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For as long a time as your Speculatroners have been dutifully cataloguing the damage that the primary process has been doing to Mitt Romney's brand, we have been cautioning you to underrate the long-term effects of the grueling primary season. And even as President Barack Obama has stacked up some occasionally gaudy results in various polls -- and Obama had what amounted to a banner week last week -- we've maintained that eventually the race would tighten. And the Obama campaign evidently felt the same way: for the past few weeks, it has been feeling waves of concern that its base of donors and supporters were settling into an assumption that the president's re-election was a done deal.
So, we're assuming that having said all that, all of you were among the least surprised people in America when the latest Gallup tracking poll had Mitt Romney ahead by two points, followed by a number of various poll results that suggested a wide variance as to who was up and who was down. All of which suggests a very close race is in the offing. Welcome to the general election, folks!
If you've a mind to follow the race closely, the shift to the general election means that you'll have new noise to detune as the contest escalates. Welcome, for example, to the period where pseudo-events dominate news coverage -- the time where a CNN pundit or a former rock star can say something that causes the media to stampede in the direction of Acid Canyon.
And if you follow the race closely, you're going to run up on a glut of polls and polling data from now until we all have to start preparing for the Mayan Apocalypse. There's a good chance that most of you have already encountered some useful guide on how to read polls and polling now that we've switched from the primary stage of the election to the general.
Nate Silver, for instance, offered a fairly comprehensive guide this week. His advice -- "be patient," remember the distinctions between registered voters and likely voters, keep an eye on economic indicators -- is well-heeded. We agree that keeping an eye on polling averages is the key to following the state of the race. One caveat: remember in these early days, some of the state averages won't be based on a lot of current polling, so don't draw conclusions too quickly.
Additionally, we'd remind you that even though you'll hear about nationwide head-to-head polls, you should remember that the election will be decided in the electoral college, and that a handful of battleground states will determine which way the race swings.
For example, in the news this week, you'll hear that Romney is up by two in the Gallup tracking poll and up by two in New Hampshire. Which result is more revealing? At the moment, it's the Gallup. That one result in New Hampshire is an outlier poll that happens to be the only one in the field, so far, in April. But as more polling gets conducted in New Hampshire, that polling average will have more and more salience -- especially if the national tracking continues to predict a close race -- because New Hampshire is one of those key swing states whose electoral votes Obama will want to retain.
Similarly, when you're looking at Obama's approval ratings, remember that while the nationwide result tells a general picture, the approval ratings in places like Virginia, Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania tell you so much more.
And above all, remember that there's a lot of political action happening on the ground that doesn't get reported. How well is Mitt Romney doing getting people to show up and make phone calls? Are those Obama field offices packed with as many enthusiastic volunteers are they were in 2008? This is where the fervor for a candidate can be best measured.
Yes, we know that for a long while, the story has been about GOP infighting over who would eventually be the party's nominee. A ghost mailer in Iowa from the Rick Santorum campaign that went out this week serves as a last reminder of that era. "It truly frightens me to think what'll happen if Mitt Romney is the nominee," the mailer -- which had been paid for and for which distribution was arranged before Santorum dropped out of the race -- sums up the argument that Romney's GOP competitors had been making all along. And as long as other candidates were in that race, providing voters with the dream of an alternative, everyone who was inclined to not like Romney had the leeway to do so.
But we're now in the part of the election cycle where Santorum's forthcoming communications will read, "It truly frightens me to think what'll happen if Barack Obama wins re-election." And so, the formerly disaffected are coming home, and the "not-Romneys" are joining up to be part of the "not-Obama" movement. As our own Mark Blumenthal pointed out this week, the bases have aligned themselves behind their candidates. Remember all those primaries this past year, where pundits alleged that Romney's inability to win more than [x] percent was a troubling omen for the general? Yeah, you can forget that now.
In fact, the hot new wave of speculation is about whether the current election is going to be a "referendum" election or a "choice" election. Team Romney will hope for the former, and argue that a greater economic recovery would be possible under his technocratic management. Team Obama will make the latter case, and suggest that a Romney administration would take the country back to the bad old days. There are historical examples in which incumbents have successfully bucked the conventional wisdom on the "referendum" election, but basic political science favors the notion that this election is likely to be predicated on Obama's first term.
Of course, as the election season changes, so will your Speculatron. In the coming weeks, we're going to transition away from covering the dwindling primary contenders and get on a general election footing. That means that we'll also be providing coverage of key downticket races in the Senate, the House, and the states.
And we'll be sending readers to further flung places as well and exposing readers to the work of reporters who know their state's political culture like the back of their hand -- like Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun, Adam Smith of the St. Petersburg Times, and Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Naturally, if you've got a favorite political reporter or think a race in your area deserves more coverage, we want to hear about it.
But for the moment, we'll slowly wind down the primary season. This week, Mitt Romney struggled with secrecy, Barack Obama fought distractions, Ron Paul went to war with Alaska, Gary Johnson challenged the two-party frame and Newt Gingrich skirmished with Antarctic waterfowl. To find out who won their battles and who lost, please feel free to enter the Speculatron for the week of April 20, 2012.
As has been discussed at length, here and elsewhere, Mitt Romney is emerging from the primary season as a historically unpopular nominee. So the electorate is still showing some unwillingness to embrace him. It surely doesn't help when Romney has a problem with eating the cookies that they offer him. There were National Rifle Association members, for example, who remained skeptical of Romney, telling reporters that he's still largely "grabbing at straws to get popularity," and that "he panders to whoever he's talking to." Chances are, he might have fared better at the NRA confab if he'd remembered to actually mention "guns" more than once. And some House Republicans remain almost comically cool to the idea of Romney as their 2012 standardbearer. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), for instance, complained, "There is not that excitement level, it's not what you would see with a Bill Clinton or a George Bush, for that matter, who were able to identify with people. So far, Governor Romney has not shown that." And Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) said wryly, "Whether you're liberal, or whether you're very conservative, you ought to be excited, because he's been on your side at one time or another." He followed that up by saying of Romney's candidacy, that he was "not as excited as I am desperate." And Romney continues to wait for Rick Santorum's official endorsement, which he has yet to proffer. In the meantime, Santorum's campaign evidently forgot to cancel a scheduled mailing. His supporters in Iowa this week received a mailer from the Santorum campaign that stated: "It truly frightens me to think what'll happen if Mitt Romney is the nominee." But there's nothing like closing the polling gap with President Barack Obama to bring some doubters into Romney's camp, and this week, he got backed up by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker John Boehner, and one-time presidential aspirant Mitch Daniels. More importantly, GOP voters have decided that for all his faults, Romney meets their accepted standard for competence. And Romney is making a move to garner the support of evangelical voters by agreeing to serve as Liberty University's commencement speaker this year. So, some of that primary season frost may be melting. This is all part of the process of shoring up all the doubters in the base. But as Steve Kornacki points out, these relationships are already strained to such a degree that Romney might not have the option that George W. Bush had during his campaign -- staging a philosophical "break" with House Republicans in order to project independence. Romney, in all likelihood, will have to keep his embrace tight. Romney's part in the Great Mommy Wars Of Last Week was complicated this week by his record on the issues as governor and his campaign's continuing inability or unwillingness to discuss the Lily Ledbetter Act and whether he -- unlike his female surrogates -- supports pay equity for women. And in a widely reported bit of flashback, it turns out that Romney has not historically been of the opinion that stay-at-home mothers possess much character. He has described non-working mothers, for example, as producers of "indolent and unproductive children," and believes that poor women should definitely work outside the home, instead of staying at home, lest they lose their welfare. (Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) will put Romney's new rhetoric about the nobility of stay-at-home mothers and how the work they do raising children should be considered "work" in the larger sense to test by attempting to pass the WORK Act, which would "provide low-income parents the option of staying home to raise young children without fear of being pushed into poverty.") Elsewhere, Romney's penchant for avoiding transparency was an issue that bubbled up around all of this week's Week Of Worrying About What Ted Nugent Is Talking About. After filing for an extension on his 2011 tax return, thus postponing its eventual disclosure, Romney refused to respond to requests that he release further tax documents. His reasoning was predicated on the idea that John Kerry had established a standard that makes this bit of opacity okay -- but as Sam Stein found out, Romney was misleading people on that score: It's a convenient rejoinder. But it's also inaccurate. When Kerry ran for president in 2004, he had released 20 years' worth of tax returns. The extent of that disclosure was first reported by Think Progress Tuesday, but even after the site published its report, there were lingering questions. It was impossible to find copies of Kerry's tax returns on the web. And if he released them during the '04 campaign, he did so without much fanfare. According to several veterans of the Kerry campaign, that's because the senator made it standard practice to release five or six years worth of tax returns during each of his Senate campaigns, meaning that when he launched his 2004 presidential bid, 18 years of tax returns had already been made public. And Romney's immigration position grew considerably more fuzzy this week when his campaign decided to stop referring to anti-immigration zealot Kris Kobach as a "campaign advisor." This prompted a lot of back and forth, as Kobach refused to play this particular reindeer game, telling reporters that despite what Romney might have said, he would not be supporting any version of a "DREAM act." But some of Romney's plans got clearer after reporters surreptitiously listened in on a speech he gave to a group of donors at a closed-door fundraiser. There, Romney admitted his plans to eliminate and/or restructure several government agencies, with the major casualty being the HUD, which his father once ran. That would be bad news, indeed, for Americans currently seeking housing assistance. As Jonathan Bernstein points out, what remains unclear is whether Romney intends to merely streamline the current arrangement or dismantle these agencies' mandates and return those responsibilities to state governments. Jonathan Chait notes that in more likely latter case, "simply breaking one federal program into 50 programs of the same cumulative size amounts to a lump sum transfer payment to the rich from the non-rich." Meanwhile, speculation over Romney's future running mate continues to fly. The latest name to be floated as a potential VP candidate is former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has also said that he would join the ticket, should he be called upon to do so. The one guy who's blowing off the idea is the guy many Republicans want to see standing with Romney come autumn: Marco Rubio. There remains a possibility that you'll sooner see Romney paired up with your favorite sketch comedians than a running mate -- the notion of a Romney-hosted Saturday Night Live was floated this week. That would definitely present Romney with a significant challenge to surmount, since the easiest joke about him is that he's terrible at telling jokes. All in all, though, it might help Romney to have a humbling experience. Maybe then he'd understand that it's a wee bit premature to be selling Inauguration Day access to wealthy donors. And the Obama campaign was worried that it might come off as cocky!
Reality shows no sign of having penetrated the mind of Newt Gingrich, who continues to do an excellent job of rolling onward, pointlessly, into the post-primary season under the pretense that he still has some sort of shot at becoming the GOP's nominee for the White House. At the National Rifle Association's annual conference, Gingrich presented himself as a legitimate candidate for something, armed with bold ideas -- such as his plan to "submit to the United Nations a treaty that extends the right to bear arms as a human right for every person on the planet because every person on the planet deserves the right to defend themselves from those who would oppress them, those would exploit them, rape them or kill them." It's not certain what sort of voter that attracts, but then, it's not certain that Gingrich is attracting many voters these days -- though his campaign has submitted video evidence that there are still six people who support his beleaguered bid. Newt Gingrich is apparently telling people, "If we do win Delaware, it will break up the media narrative." It will also "break up the media narrative" if Gingrich becomes Spiderman, or gets signed by the Philadelphia Phillies. Mostly, everyone who once pretended to love Newt Gingrich is moving on to sunnier pastures. His one-time backer Sheldon Adelson is now donating money to GOP House races. His best endorser ("best" being a relative term) -- Herman Cain -- has also bailed on him, citing the fact that Gingrich "doesn't have a shot." As the Daily Caller reports, the only people who haven't bailed on Gingrich are the members of his Secret Service detail, who remain in place to protect him from inquisitive reporters from the University of North Carolina, and penguins -- who have, of late, decided to turn on him. As the penguins go, so too go the puffins. As Molly Ball of the Atlantic reports, this foray into presidential politics has ended up costing Gingrich a considerable amount: The Fox News contributor gig is no longer, having been suspended when Gingrich became a candidate, and quietly canceled thereafter. Relations between Gingrich and the cable channel have notably soured. Recently, Gingrich told a Delaware Tea Party group that he felt the network had exhibited a bias against him, accusing it of "distortion"; the network fired back with a biting statement: "He's still bitter over the termination of his contributor contract." It seems safe to say that bridge, for Gingrich, has been burned. The policy and consulting enterprise Gingrich helmed is similarly on the rocks. American Solutions for Winning the Future, his major nonprofit, shut down last August, and the Gingrich Group, his for-profit advocacy shop, filed for bankruptcy in Georgia earlier this month. Together, the two entities had grossed more than $100 million over the course of a decade, according to Bloomberg. Now, thanks to Gingrich's quest for the presidency, they are defunct. Ball goes on to remind readers that Gingrich is also currently $4.5 million in debt and has recently had to rent out his donor list in order to make a little scratch. As Zeke Miller reported this week, lucky Gingrich backers got a special offer from LifeLock, which will protect your identity, but will not, apparently, protect you from making foolish life decisions, like staying in a presidential primary race that's now over. Politico, reporting on the donor list story, noted: Gingrich's aides are acutely sensitive to the perception that their boss is teetering on the edge of becoming a laughingstock, according to insiders. They recount a two-hour-long meeting of his campaign staff last month at which "the whole subject was rebuilding the brand" and "keeping him from looking like a fool," said a source familiar with it. The phrase that comes to mind is, "Too late!"
Ron Paul spent part of this week campaigning in Rhode Island ahead of that state's April 24th primary. He released a new ad for the Rhode Island airwaves, touting himself as a "visionary" who saw the 2008 financial crisis coming, and who will cut $1 billion from the federal budget in year one of his presidency while ending foreign wars, the Federal Reserve, government bureaucracies and so on and so forth. As he brings a positive message to Rhode Island, Paul's campaign is casting daggers at GOP officials in Alaska, who they accuse of "illegal efforts to omit non-Romney delegates to the convention." Per a campaign press release: The state party-initiated conflict in this regard is especially worrisome and politically sensitive as the Paul campaign believes it won a significant portion of delegates at the Alaska State House district conventions already held. The Paul camp anticipates that its delegate tally at the upcoming state convention will increase as supporters of former candidate Rick Santorum -- including fellow prolife supporters -- defect to the Paul camp or become non-Romney delegates to the Republican National Convention to be held late August in Tampa, Florida. In light of this, the issue has national party and political implications because it affects the conversation that will occur in Tampa over whether constitutionally-limited government and an authentic commitment to the sanctity of life will prevail over the status quo. With Paul's chances remote in the primaries going forward, and state party officials trying to run end games around his whole caucus strategy in states that have already passed, it raises the question: why is Paul sticking with this primary race? Peter Grier of the DC Decoder attempts to answer that question: Paul remains in it, if not to win it, then to promote his ideas. He's long said that he wants to build a political movement as much as anything else, and if you look at his upcoming events, they remain heavy on appearances at colleges, which remain his most fertile ground for winning converts. On April 18 Paul is scheduled to speak at the University of Rhode Island, for instance. On April 19 he's supposed to be at Cornell. On April 20 the venue is the University of Pittsburgh. This emphasis on youth points out one of Paul's remaining electoral strengths - he's relatively strong in the 18-to-34 demographic, while presumptive nominee Mr. Romney is relatively weak. And Laura Myers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal picks up a point your Speculatroners have endeavored to make these past few weeks -- that Paul's supporters are transforming themselves from a woolly band of energized insurgents to a group of consummate professionals who are steeped in the minutiae of the political process: Four years ago, James Smack grabbed the microphone at the Nevada Republican Party Convention to lead a revolt by Ron Paul supporters. That attempt to take over the convention failed when the GOP convention chairman shut the 2008 meeting down. Today, Smack is acting chairman of the Nevada Republican Party and among the vanguard of Paul backers methodically taking over the state and county parties from within. They've been promoting both the Texas congressman's ideas and his GOP presidential campaign. So, unlike Gingrich, who's going through the motions, a chance for Paul to compete in any primary is a chance to train the footsoldiers in his movement. Even if Paul doesn't personally benefit from all of this effort, he's very shrewdly planted the roots for his movement to continue on even firmer footing. Besides, Paul is getting something out of all of this. This week he was named to Time magazine "100 Most Influential People" list. Time, as you'd suspect, entirely misses the boat on what's going on inside his campaign, in terms of the maturation that's happening among his supporters -- but having noticed it, it seems pretty clear that he's a worthy inclusion on a list that tracks influence. Of perhaps greater interest to Paul supporters is the fact that there is a Ron Paul video game coming, "reminiscent of console classics like Super Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog." Sadly, we cannot currently share with readers the cheat code that allows gamers to "end the Fed."
Buddy Roemer has lately taken his anti-money-in-politics message to the youth, in the hopes that he can do a little movement-building of his own. Last week, he visited Tulane University in his home state, and this week, he headed across the country, to U.C. Berkeley: In an interview with The Daily Californian following his speech, Roemer admitted that one of the greatest problems facing his campaign is that many people do not know about his platforms or who he is. But he said he is relying on youth, specifically at universities, to mobilize his campaign. He said in the interview that many students were encouraged by his sense of optimism about the American economy and future and appreciated his stance on campaign contributions. Funnily enough, this week Roemer did manage to get a compliment, at the very least, from a key Romney endorser: Buddy Roemer, the one-time congressman and Louisiana governor, was bound for Sacramento this morning to promote his long-shot candidacy for president when, at Reagan National Airport, in Washington, D.C., he crossed paths with a former presidential hopeful, John McCain. "I heard this shout," he said. "'Roemer!'" The Republican senator from Arizona has endorsed Republican Mitt Romney this year, but Roemer said he told him his campaign is "awesome," too. Hey, woo, John McCain thinks Roemer is awesome and that's neat, but it sort of raises the question: if McCain is so convinced that super PACs are evil and are certain to bring "scandal," why is he endorsing Romney, the super PAC king, and not Roemer, the one guy in the race who actually agrees with him. Probably because McCain has bonded more strongly with Romney over their mutual love for holding fungible convictions. Meanwhile, Roemer's hopes for getting on the ballot look more and more like they will hinge on the Reform Party. Americans Elect is having a hard time getting Americans to elect anyone, and according to Uncovered Politics, at the rate Roemer's going, he won't qualify for the AE ballot line until August. Of 2013. And he's their best candidate right now!
The middle of April has arrived, and with it comes some seasonally appropriate campaign initiatives from Libertarian Party hopeful Gary Johnson. This week, Johnson took a page from the Paul playbook and asked supporters to contribute to his "Tax Day Money Bomb." Unlike a Ron Paul money bomb, however, pickings appear to have been slim -- his site currently boasts that it raised about $1350 from 34 donors. This is still a lot better than, say, North Korea's actual bombs! And, because today is 4/20 and Gary Johnson is probably holding (strong opinions about America's pointless War On Drugs), he will be doing a National Drug Day Online Townhall tonight at 9:00 pm Eastern time. If you recall, Johnson took some criticism last week from the Libertarian Party's former vice presidential candidate Wayne Allyn Root, who said that Libertarians would be better off voting for Romney and not permitting Johnson to be a spoiler in the 2012 election. And columnist Thomas Mullen piled on, suggesting that Johnson was not a true libertarian. This week, United Liberty's Jeremy Kolassa mounted a defense: This gets back to the point I made in my last blog post about problems with the libertarian movement, specifically foreign policy. We, as a movement, have gotten way too puritanical about what makes libertarians libertarians. Many insist on an absolutionist view of the non-aggression principle, when really, the entire goal of libertarianism is simply maximizing individual liberty. I don't know about you, but legalizing marijuana, cutting the military budget by 43%, possibly eliminating the drinking age, and repeal the PATRIOT Act is pretty damn libertarian in my book. Saying that he isn't libertarian because he doesn't hew to an absolutionist line on the non-aggression principle is not just silly, it's dangerous. As I said previously, it hamstrings us to a completely unreasonable policy line we can't hold, as well as open us up to attacks both rhetorical and actual. And former Reagan biographer Craig Shirley gave props to Johnson as well: The Etch a Sketch comments from Romney are revealing and terrifying. Romneyism--like Bushism and McCainism--is about wiping Reaganism away from the Republican Party. Romney has made it clear in the past his abhorrence of Ronald Reagan. Romney is about personal power, plain and simple. [...] If Romney becomes the nominee of the Republican Party, conservatives will seriously consider walking away and looking at the candidacy of Gary Johnson. That's certainly Johnson's hope, as he tries to make the election a three-way race at the very least. And as Karl Dickey -- who's clearly become the new go-to source of Johnson campaign coverage -- notes, Johnson offers the clear contrasts that make third party candidacies remotely viable. At the moment, Johnson is polling at around six percent in that three-way. McKay Coppins speculates that he therefore has Romney-spoiler potential. But based on Johnson's policy positions and personal demeanor, we'd suggest that Johnson is probably pulling some support from both of the establishment candidates.
Fred Karger -- who we remind you has essentially pinned his candidacy's hopes for recognition on a strong showing in California -- continues to mainly wage his battle against the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage (NOM). To that end, he has filed a complaint in the Golden State against NOM for "failing to report a $10,000 donation from Mitt Romney's presidential campaign." Says Karger: "Mitt Romney and NOM appear to have gone to a lot of trouble to hide his contribution ... I am sure that Romney's $10K was never meant to see the light of day." But while Karger's dedication to fighting the forces arrayed against marriage equality continue apace, the candidate is still struggling to gain much traction or support from within that community: In reviewing the many Facebook postings by members of various "gay rights" groups and pages, it is heavly weighted to the Democratic Party and to Barack Obama in raising funds and awareness, yet Republican Karger is never mentioned and Libertarian Gary Johnson is rarely mentioned. Ironic, in that Obama is not in favor of marriage equality and treats gays and lesbians as second class citizens only favoring them to have civil unions. Indeed, Karger and Johnson remain the only two candidates in the 2012 cycle that support marriage equality.
If Team Obama Re-Elect maintained any sky-high hopes that the general election was going to be easy, they had to have come crashing down this week, when a mixed bag of polling demonstrated that the race had tightened into what amounts to -- at best -- a dead heat. At the moment, the Obama campaign can take solace in the fact that their guy is more widely liked than Romney, and that he retains an electoral vote edge -- though all that means is that Obama has a greater share of the non-battleground electoral votes. In the contested states, they can point to a lead in Florida, but a shortfall in New Hampshire -- and chances are that out in the swing states, those numbers will remain volatile. Especially if the economic boomlet we saw in these early months of 2012 stalls out, as it seems to be doing. Obama took aim at Romney this week, commenting that he hadn't grown up with a "silver spoon" in his mouth. Jay Carney took great pains to tell reporters that this comment wasn't intended to be a shot at Romney, but COME ON. We're not that stupid. Greg Sargent notes that the remark touches on a particularly nervy area of "sensitivity" for Romney. And Carney, even in dismissing the idea that the barb was intended for Romney, suggested that Romney was being "a little over-sensitive." So it was a dig at Mitt, coming and going. This week, Obama mounted a public campaign in favor of the Buffett Rule and an attack on oil speculators and their role in driving up the cost of gasoline. No one particularly thinks much legislation is going to come from this -- Senate Republicans successfully filibustered the Buffett Rule, for example -- but these moves are ones to which the public is generally amenable (the Buffett Rule in particular is wildly popular), so it makes a certain amount of campaign sense to pursue them. Of course, it's hard to get these stories into the headlines when the White House is having to deal with the ongoing GSA "Sorry For Party Rocking in Las Vegas On The Taxpayer Dime" scandal, as well as this week's "Secret Service Goes A'Whoring in Cartagena" misadventure. There's no sign that either of these matters particularly taints Obama, but as the Associated Press reported, they have "overwhelmed the president's agenda," and make it harder for him to mount his election year argument: The scandals are taking a toll. They are distracting embarrassments that are dominating public attention while Obama seeks to focus on difficulties abroad and jobs at home. And they are giving Republicans an opportunity to question his competence and leadership, an opening for Romney in a race so close that any advantage might make a difference. Even if the Democratic president escapes being defined by these flare-ups, they still feed a story line that can erode public confidence in Washington institutions, fuel a perception of federal excess and frustrate Obama's argument that government can be a force for good. Further distractions from the campaign message came from Obama's own side of the ideological spectrum, as well. Outgoing Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) joined outgoing Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) in lamenting the Affordable Care Act, with Frank telling reporters that he'd urged Obama to give up the pursuit after the Senate's supermajority was lost, and Webb saying that the whole matter was a "failure of leadership" because of the way Obama "passively" went about setting the agenda, plunging it into murk. And outside of Congress, the AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka took a shot at the president as well, in an interview with Sargent: AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka ripped into Obama for taking a key step this weekend towards the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement -- which Trumka claimed would have domestic political ramifications for Obama. Trumka said continuing betrayal of labor would make it harder to turn out supporters this fall and was already muddying Obama's efforts to draw a sharp contrast with Mitt Romney over who represents the 99 percent. "The more these things happen, where workers interests are subjugated to other interests, it has a cumulative effect, making it harder for us to energize our members and get them out in the numbers necessary in the fall," Trumka told me. "The candidates have to decide whether they represent the 99 percent or the one percent," Trumka continued. "Each time this happens, it obscures the clearness with which the president represents the 99 percent." While Obama can take some solace in the fact that his core coalition from 2008 remains firmly in his corner, all of this comes at a time where the Obama campaign would like to be expanding. The campaign hopes to pick up generic middle class support and independent voters, conquer electoral map territory like Arizona, where the Hispanic vote is seen as poachable, and equalize the donor gap with Romney and his affiliated allies. On the latter score, the Democrats need to galvanize their donor base badly. The problem, as Paul Begala notes, is that "many progressive donors think President Obama has it in the bag. But he doesn't even have it in the shopping cart yet, much less in the bag." Team Obama's latest plan? Unleash George Clooney. (And if that doesn't pan out, go to Ryan Gosling, we guess?) Seems to us that rather than spending so much time quibbling over the methodology of the Gallup tracking poll, the Obama campaign would have been better served this week to spread the word far and wide that they're not winning.
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- HuffPost


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For decades, affirmative action laws have given women and minorities opportunities to achieve the American Dream. Many who have benefited from equal opportunity laws have gone on to make invaluable contributions to our society.
State Sen. Jim Summerville, R-Dickson, believes affirmative action has outlived its usefulness and wants to do away with it. His assessment may be premature, however, and his plan definitely overreaches.
Summerville, an adjunct professor at Austin Peay State University, is pushing a seven-bill package that would eliminate affirmative action in K-12 education, higher education and state government. "These laws just aren't needed anymore," Summerville said last week.
Summerville calls the umbrella bill the "Tennessee Civil Rights Initiative," a moniker many supporters of affirmative action might find Orwellian.
State Rep. Joe Armstrong, R-Knoxville, president-elect of the National Conference of Black State Legislators, said there's a need for state-level affirmative action . "You can't just wish away poverty or illiteracy or crime," he said. "You have to actively work to bring people out of those conditions."
Affirmative action has helped create a more equal society, but that does not mean it is obsolete. Before deciding whether to put affirmative action on the chopping block, officials should first gauge the effectiveness of the state's initiatives and whether they have achieved the goal of creating a level playing field for all.
Summerville's legislative package includes bills that would:
? Prohibit governmental entities from keeping statistics on race, gender or ethnicity unless specifically required by federal law.
? Prohibit state colleges and universities from granting preferences based on race, gender or ethnicity to students, employees or contractors.
? Prohibit higher education institutions from employing a "diversity officer" or anyone whose "primary responsibilities" include "promoting diversity, equality and inclusion at the institution" or overseeing compliance with "federal laws on diversity or equality."
Some of these provisions are especially worrisome. How would anyone know whether equal opportunities truly exist if state government agencies cannot keep statistics on race, gender or ethnicity? How can a state university keep from violating federal anti-discrimination laws without an officer to ensure compliance? And the U.S. Supreme Court likely will give a definitive answer on college admissions preferences in its review of a case involving the University of Texas.
- Knoxville News Sentinel

subset: commoncrawl


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Remote AutomationHow do you network, automate, and integrate media sources into a remote mountain yurt during a snowy Utah winter? 1/16/2007 12:48 PM Eastern
Remote Automation
Jan 16, 2007 5:48 PM
The following information is courtesy of the 2006 CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Designers' Awards. For more information on how to become a member of CEDIA, or information on its awards program please visit www.cedia.org or call (800) 669-5329.
2006 CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Winner
Gold Technical Design: Special Project
How do you network, automate, and integrate media sources into a remote mountain yurt during a snowy Utah winter? Located on a high-elevation 165-acre lot, this challenging media installation needed to provide all the conveniences and benefits of an automated home with a full-performance media room, while keeping in step with the fact that the contractors were essentially working with a big tent in the wilderness.
Aurant's clients are a sophisticated couple with adolescent children who enjoy the outdoors and want to maintain the conveniences provided in their primary residence even when they are in their remote, private yurt. Since a yurt is a tent, there are no traditional walls for wiring speakers or keypads. With this particular installation, there was no regular power or connectivity, and sometimes the only access was via snowmobile, but these were only the obvious roadblocks. The real challenge was providing an overall design that did not detract from the "yurt experience," while still providing robust reliable performance.
The first and most important step to overcome these challenges was to quantify, in as much detail as possible, the client's expectation. Life in a yurt is different from life in a house. Determining how control and media systems would enhance and not detract from the "remote mountain" experience was the key to a successful project. With that, Aurant developed new tactics for hiding complex structural wiring and had to develop many new installation practices such as creating false panels that imitated tent poles.
The lighting control system is probably the most used component in the completed installation. It provides ample light, keeping with the feeling of a yurt while still being automated. Due to the remoteness of the property, security was implemented into the design to control access via a distant main gate, while PTZ cameras keep the grounds secure. An intercom keeps the yurt connected to the other five buildings on the property; a user can page and speak to anyone in any of the other buildings via an IP-based phone system. Another frequently used function is the extensive distributed audio system with full control capable from both in- and outdoors.
Equipment list
|Time and Expertise Worksheet
|Client Interviews
|Electronic Design and Engineering:
|Proposal and System Documentation Preparation:
|Project Management:
|Shop Time for Racking and Testing:
|Final Installation and Calibration:
|Client Instruction:
|Interior Design and/or Architecture by your Company:
|Interior Design and/or Architecture by Others:
|Project Management by Others:
|Other time: builder's interior designs, drawings done on paper:
|Total Hours to Complete:
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I am expert Ezine author(David Done Smith - EzineArticles.com Expert Author) and currently writing for many blogs including tech,education, pc tips, computer, gadgets, certification, training and Career related stuff. Please show your Blogs URLS so that I can start writing. If possible add me as author and I'll submit unique posts on regular basis.
I want 2 links in About the Author Section at the end post.
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text:
UNIVERSAL CITY, California — Kevin and Britney. Nick and Jessica. As if their lives have not been documented enough, each took center stage Sunday, making the 2006 Teen Choice Awards — well, must-see TV.
Let's start with Kevin Federline, who closed the show with the television debut of his new single, "Lose Control." With a dimly lit backward-facing pianist playing the intro to the track, the performance began with a pair of young Federline look-alikes (Caucasian dancers clad in white street wear) lip-synching the first verse. When the chorus hit, the pianist turned around and … surprise! It was K-Fed himself.
Looking "gangster" — as "High School Musical" star Vanessa Anne Hudgens put it backstage — Kevin busted through the fast-paced tune with a vengeance, growling lines including "Don't hate 'cause I'm a superstar" and taking his fair share of bleeps from censors. He walked into the awestruck crowd at one point, but left the choreography mainly to his crew.
"I was expecting more dancing from the dude, you know," Sean Paul said backstage. "But he's OK. He's doing his thing."
Perhaps the highlight of the performance was the introduction from Mrs. Federline, Britney Spears — who in turn was introduced brilliantly by co-host Dane Cook as "the mother of all presenters."
"This show has been very good to me and my career over the years," Spears said, giggling and chomping on gum. "And I'm hoping that it will be as good to our next performer."
Good stuff, but the line of the night clearly belonged to Nick Lachey, who took the podium after winning Choice Love Song for "What's Left of Me": "I just want to start off by saying … awkward?" Lachey said, smiling. "A little bit!"
Awkward, of course, because his ex-wife and the inspiration for the breakup song also happened to be the show's other co-host, Jessica Simpson — working alongside rumored romance interest (denied by both), Cook.
"Co-host," however, might be a strong word for Simpson, who mostly just laughed along to Cook, an instant crowd-pleaser with his nonstop jokes.
The comedian, who changed outfits as much as Simpson — switching from one classic-rock T-shirt to another
— opened the show spoofing "Pirates of the Caribbean" and then stayed on the pop-culture topics, at one point comparing the mic stand to Nicole Richie. (On a similar note, he also did something he said he's "always wanted to do": Give Mischa Barton a sandwich.)
As well as being a tabloid editor's dream, Teen Choice 2006 was also an awards show — though several winners weren't revealed until after the ceremony — with the big winner being "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which earned six awards, including Choice Action Adventure.
"It feels great," Orlando Bloom said backstage. "We make movies for people to enjoy, so when they do, it feels good."
Bloom also won the coveted Choice Male Hottie prize, while Jessica Alba took the female equivalent.
"It's what's inside that really counts, except for this award," she joked, going on to thank her styling crew as well as "all the photographers who have airbrushed me over the years." "What I'm trying to say, kids, is it's all just an image," she added. "If you truly want to be hot, just be yourself."
Adam Sandler, who won Choice Comedian for the fifth time, also offered some advice (hard to dissect given that it was the "words" of his 3-month-old daughter), as did triple-winner Nelly Furtado, who scored prizes for "Promiscuous" and told viewers to "wear a condom."
The show did have a truly inspiring moment, however, when Ashton Kutcher presented the Courage Award to Jason McElwain, an autistic high school basketball team manager who made six consecutive three-pointers when his coach put him in at the end of a game. (To demonstrate how difficult that is, NBA star Lebron James tried and made only two in a video clip that was aired at the awards show.) "Dreams can come true," McElwain screamed as his team cheered behind him and his mother sobbed from the front row.
Other big winners included "High School Musical" and Fall Out Boy, both taking three prizes.
"We really like the awards that are voted on," bassist Pete Wentz told MTV News. (According to Fox, 14.7 millions votes were cast.) "I think those are the only ones we can actually win too. When it's older people, or like an academy, we don't fare so well."
Along with Federline, other performers included Furtado and Timbaland with "Promiscuous" and two-time winner Rihanna with "S.O.S."
"It was a big thing for me," Rihanna said. "But the highlight for me was Kevin Federline's performance. And seeing Britney. She's so cute!"
2006 Teen Choice Awards winners:
- Choice Single: Fall Out Boy ("Dance, Dance")
- Choice Male Artist: James Blunt
- Choice Female Artist: Kelly Clarkson
- Choice Rap Artist: Black Eyed Peas
- Choice R&B Artist: Rihanna
- Choice Rock Group: Fall Out Boy
- Choice Rap Track: Fort Minor featuring Holly Brook ("Where'd You Go")
- Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Track: Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland ("Promiscuous")
- Choice Rock Track: Fall Out Boy ("Dance, Dance")
- Choice Love Song: Nick Lachey ("What's Left of Me")
- Choice Breakout, Female: Rihanna
- Choice Breakout, Male: Chris Brown
- Choice Song of the Summer: Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland ("Promiscuous")
- Choice V Cast Music Artist: Nelly Furtado
- Choice Action Adventure: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
- Choice Drama: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
- Choice Comedy: "She's the Man"
- Choice Chick Flick: "Just Like Heaven"
- Choice Thriller: "Red Eye"
- Choice Summer Movie, Action/Adventure: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
- Choice Summer Movie, Comedy: "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"
- Choice Actor, Drama/Action Adventure: Johnny Depp ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest")
- Choice Actress, Drama/Action Adventure: Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line")
- Choice Actor, Comedy: Johnny Depp ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory")
- Choice Actress, Comedy: Rachel McAdams ("Wedding Crashers," "The Family Stone")
- Choice Breakout, Male: Channing Tatum ("She's the Man")
- Choice Breakout, Female: Jessica Simpson ("The Dukes of Hazzard")
- Choice Sleazebag: Bill Nighy ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest")
- Choice Chemistry: Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn ("The Break-Up")
- Choice Hissy Fit: Keira Knightley ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest")
- Choice Liplock: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock ("The Lake House")
- Choice Rumble: Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) vs. the pirate mob ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest")
- Choice Drama/Action Adventure: "The O.C."
- Choice Comedy/Musical: "High School Musical"
- Choice Animated: "Family Guy"
- Choice Reality: "American Idol"
- Choice Actor: James Denton ("Desperate Housewives")
- Choice Actress: Mischa Barton ("The O.C.")
- Choice Actor, Drama/Action Adventure: Adam Brody ("The O.C.")
- Choice Actress, Drama/Action Adventure – Rachel Bilson ("The O.C.")
- Choice Actor, Comedy: Wilmer Valderrama ("That '70s Show")
- Choice Actress, Comedy: Alexis Bledel ("Gilmore Girls")
- Choice Sidekick: Alison Mack ("Smallville")
- Choice Personality: Ashton Kutcher ("Punk'd")
- Choice Breakout Show: "So You Think You Can Dance"
- Choice Breakout Star: Zac Efron ("High School Musical")
- Choice Reality Star, Male: Drew Lachey ("Dancing With the Stars")
- Choice Reality Star, Female: Lauren "LC" Conrad ("The Hills")
- Choice Chemistry: Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Zac Efron ("High School Musical")
- Choice Parental Unit: Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore, "Gilmore Girls")
- Choice Summer TV Series: "So You Think You Can Dance"
Additional awards:
- Choice Hottie, Female: Jessica Alba
- Choice Hottie, Male: Orlando Bloom
- Choice Comedian: Adam Sandler
- Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon, Female: Jessica Alba
- Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon, Male: Nick Lachey
- Choice Grill: Brooke Hogan
- Choice Athlete, Male: David Beckham (soccer)
- Choice Athlete, Female: Maria Sharapova (tennis)
- Choice Action Sports Athlete, Male: Shaun White (snowboarding, skateboarding)
- Choice Action Sports Athlete, Female: Sophia Mulanovich (surfing)
- Choice Video Game: "New Super Mario Bros." (Nintendo DS)


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Beau Mansker shot 9-over 153 for Yorktown's best two-round total in the state golf tournament.
- Filed Under
At the end of 36 holes of golf, Yorktown found itself in ninth place at the state finals at The Legends Golf Club in Franklin, Indiana. The Tigers, winners of the tough Central Regional, closed out their season 37 shots back of state champion Columbus North and its dominant 15-over-par performance.
And that was enough to leave Yorktown coach Brian Hill pleased.
"Felt like finishing in the top 10, we made a good showing," Hill said. "Definitely feel like we were capable of playing better than what we did. My boy (Palmer Hill) struggled a little bit (Wednesday), couple others did also, but overall a ...


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Campbell to fans: Don't prejudge new movie
Fede Alvarez still remembers the first time he watched "The Evil Dead."
Inside a darkened Santa Monica editing bay where he was putting the finishing touches on his remake of the 1981 horror film, the Uruguay native recalled when he was 12, and he and a friend had ventured into a video store near his home in Montevideo, urging the clerk to recommend something really scary.
"We were done with all the 'Nightmares on Elm Street' and 'Friday the 13th,' " said Alvarez, whose "Evil Dead" opens April 5. "We asked the guy, 'We've seen it all, give us something real.' I remember him looking around, and he was like, 'Here, take this, kid, and run.' "
More than 30 years after its initial release, there remains something delightfully transgressive about "The Evil Dead," the ultra-low-budget horror flick that launched one of horror cinema's most oddball franchises and the directing career of an enterprising kid from Michigan named Sam Raimi.
Raimi's trilogy (1981's "The Evil Dead," 1987's "Evil Dead II" and 1992's "Army of Darkness") has inspired the same kind of fervent devotion typically on display at "Star Trek" conventions. Fans have snapped up "Evil Dead" video games, toys and collectibles and countless iterations of the films on DVD and Blu-ray. There's even a long-running "Evil Dead" stage musical that's played across the U.S. and Canada, in addition to South Korea and Japan.
Still, the idea of an "Evil Dead" movie without Raimi directing or Campbell in the starring role left the fan base more than a little anxious. And that's where Campbell, who produced the new "Evil Dead," with Raimi and their longtime collaborator Rob Tapert, comes in. His job is to preach to the members of Raimi's choir of acolytes in hope of claiming some converts to the cause.
"First, there's the 'Noooooos,'" said Campbell of the reaction that greeted the project on Twitter. "Lots of O's, lots of exclamation points. But I'm like, 'Hey, man, don't complain until it's time to complain. See it and decide for yourself.' "
Gina McIntyre is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times.
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We created Pandora to put the Music Genome Project directly in your hands
It's a new kind of radio –
stations that play only music you like
16 Horsepower
Although Soll eventually left the band, Humbert returned to the fold in 1997, along with new guitarist Jeffrey Paul Norlander. PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish was drafted to produce the band's newest effort, and Low Estate appeared in early 1998. Secret South arrived two years later and was followed by a well-deserved break from recording. Guitarist Steve Taylor had joined the lineup before this point, his arrival coinciding with Norlander's departure. The live document Hoarse, released in spring 2001, marked the band's first release for the new millennium. One year later, the original trio got back together with Taylor and began writing and recording Folklore, which was released that summer through the New York-based indie label Jet Set.
A year later, Jet Set issued Olden, which collected 12 previously unreleased demo/alternate versions of classic 16HP material; six live tracks culled from a 1994 date in Denver; and two band interviews. It was followed in January 2011 by Yours Truly, a 25-track retrospective that featured a collection of 12 "popular favorites," all of which were chosen by fans via an online survey, as well as a second disc that included 13 B-sides and rarities. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Bradley Torreano
Selected Discography
Track List: Live March 2001
Track List: Olden
Track List: 16 Horsepower (EP)
Similar Artists
http://en.wi k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / T h e _ G u n _ C l u b
- Wes


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Delia shows how to skin and prepare tomatoes.
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WE GOT YOUR SIGNED COPIES OF the art of richard thompson right here, next to these copies of the complete cul de sac!
Richard Thompson, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year, has graciously offered to sign copies of this beautiful book when you place your order through One More Page. Because cartoonists, like banjo players, are lovable but unpredictable, we can't guarantee a delivery time. We thank you in advance for your support, and your patience. You can click here or call us at 703-300-9746 to be among the select and stand up for America by purchasing a signed copy of The Art of Richard Thompson!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Golden Treasury Keepsake Garland of Classics
8 comments:
- Kid Shay said...
The title reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes treasuries. I read that Bill Watterson named them ironically because in his view they were anything but Essential, Authoritative, Indispensable.
Of course I felt those adjectives described them accurately because they always had a story or poem at the beginning (complete with paintings!) as well as color Sunday strips.
- November 15, 2009 at 11:48 AM
- Robert Gidley said...
I thought "spoonbread" was bread that was made with spoons. Cool! Then I looked around on the Intertubes and found out that it's bread that's like pudding and is eaten with a spoon.
Maybe you could move it to the grammar section and discuss what the plural form is: spoonsbread or spoonbreads or spanbroads.
- November 15, 2009 at 2:29 PM
- Paul said...
Related, yet unrelated, Children At Play appeared in my mailbox here in Japan yesterday. Huzzah!! I'm going to celebrate with some spoonbread.
- November 15, 2009 at 4:44 PM
Unless your looking for an hydrolic yet tawdry date, avoid the link above.
- November 16, 2009 at 8:27 AM
- richardcthompson said...
thanks,, Bee! I removed it.
- November 16, 2009 at 9:15 AM
- the cheese guy said...
I really like this cover but I do think it is missing something important... cheese... all Golden Treasury Keepsake books needs more cheese!! ohohohoho and a lighting bug!
- November 17, 2009 at 7:58 PM
- Paul said...
"hydraulic yet tawdry"?
Essential, authoritative, indispensable comments to have on the back cover of the Golden Treasury Keepsake Garland of Classics.
Or possibly Petey's first magnum opus graphic novel.
(Did you know Vittorio Giardino did an X-rated version (actually, R-rated, but that sounds boring) of Little Nemo, called Little Ego? Not that Petey would ever read it.)
- November 17, 2009 at 8:02 PM
- Dan Moynihan said...
This sketch looks great - gives it the feeling of "Wow! What's that book!?!" I prefer this over the current Cul de Sac book covers.
- November 25, 2009 at 7:36 PM


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/**/ /* ! */
- The Finsiders – Miami Dolphins - http://www.thefinsiders.com -
Reggie Bush Is Happy About The Offense
Posted By John Congemi On December 1, 2011 @ 7:25 pm In Football | No Comments
Running back Reggie Bush has been productive in this offense, and is pleased about the way offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is utilizing his skill set. Bush has been running the football effectively and lining up in the slot position altering pass coverage from opposing defenses. He talked about getting back on the winning track this week against the Oakland Raiders:
Article printed from The Finsiders – Miami Dolphins: http://www.thefinsiders.com
URL to article: http://www.thefinsiders.com/blog/2011/reggie-bush-is-happy-about-the-offense
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2010 The Finsiders. All rights reserved.


text:
The Homestead Resort, Lower Cascades Course
Hot Springs, Virginia
July 30 - August 1, 2002
Shonk leads Girls Division after first round
- Chris Barron of Ashland City, Tenn., and Robby Walizer of
State College, Pa., carded rounds of 1-under-par 71 Tuesday
to tie for the lead after the first round of play at the AJGA
ClubCorp Junior Players Championship, held at The Homestead
Resort's par-72 Lower Cascades Course. Sally Shonk of Noblesville,
Ind., holds a two-stroke lead in the Girls Division with an
even-par round of 72.
The ClubCorp Junior Players Championship, conducted by the
American Junior Golf Association, features 120 boys and girls
from twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia, with
twenty-one players hailing from Virginia.
Barron, a senior-to-be, bagged consecutive birdies on Nos.
9, 10 and 11 en route to a round of 37-34-71.
"I was actually a little disappointed with my score today
because I had ten birdies during yesterday's practice round,"
said Barron, who is playing in his third AJGA tournament.
"This course sets up well for me, it's a lot like the
ones I play back home."
"I was saving par well today," Barron said. "I
just need to keep playing consistently tomorrow and hopefully
I'll get a few more putts to fall."
Walizer, 17, had an up-and-down front nine, managing to finish
at even par with four birdies, four bogeys and then a par
on No. 9. One bogey and two more birdies on the back made
for a round of 36-35-71.
"I tried to play smart today by keeping my driver in
the bag. I was able to bounce back from the bogeys, which
gave me a lot of confidence," said Walizer. "I'm
going to go in with the same game plan tomorrow, which is
to just get on the green in regulation."
Timothy Moynihan of Murrysville, Pa., holds sole possession
of third place at even-par 72. Four other players, Marc Matalavage
of Mechanicsburg, Pa., Chad Fultz of Staunton, Va., Pat Patterson
of Sea Island, Ga., and Robert Gate, Jr., of Gainesville,
Fla., are tied in fourth with rounds of 1-over-par 73.
In the Girls Division, Shonk fired a round of 36-36-72, with
two bogeys and two birdies on the day. Shonk's tee shot on
the par-3, 107-yard No. 17 hit behind the hole and then rolled
to within a foot-and-a-half, which she made for birdie
"I had a solid round today," said the 17-year-old.
"There are a lot of challenging holes on this golf course,
but I was able to keep the ball in play."
Rachel Brittany Smith of Powell, Tenn., is in second place
after the first day of play with a round of 34-40-74. C.J.
Kim of Diamond Bar, Calif., and Holly Cantwell of Morristown,
Tenn., are tied for third, three strokes behind the leader.
Second-round tee times will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday,
July 31, off of the No. 1 tee at The Homestead Resort's Lower
Cascades Course.
For more information on the AJGA ClubCorp Junior Players Championship,
please contact tournament headquarters at (540) 839-7694,
or visit the Association's Web site at ajga.org.
The Foundation
The Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program provides financial assistance to junior golfers who wish to play in AJGA events. Its goal is to give top-flight golf opportunities to young golfers regardless of financial resources. This program helps to fulfill the AJGA's mission of developing young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.
What is Leadership Links?
Leadership Links is a new program whereby the AJGA is able to further its mission to help develop young men and women by teaching charitable giving skills and service-oriented practices at an early age. This program gives juniors all the tools necessary to donate their time, talent and resources to local charities and the AJGA youth development programs. Please click here to learn more about the program and the different opportunities available.


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|Microarray evaluation of specific IgE to allergen components in elite athletes.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 23033844 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher
|BACKGROUND: Allergic sensitization and diseases have been reported to have a very high and increasing prevalence in elite athletes. Over 80% of allergic athletes are poly-sensitized. OBJECTIVE: This study aims at evaluating the potential diagnostic added value of a microarray technology (ImmunoCAP ISAC, Phadia AB [at present Thermo Fisher Scientific] Uppsala, Sweden which detects IgE antibodies to specific or cross-reacting allergen components. METHODS: Seventy-two poly-sensitized athletes according to skin prick test (SPT) with different allergic phenotypes (asthma n = 19; rhino-conjunctivitis n = 20; food allergy and/or oral allergy syndrome n = 13; no clinical symptoms n = 20) and two different control populations (20 poly-sensitized sedentary subjects with respiratory allergy and 20 healthy athletes with negative SPT) were studied for detecting specific IgE (sIgE) both to allergen extracts (ImmunoCAPsIgE) and to allergen components (ImmunoCAP ISAC). RESULTS: ImmunoCAP ISAC detected the presence of sIgE in 90% of poly-sensitized athletes - in 96% with symptoms and in 75% without symptoms - and in 100% of allergic controls. The pattern of positivity towards the 103 components tested differed from subject to subject, even in those with the same sensitization to allergen extract SPT or sIgE. Based on the ISAC results, poly-sensitized athletes were classified into the following prototypical patterns, differently represented in the clinical phenotypes studied (P = 0.03): (1) One single predominant specific allergen positivity; (2) sIgE to two or more non-cross-reacting allergens; (3) sIgE to cross-reacting allergens; and (4) sIgE to components potentially responsible for severe allergic reactions. CONCLUSIONS: The ImmunoCAP ISAC represents a useful additional tool for diagnosis and management of poly-sensitized athletes.
|M Bonini; L Marcomini; C Gramiccioni; C Tranquilli; G Melioli; G W Canonica; S Bonini;
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Publication Detail:
|Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2012-10-4
Journal Detail:
|Title: Allergy Volume: - ISSN: 1398-9995 ISO Abbreviation: Allergy Publication Date: 2012 Oct
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2012-10-4 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 7804028 Medline TA: Allergy Country: -
Other Details:
|Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: -
Copyright Information:
|© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
|Institute of Translational Pharmacology, Italian National Research Council, Rome, Italy; Department of Medicine, "Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy.
Export Citation:
|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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Remember Me
The Further bus will be on hand for the festivities, as the whole shindig is being thrown by the legendary Merry Pranksters. The fun also includes "Circus Acts, Clowns and Penguins with Lasers Juggling Jello on Unicycles."
The party kicks off at 11 PM on Saturday June 4 and will run until sunrise the next morning. Take a look at the poster for the event by renowned Grateful Dead poster artist Richard Biffle. Click here to get tickets.
To read comments and participate in this story, please visit the Articles forum »


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Cowon A3 and Q5W Media Players Get 80GB Storage Each
We've reviewed both the Cowon A3 and the Q5W and found them to be fantastic media players with a pretty damn wide range of video and audio format support. Cowon's just bumped up both players to 80GB, which is great since you're probably going to be loading both with lots of video files. We're still waiting for it to… »


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How to Make a Store-bought Cake Look Home-made
We don't all have the time to make elegant cakes for every dinenr party or tea party. I'm going to show you what to do when you don't have all the time needed for a cake.
Selecting Your Cake
Try to select a cake that has a topping that'll melt (e.g. Fudge, Frosting)
And that has a good shape.
Making it Look Home-made
If the topping's completely even; take a spatula and spread it un-evenly.
Making it Warm – Again
If the cake has instructions on how to warm it up - follow them – if not either:
- Put the cake in the oven at medium heat and leave it for 5 minutes. (If you're serving it right out of the oven, make sure to turn up the heat to high, and tell your guests "Be careful; it's hot!"
Or for a faster finish:
2.Put the cake in the microwave at full power and microwave for 20 seconds
For an extra touch:
If it's chocolate:
Drizzle some melted chocolate or put a dollop of cream on top.
If it's berry:
Take some berry syrup (4 parts water, 1 part sugar, and a handfull of berries. Melt together until syrup is thicker)
For others:
Make a sauce, syrup or topping based on what's in the cake.


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- Filed Under
For the second morning in a row, Simon Sanchez High School played host to candidates vying for seats in the Legislature.
Wednesday, four Republican incumbents faced off against four Democratic challengers on questions posed by local students.
Yesterday, the format was switched: four Democratic incumbents vs. four Republican challengers. ...


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Rare IAM election possible after nominations Saturday
Feb. 25, the incumbents and a slate of reform candidates both got nominations in those locals, which must now vote on whom to endorse. The contested locals include four belonging to District 751 and covering Boeing employees in metro Puget Sound.
If the challengers are endorsed by 25 locals of the the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), that will force a general election.
They picked up at least 14 endorsements already in the first round of nominating, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
That means they need to pick up 11 of the 85 contested locals on Saturday to get on the ballot.
The election is a do-over of one held in 2013, during which, the Labor Department determined, the IAM leadership stifled information about the nominating process to discourage competition.
The IAM's headquarters in Upper Marlboro, Md., did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The international — so called because the union represents members in the U.S. and Canada — did not post results on its website but did acknowledge that endorsement votes would be required in some locals.
Those include the four local lodges of District 751 covering about 32,000 Boeing employees. Both the incumbents and challengers received nominations from locals A, C, E and F.
Two of the district's other locals — 1951 in Richland and 86 in Spokane — backed the incumbents, while Local 1123 in Wenatchee didn't nominate any candidates.
The reform candidates received support across the country, according to Jay Cronk, who tops the slate.
Cronk, a railroad mechanic and former senior staffer at IAM international headquarters, has accused International President Tom Buffenbarger of being more interested in holding on to power than in helping members.
The challengers include Jason Redrup, a business representative with District 751; Patrick Maloney, who works for Boeing in Portland; and Sande Lien, an Alaska Airlines flight attendant based in Seattle.
Cronk said he is "extremely optimistic, but not overly optimistic. I know we still have a fight on our hands."
Several District 751 members have been supporting the grass roots campaign by contacting other locals to spread the reformers' message.
The reception has been "somewhat mixed," said Wilson "Fergie" Ferguson, who works on the 737 flight line in Renton and is president of Local A.
The international retains control over union support services, finances and staffing, meaning union local staff could find themselves out of work if they don't support the incumbents, he said.
"If we can get the reform ticket on the ballot, I think we've got a good chance, because it's a secret ballot," Ferguson said.
Rick Sloan, a spokesman for Buffenbarger's campaign and the IAM's retired director of communications, dismissed the reform platform as backward-looking.
The incumbents are focused on organizing, improving negotiating strength and electing labor-friendly politicians in this year's mid-term congressional elections, he said.
"That's what strategy is," Sloan said. "All they're doing is bitching about cronyism.
"It's all rearview mirror stuff. It's not looking ahead," he said.
Cronk has said that the labor movement will continue to suffer setbacks until it reforms its internal politics by focusing more on members' needs, allowing rank-and-file more access to decision making and being more transparent about how dues are spent.
District 751 members can vote on nominations from 6 to 8 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday at district headquarters at 9135 15th Place S. in Seattle.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; firstname.lastname@example.com.
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A background! 5 Points Add graphics and the background! Medal Stats.
First steps... 5 Points Setup flixel! Medal Stats.
Robot Chicken 5 Points Click on Cojiro the Cucco for a Robot chicken gag. Medal Stats.
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Total Medals Earned: 4 (From 2 different games.)
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I hate you Zelda! Rated 3.6532 Stars Cia's pissed. Comedy - Parody Super Mario Hyadain Rated 4.4241 Stars Hey Koopa, you're such a stubborn fellow Music Video 4 Swords Misadventures 6 Rated 4.4307 Stars Willist thou soar,or willist thou suck? Comedy - Parody Link's Barrel Beat Rated 4.3945 Stars A fresh Zelda beatbox! HUMO! Music Video
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text:
Regret Isn't a Mark of Failure, It's a Reminder to Do Better
Although we dream of living without them, regrets are unavoidable. Regret can be a terrible feeling, but it also helps us improve by reminding us of what we did badly, and what we need to do better. »


text:
Bvlgari Sunglasses
Bvlgari Sunglasses BV6030B
Direct Sight are proud to stock Bvlgari sunglasses. Bvlgari sunglasses are widely recognised as luxurious frames from prestigious Italian designer brand, Bvlgari. Bvlgari earned its repuation for producing elegant and indulgent jewellery and accessories but has since become one of the most popular designer eyewear brands worldwide. The Bvlgari sunglasses offer timeless, elegant eyewear which offer both 100% UV protection and beautiful style. If you are looking for a pair of designer sunglasses from a prestigious, recognisable brand that can deliver superb quality and elegance, Bvlgari sunglasses could be the perfect choice. Our Bvlgari sunglasses come in a range of colours and sizes and are available in fully rimmed, semi-rimless and rimless styles in plastic or metal frames. All of our Bvlgari sunglasses are 100% authentic and come complete with an official Bvlgari sunglasses case. Buy from us with confidence: We sell only authentic Bvlgari sunglasses and are an authorised Bvlgari retailer.


text:
Hey, if you left a comment on this page, I apologize–it got lost in the process of transitioning our comics management system.
Not only this page, but most of the comments from way back when. I found your comic recently and kept reading your comments referencing discussions in the comment section, without there being comments IN the comment section. So I guess I now know what happened… 😉
Yeah, I really regret losing all of the comments. There was a lot of really great discussion, and our comment totals went from over a thousand to under a hundred. So much cool speculation and conversation lost.
Damn shame there no backups.
I ship it.
Me too.
Grass is always greener……..
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text:
University Library Calendar
Putting Google Scholar to Work for You (Updated 1/9/13)
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Tuesday, February 19 (2013), Bender Library Training and Events Room
Google Scholar allows you to search across the scholarly literature in a variety of fields. Come learn how to use it, including the advanced features and discover its possibilities for your research.
- Type:
- Training Session
- Host:
- University Library


text:
Even though I have loved every single season of Teen Wolf, last night's episode felt like very classic again.
The episode marks the introduction of Dylan Sprayberry's character Liam who I was worried was going to turn out to be Jackson 2.0. Don't be mistaken, I love Jackson because Colton Haynes is an amazing actor. But the thing is that I didn't anyone to come in and be a replacement for him.
But luckily that wasn't the case here as Liam was a very innocent kid (yet with some cockiness to him) that I grew interest for, especially because of his impressive lacrosse skills. There wasn't much to know about him when Sprayberry was first cast as Liam other than the fact that he was going to be a freshman who was really good at lacrosse. But who ever imagined that he would become the first person that Scott would make a werewolf of? Of course it wasn't something Scott chose to do, but something he had to do in order to save him.
An episode with the Coach is automatically even more awesome because he is the only thing that has made physical education hilarious. A lot of the best comedy always comes out of these lacrosse scenes, especially when Coach noticed that there might be a talented lacrosse player within Kira. Malia however, was almost funnier when she screamed that Liam only had luck when he dodged Scott and Stiles during practice.
Speaking of Malia, her reaction to math class is basically the universal reaction we all have for math; it's difficult and sometimes feels completely pointless. Some may find this whole "I- have-to-connect-to-the-human-world-again"-arc a bit typical because you see this pretty often in sci-fi and fantasy shows, but here it works and it may or may not be because of Stiles being her mentor.
Let's focus a little bit on the pain that was Kira's mother last season. I understand that from her and her husband's perspective, moving away from Beacon Hill seems like a good choice after everything that happened. But seriously, she caused 50% of the mess that happened in season 3B so really she (along with Kira's father) shouldn't get to decide whether to move or not, not after what Kira had to go through. It was just so annoying looking at her talk about moving and saying what is best for Kira when she basically ignores the fact that it's partly her fault that, for example, Alison died a few months ago.
Up until last night, I had no idea what a "Wendigo" was and it wasn't pleasant to see what it was. At first, they really made it seem that Sean was just an innocent victim, but seeing him then eating the insides of that deputy at the hospital, erased that innocence in a heartbeat.
Then there was this mysterious person without a mouth known as "The Mute" (a bit cheesy, but we'll let that pass) who I think is The Benefactor. Although on the other hand, that's perhaps what Jeff Davis wants us to think. Because think about it: is the so called "The Benefactor" just a murderer without a mouth that kills people with a simple weapon? Unless there is something supernatural about him, it would be surprising if our other big villain (aside from Kate) is just some crazy guy.
But this is Teen Wolf so anything is possible, right? Better keep tuning in to find out, but I like the mystery and overall this was a very strong episode. We should hear a season 5 renewal very soon, maybe perhaps at San Diego Comic-Con.
Teen Wolf airs Monday nights, 10/9c on MTV.
[Photo via MTV]


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The Proper Way to Cope with Anxiety
The Proper Way To Cope With Anxiety.
Huge numbers of people every single day are battling with serious anxiety problems, yet a number of these same people don't know how to locate effective strategy to their condition. You will find methods to treat nervousness and reclaim your existence. If you're fed up with feeling anxious, the guidelines in the following paragraphs might help.
You might want to take seafood oil, should you suffer anxiety. Recent reports have proven that seafood oil, not just aids in preventing some physical conditions, however it aids in anxiety too. But, just before taking seafood oil, consult with your physician to make certain it fits your needs.
Start a journal, and each day, write lower a minumum of one factor positive inside your existence. Then, once your anxiety starts to bother you, open and browse your journal. This can help remind you of all of the good stuff you've in existence and help to keep nervousness low.
Learn to use creative imagery and visualization. This method is effective throughout your day or before mattress. Pay attention to a pre-recorded guide leading you thru a peaceful walk-through the forest or perhaps a muscle relaxation sequence. You'll find Compact disks and downloadable files which have soothing voices to consider yourself on relaxing journeys.
Proceed and spend cash on yourself, if you're able to afford it. Dealing with you to ultimately stuff you want just like a new set of footwear or some nice awesome shades could possibly get the mind from anxiety. Whenever you go shopping you want, it allows you to ignore anxiety generally and merely live existence.
Make a move you like. Anxiety, whether by means of stress attacks or generalized anxiety, can lead you to ignore getting fun. Escaping . and p-worrying by taking pleasure in yourself is among the best things you can do, to ensure that you can begin to unwind and feel happier about existence for some time.
Make every effort that you could to create yourself as happy as you possibly can. The more happy that you're, the not as likely you should be overcome with anxiety. Make every effort easy to improve your mood to start feeling better with regards to you and existence generally.
Try to take a diet. By consuming more healthy, your mood begins to develop which can stop you from becoming anxious. Lots of occasions, people become filled with anxiety once they weren't dealing with their physiques to healthy meals, so eat a little more healthy.
Liked it


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Most pool owners know by now that the name of the game in pool maintenance is to keep the "big three" – chlorine, pH and alkalinity – within acceptable limits. Let's start with chlorine, the essential biocide in any pool and its most important ally in the battle against infestation. Chlorine is useful in that it inhibits bacterial growth practically on contact, breaking down cellular walls and disrupting essential metabolic paths. Maintaining the chlorine level in your pool – the ideal range is 1 - 1.5 ppm – is the only way to ensure you will not drink in unwanted visitors with every dip.
The other two elements of the big three exist primarily to support the chlorine. Some homeowners blanch at the prospect of maintaining pH, assuming they need a doctorate in chemistry to make sense of this balancing act. In fact, there is no great mystery behind pH or how it works – simply put, the number is a measure of how many acid or base ions are roaming around your pool. Too much of either one and the chlorine will not make contact with bacteria, so it's essential to stay within a reasonable range, usually between 7.2 and 7.8. As with chlorine, you can regulate this number rather easily with store-bought items that come with simple instructions, adding whichever "side" you need to regain balance.
Alkalinity is the one that sounds most confusing, especially to people who associate the word with batteries and little else. In fact, the number refers to the pool's ability to effectively maintain a steady pH. Go outside that range and the pH level could quickly spin off the charts, rendering your chlorine content essentially useless. Thankfully you only need to add store-bought products here as well to maintain an acceptable range of 80 – 120 ppm. Check frequently and you should have no troubles.
MyPoolSupplySource carries a full line of chemicals to help you keep your pool sparkling clear.
Natural Chemistry
Tropi Clear


text: Starwood's premier hotel brand has launched their latest luxury resort: the W Hong Kong. In the busy commercial district of West Kowloon, the new W Hong Kong has spared no expense on its high style modern design. Envisioned by the design team of Nicholas Graham and Yasumichi Morita, this W Hotel features cutting edge styling on a range of interior themes, warm and inviting bedrooms and a rooftop pool with views of the city and sea. Fans of other W resorts have a new destination for their next Hong Kong visit, where rooms will run between $260 and $380 a night, USD. [whotels via thecoolhunter]


text:
Photos: The highs and lows of former Cowboys receiver Sam Hurd
Photo: TOM GIANNI / AP
Pictured is a courtroom artist drawing of Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd, center right, as he makes an initial court appearance before Judge Young Kim, left, on federal drug charges Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 in Chicago. Hurd is accused by authorities of trying to set up a drug distribution network in the Chicago area after he was arrested for allegedly agreeing to buy a kilogram of cocaine from an undercover agent. Also pictured is Asst. US Attorney Felicia Manno Alesia and Hurd's attorney Brett Greenfield.
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Nikki Beach's arrival in Ibiza ensures that the high-end party in style
By Simon Mills 05 August 13
The buzz in Ibiza this summer is all about the "high-end" of the market; "high-end" bars, restaurants, beach clubs, concierges and hotels. It's ironic, really, because given the White Isle's long held reputation for powerful hallucinogenics, it could be argued that Ibiza has been catering for the "high-end" of the market for several decades now.
But this season, with the Spanish economy still in freefall, party facilities, horizontal services and bespoke rave options seem to have really amped up their collective games and a social, meritocratic and vacation apartheid now exists in summertime. To put it, simply, during the gravitational pull of its high season, two hedonistic classes in Ibiza now prevail; the "haves" and the "have-yachts".
It all started a couple of years back when the Pacha-owned dinner/dance restaurant Lio took over the old Es Paradis club in Ibiza town's port, directly targeting anyone who was arriving by sea (and no, I don't mean the ferry). Cipriani, in the spiffy Gran Hotel followed, a year later attracting a heady, turbo-minted mix of flash euro-billionaires and oligarchs and specially hired models as perpetually cat-walking decoration.
This July, Ibiza's reputation as a bonafide, "high-end" destination was further rubber-stamped by two moments; the launch of the official, Ibiza Monopoly board game (go directly to DC10, do not pass "Go" etc) and the bally-ho arrival of Nikki Beach, close to Santa Eularia in a quiet bay on the east coast.
Nikki Beach, as anyone who has ever been to Marbella, Cannes (where Nikki hosts a riotous pop-up during the film festival), Miami Beach, St. Tropez, St. Barts Marrakech, Koh Samui, or Mallorca, will know, is the US-based outfit that invented the high thread-count, beach club lifestyle. Think; broad acreages of white beds, coolly tented areas and dining tables strong enough to dance on. Handsome men playing sax along to ambient house music (the "Nikki Beach wail", anyone?) Louis Vuitton'ed guests arriving by super yacht, waitresses that look like supermodels speaking the billionaire Esperanto of pretty sushi and €25,000 bottles of Cristal (often for battling with rather than drinking). Celebrity clients? Nikki has fed and watered them all: Beyonce, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Cindy Crawford, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Jay Z, Jude Law, Justin Timberlake, Megan Fox, Penelope Cruz, Rihanna, Ryan Gosling, Scarlett Johansson, Sharon Stone...and Woody Allen. Woody freaking Allen? Hard to imagine the world's palest and most neurotic man dancing on the tables to the latest David Guetta floorfiller, but if anyone can get the a nebbishly uptight movie director grooving, it's going to be Nikki.
With the high end of the summer market growing ever more dominant Nikki's arrival in Ibiza seems to have been cruelly delayed time coming, so what took owner and founder Jack Penrod so long? "Ever since we opened our very first Nikki Beach in 1998, one of the most frequently asked questions has been. 'When are you going to open in Ibiza?' The truth is, I didn't want to rush into it. And I didn't want to do the thing that everyone was expecting me to do either! We waited until we found the perfect place."
So, if you are visiting Ibiza this summer, GQ recommends that you start your day off with a long and languorous lunch at Nikki Beach. At, say, 2-3pm. Then, after a horizontal session and a flirt with a Russian model by the pool (and probably a slap off her, too), copious chilled pink rose, head off to Ushuaia. This is Ibiza's current club du jour, an open air, poolside disco arena with Damien Hirst-designed artwork, mind-warping LED lighting, aerial firebombs and euphoria-inducing tickertape showers… and top name DJs of course. GQ arrived on a Friday to see Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong and Idris Elba rocking the house. Sandwiched in the VIP area in between Brigitte Nielsen and Katie Grand, who was busting the classic "shelf stacking" dance routine to Norman Cook. Only in Ibiza.
Ushuaia shuts down at midnight (it opens at 6pm) so now you can move on to the Ushuaia Tower next door. This is an impressive operation; a super luxe hotel (décor is hedonist Barbarella) replete with €5000 a night suites (Leo DiCaprio has already stayed in one), Montauk, a superb Argentinean steak restaurant and a rather fabulous, aviation-themed roof top bar where Louis Vega and David Morales may be on the decks. Stay here until at least 3am.
Next day, head back to Nikki but have the architecture fan in you take a pass by the extraordinary new Life Marina apartments on Paseo de Joan Carles in Ibiza town. Designed by world renowned architect Jean Nouvel the Frenchman has described the development, with its terraced configuration and truly bonkers arrangement of fake, garishly coloured foliage as the "Ibizan Boa Constrictor". It's certainly the most ambitious construction project ever to hit the island.
What should you be drinking? Well, usually a visit to Ibiza is all Rosado and Vodka limon, but as an off shoot of his Enter residency at Space, superstar DJ Richie Hawtin is also "curating" an exclusive Enter. Sake menu at Ibiza's new sushi restaurant Sacca. On the site of the old Aura disco diner, Sacca is a partnership between El Chiringuito owner Jonathan Thorogood and friend-of-GQ George Lamb, off the telly. Chose from Hawtin's own brand Sake Enter Sookuu in black, silver and gold varieties. Or why not go to San Antonio to famed sundowner destination Café Mambo where the veteran bar owners have just launched a premium Mambo Hierbas. Long the signature tincture of the island, Hierbas is to Ibiza what Pastis is to the cote d'azur. Most of it gets bought at supermarkets and tastes like anti-freeze, but the "high end" Mambo variety is elegant, refined, utterly delicious and comes in a beautifully designed bottle. Tastes good drunk with ice and Bob Sinclair DJing in the back ground. "Eat. Sleep. Rave. Repeat," as they're saying on the white isle this summer.
Nikki Beach can now be experienced in eleven cities with more locations to come in the near future including The Maldives, Turkey and Greece. nikkibeach.com/ibiza
GQ stayed at Insotel Fenicia Prestige Suites & Spa. Prices start from €295 per night based on two people sharing including breakfast. insotelhotelgroup.com.
For more information on Ushuaia Tower's new Montauk
Steakhouse visit ushuaiabeachhotel.com


text:
What Are Your 5 Favorite Singers Of All Time?
What Are Your 5 Favorite Singers Of All Time?
Sep 20 2002, 23:19
Post #1
Group: Members
Posts: 393
Joined: 23-July 02
From: Blue Grass, IA
Member No.: 2760
Here's another one of those ^&%$# surveys
I needed an outlet to express my love & admiration for......
1.) Lisa Gerrard (solo & Dead Can Dance)
No one has a better voice and if they come close their material usually stinks (ie Whitney Houston). She is fantastic.
The others:
2.) Hope Sandoval (Warm Inventions & Mazzy Star)
3.) Liz Fraser (especially w/ Massive Attack)
4.) Loreena McKennitt
5.) David Byron (Uriah Heep)
Burn some bytes - who do you like?
No one can be told what Ogg Vorbis is...you have to hear it for yourself
- Morpheus
Aug 15 2012, 07:11
Post #2
Group: Members
Posts: 74
Joined: 30-July 12
Member No.: 101867
1. Sting
2. Sivert Høyem (Madrugada)
3. Jes Brieden
4. Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
5. Chris Martin (Coldplay)
If you don't know Jes Brieden just check out:
Deepsky feat. Jes Brieden - Talk Like A Stranger (Markus Schulz Return to Coldharbour Remix)
Motorcycle - As The Rush Comes (Gabriel & Dresden Chillout Mix)
Best female voice today, in my opinion.
This post has been edited by nastea: Aug 15 2012, 07:24
Aug 20 2012, 16:13
Post #3
Group: Members
Posts: 2402
Joined: 30-November 06
Member No.: 38207
I don't think I'll ever (again) get a stable top 5, but Rob Halford would probably stay on the list simply for making me a metalhead and a total music addict. Had I been an inch bisexual, he'd had a groupie just because he deserves it.
Ronnie James Dio would likely be on the list half the time too.
What about Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knf6ZsJFsG8
On a different note, Diamanda Galàs?
If you don't know Jes Brieden
... hm ... well listened to the clips. Not that much impressed.
2. Sivert Høyem (Madrugada)
Good to see him/them getting credit, though he wouldn't make it into my top 5. I always get this idea that he reminds me of someone, but I can never pin it down. (Madrugada sounds very much Neil Young, but his voice certainly doesn't.)
Nowadays I have a crush on fellow countryman Daniel Solheim (Nordagust). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiXR9DPyG90 . That nerve from 6:20 wraps the whole song together. Heck, I'll put him at the fifth spot. A different day it might be the not too different voice of David Eugene Edwards (16 HP / Wovenhand) -- a Christian fundamentalist even the black metallers of Marduk covered as a tribute. Story and Pictures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnV4rPHjFa0 .
This post has been edited by Porcus: Aug 20 2012, 16:13
|Lo-Fi Version
|Time is now: 30th November 2015 - 23:50


text:
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The opening of a mosque in the San Gabriel Valley is the latest Islamic worship center that has been built in Southern California over the last several years.
The Los Angeles Times reports the legion of new mosques have been funded entirely by local Muslims, who have been settling in the region since the 1960s. Prior to 2001, mosques were often funded by foreigners.
Stricter government scrutiny of foreign investments from Islamic countries after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, coupled with the reluctance of local Muslims about accepting foreign donations, helped change the practice.
The number of newly built facilities has risen to more than 630 in 2011 from 314 in 2000. There are more than 2,100 mosques in the U.S.
More mosques are planned for Corona, Ontario and Temecula.
Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
Nano Bullets for Ovarian Cancer
Page 2 of 2
Expert observers are impressed, not only by the ability of the nano drugs to shrink tumors but also by its potential to seek out early-stage tumors. "This could have an impact in the overall treatment of cancer patients, not just for therapy but for diagnosis too," says Kattesh Katti, a researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia who works with nanoparticles in cancer therapy.
But others are skeptical of pH as a viable marker for cancer cells. Denis Wirtz, associate director of the Institute for Nanobiotechnology at Johns Hopkins University, warns that sites of infection are also highly acidic, and could potentially throw pH-sensitive cancer drugs off their course. "It's not always the most specific way to do it," Wirtz says. "For viral infections, you can have drastic pH changes that have nothing to do with cancer."
Wirtz suggests another approach: map the molecules on a tumor's surface, design peptides that can recognize those tumor molecules, then coat a drug-carrying nanoparticle with the tumor-targeted peptides.
That kind of research may be down the line, suggests Amiji, adding that an advantage in working with a polymer-based nanoparticle is that its surface can be easily modified.
Meanwhile, Amiji's lab is also tackling the problem of drug resistance. Over 50 percent of women with ovarian cancer relapse after any given treatment. It's a statistic that spurred the team to experiment with multiple drugs, encapsulating several drugs into a single nanoparticle, and controlling when each drug is released."If you think about it, we have luggage," says Amiji. "So the contents inside that package really are up to the creativity of the scientist."