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Brittany Partridge ('12) | Political Science
Senior from Annandale, Minn.
Brittany Partridge had traveled to Romania, Israel and Sierra Leone, but not until she came to Abilene, Texas, did she – with the help of ACU's generous donors – begin truly changing the world.
The senior political science major from Annandale, Minn., is a cofounder of the Red Thread Movement, which has sprung up across the country and around the world as a way to raise awareness about modern-day slavery and to rescue and protect Nepalese girls from sex trafficking.
"Red Thread probably could not have happened on another campus," she says. "The environment and opportunities at ACU made it possible for the movement to begin here."
What brought Brittany to Abilene and set her on a journey to help sex-trafficking victims in Southeast Asia was not where she went but whom she met.
First, as a sophomore, one of her fellow travelers on a mission trip mentioned she would be attending ACU. Later, when Brittany began looking at colleges, she remembered the name and submitted an application.
"I loved the campus when I got here," she said. "I remember telling my dad when I saw it, 'I'm going to go here.'"
Then, just before her senior year of high school, Brittany visited a Romanian safe house for victims of sex trafficking. She was the same age as many of the residents to whom she ministered.
"That was the first time I'd heard of trafficking or the idea of modern-day slavery," she said. "I was shocked. I had seen things that had been emotionally difficult on previous trips, but this time I had a feeling I would be working with this subject again."
Seeking to raise awareness about a problem that had received little publicity at the time, Brittany considered journalism before moving to political science, interested in possibly becoming a lawyer. Receiving three scholarships her freshman year helped smooth the way to attending ACU.
Then she met her freshman roommate, Samantha Sutherland, and the pair began volunteering with Eternal Threads, an Abilene nonprofit that sells products made by women in developing nations who without the income provided by the sales would be at risk for exploitation.
"I don't think they knew who I was," Brittany said of her volunteer efforts. "I was just coming in the back door, unloading boxes."
As Brittany, Samantha and another friend and ACU student, Amanda McVey, unloaded boxes of bracelets, Amanda suggested selling friendship bracelets; Brittany took the idea a step further, suggesting they do so to raise awareness about trafficking and provide additional income for the Nepalese women making them. As the friends discussed it and collaborated with Eternal Threads, the vision grew.
"I think it was definitely inspired," Brittany said.
Using her contacts with students on other campuses, Brittany helped spread the word nationwide, selling red bracelets for $3 each to help provide incomes for the girls and women making them and fund anti-trafficking efforts.
"It was not an encounter with a specific victim that started it," Brittany said. "That connection keeps me going, but it was more the recognition that there is an injustice happening that few are addressing."
Brittany, scheduled to graduate in December 2012, still plans to attend law school or some other graduate program with an ultimate goal of working for the U.S. government in anti-trafficking activity – either as a lawyer for the Department of Defense or a foreign service officer for the State Department.
In the summer of 2012, she interned with the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, using connections she made through the ACU Career Center.
Brittany had time to help start the Red Thread Movement thanks to the generosity of ACU's alumni and friends, whose donations provided four scholarships that defrayed much of Brittany's tuition and freed her to work on a project that has provided no income among its great rewards.
"I am so grateful to be able to come to school and have the opportunity to do something like Red Thread," she said. "Giving is really a selfless act because donors have no idea who I am or what I will do with the gift they've given me."
ACU's donors don't just give to ACU; they give through ACU, ultimately helping people like the Nepalese women rescued through the efforts of the Red Thread Movement.
"You're supporting them financially while I'm supporting them physically," Brittany said of the donors who helped to fund her scholarships. "When you bring together a lot of people with different means, anything is possible."
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Office of Disability Services
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Phone: 956-882-7374
Fax: 956-882-7861
At UTB, students with disabilities take an active part in campus life. Many do not need any special assistance, but for those who do, Disability Services is here to help. Our Coordinator works with each student individually to arrange for accommodations, technology training, or other needs. To help meet students' special needs, we coordinate with other campus support services as well as with state agencies such as the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.
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subset: commoncrawl


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National Small Business Week May 20 - 26
Check Out SBA's Small Business Video ContestMay 09, 2012 | Business
May 20-26 is National Small Business Week. The National Small Business Week Conference in Washington DC is hosted by the Small Business Administration. They have been recognizing the special impact made by outstanding American entrepreneurs and small business owners since 1963 with awards in a variety of categories focusing on accomplishments, including disaster recovery, procurement and entrepreneurial success.
Check Out SBA's Small Business Video Contest
In celebration, the US Small Business Administration is looking for creative videos from small businesses that show how they have been assisted by an SBA program or service (counseling, training, guaranteed loans, government contracts, disaster recovery, etc.). The video contest will help showcase small businesses across the country that they work with on a regular basis. Deadline for submissions is May 11th!
Entrepreneurs and small business owners are the backbone of the US economy: 60 to 80 percent of new jobs are created by the approximately 27.2 million small businesses in the US. It's estimated that more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business. In honor of National Small Business Week, the Better Business Bureau is encouraging small business owners to take advantage of the many resources for small businesses from the BBB and the Federal Trade Commission.
Code of Business Practices
The BBB Code of Business Practices represents sound advertising, selling and customer service practices that enhance customer trust and confidence in business. Even for businesses that are not BBB Accredited, this Code should be a roadmap for creating and managing an ethical business.
Code of Advertising
100 years ago, BBB was founded on the principles of truth in advertising, which rests first and foremost with the advertiser. BBB's offices review local ads, and their New York office reviews all national ads. The BBB Code of Advertising lays out principles, definitions and suggestions for ethical advertising that all businesses can adopt.
Data Security – Made Simpler
With data breaches becoming all too common in the news, BBB partnered with several data security experts to produce free, easy-to-understand data security guidelines, with checklists and links to data security resources for small businesses. BBB Data Security – Made Simpler arms small business owners with the information they need to protect their customers and their business.
The BBB TrustBrief is a free email subscription to help small business owners stay on top of headlines and get guidance and expert advice on running a business.
Tips on Direct Selling
BBB and the Direct Selling Education Foundation partnered to create a series of articles, videos and PSAs with free tips and advice to educate direct sellers, their customers and even those considering a career path in direct selling.
Federal Trade Commission
The FTC has free resources on best practices for complying with the law, many of which you can order in bulk for your employees at no charge. Written with a minimum of legalese, the FTC offers online tutorials, videos, and more than 100 to-the-point publications created with the small business owner in mind.
Other Small Business Contests
Many companies are honoring small businesses this month. Check out SmallBizTrends.com for a list of companies offering free stuff! Apply for a contest or award today – there are good business reasons to do so. First, you get recognition and publicity for your business – and that's just good marketing. On top of that, it's good for employees. You give your team something to excite them and to rally around. Finally, awards are good strategy – being nominated and winning can set your business apart from competitors.
Don't be shy - nominate your company... or a customer or client and show them you care about their success and want to honor them.


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Top Definition
When the guy making your sandwich stares at your ass the entire time he makes it.
Fuckin' Quiznos guy blatently stared at my ass the entire time he was making my sandwich. He can't even try to be discreet? Geez. I feel like I got a dirty sammich now.
cosmovern tarafından 8 Eylül 2010, Çarşamba
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?


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5 Reasons Calling Someone a 'Nerd' Is Officially Meaningless
Back in the old days, nobody called themselves a nerd. Other people called them that, and then gave them a wedgie and drove off to Make-Out Point with the nerd's girl. Nowadays, many, many people get so proud of being nerds that they get mad when anyone implies they are not a real nerd, and often write scathing rebuttals on the Internet.
Now, how the hell did that come to be? To figure that out, we have to look at exactly what people think makes up a nerd these days.
#5. Social Rejection
By almost anyone's definition, part of being a nerd is that regular people look down on you. Now, that's pretty broad. They could consider you pathetic for your weekly D&D games, for being very good at math, for being bad with the opposite sex, for wearing sweater vests or for any number of things, depending on how you further define "nerd," but more on that later. The point is that ordinary folks consider you pathetic and uncool.
That's been a part of what "nerd" means ever since people started using that word. A lot of people want to claim the actual origin now that it's a cool word, but all the claims agree (ironically?) it was about calling somebody uncool. Everyone seems to agree that wherever it came from, Happy Days popularized it, with episodes like this one where a She-Devil brings in a nerd for everyone to laugh at (Spoiler: It is Fonzie in disguise).
But now a lot of the people who get labeled "nerds" are hardly social rejects. Movies glorify hackers as cool rebels. The lives of computer moguls like Steve Jobs and the Google guys are actually envied by people. When they give a movie hero 10 unbelievable high-prestige jobs at once to show how cool they are, one of those jobs is often "brilliant scientist," as in "Vin Diesel plays a brilliant scientist who is also a daredevil stuntman and the President of the United States."
"Denise Richards plays a brilliant scientist who is also a stand for attaching large breasts."
So they're hardly rejected by mainstream society, yet they still get labeled "nerds" in some quarters.
When people call these guys nerds, they're clearly not thinking about the social rejection aspect of the word, but about something else ... in this case, smarts.
#4. Smarts
Smarts have been associated with nerds from the beginning, describing people who would rather be studying than partying. Back then, pop culture made it pretty clear that it wasn't cool to be smart.
Via Adam Thinks
While playing a high school dropout, Henry Winkler himself had a bachelor's as well as a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.
In a time when the U.S. manufacturing sector was booming, people didn't have to be rocket scientists to do well for themselves. Sure, a decent education didn't hurt, but being genius-level brilliant didn't exactly catapult you into top positions or do much for you if you didn't want to be in the space program or something. But times have changed. Fewer and fewer people work with their hands, and all the sweet jobs have something to do with computers, which were little more than a weird government experiment back when the word "nerd" was coined.
The Escapist
People at the time did not picture these things making them into sexy billionaires.
Nowadays, most self-made millionaires build their empires on some fancy computer trick, like building an online community gossip site (Mark Zuckerberg), getting people addicted to virtual farms (Mark Pincus) or stealing other people's operating systems (Bill Gates). Kids that dream of "showing everybody" so that "they'll be sorry" someday often dream of hacking their way to the top with a brilliant computer idea.
Even people who dream of blowing other people away with their unique blend of hip-hop and baroque organ music, or their refreshing comedy routine about how Justin Bieber looks like a girl, hope to make their big break with a YouTube video or word-of-mouth about their amazing blog (spread by buzz from their fake Twitter accounts). No matter which way a person wants to hit it big these days, they've got to master technology and the Internet (or hire someone who can) to get that door open.
Wolfgang Ingenfeld (NSFW)
The other way to get attention, of course, is to completely fail at technology.
People being smart doesn't make them outcasts anymore, it makes them popular and successful, and enough people have carved out that path that we don't even need to wait until they become rich and famous to accept them. That weird kid that figured out how to look up porn on the school computers isn't automatically a target for ridicule. He very well might be running his own company at 21. Also he figured out how to look up porn on the school computers.
In most areas of society, people aren't rejected just for being smart anymore. Maybe it's that we know we need smartness in our computer-driven world, and maybe it's decades of shows like Square One and Mr. Wizard and Mythbusters teaching us that math and science are cool. Either way, being smart hardly fits in with the whole "outcast" picture of nerds. What else defines a nerd, then?
#3. Being Fans
People who are crazy about some sci-fi series or comic book often call themselves "nerds" based just on that. They're not making any claims about their own intelligence, unless we're considering a detailed knowledge of Farscape trivia to be a display of intelligence these days. But they do feel like these hobbies have some kind of connection to a definable "nerd" personality that includes intelligence, so it feels more positive to call themselves a "Buffy nerd," than just a "Buffy fan." That way they can be a smart person who cares too much about Buffy and not just a person who cares too much about Buffy.
The other reason they use the term is for the social outcast aspect, because they feel like the world judges them unfairly for memorizing entire Buffy episodes or getting married in Star Wars regalia.
Damn Cool Pictures
You have to give these people credit for not going with the predictable Han/Leia match-up like all the other Star Wars weddings.
And that makes sense if you realize how monolithic pop culture used to be. Not because people used to be more sheeplike in the old days -- I'm sure everybody had their own individual ideas and opinions -- but because people only had three channels to watch. This was literally true at the dawn of television broadcasting, and stayed relatively true through the '70s, when nine out of 10 American viewers only watched shows on one of the Big Three networks on any given evening. People could have diverse opinions about Leave It To Beaver, but they couldn't express them by watching The Sopranos instead.
If anything was "indie," it stayed "indie" because there wasn't any goddamned mechanism for getting it to everyone. You couldn't put your Keyboard Cat film on NBC. You couldn't print your own records and mail them to everyone in the country. Mainstream pop culture back then truly was mainstream in that everybody got it, and nobody could get anything else. So if you liked or did anything outside of that, you really were a lonely weirdo that would never find anyone else that liked to play princesses and aliens.
And now you can make a billion dollars doing that. Go figure.
Every year since then, though, has seen the development of more and more niche-targeted entertainment, starting from cable and its 500 channels, to satellite radio, to, of course, the Internet. You can watch a news channel that shows only news that proves you are right; you can listen to a personalized radio station that only plays songs you like; and you can find all five other people in the world that enjoy Garfield/James A. Garfield slashfiction.
People have splintered off so much into their own personal choices that almost nobody's favorite entertainment list matches anyone else's. It can be argued there really isn't a mainstream anymore, now that all entertainment is a la carte. If someone is going to judge you for knowing the eye color of every incarnation of the Flash, you can point out their glass house of running a website to track Arnold Schwarzenegger's height.
Yes, it's a real thing. Why shouldn't it be?
It seems like almost everyone these days gets a little fannish over something most other people don't even know about, and wouldn't get, if that's what being a nerd is about. But if everybody is a nerd, can anybody still be a nerd?


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Green Day answer your questions in the new KERRANG!: HERE
oh Jimmy,why there isn't
oh Jimmy,why there isn't Kerrang in Italy?!
Italy sucks.....-_-
Billie Joe how are you?
Billie Joe how are you?....i'm really sorry for you...Italian fans are waiting you for a long time and we were in front of the gate at 1.00 am sunday! I hope to see green day next year, I can't wait. Look my videos in hotel majestic at greenmikiday on youtube to watch what happened after the concert. Bye
how are you??? look here...we
how are you??? look here...we are italian fans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APocf2s43FI ...comment the video!


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Apply a small amount to the face twice daily after washing the face.
Caution: As with all facial skin care products, avoid contact with eyes. If contact occurs, rinse thoroughly with water. If irritation develops, discontinue use.
Caution: As with all facial skin care products, avoid contact with eyes. If contact occurs, rinse thoroughly with water. If irritation develops, discontinue use.
- Squalane: Natural component of skin and has antioxidant and immune-stimulating properties, derived from plants.
- Alpha Hydroxy Acids: Water binding agents that exfoliate skin cells. Helps to heal photodamaged skin and normalizes over-thickened skin and increases viable epidermal thickness.
Full Ingredient Listing
Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol, Ethylhexyl, Methoxycinnamate, Jojoba Esters, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Extract, Squalane, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract, Passiflora Incarnata (Passion Flower) Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Extract, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Isopropylparaben
Customer Reviews
- Highly Recommended Review by AquaBlue
- Brilliant moisturiser. I use it with after using Clean and Correct. Ony pity is Zirh puts out confusing information about how to use these (some sources as the instructions for correct imply using correct alone after cleansing whereas others as in the instructions with Protect suggest using correct then Protect). (Posted on 11/14/13)


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Letter to Brookyln College President Re: BDS Controversy
Dear Ms. Gould:
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) applauds you and the Brooklyn College Political Science Department for your support of an open discussion of the growing campus movement for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Your stand is especially important in light of the recent attempts to intimidate you and the department into canceling the event. Efforts to pressure the Brooklyn College administration to cancel the panel run contrary to the values enshrined in the First Amendment and they are an affront to the principles of academic freedom.


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No reviews have been submitted for SoundOff Signal Solid-State Headlight Flasher w/ Select-a-Pattern Technology
Be the first to write a review.
|For over 30 years, SoundOff Signal, or Sound Off, Inc., has manufactured high-quality warning and signal products for emergency and commercial vehicles. Products include dash lights, dash lightbars, vehicle flashers, warning flashers, emergency flashers, full light bars, grille lights and grille warning lights, deck lights, deck warning and emergency lights, warning lighting, power supplies, signal lighting products for emergency vehicles, police cars and squad cars. Shop SoundOff emergency lighting equipment at CHIEF for astonishingly low prices.


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6 Mind Blowing Things Nobody Taught You About Black Holes
#3. We Think They Constantly Emit Antimatter
Hawking radiation is a good contender for "the smartest sounding anything ever" award. It sounds like an antidote to the Hulk, giving incredible intelligence at the expense of physical strength. It's actually the reverse: a very intelligent thing that makes a mockery of the very idea of physical strength.
SionTouhig/Getty ImagesNews/GettyImages
So it's very well named.
The idea is that the universe is constantly spawning particle-antiparticle pairs. They borrow enough energy to exist, then immediately annihilate each other in a blast of gamma radiation that pays it back, as long as they do it fast enough that the Heisenberg uncertainty principle doesn't notice. It's worrying to think that reality might play the same sort of bullshit game as stock traders.
Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
Except the traders' tricks are even more unbelievable and violate more laws.
But if this virtual particle-antiparticle pair spawns on the edge of the event horizon, one is pulled into the black hole, and the other is free to escape. It would sound like psychedelic song lyrics if it hadn't been written by one of the smartest men on the planet. And the general impression among astrophysicists is that we're just waiting to develop the ability to detect it so that we can get on with giving him a Nobel Prize already.
Since which particle escapes is random, Hawking radiation implies that the event horizon pumps out a 50/50 mixture of matter and antimatter. That's a constant stream of self-destructing annihilation, which would mean that black holes add to the explosive awesomeness of the universe simply by existing.
You break it, you bought it, and that applies to the law of conservation of energy. The black hole has to pay the energy bill for so blatantly taking the piss out of physical reality. For large black holes, that's no problem: The Hawking radiation is a tiny outlay compared to the planets' worth of matter they consume every second. But for small black holes, they can emit more energy than they consume. If the black hole consumes less matter than it emits, these seemingly nonsensical outlays eventually drain and destroy the thing we all thought was absolutely certain. Again, just like stock traders. And the black hole explodes. Even Michael Bay hasn't thought of that one yet.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
"Get me Bruce Willis and all of the special effects."
Don't worry -- any black hole small enough to explode is too small to damage anything when it does so. But punctures in space-time detonating themselves is how reality says, "Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn't make science cool; science makes Neil deGrasse Tyson cool. AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WAS EVER COOL."
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
And he is Attokelvinly cool.
#1. They Fire Intergalactic Death Rays
Even if they get pretty bright as they eat everything ever, everyone knows that black holes are the roach motels of existence. They're the Pac-Man of reality: Once they eat everything, we'd better hope existence has another level. What you don't know is that they can fire high-energy intergalactic cannons.
For all you lens-flare-bashing pedants: Reality agrees with J.J. Abrams.
That's a black hole jet, and for scale, the bright dot it's coming from is the entire Messier 87 galaxy. It's one of the largest and closest galaxies to Earth, and that jet makes it look like a little bit of twinkle. The plasma jet is over 5,000 light-years long. Over 1,500 parsecs. That's the sort of distance that would make the Millennium Falcon say, "Let's just get a job as a postman."
While the black hole consumes matter swirling in around its equator, it also fires polar beams at the rest of the universe at close to the speed of light. The physics involved are still being studied, but are generally agreed to involve turning electromagnetism and stellar hydrodynamics up until the knobs break off and punch holes in the fabric of space-time.
Then there's the black hole firing an intergalactic plasma cannon.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/ CfA/D.Evans et al.; Optical/UV: NASA/ STScI; Radio: NSF/VLA/CfA/D.Evans et al., STFC/JBO/MERLIN
"Well, honey, when a boy being of pure energy and a girl being of pure energy love each other very much ..."
That's 3C321, a pair of galaxies where one is blasting hell both into and out of the other. The lower left pink (X-ray) galaxy's central black hole is aimed so that its jet hits the blue (radio wave) one. Which means that a cosmic fire hose of gamma rays, X-rays, and relativistic particle cannonry blast across the 20,000 light-years between the two. But that's the black hole equivalent of Bruce Lee's one-inch punch. And that is the most ass-kicking sentence in existence. The pink/blue bright spot is where this jet is slamming into the side of an entire galaxy, flensing any planets of at least their atmosphere and causing cosmic levels of kickass.
This is the black hole that even NASA scientists call the "Death Star," and these are people who refer to stellar detonations as "events." Because when fiction makes a Death Star, it's much smaller than the real thing.
When reality does it, it's BIGGER.
When he isn't marveling at the real universe, Luke fights aliens in 6 Signs Your Love of StarCraft Goes Too Far. As an earthly achievement, he explains 5 Ways to Save Olympic Wrestling. Luke also tumbles and responds to every single tweet.
For more spectacular space insanity, check out 11 Deep Space Photos You Won't Believe Aren't Photoshopped and 6 Badass Space Landings Humanity Totally Nailed.


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It's almost time.
In less than a month, deer season opens on private lands in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties (only archery hunts are allowed in Georgetown County until Sept. 1).
Though live-fire action cranks up Aug. 15, the work of managing a hunting property has kept many hunters busy throughout the year. Most with access to private land have long since invested heavy amounts of sweat equity and spare cash preparing and planting food plots, readying tree stands, filling feeders and deploying game cameras.
The tasks can seem endless, and more often than not, many remain unfinished as opening day approaches.
But sometimes, the quest for a perfect deer-hunting set-up can become self-defeating. Wily deer hunters have learned the hard way that sometimes, you've just got to know when to leave it alone.
"Every time you encounter a deer, they remember where and when, and it takes them a long time to get over it," said Don Hammond, a veteran Lowcountry deer hunter and head of a deer-hunting family that includes sons Chad and Scott. "Deer are not stupid animals, and they have very long memories. Bucks, in particular, are very reluctant to forgive human intrusion."
Hammond, a former fisheries biologist for the state Department of Natural Resources and current director of the Dolphin Research Program, has been hunting deer since the 1960s. He's harvested his share of big bucks, and together with his hard-hunting sons, has developed a number of safeguards against spooking deer in the late preseason.
Here are some of the Hammond clan's tips:
Complete heavy, disruptive work early in the year. "We start most of our work right after the season ends," Hammond said. "We're typically done with most of it by the end of February."
Any smaller tasks remaining this close to opening day should be done quickly and quietly mid-day, when deer typically bed down.
Do everything you can to avoid leaving human scent in the "red zone" around stands. If you must approach a stand in the late pre-season, wear rubber boots and clothing that have been washed with no-scent soaps and stored properly. Try to avoid brushing against vegetation near your stands.
If checking game cameras, wear rubber gloves so human scent doesn't contaminate the surface or nearby vegetation.
"Scent management is really about going in and killing those old deer — the big does, the big bucks — that have been around for a while and learned a lot," Hammond said. "If you're happy harvesting young deer, you don't have to go to these lengths."
Don't worry too much about running heavy equipment, even this late in the game. Though a tractor generates noise and industrial scents, deer in agricultural areas are usually accustomed to both. "Some even come to associate tractors with food," Hammond said.
Using a Bush Hog or other implement to trim roadside brush and clear paths into deer stands also stimulates new vegetative growth that attracts deer.
Trimming paths into tree stands eliminates tall vegetation that might otherwise brush up against a hunter's legs and hold human scent.
Manage your property, including access during the late pre-season, with common goals in mind.
"Honestly, it's a lot of fun going out there working on stands, planting food plots and visualizing all those deer you're going to see," Hammond said. "If that's the primary reason you're doing all that, for the enjoyment, then go out and do it.
"But if you're going out looking for trophy deer and you want to see a lot of deer at your stands ... then if you don't really have to be in there, don't go."
Red snapper season
NOAA Fisheries has announced the opening of the 2013 commercial and recreational red snapper fishing seasons in South Atlantic federal waters.
The commercial season opens 12:01 a.m. Aug. 26 and will end when the annual catch limit is projected to be met. Fisheries will announce the closure in a fishery bulletin. The daily trip limit is 75 pounds gutted weight, with no minimum size limit for red snapper.
The recreational fishing season will open for one three-day weekend beginning at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 23 and closing at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 26.
During the open recreational season, the bag limit is one fish per person per day and there is no minimum size limit for red snapper.
Officials may change the commercial and recreational season dates if severe weather occurs; announcements will be made via NOAA Weather Radio and a fishery bulletin.
Reach Matt Winter at (843) 937-5568 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Watch more Hot Teen Girls In Tight Panties Videos, share videos and find the latest funny videos at Viduu.
- This amateur teen babe strips down to show us her hot body. Enjoy.
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- An advert for Ikea furniture which is worth watching for the prostitute.
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- Ahh.. A sexy girl naked in a big hot tub, perfect for a romantic time.. Not for this guy.
- A film clip of Brooke Burkes holding her boobs at a photoshoot for her calender.By: nearlygood l Tags: brooke burke, boobs, topless, calender
- A very hot chick in a short skirt has to climb up onto the photocopier to reach up, you can guess what happened next.
- Not sure why this has been made, but I won't complain. Britney Spears sings toxic with just a few words to cover her up.By: nearlygood l Tags: britney spears, britney spears naked


text: In April, a grand jury in Cleveland indicted a man for rape in an assault that allegedly occurred while he held a knife to his victim's throat and threatened to kill her. Prosecutors and grand jurors had to act fast. Had the indictment been delayed by just two days, it could not have been returned.


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DAVID BERGELAND/Durango Herald
While most eyes Saturday were on events for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, a group of two dozen cyclists from the United States and Australia glided to a stop in front of the new Durango Welcome Center exactly at 11 a.m.
The cyclists represent the �2012 Tour of Duty Ride� from San Diego to New York. The ride honors the military and public-safety personnel, according to the organization�s website.
�This event aims to demonstrate the admiration and respect we hold for the military, police, firefighters and emergency-service workers who serve our (two) countries with diligence, care and selflessness,� says the website.
Durango authorities were told about the Tour of Duty arrival only about a week ago.
Durango Fire & Rescue Authority Chief Dan Noonan said Durango, as usual, was up to the challenge and pulled a plan together quickly.
�That�s what Durango does,� Noonan said just before the cyclists arrived.
A fire truck and two motorcycle officers led the group to the Welcome Center.
The chief said that there were 32 department personnel plus eight managers involved in the event. That�s about double the normal on-duty staffing levels.
Susan Lander, interim director of the Durango Area Tourism Office, agreed with Noonan that Durango has the gumption to handle multiple events.
�In Durango, we pull together,� she said while waiting for the riders to arrive.
The Tour of Duty Ride started Aug. 12 in San Diego and will conclude Sept. 1 in New York City at the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. The Intrepid is now a national museum that also houses the Space Shuttle Enterprise.
Along the 2,600-mile trip, riders will stop in places such as Nashville, Philadelphia, Chicago and Washington, D.C., among others.


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Gustav Nyquist
Posted 19 January 2009 - 12:29 PM
Pavel Datsyuk > x (where x is the name of any active hockey player)
Posted 20 January 2009 - 05:40 PM
Ceterum autem censeo, Hudler esse delendam.
Posted 25 January 2009 - 02:31 PM
Posted 10 July 2009 - 01:46 AM
"In all honesty, it's Cayer and Nyquist, who played for Clarkson and the University of Maine, respectively, and Samuelsson, who played for Timra IK of the Swedish Eliteserien, who have made the most physical progress. They can fade into the background during skill drills, but they have solidified their all-round games, and they no longer bounce off their opponents when shoved during puck battles.
Again, Jesper Samuelsson, Gustav Nyquist, and Julien Cayer look like different players than the ones who showed up last year. Samuelsson's smallish frame belies his zip and tenacity on the puck, Nyquist occasionally displays goal-scorer's hands, and Cayer serves as a big, defensively-responsible forward who exhibits a balanced game."
( http://blog.mlive.co...p_09_day_1.html )
Posted 14 July 2009 - 06:51 AM
Ken Holland: Hes (Mursak) a young guy, provides energy, can skate, hes a puck hound.
Posted 17 October 2009 - 01:40 PM
negative: after 3 games Maine is 0-3
positive: gustav is 3-2 for 5 points and leading the team in scoring.
Edited by 11iscoming, 17 October 2009 - 01:40 PM.
Posted 23 October 2009 - 04:24 PM
Nyquist looks forward to Olympic-sized rinks
By Larry Mahoney
BDN Staff
ORONO, Maine â Gustav Nyquist was a ray of light in an otherwise gloomy season for the University of Maine hockey team last season.
He led Hockey East freshmen with 13 goals and he also had 19 assists in 38 games. He was the first freshman to lead the Bears in scoring since a young man from North Vancouver, British Columbia, arrived on the scene at the outset of the 1992-93 season: Hobey Baker Award winner Paul Kariya.
After Nyquist was held scoreless in the season-opening 4-1 loss at Union College, the 2008-2009 Hockey East All-Rookie Team selection has racked up four goals and two assists in the last three games and had the game-winner in the 5-3 victory over Michigan State Saturday night.
Nyquist and his mates open Hockey East play this weekend when they visit Massachusetts in Amherst on Friday night and New Hampshire on Saturday evening.
âThey should be two exciting games,â said Nyquist, a right winger who enjoys the wider Olympic-size ice sheets he will be playing on this weekend.
Olympic-sized ice sheets are the norm in Sweden.
âIâm used to the smaller rinks now but the Olympic sheets are a lot of fun to play on,â said the Malmo, Sweden, native. âYou have a lot more room to make moves on. Thereâs more room behind the net so you can make plays. And you can use your points [defensemen] more. You can also have some different looks on the power play.â
Nyquist said it will be important for the Bears to play âbetween the [faceoff] dotsâ so they donât get running around out of position.
Nyquist is looking to have an even more productive year this season and feels he is a better player thanks to his familiarity with the opponents and the rinks and his diligent summer training program.
âIâve got more muscle weight. I want to be able to shake defenders off and beat them wide instead of having to dangle the puck between the skates [and then try to go around them],â said Nyquist. âI want to be able to push them away with one hand and keep the other hand on my stick.
âIâm a little faster this year because Iâve improved my leg strength. And my shot is better. Iâve worked on that a lot, too,â he added.
He intends to shoot the puck more after averaging a little more than three shots a game last season.
âI didnât shoot enough last year. I want to improve on that. There are a couple guys on the team, including me, that should have at least five shots on goal per game. In order to have a better chance to score, we need to shoot more,â he said.
Sophomore left wing and linemate Brian Flynn said Nyquist has a lot more confidence this season.
âHe has a great shot and, hopefully, after scoring that goal [game-winner] against Michigan State, it will give him even more confidence to keep on shooting,â Flynn said.
Nyquist will be a marked man, as he was last year, because opponents are aware of his prowess.
âHeâs really good. I like him a lot,â said MSU coach Rick Comley. âHe is a highly skilled player who plays hard and plays with passion. Heâs dangerous at all times.â
UMass coach Don Cahoon called him a âgreat player.
âHe has great hockey sense and vision. He also plays with grit and competitiveness. He has the ability to make a play and put the puck away.â
Posted 25 October 2009 - 07:23 AM
Ken Holland: Hes (Mursak) a young guy, provides energy, can skate, hes a puck hound.
Posted 28 November 2009 - 11:08 PM
Ken Holland: Hes (Mursak) a young guy, provides energy, can skate, hes a puck hound.
Posted 28 November 2009 - 11:27 PM
Tatar-Nyquist-Mursak FTW!!!! (in the future)
Posted 30 December 2009 - 11:50 PM
Ohh forgot... He now has 30 pts in 19gp. That puts him tied for 1st in the nation in pts.
Edited by zata20, 30 December 2009 - 11:52 PM.
Posted 31 December 2009 - 11:59 AM
Ohh forgot... He now has 30 pts in 19gp. That puts him tied for 1st in the nation in pts.
Awesome. Sounds like he could go far.
Posted 31 December 2009 - 04:12 PM
Posted 07 February 2010 - 09:03 PM
GP / G / A / Pts
26 /14 / 26 / 40
Leads the team in most things.
Posted 20 February 2010 - 06:23 AM
The game prior he had 2 assists in a 2-5 loss.
He's a freak.
Ken Holland: Hes (Mursak) a young guy, provides energy, can skate, hes a puck hound.
Posted 20 February 2010 - 05:20 PM
Posted 26 February 2010 - 10:13 PM
2) Do you think Gustav Nyquist is the best player in Hockey East? (Admission: I sure do.)
What sets Nyquist apart from other players is the sense and depth perception he has for the ice, his decision-making with and away from the puck and the chemistry he has with his linemates, House and Brian Flynn. Splitting up that line at the start of the season was done by default (House injured his knee two days before the start of the season and missed the first four games) and also by design but the best thing Maine's coaching staff did earlier this season was reunite Flynn, Nyquist and House just before Thanksgiving. There's no way to replicate the value of that line to Maine.
Posted 27 February 2010 - 09:52 PM
We've got a gem here.
Ken Holland: Hes (Mursak) a young guy, provides energy, can skate, hes a puck hound.
Posted 28 February 2010 - 12:44 AM
We've got a gem here.
I might as well say it. It's too early for him to move on from college to the AHL. He still needs to add a lot of strength, which isn't just putting on weight and spending a lot of time in the weight room. It's also about learning to do the things that you do well with all that added weight.
For example, Jan Mursak really struggled to play after putting on so much weight because he didn't know how to handle it. Gus still needs that time to grow into his body and play his game.
Posted 28 February 2010 - 02:23 AM
"Putting on the foil coach" Jeff Hanson
"Yeah, every game, you want some coach?" Steve Hanson
"Er, no. No thanks guys." Reggie Dunlop
"Make sure they don't leave the bench!" Reggie Dunlop.
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From the books by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler Under the sea, out on the farm and into the jungle, these terrific tales are woven together with live music, puppetry and a whole host of colourful characters from their best-loved titles: Tiddler, Monkey Puzzle, The Smartest Giant in Town and A Squash and a Squeeze. Funky moves, toe tapping tunes and giggles are guaranteed! Is Tiddler telling the truth? Will Monkey find his Mummy? Will George The Giant make lots of friends? Can the old lady really squash and squeeze all those animals in? The perfect treat for kids 3+ and their families and friends! This delightful production is brought to you by the award-winning Scamp Theatre (Stick Man - Live on Stage!, Private Peaceful, Friend or Foe) and adapted from the bestselling books by Children's Laureate, Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (creators of The Gruffalo). Delightfully directed by Sally Cookson, dazzling design by Katie Sykes, funky tunes by Benji Bower and lush lighting by Elanor Higgins! 'I love how Scamp scamper through my stories, transporting them from page to stage so faithfully and innovatively.' - Julia Donaldson, author and former Children's Laureate ★★★★ 'Mesmerising' - FEST ★★★★ 'Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler?'s tales are lovingly brought to life. A perfect children?s show' - The British Theatre Guide ★★★★ 'Immerses children and parents into a world of wonder, a real treat!' - Broadway Baby ★★★★ 'Award winning Scamp Theatre certainly live up to their name' - The Good Review ★★★★ - Whatsonstage.com
Sorry there are no shows for Tiddler And Other Terrific Tales right now.


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on December 2, 2012 - 6:26 PM
A van that seemed to have a mind of its own slipped into gear, crossed a Grand Island road and slammed into a garage, Grand Island Fire Company public information officer Ray Pauley said Sunday.
No one was hurt in the crash that occurred shortly after 9 a.m.
An unoccupied 1995 Ford Econoline van had been left idling in a Fix Road driveway. Its transmission popped into reverse, causing the van to back about 80 feet down the driveway and across the road to collide with the rear of another homeowner's garage. Pauley estimated damage of about $2,000 to the garage.
Federal officials several years ago recalled 1995 Econolines because of defective parking brake cables.


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on May 3, 2013 - 6:04 PM
, updated May 3, 2013 at 11:42 PM
Let's have a show of hands. Who wants to save 1 million lives a year?
Me! I would. Wouldn't you? Of course you would. And if you, your buddies and your relatives follow the new initiative from the U.S. Department of Health, it would happen.
ABCS today means 1 million saved lives tomorrow. Now that's a WOW! ABCS, by the way is, Aspirin, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol and Smoking.
Right now, America, we are doing a lousy job of saving lives. Here's the bad news: 53 percent of those who should take aspirin are not; 54 percent of those who have high blood pressure are not at goal; 67 percent of those who need cholesterol drugs or diet control aren't doing that. And finally, 23 percent of adults are still smoking.
Folks this is awful, awful, awful. OK, so now here's the good news. It's four simple steps.
1. If you're not on aspirin, start it. If you're unsure if it's right for you, call your doc. Chances are 50/50 if you're 50 or older, you need it.
2. Is your blood pressure close to 120/80? If not, then you may not be in control. If you need more pills, then take 'em. Some need four meds to get to goal. And always ask your doc if there's a generic equivalent. Most great BP pills are now generic. Brand name pills, for most of us, are an overrated fool's paradise.
I know. Taking lots of pills is a drag but so is a stroke. It's a bigger drag. Believe me. My father-in-law had one and the last eight years of his life were misery. Since we've been super aggressive about bringing down blood pressure, we've reduced stroke by 70 percent.
3. Check your cholesterol regularly. Eat better, exercise right, consider using Benecol. It's a plant sterol margarine that brings down cholesterol (I don't own stock in the company). Red yeast might work too but only choose a verifiable brand (go to consumerlab.com to find one).
And if you're still not in control, take a supplement or pill. I, as a doctor, think that "statin" pills such as Lipitor are better than supplements. But there are differences of opinion. I respect them. Many prefer supplements. Getting it down any which way is what counts.
4. Quit smoking. It takes the average smoker four times to quit (took me that long when I was in my 20s). Don't despair. Just push on. At $7 a pack or more, isn't it worth having a few thousand dollars extra in your pocket? You might not get that raise at work, but you'll have more cash in your pocket. And if your loved ones still smokes, help them. Remember, friends just don't let friends die early. Help 'em kick butt.
Dr. Zorba Paster is a family physician, university professor, author and broadcast journalist. He also hosts a radio call-in program at 3 p.m. Saturdays on WBFO-FM 88.7.


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And the answer is ... both.
To be clear, no one is suggesting that the final results of any contests are rigged. But just as Jim Carrey's reality-TV life in The Truman Show was run by a director concealed up on the moon, these shows are manipulated by an invisible team of producers, editors and other expert tweakers. Does a ready supply of liquor encourage contestants to let loose? Can a bit of splicing transform two friends into enemies? Does that TV Romeo have a Shakespeare coaching his speeches? Maybe. "We're entertainers, not journalists," says Mark Cronin, executive producer of The Surreal Life. "We're here to show you what happened, and to do that we take liberties. But there's no defrauding the public." Here's a look behind the curtain. . . .
More on AOL
SurvivorAre the dangers real?
In the Feb. 1 episode of Survivor All-Stars, Sue Hawk shocks her fellow contestants by drinking stagnant well water, blithely disregarding tribemate Jeri Manthey's warning that it could give her brain parasites. In fact, no harm befell Hawk, though in all likelihood there was little risk involved. "The natural water on the Pearl Islands," says Amarilis Mojica, a spokesman for Panama's tourism board, "is potable and generally quite drinkable." The producers just didn't feel compelled to share that information.
In the past, they have been accused of stronger interference. In 2001 Stacey Stillman, who was on the first Survivor, sued the producers and CBS, accusing them of unfairly conspiring with two fellow castaways to vote her out of the tribe instead of the more popular Rudy Boesch. (The producers vigorously denied the charge and countersued for defamation and breach of contract.) And during Survivor: The Australian Outback, executive producer Mark Burnett admitted to using stunt doubles to reenact challenges for the purposes of getting the right camera shots. But that doesn't happen anymore. "I don't need any twists or switches," he says. "I can just leave it like it is. What makes this great TV are the characters." And those tribal councils? What appear to be six- or seven-minute bull sessions actually take hours in real life. Host Jeff Probst explains that they're edited down "so that it appears I go right for the jugular, when really it took 15 minutes of roundabout questioning to get you to finally say that the person next to you is not contributing."


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Summit reflection video on the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time with Joel Stepanek.
Covecrest is more than a retreat center and summer camp. Covecrest is a community of Catholics committed to transforming teens, transforming parishes, and transforming culture. Will you join us?
Hidden Lake is less than 75 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia. It's approximately a 1 hour and 25 minute drive from the city.
Life has its ups & downs and so do roller coasters! Inspiration Tour is the perfect backdrop for fun times and meaningful conversations as the summer winds down. After a long day of exciting rides, teens come to experience the thrill of a life in Christ through Mass, adoration worship and community. Join us in Los Angeles for this epic event!
Middle school ministry is very different than high school ministry. We know it's tough. That's why we've intentionally crafted this weekend to share with you relevant and practical techniques specific to middle school ministry. Our goal is to equip you with tools and a ministry perspective that can easily be implemented when you return home.
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Mackenzie Wilson
Reporter/Weathercaster, NewsChannel 21
I've always loved writing, and I remember my first "reporting" experience was in sixth grade. For a school project, my friend and I reported on the first Starbucks coming to town -- that was big news back then!
I went through high school with plans to go to Washington State University and enroll in the Edward R. Murrow journalism program. got in, but my parents convinced me to try one year in-state at the University of Idaho, and four years later I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Radio, TV and Digital Media Production and an emphasis in Communications.
During college, I was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority and reported for both the TV and radio stations at the college.
After graduating, I wanted to try living in a city, so I packed all my belongings in my Volkswagen Beetle and drove to Portland. I worked a few different jobs but was always dreaming of a job in broadcast journalism.
I came to Bend in January of 2010 and took a reporting job with the station after a few months of interning. I recently trained in weather, and now will be bringing you the weekend forecasts on NewsChannel 21.
Bend and my hometown Sandpoint, Idaho are very similar. I grew up boating and camping on Lake Pend O'reille and snowboarding at Schweitzer in the winter. Now I camp at the Cascade Lakes in the summer and hit up Mt. Bachelor in the winter.
I feel very lucky to live in such a great town and share compelling stories with our community.
Thanks for watching!
You can reach me at firstname.lastname@example.com


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on February 3, 2013 - 6:13 PM
NIAGARA FALLS – An 18-year-old LaSalle woman suffered a possible broken nose in what was termed an unprovoked attack in the parking lot of a Third Street tavern about 1:45 a.m. Saturday.
The victim, a LaSalle resident, told police she was was punched in the face by a woman who then fled. The victim, who sought out hospital treatment, said she did not know her attacker or why she would be targeted, police said.


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To illustrate his opposition to an expansion of Medicaid in Pennsylvania, Dr. Zane Gates - founder of two free clinics in the region that help the working poor - told a story from his childhood.
He was shopping at the A&P in Eldorado, near Evergreen Manors housing project where he grew up, when he saw a classmate.
Instead of checking out, Gates walked around the store until the classmate left, before handing over his food stamps for groceries.
Modern Medicaid is like food stamps because it generates embarrassment - "it takes a lot of people's dignity away" - largely because the program's low reimbursements cause providers to refuse service to cardholders, Gates said this week.
Like Gates, Gov. Tom Corbett has misgivings about the Medicaid program. In his budget address Tuesday, he said he wouldn't expand it here, as the federal government has invited states to do, until there are program reforms and clarifications.
Program advocates said it's crazy to refuse the invitation, which includes a federal promise to pay - temporarily - almost all the costs of expanding enrollment from 100 percent of federal poverty to 133 percent.
"It's a tragedy if the state doesn't," said Dr. Deborah Baceski, who runs a free medical clinic in Somerset.
"It would truly be an act of fiscal malpractice for the governor to reject Medicaid expansion," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.
Not only would the expansion give hundreds of thousands more people health coverage, but it would improve the state's economy, Pollack said.
The federal government would pay 100 percent of the additional cost for three years, then 95 percent, then 94 percent - with the federal share not dipping below 90 percent, Pollack said.
And while a succeeding federal administration could back out of that plan, the states could back out of their expansions, as Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has promised, Pollack said.
"It's a no-brainer," he said.
Corbett disagrees, for now.
"The administration intends to engage in an informed dialogue with the public and the Legislature on whether expansion of the Medicaid program is prudent, affordable and the right choice for the commonwealth," states the administration's budget-in-brief. "When a final decision is made, it will be done in consultation with the Legislature and it may require modifications to be made and accounted for in the budget."
The state worries that the expansion of Medicaid will encourage employers to drop coverage, which is an incentive in the wrong direction and which would increase the financial strain of taking care of the 2.2 million current recipients, said Department of Public Welfare spokeswoman Anne Bale Wednesday.
The state also worries about a lack of incentives like job training to get recipients off Medicaid, she said.
And it wants to create a targeted approach for Medicaid recipients with special medical problems, instead of the current "one-size-fits-all," she said.
For example, should the state need to pay the "full package" that reflects the possibility of diabetes and mental health issues for a healthy 25-year-old? Bale asked.
"We have to pay the full widespread package for everybody," she said.
"It's complicated," said state Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, of the Medicaid situation.
And federal officials haven't been forthcoming with answers so far, he said.
Medicaid is imperfect, but it isn't the dignity-robbing program Gates imagines, according to Pollack.
Surveys of Medicaid recipients in recent years - including a Harvard researcher's study of Oregon residents - show the program "makes a huge difference in giving people true access to care," Pollack said.
It also has a high satisfaction rating, he said.
"Things have changed," Pollack said, referring to Gates' experience with the food stamp program decades ago.
Moreover, the Affordable Care Act will boost payments to providers, albeit temporarily, Pollack said.
There's hope the boost could become permanent, he added.
Gates believes that a reasonable alternative to Medicaid expansion is expansion of the free clinic model he pioneered with Buffalo insurance broker Patrick Reilly.
Corbett's budget includes $5 million for clinics - including some for hospitals to reproduce the Gates-Reilly model.
Pollack thinks that's wishful thinking.
Clinics do good work, but they can only be "a drop in the bucket" compared to the comprehensive reach of Medicaid, said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.


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Plan Your Wedding Escape to Our Hood River Inn
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
Our Hood River Inn has weddings on our minds these days, as our Carson Ridge Private Luxury Cabins provides ideal ambiance. Our romantic Washington cabins are the perfect location for any couple who wants an intimate wedding experience that takes full advantage of our spectacular outdoor surroundings. We're hosting three weddings just in the next few… Read more »


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Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Jennifer Lynn Rest of Mount Pleasant and Travis Ryan Olson of Friendship, Wis., celebrated the blessing of their marriage on June 22, 2013, at Christ Church, Mount Pleasant. The Reverend Ted Duvall officiated. A reception followed at Alhambra Hall.
The bride is the daughter of Sherry and Cassius Rest of Mount Pleasant. She graduated from Wando High School and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 2004 – 2013. She is currently pursuing an MBA at Golden Gate University. The groom is the son of Peggy and Ron Barnes of Friendship, Wis., and Lynda and Dave Olson of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. He is currently serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. Matron of Honor was Camille Berge. Bridesmaids were Alicia Barnes, Emily Olson, Laura Rest, Laura Ladd and Keri Dann. Best Man was Jeremy Olson, brother of the groom. Groomsmen were RJ Barnes, David Rest, Joseph Mootz, Scott Anderson and Kenny Crocker The couple honeymooned on Peter Island, British Virgin Islands and reside in Petaluma, Calif.
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Classic images of the Twin Towers
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The World Trade Center officially opened on April 4, 1973. Here are photographs of the lower Manhattan buildings prior to the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001.
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Meet Long Island's high school mascots Meet LI's high school cheer/kickline teams See how 150 Long Islanders shed up to 320 lbs. Malverne High School 2016 homecoming Places we loved on Long Island LI high school homecoming kings and queens of yore Smithtown East vs. Centereach girls volleyball Brentwood vs. Sachem North boys soccer See what LIers are up to this fall Tied the knot? Show us the shot! Show us your family photos Celebrities hanging out at Long Island schools


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Why would Charleston host a Cajun festival? After all, it's a culture that's based 800 miles away in the heart of southern Louisiana.
If you go
What: Lowcountry Cajun FestivalWhen: Noon-6 p.m. SundayWhere: James Island County Park, 871 Riverland DrivePrice: $10; free for ages 12 and under with a paying adult; Gold Pass holders also get in for free For more info: 795-4386 or www.ccprc.com/cajun
On the other hand, why not?
The histories of the two places are not so dissimilar. When the British expelled 11,500 French Acadian settlers from coastal Canada in 1755, most made their way to the Bayou State, but 942 settlers established their new home in South Carolina, blending in with the French Huguenots already here. Charleston's French ancestry is still present in the peninsula's churches and streets around the French Quarter.
Of course, the Cajun culture that emerged in Louisiana — full of rich food, fiddle music and a distinct French dialect — was one far different from the French influence of Charleston, where most integrated into the British Colonial customs. But that shared ancestry is as fine an excuse as any to suck a few (or 50) crawfish heads and two-step the afternoon away to a zydeco beat.
Bayou roots
"Alligator Jack" Sheffield is kidding around when he proclaims, "I am the Cajun Festival."
He's less apologetic when boasting about his crawfish eating record: 21 of the red crustaceans in just 30 seconds. Even that is nothing compared to the guy he met at his family reunion back home in Louisiana this year, who stormed his way through 55 pounds of crawfish in 45 minutes.
A Baton Rouge native, Sheffield moved to Charleston for culinary school and stuck around, opening Alligator Jack's Cajun Cafe in Mount Pleasant before moving on to the catering business he operates today.
"I got my nickname because I grew up hunting and trapping alligators," Sheffield explains. "I was only supposed to stay up here for a year, and that's turned into 24 years."
The Lowcountry Cajun Festival gives Sheffield a chance to show Charleston a taste of his life back home. When the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission first called him in 1991 about organizing and cooking for a Cajun-themed festival, he immediately jumped on board.
"I grew up doing what we do here next Sunday," said Sheffield, referencing the sprawling tables of crawfish and bowls of jambalaya and etouffee he'll be cooking by the gallon. "Through those first few years, this festival probably lost money, but now it's the biggest one-day money maker for the park system of the year."
Sheffield is correct in that assertion, confirms CCPRC Festival and Event Manager Matthew Rosebrock. Apart from the Holiday Festival of Lights, it's also the oldest county park event, along with the Latin American Festival held in October.
"At the time, the county parks tasked the recreation staff with starting up new programming, and everyone thought a Cajun festival would be a good idea," said Rosebrock, who looks forward all year to the chance to gorge on crawfish. "You don't get to eat crawfish on a daily basis in Charleston, so I definitely pig out when the time comes."
After holding steady at around 5,000 attendees for 15 years, the Cajun Festival has doubled in popularity since 2006, now attracting as many as 10,000 people.
It's always held the Sunday after the Cooper River Bridge Run and concurrently with Summerville's Flowertown Festival, creating a culmination to a celebratory weekend that effectively kicks off springtime in the Lowcountry.
Cajun sounds
Gary "Shrimp City Slim" Erwin has booked the music at the Cajun Festival for more than 15 years, bringing in famous Louisiana names including Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas and Chubby Carrier.
For this year's 22nd annual event, Erwin took a different approach, choosing the bands around the theme of "Women of the Swamp."
Opening the day at 1 p.m. is Shelly Waters, a recent transplant to the Lowcountry from Rayne, La., known as the "Frog Capital of the World."
Waters met Erwin soon after her arrival in Charleston in late 2011, when she asked to sit in at a backyard party gig that Erwin was playing. The diva took the mic and thrilled the crowd, and she and Erwin have since collaborated on a debut release in her name titled "Swamp Pop Princess."
"Swamp pop is a sometimes overlooked regional genre of Louisiana music that was prevalent in the late '50s and early '60s," explains Erwin, who once hosted an S.C. public radio program on Creole, Cajun and zydeco music. "It's a blend of old time rock 'n' roll, twangy country and New Orleans R&B, with a little bit of that Buddy Holly-East Texas sound."
Waters will cede the stage at 2:15 p.m. to North Carolina-based zydeco group Unknown Tongues, followed by New Jersey's Sidewalk Zydeco (from the "delta of the Navesink River," jokes Erwin, and highlighted by a washboard scrubber with the stage name Mary From Tokyo), before the Tongues close the day with a second set beginning at 4:45 p.m.
Erwin compares the non-Louisiana-based bands to blues artists from Russia or Zimbabwe. "They might not be of authentic origins, but they've passionately learned it and have their merits," he said. "It's these bands that carry the torch."
Unknown Tongues' bandleaders Bryan and Barbara Blake have put in their research time through multiple trips that they dub "Cajun camp." The group is a Cajun Festival veteran, performing on the 2004 lineup.
"I like to tell people that Bryan is a born-again Cajun," Barbara said of her husband, who plays accordion, fiddle, guitar and pedal steel with the group. "He was playing old-time mountain-style music when he first heard the Cajun fiddle, and it was like he was struck down by lighting. He fell in love with it."
The couple founded a Mardi Gras festival in their hometown of Gloucester, on the North Carolina coast.
"We put the spear in the ground for Cajun culture in our area," explains Blake. "It's a joyous music. I feel like we're kind of missionaries of Cajun music."
For folks unsure of how to dance a waltz or two-step to a Creole or zydeco song, Blake says to simply follow the lead of another dancer or to just wing it. "I like when people just get up there and do their own thing," she laughs. "We're not sticklers about Cajun dancing precision."
A crawfish feast
Unknown Tongues travels the country playing Cajun-themed festivals, but Blake claims that Charleston's offering is one of the best, thanks to the beautiful location at James Island County Park and the quality of the food.
For some people, however, it's more about the quantity.
Among the event's most popular attractions is the annual crawfish-eating contest, when dozens of competitors line up to devour as many of the freshwater critters as possible in 30 seconds. Two years ago, that number was a whopping 24. All in all, 600 crawfish are consumed during the competition.
That's a minor note compared to the total day's consumption, however.
Caterer Sheffield said he's ordered 2,000 pounds of live crawfish for the event, along with 400 gallons of chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, 400 gallons of etouffee, and 200 gallons of red beans and rice.
"If you leave hungry, it's your own fault," Sheffield ribs, adding that he's happy to teach anyone how to eat a crawfish who's not sure of proper procedure. He'll be cooking them up in a giant rig he calls the "Cajun hot tub."
Although treats like fried alligator tail will be available, there are also hot dogs, funnel cakes, snow cones and barbecue on hand for the less adventurous.
This year's event has even attracted a film crew from the Cooking Channel show "Chuck's Eat the Street," featuring French-Canadian chef Chuck Hughes.
With thousands of pounds of food being served, it's also notable that the CCPRC has partnered with the S.C. Green Fair to integrate recycling and composting into the event. In 2012, 95 percent of the festival's waste was diverted from landfills.
When planning your attack for the day, Sheffield recommends that attendees come early, bring a blanket or chair, and leave the dogs and coolers at home (neither are permitted in the park Sunday).
"Get here early, stay all day and eat, be merry and have fun," Sheffield said. "Once you come through the gate of James Island County Park on Sunday, you're in Louisiana."
The crawfish-eating contest is always a big event at the Cajun Festival. Contestants battle to see who can eat the most in 30 seconds.×
CCPRC Unknown Tongues will perform at this year's Lowcountry Cajun Festival.×
A bead booth will be on-site offering up quite a selection to help get everyone in the Cajun spirit.×
Children can enjoy rides while parents dance to the music playing nearby.×
Attendees of a previous Lowcountry Cajun Festival at James Island County Park dance to zydeco music.×
The Lowcountry Cajun Festival is held at James Island County Park.×
Marvin Lenoir (left) and Herman Ray pour out crawfish for the Lowcountry Cajun Festival at James Island County Park.×


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Magnes collection on the San Francisco Chapter of the American Council for Judaism, 1943-1970
The American Council for Judaism was an anti-Zionist organization formed in 1943 with regional chapters in Richmond, Dallas, Chicago and San Francisco.
Altman (Hal) papers, 1958-1961
Hal Altman was active in public relations in Sacramento and interested in promoting awareness of California Jewish history; served on the board of the Northern California Region of the Union of A
Wotiz (Emanuel) letter, 1858.
Emanuel Wotiz immigrated to the United States from Europe. In 1856, he enlisted for five years as a soldier in the U.S.
Young Men soiree invitations, 1859-1860.
Invitations to the Young Men's eighth and twelfth soirees in 1859 at Assembly Hall in San Francisco and 1860 at Tucker's Aca
Zimmerman (Guenther) papers, 1910-1992.
Guenther Zimmerman immigrated to San Francisco via Shanghai after leaving Germany.
Zucker (John J.) marriage licenses, 1943-1945.
John Zucker served as a rabbi for a reform congregation in Reno, Nev., and while he was there, he performed many marriages.
Abals (Rahle) letter, 1858.
Rahle Abals settled in California shortly after the Gold Rush.<
Aaron (Bella H.) papers, ca. 1890s-1996
Bella Hurst (Herscovich) Aaron was born in Canada and immigrated to Utah via Montana as a young child. She grew up in Ogden, Utah, the eldest daughter of eight children.
Personal and Family Rituals
Objects documenting the sphere of personal and family rituals in the global Jewish diaspora constitute a prominent aspect of the museum holdings of The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and
Social Interactions
Many objects in The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life document the social interactions among Jewish and host communities throughout Central and South-East Asia, the Middle East, North Afri


text:
The Rock Cottage (2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, porch) sits on a hill with a splendid view of the duck pond and the meadow beyond and is pet friendly. Surrounded by windows on the front and sides, the cottage is centrally air-conditioned, and fully equipped for stays of 3 days or 3 months. It has an Ipod/Iphone Docking Station available.
There is a porch with table, chairs and umbrella for outdoor dining or relaxing. The master bedroom has a King bed with large closet and bureau. The bathroom has a tiled shower/tub and two-sink vanity. The living room features, comfortable furniture, dining table and chairs, and Sony 27″ TV with full cable and DVD. The master bedroom has a hi-def Samsung big-screen TV. There is also a Bose Wave Radio / CD player with CD's, a large stone a wood-burning fireplace and finished hardwood floors.
There is a fully equipped kitchen with refrigerator / freezer, microwave and gas range. The second bedroom, up a short flight of stairs, is equipped with a bureau, extra window air conditioning unit, and twin beds with reading lamps. The cottage offers comfort and privacy, and is particularly well suited to families with children. You can drive right to the front door of the cottage.


text:
And You Call Yourself a Film Buff?! Rushmore
All's fair when love is war.
I have always been a Wes Anderson fan. Ever since I was exposed to his stunning cinematography and beyond-quirky characters in The Royal Tennebaums, I have been on the Wes Anderson bandwagon. However, there have been and still are some notable gaps in my knowledge. Although I have seen and very much enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeerling Limited, and, my personal favorite, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, I have yet to see Bottle Rocket or Steve Zissou. Tremendous oversights, I know, but at least now I can say that I've closed the gap somewhat after watching Anderson's second feature film Rushmore.


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Yesterday Phish confirmed what had been circulating on the rumor train for weeks — that they'll be hosting a 3-day Halloween Festival from October 30th to November 1st, 2009.
See above for the custom announcement from Phish.com. The map is being updated every few days with a new animated clue, slowly revealing the festival location and potentially the name:
"Save the Date"
Speaking of which, all signs are pointing to the Phish Halloween Festival being held at the stunning Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, home of the annual Coachella festival and fertile spot for growing dates.
The Coachella / Empire Polo Field rumor is strong enough that nearby hotel rooms and rentals are pretty much sold out. And apparently there's already huge demand for Naked Wizard costumes.
Read on more analysis and speculation about the Phish Festival 2009.
Update: June 28, 2009 @ 11:00 pm
Nothing confirmed of course, but word on the street is the band will be playing eight (yes, 8) sets over the 3-day festival. Two sets Friday, three sets Saturday, and three sets again on Sunday including an early one. Take it with a grain of salt as I'm only about 50/50 with the rumors on Jamtopia.
And while I'm speculating, the latest I've heard or read from the few remaining sources that have any credibility, Fall Tour 2009 is going to be a whopper. Supposedly Phish will play a 26 show Fall Tour ending in North Carolina in November. And that'll be followed up by a (rumored-to-death) 4-night stand in Miami for New Years.
Maybe it's just me, but that sounds like a heck of a lot of shows and if it pans out this way I can only hope it doesn't "drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health." Oh wait, I can also hope they stop by the UIC Pavilion for at least a few nights!
Provided the rest of this info is correct, you can look for an announcement on or around July 4th.
Update: June 29, 2009 @ 12:20 am
Just got a comment from Johnny Goff (aka @PhishNQuips) saying that Phish will appear on Conan / The Tonight Show on October 28th. Take it for what it's worth.
::wonders if he can program Tivo that far in advance::
Update: June 29, 2009 @ 1:00 am
Not sure how this didn't come to my attention earlier, but a day-and-half-old thread on PT has plenty of spoilers for what's going to happen on the map based on the findings of mr_wonderful.
~~~ Spoiler Alert ~~~
Stop scrolling now if you don't want to see spoilers from the Phish Halloween Festival map!
From the looks of it we'll be seeing a merman swimming from somewhere near North Carolina to Colorado, and an alien zapping Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Nevada before going "home" to New Mexico. Here's a composite image from another intrepid PT'er showing how it all comes together.
Notably, the band has removed these elements from the live Flash file, so there's always the chance they'll change things up just to keep it interesting.
Still not sure how I feel about having seen this in advance, but I know for sure I've got tons of respect for the creative concept and love that the band is back to their old playful ways.
Update: June 29, 2009 @ 3:00 am
Okay, I wish I could take credit for this but alas it was pointed out by someone else. Take a gander at this snippet from the "Economy" section of the Indio, CA Wikipedia page:
Indio has been one of Southern California's most important agricultural regions, once responsible for a large percentage of the nation's date crop; however, with all the new residential and recreational development, the date groves are now more limited to south and southeast of Indio. Even the grove of date palms at the Riverside County Date Festival fairgrounds has been torn out by the county.[citation needed]
There are citrus groves and vegetable fields surrounding the city limits, but rapid development of new housing tracts and golf courses in the "East Valley" in the 1990s and 2000s has displaced most of the agricultural space.
Turns out "Save the Date" might not just be a directive, but also the actual name of the Phish Halloween Festival, a brilliant pun, and a potential cause marketing angle for the Fest. If this is the case, somewhere out there a marketing genius lives among us. Well-played whoever you are.
Update: June 29, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
Not sure when, but some time today the map fell victim to an infestation of red fire ants who devoured North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Washington.
Once again the super-sleuths at PT are doing a great job of reverse engineering this concept. Turns out about 10 years ago a turf farm in Indio, CA was invaded by South American fire ants prompting eradication measures by the state Food and Agriculture Department.
If the fire ants are not eradicated, state officials could eventually order a quarantine to isolate the insects, which devour fruit, flowers and tree bark, officials said.
Apparently the problem has only gotten worse since then. A long-term eradication program that started in 2000 was suspended in 2004 due to lack of funding and as recently as 2008 the fire ant infestation was reportedly spreading eastward.
The map version of California remains (not surprisingly) unharmed by the animated ants, but the overall creative concept continues to prove itself to be extremely well thought out.
Update: June 30, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
Holy crap. I think I just figured out the clue to the first animation in the Halloween Festival map — the one where Oklahoma, Idaho, West Virginia and New Hampshire seemed to simply deflate.
My theory: the animation represents a groundwater plume. More specifically, a plume with an overly-high nitrate concentration.
The nitrate plume is a potential threat to deeper underlying groundwater via improperly constructed, sealed, or abandoned wells.
I'll give you one guess where you can find these poisoned plumes… that right, the Indio Subbasin of the Coachella Valley Groundwater Basin. At least according this report from the California Department of Water Resources which I've quoted above.
Presumably, if left unchecked, these nitrate plumes will ruin the water that's used to irrigate the date crop, not to mention the drinking water.
So at this point I'm going on record: I'll buy you a Nintendo if the Phish Festival 2009 isn't in Indio, CA. Save the friggin' date, and book your flight already!
Update: June 30, 2009 @ 9:00 pm
Today the map was updated again, and this time Kansas and Ohio were unceremoniously yanked from contention by a clipper-type boat.
And again the folks on PT are all over it, quickly surmising that this is a reference to "The Lost Ship of the Desert" — the subject of legends about ancient ships buried in, you know it, California's Colorado Desert.
The [Los Angeles] Examiner also published a story [in 1919] of a Spanish galleon half-buried in the sands near Indio, its hold bursting with a cargo of precious stones.
So like the forthcoming UFO, this one isn't quite a direct reference to Saving Dates, but it still has Indio written all over it.
Update: July 2, 2009 @ 4:00 pm
Well for whatever reason the map isn't doing anything for me, but word on the street is that an alien Vannah White cyclops has come in and taken out Oregon, Wyoming, Illinois, and Pennsylvania Wheel of Fortune style.
Right now the Indio connection is a little questionable, but one PT thread links to this article about date festivals that does mention the letter-turning temptress:
…and above the counter, there are still pictures of the Shields themselves outfitted in safari gear and helmets, as well as hand-colored black-and-white photos of pinup girls holding bushels of dates and caressing date palms with the aplomb of Vanna White.
Pretty tenuous for sure, and given the previous animations I'm guessing there's a more compelling reason for this one hidden out there somewhere.
Update: July 3, 2009 @ 3:00 am
I think I figured out the Vanna White animation, and it's got nothing to do with Vanna White. The important part is that she's a Cyclops!
Let me preface by saying this is WAY over my head and I'm not sure I totally understand it well enough to explain, but I'll take a stab.
Apparently cyclops is not just a one-eyed bastard living in a cave but also a newly identified part of the "common symbiosis signaling (Sym) pathway" in plants. And best I can gather from this report, certain mutations in the cyclops portion of the Sym pathway can help plants work harder to extract nutrients from soil.
Because of these benefits, scientists are working to better understand and clone the more successful cyclops mutations.
A number of plants have entered beneficial interactions with microorganisms that facilitate the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil. [The authors] provide new insights into a novel genetic component in the plant that allows the establishment of these nutrient-capturing symbioses… Our challenge now is to take this genetics into a coherent understanding of the mechanisms of symbiosis signaling.
— How CYCLOPS keeps an eye on plant symbiosis by Ward Capoen and Giles Oldroyd
If the scientists can pull this off, not only will the crops be more healthy, but farmers won't need to use as much fertilizer which is expensive and emits a ton of greenhouse-gasses.
This same type of genetic control may also have something to do with preventing bayoud disease in date palms, but I'm not exactly sure how it all ties together.
Either way, if the above is anything even close to the correct explanation, this is yet again another brilliant clue tied right back to the Save the Date theme.
In other news, I've had a few people email asking if I knew what the background music to the map is. Turns out it's part of the 30+ minute Wolfman's from 10/31/98. This monster includes multiple jam segments, tons of teases, Fishman on vacuum, and more.
And to wrap up tonight's update, it seems we've got our first parody of the map. Not even gonna comment on this one.
Update: July 3, 2009 @ 10:30 am
Some alternate Fall tour date rumors have started making the rounds on a variety of message boards, one of which comes complete with photographic "evidence."
This rumored 20-stop tour schedule has the band playing the Hollywood Bowl, Warfield (the night after Save the Date), Austin Music Hall, Hampton Coliseum, three nights at the Spectrum, and two nights at MSG among others. Not to mention the Tonight Show and of course the Save the Date festival.
If these dates pan-out I'll feel a little bad that the info I posted above was wrong, but I'll sure feel great about going back to Rosemont Horizon.
Update: July 6, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
Another update, another three states out of the running.
This time it's bad news for Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky, all of which were blown off the map by the winds of Thor (or some other wind-related god).
And of course as luck would have it, about 3 seconds of Googling brings a curious factoid… date palms in nature can be pollinated by wind.
Not really sure what exactly this has to do with saving dates though, as it's apparently been common practice to hand-pollinate date palms for centuries "to avoid wasting a lot of space and energy growing sufficient male plants" — at least according to Wikipedia.
Will keep you posted if I learn anything else. In the mean time, here are some interesting facts about date palms.
Update: July 6, 2009 @ 11:00 pm
A few theories about the wind have made the rounds on PT — one that it's a reference to the Santa Ana winds and another that it's a reference to the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm. I was even working up a theory involving wind propogation of Date mites that can ruin a crop in no time.
But a comment left below by someone named Neil stopped me dead in my tracks.
Neil points out that the god in the animation isn't Thor at all, but the biblical God as depicted in Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
The famous fresco illustrates the Book of Genesis story when God formed Adam out of "the dust of the ground" and then "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life", causing him to "become a living soul" (Gen. 2:7, KJV, emphasis mine).
As Neil further reminds us, after God created Adam he brought forth trees from the ground (Gen. 2:9), one of which was the Tree of Life.
And guess what type of tree many cultures and biblical scholars believe to be the Tree of Life?
You guessed it, the date palm. Imagine that.
Update: July 7, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
Looks like Mike just rolled in on his Segway and mowed down another trio of states — North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Don't foresee an obvious Indio connection, but you know I'll post an update if I find one.
And I'll also post an update if I can find a patent for a Segway lawn mower. Phenomenal idea.
Update: July 9, 2009 @ 8:30 am
Two things to update this morning.
First, in the spirit of Occam's razor I think I may have overthought the clue to the first animation having stumbled upon a simpler solution on Wikipedia's Choachella Valley page.
Seismic activity is what triggers earthquakes, a common natural but on occasion, destructive phenomena in the Coachella Valley, and fault lines causes hot water springs or geysers to rise from the ground.
Funny because I had originally been looking for geysers when I found the nitrogen plumes.
In other news, been thinking a bit more about the Mike Segway animation and may have stumbled across something there too.
Something beyond the fact that the Coachella Valley is riddled with golf courses, not to mention the Empire Polo Fields themselves, and that the whole area needs tons of lawn mowing.
It's possible the Segway lawn mower may be a subtle nod to Palm Desert-based sod supplier West Coast Turf.
The company, headquartered a mere nine miles outside of Indio, helped Jesse James's Monster Garage create "Switchblade." It's the Mustang convertible lawn mower seen at right.
Now that may be a bit of a stretch, but I can think of at least one place where any type of lawn mower, be it Mustang, Seqway, or plain-old John Deere would be completely useless — Datelan Army Airfield.
Update: July 10, 2009 @ 6:30 am
Alaska, we hardly knew ye. So sorry to see you go.
Details to follow, I've got "real" work to do.
Update: July 11, 2009 @ 10:30 am
Try as I might, I'm just not making any sort of connection between Alaska and Indio. But there's still plenty of potential symbolism to ruminate on.
For starters you've got the obvious — Alaska, the song (and background track for the animation) failed to make the cut for the new Phish album Joy.
Then you've got the delicious desert item bombe Alaska (see at right) — a decadent variation of baked Alaska that adds a dark rum flambé to the already delicious combo of ice cream, sponge cake, and meringue.
And given the detonation's proximity to lovely Wasila, Alaksa, one can't help but think this might be some sort of social commentary on a political career up in smoke.
Meanwhile, if you have read the comment thread below you're missing out on some great entertainment value, not to mention a simmering East Coast / West Coast feud.
Update: July 13, 2009 @ 10:30 am
California (along with the bulk of my credibility if this pans out) was just airlifted off the map by a fleet of hot air balloons!
For the moment, I'm stumped. Totally appreciate that much of the speculation above was far-reaching, but at least a few of those animations point straight to Indio. Not to mention the incredible array of "in the know" folks saying Indio was a lock.
If this proves nothing else it's that Phish likes to keep you guessing, and that's about all I have left to do. Keep guessing.
Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for a free Nintendo Wii giveaway when the final location is announced — assuming they don't have one more twist up their sleeve. Part of me thinks California may have just been airlifted away for safe-keeping :)
Update: July 13, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
Well needless to say this latest animation has lit-up the Phish message boards like a Christmas tree, but really only a few things worth noting (not including the picture at right which is just for fun).
First, as ZZYZX was (I believe) the first to identify on PT, California is not really gone if you zoom out on the map. Now this could just be lazy programming, moving an object off the stage instead of actually killing it off. But either way it's led to plenty of additional speculation that Cali's just hovering up there safely, waiting for a triumphant return once the rest of the states are eliminated.
Second, the latest animation has resulted in at least one public wager for a 3 day festival pass.
Finally, and perhaps most curiously, is this recent tweet from Kevin Shapiro that reminds us to "never trust a prankster."
Can't imagine what he means by that.
Update: July 14, 2009 @ 8:30 am
Sorry for the late update. I've been having trouble with my AT&T DSL at home so couldn't see the animation last night. I did however call them and after explaining that I wasn't able to do my "very important work" they gave me a $100 credit!
Turns out last night the entire map turned into a pinball machine and the ball took out Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Montana, Michigan, and Utah before dropping into Lake Michigan.
Plus a little bonus at the end showed the ball to be super-imposed with Fishman in a Viking hat a la Fall Tour 98.
In the spirit of completeness, I set out to find an Indio connection to see what would turn up. Answer, not too much.
I did however find this cool vintage Palm Springs pinball machine made by (Vegas-based) Bally back in 1953. Learned that IPD is not just an acronym for Indio Police Department but also Internet Pinball Database. And found a Plinko like contraption called Fantasy 5 Dream Machine that was part of the California lottery's TV show The Big Spin. Don't miss the previous segment from that episode to watch a lady win $3 million bucks.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, as most people have noticed California is no longer "floating" above the map in the latest Teaser.swf file. No big surprise. It was just conveniently stashed off-stage at the end of the hot air balloon animation.
Not content with just viewing the .swf, some folks on PT have continued to decompile the Teaser, an effort that's been light on clues since the UFO / merman incident. But this latest decompiled swf revealed the asset seen at right, a large image sprite with a mundane name, Shape6.jpg.
The asset hasn't generated as much speculation as one might think, despite the fact that it bears mild resemblance to a pumpkin, is the same design as the balloons that carried away California, and is significantly larger than the other balloon .
Not that this couldn't just be a left-over masking asset from the previous animation, but you know I can't help but speculate :)
One more quick note — today is the last day to enter Jamtopia's Mike Gordon bobblehead giveaway. Could be your only chance to score this great piece of Phish memorabilia.
Update: July 17, 2009 @ 5:00 pm
In the biggest state-take-down yet, the latest animation finds nine states — Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Indiana, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, and New Mexico — getting targeted and subsequently taken out by darts.
It only took me about 20 minutes of research to tie this back to date palms, and like the Cyclops above it has something to do with plant genetics and breeding.
Specifically, I think it's a reference to something called Diversity Arrays Technology, or DArT.
[DArT] will make comprehensive genome profiles an affordable and powerful tool to accelerate plant breeding.
— cropscience.org.au
In short, DArT is a relatively cheap and easy way to analyze plant genomes. Armed with this knowledge, scientists should be able cultivate plants that are more disease resistant, better adapted to local environments, and more generally allow for healthier crops and higher yields.
Haven't been able to find specific references to DArT being used on date palms, but presumably this application would be a positive step towards reducing or even preventing (the previously mentioned) Bayoud Disease.
Now I realize that California is gone from the map, so say what you will about this analysis, but either way I'm still having fun sleuthing and plan to keep at it until the very end.
And speaking of gone from the map… Michigan seems to have re-appeared (for now), though presumably only because the developer failed to include it in the _deadStates array.
Update: July 18, 2009 @ 2:30 pm
With respect to saving dates, there's an interesting comment below from Austin resident BathtubGin09 who points to a 2008 Texas Department of Agriculture alert entitled Date Palm Lethal Decline. Per the article:
And apparently most of the date palm trees infected with the so-called Texas Phoenix Palm Decline are coming in from Florida. Looks like Indio isn't the only place that could use some DArT :)
Recently the Texas Department of Agriculture adopted an Emergency Quarantine in Cameron, Hidalgo, Nueces and Willacy counties of Texas against Date Palm Lethal Decline disease caused by a phytoplasma.
Update: July 18, 2009 @ 8:30 pm
A dump truck just came in by boat, picked up Missouri, Arkansas, and Colorado, then redeposited Washington back on the map.
And with that, this whole chicanery just got a whole lot more interesting (or less, depending I guess on who you ask) given that the map now has the proven ability to return what it hath once taken away. Can't wait to see how this wraps up…
Update: July 21, 2009 @ 8:30 am
No map updates, but a late-night Tweet from someone (presumably) at The Chopping Block is worth noting:
Phish promo almost done. Starting to suck the life out of me when I leave work at 2am. But fuck it's a cool spot we did for them.
— @nathancali via Twitter
I guess it's obvious that the map is"almost done," but this really helps me appreciate all the work that's gone into it. And I gotta agree that it's a cool spot.
Update: July 22, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
And then there was one.
Tonight Phish brought back the Golden State after purging the remaining contenders with a standard-issue power drill.
I was a little surprised the hot air balloons didn't return, but the drill still entertained. The animation played-out with applause and cat calls, ultimately drilling through (recently revived) Washington which leaked South into California.
Meanwhile I wonder if the drill was a late addition in response to the recently passed California budget which could allow for offshore drilling as "a new source of desperately needed cash."
Maybe we'll never know, but you gotta figure there's one more animation to come — the one that reveals the Halloween Festival location, ticket info and other details.
And if we're lucky, Fall Tour dates!
Update: July 22, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
Tonight the Phish Halloween map came to an end, falling apart as California came front-and-center accompanied by 2001.
A golf flag and number 8 appeared, the latter of which promptly exited stage left leaving the flag waving in the breeze.
At this point the map was replaced by the official festival site, finally divulging the details we've all been waiting for.
A expected, the venue is none other than the Empire Polo Club in Indio but there was a small curveball with the name — it'll be called Festival 8, not Save the Date as I had presumed.
Now that the map is done, head on over to our follow-up post to learn all about Phish Festival 8 in Indio, CA.
Update: September 28, 2009
Today Phish launched a Festival 8 cover album teaser where they'll be slowly revealing the album for the musical costume. Learn more about the musical costume album teaser and see which albums have been eliminated right here on Jamtopia.
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