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Jana Kramer Was Intimidated by Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride When She Started Music
Jana Kramer is just now making herself known on the country music scene, but the 28-year-old actress — known for her work on 'One Tree Hill' — says that music was always something that filled her heart.
"I grew up in a very musical family, so I started singing at a really young age," Kramer tells Taste of Country. "I kind of fell into acting, I think, and I always wanted to be a singer, but I didn't think my voice was good enough."
Part of the reason she questioned her talent was because ultimately, she would be thrown into the circle with the likes of the biggest powerhouse female vocalists, which was an intimidating thought. "When you listen to country music, you hear Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood with these big, beautiful voices," notes Kramer. "But then, I finally started to believe in myself."
And so did Nashville. Kramer linked up with famed producer Scott Hendricks and began making her first album on Warner Bros. Records. "At first I was really timid and scared," she said of going into the studio as a singer. "Scott was like, 'Just be yourself. We signed you because you're you and not like anyone else.' He said, 'You're going to have to believe in that, or we're not going to get the best product we can get.'"
She adds, "Once I believed in my voice enough, I said, you know what? He's right. This is who I am. It's different and unique, and now I'm like, 'Let's go!' I don't care if I hit a weird note – whatever, we'll do it again [laughs]!"
As far as her loyalty to country music, Kramer says she's here to stay. The star recently finished her commitment to 'One Tree Hill' and is now putting all of her energy into music. Her self-titled debut album hit the shelves on June 5, and her first single, 'Why Ya Wanna,' is already making big waves on the charts.
"I want to be known as a country singer, not that I'm quitting acting, but my focus now is on music," Kramer says. "I'm not just going to put one song out and then say alright, peace out! I'm going to stick around. This is where I want to stay. I'll come in and out of the acting world. I'll only do things that I'm passionate about."


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People often ask us at TSS-Radio.com how long it will take for an order to arrive. Since we offer several different shipping options the answer to that question depends on which option you choose. Here are the shipping options we offer and the general shipping time frames.
TSS-Radio Free Shipping (any purchase over $70 qualifies for free shipping)
Free shipping ships out from Chicago via UPS Ground. UPS Ground can take anywhere from 1-5 business days depending on where you are located within the United States. Check out the UPS service map below.
We also offer UPS expedited shipping options. We offer Next Business Day Air, 2nd Business Day Air, and 3rd Day Select. UPS does not offer weekend delivery, so please factor in lag time if ordering late in the week.
USPS Postal Priority Mail
Our most common shipping option is USPS Postal Priority Mail. Priority Mail generally takes 2-3 business days, but can often be a few days longer depending on where you are located or during heavy volume times of year. Postal Priority is an affordable, quick option for small items. Postal Priority also ships out Monday-Saturday, so if you are ordering late in the week, it is a quicker option in many cases.
UPS Mail Innovations
UPS Mail Innovations is a hybrid service between UPS and the United States Postal Service. Packages shipped by Mail Innovations leave TSS-Radio via UPS, travel to a nearby location to the destination address, and are transferred to/delivered by the Post Office. Although this option is very inexpensive, it also has the longest wait time. Packages shipped by Mail Innovations generally take 7-10 business days to arrive, but can take up to 2 weeks depending on your location. Mail Innovations is a great, inexpensive option for customers who want to pay the least amount possible for shipping but who are not in a hurry to receive their item.
Canadian Shipping Options
We offer a few different shipping options to our Canadian customers. The quickest option is UPS Worldwide Expedited. Worldwide Expedited packages generally only take about 2-3 business days to arrive. We also offer options from the United States Postal Service. Express Mail International typically takes 3-5 business days where as Priority Mail International can often take 2-3 weeks.
General Shipping Policies
- Most orders placed before 5PM Central Time Monday – Friday will ship out from our Chicago warehouse the same day.
- USPS Priority Mail orders placed after 5PM on Friday will often leave the warehouse Saturday.
- UPS does NOT pick up or deliver on Saturdays/Sundays. If you are ordering late in the week, USPS may be a quicker option
- UPS Next Day Air orders placed on Fridays will arrive the following Monday.
- UPS 2nd Day Air orders placed on Thursdays will also arrive the following Monday.
- UPS 3rd Day Select orders placed on Wednesdays will, again, arrive the following Monday.
- Canadian orders are subject to Canadian import taxes and fees. These are charged upon delivery and are NOT included in the shipping charges you pay to TSS-Radio.com
- TSS-Radio will NOT mark any Canadian package as a gift to avoid tariffs.
If you have questions regarding when your order will ship out, estimated delivery times, special requests, or any other questions please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 773.772.4340.


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Seven Teens Arrested After Throwing Rocks at Cars on Arrowhead Parkway. They Even Nailed a Police Car.
Police say throwing rocks at passing vehicles east of Sioux Falls got seven teenaged boys in trouble early Thursday.
Captain Jim Hoekman of the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office says it was just before 12:30 am when deputies and Sioux Falls Police were called to the 6200 block of East Arrowhead Parkway and the report of rocks being thrown:
Hoekman says the seven, all 14 or 15 years old, were cited into juvenile court for felony vandalism. He says one of the teens lives at that address, and the other six had been there for a sleepover.
Hoekman says three civilian vehicles and the deputy's patrol car were damaged by the rocks that were thrown, but no dollar amount was available yet.


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Morning After
Here's What Happened to Lena Dunham's Golden Globes Dress
Zac Posen dress, meet the floor.
After winnning two awards for Girls at the Golden Globes last night (and making waves for a Zac Posen dress that apparently fought her breasts), Dunham Instagrammed the dress in a tired pile on the floor of her hotel room this morning (along with a corked bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket of melted ice.) The caption read simply: "Walk of Shame."


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Bohr was part of an even more elite group, one of only seven parent-child combos to have each won a Nobel. His father, Niels, won the physics Nobel in 1922, shortly after young Aage was born. Aage also served as his father's secretary, traveling companion and assistant during the Manhattan Project, the World War II effort to build an atomic bomb.
By the end of the 1940s, the conventional view of the atomic nucleus as a sphere with neutrons evenly dispersed throughout was being cast into doubt by experimental evidence suggesting that it was ovoid in shape. Niels Bohr had won his prize, in part, for suggesting that nuclear components are arranged in a sphere like molecules in a drop of water.
Working independently but consulting frequently, James Rainwater of Columbia University and a newly graduated Aage Bohr, who was at Columbia on a fellowship, concluded that, in simplest terms, centrifugal forces from the nucleus' revolution caused it to bulge outward at the center. Rainwater published a paper on the topic in April 1950 and Bohr a more generalized paper a month later.
Returning to Denmark, Bohr joined with Ben Mottelson, a naturalized Dane, to further refine the idea, producing a theory that could be verified by experiments. Working together over the next 25 years, Bohr and Mottelson developed their theory fully, ultimately publishing it in two volumes in 1969 and 1975.
In awarding the physics Nobel jointly to all three men, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences noted that, "The conformity between theory and experiment was so complete that there could be no doubt of the accuracy of the theory."
Aage Niels Bohr was born June 19, 1922, in Copenhagen, the fourth son of his illustrious father and his wife, Margrethe. He grew up at the University of Copenhagen's Institute of Physics -- later to be named the Niels Bohr Institute -- where he was surrounded by some of the most famous names in physics, including Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Hendrik Kramers, Oscar Klein and Yoshio Nishina -- all of whom the Bohr children fondly called "uncle."
He was able to enter the University of Copenhagen in 1940 to study physics even though Germany had taken over Denmark. But when the Nazis ordered the deportation of Denmark's 7,000 Jews, the family was smuggled across the narrow Oresund Channel to safety in Sweden where, Aage Bohr later recalled, they were "warmly welcomed."
Niels Bohr joined the Manhattan Project and Aage followed him to London, Washington and Los Alamos, N.M., assisting him with his correspondence and helping to draft scientific papers.
The family returned to Denmark in August 1945, and Aage Bohr re-enrolled at the university, earning his master's degree in physics in 1946. He didn't earn his doctorate until 1956, after he had already achieved the bulk of his Nobel Prize work.
After the death of his father in 1962, Aage Bohr became the director of the Niels Bohr Institute until 1970, when he left to devote more time to research. He served as director of the closely affiliated Nordic Institute for Theoretical and Atomic Physics from 1975 until his retirement in 1981.
Aage Bohr had a lifelong love of classical music and played the piano whenever he had time.
He married Marietta Soffer in New York in 1950, and the couple had three children, Vilhelm, Tomas and Margrethe. Marietta died in 1978, and in 1981 Bohr married Bente Meyer, who survives him, along with his three children.


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Saddleback Communications provides residents on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community with reliable local telephone service and high-speed Internet access.
Business Services
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The Smart, Hassle-Free Integrated Communications Solution. Large Business Capabilities....Now Affordable for Small and Medium Businesses. Click Here. See our Hosted IP video demo now!


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One of my favorite assignments in the past year or so was the feature I did this week on former Dunbar and West Virginia star Tavon Austin, who for weeks has had talent evaluators in NFL organizations and in the media salivating about what he might do in the pros. One quote from my story really summed Austin up nicely.
"I think the teams that view him conventionally as a slot receiver are being short-sighted," Greg Cosell of NFL Films, whose opinion I respect, told me two weeks ago. "The teams that see him as the ultimate chess piece that can be moved all around and aligned everywhere on the formation are the teams that will get it right."
Now that we know that Tavon is heading to St. Louis, let's take a look at how he will fit with the Rams.
The Rams drafted a pair of wide receivers, Brian Quick and Chris Givens, in the first four rounds of last year's draft. Quick didn't contribute much as a rookie, but he projects as an outside receiver. Givens can play in the slot, but he can do a little bit of everything. You can say the same about Austin, who has been strongly linked to the Rams even since they lost young slot receiver Danny Amendola in free agency.
Surely, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is smiling because the Rams got him the draft's most explosive weapon in Austin.
It's really going to be interesting to see what the Rams to with Austin, especially on the turf out in St. Louis, where Marshall Faulk, a similar-sized running back, was part of "The Greatest Show on Turf."
The Rams have a void at running back now that Steven Jackson is Atlanta. They are expected to draft one at some point this weekend, but I wonder if the Rams will get creative with Austin like their NFC West rivals in Seattle will do with Percy Harvin (the player that Austin seems to be compared to most).
Hopefully, for entertainment value from afar, the Rams see him as "that ultimate chess piece" that Cosell alluded to.
It often takes receivers a little longer to develop than players at other positions, but Austin thinks he can contribute right away.
"It feels good that teams appreciate my versatility and think that I can step in and be that player, making plays all over the field," said Austin, who grew up emulating elusive running backs such as Warrick Dunn and Barry Sanders but now admires wide receivers like Wes Welker, Percy Harvin and DeSean Jackson. "I think I'm ready for it."
Still, Austin admitted that the transition to the college game and the "complex" offense that Bill Stewart ran at West Virginia was not easy for him. "It was complicated for me, which is why I didn't play much my freshman year," he said. Though in his defense, he was switching to wide receiver after being the most productive running back in Maryland high school history.
He said it took him until midway through his sophomore year at West Virginia to get the hang of playing receiver. And his career really took off once Dana Holgorsen become head coach in 2011.
As a junior, Austin caught 101 passes for 1,186 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He was even better as a senior, catching 114 passes for 1,289 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 2012. He also rushed for 643 yards and three touchdowns. In his four years at West Virginia, Austin scored 40 total touchdowns as a receiver, rusher or returner and 28 came in his final two years.
Oh, and this ridiculousness happened last November.
On the surface, it looks like the coaching staff at West Virginia found creative ways to get the ball in his hands -- screens, jet sweeps, lining him up in the backfield and pitching him the ball -- but Mountaineers offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson feels it was actually quite simple.
"Tavon has some unique abilities," Dawson said. "So when he has the ball in his hands early, he always seems to make people miss and gain positive yards. All we were trying to was give him the ball as quick as we could in the play and with space. If you can get that kid the ball with space, then he's going to make people miss. That's about as creative as we got with him, and in my opinion, that's not very creative. It's just trying to get your best player the ball. There are no drills, there are no systems."
Of course, there will be less space for Austin to maneuver in the NFL. The other players are bigger and faster than in college, and with narrower hashmarks, it will be tougher for him to find running room.
And even though Austin never missed a game in high school or college, there is concern that due to his smaller stature -- 5-foot-8, 174 pounds -- he will be susceptible to big hits and stints on the injury report.
SiriusXM NFL analyst Gil Brandt, once a scouting pioneer for the Dallas Cowboys, said it's hard for a guy his size to line up and play every down. But at the very least, he sees Austin as a player somewhat like New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles, who will make a big impact despite playing only about half the offensive snaps and on special teams.
"I think he is a very tough, tough mismatch for defenses because wherever you line him up, his speed creates a problem," he said. "I think he will be drafted in the middle of the first round and help a team a great deal."
Austin told me that he doesn't really care where he goes "because I am the one who has to make it work no matter where I go," but he mentioned the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers, along with the Rams, as teams he thought would best put his skill set to use.
Lucky for him, he landed in St. Louis. It's a dream come true.
"Since the first time I touched the football, people always told me I was blessed, that I had something special," Austin said last week. "I believed in myself and I kept seeing myself getting better and better at it. I stuck with my dream. A lot of people told me the NFL would never happen, but I didn't listen to them. They don't believe in nobody in Baltimore, but I kept with it. It's been a long time, but my dream is about to come true."


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#travel costa rica
Costa Rica Travel Guide
Welcome to the Costa Rica Travel Guide! We've created your virtual best friend – an insider's guide full of practical information and videos for Costa Rica travel as well as plenty of interesting details about this amazing country. With more than 15 years in the industry of making amazing Costa Rica vacations and dozens of local experts on staff, we've seen and heard it all. And now, we've compiled the answers to your burning questions into one, easy-to-navigate guide. So grab that cup of coffee, sit back, enjoy the videos and dig in. Soon you'll have the how out of the way, so you can start planning the where, the what, and all that other good stuff.
About Costa Rica
Boasting both a rich past and present and often dubbed "The Happiest Country in the World", Costa Rica is full of delights that will never cease to surprise and impress those who travel here. Learn all about this small, proud nation.
Travel to Costa Rica and one thing that will always amaze you is the sheer diversity of landscapes and environments. From Cloud Forests and mountain peaks to Volcanoes and pristine beaches, there is something for everyone.
Around Costa Rica
Travel around Costa Rica can be surprisingly swift and easy. Wake up in a vibrant metropolis, spend the day on a beach and then fall asleep to the sounds of nature in a jungle paradise, it is all possible.
Things to Do
Costa Rica boasts a vast smorgasbord of things to do, promising lots of somethings for everyone. Come to surf, sightsee or to spot an endangered animal in the wild, Costa Rica will fulfill your expectations.
Costa Rica Travel Tips
Get all the best tips for travel to Costa Rica from the people who know. From airlines and airports to things to bring and what not to do when you are here. This guide is indispensable.
Check out our Gide to Sportfishing in Costa Rica, where you will find free information about things to see and do, maps, suggestions and other Costa Rica fishing tips.
Costa Rica is home to 5% of the world's known biodiversity with over 500,000 species of animals. If you like nature then you are going to love it here, protected forests allow you to experience their environment.
North, south, east and west – we have the maps you need to get from Point A to Point B. We've outlined the country's top destinations and highlighted our favorite sights, sounds and eats in each.
Photos Videos
They say that Costa Rica's photo ops are picture-perfect, and they're not lying – we have the proof! Our travel experts have journeyed far and wide, both to popular destinations and the most secluded corners of the country, to snap.


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The Hotel Riu Guanacaste (24h All Inclusive), is situated in Guanacaste, Costa Rica in a seafront location on Mata Palo Beach.
This fully equipped hotel offers guests the best service in addition to a fresh water swimming pool, Jacuzzi, gym, sauna and the "Renova Spa" centre with a range of different treatments and massages. Everything you could need to guarantee the maximum well-being during your stay.
The quality of the cuisine prepared by the chefs in our restaurants goes hand in hand with a wide variety of flavours on offer at this hotel, which will make you want to sample all our menus. The All Inclusive system gives you the opportunity to try out the buffet restaurant and the various themed restaurants on offer at the hotel.
If your stay is for work or business reasons, the Hotel Riu Guanacaste is ideal for you. It has five conference rooms, which are modern and fully equipped, allowing you to hold meetings or conferences in a professional and simple way, not to mention the range of services available.
From its prime location, the hotel offers a wide range of activities on its beautiful beaches such as diving or fishing in the Pacific Ocean and ecotourism in the volcanic regions. During the day, we also offer you several entertainment programs for all ages, whether you're travelling with your family, as a couple or with friends. The hotel includes a gym, table tennis, volleyball, a tennis court, windsurfing, sailing, snorkelling, kayaking and other water activities. If your favourite sporting activity is Golf, the Four Seasons golf club boasts fantastic views over the ocean and a challenging course.
Guanacaste is less tropical, humid and lush than the rest of the country. Its dry grasslands and woods are sometimes reminiscent of landscapes from the African savannah. In the inland areas, you'll see the natives, local cowboys riding on their horses as they lead their herds, which are authentic figures of the destination's traditional culture. From the hotel, we offer several excursions which are not to be missed such as a visit to Rincón de la Vieja nature park, the Safari Park or the capital of Guanacaste: Liberia.
Enjoy the best offers of Costa Rica and spend some relaxing time at the hotel.
Spring Break Policies: Spring Breakers (either groups or individuals, regardless of age) are not allowed at this property, at any time during the year. RIU Hotels & Resorts, reserves the right to withhold admission to any Spring Breaker. The hotel reserves the right of admission and may request clients to show passport or official ID to prove full identification. Guests can and will be removed from the property at their own expense in case of any disturbance or complaint from other guests or hotel staff. Parties in rooms are not allowed. Spring break groups or unruly behavior is not allowed all year round at any property.


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Here's what I was reading and thinking about when I wasn't admiring the dreamy first snow falling on the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico. Sure is pretty!
Jay Somaney's "So Money" Trading Diary - The best tech trader I know now with is own trading diary. I read him every day and have even got a couple positions on in the Revolution Investing model portfolio that he helps guide me on. He's shorting SINA and a few other China net stocks. And he's shorting CRM. Click through to read his full analysis and discussion. It's truly must-read stuff for any tech investor. Hmm.
The Dream Team of Investment Managers - David Merkel with an interesting take on some of the best managers in the profession.
Will European Debt Solution Work? and Live Updates: Reaction to EU Plan - The answer to the first question is, in my estimation -- yes, it kicks the can down the road for a little while, maybe a year or two and then no after that. As I put in in my chat on TradingWithCody.com yesterday:
"Upshot is that I don't think there's anything that the EUcrats can do except further kick the can down the road. If they pull that off and the market decides that it's still backstopped by taxpayers, then we'll have a big near-term rally. If not, the markets will likely get hit near-term."
The markets are up about 2% across the board here in the early going, with breadth 10 to 1 positive. Apparently the bears and shorts I know aren't a minority out there -- this type of now panicky buying comes from shorts being squeezed out of their positions and bears running for the hills. With our portfolios blasting to new highs, I'm selling 1/4 of my Bank of America BAC common stock position for a 25% gain in less than a month. I've also been trimming down other longs this week too.
Netflix: ignore Wall Street - I'll just quote Lefsetz from the article: "You can't stream what you want with Netflix NFLX. If you could, we wouldn't be having this debate, there would be no hoopla. Don't shine the light on Reed Hastings, shine it on the studios who make these movies and television shows, they want to live in the land of darkness, just like the record labels, and they're going to get hurt by it. Hell, they're already being hurt, DVD sales keep falling. What's their plan? Hell, they can't even figure it out with exhibitors, the studios want VOD day and date of the release in theatres and the theatre owners don't. And who's left out? THE PUBLIC!"
A few select growth stocks break out - From Marketwatch's Trading Deck. Marder cites Chipotle CMG and Under Armor UA as breakouts, among others. I see Checkpoint CKP and Intel INTC trying to fully break out too. Hmm.
The Best Financial Youtube Video Of All-Time? - A little levity to finish.
Cody Willard writes Revolution Investing for MarketWatch and posts the trades from his personal account at TradingWithCody.com. At time of publication, Cody was net long BAC .


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Let me start by saying one thing: I've always been an Atheist. I was born an Atheist (as everyone did) and my parents Catholicism just never took with me. In the third grade, I came across a definition of Atheism in the dictionary at my parochial grade school and it changed my life forever (this story also includes my friend Bill and I discovering the definition of "Fart" in the same dictionary). For the first time I had a title for what I felt beyond simply "Different." Throughout my life, I have carried the mantle of out-of-the-closet Atheist with pride and I've never backed down from a theist's challenge or debate, but I've also always figured that people can believe whatever they want as long as it doesn't effect me. But recently, something else is stirring inside me...activism.
I have two wonderful children that are just now entering that phase of life where they start observing what is going on around them and asking questions. Around Christmas time last year, my daughter (7 years old in the 2nd grade) started coming home with stories about baby Jesus from school (yes, public school). I could never get a clear answer of whether these stories were coming from the teacher or other kids, but either way it has changed the way I feel about the religion around me. I now realize that I am going to have to fight the influence of religion in my children's lives whether I originally wanted to or not. And like any other fight that I've undertaken in my life, half-hearted isn't going to cut it.
I'm going to the Reason Rally on the 24th and that day will mark the first time that I have ever been to any kind of Atheist, Humanist, Freethought, etc function...ever. It seems weird that I have lived as an outspoken Atheist for all these years, and I've never attempted to reach out to other Atheists for support or community. There is a part of me that wants to start making Youtube videos about the perils of being an Atheist parent in America and another part that wants to start getting together with other Atheists and other Atheist parents on a regular basis. All I know is that I have to start somewhere. Any input from the community here that may help me direct this drive to activism that I feel would be much appreciated.
Views: 565
Good for you! I too have been an atheist for a long time and am just starting to feel the need to become an activist. That is why I started my blog and have become active in a local atheist group. With the political scene in the U.S. being what it is, I felt I could no longer sit by and let others dictate theist policies to me.
Very weird, the first part of my post was truncated.
Some parents will try to tell you that "you can't reason with kids". Yes you can, though the later one starts making this a priority, the harder it gets. That said, it's never too late to start.
Yes you can, though the later one starts making this a priority, the harder it gets. That said, it's never too late to start. One good way to help your child understand the difference between "belief" and "truth" is books like...
See also the links at the bottom.
"I am trying to figure out the best way
to keep him from the religious influence until he is old enough to understand."
Try the most basic approach:
There is a difference between knowing something and believing something, people believe in a lot of different things. Just because a person believes something, doesn't mean it's true.
Now that you began looking around for us, you'll find a few atheists everywhere. When you find out what other atheists parents are concerned about in your own community, you'll get some ideas of what you can do about it. Activism means doing something. Now that you've started, you're in for the ride of your life.
Man you sound just like me. We are also dealing with the 7 y/o kid (in 1st grade - public school) that came home talking about christmas being about baby jesus. He said that's what the teacher told the kids in response to their questions. I am trying to figure out the best way
to keep him from the religious influence until he is old enough to understand.
Good luck
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This Day in Sports History: November 12
Here are just some of the notable sports moments that happened on November 12 :
1892 — Guard William (Pudge) Heffelfinger became the first professional football player when he was paid $500 to play by the Allegheny Athletic Association. (More info.)
1920 — Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis was elected the first commissioner of Major League Baseball. (More info.)
1953 — U.S. District Judge Allan Grim ruled that the NFL can black-out televised broadcasts of home games to protect teams' markets. (More info.)
1979 — Tony Franklin, the barefoot place-kicker of the Philadelphia Eagles, made a 59-yard field goal against the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. (More info.)
1995 — Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins threw for 333 yards in a 34-17 loss to the New England Patriots, breaking Fran Tarkenton's NFL record for career passing yards (47,003). (More info.)


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Liberty Eagles Band Invited By the IHSA to Play
Congratulations to the Liberty Eagles High School Band. The Eagles Band has been invited to perform for the 2013 Illinois High School Association Girls Basketball Tournament Finals in Bloomington, Illinois on March 2.
To cover the expense of travel, food and uniforms there will be several fundraising activities in the Liberty area in the week ahead. Their fund raising goal is set at $5,000. Charles Brooks is the Liberty Director of Bands and Kathy Gerecke is the contact person for the fundraising committee.
If you would like to donate to their cause call 645-3241.


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The Gadsden County NAACP Branch meets every second and fourth Thursday of each month at Union Hall at 6:30 p.m. All interested citizens are invited to attend and join.Contact Sam Palmer at 627-2673 for information.
The first time Judy Poppell Cook of Havana walked in an American Cancer Society Relay for Life, she was walking for a dear friend who she'd recently lost to breast cancer. She'd been with her friend, Pati Payne, throughout most of her illness, almost up until the end. And when Cook hit the track that first time in a Relay, she had no idea that in just a couple of months, she would be diagnosed with breast cancer herself.
• First Baptist Church in Quincy holds Sunday School each week at 9:45 a.m., followed by worship at 10:55. Sunday evening worship begins at 6 p.m. Sunday morning worship services are broadcast on Sunday events at 6 p.m. on 93.3 FM.
• Church services at Mt. Pilgrim Primitive Baptist Church are held the first, second and fourth Sundays at 11 a.m., and at 8 a.m. on the third Sunday of each month. Church school begins at 9:45 a.m. each Sunday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Dean Joseph Fenn of Greensboro, along with Prentiss Sparkman Huddleston of Tallahassee and Mary Hopley Huddleston of Albuquerque, N.M., are pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their children, Rebecca Annette Fenn and Stephen Prentiss Huddleston.
L. B. and Sybil Arnold of Telogia, along with Doug and Susan Ray and Dale and Mac McCall, all of Quincy, are pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their children, Traci Lynn Arnold and Zackary Boyd Ray.
The bride-elect is a resident of Quincy and is a PPSC in Tallahassee.
The groom-elect is also a resident of Quincy, and is employed at Quincy Tire and Recapping.
The wedding is planned for May 2 at the Quincy Garden Center at 6:30 p.m. No local invitations will be sent, and all family and friends are welcome.
On April 4, the 25-member JROTC drill team from East Gadsden High School competed in the 2009 National Eastern Drill Championship in Upper Malboro, Md. The cadets competed in four events in the armed division, including color guard, armed squad exhibition, armed platoon regulation and unit inspection.
The Jaguars won fourth place in armed squad exhibition, commanded by CSM Colby Marshall. Team members included Veronta Bryant, Ernest Nixon III, Jeffery Jackson, Demetrius Williams, Telvin Bryant, John Roberts, Tyrone Johnson and Jeremiah Showers.
A pilau dinner fundraiser is being held May 5 to benefit the Sherry Smith Fellowship, a fund that allows Gadsden County teachers the opportunity to travel all over the world to enhance their teaching experience.
Teachers can apply for the $3,000 fellowship, and the selected educator can travel to the country of his or her choice, then incorporate the experience into the classroom the following academic year. The recipient can also share the experience with students and teachers throughout the district.
Easter baskets. Just about everybody has gotten one. They can be as simple or as elaborate as the buyer would like. Sharon Harrison, who owns Baskets of Blessings, has been making these things of beauty and whimsy for the past 10 years.
"Business is good," she said. By last Sunday she and her daughter, April, had made over 100 baskets in different shapes and sizes, and she was still taking orders.
Until last Monday morning, Fredricka Bryant, a 15 year old student at West Gadsden High School, thought she was pretty savvy when it came to computer use. But she didn't know much about computer safety.
"I didn't know that people could find your address and where you live. Older men can pretend that they are girls your age and ask you to meet them at the mall or the movies and you won't know until you get there and they can hurt you," she said.
Copyright © 2019
The Gadsden County Times is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Gadsden County and Quincy, FL, and the surrounding area.


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This is a neat little widget.
According to various blogs it gives you the same functionality as a similar YUI widget but weighs in almost 200KB smaller (counting YUI overhead).
However, its documentation is pretty sparse. So, I'm providing one quick note. Otherwise you might end up taking out your frustrations on an innocent flatscreen monitor.
The url parameter in Carousel's initialization function does not precisely correspond to the URL the widget will actually call during the course of its Ajaxy goodness. Watch out for that one. The url parameter actually defines a base URL to which Carousel will then append two parameters (in the CGI sense). Those parameters are start and nb. So whatever base url you give it, it will then call
Thursday, August 23, 2007
URL Gotcha in Sébastien Gruhier's Prototype Carousel
Posted by Giles Bowkett at 4:08 PM
3 comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
in the JS Lib worlds its really down to EXT and Dojo 0.9. GWT and AJAX ASP.NET control extenders.ReplyDelete
But Ext and Dojo are the biggest innovators
Not really related to your post but the widgets in those libs are very strong.
There was a neat lightning talk at Rails Edge last night on using Mootools with Rails. Nothing against Prototype, or Carousel, just one gotcha on one widget.ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Local and National News Headlines 1/25
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he wants to close the gap between rich and poor. In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Obama proposed refinancing at lower interest rates on some mortgages, forcing colleges to keep tuition down and higher taxes for the wealthy. In the GOP response, Gov. Mitch Daniels says Obama has resorted to "extremism" to divide Americans. Today the President will set off on a three-day tour of politically crucial states, with his first stop in Iowa, where he will visit a conveyor belt plant.
Giffords Resigns
WASHINGTON — Making it official, Gabrielle Giffords has resigned from the House with a standing ovation from her colleagues, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin. The Arizona congresswoman formally resigned after a series of tributes from her colleagues. She's stepping down to focus on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head.
Interest Rates to Remain Low
WASHINGTON - Interest rates will remain low for at least the next two years. In a statement today the central bank said the earliest date for any likely increase in its benchmark interest rate would be in 2014. The Federal Reserve has never gone this far to assure consumers and businesses that they'll be able to keep borrowing cheaply. The record –low rates are still needed to help boost an economy that's improving but slowly.
Parking Garage for Downtown Tyler
TYLER - A much needed parking garage in downtown Tyler will soon become a reality. The Tyler City Council this morning took the first step by authorizing Walker Parking Consultants/Engineers to design the structure. The consultants recommend building a multi-level parking garage that would accommodate 300 to 400 spaces . The parking garage would be bordered by Locust Street to the north, Fannin Avenue to the east, Elm Street to the south and Bois D' Arc Avenue to the west.
Couple on Trial for Capital Murder Plea Not Guilty
TYLER -- Two people who are jailed in connection with the death of a 1-year-old boy appeared in a Smith County courtroom yesterday and each entered not guilty pleas. Simon Lopez, 27, and Emma Torres, 19, are charged with capital murder in the 2010 death of Torres' son. Prosecutors have not said whether or not they will seek the death penalty.
Barbara Bush Speaks in Tyler
TYLER -- Former First Lady Barbara Bush, who was the guest speaker at Tuesday's Literacy Council of Tyler luncheon at Harvey Convention Center, encouraged the community to help educate others by volunteering. Mrs. Bush who started The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy more than 20 years ago told the crowd, "Every person who learns to read is a great victory." At the conclusion of her speech, Mrs. Bush was presented with a special gift, a library named in her honor. The Bush Library will be located at the Tyler Salvation Army's Center of Hope.
Man Shows Up Unannounced at Bush's House
DALLAS -- A man who showed up outside the Dallas Home of former President George W. Bush was questioned and released after the Secret Service spokesman said the man had a gun in his vehicle. The man said he wanted to see the former president. The Bushes were not at home and it's unclear how the man entered a gate located on the former President's street.
School Lunches to Get Healthier
WASHINGTON — School lunches are about to get healthier. First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are announcing today that most school meals will have less sodium, more whole grains and more fruits and vegetables as sides. Pizza still will be on the menu, but it will be made with healthier ingredients.
More Prescriptions Getting Attention
WASHINGTON — Diseases long-ignored by drug companies are getting a lot more attention thanks to a combination of scientific innovation and business opportunity. The pharmaceutical industry won approval to market a record number of new drugs for rare diseases last year because of commercial benefits like longer patent protection.


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text: Sijun Forums :: View topic - Hi- I'm new here Log in to check your private messages Sijun Forums Forum Index >> Archive : Sep99 - Dec00 View previous topic :: View next topic Author Topic : "Hi- I'm new here" goldfinger007junior memberMember #Joined: 10 Nov 1999Posts: 4Location: Oceanside, CA Posted: Wed Nov 10, 1999 4:04 pm Hello- I've been checking this board for quite a while, and I've been amazed at all the talent here. So much in fact, that I decided to join in the fun, so I went and purchased a tablet, and this is my first image using the tablet. I used PS 5.0 in this pic. Please tell me what you think!!! Does it suck? Does it kick ass? You get the idea- thanks http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bridge/8237/faceblue.jpg -goldfinger007- Back to top Anthony JmemberMember #Joined: 22 Oct 1999Posts: 412Location: Oakville Posted: Wed Nov 10, 1999 6:55 pm from the cheekbone up its good needs more detail tho from the bone down needs some work good stuff man, you got so inspired you went out and bought a tablet how bout buying me one oh and... youarenotapieceofsteak steak<_--------_>you ------------------ --------------- Digital Painting Gallery http://anthonys.8m.com "you must feel the force in order to use it Obi-Wan..." Back to top BmemberMember #Joined: 12 Jan 2000Posts: 322Location: Houston, Tx, USA Posted: Thu Nov 11, 1999 10:35 am it's a good start, i would suggest a more finite detail,. but i do like the way it is coming along.. Back to top SPike.CoMmemberMember #Joined: 22 Oct 1999Posts: 194Location: Helsingborg, Sweden Posted: Thu Nov 11, 1999 10:53 am Very good for first one. Congratulations. Back to top Articjunior memberMember #Joined: 29 Oct 1999Posts: 39Location: Skelleftea, Sweden Posted: Thu Nov 11, 1999 1:41 pm Very nice first pic, but I think it's little to flat, need more shading. And it's need some more detail Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Sijun Forums Forum Index -> Archive : Sep99 - Dec00 All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Digital Art----------------Digital Art DiscussionWork in ProgressGallery/Finished Work Miscellaneous----------------Random MusingsArchive : Sep99 - Dec00 You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Powered by phpBB © 2005 phpBB Group


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My interest in genealogy started when I was a child. My dad's mom use to tell me that the family history book had been burned in a fire, but she knew we were related to Daniel Boone. I never forgot that, nor have I ever found the connection haha. Along with doing genealogy I spend a lot of my time doing photo restorations, namely for victims of Sandy through Care for Sandy, and also of family photos that I add to the books I write on our family history.
09 June 2009
To step back......
I had a doctor's appointment today and when I was done I knew that I had enough time to go a few blocks down to the courthouse. The baby sitter was at the house with the kids, and I could have one of those moments I have dreamed about for so long.
I went in to the Kootenai county courthouse and asked were I would find the old archived records I was looking for. The nice gentleman directed me to the Records office down on the left. I went in and explained to the lady, that quickly stepped forward to help me, that I had been doing research on the Kootenai County Cemetery up on Seltice (aka Paupers Cemetery). I told her a little about it and what I was hoping to find out. She took me to the vault where all the old books were kept and thought for a minute, and then went back out and pulled out a file. In this file was a copy of the list and history compiled by Alfred E and Betty J Shane. Their records come from the old Cassidy Funeral home record books (I'm still trying to find where those records disappeared to). Anyway she just gave this to me. Then she took me back to the vault and began to explain the different collections of books and what I may find in them, which ones most likely would yield information I was search for, and which ones were for the year range I was looking for.
Then she pulled down the Grantee Deed Book for 1920-1940, and then left to let me began my search. Oh how to describe it. I ran my hand down the spin of it and felt the old well worn leather that has seen seventy years of hands. I carefully opened the cover to see tattered edges and appreciate it oh so much more. I selected "B" to start with. Why not? I've done research and written about both Rufus Beck and Paul Best. Let see what this little treasure can tell me about these two men. I pull back the first page with the "B" tab on it only to discover it was blank. Well that can't be. So I pull back the next page. Well of course there we go. As I slide my finger down the pages, looking at each and every surname, I can't help but admire this beautiful scrolled handwriting. With the occasional rough handwritten line. I bet there was one particular person who maintained the majority of the records listed in this book. They took pride in their work, and I loved seeing that.
Though I found no surname of Best I did however find several individuals buying deeds in the 1920's with the surname of Beck. I will dig further into these later and see if they are of any relation to Rufus.
I told myself that I had to leave there at 12:00 in order to have time to eat lunch and get to work. At 12:00 I thought....Oh just another page won't hurt.....then 12:05 .....just another .....I'll be okay ....then at 12:10 I finally had to say okay that's enough. I regrettably folded up the book and put it back on the self where she pulled it from.
As I went out the door she smiled and waved and I said "thanks. I'll come again when I can stay longer." I left there with such excitement and a big smile on my face. I'm sure that's why the lady outside the door looked at me strangely. She was probably thinking "what on earth would have her leaving a court house with a big goofy grin on her face." If only she knew the feeling a genealogist gets when.......... Oh heck why do a try to explain it. Only a genealogist would understand.
All the way home I'm thinking of how can I possibly get away for a little time with out the children to go through more of these records? Then it hit me. Heck I made a deal with the babysitter so that she could afford her college that I would at least pay her a minimum each week. Well I've been tacking on 1-4 hours extra each week to make that minimum. So as soon as I got home I asked her if she would mind actually watching the kids for those extra hours on Friday, now that I have Friday's off (work is really getting slow. It's scary really) so that I can go down to the court house and maybe even the library. It'll be easier on the kids, and I can go to places they aren't allowed for now. She was more than grateful that I always paid the extra, even if she didn't work it, that she answered "sure" in a heartbeat. So problem solved. I will now have a chance to spend more time in records and find more of the missing pieces.
Ok it's now midnight and I guess I should get some sleep. I just couldn't go to bed with so much pent up excitement, without sharing. I even shared it at work. I swear I watched one gals eyes glaze over.....oh well.
3 comments:
- Gini said...
That is so awesome, I know exactly what you feel like and I go thru the same thing at work! Oh if I could be a fly on the wall when I am not there! Enjoy and I will be thinking about you and getting to see the beautiful handwriting and the feel of those old books.
- Bill West said...
Aha, A Genealogical Happy Dance
And I know all about that glazed expression on folks faces when I
start talking genealogy! :)
- Judith Richards Shubert said...
Don't we all! Good for you. I'm so glad you figured out a way to have more time to do this type of research. I just can't understand why EVERYONE doesn't get excited about it!


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Windows 7 gadgets help you put fun and functionality on your desktop. These little apps keep information and tools right in front of you, allowing you to be more productive and better informed. We've compiled a list of 10 helpful tools and utilities you may want to consider adding to your desktop.
Related Topics : Presentation Applications, Configuration Management, Database Administration, Enterprise Search, Load Performance and Stress Testing
PDF done right can touch every employee, while bringing a host of productivity and collaboration benefits to bear. ... More >>
Despite their importance, many SMBs let their tech solutions languish and turn into outdated relics that can't offer the necessary speed, collaboration and functionality for the modern user or customer. ... More >>


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Geno 2.0: A Step Forward to the Past
Now that the Genetic Genealogy World has grown accustomed to the recent autosomal DNA testing from such companies as Family Tree DNA and 23andMe, along comes another exciting test from The National Geographic Society.
Ever exploring our past, The National Geographic Society established the Genographic Project in April 2005 which tested indigenous populations around the world to gain more knowledge about human migration. This study allowed the general public to become a part of that scientific research, and it created the Legacy Fund to give back to the indigenous populations for their assistance. These three core components will continue as National Genographic takes us into the next arena of DNA testing.
Building on its world-wide testing, the Genographic Project introduces the Geno 2.0 Test which will revolutionize what we know currently regarding our ancient ancestors.
|Geno 2.0 Chip
Over 130,000 X-DNA and Autosomal DNA SNPs were collected to study gene flow between hominids and modern humans. SNPs from hominids used to design the GenoChip included Paleo-Eskimo Saqqaq, Aboriginal Australian, Neanderthal, Denisovan, and Chimpanzee.
As AIMs show differences in allele frequencies across population groups, and as these markers are honed over time, the ability to distinguish between populations will be increasingly more detailed.
Autosomal and X-DNA
Geno 2.0 uses 130,000 autosomal and X-chromosomal SNPs including 30,000 SNPs from regions of interbreeding between extinct hominids and modern humans. This Geno 2.0 test compares your result with several of these populations including the Neanderthals and the Denisovan.
Recently, DNA evidence has shown that modern humans inbred with the Neanderthal who populated Western Eurasia. Neanderthal DNA is 99.7 percent identical to humans, and scientists believe that many humans may have inherited 1-4% of their DNA from Neanderthals. Scientists also believe some modern humans inbred with the Denisovans who populated Eastern Eurasia. It is thought that islanders in Papua New Guinea may be distant cousins of the Denisovan. With the discovery in 2008 of a 40,000-year-old finger bone found in Siberian Russia's Denisova cave of a young girl, referred to as X-Woman, and a tooth of a Denisovan adult, the entire Denisovan genome has been extracted.
Besides the X-DNA and autosomal DNA, the Geno 2.0 test uses an extensive number of SNP markers from Mitochondria DNA and Y-DNA which also will improve the scientific geographic origins of our ancient ancestry by delineating between populations and narrowing the geographic areas where our ancient ancestors were located. This means breaking down a European haplogroup into smaller locations, a wonderful advantage for studying your ancient ancestry and its migration.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
Geno 2.0 will use the new Phylogentic Tree** from Dr. Doron Behar's paper A Uniquely Anthropological Approach to Human Origins and Dispersals. Dr. Behar and his colleagues have revolutionized the mtDNA Phylogentic tree so that instead of comparing your mtDNA to the rCRS (Revised Cambridge Reference Sequince), the new RSRS (Reconstructed Sapiens Reference Sequence) will be implemented. The RSRS is a proposed system comparing mitochondrial markers which includes the known Neanderthal sequences. This system gives a more accurate view in that haplogroups closer to our origins will have fewer mutations than those haplogroups which are more recent, thus displaying the haplogroups in a better time-oriented sequence. In the past the rCRS showed fewer mutations for Haplogroup H (the CRS contributor's haplogroup) with many for haplogroups that are more ancient and closer to Mitochondria Eve, the oldest-known female haplogroup, thus displaying mutations in a better time-oriented sequence.
About 15,000 SNPs with both new SNPs and SNPs from the established Y-DNA Phylogentic Tree will be included in this test. With these new SNPs, we can expect the Phylogentic Tree for Y-DNA to explode! There will be more Haplogroup subclades than ever before, thus helping testers determine in detail who is more closely related as well as providing younger and more geographically relevant Y-DNA branches. It not only refines the twigs (subclades) on the Y-DNA tree, but will define the relationships between those twigs (subclades). This level of SNP testing will provide a much more accurate age for Y-SNP-based lineage to better clarify Bronze Age migrations from late Neolithic migrations which is important in understanding early history and pre-history.
Your Personal Webpages
|Results Page
|Your Story Page
connect with others who have done the same. Thus, if you know your ancestor came from Krefeld, Germany in 1683, you can add that fact and see if others who have tested came from the same area. Another section entitled "Who Am I" provides your ancestral make-up, including your percentage of various populations, including Neanderthal and Denisovan.
In summary:
• The Geno 2.0 test is $199.95 with free shipping in the US
• Results are expected to take 4-6 weeks after the initial beta testing is completed
• The Family Tree DNA lab in Houston will do the testing
• All data can be downloaded for your genotype
• Reference populations being used will be downloadable
• For men, the test uses Y-DNA, mtDNA, X-DNA, and Autosomal DNA SNPs
• For women, the test uses mtDNA, X-DNA, and Autosomal DNA SNPs
• The test yields both paternal and maternal haplogroup results for males and maternal haplogroup results for females. Details of the haplogroups are provided
• This test esentually replaces the DeepClade test and takes the haplogroup designation to greater detail, allowing a more specific geographic association with the terminal SNP
• A Migration map and a frequency distribution map for your genotype gives you specifics about your haplogroup and helps you understand the results
• The new website will allow you to enter information about your lineage and see the same from your matches
• You can e-mail those near matches who are related to you through the site, but know that these matches are on an anthropological time frame and not a genealogical one
• You can share your information on various social media such as Facebook and Twitter
• You can transfer your test results from National Genographic to Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) at no charge
• Genographic will e-mail everyone who has transferred their original test to FTDNA to notify them of Geno 2.0
• Existing consents with FTDNA to manage testers' results will not be useful for this test as a new DNA sample must be taken
Some features will not be available at launch, and many others will be introduced in the coming months. Besides, the emphasis on DNA, Genographic will announce a new structure for funding their Legacy Project and place a greater emphasis on educational initiatives, called GenoThreads.
|Geno 2.0 kit
Be among the first to order you Geno 2.0 kit!
Website: www.genographic.com
* SNP. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms are special markers geneticists use to determine a person's twig on the world family tree.
** Phylogenetic Tree. The Phylogenetic Tree is the world's family tree and is expressed in an alternating series of letters and numbers, such as U5a1a1. The letter U is the branch and each consecutive number or letter is a twig branching from the previous twig. Both Y-DNA and mtDNA have Phylogenetic Trees.
Emily, 25 Jul 2012
Emily, 25 Jul 2012


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|Session Name:
|Games to Address National Challenges
|Constance Steinkuehler Squire
|Company Name(s):
|White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
|Track / Format:
In March 2011, President Obama issued a call to action, stating "I'm calling for investments in educational technology that will help create... educational software that's as compelling as the best videogame. I want you guys to be stuck on a videogame that's teaching you something other than just blowing something up." In response, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy initiated a new area of policy analysis focusing specifically on games as a medium with broad potential not just for conceptual learning but also for physical health, mental well-being, job growth and scientific discovery.


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Army Corps backs away from levee vegetation policy
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Government agencies around the country will no longer have to remove trees and other vegetation from levees to qualify for disaster relief funding under a new interim policy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced.
Under the previous policy, the state of California had faced millions of dollars in removal costs to qualify for levee repair grants in the event of a flood, the Sacramento Bee (http://bit.ly/1ffzZlr) reported Tuesday.
In 2011, California sued the corps, saying it didn't follow federal environmental laws when it required the removal of most trees and shrubs on federal levees. Environmental groups that want to preserve levee vegetation in Idaho and California also sued over the previous policy.
A federal judge in 2012 struck down a motion by the corps to dismiss that case. The federal flood-control agency now says it will continue to inspect levies but will not withhold disaster funding if vegetation standards are not met. The vegetation rating will be informational only.
The new policy is considered a victory for environmentalists, said Lisa Belenky, a senior staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, who along with Friends of the River and Defenders of Wildlife sued the corps over the policy in California. She said the interim policy will protect riparian vegetation on levees nationwide and the birds, fish and frogs that depend on healthy stream systems.
"The corps now admits the need to change their underlying policy directives that ignore regional differences and the science," Belenky said "The corps says they will develop and implement a new policy in an open public process — we intend to hold them to that promise."
The corps has said that trees threaten levee safety because roots could serve as a path for seepage, or trees could topple over in a storm and tear out chunks of a levee. Corps vegetation standards allow nothing but short grass.
Corps officials say they expect the interim rule to become permanent.
Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.


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File these fictional spacecraft under Earth's "DO NOT WANT" list, because these 10 ships are nothing short of planet-bulldozing, flesh-gorging, humanity-enslaving harbingers of extraterrestrial doom.
Doom, I say!
I know what you're thinking. You're glancing over at that Death Star picture and you're wondering, "What could possibly be worse than having your home world exploded by a planet-sized space vessel?"
As it turns out, quite a bit. Each of these malevolent starships threatens the people of Earth with a fate worse than death. The captains at the helm range from soulless machines and frosty bureaucrats to hedonistic monsters and demons from the depths of hell.
So brace yourself for some horrors -- and thank your lucky stars they're all mere figments of the cosmic imagination.
While the ineptitude of one Invader Zim is somewhat legendary in the Irken Empire, the people of Earth are fortunate to avoid the full attention of these insectile galactic conquerors.
The Irken armada plows its way through space, bringing system after system under the yoke of its egocentric rulers, the Almighty Tallest. The Irken Massive serves as the flagship for this invasion force. The warship boasts a devastating laser arsenal, numerous support vessels and a vast treasure trove of junk food.
In many cases, the Irken Massive launches an orbital bombardment to cleanse a conquered world of life. This clears the way for proper Irken colonization. Other planets, however, are far less fortunate.
The Conveyor Belt Planet, for instance, was once a lush and independent world. Now it serves as the Irken Empire's galactic shipping center, staffed by its former population. Other worlds, such as Foodcourtia, Parkinghereia and Excreto 5 suffered similar fates.
The Irken Massive itself is a product of a conquered species, the Vortians, whose home world of Vort was once the galaxy's leading center of science and engineering. Now the Vortians provide weapons technology for the endless Irken offensive.
Never trust a Cylon.
Oh sure, it all starts out well enough -- full of lusty glances and hot human-on-toaster sex, but then the Twelve Colonies of Kobol go up in flames and you're either running for your life or slaving away on a Cylon-occupied mud planet.
Then guess who starts messing with your emotions again? That's right. Typical Cylon wishy-washiness. If you've watched Syfy channel's "Battlestar Galactica," you know what I mean.
Given this dynamic, the deadly Cylon Basestar is the last vessel you want to glimpse in Earth's orbit. Resembling a gigantic caltrop, this galactic death machine boasts a brutal arsenal of 220 missile turrets and several hundred Raider attack ships just waiting to zip out and kill all humans. It can nuke a planet back into the Stone Age, or send a Centurion boarding party right into the heart of your precious Earth ship.
Best-case scenario? Fiery death courtesy of your robotic overlords. But if the Cylons truly want to punish earthlings, they'll unleash the full force of their crazy ex-girlfriend/boyfriend ways on their human frenemies.
The relative terror of this entry really depends on your leanings toward collective thinking and tubes in your skull. But should this imposing vessel show up in your skies, expect automated assimilation into a hivelike world of ghastly, soulless cyborgs.
Yeah, the onboard WiFi is incredible, and you'll never have to hunt for your smartphone again (because it'll be installed in your face), but your days as a freewilled human will be over.
The Borg spread terror throughout the Star Trek universe, consuming whole species and massacring anyone who dared to resist their way of life. Their enormous, cubical spacecraft typically outclass anything else on the galactic highway.
In addition to a bevy of deadly energy and projectile weapons, the Borg Cube also features a cutting beam to carve up enemy ships like a Thanksgiving turkey. Its decentralized layout makes it highly resistant to a decapitation strike, and the vessel actually regenerates damaged sectors.
Resistance has never been this futile.
Military conquest may work well for the Borg, but other extraterrestrial ne'er-do-wells favor a more deceptive path to victory. Yes, some aliens favor the long con.
Just consider "The Claws of Axos," a classic "Doctor Who" adventure and nasty confidence trick that plays out as follows:
- Disguise your true hideous form and appear as golden humanoids in form-revealing leotards. Talk British.
- Crash your organic spacecraft on Earth and claim to be out of gas.
- Inform the earthlings that you're short on cash but will barter for fuel.
- In exchange for a fresh tank of petrol, offer the humans a miracle substance called Axonite, a thinking molecule that can replicate any substance -- such as gold, helium-3 or Thai Red Bull.
- Drain the energy of all life forms on Earth.
See, the Axons are not a species of individuals. The ship, its crew and the precious Axonite itself are all part of a single parasitic organism -- which should have been expected since the Axon ship looks like a leech of some sort.
In the 1971 "Doctor Who" adventure, the titular time lord naturally thwarts the ravenous aliens, but it serves as a great reminder: Whether you're dealing with Zerg, Tyranids or just a good old invasion of Bugs, never trust a ship that poops.
Ridley Scott's "Alien" taught us the perils of poking around derelict alien spacecraft. As much as the ships tempt us with tantalizing arcane secrets, the technology is usually unfathomable and -- oh yeah -- the cargo bay usually contains rape monsters. Live and learn.
The 1985 film "Lifeforce" presents a much more difficult conundrum. What at first seems to be just another crumbly old tomb ship full of dead aliens turns out to contain an endlessly alluring payload for the investigating astronauts.
Naked people.
And they're not only naked; they're also attractive -- arguably the best variety of naked person possible. These extrasolar nudists turn up in a series of crystal, suspended animation chambers, and from there it's just a slippery slope to planetary invasion by a race of seductive space vampires. The vamps spend the remainder of the film sexing up British actors, draining their lifeblood and transforming into ravenous bat monsters.
From the walls of ancient Troy to the heart of a tawdry political scandal, lust has always been something of a problem for us humans. So when evil spaceships bring sexy back to Earth, you know we're doomed.
The starship Event Horizon takes an interesting approach to faster-than-light space travel. The ship's gravity drive brews up an artificial black hole, and the singularity's intense mass bends time and space.
What could possibly go wrong, right?
Well, the ship's maiden voyage sends the crew down a wormhole on a seven-year tour of hell -- and not a charming Disney version either, but a Clive Barkery version complete with eye-gouging, barbed wire and overwrought dialogue.
Having consumed its first crew in an orgy of violence, the now-possessed Event Horizon then aims to snare new humans for its "Love Boat" excursion through the waters of extra-dimensional suffering.
The moral of the story is simple: Beware of any spaceship that depends on gateways to hell for interstellar propulsion, no matter how fuel-efficient it happens to be.
What's worse than a derelict starship emerging from a gateway to hell? What about multiple starships, all of them mangled and bound together in a cosmic GooGoo Cluster of chaotic awfulness?
In the Warhammer 40K universe, they call this monstrosity a space hulk. See, shortcuts though an alternate dimension of pure chaos are the standard means of faster-than-light travel for the humans of the tabletop gaming world. However, the lost vessels in those waters never stay lost for long. They clump together and drift randomly in and out of the Milky Way galaxy.
The Judgment of Carrion is one of several space hulks documented by the Imperium of Man, none of which you want drifting into Earth's orbit. Not only are their twisted corridors haunted by demonic warp beings, they're also frequently infested by alien tyranids and marauding orks.
So just one of these could result in the arrival of up to three invasion forces -- roughly $300 worth of miniatures if it all plays out on your kitchen table.
The Black Fortress from the film "Krull" complicates our fear of evil, invading spacecraft. For starters, the ship isn't just hanging out in orbit -- it's here on the planet's surface, looming like a dark mountain on the horizon. And if that weren't bad enough, it teleports to a new location every morning and wants to marry your girlfriend.
That's the problem faced by the film's hero Prince Colwyn, who has to somehow divine the Black Fortress' next location and trek there in time to slay the Beast who rules over it. In the midst of this logistical nightmare, Colwyn also has to contend with the Beast's army of laser-blasting slayers, a shape-shifting assassin and a giant spider.
The protagonists in "Independence Day" and "War of the Worlds" had it easy. Everyone in those films knew where to find the enemy; it was only a matter of figuring out how to defeat them. But thanks to his Black Fortress spacecraft, the Beast is an alien on the run, secretly ruling over his domain and kidnapping princesses without so much as a permanent mailing address.
The Black Fortress of "Krull" is a mere childish nuisance compared to the threat posed by this spacecraft-turned-evil-stronghold.
Yes, behold the Incû-Holoinas, the Ark of the Skies. This golden vessel crash-landed in R. Scott Bakker's saga "The Second Apocalypse," inflicting a vile and hedonistic race known as the Inchoroi on an unsuspecting fantasy world.
Though partially buried in its own impact crater, the ship survived its descent to the surface. The ark's twin "horns" became the towers of Golgotterath, which serves as a darker vision of Tolkien's Mordor. From its haunted depths, the Inchoroi launch everything from sinister deceptions to open wars of extermination against the planet's human population. More than 4,000 years of horror ensue.
What do the Inchoroi want, other than to have a good time and spread suffering? Oh, they just aim to cleanse the planet of souls, seal the world and hide their sins from divine judgment. That sort of thing. The interior of the Incû-Holoinas is best described as a maze of obscenities, where the remaining crew work alongside twisted and once-human sorcerers to spawn monstrous armies.
All attempts to destroy the Incû-Holoinas have failed.
We've discussed some exceptionally evil spacecraft on this list, but at least the captains at their helms are invested in what Earth has to offer: energy, princesses, sex, suffering, political power, spiritual refuge and good old-fashioned settlement territory.
Our final entry isn't interested in any of that stuff. The Vogon Constructor Fleet turns up in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" not to conquer the Earth, but to bulldoze it and make way for a hyperspace highway.
The Vogons, you see, don't regard the people of Earth with any ill will -- they hardly regard them at all. As author Douglas Adams puts it, the Vogons are "not actually evil, but bad-tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous."
All the other intergalactic nasties at least respect us enough to call us their enemy. The Vogons simply don't care, which makes their intention to destroy the Earth all the more insulting.
The enormous, bricklike vessels are as boring and destructive as the creatures who pilot them. Keep watching the skies, and hope they don't turn up anytime soon.
Can We Get Into Space Without Big Rockets?
Are there other ways for humans to get into space without rockets? HowStuffWorks looks at some ideas.
Author's Note: 10 Crazy Evil Spacecraft
I apologize in advance for leaving off your favorite evil spaceships. I even had to leave a few of my own choices off the list. The returning Nazi space capsule in "Hellboy: Conqueror Worm" has always been a favorite of mine, as has the Discovery One from "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the savage Reaver ships from "Firefly." But hey, there's no denying a place on the list to such cosmic bad boys as the Vogons and the Borg. Resistance, as they say, is futile.
Related Articles
- Adams, Douglas. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Pan Books. 1979.
- Bakker, Scott. "The Thousandfold Thought." Overlook Hardcover. Feb. 2, 2006.
- "Battlestar Galactica." 2003. SyFy
- "Borg." StarTrek.com. 2010. (March 1, 2012)
- http://www.startrek.com/database_article/borg
- "The Claws of Axos." Doctor Who: The Classic Series. BBC. 2003. (March 1, 2012) http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/clawsofaxos/detail.shtml
- "Event Horizon." Paramount Pictures. 1997.
- Games Workshop. 2012 (Feb. 22, 2012) http://www.games-workshop.com
- "Invader Zim." Nickelodeon. 2002.
- "Krull." Columbia Pictures. 1983.
- "Lifeforce." Tri-Star Pictures. 1985.


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RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> Firefighters gained a significant upper hand Thursday in their fight against the Etiwanda Fire, increasing containment to about 53 percent as the blaze had now consumed more than 1,600 acres by evening.
The fire has moved out of the flats and was burning mainly in the foothills, fire officials announced shortly after 6:30 p.m. Crews strengthened containment lines and increased their protection of homes and other structures.
Despite the high number of fire personnel still working the fire lines, life seemed to have mostly returned to normal in nearby neighborhoods.
"I'm not as frightened as I was yesterday," said Bethany Hendricks, 57, who returned Thursday to her Indian Wells Place neighborhood. "My home survived all of the chaos thanks to the firefighters and deputies."
Many residents were back in their homes, and although the fire was still smoldering at the center, there was no visible smoke in the area and Forest Service patrols reported that they found no new hot spots on the perimeter of the fire.
Strong winds continued to be a factor Thursday, forcing fire officials to ground all fire-attack aircraft for a second day. Gusty Santa Ana winds were blowing at 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 75 mph, the National Weather Service said.
Four aircraft, including a DC-10 air tanker, were on stand-by for when the winds died down, but one plane was permitted to take off to assess the fire.
The high-wind warning expired at 5 p.m. Thursday and a red flag warning, which means that there are critical fire weather conditions, expired three hours later, hopefully giving firefighters an edge.
Firefighters gained significant containment of the Etiwanda Fire, which has consumed about 1,627 acres of brush and vegetation, fire officials confirmed.
"They've done some great work today, but we're definitely not out of the woods," said Brian Grant, spokesman with the Socal Team 1, which is handling the fire.
One home received minor exterior damage though flames were close to other structures, according to Cal Fire. Two firefighters received minor eye injuries Wednesday and a third firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion Thursday.
The anticipation of a possible fire flare-up had drawn nearly 100 city, county and state law enforcement officers to the fire command post on East Avenue to handle more evacuations, if needed.
"They're rolling in county deputies to help man it," said San Bernardino County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Kreps.
But voluntary evacuations were lifted Thursday for residents north of Hillside Road, from Archibald Avenue to Milliken Avenue.
The evacuation center at Central Park was nearly empty by Thursday morning and was later closed at 5 p.m. to residents.
"I didn't know what the fire was going to do so I stayed at the Hilton last night," said Marla Sheats, 62, who returned home Thursday.
Los Osos, Rancho Cucamonga, Alta Loma and Etiwanda high schools will reopen today, said Chaffey Joint Union High School District Superintendant Mat Holton said Chaffey College's Rancho Cucamonga campus is also expected to resume all operations today.
Holton said staff at the emergency operations center "shared the conditions have stabilized." By Thursday evening, fire personnel were moving vehicles off the Los Osos parking lot, which had been used as a staging site for emergency personnel.
Outdoor activity at the high schools is expected to resume unless air-quality conditions change on Friday.
"We'll look and see if there are any dangerous conditions," he said.
Though not directly threatened by the fire, officials made the decision to close Rancho Cucamonga, Alta Loma and Etiwanda high schools Thursday over concerns about air quality throughout the northern part of the city.
Initially, officials had only planned to close Los Osos High School, which was closest to the flames. But after speaking with the city's emergency operations center, Holton said he learned that Thursday was expected to be "a mirror image" of Wednesday with the high winds.
Some athletic events have been rescheduled for today or even until next week.
The Ayala and Chino Hills baseball game was rescheduled for Monday, and the Los Osos and Rancho Cucamonga baseball game rescheduled for today and Saturday.
The fire ignited around 8 a.m. Wednesday in Day Canyon amid 60 mph winds, which quickly drove flames across the canyon toward homes in north Rancho Cucamonga. More than 1,600 residents were forced to evacuate, but that evacuation order was later downgraded.
Central Park reopens today for normal business, and programs will resume as usual. Officials said there are currently no road closures, but they reminded residents to be aware of changes and take direction from officials.
Rancho Cucamonga Animal Care Center, which served as an evacuation center for animals, is open today at normal business hours.
The North Etiwanda Preserve is closed and visitors can check the website for updates.
Lupe Del Campos, a resident of Rancho Cucamonga who lives on Mountain Ash Court, said she's not worried about another fire until more brush has time to grow in.
"I think maybe in five to 10 years we might have to worry about that again, but not anytime soon," Campos said.
However, others are more nervous about the dry conditions in the Inland Empire.
Catherine Valatkas, a resident in northeast Rancho Cucamonga for nearly 10 years, evacuated her home and spent the night in a hotel. She said it was the second time she has had to leave because of a fire.
"It's really scary now that we're in a drought, and that brush behind us has not burned for 10 years," Valatkas said. "I'm concerned about arsonists. A lot of crazy things have happened."


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My entry to the CCC XI - Realistic Castle Figure Category
Wandering Blacksmith: Sir Blackfyre
People say that his smithing skills are among one of the best in all of Rowia. Rumors tell that he is one of the fated that can re-forge or break legendary godlike weapons. He owns "Comet" the hammer...made from a black star that fell on ancient earth, a thousand moons ago. Sir Blackfyre's services are available, given that you can track his feet for he spends most of his time wandering in random parts of Rowia. His tale perhaps will unravel in time but for this moment, he prefers to be known just as he is, a wandering blacksmith.
Full set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/99172163@N04/sets/72157638545551196/


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News flash to the family: I am taking back the house.
It's been a long time coming, but is finally happening. I have lived with chaos and clutter since 1982 (the year my first daughter, Emily, was born). Just to be clear, the whole motherhood thing was not exactly a natural role for me, especially when it came to disorder. I am fanatical – a nutty neat-freak who stoically carried on through Emily's childhood (she was the messiest kid ever) and then took on six more children.
Ellie was born in 1986. And then there were five more adopted kids: Jack, Jenn, Jake, Jeff and Jarid. Ellie is the only fanatic in the bunch. She inherited my obsession with order. The rest of the family, including my husband, Dan, range from normal to downright disorderly.
I have persevered through all of their transitions and the equipment that goes with each stage: from toddler toys, to grade-school projects, sports phases, video games, prom gowns, college and young adult life. And through each of those transitions, I have collected their junk. No exaggeration: My attic is bulging with the remnants of seven lives and it's time to let it all go.
Some of this is my own fault. In addition to being a fanatic – bordering on or actually in the nutty range – I am also very cheap. I believe in reusing and recycling. I saved everything just in case. For example, barely used soccer shin guards circa 1989, I've got 'em. They are useless. The stretchy spandex has long since broken down and they couldn't protect anyone, but I had them just in case. Now, I have finally done the right thing. They will be laid to rest in the local landfill.
My other problem is I am incredibly sentimental. Do I really want to throw away Jeff's third-grade report card with the notation "good job"? He did not get many of those in his illustrious grammar-school career. And what about the collection of baby clothes Emily and Ellie wore? Both girls were preemies. Emily was six weeks early and weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces; Ellie was a month early and weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces. They had to wear doll clothes home from the hospital and both of them wore little hand-knit caps to keep their tiny heads warm. How could I possibly throw those away?
I plan to keep some of the preemie baby clothes and a few other treasures. In fact, I am going to create a small box of sentimental items for each child, a few things they can have as pieces of their childhood and to perhaps show their own children someday. But the rest of the junk must go!
If I had one of those enormous construction dumpsters, I swear I could fill it. But in lieu of that, I am doing the cleanup piecemeal using big garbage bags. I climb into the attic for a couple hours at a time of sweat-soaked, grueling work, fill five or six garbage bags, salvage any useful items and haul the discards to our shed for the next trip to the dump. It is going surprisingly fast. Though distracted by memories – like running across the scarlet gown Ellie wore when she was crowned queen of her junior prom, or a notebook full of rap poetry Jack wrote in high school – I am moving forward. And, I realize I can't save everything unless I want to be the subject of the reality TV show "Hoarders."
Saleable items are stacked up in a spare bedroom upstairs in preparation for a big yard sale coming up on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Somersworth Little League field. The league is holding a fundraiser on that day at the field. For a $20 contribution, I can bring my junk, set up tables and sell, sell, sell. Dan and I participated in a similar sale this spring, before the baseball season began. We made $100 in a couple of hours, so we are anxious to do it again. Clothes and books were our best sellers and we have plenty of both.
I actually think I have more and better stuff to sell this time and I am not even halfway through the archaeological dig in the attic. I found Ellie's stash of college duds from her "preppy" phase: beautiful stuff from American Eagle Outfitters, J. Crew and other high-end clothiers. Some of the stuff still had tags on it!
I also found the mother lode of boys clothing and accessories. Jake, Jeff and Jarid came to us when they were 12, 8 and 6 and brought piles of donated clothing with them. Some of the stuff was barely used or brand new and several big bags were lost in our attic during the chaos of suddenly adding five kids to our household in the midst of a major renovation. As a result I have brand new L.L. Bean boots and other treasures for the sale. Bonus!
Anything that does not sell will be donated to charity. It will not be returning to our attic again. We are lightening our load and cleaning up for good. It's the beginning of a new era in our lives in which Dan and I pledge not to be the stewards of things. We have realized that we don't have to physically hold on to items to hold on to the memories.
Ellie was glad when I told her about the attic cleaning recently and bit melancholy, too. "You're not getting rid of my Lucy stuff, are you?" she said, referring to a pile of memorabilia from her sixth-grade role in the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."
"No, we'll hold on to that," I reassured her.
"And what about my black-and-white prom dress?" she asked, fondly remembering the gown she wore her senior year of high school. "I loved that one so much."
"Hmmmmmm. Maybe I can bring it over to your house," I offered.
"OK. Maybe you can just donate it to charity," Ellie snapped.
"We'll see," I said.
And the cleanout continues.
Don't forget the Somersworth Little League yard sale on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the field near the Somersworth Armory on Blackwater Road. Lots of treasures!
Mary Pat Rowland is managing editor of Foster's and reachable at email@example.com.


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Our day at Tenn-Renn
|Welcome to Covington Glen!
We made our annual visit to the Tennessee Renaissance Festival on the third Sunday of May this year. Isaac, Rachel, and I arrived at the festival so early that we were able to park in the first row, directly in front of the gates.
Soon after we bought our wristbands, it was time for the faire to begin. To our surprise, the Queen and court assembled for an opening ceremony in front of the gates. They probably do this every morning of the faire, but it was new to us.
|Talented minstrels
|A wizard and family put on
wristbands at the fair entrance.
Castle Gwynn is about a mile from the festival grounds. It was built by and belongs to the couple who founded the Tennessee Renaissance Festival. A history of the construction of Castle Gwynn notes that it was featured in a Taylor Swift music video.
Isaac and Rachel took the castle tour this year. Maybe I'll go next year. (I say this every year!)
|Some of the new iron sculptures
The iron sculptures around the festival grounds are new this year. They fit nicely into the landscape, in sort of a rusty, gothic, mythic way.
Trees line the walkways of the upper market area and the temperature is always markedly cooler there than in the sunny lower market area near the arena. I enjoy the native vegetation, along with the other sights of the Renaissance village. This year, I can report that at least one persimmon tree grows in Covington Glen. I also noticed a curious fern rooted into a tree trunk and a vine that looked to me like poison ivy. I'm sure the grounds crew tries to keep the poison ivy under control, and this seedling just missed their attention.
Tenn Renn has some free activities for children, along with rides, etc. that they can buy. They can also participate in a costume contest and be knighted (or ladied) by the Queen. One little fellow just couldn't resist poking someone with his sword, so he wisely picked on someone his own size. The ladies he was with (and many other people) were wearing pirate-ish garb, because it was Pirate Weekend.
|I bought a walking stick here.
Merchants' tents and booths line both sides of the walkways in the market area. They sell a variety of more-or-less renaissance-themed items-- your name on a grain of rice, tapestries, fragrant oils and soaps, swords and knives, costumes, head and hair gear, jewelry, walking sticks, elf ears, pottery, glass, metal and leather work, etc. Along with the goods. there are services such as hair braiding, face painting, henna tattoos, fortune telling, and camel rides.
|This girl traveled the entire faire
with her pretzel tree.
Of course, food and drink are also offered for sale, and I certainly bought my share of ice-cold soda and water, as well as a sandwich and a bag of kettle corn. The next morning, I weighted four, (yes, four!) pounds more. How could that happen?!
I always wonder how the Queen (played by Kimberly Stockton) and the court endure their heavy costumes on hot, humid days. The queen's dresses weigh up to 20 pounds each! She designs and sews her own costumes, based on paintings of the Renaissance period.
In Covington Glen (the setting of the Tennessee Renaissance Festival,) the cast of characters includes nobility, peasants, and fantasy creatures (the fairies, the ogre, etc.) The players auditioned in February and began practicing in March.
The peasants of Coventry Glen have much lighter costumes. If the girls have full-length skirts, they often tie or tuck them up, and the guys often have pants that are less than full-length. The merchants all dress in garb, too; it's probably required of them and good for sales. But by far, the largest group of costume wearers are the "playtrons"-- the ticket-buying patrons of Tenn Renn who wear their garb just because it's fun.
No one in our group dressed in costume for the festival for the first time ever. I found that I missed the costume-wearing aspect of the event, so I'll probably garb up again next year.
During our spare minutes between shopping and eating and people-watching, we enjoyed a few of the shows. The Oops Comedy Knife Throwing was amusing as always. In the photo below, some poor guy from the audience had been brought up to the stage for a bit of mild torture (no blood spilled.) Paolo Garbanzo is the performer in blue. The other knife-wielder on the stage is Giacomo the Jester from the Celtic band, Empty Hats. (YouTube has several videos of Paolo Garbanzo and also of the Empty Hats.)
When we made our way to the lower market, the court was busy doing something in the green in front of the arena. I'm not sure what they were up to; it didn't look like human chess which is one of their usual entertainments. Earlier in the arena (inside the fence), there was a jousting tournament (horses, knights, and long poles.)
|Master falconer Karen Tolson Carroll
I always learn something new at Birds of the Gauntlet. This year, I learned that throwing scraps of food out car windows attracts mice to the highways -- which attracts hawks -- which puts them in danger of being hit by a car.
|Kitty Carroll's assistant (her
husband) with a redtail hawk.
After we watched the birds, we decided to leave because most members of our little group had to work the next morning. As we passed through the exit gate, we saw our car and rejoiced again at the parking spot we had scored that morning -- no uphill hike to a distant car, hurray! What a nice way to end our Tenn-Renn experience for this year.
- - - - - - - - - -
Previous trips to Tenn Renn: Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2012
Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2011
Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2010
Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2009
Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2008
Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2007
Tennessee Renaissance Festival 2006


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The 2019 Beautiful Trauma World Tour starts March 1st in Sunrise, FL. Pink will be touring throughout the U.S. for the next few months and subscribers can save on tickets to her shows!
Log in below to access special discounted tickets. Available while supplies last.
See more subscriber stories and perks.


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Install Flowmaster's U-Fit Dual Exhaust Kit In Your Chassis
Last month on the C-10 we showed Classic Performance Products' trailing arm crossmember for the '67-72 Chevy trucks in preparation to run a new exhaust system through it-up out of harms way! The old exhaust system hung down too far after the truck was lowered and it didn't live too long as a result. I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.
Obviously a heavily lowered C-10 with an LS engine and a 700-R4 isn't that standard in the world of pre-made exhaust kits, so one would have to be built from scratch. This is where Flowmaster's U-Fit Dual Kit comes into play. It is an affordable, comprehensive, universal exhaust system kit that you add mufflers and hangers to and cut and weld as your needs see fit (or have a shop easily do it for you). There are enough mandrel-bent tubes in the U-Fit Dual Kit to configure your exhaust just about anyway you want. It also includes pieces for a crossover or balance tube, as well as your choice of optional tailpipe exits.
Of course Flowmaster has mufflers to suit just about anything and are known for their famous and aggressive 40 Series mufflers, but I wanted a muffler that was anything but "loud". My intent is to drive the C-10 on a daily basis and to do so with some sort of economy, which means I would have to keep my foot out of it and we all know aggressive mufflers aren't very good for exercising restraint. After expressing my needs to the folks at Flowmaster, they suggested their 50 Series SUV muffler. It is a larger version of the regular 50 Series muffler, which means it is quieter and thanks to a special tuning chamber, features reduced interior resonance. The Flowmaster website does a pretty good job of differentiating their mufflers as well and has all the physical dimensions of each muffler.
I decided to let someone else do the work for me this time and took the truck and the Flowmaster parts over to The Muffler Man in Placentia, California, for the install. Since The Muffler Man does this kind of stuff all day, every day, it only took about five hours for the install from start to finish. Going all the way out the back of the truck would take a little longer. We also didn't install a crossover tube in the system despite the advantages to using one because the exhaust runs through the trailing arm crossmember and it would make it impossible to remove the system without cutting it.
After some time in the driver seat I can say I'm quite happy with the results. The truck has a mild-mannered sound at idle and under normal cruising, but growls just enough to let you know it's there when the pedal goes to the metal. See more of what Flowmaster has to offer at www.flowmastermufflers.com.


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The Home of Fashion Film and Live Fashion Broadcasting
Loved the large shorts from #jilsander #10third #mfw
Report by Lou Stoppard on 22 June 2013.
As always the beauty of the collection came in the impeccable cuts and fabrics, but its real power and creative thrust came in its nods to the zeitgeist. Those super baggy shorts from last S/S had been updated to feel even more modern with hefty three inch turn-ups.
I've just realised it isn't a separate blouson under the jacket. The shirt is the blouson, re: looks 12 and 26. http://t.co/qJrPNvBVj5
Backstage: Jil Sander presents one of her strongest menswear collections to date. Pink neon,… http://t.co/SyIoY0dBKj
Who doesn't want to see a man in neon watermelon? #jilsander rocked it. wallpapermag @jilsanderoff http://t.co/zFoq1GnM8B
Jil Sander was so good. A man in Jil is the key to my heart.
Futuristic suiting, lightweight leather, 3 inch turn-ups & bursts of highlighter pink at Jil Sander #jilsan... https://t.co/IY090sYg3w
Graceful exits and happy crowds #JilSander #FollowTheBuyers #mfw #SS14 http://t.co/JN8xSoxD9H
See backstage, the Spring Summer 2014 collection Jil Sander @JilSanderOff #milanfashionweek #MFW #fashion #Spring http://t.co/feptD6fLGD
Jil Sander: Glass, refraction; asterisk-shaped white catwalk,
Photo: Jil Sander Show - Know that it's just the show space without the models but Love the glass effect. By... http://t.co/WCUkbYO0Rj
Jil Sander: 'The accidental tourist'. I like the sound of that and also a mention of 'fluorescent fuchsia & pomegranate' #fashion
Beautiful invitation - Jil Sander http://t.co/808TZvL8mt