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Home / Happy Hour Bars / Florida Happy Hours / Miami Happy Hours / Vinisimo Happy Hour Specials
6855 SW 81 St.
Miami, FL 33143
Neighborhood: South Miami City East
(305) 648-2964
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Joăo Gilberto: Chega de Saudade
Chega de Saudade
JoĂŁo Gilberto (guitar, vocals)
The Legendary Joăo Gilberto (World Pacific 93891)
JoĂŁo Gilberto (guitar, vocals),
with unidentified band directed by Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Recorded: Brazil, July 10, 1958
Rating: 100/100 (learn more)
It seemed the whole nation of Brazil got involved in celebrating the recent 50th anniversary of bossa nova. And much of the rest of the world joined in on the festivities. It's a shame that no one thought to make the music available on CD. Some bureaucratic-legal black hole keeps the landmark 1958-1961 Joăo Gilberto tracks—which literally represent the birth of the bossa nova—off the market. But I was fortune to secure a copy before the music gestapo showed up to stop the fun.
If you ever find a CD of the early Joăo Gilberto recordings, grab it. I love this music passionately, even given all the unnecessary accompaniment that Jobim brought along to "package" his phenomenal find. No one—I repeat no one—has ever sung with more a relaxed, conversational style. Miles Davis (who rarely paid idle compliments) said it best: Joăo "would sound good reading a phone book." Gilberto's guitar beat has proven to be as influential as his vocal style, and harder to imitate than you might guess from listening to its carefree pulse. The cool aesthetic in music may have been invented in the U.S., but Jobim and Gilberto brought a new twist on it that taught the Yankees a thing or two. Four years would elapse before the U.S. market discovered this sound, but when they found it, they didn't need to know a word of Portuguese to realize that something special had been hatching down in Rio.
Reviewer: Ted Gioia
Tags: bossa nova · chega de saudade
Comments are closed.

subset: commoncrawl


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Senate curbs filibusters in blow against GOP "pirates"
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Democrats, fed up with endless Republican obstructionism, voted to end filibusters on nearly all presidential nominees.
Workplace discrimination has no place in America, pass ENDA now
In 2013, it's difficult to believe that in many parts of the country, it's legal to fire workers for their sexual orientation or gender identity. I


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If you are looking for a drinking game, I've got the perfect one for you. Take a drink every time the camera zooms in on something in "Here Comes The Devil". Seriously, what is the obsession with zooming that the makers of this movie clearly have? It starts slowly with some zooms popping up here and there, but then it starts to get out of hand. The zooming happens more and more frequently as the movie goes along. After a certain point, it is hard not to laugh anytime the camera zooms in. It all culminates in a montage of nothing but zooms that had me exploding with laughter. I wasn't the only one in the theater with this response.
Now, perhaps the makers of "Here Comes The Devil" wanted the movie to be a little bit off the wall. In fact, I believe they did. I think this movie is probably meant to be so bizarre that it could elicit laughter. However, I'm not sure if all the zooming was really intended to be taken without any seriousness. It's hard to know.
What I do know about "Here Comes The Devil" is that as it moves along it gets increasingly hard to take the movie seriously in any aspect. The movie begins with a scene that I actually found to work in a serious manner. It is a strong opening for the movie that gives a little taste of the bizarre things that are about to be seen in the rest of the movie. At first glance, "Here Comes The Devil" appears to be a solid entry into the horror genre. However, somewhere between all the zooms and interestingly bizarre events is cinematography and editing that leave some things to be desired. The movie just never really quite leaves the impression that a movie of this nature should visually.
The acting in "Here Comes The Devil" is fine, but there are some moments that had me laughing when I wasn't sure I should be. That is probably due more to the random appearances of certain characters and not so much of the actors themselves. Actually, I think the acting in this movie was the part that I could take most seriously.
The plot of "Here Comes The Devil" involves the disappearance of a couple's children after they go exploring in a cave. The children are found eventually, but something isn't quite right. What exactly happened when they disappeared? Where did they go? Were they kidnapped, raped, or beaten? If so, by who? Is there a human villain involved or is it, as the title may imply, something more supernatural? What if it is just nothing? What if the problems are all in the couple's head? These questions may all run through your mind while watching the film and they may or may not be answered by the end of the film.
The movie, in the end, may leave you a little puzzled. I know I was. I can't say I really understand exactly what happens in certain parts of the film and perhaps that is why "Here Comes The Devil" didn't really work for me in the end. I will say that I was entertained throughout the movie, but I was disappointed that what started out as a more serious horror movie ended up being something I couldn't stop from laughing at. The laughs in the film may or may not be intentional. I do not know, but I do know that the movie is entertainingly bizarre. I give the filmmakers credit for creating an atmosphere where you really don't know what is going on or what is going to happen next. The movie certainly isn't a cookie cutter style film that follows any kind of traditional formula.
Unfortunately, the tone is just too uneven in "Here Comes The Devil". It is too serious to really get a good enough laugh out of, but too comically bizarre to really take seriously. Some of the things that happen in the movie are pretty low-key and other things are totally over the top. It is an odd mixture that, while different from the norm, doesn't really satisfy completely. The ending, in particular, didn't seem climatic enough for all that had come before it. Though really, I was left more confused than any other kind of emotion.
Hopefully, writer/director Adrián García Bogliano will find a more even tone in his next picture. I would like to see him take his bizarre ideas to a further length. It is the bizarre "what am I watching?" moments that work best in "Here Comes The Devil". The problem is that they just don't come consistently or in big enough bursts to make the movie as solid as it could be. A title like "Here Comes The Devil" makes the viewer expect something bold that puts everything right in your face. The movie is actually more subtle than that in some ways.
"Here Comes The Devil" ends up having more potential than it actually capitalizes on. It is an odd movie and it definitely provides some enjoyment because of this, but it is inconsistent in its tone. "Here Comes The Devil" seems as unsure of what it wants to be as the viewer may be unsure of what is happening on screen. Ambiguity and general mind-bending can be fun, but not so much when there is uncertainty of whether or not the filmmakers even know what is going on themselves. I wouldn't say this devil has quite left its mark here, but I feel like there could be something approaching on the horizon.


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LITTLE: Florida Track To Host Unique Race For The Older Generation
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
Columbia Motorsports Park promoter Don Nerone has pretty much seen and done it all in Florida stock-car racing: driver, promoter, series founder and operator, race director et al. His latest brainstorm, a race for guys age 60 and older, might be one of his best ideas yet.
On Sunday afternoon at Columbia, the big paved half-mile oval he operates just south of Lake City, Fla., an all-star list of drivers and others will gather for the first annual Blast From The Past event. Not only will there be racing action on track, but also a concert, bench racing tales, an autograph session and much more.
Nerone and his staff assembled a list of more than 100 drivers, owners and track officials to invite to participate and the response has been overwhelming.
On the flagstand will be none other than Jimmy Cope. We'd love to see Cope in a car, but I bet he'll be great with the flags.
Among those behind the wheel in the run-what-you-brung format will be "Tricky Dicky" Anderson, Eddie King, Spookie Whittle, Daniel Keene, Dave Yow, Ray Bontrager, Charlie Sanders, Terry DeCaire, Ron Abney, Buzzie Reutimann, Dave Scarborough, LeRoy Porter, Jim "Freight Train" Fenton, Wayne Reutimann, Stan Butler, Casey Jones, Mac Steele, Butch Yoakam and Senator Bill Posey. We'd love to be in attendance, but a previous engagement will see us stay near home.
A surprise phone call from Hendry County Motorsports Park owner/promoter Ken Kinney to this writer about announcing at the revamped Clewiston, Fla., dirt oval saw myself and wife Janet pack up and head an hour and half north earlier this month for a regular Saturday night show.
I'd not been behind the microphone since Hialeah Speedway closed four years ago, and Janet had not scored a single lap in the same period. We had a blast filling in for the night as Kinney took his traveling late-model tour to Waycross, Ga., for the weekend.
Things began nicely but soon it was evident that rain was going to be a threat. Driver Roger Crouse was acting as the race director while Jack Smith sat in for Kinney as the promoter. The schedule was condensed to only three heat races, two for the visiting mini sprints, then it was feature time.
While rain lurked less than a mile from the track, it only sprinkled at the speedway itself. The racers and fans were great, realizing that time was of the essence and five features were clicked off in just over an hour with the entire program wrapped up by 8:15 p.m. I don't think I've ever been part of a complete race program that was run in less time, and everyone was to be commended for a job well done.
Kinney and his staff have done yeoman work at the third-mile oval over the past year. They've added new clay, built a wall all the way around the track, put up billboards, added a new announcer booth/scoring tower, cleaned up the grandstand area, added new concrete walkways and, in general, made the entire property more friendly for both fans and racers alike.
I'd strongly recommend a visit to the only remaining oval in Southeast Florida, located on the south side of Lake Okeechobee and only about a two-hour drive from Miami, Ft. Pierce or even the west coast of the state.
Thanks to those who contacted us about our NASCAR Hall of Fame choices from a previous column. Most were adamant that the guys from the very early years of NASCAR not be forgotten and I agree, but there are not many fans or media who remember Red Byron, Red Vogt or Raymond Parks.
Hopefully, the selection committee will have done its homework and those who deserve the honor will be rewarded.


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Pennsylvania was hit hard statewide by Wednesday's ice storm. Schools and businesses were forced to close. The American Red Cross opened shelters in York, East Hempfield and Quarryville. Thousands – no, hundreds of thousands – were without power. Many remain powerless this early morning. Last night Governor Tom Corbett signed a disaster emergency proclamation.
"At the height of this storm, nearly 849,000 customers were without power in Pennsylvania," Governor Corbett said. "This will be a days-long recovery process, and we're utilizing this disaster declaration to speed up state assistance to all affected parts of the state."
PPL Electric Utilities are still reporting over 21,000 people without power in their coverage area. Lancaster County remains the hardest hit with over 18,000 without power at 4 a.m. The power outages have become more widespread throughout the County, affecting almost every municipality. Lancaster City has over 300 people without electric. Just shy of 2,000 Manheim Township households remain without power. Many of them were told not to expect power until Saturday!
"People should expect power to be out for several days simply because of the sheer volume of power outages and the amount of debris that must be cleared before power crews can access the problem areas," said Glenn Cannon, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).
The proclamation authorizes state agencies to use all available resources and personnel to assist local authorities, many of whom have been overwhelmed with damaged infrastructure, slowed travel and widespread power outages. Essentially, during the time of an active proclamation, the normal regulations concerning bid and contract procedures are waived.
The proclamation does not restrict vehicular travel on commonwealth roads, but motorists are encouraged to delay unnecessary travel and heed local road closures that may be in place. Specific roads may or may not have traffic limitations.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, average traffic speeds on urban interstates and access to more than 650 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available by calling 511, and regional Twitter alerts are available on the 511PA website.
Today the National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting a mostly sunny day. The anticipated high today is 26. Friday as well should be partly sunny. The Lancaster area may see more snow on Saturday or Sunday.
The video, while not locally created, offers tips to keep you safe if you need to use a generator. It also gives tips on what to bring to a Red Cross warming station.
Upcoming Events & Information Request
Do you have an upcoming event or information that would interest the Lancaster Prepper community? If so, please email Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman at email@example.com.
Subscribe to get free, instant updates on preparedness on Examiner.com. If you would like to write on prepping issues affecting your community, please go to http://exm.nr/MzOl5q.
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- Tweet me @jeanne_eckman.
- Feel free to leave comments below


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ING Direct, the online savings account giant, is running a bit of a special, when you sign up for an Orange Checking account, and use the debit card that is associated with that account 3 times within 45 days. I don't see anything about when the offer will be pulled, but these generally don't last too awful long.
If you're unfamiliar with ING Direct, they really do bear some looking into. I use them for most of my business accounts. Part of that is because of the higher rates that they pay on their savings accounts (1.00% as of this article) that beat the pants off of what I'm getting from my local credit union. Another part is that they make it super duper easy to create sub-accounts to help categorize your money.
For instance, in my account, I have an Orange Checking that I do almost all of the transactions through. I then have two Orange Savings accounts, one as just a general savings and another that is a tax savings that I put a portion of all earnings into as a slush fund to help cover any tax costs each year.
In any case, if you don't have an online checking, this could be a good opportunity to pick one up and grab a free $50 as a result. Because you'll be using the debit card associated with the account, you won't have to change any deposits/withdrawals that you currently have set up, just deposit an opening balance, then use the debit card three times. If you don't want to use it after that, you don't have to. Heck, use it for three transactions that total less than $50 and you'll get them paid for!
Beating Broke Note: The links here are affiliate links. If you click on them and sign up, I will receive some money. It'll eventually get deposited into my orange checking and split up into my tax savings and regular savings. Even if they weren't affiliate links, I'd still recommend the company.


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NWA Women's World title defense in Bayville, NJ this Saturday
Nov 15, 2012 - by Steve Gerweck
On Saturday, November 17th, current NWA Women's World Champion Kacee Carlisle (also ranked #7 in this week's PWI list of the Women's Top Ten), will be making her first title defense THIS Saturday in Bayville, NJ for the NWA Coastal promotion. Her opponent is a top NWA Women's Champion in her own right, as she will be facing the very popular NWA Ring Warriors Battling Bombshells Champion La Rosa Negra. Carlisle recently won the belt from long time NWA champion Tasha Simone in a hard fought battle, and this match will be no different.
See Kacee speak to the challenger about her title defense at http://http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xutl8e_kacee-carlisle-on-battle-for-bayville_sport#.UKROuIblOQ4
This match is part of a larger card that will also feature a NWA Coastal Heavyweight Championship Title defense as Bad Boy Danny Pagan will be facing Jersey Shore legend and number one contender for the title "The Phat Daddy" Biggie Biggs. When these two met last month, Biggs got the win but not the title, due to interference from Pagan's backup group known as the Boardwalk Mafia. Commissioner Tommy Cairo has banned that group from ringside, and this match is now a no DQ, falls count anywhere match.
5 more exciting matches, some of great magnitude in both Coastal and the National Wrestling Alliance include:
Josh "Absolute" Adams faces "The American Psycho" Alex Payne. Both are still in the hunt for the Coastal Iron Man Title, currently held by Ricky Reyes.
"The Reaper" Matt Conard will take on Zac Vincent, in a rivalry that has spanned over 5 states. Both wrestlers were included in the recent NWA Junior Heavyweight title match.
Former NWA Coastal Heavyweight Champion Patch in in a grudge match with the "Enforcer" of the Boardwalk Mafia, Vicious Vince Ceres.
The popular Sgt. Dan Gleason will try to spoil the NWA Coastal debut of NWA Grindhouse (Ct.) star Steve Savage.
And in a battle of monsters, Damien Alexander will face one half of the popular tag team The Monster Squad, "The Living Corpse" Anthony Graves.
Also appearing that evening, Kris Levin, ECW original & Coastal Commissioner Iron Man Tommy Cairo, NWA Senior Referee Fred Richards, ring announcer Jimmy Givens, Wacky Wayne Woo, Bobby Youngblood, and more!
This show is being taped for later broadcast by NWA on Fire for the new NWA TV show that is currently airing on ME-TV.
NWA Coastal has rolled back pricing for this show to $10, in an effort to encourage local residents whose homes & apartments were ravaged by Hurricane Sandy to take a break, and enjoy a fun night of pro wrestling like the Jersey Shore has not seen in some time. More important, kids under 5 are admitted FREE!
Tickets are available in advance at the Bayville (NJ) Elks (247 Atlantic City Blvd.) or online at http://brownpapertickets.com. Remember the date, November 17th, with a 7:30 pm bell time.
For more info, visit http://nwacoastal.com


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Live updates
Is the recession nearly over? Local business speaks out
Economists predict that, by tomorrow, the recession will be officially over. But is that what we're seeing in our region? Our correspondent Seth Conway has been talking to some of our Business Club members to get the low down.


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© Little Lakes Inn & Healing Center | 1.800.538.7099 | PO Box 755 | Honeoye, NY | 14471 | email@example.com
We at Little Lakes Inn & Healing Center do our very best to leave our little piece of the world at least as good as, if not better than, we found it. Here are several areas we pay particular attention to:
Because we are also concerned with the health and wellbeing of every guest, our culinary staff prepares all meals using local and organic ingredients whenever possible. To keep our Little Lakes Inn clean and cozy, our housekeeping staff uses all natural cleaners and makes up the beds with 100% cotton or bamboo blend linens.


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If an iPhone Can Be a Cash Register, What Can Google Glass Be?
Michael Comeau
Google Glass may be defined by what we can't yet imagine.
When I need soap or toothpaste, I head to the Rite-Aid around the corner from my house.
But when I'm in the mood for something special -- like a water-activated gel cleanser or a honey-almond body scrub -- I head to Sephora.
And do you know what's interesting about shopping at Sephora?
The fact that I see
(NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones functioning as cash registers -- just like at
Urban Outfitters
(NASDAQ:URBN) and
JC Penney
Now what's the significance of this?
The most interesting aspect of the mobile device boom may be the degree to which app (remember when we called it software?) developers have come up with interesting ways to use smartphones and tablets.
Seven or eight years ago, it seemed obvious that one day, mobile phones would be good for activities like photography, music/video playback, and gaming.
Because the functionality was there, just in lo-fi form.
Heck, it wasn't until the iPhone was released in 2007 that we saw how good mobile Internet could be.
But look at what's happening today.
You can now use an iPad as a music synthesizer or as a way to analyze your baseball swing.
You can also load up an app like Shazam, hold your iPhone mic up to a speaker, and find out what song is playing.
Forget child's play like email and HD video -- this is some wacky stuff!
And this is why I'm excited about
(NASDAQ:GOOG) Glass, my concerns about privacy and 24/7 Google-led surveillance notwithstanding.
This week, Google announced the specifications of the inaugural version of Glass, the company's augmented reality glasses technology, where information gets beamed directly into your point of view.
The tech blogosphere is focused on the specifications, like the 5-megapixel camera, 720p video recording capabilities, and 12 gigabytes of storage.
However, the ultimate success of Google Glass may be dictated by external developers that provide functionality we can't even imagine right now.
Above, I outlined some surprising uses for smartphone and tablets, enabled by app development.
There is a definite possibility for similar innovation in Google Glass.
What if Glass can tell you how far you hit a golf ball?
Or automatically record a video of you putting down your car keys after a long night out?
How about warning you that there's a shady character hiding in a doorway 25 feet in front of you?
The societal implications for Google Glass, both good and bad, remain unclear.
But regardless, the conversations we're having now about Glass are barely skimming the surface of what we could be discussing years from now. And ultimately, the unconventional -- and possibly controversial -- Glass functions that haven't even been thought of yet may be what ultimately drive its success.
Also see:
Apple's Problem With iPhone Numbers
Time Out! If You Didn't Know PC Sales Were Horrible, Then You Haven't Been Paying Attention
Facebook Home Is Brilliant, While Presenting Interesting Questions for Google Android
Position in AAPL
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Copyright 2011 Minyanville Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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The stainless steel utility cart by Lakeside Healthcare is designed to withstand the busy atmosphere of any medical facility. Utility cart includes three 24" x 15-1/2" shelves that are constructed with 22 gauge stainless steel and feature a weight capacity of 300 lbs. Cart is ideal for dining area bussing, tray or soiled dish station, and light duty transport/storage. Each shelf features a reinforced, hemmed front for added strength, along with sound deadening panels underneath to restrict vibrations and noise. Cleans and sanitizes easily.
Additional features of the Lakeside Healthcare utility cart include four all-swivel 3-1/2" casters and 20 gauge stainless steel legs that have a durable, unitized electronically-welded angle leg design. The legs and handles have bumpers to protect walls and furniture. This item is subject to the manufacturer's warranty. Ships fully assembled.
This item is subject to the manufacturer's warranty. Ships fully assembled.


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Skydiving.com now has a network skydiving location serving Gloucester and Gloucester County in Virginia. Call Skydiving.com at 1-800-617-7948 for details, free information and specials on skydiving in Gloucester, VA today!
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Parents and students are fighting back against the war on Christmas and there is evidence that in some states they are winning the battle. Help has come from recently passed legislation that allows celebrations of the holidays in school rooms once again.
Lawmakers are taking action that allows schools to celebrate religious traditions such as Christmas without fear of having left-leaning organization suing them. Among the states already taking action are Tennessee and Oklahoma while others such as legislators in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, Texas, are in the process of introducing similar bills.
That does not mean that organizations such as the American Humanist Association and the ACLU have given up the fight to keep Christmas celebrations out of the schools. According to them allowing religious displays in schools would unintentionally imply that the government is supporting that belief.
According to WND the bill that was passed in Tennessee is an example of the support for bringing Christmas back into school rooms as it received a 30-0 vote in the state senate and 83-4 in the House.
Brought to the Tennessee legislature by Sen. Stacy Campbell, the bill was written
…to protect public schools from being sued if a teacher or student chooses to celebrate a winder holiday as long as the school includes more than one religious tradition in the practice. It also allows campuses to have both a menorah and a Festivus pole without complaint as well as a Santa Claus and a Nativity scene.
Meanwhile Ramussen Reports that 75 percent of Americans think Christmas should be celebrated in public schools, 15 percent disagree and 10 percent are unsure.


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I'm looking for some advice on how to handle reporting for our environment. We currently have 16 servers with 20 instances of SQL Server 2005. We have over 6,600 databases and growing across these instances (1 database per customer). The majority of our databases run in size from 200mb to 7gb with about 60 databases running in size from 11GB to 110 gb at the largest.
We are using a SAN for storage and we are running into issues with the running of the reports affecting IO.
One idea we had was to pull the 60 larger databases and then use transactional replication to replicate these databases and run reporting on the replicas.
That would then leave all the smaller databases to run without the stress of the larger databses. In the future we don't believe there will be any more of the the larger databases based on our company goals.
Any thoughts?


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The Times-Picayune out of New Orleans has a new article online featuring quotes from The Miz to promote Sunday's WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are the highlights:
Ric Flair passing down to him the figure-four leg lock:
Are you kidding me? When I was a kid, I was giving all my friends figure fours all the time. For him to pass it to me, it was incredible. I was so grateful.
Reputation in WWE and trying to get respect despot his "reality star" past:
I'm still trying to earn respect. But I've never looked at the reality thing as a negative. It was a positive. It allowed me to realize what I wanted to do with my life. Whenever a veteran says you've paid your dues and earned their respect, that's a great feeling.
Click here to read the article in its entirety.


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Minnesota authorities have told citizens to remain on high alert after the "Band of Outlaws" called Texas Hippie Coalition raided POV's 65 in Spring Lake Park, Minnesota last night on their Highway Robbery Tour on Friday night. After interviewing witnesses live at the scene, reports are that band members Big Dad Ritch (vocals), John Exall (bass guitar), Cord Pool (lead guitar), Wes Wallace (guitar) and Gunnar Molton (drums) made out with all of the Waylon Whiskey and Willie Weed they could get their hands on, while taking New York City-based band Eve to Adam hostage on their way to St. Louis, Missouri! Scantily-clad women may have had various body parts autographed by the band, who had new killer merch for sale as well. The band is considered to be armed and dangerous with a potent weapon called Red Dirt Metal, and have instructed snitches, who are a dying breed, of the following:
"When that man in blue comes askin' questions of you / You tell him you had heard that I was dead / Had no idea there was a price on my head / Tell him you hated to hear it, it was a tragedy / Tell him whatever you want, but you ain't seen me!" (Don't Come Lookin', Peacemaker, 2012)
Hyperbole and exaggeration aside, Texas Hippie Coalition made their highly-anticipated return to Minnesota after single-handedly (or is it single-bandedly?) defeating Mother Nature last December on back-to-back nights during one of the worst Minnesota blizzards in a long time. Fortunately, the weather was much more cooperative this time around, making it much easier for "hippies" old and new to have the opportunity to meet THC before the show and break bread with the band.
It's no secret that Texas Hippie Coalition considers fans to be more like friends and family. Big Dad Ritch was in great spirits before the show, signing autographs, taking pictures, and greeting old friends and making new ones all night. After a promoter ended up charging $30 for tickets to "Eat & Greet" the band before the show, once BDR found out about it he had refunds issued, stating that "THC does not charge family to break bread at their table." If that doesn't give you an idea about the type of people they are, you'll have to check out a show for yourself and find out on your own.
Opening bands on the night were Tattooed Millionaires out of Los Angeles, local Minneapolis-based band The Goodbars and the previously-mentioned Eve to Adam. All three bands provided a full-on, aural assault, topped off with an sonic explosion reminiscent not heard since early material by classic bands like... just kidding, I couldn't tell you anything about them since the first part of the show was "drink and mingle in the parking lot" time! Back toward the last part of Eve to Adam's set though, I thought their new single "Straightjacket Supermodel" sounded great, and with influences like GnR, STP, Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters, I'm going to have to give them more listens in anticipation of their full-length album Locked & Loaded, which comes out on September 17th.
Like a shark to its prey, it was time to gather to the front of the stage for Texas Hippie Coalition's entrance, punctuated by the opening chords of "Hands Up" and "8 Seconds," both off of their latest release Peacemaker. The sound was horrible the first few songs into the show, and Big Dad Ritch told the "soundman" (or somebody pretending to be one) to do his job or it was going to be a short set for the Texas outlaws. Things improved toward the end of the set, the perfect time to hear new set list additions of "Peacemaker" and "Sex & Drugs & Rock and Roll," the latter of which sounded amazing live! Last year, I asked if it would be added to the set since it's a great song, and BDR said they were still working on it at the time, so since I'm batting 1.000 for now, here's to hoping they add their Halloween-only Noisecreep single "Sundown Devil" to the set next time they come through! If you haven't heard it yet, get your hands up (and on it) anyway you can.
Not only was it great to see Texas Hippie Coalition again, but this was the first opportunity for their Minnesota fans to check out their new guitarist Cord Pool. In terms of his skills, he's very talented and it will be interesting to see where he goes (and how far he goes) in his career. One of my favorite things to do during solos is not only watching the musicians, but watching the reactions of the other band members to it. Seeing Big Dad Ritch shake his head in awe at Pool's talent, along with Cord getting the loudest applause for any of the solos, shows that he has what it takes on stage. Looking like a spitting image of "Izzy" Cole, Mark Wahlberg's character, in the 2001 movie Rockstar (at least before he sold out, cut his hair, and turned into a grunge sissy), he rarely stopped smiling on stage and he looked like he genuinely enjoyed his craft. Tours are long, and being away from friends and family for weeks or months at a time can be tough, but sometimes the body language on stage of musicians who are just "going through the motions" is way too obvious to the fans. Pool's energy and enthusiasm to his guitar playing is the antithesis of that attitude... which is probably why they didn't bother having the other three guitarists come down and jam when they were looking for the axeman to fill the open guitar slot, according to BDR.
While most musicians are tempted by sex, drugs and rock n' roll, Pool's biggest challenge will be fending off his rapidly-building army of admiring cougars and sharing hair-care favorites with them. I cannot confirm or deny at this time that one of them had permission from her husband to hook up with Pool last night... or if her husband was even kidding about it! Reports at this time are that Pool escaped the Minnesotan Cougar clutches and made it back onto the bus safely.
Along with Gunnar Molton's superb, albeit brief, drum solo, the return of the "Gunslinger" Wes Wallace, and John Exall's energy and enthusiasm on stage, it was an all-around solid night for the Band of Outlaws. In Exall's case, it's no wonder he's in the shape he is, as he was running all over the stage more than anybody; more than one person snapping pictures found it difficult to catch a picture of him since he was such a flash, but they caught him eventually. He's still the one of the most down-to-earth "rockstars" around and never turns down a picture or autograph request. The set was cut short by a couple of songs due to the sound issues toward the end again, but all of the THC fan favorites were played, including "Turn It Up" and "Pissed Off and Mad About It."
It's pretty easy by this time to check out Texas Hippie Coalition and see what you're missing. Don't say I didn't warn you! By all means, check out the remaining tour dates on this leg of the Highway Robbery Tour. I even linked it for you so you can save all that typing and clicking! You're welcome. The tour wraps up in mid-August with other dates throughout the year. After you see if they're coming to your backyard, check them out on iTunes, Spotify, lastFM, Pandora, the Classic Metal Show, or your preferred online venue to listen to your favorite music! At the very least, hit up your favorite rock radio stations and request some THC. There are a lot of live clips on YouTube as well, so log on, click, Turn It Up, and rock out!
The Coalition is growing! We'll see you next time.


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Tim Pawlenty Claims to Want Out of the Veepstakes
"I have encouraged people who asked this question in the campaign to look at other prospects."
During an appearance on CBS's Face the Nation today, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty said that he'd "encouraged people who asked [him the running mate] question in the [Romney] campaign to look at other prospects." He did, however, say that "anybody who would be asked to serve in a position like that would be honored to be asked," so he still has room to reconsider. After all, he is one of the country's leading incredibly boring white guys.


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The 93rd annual Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation meeting this weekend will mark the end of an era. After 24 years on the board of directors including the last 9 as president, Bill Bruins is stepping down. Under his leadership, the organization has seen growth in membership including in the young farmer program and an increased influence in state and local government while contributing to resurgence in Wisconsin agriculture.
AUDIO: Bruins talks about his experiences and his goals 12:24 mp3


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There is a rumor going around that poinsettias are poisonous, but it is just that, a rumor. When many household and seasonal plants are very dangerous to us and our pets, poinsettias do not make the list. I still wouldn't recommend eating them as there are occasional cases of vomiting in humans from their ingestion, but nothing to worry about. Poinsettias can cause gastrointestinal irritation, drooling, diarrhea, and vomiting in pets, but again nothing severe or fatal. Mistletoe, on the other hand, can cause gastrointestinal distress, a slowed heartbeat, and other reactions to its toxins. Although it can cause severe reactions, mistletoe is not believed to be fatal. Regardless of what you have heard, always check with a veterinarian or other professional before exposing your pets to potentially toxic plants.
View full post on MyPetCareTV.com Pet News


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The Patterson House recently became the proud owners of a very special barel of Four Roses Boubon. Bottled at barrel proof (122 proof) it was aged 9 years and 7months at Four Roses Cox's Creek facility Kentucky. The Bourbon was made with a mashbill that contained a lot of Rye. The barrel in question was unanimously selected by the tasting panel from ten barrels tasted.
The special selection is of course available by itself and is also on the new Winter menu in The Patterson House Brooklyn. This concoction combines the Four Roses Single Barrel with house made Amer Picon and Blood Orange Bitters as well as dry vermouth and Maraschino liqueur.
The drink has been a big seller thus far with it's dark flavors and touch of sweetness. It appeals to Manhattan and Old Fashioned drinkers alike. As you can imagine it packs a pretty good punch as well.
The Patterson House teamed up with local retailer Midtown Wine and Spirits to make this special single barrel Bourbon available for those wanting to take a bottle home while supplies last.
For the entire story on the selection process check out TheSpiritMonkey.com


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W2 Proposal Form
The First-Year Seminar and Writing Committee and faculty have developed writing guidelines and commitments for W2 courses. Those guidelines are at http://www.bates.edu/dof/teaching-and-advising/writing-attentive-courses/. Each question below is linked to one or more of the five categories of shared commitments for a W2 course and suggests sample strategies for approaching these learning goals. To propose a course for W2 designation, please answer each question by describing specific ways you will address these goals in your course. In writing these descriptions, you may find it useful to consider how this course would differ from a similar but non-writing-attentive course you might teach.


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2010: Joined the Wildcats in January before the 2010 season after transferring from the University of Georgia. Malo competed in 12 single's matches for the Wildcatswhere he compiled a 5-5 overall record. He competed in the championship singles flight at the Pac-10 championships, but fell to Stanford's Alex Clayton 6-4, 6-3. In doubles, Malo primarily competed with Pat Metham in the No. 1 position where together they compiled an 8-9 doubles record. He also teamed with Ravid Hazi in the No. 1 position where they finished 1-2. Malo teamed with Hazi at the championships doubles flight at the Pac-10 championships, but fell to USC's duo of Daniel Nyuyen and JT Sundling, 8-0. Malo teamed with Goldmanin the No. 3 position in the NCAA tournament, butthe duo fell to Minnesota's Rok Bonin and Phillip Arndt, 8-5. In doubles, heteamed withGoldman (0-1), Hazi (1-3) andMetham (8-9). Together Malo and Metham entered the doubles rankings at No. 55 during the week of March 18 and held that spot through March 27. The duo entered the rankings again at No. 90 during the week of April 18, then moved up to No. 86 during the week of April 22 and the duofinished the season ranked at No. 81.
Fall 2009 (University of Georgia): Finished with a 5-5 singles mark and a 6-2 doubles mark. Advanced to the doubles quarterfinals of the Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional. Recorded three singles wins in the Southern Intercollegiate Championships.
2009 (University of Georgia): Joined the team in January of 2009. Transferred from the University of Ecuador. Finished with a 6-7 singles record including 5-5 in dual matches and 9-7 in doubles. Clinched a win at No. 6 singles of first round of NCAA over S.C. State. Saw action in the singles lineup at No.3-6 and went 1-1 at No. 1 doubles. Clinched team win over Georgia State with a victory at No. 4. Part of team that went 25-4, final national ranked of No. 6, SEC Eastern Division Champions, National Team Indoor finalists and advanced to NCAA Elite Eight.
Before Georgia: Best ATP ranking of 731...ranked No. 1 in Chile in 14 and 16-year-old age groups...ranked No.7 in South America at the age of 14...reached quarterfinals of Ecuador F7 and F5 in October 2008.


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So I am taking mathematical economics and in the HW my professor asked to draw a couple of level curves for $f(x,y)=xy$.
Attempt: So I did it the following way. To find the slope I took the partial derivative with respect to $x$ and then with respect to $y$.:
$$\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}=y\\\frac{\partial f}{\partial y}=x$$
Now to find $\frac{\partial y}{\partial x}$ I just divide the upper equality $(\frac{\partial f}{\partial x})$ by the lower equality ($\frac{\partial f}{\partial y}$):
$$\frac{\partial f}{\partial x} \frac{\partial y}{\partial f}=\frac{\partial y}{\partial x}=\frac{y}{x}$$
So why is it wrong and why should I use the total differential to find the correct slope? Any hints please.


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Cancer Gemstones
I have selected the Astral gemstones based on the characteristics
of each Sun sign. However, if you do not identify strongly with the
characteristics shown, it may be that the Sun is not the main
influence in your birth chart.
In this case I would suggest that you check out the other signs and
choose the gemstones for the characteristics you most identify with
or wish to enhance within yourself.
Cancer Characteristics
- introverted, reserved, sensitive, sympathetic, domestic,
maternal, protective, moody and home-loving
Primary – Moonstone
I have chosen moonstone as the primary gemstone for Cancer to encourage positive
expression of the Cancer characteristics. Moonstone promotes intuition, empathy, depth
fertility in women by balancing internal hormone cycles. Moonstone reduces aggression
and calms overreaction to emotional situations. Cancer is prone to being overly protective
in nature which can come across as aggression and they are also very emotionally
sensitive which can cause moodiness. Moonstone is said to enhance psychic gifts,
increase clairvoyance and encourage lucid dreaming. It also brings good fortune.
Secondary – Moss Agate
Moss agate prevents stress and promotes trust, confidence, tolerance, communication
and an appreciation of nature. For Cancer building trust is very important as well as open
communication, especially where emotions are involved. Moss agate improves self-
esteem, balances the emotions and helps you to let go of anger and bitterness. It is also
said to help when starting anew or with the acquisition of new friends or riches. Moss
agate has been used to lessen pain during childbirth and is generally connected with
growth so is good for those in horticulture or gardening. It has been used in the art of
"cloud-busting" to bring rain and has a strong connection to the earth.
Opposite – Snowflake Obsidian
Snowflake obsidian allows the appreciation of mistakes as well as success as both provide
valuable lessons. For Cancer this is useful as they can find mistakes are emotionally
draining and depressive. Snowflake obsidian also helps to combat destructive thought
patterns and provides positive energy against depression. This is a very protective
gemstone that brings good fortune and luck. Snowflake obsidian is useful for balancing
mind, body and spirit. This can really benefit Cancer as they are very sensitive and may
hide from the spiritual side of life. Snowflake obsidian is also thought to protect against
nightmares, curses and spells. This is the primary gemstone for Capricorn.


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NEWPORT NEWS — A Newport News police officer shot and wounded a pit bull after it attacked two children.
Police spokesman Lou Thurston says the victims suffered minor injuries.
The incident occurred Wednesday evening at a residence.
Thurston says the dog nipped a 7-year-old girl in the abdomen and bit a 5-year-old boy in the hip area.
Officers went to the residence after the attack was reported. One officer approached the dog, it charged and he shot it.
The dog fled and was later found in a dog house. Its owner took it to a veterinarian for treatment.


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Another month brings another Seal o' Piracy for you to pad your trophy page with. And July's limited edition trophy is very simple to obtain--if, perhaps, a little time-consuming. It's back to basics as you obtain your Seal by...
Complete 30 sea battles. Sea battles involving a cutter (either as your ship or the opponent) count triple!
This achievement requires you to return to the activity Puzzle Pirates does best: pillaging! Patrol the high seas in search of ne'er-do-wells and scallywags, fill their hulls full of cannonball holes, and teach their crews a lesson with the edge of your blade or the business end of your bludgeon. Your ships must grapple and you crews must melee for the battle to count toward your Seal.
But if the thought of 30 sea battles sounds like a tall order, pay special attention to the shortcut: Pillage on or against a cutter, and your count goes up by three.
If you want to take a cutter out and go a-hunting, this old guide to soloing a cutter remains useful despite its age. You'll have to adjust for the changes made since then, but most of those changes make the job of pillaging in a cutter much easier. Specifically, the number of swabbies you can have aboard has gone up to 6, and they can be assigned to fill the cannons. (Also, the hold capacity has increased, allowing you to bring home even more booty.)
But of course you're not going to just solo, are you? Advertise your voyage on the Notice Board and spread those Seal-earning pillage-in-a-cutter points around!
What are the chances of your ship encountering a cutter? There are several schools of thought on that.
First, consider the difficulty of your route. The normal way of things is that a sloop will encounter other sloops. But if you're on a particularly "red" route, like the Ruby or Osprey archipelagos, you stand a chance of getting into it with a cutter. (Or with a dhow or a fanchuan.) Again, these are old threads, but your Examiner's experience bears out their continuing validity. Meanwhile, you can consult the consensus of the Yppedia editors on the difficulties of all routes on the Cerulean, Emerald and Meridian Oceans.
Next, consider the ship you're in and how fully you've staffed them. MaxPain and BobJanova have compiled their own lists of what ships you're likely to encounter depending on the ship you're sailing. They both agree that dhows, fanchuans and cutters constitute a discrete class of spawn type, such that they will naturally spawn each other. Max your sloop capacity and you may see the cutter-inclusive type of spawn as well.
And don't forget the difficulty of the ships you spawn will increase the longer your pillage goes on. This phenomenon is referred to as your "Booty Ramp."
Lastly, don't overthink it. Just get out there and pillage for fun and profit, and the Seal will take care of itself.


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Permanent URL to this publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.5167/uzh-3591
Husmann, L; Gaemperli, O; Schepis, T; Scheffel, H; Valenta, I; Hoefflinghaus, T; Stolzmann, P; Desbiolles, L; Herzog, B A; Leschka, S; Marincek, B; Alkadhi, H; Kaufmann, P A (2008). Accuracy of quantitative coronary angiography with computed tomography and its dependency on plaque composition: Plaque composition and accuracy of cardiac CT. International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging, 24(8):895-904.
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View at publisher
Objective: To determine the impact of plaque composition on accuracy of quantitative 64-slice computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). Methods: The institutional review board approved this study; written informed consent was obtained from all patients. One hundred consecutive patients (42 women, mean age 64.6 +/- 9.4 years, age range 39-87 years) underwent CTCA and invasive quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) to determine (a) the diagnostic accuracy of CTCA for the detection of significant stenosis (diameter reduction of >/=50%), and (b) the accuracy of stenosis grading. In CTCA stenosis severity was graded in 10% steps and evaluated separately for calcified and non-calcified coronary lesions using Pearson-linear-regression analysis, Bland/Altman-analysis (BA), and Mann-Whitney-U-test. Results: In 60/100 patients 139 significant coronary artery stenoses were identified with QCA. On a per-segment analysis, sensitivity of CTCA was 75.5%, and specificity was 96.6% (positive predictive value: 72.9%, negative predictive value: 97.0%). Quantification of stenosis grading correlated moderately between methods (r = 0.60; P < 0.001), with an overestimation by CTCA of 5.5% (BA limits-of-agreement -29 to 39%). BA limits-of-agreement were greater in calcified lesions (-29.2 to 45.6%; mean error 8.2%) than in non-calcified lesions (-25.9 to 30.2%; mean error 2.2%) and differed significantly (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Diagnostic accuracy of CTCA is high, however agreement for quantitative lesion severity assessment between CTCA and QCA is moderate for calcified but superior for non-calcified lesions.
22 citations in Web of Science®
27 citations in Scopus®
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|Journal Article, refereed, original work
|Communities & Collections:
|04 Faculty of Medicine > University Hospital Zurich > Clinic for Nuclear Medicine
04 Faculty of Medicine > Center for Integrative Human Physiology
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Hospital Zurich > Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology
|Dewey Decimal Classification:
|570 Life sciences; biology
610 Medicine & health
|June 2008
|Deposited On:
|26 Sep 2008 09:12
|Last Modified:
|05 Apr 2016 12:27
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Susan blogs at Homeroad. She's lucky enough to have a neighbor that throws out great stuff. When it came to this bench tossed by the neighbor, "I have red chairs from Crate and Barrel in my kitchen and I thought it would be great to try and match the color of the bench with the chairs," Susan says.
She decided to try out a sample pot of chalk paint on this bench–making it a completely free makeover. (Love that!) She tried out CeCe Caldwell's Traverse City Cherry. With a couple coats of dark wax, this bench ended up being almost an exact match to Susan's chairs. Isn't it lovely?
You can find out more about this makeover at Homeroad.


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The weather in Vancouver continues to create havoc for these Games just as it did for the Olympics last month. The downhill skiing events originally scheduled for Saturday have been postponed until the weather clears at Whistler Creekside. The Men's Slalom sitting division raced today with the gold taken by Germany. Colorado's Gerald Hayden finished sixteenth in a crowded field after the second run. Slovakia won gold in Men's Slalom visually impaired division. American women faired better in Women's Slalom sitting with Stephani Victor from Utah taking silver. Austria won the gold. Caitlin Sarubbi of NY came in seventh in Women's Slalom visually impaired category. Austria also took the gold in this category. Danelle Umstead, favored for a medal going into the visually impaired race with her husband-guide, Robert, did not finish the race.
Men's and Women's Slalom standing competition has two runs tomorrow, March 15, including the medal competition in the afternoon. Hannah Pennington from Winter Park, CO will compete in the Women's Slalom. She will compete in the Giant Slalom later in the week.
American Andy Soule, a veteran from Texas, took the bronze medal in the Biathlon 2.4 km pursuit yesterday, March 13. In the Men's Cross Country sitting competition today, Soule placed tenth, with teammates Chris Klebl and Sean Halstead finishing eighth and ninth, respectively. U.S. skier Greg Mallory finished twenty-sixth. The Russian Federation took the top prize in this division. In the Women's Cross Country sitting race, Monica Bascio from Evergreen, CO finished ninth, four minutes behind the Belarus skier who took home the gold.
Team USA sled hockey team won another preliminary round today, Sunday, March 14, over Czech Republic, 3 – 0. On Tuesday, the Americans take on Japan in another preliminary round. Coloradan Nikko Landeros from Berthoud plays on Team USA in his first Paralympic Games.
In Wheelchair Curling, the U.S. was shut out of its rounds on Saturday, but took the win over Germany today. Tomorrow Team USA takes on Italy and Great Britain.
Kathryn writes on disabilities, mobility products and independence and other related health and lifestyle issues. Contact for inquiries and to suggest future topics. To receive articles regularly, select "subscribe" above.


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Ballin Sports Wear
Your trusted partner in value, service, quality, and design.
Quality goes in before the cost comes out. Our years of experience have made us one of the most efficient manufacturers in the industry. That efficiency allows us to offer our customers the best fabrics, the highest quality construction, and the latest designs all at the best prices in the market.


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Long Island Food Blog
Long Island's First Food Blog
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Hamburger at Pace's = Shockingly Good Deal
Had lunch at Pace's in Hauppauge recently. Never been there before. Weird decor (i.e. law books) but whatever.
Got the hamburger for lunch. I think it was $10.75. The burger was big and comes with a good amount of fries and cole slaw. I added cheese for (I think) a buck 25.
Can't believe I'm saying this, but an expensive steak house actually has a good deal --> the lunchtime hamburger. It's not the greatest hamburger, but it's a good-size meal, and I'll take that deal all day long.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Just in time for Christmas!
As usual, I'm probably late to the party, but just saw a commercial for the StufZ burger maker.
Just in time for Christmas, for the person who is incapable of stuffing things inside a hamburger without the use of a mechanical device.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Review: Revel in Garden City
New place, opened on Tuesday (Sep. 17), on Franklin Ave. in Garden City (TD Bank building). Had lunch there on Friday.
The dining area is small, so they try to create the illusion of space with an open ceiling and big mirrors on the walls. A big bar spans almost the entire back of the dining area.
The seats are covered in a fabric that was on a couch my grandma had when I was a kid (which she called a davenport). So my first thought was "cheap". Maybe that's unfair.
The menu is big and ambitious and a little strange. Grilled octopus sandwich? With olives on it? Sounds f*cking gross.
Prices for lunch are $2-3 more per dish more than an average Garden City place. Dinner is priced like an upper-tier Long Island restaurant (though not the most expensive). Dinner entrees average around $27. Much more for steak.
My lunch companion had the chicken & avocado BLT ($12.00). She said it was OK but was dry and needed some kind of sauce.
The sandwiches are served with "waffle fries." They are not waffle fries, more like french fry pillows. They also come with a little mesclun salad and a mustard vinaigrette. That did nothing for me.
If I were the owners, I'd scale down the menu and concentrate on getting each dish perfect. You're a small restaurant, and it's Garden City. And if you're trying to stand out with the flavors of the food, don't get too crazy. (I'm sure they don't care what I say.)
2.5 out of 5 stars
Revel Restaurant & Bar
835 Franklin Avenue
Garden City, NY
Monday, September 02, 2013
What the Frick, Kerry?
All right. I see what's going on here. I have ONE QUESTION for you, Secretary of State John Kerry, dining with that dictator and tyrant Bashar al-Assad....
Why is your table so shitty?
I mean you're like right next to the counter or something. Like a sushi bar. And you're stuck out there in the open. Jesus. Embarrassing.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Funny (?) Food Pics
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Port Jeff Greek Fest
Went to the Port Jefferson Greek Festival Saturday night. Didn't get there until almost 9:00. Place was mobbed. Expect to walk about 1/2 a mile to get there from where you park. There were people being bused around, but I'm not sure where they were parked.
Lots of jewelry vendor stands. Some other junk, like $5.00 Minnie Mouse ears, which I was forced to buy. A few rides and games. Mostly went there for the food. There is a central food area, where the customers are herded like cattle to the slaughter through a long maze. Took about 25 mins. to get the food after getting in line.
The food was OK. Decent prices. Greek salad was not the best. Some pics:
Near the entrance. Lots of vendor stands. Some guy giving me look of displeasure. Way to ruin my shot.
Blurry pic of more vendor stands
Food line maze. Not unlike King Minos' Labyrinth? (Nerd/loser joke.)
Combo platter of mousaka and pastitso with Greek salad and fries
Pork souvlaki, Greek salad, and a tyropita (feta cheese pie--very rich and very salty)
Me sneaking pic of other people's food


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I wasn't part of the poll but I have been following the presidential race for the white house for some time. On the issue of Foreign policy and international support for Obama, a recent poll of some 17 countries showed overwhelming support for Obama over his rival. The impression I get of McCain is that he would rather rush in to a conflict with all barrels blazing as opposed to Obama who would take a diplomatic and conciliatory approach. The last thing the world wants to see is more conflict and suffering than we already have.
New Zealanders don't get to vote in the United States presidential race, but if they did Barack Obama would win in landslide.
UMR Research's latest poll asked New Zealanders who they would vote for in the presidential election -- two thirds (65 percent) said they would back Mr Obama compared to just 11 percent for John McCain.
Labour voters (69 percent) were slightly more in favour of Obama than National voters (63 percent), those in white collar jobs (74 percent) were significantly more likely than blue collar workers (58 percent) to support the Democrat nominee.
However, Mr McCain's controversial choice of running mate, Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin, did get a tick from those who said they had followed the issue.
Of those people 55 percent said she was a good choice compared to the 25 percent who disapproved.
The telephone poll of 750 people was conducted from September 11 to 14 and has a margin of error of 3.6 percent.
This article is tagged with the following keywords. Find out more about MyNBR Tags
7 Comments & Questions
Not surprising given the bias of the NZ media towards Obama. Who do you think knows more about the issues - NZers or US citizens? Seems the ones that know more about it are less impressed with Obama with recent polls showing McCain ahead.
For the record - I hope McCain gets the nod - it will be better for NZ's chances of securing a FTA
It's interesting that New Zealanders support the candidate of the party that is historically anti-free-trade, pro-union (unions are anti-imported products), and protectionist. We'll see what happens to the USA-NZ FTA if the Democrats win. Also, trade policy is controlled by Congress, and on 10 April 2008 Democrat Party Speaker Nancy Pelosi changed a key House rule that effectively gutted over thirty years of established U.S. trade policy favouring free trade.
Obama will be hopeless as President - naive and inexperienced he would be a lamb to the slaughter when dealing with people like Vladimir Putin. His policies are vague and full of platitudes - a belief in peace, love and understanding simply isn't good enough for a US President.
Obama just has to much of a checkered past, an especially for such a short time in an elected office.
Reading one of his books you find him talking about attending meetings in college with a socialist flavor and picking marxist professors. Add that to all of the other connections he seems to have, looking at his voting record for raising taxes, his stance on abortion and babies surviving abortion and finally his lack of experience..... well I moving over to McCain. I cant find very many things that stand out about McCain as there are Obama. An McCain doesnt seem to agree with Bush that much and has a record that at least you can go check. Dont agree with everything he stands for but I will be able to sleep better
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Here is a little bit of whimsy in a mad, mad world. Brooster the rooster stayed at home at the farm whilst Henny took their chickens on an educational tour of Australia. The postcards home tell of some of their adventures.
Preview a small sample here -
Like most photographers, I like to travel. I tend mostly to record the beauty I've seen, both in nature and in the things we human's have constructed, be it a window, a staircase or a whole facade. I like to use my photographs grouped together in order to tell their story. With that in mind, putting them together in book form gives me great satisfaction.
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Spring in the West 2014 Daily Planner Published November 03, 2013
In search of old England Published October 30, 2013
A slice of France 2013 Daily Planner Published December 01, 2012
Our voyage with Caroline Published November 04, 2012
The World Through Daniel's Eyes Published August 04, 2012
A path well trod Published November 18, 2011
Cobblestoned streets and Historic cities Barb Butler Published April 26, 2011
Treasures of Eastern Europe 2010 (with a touch of UK) Published December 11, 2010


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Four Times (Le quattro volte) Showtimes and Tickets
Read Movie Reviews about Four Times (Le quattro volte) Write a Movie Review for Four Times (Le quattro volte)
Release Date: 2011-03-30 (NY)
Genre: Drama,
Rating: NR
Duration: 1hr 28min
An old shepherd lives his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria, at the southernmost tip of Italy. He herds goats under skies that most villagers have deserted long ago. He is sick, and believes to find his medicine in the dust he collects on the church floor, which he drinks in his water every day.
Cast and Crew
- Starring
Giuseppe Fuda, Bruno Timpano, Nazareno Timpano
- Directed by Michelangelo Frammartino
- Written by Michelangelo Frammartino
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My name is Felix Menard, I'm a Canadian artist
specializing in photography and technology.
My work ranges from photographs and composite images to websites. I've been studying Art, Design & Technology in various institutions, and I'm currently focusing solely on my projects.
handcrafted CV of Felix Menard
- Programming,
- APIs integration,
- Data acquisition,
- Data parsing,
- (Making things work)
Data & Mathematics
- Statistics,
- Logical Thinking,
- Artificial Intelligence,
- Data Mining & Filtering
Communication & Information Sciences
- Information Architecture,
- Semantic, Language, Ontologies,
- Communication & Marketing
- Create,
- Inspire,
- Aesthetics,
- Transcend
- (Magic)
Interactive &
Graphic Design
- User Experience,
- Represent Visually,
- Photography,
- Typography
While I'm not a specialist in each of these fields, my work does combine aspects of these disciplines together.
Description !! fiod jf sdofj siofj sdoi fjds aiof joi sfdjo jfo idsjf io dsjfo dsoif iods fjoid sfj oids fo ids foi sd fiosd fosd fiod sf jsdio foids fj
In this book, photographs of various consumer goods are algorithmically superimposed to create a single image representing each of these products.
While exploring the boundaries of the photographic image, I took these painterly photographs using long exposure and camera motion.
These translucent but not transparent windows cut people off from the outside world. They have purposely been designed and installed solely for their lighting function.
This photographic series explores how we transfer human characteristics onto animals, with an aim to highlight how it affects our idea of nature.
A one letter encyclopedia based on the Wikipedia model. By clicking on a letter, you access a page listing all of its definitions. In doing this, the original context is lost; highlighting on a small scale the structural flaws of the language-based model.
This website plays with the idea of "new" by presenting the user with the latest photo uploaded online. Watching this constant stream of new images uncannily links the user to whoever has just uploaded the photo.
This art students' survival guide makes fun of the over-simplified curriculum of some Fine Arts Programs.
Composite images representing modern beliefs and devotional subjects matter.
Engravings created by assembling various commercial, educational and religious images.
By photographing empty spaces, the remnants of previous inhabitants hint at the history of these abandoned places.


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Stephen Steams Broccoli
The food blog Stephen Cooks is a temple to food--some healthy, some not so healthy. One of the most basic recipes he has to offer is one that he says he makes at least once a week, and it's for steamed broccoli with scallions, garlic, vinegar etc. Dr. Fuhrman would want you to leave out the salt and oil, which are both optional anyway.
Stephen says that it gets raves, which is not hard to believe. Most of were raised on overcooked and tired broccoli. It's time to realize once again that there's no reason broccoli can't be a vegetable of choice.


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As cold weather approaches, those thinking of purchasing a wood-burning stove for heating their home may want to consider the winners and finalists of this first-ever event. The Wood Stove Decathlon, held in Washington, DC, concluded on November 19 after five days of testing and judging.
The Decathlon was created in order to stimulate competition and more efficient wood-burning stoves in anticipation of future EPA changes in regulations regarding wood-burning appliances. The event offered opportunities for people to see the most advanced stoves in the world, visit exhibitions, and attend talks and panels with ten of the nation's leading stove experts.
The 14 finalists in the competition were Dragon Heater, Firemaster, Helbro Stoves, HWAM, Intercontinental, Kimberly, Mulciber, Ofenbou and Feurerstellen, Smartsove, Travis, Tulikivi, Walker Stoves, Wittus, and Woodstock Soapstone. These companies entered high-efficiency wood stoves, rocket heaters, masonry heaters, and retrofits to modify existing wood stoves.
Woodstock Soapstone took the grand prize as well as first place in efficiency with its hybrid stove which includes a combustion regulator. The company was considerate enough to share its $25,000 prize with the two teams that competed without financial sponsorship- IntensiFire and Walker Stoves.
The $10,000 second prize was shared by Travis Industries and Wittus-Fire by Design, who donated their share back to the Alliance for Green Heat, one of the sponsors of the event.
The winner for innovation was HWAM; for lowest carbon monoxide emissions was Travis Industries; for affordability, IntensiFire; for market appeal, Travis Industries; and for lowest particulate emissions, Mulciber.
The Judges were Thomas Butcher, Brookhaven National Laboratory; Bill Clarke, Osprey Foundation; Philip K. Hopke, Clarkson University; Mark Knaebe, USDA Forest Service; James Meigs, Popular Mechanics; Ellen Burkhard, NYSERDA; Norbert Senf, Masonry Heater Association; Kirk R. Smith, University of California, Berkeley; Rod Tinnemore, Washington State Department of Ecology; Raymond J. Albrecht, Technical Advisor to BTEC.
A major sponsor of the event, The Alliance for Green Heat, has more information about the Decathlon on their website at forgreenheat.org. Other sponsors included the Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington Department of Ecology, the New York Sate Energy Research & Development Authority, Hearth.com, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, the Masonry Heater Association of North America, and the Catalytic Hearth Coalition.
There have been stove competitions before. From the Alliance for Green Heat website: "In 1783 - During a period of extreme cold in Europe known as the "Little Ice Age," Frederick the Great of Prussia holds a contest for the masonry oven that could provide the most heat for the least amount of wood. Johann Paul Baumer wins in 1784 with a design that used outside air for combustion and "featured controllable air intake and a flue gas flap, and well-matched grating size, fire capacity and external surfaces".
Such stoves are known today as masonry heaters. The Masonry Heater Association of North America educates masons in the art of masonry heater building. Masonry heaters are site-built appliances which are clean-burning and produce radiant heat without using electricity, fans, or ducts. Two masonry heaters were finalists in the competition.
Link to news story: Upper Valley woodstove company smokes the competition - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports


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Board of Education
Glasgow High School
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Glasgow Independent Schools
Notice of Non-Discrimination
Students, their families, employees and potential employees of the Glasgow Independent Schools are hereby notified that the Glasgow Independent School system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, religion, marital status, sex or disability in employment, vocational programs, or activities as set forth in compliance with federal and state statutes and regulations. Any persons having inquiries concerning Glasgow Independent Schools' compliance with Title II, Title IV, Title VI, Title IX and /or Section 504 may contact:
Alisha Richardson, Director of Special Education
Glasgow Independent Schools
629 West Cherry St.
Glasgow, KY 42141
(270) 651-6757
The Glasgow Independent School System offers the following career and technical education programs for all students regardless of race, color, national origin, including those with limited English proficiency, sex or disability in grade 9-12: Agriculture, Business and Office Technology, Health Sciences, Culinary Arts, Automotive Repair and Refurbishing, Pre-Engineering, Carpentry, and Welding. Persons seeking further information concerning the vocational education offerings and specific pre-requisite criteria should contact:
Kelly Oliver, Supervisor of Federal Programs
Glasgow Independent Schools
629 West Cherry St.
Glasgow, KY 42141
(270) 651-6757
This is a secure Staff Intranet content page and cannot be viewed by the public. Please contact your Technology Director to gain access to the Staff Intranet area in order to view this page.
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Phone: (270) 651-6757
Fax: (270) 651-9791


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Things to See & Do
Located less than one hour from downtown Chicago, 2.5 hours from Indianapolis, just over one hour from the University of Notre Dame, and less than one hour from Amish Country it is one of the finest luxury inns in the Midwest. Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast is located in Valparaiso, Indiana, just minutes from a wealth of major shopping, dining and entertainment options.
Songbird Prairie is one of the finest award-winning romantic inns in the Midwest. Our awards and accolades speak for themselves – and comments from our past guests enjoying romantic weekends away are a testament to the fact that Songbird Prairie truly is one of the best luxury inns in the Midwest...
Experiencing the luxury of Songbird Prairie is just the beginning! From our beautiful grounds – replete with towering oaks, meadows of green grass and serenading songbirds – to our decadent guest suites that include sumptuous linens, in-suite Fireplaces and therapeutic whirlpools, to complete your getaway experience.
Conclude your romantic weekend getaway with a delicious homemade artfully presented hot breakfast enjoyed on our beautiful sun room . Choose from fresh bakery breads and muffins, farm-fresh fruits and hot artfully presented entrees.
And to make your stay at our romantic bed and breakfast even more inviting, our fabulous location brings you close to so much, but retains your solitude with our quiet country location. For unforgettable romantic getaways or a girlfriends' getaway, choose Songbird Prairie Bed and Breakfast in Northwest Indiana. Songbird Prairie offers more than a Valparaiso, IN. hotel.


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The spring season has officially arrived, and we have the perfect spring cocktails fit for the occasion!
The SKINNY GINGER® is a refreshing, light, and easy-to-make cocktail perfect for warm weather occasions and outdoor entertaining - and the best part is, it's under 200 calories, so it won't set you back as you gear up for beach season!
2 parts 2 GINGERS® Irish Whiskey
Diet Ginger Ale
Lemon Wedge
Lime Wedge
METHOD: Pour the 2 GINGERS® Irish Whiskey into a pint glass with ice. Top with diet ginger ale, followed by a wedge of a lemon and lime.
KNOB CREEK® SWEET & SPICY TEA created by mixologist, Zac Matthews, is the perfect cocktail to sip for that front porch feeling as spring approaches, it combines sweet & spicy flawlessly!
Recipe by Zac Matthews, Mixologist
2 parts Knob Creek® Rye
2 parts Southern Style "Sweet Tea" (*recipe below)
¼ part Fresh Lemon Juice
1 part Prosecco
METHOD: Combine Knob Creek® Rye, sweet tea and lemon juice into a shaker with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Float Prosecco on top to finish. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
BASIL HAYDEN'S BLUE GRASS PUNCH has the perfect combination of fruit & bubbles to get you the mood for spring! Add the frozen blueberry ring and this cocktail is the perfect staple for spring entertaining!
4 parts Basil Hayden's ® Bourbon
8 parts Blueberry Juice
8 parts Passion Fruit Juice
Sparkling Wine or Club Soda
Fresh Mint Leaves
METHOD: Add Basil Hayden's, blueberry juice, passion fruit juice and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake. Top with club soda or sparkling wine.


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Will the Miami Dolphins purge bloated salaries?
If the Miami Dolphins want to dump Gibril Wilson and his bloated salary, this is the offseason to do it?
While all of the secondaries failures can't be blamed on the team's starting free safety, who struggled mightily in coverage last season, Wilson certainly didn't prove he was deserving of the $27.5 million contract the Dolphins' decision-makers paid him last offseason.
In the coming weeks the Dolphins must decide if Wilson, whom they made the third highest paid safety in the NFL, is worth the $3.9 million he's due in base salary and a workout bonus ($50,000) in 2010.
If the answer is no, then the Dolphins can do exactly what Oakland did last offseason, admit they made a mistake and release Wilson, who contributed 93 tackles, eight pass breakups and one sack in 2009.
If the NFL owners and player's union don't agree to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement by March Wilson's release won't be accompanied by salary cap ramifications because 2010 is expected to be an uncapped year.
The contract Wilson signed last offseason guaranteed him $8 million. He received $5 million of that sum in a signing bonus, $2 million in a roster bonus already paid, and earned $950,000 in base salary and $50,000 in a workout bonus.
That means Wilson's received ALL the money he was guaranteed.
After 2010 he's due $4.6 million in 2011, $5.1 million in 2012, and $5.9 million ($500,000 from a roster bonus) in 2013. That a steep price for a strong safety masquerading as a free safety.
Those salaries are way out of proportion when factoring in Wilson's contribution, and shortcomings. But his future depends on whether or not the Trifecta is ready to declare him a failure, admitting they were wrong on their assessment of his skills.
But Wilson's release means a void is created in the secondary that must be filled by a free agent signing, or the elevation of Tyrone Culver or Chris Clemons.
Here's a look at a couple more players that might be on the Dolphins chopping block because of bloated salaries that don't match their production.
OLB Joey Porter – The Dolphins owe Porter $1.2 million on bonuses by March. If they believe the aging pass rusher is worth the bonuses, plus his $3.6 million salary in 2010 he'll stay for at least one more season. If they decide they don't want him around he'll be cut loose, becoming an unrestricted free agent.
ILB Akin Ayodele– He'll be 31 next season, and while he's still productive (finishing third on the team with 71 tackles) he's due $3.25 million in the final year of his existing deal. Ayodele is great in the community, and in the locker room, but he struggled with a couple of injuries last season.
ILB Reggie Torbor – The team's backup inside linebacker had an average season (37 tackles, one sack, one interception), but is due above average money ($3.05 million) in 2010. While it's ideal for the linebacker unit to get younger, it's hard to justify letting both Ayodele and Torbor go in one offseason. Torbor also serves as one of the top special teams contributors.
CB Jason Allen– The team's 2006 first-round pick hasn't established himself as a reliable cornerback in two seasons at the position. He's due $1.27 million in 2010, which is a lot for a backup cornerback who primarily served as a special teams ace. But cutting Allen means they create another void on the roster. It's more realistic that he'll be brought to training camp and asked to compete for playing time.


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I have BackTrack 5 R3 installed on VMware and its on bridged connection so it gets its own ip on my network and it works I get internet connection but there is no ethernet cable connected yet somehow when I do iwconfig I cant see wlan0 and no other wireless card but etho is connected to the network somehow.... cant it be that eth0 is my wireless card which somehow misconfigured? Its an intel centrino advanced n 6205
You need to give backtrack (vmware guest os) dedicated exclusive access to the Card. You can't do this with a builtin (minipci-e) card, as far as I know. VMware allows you to give USB devices (such as a usb wifi card) exclusive access. When you do this, Windows Reads your device as "VMware USB device" and doesn't interact with it, while the Guest OS has dedicated access.
Your host system sees both your wireless card and the virtual ethernet adapter that is used to bridge networking with the VM, and the guest system (Backtrack) simply sees the virtual ethernet adapter. It is the host OS that is transparently bridging/routing packets between this virtual interface and the wireless card.
BT sees your internal wireless as a generic network connection, so it labels the virtual connection as a wired (eth0) connection. In order to use an internal card, boot from a live CD OR do a full install, this is the only way BT5 will get exclusivity to the INTERNAL card. Running through VMWare you will pretty much need to use a USB wifi NIC.


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I spoke to Debbie Metrustry, known as @debbiemet on Twitter on many occasions, although I hadn't met her, she was a wonderful person and it was a pleasure to know her. I've never felt this way about someone I've not met before.
One of the saddest pages on the internet right now is http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%40debbiemet, as the messages of shock condolences are sent on Twitter.
My thoughts are with her friends and family.
Messages can be left on the Irish TImes website.
Sabrina has a beautiful blog post, and will post details of a meetup in her honour.


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I have a new font to be installed on Sharepoint? Can someone guide me how to do it?
What you're wanting to do is to embed fonts in your pages.
You can do this with the Masterpage, and specify in CSS the filename of the font you want to load. Make sure the file you want to load is accessable globally (so put it in the LAYOUTS folder in the 12 hive, so you can access the file using url:(/_layouts/your_fonts.eot))
Read up on this article on embedding fonts into web pages:
As SharePoint is (mostly) a web application, you either have to have the font server-side (to generate an image with text inside) or ensure that the client(s) will also have the font installed (in that case you don't need to do anything on the server, thus "nothing to install server side")
You should give us more explanations of what you're trying to achieve. If you want to use a special font in your web application, you can implement something like sIFR (flash) or Cufon/TypeFace (javascript). If you want your document to have a specific font, that's tricky because AFAIK, there is no way to embed a custom font in a doc (but I might be wrong).
I solved the problem by not replacing existing layouts but by making a custom font available from the heading / body font-drop-down lists in Site Settings > Site Themes:
When I found this question and its answers here, I was not looking for (backend) modifications to have the font available. AFAIK, the above answers are no solution where (end)users can decide to use the font or not.


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Sign In
July 6/13, 2009,
Posted Date:
Janet Herlihy
Anatomy of the upturn: Part III
Floor covering distributors view the industry from a unique perspective, serving both residential and commercial markets, across far-flung areas with varying conditions. All are watching for the signs that economic recovery is coming, but so far, conditions are still a good news/bad news mix.
Most agree that the housing industry is a major factor. "The recovery is tied to housing,bCrLf said Michael Sandifer, chairman and CEO of Jacksonville, Fla.—based Cain & Bultman. "I'm looking for the housing inventory to start to drop, which has started happening. Foreclosures put more houses on the market that may or may not need floors. New construction will be slow until the foreclosures are sold off.bCrLf
Unemployment has far-reaching effects on the economy as a whole, not only increasing foreclosures but also undermining confidence. L.A. Train, president and CEO of Swiff-Train Co., which serves Texas with seven locations, is looking for unemployment to moderate. "Once people are confident that they will have a job, we think that purchases of delayed household goods will be made and this will include floor coverings,bCrLf he said.
Volatility in the stock market is another indicator that has emotional as well as economic effects. Train is watching the market and is encouraged by modest gains so far this year. "We are starting to see strength,bCrLf he said.
John Anderson, vice president of Memphis, Tenn.—based BPI, said that home starts coming back would be a leading sign of recovery in the company's markets. "That has already happened in Houston in response to Hurricane Ike,bCrLf Anderson reported. "Dallas is coming back a little, but Little Rock, Ark., Nashville, Tenn., and San Antonio are lagging behind,bCrLf he said. BPI also has locations in Jackson, Miss., Mobile and Huntsville, Ala. and New Orleans.
Some need look no farther than their own businesses for signs of the upturn. Norman Pomerleau, president of NRF, Augusta, Maine, said he is watching incoming orders everyday. "When they stabilize, we'll see recovery coming,bCrLf Pomerleau said. Orders have been a little better since January, but are still not stable. "We've cut costs and people and can survive the way we are now. It's looking good, but not great. We took the worst scenario and planned for it. That's working for us, so far. We feel better and are looking to be over budget. I think things are picking up. Layoffs are slowing and the stock market is better too.bCrLf
When will the upturn start?
While everyone agrees that recovery will happen, no one knows when. "I was hoping the upturn would begin in the second six months of this year,bCrLf Sandifer said. "However, we are still fairly static with a modest upturn since January.bCrLf
Anderson also expects recovery by mid-year. "But, even if it [the recovery] does start by mid-year, we won't see results until the end of the year when the builders are ready for floor covering,bCrLf he said.
Train doesn't look for much of a recovery until next April or May, explaining, "Even though the stock market is on the rise, in the past, this has happened about six to eight months or more before the actual upturn in the economy. And since this has been such a deep recession, we think that it will not be reversing until after the first quarter of 2010.bCrLf
Weathering the storm
Swiff-Train's sales team continues to tell its customers that there is business out there and that they need to be aggressive, to continue to look for new opportunities, to advertise if they can, and to remain as positive as possible. "On the expense side, we advise them to watch their credit, their cash, and to reduce expenses wherever possible,bCrLf Train said.
Swiff-Train put together a cost-control team made up of about 20 people who volunteered to help the business follow its own advice. "So far, we have been fortunate. As of the end of May, we are down only 2 percent from last year. In times like these, there are still opportunities and we all must look for ways to capitalize on them,bCrLf Train stressed.
Cain & Bultman's Sandifer said, "We are all in the same boat together. We must train the salespeople to make sure that, when the turnaround starts, every salesperson is up to speed on every one of our products.bCrLf
Planning is critical. "We were prepared for the first six months of 2009 to be questionable, but are hoping that the last six months will be good,bCrLf Sandifer said. "We hired a new builder rep in January to be able to drill down to the smaller builders, who put up 10 to 50 houses a year. We are starting to build relationships and are prospecting these builders for our dealer customers.bCrLf
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Bumpy Ride for Ryanair's New PR Firm
Ryanair has parted ways with its long-time Dublin-based public relations agency, Murray Consultants, which has represented Ireland's low-cost airline since its flotation in 1997. They couldn't agree on fees, among other contract issues, but the parting was amicable. Or so it said in the press release.
So it's goodbye Murray Consultants, hello Edelman, the feisty airline's new Dublin-based agency. Like Murray, it won't be responsible for the provocative newspaper advertisements that sometimes get the airline into trouble, but it will fulfill the role of media liaison and face down the press in the likelihood of future controversies.
If Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary had taken a one-page advertisement seeking a new PR firm, it would have probably gone something like this:
"Wanted: PR firm who is able to LOL at the advertising gags, and doesn't mind poking fun at expensive airports, rivals, prime ministers … and even popes! No precious, sensitive, politically correct or clock-watching publicists need apply. Long hours, stamina and patience of St. Christopher, the patron saint of travel, are all prequisites."
As one Dublin-based publicist told this writer: "No money in the world could make me take that job." On the one hand, it will be exciting and unpredictable. On the other, the good people at Edelman must be prepared to stand over ads and press releases of questionable taste and be experts at damage-control. Let's have a quick gander at some recent gaffes.
Just so we're clear: Murray Consultants did not come up with the following advertisements, publicity statements and marketing stunts but, just like Edelman will have to, Murray had to handle the media inquiries that the campaigns provoke. Hold onto your seat belts, life in the fast lane with O'Leary is frequently a bumpy ride.
Last month, O'Leary was forced to apologize "unreservedly" and pay damages to Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of rival easyJet, for referring to him personally in four adverts that ran in newspapers in January and February 2010. Read our coverage here.
"These adverts were published to draw attention to easyJet's repeated and continuing failure to publish weekly details of their on-time performance," Ryanair said. "Both Ryanair and Michael O'Leary now accept that Sir Stelios did not have any input into the decision by easyJet management to stop publishing weekly details of their on-time performance for the past 52 weeks now."
Embarrassing, sure. But while O'Leary admitted he was wrong to blame Sir Stelios for not publishing punctuality timetables, he did have a point about the airline itself. That's the thing with O'Leary. Beneath the huffing and puffing, he often has a good point to make … even if the object of his ire is misplaced.
However, arguably the worst PR moment for O'Leary came last March when an Irish High Court Judge, Justice Peter Kelly, said O'Leary was lucky he wasn't held in contempt of court. O'Leary misquoted the judge in a letter about Dublin Airport to Ireland's Transport Minister Noel Dempsey. O'Leary wrongly alleged the judge had criticized the transport minister over the running of Dublin Airport; Justice Peter Kelly had done nothing of the kind. The judge called O'Leary's attempts to justify this pathetic. O'Leary was forced to apologize to Dempsey too.
It doesn't matter how much money your airline makes compared to your rival … that had to hurt. Yet one couldn't help but feel for O'Leary. He told reporters afterward: "Humility would be appropriate in this case."
Ryanair has used unflattering cartoons of leaders, including former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown with Pope Benedict XVI, and many satirical adverts featuring former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern in his advertisments, among others. One could argue that neither leader was the most sympathetic of targets. The public certainly ate them up.
These satirical newspaper advertisements are part of the popular culture in Ireland. In fact, it would be almost an honor to be featured in a Ryanair advertisement. Nobody feels like defending the honor of Bertie Ahern these days: he resigned as prime minister in 2008 over a scandal relating to his personal finances, leaving an economic and financial crisis in his wake.
Keeping it real, Ryanair has also gone more than a little tabloid in its publicity, and advertised "Hottest Back to School Fares" with a scantily dressed girl in a short skirt who is supposed to be a high school student. Not to mention its calendar girls of flight attendants. But that's mild compared to some advertisements.
A daring Ryanair advertisement in July 2005 took an image of Winston Churchill, the U.K. prime minister that helped Britain win the war, a week after the 7/7 terrorist bombings of the London Underground and a London bus. The caption said: "London Fights Back." A speech bubble had Winston Churchill saying: "We shall fly them to the beaches, we shall fly them to the hills, we shall fly them to London!" But the Advertising Standards Authority in the U.K. ruled that Ryanair's advertisement had been "suitably respectful" and reflected Londoners' "positive and determined" attitude after the bombings.
But for every victory, there is something like this: The shambles that was the free flights for life awarded to Jane O'Keefe, named as Ryanair's one millionth passenger in 1988. O'Keefe sued Ryanair, claiming that by 1997 she was finding it increasingly difficult to use her concession. The one time Ryanair had the opportunity to improve its reputation for customer relations, it messed it up. In 2002, Ireland's High Court found that Ryanair had breached its contract with O'Keefe and awarded her €67,500. (A novel side note: The judge in question was Justice Peter Kelly.)
And, yet, there have been many inspired moments for Ryanair's publicity machine. The airline came up with a newspaper advertisement in 2001 with the caption: "Exclusive — Pope reveals Fourth Secret of Fatima." The advert featured an image of Pope John Paul II with a speech bubble over his head that read: "Psst! Only Ryanair.com guarantee the lowest fares on the internet." The Roman Catholic Church no longer have the power they used to in Ireland and, despite some complaints, the public loved it.
To his credit, O'Leary also spent €500,000 on advertising and cheaper airline seats in its campaign for a Yes vote in the second Lisbon referendum in 2009. Unique among the EU's 27 member nations, Ireland was holding a public referendum on the treaty forged in Lisbon to replace the failed EU constitution. O'Leary said that if Ireland did not vote "yes" in the second Lisbon referendum, "our economic future will be destroyed by government and civil service mismanagement and the narrow vested interests of the public sector trade unions." The Irish public agreed with him and voted "yes."
Edelman deserves all the luck in the world, and one hopes it has the energy to keep up. O'Leary also likes to hold press conferences on a regular basis taking the government to task for its airline passenger tax and criticizing Dublin Airport Authority's fees. He will talk and talk, and then some. But, as O'Leary himself knows, this government's days are numbered if opinion polls are to be believed, so Edelman might actually see a new era of cooperation where the government and Ryanair actually get along.
That said, it's a lot more fun when they don't.