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NEW YORK — Is there anything remotely funny about General Motors' handling of an ignition-switch defect linked to at least a dozen deaths?
John Oliver admits it's tough terrain. "I don't think there were a lot of people saying, 'Oh, great, corporate malfeasance. This is a comic gold mine,' " the British comic and news satirist recalled the other day. "It's actually pretty grim."
And yet Oliver and the writers of his forthcoming HBO news-parody show, "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver," took a whack at it last week in a test run for the program. Applying what he learned as the "senior British correspondent" on "The Daily Show," Oliver and his fellow wits found a potentially amusing angle: the media meme, pushed by GM itself, that the company would somehow handle the unfolding debacle better or differently because its new chief executive, Mary T. Barra, is a woman and "a mom."
"It's so ridiculous," said Oliver, gleefully recalling the source material, "the amount of times people mentioned that her quintessential chromosome situation was going to be a huge benefit to her while giving exactly the same [expletive] rote responses in that situation. It was really an amazing moment. It shows that a woman could give exactly as appalling a response" as any male executive.
Score one for gender parity. And score another for the Oliver twist on the news, which could vault "Last Week" to the top of the crowded ranks of TV shows making merry at the expense of the news and the news media.
Loud and loquacious, Oliver, 36, owes a debt of thanks to America's journalists, particularly the Washington kind, for the very nice career he's having. If it weren't for the news media's vapidity, cupidity, general stupidity, Oliver might still be back in his native England, doing who-knows-bloody-well what.
Instead, he's become an almost-star on this side of the Atlantic, one of the few British comic performers to make it on American television. Oliver's work on "The Daily Show" was so consistently sharp — check out his classic three-part series on American hypocrisy about gun control from last year — that host Jon Stewart promoted Oliver from fake reporter to fake temporary anchor when Stewart took leave to direct a movie last summer. Oliver nailed his big chance, winning over critics and keeping Stewart's fanatically loyal fans tuned in for the two-month interim. (He's also had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom "Community," playing an acerbic, alcoholic British professor).
His reward: HBO hired Oliver away last fall (with Stewart's blessing, Oliver says) and handed him his own show, which debuts this month.
As Oliver described it the other day in an interview at HBO's midtown headquarters, "Last Week" will be quite a bit like "The Daily Show," only once a week (Sundays at 11 p.m.) instead of, you know, daily. The resemblance to his former TV home doesn't stop with the host, however. The new show will be run by executive producer Tim Carvell, who was the head writer and co-producer on "The Daily Show."
But don't expect "The Weekly Daily Show." Oliver knows he's at a time disadvantage. The challenge, he says, will be to pick up on stories that haven't yet been chewed over by his old friends at "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" — as well as by Kimmel, Conan, Letterman, Fallon, Ferguson, Bill Maher, Seth Meyers and "Saturday Night Live" — by the time "Last Week" gets around to them.
"There are certain things to which you're going to be the last visitor to the party," says Oliver, a boyish, rangy fellow whose narrow face and shaggy mop are set off by fashionably unfashionable dark-framed glasses. "That's going to steer us in a different direction."
Oliver & Co. dropped a few hints about what to expect last week by releasing two videos on YouTube that parodied the Republican National Committee's latest outreach ad to young voters. The bits were a mild hit, with one racking up more than 180,000 views.
The videos highlighted Oliver's immersion in popular culture, as well as his political worldview. Both predated his arrival on U.S. soil in 2006 (he'd never been to America when "The Daily Show" hired him as a writer that year). He's been talking about those subjects in his stand-up act, on his long-running podcast, The Bugle (with British pal Andy Zaltzman), and as a panelist on the BBC news-quiz program "Mock the Week."
Don't get him going on dull-but-important stuff like the federal estate tax; he thinks it's a bit hilarious, and emblematic of Americans' irrepressible optimism, that there's no groundswell to do away with a tax break that exempts up to $5 million of wealth upon a person's death. "The inherent hope in Americans is amazing," he says. "They think they're going to go out someday with a $300 million estate, and they don't want it taxed. That's probably not going to happen, but they believe. I come from a world that goes the other way."
And don't get him started — but let's, anyway — on the foibles of the news media, which has been his wheelhouse for years.
The cable news networks, Oliver says with relish, have become like "ADD children, banging around from story to story then returning to their main story, which is where the [Malaysia Airlines] plane is. They've basically become like news jazz. It's the stories they don't tell; that's what you're really supposed to be listening to."
He is equally appalled and amused by the "coziness" between the media and government officials in Washington. Momentarily turning serious, he says it strikes him as "dangerous" that reporters and sources should be so close.
"It's not supposed to be an easy relationship," he says. "It's a problem. I read that book, 'This Town' [by New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich]. Yes, there's a lot of gossipy trash in it, but it has a cancerous black heart at the center of it. And I do think that's Exhibit A in the way journalists and politicians in D.C. relate to each other. . . . It's like a bunch of nerdy teenagers saying, 'I want to be in with the popular kids.' And that's terrible. [As a journalist], you shouldn't be wanting to go to a party for any other reason than to basically ruin it. If there's not visible distrust [among reporters and people in power] then there's a massive problem at the heart of journalism."
Oliver acknowledges that his comic perspective has been influenced by Britain's well-honed class resentments. The son of school teachers, he attended "quite a rough" public school growing up in Bedford, an older industrial town about an hour north of London. He went on to graduate from Cambridge.
"There is a kind of class anger that is really hard to shake," he says. "I remember when I first came here and American friends would say, 'What's wrong with you? Why do you get so gnarled up about this?' If I meet — and I still do this — if I meet English people here, I'm instantly on the defensive if I hear something in their voice that suggests they went to private school. And I haven't lived in that country for nearly a decade. But it's so ingrained in me."
Oliver performed in a BBC version of "Bleak House" as a child, but he didn't get serious about acting or comedy until he started writing and performing in college. He found that comedy became a vehicle for "the things that you care about more," which in his case was politics and current events. He readily cops to a liberal perspective — "I believe in the welfare state," he declares — but adds, "I have a pretty decent level of contempt for politicians on both sides."
Americans can't tell the difference, but Oliver's accent is a hybrid — part Liverpool (where his parents grew up), part Birmingham (where he was born), part distant London exurbs (where he was raised). The American equivalent, he said, would be "Pittsburgh or a little Detroit-y. Basically, dying industrial town. . . . To a trained [British] ear, what you're hearing makes no sense. An alarm would go off if these vowel sounds came within a mile of Buckingham Palace."
Like another British talk-show immigrant, Craig Ferguson, Oliver says he became instantly infatuated with his adopted country. He has no plans to return home. He holds a green card and is married to a former Army medic, Kate Norley, who served in Iraq (Oliver sometimes wears her dog tags under his suit as a good luck charm when he treads on "intimidating" terrain, such as the White House).
Of his own cultural learnings about America (as another British comedy import, Sacha Baron Cohen, once put it), Oliver says, "One of the laziest stereotypes that British people have of Americans is that they don't get irony. And that has never been true and it's definitely not true now. . . . It's very hard to make that case when Jon [Stewart] and Stephen [Colbert] are doing what they're doing. They're the high-water mark for satire now."
And thinking of a certain forthcoming HBO program, he adds, "I hope there's a desire for more of that, too."


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If you're looking for some warm country hospitality you'll find it in Gympie - the heritage and cultural centre of the Cooloola region.
With a rich mining history, the town was founded in 1867 after prospector James Nash discovered gold at the site now occupied by the town hall. Back then Queensland was facing bankruptcy due to the drought and a fall in wool prices. Nash's discovery and the gold rush that followed resulted in Gympie gaining a reputation as the 'Town that Saved Queensland'.
These days Gympie is a popular place for travellers to stop for a cup of tea or a ride on the Mary Valley Rattler. There are a range of heritage walks in the area and it's also a handy overnight stop for those heading to Fraser Island.
Gympie is 160 kilometres, or about two and a half hours' drive north of Brisbane.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).

subset: commoncrawl


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What would've been SWEET for the Anniversary, is if we would've got an animated movie (Straight to DVD) that could not only whet the appetites of fans and bring in new ones, but also test the market as well!
Definitely a CGI film with the amazing work that can be done IS A MUST! And then live-action would mature it that much more and blow our minds away!!!


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Greetings Scriblings! PJ Sharon here.
I had the good fortune of attending a few days of the 2014 IWWG Summer Conference this week. If you aren't familiar with this acronym, it stands for International Women's Writing Guild. Despite the fact that I've been heavily involved in the romance writing community for several years, I'd never even heard of this organization. Here's why.
Romance writers and literary writers tend not to associate or travel in the same conference circles. Whether this is due to some misconception that one is better than the other or that the two are diametrically opposed, I can't say, because my experience with this incredible group of amazingly talented women was nothing but educational, inclusive, and uplifting–not to mention well organized and fun. These ladies write everything from poetry to memoir, creative nonfiction to essays. A few write fiction as well, and many are published, either traditionally or Indie.
Workshops included a study in Metaphor with the fabulous Susan Tiberghien, a chance to make "mischief" with Kelly Dumar, where we explored our childhood prankster selves and acted out stories of our misspent youth. I learned some new plotting strategies from the excellent Chris Eboch in the workshop, What I Learned from Nancy Drew, and Dr. Dixie King's extremely helpful Nourishing the Writer Within was an eye opener! Dr. King took us through a step by step guide of smart goal setting and challenged us to pinpoint the barriers and limiting beliefs that hold us back from achieving our goals. I was only able to attend two days of the five day conference, but I felt so welcomed and appreciated by the group that I felt as if I'd met some kindred spirits.
In addition to the wonderful workshops and new friends I met, the food was outstanding and the venue at the Wisdom House in Litchfield, CT was absolutely lovely. I even walked the labyrinth at sunset and spent some time in meditation, which is an area of my life I've been neglecting and was sorely needed.
There was an opportunity to showcase my books at the book fair and take center stage to share from one of my stories. I was completely floored by the quality of each and every writer's work that was shared. Poignant stories of family, deep inner journeys, and prose that gave me chills and had me laughing and crying within the same three minute reading. These women are powerful and brilliant, I tell you!
Regardless of genre, we were all writers and all women–sisters of the pen–there to support each other. I feel so blessed to have been a part of this group if only for a couple of days. It gave me just the shot in the writer's arm that I needed. I learned some important things about myself in the process and hope to meet these lovely women again in the future. My eyes are open a little wider and my heart has been touched by the gift of their words. Thank you IWWG!
Here's a little about the organization:
The IWWG, founded in 1976, is a network for the personal and professional empowerment of women through writing and open to all regardless of portfolio. As such, it has established a remarkable record of achievement in the publishing world, as well as in circles where lifelong learning and personal transformation are valued for their own sake. The Guild nurtures and supports holistic thinking by recognizing the logic of the heart–the ability to perceive the subtle interconnections between people, events and emotions- alongside conventional logic.


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Newtown teachers traumatized by shooting
NEWTOWN -- Teachers in Sandy Hook Elementary School and elsewhere in the district are grappling with emotional trauma in the wake of last week's mass shooting, the town's superintendent said Thursday.
"We are educators. We are not accustomed to doing combat," Newtown Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson said, "and we want to help people through it the best we can. This is more than grieving; this is post-traumatic stress. And it's not going to be over tomorrow."
The school district is providing counseling through Newtown Youth and Family Services and its Sandy Hook office will be open through the weekend and Christmas week. Kids In Crisis counselors also are available at the family services' office, including on Christmas Day.
Newtown Education Federation President Tom Kuroski said he is in awe of district teachers, and of how they have responded to "unspeakable circumstances."
On Thursday, Kuroski toured Newtown schools. Three days earlier, he addressed the district's more than 600 employees, including Sandy Hook faculty, and asked them to hold hands and feel their strength and unity.
"I want them to know how inspiring they are to all of us," Kuroski said.
Meanwhile, the father of Lauren Rousseau, a permanent substitute teacher killed in the Dec. 14 shootings, questioned whether his daughter was unable to lock her classroom door because she had not been given a key.
More InformationWhen classes resume Chalk Hill School in Monroe, the temporary home for the Sandy Hook Elementary students, will open for classes on Jan. 3. Teachers and staff will report to Chalk Hill on Jan. 2. The rest of the Newtown School district will resume classes on Jan. 2 after the holiday break.
Gilles Rousseau said he raised the question after a contact with the school district, whom he did not identify, told him that Lauren Rousseau would not have had a key to lock the first-grade room where she was teaching Friday. As a permanent substitute, she was assigned to different classes from day to day.
Gunman Adam Lanza had shot his way into the school, shattering the front entrance door, killed Principal Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, then made his way down a hallway, law enforcement sources said.
According to published reports, the gunman went past the first classroom, whose door was closed, and entered the room where Rousseau was teaching, killing her and 14 of her students.
He then went into a classroom of first-graders taught by Vicki Soto, killing Soto and six of her students, according to published accounts.
Shortly later, police rushed into the school and Lanza fatally shot himself.
It's unclear to what extent a locked door would have deterred Lanza. The high-powered, semiautomatic rifle he used would have been capable of blasting it open.
Furthermore, the proximity of Rousseau's first-grade classroom to the main entrance suggests that she -- as apparently was the case with Soto -- would have had little time to secure the room.
State Police and other investigators have yet to release their findings as they piece together the shooting spree.
Robinson, who was interviewed for this story prior to Gilles Rousseau's remarks, could not be reached again for comment. Gilles Rousseau acknowledged the speculative nature of his concerns.
"I'm not blaming anyone,'' he said.
Teresa Rousseau, a copy editor at The News-Times who is the mother of Lauren Rousseau, said she is not focusing on the matter.
"What's done is done,'' she said. "And I have this hole in my heart.''


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Original Title: Generation
Author: William Knight
Publisher: Standing Hare
Publication Date: October 22nd 2011
Genre: Horror, Crime
Journalist Hendrix 'Aitch' Harrison links bodies stolen from a renowned forensic research enclosure to an influential drug company specialising in genetic modification.
Assisted by Sarah Wallace, a determined and beguiling forensic entomologist, he delves into a grisly world of clinical trials and a viral treatment beyond imagination.
But Aitch must battle more than his fear of technology to expose the macabre fate of the drugged bodies donated to scientific research.
"G"ripping! Well, this is one of those first times for me, with the crime and horror novel combination. And it pretty much had thrown me out of my shell. From the start to the end, this novel had my undivided attention..and to that, both the writing and plot are the main reasons. It's not only scary, but also a information mine.
"E"ngaging plot! Hendrix Harrison (like his name! :)) is a journalist working for "Strange Phenomena", who is searching for some new article. He stumbles upon ghost sightings in some places and tries to get more information on that. But, what he doesn't know is that he was in danger of exposing an influential drug company of its invention gone wrong..wrong, in the sense, so so badly. Sarah Wallace, a young and sexy forensic entomologist, finds that one of her dead bodies, donated to science, is missing. Police is involved. Her forensic research on the body was so wrong..she gets aware of the fact that this is no normal test.
"N"o-nonsense hero and heroine! Both Hendrix and Sarah's characters are portrayed in a great way, although in different fields. They are both brave and great in their own jobs. Hendrix relationship with his friends were as good as Sarah's relationship with her students. Its both two different fields - journalism and science. But, when Sarah stood up to solve the case against her management's decision, it showed her confidence (of course, she got thrown out from her job after that, but that's beside the point, right? :)) in her area of expertise. And Hendrix was hunted for murder, thrown out of job and threatened, and still he tries to solve the mystery. There is a reason these characters will be adored by the readers.
"E"ffective new area - Forensic science! I am not interested in medicine, but I have seen National Geographic Channel, and I was so much interested in seeing what these people do. So, when Sarah Wallace started saying about some of the facts and suspicions, it was so entertaining that I felt like I am seeing the channel. Its a difficult area, what with knowing about multiple fields with excellence in all of them. The readers can definitely know much about their life here.
"R"iveting Research! One thing I thought was amazing, so amazing, is the research done by the author for this book. Journalism, Drugs, Medicine, Entomology, Technology - so many fields covered with great care and it worked out. As the author himself is a journalist, I am not surprised by how well he brought out the character of Hendrix. But, other fields - its just amazing that the author has done such a detailed research and presented in a gripping way to the readers.
"A"ction-packed! Towards the middle of this book, this book gets filled with action. Chasing the bad guys, finding the mystery and solving it, with policemen pointing their guns at their heads, is well more than what I wanted for action.
"T"hriller at its maximum! You have got to trust me on this, because I was up until 1 o'clock last night to finish this book, and I was not the least bit tired until I had completed this book..it was that good. I was clutching my Kindle so close, like if I get a closer look, I would find the mystery myself and may save many of them. :)
"I"nteresting and engrossing to the end! I have made that point very clear, I suppose.
"O"pposite poles attract! Hendrix is not good with technology, one who doesn't even know to tweet from his mobile. Sarah is, you know, a geek. When these two are attracted, we know what will happen - sparks fly. I am not surprised by this..actually, it was comic when I thought how this will work out in the future for this couple.
"N"ot a zombie, its worse! Yes, exactly my point..this book shows creatures worse than zombie. I don't feel sorry for zombies..at least they can take care of themselves. But, these creatures are like coma patients..dead, but alive. I think enough of all the spoilers, you will have to read it to find out more. Although one more thing - you see the cover? I was sympathetic towards them, until I saw the cover again..well, its a horror novel, what do you expect?
"GENERATION": This is a perfect 5-star novel, that will amaze the readers at all ages. But, as some adult scenes are involved, ages above 16 would find this novel to be great!
where each variables in this equation are explained above.
Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes: Get Generation on Amazon or Barnes & Noble – you know you want to! And please vote for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll for this tour.
The blogger with the most votes wins a $50 Amazon gift card. I want that to be me! You can vote in the poll by visiting the official Generation blog tour page and scrolling all the way to the bottom.
Be sure to enter for your chance to win an autographed copy of Generation : ENTER HERE.
William Knight is a British born journalist and technologist currently living and working in Wellington, New Zealand. He's chased a varying career starting in acting, progressing to music, enjoyed a brief flirtation with handbag manufacturing and was eventually wired into technology where he's been since 1989. In 2003 he published his first feature in Computing magazine and has since written about the many successes and failings of high-tech for the Guardian, Financial Times and the BBC among many others publications. He continues to maintain a lively IT consultancy. Connect with William on his website, blog, Facebook, Twitter or GoodReads.


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I've been making this recipe forever. Sometimes I change it up with other spices or different types of lentils/pulses, but the core remains as one of my weeknight dinner go-to's. I love how it checks off all of those crucial boxes: easy, quick, economical, comforting and so, so good for you. I think there's just the right amount of things to keep it interesting too. The little cubes of sweet potatoes still have a bit of bite. The leeks are sweet and bring that fragrant hit of coconut oil (I love drizzling a bit of the extra oil from cooking on top as well). Some juicy lime and a couple hits of something hot keep it all in balance. It's a vibrant and easy thing to keep us in the light this time of year.
I have a hunch that a lot of us are thinking about changes and things we want to take on, either over the holiday break or into the new year. I know there will be some major ones in my house, all of which you'll probably hear about in good time. I'm not really a juice fast kinda gal anymore, but my man and I have both acknowledged that we need to focus-up some of our tendencies in terms of health and self-care. We do eat well, but sometimes I just worry that we need to be a bit more intentional and selective with our choices. Protein-heavy bowls of food like this one definitely help. I'm going to turn 30 this winter and with that, there's a lot of considerations coming into the circle nutrition-wise. I'm excited to explore those things and work some of them out here in this space.
So in the arc of self-care and intentional choice-making (and spreading holiday cheer!), I'm partnering up with the generous folks at Wine Country Ontario for a giveaway. I'm a passionate supporter of Ontario wine–I grew up in the birthplace of Canada's wine industry after all. I've worked in farm to table joints and a few winery restaurants over the years. I've also been lucky enough to do tastings with wine makers and sommeliers, see production facilities and gain insight in terms of how the land and climate effects what goes into a bottle of VQA certified wine.
So naturally, when they asked me to partner up with their 12 Days of Wine Country Ontario promotion, I was all in. I got to hand pick the $150.00 prize from a variety of Ontario wine country businesses. I eventually settled on the gorgeous 4 diamond Oban Inn, Spa and Restaurant right in the heart of my hometown. It's so quaint and gorgeous. I remember my first-ever fancy dinner was spent in their restaurant on my mother's birthday when I was around 5 or 6 years old, and I was just so excited by the sugar cubes that they brought out for her post-meal coffee. Also, my mom's birthday is this week so the timing of this is just too sweet for me :)
Full disclosure: for hosting this giveaway, I'll be receiving the same prize from Wine Country Ontario and I'll tell you right now that I plan on using it in their very chill spa for some optimum self-care. Fancy lady time! To enter for your chance to win one (1) $150.00 gift card for the lovely Oban Inn, Spa and Restaurant in Niagara On The Lake Ontario, you can leave a comment on this post telling me how you practice self-care in this busy time. For me? It takes many forms: sometimes it's my favourite turmeric shake as an afternoon snack, or taking an afternoon off to visit my parent's dog, a bath with my hippie lavender bubbles, and sometimes it's a glass of wine on the couch when I have a million other things to do. For a bonus entry, snap a photo on Instagram of your self-care in action and tag me (@thefirstmess) + Wine Country Ontario (@WineCountryOnt), using the hashtag #12daysVQA. This contest is open to Canadian residents only and you have until Sunday night (December 14th) at midnight to enter! Giveaway is now closed!
Last little notes: those sweet potatoes in the photo up top are stored in my new favourite thing: washable paper bags by UASHMAMA. I've been using them for plants, little trees, bread, storage, produce etc. They're so handy and blissfully reusable. I really do recommend them. I also did an interview on Get the Gloss this week AND participated in a major cookie party on BAKED with some of my favourite Canadians. Lastly, I collaborated with Pure Green Magazine, Lindsey, and Claire for a holiday Pinterest board that focuses on celebrating in a way that's kind to the earth and our bodies. Hope you dig! xo
ginger sweet potato dal with coconut leeks recipe
print the recipe here!
serves: 4
notes: Every recipe I've read for dal tells you to add the salt at a different time (to avoid toughness or the lentils breaking down too soon etc). I add a solid pinch at the beginning when I pour the water and then adjust it at the end to my liking.
dal ingredients:
2-3 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of chili flakes
1 cup red lentils
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced small
1 two inch piece of ginger, peeled + minced
1 one inch piece of fresh turmeric, peeled + minced (or substitute 1 tsp dried turmeric powder)
3 1/2 cups filtered water + extra if necessary
salt to taste
coconut leeks ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 leek, white and light green part julienned
squeeze of lime juice
pinch of salt
to serve:
cooked, warm rice (I used black japonica rice from Lundberg)
chopped parsley, cilantro or mint (or a combination)
black sesame seeds (very optional)
Place a large pot over medium heat. Heat up the coconut oil in the pot and add the ground coriander, mustard seeds and chili flakes. Stir about until the mustard seeds start to pop just a little bit.
Add the lentils, diced sweet potato, ginger, turmeric, and a pinch of salt. Stir the whole mixture to combine/coat in oil. Add the filtered water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the mixture is creamy and soupy, stirring occasionally. The sweet potato pieces should still be intact with a tiny bit of bite. The lentils will be broken down, filling out the mixture. Add more water if you need to. Keep it warm while you sauté the leeks.
Heat the coconut oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the leeks to the pan and sauté until leeks are soft and very fragrant. Season with salt. Add a squeeze of lime if you like. Remove from the heat.
To serve: divide the hot dal over 4 portions of rice. Top the dal with sautéed leeks and a few dribbles of the coconut oil left in the pan. Garnish each serving with the chopped herbs and black sesame seeds.


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Howie11 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 474 diseños de 119 diseñadores freelance.
Junction Bar and Grill
Seven year old bar named "The Wet Spot" recently purchased by new owners. The bar is predominately a sports bar and has catered to the regulars over the past years. The bar sits on a busy street and has numerous decks and wants to attract new customers by way of a remodel, new management and a great logo. We believe the previous name and logo were somewhat of a deterrent a want to give the place a new feel of class. The restaurant is known for great wings and crawfish, cold drafts and a neigborhood feel. The place has a great "living room" feel that the regulars really enjoy.
The target audience is 21-50 years old who want to have a good time, good food, hang out with their buddy's and maybe catch an afternoon baseball game on one of the bar and grills 40 televisions.
We are open to any great design. The colors of the bar and grill will be a beige with burgundy accents, but any color scheme that is attractive will be considered. We have a large sign on the street frontage and want the logo to attract attention to the busy traffic passing by inviting them to stop.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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The Best Brunch in Every State
James Beard Award-winning chef John Currence is the master of the Southern breakfast, and his menu at Birmingham, Alabama's Big Bad Breakfast (which has another location in Oxford, Mississippi) is chock-full of classic breakfast staples like shrimp and grits, biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, and flapjacks. And if you're in the mood for lunch, there are salads; a burger; and sandwiches including The Screamin' Demon (pickle-brined fried chicken, Duke's mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles, American cheese and comeback sauce). Biscuits and jellies are made from scratch, and the bloody marys are spectacular.Bailey H./Yelp
Alaska: Snow City Café (Anchorage)
Going strong in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, for more than 20 years, Snow City Café makes just about all of its menu items from scratch, is devoted to using fresh and local ingredients whenever possible, and offers a variety of vegan and gluten-free options. Breakfast is served all day; on their menu you'll find seven Benedicts (including one made with Alaska king crab cakes), build-your-own omelets, a breakfast burrito with chorizo and green chile, Mandarin orange cream cheese-stuffed French toast, pancakes and house-made granola. Lunch options include homemade cream of tomato soup; quinoa or kale and beet salad; house-made meatloaf with mac and cheese; and a chicken salad BLT with poached chicken breast tossed with apples and grapes, thick-sliced bacon, lettuce and tomato with house-made herb mayo on toasted walnut multigrain.Chris E./Yelp
Arizona: Hash Kitchen (Scottsdale)
Hash Kitchen is a buzzy, upbeat Southwest-inspired brunchtime destination with two Scottsdale, Arizona, locations. Its menu is loaded with a good mix of both traditional brunchtime favorites and outside-the-box creations; standouts include Benedict fries (topped with ham, bacon, roasted jalapeño, hollandaise and poached eggs); fried-to-order doughnuts filled with cannoli cream; French toast bread pudding; a breakfast burrito with flat iron steak; biscuits and gravy with Italian sausage; carnitas hash with braised pork, cotija, roasted corn, avocado, fried onion and green chile sauce; fried chicken and waffles; cinnamon roll pancakes; chicken tinga frittata; tamale cakes topped with green pork chili, poached eggs and green chile hollandaise; a fried chicken salad sandwich; and five burgers. It also boasts one of the biggest bloody mary bars on Earth, with more than 40 toppings available.Susan A./Yelp
Arkansas: At the Corner (Little Rock)
Located in the heart of downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, At the Corner uses locally seasonal produce and scratch-made diner classics. You'll find the expected omelets, pancakes, breakfast platters, and biscuits and gravy, but there's also chicken and waffles, brunch poutine with an egg on top, Arkansas strawberry and cream cheese crêpes, avocado toast, a pimento cheese burger, and Mason jar mimosas.Ty W./Yelp
California: Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford)
Arguably the most renowned resort in California's Napa Valley, Auberge du Soleil offers no shortage of spectacular dining. In fact, the resort got its start as Napa's first fine dining restaurant back in 1981, when restaurateur Claude Rouas set out to open a restaurant that resembled the sun-drenched eateries of his native Provence; the inn and spa came later. Visit the restaurant today for its $75 three-course brunch and you'll see what all the hoopla has been about; it's spectacular, and a perfect showcase for seasonal ingredients. Appetizers include sunchoke soup with almonds, curry and a crispy oyster; poached wild shrimp with butter lettuce, avocado and orange; onion tartlette with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and watercress; and sauteed foie gras with pineapple pain perdu, cashews and ginger ($15 supplement). For your entree, choose between items like blueberry buttermilk pancakes; Maine lobster omelet with tarragon, leek and ricotta; duck confit hash with slow-cooked farm eggs; Sonoma chicken with hand-foraged wild rice; or mint and lemon risotto with wild shrimp and bacon. The bad news is that it'll be nearly impossible to decide what to order. The good news is that no matter what you decide on, it'll be delicious.Bri K./Yelp
Colorado: Sassafras American Eatery (Denver and Golden)
Sassafras American Eatery has locations in Denver and Golden, Colorado, and its menu of classic Southern brunch fare (with a decidedly New Orleans bent) keeps weekend lines long. Beignets, gumbo, barbecue shrimp, eggs Sardou, grillades and grits, six mac and cheeses, fried green tomato Benedict, chicken fried eggs and smoked buffalo hash, pimento cheese fried chicken biscuit, buttermilk pecan pancakes, six different po'boys... just looking at this menu is enough to make you wish it was Saturday morning. Their house-blend coffee is also top-notch (and available in more than a dozen styles), and there's a massive variety of brunch cocktails.Janet D./Yelp
Connecticut: Engine Room (Mystic)
"Beer, burgers, and bourbon" is the motto of popular Mystic, Connecticut, hangout Engine Room, and its "Proper Boozy Brunch," served every Sunday, keeps the party going. The menu is heavy on house-smoked meats and is conveniently divided into breakfast and lunch sections: Breakfast standouts include made-to-order cinnamon sugar doughnut holes; slow-smoked brisket Benedict on cornbread with cilantro hollandaise; slow-roasted steak and eggs; sweet potato French toast; house-made bagels and lox; and two egg-topped burgers. Brunch standouts include sweet and spicy mustard-rubbed smoked chicken wings, salads, a veggie burger, slow-smoked pork ribs and a smoked brisket sandwich. There are also some creative brunch cocktails, including a few large-format ones (try the one with bourbon, coffee liqueur, coffee syrup, house cold brew and cream).Engine Room/Yelp
Delaware: Deerfield (Newark)
The Sunday brunch served at popular Newark, Delaware, golf club and wedding venue Deerfield is nothing short of spectacular. Served from late September through early May, this 111-foot brunch spread features a seafood station (don't miss the crab cakes and oysters Rockefeller); made-to-order omelets and eggs Benedict; a carving station with lamb, strip loin and salmon; a pasta station; a vegetarian stir-fry station; soups and salads; bagels and breakfast pastries; a yogurt parfait station; a kids' buffet with fun foods like chicken tenders, mini pizzas and a "doughnut wall"; and a huge dessert spread. And if you want to make your own mimosas, they'll be happy to supply a bottle of the good stuff and juice.Ema-Leigh Rust
Florida: The Circle, The Breakers (Palm Beach)
Palm Beach, Florida's Italian Renaissance-style Breakers Palm Beach has been one of the country's premier high-end destinations since tycoon Henry Flagler had it built back in 1896 (the current incarnation was completed in 1926). There's no shortage of spectacular dining options at this luxurious retreat, but for brunch one option rises head and shoulders above the rest (and above every brunch option in the state): Sunday Brunch in The Circle's splendid and opulent dining room (think ocean views, 30-foot frescoed ceilings, and oval murals depicting Renaissance-era landscapes) - a tradition for more than 25 years. Alaskan king crab legs, sushi, caviar, smoked fish, lamb chops, carved-to-order ham and beef tenderloin, Belgian waffles, eggs Benedict, fresh-baked pastries and muffins, omelets, cheeses, pâté and more than 30 desserts are all for the taking, with a harpist strolling from table to table to boot. The Champagne, mimosas, and bloody marys are free-flowing. Come hungry, and it'll be well worth the expense.Yelp/ Matt C.
Georgia: Buttermilk Kitchen (Atlanta)
At Atlanta, Georgia's Buttermilk Kitchen, chef and owner Suzanne Vizethann prides herself on making just about everything on her Southern-inspired menu from scratch, and guests at her weekend brunch are the lucky beneficiaries. Bagels with house-cured salmon, buttermilk pancakes, Southern white bread French toast with pure maple syrup, biscuits and gravy, fried chicken biscuits, red pepper jelly and pimento cheese grits, fried chicken and waffles, short rib hash, and a lobster omelet are just a few of the absolutely mouthwatering dishes on offer. They don't take reservations, so make sure to get there early, and whatever you do, make sure you order some banana pudding for dessert.Emily K./Yelp
Hawaii: Koko Head Café (Honolulu)
You might have spotted chef Lee Anne Wong on Food Network and "Top Chef" (she was a contestant in season 1 and made a brief cameo in season 15), but you might not know that she also happens to run one of the hottest, funkiest brunch destinations in Hawaii, in a quiet Honolulu neighborhood (quiet, that is, until brunch rolls around). Koko Head Café has a huge menu of baked goods, pancakes, egg dishes and skillets, as well as a lovely assortment of Asian- and Hawaiian-inspired dishes including black sesame yuzu muffins; breakfast congee (with bacon, Portuguese sausage, ham, soft-poached egg, and cheddar); omelets filled with miso smoked pork or poke; Wong's spin on loco moco; and breakfast bibimbap. When brunchtime arrives, Koko Head throws a party that's always worth attending.Ann S./Yelp
Idaho: Fork (Boise)
"Loyal to local" is the motto at farm-to-table Boise hotspot Fork, run by the husband-and-wife duo of Cameron and Amanda Lumsden. Much of the ingredients are sourced from local Idaho and Northwest farmers, ranchers, bakers, producers, and cheese makers, and the end result is a brunch menu that highlights fresh ingredients from local farmers markets. Start with a trip to the bloody mary bar, and follow that up with a house-baked cinnamon roll, Dungeness crab scramble, braised short rib hash, local corn-crusted trout with poached eggs and polenta, daily tacos on local tortillas, a wide variety of locally-sourced salads, Double R Ranch Prime ribeye sandwich, a Cuban sandwich and a custom-ground burger. Save room for the butter cake!Fork/Yelp
Illinois: M. Henry (Chicago)
In Chicago, Illinois, brunch is synonymous with M. Henry. Local and organic ingredients are used whenever possible in its vegetable-heavy menu, and the massive brunch menu really does have something for everyone (and yes, it's really worth the wait). For those just looking for a bite, you can always order The Intercontinental, a fresh muffin, scone, or baguette with fresh fruit salad, fresh-squeezed juice and coffee or tea. If you want something sweet you can order cinnamon roll French toast, blackberry hotcakes, or lemon-raspberry brioche French toast. Big eaters can opt for the Home Comfort Brunch Plate (two eggs, polenta, hoisin-glazed shredded pork rib, roasted balsamic glazed greens and Brussels sprout hash) or breakfast bread pudding. And vegans have plenty of options, like the Veritable Vegan Epiphany, with tofu scrambled with rapini, sweet onions and a house spice blend, served with tempeh strips or vegan sausage, sliced avocado, and fruit salad or sliced potatoes. There are also quiches, Mexican-inspired options, Benedicts and quite possibly the most delicious-sounding brunch dish in existence: mango blueberry cinnamon roll French toast topped with vanilla crème and crunchy granola. Make sure to drop by the bakery for a pie or flatbread to go, and remember, it's BYOB.Erin O./Yelp
Indiana: Milktooth (Indianapolis)
This no-reservations Indianapolis, Indiana, gem is a must-visit for brunch. Milktooth's menu is as delicious as it is creative, and it eschews convention every chance it gets. A Dutch baby pancake is filled with manchego and grapefruit, and topped with shaved Brussels sprouts with a shallot hazelnut sherry vinaigrette. The burger is made with lamb and topped with shiitake, Asiago, cream cheese chive aioli, and pickled onions. The steak and eggs is topped with celeriac mash, Texas chili gravy and fried shallots. And porridge is made with ancient grains and contains coconut milk, plum jam, hemp seeds and pistachio. There's also a huge variety of creative salads and other vegetable-forward dishes, as well as jaw-droppingly delicious sweet options like pearl sugar and sourdough lemon poppyseed waffle, spiced pear sugar fritter, and a banoffee pie twice-baked croissant. It's also one of the only places in Indianapolis where you'll find a kouign amann (pronounced "queen ah-MON"), quite possibly the most delicious French pastry in existence.Kelan G./Yelp
Iowa: Americana (Des Moines)
This classic Des Moines, Iowa, restaurant draws crowds during the week for its stellar steaks, share plates, and signature pizza pot pie, but Americana really shines on the weekends, when it unveils its Bombshell Brunch Buffet and offers it until 2:30 p.m. More than 40 items are available for the taking, including all the classic breakfast dishes, classic comfort fare, a grilled cheese station, a mashed potato bar (!), a build-your-own breakfast taco station, a ton of desserts and bottomless bloody marys and mimosas. Plenty of gluten-free items are available as well.Americana/Yelp
Kansas: Urban Table (Prairie Village)
Fresh, seasonal ingredients are used just outside Kansas City, Kansas, at Urban Table, in the preparation of a stellar and wide-ranging brunch menu. The weekend offerings here are decidedly outside-the-box, and decidedly delicious. Grilled doughnuts with smoked bacon praline syrup, chilaquiles, egg and cheese waffle sliders with sausage, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal pancakes, daily omelets and quiches, Monte Cristo with goat cheese and house-made jam, a quinoa burger, cheesy garlic monkey bread and Texas-style chili with jalapeño corn bread are just a few of the brunchtime possibilities, and many specialties can be done gluten-free. Coffee is provided by St. Louis-based Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Co.Yelp/ Chris E.
Kentucky: Butchertown Grocery (Louisville)
At night, Louisville, Kentucky's Butchertown Grocery is one of its hottest cocktail bars. But on the weekends from 11 to 3, the sleek restaurant with cozy banquettes and exposed ceiling beams becomes the best brunch destination in the state. Chef and owner Bobby Benjamin has crafted a creative, fun menu that revolves around fresh local ingredients and is absolutely delicious. Look for dishes like chicken and dumplings with gnocchi; fresh blueberry scones and cinnamon rolls; eggs Benedict with pork belly on a toasted bialy; a prime beef burger with a fried egg, bacon and white cheddar; a bialy with house-smoked salmon; Bourbon barrel-smoked grits with poached eggs and foraged mushrooms; and chicken and waffles with chiles and fried rosemary and leeks. Wash it down with a cold brew Negroni, a creative combination of cold brew, Campari, red vermouth and orange oil.Yelp/ Kelly J.
Louisiana: Arnaud's (New Orleans)
Since 1918, Arnaud's has been one of the grand dames of Creole cuisine in Louisiana, and its Jazz Brunch is nearly as legendary as the restaurant itself. A Dixieland jazz band plays while diners enjoy traditional Creole items including their famous shrimp remoulade, turtle soup, seafood gumbo, grillades and grits, eggs Sardou (with artichoke, creamed spinach and hollandaise), eggs hussarde (with Canadian bacon and tomato on French bread crostini with hollandaise and marchand de vin sauces), crabmeat cheesecake, Gulf fish meunière, oysters en brochette and chicken Pontalba. For dessert, don't miss the bananas Foster. Wash it down with a café brûlot, spiced and spiked coffee flamed with brandy. It's the quintessential Creole New Orleans brunch.Yelp/ Carolyn I.
Maine: Bayside American Café (Portland)
Bayside (which was known as Bintliff's from 1990 until new owners took it over) is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and during that window it's serving some of the finest breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes you'll find anywhere. In the breakfast department, you'll find homemade corned beef hash, Gulf shrimp scampi scramble, custom omelets, a house-smoked salmon platter, Maine blueberry and cinnamon bun pancakes (or one filled with bacon and cheddar), lemon blueberry French toast, and house-made Belgian waffles with chocolate or pecans and caramel. For lunch, there's a stellar butter-poached lobster roll, a house-braised corned beef Reuben in phyllo, salads, vegetarian specials, burgers, and a killer BLT (which you should definitely add lobster to). And for brunch, there's fresh crab cakes, huevos rancheros, and seven different Benedicts (including one with Maine lobster and spinach and another with steak and sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic cream sauce. You really can't go wrong, especially when it's all washed down with a cup of coffee from local roaster Coffee by Design or a bottle of Maine Root blueberry soda.Ivan R./Yelp
Maryland: Miss Shirley's Café (Baltimore and Annapolis)
Miss Shirley's has three Maryland locations, and it's nothing short of legendary around these parts. It's open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch every day of the week. It's been run by chef Brigitte Bledsoe since opening in 2005, and the menu is super-creative and absolutely massive. You should check it out for yourself, but we'll list off just a few of the specialties: loaded Southern-fried deviled eggs; monkey bread; benne seed chicken and waffles; shrimp or salmon and grits; crab cake and fried green tomato eggs Benedict; barbecue mac and cheese skillet; loco moco; a fried chicken, biscuits and gravy omelet; Maryland omelet with jumbo lump crab, tomato, Swiss and Old Bay; cinnamon Danish pancakes or waffles; make-your-own salads; pulled pork grilled cheese; seafood sliders; Angus cheeseburger; and some super-creative cocktails like chocolate covered pretzel hot cocoa. This place is an adventure.Raquel A./Yelp
Massachusetts: Café Fleuri, The Langham (Boston)
The Langham is one of Massachusetts' most luxurious hotels, housed in the former Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Their Sunday City Brunch, held at the hotel's Café Fleuri, is the most elaborate brunch in the city, a buffet held in a sunlit atrium accompanied by the musical stylings of the Robert Rivera Ensemble. Available September through June, the $75 brunch (including a mimosa) is a veritable extravaganza of breakfast dishes, seafood, charcuterie, meats, cheeses and fresh produce, but make sure to save room for the ever-popular chocolate bar.Alyssa L./Yelp
Michigan: Dime Store (Detroit)
Insanely popular Downtown Detroit, Michigan, brunchtime destination Dime Store has been going strong since a trio of longtime friends opened it up in 2014. You'll find a spectacular variety of traditional favorites and creative creations on the menu, where just about everything is scratch-made with high-quality ingredients. Standouts include Samoa-inspired waffles; a chorizo-spiced burger with cheddar, pico de gallo, and homemade guac; carnitas breakfast nachos; spicy pork belly Benedict on a homemade biscuit; house-made sausage or duck confit hash; brioche French toast with fresh fruit; build-your-own omelets; pork rinds with white truffle oil and Sriracha; some of the city's best mac and cheese; house-confit duck leg sandwich; Korean barbecue sandwich with shaved steak and pickled vegetables; a killer cheesesteak; and several creative salads. One visit and you'll be coming back again and again.Lisa S./Yelp
Minnesota: Spoon and Stable (Minneapolis)
Chef Gavin Kaysen left his gig as executive chef at New York's renowned Café Boulud to open this rustic-chic French-inspired Spoon and Stable in an old Minneapolis, Minnesota, carriage house, and it quickly rose to prominence as one of the city's must-visit restaurants. Honestly, even if it only served brunch it still would be one of the hottest restaurants in town, because its brunch menu is upscale and nothing short of spectacular. Start off with a Corpse Reviver (with gin, lemon, Cocchi Americano and a Mexican anise liqueur called Xtabentún) and follow it up with a charcuterie platter; Thai-inspired crab salad; bison tartare with harissa aioli, socca chips and cilantro; red wine poached eggs with wild mushrooms; a perfect croque-madame with house-made ham; sausage and biscuits with bratwurst scallion gravy; or a buttermilk waffle with poached pears and vanilla cream. Make sure you get an order of house-made bacon on the side.Yelp/ Jingchen L.
Mississippi: City Grocery (Oxford)
City Grocery opened up in the tight-knit Mississippi town of Oxford in 1992, and not only does it serve the state's best brunch, it's among the state's best restaurants, period. Wait for a table at brunch at you'll be handsomely rewarded, but good luck trying to figure out what to order: toasted English muffins with house-made cheesy sausage, eggs Sardou, biscuits and gravy, red eye gravy and shaved country ham, fried chicken sandwich, a stellar burger or an open-faced roast beef po'boy? Or you can go upscale and opt for sunburst trout amandine, pan-fried quail, or spot-on shrimp and grits; the choice is yours, and everyone's a winner.Lesli J./Yelp
Missouri: The Corner (Kansas City)
Since 1980, The Corner has been serving breakfast and brunch seven days a week, and it's only open until 3 p.m. daily. But the crowds line up on the weekends, and it's become a Kansas City, Missouri, destination. As many products and ingredients as possible are sourced from local suppliers, and chef Benjamin Wood's menu changes regularly, but expect country-inspired offerings like biscuits with sausage gravy, customizable three-egg scrambles, bacon-cheddar cakes, fried chicken in a biscuit with candied jalapeño cream cheese and a fried egg, scallops and grits, steak and eggs with a goat cheese polenta cake, and creative brunch libations to wash it all down. Whatever you do, don't miss the croissant-cinnamon roll!Yelp/ Jason B.
Montana: The Fieldhouse (Billings)
Since 2012, chef Ben Harman has been raising the bar for the Billings, Montana, dining scene at The Fieldhouse, where he's serving scratch-made dishes using fresh seasonal ingredients. And as for his Saturday and Sunday brunch, it's simply astounding. The menu is small and may come across as a bit aloof (the Breakfast Special is simply described as "whatever"), but don't let that fool you: Harman takes his cooking very seriously. Biscuits and gravy are both house-made; the Benedict is a sourdough crumpet topped with ham, egg, fennel and hollandaise; the frittata is filled with crimini mushrooms, arugula, potatoes and greens; and the French toast is made with house-made challah. Make sure you try the new potatoes with brown butter and cashew-Parmesan Brussels sprouts with sundried tomato aioli on the side, as well as whatever the mimosa special is. And as for that "whatever" special? On a recent weekend it was Alaskan king crab Benedict with poached eggs and charcoal sourdough bread. Enough said.The Fieldhouse/Yelp
Nebraska: Saddle Creek Breakfast Club (Omaha)
Omaha, Nebraska, newcomer Saddle Creek Breakfast Club has burst onto the scene as a must-visit for anyone in town looking for a flawless brunch. Chef Chase Thomsen is serving a fun, accessible and frequently changing menu of elevated diner classics from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, including near-perfect banana pancakes with whipped peanut butter, crushed peanuts and local honey; French toast with Grand Marnier, whipped goat cheese, preserves and maple syrup; a steak and egg burrito with tomatillo salsa; a Benedict with braised short rib and jalapeño jam; a chicken-fried pork tenderloin with chorizo gravy and two eggs (or with pickles and mustard aioli on brioche); and a handful of vegan options like banana bread French toast and tofu rancheros. Unfortunately, the crowds found out about this place quick: The wait stretches to well over an hour on the weekends.Will S./Yelp
Nevada: Sterling Brunch, BLT Steak (Las Vegas)
The Sterling Brunch is one of the most expensive in Las Vegas, at $120, and is only available on Sundays beginning at 9:30 a.m., but it's nothing short of a wonder to behold, and has been the city's finest brunch for more than 30 years running. Held at BLT Steak inside Bally's, the best way to describe it is to simply list off what's available: unlimited Perrier-Jouët and Mumm's Champagne, whole lobsters, Alaskan king crab legs, caviar, filet mignon, truffles, prime rib, rack of lamb, oysters, sushi and made-to-order desserts; small plates like lobster bisque, eggs Benedict, and BLT Steak's famed chopped salad. It's the ultimate in luxury, and the best brunch in Nevada.Janet T./Yelp
New Hampshire: Wentworth by the Sea (New Castle)
Wentworth by the Sea has been called the Crown Jewel of Portsmouth, located just off the New Hampshire mainland on New Castle Island. Open since 1888 and one of the East Coast's premiere resorts during the 20th century, it was saved from the wrecking ball in the 1980s and is today a member of the Historic Hotels of America and is operated by Marriott; a six-year, $30 million renovation added a spa, pool and suites, and today it's once again one of the East Coast's finest resorts. But it's the brunch we're supposed to be talking about, right? Well, its Sunday brunch is amazing. Unlimited Champagne, live jazz, ice sculptures, fine crystal and china and the elegant environs of the main dining room set the stage for an abundant and luxurious buffet, boasting two carving stations (with prime rib, of course), omelets made to order, pastas, stuffed French toast, cheeses and a wide variety of desserts. You might just never want to leave.Kelli T./Yelp
New Jersey: Tops Diner (East Newark)
In New Jersey, a state with no shortage of spectacular diners, legendary East Newark institution Tops Diner has risen to the top of the pack. Open since the 1920s and operated by current owners Jimmy and John Golemis since 1972, Tops opens at 6 a.m. daily and serves a menu that keeps regulars coming back again and again. All the expected diner classics are on offer here, expertly prepared - omelets, pancakes, ham and eggs, French toast, house-made corned beef hash and eggs, Monte Cristo, waffles - but everything's been elevated to historic levels of greatness. Eggs are local and cage-free, and standouts include Eggs From Heaven (three eggs baked with cheesy grits in a spicy tomato jambalaya sauce with chorizo and toast), Sunrise Burrito (filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, chicken chorizo, cheese, fried potatoes, avocado and peppers and onions and topped with spicy ranchero sauce), steak and eggs with a 12-ounce New York strip, multi-grain buttermilk pancakes topped with cinnamon and fresh fruit, Louisiana Benedict with spicy chorizo, chicken and waffles, and brioche French toast stuffed with peanut butter and spiced bananas. And that's just breakfast! If you're more in the mood for lunch, you can't go wrong with the massive array of salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta dishes and even ribs.Alex Y./Yelp
New Mexico: The Pantry (Santa Fe)
In business since 1948, The Pantry is one of New Mexico's most famous restaurants, and it's also home to the state's best brunch. You'll find everything you could ever possibly want for breakfast here, as well as a bunch of traditional New Mexican specialties and a wide variety of lunch and dinner options as well. Eggs any style with bacon, ham, sausage, chorizo or carne adovada; blue corn cinnamon cakes; thick-cut French toast; huevos rancheros; chile relleno omelet; steak, chicken fried steak or house corned beef and eggs; chili, sandwiches and burgers; enchiladas; brisket tacos; and house-made meatloaf are just a handful of the down-home, scratch-made offerings. This is a Southwestern brunch at its finest.Tania S./Yelp
New York: Balthazar (New York City)
Since opening in 1997, Balthazar has become a quintessential New York restaurant, a bustling brasserie that's somehow sustained its momentum for more than 20 years, raking in on average more than $20 million annually. One bite of the steak frites in restaurateur Keith McNally's legendary Parisian-style dining room will show you why it's been so successful, but you haven't really experienced Balthazar until you've had brunch there, when daylight streams through its front windows and servers deliver warm goat cheese and caramelized onion tarts, caramelized banana and Nutella tartines, decadent scrambled eggs in puff pastry, brioche French toast and eggs Florentine to its stylish, Ramos fizz-lubricated clientele. Plenty of Balthazar classics, like gland shellfish plateaus, French onion soup and the aforementioned steak frites, are still available, along with a variety of fresh-baked pastries. There are a seemingly infinite number of brunch options in New York, but none ace the formula quite as perfectly as Balthazar.Lori L./Yelp
North Carolina: Poole's Diner (Raleigh)
Chef Ashley Christensen has done more to put Raleigh, North Carolina, on the culinary map than just about anybody else, thanks to her stunning restaurants Beasley's Chicken & Honey, Bridge Club, Chuck's, Death & Taxes, Fox's Liquor Bar and Poole's Diner. Poole's has actually been in business since 1945, and today it maintains that retro-chic charm with a double horseshoe bar, red leather banquettes, and a large blackboard displaying that day's menu. The offerings change weekly (and sometimes daily) based on what's fresh and in-season, but should you go for brunch (which was re-introduced after a hiatus in April 2017) rest assured that whatever you order will be absolutely exceptional. Expect dishes like seasonal hotcakes, biscuits and gravy, the best mac and cheese you'll ever eat, a Benedict with house-made English muffin and house-cured pork shoulder, Carolina shrimp and grits, croque-madame and cinnamon sugar doughnuts. Coffee is from Counter Culture, and the cocktails are also spectacular.Yelp/ Elizabeth S.
North Dakota: Kroll's Diner (Bismarck)
Kroll's has five North Dakota locations, and has been going strong since 1972. The rich and hearty breakfast menu, served all day, is perfect for a North Dakota morning and sure to warm you up: three- or six-egg omelets (try the one topped with homemade chili and shredded cheddar); 6-ounce steak and eggs; country fried steak; and skillets (the Three Meat Skillet is filled with ham, country sausage, bacon, onions, green peppers, hash browns and American cheese) served with two eggs and your choice of pancakes, toast or a biscuit and gravy. And if you're feeling more lunchy, there's a hot roast beef sandwich, fried chicken sandwich and a wide variety of wraps and burgers. The restaurant's German influence comes through in the knoephla, a thick and creamy, bright yellow chicken and potato soup, as well as in the fleischkuechle (deep-fried pastries filled with your choice of seasoned ground beef; ground beef, sauerkraut, and cheese; or breakfast sausage, American cheese, and eggs), which are served with hash browns and country gravy.Yelp/ Lana J.
Ohio: Blue Door Café & Bakery (Cuyahoga Falls)
The quaint and charming Blue Door Café & Bakery has been acquiring legions of fans since opening as a bakery in 2009, and since then it's branched out to serve the best brunch in all of Ohio. Each ingredient is sourced responsibly - flour is unbleached, unbromated, organic, and stone ground; meat is from small producers and never frozen; produce is from small, usually organic farmers - and the end result really is something special. So what's on the menu? A croque-madame with rosemary ham and cave-aged Gruyère; a Nueske's bacon and egg croissant; grass-fed hanger steak and eggs with bordelaise and red flannel hash; wild-caught smoked salmon and eggs; fried organic chicken and jalapeño cheddar waffles; nitrate-free corned beef hash; and sweet ricotta crêpes with local honey and blueberries. Also make sure you check out the weekly-changing specials, like wild-caught Gulf shrimp and grits, chocolate and spice pulled Berkshire pork, and a grilled cheese made with chocolate stout and imported double cream Gouda. If you live near Cuyahoga Falls and you haven't been to this place yet, well, you're welcome.Beth N./Yelp
Oklahoma: Kitchen No. 234 (Oklahoma City)
Located inside one of the Oklahoma City's most historic buildings, Kitchen No. 324 is a seasonally inspired café that's about as low-key as it gets. The bakers arrive daily at 4 a.m. to start making doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, danishes, croissants, cookies and kolaches, and guests arrive starting at 7 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Along with baked goods, brunch specialties also include fried green tomato Benedict, a classic French omelet with fines herbes; double-smoked pastrami and eggs, scratch-made biscuits with chorizo gravy, fried chicken pot pie, a smoked cheddar and bacon-onion jam-topped cheeseburger, and one of the finest hand-carved French dip sandwiches on Earth.Yelp/ Jeanette T.
Oregon: Tasty n Sons (Portland)
One of Portland, Oregon's most popular and eclectic restaurants, Tasty n Sons serves brunch daily until 2:30 p.m. and keeps some of the favorites on the menu through dinnertime. The lively restaurant seats everyone at communal tables, where they can bond over chef and owner John Gorham's spectacular globe-trotting creations like Moroccan chicken hash, shakshuka, patatas bravas, polenta with ragù, house kimchi, and Burmese red pork stew; regional American specialties like chile pork Colorado, Hangtown fry and a Nashville hot chicken sandwich; and other flights of fancy like a roasted apple with bacon lardons and Tillamook cheddar, rice pudding with blueberry compote, and a Dutch baby with lemon curd and raspberry jam. No matter where this culinary voyage takes you, you can rest assured that you're enjoying the best brunch in the state.Ann S./Yelp
Pennsylvania: Lacroix (Philadelphia)
The Rittenhouse is one of Pennsylvania's most luxurious hotels, perched in a perfect location overlooking Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square. Its Sunday brunch buffet, served at its fine dining gem Lacroix, is nothing short of spectacular, with more than 50 offerings, each of them demonstrating some serious attention to detail and culinary know-how. The expected breakfast dishes are all there, but everything's kicked up a few notches: scrambled eggs are soft and pillowy, house-made chicken sausage is studded with chunks of apple, bacon is thick-cut and perfectly crisp, and pancakes are delivered to your table on demand. Standouts include foie gras s'mores; branzino crudo with passionfruit, buttermilk and coriander blossom; Spanish octopus with bok choy, pea leaf and fried shallot; gochujang fried chicken bao bun with pickled onion aioli; khachapuri with caramelized onion, goat cheese and quail egg; mini buttermilk biscuits with pork roll, piperade and comte; Oaxacan shakshuka with black bean, tomatillo and queso fresco; and grilled Rhode Island squid with sweet corn and red miso spaetzle. At the carving station you'll find Scottish salmon with lavender mustard; a grilled sausage made from diver scallops; porchetta with green tomato kimchi; roasted leg of lamb with gooseberry glaze; and a slow-roasted Sichuan-spiced wagyu brisket with broccoli and ginger relish, a dish inspired by beef and broccoli that I was told took more than a year to perfect. And that's not even including dessert! (Don't miss the sticky buns and chocolate fountain.) Many of these dishes would be right at home on the menu of a Michelin-starred restaurant, but at Lacroix they're all just a part of the buffet.Lacroix Restaurant at The Rittenhouse/Yelp
Rhode Island: Nick's on Broadway (Providence)
Nick's on Broadway focuses on seasonal, local ingredients, and has forged relationships with plenty of local producers, like the Johnston, Rhode Island-based Baffoni's Poultry Farm, from which the restaurant sources all of its eggs and chicken. The brunch menu here changes weekly and is divided into five categories: savory small plates, sides and snacks, brunch entrees, classics, and sweets and pastries. Expect to find dishes like chicken-chili rillettes; rutabaga, white bean and onion soup; house-made pickled vegetables; barbecue pulled Blackbird Farm pork with fried eggs, buttermilk biscuits, greens and Vermont cheddar; roasted local mushroom cakes with poached eggs and herb hollandaise; heirloom cornmeal with Vermont cheddar, fried eggs, local tomatoes, pea greens and Narragansett ricotta; and buttermilk hotcakes with Vermont maple syrup and seasonal toppings. One visit to this place and you'll fall in love.Heidi D./Yelp
South Carolina: Magnolias (Charleston)
Magnolias has been a standard-bearer for true Lowcountry cuisine in Charleston, South Carolina, since 1990 (it played a large role in igniting the city's still-burgeoning culinary renaissance), and it's one of the city's most acclaimed Sunday brunch destinations. The brunch menu is full of down-home country dishes like house-made pimento cheese, ham crackling biscuits, she-crab bisque, shrimp and scallops over grits with lobster butter sauce, crab cake with hoppin' John risotto, country fried steak and house-made biscuit with sausage gravy; but it's also not afraid to think outside of the box: Just look at the apple fritter poppers with cinnamon cream cheese mousse, a duck confit omelet with roasted mushrooms and goat cheese, huevos rancheros with braised short ribs, and banana pudding-stuffed French toast with peanut butter syrup and bacon. This is one of those places where no matter what you order, it's bound to be delicious.Annie H./Yelp
South Dakota: Phillips Avenue Diner (Sioux Falls)
The retro Phillips Avenue Diner may have that old-fashioned malt shop vibe, but the food served here is no gimmick. Crowds flock to this Downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota destination on a daily basis, but the wait for a table gets especially long on the weekends. Arrive before 11 and you'll be able to select from a wide variety of breakfast specials including house-made corned beef hash, berry-topped Belgian waffles, banana bread French toast, a huevos rancheros burrito, house-made biscuits and gravy and breakfast poutine (fried potatoes topped with cheese curds, bacon, tomatoes, gravy and a fried egg). And after 11 the entire lunch and dinner menu becomes available (along with plenty of breakfast favorites), opening up possibilities like fried cheese curds, pork wings (made with the shank), salads, pot roast dip sandwich, hot mashed potato and fried chicken wrap, seven burgers, meatloaf, chicken and waffles, and a tater tot hotdish. Diners don't get much better than this, folks.Dustin S./Yelp
Tennessee: Loveless Cafe (Nashville)
In business since 1951, this legendary Nashville, Tennessee, restaurant serves what very well might be the best biscuits in the world (not even exaggerating), based on a recipe created by founder Anne Loveless herself and closely guarded to this day. And best of all, every breakfast plate comes with a side of them. But a great brunch needs more than just great biscuits, and Loveless Cafe delivers on all fronts. Country ham with red-eye gravy, pit-cooked barbecue pork, fried pork chops and country-fried steak all benefit from a couple fried eggs; three-egg omelets are available with a wide variety of fillings; and other spot-on breakfast favorites include French toast, sausage or country ham on a biscuit, hash brown casserole and (of course) biscuits and gravy. Breakfast is served all day, but at 11 o'clock, lunch and dinner options like a pimento cheese and bacon burger, fried chicken, fried catfish and meatloaf join the party. Family-style breakfast and supper is also available for parties of four or more.Randy H./Yelp
Texas: Arlo Grey (Austin)
The debut restaurant from "Top Chef" winner Kristen Kish is an Austin favorite, and its brunch menu is a Texas masterpiece. Arlo Grey's brunch really offers something for everyone, from the super-healthy (a wild rice and quinoa bowl with fermented baby vegetables, miso and a soft-cooked egg; roasted squash and ricotta with green salad, hazelnuts and dried grapes) to the decidedly decadent (ricotta beignets with bacon jam, sour cream and tarragon; croissant bread pudding with pomegranate seeds and candied citrus). Rounding out the offerings are smaller plates like fried broccoli and chickpea fries; Texas classics like house-made smoked chorizo with braised greens; a stellar burger; and a full-on breakfast platter of eggs, meat, hash browns, toast, juice and coffee. It also happens to be a simply stunning-looking restaurant, with huge amounts of natural light streaming in and unobstructed views of the Colorado River.Yelp/ Arlo Grey
Utah: The Park Café (Salt Lake City)
A quintessential Utah brunchtime destination since 1984, The Park Café serves a brunch menu that's simple and essentially perfect. Three-egg omelets with a wide and creative variety of fillings; steak or pork chops and eggs; its signature pork potatoes scrambled with eggs, cheddar, sausage, mushrooms, onions and peppers; French toast; pancakes: biscuits and gravy; cheeseburgers; deli sandwiches; homemade soup and chili... Nothing here really jumps out as blazing any new ground, but that's exactly what makes The Park Café so good: It sticks to the classics, and it does them really, really well.Oliver A./Yelp
Vermont: Penny Cluse Café (Burlington)
Burlington, Vermont's popular Penny Cluse Café, which was founded by Charles Reeves and Holly Cluse (and named after Holly's dog, Penny) in 1998, opens at 8 a.m. on weekends, when you're going to want to get there early to avoid the massive lines for a table. This is the kind of place where just about everything on the menu looks delicious: buttermilk, buckwheat or gingerbread pancakes served with Vermont maple syrup; biscuits and gravy; house-made banana bread; eggs with grilled polenta, black beans and salsa ranchero; a full English breakfast (minus the black and white pudding); chorizo and egg tacos; sourdough French toast; and home fries with melted cheese, salsa, sour cream, green onions and eggs. And for the vegans, all eggs can be replaced with tofu scramble. And if you're more in the mood for lunch, opt for chicken and biscuits, posole, braised beef tacos or sandwich, roast pork shoulder with corn muffins and salsa verde, turkey Cobb salad, or an Orb Weaver Vermont farmhouse cheese sandwich. Make sure you order a glass of fresh Vermont apple cider.Yelp/ Chris R.
Virginia: Trummer's on Main (Clifton)
This bright and charming Clifton, Virginia, destination (about an hour's drive from D.C.) is an upscale and elegant retreat run by the husband-and-wife duo of Stefan and Victoria Trummer. Executive chef Jon Cropf's innovative tasting menus (and the largest wine cellar in the Mid-Atlantic) keep the dining room crowded at night, but the lesser-known Sunday brunch menu is easily worth the trip from the capital. Trummer's on Main's menu changes seasonally, but standouts include a fresh-baked pastry basket, cinnamon-sugar beignets, local oysters, pulled pork omelet with mac and cheese and baby kale, shrimp and grits with tasso ham and lobster cream sauce, French toast with strawberries and Nutella whipped cream, hanger steak and eggs, and duck confit Benedict. Make sure you save room for a slice of red velvet cake!Heidi L./Yelp
Washington: The Lakehouse (Bellevue)
James Beard Award-winning chef Jason Wilson's fine dining Northwest farmhouse concept spotlights produce from local growers and farmers, local seafood and meat, and handmade pasta. So it's not too difficult to extrapolate that out to one of the most stunning and forward-looking weekend brunches in the country. Ancient grain porridge with almond milk and fruit; vanilla brioche French toast; cocoa coffee flour pancakes with blueberries and yogurt; rigatoni with roasted peppers, octopus, local clams and beans; grilled ahi tuna and quinoa bowl with baby potatoes, soft-cooked egg, Moroccan-spiced carrots and fennel; Dungeness crab and avocado Benedict; house-made pasta with foraged mushrooms, Reggiano, soft-cooked egg and green garlic pesto; and a wagyu burger topped with mushroom conserva, kale pesto and white cheddar make this brunch menu one of the most "cheffed-up" you'll ever encounter, but the kitchen also has no problem cooking a plate of two eggs any style with chicken sausage, bacon, fried potatoes and local spinach. Be sure you order a side of goats' milk yogurt; you'll never think of yogurt the same way again.The Lakehouse/Yelp
Washington, DC: Seasons, Four Seasons Hotel (Georgetown)
The super-luxe Four Seasons Georgetown is home to Seasons Restaurant, where power brokers rub shoulders with regular folks in search of Washington, D.C.'s finest brunch buffet. For $85, diners can enjoy a selection of meat, fish and game (grilled lamb chops, braised short ribs, Maryland crab cakes, seafood gumbo); seafood (shrimp cocktail, oysters, crab claws, house-smoked salmon, grilled octopus poke, blackened tuna, scallops, lobster salad, ceviche); salads (grilled endive, Cobb, escarole with caramelized pear, baby kale and Brussels sprouts); omelets with fillings including shiitake mushrooms and jumbo lump crab; a wide variety of sides; assorted cheeses and charcuterie; Mexican street tacos; a Reuben sandwich station; and an astounding array of house-made desserts. Bring your appetite!Yelp/ Cinthia K.
West Virginia: Bluegrass Kitchen (Charleston)
This popular farm-to-table comfort food spot has a relaxed, 1920's-era vibe, and its veg-focused menu is primarily sourced from farmers in West Virginia and Appalachia. Bluegrass Kitchen's brunchtime is all about the comfort food, though: potato skins filled with scrambled local eggs, Vermont cheddar, local bacon and scallions; fresh-made bagel and lox, house-cured, grass-fed corned beef atop a potato cake with peppers, onions and gravy; eggs Benedict with local ham; shrimp and grits; homemade biscuits and gravy; and a breakfast burger topped with local bacon and eggs . Any dish you choose will help start your day on the right foot, especially alongside a $12 carafe of mimosa.Faith A./Yelp
Wisconsin: Mimosa (Franklin)
When a restaurant is called Mimosa, it had better have a killer brunch menu. Thankfully, this Franklin, Wisconsin, hotspot (located just south of Milwaukee) hits it right on the head. Steak and eggs (with shrimp if you like), house-made corned beef hash, blueberry pancakes, chicken and waffles, crêpes, French toast oatmeal, omelets, creative skillets, biscuits and gravy, several creative Benedicts, sandwiches, salads, burgers... This place has all the bases covered, and they do it right.Yelp/ Ron G.
Wyoming: Café Genevieve (Jackson)
This adorable log cabin located in downtown Jackson, Wyoming, is a fairy tale of brunch come to life (if such a thing exists). In business since 2010, Café Genevieve's menu focuses on classic home cooking with an eye for the eclectic, and chef Joshua Governale makes plenty of room for wild creativity. Snake River Farms corned beef hash, Cajun eggs Benedict with house-made boudin sausage, huevos con chile verde, grits and eggs, and Belgian waffles are standouts on the breakfast menu, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., additional offerings include a variety of salads, pappardelle with Snake River Farms pork neck ragù and a locally sourced burger and fries. And if you like to have a cocktail or three with your brunch, you can track down the very best bottomless brunch deal in every state.
More from The Daily Meal:
The Best Breakfast Dish in Every State
The Best Special Occasion Restaurant in Every State
The 101 Most Iconic Restaurant Dishes in America
America's 75 Best Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants
The Best All-You-Can-Eat Deal in Every StateIsrael H./Yelp


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Tragic irony
The life of an inventor is not an easy one. First you have to come up with a good idea that solves a problem in a way that no one has thought of before, and then you need to design and engineer your idea to take it from theory to reality. The very nature of invention means that inventors are continuously pushing the boundaries of what's possible. This drive to discover the next Big Thing has been a boon to humanity and has given us inventions like the steam engine, the automobile and the personal computer. It's the major reason why we're still not huddled in caves fighting off wolves and cowering at the crack of thunder.
But invention is a fickle mistress and has proved to be a dangerous undertaking for many a would-be Edison. Things go wrong, inventions break or don't work as the designers intended, and sometimes inventors are killed by the very ideas they brought to life. We've compiled some of the sad but fascinating stories of seven inventors who died at the hand of their inventions. Let their stories serve as lessons for those of us who dream big. (Text: Shea Gunther)


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Never, is the short answer. Some grey areas do occasionally arise in relation to confession, however.
The seal of the confessional - sigillum confessionis - is a byword in Catholic circles for absolute and lifelong confidentiality. Canon 1388.1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law has this to say:
A confessor who directly violates the seal of confession incurs an automatic excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; if he does so only indirectly, he is to be punished in accord with the seriousness of the offense.
An excommunication is clearly a big deal, and an excommunication reserved to the Holy See is about as serious as it gets. Similar provisions are to be found at Canon 889 of the old 1917 Code of Canon Law and Canon 1456.1 of the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
It does seem that the seal of the confessional is remarkably rarely violated. Fr. Gury, a 19th century theologian whose work I quote from below, had this to say:
It is almost unheard of for the seal of confession to be violated directly, even by priests who are unholy, who apostatise from the faith or who are insane. Theologians are unanimous in affirming that this is due to a very special manifestation of the Providence of God. Indirect disclosure of information which follows from the imprudence of the confessor is not so infrequent, however. A confessor must therefore be very careful never to say anything from which the sins of his penitents can be deduced.More recently, the well-known internet priest Fr John Zuhlsdorf ("Fr Z") has said:
In my experience even the worst of the liberal, dissenting, addle-headed yahoo priests I have known over the years have taken the Seal of confession absolutely seriously. They might say stupid things in the confessional, but they take the Seal seriously. Do not worry about this point when you go to confession.In some unusual cases, details of sins can be disclosed by the priest with the penitent's consent. This is the case with certain serious "reserved" sins which cannot be forgiven without first seeking the permission of the local diocese or the Holy See (violating the seal, as we have just seen, is one such sin). In such instances, the report made by the priest uses a pseudonym in place of the penitent's real name.
Such cases aside, Catholic theologians have long realised that there are some difficult situations in which it is not clear whether the seal is being violated, or where the priest is torn between the need to preserve the integrity of confession and some other serious moral principle. The best known chestnut here is the story of the altar boy who confesses to the priest that he has just put poison in the communion wine. Should the priest forget what he has just been told when he leaves the confessional, and go out and say Mass as normal? Similar dilemmas form part of the plots of Alfred Hitchcock's I Confess and Jimmy McGovern's Priest.
I have translated below some dilemmas posed in traditional Catholic manuals of moral theology, together with the answers put forward by the authors. (It should be noted that the final example was posited before the enactment of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, Canon 888.2 of which appears to contain a stronger prohibition against asking a penitent for the name of their accomplice.)
Prospero Lambertini (Benedict XIV), Casus Conscientiae (1762)
A parish priest learns in confession that his servant is a thief. He locks his chests, whereas he had previously not locked them, and he does not use that servant to count his money as he had done previously. Question: is he violating the seal?
I reply that he is. The reason is that he is acting and refraining from acting on the basis of knowledge gained in confession whereas under other circumstances he would not have acted or refrained from acting in this way. For this reason, he is making confession odious to his servant, since he is tacitly reproaching him, with the result that he is embarrassed and ashamed. This is contrary to the purpose of the sacramental seal, which was and is to avoid discouraging the faithful from confession by making it difficult. To do this is to violate completely the seal of confession.
Jean-Pierre Gury, Casus Conscientiae (1865)
1. Fulberius is a confessor. He is talkative and insufficiently discreet. He readily talks to others, particularly priests, about matters that he has heard about in confession. He feels no scruples about this because he is very careful not to mention any of his penitents by name. However, it often happens that those who listen to him come to realise who the penitents are.
2. Lawrence used to be a servant of Pontius. He stole 100 francs from Pontius. Since he had no money to make restitution, he asked his confessor if he would be willing to ask Pontius, even referring to him by name, if he was prepared to forgive him the debt. Pontius waived the debt, but he told many other people what had happened.
Questions 1. What is the obligation of the seal of confession?
2. Is any scope given for disclosing trivial information?
3. Is it lawful to follow a probable opinion as regards the subject matter of the seal or to act where the danger of information being revealed is probably absent?
4. Did Fulberius seriously violate the seal in the first case?
5. Did Pontius commit a serious sin against the seal of confession by making known Lawrence's act of theft?
Reply to question 1. 1. There is a very strict obligation to preserve the seal of confession on pain of mortal sin. This is clear from natural law, divine positive law and ecclesiastical law.
2. This obligation entails a strict rule in every case that under no possible circumstances may a priest reveal anything that he has heard in confession.
Reply to question 2. No scope is allowed for disclosing trivial information in cases of direct disclosure. This is because, even if the information is very trivial in itself, it would involve very serious danger for the whole of the law if it were disclosed.
Reply to question 3. No. The reason is that this is not simply a question of legality or illegality, but of removing any danger of wronging the faithful or doing injury to the sacrament.
Reply to question 4. Yes. This is because Fulberius' mode of conduct entailed, albeit indirectly, a proximate danger of disclosure. Nor is it an excuse that Fulberius did not mention anyone by name, because the seal is violated whenever someone in the vicinity can come to know who the penitent was from what is said.
Reply to question 5. Yes, if Pontius knew that the matter was made known to him by his servant's personal confessor after obtaining permission from him. In this regard, St Anthony says: "A person is bound to keep secret the subject matter of confession if he comes to find out its content, whether lawfully or unlawfully, indirectly or directly.... This includes a person to whom the confessor makes a disclosure with the permission of the penitent." St Thomas agrees, giving the following reason: "because he shares in some way in the act of the priest".
Augustin Lehmkuhl, Casus Conscientiae (1902)
Robert is the director of morals in a certain seminary. While he is hearing the confessions of his students, he discovers from the confession of one of them that there is a student who is trying to corrupt the others. He therefore orders the penitent to tell him the name of that student on pain of being sent away without absolution. When he has found out the name, he severely reprimands the student in question and, when he has uncovered the truth, he expels him from the seminary.
1. What prohibition applies to asking the name of an accomplice?
2. Is it permissible in any situation to ask about an accomplice?
3. What is to be said about Robert?
Question 1. Answer 1. It is prohibited, on pain of discretionary penalties, for a confessor, while acting as a confessor, to extract from a penitent on pain of denial of absolution the name or identity of an accomplice in order that the latter can be corrected or reprimanded.
Answer 2. Anyone who defends this practice as lawful is punished with excommunication reserved to the Roman Pontiff (Pius IX, Apostolicae Sedis; Benedict XIV, Ad Eradicandum).
Question 2. Answer 1. Formal questioning about an accomplice must be distinguished from material questioning. Formal questioning is when the confessor seeks to know who the accomplice is in his capacity as accomplice. Material questioning is when he seeks to find out information which enables him to understand correctly the penitent's sin, even if by chance the accomplice is made known at the same time. This kind of material questioning is not prohibited. Indeed, it should not be left out if its purpose is to find out what sin the penitent has committed and his status and to prescribe the necessary remedies.
Answer 2. Sometimes even formal questioning about an accomplice can be undertaken. However, this should not be undertaken by the confessor acting as confessor, but in some other capacity to which he happens to have been appointed which gives rise to a necessity of knowing who the accomplice is and an obligation on the part of the penitent to pass on this information. The constitution of Benedict XIV itself seems to approve of this practice....
Question 3. Answer 1. Robert had the right to require that the student who was the corrupting influence be made known to him, unless by chance the penitent reported him to a higher authority. He would therefore have been right to deny absolution to a penitent who was not willing to identify in any way the corrupting influence to him or to another person in authority. This is because the case related to a student who had corrupted many others and to the common good.
Answer 2. He would have been less justified if he had simply required the penitent to identify the malefactor to him alone. He was bound to leave this decision to the judgement of the penitent. However, if the penitent's preference was to make the information known to Robert, he would have been better advised to receive the penitent's denunciation outside confession. The absolution should definitely not have been delayed until the denunciation was made.


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Safe Crib Alternatives and Other Baby Furniture
Safe Crib Alternatives and Other Baby FurnitureIf you're concerned about the materials used in your child's crib mattress, you should also have a very close look at the toxic chemical content of cribs, dressers, changing tables, and even outdoor furniture and decking. Fortunately, there are easy alternatives to using these chemicals, including building materials that may have fallen under your radar for a safe crib or baby furniture.
What toxic chemicals do you have to worry about in furniture? One of the primary offenders is formaldehyde.
Plywoods and particleboard, which are often included in furniture even if they don't comprise the entire structure, are glued together with formaldehyde-based resins or urea-formaldehyde (UF) glue.
Formaldehyde, which off-gasses for years into the air you and your children breath, has been classified by the EPA as a probable carcinogen.
Healthy Child Healthy World recently published a list of alternatives:
- Certified-sustainable hardwood cabinets and furniture utilizing traditional joinery and stainless steel drawer bottoms, salvaged wood, UF-free fiberboard, or baked-enamel metal, which emit less chemical vapor into the air. Or, reject permanent cabinetry altogether, and use freestanding hardwood tables, shelves and hooks.
- Formaldehyde-free medium density fiberboard (MDF) in place of plywood for outdoor areas. Fiberboard can be made from recycled wood, paper or plant fiber waste, which is compressed and molded into boards without adhesives.
- Look for an "exterior glue" stamp on regular plywood, which means it contains phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin, which off-gasses at a much slower rate than UF glues.
- If particleboard can't be avoided, finish with a low-toxicity sealant (latex paint won't seal in vapors).
With the demand for toxic-chemical-free homes, and in the environment, these materials are becoming more available even in regular stores - especially the wood. If you're having trouble finding a sealant, Debra Lynn Dadd, the Queen of Green, recommends Safe Seal made by AFM Safecoat. Also, for an excellent in-depth discussion with Debra and her readers about non-toxic baby cribs and where to get them, check Non-Toxic Baby Cribs.
Just think how wonderful it would be to not have to worry about you and the kids breathing formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals in a safe crib! You can rest easy.


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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning fired coach Guy Boucher on Sunday.
Assistants Martin Raymond and Dan Lacroix will share coaching responsibilities for Sunday night's game at Winnipeg.
"Guy has poured his heart and soul into the Lightning organization for these past three years and we appreciate all the work he has done," general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement. "But ultimately I am not satisfied with the direction we are heading and I believe making a change today is in the best interest of our franchise."
Tampa Bay is next to last in the Eastern Conference with a 13-17-1 record. Boucher was hired as the Lightning's seventh coach on June 10, 2010.
Boucher's dismissal came one day after the Lightning fell behind by four goals in the first period of a 5-3 loss at Ottawa.
The Lightning appear headed toward missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season after reaching the Eastern Conference finals during Boucher's first year.
Tampa Bay entered this season with postseason aspirations after adding goalie Anders Lindback and defensemen Sami Salo and Matt Carle. Lindback and team captain Vincent Lecavalier have been among the players sidelined by injuries.
Boucher's hiring was Yzerman's first major move as GM. Boucher had only one year of professional coaching experience, none on hockey's highest level. But Yzerman was not deterred from making him the league's youngest coach, saying the 38-year-old had adapted to the players, personalities and level of play he encountered at every stage of his career.
Boucher was a junior league coach for three years before taking over the American Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal's top minor league affiliate. He led Hamilton to the second-best record in the AHL then turned down a chance to coach the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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Need kitchen or bath remodeling ideas? Building a new home? Look through our website for ideas and then come in and visit us. You will be glad you did.
Charlotte's premier source for kitchen & bath fixtures. Our sparkling showroom boasts an impressive selection from all over the world. Our staff has in excess of 50 years combined high end kitchen and bath showroom experience.