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Owning Thoroughbreds Is an Expensive Gamble Offering Great Rewards--and Costly Losses
(continued from page 9)
Bizelia hadn't even gone out that day to buy Pride of Summer, but rather to acquire a horse named Cazzy B. for 10 golfing buddies who go by the name TOC (Touch of Class) Stable. Bizelia got Cazzy B. for $25,000, but while he was there, Pride of Summer passed through the sales ring without attracting a bid. Bizelia said to himself, "What the heck," and picked him up for the minimum price--$300. The 10 partners who were going in on Cazzy B. coughed up the extra $30 each to go in on Pride of Summer.
Joe Cornacchia was one of the 10 to ante up the $30 for a share. "I didn't really want to bother, but the rest of them said, 'We want you in it--you're good luck,'" says Cornacchia, a major partner in the Kentucky Derby winners Strike the Gold and Go for Gin. "Watching Pride of Summer win that stake at Saratoga was as much fun as watching Go for Gin win the Kentucky Derby." Actually, someone should have checked Pride of Summer's pedigree, the genealogy of four-legged ancestorsthat means so much to horse buyers. They would have found a blood link to the famous turf racer John Henry.
If Hollywood had come up with the John Henry story, you would give it two thumbs down for being too Hollywood. Sold as a yearling for $1,100 in chump change, John Henry was so puny, ill-bred and ill-tempered that he was gelded. He showed modest talent in winning a few races at low-level tracks in Louisiana, changed hands five times and bounced from track to track, before ending up in New York running in $25,000 claiming races. But his last owner, Sam Rubin, an importer of Korean bicycles and a player of horses, put John Henry in a turf race and the horse turned into a champion. Winner of seven Eclipse Awards (racing's equivalent to the Academy Awards), John Henry earned two Horse of the Year titles, the second of which he won in 1984 at age nine in the final year of his career. No horse so old has ever been so honored. He retired as the sport's then all-time leading money winner, with career earnings of $6,597,947.
But for every Pride of Summer or John Henry, there is a Seattle Dancer or Snaafi Dancer. The highest price ever paid for a yearling at auction was $13.1 million in 1985 for a colt later named Seattle Dancer; that broke the record set two years earlier when Snaafi Dancer went for a bid of $10.2 million. At least Seattle Dancer eked out a couple of Group II stakes wins in Europe. As for Snaafi Dancer, not only did he never make it to the races, he also never made it as a stallion, because he turned out to be sterile.
Somewhere between the fairy tales of John Henry and Pride of Summer and the tragicomedies of Snaafi Dancer and Seattle Dancer lies the reality of thoroughbred ownership--lots of cash up front and no promise of return. Take D. Wayne Lukas, who had a 1995 that most owners only dream about, with horses that included Thunder Gulch, Timber Country and other national champions. In 1987, he coughed up $2.9 million for a colt named Houston. "He's perfect, the best horse I've ever trained," Lukas said at the time. Houston initially looked like a good investment, winning the Bay Shore and the Derby Trial in 1987, but when asked to stretch out to the classic distance of a mile and a quarter in that year's Kentucky Derby, he ran eighth. A sixth-place finish in the subsequent Preakness wasn't much of an improvement. That summer, Houston managed to win another decent little sprint stake, the King's Bishop. But he never hit the big time of Grade I stakes, where the real money is made.
Stories like Lukas' point out a simple truth about horses--every purchase, no matter how perfect the bloodlines or the seasoned judgment of a horse expert, comes complete with an excruciating range of possibilities, from multimillion dollar earnings to an equine money pit. There was a time, however, when only the rich were at risk, because they were the only ones who could afford to play the game. In the 1980s, for instance, Middle Eastern money drove prices for good yearlings into the stratosphere. Today, with the decline of the old-line, blue blood stables, new forms of ownership have evolved, opening up the sport of kings to those lacking regal bloodlines. Where once there was one owner owning 40 horses, increasingly there are 40 owners of one horse. And there may be more than one way to get in: fractional ownership, partnerships and syndicates are letting people get their feet wet in the game without drowning.
The upside of thoroughbred ownership remains not only ever-present, it has gotten a lot more attractive as purses continue to rise. The most prominent examples of this trend are the seven-race $10 million Breeders' Cup, racing's richest day, at Belmont Park in New York; the $3.9 million Japan Cup, the world's richest turf race, at Fuchy racetrack in Tokyo; and the $4 million Dubai World Cup, which became the world's richest race when it was run in the United Arab Emirates for the first time last March.
What kind of animal is worth all this money? What kind of horse is the thoroughbred?
A horse is a thoroughbred if its parents were thoroughbreds and their parents were thoroughbreds, and on and on back to the turn of the eighteenth century, when three stallions were imported into England from the Middle East to be bred with the native stock: the Godolphin Barb, the Darley Arabian and the Byerly Turk. Every thoroughbred traces its lineage in an unbroken line back to at least one of these founding stallions.
Thoroughbreds are among the fastest animals on earth over a fairly long distance. They can run up to 39 miles per hour, and the quickest can run the mile in 1:33 flat. They range in size from 15 to 17 hands high (60 to 68 inches) at the withers (where the neck meets the back) and weigh an average of 1,000 pounds.
At more than 100 tracks in North America, thoroughbreds race primarily on dirt tracks at distances from six furlongs (three-quarters of a mile) to a mile and a quarter. Increasingly, races are being held on turf courses, as is the style in Europe, often at longer distances. An average American racehorse will run his first race at age two and may continue running until age seven or longer, although the best breeding prospects tend to be retired earlier.
Though thoroughbred purses continue to climb, not every owner will come out ahead. Robert Clay, owner of Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky, and a prominent member of the board of trustees of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), says owners will pay out a total of $1.2 billion a year and get back $750 million in purses.
While the excitement, fun and competition of thoroughbred racing is payment enough for many owners, how can the prospective owner tap into enough of that $750 million so he doesn't tap out? There is a world of advice awaiting the new owner, but in keeping with the risky, roguish nature of the thoroughbred game, not all of it is good. Fortunately, the thoroughbred industry is now bending over backwards to make the right kind of information available to prospective owners, who in general acquire their horses at auctions, private sales or in claiming races. With the Prospective Owners Seminars that it holds at racetracks across the country, TOBA has become one of the more reliable sources of information for first-timers.
On the Friday before last fall's Breeders' Cup, the association held a seminar at Belmont Park. At 7:30 a.m., midday by racetrack standards, about 75 prospective owners took their places in the inner sanctum of Belmont Park's Turf and Field Club for a one-day immersion into all matters thoroughbred. Allan Dragone, former chairman of the board of the New York Racing Association and owner of December Hill Farms in Kentucky, offered participants the perspective of the sole owner, which he defined as "the one who gets all of the glory...and all the risk."
Wall Street investment banker Donald Little spoke about sharing the rewards and spreading the risk in the kind of racing partnerships his Boston-based Centennial Farms organizes. Centennial's horses, which race out of the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Scotty Schulhofer, include 1992 champion sprinter Rubiano and '94 Belmont Stakeswinner Colonial Affair. "In racing partnerships," Little said, "you find the highs are almost as high as in sole ownership, but the lows are not nearly so low."
Bloodstock agent Reiley MacDonald of Eaton Sales Co. stressed the need for professional advice and offered his guidelines on how to choose an adviser. "You need an adviser to help you develop your plan and set your goals," MacDonald said. "You need to put together a team, perhaps with a bloodstock agent and a trainer. Your criteria for choosing the team should be: one, honesty; two, knowledge; three, connections in the industry, especially if you are interested in private sales; and four, you need team members that will communicate with you."
John Kimmel, a trainer and veterinarian, called racing "the greatest outdoor sport played." He offered this advice for choosing a trainer: "Visit him at the barn in the morning, see how his operation looks, go to the paddock before the races and see how the trainer presents his horse."
Kimmel also explained how trainers bill their clients, displaying a sample monthly bill of his that came to $2,335 (he says the industry average is closer to $3,000). Routine veterinary care and treatment of minor injuries are included.
The real wild cards in the thoroughbred deck are injuries and illness. Viruses, broken bones, sore muscles, respiratory problems, colic, hoof problems and freak accidents can stop the fastest thoroughbred. "These are fragile animals and they are asked to run fast," Kimmel told the seminar participants. "Injuries are part of the game. The key is to address minor injuries before they become major problems."
While a horse is recuperating from illness or injury, the owner not only pays upkeep for an unproductive horse, but he is also faced with veterinary bills. These can include the same range of often pricey procedures humans face--X rays, ultrasound, bloodwork, surgery, even chiropractic and acupuncture--without health insurance to pick up the tab. In worst-case scenarios, the bills can add up to thousands of dollars.
Advances in veterinary medicine are saving horses from maladies that just 10 years ago might have proved fatal--and enabling them to race again. However, illness and injuries still conspire to make thoroughbred ownership a dicey proposition. In the words of actor and owner Jack Klugman, as quoted by thoroughbred owner Dragone, "If someone tells you you're as healthy as a horse, you better run for your doctor!"
During the seminar, the prospective owners were also guided through the business, tax and legal issues of thoroughbred ownership and were given a workbook that takes them step by step through the process of acquiring a thoroughbred, or at least a piece of one. After touring the barns and talking to leading trainers, the prospective owners spent the rest of the day at the races.
You've done your homework, you've gone to the races, you've observed trainers in action, you've read the trade publications like The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times and Daily Racing Form. You've introduced yourself to trainers and owners and you've been to the TOBA seminar. You're ready to take the plunge, but which way do you jump? Sole ownership? Partnership? Do you get a horse out of a high-profile yearling sale or claim a horse that's ready to run?
For most new owners, it makes sense to start as a part owner. Place a call to Dogwood Stable in Aiken, South Carolina. If you're lucky you'll be left on hold, because then you'll hear the race call of the stretch run of a major Dogwood triumph, such as Summer Squall's winning run to the wire in the 1990 Preakness. Dogwood Stable is considered the gold standard of the thoroughbred partnership business, in part because it practically invented the concept in 1969.
"I was the first to put together a limited partnership for the purposes of thoroughbred ownership," says Cot Campbell, the 67-year-old founder of Dogwood Stable. "Our first was a filly named Mrs. Cornwallis and she ran a hole in the wind. She won three stakes and finished second or third in three others."
Since Mrs. Cornwallis, Dogwood has campaigned approximately 50 stakes winners that have won over 100 stakes among them. Dogwood has ranked consistently in the top one-half of one percent of the 20,000 North American stables since 1978. It currently has 60 horses in training and operates a training facility in Aiken, in the heart of horse country. In a typical Dogwood partnership, Campbell buys a horse and marks it up about 30 percent, then sells four shares of 23.75 percent, retaining a 5 percent share and the title of managing partner. Share prices for Dogwood Stable horses range from $15,000 to $77,000. Campbell bills his clients on a quarterly basis, with the average bill per share amounting to $2,000. "Except for life insurance, it costs as much to keep a good horse as a cheap one," he says.
"Here's the proposition: You might make money--you probably won't--but if you lose money, you'll be able to write it off," Campbell says. "And you'll find yourself in a tremendously exciting sport. It's a heck of a lot of fun and a great adventure. But if you don't think it will be a lot of fun, if the idea of watching your horse running down the stretch with a chance to win doesn't ring your chimes, then don't touch this game with a 10-foot pole." Campbell takes every opportunity to warn people off. "I rub people's noses in it," he says. "Thirty percent will make money, 70 percent won't. It's like drilling for oil. You're going to hit a lot of dry holes."
Mark Rovner's LSI Gold Stable operates a bit farther down the thoroughbred food chain. The 33-year-old Long Island real estate lawyer wanted to make the move from fan to owner, but he got sticker shock when he saw how much it would cost to get the kind of horsepower he would need to compete in New York.
"I tried to buy a horse alone, but at my level I'd be in the low end of the game," Rovner says. "I came across a book on thoroughbred syndication--it was 4,000 pages long and boring--but I read it from cover to cover. I had done real estate syndications and saw that thoroughbred syndication was a way to make a high level of racing affordable."
The minimum price for a share of an LSI Gold horse is $5,000. In a general partnership arrangement, Rovner retains a 10 percent share of each horse and divides the other 90 percent into 40 shares. LSI Gold Stable currently has 15 horses on track, primarily in the Belmont Park barn of trainer H. Morgan Tesher, and 130 owners.
"You buy a share, you're an owner. You get the same rights and privileges of any owner, even a big-time owner like George Steinbrenner," Rovner says. Those privileges include access to the barns, clubhouse and box seats, and, hopefully, posing with your horse in the winner's circle.
Not all partnerships are as formal as Dogwood, Centennial, LSI Gold and dozens of others. Friends in pursuit of a good time often form partnerships.
Gary Biszantz bought his first racehorse when he was 21, for $400. The horse turned into a winner and Biszantz was hooked. Today, the 61-year-old chairman of Cobra Golf Inc., manufacturer of King Cobra golf clubs, keeps enough horses in training that he can see them run 10 to 12 times a month. Biszantz recently purchased a Kentucky farm and has a legitimate Triple Crown candidate in multiple-stakes winner Cobra King. He still enjoys running his horses in partnerships.
"I have partners in every one of my horses. I get my friends involved; it's just more fun that way," Biszantz says. "It's like we're all partners in our own pro franchise. When we all go down to the winner's circle, it's the best thrill there is, and the wonderful thing is, it never changes. It doesn't matter if it's your first winner or your hundredth."
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Another W in the books!
(Courtesy of NBA.com)
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Another W in the books!
(Courtesy of NBA.com)
10 in a row at home! Nice.
Is that the third Pacer this year with a triple double? or did George Hill just miss? Which also makes me wonder what the record is for most players to record a triple double on the same team in a single season is.
Good win. I wonder who'll get the start at SF tomorrow.
.5 games out of 2nd in the East.
1.5 games out of 1st in the East.
It wasn't pretty, but good teams get the job done, even in the face of adversity.
That said, we need Paul George to win tomorrow in all likelihood, the Nets, for now, are playing much better ball and seem to be responding to PJ Carlisimo.
That's the 3rd
"We've got to be very clear about this. We don't want our players hanging around with murderers," said Larry Bird, Pacers president.
Ian and West held it down. Ben Gordon deserves a better franchise. Kidd-Gilchrist sure didn't distinguish himself. DJ can be clutch from the free throw line.
Lance is like Justified. He doesn't nail every scene, but when he's good, you have to keep him near the top of your rotation.
A couple of battered teams playing at 1:00 tomorrow.
Also, we definitely would have lost this game earlier in the season. Reasoning: the game from earlier in the season.
If the Heat lose to the Kings (possible, in Sacto)
we are then 1 game out of 1st
The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).
Good win. I'm happy that Lance, DJ, Hill, West and Ian stepped up for the injured guys.
Let's hope that PG is a go against Brooklyn tomorrow. If he isn't, I don't see a win there. He is crucial to our defense as tonight's game proved.
I'll say this about DJ. Yes, I am aware that he's not a good defender. It's true. But when he plays motivated and with energy he can sure be pesky.
Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.
wow that was a really good win - just about everybody stepped up and played extraordinarily well
Mahinmi and DJ are getting better and better as this season progresses and its great to see
Lance has been pretty electrifying! I always want to see more of him on the court lol
One thing I will say though is that Gerald Green is digging his own grave right now: 3-12 with 8 of them being 3s? Sheesh!
Great win anyways, and we played really well as a cohesive unit!
I'm kind of surprised McGuire didn't play more. He looked a little rusty, but I felt like he came out aggressive. If he makes one of those 2 FGs or FTs I bet he gets plugged back in.
If we can catch Miami for the lead in the East (Miami is weak on the road comparatively and is mired in a 6 game road trip currently), the coaches may be forced to put two Pacers in the ASG.
Personally I'd almost rather West got the rest, but it would be a cool honor for the first Pacers All-Star duo since that one year with JO and Ronny ron.
Fun fact: The pacers won 1 game this season where the opponent scored 100 or more points.
Carmel HS Class of 2011
It seems like going small isn't a bad option with this team (unlike a certain other unit under a certain other coach) when the Pacers took out Gerald Green, I felt like the Pacers immediately found their niche and took control of the game. Hill, DJ, Lance, West, Ian was the winning combination tonight!
follow me @TruenoPanda - lets talk Pacers!
I could be wrong but I think both Reggie Miller and Rik Smits made the alll star one year, maybe even Dale Davis and Reggie
Sittin on top of the world!
Gerald Green is just bad.
First time in a long time, I've been happy with the team that was constructed, and now they struggle. I blame the coach.
My boy Lance is the man!
3 months straight with a tripe double. Hill, Hibbs and now West. PGs got next!
First time in a long time, I've been happy with the team that was constructed, and now they struggle. I blame the coach.
I know Dale and Reggie were in it together.
I think that Gerald has to cut down on those 3s. He had a nice move tonight taking it inside and he didn't play bad D either.
It's just that he's so trigger happy from 3 point land that he does dig his own grave at times.
Last edited by Nuntius; 01-12-2013 at 10:56 PM. Reason: wanted to write "inside" instead of "nice"
Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.
We're not going to win a lot of those. We don't seem able to put up 100 points
Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.
I'm being unduly harsh on him but I've grown kind of tired of seeing him play.
Not going to let that dampen the mood though - Indy still played a wonderful game and got the W!
follow me @TruenoPanda - lets talk Pacers!
I completely agree. He didn't disappear. He was the polar opposite. He eclipsed our offense and just kept gunning.
Personally, I want to see him more in the post. He can do damage there as he has an actual post up game. We should use him to his strengths.
Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.
We played like **** amd we still got the W. I'll take it.
"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel
"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "

subset: commoncrawl


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Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- German billionaire Adolf Merckle committed suicide by throwing himself under a train, "broken" as his business empire crumbled under a growing burden of debt, his family said.
The 74 year-old businessman was hit yesterday evening near his hometown of Blaubeuren, 44 miles southeast of Stuttgart, a police officer said in an interview. His body was found on the tracks at around 7:30 p.m. about 300 yards from his home and a suicide note had also been found.
Merckle, whose holding company owes banks about 5 billion euros ($6.7 billion), owned stakes in HeidelbergCement AG and drug wholesaler Phoenix Pharmahandel AG. He had been seeking emergency financing for more than two months from a group of more than 30 banks led by Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bank AG, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg.
"The dedicated family businessman was broken by his inability to handle the situation and he ended his own life," his family said in a statement today. "The distress at his companies caused by the financial crisis and the resultant uncertainty of the last few weeks" contributed to his death, the family added.
Merckle, whose estimated $9.2 billion fortune put him 94th on Forbes' list of the world's richest people, was hurt by bets on Volkswagen AG, a drop in the value of HeidelbergCement stock and increasing debt. The family's spiraling debt threatened holdings including its VEM Vermoegensverwaltung GmbH holding company, which owed the bank about 5 billion euros, people with knowledge of the matter said last month.
'Falling Apart'
"His empire was falling apart," said Stefan Mueller, managing partner at Proprietary Partners AG in Frankfurt. "This was his last desperate act."
Merckle's empire spanned the cement, machinery and drug industries. VEM said today Merckle's death would have no effect on the restructuring. Merckle was to get more than 400 million euros in bridge loans to rescue VEM, Financial Times Deutschland reported yesterday, citing unidentified bankers.
"News of Adolf Merckle's death left me deeply shaken," Baden-Wuerttemberg Prime Minister Guenther Oettinger said. The state "lost a great entrepreneur."
In November, the state government signaled it would not assist Merckle after he sought a bailout. His companies employ more than 71,000 people, including 46,000 at HeidelbergCement.
Merckle hired insolvency lawyer Eberhard Braun and threatened to initiate bankruptcy proceedings for VEM unless lenders provided him with restructuring capital, two people familiar with the situation said Dec. 10.
HeidelbergCement, Phoenix
The Merckle family may have to sell stakes in HeidelbergCement, Germany's biggest cement maker, Phoenix Pharmahandel, a drug wholesaler, and Ratiopharm GmbH, a generic drugmaker as part of a deal with banks, people familiar with the matter said on Dec. 15.
HeidelbergCement fell 8.2 percent to 30.60 euros in Frankfurt trading. The Heidelberg-based company declined 70 percent last year, a fall that led the banks to seek additional financial guarantees from the billionaire.
Born in 1934, Merckle fled in 1945 with his family to Blaubeuren, a city with about 12,000 people in southwestern Germany, from the Sudetenland, the historical border region of the Czech Republic long inhabited by ethnic Germans and seized by the Nazis in September 1938.
Merckle's grandfather founded a company called Drogen und Chemikalien en gros in 1881 and his father expanded the company after taking the helm in 1915. The company was seized during the Nazi era.
Suicide Note
Merckle, a lawyer whose only luxury was climbing in the mountains, took over the family company in 1967 at a time when it had 80 employees and 4 million deutsche marks ($2.5 million) in sales.
There was no suspicion of foul play and police are certain Merckle committed suicide, a police officer in Ulm said. The suicide note didn't give any reason for his decision, according to the officer. Ulm prosecutors are investigating as a matter of routine, a step done in any suicide case, he said.
Merckle leaves behind his wife Ruth. He had three sons, Ludwig, Philipp, Tobias and a daughter, Jutta.
VEM was caught in a so-called short squeeze after betting Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen's stock would fall. Merckle lost at least 500 million euros on the bets on VW stock, people familiar said on Nov. 18. VEM lost "low three-digit million euros" on VW stock, the company said in November.
Financing Talks
Commerzbank expressed its deep sympathy to Merckle's family, according to spokeswoman Simone Fuchs in Frankfurt today. She declined to comment about potential implications for talks on a financing deal. RBS had no comment, a company spokeswoman in Frankfurt said. Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg spokesman Christian Potthoff in Stuttgart also had no comment.
New York based money manager Thierry Magon de La Villehuchet, 65, who may have lost client funds invested with Bernard Madoff, apparently killed himself in his Madison Avenue office, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said on Dec 23.
Kirk Stephenson, who helped start Luqman Arnold's investment company Olivant Ltd., committed suicide, a U.K. coroner's court judged last month. Stephenson, 47, jumped in front of a train on Sept. 25 at a railway station in Taplow, 28 miles west of London.
To contact the reporters on this story: Aaron Kirchfeld in Frankfurt at [email protected]; Sheenagh Matthews in Frankfurt at [email protected].
Last Updated: January 6, 2009 13:10 EST


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Complete these three requirements:
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Give a talk about your collection to someone other than your family. Give a description of your collection, including a short history. Explain how you got started and why you decided to collect what you do.


text:
A decision on whether to extend the opening hours of a Silsden takeaway has been deferred.
Members of Keighley Area Licensing Panel want to give the owner of Tucos an opportunity to attend a future meeting.
The owner, Mohammed Azeem, of Cark Road in Keighley, had applied to open the Kirkgate takeaway into the early hours.
He wants to provide refreshment until 3am on Saturday and Sunday mornings and until midnight on other nights.
The hot food takeaway and burger business currently opens until 11.30pm on weekdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
In his application, Mr Azeem said he would prevent crime and disorder by providing adequate lighting, working with local police and using social networking to keep the community aware.
He pledged to clear litter each day, provide notices asking people to leave quietly and make sure nobody used the external area after 11pm.
The licensing panel was told last week that Bradford Council's health officer, Aliah Syed, recommended refusal of the application, as late opening could adversely affect the neighbourhood through noise and disturbance.
Speaking to the Keighley News, Silsden mayor Councillor Chris Atkinson said the location of Tucos was built-up and unsuitable for late-night comings and goings.
He added: "There will be a lot of flats in that block and there are people living above the shops on the other side of the road."


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What is a hurricane? How do they form? Where are they found? These are questions that your students are likely asking. The resources below can help you explain the science behind hurricanes to your students.
What is a Hurricane? - Weather WizKids
This kid-friendly website explains the science of hurricanes and discussses potential impacts. It also includes a vocabulary list, safety list, and a link to activities.
Hurricanes - CurriculumBits.com
This click-through animation explains how hurricanes form in a way that is easy for students to understand.
Atlantic Hurricanes With Dr. Jeff Halverson: Understanding the 21st Century's New Threat
This web page contains 35 separate, 1-4 minute long, video segments by hurricane expert Dr. Jeff Halverson. The segments take an in-depth look at the life cycle of hurricanes by using a myriad of scientific visualizations made from NASA satellite imagery. The web page provides educators with an index that describes: each segment of the lecture, the scientific visualization used in the segment, and linkages to national standards. Each of the segments is viewable in your browser and is also available for download as a Quicktime. Plus, the individual media content used in the segment is also available for download.
NOAA Education Resources: Hurricanes
This web page provides basic information on what a hurricane is, and how they form.
Projects Kids Can do to Help Those in Need
Generation On has some great ideas for things that kids and families can do in their community to help others in need. Check out their website:
You can help wildlife in jeopardy from climate-fueled extreme weather events by supporting our work today.


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Local rum on hold thanks to government shutdown
CHARLESTON, Ore. -- Rum from a new distillery is going to have to wait before it can hit shelves.
The new Stillwagon Distillery in Charleston had hoped to open up shop already, but because the government is still shut down, the labels for the rum can't be approved.
Richard Stillwagon, the owner and operator, says business is at a standstill. "We have 100 gallons sitting in there waiting to go," he said.
The Tax and Trade Bureau usually takes up to six weeks to approve a label, but Stillwagon had already been waiting. "Plus the backlog they're going to have now, so, we're probably looking at least another two months," he said.
Stillwagon is also waiting on the federal government to adjust a bond so he can get licensed to sell directly to the public. "That will allow us to have people come in, taste the rum and purchase here as well as at the liquor stores."
Even though it can't be sold yet production will continue. "It has to cycle," said Stillwagon. "It has to age from anywhere from two months to a year, depending on the type of rum."
Stillwagon says he doesn't even want to think about the revenue he would have made if he wasn't waiting. "It's frustrating, you know, it's something that shouldn't have happened and it has, and it's affecting obviously millions of Americans, not just myself," he said.
The upside? Stillwagon says with the rum just sitting here, it's only going to taste that much better.


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Guns N' Roses may have began as just another long-haired band trying to make it on the L.A. Sunset Strip club scene, but when they unleashed their debut LP Appetite For Destruction on the world in 1987 they instantly established themselves as one the most dynamic and explosive hard rock bands in history. In many ways, they became the Rolling Stones for a new generation. While their peers produced glossy songs that romanticized the party atmosphere of mid-1980s Los Angeles, guitarist Slash, drummer Steven Adler, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin and bassist Duff McKagan wrote about the gritty realities of the scene, most memorably on their masterpiece "Welcome To The Jungle." The massive single "Sweet Child O' Mine" showed their gentler side, while "Mr. Brownstone" was a brilliant cautionary tale about the dangers of heroin. In 1991, inspired by Queen and Elton John, they released the highly ambitious Use Your Illusion albums on the same day. Epic singles "November Rain" and "Civil War" proved how quickly the band had evolved in a few short years, and they were soon packing stadiums all across the globe. When the tour wrapped in late 1993, the band paid tribute to their 1970s hard rock, punk and glam heroes by recording an album of covers called The Spaghetti Incident.
For more information on Guns 'N Roses, visit RockHall.com.


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I started smoking in the same way as many people do, being a teenager wanting to fit in. Since my younger years I always smoked pre made cigarettes, and until a few years ago, I didn't really notice much of an effect on my wallet. Strange things started to happen in the economy and tax was blown higher on cigarettes, this hefty price rise made me turn to roll ups on the basic principal that they were cheaper, and I cannot deny this.
I cannot say that I ever want to go back to the old pre made cigarettes for a couple of reason:
The Cost - it costs a fraction of the money to smoke roll ups than it did to smoke pre mades.
The Health Difference - Now don't hold me to this, but I had heard that rolling tobacco was better for you than the regular ready made one, the claim to me was based on ready made cigarettes, although handy, were filled with chemicals and other nastyness to control the smoke time and strength of taste, rolling tobacco on the other hand doesn't go through this chemical process and is much fresher than its ready made counterpart.
To sum up, making your own cigarettes delivers exactly what you want, a smoke, and it comes with a much smaller price tag than other contenders, and can be changed further by changing your filters to a slimmer size, if you like. All in all, its just better to smoke rollies.
Before I start I am not saying that smoking benefits anyone or is a habit anyone should get into but for us that are already addicted I'm just going to state the benefits of rolling your own cigarettes than the other alternative of cigarettes!
The first thing is defiantly price, I smoke around 10 a day which isn't much but ten cigarettes cost around £3.50 and up, round that up to a week and that's a good thirty pound each week, instead purchasing a bumper of filter tips (for around a pound in a market for 200) will last me around a month, and buying a 25g pouch for around £7 and another pound for a bumper of papers from the market totals to less than a tenner! and all this will last me around a week to a week and a half That's almost twenty pounds in savings!
I feel much better rolling my own and when I have had the occasional cigarette I've noticed my eyes sting and burn and it tastes much worse, because of the menthol tips I use they taste much more sweet, the reason the cigarettes burn down much quicker and sting your eyes is because of the added chemicals. I also find that my throat feels very sore and harsh when I switch to cigarettes, which can't be good!
The problem most people have is rolling, you can buy a small machine from poundland and other stores which will do the work for you, and then all you have to do is roll and pack them up for your day or you can learn! It did take me a while but I can now roll! It can be a pain if I forget to pre-roll and its windy though!
So yeah switch up to rollies!
I have smoked Rothmans for many years but recently, with my trips to the supermarket costing £140 for 400, I have had to start thinking about alternatives - if only to cut down a little. £140 every 10 days is a hell of a lot of money.
Being new to rolling your own I decided to experiment a bit, so I bought 25g of Gold Leaf and 12.5g each of Old Holborn and Golden Virginia. Conclusion - Gold Leaf is pretty poor stuff, give it a miss. Old Holborn is rich, strong and satisfying, good for those who enjoy a full smoke. Golden Virginia is aromatic and also satisfying, marginally my favourite of the three.
My final suggestion - do get a rolling machine. They cost virtually nothing but give an even smoke which won't fall apart. I just had an Old Holborn with Rizla Blue which was pretty much as enjoyable a smoke as a Players Navy Cut or the like.
Thought i'd give you all a little how to on making your own cigarettes instead of buying them. I'll state, although as i'm sure you all know anyway and don't need my warning, that smoking is a very bad habit. I'm sure my lungs look terrible, however i've got enough things going on that, at the minute, frankly I don't care. Enjoy!
So, why would you want to create your own cigarettes instead of buying them? Well there are a few reasons. One of them is price. It is far less expensive to buy the materials to create your own than to buy a pre-made pack. This is realistically down to the fact that it does take some effort and practice to be able to create your own cigarettes, and a lot of people including myself, who can roll, can't be particularly bothered, which is why we buy manufactured products. For example, a pack of 20 Mayfair Cigarettes could cost you, depending on where you live etc, around £5.30. However, depending upon preferences for smoking (e.g. length and width) you could potentially create 30 cigarettes from a 12.5g pack of tobacco costing around £2.99 and an additional cost of around 70 pence for filters and papers. Obviously, this is much cheaper, which is why it appeals to a lot of people.
Another reason people say they prefer hand made cigarettes is for health reasons. I tend to find this slightly deceiving. I'm a realist, and realistically, smoking is the same, be it herbal, pre-made or hand made, the damage is being done. I agree that there are more harmful chemicals in some products, but at the end of the day, it's not good for you, and anyone who tells you anything different is either misinformed or lying to you.
The actual cigarettes themselves aren't that bad. Of course, this depends upon products chosen, for example different tobaccos and types of papers, but in general I can say that they do take a couple of days of getting used to, as the flavour is quite a bit different than pre-made cigarettes. They tend to be shorter than normal cigarettes unless you use a large rolling paper, and also, they can go out, as in, you will have to relight the cigarette occasionally, should the wind hit it, or you fail to drag in time etc. Depending on your rolling techinique, sometimes they can tend to get a bit hot towards the end of the cigarette, and it's quite an uncomfortable sensation, and so I tend to always smoke about 3/4 of one and then stub it out. One thing I can say for them is, should you have not had a cigarette in a while, they give a very good head rush, something I tend not to get so often with my brand of choice. One final observation is that, be it just my opinion or actual fact, i've noticed their odour isn't as powerful as pre-made cigarettes. Perhaps it's something to do with the added chemicals but none the less, it's a good thing.
Overall, I can't fault anyone for choosing rolling as their preferred method of smoking, it has its advantages and disadvantages, but then, so does everything, live your life how you want to, and have fun while doing it.
Best Wishes
Much healthier than a bought cigarette!
Regardless of tobacco brand, hand-made cigarettes are by far the healthier option than manufactured ones, simply because in all truth, they contain none of the harmful chemicals that are always produced in packaged ones despite this fact not being advertised.
As all smokers know and understand, 'nicotine' is the addictive chemical found in all Tobacco and cigarettes alike, but in manufactured ones, it is the other chemicals that make the addiction to nicotine that much more poignant and dangerous because the addiction then isn't just to nicotine alone, but the carbon monoxide and additional fuels that go into them and people are not made aware of this.
I only discovered this when in discussion about the topic of smoking in general, some months ago and have now found an opportunity to write about it, so hope it is informative as well as insightful to others who may care to read my review.
I generally smoke a mix of manufactured cigarettes and hand rolled tobacco depending upon funds but mainly smoke readily made ones that have become increasingly costly since this years' tax inflation. The current brand I tend to stick to is Windsor Blue super kings or the lighter version of this product which is by far easier on the lungs. I can easily get through a pack of twenty most days but more so if my partner is with me and likes to smoke mine as well as his own!
Reading the content (ingredient) box on the packet I have in front of me; says that this pack has 10mg of Tar; 0.9mg Nicotine and 10mg Carbon Monoxide (the same toxic-substance found when breathing out). Considering that 10mg is by far greater than 0.9mg: tells us that the most addictive element in the cigarette other than Tar, is Carbon Monoxide. So the long standing notion that nicotine is what people crave when they smoke is nonsense unless you only smoke Tobacco. Manufactured cigarettes contain reconstituted tobacco and other additives that therefore make them far more harmful.
For convenience purposes and to cut costs, tobacco is the much better alternative even though we all know the risks associated with smoking. What a great many non-smokers fail to comprehend is that the current environment in which we live, full of toxic gases from factories; cars; air-flight; dumping grounds; sewerage etc etc, we inhale each and everyday and are not less harmful to the human because they are not directly inhaled. Chemicals and their particles live and multiply in the open-air and are immediately inhaled and why it is that smoking and breathing in toxic-air are very much of parallel unity.
There is nothing to scientifically prove otherwise and why it is that the government are wanting to take environmental issues far more seriously when the reduction in clean breathable air from pollution is having dire consequences to all living things (including humans that don't smoke) - no we are not dying, but we are noticing a significant difference in air quality than ever before and especially older generations can tell you this.
Though this review is not a political/environmental argument, it is very important for non-smokers to broaden their view points and acknowledge that smoking isn't just about the self-inflicted kind even though it is always assumed so.
Preferring tobacco over manufactured cigarettes takes some getting used to and not merely because of the fiddly process of making them roll up, but because the contrast between tobacco itself and chemical-filled ones is so strong. Certainly the addictiveness to 'normal' ones that are ready made have far more physiological effects such as extreme lathery and impossible withdrawal symptoms but with tobacco itself, you just crave the nicotine fix and may become agitated, but do not suffer the same unmanageable withdrawal symptoms.
I think for anyone seriously considering quitting, a transfer to tobacco is recommended before taking nicotine replacement when it only treats the nicotine withdrawal (not any other chemicals) that are found in the manufactured kinds. If you want to read further upon these chemicals I have droned on about, then a really good place to start is the Wikipedia site on the 'List of additives in cigarettes' which is very useful if you are a smoker.
Before divulging into all the social perceptions of hand-rolled cigarettes, lets look at price:
~~~20 Marlboro Lights- £6.30
20 straights at £6.30 = 31p each
~~~12.5g Golden Virginia- £2.85 (Add 30p Rizla and 50p Filter)
12.5g tobacco = 27ish cigarettes
27 roll ups at £3.65 = 13p each
So here is proof that smoking roll ups will save you around 20p a cigarette. Lets say that you smoke 10 a day, which is 3600 a year- that turns out to £720 saved by smoking roll ups.
That is my first issue dealt with.
Secondly, there is a definite pleasure involved with rolling your own cigarettes. You take the roll-up papers (usually rizlas) and then pinch a little tobacco into the middle, place a filter (my preference is extra slim filters) at the end, and then roll it up before licking the sticky bit on the paper. This systematic procedure has become so familiar to me before having a cigarette, that it feels odd to not do it!
Thirdly TASTE.
Straights are full of extra chemicals and substances to make the cigarettes last longer. For me this produces are rather forced taste, whereas rollies, purer (and better for you if that makes sense at all) produce a much nicer taste and smoother finish. You can also control the amount you smoke by choosing how much tobacco you put in each roll up.
Fourthly, I completely disagree with all social perception of these cigarettes. Straights are see to be elegant and civilised, where rollies are seen to be poverty related. Wrong!
The only possible disadvantage is whilst driving, when you cannot roll them up unless you are a very talented person! This is hardly a disadvantage though, because sensible people can roll them before they set off! Doesn't take much common sense does it!
At over £5 a packet of 20 cigarettes for a 40 plus a day smoker this is a very expensive habit indeed. The only positive side is you can quickly and easily calculate just how many you smoke in a 24 hour period. For almost the same price you can purchase a 50g pack of reasonable quality rolling tobacco and roll your own making them as fat or as thin as you like which also enables you to reduce the amount you smoke gradually by reducing the amount of tobacco you place in each rollie. Unfortunately it also means you can dramatically increase the amount you smoke by adding more tobacco too.
The majority of smokers associate those who roll their own with poverty, more likely to be popular amongst students, winos and the homeless than those on the smoking veranda of a Michelin starred restaurant. Once in a while a film comes along which makes roll up smokers more commonplace. In fact after the release of Pulp Fiction the number of visible rollie smokers seemed to increase dramatically overnight.
I have never managed to master the art of rolling my own but I have acquired a rather bulky little gadget which rolls them for me (a smidgen under £2 from most big supermarkets). I simply stick the tobacco in the machine, close it up, wiggle the rollers a bit, insert the paper, wiggle the rollers round a bit more and voila a super compressed and completely unsmokable micro thin rollie. In fact the only way I've managed to get the machine to make smokable rollies is to insert pre-made filters into both ends. This prevents the rollie from being squashed to death but as I learnt without the addition of a filter at both ends it still manages to generate a cone shaped and still unsmokable fag. Before lighting remember to tear off the filter from one end though.
The paraphernalia required to roll your own is rather bulky. There's the loose tobacco and the papers and the filters and spares of all of the above. It's not as straightforward as simply pulling a pre-made cigarette out of a packet and lighting it. First you need to be somewhere dry and free of wind. Otherwise you find you paper is soaked before you can roll it and your tobacco has blown away. Even if it's not windy the wastage from rolling tobacco is rather high. The mere transfer of tobacco from pouch to paper followed by the rolling process seems to result in the escape of flakes of dry tobacco. It my only be a half dozen flakes on any one occasion but over the course of a week this mounts up to rather a lot.
Then there's the vast array of rolling tobacco, filters and papers available from the simply dire rip the lining out of your throat Drum (akin to inhaling sandpaper) to the much smoother Golden Virginia. There's a combination available to suit most palates although why anyone would want to smoke with liquorish flavoured papers is beyond me.
I used to smoke straights until 1. I became broke and 2. found out how much better they are in most every way. From the relatively cheap Richmond Super Kings to the cheapest Amber leaf and cutters choice...
So I started buying amber leaf which as w whole is the cheapest as it comes with Rizal. However, one you actually smoke it you do fins out why they had to add the rizla in. they are so rough on your throat that it feels like it is ripping the skin from the inside of your neck.
Cutters Choice is far better and decent price too. Rolling tobacco some call it an art. It isn't. It is more fun and can make more conversation as well as not having as many chemicals in them.
When you first start rolling it can be tricky but you pick it up very quickly and soon start to see you don't need as much tobacco. On the whole you can smoke around 25-30 roll ups when spending the same price as a cheap 10 and sometimes 20 pack which is very appealing.
Filters are cheap as is the Rizal but this does mean you are carrying around more 'equipment' with you when are out and about. This also means that if you loose one of the parts of the design you are stuffed and have to re buy them (although they are cheap so not too much to worry about).
You feel less guilty about stubbing out as you can roll so much less in each one so save more.
Everything about rolling is better than straights in my opinion.
I have never been a massive fan of smoking roll ups for two reasons:
1. I don't think they taste the same as normal cigarettes
2. I cant roll them!! Lol
But just recently and I have no idea why I have been smoking a lot more than usual and that is really taking its toll on my money so Ive been forced into looking at cheaper alternatives. So Ive been buying the "Benson & Hedges Silver Rolling Tobacco" the reason I chose that one is because I thought it would taste a lot like proper cigarettes and I wouldnt feel like I was making much of a change.
There are absolutely loads of tobacco products on the market these days including Gold Leaf, Amber Leaf, Drum etc and I think I'm right in saying they all cost around £4 which is less than 20 cigarettes and from one pouch you can make around 60 roll ups so your saving loads of money!
1. They cost less than cigarettes
£5 for 20 cigarettes £4 for 60 roll ups
The choice is obvious really isn't it and it would save smokers a packet of money and they last so much longer!
2. You get more for your money
The same reasons as above really
1. They aren't very convenient
I couldn't just start rolling one up in the street. With a cigarette you just pull it out of the packet and smoke it but you actually have to put in a bit of work with roll ups so people might see that as a downside.
2. They Just Aren't As Nice As Proper Cigarettes:
No matter what people say roll ups don't taste anything like a cigarette. That doesnt mean they taste bad but if most smokers are like me you do get bored of rolled cigarettes very quickly
In my opinion the one massive pro outweighs the con's by a mile.
I know the smart thing to do to save money would be to quit smoking but if like me you have tried to do that and failed I think rolled tobacco is the way forward. I'm never without a pouch in my handbag now and I don't think any other smoker should be either!
Thanks For Reading
x-0 Salz 0-x
The roll-ups vs branded debate has been raging amongst the smoking populace for years ,and to be honest I have no idea which is better. I personally prefer to sit on the fence and alternate between the two, as they both have their benefits and drawbacks. I guess it just depends upon your personal preferences.
Roll ups
First of all, rolling definitely has one huge advantage over ready-made cigarettes: they look a hell of a lot cooler. Don't ask me why, but smoking rollies has a certain image to it, which fits in with my trilby-wearing guitar carrying persona perfectly. Okay, I may be a little pretentious, but if you're going to be a jerk you may as well look good doing it. Rolling is also a lot cheaper than buying 'straights,' as £5 worth of tobacco and paper will last you nearly three times as longer than a generic twenty pack. I also find that rolling tobacco has a much nicer, more natural taste to it, whilst even the most expensive ready-mades always have an evitable chemical after taste to them. Plus it smells nicer, where as straights undeniably stink. Finally, although this can be a disadvantage depending on your smoking habits, I tend to smoke less when I'm rolling, presumably due to the time required to make each cigarette.
Ready made
The big advantage of buying ready-made branded cigarettes is the convenience factor. Rolling is a fiddly skill and takes time to prefect, meaning it often a lot easier just to grab a twenty pack than to spend ages juggling filters and Rizlas. If I had a pound for every time I've been at a nightclub, forgotten how to roll, and savaged the nearest fag machine out of frustration, well, I'd probably be able to afford another pack of cigarettes. Another drawback of rolling is that they tend to be a lot stronger than normal cigarettes, and whilst most give me a gentle nicotine high rollies often leave me feeling light headed and slightly nauseous.
Looking back I think roll ups are probably the smokers best option, although they don't suit everyone and can sometimes be damn inconvenient. Just do what feels right.
I have smoked now for around five years and the majority of those cigarettes have been 'tailor-made'. I have rolled my own ciggies but only when I have been strapped for cash and couldn't afford 'tailor-made' fags. I can roll quite well and they smoke okay but I really wouldn't recommend roll-ups as a convinient way to smoke. Yes they are cheaper but there is a good reason for that. Firstly, with this smoking ban we are all having to duck out of work for a quick smoke in all the glory of British weather. Try to roll-up in wind and rain is not easy. Roll them in advance, I hear you cry, but to that I say 'who can really be bothered? Not me, I'd sooner pay the extra few quid to have them ready made for me lol. Secondly, for some reason that I can't quite fathom, roll-ups stain your fingers. Not too bad for your blokey blokes, they're not generally worried about a tint on their fingers. But for us girls it is a bit manky. Between your index and middle finger you get an orange patch and its not nice.
Thirdly, you need to have a steady hand, and if your clumsy like me you will end up spilling half of your baccy as you roll the ciggie. There is one positive thing about the rollie - if you need to set it down to do something, it will go out where a 'tailor-made' will burn away.
In short, you pay around £4.85 for 25g of baccy and £5.20 for 20fags. I say it's worth the extrta 35p to save you the effort of rolling up (especially in the rain) and stop you getting orange fingers.
Before I go into the in's and out's of hand rolling, I am well aware of the harms of smoking, it's consequences, but we are all going to die so we might as well do it being happy. I would have died happy had I not smoked, but I've been smoking for nearly 40 years, I enjoy it so bugger the consequences.
For a starting price of around £2.50 you can buy a packet of papers and a 12.5g pouch or packet of tobacco. Now we all like our fags differently so depending on how thick you roll them you should get between 15 and 30 fags for your outlay. This compare to almost £5 for 20 tailor mades means that they are basically half price. So there is one benefit.
I believe they use a substance called salt peter to help keep tailor made fags alight, this is missing from hand rolling tobacco hence they go out quite easily, which obviously can be a bit annoying.
The hassle of actually rolling your own can be quite therapeutic or it can drive you mental, I have big problems trying to roll them by hand so I use a small hand rolling machine which makes the process so much easier. I also use filter tips which can be readily purchased in most good tobacconists. Another advantage of rolling your own is that you can buy different brands of tobacco and mix them until you find a blend that you like best. Some tobacco's are mild others a bit rough mixing can provide the smoker with quite a nice alternative.
I go through phases where sometimes I buy tailor mades and sometimes rollups it all depends on my mood but one thing is for certain a roll up is a far better smoke, it has more flavour and is far more satisfying.
I have tried to stop on a few occasions, and failed miserably so I'm not going to put myself through the stress anymore.
All in all roll ups are a better smoke and can save you a fortune, if you do not smoke take my advice and don't start getting off them is a nightmare and few succeed
Far be it from me to actually advocate any type of cigarette but the simple truth is that hand rolled fags are a lot cheaper than readymades, a lot (apparently) better for you as they have less of the "keep the fag alight" chemicals and can make you look like Clint Eastwood in his cowboy films if you use a liquorice rizla which can only be a good thing in the coolness stakes. Now, I'll agree that no fags are good for you and ask that you take this as a disclaimer to the fact that I'm not encouraging anyone to smoke. That said - into the op: What you'll need: ----------------- Tobacco (baccy): The most basic of all needs for the making of a cigarette. There are many different brands of rolling tobacco available out there, prices range from about £2 to £2.50 per half ounce (12.5g) dependant on the shop and the brand of baccy. Some of the more famous brands include: Golden Virginia - my personal baccy of choice: A light and easy smoke, usually costing about £2.30 per 12.5g pack. This is never too strong, many people smoke this and you'll get those who grow tired of the weakness of the tobacco. In my opinion it is just right - not too dry, not too moist, a perfect rollie is almost guaranteed with this. Old Holborn: The opposite end of the spectrum - a dark, ultra moist and devillishly strong tobacco. I would not recommend this to anyone I liked as it is the baccy I really try to stay away from - given a choice of no fags and a roll-up made with Holborn, I'd take no fags thanks very much. The moistness of this baccy makes it really hard to roll a suitable fag, I always find that I've rolled it way too tight and it's impossible to get a draw off or too slack in an attempt to compensate and the paper burns all the way down without touching the baccy. The feud goes on - both this and Golden Virginia have their followers, if you like one you generally dislike the other.
Amber Leaf: Call this the poor mans' Golden Virginia if you like, it comes in a box like a cigarette pack and for about £2.09 (that'as the promotional price at the moment) you get half an ounce of the tobacco plus a pack of rolling papers - just about all you'll need to be up and puffing away. It's a good enough baccy this, not top of the range or anything but similar enough to Golden Virginia to not make too much of a difference - the added incentive of a free pack of papers is a major selling point for me. Medium strength, stays moist for a while and is a good buy. Cutters Choice: Had to put this one in as I really need to warn you all off this one. It has a reputation of being made from the bits the tobacco companies sweep up off the floor - too damp (moist doesn't cover it), too dark - basdically a cheap and nasty tobacco. Stay away unless you're into this kind of horrible baccy - must have its fans as they've still to go out of business. These four are the most popular of the brands on the high-street, you'll find these in most newsagents and tobacconists. There are, of course, other varieties of baccy out there. If you're a connoisseur you may like some of the fancy baccies which can be bought by the quarter-ounce from specialist tobacconists - everything from Rum and Raisin to Woodpile is available. There's also Shag tobaccos - stuff like Drum and Samson. These are basically rough baccies - sticks and trees can be found within, go dry very quickly and are very strong. Cigarette Papers: ----------------- The 2nd most important thing in rolling - without it you'd just be burning your tobacco and hurting your hand! The papers are all colour coded to denote their differences: Green - Medium weight, corner cut. (So you know which is the top). Red - Medium weight, not corner cut. (You look for the gum to sind the top). Blue - Lig
ht weight. (Almost see through they're that thin - taste the baccy better). Orange - Liquorice. (Makes strong tobacco taste milder for some reason). This code does not change from different makers - easy to know what you're getting. Rizla, Swan, Zig-zag - these are really ther only papers you'll see around, Amber Leaf add their own make to their packs as do certain other companies from time to time but these are the ones on the market. Costing about 20-30p a pack, you get 50 papers for your money. Filter Tips: ------------ Fat or thin and made by Swan, Rizla and Zig-zag again you can add these to your rollie to make it a little (not very much though) more like a readymade. Tips cose about 60p a pack and you get about 120-200 in each one. I use them and find it easier to smoke with one in. An additional benifit is that the end of your fag doesn't get all gummed together with the wetness of your lips! On to the making of a roll-up: ------------------------------ Everyone will have their own way - this is my way and I'll look forward to hearing alternatives in the comments box ("WE DON'T SMOKE" I hear you cry). Firstly get a paper out of the pack, lay it along the open pack (this will make it sit still for you to add the tobacco) with the gum at the top. Next get your filter tip, place this on the left hand side of the paper . Take out a bit of baccy from your pack/tin/pouch and place enough along the paper to make a rough line in about the same diameter as the filter tip - this will ensure that your fag is not all dufferent widths. Smoothe the tobacco out along the paper and try to keep it evenly spaced out along the paper. Using the thumb and first finger of each hand, take each end of your half-made fag and roll it in an up and down motion, this will make the tobacco into s cylindrical shape and ready
to be made into something which resembles a cigarette. The important bit! - Roll the paper so as the gum is on the op side, clearly visible, now take the paper between the first and second fingers of both hands and put your thumb on the bottom of the tube. Roll your thumb in an upwards motion until a cigarette is in your hand with only the gummed section of the paper showing - lick this and finish the roll. You are now ready to light up! Well, there's the guide to the rolling of a fag, it works out a lot cheaper than the readymades out there and I personally find them a much more satisfying smoke. I'm trying to give up at the moment (without a lot of success) and I thought I'd better pass my ill-obtained knowledge on. If you do smoke I'd recommend trying rollies and if you don't - WELL DONE, don't be tempted to try! Thanks for reading.
With a packet of cigarettes costing well over £4 a for a packet of 20,smoking is a very expensive habit. If like I do you smoke because you enjoy it the cheapest option apart from giving up is to roll your own cigarettes. A 40g packet of golden virginia at from a supermarket is,at the time of writing,£9.01. Depending on how meaty you make your fags you should get in the region of 80-100 out of a packet.This many 'tailor made'fags would cost you about £22. Hand rolling can be a little tricky at first but there are rolling machines available to help you out,you can even add your own filters. I have smoked roll ups on and off for several years and taught my wife how to make them and now she can make them as well as I can.Between us we now save a fortune. There are many brands of hand rolling tobaccos available as well as flavours such as black cherry or vanilla which can be bought from a tobacconist,you can even get liquorice flavoured papers to make them with. Although rolling your own might not be to every body's taste I get more satisfaction knowing I am saving money,especially when somebody gave me a 50g packet of tobacco that they bought for £1.60 when they went abroad for their holiday.


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The Greening of America
May 21, 2010
Kathryn Barrett Park, senior counsel for advertising and brand management, General Electric Company, and Jeffrey Greenbaum, partner, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC, took marketers though what is cold, warm, hot, and green in environmental marketing.
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In excellent condition. easy point and shoot use. will do video or pictures. uses SD cards for memory and AA batteries for power.
i just got a canon today and don't need this one anymore.
i'll include a 16mb SD card and 2 brand new sets of energizer AA's in addition to the ones in the camera that work.
i don't have any of the cables/drivers/manual but for $5 more i'll throw in a universal USB card reader for $5 more.
Specs are available on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix-Dig ... 000N49WPC/
I can send a picture upon request.
$30 obo.


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Reviewed By Ron M (CYPRESS, TX) Reviewed for a 2016 Jeep Wrangler —7/23/2016 3:05 PM
Excellent product. The manufacturer really thought this one through and there is no a la carte, you get it all in this one package. Options you'd pay extra for e.g. bluetooth control capability, 8 switches vs fewer and extra cost, is also included at no extra charge. The instructions and images were also well executed for a Wrangler installation and made the install quick. I was pleasantly surprised to see the switch panel dimming options with headlights on (night time driving).


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Sean Saves the World
Sean (Sean Hayes, "Will & Grace") is a divorced dad who juggles a lot - his successful but demanding career, offbeat employees, his pushy mom, Lorna (Linda Lavin, "Alice") and weekends with his teenage daughter, Ellie (Samantha Isler). So when his 14-year-old bundle of joy moves in full-time, it's a whole new world.
Never one to do anything halfway, Sean's intent on being the best dad ever, so he loads up on parenting how-to books and plans Pinterest-worthy family dinners. But it seems his company's new owner (Thomas Lennon, "Reno 911!") has decided Sean and his team should work longer hours, putting a damper on his homemaking plans and throwing a kink in Sean's perfectly constructed work/life balance. Ellie, a normal girl who wants to hang with her friends and eat on the run, sees this development as a plus. She loves her dad, but he's clearly going overboard.
From keeping his boss happy, his employees motivated and enduring his mother's tactless "advice" to raising a smart, grounded and healthy kid, it's going to be a growing experience, to say the least. But if anyone can handle it all, it's Sean.
Echo Kellum ("Ben and Kate") also stars.
From executive producers Hayes ("Hot in Cleveland," "Grimm") and Todd Milliner ("Hot in Cleveland," "Grimm"), executive producer/director James Burrows ("Friends," "The Big Bang Theory") and writer/executive producer Victor Fresco ("Better Off Ted," "Andy Richter Controls the Universe"), "Sean Saves the World" is a production of Universal Television and Hazy Mills Productions and Garfield Grove.


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Studios in Agathias
Size30 m²
Floor No.
- Family/child friendly
- Internet/WiFi
- Kitchen
- Air conditioning
- Washer/dryer
- Parking available
- Lockable room
Accommodation summary
|Flamingo Apartments, 72300 Crete, Greece
|Property type
|Property ID
|Acceptance rate
|< 50%
|Response time
|A few hours
|Calendar updated
The Travel Advisor means that I cooperate with local accommodation owners, Cretan rental car companies, a local bike and scooter rental shop, windsurfing centers and restaurants to help foreign guests plan their holidays in this beautiful part of Crete. I don't give any personal preferences in regards to particular accommodations but rather I share my local knowledge with prospective guests to simplify their selection of the best accommodation for their particular needs. With regards to car rentals I explain different car categories with examples and how the system works in Crete (unfortunately we have some dishonest companies here). If the guests are interested I can submit a non-binding, usually discounted, price quote from a reliable rental car company with car deliveries all over Crete.
Yes, we don´t have big tourist crowds here but we also don't have that many apartments available. There are maybe only 30 apartments alongside Kouremenos beach and those are usually fully booked by early spring for the high season mid June – mid September. But even apartments further from the beach are eventually booked for the high season. Last minute discounts are non-existent here for the high season.
If you are looking for an accommodation in Palekastro area I would suggest to click on my photo to see all offered accommodations from inexpensive but absolutely clean and functional rooms a little further from the beach to beachfront mini villas. If you were interested in any apartment please send me an inquiry about availability before making the official reservation request. We advertise through many channels and availability changes constantly so calendars could be outdated and I really hate to decline any reservation requests and disappoint interested guests. Always have a confirmed accommodation before buying air tickets. It might sound strange but it is easier to get available flights to Heraklion in the high season than to get a good available accommodation in Palekastro area.
After my personal introduction and general information I would like to present information for this accommodation called Studios in Agathias.
This listing is for studios which have two regular beds and a third bed can be added. There is a well-equipped kitchenette, very clean bathroom with shower and always available cold and hot water (if there is a big demand for water the owner runs a regular water heater and a water pressure pump). Air-conditioner and high speed Wi-Fi internet are available at no extra charge. Daily cleaning service is included. Each studio has an own veranda with at least partial view of the sea which is about 1 km away. There is a common area under the tree with tables and chairs where you can have a breakfast or an afternoon cup of tea or coffee. A portable barbecue can be used for preparing some grilled meals. A washing machine is available as well as an iron or ironing board. A special baby bed and/or a baby chair can be provided. Free parking is available in front of the building.
The village has one mini market and several taverns. Palekastro with many shops, taverns, a bank and a pharmacy is next to the village about 0,5 km.
The owner is the president of the local tourist association. He is present 24/7 and always available to help his guests.
We have several same studios which differ in tiny details like a door to the bathroom in a different place or different verandas. So if you see that our studio is not available for your dates send us a message and we can make other studio available.
House rules
|Price for > 2 guests
|$ 8 AU per guest/night extra
|Check-in after
|On arrangement
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out before
|On arrangement
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews for this host's other properties
Der Aufenthalt bei Olga Apartments war sehr erholsam. Schon der Kontakt mit Peter war freundlich und sehr informativ. Der check-in verlief kurz und knapp und wir waren begeistert von der Lage unseres Apartments. Wir kommen gerne wieder!
Accueil chaleureux d'une femme qui s'est excusée de l'absence de Peter. Nous sommes restés seuls durant les deux jours dans l'immeuble, au calme.
Pour les breakfeast items cela se résume à une dosette de café et de sucre par jour et par personne. Rien d'autre pourtant dans l'annonce il y avait au moins du pain frais. Heureusement les boutiques et restaurants fonctionnent encore un peu à proximité.
Pas de lunette aux WC.
Très bel endroit, mini villa de 35 m2 environ bien équipée, piscine juste à coté de notre terrasse, plage à quelques mètres, endroit idéal avec un ou 2 enfants.
Pain frais remis gratuitement tous les matins, à notre arrivée le frigo était remplis : jus d'orange, lait, œufs, fromage : cela nous a bien dépanné ! Petites tavernes proches, ne pas se priver les prix sont attractifs nous avons ainsi mangé midi et soir au restaurant !
Le contact avec Peter a été bon, il nous avait géré la voiture de location également, tout s'est bien passé, endroit à recommandé pour passer des vacances reposantes et calmes !
Very nice place ! Swimming pool close to the terrace of the villa, the beach is also very close to the villa ( about 30 meters), fresh bread every morning ( free), rooms cleaned every morning. At our arrival the fridge was full of eggs, orange juice, and milk & we really appreciated this kind attention.
Many tarverns close to the villa with cheap prices.
The contact with peter was very good, he handled the car rental, all was perfect.
Excellent stay, excelent home!
Thank you again to the friendly staff (cleaning every day)
Beautiful setting, with sandy beaches nearby and varied.
The kitchen equipment is a fair bit (can be for French?)
But all the nearby taverns (Vai among others, 100m) are to be
Excellent séjour, excelent accueil !
Merci encore a la gentillesse du personnel ( ménage tout les jours)
Très beau cadre, avec des plages sablonneuses toutes proches et variées.
L'équipement de la cuisine est un peu juste (peut être pour des français ?)
Mais toutes les tavernes à proximité (vaï entre autre, à 100m) sont la pour y
It is like Peter has written: a beautiful region miles away from tourism. We found the place where the fairies live told our 4-years-old daughter (Richtis Waterfall). And we found the place where Costas live. He is the soul of the Flamingo and the patron of Palekastro. "Ask Costas" - he will make it possible at day or at night. Not to forget Peter - he managed our accommodation and the car rental at first very well. There is a very good networking between him and Costas. Many many thanks to Costas and Corina and there flexibility and patience to find time for roomservice when our Baby did not sleep.
- Quality assured accommodation
- Every host is verified by telephone
- Secure payment via SSL encryption


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MSI has shown off an early prototype motherboard that uses the Intel Z87 chipset called the MSI Z87A-GD65. The board will use MSI Military Standard 4 components and it looks like the board is using FPCAP GT Series capacitors that are subzero certified. The board will also be equipped with a LN2 Mode button and another button for OC Mode.
The board has 16 phase VRM power, two 8-pin EPS connectors and a ton of other goodies to ensure the processor is getting plenty of clean power. The board also has four DDR3 DRAM slots that support up to 64GB of dual-channel memory, three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, and four PCIe x1 slots.
The boards rear I/O panel has 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, sixUSB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a PS2 keyboard/mouse port and finally dual-HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs. This won't be the boards final color and not of the heatsinks were on it, so it will be interesting to see what the final look and color scheme will be for this Intel Z87 Express chipset powered board!
Comments are closed.


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This video tells the story of David - a young man who is changing the lives of his family and community in South Central Los Angeles. After attending a wilderness school as a teenager, David realized that nature has the power to positively impact his troubled urban community. Thanks to The Giver, we get to watch David and his family go camping for the first time and receive the missing piece for him to start his community-focused organic gardening business. The Weinstein Company has partnered with SB Projects in anticipation of the premiere of The Giver, starring Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift and Jeff Bridges, to present The Giver "First Experiences" videos. The "First Experiences" project shares the power of a first time experience, recreating the wonder The Giver's protagonist, Jonas, feels as he experiences color, love, music, emotions and the outside world for the first time. With support from Tori Kelly, Aloe Blacc, and OneRepublic - artists from the film's soundtrack - the "First Experiences" project aims to give an unforgettable first experience to people around the world who would otherwise never have it and encourage fans of The Giver to give back in the same way. The "First Experiences" videos that The Weinstein Company and SB Projects produced in partnership with The Buried Life depicts charity-focused video content, to promote giving back in conjunction with The Giver. The "First Experiences" project showcases the power of giving back, exploring how simple moments can make a meaningful impact on someone's life. Based on the 1993 American children's novel of a utopian-turned-dystopian society, The Giver will premiere nationwide on August 15th. Here is the trailer for the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJNNugNe0Wo and The Giver music collection is now available for pre-order: http://smarturl.it/TheGiverMusic
With "My Queue" you can quickly save videos to watch later.
To add an item to your queue just click the sign next to the video.
Once you've added a video visit "My Queue" to start watching!


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Photodynamic Therapy Using HPPH in Treating Patients With Dysplasia, Cancer in Situ, or Invasive Cancer of the Larynx
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
RATIONALE: Photodynamic therapy uses a drug, such as HPPH, that becomes active when it is exposed to a certain kind of light. When the drug is active, tumor cells are killed. This may be an effective treatment for laryngeal cancer.
PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of laser light therapy when given together with HPPH in treating patients with dysplasia, cancer in situ, or invasive cancer of the larynx.
|Head and Neck Cancer
|Drug: HPPH Procedure: laser therapy
|Phase 1
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Phase I Trial of Photodynamic Therapy With HPPH (2-1[Hexyloxyethyl]-2-devinylpyropheophorbide-a) for Treatment of Dysplasia, Carcinoma in Situ and T1 Carcinoma of the Larynx
- Toxicity [ Time Frame: 6 weeks ]
- Tumor response [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
|Actual Study Start Date:
|April 25, 2008
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|June 28, 2018
|Primary Completion Date:
|June 28, 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Treatment PDT
Patients undergo PDT comprising HPPH IV over 1 hour on day 1 followed by laser light to the tumor on day 2. At least 6 weeks later, patients achieving partial response, no response, or a geographical miss may undergo a second course of treatment.
Drug: HPPH
Given IVProcedure: laser therapy
Escalating light doses with 665 nm light
Detailed Description:
- To determine the maximum tolerated dose of laser light therapy using a fixed dose of HPPH in patients with dysplasia, squamous cell carcinoma in situ, or T1 squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.
- To determine response in patients treated with this regimen.
OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of laser light therapy.
Patients undergo photodynamic therapy comprising HPPH IV over 1 hour on day 1 and laser light therapy to the tumor on day 2. Approximately 8 weeks later, patients with a partial response, no response, or a geographical miss may receive a second course of treatment.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and then periodically thereafter.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Biopsy-confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following:
Mild to severe dysplasia of the larynx
- Dysplastic lesions > 3 mm in thickness
- Squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the larynx
T1 squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
- Tumor > 3 mm in thickness
- No T2-T4 squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
- Newly diagnosed or recurrent disease
- ECOG performance status 0-2
- Total bilirubin > 2.0 mg/dL
- Creatinine > 2.0 mg/dL
- SGOT > 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Alkaline phosphatase > 3 times ULN
- Not pregnant or nursing
- Negative pregnancy test
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3-6 months after completion of study treatment
- No porphyria
- No hypersensitivity to porphyrin or porphyrin-like compounds
- Any prior therapy allowed
- At least 4 weeks since prior and no concurrent chemotherapy or radiotherapy
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00675233
|United States, New York
|Roswell Park Cancer Institute
|Buffalo, New York, United States, 14263-0001
|Principal Investigator:
|Hassan Arshad, MD
|Roswell Park Cancer Institute
|Responsible Party:
|Roswell Park Cancer Institute
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00675233 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|May 8, 2008
|Last Updated:
|August 30, 2017
Keywords provided by Roswell Park Cancer Institute:
recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
stage I squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
stage III squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
stage 0 laryngeal cancer
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Head and Neck Neoplasms
Neoplasms by Site
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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Topic: Ascites set in; I'm so frightened.
Hello dear friends, I am having a meltdown and need your support. I have gained 10 pounds all in the abdomen, and the oncologist said it's ascites. My abdomen is huge. He scheduled a Cat scan for Tuesday and put me on 20 mgs of lasix - also potassium. I have been on the lasix for 2 days, and it's not doing anything. I read every post on here about ascites, and one person said once ascites sets in, it means the end is near, and I am so scared. I want to see my granddaughter to be born at the end of January. I can't find any peace. No medicine works for me. I never sleep regardless everything they've tried; the lasix isn't working. I'm on an antidepressant, Prestiq. It really isn't helping although I've been on it for six weeks. I have never had a drain yet. Does that hurt? Does the ascites come right back? Should I keep drinking all this water even though I'm on lasix, and isn't all this water just contributing to the ascites. I feel so lost, and this is the only place I can go.
Prayers for you all,


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You can't keep a good Predator down...
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, RedfordFilms.com, Toynk.com, PastGenerationToys.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, SmallJoes.com, MonkeyDepot.com, and Urban-Collector.com.
Hot Toys returns to its Predator roots with an updated 1:6th scale figure of Predator 2's City Hunter. The movie-accurate City Hunter features a newly developed head, LED light-up mask, highly detailed body armor, weapons and accessories.
Hot Toys - MMS173 - Predator 2: 1/6th scale City Hunter Predator Collectible Figure Specification:
Release date: Q4 2012
* Over 22 points of articulations
* Newly developed head w/ rubber hair
* One (1) exchangeable expanded mandible
* Net on body
* One (1) interchangeable left cut-off forearm
* Six (6) pieces of interchangeable palms including:
- One (1) right palm for holding spear
- One (1) right palm for holding disc
- One (1) pair of fists
- One (1) pair of relaxed palms
* One (1) extendable spear
* One (1) extendable disc on right thigh
* One (1) detachable face mask with LED light-up function
* One (1) detachable oxygen mask
* One (1) pair of forearm armor with expandable metal blade on right side, and device on left side
* Armor on shoulder, waist, thighs, knees and legs
* One (1) trophy skull
* One (1) detachable medical kit with tools inside
* Figure stand with City Hunter Predator nameplate and the movie logo
* Figure Sculpted by Joseph Tsang
* Figure Painted by Joseph Tsang
**Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different
**Battery included for collectible figure, button cells are required


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WCU Students to Present at Mississippi Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting
Hattiesburg, Miss., February 7, 2014 - William Carey University chemistry students have been invited to present a poster on their abstract, "A Comparison of the Bradford Assay with the Bicinchoninic Acid Assay for Measuring Protein in Soil Extracts," at the Mississippi Academy of Science 78th Annual Meeting that will be held at the Hattiesburg Lake Terrace Convention Center March 6-7. Dr. Michael McNatt, assistant professor of chemistry and physics, direct the student chemical research. The annual meeting allows students and faculty members from across the state to present addresses, symposia, workshops, scientific papers, and exhibits of interest to the Academy.
The students participating in the research and presentation are Vanessa Arnold of Ocean Springs; Ethan Burch of Richton; Sijin Cho of Busan, South Korea; Aaron Crowley of Biloxi; and Kyle Powell of Hattiesburg; Nathan Price of Richton, and Ashten Rea of Petal.
For more information on WCU's department of chemistry, call (601) 318- 6532 or e-mail Dr. McNatt at email@example.com.


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A chat with Aunt Ruthie — kvetching from the sweet hereafter
Aunt Ruthie just called. She's been dead for more than 20 years, mind you, but she can't seem to rest in peace.
No sooner had we laid her to rest when "some crazy Mormon was trying to convert me. Me, a Jew from Shamokin, Pennsylvania!" she kvetched into my cell phone.
"Some shmuck from Utah has been rattling my coffin endlessly, telling me that G-d came from another planet, and that he had multiple wives, and that I need to convert to become a Later Day Saint!"
"Ruthie, calm down. You're talking like a crazy person," I said.
"That's what he told me!" she said. "I'm just repeating it!"
During my can-you-hear-me-now? séance with my aunt, I learned that for decades the Mormon Church has been practicing posthumous baptisms, so that the deceased can receive the Gospel in the afterlife.
"The afterlife?" I said. "Are we talking Mormons or ancient Egyptians?"
"Pay attention, Alan," she said. "I only have so many minutes on this thing. This person told me Mormons believe that departed souls can be converted if they accept their baptismal rites after death."
I Googled as we talked and learned from a recent Washington Post story that Mormon Church leaders had just issued an apology to the family of Simon Wiesenthal, the Holocaust survivor and Jewish rights advocate, after his parents were posthumously baptized. Clearly the baptizers sometimes pick the wrong souls to go after, the tenacious Nazi hunter's kin and my equally ardent aunt.
"It's offensive that anyone try to convert me after I die. And crazy. Mishugina!"
What could I say? She had a point.
"And who's this guy he wants me to vote for? Who's this Mitt Romney?"
I explained that Romney is running (and running) to become the Republican candidate for president of the United States, and that he's a Mormon.
"Mitt? What the hell kind of name is Mitt?" she said. "And what's his platform?" What does he stand for?"
I thought about that for a second. Then I said, "Never mind. We don't have all day."
"Look," she said, "I lived as a Jew. I died as a Jew. Nothing against Mormons, but I had no desire to be one back then, or now in the hereafter.
"But do you know what I'd really like?" she said. "That musical. The one in New York. Do you think you could get a me a couple of tickets?"
Alan Sharavsky's humor essays appear occasionally on NewsWorks. He is the president of Sharavsky Communications, a creative development and marketing firm. He's also director of development for Broderville Pictures, a video production company.
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Sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire of Dallas' own Dixie Chicks are hard at work on their side project, the Court Yard Hounds. They debuted lived at SXSW and their first CD is set to drop May 4. Today, the Advocate linked to CMT's interview with Robison in which they discussed the song, "Ain't No Son." In it, she mentions the inspiration for the song came from television.
This song's bluegrassy intro is from the point of view of a disenfranchised young man. The rest of the song, as it shifts into rocker mode, describes the narrow viewpoint of his angry father. The lyrics aren't specific about the exact points of family contention, but Robison had a story in mind.
'I turned the TV on, and it was A&E or one of those documentary kind of shows about these poor teenage kids who are devastated that their parents won't let 'em stay in the house because they found out they were gay," she explains. The lines, 'You ain't no son to me/Eight pound baby boy I bounced on my knee' were around from the very beginning. That idea, how can you have kids and love them so much and one day decide not to — it just boggled my mind.'
Take a listen here.
Robison assures the Dixie Chicks haven't broken up. The Court Yard Hounds is the sisters' project while singer Natalie Maines is biding her time before recording again (speculative translation: going solo?). However, the trio joins The Eagles for a summer tour this year, but not stopping in Dallas. Grrr.


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Beadboard Space-Saving Desk + Hutch
$399 – $599 Special $319 – $479
- Overview
Maximize your space with this compact desk. It's built with a drawer and cabinet for storage, and beadboard paneling for an added classic style. Add even more functionality on top with our roomy hutch (sold separately) that includes four cubbies and a cork board surface to post pictures, notes, awards and more. All is crafted with quality kiln-dried solid wood frame to ensure this product will not expand, contract or warp but to last a lifetime.
- Crafted with a kiln-dried wood frame.
- English dovetailed drawer opens smoothly on waxed wood glides and features drawer stops for safety.
- Finish is hand-applied in a multi-step process to add depth of color and durability.
- Simply White is a warm and bright white finish.
- PBteen White is a warm off-white finish.
- Dark espresso and chestnut finishes are stained and have wood grain finish adding extra character.
- Drawer and cabinet unit can be positioned on left or right side of desk.
- Desk comes with matching wooden knobs.
- Cabinet door secures with a magnetic latch.
- Dimensions + Care
- Overall: 44" wide x 20" deep x 30.5" high
- Pedestal Only: 18.5" wide x 18" deep x 29.5" high
- Drawer Interior: 14.5" wide x 15.5" deep x 4" high
- Cabinet Interior: 15" wide x 16" deep x 18" high
- Legroom: 23" wide x 18" deep x 27.5" high
- Overall: 43.5" wide x 8.5" deep x 28"high
- Cubby Interior (4): 10" wide x 9.5" deep x 6" high
- Bottom Interior: 41.5" wide x 9" deep x 20" high
- Corkboard: 39" wide x 14.5" high
- Dust with a soft, dry cloth.
- To protect the finish, do not apply abrasives or household cleaners.
- Shipping Info
This item is delivered by our Premium In-Home Delivery Service. With In-Home delivery, the item is brought into your home, unpacked, and assembled (except for some headboards and Style-It Desk components, which are not unpacked or assembled. Our service also does not mount hutches and shelves to customer's walls.) Delivery is by appointment. Monday-Friday, in all areas; Saturday delivery in some areas. Our delivery service will contact you to arrange a day. This service is available in the contiguous 48 states only. Please allow approximately 2-3 weeks for delivery. Returns of mattresses are subject to a $40 return shipping fee.
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Nut-free muesli bars
Nut-free muesli bars
You can make these delicious nut-free muesli bars for your kids to take to school! They are packed full of healthy ingredients and will save you money. They're also egg-free!
prep: 0:20 | cook 0:10
- 200g butter
- 250ml (1 cup) liquid glucose
- 250ml (1 cup) honey
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup dessicated coconut
- 1/2 cup bran (unprocessed)
- 1/2 cup pepitas
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped apricots
- 1/2 cup chopped raisins
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- Line 38cm x 25cm baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the glucose, honey and brown sugar. Bring to the boil and cook for 7-10 minutes until the caramel comes to the soft ball stage. (Using a candy thermometer, the soft ball stage is when the mixture reaches from 110°C-115°C.)
- While the caramel is cooking, in a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, bran, pepitas, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, apricots, raisins and mixed spice.
- When the caramel is cooked pour it over the mixture and mix quickly to ensure all of the mixture is coated well. Turn out into the pan and spread and press down the mixture firmly into the pan with the back of a metal spoon.
- Leave at room temperature to cool. Slice into bars and store in an airtight container.
- Candy thermometers can be bought at discount stores for around $5.
- I try to use a non-stick pan when making this.
- If you spray your measuring cup with cooking spray when measuring honey and glucose it will slip straight out of the cup.
- If this mixture starts to get hard as you are pushing it into the tray you can lay a sheet of baking paper over the top and run the rolling pin over the top to smooth it.
- I have been known to add chocolate chips into these on occasion.
- You can swap the dried fruit for your favourites such as craisins, dried paw paw or figs.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, Australia's best recipe finder.