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Colocation has been around as a server hosting solution for more than 2 decades now, but it has only recently come into the limelight. This is because, most businesses today need a website to stay competitive and this has led to increasing server costs for them. Colocation hosting is a way to save money without sacrificing server security. Let's see now.
No Data Center Investments
Large, multi-billion dollar corporations have their own large data centers and server farms to manage their websites and large scale applications. However, most businesses do not have that luxury. With a colocation service:
- Your servers are located in an advanced, professional data center
- You do not need to spend time and money building your own data center
- You can rent more space from the data center as your needs increase
Doing all of this with your own data center is not easy. You need to account for over provisioning, physical security, hardware and software firewalls, intrusion detecting systems. If you are an SMB, all of this is just too much overhead and can cost millions. Will colocation hosting, you can save all these costs and still get a high performance server.
Reduced IT Spending
A significant portion of costs in hosting your own server is spent on maintaining the hardware, replacing components, monitoring and repairing them. With colocation hosting:
- The hardware is taken care of by the provider
- Colocation services have dedicated IT professionals to manage servers
- You can focus on developing and managing your applications and not worry about the hardware
With colocation, you do not have to bear the responsibility and cost of maintaining a data center, which involves expensive IT management staff.
Servers are very powerful computers with hundreds of components. They generate a lot of heat and need to be cooled using expensive systems. A colocation hosting provider can save you all these costs with:
- Dedicated and multiple redundant power supplies and UPS systems
- Temperature control systems
- Intrusion detection systems
- Fire protection
- Flood protection
Meeting regulatory requirements with your own servers is a very time consuming and repetitive job. Colocation can save you all of this because the provider takes responsibility for these aspects.
Moreover, since it is the sole job of companies like 7L.com to manage data centers and run them safely, they have specialized professionals and experts who will keep your server running at all times. Hence it makes a lot of businesses sense to choose server colo from 7L Networks.
Higher Bandwidth
Managing bandwidth for servers requires an expert on its own. You need to know how much data is transferred through your servers every month and provision accordingly. You also need to have enough spare bandwidth for traffic spikes as overload can slow your server down to a crawl. Colocation servers can provide you with dynamic bandwidth management, by letting you as much or as little as you need.
With all of the benefits that it provides, colocation is a no brainer for a lot of small and medium sized businesses. Unless you want to go with traditional shared web hosting or build your own data center, colocation simply makes a lot of business sense.


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Following the surprise smash of animated flick How To Train Your Dragon 3D , DreamWorks have announced that they already have plans for a sequel.
Although figures were low for its opening weekend, the dragon has flown with popularity and managed to find its way back to the top of the US box office charts after five weeks of its release.
DreamWorks boss Jeffrey Katzenberg has stated that he's hoping for a sequel to be released in 2013, so with Shrek Forever After due out this summer, and Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom out in 2011, it looks like it's going to be a busy few years for the company. Busy – but probably financially rewarding.
And if that wasn't enough sequel action – as New Line are hoping for a 2011 release date for their Journey to the Centre of the Earth sequel – although reasons for this seem less obvious.
More Dragons, Titans and Brendan Fraser? We can hardly contain our excitement. What do you think?

subset: commoncrawl


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Chiropractic and Massage Offer South Hills Spine and Extremity Center
Business Name: South Hills Spine and Extremity Center
Address: 4880 Library Road
Bethel Park PA 15102
Phone : 412-833-4601
Website – http://www.southhillsspine.webs.com
Do you suffer from any of the following conditions: neck pain, back pain, spinal stenosis, sciatica (buttock and leg pain), headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder/knee/elbow pain, tendinitis, TMJ pain, fibromyalgia, numbness or tingling in the arms or legs, or plantar fasciitis?
We at South Hills Spine and Extremity Center can help!
Mention this ad and receive a free chiropractic evaluation (including history and complete physical examination). After meeting Dr. Jonathan Abel and discussing your condition, decide whether or not chiropractic care is right for you. No treatment necessary to receive a free evaluation!
Also, mention this ad and receive $10 off of any massage at our office. Techniques include Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal, chair, sports, and hot stone!
Here's to your health!
Expiration Date: 5/20/2013


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We taught our first class in Billings last week. Ashley K Warren and Brittani Hissom will be working with the kids at the Billings Juvenile Detention Center and the Billings Shelter Care every other week. We met some amazing young artists on our first visit and we look forward to reading more of their words. One of our JDC students wrote:
The Lord did not make me in the intent of perfection
God created me in His own reflection
He's given me unending protection
He's helped me turn my life around in a whole new direction
Listen to my words when I tell you I've learned my lesson
Until this day I've lived my life in sorrow
Not knowin if I'll get to see tomorrow
I wonder if my family and friends will follow
As I ask the Lord if His strength I may borrow
I love you mom til the end of time


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The Liz chair by Cattelan Italia is an evolution of the Isabel chair that features an elegant "pillow-top" like cushion on the seat and back rest. While still retaining it's clean lines, which are necessary for any contemporary dining chair, the soft-sit of the Liz chair and cantilever base make it supremely comfortable. The bar stock steel base is also very unique combining a wide rectangle metal bar for the two legs of the base with gently curved tall rectangle bar that connects the two legs at the rear of the base (see picture detailing this to your left, below the main picture of the Liz). There is no better contemporary cantilever chair in regards to the combination of style, finish and comfort that the Liz chair.
Design: Paolo Cattelan. Chair with catilever frame in chromed steel (08). Upholstered body and cushions in synthetic (eco) leather or soft leather.
This Cattelan Italia dining chair will ship on a pallet via Air Freight (curbside delivery) to most US addresses. Additional delivery services are available a la carte (such as inside delivery to first dry/secure area; inside delivery to room of choice, uncrate, debris removal, etc). Should you require delivery in Chicago or anywhere in the upper-midwest please contact us to ask us about our flat-rate white glove delivery service via our EuroSprinter (see more about the EuroSprinter here). Should you require a white glove delivery outside of our EuroSprinter delivery area we can arrange for that as well.... just ask!


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Pacifier Clip Set – 2 clips
For attachment of pacifiers, teethers & other accessories
Clip & Nipple Cover
Comes with an attached nipple cover to keep pacifier clean when not in use
Crystal Clip
Translucent clip with patterned ribbon
Practical Accessories for the òn-the-go`parent
In addition to the pacifiers, MAM designers created a bevy of pacifier keeps and clips that help to prevent the loss of the pacifierwhile keeping it clean and hygenic. The Pacifier Keeper & Clip is available is various colors and motifs. The ribbon is detachable and interchangeable for cleaniness and style. The clip is easily fastened onto baby's clothing and tough to pull off.


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Featuring Jan Avgikos, Ben Davis, John Miller, Joao Ribas, Martha Schwendener, and Roger White.
Ad Hoc Vox and Guild & Greyshkul are pleased to invite you to On Criticism, a panel discussion that will take place at the gallery on Thursday, October 30th at 7:00pm.
ERNEST: I have foolish habit of reading periodicals, and it seems to me that most modern criticism is perfectly valueless.
GILBERT: So is most modern creative work also. Mediocrity weighing mediocrity in the balance, and incompetence applauding its brother - that is the spectacle which the artistic activity of England affords us from time to time.
-Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist, 1891
Questioning the relevancy of criticism is hardly the exclusive sport of a contemporary audience. The roles, values, and goals of criticism have been as contested as any individual critic's pronouncements. What factors, then, uniquely beset art criticism now? What basis is there for the widely espoused claim that we are in a "post critical" age? In a highly diversified and cross-disciplinary art world, what constitutes a conflict of interest for a critic? How have blogging and self-publishing through the Internet affected art writing?
On Criticism will bring together critics writing for print and online publications, editors, and artists writing criticism to discuss such questions. Our goal is to address present-day art criticism by creating a space for its self-identified practitioners to turn a critical eye on both the concerns of their discipline and potential models to address those concerns. Colleen Asper will moderate the discussion, which will be followed by a Q & A with the audience.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Secession Lecture on Nov 3rd
Freedom as Art
The concept of freedom is intimately tied to the political economy of capitalism; the received notion of parity between development and liberty intrinsic to modern political philosophy asserts that a free market is a necessary condition for political freedom. Yet as it has become impossible to conceive of freedom without capitalism, it is also impossible to discuss the modern concept of art without reference to the subject of capitalism—that is, the form of a radical individual subject. It is in fact through an assertion of unquantifiable values—taste, madness, inspiration—and through the formation of a radical political subject—that of the artist—that the production of art comes to be defined precisely by values that distance it from those of capital. Yet if the figure of the artist and his labor was once emblematic of the emancipatory idea of the 'individual,' in a society where it had not yet fully emerged, is this notion deradicalized by the democratization of subjective expression today? Can one trace the production of art through its relationship with—or rather distance from—capitalism, from the dawn of the modern market to the immaterial economy of late capitalism? Can art and its implicit subject of freedom provide a horizon of possibilities for new forms of social organization? Or are art and capital inevitably intertwined?
João Ribas (b. Braga, Portugal 1979) is Curator at The Drawing Center in New York and a widely published critic. His writing on art, film, literature, and design has appeared in numerous publications worldwide, and he is the curator of several surveys, projects, and exhibitions in the US and abroad. He is a frequent lecturer on aesthetics and cultural theory and currently adjunct professor at The School of Visual Arts, New York.
For further information and photographic material please contact:
Kathrin Schweizer
Secession, Association of Visual Artists Vienna Secession, Friedrichstraße 12, 1010 Vienna
Tel: +43-1-5875307-21, Fax: +43-1-5875307-34
Posted by João Ribas at 2:24 PM
Monday, October 13, 2008
Rirkrit Tiravanija: Demonstration Drawings at The Drawing Center
Rirkrit Tiravanija: Demonstrations Drawings reviewed by David Cohen in the now-defunct New York Sun and Holland Cotter in the New York Times.
Posted by João Ribas at 3:32 PM
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daihatsu, honda
List of News and Information about daihatsu and honda on 4WheelsNews.com
News and Information about daihatsu and honda
Read the latest news and information about daihatsu and honda published on 4WheelsNews.com! View comments and pictures about daihatsu and honda on 4WheelsNews.com!
You also might be interested: honda, daihatsu, takata, airbag, recall, honda civic, type r, hatchback, price, honda cr-v, hybrid, paris motor show, pickup truck, honda insight, new york auto show
Honda, Daihatsu add 5 million vehicles to Takata airbag recalls
Only one day after Toyota and Nissan issued a recall of 6.5 million vehicles worldwide, there was a further expansion of the safety campaign related to defective airbags from Takata. This time, Honda is recalling about 4.89 million vehicles and Daihatsu said that about 260,000 units are affected.
If you own a Honda unit in the U.S. or Canada, you're not part of the recall since the vehicles sold in these markets didn't have the potentially defective airbags targeted in the latest recall. Instead, Honda's recall affects about 1.7 million units in Japan that were built from 2002 to 2008.
The nameplates covered by the recall were produced in the U.S., Japan, and Thailand. The rest of the recalls are from the other regions. Honda said that the breakdowns of the regions will be announced locally. Meanwhile, the recall of Daihatsu-brand covers only cars built in Japan.Read the entire article Honda, Daihatsu add 5 million vehicles to Takata airbag recalls
Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R greet 2019 model year with upgraded interior
Honda has commenced sales of the latest iterations of the Honda Civic Hatchback and the Honda Civic Type R. Both models of the Civic have been upgraded for the 2019 model year, especially inside their cabins. Interested customers could now head out to their nearest Honda retailers to avail of the new 2019 Honda Civic Hatchback and the new 2019 Honda Civic Type R.
The Honda Civic Hatchback is one of the cash cows in the carmaker's Civic lineup. Accounting for around 20 percent of all Civic sales, the Civic Hatchback is on its way to become best-selling car in the United States in 2018, thereby defending its crown it has held in the past two years. For 2019, the Civic Hatchback will still be available in five trims: LX, Sport, EX, EX-L with Navigation and Sport Touring. Its core remains the 1.5-liter DOHC direct-injected turbo in-line 4-cylinder engine with two power levels. This engine delivers 174 hp of max output in LX, EX and EX-L Navi trims, as well as 180 hp in peak output in Sport and Sport Touring trims.
As standard, the 2019 Honda Civic Hatchback (all trims) feature the Honda Sensing safety and driver-assistive technologies, which include Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow; Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS) and Road Departure Mitigation (RDM).Read the entire article Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R greet 2019 model year with upgraded interior
2018 Paris Motor Show: Honda unveils production-ready 181-hp CR-V Hybrid
Honda is moving forward with its electrification plans in Europe after unveiling the production-ready version of the new 2019 Honda CR-V Hybrid at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. It was part of a number of creations that the Japanese carmaker is displaying in Paris, including the refreshed Honda HR-V SUV, and a specially-commissioned Civic Type R 'Art Car'.
In September 2017, Honda took the wraps off a near-production Euros-spec prototype of the CR-V Hybrid at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, with plans to sell the production version exclusively in Europe. By then, it was believed that the Euro-spec CR-V Hybrid will be the replacement for the 160hp i-DTEC diesel version of the SUV, as part of the carmaker's answer to the regulations affecting the market of diesel engines.
Back then, Honda was tight-lipped about the technical details of the prototype. The carmaker only revealed that its electrified powertrain will feature an electric motor and a 2.0-liter four cylinder i-Vtec gasoline engine.Read the entire article 2018 Paris Motor Show: Honda unveils production-ready 181-hp CR-V Hybrid
Honda Project P is a one-off Civic Type R pickup
The Honda Civic Type R is the fastest front wheel drive model at the Magny Cours track, while also being one of the fastest pickup trucks in the world. Yes, you read that right. The specialist from the Product Engineering department at the automaker's UK factory in Swindon has built a one-off Civic Type R pickup truck, and it just made its debut at the SMMT Test Day in Great Britain.
To create the unique Project P Concept, the engineers had to get a pre-production prototype of the hot hatch, which was unveiled a year ago. It has two doors and two seats, as well as a flatbed at the back of the rear seats, replacing the rear bench and boot space.
The transformation made sure that it still retains the rear fixed wing. But the wings here really aren't fixed, as it has a movable design, allowing access to the load bed of the small pickup. One of our favourite design details of the new Type R, a set of triple exhaust pipes at the back, is here as well. The exterior body is finished in a Rallye Red, one of the signature colours of the Civic Type R hatch.Read the entire article Honda Project P is a one-off Civic Type R pickup
The all new 2019 Honda Insight is finally here, recently after the prototype made its debut at the Detroit show. Honda's new hybrid is finally going to be seen in the sheet metal. The Insight is scheduled for an official showing at the 2018 New York Auto Show. Honda's newest entry into its growing fleet of electrified vehicles is also one of its most advanced.
Just like the rest of the Honda's range, the Insight gets design elements from other models. This includes the "flying wing" grille, the low profile LED taillights and headlights, and the coupe-like roofline. As for pricing, the Insight will be positioned between the smaller Civic and the larger Accord.
What keeps this running is an efficient two motor hybrid powertrain, similar to the one in the Accord Hybrid. There is a 1.5 liter gasoline engine paired to an electric motor and a lithium ion battery pack that delivers 151 horsepower (112 kilowatts) and 197 pound feet (267 Newton metres) or torque. This also features three driving modes namely Normal, Econ, and Sport. The new Insight also has the ability to return up to 55 miles per gallon in the city.Read the entire article 2019 Honda Insight boasts hybrid engine that returns 55mpg (city driving)
Honda revealed that its new CR-V is now set to make its official debut in Europe through the upcoming 2018 Geneva Motor Show. This same model had already been presented in U.S. shores back in 2016. With this new model, Honda hopes to raise the standards for SUVs as it relates to refinement, the quality of the interior, and space. Indeed, this new CR-V model is expected to bring with it a new design, new powertrains, and new technologies.
This new CR-V will come equipped with the brand's hybrid technology. This will be the first time a Honda SUV offered for the European market will have such a system. It will utilize Honda's Intelligent Multi Mode Drive hybrid system, or i-MMD.
This system is composed of two electric motors and the i-VTEC 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle petrol engine. Further, the system does not use a conventional transmission but rather has a more compact unit having a single fixed-gear ratio. As such, this combination allows for effortless driveability and real-world efficiency.Read the entire article Honda to debut European-spec CR-V at 2018 Geneva Motor Show
The Acura NSX, even though it has been produced in the United States, is rightfully claimed as one of its own by the legions of fans in Japan, where it is known as a Honda. For this particular example we are going to talk about, the owner definitely took it even further.
When looking at the images, it seems like the said car has been shot at Tokyo's famous Tsukiji fish market, or some other similar market there. But it isn't the place that matters, but the subject. As you can see here, this hybrid supercar looks like it is part of the country's Super GT championship. But Honda is known for having several NSX-GTs in the series' top GT500 class.
Though this Acura NSX looks a lot like a track focused car, it actually is a road going car. The supercar was modified by Liberty Walk and has been given a full body kit, making it look wider with a meaner demeanor. It had also been given enough aerodynamic enhancements that it will remind you of an air force fighter - blacked out like the one in the photo.Read the entire article Spotted in Japan: Honda NSX by Liberty Walk almost looks like it belongs on the track
Were you ever a fan of the Honda S2000? And as such, have you been waiting for its return? Well, prepare to be crushed. A Canadian executive from Honda has some bad news for you as he said that the roadster is dead.
His statement has then been supported by Hayato Mori, senior manager for product planning as he revealed to Auto Guide that the demand for the Honda S2000 is not high enough to revive the said vehicle. Mori also said in his statement that it is not easy to make money on such a sports car, especially with the growing popularity of crossovers.
In the United States today, there aren't as many roadsters available, and the automaker is trying their best to make the available. Some of these models include: the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, BMW Z4, Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, Fiat 124 Spider, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Nissan 370Z, and Porsche 718 Boxster.Read the entire article Canadian Honda exec shuts down hopes of a S2000 successor
Honda disclosed that it will officially debut the 2019 Insight Prototype during the upcoming 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. While the brand's range of electric-powered vehicle continues to grow, this will be the first time customers get to see Honda's latest model.
It can be recalled that it was in the same show last year that Honda revealed its Electrification Initiative. It was also during this time that the brand revealed that by 2030, two-thirds of its vehicle sales worldwide will be composed of electrified vehicles. This is not limited to battery electric models but it also includes fuel cell, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid versions.
The Insight boasts high fuel efficiency, combined with a refined driving performance along with a sleek sedan design and a cabin that offers space for five passengers. Furthermore, it clearly positions itself higher compared to other standard compact hybrid models.Read the entire article 2019 Honda Insight Prototype will be introduced at the Detroit Auto Show
Try and try until you succeed. After not achieving the expected success with the first and second generation of the Honda Insight hybrid, the Japanese carmaker will once again try to resurrect the nameplate associated with its hybrid technology. But before the third generation of the hybrid vehicle is released for the 2019 model year, a prototype version is getting unveiled early next year at Detroit.
The Japan-based company will be unveiling the new Honda Insight Prototype to the global public on January 15 at the 2018 North American International Auto Show (Detroit Auto Show). According to Honda, the prototype version will be the forerunner to the all-new 2019 Honda Insight. Essentially the prototype provides a glimpse into the final production version of the next-gen Honda Insight, although it is expected that there will be a number of differences between the two models.
When launched, the 2019 model will be latest of the three generations of the Honda Insight, although all of these iterations are different cars. Nonetheless, all of them are hybrid vehicles; with the first two Insight generations employing Honda's hybrid car technology, Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). Honda introduced the first generation of the Honda Insight in 1999 for the 2000 model year. This is the first Honda model to employ the IMA system and is the first hybrid vehicle in the United States. It was one of the most efficient gasoline-powered vehicles – as certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – a distinction made possible by its hybrid system, its lightweight aluminum structure and its optimized aerodynamics.Read the entire article Honda is reviving the Insight nameplate for 2019 model year as a five-passenger sedan
Honda this week announced that its all-new 2018 Clarity Plug-in Hybrid will arrive at US dealerships with a starting price of $33,400 beginning on the first of December. Because the Clarity PHEV is qualified for the full federal tax credit deduction program, the all-new Clarity sedans can be had for as low as $26,790 and $29,990 including destination charges, minus the supposed $7,500 federal taxes.
The Clarity Plug-in Hybrid Touring, which will be offered with a suggested retail price of $35,600 will have a more upscale feel to it over the standard variant. Exclusive to this level are the Ultrasuede interior, perforated leather-trimmed seats, a four-way power adjustment for the front passenger seat and a driver seat with eight-way power adjustment with two-position memory.
While a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a navigation system with charging infrastructure information are part of the Touring package, both sedans will be featuring the same 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and heated side mirrors. The LED taillights, auto headlights and daytime running lights in LED are just among the many standard features shared by the two model trims.Read the entire article Prices for 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid to start at $33,400
It isn't real-life, but this car is making real waves in the automotive world. Honda is introducing the new Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo (GT), a 400-hp sleek and mean machine that is only drivable in virtual reality.
The new "Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo" is a mid-ship-engine two-seater coupe that is the product of an ingenious collaboration between the design team of Honda and the Gran Turismo realism-based video game. Honda is calling the Sports Vision Gran Turismo a fusion between dynamism and functionality. As a true sports model, the Sports Vision Gran Turismo is born from Honda's corporate culture for doing things that simply looks fun.
In the initial stages of its new project, Honda launched a competition among its designers from different parts of the world. Eventually, the Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo – created by a design team in Los Angeles -- was named as the winner of this global design contest. In the course of developing the final design of the concept, the LA team was joined by other designers in the United States and Japan. In fact, the quarter model was built in the US, while the modeling data and hardware of the GT concept were developed in Japan.Read the entire article Honda Sports Vision GT arrives digitally in Gran Turismo Sport
The 2017 Tokyo Motor Show is one event that a lot of car enthusiasts look forward to, and perhaps not just those people, because automakers like Toyota and Honda bring out some other interesting concepts in these shows. For instance, Japanese automaker Honda took off the covers off a couple of small mobility concepts that most, if not all of us, have never seen before.
So they didn't just come to Tokyo to reveal show-stopping Sports EV and Urban EV concepts, but Honda also brought with its five other concepts that will blow your minds. Honda is known for dependable and reliable people movers, and these concepts can definitely make them even bigger.
The first one is called the Honda RoboCas concept. It is a compact vehicle that runs on electric power, which has different types of carrying space with a canopy. It actually looks cute at first glance, as it sort of looks like a golf cart. It was created to make people's dreams come true, so they can turn this into a poolside valet, a lemonade stand, a drinks cabinet or whatever you can think of.Read the entire article Honda reveals five cool concepts at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
We have seen photos of the Liberty Walk Honda NSX before, but none of us really appreciated it because these photos did not do the supercar justice. This time, new photos of the same modified model have been released and the new images perfectly highlight the new styling modifications.
This NSX is far from a standard model. It was tuned by Liberty Walk with the help of Forgiato Wheels.
As you can see in the images, the NSX now has a towering rear wing that suits the car really well. And at the same time, it transforms the car's overall look. The Japanese tuner also equipped the NSX with a fitted air suspension kit to lower the ride, courtesy of AirRex.Read the entire article 2017 Honda NSX by Liberty Walk looks crazy hot
The rumour first came from Truth About Cars, which was then leaked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to them, there might soon be an entry-level Civic Type R in the market. What else is in the document? Well, it also shows a new top-end touring model, given the model code FK8G. Meanwhile, there's another one with the same 306 horsepower (228 kilowatt) engine as the Civic Type R. This was given the code K20C1.
If we are correct, there will be two variants of the Civic Type R available in 2018 - a base Type R and a more equipped Type R Touring. Furthermore, if you could remember, there were reports earlier in April which said that a second, more well-equipped variant of the Type R would be offered.
This is also because today, customers are only limited to one kind of Type R. This model features a seven-inch touchscreen, a seven-inch driver information interface, and is compatible with the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a 540-watt 12 speaker stereo. To make consumers happier and be more willing to get the Civic, the base Type R might start as low as $30,900 or $31,775 after tax and destination. $3,000 is quite a big discount from the current model.Read the entire article Leaked documents list an entry level 2018 Honda Civic Type R
The first Step WGN was introduced in Japan in the mid-1990s, and the current model is getting a complete makeover in 2015. For this year's refresh, the massive van's front fascia will be tweaked, as it gets a new grille with new LED head lights. On the rear, the Step WGN's tail gate spoiler has been tweaked to make it look sportier. The updates don't end there. Under the van's hood will be a dual-motor sport hybrid system, and it will be given a new suspension tuning too.
As for the safety features, all Step WGN models will be getting Honda Sensing safety systems that come as standard. This system includes adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking system, forward collision warning, Honda LaneWatch. Furthermore, it features blind spot information system, cross traffic monitor, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist and many more.
The entire lineup of the Step WGN will include a 1.5 liter turbocharged mill, which doesn't quite compare to the Spada Hybrid that comes with a 2.0 liter engine for its electric motors. Customers could get it with a front-wheel-drive that comes as standard, but they can also opt for the all-wheel drive - both of these work with a CVT automatic.Read the entire article Honda Step WGN gets more tech and a facelift for 2018MY
With the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show coming up, we expect automakers from all over the world to be ready to present the coolest, most technologically advanced and weirdest models they have conceptualized and designed.
The Tokyo Motor Show is looking more and more interesting with the number of concepts lined up to be revealed. And one of the most recent ones that has been added to the list would be the Honda Sports EV Concept. As its name suggests, it will be an electric sports car designed with square taillights. This hints that the compact coupe might be related to the Urban EV concept, which they revealed at Frankfurt earlier this month.
So far, Honda has not given full details regarding the Sports EV concept, apart from it being a zero-emissions car and that it will have a friendly face. That actually gives us another reason to believe that the two concepts are somewhat connected. As you can see in the sketch, the Sports EV Concept has a retro and futuristic vibe that is quite attractive, thanks to its sleek roofline and bulging fenders.Read the entire article Honda teases the Sports EV Concept ahead of 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
Honda is showcasing the retro-inspired EV concept in Germany's 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show which will last until September 24. The retro styled city car, which is also the Japanese car brand's first production EV for the European market, is featuring a funky design with two rounded headlights akin to the hatchbacks from the seventies and eighties.
Beyond the wide-eyed front fascia and small dimensions comes a deep muscular stance that not only provides the Urban EV with sporty driving capability but also make it more stable for its size. If compared with the Honda Jazz supermini, the Urban concept will come out 100m shorter with its current length of 3,895mm.
Inside, the cabin features a wind screen with some thin A-pillars for better visibility and a couple of bench seats to make room for up to four occupants. There is also a large dashboard with wood veneer as well as a screen that wraps around the dash that goes throughout the hatchback's two main doors. The main display provides specific information about the EV's energy consumption, battery life and range status while the wrap around screen on both side of the doors work as the vehicle's side mirrors with the help of the digital camera.Read the entire article 2017 IAA: Honda goes retro with its enchanting Urban EV concept
Following its debut at the Auto Shanghai early this year, the 2018 CR-V's next stop will be next week's Internationale Automobil-Austellung (IAA) in Germany. Honda's first electric SUV will soon be posing as a near-production prototype which is to be sold exclusively in Europe. The 2018 Honda CR-V Hybrid will appear together with Honda Jazz's new Sport trim and Urban EV concept during the two-week event.
The Euro-spec hybrid will be replacing the 160hp i-DTEC diesel as an answer to the current regulations affecting the market of diesel engines. For its design, the Hybrid SUV in prototype form will be very similar to the US-spec CR-V as well as the model previewed earlier in China. The lower LED light bar, in place of the round shaped fog lights, is just among the subtle variations on the exterior to draw the line between the 1.5-liter conventional engine and the hybrid set-up.
Honda is very tight-lipped about the technical details and only revealed that the electrified powertrain will consist of an electric motor and a 2.0-liter i-Vtec gasoline engine with four cylinder that runs on the Atkinson cycle. All the same, the complete specs will surely come out before or after Honda launches the CR-V hybrid in Europe sometime in 2018. Early speculations suggest that Honda's next SUV will borrow Honda Accord's hybrid set-up but it is better to trust the company's official announcement. Currently, the Accord hybrid boasts a total of 212hp output with two-motor hybrid technology that no longer sees the need for conventional transmission. Rather, it only makes use of a single fixed gear ratio to push power down the wheels.Read the entire article Euro-spec 2018 Honda CR-V Hybrid Prototype is en route to Frankfurt
Japanese customers could now purchase Honda Motor Co.'s latest kei offering, the new generation of the Honda N-BOX mini vehicle. Built under the concept of "for the happiness of families in Japan," the new N-BOX was meant to establish a new standard for family-type cars – expressive exterior, spacious interior, excellent driving performance, superb cabin comfort and outstanding fuel economy.
The new N-BOX is provided with high quality design and sophisticated design that still allows the vehicle to maintain its established image. It carries forward the appealing design elements of the first-generation N-BOX like spaciousness, sophistication and high quality, while adopting LED headlights and employing laser brazing technology to join its roof and body side panels.
In terms of exterior finishing, the new N-BOX could be wrapped in single-tone colors like Brilliant Sporty Blue Metallic, British Green Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Luna Silver Metallic, Morning Mist Blue Metallic, Premium Agate Brown Pearl, Premium Ivory Pearl, Premium Pink Pearl, Premium White Pearl II and Premium Yellow Pearl II. Two-tone color finishes include Premium Agate Brown Pearl & White, Premium Ivory Pearl & Brown, Premium Pink Pearl & White and Premium Yellow Pearl II & White.Read the entire article Honda presents second-generation family car N-BOX in Japan
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Liz has been providing beautiful harp music for events including weddings, conferences and balls in Exeter and across Devon and Cornwall for many years. She is currently based in Exeter, and works as a freelance harpist in Exeter, Devon and the South West. Whatever your occasion, a harp adds a beautiful ambience and Liz can offer a range of repertoire to make your event extra special and memorable.
She also been teaching the harp, flute and piano for over 25 years. This has given her great experience with all ages and abilities.
Please click on the links to find out more about Liz, listen to some of her music and see her harps.


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Maybe it's the denigration of an old man stuck in an antique media showing the signs of his age, or maybe pay media is the way forward for the internet medium.
Rupert Murdoch, creator of the News Corporation (News Corp) Empire, discussed this week his plans to do two things to News Corp's subordinate websites. One, to create a pay-wall behind which subscribers would have to pay money to read any one of the news stories on his websites. Two, to remove his websites and all their content listings from search indexers like Google and Bing.
News Corp owns, among many other Newspapers, the Wall Street Journal, and the Times (England).
Murdoch's reasoning behind his decisions are mostly monetary based. He says to Sky News Australia, 'no web sites anywhere in the world make serious money.' Which is partially true, most news websites don't make much money—but they do make some money. This system would not have worked from the beginning 10 to 15 years ago if the websites were not making money. Murdoch, in his infinite wisdom of all web-based media, counters this, 'they [consumers and search engines] shouldn't have had it free all the time…and I think we've been asleep.'
While it may have been nap time for this old fart, he doesn't realize cyberspace has grown up. We're in a time when broadcasters can stream the entirety of their primetime shows to anyone in a nation for free over the internet. Admittedly, there was some foolish CEO the other week boasting about how Hulu.com would become a pay service by 2010 these rumors were quickly shot down. We will never know if they were dispelled because of the sheer uproar at the news, but we know that people would be entirely adverse to it.
And this is the reason why pay content will not work. One, people will never pay for it so you're limiting your income base originally. You would then have to remove any income generating ads from a pay service, so that's another step down in income. Not only that, but Murdoch intends to remove his websites from search engines. What he doesn't seem to realize is that search engines are a major source of traffic for non-readers. New users will never become familiar with the site if they can never find it or see what kind of content it holds.
Murdoch says that you pay for a news paper, so why not pay for content online. But I don't believe this is how things work anymore. But I could be wrong. The New York Times is making its decision in the next couple of weeks whether or not they will be constructing a pay wall. The New York Times has about 19 million visitors monthly (Compete.com), it will be interesting to see how this would affect that number. It would also be interesting to see the affects on a company who has no plans for a pay-wall, CNN.com (30 million visitors monthly). If consumers cannot get their content for free at the site of their choice, they will go to other places to get it without any sign of remorse. The internet is free and it will remain free. Murdoch might not get it at this time, but his empire is bleeding and this is not the bandage he needs.
The Fool Formerly Known as Rupert Murdoch
David says so on: 11/15/2009 09:46:00 PM
Labels: content, FOX, google, hulu, news corp, pay, rupert murdoch, search engine, wall street journal, website
1 comment:
- MsBridgitJune 23, 2014 at 12:19 AM
Mr Murdoch how much money do you need? I cam probably help there.ReplyDelete
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Voluntary Work in Grand Turk
When Hurricane Ike hit the Turks & Caicos Islands September 7th 2008 as a category 4 hurricane, it left a lot of devastation especially in Grand Turk. Here are some photos of a damaged home that Horizon helped to re-build along with The Hartling Group. Prior to the rebuilding of the roof, the owners were sleeping under blue tarping to stay dry.


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Hair: 2006
Amy Adams is known for her stunning red mane so some could be suprised to learn that her hair is naturally more of a blonde/strawberry blonde color. It wasn't up until Junebug that Amy decided to keep to a more sharper, vivid color that she adapted from the character. Throughout Amy's career she has sported a variety of different shades, styles and glamorous hairdos for the red carpet and photocalls. While Amy has mostly kept in the red family of shades, she says she's open to experiment. "I really like red, but I'm always open to change. I would love to cut my hair and try platinum – Christina Aguilera blond. Harlow blond," she says. This is a visual archive of Amy's ever changing locks!
"Here I am, I'm super-energetic, a positive person with blond hair, blue eyes — it's very easy to make assumptions about my character. And the minute you put red hair on it, it's suddenly, like, instead of energetic, she's a firecracker; instead of ditzy, she's quirky."
Hairstyle | 2010-Present | 2009 | 2008 | 2006 | 2004 | Movies
2005 and 2006 were definitely Amy's breakthrough years! Although she'd worked in the industry for many years and tackled a wide array of genres and characters, nothing could have prepared her for the whirlwind that would be the success of Junebug. Although throughout these years Amy stayed red, she had perhaps the most amount of shades you could ever imagine!
2005 started off with Amy more dark red tresses like at the Sundance Film Festival. While at the Wedding Date premiere she was seen with a noticably new tan, which off set the dark locks nicely. During the late summer months and whilst Junebug promotion was at a peek she sported a much more vibrant red like at the press conference and premiere for the film. At the premiere Amy showed up with a sweetheart-funky do.
The hair was cut in jagged layers go throughout Amy's style to create this lovely flicked look, and her light brown tones enhanced her facial features perfectly. Amy often went with a more simple chic look too, like a lady-like ponytail at the Walk the Line screening. At the Miss Davenporte Trunkshow, Amy had a much redder hair, kept soft and sweet. The sides were been pinned straight back tightly and the top was teased up high and placed back. Her long side swept bangs have been left out to add shape around the face. Just a few days later Amy showed up at the IFP Gotham Awards with another gentle, pretty look. At one of her last appearances in '05, The Producers premiere, Miss Adams dawned sexy and rich curls do go with her babydoll face.
Bring on awards time! Being nominated at multiple ceremonies for her enchanting performance as Ashley in Junebug, Amy was in full control and aware of her style icon status. At the first awardshow of 2006, Amy dazzled her fans with a pretty ponytail and red-orange locks at the 11th Annual Critics Choice Awards. But needing a change once again, Amy again put in more color – this time going back to her more recognizable shade. Always one to keep it simple and fun, Amy wore her hair in a funky and sexy up-do at the 2006 Writers Guild Awards. While choosing multiple shades of red throughout these years, Amy sometimes weaved into more brown territories, like at the Mac Cosmetic Honoring event. Still, Amy loves her red and always manages to come back to it. At the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards a ponytail with some waves was her friend. Behold Oscar night! Amy looked beautiful with her hair softly pinned back through the sides and top into a simple upstyle. Paired with a blossomy, chocolate brown dress and aquamarine tear drop earrings from Carolina Herrera, Amy stole the event with fashion – if she didn't win the Oscar.


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Jerry Bell came to the legal profession after a career of developing successful technology businesses. A native of central Missouri, he began his career in Kansas City in 1983. He enjoyed an extended stay in Atlanta for ten years and returned to Kansas City in the late 1990s. More »
Glen is the founding member of Smith Elder & Business Law, LLC with over 35 years of experience in asset protection. Glen focues his practice on long-term care, Medicaid and VA Aid and Attendance planning, special needs trusts and planning, and designing comprehensive estate pl... More »
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At Ingersoll Rand, we are committed to good corporate citizenship and
believe that advancing the quality of life requires taking an active
role in addressing the social issues impacting our company and
communities. We, at Ingersoll Rand are committed to innovation,
building superior technology and dedication to corporate citizenship
and sustainability. While marching ahead in our journey to provide the
best products, services and solutions, the company endeavors to
minimize the environmental impact of its actions. The organization is
proud of the progress it is making in the area of sustainability which
helps support our customers in their undertaking to improve their
sustainability responsibilities. Our products help conserve energy,
improve user safety, enhance economic growth, increase the yield of
the global agricultural harvest, and provide a host of other benefits
to society. We continue to identify ways to improve the work we do,
the products we make, and to meet our commitments to our customers,
our colleagues and our communities.
To know more about our CSR policy - Click here


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Find out about different profession options in many legal fields, what it's like to follow in these fields, and tips on how to plan a curriculum to emphasize desired career goals. The Marketing Companies Division is responsible for conducting and supporting market analysis and analysis of agricultural marketing channels, processes and methods, and offering planning and design recommendations for agricultural advertising amenities, in an effort to facilitate the efficient and economical distribution of U.S. meals and fiber products, primarily regionally produced and distributed agricultural merchandise.
The University and the Regulation School reserve the appropriate to make changes in their curricula, insurance policies, procedures and regulations without giving prior discover. Till the public or parliament turn into interested in the challenge, we are going to proceed to see judges retiring at age 70 whereas still having a lot to contribute to the judiciary, the authorized career and the rule of legislation. Given my affinity for course of and know-how, you'd think Darth and I related at USC Law (he was a yr forward of Lael and me) and bonded over what he'd carried out whereas at Accenture.
On no account am I saying a regulation college degree will not improve your earning capacity compared to the job prospects obtainable to you in the event you have been to aim to enter the work-pressure right after college (it often multiplies it a couple of times over), however I am saying that if you're going to take a look at supplies produced by law colleges in any respect, take any data you find in those materials with a grain of salt.
So as to improve and simplify the person expertise, the MOCI keeps a continuing dialogue with entrepreneurs, regulation corporations, and companies and, term by time period, the person has seen an enlargement in the capabilities of the system in addition to the streamlining of the administrative processes. CSPI gives unpaid internships on a full-time and part-time foundation each summer time and during the faculty 12 months.
It couched in nearly all the points of constitutional law in a short and explanatory sentences. Read the welcome message from Professor Carolyn Evans, Dean of Melbourne Law Faculty and Harrison Moore Professor of Regulation. To enable non-consultants to quickly perceive what's at stake, this put up will briefly describe the instrument on the idea of which the Commission has adopted this Rule of Legislation Opinion before succinctly recalling why the Fee deemed it necessary to formalise its considerations as regards the rule of law in Poland.


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Script Alan Moore (and Brian Bolland for A Innocent Guy short story), art and colors Brian Bolland, all material is ©DC Comics.
This article deals with three editions of The Killing Joke story (I have added Batman Noir The Killing Joke more recently), editions that are not limited or hard to find, but to my eyes are the nicest editions so far on the market (Graphitti Designs has announced a Gallery Edition in the near future).
Let's begin in chronological order with the French B&W 75th Anniversary Special Edition:
Published in April 2015 by Urban Comics (a subsidiary of Dargaud), this book is designed to fit in the collection published in May 2014 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Batman, along Hush, Dark Victory, Night of the Owls, The Dark Knight Returns and Batman Year One. However, note that this Killing Joke book was not advertised as being a limited print run of 3000 copies. These are 12 x 8 inches (or 30 x 20 cm) hardcover books sharing the same collection design and published on very thick mat paper.
|for Frank Miller's books go here
This volume (ISBN: 978-2-3657-7639-4, 64 pages, cover price 19€) shares the same plain black second and third of cover with all the books from this collection. A picture below is for size comparison with the latest US Deluxe Edition reprint of this story.
The book opens with a two page introduction written by Tim Sale dated 2008 (originally from the US Deluxe Edition). It reprints The Killing Joke in full clean B&W (no shades of grey) from the original art, i.e. before Brian Bolland 2008 rework (see later in this article).
|the red cards were not inked
The 11 pages bonus section features:
- a two pages afterword written by Brian Bolland and dated 2008
- An Innocent Guy story originally published in B&W in Batman Black and White #4 (8 pages)
Out of the 12 pages extra section produced by Brian Bolland featured in the US Deluxe edition, only the ten first pages are included in this French edition. So the pages featuring excerpts from Brian Bolland files are missing (because it features coloured pictures?). These two pages are displayed later in this article.
An unsourced Batman illustration not included in the US Deluxe edition:
We now move on with the more recent US edition, Batman Noir The Killing Joke:
|this edition uses a different cover
This volume (ISBN: 978-1-4012-6364-5, 114 pages, cover price $29.99) was published by DC Comics in August 2016. A picture below is for size comparison with the latest US Deluxe Edition reprint of this story, and the French B&W edition described above. There is another picture of the sewn binding.
The book features the same plain black second and third of cover. Below are the opening pages and full credit pages. Notice that there is no introduction or foreword in this edition.
This edition reprints The Killing Joke in full clean B&W (no shades of grey) from Brian Bolland 2008 re-worked used for The Deluxe Edition described further.
|looking at Batman's hands and the Joker face in the bottom right corner, we can begin to assume that the US edition uses different material sources from the French edition
|another comparison between the French (right) and US (left) editions
Below, as we spot the Penguin in the background of the penultimate panel, it means that this is a B&W adaptation of the 2008 Deluxe edition (see further in this article).
The two B&W editions differs significantly in their extra content. If they both feature Brian Bolland's An Innocent Guy eight pages story in full B&W, the US Batman Noir edition also includes The Origin of the Joker two pages story, written by Mark waid and illustrated by Brian Bolland originally published in 2007 in Countdown to Final Crisis #31.
But the real incentive of this edition resides in its 48 pages B&W cover pages:
- Joker: The Last Laught #1 and #6
- Cover Story: The DC Comics Art of Brian Bolland
- Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1 variant cover
- Batman: Gotham Knights #2-11, #14-21, #23-30, #32-40, #42-47 plus an unused cover
- Batman & Robin #25
|to the left, unused cover for Batman: Gotham Knights
|the bio page to finish this edition
Now let's get back to the 2008 US Deluxe Edition:
The inner book (11 x 7.5 inches or 28 x 19 cm, ISBN: 978-1-4012-1667-2, 64 pages, price cover $17.99) has an embossed black hardcover illustrated with violet varnish, and plain green second and third of cover.
This book reprints The Killing Joke with a new coloring by Brian Bolland (original colors by John Higgins). In his afterword Brian Bolland explains that every page has also been very slightly reworked in term of the art. Examples are shown at the end of this article.
|Tim Sale forword
|the red cards are there!
|flash back scenes have their dedicated tone
In the 12 pages extra section, the An Innocent Guy story appears in a new colored version.
|Brian Bolland afterword
|these two pages were not reprinted in the B&W editions
Now to finish this article, here are some pictures comparing the original coloring by John Higgins, and the new one, as well as examples of reworked artwork.
Original coloring excerpts are from the first French edition of The Killing Joke published by Comics USA (a then Glénat subsidiary) in February 1989. And yes my copy has been signed the very same year by Mister Moore :).
|on the left French edition with original coloring, on the right US Deluxe Edition
|brag mode
|overall the colors have been attenuated
|color tone contrast between the flash back and real time scenes has been increased
|here comes the Penguin in 2008 (alongside Alan Moore?)
|notice the Batman chest logo differences
|it's less psychedelic now
|from the original colored edition
|... from the 2008 Deluxe edition ...
|... to the left the 2016 Batman Noir US edition, to the right the 2015 French B&W edition


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Have you ever thought about why God created food? I mean, he could have just made sunlight our source of energy…or water. God specifically chose food to be our fuel. Nothing is accidental for our sovereign Lord. So, this begs the question: why?
There are 3 simple reasons I've come up with:
- God is beautiful, full of life, and rich in every way and food is just a reflection of His colorful and rich character.
- God has graciously and carefully chosen something for us to take pleasure in – three times a day! That's three prayers; three times to be thankful, praiseworthy, and delight in a Lord that delights in meeting EVERY ONE of our needs.
- When we eat, we gather around a table, around a box, and in the homes of friends. God meets us in these times and craves for us to be in community with each other…whether around a book or around a big plate of pad thai.
So much of what we do in Young Life is centered around food. We have food with our teams before Club, late night ice cream runs with kids, before-school breakfast Bible studies with Campaigners, and early-morning donut deliveries (pictured above). These instances and the shared experiences we have with our high school friends allows us to point to the above 3 traits: God is beautiful, God graciously meets our needs, and God calls us to community.
Thanks for helping us gather with kids and tell them about a God that calls them to life to the full.


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Montreal-based filmmaker Patrick Doyon heard the news that he'd been nominated for an Academy Award first thing Tuesday morning — and then the rest of his neighbourhood likely heard it too.
"I was screaming," the 32-year-old laughed in a telephone interview shortly after the nominations were announced. "I was with my girlfriend and my daughter, and we were screaming in front of the computer."
In fact, there was plenty of good cheer to go around as two National Film Board of Canada productions landed Oscar nominations for best animated short film.
Calgary-based filmmakers Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby earned the other nod for their Prairie-based picture Wild Life, while Doyon claimed the honour for his debut Dimanche/Sunday.
They'll compete against La Luna from Pixar Animation Studios, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (Moonbot Studios) and A Morning Stroll (Studio AKA).
Dimanche/Sunday is a winsome animated fable that follows a bored young boy trying to escape a dreary Sunday. Doyon says the film is based on his memory of his own childhood — specifically spending numbing grey afternoons after church with parents and grandparents — but injected with sufficient whimsy to keep the charming tale from being autobiographical.
The work was Doyon's first professional short film — his only other credit being Square Roots, a three-minute film he crafted while a student of an NFB program for emerging filmmakers — so he greeted the nomination with awe.
"It is special," he said, before joking: "I don't expect that on every film."
Forbis and Tilby, meanwhile, have more experience with the Oscars.
They were nominated together in the same category for their 1999 collaboration When the Day Breaks, while Tilby also received a nod for her 1991 short Strings.
Still, they were elated by the recognition.
"It doesn't get old," said Tilby, 51, on the line from Calgary.
"On a personal level, it's just so gratifying because we spent years on it and went through a lot of insecurities about whether it's working, whether it's understood, whether it touches people at all."
Set in Alberta in 1909, Wild Life tells the story of an affluent Brit who immigrates to Western Canada to establish a ranching career, but finding himself devoid of practical skills, spends his time instead playing badminton, birdwatching and quaffing liquor.
The filmmakers were inspired by their own ancestors, Prairie-bound Englishmen who "did not fare very well" in their fumbled attempt at farming. They had been concerned that the sprightly short was too overtly Canadian to receive recognition from the Academy, but obviously they needn't have worried.
"(It) certainly was a concern because it is such a deeply Canadian tale ... (but) our hope was that you could really tell a story about anything and anywhere and if it's well told, it would reach people," Tilby said.
Oscar vets that they are, Tilby and Forbis can now begin preparing for the ceremony — which isn't always a pleasant proposition.
"I think the last time we told ourselves: 'We're going to have fun, we're going to treat this like a lark, we're not going to take it too seriously,'" Tilby said. "And then as the day draws near, you get whipped up into a frenzy of nerves just at the prospect of having to stand up in front of however many billion people. Who can relax with that?
"So anyway, we'll try to not dwell on that, because we have a very good chance of not having to get up."
Interjected Forbis, 48: "It's just all the preening that we find really terrifying. All the shopping you have to do, and making sure you look good, and the facials and the massages."
"Men have it easy," Tilby agreed. "You can just go and rent a tux."
The 84th Academy Awards will take place Feb. 26 in Los Angeles.


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2017 ConFERENCE REGISTRATION
All registrations must be received by Oct. 25th. No walk in registrations will be accepted.
Full Registration for the 2017 Conference includes classroom-style seating for all speeches and panels, and banquet seating for Friday and Saturday night dinners and Saturday lunch.
Student rate includes admission to the Saturday speeches and panels, and does not include meals. For admission at the reduced rate, students must present a valid student ID. Students must be sponsored by an HLMC member.
Conference Rate:
- Members $200.00 USD
- Non-members $210.00 USD
- Students $50.00 USD
Current Members should also renew their annual dues: $50.00 USD
Registration Options:
PayPal: Please select an option below and click the yellow "Buy Now" button to be directed to the payment webpage.
To register for the 2017 Conference by mail, please send a check, payable to "The HL Mencken Club," to:
PO Box 66
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
Whether registering by PayPal or check, please list your current email address or phone number so we can contact you promptly with Hotel information.
Hotel Accommodations
We have obtained a special group rate of $94 per night for those who register early. The room rate of $94 per night is limited and offered on a first come first served basis, so please register early.
Donations and Membership Dues
If you would like to make an additional donation to the H.L. Mencken club, please go to our Support Page.
Members are reminded to pay their annual dues at the time of registration by mail or by using the Pay Pal button on this page
Rules and Regulations
Gentlemen will wear coats and ties; ladies, the appropriate equivalent.
The H.L. Mencken Club reserves the right to withdraw or deny admission to anyone who seeks to disrupt the conference or whose presence is deemed a nuisance.


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Toyota Recall DLF, D0M: Inverter Failure May Cause Hybrid Vehicle To Stall
2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. It is possible that the hybrid system will shut down while the vehicle is being driven, causing the vehicle to stall unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hybrid Propulsion System — Inverter
- Summary
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid vehicles manufactured February 16, 2005, through July 29, 2010; and model year 2006-2008 Lexus RX400h vehicles manufactured February 23, 2005, through December 2, 2008. The Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module may contain transistors that have higher operating temperatures than the solder can support and the transistors may be heat damaged by the solder. If this occurs, various warning lamps, including the malfunction indicator lamp, slip indicator light, brake system warning light, and master warning light, will be illuminated on the instrument panel.
- Actions
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the IPM free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicles that had their IPM replaced under recall 11V-342 are not affected by this campaign.
- Documents (12)
- Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)
- Remedy Instructions and TSB
- Quarterly Performance Report
- Remedy Instructions and TSB
- Defect Notice(Part 573)
- Recall Acknowledgement
- Recall Quarterly Report 2014-Q4
- Recall Quarterly Report - 2014-Q3
- Quarterly Performance Report
- Quarterly Performance Report
- Quarterly Performance Report
- Remedy Instructions and TSB


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Tour de Force were contracted by The Adventurists to event manage their incredible, unsupported race down the West coast of America. This was a 'world first' event and TDF were involved from start to finish, with all pre-production, logistics and on-event support- involving running a mobile HQ down the length of the course during the race. An epic experience.
Country: United States of America
Terrain: Forest, High Desert, Mountains
Vehicle: Paramotor
Duration: 2 weeks


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Consider the case of Mildred Dresselhaus. According to a recent article in the New York Times Science Section (3 July 2012), she was born into poverty, learned to ride the subway by herself from the Bronx to Greenwich Village to attend music school at age 6, got a PhD in physics and became one of the world's experts on carbon while raising four children (she now has five grandchildren) and still seems to manage, at age 81, to play the violin on a regular basis and travel the world lecturing about her scientific research. Her story, and the evident sense of humor with which she related it to Natalie Angier in the Times, stands in stark contrast to that of Anne-Marie Slaughter, Princeton professor and foreign policy expert whose recent lament, "Why Women Still Can't Have it All," landed on the cover of The Atlantic this month and set off a frenzy of response -- both positive and negative -- across every media platform in the country.
When I began reading Slaughter's piece I fully expected to be totally sympathetic to its arguments; I am a working mother in a field (theater) that is known for its late hours, low wages and punishing schedules, not conditions that make child-rearing easy. Like Slaughter, I am concerned that the leadership ranks of most professions are still mostly male, and that the playing field is clearly not level when it comes to shared responsibility for raising children. But while Slaughter's self-involved tale of woe wearied me, I found the story of Mildred Dresselhaus extremely energizing. I know nothing more abut this woman than I read in the Times, but in some ways she reminded me of my own mother, Marjorie Perloff, another fierce and brilliant 80-year-old who lectures around the world while remaining acutely attuned to the lives and loves of her children and grandchildren.
My mother and Mildred grew up in a time when there was no expectation that women could "have it all" or even "have some of it," so they put their lives together as creatively and pragmatically as they could, without thinking that what they were doing was particularly remarkable or noteworthy (at least the motherhood part). I'm sure a lot of it was incredibly difficult, exhausting and frustrating, and low expectations are certainly not the solution to the working woman problem. But attitude helps. While my mother spent a great deal of time focused on her children's lives, motherhood was not what defined her, it was a part of her life. Her career certainly evolved more slowly than it would have had she been childless, as I'm sure was the case with Mildred, but life is long and both women made up for lost time with a vengeance as their children grew older -- while many of their quick-starting male colleagues were already burning out. In their vigorous and open-eyed approach to being passionate professionals with children, both Mildred and Marjorie were huge role models for their own offspring. My sister and I are both working women who are also mothers, and Mildred's granddaughter is a student of nanotechnology at MIT, surely inspired by her grandmother's passion for science. I have no wish to argue that things were easier for women of my mother's generation, but I do think there are a few lessons to be learned here.
As many have already commented, the first fallacy of the Slaughter argument is that there is any such thing as "having it all," even if we could be sure what "it" is. Life is long and full of compromises. We all put one foot in front of the other and carve out a path day by day that eventually makes the road of our lives. Sometimes our children are empathetic to our conflicts, sometimes not; one of my favorite female colleagues used to come to work distraught because her young son would stand on the stoop as she left for work wailing "mommy, no theater!" in an attempt to keep her at home. But she continued to come to work and to make theater, and then to go home and be the best mother she could. Her son has grown up understanding that her work is part of the landscape, and she has accepted that she's not always going to make her family perfectly happy. (Given the realities of the working environment today, shouldn't we be trying to raise children who are empathetic to the situation rather than narcissists who constantly wait for their parents to solve every problem?).
Perhaps, as Slaughter asserts, my colleague's life was made easier because she worked for a woman boss who supported her both as a mother and as a professional. I have often tried to pass along the most inspired piece of wisdom my mother handed me over the years, six words that got me through the most stressful years of work/parenting conflict: "I don't compete on that level." Those were my mother's words on that day in about first grade when I was supposed to bring homemade cookies to a bake sale, only to be handed a box of Entemann's donuts. When I wailed that the other children would wonder why I was the only one whose mother didn't bake the cookies at home, my mother serenely responded: "Tell them I don't compete on that level."
The cult of the perfect mother is the worst thing that ever happened to American women. I'm sure Mildred Dresselhaus, who learned to ride the subway at age 6, didn't spend her own days carpooling her children to and from soccer practice, piano lessons and other enriching activities, any more than her own mother had had the time or wherewithal to do that for her; it just wasn't the norm in that era. The current argument that motherhood qualifies as a full-time job is specious and disingenuous; throughout history, women have had to work to support their families, and they have also been mothers. The two things were never thought to be mutually exclusive because except for the wealthy, there has generally not been a choice. This is true now more than ever; it takes two incomes to help keep most families afloat, and even where one income would suffice, the notion that the man is going to remain in the picture as breadwinner is a wishful one, since the incidence of divorce, death and male unemployment is so great.
The cause of women is not helped by pretending that there is a choice for women between working and staying home; we would be much better off, as Slaughter says, spending our energy figuring out how to make both work and motherhood more compatible. Some of this requires a major cultural shift, but some of this has to do with how we choose to think about ourselves and about the nature of motherhood. Which brings me back to Marjorie and Mildred.
I am convinced that one reason professional women who are also mothers are unhappy today is that the definition of motherhood has become impossibly all-consuming. The current expectation that motherhood means chauffeuring, bringing snacks to sports practices, staffing the school library and generally running one's children's lives, necessarily means that women who choose to do this to the hilt inevitably have a hard time balancing that with their professional commitments. While I understand that over the past few decades, the strapped public school system has needed the involvement of parents to help under-staffed schools run, it has always struck me as unconscionable and unfair that expensive private schools (the kind that the children of high-powered professionals like Slaughter usually attend) expect parents (read: mothers) to show up constantly in the middle of the day to attend performances, drive to elite sports practices and plan school fundraisers. This is where working mothers inevitably fail. But it is not their failure, it is the stupidity of a system that privileges that kind of involvement. Having dinner as a family has proven to be a far more valuable predictor of childhood success, yet mothers are still expected to engage in the "daytime shift."
At the Jewish nursery school my daughter attended when we first moved to San Francisco, each Friday afternoon, one child led the Shabbat service. If one was unable to turn up to Shabbat at 3 p.m. on the day it was one's child's turn, the opprobrium from the school was extremely evident. This caused me ridiculous amounts of stress, as I struggled to end my rehearsals early and change meetings around to make it to the school on time. Finally my own mother said to me, "Just tell them you work. Don't compete on that level." I'm sure it made my daughter sad that I didn't always make it to Shabbat, but she knew where I was, and somehow she grew up understanding that my work was part of the family equation. She could also see that her father, who was totally devoted to her but also worked full-time, managed not to feel the least bit guilty about the Shabbat problem! Perhaps it is not such a terrible lesson for children to learn that they are not always the center of the universe and that the world asks multiple things of every individual in it. Careers get side-tracked by illness, by caring for aged parents and by economic forces as much as they get derailed by children.
Which leads me to the second lesson learned from the remarkable story of Mildred Dresselhaus. Role models are everything. When asked how she chose her professional path, Dresselhaus gives credit to Rosalyn Yalow, who taught her elementary nuclear physics and told her "you're going to do this," meaning focus on science. That is gold for a young girl. I know this is heresy to say, but all the carpooling in the world is never going to garner the kind of respect your children might feel for you if they saw you succeeding, or striving to succeed, in the professional world. It is that striving that tells girls they can do it, too. Seeing a woman succeed in the public sphere and seeing a woman make her own money are two extremely valuable lessons for young girls.
I never once saw my mother beg my father for money to buy a new dishwasher or indeed to choose private school for her daughters; she made enough money to have an equal role in making those choices. It certainly helped that she loved her work and took pleasure in doing it, as she knows I do. I have also always taken immense pleasure in my children, even when, like Slaughter, there didn't seem to be enough hours in the day to run my theater well and do everything I should have done as a mother. I tried to tell myself that if the beds didn't always get made and we didn't go on ski holidays and the snacks weren't homemade and I missed half the soccer games, no permanent damage would be done. I remember weeping on the phone to my mother after a long technical rehearsal and telling her that I feared my children would think the nanny was their mother, and I remember her laughing and saying "I think they're smart enough to figure it out."
As a theater director, my career might have been much more varied and nationally recognized if I had been able to take freelance directing jobs all over the country, but I ended up choosing to stay at a single institution because it provided more stability for the family. Even then, I was out many nights, so my husband wasn't having it all either; he was holding down the fort while Elektra or Arcadia was keeping me at work. While women usually carry more of the double burden than men while their children are young, those years are relatively short, and we should do everything we possibly can to capture that burst of energy and talent that middle-aged women are ready to deliver once their children have grown up.
The last lesson to learn from Mildred Dresselhaus has to do with humility, flexibility and a sense of humor. As the song goes, "you don't always get what you want," so you might as well be creative with the cards you are dealt. When Mildred is asked in the Times interview why she chose to study carbon of all things, she replied: "I thought it was an interesting material, and it was amenable to the laboratory capabilities we had, in magneto-optics. I liked having a problem that was not too popular. I had young children at the time. If one day I had to be home with a sick child, it wouldn't be the end of the world." There is a kind of pragmatic self-knowledge that strikes me as invaluable for today's working women. My own mother couldn't go to graduate school far away since she had small children, so she got her PhD in English at Catholic University, receiving a bizarrely Jesuit education for a Jewish refugee. But that was the landscape, so she coped; I don't remember her ever being bitter and feeling victimized because she couldn't go to the Ivy League school of her choice.
The sad fact is, even today, when it comes to working women, no one is going to ask you to compete, no one is going to make it easy for you. So how do you succeed? Pick your battles. Harness your energy. Focus on what you do well. Don't expect to be all things to all people. Be honest about what you're interested in and what you're trying to do. Recognize, as my friend Veronica kept telling me during those early sleepless years of parenting and directing, "the days are long, but the years are short." Bond with your girlfriends and cut them as much slack as possible. Don't expect to be praised for doing twice as much in a day as your male colleagues--it won't happen, because they are too stressed out themselves to notice your heroic double-duty sacrifices.
And finally, we must fight for childcare whenever and however we can. Mildred's final advice seems to be this: Hire the best baby-sitter you can find! Child care is the single biggest issue for working women, and we won't be out of the woods until sensible tax policies are implemented that make it possible, not punitive, to hire household help, and until our public kindergartens start at a younger age and our schools have class schedules and vacation times that mirror those of working parents. We have to recognize that to count on parents to carry so much of our schools' loads is unrealistic, inefficient and unfair. These are the things worth fighting for. As Mildred says succinctly, "A good husband is a vital part of it. I also had a good baby-sitter. She worked for me for 29 years." Let's stop the cult of the perfect mother and harness women's time and brains to look forward.


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Smart "Slash" Thinking (by a reader)
Pre blog-launch, I was communicating with readers mostly by email. Last week, I got this insightful note from a lawyer/educator/writer-editor in North Carolina. With his permission, I'm posting the relevant parts of his note here (he asked for his name to be withheld). Couldn't have said it better myself:
. . . that thing that made all the difference in this road less traveled (to badly misquote Whitman) was finding ways for each sub-career to "touch" the other. For example, the magazine I edit is a management journal serving the hospitality industry. I teach hospitality law and ethics in the school of business. I practice
business law, and often represent companies in the hospitality industry. I write articles on law and finance for a business audience. The dots connect. All require oral and written expression, organization of ideas, and analysis and research. Advising business owners and managers,particularly those in the hospitality industry, is also a common nucleus.
Upshot: Each activity supports and lends credibility to the other. In total, they provide a livelihood on which I can support a wife, two children in a comfortable middle-class existence.
On the other hand, if the magazine was, let's say, about wood working, and if I was teaching marketing, practicing domestic law, and writing software technical manuals, I believe my professional life would feel a little disjointed and unfocused most of the time, and my performance in all the aforementioned areas would suffer.
That said, I think synergy is where you find it. I have a friend who is a plastic surgeon and an accomplished fine artist. In my mind, these things cross over in that they share in common the requirements of dexterity and a sense of aesthetics (not bad qualities to have in doctor who redesigns faces).. . .


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|5 cm
|17.5 cm
|12.5 cm
|2 Sets of Playing Cards & 4 Dices
|Mango Wood
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|Wood grain and color can vary slightly from the images
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Hand carved from finely hued timber the surface of this card box is adorned with a handmade brass inlay of ace cards and dices. The interior of the box accommodates two deck of cards with a separate compartment to hold 4 big dices. This box comes with two packs of cards. The exquisite brass inlay and the textured wooden surface has been hand worked with passion and attention to detail.
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All items are hand made using basic hand tools like chisels, scrapers, drills etc. Due to it being hand crafted and by the very nature of wood, wood grains and wood colour may vary slightly with each product. The images shown are for a guidance only and the actual product you receive may vary slightly. Please bear this in mind while making your purchase.


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Oh God… not more bloody propaganda!
(With apologies to non-British readers – this is not the type of post I usually place here; it's more overtly political. The reason I'm doing so is because the UK referendum is a significant point in Britain's and Europe's history; possibly a key turning point that will determine the future direction of the EU – if it survives – and have wider ramifications around the world.)
Here's what I've said on Facebook:
"If you're British you've probably made up your minds already, but in case not here's why I'm voting to leave the EU – as briefly as I can make it!
Firstly, I love Europe, and Europeans. I worked for many years for a major German company, in the course of which I travelled to most countries on the continent. My wife is half Irish; I'm one quarter Welsh; my son-in-law is a Frenchman.
However, Europe and the EU are not the same thing. In or out of the EU, we remain a major European country. We have the world's 5th largest economy, and I believe passionately that we should leave the increasingly dysfunctional and undemocratic EU now – while we still have the chance.
We will not be isolated from the world. Our European neighbours will still trade with us, for the incontestable reason that they need our business – we're the EU's largest export market (source: EU help Desk).
We can still cooperate on whatever is in our interests, such as security, and we'll be freed from EU restrictions on trading with the rest of the world. This is important because the EU's share of world GDP is in long-term decline – from 30% in 1980 to less than 16.5% in 2015 (source: IMF).
And most vitally, we'll be largely independent again, having taken back control of our own sovereignty, borders and money.
1. Control of our sovereignty
The EU is woefully undemocratic, with unelected bureaucrats proposing laws, rather than our own parliament.
Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, whom we did not elect and cannot vote out, has said that "There can be no democratic choice against the European Treaties."
Lord Mandelson has said that we're "entering a post-democratic age."
Politicians of all parties have lied for several decades, telling us it's all about trade – i.e. what's now called the single market – when the real reason, enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty of 2009, is 'Ever Closer Union'. This means that we're being gradually subsumed into a new Superstate – in which Britain will be no longer great, but instead little more than another EU region, among dozens.
I think we're much better than that.
(And I do not believe for one minute the claims following Cameron's recent farcical non-agreement on reform that we could remain uninvolved in 'Ever Closer Union' – that we have an exemption that will be anything other than temporary. As Angela Merkel says, revealingly, "It's alright to go at different speeds" – carrying the obvious inference that the destination is the same.
Already, as Jeremy Paxman recently showed, EU law has primacy over British law – how the hell did that happen without our consent?
For these reasons I strongly believe that we must take back control – returning legal powers from the unelected officials in Brussels and Strasbourg to our own elected MP's and parliament in London.
As Lincoln said: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people."
2. Control of our borders
I love the different cultures and national identities within Europe, and I believe immigrants from the EU, and elsewhere, are beneficial, make a valuable contribution, and enrich us in very many ways.
However, under EU freedom of movement rules we have no control over our borders – however much Cameron may insist we have. Stamping passports at Dover is not control, and we've never been asked if we agree to unlimited numbers of new arrivals. It's a ludicrous and in my view ultimately socially divisive way to run a country.
(I'd invite anyone who thinks it's a good idea having no control over numbers, and also qualifications, to try throwing a party at home and posting an open invitation on Facebook!)
It should be in our power to decide how many people we admit, and from where.
A controlled number of invited newcomers can be welcomed, assimilated and, critically, helped to integrate. That's surely a win win situation!
And of course we'll still be welcome in European countries, because they need our tourist dollars.
3. Control of our money
Amongst all the hot air, it's generally agreed that the gross cost to us of EU membership is about £350 million pounds a week – reduced to about half that figure by our rebate, and what we get back in grants with strings attached – i.e. the EU has a big say in how the money's spent.
I think we should decide how we spend all this money, be it on the NHS, as some have suggested, or whatever else we choose. It really is none of Jean-Claude Juncker's business how my taxes are spent!
I'll fully respect your decision, if, astonishingly, it differs from mine, but I'll be chuffed to bits if you join me in deciding to vote leave from the EU, and thereby regain control of our borders, our trade, our laws, our money, our democracy, our independence.
Let's be proud of our country, and believe in Great Britain's place in the modern world."


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I read recently that most evangelical pastors believe that tithing is not required for NT believers. It seems that we have become a people of strange fire. We like to design our worship to satisfy ourselves. But God's standard never changes. Cain and Able brought offerings (long before the Law) as a way to honor God. Worship always involves giving... even if that makes your flesh uncomfortable. The tenth (1/10 or 10% or tithe) has fallen out of fashion with American Christians. Why am I not surprised? Jesus warned us that we cannot serve both God and money!
We must ask ourselves the following questions if we are serious about being Christ followers and true worshippers in this world that we live in.
What standard of giving did God promise to bless in the Mal 3.10?
Does my 'self designed' giving pattern "exceed the righteousness of the pharisees"? (Matt. 5.20)
Do I give cheerfully? Generously? Weekly? Do I excel in the grace of giving? or am I cheap and selfish? (2Cor 8-9)
Do I recognize that my blessings are tied to my giving? (2Cor 9.6-12)
Perhaps instead of "designer worship" we should be worshiping in accordance with the Designer!


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Congratulations to the following Birthday Bash giveaway winners! I have emailed each of the winners.
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy tickets winner: Amy Stewart
**The Pixie Dust is located at the Waterfront. I accepted anything close to that: Waterfront Park, the old Tom McCall's Restaurant, Rose City Festival Building, etc.
A big thanks to Disney On Ice and R/West for sponsoring this great set of giveaways.
Starbucks $10 Gift Card winners:
Jennifer W.
Jessie C.
Tamara Orduna Photography Session winner:
Just Between Friends Tacoma Passes winners:
This post may contain affiliate links. See the disclosure policy for more information.


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When I started to love writing, I really couldn't say. But I started enjoying reading by the time I learned how to read. However, it doesn't always follow that people who love to read also love to write. Sometimes they just don't or sometimes they won't.
Whenever I write, it's like an unconscious thing, a dream, though I'm awake. I'm taken into this different world where I can feel other things and see how beautiful things are then the words just attach themselves to each other and form statements and they make sense (well sometimes they don't but still… you get the point.)
Why do I write? Most of the time, I write for myself, unless required by someone else to. There is clarity when I see my thoughts right in front of me. Aside from seeing my wrong grammars, it shows me when my thoughts are flawed, when they're geniuses and when they are nonsense, and I love them all. I'm not perfect but I will never use that as an excuse to write irresponsibly, but then I understand when there will be times that I may write irresponsibly out of emotions and I have to forgive myself. Because, I am writing for myself – to release my thoughts, to understand myself better, to explore my imagination, to express my emotions, to share my blessings – and if other people see something in the stuff I write, I know then that the thread in the universe's web is still intact and we are still connected and bound to each other by our thoughts, our emotions and our situations, even in a little fraction of each. (:


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By Stephen King (aka Richard Bachman)
After a critical reading of Thinner, the last book ever written by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) I only have two questions:
1. Why does a thirty-something year-old man who is a partner at his law firm, has a wife and daughter and is a pillar of the community, allow people in his town to continue to refer to him as "Billy?"
The only adult males who are allowed to get away with the name "Billy" play professional sports.
2. What is it with Stephen King and hand jobs?
Seriously. The hand job doled out by Heidi, the wife of Billy Halek plays a more central part in this Kafka-esque metamorphosis tale than most of the other human characters. King, erm... Bachman, spends more time examining, dissecting and re-evaluating said hand job than he does developing characters such as Taduz Lemke, the mysterious Gypsy who curses Halek after Halek hits and kills his daughter in an automobile accident while the aforementioned hand job was taking place.
Got that? Good.
We learn that this was the first time Halek had ever received a hand job from his wife while operating a motor vehicle ("Why, Heidi? why did you pick that day to give me my first hand job!" whined Billy). We learn that when his car grill made impact with Taduz Lemke's daughter he climaxed, but his wife's kung fu grip retained his ejaculation, thereby causing Billy a moment of both extreme pleasure and extreme pain (this is actually mentioned twice in the novel!). We learn that Billy Halek is capable of harboring a hell of a lot of hate based on a single act of manual stimulation but we never learn a damned thing about who Taduz Lemke is or what he's been up to the past 105 of his 106 years on this planet. Priorities, Mr. King. We have a story to tell and there's a hell of a lot more going on than simply a hand job.
If this were the first instance of Stephen King glorifying the pitiful sex lives of Vanilla America I would excuse it, but King has made a career out of writing badly about sex. Gratuitous breaking-and-entering-turned-masturbation sessions in Cujo, group orgies in It and don't even get me started with Gerald's Game. I know that sex and violence are two of the pillars of the horror genre but I find that sex fits into a Stephen King story the way a Slayer song fits into a romantic mixed tape.
Billy Halek could have been doing literally anything else when he hit that woman. Anything would have made more sense. He could have been eating a Super-Sized McDonald's Valu-Pack or a bucket of KFC chicken when he hit her. Certainly that would have fit the narrative a little more. After all, The old Gypsy curse causes him to get thinner, not receive continuous hand jobs until his penis falls off, which would have made a lot more sense considering Taduz Lemke knew exactly what Billy's wife was doing at the time the car struck his daughter.
Too ironic, you say? OK. He could have been arguing with his wife about their daughter or discussing shady business with Richard Ginelli or pretending he was in the lead at the Indianapolis 500 like I do. Hell, he could have been checking out Taduz Lemke's great-granddaughter's ass in a pair of Jordache Jeans for all the sense the hand job made.
I like Stephen King, but it's high time someone called him out on this. For all his wonderfully freaky storylines he concocts he throws in uncomfortable fornication in virtually everything he writes. He must think that everyone in White Middle America is a potential sexual deviant. It's possible he does this as a way to upset his readers further, but I don't think King's readers go back to the fount again and again thinking: "Geez... he had a bunch of 12 year-olds gang rape their best friend at the end of his last book, let's see what kind of kink he's thrown into Tommyknockers." It's the very definition of the word gratuitous.
Wait a minute.
I'm no right-wing Christian prude nor am I a left-wing cop for political correctness. I'm not implying that these scenes shock me or bother me or, god forbid, offend me. They don't. I've read far raunchier material from better (and worse) writers and enjoyed the hell out of it for what it was worth. Most probably because the debauched acts in those stories furthered the storyline rather than sat alongside it like a red-headed step-child. As a reader I question their existence in the story because I like my stories to be closed circuits where everything happens for a reason and furthers the storyline created. If there's no need for a hand job, why include it? If the narrative begs for a hand job, well sir, write it in, proudly.
Perhaps Stephen King should stick to writing horror and leave the sex in abler hands. I know he has mentioned in interviews that he has trouble writing about sex, which begs the question: Why bother? King is good at so much else, why continue to beat the proverbial dead horse? Perhaps Stephen King is a masochist.
Of course, you didn't need to read this blog to know that.


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Tigres to Defend Gordon Jago Super Group Title at Dr Pepper Dallas Cup's 40th Anniversary Tournament
Mexican side also set to defend Univision Deportes Super 14s title
DALLAS, Texas (Tuesday, Sep. 11) – The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup, the oldest and most prestigious international youth soccer tournament in the United States, has announced that current champion Tigres will return to defend their Super Group titles at the Dallas Cup's 40th Anniversary tournament next spring. In 2018, the historic Mexican side won the championship in both the Gordon Jago Super Group, and the Univision Deportes Super 14s brackets.
Tigres is one of the most successful clubs in Dallas Cup history, having won thirteen championships across all age groups. This past April, Tigres hoisted the club's third U19 Super Group "Boot and Ball" championship trophy, after defeating Premier League side Arsenal FC 1-0 in the title match. The Mexican side also claimed Super Group titles in 2003 and 2011. Next April, they will look to repeat as champions of the tournament's elite bracket, a feat achieved by only 4 teams since the creation of the U19 Super Group in 1990.
The 2018 Dr Pepper Dallas Cup marked the inaugural tournament featuring the Univision Deportes Super 14s bracket. Tigres secured the Super 14s title after an impressive 2-1 win over Spain's Real Oviedo. The club was dominant en route to securing the title, scoring 15 goals while conceding just the lone goal in the final.
Dr Pepper Dallas Cup's 40th anniversary tournament will be played April 14-21, 2019. Keep up to date with more news at www.dallascup.com and follow us on Twitter @dallascup.