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The grimy Manhattan commercial district is filled with the buzz and blare of a city going to work. Five flights above, in a sunlit loft conspicuosly devoid of stereo, radio or any other amplifying equipment, composer John Cage tunes in to the 7 a.m. urban cacophony. "I prefer the sounds of the streets to all the music I know," he says. "And that includes my own."
Cage, 67, may be his own worst critic. He has others. His strange, atonal music has all the appeal of squealing brakes to many listeners. They frequently walk out of his concerts in which tin cans, cowbells and plumbing pipes are employed as instruments. Even silence becomes a sound. In the premiere performance of Cage's notorious 4'33" the pianist did nothing for four-and-a-half minutes but close and open the keyboard lid to indicate the three movements of the piece. The music was subliminal: the creaking of the seats in the theater, the puzzled whispering, the quiet beating of the human heart.
That curiosity was introduced in 1952. Today Cage has achieved a respectability of sorts and is generally regarded as the philosopher-king of the modern arts. His compositions, now numbering 150, may not endure in their more outrageous forms (one critic has summed up Cage's career as "a one-way tunnel to the gadget fair"). But his theories of artistic expression have influenced such disparate work as Jasper Johns' paintings and Pink Floyd's rock albums.
Floyd and other groups make increasing use of electronic music—and Cage, indisputably, is the father of that vibrant product of the computer age. In 1937 he made an astonishingly prophetic declaration: "I believe that the use of noise to make music will continue and increase until we reach a music produced through the aid of electrical instruments which will make available...any and all sounds that can be heard."
In the dance world, too, Cage has shattered tradition. As musical director for 22 years of the trend-setting Merce Cunningham Dance Company, he insisted on not composing with the choreographer. The dancers often did not hear the music until the performance. "We do two separate works which are then performed simultaneously," he explains.
Recently, Cage has been dabbling in still another field—tiny drawings known as postcard art. Exhibits of his larger etchings and lithographs, which bring up to $1,200, have been held in Manhattan, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This year Cage published three books, including Empty Words, a collection of his writings. "Instead of concentrating on one thing at a time, I prefer to see how many things I can pay attention to at once," he says. "If I succeed in paying attention to three things then it becomes amusing to see if I can pay attention to four."
The public reaction to such versatility is one challenge that Cage is ill-prepared to handle. "I got so troubled at becoming well-known that I engaged an astrologer to tell me how to behave," he admits. "She told me to adapt myself, because it's only going to get worse."
Would-be composers besiege him. "Come by today," he graciously says, "but please don't stay." He is asked constantly to travel. Can he lecture in London? Perform in Tokyo? Compose in San Diego? "When can I get to sleep in my own bed?" he sighs.
To counterbalance the frenzy of his life, Cage finds nothing more effective than to drive to upstate New York in search of the Trumpet of Death, a delicious, spicey mushroom. "I can spot one on the side of the road, even when I'm going 60 miles an hour," he claims. During the 1960s, he often sold these and other wild mushrooms to Manhattan's elegant Four Seasons restaurant. On his foraging expeditions, he usually takes struggling artists along. He's always at the appointed rendezvous spot ahead of schedule. "I don't like to keep people waiting," he explains. "Besides, watching the things that happen around me on a street corner is like having a first-class theater seat."
Another leisure-time fascination is chess. A longtime rival, artist Bill Anastasi, says, "John is a very good chess player. But when it comes to the clinch, he'll go for the creative rather than the strategic move every time. Even if it means he'll lose."
Daring runs in the family. The composer's father, John Sr., was an inventor who designed a submarine which in 1913 set a world's record for staying underwater (13 hours). But as an attack vessel it was less than fearsome because it expelled bubbles of air, revealing its position. "The people who had originally put up the money left dad with all the bills," recalls John. "He lived his life in bankruptcy."
The family was familiar with tragedy too. Before John was born, his mother, Lucretia Cage (who was an editor on the women's page of the Los Angeles Times), gave birth to two sons. "The first was born dead, and the second was a monster with a head larger than the rest of his body," John reports. "He died a few days later. Both infants were given my grandfather's name, Gustavus Adolphus Williamson Cage."
John's childhood was nomadic, as his father worked on inventions in various cities; nonetheless, John was so precocious he skipped three grades. As a grammar-school student in Los Angeles, he recalls, "I had trouble communicating with my classmates. One day I read aloud a composition I had written. I had used mother's thesaurus to find a vocabulary more interesting than my own. Everybody laughed at me—including the teacher." Cage transferred to another school.
About that time he spotted a sign in Santa Monica for piano lessons. He began them, and later asked his Aunt Phoebe, a piano teacher, to help him continue his musical education. She agreed and wound up the object of a young crush. "She promised me that she would stop growing older and wait until I was her age and then we could get married," Cage remembers.
In 1928, having graduated at 15 as valedictorian of his class, John enrolled in Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. After two years, he took off for the bohemian life in Paris. "The first time I heard modern music and saw modern painting, I knew I could do them both," he says.
In 1935 Cage approached the revolutionary composer Arnold Schoen-berg with a request to be his pupil. "He said I probably couldn't afford his time. I told him I did not have any money at all," Cage says. Schoenberg asked Cage if he intended to devote his life to music. "I said, 'Of course,' and he agreed to teach me free of charge."
After two years, Schoenberg suggested gently that Cage find another calling. "It had become clear to him that I had no feeling for harmony," Cage notes. "Consequently, he told me that I would always come to a wall which I would not be able to get through." Cage replied, "Then I'll spend my life beating my head against the wall." In fact, his opposition to harmony became the cornerstone of his theory. "Harmony is not essential because it fails to take silence into consideration," he has argued repeatedly. Cage proceeded to compose offbeat, experimental works. Besides moments of silence, his compositions encompass a wide range of sounds—from the lilting voice of a flute to the gurgle of a kitchen sink. By the 1940s his music was reflecting his awareness of the entire world. Everything was potentially an instrument—even an amplified Slinky toy which produced a "voice like thunder" or a coffee pot which when plugged into a sound system "made a beautiful wailing noise."
Such radicalism was not much in demand. In the late '40s he began lecturing at the experimental fine arts Black Mountain College in North Carolina, and there became friends with artists Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. Cage was often broke. "I remember one summer when I did not have a penny," he says. "Instead of being bitter or depressed, I was suddenly elated. I felt a liberation from money." Reality intruded, and by mail he sold shares in a piece he was composing: "Would You Like To Be Rich When You Are Dead?" Ten people sent him a total of $250, which kept Cage going for nine months. "I was not faithful to those investors," he says ruefully. They never got their money back.
In 1945 Cage's 10-year marriage to Xenia Kashevaroff, a California artist, ended in divorce. "I became so depressed that I thought it would be necessary to seek psychoanalysis," he says. Instead he turned to Zen Buddhism. "Psychoanalysis might get rid of my demons, I decided, but it would probably get rid of my angels, too," he says.
Out of the experience, Cage developed a unique perspective on life: "If you look inward and concentrate only on your own desires all the time, you end up having fun some of the time, but a large amount of the time you're miserable and another portion of the time you're bored. I'd rather be attentive and curious all the time so I just keep my eyes and ears open to the world beyond myself."
Cage's collaboration with Merce Cunningham's troupe dates from around the time of Cage's divorce. Though he resigned in 1966 as the company's musical director, Cage maintains a close relationship with the group and writes one or two new pieces for it each year. He also remains a prolific and controversial composer on his own. Three years ago, hundreds of subscribers to the New York Philharmonic fled after the first notes of his Renga with Apartment House 1776. "The very thing I like," Cage notes, "is what turns a lot of people off." Some were especially offended when two men and two women sang different spiritual pieces at the same time. The New York Times critic gave a good notice to Cage—and a bad one to the audience. Out of this public humiliation came recognition of Cage's talent for the unfamiliar and untried. Avant-garde edged closer to the mainstream.
About that same time Cage began experiencing severe pain behind his left eye. "I was taking 12 aspirin a day," he notes. "Nothing helped. Finally doctors just said it was my age and smiled." Yoko Ono, a long-time friend and ex-Beatle John Lennon's wife, recommended her nutritionist who put Cage on a macrobiotic diet (no red meat, no dairy products, no coffee or tea). "I lived for two days in shock," Cage confides. "I couldn't imagine a kitchen without butter." As the pains subsided, he became a zealous convert. Today Cage makes dishes of brown rice and vegetables and carries a picnic basket of carrots, turnips and leeks when he travels. Cunningham, who has lived with Cage for eight years, has had to convert; "I eat whatever he cooks."
A few months ago, the two men moved to a loft on lower Sixth Avenue. (While apartment hunting, Cage consulted his astrologer and would not sign a contract until the stars approved.) On his walls hang original art by Johns, Rauschenberg and Louise Nevelson.
Cage and Cunningham live in amiable disharmony, as if set to the composer's music. "We don't talk," Cage says. "I communicate best with him by making another piece of music, and he communicates best with me by making another dance. Nothing we say could possibly be as interesting." Cunningham's rejoinder: "That's funny. I could swear we are always talking."
Cage complains that his companion is systematic to a fault: "I can tell you exactly what Merce will be doing at every moment of the day. He is a creature of habit, which is just the opposite of me." To this, Cunningham raises an eyebrow. "On the contrary," he says impishly, "I know what John will do in any situation. He is always unpredictable."
With Electronics, Tin Cans and Silence, John Cage Reigns as King of Avant-Garde Music
updated 10/15/1979 AT 01:00 AM EDT
•originally published 10/15/1979 AT 01:00 AM EDT


text:
Tim Smith wrote:
> In article
> Richard Rasker
>> The rules of the game are simple: a particular IT-outfit's home or most
>> prominent site (e.g. www.google.com) is visited, and the actual resulting
>> Web URL is fed into W3C's validation service, without tweaking or tuning.
>> Then it's a simple matter of count-the-errors.
> That's not up to Olympic standards. Consider this error:
> something
> The error there is that the & should be encoded as & but it is not.
> A page with this error is likely to have it on every occurrence of a
> link to a URL that has GET arguments, and the validator flags every one.
> This means that two pages, whose authors made this error, are likely to
> get different scores from it--the longer page will get more errors.
> Also, for some mistakes, the validator generates more than one error
> message, so two pages with the same number of mistakes on them can
> generate quite different error counts.
> A proper Olympic event should either separate the pages into different
> classes for competition by length (like boxing has weight classes), or
> should normalize based on page length, or just count the first
> occurrence of each error.
> It should also probably take into account the severity of the error.
> There are some errors that are so common that all browsers cope with
> them fine. One of those should count for less points than an error that
> will make the page display wrong in some major browsers.
These are all quite valid points -- but a counting system which takes into
account things such as source code size, the severity of errors, and errors
triggered by other errors involves a huge amount of work. But I know that
my little "survey" is only slightly more significant than DooFuS' frequent
games of Google roulette, "proving" how bad Linux sucks -- but I'm still
convinced that pages with hundreds of validation errors really suck, even
if the 90% of errors found consists of duplicates and second-stage errors.
If IBM manages to deliver 30k of clean code, then why do Microsoft and the
BSA (with a comparable amount of code on a comparable Web page) do such a
horrible job? I think that Microsoft's Web page code in particular reflects
their long-standing philosophy: "Never mind how crappy the code is
written -- as long as it looks good on-screen, it's OK". This sort of
sloppiness, negligence and incompetence leads to security and maintenance
trouble no end; just remember previous versions of Internet Explorer, with
its critical security holes every two or three days, for years on end,
resulting in hundreds of millions of comprimised Windows boxes world wide.
Richard Rasker

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Ways to Give
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This information is not intended as legal advice.
Please consult with a tax attorney to determine the best gift plan for you.
Assets You Can Give
Which gift type is right for me?
There are several types of assets that you can give to William Peace University. Deciding what's best for you is a personal decision. The information below is available to provide some options for you, but is not intended as legal advice. Consult your financial advisors for tax and charitable giving advice for your personal situation.
- Maximize your charitable deduction and deliver immediate benefits to William Peace University through an outright gift.
- Learn more here.
Appreciated Securities
- The IRS allows you one of its most significant tax breaks for gifts of appreciated securities.
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Real Estate
- Make a substantial gift to William Peace University through a donation of residential, commercial or undeveloped real estate.
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- Donate books, artwork, or equipment and secure an income tax deduction.
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Business Interests
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- The balance of your retirement plan may be worth more when donated to William Peace University than to your heirs.
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- Put a policy whose coverage you no longer need to use as a gift to William Peace University or make WPU the owner and beneficiary of a new policy.
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Gifts like these may be made through a will or other estate plans.
With a Bequest in a Will, you can retain control of your assets until you no longer need them and then make a gift to William Peace University through your Will. Bequest-like gifts that don't require a Will are gifts made by a beneficiary designation (as in the case of Life Insurance, Commercial Annuities, IRAs or Qualified Retirement Plan designations. Learn more on our Gift Plans page.


text:
55 Gallon Drum mixers from Pulsair Systems are the world's lightest 55-gallon drum mixer for drum mixing, blending and agitation. The 5-55 Drum-Stick weights 3 lbs, is easy-to-use and works through the standard fittings in drum lid.
The Pulsair 5-55 Drum-Stick can be hand-held, or is self-supporting with the Pulsair vented bung clamp. The 55-gallon mixer includes a 40" stainless steel probe with a special 2" accumulator plate, filter, regulator and coiled air hose with quick connect.
How it works:
The Pulsair 5-55 Drum-Stick is a powerful, lightweight 55-gallon drum mixer. It produces powerful, sequentially timed pulses of compressed air or gas to generate large bubbles at the bottom of the 55-gal drum. The rising bubbles create immediate vertical circulation pattern to quickly mixer 55-gallon drums. A small 1 1/2" accumulator plate attached to the end of a 40" stainless steel probe sits on the bottom of the drum and introduces large bursts of compressed air. The burst of compressed air from underneath the plate scours the bottom and lifts solids and heavier liquids up into the drum. This "bottom-up" vertical mixing process keeps the solids in suspension and the entire liquid contents of the 55 gallon drum in motion at any liquid level.
Why mix drums with Pulsair's 5-55 Drum-Stick?
Additional 55 gallon drum mixing options and features:
The Pulsair mixing process works in larger tanks, tote, rail tank cars and much more:
The Pulsair 5-55 Drum-Stick is easily transfered from drum to drum and used without having to remove the drum lid. Multiple tests show that the Pulsair mixing method allows the liquid contents in a 55 gallon drum to be completely mixed in about 2 minutes.
Unlike top-entry mechanical mixers that move the liquid contents in a horizontal motion and sometimes create a vortex, the 5-55 portable drum mixer from Pulsair creates a large compressed bubble of air or industrial gas at the bottom of the drum allowing for vertical mixing to occur. The bottom-up mixing method allows the operator to mix the contents faster than traditional methods and also keeps liquid solids or slurries agitatated and suspended if required. Additionally, the powerful force of the compressed bubble generated at the bottom of the tank allows for heels to be broken up and quickly mixed back into the liquid contents.
Contact us today to learn more about our 5-55 gallon drum mixing systems.


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How Portland's Top 10 Best New Bands were chosen.
Amy McCullough
Subject: Willamette Week's Best New Band Poll!
Dear Esteemed Member of the Portland Music Community,
Congratulations! You have been selected by our diligent team of local music scientists to take part in Willamette Week's Best New Band Poll 2008, where the Portland music community looks back over the last year and deigns one band, solo artist or DJ the greatest new talent in town.
Last year's winner was the Shaky Hands, who—as this year's winner soon will—appeared on the cover of Willamette Week's Best New Band issue. The Shaky Hands went on to play to a packed house at Berbati's as part of WW's Best New Band Showcase before conquering the world. Well, not quite. But they're certainly on their way. With all the great talent that's constantly popping up here in our fair city, it's hard to say who will become Portland's Best New Band 2008, but we would like you to help us figure that out.
Participation is easy. All you need to do is send us a list of the top 5 acts you've discovered this year—again you can vote for any music-making entity, be it a band, a solo performer, a DJ or an emcee. You can rank them one through five, or give no rankings, if you're the indecisive sort. If you can't think of five new acts that have made an impact on you in the last year, just send us however many you like, whether it's four, three, or just one. It could also be two.
When all the ballots have been collected, we will assign points for each band you voted for based on how you ranked them (No. 1 = 5 pts., No. 2 = 4 pts., No. 3 = 3 pts., etc.). If you don't rank your votes by numbering each band, the points will be divided and distributed equally. We will then add up the points from all the ballots and come up with a top 10, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Willamette Week. The number one band will appear on the cover of the paper and will headline WW's free Best New Band showcase.
You can vote for any band you like, as long as it is not a band you play in (you can vote for bands you work with—as long as you're voting as a FAN and not a profiteer). But we ask that you refrain from voting for any of the following bands that have already appeared on a Best New Band top 10 list from either 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007:
Alan Singley and Pants Machine
Blitzen Trapper
Clorox Girls
DJ Beyonda
The Kingdom
Lion Fever
The Minds
The Nice Boys
Norfolk & Western
Paint By Numbers
Please Step Out of the Vehicle
Point Juncture, WA
The Ready
Siren's Echo
The Snuggle Ups
Swan Island
The Thermals
Tractor Operator
Viva Voce
Wet Confetti
White Rainbow
The Shaky Hands
Horse Feathers
Alela Diane
Laura Gibson
New Bloods
Dragging An Ox Through Water
Hey Lover
Pure Country Gold
Please email your list to firstname.lastname@example.com (please do not reply sender; the best new band email is conveniently located last on the list of emails above), along with your full name and role in the music community, by Friday, March 28, 2008—IF YOU DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND TITLE IN YOUR REPLY EMAIL YOUR VOTES WILL NOT BE COUNTED. Your votes will be published online, but if you would like your votes to remain anonymous, we can do that too. Just let us know. Also, if you received this email at more than one email address (as many of you may have), please only respond once, with one set of votes.
Thanks so much!
Amy McCullough
Music Editor
Willamette Week
Just Out
Willamette Week
Portland Mercury
Music Spectator
Portland Mercury
Portland Mercury
No Depression
The Stranger
Forest Friends Liberation Magazine
Willamette Week
Willamette Week
Portland Tribune
Baltimore City Paper
Willamette Week
Two Louies Magazine
uko Magazine
Toy Room: A Rock Opera
's Best New Band 2008: The Builders and the Butchers, taken by Nilina Mason-Campbell.


text:
EAST LIVERPOOL Councilman and retired city firefighter Ray Perorazio took his concerns about the hiring of two firefighters to the Civil Service Commission Wednesday, saying the action was at least "improper."
The same issue came up at the previous night's City Council meeting, with Perorazio and two residents complaining the hiring of firemen Jason Glista and Aaron Jones was not proper since Glista has dated the daughter of Chief Bill Jones and Aaron Jones is the chief's son.
Perorazio presented the commission with copies of state law outlining the rules for civil service exams and appointments, as well as a copy of the legal advertisement for the December 2011 firefighter exam both men took, which was published on three separate dates in October.
Although the ad gives several requirements for applicants, it does not mention prior firefighter training, and Perorazio focused his comments on that, saying if Glista and Jones were hired based on their prior training, that means it was a requirement and should have been included in the ad.
"They willfully said they hired the last guy because he had training," Perorazio insisted, apparently referring to Chief Jones and Service-Safety Director Ryan Estell, who has emphasized that he, not the chief, does the hiring.
He cited a specific clause in the law stating, "If minimum or maximum requirements are established for any examination, they shall be specified in the examination announcement."
Commission Chairman John Fisher told Perorazio several times that prior training is not a requirement to take the exam, stressing that the "minimum requirement" is a 70 percent score to pass the written exam. No maximum requirements have been established.
Candidates must also pass an agility test to be eligible for an interview, during which interviewers go over what training or experience candidates might have, he said.
"If you had two college graduates, one with three years of experience and one without, which would you choose?" Fisher asked rhetorically.
"Do you know how unfair this is?" Perorazio asked, referring to the recent hirings, but Fisher pointed out two others with training turned down the job, and Commission member Marisa Galeoti said, "Two didn't have a shot because they had a criminal background."
Fisher asked, "Were you interviewed?" when hired into the fire department, with Perorazio replying, "Absolutely."
He told the commission he had no prior training and, although he had high test scores, was "passed over" several times because some thought he would be a "troublemaker."
It wasn't until former Safety-Service Director Skip Hall asked why he hadn't been hired and Perorazio told him about his reputation that Hall appointed him. He served for 38 years on the department.
"I'm kind of appalled that you got the job because you knew someone," Fisher deadpanned, prompting Perorazio to fire back, "He didn't manage to get a job for me; he was the service-safety director, and he appointed me. We were trained after we got the job."
Perorazio said, "There's no doubt in my mind this was wrong. If it isn't illegal, it's certainly improper."
Saying he "wasn't satisfied" with what he had heard during the meeting, Perorazio said he is willing to await a legal opinion from the law director.
Councilman Russell Dray also attended, saying only, "I don't think it's totally right," but agreeing to wait for the legal opinion.
Resident Brian Kerr, who spoke on the issue at the council session, attended the commission meeting but did not comment.
Commission members said none of the applicants on the eligibility list who were not hired have filed a complaint about the hiring of Glista and Jones.
In routine business, the commission voted 3-0 in favor of Aaron Jones' appointment to the fire department effective Aug. 2 at an annual salary of $31,000.
Other appointments approved included Patrolman Shawn McClellan, effective May 11 at a salary of $13.66 per hour and refuse and recycling laborer Gary Blake, effective June 4 at $10 per hour.
Asked why Jones' salary was calculated annually instead of hourly like the other appointments, Clerk Jane Miller was unsure, saying that was how it was presented to the commission from the city and saying she had never seen it done that way before.


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Marketing Vienna, Prague and Budapest
The Guerra Honors Program Study Abroad for 2014 is an embrace of Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. Home of the Hapsburg Empire (for three hundred years), Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Strauss Waltzes, Gustav Klimt and the Secession Movement, Vienna remains one of the most important cities on the continent of Europe. In the Middle Ages Prague was the seat of the Holy Roman Emperor and the most magnificent city in Europe, eclipsing Paris, London, and Rome. It retains that charm today, but was also the home of the brooding Franz Kafka. A visit to the Nazi Concentration camp of Theresienstadt is on the agenda during our stay. The capital of Hungary is situated along the Danube, in the heart of the Carpathian basin. Budapest remains a glittering fairytale of a city in beautiful display from the Fisherman's Bastion by the Mátyás Church. Arts, culture, modernity and history await our next study abroad cohort. We seek travelers and not tourists. The timeline for the trip is May 11 - June 1. Information on eligibility and coursework is available on the Guerra Honors Program web page.


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Do you want to have something new to talk about with your friends and help out Whitehouse Rescue Squad all at the very same time?
At the Quick Chek N.J. Festival of Ballooning, for $5 a chance, the Whitehouse Rescue Squad will be selling a raffle ticket package for a hot air balloon ride for two. This package is valued at over $400.
This fundraiser is possible because of services donated by Dancing on Air Balloon Voyages. Ticket sales will be at the balloon festival at Solberg Airport in Readington Township, Friday, July 27, through Sunday, July 29, at the First Aid Station.
The drawing will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday at the First Aid Station. The squad will also have a 50-50 raffle drawing each day at $2 per chance. If residents want to learn more about joining the rescue squad, they are invited to stop in at the First Aid Station for information.


text:
- Table View
- List View
All Those Years Agoby Emilie Richards
Teenage Meredith Robbins had experienced despair at the tragic loss of a special friend, then borne the anguish of having to give up their child. Now, years later, she painstakingly avoided emotional entanglements-until Garrett Quinn's warmth and sincerity challenged her to become a woman, awakening her to the need to see her child, just once. But if she faced the past, would she lose Garrett-and the future?
Beautiful Liesby Emilie Richards
It is a pearl so flawless it has no price. But those who possess it pay dearly. Since the day nearly a century before when it was plucked from Australian waters, the pearl has cursed the Robeson and Llewellyn families, unleashing a legacy of rivalry, greed and murder that has spanned generations and continents.Liana Robeson is now in possession of the infamous Pearl of Great Price and she, too, has experienced its high cost in heartache and tragedy. Suddenly her teenage son is missing-and so is the pearl.Desperate and afraid, she turns to Matthew's father, Cullen Llewellyn.Together they embark on a heartpounding odyssey to find their son. Swept into the wild beauty of Australia, Liana and Cullen are plunged into a deadly game with a rival who will go to any lengths to possess a treasure as fatal as it is flawless....
Beware False Profits (Murder Is Ministry #3)by Emilie Richards
There's no rest for the weary Aggie Sloan-Wilcox and her minister husband, who were praying for a relaxing weekend until a member of their flock went missing. Joe Wagner, president of Emerald Springs's food bank, disappears, and Aggie discovers his secret life-as a female impersonator. Meanwhile, the murder of the mayor's wife at the annual food bank fundraiser puts Joe on top of the suspect list. If Aggie doesn't get to the bottom of things fast, she'll be leading a choir singing the blues.
Blessed Is The Busybody (Murder Is Ministry #1)by Emilie Richards
Meet the unconventional Aggie Sloan-Wilcox, a minister's wife with her own calling: helping troubled doubt in need of justice... Aggie's free-spirited ways have been raising many an eyebrow at the Consolidated Community Church, tucked away in the cookie-cutter perfect Emerald Springs, Ohio. But nothing is more shocking than the naked body of a murdered woman turning up on her front porch. Suspicion falls on Aggie's husband, who had been counseling the victim before her death. And Aggie doesn't have a prayer of clearing his name unless she can uncover the truth in a town not known for confessing its sins...
The Christmas Wedding Quiltby Janice Kay Johnson Emilie Richards Sarah Mayberry
A FAMILY'S GIFT When they were young, cousins Ella, Rachel and Jo were always together at their family's lake house. As they grew up, though, they grew apart...until now, as the three must band together to grant a beloved aunt's dying wish: to finish the quilt she began as a gift for her daughter's Christmas wedding. Let It Snow by USA TODAY bestselling author Emilie Richards Searching for vintage quilting fabric, independent Jo is reunited with the man she thought she'd marry-and proves that sometimes the second time's the charm.... You Better Watch Out by Janice Kay Johnson Ella is desperate when the unfinished quilt goes missing in her care. But a cocky lawyer might just help her find it- and find love. Nine Ladies Dancing by Sarah Mayberry Shy Rachel risks exposing her secret life when she falls for her quilting teacher's seemingly perfect son. Together, Jo, Ella and Rachel create a Christmas heirloom that's both a wish and a promise-of happiness, hope and love everlasting.
The Color of Lightby Emilie Richards
The deeper the darkness, the brighter the light For more than a decade minister Analiese Wagner has felt privileged to lead her parishioners along a well-lit path. Her commitment has never been seriously tested until the frigid night she encounters a homeless family huddling in the churchyard. Offering them shelter in a vacant parish house apartment and taking teenage Shiloh Fowler-a girl desperate to rescue her parents-under her wing, she tests the loyalty and faith of her congregation. Isaiah Colburn, the Catholic priest who was her first mentor and the man she secretly longed for, understands her struggles only too well. At a crossroads, he's suddenly reappeared in her life, torn between his priesthood and his growing desire for a future with Analiese. Divided between love and vows they've taken, both must face the possibilities of living very different lives or continuing to serve their communities. With a defeated family's trust and her own happiness on the line, Analiese must define for herself where darkness ends and light begins.
Endless Chainby Emilie Richards
Sam Kinkade is finally feeling at home as a minister in rural Toms Brook, Virginia, content with his life and Shenandoah Valley congregation. But his plans to welcome the area's growing Hispanic community are being met with resistance. Fortunately, when the church-run community center is threatened, a stranger named Elisa Martinez walks through his door and Sam realizes he has found a woman capable of building bridges.Elisa isn't looking to make connections. She has come to Toms Brook to hide. But despite her fears of discovery she is enchanted by the beautiful work of-and the friendship offered by-the women who invite her to join their quilting circle. And even though she fears the consequences for both of them, she finds herself powerfully drawn to Sam, and to the generationsold love story rooted in the town's past.Will she and Sam repeat the past, or can they find the love and the freedom they seek at last?
Fortunate Harborby Emilie Richards
Join five women connected only by their growing friendship and the road that runs like a lifeline between their cottages in a run-down Florida development called Happiness KeyTracy Deloche finally gets a chance to swap business for a romantic evening with Marsh Egan, but dinner goes cold when she spots her ex-husband prowling outside her cottage. CJ is supposed to be in prison and out of her life for good. Exactly what is this modern-day pirate seeking and what will it mean for Tracy's future?Janya Kapur envies every pregnant woman she sees, but Rishi, her husband, is suddenly reluctant to talk about children. Is he disappointed in her inability to conceive? Their marriage was a contract between strangers. Can they ever hope for anything more?Waitress Wanda Gray loses her job after new owners turn the Dancing Shrimp into a tapas bar. Wise neighbor Alice Brooks's suggestion that Wanda start her own business seems like a brilliant solution, until Wanda starts Pie War I with the owners of the local bakery.When the empty cottage at Happiness Key is rented by single mother Dana Turner, everything seems perfect. With Alice volunteering to watch Dana's daughter while she works and Wanda's offer of a job, this spit of Florida Gulf Coast land should be a fortunate harbor for a mother and daughter who have moved far too often. Except for Dana's shocking secret.As the women of Happiness Key struggle to discover the truth in time to help their new neighbor, their only weapon is friendship. But will friendship be enough?
Fox Riverby Emilie Richards
Daughter of a legendary Virginia hunt master and aristocrat, Julia Warwick grew up in a world where Thoroughbreds and foxhunting are passions, not pastimes. Julia finds her own passion in Christian Carver, a talented young horse trainer. But when a beautiful heiress is murdered and Christian is convicted of the crime, a pregnant, desperate Julia marries a friend who offers solace. Now, though blindness darkens her world, it opens her eyes to hidden truths. About her husband, her family, her friends and the man she loved. And as the story starts to emerge, a forgotten memory begins to return, a mystery comes to light. . . and two lovers torn apart by forces they couldn't control face each other once and for all.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Delivery Roomby Kathleen Eagle Kasey Michaels Emilie Richards
This single guy's biological clock's ticking and there's no bride in sight. How does he get a baby? Find out in New York Times bestselling author Kasey Michaels's love story Parents by Design. "Kasey Michaels delivers a humorous, poignant, powerful read." --bestselling author Joan Hohl. A hospital-bound single mother-to-be jumped into a taxicab and guessed she was in for the ride of her life--with the man of her dreams--in award-winning author Kathleen Eagle's Daddy's Girl. "Kathleen Eagle is unique and incomparable." --Harriet Klausner, Affaire de Caeur. He was talented, successful.. .and fatherhood was the last thing on his mind. But the stork--and a woman from his past--had other plans in bestselling writer Emilie Richards's A Stranger's Son. "Ms. Richards mesmerizes us with her vibrant storytelling." --Romantic Times.
Happiness Keyby Emilie Richards
Meet four women who think they share nothing but a spit of land called Happiness Key.With her husband in prison, pampered Tracy Deloche is left with five ramshackle beach houses and no idea how to start over. Janya Kapur left her close-knit Indian family for an arranged marriage to a man she barely knows. Wanda Gray takes a job guaranteed to destroy her already failing marriage-if her husband cares enough to notice. Widow Alice Brooks has grown forgetful and confused. Her family comes to stay with her, but Alice isn't sure she's grateful.When the only other resident of Happiness Key dies alone in his cottage, the four women warily join forces to find his family. Together they discover difficult truths about their own lives and the men they love-and uncover the treasure of an unlikely friendship.
Let There Be Suspects (Ministry is Murder Series #2)by Emilie Richards
With the chalk outline gone from their front porch, Aggie Sloan-Wilcox and her minister husband think they can resume their lives. But when Ginger, Aggie's despised former foster sister, comes for Christmas, and turns up dead as a drumstick, Aggie's sister is suspected. Now it's up to Aggie to find the real murderer-who's decided there's a loophole in thou shalt not kill.
A Lie for a Lie (Ministry is Murder Series #4)by Emilie Richards
When the ex-wife of a local celebrity is charged with his murder, minister's wife Aggie Sloan-Wilcox seeks divine inspiration to help clear her name.
Lover's Knotby Emilie Richards
Confused about her troubled marriage, Kendra Taylor needs time to sort out her feelings. Retreating to an abandoned cabin left to her husband, Isaac, by the maternal grandmother he never knew, she is quickly welcomed into the rural community of Toms Brook. She soon becomes curious about a beautiful heirloom quilt and the past Isaac has always refused to explore. The unusual quilt clearly has a story to tell, and Kendra hopes that helping her husband connect with his roots may also help him reconnect with her.At first Isaac's reluctant visits to the cabin only underscore the difficulties in their marriage. But as circumstances force them to piece together a new relationship, Isaac discovers that the history of a family he never knew may hold the key to his future.As a passionate story of strength, loss and desperation unfolds, the secrets of the quilt are revealed and the threads of an unraveling marriage are secured.
Marrying Mattyby Emilie Richards
New to e-book, a classic romance from USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards... At nearly 30, Matty Stewart answered a birthday dare that took her straight to the Bahamas--and into the arms of a mail-order husband. Damon Quinn was looking for a mother for his infant daughter, and after a career in pediatric nursing, Matty loved holding a baby she could call her own, but she wanted more. The truth was, she wanted Damon, so now she had to be daring one more time in hopes of making Damon want her, too. Originally published 1997
More Than Words: Stories Of Courageby Sharon Sala Emilie Richards Susan Wiggs
Somewhere, at this very moment, a woman's caring and commitment is changing a life in her community...and changing the world. Three of these exceptional women have been selected as recipients of Harlequin's More Than Words award. And three bestselling authors have kindly offered their creativity to write original short stories inspired by these real-life heroines.We hope these stories of courage will touch your heart and inspire the heroine living inside you.
A Mother's Dayby Elizabeth Bevarly Emilie Richards Marie Ferrarella
"Nobody's Child" by Emilie RichardsHe had come to a child's rescue, and now Officer Farrell Riley was suddenly sharing parenthood with beautiful Gemma Hancock. Somehow this woman and child had laid a claim on his loner's heart. But would their ready-made family last forever?"Baby on the Way" by Marie FerrarellaSingle and pregnant, Madeline Reed found the perfect husband in the handsome cop who helped bring her infant son into the world. But did his dutiful role in the surprise delivery make J.T.Walker a daddy?"A Daddy for Her Daughters" by Elizabeth BevarlyBachelor Sloan Sullivan thought he understood women, but when confronted with spirited Naomi Carmichael and her brood of girls, he realized he had a lot to learn! Especially if he hoped to win this sexy single mom's heart....
No River Too Wideby Emilie Richards
Some betrayals are like rivers, so deep, so wide, they can't be crossed. But-for those with enough courage-forgiveness, redemption and love may be found on the other side. On the night her home is consumed by fire, Janine Stoddard finally resolves to leave her abusive husband. While she is reluctant to involve her estranged daughter, she can't resist a chance to see Harmony and baby Lottie in Asheville, North Carolina, before she disappears forever. Harmony's friend Taylor Martin realizes how much the reunited mother and daughter yearn to stay together, and she sees in Jan a chance to continue her own mother's legacy of helping women in need of a fresh start. She opens her home, even as she's opening her heart to another newcomer, Adam Pryor. But enigmatic Adam has a secret that could destroy Taylor's trust...and cost Jan her hard-won freedom.
One Moment Past Midnightby Emilie Richards
MENINBLUEEVERY SECOND COUNTS...Hannah Blackstone's little girl had been kidnapped, but no one was willing to help her. No one except Quinn McDermott.Hannah hardly knew more than his name, but all that mattered was that her mysterious new neighbor had taken her in, when most others would have turned her in. Life had taught Hannah not to trust, but Quinn, with his quiet concern and unrelenting resolve, made it all too easy to try. Every second with him brought Hannah closer to finding her little girl...and losing her heart to the sexy stranger by her side.Love in the line of duty.
One Mountain Awayby Emilie Richards
Charlotte Hale plans to change her life one careful step at a time With nothing but brains, ambition and sheer nerve, Charlotte Hale built a career as a tough, savvy real-estate developer. Her reputation is rock solid...but her life is empty. One terrifying day, Charlotte realizes that her friends are as grasping and insincere as she is. Far worse, she's alienated her family so completely that she's never held or spoken to her only granddaughter. Charlotte vows to make amends, not simply with her considerable wealth, but by offering a hand instead of a handout. Putting in hours and energy instead of putting in an appearance. Opening her home and heart instead of her wallet. With each wrenching, exhilarating, joyful decision, she finds her path to friendship, love and forgiveness-even as she learns what it truly means to build a legacy.
One Mountain Awayby Emilie Richards
With nothing but brains, ambition and sheer nerve, Charlotte Hale built a career as a tough, do-anything-to-succeed real-estate developer. She's at the top of that mountain...but her life is empty. Her friends are as grasping and insincere as she has become. Far worse, she's alienated her family so completely that she's totally lost touch with her only daughter.One terrifying day, facing her own mortality, she realizes that her ambition has almost destroyed her chance at happiness.So Charlotte vows to make amends, not simply with her considerable wealth, but by offering a hand instead of a handout. Putting in hours and energy instead of putting in an appearance. Opening her home and heart instead of her wallet.With each wrenching, exhilarating decision, Charlotte finds that climbing a new mountain-one built on friendship, love and forgiveness-will teach her what it truly means to build a legacy.
The Parting Glassby Emilie Richards
USA TODAY bestselling author Emilie Richards continues the journey begun in her beloved novel Whiskey Island with this unforgettable tale of star-crossed lovers, murder and three sisters who discover a hidden legacy that will lead them home at last to Ireland.Megan, who is feeling hopelessly unprepared in her new marriage, has no idea how to fix the problems already facing her relationship. Casey, who is happily married to her high school sweetheart, is facing a new challenge: motherhood. And Peggy, who always dreamed of becoming a doctor, has put medical school on hold with the discovery that her young son is autistic.Each facing her own difficulties, the Donaghue sisters are brought to the remote Irish village of Shanmullin by Irene Tierney, a distant relative who hopes that they will be able to help her learn the truth about her father's death in Cleveland more than seventy-five years ago. As a stunning tale of secrets and self-sacrifice, greed and hidden passions unfolds, the life of each sister will be changed forever.
Prospect Streetby Emilie Richards
When Faith Bronson's marriage ends abruptly, she finds her privileged life shattered. Only just beginning to face the lie she has lived, she finds sanctuary with her two children in the shabby Georgetown row house that's been in her mother's family for generations.This historic house harbors dark secrets of its own. When Faith takes steps to rebuild her ancestral home, she meets Pavel Quinn. Though he is connected to her past in stunning ways, his strong attraction to Faith is enough to convince him to keep silent...because the truth could drive her away forever.But now the secrets of the house on Prospect Street are about to be revealed. For it is only when the truth is told that Faith, her family and the man she loves can make a new beginning.
Rising Tidesby Emilie Richards
Nine people have gathered for the reading of Aurore Gerritsen's will. Some are family, others are strangers. But all will have their futures changed forever when a lifetime of secrets is finally revealed. Aurore Gerritsen left clear instructions: her will is to be read over a four-day period at her summer cottage on a small Louisiana island. Those who don't stay will forfeit their inheritance. With the vast fortune of Gulf Coast Shipping at stake, no one will take that risk. Suspicions rise as Aurore's lawyer dispenses small bequests, each designed to expose the matriarch's well-kept secrets. Family loyalties are jeopardized and shocking new alliances are formed. But with a savage hurricane approaching, tensions reach a dangerous climax. And the very survival of Aurore's heirs is threatened.
Sister's Choiceby Emilie Richards
Kendra and Jamie were never storybook sisters. But after a long estrangement, Jamie has offered Kendra and her husband their ultimate dream-a child of their own.Despite some lingering misgivings about her once-wayward younger sister, Kendra agrees, and Jamie, a promising architect and single mother, becomes a gestational surrogate for Kendra and Isaac. In addition to this amazing gift of life, Jamie designs a house for the couple on Isaac's ancestral property along the Shenandoah River. She hopes Kendra will finally see the woman she has become.But when a medical crisis threatens Jamie's health and her budding relationship with Kendra's builder, the enigmatic Cash Rosslyn, Jamie learns that the most difficult choice in her life is still ahead, and its cost may be beyond calculation.
Select your format based upon: 1) how you want to read your book, and 2) compatibility with your reading tool. To learn more about using Bookshare with your device, visit the Help Center.
Here is an overview of the specialized formats that Bookshare offers its members with links that go to the Help Center for more information.
- Bookshare Web Reader - a customized reading tool for Bookshare members offering all the features of DAISY with a single click of the "Read Now" link.
- DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) - a digital book file format. DAISY books from Bookshare are DAISY 3.0 text files that work with just about every type of access technology that reads text. Books that contain images will have the download option of 'DAISY Text with Images'.
- BRF (Braille Refreshable Format) - digital Braille for use with refreshable Braille devices and Braille embossers.
- MP3 (Mpeg audio layer 3) - Provides audio only with no text. These books are created with a text-to-speech engine and spoken by Kendra, a high quality synthetic voice from Ivona. Any device that supports MP3 playback is compatible.
- DAISY Audio - Similar to the Daisy 3.0 option above; however, this option uses MP3 files created with our text-to-speech engine that utilizes Ivonas Kendra voice. This format will work with Daisy Audio compatible players such as Victor Reader Stream and Read2Go.


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So I guess all my emailing and blogging is great practice. See how fast you can type here. Thanks, Rachel, for getting me hooked on this!!
I range from 89-101 wpm (words per minute) depending on how many kids are talking to me at the same time. ; )
And guess who I get to lunch with today? Some pretty incredible Mommy blogger friends like Jaymi- who I can't believe we've never met in real life before because she's like a sister to me now! And also some of my very favorite people, my Mommy gal pals Ashlee, Sheryl, & Robin!


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WINSLOW TWP. — A raging fire ignited Thursday when a township man tried to start his 1965 style John Deere tractor inside his garage, police said.
No injuries were reported in the fire in the 400 block of Church Road, to which crews were dispatched at 11:10 a.m.
All items inside the garage - including the man's 2000 Sonoma pickup truck and tractor - were destroyed, police said.
Firefighters from companies in Winslow and Gloucester townships responded, along with Winslow Township EMS.


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Thursday, July 18, 2013
The Medical University of South Carolina is visiting your Charleston County Parks to spread the word about skin safety.
This summer, be sure to protect your health by protecting your skin from harmful UV rays. Dermatologists on the MUSC Mobile Health Unit – a fully-equipped doctor's office on wheels – will offer free skin cancer screenings at the following Charleston County Parks this summer:
• Saturday, Aug. 10, just outside Splash Zone Waterpark at James Island County Park, 9a.m. – noon.
Skin screenings are free and open to the public, no appointment required. So, while you are out enjoying the day at your county parks, take the basic steps to protect your skin.
For more information about free skin cancer screenings, call MUSC Health Connection at 792-0878.
"Follow" the Moultrie News on Twitter @MoultrieNews
© 2016 The Berkeley Independent an Evening Post Industries company. All Rights Reserved.
Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Parental Consent Form.


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The Brody File is in Hawaii. This week's show takes you to the Aloha State where the Republican National Committee Meetings are being held.
Watch our exclusive interview with Dick Armey-- the former GOP Majority Leader now more commonly known as "Mr. Tea Party."
We'll also introduce you to Hawaii's Lt. Gov., Duke Aiona. Aiona is a Christian who wears his faith on his sleeve for the world to see.
Be sure to stick around for our commentary and the "Oy Vey" Winner of the Week -- you'll never guess who walked away with ths week's award.
Click play to watch this week's edition of The Brody File. Watch last week's show here.
Have a story idea or comment? Click here to email the show. Also, learn more about David Brody here. Learn more about the show's executive producer Robin Mazyck here.
The Brody File
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Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting? Are you facing a difficult situation?
Find peace with God, discover more about God or send us your prayer request.
Call The 700 Club Prayer Center at 1 (800) 823-6053, 24 hours a day.
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
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Full Package of House Amendments to Texas Budget
The House is scheduled to take up the full budget on Friday, and members filed more than 400 pages of amendments in advance of that debate. Here's the full set, in searchable, electronic form.
If you're like us (a little bit of a nerd, in other words), you'll want to follow along at home. So we've scanned and uploaded the full set of pre-filed amendments, available here in total, if you want the whole schmear in one document, or in sections, corresponding with the 11 articles in the state budget.
The links to individual articles are ...


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Limerick's Unit One plant remains out of service
Published: 8:00 PM EDT Apr 19, 2012 Updated: 6:09 PM EDT Apr 20, 2012
Crews are still examining Unit One at the nuclear power plant in Limerick Twp., Montgomery Co.
Officials with the Limerick Generating Station said the unit was taken out of service Thursday morning following an electrical malfunction on the non-nuclear side of the plant.
They said the unit will be returned to service once they understand the cause of the power problem and do some tests.
Copyright 2012 WFMZ. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Lamborghini introduces Android for the moneyed set
0. phoneArena 09 Jun 2012, 00:54 posted on
Luxury auto maker Lamborghini is offering in Russia three handsets including two featurephones and one Android powered smartphone; in addition, the Italian car manufacturer is lending its prestigious name to an Android flavored tablet...
This is a discussion for a news. To read the whole news, click here
1. quakan (Posts: 1373; Member since: 02 Mar 2011)
What a waste of money
21. PhoneArenaUser (Posts: 5498; Member since: 05 Aug 2011)
Excellent choice for iPhone lovers!
2. mercorp (Posts: 1027; Member since: 28 Jan 2012)
Why get a good-looking phone that is impractical,when you can get a good-looking phone (while not having luxury materials)like the htc one x or s that are also practical at much lower prices?
3. Berzerk000 (Posts: 4275; Member since: 26 Jun 2011)
Because, it's Russia.
24. corporateJP (Posts: 2431; Member since: 28 Nov 2009)
My grandparents came from there, and to this day they laught at the idiocy of some of the people there, mostly the elite crowd. It's no different than the U.S., just that the Russian elite don't mind showing wealth and are not scared to do it. I saw some correspondence a while back from over there from some relatives and I laughed, as every 16-32 year old male is driving a Japanese import, and they all have dragons and wild Asian graphics on them, like it was "Fast and Furious" or something. Chicks like gaudiness over there, though, LOL.
37. PhoneArenaUser (Posts: 5498; Member since: 05 Aug 2011)
Yes, it is stupid.
4. nyuvo (Posts: 72; Member since: 10 May 2012)
I'm waiting for the Ferrari edition with android 2.2 Froyo
34. bayusuputra (Posts: 962; Member since: 12 Feb 2012)
Rolls Royce with cupcake..
5. GeekMovement (Posts: 2156; Member since: 09 Sep 2011)
Doesn't even look good in my opinion.
25. corporateJP (Posts: 2431; Member since: 28 Nov 2009)
The smartphone looks like a gold-plated Casio Commando.
And just like it, I'm sure the build is great, but the UI is garbage.
6. Ubi2447 (Posts: 131; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
..........wow. those specs are bad by most standards.
7. A.aoudi (Posts: 125; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
outdated but certainly high class I guess this solves the premium feel problem that apple sheep's talk about android calling stuff like the sgs3 plasticity and cheap. I hope Lamborghini have a quad core in mind for the future Lol
10. quakan (Posts: 1373; Member since: 02 Mar 2011)
Your Apple rant/segment was completely irrelevant.
8. A.aoudi (Posts: 125; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
apple boys say sgs3 is cheap not me just clarification
26. corporateJP (Posts: 2431; Member since: 28 Nov 2009)
I'm not an Apple guy, but my opinion is the SGIII feels cheap for the price.
I just don't understand what it is all you guys see in Samsung.
27. Tadoya (Posts: 5; Member since: 02 Jun 2012)
Have you actually held a GSIII?
35. bayusuputra (Posts: 962; Member since: 12 Feb 2012)
i was quite surprised that the SGS3 feels premium, having been a fan of HTC, i wasn't really that impressed by samsung's finishes, the SGS2 feels rather too plasticky, but when i held the SGS3 for the first time, i was pleasantly surprised.. i even like it more than the One X..
9. infernal88 (Posts: 113; Member since: 08 Jun 2012)
I guess that these phones are hiding to middle east since these pics show they has Arabic letters printed over the keys....
15. Luuthian (Posts: 245; Member since: 09 Sep 2011)
Maybe that explains the absolutely horrible specs...
20. infernal88 (Posts: 113; Member since: 08 Jun 2012)
*heading .....and Luuthian :how is that ?
11. OpTiMuS_BlAcK (Posts: 418; Member since: 04 May 2012)
It's gotta have a hexacore and other overkill specs to get priced that high.
12. Osman (Posts: 44; Member since: 07 May 2012)
Waste of Technology!!! they should invest this money on some Cellphone company to make better cellphones!
13. darktranquillity (Posts: 284; Member since: 28 Feb 2012)
16. Luuthian (Posts: 245; Member since: 09 Sep 2011)
I bet Lamborghini customers can hardly wait to part with $3000 for two year old tech.
17. remixfa (Posts: 14255; Member since: 19 Dec 2008)
i will never understand how they make these "ultra expencive" phones with really shiity internal components.
"look at me! i have a gold plated brand new phone that has parts from 2006!! Im special!!"
22. PhoneArenaUser (Posts: 5498; Member since: 05 Aug 2011)
The same as Apple and customers are the same as iPhone users just with bigger budget.
30. remixfa (Posts: 14255; Member since: 19 Dec 2008)
the insides of these phones make an iphone look down right high tech. thats saaaaaad.
18. zhypher_23 (Posts: 195; Member since: 04 Jun 2012)
Oh come on, who would people spend that much money just for a luxury phone? This is insane, rich people are rich because they know how to save.
23. corporateJP (Posts: 2431; Member since: 28 Nov 2009)
Yeah, but in Russia, they don't. Gaudy excess is HUGE. And, the class system is now seperating more rapidly there. The old guard and the elite in Russia just keep pocketing more. Plus, a big status symbol over there is women. Some of these cats might be sideloading money in the bank account, but they still got a lot, and some of it goes to keep their ten-year-plus younger "sidekicks" happy. Trust me.
28. jed27 (Posts: 65; Member since: 09 Jun 2012)
rich kids are rich because their daddies are rich,
31. remixfa (Posts: 14255; Member since: 19 Dec 2008)
their parents knew how to save because they built the empire. the kids grew up with the golden spoon and just know how to spend... well most of them anyways. some actually are good at the business.
19. JunitoNH (Posts: 1761; Member since: 15 Feb 2012)
Wow!!! I never thought I would ever see the day of an Android device not made of plastic, keep up the good work Sammy.
29. gwuhua1984 (Posts: 1237; Member since: 06 Mar 2012)
Beautiful phone, looks like something that would come from a Stargate SG1 show.
32. Chronos (Posts: 258; Member since: 25 Feb 2012)
All of that money and Lamborghini is incapable of creating a more high-end smartphone and tablet. That's excluding how terrible those products look.
33. Raymond_htc (Posts: 430; Member since: 06 Apr 2012)
Its too poshy and too elegant for me. Not my type. i Would prefer something simple yet good looking like my adorable Wildfire S.
36. Mazdajdavis (Posts: 3; Member since: 10 Jun 2012)
People act like just because its pricey it should have a quad core processor and 5 gigs of ram, while i agree the specs are just sad and its point less to have those kind of specs in a phone like that. In the sceam of things Prossers and ram from china are cheap compared to safire crystal screens and hand made gold and crocodile cell phone body's nothing like that is coming out of china thats what your paying for. Plus if you got the pockets for that i dont think it would be much of a problem to have one made up with just about whatever specs you wanted.


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British actor Bill Travers, 72, best known in America for his role as George Adamson, the lion-loving game warden in the movie Born Free (1966), died in his sleep at his home in Coldharbour, England, on March 29. Travers and his second wife, actress Virginia McKenna, 62, who costarred with him in Born Free, became animal-rights activists after making the movie....
Rep. William Natcher, 84, whose 18,401 consecutive congressional votes earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records, died of heart and lung ailments on March 29 at a Bethesda, Md., hospital. The Kentucky Democrat, who was a member of the House of Representatives for more than 40 years, cast his last votes on March 2 after being carried to the House floor on a gurney....
French photographer Robert Doisneau, 81, best remembered for his images of Parisian street life, died in a Paris hospital on April 1 of complications following heart surgery. Last year Doisneau was forced to admit he had staged The Kiss at City Hall (1950), after two couples claimed to be the origional subjects.
Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, 85, who wrote the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that guaranteed a woman's legal right to an abortion, announced his retirement from the Court, effective in late June, after 24 years. Although Blackmun was a Minnesota Republican appointed by Richard Nixon, he came to be regarded as one of the court's most liberal members.
On March 31, an unidentified 17-year-old actress filed a civil suit accusing Byrds of Paradise star Timothy Busfield, 36, of sexual assault. Busfield denied the charges and the same day filed his own suit in Los Angeles against the woman's lawyers, charging them with extortion and with coercing her into making false charges. Accused of fondling the actress on the Minnesota set of his upcoming film, Little Big League, Busfield claims the woman's lawyers threatened to bring criminal charges against him unless he offered them money....
Actor James Farentino, 56, pleaded no contest in an L.A. court on March 31 to a charge of stalking his ex-girlfriend Tina Sinatra, 45, a TV producer and the youngest child of Frank Sinatra. The actor was placed on three years probation and barred from contacting Sinatra or coming within 100 yards of her. He must also undergo counseling.
Actor Tony Curtis, 68, is recuperating in an L.A. hospital after undergoing a heart-bypass operation on April 4. Doctors advised the procedure after discovering a blocked artery during a recent physical. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Former "Mayflower madam" Sydney Biddle Barrows, 42, plans to wed TV producer Darnay Hoffman, 46, on May 14 in New York City. The couple, who have been dating for four months, met when Darnay contacted Barrows after hearing her say on a talk show that she wanted to find work in TV production. It will be Barrows first marriage and the third for Hoffman.
updated 04/18/1994 AT 01:00 AM EDT
•originally published 04/18/1994 AT 01:00 AM EDT


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Recipe: Whole Wheat Bread Sticks
Tonight I wanted to make an Italian meal that was similar to how we "used" to eat (except 100% whole wheat and sugar free). I think I accomplished that, but it was a lot more work than the 'old' way! For dinner we had whole wheat penne with meat sauce, green salad, and homemade bread sticks. I saw this recipe on the Joseph's Grainery blog, and adapted it for our dinner.
Whole Wheat Bread Sticks
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp truvia (or a different natural sweetner, or 1 TBSP sugar)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cup whole wheat white flour
3/4 stick melted butter
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
I made this recipe in a bread machine on the dough setting. For the breach machine recipe, add all ingredients (except butter, garlic powder, and Italian Seasoning) in order in the machine and put on the dough setting. We also only used half of this recipe to make the bread sticks tonight. I just made way too much dough for dinner for two. So I saved the rest of the dough in the fridge and we are going to use it Thursday night for homemade pizza dough!
If you are making this dough without a bread machine: mix the yeast, sugar and warm water. Add the salt and flour and knead for 5 minutes. You can also use a stand mixer at this point with a dough hook. Spray pam into a bowl and place the dough inot the bowl. Spray the top of the dough with more Pam. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
In a sauce pan, melt the butter and mix with the garlic powder. Lightly flour your counter and roll out 1/2 of the dough inot a rectangle (about 15x20"). Use a pizza wheel to cut it into strips that are about 1 1/4" wide. Take one strip at a time and fold it in half. Then twist the two pieces around eachother. Place the twist on a cookie sheet and baste with the melted garlic butter on the top. Then flip the twists and baste with butter on the bottom. Line the sticks on the cookie sheet at about 1" apart.
Sprinkle bread sticks with Italian seasoning and bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until brown.
These turned out very good. A little flatter than expected, but they were good. I think I was invisioning Olive Garden's bread sticks as I made these, and they aren't the same if you are looking for that. Next time I think I will roll these into snakes and let them rise for another 20 minutes on the pan before I baste them with butter and bake them. That may make them fluffier. As for this time, they were very good and we will make them again!


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If there's one thing that binds the best exorcism films, it's that the really good ones all offer some great acting. The major players in The Exorcist give amazing performances, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is believable through the work of its solid ensemble, and, now, The Last Exorcism delivers a potentially star-making performance from Patrick Fabian. What seems to be a "me too" attempt at creating another Paranormal Activity is actually a fascinating, uncomfortable, character-driven look at matters of faith and fear.
I expected the typical thrills of a demon possession flick, and while The Last Exorcism delivers, beat-for-beat, almost every creepy trope of the genre, its mature focus on characterization really sets the film apart. This is a welcome approach -- a horror film about people and not just kills and thrills -- but because the scares take a back seat to the characters, it also never quite reaches the fever pitch of terror that it also seems to be working toward. It's engaging, but is it scary? I can't quite say that it is, which is a peculiar criticism of a movie that still stands as one of the best horror films of 2010.
Fabian plays Cotton Marcus, an evangelist and preacher's kid, raised in the church his whole life, but struggling somewhat with his logical self-awareness of the power he holds over others. He's not modest about the fact that he's the one moving the congregation, not God, and it's a bit of a lark to him. What he does take seriously is when people become so fixated on the spiritual world, that they accidentally harm others. Marcus allows a documentary crew to film him performing an exorcism, a long-standing Marcus family specialty, so that he can reveal that the effects of the ritual are more mental than spiritual. If someone can be convinced that they're possessed, they can be equally convinced that the exorcism rites will make them well again. It's psychosomatic Deviltry.
It's no surprise then that Marcus' first request with a film crew in tow turns out to be more than he's ready for. He's called out to assist the Sweetzer family, not just God-fearing folk, but people-fearing folk as well, having burned all their bridges with everyone in town by trying to live a Godlier life. Marcus is quick to do a little old time showboating for the camera in his attempt to rid the virginal teen Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) of her demons, but when the first exorcism doesn't take, he can't seem to convince Louis Sweetzer to get some real help for his daughter. To tell Sweetzer the exorcism was fake exposes Marcus as a fraud, so the preacher is reluctantly drawn deeper into the Sweetzer's lives, frantically discussing scripture with Louis one second, and pleading for modern medical help for Nell the next.
Fabian just nails the role. Cotton is dishonest, but with good intentions. Although he's a faker, his personal faith in God is never quite addressed, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about how much of a charlatan he really is. His sense of responsibility keeps him at the Sweetzer farm until the matter is resolved, and there's something oddly heroic about that commitment. Horror films rarely have heroes.
That's not to say that things don't get really bad down at the Sweetzer place. The more things got worse, though, on their way to The Last Exorcism's big ending, the farther away the film seemed to be getting from the things in it that I really loved. I've seen a demon-possessed girl contort on a barn floor before (in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, actually), but I've never quite seen a character in a horror movie like Cotton Marcus. I could have used less handheld POV footage of people running around in the darkened Sweetzer home, and more scenes like the one in which Sweetzer turns a Bible verse on Cotton in a twist-of-the-knife way. Those moments that director Daniel Stamm films as straight-forward drama are the ones that really shine here.
I'll gladly trade compelling and thought-provoking for scary. Scary is relative anyway. The Last Exorcism's tension comes from its characters and situations, not from its genre cliches like foul-mouthed demon voices or a sweaty, panting little possessed girl. Those dusty, tried-and-true bits are fine, but the real reason to care about the film is because it's more spiritually complex than even most faith-based films. You want to see Marcus come to some kind of conclusion about what he truly believes, you want to see him heal Nell, even if it does mean that it's all in her head, and you want to see him prove to the world that there's no such thing as demon possession. As the old song goes, you can't always get what you want.
categories Reviews, Cinematical


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June 29, 1998
'Woodinville Sings' performed last Monday night in concert with The Chieftains.
'Woodinville Sings,' a new choral group, performed last Monday night in concert with The Chieftains at Chateau Ste. Michelle.
Singing "Shenandoah" and "Long Journey Home," with The Chieftains, the choir was rated as one of the top three in the world tour of the group, according to a spokesperson.
Brent Allen, a talented and experienced musician and conductor, directed the choir in rehearsals, sound checks and the performace.
Charter members of the choir are John Bradley, Larry Bridges, Caroline Briggs, Bill Brown, Megan Burchfield, John Bustad, Holly Bustad, David Cline, Shelley Connelie, Pam Dillehay, Donna Douglass, Wayne Douglass, Judith Eide, Marsha Engel, Geoffrey Ethelston, Pansie Evers, Jim Evers, Dave Griffin, Kathleen Grube, Melanie Grube, Mike Grube, Gareth Grube, Carter Hawley, Martin Knockes, Lorelette Knowles, Walt Knowles, Gene Leonardson, Nancy Leonardson, Steve Mason, Andy Miller, Mary Miller, Eleanor Pachaud, Elizabeth Russell, Beth Shephard, John Shephard, Caryn Simmons, Dee Simmons, Bob Simmons, Patty Turnberg, Dave Griffin, and Brenda Vanderloop.
Other members include Bill Hoppe and Wayne Turnberg who were unable to perform.


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|EcommerceBytes-NewsFlash, Number 2597 - July 29, 2011 - ISSN 1539-5065 4 of 5
eBay UK is running a listing promotion over the weekend. Private (casual) sellers who list auctions at any starting price in eligible categories on July 30 - 31 will pay no insertion fees. All other fees apply, see website for details and restrictions.
The UK website also announced it would be making new features available in My eBay that allows users to view up to 3 years worth of purchases, removes Selling modules from the "My eBay Summary" page, and sort lists by most-recently added. eBay UK's My eBay feature will continue to change throughout the summer: "Buyers will soon see bigger pictures on the My eBay buying pages and will notice improvements to lists, including better access to the watch list and other lists that you can create."
eBay announced similar changes in the U.S. in May, but after sellers reacted negatively to eBay's decision to remove the "selling activity" modules from the summary page, eBay added back the ability for sellers to view the information on their Summary page this month.
eBay UK also announced on Wednesday it would expand the advertising it runs on view item pages. Initially the ads ran on free listings from private sellers. It will now open advertising to all ads listed by private sellers, including listings for which the seller has paid. See details on this announcement.
About the author:
Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to firstname.lastname@example.com.
You may quote up to 50 words of any article on the condition that you attribute the article to
EcommerceBytes.com and either link to the original article or to www.EcommerceBytes.com.
All other use is prohibited.
Email this story to a friend.
4 of 5
eBay Makes Best Match Algorithm Change Permanent - December 23, 2011
eBay UK Holds Free-Listing Promotion for Casual Sellers - November 25, 2011
eBay Go Together Is New Group-Buying Feature for Event Tickets - November 24, 2011
eBay UK Gives Casual Sellers 100 Free Auction Listings This Weekend - November 11, 2011


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A contemporary psychologist who developed a theory about how people deal with moral questions
Who was Lawrence Kohlberg?
gave them a dilemma to solve and how they solved it
How did Kohlberg decide what stage someone fell into?
younger children, delinquents, boys and girls from across the world
Who was involved in Kohlberg's 1963 and 1970 studies?
A woman is suffering from a rare form of cancer, and she needs a special drug that costs more money than her husband can afford, so her husband broke into the druggist's store to get the drug
What was the Heinz dilemma (short description)?
everyone has to go through these stages, can't move back or jump stages, but you can get "stuck" in stages
What are the stipulations for Kohlberg's six stages?
Yes, but only if they gain something from it
Do people in stage 2 occasionally do things helpful for others?
trying to be a good person to meet the expectations of others; peer pressure
What characterizes stage 3?
The world is viewed as holding different opinions, rights, and values, utilitarianism
What characterizes stage 5?
no need to follow rules you didn't have a say in, rules restrict freedom
What are some reasons for rebellion?
No, it is a vital and necessary part of growing from the dependence of childhood to the independence of adulthood
Is rebellion always bad?


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Top Definition
a popular term in the gay community referring to good looks, fierceness, or something good.
"that wig is snatched hunny! is it real or synthetic?"
door flipandtwist2x 11 september 2011
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
To have a nice body.
Have you seen julie?
She got snatched over the summer
She got snatched over the summer
door Balletluv2009 18 augustus 2008
pussy whipped
Your girl got you snatched.
via giphy
door kmmrw 2 juli 2016
having arched eyebrows that are obvious
Girl, your eyebrows are snatched. You must have been to the Korean lady again.
door kdak 8 mei 2008
Taxed or stolen....
That fool snatched his dope out of his pocket
door PizzaMan 31 oktober 2003
Really skinny
Damn those ballerinas are snatched, you can see all their bones
door ~-~-~- 9 augustus 2010
When black guys hide in bathrooms with the lights out and grab girls, when they pass by, inside the bathroom and lock the door to have sexual intercourse
I got snatched last night at prom house
door Croger 20 mei 2014


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Not Urgent Urgent +---------------+---------------+ | | | Important| I | II | | | | +---------------+---------------+ | | | Not | III | IV | Important| | | +---------------+---------------+The separation of urgent from important is something many people don't realize. People tend to focus on urgent activities (QuadrantOne and QuadrantThree), mistaking them as important. The QuadrantThree activities soak up their time, making the QuadrantOne activities into bigger emergencies than they need to be. This is the FireFighting many software companies experience when they are stuck in chaos (CMM level 1). When all the fires are out (temporarily), they relax by spending some time on QuadrantFour activities like surfing the web, watching TV, etc. They tend to neglect QuadrantTwo activities. This AntiPattern of behaviour leads to BurnOut.
Urgent XOR Urgent NXOR Important Important +---------------+---------------+ | | | Important| II | I | | | | +---------------+---------------+ | | | Not | III | IV | Important| | | +---------------+---------------+Read it like this:
Important + Urgent NXOR Important == Important and Urgent == I Important + Urgent XOR Important == Important but not Urgent == II Not Important + Urgent XOR Important == Not Important, but Urgent == III Not Important + Urgent NXOR Important == Neither Important nor Urgent == IVYou get the benefit of both the mathematical standard while also having the same quadrants as the book, so you don't confuse anyone but yourself, should you get lost in the world of boolean operators. (I mostly wrote the above as a counterpoint to all the talk about enumeration. Maybe it's time for everything from On the choice of numbering scheme and downwards to be deleted?) -- SunnanFenderson Just as a guess, I imagine time spent worrying about the nature of the numbering scheme would fall in Quadrant IV Ah, but which Quadrant IV?


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Limitations of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising for Clinical Genetic Testing
Gollust SE, Hull S, Wilfond BS.
Published online October 9, 2002
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Lost a sizer? Did a "friend" borrow one and never give it back? Just a big gorilla that breaks things? We have you covered with replacement sizing inserts for your iFIT kit. Pick just the one or all the missing ones!
Individual Barrel Bore Insert, for use with the iFIT boring kit.
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UPDATE: Looks like I placed #3 world-wide in the 2013 CQ WW DX CW Contest from FJ on 10 meters, operating low power single-op 'field-day style' with my Yaesu FT-650, the 5/8 lambda 10m monoband homebrew vertical antenna, Logikey K-5 keyer, and a paper log. Good times! 73, Pete VE3IKV
For information on the 5/8 lambda 10m antenna, please see my VP2EAT page.
I will be operating in the 2013 CQ WW DX CW Contest (November 23 & 24) single band on 10 meters from the Hotel Le Village on the beautiful island of St. Barthelemy (IOTA NA-146) in the Caribbean as FJ/VA3RA, and also before and after the contest as PJ7/VA3RA on Sint Maarten. I will be using the same setup on 10m that I used successfully in 2012 at PJ7/VA3RA, and in 2011 as VP2EAT.73, Pete VE3IKV
I will also be on 6 meters before & after the contest, as well as 10m & 6m mobile around both islands. The Grid Square on St. Barts is FK87.
QSL FJ/VA3RA direct only, with 3 Green Stamps (for International) or 2 Green Stamps (for U.S.A./Canada) please to VE3IKV. Thanks! Here is a video of TR8CA in Gabon right after I worked Alain on 6 meters from PJ7 via TEP in November 2012 - https://vimeo.com/55329808 (delete the "Here" at the end of the url)
VA3RA is my contest and DXpedition call sign. 2003: Operating as PJ6/VA3RA mobile on Saba Nov 12-14,2003 was great - it allowed me to change locations around the 2800 ft. volcanic island as propagation directions changed. Moving the car to the south side of the island allowed me to work LU7WW (FE77) - 6,783km and LU7YA (FF50) - 6,463km when 6 meters opened up to the deep south of Patagonia around 2200 UTC with 59+ signals both ways via TEP (Trans Equatorial Propagation). TEP was evident nightly on six with strong signals from LU, CE, & PY. More research needs to be done on this fascinating 6m propagation medium. The PJ6 6m mobile rig was a Yaesu FT-650 and a 55" 1/4 wave mag mount whip----------------------------------------------------------------- 2002: We had so much fun in November 2002 in PJ7 & FS St. Martin (NA-105) grid FK88 that we are going back again on November 8-15, 2003! This time, we will also be operating from PJ6 Saba (NA-145) grid FK87 as PJ6/VA3RA/m. We will be on both the 28MHz and 50MHz bands from the mobile, and will be operating both SSB and CW. Hopefully six meters will open up for F2 or TEP propagation --------------------------------------------- Had a lot of fun operating mobile from PJ7 and FS Sint Maarten/St. Martin (NA-105) on ten meters during the week of November 10-17, 2002. I was especially looking to QSO other mobile & QRP stations on ten if conditions allowed, and they did! We worked quite a few other mobiles and also some QRP stations. Please QSL direct via the home call,?3 green stamps (for international) or 2 green stamps (U.S.A./Canada) will receive a direct response, all others via the bureau (slow). Rig is a Yaesu FT-650 with 100 watts output and the mobile antenna is a Diamond HF50CX for 50 and 28MHz. The path was open on 10m to UA9 and other Asia around 1200 UTC and Europe around 1300-1500 UTC. Nice to see you all on ten!...................73, Pete VE3IKV - (additional info at www.qrz.com - VE3IKV and also CY0X)
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Western Australia
Tony's Auto Wreckers' quality used car parts are in good condition, and a fraction of the price of their factory equivalents. Our team of experts are dedicated to providing great spare parts at the best prices . Come into our car wreckers today. The team at Tony's Auto Wreckers is comprised of experienced professionals.
We know how to remove parts from our wrecks safely, to ensure the used car parts we offer are of the highest possible quality. We can fit engines and gearboxes, so ask us for a competitive quote. We also have the expert knowledge required to give you the best possible advice when it comes to spare car parts.
Give one of our team a call in Midland today.
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Podcast: Download
Episode Description:
This week we speak with academic nuerologist and Zen practitioner James Austin. Austin, who wrote the well-known book, Zen and the Brain, joins us to explain some of the physical mechanisms underlying both attention and the way we process reality. In terms of attention, he shares with us a very descriptive difference between "top-down" and "bottom-up" modes of attention. He also shares the difference, from the perspective of the brain, between self-centered (egocentric) processing and other-centered (allocentric) processing.
He also shares the ways in which these two are related to the different forms of meditation that are commonly seen in the Buddhist tradition. Although sometimes technical, his descriptions are extremely interesting for those who have an interest on the intersection between meditation and the brain.
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Mechanisms of Kensho.
Episode Links:
Vince: Hello Buddhist Geeks. This is Vince Horn and I'm here today joined over the phone by James Austin. James, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me. It's really appreciated.
James: My pleasure.
Vince: And just a little bit of your background, so people know your areas of expertise and specialty. You are a trained academic neurologist and researcher and also a long time Zen practitioner and it's the intersection of those two fields which is really been one of your primary interests and you have written several book on the topic of Zen and the brain, and your most recent one is called Selfless Insight, which will hopefully get into. But first, I thought it'd be a good idea to give people a sense of what your background with the Zen tradition is, because you've been practicing for several decades and I thought it'd be cool if we could just hear about how you were first exposed to Zen and as I understand it was while you were in Japan, in Kyoto
James: Right. I came about by accident. I'd gone to Kyoto in 1974, to do a bench research on the brain and I happened, as luck would have it, to be near, and was referred to an English speaking Zen Master Kobori Roshi. Kobori Roshi introduced me to Rinzai Zen and it was this really that captured my imagination, particularly after a few weeks, when during the moments of absorption, in the evening, I dropped into an alternate state of consciousness, in which my physical sense of self dropped down of the center of my awareness and I also entered a state in which there was no sound, a state in which the vision was blacker than black, and a state which was later permeated by a sense of a bliss. For a neurologist, to drop into a state where vision dropped out and hearing dropped out, this was quite an eye opener for me, and led me to believe that there was really something to this Zen meditation and so this continued to enlist my interest in subsequent decades and really strengthened my resolve to continue practice and also my interest in finding out what actually was going on in the brain when one meditates and when one entered these alternative states of consciousness.
Vince: Right. And that is one of the main topics we waned to explore with you because is such an interesting one and maybe we can kick it off by discussing or exploring some of the main distinctions you make in your writing work. And the first one I thought would be interesting to take a look at is a difference between what you're calling top-down and bottom-up modes of attention. I was wondering if you could say something about that distinction.
James: Yes. These two words top-down and bottom-up have entered into our understanding of attention pretty much in this last decade and let's start with top-down attention cause that's the way we usually begin to meditate.
We usually, literally, look down, usually at some spot that's on the floor in front of us or the wall and we engage in a concentration that is more voluntary, it's intentional. It's executive and it's more or less exclusive in the sense that we are excluding everything outside that small focus of our original attention. It turns out that when this particular style of attention is studied in normal people, it's found to engage mostly the regions in the upper more dorsal part of the brain.
And there are two particular areas called modules that are involved in this top-down attention. The first is an important one, in the parietal lobe, and the second area that's involved in top-down attention is another area in front of that, in the frontal lobe in the region of the frontal eye field, the area that helps us gaze to certain parts of our environment. So these two modules, one parietal, one frontal in the dorsal part of the brain have been identified, particularly by the group at Washington University at St. Louis, Corbetta and Shulman, and these areas respond to cues that the investigators have presented to their subjects that tell the subject what they might be experiencing in a few seconds, where the stimulus might be coming from, and even when the stimulus might be occurring. So this is kind of an intentional, focused, intelligent way that's voluntary to responding, it turns out, to the opposite side of the environment. So, in these words I've been trying to put together what the dorsal attention system does when it engages in what we call top-down attention.
Now, the second kind of attention that we pay, normally, to our environment… actually, it's a misnomer to use the word "pay" because this is a kind of subtler attention that is reflexive. It's automatic. When it attends it's on the lookout for things that might happen unexpectedly. Researchers don't warn their subjects about stimuli that might be coming in. The subjects pretty much have to pick up these stimuli automatically by staying aware and by staying alert. This has also been called a kind of choiceless awareness, in the sense that the subject is not choosing to pay attention to one focal region, but stays attentive to whatever might happen out in the external environment. And that's called bottom-up attention.
It turns out that actually the parts of the brain that are responsible for this kind of attentive processing are located at a lower, more ventral level, than the dorsal attention system. The particular areas are mostly in the temporal parietal junction on the right side. And the other right-sided region is in the ventro-lateral frontal cortex, again on the right side. So, what do these mostly right-sided regions do? It turns out that they pay this involuntary, reflexive attention to both the right and left sides of the environment. Now, if you've sort of been prepared to accept that your left sided temporal and frontal regions are most concerned with your language operations, with words and your expressive speech, and your receptive speech, it becomes a little easier to understand that the brain delegated to the right side of the brain this important function of paying attention to both sides of the environment.
So to summarize then, we've got two different modes of paying attention. One sort of looks down and is mostly in the upper part of the brain. When it looks down it pays attention mostly things that are in front of it. It pays attention to things that we can grasp close to are body like tools, and in doing that by the way, in grasping things close to our body with our hands and fingers using tools we're mostly relying on our senses of touch in our fingers and proprioception in our fingers. These are clearly parietal lobe oriented functions, so I hope you're getting the sense that were talking more about a top-down function that is more in the parietal lobe.
On the other hand the central attention system, because it's mostly coursing through lower parts of the brain, particularly in the lower temporal and lower frontal lobe that's relying more on our senses of vision and sense of hearing, and these senses are designed to help us detect and identify things that are out of reach of our finger, things at a distance, things way off in the distance. In fact and instead of looking down in order to identify these its efficiencies are designed more in the direction of identifying and seeing and hearing things in the at a distance from us often by looking up or by listening up. So there you are, two forms of attention involving very different parts of the brain and the importance of these for meditators I think with a little reflection you can start beginning to imagine because basically our two different kinds of attentive arts we engage in when we meditate fall into similar categories
Vince: Right
James: Our concentrative meditation is more effortful. It's more sustained, focused, and exclusive it requires top-down attentive processing. It's more self-referential. It may evolve into the absorption of the jhānas, and it can be kind of summarized as paying attention. Whereas the more receptive modes of meditation are more unfocused. They're more effortless. They're more open. They involve only a bare awareness that expresses bottom-up modes of processing there more involuntary there other referential there tuned to the world outside and they're the ones who can shift into our more intuitive and insightful modes of awareness and they're clearly choiceless because we're not in there choosing to do with them, they more or less take place automatically. So it's these two major modes of attention that overlap in significant ways with comparable styles of meditation the one is concentrated and the other is receptive.
Vince: And this really closely connects to what you call egocentric and allocentric. The certain senses are kind of focused on the self, and then other senses…
James: Right
Vince: …are kind of refocused on the outside, and that seems to bring up this interesting question about duality in the brain.
James: Well, it turns out that the brain really has two ways of perceiving reality. Reality is something, in one sense, that clearly refers back to us as an experiencer, back in the center. That's one way, that's called egocentric processing. But there's another way of processing reality, which is not egocentric. Ego, has as its opposing word, Allo. Allo means "other". Ego means "self" centered.
Other-centered processing refers to the way we identify things in the outside world, out there, more or less leading them out there where they exist in co-relationships with other objects that are "out there", away from us. Clearly, our egocentric way of processing things is inherently more subjective, because we're "in there." We're the subject. There is an inherently more objective, that is non-personal, impersonal way of perceiving objects, and that is accomplished by the allocentric processing stream.
Now, here again, the egocentric processing stream, having started visually in the occipital lobe, has its trajectory that moves upward and toward the parietal lobe in the dorsal part of the brain. In contrast, the allocentric processing stream, having also started occipitally, has its trajectory downward moving, toward the inferior temporal region, and then on into the interior frontal lobe. The egocentric processing stream is clearly oriented to serve our own abilities to act in the environment. The allocentric processing stream is much more relative. It can be highly abstract. It depends on vision and hearing. It taps into the stream that asks, "What is it, out there in the outside environment?" In contrast, the egocentric processing stream is designed to say, "Where is it?" and to answer that question, and then to proceed to answer how one should act as a person.
So we've got these three general topics. The first is attention. The second relates to meditation, the ways we meditate. The third relates to the question you asked about how do we process reality in two different ways, and there are very important "overlappings" between these three topics. The overlappings show that they are as complimentary as yin and yang. They're opposite functions, and yet they're balanced and they operate in a neat, balanced way to help us function both as meditators and as people who are interpreting and acting in the real world.


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Top Definition
One who is not quite a goof, but shows considerable progress.
She was such a goofster that she cut her own bangs, which did not come out strait.
додав somegoof 17 Січня 2005
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Extremely large toothed person who is only known for his large incisors. Often a butt of jokes.
Look at the Goofster, he needs a diamond drill bit to tackle those gnashers!
додав Ebwah 23 Квітня 2010


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The concept is 9th Wonder's. The production is the work of Khrysis and Eric G. The video was directed by the Brain Strong collective at the 5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center in Queens, NY. But this track is undeniably the work of Richmond's Locksmith. On so many levels, the MC embodies the spirit of the underdog. Clearly more talented than many of his peers, he still, unfortunately, exists below the radar. In his new song "Transitions" he rhymes: They overlook me in my region like the Chilean Blacks/I refuse to keep playing in this decaying trap/now it's to the point I'm reluctant to even say I rap.
Fortunately for us, he does still rap. Locksmith is still putting out quality material when others are solely concerned with social media buzz and pretending to be something they aren't. Not only is he transparent is his lyrics, he's also launched a webseries titled The Green Box, which will give viewers a look as his life growing up in Richmond. Peep his latest video and the series below and make sure you're on the look out for his new album #TheGreenBox.
Props to The Smoking Section.