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UUCM Choir is starting again very soon and we want all interested singers! The UUCM choir rehearses on Wednesdays in the sanctuary from 7:00–8:30 and performs ten times throughout the church year (for a full schedule please see the church calendar) with our first rehearsal starting on Wednesday, September 11th. This year we are in particular need of sopranos and tenors so if you fit either of those voice types, please consider joining. All are welcome, regardless of skill level; our core group is very welcoming and encouraging to new people getting their feet wet in choral singing. If you are interested in joining, but have never sung in a choir before, email Music Director Paul Winchester at email@example.com and he will set up a time to meet with you to help get you acclimated. Looking forward to a great year of music making!
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Is there an age limit to be in the choir? Would a 10 year old fit in?


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WGSN-DB Elite Guest, WGSN-DB Business Showcase, WGSN-DB Author's
Corner/Meet The Author and Going Solo with Cece
Podcasts - Featured Elite Business Leaders & Shakers
with great blogs, info and links
Steve Snyder
Enjoy the show!
Elite Guest, Steve Snyder
Past President: 306th Bomb Group Historical Association
Speaker and Author of:
SHOT DOWN: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth
Seal Beach, CA
Topic - Our History Shapes Us & US
A bit about SHOT DOWN: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth...
An Amazon #1 Best Seller and recipient of more than 25 national book awards, SHOT DOWN is set within the framework of World War II in Europe and recounts the dramatic experiences of each member of a ten man B-17 bomber crew after their plane, piloted by author Steve Snyder's father, was knocked out of the sky by German fighters over the French/Belgium border on February 8, 1944.
Some men died. Some were captured and became prisoners of war. Some men evaded capture and were missing in action for months before making it back to England. Their individual stories and those of the courageous Belgian people who risked their lives to help them are all different and are all remarkable.
Even before the dramatic battle in the air and the subsequent harrowing events on the ground, the story is informative, insightful, and captivating. Prior to the fateful event, the book covers the crew's training, their journey to England, what life was like on base as well as in London and the English countryside, and the perils of the 8th Air Force flying combat missions over occupied Europe and Germany.
Through personal letters, oral and written accounts, declassified military documents, and interviews – all from people who took part in the events that happened over 70 years ago (even the German Luftwaffe pilot who shot down the Susan Ruth) - the stories come alive. Adding to the feeling of "being there", are more than 200 time period photographs interspersed throughout the book.
To add background and context, many historical facts and anecdotes about and surrounding World War II are entwined throughout the book so that the reader has a feel for and understanding of what was occurring on a broader scale. SHOT DOWN is an account about brave individuals, featuring pilot Howard Snyder, set within the compelling events of the greatest conflict in world history.
In 1989, a memorial to the crew of the Susan Ruth was dedicated at Macquenoise, Belgium and every year celebrations are held to honor and remember the men who are now all gone but not forgotten. It is our duty to remember.
Available wherever books are sold – Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc
To learn more, go to the book website at SteveSnyderAuthor.com
A bit about Steve Snyder, the Author...
A graduate of UCLA, Steve Snyder lives in Seal Beach, California. In 2009, he retired from Vision Service Plan (VSP) after a 36 year career working in sales and sales management. He then began his quest to learn more about the World War II experiences of his father, pilot Howard Snyder, and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth. It became his passion, and after 4 ½ years of dedicated research, resulted in his book, SHOT DOWN, which has received 25 book awards.
A member of numerous World War II organizations, Steve is past president of the 306th Bomb Group Historical Association. He keeps very busy making PowerPoint presentations to all types of organizations and attending air shows around the country signing copies of his book.
Elite Guest, Steve Snyder
Past President: 306th Bomb Group Historical Association
Speaker and Author of:
SHOT DOWN: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth
Seal Beach, CA

subset: commoncrawl


text: Everyone packs what they 'think' the will need or can't live without for a month or longer. Over the years there are a few items that are always in my bag. 1. Zip Ties or you may call them plastic ties They come in all sizes and lengths. You can find them at hardware stores,Continue reading "Never Leave Home without……."


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The last couple of months, I was working on the online version of my Lace Design Class. I was hoping to get it published before Valentine's Day and I am happy to say, it is available now.
Prerequisites for this class
Before you start this class, make sure you know how to bake my two recipes, use egg wash, make royal icing and master the icing consistencies. You can learn these from the Cookie Academy Basics class.
This class works best with my book Cookie Academy 1 - Lace Design.
Class structure
This class has 9 lessons. You can buy individual lessons or the whole class.
The first lesson teaches the four basic elements of lace piping and it gives you a strong foundation.
The second lesson will teach how to combine the basic elements. The first two lessons give you a strong base to create beautiful lace cookies. The next 3 lessons will give you guidelines on how to build up a design for different shapes.
Lesson 3 will walk you through different designs for heart shape. Heart is the most traditional gingerbread shape (yes, even more traditional than gingerbread man).
Lesson 4 will walk you through 10 different Easter egg designs. You will be able to adapt these ideas for your other designs too, like for round shapes.
Lesson 5 will walk you through a set of Christmas cookies. They would make beautiful edible ornaments for you Christmas tree. The next four lessons are giving you ideas on how to combine lace with other elements, how to get creative with lace design.
Lesson 6 will show you how to make 3D gingerbread hearts.
Lesson 7 will combine TruColor Airbrus shine color with lace design. The snowflake projects will nicely complement your Christmas cookies.
Lesson 8 will show you how to create this transparent lace.
Lesson 9 will combine royal icing flowers with lace design. This combination is awesome for wedding cookies, birthdays, Mother's day and a lot more occasion. I love to combine lace with flowers. I also plan to make a royal icing transfer class later.
I hope you will enjoy the class. If you purchase this class, don't forget to join the Facebook group Cookie Academy Online, where you can share your work and ask questions.
Check out my other online classes too!
Go to my website to see more of my work.


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Russian military and diplomatic support for the Assad regime was underscored by the deployment Friday, Dec. 16, of advanced Moscow-supplied Yakhont (SSN-26) shore-to-sea missiles along Syria's Mediterranean shore to fend off a potential Western-Turkish invasion by sea.
Vladimir Putin calls Sen. John McCain 'crazy
Last week, Russia airlifted to Syria 3 million face masks against chemical and biological weapons and the Admiral Kutznetsov carrier and strike group was sent on its way to Syria's Mediterranean port of Tartus.
Russian naval sources in Moscow stressed that the flotilla is armed with the most advanced weapons against submarines and aerial attack. Upon arrival, the Russian craft will launch a major marine-air maneuver in which Syrian units will take part.
Syria has received from Russia 72 Yakhont missiles able to hit marine targets up to a distance of 300 kilometers – i.e., over the horizon, our military sources report. The missile's radar remains inert, making it hard to detect, until it is close to target. It is then switched on to guide its aim.
Its high speed – 2,000 kmh – enables the Yakhont to strike before its target has time to activate self-defense systems.
Thursday night, in response to the deployment of 21 Syrian Scuds on the Turkish border, including five with chemical warheads, Ankara convened its top military council and declared its armed forces ready for war. Syria also rushed armored reinforcements to the Jordanian border.
DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources report that the rush of Syrian war moves backed by Russia indicates that both believe a Western-Arab force is on the point of invading Syria. They are keeping an eye especially on Turkey which is suspected of having obtained a NATO marine and air umbrella, including the US Sixth Fleet, for military preparations aimed at ousting Bashar Assad, so repeating the operation against Libya's Muammar Qaddafi.
The diplomatic flurry around Syria was accentuated by US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's arrival in Ankara Friday morning to find Turkish armed forces on war preparedness, and Syrian Vice President Farouk A-Shara's landing in Moscow for a crisis conference with Russian leaders.
Thursday night, Dec. 15, DEBKAfile reported:
War tensions around Syria rose alarmingly Thursday night, Dec. 15, when Turkey's top military council convened "to review the armed forces' preparedness for war" in response to the deployment of Syrian missiles, some tipped with chemical warheads, on their common border. DEBKAfile's military sources report the meeting was led by Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
The Assad government also rushed armored units in two directions – to the Turkish frontier and also to the Jordanian border opposite the US special operations units from Iraq newly deployed to defend Jordan against a Syrian attack, as DEBKAfile reported on Dec. 13
Our sources report that 21 Syrian missile launchers, five of them Scud D with chemical warheads, are deployed in northern Syria opposite the Turkish Hatai (Alexandretta) district. They were moved up in broad daylight to make sure Western spy satellites and Turkish intelligence surveillance saw them. More are on the way.
In Israel, the IDF announced it was reconstituting the special command for operations behind enemy lines under the command of Brig. Gen. Shay Avital.
Before the military council convened in Ankara, Turkey placed its border contingents, air force and navy on war preparedness.
The official statement said the high military council had "assessed Turkish army needs and necessary steps to address these requirements…"
The Turkish press repeated a statement by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in an interview two weeks ago that Turkey does not want to consider a military option for intervention in neighboring Syria as Damascus cracks down on popular protest, but it is ready for any scenario.
The Turkish army has prepared operational plans for seizing parts of northern Syria if the situation there continues to deteriorate. Those plans would essentially carve Syria into two entities, with the Turkish army holding the north and protecting opposition and civilian populations, while the Syrian army and Assad loyalists would remain in control of the central and southern regions.
Related articles
- US carrier strike force enters Syrian waters. Russian carrier en route. (thetruthiswhere.wordpress.com)
- | NATO dreams of civil war in Syria! (truthaholics.wordpress.com)
- NATO dreams of civil war in Syria (alhittin.com)
- Syria arms missiles with chemical warheads..huh?..US & NATO troops deploying on the Jordan/Syria border (seeker401.wordpress.com)
- Report: Russia delivers supersonic cruise missiles to Syria. (thetruthiswhere.wordpress.com)
- Done deal: Russia supplies cruise missiles to Syria – RT (rt.com)
- End of game in the Middle East (middleeastatemporal.wordpress.com)
- Russia Ordered Syria Shoot Down A Turkish Jet, According To Leaked Documents (theatlanticwire.com)
- Turkey moves toward Syrian border (en.trend.az)
- Russia warns NATO to stay away from Syria (worldbulletin.net)


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Ben Williams fishing column: Full cast nets say that shrimp are here, thriving
"You don't think it's going to be even better than last year, do you?"
That question was asked on Monday evening as we stood at the end of our dock in Fruit Cove waiting for the July 4 fireworks to begin across the river in Orange Park. Louann asked it because of how big the shrimp we had just caught were.
We and a couple of friends had walked out on the dock, rods in hand, figuring we'd soak some previously frozen shrimp while waiting for the fireworks to start. Pinfish numbers in the river are off the charts this year, and as there were more than a fair number of small croakers and bream helping them out, the frozen shrimp we had did not last long.
Since it was well before dark when the bait ran out, and as we all knew the best chance of a good red or big catfish bite was going to be right at dark, I picked up a cast net.
My intention was to catch a couple of the millions of pogies that are in our part of the river right now.
Even though I was not seeing any pogie schools on the surface, it was still a better than fair bet that a few blind casts would provide us with enough cut bait to keep the hooks covered until the fireworks started.
The sun had not even set when the first net was emptied on the dock, which made the shrimp that fell out of the net all that much more surprising.
And they were big shrimp, on average as big as any we caught during last year's banner run. And do note that this was blind casting with no shrimp meal out!
Over the next few minutes, enough shrimp were caught to finish out the evening's fishing.
On Tuesday morning, I followed up what we'd seen the night before by making a few calls.
The replies were all positive. One of the commercial crabbers even offered that he knew of limits being caught around the Shands Bridge in the last few days.
Of course, I know you're wondering whether we caught any reds or catfish: The answer being that we never even got a decent bite.
As for the answer to the original question ... obviously I can't be sure because so many variables are involved, but there are couple of new cast nets for the dock on the way. Does that help?


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Airtel Uganda , former Zain Uganda , And Celtel Uganda has made a game changing move in the Mobile Cash business in Uganda by Partnering with Pride Micro Finance Uganda.
Under this marriage, you can now send and receive money through Airtel Money at all Pride Micro Finance Branches around Uganda.
Pride Micro Finance Uganda (MDI) has over 29 branches countrywide.
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Frequently Asked Questions about ICT in Uganda.
If you haven't yet found what you were looking for or you need detailed information about the subject matter on this page
feel free to ask our business travel consultants.


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Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'f-22'.
Found 1 result
F-22 Radar Dispersion/Absorption Colors by Tru-Color Paint
trucolorpaint posted a topic in AircraftTru-Color Paint is the first model paint company to release both F-22 paints in a simulated radar dispersion/absorption appearance on Oct. 2, 2017. These are designated as: TCP-1214 F-22 Radar Dispersion # 1 (based on Dark Compass Ghost Gray being the base color) TCP-1215 F-22 Radar Dispersion # 2 (based on Light Compass Ghost Gray being the base color) Both have the "metallic" effect already mixed into the paint which causes the painted surface to "sparkle" when viewed at different angles. Each paint is available in 1 oz. ($ 5.69) and 2 oz. ($ 10.25) size bottles from your favorite hobby shop, online store or direct from us. Similar products will be released for the F-35 in April, 2018 along with the first releases of colors for WWII U.S. aircraft with ANA numbers. If you would like to have more information about out product lines, please do not hesitate to ask for a flyer to be sent by regular mail or email. Looking forward to your comments and suggestions. Martin Cohen, PhD Tru-Color Paint P.O. Box 74524 Phoenix, AZ 85087-4524 714-488-9779 email: firstname.lastname@example.com website: trucolorpaint.com


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Fox News host Bob Beckel posted cryptic apology to his Twitter account on Saturday, saying his "Fox boss" was not happy with him — about something.
Said some things on Five I regret Fox boss not happy don't blame them. Meant no harm but no excuse Forgive me
— Robert G Beckel (@RobertGBeckel) August 2, 2014
As Mediaite's Evan McMurry pointed out, it was unclear from the tweet what the co-host of "The Five" was apologizing for, since he has come under fire for several offensive comments recently.
Among those comments that made it to air were the use of the racial slur "Chinamen" as well as describing the star of "The Bachelorette" TV show as "a slut."
Beckel had already sort of apologized for the slur during a bizarre segment in which he also insisted: "I do not apologize to the Chinese government, or for the habits, or for the murders or anything else."


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New Between the Bun restaurant has three times the space, but the same extreme burgers
just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong
- Between the Bun reopens Sept. 26
- The new location is 7 miles northwest of Greenwood
- The new space is way bigger, but the menu won't change
Downtown Greenwood's Between the Bun burger joint was a sensation just months after Scott Sims and his wife, Trisha, opened it in 2013. The extreme burgers were seasoned with Sims' secret-spice blend, and topped with the likes of peanut butter, bacon and maple syrup, or Doritos, jalapenos and nacho cheese.
The restaurant was inspired by Sims' backyard barbecues, where friends insisted they'd eat at any joint he opened. In 2015, his Sriracha Ranch Burger took the Indy Burger Battle people's choice award. It was a tower of pepper jack cheese, sauteed jalapenos, applewood-smoked bacon and sriracha-spiked ranch dressing.
Then things started to go wrong.
Maintaining the old house that hosted the restaurant, which was lovingly decorated by Trisha, was costly. Then, the couple divorced after nine years. Just as Between the Bun profits started ticking back up this past spring, road construction began partially blocking the restaurant's already small and awkward parking lot in the leased location.
Indiana's best burgers:According to America's burger expert
More Southside restaurants:3 newbies, including a sports bar
Sims had hoped to open a second location, but that idea was finished. Instead, he closed Between the Bun for a week, then moved the business into the former Teddy's Burger Joint, 2222 W. Southport Road, at Ind. 37.
The new location, seven miles northwest of the original location and three times the size, opened Sept. 26. Sims isn't sure how many customers will make the 10-minute drive from Greenwood to find it, but folks were filling seats minutes after the new place opened.
"'Why do you keep doing this?' I hear that a lot," Sims said as workers covered up Teddy's signs the day before the new Between the Bun opened. "I love cooking. I love coming up with new stuff…but…It's just…This was my dream. I put everything I had into it."
The new restaurant is closer to substantial residential areas, including an apartment complex across the street. Still, moving the restaurant was a gamble for Sims. There's a Steak & Shake nearby. Between the Bun is hidden at a shopping strip's rear.
But, he sort of shrugs at risk. Years ago, the former appliance store owner took a chance selling the sauces and spice blends he developed for those backyard barbecues. He started hawking them at flea markets and then launched a barbecue food truck.
"I always wanted a burger joint," Sims said. "And I've never quit anything."
Resembling a giant garage, with tall ceilings, huge windows and a fireplace in the middle of the room, the new place seats about 120 people. The private dining area fits 25 guests.
Picnic tables furnish the patio, which may not open until 2019. The bar's 10 taps pour local beer. Live music might happen this year. Also new is access for people with disabilities. The former building's front door steps made getting inside impossible for anyone using a walker or a wheelchair.
What won't change: Between the Bun's hand-pattied, 80 percent lean/20 percent fat burgers — that is until folks stop ordering one extreme version or another.
What's the most popular crazy burger lately? The staff can't decide. Maybe The Brickyard, a cheese-smothered, flame-grilled and then deep-fried burger under cheddar, deep-fried cheese curds, smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and Sims' spicy Spitfire Ranch sauce, all on a pretzel bun.
The Mac Daddy with ranch, crumbled bacon and mac and cheese also comes up, as does the grilled Phatty Melt, a thick smash of beef, Swiss cheese, sautéed onions and Sims' Phatty Sauce on sliced sourdough bread.
"Our actual best-selling burger, honestly, is the classic. It's lettuce, onion, pickle, tomato and American cheese. That's always outsold everything else," Sims said. "Because people don't want to step outside of the box."
Follow IndyStar food writer Liz Biro on Twitter: @lizbiro, Instagram: @lizbiro, and on Facebook. Call her at 317-444-6264.


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By John Lyle Belden
As you enter the Theatre on the Square main stage for "Ca-Ching: A Modern American Religious Drama" by Nomads Collective, the actors are already on stage bantering. Yes, this is one of those truly "Fringe" shows where things get kind of odd.
In between the dance breaks, we get the stories of various characters affected by today's economic struggles: a minimum-wage worker fixated on and frustrated by how little he makes for his constant labor; a couple faced with the choice of a leaky roof or no home at all, but the man has a talent he doesn't realize could save them; Father Jobs, an idealistic innovator dismayed at how his world-changing inventions aren't necessarily changing things for the better; an artist who discovers Jobs' latest device, but she finds it easier to cash in than create; and Big Spender, who seems to embody the evils of capitalism in a single man. The big guy will get you ahead in life, but you might have to debase yourself.
The presentation is unusual – maybe not for everyone – but give it a chance. In the hours afterward, as I considered what I had seen, the message and meanings started coming through. And as another Fringer told me, if the show makes you think, isn't that what this festival is about?


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One day, four states
2009/12/20 in America Nord, event, photos, travel | No comments
This year, winter break means two trips. The second I'll be describing shortly, but the first (the one I'm on at the moment, actually, is about family, and friends (or fronds, as my phone would prefer me to type) and holidays. From start to finish, we'll be in six states but I bet that our first day drive from Phoenix, AZ to Elk City, OK will be a tough record to beat.
A few short notes from the road:
On a roadtrip long, long ago, my mother mentioned that those blue shipping trucks with the yellow Werner logos remind her of her cousin. Now, whenever I see them I think of family, and they're everywhere.
Here are the lights of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was our first goal – we wanted to get at least this far. While it wasn't that late when we passed through – maybe around 7pm – it had been this dark for at least an hour. Stopping was really, really tempting! But we pushed on…
When on a roadtrip one of the most important things is keeping your car in top gear. In our case we've been considering new tires for a little while now, so
we've Steven's been keeping a close eye on them. We started day 2 by topping off the air pressure in Elk City after a major breakfast lunch.
And finally, don't forget to enjoy the stops along the way. While the goal is technically to end up where we began – a full circuit – we wouldn't be making the trip in the first place if it wasn't for the people we'll be seeing along the way. At my aunt and uncle's house, we frosted a large tray of tiny cookies before my cousins and their kids arrived for dinner. We had a really lovely stay (thank you!) and it was great to see everyone. For our route, see the Google map below, which may need to be zoomed out a bit.
Now we're in Lawrence, where it was nearly snowing when we pulled in through a wintry haze, and after the dentist on Tuesday afternoon – the 6th state and holidays at Steven's family. So… until the next entry, I'll be focused on staying warm – and collecting road trip stories from you! Please hit the comments button and tell me about a road trip you've taken – it can be your last one, favorite one, or worst one, as long as you share!
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Tags: Amarillo, Arizona, cookies, Elk City, family, Flagstaff, frosting, Google maps, holiday travel, home for the holidays, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, road safety, road stories, road trip, snow, Wichita
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Thin, multi-slice imaging is the extra bonus enabling respiratory gating, providing precise target delineation and delivering higher resolution digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) than ever before. All adding up to the ability for you to deliver what really matters most better cancer care for your patients. Plus, the LightSpeed® RT scanner is available with the Exact couch insert, enabling you to consistently replicate patient immobilization for treatment.
The multi-slice LightSpeed RT system is the platform for GEs advanced radiation oncology applications such as Advantage 4D, Advantage Fusion and Advantage Sim.
With LightSpeed RT, the future of your Radiation Oncology department is wide open.


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Middle EastWorld News
Hamas condemns the arrest of five journalists in West Bank
Hamas Movement on Wednesday slammed the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces in the West Bank for the arrest of five journalists Tuesday night. Hamas called the arrest a means of oppression and subjection.
Rafat Murrah, the Hamas media spokesman, said in a statement on Wednesday that the arrest of the journalists is a violation of the Palestinian media and freedom of speech. It is an attempt to intimidate and silence pressmen, he said.
The Hamas leader asked the PA security forces to immediately release the detained journalists.


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Time warp! We returned home yesterday from an epic traveling adventure spanning two coasts and 5 states. There was time with multiple dear friends and family, with pockets of tourist-y things along the way. My head is still spinning from the fun! But I'm exhausted and very thankful to be home with this nugget.
I haven't had time yet to sort through the hundreds of photos or even wrapped my head around all of the things we experienced. I can't wait to share it all with you, but in the meantime, how about a super-simple slow-cooker recipe? This time of year is hectic, whether you've been on the road for two weeks or not. I have yet to decorate a tree or wrap a single present! A comforting and scrumptious supper that's easy to throw together is just what the doctor ordered: Slow-cooker Honey Chipotle Chicken. For this recipe, I used four chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on. I laid them in the bottom of the slow-cooker and gave them a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper.
What I love best about crockpot cooking is the fact that there are no rules. Just toss yummy things into it and something delish happens! I just used what I had on hand. On top of the chicken, I added about half of a red onion, a handful of smashed garlic cloves, and a half of a jalapeno left over from another recipe.
I usually use canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but I didn't have any in the pantry. A quick search through our (extensive) condiment drawer turned up a prepared chipotle hot sauce. I added some honey for sweetness and a little soy sauce for flavor. I poured the sauce mixture over the chicken, put the lid on, and turned the crockpot on high.
Two hours later, and the chicken was tender and juicy and amazing. I transferred it to a baking dish and popped it under the broiler to brown it just a bit. Then I spooned some of the cooking sauce from the crock over the top and sprinkled basil over everything. Gorgeous!
I served the chicken with a medley of sautéed mushrooms, green beans, and fresh tomato. Don't forget the extra sauce– despite the chicken's juiciness, the sauce really makes the dish. Each tender bite has that magic spicy-sweet combination that I adore.
Thanks to the slow-cooker, this yummy, homemade meal took less than 10 minutes of effort. And this time of year, when our lists are long and time feels short, that's just about perfect.
Slow-cooker Honey Chipotle Chicken
You'll need:
- 4 chicken thighs, bone in/skin on
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- ½ jalapeno, chopped
- 1/3 cup chipotle hot sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup honey
- Basil for garnish
Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the crockpot and season well with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, onion, and jalapenos over the chicken. In a small bowl, whisk the hot sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Put the lid on and turn the crockpot on high for two hours. If you'd like, transfer the chicken to a baking dish and place it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown. To serve, spoon sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with basil. Cheers to an easy supper in the busy season. YUM.
Hungry for more? Check out the collection of recipes on the FOOD BLISS page.
One year ago: A holiday party for 50 people (and crockpot pulled pork).


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With International TableTop Day fast approaching, we are once again teaming up with our pals at Penny Dell Puzzles to put together an in-house TableTop Tournament to celebrate the upcoming holiday (Saturday, April 27).
It's a 12-person two-week tournament with different games to play every week, and round 1 kicks off next Tuesday. (This is actually the fourth year of the tournament, with all three previous champions competing again this year.)
One of the things I like about the layout of the tournament is that there are no one-on-one match-ups until the final. Instead of a single-elimination tournament, competitors are slotted into groups of three. Each group of three will play two games, and the two winners (one from each game) from each trio and move on to the next round.
So to survive round 1, I'll need to win either Timeline or On the Dot.
Timeline is a card game where every card depicts a different moment in history, and the players are trying to place cards from their hand into a historically correct timeline. Players take turns adding cards to the timeline, placing them before or after previously played cards. You don't have to know the exact year the event on a given card took place; you simply have to figure out when it happened in relation to the other events that have already been played.
You play your card, and then flip it over to reveal the actual year the event occurred. If you're correct, the card stays, and you have one fewer card in your hand. If you're wrong, the card is removed from the timeline and you draw a new card. The first player to place every card in their hand wins.
On the Dot is a pattern-matching game. Each player has four clear cards with randomly placed colored dots on them, and it's up to the player to arrange all four cards so that the colored dots showing match a given pattern. The first player to match three patterns moves on to the next round.
Timeline can be a bit of a crapshoot, depending on your knowledge of a given subject and whatever cards you draw. I suspect I'll have a better chance of making the second round with On the Dot; I'm fairly quick with pattern recognition and manipulation, and actually won three games in a row last year to secure my spot in the next round. Hopefully I can repeat the same feat this year.
But you never know. With new competitors and returning champions in the tournament this year, there are sure to be some diabolical surprises.
Here's hoping when it's all said and done, I'll be wearing the Game Geek crown and holding the scepter high…
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|Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley in Begin Again
So, whether you choose to checkout that indie you've heard so much about or the latest big studio release, don't forget to click on the movie title below to view the trailer. We want to make sure you know what you are getting into before you head to the theater.
July 4
A Hard Day's Night (Re-Release)
Currently the only musical feature films we get following real-life bands are straight-up concert documentaries focusing on a chart-topping singer's tour with performances and behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. But a few years back, bands used to star in their own silly stories, highlighting their albums for people to enjoy on the big screen. A Hard Day's Night, inspired by the album and single of the same name by the iconic British rock band The Beatles. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the musically infused innovative comedy featuring John, Paul, George and Ringo playing wacky versions of themselves, and they'll be back in theaters for a special re-release this summer.
Begin Again (Limited)
Begin Again is written and directed by John Carney (Once). Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who come to New York when he lands a deal with a major label. His new-found fame soon tempts Dave to stray, leaving a reeling, lovelorn Gretta on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performance in the East Village and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. With Once director John Carney behind the camera, I'm hoping for another charming romance.
Life Itself (Limited) MoviefiedNYC Most Anticipated
There are some great talking heads in this film ranging from fellow critics like A.O. Scott to directors like Martin Scorsese (who has a few signature moments in the film). But the real star is the story of Ebert, from his younger days when he was just blossoming as a writer to his final days as he struggled with hospital visits, but never truly lost his voice and passion for cinema. Life Itself is directed by Steve James (Hoop Dreams) is based on his bestselling memoir of the same name, Life Itself recounts Ebert's fascinating and flawed journey—from politicized school newspaperman, to Chicago Sun-Times movie critic, to Pulitzer Prize winner, to television household name, to the miracle of finding love at 50, and finally his 'third act' as a major voice on the Internet when he could no longer physically speak.
Deliver Us from Evil
NY police officer Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana), struggling with his own personal issues, begins investigating a series of disturbing and inexplicable crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest (Edgar Ramirez), schooled in the rituals of exorcism, to combat the frightening and demonic possessions terrorizing their city. Based on the book by the same name, written by Ralph Sarchie & Lisa Collier Cool, which details bone-chilling real-life cases. Deliver Us from Evil is co-written and directed by Scott Derrickson, of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Sinister previously. This looks pretty bad ass, and has an original spin on the idea of people being possessed by demons as a well grounded detective encounters a variety of spirits. Creepy?
Earth to Echo is directed by Dave Green and written by Henry Gayden, both short filmmakers in their feature debut. When a group of young friends begin to receive bizarre encrypted messages on their cellphones, they embark on an incredible adventure to discover the meaning behind these communications. Soon enough, they realize that the messages they are receiving are from a mysterious being from another world – one who desperately needs their help. This may be a summer surprise.
Tammy is directed by Ben Falcone, who also co-wrote the script with wife Melissa McCarthy, playing the title character. Tammy has totaled her clunker car, gotten fired from her job at a greasy burger joint, and finds her husband getting comfortable with the neighbor in her own house. It's time to take her boom box and book it. But since she's broke without a car, her grandma, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), is her only option—with a car, cash, and an itch to see Niagara Falls. Allison Janney, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Toni Collette, Nat Faxon, Dan Aykroyd and Kathy Bates also star in the film. Sadly, this looks like McCarthy doing more of what we've already seen her achieve in Identity Thief and The Heat. It's something that she's skilled at for sure, and even amusing most of the time, but the schtick is starting to get old, and this feels like a comedy dud for now. I hope with Sarandon offering something fresh as McCarthy's edgy, drunken mother though, so maybe this could be entertaining.
July 11
And So It Goes
A self-centered New York realtor enlists the help of his neighbor when he's suddenly left in charge of the granddaughter he never knew existed until his estranged son dropped her off at his home. And So It Goes is directed by acclaimed filmmaker/actor Rob Reiner (Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When as Harry Met Sally, Rumor Has It, The Bucket List and Flipped). The screenplay was written by Oscar nominated writer Mark Andrus (As Good as It Gets, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Georgia Rule). And So It Goes, stars everyone's favorite two: Michael Douglas & Diane Keaton. Douglas plays a real jerk New York realtor who goes home and has to start watching over his granddaughter. There's some charm to this, but it looks much goofier than I was hoping, complete with sound effects for some of the antics (though I'm not sure if those were added just for the trailer). Douglas looks like he'll be fun to watch playing an asshole, but other than that I'm not sure this will have much to it.
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species. Besides Serkis, the apes cast includes Judy Greer as Cornelia & Toby Kebbell as Koba. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sequel to Rupert Wyatt's revival of the sci-fi franchise Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Directing is Matt Reeves (Let Me Inand Cloverfield) from a script written by Mark Bomback, Scott Z. Burns, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver. I have a very good feeling it's going to be one of the best movies of this summer.
Boyhood (Limited) MoviefiedNYC Most Anticipated
Filmed from 2002 to 2013, Boyhood covers 12 years in the life of a family. Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his older sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), learn to face the realities of growing up, while their divorced parents cope with the ongoing challenges of parenting in an ever-evolving landscape. Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Before Sunrise, Bernie) directs the film, using the same actors, including Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as the Mason's parents, over 11 years of production. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and looks to be a masterpiece.
One of the best comedies from the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year was undoubtedly Land Ho! Written and directed by Martha Stephens & Aaron Katz. A pair of 60-something ex-brothers-in-law (Paul Eenhoorn & Earl Lynn Nelson) sets off on a road trip through Iceland, hoping to reclaim their youth. Their picturesque adventures, from trendy Reykjavík to the rugged outback, are a throwback to classic bawdy road comedies as well as a candid exploration of aging, loneliness, and friendship.
July 18
Planes: Fire & Rescue (3D)
Planes: Fire & Rescue, the feature film sequel to Disney's Planes, will be directed by Bobs Gannaway. Comedian Dane Cook returns to voice crop dusting plane Dusty Crophopper, who learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he must shift gears and is launched into the world of aerial firefighting. Julie Bowen (Modern Family) joins the voice cast as spirited super scooper Dipper with some other firefighting characters.
The Purge: Anarchy
The Purge: Anarchy is written, directed and produced by James DeMonaco, the filmmaker behind the 2013 thriller The Purge. In this follow-up, a couple (Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez) finds themselves stuck in chaos on the streets in the middle of The Purge, the 12-hour period when all crime is legal. Frank Grillo and Michael K. Williams ("The Wire") also star in the film from Paranormal Activity and Insidious producer Jason Blum.
Sex Tape
Sex Tape is directed by Jake Kasdan (Bad Teacher) and written by Kate Angelo (The Back-Up Plan). When Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz) first got together, their romantic connection was intense – but 10 years and two kids later, the flame of their love needs a spark. So they decide to make a video of themselves trying out every position in The Joy of Sex in one marathon three-hour session. But suddenly, their most private video is no longer private. They're just one click away from being laid bare to the world, but as their race to reclaim their video leads to a night they'll never forget, the video may also expose more than they bargained for. Funny?
I Origins premiered at Sundance 2014 and is written and directed by Mike Cahill (Another Earth). Ian Gray (Michael Pitt), a PhD student studying molecular biology with a specialty in eye evolution has an intense, but fleeting, encounter with a mysterious, masked model (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey) who escapes into the night. With only a picture of her stunning and iconic eyes, he tracks her down, and they fall in love. Their fundamentally different beliefs about life only serve to intensify their connection, and they vow to spend forever together. Years later, Ian and his lab partner, Karen (Brit Marling), make a stunning discovery with profound existential implications. I Origins serves as an interesting, provoking bridge between the ever-strong debate between faith and science.
Mood Indigo (Limited)
From the wild and imaginative mind of director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) comes a new romance called Mood Indigo. the French film, and this looks just as whimsical as Gondry's previous foreign entry Science of Sleep as Colin (Romain Duris) falls in love with Chloe (Audrey Tautou). There's some strange stair-climbing cars, a floating cloud vehicle and more strangeness as these two people fall in love in the most peculiar way. This truly looks original and charming, and we wouldn't expect anything less from a visionary director like Gondry.
Wish I Was Here (Limited)
Wish I Was Here is directed by Zach Braff from a script he co-wrote with his brother Adam Braff. The "Scrubs" star and Garden State director also leads the film as thirty something family man wrestling with his disapproving father, an elusive God, and adult responsibility. Pursuing acting has landed him and his wife (Kate Hudson) in a tough spot, so when his grumpy father (Mandy Patinkin) can no longer pay for the kids to attend Jewish Yeshiva, Aidan opts for homeschooling, much to the chagrin of his hyper-disciplined, religious daughter (Joey King) and the delight of his less-than-studious son (Pierce Gagnon),
July 25
Hercules is directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand), written by Ryan Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos, and based on Steve Moore's graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars, Dwayne Johnson leads the film as Hercules, haunted by a sin from his past and forced to become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules' help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that in order for good to triumph and justice to prevail, he must again become the hero he once was.
Lucy is written and directed by Luc Besson (director of The Fifth Element and The Professional, writer of the Taken and Transporter franchises). The film follows a woman (Scarlett Johansson) forced to become a drug mule. But rather than just carrying the drug, it enters her system and turns her into a lethal vixen who can absorb knowledge with ease, move things with her mind, see into the future, and doesn't feel any pain at all. Morgan Freeman also stars in the film. Besson knows how to do action pretty well, and this looks fun.
Step Up: All In
Step Up: All In is directed by Trish Sie (who directed the infamous treadmill music video from the band OK Go) and written by John Swetnam. In the next latest entry in the Step Up franchise, all-stars from previous installments come together in glittering Las Vegas, battling for a victory that could define their dreams and their careers. Anyway, this movie is all about the dancing, and those sequences sure do look impressive, even if the movie doesn't.
Happy Christmas (Limited)
Happy Christmas is written and directed by Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies). When Jenny (Anna Kendrick), a hard partying 20-something, moves in with Kelly (Melanie Lynskey), a budding novelist, her film director husband (Joe Swanberg) and their two-year-old son after a break up, the family's idyllic life is shaken. Jenny begins a rocky relationship with their baby sitter (Mark Webber), and she and a friend, Carson (Lena Dunham), help Kelly realize that an evolution in her life, career and relationship is necessary to be happy.
Magic in the Moonlight (Limited)
Magic in the Moonlight is written and directed by Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Annie Hall, Manhattan). The film follows an Englishman (Colin Firth) brought in to help unmask a possible swindle by a fortune teller (Emma Stone). Personal and professional complications ensue in the story that unfold in the south of France in the 1920s against a backdrop of wealthy mansions, the Côte d'Azur, jazz joints and fashionable spots for the wealthy of the Jazz Age. Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, Jacki Weaver and more star in the film. Original and delightful are the first two words that come to mind after watching the trailer and it looks like another home run for the director who shows no signs of slowing down.
A Most Wanted Man (Limited)
A Most Wanted Man is directed by Anton Corbijn (The American) and written by Andrew Bovell (Edge of Darkness), based on John Le Carre's novel of the same name. German spy Gunther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is tracking down Issa, a suspicious Chechen-Russian immigrant. Pressured by his colleagues to capture and interrogate his suspect as a Muslim terrorist, Bachmann instead asks for more time to carefully track Issa's movements and his relationship with his German immigration lawyer, Annabel Richter. Using his secret contacts and keen skill, Bachmann uncovers a connection between a world-renowned Muslim philanthropist and a terrorist group and devises a brilliant ploy to expose the scheme. It appearsto be slow burn that is worth seeing.
Very Good Girls (Limited)
Very Good Girls is written and directed by Naomi Foner as her feature film debut. Best friends Lily (Dakota Fanning) and Gerry (Elizabeth Olsen), home for one last New York summer, make a pact to lose their virginity before leaving for college. But when they both fall for the same handsome artist (Boyd Holbrook) and Lily starts seeing him in secret, a lifelong friendship is tested. The film also stars Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, Ellen Barkin, Peter Sarsgaard, and Clark Gregg and features new music from Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis.


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I just came across the pages shown in this post. This is how my Lamentations of the Flame Princess campaign began, with three people I knew, and three others I found off of Meetup.
I started my campaign with a brief adventure called Stranger Storm from the original LotFP Referee Book and the notes pictured above. (You can get the PDF of the LotFP Referee Book for free at RPGNow.)
The Player Characters started on a road, at night. They had each rolled a rumor from the World Rumor Table I made, as well as rumors about meteorites that had fallen to the south a few nights earlier.
They were looking to find the meteorites, but would encounter the situation of Stranger Storm along the way.
The adventure Stranger Storm has no maps. I grabbed some maps from other RPG books to help me out.
So, I started with:
- Rumor Table (which focuses the players, but lets the choose what to do)
- Stranger Storm (With a few alterations of the creatures to fit my campaign. Specifically I altered the nature of the Changelings to make them into arcane spies of sorcerers of Carcosa.)
- A stack of LotFP adventures that the Rumors on the Rumor Table point to
- The notes I have attached in photos
- A map of an inn and of a small keep I cribbed from elsewhere (they never went to the keep)
We've been playing for over a year, alternating games on occasion, for a solid six months of play so far.


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Harold Ford Calls Kirsten Gillibrand A 'Parakeet,' That Jerk...
It's 2010's "Macaca Moment," in which the insane Tennessee monster Harold Ford Junior calls Kirsten Gillibrand a "parakeet," an East Indian slur against white women and how they have vaginas. Kirsten Gillibrand "fired back on Twitter," wanting alllll of New York to know that she will not suffer this puerile attack on women!
Harold Ford is doing a good job pretend-running for senator. Specifically, he's making wishy-washy Kirsten Gillibrand look like a pretty damn good candidate in comparison. For instance, did you even see what motherfucking Harold "I want to run in a New York state Democratic primary" Ford wrote in yesterday's Times?
First, cut taxes for businesses — big and small — and find innovative ways to get Americans back to work. We can start by giving any companies that are less than five years old an exemption from payroll taxes for six months; extending the current capital gains and dividend tax rates through 2012; giving permanent tax credits for businesses that invest in research and development; and reducing the top corporate tax rate to 25 percent from 35 percent.
It's that last one there that will endear liberal New Yorkers to this ex-Merrill Lynch vice president who took home millions in bonuses. But maybe it will, who knows? The best prediction in politics these days seems to be the most fucked-up one. Maybe he should campaign with Karl Rove on this platform, with a new piece of entrance music by Orrin Hatch called "America Is A Center-Right Nation, Sha Na Na, Drop Yr Pants." They'd all win the co-presidency in the upcoming election of 2008!
Gillbrand responds to Ford Jr.'s 'parakeet' comment [NY Post]


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Will Tom Daly become the new Tom Umberg? (And who knew these two had so much in common!)
Brea blogger Greg Diamond offered a breakdown of the electorate in the redistricted 69th Assembly District today, in a comment he posted here on NSA. Here is his comment, followed by my own analysis:
Population of AD-69: 465,317. Population of Santa Ana: 324,528. So you might think so — but you'd probably be wrong.
Here are the results for the Santa Ana Mayor's race in 2010:
That's a total of 43,652 votes, about 10-2/3%.
Anaheim has a population of 336,265. Its turnout for a less-close and less-bitterly fought Mayoral race than Santa Ana's was 61,237, or 18.2%.
I recognize that that includes Anaheim Hills — but that region isn't huge and Santa Ana has upscale areas of its own. Without looking at the Anaheim precincts within this district specifically, which I hope someone here has the ability to do, it seems plausible that the Anaheim turnout rate will be much higher.
By the way, Garden Grove overall has a population of 170,883, of whom 35,841, or 21%, came out to vote. Again, that's going to be mostly the wealthier areas to the west; notably, there was not a Vietnamese candidate.
So Santa Ana just tends not to vote. Maybe the other parts of the district will be the same. Maybe, given that for some of them this will be the first good chance in quite a while to vote for a State Assembly rep, not.
One thing: the low vote totals would seem to favor someone with a good field operation. Who of the three Dems does that sound like?
Sorry — I do like Michelle. But even if she has the backing of the Pulido Machine, the Pulido Machine only pulled out 21,000 for the Mayor himself against Amezcua. It took a strong (and not inexpensive) field organizer for Loretta to beat Van Tran, who should have been hopelessly outnumbered. Where is Michelle, who pulled out a little under 35,000 votes from Santa Ana running unopposed in her ward — about 9000 fewer votes than were cast during the Mayor's race — going to find that?
Wow. Where do we start with this hot mess? It is hard to believe that Diamond is an expert on redistricting. Let's start by looking at the map of the new 69th A.D.:
You can see that the district only includes part of Anaheim – and as Diamond pointed out it does not include Anaheim Hills, which is full of well to do voters who vote. Note that there isn't much Garden Grove or Little Saigon in the district. It is dominated by Santa Ana.
According to Redraw CA, here are the voter demographics of the new 69th A.D.:
- 50.33% Democrats versus 28.64% Republicans. The rest belong to third parties and a whopping 17.6% are Decline to State voters.
- 52.59% of the voters are Latino – only 30.75% are white voters, and 12.61% are Asian
A few quick observations – on the surface there don't seem to be enough Republicans in this district to send a Republican to the general election, under the new "top two" primary voter rules. However, with three Democrats in the race, and a presumed high Republican turnout, a GOP candidate could indeed become one of the "top two" primary candidates. And, a Republican could prevail in the general if he or she were moderate enough to pick up some Decline to State voters, and if Democrats stayed home in November, which they might.
The current GOP candidate, Robert Hammond, is not that candidate. If a legitimate Republican candidate, such as former Anaheim Councilwoman Lucille Kring, were to run that would be another matter altogether – she would advance to November and with a GOP sweep of the White House and both Houses of Congress expected she could win this seat. That would be particularly true if she faced off against leftwing extremist union hack Julio Perez in the general election.
But I don't see Perez getting past the primary. He has no name I.D. He is from Anaheim. He has never run for any office of any note. He is in the race for one reason – to split the Latino vote and put Daly on top. Or he is just deluded.
So what about Daly? Can he win? Remember that he has not been on the Anaheim City Council for a long time. When he was the Mayor of Anaheim he was known for being dismissive of the working poor and Latinos. His Anaheim base, absent the Hills, is by no means assured.
And Daly's help did not put Republican John Leos in the winner's circle last year, when labor ran him against two Democrats who were endorsed by their party. Leos went on to lose to the Pringle-backed slate of Council candidates.
Diamond broke down the local 2010 races in Anaheim and Santa Ana, but those really aren't relevant given that only part of Anaheim is in the new 69th. So let's look at a few races that actually do have a bearing on this race.
In November of 2004, Tom Umberg beat Santa Ana Councilwoman Claudia Alvarez in the 69th A.D. primary. That was seven years ago. He won by less than four hundred votes.
In June, 2006, Jose Solorio beat Alvarez and Armando de la Libertad, in the primary election for the 69th A.D. Solorio got over 7,200 votes. Alvarez got 4,387 votes and de la Libertad got 2.176 votes.
Also in 2006, Umberg lost to then Supervisor Lou Correa in a hotly contested primary for the 34th State Senate District. Correa won by over 5,000 votes.
By 2007, Umberg was totally washed up as a Central Orange County candidate, losing when he ran for Correa's vacated Supervisorial seat. Umberg got 9,725 votes. Janet Nguyen, who was then a member of the Garden Grove City Council, got 10,919 votes. Umberg came in third in that race.
Solorio did not by the way face a primary challenge in 2008, or in 2010. In fact he opened a campaign office in downtown Santa Ana, in 2008, and brazenly shared it with Republicans Carlos Bustamante and Rob Richardson.
Remember that Solorio ascended to the State Legislature from the Santa Ana City Council. While Umberg won in 2004, by 2006 he could no longer win in Central Orange County. That was true again when he ran in 2007. Will Daly become the latest Umberg?
Honestly, Daly ought to be running for the Board of Supervisors – where he could pick up Bill Campbell's seat. But instead Daly is going to ruin himself trying to take the 69th. It will become his Waterloo – particularly as there is so much dirt on Daly. Count on all of it coming out this year. It will be beyond ugly – guaranteed.
Martinez assembled a big ground operation when she ran for Mayor of Santa Ana, in 2008
Can Martinez run a good enough ground operation to win the 69th, or at least advance to the general? Yes. Remember she ran for and won a Council seat as a complete underdog. But even before that she got her feet wet working on the Measure A, OBP ballot measure, which won handily. And she ran for Mayor of Santa Ana – losing to longtime incumbent Miguel Pulido – but she got more votes, as I recall, then Alfredo Amezcua did last year. And Amezcua spent a half million on the race! Martinez ran on a shoestring budget.
Martinez last year was heavily involved in helping Pulido get reelected. Her backers were part of Pulido's ground team, and Pulido's campaign manager is now working with her. Bet you didn't know that. I am quite sure Diamond didn't.
Martinez also guided Measure G, an SAUSD bond measure, to success at the ballot box.
What sort of ground game will Perez mount when he is totally unknown? His allies in Santa Ana are Amezcua retreads. They failed to beat Pulido. Why would anyone expect them to win this time around? They won't.
Remember that Martinez is the ONLY woman in the race. Diamond surely didn't consider that. Nor has anyone else. But it matters. Women vote – and they tend to vote for woman candidates. This is a huge factor – and it is another reason for the GOP to recruit Kring and dump Hammond.
Daly and Perez are going to split the Anaheim vote, for what it is worth. And they will split the Democrat male vote. Daly will dominate with white Democrats, but I don't see many Republicans voting for him, particularly if they have an option like Kring to vote for. Who knows? If Hammond can afford a ballot statement he might do OK, by appealing to the Tea baggers.
The key to this election might well be the Decline to State voters. Whoever grabs them could end up winning the whole enchilada. Once they hear about Daly's money-wasting ways and overall corruption, I doubt he will be able to garner any of their votes.


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Letter from Orson Hyde, 15 December 1835
Source Note
, Letter, , Geauga Co., OH, to JS, , Geauga Co., OH, 15 Dec. 1835. Featured version copied [ca. 17 Dec. 1835] in JS, Journal, 1835–1836, pp. 70–74; handwriting of ; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS, Journal, 1835–1836.
Historical Introduction
In the latter half of 1835, was caught up in several disagreements involving the church's top leadership. As one of the , Hyde had been active in the quorum's mission to the eastern earlier in the year, during which he and were reprimanded for criticizing of the . Church leaders suspended the two from their apostolic duties pending reconciliation. The matter was resolved at a council meeting held in , Ohio, on 26 September 1835, when Hyde and McLellin "frankly confessed" that they were at fault and the council forgave and reinstated them. Another conflict arose several weeks later, however, after a 3 November revelation chastised the Twelve for inequality "in the division of the moneys which came into their hands." Hyde, McLellin, and were singled out for an unspecified sin, and all of the Twelve were encouraged to "humble themselves." Two days later, on 5 November 1835, Hyde and McLellin visited JS and "expressed some little dissatisfaction" with the revelation. JS's journal notes that after the two apostles examined "their own hearts," they acknowledged the revelation "to be the word of the Lord and said they were satisfied."Nevertheless, on 15 December 1835, wrote to JS with a litany of complaints. Specifically, Hyde accused , a member of the committee to build the in , of unfairly restricting credit to him at the while allowing to accumulate a large debt. Both Hyde and Smith were presumably expected to pay for anything they obtained from the committee store. However, , the store's clerk, later listed William Smith among the building committee members. If Smith was a part of the building committee in some fashion, it is possible that the store handled his debts differently than it did others. In any case, Hyde was likely unaware of Smith's position or any special financial arrangement he had with the store.In his letter to JS, invoked the 3 November revelation to demonstrate that the inequality it condemned still continued among the Twelve. Drawing on the parable of the twelve sons that is found in the 3 November revelation, Hyde suggested that each of the Twelve had a right to be treated equally by the , particularly since they had all helped raise funds for the store—and for the completion of the —during their mission to the eastern . Hyde further noted that while on their mission, the Twelve had been dependent upon donations to support themselves and their families but that he had given the committee "$275 in cash," thereby reducing himself to "nothing in a pecuniary point." He encouraged JS to uphold the principles of impartiality and equality.The same day he wrote the letter, handed it to JS, whose journal notes that the letter "laserated" JS's feelings but did not weaken his conviction that he "had dealt in righteousness" with Hyde "in all things and endeavoured to promote his happiness and well being." JS felt that Hyde's reflections were "ungrateful and founded in jealousy and that the adversary is striving with all his subtle devises and influence to destroy him by causing a division amon[g] the twelve that God has chosen to open the gospel Kingdom in all the nations." JS's journal contains a prayer that Hyde would be "delivered from the power of the destroyer" so that he and all the apostles would be ready for the upcoming in the .The next day, 16 December, JS went to a meeting at the to discuss 's letter with the church's presidency. Upon his arrival at the meeting, JS realized that he had lost Hyde's letter, but he recounted what he could of it to those present. The council agreed to table the matter until 20 December as "they had not time to attend to it on the account of other buisness." Before that occurred, Hyde visited JS on 17 December 1835 and presented him with a second copy of the letter. The two men conversed about Hyde's objections until Hyde was appeased and agreed to attend the in Kirtland. JS forgave Hyde "with every expression of friendship that a gentleman, and a Christian could manifest" and attributed Hyde's "ingratitude" to a lack of "correct information," possibly referring to Hyde being uninformed of 's association with the building committee. JS also acknowledged that had mistreated Hyde. With the matter "settled amicably," JS and Hyde parted with mutual goodwill. JS later spoke with Cahoon about extending credit to the Twelve Apostles on equal terms.The version of the letter presented here is the second copy of 's letter, as copied into JS's journal by , likely upon receipt on 17 December.
Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 4 Aug. 1835; Letter to the Editor, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Oct. 1835, 2:204–207.
Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
Minutes, 26 Sept. 1835; JS, Journal, 26 Sept. 1835; see also Orson Hyde and William E. McLellin, Kirtland, OH, Letter to the Editor, Oct. 1835, in LDS Messenger and Advocate, Oct. 1835, 2:204–207.
Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
Revelation, 3 Nov. 1835. In a discourse given to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 12 November 1835, JS continued to admonish them to repent, humble themselves, and prepare for the endowment of power in the House of the Lord. (Discourse, 12 Nov. 1835.)
JS, Journal, 5 Nov. 1835.
The committee store in Kirtland, Ohio, was run by the committee to build the House of the Lord, which consisted of Hyrum Smith, Reynolds Cahoon, and Jared Carter. Cahoon appears to have been the store manager. By June 1835, the three joined together as a mercantile firm under the name Cahoon, Carter & Co. The store appears to have been in operation by October 1835, and it likely served two functions: it supported the construction of the House of the Lord by purchasing goods on credit or from donations obtained by the Twelve and others and then making those goods available in exchange for labor or payment, and it offered its stock for sale to anyone else in the area to turn a profit. (Advertisement, Northern Times, 9 Oct. 1835, [4]; "Anniversary of the Church of Latter Day Saints," LDS Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1837, 3:488; JS, Journal, 7 Oct. 1835.)
Northern Times. Kirtland, OH. 1835–[1836?].
Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
Ames, Autobiography, [12]. Though William Smith's relationship with the building committee and its store is not known for certain, an 1838 legal document specifies that he was not a partner of the mercantile firm Cahoon, Carter & Co., the entity responsible for running the committee store. (William W. Spencer v. Reynolds Cahoon et al., 25 Jan. 1838, in Cowdery, Docket Book, 349.)
Ames, Ira. Autobiography and Journal, 1858. CHL. MS 6055.
Cowdery, Oliver. Docket Book, June–Sept. 1837. Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
Revelation, 3 Nov. 1835; see also Revelation, 2 Jan. 1831 [D&C 38:26]. During their recent five-month mission, Hyde and his colleagues in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles solicited funds for the House of the Lord, for purchasing lands in Zion, and for church publications. JS considered the committee store an integral part of financing construction on the House of the Lord. (Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 4 Aug. 1835.)
JS, Journal, 15 Dec. 1835.
JS, Journal, 16 Dec. 1835.
JS, Journal, 17 Dec. 1835.
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Premiering on the site today is 'Out Of Reasons', a fantastic debut track from new artist Jackie Beverly
The Dublin native brands her music as electro-folk, an apt description. 'Out Of Reasons' is flush with aspects of both genres.
The track owes a lot to an 80s synth-pop aesthetic, showcased most prominently in the lush synth stabs and killer vocal hooks throughout. The mix is vibrant and full of life, breathing in time to the song's tempo.
The folk elements come into play in the thoughtful and visually evocative lyrics. Set in the dying embers of a failed relationship, Beverly takes the resolute stance of deciding to leave, carefully detailing the thought processes which help make up her mind.
It's a fresh sound and a very welcome discovery. Stay tuned for more from Jackie Beverly in the near future.


text: Reporting health news isn't easy, especially when journalists have short deadlines and limited space to parse research that's frequently complex, nuanced, and laced with caveats. On top of that, there's often the temptation — for scientists, press offices, and reporters — to oversimplify and oversell research findings to get more attention. I notice this more … Continue reading »


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Easy Fund for Unplanned Expenses
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Thus, getting cash in an hour from now is no more difficult. In fact, it's really easy! We all need a little help at one time or another. So keep this in mind, the next time you're sitting and wondering for how you are going to pay all the bills.
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Heritage Village, Harmony in Action, Erie Wildlife & Others Given Grants, Recognized
Tuesday November 29th, 2011, 10:15am
Hello time traveller!!
This article is 4137 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.
Last evening, forty organizations who have received funds from the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, were recognized at a Grant Celebration at the Ojibway Nature Centre.
In 2011, $119,000 in grants for local charities were awarded. These funds are in addition to the $65,000 that has been awarded since December 1, 2010, making the total for the year $184,000.
"It is invigorating to fund so many vital community initiatives at a time when many organizations are facing financial difficulty," states Chair of the Foundation Board, Susan Easterbrook. "Our investment is making programs possible that will meet the physical, educational, emotional and cultural needs of our citizens, thus building a better Windsor-Essex for today and tomorrow."
Grants have included:
- $4,500 to the Canadian Transportation Museum and Heritage Village to replace the roof on two of their heritage buildings (Railroad Station and Boarding House)
- $4,000 to Harmony in Action to purchase accessible sport and fitness equipment.
- $9,000 to Erie Wildlife Rescue to equip the public education room in the facility they are building at Malden Park.
- $1,500 to the Windsor Youth Centre to help establish a safe and supportive space for Windsor's homeless youth.


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What if we found a clean, abundant resource that could provide the lion's share of the world's energy needs? How far would we be willing to go to get it?
That's the question posed—in both a moral and a logistic sense—by the new sci-fi film MOON, directed by Duncan Jones (the son of musician David Bowie), which opens in New York City and Los Angeles this week.
The movie's protagonist—and essentially the only character who ever appears on camera—is Sam Bell (played by Sam Rockwell), a man nearing the end of a three-year contract staffing a moon base devoted to mining helium 3 for use back home. In this not-too-distant future, nuclear fusion of helium 3, a light isotope of the familiar element, supplies 70 percent of the world's energy, and bases such as Sarang, on the far side of the moon, keep the reactors fueled. (In reality, productive fusion of any kind for energy generation has proved elusive, with the international ITER project recently experiencing setbacks.)
His only companion at the Lunar Industries base is a HAL-esque machine, an intelligent but distinctly non-humanoid robot called Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Bell's lonely predicament aside, the prospect of a relatively nearby source of clean fuel would be awfully appealing, were it real.
As it turns out, the film depicts a vision quite close to what some researchers describe as a powerful—if extremely difficult—solution to our energy woes.
Gerald Kulcinski, a nuclear engineer and director of the Fusion Technology Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has been researching the possibility of mining the moon's helium 3 for decades. He is, along with Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, one of the concept's most prominent advocates. (Schmitt wrote an article for Popular Mechanics in 2004 that describes a harvesting operation much like the one Bell manages at Sarang.)
The lunar surface, Kulcinski says, should indeed be loaded with the isotope, which is in the solar wind, the stream of charged particles from the sun. It is scarce on Earth because the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field largely deflect the brunt of the solar wind, but the moon is far less protected. "The only thing that's close to the sun that has neither an atmosphere nor a magnetic field is the moon," Kulcinski says. And samples from the Apollo program show elevated levels of helium 3 compared to the puny amounts available on Earth. Kulcinski estimates that there are a million metric tons of helium 3 embedded in the outermost layer of the moon's crust.
What is more, it could prove very valuable as a nuclear fuel—just 40 metric tons would power the U.S. for an entire year if the fusion process could be perfected, Kulcinski says. Perhaps more important, the isotope itself is not radioactive, and the products of its fusion would be much cleaner than the nuclear waste generated by today's fission plants.
But the holy grail of such clean energy research, fusing helium 3 atoms together to produce ordinary helium 4 and energetic protons, is no easy task. "Nature being as it is," Kulcinski says, "it made that reaction very difficult." The Wisconsin campus has a small-scale reactor that consumes helium 3, but Kulcinski notes it is a long way from breaking even on the energetic balance sheet—that is, the reactor consumes far more energy than it produces.
The disparity is enough to lead some skeptics to swear off the proposal entirely. In a 2007 article for Physics World, theoretical physicist Frank Close of the University of Oxford dismissed the "clean" fusion of helium 3 with helium 3 as slow and requiring prohibitively high temperatures. On top of that, he said, estimates of the moon's reserves of the isotope are purely hypothetical. "The lunar helium 3 story," Close wrote, "is, to my mind, moonshine."
Photo of lunar rover (top) and of Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) driving a rover (bottom) at a mining base for helium 3 in the film MOON: Sony Pictures Classics


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Courtesy photo The Lighthouse Mission's Fun in the Park event Saturday will include games, food, live music and prizes, including bikes for a few children.
CNJ staff
The Lighthouse Mission is making sure children get at least a little bit of vacation this summer. The mission is hosting Fun in the Park beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Park.
Richard and Geri Gomez of the mission said as children, their families didn't have the money for summer vacations. They know some families are in the same situation and want to provide some summer fun for them and their children.
"There are a lot of families that get to go on vacation in the summer and there are a lot who don't. This is a little end of the year party for them to have fun," Richard Gomez said.
The event includes games, prizes, food and drinks, and live music. Everything is free to the public. Gomez said there will be a few speakers giving their testimonies at the event also.
The mission will be giving away a few bikes to the children. Each child will be given a ticket and Gomez said there will be a drawing for them.
Fast Facts
What: Lighthouse Mission's Fun in the Park
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Hillcrest Park
Cost: Free
Information: 762-1933


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Join our Gardening Club to unlock exciting perks and discounts!
JUST £10 for one year's membership10% OFF EVERY order placed online £20 worth of Van Meuwen Vouchers Exclusive members only deals Join Now
Very pretty and unusual-looking Dianthus
Unique blooms with deeply cut petals
Strong, sweet fragrance makes them a delightful cut flower
This product is produced and supplied in association with Thompson & Morgan
Years of selection means that we're now able to offer customers this very pretty and unusual-looking Dianthus. Unique blooms with deeply cut petals give Dianthus 'Rainbow Loveliness Improved Mixed' a soft, feathery appearance. These pretty, eye-catching pinks have a strong, sweet fragrance that makes them a delightful cut flower for a vase indoors. Compact and hardy, they will quickly form attractive clumps at the front of borders, or try planting them in containers for a low maintenance display on the patio. Dianthus 'Rainbow Loveliness Improved Mixed' will flower in its first year if sown by the end of February. Height and spread: 30cm (12").
Culinary note: Use the clove like tasting petals for adding to cakes, either for flavour or decorating, suitable for soups, salads and sauces too. For more details about edible flowers click here.
1 Packet (30 Seeds) (48318)
Sow Dianthus seeds indoors from February to April on the surface of lightly firmed, moist seed compost in pots or trays and cover with a fine sprinkling of compost or vermiculite. Place in a propagator or seal container inside a polythene bag and keep at a temperature of between 18-20C (64-68F). After sowing, do not exclude light as this helps germination. Keep the surface of the compost moist but not waterlogged; germination usually takes 14 - 30 days.
When seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant into 7.5cm (3") pots and grow Dianthus plants on in cooler conditions. Gradually acclimatise pinks to cooler conditions for a few weeks before planting out after all risk of frost. Plant Dianthus at a distance of 23cm (9") apart on any fertile, well drained soil in full sun. Alternatively plant Dianthus 'Rainbow Loveliness Improved Mixed' in containers on a sunny patio.
Feed and water Dianthus plants regularly until they are fully established. Deadhead faded Dianthus flowers to encourage more blooms to be produced throughout the summer.
Seeds and garden supplies will normally be delivered within the time period stated against each product as detailed above. Plants, bulbs, corms, tubers, shrubs, trees, potatoes, etc. are delivered at the appropriate time for planting or potting on. Delivery times will be stated on the product page above, or in your order acknowledgement page and email.
Orders for packets of seed incur a delivery charge of £2.99.
Orders which include any other products will incur a delivery charge of £6.99.
Where an order includes both packets of seeds and other products, a maximum delivery charge of £7.99 will apply - regardless of the number of items ordered.
Large items may incur a higher delivery charge - this will be displayed in your shopping basket.
Please see our Delivery page for further details, and more information on different charges that may apply to certain destinations.
For more information on how we send your plants please visit our Helpful Guide on plant sizes.
Delphinium hybridum 'Magic Fountains Mixed'
Geranium bohemicum 'Orchid Blue'
Verbascum x hybrida 'Snow Maiden'
Malva sylvestris 'Mystic Merlin'
Hollyhock 'Chater's Double Icicle'
Dianthus caryophyllus 'Giant Chabaud Mixed'
Aquilegia 'Pretty Bonnets Mix'
© 2023 Van Meuwen. All rights reserved. A division of Branded Garden Products Limited.


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A few years ago, we were walking along a track somewhere and this fantail was following us for ages, as they do.
It was a few years after my Dad had died (Lachlan was a baby when Dad died and he was a talking toddler by this time).
So the children said "oh, it must be Pop". From that day on, any friendly fantails are Pop coming to say hi. If there is more than one, obviously Poppa (my father-in-law) or someone else like that has come to join him.
This afternoon I am bringing in the washing, thinking about my Uncle Woodie's funeral tomorrow that I am missing (that could be a whole separate blog, but let's just say I can't be everywhere and do everything and will sorely miss not being there). Swoosh. A fantail perches on the washing line, flips his head left and right, toodles along the line a bit, then goes to a nearby tree. This happens several times, so I strike up a conversation, telling the bird (Pop) he should be in Dunedin for the funeral, not mucking around in Hawke's Bay with me. And off it went. I didn't see it again.
In a final twist today, guess the name of the song the kids sang in at school assembly today? Cheeky Little Fantail. 🙂
RIP Uncle Woodie and keep resting easy Pop.


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The moment the world fell in love with Leonardo DiCaprio, he was coated in the yellow shadow of a sunset, puffing on a cigarette and journaling about "brawling love" and "loving hate." He trudged across a shabby beach, windblown hair framing his bitter eyes. Radiohead's guitars plucked in the background, Thom Yorke crooning, "I want to be someone else." Just shy of looking straight into the camera, DiCaprio turned his angsty head toward the surrounding decadence ― a woman in a tight dress shimmied in slow motion for an apparent male client ― and his soul toward our eternal infatuation. We didn't want him to be anyone else.
The movie, of course, is Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet." Twenty years after the disco-punk Shakespeare update grabbed the No. 1 spot at the box office and fermented the kinetic gloss of the MTV era, Luhrmann's film remains a modern classic. Not only did it make a true star of DiCaprio, becoming his dreamiest, highest-grossing release to date (soon to be unseated by "Titanic," obviously), but "Romeo + Juliet" also boasted a stellar mixtape soundtrack featuring Garbage, Everclear and The Cardigans. Most importantly, it connected with hip audiences by turning Shakespearean verse into a two-hour postmodern music video.
"Romeo + Juliet" begins with a blank screen and several bars of "Ave Maria," which screeches to a halt when a television lights up and a newscaster reports on a pair of "star-crossed lovers." This isn't the same stodgy Shakespeare you read in class, Luhrmann announces, and the movie throttles forward with frenzy. The marquees atop adjacent skyscrapers scream "Capulet" and "Montague." Here, our sparring clans are corporate mafia dynasties, their children comprising impetuous street gangs. When we meet the pink-haired Montagues, they pour out of a Jeep like the rowdy stars of an Offspring video. Our first look at the Capulets comes via close-ups of their platform boots crunching across the sidewalk, like gangster fashion models displaced from a Western saloon. Luhrmann defines these turf wars through the kaleidoscopic aesthetics that appealed ― and still do ― to a generation suddenly glued to MTV's rotation. This is a contest between abrasive punk-rock Americana and subversive macho-glam wannabes, with a central romance involving two lusty teenagers who see through their families' charades.
That the story is framed through a news report makes "Romeo + Juliet" a mark of its time ― a time that has morphed but not faded. Circa 1996, artists made music so they could turn that music into glossy short films that advanced the commerce of their fame. Television was the currency. In that landscape, the Montagues and Capulets dicker because they know the action will be documented. They are the stars of their own music videos and newspaper headlines, and they wear the roles well. That's what makes stolen moments between our two heroes so palpable.
When Romeo and Juliet ― played lovingly by Claire Danes ― first spot each other through the warmly lit aquarium at the Capulets' costume ball, it is the movie's first moment of tranquility. They are suddenly a world apart from the festivities in the next room, where Mercutio (Harold Perrineau), dressed in drag (appropriately, given some scholars' queer readings of the character), performs "Young Hearts Run Free" as though he's Dr. Frank-N-Furter welcoming guests in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." By the time the iconic balcony scene has plunged into the pool outside Juliet's window, we see our central couple not as whiny teenagers (which they are), but as perhaps the only sensible members of two families lost to their own menacing history. It's Luhrmann's frenetic excess that brings us there. Without it, the placidity of their chemistry would be less finite.
This is the version of "Romeo and Juliet" that you wished your English teacher would show instead of the stuffier 1968 rendition directed by Franco Zeffirelli (which, for the record, is also great). Danes and DiCaprio deliver Shakespeare's abridged verse fluently, and coupled with a camera style that frames the action instead of the dialogue, the movie shepherds along its audience in a way that even finer adaptations of the Bard's work can struggle to do. Guns replace swords and can be fired from afar, making the violence seem especially thoughtless, particularly when paralleled with the wealth indicted in the two tribes' legacies.
The movie also gave us Danes and DiCaprio on the cusp of fame. Danes was a key player in 1994's "Little Women" and the star of the cruelly short-lived teen drama "My So-Called Life." DiCaprio was an Oscar nominee for "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and a charmer from the final season of "Growing Pains." But "Romeo + Juliet" pushed both to another level, collecting $227 million worldwide (when adjusted for inflation). In a decade becoming increasingly saturated with effects-driven blockbusters, that's a crazy sum for a Shakespeare vehicle whose stars weren't yet verifiable A-listers. It's also a testament to the stylings of Luhrmann, who seized on the mood of the moment, sandwiching the project between the 1992 rom-com "Strictly Ballroom" and the 2001 opulence buffet "Moulin Rouge!" ― two other films that use music theatrically.
You can see the cinematic cousins of "Romeo + Juliet" sprinkled throughout the late 1990s. Engaging teens and 20-somethings in dynamic ways, these movies bridged classic story models with contemporary fads, always punctuated by a fondness for popular culture. It's all over the slasher-flick rules outlined in "Scream," the rock-'n'-roll Other-ness featured in "The Craft" and "Empire Records," the steampunk silliness of "Wild Wild West," the hip-hop politics of Warren Beatty's "Bulworth," the look-at-Michael-Jordan-go lovability of "Space Jam" (and its equally famous soundtrack), the prurient "American Pie," the cotton-candy aesthetics of the macabre comedy "Jawbreaker," even the camp that replaced the sterility of the "Batman" series in Joel Schumacher's two installments. (Not to mention Michael Almereyda's 2000 adaptation of "Hamlet" starring Ethan Hawke, a "Romeo + Juliet" descendant whose obsession with surveillance was ripe for the dawning millennium.) Despite these films' varying quality, they all boast "dancing shoes with nimble souls," a quality plastered across Luhrmann's film, even if Romeo tells Mercutio he instead has a "soul of lead." Some critics were dismissive of "Romeo + Juliet," and it's worth noting that its energy is harder to sustain in the second half ― but this movie has adopted a worthy significance among Gen X-ers and millennials. It's easy to see why.
"Romeo + Juliet" danced its way into the zeitgeist 20 years ago, and it hasn't left since. Its soundtrack went triple platinum, its stars romanced our hearts with their soft features and impassioned delivery, and the music-video apex that Madonna and Michael Jackson had launched 15 years earlier was crystallized on screens larger than we'd imagined, and with an energy so grungy and of its moment that it became eternal.
Hit Backspace for a regular dose of pop culture nostalgia.


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For the first time globally, a group of financial institutions have banded together to seek permission from a competition regulator to intercept Apple.
A number of Australia's largest banks including The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank, Westpac Banking Corp and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, have requested permission from The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to negotiate with the technology giant to get their own digital wallets onto iPhones.
Fuelled by the fear of missing out on interchange fees as more people begin to pay by tapping their iPhone instead of their bank card, three of the big four and others hope to use their collective power to force Apple into submission.
Whilst all of the major banks have applications available for iPhone users to make transactions via internet banking, Apple has a lock-down on its devices which only allows Apple Pay access to an iPhone's NFC (near field communications) antenna.
As a result, the banks are unable to facilitate contactless payments on terminals and also fear that their customers with iPhones will not receive new payment and digital wallet offerings.
The ACCC said on Wednesday the banks seek authorisation "on behalf of themselves and potentially other credit and debit card issuers to engage in limited collective negotiation with providers of third-party mobile wallet services on conditions relating to competition, best practice standards, and efficiency and transparency".
At this stage, it is unclear whether Apple will make the decision to negotiate with the banks.
CBA developed its own solution, released in December 2013, allowing customers who use iPhones to attach a sticker on the device which acts as an antenna. However, the solution has not been widely adopted by customers.
Telsyte principal analyst and managing director, Foad Fadaghi, told ARN that consumers would be the biggest losers from the impending challenge.
"There is only one of the big four banks [ANZ] which has the ability to use Apple Pay," he said.
"There are more individual Apple users users than there are customers of any individual bank so Apple is a larger company in that respect.
"From a user point of view it is a shame that it will get tied up in litigation and a protracted legal scenario, it should be something they can figure out behind closed doors.
He said that the challenge was more a result of the strength of the Australian banks which has meant they are audacious enough to challenge Apple on the issue.
Chris Player contributed to this article


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It is with great joy that I present you (those of you not on our mailing list for whatever reason) with our family Christmas card and letter (written by Nick every year)!
Hello Readers,
It's that time of year again – time for Christmas letters. YES!!! 2008 was a busy but awesome year for the XXXXX 5! It's hard to believe the changes that have happened in our family in the last year. Here are a few highlights.
In January Jackson, Tyler, & Chase slept through the night for the first time (I think cried that first morning). Two months later in March we attended church together for the first time and sat together in the sanctuary. During the service at least 2 of us fell asleep. (I'm not telling which 2) During the month May at around 9:30 p.m. the XXXXXX tornado sirens sounded and we went to the basement of the house for the first time. We spent about 30 minutes down there and then Gary Lezak said it was safe to return upstairs.
July was a big month! We took our first family vacation! We traveled to Maine & Vermont to visit A LOT of family & friends. Two people ended up in the emergency room (Once again I'm not telling which 2). September we got to eat out for the first time as a family. We went to Bob Evans and had a blast down on the farm! Finally in December we attended our first KiDS COR Event – family advent night. We enjoyed pancakes, sausage, tang and checked out a Christmas musical!!
For those of you who follow my Christmas musings on a regular basis, you'll know that each year I close my letter with the annual top 10 list. However this year I'm changing it up and giving 12 somewhat interesting facts about our life and I am dedicating this list to the holiday classic the 12 days of Christmas. Please enjoy.
12-The minimum number of diapers we go through in a day. (I think we hit this number once)
11-Average Gallons of Whole Milk the boys drink in a month
10-The number of times a day the boys ask to watch Baby Signing Time
9-The number of sippy cups currently in use
8-The number of kids Jon & Kate have on the hit tv show…which coincidentally is the most popular question we get asked as parents of multiples ("Do you watch the show Jon & Kate Plus 8?â€)
7-How many months old the boys were when we first had to buy diapers (Thanks you friends, family & strangers!)
6-The number of wins the Kansas City Chiefs have in the boys lifetime (6-24)
5-The number of times Chase has been put on antibiotics this year (he leads by 1!)
4-The number of Furniture Reconfigurations we've done in our living room this year
3-The number of movies Helen & I watched alone in 2008 (Bee Movie, Meet the Robinsons, Hallmark Hall of Fame Front of the Class. Go ahead and laugh it up; we are watching Hallmark movies!)
2-Two most popular movies in our house-Baby Einstein & Baby Signing Time
1-Number one song in the XXXXX House….Itsy Bitsy Spider…Let's sing it right now…The itsy bitsy spider went up….
I hope your 2008 has been as awesome as ours!! Merry Christmas Everyone!! See you in 2009 for the 5th annual Christmas letter!!
Nick, Helen, Jackson, Tyler & Chase


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The Spa at PGA National has launched four new treatments keeping with the spirit of their "50 Shades of New" honoring their Spa's recent unmasking of its revitalization. The theme is inspired by Universal Pictures and Focus Features' Fifty Shades of Grey, the film adaptation of the worldwide bestselling book by E L James that has become a global phenomenon.
The menu includes an Enlighten Me Facial that incorporates a purifying mask made from a blend of botanical essences in a base of gray volcanic ash and china clay, two of nature's most potent detoxifiers. The Strip the Toxins Pedicure, will indulge your inner goddess as your feet are soaked in a soothing and cleansing warm soak followed by the same purifying clay mask that will not only leave you tingling but will reveal a youthful appearance. A Blissful Massage will relax your mind and renew your body with exotic oils that nourish the skin and replenish moisture. This massage will take you to your most blissful state of mind. Finally, an Inner Goddess Body Treatment will revitalize skin using an aromatic moisturizing lotion after a full body exfoliation, leaving the skin soft and supple.
Before or after any of the treatments guests can luxuriate at the Spa's iconic outdoor Waters of the World Spa Pools, featuring European healing minerals from the French Pyrenees and wondrous salts from the Dead Sea in Israel. Ladies can also revel in the recently redesigned wet area featuring a new steam room, sauna, and state of the art locker room.
Explore more at spaatpga.com or call 561.627.311 to learn more.