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A Florida Sport Truck Tradition
Related Video
If you're a sport truck enthusiast in the Sunshine State, you probably already know about Slamfest and Mini Madness. The club's long-running event has been a Florida favorite for more than a decade. Mini Madness, headquartered in Brandon, Florida, with members located throughout the state, is celebrating its thirteenth year as a club. For the past 12 years, the club has been inviting friends from around the country to its legendary end-of-the-year blowout.
Regulars at Slamfest know that the easy flow from check-in to the final awards presentation is carefully orchestrated, with procedures refined over the years. To the event's first-timers, the show seems to transition seamlessly from one cool event to the next, with hardly a break in the action.
The Florida State Fairgrounds is the ideal location, with plenty of room to display your truck, space for hundreds of vendors, and air-conditioned indoor spaces that provided a break from the mild October sunshine. This past year was the first time the show was held in October, moved from its traditional November time slot to eliminate conflicts with other popular November automotive events.
Games are a Slamfest tradition and amazingly, everybody plays. Clubs engage in good-natured rivalry just to be able to joke later that "We won!" The burnout contest always draws an active field with strong players on both sides. The big-inch rear-drive V-8s use brute force, while the front-drive four-cylinders use high-tech finesse. Both factions have their fans, and both groups can blow tires at will, to the delight of everyone in the crowd. Winners get new rubber, while losers get a handshake and directions to the Falken store.
The bikini contest is always a favorite, and the prize money helps attract the best of the best. More than a dozen of the Southeast's hottest girls slipped into something skimpy for the occasion, and the crowd roared in approval. A dozen or so runway walks later, Stephanie captured the crowd, the judges, and the $500, in that order.
The end of the bikini contest meant the beginning of the awards ceremony, a particularly intense time for the 1,500 competitors at this year's event. Everyone can't take home a trophy, but the odds were very good, with 150 hearing their name called from the stage. A few achieved special recognition, such as Joe Schmelzer's fabulous '95 S-10, taking Best of Show. Joe detailed every inch of the body-dropped truck, inside and out; set it on 18s and 20s; then painted it Orange Metallic and Ice Silver. He took the trophy along with $500 in cash. The coveted Mini Madness pick went to Jason Robichaux and his beautiful slammed '99 Chevy dualie. Loaded with exquisite detail and sporting a one-of-a-kind fiberglass interior, the truck earned Jason a cool $1,000.
If you'd like a shot at some special recognition of your own, shine up your wheels and check out Florida's favorite fall show. Dates for 2004's Slamfest are October 2 and 3. Get details about this year's show at www.minimadness.com.


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Sackville-West, Vita
Sackville-West, Vita (Victoria Mary Sackville-West), 1892–1962, English writer; wife of Sir Harold Nicolson and granddaughter of the 2d Baron Sackville. Both she and Nicolson were members of the Bloomsbury group. Her poems in The Land (1926), Selected Poems (1941), and The Garden (1946) won praise, but she is better known for her novels, The Edwardians (1930) and All Passion Spent (1931). Among her other works are Knole and the Sackvilles (1922), about her family's past, and her charming fictional portrait of her grandmother, Pepita (1937). All Sackville-West's books reveal her wit, her vocation as a poet, and her aristocratic heritage.
See Portrait of a Marriage (1973) by her son Nigel Nicolson; studies by S. R. Watson (1972) and M. Stevens (1974).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: English Literature, 20th cent. to the Present: Biographies

subset: commoncrawl


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Well, it's the first week of November. I don't know about any of you, but I'm always late to the punch for Halloween, preparing a costume, organizing parties and such. If you love Halloween as much as I do, it's a tragedy that calls for remedy every September. Well, if you're looking for a spooky piece of history to read about in the lead-up to next year's All Hallows Eve, consider reading 'Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times'.
Title: Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times
Author: Rocky Wood, Lisa Morton
Illustrator: Greg Chapman
Publisher: McFarland, 2012
Pages: 185 pages,
Dimensions: 7.25" x 11.25"
The 'Burning Times'. Just this phrase sends a shiver up my spine. It's difficult to believe that, from the 15th to 18th centuries, hundreds of thousands of Europeans, mostly women, were condemned to death for the more-or-less imperceptible crime of witchcraft (exact numbers are disputed). This graphic history is an accessible look at the era, offering anecdotal evidence for a lot of good starting points for further reading.
The book is divided into many short chapters: 1) Before the Trials, 2) The Trials Begin 3) The First Witch Hunter, 4) The Contagion Spreads, 5) Joan of Arc, 6) The Trial of Arras, 7) The Hammer of Witches, 8) Witchcraft and the Reformation, 9) The Trials in Würzburg, 10) King James and the North Berwick Trials, 11) Matthew Hopkins, 12) Witchfinder General, Salem Witch Trials, and 13) The Frenzy Fades.
Perhaps the breadth of this book is its greatest shortcoming; history is a difficult subject to abridge, and even more challenging to illustrate. But the author and illustrator do their best to give us a basic synopsis of everything, as opposed to an in-depth look at any one time or place.
The backdrop of this period was one where political and economic opponents would use the fledgling structures of 'law and order' and the ignorance of a population as the stage for their power plays. The book opens with a compelling example, pre-trials: the burning of the Knights Templar in 1314. King Philip the IV of France owed this wealthy organization a great deal of money, but had successfully condemned them to the stake with charges nearly impossible to prove: idolatry, heresy, and sorcery. In Jews, Muslims, pagans, and even uncooperative Christians, men of courts and men with connections found infinite ways to scapegoat these "others" in dark and difficult times.
In Medieval Europe, the most common "others" were women. Women served a number of roles that were unknown to most men: the midwife, prostitute, and herbalist were all relatively common vocations. Healing was a craft that was passed down from women in families and communities for generations, and served a community need. As time passed and private land ownership overtook The Commons, a woman who was widowed would inherit her husband's lands, doing with them what she wished. Even in these very limited realms, women were granted a certain amount of power and reverence in society.
As men took various stations within Church and state, many found ways to usurp the authority of women in these traditional roles through what became known as the Witch Hunts, or Burning Times. Women were blamed for premature deaths, plagues, and failed crops. They played on locals' greatest fears, which were were impossible to disprove. In turn, midwives and herbalists would be replaced by male doctors or "barbers", landholding widows could be removed, their land parceled between Church and state. It became a veritable gold rush of opportunity, in a time when misogyny allowed such distrust and outright contempt for women of a community.
But ignorance can take on a life of its own, in time. As the book explains, the Catholic Church outright denied the existence of witchcraft for some time. This required Witch Hunters to make their accusations and arguments on grounds of heresy, or demon worship. Still, belief in witchcraft spread until the Church and its adherents took a more committed position. This was manifested in the works of Heinrich Kramer, a witch hunter and the author of Malleus Malificarum, or "The Witch's Hammer".
As mentioned, the book has its shortcomings. The illustrations are very busy, and look more like sketches opposed to final proofs. The writing lacks a feeling of wholeness, as if these various chapters of history have all been thrown together without additional analysis, which isn't altogether wrong, but isn't particularly to my liking. Rather, what I see is a missed opportunity to connect all of these cases together to answer questions about the changing relationships of religious, political, and economic forces in Medieval Europe. The transition from The Commons to private property; organic or pagan communalism to communities with the Church as the uncompromising epicenter of public life; and the role of women as healers and community leaders to second-class citizens under a rigid patriarchal order. Those looking for this kind of analysis would greatly benefit from works like Caliban and the Witch, and the 1990s documentary, The Burning Times. Both are available online for free.
Ultimately, I place most of the blame for the book's drawbacks on a curse of bad, uninspired editing. Graphic histories like these require an editor and publisher who are passionate about both the design and content of such a product, and yet I'm given the perception that this book was released by McFarland little of either. Despite this, "Witch Hunts" remains an intriguing and chilling read.


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2014 Audi S7 a stylish, sophisticated 'spaceship'
Introduced last year on the heels of the impressive A7, the all-new Audi S7 is stylish and sophisticated with advanced technology looking like the modern "spaceship" that it is. Sculpted in the form of a two-door coupe, the new Audi seems to do it all – room for four adults, storage space for a decent road trip and the powertrain goodies to cover all that real estate quickly in luxurious comfort. The performance-oriented Audi S7 delivers a striking visual statement with bold features, dramatic design, and an athletic, sculpted silhouette.
An available Black Optic package features a black optic grille with high-gloss Singleframe surround, gloss-black window surround. The S7 offers the unmistakable appearance of full LED lighting technology, which is more efficient, and produces light which is close to sunlight, reducing strain on the driver's eyes.
Offered only in the top-of-the-line Prestige trim level, power for the S7 is generated by a 4.0L TFSI twin-turbo V8 engine. Torque is delivered to the street via a seamless seven-speed S tronic transmission and quattro permanent all-wheel drive with a self-locking center differential and torque vectoring. The grip of the quattro system is enhanced dynamically through the sport differential, which actively distributes the power between the rear wheels and enables superior cornering and acceleration as the driver exits a turn. Zero-to-sixty time for the S7 is 4.5 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.
The cultivated atmosphere of the S7 is due in part to the excellent vibrational comfort. This is the result of painstakingly tuning all components, systematic hydraulic damping in the axle and drivetrain bearings, and the extremely stiff body. Comprised primarily of aluminum and high-tech steels, it is exceptionally lightweight and very safe.
Control hardware for the S7 consists of a trapezoidal-link set-up in the front with a five-link configuration and an anti-roll bar at the rear. Twin-tube shock absorbers hold the S7 down at the four corners.
Inside the passenger cabin, even the tiniest details document the care with which Audi builds its cars. The quality of the workmanship is on a craftsman's level. High-grade materials such as layered wood veneers are a treat for the senses, and an optional ambient lighting system adds highlights to the interior. With a sophisticated design of the dashboard and controls, twelve-way adjustable front seats including four-way lumbar support, available three-stage ventilation and heating, and beautiful trim and inlays, the S7 makes a modern design statement inside and out.
The S7 features some of Audi's most advanced technology and driver assistance features. The groundbreaking Audi MMI touch with handwriting recognition features hard and soft keys, dedicated buttons for commonly-used controls and a revolutionary touchpad that interprets hand-written inputs. You can perform a number of functions, like write the digits of telephone number and the letters of the navigation destination with a finger, or scroll over maps, all without taking your eyes off the road.
Dimensions & specifications
Wheelbase: 114.7; overall length: 195.6; width: 84.2; height: 55.9
All vehicle measurements are in inches.
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8 – 420 hp at 5,500 – 6,500 rpm and 406 lbs-ft of torque at 1,400 -5,200 rpm.
Transmission: seven-speed S tronic automatic
EPA Fuel Economy: 17 city/27 highway
Cargo capacity: 24.5 cubic feet
The base Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the 2014 Audi S7 five-door coupe starts from $80,200. Destination charges add $895.
Basic: 4-year/50,000 mile
Corrosion: 12-year/unlimited
Roadside Assistance: 4-year/unlimited 24-hour
Safety features
Dual front airbags, front seat mounted side-impact airbags, dual head curtain side-impact airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, brake assist, electronic brake distribution, anti-slip regulation, electronic stability control, electronic differential lock, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, HomeLink garage door opener, keyless ignition, engine immobilizer, daytime running lights, tire pressure monitors, central locking system, alarm system, navigation system, rearview camera, front/rear parking sensors, Audi side assist, Audi Connect, and automatic adaptive Xenon high intensity headlamps.
Optional safety features include Audi pre-sense, adaptive cruise control, night vision assistant, cornerview camera and rear outboard side-impact airbags.


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SPRING HILL, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a 17-year-old boy fatally stabbed his mother's live-in boyfriend.
The stabbing took place during an argument at their home in Spring Hill on Sunday afternoon. Hernando County Sheriff's officials say the teen left the house after arguing with 39-year-old David Floyd. He then returned home and grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Floyd in the chest.
Deputies say Floyd died at a hospital Sunday evening.
The teen's name has not been released. He faces a first-degree murder charge.
No further details were immediately available.


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No, it's not figure skating. It's Rosaria!
I am getting such a thrill seeing so many people wearing their Rosaria knitalong shawlettes this weekend on the Rose City Yarn Crawl. My design, interpreted hundreds of ways.
The first sightings were at the Yarn Ball on Wednesday night.
Here's Samantha, who won yarn from me and knit Rosaria for her mom.
Some of the Rosaria were still on the needles at the Yarn Ball. See the knitter on the right in the front row of the group picture? I ran into her the next day at Pearl Fiber Arts. She had finished her knitting, blocked it on the hotel rug (no pins, even!) and was wearing it when I saw her. That's dedication!
I made it to five shops on Thursday, and three on Friday. I saw more Rosaria along the way.
What else have I seen?
Emily's mom rocking the arm knit cowl at Twisted. (I've spaced out on her name; I'm sorry.)
Jeanne Carver from Imperial Stock Ranch brought a lamb to Twisted.
And the iconic USA team sweater from the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Sochi! These were designed by Ralph Lauren, and knit with Imperial Yarn.
I met Sarah, the dyer of Bumblebirch Yarns, at Pearl Fiber Arts.
Tomorrow (Saturday) I'm having trunk shows at For Yarn's Sake from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Knitting Bee from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Come by and say hello!


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I read a lot of books that I don't end up reviewing for whatever reason. Some because I wasn't impressed. Some because I didn't have the time. Some I just wasn't feeling it on whatever particular day I finished. I thought I'd start doing a post once a month with just the couple thoughts I shared on Good Reads.
The Crown and the Arrow (The Wrath and the Dawn 0.5) by Renee Ahdieh. Read March 3. 3 Stars.
This works as a nice deleted scene to The Wrath and the Dawn. I wish it was a little longer, though.
Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik. Read March 6. 3.5 Stars
A pretty decent Pride and Prejudice re-telling with likable main characters. Super cute and a quick read.
Chasing Jane by Noelle Adams. Read March 5-6. 3 Stars.
A cute, fast, romantic read. I liked the premise of the Jane Austen/Jane Eyre tour of England and wish the book would've been long enough to really explore that, though.
Hidden Bodies (You #2) by Caroline Kepnes. Read March 3-6. 4 stars.
It's probably wrong how much I love Joe. He is one crazy, messed up, scary guy. But I couldn't stop rooting for him. Kepnes writes him in such a way that I am SO in his head that his craziness almost makes sense. I thought the book was a little too drawn out and the ending was left a little too open to be completely satisfying, but it was overall a compulsively readable, enjoyable book.
Last First Kiss (Brightwater #1) by Lila Riley. Read March 9-11. 3 Stars.
This was a pretty average romance, but mostly enjoyable. I liked Sawyer. He was very sweet. Occasionally I thought he was a little TOO into Annie too fast (a couple times I almost found him creepy), but overall he was likable.
The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright. Read March 17-19. 3 Stars.
A solid mix of adorable and cheesy. It's a shame the synopsis basically gives everything away, though (not the author's fault, though). We know Edmund is a prince so it's not as fun as it should've been waiting for Evie to figure it out. We know who Evie's mother was well before the 100+ pages it took for Evie to confirm it.
It's also a bit of a mix of Princess Diaries and Anna and the French Kiss, but doesn't quite live up to either. (Evie even says once, "I'd felt like I was in a bad remake of The Princess Diaries.") The "quest" letters from her mother didn't play as big a role as I thought it would.
Overall, though, it was pretty cute. I liked Evie, though she did have some moments where she "stuck up for herself" which just made her sound bratty and immature. And Edmund was SO SWEET. I just loved him. He did a few dumb things, of course, but he's definitely book boyfriend material.
Married 'til Monday (Chapel Springs #4) by Denise Hunter. Read March 20-21. 4 Stars.
I really enjoyed this book. My hold came in at the library and I wasn't sure if I was in the mood to read it, but decided to give it a try and couldn't put it down. I really liked the characters, Ryan especially. I liked that it involved two of my favorite romance tropes: The Fake Relationship and The Second-Chance Romance. I liked that Abby finally realized she had some issues and worked on them instead of just jumping back into a relationship and let a guy "fix" her. I thought it did run just a tad long, though. Overall, I really liked it and I'll be going back to read the first books in the series.
Barefoot Summer (Chapel Springs #1) by Denise Hunter. Read March 26-27. 3 stars.
This book brought me out of a book slump, but it ended up being just ok for me. I liked it to start with, but I thought it just dragged on a little too long. A lot of repetition. And this is the first book in a series and I've already read the last book in the series and there are some continuity issues with the character who the last book focuses on which annoyed me a little.
Overall, though, it was a sweet romance with likable characters and a good message woven in.
The Lynburn Legacy: Unspoken, Untold, and Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan. I completely adore this series and I love it just as much every time I read it. I really thought I was finally going to get a review written for Unmade, but it still didn't happen. Maybe next time.
The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh. I wanted to re-read this before the next book comes out. I enjoyed it, but I found myself skimming parts of it, too.


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The Book of Fungi: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from Around the World
by Peter Roberts and Shelley Evans. University of Chicago Press, 2011
Medusa brittlestem, hawthorn twiglet, olive earthtongue—welcome to the weird and wonderful world of fungi, where the species have names that sound as though they could have been plucked from the pages of Harry Potter. Gorgeous color photographs, handy distribution maps and chatty descriptions celebrate edible and poisonous fungal varieties from around the globe.
Statues That Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island
by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo. Free Press, 2011
Recent discoveries suggest that the inhabitants of Easter Island were actually devoted stewards of their island's natural resources. Archaeologists Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo describe how they solved the mystery of the society's collapse.
Lip Service: Smiles in Life, Death, Trust, Lies, Work, Memory, Sex and Politics
by Marianne LaFrance. W. W. Norton, 2011
There are many kinds of smiles, from knowing and joyful to pleading and fake. Smile expert Marianne LaFrance of Yale University discusses the latest science and shows that there is much more to a pair of upturned lips than meets the eye.
The End of Country
by Seamus McGraw. Random House, 2011
Journalist Seamus McGraw tells the story of what happened to a small town in rural Pennsylvania after one of the richest natural gas deposits on earth—the Marcellus shale deposit—was discovered there. McGraw's own mother was among the first residents to receive an offer from the gas company to lease her property.
Eruptions That Shook the World
by Clive Oppenheimer. Cambridge University Press, 2011
Volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer of the University of Cambridge surveys the biggest eruptions of the past quarter of a billion years to illustrate how profoundly volcanoes have shaped our world and how we might apply the lessons of the past to managing disastrous eruptions in the future.
Heaven's Shadow, by David S. Goyer and Michael Cassutt. Ace, 2011
Abyss, by David Hagberg. Forge, 2011
Rule 34, by Charles Stross. Ace, 2011
The Silicon Jungle: A Novel of Deception, Power, and Internet Intrigue, by Shumeet Baluja. Princeton University Press, 2011
For Kids
Me ... Jane, by Patrick McDonnell. Little, Brown, 2011
The Lucy Man: The Scientist Who Found the Most Famous Fossil Ever! by CAP Saucier. Prometheus, 2011
Storm Runners, by Roland Smith. Scholastic, 2011
The Geek Dad's Guide to Weekend Fun: Cool Hacks, Cutting-Edge Games, and More Awesome Projects for the Whole Family, by Ken Denmead. Gotham Books, 2011
The Klutz Guide to the Galaxy, by Pat Murphy and the Scientists of Klutz Labs. Klutz, 2011


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I am a self-confessed Harry Potter obsessive, and boy oh boy does everyone know it. For Christmas I got many different Harry Potter related things, but the best one of all was from my boyfriend. He got me, HARRY POTTER MAKE UP BRUSHES.
All of my make up dreams came true when I knew these were coming out, and I can't believe he actually went out of his way to make sure I got them for Christmas, as he had to order them back in October. He's so amazing!
The brushes themselves are an eye set containing:
- Tapered fluffy brush – Ron
- Fluffy blending brush – The Elder Wand (Dumbledore)
- Pencil brush – Harry
- Angled liner brush – Hermione
- Smudger brush – Voldemort
They are extremely well crafted and are heavy to hold which makes them feel extra special. A big shout out to the three girls, Erin, Mandy and Missy – you've made mine and I'm sure many other Harry Potter/make up lovers dreams come true.
The brushes are also cruelty-free which is an extra bonus, and my goodness they are so so soft. I think they're going to blend like a dream. I can't wait to use them!
They also have a mailing list so you can be made aware of any of the new products that they come out with, and if you have a look it's going to be VERY exciting. If I was you I'd sign up to it straight away >>> Storybook Cosmetics !
PR friendly.


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There are few times where I tend to appreciate coupons more than others, and that is when it comes to saving on essentials. You know, the stuff you just have to have because it's a need. Saving on these things is what makes being able to afford our "wants" a little easier. Saving on a product you can rely on like Pampers, well that just sweetens the deal! This Sunday, May 29th, Pampers will be making things easier for parents. You will be able to save on diapers, training pants, and more. If you don't get the newspaper delivered….no worries, Pampers will allow you to save from the comfort of your own home with the Print at Home feature!
It's so simple to save with Pampers:
- On Sunday, May 29th you can look for the P&G insert in your local newspaper. Simply cut out the coupons, which may be used at any store that carries Pampers products. This includes Mass Merchandisers like Walmart and Target to grocery stores like Vons, Kroger to Stater Bros and more. This is a manufactured coupon that makes savings a breeze!
- The coupons allow you to save on Pampers diapers, Pampers Pants and even Pamper Swaddlers, Cruisers, Easy Ups, to Splashers and much more. Everything but trial or travel sizes are excluded. Told you it was a great bundle of savings.
- You will also have coupons that fit your needs. The offers will range from saving $3.00 off two bags or one box of any Pampers Diapers/Training Pants. Also, another coupon for $3.00 off two bags of Pampers Easy Ups Training Pants or UnderJams Absorbent Night wear.
Want to stay home?
Not a problem. Pampers will be offering parents the option to save from home with their "Print at Home" coupon link.
Simply visit at: http://www.coupons.com/brands/pampers-coupons/ and you can clip the Pampers Easy Ups coupon and print the coupon at home.
You will need to open a coupons.com account if you do not have one already and the best part, Pampers will be offering such savings in the future, so keep a look out for more coupons. You can also double……I mean triple your savings by accessing all three coupons (the two in the paper and the one you can print from home). Manufacture coupons can be used 1 per item but combine that with sales and store coupons, well the savings just keep on coming.
Connect with Pampers at:
This post was made possible by iConnect and Pampers. I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.


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Gospel news: Gideons' work promotes Gospel
Each year, Beverly and I look forward to going up to the Cleveland County Fair, eating ham biscuits at the Shriners eatery, strolling through the exhibits and, just maybe, riding a ride or two. We always enjoy the school, flower, canning and quilting exhibits, etc., as well as all the animals that are shown. It's fun to just walk around in that atmosphere. Beverly was raised on a farm, you know.
Invariably each year, we run into several friends who offer us a Gideon Bible that I very much appreciate because it gives me an opportunity to pass it on to someone else. These local Christian men are affiliated with Gideons International out of Nashville, an association of business and professional men from 190 countries whose main purpose "is the promotion of the Gospel of Christ to all people to the end that they might come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior."
To date, the Gideons, with the help of friends of many different churches and nations, have more than 100 years distributing close to 2 billion Bibles and New Testaments to motels, hotels, penal institutions, hospitals, the armed forces, the public nursing field, schools, fairs, etc., around the world.
I remember so well years ago when I was a school principal and the Gideons could come to the schools and distribute New Testaments to the fifth-grade students. I never saw a child refuse one, and they were happy to get them. (I will reluctantly refrain from giving my opinion regarding the forced discontinuation of that practice.)
Anyway, hats off to a wonderful Christian organization — the Gideons. To reach the Gideons locally, just look in your phone directory or visit www.gideons.org.
GOSPEL MUSIC NEWS: Well, this is news! Gaither Vocal Band announced last month that both Mark Lowry and Michael English are leaving the group. Both had continued their solo careers while singing with the band and apparently felt that it was time to move to another level. Don't know yet who the replacements will be.
The Blackwood Brothers were inducted recently into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Other inductees included Johnny Cash and Albert King.
Cross Anchored, 10:50 a.m. Sunday, Landmark Baptist, 1724 E. Dixon Blvd., Shelby. Call 704-487-5716.
Squire Parsons, 6 p.m. Sunday, Second Baptist, 740 Rankin Ave., Mount Holly. Call 704-827-5181.
Carroll Cooke & Determined, 7 p.m. Sunday, Riverside Baptist, Hogan Road, Harris. Call 704-618-9762
The Primitive Quartet, 6 p.m. Sunday, Zion Hill Baptist, Marion.
The Griggs, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Country Kitchen, 116 Main St., Dallas. Call 704-922-9597.
We R Forgiven, 6 p.m. Jan. 10, Granny's Country Kitchen & Worship Center, Icard. Call 828-397-3588.
Consider this:If you lack the courage to start, you have already finished.
Send your Gospel Music news to Jack Kimbro at 644 Archie Whitesides Road,Gastonia, NC 28052. Or call him at 704-864-9185.


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Google announced yesterday that it's buying Nest for $3.2 billion. Almost exactly a year ago, I suggested that home automation perfectly fit the Apple mold, especially given its connection with Nest's founder and CEO Tony Fadell. So, why did Google end up with Nest and not Apple? Clearly Apple was involved in negotiations yet Fadell ended up going with Google. What can we surmise from that?
At the risk of a gross generalization, I think what we see here is several issues with regards to Apple:
- Despite conversations about the Apple ecosystem, at its core, Apple is a devices company that builds elegant software to run on those devices. Less elegant, though, are the services that connect the devices. iTunes is stale. (There, I said it.) Its cloud offerings are not really competitive and it struggles with broad-scale integrative software.
- Apple doesn't partner well. The music industry still resents Apple's control over digital music distribution, Apple has been found guilty of collusion in the book selling market, it has met considerable resistance in trying to do to TV what it did with music, and it exerts iron-clad control over its app distribution market.
On the flip side, Google, for all its flaws (and they are many), has a different vision.
- It sells devices only to force change in markets it wants to see changed (phones, tablets, Cable TV). Instead, it uses its economic largesse to force changes in closed markets.
- Google partners better. Carriers are delighted to have a free software platform with which to counter Apple's ecosystem control. I'm not going to go into the anti-competitive things Google does here — that's a subject for another day — but in the end, companies have a more open playing field in the Google sandbox than in the Apple one.
Why is this important? Well, the marketplace into which Nest is playing is not dissimilar to the cell phone marketplace. If you're thinking of Nest as merely a "smart thermostat," you're missing the real strategy behind the company and the reason why Google paid so much for a company who has only sold tens of thousands of devices. More interesting about Nest is the relationships it has with power companies.
This is a hugely disruptive play. Think of all the talk about the "smart grid." To use a computer analogy, the smart grid has been developed to date with a mainframe-like point of view. Sure, we'll build intelligence into the network but the intelligence will be centrally oriented, dominated by the utility companies. Nest has a vision of a world where the intelligence is much more distributed and in fact begins with a bottoms-up approach to the market. Begin with adding intelligence to end points in the network and only then can you begin to effectively manage and distribute efficient power solutions so that thinking goes.
That's what Google's betting on and that's why Google was a better fit for Nest. At the end of the day, Apple wants to sell intelligent devices connected by Apple software solutions. Google, by contrast, wants to build intelligent data-creating ecosystems, selling services around the software and data it collects. And what does Nest represent if not the potential for monetization of the home utility equation. Heck, the thermostat may one day not only be free but the power company will give you, or builders, incentives to include it in homes and offices because the economic value of the information and connectivity dwarfs that of the price you could get by selling the device…to a small subset of the market.
I really thought Nest was going to end up with Apple. The fact that Google showed the vision to make the acquisition is the most damning thing you can say about Apple's future prospects and a strong positive for Google. Years from now, we may look back at this moment as a big tipping point.
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I'm currently reading the great book "Learn PowerShell In A Month Of Lunches".As it turns out there is a lot I can still improve on (which I already knew ofcourse).
Part of the book covers properly creating an advanced function. I've taken these sample scripts and added additional comments so I can more easily use it for future functions. You can find it here.


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WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) -- It's the story that just keeps on giving. The Secret Service acknowledged Thursday it is investigating whether its employees hired strippers and prostitutes in advance of President Barack Obama's visit last year to El Salvador. The disclosure came hours after the Homeland Security secretary assured skeptical senators that a separate prostitution scandal in Colombia appeared to be an isolated incident.
A spokesman for the Secret Service, Edwin Donovan, said the agency was investigating allegations raised in news reports about unprofessional behavior that have emerged in the aftermath of the prostitution scandal in Colombia. The latest, by Seattle television station KIRO-TV, quoted anonymous sources as saying that Secret Service employees received sexual favors from strippers at a club in San Salvador and took prostitutes to their hotel rooms ahead of Obama's visit there in March 2011.
(Related: New Secret Service Defense: Some Agents Were Too Drunk to Sleep With Prostitutes)
Prostitution is legal in both Colombia and El Salvador.
Separately, the Washington Post earlier this week cited unnamed "confidants" of the Secret Service officers implicated in the Colombia scandal saying senior managers tolerated similar behavior during official trips. It described a visit to Buenos Aires in 2009 by former President Bill Clinton, whose protective detail it said included agents and uniformed officers. During that trip, the Post said, members of the detail went out for a late night of partying at strip clubs.
"Any information brought to our attention that can be assessed as credible will be followed up on in an appropriate manner," Donovan said.
The expansion of any investigation into immoral behavior by the Secret Service represents another mark against an agency that has been tarnished by the prostitution scandal. At an oversight hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill, senators struggled to reconcile the image of courageous agents assigned to protect the lives of the president and his family with the image of a fraternity atmosphere that has emerged from its investigation in Colombia so far.
The chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., praised the Secret Service as "wise, very professional men and women" and called it shocking that so many of the agency's employees were implicated in Colombia.
At the same hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said there was no evidence of similar behavior, based on a review of complaints during the past 2.5 years to the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility. She said that if there was a pattern of such behavior, "that would be a surprise to me."
The Colombia scandal erupted the morning of April 12, when a fight over payment between a prostitute and a Secret Service officer spilled into the hallway of the Hotel Caribe.
Eight of the Secret Service officers have been forced out, and the agency is trying to permanently revoke the security clearance of one. Three others have been cleared of serious wrongdoing but face administrative discipline. One of the Secret Service officers was staying at the Hilton hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, the same hotel where President Barack Obama later stayed for the Summit of the Americas.
Another dozen military personnel also were implicated. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said this week that all have had their security clearances suspended.
The Defense Department briefed senators on Wednesday about its investigation, but Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Thursday he was unsatisfied with what the Pentagon told lawmakers. Unlike for civilian U.S. government employees, soliciting prostitutes is a criminal offense for U.S. military personnel even in countries where prostitution is otherwise legal.
"Secretary Napolitano and especially the director of the Secret Service has been pretty forthcoming in many aspects of this, unlike the Pentagon, which has completely stonewalled, using the excuse that a Uniform Code of Military Justice - as you know, that's the military law - somehow is a barrier to us receiving information," McCain said Thursday on the CBS program "This Morning."


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My sweet friend – and Brit lit author – Pauline, contacted me about joining a blog hop and, considering my love of putting things together, I had to say yes! The idea is that you're gifting a few items to your best friend, sister, etc. and money is no object. That sounds right up my alley 😀
The categories are: book, beauty product, snack food, music album, and "my choice."
Book – It would have to be Outlander, the first in a brilliant series by author Diana Gabaldon. I gave away a copy a few months ago, and if you've been thinking of reading it or need something new to read, I urge you to give it a try, especially because Starz will be airing the miniseries starting on August 9! Here are the protagonists of the series, as portrayed by Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.
Beauty Product – I have been completely won over by Nail Butter, a nail and cuticle enhancer that has turned my nasty, dry, cracked cuticles into soft and smooth skin. Love this stuff, love the gardenia smell, and it's all natural and cruelty-free, which is also a great thing. Here's the gross before, and I apologize in advance:
And the lovely after:
Snack Food – Being the complete Hershey bar-loving peasant that I am, I cannot possibly suggest something like Pauline's choice of Hotel Chocolat's Chocolate Dipping Adventure, but I do have something from England – McVitie's digestives.
Of course, being me, I prefer the ones with milk chocolate. They are wonderfully filling and during my first trip to England, often kept me fed and happy during long days of sightseeing.
Music Album – Hmmm. This one is kind of tough. I like all sorts of music, from Classical to Country, and what I listen to often depends on my mood. I absolutely love the voice of one Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, aka Lorde, so I will suggest her smash album Pure Heroine.
My Choice – Hmmm, trip to Paris? That would always be my choice, but if I had to pick a thing instead of an experience, I would choose something beautiful and endlessly versatile:
The Sutton Necklace in green.


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Trip to San Francisco – Days 5-6
Today I'm going to wrap up the last two days we spent in San Francisco. Thursday the 8th, we left Sonoma and returned our rental car back in San Fran. We checked in to our last hotel for the week. The Westin St Francis in Union Square. We got a great rate ($199 for 2 double beds) through the Avon walk. The room was really big and spacious. The hotel itself was beautiful and Union Square was a lot of fun.
Cable Car – too bad it was full!
We went across the street to get one of the $11 passes for public transportation. Since the cable car costs $5 to ride, and the buses and F-line are $2/ride, we figured we'd get our money's worth. The line at the ticket station was crazy long and since it was so cold, Hubby and I ran over to Macy's to get a sweatshirt for him.
Once we were finally on our way, we decided to hit up Chinatown. We waited for a little while to ride a cable car, but every one that went by was full so we gave up on that. Instead we just walked over to Chinatown. We were all hungry and decided to get dim sum at New Asia. It was a great experience and the food was good. Our bill at the end was $40 for the 4 of us.
Dragon at the gateway to Chinatown
Next we wanted to see the Golden Gate Fortune Cookies. It's a small little place that'd you'd miss if there weren't a bunch of other people going there too. There are two women who make the fortune cookies by hand. We bought a bag of chocolate and regular fortune cookies for $4 and had fun snacking on them the rest of the trip.
Then we walked over to the Kong Chow Temple. It was really neat to see a real Buddhist temple. We did want to see the Chinatown gate as well, so we headed down to see that. We were kind of backtracking and should have gone there first, but we were hungry when we first set out. We enjoyed seeing all the markets and shops in Chinatown as we were walking around.
Pretty house and flowers on Lombard St
The next thing to do on our list was check out the Cable Car Museum. It's free and really informative. Being a bunch of engineers and a history teacher, we all loved learning about how the cable cars work and the history behind them. They only go 9.5 miles/hour max and the cables all run through the museum. This was my favorite part of the trip (until we went to Alcatrez).
From the cable car museum, we were able to catch a ride on one! We rode it up the street to Lombard street (aka the Crookedest Street). We walked down the stairs on Lombard and snapped some pictures. There were quite a few cars driving down the curvy road at the same time.
We walked the short distance over to the Fisherman's Wharf. A&J hadn't been yet, so we went to Boudin Bakery to try some sourdough bread. I got a mini turtle and a cinnamon-chocolate loaf (amazing btw) for Hubby and I to snack on. Asha got a bread bowl with chili. It was a great little snack for all of us. Then it was about time to head down to Pier 33 for our Alcatrez tour.
I ordered the tickets for the night tour online about a month in advance. The latest tour was already sold out at that point, so we were on the 6:10 tour. This is something everyone should do when visiting SF. Hands down, our favorite part of the trip. The tour included an audio tour that you could listen to at your own pace and wander around. The views of SF from The Rock were pretty cool and Hubby and I had a great time taking a bunch of pictures, especially when the sun started setting.
Movie poster for The Rock (which happens to be one of my favorite movies!)
When we got back to Pier 33, we were hungry for dinner, but tired from a long day. Across the street was Hillstone. We decided it was a good choice because of the location and the menu posted outside looked tasty. Hubby and I split the house salad, roasted broccoli, and rotisserie chicken. It was all amazing. A&J split an Asian salad that looked great too. Hubby also had a glass of wine and our total was $50. This was our second favorite meal of the trip (after Roy's), but much more affordable!
That night we went home and crashed. Friday was our last day of sight-seeing and we wanted to do some relaxing to prepare for the Avon Walk. We started the day at Lori's Diner. I didn't write down how much our meal was there, but it was standard diner breakfast food. Good, but nothing amazing.
We hopped in a cab and headed over to the Golden Gate Park. We checked out the Japanese Tea Garden, which cost $7 to get in to. It was very serene and the landscaping was amazing. We wished they had a tour to talk about all the different plants and such. Then we walked through the rose garden. It had rained the night before so there was still some dew on the roses. I got some pretty sweet pictures in there. We walked around some more and decided to call it a day near the Conservatory of Flowers. Asha and I wanted to get off our feet and we needed to head over to the Castro to meet up with Hubby's Aunt.
We were able to grab a cab who drove like a mad man up and down super steep hills near Buena Vista and ended up in the Castro. We had planned to go to Ike's Place based on a recommendation from a coworker. There was a line down the block, but we didn't want to sit outside, so we decided instead to check out La Mediterranae. The food here was good and the tea that Hubby ordered was quite tasty.
After we ate lunch, we headed up to see the Castro Theatre. We had fun doing some people watching on the corner and I grabbed a double chocolate cookie from Hot Cookie. It was huge and I didn't think I could eat it all in one sitting, but before I knew it, it was gone. Hubby and I said our goodbyes to his Aunt and jumped on the F-line back to the hotel.
It was about 3:00 at that time and the last touristy thing we wanted to do was take the elevator up to the top in the Westin. It's an all glass elevator that goes to the 31st floor and you get some great views. You don't have to be a guest to go up in the elevator to check it out. We just happened to be staying there. Once we got back to ground level, our sight-seeing days were over. Asha and I started laying out our stuff for the walk and the boys had a crew meeting. If you missed my recap of the Avon Walk, check it out here.
Sunday night after the walk, we headed out for dinner. We were all in the mood for a beer and a burger. Our cab driver suggested BurgerMeister. He gave us all sorts of SF movie trivia while he drove us there. Hubby got the BurgerMeister and some AMAZING garlic fries. If you like garlic, get these fries. I had a turkey burger and curly fries. We each had a beer and it was ~$40. It really hit the spot and at that point we were all exhausted.
Monday morning, A&J got up to catch their planes pretty early. Hubby and I took our time in the morning since our flight didn't leave until 2:00. We went to the Taylor St Coffee Shop for brunch. It's a very small place but would be worth a wait. I got the vegetarian breakfast sandwich and a bowl of fruit. I was expected the sandwich to have egg on it, but it didn't. It was delicious even without the egg. Hubby got the Sailor hash. It had a bunch of seafood in it and he was in heaven. Our bill came to $30 for our last meal in SF.
View of San Fran from Alcatrez
Hubby and I had a great time in San Francisco. There were so many things to see and do and I think we got a good mix while we were there. I hope you enjoyed the recap posts!
One Response to "Trip to San Francisco – Days 1-2"
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White Sox vs. Indians
In which Ramon Troncoso realizes he plays for the Chicago White Sox as the fans behind him cheer with glee. I'll be honest, I had no idea who Ramon Troncoso was before I looked up number 40 on the White Sox, but he certainly sounds like a reliever and this just looks like a reliever who is quite relieved to not be relieving any longer. What a relief. (boooooooooooooooooooo)
Here we see 93 year old Jason Giambi throwing up his helmet and catching it. Clearly he decided that scoring was not the priority here and he just wanted to show everyone on his team that he still has really good hands. (Sidenote: he doesn't). It's unclear why the Indians were given the victory seeing as Giambi never scored but I suppose the umpires were so impressed with Jason's coordination that they decided the deserved the W anyway.


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The first time I saw this strange plant I though the flowers were wilted as they were hanging down. Looking like a poinsettia, is also a plant growen for its colorful bracts. Hello to the genus, Mussaenda. A tropical shrub with colorful bracts that come in pink, white and also a double red. We have both the pink and white planted at my complex in Barbados.
Its common name can be Tropical Dogwood, or Buddah's Lamp.
Mussaenda is native to tropical West Africa,
where it can grow as tall as 30 feet,
and it makes a terrific tub plant for areas with hot and humid summer weather like Ontario. It can be used as a substitute for Poinsettia, as the genus Mussaenda is more disease resistant and less likely to have insect pests.
Perhaps another one to bring back to Kilbourne Grove as a little reminder of my time in the tropics.


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This report on the global facial recognition market has been prepared to act as dependable document for audiences such as government including homeland security and military, enterprises including banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), and retail, and other consumers.
San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/20/2019 -- Global Facial Recognition Market: Snapshot
A few international vendors, such as Cognitec Systems, 3M Cogent, Safran, Gemalto, and NEC, have stronghold over the global facial recognition market, dominating with their technological and financial might, feeding their biometric technology customers. However, the competition itself among these market leaders is quite intense, with research and development of innovative products at its backbone.
Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=443
The global facial recognition market is expected to gain from several new trends, including the shift from 2D to 3D facial recognition, advancements such as cloud-based services, emergence of facial analytics, growing application in mobile security and drones, increasing application in physical security and intelligent signage, commercialization of facial recognition technology to the corporate sector, and incrementing integration of facial biometrics with smart cards. On the other hand, factors such as privacy concerns, significant error rates, competition from non-biometric technologies, and the lack of established international standards are expected to hinder the market from achieving its true potential in the near future.
This report on the global facial recognition market has been prepared to act as dependable document for audiences such as government including homeland security and military, enterprises including banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), and retail, and other consumers. A number of key companies operational in the facial recognition market have been profiled in the report in order to present qualitative and quantitative scenario of the market, and studies their product portfolio as well as recent strategic decision to evaluate the future.
Global Facial Recognition Market: Overview
Facial recognition refers to a complex computer application used to robotically identify a creature from a video mount or digital image source. One of the methods of doing this is by equating the selected facial features from a facial database and the image fed by the video mount or the digital image source. Technological developments in the field have significantly improved the accuracy with which the target is identified.
Facial recognition systems are generally used for surveillance and security purposes, however, the range of applications using these complex systems is rising at a significant pace in the global market. Some advanced systems are also used to compare and match other biometrics such as eyes and fingerprints by comparing this data with digital databases.
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Facial recognition is increasingly emerging as one of the most preferred technologies for authentication and identification of a variety of subjects, ranging from animals to humans. The technology is not restricted to its traditional application of facial detection any longer. Its present usage includes photo tagging, refining search engine searches based on facial images, identifying age, sex, and ethnicity of a person in retail stores, gathering intelligence on buying pattern in retail shops, and identifying missing persons.
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This report on the global facial recognition market presents a thorough overview of the present growth dynamics of the market and its key segments. The report also includes vast projections related to the growth prospects of the market on global and regional fronts over the period between 2017 and 2025. The report includes a detailed analysis of the notable factors expected to have a significant influence on the market's growth prospects, including drivers, challenges, opportunities, trends, regulatory scenario, and state of competition.
The report also includes a detailed overview of the competitive landscape of the global facial recognition market, wherein detailed profiles of some of the key vendors in the market and recent developments, in terms of aspects such as technology, product, and M&A activities are analyzed. Companies are profiled with the help of a detailed SWOT analysis and details regarding aspects such as product portfolio, finances, growth strategies, and geographical presence.
Global Facial Recognition Market: Drivers and Restraints
The key drivers of this market include increase in surveillance market and enormous spending on biometric technologies by government agencies, which is the leading end-use segment contributing to the revenue of the market. Some of the factors restraining the market growth are issues regarding interoperability with existing security systems, delay in execution due to apprehension and bureaucracy about privacy intrusion.
Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/facial-recognition-market
Global Facial Recognition Market: Segmentation
The facial recognition market could be segmented on the basis of technology and solutions into 2D, thermal, emotion, 3D, forensic, and mobile facial recognition technologies. In addition the market has been segmented on the basis of software types, including which includes face recognition algorithm, database, modeling, middleware, restructuring, and analytics software.
Some of the key players operating in the market are Airborne Biometrics, Animetrics Inc., Afix Technologies Inc., Aware Inc., Cognitec Systems, Fujitsu, ZK Software, and 3m Cogent.
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text: One of the lines in the article Eugen posted: "There's also a limit to how wimpy your cores can be. Google's infrastructure guru, Urs Hölzle, published an influential paper on the subject in 2010. He argued that in most cases brawny cores beat wimpy cores. To be effective, he argued, wimpy cores need to be no less than half the power of higher-end x86 cores." Is interesting.. I think the real issue is one of "system engineering".. you want processor speed, memory size/bandwidth, and internode communication speed/bandwidth to be "balanced". Super duper 10GHz cores with 1k of RAM interconnected with 9600bps serial links is clearly an unbalanced system.. The paper is at http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/research.google.com/en/us/pubs/archive/36448.pdf >From the paper: Typically, CPU power decreases by approximately O(k2) when CPU frequency decreases by k, Hmm.. this isn't necessarily true, with modern designs. In the bad old days, when core voltages were high and switching losses dominated, yes, this is the case, but with modern designs, the leakage losses are starting to be comparable to the switching losses. But that's ok, because he never comes back to the power issue again, and heads off on Amdahl's law (which we 'wulfers all know) and the inevitable single thread bottleneck that exists at some point. However, I certainly agree with him when he says: Cost numbers used by wimpy-core evangelists always exclude software development costs. Unfortunately, wimpy-core systems can require applications to be explicitly parallelized or otherwise optimized for acceptable performance.... But, I don't go for Software development costs often dominate a company's overall technical expenses I don't know that software development costs dominate. If you're building a million computer data center (distributed geographically, perhaps), that's on the order of several billion dollars, and you can buy an awful lot of skilled developer time for a billion dollars. It might cost another billion to manage all of them, but that's still an awful lot of development. But maybe in his space, the development time is more costly than the hardware purchase and operating costs. He summarizes with Once a chip's single-core performance lags by more than a factor to two or so behind the higher end of current-generation commodity processors, making..... Which is essentially my system engineering balancing argument, in the context of expectations that the surrounding stuff is current generation. So the real Computer Engineering question is: Is there some basic rule of thumb that one can use to determine appropriate balance, given things like speeds/bandwidth/power consumption? Could we, for instance, take moderately well understood implications and forecasts of future performance (e.g. Moore's law and its ilk) and predict what size machines with what performance would be reasonable in say, 20 years? The scaling rules for CPUs, for Memory, and for Communications are fairly well understood. (or maybe this is something that's covered in every lower division computer engineering class these days?.. I confess I'm woefully ignorant of what they teach at various levels these days) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/attachments/20120124/9d4a6fc8/attachment.html>


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My parents and I are getting quite proficient at living together. I wouldn't say we're at that 'finishing-each-others-sentences' stage but we are becoming rather skillful at saving both time and money.
Case in point… the three of us can go out to dinner for less than $20 and still manage to take home enough food for another meal. Here's how:
Mom and I usually split one meal so we fill up on the salad bar and add what's leftover to our take-home container. Then we split the entree in half – she eats like a bird, anyway, so I just fill up on the fries (or rice or baked potato) and that leaves about half the main course for home.
Dad eats pretty much everything in sight – and that includes a few helpings from the salad bar, too. But he's definitely part of the equation because we use a 'buy-one-get-one-half-off' deal. So he plays an integral part in our musings.
Now here's where the time saved comes in. Mom's really starting to hate cooking so, with a good enough deal on the table, she's more than willing to go out to eat for two reasons:
1. No cooking today
2. No cooking (just reheating) tomorrow.
That's because, as I previously mentioned, Mom eats like a bird – a featherlight bird – and can get by with a yogurt or some PB crackers for dinner. Dad's the one that'll inevitably scarf down the take-home meal. So… Win. Win. One for all and all for one!


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It was lots of fun to be invited out for the Sex and the City 2 movie event at the Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica on Friday. The Henley Company and the Party Goddess really rolled out the pink carpet, and created an amazing event. Nothing better than to be invited as media and treated like royalty!
There were well over two hundred women from the LA area here to participate and channel their inner Carrie, Miranda, Samantha or Charlotte… and to possibly win a fabulous pair of Christian Louboutin shoes.
The hotel is right across from the Pacific Ocean and was a clear but cool night so the heat lamps around the pool area and the fire were very welcoming.
I met up with some of my other gal pals and we got our swag bags and headed into the theatre to watch "Sex and the City II" with a theatre full of women who were as giddy as school girls.
One has to wonder if the movie will be as good as the first or the series for that matter, but it was a chance to be out with other like-minded women who were looking for that evening of fantasy to look and feel as glamorous as the stars in the movie.
The opening was crazy with a wedding equipped with Liza Minnelli. She's still got it. Now that women can sing "Single Ladies" and strut like no one!
The flow of the story line was not as crisp as could be and I personally thought that there was a lot of the movies left on the cutting room floor that could have made some of the scenes better. Then again, some of the dialog was not really great – including the line from Samantha when she walks into this incredible suite and sees the private bar and says 'we can BELLY UP to the bar' really? Wow, she sounded like a dock worker at that point… something I think was even too out of character for Samantha!!!
Don't get me wrong… there was some amazing fashion and scenery including the men… but there were some things that were out of character for Samantha that (as I channel her) I thought were pretty lame. To top it all off, I was very offended by her lack of respect of the culture and the rules in a foreign country. It's one thing to get bounced from your hotel for "kissing" and completely another to make a scene like Samantha did in the market where she and her gal pals could have been arrested and worse… ended up in prison for years before ever seeing the light of day. No worldly woman would ever do that – even when suffering from menopause (yes, I am in that phase as well, thanks to treatment for breast cancer).
All in all, it was an enjoyable movie – there was plenty of fashion and "ooh, pretty shiny objects" to keep our eyes glued to the screen to see what was next!! My gal pals agreed, not as good as the first, but then again, are they ever?? Still we had a wonderful evening out and fun time!!
Thanks so much to our hosts, we really did love being treated like celebrities for the evening!!!
In case you haven't seen the trailer… here it is!
Wonder who won those awesome pink Christian Louboutin shoes?


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Thanks so much to Vicky Williamson for bringing this to my attention. More and more these days are professors of neuroscience and music finding ways to tap into the unknown capabilities of what we can accomplish not just psychologically, but neurologically with music. Like so many other projects happening at present, I found this fascinating:
Columbia neurophysiologist David Sulzer took his first piano lessons at the age of 11 and was playing his violin and guitar in bars by age 15. Later he gained a national following as a founder of the Soldier String Quartet and the Thai Elephant Orchestra—an actual orchestra of elephants in northern Thailand—and for playing with the likes of Bo Diddley, the Velvet Underground's John Cale and the jazz great Tony Williams.
It was only after arriving at Columbia, however, that the musician-turned-research-scientist embarked on perhaps his most exotic musical venture—using a computer to translate the spontaneous patterns of his brain waves into music.
With the help of Brad Garton, director of Columbia's Computer Music Center, Sulzer has performed his avant-garde brain wave music in solo recitals and with musical ensembles.
Last spring, Sulzer presented a piece entitled Reading Stephen Colbert at a conference in New York City sponsored by Columbia and the Paris-based IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), a global center of musical research.
Sulzer, a professor in the departments of Psychiatry, Neurology and Pharmacology, wore electrodes attached to his scalp to measure voltage fluctuations in his brain as he sat in a chair reading a book by the comedian. Those fluctuations were fed into a computer program created by Garton, which transformed them into musical notes. "I tried to forget I was in front of people and they could see my brain waves on a screen and listen to the music as I read the book," says Sulzer. "Luckily, the book was funny and I laughed, which changed the music."
The Brainwave Music Project grew out of an invitation in 2008 from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York to lecture on how the brain interprets rhythm. Sulzer, whose main research focus is the chemical transmission of brain signals and the neuroscience of neurological and psychiatric disorders, had heard about measurement of brain waves of drummers playing together using electroencephalography (EEG), a technique that measures electrical activity in the brain. The longer the drummers jammed, the more their brain waves began to synch up. Why not see if the musicians could use their own brain waves to make new music together?
Sulzer asked Garton, who had spent his younger years in New York's downtown music scene and had followed the neuroscientist's previous career with the Soldier String Quartet, if he knew a graduate student who might be interested in helping him develop software for his lecture. Garton volunteered to do it himself. "I knew the digital synthesis and audio side of things, he had the knowledge of neurotechnology and brain waves—it was the perfect match," Garton says.
When brain cells are active, they communicate with the cells around them by emitting electrical spikes that vary in frequency and amplitude. A single sensory stimulus will cause a series of brain cells to fire, which will excite the cells around them and lead to a chain reaction of cell firings that ripple through the brain like the waves that ripple out from a pebble tossed into a pond.
"I take the signals, digitize them and then turn them into signals in the computer that control the sound," Garton says. "A project where you can make sound just by thinking about it is pretty cool. It's great fun."
Garton and Sulzer have tried a number of ways to make music from these waves. Sometimes they program specific musical notes to play every time the EEG sensors detect brain cells firing at specific frequencies or amplitudes. Other times, they assign an array of prerecorded sounds or notes to specific neural patterns.
Sulzer cautions against taking the project too seriously. It's more of a "didactic tool," he says, that he usually pairs with his pop science lectures on brainwaves and brain function or with Garton's on computerized music.
"Part of it is didactic, part of it is satirical," Sulzer says. "Sometimes I'm making fun of attitudes towards music. For instance, I'll say 'this shows you can be a conscious composer' because you can try to manipulate brain waves. Or you can be an unconscious composer. Reading Stephen Colbert is an example of that." Sulzer is skeptical the technique will ever result in better music than that which the brain is already capable of producing through the tongue and fingers.
"Trying to play music using brain waves is like trying to play the piano using boxing gloves," he says. "The level of detail that the current brain scanning technology can pick up is simply too crude."
The full article may be found at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-neuroscientist-david-sulzer-brain-music.html#jCp


text: I first came to the Sierras as a young boy with my grandparents. It is here I learned to fish and climb the huge granite boulders that seemed to be everywhere. I chased chipmunks and marveled at the cascading streams I hiked in search of rainbow trout. Every time I visit the Sierras, it's like revisiting my childhood.Read More


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CALLING ALL GLEEKS: You thought Glee was a hot TV show? Hey, it's all that and so much more. The Glee gang has sold more than 43 million songs and over 12 million albums worldwide. So far the show has scored three consecutive #1 releases with Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna, Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers, and Glee: The Music, Journey To Regionals. Meanwhile, Glee: The Music, Volume 1 and Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album have each sold more than 1 million units – and of course there's more to come. Glee: The Music, The Graduation Album will become available May 15 and includes Glee versions of hot tunes by Queen and Lady Gaga. Also featured on the May 22 finale are songs by Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Madonna and Green Day. And wait 'til you hear what they do with Whitney Houston's music on tonight's episode. This crew is clearly on top of their game, and in case you have any doubts, check out tonight's opening number – and enjoy!
SURELY YOU JEST: Currently on view every weekend with fellow judges Measha Brueggergosman and Stephan Moccio on Canada's Got Talent, fabled funnyman Martin Short has the juiciest role in the new animated
feature Dorothy Of Oz, playing the evil Jester who has taken over the kingdom. Glee showstopper Lea Michele voices the role of Dorothy, aided and abetted by Tin Man Kelsey Grammer, Cowardly Lion Jim Belushi and Scarecrow Dan Aykroyd. Adding even more lustre to an already lustrous talent pool are Smash showstopper Megan Hilty as a China Princess, Oliver Platt as Wiser The Owl and Broadway showstopper Bernadette Peters as Glinda the Good Witch. Sounds like a hot Original Cast album to me … and speaking of star power, there's less than one week left to help select the 2012 Inductees to Canada's Walk of Fame and the 2012 Cineplex Legends Award recipient. Submit your nomination and you could win a trip for two to attend the 2012 Canada's Walk of Fame Awards Show and red carpet to celebrate with the stars – and
you can submit your nomination and contest entry once per day. Click here to submit your nomination – and do it now!
NO PEOPLE LIKE SHOW PEOPLE: Toronto International Film Festival co-founder Henk Van Der Kolk has a new gig in Central America – he's the Director of the new week-long IFF Panama — Panama's first international filmfest — which opens this Thursday and promises to screen more than 50 ground-breaking films in Spanish and English before closing night on
May 2 … it's official, and it's in stores now: Bernie Finkelstein tells all – well, almost all – in his new McClelland & Stewart memoirs, True North: A Life In The Music Business, from breaking into the Greenwich Village scene with The Paupers at the age of 20, discovering Bruce Cockburn, producing what might have been the "loudest band in the world," Kensington Market, managing and producing Murray McLauchlan, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, and Rough Trade, winning 40 Junos, and much more. Sounds like a fun read … Howie Mandel, who successfully reinvented himself as a game show host with Deal Or No Deal, is now set to
host a new NBC game show, White Elephant, a spin-off concept on those mystery 'doors' from Monty Hall's classic Let's Make A Deal. NBC will test the new series with seven episodes … and Pat Ferns continues to be one of the busiest men in showbiz. As he has done since the inception of the 14th DocAviv event for Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, he'll return to Tel Aviv next month to moderate the pitching sessions and to interview key guests at this annual industry gathering of Documentary filmmakers. He's also has been retained as the lead consultant for the third CNEX Chinese Documentary Forum in Taiwan in September and for the 7th China International Conference of Science and Education Producers in Yuyao, China in October, before returning to Guangzhou for the 10th anniversary of the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival in China in December. Now that's what I call Air Miles!
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I was feeling a bit rocky physically over the weekend (and still am), so my belated craft is a fairly simple one. I've been seeing some Pinterest pins on tie-"dyeing" with bleach, so I thought that would be a good choice for yet another shirt that had been rack-wrecked with an ill-placed drip of salad dressing. I'd been putting off doing this shirt, because it was pretty much brand new, and I love the color so much, and I didn't want to do something that would render it completely unwearable.
I loved the way using rubber bands and little glass whats-its made such intricate medallion-like patterns on the silk scarves I dyed a while back, so I placed 5 around the V-neck in the front of the shirt. Following the gathers that made, I pinched the fabric in folds all the way down the front of the shirt, from the center on out. I had a couple of binder clips at hand, so I fastened them that way, just in a couple of spots.
I thought it would be cool to leave the back unbleached, so I put some bubble-wrap between the front and the back. (When I'm painting or using a bleach pen, I usually use a cereal box, but I was afraid some of the color would leach from the box onto the shirt with this one, so I went with the bubble wrap).
Here it is ready to dip into the bleach solution:
The bleaching directions I got from this DIY project (found via Pinterest): http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-bleach-tie-dye/ (And boy, do I want to do a shirt like the one done here!)
And my advice if you use this method to do a shirt, pay attention to her suggestions about working outdoors and gloves. I was Miss Half-Ass-It, and it wasn't that pleasant. And the fumes could be seriously not good — I used the exhaust fan in my bathroom as I worked, but it still was headachy.
The two things I think I'd do differently (besides working outdoors and wearing gloves): use a bigger vessel for the solution and clip the pleats all the way along their length. As for the first, I used the bathroom sink, a smallish oval, so I had to keep moving the shirt back and forth to be sure everything got in the bleach. When I checked for color, the back hem got into the bleach too, so I didn't end up with the full unbleached effect on the back. This shirt was dip-and-check-dip-and-check, rather than the 30-minute resting period of the bleach pen. I couldn't say exactly how long it was in the bleach solution, but barely over a minute or two. I rinsed it, pulled out the clips and glass bits, then ran it through the wash.
Here's the front, once dried:
I'm a little disappointed by the medallions, which are just kind of quavery little rounded boxes. They may need some sort of embellishment. The resist effect only was clear where I had the clips in. I'd do it all the way down another time, but I still think this came out okay.
Jury's still out on whether I feel there should be more embellishment of some kind on the front.
And here's the back:
I learned a few things from this, and got a wearable shirt out of the deal, so it's pretty much a success.


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West Bend, WI Library Board Members Dismissed for Doing Their Job
Publisher's Weekly reported recently that "four members of a library board in West Bend, Wis., were dismissed last week for refusing to remove controversial books from the library's young adult section..." (read the entire PW article at http://tinyurl.com/cy85dw.)
I wish the PW writer had put it like this: "Four members of a library board in West Bend, Wis., were dismissed for doing their jobs responsibly and acting in accordance with constitutional principles and laws regarding free speech."
A number of organizations—the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Association of American Publishers and PEN American Center—all criticized the dismissals, which is terrific, but perhaps the alternative phrasing I offered might have prompted a broader swath of people to protest.
The language we use to talk about censorship issues must be accurate and specific. Otherwise, we engage in conversations based on terms so vague as to be almost meaningless, making it nearly impossible for people with opposing points of view to understand each other.
Also from the PW article: "[Two library] patrons accused the library of promoting "the overt indoctrination of the gay agenda in our community" and demanded that the library add books "affirming traditional heterosexual perspectives." After reading this, I found myself scratching my head. If Brent Hartinger's GEOGRAPHY CLUB, Stephan Chbosky's THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, and Esther Drill's DEAL WITH IT! A WHOLE NEW APPROACH TO YOUR BODY, BRAIN, AND LIVE AS A gURL are pushing "a gay agenda," does that mean books addressing themes about heterosexual sexuality are promoting a hetero agenda? What exactly do the accusing patrons mean when they say "gay agenda"? My understanding of the term "gay agenda" is that it has to do with ensuring that all homosexual people have equal rights under the law. Do the two patrons think that's a bad thing? Or--as I suspect--do the two patrons see the gay agenda as something insidious and threatening—such as that books addressing homosexuality will make everyone who reads them gay? Or maybe those patrons fear a gay agenda promoting tolerance of homosexual people in all settings--in churches, schools, etc. I'm still speculating here; I have no idea exactly what "gay agenda" means to the folks who initiated the book removals. But I find myself wondering, if tolerating gay people and gay-themed books is the problem, just why is tolerating them so...intolerable? I don't understand. I thought tolerance of differences among people was a good and desirable and even honorable thing.
The two patrons who initially complained back in February about the West Bend library's YA collection including books about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues also demanded that the library add books "affirming traditional heterosexual perspectives." Considering that public library collections everywhere, including, I assume, West Bend's, already contain a majority of books in which the romantic and sexual interactions take place between people of opposite genders, I'm not sure what sorts of books these disgruntled patrons would like to add. It would be interesting to know. Specifically.
I wish everyone engaged in conversations about censorship and book removal would define their terms and points of view with great specificity. It's my hope--perhaps naïve, but still--that if we examine what we're really wanting and get specific about what we really object to—or fear—we might have a very different sort of conversation, a more productive sort. And we might have more people willing to stand up to improper librarian dismissals and book removals as well as violations of the First Amendment.
Which, from the point of view of those of us at As If!, would be a good thing.
Posted by Deborah Davis
Labels: censorship, First Amendment, librarians, West Bend, WI, YA books


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FriendFinder Networks, publisher of Penthouse magazine and numerous adult-entertainment websites, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday.
The company, which sought to combine social networking and sex, said it had struck a deal with noteholders that will reduce its debt by $300 million if approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
Under the plan, one group of noteholders will take ownership of the sex entertainment business, which traces its roots to the late Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione. As is typical in bankruptcy, shareholders will likely be left with nothing.
(Read more: Advertising on porn sites: Don't knock it until you try it)
Control of the company would go to Andrew Conru and Lars Mapstead, two noteholders who sold various social networking websites to FriendFinder in 2007.
Through a network of thousands of websites, FriendFinder provides live video, chat rooms, and photo and video sharing. It also sought to tap the powers of social networking with websites such as adultfriendfinder.com, which promoted casual sex, and bigchurch.com, which aimed for spiritual connections.
The company and its affiliates are composed of a global network of more than 8,000 websites with 220 million members and 750,000 subscribers, according to court documents.
But while Facebook, LinkedIn and other social sites have boomed, FriendFinder's limped. Its revenue in the year ended June 30 totaled $293.7 million, down 10 percent from the previous year.
Hardest hit were the company's social networking websites, where revenue fell 17.6 percent, according to court filings. Some of that drop was offset by a 7.8 percent rise in live interactive video revenue.
Ezra Shashoua, the company's chief financial officer, blamed the lower revenue on a drop in membership and increased advertising costs for affiliates, according to court documents. Shashoua also said credit card companies had refused to process transactions for the company's Internet businesses. No reason was given.
FriendFinder has not turned in a net profit since at least 2008, according to Thomson Reuters data.
The company was formed by Marc Bell and Daniel Staton in 2003 when they acquired out of bankruptcy the publisher ofPenthouse, Guccione's racier rival to Playboy. In 2007 the company bought Various Inc. and its dating websites from Conru and Mapstead for $400 million.
(Read more: Porn group lifting HIV-prompted filming moratorium)
A year later it filed with regulators to raise $460 million in an initial public offering, but when it finally completed the IPO in 2011, FriendFinder had raised just $46 million.
In 2010, the company offered to buy rival Playboy Enterprises for $210 million. That deal fell through.
FriendFinder said in court papers it plans to issue cash and new debt to holders of $234 million of first-lien notes. It also plans to cancel about $330 million in second-lien notes and issue new stock to those debtholders, who will own the company when it exits bankruptcy if the plan receives creditor and court approval.
FriendFinder said the plan was supported by 80 percent of its noteholders but has not yet been put to a creditor vote.
Bell and Staton, who resigned their executive positions with the company last year, each agreed to a $500,000 cash payment to end their consulting agreements with the company, according to court documents.
Earlier this year, LodgeNet Interactive, which provided adult films and video games to hotels and their guests, filed for bankruptcy, partly due to Internet competition.
—By Reuters.


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Bob Vila Radio: LEED Explained
According to the US Green Building Council, more than twenty thousand homes have been LEED certified, and there are eighty thousand more in the pipeline, despite the recession!
Listen to BOB VILA ON LEED, or read the text below:
LEED, or leadership in energy and environmental design, is a set of green building standards that help you determine if the home you're building or buying is sustainable and healthy.
Homes are rated for energy efficiency, use of nontoxic materials, site orientation and site management, responsible landscaping and indoor air quality. Up until now, it was up to the consumers to dig up green materials and educate their builders about what they wanted. With LEED, that's all done for you.
LEED-certified homes are designed to be healthier, safer, and cheaper for the people who live in them. That makes them last longer, pollute less, and retain their value better, which is the true definition of sustainable building… and most qualify for tax rebates and zoning allowances to boot.
Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening to—or reading—Bob's 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day.
For more on sustainability, consider:
A "Green" User's Guide
20 Ways to Go Green Today
2020 Alton Road: Anatomy of a LEED Home


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7 comentarii:
- Anonymous said...
WORK?! That's how you call this crime?! Some people are absolutely insane. Insane.
- April 9, 2008 at 9:24 PM
- Anonymous said...
Horrible atrocities...
- July 18, 2008 at 5:49 PM
- Anonymous said...
Where can I get this done? There are a few strays around here I'd love to have protect the tile.
A couple people, too.
- November 21, 2008 at 6:38 AM
- Anonymous said...
Das ist einfach nur krank!!!!
- August 2, 2009 at 11:00 AM
- megan said...
its funny that people get offended when its the beloved household pet. yet they dont mind a cheeseburger for dinner...
- March 8, 2010 at 9:35 PM
- Psycho Bill said...
I'd start eating doggy burgers if it would help get me one of those rugs.
Maybe McDonald's should start serving McStray burgers. Not just dogs, but anything that they can catch gets put into a burger, cats, coons, possum, squirrel, rat, whatever. There's a lot of free meat to be had.
If I knew how to make rugs like that, I'd just go to the local shelter. Find the one that best fits the decor and the space to be filled, and bring it home. Maybe bring home a couple of them, a pair to breed, then you can have all these cute little rugs around the place, and puppy meat is a tasty, tender treat.
- March 9, 2010 at 4:01 AM
- Maria Hill said...
Wow, amazing carpets!!! It's too stylish and trendy. It's good for dogs. These pics of carpets are too awesome. You can choose the best carpet of dogs in this list. I am really happy to know about this blog.
- August 7, 2010 at 8:27 AM


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Once again I find myself thinking about why teachers leave the profession. This week I am in Waterville, Maine, attending an institute on Maine School Law. I am deeply impressed with the caliber of the teachers I am with, which is often the case when I spend time pursuing further training, especially during vacation periods, when such training is usually optional, and undertaken at the initiative of the teachers.
What saddens me is that this is a course required for those who intend to move out of the classroom and into the administration end of education. In other words, the very smart teachers I am with will soon not be teachers any longer. This is a shame, and it is a symptom of our nation's education problem.
Many of our most ambitious educators leave the classroom – many in the early years of their careers – to become administrators. Why do they do this? For many it is because they are tired of the lack of prestige generally accorded their profession , exhausted by the demands on teachers, discouraged by the lack of support for teachers, frustrated at the poor management of their school districts, upset by the dismal conditions and poor pay provided teachers.
Marc Tucker, in the July 18 issue of Education Week, suggests how we can turn this situation around and keep more teachers in the profession for the long haul: The drivers are clear: create a first rate pool from which to select teachers by making teaching a very attractive professional career choice, provide future teachers the kind and quality of education and training we provide our high status professionals, provide teachers a workplace that looks a lot more like a professional practice than the old-style Ford factory, reward our teachers for engaging in the disciplined improvement of their practice for their entire professional careers, and provide the support and trust they will then deserve every step of the way.
We need top teachers to choose to stay in the profession until they eventually retire. Marc Tucker's list of drivers provides a roadmap for accomplishing this goal. We should follow such roadmaps. We should not allow ourselves to be distracted by plans for change that will have a minimal impact on schools – the evaluation system for teachers being one such minimally effective plan that is now occupying an untoward amount of reformer attention. We need to focus in on the change that will produce results. Let's get more top candidates to choose teaching and then let's make sure they are so satisfied by their profession that they would never want to leave it behind. We can leave less meaningful reforms for later, once we have implemented the changes that will produce the most significant results.


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Sunday talk show tip sheet
"Meet the Press" on NBC
• Treasury Secretary Jack Lew
• Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
• Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), ranking member, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"Face the Nation" on CBS
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
• Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
"This Week" on ABC
• House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
• Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
• Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R)
"Fox News Sunday" on Fox
• Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
• Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
• Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
• Michael Needham, CEO, Heritage Action
"State of the Union" on CNN
• Cruz
• Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
"Political Capital" on Bloomberg TV
• Sylvia Mathews Burwell, director, White House Office of Management and Budget
• Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman, Senate Finance Committee
"Newsmakers" on C-SPAN
• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), ranking member, House Budget Committee
"Al Punto" on Univision
• President Barack Obama
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)


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Man charged in fake Boston Marathon claim sues
BOSTON — A man charged with trying to bilk the Boston Marathon bombing victims' fund out of more than $2 million has filed a federal lawsuit claiming state police violated his constitutional rights when they arrested him.
Branden Mattier, 23, alleges police misconduct and is seeking $100,000 in damages, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston on Dec. 23 and reported Tuesday by the Boston Herald.
Mattier, of Boston, and his brother filed a claim with The One Fund using the name of a dead aunt, prosecutors said. They claimed she had lost both legs in the attack. Mattier was arrested July 2 when he allegedly accepted a fake check for almost $2.2 million from an undercover state trooper posing as a delivery driver.
His suit says state police never received permission from The One Fund to make a phony check in the organization's name. Mattier named the state police, a trooper assigned to the state attorney general's office and FedEx as defendants in the lawsuit.
State attorney general's spokesman Brad Puffer said he had no comment on the lawsuit.
Mattier and his brother had an appointment to test drive a $52,000 Mercedes Benz the day they expected the check to arrive, prosecutors said.
Mattier is free on $10,000 bail after pleading not guilty to conspiracy to commit larceny, attempt to commit larceny and identity fraud. He is under GPS monitoring and is not allowed to leave the state.
A working phone number for Mattier, who's representing himself in the lawsuit, couldn't be found.
Mattier, who says in court papers he has never had a job, allegedly told police when he was arrested that he intended to use the money for good.


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A stunning Quebec Superior Court injunction that temporarily halted exploratory work on a major cross-Canada oilsands pipeline project is raising fresh questions about whether the Canadian government muzzled a top scientist while reviewing the industry proposal.
At least two federal departments, Transport Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, gave a green light for the exploratory work, including major drilling and seismic testing in the port of Cacouna, Quebec, in the heart of the critical habitat of threatened St. Lawrence beluga whales.
Alberta-based TransCanada needs to complete the exploratory work as part of plans for an oil terminal on the St. Lawrence River for its proposed multibillion dollar Energy East pipeline.


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Hipgnosis is The Beatles of album cover art — nobody has ever done it better than the British design firm founded by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell. Their first cover was Pink Floyd's 1968 album A Saucerful of Secrets and their last was Led Zeppelin's Coda, released in 1982. There's quite a bit of poetry in that. In their fifteen years together the firm produced many of the most iconic covers in music history. Below is a gallery of all 190 Hipgnosis covers. Do you have a favorite? I'm listening.
For more information check out the book For the Love of Vinyl: The Album Art of Hipgnosis. (Note: I couldn't find an image of Hignosis's 48th album cover, 1972's self-titled Danta.)
Categories: Album Covers, Deep Brushstrokes, Music


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Need a hat/cap: we've got that! Our hats come with embroidery and rhinestones. They are perfect for anyone to wear to the next sporting event. Perfect for Softball, Football, Soccer, Track, Cheer and more sporting events. Our cadet style hats are 100% cotton, one size fits most, and adjustable velcro straps.
Select colors available; see the list in the pictures
Pick your hat color; if not hat will come as shown


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An Easier Way to More Savings
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Whether for a new building or renovation of an existing space, customers want lighting solutions that provide quality of light and substantial energy and maintenance savings. This new batten range of LED products can be used to replace traditional battens with fluorescent lamps. The process of selecting, installing and maintaining is so easy – it's a simple switch