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The Film Music of Arthur Benjamin and Leighton Lucas
Arthur BENJAMIN (1893-1960)
Suite from The Conquest of Everest (1953) [9:34]
The Storm Clouds Cantata from The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) [7:44]
Waltz and Hyde Park Galop from An Ideal Husband (1947) [7:11]
Leighton LUCAS (1903-1982)
Portrait of the Amethyst from Yangtse Incident (1957) [6:49]
Dedication from Portrait of Clare (1950) [3:38]
Prelude and Dam Blast from The Dam Busters (1954) [5:15]
Stage Fright Rhapsody from Stage Fright (1950) [4:54]
Suite from Ice Cold in Alex (1958) [9:19]
This Is York (1953) [9:26]
March-Prelude from Target for Tonight (1941) [3:04]
Abigail Sara (mezzo); Rob Court (organ)
Côr Caerdydd/Adrian Partington; Gwawr Owen
BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Rumon Gamba
rec. BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales, 3-5 October 2011. DDD
I knew Chandos had produced a steady stream of discs in their "Chandos Movies" series but I must admit some surprise when I realised that this was the 30th release. This does include some TV theme releases but the general thesis is clear; Chandos has shown an enduring and passionate commitment to recording classic film scores in general and those by British composers in particular. Production and presentation values are as high as ever in the current release and as with many collectors it is a delight to be able to hear scores in all their glory which previously were known only through the limited format of the family black and white television on a Sunday afternoon. Chandos stick to their tried and tested team of Philip Lane as collator and reconstructor-in-chief with Rumon Gamba on the podium. I think this is the first time the BBC National Orchestra of Wales have contributed to the series but they are such a fine orchestra and the Chandos engineers so experienced using the Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff that on sonics alone the disc is a winner.
While listening to this disc I've been trying to work out a succinct definition of a successful film score. The best I can come up with is; well-matched mood combined with melodic memorable fibre. Any film score needs the former to articulate or heighten the emotional goal of the scene playing out on the screen. If at the same time the composer can introduce melodic motifs that are both apt dramatically and memorable success is assured. Think of any score from Alexander Nevsky to Star Wars and the music heightens the drama and the tunes hook into your subconscious. Both the composers here are very strong indeed on mood, but I do find myself wondering about enduring melodies. Benjamin's Conquest of Everest that opens the disc is a case in point; its full of heroic apt gestures skilfully handled. Divorced from the accompanying pictures it feels rather too generic to me. The strengths of the recording are immediately apparent - richly heraldic brass and secure warm strings but it sounds like an introduction waiting for a main theme. I am an admirer of Benjamin's concert works and the craft on display here is not in doubt for a moment but this is highly competent rather than inspired writing. You wonder if Benjamin recognised this himself in that the only music of his here that he sanctioned for concert-hall use is also the most instantly memorable; the Waltz & Galop from An Ideal Husband. Bernard Herrmann recorded this with the National Philharmonic Orchestra on Decca and good though that is Gamba and his Welsh players are suave and more appropriately urbane - perhaps Herrmann was in one of his infamous tempers that day! Herrmann also features obliquely in the major Benjamin work here; the Storm Clouds Cantata famously provided the musical backdrop for the final chase through the Royal Albert Hall in Hitchcock's "The man who knew too much". The conductor on the rostrum in the Albert Hall being Bernard Herrmann - who so entertained the LSO with his stories from Hollywood that at the end of the filming they presented him with a book inscribed; "to the man who knows so much". Herrmann did re-orchestrate the original Benjamin score doubling some parts and adding to others - it is not clear here in the Philip Lane edition if it follows Benjamin arr. Herrmann - one assumes so. Whoever contributed what its a wonderfully concentrated piece of hokum - in under eight minutes just about every Romantic musical gesture is incorporated. The performance here is very fine let down only by a underwhelming solo from mezzo Abigail Sara. It is not a major contribution and it is not a deal breaker but in its mediocrity it is rather surprising on a Chandos disc. Another modern recording is available where Elmer Bernstein conducts the RPO with a small-sounding Ambrosian Chorus. If pushed to choose, Bernstein would get the vote for the far more dramatic (and secure) soloist and an RPO who play with more cinematic sweep than their Welsh counterparts. The rest of the Bernstein programme is more fascinating Herrmann so perhaps get both!
Of the sixty-eight minutes of playing time the split is nearly exactly 2/3 - 1/3 in favour of Leighton Lucas. I love the idea that Lucas retired from dancing as part of that little known group the Diaghilev Ballets Russes at eighteen(!) and then started conducting the longest running British opera ever - Boughton's Immortal Hour - at nineteen. Does the phrase 'precociously talented' seem appropriate somewhere around here? Yet for all that remarkable talent he will forever be cursed with the pub-quiz question "who wrote the not-famous bits of The Dambusters." Odds and ends of his work have appeared on disc before but aside from the justly famous arrangement of music for the ballet Manon this is his first major exposure on a newly recorded disc. Again the level of craftsmanship is very high and when allied to a 'good tune' the result is superb. An example is the gorgeous 'Theme' from Portrait of the Amethyst - Yangtse Incident. This is a film I remember well from my Sunday afternoon matinees in front of the TV but I have no recollection of this theme at all. Here the cor anglais solo is played to perfection by Sarah-Jayne Porsmoguer - my only query is how such a lyrically idyllic theme fits into a film about a frigate being attacked by the Chinese. Lane's speculative reconstruction of the piano-led Rhapsody from Stage Fright is another in the long line of 'Olwen dreaming of Warsaw' concertante works. The fact that Lucas worked with Addinsell reinforces the link although again it has to be admitted that within this sub-genre this work lacks the 'big' tune of the Warsaw Concerto or I Dream of Olwen or the drama and grittiness of a Herrmann Concerto Macabre. Lucas' skill at handling an orchestra is evident in his orchestration of Robert Schumann's Widmung which he used in the film Portrait of Clare. There is another striking passage in the Prelude from Ice Cold in Alex (a Sunday afternoon favourite) which presages John Williams' Death Star/Imperial March theme from Star Wars rather strikingly [track 14 1:30]. Sadly the Dam Busters music is something of a disappointment - even Philip Lane hints as much in his liner by saying most of Lucas' score is motivic variations on the central tune of the Coates march. The least significant film here - the British Transport Film This is York - actually gets some of the best music and interestingly this is the only score where the original written materials have survived. It is a travelogue of one guesses less than momentous worth - I kept thinking of the famous Peter Sellars skit "Balham - gateway to the South" but Lucas manages to tick all the pictorial boxes most effectively. The album closes the march from Target for Tonight which falls into the category of sub-Waltonian march that never quite arrives at the nobilmente trio tune you want it to. In essence I would say the music on this disc is of considerable craft and skill but ultimately none of it is first rank film music - perhaps we are nearing the bottom of this particular barrel of repertoire.
I have one other little doubt that just niggles away at the back of my brain. When comparing performances where possible - not for the first time in this series - I feel Gamba's direction lacks that last ounce of belt-tightening, sinew-stiffening, grease-paint-roaring technicolour that can send a shiver down your spine. For all of those qualities - but not playing this repertoire - the old RCA Classic Film Scores series with Charles Gerhardt conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra is still unbeatable. Here, everything is exceptionally well played, beautifully recorded and lovingly presented so why does it not excite me more? I would say the same of the Korngold and the Bax and Bliss in this series to name but three. Collectors twenty nine discs into the series won't need me to help make up their minds and those less used to dipping their toes in the sea of cinema might well be recommended to try other volumes first - the early Alwyn and Arnold discs are absolute winners. A disc I have enjoyed hearing very much but one that will not often leave the shelf.
Nick Barnard
Exceptionally well played, beautifully recorded and lovingly presented.
see also reviews by Rob Barnett and John France
Chandos Movies review page


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Can You Afford to be Complacent?
If you're a leader, you're always worried about something, right?
Maybe it's your competition? Perhaps you fret over inexorable margin squeeze. Or it could be the strength of your leadership team. You get the idea…and that's the SHORT list!
Since every leader and every organization on the planet is facing the same "change monster," they all end up in a frantic search to find "the answer." A new strategy. A new product. A new wrinkle. A new website. A new something.
That search often ends in futility when proactive change appears to be impossible. At this point, the leader's nagging worry and pessimism morph into full-blown complacency. I know it from first-hand experience as a CEO. It sneaks up on every leader.
Fair enough, but no leader wants to give up. So what can be done to stay out of that quicksand?
Manufacture URGENCY.
That's the ultimatum left in its wake of our ChangeAge where normalcy is under siege and virtually every aspect of organizational life is changing before our eyes. It's an ultimatum because lack of urgency is the silent assassin of opportunity. Every day those opportunities slip away unnoticed in the night, never to return.
As I have asserted here, the primary reason an organization lacks urgency is COMPLACENCY. I call it the Complacency Culprit, a phenomenon that is:
- Almost always produced by SUCCESS.
- Created by people who NEVER think they are complacent.
- Common when the focus is on INTERNAL issues and external forces are ignored.
- Apparent when trouble comes and the complacent people BLAME someone else.
- Assured when people FAKE urgency with a frenetic activity churn around unimportant minutia.
- Evident when people are CONTENT with harmony, equilibrium, and their own personal security.
Don't panic! There is a way out. Here are the five ways I have created urgency in my 25-year career as a CEO, leader, and strategist:
- If real urgency doesn't exist…CREATE it, no matter what it takes.
- If a crisis appears, LEVERAGE it by turning the opportunity into urgency.
- If something new must happen, REMOVE something old to make room.
- If there's a fixation on the past, INTERRUPT it by framing today through the lens of tomorrow.
- If you want to create urgency, FLOOD the organization with information from the outside—the market, the community, the world—and shut down insular, internal thinking.
Try it…create urgency now!

subset: commoncrawl


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Tea At 1024
We are proud to present our Afternoon Tea
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24.95 ~ Afternoon Tea
28.95 ~ Vegetarain
32.95 ~ Gluten Free Afternoon Tea
38.95 ~ Vegan, Diary Free & Keto
18.95 ~ Children's Tea
(prices subject to change)
House Salad
Lightly dressed Spinach served with Strawberries & Feta Cheese
Assorted Tea Sandwiches
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Desserts may vary day to day
Flourless Chocolate Decadent Cake / Elderberry Tea infused cupcakes with a Champagne Rose Frosting / Strawberry Shortcake / Lilikoi Lemon Bars made with Lilikoi from the Big Island / Tulip Shaped Chocolate Cup filled with Chocolate Haupia Pudding / Chocolate & Cinnamon Cupcakes with Esther's Peanut Butter Frosting / Mini Lava Cakes / Mini Fruit Pies / Parfaits / Seasonal Desserts
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Call us for Reservations 808-521-9596
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~ With over 40 Traditional & Exotic Teas to choose from, we're certain you will find one that you haven't tried yet.
~ You can also take home your newly favorite tea and tea strainer so you can enjoy a fresh cuppa anytime.


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Indo-Asian News ServiceSep 03, 2018 19:34:19 IST
Chinese researchers have built an artificial intelligence (AI) model with medical imaging that would help determine whether patients with severe brain damage might regain consciousness.
Severe brain injury can lead to disorders of consciousness (DOC). Some patients can recover from an acute brain injury but others fall into chronic DOC, also known as a vegetative state. They cannot communicate or act consciously.
The novel AI model can make an assessment based on images of brain functional networks, Xinhua news agency reported.
"When a brain functions, multiple brain regions are involved, and they form a network, working together. Like two mobile phones, though no actual wire links them, they have a functional connection when people make a phone call," said lead researcher Song Ming, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
For the study, published in the journal eLife, the team used resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) and found typical features seen in the brain functional networks of DOC patients, which can be biomarkers to trace the level of consciousness and predict the possibility of recovery.
To train the AI, they fed it tens of thousands of brain images of 63 DOC patients, at least one month after their brain injury.
The model diagnosed patients who would recover consciousness and those who would not with an accuracy of 88 percent in 100 cases.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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Моя професія - холодильщик
Презентація по слайдам:
My future profession Presentation outline 1 The history 2 Specialities 3 Ukraine Companies , where work our students
The history The need for a man who served like refrigerators (then called them "home ice") originated in the mid-18th century. Then was the refrigerator cabinet, which had two cameras - one camera are served ice and the other for storage. A man came and changed weekly cubic ice (unfrozen) a new one.
In KNTUA them. P. Vasilenko training is conducted in 16 specialties in 5 educational and research institutions-time study and 12 specializations educational institute of distance and e-learning. I would like to talk about refrigeration compartment. Specialities
Students have their food enterprises in such cities and regions: ice cream factory JSC "Hladoprom" SPE "Tehnoholod" SUIP LLC "Pole", JSC "Kharkov fat factory", JSC "Kharkiv biscuit factory", OJSC "Wimm-The majority Dann Ukraine "-" Kharkov dairy Plant ", LLC" Saltovsky Meat Plant ", LLC" Volchansky Meat Plant ", LLC" Bakery Kulynichivskyy. " Ukraine Companies , where work our students
Plant a holding our graduates: mechanic nalahodzhuvalnyk; mechanic shop, station; refrigeration mechanic, diesel, refrigeration units Ice; techniques of operation and maintenance of refrigeration equipment; Master Compressor Plant.
Learning process takes place in a spacious modern classrooms, workshops, laboratories equipped with the latest technical facilities, modern equipment and devices. Refrigeration department has laboratory refrigerating compressor machines, automation, electrical, hydraulic and heat transfer offices, refrigeration, air conditioning, electrical safety. The college is mounted five existing refrigeration units that are equipped with modern appliances automation.
Схожі презентації


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The venerable Gregg Roughley of the no less venerable UK newspaper "The Guardian" should check his facts better before launching in easy anti-Scientology jabs.
Indeed, he writes about one Paulie Malignaggi:
"He doesn't possess a 'lights out' punch, but he can move like Travolta (pre-Scientology days of course) and deliver rapid-fire jabs to outscore his opponents."He no doubts refers to "Saturday Night Fever", that came out in 1977 and maybe also to "Grease" that came out in 1978.
Travolta joined Scientology in January of 1975 as he was working on his first film in Mexico (Durango). He already was a Scientologist when he made all his other films, including of course "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease".
If Travolta moved better before he met Scientology then hardly anybody would know about it, since he was at the time a nobody.
If you are a journalist and especially is you write for a major news media, then check your facts before acting like a mindless fanatical anti-Scientologists. In our Internet days it only takes a few seconds.


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This winter you can come to the studio of the GlazenHuis to blow your own Christmas bauble under the guidance of an experienced glassblower. Get acquainted with the fascinating transformation of liquid glass into a self-made unique ornament. This workshop is suited for adults and children aged 6 and over. An unforgettable experience! The baubles can be picked up 2 days after the day the workshop took place because of the annealing time they need.
15 December 2018 FULL
16 December 2018 FULL
19 December 2018 FULL
22 December 2018 FULL
23 December 2018 ONLY 3 PLACES LEFT
26 December 2018 ONLY 2 PLACES LEFT
Time: various hours
Duration: approx. 20 minutes per person
Instructors: Team GlazenHuis
Age: aged 6 and over
Experience: No previous experience required
Price: € 28/person (entrance to the exhibition included)


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In this post I want to show you some items from a few events. The links under the photo's will direct you right to them. Happy shopping ❤
Shape: Perfect Silhouette, Deb. Only on Marketplace for now.
Skin: Belleza, Ava in Medium.
Hair: ^;^CaTwA^;^ Mesh Elsa.
Unicorn: .PANIK. Magic Unicorn Onyx – Black Metal @ Project Limited.
Eyes: IKON, Promise in Hazel @ Fameshed.
Eyelashes: *MC* "Falsies"
Eyebrow spikes: [.BiJOU&T.]
Septum Ring: {Sugar Heart} in Steels.
Beauty mark: Belleza.
Lips: [PF] Glossy Pout Lipstick.
Teeth: RedGrave, Part of the Bella skin.
Ears: [MANDALA] Steking EARS.
Feather earring: :: Tabou Irresistible:: Earring feather 5 (Gacha item) @ The Hipster Fair.
Collar: Maitreya @ Collabor88.
Tattoo: :: Tabou Irresistible:: Hipster Hope. @ The Hipster Fair.
Top: D2K – Kristy Net Top @ Sexxx sells.
Boobs: Lolas ::: Tango ::: Mesh Breasts.
Bracelets: MG – Bangle – Ramona 77 .
Leggings: Gawk! Black Glitter Leggings for Phatazz and Cute azz.
Legband: :: Tabou Irresistible:: Hipi Legband @ The Hipster Fair.
Ass: *L.inc* Cute Azz.
Hands and feet: Slink, casual hands and high feet.
Shoes: REIGN.- Buckled Pumps- Solid Black/Silver Buckle @ Project Limited.


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This is incredibly funny. I'm sorry Dodgers....
Notice when Rome compares some of the characters of Star Wars to the Dodger Players.
Nerds! Nerds! Nerds! (Hey I'm a nerd)
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Jim Rome bashes Star Wars & Dodgers
1 comment:
- PenosCabell said...
What a douche.
Star Wars rules.
- September 19, 2009 at 10:24 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Our goal is the same as yours: to ensure that you have years - even a lifetime - of trouble-free enjoyment of your new floor. This letter will provide you important information about preparation, installation and maintenance.
First things first: review the Pre-Installation Guide by clicking on the button at left. The guide will cover important steps of preparation, like furniture moving, disconnection of appliances and electronics, and more.
Next is a link to the Day of Installation. This will walk you through what to expect on the day your floor is being installed, and how you can help make the whole process go smoothly.
After the installation is complete, you'll want to know how to take proper care of it. Follow the Maintaining Your Floor link and you'll find general maintenance information, stain guides, and answers to FAQs.
We care, before and after your installation. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please call Guelph at 519-837-2120, Cambridge at 519-624-1499 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
For more specific contact information, the Customer Service link will give you phone numbers and email addresses for our department managers.
Finaly, once the installation is complete please take a few minutes to share your experience with us by filling out our online customer satisfaction survey.
Thank you for your business!
New Location
7613 NW Prairie View Rd Kansas City, MO 64151
Monday - Friday 8am-5pm
Saturday 9am-1pm
Sun closed
421 N. Rawhide Olathe, KS 66061
Monday - Friday 8am-5pm
Saturday 9am-1pm
Sun closed


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NFHS Offering Two New Coach Education Courses
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (February 13, 2012) — The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is offering two new online coach education courses – Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment and Fundamentals of Coaching Golf. The courses are now available on the NFHS Coach Education Web site at www.nfhslearn.com.
Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment, which is now available for only $20, provides education for coaches on the critically important topics of inappropriate relationships, hazing, bullying and cyber-bullying, and the appropriate use of technology when interacting with players and the public. The course provides examples of court cases involving these issues and suggests appropriate actions that coaches should take when these types of issues arise.
Tim Flannery, CMAA, NFHS Director of Coach Education, said the course will assist interscholastic coaches in fulfilling their role and in taking responsibility for their actions.
"This course is about getting the coach's attention and saying 'You will be held responsible for inappropriate actions and for not taking appropriate steps when these situations occur,'" he said. "Many individuals who accept a coaching job are ignorant of the laws and policies by which they are required to abide. This course will assist athletic programs by providing standardized training for coaches, which will result in a permanent record that can be accessed and verified by the school."
The second new course, Fundamentals of Coaching Golf, was developed for the NFHS by the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) and provides interscholastic coaches education in coaching the basic skills of the game. Todd Anderson, one of the top PGA professionals in the United States, is the on-screen instructor for the course.
Flannery said that the course is the first step in the education of individuals wanting to coach golf at any level. The course connects interscholastic coaches to their local PGA professional who can provide the school a highly trained golf instructor to assist in the development of the players.
"It is an excellent tool for teaching the basic skills of the game and is not meant to be everything you should know about golf. The course contains great resources that can be printed and used by the coach in practice."
Fundamentals of Coaching Golf is available for $50.
Since its launch in 2007, the NFHS Coach Education Program has expanded to 25 courses, three of which are available for free. More than 220,000 people have taken the Fundamentals of Coaching course, which is one of the two NFHS core courses, along with First Aid for Coaches. There are also 13 sport-specific courses and seven elective courses available.
All NFHS Coach Education courses are available at www.nfhslearn.com.
About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7.6 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS Web site at www.nfhs.org.
Bruce Howard or John Gillis, 317-972-6900
National Federation of State High School Associations
PO Box 690, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206
firstname.lastname@example.com or email@example.com


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Agoura Hills is known regionally for its live music scene and originality in the nu metal scene, a fame that has given rise to such acts as Linkin Park, Dub Thompson, Skye Aspen, Incubus, Hoobastank, and Fort Minor. FireSide BBQ and Appliances is a proud retailer of all your BBQ and Fireplace needs.
We at FireSide BBQ and Appliances have a vast collection of Portable BBQ Grill, Built-in Grill, Smoker Grill, Gas Grill, Outdoor Gas Grill, Charcoal Grill, Ceramic Grill, Kamado Grill and Charcoal Smoker Grill. Our huge collections also includes Gas Fireplace, Wood Burning Fireplace, Outdoor Fireplace, Electric Fireplace, Gas Logs Fireplace, Fire Glass Fireplace, Fireplace Mantel, Outdoor Fire Pits, Patio Heater, Washing Machine, Dryer, Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Oven, Kitchen Range, or any other Kitchen Appliance.
Come visit one of our locations in Woodland Hills or Conejo Valley! You can call our Woodland Hills location at (818) 999-2174 or our Conejo Valley location at (805) 497-5881 for any questions or inquiries!
Here's a list of some of the manufacturers we carry American Outdoor Grill, Astria Fireplaces, Avalon Fire Styles, Big Green Egg, Bosch, Broil King, Dacor, DCS by Fisher and Paykel, Fire Magic, Hestan, Lynx, Marvel, Miele, Montigo Fireplaces, Napoleon Fireplaces, Primo Ceramic Grills, Real Fyre, Superior Fireplaces, Thermador, Viking Range, Weber.
| Fireplace & Hearth
| Outdoor Living
|BBQ Grills & Outdoor Cooking
|Stoves & Inserts


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Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are emitted as potentially harmful gases by a wide array of common household products. They are a primary cause of indoor air quality problems in your home. Young children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems may be more affected by VOC exposure than others.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), concentration of many VOCs are up to ten times higher indoors than outdoors—regardless of whether the home is located in a rural or highly industrialized area.
Using any of the following products could expose your family to very high pollutant levels. Elevated concentrations can remain airborne long after use.
You and your family could be exposed to thousands of VOCs a day, putting you at risk for short- and long-term health problems, depending on length of exposure. Health complications include:
Aprilaire can provide your family with whole-home indoor air quality solutions that help remove VOCs, making your home healthier—and more comfortable.
When using products that emit VOCs, ventilation is key to lowering concentration levels. Our whole-home ventilation solutions can replace toxic VOC-filled indoor air with fresh outdoor air.
Our whole-home air purifiers can also lower the amount and level of VOC exposure by cleaning the air in your entire house up to four times an hour.


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Not long ago, I made some crazy crayons and gave them to someone for their little girls. One lady who saw them has expressed interest in them, so I told her I'd make her some for her little boy. There was some yellow yarn left over, so thought it might be fun to make a carrying case to go with them. Hopefully it looks OK for a little boy. It surely was enjoyable to make. The ribbed effect is produced by alternating front post half double crochet with back post half double crochet. This makes the bag feel softer and thicker and gives it a nice texture.
There was still yellow yarn left, so I made an even smaller bag with it. The smaller bag would be good for a party favor bag and has a gold ribbon on it. (Sorry no picture) Both were easy and short projects. The party favor bag is not ribbed but was made by alternating single crochet with half double crochet to give it a pretty texture.


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By Tomika Anderson, Special to CNN
(CNN) — If a recent tweet is any indication, it appears that Jessica Simpson is taking the ongoing conversation about her pregnancy weight in stride.
She reminded fans via Twitter to pick up her nude Elle magazine cover before it leaves newsstands, because it was their "last chance to see me 'fat' aka PREGNANT on the cover of Elle," as she posted last Thursday.
"I loved this shoot, [and it's] only on stands for a few more days!"
Though Simpson didn't say so, the 31-year-old's remark is being viewed by some as a rebuttal to "The View" host Joy Behar's not-so-flattering comments about Simpson on the daytime show last week.
"Remember the time that Jessica Simpson was criticized because she didn't know the difference between chicken and tuna?" Behar said in the episode.
"That kind of thing is more fun to criticize than the fact that the girl is fat," she went on. "Most women who are pregnant are not supposed to really gain more than 25 pounds. And she looks like she gained a lot more than that."
The singer is expected to give birth later this spring.


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Thank you to all who came out to the Town Hall meeting to discuss the progress of the flooring replacement project and receive feedback on the carpet selection options. If you were unable to attend and would like to see the presentation, please click Town Hall Meeting Presentation – 04.12.18 (1).
If you have any questions or comments, please direct them to Deacon John at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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"Insanity Workout" has taken on a whole new meaning…
Say hello to Dobongsan (Mt. Dobong)!
The hike up Mt. Dobong in Bukhansan National Park is not for the faint of heart nor for the weak of thighs – this trail is TOUGH!
Okay, so maybe my friends and I accidentally took the dangerous route across the mountain ridge because we were too lazy to Google-Translate the warning sign, which probably read: "WALK THIS WAY ONLY IF YOU'RE AN OLYMPIC DECATHLETE, ONE OF THOSE AMAZING OLD KOREAN LADIES IN HOT HIKING GEAR OR A FOREIGNER WHO CAN'T READ KOREAN AND PROBABLY WISHES THEY COULD RIGHT NOW."
But, aside from the slight brush with death, hiking Dobongsan was unbelievably rewarding thanks to the exhilarating views and the full-body workout.
**Read directions on how to avoid the scary part of the trail at the bottom of the post**
I suppose I should start from the beginning, back when I didn't know the true definition of FEAR:
Two of my hikerific girlfriends planned a "nothing out of the ordinary" hike up to Jaunbong, one of the peaks of Dobongsan, and invited me to come along.
At the time, they didn't know how much I like to sing while hiking…so, I'm not too sure I'll be invited again.
At first, everything seemed normal (for Korea, anyway). We took the subway to the trail-head (hiking is so wonderfully accessible in Seoul), where we met up with the TONS of elderly Korean hikers (dressed to the activewear 9's) – ready to skip up the mountain.
The trail to Jaunbong started-off with a light ascent along a beautiful river & gradually progressed into a fairly steep incline, paved with large granite steps.
This rather enjoyable climb took us approximately 1 hour.
Towards the peak, the trail stopped being a trail – yes, that is the best way I can describe it– and we proceeded to scramble up a seemingly vertical pile of rocks until we reached the top.
Nothing to worry about, I used both my hands and feet to reach the peak.
After about 30 minutes of climbing on all fours, we reached Jaunbong peak, and then everything was illuminated.
And that is when things got crazy.
In order to reach the trail down the mountain, we had to traverse the insanely steep Podae Ridge using ropes, railings, and sheer Man Versus Wild fight to survive.
We were scared out of our minds.
We couldn't take any photos of the ridge because we were holding onto a freaking rope for dear life (survival > pics for blog), but I managed to find an image on the interwebs, below, to give you a mental picture.
Yeah, we did that with a little help from our friends…our Korean hiker friends.
These amazing hikers, who may or may not have been 50+ years old, took pity on us three hysteric foreign girls & acted as our spotters while we rappelled down the mountain.
Here's a few pictures of us after the worst was over…
It was only after we made it safely to the other side of the Podae Ridge and reached Podae Peak, when we realized that there is actually a "happy-go-lucky, skip and hold hands" trail-equivalent circumventing the mountain ridge that doesn't require heart attacks.
Ah, the perils of foreign-ness & not reading Korean warning signs.
Anyway, by the time we reached safety, we were so emotionally and physically drained, that all we cared about was getting down the mountain. So, we veered onto the Minchosaem (Spring) trail, which ended up being a calm and gorgeous descent down a dry stream bed.
It was like 2 hours of downhill therapy.
When we finally reached the end of the trail and the bottom of the mountain, we rewarded ourselves with hugs, high-fives and barley bibimpab.
(What? Did you really think I could go 1 post without talking about food?)
We had survived Dobongsan…
much like the thousands of people who hiked this trail before us.
One of the great things about hiking Dobongsan is that the trail-head is conveniently located next to the Dobongsan Subway Station (Line 1, Exit #1).
From the station, cross the street and walk through the food stalls and hiking equipment shops to the trail-head (I know this sounds vague, but you really just need to follow the hoards of Korean hikers to the trail)
At the entrance to the park, make sure to get a map from the information booth.
Hike up the mountain, following signs for Jaunbong, one of Dobongsan's peaks.
Hiking to the peak should take between 1.5-2 hours
After hiking to the peak, you will have to walk across the Podae Ridgeline to go back down the mountain (unless you want to retrace your steps & go down the same way you came up).
WARNING: If you do not want to take the scary route across the mountain ridge, which requires you to use ropes and railings (and lots of upper body strength), make sure to heed the signs. There will be a sign (with two little images of bears) posted where the two trails diverge, one trail will be marked with a RED line (this is the crazy trail) and the other trail will be marked with a GREEN line (the optimal route for the less sadistic). Do watch this video for clarification (or just fast forward the video to minute 2:33)
After walking the ridge and reaching Podae Peak, you have a few trails leading to the bottom of the mountain. We, chose to take the Minchosaem (Spring) Trail down, which was a beautiful and rather easy descent.
The trail will lead you directly to the Wondobong Park Information booth, where you can ask for directions to the Mangwolsa Subway Station (or just go down past the information booth, through the few restaurants, and veer left. Continue downhill until you reach the subway)


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Tyrone is a Partner based in Leicester and is an expert in Restructuring, a Chartered Accountant and a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner. He is well known and highly regarded across the East Midlands/Midlands business community and has extensive experience in financial restructuring and recovery across various sectors.
Associate Director
Kerri has over 10 years' experience in HR as well as over 5 years in HR consultancy. She worked in Investment Banking at the beginning of her HR career helping to set up graduate recruitment assessment centres for various banking entities.
Phil has over 30 years experience in transport, engineering and automotive finance, alongside substantial expertise in collections, asset and debtor investigation, including fraud and insolvency matters.
31 August 2017
With the ever changing environment there is continued pressure on organisations to reduce costs, improve efficiency and ensure that funds are being utilised in accordance with the organisation's objectives.
10 August 2017
Adrian Allen and Diana Frangou of RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed Joint Administrators of Brands 2 Hands Limited on 4 August 2017.
Warren has been providing taxation advice to individuals and owner managed businesses for 30 years.
12 April 2016
This edition of charity watch focuses on a charity's reserves, the impact of FRS 102 on defined benefit schemes and the effect that both of these can have on a charity's financial position.
12 April 2016
Willie Duncan, a restructuring partner at RSM discusses the likely impact on some charities following the recent changes in accounting standards.
12 April 2016
2015 proved to be a tough year for the sector as a number of high profiles charities folded due to not following their own reserves policy, we look at getting the balance right.
Guy has over 15 years experience in the restructuring arena. He provides advisory services to mid market clients across a range of sectors.


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Robin Gibb, Songwriter Remembered
Robin Gibb, a member of the group the Bee Gees, died Sunday at the age of 61. The musician was best known for his contributions, along with his brothers, to disco in the 1970s. The genre, both loved and hated, was in part defined by Gibb and the Bee Gees.
No one dominated disco more than the Bee Gees, whose soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" cemented their place in history and changed the defining sound of the era.
The Bee Gees had nine singles reach number one on the Hot 100 chart, which, according to Billboard magazine, puts them in third place for the most number ones in history, after the Beatles and the Supremes.
The Bee Gees has tremendous songwriting success, sold in excess of 200 million records worldwide.At one point in 1978, the Gibb brothers were responsible for writing and/or performing nine of the songs in the Billboard Hot 100. In all, the Gibbs placed 13 singles onto the Hot 100 in 1978, with 12 making the Top 40.
At least 2,500 artists have recorded their songs. Their most popular composition is "How Deep Is Your Love", with 400 versions by other artists in existence. Among the artists who have covered their songs are Ardijah, Michael Bolton, Boyzone, Eric Clapton, Billy Corgan, Destiny's Child, Faith No More, Feist, The Flaming Lips, Al Green, Jinusean, Elton John, Tom Jones, Janis Joplin, Lulu, Elvis Presley, Nina Simone, Percy Sledge, Robert Smith, Take That, and John Frusciante (who has covered "How Deep Is Your Love" duringRed Hot Chili Peppers concerts). The band's music has also been sampled by dozens of hip hop artists.
Songs written by the Gibbs, but largely better known through versions by other artists, include:
"Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You" by Teri DeSario
"Buried Treasure" by Kenny Rogers (backing vocals The Gatlin Brothers)
"Chain Reaction" by Diana Ross
"Come on Over" by Olivia Newton-John
"Emotion" by Samantha Sang
"Gilbert Green" by Gerry Marsden
"Grease" by Frankie Valli
"Guilty" and "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand
"Heartbreaker" & "All the Love in the World" by Dionne Warwick
"Hold On to My Love" by Jimmy Ruffin
"I Will Be There" by Tina Turner
"If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman
"Immortality" by Celine Dion
"Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
"Morning of My Life" by Abi and Esther Ofarim
"Only One Woman" by The Marbles
"Rest Your Love on Me" by Conway Twitty
"Sacred Trust" by One True Voice
"Warm Ride" by Graham Bonnet
Robin Gibb also had a solo career, was initially successful with a Number 2 UK hit, "Saved by the Bell", which sold over one million copies. However, Gibb's first solo album, Robin's Reign, was less successful and he soon found that being a solo artist was unsatisfying. Maurice played bass guitar on the song "Mother and Jack", but was subsequently removed from the project by producer Robert Stigwood. Despite having almost completed a second solo album, Sing Slowly Sisters, Gibb reunited with his brothers, who then revived the Bee Gees. The group came back on a high note, reaching No. 3 on the US charts with the song "Lonely Days" in 1970. In 1971, the Bee Gees had their first US No.1 hit, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart".
With Robin's death, Barry Gibb became the last surviving and oldest Gibb brother.
(Edited by Jessica Brandon)
For more information on USA Songwriting Competition, go to: http://www.songwriting.net


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Lost Temple, the obligatory map offering in every Blizzard game for players who cannot accept "change", is the setting for today's battle. This iteration doesn't even pretend to stick a Temple doodad on the map, so the only lost temple involved is the keyboard-shaped hole in the side of my head -- a self-inflicted wound to protect myself from the number of Starcraft 2 replays that I'm going to have to watch on this map.
The topography of the map is essentially the same as before, and if you squint, it almost resembles a game of Operation performed upon a well-endowed gingerbread man. A few minor changes bring Lost Temple into the new millenium (in the same way that Comcast XFinity is an upgrade to Comcast High-Speed Internet). For starters, the northern plateau has been horizontally flipped, and is now a suitable starting location for all the lefties whose childhood was marred by the dearth of usable school scissors.
The most noticeable change is the absence of the Sneeze Crystals, those random spurts of minerals on the old Lost Temple which obviously came about because the map developer had allergies while mouse-scrolling. Two rich mineral expansions are available as replacements, one in the gingerbread man's head, and one in his testicles. To prevent early settlers, Blizzard has placed
creeps giant boulders in the prime building locations. In the testicular expansion, the tedium is greatly relieved if you pretend you're attacking a giant kidney stone with ultrasonic waves.


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I was on vacation when the submission finally got trough Q/A, so it has been available for some time already but anyway, just to let you know that my Radio X3M app for the Asha full touch phones is now available for download on the Nokia Store.
Och samma på svenska! Min Radio X3M äpp för Nokia Asha telefoner kan nu laddas ner från Nokia Store.


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To be honest folks, this is about the fifth time I've written this review, and it took me a while to decide if I was going to review Hellucination at all. As much as it may not seem so due to some of the things I say and some of the stuff I review, I try to maintain a moderate to low controversy level 'round here. For that reason there are two things I don't bring up on SOC. They're the same 2 that everyone says you don't discuss if you want to maintain the peace…religion and politics. The thing is, it's gonna be really tough to review Stephen Biro's memoir Hellucination without discussing religion. For the most part I'm just going to talk about it as a book, but the religious side of things can't help coming out from time to time in this review. Therefore, after much deliberation, I will be waiving the "no religion talk" just this one time. Now that we've got that little disclaimer out of the way…
Synopsis: A drug-fueled trip through the gruesome levels of Hell may sound like a fictional horror story to some, and since the traveler in question was movie distributor Stephen Biro, it could just as easily have been one of his film projects. But Stephen's experiences were the real, life-changing sort. They're also proof that the Lord does work in mysterious ways -- extending all the way to squares of LSD and nitrous oxide cartridges.
Armed with psychedelics, hallucinogenics and a brave desire to meet God no matter the personal cost, Stephen pushed beyond the boundaries of safe drug use. He took the most nightmarish of trips from a cramped one-bedroom apartment that he used for running his underground video business. With initial difficulty finding God in his altered state, Stephen instead encountered depravity and grotesquery enough to make his soul weep, but he pushed on. And if that wasn't bad enough, his Hellish experiences bled over into his waking days, and his friends and acquaintances began identifying themselves to him as Antichrists, deities and other assorted beings from "the other side." Reality was blurring and shifting, and Stephen was run utterly ragged. Could he fulfill his quest to learn universal truths before his extreme drug use took its toll?
Hellucination: A Memoir spares no disturbing detail of the unusual route that one man took to find Christ and the God of the Bible. The memoir also follows younger Stephen through his 1970s childhood and his bizarre early encounters with religion that drove him to Atheism.
For those not familiar with Stephen Biro, who wrote this book, he runs Unearthed Films. If you don't know about Unearthed Films, well, you're probably not into extreme horror cinema. They're known for putting out such cinematic atrocities as the Guinea Pig movies, the Vomit Gore trilogy, Cannibal, and Aftermath/Genesis. I met Stephen at Days of the Dead Atlanta. I was drunk as hell, standing outside smoking when someone behind me said "Hey you with the press pass!" You know, one of those classic horror convention greetings. Anyway, turns out it was Mr. Biro. We talked for a while, and he turned out to be a really cool guy. He even hooked me up with a killer assortment of flicks including the amazing Where The Dead Go To Die, Das Komabrutale Duell, Header (all of which I've reviewed on SOC), and the flick that will be the next EC3 review. When he found out that I was also a former psychonaut, he gave me a copy of Hellucination. He told me "It's about me doing a bunch of hallucinogens, going to heaven and hell, and meeting the devil and god." Now that's a sales pitch. The book is about that and much more…and if you're thinking that a purveyor of some of the most sublimely vile movies imaginable is a rather unlikely source for a testimony of how he came to god, you'd be absolutely right.
First off, the 800 lb gorilla in the room must be addressed. There is a problem inherent in spiritual memoirs. Conventional wisdom would suggest that to experience the story as a true one, the reader must first share the spiritual beliefs of the author. Basically, if you were going to read the autobiography of a ghost hunter, you kinda have to believe in ghosts or, in your mind, it isn't a true story. This could be a stumbling block to some. I've told people about this book, and they're on board until they find out it's a Christian book. Yes, I had to put aside my distaste for religious dogma in one or two places (particularly the end), but it never really gets preachy. In fact, this book would appall a lot of the more judgmental Christians. In my mind, that's a very good thing. Here's how I went into it. I don't necessarily believe in everything Biro discusses in this book, but it's obvious from the honesty and conviction of his writing that he does. Since he wholeheartedly believes that what he wrote is the truth, I can accept that this was written as a true story in the author's eyes and experience it that way. It really doesn't matter if I believe in possession or anti-Christs or anything else, because this is his perception of what he's experienced, and I can accept it on that level. After all, Aristotle said "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it," and he was friends with that So Crates guy from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, so he must be smart, right?
So, putting aside the book's spiritual platform for a moment, let's look at the most important question; is it a good book? The answer is an emphatic yes. Biro writes in a very conversational style, which is quite engaging. The subject matter may make this a heavy read at times, but the prose keeps you moving along. A lot of it is told in traditional first person narrative style as Stephen recounts his experiences, but he frequently employs second person, directly addressing the reader. He also goes one step further, actually making you, the reader, a character in the story. He physically places the reader in the framing devices of his story in a unique and extremely effective literary device that I can honestly say I've never seen before.
His writing also has a very cinematic quality, both in that Biro has a gift for the verbal dynamic of describing the physicality and mood of a scene and that much of the action seems to be directly or indirectly inspired by movies. When he is describing the things he experienced during his time using LSD and nitrous oxide (aka whip-its…dun dun dun dun dun…whip it good!) to push the boundaries of reality, sometimes characters from movies and television, such as Morpheus from The Matrix or Rob Zombie, actually cross over into his world. Other times, when he's describing his experiences that don't directly involve specific films, they still seem to color his exploits. One can pick up elements of flicks like Clockwork Orange and Tetsuo: The Iron Man in certain passages for example. The middle portion of the book where we are back in "every day reality" but nothing and no one is quite what they seem is very reminiscent of the movie Jacob's Ladder. That's not saying that these parts of the book are actually based on these flicks however. As anyone with experience with hallucinogens can tell you, anything you've ever seen or heard can come back to influence your perception of reality when you're tripping.
Which leads me to another thing that impressed me about this book. It also brings up a subject I don't discuss on SOC a lot, drugs. As some of you know, in my late teens and early twenties I did a lot of drugs, and hallucinogens (LSD & Psilocybin mostly) were always my favorite. Therefore, when Biro talks about the combination of acid and whip-its, I can relate to the mental state he was in when this stuff went down. I have always said that experiencing a psychedelic episode is something that cannot be adequately described to someone who has never done it. It's like sex, it doesn't matter how well you try to describe it to a virgin, it's just something that can't be comprehended unless you experience it. Biro, however, does the best job I have ever heard of verbally explaining what tripping feels like. I honestly don't know if someone who has never done any hallucinogenic drugs will fully understand where the character is, but Biro will definitely get you close enough.
The most striking portion of the book is Biro's decent into Hell itself. His vision of hell is absolutely inspired, with each of the seven deadly sins having its own infernal realm and fitting punishments. Depending on whether you believe that this is the actual, God-created hell of the Bible, some great storytelling on Biro's part, or a drug induced nightmare vision, either Stephen, God, or Acid deserves a lot of credit for their flair for grotesque imagery and symbolism that borders on the profound. Seriously, the punishments conceived of here fit the sins in ways I had never even thought of before. Amazing. In certain areas it has the same type of atmosphere as the hell sequences in some of Edward Lee's books like Flesh Gothic or The Chosen. Being the huge Lee fan that I am, that's definitely a compliment. The whole book is outstanding, but this section grabs you by the throat, mainlines straight into your brain, and leaves you woozy and wondering what the hell just happened. Yes, pun intended.
As a pro-spirituality/anti-religion former believer who was raised strict Southern Baptist, one thing that I find very interesting is unconventional Christianity. That's why I got so into Christian metal in my early teens, because it was diametrically opposed to the Christianity I had been raised on. I would most definitely call a journey to accepting Christ through heavy drug use and graphic bootleg movies unconventional. While it ends up with an evangelistic passage, it never takes on the pretense of a sermon. It's just a guy presenting his experience and what he feels to be the truth for your consideration. That's actually really refreshing in a Christian book. I almost hesitate to call it a religious book because of the negative connotations that label has. Hellucination incorporates all kinds of ideas about philosophy, psychology, metaphysics, spirituality, religion, and the human condition; presenting them in such an intriguing and entertaining way that the sheer entertainment value makes it palatable even to the most anti-religious reader.
Random Thought: At one point Biro references the Stroh's Wet T-Shirt Contest. I have never heard anyone else reference that particular video, and thought I might be the only one who remembered it. THAT caught me by surprise.
Stephen Biro's Hellucination is a fascinating read. The book's strength is that it works on whatever level you want to experience it on. If you're just looking for a good story, it works. If you want to dig deeper into Biro laying his soul bare before you, he does. If you want to go even deeper and use it as a gateway to address questions about reality, both earthly and supernatural, you can. No matter what you're into, there's something here for you. If you're a horror fan, read it for the possession, violence, gore, madness, bizarre and grotesque imagery, and references to great obscure flicks. If you're into spirituality and metaphysics, read it for its exploration of themes regarding the afterlife, preternatural beings, and the fate of the human soul. If you're into psychedelia, you will definitely find it here if the book will just stop melting long enough for you to read it (yeah, you know what I'm talking about.) If you're into religion, read it for a chronicle of a route to God that I guarantee you've never heard before. If you're not into any of those things, just read it because it's a damn good book. Two severed thumbs up. Nathan says check it out. Hellucination is available on amazon or directly from Unearthed (LINK).


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Monday, November 7, 2016
The geometry of framing, shapes within the frame
This short YouTube video is worth checking out. Although it deals with cinematography, I think you'll agree that the ideas apply to still photography as well. Basically different shapes within the frame convey different meaning.
You can go to the YouTube video HERE.
Posted by Harvey's Blog at 9:01 AM
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The total of $50,040.85 represents the wages added to Bigazzi's bank account by automatic deposit
Officials at UConn Health asked police to check on Bigazzi's well-being after they hadn't heard from him for months. UConn Health officers went to his Burlington home on Feb. 5, knocked at the door and heard activity in the house, but got no response.
Bigazzi's wife and the person facing a murder charge in connection with his death, paid the money to the university through her attorney


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These are awesome
Month: August 2014
Ebony & Bastogne
These will be two special build which should be for sale when completed. No promises though as I might keep one for myself. Ebony will be bound with ivoroid as will the Bastogne walnut. Both will have nice black Limba bodies and will be 26 scale 24 fret 6 strings. WordPress' uploaded always seems to…
Full Specs of the Burl Maple 6
Full Specs: Scale Length: 26 in Neck Wood: Monterillo w/Pau Ferro Fretboard Body Wood: Ribbon Sapele Top Wood: 3/4in Carved Burl Maple Jescar Jumbo Frets Hipshot Hardware String Saver Saddles Dimarzio Titan Bridge & Gravity Storm Neck Water Buffalo Horn Nut Tru-Oil w/Odies Oil Wax Schaller Strap Locks
Burl Maple's Ready for Joel Grant
This one I've been dragging my feet on but it's finally finished. It looks pretty great all put together. I can't wait to hear it all wired up. The acoustic sound that resonates from putting my ear to the body is deep and rich. It's got a very controlled midrange and an extremely tight low…
Jason Kane & His New Guitar
Had a great opportunity to drop this one off on the way home. Got some nice shots as well with the Sony rx100. Glad this went to a good home.
Dye Tests & Neck Scarfs for All
I started doing dye tests for Roger's build. It's turning out alright but I'll need to really dial it in. I've also cut the neck blanks for all the builds. I'm awaiting a new headpiece scarf I designed. It'll allow me to basically have the entire headpiece finished before I glue. I've also made a…


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The MHS Library Media Center has a variety of resources for teachers, including professional resource databases, that can help as we all learn to align our lessons to the Common Core Standards. I will be updating this page with direct links to professional resources.
We are also actively collecting educational resources teachers have found helpful. If there are any sites not listed below, please send them to me and I will be sure to add them to to this page!
Common Core standards site: http://www.corestandards.org/
NYSED bringing the Common Core to life
Okapi: find the reading level and complexity of any text
Virtual Inquiry: summary and lesson ideas for inquiry-based learning
Project-based lesson plans (indexed by grade level and subject)
How to write effective driving questions for project based learning
How to refine effective driving questions for project based learning
The New York State Archives – primary sources for anything related to New York
Using the NYTimes as a source for informational text to connect to your curriculum topic


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Happy Endings is dead. Long live the cast members of Happy Endings! Adam Pally has started his run as a regular on The Mindy Project. Damon Wayans Jr. returns to New Girl when the show does in November. Casey Wilson and writing partner June Diane Raphael have projects at both ABC and NBC. And now that postmortem cast poach continues, as Eliza Coupe has another gig to go along with her recurring role as Will Arnett's ex-wife on parental farting multi-cam sitcom The Millers.
USA—which came pretty close to picking up Happy Endings itself—has ordered a pilot for Benched, a legal comedy from Michaela Watkins (Saturday Night Live, Trophy Wife) and fellow Groundlings alum Damon Jones, with Party Down co-creator John Enborn as showrunner. Coupe will play Nina, "a dedicated, career-driven corporate attorney who has a very public nervous breakdown after getting passed up for an expected promotion," who now works as a public defender. At the very least, this could be the counter-programming to Franklin & Bash the legal comedy has needed. At best, it could be another Ally McBeal. Either way, it has the eminently talented Coupe. Zachary Knighton and Elisha Cuthbert better step it up.


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Kern Glass is currently looking for a qualified candidate to fill a full-time Project Engineer position. Here is a brief description:
The Project Engineer acts as an internal liaison for the on?site Project Managers. A qualified candidate must possess strong written and verbal communication skills, be extremely organized, detail?oriented, and have the ability to multi?task.
This position does come with benefits, which include: Medical insurance, life insurance, retirement, cell phone, holidays & vacation. For a full description of this position, responsibilities & qualifications CLICK HERE.
If you, or someone you know, is interested in applying, you can do so by clicking HERE and completing the online application.
Once you have completed the application you can also forward your resume to:


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Peeling the Onion
Peeling layers of an onion is sticky and stinky. It can even make you cry as vapors escape, released to reach your eyeballs. But there is no other way to get to the core with your fingers unless you cut through it with a knife.
In the movie, Shrek says, "Ogres are like onions … There's a lot more Ogres than people think," he tries to explain to Donkey, referring not to the smell or the color or what happens to it when left out too long, but rather it comes down to the literal actual layers around the core.
In the movie, though Donkey and Shrek have differences, they eventually become inseparable friends. But it doesn't happen until the relationship develops. And that takes work, that includes listening.
One way to peel the layers back and get to know a person is by simply listening to them. I mean really listening, with both ears and mouth closed accept for asking questions. Get a person to talk and let them talk while you listen will open doors, expose the soul, and strip the layers that are sometimes sticky, stinky and hard to peel away.
Listening is a skill that will peel away the layers to get to the core.


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October isn't just about apple picking, hayrides, and pumpkin spice lattes… it's also cybersecurity month! Although Conjur kicked the month off on the right foot, the same can't be said for everyone. It looks like cybersecurity month is off to a rough start at Scottrade, the business having suffered a major breach that was publicized in recent weeks.
Imagine that your company was approached by the FBI, and was told that criminals had taken your clients' information and have had it at their disposal for the past two years. Well, that's the real life nightmare Scottrade is faced with. The most troubling aspect of the Scottrade breach is that it went unnoticed for two years. This forces us to wonder, how much of our data has been compromised that we don't even know about… what if our information is being taken right now? Without a second thought we buy insurance, apply for loans, sign up for cell phone plans, and make online purchases. And without a second thought, businesses take this information and store it, gambling with our personal details and hoping that their databases are secure enough to resist a breach, without taking any real, meaningful steps to ensure this is the case. With PR nightmares like this one, I have to wonder, why aren't companies keeping a closer eye on their secrets?
Although the breach occurred two years ago, it was only recently that Scottrade uncovered the hack in their system. The FBI alerted Scottrade to the breach that exposed the personal information of over 4.6 million customers. Although Scottrade maintains that only the names and addresses of customers were taken, it is highly likely that other information was compromised as well. The systems containing the contact information also stored social security numbers, according to Threatpost. Marketwatch cautions customers that brokerage numbers are also on the list of potentially compromised data.
This information further validates the assumption that more than just names and addresses were exposed, despite Scottrade's insistence that contact information was the hackers' main focus. When questioned as to how Scottrade came to this conclusion, Scottrade could not answer, stating that it could jeopardize the investigation. It may never be revealed what information was actually taken from Scottrade, as most companies don't keep data that old in their systems. Customers are angry, including one Scottrade customer who has decided to sue the company in a class-action lawsuit. The suit requests that Scottrade not only pay for at least 3 years of credit and identity monitoring for compromised customers, but also repay any monetary, statutory, and punitive damages.
It is common for enterprises to cut costs wherever possible; however, security is not the place to skimp on resources. These breaches are a lot more expensive than the costs associated with properly securing infrastructures in the first place. According to research by the Ponemon Institute, data breaches cost companies approximately $3.8 million dollars (an increase from last year's cost of $3.5 million). For businesses, breaches affect more than just their wallet, they also taint the reputations they have worked so hard to create. Every single week consumers are faced with a new company they can no longer trust and are ridden with heightened paranoia every time they give out a social security number or use a credit card. The problem now is that not only are these breaches happening, but they are taking far too long to be detected. People are only aware of the fraud once it is too late and this fraudulent activity is difficult to remedy.
If Scottrade had a clear and easily accessible audit log, it wouldn't have taken so long to notice suspicious behavior in their systems. High velocity organizations who practice continuous delivery rely on many dynamic tools, users, and machines. All of these complexities make it difficult to scale security in the name of velocity. Companies need secrets management solutions that are scalable with both machine authentication and granular access control . With the correct security measures in place to manage secrets, hackers would have been denied access to the system in the first place.
For more information on proper secrets management, download our secrets management checklist.
Worried about your cybersecurity this October? Remember, the best defense is an even better offense.


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These soothing, tropical lip balms keep lips moist and happy anywhere you go. Great to share as gifts or keep all four for yourself! Compact, convenient travel size lip balms in stick tubes.
The four flavors/scents are Passion Plumeria, Coco-Papaya (coconut & papaya), Mango-licious (mango) and Ginger Guava.
Ingredients: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lauryl Laurate, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Beeswax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Hawaiian Flavors.
Each lip balm stick is a 0.15-oz (4.25g). You will receive 4 lip balms with this 4-pack set. Made in Hawaii.
Fixed shipping rate for 1 set is $3.50, sent via US Postal Service.


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49ers sign CB Kenneth Acker
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have signed sixth-round cornerback Kenneth Acker of SMU to a four-year deal.
The team announced the deal Friday.
Acker was selected by the 49ers with the 180th overall pick. He had seven interceptions and 29 passes defensed in 46 college games. He was also a second-team All-American Athletic Conference pick last season.
NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL


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Ladies and gents, we can finally announce that the pre-order for our next single 'Jealous MF' is available now from the link below. It's a 7" Green Vinyl features...Read More
As a thank you to everyone who has supported us, and a gift to all newcomers… We have created a newsletter. This will be the first place to hear...Read More
We now have Moriaty hoodies in our shop available in a wide range of colours along with all the other great Moriaty merchandise. They feature a brand new illustration...Read More


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Last updated on March 14th, 2018 at 09:47 pm
When my in-laws announced that the next family trip would be in Phuket, Thailand, we were initially thrilled! We had been there on our honeymoon and it was such a beautiful place! Then it hit us that we'd have a 6-month-old baby at the time of the trip.


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(Washington, DC) – Repeated use of cluster munitions in Syria and Yemen during 2015 has been met by growing international support for the treaty banning the deadly weapons, Human Rights Watch said today. The cluster munition attacks have caused numerous civilian casualties.
Attacks in Syria using air-dropped and ground-launched cluster munitions have increased significantly since Russia began its military operation there on September 30, 2015. In Yemen, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition has used at least four types of cluster munitions in 2015. Yet Russia and Zimbabwe were the only countries to vote against a December 7 United Nations General Assembly resolution in support of the international treaty banning cluster munitions.
"Instead of defending cluster munitions, Russia should join the ever-expanding community of nations that reject these indiscriminate weapons," said Mary Wareham, arms advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "The UN resolution, supported even by nearly half the countries that have yet to join the treaty, shows the growing sentiment against cluster munitions."
In Syria, government forces have used cluster munitions across the country since mid-2012, while Islamic State (also known as ISIS) forces used cluster munition rockets in northern Syria in the second half of 2014. Both Russian-backed rebel forces and Ukrainian government forces have used cluster munition rockets in attacks in eastern Ukraine, but not since a February ceasefire.
On October 1, the international Cluster Munition Coalition, which Human Rights Watch chairs, warned Russia against using any cluster munitions in Syria due to the "foreseeable and preventable" danger posed to civilians. Russia should stop using cluster munitions and start supporting the international prohibition on their use, Human Rights Watch said.
Cluster munitions pose an immediate threat to civilians by scattering submunitions or bomblets over a wide area. Their remnants pose a long-term danger, particularly submunitions that fail to explode upon impact, becoming de facto landmines. Russia is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signed by 118 countries and ratified by 98. The treaty also requires the clearance of remnants from attacks and assistance to victims of the weapons.
The December 7 UN General Assembly resolution was its first on the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The non-binding resolution passed 139 to 2, with 40 abstentions. Three dozen countries that have not banned cluster munitions nonetheless voted for the resolution, while non-signatories China, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United States were among those abstaining.
Russia acknowledged humanitarian concern about cluster munitions but said it objects to the way the treaty was negotiated by like-minded states outside UN auspices.
On September 9, at the First Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions since the treaty went into effect on August 1, 2010, more than 100 countries adopted a declaration condemning any use of cluster munitions by any actor.
To date, 28 countries have finished destruction of their stockpiles in accordance with the Convention on Cluster Munitions, destroying more than 1.3 million cluster munitions containing more than 160 million submunitions. As 2015 comes to a close, two more countries have completed the destruction of their stockpiled cluster munitions under the treaty requirements, in both cases well in advance of the treaty's eight-year stockpile destruction deadline.
Germany once held 573,700 cluster munitions containing 60 million submunitions, the highest number stockpiled by any member of the treaty. It announced the completion of the destruction of the stockpile on November 25, while Italy destroyed the last of its stockpile of 5,113 cluster munitions containing 2.8 million submunitions on October 31.
"By destroying their stockpiled cluster munitions years in advance of the deadline, nations such as Germany and Italy are leading the way in implementation of the ban," said Wareham, who is also editor of the annual Cluster Munition Monitor report by the international coalition of organizations working to eradicate the weapons. "We expect similar commitment from others that have banned cluster munitions, as the best way to discourage new use of cluster munitions is to destroy them."


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Yup, I'm gonna do an entire post on a mall! And what a mall it is; the Dubai Mall is currently the biggest mall in the world, with 1200 shops and still expanding! It's the mall to end all malls, selling everything from solid gold iPhones to sleepy stuffed camels to Japanese linens. Almost everytime I go to Dubai I end up here, much to my boyfriend's chagrin.
As part of our Valentine's Day celebrations, we made our way up to Dubai to have a good meal and do some shopping. Just a heads up, some of the pictures are from different trips, so don't be surprised if I'm wearing different outfits (no, I'm not one of those people who bring different outfits for pictures).
Did I mention that the Dubai Mall is connected to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world?
There's no shortage of froufrou things at the Dubai Mall!
Always check out the cars parked in front…they're a sight in themselves!
Before we get to eating and shopping though, some ground rules:
Keep your hands and lips to yourself!
A lot of people ignore the "respectful clothing" rule, and you'll see short shorts and cleavage everywhere. Keep in mind that a lot of the locals to equate revealing clothing with whores (for women), so if you want to avoid uncomfortable comments and stares, it's still best to keep to the conservative side.
ABSOLUTELY NO KISSING IALLOWED! Dubai is much more liberal than the rest of the emirates, but this is still an big no-no. As in you could be jailed for doing it. If you're not married, refrain from holding hands, as a well-placed complaint could get you in trouble. Men should be careful to avoid physical contact with local women; simple gestures that we use to express friendliness could be interpreted very differently here.
We got to Dubai around 1pm, and we were famished. There are so many food options in the mall, ranging from the usual range of fast foods to five star restaurants. We settled on California Pizza Kitchen, as we had a great meal there in Hawaii.
It was very, very disappointing. The thing about eating out here is that familiar brands often end up very different than back home, and not in a good way. Nothing we ordered tasted good, never mind resembling the great dishes at the other CPK's I've been to.
CPK Meat Craver pizza in North America. Not my picture, but I can attest that it does look like that.
CPK Meat Craver pizza in Dubai. Ugh.Just look at all that congealed cheese and burnt meatballs!
Thankfully our dinner was much better, as we picked an old favorite: Shake Shack. For those of you who know Shake Shack, it started out in New York and blew up there. They make the most amazing (and greasy) cheeseburgers, as well as amazing custards and milkshakes. If you ever come across one of these, definitely stop by!
Probably the fanciest Shake Shack in the world.
Red Velvet Custard…just looking at this picture makes me drool.
The Dubai Mall is also home to another New York cult favorite, Magnolia Bakery. I stopped going to the one at the Dubai Mall because one opened up in Abu Dhabi, but anyone's who's not had one should stop by Bloomingdale's for a taste. The cupcakes are to die for, with fluffy sugary icing that's somehow not too sweet, and the banana pudding is thick and creamy without being too rich. Some people say the one in New York is better, but I can't see how!
Vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing. It really is a wonder I don't weigh 500 pounds!
Another good place to eat is the Social House, which is a Western and Eastern cusine fusion. There's a good variety of food and drinks (non-alcoholic of course), and a great view of the Dubai fountain, the largest in the world. The fountain turns on every half hour; it really is quite a spectacular show, much better than the one in Vegas.
The Hainanese chicken at the Social House is pretty close to the quality in China.
The Dubai Fountain is really something else.Be prepared to fight with all the tourists around you if you want to film it though!
The Burj Khalifa is right next to the Dubai Fountain, but it's only accessible to tourists from the lower ground floor of the Dubai Mall. You should make an appointment to visit the Burj Khalifa well in advance of your trip, as it's the difference between 125 AED ($34) and 400 AED ($109) for immediate entry (click here for more information). It's worth it if you have a great camera and want to get some pictures of Dubai. I'm personally a sucker for panoramic city views, and I'm planning to go up there in April to check out the sunrise.
The tallest building in the world, and the best place to get a full view of Dubai!
If you have children, there's also tons of things for them to do. The UAE is children-friendly in general, with a great focus on family and kids. The Dubai Mall has a huge indoor aquarium, one of the world's largest suspended ones (yet another record broken), offering cage snorkeling, glass bottom boats, and other interactive activities.
I really need a better camera to capture the aquarium's beauty. This picture doesn't do it justice.
Right across from the aquarium is the Cheesecake Factory, and a huge candy store guaranteed to make any kid (and me) scream. Everything in the store is over the top: giant swirly lollipops, the world's largest chocolate bar and wall to wall to wall of different colored m&ms.
Just looking at it will give you a sugar rush…
There's the Asian eyes again…
The Waterfall is yet another extravagant water feature in the Dubai Mall, expanding all four floors of the mall and is known for it's beauty. It was designed to be a meeting point for visitors, and has a variety of coffee shops surrounding it.
Now on to my favorite part, shopping! We visited the Dubai Mall at the end of the Spring Festival in China, and there were still many promotions and advertisements geared towards Chinese tourists. It's a sign of how much their revenue depends on Chinese visitors, that every single store accepts UnionPay (the Chinese version of Visa and Mastercard), and all high-end brands have at least one sales assistant who speaks Chinese.
A sign that Chinese tourists are taking over the world…
If you're looking for souvenirs to bring home, the Dubai Mall even has a souk, a traditional Arabic market. It's definitely not the best place for deals and heavy bargaining, but it has everything you'll find in a souk elsewhere.
The Souk
The Dubai Mall is also home to one of my favorite bookstores, Kinokuniya. I have a Kindle Paperwhite, but it doesn't diminish my love for actual paper. It's not that easy to find a good selection of books in the UAE, and Kinokuniya is one of the few bookstores that sell more books than stationary. Other than English books, they also have books in a variety of languages.
There are Kinokuniyas all over the world, but this is the biggest I've seen.
For all the fashionistas and beauty junkies out there, this place is heaven. There's a shoe garden of stores devoted to shoes, a gigantic Sephora, hard to find brands from all over the world. If only I had the money…
The Shoe Garden…and a giant flower chair I found in the middle of it!
Not as big as the one in New York, but you'll definitely find some products unique to the Middle East!
Repetto is pretty hard to find in the US. If only I had a spare $300 to spend on a pair of ballet flats…
You can find Laduree macaroons outside of France here in Dubai!
Souvenir from al Gallery…LMAO
That's it for the Dubai Mall. I'll post more on the Middle East soon, so keep coming back!


text: They say marriages are made in heaven and we at kaakateeya.com strive to mix the right-minded people together. We welcome you all to meet the success stories of innumerable married couple who have found their dream partner through us! We wish them the very best for a happy and success married life.


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Sonoma County farmers want to cultivate hemp—now legal under federal law—but that won't happen any time soon, says county agriculture commissioner Tony Linegar, a fierce advocate for farming and farmers, including those who are growing cannabis now or have yet to receive the necessary permits.
Hemp looks and smells like cannabis. For some local detractors, it's just as objectionable as cannabis and ought to be stopped before it takes root here.
"Solving the challenge of how hemp can fit into the agricultural landscape will be a balancing act with many opposing interests," Linegar says. "It's a worthy cause if it creates opportunity for local farmers. Hopefully we can come out of the process with the opportunity intact."
For the time being, Linegar is pushing the Sonoma County Supervisors to follow the lead of 13 counties around the state that have passed temporary moratoriums on commercial hemp cultivation. Mendocino blocked hemp cultivation in February; Marin adopted its own moratorium in March. He's suggesting to the Sonoma supervisors that they do the same at the April 2 meeting.
The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill opened new opportunities to grow a crop in the U.S. that humans have been growing for thousands of years. The history of hemp in America is already well-known: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew it. Thomas Paine, who helped jump start the American Revolution, saw hemp growing wild and concluded that it would ensure that Americans would always be free and never under a foreign domination.
As agriculture commissioner, Linegar's job is to protect, preserve and expand farming and ranching in Sonoma County—where and when that's possible. Biodiversity has been one of his mantras over eight years on the job. "Hemp is an amazing plant botanically speaking," Linegar say, as he extols its many virtues and uses, which includes "the possibility to create new kinds of plastics that would be biodegradable, as well as new building materials like hempcrete."
Hemp was outlawed by the federal government in 1937—the same year that cannabis was prohibited. Ever since then, the sturdy hemp plant has been found guilty by association. The plant belongs to the cannabis family, but it's not rich in THC and doesn't produce intoxicating effects.
"I've taken a deep dive into the hemp world," Linegar says. "I know the only way you can distinguish a field of hemp grown for CBD from a field of cannabis with THC, is to take samples of the female plants from both, bring them to a laboratory and have them tested." Commercial hemp under the Farm Bill can't have more than .3 percent THC content.
For that reason, and despite his overall enthusiasm for the plant, Linegar wants the county to approve an emergency ordinance to enact a moratorium on growing hemp. He'd like to see hemp eventually join the list of crops that are grown and harvested here, in part because the plant would bring diversity to fields and farms. For agriculture to survive in Sonoma, it has to produce products that bring a solid financial return per acre planted. On that score, hemp blows grapes out of the water. "In Colorado an acre of hemp produced for CBD brings in about $60,000 per acre," Linegar says. "An acre here of the most highly sought-after grapes might bring in 5 to 6 tons an acre and sell for $5,000 a ton at the high end. You do the math."
Some financially strapped Sonoma County farmers are chomping at the bit to start growing hemp: "We have already had numerous inquiries at the Department of Agriculture from conventional farmers who want to grow hemp," Linegar says.
Nobody's getting the green light, at least not yet. Hemp presents a major conundrum for the county. "There are pros and cons on all sides," he says.
Linegar identifies three reasons to put the moratorium on hemp: Sacramento has yet to issue final regulations about hemp cultivation (that's expected to happen this year). There's also a loophole in state law allowing for the cultivation of hemp for research purposes without registering with a county agricultural commissioner (or be tested for THC).
"That loophole could be exploited," Linegar says. "It has been the impetus for most of the county moratoriums in effect in California."
And third, male hemp plants have the potential to pollinate female cannabis plants. That pollination would produce seeds with diluted THC content, which could make smokable cannabis a less valuable cash crop. Hemp pollen can move as far as 30 miles, says Linegar. "In Oregon, the proximity of hemp to cannabis is already a problem. If we have both crops here, hemp farmers growing male plants would have to be at a safe distance from female cannabis plants. We don't want incompatible land use."
But the biggest issue of all is squaring up the bulky legalization regime so pot growers in Sonoma can participate in the new recreational cannabis economy. "First and foremost we owe considerations to people who have been diligently pursuing legal status by complying with the rigorous local and state regulations for licensing," he says. "Having passed an ordinance that allows for cannabis cultivation in late 2016, I believe the county has an obligation to protect [the growers'] interests."
Linegar would like Sonoma County to wait until Sacramento creates statewide rules and regulations for hemp. He'd like to see the county avoid some of the cannabis controversies that have divided communities following Proposition 64's passage.
Linegar believes that any rush to regulate locally could find the county scrambling "down the same rabbit hole that it went down with cannabis. Some of the same people in Sonoma County and elsewhere, who have opposed cannabis, would also oppose hemp. For one thing, it would smell. For another, if mistaken for cannabis it could present similar concerns around public safety."
He adds, ""I understand that cannabis is prohibited in areas zoned Rural Residential and Agriculture Residential. I can accept that, but [other] places that are zoned [for agriculture], have to be maintained and defended for farming and ranching. I draw the line there. The primary use for that land is agricultural, not residential."
He says cannabis and hemp farmers ought to be able to grow on land that's zoned by the county as Land Intensive Agriculture, Land Extensive Agriculture and Diverse Agriculture. "We have had a huge influx of people from urban areas who don't understand agriculture and don't appreciate or respect that they are moving into areas zoned for agriculture. We can't kowtow to them."
Linegar returns to the subject of CBD, even as he wonders which products the Food and Drug Administration will ultimately approve. But the CBD horse has left the stable. "There are all kinds of CBD products out there already that consumers purchase and use. Enforcing restraints has been non existent." Hemp can be cultivated to be high in CBD.
A robust embrace of the potential for hemp, he hopes, may well persuade anti-cannabis agonists to reconsider their opposition.
"Unfortunately, there's guilt by association," Linegar says. "The way cannabis has been over-regulated has the ability to color the way hemp is regulated. That would not be in the best interests of our farmers."
Marin State Assemblyman Marc Levine's got a pretty good idea going this week. He introduced AB 1648 on Tuesday in an effort to streamline the state-mandated environmental review for affordable housing that's built on local school district surplus properties.
The idea, of course, is to bring teachers and parents closer to the schools they work at or send their kids to. The bill would give authority to school districts to provide housing preference for teachers, who often cannot afford to live where they work in pricey Marin. Levine's bill takes aim at the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by requiring approvals of affordable housing projects on school district-owned properties within seven months of the filing of a certified record of the CEQA proceedings with a court. That's a long way of saying that his bill would limit or eliminate costly lawsuits from neighbors who may disapprove of the affordable housing plan.
In a statement, Levine notes that the same CEQA rule applies to the building of sports stadiums and called on lawmakers to expedite the process for affordable housing, too. Marin Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke's in favor of the local pols' latest legislative push as she notes that having affordable-housing options for teachers and staff "will enable our schools to attract and retain a quality workforce," she says. "Our students deserve the very best educational opportunities and retaining qualified staff is paramount to making this happen."
Napa State Senator Bill Dodd's got a pretty good idea, too, that's now making its way through Sacramento's committee process. SB 290 would, for the first time, allow the State of California to take out an insurance policy on itself in the (pretty likely) event of future wildfires or other disasters. "Why doesn't the state have disaster insurance to reduce its financial exposure," he asks, non-rhetorically.
Dodd's bill is co-sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and state Treasurer Fiona Ma. The bill authorizes their agencies, and the governor's office, to "enter into an insurance policy that pays out when California has unexpected disaster costs." It would basically work like a home insurance policy.
Dodd notes in a statement that this is how they do it in Oregon, not to mention at the World Bank. They've both used insurance policies to protect taxpayers from financial exposure after a disaster, though it's unclear when Oregon has faced a big disaster of any kind, besides those freakish neo-Nazis of Portland. OK, that time Mt. St. Helena blew up, that was pretty bad.
Closer to home, In the last 12 years, California has experienced 11 of the 20 most destructive fires in its history, the senator observes, including last year's Paradise Fire, which was the most destructive fire in state history and has a $8 billion price tag for Californians to chew on. Dodd's bill is parked in the Senate Committee on Appropriations, awaiting its next vote.
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The Project Paper Doll auction closed this week, raising $22,273 for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Fifty-nine wooden paper dolls, representing the Children's Hospital logo, were turned into one-of-a-kind pieces of art by celebrities and auctioned on eBay.
Wooden paper dolls decorated by Reba McEntire and George Strait were among the highest draws, going for $3,500 and $1125, respectively. In the fundraiser's second year, other top selling dolls were by Alan Jackson ($960), Kid Rock ($930) and Rascal Flatts ($820).
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About the AuthorSarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.
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Fall Out Boy
Infinity on High
Sounds like: More "Dance, Dance"
Short take: Pop rock doesn't have to suck
Considering that Fall Out Boy's breakthrough hit was called "Dance, Dance," it really should come as no surprise to hear a full-on '80s-influenced dance track on the band's anticipated new album Infinity on High . The track in question is the highly infectious first single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," which sounds like the crossover hit that singer-guitarist Patrick Stump has dreamed about for over a decade. Then there's the arena-rock sounding "I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)," which will have soccer moms humming along. Whereas My Chemical Romance eschewed any follow-up pressure by taking the artsy route, its compadre in emo arms decided to stick to its guns, producing the keen pop songwriting its fans want. John Benson
The Third Hand
XL / Release date: March 6
Sounds like: Instrumental hip-hop meets humdrum pop
Short take: A classic fish-out-of-water failure
RJD2 has sometimes been called the poor man's DJ Shadow, which is both unfair and inaccurate. But the two are similar in that both artists' newest records are grand detours and, similarly, grand duds. RJD2's The Third Hand is just as "What the fuck?"-inducing as Shadow's The Outsider, a big fat flop of good intentions. RJD2's reasons for wanting to go analog to break free of the tedium that is digital music creation are sound, and absolutely more than justified. On his most airtight bangers, there's a sense of frustration with the limitedness of his craft, and, with that, naturally, cause to break free. But c'mon, RJD2, gospel folk? Acoustic shoegaze? Tender hum-alongs? Dumb lyrics? No, that won't do at all. Matt Martin
The Silos
Come on Like the Fast Lane
Sounds like: Boring '90s rock
Short take: These Silos are empty
Somewhat belying its alt-country and roots rock past, veteran indie act The Silos wades into more Americana rock waters with its latest effort, Come on Like the Fast Lane. While such a digression, in theory, could be seamless, the problem is that the tunes lack the necessary fire. While "Keeping Score" features a decent guitar groove, the track lumbers on with one lyric after another, beginning with "There is ...," which grows exponentially grating as the song progresses. "Top of the World" kicks with an early '90s grunge vibe but eventually sounds more like a Kurt Cobain parody. Ultimately, The Silos appear unfocused on the forgettable Come on Like the Fast Lane, which leaves the listener stuck behind a Sunday driver without any opportunity to pass. John Benson