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Nadal again needs four sets to advance at French
Paris, France – Rafael Nadal won his second-round match Friday at the French Open, but for the second time this week had to rally from a set down to do it.
The seven-time French champ dropped the opening set Friday against Slovakia's Martin Klizan, but stormed back to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 triumph. The script was similar for Nadal in the first round, as he also lost the first set against Daniel Brands before winning the next three.
Nadal, trying for a fourth straight title at Roland Garros and eighth in the past nine years, will meet Italy's Fabio Fognini in round three. The Spanish superstar is seeded third this year despite a season in which he has reached the final in each of the eight tournaments he has played -- winning six -- since coming back from a seven-month layoff caused by a knee injury.
Weather issues on Thursday forced a number of second-round matches into Friday. Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Tommy Haas of Germany and Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko were second-round winners Friday.
The seventh-seeded Gasquet trampled Poland's Michal Przysiezny, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0, while the 12th-seeded Haas knocked out American Jack Sock in straight sets and the unseeded Davydenko eliminated Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in three. Jerzy Janowicz of Poland and Russian Mikhail Youzhny also advanced in four sets.
Third-round play is also on the schedule for Friday with the bottom half of the draw slated for action.
Second-seeded Roger Federer could have his hands full with French crowd favorite Julien Benneteau, who upset the 2009 French champ in Rotterdam earlier this year, while a battle of Frenchmen will feature sixth-seeded Jo- Wilfried Tsonga against Jeremy Chardy.


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Forma Cloud Pasta Bowl
Microwave safe - The temperature of handmade, natural clay items may vary after microwave use. We recommend allowing items to cool before taking them out of the microwave or using an oven mitt.
Oven safe - VIETRI's casserole and baking dishes can be used in most conventional ovens and dishwashers. They are handmade of very dense clays and fired at extremely high temperatures, making them heat resistant to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It is important that all terra cotta baking pieces be cured. Italian stoneware collections do not require curing. To cure servers, fully submerge and soak in water for 15 minutes prior to each use. This soaking prepares the dish, reduces cooking time, and prevents the food from sticking. As the Italians do, place baking dishes in a room-temperature oven and then bring the oven to cooking temperature. The handles of these pieces are decorative and should not be used for support. Do not use casserole lids in the oven.
Freezer safe - Items can withstand freezing temperatures, but please allow them to return to room temperature before putting them into the oven.
Each piece is an authentic work of art, expect color and shade variations.
The Artistry
"Forma was not born of a sudden idea or a stroke of genius. For me, everything begins with constant research and experimentation with shapes, glazes, clays, and temperatures. I wanted to create a completely original collection, one that breathes warmth, flexibility, authenticity, and the magic of Italian craftsmanship. It took years of effort and hundreds of tests to reach that perfect harmony, and today, Forma is the synthesis of order and freedom, of design and nature, and of grace and strength." – Francesco Venzo
Francesco Venzo, the artisan behind Forma, is also the mastermind behind some of VIETRI's most popular collections, including Incanto. Francesco works in his ceramics workshop with his family in Veneto, Italy. Steeped in tradition but committed to innovative design, Francesco carries on his master artisan father's heritage with handcrafted, original pieces. He hopes that one of his five children will someday carry on in the family legacy.

subset: commoncrawl


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Main Content
Indiana's governmental roots can be traced back to the territorial era, when simple buildings served as the capitols. In 1813 the assembly for the Indiana Territory petitioned the U.S. Congress to move its capital from Vincennes to Corydon. Corydon then became the state capital when Congress made Indiana a state in 1816. Corydon's Statehouse was a two-story building originally constructed to be the Harrison County Courthouse. Its floor was made of flagstones and covered with sawdust. A small tower topped the building, and large fireplaces heated both floors.
The seat of state government officially moved to Indianapolis in 1825, just four years after Alexander Ralston laid out the town. Weeks before, State Treasurer Samuel Merrill had transported state documents and the treasury to the new capital in wagons. That trip, which takes about three hours on modern highways, took Merrill ten days to complete over the rough roads and trails between Corydon and Indianapolis.
The legislature at first rented quarters in the Marion County Courthouse, but by 1831 the General Assembly had authorized construction of a state capitol building. It was funded by the sale of lots within the ten-year-old town, which counted approximately 1,900 residents by then.
Commissioner James Blake offered a $150 award for the best plan for the Capitol. The design of New York architects Town and Davis was chosen from the twenty-one entries submitted. Like most of the drawings offered, the design of Town and Davis featured a Greek Revival style. This architectural style had become common in public buildings of the period because a recent political revolution in Greece had reawakened the interest of Americans in their own democratic roots.
The contract between Town and Davis and the General Assembly called for a building that would "correspond in character...with the Parthenon" in Athens. The well-known architects added a dome to their design, which proved to be a somewhat controversial element. It drew praise from some, but criticism from others, including architectural purists who pointed out that the Greeks did not have domed buildings and a disgruntled Hoosier who called it a "Greek temple with a cheese box on top."
Initially, however, many Hoosiers were pleased with their Capitol, which was completed ahead of schedule. One local newspaper deemed it "truly splendid." And so it must have seemed to many whose town streets were "knee-deep with mud" when it rained, a problem made doubly troublesome by the fact that Indianapolis did not yet have sidewalks.
The completed Capitol must have shone in that environment. It rose two stories from a foundation of blue limestone, and its brick exterior walls were stuccoed to resemble granite. A zinc roof topped the building and the dome. The interior plan called for offices of the governor and other state officials to be on the first floor. Halls for each of the legislative houses were located on the second floor.
The General Assembly charged the state librarian, Nathaniel Bolton, with the care of the Capitol. In addition to his duties of tending to the library, he maintained the fence and gates, trimmed the trees on the property, and mowed the lawn. His wife, Sarah, a poet and advocate of woman's rights, sewed carpets for the building.
Over the next few decades, while the state progressed, the Capitol lost most of its luster. By the end of the Civil War, Greek Revival architecture was out of favor, and the building was drawing increasing criticism for its design. Worse, it had begun to deteriorate. By the 1860s the soft blue limestone foundation was failing, and the stucco was chipping off, causing one local historian to call its appearance "disgusting." In 1867 the ceiling in the Representative Hall collapsed. After an 1873 Statehouse Committee in the General Assembly failed to find a solution to the structural problems, it was only a few years before the Capitol was condemned and demolished.
By 1877 Indiana had become one of the thirteen most populated states in the U.S., and the population of Indianapolis had grown to nearly 75,000. The capital city had earned the nickname "Crossroads of America" because so many rail lines met at Union Station, just a few blocks south of the Capitol.
The legislature's decision to build a new capitol building was based on practical necessity, but it was also supported by a growing desire among Indiana citizens to be viewed as residents of a progressive, important state. Even before it was demolished, this capitol building had not conveyed that image.
Despite its relatively short life, the first Capitol in Indianapolis had been a silent witness to innumerable history-making events. Included among them were the near-bankruptcy of the state in 1839; legislative debates on woman's rights; the beginning of free, public education; and the end of the Whigs and birth of the Republican party. The building had seen the creation of a new State Constitution in 1851 that prohibited the settlement of African Americans in Indiana, and it had held in state the body of the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. (In 1866 Article 13 of the State Constitution forbidding settlement of African Americans was declared void by the Indiana Supreme Court.)
The Capitol had also provided a meeting space for Hoosiers. For example, in 1859 the members of Christ Church met in the building while their new church was under construction. The initial session of the Indiana Medical College was held there a decade later.
In 1877 the General Assembly created a commission to supervise the erection of a new capitol building, the present Statehouse. The old Capitol had served its purpose, but it would soon be replaced by a grander and sturdier structure.


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This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
Service - Rear wheel mechanical self-adjusting drum
Parking - Self-compensating, single point engagement
Overall ( No Canopy) - 48.6 in. (123 cm) (Top of steering wheel
Overall (With Canopy) - 72 in. (183 cm)
Dry - 896 lb. (405 kg)
Curb - 936 lb. (425 kg)
Vehicle Load - 1,200 lb. (545 kg)
Bed Load - 400 lb. (180 kg)
Transaxle - Differential with helical gears
Gear selection - Forward - Reverse
Patriot Blue
Forest Green
Safety Yellow
Inferno Red
Bright White
Flame Red
Electric Blue
Steel Blue
Metallic Charcoal
Sunburst Orange
British Racing Green
Monster Green
Barley Gold
Oasis Green
Java Brown
Width (Inside) - 42.5 in. (108 cm)
Length (Inside) - 32.0 in. (80 cm)
Depth (Inside) - 11.5 in. (29 cm)
Capacity - 9 cu. ft. (.25 m³)


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By Sam Sorich
September 30, 2012, was the deadline for Governor Jerry Brown to take action on bills passed by the California Legislature during the 2012 regular legislative session.
Here are summaries of noteworthy insurance-related bills that were signed into law. All of these new laws will go into effect on January 1, 2013.
Senate Bills
SB 863 increases workers' compensation permanent disability benefits by an estimated $750 million per year, phased in over a two-year period. The new law changes several aspects of the workers' compensation system. Among other things, SB 863 creates an independent medical review process for resolving medical care disputes, establishes an independent bill review process for resolving medical billing disagreements, adopts a statute of limitations for workers' compensation liens, and restricts the reasons that can be used to avoid obtaining treatment within a medical provider network.
SB 1216 conforms California law to the revisions made to the NAIC Credit for Reinsurance Model Law (adopted in 2011). Among other things, SB 1216 establishes criteria that the insurance commissioner is to use in certifying reinsurers; reinsurance provided by certified reinsurers qualifies as an asset or credit against the liabilities of a ceding insurer.
SB 1234 and SB 923 create the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Investment Board which is charged with conducting a market analysis to determine if the necessary conditions for implementation can be met and then report to the Legislature as to whether a statewide retirement savings plan for private employees, who do not participate in any other type of employer-sponsored retirement savings plan, should be created. The Board's analysis would have to be paid for by funds made available through a non-profit or private entity, federal funding, or an annual Budget Act appropriation.
SB 1298 establishes conditions for the operation of autonomous vehicles on public roadways for testing purposes. The bill defines "autonomous vehicle" as a vehicle equipped with technology that has the capability to drive a vehicle without the active physical control or monitoring by a human operator.
SB 1448 conforms California law to the revision to the NAIC Insurance Holding Company System Regulatory Model Act (adopted in 2010). Among other things, SB 1448 requires the board of directors of an insurer, which is part of a holding company system, to file a statement affirming that the board is responsible for overseeing corporate governance and internal controls. In addition, SB 1448 authorizes the insurance commissioner to evaluate the enterprise risk related to an insurer that is part of a holding company.
SB 1449 permits the approval of life insurance and annuity products that include the waiver of premium during periods of disability and the waiver of surrender charges if the insured encounters specified medical conditions, disability, or unemployment.
SB 1513 expands the investment options available to the State Compensation Insurance Fund.
Assembly Bills
AB 53 requires each admitted insurer with written California premiums of $100 million or more to submit a report to the insurance commissioner on its minority, women, and disabled veteran-owned business procurement efforts. The first report is due July 1, 2013. An insurer is required to update its report biennially. AB 53 includes a January 1, 2019 sunset date.
AB 999 revises the standards used by the insurance commissioner to approve the rates for long-term care insurance. AB 999 prohibits an insurer from using asset investment yield changes to justify a rate increase for long-term care policies unless the insurer can demonstrate that its return on investments is lower than the maximum valuation interest rate for contract reserves for those policies; or the insurance commissioner determines that a change in interest rates is justified due to changes in laws or regulations that are retroactively applicable to long-term care insurance previously sold in California. AB 999 requires all of the experience on all similar long-term care policy forms issued by an insurer and its affiliates and retained within the affiliated group to be pooled together and used as the basis for determining whether a rate increase is reasonable.
AB 1631 removes the January 1, 2013, repeal date for the existing law which permits a person admitted to the bar of another state to represent a party in a California arbitration proceeding.
AB 1708 authorizes auto insurers to provide proof of insurance coverage in an electronic format that may be displayed on a mobile electronic device. Proof of insurance in this format is allowed to be presented to a peace officer.
AB 1747 requires every life insurance policy to include a provision for a grace period of not less than 60 days from the premium due date; the provision must state that the policy remains in force during the grace period. AB 1747 requires an insurer to provide an applicant for an individual life insurance policy an opportunity to designate at least one person, in addition to the applicant, to receive notice of lapse or termination of a policy for nonpayment of premium. AB 1747 provides that a notice of pending lapse or termination of a life insurance policy is not effective unless the notice is mailed by the insurer to the named policy owner, a designee for an individual life insurance policy, and a known assignee or other person having an interest in the individual life insurance policy, at least 30 days prior to the effective date of policy termination if termination is for nonpayment of premium.
AB 1875 limits the civil deposition of any person to one day of seven hours. The bill specifies exceptions to this limit.
AB 1888 allows a person who has a commercial driver's license to attend a traffic violator school for a traffic offense while operating a passenger car, a light duty truck, or a motorcycle. Attendance at the school prevents the offense from being counted as a point for determining whether the driver is presumed to be a negligent operator who is subject to license revocation. However, attendance at the school does not bar the disclosure of the offense to insurers for underwriting or rating purposes.
AB 2084 establishes new permitted types of blanket insurance policies and expands the list of eligible policyholders who can purchase blanket insurance.
AB 2138 gives the insurance commissioner the authority to require every admitted disability insurer, and every other entity liable for any loss due to health insurance fraud, to pay an annual maximum fee of 20 cents for each insured under an individual or group insurance policy it issues in California. The fee is to be used to fund increased investigation and prosecution of fraudulent disability insurance claims. Under current law, the maximum fee is 10 cents. AB 2138 allows an insurer to recoup the fee through a surcharge on premiums or by including the fee in the insurer's rates.
AB 2160 requires the California insurance commissioner to treat a domestic insurer's investment in a company that has business operations in Iran as a non-admitted asset. We recently blogged on the passage of AB 2160 here.
AB 2219 removes the January 1, 2013, repeal date for the existing law which requires a contractor with a C-39 roofing classification to obtain and maintain workers' compensation insurance even if he or she has no employees. AB 2219 also removes the January 1, 2013, repeal date for the existing law which requires an insurer that issues a workers' compensation insurance policy to a roofing contractor, who holds a C-39 license, to perform an annual payroll audit for the contractor. AB 2219 adds the requirement that the insurer's audit must include an in-person visit to the place of business of the roofing contractor to verify whether the number of employees reported by the contractor is accurate.
AB 2298 prohibits an insurer that issues or renews a private passenger auto insurance policy to a peace officer or a firefighter from increasing the premium for the policy because the peace officer or firefighter was involved in an accident while operating his or her private passenger auto in the performance of his or her duty at the request or direction of his or her employer. AB 2298 provides that in the event of a loss or injury that occurs as a result of an accident during any time period when the private passenger auto is operated by the peace officer or firefighter and is used by him or her at the request or direction of the employer in the performance of the employee's duty, the auto's owner shall have no liability.
AB 2301 modifies the definition of "covered claims" in the Insurance Code article relating to the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA) to make clear that a covered claim is one which is presented to the liquidator in the state of domicile of the insolvent insurer or to CIGA.
AB 2303 is the Department of Insurance's omnibus bill which addresses a variety of matters, including applications for non-resident surplus lines broker licenses, pre-licensing requirements for bail agents, the creation of a limited lines license for crop insurance adjusters, and changes to the conservation and liquidation process. AB 2303 abolishes the advisory committee on automobile insurance fraud within the Fraud Division of the Department of Insurance. AB 2303 also repeals the provision that excludes policies that have been effect less than 60 days from the statute which governs the cancellation of private passenger auto insurance policies.
AB 2354 revises the licensing requirements for travel insurance agents.
AB 2406 requires the Department of Insurance to publish on the Department's website all requests by a person or group representing the interests of consumers for compensation relating to intervention in a proceeding on an insurer rate filing or participation in other proceedings. Findings on such requests also must be published on the website.
Originally posted to Barger & Wolen's Insurance Litigation & Regulatory Law Blog.


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Texans running back Arian Foster says he respects the fact that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants players to play harder in the Pro Bowl. But he thinks that's a lot easier for Goodell to say than for the players to do.
"I see both sides of the coin, I really do," Foster said on NFL Network. "But in all honesty, with all due respect, Mr. Goodell? He's not out here taking these hits."
Foster said he'd hate to see the Pro Bowl go away, but he also doesn't think it's realistic to expect players to hit each other at full speed in an exhibition game at the end of the season.
"The fans want a competitive game, but here you have players that have had 16-plus games, an entire season. Our bodies have worn down. This isn't basketball. You can't go play pickup football," Foster said. "It's a tough situation for both sides. I think it's a good revenue attraction for the state of Hawaii. It brings a lot of revenue, brings a lot of tourism here, so you don't want to see it go. And it's a tradition for the NFL. So hopefully we get it figured out."
It's tough to envision a scenario in which "getting it figured out" entails the players playing as hard in the Pro Bowl as they do in a regular season game. The people who want that aren't the ones taking the hits.


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SAN JOSE, CALIF.—The San Jose Sharks barely held off the Los Angeles Kings at the end for a second straight home win.
Now the job gets really tough: The Sharks know they need to end the home-team dominance if they have any chance of winning this second-round series.
Brent Burns got San Jose off to a fast start with a quick score and Logan Couture added a power-play goal early in the second period before the Sharks held on for a 2-1 victory Tuesday night to knot their series at two games apiece.
"We knew going into this series we'd have to win one game at Staples Center if we want to win this series," Couture said. "We've done our job at home. We need to go into L.A. and win a game on Thursday. We're looking forward to it."
Captain Joe Thornton fuelled the fast start with a dominant opening period, setting up Burns for his goal and helping the Sharks break out to a 15-3 shots advantage. San Jose fell into a shell the second half of the game, managing just four shots in the final 36:05 after taking a 2-0 lead.
Antti Niemi made 13 of his 22 saves in the third period to help the Sharks match Los Angeles' two home wins to open the series with two of their own.
"They were really desperate and they came hard," Niemi said. "Of course we wanted to start better and keep the puck in their zone, but they came hard. We were able to keep them out."
Game 5 is Thursday in Los Angeles.
Mike Richards scored a power-play goal and Jonathan Quick made 21 saves for the Kings, who have lost 10 of 11 road games dating to the end of the regular season.
After falling behind 2-0, the Kings showed some fight in a dominant third period. They got on the scoreboard on a power play when Burns was sent off for boarding Anze Kopitar.
Los Angeles wore down San Jose's penalty killers in the offensive zone and scored when Richards knocked in a rebound of Jeff Carter's shot.
"I think we battled back and made it close but you don't get much for making it close," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.
The Kings outshot the Sharks 14-2 in the third period, holding San Jose without a shot for nearly 13 minutes, but couldn't get the equalizer against Niemi.
Couture gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead early in the second period, deflecting a point shot by Boyle past Quick while Colin Fraser was in the penalty box for roughing Andrew Desjardins in the offensive zone.
The Kings started to generate the better scoring chances after that, getting denied a goal midway through the period on an early whistle by an official. Los Angeles was unable to generate a shot on goal during two power plays later in the period with Jake Muzzin, shooting high with an empty net to cost the Kings a golden opportunity at a goal.
"For us, it's about how they dominated the first half of the game and then we dominated the second half of the game," defenceman Rob Scuderi said. "But they buried their chances. They play well here and we didn't learn from Game 3, so that's on us for not learning from our own mistakes."
The Sharks opened the game with one of their most dominating periods of the year to the delight of the boisterous crowd chanting "Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!" from the start.
But San Jose had only one goal to show for that start thanks to solid play from Quick and a shot by Tommy Wingels that rang off the crossbar.
Led by the physically imposing line of Thornton, Burns and TJ Galiardi, the Sharks spent almost the entire first period in the Los Angeles zone.
San Jose jumped on top early when Thornton stole the puck from Slava Voynov on the forecheck and fed Burns, who shot was blocked. Thornton came up with the loose puck and slid a perfect cross-ice pass to Burns, who was not denied on his second chance, beating Quick with a one-timer.
"Burns has been shooting the puck real well so it was just a matter of time until he put one in the net," Thornton said. "After the first shot, the puck just came right back to me. He was open again and I just made the pass."
The Kings had to feel fortunate that was all San Jose managed for the period as they killed off two penalties and withstood constant pressure from the Sharks.


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A Passion for Truth
Truth is one of the most contested issues of our times. We now live in what Ralph Keyes has memorably named "the post-truth era." Many intellectuals simply dismiss the idea of truth as a play on words and a …Read More
Machen's Warrior Fathers
There is no escaping that we serve a God of covenants. It is His habit to work through means. High on that list of means is faithful men with a vision that extends beyond their nose, men who purpose in …Read More
Equipping the Saints
Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike has captured the common perception of B.B. Warfield in his novel In The Beauty of the Lilies. One of his central characters is a Presbyterian minister Clarence Wilmot who finds his faith badly shaken …Read More
Fighting the Good Fight
Warfield's world, once he arrived at Princeton in 1887, was not very large at all. His house, the Old Hodge House, conveniently situated him next to Alexander Hall, which contained Princeton Seminary's dorm rooms and classrooms. Across the lawn stood Miller …Read More
Guardian of the Word
The founders of the first Presbyterian seminary in America wanted it to be synonymous with Reformed theology. They intended Princeton Seminary to produce pastors and scholars sound in doctrine, fervent in piety, and committed to defending traditional Calvinism. Benjamin B …Read More
Servant and Scholar
Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield was a "classic." His written works have stood the test of time and have inspired subsequent generations. His life also stands the test of time in the way he kept his priorities: to Christ, to his …Read More
B.B. Warfield: Defender of the Faith
Twenty-five years ago I gave an address at a college in western Pennsylvania. After the service was completed, an elderly gentleman and his wife approached me and introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Johannes Vos. I was surprised to learn …Read More
In Word and Deed
We have all heard the saying: "Practice what you preach." Early in my ministerial training, I became convinced of the importance of the truth that Christians, particularly preachers, should practice what they preach. After several years of working to …Read More


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I'm the guy in my avatar...novel idea, huh?
There we go, even idiots can post pictures now.
Anyway I'm the cat in the gold hooded sweatshirt, a few too many beers in after a hawkeye loss.
Somebody caught me actually not wearing some form of Jets gear. Very rare.
I caught it btw
Im on the left in this one
"Hm, let me show them an action shot of me at the beach so I look sporty and it looks like I'm a fun guy. Nah, that's not enough. I'll show them another one where I'm with a chick so they think I get a ton of ass."
Just bustin' your balls...
Me in the Jet shirt obviously
Thought I'd chime in.
(2 from a recent wedding i was in, and the other is me tailgating at a recent husker game)


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Everywhere I turn I see gray. Or, should I be chic for once and say gris or greige or griege? I actually never knew you could spell greige – griege, both ways are correct. But, let's get back to just plain gray. It's everywhere. I know it is in my house. A few months ago, I painted my yellow walls gray. Couldn't do it fast enough. Every time I show something gray on the blog, I get tons of emails wanting to know the paint color. I can't tell you how times I've been asked exactly what GRAY did Sally Wheat use in her kitchen (Benjamin Moore Fieldstone.) Has everyone gone nuts over gray? A lot of bloggers it seems are currently going gray: Visual Vamp, Velvet and Linen, and Trouvais, to name four, including moi. I even wrote a blog story on a shop filled with gray Swedish antiques called The Gray Door. If you are planning to repaint your house gray, be forewarned! Painting gray is serious business. I went through 15, yes, 15 gray paint samples before I settled on one. Gray paint can suddenly go either purple, lilac, blue, yellow, taupe or just plain Lady Blah Blah before it even dries. Carefully choose your gray and always, always, test it before you go out and buy 50 gallons of one color. Whether you are on the band wagon or not, gray is everywhere these days. Check out these two blogs that write exclusively about the color: Greige (or griege) HERE and The Perfect Gray HERE.
Now, I am perfectly aware that gray was declared the new black last year, and Pantone declared turquoise as THE color of 2010, so I was somewhat surprised at this month's Elle Decor magazine. While reading it last week, I had to stop – every single ad was GRAY!!! I swear! You don't believe me? Well, almost every ad was gray, as you will see below.
This is the gray I love. Rustic, worn, antique – not the contemporary dark bluish gray.
This light gray with a hint of lilac is so pretty mixed with Swedish antiques. This beauty comes from Splendid Willow's house!!! Gorgeous.
Gray with a hint of yellow in it. Light gray mixed with darker gray.
Beautiful cool grays and blue mixed together – Cabbages and Roses.
Chilly, cold gray. Gray that makes you want to grab a sweater and light a fire and warm it up with gilt mirrors. And then move to Belgium.
Gerrie Bremermann bragged to Southern Accents that she always uses the same palette of creams, whites, ivories. Well, here she went with gray.
I've always loved this dining room by Barbara Westbrook. It's painted Tobacco by Pratt and Lambert, yet it looks gray to me!
From Belgian Pearls, gah! Too gorgeous for words. Gray paneled walls, crystal chandelier, French doors, the ceiling, the vanishing threshold (thanks to Tara Dillard) !!!!!
Belgian gray mixed with taupe and cream linens.
I always thought Sally Wheat lived in a gray house. We ALL know her kitchen is gray, but last Friday she repainted her house a Farrow and Ball gray that went blue. Her husband walked in and said "Are the walls blue?" No, but your black eye will be blue in about five minutes!!! Here are her walls before she painted then – the shutters are definitely gray.
In Houston my favorites decor stores are gray - like Indulge, filled with furniture from France's Blanc d'Ivoire (she just got in a whole new shipment of their gorgeous gray furniture BTW.)
Twenty Six Twenty on Joanel is filled with gray antiques. Always.
At M. Naeve, even the floors are painted white and gray checkerboard.
Last year Tami Owen did a beautiful showhouse in West University filled with grays and whites, like the Master Bedroom.
My own paint dilemma started after I put down white marble in my kitchen. The yellow walls had to go, ASAP. It looked terrible with the new marble.
The Pratt And Lambert Feathered Gray looks so much better in my house. It's a very light gray, bordering on the taupish side. Not for someone who wants a deep, bluish gray.
The dining room shown here in yellow.
I like it so much better in gray, but the yellow drapes and table cloth will probably be changed out soon.
The Visual Vamp's dining room was bright red and peacock blue. She really went crazy with gray paint.
The same dining room today – all in grays and whites! I love this change.
Brooke Giannetti from Velvet and Linen has been updating her house. Here, her sunroom is all Shabby Chic in pinks and greens, before.
Now: it is her gorgeous study in Swedish grays. Beautiful!!!!
Recently, Brooke and her husband took their children's all white study here……
And went all industrial grays. What a great space for their 3 teenagers!!!
Trish from the blog Trouvais has gone just a little crazy painting her room gray. Here are some of her choices. In the end, I think she mixed the feathered gray (my gray) with a Benjamin Moore white. But who knows what she ended up with? She's probably in some asylum, straight jacketed to keep her away from gray paint and brushes!!!!
A peek at the project – the gray is light and subtle, but so pretty!!!
BEFORE: The Yellow House HERE: This picture cracks me up! Boy, can I relate!
AFTER: She ended up with Coventry Gray by Benjamin Moore, which she said "went a little blue." Ah, yes. I know that problem. But I think the paint job looks wonderful!
xJavierx showed these popular designer gray colors on his Flickr tour. HERE.
The September issue of Elle Decor was FILLED with ads featuring gray. I was just dumbfounded. Ad after ad after ad was gray. Gray must really be the hottest color out there. But wasn't the color of the year supposed to be raspberry or mauve? That's what everyone who went to the European decor shows said – mauve was everywhere. And those who have attended decor shows in the U.S. say purple is THE color. But, didn't Pantone declare that turquoise was THE color of 2010. This shade exactly:
So, I ask you, if Turquoise is the color of 2010, why are all the advertisers pushing gray so heavily? Here are all the ads in this month's Elle Decor featuring gray. Let me tell you – most of the ads in the magazines are here, few did not feature gray.
Kravet went with a big spread on golds and grays from Thom Filicia.
Plantation went with gray sofa, blue-gray walls and even the zebra rug is gray.
Baker used a very light silvery gray on their sofas and walls mixed with the golds again.
Ugh. Yards and yards of contemporary gray, my least favorite. This is SO not me!!!
For their leathers, Larsen brought in a gray and brown pillow. It could have been any color, but they went with this.
Arhaus chose gray and cream stripes and grayish taupish upholstery. Love this!!!!
Macy's got hip with contemporary gray bedding and walls.
Even LEVELOR blinds got into the act!!!! Looks like my old yellow walls.
Travers dark grays with yellow. Sally Wheat keeps telling me she loves that combination and maybe she has a point!?!! Love this ad!
Bernhardt mixed grays, light and dark with two blue chairs. Pretty.
Seriously, what is going here? Have you ever seen so many ads featuring gray????
Gray walls, white bedding, brown wood.
OK OK OK, I get the point already! Gray is hot!
Seriously, did American Leather HAVE to feature gray? Why not the color of the year, turquoise?
The final ad features my favorite gray – Swedish gray furniture, soft grayish taupe on the wood work, grayish white painted floors.
With all this gray in the advertising, you would think the September Elle Decor featured houses with a lot of gray, but no. Not a one. Which was a huge relief after the sea of gray ads. I can't remember another color that has so dominated like this. Can you? Gray is the new black again, I guess. Personally, I like to wear turquoise, not decorate with it!
AND – IN OTHER NEWS, Beadboard Upcountry in Brenham, Texas is having a trunk show featuring their wonderful line of winter capes and gloves, shown above. The show runs through this Wednesday – so HURRY!!!! Go HERE to get all the details. I have one of these capes myself, and it is truly beautiful!


text:
GAINESVILLE, TX -- The school year will soon be over and for graduating high school seniors its the end of a long road, but for one Gainesville student it means the start of a life long dream.
Alex Huerta is a senior at Gainesville high school and although he's not from a big city, he has some big dreams.
"I want to go into civil engineering. What got me into engineering is I'd go to the city with my parents, see the big buildings, bridges. I thought.."I want to build that," said Huerta.
And he probably will. After sending out multiple college applications late last year he's finally received some great news with an acceptance into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a number of other prestigious schools in the country.
"Some of the top schools I've been accepted to is UT Austin, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt, two likely letters from Yale and Columbia and just yesterday I found out I was accepted into North Western University," said Huerta.
Alex has also been offered a full tuition scholarship to U.S.C. and is up for a major research scholarship at Columbia.
Alex is a top student at Gainesville and is active in band, debate, and U.I.L. academic contests. He also belongs to the Cooke County United Way youth council.
"He's such a great role model to our students freshman to juniors of what you can become with some hard work and dedication," said David Glancy, principal of Gainesville High School.
"He was great. Alex was the perfect example of a student who knows what he wants and he's going to go after it," said Sonia Markle, college and career counselor at Gainesville High School.
Alex has not yet made a decision on which school he plans to attend in the Fall but he says he'll decide soon.


text:
Press Center
Virtual Microscope Images Just A Touch Away with Olympus OlyVIA® Mobile iPad® App
CENTER VALLEY, Pa., November 11, 2013 – Researchers and educators who use images captured in the Olympus virtual slide format (.vsi) will soon be able to gain access to their entire library of virtual microscope images from anywhere in the world with a mere tap of the finger, thanks to the new OlyVIA Mobile iPad App, a free download from the Apple Store/iTunes®. The app is designed for use with images captured with Olympus imaging systems, including the Olympus VS120® virtual slide system, and shared with others by using Olympus Net Image ServerSQL v.2.7 software. In addition toVS120 images, any image captured in or converted into the .vsi file format, including images from cellSens® or Stream® software, will be able to be uploaded via Net Image Server and viewed on an iPad.
"With a click, a tap or a finger pinch, users can verify, select, pan, zoom, observe their virtual images at different magnifications" said Pia Rinta-Panttila, product manager at Olympus. "The OlyVIA Mobile application makes the most of both the familiar user-friendliness and portability of the iPad and the extraordinary image quality of the Olympus VS120 system to provide a robust and pleasant user experience." Users who download the free app will also have access to a library of brilliant, detailed microscope slides – digitally captured brightfield, fluorescence and darkfield virtual specimen images that can be used for demonstration or educational purposes.
The modular Olympus VS120 virtual slide system creates high-resolution digital images of complete microscope specimens that can be stored on a server for simultaneous viewing anywhere in the world, at a range of magnifications. The system is designed to provide outstanding brightfield, darkfield and fluorescence performance, combined with precise color rendition and scanning. The VS120 earned three First Place awards at the biennial International Scanner Contest (ISC) in 2012, in the important categories of Color and Precision, Fluorescence 20x and Fluorescence 40x. The VS120 also earned two awards at the first ISC, which took place in Berlin in 2010.
For more information on the Olympus OlyVIA Mobile iPad app, contact Pia Rinta-Panttila, Olympus America Inc. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com, phone 484-896-5292, or users can download OlyVIA Mobile on the App Store on iTunes. (If link does not work, type https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/olyvia-mobile/id734337403?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2 into browser).
About Olympus America Inc., Scientific Equipment Group
Olympus America Scientific Equipment Group provides innovative microscope imaging solutions for researchers, doctors, clinicians and educators. Olympus microscope systems offer unsurpassed optics, superior construction and system versatility to meet the ever-changing needs of microscopists, paving the way for future advances in life science.
About Olympus
Olympus is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in its core business areas: Medical and Surgical Products, Life Science Imaging Systems, Industrial Measurement and Imaging Instruments and Cameras and Audio Products. Olympus works collaboratively with its customers and affiliates worldwide to leverage R&D investment in precision technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines. These include:
- Gastrointestinal endoscopes, accessories, and minimally invasive surgical products;
- Advanced research, clinical and educational microscopes and research and educational digital imaging systems;
- Industrial research, engineering, test, inspection and measuring instruments; and
- Digital cameras and voice recorders.
Olympus serves the healthcare field with integrated product solutions and financial, educational and consulting services that help customers to efficiently, reliably and more easily achieve exceptional results. Olympus develops breakthrough technologies with revolutionary product design and functionality for the consumer and professional photography markets, and also is the leader in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.
# # #
Olympus, OlyVIA, VS, cellSens and Stream are trademarks or registered trademarks of Olympus Corporation, Olympus America Inc. and/or their affiliates.
iPad and iTunes are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
The Olympus VS120, OlyVIA, Net Image Server, cellSens and Stream are not for clinical diagnostic use in the United States.
Attached image:
The OlyVIA Mobile iPad App, a free download from the iTunes Store, is designed for use with .vsi images captured with Olympus microscope imaging systems.


text:
Volvo has teamed up with British Gas to help ensure customers' homes are ready to charge the world's first plug-in diesel hybrid vehicle.
The announcement comes as delivery of the Volvo V60 D6 AWD begins in the UK.
Customers who buy the new model will qualify for a free car charging package from British Gas. This includes a charge point and free access to the Polar Charging network throughout the UK.
The offer is available until March 2015.
It should encourage the switch towards greener cars by reducing the chance ofbreakdowns through lack of charge.
Upgrades to the Volvo V60 for Model Year 2014 feature a revamped front with a new bumper including:
- new day-running lights and grille
- a re-profiled bonnet with hidden washer jets
- front wings and headlights.
The V60 D6 AWD enables motorists to pick their driving mode via three buttons in the dashboard that gives the car three different temperaments: Pure, Hybrid or Power.
Carbon dioxide emissions are only 48g/km in the default hybrid mode.
Drivers can, at the touch of a button, cover up to 31 miles on pure electric power. They can combine the diesel engine and electric motor to gain extra power.
Copyright © Press Association 2013


text:
'Don't Get SOPA'd' Is The New Mantra On Capitol Hill
from the good deptAs we noted when one of the recent cybersecurity bills was introduced in the Senate, it was accompanied by a press release that explicitly stated that this bill wasn't SOPA. While the entertainment industry keeps hoping that the anti-SOPA protests were a one-time experience, apparently the power of internet users is very much on the minds of nearly everyone on Capitol Hill who have turned the phrase "don't get SOPA'd" into a new mantra.
This is excellent news in a number of ways. Congress should fear backlash from going against the will of the people, especially in mucking around with some of the key tools they use to communicate every day. The only issue I take with the article is that it rehashes the false dichotomy that SOPA was "Silicon Valley vs. Hollywood," and quotes lots of people who continue to talk about how the way to avoid "getting SOPA'd" is to talk to the tech industry, but not to internet users themselves. Now, I think that talking to the tech industry is a good place to start, and it is an important stakeholder in understanding the internet, but what drove the SOPA protests was the users. Yes, tech companies helped get their users interested in the topic, but once the users on Tumblr, Reddit and Wikipedia took over, they were the ones driving the bus. The companies themselves took a backseat and, at times, were pressured into going along with what the users wanted, against their own concerns (for example, the date of the January 18th protests, which many "industry insiders" thought was too early, since the Senate wasn't yet in session).
So, while quotes like this are great to see:
"Nobody wants another SOPA moment," Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), a vocal critic of SOPA, told POLITICO. "The nerds are more powerful than anyone thought, and the tech industry flexed its muscle like never before."I think even those two strong allies in the fight against SOPA are missing the mark somewhat. It's not the tech industry that people need to be paying such close attention to. It's the internet users themselves. Ignoring that and just trying to court deals with the companies is a strategy that's likely to backfire.
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) said the anti-SOPA movement showed a certain "coming of political age" for the tech industry, and his colleagues in the House are treading carefully.
"They're involving the tech community more and are more interested in listening," said Polis, who also opposed SOPA. "They're paying closer attention now."
At the end, the article acknowledges this in a rather backhanded way -- merely using it to suggest that the tech industry really isn't so powerful and that politicians shouldn't worry about another SOPA:
"The rational observers realize there's a significant overestimation of high tech's ability to control the netroots," said one industry lobbyist.But notice what's totally ignored here. That the "netroots" -- the internet users who stood up and spoke out by the millions -- still are engaged and aware. The lobbyist is correct that the tech industry can't control the netroots. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to fear concerning another SOPA, it means that politicians need to be open and engaging with the netroots, not just the tech industry.
Another lobbyist said it's "nearly impossible" to get the tech community to engage on policy issues, especially complicated measures that are highly technical, such as cybersecurity, or dry, such as online taxes.
"SOPA was an inflection point and people on the Hill are certainly going to take more notice next time around," the lobbyist said. "But one incident like that isn't going to be the huge game changer."
And this article suggests that folks on Capitol Hill still might not understand that... which is why it actually may be more likely that we'll see another SOPA moment.
Filed Under: capitol hill, copyright, internet, pipa, politics, sopa, tech industry, users


text:
Here are some new details about the eagerly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V. According to website CVG, ShortList Magazine, which apparently revealed the above image on its website, wrote this about the game's main character:
The protagonist is an "East Coast gangster", who moved to the game's Los Santos setting (Rockstar's take on LA and southern California) for a fresh start.
But, as in The Godfather III—just as he thought he was out, they pulled him back in.
Hopefully that doesn't mean Grand Theft Auto V is like The Godfather III. That movie was terrible.
GTA V details emerge: Protagonist 'is an East Coast gangster' [CVG]
just found this on the web [Drop Man@iGTA5]


text:
The daily newspaper here in Honolulu is the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. This morning's paper (6/27/2012) had a supplement entitled:
If you subscribe to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, I hope that you will review the supplement. I do not believe that it is online, but there are many such guides, probably one is your area.
We are especially sensitive to disaster preparedness here in Honolulu, and particularly on the neighbor islands. Hurricanes are an annual threat. Tsunami too.
You are either prepared, or you are not. Most people are not.
Rushing to the store once a disaster is announced may be too late. It is essential to have emergency supplies ready at all times. Now.
When I lived in Japan, we had earthquakes. When I lived in Florida, we had hurricanes and tornadoes. Here in Hawaii, we have hurricanes and tsunami. Pandemics can strike everywhere -- remember the bird flu? Power outages can last for days or even weeks. What if your water is shut off?
Are you prepared?
Charles C. Goodin


text:
U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
EEOC-Denver Field Office Hosts Fair Pay Day Event
DENVER - The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)-Denver Office will host a community forum with a panel of experts for a serious discussion on how unfair pay impacts Colorado. The free event will take place on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at the Hilton Garden Inn-Downtown Denver, 1400 Welton Street. The forum will run from 9:00 am – noon.
Ms. Nancy Sienko, Director of the EEOC-Denver Field Office and Ms. Marzette Bedford-Billinghurst, Program Analyst for the United States Department of Labor-Women's Bureau will deliver the opening remarks. The panel of experts will include D. Andrew Winston, Senior Trial Attorney of the EEOC-Denver Field Office; Steven Chavez, Director of the Colorado Civil Rights Division; Dusti Gurule, Regional Representative for United States Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis; Linda Meric, National President of the National Organization of Working Women-9to5. Patricia McMahon, Public Information Officer for the EEOC-Denver Field Office will serve as the moderator.
Fifty years after passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the wage gap between men and women still persists. Women are paid an average of only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The gap is even greater for women of color and women with disabilities.
The wage gap has a cumulative effect on working women and their families. Because raises, bonuses, and contributions to retirement funds are usually calculated as a percentage of salary, the impact of wage discrimination grows over the course of a lifetime.
According to the American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau data, the state of Colorado is ranked 17th in the nation for median earnings for male and female full-time year-round workers, ages 16 and older at all education levels, as well as 17th for the earnings ratio between the sexes.
Looking at college-educated workers age 25 and older, Colorado is ranked 37th in the nation for median earnings and earning ratio between male and female full-time, year-round workers. In this category, the average male earns an annual salary of $71,000 whereas the average female earns $50,000 annually.
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing the Equal Pay Act of 1963; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008; and Title II of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act of 2008. These laws prohibit employment discrimination because of race, sex, national origin, religion, color, age, retaliation, disability and genetic information.
The EEOC's Denver Field Office has jurisdiction for Colorado and Wyoming. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


text:
Key factsPrint summary
12 months MOT, Full service history, Excellent bodywork, Interior - Excellent Condition, Tyre condition Excellent, Black, *Low finance rates available**Viewing strictly by appointment only**, £8,250
This car comes with
5.8in Colour Touch-Screen, ADC (Automatic Distance Control), Including Front Assist, Radar Sensor Controlled Distance Monitoring System, Air Conditioning, Climatic Semi-Automatic Control, Cruise Control, DAB Digital Radio Receiver, Start/Stop Function, Alarm with Interior Protection, Alloy Wheels, Four 6.5J x 16 Toronto with 205/55 R16 Tyres and Anti-Theft Wheel Bolts, Bluetooth Telephone Connection for Compatible Telephones, Dash-Mounted Single CD Player Radio. Music Playback from MP3, WMA and AAC Files. AUX-in Socket. SD Card Reader. MDI (Multi Device Interface), Drivers and Front Passengers Whiplash-Optimised Head Restraints, Electric Windows, Front and Rear, Electronic Parking Brake - with Auto Hold Function, Heat Insulating Green Tinted Glass, Multifunction Computer, Rain Sensor, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, Electronic
- 201902134889133
- 2013
- 13
- £8,250
- 825
- 48,000
- Cars
- X7riFZKTTXQ=
Vehicle summary
|Body style
|Engine size
|1598 cc
|Fuel type
|Number of doors
|Number of seats
|Gearbox type
|CO2 emissions
|99 g/km
|Insurance group
|Standard manufacturer's warranty (miles)
|0 miles
|Standard manufacturer's warranty (years)
|2 years
|Standard paintwork guarantee
|3 years
Performance & economy
|Fuel consumption (urban)
|61.4 mpg
|Fuel consumption (extra urban)
|85.6 mpg
|Fuel consumption (combined)
|74.3 mpg
|0 - 60 mph
|10.7 seconds
|Top speed
|119 mph
|Engine power
|104 bhp
|Engine torque
|129.08 lbs/ft
|1452 mm
|Height inclusive of roof rails
|No details available
|4255 mm
|2637 mm
|1799 mm
|Width including mirrors
|No details available
|Fuel tank capacity
|50 litres
|Minimum kerb weight
|1295 kg
|Interior features
|Exterior features
|Multifunction Computer
|Steel Space Saver Spare Wheel
|12V Socket in Luggage Compartment
|Alloy Wheels, Four 6.5J x 16 Toronto with 205/55 R16 Tyres and Anti-Theft Wheel Bolts
|Automatic Dimming Interior Rear-View Mirror
|Start/Stop Function
|Exterior Temperature Gauge
|Rear Screen Wash/Wipe with Intermittent Wipe
|8 Speakers
|Body-Coloured Bumpers
|Glovebox, Illuminated, Cooled and Lockable
|Electrically Heated and Adjustable Door Mirrors
|Bluetooth Telephone Connection for Compatible Telephones
|DAB Digital Radio Receiver
|Heated Rear Windscreen
|Upholstery - Zoom/Micro Cloth
|5.8in Colour Touch-Screen
|Cruise Control
|Electric Windows, Front and Rear
|Front Centre Armrest with Storage Compartment. Rear Centre Armrest
|Heat Insulating Green Tinted Glass
|Leather Trimmed Gear Knob
|Split Folding Rear Seat Backrest 60:40
|Centre Console
|Multifunction Steering Wheel
|Front Comfort Seats with Height Adjustment
|Cup Holders, Front x 2
|Rain Sensor
|Air Conditioning, Climatic Semi-Automatic Control
|Leather Trimmed Three-Spoke Steering Wheel
|Height and Reach Adjustable Steering Wheel
|Dash-Mounted Single CD Player Radio. Music Playback from MP3, WMA and AAC Files. AUX-in Socket. SD Card Reader. MDI (Multi Device Interface)
|Front Comfort Seats with Lumbar Adjustment
|Drivers Airbag
|Drivers and Front Passengers Whiplash-Optimised Head Restraints
|Remote Central Locking with 2 Folding Keys
|Head Restraints - Front/3 Rear
|High Level 3rd Brake Light Incorporating LED Technology
|Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, Electronic
|Power-Assisted Steering, Speed-Sensitive, Electro-Mechanical Steering Rack
|ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) with HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist)
|Isofix Child Seat Preparation (for 2 Rear Child Seats)
|Alarm with Interior Protection
|Front Passengers Airbag with Deactivation Switch
|XDS Electronic Differential Lock for Improved Traction and Handling. EDL (Electronic Differential Lock)
|Front Seat Side Impact Airbags. Curtain Airbag System, for Front and Rear Passengers
|Daytime Running Lights
|ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme)
|Electronic Engine Immobiliser
|ASR (Traction Control)
|ADC (Automatic Distance Control), Including Front Assist, Radar Sensor Controlled Distance Monitoring System
|Electronic Parking Brake - with Auto Hold Function
|Child Security Locks in the Rear Doors
|Drivers Knee Airbag
|Height-Adjustable Front Three-Point Seat Belts with Tensioners
Please note
This includes MPG figures which are calculated under European Standards, in test conditions, and will vary under normal driving conditions. The information displayed above describes the typical specification of the most recent model of this vehicle. It is not the exact specification for the actual vehicle being offered for sale which may vary. Specifications for older models may also vary. Please contact us prior to purchase to confirm the exact specification of this vehicle.
Nicholls Motor Company Ltd
Based on 43 customer reviews
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text: Asher's chocolate covered treats are the most delicious gourmet chocolates you'll find. Whether you're searching for an Asher's classic chocolate covered treat, like our Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers, or even some of our newer editions like Sea Salt Caramels, we'll have something delicious to satisfy even the toughest palate. Most treats are available in milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate so don't settle for anything less than your favorite chocolate covered treat.


text: Cut from the footage of over 100 media activists, This is What Democracy Looks Like captures the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle. The film marks a turning point in collaborative filmmaking and acheives a scope and vision possible only through the lenses of over 100 cameras. With a driving soundtrack by Rage Against the Machine, DJ Shadow, and Anne Feeney, This is What Democracy Looks Like, delivers an intensely political and emotional account of a week that changed the world. The film is a co-production between Corrugated Films founder, Jill Freidberg, and Big Noise Films founder, Rick Rowley.


text:
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Ah, Home Sweet Home!
In other news, I packed a couple more boxes of books today (and I still have more to pack - I'll be shocked if I don't have somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 full boxes of books), and I avoided grading. I think that grading will be my task for the day tomorrow (other than calling on a few different things - like to transfer the garbage pick-up into my name, for not only do I live in a place with weird things regarding transfer of property, it is also a (former?) mafia stronghold where "sanitation" and "waste removal" are handled by a private company and not by the city. Once the grading is done, I can devote myself to Project Move.
In other news, I think that I have decided - at least I'm about 90% of the way to this decision - that I'm going to bail on my July conference. I'm not going to get any money from my department to go, it's happening all the way across the country, it falls at an AWFUL time (it ends the day before my cousin's wedding), and you know, I just don't really want to go anymore. I feel badly about backing out, but at the same time, you know, I'm doing another conference already this summer, and maybe I need to focus on things on the home front more than I need to focus on going to conferences right now.
So. Tomorrow: Grading, as well as taking a few more things over to the house and maybe mopping some floors. Oh, and calling on bunches of things that are house-related. And then Tuesday, final meeting of last-minute search committee and more house-related stuff. Wednesday through Friday, PACKING. And then we'll see where I am.
It's all happening! It is, it is!
8 comments:
- Doctor Pion said...
Awesome! We await your first blog from the Nook of Ideas.
Are you moving your own stuff? If not, you can save a ton of money by moving that ton of books yourself. They usually charge by the pound. And if you do move the books, that process is made very easy if you can borrow or rent a "hand truck". The ones with a caterpillar tread along the back (for moving up and down stairs) are worth their weight in gold.
- PhysioProf said...
w00t!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make sure you have a nook of MFJ!!!!!!
- Dr. Crazy said...
Dr. P - I'm hiring movers, but I don't have much furniture, and I've alerted the movers to the book situation. The movers I'm hiring charge by the hour, not by the pound, which is one of the reasons these are my movers:) It should end up being under $500, (actually they think it's going to be $275 but I'm overestimating so that I don't wig out over the price), so in other words, all is good with the moving.
CP... A Nook of M-F Jameson sounds much more fun than a Nook of Ideas... Hmmmm. Am thinking this over (seriously).
- BrightStar (B*) said...
also, I know it's more money... but you could hire cleaners, too. :)
Have fun settling in to your new place!
- Dr. Crazy said...
Ah, Brightstar, FB wanted to buy me cleaners as a "you bought a new house" present, and I refused (telling him I'd rather he just gave me money :) ). I sort of want to clean it myself. Something about doing the cleaning will make it feel like it's mine, if that makes sense. (That said, if it really was a Den of Filth, I'd hire cleaners without a doubt - there's not much to be done to make it spic and span, which is why the cleaning seems like a cool thing for me to do :) )
- Dr. Rural said...
When I bought my house, I had neither the time nor the money to do certain things before I moved in -- like clean the rugs (or better yet, get new ones) or rip down a whole lot of wallpaper. I have regretted this fact a hundred times since. If at all possible, if it needs doing around the house, do it before you move all your furniture in!!
May you be very happy in your new home!
- Ann said...
Isn't it amazing how a stack of papers or exams that must be graded can make mopping floors and cleaning someone else's grungy fridge look fun and entertaining?
My house always shines when grades are due.
- PhysioProf said...
CP... A Nook of M-F Jameson sounds much more fun than a Nook of Ideas... Hmmmm. Am thinking this over (seriously).
Hire me to be your NOMFJ consultant!


text:
Up Close & Personal With..
Benjamin Bratt is a familiar face both on television and on the big screen. His breakout role was that of detective Rey Curtis playing opposite the legendary Jerry Orbach in the long-running television series"Law & Order." Since then he has appeared in "Miss Congeniality," "Demolition Man," "Traffic," "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," (voice) and Dr. Jake Riley on "Private Practice."
His latest film "Snitch," stars action hero Dwayne Johnson as a father desperate to help his son out of a terrible circumstance. Bratt's character is that of drug lord Juan Carlos "El Topo" Pintera. The rest of the cast includes Barry Pepper, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, and Rafi Gavron. Written by Justin Haytheand Ric Roman Waugh, who also directed, the story is based on actual events.
Bratt recently sat down with a select group of journalists to discuss the film and the following has been edited for content and continuity for print purposes.
Unlike most action films of this genre, "Snitch" is character-driven. How was that accomplished?
Bratt: First of all thanks and I agree with you 100% and all that credit has to go to the director Ric Waugh. He wanted to give it that air of authenticity. He wanted to draw each character as someone who would be quite believable. Ric happens to be an old friend of mine is research happy. He wants his films to be nothing if not authentic. Obviously, we are operating in a fictionalized world but I think what gives the film gravitas, and what actually elevates it beyond a typical genre action picture, is that it feels real. He creates emotional stakes that allow an audience to not only be turned on by trucks crashing and bullets flying, but by the anguish that some of the characters go through. One thing I really dug was how he thematically strung together the exploration of the dynamic between the father (Dwayne Johnson) and son (Rafi Gavron.) Ric is a father himself and he knows how important fatherhood is to me personally, so in a lot of our discussions it was about trying to put humanity into every portrayal.
How much actual character direction did you get from the director?
Bratt: Surprisingly little. The funny thing is after what amounts to hours of conversations on the phone and swapping emails and sending pictures of specific sunglasses and photos of real cartel people back and forth, on the day of shooting there was very little direction given. In fact, he was working so fast I felt a little thrown off my game. All actors thrive on rehearsal because rehearsals give you comfort because you know what's going to happen. Ric was of the mind, particularly in the one key scene with Dwayne, that we don't rehearse at all. He showed me where my mark was. He showed Dwayne where his mark was and didn't allow us to speak to one another. I said let's rehearse it and Ric said we're not going to rehearse it; we're going to shoot. That made me as a performer nervous and then I realized that I can't have any of those feelings because I have to be that guy – that ice cool guy. So I had to go to my separate corner, kind of like a fighter, and take a few breaths and then come in.
Dwayne is a formidable guy. He's a bona fide movie star, but he's also a mountain of a man. But, I needed to be in control in that situation. I believe that magic rarely comes from shooting unrehearsed scenes, but in this case I was wrong. I think Ric actually got what he needed to great effect in that particular scene.
Was there anything about Dwayne that surprised you?
Bratt: It's really kind of shocking to see someone as strong as Dwayne, both physically and emotionally, to look so vulnerable. I think that's kind of the twist in this film. People don't expect that at first. Does he ultimately save the day? Yes he does and we expect that in an action film that he's starring in, but what throws people off, and what draws people in initially, is that for the first time we see him as someone who is not weak, but someone who is uncertain. Someone who can't fight his way out of a situation or kick butt chiefly because he's not familiar with the criminal underworld.
You play the head of a drug cartel. What makes your drug dealer character different from others we've seen portrayed onscreen?
Bratt: The character I play could easily have been conceived as a one-dimensional individual, but he's not. He's a human being who has a job to do. He runs an enterprise, albeit be a criminal one, that has billions of dollars at stake. He's not the guy who has a five o'clock shadow and wears gold chains and silk shirts. He's actually a very sophisticated person who has a paramilitary background and training in Special Forces. He reads the New York Times and is invested in the stock market. He's label conscious right down to his Ralph Lauren coat, Burberry shirt, and designer sunglasses.
What kind of research did you do to help you develop your character?
Bratt: There's a ton of research available on the net. The thing I was most interested in capturing was the comfort level that comes with the self-recognition that you're the very top of the food chain. I don't know what that's like in real life, but one thing that Ric and I really wanted to capture was the almost emotional calm and mood that comes from being that confident, so confident because you recognize there's no one who can tip you over. So, even when a six-foot five, 240-pound monster of a man comes in the room, to you it's just like taking a breath. You're just conducting business. You're going to do this for me and you're going to get it done. I know where your family lives and I'm done with you now. Goodbye. It's just like breathing. It's just another part of a day of business. I don't know what it's like to have that air of confidence, in my own realm, but this is someone who clearly has a global reach.
Did you have conversations about drug wars?
Bratt: Ric and I talked about how much has been written about cartels and what's going on and we tend, as Americans, to think it's an epidemic that's occurring over there – south of the border. The fact of the matter is, and frighteningly, it's right here in our own backyard, but the film doesn't try to solve that issue at all. It merely uses the reality to up the emotional stakes, making this world and this character very scary. Also, I love that he takes, what we can define as typical fare in terms of its genre, an action movie with a bonafideaction movie star, but he tweaks it enough where he actually elevates the material to a point that makes it compelling beyond people who simply love action.
I'll go see anything, but my wife sat down and watched the film and as a person who won't go to see everything, she loved this film because as a parent she could relate to the core dilemma, the heart of the film, which is to what lengths would you go to save your child.
What was your first meeting like with Dwayne?
Bratt: I said hello to him at an event a few years ago and we only said hello on the set the day before our scene. It was a moving train (the shoot) and he's in every frame and we were shooting in the junkyard and it was cold. I'm astounded, having now seen the finished product, of how well it came out given how fast it was moving. I worked on low-budget, 28-day shoot films in the past and it's a kind of hell because you're not ever certain that the end result is going to be very good. It's a real testament to Ric's understanding of what it takes to make a good movie for him to have been able to work that fast and get the performances he pulled from everyone and create a really good, compelling film.
Did you and Dwayne have any alone time together?
Bratt: You know there really wasn't. I think it wasn't a conscious decision on my part, and I can't guess as to whether or not it was on his, but you know he's an alpha male and I'm an alpha male and I think we understood that it would enhance both of our work to not get into a ring with one another. First of all, he would crush me into dust. (laughter) I'm not afraid to admit that. He's one of the best fighters in the world, but I think in hindsight that's what was needed. We weren't meant to be buddy buddy, not in this situation, but perhaps in another film.
Most audiences became familiar with you from your work on "Law & Order" in which you co-starred with the great, late Jerry Orbach. Could you talk bit about that experience and what you learned from Mr. Orbach?
Bratt: I learned as lot about acting and life from Jerry Orbach. He quickly became one of my dearest friends, in spite of the age difference. He was one of the last old-school gentlemen. He was a former song-and-dance man on Broadway, quick with a joke, great with a story. I use to tease him that we would eat lunch together more often than he would with his own wife because every day that we worked together, depending on the location, we would go out and grab a bite and it always had to be fried calamari to start and then whatever else came along.
Bratt: Jerry did something very dear for me when I finally decided to leave the show at the end of my fourth year. At the rap party he got up and sang a goodbye song to me to the tune of Michael Jackson's "Ben," that had all these personal anecdotes our inside jokes and I have it to this day. He's missed. He was a dear, dear man who was truly deeply in love with his wife Elaine who I think from heartbreak died a year later. Every morning he would get up at 5:00 a.m for work and would always leave a rhyming poem on a piece of paper next to t.he coffee. He was an original and all the best jokes I have are from him, but some of them are too blue to share with you today. (laughter)
This is the second time you've played a drug dealer. The first time was in "Traffic". Will you hesitate to play a drug dealer again?
Bratt: That's a really good question. Both in terms of introduction and presence in this film, it's very similar to what I did in "Traffic." The character is talked about a lot, so much so that you think he's in the movie more than he actually is on the page. I think I'm in all of two scenes for a total of four minutes or something like that, according to my agent. I don't count to be honest. "Traffic" was similar in that they're always talking about my character Juan Obregónso when you finally meet him, there's this payoff and he better live up to that payoff. So, I like the challenge to actually rise to the level of filling the shoes of expectations that are created about someone who is the kingpin, top of the food chain, and to the extent that you folks feel that I delivered, is really gratifying. Also, I felt there were enough years between"Traffic" and this part to be able to take it on. The two characters are not dissimilar – they are very similar people. To do it again, it would have to be a bigger part. (laughter) More pages. (laughter)
How did the shooting schedule work out since you were also had a role in ABC'S "Private Practice?"
Bratt: I was shooting that series and worked out the schedule so I could go to Shreveport for four days to get this done. It was a welcome relief to be able to take on this role because on "Private Practice," which was a nighttime soap opera, the character I was playing was a bit of an idealized man. He was a fertility doctor who was great with women, the ideal boyfriend, soon to be a fiancée. The series, which ended inDecember, was on for six years, but I was only part of it for a year and a half. So, it was a nice change of pace.
Do you see yourself more as a TV guy or a film guy?
Bratt: I'm an actor. A working actor and I'll go wherever there's a good job to be found, including the stage and including voice over work. I just did the sequel to "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, " orRevenge of the Leftovers. (laughter) I just re-appeared in "Modern Family" and have no bias when it comes to what form the work is in, as long as it's well written. This film is a good example of that and has nothing to do with the size of the part. As long as it's something where I can do my thing, I'm happy.


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Saturday Night Genealogy Fun – Dear Genea-Santa
Sherry Stocking Kline
December 5th, 2009
Thanks to Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings we can let the kid in us out to play tonight while we write our letters to Santa!
Hey, fellow geneaholics, it's Saturday Night, and time for lots of Genealogy Fun!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission: Impossible music), is to write a nice letter to Genea-Santa Here are the directions:
1) Write a letter to Genea-Santa and ask for only ONE thing. It could be hardware, software, a missing family Bible, a record that you desperately want, etc.
2) Tell Genea-Santa what a good genea-girl or genea-boy you've been this past year and give examples.
3) Exhibit your posts on your own blog, in a Facebook post commenting on this note, or in a Comment to this blog post.
So – go forth and write your letter!
Dear Genea-Santa!
Thank you for all the great Genealogy gifts you have given me this year, the impromptu family gatherings we've had, the marriage licenses I've found, and tombstone photo I located on DeadFred.com, and most especially my Twitter and Blogger friends who have welcome me and helped me join their genealogy community!
And Please, Santa, help them get their genealogy wish list this year.
Who was my Great-great grandfather Jones?
Santa, I know times are tough right now, and even Santa and his elves are cutting back. So, the one thing I'd love to know, the one record I'd like to find, is who was my Great-grandfather Willis Washington Jones' father?
I promise I've tried to be a good little genea-girl this year, Santa, and tried to help others when I knew an answer to a question, tried to encourage other genealogists when they were running into brick walls, and forwarded neat information on Twitter.
I wrote a "how-to-get-started-doing-genealogy" blog post to help someone interested in locating their ancestry. I also brought home a box of 'orphan photographs' from a garage sale to try and locate a good home for them. (Still working on that!) And I was asked to help locate a living relative/descendant so someone can return some photographs and memorabilia. (This has proved to be tough! Several deaths and no living descendants thus far.)
I'm sorry Santa that I didn't get more tombstone photographs uploaded to DeadFred.com. I promise to do better next year, Santa, and I'm sorry that I got a little behind keeping track of the births, marriages, and graduations in my dad's side of the family.
Santa, I promise that I will start sending out new questionnaires along with my Christmas card!
And Santa, along with the butterscotch cookies and milk I'm leaving out for you, I'm giving you a large economy size bottle of Tums 'cuz I just read that you have to eat 87 million cookies on Christmas Eve…
Thank you, Santa!
2 Responses to "Saturday Night Genealogy Fun – Dear Genea-Santa"
Great fun, I love your sense of humor.


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This just in! In honour of Memorial Day Weekend, a great freebie from Ancestry.com
From Thursday May 23rd through Monday May 27th,
Ancestry.com is offering Free Access to the large collection of new
military collections, draft, enlistment and service records. Visit
Ancestry.com to start your search!
What a great opportunity to find our more on your cherished military heroes.


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NASHVILLE – In its final match of the Lipscomb Invitational Saturday, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team went the distance against UNC Charlotte but was unable to claim the victory as it fell 3-2.
Carrying the momentum they built from their previous matches against Lipscomb and Arkansas State Friday, the Golden Eagles flew right out of the gate against the 49ers as they took the first set 25-23 and the second set 25-20.
"We played quite consistent in the first two sets," head coach John Blair said. "We did a good job in those runs we put together, and we took a lot of their (UNC Charlotte's) opportunities away."
The first set saw the Golden Eagles stage a comeback as they trailed by six at 21-15, as they outscored the 49ers 10-2 to take the opening frame 25-23. During that stretch, TTU was spurred on by junior middle blocker Kelsey Gray as she notched three of her eight first-set kills in Tech's comeback. Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Penrod added a pair of kills as well.
The second set featured another close encounter, with four lead changes and seven instances when score was tied, as TTU took its second straight set 25-20. Either team seemed poised to take the second set as both were tied up at 20, but it was the Golden Eagles that used two kills and three 49er attack errors to secure the second set.
As the third set wound down, it looked as though the Golden Eagles were on the cusp of a 3-0 sweep as both teams were tied at 19. However, the 49ers were able to put together their own late set rally, as they outscored Tech 6-1 to claim the middle set 25-20.
TTU opened the fourth set with a five-point lead at 10-5, but UNC Charlotte clawed its way back into the contest as once both teams were knotted up late in the set at 21. As in the third set, the 49ers were able to stage another late rally as they outscored the Golden Eagles 4-1 to take the set 25-22.
The final set featured a back and forth contest early on, but UNC Charlotte was able to pull away from Tennessee Tech as it took the set 15-7, and the match.
"We put ourselves in a position to win each of these matches this weekend," Blair said. "There were more positives than negatives, but we need to reduce our errors to be successful."
Gray paced the Golden Eagle offense with 13 kills, with Penrod following close behind with 11. Junior setter Madi Comperry added 29 assists, while sophomore defensive specialist Allison May posted 19 digs.
The Golden Eagles continue non-conference play Tuesday, as they hit the road to take on Belmont, at 6:30 p.m.


text: These are for top loading engraving machines where the engraving cutter knob screws into the top of the spindle of the engraving machine. It is important that you choose a tip size when ordering your engraving tools. The taller the letters or characters the larger the tip size of the cutter should be. For example; for 1/4" tall letters you should use a .020 or .030 tip but for 1/8" tall letters a .010 or .015 tip would be better. All of our top loading tools come with a brass knob.


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Worship guitar lessons for Christian guitarists
NEW! Beginners Plus Acoustic Course
Combine learning some great new skills through download-only technique lessons, exercises and play alongs and then puts them into practice by learning how to play some well known worship songs, all unpacked step-by-step:
- An invaluable set of 'G shape' based 'cheat' substitute chords with one finger chord changes that you can use for any song in any key, even a cheat for a B minor chord, all without having to play any barre chords!
- How to work out strumming patterns by identifying the strong 'accents' in the song's groove
- Picking skills using a pick for playing individual notes riffs and arpeggios
- Combining basic chords with the cheat chords to create new songs with easy finger movement
- Strumming patterns in 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures
- Forever (We Sing Hallelujah) (Kari Jobe)
- Cornerstone (Hillsong)
- One Thing Remains (Bethel)
- Our God is Greater (Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman)
- Stronger (Hillsong)
Everything you need to master the song and technique is included:
- A chord chart for each song
- Full length video play through for each song with guitar parts on screen
- Exercises and play alongs
What if one guitar program could take you from beginner to competent musician with a years' worth of lessons, tests and backing tracks?
For complete beginners and uses 10 contemporary worship songs. Follow this 10 hour 4-DVD course for:
- 35 essential acoustic guitar chords
- 15 essential strumming patterns
- Understanding chord charts
- Play any song in any key in 3 capo positions
- Tuning, pick and strumming technique
- Transpose into guitar-friendly keys
- Power, slash and easy 'cheat' chords
- Finger picking patterns – Play in 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 time
A years' worth of worship guitar instruction on 4 DVDs including animated graphics, close-up shots and daily practice backing tracks. Suitable for acoustic and electric guitar. What's new in this course?
"Musicademy has done a great job of creating a very hefty bit of learning in these 10 hours of guitar lessons. Along the way tests are provided to increase learning and challenge the student to excellence. Musicademy also offers backing tracks to play along with that will help train you to listen to the musicians around you while playing in a band setting. This program is perfect for worshipers of any age who desire to become efficient with a guitar." Worship Leader Magazine, November 2013
A download-only set of 20 worship guitar lessons suitable for existing players.
Each individual lesson teaches you a well known worship song. Even if you know how to play the song already you'll pick up a host of new tips and ideas in these lessons from Musicademy's Andy Chamberlain.
The lessons are each between 25 and 45 minutes long. Watch the sample lesson here >>>>>
- Agnus Dei (Allelujah) – Michael W Smith
- Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone ) – Isaac Watts, Chris Tomlin
- Better is One Day – Matt Redman
- Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me) – John Wilbur Chapman, Mark Hall, Michael Bleecker
- How Can I Keep from Singing – Ed Cash, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin
- The Power of The Cross – Stuart Townend and Keith Getty
- Forever Reign – Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan
- Jesus Messiah – Chris Tomline, Ed Cash, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves
- I am a Friend of God – Israel Houghton and Michael Gungor
- (Hallelujah) Your Love is Amazing – Brenton Brown, Brian Doerksen
- Let God Arise – Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves
- O Praise Him – David Crowder
- Your Name – Paul Baloche, Glenn Packiam
- Lead Me to the Cross – Brooke Fraser
- Our God Saves – Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown
- Here I am to Worship – Tim Hughes
- Jesus Paid It All – Alex Nifong
- You Alone Can Rescue – Matt Redman
- Your Love Never Fails – Anthony Skinner, Chris McClarney (Jesus Culture)
- 10,000 Reasons – Matt Redman
Our flagship course. Perfect for acoustic worship guitarists who want to take their playing to the next level.
A years' worth of lessons, tricks and techniques. 7 hours of instruction on 3 DVDs plus animated graphics, close up shots tips from worship leaders. You will learn:
- Over 60 new substitute chord shapes in keys G,C,D,A,E and B
- How to build strumming patterns around the groove + 35 usable patterns
- Play barre chords without the pain!
- 18 finger style + 30 strumming technique ideas
- Find four different capo positions for all 12 keys
- 10 licks in the style of James Taylor, John Mayer and John Martyn
- 12 unique exercises to help you master Travis picking – great for hymns!
- Tricks for playing any open chord in B without barre chords or capo!
- Use 10ths & 6ths to play alternative acoustic chord voicings up the neck
- Use '5' and add9 chords for power and beauty
- Understand Nashville numbering to transpose easily into any key
Plus daily practice backing tracks, how to use high strung and baritone guitars in worship and an acoustic guitar buyers guide. You can also buy this DVD as a series of 12 downloadable lessons.
A 10-hour, 4-DVD course for electric guitarists who want to take their skills and creativity to the next level. Also perfect for acoustic guitarists who want to transfer to electric.
- Over 90 usable electric guitar chord shapes all over the neck
- Tricks and cheats pro guitarists use or positional playing in open keys
- Explore lead guitar with 5 pentatonic shapes & 7 major scale positions
- Power & open chords in Drop D tuning
- Using effects
- How to use 3rds 4ths 6ths and 10ths to create new voicings
- Play any chord in any key anywhere on the neck using the CAGED system
- Hendrix style double stops for textural lead & rhythm sounds
- Soloing using pentatonic scales, lead lines using major scales string bending, drone notes, Octaves, tremolo picking
Here is a detailed article describing the differences between the three Intermediate Worship Guitar DVDs.
Capo Positioning & Transposing for Guitar
Find any capo position in any key using familiar chord shapes. Transpose chord charts with complex chords into guitar friendly keys. No knowledge of music theory or reading necessary!
Step by step lessons using worship songs with on screen graphics, exercises, tests and practice backing tracks
Topics covered include:
- 3 methods for finding capo positions in any key
- Capo positions for G, C, D & E shapes in any key
Learn how to transpose chord charts into guitar friendly keys including;
- Transposing basics using chord numbers
- Transposing complex worship songs into guitar friendly keys
- Transposing hymns and carols with unusual chords
- Transpose into alternative chord voicings for different sounds
All worked out step-by-step, using worship songs, hymns and carols. Plus:
- On-screen graphics for enhanced learning
- Play alongs and practice backing tracks
- Exercises and tests plus downloadable chord charts
- Optional workbook plus 10 additional backing tracks for extended learning and practice
Song Learner Series – Christian Guitar Lessons – NOW HALF PRICE
Suitable for any acoustic worship guitarist who wants to learn more chords, strumming patterns and finger style techniques. Ideal as preparation for the Intermediate DVDs
The Song Learner series turns a worship song into a 20-30 minute guitar lesson, unlocking the unusual chord shapes, cheats and rhythms used in the original recording. Then instantly apply these new techniques to many other songs.
- Learn new, easy to play "cheat" worship guitar chords that the pro's use.
- Learn extended, suspended, augmented, slash chords and substitute chords unlocking easy ways to play complex chords
- Learn a unique strumming pattern for every song
- Develop more great finger picking skills
Each low cost video download is a complete guitar lessons teaching you a contemporary worship song. These will enable you to master appropriate strumming patterns, find easy shapes for complex sounding chords, cheats for quick chord changes, plus hints, tips and techniques which will further your playing beyond learning the song itself.
The Song Learner Series is ideally suited to students who have completed the Beginners Worship Guitar DVDs but are not yet ready for the more advanced teaching of the Intermediate DVDs.
Each lesson is so much more than a quick run through of how to play the song. As experienced educators, we at Musicademy realise that many students need to have the information broken down, repeated slowly and then consolidated in the context of a song. The DVDs demo every song section and play it through a few times before each element is bolted together step-by-step. Using this method helps you get each sequence into muscle memory as quickly as possible. Many of the songs are also available as online downloads. These are half price when buying 10 or more lessons.
A free downloadable resource sheet is available in the members area for each song. These contain chord charts, chord shapes and strumming patterns
The Original BEGINNERS WORSHIP GUITAR DVDs – Now Half Price
Suitable for complete beginners. A step by step worship guitar course on three 2-hour DVDs designed to get you playing competently within a worship team:
- Learn loads of essential chords, strumming patterns and basic finger picking techniques
- Understand power chords and useful chords further up the neck
- Learn 8 worship songs using all these techniques
- Exclusive guest lesson with Stu G from Delirious?
- Plus tips from Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Tim Hughes, Vicky Beeching, Brenton Brown and many others
A years' worth of worship guitar instruction on 3 DVDs including animated graphics, close-up shots and daily practice backing tracks. Suitable for acoustic and electric guitar.
Here is a detailed description of the difference between the old and new Beginners Guitar Courses.
"I meet so many musicians eager for training and teaching in the practical areas of leading worship. This great resource, aimed at guitarists, will meet many a need."
Matt Redman
The original INTERMEDIATE WORSHIP GUITAR DVDs – For acoustic/electric. Now at half price
A whole year of worship guitar lessons on 3 DVDs including animated graphics, close up shots and daily practice backing tracks.
- Suitable for competent worship guitarists who need a new range of techniques to enhance their playing style and creativity. Great if you have hit a plateau in your worship playing skills.
- Learn how to find any chord anywhere on the neck with CAGED system
- Learn how to play by ear with a guitar friendly simple music theory system
- Discover the pentatonic patterns that lie behind all the best lead guitar playing
- Understand how to transpose and find any chord in any key using Nashville numbering
- Experiment with alternative tunings to create rich, open sounds
- How to use guitar effects, sixths and string bending
- Exclusive guest lessons with Stu G from Delirious?
- Plus lots of tips from Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Tim Hughes, Vicky Beeching, Brenton Brown and many others
"Here is a fantastic resource that will be a help to any budding acoustic guitarist… The three DVD box set has over seven hours of hints, tips, advice and cheats for guitarists. Covering everything that you could possibly want to know about playing and leading….a year's worth of acoustic guitar tutoring for a bargain price."
Cross Rhythms
"Any musicians should constantly be aiming to improve and grow in their gifting. Here is a wonderful resource that will equip and encourage many in the pursuit of excellence."
Tim Hughes
"A highlight of a DVD course is the pass-along quality and the fact that you can pause and take things at your own pace. In the Musicademy tradition, the lessons are intertwined with artist interviews with great content that is worship-leading specific. Enough to work on for about a year. Not a bad way to get your skill up, or invest in that next generation of guitarists who could benefit from some solid musical skill and great worship insight."
Worship Leader Magazine
Training Track backing track albums (MP3 download) each featuring 10 worship songs. Two versions of each song – one at full speed for leading worship and a slowed down version for practice. Both include three split track mixes:
- Left "stripped down" mix for learning (vocals and guitar only)
- Centre "full band" mix for practising (includes click and vocal cue)
- Right "worship leading" mix (band minus lead vocals, acoustic, click, cue)
For every song you also get two versions. One at a slowed down pace designed to help you practice the chords to and a split track version at regular speed.
1. Learn the part
2. Practise with the band
3. Lead worship with the backing track


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How to Use
Why do you think the Red Cross needed a hotel?
Click here for Photo Analysis Worksheet.
* The photo on this screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of this photo, but be aware that the file may take as much as 30 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.


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Cherryville City Council announced Monday it will continue to have its own police department.
Cherryville City Council announced Monday it will continue to have its own police department.
Previously, Mayor Bob Austell and city councilmen considered dissolving its department and handing the reigns to Gaston County Police.
When the idea first arose in May, Austell said such measures would only be taken to save the city money. But before the matter came up for a vote, it was dropped. Austell said an overwhelming disapproval from residents prompted council to stop discussions with the Gaston County Police Department.
But the idea was revisited after the Cherryville Police Department was rocked by scandal in October.
Federal agents swooped in and charged two Cherryville Police officers and a reserve officer with transporting stolen goods and extortion. Police Chief Woody Burgess resigned a week later.
County police stepped up to provide Cherryville officers relief to fill in the gaps as part of a mutual aid agreement.
Cherryville City Council again considered negotiating with the county for police services.
If Cherryville chose to sign on with the county, there would be a phase in process that would ultimately cost the city more than $1 million a year.
No vote was taken during Monday night�s meeting, but Mayor Pro Tem Brian Dalton did speak about the issue.
Dalton told the audience that there weren�t enough long-term savings to justify dissolving the local department, and the other councilmen agreed.
Police account for about $1.4 million of Cherryville�s annual budget.
Mayor Bob Austell was sick and did not attend the meeting.
Bessemer City has also been weighing the options of running its own department verses continuing its agreement with the county.
Gaston County Police have served Bessemer City for 14 years. When an agreement with Cherryville came up, county officials realized that Bessemer City had been underpaying for its services.
The annual contract between Bessemer City and the county was not renewed, and the city must now decide how it wants to proceed.
The council met last week to discuss the matter, anticipating a vote Monday night. But they decided during the meeting to wait another week.
The contract between Bessemer City and Gaston County runs out July 1. The county has asked for an answer by the end of January for budgeting purposes.
You can reach reporter Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.


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Looks like playing Angry Birds could also attract the attention of the National Security Agency.
The Guardian newspaper, which broke the story on the massive NSA spying based on information shared by whistleblower Edward Snowden, said the NSA and its British counterpart have also been exploiting security vulnerabilities in mobile apps.
The spying includes apps used on Apple Inc.'s iPhone and smartphones using Google Inc.'s Android operating system. And they include wildly popular mobile games, such as Angry Birds.
The operation is focused mainly on collecting and sorting through massive amounts of user data being sent from the apps, the report said.
-- Benjamin Pimentel
Follow Ben on Twitter @benpimentel.


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1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments in Stafford
*Disclaimer - All dimensions are estimates only and may not be exact measurements. Floor plans and development plans are subject to change. The sketches, renderings, graphic materials, plans, specifics, terms, conditions and statements are proposed only, and the developer, the management company, the owners and other affiliates reserve the right to modify, revise or withdraw any or all of same in their sole discretion and without prior notice. Please contact the office for the most up-to-date pricing and dimensions information.