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@Chris: Yes, of course you are correct in a perfect world. However, this is for digital printers, such as proofing inkjets, and only for when there is no other solution. As for background and education, you're not going to find anyone with a better prepress background than Claudia. ;)
Eliminating YDB (Yucky Discolored Box) Syndrome
Steve Werner has posted an excellent solution to the Dreaded White Box (DWB) syndrome, wherein you see white boxes around shadows and other transparency effects interacting with spot color content. The answer, as Steve points out, is for your print service provider to turn on PostScript Overprint at the RIP. (And, for correct viewing in Acrobat, turn on Overprint Preview.)
But there's something similar to the DWB syndrome that occurs on many digital printers, from our in-house laser printers up to the big boys like the Xerox iGen3. This is YDB: Yucky Discolored Box syndrome, wherein, well, yucky discolored boxes appear under shadows when printed.
The discoloration is due to the printer's RIP not correctly exercising overprint. Even a gen-u-wine PostScript Level 3 printer such as my beloved Xerox 8400 can't pull this off.
I've tried converting all my inks to process, and turning on Simulate Overprint, and I still get the YDB syndrome. Previously, I'd been resorting to using Acrobat's "Print as Image" as a solution, but Adobe engineer Matt Phillips opened my eyes to an easier method during the Seattle Master Class, right there in InDesign. Thanks, Matt! I have to say "Duh! Why didn't I think of this"? The answer is to have InDesign act as a RIP.
Create a Transparency Flattener Preset that completely rasterizes everything:
- Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets, click on High as a starting point, and then click New.
In the ensuing dialog box, yank the raster/vector slider all the way to the left. Set the linework resolution to the printer's res (say, 600), and set the gradient/mesh resolution to, oh, 150. (I think you'll find shadow appearance satisfactory at 150. If not, go to 300.)
Save as a new Flattener Preset.
- File > Print, and under Output, choose Composite CMYK, and CHECK the Simulate Overprint checkbox. Under Advanced, select your all-raster flattener.
InDesign creates a conglomerate sheet pixels vector and text will be rasterized at the linework resolution, and shadows and feathered edges are generated at the gradient/mesh resolution. There's good news and bad news, of course. The good news is that your output will look correct -- no YDB syndrome. The bad news is that an exceedingly complex page could take some time to process, and could generate a big honking print file to clog up your printer.
111 Comments on "Eliminating YDB (Yucky Discolored Box) Syndrome"
I've self tought InDesign as i reall needed to in order to reduce our bills, as our business more or less depends on leafl;ets and brochures therefore we always design different ones, so they are not boring. I had this problem so many times and found it very annoying, will definatelly have to try this out and see if it works, thanks ever so much for a great post, we need more of those especially for those like me who are having to learm Indesign themselves.
many thanks again
dash t
THX A 1000.000 times!!!
Kind of an old thread, but hopefully I'll get some response…
Situation: Exporting a pdf from InDesign. Has process and spot colors with some drop shadows on a few elements. None of the drop shadows overlap spot colors. I'm getting YBD on every one of the drop shadowed elements. I need the spot colors to stay in the file, as they are company colors and have to match their collateral.
InDesign CS4
Acrobat 6 Pro
Fiery RIP (ver. 1.1 of Fiery X3eTY2 65_55C-KM)
Konica Minolta BizHub c6500
I don't know if it helps, but I applied a special test color profile to the file that drops the cyan and yellow out and boosts the magenta and black. Everything converted, except for the YDB areas. They stuck to the same colors they output with any profile selected. So, it looks like the YDB areas are simply ignoring ALL color management. I wish I could just flatten and rasterize the whole thing. :(
Any ideas?
I've had success hitting Expert Settings under the Color tab, then setting the Gray & Black Processing section to effectively off: RGB : Off, CMYK : Off, Black : Normal.
Particularly with grey-dominated background colours, and/or spots, the Fiery loses its mind – bypassing these colour settings helps it print as I would expect.
Here's a painful (but possibly helpful) thought: I don't have Acrobat 6 any more, so I can't look up the dialog box, but in the Print dialog, if you click the Advanced button, you should see the "Print as image" button. This does rasterize everything on the way out (in effect, letting the computer be the RIP). It's slow, but it may be the answer to your problem. However, this is a sticky setting, so you'll have to remember to turn it OFF the next time you print.
Let me know if this helps…
@Claudia: Wow! I wasn't expecting a response that quick! :)
Well…it kind of worked. It eliminated the YDB, but everything got pretty pixelated and rough around the edges. Also, it eliminates the spot colors, so I can't get those to match up with the color books without altering the rest of the image.
It's looking more and more like this is a RIP issue, though…especially since outputting to our Xerox Docucolor 12 or the office laser printer looks fine. I think I need to call in the techs and hope they can do something.
Thanks for the quick response, and hopefully I can come back with some good news later. :)
Well, we finally got the Fiery RIP updated, and lo and behold, no more YDB. I had a feeling there was a Postscript translation problem going on. Thanks again for the quick reply, and I'm glad to know that I wasn't just going crazy. ;)
I've gotten this fixed before by changing the line screen to rotated cluster dot under Image in the Fiery settings. This was for a Xerox260, printing from PDF.
It's another trick in the bag to use on this problem, if nothing else.
? Spool as CMYK only.
? Disable Spot Colour Matching.
? Enable Composite Overprint.
Ugh. This is a simple and very common problem, for those of you who are sending jobs to commercial printers that don't know how to work around transparency and spot colours – find a new print shop.
For printing in-house, always send just cmyk and you'll avoid the hassle (All spot to process in ink manager).
It's great to have access to these forums and discussions.
I understand some of the gripes from the gurus here, but really this is what these places are for – and let's be honest the production managers of old are few and far between these days so everyone needs all the help they can get.
Anyway the reason I've posted is not to carry on the banter but rather note that I discovered (with the help of all the posts here) how to dismiss the issue discussed. My ID file when PDF'd had a problem printing a text drop shadow over a transparent background leaving that dreaded grey box. Simply by switching the CMYK colour correction in the 'colour options' print dialogue to 'no correction' on our offices Xerox Docu-centre IV the grey box disappeared on my following print out. Only explanation might be that the printer is over compensating – as always trying to be too clever for it's own good.
Hope this helps someone.
PS No spot colours in my job – only CMYK all the way.
This trick does work and i don't have to use step 2 as pointed out above, the only downside is that the vector elements are now raster so they get affected by the output profile in the rip. I have the RIP set up so the vector elements are not touched by the output profile and this is why the YDB syndrome appears. The way we get around that is to convert the raster files with the output profile and RIP the postscript files without a profile.
Using a Canon C1 Imagepress. None of the suggestions worked for me. I don't think it's got anything to do with colour management – well, not for me anyway. What DID work, finally, was, in the print dialogue box in InDesign, clicking "Printer". clicking the drop-down to "Fiery features", clicking the "Full properties" button, selecting the "Colour" tab, and checking the "Composite overprint" check box. Fortunately this problem doesn't occur often! Adding a second colour to the background colour fixes the problem about 95%.
I'm trying to export a full page advert created in ID CS5 to a high quality pdf to send to a magazine publisher.
They have requested a pdf of 300 – 350 dpi including bleed & Trim.
When I create a pdf I get the YDB, i've tried 'Eric's' formula above which has eliminated YDB but has now given a feint white outline box where the YDB was before.
If I produce an interactive pdf the problem totally disappears but I can't include the bleed or trim on this.
I've tried the total rastering also.
Please help, the artwork deadline is fast approaching!!
Edd G,
I do not see Eric's formula. Where is it?
The white lines do not print; they are a display artifact in Acrobat. If they bother you, go to the Page Display preferences in Acrobat, and turn OFF Smooth Line Art.
The lines are indications that transparent objects have been flattened during PDF creation. This happens when you create a PDF with version 4 compatibility (for example, PDF/X-1a). To get rid of the white box (or missing shadows), turn on Overprint preview in Acrobat (launching Output Preview in the Print Production tools will do this). You'll only see this if you have spot colors in the file. Make sure you do not have spot components that are intended to print as CMYK (since you're sending to a mag pub, I suspect everything should be CMYK, but that's not always the case).
Short story: if your file is built correctly, ignore the lines and any white boxes or absent shadows, if they appear correctly when you turn on Overprint Preview.
I forgot to add — the reason you don't see the lines and other artifacts in the Interactive PDF is that it's a later-version PDF (v. 5 or above). Thus, transparency is not flattened, and you don't see the "seams."
Claudia, Thank-you.
That is a big relief!
The requirement is for CMYK for the ad. I've made sure all the colours in 'swatches' are CMYK but how do I know if there are any spot's on the page? Sorry if this is outside of this thread parameters.
To determine if you have unwanted spot colors on the page, go the the Swatches panel menu and choose "Select all Unused." Delete the selected swatches.
Now to determine if spot colors are used: Go to Window > Output > Separations Preview. If you see any spots listed, turn off the eyeballs by CMYK to see the remaining objects: those are the spot objects.
To fix any unwanted spots, either apply another (CMYK) swatch, or convert the spot color to CMYK.
Hope this helps! (And let me know if you find spots)
Again you're a star!
I didn't have any spots [phew!]
And the seams or thin white lines that appear on the .pdf display do not print.
I've advised the Mag of the situation and asked them to trial it before publication but the proof will be in the pudding as it were come November when the mag is published!
Many thanks for all your help and for helping me and countless others with this pig of a problem!
your solution worked perfectly – thank you very very much indeed! :)
As a designer who only does artwork to send to various printers, I seem to be encountering this issue a lot lately. What is the best method for eliminating the box when I am not handling the production end? Is it to simply turn convert the spot colors to CMYK? I need to be able to create a PDF that I can be relatively sure won't have any issues, as I have to send them to printers around the south.
If the inks are not intended to print as spot colors, then, by all means, convert them to CMYK. Sounds like you're sending jobs to a digital printing workflow (as opposed to offset printing). If that's the case, they can't print spot anyway, so nothing lost.
Does this help?
I have the problem whether or not it's spot or CMYK. It happens even with pngs with no drop shadow. The only thing that fixes it is opening it up in Photoshop and exporting it as a Photoshop PDF. This however makes it a much bigger file. There has to be a better solution.
@Claudia – Thanks for the quick response! If converting to CMYK fixes the issue, then that is what I will do. And yes, I am sending jobs to be printed digitally. In the past I have worked with a machine (small IKON) that could handle spot colors, so I wasn't sure what would give me the best result. I'd much rather have minute color differences than weird boxes around things! Thanks again, and I will pass this along to my design team.
Let us know how it goes!
Ok, hey everyone! Firstly thanks for posting on here, i've been reading all of the posts and now I am officially confused, but more informed. Please can you help me?!!!!
My indesign file is all cmyk, the border around the edge has a little woman doing a wheelie in black, and her background is supposed to be clear, which it is in photoshop and indesign (5.5) and then when i pdf it off, I don't get the seams as described by some poor souls above, i get this lighter shade of orange or whatever colour is behind the woman. i wondered if it is something i am doing when i export it to pdf? i am exporting to pdf print with printer marks and bleeds.
As this catalogue is being litho printed, please please tell me that i dont have to spend my weekend opening up each page of the 108 page book and changing the woman etc etc and that it only happens on digital printers like my little laser one here (how i discovered the problem and had a small heart attack!)
Many thanks and good luck to you all, i very much appreciate posters,
I have worked as a graphic designer for years, using mostly Illustrator and Photoshop. Just now am I starting to work with a beginner who is using InDesign, and this article, and everyone's helpful comments were the key I needed to solve the YDB problems I was being asked about by the beginner. THANKS EVERYBODY!!!
Always take a look using the Overprint Preview in the View menu!
I followed the instructions, then fiddled with my printer settings to disable any "color corrections" it was making. I am shocked by the result! The colors are so much better! I wish I had known that my printer was messing with my colors all these years!
works for illustrator cs6 too! thank you!
So after searching in the endless void of cyberspace, I finally got to this article which solved my issues exactly. Easy fix and the flyer icons and logo don't have that ridiculous box around them where the transparency is.
Thanks for saving my morning!
I have looked and looked for something to try to correct this problem. This is absolutely wonderful. Easy method to get rid of those confounded boxes.
Thank you for this article! My files have been printing with a YDB behind them and I could not figure out why and how to make it stop (wound up jury rigging it by creating a file in PSD to use as my header. It was a pain to do.) Thank you!!
This solution of Transparency Flattener Presets doesn't work for me because the file I'm working with is too large and it makes my PDF print huge and very slow to print! Does anyone have an alternative solution?
This is a bad idea. Most RIP-software and large-format printers have an option to add more than 256 shades of colors in a gradient to avoid banding. This 'fix' renders all gradients in 256 steps. So large-format printing a gradient will get ugly banding issues. Adobe just should fix this bug. Some FieryRIP software already have a special fix to avoid these bugs. This has nothing to do that the printer handles bitmaps different than vector graphics. It's just bad coding by Adobe.
Flattening your artwork brings back your gradients to 8 bit colourspacing.
Postscript Level 3 supports Smooth shading, extra grays and masked images. Using this workaround renders all these functions useless and your print is not as good as it should be by Adobe's own Postscript Level 3 specs.
while adobe fixes the problem what are the work arounds? I usually see this problem when i used some effects in illustrator with a background other than white > imported the file in InDesign > then print on our in house xerox.
Always the same gig : discolored box.
How should i go about to fix this if the idea evoked in the article is not good (while you are indeed right about large files and gradients) ?
Instead of saving as PDF in Illustrator you can print as a Postscript file.
Go to Print and select Adobe Postscript® File as your printer and Device Independent as your PPD. Now set the Color Handling to: Let Postscript® printer determine colors. Click save button. Copy the .ps file to your RIP-software. It is the only way to bypass Adobe's own Color Management system and the discolored boxes are gone.
What do I do if I cannot choose CMYK from the output dropdown? It is greyed out!
YDB is driving me mad…
The company I work for insists on having a specific spot color (Pantone 199C) for their logo and company text. Is there a solution for me?
this problem affects digitally printed jobs.
Your pantone is useful only if printed on offset machines. Otherwise you can use a cmyk version of the pantone and use the tricks described above ^^
We are using a web press. Document in CMYK + Pantone 199C. No flexibility in that.
I get these but not when printing directly from InDesign – rather when I export to a PDF which I have to do so others without InDesign can read and print the file. The hints above therefore do NOT fix the problem – the ugly boxes cannot be seen when the document is viewed on screen, but do print when sent to our Sharp MX2600 Printer. Basically I have a photo in a circle frame that lays over a shaded gray box. There will be a discoloured box around the circle that looks really bad, and as I said this tip doesn't fix that. However, if I change the gray box to another colour, like teal – it doesn't happen! Weird!
Exactly the information I needed.
Thank you and your tech.
You saved my day
Oh, man, it is soooo great to have some solid information about this after so much fruitless searching. Claudia's method fixed my YDB drop shadow problem, at least on the document at hand. And the suggestion to turn on "composite overprint" in the Fiery dialog also worked! (YDB has been a really common thorny problem on our Canon IRV C5240.) Thank you so much!
Thank you very much! Works like a charm :)
Hi, great to find this webpage!
I'm having this problem at the moment as well. I export to PDF, and it all looks perfect on screen – I don't even get the dreaded white lines. But then when I print on a laser printer I get the boxes around all my graphics.
So is it just digital printers that will have this problem? When I send it to the commercial printer, they will be able to print without the boxes?
I've tried the advice above and it hasn't fixed the problem.
The problem is that I am sending it to the client who are obviously concerned when they print out on their office printer!
THANK YOU!! This YDB problem appeared a few months ago on the same printer I've been using for years, a HP3800dn color laser. My ID and PDF files would look fine but print out with YDB on the HP (but not on an Epson StylusPro 3880). It's been driving me nuts with many fruitless searches everywhere. No doubt I updated a driver or something and screwed things up, but Edd's fix of creating a new transparency flattener preset did the trick.
Amazing! Thank you very much for this. Been struggling with transparency boxes for years. Now they are gone. Hooray!
Hey guys, I am a printer at a small print shop and self taught graphic artist (primarily fixing clients non vector logos that looked great on their PC screen but print like they were spraypainted thru a stencil held way to far from the page). I am having this issue with a PDF I received from a client (right before he went on vacation for 2 weeks) and I don't and wont have access to his INDD file until he returns. Composite overprint setting in the Fiery turns the DWB into a YDB but doesn't fully get rid of it. and while I could use Acrobat to just cut out all of the drop shadows and he probably wouldn't even notice, I don't really feel right about that. Is there anything that can be done from this end or am I stuck until I can get my hands on his INDD file? I am using Adobe CC including Acrobat XI Pro and the printer is a Lanier (Ricoh) Pro C751ex, if that helps.
Shane, hit your Advanced colour settings in the RIP; in the middle tab, where you've got Greyscale and CMYK settings – turn them all to Off or Normal where Off is not available (sorry, not in front of the RIP right now, trying to remember).
I've noticed this setting especially affects things when a drop shadow/transparent PSD is placed over a background colour, particularly bad if it's a grey-based spot (like PMS 877 silver – the RIP loses its mind).
In a couple of setups with Fiery RIPs (connected to KM devices) that's fixed the problem for me.
You might also try doing a Fixup in Acrobat to flatten the file.
Thanks so much!
You give a great idea dude!! this may lot help us.Good luck,keep up.
I got to the CMYK part and it wouldn't allow me to choose this as an option… Not sure why.
Also I usually print as PDF from Adobe – is there a way to get around this issue printing through Adobe?
Luci, i had the same issue. Export as a print PDF and then navigate to the output tab.
Under compatibility select acrobat 4, this will allow the simulate overprint option to be checked. Now under the advanced tab go to the transparency flattener option and select the above created setting that claudia showed us. Now when you save the PDF and print there are no more light boxes!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was driving me INSANE. :)
hey Gucci,
intead of replying to a random post to get informations on something unrelated, how about you contact the site admin directly ? Notice the "get in touch" box bottom page right ?
Use that to contact the admin. This way you might get an answer.
As for your interrogation, my thoughts on the subject are that is you dont want it copied dont put it on the web.
This said, maybe you should put some note, a sort of incentive, stating that your content can be republished as long as credits and a link back to source follow the used content.
Dont i feel dumb now hahaha :D
might as well remove the complete thread then. It doesn't belong with the article.


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I'll be darned, I no sooner push out a story as to why this race-hustler started killing people, and I discover that has assumed room temperature.
Shareef Allman, the man suspected of killing three people and wounding seven others during a workplace shooting, has been shot and killed this morning by Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies, according to multiple law enforcement agencies.
Allman was fatally shot at about 7:20 a.m. after being found at a house in Sunnyvale, according to multiple law enforcement agencies.
Lt. Rick Sung of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said a man was shot this morning by sheriff's deputies who had been searching for Allman in the same neighborhood of Wednesday's massive manhunt. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety will investigate the officer-involved shooting.
A law enforcement source said Allman knew somebody who lives on Lorne Way.
via Suspect in Cupertino shooting spree has been shot and killed – San Jose Mercury News.
I hate to be the one to say it; but, it could not have happened to a better person. Well, maybe Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton or even Ed Brayton. ( 😯 ) '
Anyhow, the point I am making here is this; if you use your race to act as a shield for your poor job performance, and when that does not work anymore — you kill people? You die, especially if you pull a gun on a police officer. I do not care what race you are, this sort of stuff is just wrong. What burns my rear about this; is the liberal left, will use this tragic incident to try and advocate for stricter gun laws.
Another thing that really burns my bottom side; is that the liberal left and their cohorts in the media; will act like this crime never even happened. If anything at all; the man will be seen as a martyr to the race-hustling crowd. That's right, he will be seen as a hero to these people; and not as the criminal murder, that he really was.
But then again, we are talking about the liberal left — none of this should be a big surprise to the rest of America.

subset: commoncrawl


text: I'm going to try to keep this G rated. As the Dementia gets worse, Grandma starts to regress in years. She may look every bit of 87 years of age, but in her mind, I think she believes she is in her 20's. When you are young and full of spirit, many have their mind set on relations with the opposite sex. My husband constantly informs my girls that all boys think about is being with girls. He thinks he is an expert on how boys think. Grandma evidently is convinced that this is true of anyone that stays at her house.Tonight, Grandma informed me about some girls that have been staying in her house. They like to sneak out at night and get with those boys. They are forbidden to be with those boys. All they want to do is have babies! I guess I didn't learn my lesson from last night. My curiosity really got the best of me and I had to know what she was thinking.She said "My sisters and their friends just use me as a cover! They come over here and tell their momma that they are spending the night and then they get with those boys!"Me: "What do they do with those boys?"Grandma: "You know....make babies! Just makes me sick thinking about all the babies!"By this time....I am about to bust a gut.Me: "What do you mean, grandma?"Grandma: "I don't have no time to be taking care of no babies! They need to go on and take their business else where!"Me: "Well, who do you think is making these babies?"Grandma: "Everybody that comes over here thinks they need to go make babies! This is just silliness!"Me: "Grandma, I promise I am not making any babies!"Grandma: "Well, I hope not. You would just need a good spanking for that!"And with that statement...she went to bed.So, if you stay at Grandma's house, try not to make babies. She don't need no babies and would prefer you take your business elsewhere! Priceless!


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RateBeer announces best beers of 2013
Wondering what the best beers and best breweries are in the world? RateBeer.com just released their best of lists for 2013.
Rate Beer is on online forum created in 2000, in which beer drinkers can share opinions and information with each other. Each year they compile massive amounts of information from thousands of reviews to create "best of lists" that include Best Brewers, Best Beers, Best Beer Retailers, etc. This past week, the lists created from information gathered from the year 2013, were released.
The website states, "We recognize the hard work and consistency that goes into making these styles traditionally, and in new brewing traditions, fine appreciation and precision. This is truly all about showcasing an array of the world's finest brewers."
To read more about how Rate Beer calculates their results, click here.
Many breweries near the Michiana area made the Rate Beer Best Of lists, including several beers that landed in the top spot for the best beer in the world by style. These beers included:
- Bell's Two Hearted Ale, Kalamazoo, MI - #1 best IPA in the world
- Founders KBS, Grand Rapids, MI - #1 best stout in the world
- Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine, Chicago, IL - #1 best strong ale in the world
- Three Floyds Zombie Dust, Munster, IN - #1 best pale ale in the world
- Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel French Toast Mead, Warren, MI - #1 best mead in the world
Out of 21 different categories, with the top 15 beers ranked in each category, there were 43 beers ranked from the combined states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. To see the full list of all categories, click here.
Other lists included:
Top Brewers in the World
Three Floyds Brewing, IN - ranked #3, Bell's Brewery, MI - ranked #5,
Other breweries included:
Michigan -Dark Horse, Founders, Jolly Pumpkin, Kuhnhenn, B. Nektar Meadery, and Shorts.
Illiniois - Goose Island, Half Acre, Pipeworks, and Revolution.
Ohio - Hoppin' Frog. Great Lakes Brewing
For the complete Top Brewers in the World list click here.
Top beers, brewers, new brewers by state
Indiana - top brewer Three Floyds, Top beer Three Floyds Dark Lord, best new brewer - 18th St. Brewery
Michigan - top brewer Bell's Brewery, Top beer Founders KBS, best new brewer - Griffin Claw Brewing Company
For the full list, click here.
Best Beers in the World Overall
Michigan - Bell's Black Note, Bells Expedition Stout, Bell's Hopslam, Bell's Two-Hearted; Dark Horse Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th Imperial Stout; Founders Backwoods Bastard, Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Imperial Stout, Founders KBS, Founders Porter; Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock
Indiana - Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout, Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA, Three Floyds Zombie Dust
For the complete list click here.
Best beer retailers by state
Indiana - Best brewpub - New Albanian Brewing Company, New Albany; Best restaurant - M. Moggers Restaurant & Pub, Terre Haute; Best brewery tap room - New Day Meadery, Indianapolis; Best bottle shop - Keg Liquors, Clarksville; Best bar - The Heorot, Muncie.
Michigan - Best Brewpub - Hop Cat, Grand Rapids; Best restaurant - Slows Bar BQ, Detroit; Best brewery tap room - Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids; Best bottle shop - Champane's Wine Cellars, Warren; Best bar - Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, Kalamazoo.
To view the complete list, click here.
Now, I know that a list is just a list, and nothing more than the opinion of the people involved. And I don't really need to be told that what I already know - Michiana is located in the brewing heartland, surrounded by incredible beer culture. But it is nice to know that much of the rest of the world feels the same.


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"Not only did my teams simply kick ass, they did it in a way that moved the needle for the company, and in my mind once again catapulted themselves into the forefront of operations and technology at scale," Mike said in his post, which has already attracted 48,000 views in less than a week. Mike said the post is seeing views from Asia and Europe and is now among the top-20 most-viewed posts ever on his blog.
The deployment of the unit also attracted the attention of the tech news heavyweights including PC Magazine, Wired, ZDNet and GigaOm. AOL's technology team also recently won an award for our data center energy efficiency efforts.
.@AOL Flips on 'Game Changer' Micro Data Center aol.it/LfbI4G- AOL PR (@AOLPR) July 11, 2012


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It's rare when the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox get together for a series, but it happened this week. And the Cubs made the best of their opportunities and beat the Sox 16-9 on Wednesday evening. It marks the first time the Cubs have completed a sweep in Boston.
The theme of the day was long ball, as the Cubs connected on three homers during the game, getting two-run shots from Justin Ruggiano, Mike Olt, and Welington Castillo to help the Cubs power their way to victory. Nate Schierholtz chimed in with a solo shot in the eighth to add on to the damage. In fact, every Cub hitter registered at least a base hit before the night was done.
On the mound, it was a quick night for starter Travis Wood. He was chased after just 3 and 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs on seven hits. He also issued four walks, not helping his own cause. The bullpen was able to hold things down, though allowing three more runs in the process.
The Boston pitching staff obviously didn't have a great night. Brandon Workman survived four innings, before he was pulled. He gave up six runs on just five hits, but he gave up three walks and two big home runs in the process. The bullpen went south from there. Two of the relievers were each responsible for two runs. Then more disaster struck in the top of the ninth, as the Cubs sent 10 men to the late en route to delivering six more runs to close out the offensive portion of their night.
But the Sox tried to make things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. They were able to pick up three more runs, but couldn't close the gap any further. Justin Grimm shut things down in the final frame, striking out the final two batters to end the game.
It was a historic night for the Cubs, as even Darwin Barney missed a home run of hitting for the cycle. Their offense simply teed off on Boston pitching. With the win, the Cubs will take a break on Thursday as they travel to Washington for a weekend set with the Nationals. The Red Sox on the other hand, will host the Baltimore Orioles beginning Friday night.


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Fighter jet technology for your rifle?
Interesting technology but it kind of takes the fun out of making the perfect shot. Also, it doesn't look like it tracks anything...meaning it won't follow a moving target.
See the New 'Intelligent' Rifle That Claims to Give You a Perfect Shot Every Time | Video | TheBlaze.com


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HTC ThunderBolt free at Verizon until January 26
This is hardly surprising, but the HTC ThunderBolt is now free from Verizon. You do have to sign a new two-year contract though, as you'd expect. Still, a free smartphone is a free smartphone. The ThunderBolt may not be today's cream of the crop, but it's still a pretty decent upper-midrange handset based on specs, and it's not often that those can be had for free, even with a contract.
We've seen the ThunderBolt discounted in the past, at one point it was even almost free, but those things happened at third party retailers. This time it's Verizon itself, and the offer is only valid through January 26.
For those of you looking for a smartphone and a bargain, this is both. Perhaps the only (rather big) downside being that it ships running Android 2.2 Froyo, which is positively ancient in this fast-paced mobile world. That said, an update to Gingerbread may or may not be waiting once you power the device on. Anyway, if you're interested in picking up a ThunderBolt, Verizon is patiently waiting for your order.


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Not only that, but the village of Veryan is so beautiful and has lots of really interesting history, and many listed buildings of interest.
We have saved the St Symphorian Church, Veryan to investigate further the next time we visit.......
|St Symphorian Church, Veryan
All the houses were built in about 1820 by Hugh Rowe, a Lostwithiel builder, for the Reverend Jeremiah Trist, reputed to be one for each of his 5 daughters.
But it seems they were lived in by his tenants or labourers of the village, there are several theories as to why they were round, one is that it is said to deter the activities of the Devil ! But it seems more likely to be for practical reasons and that it was just economical to build that way and to heat etc. Although they each have a cross on the roof.
The Trist Family
Reverend Jeremiah Trist succeeded his father John Trist in 1783 as the local vicar, John had installed two bells in the church and had planted many trees in his lifetime on the 600 acres the family owned at Veryan.
|Portrait of John Trist
He also built his own house Parc Behan as his vicarage.
|Picture Copyright Mr George Egan on Images of England
Jeremiah Trist was born on 30 September 1755, son of John and Jane, he died 23 September 1829.
He married Elizabeth Charlotte Fincher on 13 May 1783 in Veryan. She was born 22 May 1762 and died 22 July 1849 at Parc Behan, Green Lane, Veryan. The Vicarage now a house that Jeremiah had built in about 1802-10.
They had 5 daughters and 2 sons.
1) Charlotte Fincher b early 1784, m John Gwatkin in 1814, had 4 children, all b in India. She d 14 November 1869, buried in Veryan.
2) Harriet Ann b late 1785, m Richard Budd in 1813, had 2 children, and d October 1871 Bath, Somerset.
3) Caroline b early 1787, seems never married, 1851 census she was a visitor to a curate and his wife in Somerset and listed as 'Annuitant'. Found possible death 1864 in Somerset.
4) Thomas b summer 1788, m Frances Grose, they had 2 sons and 1 daughter. And it looks like he lived in India from about 1807 to 1822 and was an officer in the Bengal Native Infantry, he died 4 April 1832.
In looking for information about Thomas I came across this great page from a reference book, Burke's, about the Trist family....See below!
It shows that Jeremiahs wife Elizabeth was the daughter of the Vicar of Veryan, Rev Richard Fincher before him....how brilliant...they certainly kept it in the family! Also that Thomas (Eldest Son) was a 15th direct descendant from King Edward 111.
5) Samuel Peter John b late 1790, was christened on Christmas day 1790. He went to Oxford College Oriel at age 17 just like his father (Jeremiah also went to Oxford College but Lincoln).
No marriage found. He was Vicar of Veryan for 40 years
Samuel (the builder of Trist House and garden, a very grand new Vicarage)
|Trist House
6)Louisa Jane b 1795 and d May 1809 aged 14 years.
7)Maria Elizabeth b early 1790 d early 1818 aged 28 years.
I don't know the reason these two sisters died so young.
They are both buried in the family vault at Veryan.
The Trist family have a Tomb vault, it is thought built by Jeremiah in about 1800, close to the tower of St Symphorian, Veryan. Several members of the family are buried there.
|Trist family Mausoleum....... RESURGEMUS' 'Sown in Corruption, raised in Incorruption'
Cornwall OPC MIs
The village of VERYAN, more information about its buildings of note, follow link below......
Listed Buildings in VERYAN
Till next time then ...............


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On Genevieve
I really can't remember, it cost between N4m to N5m. I 'm not too sure. But I think it's a beautiful idea if not for the way everyone is trying to go about it. I think Genevieve is a stunner I could dateor love her. But we didn't date. She's my friend and a star you know. We're close and we both understand that things couldn't work out. That song was recorded two years before the video was released and it remains my biggest song ever. I wanted to make a statement with it. We had options of whom to use in the video, but at the end of the day, we saw that it's an African song and by that time I had already played it in about fifty weddings.
Am I good in bed? How I'm suppose to know? I think you should ask the women, but please don't ask a virgin. That song is misleading them. When you say how
big is the koko?, then they want to see if it's that big. But when some come, they see what they either want to see or don't expect to see.
So are you saying that the song has put you into a lot of trouble?
Yes, a lot of time. But to find a lady that really likes one genuinely makes me paranoid. Of late, I dated a lady called Dana and she doesn't even know that
I'm a musician. I told her I'm a businessman. She's based in America and I like it. Is it wrong? Even if I date a foreigner, I still have to come back home.
Are you saying you haven't met any Nigerian lady?
It's really hard to find because how will I know she likes me genuinely? My mother said I should go to Bishop Oyedepo's Church, Living Faith to find a wife.


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Laboratory and Pharmacy Services
The Health Care Clinic utilizes a CLIA waived laboratory and is contracted with Clinical Pathology & Laboratory (CPL).
Cost of the testing is passed on to the student. Laboratory tests range from $3.00 to $53.00 (prices subject to change).
If the student has coverage by medical insurance, that information can be provided to the nurse at the time of the visit and submitted to CPL for billing purposes. Depending on insurance coverage and out of pocket expenses for the student, the provider may order laboratory tests at any outside or competing laboratory.
For more information about CLIA waived testing please visit www.cdc.gov
Pharmacy Services
The Health Care Clinic maintains a state licensed Class D pharmacy in accordance with Texas Pharmacy Laws and Regulations. The pharmacy provides antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, musculoskeletal, and gynecological medications.
Select medications are prescribed to the students at a minimal cost. Medications range in price from $3.00 to $35.00 (prices subject to change).
For more facts about your medication and state pharmacies please visit www.tsbp.state.tx.us
This page was last updated on: September 29, 2015


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This is Motley, a gorgeous flakie top coat made of of lots of blue and green particles. Sound familiar? Flecked, which I wore the other day, is also green and blue. However, Flecked is much greener and Motley is bluer. Here I am wearing 2 coats of Finger Paints Motley over Essie Power Clutch.
Pretty, isn't it? I am still loving these flakies just as much as I hoped I would. They really add something special to any manicure.
If you'd like to enter for a chance to win Finger Paints Motley along with 3 other flakies, take a look at my giveaway!
- Aly


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Popping a top for a good cause
The Colville Junior High Warriors held a pop tab collection competition as part of a school wide recycling program. The 7th grade class and the 8th grade class collected pop tabs for six weeks to see which class could collect the most. Their efforts will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities which offers families with hospitalized children a place to stay that is free of charge and close to the hospital. *For the complete story, see the 6-8-2011 edition of the S-E.


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PWG-ANNOUNCE> Location of the PWG F2F meetings next week, Dec. 11-12, in Austin, TX
The PWG December face-to-face meeting will be held December 11-12 in Austin, Texas, at a Dell facility north of Austin.
The meetings will be held both days in the Dell Technical Briefing Center (TBC) in the Parmer South campus. (The Parmer South campus, NOT the Round Rock campus.)
- The Parmer South campus is about 20 miles north of the airport, about 12 miles north of the center of town. Parmer Lane crosses interstate I-35. It is also designated as Rt. 734 on some road signs.
- The TBC itself is in the link between the S.2 (PS2) and S.3 (PS3) buildings, shown on the detail map.
- There is visitor parking directly in front of the link between the two buildings.
Here is an overview of the area roads:
Here is a detailed map and agenda:
The meetings start promptly at 9:00 AM both days. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Hope to see you there. If you have any problems finding it, please call my cell phone at 603-557-3118.
Richard_Landau(at)dell(dot)com, Stds & System Mgt Architecture, CTO Office
+1-512-728-9023, One Dell Way, RR5-3, MS RR5-09, Round Rock, TX 78682


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Fast Finder:
Be a part of the Jackson Hospital team! We have opportunities for nurses seeking a career with one of the region's leading healthcare organizations. Sign on bonuses and limited contracts are available in key areas. Visit our career center for more details.
Breaking news
Upcoming events
See all events
Jackson Hospital has been recognized for its commitment to excellent care for heart attack patients. Learn more.
Jackson Hospital is home to two iSuites by Stryker -- advanced surgical suites that offer the latest in neurosurgery technology. Learn more.
Financial Assistance Program
Programa de ayuda económica
Financial Assistance Policy Summary
Política de ayuda económica
Financial Assistance Policy Summary - Complete


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I have URL that gets called from my java app that returns the save/open dialog for an Excel file.
At the moment, it opens in a new tab but I want to return the dialog box in the same window. I do not know the file name as it is dynamic and changes based on the parameters passed in. I also do not want to save it somewhere as I want the user to have the choice of opening or saving.
Is there anyway of doing this in Java? I've only seen examples where the file name is known.
EDIT The URL is hitting a CGI Script


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Garden of the Sun Demonstration Garden
1750 N. Winery
Fresno, CA
(559) 456-4151
Open: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
(May through August)
Admission is free.
Click here for more information.
Through its Master Gardener Program the UC Cooperative Extension in Fresno County has developed a one acre ornamental and food production demonstration garden on the south end of the City of Fresno's Reedy Park, located at Winery and McKinley Avenue, Fresno, CA.
The Garden of the Sun is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and most Saturdays. Master Gardeners are on site and available to answer your garden questions. Admission to the garden is free.
Guided tours are available upon request. To schedule a tour, email or call (559) 241-7535.


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Carol Coronado, 30, was arrested after several knives were found at the scene where she allegedly killed her three daughters. The incident happened in Southern California, CBS News reports. It clearly appears she allegedly stabbed them. The children were between two months to three years old, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Lt. Dave Coleman.
When the 30-year-old mother was taken into custody by police, she was seen covered in blood wearing a blanket. She was booked Tuesday on suspicion of murdering her children. She was transferred to a hospital for evaluation then to the sheriff's station. Carol Coronado made no statement.
By Wednesday detectives had cleared out the crime scene. The suspect's mom had called authorities. When they arrived, family members told them she had killed her children.
"She was full of blood on her face and arms," neighbor Ashley Madrid said.
Madrid was informed by the suspect's mother that she called earlier that day telling her she was going crazy. The girls' father was working across the street on a car when Madrid found Carol Coronado and the three children in a pool of blood on the bed.
"I saw when they were bringing him out," Madrid recalled. "He [the father] was crying. He was crying, 'She killed my daughters!"


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Barnham Broom awarded High Achiever GolfMark status by England Golf
17:05 12 October 2012
Barnham Broom has just been awarded the High Achiever GolfMark status by England Golf – a national accreditation that recognises clubs that fulfil strict criteria to become a junior and beginner friendly club.
Barnham Broom is one of only three golf clubs in Norfolk to achieve this award.
The accreditation has been granted as a result of a three-year monitoring review following Barnham Broom's achievement of the standard GolfMark status in 2009. The GolfMark scheme is part of Sport England's ClubMark that has 2,800 accredited clubs across the country in 25 sports.
The criteria used to judge golf clubs who apply for the accreditation includes the standard of its coaching and playing, the club environment, its approach to child protection and duty of care.
The accreditation is important because it's a nationally recognised standard of quality from the governing bodies of golf in England that gives parents the reassurance that their children will be well looked after and taught in a structured and safe environment by qualified coaches.
It also helps beginners to choose a club that will help them as they learn the ropes.
With the High Achiever status comes a certificate, a £500 coaching grant and the use of the GolfMark standard logo to indicate the quality standard Barnham Broom has reached.
Barnham Broom club professional, Alan Hemsley said: "This is a great achievement for Barnham Broom. As Norfolk's premier golf club we pride ourselves on doing everything we can to make ourselves accessible and attractive to new and young golfers. We believe wholeheartedly in creating an environment that welcomes new people to the world of golf.
"The High Achiever status means that parents and newcomers can feel reassured that they and their children will be well looked after and receive a high quality standard of coaching.
"What makes this award even more satisfying is that you have to demonstrate that you can attain and maintain standards over a three year period.
"The Ryder Cup always generates a new wave of interest so I am looking forward to welcoming some new faces to Barnham Broom and maybe we'll have the next Ian Poulter or Luke Donald on our hands."
Karen Young, Golf Development Officer at Norfolk County Golf Partnership, said: "I am delighted that Barnham Broom has been accredited with High Achiever status. It's important that other clubs follow its lead in providing a nurturing environment for the next generation of golfers. It makes good business sense for clubs to work towards accreditation as those clubs that do are in a stronger position to be able to take advantage of projects to encourage more people to try golf which in turn will help support both club membership and green fee initiatives.
"Congratulations to all the golf team at Barnham Broom for their efforts in gaining Higher Achiever accreditation."
Barnham Broom regularly hosts open days for anyone who wants to try their hand at the basics of golf. Alan Hemsley takes beginners and novices through a number of coaching drills to help them hone their games.
Alan, who is a Grade 3 PGA Professional, runs Barnham Broom's junior academy which now has over 62 junior members between the ages of 6-18.
He is supported by Assistant PGA Professionals Matthew Gardner and Alex Beckett, Secretary Robin Brooks and Welfare Officer Rachel Bradfield.
The academy has enough handicap golfers to field three league teams. Tuition takes place every Saturday between 12.30-4.15pm covering all aspects of the game. Barnham Broom is an active supporter of its junior players encouraging them to play in senior events once they have their CONGU handicap.


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Los Angeles-based womenswear designer, Talina Hermann, imagines daring designs perfect for day or night. These looks bode as well in chic coffee shops as they do on the most exclusive dancefloors around the world. While Talina Hermann designs certainly are luxurious, they are available for affordable luxury prices (a range of about $150-$450).
These are the five biggest reasons why shopping this brand is a must-do.
It Girl Style
Talina Hermann knows what women with full social calendars want since she herself may be considered quite the It Girl. These days the designer is more into entertaining but she made quite the name for herself in top clubbing scenes in Europe and the U.S.
Luxe, Unexpected Details
Luxury is most apparent when it comes down to the finest details and Talina Hermann designs totally qualify. This leather neckline and pocket trims on angora mesh is no exception.
Celebrating the Female Form
Talina Hermann looks are figure-flattering from the most curve-hugging pieces to flowing styles. While the sex appeal of a woman is certainly celebrated, fans of the brand can choose from a nice variety of fits and silhouettes that range from the more daring to the sexy yet with plenty of coverage.
Fabulous Fabric
The silk Riley Skirt with mesh trim is just one example of how the designer focuses on luxurious materials. She adores leather and incorporates it in fun and unusual ways such as a leather hoodie and even leather necklines.
Made in the USA
Talina Hermann designs are only produced in the U.S.A. for the best quality control and production supervision. Each piece of every collection is sold on a limited quantity basis as well adding to their special allure.


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Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Is It Okay to Drink While Pregnant?
Man, people get so bent out of shape when they see a pregnant woman swigging liquor straight from the bottle. That's why I love the show Madmen … you get to see women from the '60s sitting around smoking and drinking. There's nothing funny about kids being born with birth defects and alcohol dependency and low birthweight, but I haven't seen the statistics on how many of those kids born in the '60s actually were messed up. And by the way, let's try to define the term "messed up" because I know some perfectly healthy people who are messed up. Good luck.
This was taken in 1971 in Germany, when my mom was pregnant with me. She wasn't REALLY drinking, friends. She was trying to be funny, and if you don't think it's funny, then I'm not sure why you're reading this blog because I have the same sick sense of humor as both of my parents. In fact, I think I have a similar picture of myself, only I'm balancing a beer on my pregnant belly (I hate beer).
Or maybe my mom really WAS drinking and it affected the developing part of my brain that regulates childbearing and when to say "when" as far as how many kids to have.
We'll never know.
8 comments:
when is your 5th baby due?ReplyDeleteReplies
He was born 10/7/09!Delete
We have this picture of my mom when she was pregnant with one of my younger brothers where one of the cats was sitting on her stomach (which was pretty huge) and staring her in the face. It's pretty funny.ReplyDelete
Cute story, thanks for sharing it.ReplyDelete
Roberta Anne
Hee Hee Pass the bottle ;)ReplyDelete
Haha! Love the sense of humor!ReplyDelete
I did extensive internet research on that when wifeypoo was pregnant. Basically there's no good studies that show that moderate drinking (1 or 2 standard drinks of wine or beer a day) did any harm. More than that there's plenty of evidence of behavioral problems and fetal alcohol syndrome etc, but a beer a day does no harm a'tall, and tastes great!ReplyDelete
Is this project still alive?ReplyDelete
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Success comes in a variety of ways, some totally unexpected. We're going to look at three different models for getting to success, based on the Leis & Clark Expedition, Christopher Columbus, and Alexander Fleming.
First, the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Following President Thomas Jefferson's purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, Lewis and Clark set out to find an overland passage to the Pacific. All they had was a vague goal, but that was enough. They had no idea who or what they wold encounter along the way, and came to close to dying on numerous occasions, but they did, in fact, make it to the Pacific cost in 1806, and return to United States territory. The moral? You don't always need to know HOW you are going to get there, a destination and a decision is sometimes enough.
Next, Columbus. Columbus had a great idea, too: sail west to India because the Silk Road to India was no longer as safe as it used to be. As we all know, Columbus, never made it to India, he found the New World (new to the Europeans, at least), and the rest is history (so to speak). He isn't remembered as the guy who never made it to India, even though he "failed" in that goal. He repackaged what did happen as discovery of a whole new land, and this brought him fame and celebrity. The moral of this story? Have a lofty goal, and stay flexible when things don't go as planned.
Alexander Fleming was a biologist, with a reputation for a messy lab. In 1928, he was growing bacteria cultures, and at one point, he returned from his August vacation to discover that mold had gotten into several samples and killed the bacteria. Now, he may have been tempted to throw it out, curse his bad luck, and criticize himself for being slovenly, but instead he let his curiosity take over, and discovered Penicillin, the antibiotic that would provide effective treatments for tuberculosis, gangrene, syphilis, and many other diseases, saving millions of lives. The moral here? In every "failure" there is an opportunity, if you will only look for it.


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Aandal's Thiruppavai is one of the most beautifully composed songs of the Naalaayira Divya Prabhandham
Located 70 Kms South West of Madurai is Srivilliputhur, the birthplace of Andal and considered to be among the holiest of the 108 Divya Desams. This is the birthplace of not one but two Azhvaars and a father-daughter one at that- PeriAzhvaar and Andal.
Legend has it that this town was built by two hunters Villi and Puttan and hence the name Villiputhur. The temple dates back to 1st Century AD. The 196 ft high temple tower is 2nd only to Srirangam's Rajagopuram (236 ft) among the Divya Desams. The 9 tier temple chariot is said to be the biggest in Tamil Nadu. It is the Srivilliputhur temple tower that is enshrined as the Tamil Nadu Government logo.
PeriAzhvaar, who was born as the 4th son of Mukunda, was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu.
Pandya king Vallabadevan who wanted to know the Lord with the power to lead one to Paramapatham, the heavenly abode, sent out for PeriAzhvaar of Srivilliputhur to provide a solution. Accordingly, PeriAzhvaar was brought to the court of the Pandya King in Madurai. With several examples from Vedic scriptures as well as historical references, PeriAzhvaar showcased to the Pandya King that Lord Vishnu was the one who could take one to the heavenly abode.
Confers title of VishnuChittar
A delighted Pandya king was impressed with the explanation of PeriAzhvaar and conferred the title of 'Vishnu Chittar' on PeriAzhvaar. And so pleased was the king that he took PeriAzhvaar on an elephant top through the streets of Madurai. It is believed that Koodal Azhagar, along with the Goddess, came to witness this sight on his Garuda Vaahanam.
Elephant's bells as the beats for his Pallandu
PeriAzhvaar was surprised at the presence of Koodal Lord and instantly showered praises on the Lord with his Pallaandu. PeriAzhvaar is said to have used Elephant's bells as the beats for the song. PeriAzhvaar composed a total of 473 Paasurams, including the first 12 songs of the Divya Prabhandham called the ThiruPallaandu.
Finds Aandal in the Garden
PeriAzhvaar then returned to Srivilliputhur and continued his devotion for Lord Vishnu. One day, while he was performing his daily collection of flowers for the Lord, he found a small girl lying in the garden. PeriAzhvaar named her as Aandal and brought her up as his own daughter.
Aandal's Thiruppavai
Aandal's Thiruppavai (30 verses in praise of Lord) is one of the most beautifully composed songs among the Naalayira Divya Prabhandham. It is believed that singing these 30 verses will bring peace and prosperity as well as God's grace. It was in the month of Maargazhi (mid December to mid January) that Andal composed Thiruppavai at the tender age of five.
In the Naalayira Divya Prabhandham (4000 verses of the Azhvaars), no other Azhvaar, except perhaps NammAzhvaar, has brought out the intimacy between the Divine and the devotee as Aandal has done.
Thiruppavai celebrates, in 30 songs, a certain simple ritualistic observance on the part of the devotees. While it appears in the early stanzas that Aandal's intention is to pursue the Lord to marry her, as one reads through the later verses, one finds that she is actually praying to be allowed the service of the lord. The first ten songs celebrate the fruits of the devotional observance, the second ten songs seem to wake up Lord Krishna to pray for their grace and the last ten songs inspire devotees to take the path of service to Lord.
During Margazhi, the Vishnu temples open very early, around 4am, and the entire 30 songs of Thiruppavai are chanted in a special rendition. It has been an age-old belief that unmarried girls who bathe in a pond and visit temples to recite the Thiruppavai with sincere devotion will attain spiritual husbands.
Letters in Maargazhi
It is said that one song of the 30 Thiruppavai verses is dedicated for each of the thirty days of Maargazhi. A unique feature in centuries gone by was that letters written during Maargazhi used to start with one Thiruppavai Paasuram (relevant to the day) that would serve as an indication of the date of the letter (The date itself was not written in the letter).
Thiruppaavai and Thiruvempaavai- Vaishnavism and Saivism acknowledging each other
An interesting facet of Thiruppavai and Thiruvembavai is that the first verse in Thiruppaavai begins with the Maa (Maargazhi Thingal), the syllable with which Maanikkavaachakar's name begins and the first verse in Thiruvembavai too begins with the syllable Aa (Aadhiyum ..), with which Aandal's name begins, an indication of the mutual respect the two great saint poets had for each other - a tale of Vaishnavism and Saivism acknowledging each other.
Unique Tradition
Into her teens, Aandal developed the habit of wearing the garland that PeriAzhvaar had put together for the Lord. With garland around her neck, she began admiring admire her own beauty in the mirror. From a very young age, she began to sing praise of Lord Krishna and began to see the Lord as her husband.
This act shocked PeriAzhvaar and he looked up to the Lord for solution. To PeriAzhvaar's relief, the Lord indicated that he was happy to adorn the garland.
To this day, this unique tradition is followed in this temple, not seen in any other Divya Desam. Lord Vadapatrasaayee adorns every morning the garland worn the previous evening by Aandal (the Goddess).
As years passed by, PeriAzhvaar was anxious and worried about the future of Aandal. Answering his prayers, Lord Ranganatha asked PeriAzhvaar to bring Aandal to Srirangam.
PeriAzhvaar left for Srirangam in a Palanquin provided by Pandya King Vallabha Devan. On reaching the Cauvery, Aandal suddenly disappeared. PeriAzhvaar continued his trip across the Cauvery. On reaching the temple, he found Aandal alongside Lord Ranganatha.
PeriAzhvaar wanted to see this sight in his own place at Srivilliputhur and Lord Ranganatha is said to have made the trip on his Garuda Vahanam and appeared in a wedding posture as Rangamannar.
Garuda alongside the main deities – A special feature
One finds Lord Garuda, the charioteer of Lord Vishnu, alongside the main deities. In all other temples, one finds Garuda standing opposite the main deity. It is believed that Garuda, brought Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam to Srivilliputhur faster than expected and hence he was accorded the special status here.
5 Garuda Sevas on the Birth day of Aandal
On the birth day of Aandal in the Tamil Calendar month of Aadi, one witnesses 5 Garuda Sevas - Venkatachalapathy, Thiruthangal Appan
Vadabadrasayee, Rangamannar and KaatAzhagar Sundararajan.
During the Chitra festival in Madurai, KallAzhagar(of Azhagar Koil) makes an important stop at Thallaakulam Perumal koil to collect the garland sent by Aandal of Srivilliputhur. Only after wearing the garland, does Azhagar get into the Vaigai River. During the Aadi Thiruvadi Pooram festival, marking the birthday of Aandal, Lord Azhagar of ThiruMaalirun Cholai sends his attire to Srivilliputhur as a 'return gesture' to her.
Araiyar Sevai – A Big Attraction
A big attraction at the Srivilliputhur temple is the Araiyar Sevai, the visual song and dance enactment of the Paasurams (4000 Divya Prabandham verses) that has been performed at Divya Desams for over 1000 years. Srivilliputhur remains one of the three Divya Desams in Tamil Nadu where Araiyar Sevai is still being performed, the other two being Srirangam and Azhvaar Thirunagari (near Tirunelveli).
The famed Araiyar Sevai is said to have originated from Thirukkurungkudi, the Divya Desam about 40kms from Tirunelveli. Legend has it that the Lord used to listen to Araiyar's Abhinayam hiding behind a wall in Bashyam Street (South Mada Street).
Araiyars (King of Music) are descendents of Nathamuni, who is believed to have introduced the Araiyar Sevai. It is believed that Lord Ranganatha himself gave the Araiyars the right to perform the unique musical chanting at the temples and presented them with the cone-like red cap, two cymbals and the sacred garland (which they wear around their neck when they perform).
The Araiyars first recite the Paasuram, then explain its inner meaning and finally perform the Abhinayam, a unique art/dance performance with their hands and legs explaining the Paasurams with special musical effect.
This special explanation (Vyakyaanam) requires a deep knowledge and understanding of the Paasurams and its inner meaning. It is not an easy art, as can be seen from the fact that it takes one nearly 20 years to learn and perfect the Abhinayam.
Story of Aandal through Araiyar Sevai during Margazhi
One of the 'Araiyar Sevai' occasions that is of particular significance is during Vaikunta Ekadesi - The Paghal Pathu (10 days) and the Era Pathu(10 days)- when one is treated to a real spectacle with the Araiyars enacting the 'Story of Andal' growing into a young beautiful girl through their Abhinayam.
Will Araiyar Sevai become a thing of the past?
Of real worry, though, is the fact that only a handful of Araiyars are keeping this most difficult art going. With no salaries, the Araiyars at Srivilliputhur are finding the going tough. But despite this, they continue to perform the Araiyar Sevai with sincerity and devotion.
In the last 2-3 years, a corporate chieftain in Chennai has been helping out the education of the kids of the Araiyar. One of the kids has secured top rank in the first two years of the college education.
It will be a pity if this 1000 year old art is not recognized by the Government and the temple trusts. While awards have been bestowed on artists in various fields, the Araiyars have sadly been left out of this, despite delighting devotees with their unique recital of the Divya Prabhandam. It is something too precious to lose and one hopes that it is not yet late to bring the Araiyars back to their glory days. Otherwise Divya Prabhandhams and Thiru Pallandu recitals in this unique art form will be a thing of the past, soon, in Srivilliputhur.
Those interested in helping the Araiyar can contact him on : 94438 67345
Quick Facts
Deity : Vadapatrasayee Bhoga Sayanam Sleeping Posture East Facing
Goddess : Aandal
Paasurams : PeriAzhvaar 1 and Aandal 1
Temple timing : 630am –12noon and 4pm-9pm
Contact : Mapillai Bhattar @ 94425 47533
Hotels in Madurai :
College House(Rs. 300-500), Hotel Supreme/Madurai Residency(Rs. 1000+)
Madurai Junction Retiring Room( Rs. 250-Rs.600)
Festivals : Round the year
Bus services
Srivilliputhur is about 90 kms from Tirunelveli, about 70 kms from Madurai and 80 kms from Tenkasi.
Frequent buses from Tirunelveli via Sankaran Koil-Rajapalayam (2 hours). From Madurai, one can take the Tenkasi-Courtallam bus. Buses ply every 10-15 minutes.
By Train
One can also reach Srivilliputhur by train. Chennai- Tenkasi Podhigai Express runs daily and reaches Srivilliputhur at around 630am
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Srivilliputhur Divya Desam
Posted by PRabhu S at 6:29 PM
Labels: Divya Desams near Madurai
2 comments:
- Valli Doll said...
Wonderful post, covering how to get to Srivilliputtur and also abt Araiyar Sevai. One small correction, forgive me for pointing it out...Andal has sung 143 pAsurams, not 133.
- Tuesday, April 14, 2009
- Prabhu.S said...
Thanks for reading and the comment.
The 133 mentioned in the story refers to the 133rd verse in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham where Aandal has sung praise of the Srivilliputhur Lord.
It does not relate to the number of verses(i.e 133 is not the number of songs). The reference there is one song sung in praise of Srivilliputhur Lord and the relevant verse being the 133rd verse of the Prabandham.
Hope this clarifies
- Tuesday, April 14, 2009
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I'm testing the RedHat Cluster Administration tool documented here: https://access.redhat.com/site/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/6/html/Cluster_Administration/index.html
I have two virtual machines running CentOS 6.4. I've been testing failover scenarios; restarting the primary machine, and gracefully shutting down the primary machine both successfully migrate the resources to the secondary machine (things like DRBD, Tomcat, MySQL, Apache).
However, I wanted to simulate a complete power failure, or a forced shutdown. In the XenCenter client, I forcefully shutdown the primary machine, and watch the logs on the secondary. In short, the resources seem to NEVER migrate over to the secondary, and the cluster management interface seems to think that the services are still running on the primary.
Here's the output from the secondary machine logs: http://pastebin.com/gsi6uBct
It's complaining mostly about fencing. But I don't understand: if the primary node completely dies on its own, there's nothing to fence.


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Flowers Made Of Sequins
The inspiration for many genres of art, flowers continue to glow with pristine freshness on Ottoman embroidery with sequins.
Inspired by the muses, the human imagination has depicted in Ottoman embroidery the divine face of nature in a vast array of forms using thread, fine gold and silver wire, and sequins. The light of the sun and moon and the gleam of the stars are reflected in embroidered creations of flowers, branches, leaves and vines using delicate silver and gold sequins. The Ottoman sequinned flower in a sense symbolizes the unity of earth and sky.
The Göktürks, the Seljuks, the twenty-four Oghuz tribes and the Ottomans all expressed their emotions, philosophy of life and religious beliefs through nature and flowers, perceiving the essence of the sacred in the flowers with which nature has blessed the earth. As a result, the Ottomans not only adorned clothing, miniature paintings, tombstones and even their shields, cannons and rifles with flowers, but also decorated the interiors of their tents, bridal chambers, circumcision beds, and mosques large and small with carpets, tiles, elaborate wood carvings and works in many other branches of art, all displaying a plethora of floral, foliate and tendril motifs. They even depicted a dizzying array of flowers in the deserts into which they ventured.
Turkish homes and gardens were never without flowers. As people with no fixed dwelling place who lived as nomadic herdsmen, the Turks were well aware of the wild flowers in their environment. While their gardens were adorned with nature's flowers, they also decorated every imaginable surface with manmade flowers. Floors, for example, were covered with carpets, kilims and cicims displaying motifs based on both wild and cultivated flowers. One alive, the other lifeless, one fragrant the other unscented, one wilting the other forever fresh, one a product of nature, the other a creation of the human mind. Flowers fashioned of sequins and metallic wire expressed the hope that happiness would never fade. As a source of inspiration to all branches of art, flowers served as a mode of non-verbal communication. Lovers sent each other messages in the language of flowers. A flower academy, known as the Meclis-i Şükûfe' ('Assembly of Blossoms'), is known to have existed in Istanbul. Şükûfe, which means flower or blossom, was also a style of decoration utilizing floral motifs, those developed by these academies being employed in all branches of art.
But plants and flowers did not find a use only in art; they were also used in the production of medications and dyes. There were even flower festivals in Istanbul and Bursa. The hilly banks of the Golden Horn and of the Sweet Waters of Europe were covered with gardens and fields of daffodils. When they bloomed, the populace—men, women and children alike—would flock to the gardens in droves. Caique cruises were even organized on the Golden Horn so people could inhale the sweet scent. In Bursa, the fragrance ceremony took place in hyacinth gardens. The women would don hyacinth-colored gowns and head-dresses decked with crepe of hyacinth hue and lace with hyacinth motifs. In Istanbul, it was traditional to line the window sills of houses, especially stately mansions and seaside villas, with potted hyacinths, and the rooms and large central halls would be redolent with their scent for a whole month.
The floral decorations fashioned with wafer-thin gold and silver sequins on palace embroidery were the epitome of elegance. Well-to-do urban families emulated this style in their daughters' trousseaus, whose contents were elaborately worked with delicate sequins and therefore intended more for use on ceremonial days. Popular motifs included the tulip, hyacinth, violet, and chrysanthemum as well as leaves, branches, shoots and tendrils. Satin wrappers used for holding trousseaus and bath paraphernalia, as well as bridal veils, coin purses, bedspreads, pillows on which gifts were presented, and the covers used in the coffee ceremony are just some of the many items that were decorated with sequins. It was even traditional to make up the faces of young girls and brides with sequins.
A prospective bride's trousseau included a wide array of needlework such as Turkish stitch, chain stitch, back stitch, straw stitch, herringbone stitch, and embroidery using gold and silver thread. In Ottoman times young girls in certain villages gathered outdoors on Fridays in summer to embroider. A large, four-legged embroidery hoop would be erected near a spring under trees that were regarded as sacred, and the needlework would begin. It was believed that any trousseau items embroidered under such conditions would bring good luck. This tradition persisted until recently in the villages of Karaburun in Izmir province, and sequins and metallic thread remain the shining symbol of happiness in the region even today.
Let us pause now and consider a story that actually happened. In the town of Mordoğan there was a young girl by the name of Ayşe who unfortunately was not fated to make use of the trousseau that was embroidered for her with such hope and fervor. One day she exacted a promise from her mother: "If I should die before I wed, sell my trousseau and have a small mosque built with the proceeds and display my trousseau inside it." Her wish was fulfilled, and the Ayşe Kadın Mosque was built in Mordoğan and decorated like a room for displaying a trousseau with pictures of the trousseau's contents on the walls and ceiling. This village mosque with its myriad floral decorations survives to this day.
Embroidering with sequins remains a strong tradition among the Turkish people even today. Young girls, for example, make pieces of sequinned crocheting which they then sew onto bath towels and flower-printed fabrics. Bedspreads for newlyweds and wrappers for trousseaus and bath accoutrements are embroidered with brilliant hyacinths so that they may bring love, happiness, joy and health to the home and the family line flourish. Bridal veils and shawls, handkerchiefs for the groom, and the red shawls with a star and crescent motif that are draped round the shoulders of young men going off to perform their military service are all painstakingly embroidered. Village girls and brides also decorate their faces with sequins and metallic wire.
A young wife whose husband is off to be a soldier applies sequins to a symbolic garment known as a 'Mother Fatima caftan', praying and counting the days until his return. On that joyful day, she sallies forth to meet her husband radiantly attired in this garment, which shines like the stars. Similarly, a young man returning from military service sports a red neckerchief embroidered with a sequin-encrusted star and crescent. Bridal veils too are decorated with embroidered tendrils in the hope that the couple will entwine themselves around each other and the family line prosper. Unlike nature's flowers, flowers made of sequins never fade but always remain as fresh and bright as on the day they first bloomed.
The embroidery in the photographs is from the Sabiha Tansuğ Collection.


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Les Hauts & Les Bas
4487, rue Fabre, Montreal, QC, H2J 3V4
Les Hauts & Les Bas may be a small boutique in terms of space, but it houses a vast selection of fine lingerie and even carries some women's clothing. This store is a little treasure on Fabre Street.
|Store Type |
|Boutique, Fashion, Import Goods, Lingerie, Women's Clothing, Books
|Payment |
|Interac, MasterCard, Visa, Cash
|Neighbourhood |
|Plateau Mont-Royal, Plateau/Outremont
|Getting There |
|Mont-Royal Metro
|Cross Street |
|Simard street and Mont-Royal
|Tues-Wed: 11AM-6PM, Thurs-Fri: 11AM-7PM, Sat: 10AM-5PM, Sun-Mon: Closed
Profile Last Updated: June 27, 2008
Opened in 1999, this boutique is named after its merchandise: tops and bottoms. Les Hauts & Les Bas imports lingerie from Europe, but it also has Quebec brand names. In clothing, German, Italian, Brazilian, Spanish and North American lines can be purchased. As a special feature of this boutique, regular clientele can borrow books from the store's library of literary favourites.
A Bit of Everything
Les Hauts & Les Bas sells bras, underwear, camisoles, boxers, stockings and more. It carries, Chantelle, Passionnata, Phillipe Matignon, Aubade and Princess Tam-Tam. Freya and Barbara bras are also available for bigger sizes, in fact, the boutique offers lingerie from siz 4-16. Still can't find your size? Ask an employee to order a bra in your size. In women's clothing look for Save the Queen from Italy and Cambio from Germany. You'll have no trouble trying anything on, as this boutique has spacious changing rooms.
Simple Design
In 2001, this store's simple design won the Jury Grand Prize at the Commerce Design Montreal awards. Every available space is maximized at Les Hautes & Les Bas. Lingerie and clothing are hung on simple rows of mounted metal racks that line the walls from the front to the back. All merchandise is hung for easy access and viewing. The front of the store is comprised of a huge window and the door, allowing natural light to illuminate the space. A floor-to-ceiling mirror covers the back wall and lengthens the store, while a white counter runs from the front to the middle of the boutique, adding more display space.
Sizes: Regular to plus sizes available from 4-16.
From Bras to Books: As a unique twist, the boutique has an in-house library for regular clientele looking to borrow a book.


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OWASP Mantra Security Toolkit is a dream that came true. It is a collection of free and open source tools integrated into a Web browser, which can become handy for students, penetration testers, Web application developers, security professionals etc. It is portable, ready-to-run, compact and follows the true spirit of free and open source software. Mantra is a security framework which can be very helpful in performing all the five phases of attacks including reconnaissance, scanning and enumeration, gaining access, escalation of privileges, maintaining access, and covering tracks. Apart from that it also contains a set of more...
RequirementsMac OS X 10.4 or later
Similar SoftwareOpen Comparison
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Donate Long-Term Appreciated Securities
Fidelity Charitable donors are always looking for ways to make their charitable dollars go farther and make more of a difference to the causes they care about. Donating long-term appreciated securities directly to Fidelity Charitable — rather than selling the assets and then donating the cash proceeds — is one of the best and easiest ways for donors to give more. By taking advantage of the applicable tax incentives, donors can significantly increase the amount of funds available to them for charitable giving.
One of the most tax-efficient ways to give
A charitable contribution of long-term appreciated securities — i.e. stocks, bonds and/or mutual funds that have realized significant appreciation over time — is one of the most tax-efficient of all ways to give. This method of giving has become increasingly popular in recent years: donations in the form of non-cash contributions (securities and non-publicly traded assets) comprised 62 percent of all incoming assets to Fidelity Charitable in 2013. The two key advantages:
- Any long-term appreciated securities with unrealized gains (meaning they were purchased over a year ago, and have a current value greater than their original cost) may be donated to a public charity and a tax deduction taken for the full fair market value of the securities — up to 30% of the donor's adjusted gross income.
- Since the securities are donated rather than sold, capital gains taxes from selling the securities no longer apply. The more appreciation the securities have, the greater the tax savings will be.
Donating Appreciated Securities: A Win-Win for Donors and Charities Alike1
The table below illustrates potential tax savings for a couple with an AGI of $500,000, filing jointly, making a direct donation of a long-term appreciated security — with cost basis of $20,000, and long-term capital gains of $30,000 — to Fidelity Charitable.
|Donate Stock: Contribute securities directly to charity
|Donate Cash: Sell securities and donate proceeds
|Current fair market value of securities
|Capital gains and Medicare surtax paid2 (23.8%)
|Charitable Contribution/Charitable Deduction3
|Value of Charitable Deduction Less Capital Gain Taxes Paid2 (Assumes donor is in the 39.6% federal income tax bracket)
The donation of appreciated securities to a charity with a donor-advised fund program, like Fidelity Charitable, offers additional, unique advantages. A single contribution to Fidelity Charitable can fund a donor's Giving Account® and then the donor can recommend grants to many other public charities. By contrast, donating long-term appreciated securities directly to individual charities requires working separately with each of those charities, which may take substantial time and effort. In addition, some charities either do not accept appreciated securities at all or will only consider them for very large donations.
In the end, of course, these tax advantages for individuals also have the effect of benefiting the charitable grant recipients: the capital gains savings are transferred directly to the Giving Account, increasing the amount of dollars available for grants. If you are looking to maximize the power of your charitable contributions — to make a single asset make more of a difference to the charitable causes you care about — consider donating your long-term appreciated securities.
1 This is a hypothetical example for illustrative purposes only. State and local taxes, the federal alternative minimum-tax and limitations to itemized deductions applicable to taxpayers in higher-income brackets are not taken into account. Please consult your tax advisor regarding your specific legal and tax situation. Information herein is not legal or tax advice.
2 Assumes all realized gains are subject to the maximum federal long-term capital gain tax rate of 20% and the Medicare surtax of 3.8%. Does not take into account state or local taxes, if any.
3 Availability of certain federal income tax deductions may depend on whether you itemize deductions. Charitable contributions of capital gain property held for more than one year are usually deductible at fair market value. Deductions for capital gain property held for one year or less are usually limited to cost basis.
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While nothing I have heard about him makes me inclined to like him, I don't think the news of Lenny Walker getting the sack as a cabinet member of Crawley council is a good thing. Specifically, it is not a good thing for potential whistleblowers out there. There are two possibilities – either Mr Walker […]
Entries Tagged as 'Racism'
Lenny walks
February 12th, 2013 · 4 Comments · Politics
Black boys rape our young girls?
March 1st, 2011 · 5 Comments · Politics
There is a bit of a stink over a supply teacher in a Crawley school allegedly using a dubious mnemonic to teach the colour coding of resistors. The teaching method in question is a device for remembering the colour sequence black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, grey, white by using the catchy phrase […]
Fat Hitler on #bbcqt
October 23rd, 2009 · 6 Comments · Politics
Well that was entertaining. 'Dick' Griffin, as one audience member called him was about as uninspiring as could have been expected and seemed to take a perverse pleasure in metaphorically dropping his pants, inviting everyone to queue up to kick him.
Black to the future
October 15th, 2009 · Comments Off · Life
For a change I was ahead of the curve. Everyone has been piling in to criticise the Australian TV show 'Hey Hey Its Saturday' after the appearance of a group of amateur entertainers called Jackson Jive on a special reunion edition of the old programme – but I have spent twenty years disliking the show!
White Christmas
December 10th, 2008 · 2 Comments · Politics
One organisation guaranteed to be hoping for a white Christmas are the BNP, who are apparently holding a Christmas party for their members in Sussex/Surrey in Crawley on Saturday.  It's a secret so not only do normal people not know where it is being held, except that it is within a mile of J10 of […]
Drinking For England
November 20th, 2008 · 2 Comments · Politics
Hypothetically… would I be concerned if the leaked list of BNP members had one of them giving his address as a pub in Crawley?  Not if it was one that was already on my mental list of places where I wouldn't go for a beer if I was dying of thirst is the hypothetical answer […]
Listed M.I.A.
November 20th, 2008 · 2 Comments · Politics
The leaked BNP membership list looks like being a story that is going to run for some time now – the epitome of the 'gift that keeps on giving' – and looks like saving us from having the media totally dominated by some fuss about a dancing competition on the TV. The whole circus is […]
Master Race
November 19th, 2008 · 8 Comments · Politics
What to make of the 'leaking' of the BNP membership list? I totally agree that putting the list of BNP members online (here) is a bad thing to do. It would be bad enough publishing the home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses even of something totally innocent like a local amateur operatics society or […]
Young, Gifted and Black
August 28th, 2008 · 3 Comments · Politics
Reading the G2 article today about how much race is an issue in the US elections I found myself coming to a surprising conclusion.
Reasons not to go back to Basildon…
May 1st, 2008 · Comments Off · Politics
I lived in Basildon for the first 18 years of my life. It looks like the place has taken a turn for the worse since then, judging by this website (as found by Mike Ion). I've got issues with some of our local Tories, but almost without exception they are better than this one.


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February 28, 2013 | Volume 43, No. 8
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For Brooklynites who won't make it to Central Park, SummerStage isn't the only option for great outdoor shows this summer. New York's longest running free festival is coming back to Prospect Park this Wednesday, and we've put together a list of must-see shows for Celebrate Brooklyn! 2010. After the jump, check out videos of our top picks and get the full line-up.
Giant Step's Resident 19: Bugz In The Attic, Brown Girls Burlesque, The Roots Picnic, J*Davey
By Mawuse Ziegbe
I know a lot of you beautiful flowers were wilting in this weekend's oven fresh heat but I was cookin,' honey. And I ran into some children who didn't let the heat stop them no way. Monday night, DJ Daz-I-Kue of Bugz In The Attic was serving up global burners including fiery Afrobeat, disco and tribal house selections at The Hudson Hotel. And Wednesday night, the fabulous people let me moonlight in their world at the Fashion Delivers Pay It Fashion Forward event (ooh, what a cute pun!) honoring young designers. It was hosted by chipper ex-"House Of Style" host, Daisy Fuentes (ooh, where has she been?) at Marquee. Of course, the hook for me was Janelle Monae who swayed the blasé fashion types with a table dance and blithe accompaniment from her bewigged guitarist Kellindo.
Thursday night, the fashion types gave me a reality check as I partook in a long, storied New York tradition: getting shut out of a party. Giant magazine cover girl Kimora Lee Simmons hosted an issue release party at Indochine. We loitered outside – I was with a writer whose story appears in the issue – while the doormen shooed us away, barking some business about capacity and not being shallow enough (I kid, I kid). After catching Kimora's dramatic arrival, towering above a clutch of bodyguards (for serious, that woman is like, 10 feet tall. I'm not convinced her name isn't Kimora Lee Bunyan), me and some other little people went to the House of Campari and did it up royal. The three-story loft housed loads of the bitter Italian liquor with groovy 70s-era commissions lining the walls including a shrine featuring a disco album by Robert "Benson" Guilliame. Outta sight.
Last week, Prince Rogers Nelson got his AARP card and I celebrated by taking in the Shockadelica tribute by Brown Girls Burlesque. You know, instead of choking down EZ-Baked brownies, shimmying topless to "Kiss" is what I always envisioned my imaginary big sister would teach me. It was all fun and boobs as women of all sizes got the crowd all hot and bothered to songs from all eras of Prince. Then at midnight, ladies with hot draggy names like Miss AuroraBoobRealis and Sunshine Fayalicious passed out shots of purple likka (which went down like a fistful of needles). And the crowd went batshit when Dame CuchiFrita, undressing to "Little Red Corvette," clamped the jumper cables to her…nevermind. You can find out how to join at www.myspace.com/browngirlsburlesque
Saturday, I rode the Chinatown bus in 90-degree heat to The Roots Picnic in Philly (and why was Zoe Kravitz slummin' it in the seat in front of me?). I love how their idea of "picnic" is an outdoor festival complete with inflatable castles and um, baked bean stands. I caught Deerhoof which was weird; beeping noises and disjointed "rhythm." Yeah. Although audio problems plagued the day-long concert, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings as per usual, shut it down. And I've seen the The Roots googol times and they're just swell. They rocked everything from their own "Love Of My Life" to a pop medley featuring "SexyBack." Even legendary bassist Hub came back for a special solo. And 8 hours after the show began, Gnarls Barkley took the stage. Although Gnarls was fine (no funny costumes), the audience was kind of stoned, er…tired and the LSD grooves were not helping. Cee-Lo even asked, "Did you hear the album." The crowd responded with a slack-jawed, "whaaa?" Blame the ooweee.
Sunday night back in NYC I tried to get my culture game up by taking in Rachelle Ferrell at Blue Note. Blue Note is one of those institutions shrouded in New York legend but the performance was memorable because they had zero air conditioning. Or a fan. Or a window. But the heat ain't stop Rachelle no way and she performed a gaggle of jazz and pop songs until she was literally soaking. And I have never witnessed that level of vocal virtuosity. She would jump from a sharp, tinny falsetto to a cavernous, guttural bass note – in the same word. Can we get a summer blockbuster featuring Rachelle Ferrell dissolving amateurs with her vocal prowess?
Afterwards, I saw J*Davey pack the house at S.O.B.s. Following high-energy sets from Taylor McFerrin and the duo Heavy (homeboy had a key-tar that sprayed spoogy silly string on the audience), Jack Davey and Brook D'Leau, backed by a live band, played a grip of their famously synthy catalog like "Slooow" and even a cover of "Message In A Bottle" by The Police. The highlight was during the slow-jam "No More" when girl-crazy NYC photog Mel D. Cole undressed Jack down to her black bustier and lacy boy shorts. My girl who took the tempo slowdown as a cue to fetch a beverage came back just as Jack pulled on her shirt and chirped, "What did I miss?"
Oh and before I go, FYI: Wale's "Seinfeld"-inspired Mixtape About Nothing is that good good. Download it (and maybe rub it on your teeth to make them tingle). You're gonna need something to keep cool.
Giant Step's Resident: The City, The Sounds, The Soul Part 3
By Mawuse Ziegb
If you could sum up Sharon Jones in word it might be "sequins." Big shimmery sequins like the ones that dangled from her chocolate brown dress when she took the stage at The Beacon last Friday night. She and The Dap Kings took over the theater and sweated out everyone's hairstyle. The crowd had the energy and sizzle of a rice cake but Sharon still managed to coax some of her fans to mosey on stage and wiggle to songs like "Gotta Be Genuine" and "Be Easy." But Sharon really got down on tracks like "Once I Had A Good Man" and the greasy funk re-working of Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately." It went on like that for about an hour when Sharon left the stage and kept the house lights hovering for the all-important encore. When her band retreated to the stage we begged for her return like funked-up animals. She returned after a slick costume change to a tarty tight, black floral number and tickled the ivories herself for "Answer Me." Then she really brought the house down with a heart-twisting rendition of James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" and then broke down her ancestral history by dancing and storytelling to more James Brown riffs. Another word to sum up Sharon and The Dap Kings might be "whoa."
In other "whoa" news, the best-selling album of all-time, Thriller was re-released last week which has sold over 100 million records and counting (Who sells a 100 million of anything these days?). Michael Jackson's banger-heavy beast took home 8 well-deserved Grammys and songs like "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "PYT" still lord over dance floors 25 years after its original release. Trying to improve on "Thriller" is like trying improve on air. You can't really replace it with anything else. But Will.I.Am does a hat-tipping job with his updates of "The Girl Is Mine 2008″ and "PYT 2008." I definitely appreciate the synth-mad syncopation of Will's take on "The Girl Is Mine" and the restructuring of "PYT," stacked with tinkling congas and New Jack Swing-era horns. Although I could do without Will's verse on the latter, he does a fine job of preserving the spirit of the well-worn classics. Some people who need to keep their hands off Michael's work however, are Akon and Fergie. Akon's nasally update of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is just bland and Fergie horning in on "Beat It" with her shrill vocals is just wrong. Some things should not be touched.
Last week was also the kick off Giant Step's 2008 Hudson Hotel series featuring Rich Medina and honestly, I was a bit reluctant to go to. I've been seeing him DJ for a while dating back to my college years in Philly (Go Quakers!). I've seen him rip up venues long since faded into nightlife past, (R.I.P. SoMa, Tragos) and tear down spots that are headed for legendary status (long live APT and Fluid). I've seen him share the bill with everyone from King Britt to Chin Chin. I've been there for endless Afrobeats and countless soulclaps. I really thought I 'd seen it all from this guy. But bless him, Monday night's throwdown at the ever-luxe Hudson was really beautiful. The dancefloor was alight with savage disco energy from jump. People were actually jumping. Rich went hard with magnetic tracks like k-Os' rambunctious "Superstarr Pt Zero," Donald Byrd's fluid "Think Twice" and Shaun Escoffery's thumpy "Days Like This." And popular kids like Taylor McFerrin, Bobbito and Mario Van Peebles stopped by for the fun. The night wrapped up beautifully as Rich faded out with the dreamy Earth, Wind and Fire gem, "Fantasy." Some things are just classic.


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REPORT: New York Comiccon 2006Reported by Jonathan Ellis
On the weekend of Feb 23rd to 26th I attended the first ever New York Comiccon hosted by Reed Exhibitions accompanied by best bud and blogging machine Christopher Butcher and other best bud and PopImage Co-Editor in Chief Ed Mathews.It took a long time for me to actually think of this trip as a convention. I didn't even pay attention to the con's site at all until DC started releasing PR about added guests which was probably sometime in January. Going into this show all I really cared about was meeting a few people, attending a few parties and getting to see New York. I completely glanced over the big name guests and paid it no heed. I don't think it actually dawned on me the nature and forthcoming insanity of the con until we received some PR from VIZ Media about their booth, including a big grab-money booth, Mardi Gras beads, giveaways, costumes, the works. I must have somehow got it into my head that because I was focused more towards the art side of the con I had ignored the commercial side. Once the nature of the con started to click in and guests like Milla Jovavich were added to the bill there was a sense of excitement mixed with wonderment. We knew it was going to be big before we even left.Chris had the right idea of blogging throughout the day, even during the weekend I found myself forgetful of events which occurred only hours earlier, let alone writing a report after the weekend.WednesdayKicked off the forthcoming trip by showing up late for the Sammy Harkham, Kevin Huizenga, Anders Nilsen event at the Revival. Got to see some good friends like Kean Soo and Chip Zdarsky, and make some new ones as well, like John of the excellent Drawn.ca. Chris has some photo's from the event at his site.ThursdayThe flight was early in the day [at least for me] so I was up all night instead of sleeping, giving me time to shower, shave, pack and read the unfortunate news about iBooks going bankrupt. Interesting way to kick off the weekend. When we arrived at the airport we discovered our friends from UDON were on the same flight. Erik Ko and Jim Zubkavich [Professor Zub] were there joined by George and Clarence Lim.We hung out at the hotel for a while, where Chris and I were staying with Ray [MNEMOVORE from Vertigo, APOCALIPSTIX with Cameron Stewart from Oni Press and a forthcoming book with artist Vince Locke from Top Shelf Comix] Fawkes and Ramon [BUTTERNUTSQUASH & SPELLGAME from Speakeasy] Perez. We headed over to the con to sign in and check out the floor. Immediately I was impressed because I saw the one thing every con I've ever been to sorely lacks; signage. Clear, branded, noticeable signage, and it was everywhere.