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Cancer answers
Huntington Hospital, Arcadia Methodist and a host of local medical facilities feature comprehensive care options
By Jana J. Monji 01/21/2010
Few families have not been touched by cancer. But the good news is that with early detection, more and more patients these days are surviving longer. What may make treatment a little bit frustrating is navigating the area's growing medical care system, and some area hospitals, such as Arcadia Methodist Hospital of Southern California and Huntington Hospital, have made things easier by centralizing their programs.
According to Maury Kulwin, executive director for ambulatory and cancer services for Huntington, the hospital's senior managers, board of directors and medical leadership "felt it would be easier and more satisfying for patients with cancer to have all the facilities under one roof." And starting this month, the medical center will do just that, with all the cancer-related services being offered the Huntington Hospital Cancer Center.
Along with Huntington and Arcadia's Methodist, area residents can also go to City of Hope in Duarte, or farther west to UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, or USC's Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In February, the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center will open in Burbank at Providence St. John Medical Center. Roy E. Disney, a former Tournament of Roses grand marshal, died of stomach cancer on Dec. 16, and his uncle Walt died of lung cancer in 1966.
Also serving the San Gabriel Valley is the South Pasadena Cancer Center, a 22,000-square-foot outpatient facility — one of the few physician-operated cancer centers in the Los Angeles area. Owned and operated by the California Cancer Specialists Medical Group, the center is one of the largest employers in South Pasadena and provides inpatient and surgical services at local hospitals, such as the City of Hope and Huntington.
Last spring, the Huntington Hospital Cancer Center, which handles up to 700 patients a year, was awarded an outstanding achievement award from the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer (CoC). Established in 1996, the center includes the Constance G. Zahorik Breast Center, which is dedicated to overall breast health, and the Helen and Jim Gamble Radiation Oncology Center for radiation treatment. That facility also has a prostate cancer program for education, care and screening, as well as a cancer data center that collects and maintains information on tumors in order to help recognize community and nationwide trends. Here, nurse navigators help patients understand the complexities of the health care system and assist with scheduling consultations and procedures.
At the Zahorik Center, a certified beautician is available to help patients feel better about themselves after they've lost hair due to chemotherapy. Every day there is a multidisciplinary physician conference where a group of cancer specialists discuss the best ways to go with treatment, with patients receiving recommendations from their doctors on the best possible procedures.
The Huntington Cancer Center also has strong physician partnerships with specialists from City of Hope, USC and UCLA. Kulwin emphasized that the center wants to be both welcoming and comforting for those individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer and endeavors to address psycho-social issues through support groups, as well as medical and management issues.
Because research has shown that acupuncture can relieve nausea and pain in cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy, beginning in February the center will also have a medical acupuncturist.
Methodist Hospital, which deals with about 600 cancer patients yearly, also has its own cancer resource center. According to hospital spokeswoman Gina Marie Farino, Arcadia Methodist has been offering a comprehensive cancer treatment program since 1974. In 2007, the hospital received a three-year approval with commendations in five categories from the American College of Surgeons' CoC. Their center includes a Return to Wellness program for breast cancer patients, which provides individualized nutritional and physical fitness plans for recovery.
Also in Arcadia, Arcadia Radiology Medical Group performs on-site breast biopsies and, through a new program, Vision Reach, allows referring physicians to make online appointments with specialists. Their doctors work with Methodist, San Gabriel Valley Medical Center and Alhambra Hospital Medical Center.
For those diagnosed with cancer, recovery will be more convenient than ever, because the medical community works "hand-in-glove" with nurses and doctors "to understand the needs of the cancer community — patients and family members," said Kulwin.
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Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar
To the Holy Land
Episode 2 | TV-MA
Lashara brings Kenshi to the Holy Land as her attendant. He is constantly puzzled by the ways of this world. He asks people what they think of the customs regarding "marriage" only to hear some surprising responses!
Dub Expires: 06-20-2014
Official Site: www.funimation.com/shows/tenchi-muyo-war-on-geminarHide Details

subset: commoncrawl


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An Overview of Azithromycin (Zithromax)
October 8, 2012
Other Names: Zithromax, Zmax, azithromycin dihydrate
What is azithromycin?
Azithromycin is an antibacterial prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat certain infections, such as:
Certain bacterial respiratory diseases (such as pneumonia) are opportunistic infections. An opportunistic infection is an infection that occurs more frequently or is more severe in people with weakened immune systems -- such as those infected with HIV -- than in people with healthy immune systems.
Azithromycin can also be used "off-label" to treat other opportunistic infections of HIV infection. "Off-label" use refers to use of an FDA-approved medicine in a manner different from that described on the medicine label. Good medical practice and the best interests of a patient sometimes require that a medicine be used "off-label."
What HIV-related opportunistic infections is azithromycin used for?
The Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents, prepared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), includes recommendations on the HIV-related uses of azithromycin to treat bacterial respiratory diseases (such as pneumonia) and recommendations for the following "off-label" uses of azithromycin to:
What should I tell my health care provider before taking azithromycin?
Before taking azithromycin, tell your health care provider:
Ask your health care provider about possible side effects from azithromycin. Your health care provider will tell you what to do if you have side effects.
How should I take azithromycin?
Take azithromycin according to your health care provider's instructions. Your health care provider will tell you how much azithromycin to take and when to take it. Before you start azithromycin and each time you get a refill, read any printed information that comes with your medicine.
How should azithromycin be stored?
Where can I find more information about azithromycin?
More information about azithromycin is available:
This article was provided by AIDSinfo. Visit the AIDSinfo website to find out more about their activities and publications.


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December 28, 2011 —
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office says they have broken up a burglary ring that has been breaking into homes and businesses in the western part of the county for much of the past year.
Three suspects, Nicholas Simon, 18, of Jeffersonville, Kyle Freda, 18, of Narrowsburg and Vandaryle Malone, 18, of Cochecton Center have been arrested and charged with various crimes.
Investigators got a major break in the early morning hours of December 14 when they responded to a car fire on State Route 52 in Lake Huntington. The Lake Huntington Fire Department and the Sullivan County Bureau of Fire Investigation quickly determined that the car fire was suspicious, and the investigation ultimately led to the three arrests.
The three suspects were charged with arson in the case of the motor vehicle, and also with the burglary of a residence at 47 Hubert Road in the Town of Bethel. Simon and Malone were charged with the burglary of a residence at 19 Esselman Road in the Town of Callicoon, which occurred in November.
The three suspects are also implicated in the May 24 burglary and arson fire of a residence at 350 Swiss Hill Road North in the Town of Delaware.
Sheriff Mike Schiff says his detectives are working with the NYS Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation to connect the suspects to other area burglaries, including the May 16 break-in of the 1906 Restaurant on Lower Main Street in Callicoon. Schiff said his deputies have recovered some of the liquor bottles that were taken in that incident.
Simon, Freda and Malone were arraigned before Town of Cochecton Judge Craig Fine and initially remanded to the Sullivan County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. Two of the men were subsequently released on bail, with Malone still being held as of December 23.


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The Minor League Game of the Week
Trevor Bell pitched seven shutout innings on August 24, 2007 when the Kernels visited Quad Cities.
August 24, 2007 — Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Cedar Rapids Kernels visit the Swing of the Quad Cities as both teams seek post-season playoff slots.
With everyone finally healthy, by late August the Kernels were firing on all metaphorical cylinders. This game features all the regulars who should be at Rancho Cucamonga in 2008 — P.J. Phillips, Peter Bourjos, Wil Ortiz, Mark Trumbo, Hank Conger, Matt Sweeney, Ryan Mount, Trevor Bell, and Barret Browning.
For Trevor Bell, he was as hot in August as the rest of the Kernels. In that month, Trevor was 4-0 with a 2.20 ERA. In 41.0 IP, he struck out 29, walked just five, and gave up just one homer.
Although the Angels have been affiliated with Cedar Rapids since 1993, Quad Cities was a long-time Angels affiliate as well, starting with the Angels' second year of existence in 1962. The Angels were in Davenport from 1962-1978, then returned for 1986-1992 before switching their Midwest League affiliation to Cedar Rapids.
I'm hoping this year I can catch at least one Kernels road game at Quad Cities. Historic John O'Donnell Stadium is one of the most picturesque ballparks in the minors. Literally against the Mississippi River, the Centennial Bridge arches across the water next to the stadium. The field does flood now and then, forcing the ballclub to move elsewhere, but a recent renovation project supposedly will help protect from future floods. (I'm sure Mother Nature will have something to say about that …).
The franchise has gone through several names over the years. When they were affiliated with the Angels, they were known as the Quad Cities Angels but also known at times as the Quad Cities River Bandits. A previous owner changed the team name in 2004 to the Swing of the Quad Cities (ick!), but new ownership this winter changed it back to River Bandits. Unfortunately, they also sold the stadium naming rights, so it's now called Modern Woodmen Park. Supply your own punch line.
Click Here to listen to the game. You need Windows Media Player.
2 Comments
Since Mark at MLBlogs calls you his most popular fan blog of all, I thought I'd give you your first reader comment in more than two months.
Blogger's Note: The above individual used this message to advertise another web site. The link has been deleted. The rest remains so you can judge for yourself his true motivations. — Stephen
True motivations? Well, I had two, actually. The biggie was to make fun of Mark at MLBlogs. If you fail to see the humor in the head of MLB's 3 yr old blogging community propping up a blog that hasnt had a single reader comment in two months as his "most popular", then either you misunderstood my intentions or have a pretty thin skin, or both.
It wasn't my intention to disparage your blog in any way. On the contrary, I wish you great success with it. Calling attn to your paucity of comments was directed at Mark's breathless claim in the midst of his methodical lack of promotion for "ordinary" bloggers going back to 2005 – and was in no way meant to disparage your blog's quality.
My second motivation was just to say Hi and welcome you to MLBlogs, and we normally do that with a link to our own blog. The primary reason I linked was for your benefit, not mine, so you could see who I was. Sure, it might generate an extra referral, but trust me, the practical impact is usually negligible.
Again, sorry for the misunderstanding and success with the blog.


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Home List of Titles Chemical degradation of crosslinked ethylene-propylene-diene rubber in an acidic environment: part I: effect on accelerated sulphur crosslinks
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/198595
- Title
- Chemical degradation of crosslinked ethylene-propylene-diene rubber in an acidic environment: part I: effect on accelerated sulphur crosslinks
- Author(s)
- Mitra, Susanta; Ghanbari-Siahkali, Afshin; Kingshott, Peter; Rehmeier, Helle Kem; Abildgaard, Hans; Almdal, Kristoffer
- Abstract
- The time-dependent chemical degradation of accelerated sulphur cured ethylene propylene diene rubber containing 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene as diene in an acidic environment (20% Cr/H2SO4) was investigated. Two different rubbers with a similar ethylene to propylene ratio and diene content but with a significant difference in molar mass and level of long chain branching were used in the study. The molecular mechanisms of the chemical degradation occurring at the surface were determined using surface analysis (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). The results reveal formation of several oxygenated species on the surface as a consequence of the acid attack. Furthermore, the crosslink sites of the exposed rubber samples are also found vulnerable to hydrolytic attack as evidenced by the decrease in crosslink density. The extent of surface degradation was strong enough to affect the bulk mechanical properties. Changes in mechanical properties were also monitored through determining retention in tensile strength, (%) elongation at break, modulus at 50% elongation, and change in micro-hardness. A negative correlation is also established between retention in modulus at 50% elongation and decrease in crosslink density. Scanning electron microscopy reveals the topographical damage at the surface due to the aqueous acid induced chemical degradation. The results indicate that the chemical degradation proceeds mainly via hydrolysis of crosslinks but upon prolonged exposure, the oxygenated species tend to combine with each other. The effect of molar mass and level of long chain branching also influences the chemical degradation.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Source
- Polymer Degradation and Stability, Vol. 91, no. 1 (Jan 2006), pp. 69-80
- Publication year
- 2006
- FOR Code(s)
- 0303 Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry; 0904 Chemical Engineering; 0912 Materials Engineering
- Keyword(s)
- ATR-FTIR; Acid attack; Chemical degradation; Crosslink density; Crosslinking; Degradation; ENB-EPDM; Ethylene; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Mechanical properties; Microhardness; Propylene; Rubber; Scanning electron microscopy; SEM; Sulfur; Surface chemistry; Tensile strength; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; XPS
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- 0141-3910
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Peer reviewed


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Crysis 2 ReviewBy Miguel Concepcion - Posted Mar 22, 2011
Crysis 2 is a veritable wake up call to all those FPS developers and consumers who have gotten too comfortable with hallway-shaped shooters. It's not a game changer by any means, but it does show that the genre as a whole has the latitude to aspire to higher standards.
The Pros
- Robust single player mode
- Adaptive combat situations make each playthrough unique
- Open level design is refreshing
The Cons
- Very minor production bugs
- Uninspiring story
- Vehicle sections are too short
- Many will miss out on the spectacular 3D
Crysis 2 Review:
First-person shooter fans must feel pretty darn lucky lately. In a six-month span that started with Medal of Honor, there have been no fewer than six high caliber releases. Somehow, EA managed to lay claim to three of those games (as a publisher). Yet what is more impressive is how two of those titles, Bulletstorm and Crysis 2, make reasonable attempts to defy gameplay conceits to the point that it works to the gamers' benefit to forget everything they know about first-person shooters.
Familiarity Isn't Always A Good Thing
Second installments of planned trilogies in all forms of entertainment often carry the burden of trying to stand out while being more than just a bridge to the concluding chapter. One way Crysis 2 carves its own identity is by relocating the trilogy to New York City. As the survivor of a failed beach landing against invading aliens, protagonist Alcatraz is rescued by Prophet, the squad leader from the previous game. For reasons that would spoil the plot, Prophet passes on his Nanosuit to Alcatraz in order to complete a rescue mission. You would be right to assume that Crysis 2's narrative goes well beyond this initial assignment.
This story is also where Crysis 2 falls short. Much of the supporting cast comes off sounding cliché, a result of Crytek wanting to present familiar characterizations for the player. I found myself rolling my eyes when the parodical outcast scientist vented about the obligatory "fools at the Pentagon". There are the expected fragile alliances, unsurprising one-dimensional personalities and the amped Marines who yell "Hoo-rah!" and the classic hit "That's what I'm talking about!" The manner by which you join different cast members throughout your journey, and the near-future setting, has strains of a Half-Life 2 influence and more gamers would get that positive vibe had it not been for Crysis 2's chapter breaks. In its defense, it would have been a challenge to make the progression seamless in a setting as large as New York City.
One lost opportunity that Crysis 2 could have played up was the human element involving the non-military survivors in NYC. We all saw it at the end of the Grand Central E3 demo, where residents were desperately trying to join up with the outbound vehicles. Instead, much of the plot development is between Alcatraz and the nagging voice inside his suit, which by the way you cannot turn off since it plays an integral part in the story.
Bourne Again
Once you figure out how Crysis 2's universe operates, don't be surprised to feel like a special agent in the Jason Bourne vein. You'll get into the habit of appraising a given area of its alternate routes, cover spots, and all the opportunities to gain the upper hand in a firefight. At one point I was in a rooftop shootout against what felt like a half-dozen entrenched enemy operatives as well as a dozen more incoming support troops. Eventually I blew up the one explosive red barrel on the roof, but I was out of grenades and my cover options were literally deteriorating. So I did what any super soldier would do in that situation: I just leapt off the building (but not before I activated my armor boost to cushion my landing).
And there is a sense of liberation when confronting a traditional FPS obstacle like an 18-wheeler and knowing that you can simply slide under it or power jump over it in Crysis 2. Of course this isn't anything new if you consider the super-powered protagonists in third-person adventure games like inFamous and Crackdown. You're powered, but not overpowered in this game. Those who are used to certain FPS gameplay conventions will be pleasantly surprised by how gratifying it is to take advantage of one's environment in ways that are seldom done in other shooters.
There's the Nanosuit itself, which has been purposefully labeled as ver. 2.0. Arguably its greatest asset is the brief cool down period, which helps maintain the game's fast pace. The user interface when activating the suit's enhancements is more streamlined compared to the first Crysis, not to mention the ability to customize the Nanosuit based on your play preferences. You can be well-rounded with your power-ups or you can try and survive with limited resources as you save up for one high-level mod like the air stomp.
While the suit succeeds in providing the player an otherworldly sense of science fiction, the familiar weapon selection complements the suit by giving the player a grounded sense in reality. Though fictional, these firearms are mostly FPS staples from assault rifles to shotguns to snipers. 22 in all, the only non-standard weapon is the MIKE, a mircowave-based gun that boils unfortunate targets. The C4 explosive is actually the showcase weapon of the bunch. Those still basking in the afterglow of Bulletstorm will enjoy attaching C4 onto enemies; when you consider that Alcatraz has the ability to also throw enemies, you can imagine the joyous mayhem that ensues when you combine both actions.
Crytek also deserves recognition for the designs of the weapon and suit customization interfaces. By avoiding the traditional multi-page pause menu UI that most FPS games use, these one-button-accessible customization screens actually feel like part of the Nanosuit itself. It is all the more immersive since the action continues in the background when you're accessing these screens.
Giving the player this much freedom and flexibility also addresses one of the trickier aspects of FPS story modes: replayability. While other shooters bring the player back to the story with achievements, perks and an experience system that carries over to the multiplayer, Crysis 2 goes a more traditional route by trusting the inherent merits of the gameplay. Moreover, the game is designed to appeal to both players who want to kill every enemy in the game and players who want to be as stealthy as possible. The cloaking feature of the Nanosuit is effective enough that you could go through the majority of the game without being spotted, although there's an added sense of gratification for passing areas undetected without cloaking.
Artificial Behavior Provides The Challenge
The Nanosuit is an effective stealth mechanism, but beware that as you adjust to a situation, so do your enemies. Anyone who has followed Crytek since 2004's Far Cry know the studio delivers games with impressive enemy AI, the kind that makes you wonder why this isn't a standard feature in most shooters. Enemies in Crysis 2 act with a convincing sense of unpredictability without feeling random. They rarely stick to one area for cover long and many will proactively come after you. The more extra-terrestrial opponents are especially impressive in this close-quarters environment, throwing you off occasionally by flanking you, or worse, maneuvering directly behind you. At its most sublime, Crysis 2's combat results in a heated dance of improvisation on both ends and a sense perpetual of one-upmanship. At its minimal worst, one full playthrough will present two or three enemies with pathing issues, some of whom are running into walls thereby making them easy kills. On the topic of very minor bugs, it is puzzling that when cloaked, your shadow still appears, not that the enemy AI notices.
It should also be noted that the scant vehicle sections in Crysis 2 are well designed and deliver on some of the game's many cinematic moments. It's just a shame that these sections are too short especially in a game as long as this.
That said, when it comes to spoiled consumers who complain that 8-hour story modes are too short, Crysis 2 makes for one extensive value-laden campaign. It especially benefits the run-and-gun player, who can spend up to an hour in a number of the game's 19 chapters (20 if you count the non-playable epilogue).
A Worn Down Apple
The immense fun one can have in using the environment to outsmart one or a dozen enemies makes Crysis 2 feel like a playground rather than a sandbox. And it seems fitting that after all these years, Crytek has left the comfort of the island jungles and set Crysis 2 in the largest urban playground of them all. You will see many familiar Manhattan locales, but don't expect a greatest hits tour of all the city's landmarks, let alone a visit to The Village. As a metropolis, you get a solid balance of rooftop settings, grassy park shootouts and street-level combat.
There has never been a more fleshed out depiction of Manhattan in a videogame. Granted it is an extremely torn up version of the Big Apple, but all the destruction is detailed and convincing. While it has as many reused "trashy" art assets of broken beams, piles of concrete and garbage bags that you would find in most adventure games today, Crytek's art department does a much better job than most developers in making this kind of visual recycling unnoticeable. It's worth being distracted by one's surroundings if only to admire and consider the plausibility of this world.
It is also a fragile environment, one where buildings crumble and bridges collapse within your proximity. A couple surrounding events instantaneously change the landscape of an area, sometimes through the terrain, other times through visibility. If it's not an endless cloud of dust that affects your vision, the unexpected power failures and the ensuing darkness will keep you on your toes.
This attention to detail extends well beyond the environments. Little things like the feeling of heft when lifting oneself up a ledge and the audible weight in one's footsteps when armor is activated goes a long way in conveying a sense of polish.
A Nanosuit Free-For-All
Crysis 2 is also a rarity among contemporary first-person shooters because the production of the single player mode did not feel like it came at the expense of the multiplayer quality, nor vice versa. Of the 12 maps, a few are exclusive to multiplayer and many of those that were taken from the story underwent lighting changes to correlate with different times of day. This is also the section where the Nanosuit gets to expand its repertoire of modules from the campaign's 12 to 21. MP-exclusive modules include the ability to take suit energy from a downed foe, use radar jamming, and capitalize on the often-lethal faster firing rate.
Among the familiar modes, Deathmatch has been renamed Instant Action, Conquest is now Crash Site, and Capture The Relay replaces Capture The Flag. Extraction is a one-sided Capture The Flag where the multiple "flags" are robotic insects that have to be captured and delivered to a helicopter.
I'm personally drawn to asymmetrical game modes mostly due to their unusual design and my curiosity with how each developer pulls it off. In Crysis 2 that mode is called Assault, an addictive set-up pitting soldiers with tons of artillery against Nanosuits who are stuck with pistols. It's a blast to be on either side and it's especially tense because it's the only mandatory mode in Crysis 2 where you have just one life.
You actually can add this "single life" setting to the other modes as one of the modifiers. Other modifiers include: Beginner's Playground which limits the game to Rank 10 or lower; Pro disables support bonuses, limits health, and the HUD; and Standard is the default setting. There's also Classic which takes out the Nanosuit altogether, Fast Rounds for shorter intermissions, and Solo for non-squad gameplay.
I found that the greatest multiplayer challenge was in stealth kills, a move that only the best and most dedicated player will pull off with regularity. The majority of gamers will try it, as accomplishing it will earn you one of the 200 tiered Assessments, Crysis 2's version of Challenges.
The often-perceived luxury of 3D compatibility is actually one of Crysis 2's best selling points. Whereas other 3D-enabled videogames have had to sacrifice some visual quality due to the double-rendering needed to pull off the 3D effect, Crytek Engine 3 manages to create a 3D image without any noticeable difference in the 2D version. Perhaps it helps that they went the Nintendo 3DS route by making the depth effect recessed as opposed to having foreground visuals pop out of the screen; and like the 3DS, the degree of depth can be adjusted. At one point I found myself playing with every available scope in my arsenal because the level of depth in staring through those barrels is so darn convincing. It's the first 3D game I've experienced where it felt like an enhancement as opposed to a novel alternate viewing mode. So by default, Crysis 2 is the best 3D console game to date.
PC diehards who harbor concerns that their version might suffer in quality like many console-to-PC ports should have no reason to worry. It performs just as well as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions and high-end PCs will actually show a slight visual improvement by comparison. I could tell the sunlight was more focused; it achieved the desired effect without being excessive unlike some scenes in the Xbox 360 version. This was also probably why the contrast lighting was also slightly better on PC, lending to darker shadows. I was also able to pick up some minute improvements in detailed areas laden with tiles and trash, the kind of details you would only notice if you had a console version to refer to immediately.
Shortcomings aside, Crysis 2 presents an extensive laundry list of accomplishments that is worthy of the attention of any fan of first-person shooters. While the narrative and supporting cast take little to no chances at originality, one can hope that this is, like many Part IIs before it, acting as a fitting setup to a climactic conclusion to the trilogy.
In a genre that has become complacent with tunnel-style levels, experiencing the openness of Crysis 2 feels all the more refreshing. Of course you do have specific destinations to reach in each chapter, but how you get there and how many enemies you kill is up to you. While it does not feature the labyrinthine layouts of Wolfenstein and Doom, I can't think of a better shooter out there that captures the exploratory appeal of those games, paying homage to a time when the genre was in its infancy.


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My long-time friend, Julie from DiggingOutTogether.com (I highly suggest signing up for her monthly motivational newsletter), sent me these perfect Paperstyle Stilettos Notecards for my belated birthday. I plan to use the first one to send Julie a thank-you note. I also plan to use one of each of the four designs to create a collage to frame to add to my shoe decor. Paperstyle Stilettos Notecards are available from Amazon.com. Square format notecards with coloured envelopes, … [Read more...]
Stilettos Notecards
October 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment


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Posted by dan418 on July 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment
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Everyone can shop!
- Free General Admission & Free Parking. Paid Ticketed Entry available for early shopping.
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- Register and pay the $8.50 Registration Fee to receive your Consignor Number and access to our price tag system.
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Hamilton and Stewart in F1/NASCAR car swap
Hamilton, the 2008 F1 world champion, will drive the number 14 Chevrolet Impala while Stewart will try out the Briton's title-winning McLaren MP4-23 in an event organized by their teams' mutual sponsor Mobil.
"I spend a lot of time in race cars, but this will be the first time I've been at the wheel of a NASCAR stock car," Hamilton, who is racing this weekend at the Turkish Grand Prix, said in a statement.
"Tony and I will have some fun with the swap and make sure we put on a good show."
Stewart added: "When you've been around competitive racing for as long as I have, you really look forward to new experiences. This car swap with Lewis is definitely one of those opportunities."


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Group pushes heat pumps as alternative to gasBy Josh O'Gorman
VERMONT PRESS BUREAU | August 25,2014MONTPELIER — Advocacy groups are promoting an efficient heating technology as an alternative to a gas pipeline being built to serve the western part of the state.
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group and the Vermont Natural Resources Council have launched a campaign that advocates for the large-scale use of electric-powered cold-weather heat pumps as a "clean" alternative to the natural gas pipeline from Vermont Gas Systems that could stretch across Addison County to Ticonderoga, N.Y., and eventually to Rutland.
The fact that the "Heat Clean" campaign is focusing on Addison and Chittenden counties is no coincidence, said Ben Walsh, clean energy advocate for VPIRG.
"We'll definitely be doing educational efforts statewide, but we do have a focus on Chittenden and Addison to demonstrate how unnecessary the fracked pipeline is," Walsh said.
"Fracking," or hydraulic fracturing, is a controversial method of extracting natural gas from the ground that some environmental advocates condemn for its effect on the surrounding groundwater.
Also, in a state that has a goal of relying on renewable energy for 90 percent of its needs by 2050, the gas line is a step in the wrong direction, Walsh said.
"When we decided to take a position to oppose the fracked pipeline, we wanted to show there are better alternatives for Vermonters to heat their homes," Walsh said.
Johanna Miller, energy program director for Vermont Natural Resources Council, echoed Walsh's thoughts.
"At a time when climate change is threatening our way of life here in Vermont, getting off fossil fuels is not only a moral issue, but it's also plain common sense," Miller said.
The groups are working with installers and town energy committees with the goal of installing heat pumps into 100 homes before winter. According to VPIRG, the installations will save Vermonters approximately $2 million, based on the assumption that homeowners will see a savings of 40 percent to 50 percent on their heating bills.
Some homeowners could save far more than that.
In August 2013, Zech Gardner moved into his new home on Elfin Hill Road in Charlotte. The home was built with efficiency in mind, and this past winter, he used a heat pump for his primary heat source.
"It was great," Gardner said. "The house stayed comfortable and it cost us very little money."
Gardner said he heated his 2,200-square-foot home for $356 in electricity and 1.25 cords of wood. The winter before, Gardner spent $3,500 in heating oil and burned 3 cords of wood to heat his 1860s-era farm house.
"And this winter, it was much more comfortable," Gardner said.
For more information, visit vpirg.org/heatclean.
firstname.lastname@example.com IN Vermont NewsMONTPELIER Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt. Full StoryVermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell plans to join the U.S. Full StoryMONTPELIER Gov. Full Story
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Black Butler
His Butler, Merrymaking
Episode 7 | TV-14
At the behest of the Queen, the Young Master and his underlings travel to a dreary land supposedly haunted by a demon dog. This new mission makes the Butler uneasy, but he's always been more of a cat person.
Official Site: www.funimation.com/shows/black-butlerHide Details


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Product Description
One of the most celebrated albums in all of pop music, Fleetwood Mac's multi-platinum Rumours, gets a luscious, symphonic treatment on this very special release!
Arranged and recorded by the world famous Royal Philharmonic at London's own Abbey Road Studio with special guest appearance by Peter Frampton!
Experience this album like you never have before!


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Busted: Workforce W.Va. caught with hand in cookie jar
Only after they got caught – that is, after their misbehavior was exposed in the press – did Workforce West Virginia officials agree to stop an outrageous waste of taxpayers' money. That ought to infuriate Mountain State residents.
Claudia D. George, an assistant director at Workforce West Virginia, works in Charleston but lives in Fairmont. According to a published report, the state pays her mileage to commute each week to her job, a 376-mile round trip. It also covers $100 a night for her to stay at a Charleston hotel during the week. And she gets $51 a day for meals during the work week. George also receives a $62,640 salary.
That has been going on since 2010. George has racked up about $78,000 in reimbursements for her long-distance commute and Charleston living expenses.
Now that the fiasco has been exposed, George's superiors at Workforce West Virginia said arrangements for her will be changed.
It is not as if they were not aware of the situation previously, however. Also according to a published report, Workforce West Virginia employees have questioned the deal in the past. Their complaints fell on deaf ears.
In both the public and private sectors, it is not uncommon for employers to make temporary arrangements for employees transferred from one job location to another. Sometimes mileage, hotel rooms and meals are covered for a few weeks or even a few months, while the employee has time to search for a new residence nearer the new workplace.
But again, George has benefited from such arrangements for more than two years.
A more basic change than the one planned in compensating George ought to be made. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin should find out who in Workforce West Virginia permitted the debacle and discipline that person severely.


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Pink Lemonade Mini Cakes
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Ready Time: 60 min
- Yield: 6 dozen
- Pillsbury™ Baking Spray with Flour
- 1 package Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Pink Lemonade Flavored Premium Cake Mix
- 1/4 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup water
- 2 large eggs
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1 (10 oz.) jar Dickinson's® Lemon Curd
- Powdered sugar (optional)
Preparation Directions
- HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat mini muffin cups with no-stick baking spray.
- COMBINE cake mix, oil, water and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Fill prepared mini muffin cups 2/3 full.
- BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 3 minutes.
- WHISK powdered sugar and orange juice in medium bowl until smooth and blended. Place wax paper under wire racks. Remove mini cakes from pan. Dip bottoms immediately into orange glaze. Place on wire rack bottom-side up. Repeat with remaining mini cakes. Cool completely.
- PLACE whipped topping in decorater bag with #8 round tip or place in large resealable plastic bag. Cut 1/4-inch corner off bag. Place lemon curd in small resealable plastic bag. Knead until smooth. Cut small corner off bag. Make a criss-cross cut on top of each mini cake with a knife. Fill centers with topping continuing onto top of mini cake. Top with a small dollop of lemon curd. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.
- TIP To use the same mini muffin pans several times to bake all the mini tarts, wash and dry between batches.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
Serving Size (1 mini cake of 72), Calories 80 (Calories from Fat 20), Total Fat 2.5g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g), Cholesterol 10mg, Sodium 55mg, Total Carbohydrate 15g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 12g), Protein 0g; Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 2%, Calcium 0%, Iron 0%.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
* Ensure all recipe ingredients are gluten free by referencing the ingredient labels, as products may vary. If uncertain, contact the ingredient manufacturer.


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There's no shortcuts to being funny, unless you are a cat. I guess we're all naturally lazy, and we like to believe there's a simple formula or catchphrase we can count on for a laugh without putting in any effort or taking any risks. "That's what she said," I'm looking at you.
Now, people can do a lot of the stuff below and be very funny, but that's because they're not doing just these things. They're adding something, like a point, or a performance, or an observation, or a fart.
Again, I am not saying these things are never funny. I am saying these are things that some people think are an "easy" button they can push to automatically be funny. It is like trying to bake chocolate chip cookies with only the chocolate chips. Chocolate chips are great and pretty important in a chocolate chip cookie, but if you try to make cookies using only chocolate chips, as opposed to adding eggs, butter, flour, sugar or anything like that, you will get a pan full of burnt melted chocolate.
And that looks very similar to another substance I would use to describe these one-ingredient jokes.
(Hint: It's poop.)
Every one of these misconceptions comes from hearing actual jokes and taking away the wrong lesson. In this case, the humor in a lot of jokes comes from an unexpected twist or an incongruity or a mismatch. Like the most depraved sequence of sex acts imaginable being titled "The Aristocrats."
Having brought up "The Aristocrats," which sort of sucks, I should note that a lot of the "good joke" examples I list might not be funny to you, or even me, but the reason I put them in the "good joke" category is that you can at least see a reason why it is supposed to be funny instead of having no idea how it could be a joke. Like if aliens kidnapped you and threatened to kill you unless you explained why the joke was supposed to be funny, you would be able to come up with something for them, even if you disagree with it. As opposed to going "Oh God please don't kill me I swear I don't know."
Which is what would happen if you had to explain "RAWR moo zombie dinosaur mustache Lady Gaga I'm craaaazzzy! I like turtles!" I probably should put "randomness" in quotes, because it's hardly ever truly random. Most of the words consist of quotes from memes ("tiger blood," Chuck Norris, "over 9,000," "ceiling cat"), current names in pop culture (Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, a Kardashian), and this weird little list of words that almost everyone seems to pull from when trying to be random ("monkey" or "chicken").
I don't know why primates are the most popular go-to animal for instant humor. I mean, they seem quite dignified to me.
Anyway, the aliens would ask you why they are supposed to laugh at this, and even with your own life at stake, you would be able to come up with nothing and get shot.
The reason a lot of people think randomness is funny by itself is that they've encountered jokes or funny scenes where something random happens, like a naked Asian man bursting out of a trunk and running away in The Hangover, or King Arthur running into a bunch of knights who say "Ni" and demand shrubberies in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Demand shrubberies and get them.
What they're missing is that there's more to those jokes than just "randomness." There is a lot of physical comedy in the Hangover bit, starting from when Ken Jeong, or his stunt double, jumps crotch-first into Bradley Cooper's face (or his stunt double's face), and just escalating from there. Someone didn't just write "naked Asian" and dust his hands off and go to lunch. Someone wrote a ridiculous set of lines that Zach Galifianakis' desperate character uses to plead for his life, and the four actors added their comic performances and reactions.
And, let's not forget, tiny penis.
And the Monty Python bit wasn't just "random," either. Like most of the movie, this scene was getting its humor from the fact that the King Arthur legend is traditionally serious business, with Graham Chapman playing King Arthur as a straight man on a holy quest who is constantly exasperated by the silly adventures that get in his way. The Knights of Ni aren't just appearing out of nowhere and saying "Ni" to nobody, they're saying "Ni" (and later "Ekke Ekke Ekke Ekke Ptangya Ziiinnggggggg Ni") and demanding shrubberies when a legendary king is trying to pursue a quest to find the holiest artifact of Christendom. They're silly words and silly demands, all right, but it wouldn't be very funny and memorable if it wasn't frustrating the shit out of poor King Arthur.
3Negativity and Violence
A lot of very funny stuff out there is criticism or complaining, and there's reasons for that, reasons that are talked about to death. There's nothing wrong with lots of funny things being negative, but the problem is that tons of people only take home the lesson that being negative must, by itself, be funny. They don't notice that the comedian complaining about his marriage is a very good storyteller, or making some interesting observations, or tapping into universal experiences that ring true with his audience.
They just notice that he is complaining about his wife, and assume that all they have to do is complain about their wife (or the comedian's wife if they are really literal) and presto, instant laughs. They go, "My wife asked me to mow the lawn this weekend. What a dumb bitch!" Then there is an awkward silence and they wonder why nobody is laughing.
Least of all the wife.
Or maybe someone reads a funny blog review about how awful The Words was, and the conversational tone fools them into thinking that this reviewer just sat down and typed down the first thoughts they had after watching this turd, and it just came out naturally funny. So they sit down and basically type-blurt out some stream-of-consciousness rant about Battleship that is nothing more than a bunch of synonyms for "bad," and where a good scathing review might offer funny analysis or insights into why it was uniquely bad, they have none, and just fill in the blanks with self-centered talk about their own reactions (they vomited, they left the theater, they went into the projection room and pooped on the reel and everyone in the theater applauded).
When a person's got nothing to say other than to rephrase "It was bad" about 20 times, and they're out of self-aggrandizing stories about their reaction to it, the last resort filler is violence. If you tried to be funny during junior high and high school, you're probably familiar with this. I'm ashamed to say I am.
Back then, it was pretty much to take something well known and just add violence, and it was automatically funny and showed what a "twisted mind" you had, and this was your idea of biting satire or something. Like, you would do a parody of A Christmas Carol where instead of learning a lesson about Christmas, Scrooge blows up. Or you would draw a picture of Ariel from The Little Mermaid getting stabbed.
I mean, that's what the margins of notebooks are for, right?
And for teenagers, the concept that something you normally think of as innocent and wholesome being not innocent and wholesome is very mind-blowing, because three years ago or whatever, you thought a mermaid was something you could be when you grew up. As an adult, though, you kind of go, "And ...?" because you want some kind of point, like the violent thing happens to an annoying celebrity everyone wants to shut up, or the violence is ironic (Wile E. Coyote blown up by his own bomb), or just has some kind of context.
But you can't take a complaint as pedestrian as the difficulty of opening plastic CD wrappers and automatically make it a joke by saying you hope the inventor of the wrapper "gets ass-raped in prison." Maybe if you wished that one day he has a heart attack and the defibrillator is wrapped in the same kind of package he designed, and nobody can open it, maybe you could do something with that. It's pretty mean, still, but I guess at least there's a point!


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RUSH: I am holding in my hand, in my formerly nicotine-stained fingers, a copy of Jim Nantz's Always by My Side: A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other. I learned of this book back in February out at Pebble Beach. Jim is with us now. Jim, welcome to the EIB Network for the first time. It's really great to have you here.
NANTZ: Well, Rush, it's the first time I've talked to you on the air. Of course, we've spoken in e-mail for a long time for years, and off the air visited. This is a thrill to be on the EIB radio New York.
RUSH: Well, it's likewise a thrill to have you here. So many great things in this book, Jim, and it's so timely, given the roiled circumstances in our culture, your book and your life, the relationship with your family, the way you've lived provide an example to anybody that that's virtuous and still happens in this country and that it's rewarded. Jim Nantz, ladies and gentlemen, dreamed when he was a young boy like all of us did, of being sportscasters someday. My idols growing up were Harry Caray and Jack Buck. I wanted to be a sportscaster; never did it. Jim Nantz dreamed of being at CBS when he was a young boy, and now here he is for -- how many years now at CBS?
NANTZ: Twenty-three, almost half my lifetime. It was more than a dream. It was almost bordering on an obsession. I know that's a little bit of a strong word, but I had this crazy little idea at the age of 11. I turned to my father watching the Masters tournament, I declared it right there on the spot, "One day I want to be one of those voices. I want to be there telling the story of that great tournament and all these championships and sporting events around the world." That's what I wanted to do.
RUSH: And you've done it. And you've not just done it, 63-day stretch in 2007 from February through April, you became the first broadcaster ever to call the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and the Masters.
NANTZ: Well, you know, that was something that no one had ever had the great fortune of being able to declare during the course of a career, and I got to do all of those events in two months. It's a statement really about CBS having the stars aligned more than it has anything to do with any ability or talent on my part. They just all ended up at my network and I had a chance to make those championship journeys back-to-back to back. It was very special.
RUSH: You still did it, and you've maintained your humility throughout all of this, which is unique. Now, was it CBS, because CBS had the Masters, was it the Masters that you wanted to do or was it a combination of the two?
NANTZ: I think it was really the fact that CBS had the Masters and even back then they were, you know, in this long stretch, this wonderful relationship that is very old-fashioned and just the way that it's set up, it's always a one-year agreement, and we're now 53 years in a row of broadcasting that tournament on one-year agreements. So I'm a young man, and I just hear these stories by these gentlemen like Pat Summerall and Jack Whitaker, who were working the broadcasts back in those days for CBS and they were just waxing poetic, and I loved their erudition about everything, beyond just the golf tournament itself. All their knowledge really struck me, and I wanted to be one of one of those men, one of those voices that had this worldliness, if you will, and awareness and appreciation for all things, all cultures, all places and people.
RUSH: One of the things I want to convey to the audience, Jim, and I mentioned this in an e-mail to you about what we would do here today. This book is a fantastic thing. You all have watched Jim Nantz and you've heard Jim Nantz for 23 years in some cases, but you don't know Jim Nantz because Jim Nantz is the best at what he does. He never makes whatever event he's at about him. He always makes sure that he brings the event to you, and this book is an opportunity for people to get to know you, Jim, in a personal way, and I want to tell people, if they ever get a chance to meet you, you are going to be exactly what they hope you would be from having known you on television all of these years. A lot of people meet people in prominent positions, primarily in media, and they want them to be what they see on TV, hear on radio, and oftentimes they're not, but you are. You're just as genuine and humble in person as you are on the air. Let's start here at the beginning of your book, because you're in Fort Worth, and you're doing a golf tournament, you're doing the Colonial, and your dad is with you, and I'm jump-starting a little bit here, but this is I think the first time your dad is going to -- not the first time -- but that's the beginning of his illness that happened there, and it was very tragic thing, and they didn't tell you about what actually happened to him 'til after the tournament, correct?
NANTZ: That's correct. My father was 66 at the time, healthy, strapping, smart, self-made man who came out of a little town in North Carolina, a real entrepreneurial spirit about everything in his life, always wanted to better himself, always wanted to learn, live life like you do, Rush, with zest to the fullest, wanted to take it all in. So he would often go out with me on the road to various sporting events, Final Fours, Masters, in this case it was the Colonial tournament. I thought he was overheated when he came to the tower as we were about to go on the air. Ken Venturi is sitting by my side, and something I could tell right away was terribly wrong. What it was was he was actually suffering a stroke right before my very eyes. Now we're going on the air, and he's trying to make his way back to the clubhouse. I didn't realize it was that desperate, but he collapsed at the base of my tower and what it really was, it was triggering the onset of Alzheimer's. His life was never the same. Now, I had been at the network ten years. Not only did I have this dream -- some may have called it far-fetched when I was a young boy to work for CBS one day -- but now it's happened, and I have now dream part two, and that is the one I want my father to be with me every step of the way, traveling with me from sport to sport, seeing all the great championships that we have here in our country.
RUSH: Yeah, but you wanted to do this as a team, and he didn't want any part of that.
NANTZ: Well, you know, he was starting to kind of cede to it. He initially passed it off as, "We'll see, son," but, you know, he maintained his independence. But I really thought that we were moving within a couple of years of that becoming a reality, where I really could find purpose for him being on the road. It's a busy life that's always in a different city every week, and correspondence and otherwise it's difficult to stay on top and manage things, and I just could see as the only son, I could see that father-and-son bond now transitioning to the point where even to this day he would have been 79 years old, and there I go again, I'm talking about him in the past tense. He's now 13 years deep in the darkened stage of Alzheimer's. He's still alive and I catch myself talking about him in the past tense, and it crushes me. But I can still see him out there today with me, and that's why I took that backdrop last year, those three events, Super Bowl, Final Four, Masters and used that as the backdrop, as the place to kind of write about how this would have been the ultimate father-son sports road trip, but I wanted to make this like something you do, Rush, you inspire people, and you make things, you know, everything you have is a message. I wanted to really strike universal themes: faith, loyalty, love, family, relationships, optimism, courage, and grace, and that's what the book really is. It transcends. It's not a sports book. It's a book about love and relationships.
RUSH: It is indeed. Now, we've met your father here in this interview, in his sixties. Did he encourage you when you told him way back when you were a teenager that you wanted to work at CBS?
NANTZ: Rush, he made me believe anything I ever wanted to achieve in my life was obtainable. He made me believe I could do it. He lifted me on his shoulders and actually, like people do with, you know, different things in life, whether they're playing golf or shooting a free throw or about to go in and make a speech, they visualize -- my father taught me the power of visualization and all through my teens I envisioned this life, I saw it. There's no sense of entitlement at all, but I believed that one day it was going to happen, so when I got the chance to audition for CBS years later, at the age of 26, it was almost like I was just waiting for the script that I'd already written for life to kind of evolve and catch up with my script. I felt totally comfortable and prepared and ready for that situation, because in my mind, I played it out. I knew one day it was going to arrive.
RUSH: Did your mom and dad make you feel special?
NANTZ: Oh, of course. I was raised in just about as perfect a home environment as you could ever imagine. You know, my parents were very humble people. My mom, you talk about a hero, is still going strong and fit and active and smart and concerned with all things in the world, and my father was always one with a curious mind and wanted me to get broader and wider than just worrying about who was winning a game. He looked at the world of sports with a romance in his eyes. He liked to learn about people who overcame things. He wanted to watch sports to be taken to places and learn about cultures. You know, back in the Wide World of Sports days when Jim McKay was taking us behind the iron curtain or to the Great Wall of China, he loved that. And that's the way, alas, I look at the world of sports. I'm not an agate type ESPN Sports Center highlight, in-your-face kind of a sports fan. You know, I'm looking for something with a little more thought.
RUSH: The life lessons?
NANTZ: Absolutely. And that's the reason that -- and people have said, "Man, you've got so many interesting people you've met in your life, you know, you ought to write a book about some of these events you do." But to me that's a trip that's an ego trip. If I was going to write something, it had to be some important messages that would inspire all people.
RUSH: Well, we'll talk about some of these people that you've met because you've met everybody in many realms, and they're all your friends. This man's got more friends than anybody I know. Jim Nantz, Always by My Side. We'll continue after this.
RUSH: And we're back, Rush Limbaugh, the Excellence in Broadcasting Network, and we resume our conversation with Jim Nantz of CBS Sports, his terrific new book, Always by My Side: A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other. There are a lot of names in this book; you've met a lot of people. President Bush 41 wrote the forward.
NANTZ: Yes, he did. I didn't mean to come off like a name dropper there, Rush.
RUSH: No, no, I'm taking care of that. I'm a good name dropper.
NANTZ: And you said I have a lot of friends and I am blessed. I count you as a very dear friend. I treasure all my friendships. My father was like that. I open my shows by saying, "Hello, friends," and it's a testament, it's a tribute to my father, because all he had in his life were friends, and he treated everyone with such dignity and respect from all stations in life, and when I went on that three-championship journey last year, and I had the intentions if my father couldn't be figuratively by my side, you know, I realized at that very point he would always be by my side, I'd carry his spirit. I'd find surrogates who could continue to inspire and guide me and promote the positives that dad stood for, and no one more so than former President Bush. To write the forward to this book meant a great deal to me, obviously, but his friendship and his guidance for the last 15 years, it's just not some peripheral know him a little bit on the side, met him at a few events, he's very much part of my life. I saw him just a couple of days ago. I suspect he's probably listening right now because he knows I was going to be on your show and I hope he's feeling a little bit better because he's been a little under the weather here in recent days, and he wrote some things that I was trying to get across in the book about father figures and people who overcome adversity that really hit home. He wrote in the forward: "Few of us will walk this earth and be untouched by tragedy, and as the old saying goes, 'adversity has a way of introducing you to yourself.'"
RUSH: How did you meet him?
NANTZ: I met him just after he left office. The great city of Houston, I heard you talking in the first hour about this ant infestation down in Houston, and that got my attention, but the great city of Houston has lifted me on its shoulders and claimed me as their own. I went to college down there, my parents live in Houston. They've taken great pride in my career that not only did they give me a chance, at the age of 20 I was anchoring on the CBS affiliate there in Houston on weekends, the sports, while still living in the dorm over on the University of Houston campus.
RUSH: With who? Who were your roommates?
NANTZ: Fred Couples, Blaine McCallister, both of whom have had big tour careers, and John Horne who was on the tour for one year back in the late eighties. But Houston became the launching point, they claim me, they're proud of me, and President Bush, of course, has Houston as a home, and he was well aware that there was this kid who had made it to the network. His family had a little history there with CBS. His father actually served on William Paley's first board at CBS. So anyway, unrelated to that, the president, you know, put out enough feelers and vibes that he wanted to have a chance to meet, and we did just after January '93 when he left office. We met, we played golf, and this incredible friendship was spawned.
RUSH: Frank Chirkinian.
NANTZ: Frank Chirkinian wants to know why you canceled your golf lesson from a couple of days ago out at the great Emerald Dunes.
RUSH: (laughing) Because I'm working.
NANTZ: Okay, now he said you desperately are in need of a lesson. I know you're going out to the national Boys & Girls Club function next week, which is a great charity event. But Mr. Chirkinian, for those who don't know, is the father of golf television, absolute legend in sports television, just got the lifetime sports Emmy a few weeks ago in New York, and he was a father figure to me, and he gave me that tough-love approach. You know, when I first started, I was working with the likes of Summerall and Venturi and some gentlemen I had been listening to, watching, my whole life. I couldn't believe now I was their colleague, and I was throwing it from hole to hole by, "Let's go back to Mr. Summerall. Mr. Venturi, let me ask you this." And finally Frank, after a few shows, brought me to the office and just scolded me, "You don't call these guys mister this or that." I had a lot of that tough love, but you know, at first I wasn't seeing a lot of the love part of the deal.
RUSH: Now, you tell a funny story. I guess your first tower assignment was at the 16th hole.
NANTZ: At my first Masters --
RUSH: At Augusta, first Masters and very close to the green, and you asked Frank, "What do I say if someone hits a hole-in-one here?"
NANTZ: Yeah, I was about to head out for the final round, what would turn out to be maybe the greatest day in the history of the game because Jack Nicklaus would that day win his sixth green jacket. So, you know, I was aware, and I'd watched the tournament forever, and I knew that back left hole location was vulnerable to a hole-in-one. "What should I say, Mr. Chirkinian, if someone makes a hole-in-one?" He said, "Son, this is a visual medium. You say nothing! Now get outta my office, and don't ever come in here and ask me a stupid question like that!" And I ran out to 16, and Jack almost knocked it in from the first tee. I took a peek at the hole. I couldn't get the words out, Rush. I was so overwhelmed and overmatched, and 26, not believing the network entrusted this weighty assignment with me and I said nothing after he hit the ball until about five minutes later when he knocked the putt in. Now, Frank never cut away off the scene of Jack walking around the pond up to the green, standing around, lining up his putt. I couldn't talk; my teeth were chattering; I had chill bumps up and down my arms, and thankfully I wasn't on camera to paint this picture because it would have been an ugly sight. In fact, I was concerned that the mic might be picking up my clicking molars as my teeth were chattering. Finally, Jack makes the putt to tie the lead, and I somehow mustered up enough courage to say, "The bear has come out of hibernation," sounding, of course, much more mature than my 26 young years, and I was just trying to find a way, Rush, to get invited back the next year. I didn't want to be one and done and blow it right there.
RUSH: Well, it turned out you had nothing to worry about.
NANTZ: Well, I didn't know it at the time. I was consumed with self-doubt, believe me.
RUSH: All right, so you're a kid growing up, and you watch CBS, you have to have idols, you have to have people who inspired you, and in spite of that you have your own unique style, you're nobody else. What about Ray Scott?
NANTZ: I love Ray Scott and I heard you say Jack Buck and Harry Caray, two icons, but Ray Scott was like the father of the NFL on CBS in those old Green Bay Packers days, and the ultimate minimalist on the air, you know, "Starr-Dowler. Touchdown. Green Bay." I got to meet Mr. Scott early in my career, and he was so generous with his time. He was retired living in Arizona. But really the Ray Scott, Pat Summerall, Jim McKay, Jack Whitaker, Chris Schenkel, Dick Enberg, Curt Gowdy, that whole group, that really represented the group that really drove me to want to be in this business, the impetus to make this declaration, "I want to work for CBS," because they were always so smart, erudite about everything. They didn't try to make the game about them. They were there to tell the story, it wasn't about the teller. I got hired, again it was back in the mid-eighties, all of them were alive at that time. Now we've lost Mr. Gowdy and Mr. Schenkel. But they've all become a part of my life, and I want to be a composite of all of them. I want them all to feel invested in my career. And, for example, Chris Schenkel, you remember Chris?
RUSH: Yes.
NANTZ: Chris Schenkel one time called me up -- and they all call me up, you know, from time to time after a show -- and usually they say something like, "Mr. Whitaker called after the Masters this year and praised the opening to the Masters show as the best in the history of the tournament," which meant a lot to me.
RUSH: You know why they're doing that? Because they know that you are preserving a tradition that's vanishing before their very eyes in terms of the way sports is brought into people's homes these days on television. Do you have a couple more minutes?
NANTZ: I would love to, Rush.
RUSH: We'll be back and continue with Jim Nantz, Always by My Side is his brand-new book. By the way, it debuted on the New York Times list already.
RUSH: We are in the midst of having a great time with Jim Nantz, CBS Sports, his book, Always by My Side, has debuted already on the upcoming New York Times best-seller list, A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other. I'm really taken by what you said right before the break and I had to cut you short, but you talk about all these people that have come before you, Jim, and you want to be a composite of them. One of the things that, when we speak politically, you know, the traditions, the institutions that have made this country great are worth preserving, and that's what you're doing in your field, and that's why all these people have such reverence for you is because you revered what they did and the ground that they broke, and you're continuing that tradition against a whole lot of odds, you know, as the media markets expand and get filled with niche broadcasters, you still are defining the right way to do it, and that's why they're appreciative.
NANTZ: I think I'm lucky, Rush, in that I got in just in time. The industry definitely has changed, and I'm talking about young broadcasters who come along today, they really feel like they have to do something that's outlandish to make them stand out. They have to say something provocative that maybe they don't even really truly believe in their heart and, you know, it's not really what their beliefs are, but they're going to sacrifice their beliefs to try to do something to gain attention and I've just never tried to be anything other than who I am. And it's interesting that sometimes it gets you in a little bit of trouble, the old-fashioned conservative approach to doing it, but, you know --
RUSH: What kind of trouble?
NANTZ: Well, since it recently happened, let's say you do the Masters tournament, and there are some columnists, and this is not a rant at all, people are entitled to their opinion, but people sometimes don't get that sport. They don't understand golf, and, in fact, I find the mainstream media to be incredibly anti-everything golf. It's the easiest sport in the world to attack and all those who are associated with it, so it becomes a breeding ground for ridicule. You can come on the air and you can try to wax poetic and do something that's lyrical and write something that is written in television form. It's maybe not grammatically spot on, believe me, I have no grammarian in the world who has any issue with anything I say, but you write something and maybe it's got some drama to it, and the person that's reading it or hearing it, doesn't get it, they don't understand the sport, they don't understand what it's like to walk onto the grounds of Augusta, and for me it's the childhood dream. I have chill bumps even to this day when I show up there every year. So I don't look at the world through a prism of sarcasm. Anything I do, I take things face on. I tell you how I feel, and what you hear on the air is what I'm feeling. I'm not going to try to fake it, create synthetic drama. I'm just going to be myself.
RUSH: They're just jealous, Jim.
NANTZ: (laughing) I don't know about that.
RUSH: They're just jealous. They wish they had what you had, including your talent.
NANTZ: You know, my father used to look at people and he treated everyone with such respect, and he always believed that he would rather trust you face on and be disappointed perhaps down the road, be disappointed some of the time rather than never to trust someone, never to believe in someone, and alas, be disappointed all the time. There's a big difference there.
RUSH: And you try to replicate that philosophy to this day?
NANTZ: I do in everything that I do. I mean that's just the way I live my life. I was raised that way. I'm wired that way.
RUSH: I can confirm this. You won't remember this, but this was a big deal to me. It might have been my first or second AT&T. I was playing with Fuzzy Zoeller, and it was Saturday morning before the Saturday round at Pebble, and we were on the putting green, you and your crew were out there, and I think this is actually -- I might have seen you at a golf course another day, but I think it was the first time we actually had a chance to talk, and right then and there you were taking people to an Italian restaurant somewhere outside of Pebble that night, and you invited me to go. You didn't invite me; you told me I was going. I had to fly back, we weren't going to make the cut, and I had to fly back, but it was the next year that I was there, you invited me. And he had no idea who I was other than by reputation, it didn't matter, I was going to his dinner. So that will confirm for people that you see the best in everybody first and let 'em disappoint you. One more sportscasting question based on all these guys that have come before you and did not insert themselves into the event. There's one big name who did, got away with it, Howard Cosell.
NANTZ: You know, in the last few months I've met Howard Cosell's grandsons. They actually live up my way here in Connecticut, and I have great admiration for them and for their grandfather, and I read all of the three books that Howard authored, and I thought he had a brilliant mind, and I met him on a couple of occasions when I was in school at Houston, and the first time I walked up very timidly and shook his hand and told him I wanted to be a broadcaster, you know, I loved all things ABC Sports back in that golden age of sports television. His wife, Emmy, was always with him, and that struck me. I just thought that meant a lot, and I see that now as I'm someone that's, you know, living this life of the road warrior, but, you know, just a few months later the Houston Astros were playing, because I first met him at a football banquet, then I met him during the baseball playoffs, he was doing some baseball work for ABC with Keith Jackson, and I met him in Philadelphia, and I walked over, and he says, "You know, Emmy --" that was his wife, and she is unfortunately gone as well, "Emmy remembers you from down in Houston. She's here, why don't you go over and say hello to her. You made an impression on her young man," and I went over, and I saw Emmy Cosell, I walked over and introduced myself, said, "I met you in Houston." I couldn't believe it. I mean months later you think of all the thousands of people that he must have met, and for some reason, he had later shared that with his wife and they had discussed it and he knew that she would still remember me as well. I'll never forget that.
RUSH: You know, I don't want to intrude on your space here, but I have a similar story, when I was in Pittsburgh working for an ABC-owned-and-operated radio station, Cosell would come in when they had a Monday night game for the Steelers, and the next morning he would go into the radio station, which is KQV, and he would do his Speaking of Sports commentary, and of course we would all make sure we were there to meet him. And this was 1972. About 1979 or '80, he came in with ABC to Kansas City when I was working for the Royals to do a game, and I'm up in the press box where my assigned duties took place and he's down in the first base, before the gates are open, he's down in the first base dugout, the Royals dugout, and he's pretaping an opening, rehearsing it. So I got my courage up and went down there, and I told him I had met him in Pittsburgh, "Great to see you," and his first reaction was: Howard Cosell, "How dare you insult me, interrupt me, when I'm in the middle of this preparation for this broadcast. You expect me to remember you from Pittsburgh?" and then he totally changed, after I'm sitting there quaking in my boots, "Of course, I remember, how are you? Nice to see you."
NANTZ: Oh, isn't that great. Brilliant.
RUSH: You know, these guys, one more name, two more names here. Don Ohlmeyer. I didn't know that you knew Ohlmeyer. I never associated Ohlmeyer with CBS.
NANTZ: Well, Ohlmeyer was the executive producer of NBC Sports when I was a college sophomore, and along with my roommates, the ones we've mentioned earlier, all professional golfers later to become, we marched out to the Houston Open on a school day, and there was the NBC compound and they all said, "Hey, you ought to go ask him for a job." They knew, of course, I had this crazy dream one day I was going to work golf television or work sports for CBS, and I went over to the security guard and asked for Don Ohlmeyer to please come out, I'd like to have a word with him, the guy says, "May I ask him who wants to speak to him?" "Yeah, tell him Jim Nantz is here to see him." About five minutes later here comes Don Ohlmeyer with the security guard, "I'm sorry, I'm looking for Jim Nantz?" Suddenly, I realized I'm kind of in the middle of a bad college prank, but I introduced him to my roommates, and he said, "How can I help you?" and I explained I was on the golf team and I wanted to one day carve out a career in his field and is there any employment available this weekend? "What do you have in mind?" And one of the guys blurted out, "He wants to be an announcer." Well, he chuckled, "We have all the announcers we need this weekend, but I'll tell you what, the compound's out here at 17, the announcers have to park up by the clubhouse. I could get you a job if you would volunteer. I can't pay anything. You could drive the announcers, shuttle them from the parking lot to the compound and to their towers for the broadcast. Would you be interested in doing that?" Would I be interested in doing that? I figured if I couldn't be on the air, you know, hanging out with the announcers had to be the second biggest job, so that got me really my "in" to be honest. The next week I did go work for them again up at the Byron Nelson tournament and that was my start. I started calling radio stations and got work off of that.
RUSH: See, now here's another life lesson which is what you said sports has taught you and what really still holds your interest today. You've mentioned luck, a number of times today in discussing your career, but luck is where preparation meets opportunity, and whether it was a prank or not, you went up and asked for it.
NANTZ: Yes, absolutely right, there is something about persistence or perseverance or just thinking out of a box a little bit, and you're right, "luck" often is the wrong word, good fortune maybe is a better description. I have a friend that plays with you out at the AT&T, Don Lucas, and he one time told me that I need to drop the luck thing a little bit and talk more about fortune, because, you know, you do get these moments of fate, and then what are you going to do with them? You know, it's like, Rush, I know you've talked about this many times, but take 41 for example, 41 has this friendship that develops with President Clinton through all their efforts for tsunami relief over in southeast Asia, and later Katrina relief. Well, he calls me up one year at the Final Four in St. Louis and says, "Hey, Jimmy, I have a favor I need to ask." Now, I know through experience that when President Bush, Sr., says he's got a favor to ask, that means he's about to lay the biggest favor in the world on you. So, "Sure, sir, how can I help you?" He said, "Well, you know, I've been traveling around the world here with President Clinton. We've decided we want to do something that's never been done before. We want to have like just a social get-together, and we don't want the media to know about it, and I just want to make sure that President Clinton has a good time. I don't want this thing to be political. I don't want to talk about world issues. My favor I'm asking, would you consider being our intermediary?" Well, you know, you can assign me to go call a Super Bowl or host the Olympics or the Masters, what have you, but to think that the first time they had this social setting for two days --
RUSH: Was at Kennebunkport, right? Walker's Point.
NANTZ: Yeah, Walker's Point. To think that my father would have been aware of this, this would have been something that he would have been most proud of, the fact that this was history in fact, that these two would get together for a quasi-vacation, that his son was the hand-chosen intermediary between two presidents and got invited back again the next year and the year after that, well, my goodness, in his eyes that would have been his son's greatest accomplishment.
RUSH: And, you know, in addition to all this, you're really a great friend because you permitted yourself to be in the photo. You let them put you in the picture. You got it in your book. I think you're out on the president's boat.
NANTZ: Well, you know, the second year President Bush called back for another favor and said, "You know, we need a fourth this year to play golf. I want it to be really fun for President Clinton. Do you have any ideas? I don't want anybody to travel too far to come here. Listen, you got a lot of friends, anybody close by?" I said, "How about Tom Brady?" He said, "You mean the New England Patriots quarterback?" I said, "Well, yes, sir, he's just 90 miles down the road in Foxboro, he's a good golfer, I've got his number, good friend, I think he'd come up." "Do you really think Tom Brady would come up here and play golf with us?" I said, "I don't know, sir, let's see, President Bush, President Clinton, I kind of like our chances." He said, "Well, then Jimmy, by all means invite him." So we got Tom Brady to come up the next year. We had a glorious day of golf. We played sixes where everybody got to play with one another and switch the bags around so you rode for six holes and I'm here to report to you the results, okay?
RUSH: Yeah.
NANTZ: Bush-Brady defeated Nantz-Clinton one up. Bush-Nantz played Clinton-Brady to a draw.
RUSH: Yeah, but Brady is a scratch.
NANTZ: He is. He shot 73 on the day. Now, the last six holes as Brady puts his bag on the cart to ride with me the final six holes, I turned to him and said, "Now look, Tom, you've won three Super Bowls, that's all well and good, but there have been other guys who have won Super Bowls, okay? You have a chance now to do something truly historic here," and he's kind of laughing, giggling, "What's that?" "Never in the history of our country have two former presidents, one of whom defeated the other, ever partnered up on a golf course to take on just, you know, two guys off the street. We have a chance to make history here today." Well, suddenly, you know, there was a perceptible change in Tom's gaze. He suddenly looked like that quarterback on those rare occasions trying to lead his team down the field when the Patriots are trailing in the fourth quarter, and we defeated Bush-Clinton over the last six holes, five up. As we're coming up the 18th, Clinton looks over at us, slump shouldered and rasps, "Boy, you guys sure don't take it easy on a couple of old presidents, do ya?" And I responded, "Welcome to the National Football League, Mr. President."
RUSH: "Couple of guys off the street." Okay, look, I have to take a break. I'm a little long. I got one more question to ask.
NANTZ: Okay.
RUSH: Do you have time for it?
NANTZ: Okay.
RUSH: Jim Nantz, Always by My Side is the book, A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other. Be right back.
RUSH: Back to our final moments with Jim Nantz, whose new book is out, already on the New York Times best-seller list, Always By My Side -- that doesn't mean don't get it, I'm just telling you how widely, popularly received it already has been, Always By My Side: A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other. Jim, just a couple minutes here. You have a unique ability here to keep your childlike appreciation for what you do despite all of these people that you have met. And, by the way, I got e-mails from people saying: "Jim Nantz for president."
NANTZ: (laughing) I like the sound of that, Rush. I'd like to talk about politics because I would love to one day maybe even think about it. Go ahead.
RUSH: Okay. The real question I want to know here is tell us something about Tiger Woods. And I've got one broadcasting question after that, tell us something about Tiger Woods we don't know.
NANTZ: Well, Tiger, you see the game face. You know the focus stories about how he's locked in and how he can walk right past a guy like Jack Nicklaus, the very man he wants to, you know, break every record that Jack holds. It's just part of this genius that his father instilled in him. I one time got him beyond the game face, if you will, he was coming up into my tower to be interviewed, he graciously accepted, and my daughter, Caroline, was just five years old at the time, and she was all excited, she was going to meet the great Tiger Woods, and I told Tiger on the way up to the towers, we're climbing the steps, "My daughter Caroline is going to be up there. She just can't wait to meet you, Tiger." So we walk in, and everyone is pointing, and they're pointing underneath the chair. So I get it, she's playing kind of a hide-and-seek thing here and she's just nervous as all kids are about meeting some superstar celebrity.
So Tiger instantly breaks into, you know, "the game." He drops his voice down to like a childlike cadence and he's saying, "I thought I was going to see Caroline up here. This is why I came here. Caroline, where are you? Are you over here?" pushes back some curtains, "No, she's not there," being very theatrical about it all the while knowing she's curled up in a ball underneath this one given chair. Goes to another place, "Are you here? No." Gets down on all fours and crawls over to the chair, "Oh, there you are, peekaboo, I'm Tiger. Come on out; let's play. I wanted to meet you." And I just thought, what a wonderful snapshot of Tiger Woods, the Tiger we so seldom get to see because everybody in the world's trying to get into that world and trying to be a part of his universe, and it was just a lovely impromptu moment.
RUSH: Jim, you've led a remarkable life. You have one of the most solid foundations that a human being could have. I think it's fabulous that you've written the book to share that with people, because it's inspirational. You have been fabulous in this hour. I thank you so much for the time, looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday out at Torrey Pines. Have a wonderful weekend, and, again, wish we had more time 'cause I got people still wanting to know if you had to get rid of your Connecticut accent. I'll find out about that and I'll tell 'em next week whatever you tell me, but again thanks for the time and all the best.
NANTZ: I'm so grateful, Rush, for the time to talk to you, and you're just a great friend. Thanks so much for having me on today.
RUSH: You bet. Jim Nantz, Always by My Side. You've just heard maybe about 30 pages of this book in this interview just now.


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Hank's Haute dog's is just one of the yummy treats that will be at Eat the Street, but it's all for a good cause.
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Jay Z Has Another Problem To Add To His 99
Originally published on May 19, 2014 9:25 am
Social media is still buzzing about the video of Beyonce's younger sister Solange attacking Jay Z while leaving a party. But is it any of our business? The Beauty Shop ladies weigh in.


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¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
To complete the recipe
Sprigs of fresh dill or basil for garnish
To make the patés, preheat the oven to 350°F. Use cooking spray to lightly oil a 9-inch loaf pan; line the bottom and long sides of the pan with wax paper or baking parchment. Lightly spray with vegetable oil.
Cook the broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots separately until tender: Put each vegetable in a medium microwave-proof dish; add about ¼ cup water. Cover tightly and microwave on high for about 5 minutes, or until tender. (Or cook the vegetables in a stovetop steamer for about 5 to 6 minutes.) Drain well and let cool.
While the vegetables are cooking, heat the oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
For the broccoli layer, put the cooked broccoli into a food processor. Add 1/3 of the onion mixture, 1/3 cup rice, 1 egg, the Parmesan cheese, basil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth. Spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan; smooth the surface.
For the cauliflower layer, put the cooked cauliflower into a food processor. Add 1/3 of the onion mixture, 1/3 cup rice, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice,1/8 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes. Process until smooth. Spread evenly over the broccoli layer; smooth the surface.
For the carrot layer, put the carrots into a food processor. Add the remaining 1/3 of the onion mixture, 1/3 cup rice, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, and dill. Process until smooth. Spread evenly over the cauliflower layer; smooth the surface. Cover with a piece of lightly oiled wax paper.
Place the loaf pan in a roasting pan and pour in boiling water to come about 1 inch up the sides of the pans. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the top of the patés feels firm to the touch and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, remove the wax paper on top, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
To make the sauce, meanwhile, stir together the ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
To serve, loosen the edges of the patés with a knife. Turn out of the pan onto a serving platter and peel off any waxed paper that adheres.
Cut the room temperature patés into ¾-inch-thick slices. Transfer to small plates, top each serving with about 1 tablespoon of the sauce, and garnish. Provide forks for your guests.
Advance preparation
The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in a covered container. The paté can be made early the day it is to be served; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring the sauce and patés to room temperature for serving.