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Pop-Rock Songstress Malea Delivers Her Fourth Album, Prism, Set For Release On September 17
Malea, as she's known to fans of her pop-rock sound, had no idea when she arrived in Los Angeles that she'd wind up writing songs and performing them professionally much less touring and opening for artists from Liz Phair to Kenny Wayne Shepherd to Train, or working with high-profile producers such as Prism's Mark Needham (the Killers). In fact, she had no clue until she was in high school that she even had the talent to become a singer.
"I was not raised in a musical house," she explains simply. "I had a high-school music teacher who really believed in me, who encouraged me to pursue a career as a singer."
That voice, it should be noted, reminded an OC Register critic of "some of the best female singers of the '70s, '80s" a list that includes Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow and Paula Cole. It should also be noted that Malea's voice has been heard on Broadway, MTV and radio stations and stages throughout the country.
While on tours with Kenny Loggins, John Waite, or Rusted Root, Malea has always been able to support a passion of hers animal rescue by donating tickets and instruments, and making videos to help raise money and awareness. Malea is an active animal rights activist and she has worked at the Amanda Foundation in Los Angeles, CA for four years where she adopted two dogs. During her 2012 Save a Life, Adopt a Pet tour, she rescued her dog, TC, while she also worked to spread awareness about animal welfare issues.
The official video for "Running in the Desert," the new single from the forthcoming album, Prism, explores the journey of a wild horse in search of freedom, trying to reach a safe haven by escaping dangerous elements from an apocalyptic disaster. The video was created by two former Pixar animators who recently worked on the hit animated feature "Epic."
For more information on Malea, please visit:
Prism on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/prism/id692802099
SOURCE Malea Music


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That episode screamed rigged for Bri to leave. It turned out that she got no advantage of all because of the team switching ploy, but instead was put at a disadvantage.
The retention of Krissie has made this show unwatchable for me. I am not entertained by that kind of drama/conflict. The things she says and her constant smirk are vile. A role model for her son she is not other than in how to be a bully.
I'm also disturbed by how they try to eliminate their strongest competitors. In a "game" where the goal is to find the most talented person with the best skills, I would think you would want to beat the best, not the weakest. That holds true for me whether it is cooking, singing, dancing, designing, etc.

subset: commoncrawl


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Resourceful fellow: Spillers reflects on long career in library science
WORTHINGTON -- On the surface, Roger Spillers fits the stereotype of the librarian to a T -- mild-mannered, soft-spoken, well-read, studious, unassuming. But the man who has served as director of the Nobles County Library for almost three decades has a more adventurous side, too, having lived in venues across the United States and around the world.
Roger will retire at the end of the year after 29½ years of serving the library program in Nobles County through both the main library in Worthington and the branch location in Adrian.
"I lived in Michigan, Montana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado and overseas," before coming to Worthington to assume the library director's job, Spillers listed.
The path to a library career began after Roger graduated from high school in Michigan.
"I was interested in research, and that's what drew me into it," he explained. "I did a lot of research as a student, because of the degree I was pursuing."
Roger's initial area of interest was Eastern European studies, fueled by the Cold War era. He embarked on that field of study in Pennsylvania and later continued his education in library science at Western Michigan University and did graduate work in England.
"My very first job was at a technical library in Michigan," Roger detailed. "It was a company library, a special library service for a large engineering firm -- a corporate library service. That's where I started when I was a student, and in those days, we got union scale. It was an aircraft operation, building nose cones, and before I even got there, the union scale had gone up to $1.25. I got a raise before I even started the job. That was in the 1950s, and $1.25 stretched a lot farther in those days.
"I guess, when you consider student jobs, I've been working for at least 60 years," Roger added, "53 years with a degreed job."
Roger's first job with a degree in library science was at a college library in Pennsylvania. From there, he went to Montana, where for 12 years he headed up a library system based in Helena that covered a huge service area, probably about the size of Rhode Island.
Throughout his career, Rose has been supported by his wife of 43 years, Rose, a native of Greece he met while traveling in Europe. The Spillers have three children, Heather, Daphne and Frank; and two grandchildren.
But the Spillers were only a family of four when Roger accepted a contract post in Africa after living in the United Kingdom.
"Not too many people in the States would do that, but in Britain it was very common to go as ex-pats for a period of time," Roger reflected about taking the job with the Zambia Ministry of Education. "We spent seven and a half years in Zambia."
Just as now, political unrest was common in the Africa at that time, with many nations just beginning to move toward independence.
"We had considerable problems when we lived there. We left about a year before Zimbabwe became independent," Roger recalled, referring to the struggle that was occurring in a neighboring region. "... In a war zone like that, you learn to survive, because the fighting spilled over into our area. We had plenty of problems -- finding food, staying alive, staying out of jail."
Son Frank was born during the years they lived in Africa, and he's the only one of the family who has returned to Africa since.
"He was doing research for his first degree at the University of Minnesota and had the opportunity to go back and observe the political structure," Roger said. "He got reacquainted with some of our old friends."
After living by their "wits and connections" in a tumultuous country, it was difficult for the Spillers to assimilate back into American culture when they returned to the States and settled in Ohio.
"We were just like immigrants when we came back," Roger said. "Your whole approach to life changes, and then you come back to the Western world and have to learn all over how things are done."
As an example, Roger said that it was difficult to grasp American political jokes, because in Zambia they were primarily exposed to British affairs and culture.
"When we got back to the States, we found a British comedy show on TV, Dave Allen, and all his jokes were about the British political scene so we understood them. It took a few months to be able to relate to things here."
After a short stint in Ohio, Roger accepted the position as director of the Nobles County Library and uprooted his family one last time for the move to southwest Minnesota.
"I wanted to get back into this type of library system, the same type as I had worked at in Montana," Roger said.
During his tenure here, Roger has witnessed the evolution of library science, most notably the "advent of the automated library system" with computer technology.
"When I worked in Montana, all we had was a little machine to stamp the date due," he recalled about the limited technology available when he got his start in the field.
Now, the library is not only a place to check hard copy materials, but a computer center where people can access a wealth of information via the World Wide Web.
"Libraries are no longer just warehouses for books and magazines," Roger explained. "The printed word is still there, but the role of computers in helping people access information is especially important, especially in rural areas like ours.
"The clientele has also changed," Roger continued. "Our community has become culturally diversified, and that has given the people of the community a much broader outlook on culture. It also adds to the complexion of our service needs. We have to help them get information that they need to survive in daily life."
The library has been the recipient of grants not only to expand and upgrade technology, but to facilitate serving people from other cultures, including specialized language programs. Being part of the Plum Creek Library System helps the local library to "deliver services and programs in a highly cost-effective manner" and access additional materials to meet the needs of the people it serves.
Although he has spent almost 30 years shaping the direction of the county's library programs, Roger is quick to credit his staff with running a successful and efficient facility, and the library board with providing direction and support.
"The staff are the ones who have made the provision of materials, programs and services successful," he credited. "It's the staff that are out there on the front lines, working with the public, finding out what they want and getting it for them as efficiently as possible."
With his time at the Nobles County Library drawing to a close, Roger has no specific plans for retirement, although he anticipates "spending a lot of winter days behind the snowblower."
Although she continues to substitute teach, Rose retired last summer after many years teaching English and social studies at the high school in Round Lake. Come spring, the Spillers might do some traveling, not only to see their children and grandchildren in Texas and Oregon, but also to renew friendships and visit relatives in other parts of the world.


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Generally speaking, lingerie falls into one of two camps: practical or pretty. But Julie Sygiel, who founded her underwear line Dear Kate in 2012, is on a mission to create delicates that don't compromise. Why, after all, can't stylish and pragmatic live in harmony? While the Dear Kate designs are delightful, the real reason to throw out every other underwear you've ever owned lies in the fabric: a leak-resistant, stain-proof textile created by Sygiel herself while she was a chemical engineering undergrad at Brown University. We sat down with the smarty-pants entrepreneur to learn more about her fabric breakthrough, the original inspiration for Dear Kate, and what's up next.
What motivated you start Dear Kate?
I took an entrepreneurship class in college and my business plan team realized that every woman has a horror story from that time of the month—not to mention the monthly stress our period adds to daily life while we're busy working, exercising, and doing all of the other activities that ambitious women pursue.
What sets Dear Kate apart from its competition?
Every pair has our patent-pending fabric combination that includes a built-in breathable lining that protects like a pantiliner. This inner lining is wicking, so it pulls moisture away from the body, and it's also stain-releasing, so when undies come out of the washing machine, they look as good as new.
What's your design process like?
When I first started designing the line, I polled everyone in sight. Turns out, the most important thing to women about our underwear is comfort. It makes sense that we feel comfortable and sexy. Once we have comfort covered, I think about what type of different styles we can offer. Some pairs are sporty, some lacy, some have bows, some have ruching in the back—there's something that appeals to everyone.
What's been the most rewarding part about starting Dear Kate?
The best days are when we get emails from customers telling us how much they love wearing our undies. One of our customers wrote in and said, "I wore mine to speak at the White House. Some days you don't want anything to go wrong." It's moments like that when I know we've made a difference for someone, and our vision of empowering women every day of the month is coming true.
Why did you decide to expand into bras?
We make matching bralets for a few of our collections like the Ella and Margot. While our special wicking fabric is in the bottoms only, it's always fun to have a matching set. The bralets are super comfy—and as someone who is probably never going to make it out of an A cup, I love wearing them. Some of our bigger-busted customers like wearing the bralets at home since they aren't very supportive, but they're incredibly comfortable.
What's next for Dear Kate?
We're excited to expand into additional fashion apparel items! I can't share details yet, but our inspiration comes mainly from customers who write in and tell us what they would like to see from Dear Kate. We announce new items through our newsletter and if you want to sign up, you can do so by visiting our site.
Special offer: Get $10 off your first-time purchase at Dear Kate by using the code birchbox at checkout! Valid now through 3/31/14.


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Monday, June 20, 6:35 P.M. EDST
Timing is everything. By taking advantage of opportunities when the larger timing is right, you achieve a success. For example, when the tide is out in the ocean, it's not a propitious time for the sport of surfing. The rules we see everyday in mother nature are self evident, and by cooperating with that larger timing, we can fit into the reality of "what is" and use it to our advantage.
By using the principles of natural timing, we cooperate with life and know when to pull back and when to press forward for success. The times of moving forward can be used for initiating new directions that are important for us. The times for pulling back can be used for reinforcing our position, organizing our lives and growing stronger within ourselves. The times of balance open the opportunity for consciously enjoying our lives and the people in our world.
Plan a celebratory activity for this day – a party with your friends, a fun family adventure, attending a special event that feels like a festivity to you. It is a day to remember to celebrate life and have fun! Do something enjoyable – an activity that brings you pleasure in its own right. It may be going dancing or to a concert, participating in a project with others that you feel is uplifting, or gathering with friends. So much of life is about practicality and repetitive routines… this is a day to enjoy!
It's a day for giving. On the Summer Solstice, go out of your way to have a generous spirit. Rather than making your point, allow others to have the last word and speak their point of view. If you go to a restaurant, tip more generously than you normally would. Experience the joy of having a generous nature. If there is a cause you have felt drawn to support, this is the day to bring out your checkbook or to call and volunteer to help on one of their future activities. Whether it's your time, money, or giving a sincere compliment—do at least one act of conscious openhandedness on this day. By performing generous acts of kindness on the day of the Summer Solstice, you open yourself to Life being generous to you.
On the day that signifies the beginning of each of the four seasons of the year, throughout history people have gathered together in groups to celebrate bringing in the new cycle. The Honoring Life ritual suggested for bringing in the new cycle can be done alone or as part of a group that can empower the new cycle through shared celebration!