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2015 BMW 7 Series
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2015 BMW 7-Series Review
While Mercedes-Benz has let us Americans buy diesel versions of its flagship sedan from time to time, BMW has kept a number of versions of the 7-series from our shores, among them diesel 7-series models. That changes with the arrival of the 740Ld later this spring.
The 740Ld will be powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine with a single turbocharger using variable vane turbine technology, making 255 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, and will be coupled exclusively with BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system. The diesel 7 will be available only in long-wheelbase form, signaling that this is perhaps a car for commuters who are interested in a little more range rather than sportiness. Acceleration from 0 to 60 will be a bit slower than the current 740Li gas model: 6.1 seconds instead of 5.4 , though that slight disadvantage is perhaps moot in real-world conditions. Even though BMW has not released any fuel economy figures for the 740Ld, it did mention that it'll enjoy fuel economy that is 25 to 30 percent better than in the gas-powered models. Based on that, we can probably expect the new 740Ld to return a combined 30 mpg. Standard features on the diesel-engined 7-series will include Dynamic Driving Control with eco pro mode, as well as auto stop/start for greater fuel economy.
The 740Ld will be coupled with xDrive all-wheel drive and will be available only in long-wheelbase form. We'll get a detailed look at the upcoming 740Ld xDrive at the Chicago Auto Show before it arrives in dealerships, though pricing for this model has already been announced. The 740Ld will start at $83,425, which is $1,500 more than the gas-engined 740Li xDrive. Given the choice of options, it's fair to say that that price difference is within the margin of error after a trip down the list of options.
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Veteran ironman and triathlon champion Chris McCormack says Australia will go to London without its "greatest ever triathlete" after Emma Snowsill failed to have her omission from the women's Olympic team overturned.
The Olympic Appeals Tribunal last night rejected the Beijing gold medalist's appeal against her omission from Australia's three-woman squad in favour of Emma Jackson, a former junior world champion who finished fourth in the world last year but has been out of form in 2012.
At the end of the six-hour hearing and deliberations process Snowsill said she would not take her fight any further despite being disappointed by the result.
The controversy has dredged up memories of the expensive and damaging selection stoush that clouded the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics 12 years ago, when the women's team spent a collective $200,000 in legal bills defending or appealing selection decisions.
McCormack, who missed out on selection when the three-man squad was announced for London last week, said Snowsill's omission proved the 3½-year-long, discretionary selection process used by Triathlon Australia had been a ''debacle''.
''Discretion is built into a policy for an athlete exactly like Emma Snowsill. She's our greatest ever triathlete. I [had] national coaches in other countries asking me who they should thank,'' McCormack said.
Snowsill's appeal is the latest controversy to plague Triathlon Australia.
The head of the organisation's elite selection panel resigned in April, alleging interference from the Triathlon Australia board, after the panel's selection recommendations were twice rejected.
A decision to extend the selection window by six weeks to incorporate another two international races caused widespread confusion among athletes who had built training plans around the original time frame.
Triathlon Australia chief executive Anne Gripper would not comment on the resignation of Michelle Gallen, a board member who headed the organisation's elite selection committee.
Gallen said in a recent interview she had no choice after the board twice rejected the committee's Olympic selection recommendations, at one stage telling her ''we were not exercising our discretion correctly''.
Gallen, who was involved in formulating the current selection criteria, still believed a discretionary process was the best way to pick the team.
''That is what the athletes who were involved in the drafting of the process wanted, that is what their coaches wanted, but I think the issue … is the personalities involved have to all be aiming for exactly the same thing … and if you're going to make it a discretionary process, then you have to put your trust in the selectors to do their job,'' she told firstoffthebike.com.
McCormack called on the selection process to be simplified in the manner of swimming, where team places are won or lost at a single competition months before the Games.
''There's fors and againsts, but I think keep it simple. Ian Thorpe missed the team and there's no 'I'm going to fight it, I'm Ian Thorpe','' he said.
''You say: 'Mate, I don't care who you are but stand up at one of these three [races] and you're going to the Olympics.' People come out the other side of that much better. The ones who go have earned their spot.''
Gripper said those who drew up selection criteria constantly wrestled with how much selection should be automatic and how much to leave to administrators.
''The sports of swimming and triathlon are significantly different … a 50-metre swimming pool is a 50-metre swimming pool, regardless of whether it's in Brazil or London or Sydney, whereas a triathlon course is very different. The climatic conditions vary and we have a whole lot of other factors that we need to consider when designing our nomination criteria.''
Jackson is a beneficiary of the selectors' discretion, relying on her breakthrough season last year to earn her spot alongside Beijing bronze medallist Emma Moffatt and Erin Densham.
''We're in an extremely difficult but fortunate situation of having at least four female athletes that could win the gold medal in London and we can only take three of them,'' Gripper said.

subset: commoncrawl


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Under the business name Megaport, an Australian telecommunications start-up is offering government agencies a flexible, cost-saving get-out from the straitjacket of fixed, long-term and expensive contracts for IT data connections.
The basic idea is Megaport provides a portal, which a government department, large enterprise, small business or IT-savvy individual can use to dial up a temporary connection to some data source – provided Megaport has had time to instal the necessary optic fibre connections.
It's analogous to dialling up a telephone link, even to the extent that the billing for a data connection is handled using telecommunications billing equipment.
The advent of cloud IT services, and purchase of software or platforms as a service, has created a demand for flexible, short-term connections paid for according to usage, as distinct from massive, fixed installations intended to handle large amounts of predictable data under bulk, long-term and hence expensive fixed contracts.
Emergence of Megaport started in July last year, with a sotto voce approach relying on the grapevine, user gossip and casual references. Founder and CEO Bevan Slattery has some past form in developing IT telecommunication ventures.
Magaport has now acquired more than 100 connected cloud services providers and put in optic fibre links to 18 out of the 32 most significant data centres built in Australia to date. So this Tuesday it laid on a formal launch for media IT specialists at Sydney's Opera Bar in the lower Opera House concourse, in a move to blazon its existence and develop a faster rate of business growth.
This should also bolster support for a planned extension in Asia, starting with Singapore and Hong Kong, as an example of the new export activities Australia will have to develop to replace its collapsing traditional manufactures.
'Changed forever'
"For some time now compute and storage has been available on a per-day and monthly basis, but there has not been similar access to networking services," explained Mr Slattery. "Basically enterprises and carriers have only had the choice of long term lock-in contracts with rigid terms and capacity constraints. Megaportal changes this forever.
"Now our customers can instantaneously dial up a direct connection as small as 100Mbps and up to 10,000Mbps between Megaport and another participant for as little as $20 for a single day. Our customers can do this from anywhere in the world on almost any device and without any human interaction."
This requires smooth interaction with a lot of other suppliers in the telecommunications space. Following the verbal protocols that characterise cloud IT in terms of software-as-a-service, or platform-as-a-service, Megaport calls its offering network-as-a-service.
This is billed as a cost-effective, diverse, secure and high-performance network that seamlessly augments users' networks and extends their reach.
"A major cost of any internet-related business is data transit or connectivity," Megaport says. "Megaport allows clients to interconnect and exchange internet protocol traffic (peering) with other Megaport connected networks, or privately connect to other Megaport customers on a bandwidth-agnostic fee basis.
"Megaport is completely carrier and network neutral. It gives you access to a central carrier marketplace, providing increased buying power for content services. The price of carrier services can be negotiated."
One of the striking features of the growth of data centre services in Australia has been the increasing differentiation and specialisation among a growing array of suppliers. This means high-quality equipment investment and standardisation of protocols and procedures is important for everybody's ability to deliver attractive commercial services.
Secure server
Megaport has built an Elastic Connectivity Platform designed to allow participants to create on-demand direct connections or Virtual X-connections (VXCs) between each other. X-connection is short for cross-connection.
At the heart of Megaport's share of the multisupplier array of internet telecommunications arrangements is a secure server to handle web, mobile and business clients. Technically, this is a secure RESTful API server, a widely used type of equipment in the internet world.
This allows Megaport partners to resell the Megaport service to their own customers as a branded service. The company indicates the highly automated connection services are available today through web browsers.
A mobile application will soon be available via app stores for AndroidTM and iPhoneTM mobile devices.
For government agencies under pressure to cut costs, Megaport is one more avenue to consider.
The Australian Financial Review


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The Truth about Love (1 of 14) by Fred Lowery
This content is part of a series.The Truth about Love (1 of 14)
Series: Love Loud
Dr. Fred Lowery
February 1, 2009
Luke 10:27; 1 Peter 4:8; John 13:34-35; 1 John 4:7-8; 1 John 4:15-16; John 15:9-10; Matthew 22:37-38; 1 John 4:7; Romans 5:8; Matthew 22:39-40; 1John 4:20-21; Matthew 22:39; Matthew 5:43-44; Ephesians 5:2
I love that song and we're about loving loud and in Bossier for Bossier. And you know I really should thank, I really should let my wife preach today. Because I'm excited about what we're going to go through as a church this year. I'm excited about loving loud, making a difference, getting out of our seats and into the streets. And I'm pumped about but I don't have Leigh's personality so you have to trust me on this. So just look at your neighbor and say Fred's pumped. Just look at them because they won't know it unless we just tell them. Alright. Because I am excited about what God is doing in my heart and my life and I hope you see that in what I want to see God do in the life of our church. So our theme for this year you know by now is love loud. And if you want to know what loud is imagine a B52 going over your head except it's only about 50 feet above you. That's loud. Well that's how loud our love ought to be and can be and it's that kind of love that will make a difference. Our goal is to love God more than we ever have and to love people more than we ever have. And are you surprised that the two are related. In fact they are inseparably connected. The more we love God the more we love people. The higher our temperature of our love for God arises the higher our temperature for the love of people rises. And by the way God didn't pick and choose He loves them all. And that has to be true with us also. Is loving people that important? Jesus was asked in the book of Luke a values question. Out of all the commandments which is the most important. Out of all the things you ask us to do Jesus what is the most important. What is the greatest commandment? ...
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 6/3/2014 (1238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Warning: Viewers may find some of the language in the video offensive
Chris Kattan, the former Saturday Night Live cast member who gained notoriety as a head-bobbing, socially-awkward sibling to Will Ferrell's character, was at the News Café Friday morning for an interview.
The two parlayed the popularity of the brothers into the 1998 film, A Night at the Roxbury.
Kattan is in town for a number of shows at Rumor's Comedy Club from Friday to Sunday.
You can watch the replay here.


text:
Fill in a Spreadsheet with Data
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There is an interesting column by Paul Pardi in the Huffington Post: Why Faith Claims Should Be 'Corrected': A Professor's View (HT JT). In this column Pardi discusses a recent article and talk by Professor Peter Boghossian of Portland State University. At the heart of Boghossian's argument is the idea that students should leave a [Read More…]
Do Faith Claims Have a Place? (RJS)
Anointed? 6 … Is Moving Left Always Right? (RJS)
I recently received, courtesy of the publisher, a copy of the new book The Anointed: Evangelical Truth in a Secular Age by Randall Stephens, an associate professor of history at Eastern Nazarene College and Karl Giberson, formerly a professor of Physics at Eastern Nazarene. Giberson has now moved on to concentrate on a number of [Read More…]
Discrimination? (RJS)
We will take a brief break from consideration of Denis O. Lamoureux's book Evolutionary Creation returning to Ch 5 next week. A couple of people forwarded an article to me – published in a number of papers last Friday: Scientist Alleges Religious Discrimination. Just a teaser here – read the whole article by following the [Read More…]


text:
Wright, N., Oldham, N., Francis, K. et al. (1 more author) (2006) Homeless drug users' awareness and risk perception of peer "Take Home Naloxone" use – a qualitative study. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 1 (28). ISSN 1747-597X
Peer use of take home naloxone has the potential to reduce drug related deaths. There appears to be a paucity of research amongst homeless drug users on the topic. This study explores the acceptability and potential risk of peer use of naloxone amongst homeless drug users. From the findings the most feasible model for future treatment provision is suggested.
In depth face-to-face interviews conducted in one primary care centre and two voluntary organisation centres providing services to homeless drug users in a large UK cosmopolitan city. Interviews recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically by framework techniques.
Homeless people recognise signs of a heroin overdose and many are prepared to take responsibility to give naloxone, providing prior training and support is provided. Previous reports of the theoretical potential for abuse and malicious use may have been overplayed.
There is insufficient evidence to recommend providing "over the counter" take home naloxone" to UK homeless injecting drug users. However a programme of peer use of take home naloxone amongst homeless drug users could be feasible providing prior training is provided. Peer education within a health promotion framework will optimise success as current professionally led health promotion initiatives are failing to have a positive impact amongst homeless drug users.
|Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information:
|© 2006 Wright et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
|The University of Leeds
|Academic Units:
|The University of Leeds > University of Leeds Research Centres and Institutes > Centre for Research in Primary Care (Leeds)
|Depositing User:
|Sherpa Assistant
|Date Deposited:
|26 Jan 2007
|Last Modified:
|24 Oct 2016 16:59
|Published Version:
|BioMed Central
|Identification Number:


text:
It is as Justin Martyr saith, food made up all of thanksgiving.
Nor is this the only singularity in Justin Martyr's quotations.
Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria vigorously extended them.
Thus Justin Martyr speaks of his appearance as ignoble and uncomely.
Justin Martyr speaks of the fable of the Phoenix as an incontrovertible truth.
His references to Justin Martyr and Papias seem less than ingenuous.
Early writings, for example, the Apologia of Justin Martyr, 100?
Justin Martyr identifies the gardens of Alcinos with Paradise.
Justin Martyr had told the story before; but Baronius himself was obliged to detect this fable.
Justin Martyr and other Christian Fathers wrote against him.


text:
The film focuses on two Ukranian teens, Raya and Luba, who are lured into slavory by promises of a hotel job.
"You are simply an empty man," said Luba, resolutely and firmly.
When Foma arrived at his godfather's house, he found Luba alone.
"So, everything goes so swiftly," replied Luba, with a smile.
Luba made tea in silence while Foma looked at her and thought of Medinskaya.
And a hearty good afternoon to all, he thought—especially to Miss Luba Ardanko.
He liked Luba, but at the same time she seemed suspicious and dangerous for him.
There was Luba—nobody's fool, no starry-eyed dreamer of occult dreams.
He had half an hour to spare until his dinner date with Luba.
He was happy, and Luba was happy, and everything was going to be perfectly frabjous.


text:
The world from Pakistan's point of view
A commenter in an LGF thread sent me over to the Daily Times of Pakistan, a newspaper I've read a few times but lost track of recently. Here are some of the issues facing the Paks, as the India Times calls them:
Oh, that's comforting.
Oh, that's surprising.
Oh, that's new. Yeah, kite flying is a horrible encroachment on Muslim culture. Kids actually having fun instead of blowing themselves up. What a concept.
And notice how the story headlines the kite flying while downplaying the raids on Muslim terrorist mosques. There's a lot more going on in Pakistan than is relayed by our own mediawho are very quick to leap on any real or perceived flaw in Israel. Imagine that. permalink
In the name of "peace:" Anything goes. Lies, lies, and more lies
Yesterday, I excerpted a Ha'aretz story that said that Gush Shalom activists had gotten British Airways to remove billboards in a West Bank Israeli town. Today, Lynn B pointed me to this IMRA article which shows that the peace creeps lied about their influence over British Airways. It seems that the advertising campaign had ended, and that's why British Airways put out the order to take down the Billboards. From IMRA:
Gee. The peace creeps lie to further their own image. Nice. permalink
He's such a good boy. He wrote a poem to his mother.
There's more. Read the whole thing. And buy a shirt from him or something. permalink
Peace creeps get British Airways to remove billboards from Ariel, a West Bank "settlement."
No, the separation fence is there because the pals refuse to stop blowing themselves up in the middle of groups of Israelis.
Is peace with her neighbors really in Israel's best interests? Should Israel stop pursuing peace? That's a theory currently being broached.
Interesting. No peace without serious efforts from the peace-seekers, as opposed to the mindset that Israel has had for more than 50 years. In other words, the winning state gets to dictate terms to the losing state. Wow. To think, that Israel might actually join the real world.
Yes, there's that. He also hasn't closed down terrorists' offices in Damascus, stopped Hizbullah from having 10,000 rockets aimed at Israel's northern border, and stopped allowing jihadis to cross into Iraq and try to kill Americans, but who's counting?
Still, it's quite a wonderful, refreshing idea: Israel gets to tell her enemies to stop killing her citizens before they can begin to treat for peace. Works for me. permalink
Michele can't ask for the Hot Beefeater at Quizno's. (Quizno's? What's Quizno's?) She mentioned the IHOP Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity, which reminds me of my many IHOP breakfasts with various and sundry friends. One guy in particular used to order the Rooty Tooty partly because it gave me giggle fits to hear him say it, and partly because it had about everything he wanted in a breakfast. And I got to say it many times while talking him into ordering it, then repeat it to the waitress. Just in case she missed it, you see.
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor was a favorite haunt of mine and my cousins every time I visited them in San Diego. My cousin Sharon, who was barely five-two and under a hundred pounds, could (and did) finish a Trough, which was a large platter of ice cream meant for at least two people. When she finished one, the employees would gather around, ring a very loud bell, and announce to the entire restaurant, "Sharon has just made a pig of herself at Farrell's!" and everyone, customers and employees, would oink and snort at her while she laughed and laughed. Sharon had the best laugh. It was an infectious giggle that set everyone else laughing.
Not long after I came to Richmond, I visited a local mall and found an, er, interestingly-named store in the food court. There's a chain called Flamers. I just laughed when I first saw the name. The chain never reached northeastern NJthe closest they got was Rahwaybut damn. You'd think someone might have noticed that the name means more than charbroilers.
Then again, you'd think that at least one person in the Richmond state government might have realized at some point that naming the Virginia Standard of Learning test might, just might, have people thinking something a bit different when telling students they're about to take the SOL test.
While I'm on the subject, the same people who named the SOLs must have named the Powhite Parkway. It's supposed to be named after the Powhatan Indians, or after Chief Powhatan, or maybe even after both. The radio and TV traffic announcers pronounce it the way that the Powers That Be decreed you should pronounce the name: Pow-Hite. Of course, everyone else in Virginia pronounces it the "Po' white Parkway," because, let's face it: Did you really think we wouldn't? Even an ex-Yankee like me saw immediately that the name had to be po'white.
You would think with all the money those folks get paid to name things, that at least one person would up and say, "SOL? Powhite? What the hell were you thinking?"
You would think. permalink
No, the BBC isn't biased at all. That's why they just hired Al Jazeera's editor-in-chief. Because Al Jazeera is such a model of objective journalism.
Actually, they've been criticized for a lot more than that. Anyone looking for more objectivity from the BBC should be looking elsewhere. "Media training projects"? What, training them how to slant the news more steeply against Israel and the U.S.? permalink
Thanks to all who have hit the tipjar. You'll get individual thank-you notes in a few days. (Monday will be a good day to write those notes, as I'll be recovering from working all weekend, again.)
If the rest of you are wondering why you should buy the cow when you're getting the milk for free, it's becauseyou know, I really hate that aphorism. Damn. That's just a truly annoying image, when you think of it, and so insulting to women overall, because it's generally used for a woman who's sleeping with a man who won't marry her. No wonder I get mad when I read the word "cow" applied to women, especially in comic books (because they can't use "bitch").
Where was I? Oh, right. Donations. Why you should if you normally don't. That's easy. It's because you like me better than you like the people you don't tip. permalink
I have begun to realize my true purpose in life. I am a door-opener for my cats.
There's a nice desk upstairs, where I should have my printer and my laptop, but I seem to be a kitchen-table worker. My setup is on half my kitchen table (sometimes more when I'm extremely messy), with my back to the patio glass sliding doors, and my front to the TV so I can watch my soapser, the newswhile I work. The cats believe that the reason I am downstairs, and not upstairs, has nothing to do with the easy availablity of the fridge, pantry, and television. No, it's so I can get up and let them out. Then it's so I can get up and let them right back in. Then I can get up and let them out. Then I can get up and let them in.
Gracie's favorite little game in the morning is the "I want to go out!" yowl, while standing and looking out the door. I open the door. She runs away. I close the door. She runs back. I open the door. She runs away. This is a game that would go on forever, except it gets interrupted by extremely bad language and nasty remarks about cats, doors, and my purpose in life.
Tig only rarely plays that game, but he's become quite adept at the "Guess which door I'm at?" game. I let him out the patio. He walks around the building and scratches on the front door. I let him in the front door. He stops for a bite to eat, goes to the back door, and asks to be let out. I let him out the back door. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
This morning, while Gracie was going in and going out and going in and going out and going in and going out, after about an hour and a half, I realized that Tig was missing. I did a quick checking of all his normal sleeping places, and couldn't find him. I figured he was outside, so I called at the back door and whistled. Nothing. Called at the front door and whistled. Nothing. Told Gracie to go find Tig. She stared at me as if I were speaking an unintelligible language, when you know damned well that cats understand every word you say and, it has been scientifically proven, can read your thoughts as well. But she still didn't find Tig. Finally, I remembered that sometimes, Tig crawls underneath my covers, and since I rarely make my bed, because, well, I'm just going to mess it up again tonight, and anyway, you can't see it so what are you compaining about?, and, wait. Where was I? Oh, yeah. So, since I finally remembered that Tig does that, I went and checked the covers, all lumped at the bottom of the bed, and saw a suspicous-looking, cat-shaped lump at the foot of the bed. I poked it. It meowed. I poked it again. It meowed in extreme annoyance. Satisfied, I watched as Tig crawled out from under the covers and yowled at me. Of course, the first thing he did was come downstairs and demand to be let out. permalink
Oops, he did it again. Sean Penn has an overlong article in the SF Chronicle (where else?) on his return to Baghdad, one year later. Some highlights:
Okay, that description of his wife and daughter is more than a little creepy.
Yeah, what about SARS? Can we blame that on Bush, too?
So are we, Sean.
Cue scary music: Dum da dum! Foreshadowing the perils of going into a war zone!
I'm sorry, but the cognitive dissonance of that line is breaking my brain.
Okay. What kind of parent curses a daughter with the name of the witch in the Jason mythology who killed her own children? It is perfectly understandable, under these circumstances, that Medea is responsible for the following acts:
You know, interrupting Rummy's press conferences can have perilous results. But back to Sean's trip.
Three hundred bucks a day is a pretty good salary even here in the U.S., you millionaire asshat. In Iraq, it's a hell of a lot more. But as to his fall from grace: Did you ask him if he was a Ba'athist before the war? Or was that not important?
Racism! Racism! You're using racist terms on Iraqi citizens who merely rob because they have been driven to it by the U.S. invasion, which took away their former livelihood of torturing and murdering Iraqi citizens.
Okay, that's the second creepy sexual reference. Ew, Sean. Ew.
Shocked, shocked I am, that the Jordanians are not carefully checking everything and everyone that wants to get into Iraq. Why, you'd think they didn't care if Americans and Iraqis died or something.
This is the obligatory Deep Thought paragraph. Please try not to laugh out loud.
You know, we're only about halfway through his article, and he hasn't even gotten to Baghdad yet. Let's flash forward.
So we're talking heavy-duty Ba'athists here. The families and friends of the torturers and killers. Nice company you keep, Sean. Let's hear what they have to say about their loss of status.
Stop, you're killin' me!
Look at this next part. Sean's mixing drugs and alcohol. Tsk.
See, it must be a Hollywood thing. When the fatigue of a trip hits me, I just go to bed and sleep. I figure I don't need a sleeping pill, what with fatigue being tiring and all that. But I'm not a movie star. I just don't know any better.
Warning: Obligatory movie reference coming up.
Because, like, movies aren't like life. Life is like a movie, you see. Happy ever after and all that. Hey, if my life had to be like a movie, I call Eowyn in LOTR.
What? Praise? Praise of U.S. soldiers' actions? Sean, are you still high on that Ambien?
Oh. Here we go.
Again, the movie references.
No, think real life.
Sorry, they don't all fit the Hollywood glamour stuck inside your airhead, Sean.
Perhaps because one can't accept the notion that many of them believe they should have been sent.
Um. Asshat, those people include hundreds of children, who were slaughtered because their parents angered the local Ba'athist creep. They weren't "opposing the regime." The Iraqis didn't "liberate" their country. American soldiers liberated it. And lose the scare quotes. Hussein's a POW. His sons are dead. The regime is over.
No, there isn't a lot of power in that donkey cart. It's a hunk of wood that has to be pulled by someone or something. However, hidden inside it was a powerful weapon. Your analogy is as empty as your [fill in the blank].
Here's the money quote, that Sean simply moves blithely past:
And in the next paragraph, he writes:
It astonishes me that they have such a disconnect between reality and their version of it. In one breath, he relates the vast differences from a year ago, and in the next, he discounts it. And then refute it!
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's all about the oil, move along, nothing to see.
Oooh, those wicked, greedy corporations. You know, the ones that put up all the money to back, say, the films of Sean Penn. And that suicide bomber line: Nope, that wouldn't be us creating them. That would be the Wonderful Arab Cult of Death, brought to you by Yasser Arafat and his ilk, and polished recently by Osama bin Laden. Please, credit where it's due.
Okay. Time to see what heroics Sean is coming up with now.
Brave, brave Sean. Audience: applause, please. So, how fares our hero?
But wait... wait... you're not done yet. Oh. There's more.
Maybe later. permalink
The One Ring.net has so many great links you can get lost there for hours. Here's a neat USA Today article asking various questions of various cast members now that it's over.
Judith Weiss sent me this link to a review from some guy at Swarthmore a while ago. I haven't quite decided how much I agree with yet, though I do agree with a few of the author's points. Like, the one about Arwen getting sicker as Sauron gets stronger:
Preach on, brother.
I haven't gotten this movie to work yet. Something is hinky with my Windows movie player. But I'm told it's great. Update: Yep. Just call it "Bogart of the Rings." Very clever cuts of Humphrey Bogart films with dubbed voices. And Peter Lorre as Gollum, of course.
And to think, when Judith first joined Kesher Talk, I was worried that one of my prime sources of links would be too busy to send me any more. The woman is simply unstoppable. Betcha she could give the Energizer Bunny a run for his money. permalink
So the Paypal button is up now (the one that says "Make a Donation") and verified. A number of you have sent me emails in the past saying you'd contribute if I'd put one up.
I'm not asking for 80k, like Andrew Sullivan did during his first pledge week. I'm not even going to do a pledge week thing, as I find that very annoying. But I'd appreciate a little help at the moment. I'm currently starting a new business and working a few different things to make ends meet, and, er, they're not quite meeting at the moment. They will, in a couple of months, I'm sure. In the meantime, yep, the tipjar is up, and yep, I'm asking for tips.
Of course, there's always my secret weapon: I could have my mother guest-blog and guilt you all into contributing. There's nothing quite as powerful as a Jewish mother's guilt trip. permalink
The sick, twisted heritage of the palestinians
A mother of two blew herself up at the Erez Crossing in the Gaza Strip.
And the pals are proud of the saying that they love death more than we love life. Apparently, they love death more than they love their children. Golda Meir's aphorism remains true: Israel will have peace when the palestinians love their children more than they hate Israelis.
So much for "easing conditions" in the Gaza Strip. Let them work in Egypt. Or let them eat sand.
The scientific advances made by palestinians: Newer, better, trickier ways to murder people. The scientific advances made by Israelis: Too numerous to list.
And this, too, will be blamed on Israel.
Hey asshat, you weren't the first. You probably won't be the last. But you are a pathetic example of the culture of death that permeates palestinian society today. Rot in hell.
Of course. Blame the victim. That's what your people do. "Circle of violence." Last I heard, the IDF had withdrawn from most of the towns in the West Bank and Gaza. Naturally, this is a result of easing restrictions meant to prevent terrorism.
Tell me again how Israel is supposed to have peace with these murderers? They twist their own religious rulings to fit their bloody agenda. And the BBC is going to fire a man for simply telling the truth? The world is upside down. permalink
Every once in a while, I happen upon a weblog that's just... good. I don't read these weblogs regularly enough, but when I remember to, I am always happy that I did.
White Pebble is one of those weblogs. It has no angle, no theme, just a lot of really nice posts.
Sorry to hear about your mother, Patti. And yes, laughter helps at these times.
Crossing the Rubicon is a similar website (the old site with all the posts is here), and both of them are going onto my links page under a new category, Hidden Gems. They both make me feel like I do when I'm going through a normal day and suddenly see a perfect spiderweb, or something I'm generally not expecting to see. I like surprises. Good ones, anyway. permalink
Found a blog via Kate (or refound it, I think I've been there before) written by a guy from New Jersey (get off blogspot! Kevin will show you the way). I just spent far too much time reading the blog and laughing and smiling and reminiscing about New Jersey. Favorite line so far:
It's from a post where James discusses leaving NJ.
Laughed out loud at this one, too:
But James' comparison of his small town in NJ and a small town in a red state is the best of all. I didn't check, but what town are we talking about James, East Rutherford? I see you mentioned Rutt's Hutt way back in the beginning. Never ate there. Kosher dogs or none at all.
Of course I'm going to insult East Rutherford. I was born in Newark, raised mostly in Essex County. The smallest town I ever lived in was Menlo Park, which is the town that started me smoking, thanks to the greaser crowd I was hanging with. I had stints in Irvington (ew), Hillside (ew), Elizabeth (see above), Maplewood (eh), and finally, Bloomfield (yay!) and Montclair (Best. NJ. Town. Ever). But I got tired of living in the most densely populated state in the union. Merely moving to Richmond lost me about 90% of my neighbors. From 6,000 per square mile to 600. It's a lot easier to drive around here. Look me up if you ever decide to visit. I can show you the NJ side of Richmond, too. You can't really get away from it. But you can avoid a lot of it. permalink
The Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal put together an annual Index of Economic Freedom. A look at the various ratings of several Middle East nations is in order.
Israel is standing at number 29, in spite of three years of terrorism and economic recession due to the implosion of the tourist industry and lack of foreign investment because of the terrorism. That's 29, out of all the nations in the world. Here's a view of the rest of her neighbors' ratings:
Looks like it pays to be the only democracy in the Middle East. permalink
More loser news: Dorktator Baby Assad won't treat with Israel
Syrian dictator Bashar Assad says that Israel "isn't serious" about inviting him to Jerusalem to discuss peace between Syria and Israel. Look, I'm the one who has you in my ATS Dead Pool, not President Katsav.
Can we get rid of him the old-fashioned way? Someone send the IAF to buzz him again, and then, whoops! dropped our payload on your summer palace. Bummer. permalink
So this guy is at the zoo in Buenos Aires, and he hears voices telling him to jump into the lion cage and taunt them. The voices were inside his head. Guess who won in the battle of lion v. human?
Yup. And the Telegraph has a cute little picture of the man lying on his back with his arms waving, and the lion sitting on him, looking rather bored and annoyed. Amazingly, the lion did not kill the man. The moral of the story: You can tease the little cats, but don't mess with lions.
Update: Jeff Silver says I shouldn't lump a man obviously suffering from mental disease in with the next two stories. He's got a point. So the "loser" in this case will simply mean the loser of the battle between man and lion. There, that takes the edge off nicely.
British serial killer Dr. Death hanged himself.
I guess he got annoyed with himself. Buh-bye!
Disney's shutting its Florida animation studio. Could that be because Disney movies suck great big (etc., etc., etc.) these days and nobody's going to see them? I think the last Disney animated film I paid to see was The Lion King. No, Tarzan. Nothing since. On the other hand, Pixar rocks. Finding Nemo was a hoot. permalink
Yep, that button on the left is what you think it is
I've added an Amazon Honor System tipjar to the website. The Paypal tipjar will be up as soon as they've verified my account information. For the record, I pay more monthly than most other bloggers do, because I'm an extremely loyal person, and I don't want to leave Net Access. Then again, my site has only gone down twice in the years that I've been with them. Can't say the same for many on Hosting Matters and other servers. And [email protected]'s service is phenomenal. When I was so frustrated at an extended outage that I threatened to leave, one of the owners phoned me personally to make sure I stayed. (The site went down during an Instalink in my early days. Talk about your bad timing!)
Plus, my buddy Jay is working for them again. So the extra few bucks are worth it, to me.
But that's not why the tipjar is up. I spend a lot of hours writing these posts. When I get an article published in a magazine like the Weekly Standard, I get paid for it. I'm adding the tipjars so that I can get paid for writing on my blog.
I've said from the very beginning that I started writing these blogs to hone my writing skills, and now you're reaping the benefits of the thousands of hours and millions of words that I've written these past two and three-quarters years.
Not only that, but maybe I'll start taking requests if the tip is big enough. Well, unless the request is to stop posting cat pictures. I can't do that. Well, okay, but it would really cost you. Put out a figure and we'll talk. permalink
British anti-Semitism: Working on Jewish Double Standard Time
Robert Kilroy-Silk, a BBC correspondent, wrote last week about Muslims:
He has since been suspended from his job, and an outrcy has arisen from Arabs throughout the U.K. and elsewhere. In a Guardian op-ed today, a Muslim correspondent wrote:
Nobody would be allowed to say the same things about Jews, eh? Let's review.
A.N. Wilson publishes anti-Semitic drivel and recommends a book by Holocaust denier in a British newspaper. When confronted with that fact, even though the newspaper issues an apology, Wilson at first refuses to apologize or withdraw his approval of the book. No calls to have him fired or stop him from writing for that organization in the future.
The Independent runs a cartoon depicting Ariel Sharon eating a baby. Calls that it is anti-Semitic are refuted by the cartoonist and his editors. The cartoon ultimately wins first prize from the British Political Cartoon Society.
Guardian correspondent Richard Ingrams states in his column that he no longer pays attention to any letters in support of Israel written by people with Jewish-sounding surnames. No shitstorm ensues; Ingrams is not fired.
British MP Tom Dalyell says that Tony Blair is "being unduly influenced by a cabal of Jewish advisers." People spluttered and fussed, and even the Guardian called his remarks anti-Semiticbut Dalyell was not removed from office for his remarks.
And of course, there was the infamous Tom Paulin remark about how Jewish settlers should be "shot dead." As this Telegraph article points out, Paulin is still a regular guest on the BBC.
A couple of academics got in trouble for discriminating against Israelis. But those were legal issues of discrimination, not issues of speech. In all of the speech issues, nothing happened to the purveyor of the anti-Semitic remarks.
On the other hand, Robert Kilroy-Silk is about to lose his job, and may face hate crimes charges for making remarks about Muslims. Yes, it's Jewish Double Standard Time again. So. What else is new? permalink
Judith Weiss has an excellent post up about fences dividing nations today. In fact, there seem to be more fences than you can shake a protester at. Funniest of all is her title to the post: "Selective indignation." Yeah.
The Must-Read part of the article is the very end, where she quotes a Ha'aretz article in which the mayor of an Israeli Arab village as saying that he would not like to be annexed by the PA, that he and his people would be much better off under Israeli rule than under the palestinians. permalink
Surprise, surprise! Prisons are, like, no fun at all
Kate Raphael, who was arrested while trying to tear down the separation fence, had a rude awakening in custody. Being locked up was (gasp!) no fun at all. And, like, there were a lot of other criminals in there with her (though she doesn't call them such). Via Kesher Talk.
Hm. She's an illegal immigrant from Liberia. Yes, she has had a tragic life. But still, she was an illegal immigrant. Perhaps if the UN stopped spending so much time and money on the palestinian "refugees" and concentrated on people in war zones like Liberia, Arletta would not have had to sneak into Israel.
No, Israel wants to be rid of all her illegal foreign workers. People who are breaking the law. Unlike Kate, most people do believe in things called borders.
She made her way into Israel from Egypt. Question? Why didn't she look for work in Egypt? Aren't there any jobs there? Surely there isn't discrimination against dark-skinned people in Egypt. What? There is? No! I thought only Americans and Israelis could be racists. Arabs can't be racists. Can they?
Here's where we find out that, well, four walls do a prison make:
Man, that is such a bummer. There isn't even any American television in an Israeli prison. And they make you get up at the same time every morning, and go to sleep at the same time every night, even though you don't want to and it's so unnecessary. I think you should complain to the United Nations or Amnesty International or something.
Even worse! Everyone doesn't get their own phone in prison. Medic! Medic! I'm having a heart attack! And look, collective punishment! That's against the Geneva Convention. Sue! Sue at the Hague!
Man, prison really sucks. I don't know what we can do to help Kate out here. Oh, wait, yes. Don't get arrested, asshat. permalink
I am so effing tired, I can barely type. My new job entails a lot of physical work. Flat stomach by June, that's my goal. I think I may get there by May.
I got the job at the climbing gym. Belaying climbers is a lot more work than it looks. Especially when your last climber of the day outweighs you by about a hundred pounds.
I think I'll rest tomorrow and do some climbing on Tuesday. I've never had a job that was fun before. See, you're never too old to learn new things.
I'll be back after dinner. Maybe. Go check out last week's blogs if you haven't already. Or the week before's. I'm in reruns for the moment. permalink
Last week's blogs are archived. Looking for the Buffy Blogburst Index? Here's Israel vs. the world. Here's the Blogathon. The Superhero Dating Ratings are here. If you're looking for something funny, try the Hulk's solution to the Middle East conflict, or Yasser Arafat Secret Phone Transcripts. Iseema bin Laden's diary and The Fudd Doctrine are also good bets if you've never been here before.


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DICKSON, TN -- The Amusement and Music Operators Association installed Bobby Hogin as its next president on March 27. Hogin brings to the yearlong term some three decades of experience as a coin machine operator. He succeeds John Pascaretti of Michigan's Pascaretti Enterprises, an equipment distributorship. Pascaretti describes his successor as a Tennessee gentleman who is a nuts and bolts operator who knows the industry; Hogin is quick to point out that it's more nuts.
"This position will be taken with dedication and vision on my part," Hogin said during AMOA's membership meeting in Las Vegas. "Our past presidents have set a bar that I must meet or exceed. I'm looking forward to traveling and meeting operators from all parts of the country -- and if I don't have answers to their questions, I'll find someone who does."
As founder of the Dickson, TN-based Hogin Amusement Co., he has witnessed the dramatic changes in the industry that have prepared him to represent operators around the country.
After discovering a need for affordable entertainment in the middle-Tennessee area, Hogin started his music and games operation in the mid-1980s following the great videogame crash. From a simple beginning, Hogin's operation has grown to serve a six-county territory west of Nashville.
"Like everyone else, I was looking for a job. I was working for another amusement operator who decided to retire. That gave me the opportunity to purchase his route," Hogin recalled. "That would have been around 1984. We started out with truck stops -- those were the main locations served by my previous employer -- but I started securing bar and tavern accounts, bowling alleys, skating rinks and convenience stores."
Today, Hogin Amusement Co. covers nine counties in Tennessee. As the new AMOA president can attest, building a route, even during the Golden Age of arcade games, is no simple feat.
"One of the first challenges I faced was trying to find places where I could gain more knowledge of the industry," he said. "So I started going to the AMOA shows and the educational seminars. AMOA was a big help to me. I attended the Notre Dame program, which enabled me to share information with other operators. These experiences and opportunities did contribute to the growth of my route."
By 1990, Hogin was becoming more active in the AMOA, first working as a director and later working his way up through the various committee chairmanships. Chris Warren of Capital Music (Helena, MT) and Kenny Price of Price Music (Parkersburg, WV) were among the AMOA leaders who had the greatest influence on his decision to become more active in the operators' association.
Hogin told VT that retaining and building membership is among the top AMOA priorities today. "There have been so many consolidations in the amusement industry," he acknowledged. "We don't have as many operators as we used to."
PHOTOS: At left, Bobby Hogin shows off one of his game installations. At right, the new AMOA president hosts a visit from Congressman Jim Cooper (D-5th Dist.) at Hogin Amusement Co.'s Dickson, TN, office.
State association outreach, put into high gear during Pascaretti's term, has been met with a warm response from key regional groups, Hogin noted. "I attended the Council of Affiliated States meeting in February in Florida, where many state representatives remarked about John's visiting their states and bringing them up to date on AMOA activities. I plan on doing the same, and I'm looking forward to visiting every state association that asks an AMOA representative to be there."
Attracting new entrepreneurs to the industry and young operators to the association is another challenge faced by AMOA. "We have to really dwell on the young people getting into the amusement trade," Hogin said. "They are more technologically savvy than us old guys, so it's just a natural fit for them. And they're out there."
Despite the challenges confronted by the 66-year-old association, and a current lull in the amusement industry in general, Hogin remains optimistic. "I see a bright future. I think there will always be a demand for a low-cost entertainment -- where people can play games in the lobby of a restaurant or movie theater, or in a family entertainment center," he said.
"You can see the changes from the previous years; we're going to more prize-dispensing games, such as cranes and merchandisers. Our industry has always evolved. And I think there will always be equipment there that will keep the people interested and entertained."


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An anaplastic oligoastrocytoma is a type of brain tumor. Brain tumors are often referred to as glioma. A glioma is a tumor that has originated in the brain or spine. Sometimes this is called a "primary" brain tumor. This means it was formed from brain cells, and so it is not a tumor that came from cancer elsewhere in the body that metastisized to the brain. The main types of glioma are ependymomas, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, or a "mixed" glioma, which is what Adam has. His tumor is made up of both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, which makes it quite rare. Tumors are either low-grade (1 or 2) or high-grade (3 or 4). Low-grade tumors are well-differentiated, which means that they look a lot like their neighboring cells. High-grade tumors are undifferentiated or "anaplastic". These cells look nothing like their healthy counterparts, and so are considered malignant.
Gliomas do not metastisize by the bloodstream, therefore they do not spread to other areas of the body. However, they can spread via cerebrospinal fluid and metastisize to other areas of the brain and/or spinal cord. Low-grade gliomas grow slowly, often over many years, and can be followed without treatment unless they grow large enough to cause symptoms. High-grade gliomas almost always grow back even after complete surgical removal, and are therefore often referred to as recurrent brain cancer.
Gliomas are rarely curable. Low-grade patients have a median survival of between 10 and 15 years. The prognosis for patients with high-grade gliomas is generally poor. Of 10,000 Americans diagnosed each year with malignant gliomas (Grade 3 or 4), only 50% of them are alive after 1 year. 25% will survive 2 years. For anaplastic astrocytoma (which is similar to oligoastrocytoma) survival is about 3 years.
Conventional treatment for brain gliomas is a combined approach of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. None of these treatments have been proven to prolong life and can cause serious and debilitating side effects.


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Three of Australia's most experienced former diplomats have urged the federal government to review the way it handles its relationships with the United States and China, following a concession from the Obama administration it is rethinking its controversial "pivot" to Asia.
Former Foreign Affairs Department chief and United Nations ambassador
Ric Smith, co-author of the recent force structure review and a former Defence Department chief and ambassador to China and Indonesia, said the defence and intelligence establishment had too much weight in government policy making and that explained why there had been so much recent emphasis on the defence relationship with the US.
John McCarthy, a former ambassador to the US, Indonesia, Japan and India, said US President
They were speaking following the concession by the top US Asian official, Kurt Campbell, that last year's US military pivot to Asia had unnerved some allies, forcing the US to emphasise the policy was about more than military activity.
Mr Campbell, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs, said he rejected the idea the US was a declining power trying to contain China, and that Australia would have to make a choice between the two giants.
The comments by the three former Australian foreign policy officials reflect private concerns among many former officials about how the Rudd-Gillard governments have handled US and China relations, most recently underlined by public criticism from former prime minister
Mr Woolcott said he believed a future Coalition government might be better placed to reshape Australia's relationship with the US and China because it would be more politically able to deal independently with the US.
"A conservative Australian government will have an opportunity to put a different focus on the recommendations of the white paper," he said.
Referring to the ANZUS alliance, he said: "We don't have an arrangement that can never be adjusted just because it's been going on for a very long time."
Mr McCarthy said Australia should pay its alliance dues "only when strictly necessary" and not offer things that were not necessary.
Mr Smith said the government should be able to "walk both sides of the street" with China and the US, but should not be duplicitous by saying one thing in private and another thing in public.
He said US Marines would always come to Australia for training, but "the spinmeisters made it into a big strategic call".
Mr McCarthy said Australia's challenge was to avoid getting into a position of having to choose between the US and China, and this required more care in the way politicians expressed foreign policy.
He told an event, organised by the Institute of International Affairs in Sydney to discuss the white paper, that Australia needed to substantially increase its public diplomacy in the region to better fit in.
There had been two decades of "bipartisan neglect" over how to best promote Australia in Asia, he said.
The Australian Financial Review


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Quad Cities tops Timber Rattlers
Bandits bang out 14 hits to stop Wisconsin
By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers | May 15, 2013 7:39 PM ET
GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Quad Cities River Bandits used a pair of four run innings to push their way past the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Wednesday night with a 9-4 win at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Teoscar Hernandez led the way for the Bandits with four hits, three runs, and an RBI.
Quad Cities (22-16) scored first. Hernandez singled to lead off the game. Miles Hamblin doubled to right with one out to drive in Hernandez for a 1-0 advantage.
The Timber Rattlers (18-18) rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. They loaded the bases with no outs on a pair of walks and an error. Alfredo Rodriguez, Brent Dean, and Orlando Arcia delivered consecutive RBI singles to put the Rattlers up 3-1. Tyrone Taylor grounded into a force out at second base and that got another run home for a 4-1 lead.
But, Quad Cities answered with a pair of four run innings to take a 9-4 lead.
Their first four-spot was in the top of the fifth inning. Rattlers starter Leonard Lorenzo gave up a walk and a single to the first two batters of the inning. Hernandez singled in the first run and chased Lorenzo from the game.
Carlos Correa greeted Taylor Mangum to the game with an RBI single. Miles Hamblin followed with another RBI single to tie the game and put runners on the corners with no outs. Mangum got Jesse Wierzbicki to ground into a 6-3 double play, but the run from third scored to put Quad Cities up 5-4.
The River Bandits pulled away with four more runs in the top of the sixth inning against Damien Magnifico. Brian Balsik was at first with one out. He stole second on a pitch that went to the backstop. Blasik took off for third and drew a throw that wound up in left field to allow him to score.
Roberto Peña would double and take third on a grounder for the second out of the inning. But, a wild pitch by Magnifico let Peña score. Then, Hernandez singled. An error on the play let him take second. Correa doubled, his third hit of the night, to drive in Hernandez for an 8-4 lead. Wierzbicki would single later in the inning to drive in Correa for the final run of the game.
Quad Cities outhit the Timber Rattlers 14-9 and drew ten walks against Wisconsin pitching.
Arcia had three hits, stole a base, and drove in a run for the Timber Rattlers. Michael Reed had a pair of hits and moved his hitting streak to nine games for Wisconsin.
The final game of the series and the homestand is Thursday afternoon. Wisconsin has Austin Blaski (2-0, 1.44) as the scheduled starting pitcher. Quad Cities counters with Colton Cain (1-4, 7.96). Game time is 12:05pm.
The first 1,000 fans to attend Thursday's game will receive a poster of Timber Rattlers pitcher Damien Magnifico courtesy of Dunkin Donuts.
Thursday is a Baker Tilly Business Person Special with WVBO and WNAM. A business card and $11.50 will get you a box seat ticket, your choice of beverage, and your choice of a brat or a hot dog. This offer is also available to seniors aged 55 and older.
Arty's Old Fashioned Drinks also present a Thirsty Thursday with 95.9 KISS-FM. Soda, Beer, and Arty's Old Fashioned Drinks are available for $2 during the game.
If you can't make it out to the ballpark, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 11:45am. Thursday's game is also available on MiLB.TV.
WP: Michael Dimock (5-0)
LP: Taylor Mangum (1-3)
SAVE: Daniel Minor 91)
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.View More


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|Tom Freund
|Written by lloyd bradford (brad) syke
|Friday, 17 April 2009 20:06
| Photo - Francie Wong
It's, apparently, 103 years old. Yet it doesn't look any worse for wear than Phil Spector. To its immense credit, it's remained a bastion for interesting live music for more years than I not only care to remember, but reliably can. Having said that, every visit reminds one of its claustrophobic hellhole ambience: devoid of air; sweltering. The recommended level of discomfort for intrepid fans; lesser mortals, or those requiring oxygen to survive, as against fags and Tooheys, should approach with extreme caution.
We were there, principally, for Venice beach-based singer-songwriter Tom Freund, in Australia, not least, for the East Coast blues 'n' roots. But the night came with not one, but two, bonuses. Firstly, Sam Shinazzi and band. Honestly, where does all this talent hide? Why wasn't I told? Turns out Sam's had four releases to date (three, 'full-length'); all this since circa the turn of the century, making him, you'd have to say, quite prolific. Apparently, he's a multi-instrumentalist, too, 'though there was no evidence of that on the night, as he clung, solely (and soulfully, as it happens), to an acoustic guitar.
Of course, one of the reasons Sam might've escaped my attention is because, although he's been doing solo shows, 'round the traps, for about the same length of time he's been recording, it hasn't always been under the snazzy Shinazzi banner (Caitlin Park professes wanting to marry him on the strength of his name, alone), but as the C-Minus Project; a not-so-subtle allusion, I presume, to a less-than-brilliant academic record.
A curious sidelight, by the way, is that he spent a long time as a drummer. Yet, he seems to have overcome these setbacks, hardships, adversities and handicaps (couldn't resist a cheap, opportunistic sleight on the backbeaters). Though formally trained and mentored in respect of that instrument, he's a self-taught rhythm guitarist, having picked it up post-matriculation, whereupon he also started to dabble in the dark arts of writing and singing.
There's much more to tell, but the long and the short of it is, it's really paid-off, especially if a song like Please Don't Let Me Forget is anything to go by. And there's every indication it is. A touching, homespun love song, it showcases Shinazzi's Springsteenian charisma in two minutes thirty exact.
I'd like to tell you about the SS band, but I've no inside track on the players. Suffice to say, bass and drums were as tight as a Scottish insurance assessor, the mild-mannered lead guitarist knew a lick or two and the keyboardist from Venus, not Mars) enriched the sound without making her presence particularly felt.
In conclusion, I give you every encouragement to welcome yourself to Sam's world: I think you'll find his global concerns not far removed from your own.
Caitlin Park, even if she sounds like a gated community, is a young, electroacoustic, folk experimenter of great moment, value & originality. In a mode somewhere between George Martin and Grandmaster Flash, Park exploits samples cinematic, streetscapist and otherwise, to arrest attention, pique interest, engage & complement her pared-back, less-is-more ambient underlays and overlays. Even the most shrill & edgy of these threaten to work with complete cohesion, thanks, in very large measure, to her intimates, Benedict (synth, electronica, sampling and backing vocals) and Eirwen (another multi-instrumentalist, on recorder, melodica & backing vocals and, on other occasions, piano, to boot), dressed, for the occasion, in the kind of sullied ballerina clobber that once was the province of PJ. These adventures go a long way to further distinguishing an already distinguished body of work.
She opened her set with How's Your Wife, a tune that's garnered an astonishing 2,158 plays on her My Space, which sets with one of her trademark, mesmerising, gentle guitar-picking motifs and reverse sfx. A Hollywood-sounding sample poses the titular question, which is also answered, 'oh, she's fine'. Were I Bill Collins, or David Stratton, I'd doubtless pick-up the cultural reference. Aside from some deft mixing of sundry other fx and a repeated mantra, that's about all there is to it. It had a hypnotic, lullaby-like simplicity, vocal scratchiness & outright weirdness put me very much in mind of Bjork. Of course, when Eirwen stepped-up, with recorder, there was even a dull reminiscence of Tull. Strangely compelling. Later in the set, Park's very considerable singing voice put me particularly in mind of the haunting, breathy delivery characteristic of Jen Cloher.
I can also commend, for your listening pleasure and edification, songs entitled or which at least include lyrics like Gone Are Those Days; I've Been Crying, Crying For You (with its beautifully measured backing vocals); They Tell Me The House Is Empty; the urgent, pleading promise of We Will Be Warmer Than The Sun, with its yearning violin; the Floyd-like metronomic handclaps and white noise of MatchWristBird, with its sonorous three-part harmonies; a two-week old, embryonic song, delivered solo and the saddest, least ironic version of Cole Porter's Miss Otis Regrets you're ever likely to hear.
Park is an 21st-century Dylan, Lightfoot, or Kelly, delivering Futurama folk. Listen up!
Tom Freund came onstage unceremoniously, belying the weight of his musical presence. From the go-get, we were enthralled by his hip, hep, hard-swingin' upright acoustic bass and the perky percussion of cohort, Michael Jerome, a significant figure in his own right, typically associated with Richard Thompson and The Blind Boys of Alabama. With his 'boombox', snare (set, at an angle, oh-so-casually, on the floor), tambourine, brushes, sundry shakers and accoutrement and, above all, ten digits, he achieves a full kit sound, with a minimum of equipment.
The first piece set-up where Freund is coming from: no friend of the global, corporate, or mutinational. Not yet being expert on his corpus, I'm not sure what it was called, but made ready reference to shopping-malls and convenience stores in similarly, tastily disdainful fashion to Mitchell's seminal Big Yellow Taxi. 'I'm gonna lay down my weary tune', Freund pined, in a phrase encapsulating the frustration and exhaustion of all those who'd hoped the Aquarian age would be here by now. When will we get smart?!
The second number (which I've seen deviously discerned to be Comfortable In Your Arms, the all-but-opening cut of the latest album) had a similarly cool, brothel-creepin', alleycat feel, with bass way out front for a jazz-tinged country-blues, with the warmly welcome anachronism of some orchestral bowing. Announced as a song about Saturday night, 'I've already forgotten how nice it is to be comfortable in your arms', it seemed to sympathetically, but by no means self-pityingly describe the twin, turbocharged dangers of one too many beers and a slight surrender to temptation. This is life, documented in full colour, if not splendour. The overall feel and, as at other times, Freund's voice brought our own, much-favoured, Xavier Rudd to mind.
Copper Moon is the title-track of Tom's 2004 album, which has also found its way onto his latest, Collapsible Plans. The opening imagery, 'just a slice of copper moon, over the ocean, the ocean blue' roped me right in. There's a hint of U2, for mine, in the impending sense of cataclysmic crescendo, but it never surrenders its laid-back lilt and lamentation. Lovely! Little wonder Graham Parker has said, 'along with Lucinda Williams, Freund is the best singer-songwriter operating today'. Here's ample evidence.
Then came the Pettyesque Unwind, a folk-rockout, not a million miles from Skynyrd, with some bent chords redolent of Steve Miller & its promise, 'I won't let you down', fully-realised.
I hope no one minds the comparisons, which are meant to be flattering and not in any way meant to indict originality, which is clearly in evidence: as I said to my companion, afterward, Freund would seem to have plenty of influences, yet a sound all his own. That's quite a feat. His songs are, well, Freundly.
Staying with the liberties already taken, the next song, an easy, stirred-not-shaken blues, evoked Wainwright, the elder, not to mention Paul Simon, with what I took to be a deliberate nod in homage to Warren Zevon's insurpassable Werewolves of London. 'I'm not a ghost in this town, even though you can barely see me' might be inscrutable, but is also definitely intriguing and warranting further investigation.
It was getting better and better, if anything, as the night wore on, but not out.
Also from the aformentioned newbie, Collapsible Plans, came one wry, but pretty & oh-so-tender (Without Her I'd be Lost, I gather): if my ears didn't deceive, 'She's esoteric and dark, just the way I like 'em'. Sheer genius. Now, this is what I call emotional intelligence.
Having dealt a slew of songs on acoustic guitar, it was back to bass-ics, with a finger-snappin' number that fell, very comfortably and unselfconsciously somewhere between Connick and Stray Cats; Orleans-style jazz-blues and rockabilly (a rhythmic & stylistic influence that's quite pervasive). It confessed, 'I'm not the lonely type'.
Picking up a harmonica helped get a very funky, bluesy Motown groove across, for Buffalo Springfield's timeless classic, There's Something Happening Here, recently revived for Obama's ascension & a ripe opportunity to showcase & celebrate the colossal collaboration of Jerome, who took a generous, out-o'-the-box solo and gave commensurately. Bobby McFerrin's percussive sensibilities are lurking here somewhere, too, methinks.
Freund then took to his trusty uke, with Queen of The Desert, very Eagles (indeed Freund often sounds like Henley) & another of his affectionate, adoring odes to the fairer gender.
The Band sprang to mind with the eponymous Collapsible Plans, clearly inspired by the untimely death of Freund's hero, John Lennon, referring to 'the last day of the rest of my life; sugar don't get any sweeter'. Moving.
Then a song featuring a trumpet-lips solo few could get away with: only, say, Tom Waits and one or two others.
It was all over, bar the shouting, which brought the man (or men) back for a couple encores. At first, I thought we were in for a rendition of You Are My Sunshine, which would've been sweet; piquant. But it quickly segued into a powerful version of Revolution.
And the perfect end to a near-perfect evening, also from the latest: Why Wyoming, another tribute, to a person I surmise to have been friend, hero and peer, in Manny Rizoso(?), who appears to have met his maker in that remote state. I hanker to know the full story. Jackson Browne features in this unusual, detuned (to F#) and, yet again, deeply affecting & heart-rending contribution to the folk-rock canon.
Tom Freund is now my Freund, for life.
Venue: The Hopetoun Hotel | 416 Bourke St, Surry Hills
Date: 14 Apr 2009
Visit: www.myspace.com/hopetounhotel | www.tomfreund.com
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Naomi Watts and Lupita Nyong'o: Classy at Calvin Klein During NYFW
Stealing the spotlight off the runway with their gorgeous front-row looks, Naomi Watts and Lupita Nyong'o attended the Calvin Klein Collection show during NYFW on Thursday (February 13).
The "12 Years a Slave" breakout wore a lovely light sweater dress with matching heels while the "Impossible" star chose a sleeveless blue dress with black heels.
Recently, the Kenyan actress spoke to Glamour magazine about matters of the heart as Valentine's Day quickly approaches.
Asked for the best way to get over a breakup, Lupita laughed, "Taylor Swift! Listen to her music, yep!"


text: On Sun, Aug 07, 2005 at 01:06:34PM +1000, Chris Samuel wrote: [snip] > The reservation config is: > > SRCFG[sque] STARTTIME=08:00:00 ENDTIME=20:00:00 > SRCFG[sque] PERIOD=DAY DAYS=MON,TUE,WED,THU,FRI > SRCFG[sque] DEPTH=7 > SRCFG[sque] HOSTLIST=edda034 > SRCFG[sque] MAXTIME=00:15:00+* > SRCFG[sque] ACCESS=DEDICATEDRESOURCE > CLASSCFG[sque] PRIORITY=3000 I'm not even sure why I'm bothering to answer, since my solution is so gross (but Mondays make people do crazy things). Use changeparam to set MAXPROC on that node to 8: changeparam NODECFG[edda034] MACPROC=8 Then use on to change it back. Yuck. -- Gabe Turner gabe at msi.umn.edu UNIX Systems Administrator, University of Minnesota Supercomputing Institute for Digital Simulation and Advanced Computation www.msi.umn.edu


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Britannic Majesty is at Hanover, and can answer within that time.
Of themselves, no: but with Britannic soup-royal in quantity?
Britannic George, though Purseholder, what is his success here?
Doubtless the reader has been highly edified by this Britannic dissertation!
The original drawing for this picture is in the possession of his Britannic Majesty.
We did not return to the consulate of her Britannic Majesty.
All national prejudice apart, it was very annoying to us to be taken for the subjects of her Britannic Majesty.
Rose, and, in imitation of his Britannic Majesty, kindled my own fire.
The press-gang soon got possession of the likely mulatto for the service of his Britannic Majesty.
Our Britannic brethren will no longer ask, 'Who reads an American book?'


text:
Crowder Lake University Park
Colony, OK 73021
Formerly a state park, this area offers 22 acres of park grounds and 158 lake acres. Facilities include a ropes course,...Learn More
Formerly a state park, this area offers 22 acres of park grounds and 158 lake acres. Facilities include a ropes course,...Learn More
Eastland Hills is located near Tinker Air Force Base off of I-40 and is open year round. The park offers full RV hookups...Learn More
Surrounded on three sides by the gorgeous Ouachita National Forest, Copper Sky Ranch is a unique getaway...Learn More
If you're looking for a peaceful, relaxing place to stay along historic Route 66, try Oak Glen RV Park. This RV...Learn More
Located in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Cold Springs Group Camp is ideal for a getaway with a large group....Learn More
Historic Boggy Depot Park, located in Atoka, provides a refreshing, restful place for campers to enjoy the beauty of...Learn More
Texoma Shores Resort offers 115 acres of recreation on Lake Texoma. This Madill resort includes lodging options along...Learn More
Enjoy overnight camping in quiet, rural setting with bathhouse, playground and picnic tables. We offer 24 pull-through...Learn More
Grand Lake RV Resort is located near Afton on Grand Lake. This RV park includes laundry facilities, a swimming...Learn More
Comanche Lake is approximately 160 acres. Its amenities include a 9-hole golf course, boat ramp, docks, two fishing...Learn More


text:
You could probably club somebody to death with this Russian gamepad
As a major video game press outlet, we get a lot of emails in our Tips mailer asking us to cover Kickstarters, iOS games, Steam Greenlight trailers, and all kinds of garbage. It happens! Any good PR representative will tell you that press c... read


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It is FINALLY starting to warm up a tad in Utah. Or at least we all hope that it's done snowing. It could in fact continue until June, but let's not think about that. In fact I think all of us are the same, we have summer on our minds and wit summer comes getting in shape. We are all doing it, slimming up so we can run around in cute outfits and bathing suits. March 14th marked 100 days until summer and I've teamed up with Tyson Foods specifically Tyson Grilled and Ready to help all of us participate in the "Countdown to a Better You" program. A way to eat smarter and win some cool stuff.
You're right if you're thinking that I don't use many already cooked ingredients. I usually do it myself. One reason is that I enjoy cooking, but another is that prepared items seem to always be stuffed full of fat and preservatives, and I'm not going there. However, that's not true in this case. So, if I can use Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken that's 98% fat free and no preservatives, AND all I have to do is throw it in the skillet or microwave, you better believe I'm going to try it and make something delicious. Which leads directly into this cool infographic that I was able to borrow from Tyson Foods (thank you!).
Seriously, I love all of the fun little facts on here! Especially the one about how 43% of people are motivated after seeing their friends post or tweet about working out. WHAT?! That is awesome, you guys!
Let's Motivate Each Other in 100 Days!
So, that kind of got me thinking, what if we really, truly did this together?! I think it could be awesome. I'll post on facebook every time I work out, and I'll even tell you what I did, but then I want you to let me know too. Seriously! Head over to Tyson Foods Grilled and Ready Facebok page and check out the Count down to a Better You tab, and then like my facebook page. Then let's keep tabs on new recipes we try with their products, healthy snack ideas and of course workouts. I'm so excited to see if we can help motivate one another!
Anyway, back to life (back to reality… ohhhhh who's singin' with me now?!) and food. I wanted to created this specific recipe for a reason. It seems like as soon as you make the decision to change your life or be healthier every temptation in the world hits. So, what better way to start than with a healthier recipe that's fast, easy and just as delicious? Plus, it has mango and bacon. Enough said.
The chicken is by far the easiest part, throw the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips in a skillet, turn it once and it's done. Dump it on a plate and place the pan back on the heat. Add the turkey bacon, cook low and slow so the tiny bit of fat (compared to pork) renders out. Remove the bacon and quickly add the rest of the ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon to lift the browned bits and grease. Add the crumbled bacon back in, toss to coat and serve it over the chicken with chopped mango and avocado. BOOM! Done and done. Oh, and my favorite part it that you could totally serve this as a salad for a few extra nutrients or just naked on a plate. Either way, that bacon dressing is totally swoon worthy and trust me, you will be licking the plate when you're done. It's delicious alone or served as a salad so mix it up and try whichever way you prefer.
How to Participate
There are two great ways to participate!
1.Simply head to Facebook.com/GrilledandReady and click on the "Countdown to a Better You"
tab. Then, register for the program. Start purchasing Tyson® Grilled & Ready® products – you
only need six bags to be eligible for the first prize level.
2.Or, as an added bonus, you can also enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win one of 10 grand
prizes – a $500 VISA gift card.
How Do I Start Winning?
1. Buy Tyson® Grilled & Ready® products
2. Save UPC codes from eligible Tyson® Grilled & Ready® products
3. Redeem by mailing in UPC codes along with the submission form available at
Facebook.com/GrilledandReady to receive gift codes you can use at online retailers.
A healthier option for lunch or dinner. 98% Fat free grilled chicken served with avocado and mango and topped with a warm bacon dressing.
- 2 Cups Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken
- 1/2 Mango, chopped
- 1/4 to 1/2 Avocado, Chopped
- Salad Greens *optional
- Cilantro for garnish
- 4 Slices Turkey Bacon
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Clove of Garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons Water
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- Juice from 1 1/2 Limes
- 1 Heaping Tablespoon of fresh cilantro, chopped
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the frozen or cold chicken, and cook for 3-5 minutes, turning once until heated through. Remove the chicken to a plate, and return the pan to the heat.
- Add the turkey bacon to the pan, and turn down to medium low. Allow the bacon to cook for 4-8 minutes, turning once. The lower heat will allow more fat to render out. Remove the bacon to a plate, and the pan to the heat.
- In a small bowl add the chopped mango and avocado, stirring to combine. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water, honey, and cilantro. Set aside.
- Turn the heat back to medium and add the olive oil and garlic, stirring with a wooden spoon quickly to allow the garlic to cook through a little and scraping up the browned bacon bits and grease. This should only take a couple seconds, and then add the honey mixture. Allow the dressing to cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until it begins to simmer and reduce. Crumble the bacon and add to the pan, stirring to combine.
- If you choose to do a salad, place the greens on a plate, otherwise just the chicken and to with the mango avocado salsa, and then the warm dressing. Serve immediately.
This is delicious alone or with salad greens
More Healthy Ideas
Veggie Wrap with our favorite Honey Avocado Dressing
Hulled Hemp Seed Salad with Apple Dressing
*I am in a working partnership with Tyson Grilled and Ready, but the opinions and ideas are my own.


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Common causes of sore muscles include swimming laps in pools of pudding and draining pools of pudding by hand in order to find lost goggles. Treat overworked muscles with today's Groupon to 757 Massage in Virginia Beach. Choose between the following options:
- For $39, you get a 60-minute massage (an $80 value).
- For $55, you get a 90-minute massage (a $125 value).
Certified massage therapist Luciana Crespo and the staff at 757 Massage melt muscle knots with a choice of techniques during 60- and 90-minute sessions. Tense tendons relax under the sweeping strokes of Swedish massage, which works to improve circulation and calibrate internal pocket watches, or Bamboo massage, which employs warm sticks of bamboo to roll away aches. Deep-tissue massages target tension and chronic pain in specific areas, as the sinew-savvy carefully apply pressure to reach muscles hiding below the skin's surface. The therapist works to align energy flows with shiatsu techniques, spinal columns with craniosacral therapy, and the North and South Poles with powerful magnetic fields. Each massage partners with a soothing aromatherapy treatment to aid in overall relaxation.
757 Massage
Inside the Aromatherapy Shoppe, steaming hot towels and aromatic essential oils await clients looking to untie tense muscles at 757 Massage. Certified massage therapists stir these ingredients into each of their soothing Swedish, hot-stone. They customize fragrances and massage styles to accommodate every client's individual needs. And that attention to detail earned the massage studio a nomination for the Pilot's Best of the Beach award in 2013 and 2015.


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It's a piece of Canadian history about to be lost... but also one that underscores the lives of millions of people all over the world, who wouldn't be here today without the work of Banting and Best and their remarkable discovery ...
A little background, from Canada's Prairie Preacher: In 1921, Canadian researcher Dr. Fredrick Banting, and his assistant Charles Best discovered the process to extract insulin from the islets of langerhans in the human pancreas. Despite reluctance from their superiors at University of Toronto, Banting persisted until he and his research team successfully treated dogs suffering from diabetes.
Then in 1922, they successfully treated a 14-year-old boy with the insulin they had derived in their lab. In February 1922, they published a journal article outlining their research and discovery, and in 1923 Banting and MacLeod (his supervisor) were awarded the Nobel Prize -- which was contested, btw, since Best received no credit, but that's another story.
Today's story is that the historic Banting Homestead is about to be lost to posterity. The 100-acre property, located about an hour's drive north of Toronto, apparently fell into disrepair after the last Banting kin died in 1999. That was Edward Banting, nephew of Sir Frederick Banting, who bequeathed the Homestead and farm buildings to the Ontario Historical Society (OHS) with the understanding that it be taken care of for future generations to enjoy and also turned into a camp for diabetic children. Instead, the OHS has sold the property to to the highest bidder -- housing developers.
Other descendants, neighbors, and supporters are hopping mad. "Why would a (formerly) respected, more than one hundred year old historical society do such a thing? ... The OHS is simply greedy," they write on their web site, www.discoveryofinsulin.com
A group called The Legacy Foundation hopes to build a camp for diabetic children on the Banting Homestead, and is asking for your support by way of writing protest letters, etc.
Whether or not you care to get involved in the Homestead dispute, the Story of Insulin is one of the most fascinating in medical history. Despite that progress-fueled tagline stating that "Insulin is not a cure," let us not forget how many of us would literally not be alive today without it.