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If you're interested in Ad Kapone's and Totally Insane's early history, please scroll down to read a lengthy article.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : How did two of you get signed to In-A-Minute Records?
[ Ad Kapone ] : Me, Mac-10 (aka Ten Dolla), T.C. and our executive producer Manny The Black was moving cds out of the trunk of our cars and a closet of my house on Alberni, East Palo Alto so fast that it got out of our control. We had no idea of what running a record label was like, we just freestyled thru it. We got introduced to Jason Blaine - the owner of In-A-Minute Records / Music People Distribution - thru Master P, so we approached him for distribution. The album "Direct From The Backstreet" was selling so many units we couldn't press them fast enough and Jason wanted in on the Totally Insane goldmind. So he offered us a 5 year, 3 album deal and offered us 30 thousand dollars. We signed late 1991, we would release 3 albums and end our contract in 1995.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : See, we wouldn't like to talk deeply about each and every release of yours as it would definitely take too much time. However please elaborate on the milestones - "Direct From The Backstreet", "Goin Insane" and "Backstreet Life" - what's the history behind them, what was the acclaim, what do you think about them from today's perspective?
[ Ad Kapone ] : After we met T.C. in late 1989 we recorded an album titled "Crazy Shit" in mid 1990, unfortunately before it could be released our executive producer and good friend Micheal (Mike D) Washington was gunned down in North Oakland. Due to disputes and disagreements with his older brother we were unable to release the album, so we teamed up with our new executive producer Manny and recorded "Direct From The Backstreet" in 7 days, little did we know that "Direct From The Backstreet" would become a West Coast classic and help establish Bay Area rap and catapult us into legend status. After the huge success of "Direct From The Backstreet" in 1993 the pressure was on us to create a follow-up to such a big album, it was crazy, not to mention being 19 years old with 2 kids, an underground star, dozens of run-ins with the law and living on the frontline in the murder capital of America.
So we went to the Enhancer at Bayview Studio and began recording our second album "Goin Insane". We wanted to put a more hardcore touch to the album and just wrote and said how we were feeling at the time and share some of what we were goin' thru. "Goin Insane" was a metaphor for how East Palo Alto was goin' crazy in 92 and 93. Not to mention the behind the scene music drama, management issues and issues with In-A-Minute Records. We wasn't sure how the public would receive "Goin Insane" or if we could top "Direct From The Backstreet", so we just threw the dice and bet on insane, the bet would pay off, "Goin Insane" topped "Direct From The Backstreet", opened us up to a broader fan base and put us in the top 20 of the Billboard charts.
1995 rolled around and it was toward the end of our contract with In-A-Minute Records. We wasn't satisfied with the way we were getting paid and was anxious to leave and search for something bigger and better, even though In-A-Minute helped make Totally Insane a brand. It wasn't personal, it was only business, (much love to In-A-Minute Records, Jason and Elliot Blaine). We had successful albums, traveled the nation and hundred of thousands of fans, not to mention a hit song on Master P's "Westcoast Bad Boys" which went gold, maybe platinum now. We wanted to go out with a bang rather than drop some bullshit out of anger, so we began recording our third album "Backstreet Life". Even though we had mountains of pressure on us we went into the studio and had fun. Everyday was like a party in the studio and it came out in the creative process, in my opinion "Backstreet Life" is the best album we released at In-A-Minute.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : When did Scoot Dogg join your team? How did it happen?
[ Ad Kapone ] : Scoot Dogg has always been around us, we grew up with Scoot, he always had fire. As a matter of fact my grandmother immigrated from South America, San Andreas island Columbia and Scoot's grandmother adopted my grandmother so she could stay in America (he probably didn't even know that). He officially joined the group in 1997 when Ten went to prison. We began recording an album titled Totally Insane presents "Bomb Threat" with T.C. The Enhancer and Felony Records (what's up J). 4 years before 9/11 we was almost done with it when Ten got released early to sheriff work program. That's where track like "So Real" and "The Newz" (which is one of Totally Insane's most popular songs) was recorded for "Bomb Threat". So we went back to Enhancer's. T.C. whipped up more tracks, my nigga Big Drawz laced us with hits and we recorded our 4th album - Totally Insane introducing Scoot Dogg - off the now legendary group Dem Hoodstarz.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : "Da Game Of Life" dropped in around 2001. What happened in subsequent years? Why didn't fans hear anything new from Totally Insane?
[ Ad Kapone ] : "Da Game Of Life" dropped early 2001, unfortunately I got locked up Februray 26 2001 on a possession of 480 grams of cocaine (almost half a kilogram) and was sentenced to 8 years in prison. I served 6 years (85%) of the 8 years and was released on February 22 2007. Even though I was away and couldn't help promote the album it was still a success due to the Totally Insane's legacy.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : When you left the pen you recorded your debut solo "The K Word" - tell us a bit more about it. Why is it so hard-to-get?
[ Ad Kapone ] : I jumped back into the studio at the end of 2007, beginning of 2008. I recorded "The K Word" (my first solo album) to explain a little about what happened to me and let the fans know the real, that I was still in the game and that I was back. It was hard recording my first solo album, it was weird not having Ten helping me create and Scoot was established with Band-Aide (who started in a group Neva Legal that I produced) and Dem Hoodstarz was a huge success. I recorded "The House Of Pain" (which features Dem Hoodstarz and my son Lil Ad), a tribute to the house we all grew up in on Alberni. I financed the album myself off work checks and paid features and it was hard trying to manage an album with all the different things I was going thru, being fresh out of prison, not fully understanding how much the game had changed, family, finance, living situation, probation, relationships. I pressed up a couple thousand units and they went so fast I knew I was still relevant. But I lost control and then tragedy. My mother had a stroke that nearly killed her. I had spine surgery that saved me from being paralyzed from the neck down, I kind of just let "The K Word" fall off, luckily for me I signed a deal with Ingrooves / Empire Distribution to release the album electronically on the Internet (I wasn't a total fuck up). "The K Word" is online now - check it out.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : 2010 brought your sophomore release. To be honest not everybody's aware of it yet. What can people hear on it?
[ Ad Kapone ] : After I got a clear head from everything that was going on in my life things started turning around. 2009 was a rough year for me, I struggled a lot, I was homeless for a minute had to go into a shelter with my wife, 2 step kids, and a sick mother. I was still attempting to track down money owed to Totally Insane and put a stop to people eating of us these past 6 years or more and we wasn't getting a dime. But 2010 brightened up for me. I went back into the studio and began recording my sophomore solo album "Kingpin The 6 Year Theory" with a new team, some new producers including T.C., built my own studio and established the record label me and Ten started 15 years ago (The Insane Empire). It was released on August 31 2010 digitally and my video "Representin / The Villian In Black" was released on youtube on November 1 2010.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : I was kind of surprised that an OG like you initially went for "digital only" album. What made you do it? Are you going to press it anytime soon?
[ Ad Kapone ] : I went digital, because of the decline in cd sales, I'm relearning the rap game at this time, because it changed drastically in 6 years from 2001 to 2007. I'm on training wheels with my label, but I'm learning fast. I will be releasing physical copies very soon, I'm just trying to get my buzz back right now and let everyone know the legend is alive.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : You are in the game for like 20 years now. What are the main differences between recording now and back in the days?
[ Ad Kapone ] : It's easier to record now, it's all computerized, back in the days it was more technical more of a process, striping the reel, or formatting the ADATs, studios was more expensive to book and build. Videos are even a lot cheaper now, you'd spend 10, 15, 20 thousand dollars and your only video outlet was MTV or BET as opposed to the Internet now. Everybody got reasons, protools, fruity loops, recycle at they house or in they garage now.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : What do you think about the whole digital game? Is it an opportunity for artists or a curse?
[ Ad Kapone ] : I think digital is cool, it helps independent labels compete better with majors. It levels the playing field and stops majors from monopolizing on record stores and retail outlets and shutting independents out. The bootlegging and hacking is what's killing the game, they are stealing food out of the artists' and labels' mouths. The Internet could be used to give every artist an opportunity to be heard even if they don't have a big budget and it gives competition from hungry artist and makes them step they game up.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : Right now there are also way more rappers repping EPA. Who do you consider the most important factors from your hometown nowadays?
[ Ad Kapone ] : I think Dem Hoodstarz picked up where Totally Insane left off as far as rawness and owning they own brand. I love all the artists from EPA, but I feel that Hoodstarz is out there pushing the line the hardest right now for EPA. They smashing on major artist, makin'em respect us, the music is edgy, grimy and original, they look their concepts are on point. But my group T.I.E. is gonna cause problems for a lot of artists everywhere in a major way. T.I.E. consists of veterans like Chunk and Young Life, new comers DB Da Gamblah, Mz Kelly Kkapone and semi vet Assasin Alias Tone. My dudes Neva Legal is back in the lab too (Neva Legal is the group Band-Aide of Dem Hoodstarz originated from, that I produced) they hard as hell too.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : Is there any chance for another Totally Insane record?
[ Ad Kapone ] : I would love to do a lot more Totally Insane albums, if Ten and TC said "AD come on" I'd drop what I'm doing on the spot, Totally Insane is the foundation.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : Do you have any concrete plans for the nearby future - musicwise - that you could share?
[ Ad Kapone ] : Yes, my label is getting stronger, I got strong artists, producers and management. My staff at the Insane Empire is so diverse and dedicated we could be the next Death Row, G-Unit, No Limit, Cash Money, Bad Boy, hopefully even Def Jam, but that's reaching lol.
[ BayUndaground.com ] : Big thanks for this interview, Ad.
[ Ad Kapone ] : Thanks for the opportunity, Bay Undaground. I think I touched on a lot. Just check out my albums "The K Word" and "Kingpin The 6 Year Theory", my new group T.I.E. dropping early 2011, all the classic Totally Insane music available online. Our youtube channel www.youtube.com/theinsaneempire1, MySpace, Twitter and checkout my new video "Representin / The Villian In Black" on youtube. Like Ice Cube says "google me biiitch".
Be also sure to check Ad Kapone's ReverbNation page. Digital version of "Kingpin: The 6 Year Theory" can be purchased at Amazon.
History of Totally Insane
written by Ad Kapone
It all started in EPA California. Me Kapone (Adam Hicks) and Mac Ten (Philip Allen). We became friends in kindergarden. By elementary school we got introduced to rap music, we started rapping and break dancing on the school playground. We both went to Ravenswood Middle School, that's when we took it to the next level. We were introduced to Ms. East, our drama teacher. She taught us an appreciation for music, dance and performing. Ten already had musical background, he played the drums and piano at his grandmother's church (Big Mama Vaghn). We started doing plays and holiday assemblies at school. When we told Ms. East about our rappin' she made it possible for us at recess lunchtime and created an after school program to allow us to practice our raps and perform. We built a crew called the K.O.D. (Kings Of Def). The crew was deep. It was me, Ten, Glenny Glenn (Glen Spotwood), Tiny T (Tyrone Burst), The E (Eric Rizzell), Icee D (Donnie Fambro), Spicy D (Dajuan Brown), Brucie B (Bruce Leapoga), Chunk (Leon Aiyers) and Doc Louie (Steven Williams). We started doing local talent shows but we were losing, because we were disorganized. So my mom, Momma Kapone, got us together in my living room and backyard and helped choreograph us. We wasn't no New Edition or nothin', we just needed to learn to be organized on stage. Plus our arch nemesis J.V.C. led by my homeboy C-Funk, Captain Crunch at the time Marcus McKinley had they shit tight. They kept killin' us in talent shows. We worked hard and got our shit tight. We entered this big talent show in San Jose called The Jabber Walk. Ms. East got us into the show and had confidence in us that we could win. We had one problem - Ten's grandmother wouldn't let him come and he was a big factor in our group. She was very religious and I guess she didn't feel that the music we did was appropriate. But knowing how sweet and kind she was, on top of being very strict, she just didn't understand. So I convinced my mom to go talk to her and she convinced her to let him come.
Right before the summer of 1989 we won 2nd place. After that show the KOD dismantled. Tiny T moved to Mississippi, Icee D moved to Sac and the rest of the members just faded away. A couple of weeks before our show that put us on the map, the Juneteenth festival, Ten moved to Mountain View to live with his aunt. This was our one and only chance to defeat our rivals JVC. So the remaining members, me, Chunk, Doc Louie and E got ready for battle. JVC tore the house down. They performed right before us. Nervous as hell, we took the stage. We did good, but we couldn't beat JVC, their shit was too tight. We had one more chance to prove ourselves at the talent show at Kelly Park, also known as the Onetta Harris Community Center in Menlo Park. We had to come with something hot. I remember back at Ravenswood, Doc Louie bought this kinda like a portable Kareoke machine, it had 2 mics and we could play an instrumental and rap over the beat. All this time we were doing the beat box but it was time to take it to the next level. We had this song called "Cartoons" that Ten used to play the piano on, it was actually his song and we couldn't do it without him. Me and Doc used to do "Rock The House" by Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, featuring Ready Rock C on the beat box, so Doc used to do the beat while I did Fresh Prince's part, it was hella tight. Going through some of my mom and Doc's mom's old records we came across "Do Wa Ditty" by Zap and came up with a some called "Ad and Docs In The Place To Be". With that and my remix of "Rock The House", we had strong weapons.
I was introduced to Sean T through Chunk. He lived on the other side of town called The Gardens or the "G", me and Chunk used to catch the bus or ride our bikes over to Sean's house, Sean had the beat machines and keyboard and turntables in his house. Back then I thought Sean was the shit, he made tight beats and me and Chunk recorded a few songs over at his house. We had this one called "Smooth" to Zapps "Be Alright", the one 2Pac used for "Keep Your Head Up". At that time, the summer of 88, Doc and his mom had fallen out and so he moved with his aunt and started grindin' and gettin' his hustle on. So he took some money and rented some studio time at this place behind my house that me and my homies used to hop the fence, break in and steal boxes of Too Shorts old "75 Girls" and "Born To Mack" tapes, called Music Annex. We recorded "Ad And Doc", and "Mic 1,2 Reality" which we started calling ourselves Facing Reality. As Chunk was spending more and more time working with Sean T working on solo projects, me and Doc was at Music Annex until it got too expensive. Luckily Doc's uncle Jabbo had a studio at his house and we started recording there.
The big day had come, the talent show at Kelly Park, the house was packed but again, another problem had arose. The spot that Doc was hustlin' at and me and Chunk's part of town had beef, due to my homeboy and his disagreements, plus we had a new threat - The KS Rappers (a group of youngstas like ABC Anotha Bad Creation - Quazzar, Reese Cup and my homeboy Scoot Dogg). I had heard they were tight but we didn't know they were that tight, plus JVC. It was almost time to go on, it was a lot on tension in the air. It had already been a fight in the parking lot and Doc hadn't showed up yet. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and when I turned to see who it was it was Ten, he heard we was performing and came to see JVC and KS Rappers rocked the house and now it was our turn. Doc had ran in right on time, I insisted that Ten come on stage with us. We had about a minute or 2 until we went on, I was nervous as hell. We went outside, got some fresh air in my head, I was praying that I don't mess up. This is our night to prove ourselves in front of our whole city. We heard them calling our names to the stage, I heard the crowd clap and cheer, we let Ten go on and get the crowd hype, then we came on with the "Rock The House" number, then me and Chunk went into the "Smooth" song, then Chunk went into a song he did that I did the hook on. Then we went into "Ad And Doc", the crowd went wild, so wild that a fight broke out then gun shots rang out. 2 people was shot, people were getting trampled over and stampeded on. The police made a couple arrests. The next day in the newspapers front cover read "A Riot Breaks Out At Talent Show And Rap Group 'Facin Reality' Is To Blame". That would be the end of "Facin Reality" and the birth of Totally Insane.
The fall of 1988 was rough, Doc had gotten into trouble and moved back to Texas, me and Chunk continued doing music together. The next coming school year we was starting high school and me and Chunk couldn't attend the same school because of the areas we lived in. I lived in Midtown so I had to go to Carlmont High, Chunk lived in Menlo Park so he had to go to Menlo Atherton. The school year had started and I had to take the long bus ride to school. Carlmont is a predominantly white school so we had some problems, we couldn't wear Buckwheat or Doing Da Butt shirts, we couldn't wear "EPA is Kickin It" shirts, nothing that they thought was offensive, but the white dudes could wear Megadeth shirts with skeletons and shit on them, I knew this was gonna be fucked up.
One day I'm sitting at home and theres a knock on the door, it was the summer of 89, when I opened it it was Ten. He said that he had moved back to his grandmothers and he would be going to Carlmont in the fall. Aw shit, it was on, we started kickin' it like we used to, we even did the Juneteenth festival that year and turned it out. One day I'm walking home from summer school, I'm walkin' down Westminister St. when my homie Mike D called me over to his 1979 cocaine white Cadillac Broham with the 14 inch 75 spoke Zeniths and Vogues - see Mike was one of (if not the biggest) hustlas in our neighborhood. Along with both of his brothers Ray (Burger) and Chris (C-Dub) may all 3 of them rest in peace. He said "Yeah Lil Ad (Lil Ad was the name I grew up with, my father Big Adam was a well known hustla in my city) I saw all y'all at the Juneteenth, y'all was tight". I said "Thank you" and he said "have y'all ever thought about recording songs"? I said "we did a few" and he said "no, I'm talking about at a professional studio, maybe cutting a single or an album". I said "yeah, but we don't have the money to do it, it's expensive". He pulled a wad of hundreds out of his pockets, he said "nigga, the money ain't shit, I got that, you find out how much the studio costs and let me know". I ran home top speed and jumped on the phone, called Ten and told him what Mike said. He said he knew this dude named Zero Lark (Andre Gibson) that got a demo, he said he recorded in San Francisco at Bank Roll Studios and a dude named TC (TC Witherspoon) produce the tracks, the studio is owned by Nate Banks. It's the same studio that Cougnut and IMP (Ill Mannered Posse) records at. My boy Gayland had put me on to IMP a while back and I was a big fan so I said "cool, get the number for me". He called me back and gave me the number, I called and talked to TC, he gave me a quote for 100 hours of studio time. As soon as I got off the phone I ran around the corner to Mike and told him, he pulled out 2 bundles of money and said "is this enough"? I had never seen that much money in my life, he put it in a grocery bag. Nervous and scared, I ran home. When I reached home my mom was pulling into the driveway, I ran in the house and threw the bag on my bed, my mom busted in my room and asked "what the hell is your problem Adam"? I sat her down and told her everything. I could tell by the look on her face she was kinda leary but she saw how excited I was, plus she knew how serious I was about rapping, she knew Mike all his life and knew his mother, so she helped me count all the money he gave me, even went and bought me a receipt book and showed me how to fill out receipts and keep records.
The first time we went to Bankroll Studios there was all kind of flipped gangsta cars in front, Cougars, Mustangs, Suzuki Samaris, Cadillacs and Cutlasses, even a few Mercedes, everything had rims on it. When we entered it was beat shaking the windows - I heard a familiar voice comin' from the speakers, it was Cougnut. He was recording "Merciless" which would become a Bay Area classic. We booked the studio time but we had a problem - me and Ten was only 14, we didn't have a car, so at first we started ridin' with Zero in his tan 64 Impala. One day he had brought a female named MC Silk to do a song with us (LaTrice Brown). She was so tight we immediately made her a part of the group. We were called 10 Thousand Maniacs, then NGC (Niggaz Gone Crazy).
By early 1990, Mike and Zero had a fall out and Mike kicked him out the group. Me and Ten had broke a rule that Mike had laid in stone, we both started hustlin', we both bought cars and stayed in the studio, we was hustlin' behind Mike's back. Well at least we thought until one night I'm outside my house making money, I got a friend named Dirty Harry serving for me. I had just got off the phone with Ten, Silk and Mike, we had discussed how NGC sounded too much like NWA who was the shit, so just off the top of my head I said "fuck it, Totally Insane", I got it from a verse I had used in one of our songs "2 Stoges". Everybody loved it so it was official. A white RX-7 hit the block, I gave the head nod to Harry, he signaled the car down to the corner. I have Harry 2 rocks and followed him half-way to the corner which was like a house and a vacant lot away from my house, as Harry ran up to the car all I saw was bright lights from every direction. Luckily I threw my sack on my neighbor's roof before they drew their guns and yelled "freeze"! See Harry had served the undercover 20 mins before, and brought me the money. So when they checked all the bills in my pocket, they found the marked money, so I went to Juvenile Hall where I stayed for 3 months during the holidays.
Then I was sentenced to a 90 day revue at Glenwood Boys Ranch. I was at Glenwood for 30 days before I got my first visit, it was a Saturday, my mom and my nephew Pooter came to see me. They had my favorite KFC - hot wings, cheesecake, strawberry Welch's, a radio, Chunk's album "Menace To The Game" (Chunk had signed to Tandem Records, he hooked up with C-Funk and Sean T and made a Bay Area classic). I was sprung. Especially when I heard the skit they had did in my honor, "Don't bring Adam and them 'cause they don't know how to act. Who? Adam and them!". And I heard Ten and Silk was doing a show that night with DJ Quik. I laid in my bunk all night staring at the ceiling. The next day I wrote 2 songs, "From A to D" and "Trouble Man". I was released April 24th 1990. April 25th I recorded both songs, 2 days later I redid a song I had "What You Know". Before we released the 10-song album which included a song called "Mike D Speaks", the only song Mike ever spoke on, Silk and Mike had a falling out and Silk moved to Florida. So we was back in the studio working on a new album, just me and Ten. The album was called "Crazy Shit" and would've been a bomb ass album but was cut short by the tragic murder of Mike D in late 1990.


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Hollywood starlet Jennifer Lawrence has blasted shamed producer Harvey Weinstein for using her name amid his ongoing legal battle with several women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.
Weinstein's empire came crashing down in October 2017 when more than 30 women including Rose McGowan, Cara Delevingne, Kate Beckinsale and Gwyneth Paltrow came forward to accuse his of sexual misconduct.
He is currently facing a class action suit filed by six women who claim that Weinstein and his company threatened female staff and covered up Weinstein's alleged sexual misconduct.
Documents obtained by Page Six citied several famous women including Lawrence who have supported Weinstein.
"Jennifer Lawrence, who told Oprah Winfrey she had known Weinstein since she was 20 years old and said 'he had only ever been nice to me,' and Meryl Streep, who stated publicly that Weinstein had always been respectful to her in their working relationship."
Well, the 27-year-old Red Sparrow star didn't take too kindly to being used as a character witness.
"Harvey Weinstein and his company are continuing to do what they have always done, which is to take things out of context and use them for their own benefit," she told TMZ "This is what predators do, and it must stop."
She added: "For the record, while I was not victimized personally by Harvey Weinstein, I stand behind the women who have survived his terrible abuse and I applaud them in using all means necessary to bring him to justice whether through criminal or civil actions. Time's up."
Lawrence, who worked with The Weinstein Company on the 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook, which earned the actress an Academy Award, was referring to the Time's Up equality campaign which is rapidly gaining traction in the film industry.
Her takedown of Weinstein come hours after she hit back at those who criticized her for wearing a revealing dress to a London press event where he male co-stars wore coats and scarves.
"This is sexist, this is ridiculous, this is not feminism," she said in a post on Facebook. "Over-reacting about everything someone says or does, creating controversy over silly innocuous things such as what I choose to wear or not wear, is not moving us forward. It's creating silly distractions from real issues."
"That Versace dress was fabulous, you think I'm going to cover that gorgeous dress up with a coat and a scarf? I was outside for 5 minutes. I would have stood in the snow for that dress because I love fashion and that was my choice."

subset: commoncrawl


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Do you wanna rock, do you wanna roll or just learn to stroll? 1950's jive is all about makin' your kitten look GREAT and us kats look COOL!
Jive classes (Wednesday nights) and Rock 'n' Roll dance nights (dates vary – check What's On page for updates)
Instruction in original 50s jive with Ray and Nicky of the Rock Til U Drop jive club.
Entry £6.00
Bar open for refreshments
Starter Class 7:30 – 8:30 pm | Intermediate Class 8:45 – 9:30 pm
For more info about the classes, the Rock Til U Drop jive club or how to book demonstrations call Ray on 07916 254375 or visit the Rock Til U Drop jive club web page here.
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Toms River, NJ – Organizers of the 21st Annual New Jersey State Chili & Salsa Cook-off are pleased to announce the second annual children's coloring contest in conjunction with the festival. In keeping with the theme of the festival, the contest entry form features a large chile pepper for contestants to decorate. Winners will receive recognition on the Downtown Toms River website, be introduced on stage at the festival and receive a $25 AMEX gift card.
Michael Redpath, Executive Director for Downtown Toms River, the group that organizes the festival, says, "We really enjoyed viewing the creativity exhibited by the children in last year's contest, and we look forward to receiving even more entries this year." The deadline for entries is May 3 at 5:00 p.m. The contest is open to children ages 3 to 12 years of age. A panel of judges will select one winner in each age category based on entry creativity. Age categories are: 3 – 5 years, 6 – 8 years and 9 – 12 years. One winner will be selected for each age group. Entry forms can be printed from the Downtown Toms River website www.downtowntomsriver.com or picked up at the following locations: the Community Connection booth at the Ocean County Mall, Downtown Toms River's office, in the Children's section of the Ocean County Library, Toms River branch, and the information desk of Toms River's Town Hall. See entry form for complete contest rules.
The 21st Annual New Jersey State Chili & Salsa Cook-off takes place Saturday, May 15 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Washington Street in Downtown Toms River. It's a fabulous family festival where attendees can indulge their spicy side while tasting a large assortment of chilies and salsas. Contestants from all over New Jersey and beyond will be cooking up a variety of fresh chili and salsas as they compete for prize money and the International Chili Society New Jersey "state champion" title. The festival kicks off with a fun parade down Washington Street and offers something for the whole family, including crafters, vendors, musical entertainment, children's inflatable rides, games, chili eating contests and food.
The NJ State Chili & Salsa Cook-Off is sponsored by Comcast, United Water Toms River, New Jersey Natural Gas, Capone's Gourmet Pizza & Restaurant, Extra Space Storage, Allen Consulting and radio stations Magic 100.1 WJRZ and The WRAT. For information on registering to compete in the chili and salsa cook-off, contest rules and entry fees, visit www.chili-nj.com or call 732-946-2711. For additional information on this event or other Downtown Toms River events or to volunteer to assist with them, call 732-341-8738 or visit www.downtowntomsriver.com.
ISB Mortgage Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Short Hills-based Investors Savings Bank, licensed to handle loans in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Investors Savings Bank has been serving the banking needs of New Jersey families since 1926. With over $5.9 billion in assets and a network of 52 branches in nine Garden State counties, the Bank delivers personalized and friendly service and products tailored to the needs of customers. The range of products includes mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, a variety of checking and savings accounts as well as CDs, which are available at competitive rates. The Bank is also providing financing and banking services to the commercial real estate community. Investors Savings Bank is a member of FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.


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Like many people, I am a hypocrite. I advocate for the most right-on causes. I think we should protect workers rights, and stand up to the immense powers of the corporations. I vote for politicians who will stick up for the little guy. But I also enjoy the convenience of Amazon Prime, and its ability to make practically any product appear on my doorstep within 24 hours, even though I know they bully publishers and give people in their warehouses zero-hours contracts. I upload my photos to Google Photos, even though I know that they're datamining everything about my life from them. And I regularly use Uber to get around when there isn't a convenient bus… or if I'm feeling lazy, even though… well, everything.
I admit this because I presume I'm not alone. This is what modern capitalism is like. As an accidental neoliberal sellout/centrist/(insert your red-rose-twitter term of abuse here), this is why it massively pains me to write in defence of Uber - a hugely controversial company whose services I have enjoyed in the past.
This morning, Transport for London (TfL) made the shock decision not to renew Uber's license to operate in the capital, saying that the company is not "fit and proper" to operate. Uber's current license expires on the 30th September, so in just over a week, you might find yourself unable to summon a ride home after a late night out.
Image: Flickr
In the immediate term, Uber has said that it will appeal, so there might even be a court battle. There will - inevitably - also be a bunfight in the media as both sides seek to justify their decisions to the public at large. So while this happens, Uber will probably continue operating - unless it decides to abandon London all together. (Something it has done before to cities that it has found uncooperative.)
In a press release explaining the decision, TfL cites a number of concerns with the company, such as its approach to reporting serious criminal offences, medical checks, and criminal record checks. Uber's use of "greyball" software that prevents regulators from being able to properly check out its services.
These are all serious problems - and Uber is far from the good guy in this scrap, having previously had a - let's say conflicted - relationship with regulation at best. In recent years for example, the company has come under persistent criticism for the way it classifies drivers - there is a debate about whether they should be treated like employees, with all of the working rights that entails, or whether they're more like independent contractors who can be hired and fired on a whim, with no need for regular wages. You can easily guess Uber's views.
But even given this, I don't think an outright ban on Uber is a good idea for one fundamental reason: Uber - as a concept - is a better way of doing taxi services than what existed before.
Crossing Political Divides
Before Uber, if you wanted a cab, you had two options: standing in the street and hoping to flag down an expensive black cab — something that would only work in the very centre of the city where the cabs are ubiquitous — or taking your chances with a minicab from a small cab company, meaning more hoops to jump through for the customer, more chance of requiring a cash payment and in my experience, poorer quality cars.
Uber changed this - and meant that it was now possible to easily get a ride home from pretty much anywhere in Greater London, by a means that was slightly more affordable to the average Londoner. And this is undeniably a boon to transport and mobility for the supposed three million Londoners who have made use of Uber's services.
Uber has also already changed black cabs: the only reason they now accept credit cards is because of pressure from their rival.
What's going to be interesting over the next few days and weeks is seeing the debate play out along not-completely-obvious political divides. Much like how the EU referendum wasn't a left/right split, the divisions over Uber are likely to be similar.
For example, as a result of the decision, work for Uber's 40,000 drivers in the capital suddenly has a big question mark hanging over over it. I'd say that they'd be made unemployed - but, of course, Uber doesn't think that they are employed in the first place. In any case, a not insignificant number of people are going to take a hit in the pay packet. Meanwhile, there are only 20,000 black cab drivers. It's curious that the anti-Uber cause was so aggressively pushed by the long-standing black cab union and the likes of GMB - with seemingly little regard for the thousands of Uber drivers, many of whom are not native English speakers or who are immigrants, and are less able to unionise. (This inability to unionise is also Uber and capitalism's fault, more on this in a moment.)
The writer Sunny Singh also points out that Uber is "life support" for many people of colour - particularly women. Sophie Petzel describes how Uber has enabled her, a woman who lives alone in the suburbs, to feel safe when travelling home at night. She won't be the only one. Essentially then, the straight "evil corporation vs the poor" arguments perhaps do not reflect the nuances of Uber's impact on London.
Catching Uber
While the criticisms TfL makes are certainly valid, this is in a sense analogous to the horse lobby a century ago agitating against the introduction of cars. For several decades, there was no alternative to the ubiquity of a hackney carriage, and no GPS to replace "The Knowledge", the famously encyclopaedic knowledge of London's roads that black cabbies are required to master. When cars first arrived, the response by regulators wasn't "ban cars" - but was eventually the far more sensible "insist on seatbelts, and enforce speed limits". This meant that we were able to take advantage of this amazing new technology (cars!), but were also able to protect people.
While it is perhaps sad that the black cab, an icon of London, is being rendered redundant, surely it makes more sense for the state - whether the government, the Mayor of London or TfL - to step in, not to block technological progress, but to support people hurt by the change and to regulate the new system instead? Rather than protect the black cabs, drivers should be offered retraining opportunities. Rather than banned, Uber should instead be compelled to get its act together and meet the safety requirements. Perhaps the Mayor or the government should instead focus on supporting Uber drivers and other "gig economy" workers unionise, so Uber's overreach can be more effectively countered?
If we're lucky, today's ban won't have been announced out of a desire to banish Uber from our streets - but instead is just TfL's idea of an aggressive negotiating posture. Here's hoping the two sides can resolve it before London is forced to take a step back in time.


text: During the last 10 years, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) has recruited about 300 nationally and internationally renowned cancer researchers and physicians from around the world."If you go back historically to when I first got here about 16 years ago, I was calling around to a lot of friends and colleagues to see if they'd be interested in looking at Ohio State," says Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, director of the OSUCCC and CEO of The James. "In the last several years, I'm no longer calling; I'm getting the calls.  For example, over the last few years we've recruited 14 oncology experts from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, bringing their expertise – and the expertise of many, many others – to Ohio and the Midwest."We've become a talent magnet," he adds. "Cancer experts from all over the country are flocking here to be part of a world-class cancer-fighting team. If you talk to the physicians who are here now, they'll tell you that this is one of the best places in the country and in the world."It's one of the jewels in the crown of cancer care and cancer research."Ohio State recruits physicians and researchers who are experts in just one type of cancer, and that specialization across all modes of treatment – surgery, radiation oncology and chemotherapy – leads to improving outcomes and more hope."We've recruited expert oncologists and cancer researchers in a single type of cancer – so if you see a lung cancer physician at The James, he or she treats patients, teaches and researches in lung cancer, and nothing else but lung cancer," Caligiuri says. "We also have recruited researchers who specialize in a single mechanism of a disease, meaning they research and discover only genetic mutations that cause cancer, or they develop therapies that use the body's own immune system to fight a particular cancer."There is no routine cancer," he explains. "Each cancer is unique, and what makes one person's cancer stop might not be the treatment that will stop your cancer.  We have to understand the biology and genetics of each person's cancer, and that takes depth and breadth of knowledge and collaboration that a single physician or a group of physicians who aren't so specialized would be challenged to attain."The OSUCCC – James has more than 200 cancer specialists and more than 300 cancer researchers, all focused on just one type of cancer - yours."When you hear those three words, 'You have cancer,' you know that at The James there's an expert who spends 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, thinking, living and breathing about your particular cancer," Caligiuri says.That's what's different about the OSUCCC – James. Visit cancer.osu.edu to learn more about our team of specialized cancer-fighting experts.


text:
Music – Custom Made Pickguards –
Review. - 12/08/2014
that most guitars, basses or other stringed instruments all
have is a pickguard. With time and use these can deteriorate, get marked
or one might simply want to change the look of one's instrument.
this can sometimes be difficult, as even within the same models
and manufacturers the layout and shape can vary. This is particularly
true for import instruments where the pattern followed by
the pickguard might not be the same as for its original counterpart.
found this out myself when working on several guitars recently.
One of them is an early 90s Squier
made in Korea Stratocaster, who's pickguard had a piece chipped
off one of the corners. I purchased several different "standard"
guards only to find out none of them would fit correctly.
get round this problem one needs a custom made pickguard.
WD Music have been in the business of making custom
made pickguards for many years I
actually visited their headquarters back in 2013 and saw for
myself the impressive array of pickguard
templates they hold, for almost any guitar you can think of.
Also if they don't hold the template they can reproduce your
particular design from scratch from a tracing which
the customer can provide.
test this service out the Gear-Review team sent WD Music
tracings of three required pickguards.
One for the aforementioned Squier Strat, another for a Surf
Green Telecaster I had built of out different parts and a
third for another Fender Japan Telecaster which had a horrible
thick matt black pickguard. The pickguards were traced carefully with a sharp pencil. I followed
the contours as closely as possible to ensure a perfect fit.
Also all the screw holes, pickup holes etc... Where traced.
Further I was making a slight change to the Telecaster guard;
the neck pickup mounting holes were not needed on the new
one so I made sure to omit these. The same would apply to
any other changes required.
later the pickguards arrived. With
the Strat all the pickups, knobs etc... Have to be transplanted
from the old guard to the new one, its worthwhile labelling
the pickups, knobs etc... So you can ensure they are in the
same position on the new one.
Telecaster was easier. If you are careful and the neck has
no overhang simple remove one guard and install the new one
which is what I did without even removing the strings. In
my case I had already screwed the neck pickup directly to
the body so it was a straight swap.
third one needed a bit of work. The original item was made
form a very thick plastic and the new one is a bevelled three
ply. Some light sanding was required around the neck pocket
area to ensure a perfect fit.
An easy way to spruce up, or repair an instrument with little effort.
By Ernest H Slade
Sponsored by
Music - http://www.wdmusic.com/


text:
Current Publication:
World Journal of Orthodontics
Winter 2010
11 , Issue
Patients� Report Of Discomfort And Pain During Debonding Of Orthodontic Brackets: A Comparative Study Of Two Methods
Thiene Silva Normando, DDS, MS/Fl�vio Siqueira Cal�ada, DDS, MS/Weber Jos� da Silva Ursi, DDS, MS, PhD/David Normando, DDS, MS, PhD
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text:
A US-based Cliftonville fan has donated a season ticket to a Belfast-based Cystic Fibrosis Family Support group. Bryan Eitz, who understandably cannot attend Solitude on a regular basis, purchased a Family Season ticket for the Reds, which the club decided to donate to the group. Run by West Belfast woman Lorraine Conlon, the organisation seeks […]
Cliftonville fan donates season ticket to family support group
Cliftonville FC: In defence of Gerard Lyttle
I HAVE read some of the comments about Cliftonville Football Club and especially manager Gerard Lyttle this week with shock, disbelief, anger and amusement. I think a few things need to be pointed out. Can any tradesman do a proper job without the proper tools? Can a joiner build a fence without a hammer, nails […]
Will these sportsmen leave their hats on or will they strip for PIPS?
The women of North Belfast are in for a treat this weekend when four local sports stars do the 'full Monty' in aid of a local suicide prevention charity. The four brave males will be baring all at McGrath's Bar on the Cliftonville Road on Saturday night in aid of PIPS suicide awareness.
Gung-ho Reds pay the price
LAST Saturday's was exactly the sort of afternoon that Tommy Breslin warned we'd have to endure every now and again when he was appointed.
Cliftonville kids take part in small sided games
CLIFTONVILLE FC were amongst a number of teams taking part in a small sided games day on Saturday where the special guests were Pat Jennings, Gerry Armstrong
Reds enjoy a profitable week
SIX points better off than we were this time last week amounts to a profitable seven days, especially given the banana skin nature of both fixtures.


text:
Burke Basketball and Cheryl Yarbrough of "Lessons Learned Hoops" will again offer our Skills/Training program for our House and Travel players.
The group at Lessons Learned does an outstanding job coaching players of all levels from beginners to college athletes.
Bring your own basketball for the drills you will be performing during the sessions. Write your name on your basketball before coming to this event.
2021 Winter Skills Clinic dates - TBD
New Privacy Policy


text:
"Bakit pa tayo gagastos for things like that?"
("Why do we have to spend for things like that?")
This was a question many asked La Union provincial governor Francisco "Pacoy" Ortega III when he first announced plans to introduce the Institute for Solidarity in Asia's (ISA) Performance Governance System (PGS). Provincial government employees doubted that there was a pressing need for a new system, and wanted to use the funds for other projects.
La Union's provincial administrator at the time, Dr. Geoffrey Tilan (now retired), explains that the local government unit (LGU) had already reached the pinnacle, having reaped various recognitions, including consistent recognition from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). This time, the question was, "Why change the strategy?" The LGU was unsure of whether a new program would yield new benefits, considering that the existing system was already working.
What's more, the local chief executive, Ortega, introduced PGS at the same time that ISO certifications were being done in the capitol. Adamor Dagang, the province's information and tourism officer, mentions that the department was initially unwelcoming of the heavy workload. "People were cautious because it was something new, " Dagang shares. "Ganoon naman talaga ang reaction kapag may bago." ('That's the usual response.')
The challenge was to show everybody that this was not a vanity project of the new administration. "We had to get them to see that the PGS was a working system that could be replicated in [other LGUs in] the province," Dagang adds. "And that we were confident that it could work for the people of La Union."
The capitol's champion
The capitol was eventually convinced.
Ortega pushed hard because of the great need to keep up with the times. Citing the role of technology in transforming even government systems, he shares his battle cry from those early days, "We have to start evolving. If we don't, we will become extinct."
Another key factor was Ortega's reassurance that he would champion the effort. "I knew it wasn't an overnight thing, to introduce the direction and then everything would follow," he says. "I know it's more day-to-day, and kung mayroong change ("if there is some change") one person at a time or one office at a time, I am already happy with that."
It was also clear to everybody that the provincial government was not there to merely build its own legacy but to enable other LGUs in the province to play to their strengths and deliver their services better to the citizens of La Union. Tilan, who was with the provincial government for 20 years, talked about observable differences in the leadership styles of different administrations, and shares that Ortega's is a fresh take on the true role of the capitol. "At the end of the day, we should see that basic services are provided," Tilan says. "It's not about being credited, but about performing the role of the province, which is to empower the LGUs in the region."
Bridging the gap
"In the new development paradigm, there has to be a shared vision for everybody," says Tilan, reflecting on a fundamental truth of PGS. This meant building relationships with stakeholders and specifically linking the capitol with various actors to help create the plan that would bring a shared vision to life.
"Under PGS, one of our projects was what we called the 'Bridging the Gap' workshops," Ortega shares. "I believe that the province is the bridge between the local government units [in the area] and the regional line agencies, so what we did was to get all of them together." These workshops were a way for Ortega's team to pitch the capitol's roadmap to becoming "the heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025", and more importantly, invite stakeholders to become development partners.
Out of that simple but well-planned exercise unifying key actors in the province, more than Php7 billion worth of programs, projects, and activities supporting the vision for 2025 was identified by the regional line agencies. What was once a highly-criticized plan to spend Php5 million pesos on a new program and its accompanying initiatives had resulted in a visible economic gain.
"I believe it's worth it," Ortega says. "People in the capitol, especially the younger ones, are more excited to work."
The heart of Agri-Tourism
"Actually, sa tourism office namin, excited kami nung una pa lang, ("our tourism office was excited from the start") when the governor introduced PGS as one of his thrusts to improve agriculture and tourism as a tool to drive economic activities," says Dagang, recalling the thrill the provincial tourism workers felt after realizing that they were part of a greater plan for the province.
To realize their vision of becoming the heart of Agri-Tourism requires seamless collaboration between two different sectors of the economy. Improving agriculture and tourism in the province, and eventually putting the two together, requires an exhaustive amount of planning and a deliberate series of actions. These include training the capitol to deliver on its vision, mission, and goals for 2025, and of course, capacitating 20 component LGUs to share development efforts in agriculture and tourism to drive improved area revenues and household incomes.
A model capitol
Another showcase of La Union's status as a model for good governance is the fact that the province was able to successfully receive audit certification for ISO while starting PGS. This added to the motivation and excitement of the people in the capitol.
But the best part is that all these efforts have reached people in the province's smallest units, who are now involved in plotting the path to 2025. By making governance a shared responsibility, the whole province prospers.
"It's really exciting," says Ortega, sharing candidly that he had no idea of how everything would turn out. "But along the way I realized, PGS practitioner na pala ako ever since ("I've been a PGS practitioner ever since") because I believe that what gets measured gets done. So I believe it applies to everyday life, and it definitely applies to governance."


text:
The Morning Wrap is HuffPost India's selection of interesting news and opinion from the day's newspapers. Subscribe here to receive it in your inbox each weekday morning.
Essential HuffPost
India plans to recruit over 11,000 women in central security forces for combat duties such as border guarding and law and order assignments. However most of these positions are in the constabulary and there are no plans--not even in the horizon-- to open combat positions to women.
Birds have the fundamental right to "live with dignity" and fly in the sky without being kept in cages or subjected to cruelty, Delhi High Court has said while holding that trades that involved caging them was a "violation of their rights".
Adding to the violence in Kabul, a car bomb rammed a convoy of foreign troops near the main airport in Afghanistan's capital on Sunday, killing at least three civilians.
Amna Khawar asks if positive story telling can be used to change the narrative of despair in Pakistan.
Main News
The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has sought the government's nod to categorize backward castes in the central list of Other Backward Classes into three groups, and limit each group's claim to a fraction of the 27% reservation, that they now get for government jobs and college seats.
At a time when both CM Nitish Kumar and his estranged aide Jitan Ram Manjhi are claiming to be the leader of Mahadalits ahead of Bihar Assembly polls, an extremely poor and predominantly-Dalit village in that state has seen 30 per cent of its population been categorized as 'above the poverty line' and therefore ineligible for benefits.
Communist Party of India General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury, today accused the Centre of violating the Delhi government's rights, thus siding with Arvind Kejriwal in his ongoing feud with Najeeb Jung, the Lieutanant Governor of Delhi over the control of administrative powers in Delhi.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has asked its affiliates not to publicly attack the Narendra Modi government over their differences, while reassuring them that it is taking up the contentious issues internally with the various ministries. RSS leaders have said that there were 72 outstanding points - including 29 extremely contentious ones -that would be resolved through dialogue.
Scientists have found in India's Spiti Valley fresh geochemical signatures of a catastrophic event that wiped out over 80 per cent of species on earth about 252 million years ago.
The Islamic State group seized control of the city of Ramadi on Sunday sending Iraqi forces racing out of the city in a major loss, despite the support of US-led airstrikes targeting the extremist organisation.
Off The Front Page
An AIADMK lawmaker today resigned his seat in the nick of time to beat an Election Commission convention and enable Jayalalithaa to enter the Tamil Nadu Assembly through a bye-election.
MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, who was convicted for murder in 2009 and has opportunistically joined every party in Bihar since the 1990s, finally announced the formation of his own party, Jan Karanti Adhikar Morcha, aimed at providing a "strong third option" to Bihar voters in the upcoming state election.
Claiming that corruption had substantially declined in Delhi since the AAP came to power, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also cited how his daughter experimented with morally-dubious entrapment to test an officer in the transport department.
An activist has moved the Delhi high court to save T-24, a Ranthambore tiger and better known as Ustad, from losing his freedom over what he says are unproven charges of being a man-killer.
MIT scientists have cracked the science behind the dress that went viral on the internet after some saw it as black and blue while others perceived it to be gold and white.
Christophe Jafferlot, in The Indian Express, says that Modi's push for land acquisition comes from his relatively-smooth experience in Gujarat that may not necessarily hold across other states.
Shiv Visvanathan, discussing how violence plays out in India, says in The Hindu that "...India is a great body that digests violence and is content to live with the logic of it, happy with conceptual ideas like security, growth and desire which allow us to calculate, consume and erase violence..."
Dani Rodrik and Sharun Mukand, argue in Mint that though political theory frequently shows that democracy turns out to be illiberal, the real surprise is that liberal democracy actually ever emerges.
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