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The lesbian owner of a popular seafood restaurant along the 17th Street business district near Dupont Circle is asking the community to support the repeal of a city law that she says allowed six people to force her to reduce her outdoor seating capacity from 40 to 20 customers.
Jamie Leeds, the chef and owner of Hank's Oyster Bar at 1624 Q Street, N.W., issued a statement over the weekend informing customers and supporters that inspectors with the city's Alcoholic Beverage Control Board ordered her on Friday night, June 8, to close half of the restaurant's patio space.
Leeds said that the order came the day before the annual Capital Pride Parade was to travel past her patio, limiting the number of patrons who wanted to dine on the patio while watching the parade.
"This action shutting down half of our outdoor patio on the night before the annual parade was the result of one of the license protestants phoning in a complaint to the city, and occurs before we have even had a hearing before the ABC Board," Leeds said in an open letter to the community.
"The ongoing harassment by this small band of residents is astonishing and the timing of this individual's complaint before the annual celebration is despicable," she wrote in her letter.
Leeds' call for the repeal of the law that allows as few as five citizens to contest liquor license applications comes at a time when gay and straight nightlife advocates have urged gay D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) to consider introducing legislation to ease what the advocates say are overly burdensome regulations pertaining to such businesses. Graham chairs the Council committee that oversees the city's liquor laws and the agency that enforces them.
Michael Hibey, the attorney representing the six residents opposing Hank's Oyster Bar's use of the expanded outdoor seating, declined to comment. David J. Mallof, one of the six nearby residents who has taken a lead role in opposing Hank's expansion of its outdoor seating, also declined to comment.
The Blade couldn't immediately reach the other five residents opposing the termination of the voluntary agreement. They are: Alexis Rieffel, Ralph N. Johnson, Susan Meehan, Michael Fasano and Patricia E. Steele.
Fred Moosally, director of the city's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, which oversees the ABC Board, confirmed on Monday that the inspectors responded to a complaint by a representative of the six residents opposed to the restaurant's expansion.
But Moosally told the Blade that the call for restricting the patio's use was in response to a May 17 D.C. Court of Appeals decision ordering the city to reinstate a document known as a voluntary agreement between Leeds and the six residents. The agreement bars Hank's from expanding its patio or any part of the restaurant beyond the space it occupied at the time it opened in 2005.
At Leeds' request and following an earlier hearing, the board terminated the voluntary agreement in 2010, allowing her to expand into outdoor and indoor space in an adjacent building that became vacant that year.
The six residents appealed the board's action to the Court of Appeals. The court voided the board's order terminating the voluntary agreement and remanded the case back to the board. It instructed the board to consider two issues the court said the board was legally required to consider but failed to do so at the time it terminated the voluntary agreement.
Moosally said ABC Board inspectors informed Leeds on June 2 during a visit to the restaurant of the court ruling and its effect of reinstating her voluntary agreement. Although he didn't say so directly, he implied that Hank's knew more than a week before the Pride parade that it couldn't use the full space of the patio at the time of the June 9 parade.
Andrew Kline, a licensing counsel representing Leeds before the ABC Board, disputes Moosally's assessment, saying he believes the board had to take "another step" of rescinding its 2010 order terminating the voluntary agreement before it could require Hank's to give up use of the full patio.
Kline said the court decision didn't prevent the board from allowing Hank's to continue to use its full patio while the board deliberates over its decision, as mandated by the court, to make a determination on whether the voluntary agreement should once again be terminated.
The board scheduled a hearing on Wednesday, June 13, to address issues that the appeals court said must be resolved before the board can make a final decision on whether to retain or terminate the voluntary agreement.
The court decision was the latest development in a seven-year dispute between Hank's Oyster Bar and the handful of nearby residents, who have contested the restaurant's liquor license in an effort to obtain restrictions through the voluntary agreement.
Leeds says in her letter that she was pressured into signing the voluntary agreement in 2005, the year she opened the restaurant, as a condition to end a formal protest of the license by the six residents. She said the license protest could have dragged on for months, delaying her ability to obtain a liquor license and jeopardizing her ability to open her new business.
Most observers following the dispute, including LGBT activists, believe Hank's opponents are motivated by an aversion to an "overconcentration" of liquor serving establishments on 17th Street, which the opponents say have the potential for causing neighborhood disturbances. Most observers don't think the opponents of Hank's expansion are motivated by anti-gay sentiment.
But many LGBT activists have teamed up with nightlife advocates in calling on the City Council to repeal the law that gives as few as five residents legal standing to challenge a liquor license and push for restrictions similar to those in the voluntary agreement signed by Hank's.
They point out that Hank's has never caused any problems in the neighborhood, either before or after it expanded its operations into the adjacent space in 2011.
Although the ABC Board makes the final decision on approving a voluntary agreement or approving restrictions on the operation of bars and restaurants, business owners have said a protest by a "gang of five," as the business owners have called the protesting residents, can hold up a license for months. They say the delays result in high monetary costs for legal fees and the cost of renting spaces that can't generate revenue until the license is approved.
One proposal offered by nightlife advocates is to eliminate the existing provision of the liquor law that gives five or more citizens authority to contest liquor licenses and restrict that authority to the elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. ANC's currently have that authority.
"If you agree that allowing a small number of individuals to dictate what happens in our community is wrong, please contact ABRA; Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans; Council member Jim Graham, chair of the committee that oversees ABC [Board issues]; and Mayor Vincent Gray," Leeds said in her open letter. "The right of a group of 5 residents to hold up a license application should be eliminated from the law."
Leeds' letter came two days after Mayor Gray told a joint Capital Pride-Washington Blade town hall meeting that he was concerned over the ability of just five people to block licensing applications for businesses such as restaurants.
"I don't think a small handful of people should be given the opportunity to unreasonably hold up action on something that a preponderance of the people want to move forward on," Gray said.
"I have always believed that most so-called 'voluntary agreements' are actually 'coerced' agreements,'" said gay activist Peter Rosenstein, who lives about two blocks from Hank's.
"[T]his case should convince the City Council and the mayor to change the law," Rosenstein said. "We live in a democracy and allowing a complaint by five people to determine what is seating capacity for a restaurant is clearly not democracy."
Rick Rosendall, vice president of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance and a resident of 17th Street near Hank's Oyster Bar, characterized as "outrageous" the action by the six residents to restrict Hank's patio usage.
"It is absurd and harmful, and D.C. Council members and Mayor Gray need to hear from people who appreciate that the neighborhood and the city are not served by allowing small, unrepresentative groups to hold everyone else hostage to their cramped, entitlement-drenched desire to turn thriving urban neighborhoods into quiet suburbs," Rosendall said.
One of the court's requirements is that Leeds makes a "good faith" effort to reach a new voluntary agreement with the six residents, something Leeds doesn't think is possible.
"[W]e did try to work this out with those opposed to us back when we first sought termination of the VA, but they refused to meet," she said. "Since the Court of Appeals decision was reached, we offered to address their concerns with a more limited VA, but they insist we cut our outdoor occupancy by 25 percent, even though there have been no complaints."
The second requirement is to show that the neighborhood has changed since the time the agreement was signed in 2005 that would support terminating the agreement. Kline said one key change that has occurred is the ABC Board repealed part of a longstanding 17th Street moratorium on new liquor licenses that prevented bars and restaurants from laterally expanding to adjacent buildings or properties.
The Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission, which supports allowing Hank's to expand its patio, supported the lifting of the moratorium on lateral expansion.
The president of the Dupont Circle Citizens Association, Doug Rogers, issued a statement on Monday denouncing the ABC Board's decision to shut down Hank's expanded patio operation, saying the board should have waited until after its scheduled hearing on June 13.
"What is even more infuriating is that two toxic people in our neighborhood are allowed to shut down part of a legitimate business and force them to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees," Rogers said in his statement. "Their ability to do this should be eliminated from D.C. law, and I urge Mayor Gray and the D.C. Council to reform D.C.'s archaic regulatory laws."
Entities have rights the same as citizen's do. Have they been violated?
I've lived in DC for 8 years and have watched 17th Street evolve. Of all places, Hanks has been one of most admirable additions. Hanks is a restaurant and not a bar or nightclub with pulsating music and late night crowds. These neighbors are ridiculous. I'd take a good restaurant neighbor anytime.
I'm sorry, but if these are "Long Term Residents" then this could very likely be anti-gay sentiment. This area used to be horrible and the people who lived there know it. These businesses have turned this area into a safe and wonderful neighborhood. Fighting against that is ridiculous.
Hanks customers are continuously blocking the sidewalk, being loud and obnoxious and causing issues. Not to mention drinking on the sidewalk after ordering alcohol at the bar. While i generally agree with the outdoor seating in the district i think "Hanks" may have stepped crossed the line .


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Dallas, TX: ReportsandReports announce it will China Food and Beverage Industry Report, 2009-2010 Market Research Report in its Store.
Browse complete Report at: http://www.reportsandreports.com/market-reports/china-food-and-beverage-industry-report-2009-2010/
The food and beverage industry consists of three sub-industries: food processing, food manufacturing and beverage manufacturing. The whole food and beverage industry developed slowly in H1 2009, but all the sub-industries had achieved considerable growth after November: the food processing industry experienced the fastest growth, the beverage manufacturing industry resisted decline and grew steadily, and the food manufacturing industry experienced relatively slower growth in operating income at a rate below the industry average.
In 2010, the food and beverage industry still maintains growth momentum. In Q1 2010, the operating income grew by 25.4% year on year, which is much higher than that in Q1 2009, and the net profit soared from RMB5.599 billion in Q1 2009 to RMB6.988 billion, up 24.8% year on year.
1. Beverage Manufacturing Industry
The industry is in growth phase, with huge development potentials. Promoted by medium and high-end wines, China's wine output reached 960,000 tons in 2009, up 27.6% year on year; soft drink and liquor grew at 24.3% and 23.8% respectively; rice wine and beer grew relatively slower, at 12.1% and 7.1% respectively.
In the wine sector, Changyu, Dynasty and COFCO Great Wall ranked top three. In 2009, the sales income of Changyu reached RMB4.2 billion, RMB3.39 billion of which came from wine, and accounted for 87.1% of the total operating income.
In the liquor sector, Kweichow Moutai and Wuliangye held 70% market shares. Comparatively, Kweichow Moutai had a better performance in 2009, since it: (1) had advantages in production capacity expansion under support of local policies; (2) explored the market for newly-added production capacity by increasing the number of franchised stores; (3) had larger room for price increase due to a wide gap between ex-factory prices and retail prices.
In the soft drink sector, the competition in concentration has emerged. In recent years, low-concentration fruit juice has maintained a market coverage of 80% , but as people pay more attention to healthy diet and young people change their dietary habits, nutrient-rich high-concentration fruit juice will become increasingly popular, and its market share will rise rapidly.
2. Food Processing Industry
The report analyzes the meat processing sector of the food processing industry. In 2009, the meat processing sector maintained fast and stable growth, and chilled meat, in particular, was produced and consumed on an increasingly large scale and was gradually replacing fresh meat. From the perspective of enterprise development, Shuanghui, with the industry's most comprehensive product line and remarkable economies of scale, is the absolute leader in the high-temperature meat market, while Yurun dominates the low-temperature meat market with 60% market share.
3. Food Manufacturing Industry
The report analyzes the frozen food, dairy products and instant noodle sectors in the food manufacturing industry. In recent years, China frozen food industry has formed a market led by Sanquan, Synear, Longfong and Wanchai Ferry with different business strategies. Sanquan and Synear set up outlets all over China, while Wanchai Ferry and Longfong focus on first-tier cities. In 2009, Synear cooperated with fast food chains such as KFC and ZKungfu to further expand it marketing channels and enhance its brand competitiveness.
Since H2 2009, the output of dairy products has been growing rapidly because of the fact that the industrial base data were low due to the "melamine incident" in 2008, and the market rebounded and demand increased. Mengniu and Yili, two leading dairy enterprises of China, exhibited great disparity in their 2009 performance: Yili increased its milk powder market share from less than 10% to 13%, while Mengniu saw a decrease in market share, though still maintained the first position.
As the economy recovers and consumer confidence rebounds, the food and beverage industry will develop at an accelerating rate. Finally, the report analyzes and forecasts the development prospect of sub-sectors of the food and beverage industry in 2010.
Browse all Food and Beverages Market Research Reports
Browse all Research In China Market Research Reports
Browse all Newly Published Market Research Reports
Related Reports
China food, beverages, tobacco production specialty equipment manufacturing industry, 2010
China food, beverages, tobacco and fodder production specialty equipment manufacturing industry, 2010
China milk beverage and vegetable protein beverage manufacturing industry, 2010
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subset: commoncrawl


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We will host our Home Works Housing Blitz for our family of churches on April 8. Home Works Housing Blitz is a Saturday for us to serve through fixing homes for those who are unable to do the work themselves. This event is for all adults and is a great way to use your carpentry or painting skills to serve people in our city. It will consist of landscaping, painting, interior home repair, and other home improvement needs and will last 4-8 hours, depending on your availability.
For more information or questions about your availability contact Richard Pierson.


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Izak Spice Blend N.37
2.25 oz. Sweet chili, garlic, salt and cumin combine in this fragrant blend to evoke the cuisine of Tunisia. Delicious with fish, meat, sauces, and salad dressing.
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Latest Weather Blog
911 tapes reveal details in deputy involved shooting
DENHAM SPRINGS - Released 911 tapes reveal what happened when a domestic dispute turned into a violent standoff in Denham Springs earlier this month.
The confrontation on Country Club Drive turned deadly after an estranged husband, 46-year-old Sidney Averett, broke into a house after a court appearance, according to Louisiana State Police. Inside the house, Livingston Parish Sheriff's deputy David Johnson and the man's ex-wife hid from the attacker.
Johnson used his radio to detail what happened inside the house to dispatchers and deputies.
JOHNSON: 338 to dispatch. He just pulled back in the drive.
JOHNSON: 338, dispatch...He's got guns!
Johnson and his girlfriend then flee to the back of the house as the estranged husband starts to shoot at them through a wall.
JOHNSON: Shots fired! Shots fired!
DISPATCH: 10-4 shots fired Country Club Dr 30817, Country Club.
DISPATCH: We have shots fired. One deputy on scene.
JOHNSON: Need some help!
That's when investigators say Johnson fired back at Averett through the wall, hitting him twice.
"At this point he's like any other citizen," said State Police TFC. Jared Sandifer. "He has a right to defend his life and the lives of the other people in the home as well."
DEPUTY: David, where you at?
JOHNSON: I'm in the back bedroom. He's still firing. He's in the hallway.
DEPUTY: Do you have a window you can get out of? JOHNSON: 10-4, back window, back window, back at the corner.
Johnson and his girlfriend then escape from the house through a bedroom window.
DEPUTY: OK, I got two people out the house. I got David and the female out of the house.
DEPUTY: We still got the bad guy inside. We got a perimeter established. We're waiting on some more assets.
After the escape, investigators say Averett took his own life with the house surrounded by deputies.
"Authorities did hear a single gunshot. We believe that was a self-inflicted gunshot wound by Mr. Averett to himself," said Sandifer.
Investigators say the incident is a clear-cut case of self defense. Investigators plan to release more information in the next few weeks.
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Desktop NewsClick to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
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Planning and zoning commission denies rezoning of former Sherwood Forest Country Club
Hack forces state computer system crash; Private info presumed safe
Not in office yet, newly-elected Ascension president busy with parish issues
Hack forces state computer system crash; Private info presumed safe
What's next for John Bel Edwards after winning re-election?


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Seek knowledge and truth
The Parents and Citizens Association meets monthly in the Resource Centre conference room.
Meetings are open to all parents and interested citizens. The Parents and Citizens Association provides those many items which make the school a better place for your child, and the meetings are a forum for discussion on educational and social issues that could effect your child's education.
Volunteer Interest Survey.pdf
AGM 2019 Minutes.pdf
© The State of Queensland (Department of Education) 2019


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Alfa Romeo will be unveiling the production version of the 4C at the 83rd International Motor Show in Geneva. This new mid-engine rear-wheel drive two-seater coupe will be representing Alfa Romeo's DNA of Italian design and technical excellence. It also marks the brand's return to the United States as well as the company's growth plan.
The Alfa Romeo 4C will be produced in the Maserati plant in Modena and is named based on its weight to power ratio of 4kg/hp which is made possible by a 4-cylinder all-aluminum direct-injection 1750 Turbo Petrol engine coupled to an Alfa TCT twin dry clutch transmission, and the Alfa DNA selector with the unprecedented race mode on a lightweight body.
The 4C's exterior design was an evolution of the 33 Stradale and the 8C' design to give it the signature Alfa Romeo look. Meanwhile, its interior makes use of a carbon fiber central cell to provide savings in weight and complete the overall sporty feel of the car.


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Posted on July 15, 2013 by Rachel Kwei
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Earlier this week, three students from Stanford University decided to get creative with a project for their Interactive Management Science course by creating an algorithmic formula to determine the perfect amount of alcohol able to be consumed while avoiding a black out.
Using the students' model, users can input their alcohol tolerance in number of drinks and the minutes before their party is scheduled to begin. The formula can then calculate the exact amount of alcohol safe to drink before the user will most likely experience a black out – or as they describe, "short term memory loss." The algorithm assumes that the user will be downing a new drink every 10 minutes.
If any curious readers are interested in doing some field testing on the formula – to make sure the Stanford kids got it right – watch their complete project explanation below. (For a TLDR version, watch Complex's report further down.)
Stanford University isn't a party school, but that didn't stop three students from figuring out a way for you to party hard without experiencing a black out.
Posted by Complex on Saturday, December 5, 2015


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Jump ropes are an inexpensive, portable and highly-effective way to increase your cardio and conditioning level. Harbinger jump ropes feature radiused beads to extend rope life by reducing abrasion on rope. Injection-molded handles for maximum comfort and control. Durable steel bearings provide a smooth, consistent swing motion.
Cable Speed Jump Rope
Black 1 unit
Sale price C$9.50


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To be formally announced across the pond later today? Could AMD get a piece of the pie too...
Update: It's Official!
Laughed off around the world and given several dubious glances from TR central, news that Apple was about to forge a partnership with Intel seemed unlikely at best. Well, word is the feline obsessed, white fetishist is actually going confirm the deal when the US wakes up later today.
The occasion will be the Apple World Wide Developer Conference (which is a pretty darn perfect time to announce any kind of technology switch if you ask me?). Apple CEO Steve Jobs will do the talking and Intel CEO Paul Otellini is rumoured to be ready to join him for some mutual back slapping.
The surprising (yet logical) move will see an end to 10 years of Apple using PowerPC architecture and deal yet another body blow to IBM (which makes the processors for G5s) after the completion of the Lenovo deal showed how badly it mishandled inventing the PC…
Motorola will not be a happy bunny either, since its chips have been at the core (sorry) of Apple systems since the debut of the 68000 and it still supplies G4 processors for Apple's notebooks and budget machines.
Intriguingly, there is now talk that AMD will get a look into the white world as well, but this is just getting too reasonable for words. Cheaper, faster Macs a reality? All we need now are PC ports of Tiger and we'll all be smiling happily in a land of Flying Pigs.
Yup, it's official! We await any news of AMD though…


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Today I surprised my grandson, Andrew, on his sixth birthday by sneaking into the library during story time to read the book, Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss. It's a fun and very silly book about a birthday celebration in the land of Katroo. It also carries a message of being proud of who you are.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
121 - Read a Birthday Book to a Birthday Celebrant!
Today I surprised my grandson, Andrew, on his sixth birthday by sneaking into the library during story time to read the book, Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss. It's a fun and very silly book about a birthday celebration in the land of Katroo. It also carries a message of being proud of who you are.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
120 - Go to the Movies by Yourself!
The first movie I went to alone was "On Golden Pond" with Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda. I knew right away that going to the movies by myself was a new and wondrous stress reliever. Last night I broke another barrier -- I went to the movies by myself on "date night" - Saturday night! I had avoided that all these years, but it worked out great! Now I can truly go to the movies by myself any day, any time!
P.S. There are times when going to the movies with other people is funner than fun!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Zentangles in Zanesville!
On Thursday, I had the privilege of teaching Zentangles (see zentangle.com) to the Zanesville Appalachian Arts Project group at their exciting gallery. As I was passing out kits, one gentleman said he didn't need one, that he was going to woodburn his Zentangle. He had his woodburning equipment set up and was ready to go.
It's fun to teach Zentangles to anyone, but teaching to artists who are already creatively aware usually produces some very interesting and exciting results.
I had a chance to meet a lot of artists who use different mediums and it was fun to introduce them to Zentangles. I wish I lived around Zanesville so I could see how the Zentangle approach might manifest itself in their art in the future!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
119 - The Annual Dance of Spring!
Each year, I host an Annual Dance of Spring, which involves inviting some of my friends to come over to have some treats, and then to welcome Spring by dancing around a big old tree in our yard while waving scarves.
118 - Flower Bulbs in Action!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
FloatFest - a Zentangle Retreat
Carole Ohl, with wonderful help from her husband Daved, and another Certified Zentangle (see zentangle.com) Teacher, Peg Farmer, created an amazing FloatFest from March 17-20 at the Oakwood Retreat Center in Selma Indiana. There were about twelve of us from a four state area, who feasted on amazing food, and participated in workshops on mandalas, watercolor pencils (photo is my beginning result of that workshop), tangling around words, and shading, along with tangles (patterns) galore! My friends Estelle and Jean went with me and we were in Zentangle Heaven! People shared tangles that they had created, had a sharing table with incredible Zentangle inspired art, and told stories of wild Zentangle adventures. Carole's blog information is "openseedarts.blogspot.com" and is in the lower right hand corner of this blog if you want to be dazzled by some Zentangle excitement. She is also a nationally known bead artist. Thank you, Carole, Daved, Peg, and everyone at Oakwood for a splendid time.
117 - Things I Get To Do
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
101 - 116 Fun Things to Do!
76 - 100 Fun Things to Do!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Free Wellness Tool Webinar
63 - 75 Fun Things To Do!
63. a great cup of tea
64. go to a laughing club
65. aromatherapy
66. dance by yourself
67. crossword puzzles
68. make a box of treasures
69. dress cheerfully
70. take a friendly nap
71. challenge yourself
72. list your options
73. play with a pet
74. build a fort
75. compliment someone
62 - Take a Music Bath
52-61 Fun Things To Do
Here are my friend Diane's contributions:
52. Playing hide-n-seek
53. Chasing little children while they giggle
54. Sled riding
55. Making snow angels
56. Building a snowman
57. Coloring book with crayons
58. Singing loudly in the shower
59. Rollerskating
60. Bike riding
61. Drawing on the sidewalk with chalk
Monday, March 7, 2011
51 - Make It Your Song!
When I wake up in the morning, I usually start laughing to "Roll Out the Barrel", but I think it is "Roll Out the Carol"! Since I am not a morning person, I think this is pretty hilarious. But the other morning, I woke up singing "Good Morning Starshine", which was really fun. Then I went to my computer and downloaded the song from iTunes for 99¢ so I could sing along a bit. Today I did a keyword search and found the lyrics and I am really laughing with the refrain. Now I can sing in the shower, in my car, or anywhere I want! I may not be the greatest singer in the world, but I am a music enthusiast, and that's all that matters!
Good morning starshine, the earth says hello
You twinkle above us, we twinkle below
Good morning starshine, you lead us along
My love and me
As we sing our
Early morning singing song
Gliddy glub gloopy nibby nabby noopy
La la la - lo lo
Sabba sibbi sabba nooby aba naba
Lee lee - lo lo
Tooby ooby wala
Nooby aba naba
Early morning singing song
Good morning . . . (repeat)
Gliddy glub gloopy . . . (repeat)
Singing a song, humming a song
Singing a song
Loving a song, laughing a song
Singing a song
Sing the song
Song the sing
Song song song sing
Sing sing sing song
Song song song sing
Sing sing sing song
Songwriters: Broussolle, J; Rado, James; Ragni, Gerome; Macdermot, Galt


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We are a private practice that offers in-hospital deliveries at Self Regional Healthcare whether you want to have an all natural birth or epidural anesthesia, we are there to support you. We provide loving and expert care though touch and low technology during this most vulnerable time in the life of a woman and her family. We are committed to bring midwifery care to the Greenwood area.
The antenatal journey is extremely exciting, but can be quite intimidating for first time parents as they have many questions and sometimes concerns about the pregnancy and their labor. We are able to provide the benefits of midwifery care with the support of an obstetrician if complications arise during the pregnancy. We offer clients additional education, preparation and emotional support to ensure they feel supported and prepared for their role as parents. We currently work with Dr. Michael Gentry, while offering midwifery services in collaboration with any obstetrician for referral. Each antenatal visit we will check your blood pressure, your baby's progress, and discuss any concerns you may have. As well as ordering screening tests at some visits, we will provide information about birth, breastfeeding and parenthood.
As your nurse midwife, we help alleviate and listen to your concerns so that by the time your baby arrives you feel prepared for your changing role from couple to family while providing a safe environment.


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The MySQLConnector has some behaviour differences when we run certain applications against MySQL on a Windows box versus a Linux box. Consider the following lines (this example from our Database Migrator):
connection.getMetaData().getTables(null, null, "info", null);
This line is used to detect whether or not an "info" table has been created. Works just spiffily on Windows. Falls over bad on Linux.
If you look at the official JavaDoc for the java.sql.DatabaseMetaData class, it tells us that the first "null" parameter corresponds to the "catalog" (the standard Java name for the thing that MySQL calls "database name"):
"catalog – a catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search"
According to this documentation, we should find an info table is one exists in any catalog. But using MySQL on Linux, it just doesn't.
I have no solution. When I run into this situation, I just explicitly fill in the catalog. But that's definitely an annoying work-around.


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Classic Movie Night - "The Untouchables"
November 15, 2019
If you are hosting a sporting event in Beaumont, Texas and need team catering, look no further. From local flavor to America's favorites, our caterers have you covered. So hang out, get your sports finger ready and make sure you have one hand available for our deliciously prepared food.
Begin planning your adventure by viewing the Official Southeast Texas Visitors Guide. Or, request a copy by mail and sign up for email updates.


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Hi there! First off, please check the video above to get a feel for the themes and visuals of the film.
In my experience, there doesn't seem to be a good place where thoughtful animated short films can thrive or find people willing to pay a little $ to view them. For indie animators, It kind of feels like the options are either toil independently in near-poverty OR make advertisements. Things could be worse I guess, but its not exactly inspiring.
Now with the generous help of Kickstarter, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with friends and family and strangers (hello!) who enjoy a good animated short story. Your money would help my wife and I pay the bills while I animate and allow me the breathing room I'd need to tell this story to the best of my ability. In return, you get something you hopefully treasure for a good long while! Plus you might even get warm fuzzies, and those can be nice.
Thanks for taking the time to check this out!


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Today I would like to talk about a book I am reading. The title is Heaven and it was written by Randy Alcorn. This is the first book I've ever read about Heaven, not counting the Bible of course. And I have to say, I'm pretty excited.
I was saved and baptized when I was twelve, and I have gone to church fairly consistently since that time. Secure in the knowledge of where I am going, I have never been afraid of dying. Sure, I have things I'd like to accomplish before that time comes, but if I died today, I'd be okay. I'd be in Heaven! That being said, I used to be one of those Christians who felt guilty about not being more excited about Heaven ~ spending eternity worshiping God? Uh, okay. I used to chalk it up to being unable to comprehend Heaven and eternity. I told myself, "Once you're there, you'll get it." After all, God certainly deserves to be worshipped for eternity. But I just wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I thougtht I should be. This book has changed my thinking quite a bit.
By using scripture, the author discusses what Heaven and the New Earth will be like, the food we'll be able to eat, relationships we'll have with others. I'm not quite half way through the book yet, but a scan of the contents lets me know he'll be discussing the things we'll be doing, too. It's pretty interesting stuff. Much better than doing nothing but standing before God, worshipping (cringing with guilt for saying such a thing!). Lord, please forgive me for my lack of understanding!
A lot of people describe Heaven as something unimaginable. I was one of them, and I still don't think I can completely comprehend what God has in store for us. I always wondered if family members who have died would know me when I get to Heaven. Would they really be waiting for me? Would I know them and would I have any recollection of my life on Earth? I wasn't sure, but I'm beginning to believe.
I do have to throw out a disclaimer. It's one book, one author. It'd be interesting to read what others have to say. There's plenty of books out there, and I might have to pick up a few more at some time, as long as they use the Bible to back up their research as this author does. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.
So, all that being said, I may have to wait until I get to Heaven to fully grasp it. And, if this book is nowhere close to what Heaven will be like, then so be it. Regardless of what Heaven will be like, it'll be much better than the alternative. Hell ain't got no hold on me!
living, loving, laughing, leaving, wishing, missing, kissing, hugging, fighting, crying, trying, dying...this is life.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
2 comments:
It sounds like an interesting book. I just made a note of it and I'll check it out when I get home this evening. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it. I often wonder at that kind of stuff myself. Curiosities about what kind of things you'll do FOR ETERNITY!!! That's a long time.ReplyDelete
I just want blogwalking>> ..ReplyDelete
Your blog is very nice> ..
and if you intend to visit the clay behind my blog is ok !!!!!
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Barron Electric Cooperative, formed in 1936, is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative that purchases all of its power from Dairyland Power. Most of the areas we serve are located in Barron and Washburn Counties; however, we also serve portions of Sawyer, Dunn, Chippewa, Rusk, Polk, and Burnett Counties. To maintain reliability, we annually clear over 200 miles of right-of-way and replace 150-200 poles. Safety is a priority at Barron Electric. We have presented more than 100 high-voltage demonstrations to over 21,000 students. We are committed to the communities we serve and donate and actively participate in several local organizations.
Our Mission Statement
"Barron Electric Cooperative is a member-owned business that safely provides energy, products, and services to improve the quality of life in the area we serve."
Our Environmental Statement
Barron Electric Cooperative is committed to improving the quality of the environment and contributing to the overall economic and social health of its service territory. The cooperative is dedicated to continued stewardship, as well as investing in technology that protects the environment, adheres to sound management practices, and ensures the health and safety of its employees and members.
Facts about Barron Electric
Square Miles: 2,052
Miles of line: 3,114
Townships: 61
Counties: 8
Members: 18,115
Substations: 18
Our History
December 16, 1935: First Barron County mass meeting was held to explore the feasibility of organizing an electric co-op
January 16, 1936: First preliminary work plan, with 186 miles of line mapped and 608 signed members, was submitted to state office
April 17, 1936: First application was submitted to REA for loan funds in the amount of $195,000
August 5, 1936: First REA loan was approved for Barron Electric
August 17, 1936: Barron County Electric Cooperative was formally organized
November 22, 1937: First section of line energized, consisting of 86 miles of line to 125 connected members
1949: Barron Electric became first Wisconsin REC to gain 5,000 members
1964: Membership reached 7,500
1980: Average farm and residential member used 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month for the first time
1985: Golden Anniversary of Rural Electrification
1992: Barron Electric sponsored the first annual Tour de Color Bike Ride
1998: Barron Electric hosted the first district meeting to help improve levels of electrical and customer service.
1999: Utilities worked together on the potential Year 2000 computer issue, also known as Y2K.
Barron Electric connected service to the 15,000th member
Barron Electric and Country Pride formed Country Comfort, a limited liability company offering propane. In December, Goldstar and Shell Lake Cooperative joined Country Comfort.
Barron Electric has record number of new services (478)
Groundbreaking started for the new headquarters, located just north of the Barron County Justice Center
The new headquarters was completed April 1.
Barron Electric Cooperative celebrated their 75th Anniversary.


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Yamaha Ray ZR & FZ-S Dark Night Colour Launched
in Yamaha
in Yamaha
Yamaha has presented the FZ-S, Saluto RX and Ray ZR in a new Dark Night colour scheme in India. None of these two-wheelers get any engine changes. The Matte Black paint scheme coupled with chrome graphics improve the overall appeal of these 2-wheelers. On the Ray ZR, the Dark Night colour is accessible only in the disc brake variant. The Ray ZR continues to be powered by an 113cc air-cooled engine that puts out 7.2 HP of power and 8.1 Nm of torque. The Ray ZR Dark Night is priced at Rs.56, 898/- (ex-showroom, Delhi).
The Saluto RX is the most reasonable Yamaha motorbike you can buy in India. Powering the Saluto RX is a 110-cc air-cooled engine that churns out 7.5 HP of power and 8.5 Nm of torque. This engine comes paired to a 4-speed gearbox. Other than the Dark Night colour, the Saluto RX is also available in a choice of 4 different colours- Red, Matte Black, Blue, and Gleaming Black.
The Saluto RX Dark Night is rated at Rs.48, 721/- (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Yamaha FZ-S draws power from a 149cc air-cooled, fuel-injected engine that creates 13.2 HP of power and 12.8 Nm of torque. A 5-speed gearbox sends power to the rear wheel. The FZ-S FI features a fully digital instrument cluster. The FZ-S Dark Night is priced at Rs.84, 012/- (ex-showroom, Delhi).
FZ-S Dark Night Colour
– The bikes get a Matte Black colour theme
– The shade is accompanied with some chrome accents
– There are no mechanical changes


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Testimony before the County Council on the Proposed FY 2019 Budget
Testimony before the County Council on the Proposed FY 2019 Budget
April 11, 2018
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the proposed FY 2019 budget. I am Joan Fidler, president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League.
I'd like to note that this is very definitely a $5.56 billion election year budget – no property tax increases and a decrease in the property tax rate. And kudos to the County Executive for increasing the county's reserve fund to $492 million.
And now a cautionary note: income taxes continue to be volatile. We ask that despite pleas from many for "more money, more money, more money" that the only exceptions be for the most vulnerable in the county – the working poor, the homeless, veterans and the developmentally disabled.
Next, we believe it is extremely short-sighted and somewhat reckless to reduce the county's contribution to the employee retirement fund by $21 million – let us not mortgage our future.
Regarding our public schools where funding has been proposed at $19 million over the mandated what we call the Maintenance of Emolument level, we ask that you require the school system to provide you with the specific goals that they plan to achieve along with performance measures and timelines. If they are unable to do so, then taxpayers are funding a budget of $2.59 billion with results of which we are unaware. The school system does have a strategic plan that I would describe as more poetry than prose.
And here are two ideas: (1) that MCPS establish at least one charter school, perhaps in easy county, focused entirely on innovation – perhaps one that attempts new ways to narrow the achievement gap, and (2) that MCPS establish an Inspector General position reporting directly to the Board of Education – MCPS is too large a system to be run by bureaucrats with no "lean, mean junkyard dog" overseeing its operations, and more important, its performance. The Board alone cannot do it.
And now to job creation. Our increase in job growth has been, let me understate this, abysmal. According to BLS, the growth of establishments in Montgomery County between 2011 and 2016 was SIX! We were dead last in the Washington region. Is the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation really succeeding?
I end on a somewhat nostalgic note as this is the last time I will be testifying on the budget before this particular County Council. Four of you will not have to sit through such hearings again. And so we at the Taxpayers League wish council members Berliner, Elrich, Floreen and Leventhal the very best as you move on to other pursuits.
Thank you.


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We're delighted to host the stunning Abarth range here at PMS Salutation Square, Haverfordwest. The New Abarth 595 Range has three levels of performance from 145 hp to 180 HP. Are you ready for this?
Abarth has been addicted to performance, since 1949. Nick, our Abarth Sales Ambassador will be delighted to book you in for a test drive. Get behind the wheel and enjoy performance. Performance Redefined.


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Black Lemon
Black lemons are actually dried limes, and owe their misnomer to English translation from Arabic. They're used in the Middle East as a souring agent in chutneys, soups and stews, and even ground into flatbreads. The powder made from black lemons has a sweet-tart flavor that is unique and has no substitute. Try it in your next stew or soup: simply pierce them with a paring knife, then add to your dish - the cooking will take care of the rest!
What's cooking in your kitchen? Tell us your favorite spice pairings! Every month we select something new from your submissions to feature in the World Spice newsletter and the most creative recipe idea wins free spices. †
I add one or two to most soups, then pull them out like I would a bay leaf. Delicious!read more read less
All spices are from World Spice Merchants! The freshness and flavor of the spices can't be beat. This recipe is based on a Bahrainian rice dish. It is a bit of work but worth the effortread more read less
2 large onions, diced
3 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter
1 tablespoon baharat (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
A combination of chicken thighs, legs (about 3 pounds)
2 hot green chile, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
5 large cloves or garlic, thinly sliced
4 roma tomatoes, diced (or 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, juices drained)
3 dried limes (loomi), several holes punched throughout each one
5 green cardamom pods
1 stick cinnamon (about 2 inches long)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups basmati rice (soaked for at least 15 minutes, then rinsed and drained)
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Rosewater for sprinkling (optional, but recommended)
For the Homemade Baharat:
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick (about 2 inches long)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon green cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon paprika powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Baharat:
Set the paprika and nutmeg powders aside. Place all remaining ingredients (whole seeds, cinnamon stick and cloves) in a small frying pan and dry roast over medium-high heat, tossing regularly to prevent scorching, for 3-4 minutes or until very fragrant. Transfer to a spice or coffee grinder and let cool. Add the paprika and nutmeg and grind all the ingredients to a fine powder. Store left over baharat in an airtight jar.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and fry the chicken pieces on both sides until the skin is brown and crispy. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave the remaining oil in the Dutch oven.
Add the ghee (or butter), reduce the heat to medium, and fry the onions until starting to brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Add the ginger, garlic, and green chile pepper and saute for another 2 minutes.
Add the baharat and turmeric and cook for another minute.
Return the chicken pieces to the Dutch oven along with the tomatoes, dried limes, cardamom pods, cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour.
Add the cilantro, parsley and drained rice and stir to combine. Return it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the rice is done and has absorbed the liquid.
Transfer the chicken and rice to a serving dish (either leave the chicken pieces tossed in with the rice, or place the chicken on top of the rice), and sprinkling with 1-2 tablespoons of rosewater (optional).
Serve with a green salad and yogurt raita.
This sounds so delicious, and what a great baharat!read more read less


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Stire tematica: e Turbo News
Turism&Travel : Hyatt is âworst employer,â hotel workers sayFriday 09 September 2011
Decrying that Hyatt is the âworst employer in the hotel industry,â Hyatt employees from four cities nationwide--Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honoluluâhave launched what they are claiming to be a weeklong strike.
âBy striking, workers are standing up for decent jobs for themselves and their families, but they are also fighting for the right to take a stand against an abusive employer that is destroying good jobs in their North American hotels,â said UNITE HERE, a union representing 250,000 hotel and other hospitality workers throughout North America.
UNITE HERE contends âHyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry. Hyatt has replaced career housekeepers with minimum wage temporary workers and imposed dangerous workloads on those housekeepers who remain. In July, Hyatt turned heat lamps on striking workers in Chicago during a brutal heat wave. In Boston, Hyatt fired its entire housekeeping staff at three non-union hotels, replacing women who had worked at Hyatt for decades with temporary workers earning minimum wage.â
According to UNITE HERE, the injury rates for Hyatt housekeepers are high, and academic studies have shown that housekeeping can lead to debilitating injuries. Housekeepers at some Hyatts clean as many as 30 rooms a day, nearly double what is typically required at union hotels. ""Hyatt is abusing housekeepers in Los Angeles and across the country. I am on strike todayânot just for a decent contractâbut to fight for our right stand up to Hyatt wherever this giant company is attacking workers," says Cathy Youngblood, a housekeeper at the Hyatt Andaz in West Hollywood, California.
UNITE HERE! Local 5 said it reached agreements in March 2011 with other hotels, including those operated by Hilton and Starwood, with a wage and benefits package identical to the offer from Hyatt; however, the union rejected the Hyatt offer and has not allowed its members to vote on it.
UNITE HERE added that Hyatt workers have called for boycotts at 17 Hyatt properties and have led dozens of public demonstrations all across North America. It is estimated that Hyatt has already lost over $20 million in hotel business as a result of the boycott.
"Hyatt workers are waging a crucial struggle," says John Wilhelm, the president of UNITE HERE. "In the face of widening income inequality and the systematic eradication of the American middle class, Hyatt workers are bravely fighting for the ability to stand up for one another in contending with a global giant like Hyatt."
In Honolulu, Hyatt Regency Waikiki workers commenced their weeklong strike Thursday morning at 3am, prompting the property's management to issue a statement saying that the hotel will be doing business as usual with non-union workers and management filling in.
âWe have implemented contingency plans to staff our hotel with non-union employees and management personnel to assist guests during their stay,â Hyatt Regency Waikiki general manager Jerry Westenhaver said. âOur associates are the heart and soul of our workplace. We're disappointed that the union leadership is holding our associates' new contract hostage in order to gain leverage for an organizing effort at non-union Hyatt hotels on the mainland.â
He added: âIt is dismaying that the union is refusing to allow our associates to enjoy the pay and benefits increases they have earned and deserve. We look forward to a quick resolution to this action so our associates can return to work and continue to provide for their families.â
On the issue the housekeeper abuse, the management at Hyatt Regency Waikiki said: âHousekeepers at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki have a workload that is similar to other hotels in Hawaii. In addition, Hyatt conducts new hire safety training, ongoing departmental safety trainings, and daily safety inspections. The hotel regularly posts safety topics and associates conduct pre-shift stretching. There is also a safety committee and a nurse practitioner for safety and injury assessment.â
"This is not an employee issue; it's a union issue,â Westenhaver told eTN about the Waikiki strike. "The union leadership is leveraging our associates to grow their membership at non-union Hyatt hotels on the mainland, and they're holding up the pay and benefits increases our associates have earned and deserved."
According to the management of Hyatt Regency Waikiki, the last negotiation sessions between Hyatt Regency Waikiki and the union were in late June 2011. The Hyatt Regency Waikiki said it has âtried to continue negotiating with the union, and would like to do so as soon as possible to quickly resolve any remaining issues and finalize an agreement.â
eTN also asked the management at Hyatt Regency Waikiki if they are prepared in the event that the strike takes place longer than a week. The management said, âThe hotel has implemented contingency plans to operate normally during the strike regardless of its duration.â
Autor: eTurboNews
| | Accesari: 640 |


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< Back to news
News 2015
De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz maintain second position, despite navigational challenges on stage 9Jan 13, 2015
Dakar 2015 served up a curveball for the race crews on Stage 9, with not only a challenging route from Iquique to Calama, but also a particularly hard-to-find waypoint that had many crews scrambling around, searching for the elusive beacon in the Atacama dust. While some crews lost significant amounts of time, the Toyota Imperial Dakar Team's Giniel de Villiers and German navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz managed to restrict their loss to only 15 minutes.
"We knew we had to try something special today," said a disappointed De Villiers from the bivouac at Calama. "Dirk identified a slightly shorter route for us, and if it came off we would have taken a fair bit of time from Nasser (Al-Attiyah, rally leader). As it turned out, it wasn't the right decision, and the entire situation was made worse when we couldn't find one of the waypoints in the choking dust."
While most crews struggled to find the waypoint, former winner Nani Roma (MINI) and teammate Al-Attiyah managed to find the spot before the rest, and as a result Roma won the stage, followed six minutes later by Al-Attiyah. By the time the dust settled over Stage 9, Al-Attiyah held a 23:58 lead of De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz, with fellow Toyota driver Yazeed Alrahji holding steady in third place, sixteen minutes further back.
"In a race like this, it is important to focus on the positives," said Team Principal Glyn Hall from Calama. "Giniel and Dirk tried to do something extraordinary today, but it simply didn't go entirely to plan. Had they pulled it off, we may have been right on Nasser's tail or even leading the Dakar. Giniel really pushed hard today and was set on taking time from Nasser. He lead for a large part of the stage, but then they had the problem with the waypoint. As it stands we lost some time to the lead, but at the same time we increased our lead over third-placed Alrahji. So all in all, a good result despite the elusive waypoint."
For Leeroy Poulter and Rob Howie, in the second Toyota Imperial Hilux, the waypoint in question also presented difficulties.
"By the time we reached that point, the ground had been churned up a lot. It is also an area filled with fine fesh-fesh dust, and the crews ahead of us were milling around trying to find the waypoint. As a result we couldn't see much, and it took us more than an hour to pin down the spot before we could move on," said Poulter after the stage.
The pair posted the 27th fastest time on today's stage, but due to the other crews also losing time in the thick dust, they maintained their 18th position overall. This means they will have to start 27th on the road for Stage 10, which places them in the midst of slower crews, together with the resulting dust.
"We've still got four stages to go, so there's plenty of racing to come," continued Hall. "But the reality is that, after today, we probably can't catch Nasser on outright pace. Then again, anything can happen on the Dakar, and it often does. So we'll just keep pushing as hard as we can, and see which way the chips fall come Buenos Aires on 17 January."
Next up is Stage 10, which sees the entire Dakar circus relocate to Argentina via a 385 km liaison. The competitive section of the stage is 358 km in length, and starts once the crews have crossed the border back into Argentina. The route will take competitors over sand, soil and a short tarmac section, and ascend from 3,600 m in altitude to more that 4,500 m before dropping back down to 3,400 m. This is the last of the completely barren desert stages, before the Dakar returns to the lusher landscapes of Argentina.
Toyota Motorsport South Africa Acknowledges Its Dakar Sponsors, Specialist Official Suppliers and Technical Partners:
Hallspeed, TFM, Castrol, SKF, Spanjaard, Robor, 4x4 Megaworld, NGK, Donaldson, Mastercraft, Sat4Rent, Oakley, Edgecam, Supreme Springs, FreeM, Bosch, Smiths Manufacturing and Shatterprufe. Also Duxbury Netgear, Innovation Group, Toyota Financial Services, SAA Cargo, Toyota and Imperial Toyota.
Note to editors:
Difference between Cross-Country, Off-Road and Rally racing: The Dakar is a cross-country race where vehicles race between GPS waypoints as opposed to existing roads. In a rally (a la WRC) the cars race along closed roads. In an off-road race the competitors follow routes not suitable for cars, but they still have a set route to follow.
For the purpose of The Dakar, the event is called a rally (The Dakar Rally), though it doesn't conform to the definition of a traditional rally. It has timed race (stages) and liaison (open road) sections where they do not race against the clock, but still have to depart at certain predetermined times and clock in before a given deadline to avoid time penalties.
In a rally, competitors race in similar fashion, but use multiple short stages (up to 25-35km each; around 5 or 6 special stages per day; 2-3 days per event).
In off-road racing an event consists of one long stage on a single day only, and an event is usually run over 2 days.
The Dakar lasts 14 days and covers 4,752 race kilometres and 9,295 km in total (combination of stages and liaisons). The event is split by a rest day at the halfway mark. It is officially the longest motorsport event in the world (distance and time).


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Robert Redford: Sundance to a Different Drummer (Omni 4/82)
Robert Redford gets a rude awakening to the politics of environmentalism.
The people turned him into a symbol, Robert Redford says. They made a dummy with a blond wig. More than 500 residents of Kane County, Utah, cheered when they hoisted the dummy up to set it on fire. One speaker called him "skunkman, a self-proclaimed voice of the hypocritical obstructionists." They burned him in effigy for opposing a power plant, and when they dummy had turned to ashes, there was no director to call for an end to the scene. It was not a film.
The burning in April 1976 wasn't the worst of it, Redford said recently. "That kind of made me wince around the shoulders a little bit," he says. "But what was really upsetting was that my own particular view had become so distorted by people's needs." Out of the ashes of the experience Redford renewed determination to fight any attempt to cast him in real life, to put labels on him, to turn him into a gold-topped dummy. That's one reason why he seldom gives interviews.
"I've seen too many accounts–of what kind of shoes I was wearing, what color my boots were, whether my clothes were hand-tailored or not, and how tall I was and how big I was, or whether my hair was sandy-colored or my teeth were white" — the data of dummies — "rather than what the hell I was talking about." The incident in Utah also propelled Redford on a long, sometimes frustrating quest. One initial goal of this quest was nothing less than the establishment of a National Academy for Natural Resources, a sort of Annapolis of the Environment, for educating government employees in how to manage natural resources — perhaps training some of those who had burned him in the effigy or others who might have wanted to.
Redford recently described his quest, his frustrations, and his expectations in a set of interviews with Omni in his cluttered New York office high above Rockefeller Plaza. His workspace confounds the public's images of him. A large poster for "The Solar Film," a solar-awareness documentary Redford produced, looms over his memo-laden desk. Affixed to a large expanse of corkboard is a letter from an assistant secretary of the interior thanking the 44-year-old actor-activist for his role in testifying for the 1977 Clean Air Act and helping push it through Congress. Next to it, a note from Jimmy Carter praises Redford for his conservation work and for his article in National Geographic about his horseback trip down the old Outlaw trail.
Facing Redford's desk, on the opposite wall, is a breathtaking photograph of Timpanogos, the wind-swept Utah peak atop which Redford and his wife and three teen-aged children live in a solar house of his own design. Slopes of the mountain also serve as the sight for Sundance, the low-key ski resort that Redford owns.
Hardest to fit among the memorabilia is the Redford of screen roles. A visitor must look for the small portrait of him and Barbara Streisand, the co-star of "The Way We Were," semi-camouflaged amid a wall of family mementoes. There's another family-like photo of the stars of "Ordinary People," the movie for which director Redford won an Academy Award. And on the bottom of the shelf of a corner bookcase there are several dozen screenplay spines, some with familiar names ("The Electric Horseman," "Brubaker"), some with intriguingly unfamiliar titles ("Peking Man," "Greenpeace"). But other shelves suggest other priorities. A ponderous book called "Global Report on Energy" leans against a small golden apple Redford received as an award for "All the President's Men."
And during the talks — the first in-depth interviews Redford has granted since 1980 — Redford continually avoided predictable positions.
On Secretary of the Interior James Watt, anathema to many environmentalists: "I happen to think he's the wrong man for the job. In my views, he's grossly inadequate. But what I fear is who they are going to pick to replace him. How do we know they wouldn't be vindictive and replace him with somebody far worse?"
On the balance between conservation and development of the environment: "I'm interested in awakening people to the existence of the environment and what it means and what it has and what the resources are all about. And that includes those resources that should be developed, because I accept the fact that we're a developmental society. We're not ever going to change that. The wagons will always be rolling as long as we're on this planet."
On the Kane County crowd that burned him in effigy for opposing the power plant: "They'd been standing there in five inches of dust, saying, 'How am I going to make a life down here, and some shit movie star comes along who lives in the mountains and comes down to this country and tells me what I'm going to do with my life? The hell with him.' Well, I understand that completely. I would have done the same thing."
Long before work on the power plant had even begun, it had already generated considerable hope for residents of Kane County. The $3.5 billion Kailarowits facility — capable of supplying electricity for a community of 3 million — would have created a permanent settlement of 5,000 and an increase in payrolls in Kane and more than $100 million a year. Its partners, including the Southern California Edison Company, said that it would eventually have increased tax revenues in the county by $28 million a year. It was to be the largest coal-fired generating plant in the United States.
Everyone agreed that there was an environmental price to be paid for these riches. The plant, which was to supply power to southern California and Arizona, was to be located near eight national parks and three recreational areas. Planning, which started in 1963 — ironically the same year Redford starred on Broadway in "Barefoot in the Park" — focused on the Kane County site because the ground was rich in coal. But burning that coal in the plant would have injected about 300 tons of contaminants a day into the crystalline air of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and other scenic preservation lands. The question was whether the price was too high.
For Redford — who had already been active in other environmental controversies around the country, though none so close to home — it was. Power-plant partners mounted an expensive campaign to try to show that it wasn't. "The Southern California Edison Company was taking PR tours with people in helicopters, consuming great amounts of energy just to convince the public it was a great thing," Redford recalls. "And I went on one." Redford spent most of the time on the tour asking questions of his guide. "Such as, 'How much are you spending on PR for this thing?' And he said, 'Four million dollars.' And I said, 'How much are you spending on R and D for alternate energy systems?' He said, 'Two million.' Those figures alone told me a lot."
Environmental activists groups, such as the Sierra Club, opposed the project. But Redford, who prefers not to become to closely allied with any group, did his own research. He discovered, among other things, that the developers were proceeding on the assumption that the demand for electricity in California would increase by 7 percent per year. "That was not true," Redford says. "That 7 percent was a 1970 figure, a time when growth was really going haywire…so I looked into that, with some people in California, and found out that demand was on the decline because of energy conservation and solarization programs and things of that sort." The growth in demand was more like 2 percent, Redford asserts, and was headed toward less than zero.
There was more. "They were going to mine Utah resources, pollute Utah air, thermopollute Utah water, and consume Utah water to ship power to California, and gouge up fourteen hundred square miles of land for transmission likes in doing so. And I said this is not right."
And — still acting alone — Redford said it to "60 Minutes." 'I said, I think you ought to look at this. There's a microcosm of something here.'" CBS producers jumped at the idea and pressed Redford to appear on screen. Reluctantly he agreed. It was a role, a label on national display: Redford the power-plant opponent versus Utah Governor Calvin L. Rampton; Redford the environmentalist versus a rough-cut spokesman for the plant; Redford the star from the mountains versus the people of Kane County.
In the end it wasn't Robert Redford who killed the plant. Partners pulled out in April 1976, publicly attributing the cancellation to economic, regulatory, and environmental causes. Among other problems, the cost of construction had multiplied at least five times during the years of planning, and as Redford had discovered, the demand for electricity was waning nationally. But some of the people of Kane County blamed the decision not to go ahead on Redford and strung up their effigy.
"It was unfortunate and unfair," Redford says, "but I learned a valuable lesion from them: that what's missing in all of this is education. What's missing is real leadership, real information–some mechanism that ten years ago would have been able to really look at that idea for a plant, and analyze it, and come away saying, "It doesn't make any sense; we don't have to put it right smack in between Zion and Bryce and Capital Reef National Parks.'"
Redford's own education was eclectic. Son of an accountant, he grew up in postwar Los Angeles, where schools were "shabby" and teachers provided little incentive. "I was only inspired to crawl out windows, or look out windows, to get out there where it was happening," Redford recalls. Out there, in Redford's case, meant the Sierra Nevada. He started climbing mountains with his brother at the age or twelve or thirteen and found the experience "much more exciting than ever going to a movie." His family, he remembers, couldn't afford movie tickets anyway, and he used to spend evenings reading in the Santa Monica Library. His favorites: stories of Greek mythology, books by Rafael Sabatini ("Captain Blood," "Scarmouche").
Redford went to University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship, entering in 1955. By then he had developed a habit of tuning out speeches and lectures, but resolving to listen harder. In one science class he sat in the front row, fixing his eyes on the face of a soporific lecturer.
"He didn't like me," Redford says. "I could tell it. At the end of the professor's long dissertation on some scientific point, he said, 'Mr. Redford, would you step up here a minute please.' Then he said, 'I'd like you to look at me and tell me exactly what I just said.' And I looked at him and said, 'Well, do you know that when you talk, only your lower lip moves?'" Redford dropped out in 1956.
It wasn't the end of his formal education. He spent more time in classrooms in Europe and New York City, studying art (favorite artists: Modigliani, Monet, and Renoir) and acting. But much of Redford's education took place off-campus. Some of his best teachers, in fact, were the Indians of the Southwest, particularly the Hopis.
"Now you can go through these villages, you can go into the three Mesas [an Indian reservation where he often sojourns by himself], and feel that people are living in abject poverty, and you'll wonder how they exist. That's the oldest inhabited city in the country. It dates back to A.D. 1100. These people are living up there, and the more you get into their culture, the more you understand their rituals and their dances and their ceremonies, the more impressive it becomes to me that their respect for nature has been the mainstay of their ability to remain alive. There seems to be no reason; they defy gravity. The Hopi Indians defy gravity. How do they stay alive? How have they succeeded in not being taken over by outside interests/. Well, I believe it's a steadfast and almost mystical knowledge and use of nature."
He took pains to put down the stereotype of the Indian as alcoholic or junkie. "The Hopis have no use for hallucinogens at all. And I find them the most mystical, the most magical of tribes. It just points up the fact that you don't really need that. In the '60s, when it was fashionable to go get high with the Indians and to adopt their way of life and get on a mind-expansion trip, I found it radical chic. I found it too much of a trendy thing opposed to what is a deeper experience, which is just getting with those people and having the experience without it.
"I remember being at a sun dance where the males and females had two separate branches of ceremony," he says. "There was a tepee ceremony where several peyote buttons were consumed by the women during the course of the 24 to 36 hours. And the men are in a tepee that's open at the top, performing a dance around a pole to exorcise diseases of various kinds. And it's without food and without water, and there's dancing.
"So you hallucinate by dehydration, you hallucinate by chanting, you hallucinate by repetition, and you sweat — it's a sweat ceremony.
"The sun is over a hundred degrees, and the only rest that you get is when the squaws would come in with peppermint branches and you would lay down and they cover you with peppermint branches, which is cool and refreshing, and you cool off your body temperature to keep from dehydrating or dying. When you're moderate again, you get back up and start dancing, and this goes on and on. Well, it has the same effect.
"You can hallucinate without drugs. If we sit here long enough, and I chant with you, and we just tap our feet, and I have a drum, and I'm steady enough and I'm strong enough in my mind of what I'm thinking and what I feel, I believe we're going to hallucinate, or one of us will.
"But the Indians have a whole different view about it. It's sacred. It's spiritual. They don't do it to get high and go into town and buzz the shit out of the town or to get crazy about each other. They do it because it's a spiritual-knowledge situation.
"I found a more important value in being with the Indians, accepting and knowing the fact that you could never be and Indian, you could never be completely of them, but you could be with them and begin to absorb some of their ways and some of their processes and find out what meaning they have for you as a Western person, as a Caucasian or non-Indian, and apply that meaning to yourself.
"My time in college was a booze generation. I certainly did my share of it. But I have no interest in hallucinogens or things like that anymore because I can get so high — I mean this sounds arrogant, but it's just a fact — that I've been so high most of my life on living that I haven't felt the need. I've tried it all at one time or another and found it wanting–because there's nothing I've ever taken or used that's gotten me to a place where I can't get myself."
Redford also says his philosophy of nature has been shaped by his study of the Mormon Church. He praises the church's condemnation of the Reagan administration's plan to base the MX-missile system in Utah. Mormon opposition was a reconfirmation of the church's doctrine of divine stewardship, he says.
"Yes, divine stewardship. I'm fascinated with the Mormon Church, and I'm fascinated with its beginnings and what it's trying to do. I'm somewhat disappointed that it's become more business-oriented and that it's lost its balance a little bit.
"But I look back to the tenets of the church and various documents, and I find fabulous statements in balance. One is the statement regarding divine stewardship, said by Brigham Young himself and the elders of the church, which founded that valley, where they talked specifically about what had to be developed for their survival and what had to be preserved for their spirit and their psyche. I think it's a masterful statement that's gotten lost in the last hundred years. I'm fascinated by how the one end of that two-pronged statement has completely overwhelmed the other, so that anyone who tries to speak about the other is considered a radical environmentalist trying to stop progress. Just reminding the church of its own statement has become something of a negative."
Redford's plans to bolster education of others went considerably beyond "reminding" people of the beauty of nature. His first conception was grandiose: He would help establish nothing less than an Environmental Annapolis, an academy for the defense of natural resources. Its graduates would march out into the service of national parks, where they in turn would become foot soldiers protecting resources — which Redford considers equally important as the national defense — and foster their rational development.
This strategic plan quickly became mired in meetings. One problem — Redford now calls it a "great mistake" — was seeking government support for the idea. "I really thought that what everybody said could be proved not true, which is that nothing can ever work when you put it in the bureaucracy. You want to kill something, you put it in the government Mixmaster and it will die there–And I said, yes, but if it goes through a study phase, kicked and bloodied about within the government, and if it survives, it's bound to go." So the idea, kicked around and bloodied in a "think-tank" group including government representatives, finally won an $80,000 study grant — and went nowhere.
Redford was forced to take on the role he had consistently avoided: front man, fund raiser, spokesman. Increasingly the role meant dealing with the press. It meant that the Sundance kid had to face the Mexican Army, a gang that in Redford's opinion continually misses the story and hits him.
One sore point: "The Solar Film," a 10-minute short on solar energy that was nominated for an Academy Award. "It took two and a half years to make," Redford says. It wasn't saying solar is the future, simply that it's an option for the future and that it should be explored. We managed to crack a major distribution chain by getting that film placed in theatres all over the country. So in a sense we were cracking an audience that hasn't gotten the message yet. PBS [Public Broadcasting System] has the message. Trade schools and environmental groups have the message. It's the monolithic center section out there that doesn't have the message yet.
"So we have a big press showing of the film here in New York to announce its release. Do you think we got any coverage? No. I went to Washington and called a press conference. Washington was suspicious of the whole thing. I was asked questions about who was funding it and why, rather than what the film was.
"After that happens enough times, you begin to get wise to what the real nature of the press is. I believe essentially the press is more interested in celebrities when they stay on the screen or when they fuck up on the screen."
Over the years Redford's dream of the academy — which he tried hard to keep out of the press in its early stages — became more modest and practical. Its name changed to the Institute of Resource Management, a title intended to convey the message that timber, water, coal, and other natural assets could be developed rationally as well as preserved respectfully. With the aid of former Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus and Andrus's assistant for cultural preservation, Hope Moore, Redford considered dozens of universities and then finally settled on two: Washington State University and the University of Idaho. In a joint program, they would accept up to 20 graduate students a year in a two-year program leading to a master's degree. Students would take existing courses in environmental science and regional planning. But the institute's curriculum would differ from existing programs in offering students business courses, too, including seminars industry representatives. The institute would pick up virtually all of the $15,000 cost per year for each student. The money would come up from a $5 million capital fund to be raised privately, and the whole plan was to have become public last October.
Going public involved substantial risk for Redford. For one thing, the pieces of the capital-fund jigsaw were far from being in place, and many reporters knew it. And once again there was the risk of the public role: In facing the press, Redford stood to become a target for the questions he dreaded: Just how tall are you? What color are your boots? What radical-backpacker group is behind you this time?
The risks were even greater, he finally decided, in pulling back and waiting until all the money came in. His rationale, he recalls: "I want to keep the momentum going, and I'd better go up there and deal with it." As the time approached for the Washington State President's Convocation — a big campus event for big-name speakers surrounded by the hype of a homecoming weekend — a Spokane paper headlined: REDFORD FILES INTO HORNET'S NEST. The early part of the day went smoothly. After he was introduced to a crowd of 5,500 students in the cavernous Washington State Coliseum, he was propelled to the mike by a cannonade of Sousa marching music, cheers, squeals, and, when the crowd had quieted, the sound of camera shutters. His first gesture brought another cheer: He pulled off the mortarboard off his head, flashing the red hair.
The soul of the speech was the future. When he was growing up, he noted, his father used to recite a kind of itinerary about the decades ahead. His father used to say he was working hard to make the world a better place. "I suddenly came up short one day," Redford said, "and I realized that I didn't know what I could say to my children–.I was afraid we were at a place where we were no longer going to be inheriting life from our fathers, but we were going to be borrowing it from our children." He went on to tell the Kaiparowits story and to trace the slow gestation of the institute.
But before he reached this part of his prepared message, Redford told a revealing story about himself. He was playing the role of a senatorial contender named Bill McKay in "The Candidate." In the course of filming, Redford had to improvise campaign scenes. At Fisherman's Wharf, in Monterey, California, he worked the crowd, shaking hands, kissing babies, keeping up a stock line about food costs and rising taxes. "As I was doing it, I got kind of impressed that I was doing all right," he told his audience. "And while I was doing this, there was a woman standing there with her nine-year-old son. She was looking at me with a sort of squinty eye as the advance men came across and handed out a pamphlet saying, 'Vote for Bill McKay.'
"She looked at this guy and said, 'Hey, what's the Sundance Kid doing down here on Fisherman's Wharf?' And the guy said, 'That's not the Sundance Kid. That's Bill McKay.' She said, 'Oh yeah?' And then she said, 'You hear that Tim? Ol' Sundance is running for the U.S. Senate.'"
The anecdote was ironic. Redford in a role moved with ease through the curious crowds, improvising campaign clichés, drawing friendly interest even when people were unsure which mask he was wearing. Now in Washington State, at a press conference after the speech, he had removed his actor's masks along with his mortarboard. And he faced icy stares.
His defensiveness probably contributed to the antagonistic tone of the press conference. The aviator glasses he had put on seemed to make him look colder. Questioning turned quickly to funding, as Redford had expected. He was evasive. (He said later in one of our interviews that some potential donors were still working out details, and he didn't want to embarrass or publicize them prematurely.) After several similar probes about money, Redford snapped, "That's our business."
Standing about six feet from Redford at the conference, William Funk, director of the institute at Washington State University, says he could see the color rise in Redford. "What impressed me," Funk says, "is that the women reporters were much harder on him than the men. It was almost as if they had to prove to themselves they weren't going to be swayed by him."
But Redford held his temper, refused to be drawn into an attack on James Watt, parried a query about his rumored political ambitions by quoting his friend, director Sidney Pollack, to the effect that if Redford ever ran for office, Pollack would leave the country. Meeting adjourned.
Redford, as himself, had carried it off. The institute early this year reported that it had raised nearly enough to cover a full contingent of students next fall. Interest was high. Four students had already enrolled in the current academic year, paying tuition with their own money. One of them, thirty-year-old Susan Ball, said she had met Redford just once during the months she had been studying wildlife management and teaching a course in how to write an environmental impact statement. She was surprised by the meeting. "I had thought there might be more hype," she says, "perhaps a bit of theatrical shallowness. But I found him genuine."
After the conference a crowd of fans surrounded Redford's station wagon. An autograph seeker thrust a giant pastel portrait of Redford in front of the window, probably unaware that Redford — unlike Gatsby or Bill McKay — never played along with the trappings of public-image making.
But this was the site of his once and future dream, the place where what the hell he has been talking about was becoming real. Redford, smiling, rolled down the window and signed.


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"I've never been scared to explore sexuality in my work because I think it is very important. It's a big area of what makes us us, the desire to sleep with men or women, and I never wanted to have limits in any of my work other than my own morals."
-Ewan McGregor
"It still strikes me as strange that anyone could have any moral objection to someone else's sexuality. It's like telling someone else how to clean their house."
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Google has just released a much improved version of Google docs with big changes focused on significantly improving document collaboration in Docs. The new features include real-time, character-by-character editing for multiple users (much like Google wave), as-you-type spell check, a new commenting system, and more.
A new Drawing editor has been introduced and will be rolled out to everyone by the end of the day. You can also now collaborate simultaneously with up to 50 users, which is huge, regardless of the need to collaborate with so many people at a time. Here is how it looks like
Following new features have been added to the web editor which now makes you feel like working on a word processor-
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Go to Settings > Document Settings to enable the new document editor. Spreadsheets have also gotten a hefty upgrade: new features include auto-complete, the ability to drag-and-drop columns, and faster load times. The best one though, is probably autofill.
Check out the comparison chart released by Google on how Google docs fares against Microsoft Office 2010-
These updates look like a big and important step forward for using Google Docs as a collaboration tool, but still lacks the raw power and deep feature set of MS office, but one might not always need those power set of tools. In that case Google docs is best suited for you. Check out the video demo explaining the new features of Google docs


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This just in from Dr. Nabil al-Tasnimi:
The picture on the right is Kobayashi Kiyochika's (1847-1915) mitate-e of the famed courtesan Eguchi no Kimi seated astride an elephant, in parody of the Fugen Bosatsu. The overlapping of the two figures Eguchi and Fugen is the subject of Ishikawa Jun's essay, "On the Thought Patterns of the People of Edo" 「江戸人の発想法について」 (1942).
Tanizaki Jun'ichirō (1886-1965) too uses the story of Eguchi in his novel The Reed Cutter 『芦刈』 (1932), in which his narrator explains to his companion how courtesans are avatars for Fugen Bodhisattvas, and how sexual ecstacy is not altogether different from religious ecstacy. The above mitate-e, the conversation in Tanizaki's novel, and Ishikawa's essay all force us to reconsider the standard tropes and ask ourselves: Is there any real distinction between the vulgar and the sublime, or are they in fact interchangeable? Can a woman, whether real or mythical, be at once both whore and saint? Do all women possess attributes of both whore and saint?
Willfully confusing the vulgar and the sublime seems to be a technique common to Japanese art in general and to Edo period art in particular. In Western art, however, this technique doesn't seem to feature so prominently. The boundaries for archetypes seem more clearly drawn, and there isn't much crossing over.
Take the New Testament narrative, for instance. Would it not have made for a better story if the Christ's mother had been, like the maid Otake Dainichi, a little less saintly?
Jarvis32 informs me that throughout history many have asserted that the Virgin Mary was in reality far from sinless. According to the second-century polemicist Celsus, for example, the "virginal" Mary in fact "had sex with a Roman soldier and then married Joseph who protected her from the harsh Jewish laws of the time which otherwise would have sentenced her to death by stoning for such an act" (Jane Schaberg, Illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives).
I'm getting off track, so now to my point: The next time Elliot Spitzer is caught fooling around with a hooker from Emperor's Club VIP, or your wife finds in your pant pocket a matchbook from an oppai pub in Kabukichō, just remember that these modern-day courtesans are really disguised Bodhisattvas who, having attained enlightment, have returned to this world to console those of us who continue to suffer from the 108 earthly desires.
[To view more online mitate-e of Eguchi no Kimi and others, click here.]