with no benefit of added performance. The small footprint, five digital inputs, and even balanced outputs make this an extremely versatile product.


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Prep notebook: Lewis-Palmer's Justin Smith commits to Idaho State
Justin Smith, a crucial cog in Lewis-Palmer's state championship run in boys basketball last season, has committed to Idaho State according to his club and high school coaches.
Smith, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound small forward averaged 12.4 points and 5.0 rebounds for Lewis-Palmer last season. He hit what turned out to be the winning 3-point shot in the 4A championship game win over Sierra. This season, he'll be expected to take an even larger role for the Rangers.
Smith will join former Fossil Ridge standout Chris Hansen at Idaho State. Hansen signed there this spring after spending a year at a junior college.
He plays club basketball for the Colorado Chaos. Read more…


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