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Keep your holidays simple and healthy this year
with herbally inspired gifts. You'll find something for everyone on
your gift list here, from culinary delicacies to luxurious bath and
body-care products and gifts for the home. Put on your favorite
music, relax with a mug of mulled wine or hot chocolate, and have
fun making gifts and checking out the websites of the companies on
the pages that follow.
Numi Teas
(888) 404-6864
Culinary Gifts
You can satisfy the most discriminating tea connoisseur with the
unique assortment of black, green, white and herbal teas from Numi.
All of the company's tea blends are made without essential oils or
flavorings, and rely instead on herbs, spices and dried fruits for
rich flavor. For example, Berry Black is Darjeeling tea blended
with freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries. Moonlight Spice is
a delicate white tea blended with orange peel, schisandra berries,
lemongrass and spices. Even the company's Earl Grey is naturally
scented with real bergamot oranges instead of bergamot
Numi's most unusual offerings are the flowering teas. Fragrant
flowers such as rose, jasmine, lavender and chrysanthemum are
rolled in green, white or black tea leaves and hand-sewn into
artistic bundles by artisans in China. When steeped in a pot of hot
water, the leaves burst open into stunning shapes (many look like
blooming flowers), making a delicious and beautiful pot of tea.
• Numi Bamboo Treasure Chest filled with 18 assorted teabags:
• Numi Individual Flowering Tea Bamboo Bins: $16.95
• Numi Flowering Tea Gift Set: A bamboo gift chest containing a
bin of Numi's assorted flowering teas and a glass teapot perfect
for appreciating the unfolding tea: $37.95
These truffles are a decadent holiday treat. Infuse the cream
with lavender flowers, rose petals, peppermint or orange peel.
1 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 tablespoons dried herb or 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh chopped
herb of choice
1 pound bittersweet chocolate
Cocoa powder
In a medium saucepan, bring cream and herbs to a boil over
medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover, and steep for 10 to15
minutes. Strain. Using a sharp knife, chop chocolate finely and
place in a large heatproof bowl. Reheat herb-infused cream to a
gentle boil, and pour immediately over chocolate. Let stand for 5
minutes, then whisk until smooth. Leave at room temperature until
thickened, about 15 minutes. Pour chocolate mixture into a shallow
glass dish. Cover, and refrigerate until mixture is cold and set
but still pliable, about 30 minutes.
Using a small spoon, scoop out teaspoons of chocolate and place
on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill for 10 to 15 minutes or
until firm enough to handle.
Shape chocolate into balls and roll each in powdered cocoa or
crushed toasted almonds or hazelnuts. Chill in an airtight
container until ready to serve. Will keep for up to two weeks
Guayakí Yerba Maté
(888) 482-9254
A traditional beverage of South America, yerba maté is a
satisfying alternative to coffee or tea. Rich in vitamins, minerals
and antioxidants, yerba maté has a full-bodied, slightly smoky
flavor. Guayakí maté is certified organic and rainforest grown. The
company enhances their yerba maté with organic herbs and spices to
create a variety of unique blends, including Chai Spice Maté (with
cinnamon, licorice, ginger, nutmeg, clove and stevia). Add milk or
soymilk for a delicious cup of chai. Other tasty blends include
Magical Mint Maté (with peppermint, spearmint and stevia) and
Orange Blossom Maté (with orange peel, lemon peel, rosehips,
cinnamon and stevia).
Guayakí also partners with the indigenous people of South
America to create hand-carved and decorated gourds and bombillas
(metal filter straws and spoons) for enjoying maté in the
traditional way.
It's easy to make your own vanilla extract. Be sure to start
making the extract in early November if you want to give it for
holiday gifts.
2 to 3 whole vanilla beans
1 cup brandy
Split vanilla beans and scrape the seeds into a pint-size clean
glass jar. Cut vanilla beans into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the
jar. Add brandy. Seal the lid tightly and let steep in a cool, dark
place for one to two months. Remove vanilla beans and strain
extract through a coffee filter to remove seeds. Pour into a
decorative glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid.
• Guayakí Yerba Maté: 16 tea bags per package, $6.95
• Guayakí Traditional Gourds: $10 to $15
• Bombillas: $8 to $14.
Fresh sprigs of herbs and a decorative bottle make this a
beautiful and useful gift.
Fresh herbs of your choice, such as oregano, rosemary, sage or
Vinegar (wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, at least 5 percent
Wash and dry herbs. Coarsely chop herbs and put into a
wide-mouth jar. Add vinegar to cover herbs. Use approximately 1 cup
of loose packed herbs to 2 cups of vinegar. Cover with a lid. Steep
the herbs in the vinegar for 2 to 4 weeks (don't leave in direct
sunlight). Strain vinegar and pour into a clean, decorative bottle.
Add a few fresh herb sprigs, cap the bottle and seal.
Dagoba Chocolate
(800) 393-6075
Chocolate doesn't get any better than this! The winner of
numerous prestigious chocolate awards, Dagoba is a family-owned
business offering a variety of unique organic chocolate bars, hot
cocoa mixes and other chocolate products. All ingredients are
organic, and many are Fair Trade Certified. Several of their
products are herbally inspired: The Lavender bar is infused with
lavender essence and dried blueberries, the Roseberry bar contains
dried raspberries and rosehips, and the exotic Xocolatl bar is a
spicy blend of dark chocolate flecked with chiles, cacao nibs, maca
and nutmeg. Xocolatl is also available as a hot chocolate mix, 12
ounces for $8.60.
• Dagoba chocolate bars, assorted flavors: $3.00
• Dagoba 12-bar sampler (your choice of flavors): $36.00
• Dagoba gift package: 12 assorted chocolate bars, hot chocolate
mix and cacoa powder: $55.00
This classic herbal seasoning blend adds interest to soups,
stews, beans, roast chicken and fish. The lavender flowers add a
unique flavor.
3 tablespoons dried marjoram
3 tablespoons dried thyme
3 tablespoons dried savory
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
Mix dried herbs together and store in a tightly lidded
decorative glass jar. For a creative presentation, layer each herb
separately into the jar, with instructions to mix the herbs
together before using.
V'Tae Aromatherapy Perfumes
(800) 643-3011
Bath and Body Luxuries
V'Tae offers an array of aromatherapy body-care products based
on unique combinations of essential oils. The company's Esoterics
collection, packaged in glass bottles with beautiful gold-trimmed
labels, is especially suited for holiday gift-giving. Sensuality is
a spicy, exotic combination of rose, sandalwood, ginger, ylang
ylang, mandarin and other essential oils; Sacred Fire is a warm,
rich fragrance that includes amber, sandalwood, jasmine,
frankincense and coriander. Their newest fragrance, Silk Kimono, is
a delicate blend of jasmine, lime, sandalwood and other fragrant
• V'Tae Esoterics Collection Eau de Parfum 2-ounce bottle:
• V'Tae Esoterics Collection Sparkling Bath Salts 6-ounce package:
• V'Tae Esoterics Collection Lotion 8-ounce bottle: $18.00
Lip balms make great stocking stuffers, and they're easy to
4 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 tablespoon grated beeswax
1 teaspoon honey
10 drops peppermint essential oil
Combine almond oil with beeswax. Warm gently over very low heat
until the beeswax melts. Remove the mixture from heat, add honey
and stir thoroughly. Add essential oil and stir again. Pour the
mixture into small glass or plastic lip balm containers and cool
before putting lids on the containers.
Nature's Acres Massage Oils
(608) 522-4492
Created from herbs cultivated and wildcrafted on their organic
herb farm, Four Elements Herbals makes an array of beautiful herbal
massage oils. Attractively packaged in glass bottles, the nine
different herb-infused body oils contain only cold-pressed almond
oil, vitamin E, essential oils and herbs. Each contains a
decorative herb sprig appropriate for the blend. For example,
Wisconsin Violet Body Oil contains a sweet blend of chamomile and
orrisroot essential oils and is infused with violets. Invigorating
Peppermint-Thyme Body Oil is scented with peppermint essential oil
and contains decorative and fragrant sprigs of thyme.
Sandalwood-Ginseng Body Oil is a warm, rich blend of sandalwood,
rose and cinnamon essential oils and is infused with American
ginseng root.
• Nature's Acres Massage Oils, 4-ounce bottle: $11.00
Bath salts can be made in just a few minutes. For a memorable
gift, choose a beautiful container: glass, handmade pottery or
decorative tins are all good choices.
cup Epsom salts
1 cup baking soda
1/2 teaspoon essential oil (50 drops) of your choice
Combine Epsom salts and baking soda in a nonporous bowl. Add
approximately 50 drops of essential oil, mixing well with a metal
spoon. Transfer the bath salts into a decorative container. Choose
a container with a lid or top to preserve the fragrant essential
oils. Add a label or gift tag with the following instructions: To
use, fill the tub with warm water and add four tablespoons of bath
Heat Treats Herbal Wraps
Heat Treats herbal wraps are the perfect antidote for tired,
sore muscles. Filled with flax seeds and lavender flowers, the
wraps are made to last and are designed to be heated in the
microwave or chilled in the freezer for either hot or cold
treatments. The wraps are available in long (perfect for necks and
shoulders) and lumbar sizes, and come with removable 100 percent
cotton covers in a variety of prints and colors.
Heat Treats Long or Lumbar Wrap: $30.00
Gifts for the Home
Fred Soll's incense
(505) 281-0785
Made from natural ingredients, Fred Soll's incense is created
from aromatic resins such as frankincense, myrrh and pine mixed
with dried herbs, spices, flowers and berries. The production
process, which involves making the incense by hand and drying it in
the New Mexico sun, produces superior incense, with each stick
averaging one to two hours of burning time. With 48 different
scents to choose from — ranging from Sacred Sage and New Mexico
Sandalwood to Joyous Rose and Lovely Lavender — there's something
to please everyone.
• Fred Soll's incense sticks: 20 sticks for $10.00
• Fred Soll's incense cones: 10 cones for $11.00
This simple gift makes a perfect holiday potpourri.
1 ounce cinnamon essential oil
1 ounce sweet orange essential oil
1 pound small pinecones
3 ounces dried orange peel
1 ounce dried orris root
2 ounces cinnamon sticks
Mix cinnamon and orange essential oils together. Using a
small-bristle paintbrush, brush the essential oil mixture onto each
pinecone. Combine all ingredients and place into a large heavy
plastic bag or tightly lidded container. Mix well, and seal
tightly. Age for one to two months before using. Display in a large
glass or ceramic bowl.
Aroma Naturals candles
(800) 462-7662
Only the purest natural essential oils are used to scent Aroma
Naturals' beautiful and colorful array of candles. The handcrafted
candles are available in either a vegetable/soy wax blend or
food-grade paraffin wax; both have clean-burning cotton wicks. The
25 different fragrance blends are exquisite, and include an
uplifting Vitality candle (peppermint and eucalyptus), soothing
Meditation (patchouli and frankincense) and sensual Passion (nutmeg
and ylang ylang). Aroma Naturals candles are offered in a variety
of sizes ranging from votives to pillars, and some are available in
travel tins, which make terrific stocking stuffers. Special gift
packs perfect for the holidays are also available.
• Aroma Naturals Variety Gift Set (candle in glass holder,
pillar candle and travel candle): $29.50
• Aroma Naturals Votive Gift Set (four assorted votive candles
in glass holders): $22.00
Laurel Vukovic writes and teaches about herbs and natural
healing from her home in southern Oregon. She is the author of 1001
Natural Remedies (DK, 2003) and Herbal Healing Secrets for Women
(Prentice Hall, 2000).
This room-freshening spray makes a nice gift packaged in an
attractive glass spray bottle and tied with raffia and a sprig of
dried flowers.
40 drops essential oil of your choice
1 teaspoon witch hazel or vodka
8 ounces filtered or spring water
Combine essential oil and witch hazel or vodka in an 8-ounce
bottle with an atomizer top. Shake well. Fill with filtered or
spring water and shake again. Spray into the air as
Pay Now & Save 58% Off the Cover Price
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Charge brought in rabbit hunting altercation
An argument between two men hunting rabbits in West Rutland resulted in a criminal charge after one of the men allegedly swung his loaded shotgun at the other man.
John S. Jones, 57, of Proctor, pleaded innocent in Rutland criminal court last week to a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment. He was released on a number of court-ordered conditions.
Jones was arrested following an incident that took place Dec. 23 near the power station off Pleasant Street in West Rutland, according to the Rutland County Sheriffs Department.
Jones was hunting rabbits in that area when he met another hunter Jake Duprey, 28, and his 10-year-old son. After a brief discussion, Jones decided to leave the area to Duprey and his son, according to court records.
But less than an hour later he returned with his dogs. Duprey told police when he approached Jones, the man swore at him and called him a liar.
I told him to calm down, I have my son with me. He kept on saying he was there first, Duprey told police in a statement.
As the argument became heated, Duprey said the older man swung his pump shotgun at his chest. The two men struggled for the gun Duprey told police he wrestled it away from Jones but Jones said he overpowered Duprey.
Duprey told police he was unsure whether Jones was trying to shoot him or just hit him with the gun Jones told police he smacked him on the side of his head ... with the forestock.
At that point he grabbed the gun and we grappled for the gun, Jones wrote in a statement to police. I told him to turn it loose or that was gonna be it, and he did.
Sheriffs Deputy James Bennick said Jones felt like he had to defend himself because Duprey was half his age.
Bennick said when he issued Jones a citation for reckless endangerment, Jones told him that he would have done the same thing again.
@rutlandherald.comMORE IN Vermont NewsBURLINGTON Gov. Full StoryMONTPELIER The Vermont Democratic Party and its nominee for lieutenant governor have reached an... Full StoryRenee Clark said the first she heard her husband was in the hospital was a call saying he was dying. Full Story
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Oven Roasted Potatoes with Beets in Garlic-Lemon-Thyme Dressing
A salad of oven roasted potatoes and boiled beets flavored with a garlic, lemon and thyme dressing that's perfect for lazy evenings. It's part of my 'efforts' to "Eat Down the Fridge" instead of buying more and more food before I can finish what I have.
Sorry about that long title, but serves its purpose of telling you exactly what you get. :-)
As I said earlier, I am participating in this summer week's "Eating Down the Fridge" over at Kim O'Donnel's A Mighty Appetite. I have to admit that this is indeed a "challenge" for me. When I am cooking for one or two, it's very easy to slide into that It's-Easier-To-Eat-Out Zone, especially when the weather is just plain seductive and it feels criminal to stay home.
If you only have a few weeks of semi-uninterrupted sunshine (as I type this, it is raining…welcome to our world), you enjoy every bit of it.
See what I mean?
We do our best to appreciate the glorious summer days of Vancouver. :-)
And then I find myself with a well-stocked fridge and pantry at the end of the week, except that 50% of the fresh food will probably go bad soon. Does that sound familiar?
I go back and forth this same old story. I've already confided on this blog that I still have this Waste-Not attitude with food because of the way I was raised. It's really just common sense and practicality: simply eat what you buy.
I'm already seeing the benefits of Eating Down the Fridge:
1. I make an effort to eat breakfast these days. Usually, I'll just skip it, which I know is bad, but I couldn't help it. Now, I try harder. I want to finish the loaf of whole wheat bread instead of offering it up to the mold gods. And I pay more attention to the gala apples I bought that I meant to eat for breakfast or as snacks.
2. I am starting to remember stuff I froze that I still need to use. For example, the fresh-now-frozen thyme that went into this simple salad. I still have frozen peeled bananas that could easily go into banana bread or muffins.
3. The 'limit' of not going out to shop for more food, is stirring up my creative juices. What can I do with what I have? I still have a box of strawberries, a lonely floppy stalk of rhubarb and lots of gala apples. I can smell something in the oven already. :-) Have I told you I haven't made any dessert out of rhubarb?! Never. So here's my chance to prove to Amy that I am from this planet (she jokingly asked from which planet I was when she learned of this…haha), just that I'm discovering food that are common to most of you, but so new to me!
4. I resist the compulsion to buy more and more food. It's like with clothes, you keep buying them because one day you think you have nothing to wear. You just have to look into your closet (in our case, pantry/fridge) to see that you have a lot!
5. I am more thoughtful of food. Sometimes life gets really too busy that the kitchen is acts like a pit stop where you grab something you can instantly eat and leave empty-handed and go to the store if there's none. I think about food, what to prepare so I wouldn't go hungry in the middle of the day (I work from home) and commune with food. Food is something to enjoy sitting down on the table, with friends and family.
6. That said, I feel like a child finding ingredients in the kitchen that I didn't know I had. Two jars of baking powder anyone? I see things in doubles and not because of my eyesight. Time to do some inventory around here.
7. At the end of the week, I will have an almost-empty fridge that's much easier to clean. A clean fridge to work with! I love it already.
During the day, I eat toasted bread with sunflower butter or butter. The other night I just cooked the flank steak with salt and pepper and a wine-soy gravy (still debating if I should post the bad photos…haha). I also had plain red-leaf lettuce salad with garlic dressing (that my brother calls my "Shawarma sauce" when he tasted it during our family dinner a few weekends ago). I'm proud to announce that I also saved that tub of organic vanilla yogurt before it expires in a week, and started eating it. I always get hungry and I didn't realize I had all this food enough to satiate my every-3-hours hunger.
Last night, I made this simple salad of roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled beets and a homemade garlic-lemon-thyme dressing made with those ingredients glended with olive and coconut oil and just salt and pepper. I love food that is easy to prepare and yet captivates you with comforting flavors and textures — homey, not complex.
A little something about Yukon Gold Potatoes:
These are yellow-fleshed potatoes, compared to the whitish ones. Yukon Gold is a crossbreed between the North American white potato and a wild South American yellow-fleshed variety and was registered in Canada in 1980. They are good for boiling, baking, french-frying, but unsuitable for chipping. It has medium starch content and disintegrates when overcooked. Excellent for storage and holds well for long without sprouting (bonus for me).
I love their thin, smooth skin and buttery flavor. I overcooked some of the smaller pieces and the flesh separated from the prime real estate of a skin (read: roasted Yukon Gold potato skin is like flavor bling to my taste buds), into a soft, pillow-y mulch. It didn't bother me at all because it was a nice kind of mush, and you'll forget about it once you taste it. I should remember to buy more of these, seeing that it stores well and my sprouting russet family in a bag is testament to why I shouldn't rely on them all the time.
Once I baked it, I tossed the thyme sprigs and the dressing while they were hot. Mmm. Once it cooled, I put some in a bowl with beet chunks and some greens and enjoyed it with a glass of chardonnay. What a great way to spend the rainy evening.
Oven-Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes and Beets with Garlic-Lemon-Thyme Dressing
Ingredients (serves 2 to 3)
• 8 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in quarters (or more if they are big). Try to cut them about the same size.
• 2 whole medium beets, boiled and cut into chunks the same size as the potatoes (you can boil it at the same time you are oven-roasting the potatoes)
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp sea salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 large cloves (or 6 medium) of garlic
• 8-10 sprigs of thyme
• Optional: fresh greens
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. In an oven safe glass baking dish, mix together potatoes, olive oil, 1/4 tsp ground pepper and 1/4 tsp sea salt making sure all the surfaces of the potatoes are coated with oil. Add more oil if needed. Carefully position potatoes with the flesh down, not the skin. The skin is too precious to have to stick to the pan.
2. Place in the oven for 15 minutes then turn the potatoes and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the corners and skin of the potatoes. Total baking time depends on the sizes of your cut potatoes.
3. In your small food processor (or magic bullet), blend together extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp ground pepper, garlic cloves, and 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Add more salt and pepper to suit your taste I personally just add more pepper, because I like the flavor of the garlic and lemon to take center stage). Pulse until the dressing is smooth and uniform. Set aside.
4. As soon as you take the dish out of the oven, toss in the thyme sprigs and dressing with the potatoes in the dish. Let it cool down before serving with the beets and greens.
11 Comments
June 25, 2009 9:06 pm
Good for you, Joy! Something I should be doing myself, heh :) I wonder if the beets would also be good boiled?
Manggys last blog post..Summer Fruit Bavarian
June 26, 2009 8:28 am
Eep, I meant roasted :/
Manggys last blog post..Summer Fruit Bavarian
June 26, 2009 8:26 am
Love the tips and photos! I always overlook beets and regret not using them more often. I've roasted them before and enjoy the earthy sweetness. I like your pairing with potatoes.
Is the restaurant shot from Cardero's?
Allens last blog post..EDF Day #6: Oyster & Shitake Mushrooms
June 27, 2009 9:13 pm
Wow! I love your photos and this recipe sounds great. I happend to have several potatoes that I need to use up, so I'm gonna try making this. :)
.-= Kitchen M´s last blog ..Bakewell Tart – Baking Challenge =-.
September 2, 2012 1:35 am
I'm just eyeing out recipes with beetroot as my chioggia (candy striped) beetroot will soon be ready for harvesting from my allotment. Yours looks yummy. I don't have any Yukon gold potatoes but may try it with my pink fir potatoes. I love beetroot. I'm Dutch (but live in the UK) and we eat grated warm beetroot with lardons or fried onions if you don't eat pork.
September 27, 2012 5:34 pm
I had some beets in the fridge and wondered how i could make a meal out of it (other than plain steamed beets), and I came across this recipe. I live it!! It was soooo good. The only variations I added was I served the potato/beets on a bed of sprouts. My wife and I really enjoyed this simple yet elegant meal. Kudos.


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Charlie Sheen enters rehab, puts 'Two and a Half Men' in limbo
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charlie Sheen has entered rehab and is taking a break from television's top-rated comedy, "Two and a Half Men," his publicist said Tuesday.
"As a preventative measure, Charlie Sheen has entered a rehabilitation facility," publicist Stan Rosenfield wrote in a four-sentence statement that did not specify why Sheen, 44, was seeking treatment. The statement sought privacy for the embattled actor.
The move comes roughly two months after Sheen was arrested after a fight with his wife at his Aspen, Colo., home. Prosecutors later charged the actor with felony menacing and misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and criminal mischief. The most serious charge carries a maximum three-year prison term.
Sheen's wife, Brooke, is also in rehab seeking treatment for an undisclosed reason, her attorney Yale Galanter said Monday. She is still asking that the charges be dismissed, he said.
Galanter and Rosenfield confirmed Monday that Los Angeles child protective services workers visited the actor and the couple's infant sons over the weekend. Galanter and Rosenfield said it was a routine, previously scheduled visit related to the Aspen court case.
Until Tuesday, Sheen's legal problems hadn't disrupted taping of "Two and a Half Men," which is one of CBS' top shows and television's top-rated comedy.
Last week, 10.6 million people tuned into a rerun of the show, according to ratings released by the Nielsen Co.
CBS spokesman Chris Ender had no immediate comment Tuesday on Sheen entering rehab.
In early January, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said the network was being sensitive to what it considered a "very personal and private matter for Charlie."
Copyright (2010) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Definition of plagal cadence in English:
plagal cadence
A cadence in which the chord of the subdominant immediately precedes that of the tonic.
Example sentences
- The massive chords at the end can seem rather simplistic on the organ, and the very final cadence is unusual in two ways: it is a plagal cadence, and ends in a minor chord.
- Now we live in a society where it's perfectly possible to grow up not knowing those moods, not being able to come upon a plagal cadence and realise 'It's churchy' in some special way.
- Additionally, the final plagal cadence of Der Doppelganger has connotations of traditional church music, and the AA'B 'bar form' used in the song is not only relatively unusual in late Schubert, 35 but may even be an archaism.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: pla¦gal ca|dence
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By DOROTHY COX
The Trucker Staff
FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro was raked over the coals Thursday by legislators and truckers during a hearing on the new Hours of Service rules by a congressional subcommittee.
"What do you say to somebody who has spent not two days but a lifetime in a truck and says [the new hours] has upset their sleep … ," said House Small Business Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hanna, R-N.Y., referring to the two-day trip Ferro took recently in a big rig.
"You're saying the rule helps and truckers on the road don't think it does," he said.
Ferro found herself constantly defending the new rule, but subcommittee members were having none of it, and neither were truckers.
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association member Tilden Curl of Olympia, Wash., the 28th Goodyear Highway Hero, said, "Where before [the rules] I could rest due to shipper/receiver delays, weather or whatever, now it's run, run, run 'til seven days have passed; then [I] get a rest or slow down 'til [my] hours catch up."
Ferro reiterated the agency's research and said it "shows that 85 percent of the truck driver workforce (1.36 million drivers) has an average weekly work time of 60 hours or less and thus, does not need to use the voluntary 34-hour restart."
Hanna said in his introductory comments that even though FMCSA maintains the rule costs truckers less than 1 percent of revenue per year and impacts less than 15 percent of commercial drivers, industry stakeholders estimate the rules cost $376 million annually and "cost jobs."
Ferro, often tight-lipped during proceedings, said the agency recognizes the new hours' restart constraint impacts some drivers and companies, but that "the trade-off is improved safety for everyone."
Truckers and congressmen weren't buying it, quoting an American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) survey released Wednesday that shows 80 percent of carriers have suffered a productivity loss since the new rules went into effect and more than 66 percent of drivers surveyed reported increased fatigue under the new rules.
Hanna asked Ferro why FMCSA was "so numb" to needs of truckers and several subcommittee members said the agency showed "arrogance" in publishing the rules before its congressionally mandated study on the rules' impact was completed.
Ferro said the agency "denies arrogance and numbness."
The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at email@example.com.
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23 Best Music Videos Of 2012
The most innovative, clever, beautiful, and bonkers clips of the year.
23. Sigur Rós, "Fjögur Píanó"
AKA the video with Shia LaBeouf's penis in it. Directed by Alma Har'el.
22. Odd Future, "Oldie"
Directed by Lance Bangs.
21. Jack White, "I'm Shakin'"
Directed by Dori Oskowitz.
20. Flying Lotus, "Tiny Tortures"
Yeah, that's Elijah Wood. Directed by David Lewandowski.
19. Grizzly Bear, "Yet Again"
Directed by Emily Kai Bock.
18. Lana Del Rey, "Ride"
Directed by Anthony Mandler.
17. G-Dragon, "Crayon"
16. Killer Mike, "Big Beast"
Directed by Thomas C. Bingham.
15. Father John Misty, "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings"
Aubrey Plaza is very good at smashing things. Directed by Noel Paul.
14. Fiona Apple, "Every Single Night"
Directed by Joseph Cahill.
13. BigBang, "Fantastic Baby"
12. El-P, "The Full Retard"
Directed by Timothy Saccenti.
11. Skrillex, "Bangarang"
Directed by Tony T. Datis.
10. Perfume Genius, "Hood"
Directed by Winston H. Case.
9. Drake featuring Lil Wayne, "HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)"
Directed by Director X.
8. Hot Chip, "Don't Deny Your Heart"
Directed by Peter Serafinowicz.
7. Taylor Swift, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
Directed by Declan Whitebloom.
6. Grimes, "Genesis"
Directed by Claire "Grimes" Boucher.
5. St. Vincent, "Cheerleader"
Directed by Hiro Murai.
4. Aimee Mann, "Labrador"
Directed by Tom Scharpling, and featuring wonderful performances by Jon Hamm and Jon Wurster.
3. Psy, "Gangnam Style"
Well, duh.
2. Danny Brown, "Grown Up"
It is incredible how well this little boy channels the spirit of Danny Brown. Is this kid a method actor? Directed by Greg Brunkalla.
Check out more articles on BuzzFeed.com!
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- The judge under fire for his sentencing of former Stanford Swimmer Brock Turner also went easy on another student athlete.


text:
Reed Fujii">
Tractor Supply Co., a retailer catering to small farm and ranch owners, announced it will open its 34th California store in Lodi, occupying the space of the former Orchard Supply Hardware, this summer with a tentative target of early August.
The Brentwood, Tenn.-based chain of more than 1,300 stores in 48 states currently has one other San Joaquin County store, in Ripon, which opened in late 2008, as well as an outlet on Twin Cities Road in Galt.
Lodi has just the type of customer Tractor Supply hopes to serve, District Manager Cyndy Munson said.
"Lodi is a great fit due to the part-time and hobby farmers, and horse owners in the area," she said in a news release.
Tractor Supply should be a great fit for Lodi, said Pat Patrick, chief executive of the Lodi Chamber of Commerce.
"It means more jobs," he said Thursday.
And the store should generate additional economic activity, particularly for its east side Lodi neighbors, Patrick added.
"If this ... becomes an anchor store like Orchard was, it can bring people from the western part of Lodi over to the eastern part and (customers for) some of those other businesses in that shopping center."
Tractor Supply said it would employ 12 to 17 full- and part-time workers at the new store.
It has contracted with Lake-view Construction Inc. of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., for the renovation work, which began May 26.
The store will include a sales floor and support service space. A fenced exterior space will provide storage and display space for items such as fencing, sprayers and livestock equipment.
Merchandise will include products for the care and feeding of livestock and pets, agricultural products, tools and hardware, after-market light truck equipment, work clothing, and lawn and garden supplies and equipment.
Tractor Supply stock is publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbol TSCO. It closed Thursday at $65.54 a share, up 36 cents for the day.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @ReedBiznews.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Pier 1 Imports hires new CFO from Tuesday Morning
Fort Worth-based Pier 1 Imports found a new chief financial officer at a Dallas-based competitor.
Jeff Boyer is leaving Tuesday Morning Corp., where he has been CFO, chief administrative officer and executive vice president since September 2013, to join Pier 1 on July 27.
He's filling a key post abruptly left vacant in February when Pier 1's longtime CFO Cary Turner was fired as the home furnishings chain reported a weaker than expected fourth quarter. The stock lost 40 percent of its value since then and hasn't recovered.
Boyer's resignation at Tuesday Morning is effective July 22.
Tuesday Morning said it has started a search for a new CFO. In the meantime, vice president and controller Kelly Munsch will be responsible for accounting and finance.
Boyer came to Tuesday Morning from 24 Hour Fitness and previously was CFO at Irving-based Michaels. Earlier, he also has held executive jobs at Sears, Kmart and started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.


text:
GUITARS AND ADOBES: and the
Uncollected Stories of Fray Angélico
COMPASSIONATE FIRE: The Letters
of Thomas Merton and Catherine de
Hueck Doherty
THE WINE OF CERTITUDE: A Literary
Biography of Ronald Knox
DON'T TRUST THE ABBOT: Musings
From the Monastery
Growing in Mutual Service and Love
COSTLY GRACE: A Mystery
U.S. Catholics Today
GUITARS AND ADOBES: and the
Uncollected Stories of Fray Angélico
Chávez, edited and introduced by
Ellen McCracken. Museum of New
Mexico Press. 295 pp. $24.95.
Reviewed by MURRAY BODO, O.F.M., a
Franciscan priest who grew up in New
Mexico and continues to write about his
youth in the Southwest in Wounded
Angels, a book of poetry. His latest book
is Brother Juniper: God's Holy Fool.
is one of New Mexico's foremost writers
and the first native New Mexican to
be ordained a Franciscan priest. At the
age of 14, he traveled from northern
New Mexico to Ohio to begin his studies
for the priesthood. During those 13
years of preparation, his imagination
returned to his beloved New Mexico
again and again in the stories that are
collected here for the first time.
At the heart of this book is a little-known
novel, Guitars and Adobes, that
the young friar serialized in
St. Anthony Messenger in
eight installments from
1931 to 1932 when he was
still in temporary vows.
Also contained in this volume
are previously uncollected
stories first published
in St. Anthony Messenger and
The Sodalist. Though written
early in Fray Angélico's
career (the novel was written
when he was 20), the
writing already shimmers
with his charming story-telling talent,
wit and love of language.
The present book, in combination
with Ellen McCracken's previous two
books, Fray Angélico Chávez: Poet, Priest,
and Artist and The Life and Writing of
Fray Angélico Chávez: A New Mexico
Renaissance Man, completes an in-depth
triptych of one of New Mexico's greatest
humanists and men of letters whose
bronze statue in downtown Santa Fe
attests to his eminence in modern New
Mexico history.
In this short review I shall limit
myself to the novel. It is written as a
Hispano alternative to Willa Cather's
great novel, Death Comes for the Archbishop,
based on Jean-Baptiste Lamy,
the first archbishop of Santa Fe.
Chávez's novel begins with Lamy's
death in 1888 and ends with the death
of an ordinary Hispana in 1929.
The heart of the novel is a love story
between Consuelo, the daughter of a
widow with proud and important Hispanic
lineage, and an industrious adobe
maker, Rosendo Rael. The two eventually
elope and marry, settling down in
Mora, where Fray Angélico grew up.
They have one daughter, born shortly
before an epidemic of smallpox breaks
out in Mora. The whole family is
infected when Rosendo nurses some
of the sick.
Lest I give away too much of the
plot, let me just say that the novel then
switches to 1929, about 30
years later, and focuses on
the house of Consuelo and
Rosendo's daughter, which
is bought by an artist who
belongs to a group of writers
and artists that Chávez
belonged to as a young man.
The novel ends, in Fray
Angélico's words, with a
mystery "as intangible and
uninterpretable as the one
that holds the Old Santa Fe
with the New in spite of the
years, a tie of race, faith, and traditions,
of love and romance, of guitars
and adobes." The mysterious guitar of
the title and in the novel's recurring
motif is a symbol of death—anyone
who plays it dies, including Consuelo's
father and Archbishop Lamy. The
adobe is a symbol of life.
As McCracken points out, one troubling
note in the novel is the young
author's anti-Semitism. The guitar is
inscribed with Hebrew letters that
encode a Spanish saying, "La muerte
canto—tócame y mueres" ("I sing death—play me and you die").
The attitudes Fray Angélico reveals,
both in the mysterious origin of the
guitar and in his historical asides, are
those he grew up with in Mora and
those he may have imbibed in the pre-Holocaust Germanic milieu of a Catholic
seminary in the 1920s and '30s.
The older and wiser Fray Angélico published
My Penitente Land in 1974, which
contains better informed writing on
Jews and the Jewish biblical tradition.
As a native of New Mexico and a
writer inspired by Fray Angélico when
I was a seminarian at St. Francis Seminary,
the same Cincinnati seminary
the young Manuel Chávez attended 30
years before, I was amazed by how well
he wrote for one so young.
I delighted in the twists and turns of
the novel, and I enjoyed the stories,
even those written for young female
readers of The Sodalist, a publication
of The Sodalities of the Blessed Virgin.
(As one would suspect, the stories from
The Sodalist impart advice for young
girls, but with humor and witty wordplay;
and, of course, the female characters
are usually wiser and smarter
than the men. Interestingly, Fray
Angélico adopts female pen names for
four of these stories, including "Ann Jellicoe"!)
Anyone interested in the work and
life of Fray Angélico Chávez and/or in
New Mexico and its culture, past and
present, will find much wisdom here
imparted through interesting fictional
characters, some of whom are totally
imagined and others based on historical
personages like Don Diego de Vargas,
Archbishop Lamy and Doña Tules.
The timing of the book is impeccable:
2010 is the 400th anniversary of
the founding of Fray Angélico's beloved
Santa Fe.
You can order GUITARS AND ADOBES: and the
Uncollected Stories of Fray Angélico
Chávez from St. Francis Bookstore.
COMPASSIONATE FIRE: The Letters
of Thomas Merton and Catherine de
Hueck Doherty, edited by Robert A.
Wild. Ave Maria. 110 pp. $12.95.
Reviewed by PAT McCLOSKEY, O.F.M.,
editor of this publication. He interviewed
Catherine de Hueck Doherty for our
November 1976 issue.
THOMAS MERTON (1915-1968) was
teaching English at St. Bonaventure
College (University since 1950) in
southwestern New York when he met
Catherine de Hueck (1896-1985). She
spoke there twice in 1941. They never
met again, but neither could have predicted
the deep spiritual friendship that
developed through their letters over
the next 27 years.
In the summer of 1941, Merton
worked in Harlem at Friendship House,
which de Hueck had established
three years earlier. Merton's first letter
(October 6, 1941) was written after
Catherine's fall visit to St. Bonaventure.
Two months later he joined the
Trappists at Gethsemani, Kentucky, and
asked her to "write sometime." Indeed,
she did and he wrote back!
This volume is edited by Father
Robert Wild, a member of Madonna
House Apostolate in Combermere,
Ontario. It was established in 1947 by
Catherine, who had married journalist
Eddie Doherty four years earlier.
Compassionate Fire presents 16 letters
by Merton (at least two more were
written) and 17 letters by Doherty (at
least one more was written). Wild, a
collaborator of Doherty's for many
years and now postulator of her cause
for canonization, provides introductions
for several letters.
Merton's letters to Catherine appeared
in William Shannon's 1985 volume,
The Hidden Ground of Love: The
Letters of Thomas Merton on Religious
Experience and Social Concerns. Doherty's
letters are published here for the first
In The Seven Storey Mountain, Merton
penned several very positive passages
about Catherine, formerly a Russian
baroness. In 1941 he left her his Cuban
Journal, which was published in 1959 as
The Secular Journal of Thomas Merton,
with the royalties assigned to Madonna
In the fall of 1941, Catherine wrote
that sainthood is fundamentally "doing
everyday things extremely
well." She anticipated by 24
years Vatican II's chapter
"The Universal Call to Holiness"
(Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church). Both Merton
and Doherty did everyday
things extremely well.
Two passages hint at the
richness of this correspondence.
Commenting on
people drawn to monasteries
and Madonna House,
Merton wrote: "The basic
trouble is perhaps that they are still
very immature in the spiritual life,
because they are centered on a 'self'
for which they want to attain the best
of ends: they want to possess 'contemplation'
and 'God.' What they really
need is solid and simple direction...the
kind of really basic sort of training that
the Desert Fathers and the early monasteries
gave: to shut up and stop all their
speculation and get down to living a
simple laborious life in which they forget
themselves" (November
24, 1964).
Catherine once wrote:
"Strange as it might seem,
my agony of spirit is connected
with the world as a
whole. It appears to me as if
the human Church was
asleep and Christ is vainly
trying to wake it up. Or to
put it another way, the
masses of the laity have
clothed their souls in asbestos
suits so that the fire of
the Holy Ghost may not impenetrate us
nor set us on fire" (May 26, 1961).
Wild's volume includes the text of
Catherine's talk at Madonna House
after learning of Merton's death and
her telegram the next day to Abbot
Flavian, Merton's abbot.
This book presents four pages of black and white photos, including one
that Merton took of Catherine. The
Afterword about Catherine's influence
on Merton precedes three pages of
notes about people and events cited in
these letters and a two-page bibliography.
In his 1941 journal, Merton wrote,
"The Baroness is a saint." Seventeen
years later she wrote to him: "And you
may not be a saint now. But who can
tell, perhaps you or even I will someday
be a saint. With God's mercy, all things
are possible! I surely will pray."
These letters justify Wild's observation,
"Only great souls can affect great
You can order COMPASSIONATE FIRE: The Letters
of Thomas Merton and Catherine de
Hueck Doherty from St.
Francis Bookstore.
THE WINE OF CERTITUDE: A Literary
Biography of Ronald Knox, by
David Rooney. Ignatius Press. 427
pp. $17.95.
Reviewed by BARBARA SONNENBERG, a
retired public librarian with a master's
degree from the University of Illinois Graduate
School of Library and Information
THE EDITORS at Ignatius Press believe
that there is currently a revival of interest
in the myriad writings of Ronald
Knox and have issued a scholarly yet
readable compendium of his works.
David Rooney, an Irish-Catholic
author, had been a longtime reviewer
of books on English and American
Church history when an unsolicited
copy of Knox's A Retreat for Lay People appeared on his desk. When not moonlighting
as a reviewer, Rooney is an
associate professor of engineering at
Hofstra University, and his scientific
mind-set found the English scholar's
logical approach to apologetics mesmerizing.
Although Knox died in 1957, Rooney
states: "Knox stands out as a consummate
writer who can carry a reader
through a philosophical or theological
argument, a recounting of a saint's
life, a serious analysis of a literary figure's
contributions, a hilarious mystery
novel, all without sounding stuffy
or condescending."
Rooney devotes only one chapter to
recounting the life of Ronald Knox, a
convert from Anglicanism who became
a major figure in the Catholic revival in
England in the first half of
the 20th century. He takes
for granted that the reader
will get further biographical
information from other
sources, and cites the best
of these in footnotes.
The absence of a detailed
bibliography seemed a definite
failing until I recognized
the wealth of
detail included in footnotes
throughout the book.
Unique to this work is the
attention given to people who influenced
Knox by their writings or in personal
encounters, again explained with
highly detailed footnotes for further
There is no attempt to categorize
Knox's theology. The aim is to present
a retrospective of 50 years of writing
and entice the reader with samples of
material. Indeed, almost one quarter
of this book consists of the writings of
Knox! For so prolific a writer of over 75
books alone, this represents only one
percent of his total output, and Rooney
assures us that the other 99 percent is
equally good.
The chapters are arranged by types of
writing and range from consideration
of early satirical works to science fiction,
mysteries, acrostics and even
sequels to the novels of others. In addition
to publishing his sermons and
retreat notes, Knox excelled in apologetics,
producing a book from a debate
in letter form on the assertion that the
Catholic Church is the true Church.
Other media he utilized included newspapers
and radio broadcasts.
Even Rooney admits that the genius
of Ronald Knox can become wearying,
but one wonders how frustrated
Knox must have been by the mind-numbing
clerical assignments given
Knox's crowning achievement was,
of course, the translation of the Bible.
Given the blessing of the English hierarchy
in November of 1938, he opted
for a literary rather than a literal translation
and excelled in making Old Testament
prophets and the letters of St.
Paul more readily accessible.
Here is his modus operandi: "The transition
from one sentence
to the next must be made
logically clear, even at the
cost of introducing words
which are not there, but are
implicit in the context....You must cast your sentences
into a form which
will preserve not only the
meaning but the rhetoric of
the original, or the flying
wrack of imagery will pass
you by."
Interestingly, soon after
he settled at the Acton estate at Aldenham
to begin the translation, war broke
out. The evacuation of children to the
British countryside brought 15 Assumption
nuns, some lay teachers and 50
schoolgirls to Aldenham. He served as
their chaplain for the duration of the
conflict. Some of the sermons addressed
to them became his books The Mass in
Slow Motion and The Creed in Slow
Motion. Knox remained a dutiful priest
from ordination to death.
Perhaps most well-known after his
Bible translation is the work Enthusiasm,
a 600-page tome about enthusiastic
religious movements. Having worked
on this encyclopedic book for over 30
years, Knox probably never felt the
Catholic Church imperiled by such
movements but wished to present the
dangers they personified. Perhaps it is
just as well that he did not live to see
such movements adopted by some
Catholics in the 1970s!
Then again, in talking about the Communion of Saints, Knox said: "The
Church in heaven is All Saints. The
Church in Purgatory is All Souls. The
Church on earth is all sorts."
I would highly recommend this literary
biography for educated readers,
but even those may need to keep a dictionary
at hand. Perhaps the best attack
is to peruse a section at a time that
catches one's fancy, read the footnotes
and select a work cited there for further
Libraries in Catholic colleges and
seminaries will wish to purchase this
book, as will most inclusive religious
You can order THE WINE OF CERTITUDE: A Literary
Biography of Ronald Knox from St.
Francis Bookstore.
DON'T TRUST THE ABBOT: Musings
From the Monastery, by Abbot
Jerome Kodell. Liturgical Press. 94
pp. $11.95.
Growing in Mutual Service and Love, by Aquinata Böckmann. Liturgical
Press. 296 pp. $29.95.
Reviewed by SISTER ANNA MARIE
COVELY, O.S.C., of the Cincinnati Poor
Clare Monastery. She has held many roles
in her community, including abbess and
formation director.
THE FIRST of these books, with the
whimsical title of Don't Trust the Abbot,
is a collection of articles originally
printed in Subiaco Abbey's newsletter,
The Abbey Message. They are divided
into sections on Trust and Faith, Christian
Life and Prayer.
The author has an easy-to-read style
that would appeal to general readership.
In the title essay, he has some
interesting thoughts on legitimate
authority and obedience, even when
the person making the rules may not be
someone we admire. What he wrote
resonated with my Franciscan approach
to authority.
One of the articles that I found most
interesting was titled "Sabbath." He
sees Sabbath as "an act of faith in the
loving providence of God. I can lay
down my tools and cease my constant
striving for one day a week and the
world will not fall apart....While we
need a Sabbath day, we need the Sabbath
in every day, a time when we trust
enough to put the world on automatic
pilot (God) and rest. This at its best we
call prayer."
In our overly busy world, there is
such a passion for control that Sabbath
may seem like a threat or a luxury, but
it is really one of God's unsung gifts.
Another interesting essay
was titled "The Family of
Jesus." Abbot Jerome writes
of pilgrimages to the shrine
of the Black Christ in Esquipulas,
Guatemala. The
Guatemalan families who
have saved for some time to
be able to make this pilgrimage
usually plan on
staying at the shrine for several
days. They establish
their family spot on the
floor of the basilica and set
up candles, food and clothing that will
be needed during their stay.
While they attend the liturgical and
devotional celebrations, they are very
casual about going in and out of the
basilica to eat and relax. People from
the United States are often disconcerted
to see them dozing or visiting with
friends, playing with their children:
"They act as if they were at home."
And that is exactly the point: They recognize
that they are at home in their
father's house.
The second book, Around the Monastic
Table, is a more scholarly work, presenting
a form of lectio on Chapters
31-42 of the Rule of Benedict. The author
challenges us to take this slow reading
of the Rule and allow it to change our
modern approach to meals and all that
surrounds our eating together at a common
table. In our society, so often
meals are something you do "on the
run" rather than an expression of
shared fellowship. In the monastic setting,
meals are celebrated together and
have their own ritual which flows from
the eucharistic celebration.
Each chapter begins by bringing the
section of the Benedictine Rule into a
contemporary context. For example,
when looking at Chapter 31, "Qualifications
of the Monastery Cellarer," we
are asked to look at it from the contemporary
viewpoint of the need for
"people who care for distribution of
public goods, not pushing the marginalized
into deeper poverty."
Throughout the book, connections
are made between the respect that must
be given to all material things such as
garden tools ("They treated the tools
carefully like things consecrated to
God"). They are to be treated
with the same respect as
the vessels for the altar.
Throughout the text, the
Rule of Benedict is contrasted
with the Rule of the Master or Regula Magistri, a
sixth-century collection of
precepts which probably
served as a basis for Benedict's
writing. In contrasting
the two Rules, the
special vision of Benedict
stands out. A greater compassion
and kindness is seen in the
Rule of Benedict.
There are also some interesting sidebars
which give historical background
for the various Rules on topics such as bathing in ancient times and the eating
of meat. In all, while it is not a book to
be read lightly, it contains much information
on monastic customs and ways.
You can order DON'T TRUST THE ABBOT: Musings
From the Monastery and AROUND THE MONASTIC TABLE:
Growing in Mutual Service and Love from St. Francis Bookstore.
COSTLY GRACE: A Mystery, by James
Allaire. iUniverse (www.iuniverse.com). 264 pp. $26.95, hardcover;
$16.95, paperback; $6, e-book.
Reviewed by BARBARA BECKWITH, book
review editor of this publication.
THE TITLE FOR THIS comes from a
term used by Lutheran theologian
Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It refers to what it
cost Jesus to earn grace for us and what
it demands of us: "resolute choices,
motivated by self-sacrificing love," as
one of the book's characters puts it.
This is not a theological book, however,
but a very timely mystery, one
where clergy sex abuse may be a motive
for murder. The protagonist is Brian
Kane, a creative writing teacher at Newman
College in western Iowa, who
stumbles into the murder of his mentor,
Father Michael McCoy.
This teacher, with his
girlfriend, Maria Valencia,
a librarian at the college,
decides to do a little sleuthing.
Was the priest an abuser?
Working for the diocese
to cover up the abuses of
Or was the sale of his land
to a resort development corporation
the reason why
someone took a rock to his
head? Or had he been offed by an environmentalist
who had protested the
sale of McCoy's valuable land along the
Mississippi River? Or had he just
annoyed one of his neighbors?
At first, Kane is a suspect, then taken
into the confidence of the local sheriff
(in actuality, rather unlikely). But
Kane has the summer vacation to
spend delving into Michael McCoy's
life and death, then finding out about
his family and his work.
Along the way, Kane antagonizes
two Church bureaucrats who are determined
to stop him from finding out the
truth. One might say that
their reactions are extreme,
but with what has come out
about clergy sexual abuse
and the measures the
Church has taken to stifle
the scandal, they may be
more on target than anyone
would like to admit.
This is a first novel from
a retired psychologist who
lives with his wife in Winona,
Minnesota. As such,
it's amateurishly written in places. The
love scenes are also awkward.
But the main mystery works and
carries the reader along. Give it a try.
I predict more mysteries from the intrepid
duo of Brian Kane and Maria
You can order COSTLY GRACE: A Mystery from St. Francis Bookstore.
U.S. Catholics Today
As flags fly high for the Fourth of July, check out some books about
American Catholics and how we've changed.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL: The Shifting Spiritual Life of
American Catholics, by James P. McCartin (Harvard University Press,
225 pp., $25.95). This assistant professor of history at Seton Hall
University describes a shift in how Catholics are praying: away from
institutional, formal and devotional prayer toward more independent,
novel and activist. McCartin covers Father Patrick Peyton's Family Rosary
Crusade (1940s and '50s), explains the tightened link between political
choices and spiritual commitments ('60s and '70s), and concludes
with today's exploding spiritual options.
CATHOLIC CULTURE IN THE USA: In and Out of Church, by John
Portmann (Continuum International Publishing Group, 202 pp.,
$32.95). This associate professor of religious studies at the University
of Virginia analyzes "cultural Catholics" who claim a Catholic identity
without conforming to Church standards on issues such as marriage,
sex and end-of-life options. This volume ties Catholicism into the
"I'm spiritual but not religious" trend.
WITNESSES TO RACISM: Personal Experiences of Racial
Injustice, edited by Lois Prebil, O.S.F. (ACTA Publications, 78
pp., $9.95). Here, 10 laypeople and one permanent deacon
recount their moving experiences with racial injustice.—B.B.
Books can be obtained through St. Francis
Bookstore, 135 W. 31st Street, New York, NY 10001, phone 212-736-8500, ext. 324, fax 212-594-6025.


text:
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For more information on this vehicle visit http://tinyurl.com/dymdj9h One of just 689 Trans Am coupes built In 1969, this extensively restored Ram Air III model shows just 44,000 original miles. With a classic look and all the right options, this is one of the finest Ram Air III T/A's on the market today. Born at the Norwood, Ohio manufacturing facility on September 17th, 1969, this T/A lead a pampered life. Over 21 years of its existence were spent in a private storage facility safe from the elements. Today, with an all original body that's dressed in a glossy layer of correct GM code 50 Cameo White basecoat, correctly re-stenciled Tyrol Blue racing stripes and correctly placed Trans Am call-outs, it stands proud as a highly desirable example of a milestone in Pontiac performance history. All the correct parts are present including the new-for-'69 Endura nose piece, twin scoop hood, simulated side vents and rear spoiler. All chrome and stainless look factory fresh as does the glass work. Lift that ducted hood and you'll find the original Pontiac 400 V8. Wearing the correct casting number, date code and partial VIN, this real deal 400 has been rebuilt to factory specs with the exception of the compression ratio which has been lowered to accommodate lower octane gasoline. The block is painted a proper coat of turquoise and topped with a Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, Winters aluminum intake, and original "D" exhaust port heads. The bay is 100% show ready with correct finishes, reproduction hoses and a tagged Delco Energizer battery. Underneath the car, an immaculately restored undercarriage houses the original Muncie M-20 four-speed manual transmission that sends power to the original 10-bolt Safe-T-Trak rear end equipped with 3.55 gears. Suspension retains its original double A-arm setup out front while rear leafs keep the rear end planted. At the front, N41 power steering provides easy turns while the JL2 power front disc and rear drum brakes provide modern stopping power. At the corners, 14 inch GM Rally II wheels are wrapped in Goodyear Polyglas tires. Inside, a correct GM code 200 blue vinyl interior contrasts well against the white exterior. Re-covered bucket seats sit atop fresh carpet underneath a flawless headliner. In the back, a rare folding rear seat offers trunk access. From the driver's seat, the original steering wheel sits in front of a clean original dash that features a speedometer as well as an inclusive gauge that monitors fuel levels, oil pressure, generator output and temperature. A wood applique delete sits where the factory clock or optional stacked gauges would go. To the right, the Hurst shifter is topped with a factory optioned 'wood' shift knob. This T/A is backed by extensive documentation including owner history, Pontiac Historical Society information, pictures of the car before restoration and paperwork that covers most of the work performed on the car. If you've ever dreamed of owning one of Pontiac's hottest creations, don't miss your change to take home this investment grade 1969 Trans Am. Call, click or visit http://rkmotorscharlotte.com for more information!


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"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary." Aaron Rose
What could I possibly say about the magic of window light that you don't already know by now? Window light is simply magical and it has been the inspiration of painters and photographers for hundreds of years…
I personally love to capture the contrast between light and dark areas, creating a certain mood that is equally beautiful for still life and portraits. But windows are also great for silluetting, for capturing texture and for lighting food. I also often shoot toward the window to get a glowy and dreamy background. The point is: No matter what you shoot and how you shoot it, as Aaron Rose says in his quote above, "in the perfect "window" light, everything is extraordinary." So this is one sure way to elevate your day and find beauty wherever you are.
It's your turn to share now. Look around and find the best window in da house for a quick shoot. What are your favorite ways to shoot that perfect ray of light coming through? Show us a favorite window shot today.


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UNH forest program notices pine needle loss
Data shows that since 2010, the trees have not done a good job of retaining those needles. "Something very serious is stressing the trees," said Forest Watch founding director Barrett Rock of UNH's Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space.
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PAMA is structured to encourage Bethany students in Promoting Awareness, spurring Motivation, and encouraging Action in pertinent campus and personal concerns. The group is committed to promoting healthy, productive lifestyles, in addition to recognizing and confronting issues facing the campus and to be of service to Bethany students.
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George Duke was left devastated by the death of his wife, Corine, from cancer a year ago and unable to make music for months, but the keyboardist and composer eventually overcame his grief to create an inspiring collection of mostly original compositions called "DreamWeaver." He weaves together the eclectic threads of his 40-plus year musical career: acoustic jazz, electronic jazz-rock fusion, funk, R&B and soul.
The mid-tempo "Stones of Orion," which pairs Duke on acoustic piano with longtime collaborator Stanley Clarke on upright bass, is a gently swinging modern jazz composition that recalls his early days with Cannonball Adderley's band. Duke's distinctive ability to make vintage synthesizers—the ARP Odyssey, Minimoog, clavinet and Prophet 5—sound bluesy and funky comes through on the 15-minute "Burnt Sausage Jam."
Duke also assembled an impressive lineup of soul and R&B vocalists, including Lalah Hathaway, Jeffrey Osborne and BeBe Winans on the uplifting, gospel-influenced "Change the World," which takes after Michael Jackson's "We Are the World." "Ball & Chain," written by Teena Marie for a jazz album she planned with Duke, is one of the late powerhouse singer's last recorded performances.
Duke expresses his love for his late wife on the tender, piano-driven ballad "Missing You," a romantic vocal duet with Rachelle Ferrell.
Follow Charles J. Gans at http://www.twitter.com/chjgans


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James Franco and Mila Kunis walk down the yellow brick road at 'Oz' premiere
Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Abigail Spencer also attend
James Franco on the Yellow Brick Road
Franco and "Oz" director Sam Raimi previously collaborated on the "Spider-Man" films. Franco has a lot on his plate. After being involved in no less that three films at Sundance, he's now circling the Charles Manson-related "Beautiful People" and, as his next erecting gig, an adaptation of James Ellroy's "American Tabloid."
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jordan Strauss


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- Report: #1043287
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Complaint Review: Joe's Carpet
Joe's Carpet138 North Florida Ave Inverness, Florida United States of America
Joe's Carpet Buyer beware - what you see is not what you get Inverness, Florida
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Went to Joe's Carpet store in Crystal River. Stopped at this store because of all the customer service awards on the window. Picked out carpet to be installed and received a sample of the carpet. Carpet installed is not of the same nap or thickness as sample received. Carpet install is inferior in quality.
Called Joe's Carpet and asked them to send someone out to look at carpet. They said it would cost them too much money to send someone out. Lady on phone was screaming at me. She stated that the carpet we receive is not the same as sample given. She would not let me talk and refused to listen to anything that I had to say. She was so abusive that I hung up on her.
No representative has come out to look at the carpet.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 04/15/2013 05:42 AM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Joes-Carpet/Inverness-Florida-34453/Joes-Carpet-Buyer-beware-what-you-see-is-not-what-you-get-Inverness-Florida-1043287. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 1:15 am
Post subject: ttc but with no luck... needing someone 2 talk to
Hello, I am new to the site. I know that there are other women that are having the same kind of problem that I am having. After two years of trying, we still don't have a baby. I have been in and out of the hospital all of the month of April. Stomach pains and the flu. But this last time around, my normal doc told me that from the looks of the ct scan and the ultrasound that I have PCOS. She told me that I have a number of cyst on my ovaries and that she didn't think that I would be able to get pg. So she referred me to a gyno. I went to see him today and he told me that it was bull because i don't have PCOS. That someone with that wouldn't have her period everyone month like I do. Even though it is irregular. He also told me that all women have some kind of cyst on their ovaries. He said givin that one of my ovaries is smaller than normal that shouldn't be a problem. I am so tired of doctors. I dont' think that many of them really know what they are doing? Does anyone else feel like this?
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 6:29 am
Post subject:
Hey there
I am so sorry to hear your story, it must be hard. I have a different history - but effectively two years of trying now for our second child (and had stillbirth and miscarriage) but still no baby we can hold in our arms and enjoy and watch grow up. I am so frustrated too, and I guess although I know I can get pregnant, which is a good thing, I don't seem to be able to carry the baby, which is the hard thing. Have been trying again since september, and no luck again yet.
Are they going to do any further tests? Two years is such a long time to be trying - so difficult every month when af arrives. It does sound like someone doesnt know what they are talking about, and I think further investigation is required to get to the bottom of it. Don't get palmed off by the gynae, if you have been trying for two years, then there is stuff they can do to check you and your partner out. Wish you every luck in the world - keep on at them, and make sure you get the investigations neeeded to see what is happening
Pips x
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 3:56 pm
Post subject:
Hiya Boxerluver
I have a similar story, I was diagnosed by my doctor 4 years ago with PCOS, my dad is disabled with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy and I was told I would never ever get pregnant!!
Last year my partner and I managed to get pregnant, however I miscarried at 4 1/2 months and had to give birth to are daughter (who was whole) we named her Caitlynne.
When I went to the Gyno he basically told me I hadnt got to 3 m/c and was only 28 years old so there was nothing to worry about.....I was so p*****d off and an emotional wreck.
My husband are trying again, however I did find out that some times ladies who do not have enough of a hormone in their bodies will not conceive or if they do they will m/c at 12-20 weeks, it might be bull... but it is something to look into, it was my doctor that told me this and he is going to organise some bld tests for me too find out.
But never give up and good luck
Redwolf xx
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 4:13 pm
Post subject:
hi boxerluver
sorry to hear u have been thru so much, i have only been trying for near 11 months so i dont fully understand what u r goin thru but yeah i agree half docs r full of [*CENSORED*] and dont know what they r talking about
r the hosp going to do any tests on you? if not i wud go back to my own doc and ask for a second opinion tell them ur not happy and u feel like u r jst being pushed aside and u r confused bcos everyone is telling u a different thing
i hope u get things sorted soon hun
best wishes xx
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 2:43 am
Post subject: thank you
This was my second opinion. it just sucks. i really want to have baby. i just feel like that we are missing something in our marriage. my husband says the same thing. i see every 1 around me having kids. errrrr. i have read so much on this subject. i just wonder if i am trying too hard? is That possible?
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:40 am
Post subject:
Hi hun,
I am really sorry you are seeing the horrible side of TTC. I do believe that it is possible to 'over try'. I know it is incredibly hard but relaxing and taking your focus of TTC really is the best thing you can do. I have heard, seen and know so many people that have spent years ttc and when they eventually stopped and either stopped ttc or tried to adopt, it suddenly happened for them....the pressure was off and the body did what it can do best. So much easier said than done i know but its worth trying. i find reiki or reflexology really helps me. it focuses and rebalances the body.
I have told this story so many times, but it just gives me so much hope and inspiration.....my sister was ttc for over 4 years. they had all the tests under the sun (both of them were perfectly ok), all the drugs everything and yet still no baby. On their 3rd attempt at iui before commencing ivf, it suddenly happened. she is now in week 31 of her pregnancy and blooming
I sincerely hope none of us have to go through that and that we can all get our BFP's soon, but my sister gives me hope and reminds me that things happen when they are meant to, no matter how stressed we get ourselves
Good luck and lots of babydust.
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 10:25 am
Post subject:
Hi Boxerluver,
My experience of doctors has put me off seeing them to be honest. I have PCOS but I'm having regular periods. I was given a blood test to see if I was ovulating. I went to the doctor a while after (having not heard from them) and was told that at the time they did the test, I wasn't ovulating.
However, the doctor then said "I've never understood how you can have a period and not ovulate!". Well, given that I've looked on the internet and read about annovulation (sp?) I'm slightly worried that a qualified medical professional doesn't understand it!
I think PCOS is a bit of a confusing condition for most doctors. It's one of those condtions that they don't fully understand so most of them talk rubbish.
My Ovulation Chart
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 10:40 am
Post subject:
Couldnt agree more Morgan. My doc (as do many) told me that getting pg was my cure for endo.....what [*@!#%*]!!! It CAN help in some cases but most it doesnt. He basically hadnt got a clue about the condition and just fobbed me off with different, useless drugs for ages. I went private in the end and ended up in London to see a specialist who was amazing and told me exactly what was going on before he had even done the op!!!
Never trust what your doc says as gospel....afterall they cant be experts on everything !! If you are worried, find a good specialist near you and see them. Apart from that, relax and enjoy ttc...its meant to be fun


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Most bitches have even the smallest little gut, but some bitches have a gut, love handles AND back fat, furthermore known as the 360 degree gut. A gut that covers the full circumfrence of the bitches mid drift.
That bitch has so much flab, she's got the 360 degree gut!
dodane przez Andrew Cottingham październik 19, 2006
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Oleg ShatsOleg Shats
Information Systems and Network Administrator
This KUDOS award recognizes Oleg Shats, an Information Systems and Network Administrator, for his outstanding performance and service to Bioinformatics Shared Resources at the Eppley Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Oleg has been instrumental in several projects aimed at developing and supporting information technology infrastructure for the center including facilitating intercampus efforts at UNMC, UNL, UNO and Creighton University in the maintenance and the use of molecular modeling and DNA techniques. He also led a team of programmers who successfully developed the Pancreatic Cancer Collaborative Registry, a web-based directory aimed at collecting standardized information on pancreatic cancer patients. This registry has effectively put UNMC "on the map" in the field of Bioinformatics Shared Research. Due to Oleg's success with this project, several other leading cancer researchers and institutions are looking at extending this technology to other types of cancers. With Oleg today are his wife, Aelita [Ae-li-ta]; his parents Raisa and Yakov Shats; Director of the Epply Institute, Kenneth Cowan; and Oleg's supervisor, Simon Sherman. Please join me in congratulating Oleg Shats on his continued successes.
Pictured: Pictured: parents, Yakov and Raisa Shats; Chancellor Maurer; Oleg Shats; wife, Aelita; and Regent Wilson.


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5 Awesome Cameras From The Biggest Photo Show In The World
The bi-annual Photokina show going on in Germany right now is the most important photography tech event in the world. We see some awesome gear, yes, but we also get a get a glimpse for what lies ahead. This year's show is particularly interesting because it falls just as digital imaging reaches the crossroads between the standalone camera and the camera attached to your phone. Here's the coolest stuff we saw.
Camera Geeks: Gorgeous Cameras And The Nerds Who Love Them
Biannual photography trade show Photokina took place last week in Cologne, Germany. It was a gathering of companies, journalists and enthusiasts, all there to swoon over the latest camera gear. If you couldn't make the trip, gaze upon this symphonic ode to camera lovers everywhere.
Nikon D600: A Professional Camera This Awesome Cannot Possibly Be This Cheap
For a lot of people, a professional DSLR like the Nikon D800 is something you dream about but can't afford. The new full-frame Nikon D600 is $US800 cheaper than the D800 and packs many of its big brother's features. Yes, you, the non-professional should be very excited.
A Viewfinder And Decent Price Could Make The Sony NEX-6 The Perfect Compact Compromise
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Things are getting freaky over at Photokina, where Leaf showed off their new Leaf Aptus-II 12 and Aptus-II12R digital camera backs. The price: $US32,000. The pixels: 80 million – the most of any camera back to date. [PopPhoto]
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Eye-Fi Doubles Speeds, Adds MobileMe
Eye-Fi just made a series of announcements that will please existing users. By October 5, their cards, new and old, will receive a firmware update to double photo upload speeds on all models. Also, MobileMe was added to the list of supported services and those interested in advanced functions like geotagging will be able to buy the options in an a la carte subscription menu. Good stuff—read on for the full release.
Sigma's New SD15 DSLR and DP2 Compact Cameras Hit, Improved Imaging Engines Aboard
Sigma's new SD15 and DP2 cameras are incremental developments of the original SD14 and DP1 cameras, but without too much in the way of change. The SD15 and DP2 share the same 3-layer 14-megapixel Foveon X3 sensor as their predecessors, but have a new True (Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine) II image processor aboard for improved image quality and processing speed. The DP2 has a new flare-reducing 41mm-equivalent F2.8 lens, and has adjusted controls, while the SD15 has a larger 3-inch LCD…but these seem to be the main improvements. We'll have to wait for more info from Sigma to see if the changes make a big difference or not, and for pricing and release dates. [DCWatch]
Ball-And-Socket Lensbaby Composer Adds to Distorting Bendy-Lens Line
Lensbaby has just revamped its line of creative bendable "distorting" lenses at Photokina, and added a new type. This new Composer disposes with the bellows bend/focus system of earlier Lensbabies and has ball-and socket twisting with a focussing ring at the front to let you select the in-focus sweet-spot in your photos. It's also got a new Optic Swap system which lets you swap out the lenses inside for different options: these include standard lenses and a Holga-alike plastic lens. The Lensbaby original is replaced by the similar Muse, with the new swap system, the Control Freak which replaces the Lensbaby3G has it too. Both Composer and Control Freak will cost $US270, while the Muse is $US150. Check out the press release below.