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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN -- I ordered a strawberry lemonade with my food and when I got home I saw something floating in it. When I inspected my drink it became clear that it was a dead fly. I took off the lid to discover two more dead flies frozen in the ice cubes. Keep in mind this is in Michigan in December. It's freezing cold outside but there's flies? Just how disgusting is the place?
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE -- First of all, I try to be as polite as I can be to people working in public. I know they have a tough time with rude and thoughtless customers. I try to be mindful of that, I've dealt with it myself. I don't even mind occasionally when they get my fast food order wrong. I know those things happen. But... yesterday a friend and I stopped by Wendy's on our way home from work.
My friend placed her order and then I placed mine. Now, the girl on the register was training, but there was someone standing there with her to help her find the right keys on the register. My order was pretty simple -- a sour cream and chives baked potato and a small strawberry lemonade. They hand me the potato and I can see it has no sour cream in the box with the potato. I ask for sour cream and the two girls look at me like I'm nuts. Then I look down at my drink and it's a regular lemonade, not a strawberry lemonade which I ordered.
I got to eat my potato and I drank the regular lemonade but I have to believe people are getting more and more to where they don't care about customer service anymore. I guess they figure if they lose some customers, there will always be more. This is just one Wendy's location. Others I have been to in my city have been fine. As I said, I know the girl was training but there were no customers except my friend and myself and my order was very simple.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA -- I have been going to Wendy's for as long as I can remember. I grew up loving their frosties and the chili. I can honestly say after 36 years of being a loyal customer, I will NEVER return to a Wendy's or Arby's again! My story begins at the new location Wendy's put up on the corner of Bannerman & Thomasville road in Tallahassee, Florida. This is really the only Wendy's on that side of town, close to Golden Eagle Country Club. I was excited when I saw it being built, boy was I wrong.
OK, about 3 months ago I go through the drive through, on my motorcycle. I order my usual, 2 jr bacon cheeseburgers and a small fry. Just enough to wrap up the bag, and ride home with it. Sometimes however, I do like to pull over and eat some, being very hungry after a hard day of work in the 100 degree heat doing construction. I work VERY hard for the pennies I make.
So this time, I pull over, eat a burger, and some fries. The burger wasn't as bad as the fries, it was at least warm. But the fries however, were cold, nasty and tasted 6 hours old. Knowing I'd cause more of a stir then it was worth, I decided against going in and complaining, and just went on my merry way.
About 2 weeks later, I'm at home, and decide to go to Wendy's to get something to eat. A weekday being around 8:30 pm. So I hop on my motorcycle and ride the 5 minutes down to the Wendy's. I pull up to the drive through, nobody else is in line, and barely anyone besides employees inside, I shut off the bike and wait. No I'm not the rude jerk that leaves his bike running, I even shut it off after I move up, every time, if a line exists. To allow people to order without the noise.
So I'm waiting about a minute, and nobody has even said hi. So I peek around the corner, and I can see the lady standing with her headset in the drive through pay window. I start the bike and move up and I'm like "did you not hear me? Did the bike not buzz the buzzer thingy?" (and I never had a problem with that before at this location)
She says to me, "No I saw you and heard you, but we don't serve motorcycles at the drive through." Once again I laugh and say "Oh OK" and park to go in, knowing raising a complaint would probably just get my food spit in. So I go inside order, eat, once again cold terrible sour tasting fries!
This time I go home, and decide to look on the internet for the company site, and file a formal complaint. Both about the issue at the drive through, and the cold terrible food. So I do, and did, and at the end of the complaint it asks "would you like someone to contact you?" I thought to myself, heh right, but what the heck, maybe they will actually care. It's been 2 months now and I haven't heard a thing from Wendy's.
This leads me to tonight. Same deal, got hungry about 8 pm, waiting until about 9:30 pm, to let it cool down outside, it's been 90-100 here in Florida recently. So at 9:30 I leave and after one stop I arrive at Wendy's at 9:49 pm. I park my motorcycle, mind you "motorcycles are not served at the drive through" and proceed to go inside. I see employees and about 8 people inside eating. I reach down to grab the handle of the door, and pull, and it's locked!? The sign on the door clearly says on weeknights the diner closes at 10pm, and the drive through at 11pm. So I'm shocked it's already 10pm, I go back to my bike to check the time, and I see it's only 9:50!
I'm pretty pissed off at this point. This would mean to get food, now I have to go 10 miles or so down the road. So I pull around to the back of the store, an 18 wheeler is there unloading supplies and an employee is out there with the truck taking count. I ask her why the doors are locked it's only 9:50 pm and she gives me a snarl and says "I'll have to take it up with the manager." I was pretty nasty to her and said "Oh ya, I'll be taking this up with the manager alright." I leave and go down to the other Wendy's location, a pretty good ride for me, when there was no need.
I went in, asked for a manager and explained what happened. I asked him to please find me the number of the district manager or local corp office. At first he was reluctant, but after he saw and I explained I wasn't leaving until I had some number, he seemed to be able to find the "BOOK" of numbers.
While he was assisting the drive through also, I was talking with the counter girl, she was very nice, and during this whole time, I was polite as well. Rudeness gets you nowhere. I told her about the motorcycle thing, and she laughed and said that's the first she's heard of such a rule, she serves them all the time! Now my face is getting red and I'm about to blow inside! So after only 3 or 4 minutes, the manager got his book, and right in front of me wrote down 2 numbers for me.
The saddest part is, I already know nothing will be done about any of this, if I can even get a live person tomorrow. They just don't care about customers anymore or customer service in most places. The harsh reality is, that Wendy's and its other corporations make so much money, that customer service just doesn't matter to them anymore. They will continue to make tons of money because of people today and their values. I can't count how many reviews and complaints I read on here and they say " I will never visit that location again, and 'maybe' won't visit others."
The sad truth to that is, you will go back, because most people in today's age are lazy, like me, and just don't care about how or who gets their hard earned dollar. Or those who have lots of money, maybe got it the easy way free, just don't value good service anymore.
If a place treats you like this, you SHOULD NEVER go back, unless they right the wrong! And my friends Wendy's couldn't care less about us anymore. All they care about is lining the corporate pockets with green, opening more locations, serving more cold terrible food, paying employee's minimum wage so we get terrible service, and the like..
So tomorrow I will make my best attempt to contact the regional manager for this area. Even if I can contact them, or get a return call. I seriously doubt anything will be done. They really need to restructure the training courses for managers and employees, if they even exist. So the best thing I can do? I WILL NEVER GIVE WENDY's ONE RED CENT MORE of my HARD EARNED money! They can jump off a bridge. After 36 years, it looks like you're all doing a great job at horrible service, horrible food, and getting rich from it. This is one ex-Wendy's / Arby's customer. Good riddance..
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -- OMG!!! On 8/2/11, I truly received bad service and they messed up my order. Went there for lunch. When I was asked to place my order, I responded by saying... "One moment please." 30 seconds later I was asked again to place my order. Again I responded... "One moment please." 30 seconds later... And different person asked me again! I then asked for a fish sandwich and I was told that there was no fish.
I explained to them that I was placing an order for a diabetic and that I would need more time to request another choice. I was told to pull up to the next window and the employee was not so friendly. They rushed me to place my order, and then got upset that I needed more time to choose because they didn't have fish! Totally unprofessional.
I went there again around 9:30pm and the service was worse. The manager had an attitude from the very beginning for no apparent reason. I ordered 2 burgers, 2 baked potatoes with Bacon bits and extra liquid cheese, and a chicken nugget meal. After I paid, I pulled up to the next window and they handed me my drinks. The employee then instructed me to pull forward and told me that they would bring the rest of my food out to me.
After waiting for about 7 minutes, someone brought the food out to me and apologized for the wait. Cool. When I looked in the bag the order seemed to correct. When I got home, there was only 1 straw for 3 drinks! The baked potatoes that I ordered with extra liquid cheese and Bacon bits were a joke. There was hardly any cheese on either of them! I paid for extra cheese! WTF??? Instead of Bacon bits, we got strips of Bacon on top of the potatoes! WTF??? What did I do wrong? My order totaled $20.78. It's not like I ordered off of the dollar menu!
I was so mad, that I stared at it for about a minute and contemplated returning it! If I did not think that they would have spit on my potatoes or would have done something else to get back at me then I would have! I hate being treated like this especially when I'm spending my money. This is why I never eat there. I only went there because my wife wanted Wendy's. When you harbor substandard level employees, they ruin your business. I have been a manager in the hospitality industry for about 15 years now and I know how important it is to have a good team that delivers great service.
The Wendy's location that I am speaking of is located on Chef Menteur highway. If you are in the neighborhood, don't waste your time by stopping there. The staff is rude, they rush you to place your order, and then they mess it up! Spend your money somewhere else because they don't appreciate your business! Been living in the neighborhood for 30 years and if there was a vote, I would definitely vote to have Wendy's kicked out of the neighborhood. Again, that's why I never go there! I don't blame my wife. It's not her fault that the staff sucks!!!!
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -- I am the mother of a 19 year old who recently chose Wendy's, as her first place of employment. My daughter is a very easy going person that is a full time student and cares about the people with whom she comes in contact with. She was excited about her her lil job in the beginning, starting her life as an independent person wanting to create her own way. She has only been employed by Wendy's for 3 months until June 20th.
I had my husband go get her and told him to tell her to leave the uniform because I didn't want to hear another word about the place. She said on her first day the manager put her on the register and showed her a few things. She said the next day they put her on the register again, and no one stayed near her while she was supposed to be in training. She would come home complaining about how they were getting mad at her for calling them to help her out when she said that she needed assistance. She said that other crew members were shouting out to her about being slow and not knowing what she was doing.
She said that she practically trained herself. Well, about two weeks into the job, the manager who she said stayed in his office smoking told her one evening that her register was short $28.00. She said that she told him well, other people are using this register too. So, he didn't charge her for the lost. Then on another occasion, she came home saying that the manager held a meeting saying that the inventory was between 400-and 500.00 short. Well she said that she told them, that she didn't have anything to do with it she just started. This was the final straw that broke the camel's back with me.
She called when her shift was over which I thought she was calling for us to pick her up from work, instead she said that she was in trouble because her register was 60.00 short. She mentioned that a manager went into her register during her shift and she assured me that she was careful while operating it. She told me how they threatened her with the police, as she maintained her innocence. Well, I explained this to my husband who was furious by this time. So, he went and paid them the 60.00 to clear up the mess.
This experience has kind of shaken our daughter's spirit a little bit because she feels like an escape goat for the mischievousness that is taking place in that store. We wanted her to find a job so that she can become aware of what the work world is like. If she has to treated like such and a criminal, when the authority figures are not doing their jobs, I'll just keep giving her an allowance for not washing dishes. At least I know that she won't be accused of things that I feel she is not capable of. I just feel sorry for the next young adult who will be excited about Wendy's being their first job and have to deal with that crew over there on South Claiborne Ave.
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS -- Just don't go there. 1. Their hiring practices are unethical (racist) they predominately hire Mexicans. 2. They're incompetent: Because of their reluctance to use the English language they choose not to communicate effectively causing incorrect orders and disrespect their customers with attitudes due to the employees' ignorance.
I stood behind the elderly woman hearing the order that she placed and was given the wrong items. The manager comes at the elderly lady with here hands flying in the air and says "what is YOUR problem?" The elderly woman began to speak, as she did so the manager then quickly interrupted her saying "OK, OK what do you want". The manager then got the items, put them on the tray, and tossed the tray to the elderly woman, which the tray ran up on the elderly woman's fingers that were on the counter. These are the type (Racist Mexicans) that Wendy's is hiring and allowing to manage and operate within our community.
Communications have been made to upper management and even to the Corporate Office. Things change for a week or so then the managers and employees go back to their old ways. How can Wendy's fix this problem: 1. Practice ethical hiring practices by hiring qualified individuals. Making sure that the management doesn't unfairly treat individual employees that aren't within their ethnicity in order to employ predominately those within the managements ethnicity (Mexican).
Treat customers, especially the elderly, with the respect they they deserve and within the language the CUSTOMER speaks. Wendy's should not hire anyone that cannot speak the English language effectively or chooses not to speak the English language while at work. It's not professional or ethical to speak in a language that you think the customer might not understand in order to insult a customer.
Management should be aware of the demographics which make up the community in which the Wendy's store operates. If your demographics are 75% Caucasian who are not Spanish speaking and 75% or more of your business is within that demographic, then you should not be inconsiderate of that demographic by playing music that employees want to hear, but rather play what the customers may enjoy and at a volume that is pleasant, not unpleasant.
So if you are looking for a correct order, effective communication, a place where you the customer will be appreciated, or even a pleasant experience then the Wendy's at 1102 River Bend Dr, Georgetown, TX 78628 is not the place to do so. Just don't go there as nothing has changed since it was built.
GREENVALE, NEW YORK -- There was a time when I could always count on a fresh, tasty meal at Wendy's. I used to eat there regularly. I usually ordered 2 junior hamburgers and a large fries with an iced tea. Used to taste great and fill me up good. The meat used to hang out of the sides of the burgers and the fries were thicker and good.
But ever since Dave died, the quality is going downhill. The burgers are definitely smaller, and the fries taste just like McDonald's (cardboard). In addition it seems they don't put those nice fresh onions on the junior hamburgers anymore. I now refer to them as "breadburgers" as they have no meat in them. If I wanted McDonald's I would go there, but I don't and haven't eaten their junk food in 10 years!
So I wound up ordering a classic single instead of the juniors as at least they have some more substance to them, but lately even those have been getting skimpy. Whatever happened to "never cutting corners" and "where's the beef"?
I'd gladly pay more to have a decent meal. But they are making us pay a little more for less. The burgers never look like they do in the ads. It's called false advertising and its illegal, Wendy's should have to answer to their scamming the public!
My other complaint has to do with employees that do not understand English. It's getting harder and harder to find a Wendy's that hires English speaking workers. Often they get my order wrong and communicate entirely in Spanish with each other. This is America. I expect people to be able to speak and understand English. One Wendy's, in Greenvale, hires entirely Spanish speaking workers. They conduct interviews in Spanish as well. I have a good reason to believe they are hiring illegal aliens. Because of all these things I stopped at eating at any Wendy's as of last March.
I may go in there to use a restroom before getting on the bus but that's it. Apparently the Greenvale location doesn't like that either, because last time I went in there a couple of weeks ago the manager confronted me and told me he doesn't want me using the restroom. He got pissed because my nose was running and I have to take some napkins. I usually don't take napkins but I didn't have anything to wipe my nose with, I guess he'd rather it drip on the floor?
Anyway he said if he sees me in there again and not ordering anything he's calling the police. I told him I'm not the criminal... he's the criminal for hiring illegal aliens. He said "what does that have to do with my employees?" dodging the question as to whether his workers are here legally.
He then kicked me out. There's no sign saying "restroom for customers only", if there was I wouldn't have used it. Their restroom was disgusting anyway and always dirty and full of MS-13 gang graffiti (from his employees?) I used to frequently patronize that Wendy's as well, but was fed up with the cold food and wrong orders. They couldn't even get a Frosty right, last time I had one there it was melted!
Anyway in the end it's a shame. I used to love Wendy's. I miss the way it used to be. If they truly were doing it "Dave's Way" the food never would've changed. I go to Nathan's now if I want a fast food burger, at least their burger has meat and condiments and the fries taste like potatoes.
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON -- The first time I visited this Wendy's, I got cussed out by an employee that assumed I don't understand Spanish. The second time the manager, Louis, didn't complete my order! It's a fast food order not colonizing Mars!!! Come on Wendy's!!!
SPRINGHILL, FLORIDA -- I was going through the Drive-Thru at Wendy's in Springhill FL and I ordered a Crispy Chicken Sandwich and a LARGE COKE. I paid, got my food, drove home, opened the bag and they ended up giving me a 10 piece with fries and a SMALL SPRITE. I like their fries and chicken luckily, so I just tried to eat them anyways. The chicken nuggets were cold and tasted HORRIBLE, same with their fries. This has happened at least 4 times now (different orders) and I am not going there to eat ever again.
My daughter came home for a visit late last Friday night and, as usual, was hungry when she arrived. It was around midnight, and the only place open was Wendy's drive-through. So off she went to get some late night snacks. I had my usual chili and baked potato, and she had a bacon cheeseburger from the value menu. She also bought some nuggets for us to share.
I was a little worried about the chili because there have been reviews lately that the quality has gone downhill. Since I hadn't had it in a long time, I wondered if the chili from my Wendy's was still as good. When I opened the container, I was pleased to see that the chili was thick and meaty. After only one spoonful, I knew that nothing had changed. It was hot and delicious, and the same quality as always. The potato was also hot and fresh, and the nuggets were extra crispy and tasted like they were just made. My daughter's burger looked extremely appetizing with two big slices of crispy bacon.
Even though it was midnight, all the food was freshly cooked and perfectly prepared. So I am pleased to report that Wendy's in my town is still the same, including the chili. Now, if I could just get them to make vegetarian chili, I'd have it made.


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Film role.
Alexandra Neil ("One Life To Live's" ex-Paige Miller, 2006 to 2007) will be appearing in the upcoming film "The Simon Killer." The project stars Brady Corbet ("Law & Order," "24") as a college grad named Simon, who heads to France where he falls in love with a prostitute. Though the film premiered at The Sundance Film Festival back in January, its release is set for sometime this fall.
Since leaving her Daytime role, Neil has turned up in "Law & Order," "Twelve," and has just finished "The Longest Week." For those who don't recall, her Llanview character left town after her son's death to work with Doctors Without Borders, leaving behind a heart broken Bo Buchanan (Robert S. Woods).
Remember the actor who played Llanview's Tate Harmon? Find out about his upcoming compelling film through Chris Beetem in Lullaby.
Read who gets help from Knox on "Strike Back" through Soaps.com's Primetime Television Spoilers, and if you have a preference for who Salem's Sami Brady should be with check out Soap Opera Fan Blog's Days of our Lives Fan Fiction for a few different options.
Join us on Twitter @soapoperafan, and Facebook. Come tweet and Facebook with us about "One Life To Live," all the other soap operas, "Dallas," "Glee," "Grey's Anatomy," "Vampire Diaries," and "Venice The Series."
- Amy Mistretta

subset: commoncrawl


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This Church Offers Contemporary Advent Beat
December 23, 2011
The pastor of a Columbia area church is celebrating the Christmas season - and his church's recent affiliation with a denomination.
Jaye Morgan, who graduated from Columbia International University in 1989 with a Master of Divinity degree, leads Church at Dutch Fork in Columbia's northwest suburbs.
Morgan's church was recently featured as a part of an Advent season series in The State newspaper in Columbia. Read about the church and its affiliation with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church at the website of The State.


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Near the end of last year we moved into a house on Victoria's beautiful Mornington Peninsular. After years of living in an apartment in Dubai, I have really been enjoying the garden (although I had forgotten how much time it takes to look after one!) A previous owner was obviously a keen green thumb as I have inherited a number of fruit trees including a couple of lemons, a mandarin and an grapefruit. Their bountiful produce has meant that I have had to dust off my old cook books for jam, marmalade and curd recipes. Yum! The harvest I am less sure about dealing with is the vast number of olives that we have collected from the large olive tree in the back garden. Clare and my daughter-in-law, Briohny, are experimenting with a couple of olive pickling recipes but I would love to know if you have any to recommend, or any tips on how to get the best result.
Sue x


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Hearing Instrument Science program breaking ground
Dr. Lawrence Brethower will soon be putting his classroom on wheels and heading down the highway, a first for Ozarks Technical Community College.
Brethower is director of the College's Hearing Instrument Science program, just one of three programs like it in the country.
Now, he has created a version of the traditional classroom program that will be offered inside a specialized, state-of-the-art mobile transport that resembles a recreational vehicle.
Equipped with desks, instruments and other special equipment, Brethower will take the vehicle to community colleges around the state to train students in hearing instrument sciences.
In 2013, Missouri will begin requiring a two-year associate's degree for anyone who fits customers with a hearing aid. Previously, the only training available for this career was on-the-job training, frequently on just one specific make of hearing aid.
"The population is aging and there is a growing demand for trained and licensed specialists in dealing with the instruments involved," Brethower said.
The program offers hands-on laboratory training in a wide variety of skills, as well as clinical internships with area specialists.
Developed with funds from Gov. Jay Nixon's Training for Tomorrow grant, the program is now funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Both grants were designed to educate Missourians in high-tech fields and get them working in growing industries.
The first group of students that started in 2010 will graduate in December; a majority of the class has already received job offers.
"A graduate can go to work for a company or be self-employed. Specialists can work their way up to a good living wage," Brethower said, adding that self-employed specialists can make upwards of $80,000 a year.
Dr. Brethower said the program is designed for someone looking for a career change or looking to learn new skills. It's a win for those in need of work and for those businesses needing a specialist.
"We want to produce craftspeople who will meet the challenges of the hearing impaired," Brethower said. "Taking this statewide, with more people out of work, folks can retool themselves and learn a special skill set."
For more information, including a video about this story, visit www.otc.edu/profiles
College Director of Communications
Phone: 417.447.2655
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Steve Koehler
Coordinator of Publications
Phone: (417) 447-2666
Email: email@example.com


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Click here for the upsell
Web sales pitches are getting better, thanks to new programs designed to sell you stuff you didn't even know you wanted, reports Business 2.0 Magazine.
(Business 2.0 Magazine) -- Online shopping recommendations are the Internet's answer to the old-fashioned upsell. "You like that red Prada hobo bag? You'll love this black canvas number from Dolce & Gabbana."
And apparently they work. Consumers last year spent $220 billion online, according to Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru, who estimates that recommendation systems can account for 10 to 30 percent of an online retailer's sales.
This, naturally, suggests that there's yet more money to be made by offering even better product suggestions. Amazon.com (Charts, Fortune 500) popularized the practice a decade ago with a system that suggested items to customers based on what they and others like them had previously bought -- or even just window-shopped for.
As online shopping scales up, however, the limitations of Amazon's approach are starting to become all too apparent. One reporter who purchased two backyard animal books as a gift -- the only books on the topic he's ever bought -- complains that three years later Amazon is still recommending that he buy Squirrel Wars: Backyard Wildlife Battles & How to Win Them.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says he is not exactly sure why this happened but views personalized recommendations as a "key differentiating factor" for his company. Amazon's engineers are constantly working to make the system better, he says. "If we have 66 million different customers, we want to have 66 million different stores."
But even as Bezos fine-tunes his existing system, several new companies are determined to beat him at his own game. Moreover, they have already started to hire out their sophisticated sales tools to other online retailers.
ChoiceStream is one of the largest newcomers, with more than $10 million in revenue. But scrappy startups like Aggregate Knowledge and CleverSet are also gaining customers. All three are focused on "discovery" -- selling people goods they didn't know they wanted. And all three work on the premise that you need more than a customer's old shopping list to get him to buy new stuff.
Take CleverSet, currently being tested by big-name retailers like Drugstore.com, Sephora, and WineEnthusiast.com.
CleverSet's engine analyzes consumer purchases by product descriptions, prices, ratings, and dozens of other attributes. The software organizes the information into a relational database and then offers products with similar attributes, even if they're not big sellers. Buy a book about camping in Alaska, for instance, and it might suggest a subzero sleeping bag.
CleverSet also tracks how visitors click through a site and makes educated guesses about whether they're browsing, researching, or buying -- knowledge it uses to close the sale. So far, the techniques seem to be paying off: CleverSet CEO Todd Humphrey claims that the 75 online retailers using his engine are averaging a 22 percent increase in revenue per visitor.
ChoiceStream uses a similar approach, especially for movies, music, and the like. The company has painstakingly categorized 40,000 films by more than 50 attributes; these allow its system to match movies by genre, actors, plot type, and more.
For instance, if you like the movie Babel, it might suggest that you check out Do the Right Thing. At first glance, the Brad Pitt vehicle set in Morocco and the Spike Lee movie set in Brooklyn might not seem to have much in common. But ChoiceStream's engine knows that both are complex, unpredictable, suspenseful, and based on sociopolitical themes; each plot is heavy on character transformation and delivers a twist.
That matchmaking logic can help lead viewers to niche titles they otherwise wouldn't have considered, something that's helped Blockbuster (Charts, Fortune 500) compete with Netflix (Charts) in online DVD rentals. Since Blockbuster adopted ChoiceStream, cancellation rates have fallen and subscribers have nearly doubled the number of movies on their order lists.
"We think the technology is more accurate than anything we have looked at," says Shane Evangelist, general manager of Blockbuster Online.
The discovery market has turned out to be lucrative; many industry insiders think it will eventually be as important as basic search. "Discovery is when you don't know what you are looking for to start, but you know it when you see it," says Paul Martino, CEO of Aggregate Knowledge, which is backed by $25 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and DAG Ventures.
Aggregate Knowledge soon will offer cross-site recommendations. Searching a newspaper site for stories about the Valerie Plame CIA leak, for example, can lead you to a site devoted to the old TV series MASH, a send-up of bumbling buffoonery perpetrated in the name of national defense.
In the fall, Martino plans to launch a discovery network that will make connections between online media consumption and online buying. "We can make use of your news browsing to make better product recommendations," he says.
If that blurs the line between recommendations and advertising, that's fine with Martino. It's one of the ways he plans to make money from the service; product suggestions will become highly targeted ads that consumers will discover without ever typing a search term.
Erick Schonfeld is an editor-at-large at Business 2.0.click here.
From the July 1, 2007 issue


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Which Antifreeze is Right for Your Vehicle?
Story and Photography by Jim Marotta Back in the day, no matter which brand you chose, antifreeze was green. The glycol-based formula contained silicates as corrosion inhibitors. You mixed the antifreeze 50/50 with water and poured it in the radiator. As the engine operated, the antifreeze performed its primary duties of carrying heat to the… Read more


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Trane is a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and comprehensive facility solutions, with current annual sales approaching $5 billion. Its offerings include energy efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, top-notch service and parts support, sophisticated building controls and financial solutions. Trane is a business of American Standard Companies, a Fortune 500 company and a leader in the air conditioning, plumbing, and vehicle braking systems markets.
Instructions: Click on the "Position Details" links to see more and Apply Now!
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Hey, you. Oh, you. You hung in there for these series three recaps even though this one is wildly late, and for that I offer you my three-fold explanation for its tardiness: 1) I write these recaps in the middle of the night, mostly, because I have a billion other deadlines to meet, and new shows and news stories take precedence, and also sometimes so does sleep. 2) I was finishing writing a book about American foreign policy in the '90s, and the energy leap from Rwanda and Bosnia to James Jimmy Cook is as hard on the body as time travel. 3) The last time I wrote about JJ, I got the hate-iest hate-mail to ever be hated, and I've been reluctant to stick my face in the way of a moving fist again.
See, because what I did was say how much I like JJ and how it makes perfect sense to me that Emily shags him in this episode. The funniest hate mail I got wondered if I sleep naked in a pile of cash or what, since I am clearly on AfterEllen and E4's payroll, which: Tell that to the duct tape holding my watch together, for starters. And the most infuriating hate mail I got — and I got a dozen of these babies — told me to stop making excuses for the Skins writers, because clearly the only reason Emily shags JJ is because "some straight guy" yanked off his straightness all over the script.
And I gotta tell you: There are few things in the world that piss me off like that kind of myopic, ill-informed, arcane clubhouse-think. If that's your thing, that whole "boys can't make good stories about lesbians" thing, grab a pen and paper 'cause I've got some names for you. Ready? Bryan Elsley, Jamie Brittain, Jack Thorne, Ed Hime, Malcom Campbell. Creators, writers and Keepers of Keys and Hearts in the Land of Naomily. Dudes, the lot of them. Now stick that piece of paper in your denim ideas bag and jot down this: Joss Whedon, Terry Moore, Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams III, Michael Cunningham, Ol Parker. Again: dudes. And here's what you're looking for: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Strangers in Paradise, Batwoman in Detective Comics, The Hours, Imagine Me & You.
Now, after you've watched and read all that glorious content, pop in your L Word season three DVD — lesbians: written by lesbians, for lesbians — and come back here and tell me only gay women should be allowed to write queer characters.
I'm not having a knee-jerk reaction to the criticism, it's just that I wasn't trained to write about TV. I studied history at university, and I've spent years and years of my life following the thread of the Them Vs. Us mentality, and it never ends well. Ever. Ever, ever, ever. No matter how or why you apply it. And it's ultimately ironic that a person would use that kind of argument on this particular episode when one of Emily Fitch's finest moments is when she refuses to let JJ — someone who needs labels to unravel the mystery of causation — corner her with a single definition.
And I'm also not being flippant. I've had months to think about this, to come at it from every possible angle. I mean, I know we're not computers; we're Human Beans. Our emotional output is very rarely based on raw data or hard facts. We all have perception filters determined by our past experiences and stereotypes and levels of education and economic classes and ethnicity and religious upbringings and a whole host of other things. And so if you're watching Skins series three in real-time and you see Emily hop into bed with JJ so soon after her night at the lake with Naomi, your mind jumps to Tina Kennard from TLW and Lindsay from Queer as Folk, and every American show that promised a gay character, and then turned her into Sweeps exploitation. And you're like, "No, godda–it! Not Emily Fitch! She's too special!"
I get that. Oh, how I get that. But we're past that now; we're on the other side. You've seen the truth and beauty of Naomi and Emily's whole story. So, why are we still saying "straight guys blah blah whatever"? Is it because we're a minority, the lesbian community? Yeah? Well, here's a minority group for you: People on the Autism spectrum. Take off your Gay Goggles for a second and imagine you've got Asperger's. Imagine you want a life like a normal person, whatever that means, and watch JJ through those glasses. (And I don't just mean do that with JJ. Do that always. Do that with everything.)
One of the great things about Skins is that it treats every character the same. And why should it not? Life punches us all in the nuts sometimes, we connect the dots from fuck up to fuck up, we live. If you want something easy, watch 90210. If you want something real, hang on — because JJ is about to make some magic.


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Education is a powerful tool for nurturing the leaders of our sustainable future. That's why supporting and cultivating educational communities is fundamental to the work we do at Bioneers.
Bioneers is a thriving network of visionary innovators who are working with nature to heal nature and offer practical solutions for restoring the Earth and people. An important component of this network is a community of educators, working to bring these concepts and solutions into the classrooms, schools and institutions that they call home.
Bioneers is working with a diverse array of leaders in the field of education to help further the cause of education for sustainability. Find out more about our partners and projects on our Education Partners page. We're honored and excited to provide inspirational and practical information, materials and events that educators can utilize to help nourish the next generation of bioneers.
As an educator, there are several ways that we invite you to interact with Bioneers.
Attend (And Bring Your Class) to a Bioneers Conference Near You
The Bioneers Conference is an amazing learning opportunity for students and teachers alike. We encourage teachers and their classes to attend as groups. Scholarships are available for individual educators under the age of 30 and for educators attending with their classes. The Bioneers Conference can also meet professional development requirements through our CEU partnership with Dominican and San Francisco State University.
For more information, visit these pages:
- Bioneers Conference
- Local Beaming Conference in your Region
- Information on Available Scholarships for Youth, Groups & Young Educators
- Information on Discounted Rate on Conference Registration for Educators
Bring Bioneers Into Your Classroom
Some of the most insightful and brilliant thinkers of our generation regularly speak at the Bioneers Conference, creating a vast archive of video presentations and an award winning radio series. These highly accessible 30-minute presentations on a wide range of social, scientific and environmental issues are a great way to begin or deepen in-class discussions. Visit the Bioneers Store to explore our materials, including the groundbreaking collection: "Bioneers Presents Biomimicry: It's All Intelligent."
"I teach a course on Sustainable Living at Utah State University that uses the Bioneers videos quite a bit. I find them to be great discussion starters, and they are nice, thought-provoking introductions to a wide array of environmental topics. I think they would also be great in a survey course where you don't have time to do lengthy readings on each topic."
– Kerry Case, Utah State University
This growing collection offers inspiring stories and essays by Bioneers visionaries and activists at the forefront of environmental and social restoration. These foundational works are increasingly finding their way into classrooms and educational institutions.
"The students in my Ecological Design classes just love Nature's Operating Instructions as a text."
– John Todd, visionary ecological designer and Distinguished Lecturer at University of Vermont, Burlington.
Let Us Know What You Think
With your support and participation, Bioneers intends to refine and focus our engagement with formal education over the next three years, streamlining our materials, developing partnerships and promoting the remarkable work and projects that are already ongoing in our community.
"The compelling stories of the Bioneers — told at our annual conference and simultaneous satellite conferences across North America, and in our radio and book series–demonstrate over and over how great a difference one individual can make." – Kenny Ausubel


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PARIS (AP) — French officials on Thursday condemned Armenian and Azerbaijani activists for clashing with one another in France's parliament.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been in conflict since 1988, over the disputed Caucasus Mountains territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The violent outburst occurred Tuesday in the National Assembly in Paris, during a conference commemorating the anniversary of violence against Armenians in 1988.
Two Azerbaijanis, a man and a woman, tried to interrupt the conference, saying they wanted to commemorate the anniversary of a 1992 massacre of Azerbaijanis. The Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris says the two were attacked and beaten by some of the pro-Armenia participants.
France's Foreign Ministry said Thursday it "regrets and condemns" the acts of violence committed inside the National Assembly.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement criticizing French lawmakers for failing to stop the "brutal beating" of Azerbaijani activists. It blamed "the Armenian lobby and its sponsors" for the violence and voiced hope that French authorities will punish those responsible for the beating the woman, a French citizen of Azerbaijani origin, and an Azerbaijani student.
In Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, about 100 student activists protested near the French Embassy, holding placards with slogans such as "Shame on France!" and "For Justice!"


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Simple composition but rather striking result.BTW: are posting as you shoot, or are you going through accumulated images in order to post.If the first option is correct you obviously get around at a rate of knots.Tony Jay
I like this overall but there is a cloud formation that looks like a foreword slash / which I would remove. My eye found it because its in the middle of the brightest area and for me it spoils the image. I want to look round and round this beautiful work but the eye keeps coming back to the /


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Two Rio Rancho schools are among only four in the State of New Mexico recently recognized for the ongoing quality of their bilingual and multicultural education programs.
Puesta del Sol Elementary School and Rio Rancho High School received New Mexico Public Education Department Bilingual Multicultural Education Program Excellence Awards at a ceremony in the State Capitol rotunda. The award is given for maintaining consistent performance over the course of multiple years. The other two honorees in this category are from the Gadsden and Deming districts in southern New Mexico.
Puesta del Sol, with a student population that is nearly three-quarters minority and is 66% Hispanic, is especially known for its dual-language programs where students learn in both English and Spanish. The school encourages active parent participation in student learning and invites parents to act as full partners in making school decisions that affect children and families. Puesta del Sol also earned a program award in 2014, recognizing the excellence of its dual-language programs.
Rio Rancho High's bilingual and multicultural programs are geared towards helping students to improve reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through the study of language, literature, and composition. The program also emphasizes knowledge of Hispanic culture and reinforcing and expanding students' knowledge of their home language as well as English. Ultimately, in addition to becoming proficient in their academic studies, the aim is that students be bilingual and bi-literate.


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Brave New World, here we come!
Property of the State: Public Indoctrination Centers for Babies at Birth
Infowars.com | April 29, 2005
On NPR a couple of weeks ago and they were talking about how moms in France have it so great because there is free child care available to their children from birth.
Shanny Peer, Ph.D. of the French-American Foundation reports, in her "French Early Childhood Education" presentation that "there are various forms of subsidized care for children under three, including licensed day care centers called creches."
Now, we've run across this article today on how Manitoba is joining Ottawa's national child-care program. It looks like the globalists' plan to break and up and destroy the family is being ramped up, with the public indoctrination centers in countries like France and Canada available for children at birth.
Moms can go back to work (and away from their babies) right away, worry free, feeling secure in the fact that the State has got a hold of their little ones from the very beginning, most impressionable part of their lives. After all, the State loves children and has their best interests in mind.
With all the propaganda of the wonders of State Child-Care currently in circulation, we are sure to hear of a push for our own loving Federal program.
This smacks so loudly of Huxley's Brave New World that we had to include the following excerpt, giving you an idea of what such indoctrination centers at their worst might be like.
From Aldous Huxley's Brave New World:
"The Director opened a door. They were in a large bare room, very bright and sunny; for the whole of the southern wall was a single window. Half a dozen nurses, trousered and jacketed in the regulation white viscose-linen uniform, their hair aseptically hidden under white caps, were engaged in setting out bowls of roses in a long row across the floor. Big bowls, packed tight with blossom. Thousands of petals, ripe-blown and silkily smooth, like the cheeks of innumerable little cherubs, but of cherubs, in that bright light, not exclusively pink and Aryan, but also luminously Chinese, also Mexican, also apoplectic with too much blowing of celestial trumpets, also pale as death, pale with the posthumous whiteness of marble.
The nurses stiffened to attention as the D.H.C. came in.
"Set out the books," he said curtly.
In silence the nurses obeyed his command. Between the rose bowls the books were duly set out a row of nursery quartos opened invitingly each at some gaily coloured image of beast or fish or bird.
"Now bring in the children."
They hurried out of the room and returned in a minute or two, each pushing a kind of tall dumb-waiter laden, on all its four wire-netted shelves, with eight-month-old babies, all exactly alike (a Bokanovsky Group, it was evident) and all (since their caste was Delta) dressed in khaki.
"Put them down on the floor."
The infants were unloaded.
"Now turn them so that they can see the flowers and books."
Turned, the babies at once fell silent, then began to crawl towards those clusters of sleek colours, those shapes so gay and brilliant on the white pages. As they approached, the sun came out of a momentary eclipse behind a cloud. The roses flamed up as though with a sudden passion from within; a new and profound significance seemed to suffuse the shining pages of the books. From the ranks of the crawling babies came little squeals of excitement, gurgles and twitterings of pleasure.
The Director rubbed his hands. "Excellent!" he said. "It might almost have been done on purpose."
The swiftest crawlers were already at their goal. Small hands reached out uncertainly, touched, grasped, unpetaling the transfigured roses, crumpling the illuminated pages of the books. The Director waited until all were happily busy. Then, "Watch carefully," he said. And, lifting his hand, he gave the signal.
The Head Nurse, who was standing by a switchboard at the other end of the room, pressed down a little lever.
There was a violent explosion. Shriller and ever shriller, a siren shrieked. Alarm bells maddeningly sounded.
The children started, screamed; their faces were distorted with terror.
"And now," the Director shouted (for the noise was deafening), "now we proceed to rub in the lesson with a mild electric shock."
He waved his hand again, and the Head Nurse pressed a second lever. The screaming of the babies suddenly changed its tone. There was something desperate, almost insane, about the sharp spasmodic yelps to which they now gave utterance. Their little bodies twitched and stiffened; their limbs moved jerkily as if to the tug of unseen wires.
"We can electrify that whole strip of floor," bawled the Director in explanation. "But that's enough," he signalled to the nurse.
The explosions ceased, the bells stopped ringing, the shriek of the siren died down from tone to tone into silence. The stiffly twitching bodies relaxed, and what had become the sob and yelp of infant maniacs broadened out once more into a normal howl of ordinary terror.
"Offer them the flowers and the books again."
The nurses obeyed; but at the approach of the roses, at the mere sight of those gaily-coloured images of pussy and cock-a-doodle-doo and baa-baa black sheep, the infants shrank away in horror, the volume of their howling suddenly increased.
"Observe," said the Director triumphantly, "observe."
Books and loud noises, flowers and electric shocks already in the infant mind these couples were compromisingly linked; and after two hundred repetitions of the same or a similar lesson would be wedded indissolubly. What man has joined, nature is powerless to put asunder.
"They'll grow up with what the psychologists used to call an 'instinctive' hatred of books and flowers. Reflexes unalterably conditioned. They'll be safe from books and botany all their lives." The Director turned to his nurses. "Take them away again.
Manitoba joins Ottawa's child-care plan
CBC News | Friday, April 29, 2005
WINNIPEG - Ottawa and Manitoba signed an agreement for a national child-care program Friday, the first deal of its kind in the country.
Prime Minister Paul Martin announced the deal during a campaign-style stop in Winnipeg. He's expected to make another child-care deal announcement in Saskatchewan later in the day.
"A national child-care program is one of the cornerstones of our commitment to Canadians," said Martin. "This will give children a tangible head start, and set them on the path to lifelong achievement."
Manitoba is to get $26 million from Ottawa to pay for day-care programs and Saskatchewan will get $22 million provided a federal election doesn't interfere first.
Under the deal, Manitoba will add 5,000 new child-care spaces, increase wages for workers in the industry, expand the nursery school program and train more early childhood educators.
The child-care program was a key part of the Liberal election platform last year, and Social Development Minister Ken Dryden had hoped to persuade all 10 provinces and the three territories to sign one agreement to set a new national standard for child care.
Ontario is expected to sign a separate agreement for funding worth $280 million within a few days, but Dryden has run into opposition from Quebec and Alberta, which want to be able to choose how to spend their share of the money.
The federal government has set aside $700 million this year and $5 billion over five years for the child-care program.
But the money cannot be used until the House of Commons passes the federal budget. And that might not happen if Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois are able to bring down the minority government first.
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer said his government has pushed hard to take the lead on child care. "We were ready to go in November, before all that stuff happened in Ottawa."
But Pat Wege of the Manitoba Child Care Association is worried that children may never see the money. "Until the budget is passed, Manitoba doesn't get a dime," she said, "so that means all those parents who are on waiting lists are going to keep waiting."
I swear, the future looks so incredibly bright! :-P
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Welcome to California Vintage
California Vintage is a wine bar restaurant which introduces the Asian market to the authentic taste of California wine country. We feature a rotating selection of 90 wines that are exclusively produced by 22 family-owned wineries that we are partnered with.
Try us out on your next lunch, treat your business partners with a nice dinner, have an amazing evening with friends or family – California Vintage will impress on any occasion.Read about us
Our Menu
Complementing the wine selection is our signature Seasonal Pairing Menu which was developed in collaboration with esteemed Napa Valley chef, Richard Haake.
The seasonally-changing selection of fresh, wine country-inspired California cuisine is prepared using genuine, California-sourced ingredients and presented so as to encourage the selection of food that will enhance the wine experience — and vice versa!View our menu
Our Service
Unique in concept and design, CV engages both wine connoisseurs and casual enthusiasts through an interactive, user-friendly and tech-enhanced environment.
Our info-loaded iPad menus help customers make selections with details available on all wine and food offerings. While guests can select and sample wines independently, our attentive, well-informed staff will always offer suggestions.Come and enjoy


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You are here
Home » Overview » Poetry Walk
10th Annual Poets House Bridge Walk, Celebrating Stanley Kunitz's 100th Birthday
A Benefit for Poets House with with Lucille Clifton, Billy Collins, Galway Kinnell & Jean Valentine
Date and Time:
June 13, 2005 - 6:00PM
Event Location:
Brooklyn Bridge
"An event that may make you fall in love with New York City all over again." —Time Out New York
Join Lucille Clifton, Billy Collins, Galway Kinnell, Jean Valentine and others for this unforgettable literary pilgrimage over the bridge that inspired Hart Crane, Walt Whitman, and generations of poets. The event begins near City Hall, pauses for readings under Roebling's famous arches and culminates in a recitation at Brooklyn's historic Fulton Ferry Landing. The evening concludes with a festive dinner in DUMBO.
Event Sponsored By:
Poets House
Event Type:
Poetry Walk


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Vanessa Hudgens Loves alice + olivia
Vanessa Hudgens keeps it cute as she and mom Gina meet up with Vanessa's boyfriend Austin Butler on Wednesday (May 16) in Burbank, Calif.
The 23-year-old actress (in a Sauce cosmic skirt and Low Luv necklace) took her mama out to Gindi Thai for lunch.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa posted a new favorite thing to her blog – her black alice + olivia dress! She said, "I love my alice + olivia Minidress! It's a little more exciting than the little black dress. Plus I can eat anything in that dress!"
10+ pictures inside of Vanessa Hudgens going out to lunch with her mom and Austin Butler…


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A buddy reported this to me in an email.
"I saw a guy almost... well, hard to say what the almost was. Almost died? Almost broke his back? It was a beginner kiter taking a lesson at Isabel/Richmond, and he did this massive jump very close to shore Monday (6/3), when it was howling. I think it was not planned to go so high. I thought he was going to land on the rocks. Fortunately did not. Whew."
A few things are disturbing. I don't think Isabel is a good place for a lesson or to kite period. Plus jumping as a beginner?... Near rocks (there are only rocks there) Plus Monday was very strong wind in Berkeley.
I will try to get more info.


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Non-volcanic Tremors in Subduction zones: Physical Basis and Seismic Implications
AbstractThe discovery of Episodic non-volcanic Tremor and Slip (ETS) events in multiple subduction zones is arguably the most intriguing new phenomenon in earthquake seismology in the past decade. ETS consists of non-impulsive seismic radiation ("tremor") with characteristic frequencies of 1-10 Hz and exceptionally long durations of minutes to days, coupled with geodetically observed slow slip events (SSE) with duration of order weeks. Both tremor and slip episodes occur down-dip from the seismogenic zones, posing significant questions as to their origin, and also relative to existing concepts of interseismic loading. For example, what are the causes of the spatiotemporal coincidence between tremor and slip in subduction zones? Why do low-frequency earthquakes, part of the tremor signal, last much longer than earthquakes of similar magnitudes? Why is there a "gap" between the ETS region and the full interseismic locking depth in northern Cascadia, while the down-dip ends of the 1944 Tonankai and 1946 Nankai megathrust ruptures seem to coincide with the onset of ETS in SW Japan? And what are their implications for megathrust earthquakes and seismic hazard assessment?
Physical mechanism studies using numerical models in the framework of rate and state-dependent friction have so far only focused on explaining the "slip" part of ETS. Furthermore, such numerical studies have all assumed time-independent fluid pressure, although fluid movement has been suggested to play an important role in tremor generation and ETS migration. Building upon our experience in slow slip events modeling, we seek DOEI support to start constructing a more realistic subduction fault model that encapsulates the essential physics of non-volcanic tremors, in a context consistent with the occurrence of SSEs, and to study their relation to megathrust earthquakes. In the proposed work, we plan to develop a more complete physical description of fluid transport, pore dilation and pressurization coupled with rate and state friction evolution. Within this framework, we will specifically investigate
- the spontaneous generation of LFE/tremor sources on small heterogeneities under the influence of dilatancy-strengthening and shear heating induced fluid pressurization,
- physical conditions for tremor to be triggered by small cyclic stress perturbations from ocean or solid-earth tides, or dynamic stresses by teleseismic surface waves,
- how frictionally unstable fault can slip aseismically and properties that affect the relative depth ranges of earthquake rupture and ETS events.
The largest and most devastating earthquakes occur in shallow subduction zones. The discovery of ETS events in these areas is a major development, and improved understanding of their physical basis may increase our knowledge for earthquake forecast and seismic hazard assessment. Progress in this project will contribute the Institute's theme on "Dynamic processes at the seafloor". Results will be valuable for a larger NSF project, which studies coupled ETS events and megathrust earthquakes, with constitutive properties constrained by laboratory friction experiments and geodetic observations.


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Shigella Infections
Please Note: By clicking a link to any resource listed on this page, you will be leaving the KidsHealth site.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC (the national public health institute of the United States) promotes health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH is an Agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and offers health information and scientific resources.


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A bright and beautiful Avocado Feta Salsa recipe served with marinated grilled chicken and shrimp. The salsa mingles the fresh flavors of sharp Feta cheese, buttery avocado, juicy grape tomatoes, crisp corn, slightly pungent red onion, and aromatic basil. It is lightly dressed in lemon and extra-virgin olive oil and allows the vibrant flavors to shine brightly. Summer on a plate.
The chicken and shrimp are simply marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and thyme. They grill up juicy and tender picking up the subtle flavors of the marinade. Eaten together they make a tasty, complimenting trio that is texturally pleasing to the eyes and mouth. Light, clean and healthy. Food that makes you feel good.
The salsa is quite versatile. For lunch the next day I mixed what was left of the shrimp right in with the salsa. Delicious! The salsa on its own or in combination with the chicken or shrimp could also get stuffed into pitas, served over salad greens or be gently tossed with cooked pasta and additional dressing.
Enjoy my version of surf and turf!
Avocado Feta Salsa with Marinated Grilled Chicken and Shrimp Skewers
(by Reeni)
1/2 to 1 Lemon, juiced*
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 Avocado, diced
1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
4 ounces Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/4 Red Onion, thinly sliced in half moons
1/2 cup Cooked Corn, chilled
Sea or Kosher salt and Fresh Black Pepper
6 large Basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade** or thinly sliced
1. In a small mixing bowl whisk 1/2 lemon, olive oil and mustard.
2. To a separate medium bowl add avocado, tomatoes, Feta, onion and corn. Pour dressing over top and gently toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add additional lemon juice if needed and garnish with basil.
3. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving to allow the flavors time to develop.
Marinated Chicken and Shrimp Skewers
2 Lemons, juiced*
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Oregano
2 large boneless, skinless Chicken Breast
1/2 pound Shrimp, cleaned and deveined
Bamboo or Metal Skewers
1. A few hours before serving whisk all ingredients except chicken and shrimp together. Divide evenly and marinate the chicken in refrigerator. Store the remaining marinade in refrigerator.
2. A half hour to an hour before cooking skewer the shrimp and marinate them in the marinade you set aside earlier. Soak bamboo skewers in water.
3. Grill the chicken until juices run clear or an internal temperature of 165 – 174 is reached. When the chicken is almost cooked grill the shrimp skewers on each side. They are done when they turn pink.
4. Let the chicken sit for five minutes, then slice and serve with the salsa over top followed by the shrimp.
*Microwave for ten seconds and then roll against counter using the palm of your hands to get the most juice.
**Stack the leaves, roll them up then cut across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife to make thin ribbons.
Avocado Feta Salsa: 5 servings/175 calories per serving
I'm sending the Avocado Feta Salsa to Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes for her Vegetable/Fruit Event: Avocado!
I'm also sending this to Nithu of Spicy Tasty to enter in her Sizzling Summer Contest.
foodie_views_link_url = 'BLOG_POST_URL';


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The Daily Word 01.26.11: Local Vigilantes, Dark Matter, Big Bras
Obama gave his State of the Union speech last night. Here are some highlights, and lowlights.
Local teen vigilantes kick some ass.
Hey ladies, this guy needs a girlfriend.
Farmington man uses homemade receipts to steal $25,000 worth of electronics from Sam's Club.
New bill under consideration would fine motorists for driving too-close to bicyclists.
Could dark matter really be aliens?
Flavor Flav is starting a fried-chicken franchise.
Mark Bittman ends his Minimalist column after 13 years.
You have died of dysentery. The Oregon Trail turns 40.
Is it possible to love a dog enough to pay $35 for a scented candle?
You know what makes me happy? Bras.
Eat This, Not That's six worst coffee drinks.
NASA discovers a loose star.
I don't know, why do storm clouds have flat tops?
Look at these transparent animals.


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DETROIT (AP) — Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (SHOO'-tee) wants an entire federal appeals court to take a look at a decision overturning the state's ban on gay marriage.
Schuette told reporters Friday that he's asking the Cincinnati-based court to skip the usual step of first assigning the case to a three-judge panel. He says it would save time and money to have the full court take the appeal.
Schuette says, "We want to cut to the chase." He says there's plenty of precedent in other high-profile cases.
Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage was declared unconstitutional two weeks ago by a Detroit federal judge. Hundreds of couples were married before the appeals court suspended the ruling a day later.
Schuette has defended the gay-marriage ban. It was approved by voters in 2004.


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Stockton, CA
James L. Dougherty
Oct. 15, 1923 - Feb. 9, 2013
James L. Dougherty, age 89, of Stockton, CA, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 at Stockton,
CA. He was born on Oct. 15, 1923 in CA to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Dougherty.
James was the oldest of two children. He married Norma Trembly in Stockton, CA on Sept. 16, 1944. They had two children. He attended College of the Pacific, and Naval Officer's School. He served in the Marine Corps for 2 years before transferring to the US Navy as an officer. A veteran of WWII, he earned American Theatre Victory Medal. He was a long-time resident of Stockton, CA for 70 years. He was employed by SW Foods as a sales rep for 35 years. James was a member of Toastmasters, Sirs and Look Who's Talking Cancer Support Group. He enjoyed Golf, travel, reading, bridge, 49er football and family.
James will be remembered by his loving daughters, Kathy Dye and Patty Clark (John). He is also survived by four grandchildren,
Melissa (Jeff), Jennifer, Laura and Katie (Bryon) four great grandchildren and Sister Barbara Sefried. Predeceased in death by his loving wife of 64 years Norma.
Family and friends are invited to celebrate the life of James at a Memorial Service at DeYoung Shoreline Chapel, 7676 Shoreline Dr., Stockton, CA on Friday February 15, 2013 at 1:00 pm.


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Linda S. Kniesteadt, 60 - February 14, 2013Linda S. Kniesteadt, 60, of Cozad passed away Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, at her home in Cozad.
Services took place on Monday, Feb. 18, at the Berryman Funeral Home Chapel in Cozad with the Rev. Doug Smith officiating. Burial was conducted at the Cozad Cemetery.
Kniesteadt was born June 7, 1952, at Cozad to Chris and Irma (Fenno) McNulty. She attended school in the Cozad area most of her life, until her mother's passing in 1969 necessitated her move to Washington to live with her uncle. She then graduated from high school at Walla Walla, WA, in 1971.
Following high school, she moved to Las Vegas, NV, where she worked in casinos. Around 1974, she returned to Cozad where she began employment with Tenneco Automotive.
On June 28, 1975, she married Bob Kniesteadt at Cozad. The couple resided at Cozad where they raised two children.
Kniesteadt eventually moved on to work as a cashier at C-Mart and Jack & Jill Food Store before entering the field of home health. She loved her work as a caregiver and continued that career until 2008, when her failing health would no longer allow her to work, according to family members.
She loved getting out of the house and being active including shopping and going for long car rides, said family. She spent as much time outdoors as she could, even tagging along with her husband when he went hunting.
?Her five grandchildren always brought tremendous joy to her life and she loved to spend time with them, family members said. Most recently, she enjoyed spending time with her hospice nurses who always seemed to bring her comfort throughout the long struggle she had with her health. She was a dedicated wife, mom, grandma, sister and friend.
Kniesteadt was preceded in death by: her parents, Chris and Irma McNulty; three sisters—Dorothy Beberniss, Joann Meyer and Dianna Holbrook; a brother, Jerry Wilson.
Survivors include: her husband, Bob Kniesteadt of Cozad; her daughter, Crystal (Candy) Rodriguez of Omaha; a son, Bobby (Danielle Walker) Kniesteadt of Cozad; five grandchildren—Haelie, Sebastian and Serena Kniesteadt, and Calyssa and Carley Rodriguez; a sister, Doris Anderson of Cozad; two brothers—Tom McNulty of Texas and Larry Wilson of Indiana; numerous other relatives.
A memorial has been established.
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Spring brings brush of color
Twenty-three tiny glass bottles filled with flowing liquids of various colors have waited patiently all winter, longing to meet the warm sunshine again.
Me too.
Although I snuggle my feet in fun toe socks while it's cold outside, I'd much rather set them free in warm-weather flip-flops.
I won't do that, though, without a brush of color. So when the calendar said the season had officially changed to spring on Sunday, I rescued the basket of bottles from the darkness.
It was time to let the painting begin.
But what color? Sometimes too many choices make a decision difficult—California raspberry, Cancun fiesta, chocolate mousse, cotton candy, ultraviolet, orange county.
How is a girl to choose?
Each vibrant bottle seemed to scream, "Pick me, pick me!"
I narrowed the field to five and then after brushing one strip of each, I chose the one I thought did the best job of bringing a spring smile to my face—flashbulb fuschia.
Nothing says, "Hello Spring!" quite like hot pink toenails.
On a side note, the lost has been found.
I wrote last month about my son's trombone slipping from the luggage compartment of a school bus somewhere between here and Hyannis.
All of the sheriff's departments that I contacted laughed at me. They either didn't believe my story or didn't think the horn would ever show up.
Well Royce Penner was laughing too when he spotted the unusual roadside rubble from the cab of a tractor he was driving down Highway 61 south of Arthur a couple of weeks ago.
"I just really couldn't figure out how a trombone got in the road ditch," he said when he called the phone number he found on the case.
The tough plastic exterior took the brunt of the damage. With a little cleaning and tender loving care on some minor dings in the slide, the trombone is happily honking again.
Thank you Mr. Penner.
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After auditioning more than 20 kids, the three-part contest, "Smyrna's Got Voice-Kids Rock!" will hold its finale next weekend. Four of the seven finalists will represent MOT, giving the area a distinct advantage in the competition.
On Saturday, April 27, the Smyrna Opera House will host the finale of its vocal talent competition, "Smyrna's Got Voice-Kids Rock!" The local competition has featured more than a dozen regional singers between the ages of 10 and 17 years old over the course of the three-round contest.
The kids were divided into two age groups with close to 30 youthful hopefuls auditioning. The first round of competition took place on Saturday, Feb. 23, with six kids from each group advancing to round two.
The second round, which took place in March, whittled the 12 down to seven.
Four pre-teens from the first group will now compete in next week's finale: 12-year-old Katie Loftus of Townsend, 10-year-old Alexandra Cseke of Dover and Jaden McGeoch and Sydney Wilson, both 12 years old and from Middletown.
The older teen group features just three adolescents: 14-year-old Lauren Berry of Townsend, 16-year-old Gracie Buskirk of Camden-Wyoming and 16-year-old Smyrna resident Chrystina Haldeman.
Berry started the competition by tackling "Mama's Song" by country sensation Carrie Underwood. For round two, she aimed for the sky with "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" by another country superstar, Martina McBride. For the finals, she's going to stick with Martina McBride and will sing "A Broken Wing."
"I've found the experience to be fun and have enjoyed meeting new people," said Berry, whose favorite moment so far was when she heard she'd been selected for the final round.
She said her fellow competitors "are very talented and anyone can win." But, if she wins, she'll share her victory with those closest to her.
"If I win I will celebrate with friends and family," she said.
Taking a cue from its inspiration, "American Idol," Smyrna's Got Voice audience members will vote for the winner but not before a panel of judges weighs in with constructive criticism and suggestions. The panel includes three local arts enthusiasts: Barbara Bigelow, Scot McClymont and David Thomas. All three have previous experience in music and stage presence.
Tickets are still available for next weekend's finale and start at $13 per person. Family four-packs are also available for $30. The family packs include two adult tickets and two child tickets. All seats are general admission. Discounts are available for children 12 years old and younger and for students with identification. However, all discounts must be confirmed by calling the box office at (302) 653-4236. Discounts are not available for tickets purchased through the Smyrna Opera House website.


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Click here for information about Elementary 27 Attendance Zoning
The Leander ISD Street Directory Listing will enable parents and/or guardians to find the school that their student(s) are zoned to attend. To locate this information, please search the document linked above for your street name. The directory listing contains street names, address ranges, and direction if it applies (i.e. N for north, S for South) as well as a column indicating Odd, Even or Both. In some cases you will find that a street name and number will attend a particular school based on the street number being odd or even.
Leander ISD's Infofinder i (Transfinder) software allows LISD parents to get information on their students' bus stop locations and times by simply entering their street address and the student's grade level. TransFinder will then give you a map showing your child's assigned elementary or secondary bus stop. Please contact the Transportation Department at 512-570-0700 for any questions related to Bus Routes.
Transfer Moratoria Information
Middle School
High School
Middle School
High School
This product is for informational purposes and may not have been prepared for or be suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. It does not represent an on-the-ground survey and represents only the approximate relative location of property boundaries.
Engage, inspire, achieve for lifelong success.


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Designs by rosannahope
Rosanna Hope
Miami Beach Florida USA
I enjoy painting and designing. I have been hand painting children's clothes and nursery items for several years. I have also been a handbag and millinery designer for Kentucky Derby. I have always had a love affair with beautiful textiles and laces.


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Plans Unveiled for 2013 Michigan Growth Capital Symposium
Jan 17, 2013, 11:03 EST
Networking, Company Presentations and Panels to Drive Program at Midwest's Premier Equity Event
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) today unveiled preliminary plans for the 2013 event, which is the Midwest's annual must-attend gathering to connect angel, seed and growth stage investors from across the U.S. with executives of early stage and emerging growth companies and related stakeholders. It is scheduled for May 21-22, 2013 at the Marriott Resort in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Celebrating its 32nd year, the University of Michigan-produced MGCS has become known as a champion of entrepreneurial growth and investment opportunities in the greater Midwest. Since the first growth capital symposium held in 1980, it has helped more than 800 companies raise funding and has been taken on the road by the University to Florida, Iowa and even Warsaw, Poland.
Cleveland, Ohio-based OnShift Software, which offers a communications platform to help employers fill open shifts and replace absent workers, presented at the 2011 Symposium and has since closed on its Series B round of funding. "It was a great event with a good number of investors, many who are focused on our area," said CEO Mark Woodka about his experience at the event. "MGCS organizes the investor presentations by type of company so you only pitch to investors that have an interest in what you do. We received strong interest from three venture firms due to our presentation at the Symposium and the connections we made there will also benefit us for future funding needs."
In addition to presentations from 32 "Best of the Midwest" companies across emerging growth sectors such as life sciences and technology, MGCS will feature keynote speakers and panel discussions led by some of the nation's leading investors and entrepreneurs. The sessions will provide insight on venture capital and investment trends, with input from seasoned industry executives representing firms of all sizes and across myriad industry specialties.
"The Symposium represents the many people and organizations that work tirelessly to prove to the world that Michigan—and the Midwest more generally—have what it takes to develop into an innovation hub that could hold its own with the likes of the Silicon Valley and Boston: the research, the investment power and the talented entrepreneurs, among other things," said David J. Brophy, MGCS founder and director and professor of finance at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. "People are now paying attention to us big time. We should all feel good about it, but never quit working."
The Michigan Growth Capital Symposium is hosted by the Ross School of Business' Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies with support from the Michigan Venture Capital Association. Additional sponsors for the 2013 event are currently being enlisted, with sponsorships ranging from $1,000-$10,000. The application for companies to present is currently available online. For more information or to become a sponsor, please visit www.michigangcs.com.
About the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS)
MGCS is the original university-based venture fair. This nationally attended two-day event provides an opportunity for financiers to connect with up-and-coming Midwest businesses and learn about emerging technologies. The Symposium offers the opportunity to build relationships with an unparalleled business network of distinguished private equity industry leaders, leading university research faculty, and entrepreneurial business professionals. Entering its 32nd year, MGCS continues to draw top investors from coast to coast. MGCS is presented by the Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan with support from the Michigan Venture Capital Association and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
SOURCE Michigan Growth Capital Symposium


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University of Missouri
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MU Extension > calendar
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The First Steps to Starting a Business & Basics of Writing a Business Plan
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
4747 Troost Ave, Kansas City MO map...
This is the combined discount registration for The First Steps to Starting a Business and The Basics of Writing a Business Plan (November 19).
Class size:
Event full:
Carmen DeHart, email@example.com of Missouri-Kansas City SBTDCphone: 816-235-6428
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JGit GSoc 2012
JGit Command Line Interface
The Command Line Interface (CLI) in JGit mimics its CGit equivalent. However, there is more to it than just having a second tool doing the same thing. The JGit CLI is a perfect way to verify robustness of the JGit Command API. It can be also used to simplify writing JUnit tests.
The project would be about adding new CLI commands to the o.e.jgit.pgm project and vice versa ie translating some of the existing CLI commands/switches to JGit Command API. In addition, the student could help with randomized JGit tests.
- Project Page: JGit GSoc 2012
- Reporter: Tomasz Zarna
- Possible Mentors: Tomasz Zarna, Matthias Sohn
- Interested Student: Franziska Schmidt
- More info: jgit-dev thread
- Eclipse Project: JGit
Project timeline
Phase 1 (up to June 20, 2012)
- Research JGIT CLI code base - Complete
- Compile list of commands to update in this project - In progress
- Write script to automate comparison of JGit API and JGit CLI - In progress
Note: Phase 1 was extended to June 20 to some initial problems with set up, and overestimating available work time during travels.
Phase 2 (up to July 10, 2012)
- Implement first commands
- Research automated and unit testing in JGIT
Some steps have been taken for Phase 2, including:
- Submitting bug reports to learn to use Bugzilla [1]
- Submitting trivial bug patch to learn to use Gerrit [2]
Phase 3 (up to August 10, 2012)
[1] https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=382163 [2] https://git.eclipse.org/r/#/c/6102/


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I love chickpeas, which I grew up knowing as ceci beans and some people know as garbanzo beans, though they are actually legumes. You can find them dried—split or whole—or canned. They kind of have a bad rap because chickpeas can be rather tough and take forever to cook. But recently I have been using this fantastic product, Bartolini Umbrian Chickpeas (frantoiobartolini.com). One night's soaking and the chickpeas are perfectly ready to cook, and when cooked, produce a really nice tender bite. This winter I have been using chickpeas a lot. I used to soak a little over half a bag of beans for a dish, and then I'd have a lonely less-than-half bag sitting in the pantry which I wouldn't use for years because there weren't quite enough beans to do a recipe. Now I soak the whole pound bag and make multiple recipes from them over the course of a few days. To start, soak one pound of dried chickpeas in cold water overnight (I just leave it out on the counter). Drain. You should have six to eight cups of chickpeas. By the way: the Bartolini chickpeas click during the night. Really. Kevin and I wandered around our dark kitchen for twenty minutes trying to figure out which major appliance was about to blow, only to finally, and rather embarrassingly, discover the dried peas were popping.
Chickpea Soup
Makes 4 big hearty servings
I add different ingredients at the end of this recipe, depending on what I have and whom I am serving. Sometimes I will cook some shrimp in the soup at the end. This is what the Tuscans do and I think it is very elegant. For meat eaters, I'll slice in kielbasa sausage and let it cook in the soup for 10 minutes or so. Ditto for chopped kale or other greens. (The picture, by the way, has everything in it.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 cup minced carrot (about 2 carrots)
1 cup minced celery (about 3 celery stalks)
3 whole garlic cloves, skins removed
1 cup chopped tomato
1 bay leaf
4 cups chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
6 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped kale (optional)
Sliced kielbasa sausage (optional)
Dozen medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)
Grated Parmesan for garnish (see note)
Chopped flat-leafed parsley for garnish
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Sauté for about five minutes, until the onion becomes translucent. Add the tomato and bay leaf, stir, and then add the chickpeas and water. Cover and bring the soup to a boil over a medium high heat. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 2 1/2 hours. Check the pot every once in a while to be sure the soup doesn't evaporate too much. If so, add more water. When the soup is done season to taste. Remove the bay leaf and garlic cloves (you can mash the garlic and rub them on bread if you like). Garnish each serving with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped flat-leafed parsley.
If you wish, add chopped kale or other green vegetable like mustard greens to the soup and cook until it is well wilted, about 10 minutes (don't worry if the kale smells a little like dirty socks—the taste is great). Likewise, if you want to add shrimp, cook them in the soup until they are pink. Or, you can sauté the shrimp in a little minced garlic and oil before adding it to each serving. (I don't garnish with Parmesan if I am serving shrimp in the soup.) For kielbasa, simply slice up as much as you want and throw it into the soup for about 10 minutes, so the flavors can meld.
Note: I hand-grate Parmesan for two reasons: the cheese tastes fresher than pre-grated, and I get to keep the cheese rinds. In New York there are stores that sell Parmesan cheese rinds. That's because when you throw a rind into a bean soup or stew, it lends this creamy, silky quality. Very yummy, so save those rinds!
I'll make Osso Bucco with the remaining chickpeas in day or so…


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators introduced legislation on Thursday that would delay by one year the penalty facing Americans who do not enroll in insurance plans in 2014, as called for in President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law.
Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, and Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, said the bill would push back to 2015 the $95 penalty related to the so-called individual mandate.
The rollout of the law known as Obamacare has been plagued by technical glitches and other controversies since the main web portal to enroll, HealthCare.gov, was launched on October 1.
(Reporting by Karey Van Hall, Editing by Peter Cooney)


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When Maxwell's, the legendary Hoboken rock club and restaurant, closes its doors for good at the end of July, it will be largely remembered for the legendary artists who graced its stage. Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruce Springsteen, and many lesser-known musicians with cult followings.
To the club's fans, it was about more than the big acts.
"I saw Glenn Tillbrook [of the Brit-pop band Squeeze] play an acoustic set once, and in the middle of the show, he led the entire audience outside onto Washington Street, walked down to the Elks Club, played a song on the steps, and went around the entire block and then right back into the club," said Tim Ghegan, who says he has been to around 1,000 shows at Maxwell's and who moved to Hoboken in 1990. (A photo of the Tillbrook journey made the cover of the following weekend's Hoboken Reporter.)
Jack Silbert of Hoboken recalled that in 2001, hometown indie heroes Yo La Tengo took the stage at their New Year's Eve show to the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey," dressed as gorillas. The group was also known for traditionally booking the club for the eight nights of Hanukkah (Ghegan has been to 60 of those 72 nights).
And rock critic Dawn Eden remembered moments even earlier in the club's 35-year history, such as when she interviewed crooner Jonathan Richman there.
"Maxwell's is where I went to see They Might Be Giants with my mom in early 1985, before they were on MTV," she said. "They were using posters with lyrics so the crowd could sing along."
"Some people are saying, 'Oh, well, they didn't change with the times.' " – Todd Abramson
That's what Todd Abramson, one of the club's co-owners and its longtime booker, said in an interview of Thursday. He said the city is no longer welcoming to visitors, and not enough of today's residents are interested in what Maxwell's has to offer.
"When deciding what to do with Maxwell's, or any business, you can't just look at the present and the past; you have to look at the future," said Abramson. "Adding everything up, the feeling amongst us was Hoboken simply wasn't conducive to the nature of our business anymore."
Parking difficulties
Abramson spoke first about parking. Maxwell's is located on busy Washington Street, on the corner of 11th, two blocks from the waterfront. Like many parts of Hoboken, parking is not easy there on a weekend night. The city offers several public garages downtown that are well used by visitors. The privately run uptown Park on Park garage was recently demolished to make way for residential development.
Abramson said that the city's longstanding parking difficulties had become too wearisome to deal with, and that the city's reputation for confusing street signage hinders visitation.
"If you notice, the spaces where you're allowed to park for four hours, [the signs] don't say 'Four Hour Parking' in big letters, then in small letters 'Unless You Have a Permit.' It says 'Permit Parking Only' and then in small letters it lets people know that you can park [for four hours]," he said.
He acknowledged that the signs are nothing new, but said he felt the city wasn't doing enough to make improvements. (See related story on cover about Hoboken's new parking director.)
"Those signs were not put in by this administration, but that doesn't mean you can't correct a mistake," he said.
Abramson said that he had voiced his concerns with administration officials for years, and "the meetings seemed to go okay, but nothing ever got done."
Mayor Dawn Zimmer said last week that she was sorry to see Maxwell's go, and that she had worked hard to convince Abramson and his partners to reconsider. Abramson said that when the city caught wind of the rumors that Maxwell's would close, the city offered the club a shuttle bus from a downtown parking lot and a loading zone outside for bands to move their gear more easily.
Still, he said, a culturally-shifting populace had become as much as a hindrance as parking.
Higher rent, more TVs
Hoboken was always a grittier alternative to New York City, said Abramson – friendly to blue collar families and starving artists alike. But the transformation from the old Hoboken into an expensive haven full of young commuters has made it hard for Maxwell's to sustain both its bank accounts and its relevance in the nightlife scene.
Maxwell's has always been family-friendly, he said, but the huge increase of young families in Hoboken has put a cramp on business.
"On a Friday night at 7 p.m. we might have a fairly full restaurant with a lot of families, but at one in the morning, there's nobody there because the type of local people who would be hanging out drinking late night aren't around anymore so much, at least for our type of bar," he said.
But many of Hoboken's bars are booming, especially those downtown which sport multiple televisions and play chart-topping pop hits.
"And a lot of them do very well, so that's obviously what people want, and if that's what people want, they should offer it to them," said Abramson. "It's just not conducive to my type of business."
He did say he thought that some downtown bars had given Hoboken's nightlife "a bad reputation."
"If I want to continue what I'm doing, I need to find a spot where there are more people interested in what I want to do," he said.
Abramson noted that many longtime customers had moved to Jersey City, but denied rumors that Maxwell's would make a move there. He was quoted in The Daily News that he might open an establishment there, but said it would be a disservice to the Maxwell's memory to use the name again.
When the club closes, he said, it's closed for good.
Into the sunset
Abramson's favorite show in the club's 35-year run hasn't even happened yet. On July 7, Maxwell's will welcome the Flamin' Groovies, a 1960s surf and garage rock band only recently reunited for a worldwide tour. The show will complete a trifecta of teenage dreams for Abramson, who has previously booked his other two favorite bands, The Trashmen and The Sonics.
"The fact that I booked three of my all-time favorite bands from my early teens, two of which had already broken up in the '60s, just blows my mind," he said.
And then, of course, there will be closing night. It will eerily similar to opening night in 1978, when a Hoboken band simply called "A" took the stage. Members of that band, some who still live in town, will play Maxwell's final show.
Abramson said he has no regrets, that it's been a good run, and that realities are realities. But, in true rock n' roll fashion, he said that you simply have to know when to call it quits.
"Some people are saying, 'Oh, well, they didn't change with the times,' he said. "And to those people, I say, 'You're right, because we didn't want to."
Dean DeChiaro may be reached at email@example.com


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How to Use the Images
Photo 2
Photo 2
By the 1890s, Coffeyville, Kansas, was a prosperous trading and milling center for a rich farming region. C. M. Condon and Co. was one of two banks in the town. The Condon bank was located in the Perkins Block, which housed professional offices and stores. The building was constructed in 1890 and occupied a prominent position on the plaza in the center of town. The two sides of the wedge-shaped building are brick and the elaborate details of the front are stamped metal.
Questions for Photo 1
1. Why do you think the residents of Coffeyville were proud of this building?
2. Why do you think the town might have needed two banks? Why might the Dalton's have selected Coffeyville for a robbery?
3. Study the image carefully. What can you learn about the time period? What can you learn about the town?
4. Why do you think Glass and Parker, photographers in Coffeyville, made a kind of postcard of this view?
* The image on this screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a larger version of Photo 1, but be aware that the file will take as much as 32 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.