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Entry List
|Robert Eckles
|Barry Williamson
|David Czarnek
|Christie Czarnek
|Stephen Cooley
|Sabrina Cooley
|Aaron McCulley
|Corey Harding
|David McDaniel
|Karen Webb
|Mike Rohrer
|Chris Holt
|Colton Saunders
|Wyley Shaw
|Kirk McMullan
|Davis McMullan
|Bassam Haddad
|Marisa Marroquin
|David Pressly
|David Anderson
|Andy Davison
|Sean Davison
|Jon Domsalla
|Pam Lumpkins
|Matt Parker
|David Cerdas
|Todd Gardner
|Dave Rosborough
|Mark Mies
|Evan Walters
|Ethan Froelich
|John Tomko
|Ian Billings
|Shannon Galway
|Jonathan Atwood
Ruff Rider Regatta 2016
42st Anniversary
Labor Day Weekend
Sept 3-4, 2016
Tuesday, Sept 6, 2016 -- 2016 is a wrap, what a year!
The 2016 Ruff Rider Regatta is a wrap, what a year! Day 1 was a gorgeous (albeit unusual) close reach up the beach. Day 2 was a real punch in the gut. The day started with a light beat to weather which quickly transformed into 40kts of wind and driving rain. Most of the fleet end up on the beach to ride out the storm. The onslaught lasted about 30 minutes. Of those, a few relaunched. Four boats managed to ride the storm out on the water upright, Tomko/Billings, Galway/Atwood, Rohrer/Holt, and Cooley/Cooley. After the storm the breeze shut off to light and variable. Of the few teams that relaunched after the storm, all ditched back to the beach except for McDaniel/Webb. 15 boats started and only 3 crossed the finish line after 9 hours on the water, Tomko/Billings, Galway/Atwood, and McDaniel/Webb.
Congratulations to Tomko/Billings for winning the Spin fleet and McDaniel/Webb for sticking it out and winning the Non-spin fleet.
A big thanks to Carla. This year she took all the punches and kept coming back for more. I seriously can't thank her enough.
There were others that made this year possible, Othal and Rachel for cooler transport, Patricio and Romeo for use of their powerboat, Devon Lumpkins for being Carla's go-fer, Dave McDaniel "Bluex Dog Racing" for his cash donation, the ghost entries submitted this year for their generous donations, and my wife Laura for keeping my head on straight.
Final results are posted here.
Monday, August 1, 2016 -- Registration is OPEN!
Registration for Ruff Rider 2016 is open. Registration must be completed online here.
Thursday, July 21, 2016 -- Ruff Riders is ON!
Ruff Rider 2016 is ON!
I have been a seriously bad regatta organizer this year and haven't kept anyone up to date on what is happening with Ruff Rider this year. Well, to clear up any fog, the regatta is happening. There will be a small twist this year though, let me explain.
Every year I get two groups talking in each ear. One says they want to go around the island, one says they want to go offshore. Well, I am going to try a solution to this problem this year. Everyone will declare at the check in party which route they will sail, Double J or round the island. We will pick a Day 1 finish location equitable to both routes. Day 2 won't matter since everyone will sail the same route home. Each team will declare which route they will sail and MUST sail that route. Times will not be separated for each route, Day 1 will behave like a checkpoint race, pick your route and hope the decision holds up. I hope this can satisfy most everyone, I know I'll get complaints about this from somebody though!
I will open registration soon, I promise.
Tuesday, Sept 8, 2015 -- 2015 is a wrap
Results are posted. This year was a ton of fun! We had a small fleet, but we made up for it with some great sailing by all. A big congratulations to Team Gleeson in the non-spin fleet and Team Sailboat Shop in the Spin fleet for spectacular bullets all weekend. There's lots of people to thank but the big ones are Carla for running race committee so I could sail and Tim for running the halfway logistics. These two really worked their tails off this weekend. Othal and his wife Rachel were kind enough to drive all your stuff to the halfway, I hope you thanked them for a marginally comfortable night of wind blown sand in your tent. I'm kidding of course, help like this is priceless. Our sponsors this weekend who made cash donations were Blueux Dog Racing and Steven Cooley. This sponsorship is what keeps this regatta alive. Please find a friend and bring them along next year! See you in Padre Labor Day 2016
Wednesday, Sept 2, 2015 -- Time to head south!
The race is just around the corner, most are headed south tomorrow or Friday. There's still time to register. The check in party is at Louie's Backyard from 7-9pm Friday night.
Tuesday, Aug 11, 2015 -- Early Registration Closes in 4 Days
Get your registration in before the price jumps $30. register.ruffrider.net
Monday, Aug 3, 2015 -- Blueux Dog Racing
This weekend we received a donation from Blueux Dog Racing. Thanks Dave!
Don't wait too long to register, the late fee kicks in soon.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015 -- Registration is OPEN!!!! Register here.
Monday June 29, 2015 -- GT300 is finished for the year, now its Ruff Rider's time!!!
Sorry for the radio silence this summer. The Great Texas 300 is finally finished and thus my daily free time has increased dramatically. I've received several messages lately asking if the Ruff Rider Regatta was happening this year or not? OF COURSE IT IS!!! Labor Day weekend, around the island. Registration will open middle of June, details will follow.
Monday Sept 8, 2014 -- Reorder Tshirts
If you want another Tshirt I will be submitting a reorder at the end of the week. Place your order here by Friday. The cost is $25/shirt including shipping.
Tuesday Sept 2, 2014 -- What a fantastic year!
Results are posted here.
This year turned out to be just a fantastic year all around. Saturday was really light to begin, but the breeze filled and we all received our high speed sleigh ride down the coast. Sunday we all took a HUGE ass kicking in the surf. After that the breeze was generally lighter than we wanted but we were all moving steadily down the coast. Many thanks to go out this year, Carla Cardini for being our PRO this weekend. She also organized the raffle at the registration party. She really did a huge amount of work. Tim and Pilar for being my go-fers this weekend. They also cooked the breakfast Sunday morning and were in charge of breaking down camp. This is the job all the sailors usually forget about but it is not an insignificant amount of work. Our sponsors, Gulf Coast Downhole Technologies, Robert Eckles, Cat Alley, C&C Sailmakers, Cat Sailor Magazine, Banks Sails, and the Sailboat Shop in Austin.
I hope to see all of you next year!
Monday Aug 25, 2014 -- Two Beach Houses for RAFFLE!
If you haven't registered already, I haven't increased for being late. No more Tshirts are available, but you certainly can sail I will consider feeding you at the halfway as well.
TWO BEACH HOUSES FOR RAFFLE!!! Cat Alley was gracious enough to donate a weekend and now we have a second beach house for raffle as well. That's TWO chances to win a weekend at the beach! Thanks Dennis Banks!
We have 5 days until registration at Louie's Backyard, 6-9pm Friday night. You must come by to pick up your race bag and sign in. There will be no sign in on the beach Saturday morning.
Monday Aug 11, 2014 -- Beach House Weekend Rental for $145!
Want to rent a beach front, mast up, beach house for the weekend for only $145? Well, step right up and register, your entry gets you entered in the raffle for a weekend at the beach plus tons of other cool stuff.
Only one week left before early registration is over and you have to pay the late fee.
Monday July 7, 2014 -- Registration is OPEN!
The 40th running of the Ruff Rider Regatta is getting close. Registration is now open. Visit the registration page for details.
Tuesday July 1, 2014 -- Ruff Rider Regatta is On!
This is the 40th anniversary of the Ruff Rider Regatta. We are a go for this year! However, unfortunately we will not be sailing to Corpus this year. We will be sailing a route which keeps us on South Padre Island for the whole weekend.
Registration will open next week.
Monday Sept 16, 2013 -- Photos are Posted
Photos from this year's event can be found here.
Wednesday Sept 4, 2013 -- Results are up
Final results are posted in the results section of the website. A big thanks to all that helped out this weekend, Carla, Christie, Othal, Patricio, and Scott. Another big thanks to our last minute sponsor Trey Garrison with Silver Bullet Racing. Hope to see you all next year!
Sunday Aug 18, 2013 -- 2 weeks!
Normal registration is closed. From here on out there is a late fee of $30. T-shirts are not guaranteed for late registrations.
Tuesday July 30, 2013 -- One month to go!
In one short month we will start the 'round the island format of the Ruff Rider Regatta. Get your spot on the line, register here.
Thursday July 18, 2013 -- REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!
Go to the registration page to register online. First to register is first on the start line!
Tuesday July 9, 2013 -- Round the island we go! -- Who's ready to run around the island? The Ruff Rider Regatta registration will open in the next two weeks. First to register is first on the line. An email will be sent out when registration opens, get on the list! Go to the Contact Us page to join the email list.
Tuesday Sept 4, 2012 -- Successful Year -- We had another great year! We had a few exciting moments, but generally speaking it was a great run north. Full results are posted here.
Special thanks to our sponsors HEB, Brockhaus Jewelry, Kenedy Foundation, Cat Alley, C&C Sailmakers, Louie's Backyard.
Huge thanks to our volunteers, Matt Parker, Carla Cardini, Andrew Tatton, Stephanie May, Nick Curra, John Galway, Patricio Brito, Andrea Eckles, and my road crew Mike Hammond.
From here on out we will alternate formats each year. Next year is round the island.
Wednesday August 29, 2012 -- NEW SPONSOR!!! -- Lighthouse Liquor in Rockport has come on board as a donation sponsor. They are providing drinks for the halfway point. If you've never drank a beer at the halfway point, you can't understand the complexity of the situation. Lighthouse Liquor is taking one crucial step out of the complex problem of delivering cold beer 50 miles into the middle of nowhere south Texas in the summer.
Monday August 27, 2012 -- The days seem to be moving quicker the closer we get! All the halfway point gear is laid out in my barn. Cases upon cases of drinks have been purchased. Final head counts are underway. We are all ready to move south. If you haven't registered, you still can (no guarantees on T-shirts) See you there! Oh yeah, eff you Isaac! I will string you up by your balls if you screw me like Lee did last year.
Monday August 20, 2012 -- Less than two weeks away from the start! We will postpone the late registration fee until next weekend, but from this point forward we can't guarantee T-shirt sizes.
Thursday August 2, 2012 -- Half price for students. If both skipper and crew are college or high school students we will reduce the entry fee by half.
We are 1 month out. The registration list is getting longer and the wait is getting shorter. Are you ready to roll north?
Friday July 20, 2012 -- HEB has agreed to help out again this year with groceries for the halfway point. Yeah HEB! Show them how much you appreciate this by visiting your local HEB next time you get hungry!
St. Arnold's Brewery has agreed to donate several cases of beer for the halfway point again this year. Where else can you enjoy a fine cold microbrew in the middle of absolute nowhere??? Nowhere else but Ruff Riders!
Thursday July 12, 2012 -- Registration is OPEN!!! Bring on the boats! $40 late fee after August 18th. Who's going to be first this year?
Wednesday June 20, 2012 -- We are headed back up the ditch. The GT is over for this year, which means its time to gear up for the greatest sleigh ride north of the Rio Grande. Registration will open in the next few weeks. Keep your eyes open, ears peeled, and calendar cleared for Sept 1&2, 2012.
Sunday August 7, 2011 -- Late Fee Coming Soon Dial the above number and when prompted enter the access code. You will then be automatically joined to the conference. For the sake of everyone on the call, please use the mute button on your phone unless you are actively speaking in the call. This eliminates a bunch of background noise which is very distracting. Anyone in the Houston area is more than welcome to listen in at my house. Email me separately for directions. We are about 10 min west of Katy on I-10, just south of Brookshire. Although our house might be closer to the Austin folks than some of the Houston folks! While on the call please help us keep to the agenda and stay on topic. If the call gets off topic we can table the conversation for the end of the call and move on to the next item on the agenda. Items on the agenda: 1.) General status report 2.) Race committee support. Volunteers. 3.) Halfway point to-do list. 4.) Finish to-do list. 5.) Trophies 6.) T-shirts 7.) Sponsorship leads. 8.) Powerboat commitments. 9.) Open floor. Questions should be directed to Shannon Galway at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you want to save $40 get your registration in by Midnight August 12. After that the registration price goes up.
Wednesday August 3, 2011 -- New Sponsor
Eckles Land & Cattle of Holdenville, OK has signed on as a cash sponsor. We really appreciate the gift!
Sunday July31, 2011 -- Aerial Photography!
South Texas Pools in Harlingen has agreed to provide aerial photography of the start and beginning of the first day. Photos will be available for download after the event free of charge. Check them out at www.southtexaspools.com.
Monday July 25, 2011 -- Volunteer's conference call
We will have a conference call for all volunteers interested in helping out with the event. If you want to help but don't know how, this is the place to be tomorrow evening at 7:30 (Tuesday July 26).
Call in #: (213) 417-9250
Access Code: 646449#
Sunday July 10, 2011 -- Registration is OPEN!
Go to register.ruffrider.net or click the button on the navigation bar to the left.
See you in Padre!
Previous Messages --
Thursday June 23, 2011 -- Registration is getting close
Registration will open within the next week or so. Keep your calendar open for Sept 3-4, 2011!
Hello fellow Ruff Riders! I just wanted to post a quick note letting everybody know what is in the works Ruff Rider 2011.
As most know, I have assumed the role of "Head Cook and Bottlewasher" for the Ruff Riders Regatta. I am really excited to take on this challenge and can't wait to see how the next year goes. I have been a little lazy so far, Scott made it look so easy I figured I had nothing to worry about until mid August -- turns out I was wrong, especially when considering my plans. I intended to return the course to Corpus Christi for Ruff Riders 2011. Details of the exact finish location are still being worked out but will be within sight of the JFK bridge. I will warn you now, services provided at the midway point will be adequate but sparse for the first year until we can get our feet under us.
This is no small task and I will not be able to do it alone. I am asking for volunteers to assist in particular tasks. My plan is to assemble a committee of volunteers to share the workload. Areas where help is really needed are beach captains, on the water transport, race committee, and midway workers. Several people that have powerboats which can be used for the weekend are needed. We need to get all the equipment to the halfway point and also have a boat or two for chase boats. We will need spare hands at the midway point who are not sailing that can cook and serve dinner/breakfast. Beach Captains will be responsible for all activities occurring on their particular beach. Start captain will organize the registration, Friday sign in party, and the skippers meeting. Midway captain will organize dinner and breakfast at the midway point. Finish captain will organize the awards and finish activities.
Current Regatta Leadership
Regatta Director – Shannon Galway
Regatta Treasurer – Scott Kee
Start Beach Captain – Scott Kee
Midway Beach Captain – Andrew Tatton
Finish Beach Captain – Dennis Banks
Race Committee -- Open
Midway Workers – Open
Another area where help is DESPERATELY needed is attendance. I need everyone that is receiving this message to spread the word that we need more boats at the start line. The more people that register, the cheaper the registration fee is for everyone.
I look forward to the next year and I encourage anyone that has constructive ideas for this regatta to make them known on the website forum. I really want to make sure this is the regatta you want it to be. I must thank the people that have already volunteered to help and Scott and Ana for making this transition as smooth as possible. I'm glad to be here.
Shannon Galway
Dial the above number and when prompted enter the access code. You will then be automatically joined to the conference. For the sake of everyone on the call, please use the mute button on your phone unless you are actively speaking in the call. This eliminates a bunch of background noise which is very distracting.
Anyone in the Houston area is more than welcome to listen in at my house. Email me separately for directions. We are about 10 min west of Katy on I-10, just south of Brookshire. Although our house might be closer to the Austin folks than some of the Houston folks!
While on the call please help us keep to the agenda and stay on topic. If the call gets off topic we can table the conversation for the end of the call and move on to the next item on the agenda.
Items on the agenda:
1.) General status report
2.) Race committee support. Volunteers.
3.) Halfway point to-do list.
4.) Finish to-do list.
5.) Trophies
6.) T-shirts
7.) Sponsorship leads.
8.) Powerboat commitments.
9.) Open floor.
Questions should be directed to Shannon Galway at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Reviews: Anonymous
- Anonymous
- USA, Female, 25-30
- Novice Nomad
Keystone House Kings Cross, London, England
6 euro per key was a bit high, making it very inconvient with a group of 4. Staff was friendly.
- Anonymous
- USA, Female, 25-30
- Novice Nomad
Saint James Backpackers, London, England
Great service, wifi was great. All plugs worked. Nice beds, pillows and blankets. Strange guy was hanging around for a bit, and the staff removed him immediately! Excellent staff, considerate, and helpful.
Hostelworld Mobile Apps
Book on the go with the new Hostelworld mobile apps.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Real Chick Lit: "The Smart Girl's Guide To Getting Even"
After J. broke up with me my senior year in high school, I was pissed. Livid. Just a few weeks earlier, he told me he loved me, we went to prom and all was glorious in the world. What the heck? After a few weeks of having an intimate rebound relationship with a box of Kleenex, I became dead-set on making his life as unpleasant as he had made mine.
In order to exact my revenge, my best friend and I went to the mall where the kids who went to his high school always hung out. We approached every high-school aged girl we could find, asked if she knew J., and then told her to stay away from him and his terrible case of back-ne. Mature? Hell no. Satisfying? Undeniably.
Though I think my plan was rather brilliant, I probably would have received some nice inspiration had Alison Grambs' book "The Smart Girl's Guide To Getting Even" been around in 1994. In it, she offers all sorts of perfectly legal yet wholly satisfying ways to get back at the Js — i.e. the complete and total jerks — of the world. After the jump, find a sampling of her I-will-not-go-down-quietly strategies. The Charity Case: Getting dumped can make a girl feel terribly exposed. Vulnerable. Naked. So why not give your ex a taste of what you're going through? Unless your ex resides at a nudist commune, chances are he depends on his clothes. So, imagine the predicament he'll be in when he opens his closet to find only the hangers remaining. Bag up all every single item of clothing he owns — underwear, shirts, jeans, suits, ties, socks and shoes — even that ridiculous rodeo belt buckle he paid $500 for on eBay despite never having sat on a horse. Stuff everything into some heavy-duty garbage bags and deliver them to the nearest thrift shop for donation. Your former Knight in Shining Armor? Well, now he's just a Knight In Hairy Nakedness.
Cain & Enable: He said he wanted to see "other people". Well, why not see some "other people" yourself then? Namely, his brother. Imagine how awkward Thanksgiving dinner will be for your ex when he is forced to watch you and his (more handsome) bro canoodling across the table the whole time. If that gelatinous canned cranberry sauce his mother insists on serving each year doesn't cause him to lose his appetite, your newly restored place in his family will! And that's something to be most thankful for during the holiday season!
Beeeeeeeeeeep!: There are two sides to every story, and breakups are no different. You can bet your best lip gloss, however, that your ex hasn't been truthful with his friends and family about just how cruel he was to you. Why not use the marvels of technology to help clarify the situation? Change his outgoing voicemail greeting or Facebook status to say, "Hi, I'm not here right now. I'm too busy breaking the heart of a loving woman who gave me everything, and asked for so little. Please leave a message at the beep and I'll get back to you when I'm done being a complete jerk." Tsk tsk. All those girls he gave his number to last night at the bar? Something tells us they won't be leaving a message. Boo-hoo.
Make The Breath Of A Bad Situation: Communication is the key to a good relationship, but fresh breath and a polished appearance is the key to a hot date. And your ex is about to find out how terribly wrong things can go. When you stop by his place to remove the last of any personal belongings you have stashed there, ask to use the bathroom before you go. While in there, relieve yourself in his mouthwash bottle and maybe slip a little hair remover or pink dye into his shampoo while you're at it. Looking good, stud boy.
Perfect His Playlist: Your ex messed with your head… now it's time to mess with his. Swipe his mp3 player when he isn't looking, and remove all his favorite music from it. Replace all his classic rock tunes with the recording of elderly tortoises mating on the Galapagos Islands that you picked up at the Discovery Channel store. He thought dating you was a headache? Ha! Just wait until he tries to work out at the gym to this soundtrack.


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(CNSNews.com) – Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Wednesday that Congress is given the constitutional authority to mandate that individuals buy health insurance in "probably the same place" that states get the power to mandate that people purchase auto insurance.
Both the House and Senate health care reform bills require that individuals purchase health insurance, punishable by a penalty or incarceration. Republican Senators forced a vote Wednesday, called a "point of order," on whether this provision is outside the constitutional authority of Congress. The point was defeated along partisan lines, 60-39.
At the Capitol, CNSNews.com asked Sen. Nelson: "Where in the Constitution do you think that Congress gets the authority to create an individual mandate?"
Nelson said: "Well, you know, I – probably the same place that states have the authority to require, mandate if you will, compulsory auto insu--liability insurance."
CNSNews.com: "A follow-up [question]?"
Sen. Nelson: "If you're asking a question and not debating me."
CNSNews.com: "I'm just wondering: Could a state require you to purchase auto insurance without an auto?"
"Probably not," Nelson said, "but they -- they might be able to require that you carry liability insurance just for any general happening."
CNSNews.com: "So you'll vote down the point of order?"
Nelson: "Yes, I am."
The Senate version of health care reform imposes an historic mandate on all Americans, requiring them to have government-approved health insurance, either through an employer or individually. The mandate also can penalize people with a surtax ranging from $500 to nearly $1,500 per year if they do not have a health insurance policy.
Sens. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) believe the provision falls outside the constitutional purview of the Congress. In a floor speech on Tuesday, DeMint said the provision was nothing like state-mandated auto insurance.
"Forcing every American to purchase a product is absolutely inconsistent with our Constitution and the freedoms our Founding Fathers hoped to protect," he said. "This is not at all like car insurance. You can choose not to drive but Americans will have no choice whether to buy government-approved insurance."
"This is nothing more than a bailout and takeover of insurance companies," said DeMint. "We're forcing Americans to buy insurance under penalty of law and then Washington bureaucrats will then dictate what these companies can sell to Americans."
"This is not liberty," he said. "It is tyranny of good intentions by elites in Washington who think they can plan our lives better than we can."
When Nelson was asked about the constitutionality of the individual mandate in November, he said he was "not going to be able to answer that question."
"Well, you know, I don't know that I'm a constitutional scholar," Nelson told CNSNews.com then. "So, I, I'm not going to be able to answer that question."
Democrats, who hold a 60-vote majority with 2 independent senators voting with them, also completed a "cloture" vote, which ends debate on the health care bill. The Senate is schedule to vote for final passage of the bill at 8:00AM on Christmas Eve.
While certain to pass, the health care bill is unpopular with the public, garnering the support of barely 40 percent of Americans, according to recent national polls.
In 1994, when the Clinton administration tried to pass its own health care reform legislation, also with an individual mandate included, the Congressional Budget Office reported that it was "unprecedented" in legislative history.
"The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States," the CBO analysis said. "A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States."
To listen to CNSNews.com's exchange with Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), click here.


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We were always looking for true north; with our heads in the clouds, just a little off course ...
Research ››› ››› ERIC ALTERMAN
This is Siva Vaidhyanathan reporting in again from lovely Charlottesville, Virginia.
Who would have thought that between the Vick brothers, Michael would be in bigger legal trouble than Marcus by now? Michael was the one who was supposed to have discipline and character. Hmmmm. (And yes, if either Vick had played for Oklahoma or Texas A&M I would have taken a jab at that program, but out of respect for my new Hokie neighbors I will refrain).
The flood of sports scandals this summer should not shake anyone's faith in the games in question. All we have learned (or re-learned) is that greed, vanity, and arrogance still apply to the humans who play and govern our sporting institutions. The NBA referee gambling scandal certainly speaks to nothing beyond the weaknesses of one man. Maybe the NBA was not vigilant enough when it got word of his habits and connections. But hey, the FBI has been no better at policing its own. The Michael Vick case shows only that too many Americans like to kill dogs and one of them happens to be rich, famous, and successful. And let's be frank about Barry Bonds: Juiced or not, he has amazing eyes and a stunning set of skills that have allowed him to do one of the hardest things we pay people to do: hit a small white ball with a stick of ash. Bonds is one of the five or six greatest hitters to ever play the game, and I consider myself lucky to have seen him hit three homers in my presence.
We always tend to lurch for some greater sociological explanation for the anomalies that capture our imagination. Reporters and editors habitually make the mistake of clenching on to the unusual or extraordinary, riding the story until it collapses, and then sending someone out to chat with "experts" to make some larger sense of the event. They forget that the very factor that justified their initial attention -- that some event almost never happens -- undermines any attempt to blow it up into a sociological trend or phenomenon.
School shootings are the best example I can think of. They almost never happen. American schools have never been safer. In fact, there has never been a safer or less violent time to be a child in America. Instead of asking what we have done right as a culture and maximizing the good stuff, we use the extremely rare event to guide our deliberations and policies. So we spend many dollars, hours, and column inches wringing our hands about irrelevant things like video game violence. And we seriously entertain stupid proposals like arming university students so they might deploy some sort of action-movie slow-motion heroism to try to neutralize a once-in-a-century unpredictable threat.
What we should be doing is paying attention to the common and omnipresent threats to our health and welfare. You know what really hurts young people in America? Drugs, alcohol, vehicles, and relatives. Oh, and poverty. The poorer a child is, the more likely that drugs, alcohol, vehicles, and relatives can do serious damage to them. If poverty kills or maims millions of American children and video games kill and maim exactly zero, why do we see more stories about video games than poverty? If children tend to get hurt at home and almost never get hurt at school, why are we so obsessed with school violence and pay so little attention to home and family violence?
I don't have an answer to this dilemma. I understand the lure of the spectacular. And I get it that editors and reporters need to follow the spectacular with a flood of analysis stories and "what does this say about ..." stories. I used to write these stories for a living, and now my phone rings every time some big event calls for "experts" to comment. I just wish we could balance it all and we had some mechanism or incentive to keep things in perspective.
Speaking of perspective, I am pretty pleased about the extent of post-Katrina coverage we have seen in our nation's networks, newspapers, and magazines. But I wonder why we never hear any of the major presidential candidates put the Gulf Coast front-and-center in their stock speeches or in their instant debate answers? Even John Edwards has let the criminal treatment of Southern poor people get mixed in with the larger (but less acute) problems of economic stratification.
Do I contradict myself? Was not Katrina a once-per-century event? Yes, in a way. The problem is not just that the levees of Louisiana are once again unable to hold back a storm surge. That is a big problem. The more significant problem along the Gulf Coast is that too many people remain effectively exiled from their homes, that New Orleans remains stunted and depopulated, and that the event itself revealed to too many Americans who were too busy that this country does not take care of its less fortunate until it's too late. Katrina revealed and amplified the misery and hopelessness that imprisons millions of Americans.
So the question for us is not, as New York Times reporter John Schwartz so effectively outlined in his continuing series, just a question of New Orleans' continued vulnerability. That's essential, but incomplete.
The real questions in Katrina's wake are about our nation's obligations and general domestic security. Katrina demonstrated that we are not the nation we pretend to be. It also showed us how craven, shallow, and incompetent conservative ideologues must be in order to fulfill their dreams of undermining governance. And it showed how charitable and effective Americans can be when called to give, work, and sacrifice for the greater good.
After Katrina, the Democratic Party should have declared that its 2008 convention would be in New Orleans. It should have done with New Orleans and Katrina what the Republicans did with New York and 9-11 (or, perhaps more to the point, the way Republicans used their 1980 convention in Detroit to highlight the industrial erosion of the Carter years -- only to cause further erosion and move to Dallas in 1984 to declare that the country was doing SO much better). Democrats should have forced Americans to look south once again and witness the problems. It should have demanded action and pursued solutions. It should have called for a coordinated national effort to rebuild the coast, repopulate New Orleans, and invest in the region. Done right, the Deep South could have started electing Democrats again. But more important, all Americans would have seen the need for good, wise, and high-minded governance. Win or lose in the short term, we must never forget.
Every August and September for the next few decades, we will undergo eight to 10 weeks of reflection. From the anniversary of Katrina through September 11, we will engage in constant analysis of whether we are safe and good. Let's push our media institutions, pundits, and politicians to make these reflections more effective and honest.
Dear Siva:
I see here that the Yankees, despite their $169 million payroll and despite their recent spate of games played way over their head are five games behind the Sox in second place in their division and also in second place for the AL wild card. I also see that the Mets, despite having sustained more injuries to more key players than most teams ever have, and a much lower payroll than the Yankees, and while not playing their best ball even given all that, are not only five games in first place, but also, God forbid, ahead of any other teams that might qualify for the wild card.
OK, back to the chianti. Hope all is going well for you.
Siva responds: Two things: First, it's a lot easier to be in first place in the NL East than in the AL East. Second, the only day it matters to be in first place is the last day of the season. I would think a Mets fan would understand that all too well.
Name: Nicholas Pisano
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Hello Eric,
Old Navy guy here. Over the last week or so the comments regarding Huckabee and creationism has generated a lot of correspondence. Along these same lines a question was posed to the candidates in the Democratic debate last night to wit: "My question is to understand each candidates' view of a personal God. Do they believe that, through the power of prayer, disasters like Hurricane Katrina or the Minnesota bridge collapse could have been prevented or lessened?"
I have to say that the Democratic responses were disappointing -- in stark contrast to Huckabee's response -- and they were disappointing for the same reasons that they can't seem to articulate coherently or bring practical results to their opposition to the Iraq war: they (and many liberals) have through their recent pandering to the more aggressive so-called religious factions in the country have, by feeling compelled to tell us about their devoutness to their religion, implicitly accept the notion that not only must one subscribe to supernatural (and some would say superstitious) belief as a precondition to office but to also accept the proposition that the expression of religious beliefs are an acceptable part of political discourse.
From a cynical position such pandering seems to be a smart political move -- perhaps. But for anyone who cares about democratic institutions and individual liberty such pronouncements, which are having an effect in our everyday lives now -- from the recent cases on abortion and reproductive rights to our approach to the Middle East and Muslims to our public policy on public lands, public health and to the threat posed by global warming -- are a dangerous compromise.
Compare the Democratic candidates' responses to the statement by John F. Kennedy when concerns were raised by his Catholicism: "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute -- where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote...."
If we could only wish that was now the case. In fact, one should find it troubling that in the 40 odd years since that statement that we as nation have gone backwards rather than forward in our public discourse. No mainstream scholar or politician would be found challenging the most common sense and accepted assertion of a separation of church and state in 1960.
The reason why these questions arise now and will continue to arise is because there is a concerted movement in this country to enshrine into law a religious belief -- a Theocracy by default through incremental steps in changing the political and legal discourse and by law if possible. The foot soldiers of this movement are out there and they do not hide their agenda. It is a threat to democracy as clear and present as the actions of Osama bin Laden. It must be resisted wherever it arises, not by aggressive action since these our own citizens, but by patience, understanding and the firm and confident knowledge of our political traditions and values -- but in any event resisted.
This resistance will take courage. Apparently our leading Democratic candidates for president no longer believe as did Thomas Jefferson when he said, "It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others...It behooves him, too, in his own case, to give no example of concession, betraying the common right of independence of opinion, by answering questions of faith, which the laws have left between God and himself."
To express your religious beliefs in the realm of politics is not only dangerous but just plain rude -- displaying a clear lack of manners and class. Washington, Jefferson, and Madison were Enlightenment deists with very hostile ideas concerning most of the beliefs held by most conservative Christians and others today. Yet, despite the fact that they would fail to pass a religious conservative's litmus test, we have come to realize that they were men of character and integrity who served this nation admirably. They were the true strict constructionists.
Huckabee was right in the sense that we can only hope was his meaning -- as long as he maintains a separation between his public role and his personal beliefs then it really is no one's business. We hope to elect a president, not a prelate. A man or woman of integrity will not appeal to tribal or religious prejudices. It is a lesson that we need to relearn.
Name: Thomas Heiden
Hometown: Stratford, CT
There actually is a long and traceable tradition of the pursuit of human freedom in the "West." From William of Occam and the original challenges to ecclesiastical authority and on to Wat Tyler and John Ball, John Lilburne and Gerard Winstanley, and our "founders and framers", one sees a lengthy and detailed exploration of power, if you will.
I got a very good sense of this from "A History of Political Theory" by George Sabine.
The excesses of Marx and Lenin, of Hitler and Mussolini, were "unnecessary" in the sense that our own Bill of Rights had already shown that mere Benthamism -- a utilitarian "greatest good for the greatest number" -- would only produce a tyranny of the majority, however well-intentioned.
The Enlightenment does represent a legitimate intellectual tradition, albeit not the only worthy one in human history.
Siva responds: Of course. That's why I -- as I wrote yesterday -- am a proponent of Enlightenment thinking. I just don't think there is such a thing as "the West" and I certainly deny that Europe has a monopoly on Enlightenment thinking. I favor good things regardless of terroir.
Name: Gene Tuck
Hometown: Fresno CA
Ciao, Dr. A --
"Eveything's up-to-date in Kansas City...They've gone about as far as they can go...!"
Well, everything may have been up-to-date in Kansas City circa 1910 (I know it wasn't in "Oklahoma!", my home state by then...) but things are definitely not OK in 'ole Kaintuck of 2007 per this video. Enjoy!
Name: Steve Paradis
Hometown: North of Detroit
Instructions for signing up and claiming your comment history are located here.
Updated rules for commenting are here.


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It's the time of year when New Year's resolutions are still in our awareness, and you wonder whether you should make plans to lose weight, get fit or eat better. If the whole concept is losing its shine, here's one phenomenon that could radically reinvigorate your resolve to get healthy and - guess what? - that reason isn't all about you, but about your children and your grandchildren.
The disturbing proposition is that you won't be taking your hard-partying or slothful ways to the grave. No, they can live on and be passed down to future generations.
At least that is the possibility being presented by the study of epigenetics, which shows that we are connected to our ancestors in ways once thought impossible.
Consider this: if your biological father smoked, but you were adopted from birth and never saw or lived with him, could your health be damaged? That might sound like a Zen koan, a paradoxical question to be meditated upon, but it's not.
However, the answer, which is yes, is just as mind altering.
Epigenetics takes place where nature meets nurture, where the environment interacts with our genes, creating a new type of soft inheritance, a kind of short-lived adaptation to our life circumstances.
It involves turning genes on or off, so the genes themselves remain the same, but are turned up or down by chemical switches that sit above the genes, controlling gene expression. The effect could be better or worse health, depending on which genes are affected and how. Environmental stimuli, such as diet, stress or pollutants, seem capable of flicking these switches.
The amazing bit is that sometimes these switches are passed down to future generations, even when the trigger is removed.
For example, pregnant rats given nicotine produced asthmatic pups that went on to produce their own asthmatic pups, despite the absence of nicotine exposure in the third generation, according to a study conducted by the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, published last year.
Conducting these types of experiments in humans isn't possible for ethical reasons.
That is why epigeneticist Professor Tim Spector is scouring the world for identical twins, who provide a perfect model for studying epigenetics.
Spector, who is director of the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at St Thomas' Hospital, London, visited Australia late last year promoting his new book, Identically Different - Why You Can Change Your Genes.
Identical twins might look the same, talk the same and have similar mannerisms, but scratch the surface and there can be more differences than similarities, says Spector, especially when it comes to health.
''As a rheumatologist, I became very interested in the fact that when one twin developed rheumatoid arthritis, the other rarely did,'' he says.
''When we looked at identical female twins with the disease, 85 per cent of the women never developed their sister's disease.''
On further investigation, he found that, for most diseases studied, there was rarely more than a 50 per cent chance of both twins getting the same disease. The reason for such disparity is the epigenetic differences between them, he says.
Sue Parsons and Rose Cushing, of Upper Caboolture, Queensland, are identical twins who have developed markedly different health profiles, despite sharing the same upbringing. They lived with their parents until the age of five, when the marriage failed, then with foster parents, followed by life in an orphanage from the age of seven to 17, when both trained to become nurses. Now aged 63, they work in the same hospital.
''We are so close. Even what we eat and the fruits we prefer are the same,'' says Sue. ''When we were younger, Rose smoked for a bit longer than me before we gave up and perhaps drank a little more, but otherwise our lifestyle has been very similar.''
Ten years ago, Sue developed bowel cancer, which spread to her liver, resulting in the removal of 60 per cent of her liver and part of her colon. Sue also has ankylosing spondylitis, which has a strong genetic component. But Rose has neither of these conditions.
These kinds of twins are ''like gold dust'', Spector says, because they allow researchers to investigate what might be causing the differences in health outcomes, other than genes or environment. It can't be because of a difference in genes, since identical twins are genetic clones of each other, and it's unlikely to be because of differences in lifestyle or environment, since twins are usually raised the same way and often go on to choose similar life paths.
With a strong history of cancer in their biological family, it is no surprise that Sue and Rose might have inherited some cancer genes. Their mother died of lung cancer from smoking, their father had prostate cancer. Their grandmother died of breast cancer and a great-grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis.
But why is only one twin affected? And if the difference between the two is explained by epigenetics - certain genes being switched on or off - what caused that, given a very similar upbringing and lifestyle?
''Both twins could have inherited cancer genes as well as the epigenetic changes induced by smoking,'' says Spector. ''But in one, the bad susceptibility gene could have been switched off. The reason for that could have been luck. Certain parts of us are programmed to be unpredictable.
''It could be something in the environment that we don't know about yet, such as exposure to some kind of pollutant, or Sue and Rose could have had quite different experiences in their mother's womb. One twin is often more squashed than the other, and one tends to get more nourishment. Such early differences could have major effects on gene expression later in life.
''In the case of ankylosing spondylitis, we think that a viral infection can activate the related genes, so if Sue caught a virus and Rose didn't, that may explain the difference,'' says Spector.
Epigenetic control isn't a completely new concept. It's needed for us all to develop normally, to silence or activate various genes to allow different cells, tissues and organs to be created from the same genetic material contained in every cell. It's the discovery of the heritability of epigenetic changes, even when the environmental trigger is absent, that is attracting attention.
It is early days in human research, but some studies indicate that factors such as famine, stress and smoking can affect the third generation.
For example, women who were pregnant during the Dutch famine in the winter of 1944-45 had children who were more prone to diabetes, a trait that was also more common in their grandchildren, says Spector. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children found that boys of grandfathers who smoked early in life were more likely to be obese. It is believed that epigenetic changes triggered by smoking alter the metabolic state in some way in the next generations.
It's the kind of result that brings to mind the biblical curse: ''The sins of the fathers will be visited on the children, even unto the third and fourth generations''.
These kinds of observations have some wondering whether current common afflictions such as obesity and diabetes, which don't seem to be completely explained by genes or the environment, have their root cause in earlier generations.
Meanwhile, what does it all mean for the average person? It's enough to make your head spin, and your moral compass swing between guilt, blame and a heightened sense of responsibility.
If you are feeling guilty about what you might have passed onto your children, it may offer small comfort to know that most of your genes become all squeaky clean again when they are in the process of forming into a new baby.
You may now feel justified in blaming your parents for handicapping your health if their lifestyle set your genetic switches in an unfavourable manner. Fair enough, but that is something you won't know for sure, and blame has a limited shelf life once you become an adult.
''Irrespective of the cards you've been dealt by your parents, the epigenetic effect is small compared with the lifestyle you can choose now,'' contends molecular geneticist Professor Merlin Crossley, of the University of Sydney.
As for parents to be: ''It really does matter what you do to your body,'' Spector concludes in his book.
''Your grandparents may have faced stressful events like famine and war that couldn't be avoided, but you might face choices like quitting smoking or improving your diet. These can influence your life and several generations more.''
What is epigenetics?
Epigenetics is the study of how chemical changes caused by our environment can change the way our genes work, without altering DNA structure. DNA is a stable molecule found in every cell that contains all our genetic information.
How does it work?
One of the most easily studied chemical changes or switches that regulates gene expression is a process called methylation, where methyl groups - chemical structures composed of one carbon atom and three hydrogens - attach themselves to the DNA itself, or to proteins that coat the DNA, called histones.
Methylation usually leads to silencing a gene, whereas under-methylation can lead to uncontrolled expression.
Twin Registry
Twins who want to help researchers better understand the effect of genetic and environmental factors on health and disease can sign up with the Australian Twin Registry: twins.org.au
If you had your time with an epigeneticist, what would you ask?
N.B. Qualify each answer with: "It's very early days and most of the research has been done on mice."
1. What environmental toxins or lifestyle choices are capable of flicking our gene switches?
Examples in animals: stress or abuse, alcohol, lack or overuse of essential vitamins, high-fat diets, overeating, drugs such as cocaine and nicotine, inorganic contaminants such as arsenic, chemicals used as fungicides or pesticides such as DDT and bisphenol A (BPA) in plastics.
Examples in humans: early smoking, famine. More answers will soon be available from current international and national longitudinal studies that are following babies from birth and tracking how DNA in their blood changes according to various lifestyle factors.
2. Does exposure to an insult (eg stress, pollutant) in the parent affect all children or grandchildren?
"The effect is patchy and not predictable,'' says Professor Tim Spector. "So if you have a litter of 10, half of these might be affected and the other half not.''
3. How many generations do epigenetic changes last, when the trigger is no longer there?
In humans they have been observed in the third generation, in rodents in the fifth generation and in plants they can last up to 10 generations.
4. Are epigenetic changes reversible?
Yes. This naturally happens during the very early stages of embryo development; 95 to 99 per cent of the signals or switches passed down from your parents are wiped clean. A few signals escape the cleaning process for unknown reasons.
5. Can I reverse epigenetic changes for the better through changing my lifestyle?
"If you stop smoking, within three months you can reverse the epigenetic changes caused by smoking,'' says Spector. "And exercising three times a week has been shown to turn down a specific obesity gene.''
Epigenetics could be thought of as a quicker type of adaptation than evolution, one that allows you to revert if the change in environment is only temporary.
Sources: Professors Tim Spector, Margaret Morris, (UNSW), Merlin Crossley (UNSW), Susan Clark (Garvan Institute).


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Teaching (a gift)
They say if you love what you do you will never work a day in your life right? Well since I was a young child (I was never small so thus the word change) I wanted to teach others. In every book where you would put what you would be I would write teacher. Being a teacher means so much to me; to mold the minds of the youth and hopefully make a change to them. It could be a small change like finally helping them understand fractions or a big change like being the role model they need because their home life isn't that great. Teaching in itself is such a rewarding job because you know it isn't for the money or title but for helping, being what the students need, showing them the path and watching which one they chose. I've never met a teacher who regretted their job because they loved what they did. Seeing the students grow and change and seeing the light in their eyes or the ambition in their hearts. As a teacher you are changing the world every day, you could be teaching the next president or the next empowerment speaker. You give children a chance and teach them what others refuse to. A teacher is so important and changes everyone everyday with or without trying.


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1. The country may have gone remade monkey film mad, but darker forces are at work on the Planet of the Men.
2. Helena Bonham-Carter, who plays the human rights monkey in the new film, made a huge effort to get into the swing of things at the 1968 movie was based on the short novel Monkey Planet by French author Pierre Boulle, about a bizarre, futuristic world ruled by monkeys. The film was hailed as a sci-fi classic, while its revelatory final scene has gone down in film folklore.
4. The original Apes outing starred Charlton Heston as the imperilled human astronaut. It spawned four sequels, beginning with 1970's Beneath the Planet of the Apes plus a short-lived TV series.
5. More recently, it inspired a spoof musical, entitled Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off! on The Simpsons.
6. The new version is directed by Tim Burton and features Mark Wahlberg in the Heston role. His human love interest is played by the coltish model Estella Warren.
7. Advance reports are generally favourable. But the film already has its critics, particularly America's Christian publications which take issue with its implied Darwinist line. Perhaps it's fortunate they didn't see the original version. Reports suggest that the film's backers forced Burton to cut out an inter-species sex scene between Wahlberg and a simian Helena Bonham Carter.
8. Other controversial moments remain, however. One scene shows how the apes have customised the world-famous Lincoln Memorial. In it, outraged.
9. Others could argue that Burton's film has merely hit upon a clandestine connection between our primate ancestors and America's presidents. Ronald Reagan famously once made a movie with a monkey, while current president George Bush has been ridiculed for his perceived resemblance to a chimpanzee.
10. So perhaps Burton's movie isn't so far-fetched after all. Perhaps there really is a Planet of the Apes. Maybe we're even living on it now.


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Tweets from @TBHomeTeam/writers
MORE from our HomeTeam writers.
Mon. December 3, 2012 | John C. Cotey | Email
TAMPA — Bobby Knight had his chair. Steve Spurrier has his visor. Mike DePue has me.
At the end of the day, you will remember Mike's wins at Robinson High, and the state semifinals, and the crusty demeanor.
But let's be honest. You'll remember me most:
The ponytail.
Listen, Mike is a great coach, nice guy. He has won a bunch of games, and is there anyone in Tampa Bay — anyone? — who wouldn't like to see me doused with Gatorade in the Orlando Citrus Bowl in two weeks?
I'm just keeping it real, y'all. Without me, Mike's just some dude with a whistle around his neck.
When people are looking for him, are they directed to the guy with the visor, or the guy with the ponytail? Exactly.
At his age, 60, he's a little more Pony Express than ponytail. But let's face it, I make him iconic.
A little about me: back in 1970 Mike was just getting out of Crossland High School in Camp Springs, Md., and I was there.
Mike was jamming to long-haired legends like the Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead and Little Feat back then, and I was just flopping around, making him fit in.
Much to the chagrin of Col. Jack DePue, Mike let me grow and grow and grow.
"Get a haircut,'' the Colonel told him, "and get a real job."
Mike always had my back, even while I was draped across his.
Don't get it twisted: He wasn't a counter-culture hippie or anything. In fact, he hates that word. Thinks it's an "overused label.''
He was just a long-haired redneck — his words, not mine — who might have worn the occasional cowboy hat and Levi's jean jacket back in the day.
We had some good times, being the chick magnet that I am. Some scary ones, too.
Once, when Mike was working in a cotton mill back in Maine, I got caught in a pulley. Took a whole inch off my backside. He started tucking me under a baseball cap at work after that. And let me say, for the record, I served with that cap. I knew that cap. That cap was a friend of mine. And visor, you are no cap.
The visor has been acting like he's important or something lately. That needed to be said.
I mean, I've been in bar fights with the guy. Now don't get me wrong, Mike doesn't go to bars a lot; I'm not trying to …oh, hell, who am I trying to kid.
Anyway, we're in this bar and Mike rushes in to break up this fight, and guess who pulls him out?
I don't know, but whomever it was grabbed onto me, covering my follicles so I couldn't see, and yanked us backward.
That was Mike's last bar fight. As far as I know.
Because after nine glorious years together, from the time he was 17 right through his 26th birthday, through his last year of high school and his time studying political science at the University of Maine, we cut things off.
The 1990s came and went, I am told, and right up until 2007 I was history. Mike went all grown-up adult on me, and I missed the great ponytail era of Steven Seagal, Penn Jillette and the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons.
Then one day, though he met and befriended former Bucs special teams coach Rich Bisaccia at his favorite barber shop on WestShore, Mike stopped going.
And here I am.
"I think if I have my druthers, I'll never get a haircut,'' he says.
Sometimes, on Friday nights, I'll strike up a conversation with Brandon Peters' ponytail, when Brandon isn't out there picking off passes, or I'll stare at the cheerleaders' perfect ponytails.
Now, like every superstar, I have my haters.
I see the ROTC kids frowning at me. And that Earl Garcia guy over at Hillsborough? And Brandon coach Dean Eychner? Every time I see them coming, I try to tuck myself under Mike's collar.
"Come on, man, just get a haircut already,'' Eychner will say, and Garcia is just as brutal.
Try saying that about a ponytail during the Qing Dynasty, pal, and you might lose your tongue!
Mike loves me, though, and that's all that matters.
"Vanity? Hell, yes,'' he told someone on the phone Monday. "I can be an egotistical SOB sometimes.''
He loves — but he doesn't primp.
With so few in his profession bundling their hair in ponytails, I wonder: Do I deserve better than a high school football coach?
Sure, he uses those soft spongy bands to tie me up, but little-known ponytail secret: we miss the Scrunchie era.
Would it kill him to give me a nice french braid every now and then?
Would I love for him to put on a silk robe and sit in front of a mirror and just spend 45 minutes combing me out, like in those old time movies? Heavens, yes.
Would I just eat up a trip to the salon, maybe some highlights, and a few minutes under the hair hood dryer? And how!
But Mike and I, we got it going on right now. I need him, and he needs me.
Oh, does he need me. Listen, before I came back, Mike's teams were kind of struggling. He was 5-5 in 2006, then 1-9 and 2-8 the two years after.
The longer I grew, the more he won: 10-3 in 2009 and 2010, 9-3 last year, and this year Mike and I are 12-1 and in the Class 5A state semifinals, set to host Tallahassee Godby.
You do the math, then go read the story of Samson and Delilah, and get back to me, okay?
Our only loss this season was to follicle-murdering Plant, which as you know has the baldest staff in the country, so that one really galls me.
But those chrome domes are sitting at home right now, probably already planning out the 2013 season, or their next Bic purchase.
And us?
We're still swaying, baby.
Errrr, playing.
John C. Cotey can be reached at email@example.com or on Twitter @JohnnyHomeTeam.
Check out Cotey's past columns on some of the ponytail's very good friends:


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Khartoum, Sudan (UPI) Jul 21, 2010
The Sudanese rebel group Justice and Equality Movement has signed an agreement allowing U.N. visits to its bases to verify it has no child soldiers.
JEM claims it doesn't recruit child soldiers and has been against using children for at least seven years.
The Darfur region guerrilla conflict began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Army and JEM took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs.
The signing by JEM is a milestone for the agreement put together by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, an independent mediation organization that brings together warring groups for discrete discussions.
The four-page Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and JEM is the first of what is hoped will be more signings by rebel groups in the Sudan. By signing the document, JEM is committed to handing over all children under 18 within its ranks, as well as any it finds among other rebel groups.
JEM must also "guarantee regular and unimpeded access" to its sites as well as its documents regarding recruitment.
The U.N. Children's Fund is the body that JEM will work with the most. JEM must "actively support UNICEF work on the protection and well-being of children."
The signing was between Georg Charpentier, the U.N. resident humanitarian coordinator in the Sudan and JEM's humanitarian coordinator Suleiman Jamous.
The use of child soldiers is widespread in Africa and the Middle East, most notably during the Lebanese civil war and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. A decade ago, the U.N. estimated there were 10,000 child soldiers in the Sudan conflict on both rebel and government sides.
But UNICEF said around 6,000 child soldiers are used in the Sudan.
"UNICEF will have unimpeded access to all JEM locations to verify compliance with the agreement and the JEM will promise to designate a senior official as the focal point overseeing the agreement's implementation," a statement from the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue said.
If U.N. officials "find children in military areas, or in conflict areas, they will arrange for them to be removed," said Dennis McNamara, the mediator of the deal.
Aid and humanitarian organizations have had some successes in the past five years in getting the warring parties to release some of their child recruits as a result of various peace processes and dialogues.
The Sudan People's Liberation Army began releasing hundreds of child soldiers in March 2004, the humanitarian group SOS Children's Villages said. Many are aged between 10 and 17, with some being recruited by force at the age of 8.
Getting them released from toting a gun is only part of the job. SOS Children is helping former child soldiers in Malakal, south Sudan, an area where thousands of child soldiers have arrived seeking food and looking to reconnect with their families.
Some humanitarian groups are careful about making public comments regarding their work to release child soldiers, SOS Children Chief Executive Andrew Cates said. Comments to the media might adversely affect the future of children just released or the organization's ability to work with rebel groups to release more child soldiers.
A current lull in fighting is due to the Sudanese government and JEM signing a cease-fire in February.
But JEM, which wants a semi-autonomous area, much like south Sudan, has periodically threatened to pull out of the peace process over what it says are military raids and airstrikes by government forces.
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Derbyshire residents are being reminded to take extra security steps when shopping online for last minute Christmas presents and goods.
Fraudsters will be taking advantage of this and creating bogus websites to advertise goods and services that are counterfeit or will not be delivered.
Items advertised on these bogus sites as genuine will be fake, of poor quality and often unsafe to use.
Officers are urging the public to be vigilant and follow the useful tips for staying safe online to enjoy the festive season scam free.
Detective Inspector Rob King, Head of the Derbyshire Constabulary Economic Crime Unit, said: "I want everyone to enjoy the festive season and to remember it going in to the New Year as a happy time of year and not the time when we fall prey to online fraudsters.
"Last Christmas, over 8000 people were defrauded by bogus websites and a total of £12million was stolen by fraudsters from people shopping on line or participating in on line auctions.
"Thankfully there are simple tips that you can take to help protect you and keep online fraudsters at bay this Christmas time, such as using brands and retailers that you trust and remaining vigilant when buying online.
"Remember to trust your instincts; if an offer looks too good to believe then there is usually a catch."
Top safety tips include:
If you feel you have been a victim of these frauds, or any other, you should report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.
Do you need a quick answer to a general question? Then we recommend you visit the national Ask The Police web site.


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Women's Under Armour South Florida Bulls College Legacy Gym Tank
Select a size above
Size Chart
Buy Online & Pick Up In-Store
Check Availability at stores near you.
Product Details
Leave a legacy of standout athletic style and diehard superfan status with the adorable Women's Under Armour South Florida Bulls Legacy Gym Tank. Show off those shoulders with the sleek racerback, while you rep the only team that matters: The Bulls. At the gym or in the stands, this feminine tank flatters your figure and keeps you feeling fresh and cool. Add this athletic tank to your fan gear collection for maximum style and classic comfort.
- FABRIC: 50% polyester, 37% cotton, 13% rayon
- FIT: Slim
- CARE: Machine wash


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Cartoon Hero to the Rescue for Underprivileged Kids
Christmas isn't over yet for underprivileged children in Japan as anonymous donations of school bags, stationery, and cash continue flowing into child welfare facilities across the country under the name of the wrestling hero from "Tiger Mask," a 1960s manga and TV animation series.
Tuesday morning alone saw 21 reported anonymous donations throughout the country, according to NHK, Japan's national public broadcasting organization. While most donations until now have been school supplies such as stationery and the Japanese style school bags, or "randoseru," today's donations included rice, vegetables, and even cash donations of up to 100,000 yen, or $1,200. According to NHK, over 155 "randoseru" and 1.76 million yen, or approximately $21,180, have been donated as a part of a movement that started Christmas 2010 when a child welfare facility found ten school bags left on its premises with a note purportedly signed by the animation hero.
Stationery sets such as notebooks and pencils were delivered to one welfare center in Tottori Prefecture on Jan. 10, with a letter attached including lyrics from the TV animation series' theme song, such as "I pray for everyone's happiness." The end of the letter read, "Please tell the children that they are not alone and that the world is not so bad."
The cartoon hero, "Naoto Date," whose name most donors have been using, is brought up in an orphanage and eventually becomes a pro wrestler, donating part of his earnings to an orphanage every year. But the pro wrestler is not the only Japanese hero whose name donors have borrowed. Donors have also named themselves "Santa Claus" and the Japanese folk hero, "Momotaro," the orphan boy who is discovered by an elderly couple inside a giant peach and slays demons to protect his foster parents.
This isn't the first time anonymous gifts have been given to children in Japan. Every March since 1964, a school for the visually impaired in Yamagata Prefecture has been receiving music boxes from an anonymous woman to give to that year's approximately 10 preschool and high school graduates.
But the Tiger Mask movement has caught the attention of both the Japanese media and public, as it continues to bring pleasant surprises to child welfare facilities around the country. Even Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare Ritsuo Hosokawa was moved to comment, telling reporters Tuesday, "I am deeply inspired by the donors' warm thoughts."
According to the ministry's data, approximately 31,000 children were living in welfare facilities and 3,000 children with foster families in 2009.


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Music as a passion
We at Rain Audio consider music to be part of our world's wonders. This is why our brands include top-of-the-art companies who's passion for music has made them great.
Rain Audio represent several well-known brands in different areas around the globes.
Among our brands are Rode Microphones, Boya Microphones, Dynaudio Professional, Tannoy, TC Electronic, TC Helicon and SevenOak.
Rain Audio works in emerging markets to provide our brand clients with a single, proven, variable cost distribution solution for the developing world and in Europe, while providing local dealers, distributors and customers with world-class music and pro audio technology.
Rain Audio establish and manage effective distribution channels, using our unrivalled experience in the individual regulations, import documentation and financial transacting requirements of even the smallest territory, to deliver significant combined revenues in markets that brand owners might otherwise find difficult to exploit.


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Whitefish Transportation Plan
Public Involvement Opportunities
The development of this Transportation Plan / Urban Corridor Study included an extensive public involvement process. This process was designed to encourage public involvement and meaningful participation. Several public outreach activities were held on the project over the course of the project's development. These public outreach activities were devoted to defining relevant issues, presenting preliminary findings of the analysis and studies of the existing transportation system, as well as population, employment and demographic changes. There was also public outreach activities scheduled during the development of recommendations to modify identified problem areas of the transportation system.
Towards the end of the project, additional public venues were held after the draft plan was published to discuss elements contained in the draft, and a public hearing was held before the Plan was produced in final form and adopted. The Whitefish Pilot and this website provided information relating to the times and locations of public meetings.


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View Callawassie Island Properties
For the best in Lowcountry real estate, come discover the beautiful homes and homesites on Callawassie Island, which feature ancient oak trees, flourishing wildlife, and a variety of unbeatable views. The hallmark of our private, gated community is that we are just minutes from everywhere, but an island apart. Secluded, but not isolated, with access to the very best amenities around, Callawassie Island, in Okatie, SC is minutes from Hilton Head, Beaufort, Bluffton, and Savannah, GA. Search below to find your future home or homesite, or plan a Discovery Visit to see it yourself!
Callawassie Island provides a comprehensive list of all homes that are currently for sale. Simply click on the button below to begin viewing properties. You can refine your search by price, size, and age.
Homesites on Callawassie Island are made available simply by clicking on the button below. From there you will be directed to a list of properties that you can customize based on price, size, and age.


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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Commuter trains serving the Philadelphia area might stop running this weekend if last-ditch contract negotiations fail.
Federal mediators have asked the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to meet Friday with unions representing engineers and electricians.
A spokesman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen says workers will strike Saturday unless an agreement is reached.
Union spokesman Stephen Bruno says SEPTA's proposed compensation package is not in line with what the agency has offered other transit unions. SEPTA says the deal is fair and fiscally responsible.
Regional rail serves about 126,000 passengers each weekday in the Philadelphia suburbs of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams says buses, trolleys and subways will still operate.


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Gerald Power has spent most of his career working within the public sector on change and efficiency improvement programmes. Gerald started his career with the Ministry of Defence on its science and technology fast track management training programme working on computer based training systems. Later he went on to specialise in change and benefits realisation with a particular emphasis on the role of technology, skills and behaviour change in effective delivery of outcomes.
During his career he has worked across all of the major Central Government departments including DWP, DH, HMRC, DfT, Directgov and CLG. This has also involved working with Local Government, the third sector and industry in situations ranging from simple procurement to international collaborative alliances.
His most prominent role within Government before leaving to become a freelance consultant was with the Cabinet Office where he provided advice to Ministers and Departments on the economic case for digital services and on delivering cashable savings. This included time at Directgov , soon to be provider of a single domain for government service delivery, working on customer proposition and maximising returns from investment in digital.


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Zimmerman To Be Charged In Trayvon Martin Shooting
Special prosecutor Angela Corey will announce at 6 PM ET that George Zimmerman will face criminal charges in the Feb. 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, NBC News has learned.
The law enforcement official who informed NBC News correspondent Pete Williams of the forthcoming announcement on condition of anonymity did not disclose just what charges Corey would be filing. Corey was appointed to the case by Florida Gov. Rick Scott after Sanford, Fla. prosecutor Norm Wolfinger recused himself, and made it known Monday that she wouldn't bring the case against Zimmerman before Tuesday's convening grand jury.
Sanford, Fla. authorities began placing barricades and establishing security surrounding the Seminole County Jail's new-inmate booking area, as reported by NBC outlet WESH of Orlando. Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Sanford neighborhood watch volunteer, shot 17-year-old Martin during a Feb. 26 nighttime altercation while Zimmerman made his rounds through Martin's neighborhood. Zimmerman is half-white, half-Peruvian, and the differing accounts - and media portrayals - of the incident with Martin, a black teenager, have started combustible American race relations dialogues and disputes over firearm self-defense laws.
In the month and a half since the shooting, Zimmerman has averted prosecution because he's claimed that Martin attacked him first, granting him temporary protection under Florida's Stand Your Ground Law. State law protects from prosecution individuals who shoot when themselves, their loved ones or their property comes under violent attack.
This is a developing story. Please, keep checking in with Yidio as we continue following the charges and the fallout later this afternoon.
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, CNN Live


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IBM producirá los microprocesadores de WII U
JorgeSalgado Tags: microprocesador wii u nintendo 4,898 Views
Como habíamos comentado anteriormente, si bien IBM no tiene su propia consola de videojuegos, ha sido pieza clave en la actual generación de consolas pues ha creado los chips que le dan vida a los sistemas de entretenimiento casero. En el E3 de este año,...
from Blog: IBM Insider
Back To School Time Again
TonyPearson Tags: hard+disk linux+foundation windows+live sony ubuntu playstation skydrive olpc summer+of+code firefox google+docs ibm nintendo linux wii bob+sutor google bestbuy erase xbox360 video+games 7,149 Views
Well, it's that Back-To-School time again! Mo's thirteen-year-old reluctantly enters the eight grade, still upset the summer ended so abruptly. Richard's nephew returns to the University of Arizona for another year. Natalie has chosen to move to Phoenix and...
from Blog: Inside System Storage -- by Tony Pearson
Teen Beat
turbotodd Tags: digital_divide milennials ipod morgan_stanley nintendo 2,703 Views
My iPod nano came back to life over the weekend. I didn't do anything to resuscitate it. No bag of rice, no voodoo ceremonies... I just plugged it in again to see if it would charge, and it did. iPod nano: Takes a licking...and a spin around the...
from Blog: Todd "Turbo" Watson -- IBM Corporation
Fit for a Wii
turbotodd Tags: exercise virtual_reality wii nintendo cell_processor 3 Comments 3,497 Views
I hate to exercise. Specifically, I hate to run. But I make myself do it. My doctor told me it was a good idea. Actually, upon further reflection, I don't hate to run. Once I'm out there and running, it's all fine. It's just that getting to that point where...
from Blog: Todd "Turbo" Watson -- IBM Corporation


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Train Station
Annville Historic Train Station
In the 1890's, the Reading Railroad began passenger service to Annville by building the Annville Train Station on Railroad Street just to the East of Lebanon Valley College. The original station was in operation from 1891 to 1969. It sat vacant until 1976, at which time Mr. Ron Rabena purchased the Annville Station from the Reading Railroad, dismantled it entirely, and transported it to his property in the New Cumberland area. Rabena rebuilt the station, shortening its walls by 3-4 feet, and creating the Buck Ridge Model Railroad Station to house and display his model train exhibits.
After 22 years of running Buck Ridge, Rabena sold the station to Friends of Old Annville in 1998. Led by Blanche Schaeffer and Kathy Moe, FOOA raised the money to purchase, move, and reconstruct the Annville Train Station at 155 North Moyer Street in Annville on track-side land owned by Eagle Graphics Incorporated. FOOA, supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and by donations from local citizens, rebuilt and restored the station to its original height and original appearance. The project was completed and the station was officially re-opened in June, 2000. The restored station does have a full basement that was not present in the original structure. A festive community work day was used to lay a short track in front of the station, and a donated railroad side car was then placed on the track. The Kiwanis Club of Annville-Cleona rebuilt and restored the side car (see picture at left) in May, 2008.
Friends of Old Annville uses the train station as its official headquarters, for the regular meetings of both the FOOA and the Quittie Creek Nature Park Committee, and for some of the programs sponsored by FOOA. A local model train group uses the station periodically for building and displaying model train exhibits. The Train Station is open to visitors upon request and is available for dinners, parties, and meetings.
Please write Friends of Old Annville, P.O. Box 99, Annville 17003, or call (717) 867-4326 for information.


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The Atsina Charity Medical Clinic is a non-profit medical clinic in Accra, Ghana. The mission of the Atsina Charity Medical Clinic to provide medical care to the poor and destitute of Ghana.
This page has been moved to www.atsina.org
Click here
to access.
Dr. Atsina operates the mission based on a few important Guiding Principles --
The clinic is a Christian mission.
At the clinic George treats poor people the same way he would treat rich people.
He treats everyone with respect.
He listens well.
George asks patients to pay based on their ability to pay.
The Atsina
Charity Medical Clinic Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation (IRS
501(c)(3) 509(a)(1) employer identification number 35-2072567)
which exists for the purpose of collecting donations and providing
financial support for the Atsina Charity Medical clinic; Accra, Ghana.
The directors of the Atsina Charity Medical Clinic Inc. are Dr. Lee Waite,
Dr. Jerry Fine and Dr. Christine Buckley. You can contact us by
e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com The mailing address for the corporation is :
Atsina Charity Medical Clinic Inc.
CM148, 5500 Wabash Ave.
Terre Haute, IN 47803
Phone: 812-877-8404
If you would like to send a card or letter to the Atsina Charity Medical Clinic, the address and phone number are:
Dr. Komli-Kofi Atsina
Atsina Charity Medical Clinic
P.O. Box KB 387
Korle-Bu, Accra, GHANA
Phone: 011 - 233 - 21 - 852628
last updated 6/05/2007
Lee Waite


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Hansen Set for Holy Bull After Quick Drill
Newly crowned juvenile champion Hansen breezed five furlongs at Gulfstream Park Jan. 22, completing the main preparation for his 3-year-old seasonal debut in the $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III).
Newly crowned juvenile champion Hansen breezed five furlongs at Gulfstream Park Jan. 22, completing the main preparation for his 3-year-old seasonal debut in the $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III).
A well-matched stakes undercard featuring a pair of grade III events and two other races worth $100,000 apiece supports the WinStar Kentucky Cup in its return to Turfway Park Sept. 24 after a one-year absence.
Carolyn and Karen Scisney's homebred Maybesomaybenot, winner of the Sanford (gr. II), headlines a field of 11 in the $400,000 Dixiana Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack.
Todd Pletcher sent out Bittel Road and Interactif to win the With Anticipation the past two years and will have another live chance when he sends out Sensational Slam in a field of 10 and two also-eligibles.
Overlooked Maybesomaybenot took the lead from the inside post for jockey Julien Leparoux and never looked back, springing a 9-1 surprise in the $150,000 Sanford Stakes (gr. II) by 1 1/2 lengths July 25 at Saratoga.
Dogwood Stable will send out a pair of juveniles for Saratoga's opening weekend Sanford Stakes (gr. II), including the only stakes winner, Lou Brissie.
Stonestreet Stables' Kantharos shrugged off a stumble at the break and cruised to a 9 1/2-length victory in the $108,200 Bashford Manor Stakes (gr. III) July 3 at Churchill Downs.
Dogwood Stable's undefeated Lou Brissie, winner of the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes (gr. III), headlines a field of six 2-year-olds in the $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes (gr. III) July 3 in the $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes.
Son of Limehouse rolls to a 1 1/2-length win at Churchill Downs to score his second consecutive victory.
|Michael J. Maker
|Jon Kenton Court
|Ramsey, Kenneth L. and Sarah K.
|Gulf Coast Farms LLC
|Lou Brissie View Five-Cross Pedigree
|Grand Slam
|Dixieland Blues
|Fearless Wildcat
|Forest Wildcat
|Sale / Hip
Hip 117
|Dogwood Stable
|Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent
|I'm a Rock
|American Gal
|Princess Victoria
|Always Dreaming
|Shaman Ghost
|Fall At Last


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In 1832 the European powers selected the 18 year-old Prince Otto of Bavaria as the first king of Greece. King Otto I arrived in his new homeland with his German household, including his royal confectioner, Friedrich Unger, who was delighted at this opportunity to learn about the legendary confectionery of the Orient. Unger commenced his research in Athens and Nauplia, where the local people advised him to visit Istanbul, the centre of the confectionery trade. Unger resolved to make the journey at the first opportunity. Friedrich Unger sailed from Athens on 27 July 1835, intending to go overland from Izmir, but the ship ran aground as it neared the harbour, and the passengers were rescued by an English steamer on its way to Istanbul. Unger regretted seeing nothing of Izmir, but the Dardanelles and other sights of the voyage made up for this disappointment.
Unger described 'the alluring sight of the majestic metropolis of Constantinople so splendidly situated on the boundary of two continents, with its wonderful mosque domes, innumerable graceful minarets and houses, above which rise dark cypresses... The harbour of the Golden Horn received us, astonishing us with its forest of masts decorated with the flags of all nations, and the lively bustle of barges crossing the rippling waters.' After visiting the most famous sights of Istanbul, Unger devoted the rest of his stay 'to acquainting myself with the Oriental craft of confectionery.' In his book Confectionery of the Orient published in 1838 Unger described a typical confectioneryt workshop: 'The real Turkish sugar baker (schekerdschi) has set up his shop on the ground floor of his house. It is decorated with pleasant symmetry, glasses arranged in consideration of colour containing the different products of his art. With folded legs and in sober silence the delicacy-artist sits among his sweet treasures.'
In the light of Unger's evidence they must be carrying confectionery of some kind, and such large quantities suggest a ceremony involving sweet dishes. One possibility that comes to mind is the Baklava Procession, when trays of baklava were presented to the janissaries during Ramazan. Unger's book of 97 confections is an outstanding documentary source for the history of Turkish confectionery. That a professional confectioner should have watched confectioners at work and compiled recipes at this period is a remarkable piece of good fortune. With his specialised knowledge Unger was able to understand what he saw in a way that no casual observer could have done.
of the most interesting confections that Unger
saw was lohuk, the prototype of fondant, and
it was probably he who introduced this sweetmeat
to Europe, where it became fashionable in the
mid-19th century. Unger's recipes for Turkish
delight and orange flavoured lohuk are given
* Priscilla Mary Isin is a researcher into
Turkish culinary history, and editor of a new
English edition of Friedrich Unger's book recently
published by Kegan Paul.
Translation: Emel Çelebi


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deeble & stone productions
The Queen of Trees
Mzima - Haunt of the Riverhorse
Tale of the Tides
The Tides of Kirawira
Here Be Dragons
Sunlight and Shadow
A Little Fish in Deep Water
Valley Beneath the Sea
Lundy's Golden Mile
THE QUEEN OF TREES wins America's most prestigious broadcast award..
'THE QUEEN OF TREES' was awarded a PEABODY, the highest accolade in American broadcasting in a ceremony broadcast live by satellite from the Peabody Gallery, University of Georgia on 5th April
An excerpt from their press release:
"Impeccable, creative cinematography aside, the wondrous thing about this study of a single sycamore fig, Africa's queen tree, is that it's a microcosm of the eco-complexity of the Earth at large."
The film was among 30 PEABODY award winners, from over 1000 entries. It was the only wildlife film to be chosen in this annual prestigious event that spans all the electronic broadcast media.
It is the couple's second PEABODY after MZIMA: HAUNT of the RIVERHORSE received the award in 2001.
Other and Earlier News
2013 It's good to see that there are still some big bulls remaining.
2013 Return of the rains...
2012 In production: UNTITLED TWENTY TWELVE
2012 BBC 3D Feature - Africa 3D / Enchanted Kingdom
2011 The Queen of Trees takes top award at United Nations Forest Film Festival
2011 United Nations Forest Film Festival Finalist
2011 Distant Thunder 3D pilot
2010 Distant Thunder Pilot to screen in Cannes
2010 DISTANT THUNDER 3D Developments
2007 New York Festivals GRAND AWARD
2007 Emmy Nominations for THE QUEEN OF TREES
2007 Telluride Winner!
2007 Top festival honour to THE QUEEN OF TREES
2007 Wild and Scenic Film Festival triumph for THE QUEEN OF TREES
2007 BANFF HD Award
2006 The Queen of Trees premieres at Jackson Hole
2006 Best Nature Film at Shanghai International Festival.
2006 Deeble and Stone to partner with BBC Worldwide on DISTANT THUNDER
2006 "Best of Festival' at Explorer's Club, New York
2006 Awards for 'The Queen of Trees'
2006 ECOVISION 2007 - Best Environmental Documentary
2006 THE QUEEN OF TREES wins America's most prestigious broadcast award..
2006 The Queen of Trees wins delegates choice award
2006 GRIERSON AWARD to The Queen of Trees
2006 Double success at Jackson ends an incredible month for THE QUEEN OF TREES
2006 Cinematography honours
2006 See what the New York Times says about 'THE QUEEN OF TREES'
2005 Wildlife Asia Festival - Lion Awards


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Crime stats show stability
New crime figures suggest Newcastle might be on its way to leaving its violent reputation behind.
In the two years to December, crime remained stable in most categories, although police are concerned about a 12 per cent rise in shoplifting across the region.
The Bureau of Crime Statistics' director, Don Weatherburn, says overall Newcastle had a good result.
"It is a great change and you know if trends continue the way they are then there's every reason to hope for a down trend in non-domestic assault," he said.
"Newcastle I'm sure has had more than its fair share of alcohol-related assaults and I'm sure everyone [can] see the trend go down.
"It's nice enough to see it stable but we really want to see it go down."
Meanwhile, Upper Hunter police say a massive spike in motor vehicle theft has prompted several crackdowns across the region.
The bureau's figures show there was a 91 per cent increase in the offence in Muswellbrook and a 57 per cent rise in Singleton.
The Hunter Valley police's acting crime manager, Peter Robertson, says every effort is being made to address the issue.
"Those figures are mainly attributed to a rise in the theft of motorcycles, particularly unregistered trail bikes," he said.
"I can indicate over the last 18 months we've put three adults in jail for stealing motorbikes in the area and also had a couple of juveniles convicted of those offences."
Topics: burglary, armed-robbery, assault, crime-prevention, police, newcastle-2300


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The legendary Zelda Wynn Valdes (June 28, 1905 – September 26, 2001) was an African-American fashion designer and costumer. Continue Reading →
Tag Archives: Mae West
Leonard Harper, Harlem, New York 1925
Leonard Harper (born April 9, 1899 in Birmingham, Alabama- died February 4, 1943, Harlem, New York) was a producer /stager/ choreographer in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. Continue Reading →


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Az Business Magazine's 2014 top lawyer list was created after the editorial department asked Arizona law firms to nominate their two best attorneys from more than 20 different categories for consideration. Those nominees were vetted and considered by a panel made of the editorial team and industry experts to determine the exclusive 2014 Az Business Magazine Top Lawyers List.
Michael S. Dulberg
Burch & Cracchiolo
Company Website
Dulberg's practice focuses on construction law and commercial litigation. He represents public and private owners, general contractors and subcontractors in contract drafting and negotiation, arbitration and trial of claims, surety claims and job site injuries.
John Randall
Fennemore Craig
Company Website
Jefferies litigates construction claims throughout the Southwest in the areas of defective specifications, constructive changes, acceleration, excusable and compensable delays, differing site conditions, terminations for default and structured settlements and lien foreclosures.
Jodi Knobel Feuerhelm
Perkins Coie
Company Website
Feuerhelm focuses on construction litigation, product liability and real estate. Her construction experience covers a wide range of disputes, including actions alleging failures in
building materials and representation of developers, owners, contractors and other parties in disputes.
Sharon B. Shively
Sacks Tierney P.A.
Company Website
Shively is a Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers selectee (construction) and among Super Lawyers' "Top 25 Arizona Women" (2013). She is a member of the American Subcontractors Association and the ROC Industry Advisory Council.
Denise J. Wachholz
Renaud Cook Drury Mesaros, PA
Company Website
Wachholz, a litigator for more than 25 years with emphasis in construction litigation, successfully represented the architect in Flagstaff Affordable Housing v. Design Alliance, a widely
cited 2010 Arizona Supreme Court published decision that expanded the economic loss rule.
Frances Haynes
Lewis Roca Rothgerber LLP
Company Website
Haynes is a partner and a leading attorney in the firm's Litigation and Construction groups. Her practice emphasizes providing legal advice to businesses on all facets of commercial law, construction, and development issues.
Craig Kaufman
Co-managing partner
Quarles & Brady LLP
Company Website
Recognized as Best Lawyers® 2013, Tucson Bet-the- Company Litigation Law "Lawyer of the Year" and Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rated, the Tucson office co-managing partner is a leader in construction litigation and tribal issues.
Jay M. Mann
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC
Company Website
Mann focuses his practice in the areasof surety, fidelity and construction law. In addition, Mr. Mann represents clients in commercial litigation matters and serves as an arbitrator and mediator.
Jeffrey Walsh
Greenberg Traurig
Company Website
Walsh, who has practiced law for more than 30 years, focuses on business litigation and trials, real estate litigation and construction litigation, at both the trial level and on appeal.
Mark Worischeck
Managing shareholder
Sanders & Parks, P.C.
Company Website
Worischeck's practice emphasizes complex civil litigation. He devotes a significant portion of his practice to representing contractors and insurers in the areas of construction defect, personal injury and insurance coverage issues.