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Wendy Richards, famed misery of Eastenders has entered another race row, when she was caught on TV channeling the spirit of Bernard Manning.
Dodi dodo
Following his recent defeat in the courts, Dodi Fayed will now set out to prove once and for all how the last Dodo was killed.
Yellow is still yellow
Revelations from the world of fashion have reached us to say that Yellow is not the new black, it is still the old yellow.
Sid Vicious - The Truth
An elderly neighbour of punk rock icon Sid Vicious has said, 'From what I can remember, he was a nice boy, actually'
Peter Pan
Peter Pan, the boy who famously never grew up is said to now have a much deeper voice, and to be sporting a somewhat dapper moustache.
CD find
Detectives working together with record shops have found the millions of albums sold by Shania Twain, Chris De Burgh, Cliff Richard, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion in the lost city of Atlantis. Atlantisists were always suspected to have a piss poor taste in music.
Shoe Prices: Update
Following the news that a Centipede in Glamorgan is to complain about the price of shoes to his MP, a Millipede has now poked his nose in saying 'And you think you've got problems?'
Door-nail lives
In a shock revelation that will turn the world of cliche on its head, a living Door nail has been found in the Outer Hebrides.
Shoe Prices
A Centipede in Glamorgan has recently complained about the price of shoes to his MP.
U2, of there
Following news that U2 have signed away digital rights for the next 12 years, or something, they have also signed the Gettysberg Address, and the Magna Carta. They are now worthless, Bono said, cackling.
Bottler's new book
Talentless dullard Paul Burrell's new book 'You won't get it for free' is due out tomorrow. Pre-orders are said to be very slow.
A day in the sun
The editors of the Sun, The Express and The Daily Mail today realised that it is now more than 10 years ago, and it is time to let Princess Di rest in peace.
New Books
Sales of Gillian McKeith's new book 'Going through the motions' have rocketed in the past week. She is said to be flushed with success.
Barrymore to play Milligan; Grayson - C3PO
Following the news that the comedian Spike Milligan is to be portrayed by Michael Barrymore, we can exclusively reveal that Larry 'Shut that door' Grayson is to play the part of a young C3P0 in a new biopic about the early life of the camp protocol droid.
A Team
The Spoof can exclusively reveal that Mr T's name is in fact Herb.
Pigs in Scotland are under Police protection, in preparation for this year's Hogmanay celebrations.
Hogmanay II
There was confusion in BBC today when it was revealed that Later with Jools Holland is in fact recorded earlier. The Hootenanies that go out on New Year's Eve are in fact recorded on New Year's day, the year before.
Wombling Free
In a bid to crack down on Council overspends, councillors for Wimbledon Common are to sack the lovable beasties known as Wombles, from their rubbish collecting ways.
Charlie Dimmock
TV Gardener Charlie Dimmock is to retire from Television, claiming that keeping up with Alan Titchmarsh is proving too much for her.
Woodworm Christmas Banquet
Chefs at Woodworms R Us have this week recommended Doors as a tasty treat, following last weeks serving suggestions of table and chairs.
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A tory Politician has admitted he does not have all of the answers. He is not a quiz master...Loud hoots of laughter were heard from the back bench...
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Middle of the Road philanthropist Chris De Burgh is to play a gig in Iran. A spokesman for the troubled country said: 'Have we not suffered enough?'
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Notes on Practice: "Stretching" Negative Pressure Wound Therapy: Can Dressing Change Interval be Extended in Patients with Open Abdomens?
Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has evolved significantly since its humble beginnings as an improvised vacuum-based surgical wound dressing. Now viewed as a safe, patient- and provider-friendly, effective option in wound management, modern applications of NPWT include treatment of infected surgical wounds, traumatic wounds, open abdominal wounds, diabetic and pressure ulcers, wounds with exposed bone and hardware, burn wounds, and venous stasis ulcers.1 New applications for NPWT technology continue to evolve and understanding of NPWT dressing-tissue interactions is growing.2
The classic paradigm of NPWT dressing changes is based on the recommended interval of 48 hours in non-infected wounds3; however, whether NPWT dressings can be safely changed on a less frequent basis in this setting of non-infected wounds as well as open abdominal wounds has not yet been determined. Few clinical reports have examined this question (many of them indirectly).4-8 This preliminary report evaluates the interval between NPWT dressing changes among 60 patients with open abdominal (OA) wounds and assesses its potential effect on outcomes.
Materials and Methods
A retrospective database was created using chart review data from all patients with open abdomens (OA) at St. Luke's Regional Trauma Center (a member of the University of Pennsylvania Trauma Network) from September 2001 to January 2006. The data were abstracted by single investigator and included demographics (age and gender), primary diagnoses at the time of laparotomy, surgical techniques utilized, types of wound closure, complications associated with OA, observed 28-day mortality, and complications involving enteric fistula, abscess, enteric leak, pressure ulceration, and deep venous thrombosis (DVT).
Calculated parameters included Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II) and predicted 28-day mortality9; the former was utilized because of its applicability to both traumatic and non-traumatic etiologies and recorded at the time the patient was determined to need OA management. A recent comparison study of six prediction models among patients admitted to the intensive care unit demonstrated that SAPS II provided accurate overall mortality prediction.10
Resource utilization measurements included hospital length of stay (LOS) starting at the point of initiation of the OA approach to patient discharge or death and time to abdominal closure, as well as procedures per patient and the average number of days between procedures until abdominal closure.
Operative/Procedural Management
All patients were managed according to a previously published treatment algorithm for OA patients.11 In the immediate postoperative period, all patients underwent NPWT. Two NPWT techniques were commonly employed according to surgeon preference: 1) polyethylene-covered surgical towel with suction drains layered above the towel and covered with an impervious adhesive drape or 2) a commercially prepared sponge device (V.A.C.® System, KCI USA, San Antonio, Tex).
All patients underwent re-exploration within 6 to 48 hours depending on clinical stability. When possible, a tension-free primary fascial closure was performed at that time – such closure performed within 24 hours of the initial surgery was termed early delayed primary closure (DPC). If patients continued to manifest clinical characteristics that obviated abdominal closure (eg, continued bleeding, bowel or retroperitoneal edema, gross contamination), NPWT was continued. Primary fascial closure within 7 days utilizing NPWT was termed DPC with NPWT.
Patients using prolonged NPWT (>7 days) were re-evaluated after definitive operative therapy and physiologic restoration was complete. When possible, primary fascial closure was performed. If the patient had lost abdominal domain, one of the two management options was entertained. Open wounds exhibiting gross contamination at any time during the resuscitation were managed as planned ventral hernias (PVH).
Patients with PVH had a split-thickness skin graft (STSG) ± vicryl mesh placed over the OA wound. Placement of vicryl mesh was based on the presence or absence of omental coverage over the underlying bowel. If ample omentum was present and no bowel was exposed, vicryl mesh was not used. If coverage of exposed bowel was needed, vicryl mesh was utilized before skin grafting. A STSG was not placed until a healthy, clean granulation bed formed. Abdominal wall reconstruction would be performed on these patients at a later time.
Patients without gross contamination had a Velcro® Wittmann Patch™ (WP; StarSurgical, Burlington, WI) sewn to their fascia.11 The Velcro® patch was advanced daily until the fascial edges could be approximated primarily. After each advancement, the patient was observed for any signs of intra-abdominal hypertension (high peak airway pressures, oliguria, decreased cardiac output). Patients who failed fascial closure using the WP were received either STSG coverage or skin flap closure (SFC) over a bioprosthetic fascial repair (Alloderm™, LifeCell Corp, Branchburg, NJ; or Permacol™, Tissue Science Laboratories, Covington, Ga) plus STSG coverage of the resulting lateral abdominal skin relaxing incision.12 Negative pressure wound therapy dressings placed over skin grafts were left in place for 4 to 5 days.
Statistical analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows™ (Chicago, Ill) software. Descriptive statistics utilized included categorical data as well as continuous variables (reported as mean ± standard deviation). Chi-square statistic was used to analyze categorical data. Student's t-test statistic was utilized in analysis of continuous variables. Statistical significance was set at alpha = 0.05.
Of the 60 patients with open abdomen (OA) managed from 2001 to 2006, 35 were non-trauma patients (NTP) and 25 were trauma patients (TP). Non-trauma patients were significantly older than TP (60.9 ± 15.9 and 38.3 ± 15.0 years, respectively). The NTP group included 17 men and 18 women and the TP group had 17 men and eight women (see Table 1). The most common diagnoses on initial presentation among NTP patients were perforated viscus (13 out of 35) and abdominal compartment syndrome following major abdominal operation (six out of 35). Among the 25 TP patients, the most common diagnoses were severe splenic (eight) and blunt liver injury (five), alone or in combination.
The initial mean SAPS score was not statistically different between the two groups (NTP: 20.6 ± 7.45; TP: 24.1 ± 9.82; P = 0.1395). The predicted mortality, as determined by SAPS scores, was 39.8% and 49.0% for NTP and TP, respectively (P = 0.1626). The observed 28-day mortality was 17.1% and 32.0% for NTP and TP, respectively (P = 0.1177).
Mean time to abdominal closure was 20.7 ± 19.0 and 18.2 ± 13.7 days for NTP and TP, respectively (P = 0.6623). The hospital length of stay (LOS) was not significantly different between TP and NTP, with a trend toward longer LOS for NTP (44.4 ± 31.0 days for NTP versus 31.7 ± 40.1 days for TP, P = 0.1917). The average number of procedures per patient was 5.81 ± 5.03 for NTP and 6.24 ± 5.08 for TP (P = 0.7873), with an average of 4.34 and 2.38 days between procedures for NTP and TP, respectively (P = 0.0479).
Abdominal closure methods included DPC (in 20% of patients), attempted WP in 8%, successful WP-aided closure in 15%, STSG ± vicryl mesh in 33%, and skin flap closure in 12%. The remaining 23% of patients died before definitive abdominal closure.
Overall, both TP and NTP groups had a significant rate of complications, with at least one complication in 54% of NTP and 44% of TP.
Despite the evolving number of indications for NPWT, some controversial points persist regarding this modality. Specifically, it has not been definitively determined whether the current recommended 24- to 72-hour NPWT dressing change regimen is optimal. While it is appropriate to change NPWT dressings frequently (ie, every 12 to 24 hours) in the setting of severe and moderate wound contamination, it seems that dressing change regimens in the setting of minimally contaminated and clean wounds may be spaced farther apart than the currently recommended 24- to 72-hour interval.
Potentially important differences between more frequent (every 24 to 72 hours) and less frequent (every 72 to 144 hours) NPWT dressing change regimens for minimally contaminated and clean wounds include: 1) cost considerations associated with dressing supplies, 2) frequency of the unpleasant and frequently painful dressing change experience, and 3) differences in the amount of healthcare personnel and/or operating room resources involved.
This review of NPWT data shows that NTP treated with dressing changes 4.34 days apart demonstrated similar mortality, morbidity, time to abdominal closure, and length of stay figures when compared to TP. Trauma patients were, on average, treated with NPWT dressing change every 2.38 days. Due to the retrospective nature of this study, ascribing the above observations to specific clinical parameters or patterns of practice at the authors' institution is difficult. However, what is certain is that NTP were treated successfully utilizing dressing changes, on average, nearly two times less frequently than TP. In addition, NPWT dressings placed over skin grafts were kept in place between 4 and 5 days in this study.
Given other published reports and series, it appears that support is emerging for less frequent NPWT dressing changes.4-8 Negative pressure wound therapy applied over skin grafts can be safely left in place for 5 days.5,6 A 7-day regimen of NPWT dressing changes was used successfully in the setting of an extensive soft tissue defect following resection of deep infiltrating leiomyosarcoma, with no observed infectious complications.7 Reports utilizing an adjunctive silver-based dressings combined with NPWT, with significant labor- and cost-related savings secondary to a less frequent 5-day and 7-day dressing change regimens, seem encouraging.4,8
If proven safe, the potential implications of less frequent NPWT dressing changes would be noteworthy. In addition to altering the previously accepted dressing change paradigm, this new methodology would allow for significant savings from both human resource utilization and monetary perspectives. In addition, the less frequent dressing changes could be performed more conveniently on an outpatient basis, with potentially less patient discomfort and improved cost savings compared to inhospital treatment or more frequent outpatient/home care visits. Given the potential benefits of less frequent (>72 hours) NPWT dressing changes, further prospective evaluation of this emerging methodology should be conducted.
In this study, non-trauma patients with open abdomens underwent NPWT dressing changes at significantly greater intervals than trauma patients with open abdomens. Given the physiologic score similarity between trauma patients and non-trauma patients and the fact that no statistically significant differences were noted in mortality, morbidity, time to wound closure, and resource consumption between these groups, further study of feasibility of less frequent NPWT dressing changes (every 72 to 144 hours) in patients with open abdominal wounds appears to be warranted.
1. Venturi ML, Attinger CE, Mesbahi AN, Hess CL, Graw KS. Mechanisms and clinical applications of the vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) device: a review. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2005;6(3):185-194.
2. Greene AK, Puder M, Roy R, et al. Microdeformational wound therapy: effects on angiogenesis and matrix metalloproteinases in chronic wounds of 3 debilitated patients. Ann Plast Surg. 2006;56(4):418-422.
3. V.A.C.® Therapy Clinical Guidelines. San Antonio, Tex: KCI, USA; October 2005.
4. Comparative studies of combination therapy Silverlon®/VAC™ vs. VAC™ alone. Available at: http://www.silverlon.com/studies/vac_dressing_combination.html. Accessed, June 12, 2006.
5. Avery C, Pereira J, Moody A, et al. Negative pressure wound dressing of the radial forearm donor site. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2000;29(3):198-200.
6. Senchenkov A, Knoetgen J, Chrouser KL, Nehra A. Application of vacuum-assisted closure dressing in penile skin graft reconstruction. Urology. 2006;67:416-419.
7. Bartels CG, Voigt C, Blume-Peytavi U, et al. The vacuum sealing technique. A new procedure to cover soft tissue defects after resection of leiomyosarcoma. Hautarzt. 2001;52(7):653-657.
8. Carson SN, Rodriguez A, Hebert J, et al. Healing skin grafts over chronic wounds with vacuum assisted closure and silver dressings. Available at: http://www.silverlon.com/studies/HSG001.pdf. Accessed, June 12, 2006.
9. Reiter A, Mauritz W, Jordan B, et al. Improving risk adjustment in critically ill trauma patients: the TRISS-SAPS Score. J Trauma. 2004;57(2):375-380.
10. Arabi Y, Al Shirawi N, Memish Z, et al. Assessment of six mortality prediction models in patients admitted with severe sepsis and septic shock to the intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study. Crit Care. 2003;7(5):R116-122.
11. Cipolla J, Stawicki SP, Hoff WS, et al. A proposed algorithm for managing the open abdomen. Am Surg. 2005;71(3):202-207.
12. Guy JS, Miller R, Morris JA Jr, et al. Early one-stage closure in patients with abdominal compartment syndrome: fascial replacement with human acellular dermis and bipedicle flaps. Am Surg. 2003;69(12):1025-1028.

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text: [ Commentary: Gov. Lamm on How to Destroy America By kgabradio December 12, 2011 Recently, I attended an immigration-overpopulation conference in Washington, DC, filled to capacity by many concerned Americans and leaders. Writers, speakers, CEO's, representatives from Congress such as Tom Tancredo as well as former governors graced the podium. Read More|Comment Category: Commentary Tags: Frosty Wooldridge, immigration, Population Richard Lamm, the morning zone Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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Pilot program will extend hours for Camarillo Dial-A-Ride service
Camarillo plans to add more buses and extend weekend hours for its Dial-A-Ride service to accommodate riders on the Camarillo Area Transit system.
A proposal to start the six-month pilot project to study the number of riders, travel destinations and high and low travel periods was approved unanimously by the Camarillo City Council on Wednesday night.
The council set aside $15,000 from the city's transit fund to cover costs.
For the past two years, the Ventura County Transportation Commission has worked on a study of transportation service across the county. Camarillo Public Works Director Tom Fox said the city postponed its efforts to improve Camarillo Area Transit because it wanted to make sure its decisions were consistent with the study results.
"By extending our hours, we would be a little more consistent with the majority of transit systems around the county," Fox said. "Our goal is not to be exactly the same, but to move us in a direction to help enhance the connectivity and compatibility with other systems."
Weekday bus service would begin an hour earlier, at 6 a.m., to accommodate people who take the southbound Metrolink train to Los Angeles, which leaves at 6:27 and 7:06 a.m. Saturday service would last until 9 p.m. instead of the current 4:30 p.m. to accommodate shopping, dining and other socializing, officials said.
A third part of the plan involves adding Sunday service from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate those who attend church and take part in other community activities.
Three buses are planned for accommodating the early weekday service, and one bus will be available on the weekends. Extended service could start as early as mid-May, Fox said.
The projected annual cost of the project is estimated at $80,000, offset by an estimated $7,300 in collected fares, according to a staff report. Half of net transit costs are reimbursed to the city from Federal Transit Administration funds administered by the county transportation commission, the report says.
Council members expressed concerns about how and when the city would begin marketing the new services. Fox said the city has not worked out details but that brochures and other material will be considered.
"Quite honestly, when there's a change in our transit service, word gets out pretty frequently among riders," Fox said.
"This is a new market, and I think you should target them early, or else they won't know about it," Councilman Bill Little said.
Little also asked why the city planned to start with three buses on weekdays and not one.
"To try and get everybody collected in town at the Metrolink station in a short period of time would be difficult to do with one vehicle. Certainly within a few weeks if we find there's only demand to run one vehicle, then we would adjust," Fox said.
If the city learns in the first two weeks that demand is less than anticipated, it will reduce the number of buses, Fox said. If demand is greater, it will increase the number of buses.
McDonald asked to see a more detailed report on ridership by June. Fox said gathering the data could take longer could take longer because the first few weeks of the program will be focused on running and "getting the bugs out."
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Easy-peasy. I sometimes make with broccoli slaw. I play around with it as well. using sirirachi, adding cumin, black pepper. Once you get the feel for it you can make it your own. The fresh lime really makes it stand out. Perfect for any kind of grilled meat/fish/poultry.flag if inappropriate
Tried a million slaw recipes, most of them calling for more ingredients. This is THE slaw recipe. I make this for both Taco Tuesday and anytime we're grilling and I have some cabbage.flag if inappropriate
Very good and easy. I used a mix of light mayo and plain nonfat yogurt. I always use plain yogurt instead of sour cream and often instead of mayo.flag if inappropriate
Wow--astonishingly good. The perfect side dish for a Mexican dinner, and incredibly quick and easy. I fiddled with the proportions just a bit and used Sriracha hot sauce instead of Tabasco.flag if inappropriate
Incredibly easy to make. Used pre- packaged cabbage from Corrado's Market, less mayo than called for and a little more fresh lime juice. Will be making a lot of this this summer :-)flag if inappropriate


text: flickr, Random Alias [ Coping With Food Allergies [AUDIO] By Shawn Michaels May 20, 2013 Find out about the Annual "Nut Free" Game with the Lakewood Blueclaws Read More|Comment Category: Articles, Audio, Community, Health, Hometown Happenings, Lifestyle, Ocean County Breakfast Show, Parenting, Sports Tags: FARE, Food Allergies, Lakewood BlueClaws, Nut Free, wobm Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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H.R.1998 - Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act113th Congress (2013-2014)
|Rep. McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" [R-CA-25] (Introduced 05/15/2013)
|House - Natural Resources
|Latest Action:
|05/21/2013 Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.
This bill has the status Introduced
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
- Introduced
Subject — Policy Area:
- Animals
- View subjects
Cosponsors: H.R.1998 — 113th Congress (2013-2014)All Bill Information (Except Text)
* = Original cosponsor


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A 34-year-old man was killed early Monday in a motorcycle crash in Seminole County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Brian Harrelson died in the wreck, which occurred around 4 a.m. near Lake Brantley Road and Vestavia Way in Wekiva Springs, the FHP said.
According to troopers, Harrelson was riding a 2012 Honda motorcycle on Lake Brantley Road when he failed to negotiate a curve and was ejected from the bike.
The FHP said Harrelson was not wearing a helmet.
No other details were released.


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City police on Friday afternoon charged a woman with cruelty to animals, alleging that her dog was malnourished.
Michelle L. Stevenson, 36, of 829 Water St., is summoned to City Court. Police accused her of failing to provide sufficient food and water for her dog at her residence. The situation was discovered early Friday afternoon, and police said the dog was found to be in such poor health that it was taken by a Jefferson County animal control officer to be given proper attention.
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Color: A Natural History of the Paletteby Victoria Finlay
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
In this vivid and captivating journey through the colors of an artist's palette, Victoria Finlay takes us on an enthralling adventure around the world and through the ages, illuminating how the colors we choose to value have determined the history of culture itself.
How did the most precious color blue travel all the way from remote lapis mines in Afghanistan to Michelangelo's brush? What is the connection between brown paint and ancient Egyptian mummies? Why did Robin Hood wear Lincoln green? In Color, Finlay explores the physical materials that color our world, such as precious minerals and insect blood, as well as the social and political meanings that color has carried through time.
Roman emperors used to wear togas dyed with a purple color that was made from an odorous Lebanese shellfish — which probably meant their scent preceded them. In the eighteenth century, black dye was called logwood and grew along the Spanish Main. Some of the first indigo plantations were started in America, amazingly enough, by a seventeen-year-old girl named Eliza. And the popular van Gogh painting White Roses at Washington's National Gallery had to be renamed after a researcher discovered that the flowers were originally done in a pink paint that had faded nearly a century ago. Color is full of extraordinary people, events, and anecdotes — painted all the more dazzling by Finlay's engaging style.
Embark upon a thrilling adventure with this intrepid journalist as she travels on a donkey along ancient silk trade routes; with the Phoenicians sailing the Mediterranean in search of a special purple shell that garners wealth, sustenance, and prestige; with modern Chilean farmers breeding and bleeding insects for their viscous red blood. The colors that craft our world have never looked so bright.
"[A] blend of travelogue and historical exploration....Thanks to Finlay's impeccable reportorial skills and a remarkable degree of engagement, this is an utterly unique and fascinating read." Publishers Weekly
"A well-rounded exploration...from an engagingly personal vantage....A labor of love and a lifetime's interest expressed in a series of integrated essays that are substantial without being weighty." Kirkus Reviews
"Curious social mores, serendipitous science, and lots of skulduggery are all part of the rich spectrum Finlay so cheerfully illuminates." Donna Seaman, Booklist
"Loaded with fascinating tidbits, this portrait of colors and their histories will provide readers with lots of conversation-starters." Boston Herald
"In this engaging travelogue, a rainbow of hues determined the author's choice of destinations....By the time you read 'Violet,' you will have traversed much of the world, sharing Finlay's contagious fascination with color." Condé Nast Traveler
"This is a rare and wonderful book — a model of erudition and charm, the writing elegant and precise, and with at least one new and fascinating revelation on every single page. I could not be more enthusiastic." Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman
"Until I read this book, I was colorblind." Cynthia Rowley
"Color is the essence of landscape, of mood, of our whole perception of the physical world. Victoria Finlay has traveled through Iran, Afghanistan, and other places to investigate the origin of all those tantalizingly sensual ochers and reds and blues. What a creative idea for a book!" Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Ends of the Earth and Eastward to Tartary
As a color, black comes in no other shades: it is a single hue with no variation, one half of a dichotomy. But what it symbolizes envelops the entire spectrum of meaningandmdash;good and bad. The Story of Black travels back to the biblical and classical eras to explore the ambiguous relationship the worldandrsquo;s cultures have had with this sometimes accursed color, examining how black has been used as a tool and a metaphor in a plethora of startling ways.
John Harvey delves into the colorandrsquo;s problematic association with race, observing how white Europeans exploited the negative associations people had with the color to enslave millions of black Africans. He then looks at the many figurative meanings of blackandmdash;for instance, the Greek word melancholia, or black bile, which defines our dark moods, and the ancient Egyptiansandrsquo; use of black as the color of death, which led to it becoming the standard hue for funereal garb and the clothing of priests, churches, and cults. Considering the innate austerity and gravity of black, Harvey reveals how it also became the color of choice for the robes of merchants, lawyers, and monarchs before gaining popularity with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century dandies and with Goths and other subcultures today. Finally, he looks at how artists and designers have applied the color to their work, from the earliest cave paintings to Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Rothko.
and#160;Asking how a single color can at once embody death, evil, and glamour, The Story of Black unearths the secret behind blackandrsquo;s continuing power to compel and divide us.
Discover the tantalizing true stories behind your favorite colors.
For example: Cleopatra used saffron—a source of the color yellow—for seduction. Extracted from an Afghan mine, the blue "ultramarine" paint used by Michelangelo was so expensive he couldnt afford to buy it himself. Since ancient times, carmine red—still found in lipsticks and Cherry Coke today—has come from the blood of insects.
About the Author
A British citizen living in Hong Kong, Victoria Finlay has worked for Reuters and was the arts editor for the South China Morning Post for four and a half years before leaving to write this book. She writes regularly about arts and travel for Hong Kong newspapers and international media.
Table of Contents
Introduction: How Black is Black?
1 The Oldest Colour
2 Classical Black
3 The Black of God
4 Black in Society: Arabia, Europe
5 Two Artists in Black
6 Black Choler
7 Servitude and Nandeacute;gritude
8 Black in the Enlightenment
9 Britainandrsquo;s Black Century
10 Our Colour?
A Note on Chessboards, Death and Whiteness
Select Bibliography
Photo Acknowledgements
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One of my etsy/blog reader friends was ever so kind enough to surprise me yesterday with this amazing box of goodies...some for me and some for the new little guy on the way. :) Some sweet onesies, a paci pod...an entire cookbook of crock pot recipes and some super YUMMY Blondie brownies. :) You were right Julie...they were VERY tasty warmed up with some milk. :) Thank you so much sweet friend for thinking of me...it was definitely a bright spot in my day and Moses' too. :) Is the blog/etsy world amazing or what?
So ever since doing THIS craft from a few posts back I have been hanging onto the card stock hand print cutout of Moses' that I had...then yesterday it hit me what else I could do with it! :) Say hello to an easy keepsake! :)
I just traced the hand print onto the back of the fabric that I wanted to use...I made a left and a right out of the same hand print. :)
Then after you cut out the hands you stitch them onto a towel with a zig zag stitch...go all the way around sticking to the edge of the cutout...
Then add some coordinating ribbon/trim...if these were a girls hand prints I would have added little hearts to the center of the hands...I'll put Moses initials and age on the tag with permanent marker. :) You still have time to make these for all the grandma's out there for Valentines day...or Mother's day! :)
Next...Doug made one of these for Baby A the other day...we had already made one for Moses when he was born. It's a portable...funky and fun growth chart! :) We have one for each boy so that they can take them with them when they have their own families and measure their own kids on them one day! :)
We just bought a one by four from Lowe's...six wooden rulers and some screws...lined up the rulers and attached them with the screws. :) I love that wherever we go in life we can take them...you can't do that with a permanent doorway.
And here is a peek at the next house pillow to go in the shop...look for it tonight or tomorrow. :)
Hope your day is great...looking forward to a good nap today! :)
And here is a peek at the next house pillow to go in the shop...look for it tonight or tomorrow. :)
Hope your day is great...looking forward to a good nap today! :)


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Obama-Boehner Rift Looms Over Washington
WASHINGTON—If there is a relationship that matters most in Washington in coming months, it may be the frosty one between President Barack Obama and Ohio Rep. John Boehner, the Republican poised to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
They have known each other as partisan foes, not personal friends, and have regularly traded rhetorical body blows. The congressman has accused the president of advancing a "job-killing agenda." Mr. Obama has said the lawmaker is "scaring the hell out of business," and even publicly ridiculed Mr. Boehner's appearance.
Their history, in short, suggests dim prospects for bipartisan compromise in Washington's soon-to-be divided government.
To be sure, the two men have some things in common. Both rose from working-class backgrounds, and both like golf. But in the schmooze-happy capital, Messrs. Obama and Boehner have never played a round together, nor extended an invitation to do so. Aides to Mr. Boehner, who is currently the House minority leader, are miffed, and consider it a snub by the White House.
"Both of these men are on new ground, and how they interact will have a big impact on what plays out over the next two years," said Rep. Peter Roskam, an Illinois Republican who served with Mr. Obama in that state's senate.
Their professional histories mostly offer a study in contrasts. Mr. Obama, the son of a single mother who was an academic and international development worker, studied at Occidental College, Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Mr. Boehner, the son of a bar owner and one of 12 siblings, refereed football and basketball games and drove a bulldozer while working his way through Xavier University in Cincinnati.
Mr. Obama worked as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side after college, and later taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago, while Mr. Boehner became a salesman for a plastics and packaging company in suburban Cincinnati and built significant wealth before becoming involved in politics.
"You have two people who should get along temperamentally," said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, a Michigan Republican who is a Boehner ally. "Politically, they may never be able to do that" because pressure from conflicting political bases makes common ground—much less friendship—hard to achieve.
Neither the White House nor Mr. Boehner's office responded to requests for comment.
During a White House meeting to negotiate an economic-stimulus package, Mr. Obama and a group of Republicans including Mr. Boehner argued over the balance of tax breaks and spending in the president's plan. Mr. Obama eventually reminded the gathering, "I won"—a power play noted by all.
Mr. Boehner responded a few days later by telling fellow Republicans to oppose an early version of the stimulus plan. When the final package came to the House floor for a vote, no Republican voted for it.
That fight preceded others over health-care legislation, proposals to set a cap on carbon emissions and new rules governing the financial sector.
The lack of rapport between the men seemed especially evident during the president's comedy routine at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in 2009, when he teased that Mr. Boehner's tan complexion made the congressman look like "a person of color"—a color "not found in the natural world." Mr. Boehner said he doesn't seek out a tan or use tanning products. His staff shows a class photo of him in high school, in which he has the darkest face.
The pair took a sharper tone with each other during the closing days of the midterm campaigns. Mr. Boehner challenged Mr. Obama to fire his top two economic advisers: Timothy Geithner, the secretary of the Treasury, and Larry Summers, the director of the National Economic Council. Mr. Obama responded days later by referring to Mr. Boehner by name repeatedly in a speech in Ohio criticizing Republican policies.
In a shot that now carries special resonance, during a speech that same week in Milwaukee the president called Mr. Boehner the "man who thinks he's going to be speaker."


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Click here to print the obituary below
James V. Thompson
James V. Thompson
1947 - 2014
James V. "Jason" Thompson was called safely home on Easter Sunday. A lifelong resident of Ludlow, he was born September 8, 1947 to the late James and Ann (Janulewicz) Thompson. He graduated from Ludlow High School, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Western New England University Law School. He taught at Ludlow High School. Jason spent the majority of his career practicing law at the firm he founded, Thompson and Bell in Ludlow. Jason was dedicated to town government and service to his community. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Ludlow Boys and Girls Club serving as President from 1977-1981. He served as President of the Ludlow Hospital from 1988-1991. He was a longtime member of the Unity Club and a lifetime member of the Town Democratic Committee. He also served as Town Counsel and had recently ended his tenure as Town Moderator, serving for over 20 years from 1993-2014. Jason was a man who enjoyed simple pleasures, watching the Patriots and Red Sox, reading, trips to Saratoga, an occasional bourbon, and especially spending time with his family. He had a great intellect and a keen wit. He was a true liberal, with great compassion for humanity. Jason is survived by his wife Kathryn (Littlejohn) Thompson; his son Sean and his wife Amy of Wellesley, MA; his daughter Katelyn and her husband Nicholas Lynch of Auburn; and two grandchildren Tess and Jase Thompson. He was looking forward to meeting his new grandson Camden Lynch. Jason also leaves his brother Kevin Thompson of Wilbraham; his sister Ilona Thompson of Detroit, MI; and his aunt Lynne Wesolowski of Lenox. Funeral services celebrating Jason's life will held on be Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 8:30 AM at the Kapinos-Mazur Funeral Home 64 Sewall Street, Ludlow, MA followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10:00 AM in the Catholic Community of St. Elizabeth at St. John the Baptist Church, Hubbard St, Ludlow, MA. Right of Committal will follow at St. Michael's Cemetery in Springfield. Visiting hours are Friday, April 25, 2014 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Flowers are welcome, however should you wish donations may be made to the Randall Community Center/Ludlow Boy's and Girl's Club, 232 Claudia's Way, Ludlow, MA 01056. For further information please visit
Funeral Home
Kapinos-Mazur Funeral Home
64 Sewall Street
Ludlow, MA 01056-3415
(413) 583-3581
Published in The Republican from Apr. 21 to Apr. 24, 2014


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Viewing convention Program information from 2008
Session Details
Sunday, 28 December
311. Word and Image in Classical France
1:45–3:00 p.m., Foothill E, Marriott
Program arranged by the Division on Seventeenth-Century French Literature
1. "Idolatry and the Letter in Mme de Sévigné," Ellen McClure, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago
2. "Painting(s) and the Absent Eye of History in La Princesse de Clèves," Jeffrey N. Peters, Univ. of Kentucky
3. "Pausing between Word and Image in the Baroque Metamorphoses," Juliette Cherbuliez, Univ. of Minnesota, Twin Cities
No comments have been posted for this session.
|© 2015 Modern Language Association.


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November 17, 2008 9:47 PM
Tennis Tournament
I'm not even at the courts, yet I already feel nervous for tomorrow's match!!!
It's been a year since my last tournament. I've been horribly losing my matches recently (actually I lose pretty badly most of the time). Probably because I don't care enough about winning, I lack practice, or I've been playing against better people. Possibly all three.
It's weird, but I feel guilty of winning 0_o
It's really awkward that I feel bad for beating my opponents
(maybe that's why I keep losing, -_-" )
Anyways, I'll post again tomorrow after my match =D
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EDITED: What goes on in those bspace chat rooms


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Bisac: BIO025000
set alert for this category
"It never hurts to meet a sexy man," Elizabeth Kaye's editor once told her.
"It always hurts to meet a sexy man," she said.
With more than forty years of passionate, wisdom-making love affairs behind her, Kaye knew what she was talking about.
In "Sleeping
Before the full catastrophe of life struck her broadsides, the writer Joan Didion led a shining, privileged life. She was one of the most admired American writers, reporting in novels and literary journalism from the center of the national story. Her
A journalist's narration of her personal journey and her relationship with a conflict-ridden homeland Acclaimed journalist Sabita Goswami has written a unique autobiography, documenting her extraordinary struggles against her family, her society,
During her career, Julie Grace worked for several political icons, including Paul Simon, Alan Dixon, Joseph Kennedy, Walter Mondale, and Jimmy Carter. In 1991, she accepted a job with TIME magazine, where she specialized in social issues and was touted
When you put this book down you will feel privileged to have gotten to know, intimately, a man so totally honest and sure of himself
Marlin Fitzwater began writing short stories in College. After ten years in the White Houses of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, he returned to writing. He has produced a memoir, two novels, a stage play, and this book of seven short stories
+Magic+Gambling+Games Juggling
Livres de Magie en FrançaisZauberliteratur in DeutschLibri di Magia in ItalianoLibros de Magia en Español
+Nonfiction+├Antiques & Collectibles+├Architecture+├Art+├Bibles+├Biography & Autobiography │├Adventurers & Explorers │├Artists, Architects, Photographers │├Business+│├Composers & Musicians │├Criminals & Outlaws │├Culinary │├Editors, Journalists, Publishers │├Educators+│├Entertainment & Performing Arts │├Environmentalists & Naturalists │├Gay & Lesbian+│├Historical │├Law Enforcement │├Lawyers & Judges │├Literary │├Medical │├Military │├Native Americans │├People of Color │├People with Disabilities │├Personal Memoirs │├Philosophers │├Political │├Presidents & Heads of State │├Reference │├Religious │├Rich & Famous │├Royalty │├Scientists │├Social Activists │├Social Scientists & Psychologists │├Specific Groups+│├Sports │└Women+├Bluegrass+├Body, Mind & Spirit+├Business & Economics+├Computers+├Cooking+├Crafts & Hobbies+├Design+├Drama+├Education+├Family & Relationships+├Foreign Language Study+├Games+├Gardening+├Health & Fitness+├History+├House & Home+├Humor+├Juvenile Nonfiction+├Language Arts & Disciplines+├Law+├Literary Collections+├Literary Criticism+├Mathematics+├Medical+├Music+├Nature ├Non-Classifiable+├Performing Arts+├Periodicals+├Pets+├Philosophy+├Photography+├Poetry+├Political Science+├Psychology+├Reference+├Religion+├Science+├Self+├Social Science ├Software+├Sports & Recreation+├Study Aids+├Technology+├Transportation+├Travel+├True Crime+├Video & DVD Genre ├-German- └-Spanish-+Fiction+Arthur Dailey Photos Ernest Hemingway Numismatics


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App Submission Bug is now fixed; Music Player (Remix) update pushed through 18
webOS App Developers and consumers everywhere should be rejoicing over this one: The app update bug that has plagued us for the last month on legacy devices running webOS 2.x has finally been fixed, and those apps that experienced the issue, like Music Player (Remix) are now popping back up in the Palm Pre and Pixi devices everywhere. Previously, any meta-updates that a developer did with their products would cause the apps to break on any older devices running 2.x (the earliest device that this does not effect is the Verizon or GSM Pre 2).
So, if you've been missing a few of your favorite apps, or if you're a developer that's been waiting to update your products to continue supporting legacy device owners, now's your chance to get back in and check them out. As you can see by the screenshot above, which shows an update from Music Player (Remix) appearing in a Sprint 2.1 app catalog, the bug is fixed, and the apps are back.
Source: PreCentral Forums; Thanks, Mark!
18 Comments
Best news I've heard all day!
Aside from Spotify!
so when are they going to show MPR in the 2.0.1 catalog?
No quarterly posting of the Comscore results? Is HP not allowing that? I've been looking forward to see the results of "Think Beyond".
Wait, so do developers have to update their 2.1 apps again if they want it to show up for metadoctored devices?
Also, this isn't really supporting "legacy" devices for most people, only the people in Europe who have 2.1 on their Pre Plusses. I don't count metadoctored devices as officially being supported.
I'm not sure I understand. My metadoctored sprint franken pre2 now has access to all 2.x apps that had been previously removed. This despite the fact that my pre2 is not a sprint phone.
Perhaps this is not "officially" supported, but it's definately supported. They fixed a bug that caused certain apps to not be available.
Except it does not show up for the touchpad anymore.....another bug
Always the same thing with HP: do something good, balance with something bad. Fix something, break something. One step forward, two steps back.
I marked the app as being "not compatible" prior to the TouchPad release. HP posted the app in the TouchPad catalog anyway. When I issued the meta-data update (mentioned in this article), it finally took the app out of the TouchPad catalog.
Mojo emulation on the TouchPad has some serious issues which are affecting Music Player (Remix). I didn't want TouchPad owners to purchase the app and have a less-than-optimal experience.
Well, this might not be the best place to post this, but anyone who's tracked my comments knows I've been pretty critical of HP and Palm and the direction they've been taking webOS, so it might surprise you to know that I ordered the TouchPad (Bang! Pop! Zheeeee! - the fireworks are back!)
Why do I tell you? 'Cause I used the excellent Pros & Cons app to help me make up my mind. I've used it to make a couple critical decisions now, and I highly recommend it. Check it out.
I also installed the 3.0 SDK. Expect great thinks in the (hopefully) not too distant future...
Edit: Errr, "great things", not "great thinks", but come to think of it, that works too... :)
Was hoping that the Wifi Media Sync would show up for my Metadoctored Pre+ on Sprint.
Sadly, it does not, and sending the link to the device from the HP Catalog page takes me to a page saying it's not compatible with the device (on the device).
Other than Music Player Remix, what apps are now available again by this update? Just doctored recently and MPR was the only one I had noticed (yet) that was missing from my phone, but I'd like to download the rest.
@Navinag The app was never supposed to show up with the touchpad...the fact that it showed up was the bug, not that it disappeared.
I can't find the 3D camera app, and rposa can't find the Wifi Media Sync app (and neither can I).
That's why I asked above if developers need to push another update for their apps to be visible to metadoctored devices. If that's the case, why does HP continue to inconvenience developers? Enyo developers get the royal treatment, while Mojo developers keep getting mud kicked in their faces.
i've a verizon pre2 here, and I was on the verge of not being able to use my app crate codes for mpr fixed in the nick of time. (I wonder if my tweet to palm the day before the change mattered!! Hmm..)
(its a frankenpre2 if any were curious why)
sigh...still doesn't work for the 'upgraded' AT&T Pre+


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Team Fortress is a revolutionary class-based mod supporting from 2 to 4 teams in various gameplay modes of capture the flag, capture and hold, and hunted. I will try to fill this profile with as much OFFICIAL TF (no variants/mods) files I can fill.
Dec 14th, 2010 8 people agree 0 people don't
What else is there to say. It was 1997 and I met a buddy in highschool who introduced me to this game. The rest is history. Never before had I encountered a first person shooter game with class based team play. You were always fearful of crossing the bridge in 2fort5 because of elite snipers.
As a spy you actually disguised as an enemy and could feign death. Enemies would hide in the shadows and wait for ambush. Grenades galore where available for each class. This is one of the best mods ever created for any platform.
One can only hope it is resurrected in the future.
Mar 29th, 2011 4 people agree 0 people don't
best quake 1 mod
Apr 2nd, 2011 3 people agree 0 people don't
im addicted to teamfortress
Dec 5th, 2010 3 people agree 0 people don't
Really just a perfect mod
Nov 10th, 2013 1 person agrees 0 people don't
Original Team Fortress. Where it all started. Awesome.
Sep 22nd, 2013 1 person agrees 0 people don't
This is a MOD that will never get old, no matter how many years old it is! Brings out the best of my childhood. So glad it's still downloadable!
Mar 7th, 2013 0 people agree 1 person doesn't
you want Team Fortress? [this] is Team Fortress. beware of cheap imitations.
Jan 1st, 2013 1 person agrees 1 person doesn't
Better than tf2
Jul 12th, 2011 0 people agree 0 people don't
classic game i loved it as a child so many hours playing :D
Jun 23rd, 2011 0 people agree 0 people don't
What a great mod. This is possibly the best mod for Quake ever, and i wish that i could find mapmaking tools for it. I have found it very fun every time i play it, but nobody seems to even know what it is anymore. A wonderful mod all around, with fairly balanced gameplay, and lots of gib to boot.


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Moani has updates on Douglas, Elida and ArthurUPDATED 6:43 PM HST Jul 01, 2014
Moanikeala Nabarro has updates on Tropical Storms Douglas, Elida and Arthur.Video Transcript
we get to our island weather forecast...we've been watching DOUGLAS AND ELIDA off Mexico's coast, douglas still a tropical storm, over the opean ocean off mexico's coast. no impacts to land, ELIDA ...now a tropical depression...so its losing steam pretty quickly... still sending rain, some wind and surf to SOUTHWEST Mexico. both expected to fall a apart in the coming days, moving into stronger wind shear, and cooler waters. AND BOTH THOUSANDS OF MILES away from us, with no major impacts expected for Hawai'i.. heading to the atlantic..we talked about this one yesterday...it was a depression, then ---NOW--tropical storm ARTHUR...gaining some steam, winds at Miles an hour. Its off Floriday's east CENTRAL coast, look at its path, bumping up to a category 1 hurricane off shore of the CAROLINAs by THURSDAY...rig ht now, not looking like a pretty HOLIDAY WEEKEND for them there...a lot of
More Video
CommentsThe views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus


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BPL Community Profile
Andy Dixon (sideshowandy) - BPL Forum Member
You cannot send this user a personal message (PM) because they have not specified a PM email address yet.
All Forum Posts by Andy Dixon
Pillow X
If i recall correctly Hendrik recently did a comprehensive review of the pillow X on his site hikinginfinland.com
great review
thank you i have always loved bivys's and what they enable me to do. for example i also love sea fishing for bass. what other shelter allows me to scramble up sea cliffs and sleep out ...
eVent tents....
i have one of the Rab bivy tents & yes in certain conditions they still experience condensation however, this is not a major issue as I simply (carefully) fire up my gas stove for a short wh...
new PHD Designs quilt
http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/new_products_2011.php if you are not familiar with PHD's 900 quality down - it is quite astounding! they are very conservative in their measurement, they hint it i...
my feet are pretty tolerant, I can happily wear most decent brands. what sets Inov8 apart for me is the absolutely superb grip some of their sole units provide. I have sticky sole trainers from ...
lightweight lifestyle
great article luckily i saw the light a little while ago i no longer buy outdoor gear as i have far, far too much stuff already. if i actually need a new piece of gear now (rather unlikely...
new eVent bivys ("tents") now up on RAB's site
MTB accident
Pile/pertex performance
I have a Buffalo special 6 shirt with a Montane hood to provide another example of how well such gear performs consider this situation: a long day in the mountains in continuous wet snowfall ...
OMM pack sizings
as mentioned by Chris in the review, a word of caution over OMMs stated volumes is required. I have a OMM Villain which is listed as 45 litres (plus an additional 10 on extension) However, th...
All Reader Reviews by Andy Dixon
Showing 1 - 2 of 2 | Page: 1
BMW Cocoon Pro 60 Parka
excellent review by Kevin Davidson - especially re sizing as a result i also ordered the M which fits fine (normally i would order a L) excellent build quality like the hood not sure abou...
Exped Downmat 7
my experience with the mat is similar to Tim's somewhat contrary to what one would expect of a BPL member i bought this rather heavy mat for comfort during long winter nights and it has been su...


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Dazzle Jazz (930 Lincoln St.) has a run of dates so strong in the next month that it essentially cements itself as the jazz center of the Mountain Time Zone. Tickets for all four of the Joe Lovano Us 5 shows this Wednesday and Thursday are already gone, but you can still hear the sublime pianist Fred Hersch as he brings his trio to the club Feb. 7-8, and singer Kurt Elling headlines with his quartet Feb. 12-13. Trumpeter Ron Miles brings guitar innovator Bill Frisell and drummer Brian Blade to the Dazzle stage Feb. 15-16, followed by saxophone marvel Rudresh Mahanthappa Feb. 26-27, showcasing his gleaming new "Gamak" CD.
Elling's newest, "1619 Broadway — The Brill Building Project" (Concord) is Grammy nominated for best jazz vocal album, and it's one of his most accessible, warmest recordings to date. He draws from the massive catalogue of pop songs that emerged from Manhattan's Brill Building, where songwriting teams including Goffin-King, Leiber-Stoller and Bacharach-David plied their trade.
The song choices on "1619" aren't just classics, they're ideal opportunities for Elling to showcase the diversity of his pipes, as well as his road-tested band. He interprets the Frank Sinatra-associated "Come Fly With Me" nicely enough, but the real surprises here are his takes on "Shoppin' For Clothes" (The Coasters) and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (The Monkees.) Elling confidently personalizes material that other singers wouldn't think to reinvent. Through his willingness to explore, he helps keep the vocalese tradition alive.
Ron Miles is a long-term fixture in the Denver jazz community, so it's easy to take his cerebral, singular presence (and sound) for granted. Much of his latest CD, "Quiver" (Enja) was recorded in 2011 at Dazzle, with the same trio he is bringing back to the club in mid-February.
"Quiver" continues one of the more intriguing creative partnerships in recent years. Miles and Bill Frisell complement each other while evoking comedy and tragedy, without saying a word. Like Miles, Frisell spent much of his childhood in Denver, and they both employ plenty of space in their eccentricities. Drummer Brian Blade adds texture and propulsion; this is a superb improvising trio that reminds us that there is uniquely beautiful music that resonates from the mountains and towns of Colorado.
It's too early to declare a disc as the best of 2013, given that hardly anything has yet been released, or perhaps even recorded, that will see the light of retail this year. But nonetheless, may I introduce Rudresh Mahanthappa's "Gamak" (ACT) as an early contender for the top spot?
The saxophonist (who also grew up in Colorado) has been on a creative streak for several years. "Gamak" notches up the white-hot intensity of previous efforts and adds guitarist David Fiuczynsk, who himself seems to channel Pete Cosey, a presence known to help make those wild live mid-'70s Miles Davis records so incendiary. Mahanthappa fuses South Indian melodic ornamentation with a sense of Ornette Coleman-esque freedom, and intentionally or not, much of "Gamak" sounds like what Davis' '70s band might have been like, had it been fronted by Ornette. Both urgent and explosive, this one should burn well throughout the year.
Find out more about the upcoming appearances from all of these artists at dazzlejazz.com.
Set List: The Bob Montgomery-Al Hermann Quintet are performing at the Wazee Supper Club on Wednesdays ... Richie Cole and Janine Santana play Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret on Feb. 5 ... the Billy Childs Jazz Chamber Ensemble is scheduled for DU's Newman Center for Feb. 5, as well ... it's the Victor Wooten Band at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on Feb. 9.
Bret Saunders hosts the KBCO Morning Show at 97.3 FM and KBCO.com Monday-Friday from 530a to noon. Contact him: email@example.com.


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NBA: 76ers offer coaching job to Spurs' Brett Brown
Philadelphia • The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly offered Brett Brown their long-vacant coaching job.
Brown, an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, was in final discussions Friday night with Philadelphia regarding terms and finances, according to Yahoo! Sports. The Sixers have been searching for a coach since Doug Collins resigned in April.
Brown helped lead the Spurs to the NBA Finals last season, where they lost to the Miami Heat in seven games. He, along with new general manager Sam Hinkie, would be at the head of a major rebuilding project with the 76ers, who failed to make the postseason last year and finished in last place in the Atlantic Division, a year after advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Collins had one year left on his original four-year deal worth $4.5 million. He stepped down after a season so full of promise unraveled starting with the knee injury to center Andrew Bynum. The Sixers went 34-48 and lost Bynum via free agency to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Bynum, acquired in a summer trade in 2012, was considered a missing piece to the franchise. But he never played for the Sixers because of bone bruises in both knees. He insisted from training camp he would play, only to shut it down for good March 18.
See more about comments here.


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The Galena Fire started at George Rinker's home, right front, and spread several miles south through Lory State Park. No homes were destroyed, but grass was blackened, as shown in this March 18 photo. / Dawn Madura/Fort Collins Coloradoan
Galena Fire facts� The wildfire started about 11:45 a.m. March 15 at George Rinker�s house on Galena Court above the Lory State Park entrance west of Fort Collins. It took five days to fully contain the blaze.
� More than 200 homes along the northwestern and southwestern shores of Horsetooth Reservoir were temporarily evacuated. None burned in the wildfire.
� At the fire�s peak, more than 130 firefighters were involved. Five local agencies with 15 fire trucks, as well as some firefighting helicopters, were involved with containing the fire. Four firefighters reported minor injuries.
� On April 3, the Larimer County District Attorney�s Office announced that the fire�s investigation was complete and there had been no evidence to support criminal charges.
� The state park is expected to reopen by the end of April, and blackened grasses have already started to turn green.
A retired nuclear physicist tinkering with his homemade electric fence ignited the wildfire that roared through half of Lory State Park, forcing hundreds from their homes west of Fort Collins.
The spark that started the 1,348-acre Galena Fire in March leapt from an 18-inch PVC pipe with two wires coming out. The device was one of many do-it-yourself projects keeping George Rinker occupied in retirement. Some had led to unintended results or scared neighbors, but nothing compared to this mistake.
�Watching that thing go up is a feeling I can�t describe,� said Rinker, 68. �I was devastated.�
It wasn�t the first time firefighters have rushed to the Rinker residence: In 2009, embers from a controlled burn at his home on Galena Court spread and got �out of hand� before he contained a resulting spot fire by himself, according to a report released Wednesday from the Larimer County Sheriff�s Office.
That information was sent to prosecutors, along with a letter from an angry neighbor demanding criminal charges for the Galena Fire.
But the wildfire was determined to be accidental. Rinker said he�s learned from the mistake and will be more careful as he continues with his home projects.
Burning hoses, shoelaces
The grass was especially dry March 15 as Rinker was on the ground, fashioning his fence at the home overlooking the state park.
He saw the spark catch in the grass �like tissue paper.� It rapidly multiplied in the time it took him to stand.
Rinker, who holds a doctorate in physics, retired to Fort Collins after more than 30 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where his work included theoretical physics and nuclear weapons. He said he keeps himself busy with projects like the electric fence to keep his mind sharp.
When his fence sparked, Rinker first tried stomping the flames out with his feet. He went to use a hose, but he was having trouble with a spigot. He was seen running �helter-skelter� through flames, burning his shoelaces as he used a shovel to bat the fire, according to the sheriff�s report.
Neighbors Ryan Phelps, 45, and his son Nathan, 9, rushed down to help Rinker with the fire. They arrived to see a 40-foot-wide flame.
Phelps said they soon realized a problem with the hoses: The fire�s heat had melted them shut, stopping any water from flowing out.
�My dad grabbed a hose,� Nathan said. �He cut the end off and handed it to me ... I had to spray the decks, a tree, there was a bush that caught on fire, and I got burned a little bit.�
Despite receiving a burn on his arm, Nathan said he was mostly excited.
�Nathan never acted like he was afraid,� Rinker said, adding that at one point he had fire on three sides. �Those two saved my house from burning.�
A restless 'mad scientist'
Phelps said he�s not mad at Rinker for starting the fire.
�I don�t want to cause fires. But if we�re going to have them anyway, I�d just as soon have them in March, with the scrub burned down before July,� Phelps said.
The High Park Fire last year came close to their neighborhood, and it was evacuated twice.
�We�re gradually getting insulated by a large buffer zone around the neighborhood,� Phelps said.
He said if Rinker was negligent, he might think differently, but it was clearly a mistake.
However, neighbor Julie Brewen wrote Larimer County District Attorney Cliff Riedel asking him �to pursue prosecution to the fullest extent against Mr. Rinker.� Rinker�s previous fire burned part of her yard, according to the letter.
�My husband and son are very afraid,� she wrote.
The sheriff�s report says Rinker�s electric-fence device was connected to a 100-foot extension cord that was plugged into a power strip plugged into another extension cord plugged into an electrical outlet.
�My house looks like a mad scientist�s house,� said Rinker, who looks more like a university professor than the stereotypical mad scientist �Doc� in �Back to the Future.�
The affable physicist with blue eyes, white hair and a well-kept beard wore a mint-condition beige Members Only jacket when he met with the Coloradoan to discuss the wildfire. He declined to be photographed.
He said the electric fence was intended to keep deer away from his plants and to keep his dog contained to the yard.
His other projects have included a vermin-repelling contraption with a metal trash can on cinder blocks over metal mesh. When a raccoon attracted to garbage stood on the mesh and touched the trash can, it received a nonlethal zap of electricity. Sometimes Rinker set it up to activate outdoor lights so he could catch a glimpse of the animal.
�I wanted to train raccoons that garbage cans were bad news,� Rinker said, adding that it didn�t take long for all the raccoons in the neighborhood to learn. �After a few days, they never came back.�
One time, a skunk got shocked by a similar experiment and reacted naturally. The smell roused Rinker from sleep.
�He must�ve shot out everything he had,� he said of the pungent skunk spray.
Rinker has built his own home humidifier, front-door thermometer and coffee-grinder timer. He said he�ll keep his hose handy in the future, but the Galena Fire hasn�t deterred him from tinkering.
�I am what I am,� Rinker said. �I don�t think I�m any more dangerous than the average pot smoker.�
Still, he regrets the wildfire and is sorry to the people it affected.
�There was absolutely no one to blame but me,� Rinker said. �If that�s not the worst I�ve felt about anything in my life, that wasn�t enough for me.�


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Information Radio - MB | Apr 16, 2013 | 5:22
Winnipeg marathon runner reacts to Boston bombing
About 40 Manitobans were running in the Boston Marathon. None of them were injured. But many are very shaken by the experience. Winnipegger Melanie Sifton ran in the marathon. She was at the airport in Boston, waiting for her flight home to Winnipeg, w


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In 1919 Khrushchev became a political commissar in the Red Army, accompanying troops fighting both the Poles and Lithuanians. In 1922 he returned to school and completed his education. In 1925 he became Communist Party secretary of the Petrovosko-Mariinsk District. Early recognizing the importance of Communist Party Secretary Josef Stalin, Khrushchev nurtured a friendship with Stalin's associate and party secretary in Ukraine, Lars Kaganovich, who helped him secure a full-time party post in the Moscow city party apparatus in 1931.
By 1935 Khrushchev was secretary-general of the Moscow Communist Party, in effect mayor of the capital. In 1938 he became a candidate (nonvoting member) of the Politburo, and in 1939 he was a full member. He was one of few senior party officials to survive Stalin's Great Purges. After the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Khrushchev was made a lieutenant general and placed in charge of resistance in Ukraine and relocating heavy industry eastward.
With the Red Army's liberation of Ukraine, Khrushchev took charge of that region. This led to his first clash with Stalin. With Ukraine suffering major food shortages in 1946, Khrushchev concentrated on efforts to increase agricultural production, while Stalin wanted emphasis to be on heavy industry. As a consequence, Stalin demoted Khrushchev. By 1949, however, Khrushchev was back in favor in his previous post as head of the Communist Party machinery in Moscow. In 1952, at the 19th Party Congress, Khrushchev received the assignment of drawing up a new party structure, which led to the replacement of the old Politburo by the Presidium of the Central Committee. Khrushchev benefited from this change as one of the powerful committee secretaries. Following Stalin's death on 5 March 1953, a brief power struggle ensued, with no one person on the ten-member Presidium dominating. Khrushchev did not appear to be a likely choice for supreme power, but on 14 March, when Georgy Malenkov suddenly resigned as secretary of the Central Committee, Khrushchev succeeded him. Malenkov, however, retained his post as head of the party. Shortly thereafter, another Khrushchev rival, Lavrenty Beria, was removed from authority and executed. Over the next four years, Malenkov and Khrushchev struggled over who would dominate the Soviet state. Khrushchev had taken responsibility for Soviet agriculture, and by 1953 he registered considerable successes in that vital sector of the economy. His Virgin Lands program the next year opened new agricultural lands in Kazakhstan and western Siberia. Early successes in that region assisted his rise to power, although they were only temporary. Unpredictable climatic conditions and overuse of chemical fertilizers undermined the program after he was in power.
Meanwhile, Malenkov advocated increases in consumer goods to benefit the Soviet people. Hard-liners in the party leadership and military opposed this and sought continued concentration in heavy industry and increases in defense spending. Khrushchev took the tactical decision to side with the hard-liners, and in February 1955 Malenkov was defeated in a party plenum called on this issue and resigned as party chairman. On Khrushchev's recommendation, Nikolai Bulganin succeeded Malenkov. For a time it appeared as if both Bulganin and Khrushchev were running the Soviet state, although Khrushchev wielded actual power through his control of the party machinery.
Malenkov remained a member of the Presidium, where he continued to intrigue against Khrushchev. In June 1957 Khrushchev took full authority when an attempt by Malenkov, Kaganovich, and Vyacheslav Molotov to unseat Khrushchev miscarried and they themselves were purged. It speaks volumes about the change in the Soviet state under Khrushchev, however, that the three men were not executed.
Indeed, Khrushchev's greatest—and perhaps most risky—achievement as leader of the Soviet Union was the unmasking of Stalin's legacy and his attempt to de-Stalinize Soviet society. The most powerful blow to the Stalinists came during his famous speech at a closed session of the 20th Party Congress on 25 February 1956 in which Khrushchev documented just some of the crimes and purges of the Stalinist period. In fact, the Soviet Union became gradually more liberal under Khrushchev, and it never did return to the kind of oppressive barbarism for which Stalin was known.
Nevertheless, the overall thrust of Khrushchev's policies tended to be ambivalent and was overshadowed by surprising shifts, inconsistencies, and poorly conceptualized initiatives. Success during the 1950s in economic policy, industrial production, and the space program, in which he took special interest, compelled Khrushchev to proclaim that by 1970, the Soviet Union would surpass the United States in per capita production. In 1980, he predicted, America would embrace communism.
In reality, severe economic problems persisted in the Soviet Union, particularly with respect to consumption and agriculture, where the early initiative to develop the Virgin Lands ended poorly. During Khrushchev's reign, the ideological and political atmosphere often changed. To some extent, his orientation in this regard depended upon his standing within the Soviet leadership and the international communist movement. In 1957 he forbade the publication of Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago, whereas in 1962 he allowed the publication of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's (much more critical) novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
In foreign policy, Khrushchev generally attempted to ease tensions with the West, particularly with the United States. He rejected Stalin's thesis that wars between capitalist and socialist countries were inevitable and instead sought peaceful coexistence. On the whole, up until 1960, Soviet-American relations improved. Khrushchev's 1959 visit to the United States was a remarkable success. His talks with President Dwight D. Eisenhower produced, at least for a brief time, what came to be called the Spirit of Camp David. Another highlight of improved East-West relations was the 25 July 1963 signing of a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
But Khrushchev engaged in some rather dubious and dangerous foreign policy initiatives as well. He initiated the 1958 Berlin Crisis, authorized the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, and used the U-2 Crisis in 1960 to provoke a showdown with Eisenhower and torpedo the May 1960 Paris Conference.
Most disturbing of all, in 1962 Khrushchev decided to install intermediate-range ballistic missiles in communist Cuba. After a brief but extremely tense confrontation with President John F. Kennedy's administration in October 1962, during which the superpowers were poised on the abyss of thermonuclear war, Khrushchev decided to remove the weapons. The Cuban Missile Crisis was by far Khrushchev's worst foreign policy mistake. Although he did exact a few concessions from the Americans in return for the missiles' removal, the crisis was clearly a humiliating loss of face for the Soviets and for the Soviet leader personally. Ultimately, it became an important factor in his fall from power less than two years later.
Khrushchev's policy toward other socialist states was equally ambivalent. He restored Soviet relations with Yugoslavia in 1955, after the Tito-Stalin break of 1948. He promoted de-Stalinization programs in Eastern bloc states and allowed a certain extent of limited autonomy for communist parties abroad. However, Khrushchev was not above cracking down on dissent when it was in his best interest. When his secret 1956 speech on Stalin and the ensuing de-Stalinization campaign led to revolts in Poland and Hungary, he intervened in both cases. In fact, he ordered the 1956 Hungarian Revolution crushed by brute force. He was unable to head off crises in Soviet-Albanian and Sino-Soviet relations when Albanian and Chinese officials criticized his de-Stalinization policies and rapprochement with the West. Both crises became quite serious by the early 1960s and led to permanent schisms. Particularly noteworthy was the Sino-Soviet split, for which Khrushchev was largely blamed.
Because of the failure of Khrushchev's agricultural policies, the Sino-Soviet split, the debacle of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the leader's increasingly unpredictable and unstable leadership, he was ousted by the party's Central Committee on 14 October 1964 and relieved of all his positions. He then wrote his memoirs, which were published in the West beginning in 1970. Khrushchev died in Moscow on 11 September 1971 following a massive heart attack.
Magarditsch Hatschikjan
Further Reading
Khrushchev, Nikita S. Khrushchev Remembers. Introduction and commentary by Edward Crankshaw. Translated by Strobe Talbott. Boston: Little, Brown 1970.; Khrushchev, Nikita S. Khrushchev Remembers: The Glasnost Tapes. Translated and edited by Jerrold L. Schecter with Vyacheslav V. Luchkov. Boston: Little, Brown, 1990.; Khrushchev, Nikita S. Khrushchev Remembers: The Last Testament. Translated and edited by Strobe Talbott. Boston: Little, Brown, 1974.; Khrushchev, Nikita S. Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev. Edited by Sergei Khrushchev and translated by George Shriver. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2004.; Linden, Carl. Khrushchev and the Soviet Leadership, 1957–1964. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1966.; Medvedev, Roi A. Khrushchev. Translated by Brian Pearce. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 1982.; Taubman, William. Khrushchev: The Man and His Era. New York: Norton, 2003.


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Hudler came back to the Detroit Red Wings this season after opting to play in Russia last season. Most -- including Hudler -- figured he'd be a big point-producing addition to an already-stacked Detroit lineup.
It hasn't worked out that way through seven games, however, with the Wings poised to host Phoenix on Thursday at Joe Louis Arena.
Hudler still is searching for his first goal and has just 2 points and a minus-6 rating. His center on the Wings' third line, Mike Modano, also is minus-6, while the line's third member, Danny Cleary, is minus-4. Despite the Wings' current two-game win streak, that line has finished with minus ratings in each of the past two games.
"I thought the last three or four games we've had good games, but that doesn't mean anything until you produce," Hudler told NHL.com following Detroit's practice Thursday. "You can have a lot of scoring chances and look good, but if you're a minus three games in a row, it's not good."
"It looks like an issue now, but I feel great physically," said Hudler, who had 23 goals and scored 57 points in 82 regular-season games for Detroit in 2008-09. "I'm starting to get frustrated, obviously. (But) I don't feel like there is an adjustment because I've been in this organization a long time. I know what to do."
Modano and Cleary know what to do, too -- though Modano, 40, still might be getting accustomed to the Wings' system after joining the team as a free agent this summer.
Is their line having issues with unfamiliarity? Possibly, but Hudler isn't ready to use that excuse.
"Mike is new to the system, but he's a veteran guy, a future Hall of Famer, and he knows what to do," Hudler said. "We've just got to keep grinding and one is going to get in. That might help turn it back to where we want it. We're hoping for (better chemistry) and working for it … but it better be soon."
Lidstrom to pair with Stuart -- Searching for a more physical player to go with top defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit coach Mike Babcock is pairing the veteran Swedish star with 6-foot-2, 210-pound Brad Stuart for tonight's game against Phoenix.
It's something Babcock is trying while veteran defenseman Brian Rafalski recovers from knee surgery that's kept him out of all but two games and likely will require at least a couple more weeks to heal.
"It gives (Lidstrom) a physical guy who can match up and go get pucks for him and let him make plays," Babcock said. "I don't know if that's our best group when we get our six together that we envisioned playing at the start of the year, but it's a good pair for us at this point."
Turris off to fast start -- Phoenix rookie forward Kyle Turris was taken by the Coyotes with the third pick of the 2007 Entry Draft, right after Patrick Kane (No. 1) and James van Riemsdyk (No. 2).
While those two met in the Stanley Cup Final last season, Turris watched and wondered when he'd get another chance with the Coyotes. He spent last season in the American Hockey League with the San Antonio Rampage after recording 8 goals and 20 points and finishing with a minus-15 rating in 63 games with Phoenix in 2008-09.
Turris isn't worried about measuring up to his draft classmates this season. Instead, he's worried most about measuring up to Coyotes coach Dave Tippett's expectations.
"I just wanted to make the team and do everything I could to chip in if I did," said Turris, who has 3 goals and 4 points in six games. "I had a good camp and made the team. Now I'm just trying to contribute as much as I can. I feel strong. I feel comfortable, and I just felt like this was going to be a good year."
Tippett likes what he's seen so far from Turris, and thinks the pressure of being a high draft pick actually will help him.
"Knowing Kyle as a player and as a person, he uses that pressure in a good way," Tippett said following the Coyotes' practice Thursday. "He wants to be successful. He wants to be a real good player. Expectations are high for him, but he accepts that. I like his attitude toward it."
"I watched a lot of Nick Lidstrom and I just tried to do what he does."
-- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
In fact, 19-year old Oliver Ekman-Larsson is opening a lot of eyes on the Coyotes. He's already drawing some comparisons to Lidstrom at the same age, and for good reason -- Ekman-Larsson was a big Lidstrom fan growing up in Karlskrona, Sweden.
"I watched a lot of Nick Lidstrom and I just tried to do what he does," said Ekman-Larsson, Phoenix's first round pick (No. 6) in the 2009 Entry Draft. "He's a really good player and he was my favorite player to watch when I was growing up."
He's already gotten to play against Lidstrom and the Wings once this season, in Phoenix on Oct. 16. Ekman-Larsson didn't get to meet his childhood hero, though. He did meet Detroit's other Swedish defensemen, Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson.


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So you're looking for the fastest, lightest, sleekest looking folding bike? Look no further! The Dahon Mu Ex has it all and boasts some style on top of that. This bike weighs less than its number of gears (20) and uses the legendary SRAM red drivetrain, for the most efficient gear-shifting around. This bike doesn't mess around!
Dahon Mu Ex Features:
If there is a Dahon bike built for speed, it's the Mu EX. This baby flies on Schwalbe Kojak tires, and with the super-fast SRAM Red shifter, you can cycle through 20 speeds with ease. The red Kinetix Niobium rims are lightweight and fast. You'll be sure to turn some heads when you whiz by on this thing.
Dahon took care to make this bike as light as possible, so every component uses titanium or a carbon alloy. At 19.4 lbs, this is the lightest folding bike you'll find anywhere! Since it takes only 3 steps to fold, this is the easiest bike to transport.
Even after all of the amazing components on this bike, the look of it alone is enough to intimidate the casual biker. The red trim on the wheels and seat post is a bright contrast to the jet-black frame. You'll not only have the fastest and lightest bike around, you'll also look cool riding it.
|Frame Sizes:
|Gear Inches:
|30" - 94"
|Distance: Seatpost to Handlebar:
|Min: 630 mm (24.6") Max: 710 mm (27.7")
|Distance: Saddle to Pedal:
|Min: 680 mm (26.5") Max: 965 mm (38")
|Folding Size:
|35 x 80 x 66 cm (13.7" x 31.2" x 25.7")
|Folding Time:
|15 sec
|8.8 kg (19.4 lb) w/o pedals
|Suggested Rider Height:
|142 - 193 cm (4'8" - 6'4")
|Max Rider Weight:
|105 kg (230 lb)
|PA Series, 7005 butted aluminum alloy, custom-drawn Sonus tubing, Lattice Forged Hinge, patented Fusion and V-Clamp technologies
|Dahon SlipStream, Puro U7 aluminum, patented Fusion technology, double butted tubing
|Radius T, patented Fusion and V-Clamp technologies, forged aluminum, custom designed for Syntace VRO system
|Kinetix Pro, Flat bar, double butted 7050 AL
|Syntace VRO, adjustable
|Dahon Fusion XP+, zero stack, angular contact cartridge bearings, machined aluminum cups
|Grip/Bars Tape:
|Ergon GX2, Leichtbau, Magnesium bar end
|Kore XCF, forged 6061 T-Beam
|Kore I-Beam, 2014 AL, 34 x 580 mm
|Seat Clamp:
|Dahon Turtleneck clamp
|Front Brake:
|Kinetix Pro, forged ultra light aluminum V-brakes, aluminum cartridge pads, stainless hardware, micro bolts
|Rear Brake:
|kinetix Pro, forged ultra light aluminum V-brakes, aluminum cartridge pads, stainless hardware, micro bolts
|Brake Levers:
|Avid Speed Dial 7, leverage adjust
|Brake Cable & Housing:
|Dahon LiveWire 7.0, anti-compression housing, Slick cables, DuPont L3 lubricant, alloy ferrules
|Front Hub:
|Kinetix Pro, stainless steel cartridge bearings, Ultralight 58 gram design
|Rear Hub:
|Kinetix Pro, stainless cartridge bearings, 205 grams
|Kinetix Pro by Sapim, super light, double butted, 30 pcs.
|Sapim Polyax, self aligning, brass
|Kinetix Pro, Niobium alloy, doublewall, CNC machined sidewalls
|Dahon Special Edition Schwalbe Kojak 35-406, 95 psi, Qualifier Compound casing, RaceGuard puncture protection, Kevlar bead
|SRAM Red, 2 x 10 DoubleTap flat bar triggers, Teflon coated cables
|Front Derailluer:
|SRAM Red, titanium cage
|Rear Derailluer:
|SRAM Red, carbon cage, ceramic pulley bearings
|FSA SL-K w/ 55/44T CNC rings
|SRAM Red, 11-28T
|Bottom Bracket:
|Integrated with crankset
|Cable & Housing:
|Dahon LiveWire 8.0, sealed alloy ferrules, Dupont L3 lubricant
|Clip System:
|Magnetix system
|Reflective trouser strap
|4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm


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BEEN THERE: I paid a visit on October 2, 2008, during the final phase of construction.
It was in February 2006 that the Mets announced plans to build a new stadium on the east side of Shea Stadium, and after some legal challenges to the project's tax-exempt status, public funding was approved during the summer. At first there was a proposal to have retractable roof, but that idea was abandoned as too costly. Construction began in November 2006, as the name of the ballpark was announced. Under the terms of a 20-year naming rights contract, Citibank will pay over $20 million per year. (In spite of criticism, the recent bailout of CitiGroup by the federal government will not void this contract.) The new stadium was completed on time, and the Mets played their first game in it on Monday April 13, 2009, losing to the San Diego Padres, 6-5. Attendance was 41,007.
The new home of the New York Mets has a lot going for it, but one gets the sense that the architects went a bit too far in trying to be all things to all people. The design is unique, with several interesting features, and follows a logical scheme, but is not arbitrary, or a case of "contrived asymmetry." The overall trapezoidal shape, with a large rotunda in the apex behind home plate (below the bottom edge of the diagram), borrows heavily from Ebbets Field, quite obviously. The brick exterior and arched windows are patterned after it as well.
Some design features are rather unusual, if not downright radical. The second-deck overhang in right field (essentially eliminated after 2011) pays homage to the Polo Grounds, but it actually bears more resemblance to Tiger Stadium. It is almost the same situation in deep left field, where the second deck extends to directly above the outfield wall, like the right field upper decks in Coors Field. Upper deck fans out there will miss some of the outfield action, but will have good views of the infield -- just like at RFK Stadium. The grandstand upper deck is "split-level," as at most other newer ballparks; I consider it to be a single deck. Between the dugouts is a small deck of seats that extends forward from the elite club suites, and I don't think any other ballparks have such a seating configuration. Another unique feature is the shape of foul territory, which is fairly small and with an angled backstop, not curved. The backstop distance is very short, about 45 feet. Other than Citizens Bank Park, this is the only Neoclassical ballpark like that.
Compared to the Mets' previous home, Shea Stadium, most of the seats at Citi Field are closer to the diamond. As originally built, it had a slightly larger outfield, especially in right field. After the first three years, it was decided that it favors pitchers over batters, way too much. The main exterior wall is only ten or twenty feet behind the black screen in center field of Shea Stadium. One drawback is that the main scoreboard / video screen is significantly farther away than the old one at Shea Stadium, and is angled away from folks on the first base side.
Various modifications were made to Citi Field in the years following its opening. In 2010, the bullpens which used to be parallel to the right-center fence were reoriented becoming diagonal. In the original configuration, visiting team pitchers could hardly see the field from where they sat. Also, the fence in center field was lowered from eleven feet to eight feet. On June 7, 2011, a soccer match between Ecuador and Greece was played at Citi Field. After the end of the 2011 season, several changes in the outfield fences were announced, aimed at reducing the size of the outfield. There is a new "Party Deck" behind left field, with one or two rows of seats with tables for food and drinks; the new shorter fence in front of that section is 10-15 feet closer to home plate than the original "Great Wall of Flushing." That raised capacity (originally 41,800) by 122 seats. In addition, a new inner fence was erected in the deepest corner to the right of center field, and the ground-level "Mo's Zone" section in right field was expanded, reducing the overhang. The fence height was made uniform 8 feet across the outfield. The original wall had varied in height from 12 feet at the left field foul pole, rising to 15 feet (dubbed "the Great Wall of Flushing"), then dropping to 11 feet in center field and 8 feet in right field. The Mets did better than expected during the first half of the 2012 season, but the shorter outfield distances apparently helped the visiting teams more than it helped the Mets, according to figures they compiled.
After the 2014 season, the fence in right-center field was moved in for a second time, in hopes of giving the Mets more of a home field advantage. (David Wright often hits toward right field.) The orientation of the bullpens is expected to change, but the exact layout is not yet certain.
SOURCES: Lowry (2006); Baseball Fever, Zack Hample
FAN TIPS: John Crozier, Brian Hughes, George (?), Mike Zurawski, Terry Wallace, Harry Heller, Trepye


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The Who2 Blog
From Dropout to Doctorate: A Bill Cosby Educational Timeline
"My father said, 'Junior, it takes a man to play football, but any fool can get up on the stage and make an ass of himself.'"
That's Bill Cosby, talking about college, comedy and football in a terrific interview with George Vecsey.
I knew Bill Cosby had a Ph.D. in Education (or an Ed.D., as it's called), but I didn't know that before that he had been a high school dropout. He quit high school and "wound up in the Navy, earning an equivalency diploma, tending to the wounded in a military hospital," says Vecsey.
Then Cosby went to Temple University, at age 24. Two years later he quit football and then quit college, too, but wore "a cherry-red Temple sweatshirt while working clubs in Philadelphia and New York." Cosby then was "awarded his bachelor's degree by Temple in 1971," according to the Encyclopedia of African American History. (The same source says he joined the Navy after failing the 10th grade.)
So let's break this all down into a Bill Cosby educational timeline:
1937: Bill Cosby born
1956: Bill Cosby fails 10th grade at Germantown High School in Philadelphia
1956: Joins the U.S. Navy; earns his high school equivalency degree
1960: Honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy
1961: Enters Temple University (also in Philadelphia) on an athletic scholarship
1961: Letters as a fullback on the Temple football team and runs track
1963: Quits Temple to do comedy full-time
1963: Does his first guest spot on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
1964: Releases his first comedy album: Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow... Right!
1965: Begins starring on TV show I Spy
1971: Is awarded a bachelor's degree by Temple University
1971: Joins the cast of the educational TV show The Electric Company (through 1973)
1972: Master's degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts
1976: Submits doctoral thesis
1976: Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts
Bill Cosby's doctoral thesis was titled "An Integration of the Visual Media via Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning." It's 142 pages long, with another 100 pages of bibliography and appendices.
Many sources (including the usually reliable Museum of Broadcast Communications) claim that Cosby earned his doctorate from UMass in 1977. However, 1976 is the correct year. His typed doctoral thesis is dated September 1976, and on its website the university repeatedly says he earned the degree in 1976, calling him "Dr. Bill Cosby (Ed.D. 1976)."
It doesn't sound like Cosby went to school full-time (or even part-time) to get his degrees. His bachelor's from Temple came in 1971, years after he left school. Temple awarded him the degree on the basis of life experience, and who can blame them? All Cosby had done after leaving school was become an international comedy star, earn three Emmy Awards for acting in I Spy, etc, etc. Naturally they wanted to recognize that and claim him as their own.
His grad degrees were also legitimately given, not honorary, but the details of how and when exactly he squeezed in classes are a bit elusive. On the first page of his doctoral thesis, Cosby thanks his advisor Dr. Norma Jean Anderson, saying "I am especially indebted for her faith in my doing graduate work, to the extent that she travelled to New York to personally recruit me into the graduate program."
I wonder if it's too much to assume from that phrase that Dr. Anderson saw an opportunity to boost the profile of UMass by recruiting an education-minded celebrity, and did so with a promise that the school would be flexible with courses and work around his schedule?
Here were some of the items on Cosby's work schedule from 1971-76:
- Appeared regularly on The Electric Company and Sesame Street (starting 1971)
- Created and starred in Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, the iconic Saturday morning show (starting 1972)
- Created and starred in the short-lived primetime series The New Bill Cosby Show (1972)
- Created and starred in the short-lived primetime variety series Cos (1976)
- Starred in the feature films Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Let's Do It Again (1975) and Mother, Jugs and Speed (1976)
So it's clear Cosby wasn't hanging out on campus too much. None of which is to say Bill Cosby didn't earn his degrees or doesn't deserve them. Even if Cosby got an occasional free pass here and there on the way to his degrees, how rare is that? (He certainly wouldn't be the first football player in college history to get a degree without completing every last course.) Also, he donated $23 million to Spellman College in 1993, and he deserves a Ph.D. for that alone.
But others have gotten tetchy about Cosby's degrees, it turns out. Author and academic Michael Eric Dyson presented the story this way in his 2006 book Is Bill Cosby Right?:
[Cosby] dropped out of high school after he flunked the tenth grade three times. He enlisted in the navy, where he got his GED, and then enrolled at Temple University, where he dropped out to pursue a show business career. His unfinished bachelor's degree from Temple was eventually bestowed on him because of "life experience." Cosby enrolled as a part-time doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, which awarded him the Ed.D. degree in 1977 for a dissertation on Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
But not even that degree was unsullied by controversy: A professor who served on Cosby's dissertation committee, Reginald Damerell, said that Cosby hardly took a class -- and that he got course credit for appearing on Sesame Street and The Electric Company, "and wrote a dissertation that analyzed the impact of his show." Damerell concluded that degrees like Cosby's "do not attest to genuine academic achievement. They are empty credentials."
Dyson then backtracks a little, saying that Damerell's conclusion is "harsh and unfair," but that doesn't stop Dyson from putting those skeptical quote marks around "life experience." He also notes the "ironic route Cosby has traveled to become nearly as acclaimed for his educational pedigree as for his comedic genius."
Dyson's book attacks Cosby for blaming black parents and kids for their failures -- "It's a good thing Cosby didn't have Bill Cosby around to discourage him from achieving his goals," he says -- so his comments on Cosby's education might be taken with a grain of salt.
His statement that Cosby flunked tenth grade three times, though, accounts for why Cosby was 18 or 19 when he joined the Navy in 1956.
The other thing that stands out in that educational timeline is how rapidly Cosby rose in comedy. He gets out of the Navy in 1960, starts school in 1961, and two years later he's doing standup for Johnny Carson. The next year he has a hit comedy album, and the year after that he's starring in I Spy and winning Emmy Awards. That's impressive.
As a final side note, Cosby's wife Camille earned her own doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts in 1992. So there are two Doctor Cosbys in the house.
(Photo: Temple University, via The New York Times)