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September 26, 2011, 12:00 AM
By A.J. Jacobs
Last year, I got a call from a friend of mine who is a producer. Amazingly, she wanted to try to make a TV show based on my work and home life. Over the years, Hollywood has optioned some of my books and magazine stories, but nothing ever got produced. Instead, things got weird. In 2007, I wrote a memoir about a year I spent following the rules of the Bible. Producers cast Marlon Wayans to play me.
But maybe this time will be different.
My friend, a talented TV producer, thinks we can sell a sitcom about a writer at a men's magazine who does wacky social experiments. One week, he'll tell the unvarnished truth all the time (as I did once for a story in this magazine, "I Think You're Fat," July 2007). Another week, he'll outsource all his daily tasks to India ("My Outsourced Life," September 2005). His wife will be exasperated, but will forgive him every twenty-two minutes. Things look good. Jack Black signs on as a producer. Two successful writers who worked on The King of Queens join the team. The writers a married couple named Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa fly to New York to interview me and my wife, Julie. They are happy my life already comes with built-in sitcom touches: My wife arranges my sweaters in my closet with labels like FOR INDOOR WEAR, FOR OUTDOOR WEAR, ASK PERMISSION BEFORE WEARING. Cathy types this into her BlackBerry. They ask about our biggest fights, our in-laws, and our sleeping arrangements.
I sign a contract that says the producers can have their way with my character. My wife and our perhaps-too-trusting babysitter do the same.
I am elated but frightened. The producers and writers pitch the idea to the networks. It's called My Life As an Experiment. NBC bites. My friends are excited. I'm excited. This could be huge.
The studio (Sony) will pay Josh and Cathy to write a script. But it is just the first step. Every pilot season, the networks are pitched thousands of ideas. They pay for the rights to about four hundred scripts. Seventy of those scripts are filmed as pilots. Twenty of those pilots make it to air. Seven will make it to the second year. I'll be lucky to be the new Encore! Encore! (Nathan Lane comedy, 1998 twelve episodes). I'll even settle for being the new Emily's Reasons Why Not (Heather Graham comedy, 2006 one episode).
Still, Josh and Cathy call to congratulate: "You are one step closer to national humiliation!"
Josh and Cathy write an outline. My character is named A. J. Wilder. (I'm a wilder version of myself, perhaps?) They change my wife's name from Julie to Stacie for legal reasons. She's pissed. They turn my three boys into a boy and a girl. My kids are pissed. As for me, well, my character has a National Press Club award on his wall. Fiction has its advantages.
The pilot's story line comes from an article I wrote two years ago for this magazine ("Do I Love My Wife? An Investigative Report," June 2009). I went into an fMRI machine and two scientists recorded images of my brain as I studied photos of my wife and, for comparison, Angelina Jolie.
The idea was to see whether I loved my wife, in scientific terms.
In the show, A. J.'s brain spikes equally for Angelina and his wife. This infuriates Stacie and launches her on a quest to sex up their marriage. Lingerie is worn, breasts are flashed.
The show's A. J., like me, works at a men's magazine, which they're calling Rest & Relaxation. (All the better names were trademarked, they say.) This is how the writers describe my boss: "Dan is, according to himself and others, the manliest man in America. He wears power suits, and he was drinking whisky in the office long before Mad Men made alcoholism cool again... Dan's a single, one-night-stand kind of guy who happily admits that he'll never have a normal relationship because he's pretty broken inside. He also buys expensive man toys to fill the void."
Uh-oh. First of all, that doesn't sound like my boss, David Granger. My boss is indeed manly and does drink alcohol. But I don't think he's broken inside and needs to fill the void with expensive toys. And even if he were, I don't think he'd enjoy that image being portrayed on national TV. The producers explain that it's not based on Granger. It's just any old editor in chief of a men's magazine where a guy named A. J. works as a writer. Not to worry. Still, I am surprisingly happy with the script. It's got some funny lines, moves quickly, and tries to capture the tone of my marriage. Luckily, NBC likes it, too. Another step.
Casting is a bitch. It's like the debt-ceiling negotiations, but with attractive people. Everyone has to agree on the right guy: the network, the producers, the writers, and the studio. Meanwhile, dozens of other TV pilots are trolling the same small pond of actors. My wife is worried they're going to cast a schlubby, pudgy guy to play me. The producers tell her not to fret. This is NBC. NBC does not cast schlubby leads. That's CBS.
My producer friend, Carolyn Bernstein, sends me the list of actors who are reading to play A. J. It is an absurd number of people: 150 actors. At one point, David Arquette is going to play me, but he is right in the midst of his post Courteney Cox breakdown, so that falls through. Kal Penn considers but backs out at the last minute. Scott Foley, T. R. Knight, Tom Everett Scott all these pretty famous (for TV) guys audition. They get ten minutes to read a scene from a cold start, in an office, facing the producers. What a horrible job. I make a note to quash my son's after-kindergarten drama class. One week goes by, two, three. They still haven't agreed on an actor for A. J. We're supposed to start shooting in a week. I call Carolyn and ask her what the odds are it's going to fall through.
She pauses. "I'm worried," she says.
I tell Julie to cancel our plans to visit California. A couple of days later, a breakthrough. The producers and the studio have made a choice: a little-known comic named Jon Dore. He's handsome, quirky, bearded, and Canadian. The network seems less thrilled. But it says it'll approve Dore if we land a big name to play my father-in-law, an overconfident heart surgeon. (In real life, he's an overconfident software executive.) How about John Lithgow?
He passes. Then good news: Donald Sutherland agrees to do it. Donald Sutherland! I've loved Donald Sutherland ever since his weed-enabled epistemological insights in Animal House. ("So you're saying our universe could be an atom in the pinkie of a giant?") Now the producers can choose my wife. I tell them I want Minka Kelly. They tell me to stop being a pervert. They cast an age-appropriate actress named Paget Brewster, who is just finishing a stint on CBS's Criminal Minds.
They also pick the guy who will play my boss: Adam Campbell. He is blond and British. Uh-oh again.
My wife and I fly out to Los Angeles for the final three days of the weeklong shoot. We arrive at the Burbank set and walk into our fictional Brooklyn townhouse. It is insane. The network and studio are spending about $3 million to make this pilot. They have a cast and crew of two hundred people; it's possible the resulting minimovie will be seen by no more than fifty. It's like building a huge cruise ship in the desert. Or a subway in L. A.
The townhouse has a kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom, dining room. It has books, games, a vintage typewriter, and drapes that Julie doesn't like. The attention to detail is admirable, if a bit lunatic. Carolyn tells me they figured A. J. could afford new kitchen appliances after his second book (hence the Viking fridge) but didn't have enough to replace the cabinets. Jon and Paget posed for family photos that hang in the hallway photos that aren't even onscreen. The prop guy re-creates my computer, complete with the cluttered desktop, my screen saver, and my embarrassing cherry-red protective cover.
The show is shot movie-style with a single camera (rather than with three cameras and a live audience), because that's considered cooler these days. That means they shoot several takes. Even more than usual because they haven't gotten permission from Angelina Jolie to use her photo as an object of lust. The always-game Beyoncé, however, has agreed. They shoot it both ways.
What To Read Next


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Album review
The International Noise Conspiracy - Bigger Cages, Longer Chains Ep
Even if you're sick of the current wave of neo-garage rock currently flowing like dirty water out of Sweden, give the INC a try. Driven by iconoclastic political ideals, they have more on their lyrical agenda than their party-minded brethren. They don't stop the clock with the release of Raw Power, either, incorporating the influence of quirky late-'70s UK art-punks like Wire and the Swell Maps into their rave-ups, consequently arriving at both a broader sonic landscape and more satisfying mindset.
Rating: 3 / 10

subset: commoncrawl


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Let's list the GOP's problems. They're all easily solvable.
Summary: After the election, with its typically thin margin of victory (in votes), comes the usual silliness — about the winning party establishing an enduring lead, structural, that will last for generations. We get this every decade or so, with the parties alternating as star and goat. Now the Republicans are the doomed losers. Today we look at the GOP's problems (in the comments list any not shown). The next will show that solutions lie near at hand. This is the 6th in a series about the results of Campaign 2012.
But the mass of the electors did not analyse very much: they liked to have one of their "betters" to represent them; if he was rich they respected him much; and if he was a lord, they liked him the better. The issue put before these electors was, which of two rich people will you choose? And each of those rich people was put forward by great parties whose notions were the notions of the rich — whose plans were their plans. The electors only selected one or two wealthy men to carry out the schemes of one or two wealthy associations.
— Introduction to The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot (1867)
We discussed the demographic doom in chapter V. For an analysis of the usual "new era of dominance" foolishness see this by John Sides (Assoc Prof Political Science, George Washington U). Here we look at other factors wrecking the GOP.
- Poor congruence of its policies with those needed by voters
- Broken internal governance
- A party whose vision has disconnected from reality,
seeing instead an imaginary world - Update: Will the base let the GOP change?
- Are we a divided nation, by geography?
- Other posts in this series
- For More Information
(1) Poor congruence of its policies with those needed by voters
"The GOP, Real Parties, and Factions", Daniel Larison, American Conservative, 8 November 2012
Everyone involved in politics would like to believe that the political coalition he supports is a "real party" rather than a self-serving faction, just as everyone likes to believe that his views are the moderate and reasonable ones opposed to the "extremism" of others.
What this "real party" talk obscures is the degree to which the GOP fails to serve the interests of many of its constituents and its most likely supporters while masking this failure with a generic appeals to "values" or American exceptionalism. Those appeals don't really promise Republican voters much of anything specific or concrete, and so the GOP conveniently never has to deliver. If many white working- and middle-class voters stayed away from the polls this year, I suspect it is at least partly because many of them recognized that the GOP, especially one led by someone like Romney, had nothing to offer them.
(2) Broken internal governance
"How the Republican party sabotaged itself: the real story of the 2012 election", Michael Cohen, Guardian, 5 November 2012:
The single most defining element of American politics over the last four years is that the Republican party has fallen out of the crazy tree and hit every branch on the way down. It is no longer even appropriate to say the Republican party is dominated by its conservative wing; but rather, that the GOP is controlled by its extreme, radical wing.
The shift of the Republican to the far, far right is not a recent development. Instead, it is reflective of a four-decade shift in ideological orientation in the GOP: from a party once torn between distinct conservative and moderate wings, to one in which moderates have gone the way of dinosaurs and VCRs. But there is no question that in the past four years, the extremism of the GOP has increased dramatically – so much so that their most recent president, George W Bush, is persona non grata in the party because he is viewed as too moderate and not sufficiently conservative. Imagine that.
For years, the national Republican party emboldened this wing of the GOP and made it the vanguard of its efforts to maintain national power. That group now holds ideological sway in the Republican party. In the naked pursuit of short-term partisan gain, the Republican party has unleashed forces that it can no longer fully control.
The result is a set of policies that not only are radical, but also are out of step with the mainstream of American politics. This includes everything from efforts to privatize Medicare, eviscerating social security, rejecting any role for fiscal policy other than cutting taxes, and taking the position that illegal immigrants should not receive amnesty but rather "self-deport". This is not to mention the GOP's growing extremism on abortion rights and reproductive health in general.
Republicans once aspired to, and briefly held, the mantle of a party of ideas. Today, the GOP in its deference to the ideological rigidity of its radical wing has reached a position where Republicans have no serious ideas for reforming healthcare, creating jobs, stimulating the economy, or fixing the nation's crumbling infrastructure.
The GOP's problems are not just at the national level. Romney outperformed the Republican Senate candidates in most of the important races (Aaron Blake, WaPo).
(3) A party whose vision has disconnected from reality, seeing instead an imaginary world
"The View from the Cocoon of Denial and Epistemic Closure", Alex Massie, The Spectator, 7 November 2012 — He reviews quotes from major GOP leaders, quote daft statements, and concludes …
When your rhetoric collides with voters' sense of their own reality then you cannot or should not be surprised that voters prefer their reality to your imagination.
Note too amidst all this howling and wailing and gnashing of teeth how there's no attempt to understand why Americans voted the way they did. No attempt to wonder why the Republican party offered such a paltry economic message. No attempt to ask why the GOP had no healthcare policy that would actually soothe justified concerns about both Obamacare and how an ordinary family on $50,000 a year might have better, more affordable healthcare.
(4) Update: Will the base let the GOP change?
"Election Reflection" by Jared Bernstein, 11 November 2012:
The R's are predictably doing the requisite soul searching, especially on their demographic problem that their core base is a shrinking share of the electorate. There's lots of obvious stuff about "reaching out to Latinos, minorities, women" but there's something missing from the stuff I've heard. Their conversations seem to assume that they'll win if they can just move from base to base+X, with X being larger shares of the groups above (people other than older, white men). But this isn't their core problem. That they can't win with a growing share of shrinking base was obvious to many well before Tuesday.
Their problem is that base is inversely related to X. If order to reach out to X in ways that X might respond to, you risk alienating your base, many of whom blame X for their woes and very much resent any government actions to reach out to them. I haven't heard any serious discussions of R's solve that paradox.
(5) Is America a divided nation? Does politics follow geography?
Let's start with a look at America, supposedly a divided nation, with a map prepared by Mark Newman (Prof Physics, U MI). It's a cartogram, with the sizes of states scaled by population. Rhode Island (1.1 million appears twice the size of Wyoming (0.5 million), although WY has 60X the area of RI.
This cartogram shows county-level election returns, with party votes in red and blue — shades of purple showing the percentages of votes for each party. Most of America is evenly divided, appearing in purple. The large cities are mostly blue, the rural areas mostly red.
America has many internal divisions, but the geographic divisions between ideologies (liberal and conservative, each with their party) are relatively small — and exaggerated by our winner-take-all system, which creates a false picture of a nation consisting of large red and blue party blocs.
No, we're not extremely geographically divided (although that is, as always, a factor). Not a strong foundation here for the secessionists.
(6) The posts in this series about the results of Campaign 2012
- Conservatives, celebrate the historic victory you won today!
- The votes were counted and one wing of our one ruling party won. Rejoice!
- How Obama AND conservatives both won on Tuesday
- Civil rights just took a step forward, the slow hard way. The right way.
- The hidden major party, the key to political control of America
- Let's list the GOP's problems. They're all easily solvable.
- The Republican Party is like America, and can quickly recover it strength
(7) For More Information
Here's a fun game about the past of the GOP. Read about these liberals from our past. Can you name them?
- Let's play "Name that Liberal"
- Let's play round 2 of "Name That Liberal"
- Let's play round 3 of "Name That Liberal"
Todd Guthrie permalink12 November 2012 9:22 pm
I've always found that cartogram to be very interesting way to look at our national political divide.
It is clearly not a simple North vs South split. If anything I would say the nation is divided between urban vs rural. Blue areas are the cities of Seattle, San Francisco, LA, Chicago, Boston, New York, DC, and Miami. Red areas are the sparsely populated regions of the South and the Midwest. Purple areas are everywhere in between.
That pretty much dispels any notions of secession, but I still wonder if it would be possible for some combination of the eight aforementioned metropolitan areas to secede from the USA and form independent city states? Highly unlikely, of course, but still fun to imagine the results.Another take that I've seen circulating around the internet recently is a map that shows an apparent geographical similarity between slave states in 1859, racial segregation in 1950, and the presidential election in 2012, with the implication being that American politics is still based mostly on race relations even 150 years after the Civil War. Take a look, and draw whatever conclusions you like: {URL to LiveLink: "The hash code for the file you tried to view has expired."}
Thomas More permalink13 November 2012 4:01 am
Walter Bagheot was not only an insightful political commentator, his book Lombard Street remains one of the very best descriptions of how to deal with a massive economic depression. What a shame America has no one of Bagehot's stature in public life to advise us today.
13 November 2012 4:19 am
Apart from its beginnings in opposition to slavery, the GOP has defined itself as the home of conservatives. Now, aside from a few social issues (and those only when the writing is on the wall), the Democratic party fills that function, leaving the Republican party nowhere to stand to their right that isn't poisonously extreme.
Thomas More permalink13 November 2012 6:46 am
Au contraire, coises, I see the Republican party and the Democratic party as playing the roles of "bad cop" and "good cop." Unnoticed by the great majority of voters? Both cops work for the same people — the top 1%. And neither cop is your friend.
And now arrives proof in the form of Obama's leaked negotiations with John Boehner: Obama offered cuts to medicare, cuts to social security, raising the eligibility age for medicare…a veritable wish list for the far-right neocons who run the Republican party. Yes indeedy, the Bad Cop Mitt Romney threatened and screamed at the electorate and they trembled in fear and ran for succor to the Good Cop Barack Obama, who reassures them and tells them everything will fine and they don't have to worry as long as they agree to a few minor changes in our social safety net (i.e., getting rid of it).
The triumphalist Democrats who now crow about the delusion and echo-chamber cocoon in which the Republicans exist need to look in the mirror. Because the Good Cop Obama is about to enact the very same "unacceptable" and "grotesquely draconian" cuts to the social safety net that the Bad Cop Mitt Romney promised. And the Democratic base refuse to admit this reality, instead applauding like millions of trained seals as their clay-footed "liberal" idol accomplishes the grand task attempted by George W. Bush when in 2004 he tried to privatize social security.
9 May 2014 11:22 am
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Many of us waited with bated breath for Rayman Jungle Run to arrive in the Play Store late last month. Just when the wait was almost over, it was delayed. The game finally arrived a week later with all the platforming goodness you could ask for, so maybe the delay was worth it. All this precision jumping doesn't come free, though. Is the new Rayman worth a few dollars of your cash?
For everyone who was a deeply saddened, disappointed, or otherwise frustrated at the delayed launch of Ubisoft's Rayman Jungle Run, time to perk up. Wipe away those tears, oh dearest Rayman fan - the title is now official in the Play Store.
This side-scrolling platformer should be a nice throwback to old-school Rayman lovers, as it offers the same colorful scenery and gameplay style, along with new worlds and powers, supposedly-intuitive touch controls, and of course, everyone's favorite limbless little man.


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CFD - Page 2
The Smell Of Gunsmoke Is Alive And Well In Cheyenne Wyoming
Cheyenne's Hands In Harmony's "A Night To Remember" This Weekend
Tuf Cooper Wins CFD Rodeo Title 20 Years After Dad
CFD Announces Frontier Nights Opening Acts [AUDIO]
Cheyenne Frontier Days officials announced the opening acts for this year's Frontier Nights Concert series. Doug Randall has the details. Wyoming sheep and lamb producers lost an estimated 43,000 head of sheep and lambs in 2012. Joy Greenwald reports. Click past the jump to listen to Wyoming Radio News.
Pictures From Monday's Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo
Once again, it was another great rodeo. LCCC Rodeo Coach, David Browder, and former bronc rider, Ira McCillip joined Dave Chaffin to bring you all the coverage from start to finish on Rodeo On The Radio, and they will be back again each afternoon starting at 12:45PM MDT with more action on AM650 KGAB and www.kgab.com. J
This is Rodeo On The Radio!
Dave's Morning Blog: Cheyenne is Officially a Cow Town Again
Thursday's Morning Zone Line-up
7:07AM MST: Is Mitt Romney Is Better Suited For Liberal New Hampshire Than Conservative Iowa? Our guest, Tricia Erickson, (a conservative) was the first Damage Control/Crisis Management Specialist in the country, as stated by Barbara Walters on the show "20/20". Tricia is also a political consu


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Regency Beauty Institute's South Bend campus continued its tradition of making a difference in community members' lives by sponsoring a blood drive during the holiday season.
The blood drive ran from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 18 and benefited the South Bend Medical Foundation.
The idea for the blood drive came from South Bend educator Patty W. when she saw a flyer for the South Bend Medical Foundation. After contacting the foundation, campus manager Cassie R. said the drive seemed like a good fit for the students.
"Students were really excited about it," Cassie said.
The South Bend Medical Foundation provided snacks to the donors and spread word about the drive in the local community.
The campus had 157 donors signed up for the event. Students, educators and Regency Beauty Institute® guests came to help. New faces from around the community came out to show their support and donate.
"People [stopped by] that have never been here before," Cassie said.
The drive gave the campus the opportunity to give back to its community and let people know more about the education and services offered at Regency.
"It's our way of giving back," Cassie said.


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We are a society of avid hunters and outdoor enthusiasts who are dedicated to promoting responsible use of our natural resources.
We care about hunting, fishing, wildlife and outdoor experiences within the natural environment we all live in and enjoy. We are passionate about protecting and conserving the outdoors and its resources for generations to come. Through our parent organization - Safari Club International - we promote and present a number of wildlife conservation and humanitarian efforts within our community,support Safari Club International in their endeavors toward ensuring hunting rights are protected worldwide. |
In addition to promoting good fellowship among those who love the outdoors, the sport of hunting and fishing and sharing experiences and information, the purposes of SCI - Drayton Valley Chapter are as follows:
- To participate in legislative, judicial, regulatory, public relations or other advocacy activities, including humanitarian activities that demonstrate the constructive role of hunters in society, in order to protect the freedom to hunt and to advocate hunting and hunters.
- To engage and participate in projects that educate the public, and particularly youth, about the constructive role of hunting and hunters in society, which may include the granting of scholarships to educate programs.
- To engage and participate in projects for the conservation of wildlife, on either a local, regional, national or international scale, including wildlife research, wildlife management and other projects that assist in the collection and dissemination of information on wildlife populations.
- To promote the goals and objectives of Safari Club International.
- To build a strong local hunting community and support hunting, fishing and educational opportunities within it.
2011/2012/2013 SCI International - Chapter of the Year
2012 Chapter Top Gun Award
2012 Top Membership Retention and Growth
2010 Rookie Chapter of the Year and
2010/2011/2012 Publication Award Recipients
2012 Chapter Top Gun Award
2012 Top Membership Retention and Growth
2010 Rookie Chapter of the Year and
2010/2011/2012 Publication Award Recipients


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Located in beautiful Saranac Lake, NY, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, our mission is to provide shelter to all stray and unwanted companion and domestic animals. We work toward educating the public about proper animal care, including spaying and neutering, providing adequate outdoor housing, food & water, veterinarian care, and the many different state and local laws and ordinances that a pet owner should be made aware of and abide by. Our Humane Society is a Non-Profit 501(c)3 organization, and is maintained as a No-Kill facility. We are proud to say that we have placed over 3000 animals into new homes, and reunited over 1000 animals with their owners, since 2001. Our day to day goal is to provide the best temporary home and compassionate care for our shelter animals until they are adopted into new forever homes.
We feed and recommend Hill's Science Diet.
Our 2014 Pet Photo Calendar is Available now!
Wagging Wednesdays and Big & Fuzzy Fridays
Spay/Neuter Voucher Assistance Program
Check out our Blog for helpful tips and information on taking care of animals in hot/cold weather and much more.
How to Help Us


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Dr Greg Shaw
After graduating with a BSc in Chemistry from Cardiff University in 2009, Greg achieved a PhD under the guidance of Professor Graham Hutchings, focusing on gold-palladium supported catalysts for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and a number of selective oxidation reactions. During this time, he spent six months in Belgium working on the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, with Solvay S.A. Since early 2013 he has held the position of PDRA at the Cardiff Catalysis Institute.
Research Interests
- Selective oxidation reactions under mild conditions
- The synthesis and use of hydrogen peroxide
- Preparation and characterisation of supported gold-palladium nanoparticles
- The application of zeolites in catalysis
The Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide Using Platinum-Promoted Gold-Palladium Catalysts – Angewandte Chemie, (2014), Advanced Article
Selective catalytic oxidation using gold-platinum and palladium-platinum nanoalloys prepared by sol-immobilisation – Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 15 (2013), 10636-10644
Physical mixing of metal acetates: optimisation of catalyst parameters to produce highly active bimetallic catalysts – Catalysis Science & Technology, 3 (2013), 2910-2917
Physical mixing of metal acetates: a simple, scalable method to produce active chloride free bimetallic catalysts – Chemical Science, 3 (2012), 2965-2871
The effect of heat treatment on the performance and structure of carbon-supported Au-Pd catalysts for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide - Journal of Catalysis, 292 (2012), 227-238


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Supreme Court: Does It Matter Who's the Next Justice?
There are two kinds of Americans: those who care fervently about the Supreme Court and those who care, mostly, not a whit at all about it. The first is a small minority, disproportionately represented in the media; the second is pretty much everyone else.
The first joins both the right and left in their abiding obsession with American government and with each other and continues to reflect, beyond any reasonable time frame, the passions of the 1960s. The second group is not only thoroughly post-sixties (a good many of this group were born a full generation after the sixties), but, in a sense, post-politics.
Anyway, once again, and for most people inexplicably (and with a profound shrug), the Supreme Court, and what relative non-entity gets a job on it, will obsess the first group—and the media people in it—during the many months it will take to replace Justice Stevens.
The first group ought to consider the feelings of the second group.


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Sixth-year LPGA Tour member Julieta Granada knows a thing or two about patience. After all, it has been five years since the prodigy from Paraguay won the LPGA's biggest payday as a rookie.
Now 25, Granada burst onto the LPGA Tour in 2006 to post seven top-10 finishes in her rookie season, including a win at the former season-ending ADT Championship. That event awarded a $1 million prize to the tournament winner.
The player from Asuncion, Paraguay returned to the LPGA in 2007 and recorded three top 10s, with two runner-up finishes and a tie for 10th at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open.
But those early splashes of brilliance were followed by some tough times on the LPGA Tour. In the last six seasons, Granada has recorded a total of only 12 top-10 finishes to 55 missed cuts. By 2008, the eternally youthful South American began to struggle in a way that made many wonder what was causing such an early and visible slump.
"I don't know if I would call it a slump," she said. "I would say I was confused -- confused about a lot of things. I won really early. I don't want to say I wasn't ready for it, because I won and I obviously was ready, but all the other things around it, I just wasn't ready for."
But Granada's fast ascent as a rising LPGA star was completely expected by most. After all, the product of the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy had won the 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, was the 2004 AJGA Player of the Year, and won the 2005 South Atlantic Ladies Amateur (Sally) Championship.
She qualified for membership on the LPGA Futures Tour based on her amateur ranking and arrived at the 2005 Bank of Ann Arbor Futures Golf Classic in Michigan to compete. Granada opted to turn professional that week and finished second in her pro debut.
Playing in nine Futures Tour tournaments that summer, she posted four top-10 events, including one more runner-up finish, before winning the Tour's final tournament at the YWCA Futures Classic in York, Pa.
Granada finished seventh on the Futures Tour's 2005 season money list, but that was before the top-10 places were awarded LPGA membership. She went on to earn 2006 LPGA status at the qualifying tournament with a tie for sixth.
By all accounts, the affable player was ready to go. She had already made history as the first Paraguayan-born player to win an LPGA tournament, and she also set an LPGA record at that time for the most money earned by a rookie at more than $1.6 million. [Jiyai Shin broke that single-season record for rookie earnings in 2009, with earnings of more than $1.8 million.]
The solid golf and sense of fun continued the next year for Granada and her caddie/mom, Rosa, but then suddenly, everything took a wrong turn.
"You want to win, you want to win fast, and you want to win again," said Granada. "And you want to win every week, but the patience level kind of drops a little bit."
Granada began searching to bring back the magic of her rookie-year LPGA start, but it was almost as if she were trying too hard. From a span of 2008 through 2010, she didn't crack the top 10. In 2008, she missed 13 cuts in 25 events, while in both 2009 and 2010, she missed 10 cuts. The player knew she had to shake up something.
So last August, after missing nine straight tournament cuts, Granada made up her mind to take action. She refocused. She changed coaches. She began thinking about how to prepare for the 2011 season.
"I wasn't going to quit and I wasn't ready to give up," she said. "I was just going to keep working hard and improve my game. I had to do something to gain a little more confidence in my ball-striking."
Granada was still a work in progress when the 2011 season started. She missed her first two cuts, but by the third tournament this year – the Kraft Nabisco Championship – she charged into a tie for seventh. She missed another cut, but then tied for ninth at the Sybase Match Play Championship.
Finally, she was starting to see progress. And while she battled for more consistency throughout the year, Granada made her last four cuts and qualified for the elite-field CME Group Titleholders in November. It was a small victory for a larger goal.
"The good thing is, I know what I need to do in my swing and my putting is improving, slowly, but surely," she said. "Now, I have a better idea of what I need to work on."
Granada was pleased with her renovated golf swing this season and said her improved stroke helped eliminate "stress on the golf course." She wasn't as pleased, however, with her putting, allowing that when the putts weren't dropping, her performance "was a little up and down."
The South American plans to spend the winter off-season fine tuning her game and chasing consistency. And she plans to hit the gym and be ready to go when the 2012 season begins.
"I have to admit, this year was a lot of fun because things have started going in the right direction," she said. "It's moving forward and I definitely think I have more wins in me.
"I just have to have patience, keep working hard, and see golf as fun," added Granada. "If I remind myself that it's a game and to enjoy it, I think I'll see everything finally come together."
Topics: Granada, Julieta


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It's now Thrift's title to lose
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Heading into the Lake Norman event, most pros predicted that it would take approximately 12 pounds a day to walk away with the tournament title. However, after the third day of competition, it appears that those initial assessments were woefully inaccurate as Bryan Thrift continues to turn in a performance for the ages.
By the end of day-three weigh-in, Thrift had recorded a staggering 45-pound, 10-ounce total – arguably one of the greatest three-day tournament fishing efforts ever turned in on Lake Norman. And what's more frightening for his opponents is that he's not showing any signs of slowing down.
"I've done everything I expected it would take to win this tournament but (Thrift) is really running away with this right now," said FLW Tour pro Andy Montgomery, who currently sits in third place with a 38-pound, 15-ounce total catch heading into the final day of competition. "It's absolutely amazing to me that having a 13-pound average isn't enough to win on this lake. Bryan's averaging more than 15 pounds a day right now. And that's just unheard of on this lake."
Thrift says that even he's amazed by his dominating performance to date.
"I honestly didn't think that it was even possible to have a 15-pound average on this lake," Thrift said. "I thought I could come in here and catch 9 pounds a day and was hoping to catch 12. But to do what I've done for three days is just ridiculous. One day this is going to end and I won't do as well. But hopefully it's not tomorrow."
Like most of the field, Thrift said he's primarily targeting boat docks. However, the difference seems to be Thrift's intimate knowledge of the lake as well as his flawless execution.
"I just keep fishing the high-percentage areas where I've caught big fish in the past," said Thrift, who hails from Shelby, N.C. "I'm targeting docks, brush piles and rocky banks. And I'm using shallow running crankbaits and ½-ounce jigs – but most of my bigger fish are coming on crankbaits. Everything is going really well for me right now. So far, I have missed a fish this entire tournament."
Thrift said he was also pleased that Montgomery, his long-time friend and fishing partner, managed to make the top-five cut as well.
"Andy and I have been friends for 10 years. We've spent so many hours on the lake together," said Thrift. "I'm glad to see that it's finally starting to pay off for us."
With $125,000 on the line for first-place, Thrift acknowledged that it was finally starting to sink in that he had a real chance at capturing his very first FLW Tour title.
"When I caught my last fish today, I kind of started getting nervous for the first time," he said. "But I don't want to get too excited because this lake can humble you in a hurry."
Trancygier maintains grip on second place
Rusty Trancygier of Hahira, Ga., used a three-day catch of 40 pounds, 8 ounces to qualify for today's top-five cut in second place. However, despite his stellar three-day outing, he knows that he's going to have to turn it up a notch to catch Thrift in the finals.
"I caught three fish in the first 20 minutes and a ton of keepers today," said Trancygier. "But I kept pounding my area all day because I knew that (Thrift) would catch them and I wanted to stay as close as I could. Overall it was a great day. It went exactly as I had planned, but I just couldn't ever get that big bite."
Trancygier said that's he's targeting backwater pockets and coves with a combination of Lucky Craft crankbaits and Mann's Baby 1-minus spinnerbaits.
As for his prime fishing locations, he said that he's relying specifically on one productive area that he's known about for quite some time.
"I fished this spot a few years ago and it worked out well," he said. "There are a lot of fish there and I know I can catch them. I'm going to do the same thing tomorrow – at this point, it's the only thing I got going."
Montgomery ends day in third place
Although Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C., knows he has an uphill road to the title after qualifying for the Lake Norman finals in third place, he said he is still enjoying every minute of the tournament.
"Bryan and I have been fishing together for 10 years and we've probably spent 150 days on this lake fishing together as well," said Montgomery. "So it's pretty neat to go into the finals in first and third place.
"Bryan knows every part of this lake that I know and I know exactly what he knows," Montgomery continued. "We're both fishing boat docks but he's fishing more of a pattern right now. It's just amazing what he's doing. I think right now the rest of us are basically fishing for second place."
Montgomery said that his daily strategy includes fishing pole docks for spotted bass in the morning. Then later, when he nails down a limit, Montgomery then targets float docks to augment his sack with kicker largemouth bass.
"I caught five largemouth bass the first day but only two on days two and three and that's the difference between bringing back a 12-pound stringer and a 14-pound stringer," said Montgomery.
Montgomery said he continues to attack the lake fishing a ½-ounce Shooter Lures jig.
Best of the rest
Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif., qualified for the Lake Norman finals in fourth place, with a total catch of 36 pounds, 3 ounces.
Meanwhile, Brian Travis of Conover, N.C., gained the fifth and last qualifying spot in the finals with a total three-day catch weighing 35 pounds, 6 ounces.
Day four of FLW Tour Pro Division competition on Lake Norman resumes during tomorrow's takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7:15 a.m. at Blythe Landing, located at 15901 N.C. Highway 71 in Cornelius, N.C.


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One of the subjects I've been meditating on a lot lately is Happiness. Happiness is a fickle thing—you often don't recognize it when you have it, resent not having it when you don't have it, or attribute it to things that are not really the cause or the source. I've long considered myself a happy person overall. Sure, we all have our moments or days or occasionally weeks where anxiety and stress override, but in general, I'm pretty happy and positive. Though lately, at times I've felt dissatisfied with my life and where I'm at – but why? I'm incredibly lucky and blessed, and everything is pretty much good.
I realized that I've been feeling like I'm in a rut. Somewhat bored, disaffected. I shouldn't feel this way – I have some great friends, a job that challenges me, a city surrounding me that you have to work really hard to be bored in. But in my little bubble, things have felt a little stale and I've been trying to think of what I can do to revitalize myself.
This spring would definitely have been the time in my life that I decided to go all Elizabeth Gilbert on everyone and move to Bali, but unfortunately I don't have anyone who wants to pay for me to travel the world for a year to find myself, nor do I have a trust fund. So instead of the "leave, only to figure out what you're looking for was there all along" mentality, I am trying to figure out how I can experience growth HERE in the day to day.
I've read Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project" before and I really liked it. Okay, the writing is self-indulgent (by necessity), the tone occasionally preachy and her style much more type-A than my own, but it's a great book to read more for what it makes you think about in your own life. I've been rereading it lately, and one of the things that really hit me was the importance of creating an atmosphere of growth to happiness and life satisfaction. I realized that, while I do have a pretty dynamic life, I haven't been feeling like I am truly growing as of late, and decided that I am going to change that.(Note – I made some goals on the blog after reading this book last year – fun to look back on.)
How can I foster an atmosphere of growth when the circumstances of my life – where I live, how much I work, my salary – are staying the same? This is something I've been thinking about this weekend and I've decided to put some goals together. Often when we want to revitalize our lives, we try to do all of it at once: "I'm going to lose 20 pounds, buy a new car, become fluent in French, invest in stocks, fall in love, and volunteer more. In the next three months." No wonder so many resolutions fail! In view of reality, I've come up with the following goals for myself to help me "create an atmosphere of growth" within my daily life:
1. Bike more.
2. Pick up one new hobby.
3. Redefine friendship – spend less time on facebook and more time investing in old friends and meeting new ones.
4. Make home homier: turn my apartment from a cluttered mess into a sanctuary.
5. Reduce small, daily stressors by being proactive and not putting off tiny tasks.
6. Embrace new challenges at the office.
7. Give my blog the time and energy that I want to.
8. Focus on the future – finish my "30 by 30" list.
9. Remember the importance of being mindful about what I choose to eat.
10. Ask myself each day if I am moving towards being a better me or settling for less.
All of these things are doable, and give me something to work on in the short term. I hope that, in accordance with #7, that I'll be blogging about them. some of these I may succeed at, others will inevitably fail. But striving towards something – regardless of what the outcome is – can often bring happiness in and of itself – proving that it often truly is about the journey, not the destination.
Question for anyone reading – how do you foster growth in your own daily life?


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Car Forums / Ford / Ford F-150
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Ford F-Series Transmission Problems
delisae Posts: 3Just today, I tried to put my 2004 F-150 into reverse. With a little gas, it did not budge. Thought maybe I did not engage the gears completely, put it in park, back to reverse and it did finally move. Driving down the road, it felt sluggish then would seem to speed up on its own. I picked up my son and went to turn around on a drive way and again, could not get the truck to go into reverse. Then it began jerking and sounded as if I were dragging something underneath it. Then beep...and the transmission fault appeared on the mileage screen and the O/D light began to flash off and on. I was able to make it home but took awhile.
May I ask what you found on your truck and approximate $$$$$ involved. Of course, we are not covered under warranty and can only find that we were covered by the powertrain warrantly until 3 years/36,000 miles. The truck is only 4 years old and has less than 49,000 miles on it. This is just sickening.
Thank you for any information you are willing to share with me. -
rubysox Posts: 6We had the exact same problem! If you read my orignal post our truck is same approx years & we have battled the dealer, because we screamed & yelled actually my husban did, we were abel to get After Warranty Assistance from Ford. There was a "deductible" of $1024 & change do not let anyone tell you it is anything other than the TRANSMISSION!! If they tell you it is something different you tell tehm to go to HE double hockey stick! The first drop off @ dealer was nearly $600 for brakes. We are going to go after the dealer through the NYS atorney general office. It is very sickening! I feel your pain. I would call ford also Maybe collectively all of us with 04's or the approximate age need to call ford & the NHTSA & emand recalls & reimbursemetns these are far more than coincednces occurring. There is clearly a problem with Fords Tranny's new models coming ut are 5yr/60,000 mile warranty. When they droped our tranny it was full of metal & completely shot. Some bushing was gone. Remeber the aqueaky whel gets the grease scream loud!!!!!!! :sick: :mad: :lemon:
allstar1 Posts: 1I own a 04 f-150, purchased NEW with less than 50 miles on odometer. Within the first year ford had to replace the transmission and rear differential. I am know at approx. 83k miles and ford has since replaced the transmission once more and the rear differential twice. Less than three years old and Ford has done over $17,000.00 dollars worth of warranty work. After the first repair I asked why this happened? They had no answer other than what parts had failed. It seems to occur within 8-11 months after the repairs take place, almost like clockwork. Fortunately I have the premium care plan which protects me to 100,000 miles, but what happens after that? I thinking LEMON LAW! Any suggestions. Starts with clunking and slipping as if its not sure what gear to be in ,just as you guys are stating. HELP!
aspesisteve Posts: 833hey let me add my story - maybe a class action lawsuit will arise, because I've paid dealer for my '04 F150 :lemon:
My transmission had an awful grinding noise when engaged. This after 28,000 miles and 6 days past the 3 year mark. After the dealer told me I would have to pay half the cost I went to the Ford factory "customer service" line to ask for assistance - but they kept pushing me back to the dealer. I had no choice but to pay $2,200 for a rebuilt tranny after telling them I'd never buy another Ford product.
I really tried to be diplomatic through the entire ordeal, and it was like talking to deaf mutes. They even sent me the customer service pre-curser wanting to make sure I was completely satisfied and to call them first before filling out my report card.
I'm also on my 3rd set of warped rotors. I don't tow anything with the truck and have had it maintained per the service book - usually at Ford. -
ford_f Posts: 2I have an automatic 2004 Ford F150 Lariat with 25,000 miles on it. While driving it today I heard a noise that sounded like I was dragging something underneath it--think shopping cart or exhaust system. I pulled over and everything appeared fine.
The noise didn't return for 30 - 40 miles. It sounds like metal rubbing against metal. In a matter of 30 miles it has happened 3 other times and it seems to occur between 25 MPH - 40 MPH. As I slow to 5 MPH - 10 MPH (or stop), the scraping noise disappears when something seems to engage (clunk/pop into place). The truck drives fine otherwise--goes into reverse, accelerates, etc.
I'm hoping for the best but prepared for the worst. Any help would be appreciated. Of course, my warranty has expired. -
ford_f Posts: 2I believe I'm experiencing the same problem as the previous posts.
I have an automatic 2004 Ford F150 Lariat with 25,000 miles on it that I recently purchased. While driving it today I heard a noise that sounded like I was dragging something underneath it--think shopping cart or exhaust system. I pulled over and everything appeared fine.
The noise didn't return for 30 - 40 miles. It sounds like metal rubbing against metal. In a matter of 30 miles it has happened 3 other times and it seems to occur between 25 MPH - 40 MPH. As I slow to 5 MPH - 10 MPH (or stop), the scraping noise disappears when something seems to engage (clunk/pop into place). The truck drives fine (as of now)--goes into reverse, shifts, accelerates, etc.
I'm hoping for the best but prepared for the worst. Any help would be appreciated. Of course, the warranty has expired.
Thanks in advance. -
diehardford Posts: 50I would change the transmission fluid asap. Check and see if their are metal shavings in the pan and filter. This would tell if the bands and clutches are bad. Also if their is shavings in the fluid this is going to compound the damage to the transmission . Some times just changing old and burnt transmission oil will cure a lot of problems. Also check your rear differential oil level to make sure what you are hearing is not your differental going dry.
bellaseri Posts: 4hello cowboy9 -i read some of your replies to qwestions about f-150 automatic trans. problems. I'm hoping you can help me also!--i just bought a 96 f-150. it's a 4 wheel drive automatic w/76k mi. very clean. when driving along @30-40 mph and you let your foot off the gas pedal it seems to come out of gear, when you push back down on the pedal it goes back in. There are no bad sounds and the tranny shifts well. I had a friend drive it and he thinks its very minor. Is this normal? I am very particular about my vehicles and if there is a problem I want to get it fixed before it does possible damage. By the way I am in Denver and looking for a good tranny shop i can trust. What do ya think cowboy9 ?
I sure thank you -
bellaseri Posts: 4hi tenscott -I read your post, I also have the same possible problem that your having with your 94 f-150. My transmission doesnt seem to slip or make any noise it also shifts fine , at 30-40 mph with no foot on the gas it seems to come out of gear for a split second. Have you found out what the trouble is if any?
please e-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com --I sure thank you -
fordfan_17 Posts: 175
fordfan_17 Posts: 175i think you misunderstood me I AM a transmission rebuilder located in colorado springs I thought i may have to read back but someone in denver wanted help with a tranny issue im 70 miles from there and im willing to help if your willing to make the trip email@example.com for instant messaging
delisae Posts: 3Hi,
I originally posted my transmission problem about a month ago. Since then we have gotten the truck fixed by an independent transmission mechanic and ran to the tune of $2000 before all was said and done.
The mechanic said that the back side of the transmission was basically "gone". All of the gears were destroyed, especially reverse, it had sheared off completely. He has no explanation why a truck this new with this low mileage is having issues like this already. He did say the Ford tranmission gears are as thin as a penny and break very easily.
I have been looking today at the replies we have received to our problem. It looks to be about 6 of us with 2004 F-150 having the same issue, around the same miles. I have done research to see what needs to be done to have this problem listed as a recall. Apparently, we all need to file complaints with the NRTSA. If there is enough reason, they will begin an investigation on parts sold with Ford and autopart manufacturers to see if there is reason to begin a recall. If a recall is issued, you must also be reimbursed for the out of pocket expense you have put into you vehicle to have this problem fixed.
I think we all need to get on board and write our letters of complaint and see what comes of it...worse case, we are still out of pocket on the repairs. But we may get our money back and right now, I think we could all use that.
I will be writing my letter today and getting it out tomorrow. I hope all of you will do the same. -
aspesisteve Posts: 833Hey delisae,
Did you mean 'NHTSA'? I can't find anything under 'NRTSA'
thanks for the suggestion. I am happy to write to NHTSA to see if together we can find some compensation for our transmission failures.
I will scan some other car forums to see if I can't find some others who have encountered the same problems. -
aspesisteve Posts: 833for what it's worth, I placed my transmission failure complaint with the NHTSA along with 29 others who have already complained about a tranny failure with their 2004 F-150.
I believe this is a defective part (an expensive one) that Ford needs to step up to the plate on. I had only 28,000 miles on my well maintained truck before the tranny completely failed. -
fordfan_17 Posts: 175
cowboy9 Posts: 161If you are having to add tranny fliud all the time then more than likely it is the Seal in the Torgue Converter. With out seeing it it's a little hard to know. Pull the plate off the bottom where you can see the Flywheel and Torgue Converter, if on the side where the Converter butts up against the Tranny and it look like it clean down the middle then it's the Seal. If you are not replacing tranny oil then of course it's your Rear Seal on the Motor.
tahoeguy1 Posts: 3Thanks for that. It sounds like either way the tranny has to come off. Its definatly tranny fluid, all the way up my steep street. (it doesnt do it on level ground) I think the rear seal on the motor is also gone, as it occationaly leaks engine oil as well. The oil companies must love me! Reading some of these threads it seems like there are different types of torque converters available, depending on the vehicles use? We pull a horse trailer sometimes, and a boat.
cowboy9 Posts: 161If it's truly only up hill that it leaks make sure it's not coming out of some place else like the Rear Seal on the tranny or if it's 4x4 someplace around the transfer Case. If you are unsure where it's coming from start over and park it someplace where there is no Oil under it so in the morning you can get under there and find out for sure where the Oil is coming from.
Torgue Converters are very Important yes but they don't have to spend what they are wanting on some of these Website. I paid 350.00 for mine from a local guy here in Denver that supplies us with them for all our racing vehicles as well and would put it up against anything you can buy out in Web land including ATS, BD, Xtreme or who ever else sells them at Triple the Cost. The lowest I see a so called Converter for is around 900.00 and go up too 1500.00. Now I do pay a different price than others only because I am a Racer my self but the whole tranny with converter would only cost around 2600.00 for a rebuilt one. Shipping I am sure has gone up but last year his was only paying under 150.00 each way to ship one. -
fordfan_17 Posts: 175
big95bronco Posts: 2I've got a 95 Bronco and i recently smoked the tranny, well anytime i drove it anywhere over 8 miles i'd boil over out of the dipstick tube, and i'm transplanting the good guts from a 2wd to my 4wd. We ran into a 'little' snafu with all these damn little balls. I thought with taking a large sum of photos and being 'really' careful I'd be able to rebuild this damn thing, but god forbid should that be the case and now i'm frantically searching the internet for answers but i forgot the internet is full money grubbing yuppies and everyone's trying to be the next Bill Gates. So basically would you help me?


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Hungaria Folk Ensemble & Orchestra
The world famous Hungária Folk Orchestra and Ensemble's work is based on decades old musical and dance traditions. The ensemble was founded by gypsy musicians. Their gift is born from the traditions of century old gipsy dynasties.
The exceptional professional skills of the Hungaria are due to a special educational method that concentrates on preserving their natural aptitude for improvisation an essential precondition of virtuosity.
The Hungaria Orchestra performs in many different formations. The fifty strong main orchestra and the six to eight splinter chamber groups are equally celebrated guest on the world's most prestigious stages. They are also adept at accompanying well known soloists and dance ensembles. The incredible range of their repertoire covers many genres from classical to folk music, and from operettas to gipsy music, of course.
An equally high reputation has also been gained by the Hungaria Folk Ensemble. This group of about 60 fiery performers owes its current status to decades of hard work by their predecessors. They specialise in Hungarian folk dance but are equally able to perform operettas, ballet, and modern dance. The high professional attainment of the dancers is largely due to eight to ten years of intense training which begins at a very early age. They are true professionals dedicated to achieving the very highest standards.
The fame and recognition of Hungaria Folk Ensemble has become associated with that of the Hungaria Orchestra as they often perform folklore and operetta programmes together, their joint spectacular show always attracts large audiences wherever they go.
Every concert starts at 20.00 and consists of twice 40-45 minutes with an intermission.
Combine the Budapest Card with this program, and save money!
A special offer for those, who would like to use the public transport of Budapest free and enjoy our special programs.
With the Budapest Card usage of public transportation in Budapest is completely free, and the Card offers a lot of discounts. The card is valid for 72 hours.
If you order the package, we can deliver it - with the tickets to the reception of your hotel.
You get discount from the price of the program, if you buy them together
Ticket prices
VIP cat.
I. cat.
Adult: 22.50 EUR
Student: 20 EUR
II. cat.
Adult: 19.50 EUR
Student: 18 EUR
III. cat.
Adult: 13 EUR
Student: 12 EUR
This short video compilation represents how the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, the Danube Folk Ensemble and the Hungária Folk Ensemble & Orchestra perform on stage:
You can usually catch a performance of the Hungária Orchestra and Folk Ensemble at the Duna Palota (Danube Palace).
Folklore Package (Folklore performance + Dinner & Cruise at 22:00)
It is possible to book this program with the Dinner & Cruise at 22:00. In this case, you will get a full evening program, an unforgettable theatre performance, and a romantic and delicious candlelight dinner on one of our heated or air-conditioned ships. On this occasion, a host or hostess will show you to the pier.
The cruise starts at 22:00, but always waits for the guests from the theatre.
The discounted package price with Dinner & Cruise is depending on the category of the seats for the performance.
Read more >>
Free date Gift Voucher
Give the gift of an unforgettable experience!
We give you the opportunity to surprise your loved ones with a wonderful experience by purchasing a free date ticket for them to use whenever they like.
Coordinates: 47° 30.0199' N, 019° 2.943' E
"Do not miss the Hungaria Folk Ensemble & Orchestra when in Budapest!!!"
Reviewed July 16, 2012
My wife and I attended a Hungaria Folk Ensemble & Orchestra during our trip to Budapest in late June 2012. Hungaria Folk Ensembe & Orchestra is one of the top three professional Hungarian Folk Ensembles with the longest tradition (Formed in 1952). Performances are held in an air-conditioned theater. The performance was very energetic and the music was outstanding. We got the tickets ourselves rather than going the tour route and saved ourselves some money and at the same time got outstanding tickets to the show. We would highly recommend this performance to anyone visiting Budapest.
Visited June 2012
When you are on the street, leaflets are handed over of all sorts. One of them was for a folklore evening. Maybe I looked not like their target audience, because I had to take one from the gate near the bridge. I had the hotel made the reservation, so I was ensured of a ticket. The timing for the dinner at the Indian restaurant was great, just a few minutes to freshen up and then of to the show, coincidentally just around the corner. The theater at the Zrinyi street is small, but all off-white and golden. Paintings are near the cealing and reliefs are giving it the athmosphere of a theatre of the early 1900's. In the middle of the ceiling is a chandeliere hanging from a tiffany half-sfere (I am so depressed that I left my camera at the room, ther IS enough light to make pictures)
The Hungaria folklore group is formed of a band of musicians and a group of dancers. The band plays music, and the dancers dance, but the band plays more pieces than the dancers will dance. The program will take more than one and a half hours. When the band starts playing (eight violins, a cello, a string bass, a hammered dulcimer and one clarinet, who sits a bit in the back) I feel a bit sorry for the clarinet. But after a couplet in the Hungarian dance (Brahms), he has a solo and everybody knows he is virtuoso! (Yeah). The dancing is a performance you might see on television. Superfast, great timing, handsome men, lovely girls, absolutely nothing compared to an evening-dance in the local community hall (though that can be nice too:) There are three folklore groups doing a show. Next time I am in Budapest I will try to visit the others, but to visit this group again would be no problem for me. Sometimes they are on tour. If I notice, I will visit them in our theatre.
Aug 06, 2010
If you're in Budapest you should really try to experience some culture. Every night there's a folklore show in town. For about $25 you get to see either Rajko Folk Ensemble or some of the other dancing groups perform a piece of Hungarian culture. I saw the show at the Duna Palota Theatre, on the way to St. Stephans Basilica.
I was hoping to see more dancing, but the show is a bit about folk music too. My opinion is that it was perhaps a bit too much violin involved. I only knew one of the pieces they played, and the rest of it sort of sounded all the same to me.
All in all it was a nice experience. A lot of funny footwork to see on the men dancing. At the end of the show you have the choice to either go home, or spend another couple of hours on a sightseeing boat on the Danube to see Budapest by night.
Sep 19, 2007
For the nights finale we headed to the Danube Palace for the Hungaria Folk Ensemble & Orchestra performance. The musicians were fantastic with what can only be described as manic fingers. I have never heard or seen any violinists play so quickly in my life. They were truly talented, relaxed looking, unbelievable long complicated songs with no sheet music in front of them. Anita and I were tired just watching!! The Hungarian dancers were very good too but much too much screaming and there voices for the singing were grating not smooth and pleasant. It took me right back to my Hungarian dancing days and I recall our singing equally grating and unpleasant. So maybe its supposed to sound that way?


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Click through to find out the best of what's happening this week in Brisbane and its surrounding regions.
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Prepare yourselves for the 2015 St. Jerome's Laneway Festival line-up, one of our favourites yet.
31 January
Join the Championship winning Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium for the 10th season of the Hyundai A-League – what a season it's shaping up to be!
Next games: 2 February, 7pm 20 February, 7pm 8 March, 4pm
We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead! So it's time to prepare yourselves for Horrible Histories live on stage with a brand new show Barmy Britain with all new amazing 3D effects!
30-31 January
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Until 15 February
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24 January, then every Saturday from February
Get a glimpse into Hollywood of the 1920s to 1960s through a collection of costumes, props and ephemera connected to the cinema's most iconic stars, studios and designers.
Until 24 May
Queensland's premier visual arts institution, the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), connects people and art through a dynamic program of Australian and international exhibitions that showcase works from a diverse range of historical and contemporary artists.
Experience Brisbane guided by the people who know it. Team up with one of our friendly and knowledgeable Brisbane Greeters.


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Sales at Promethean World stood at £118 million in 2014, the educational technology firm has confirmed.
Q3 revenue up 35.1% at TAL Education Group
TAL Education Group (TAL), a K-12 after-school education service provider in China, saw a sharp rise in revenues in the third quarter.
Labour 'to cut tuition fees to £6,000'
A Labour government would cut university tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000, the BBC's Robert Peston has claimed.
Exclusive: Codio to launch a Series A round
Codio, a platform that supports the teaching of computer coding, is looking to raise a Series A investment round.
AT&T launches ed tech accelerator
The American telecoms giant AT&T has launched an accelerator programme for education start-ups and non-profits.
Exclusive: Leeds Equity to sell Nobel Learning Communities
Nobel Learning Communities, a chain of more than 180 private schools in the US, is for sale, EducationInvestor understands.
CEE Equity buys Hungarian private university
CEE Equity Partners (CEEEP) has bought a majority stake in BKF University of Applied Sciences, the largest private higher education business in Hungary. The terms of the deal are undisclosed.
Loyalist Group acquires Kim Okran for CA$4.7m
Canadian education provider Loyalist Group has acquired South Korean agency Kim Okran, for $4.7 million.
BIMM opens Berlin campus
The Brighton Institute of Modern Music has opened a campus in Berlin, three months after a deal to sell the business collapsed.
EducationInvestor's predictions for 2015
2014 was an uncertain year for the education industry, but will 2015 be any better? Here we ask the experts to share their thoughts on the year to come.
E-learning post Arab Spring
In December, the British Council held a summit on education innovation in the Maghreb. Conference director Stephen Haggard reflects on the challenges of deploying learning technologies in the region, and the opportunities
Disruptive development
Technology could crack some of the developing world's most persisting educational problems, say advocates. But how far are we from a 'Napster moment', asks Julian Hall
Come fly with me
The number of international schools could nearly double in the next 10 years according to data from the International School Consultancy Group. But will the supply of teachers keep pace, asks Sunniva Davies-Rommetveit
Try, try and try again
Medipathways has found rich pickings in preparing students for medical degrees – and investors are taking note. Daniel Thomas meets the firm's executive chairman
A sturdier framework
Contractors are being invited to bid for a new framework that will deliver up to £3 billion of public sector infrastructure projects. Tim Byles of Cornerstone Assets explains the plan
Crash and Byrne?
Labour is unlikely to promote for-profit education should it win power next May. But its negative rhetoric is worse than its bite, argues Gerard Kelly
Homework time
There has been a clutch of deals in the assessment space of late and the market is going from strength to strength. Could the sector be the next hot ticket for investors
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The perfect tool for researching your competitors, the best advisers, potential employers and much more Search by keyword, deal type, date, consideration or valuation.
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Special report │ Year in review
Calm before the storm?
2014 was a period of relative stability for the education sector, but with an election looming, businesses are getting nervous. Daniel Thomas looks at some of the highlights of the year just passed and asks the experts for their predictions for 2015
Read more...
Round table
Earning and learning:
The private sector is playing an ever greater role in education – but how do we ensure commercial and educational goals are aligned? We brought some experts together to discuss the issues.
Read more...
Global│ Sabis Educational Services
The generation game
The Sabis schools group has achieved strong and steady growth under four generations of family ownership. President Carl Bistany talks strategy with Adrian Murdoch
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Bombardier sells aviation training business
Promethean revenue £118m in 2014
Q3 revenue up 35.1% at TAL Education Group
Labour 'to cut tuition fees to £6,000'
Exclusive: Codio to launch a Series A round


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- Powered by USB
For anyone that has data stored on 3.5" floppy disc drives, this Dynamode External USB Floppy Disc Drive provides a convenient way of transferring your files to modern-day computers, which typically no longer support this type of media.Simple to useThis slim and lightweight reader is USB bus-powered, so requires no external power supply. Any computer with an available USB port can be floppy-disc enabled with the Dynamode External USB Floppy Disc Drive! Find out more
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Current faculty research:
Stakeholder Theory: A brief historyFor the more than three decades scholars have developed the idea that a business has stakeholders, or groups and individuals who have a stake in the success or failure of a business. Stakeholder Theory was further outlined by R. Edward Freeman in his award-winning 1984 book Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, in which he suggests that businesses build their strategy around their relationships with key stakeholders. Stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers, financiers and communities are all vital to a firm's success.
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Getting Inside
"I am here to see Gadar Party's office", I asked and she stammered while replying in English. "हिंदी बोलती है आप ?", I inquired.
"जी हाँ", she confirmed.
"मैं आशीष, south bay से आया हूँ ग़दर स्मारक देखना था । ", I said, while pointing towards the building.
"आपके पास consulate से permission है?", she asked.
"consulate से permission?" I inquired.
"consulate से बिना permission लिए यहाँ आना मना है । ", she confirmed.
Even for bureaucratic Indian govt, taking a permission from consulate to visit a first world war era memorial (and as per my limited knowledge, only such Indian memorial in USA) felt perplexing. Of course, I was not ready to yield and drive back another 40 miles before paying the homage. We both stood there motionless with an awkward silence.
Someone had to blink, thankfully, she did.
"एक बार मैं अपने husband से बात करती हूँ । ", she said.
She unlocked the door and went inside, and after some chatter, they both came out and after some cursory conversation, he allowed me in to visit the memorial. The rest of the conversation with them was pretty friendly.
Departing thoughts
Dogs, lackeys and soldiers not allowed
. On the other hand, even pregnant women used to get up and offer seats to soldiers in London buses. When the war broke out, France capitulated in no time while Britain remained undefeated." [source]


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- Hotel Details
- Member Reviews
- Photos
Belmondo Hotel Salzburg
4 StarsSt Julien Strasse 7 Salzburg AT-5020
Belmondo Hotel is within walking distance from the historical centre of Salzburg. Local attractions that are worth a visit are the Salzburg Cathedral, Hohensalzburg Castle and the Palace of Mirabell. The latter is a wide garden filled with beautiful flowers.
Belmondo Hotel offers 39 guest rooms that are well-equipped with amenities such as Internet access, television, radio and hairdryer.
A tasty buffet breakfast is served at the breakfast room that features a terrace. The onsite restaurant offers a variety of local dishes. Refreshing drinks and cocktails are available in the lobby lounge.
The winter garden and roof terrace at Belmondo Hotel Salzburg are ideal places to relax. Visitors can enjoy walks along the banks of the Salzach River. The city's Salzburger Freilichtmuseum Grossgmain displays an unique collection of regional history and handicrafts.
Additional Information
- 5 km to the Airport (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Hotel Facilities
- Garden
- Lobby
- Restaurant
Room Facilities
- Cable / Satellite TV
- Internet Access
- Telephone
- Ensuite / Private Bathroom
- Radio
- Writing Desk
- Hairdryer
- Safe
Belmondo Hotel Salzburg Guest Reviews (1)
We only stayed one night and the hotel was fine, would stay there again. Convenient for rail and the town centre.
Anonymous wrote on August 16, 2010
Other Recommended Hotels
Ramada Hotel Salzburg City Centre | 4 Stars |
Hotel Schwarzes Rossl Salzburg | 1 Stars |
Holiday Inn Salzburg City Hotel | 4.5 Stars |
Austria Trend Hotel Europa Salzburg | 4 Stars |
Mercure Kapuzinerberg Hotel Salzburg | 4 Stars |
NH Hotel Salzburg | 4 Stars |
Mercure Salzburg City Hotel | 4 Stars |
Find similar hotels as Belmondo Hotel Salzburg in Salzburg
Overall Guest Rating
Belmondo Hotel Salzburg Guest Reviews
4 out of 5
We only stayed one night and the hotel was fine, would stay there again. Convenient for rail and the town centre. Review by: AnonymousDate stayed August 16, 2010 |


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We took an important step forward recently in the fight against this scourge. State Attorney General Bob Cooper told cities that they cannot legally require a prescription for products that contain pseudoephedrine, which is sometimes used to make meth. The authority, he said, rests with the state.
That puts the focus in the fight back where it belongs: stopping meth cooks at the sales counter when they try to buy more pseudoephedrine (PSE) products than the law allows. The state of Tennessee has an effective electronic system to do just that.
Known as NPLEx (National Precursor Log Exchange), the system blocks meth cooks and "smurfers" — individuals who illegally buy PSE products on behalf of meth cooks — by requiring an ID and alerting the pharmacy immediately if the buyer has exceeded the legal limit. Just as important, it lets law enforcement know who the meth cooks are.
What it does not do is punish innocent consumers by preventing them from buying popular cold, flu and allergy medicines they need.
A number of well-intentioned policymakers at the state and local level believe that requiring a prescription for PSE products will make a difference in the battle against meth production. It will, but not the kind of difference they want.
For one thing, it would unfairly burden law-abiding citizens. Families would have to bear the expense of a doctor visit and a prescription, just for basic treatment for a cold or for the allergies that are so prevalent here. It would hit seniors especially hard, causing some to simply forego taking anything. At an advanced age, that can be particularly dangerous.
Moreover, in states where PSE prescription laws have been passed, use of meth has not declined. Instead, Mexican drug cartels have moved in with even more deadly forms of meth and business is booming.
"Meth use is as prominent as it always has been," Hinds County (Miss.) Sheriff Crieg Oster said in a recent news account. "We're seeing the higher grade of meth coming from Mexico."
Mississippi is one of two states where PSE products require a prescription.
Police say 69 cartels are supplying nearly every ounce of meth in Oregon, the only other state with a prescription-only law. These are business-savvy money-makers who don't depend on cold and allergy pills from the local drugstore and won't be fazed by such a law. Nationwide, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says they control over 80 percent of the meth market.
So, let's take a smarter route in Tennessee. Instead of passing any law to punish consumers, we should focus our efforts on making better use of the system we have. A tool like NPLEx works best when it is used diligently and universally. We need to make sure that is happening.
That is where we can do the most good against the meth makers in our midst.
(Editor's Note: State Rep. Eric Watson, R-Cleveland who represents the 22nd Legislative District, serves as chairman of the Criminal Practice Committee of the Tennessee House of Representatives.)


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Reviewed The Best Bread Pudding
Mar 14, 2012 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"Way too sweet. Try making this with maple syrup instead. Replace sugar with half the measurement , instead of a cup of sugar, use 1/2 cup maple syrup. Or mix it up, replacing part of the sugar. I love bread pudding, and always toast and butter my bread when I make it before I assemble the ingredients. """


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A haunting, eerily prophetic mixture of science fiction and film noir, director Ridley Scott's Blade Runner boasts one of the most astonishingly designed futures ever put on film - a dark, decaying Los Angeles circa 2019.
Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private join forces with undercover organization The North Wind to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying the world as we know it.
Dave Skylark and producer Aaron Rapoport run the celebrity tabloid show "Skylark Tonight." When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, they are recruited by the CIA to turn their trip to Pyongyang into an assassination mission.
Starts Friday, January 30
The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.
Starts Friday, January 30
Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.
Starts Friday, January 30
Set on the last day of camp, in the hot summer of 1981, a group of counselors try to complete their unfinished business before the day ends.
One Night Only! February 12, 2015
6:15 p.m. doors; 7 p.m. screening
All ages welcome
Admission: $5 plus 2 cans of nonperishable food
When Maggie's life intersects with homeless teen mother Alysha, Maggie goes on a protest fast that changes the lives of everyone around her.
Admission is $5 plus 2 nonperishable food donations. A percent of ticket sales will go to a local Portland shelter, and food donations will go to the Oregon Food Bank.
For regular showings only—Prices vary for special events
$4 Adults – 5 p.m. & later screenings
$3 Kids (12 years old and under) – 5 p.m. & later screenings
$2 Adults & Kids Matinee Special – screenings before 5 p.m.
Weekly Admission Specials
Mondays: Free admission kids 12 & under (accompanied by a parent or guardian)
Tuesdays: $2 Tuesday - Matinee priced admission for all shows
Wednesdays: Passport holders two for one admission
Thursdays: $10 Beer, Pizza, and Popcorn special
• Minors are allowed only with a parent or guardian.
• $1 online purchase fee per ticket
Cocktail Hour for McMenamins Passport-Goers
Come by Monday through Friday, between 3 p.m.–4 p.m., to get the Mission Theater stamp! We invite you to take a look around, order a drink from our full bar, and maybe a slice of pizza or snack. We'll have various vintage short films playing throughout so you can experience the wonder of our new, larger movie screen and new digital sound system. It's free to stop by!
Passport Prize: Any slice of pizza and a medium popcorn, or any two slices of pizza
Enjoy a movie and get a stamp in your Passport! If this Mission Theater stamp is your final stamp on page 9 of the Passport, and you'd like to claim your prize, we'll be rewarding you with a slice of pizza (of your choosing) and a medium popcorn, or two slices of pizza (of your choosing) on the spot!


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We offer a range of optimum hair care and make-up services and products for your personal care needs. You'll always hear a friendly voice when you call us, and a smile awaits you when you arrive. Let our team of professionals provide you with the ultimate in service. We're committed to creating a positive environment for you to relax and enjoy yourself.
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I love the service here and I have referred so many of my friends. I come back over and over again because they make me look my very best!!! | Such a great service is rare to find! They take great care of me and provide me with quality products to address my hair care needs. |
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