text:
Lynn works through monotony of facing Fish again
Cards pitcher strikes out eight, tests pitches in fourth start vs. Miami this spring
JUPITER, Fla. -- Lance Lynn will open the season by facing the Reds twice, beginning with an April 3 start in Cincinnati. The repetition of opponent is of no concern to Lynn, who, with a five-inning start on Tuesday, wrapped up a spring in which he faced the Marlins in four of his five starts.
Add in his Grapefruit League work last season at Roger Dean Stadium, and seven of his last eight spring outings have been against the club that shares the Cardinals' spring complex.
"It does get old. It truly does," Lynn said afterward. "I think I saw the exact same lineup three of the four times I faced them, too. You're seeing the same guys and you don't really want to go after them like you're going to in the regular season. And you're also working on things. So it's kind of tough. But it is what it is. You have to get your pitches in, your pitch count up, and you have to throw guys things that you don't want to throw them, but you have to."
Despite the monotony, Lynn expressed satisfaction with how he progressed this spring. Fastball command came early, and along with it a feel for his cutter and changeup. He liked the movement with his curveball during his side session a few days ago and tested the Marlins with the pitch three times on Tuesday.
He also finished Grapefruit League play having struck out 27 batters in 16 1/3 innings. Eight of those strikeouts came Tuesday.
"It's good," Lynn said. "It's part of my game, so that means my fastball has life and my breaking pitches are where I want. That's what it's all about -- changing eye sights and getting swings and misses. To get strikeout numbers in Spring Training, usually you don't see it that much."
With his work in Florida done, Lynn now prepares for an extended break. Because his next start is nine days away, he anticipates throwing an extended bullpen session (or simulated game) in a few days and then another bullpen session early next week. His ability to stretch out to 91 pitches in Tuesday's game frees Lynn up from having to overexert himself between now and that season debut.
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, By Gosh, It's Langosch, and follow her on Twitter @LangoschMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
how can I get the number of elements in an array
function get_active_link(myul, myclass, menuItems){
var menu_unidades_yolo = document.getElementById(myul);
menu_unidades_yolo = menu_unidades_yolo.getElementsByTagName('a');
var number=0;
var current_url = document.location;
while (number <= menuItems){
if (menu_unidades_yolo[number].href == current_url){
menu_unidades_yolo[number].className = myclass;
In that function one has to specify the number of menu items for the menu that I want to make the changes, but how can I get the number of items that are stored by getElementsByTagName?
The getElementsByTagName doesn't give you an array, but instead gives you a node list. It is an array-like structure though, so the number of elements is obtained from the length property, which would be menu_unidades_yolo.length
I tried that before coming here and it gives me undefined
That seems to imply then that the getElementById is resulting in undefined as well.
Can you provide a test page that demonstrates the problem, so that a proper diagnosis/solution can be provided?
I'm not sure exactly what's going on in your code but i'm guessing you want menuItems to be the number of elements in the array to avoid running over it's the arrays indices
if that's correct.. you should use the equivalent of foreach;ie:
for(var i in YourArray)
if (menu_unidades_yolo[i].href == current_url){
menu_unidades_yolo[i].className = myclass;
no need to increment i
yes that is what I was trying to achieve thank you.
Do you know why the lenght property gives me undefined?
can I see how you were using it? i'm thinking it's because you may have been accidentally setting the length of the array rather than retrieving it
lol.. I can't believe the guru didn't tell you to use foreach xDbad programming practices are bad, mmkay? j/k
Using foreach to loop over an array, even an array-like structure of a node list, is a bad programming practice.
The best practice for arrays is to obtain the length of the array and use that array length to loop through the array.If you are changing the node list that you're looping through, you should loop backwards through the node list.
The foreach method should only be used when accessing properties of an object, and even then you should use hasOwnProperty to check that the properties you are accessing aren't inherited, and belong to the object itself.
hmm, I don't follow bud. don't take it personally. I'm a scrub with JS.
why would a foreach ever be a bad idea when dealing with an array?.. what if one would like to add another element on the last sequence through the array? if .length isn't called within the actual for loop parameter than you'll pass through without properly assessing the array.
you said;
Arrays in javascript ARE objects and .length is a property of said object.. from what I can tell stepping through the process making a call to .length is a time consuming method which literally counts the number of indices within the array to return the index of the last node...
i just don't see how counting the indices every single iteration of a loop through an array could ever be as efficient as calling upon (whatever it's called in javascript) movenext() upon iteration.
That's a good question: the for...in documentation page explicitly states that it should not be used for arrays.
The reason why is that for...in loops over all of the properties of an object, even properties that aren't array indexes, and properties and methods that others may have added to the array object without your knowledge.
It's not about efficiency in this case, but in brittleness of your code. Using for...in for arrays results in code that can be easily broken when other code modifies the array object. That's why even the for...in documentation explicitly declares that it should not be used for looping over arrays.
That is the reason i also use the length property as well, at one point i was writing a script and while using for...in i found values that only became part of the array while the loop was in progress. When i simply used...
for (var i = 0; i < array.length; i++)
The issue was fixed because the increment length was the absolute length and not the dynamic length.
hmm. i guess that's one of the drawbacks of javascript having such loose variable classification. While I get your point, it seems like an indefinite amount of work more to use .length than stepping through the array and manually skipping anything not of the type you're looking for.
for instance (going a little pseudo here cuz i suck at JS):
var i = 0;
for(i in array){
if check.typeof == string
do this
i'm guessing this is warned against because the browser might be changing the type dynamically to optimize the foreach?
damn loose languages X_X - loose languages sink methods O_O
JavaScript is different, that's for sure. There are many differences that can cause problems when bringing habits in from other programming languages.
People like Douglas Crockford have been doing good work though when it comes to plumbing the depths of the language.
If you want an in-depth intro to the language, the Crockford on JavaScript series of videos lectures are a must-see.
meh, i comprehend the concepts behind JS and it's ability to be dynamic but it pains me to be inefficient :lol: thanks for the link
couldn't you bypass all of these problems by declaring private variables in the function to build the array with?
The prototypal inheritance that JavaScript has is capable of simulating classes and public/private variables, but arrays are all prototyped from the Array object so you'll still be at mercy of any code that runs before your own. Also instead of class-based patterns, there are better design patterns available to JavaScript due to prototypal inheritance which was inspired from languages such as Scheme and Self.
You may have been able to get away with using for...in in a different language. In JavaScript though, it's used only for iterating over the properties of an object. It's time to do things in JavaScript the proper way.'
heh... i'd rather just avoid JS all togethor when possible. I'd hardly call it a programming language. foreach in most languages is designed specifically for handling arrays with the benefit of processing objects in an array-like processing fashion. hopefully .net schemas will become more popular in the future
As mentioned earlier, JavaScript has forEach() for arrays too.
var nums = [1, 2, 3, 4],
sum = 0;
nums.forEach(function (value, index, array) {
sum += value;
There are many other method available to arrays too from version 1.8, such as filter(), map() and reduce(), but while modern web browsers can support such features, it is the capabilities of other web browsers such as Internet Explorer (or the lack of them) that frustrates the best of intentions.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
No cash to Gillard, says former boyfriend
Julia Gillard's one-time boyfriend has denied ever giving the former prime minister money from a union slush fund to renovate her home.
Former union official Bruce Wilson, who now works as a cook, made repeated denials to the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption on Thursday that he had paid for Ms Gillard's renovations when the two were in a relationship in the early 1990s.
"I don't recall that I ever gave Gillard any money myself, or asked anyone to do so on my behalf," Mr Wilson said in a 91-page statement to the commission.
"During our relationship, Gillard was independent about everything, including financial matters."
Mr Wilson said tradesmen and former colleagues who gave evidence to the commission that he had handed over cash to Ms Gillard and requested money be placed into her account were wrong.
Mr Wilson met Ms Gillard, then a lawyer with firm Slater and Gordon, in 1991 when she did work for the Australian Workers' Union in Perth.
He was secretary of the AWU's Western Australia branch but moved to Victoria in 1992 and became secretary of the Victorian branch of the AWU after beginning a personal relationship with Ms Gillard.
Former Wilson colleague, Wayne Hem, has told the commission he received a "wad of notes" worth $5000 from the union boss and was told to place it into Ms Gillard's bank account.
Mr Wilson said on Thursday he didn't recall having given Mr Hem the money.
He denied evidence from builder Athol James, who previously told the commission that Ms Gillard had told him during the 1994 work on the Abbotsford, Melbourne property that Mr Wilson was paying the bills.
And Mr Wilson also rejected evidence from his one-time right-hand-man, confessed bagman Ralph Blewitt, that he had tucked $7000 into the overalls pocket of a tradesman at Ms Gillard's house to pay for work.
"This never occurred," he said.
Counsel assisting the commission, Jeremy Stoljar SC challenged Mr Wilson's version of events, saying: "There seem to be a long list of people, according to you, who are not telling the truth".
At the heart of the AWU affair is a so-called "slush fund", the Workplace Reform Association, established by Mr Wilson in 1992 with legal advice from Ms Gillard.
The commission has heard funds of about $2000 a week flowed into the WRA from construction firm Thiess to pay for supposed safety training, although no work was ever done.
Some funds were used in buying a house in Melbourne, with Ms Gillard attending the auction with Mr Wilson after discussing how to arrange a power-of-attorney at a Thai dinner with Mr Wilson and Mr Blewitt.
Mr Wilson said he wanted to conceal the purchase of the house from the AWU but did not tell this to Ms Gillard.
The commission will begin investigating the Health Services Union on Monday.
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text: EnduroCross Riders Head to Germany for X Games Enduro X Press Release | June 25, 2013The following is from Source Interlink…Irvine, CA (June 25, 2013) – The third of four 2013 Global X Games events will take place in Munich, Germany this weekend and Enduro X will again be a major part of the show with live TV coverage planned for ABC. The Enduro X event will take place on Saturday evening Munich time, which translates to 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time. The same show is scheduled to include Freestyle Moto X. Check your local listings or http://xgames.espn.go.com/xgames/events/2013/munich/schedule/"The X Games has helped expose the world to the exciting sport of Enduro X and live ABC coverage for the Germany event will be awesome" said Eric Peronnard, the creator of EnduroCross and ESPN Enduro X sport organizer. "We have another great venue inside the Olympic Stadium and it should be another exciting course to challenge the riders". FMF KTM's Mike Brown is on a hot streak heading into Germany. He won the opening round of the GEICO AMA EnduroCross Series in Las Vegas, followed that up with an X Games Enduro X win in Barcelona and then won round two of the AMA series in Sacramento, California. Can he keep the streak going in Munich? Following the event in Germany, the riders will be back to Los Angeles for the final X Games event in 2013. That event will take place on Sunday, August 4th to conclude four days of X Games action.For more information, please visit www.EnduroCross.com 2013 X Games Enduro XLocation Date Arena / Additional InformationFoz do Iquacu Brazil April 18, 2013 Foz do IquacuBarcelona, Spain May 18, 2013 Barcelona Olympic StadiumMunich, Germany June 30, 2013 OlympiastadiomLos Angeles, USA August 4, 2013 Staples Center2013 GEICO AMA EnduroCross, Fueled by Monster Energy ScheduleLocation Date Arena / Additional InformationLas Vegas, Nevada May 3, 2013 Orleans Arena (Friday during Supercross weekend)Sacramento, California June 8, 2013 Sleep Train ArenaOntario, California September 21, 2013 Citizens Business Bank ArenaDenver, Colorado October 12, 2013 National Western ComplexEverett, Washington October 26, 2013 Comcast ArenaBoise, Idaho November 9, 2013 Idaho CenterLas Vegas, Nevada November 23, 2013 Orleans ArenaLike EnduroCross! By Press Release Comments


text:
Central Flat with WiFi and Balcony
Size140 m²
Floor No.(with elevator)
- Family/child friendly
- Internet/WiFi
- Kitchen
- Washer/dryer
- Breakfast
- Elevator in building
- Lockable room
Accommodation summary
|Fuencarral, 28004 Madrid, Spain
|Property type
|Property ID
In the center of Madrid in one of the most commercial street, open all weeks days. Great variety of fashion shops, bars and restaurants. In the surrounding area you can find museums and many touristic places that can be reached by foot.
Transport facilities: bus, metro (Tribunal; Gran Vía; Bilbao) and taxi stop in front the main door.
House rulesRespect the property. We like guests who leave things clean and tidy, essentially, as they found it.
No smoking allowed.
We recycle waste and divide it into different bins. In one container, cans and plastics, in another paper waste, and in another glass.
|Price for > 2 guests
|$ 15 CA per guest/night extra
|Check-in after
|On arrangement
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out before
|On arrangement
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews of this property
Restaurants, museums and shops are within walking distance. Fine apartment with two bathrooms. Beds need renewal.
Restauranter, museer og butikker ligger i gåafstand. Fin lejlighed med to badeværelser. Sengene trænger til fornyelse.
the apartment where we were greeted was consistent with the description. comfortable and close to all amenities. great experience. A repeat without a doubt!
l'appartement dans lequel nous avons été accueilli était conforme à la description. confortable et proche de toutes commodités. super expérience. A réitérer sans aucun doute!
The apartment is very nice and big, perfect for 5 persons. You will live in the center of madrid and you need not more than 10min by walk to the most famous places of Madrid! The house is on the shopping street of Madrid, so you have a lot of supermarkets, bars and clubs near to it. The apartment includes all stuff which you need for nice trip, everything was clean and tidy. If you have any questions the host is very friendly and he also helps you if you have any questions about the city! All in all the cost-effectiveness was perfect!!!
Reviews for this host's other properties
The host cancelled the booking, this review is automated.
I am more than satisfied. The wonderful and downtown .. Spectacular for shopping and walks. Alejandro a good host and I'm sure I'll be back another year .. :)
Estoy más que satisfecha . El lugar maravilloso y céntrico .. Espectacular para realizar compras y paseos. Alejandro un buen anfitrión y estoy segura que volveré el otro año.. :)
My wife, our young daughter (17) and I stayed at Alejandro's place in the heart of Madrid for five days at the end of June. As Alejandro had to do business far from Madrid when we arrived, a friend of him was present, who introduced us to the place and all its functions perfectly. A particularly recommendable feature of Alejandro's flat is it is in walking distance to the very famous sites in Madrid, such as the Prado Museum, the Retiro Park, the Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and many more. Madrid's beautiful nightlife starts just in front of the door. Second, Alejandro is very supportive in finding things in Madrid. When I had a problem with one of my teeth, for example, he helped me check for a dentist and even accompanied us in order to help with all the procedures in the clinic. He also recommended sites to us gave us useful advice in finding them. The flat itself is large with two bathrooms we were allowed to use both, and a large and well equipped kitchen. Our daughter slept in a bedroom with a comfortable double bed, my wife an me in the living room, where a double and a single couch were prepared for us. The double couch was not for sensible spines, so I chose the single one. This way we all slept perfectly well. In the living room we could hear bit of the sparkling nightlife on Calle Fuencarral, where cars are not allowed to drive, though. The bedroom had its window out to the backyard and was very quiet, as is the kitchen. We enjoyed our stay very much and could well have stayed longer had we had planned for more time in Madrid. Very good accomodation at a very good price. Muchas gracias, Alejandro!
10 stay! Near perfect and happy in every way back prnto advisable.
10 de estancia!! zona perfecta y muy contentos en todos los sentidos prnto volveremos aconsejable.
- Quality assured accommodation
- Every host is verified by telephone
- Secure payment via SSL encryption


text:
A new audit is raising more questions on the benefits of farm safety net programs after it revealed that the USDA paid $36.6 million in subsidies to farmers after they had died. In particular, it looked at crop insurance, disaster assistance and conservation program payments.
The audit from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the USDA "needs to do more to prevent improper payments to decease individuals." Read the report here.
The Los Angeles Times reports that while the report represents a fraction of the $10 billion paid in federal subsidies, it comes at a sensitive time as Congress continues to debate the farm bill.
The USDA responded to the GAO's report, saying in a letter it "generally agrees with the report's findings" and had recently received approval to use the Social Security Administration's death records. See more from the Los Angeles Times here.
A similar GAO report in 2007 sparked an outcry after uncovering $1.1 billion in subsidies to dead farmers, and though frequently cited by critics as examples of wasteful spending, a follow-up report in 2010 found no fraud and determined nearly all the subsidies paid on behalf of dead farmers in recent years were proper. Read, "Review: Most payments to dead farmers are proper."


text:
Posted 5 years ago
(193 items)
Tibetan Dzi stones have been worn by Tibetans for thousands of years. They have a mysterious origin. They are said to bring health and prosperity to it's wearer. There are different motifs that carry special meanings. They are one of the hottest items in Tibet. They are very valuble and can be worth up to a million dollars.


text:
" Brand: Tesco / Type: Ice cream scoop "
Last year I invested in an ice cream maker and have spent the last year perfecting my recipes for ice cream and sorbets. After the effort I have been putting into making decent Ice cream I thought I should add an ice cream scoop to my arsenal of cooking implements and allow myself to present my creations more presentably than can be achieved using a standard spoon.
===The Ice cream Scoop===
The scoop is what I would call a medium size and creates medium balls of ice cream. I've seen larger and smaller around, but this is ideal for good presentation, however may be too small for making a decent cone as found at the seaside.
The scoop consists of a stainless steels scoop imbedded in chunky black handle. The handle is easy to grip and comfortable to hold even when fighting against solidly frozen desserts. The handle also incorporates a hole into the handle to allow the scoop to be hung in prde of place in your kitchen (I prefer to stick mine in a draw as it's not really a scoop that is in my opinion worthy of display)
My main worry buying such a cheap scoop was that it would bend easily when in use however i am pleased to say that it is much more solid than expected and the scoop doesn;t move position easily....well done tescos!
The stainless steel is easy to clean and the scoop has shown no signs of wear in 6 months of ocassional use.
===The Price==
I paid just one shiny pound coin for this scoop and despite reservations have been impressed by it's functional abilities. I consider the scoop to be extremely good value.
The ice cream scoop does exactly what it should do, is cheap, functional and effective.
During the summer months I decided to start using an ice cream scoop to make good looking deserts as the table spoon is absolutely hideous at making ice cream based deserts. I would usually eat packaged ice cream cones. But after buying this cone from Tesco my perspective of ice cream eating has completely changed.
The price:
This scoop is price at £2.50 at tesco. This is a normal price for such a good product for the price as asda sell very cheap and slightly useless plastic scoops for 70p and sainsburys usually price theirs at £3.50. As you can see the price is reasonable comparing to other competitors.
Ease of use and Ergonomics:
This scoop is an absolute pleasure to use as the handle is very well shaped for easy scooping with a slight groove at the front of the handle for holding with your thumb. A another great feature of the handle is the good length as some people might struggle with smaller handles (no such problem here). The handle also has a medium sized hole at the bottom for hanging on the kitchen wall. I personally do not use this feature but it is nice to know it is there. The actual scoop is not very sharp as you would not need it to be. It has a very good shape that makes great results every time.
The durability:
The overall durability of the scoop is very good as the handle is very firmly held together with the scoop (no fidgeting what so ever even after dropping it a couple of times. After using the scoop for 8 months of regular use and a countless number of washes the scoop has not show any sign of rusting thanks to the stainless steel used.
Other uses:
This product can be used for all sorts of cooking/baking purposes such as scooping soft mashes potatoes or even for efficient scooping of butter or margarine for baking. I only use this scoop for ice cream but all im saying is it can be used for other things.
Would I recommend:
This product is cheap, effective and nice looking. Tesco are offering a simple product at a simple price. I have yet to find any problems with this product. So if you are looking for a reliable and easy to use scoop then you can not go wrong with this product. Would recommend to any one.
I was sick of battling with frozen solid ice cream and bending my spoons so bought a scoop on impulse. I bought this Tesco Value Ice cream scoop ages ago for I think around a pound. It was pointless spending anymore on a scoop as I just wanted something that would spoon out ice cream.
This stainless steel scoop is just a plain but toughened spoon, it hasn't got any fancy features like a push out lever or even a particularly pointed end to the spoon for extra diggability (I think I've made that word up). The scoop is deeper than an ordinary dessert spoon and the metal is thicker. The plastic handle has indentations making it comfortable to hold. It's fixed solidly to the spoon and where it attaches has never bent or been compromised whilst in use. The spoon is dishwasher safe, but I just wash it in the sink as normal.
The scoop digs ice cream out easy enough, importantly for me it doesn't bend all over the place which drives me mad. It doesn't make balls or anything fancy, just gets the ice cream out of the tub. The scoop isn't particularly deep and maybe could be a little deeper, which would maybe produce a better ball for a cone but not really a problem. Even better is dipping the scoop in hot water first, doing this hasn't damaged it.
Obviously it still takes some effort to dig out hard ice cream, but using this scoop makes it easier. The spoon is adequate for the job, hasn't broken and isn't cosmetically damaged.
I would recommend it and would buy it again at that price.
I purchased this ice cream scoop recently when my trusted scoop of over 10 years finally disintegrated on me. At £1.50 I thought that it probably wouldn't be up to much but that it would do the job until I found a better quality scoop at a later date. I came home and put it in the drawer and didn't really think about it again.
I now used the scoop for the first time, strangely, not for ice cream but for serving up my creamed mashed potatoes and I was very happy with it. The handle is comfortable to hold with dents for your fingers to sit, and the scoop is a more than ample size for creating perfect balls of ice cream, sorbet, mashed potato or anything else which you wish to serve up neatly.
For the money, I cannot fault this product. Whether it will last as long as my last scoop, time will tell but for a good value kitchen staple, this is as good as any.
I've had a few ice cream scoops in my kitchen draw over the years.. one I found perfect for using was a plastic white one which had a lever to push the ice cream out of the scoop and was quite handy.. however after using it quite a lot, the white scoop started turning yellow after all the washes it had and it was beginning to look quite grubby that I binned it and searched for another one.
I found this ice cream scoop in Tesco, I thought I bought it for £2 but reading previous reviews everyone is stating between 70p-£1 so maybe that's the correct price or I bought it before the price was reduced.
The ice cream scoop is pretty basic, but does the job.
It has a nice chunky black handle that is easy to hold and it has a little indented grip on the handle which I found perfect to put my thumb on allowing to get a better grip when wrestling with a frozen ice cream tub!
In terms of using the scoop itself I found it does work well, it does the job much better and easier than using a normal spoon anyways. However I do think it's not as well designed as it could be, I found the shape of the scoop the main fault in terms of not having a perfectly rounded ice cream scoop in the end. I think the shape could be better so that it allows the ice cream to come out easier and think it should be more rounded and deeper.
However if you are not bothered about the presentation of the ice cream or it needing an extra scoop then I think this is still fine. It will get ice cream out, and it is still a scoop and so better than using a spoon.
I have started leaving the ice cream out for a few minutes to make it easier to get the ice cream out with the scoop.. or running the scoop under hot water also works and makes getting the ice cream out a bit easier.
The scoop is also dishwasher safe and so it is fine to go into the disher washer with all other dishes, but it isn't hard to clean and won't take long doing a quick run under the sink too.
Overall I give the ice cream scoop 4/5 stars. It loses a star because I think it can be designed better in terms of the shape of the scoop and also because since then I have bought another scoop which I prefer using more.
But the scoop is priced well, is cheap enough and it is still a handy item in my kitchen draw which seems like it will last a while.. plus by the colour of the scoop, it will not start looking as grubby as my white plastic one started looking!
Thanks for reading :)
(this review may also be on ciao)
I really love ice cream and I always find that a regular spoon just does not scoop it out of the tub as well as a proper ice cream scoop does. When stocking up for my university flat, I picked up one from Tesco (Tesco Everyday Value Ice Cream Scoop). At the time, this cost me about 70p although as it was a while ago now, it could have gone up in price. I don't physically go into Tesco anymore and I can't find it on the website to be able to check the price.
As this is a Tesco Value product, the ice cream scoop is very basic looking. The handle is made from black plastic, which has a hole in the bottom so you can hang it up. The handle is just long enough for you to get a good grip on it and it is roughly the length of my hand. The scoop part of this product is made from metal. This ice cream scoop is nothing special although I'm not sure I have ever seen an ice cream scoop that looks amazing.
The stainless steel scoop part of this product is obviously what you use to get the ice cream out of the tub. If you use this normally, the ice cream can be a little tricky to scoop. The metal is quite thin and cheap and it doesn't do well with something that is so frozen. However, if you run this part of the scoop under the hot tap for a minute or two before scooping out any ice cream, you will have a much easier job. Even though the scoop is quite thin, I have never have it bend like I have had spoons do in the past so I guess it is stronger than it looks. However, this scoop isn't as rounded as it could be at the end. Because of this, when scooping ice cream, you don't get that professional look that you get with other ice cream scoops. I don't really care about this though, I just want the ice cream out of the tub.
This ice cream scoop can be washed both in your normal washing up water and it can also be put in the dishwasher. I find that it really only ever needs a quick rinse though and it never actually takes much to clean it.
For the price I paid, I can't really complain about this ice cream scoop but it could be better.
I know it is a boring item but every house with kids really needs an ice cream scoop. I bought this one from Tesco absolutely ages ago and it wasn't a lot of money I think it was around about £1. I only really bought it because up until the point I got it we had been using out dessert spoons and while this did the job it wasn't very good for the kids when they wanted scoops of ice cream on a cone.
The scoop is made from stainless steel with a black plastic handle and it looks pretty much like a glorified dessert spoon. The stainless steel is curved so that you can dig the scoop in to the ice cream to make a ball with it. To be completely honest this really wasn't much more use than our dessert spoons and still didn't make the nice round balls that I wanted for cones so this only got used until I got around to buying a proper ice cream scoop with a more rounded scoop.
It isn't that this is a bad item it just didn't really do what I wanted it to do. We still have it in the kitchen drawer and for the money it was well made and decent enough quality. I did think the handle would have been better had it been made from a different material as it was hard to grip when trying to use it with hard ice cream but as we only really tend to buy soft scoop ice cream this wasn't a big problem for us.
It is easy to clean and can be used in the dishwasher and I would recommend it if you are only wanting something for scooping ice cream out in to a bowl and not to make nice round balls of ice cream for cones etc.
I still use this occasionally when I can't immediately see the rounded scoop and it still works well and I still think it was worth the money but unfortunately it just wasn't really what I personally was really looking for.
I am a bit partial to a bit of haagen dazs now and again so an ice cream scoop spoon is an essential piece of cutlery! So I bought this Tesco Value ice cream scoop some time ago when wondering around the aisles of Tesco and doing my usual impulse buy lol.
The ice cream scoop is rather good quality with a black plastic handle which is durable and easy to hold and grip. The handle also has a hole in so it can be hung from a hook, and even though I'm not so bothered and keep it in a jar with other assortments of utensils its a nice added touch! There is also even a dip in the handle for my thumb to grip the spoon so this is also a plus. The appearance of the scoop is nothing glamorous or exciting to look at but for me it does the job!
The head of the spoon is circular but when scraping into the ice cream tub the scoop does not seem to gather the ice cream into perfect round servings but in I don't mind as it collects more ice cream in one heap more than a usual table spoon would.
It's easy to use and although a bit blunt and doesn't cut through deeply frozen ice cream, if left to defrost a while it sinks in easily and penetrates the ice cream efficiently. It's super easy to clean and (whilst we are not fortunate to own one!) I believe it would be dishwasher friendly.
The spoon was dirt cheap and only 75p and for me a real bargain. It serves its purpose, scoops ice cream and leaves it in my bowl where I happily eat it up! I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who needs an ice cream scoop and on a budget as its perfect for the job!
I purchased this Tesco Value ice cream scoop during my student phase. It's cheap and for a basic price it does the basic job that it's constructed to do. I don't think I even paid as much as a pound for this so given that low price anyone on a tight budget will be happy enough with this product and it seems to last forever.
However, as the months have rolled on into years, it doesn't quite match up the dinner parties that I cater for now. The black plastic handle makes it look cheap. Perhaps none of my guests care but when I've taken so much trouble with every other fine detail I think this scoop lets me down on the glamour front. I don't know why I always forget to replace the ice cream scoop. My guests are, hopefully, just looking at the delicious ice cream rather than the utensil that serves them. However, I don't want you not to buy this scoop. It's so cheap that it's perfect for students and families but is not good for classy dinners.
The scoop does not shape the ice cream into perfect servings. It can be a tough job to dig and scoop hard ice cream. I find it helps to dip the scoop into a cup of hot water first. Perhaps there are scoops out there that do not require the ice cream to soften. It would be nice not to have to wait on serving the ice cream. I'd rather eat the ice cream than have to look and wait whilst my guests and I are licking our lips in anticipation.
The scoop is solid, but not ideal enough for me, in shape. The design of the spoon could be bettered by giving the scoop more of a tighter shape. With a better design I would be able to make a good presentation in my guests bowls. The handle is made of cheap black plastic. It sits in the hand comfortably because there's a dip in it for the thumb to rest on. The handle even has a hole in for hanging from a hook rather than having to take up room in a drawer.
Warning - ice cream scoops can be a hazard to your health!
I bet you would never expect an ice cream scoop to come with a warning but they all should. Do not lick ice cream off from the scoop. Many years ago, someone who shall remain nameless, got her tongue stuck to the scoop! It was hilarious but not so good for the unsuspecting victim of the ice cream scoop.
Students and families buy this bargain but hosts and hostesses might want something more upmarket if serving the ice cream in front of guests. Now remember no licking of any ice cream scoop!
We love ice cream in our house, I'm not sure who loves it more, my husband or my kids. As a result we tend to have it quite a bit but usually as a treat after dinner and definitely not all the time. Our favourite brand is vanilla carte D'Or which comes in big tubs so we need to use an ice cream scoop for this.
The scoop we have is a basic metal scoop from Tesco which I think cost me a couple of quid but its actually very good and in my opinion not worth forking out more for. I do think its better to have an ice cream scoop though as opposed to just a regular spoon as you get a better angle going into the ice cream and it is easier to scoop it out with a rounded scoop than trying to dig into it with a somewhat flat spoon.
This ice cream scoop is pretty simple. There is no little lever inside the scoop like some I have tried, the thought being that you scoop up a dollop of ice cream and then press the lever which will deposit your scoop nicely into your bowl or onto your ice cream cone. I must admit that once you scoop up your ice cream with this scoop you do sort of have to give it a bit of a flick and a shake to get it to go into the bowl but it does nicely and forms a nice little round ball if you've scooped it out well which looks good. The scoop is made of metal and then it has a black handle which is easy to hold onto and you get a good grip when you first move it into the ice cream.
If you remember I advise to get the ice cream out of the fridge for a few minutes before you need it. That way it will have softened up a little bit and will be easier to scoop out. If not, because this spoon is metal, you can warm it up under the hot tap for a minute or two and then when you plunge it into the ice cream the hotness will help to make it go in a bit smoother.
All in all a good little scoop.
I am partial to a bowl of ice cream, particularly when sat at home watching a film in the evening. The only gripe I've had with this is that my ice cream always seems to be rock solid and my cutlery isn't the toughest, many of spoons have bent where I have tried to get the ice cream out of the tub. When I spotted this ice cream scoop in Tesco I thought it would be a perfect alternative to bending all of my spoons.
The ice cream scoop currently costs around the 75 pence mark. It is available to buy from Tesco stores or online if you do your shopping that way.
The ice cream scoop is nothing special to look at with a black handle and silver spoon, it is what you would expect an ice cream scoop to look like. The black handle is comfortable to hold as it has a tony thumb hole groove at the top so you can get a good grip on it when tackling particularly hard ice cream. There is also a hole in handle if you want to hang it up somewhere but mine just stays inside the drawer. The silver scoop part is made from stainless steel and is sphere like in shape.
When attacking hard ice cream I usually put the spoon under some hot water first as it makes it a less intense experience and softens the ice cream very slightly. The thumb groove in the handle makes it easier to get stuck in and when pulling the scoop across the top of the ice cream it does work well. It doesn't bend the scoop in any way, shape or form so already it is better than using one of my bendy spoons. It is then easy to get the ice cream out of the scoop and into a bowl, I sometimes have to aid it out with a finger but that doesn't bother me. It is then easy to clean and I just wash it up with my normal washing up, I would imagine it to be dishwasher safe too.
At 75p this ice cream scoop is great value for money as it means I'm not ruining anymore of my cutlery. It is comfortable to use and does the job well. I'd definitely recommend it.
==Tesco Everyday Value Ice Cream Scoop==
We love ice cream in this house and we are also a big dessert fans which means most days after dinner we end up having something a little sweet to end the meal with. When I was growing up we had a lot of desserts too which is probably why I have carried on the tradition. I always remember mum having a proper ice cream scoop which was why when I saw this in Tescos for a mere 75 pence I couldn't help but buy it!
The scoop itself is a pretty basic contraption and it consists of a black plastic handle and metal scoop and one end. There is a hole in the handle to allow for the scoop to be hung up if you so wish although it lives all the time in my utensil drawer in the kitchen and I think if I did hang any utensils up this would probably look a little silly being a relative small item.
The handle also has a small grove in it which is mean to help get a better hold on it I would think but all in all I feel that the plastic handle is a little slippery and not entirely comfortable when trying to get out a scoop of solidly frozen ice cream.
The metal scoop at the end is made of stainless steel and it is literally just a curved piece of metal which is designed to aid in getting a nice ball of ice cream. It does always work better if you boil some water and then dip the end of the scoop in so that it melts the ice cream slightly when it is dug in and this creates an easier ball. (I learnt that trick working one summer in a small beach side café!)
The utensil is suitable for the dishwasher although it is much easier just to give it a quick rinse in the washing up bowel in warm soapy water. The scoop works okay but I must admit to being a bit disappointed as it really works as well as a dessert spoon would do. Having since had another look at the one mum used to use when we were growing up (she still has the same one and its going strong - yet she refuses to give it up!) hers has a proper ball like scoop at the end and a metal slicer which aids in plopping the ice cream ball out of the scoop. Hers looks and works more like a professional ice cream vendors scoop rather than this cheap and somewhat spoon like utensil.
It did only cost 75p so I can't really moan but I think I probably would have been better saving that money and putting it towards something a bit more useful as at the end of the day I would get the same results I get from using this scoop as I would do were I to use a large spoon. Okay so the ice cream does seem to end up slightly more ball like but this is easy to create with a regular spoon.
I think although a nice idea to have a utensil that creates nice balls of ice cream, this particular scoop is not too efficient at doing that and on the whole I don't rate it that highly. I think a score of 3 out 5 is in order and that is being more than generous. I won't really recommend it for the reason that a spoon will do the same job.
I do hope that this has been of some help/interest to you
Many thanks for taking the time to read.
This is another item which myself and my husband bought when we moved into our own place, I think to be honest I just went a little bit mad with the Tesco Value range. I think this cost about 50p when we bought it which was about 6 years ago now so I am sure the price will have increased since then.
The ice cream scoop is about 6 inches long, the handle is made of black plastic and then there is a small hole at the end of it so that you able to hang the utensil up if you want to although personally we just keep ours in a drawer. The handle has a little indentation in it for your thumb to sit in to stop it slipping if you are using force through hard ice cream, I thought this was a pretty good addition considering this is a Value product.
At the end of the black handle you have the scoop which is made out of silver metal, there is about 1/2 an inch of thin metal attatched to the handle and then the scoop is about the size of a desert spoon but the sides round up more than a spoon would.
The scoop is very easy to use simply hold it by the handle place in the ice cream and then curve your wrist towards your body and the scoop will glide through the ice cream and give a lovely neat little curl of ice cream. The scoop does exactly as it should do and I have no issues with it's performance, the ice cream looks more presentable using the scoop rather than just trying to dish it out with a spoon and the metal of the scoop is stronger than most spoons so hard ice cream doesn't bend it.
I would recommend this scoop although I would say it is not an item you actually need just one you may want like I said I went a bit mad buying things when we first got our own place.


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ST. LOUIS Medicine Shoppe International is moving into its seventh country this month. The company is planning on opening five pharmacies in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The move to the Middle East was made possible by a new agreement with the Al Zahrawi Group, which will manage all the operations, including future growth in the region.
"The Medicine Shoppe brand and retail pharmacy model have been very successful in India and other Asian markets, so the Middle East market is a natural next step for expansion," said Bruce Burnett, international vice president, for Medicine Shoppe International.
The first two stores will open this month, followed by the other three later this year. Medicine Shoppe pharmacies are also located in the United States, China, Canada, India, Indonesia, and Japan.


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I should point out that Ven Paññāsikhara actually takes scholarship seriously. He is, after all, writing a PhD thesis. And he very kindly gave me a copy of a book by one of the famous scholars who he may or may not be referring to. Richard Gombrich's "What the Buddha Thought".
It's a very interesting book, and Prof Gombrich's investigation of what the background assumptions of groups that some of the Suttas were aimed at, or addressed to (which are not necessarily the same thing...), notably Brahmins and Jains, are very interesting and I think are actually helpful to those of us who are reading the Suttas for "religious reasons" (perhaps there's a better term), rather than for "scholarly reasons".
On the other hand, his discussion of actual practise is quite sketchy. And, as an example of the sort of thing Ven Paññāsikhara alludes to, he rejects out of hand that Venerable Anuruddha could have known which Jhanas the Buddha was in just before his parinibbana. Putting aside the issue of whether it is possible, there are definitely plenty of stories of teachers who are said to be able to diagnose their student's meditation by just watching them.
It occurs to me that "academic scholars" such as Gombrich serve a very useful role in applying their particular discipline to the available material, and sometimes coming up with interesting insights into how some passages might be read (e.g. as satirizing the Brahmins or the Jains). Whereas the likes of Bhikkhu Bodhi (and his predecessors in Sri Lanka) might be classified as "religious scholar" in the sense that they take as their starting point the received wisdom of the Theravada, and try to clarify it by careful research.


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Hey everyone,
Does the switch to wintertime mean, that the bhikkhus are allowed to eat until 13:00 ?
Since the Vinaya uses the sun peak as an orientation, that would be my interpretation. How is this commonly dealt with? Are Bhikkhus sticking to 12:00 just for the simplicity or do they extend the time where food is allowable to 13:00 ?
Best wishes,


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Wood is the largest percentage of the residential new construction debris--approximately 42 percent, according the National Association of Home Builders Research Center.
This seems particularly wasteful when wood is such a versatile material. Unlike plastic, which once formed is quite inflexible in how it may be reused, wood has incredible potential for re-use. It can be sanded, stripped, cut and re-built to make furniture, toys and items for your Certified Wildlife Habitat® site. It has never-ending potential with the use of paints, varnishes and caulks.
These projects are just examples. Use your imagination and wood resources to make your own projects. Hopefully these will get you inspired!
Designed and constructed by Gloria and Carl Brown, this wood was gathered from garbage piles at construction sites near their home. The wood is painted and sanded to look "antique," then wired together. Bird seed sits in a platform behind the waves.
For leaf compost, a wooden compost bin suffices. This one was put together from local wood waste. You can also use wooden pallets often discarded by stores.
This barrel once transported feta cheese from Greece. A local deli was going to throw it out. After a thorough cleaning, it was painted it to look like a watermelon slice, and put a checkerboard on top. It would make a great bedside table in a guest or child's bedroom.
An antique chair with lovely carved designs was recycled into this unusual folk art piece with some paint and imagination. It was "dipped" to remove the paint, then sanded and painted. Now all it needs is a "vege-table".
Much of the wood used in this bat house was salvaged by taking apart a box spring mattress and pulling out all the industrial size staples from the wood. Full instructions on building a bat house are available in the Certified Wildlife Habitat® website.


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The appeal into Stephen Lee's 12-year ban from snooker came to a close yesterday.
The proceedings, taking place at an unspecified location in London, has seen Trowbridge sportsman attempt to clear his name after being found guilty of seven charges of match-fixing last September.
The incidents took place between 2008 and 2009.
Lee, 39, of Birch Gardens, Hilperton, maintains he is innocent.
He was investigated after being the subject of irregular betting from groups connected to former sponsor Paul Jones, a financial advisor, ex-manager Neil Clague and friend Ian McDougall of Staverton.
There is no date for the appeal's outcome at present.


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We're very far apart on Social Network, Siggy. I loved about everything to do with it. Acting, direction, the score, the editing, the real sense of place the film had. But mostly the amazing script. I'm a sucker for Sorkin.
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We're very far apart on Social Network, Siggy. I loved about everything to do with it. Acting, direction, the score, the editing, the real sense of place the film had. But mostly the amazing script. I'm a sucker for Sorkin.
In honor of Oscar night, I watched The Sting. Redford and Newman were indeed very good together.
British period pieces...if you make one, you will win an Oscar. I honestly think it's the accents.
When did a British period piece win best picture (besides last night)
I dont think the fact that it is a British movie has anything to do with it winning. It was a fantastic movie that evidently was loved by a lot of people
Off the top of my head, I might be wrong about one of these, but I remember Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, and Braveheart.
Those are all fairly recent.
I'll grant you The English Patient , but not the other two IMO.
Chariots of Fire won best picture. I still nod off just thinking about that movie.
How is Shakespeare in Love not a British period piece? It's British-directed, British-filmed, British-set and British-acted.
The other thing is (Like I said, dark side.) it combines the British period drama (Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, English Patient, etc.) with the disabled/handicapped person accomplishing great things with the help of quirky mentor(s) (Forest Gump, My Left Foot, A Beautiful Mind, etc.). Harvey Weinstein figured this out, pulled the necessary strings, spent the necessary money, and came out much richer.
What the Oscars has to do is mediate the historical footnotes of film. It has to consider both the actual quality of film-making along with popularity. Last year, it chose quality over popularity, a decision that may end up seeming wrong depending on the fates of Kathryn Bigelow and the Avatar franchise, respectively. This year, it missed on both. The King's Speech was neither wildly popular (Toy Story 3 and Inception were both nominated.) nor fantastic, near-transcendent film-making (The Social Network and Black Swan were both nominated.).
But it played the formula perfectly, outsmarting the cranky old Academy voters. Certain character elements + certain story elements + major awards season marketing push = Oscar. Sixty percent of the time. It works every time.
You Got The Tony!!!!!!
Finally watched Megamind last night. It was good, but not great. The pacing wasn't the best and brought the movie down. It was definitely better than Despicable Me.
Both movies had minions, so I'm hoping they weren't made by the same company.
First time in a long time, I've been happy with the team that was constructed, and now they struggle. I blame the coach.
Please explain to me how either Shakespeare in Love or Braveheart are not British period pieces.
They are set in different parts of Britain, and different periods of time, but I fail to grasp how they don't meet the criteria.
I have not seen Skakespeare in Love.
Bottonline I really liked The Kings Speech and I think it deserved to win whether it was a British period piece or set in Kansas. And yes I have seen all ten of the nominees this year.
Yes I wrote in caps cause that movie is one of my all time favorite flicks.
I would say Bravehart is a Scottish period piece that involves Brittain.
But Braveheart certainly meets the criteria of British period piece. Scotland is one three key components of the island of Great Britain, England and Wales being the other two.
So when someone says a movie is a British period piece, does your mind go to people in England speaking with British accents, or people in kilts in Scotland with Scottish accents? I thought so.
Totally off subject but if any of you watch the tv show Lights Out (which if you aren't you should) did you know that the actress playing Light's wife is the same actress that is William (Mel Gibson) Wallaces wife that dies in the beginning of braveheart?
Scotland is part of Britain...How is it not a British period piece?
To me the King's Speech was good, but it felt like a play, probably because it is a play. It didn't feel like a film. I dunno.
The Social Network maybe seemed too obvious. You might say how can a movie about Facebook really be that great? But come on the editing, the acting by Eisenberg, you knew what was going to happen and it still engrossed you. Easily should have won IMO.
Last edited by Trader Joe; 03-01-2011 at 04:33 PM.
Technically it is. I am not going to dispute that. It's just that when I think of Britain and British, I usually think of England and Wales. Scotland kind of has its own identity to me with the kilts and the bagpipes and all that.
The Welsh and English would probably tell you they're nothing alike either, but I understand what you're saying.
Horrible, wretched piece of trite garbage that makes Pirates of the Caribbean look like thoughtful historical commentary. Plus, needed more Ben Affleck.
Last edited by AesopRockOn; 03-02-2011 at 05:24 AM. Reason: Gnarlyisms.
You Got The Tony!!!!!!
No, only the final one did.
My argument against you is I don't think any movie should be thought of better or worse just because it is a British period piece. If you didn't like The Kings Speech fine, but I think denigrating it by suggeasting it only won or mainly won because it is a British period piece is greatly unfair. The movie will pass the $120 M mark before this weekend in the US. British period pieces don't normally do that
...except when they win an Oscar....
Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.
"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thats teamwork."
-John Wooden
It had made $114M as of Sunday before Oscar announcement.
I was just looking back over the past eleven best picture winners. I've seen all of these but one and here is how I would rate them.
First here are the winners.
2010 - The Kings Speech
2009 - The Hurt Locker
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2007 - No Country for Old men
2006 - The Departed
2005 - Crash
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2003 - Lord of the Ring: The Return of the King
2002 - Chicago
2001 - Beautiful Mind
2000 - Gladiator
My personal favorites
11 - Chicago - Admit I have not seen this
10 - Beautiful Mind -
9 - No Country for Old Men
8 - Crash
7 - Gladiator
6 - Million Dollar Baby
5 - The Hurt Locker
4 - Lord of the Rings
3 - The Departed
2 - The King's Speech
1 - Slumdog Millionaire
(I would put The Social Network probably either 3rd ahead of The Departed or 4th ahead of Lord of the Rings
Last edited by Unclebuck; 03-02-2011 at 04:37 PM.


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Holiday Hair: One Set, Three Looks
The holidays are coming--and 'tis the season for beautiful party hair for your clients. In this how-to, Nicolette Gauci, editorial design coordinator for The Mastery by Esani, used Paul Mitchell products and a little imagination to use ONE set to create THREE looks perfect for the holiday season.
Hair: Nicoletta Gauci, Editorial Design Coordinator for The Mastery by Esani using Paul Mitchell
Make-up: Stephanie Floyd for The Mastery by Esani
Photography: Jarrell Williams
Wardrobe: Ryan Wharton
To prep the hair, first shampoo with Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi Wild Singer Moisturizing Lather Shampoo. Next, use Awapuhi Wild Ginger Cream Rinse on the ends. Spritz hair with Awaphui Moisture Mist to detangle. Hair was blown out, and set with clips for volume at the base.
|Step one: Using the Paul Mitchell Clipless Iron, wrap hair maintaining a flat ribbon around iron, alternating directions on each section. Keep the small end of the wand up and larger end pointing down. Start at nape and work toward front hairline spraying each section with Paul Mitchell Extra Body Finishing Spray, increasing your elevation at apex.
|Step two: Clip up front hair line for added hold and body. Make sure sections are alternating and on base for maximum volume. Allow hair to cool and set
|Step three: Break apart curl pattern with hands. Starting at nape creating a splitting motion with hands webbing the hair into desired shape. Sculpt hair into desired wave with a wide tooth comb to maintain organic texture.
|Step one: Divide front and back portions of the head with a line crossing from mastoid process to mastoid process. Separate back panel into three archs.
|Step two: Divide two neighboring panels into 3-4 horizontal diagonal back straps. Pick panels according to which side you want your twist to turn. Leave ends out as they will become your fill for your twist one backcombed for volume. Use final back panel to create your outer shell of your roll.
|Step three: Backbrush remaining panel with a dressing brush and roll into place securing with bobby pins on the interior of the roll and hair pins on the exterior as place holders while dressing the remaining hair for your final look. Take zig zag partings starting at the apex moving towards fron hairline and using your dressing brush build volume with a c movement expanding the wave shape from your first look. Use a Finishing Spray like Paul Mitchells Awapuhi Wild Ginger to support your styl
|Step one: Divide arched section at fringe area spanning from end of eye brow to end of eye brow along front hair line nearly reaching the apex. With remaining hair create a secure perfect pony. Following preexisting curl pattern pin hair up to maintain texture or enhance any texture than has been lost.
|Step two: Lightly backcomb front section away from face and place over secured pony. Position with large hair pins and using hair taken from the pony wrap around the the base tightening as you remove the hair pins maintaining a soft piecy texture around hairline. Secure by hooking a bobby pin into pony tail base.
|Step three: Lightly backcomb the remaining hair and secure the ends with a small rubber band. Loop banded ends in and pin into the underneath of the pony tail. Adjust and expand hair shape to face shape. Use hair pins as needed to lift and spread the bouffant created.
Hair: Nicoletta Gauci , Editorial Design Coordinator for The Mastery by Esani using Paul
Model: Abbey Provided by Element Model Management
Make-up Stephanie Floyd for The Mastery by Esani
Photography by JarrellWilliams
Wardrobe: Ryan Wharton


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When the Rollerz Only Car Club began over twenty years ago, founder Troy Staehler couldn't have possibly foreseen that he would be holding the reigns to one of the worlds' largest and most influential car clubs. Membership in the Rollerz Only car club has multiplied steadily since the club's inception in 1988, earning the club a dedicated following that has helped to establish chapters all over the world. This club has quickly crossed over to become a worldwide placeholder in automotive sport culture.
The lowriding community's sense of awareness and consciousness has finally been portrayed in the mainstream media, making it possible that we will see a commercialization of the sport's diverse potential. Our culture is a positive culture, and one that many different types of people participate in. A great example of this diversity, Rollerz Only wants to carry the lowriding sport to the next level. They have enlisted entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and even hip-hop artists into their storied club. Each day, Rollerz Only works towards gaining the acceptance of the mainstream, aiming to bring millions, instead of thousands of people, into accepting lowriding as a legitimate sport. Their efforts have shown the public how to get into lowriding from a more responsible economic standpoint, which is very important in these depressed finiancial times. They teach the public to get into the sport slowly, suggesting that it's best to move up from a bicycle, to an affordable vehicle, before ultimately spending thousands of dollars on a signature model. This helps to ensure that a person can define his or her own individual style without breaking their pocketbook. Rollerz Only also promotes lowriding by teaching. They believe in constantly striving for a better understanding of build techniques, style, and the culture itself. They teach by giving other lowrider enthusiasts advice and referrals, which can help them find credible shops and builders, in order to help them get some quality work done on their respective vehicles.
Manny Farol from the Los Angeles chapter has been the key figure in bringing Rollerz Only onto the World Wide Web. He puts in countless hours on the web to find out the latest news from club members worldwide, and spreads their experiences instantly, allowing the public to see that lowriding is only about good people having a great time. The web exposure has helped the Rollerz Only open several more chapters including: San Fernando, California overseen by Big Phil, Milwaukee, Wisconsin run by Pez, Tokyo, Japan led by Shinji, Sante Fe, New Mexico run by Manuel, Poland led by Marcin, and even Savannah, Georgia presided over by Dirty. Rollerz Only has also recently welcomed Hip-Hop artist Paul Wall, and West Coast rap artist Kid Frost into their family. Last and definitely not least, they would like to welcome Armando, owner of the 2007 and 2008 Lowrider Truck of the Year, and Johnny, who recently opened a chapter in Yuma, Arizona.
Rollerz Only Car Club enjoys seeing lowriding in a positive light, and remains dedicated to watching it grow into a worldwide phenomenon filled with good people, itching to put their own individuality into something positive for the world to see. They feel that there are hundreds of car clubs and thousands of solo riders, and it is everyone's responsibility to make lowriding fun and inviting. From family and close friends, to the public at large, they maintain a welcoming environment that doesn't exclude anybody. Through this sense of unity, Rollerz Only is confident that everyone can make the lowriding sport more approachable to the average car lover. They believe that this would be beneficial for everyone involved, and would also help to promote our glorious culture through magazines, car shows, and all lowrider related shops.
The legacy of this five time car club of the year is too great to be fully appreciated at face value. Few clubs have taken on and impacted the world stage like Rollerz Only has in its two decades of service to the Lowrider culture. We are proud to provide some insight into the creation and history of this amazing car club, and you can rest assured that they will continue to give their all to advance our wonderful Lowrider movement.
Rollerz Only Car Club Chapters:
Los Angeles, South Gate, O.C. (Orange County), I.E. (Inland Empire), South County, Central California, Sacramento, Capital City, Bay Area Coast 2 Coast, Valle De Coachella, Central Cal, San Fernando Valley
Yakima Valley, Seattle Washington, Springfield Oregon
Phoenix, Glendale, Yuma.
Las Vegas, Reno
New Mexico
Albuquerque, Southern New Mexico, Santa Fe New Mexico
Denver, Southern Colorado
El Paso, Dallas, Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, West Texas, San Antonio, Houston, Lubbock, Gulf Coast Texas, Amarillo, Austin
Michigan City
Middle Tennessee
New York
Niagara Region
Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, South Dade, Pensacola
World Wide
Vancouver, BC, Canada, Brazil, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, France, Germany, Japan Tokyo, Japan Osaka


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Slightly Stoopid & Atmosphere "Kickin' Up Dust" Starts Tonight
Slightly Stoopid and Atmosphere are joining forces for one of the most anticipated summer tours of 2013. "Kickin' Up Dust" Summer Tour 2013 features special guests The Grouch & Eligh and Tribal Seeds. The 28 show journey "Kickin' Up Dust" hits outdoor amphitheatres across the country starting on July 10, 2013 when the tour lands in Albuquerque, NM at the Sandia Casino Amphitheater and continues until August 24, 2013 when it rolls through Boca Raton, FL at the Sunset Cove Amphitheater.
A summer tradition for thousands of "die-hard" fans known across the nation as "Stoopidheads," Slightly Stoopid's 7th annual summer tour continues the seasonal ritual with some of music's most lauded artists; past year's have included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Stephen Marley, G. Love & Special Sauce, Cypress Hill, Sly & Robbie, and Ozomatli. For the "Kickin' Up Dust" Summer Tour 2013, Stoopid enlists the renowned Minneapolis hip-hop collective, Atmosphere, supported by the notoriously savvy Bay Area Living Legends MCs The Grouch & Eligh, and rising San Diego local Tribal Seeds. This dynamic lineup is guaranteed to create a trailblazing summer soundtrack, and a noteworthy rite of passage and tradition for summertime concert-goers across the country.
Celebrated hip-hop act Atmosphere have released seven studio albums and ten EPs over their career, including the chart-topping album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, which reached #5 on Billboard's Top 200 chart. Rapper Slug (Sean Daley) and DJ/Producer Ant (Anthony Davis), tour in support of their latest album, The Family Sign. The group's most personal and intimate album to date, it is a tribute to the band's extended family, friendships and each other. With an expanding catalogue of instrumental-laced beats and well-versed rhymes, the Mid-West duo has earned critical acclaim for their undeniable artistry.
MC compatriots The Grouch & Eligh complement the "Kickin' Up Dust" tour with a distinctly crisp Bay Area style. Not only are their custom-made beats unrivaled, their uplifting rhymes breakdown conventional standards. Each at the top of their game with successful solo careers, The Grouch & Eligh are hip-hop savants with a West Coast conscious approach and dynamic lyricism that serves to educate and elevate. The duo recently appeared onstage with Pretty Lights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and have two collaborations and a new video entitled "All These Lights" with Pretty Lights on their forthcoming album.
Audiences are guaranteed to get down in the summer heat with San Diego's Tribal Seeds. Their humble soul-fueled, Cali style is infused throughout their latest album, Soundwaves, which landed at #2 on the Billboard Reggae Charts.
The "Kickin' Up Dust" tour comes on the heels of Slightly Stoopid's hugely successful full-length studio album, Top Of The World, and the release of the live DVD recorded at Bob Weir's TRI Studios, Slightly Stoopid & Friends: Live at Roberto's TRI Studios. Upon the release of Top of the World, Stoopid's new album entered the Billboard Top 200 at #13, and the band went on to make their second appearance in two years on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The special TRI Studios live HD DVD + 2 CD set was just released on April 30, 2013 and features Slightly Stoopid alongside special guest artists Bob Weir, Ivan Neville, Ian Neville, Karl Denson, Don Carlos, and in a rare interview segment moderated by Tommy Chong and Weir. A free 8-song sampler highlighting music from both of these releases is available for download at slightlystoopid.com/totw_
"Kickin' Up Dust" hits major West Coast, Midwest, East Coast, and Southern cities throughout July & August 2013. Please see the confirmed tour dates listed below; tickets are now on sale at SlightlyStoopid.com.
Slightly Stoopid: 8-Song Music Sampler
Track Listing
1) Top of the World
2) Don't Stop
3) Anywhere I Go (TRI)
4) Closer to the Sun (TRI) - featuring Karl Denson
5) Devil's Door (TRI)
6) Wiseman (TRI) - featuring Don Carlos
7) Collie Man (TRI)
8) Hiphoppablues - featuring G. Love
*Free Music Sampler Available at slightlystoopid.com/totw_
"Kickin' Up Dust" Summer Tour 2013:
July 10, 2013 - Albuquerque, NM - Sandia Casino Amphitheater
July 11, 2013 - Mesa, AZ - Mesa Amphitheatre
July 12, 2013 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 13, 2013 - Las Vegas, NV - Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
July 14, 2013 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
July 18, 2013 - Stateline, NV - Montbleu Outdoor Arena
July 19, 2013 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
July 20, 2013 - Chula Vista, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
July 24, 2013 - Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Amphitheatre
July 25, 2013 - Boise, ID - Idaho Center Amphitheater
July 26, 2013 - Missoula, MT - Big Sky Brewing Company
July 27, 2013 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Great Saltair
August 1, 2013 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
August 2, 2013 - Kansas City, MO - Crossroads
August 3, 2013 - Council Bluffs, IA - Stir Cove
August 4, 2013 - Des Moines, IA - Simon Estes Amphitheater
August 8, 2013 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
August 9, 2013 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony Summer Stage
August 10, 2013 - Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier @ Penn's Landing
August 11, 2013 - Baltimore, MD - Pier Six Pavilion
August 14, 2013 - Richmond, VA - Pocahontas State Park
August 15, 2013 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
August 16, 2013 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater
August 17, 2013 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
August 21, 2013 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
August 22, 2013 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre
August 23, 2013 - Cocoa, FL - Cocoa Riverfront Park
August 24, 2013 - Boca Raton, FL - Sunset Cove Amphitheater
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City Drawers is having an EVENT! Sunday, April 6th from 1-4pm.
Join us for a Trunk Show visit from our Eveden sales rep. She'll be bringing samples and a size run of swimwear to look at and try-on.
These lines offer swimsuits with bra-cup sizing. Yes, you can get support from your swimwear!
Stop in! We'll be having a ball at this beach party. Please note, we'll have larger cup Sports bras, too!
Feel free to call the shop with any questions: 338-9980
City Drawers: 105 Main Street, Belfast


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Mail: Southern statues symbolize suppession
Mail: Thanks for helping Aiden
More opinion
Fall: Good time to spray musk thistle in rosette stage
Robertson and Delsing re-elected chair, vice chair of NWB
More Ag News
Irrigators whose water supply is limited by groundwater allocations or reduced surface water supplies can learn strategies and guidelines to manage their water by attending a deficit irrigation management workshop sponsored by University of Nebraska Extension.
The Deficit Irrigation Management Workshop for Limited Annual and Multiyear Water Supplies is scheduled for Dec. 7 at the Monsanto Water Utilization Learning Center at Gothenburg, from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The learning center is on Highway 47 about 2 miles south of the Gothenburg Interstate 80 interchange.
There is a $25 registration fee, and preregistration is requested by Dec. 4 to allow for a lunch count.
To register, contact Chuck Burr, Extension Educator at the UNL West Central Research & Extension Center in North Platte, at 308-696-6740 (email firstname.lastname@example.com); or Extension Educator Gary Stone at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff at 308-632-1230 (email firstname.lastname@example.com). A downloadable brochure with a registration form that can be printed, completed and returned also is available at panhandle.unl.edu.
UNL specialists Derrel Martin, Irrigation Engineer; Raymond Supalla, Agricultural Economist; and Gary Hergert, Agronomist, will present results from several years of research on management of limited irrigation water supplies. They will address how irrigators can plan for either one-year or multiple-year periods.
Attendees will receive tools and guidelines to plan and manage limited irrigation water supplies to maximize net returns and reduce risk. Recent crop responses to water stress will be examined, along with the impact of irrigation pumping capacity. Guidelines will be presented for situations when pooling of water supplies is allowed.
The UNL specialists also will address how producers can make decisions about investments to improve irrigation technology to abate limited water supplies.
Topics will include:
Deficit irrigation management
Crop response to water
Predicting yield and economics
Plans for single field and single year
Multiple fields and multiple years
Implementing plans
System capacity and other issues
Tour of Monsanto facilities
While the workshop is primarily dedicated to water management from a producers perspective, the tools and study results are also useful for evaluating water policy alternatives. Results have been used to draft deficit irrigation insurance pilot programs and to assess the economic impact of water policies on producers and the regional economy.
Flatrock Publishing, Inc.
1300 E 4th St., Suite F
North Platte, NE 69101


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Wednesday Night Bites: MACtion double bill (FAQ)
Make tonight a MACtion night, won't you? We're here to answer any questions you may have, as long as they do not involve divining a winner of the MAC East.
Ohio at Ball State
• What information do I, the discerning consumer, require in order to consume this game? The Bobcats and Cardinals are scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. ET at Scheumann Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPNU and streamed on WatchESPN.
• What's at stake here? Jockeying for bowl invites, mostly. Both squads have clinched bowl eligibility, with 8-2 Ohio and 7-3 Ball State each holding a 4-2 record in the conference, respectively.
As to whether Ohio can still win the MAC East: If Kent State loses its last two games, giving it two conference losses, one would have to be to Ohio in the regular-season finale. That would leave both teams with identical 6-2 league records, and Ohio would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Golden Flashes.
But Bowling Green -- which is 5-1 in the MAC and beat Ohio last Wednesday -- plays Kent State Nov. 17. Both teams can't lose (and the MAC is very, very good this year, so that isn't even a joke!), so while the Bobcats could end up tied with the Falcons at two losses apiece, they've already lost the tiebreaker.
Ball State, too, has two teams sitting above it in the West standings, Northern Illinois (6-0 in the MAC) and Toledo (5-1). The Cardinals lost to the Huskies in October, so even a two-game skid by NIU wouldn't help them at all. Ball State holds a head-to-head advantage over Toledo, but a Rockets loss to NIU would only be enough to nudge the Cardinals into second place in the division.
That all make sense? We have now thoroughly confused ourselves, to the point where general consensus in our office is that Johnny Manziel will probably win the MAC East, by himself.
• For whom are we to be watching? Quarterback Tyler Tettleton is the Bobcats' all-time leading passer, as of last week's game against Bowling Green. He's backed up on the ground by the footballishly named Beau Blankenship, who could surpass 1,200 rushing yards for the season on his first carry with a little luck. Ball State standouts: Tailback Jahwan Edwards (105-plus yards per game), receiver Willie Snead (95 ypg), linebacker Travis Freeman (NCAA's active career tackling leader) and kicker Steven Schott.
Toledo at Northern Illinois
• What information do I, the discerning consumer, require in order to consume this game? The Rockets and Huskies are scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. ET in Huskie Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and streamed on WatchESPN.
• What's at stake here? MAC WEST SUPREMACY. It's a big year for winningest senior classes in program history. The Bobcats honored theirs last week; NIU salutes its own best-ever crop of fourth-years tonight. And for the third consecutive season, the Rockets-Huskies matchup will decide which school will represent the division in the MAC Championship Game. NIU currently tops the division with a 6-0 record in conference play, trailed by Toledo at 5-1. Win, and they're in. A Rockets win here, obviously, would displace the Huskies in the conference championship game should Toledo also emerge victorious in its final regular-season contest, a home stand versus ... Akron. Yeah, this game is pretty important.
• For whom are we to be watching? If you haven't paid much attention to NIU junior quarterback Jordan Lynch, now would be the time to start. He ranks fourth nationally in total offense, is a dire running threat and captains an efficient passing attack. This exchange from CBS Chicago sums up the situation pretty satisfactorily:
"I have to cackle a little," my good friend and former colleague Mike Murphy of The Times in Ottawa, Ill., emailed on Thursday. "All the MAC schools breathed a little after [former Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler] Harnish graduated. Then they look at [current NIU QB Jordan] Lynch and say, "Oh (expletive)."David Fluellen Bernard Reedy


text: August 26, 2016 Interview: Miguel Maestre Last weekend, ebullient Iberian, Miguel Maestre, was in the World of Style designer kitchen cooking up a Spanish storm of Paella A La Maestre and Churros Con Chocolate to a sold out crowd. We caught up with Miguel to find our a little more about what home and cooking means to him. Read more


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India: RBI Aims For Formal CPI Inflation Target; More Rate Hikes?
The Reserve Bank of India is aiming to overhaul its monetary policies, anchoring for a CPI inflation target of 4%, with a band of +/-2%.
The RBI also proposes to bring the targeted CPI inflation down to 8% in the next year, 6% in the next two years, and eventually 4% in three years.
Analysts seem to like the new framework. Setting a clear inflation target gives India's central bank more political autonomy, important as India heads into its general election this year. Here is Societe Generale analyst Kunal Kumar Kundu:
The biggest advantage of rule-based monetary policy action is the greater degree of autonomy that the RBI will enjoy given that it would finally be able to free itself from government intervention. With the government failing miserably to adhere to fiscal discipline and persistently delaying necessary structural reforms, there have been multiple instances of immense pressure being put on the RBI by India's finance minister to take steps (read cut interest rates) to revive the flagging economy while inflation has remained a major problem.
The central bank is also switching from core WPI to CPI as its key measure of inflation, because CPI is what anchors consumers' inflationary expectations. Here is J.P. Morgan:
If the goal was to anchor inflation expectations, it could not shy away from the headline rate. It indicated that shocks to food and fuel have much larger and more persistent impacts on inflation expectations.
It further noted that households use headline CPI to deflate nominal returns when deciding on the choice between financial and physical assets (gold). So targeting the headline CPI was also important from a macro stability perspective. Finally, it noted that not a single EM inflation targeting central bank currently targets core inflation – even those with relatively large shares of food and fuel in the CPI basket such as Brazil and Indonesia, and therefore argued that India should be no exception.
Transitioning from a 10% CPI inflation in December to 4% in three years will not be easy though. We should expect a prolonged hawkish central bank, according to Societe Generale:
RBI would need to remain hawkish if the proposed CPI target timelines are to be met. This would mean that the expectation of an easing cycle is unlikely to materialize in the short to medium term, even if growth remains weak.
But this does not necessarily mean another round of interest rate hikes, says UBS:
That trajectory may not require an immediate adjustment in monetary policy. Excess capacity and a favourable monsoon ought to deliver lower inflation in coming periods. Allowing for some further weakness in food prices we now forecast 7.7% CPI inflation in FY 2014 and median consensus estimates are also about 8%. We also now look for no further policy tightening on the part of the RBI for the foreseeable future.
Year-to-date, the WisdomTree Trust India Earnings Fund (EPI) lost 1.8%, the iShares MSCI India Index Fund (INDA) lost 0.4%, and the iShares India 50 ETF (INDY) lost 0.8%.


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A customer who purchased this Copeland Astrid bed last week told me she found Vermont Woods Studios Furniture after searching online for "Zen furniture".
Well, I'm no expert on Zen but I can see where the simple, organic forms of Copeland's Astrid Furniture Collection would appeal to someone looking to introduce an element of serenity into their home.
Astrid features pure, simple, minimalist style. It's designed to "create an oasis of quiet harmony for the modern urban bedroom". I guess that is rather zen-like. The fact that Astrid furniture is handmade right here in Vermont from local, sustainably harvested wood was an important part of Corey's decision too.
And speaking of Zen, I love Copeland's new dining room furniture too. These minimalist, mid century walnut seats are Copeland's Catalina Estelle chairs. I think they might have some Zen qualities.
Already following our Blog? For more info sign up for our e-newsletter
This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.


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Cigar Lovers the World Over Descended Upon Havana in February to Celebrate the Past, Present and Future of Cuban Cigars
Mexico," said Max Gutmann, the agent for Cuban cigars in that country. More than 2.8 million genuine Cuban cigars were sold there in 1998, but Gutmann estimates that "80 to 90 percent of all Cuban cigars sold in Mexico are counterfeit. We are trying to combat this problem but we are losing the battle." Nicholas Freeman, chairman of the United Kingdom's Cuban cigar agent, Hunters & Frankau, agreed. "Why are you solicited so much for counterfeit ci-gars in Havana?" he asked the panelists of the counterfeit seminar, which included a member of Habanos, a Cuban Customs official and a Canadian private investigator. "Can't it be stopped?"
Wilfredo Rodríguez of Cuban Customs said his organization confiscated about 530,000 fake cigars last year, compared to 275,000 in 1996. "A big problem is that many of the counterfeit cigars come from places outside of Cuba, such as Jamaica and Mexico," he said. To give Cubans their due, recent crackdowns on cigar peddling in the streets of Havana have greatly reduced the number of fake smokes sold to tourists.
The Cubans also may now have to deal with international crime syndicates that are dealing in phony habanos, according to panelist Rick Leswick, a private investigator specializing in counterfeited products in Canada. "Organized crime is involved in cigar counterfeiting now," he told the audience. "It is a good conduit for laundering money...counterfeiting knows no boundaries." He later added that his company had "discovered cocaine cartels that have gotten out of the coke business and into the cigar counterfeiting business. The profits are there but the penalties are not."
"The problem is even worse in America, where people cannot legally buy the real product," said Habanos's Garcia.
Cigar Aficionado estimates that 80 to 90 percent of the "Cuban" cigars in the United States are counterfeit. Only 6 million to 8 million legitimate Cuban cigars enter the United States each year.
Event participants were equally concerned with Cuba's insistence in rapidly increasing its cigar production. In 1998, Cuban factories produced 160 million handmade premium cigars and shipped nearly 130 million by the end of the year. This was a production increase of about 60 percent from 1997 and more than double the exports from just three years ago.
During his keynote speech to 600 guests at a seminar on the state of premium cigars, Marvin Shanken, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado, questioned how quality could be maintained with such large increases in production. He urged the Cuban government to rethink its strategy of planned production increases to 200 million cigars for this year and up to 240 million in 2000. (For a transcript of the speech, see "Cigars in the New Millennium," page 206.)
There were no poor quality or fake cigars smoked at the grand finale of the festival, The Dinner of the Millennium. Held at the grounds of the El Laguito Protocol Salon, the venue had been used only for official state events prior to the cigar dinner. More than 1,000 people packed the 1960s-era building, dressed in everything from slinky designer dresses and black woolen dinner jackets to jeans and snakeskin trousers. It was Central Park meets Gorky Park, with just a tiny bit of trailer park.
This was the fourth major gala cigar dinner for the Cubans, and it was clearly their best. The food, service and wine were unmatched for such a large-scale event in Cuba, although much of the success was due to the Spanish Meliá hotel group, which used its own staff for cooking and waiting. The dinner included such ambitious creations as poached salmon steaks stuffed with a fresh vegetable mousse and served with a light cream sauce and caviar. The wines from Spain's Rioja producer, Marques de Riscal, as well as Champagne from Moet & Chandon, put just about everyone in a festive mood. A thick and caramel-like Cognac from the House of Bisquit served at the end of the meal carried a Cohiba label. It's expected to be commercially available this year.
Habanos commissioned the El Laguito cigar factory--the main producer of Cohiba--to make three cigars for the dinner. The first was a standard Cohiba Siglo IV, a corona gorda-sized smoke, measuring 46 ring gauge by 5 5/8 inches. A special Trinidad cigar followed. It's a new cigar called the Robusto A, basically an elongated robusto with a 50 ring gauge by about 7 1/2 inches instead of the normal 5 inches. Something called a Cohiba Gran Corona was supposed to be the third cigar, but a highly popular Cohiba Esplendidos arrived at my table instead. It's a Churchill cigar, measuring 47 ring gauge by 7 inches.
While everyone was lighting up, Habanos presented its "Habanos Man of the Year" awards. Jean-Paul Kauffmann, a French publisher, won for communications; Raphael Levy, the Geneva-based agent for Cuban cigars in the Middle East and parts of Africa, won for business; and Jose Martinez Franco, owner of Estanco Magallanes in Madrid, won for retailing.
Castro arrived a short while after the awards ceremony, and all hell broke loose. He stole the show, with the crowd pushing forward to catch a glimpse of the aging revolutionary. "I almost feel like I am the one who is being auctioned off," he said, dressed in a blue double-breasted suit, white shirt and silver tie instead of his standard military fatigues.
In a sense, a part of Castro was auctioned off at the event, since he autographed the five specially made humidors, filled with choice Cuban smokes, that were auctioned off, raising $850,000 for Cuban medical aid.
Following the auction, one of the 21 Millennium Siglo XXI humidors was raffled. The immense treasure--6 1/2 feet wide, 3 1/2 feet high and 6 feet deep--was stuffed with 2,000 Cuban cigars across 20 brands. At least 2,000 tickets were sold at $100 each, and the winner was Zoltan P. Szabo, a 28-year-old Hungarian information systems executive living in Hong Kong.
Just when the room began to mellow, Castro launched into his surprise speech that covered much of the same material he used in 1997 at the Cohiba anniversary celebration. Addressing everything from cigars to Cuban education, Castro again assured the crowd that he "will never smoke again" but that "there are some things that I will never give up."
By the time he and his entourage left, the crowd was reeling on pungent tobacco, rich food, strong booze and mind-numbing rhetoric. Some people got so carried away that they were stuffing extra cigars, large ceramic ashtrays and crystal bottles of Cognac into their pockets. One man was even coveting the dinnerware on my table. But at that moment, the music stopped and the overhead lights were switched on. The party was over. Cigars in the New Millennium
On February 23, Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado, gave a keynote speech in Havana to an audience of more than 600 cigar manufacturers, retailers, distributors and aficionados from around the world. The occasion was a special symposium addressing the state of premium cigars. It was hosted by Habanos S.A., the global exporting organization for Cuban cigars. An edited transcript of the speech appears below.
Globalization is no longer a remote concept. It is here. Today. Now.
Who ever thought even five years ago that Chrysler would merge with Germany's auto leader, Mercedes-Benz? Or Deutsche Bank with America's Banker's Trust? Or British Petroleum with the American oil giant Amoco?
Or even that one of America's giant cigar companies, Consolidated Cigar Corporation, a shared owner of such international brands as Montecristo and H. Upmann, would be taken over by France's Seita, or Hollco-Rohr, with its Romeo y Julieta brand, among others, taken over by Spain's Tabacalera?
This fusion of global companies is happening faster and faster. At the same time, the computer has become a rocket engine that is transforming the business environment even more quickly and more profoundly. The high-tech revolution that once promised just increased productivity has now opened the door to the Internet and the World Wide Web.
The Net is changing commerce and information retrieval--forever. Companies like America Online, Yahoo, Amazon.com, and Microsoft will be household names tomorrow, as Standard Oil, General Motors and Macy's were yesterday. It's just a matter of time before online sales of cigars join books, CDs and other consumer products.
The net effect is simple. These companies, and the technology behind their growth, are bringing the world closer together, making it smaller and smaller.
The global information revolution, however, is not confined to commerce. People all over the world are more and more likely to move in unison. A trend in one country pops up on the other side of the planet one or two years later. In fact, there's already a common, if mostly unnoticed, phenomenon happening everywhere today.
More and more consumers, not just the super-rich, want to enjoy the best of everything: the good life. Each of us, rewarding ourselves for a job well done. A glass of wine. A round of golf. A vacation to an exotic island. A sporty convertible. An expensive watch. Fine caviar. A 20-year-old Cognac. A good cigar.
And so begins our story. For cigars have turned the world upside down in the last decade of the twentieth century...for the better! This new world of cigars affects all of us in this room. Yet here in Cuba, the epicenter of the handmade cigar--thankfully, the tradition of cigars has changed very little.
On my first trip to Cuba, in 1991, to research a cover story on Cuban cigars to appear in Wine Spectator, another consumer magazine my company owns, I was spellbound while visiting the great cigar factories of Havana. My colleague James Suckling and I met cigar rollers, many of whom had sat at the same workbench for 30, 40, 50 years.
As we toured the Romeo y Julieta factory, we heard the clapping noise of the chavetas--the rollers were welcoming us. The sound gave us goose bumps. But I remember the faces of the rollers--showing the strains of age, yet filled with great pride and a glowing sense of dignity. Every one of them dedicated to the art of cigar making. Doing God's work.
Then we traveled to Pinar del Río, to the Vuelta Abajo, to visit the vegas that grow the finest wrapper tobacco in the world. There, we met many farm workers, also people with enormous dedication.
Our trip to Cuba in 1991 seems like yesterday. I have many rich memories of that visit. But little did I know just how much the world of cigars was going to change between then and now.
At the time, however, the cigar's image had been dragged so low that people, especially in America, would not dare smoke in public for fear of a nasty look or verbal abuse. Movies featuring gangsters such as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel did not help raise the cigar's image. Add to that negative image the attacks of the health police and politicians bent on destroying tobacco, and the cigar smoker's world was crumbling around him.
In early 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency published a research report concluding that secondhand smoke kills 3,000 people a year in the United States. The anti-cigar fanatics had been handed a potent weapon, and it has been used successfully against us. At last count, more than 700 city, state and national laws restricting the enjoyment of cigars in public places have been passed.
That figure is astounding, but it's even more outrageous because the EPA's report was discredited last year by a federal judge in North Carolina. His ruling said: "The EPA publicly committed to a conclusion before research had begun; adjusted established procedure and scientific norms to validate the agency's public conclusion; failed to disclose important findings and reasonings; and left significant questions without answers." My editorials in Cigar Aficionado had been saying the same thing for five years.
In California, they just imposed new taxes that will increase the tax on cigars by 73.5 percent by August. This means a cigar that cost $4 this past December will cost $7 in September. Many tobacconists will go out of business. That law comes within the context of California already outlawing smoking in all workplaces and virtually all public places, including bars; some cities even ban smoking outdoors. Once a government imposes taxes and/or restrictions, don't expect any rollbacks.
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ESSEX cricket stars past and present have expressed their excitement at the redevelopment of the County Ground in Chelmsford.
Ronnie Irani, who captained Essex between 2000 and 2007, believes the redevelopment will boost the atmosphere.
The 41-year-old who played three test matches for England said: "We've got to improve the stadium and people want to experience good facilities.
"When you look at other stadiums, people do experience better. Life isn't cheap anymore so fans want value for money.
"I think this redevelopment will bring that to all cricket fans coming to watch games here."
Graham Napier, who has played for Essex since 1997, added the redevelopment of the County Ground is exciting for him and his team-mates.
The all-rounder, who hit 152 not out against Sussex in a Twenty20 game at Chelmsford in 2008, said it will be brilliant to have new facilities.
He added: "When talks started happening in 2004 about the redevelopment, it was exciting.
"It has taken eight years to get to this stage, but hopefully the next few years will see things get better.
"I'm really looking forward to using the new facilities and we can catch up with other grounds which have already redeveloped."