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Its Meaning in the Celebration of Divine Liturgy in Eastern Orthodox Churches Everywhere
by Fr. Michael Buben
Holy Trinity Church, Parma, Ohio
Every Orthodox Christian upon entering his Holy Temple for worship sees first a partition dividing the Sanctuary (altar) from the central Body of the building. What is the story for this partition called Ikonostasis?
The Ikonostasis, its present form and ritualistic purpose is a development in the Church, which traces its foundation to the beginning of Old Testament History. During the Theocratic reign of the Hebrews, God Himself, through the lineage of Abraham (Exodus 25, 1-4: Chronicles 28, 19) and Abraham's descendants, gave instructions and laws by which mankind could receive redemption from the downfall. We read the following instructions given by God to Moses —
"And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made. And thou shalt hang it on four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold upon the four sockets of silver. And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy" (Exodus 26, 31-33).
We learn that the ARK was to be placed behind the vail with an altar on which were to be placed two golden Cherubims who were to guard the Ark of the Testament with their wings. The curtain (vail) was to divide the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies! (Sanctum a Sancto Sanctorom.)
Accordingly in the temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah, (2 Chronicles 3:1), the holy place was divided from the Holy of Holies by a vail or curtain. In Hebrew the word for curtain is FARAKET, in Greek ifs called KATAPETAZMA. All later temples were built in similar form, always with the use of a curtain. It was this curtain, which in the instant of Our Savior's death, was ripped vertically into two. This signified that the ritual and law of the Old Covenant would now be replaced and fulfilled by the ritual and law of the New Covenant.
In the early period of Christianity, strong doors were erected before the curtain to keep the worshippers away from the Eucharist during certain periods, and to guard against the pagan persecutors of the faith.
The Council of Laodikea (Law 44) especially forbids women from entering the Sanctuary, and Law 19 stipulates that only properly ordained clergymen may partake of the Holy Communion in the Sanctuary. Saint Ambrose is historically recorded for his refusal to allow the Emperor Theodosios the Great to partake of the Holy Eucharist in the Sanctuary. (Altar)
The Great Simion of Thessalonica wrote: "In a church everything is not permissible for everyone. The Church is composed of two parts-the revealed and the sacramental." There are many symbolic reasons why the curtain is opened and closed during portions of the Divine Liturgy. Among these reasons: sacramental curtains are closed to the laymen, until after prayer the blessing and grace of God reveal the mystery: or, the unknown can be revealed through faith; or, the Mystery which is being performed should be seen through "spiritual eyes." In the early days of Christian worship, the FARAKET was used to hide portions of the services from the skepticism of pagans and catechumens who were not yet prepared to be baptized.
The full development of the ikonostasis and its symbolism as we know it today is difficult to trace exactly to any one source. From the word itself we can imagine that the practice became fully developed after the Edict of Milan, when Christians were first permitted to worship openly without constant persecution.
Everything in the Sanctuary is ritualistically symbolic of the invisible heavenly kingdom. Let us then say that the elevated Sanctuary with its Throne (altar table), Table of Oblation for preparing the Host from our Bread Offering, ARK for the Reserved Sacrament, and all other implements help us to comprehend the heavenly state. The Body of the church where the worshippers gather, we then imagine as Earth or the visible world. During our Divine Liturgy, the Great Entrance portrays the final appearance of Our Redeemer coming from (North Door) on earth, among men and then His entombment after Crucifixion, when the Holy Doors are closed. Next we symbolically have the Resurrection and Ascension in the final portion of the Liturgy. Orthodox Christians began early to surround the Holy Doors with ikons to illustrate and depict events for the instruction of the masses of catechumens learning Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition.
We know historically, a full development in the use of icons was reached before the Eight Century. The history of the Eastern Orthodox Church thunders with battles against the iconoclasts (a group who were against the use of icons) for over 116 years beginning with the year 726 AD. The Seventh Ecumenical Council convened in the year 787 at Nicea to settle this controversy for all time. The three hundred and more Holy Fathers of this Seventh Council, from every part of the Christian world, discussed the basis for the use of icons. They gathered facts from sacred Scripture and Tradition which confirmed that icons were appropriate. They discussed the Dogmatic Law pertaining to the Second Person of the Holy Trinity-Our Savior. The Church teaches the Incarnation of Our Savior, therefore it is more than necessary to picture Him in human form for human comprehension. Icons are to be venerated as the Holy Cross and Relics are venerated. The honor and worship is given to the subject depicted and not to the icon. This decision of the Seventh Ecumenical Council was to be acknowledged and defended as long as the Church exists on earth.
Let's review an average Ikonastasis and find the various icons which compose it. Material used in construction may vary from wood, to steel, to marble, with wood being the most predominant in American Churches.
First row beginning with the Royal or Holy Doors. Icons on the Holy Doors depict the Annunciation (Archangel Gabriel appearing to the Holy Theotokos-St. Luke, 26). In the four corners of the doors are the four Evangelists-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These icons tell us that by God's mercy and grace we receive salvation through the Incarnation of the Son of God-and that the message was preached to the four corners of the earth by the written word of the Evangelists who gave us the glad-tidings in what we know as Gospels.
To the right side of the doors always is the icon of Our Savior, and to the left is the icon of the Theotokos holding the Christ-child. On the smaller North and South Doors are placed the icons of one of the archdeacons- Stephen, Aaron, Melhesedek, or Archangels Michael or Gabriel. To the right of the South Door is placed the icon depicting the Saint or Event after whom the local parish is named. To the left of the North Door is depicted the Saint most popular in a specific geographical area by the forefathers of local parishioners. Among them are-St. Peter and St. Paul, St. George, St. John the Baptist, St. Nicholas, St. Elias, etc.
Second Row directly over the Holy Doors we place the icon of the Last Supper for it was at the Last Supper that the Mystery of Communion was instituted by Our Lord. On either side of the Last Supper, from wall to wall, we find icons depicting the Twelve Major Feasts of the Christian Year.
In the Third Row we find icons of the twelve Apostles sometimes placed in groups of two.
In the Fourth Row we find icons of Prophets who foretold the coming Messiah. In the center of the third and fourth rows is a large icon of Jesus Christ-NIKA sitting or standing by a Throne, a symbol of Christ King Triumphant.
Here then is a brief story about our Ikonastasis.
Fr. Michael Buben is pastor of St. Michael's Church, Geneva, N.Y.
From Word Magazine
Publication of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
February 1958
pp. 7, 26


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Two sisters whom help us out a great deal at The Calico Horse designed this pattern. They love working with Moda Charms and are always creating new and fun designs. The sisters had such fun with this wreath we wanted to share it. This is the first time our shop The Calico Horse has been on Moda Bake Shop and we feel quite honored.
2 charm packs of Makin" New Friends by Moda
1/3 yard for binding
3/4 yard for backing
Rotary Cutter, and Ruler
Separate charms into 3 piles: blues and greens, reds, and lights.
Cut 27 light charms into 108 – 2″ squares
Cut 33 blue and green charms into a total of 132 – 2″ squares.
Choose 2 red charms for bow and trim into 3 1/2″ squares.
Choose 4 red charms for corners and trim into 3 1/2″ squares.
Cut remaining red charms into 14 – 2″ squares.
To make bow choose two light 2″ squares and two dark 2″ squares and trim them down to 1 1/2″ squares.
Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each. Place 1 1/2″ blocks on 3 1/2″ red square as shown and sew on diagonal line. Press to corner and trim back to 1/4″ seam allowance.
Piece quilt as shown in diagram. Quilt and bind using your favorite method.
Finished Size 24 X 24, Perfect Christmas Wall Hanging
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Protecting the environment
Reducing energy, water and other materials used to produce and package food and drink products is a major objective in every area. The packaging industry takes important place in these efforts as more and more products are sold packed. Companies introduce innovative technologies to manage environmental sustainability. Aluminum closures have a very good environmental performance as they protect and preserve the product, thus reducing product wastage. On top of this, they are 100% recyclable, indefinitely. A study by EAFA shows that about 75% of the aluminum ever produced is still in use today. Recycling of aluminium needs up to 95% less energy than its primary production.
Herti constantly invests in new technologies that boost energy efficiency. We use raw materials from suppliers executing ethical business practices. As SEDEX member we use responsibly sourced materials from suppliers with ethical business practices.
Herti is conscious of the environment and pays special attention to the effective use of natural recourses and invests in water treatment plant.
Being a shareholder and a partner in Ecopack Herti follows all principles for protecting and recovering the nature.


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Tagged: Terrence Long
Ichiro: completely unique
Ichiro is as hip, stylish and in step with the times as any player in Major League Baseball, even if he doesn't express it in fluent English.
Before the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium last season, Ichiro willingly gave me a brief taste of hip-hop. I'm no music critic – although I did once review a Bruce Springsteen concert for the late, lamented Los Angeles Herald Examiner — but it sounded dead on to me.
"Ichiro is as cool as it gets, man," Reds manager Dusty Baker had told me. "He'll bust out some Snoop on you."
The Mariners' superstar, alone at his locker in the ancient home clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, was just starting to feel it before I was ushered away, deprived of more Ichiro unplugged by pre-game time constraints.
Now here he is, on the verge of reaching 200 hits for the ninth consecutive season, meaning every season he's played in the Major Leagues of this country. We're fortunate that it could happen here, at Angel Stadium, because this is a performer to savor, one for the ages.
As contemporary as he is on every level, Ichiro, more than any other current player, takes us back to another time, another century.
If you're younger than dirt and would be curious to know what Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, greats of those early times, played like, Ichiro is your ticket.
He slaps and dashes. He laces line drives everywhere. He runs as if swept by a quiet storm. He makes difficult plays routine and has a cannon for an arm. I'll never forget the throw he made his rookie year to erase Oakland's Terrence Long trying to reach third base on a single. I was thinking, that's Clemente, Roberto Clemente.
Ichiro has pounded out and beat out his singles on wonderful teams (2001) and dismal ones. He has been as consistent as the weather in the Pacific Northwest. You know it's going to rain base hits when this guy is on the field.
Ichiro is much like Pete Rose in that way, without the fury. Ichiro is a better hitter than Rose was, with all due respect, and much faster. Defensively, it's no contest. Ichiro is among the best ever; Pete took his talents to physical limits that never constrained Ichiro.
If Pete was Charlie Hustle – and he was – Ichiro is Mr. Cool, in any language.
Seattle likely will finish no better than third in the American League West this season, but it led the division in legends with Ichiro and Ken Griffey Jr. The Mariners also own perhaps the game's most gifted young pitcher in Felix Hernandez, who takes his place right alongside Tim Lincecum.
Griffey has been, in my judgment, the player of his generation. Nobody ever had more fun playing the game than The Kid, and nobody ever was more fun to watch.
Ichiro Suzuki has been simply unique. His value can be measured with statistics that will carry him to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, but there's never been a number that defines style and class packaged in the one dynamic frame.
I'll settle for No. 51, the one worn by the great Ichiro, a blazing star for several continents and all time.


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PORTLAND, Ore. » A genetically modified test strain of wheat that emerged to the surprise of an Oregon farmer last month was likely the result of an accident or deliberate mixing of seeds, the company that developed it said today.
Representatives for Monsanto Co. said during a conference call that the emergence of the genetically modified strain was an isolated occurrence. It has tested the original wheat stock and found it clean, the company said.
Sabotage is a possibility, said Robb Fraley, Monsanto chief technology officer.
"We're considering all options and that's certainly one of the options," Fraley said.
Fraley said the company has a test it has shared with other countries that could "fingerprint" the exact variety of wheat that carried the gene, and it's awaiting samples from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Oregon farmer to test for the exact variety that emerged.
The USDA has said the Oregon wheat is safe to eat and there is no evidence that modified wheat entered the marketplace. No genetically engineered wheat has been approved for U.S. farming.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he would not address Monsanto's suggestions that it could have been sabotage.
"I'm not going to speculate on what could or couldn't have happened," Vilsack told reporters in Washington, D.C., today. "Because you could go down that road and we'd be here all day."
Fifteen inspectors from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are working on the investigation.
Vilsack said the department's priorities are to investigate and also to focus on getting markets open as quickly as they can after some overseas markets balked at the discovery of the modified crop. He said the department believes it is an isolated situation because tests in the farmer's adjoining fields have turned up negative, as have tests on neighboring fields so far.
He said the South Korean government had notified USDA today that tests so far on wheat and flour had showed no indication of contamination.
Consumers' unease with genetically modified crops, particularly those in Europe and Asia, led St. Louis-based Monsanto to end the testing of modified wheat in 2005.
Many countries will not accept imports of genetically modified foods, and the United States exports about half of its wheat crop. Since the announcement of the discovery of the genetically modified wheat in Oregon, Japan — one of the largest export markets for U.S. wheat growers — suspended some imports. South Korea said it would increase its inspections of U.S. wheat imports.
Supporters of splicing in beneficial genes to modify crops say modifications could help wheat grow in places where it's needed. New traits could make it resistant to disease, pests and, like the rogue strain discovered in Oregon, herbicides.
Opponents argue that genetic modifications carry potential unknown consequences to the humans that consume them and the areas in which they're grown. Changes to the genes of the crops could affect the durability of weeds, making them harder to kill, or the pests that feed on the crops.
The wheat emerged in an Eastern Oregon field in early May and was resistant to the herbicide Roundup. Oregon State University researchers found the wheat had a genetic modification Monsanto used in field testing.
When the test fields were cleared in Oregon in 2001, the seed samples were sent to a USDA deep-storage facility in Colorado. The company's research director, Claire Cajacob, said the company also keeps some samples it is able to test. The rest of the seed is destroyed, she said.
"We've been very careful of how seed is stored and where it's stored," Cajacob said.
The company conducted follow-ups with any entity that possessed the seed with the so-called Roundup Ready gene and confirmed that they shipped it to Colorado or destroyed it, she said.
Testing ended in Oregon in 2001, four years before testing ended nationally. Company representatives said the average wheat seed only stays viable for one to two years in a harsh climate like Eastern Oregon's.
The wheat emerged in a rotational field that was supposed to be fallow in 2013.
Fraley said it's unlikely that other parent stocks were corrupted, or "probably we would have seen it for many, many years over the last decade."
Ninety percent of soft white wheat grown in Oregon, Washington and Idaho is exported, making the states reliant on relationships with foreign markets, specifically those in Asia.
Oregon wheat farmers convened by the Oregon Wheat Commission on Tuesday in Portland said their private conversations center on one question: How did it happen?
"We need to know," said Blake Rowe, chief executive of the Oregon Wheat Commission. "Somehow this gene is out in the environment, but we're waiting for USDA to know how it could have happened."
AP Writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this story from Washington, D.C.


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The Day of The Jackal Film Review
"I'm beginning to get a feeling about the Jackal…"
I recall a time when the summer was a time of rest. No more, I guess. Especially at this stage in life. Ah, to be a kid again. Today, we have our children's lives to coördinate: summer camps, summer school, sleep-overs and their friends (the size of basketball players) coming by. That's busy enough, even with our own hectic day jobs always in play. It's all too hurried, if you ask me, and time only seems to move more quickly with each orbit of the sun. And now Labor Day is on the horizon. I'm too old for this sh…
With that in mind, it is time once more for the blogger otherwise known as the Scientist Gone Wordy and I to add another of our duo posts in the series we started in the Spring of 2010. For this one, we break new ground as we examine the novel/film pairing of a famed, but fictional, political thriller. As usual, the wordy one will look at the text of a well-known novel later adapted to film, which I will review. In this case, she'll be looking at one of the most celebrated page-turners to hit the national bestseller list 40 years ago in 1971, The Day of The Jackal. The factually based source novel by Frederick Forsyth also served the 1973 film adaptation of the same name. Rachel's book review can be found here:
The Day of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
A brief synopsis of the film: The voiceover at the beginning of the film provides the notable context:
"August 1962 was a stormy time for France. Many people felt that President Charles de Gaulle had betrayed the country by giving independence to Algeria. Extremists, mostly from the Army, swore to kill him in revenge. They banded together in an underground movement, and called themselves the OAS."
The OAS try to assassinate the French leader. And fail. The government's ruthless reaction to the attempt takes a toll on the cadre as they've captured, tortured, and killed a number in their efforts to prevent any such political execution. By late Spring 1963, the group in tatters, the remaining OAS leadership has devised a daring plan to attain their goal. Since their organization is filled with government informers and spies, they'll go outside of it to find a killer. They'll use a supremely skilled professional foreign assassin to remove de Gaulle from power for them. The Englishman they select, his masterly preparation, and execution of that plan, along with the French directorate's attempts to parry (with an ensuing manhunt) and prevent such an assassination, is the crux of this thriller.
[spoiler warning: some key elements of the film could be revealed in this review]
"Remember, Commissioner, you have full powers in this investigation, and the resources of every department represented here are entirely at your disposal. My instructions are simply: no publicity, and do not fail."
Author Frederick Forsyth's first published book represented a breakthrough work when it arrived in June of 1971. Though the form existed (sparsely) before this, this novel opened the floodgates for more "assassination plots'" in fiction writing, which subsequently exploded on bookstands that decade and beyond. And it instantly became the hot property for movie producers in the early '70s to refashion into film.
It's my belief that this initial adaptation of The Day of The Jackal remains one of the best ever filmed for what it achieved in screen suspense, realism, and the modernizing of the political thriller genre. For whatever reason, the conversion into a motion picture didn't garner the same initial following as the novel and was considered a box office failure, at the time. Only years later did audiences realize how superb and 'best in class' it truly was. Credit for that must surely go to director Fred Zinneman, screenwriter Kenneth Ross, and the mostly unknown (at that time) cast that brought it all off.
The plotting of this film follows the meticulous preparations by the nameless assassin (codenamed the Jackal to protect his identity from government infiltrators) as he readies himself for what will be his final job. The anonymous assassin carries out the plan and deploys all of his contingencies to get him close to his target — as we all suspect he will. The rifle he's had engineered for the task has a singular purpose. It's lean and as scant as it is lethal. Comparatively, the ministry's endeavors border on the frenzied as the entrenched but flustered civil authority scurry to discover the gunman's identity in its search and destroy mission.
The Day of The Jackal, the novel, was almost a "how-to" piece for the author's distinct writing style — one that broke molds and for which authors, like Tom Clancy, would emulate years later, IMO. The amount of information provided, you could say it was almost a template, for going about and planning a select high-profile execution likely made various world governments more than a little nervous on its release.
Its setting in 1963 — President Kennedy's assassination was only eight years prior, in fact, was mentioned in the work — added to the roughly voyeur fascination readers had with the what-if story. The detail and density put forward in the source material was the paramount obstacle filmmakers faced in adapting it, though. How to be true to a popular #1 bestseller and still entertain an audience without putting them to sleep with the many facts and whatnot Forsyth utilized in his tale was what they had to overcome.
Given the approach Fred Zinneman took in this endeavor, no doubt helped by the era of this production, its treatment paid dividends, in the long run. It's almost documentary style carried the storyline with a conveyed sense of realism, and yet still managed to build an ever-increasing sense of anticipation as it marched to the August date in the narrative. Its strength is the plot, even if we know the assassin and target eventually meet, along with the outcome.
Re-watching the film, all these years later, I couldn't help but be reminded of how similar in tenor it is with William Friedkin and his crime classic The French Connection feature out that same year. Ironically, there is a connection beyond the neo-realist method the two filmmakers used in their separate movie productions. Besides the fact that real-life and fictionalized stand-in characters are sprinkled in both screenplays, The French Connection's drug smuggler villain, his actual counterpart, did have an indirect link to the central historical figure in The Day of The Jackal1.
Still, Zinneman may have had a more formidable challenge between the two in bringing this adaptation in. There were millions of built-in readers the production was vying for as a potential audience. Wisely, Zinneman opted for the same serious tone of the book, helped enormously by Kenneth Ross' adept abridgment of the material in his screenplay. Just about every key plot point was skillfully maintained, and with almost the same lethal elegance of Forsyth's English assassin, I might add.
Nothing extra was wasted in their collaboration to pull this thriller off. In contrast years later, all such niceties were thrown to the wind when studios revisited the novel. Seemingly, filmmakers diametrically opposed Fred Zinneman's take with the 1997 remake. That film clearly was the original's antithesis. One, in my opinion, that was so bad in its outlandish excesses, and casting decisions, that it's almost the poster child of what not to do for an adaptation of a known work. Per IMDB, author Forsyth "… insisted his name be taken off the credits of this film". It's in the "so bad it's entertaining" category for the mess and familiar plot-points that resulted. And that's a left-handed compliment, if there ever was one, but I digress…
The Austrian-American director Zinneman made another beneficial decision, though, one he later conceded may have led to poor box office results. He refrained from using big-name actors for the major roles (Michael Caine, Jack Nicholson, and Roger Moore were in the running) and went with a number of unknowns at the time. Chief among them was the splendid Edward Fox as the mysterious assassin, which turned out to be his star-making break.
As well, his pick for the death-dealer's nemesis was as clever for the brilliant detective deputy commissioner Claude Lebel. The bilingual character actor Michael Lonsdale fit the role almost to a tee. He'd even graduate to be a OO7 villain, later. In hindsight, both were perfect for their roles — though paradoxically, each were opposite heights to their book characters — Lonsdale in particular literally towers over many in the film. Add in a young Derek Jacobi, the underrated Alan Badel and a host of good but time-worn British and French actors and you had an accomplished cast. Just not one well-known outside of Europe.
Minister: "There is one thing: how did you know whose telephone to tap?"
Lebel: "I didn't, so I tapped all of them."
The film blended all of that, along with a deft mix of some '60s-styled production values, beguiling European location work, and a touch of the distinct and dour outlook that was '70s cinema. It's enough to make you scratch your head today at why the film didn't succeed upon its release. Those that saw the film at the onset found themselves pulling or identifying with either the assassin or the beleaguered manhunter in their opposing quests that had President de Gaulle at the center.
I have to admit when I first saw The Day of The Jackal in 1973, after reading the book the year before in high school, I found myself drawn to the assassin regardless of politics — no surprise given the killer's cool manner, good looks…and attraction to the opposite sex…and my rebellious youth at the time.
Yet, when I screened the film once again for this review, I found my older self now identifying with the rumbled and overworked Lebel. Age changes things, I guess. Since he was stuck within a bureaucracy that would surely dismiss him for his lowly status at minimum, and do worst to and by him if he failed at catching his game, the old detective would find today's landscape very familiar. Hence, the reason I now side with him.
Since real history wasn't threatened by the movie's outcome (Quentin Tarantino wouldn't safely get to revise the Gallic olden days till 2009), the surprise and suspense remains with the story's journey and the race to an appointed time for all the quarries and hunters presented. Even the Jackal gets to let loose a bullet toward the famed head of France…just because he misses was beside the point. Nevertheless, if a 38-year old film can still alter and refashion a fresh look at what I'm seeing, it says something positive to what the filmmakers accomplished almost four decades ago.
"But if the Jackal wasn't Calthrop, then who the hell was he?"
Parallel Post Series
- After the American drug bust, Jean Jehan (the basis for Alain Charnier) received little in real punishment when arrested in France, later. Many now surmise it was due to his military service with the same Charles de Gaulle that afforded him leniency. ↩
16 Responses to "The Day of The Jackal Film Review"
What a great and in dept review of the film Michael, I love this movie and I wish the remake never existed. I remember I was so excited to see the remake back in the late 90s after I saw the trailer. I thought with Bruce Willis and Richard Gere, it can't be that bad right? Then a few months before the film opened, the author of the novel and the director of the original film were not happy with the new film. Then the film finally opened and critics tore it to pieces, yet I still hoped it would be just a fun action movie. Boy was I wrong, I hated every minute of it, I wanted my money back. Thankfully the remake also was a box office failure but because it was so bad, it deserved it.
I'm surprised the original wasn't a box office hit when it came out, thankfully it's considered a classic now.
I did notice that we both thought of Clancy. Great minds and all… 🙂
I like your comments on the challenge of the adaptation. I found it to be a very faithful adaptation but, sadly for me (and Jeff:), not a compelling adaptation. The book is so dense, and instead of sticking with a particular thread, the choice was to throw in as much as possible. Had I not read the book much of the movie would have gone over my head and not in a good way. I don't mind a clever film that takes some brainpower to get through but the events in the movie were too often presented as small snippets you had to just accept rather than understand how they followed from previous scenes. For example, there was no clear mention of the border searches for "tall, fair" men of a certain age. You get to that scene and while it's easy to understand why something like that would be happening it's not necessarily clear that it follows from the good detective work of the French. I also found the end to be a take-on-faith set of scenes. The establishing shots really over-shadowed the work that Lebel was doing as the last and final (desperate?) bit of detective work to follow a search to its conclusion.
I did really like the quick and natural looks at clocks and the calendars on display in all the scenes. Without being cumbersome, it really kept the feel of the days marching on and being recorded. Actually, I found the set design and decoration quite impressive overall.
Question: Any thoughts on why the director made the baroness seem so uninterested in the Jackal but most willing to let him in the door? That choice completely confused me.
And even if the adaptation didn't capture the tension of the book's second half for me I am still in complete agreement with how useless the 1997 adaptation was. My gosh!!! I might have some complaints on the original but at least it was a good movie.
I agree with the casting, btw. Very well done on the principles. They didn't necessarily match what I had in my head but I think they were able to execute their parts quite well. The surrounding cast I didn't like as much. They all looked the same! Same build, same age, same features… I couldn't tell any of them apart.
"The film blended all of that, along with a deft mix of some 60s-styled production values, beguiling European location work, and a touch of the distinct and dour outlook that was 70s film."
So true and I remember saying this (with less style and a simpler vocab) while I was watching the movie.
Here's an interesting twist: as you saw in my book review I couldn't help pulling for the Jackal. However, in the film, I was 100% behind Lebel!
I was quite a fan of the end and it turning out that the Jackal was not Calthrop. Sneaky little bit of info thrown in and fun to think about.
I know I mentioned this with the book too but I liked the historical aspect of the story. Something as simple as the absence of a digital database completely changes the game. Watching all the hotel registration cards pour in makes you appreciate just how hard everyone was working.
Much like with the book, the novelty and import of the style is lost on me. Well, not lost exactly but its innovation is not exactly able to wow me like I think it would have had I been able to be there at the start.
Hmm… I thought the baroness seemed interested enough, given her station and the era. As well, she had to keep things quiet with others around (hotel staff, etc.). It came down to decorum given her rank. Of course, the later interview of the staff by Lebel and a maid saying she could tell she wasn't alone by the telltale bed linen overturned that cart.
"The surrounding cast I didn't like as much. They all looked the same! Same build, same age, same features… I couldn't tell any of them apart."
It's true what you say about the surrounding cast. But, that may have been intentional, at least for those on the sides of the British and French bureaucracies. The worn, nameless faces could have represented the cogs, so to speak, in the soulless machine. But, that could be the old revolutionary in me talking ;-).
Interesting that you split between the Jackal and Lebel in the different story mediums. What made you change via the movie? The actors or their parts as written for the movie? I was still pulling for the Jackal back in the 70s in both the book and film — naturally, that changed over time for me. We are on the same plane with that ending, though. Awesome bit of mind play by Forsyth.
Great to hear your thoughts about it all on this comment, Rachel. Thanks for that and letting me pick this one. What's next?
Great explanation on the surrounding cast. Cogs in the wheel is all we are… 🙂
I've been thinking of my Jackal/Lebel switch and I do think it's because of the acting. I think Michael Lonsdale is a better Lebel than Edward Fox is a Jackal. They were both different from what I had pictured but Lonsdale, for me, was a Lebel interpretation that I could still like very much. Fox as the Jackal (hehe, a fox as a jackal) was merely serviceable.
Looking forward to teeing up THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.
Excellent review Michael, of a film that which genuinely thrilling. I like the tone and the mood created in those 70s era thrillers. Watching that trailer it's clear to see the influence films like Day of the Jackal and The French Connection have had on the new, grittier and more intelligent spy films of recent years. Paul greengrass' treatment of the 2nd two Bourne films comes to mind, I love the aesthetic of authenticity he establises. Thank you for this Michael.
[…] The Day of The Jackal […]
[…] The Day of The Jackal […]
[…] The Day of The Jackal […]
Very nice review, I'm not sure why I did not see this before except that it is in the archives before I started visiting your site. The neo-realism point comparing the French Connection is one that I'd not thought of before. I have not read any Tom Clancy although I am familiar with the style that so many are drawn to in his work, I never made that connection before either. Since it is an unexpected wave trend, I'm willing to jump on it, here is a link to my post, it is the second film I ever covered for my projects.


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Milan Pique Mebarak was born in Barcelona, Spain
His name "means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic," according to Shakira's website
Shakira and Gerard Pique called for UNICEF donations as part of a "world baby shower"
You might think of Italy's fashion capital when you hear the word Milan, but pop singer Shakira and soccer star Gerard Pique say that isn't what they had in mind when they named their baby boy.
Milan Pique Mebarak was born at 9:36 p.m. Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain, according to an announcement posted on Shakira's website. Mebarak is Shakira's seldom-used surname.
"The name Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn), means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification," the announcement said.
The 35-year-old Colombian singer first revealed her pregnancy in September, canceling a scheduled weekend concert appearance at a music festival in Las Vegas.
Last week, a black-and-white photo on her website showed a pregnant Shakira, wearing a bikini top, standing beside her 25-year-old boyfriend, who plays for Spain's FC Barcelona.
The couple called for donations to UNICEF as part of a "world baby shower" for them to raise money for gifts such as polio vaccines, therapeutic food and rehydration salts "for the benefit of babies everywhere."
While their son isn't on the soccer field yet, on Tuesday, Shakira's website said, "Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth."
Milan, the couple's first child, weighed approximately 6 pounds, 6 ounces.
"Both mother and child are in excellent health," the announcement said.
CNN's Nelson Quinones contributed to this report.


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http://mmajunkie.com Back in July, Devin Cole scored a unanimous-decision victory over Shawn Jordan at Strikeforce Challegers 17 to snap a two-fight skid.
It was a welcomed victory for the 35-year-old veteran heavyweight.
But Cole – who returns at Saturday's "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" event – might actually consider the preceding loss a more impressive performance.
In that fight, Cole suffered a unanimous-decision loss at Strikeforce Challengers 13. Cole lost all three rounds, but considering his opponent – Olympian and breakout star Daniel Cormier – it's a swallowable loss.
In fact, Cole and his nutritionist, Mike Dolce, both recently joined MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) to discuss the bout.
"The guys at [American Kickboxing Academy] said it was Cormier's toughest fight of his career," Dolce said.
Cormier, of course, is undefeated in MMA, and he soon meets Josh Barnett in the finale of Strikeforce's world heavyweight grand prix. Against Cole, Cormier brought to the cage world-class wrestling credentials, including two NJCAA national wrestling championships, NCAA Division I national championship runner-up status (to Cael Sanderson), a fourth-place finish in the 2004 Olympics, and a 2003 Pan American Games gold medal.
Cole, himself an NAIA All-American wrestler, gets another shot against another wrestler. On Saturday, Cole (19-9-1 MMA, 1-1 SF) meets undefeated Gabriel Salinas-Jones (5-0-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) on the preliminary card of "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
"From what I've seen, he likes to use his wrestling," Cole said. "I like this matchup. He's definitely a tough guy. But when I go out there, I feel like I can beat anyone. This matchup is real good for me. The only wrestler I've lost too is Cormier, and he's just on a whole different level of wrestling."
Prior to the win over Jordan, Cole – who was introduced to MMA and later joined the IFL at the urging of friend and UFC vet Mike Whitehead – had earned four consecutive wins via knockout. It was part of a 6-0-1 run that helped him earn a Strikeforce contract.
Now, he hopes a win over Salinas-Jones will keep him on Strikeforce's bigger events.
"Just to make the step up from a Challengers card to – even if it's a preliminary card – this show is a big step up for me," he said. "It's a great card to be on."
Additionally, for a fighter who once competed six times in a single year, he's happy to get a third fight in before year's end.
"My last fight was in July, so it's been a while," he said. "It feels good coming right before Christmas so I'll have some Christmas money."
For the latest on "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.


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Edwin Carlyle (Carl) Wood (1929–2011)
Edwin Carlyle Wood, also known as Carl Wood, was a physician who helped develop in vitro fertilization, or IVF, treatments. From 1964 to 1992, Wood worked as a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where he was one of the first in the world to lead a team of physicians to establish IVF as a proven treatment for infertility. IVF refers to a medical procedure in which scientists inseminate an egg cell with a sperm cell outside of the body, such as in a glass dish in a clinical setting.
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For the first time ever, Cuban citizens can purchase personal computers. There's only one model available and it's priced too high for most Cubans (and it'd seem like a downright rip-off to most Americans), but this is a good start nonetheless.
The computer is a QTECH PC and costs just under $800. It's got a Celeron processor, 80GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, Windows XP, CRT monitor, and a DVD drive. By comparison, according to the Associated Press, "For about $80 less, buyers in the U.S. can get a desktop with more than twice the memory, an 80GB SATA hard drive and 22-inch LCD flat screen monitor.
The Cuban PCs will be sold in government-run electronic stores and will primarily be used for limited gaming and things like word processing and schoolwork. Internet access is still a big no-no in Cuba, though. According to the AP…
Except for some trusted officials and state journalists, most Cubans are banned from accessing the Internet at home. So many of these new computers may never be connected to the Web.
Some people buy limited e-mail access on the black market, usually sharing an account with the authorized holder, who usually works for the state. Even if they could access the Web, Cubans can't shop on line because they don't have credit cards.
Computers have apparently been available on the black market for a while in Cuba for roughly the same price, but those prices may fall now that buying computers is legal. The bigger issue is the price of the machines.
The average state salary in Cuba is less than $20 per month, although "most Cubans have access to extra income through jobs with foreign firms, tips from working in tourism or money sent by relatives living abroad."


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The words "I should've known" is fairly popular, but when it comes to selling oil paintings for much less than they are worth it's just painful. There are quite a few oil paintings dangling around the house that could be worth a lot of money. The next time you present your oil paintings for sale consider the following.
A small Robert Gemmell Hutchison painting called "Three infants collect mussels from the seashore", dating back to the early 20th century was discovered among a bunch of regular pictures and prints. The owner had no idea what the painting was worth and luckily he didn't just throw it away. Adrian Rathbone, fine arts manager informed the owner of the painting's history and finally it was auctioned off for 3600 pounds, even though the catalogue pricing was estimated at 600 pounds.
Unfortunately not all the owners know what they have. One in particular traded an Ivan Aivazovsky painting for a dental appointment in the 1950's. It was painted in 1846 and is known as "The sunset over the Great Lavra. Holy Athos" After the dentist passed away in the 1990's it was sold off at the village auction. How it ended up in Norway and where it was for the first hundred years nobody knows. More recently the painting was sold for 790 000 Euros. One can only hope the dental appointment was worth it.
For some it's a hard lesson to learn and when you place that oil paintings for sale ad on the garage door think very carefully. Even when a painting looks like a child might have scribbled it within 5 minutes; it could just be an early ticket for retirement. If you find this hard to believe then look at "The Scream" by Edvard Munch; it sold for more than $120 million and can easily be mistaken for something an angry teenager painted while thinking about his or her parents.
To read more about Edvard Munch check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Munch


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Adrian, Gilbert
Adrian, Gilbert, 1903–59, popularly known simply as Adrian, fashion designer, b. Naugatuk, Conn. Educated in New York City, he created designs for Broadway shows until 1925, when he moved to Hollywood. As studio designer at MGM studios (1928–41), he created glamorous clothing for such stars as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, and Katharine Hepburn, his opulent designs influencing haute couture throughout the 1930s and 40s. Adrian was known for his extravagant, draped evening gowns; hooded dresses; embroidered, padded evening jackets; and elegant suits. He was creative director for MGM's Wizard of Oz (1939), one of his most acclaimed productions; the same year he married actress Janet Gaynor. From 1942 to 1952 he ran a fashionable Beverly Hills salon.
See H. Gutner, Gowns by Adrian: The MGM Years 1928–1941 (2001).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Fashion: Biographies


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Everyone's heard of Jupiter's four most famous moons Europa, Io, Callisto, and Ganymede—we've known about them for over 400 years, thanks to Galileo—but giant Jupiter has many more moons than that. To date there are thought to be 79 natural satellites orbiting Jupiter. So you'd be forgiven for not being immediately familiar with all of them…it's a big Jovian family!
The little world seen above is one of Jupiter's smaller and lesser-known satellites and it holds a particular distinction. It's called Metis (pronounced like "meet" in the present tense, not "met" in the past) and it's only about 37 miles across and 21 miles high. It is the closest moon to Jupiter, orbiting within the planet's main ring (yes, Jupiter has rings) at a distance of about 80,000 miles. It's also Jupiter's speediest moon—at 70,500 mph it completes a single orbit in just over 7 hours. That's almost three hours less than a Jovian day!
The image above was captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on November 6, 1997, two years into its 8 years in orbit at Jupiter. It's a highly-upscaled version of a raw file I downloaded from NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS) archive using SETI's OPUS site. I've recently been looking into some raw data from older missions with the goal of processing better versions of things I had worked on in previous years using lower-quality preview JPEGs, and also finding some things I didn't know about before. Metis is one of them!
Galileo wasn't the first spacecraft to capture images of Metis; actually Voyager 1 was. The moon was discovered by JPL astronomer Stephen Synnott in data acquired by Voyager 1 in 1979 during its flyby of Jupiter. In March 4 of that year Metis was captured passing in front of Jupiter's bands of swirling clouds…imagine its view!
The image below is a color-composite I assembled from Voyager 1 observations in red, green, and blue visible-light filters. 37-mile-wide Metis is a tiny speck near the lower right.
Can you spot Metis? If not, here's some help:
There are three other inner moons of Jupiter in addition to Metis, which is the closest—Adrastea (the smallest and the only other inner moon to orbit faster than a Jovian day), Amalthea (the largest and first-known), and Thebe (rhymes with Phoebe). All orbit between the rings and the orbit of Io, the innermost of the four Galilean moons.
(I processed a Galileo image of Thebe as well:)
We don't know that much about Metis, other than like the other inner moons it's quite dark (albedo of .06) and is probably made mostly of water ice, based on density.
Learn more about Metis here, and find a full list of Jupiter's known moons here.


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While I was doing the researches for these sad and grim tales of Bomber Command, I came across a number of interesting details which I would like to share. Perhaps one or two loose ends might be tied up.
The first is only loosely connected with the collision of the two unfortunate Lancasters returning from Leipzig on February 20th 1944. I noticed that one of the casualties, Flying Officer Ronald Harry Fuller, was buried in Cambridge City Cemetery. Given that Cambridge is not particularly close to Marylebone in London, where Ronald lived, I decided to look up the details of this cemetery on the Internet. I was genuinely shocked by what I found about the war casualties there. Their names and most basic of details occupy fully an unbelievable 68 pages on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. Just enter the words "Cambridge City Cemetery" in the line marked "Cemetery or memorial" and press "Search":
The very last page is grimly ironic. It lists four Australians, all of them obviously interred a long, long way from home.
One is from the Great War, George Ernest Young of Camberwell, Victoria, Australia. He was aged 28 and died only 12 days from the end of the conflict. The other three interments are all Second World War flyers:
Flight Sergeant George Louis Yensen was a Mid Upper Gunner aged just 20. He was killed on August 31st 1943 in a Short Stirling I of No. 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit of Bomber Command, Serial Number N6005,Squadron Letters probably F-D2. Here is a flight of three Stirlings:
The name of George's unit means he must have perished well before his training for heavy bombers was even complete. George died along with eight other young trainees on board this aircraft. Two of them were from the Republic of Ireland. Apparently the plane took off from Downham Market near Cambridge at 9.30 pm. presumably just as the daylight was beginning to fade. Suddenly, ten minutes after takeoff, for no apparent reason, the aircraft banked steeply and then spun into the ground just a mile or so north of Shippea Hill on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border, and around seven miles from Ely. The orange arrow marks the crash site:
The next Australian, Alan Geoffry (sic) Young was 21 years old when he was killed. A member of the RAAF's 460 Squadron, he was returning from a bombing raid on Stuttgart. His Lancaster was caught in a blizzard and crashed some ten miles south of Grantham at North Witham. All seven members of the crew were killed. By coincidence, young Alan perished on February 21st 1944, the very next day after the Leipzig raid which inspired the first of these articles:
Flight Sergeant Ian Bailey Yorkston was killed in an accident on March 4th 1945, flying in a Lancaster I, Serial Number PD431,Squadron Letters H4-V. Ian was in No. 1653 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF, and he was just 25 years of age. His parents were Christian missionaries and had worked in China where Ian grew up. Seven other young men perished in the crash. The plane had taken off from North Luffenham for a cross-country training flight at 11.30 in the morning, and returned to base at 4.00 pm. As the aircraft landed, it bounced quite severely. The pilot increased the power and prepared to go round for a second landing attempt. As it climbed away, the aircraft's undercarriage hit an obstruction and then ploughed into the tops of several trees. It finally crashed near the village of Edith Weston, just four miles south east of Oakham in Rutland. The orange arrow marks the crash site:
This was not Ian Yorkston's first crash. On August 18th 1944, with "D" Flight of No. 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit he was flying in a Short Stirling III, Serial Number LK519, Squadron Letters QQ-O. Taking off on a night exercise from Wratting Common at three minutes to ten the previous evening, the crew were returning at six minutes past two. They requested, and were given, permission to land, but then there were problems with the Stirling's immensely lofty and complicated undercarriage:
For forty minutes, a tense dialogue took place between the aircraft and Flying Control. At three minutes to three, a garbled message came from the aircraft which was heard to contain the phrase "crash land". The Stirling came in at tree top level, flying towards No 4 runway which already had a second Stirling parked on it, having suffered a burst tyre. In the resulting collision, the Trainee Pilot, Flight Sergeant Alan Woodbridge (aged 23) was killed. He was buried in his native village Up Nately, in Hampshire. Alan had himself already been in an accident on July 26th when a slightly misjudged landing resulted in part of the Stirling's undercarriage being ripped off. Three weeks later, as we have seen, he was dead.
Ian Yorkston's brother, Flying Officer Gordon Cameron Yorkston, was also killed, not in training though, but in combat with No. 251 Squadron. He was only 21 years of age when he perished on March 17th 1945, in the icy waters off Iceland. The squadron was tasked with carrying out Air Sea Rescue and Meteorological Flights out of Reykjavik This was only 13 days after his elder brother, Ian, had been killed. Gordon's remains were never found and his sacrifice is commemorated on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede near Egham in Surrey. This memorial is dedicated to RAF personnel who died in World War II and who have no known grave anywhere in the world. Many were lost without trace. There are an amazing 20, 310 names on the memorial:
I actually found a website which listed all of the brothers who had died in service with the RAAF in World War Two. There were at least fifty pairs and included three Sandilands, three Eddisons and four brothers called Bernard. What a sacrifice to be asked to make!
The second final, grim, point concerns the unfortunate collision witnessed by Driver Marie Harris. This took place on December 16th 1943, as the two aircraft took off to bomb Berlin.
What I found really quite shocking was that there is another memorial very close by in what is actually only a very small area of Lincolnshire. It pays tribute to yet another crashed Lancaster, a plane from No 12 Squadron at RAF Wickenby, which was shot down by a German night intruder just before half past midnight in the early hours of March 4th 1945.
This was Lancaster PB476, Squadron letters PH-Y, and the brave young men remembered were the Flying Officer Nicholas Ansdell (Pilot, 21 years old, from Churt in Surrey), Flying Officer Alexander Hunter (Navigator, age 33, from Dunfermline, Scotland), Flying Officer Freddie Heath (Bombaimer, aged 22, from New Malden, Surrey), Sergeant Ronald Schafer, (Flight Engineer, aged 23 of Earley in Berkshire), Sergeant Robert Parry, (Wireless Operator, aged only 19 from Dagenham, Essex), Sergeant Arthur Walker, (Mid – Upper Gunner, aged only 20, of Risley, Derbyshire) and Sergeant William Mellor (Rear Gunner, aged just 19,from Hatherton, a hamlet in Cheshire.)
Here is the lane next to the field where the aircraft crashed and the monument on the left:
They were victims of a German night fighter initiative called "Unternehmen Gisela" or "Operation Gisela"
This involved large numbers of twin engined German night fighters, armed with Lichtenstein radar:
The aircraft left the Continent and flew across the North Sea to England in an effort to destroy as many of the vulnerable bombers as possible as they arrived back from Berlin:
The fighters flew at low level, under a storm front and in heavy rain, to remain under the British radar defences. They were then able to attack over a wide area, looking for RAF navigation lights and then flying underneath the bomber to make use of their upward pointing Schräge Musik twin cannons. In this case, the cannon are just behind the cockpit, clearly offset for some reason:
Around 25 Lancasters or other bombers were either destroyed or severely damaged in this operation. A total of 78 aircrew were killed and 17 civilians perished. The Germans lost 45 airmen.
One final word. All of the websites I have used can be reached through the links above. I could not have produced this article, however, without recourse to the superb books by W.R.Chorley. Their detail is almost unbelievable and I would urge anyone interested by the bomber war to think seriously of purchasing at least one of them. The books bring home just how many young men were killed in Bomber Command during the Second World War. When the first book arrived, my daughter thought it contained all the casualties for the whole war, but, alas, it was just 1944.


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Southern Kings teenage sensation Sergeal Petersen was bubbling over with emotion an exceptional debut but replacement captain Andries Strauss has warned the team to keep their feet on the ground.
Three months ago Petersen was still in school but in his and the Southern Kings Super Rugby debut he scored two tries to help them take the top spot in the South African Conference.
The Kings made a memorable Super Rugby debut with a 22-10 win over the Western Force in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, and the 18-year-old Petersen picked up the man of the match award for his performance.
"You could not ask for a better start than this," Petersen beamed after the match.
The youngster was delighted with his brace in front of his home crowd.
"It was emotional and passionate because I am from this area and I just want to give back to EP rugby what they've given me," he said.
"It was a perfect start and it's a dream to play with a team like this because we are all brothers."
Strauss, one of the few Kings players with extensive Super Rugby experience, took over the captaincy after Luke Watson had to leave the field 30 minutes into the first half following a blow to the throat.
He said the result was a victory for their pre-season preparation following some hard work to mould a top flight outfit after the Kings received the go-ahead to join the competition in August.
"We worked hard in pre-season and moulded the side since day one, but we have to keep our feet on the ground," Strauss said.
"We still have a lot of work to do and we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. It was a great win, we'll take it, take the four points, but will go back to the training field and fix those mistakes."
The Kings trailed 10-5 at half-time after spending most of the first half on defence and Strauss said their talk at the break revolved around the need to be positive.
"We just knew we had done the preparation and we had it in us to get a win, and at half-time we spoke about staying positive, to keep the ball and to limit the mistakes.
"I think we did that in the second half and managed to put some points on the board, and put the pressure back on the Force."
After their promotion to Super Rugby was laced with controversy, when the SA Rugby Union decided to give the Kings a spot at the expense of the Lions, Strauss emphasised the need to get a victory under their belts.
"We targeted this first game because we knew we had to get a win to get the public behind us and to give belief in the team that we can compete in this competition," he said.
"There was pressure from ourselves and from the outside, and I just hope we can take this momentum and go forward with confidence.
"We are fortunate to have the first few games at home. It means a lot to the team and to the public.
"We are not only playing for ourselves but for the whole province, so it was great to see so many fans out there, and hopefully we can give them another win in two weeks' time."
The Kings have a bye in the next round, and will line-up again on March 9 when they host the Sharks at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Gloucester club captain Greig Laidlaw will leave the English Premiership Rugby club at the end of the season to join French Top 14 club Clermont. Scotland captain Laidlaw joined...
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It's a Bacon Kind of Saturday Here In The Castle!
Yes indeed it is AND we have a "guest recipe" this time too. It's a recipe that I think has fascinated a lot of bacon lovers for AGES………….bacon weave ANYTHING is intriguing but pizza? Oh man that just HAS to be good! But guess what – they aren't all that tough to make and I'm going to tell you about it now!
Before I start, a BIG THANK YOU to Sharon of FRIENDSFUREVER for sending this one to us. Ready with your pencil and paper???
This is what the crust looks like – note we used a few more slices of bacon than the recipe but it's UP TO YOU how big to make your crust!!
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper. To form a bacon weave, line six bacon slices side-by-side on the baking sheet. Lift up and fold back every other bacon slice, then lay a seventh slice on top in the center.
- Lay folded-back slices on top of seventh slice, then fold back the alternate slices. Place eighth slice on top, next to the seventh slice, weaving like you did before. Repeat this process four more times to complete the weave.
- Place an inverted, oven-proof cooling rack on top of the bacon slices. This helps them stay flat.
- Bake 23 to 25 minutes, or until bacon starts to crisp.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and pour off as much fat as you can. Carefully remove rack, then spread with pizza sauce leaving ½-inch or so for crust. Top with mozzarella, pepper, onions, olives, and Parmesan.
- Return sheet to oven and continue baking until cheese is melty, another 10 minutes.
IF you google "bacon weave pizza" and see some of the photos you'll realize that this is definitely worth trying. If you're a bacon fan and even more especially if you like THIN CRUST PIZZA (which my Mom does).
So what do you say? This is one that would be fun to make………………..and delish too……………..just ask my Mom – she had a big smile on her face when she ate it with my Dad!
Mom looked a little like this only her tongue isn't that long. HAHAHA
HAPPY CATURDAY! Your King


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TVA CEO to have top authority
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Valley Authority's board voted Monday to delegate certain authority to the utility's new chief executive in case five of its vacancies aren't filled before Congress adjourns this month.
The board is made up of nine members and five seats are pending congressional action, including one that's up for reappointment. Whenever five or more of the seats are vacant, the board lacks a quorum.
The authorizations and delegations approved at a special meeting on Monday would only go into effect if the panel lacks a quorum because of vacancies.
"Our primary objective … is to make sure TVA continues to have flexibility to manage its activities with a maximum effectiveness while the process continues in Washington," said Board Chairman Bill Sansom.
TVA spokesman Scott Brooks told The Associated Press before Monday's vote that the new authority allows the CEO to conduct TVA business without the board "in certain critical areas," such as handling financing arrangements and contracts.
The last time TVA operated without a board quorum was in 1999.
Brooks said it's possible Congress could fill the vacancies before leaving, but the utility is playing it safe because it doesn't control the process.
"It's a process," he said. "It's always been a process."
Tennessee Republican U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker have criticized the Obama administration for not making the TVA board nominations sooner and say they understand the action the utility has taken, the Chattanooga Times Free Press recently reported.
Obama made one nomination in February and four more in September. However, the Senate has not acted, even though Alexander serves on the Environment and Public Works Committee responsible for moving the nominations.
"Given that delay, the TVA board's plan to delegate temporary authority is wise and should make sure that the delay causes no problems," Alexander said in a prepared statement.
Corker said he met with the nominees last week and is concerned about their fiscal expertise.
"The critical issue for me as I continue to evaluate their backgrounds is whether they have appropriate experience to help guide an $11 billion entity like TVA, which is one of the largest utilities in the U.S.," he said.
Last month, TVA's board chose former Progress Energy CEO Bill Johnson to lead the utility, which provides electricity to 9 million people in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Johnson succeeds Tom Kilgore, who is retiring after six years as TVA's president and its first CEO.
The utility's chief operating officer, Bill McCollum, retired in June and was not immediately replaced.
TVA, which receives no taxpayer money and makes no profits, also provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists utilities and state and local governments with economic development.


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Fibergrate products provide long-term solutions with products designed to address safety and corrosion issues found in all phases of water and wastewater treatment. Fibergrate's products are environmentally safe and can be used extensively as filter media support, access walkways, trench and manhole covers, and walkovers. When required, Fibergrate will provide NSF approved products for your facility.
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However, this week's The New Yorker contains a long piece he has just written which is not about baseball. It's called This Old Man (subtitled "Life in the Nineties"), and I could not put it down until I had read every word. Finding something good about getting old written by someone quite a bit older than me doesn't happen every day! So I wish I could just copy out the whole thing here to show everybody. But it's too long. (Pages 60-65 in the February 17 & 24, 2014 issue, the one with the annual Cholly Knickerbocker cover.)
However, without pushing the outer limits of bloggery too far, I can probably offer a taste from the middle (about how the rest of the world treats you when you're old) and then the last page and a half, about which I thought, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, all the way to the tiny diamond which marks the end.
If you're twenty-five and feel you don't need to think about things like this right now, you probably don't. Unless you've got a great-aunt or great-uncle still hanging in there, and want to know what it feels like. But your generation probably doesn't read The Getting Old Blog much, if at all. So this post is mainly for everyone else.
Because I've had to cut somewhere, I'm skipping the beginning and some of the middle, in which Angell describes his present pretty-far-gone physical condition (eyes, limbs, spine, heart), his personal losses (wife Carol, daughter Callie, dog Harry, many many friends), his remaining joys, his thoughts on death and dying. You can find the magazine online (Google it if you don't subscribe), should you want to read it all. This part is from page 63:
We elders — what kind of a handle is this, anyway, halfway between a tree and an eel? — we elders have learned a thing or two, including invisibility. Here I am in a conversation with some trusty friends — old friends but actually not all that old: they're in their sixties — and we're finishing the wine and in serious converse about global warming…or Virginia Woolf…. There's a pause, and I chime in with a couple of sentences. The others look at me politely, then resume the talk exactly at the point where they've just left it. What? Hello? Didn't I just say something? Have I left the room? Have I experienced what neurologists call a TIA — a transient ischemic attack? I didn't expect to take over the chat but did await a word or two or response. Not tonight, though. (Women I know say that this began to happen to them when they passed fifty.) When I mention the phenomenon to anyone around my age, I get back nods and smiles. Yes, we're invisible. Honored, respected, even loved, but not quite worth listening to anymore. You've had your turn, Pops; now it's ours…..
And here are the last two columns of page 64 and all of page 65:
I get along. Now and then it comes to me that I appear to have more energy and hope than some of my coevals, but I take no credit for this. I don't belong to a book club or a bridge club; I'm not taking up Mandarin or practicing the viola. In a sporadic effort to keep my brain from moldering, I've begun to memorize shorter poems — by Auden, Donne, Ogden Nash, and more — which I recite to myself some nights while walking my dog, Harry's successor fox terrier, Andy. I've also become a blogger, and enjoy the ease and freedom of the form: it's a bit like making a paper airplane and then watching it take wing below your window. But shouldn't I have something more scholarly or complex than this put away by now — late paragraphs of accomplishments, good works, some weightier-op-cits? I'm afraid not. The thoughts of age are short, short thoughts. I don't read Scripture and cling to no life precepts, except perhaps to Walter Cronkite's rules for old men, which he did not deliver over the air: Never trust a fart. Never pass up a drink. Never ignore an erection.
I count on jokes, even jokes about death.Small Boy: My name is Irving and my dad is a mechanic. Teacher: A mechanic! Thank you, Irving. Next? Small Girl: My name is Emma and my mom is a lawyer. Teacher: How nice for you, Emma. Next? Second Small Boy: My name is Luke and my dad is dead. Teacher: Oh, Luke, how sad for you. We're all very sorry about that, aren't we class? Luke, do you think you could tell us what Dad did before he died? Luke (seizes his throat): He went "N'gungghhh!"
Not bad — I'm told that fourth graders really go for this one. Let's try another.
A man and his wife tried and tried to have a baby, but without success. Years went by and they went on trying, but no luck. They liked each other, so the work was always a pleasure, but they grew a bit sad along the way. Finally, she got pregnant, was very careful, and gave birth to a beautiful eight-pound-two-ounce baby boy. The couple were beside themselves with happiness. At the hospital that night, she told her husband to stop by the local newspaper and arrange for a birth announcement, to tell all their friends the good news. First thing next morning, she asked if he'd done the errand.
"Yes, I did," he said, "but I had no idea those little notices in the paper were so expensive."
"Expensive?" she said. "How much was it?"
"It was eight hundred and thirty-seven dollars. I have the receipt."
"Eight hundred and thirty-seven dollars!" she cried. "But that's impossible. You must have made some mistake. Tell me exactly what happened."
"There was a young lady behind a counter at the paper, who gave me the form to fill out," he said. "I put in your name and my name and little Teddy's name and weight, and when we'd be home again and, you know, ready to see friends. I handed it back to her and she counted up the words and said, "How many insertions?" I said twice a week for fourteen years, and she gave me the bill. O.K.?"
I heard this tale more than fifty years ago, when my first wife, Evelyn, and I were invited to tea by a rather elegant older couple who were new to our little Rockland County community. They were in their seventies, at least, and very welcoming, and it was just the four of us. We barely knew them and I was surprised when he turned and asked her to tell us the joke about the couple trying to have a baby. "Oh, no," she said, "they wouldn't want to hear that."
"Oh, come on, dear — they'll love it," he said, smiling at her. I groaned inwardly and was preparing a forced smile while she started off shyly, but then, of course, the four of us fell over laughing together.
That night, Evelyn said, "Did you see Keith's face while Edie was telling that story? Did you see hers? Do you think it's possible that they're still — you know, still doing it?"
"Yes, I did– yes, I do," I said. "I was thinking exactly the same thing. They're amazing."
This was news back then, but probably shouldn't be by now. I remember a passage I came upon years later, in an Op-Ed piece in the Times, written by a man who'd just lost his wife. "We slept naked in the same bed for forty years," it went. There was also my splendid colleague Bob Bingham, dying in his late fifties, who was asked by a friend what he'd missed or would do differently if given the chance. He thought for an instant, and said, "More venery."
More venery. More love; more closeness; more sex and romance. Bring it back, no matter what, no matter how old we are. This fervent cry of ours has been certified by Simone de Beauvoir and Alice Munro and Laurence Olivier and any number or remarried or recoupled ancient classmates of ours. Laurence Olivier? I'm thinking of what he says somewhere in an interview: "Inside, we're all seventeen, with red lips."
This is a dodgy subject, coming as it does here from a recent widower, and I will risk further breach of code and add that this was something that Carol and I now and then idly discussed. We didn't quite see the point of memorial fidelity. In our view, the departed spouse — we always thought it would be me — wouldn't be around anymore but knew or had known that he or she was loved forever. Please go ahead, then, sweetheart — don't miss a moment. Carol said this last: "If you haven't found someone else by a year after I'm gone I'll come back and haunt you."
Getting old is the second-biggest surprise of my life, but the first, by a mile, is our unceasing need for deep attachment and intimate love. We oldies yearn daily and hourly for conversation and a renewed domesticity, for company at the movies or while visiting a museum, for someone close by in the car when coming at home at night. This is why we throng Match.com and OkCupid in such numbers — but not just for this surely. Rowing in Eden (in Emily Dickinson's words: "Rowing in Eden –/ Ah — the sea") isn't reserved for the lithe and young, the dating or the hooked-up or the just lavishly married, or even for couples in the middle-aged mixed-doubles semifinals, thank God. No personal confession or revelation impends here, but these feelings in old folks are widely treated like a raunchy secret. The invisibility factor — you've had your turn — is back at it again. But I believe that everyone in the world wants to be with someone else tonight, together in the dark, with the sweet warmth of a hip or a foot or a bare expanse of shoulder within reach. Those of us who have lost that, whatever our age, never lose the longing: just look at our faces. If it returns, we seize upon it avidly, stunned and altered again.
Nothing is easy at this age, and first meetings for old lovers can be a high-risk venture. Reticence and awkwardness slip into the room. Also happiness. A wealthy old widower I knew married a nurse he met while in the hospital, but had trouble remembering her name afterward. He called her "kid." An eighty-plus, twice-widowed lady I'd once known found still another love, a frail but vibrant Midwest professor, now close to ninety, and the pair got in two or three happy years together before he died as well. When she called his children and arranged to pick up her things at his house, she found every possession of hers lined up outside the front door.
But to hell with them and with all that, O.K.? Here's to you, old dears. You got this right, every one of you. Hook, line, and sinker; never mind the why or wherefore; somewhere in the night; love me forever, or at least until next week. For us and for anyone this unsettles, anyone who's younger and still squirms at the vision of an old couple embracing, I'd offer John Updike's "Sex or death: you take your pick" — a line that appears (in a slightly different form) in a late story of his, "Playing with Dynamite."
This is a great question, an excellent insurance-plan choice, I mean. I think it's in the Affordable Care Act somewhere. Take it from us, who know about the emptiness of loss, and are still cruising along here feeling lucky and not yet entirely alone.
You may not like the jokes. But oh, is he ever right! Here's one more little bit to leave off with:
In the first summer after Carol had gone, a man I'd known slightly and pleasantly for decades listened while I talked about my changed routines and my doctors and dog walkers and the magazine. I paused for a moment, and he said, "Plus you have us."
Another message — also brief, also breathtaking — came on an earlier afternoon at my longtime therapist's, at a time when I felt I'd lost almost everything. "I don't know how I'm going to get through this," I said at last.
A silence, then: "Neither do I. But you will."


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While the US licks its psychic wounds after an ugly 2012 election and settles back into its usual partisan squabbling (Oh, Hi John Boehner), the real most important country in the world has begun a governmental transition of its own. It's called the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and it started Thursday. There won't be much popular voting going on, but unlike America, the leadership that will emerge from the process will feature a different set of characters than it started with. The Congress is political theater—emphasis on the theater. The action takes place inside the main auditorium of Beijing's Great Hall of the People. All the important casting decisions were made months in advance. Party members in the lead roles will deliver lengthy soliloquies. And everyone is heavily discouraged from going off-script.
Practically, Xi Jinping will soon replace Hu Jintao as leader of the Communist Party of China and President of People's Republic. The Politburo will induct new members, and a bunch of other shit will happen.
As exciting as it seems that the world's most populated country and soon-to-be leading economic force is changing leaders, the proceedings themselves are pretty boring. But against the backdrop of corruption, murder, and suppression, this Congress comes at a critical and complicated point in the country's history.
It's been a rough year for the Communist Party.
First, one of the civil rights activists they were illegally keeping under house arrest managed to escape and fled to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he and his family were eventually granted asylum. This guy must be ninja Houdini, right? Actually, he's a blind, self-taught lawyer named Chen Guangcheng.
Second, one of their most senior members, Bo Xilai, the former party chief of Chongqing and one of the elite 25 who make up the Politburo, was found to have conspired with his wife to murder a British national.
What's worse, the story only broke because Bo's insanely corrupt vice-mayor and police chief, Wang Lijun, decided to stop protecting his even more insanely corrupt boss.
On February 6th, Wang, fearing for his life, ran to the US consulate in neighboring Sichuan province with evidence that Bo and his wife, Gu Kailai, had conspired to murder a British businessman named Neil Heywood, who may or may not have been a spy. You can't make this shit up.
I'll save you the play-by-play. Wang was sentenced to 15 years for defection and abuse of power, among other things; Gu was charged with murder and given a suspended death sentence (the Party rarely executes its own for crimes they wouldn't hesitate to kill laymen for). Wang's trial took two days while Gu's took only one. Justice in China is nothing if not swift.
For his part, Bo was gradually stripped of all his posts, including his place in the Central Committee and the Politburo, and was finally kicked out of the CPC on 4 November, just four days before the National Congress. He has not been seen in public and is presumably in a secret jail, awaiting his own show trial.
The Bo Xilai scandal was a crisis for the Party—the most serious since 1989—because it threatened their legitimacy. If Bo Xilai was so corrupt, people wondered, how did he make it so high up in the party apparatus?
With this in mind you can understand why, going into the once-in-a-decade leadership transition, the Party had a touch of stage fright.
They took every conceivable precaution, which, with their nearly unlimited power, inevitably veered into paranoid and absurdist territory. The government essentially blocked Google and its attendant services for, I guess, allowing people to freely access information, adding it to the growing list of blocked sites which includes Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Also blocked were news outlets that published articles about the key players. Bloomberg and Businessweek were blocked for publishing an exposé on the wealth president-in-waiting Xi Jinping's family, even though the article did not accuse him of any wrongdoing. The New York Times disappeared after a similar piece on outgoing premier Wen Jiabao revealed that his relatives controlled assets of $2.7 billion.
Police in Gansu, a province in western China, even offered to pay 50,000 yuan ($8,000) for information regarding self-immolations, a phenomenon which has become more and more common, though news of such incidents are completely blacked out in domestic media. But $8,000 must not have been enticing enough because four self-immolations occurred the day before the Congress.
The absurdity reached its apex in Beijing, where the Congress is taking place. Taxi drivers were told to remove the rear window handles to prevent people from throwing leaflets out the window, though the cab I took a few days ago neglected to follow this proscription. Hotels were instructed not to show foreign news channels. Some supermarkets have taken knives and other sharp objects off the shelf.
Other potentially dangerous items include ping pong balls, pigeons, and remote-controlled model airplanes.
With all the buildup and security, you'd think the National Congress was a cross between the Olympics and a G8 summit. But, as with all official political events in China, the Congress is like a Noh play, only much more incomprehensible and soporific.
Take, for example, this rousing rhetoric from Hu Jintao's keynote speech during the opening ceremony of the Congress:
Together with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development is the theoretical guidance the Party must adhere to for a long time.
Don't worry if you can't understand what he's talking about—Chinese people can't either. "What does that even mean?" was the reaction from my Chinese co-workers. As another friend put it, "I listened to the speech for ten minutes and didn't hear one meaningful sentence."
It's almost impossible to gauge how average Chinese are reacting to the Congress. While television and newspapers, all of which are state-run, show happy smiling faces, the semi-free internet tells another story.
On Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site, photos of the aforementioned restrictions were spread around and parodied by users, but this sardonic, tech-savvy group is hardly representative of the Chinese population.
In the run-up to the Congress, netizens developed the codename "Sparta" to refer to the Congress in order to get around Internet censors. (In Chinese, the Congress is called Shibada, which sounds like the Chinese name for Sparta, Sibada.) "Sparta" has since become a banned search term on Weibo.
Don't expect any surprises.
As expected, Xi Jinping has been appointed secretary-general of the 18th National Congress, and it is assumed that, just as Bo gradually lost his posts, Xi will gradually inherit the roles that Hu Jintao now fulfills: General Secretary of the CPC, President of the People's Republic of China, Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, and Chairman of the PRC Central Military Commission. As Shakespeare wrote, "one man in his time plays many parts."
Some analysts predict the Politburo Standing Committee, the nine-member body at the top of the pyramid, might be cut down to seven. Two members are almost certain to stay—Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, the current vice-premier—but the other five to seven are anyone's guess. Despite all the hype, the token woman in the Politburo, Liu Yandong, is unlikely to be inducted.
Though Hu Jintao has encouraged the rule of law and cautioned the Party that corruption might be its undoing, it's hard to see how the words of a man who's out of a job in three days will solve a problem so pervasive, and change a system so dependent on patronage, corruption, and nepotism.
Whatever happens, the Party and the government will continue on their path of ensuring stability. They will keep buying American debt, keep trying to better the lives of their people, and, most of all, keep their hold on power at any cost—environmental, social, or otherwise.
But that's the interesting thing about a country with a dynastic history as long as China's. It's not about who has the power—it's about how long they can keep it.
@dingsanbai (photos via Xinhua)


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Israel warns Gaza missiles could provoke new offensive against militants
Gaza militants fired 15 mortars or rockets into Israel on Monday and Tuesday in an unexpected flare-up two years after Israel's devastating offensive on the Hamas-controlled coastal strip.
| Tel Aviv
On the eve of the second anniversary of Israel's 23-day offensive against Hamas in Gaza, a period of relative calm in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been shattered by missile launches from the coastal strip and Israeli counterstrikes.
On Monday and Tuesday, 15 mortars or rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel compared to some 200 for all of 2010, leaving one Israeli teenager lightly wounded and prompting a formal protest to the United Nations. Over the weekend, Israeli attacks killed four militants. Most of the missiles from Gaza have not been launched by Hamas forces, but Israel is holding the Islamist militant group responsible, and has started targeting Hamas positions for the first time in months.
While Gaza is still struggling to recover from the destruction of "Operation Cast Lead," the Israeli offensive that killed more than 1,400 Gazans, many observers worry that this unexpected flare-up in border violence could provoke another Israeli offensive.
On Wednesday, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor warned in an interview with Israeli Army Radio that continued rocket fire could prompt Israel to launch a new operation to quell the fresh round of missile attacks, which have been condemned by Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat.
"Had Hamas wanted to break all the rules, it would have fired rockets at Herzliya or at Ben-Gurion Airport. It possesses the means and the capability," wrote Alex Fishman in the daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot. "But Hamas does not want to break all the rules. It just wants to test the limits and while doing so, to set new game rules."
The escalation is a test for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused his predecessor Ehud Olmert of not responding forcefully enough to the hundreds of rockets from Gaza that preceded Operation Cast Lead.
Adding to the tension, Israeli military officials say that Gaza militants have armed themselves with Kornet missiles that can penetrate the armor of tanks.
Hamas has controlled Gaza since a violent takeover in June 2007. After declaring Gaza a "hostile" territory, Israel imposed an economic and military blockade on the strip. The economic blockade was partially relaxed following the international uproar over Israel's deadly intercept of a flotilla that challenged the blockade.
The fallout from that incident, in addition to diplomatic pressure over the stalled peace process, may give Mr. Netanyahu pause in how he deals with this recent flare-up in attacks, say analysts.
"Israel has to be very careful about how it handles Gaza," says Meir Javedanfar, a Middle East analyst based in Tel Aviv. "In light of Israel's increasing international isolation, any overreaction is going to be more difficult for Israel to gain support and sympathy from the US and European Union.''
There is a range of theories about what is behind the new violence. Those that assume Hamas has given militants more leverage to fire into Israel postulate that the organization is taking advantage of the impasse in peace negotiations.
Others suggest that Hamas does not have full control over the strip and that more extremist armed groups like Islamic Jihad and the Army of Islam are trying to foment a new round of attacks.
"Their authority in Gaza will be in danger in the case of any new war with Israel," says Nashat Aqtash, a communications professor at Birzeit University near Ramallah. "People are tired over the last four years. Hamas needs to things calm down."


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we are taking the snapshot data for an item from multiple rest Api calls
so we are thinking to call endodsnapshot after each api call is made. Is that recommended, will it have any impacts on the ls server.
Say item1 subscription,
api -1 success , call end of snapshot
api-2 success , call end of snapshot
our doubt is whether it will impact multiple clients in any manner.
Im not understanding the term discarded information, what msged will be discarded??
After that an unsubscribe call for the Item has returned, further calls of this method for the itemHandler received with the last subscription operation are still allowed and will be just discarded.


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Sophie's Kitchen has been making assorted vegan versions of beloved seafood for a while now when I noticed their vegan smoked salmon.
We tried it with Tofutti cream cheese and some home-made teff bread (a new house favorite; the recipe is a work in progress) and the flavor was there. It isn't smoked salmon but it was smoky, salty, oily and fishy. The texture wasn't what I expected; the konjac fiber dominated but wasn't offensive. The ingredients were unobjectionable but highly processed. As far as vegan comfort food goes, it didn't wow me, but I think it's worth a try for the rest of you out there.
I don't think it will convince most carnists, but was a welcome change from regular Tofutti cream cheese on toast. Let me know what you think.
This is Christie, signing off!


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Survey: Teens' drug, alcohol use declining
CINCINNATI -- Even as fewer teenagers here drink alcohol and smoke, they are more cavalier about using marijuana and more than 4 percent are using prescription drugs for recreational purposes.
A new survey shows that alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use have declined by 25 percent to 50 percent since 2000 as disapproval by peers and parents increases, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati said Tuesday.
That's the good news, but the warning signs have parents and public health officials wary.
"It's obvious that while the overall numbers may be going down, there's still a lot of kids using and experimenting," said Melanie Stutenroth of Terrace Park, who has three sons ages 20, 16 and 12.
Public health officials around the country agree, saying it's critical to reach children before they become teenagers. Once use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana takes hold, it can lead into more serious drugs, including heroin.
"We have to get to those precursor drugs and start targeting more effective prevention strategies so we can change the trajectory of these kids," said Bonnie Hedrick, prevention alliance coordinator for the Northern Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy.
C.J. Chambers, a Cincinnati-area high school senior, said teenagers' attitudes toward marijuana have relaxed, influenced by its legalization in several states, and the recreational use of prescription drugs "is making an appearance a little bit."
For the first time this year, students viewed marijuana as less harmful than alcohol.
"It's more like music these days as being something that's OK, that's cool to do," Chambers said.
Overall, Cincinnati coalition leaders say they are happy with the results. Only 17.8 percent of teens said they had used alcohol during the last 30 days, 9.8 percent had smoked cigarettes, 11.4 percent used marijuana and 4.3 percent used illicit prescription drugs.
"We're headed toward single-digit use, and that's a good thing," said Mary Haag, president of the coalition.
But the average age for starting those substances remains 13 years old.
"We started talking to our kids at a very young age," Stutenroth said. 'Sometimes it hits you sooner than you're ready to think about. It's never too young. Once they get to high school, they think they've got it all figured out."
The survey, administered last fall, included more than 56,000 teenagers in 107 schools in Southwest Ohio.
Another warning sign identified by the survey is binge drinking. Haag said 23.4 percent of 12th graders report binge drinking, up from 4.9 percent in the ninth grade.
Hedrick said when teens drink and smoke pot, it smooths the transition to more serious drugs.
"Alcohol acts on the nerve receptors in the brain, the opiate receptors, in the same way that heroin does, just not with the same intensity," she said, noting that prescription drugs are an even clearer "precursor drug" to heroin.
Risky behaviors are the same as they have been for decades, the coalition said: being with friends who use the substances and going to parties where they are available.