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Gayle Anderson was live at Hooper's Shell Service Station for the beginning of a weeklong series of FREE HIV testing and STD screening clinics. Although NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY is Wednesday, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) is hosting several events June 25th through June 27th in collaboration with the Magic Johnson Foundation, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and Kaiser Permanente Southern California, will offer FREE HIV rapid testing at Hooper's Shell Gas Station in Los Angeles on Monday, June 25 and Tuesday, June 26 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm.
With an oral swab or finger stick, individuals can know their HIV status, and if HIV positive, they can be immediately referred to local HIV/AIDS treatment clinics. Also, there will be free Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) screenings for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Tuesday. The first 200 attendees each day who stop by to take an HIV rapid test will be given a $25.00 gift card to purchase gasoline at the Hooper's Shell Gas Station.
To kick off the activities, Kaiser Permanente will present a $75,000 grant to CDU's HIV/AIDS Education and Community Outreach
Project at 10:00am on Monday, June 25th. The grant will be used to enhance CDU's educational outreach and HIV testing program in South
Los Angeles targeting at risk sexually active youth and young adults.
Also, CDU will offer testing and screenings at the Center for Public Health Wednesday, June 27th, as part of the "Take the Test, Take Control" campaign.
In the U.S., it is estimated that 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV infection and 1 of every 5 of these Americans do not know that they are HIV infected. In Los Angeles County, with 10 million residents, the local health department estimates that there are approximately 62,800 people living with HIV/AIDS and of these, 13,500 are HIV positive and do not know their status.
The National Association of People Living with AIDS initiated the first National HIV Testing Day in 1995 in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local HIV/AIDS service providers across the country. Now in its 18th year, CDU and other HIV/AIDS service providers throughout Los Angeles County will be honoring the day by offering free HIV rapid testing and Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) screenings.
Outside of Hollywood, Long Beach, and the Skid Row area of Los Angeles County, South Los Angeles has some of the highest rates of HIV as well as other common STDs such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia. African American and Latina females, aged 15 to 24, residing in South Los Angeles, have the highest rates of gonorrhea and Chlamydia infection in Los Angeles County. When you are infected with an STD and are having unprotected sex with someone who is HIV infected, you are 3 to 5 times more likely to contract HIV. Additionally, sexually active individuals, male or female, infected with STDs, which are untreated, can become infertile and/or sterile. All STDs are 100% preventable.
About Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science:
CDU is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian, minority-serving medical and health sciences institution. Located in the Watts-Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles, CDU has graduated more than 550 medical doctors, 2,500 post-graduate physicians, more than 2,000 physician assistants and hundreds of other health professionals. The only dually designated Historically Black Graduate Institution and Hispanic Serving Health Professions School in the U.S., CDU is recognized as a leader in translational and health inequities research, specifically with respect to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental health, and HIV/AIDS. Recently, the CDU/UCLA medical program was named the best performer in the University of California System with respect to producing outstanding underrepresented minority physicians by the Greenlining Institute. For more information,
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
1731 East 120th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90059
Monday, June 25th and Tuesday, June 26th, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Hooper's Shell Gas Station
11913 Compton Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90059
Wednesday, June 27, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Center for Public Health
11833 Wilmington Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90059


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Forum / THE MAIN WALL / Hot water heat piping layout
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Hot water heat piping layout (9 Posts)
RonABC August 23, 2010 @ 3:52 PM
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Hot water heat piping layoutI am in the process of moving and replacing hot water heating pipes in a small property I own that has 3 apartments, each with its own gas boiler and separate hot water radiator heat. Each apartment has 4 radiators.
My access to the pipes is in the basement where the gas boilers are located and where the piping is up toward the ceiling. The main reason that I am doing this is so I can raise all of the pipes in the basement up higher to create more ceiling height. Most of the existing pipes are iron, but I will be replacing all of them with copper piping.
What I noticed is that the piping system layout for the 3 systems are all different. I found a website with examples of the different piping arrangements at:
One of the existing systems is set up as a one-pipe series loop with all baseboard heating unit fed in one continuous series. The second existing system is set up as monoflow hydronic system with each radiator teeing off of the same pipe. And the third existing system is set up as a two-pipe direct return system where each radiator gets a supply form the supply side pipe and then returns to a return side pipe.
When I do the new connections, I would like to do them in whatever way would be best. I'm sthinking either the two-pipe direct return or two-pipe reverse return setup (as shown on the above link) would be the best.
I can easily do the two-pipe direct return setup for all three systems. I am not sure I understand how I would do the two-pipe reverse return system since I can't quite visualize how I would do that in real life as compared to the schematic diagram.
Am I correct in assuming that either of the "two-pipe" systems shown on theabove website link would be better than either the one-pipe series or monoflow hydronic system?
Als, is there much of a difference between the two options for the "two-pipe" system in terms of performance and efficiency?
Charlie from wmass August 23, 2010 @ 7:09 PM
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Reverse return is bestthen mono flow then direct return is last choice. I would if it was easy enough to do leave the reverse return, raise the monoflow system and repipe the direct return to one of the other two. probably revers return when the cost of mono flow tees are what they are today. Or for a third thought do a pex home run system to a manifold at each boiler and install trvs on the radiators.Cost is what you spend , value is what you get.
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RonABC August 24, 2010 @ 2:02 PM
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Hot water heat piping layoutThanks. All of the piping for the 3 systems has been removed, so I can do the new piping however is best. I think I'll skip trying the PEX option, but I'm working on getting all 3 to a two-pipe reverse retrun setup.
TonyS August 23, 2010 @ 7:51 PM
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The problem withLoop systems and monoflows is that each consecutive radiator receives cooler and cooler water which is no problem if the radiation was sized for the lower water temps.
If the systems were originally gravity, they were not sized this way. They were sized to receive equal temperature water. If you pipe with a 2 pipe direct return you will have uneven flow, because water like electricity is lazy and will look for the path of least resistance, this can be corrected using TRV,s. If you use a 2 pipe reverse return the water must flow through equal lengths of pipe no matter which radiator gets water first, this usually sets up a balance with no further attention even if the radiators are different sizes.
To visualize a two pipe reverse return put your hand on your return at the boiler, now follow the return backward away from the boiler until you get to the first T. Remove the piping between the T and the boiler and plug the T where you removed the piping. Now continue following the return all the way to the end, usually there is a 90 that comes from the last radiator but sometimes you get lucky and there will be a plugged T. If there is a plugged T remove the plug install your adapter and head back to the boiler return where you removed the piping. If you have 2 sets of mains...do it twice. The piping arrangement is easy but the problems are usually with the stubborn 100 year old pipe and fittings. Since you are going to replace the piping anyway this is probably the best way and you can still use some well placed TRV,s anytime you want.
RonABC August 24, 2010 @ 2:18 PM
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Hot water heat piping layoutThanks. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all of this. I think I "almost" get how to do the two-pipe reverse return system, so I'm going to try that.
The supply and return pipes coming from the boiler are 1-inch copper. I am assuming that I can run the supply loop with 1-inch copper pipe, and then use 1/2-inch copper pipe to tap off of the supply to each radiator. The same is with the return pipe -- my plan is to use 1-inch copper pipe for the return loop, and then use 1/2-inch copper pipe from the return side of each radiator down to the 1-inch main return pipe.
The way that I am thinking of it is to run the 1-inch supply loop in one direction going from the boiler to the first radiator, then the second radiator, then the third radiator, then the last (4th) radiator. Then run the return loop in the reverse direction -- meaning from the return side of the boiler to the return side of the 4th radiator, then to the 3rd radiator, then to the 2nd radiator then to the first radiator -- and stop there.
Dose that seem to make sense?
Am I correct in assuming that the supply and return loops should be all 1-inch pipe, and the taps/tie-ins from each radiator to the 1-inch supply and return loops can be 1/2-inch pipe?
Charlie from wmass August 24, 2010 @ 5:17 PM
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pipe size increases anddecreases as the heat load is shed. the main supply pipe at the last radiator may be 1/2" and this is off a 3/4 x 1/2"x 1/2" tee at the second to last radiator which is fed by a 1"x 3/4" x 1/2" tee fed by a 1 1/4" x 1" x 1/2" tee at the first radiator. The tees are in the opposite order for the return piping. depending on load you may be able to stop at 1" but without knowing the exact numbers this is a basic layout.Cost is what you spend , value is what you get.
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RonABC August 25, 2010 @ 5:01 AM
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Hot water heat piping layoutThanks. I mostly wanted to be sure that it is okay to have the pipes going to and from each individual radiator be 1/2", and have those 1/2" pipes tie into the main supply and return loops. In my case, the main supply and return loops will all be 1", although I see from what you wrote that I could have the supply loop step down in size and the return loop step up in size. The supply and return pipes at each boiler are already 1", so I am asuming that nothing could be gained by using anything larger than 1" anywhere in the piping system.
Charlie from wmass August 25, 2010 @ 9:35 AM
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Not quite true on pipe sizePipe size needs to be determined by BTU load at each radiator. You need to do a heat loss and determine if 1/2" will work. Also system size is not dictated by the boiler piping size but by the system requirements. Why pay for 1" for the whole loop when smaller could work?Cost is what you spend , value is what you get.
cell # 413-841-6726
RonABC August 25, 2010 @ 11:03 AM
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Hot water heat piping layoutThanks again. I am sure what you are saying is correct, and I do know that the way that I am going about doing this is not exactly the best approach. But, I think it will be close enough. The 3 exisiting systems were working okay the way they were originally set up (one was a 1-pipe series loop, one was a monoflow hydronic loop system, and one was a 2-pipe direct return system). I think that by converting all 3 to a 2-pipe reverse return system will be an improvement over what was already there, and since it is a small area (about a 25' by 30' basement), the amount that I could save in the cost of pipe by trying to be more exact in the sizing along the loops would not be that significant -- maybe $200 +/-. So, I'm going to go with that and hope for the best. I already have all the pipe and fittings and started the reconnecting of the new system yesterday and should probably be done by today or tomorrow morning. I chose the 1/2" pipes to each individual radiator off the loops because each radiator now already has 1/2" pipe going in and out of them.


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StampedeBlue.com's Brad Wells (me!) and Josh Wilson host The Big Blue Shoe Show, a podcast dedicated to the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts.
Special guest for this podcast is Colts tight end Weslye Saunders, who is interning at SB Nation this Winter. His most recent article for SB Nation was about the 2014 Scouting Combine and his experience as a young player at the 2011 Combine. It's well worth your time to read.
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Welcome To Hotwire Auto Electrical LimitedHotwire offers a range of Auto Electrical Services. We specialize in quality Car Stereos, Vehicle Security & repairs of your Vehicle Electrical System. Starter Motor and Alternator repairs, Vehicle Wiring, Breakdowns, Automotive Batteries, Car Stereos and Audio, Vehicle Security and Alarms, GPS tracking systems, to Blue tooth car phone kits. In fact we cover almost anything electrical in your car.


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Grit Index: D-backs top Dodgers despite stagnant offense
Originally published: Sep 16, 2013 - 10:56 pm
Nonetheless, his team only managed two hits against Ryu, who pitched a complete game for the Dodgers.
Somehow, though, the pair of hits -- which included a Paul Goldschmidt two-run home run in the first inning -- was enough to beat the southpaw 2-1, handing him his seventh loss of the season.
Trevor Cahill, on the other hand, cruised through the game's first five innings, allowing just one hit and one walk to the division-leading Dodgers. The right-hander worked four straight 1-2-3 innings after the first inning.
Ryu also scored his team's only run, after earning a leadoff walk off of Cahill in the sixth. Following Ryu's free pass, leadoff man Nick Punto -- Hanley Ramirez's replacement at shortstop for the night -- knocked a double to deep left-center field, advancing Ryu to third base. The Dodgers' next man up, second baseman Mark Ellis, also walked, loading the bases for all-star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Diamondbacks catcher Tuffy Goesewich trotted out to the mound for a discussion with Cahill and the tandem ultimately got Gonzalez to fly out to shallow left field.
Then, up stepped cleanup hitter Yasiel Puig to the intermixed boos and cheers of the Chase Field crowd. The rookie rightfielder worked a full count against Cahill, before ultimately taking ball four on an outside offering. The discipline brought home Ryu, decreasing the Diamondbacks' lead to one run and inducing a double switch from Gibson, who swapped out his pitcher-catcher duo with Josh Collmenter and Wil Nieves.
Collmenter, the invaluable bullpen asset, struck out the first hitter he faced, Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis. Then, he ended an eight-pitch Skip Schumaker at-bat with a broken bat one-hopper to second base, stranding Punto, Mark Ellis and Puig with the final out of the Dodgers' sixth.
Collmenter returned for the seventh inning, getting the Dodgers' 7-8-9 hitters out in order.
The Diamondbacks' second hit of the night came in the bottom half of the 7th inning, when Aaron Hill lined a two-out single to left field.
Recently recalled reliever David Hernandez was, once again, a sight for the sore eyes of Diamondbacks fans in the eighth inning, returning to the mound for his vintage 8th-inning setup role Monday and getting through the top of the Dodgers' order with a pair of strikeouts and a flyout, despite hitting Mark Ellis. Hernandez hit 97 mph on the radar gun several times in the outing. He battled through a nine-pitch at-bat with Gonzalez, who had speedy pinch runner Dee Gordon on first base. And he got Puig to chase an 83-mile-per-hour curveball off the plate for the final out of the inning.
Brad Ziegler, who was battling a sinus infection, came in to close out the 9th inning and he got into immediate trouble.
Aafter giving up back-to-back singles to start the inning, Ziegler fielded a sacrifice bunt attempt off the bat of Juan Uribe and fiered to third baseman Martin Prado to get the lead runner and the first out of the inning. The next at-bat ended in a groundout, advancing the runners to second and third base for pinch hitter Matt Kemp, who was reinstated just before Monday's game.
But Kemp's first at-bat since July 21 ended with him flailing at a way-off-the-plate slider from Ziegler.
With the win, the Diamondbacks kept the Dodgers from inching closer to clinching the NL West, improving to 9-7 against their division foe on the season.
The Good:
David Hernandez's trip to Reno has proven more than effective. In seven outings since being recalled on September 3, the hard-throwing right-hander has allowed just two hits and two walks, and no runs, while hitting a batter and striking out eight. His velocity seems to be up, with his fastball being clocked as high as 97 mph over the weekend, and his command has been on point.
The Bad:
Martin Prado's hot second half seems to be sizzling out. Over his last 11 games, he's hitting .146 with a .163 on-base percentage, two RBI and a walk.
- Trevor Cahill is 6-0 with a 2.01 ERA in his career against the Dodgers.
- Brad Ziegler took sole possession of ninth place on the D-backs all-time relief appearance list (172.0 IP), breaking a tie with Chad Qualls (171.0 IP).
- Paul Goldschmidt has homered in back-to-back games for the first time since August-3-4, hitting his 33rd on Monday.
He Said It:
"He came into a very tough spot right there and that's one of those things when you think about what you're going to do that you take into consideration. You know, bases loaded with one out and he comes in and he gets two guys, then he goes out and gives you another inning. It was clutch and it was a very good performance by him. He's got a great demeanor for that situation." - Gibson on Collmenter's performance
Up Next:
Left-hander Patrick Corbin (14-6, 2.92 ERA) will look to give the Diamondbacks yet another solid outing as he faces Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke (14-3, 2.74 ERA), who hasn't lost in his last nine starts. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. MDT and can be heard on Arizona Sports 620 AM.
Arizona Sports' Kyndra de St. Aubin contributed to this story
- MLB debutant delivers for Padres in win over D-backs
- Cahill, D-backs' offense struggle in loss to Padres: By The Numbers
- Arizona Diamondbacks reinstate Daniel Hudson, Cody Ross from the disabled list
- Dose of Venom: Anderson dominates, Diamondbacks finish home stand with win over Rockies
- Anderson, Hill, big 7th inning lift Diamondbacks over Rockies: By The Numbers
- Augie Ojeda, former Arizona Diamondback - Friday August 29Doug and Wolf chat with former Diamondback Augie Ojeda.
- Travis Lee, former D-backs first baseman - Thursday August 28Travis Lee shares some stories and memories from playing with the D-backs.
- Derrick Hall, D-backs President and CEO - Thursday August 28Derrick Hall discusses the home plate rule in the new instant replay system.
- Tim Kurkjian, ESPN MLB insider - Wednesday August 27ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian believes Matt Williams is good for the Nationals.
- Kirk Gibson, D-backs manager - Tuesday August 26D-backs manager Kirk Gibson discusses possible changes to a six-man rotation.
- Reggie Sanders - former Diamondbacks outfielder - Tuesday August 26Reggie Sanders discusses the Diamondbacks' alumni game coming up this Saturday.
- Derrick Hall, D-backs President & CEO - Thursday August 21Derrick Hall gives his thoughts on the new MLB commissioner.


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Six more Red Cross volunteers from Georgia are scrambling to find a way to get to the Northeast to help with disaster relief.
Charles Fowler of Austell, a retiree who has volunteered for the Red Cross for two years, is leading a team of six.
They were scheduled to fly to Minneapolis Thursday morning where they planned to catch a second flight to Hartford, CT. From Hartford, they will drive to White Plains, NY, where they will receive their orders from the Red Cross headquarters.
Flights directly to New York City were hard to come by because of all of the damage from the severe storm known as Superstorm Sandy.
Fowler said he will likely be asked to serve in some of the hardest-hit areas.
"Some of the clients will be able to go back and do a damage assessment and see if they can return to their homes," Fowler said. "If not, then we'll return to the shelter and we'll offer them shelter, we'll feed them and we'll also have heath services, mental health services."
Fowler said he is looking forward to his deployment, which is scheduled to last at least two weeks.
"That's where the reward comes in because you go help people and you hear some of the stories, and at the end of the day that you've helped someone on their journey to recovery so that's the rewarding part," he said.
If you would like to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy, but can't volunteer, you can donate through the Red Cross.
Kroger customers can round up their purchase total to the nearest whole dollar amount.
The change will be donated to the American Red Cross.
You can also go to the Red Cross website to donate.
The Red Cross will use the money to provide, food shelter and meals to victims.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
The following are mugshots of individuals arrested in May by local authorities in Northeast Tennessee.


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Freaky Cats on Film: The Supercut [VIDEO]
Nothing breaks up the tension in a scene like a snarling cat.
Nothing breaks up the tension in a scene like a snarling cat.
Halloween is coming, and we thought we'd get into the spirit of things by revisiting one of our favorite sets of spooky photos ever. These candid pics were taken of people passing through the Nightmares Fear Factory in Niagara Falls and they show the funny/scared/shocked faces we all really make when in a haunted house. Unlike the haunted houses we've been to, this one must actually be scary -- faces like this don't lie.
These aren't some cheap haunted houses with a bunch of guys in masks, these are the real deal; abandoned houses, evil monsters, psychopathic doctors, and of course, plenty of spooky ghosts.
Are you dead but still looking for the perfect mate? Let Ghost Singles help!
In the spirit of Halloween, the invisible driver is spicing things up at the drive thru with a skeleton.
Why do we celebrate Halloween by putting on bizarre outfits and asking strangers for candy? Who is Stingy Jack, and why does he haunt our dreams? We decided to take a look at a few of Halloween's most well-known customs and ask, What do they all mean?
Halloween is right around the corner, which means we'll be seeing a big uptick in pumpkin-flavored drinks, absurdly outlandish haunted-house designs and, of course, women wearing skimpy costumes.
The next time you think it would be funny to scare the living daylights out of someone, you might want to consider this: medical experts say that an intense fright can severely stun the heart, enough even to kill a perfectly healthy human being.
If your Halloween costume isn't coming along exactly the way you planned, don't feel bad -- at least you aren't any of these horrible Halloween fails.
Pumpkins have arrived! So where can you get them?
Halloween is right around the corner and if you're trying to find the best place in town to get scared, look no further.
Things are probably not going to go well for the Detroit Pistons this year and the problems started on game one. Unfortunately it was not a problem the players caused, a fog machine went off prematurely and caused a delay in the game.


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Chris takes a look at Jer-main man Beckford
Jagielka's injury opens the door for youngster
Hull City and Crystal Palace picked up vital wins in the increasingly frantic relegation battle, while Southampton and Stoke City played out an entertaining draw in the rest of the Premier League...
Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time again
Chris looks back at a famous match between the two sides who meet this Saturday.
Chris takes a lovely trip down memory lane, stops for a picnic and is chased away by a farmer in the latest Memorable Match feature
Chris takes a look back at one of the more memorable recent games between the two sides
In the second of the series, Chris takes a look back at the career of our favourite Nigerian magician.
Chris takes a trip down memory lane, and likes what he finds
Steve Harper's testimonial game took place tonight, in front of 50,000 Newcastle supporters, and two teams of legends took to the pitch in aid of charity. Milan stole the game, 2-1 on penalties,...
Now that Davies has been handed his testimonial, he is charged with forming a committee to plan the event including the match itself and the festivities surrounding it. SKD, however, is not rushing...
Ben Arfa and the other French players have been in the limelight this week, while Coloccini returns to face his old teammates Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan. Oh, and there's a match to play, too.
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Art of Edo Japan
The Artist and the City 1615 - 1868
written by Christine Guth
Yale University Press | ISBN 9780300164138
Paperback – 176 pages
Member's price: $30.56
Usually ships within 2–11 business days.
This beautifully illustrated survey examines the art and artists of the Edo period, one of the great epochs in Japanese art. Together with the imperial city of Kyoto and the port cities of Osaka and Nagasaki, the splendid capital city of Edo (now Tokyo) nurtured a magnificent tradition of painting, calligraphy, printmaking, ceramics, architecture, textile work, and lacquer. As each city created its own distinctive social, political, and economic environment, its art acquired a unique flavour and aesthetic. Author Christine Guth focuses on the urban aspects of Edo art, including discussions of many of Japan's most popular artists - Korin, Utamaro, and Hiroshige, among others - as well as those that are lesser known, and provides a fascinating look at the cities in which they worked.


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Education Department Names 4 Lenders to Service Student Loans
Washington — Ending months of speculation, the Education Department announced today that it had chosen four lenders to service its educational loans: American Education Services/Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, Great Lakes Educational Loan Services Inc., Nelnet Inc., and the Sallie Mae Corporation.
The department's announcement had been eagerly anticipated among lenders, which are awaiting details of Congress's plan to overhaul the student-loan programs. If lawmakers adopt President Obama's proposal to abolish the bank-based guaranteed-loan program, servicing contracts like those announced today could become the primary way banks and other lenders participate in student lending.
The four lenders, which will get five- to 10-year contracts worth at least $5-million each, will be responsible for servicing direct loans as well as guaranteed loans purchased by the department through the federal rescue plan.
The other two finalists were ACS Education Solutions LLC (the current direct-loan servicer) and Wells Fargo.
Each servicer will be responsible for up to 50 million student loans over the initial five-year period. A contract could be extended to 10 years if the servicer meets the department's customer-satisfaction and default-aversion standards.
The department has not said whether it will hire more servicers if the president's plan is enacted by Congress. However, a news release issued by the department says the new contracts "offer the department the capability to manage all types of Title IV student-aid obligations, including but not limited to servicing and consolidation of outstanding debt." —Kelly Field


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Rocky Mountain Flea Market
View Single Post
Mr. Zoom Zoom
Joined: Oct 2003
Location: Parker, Colorado
Oddometer: 1,581
1980 bmw r100rs
For Sale
1980 BMW R100RS Pearl white. Beautiful bike.
Just over 50,000 miles. It has a new clutch, timing chain and gears just a few thousand miles ago. (that is how it was advertised by the dealer)
Includes Krauser side cases. Paint is excellent. The only cosmetic flaws I see are a few stress cracks around the mirrors and a couple small dents in the right muffler. Tires are in great shape.
Runs great. Does leave a couple small spots of oil on the garage floor when left over night. I think it is the oil pan gasket and have a new gasket for it. Just don't have the time to install it.
The only thing I can think of that is wrong is the trip meter reset knob is gone.
Clean title
I purchased this bike a few months ago from a friend (blakebird) who purchased it from Gateway BMW in St Louis. The RS is iconic and I have always wanted to own one. However, I have the opportunity to buy another "must own someday" bike and selling this will help fund it.
Located in Parker, CO (old Colorado area code)-549-2889
I took and uploaded a bunch of pictures this morning.
All the pics are here.
Charlie Thompson
Parker, CO
Learn to ride
Mile High Harley-Davidson Riding Academy
05 R1200GS, 99 ATK490, 93 900SS, (must stop looking in Flea Market!)
Charleetho screwed with this post 05-29-2013 at
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The Notting Hill Housing Trust
Notting Hill Housing Trust houses over 70,000 people across London. It was set up in 1963 by a local clergyman who felt driven to do something about the shocking housing conditions of poor people in west London. Many of our tenants are vulnerable and isolated and need high levels of support.
The fundraising department exists for them. We raise funds from individuals, supporters, companies and trusts, and channel the funds directly to who needs it most. We:
- Offer our tenants employment and training to help them back on their feet
- Provide grant funds for our neediest and poorest tenants
- Run a mentoring scheme for marginalised young people which supports them to achieve their best.
- Run Fast Forward – a unique and practical scheme that gives ex-homeless people a secure home for 2 -5 years while we support them to achieve social and economic independence.
Notting Hill Housing also runs many programmes throughout the local community, helping local people with healthy eating, training in construction, community engagement and more. For more information call 020 8357 5333.


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The San Bernardino Valley Enterprise Zone hasn't been keen on releasing the names of the companies that receive a tax break for qualified employees.
I'm not sure why. It's not unusual for agencies to offer breaks to companies as a carrot to bring them to an area or keep them where they are or encourage them to grow. There's no reason the names of those companies receiving the tax break should remain a secret, though.
Sure, the companies aren't receiving a subsidy or direct grant or payment, but the tax break they get affects the state's overall revenue – revenue that would have to come from other taxpayers.
So that's why I've asked for the list of companies that have applied for vouchers that give them a tax break.
The agency's leadership believes that information – the name of the company and how many employees they get a tax break for – is exempt from the state's public records law.
A refresher: The zone is a public agency that aims to encourage businesses to stay or relocate to its geographic area by offering tax breaks to companies that hire locals and other qualified individuals. The agency has told me they can't release information about the companies because it is considered proprietary. I've explained that I'm not looking for financial information, just names of companies and the number of employees for which they're claiming tax breaks.
The companies stand to get a pretty decent break per employee. All the companies pay is $75 for each voucher for each qualified worker (that's been recently boosted to $125). The tax break lasts five years.
A qualified employee paid $24,960 a year would earn the employer a $37,440 tax break over those five years.
I submitted public records requests for financial documents held by each agency that has overseen the zone: San Bernardino County, the city of San Bernardino and the Inland Valley Development Agency. All I have received is copies of the canceled checks from the companies (or their consultants) to cover the employee vouchers.
Most of the checks didn't provide much information about which company was applying for the tax break, because they were written by consultants savvy in securing tax credits for companies. But there was one company, California Credits Group, and a few others that were nice enough to list the company's name in the memo field. Since each application costs the company $75, I figured out how many employees it was getting the tax credit for.
Here's what I've got so far. Also, after asking a few times the PR agency representing the zone said in an e-mail they'd help me find more info (that was last week) as well as another one of the zone's administrators.
Fiore Stone – 1 employee
C-Pak Industries Inc. – 22 employees (paid itself, not through a consultant)
Big Lots Inc. – 1 employee
PNC Stores Inc. – 1 employee (not sure what this is)
California Steel Industries Inc. – 20 employees (paid itself, not through a consultant)
Simpson Manufacturing Co Inc. – 7 employees (its headquarters appears to be Pleasanton, Calif.)
Hayden Industrial Products – 18 employees (paid itself, not through a consultant)
HoMedics – 13 employees
UPS – 2 employees
Panera LLC – 1 employee
Target Corp. – 18 employees
Komar Sleepwear Inc. – 6 employees
Kohl's Department Store – 51 employees
Molina Healthcare – 3 employees
Super 7 Food Mart Inc. – 3 employees (paid itself, not through a consultant)
One Auto Center SB – 11 employees (no idea what this could be unless its A1 Auto Center)
David M. Bertino Manufacturing – 2 employees
Moss Bros. – 11 employees
RN Enterprises Inc. – 6 employees (not sure what RN Enterprises Inc. is)
Eurostar Inc. – 3 employees (I think it's the shoe store, not the Connecticut-based auto aftermarket parts supplier)
Harbor Freight Tools – 6 employees (paid itself, not through a consultant)
San Bernardino Steakhouse – 1 employee (it was written exactly like that in the memo line of the check — I can't find a restaurant called that specifically so I'm guessing it might be a generic steakhouse restaurant)
S.A. Recycling – 7 employees (scrap metal recycler based in Orange County but with Inland locations)
The Jara Mexican Food – 7 employees (Mexican restaurant with three locations)
Pacific Coast Steel – 1 employee
Global Sweeping Solutions – 20 employees (street sweeper manufacturer)
Radio Shack Corp. – 5 employees
US Healthworks – 1 employee (I couldn't find an Inland location for this company online)
First Group Investment Partners – 3 employees
Sam D. Dason DDS – 4 employees
Cott Beverages – 7 employees
Vans Inc. & Subsidiaries – 1 employee
Haley Bros. – 3 employees
Luxottica – 2 employees
JRD Holdings – 1 employee


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The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors seems to be leaning toward no bounties on coyotes.
Coy Harville, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said he's been hearing from his constituents in the Westover District that they don't want bounties on the animals.
"Bounties don't work," Chad Fox, district supervisor for the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, said in a recent interview. "There's nothing on a coyote to indicate it is a Virginia coyote, let alone a Pittsylvania County coyote."
Fox said that there's no way to tell if a coyote came from the county or from Texas or from someone raising coyotes.
"It's wide open for fraud and does little more than drain the county's finances," he said.
Biologically bounties do not decrease the coyote population, Fox explained.
When alpha males are killed, there is competition from other, younger males to take the alpha's place, resulting in more breeding and larger litters, he said.
"Bounties actually help increase the population of coyotes," Fox said.
No decision was made on the issue Tuesday night, but the board suggested that information Callands-Gretna Supervisor Kate Berger had obtained on coyotes be placed in public libraries around the county so residents could learn about ways to keep the animals off of their property.
Some of those suggestions include not leaving pet food dishes, trash or food sources on porches or in the yard; penning up livestock, especially at night; and placing "guard" dogs, llamas and donkeys in fenced-in areas.
Fox said that if a rancher or homeowner is having a particular problem with coyotes that the Department of Wildlife Services will come out to the farm, home or ranch to evaluate the problem and suggest specific solutions.
Contact the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - USDA Wildlife Services Virginia Cooperative Coyote Damage Control Program at (540) 381-7387 to obtain information and assistance on preventing and alleviating coyote damage to livestock or other agricultural products.
In other business, county residents are invited to attend an anniversary celebration Saturday in Hurt. The town, population 1,276, is celebrating its 40th anniversary as an incorporated political subdivision of the commonwealth.
Supervisors passed a resolution recognizing the event and congratulating residents on the anniversary. The town will begin the celebration at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Contact Rebecca Blanton at firstname.lastname@example.com or (434) 791-7984.


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Thursday, February 24, 2011, 7:00 pm
Salle Pierre-Mercure — Centre Pierre-Péladeau
300, boulevard de Maisonneuve Est [métro Berri-UQAM], Montréal, Québec
Tickets: 514-987-6919
Photo: Allen McInnis.
This event is also featured as part of:
Grand and eclectic - this concert conducted by Walter Boudreau as part of the Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques festival will take us from the totalitarian world of Louis Andriessen's De Staat ("The Republic") - for women's choir and large ensemble - to the playful world of Nicole Lizée's This Will Not Be Televised - for seven musicians and DJ. With up to 40 musicians on stage, including the vocal ensemble Viva Voce and New York's DJ P-Love, this promises to be a raucous evening!
Javier Torres Maldonado, Figuralmusik II (1996)
flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piano, percussion, violin, viola, cello and double bass
mixed choir
Nicole Lizée, This Will Not Be Televised (2005-07)
seven musicians, and turntablist
Commission: CBC
Louis Andriessen, De Staat (1973-76)
four female voices, four oboes, four horns, four trumpets, four trombones, two electric guitars, bass guitar, two harps, two pianos, and four violas
The SMCQ has been moving in step with the lively rhythms of new music for almost fifty years. With its regular concert season, its Série hommage (Homage Series), an international festival, and a young listener's programme, the society has served both as a platform for today's composers and as a window on creative works for everyone.
even_detail@mnm2011_27415 generated in Montréal by litk 0.600 on
Monday, June 30, 2014. Development & maintenance: DIM.


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Wait till they put this in glasses, and combine it with cheap, wearable computing devices… Imagine walking down the street and getting real-time contextual info about the people, buildings, landmarks, shops, etc. you see. Fantastic.
8 May, 2008
Augmented Reality. Yes.
posted by Pablo Defendini at 2:23 pm permalink
23 March, 2008
Pop-up Type
posted by Pablo Defendini at 1:34 pm permalink
Saw this on Irene Gallo's blog. Paper fetishists, rejoice, and dig the pop-up goodness:No comments yet
Filed under: animation / motion graphics,book arts,books,publishing,type
20 March, 2008
Type in motion, set to speech
posted by Pablo Defendini at 11:12 pm permalink
Found on digg.com: Alwayswatchng.org has put together a great collection of kinematic typography set to sound clips of great monologues from TV and film.
Great Scenes from TV and Film, Told Using Only Typography (and Sound)No comments yet
Filed under: animation / motion graphics,design,type,word geekery


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Advantages of Digital Mammography
Digital mammograms are faster than film mammograms, because there is no film to develop. The image can be sent immediately to the radiologist for viewing. If the image is unclear, you will be told about it right away, and the image can be retaken. This may help reduce mammogram callbacks, and stress on patients. The National Cancer Institute did a study comparing film and digital mammography, and concluded that digital mammography is more accurate than film at finding cancer in women less than 50 years old, and women who have dense (not fatty) breast tissue. Digital mammography uses less radiation than traditional film mammography, reducing your lifetime exposure to x-rays.
Doing More with Digital Mammogram Images
Once your mammogram images are in the computer, your radiologist can view them on a monitor, much as you would look at digital photos. On the computer, your radiologist can closely examine the images by zooming in, adjusting the image brightness, or changing the contrast, making all areas of the breast easier to see. If your doctor wants to consult a breast specialist about your mammograms, the digital image files can be electronically sent to other sites for examination (telemammography). Computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) can be used on the digital images to help your doctor analyze the overall images, and flag areas that need closer study. CAD can find tumors that a radiologist might not spot. Once a CAD analysis has been done, a radiologist will do a visual check of those areas, and based on training and experience, decide how serious the mass may actually be.
Stereo Digital Mammography Makes Three-Dimensional Images
On the research horizon, stereo digital mammograms are being done in clinical trials for women who were called back after an abnormal routine mammogram. A stereo digital mammogram combines two digital breast x-rays taken from different angles, and produces a detailed three-dimensional image of your breast's internal structure. Such stereo images must be viewed on a special workstation by a specially trained radiologist. The study was led by Dr. David J. Getty of BBN Technologies of Cambridge, Mass, and presented at Radiological Society of North America in November 2007. "In our study, stereo digital mammography reduced false positives by 49 percent," said Dr. Getty. "This could have a significant impact by cutting in half the number of women who are needlessly recalled for additional diagnostic work-ups, resulting in a large savings in cost and patient anxiety."
The Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial
The American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) teamed up with the National Cancer Institute in 2001 to conduct a study that compared film and digital mammography. The study was called the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST). This study recruited 49,500 participants, all of whom received film and digital mammograms and follow-up studies. So how do these technologies compare?
- Film and digital mammograms have similar screening accuracy for the general population
- Rates of false positives (incorrect diagnosis of cancer) were the same for both methods
- Both technologies are 92% accurate at ruling out breast cancer
- Younger than 50 years old, regardless of breast density
- Any age, with very dense, or extremely dense breast tissue (very little fatty tissue)
- Pre- or perimenopausal women, regardless of age
Film mammography is widely available, and is covered by most health insurance providers. Digital mammography is already available in many major cities and nearby locations, but may not be found everywhere just yet. Digital mammography systems cost about 1.5 to 4 times more than film systems. Several different companies make digital mammography systems that have been given FDA approval.
Take-home Message About Digital Mammograms
Traditional film mammography has been done for 35 years, with a high degree of success. You should have your annual mammogram on schedule, whether or not you have access to the digital technology. Skipping a mammogram throws off the yearly comparison with your previous results. If you've had your regular mammogram on film, you don't need to get a digital image done as well –- if digital mammography is available to you in the following year, it will be compared with your film study. If you are under 50 years old, premenopausal, or have dense breast tissue, you will benefit from digital mammography, and should take advantage of it, if it's available to you.
National Cancer Institute. Digital vs. Film Mammography in the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST): Questions and Answers. Posted: 09/16/2005.
RSNA 2007. Improved Accuracy of Lesion Detection in Breast Cancer Screening with Stereoscopic Digital Mammography. Presented by David Getty, Ph.D.
American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer: Early Detection - Importance of Finding Breast Cancer Early. Full-field Digital Mammograms (FFDM). Revised: 09/17/2007.
National Cancer Institute. Digital vs. Film Mammography in the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST): Questions and Answers. Posted: 09/16/2005.
RSNA 2007. Improved Accuracy of Lesion Detection in Breast Cancer Screening with Stereoscopic Digital Mammography. Presented by David Getty, Ph.D.


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The Original lube which is included is on the thinner side, which is preferable when choosing lubricants. It glides on and stays where you put it. The sample has just enough included for one use, whether going solo or with a partner. It works perfectly for any occasion and is great for those with sensitive skin or certain needs when it comes to products. It's silky, unscented and just right.
The Original lube is not one that is meant for tasting, and neither is the lubricant on the condom. I didn't try either, but I wouldn't recommend these for oral sex since that isn't the intended purpose.
Both of the items included are one use only, but the latex condom included is pretty hefty. I've used a kit 4 different times, and none of those times did the condom break or tear. It's one-size-fits-all, as most latex condoms are, and should fit just about any size and girth. It rolls on easily due to the lubrication, and if it isn't going on easily, the Wet lube should help. I always apply some of the lubricant to my man before putting on the condom, just to make it more comfortable for him and easier to put on. Then you can use the rest of the lube after putting it on!
The lube and condom are each packaged individually, but are both fitted inside the cardboard envelope, which is pretty small and discreet. I usually keep one tucked in the side pocket of my purse.
I love this set, and will probably continue to use one many times in the future. I definitely recommend it for beginners who haven't used many different lubes before, or who are considering condoms as a birth control method (but not the ONLY method!). I would also recommend it for everyone else, too. Even if you just have one in the back of your dresser drawer for those times when you run out of Trojans, it's perfect for any time.


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Atty Dad, Atty Daughter Fight for Viacom
Posted Jul 30, 2007 3:28 PM CDT
By Martha Neil
Corrected: Recently, 84-year-old Sumner Redstone has won or settled lawsuits with several relatives concerning the $50 billion Viacom Inc. media empire he was instrumental in creating. But now he may well be facing his toughest opponent yet--his 53-year-old daughter, Shari Redstone.
Until lately her father's heir-apparent and a 20 percent shareholder in the $8 billion enterprise that gives Sumner Redstone control of Viacom, Shari Redstone, like him (and like her brother) is an attorney. She is also renowned for the business acumen she has demonstrated in more than a dozen years working for Viacom and related entities. That may, in fact, be part of the problem, notes the Los Angeles Times in a lengthy feature story today about the ongoing father-daughter battle: "People who know him say he can be a tyrant and has a reputation for ousting top managers who threaten his power," the article states.
Now, with a Wednesday meeting of Viacom's board in New York City fast-approaching, father and daughter reportedly aren't on speaking terms, and Shari Redstone is considering following in her brothers' footsteps and resorting to the courts. But until now she has been notably close to her dad, the Times writes, and the current feud jeopardizes something she has always craved perhaps more than control of the company: "the affection of her father."
(Originally posted at 1:28 p.m. on Monday.)
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The state and attorneys representing two victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre are seeking a hearing before the state Supreme Court.
They'll appear Tuesday before a three-judge panel to make the case that the full court take their appeal.
The hearing stems from a successful suit against the state brought by two families who say their daughters could have survived if the university alerted the campus earlier of the killings on the Blacksburg campus by a student gunman.
Both sides are appealing various aspects of the case.
In June 2012, a judge upheld a jury's negligence finding against the state, but the damages were sharply reduced. Tech was not named in the lawsuit.
Thirty-three people died during shooting rampage, including the gunman, who killed himself.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: Is Sir John A. MacDonald Day (Jan. 11)relevant?
No sentimentalism
I'd be willing to bet most Canadians have no idea that January 11 is Sir John A. MacDonald Day.
I'm also willing to go out on a limb and guess that, even if they did, it would be irrelevant to most. In fact, I did a bit of a survey of people around the office and on Facebook and that's exactly what I found. That's hardly scientific, I know, but hardly surprising. A 2009 Historica-Dominion Institute survey found that 42 per cent of Canadians could not identify MacDonald as Canada's first prime minister.
The act of Parliament that created the day was the brainchild of Conservative senator John Lynch-Staunton. The bill also designated November 20 Sir Wilfred Laurier Day. It was ushered through the House of Commons by then-Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and received Royal assent in March 2002.
While I find it unfortunate that so many Canadians are so unaware of our own history, I am also not a fan of sentimentalizing history.
There is no question that MacDonald was one of the most significant figures in the building of the nation, but whitewashing his character flaws and celebrating him as an American-style "founding father" of Canada smacks of historical revisionism.
And, let us not forget, he was wildly unpopular in the west.
Despite Louis Riel's exile to the United States—which MacDonald perpetuated with bribery—Manitoba elected the Métis leader to the House of Commons three times. Not to whitewash Riel's foible's either, but his martyrdom was MacDonald's doing by personally ensuring Riel was hanged.
He also gave us the Pacific Scandal, accepting large kickbacks from the Canadian Pacific Railway that he used to buy the 1872 election. The following year he was forced to resign as prime minister because of the scandal and, in 1874, in the first Canadian election conducted by secret ballot, lost miserably to Alexander Mackenzie.
He made his comeback in 1878 with the Conservative National Policy of high trade tariffs, which was also extremely unpopular in the west where voters favoured free trade with the U.S.
Historical hindsight tells us the profoundly corrupt arrangement between the CPR and the Conservative Party continued right up to the time of MacDonald's death in 1891 and beyond, finally coming to an end under Sir Robert Borden during World War I.
The country during MacDonald's second stint as prime minister (1878-1891) was characterized by economic protectionism, completion of the railway and western land settlement, all perhaps critical to the development of the nascent country.
These days, Pierre Trudeau is still frequently blamed for western alienation, but truly John A. MacDonald was the father of western alienation.
It has been argued that MacDonald's corruption, political style and policies were necessary in the late 19th century for nation-building. That may be true and, if having a day in his honour promotes a greater appreciation of Canadian history, I'm all for it. Let's just make sure it's not the rose-coloured glasses version of history.
— Thom Barker
With pride
With barely a notice, which I suppose is simply evidence of being Canadian, a movement seems afoot to have Sir. John A. MacDonald Day (enacted by Parliament in 2002) be more widely recognized.
If there is one thing this country, and its people, have always been lax to do, it is celebrate our own successes.
It is almost synonymous with being from Canada that we deflect attention away from anything which shows a pride in being Canadian.
Look through the holidays on the calender, the ones that really matter because we get a statutory day off to celebrate them, and with the exception of Canada Day, none are specifically Canadian.
So simply celebrating a day marking the accomplishments of a well-known Canadian is a positive in my book. It would be a day where we could, as a Canadian collective, thrust out our chests with some added pride.
Yes, the argument can be made that MacDonald was far from our best Prime Minister, although I won't start a political debate about who might be better here.
What MacDonald was, was our first PM, and in terms of history, that accounts for something, much as Americans mark Washington's birthday.
MacDonald also held a vision for Canada, one of a country stretching coast-to-coast, and he undertook to make that vision a reality. He was instrumental in building the railroad which was the link to bind a developing nation together.
Are there other Canadians we should mark with a day? Likely, and if polled we'd all have a different vision of who those would be.
But Sir John A. is a worthy place to start a little more Canadian pride, so Jan. 11 ( he was born on that date in 1815), is a fine day to remember a man whose vision was a foundation for the Canada we have today.
— Calvin Daniels
Sir John A. Macdonald Day is celebrated on January 11 in Canada to celebrate the first Canadian Prime Minister, the honourable and respected Sir John A. Macdonald.
But why should you, as a Canadian citizen, celebrate it?
Well, for one, Sir John A. was one of the key people responsible for Canada becoming its own country in 1867. Before 1867 we were simply an extension of the United Kingdom. But thanks to Sir John A. Macdonald and his 'merry men' Canada had finally moved out of its parents' basement to become a respected, albeit young, member of the world.
January 11 is also Sir John A.'s birthday. You should consider Macdonald as a part of your family for what he has done for our great nation. Celebrate his birthday in whichever way you want.
Keep in mind, however, that Sir John A. was Scottish by birth. So you may want to celebrate Sir John A. Macdonald Day in a way that would make him proud.
Combine Canadian and Scottish lifestyles. Go curling, play some hockey, wear a kilt and eat a supper containing both poutine and haggis. If you don't know what haggis is, consider yourself lucky.
Sir John A. Macdonald, for what you did for Canada I thank you.
— Randy Brenzen


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Pepperminta (Ewelina Guzik) (2010) Red Band Trailer
The red band trailer for Pepperminta which will play at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
Pepperminta (Ewelina Guzik) is an anarchist of the imagination. She lives in a futuristic rainbow villa and according to her own rules. Colors are the young womans best friends and strawberries are her pets. She knows the most amazing remedies to free people of their fears. Peppermintas wish is for everyone to see the world in her favorite colors. Werwen (Sven Pippig), a young plump and shy man yet whose sex appeal Pepperminta finds highly attractive, and the beautiful Edna (Sabine Timoteo), who talks to tulips, join her on her passionate mission.
These three musketeers of a different kind set out to fight for a more humane world. Wherever the gang appears, everything is turned upside down and peoples lives are transformed in the most miraculous and wondrous of ways.
Film Info
- Posted: December 13, 2009
- Director: Pipilotti Rist
- Writer: Pipilotti Rist
- Studio: Unknown
- Release: January 26, 2010
- Cast: Ewelina Guzik, Sven Pippig, Sabine Timoteo
Trailer Tracks
No music available


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Gaylan's West Point Whistler UD RAE JH WC FMX CGC HIT
Utility Dog, Rally Advanced, Junior Hunter, Working Certificate, Flyball Master Excellent, Canine Good Citizen, High in Trial Winner
Loved by Sharon Albright
Dauber finished his flyball championship a mere four months after he was eligible to "play" (dogs must be 12 months old before they can compete in flyball). He finished his Flyball Master in April 2001. In 2004, he earned four titles--a CD, CDX, JH and WC. In 2005, he dabbled in the Open B ring as he prepared for Utility. His first time in Open B, he came home with a 198 and HIGH IN TRIAL! In early 2006, he finished up his UD with a class win and recently finished his RAE title the day before his 11th birthday.
Dauber at the start line


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Best Driving Vacations
Pack up the family and head out on an exciting driving vacation! Some of the most scenic places are best explored by car, where you have the freedom to visit the most interesting sites on your own watch. Skip the expensive hotel, and consider booking vacation rentals, where you'll have all the comforts of home.
With so many scenic byways, National Parks, historic sites and other attractions across the U.S., deciding on a region to explore is no easy task. Check out these spectacular driving routes to help kickstart planning for your next vacation. So, let's get to it...the best driving vacations:
Oregon has one of the most beautiful coastlines along the Pacific Ocean. With soaring rocky bluffs, miles of sandy beaches, dense forests and a rolling Coastal Range, there is no shortage of things to do and see along the way. Leave from Astoria and head south on Highway 101, which follows the coast through a number of quaint coastal towns and beach resorts.
Stop in Pacific City for a night and don't miss the Pelican Brew Pub and Restaurant, located right on the beach. Near Florence check out the Sea Lion Caves and, driving south, be sure to spend some time in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, stretching from Florence to just north of Coos Bay.
The entire coast is 373 miles long, but this driving vacation can easily be split into sections if you're short on time.
Montana is one of the best places to plan driving vacations, with plenty of outdoor activities for the whole family. Starting in Missoula, spend a day in the Bitterroot Valley, just south of town. Take a hike up any one of the many trail networks in the Bitterroot Mountains or try your hand at fly fishing on the Bitterroot River.
From Missoula, drive north to Polson and stay for a night on Flathead Lake. Drive along the western shore of the lake toward Whitefish, and spend a couple of days exploring the Big Mountain resort, Whitefish Lake and the Hungry Horse area.
Drive the Going-to-the-Sun road into spectacular Glacier National Park and be sure to stop for a hike on Logan Pass, where you'll see mountain goats, sheep and other wildlife right from the trail. Spend the night in East Glacier then drive south down the Rocky Mountain front range. Make a stop in Montana's capitol city of Helena on your way back to Missoula.
Head to the land of red rocks for amazing family driving vacations! Utah has some of the most diverse scenery in the country, ranging from desert to high mountain alpine. Spend a day or two in Zion National Park then drive northeast toward Bryce Canyon National Park, checking out the rock formations known as goblins along the way.
Continue east and north toward Escalante, a good place to spend the night. Heading north toward Boulder you'll leave canyon country and enter the aspen forests and high mountain landscapes. If camping is an option for a night, this is a great place to stay and stargaze.
Make your way to Moab via Capitol Reef and Canyonland National Parks for an unforgettable driving vacation, seeing some of Utah's best natural attractions!
For a mid-winter escape, head to the Florida Keys to see some of the state's most stunning scenery. Starting from Key Largo, the Florida Keys Scenic Highway connects the Keys with the mainland U.S., crossing ocean waters and ending at the southernmost point in the country in Key West.
Driving vacations are affordable and fun for the entire family. The sky is the limit when it comes to route finding. Be creative, and enjoy the trip!
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Wednesday, 27 May 2009
China Miéville, The City and the City (2009)
I read this novel.
It's worth reiterating what a superb writer CM is. I wonder if there's a danger, when any creative artist reaches a certain threshold of celebrity, that commentators no longer feel obliged to note how great they are. It's assumed, unspokenly, but in a passive-aggressive let-me-list-only-the-faults-in-the-new-Bob-Dylan-album sort of way that overlooks why the new Dylan is required listening in the first place. Miéville may be entering the stage in his career where a tendency to niggle blots out the core fact that he is, and remains, a major contemporary novelist.
More, The City and the City is, I would say, the best written of all Miéville's novels: his prose has never been so deftly, evocatively or expertly handled. His dialogue—within the parameters of the crime idiom in which he is working—is better than it's ever been. It is all powerfully atmospheric; tightly constructed; very readable.
The novel's central conceit (apologies for the spoiler: although it's something made apparent in the book from very early on) is the superposition of two cities in the same location; run-down Besźel and on-the-up Ul Qoma, both occupying the same bay in an vaguely Eastern Mediterranean location. There are places, 'crosshatchings' where it is possible to pass from one city to the other; but the only legal access is through 'copula hall' and the suitably Byzantine bureaucracy that governs it. To pass at any other place—or even, technically, to notice the other city—is to perpetrate a terribly serious infraction, punishable by a shadowy group of secret enforcers known as 'Breach'. There's also a tertium quid in the topographic mix: a third interurb known as 'Orciny', in which some people believe and some do not, and which may or may not actually exist (there's never any doubt that Besźel and Ul Qoma exist). Orciny. The 'or' in that name gets to the heart of it; the novel's studied imaginative elaboration of the excluded middle, its fucking around with the either/or logic of Western thought—or as one character puts it, 'the pissing little neither/nor' [284]— (hence the book's edging-out-of-the-West, borderline-near-eastern setting: it wouldn't work if set in Bristol/Weston Super Mare). 'We're all philosophers here,' Tyador Borlú, the policeman-protagonist, claims at the end.
Borlú also carries that 'or' in his name. But if his first syllable suggests he's tied (his base, and ours, is Besźel) his second and third syllables hint at the possibility of a portal for him. There's a wealth of punning in the book, much of it ingenious. But it's not mere garnish: Miéville layers his core conceit all the way through. He dwells on liminal states, grey areas, halfway houses (the Besźel police can put someone under 'half arrest' for instance), and overlapping categories—academia is a rich seam for this: 'archaeology … folklore, anthropology, Comp Lit' [87] are all zealously guarded distinct entities, despite clearly all being pretty much the same thing. Archaeology, indeed, is an important part of the whole ('digs are constant in Ul Qoma', 61), presumably because archaeology is all about the simultaneous topographic existence of cities ... of—as it might be—Constantinople and Istanbul. Because, you see, if you've a date in Constantinople she'll be waiting in Istanbul.
The novel is a Fantasy, and a compellingly realized piece of worldbuilding. A core trope which could in less skilled hands have been fey or risible is rendered concrete and compelling. Sights, smells, sounds.
It works brilliantly.
It doesn't really work.
The novel is a crime story, and the lineaments of murder, clues, suspects, chases, gunfights and revelation are all dutifully copied across from other sources; but it reads flatly, overly-familiar, especially compared with the ormolu precision and evocativeness of the fantasy. A young woman is found murdered, and the novel-as-narrative is the story of Borlú's investigation into this crime. But it's not this investigation that propels us through the book. It is not that the crime story is poorly handled per se; but rather that it sets up an interference pattern with the fantasy that defuses the effectiveness of either. I argued this in another place and want neither to repeat myself nor not to repeat myself; but I finished the book thinking that the epistemology of Miéville's crime narrative doesn't parse the ontology of his worldbuilding in other than superficial ways.
Superposition threatens to overwhelm the narrative. Miéville is no stranger to neologism, of course; and some of it works here. But some of it is pretty strained (khat is called 'feld' in Besźel because feld is the Besź word for the English cat. Um…) and some of it flat awkward. To describe buildings that exist in both cities, 'topographic' and 'doppelganger' get portmanteaued into 'topolganger': a word I couldn't read without thinking of a large group of people simultaneously having sex with the celebrated Israeli star of Fiddler on the Roof.
More jarringly, structurally speaking, this self-conscious fiction is artfully draped in real-world reference (Pahlaniuk's written a novel about Besźel; Van Morrison's toured there) as if to intimate that fiction and real life coexist in the same way that Besźel and Ul Qoma do. But this isn't right: in the case of Besźel and Ul Qoma one doesn't have precedence over the other. Life, however, trumps fiction; only delusionals and schizophrenics think otherwise. The danger the trope of superposition continually risks is of falling between the two worlds, in to the nullity of Orciny, rather than of properly representing the proper both-wave-and-particle thang. And in the final analysis (sorry: more spoilers) Borlú's cannot rest in either Besźel or Ul Qoma, but must vanish into the nebulous and ultimately not-as-believably-rendered realm of the organization known as Breach. Which has seemingly magical powers of surveillance, apprehension and punishment. Although these are revealed as being actually just exactly the same powers that the other police have.
That The City and the City is the best written of all Miéville's novels becomes, almost, a problem, although it sounds like an odd thing to assert. But Miéville's reputation is based upon books that achieved their greatness not despite but because of a gnarliness of articulation, a sculpted rawness that did sometimes veer into the purple, or clumsy, or clotted writing, but not in a bad way. Here things are a little too clipped, too polished, to achieve the imaginative overhang—the gorgeous, ungainly excess—that is the glory of Miéville's earlier major achievements. More, Miéville's Chandleresque tone can't manage the leavening wit that makes the best noir more than just a pose in black-and-white and fedoras. There are moments of attempted humour here--or there are lines that have the form but not the content of wit: a woman has 'skunk-stripe hair like a film-studies academic' [58] and a security guard 'a mid-period David Beckham mohican' [154]. But their effect is to pinpoint a kind of hollowness at the heart of the rendering.
I don't need to tell you how good a writer CM is.
I didn't read this novel.
Posted by The Spirit of Creative Writing at 10:36 5 comments:
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
True Blood (2008)
My review of the first series of HBO's True Blood is up now, over on Strange Horizons. I throw the vamps on the pyre. I sock it to Sookie. Stack is inda house.
Even I'm not sure what I mean by that last one. Hmm, hoom, hoooom.
Posted by The Spirit of Creative Writing at 09:31 1 comment:
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Star Trek (2009)
I come to this a little belatedly, I know; and what I have to say riffs in part off reviews I've read (the estimable Abigail Nussbaum has a selection of interesting links). And—OK, the film is kind-of fun. The time passed. It's kinetic, apparently fashioned according to the current blockbuster logic: 'imagine a 13 year old boy at your shoulder at all times; if, for any reason, that boy goes "boooring" at any character, sequence or shot--cut it out!' Certainly the special effects are visually very nice. It is full of lovely little details. But actually, it's more than full of details: it is nothing but details. Its contempt for the larger architectonic requirements of filmmaking and storytelling amounts to a slap in the fangirl/fanboy face.
There are two parts to my dislike of this movie, and I'll start at the level of most obvious: [item] that the plot holes are more than holes. Red matter has been injected into the script, leaving vast distorting black holes of unlogic, anticontinuity, nonsense and bollocks everywhere.
Here's the plot: the Romulan villain, Nero, in charge of a vast spaceship shaped like Don King's hair, is dragged through a black hole back in time. (Elderly Spock is also dragged through, although, for reasons unexplained, he arrives back in time 25 years later). Nero pops out and chances upon a fully armed Federation battleship. Now: the Romulan craft is a commercial ship, for the extraction and portage of raw materials -- hence its enormous size. This is as if to say the Exxon Valdez slipped back in time and chanced upon the HMS Ark Royal. Who do you think might win if two such vessels fell to fighting?
Anyway Nero blames Spock for the destruction of his whole world, and has his mind set on vengeance (which is to say: on 'VENgeance!'), so he immediately wastes the Federation ship, and Kirk's father, and then completely vanishes for 25 years. Whither goeth he? Not to pursue his VENgeance!, certainly, or we'd hear about it. Somehow he manages to hide a vast, futuristic Edward Scissorhands Hairstyle In Space from all comers. Then he returns 25 years later because he knows (how?) that the spacetime anomaly is about to open again. (Presumably it hasn't been open the whole time, like a barn door, or surely somebody would have gotten around to investigating it) Through pops Spock with the Red Goo that destroys worlds. Good! Now Nero can destroy Spock's world, and make him watch as he does so, just to learn him. Does Nero make Spock watch from the bridge of the Romulan spacecraft? No: he deposits him, unguarded, on a planet adjacent to Vulcan.* Judging by how big Vulcan is in the sky of this ice world it must be about as far away as Earth is from our own moon—although it is entirely uninhabited by Vulcans, and is regarded as a fantastically remote and faraway place on which to dump unwanted Star Fleet officers by the Federation.
*[I like to imagine the following exchange, after the event -- NERO: how did you feel as you watched your world being destroyed? buahaha! ELDER SPOCK: the who did the what now? NERO: wait ... didn't you see the destruction? E.S.: I've been inside my cave. All I've seen is the, eh, inside of my cave. To be honest, this isn't a place where you want to be wandering around outside too much, especially not with your attention fixed upwards --there's enormous ravening red beasts under the snow, you know, will eat you quick as mustard. NERO: You were supposed to be watching! My revenge depends upon you actually watching! E.S: Well excu-use me. Would it have killed you to say something beforehand?]
The next stage in Nero's plan is to dangle a big laser-platform at the end of a very long chain into the atmosphere of Vulcan, in order to dig a hole right down to the core and deposit therein a small phial of the Magic Red Goo. Stop for a moment: it's worth dwelling on this, because this Terror Weapon, Shatterer of Worlds is the main menace around which the plot of the film orients itself. It's dangled on a long chain. Why? Well, in order to provide the filmmaker with a Very High-up Platform on which to stage swordfights and fistfights, adding the spice that our hero might fall off the edge to his certain death to the conventional thrills of punching and slicing. Similarly, Nero vanishes mysteriously for twenty-five years only to allow Kirk enough time to grow up. No other reason. Nice of him, really.
But wait: let's think about this chain, from which the laser platform depends. Is it superstrong? By no means: at the end of the movie Spock, flying a spaceship no bigger than a shuttle, cuts it neatly with a quick phaser blast. Now: Captain Pike, in charge of Starfleet's hideously beweaponed flagship, comes upon this Weapon of Terror in mid-blast. What does he do? (Never mind that the Vulcans haven't destroyed it with their own planetary defences. The Vulcan science council can manufacture Planet Blasting Red Goo, but have nothing in their cupboard that could chop through an anchor chain).
Now admittedly, Pike stumbles into the middle of a battle, because Star Fleet doesn't have long range sensors; and their ability to broadcast communications breaks down entirely if somebody fires a Big Laser; and their ships lack the sorts of warning systems that would prevent them from coming out of warp into the middle of a debris field (something that must result in a lot of collateral damage to the fleet, you'd think). So Pike's caught on the hop. But nevertheless—could he not direct one single phaser blast to cut that cable? One photon torpedo? Could he not send out a shuttle to shoot it? Could he not—if these other options were denied him—direct a shuttle on autopilot to fly into and smash into the cable? No, his plan is better: send three members of his crew skydiving down on the platform to wrestle mano-a-mano with the Romulans guarding it.
Fuck. Off.
There's a much bigger, much more damaging problem here, though. Plot holes are one thing; but this is something far more serious. It is that this movie cannot, no matter how much it strains and heaves, think systematically. The individual is the entire horizon of its universe. Now, when you're 15 (say), and particularly when you're 15 and male, your own hormone-saturated individuality—its ego, its randiness, its stroppiness—can look like a whole universe unto itself. But it's not. Society (community) is the necessary context of individuality.
What was so great about Trek—and particularly TNG and DS9 (less so Voyager and Enterprise)—is that it got this. What's cool about TNG is not Picard, or Riker, or Worf: it's the representation, on primetime TV, of a whole and properly functioning organization. Properly functioning in the sense that: it works, it is efficient and adaptive and coherent without being too rigidly heirarchical or oppressive. It wasn't just a number of individuals going through the motions of relating to one another, but a network in which individuals had their place. It's a model rather than an actual society (of course it is: the representational logics of the medium dictate that). But it is a model with surprising quantities of nuance and believability.
This is why Deadwood (which is more than just swearin' Al Swearengen: it's the representation of a whole believably interconnected and functioning town) and The Wire (a whole, and rather larger, town) are so sublime, and why those two titles are better than the third member of the Holy Trinity of Great Contemporary Telly, The Sopranos: which did become, increasingly, too much 'Tony Soprano (plus support)', especially in its later series.
Now, the representation of TNG's Enterprise was coloured Utopian, of course: and of course it can't duck the accusation of nerdiness (as Nick Mamatas wittily if lunkishly points out in his review). Nerdiness, clearly, is The Worst Thing In The World. If there's one thing we learned from George W. Bush's presidency, it's that it's much better to have the allegedly reformed, onetime drunk hellrake with no knowledge of the details but a strong gut-sense that he can make the right decision in charge, than the policy-wonk guy with the high IQ and the good grasp of the inherent complexity of national and international relations. Jesus. Imagine if we had one of those in the White House.
Nevertheless, the representation of TNG's Enterprise was a believable and rounded piece of collective realization. The latest Trek? Not so much. Not, indeed, at all.
Trek09 is a text so absolutely incapable of representing a collective—a functioning group, a society—that it strays into rank idiocy. It is teenage wish-fulfilment bang-zap-frot fantasy all the way through. But (and this, I'd say, is what people celebrating the Star Warsification of the Trek franchise in this film, are missing) precisely what made Trek so notable in the first place was its creation a communitarian world. Not an ensemble cast all vying for screen time; a knit-together group of people. The Star Wars universe is an open-ended, malleable space for individual adventure. The Trek universe is about having a place. It is, really, about belonging.
So Trek09 grandly misses the point. My problem was not that Kirk, in this film, is a tool at the start and a tool at the end. He is, but that's not the problem. The problem is that Star Fleet is so toolish: so completely, dysfunctionally unbelievable as an organisation. Kirk is a cadet and an arsehole, who is under suspension. Nevertheless, Pike promotes him to First Officer on the strength of (a) I admired your father and (b) I liked the way you burst into the bridge and yelled at me that we needed to raise shields and ready phasers. When Spock takes charge and Kirk argues with him Spock ejects him from the ship (because the Enterprise lacks a brig? Because the brig isn't fitted out with a huge scarlet hairless icebeast? Who knows). When Kirk gets back on board, he goads Spock into attacking him and then seizes the captain's chair. This is presented as a necessary and saving action, but it all speaks to an organization in its death throes. Hiring Some Guy You Met Along the Way as chief engineer (in effect: 'you're real smart about engines and shit … you do the job') is part and parcel of this dysfunction. The Enterprise, as a group of individuals functioning together to crew a space ship, is—in this film, and for the first time in the Trek franchise—Not Fit For Purpose. It's a wholly unprofessional bunch of people squabbling and vying. It's dysfunctional. And I've now used 'dysfunctional' three times in this one paragraph. Which is stylistically clumsy, but at least stresses the main feature of Star Fleet, as an organisation, as presented in this film. Dysfunctional.
The opening sequence—the best portion—doesn't suffer from this. The evacuation of the USS Kelvin looks like a coordinated, effective group performing a difficult task. People follow orders even though they're not happy about it, because the orders are in the best interests of everybody. This isn't the world of Star Fleet 25 years later, which is all contempt and testosterone, staff yelling and throwing punches at one another; senior officers have sex with their subordinates; those in charge making random seat-of-pant decisions about staffing, strategy and everything else, or else abandoning their posts to rush off and rescue their mum and dad. Rather than, you know, doing their duty. All very much unGood.
The larger function of this myopia is a complete inability to even begin to deal defensibly with the representation of genocide. The mass-murder of all the universe's Romulans and almost all the cosmos's Vulcans is not just here offensively stupid plot-pointing. Although it is that. It is something that the film cannot comprehend on any level except the personal. What is the murder of an entire people? What it really boils down to is, like, Spock losing his mother. It is really, the film is saying, just an individual tragedy. That's so enormously and profoundly mendacious it's breathtaking. It is summed up, for me, in Old Spock's volte face about meeting Young Spock. First of all he refuses to do so, even though it would be a very useful and helpful thing to do, and even though the fate of entire planets hang in the balance, for reasons to do with the sanctity of the time lines, and the potential for disaster. Later he happily chats with his younger self, and reveals that the actual reason he didn't pop up earlier is that he didn't want to get in the way of Young Spock's bonding with Kirk. Vital that their friendship be cemented, you see.
Imagine a cosmos in which genocide really mattered less than whether you and your best friend were getting on swell. That's the cosmos of Trek09.
Posted by The Spirit of Creative Writing at 03:12 46 comments:
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Courtesy Toyota
Bob Sakala had only purchased the car in June as a way to save gas.
But after Sandy knocked out power to his neighborhood in Paramus, he figured the hybrid might be able to provide some relief.
It worked.
"The neighbors kept saying, 'Does Bob have a generator?' No, it's the Prius. It's a spaceship," he told NBC.


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Spoiler Alert! The Bachelor Ben Flajnik's season just got a whole lot more interesting. The show has been running promos of a mystery woman who was scheduled to make her debut mid-season. She finally showed up during the San Francisco episode that aired January 16th, 2012.
As the drama unfolded tonight, with the help of show host Chris Harrison, she walked in on the middle of a cocktail party. Fans of the show never saw this one coming… the woman was none other than Shawntel the mortician back from the dead. In case you don't remember, she was one of the last woman rejected on Brad Womack's season (version 2). And guess what? She claims she is already head over heels in love with the winemaker. Uh-oh. So much for Ben F not being man enough to keep up ratings!
The girls all thought she was an ex-girlfriend, but the totally unexpected new competitor on the show has had her eye on Ben for some time now. She said she wanted to be at the rose ceremony and wants to get a rose. He said he enjoyed the times the two spoke in the past. They he told her he was not sure whether or not he would be giving her a rose.
Asking for a few minutes to collect himself, he said he hoped the other girls would be gracious and welcoming. Ha! The girls responded that she was not part of them and all essentially said no go.
Apparently Shawntel thinks there is something between her and Ben F. The girls actually yelled at her that she does not know Ben and totally were nasty to her for having been in love with Brad Womack in the past.
The general consensus was that Shawntel was being a B*tch and that she was unfairly winning a free pass for having been on a season past.
The model was the one who got the most hostile, claiming she was considering not staying if Shawntel was allowed in the rose ceremony. They called her Brad's dumpster trash and said she was a loser. They also called her Brad's leftovers.
The women were irritated, clearly. However, she says she is there for Ben F — and maybe, just maybe she means it.
Ben's trouble is that he openly admits that Shawntel is exactly the kind of woman he would like to date in real life. Ending the cocktail party early, they went straight to the rose ceremony.
With Ben saying he was totally confused, he was justifiably worried that if he let her stay he might be missing out on a chance to find love with the women who were already there and competing above-board and right.
However, since one contestant went home early — canceling their one on one date and heading home because her heart was not in it (the girl who brought her grandma with her the first night), technically, if Shawntel would enter the contest as her replacement, no other women would be mathematically at more of a disadvantage.
Ben Flajnik tried to handle the difficult situation like a gentleman, saying he trusted his judgement in the process. Courtney flipped out that the brunette was there, calling her, "What's her butt". Casey B was crying. All the girls commentary alluded to incredible tension. There was eye rolling when he gave a rose to Blakely, but nothing like the venom Chantal O was getting.
At the end of the night when it came time to hand out the last rose of the night, the remaining women were crying and whining about getting dumped by a girl they thought he had known for three minutes. It was when he finally started to hand it out, one of the girls actually passed out on the floor. Erica fainted, Jacqueline was bawling, Chantal O was left staring and scowling at the floor. The three-ring circus (as one of the contestants called it) was reasonably hilarious.
Eventually, Ben Flajnick had to give the final rose out to one of the girls. Did it go to Brad Womack's leftovers Shawntel?
NO! He refused to hand out the final rose. All the girls who were talking the most trash about Shawntel and Shawntel herself all were sent home.
What will she do now? After the sting wears off, maybe she could date Brad Womack again. We hear he's still single. Yo ho!


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RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A man accused of stabbing his pregnant girlfriend to death in a Rapid City parking lot is back in the hospital.
Deputy State's Attorney Scott Roetzel said Michael Young, 30, was taken back to a Rapid City hospital Sunday for at least a week for treatment for stab wounds he inflicted upon himself during the April incident.
Young is charged with first-degree murder and fetal homicide in the killing of 30-year-old Morgan Myers and her unborn child in a Rapid City Walmart parking lot. He has pleaded not guilty.
His next court date is scheduled for Sept. 17.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)