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March 26, 2007
Good news: Bill says that he's going to post twice between now and April 15. So start checking his site regularly again.
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March 23, 2007
Maybe you don't want to buy music sound unheard. Fortunately, the group's CD is hosted here, and you can listen to 20-30 second pieces of each song on the album. You even have the option of downloading the album in MP3 format, or individual songs if you prefer.
Full disclosure: I know the band members personally and they're a great bunch of guys, but I don't get any financial return, no matter how rich and famous they become. I just want to see them do well.
Here's the album cover:
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March 21, 2007
Sorry to disappoint.
I started reading Steve's book, as I usually do, in bed next to my wife. Beloved spouse is a, God forbid, morning person, so she usually drops off long before I do. What this means is that I'm free to do whatever I like, as long as it's quiet and relatively motionless; waking my wife in an untimely fashion tends to rouse the Sybil in her, so I take pains to stay very still. Normally, this is pretty easy. Unfortunately, I was reading Steve's book.
I knew that laughing out loud would cause me lots of grief, so I tried to keep quiet. I succeeded in not making a sound, but I was unable to keep my body from responding, which, in turn, created the dreaded bedquake. The first couple of times I was able to convince my wife that the shaking had been caused by one of our cats. Pretty soon, though, I ran out of cats, which meant I had run out of excuses, so it was time sleep or move into a different room. Fortunately, the bathroom was close.
Don't say it: every woman I know wonders why men like to read in the bathroom, while every man I know doesn't understand the question. Regardless, I finally finished the book last night, which was too bad because I was laughing until the very end.
Good work, Steve. I look forward to your next effort.
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March 19, 2007
Godspeed, Cathy. You will be missed.
Update: Cathy's fight ended yesterday afternoon. Her daugher, Maia, posted information about the service this Friday, as well as links to the Lung Cancer Alliance and the Humane Society, the latter of which is where Cathy requested that people send money, rather than spending it on flowers.
I'll finish this post by paraphrasing some words from George W. Bush:
"Now she belongs to the ages. We liked it better when she belonged to us."
Update: Okay, I had to link to Michelle's post, if for no other reason than the picture of just how pissed off Cathy could make some idiots become.
Read all of the obits.
Tangential update: Apparently Elizabeth Edwards is still struggling with her cancer. Please offer her your prayers and well wishes.
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March 15, 2007
"You can increase your resistance training between sets by getting a bucket of ice in your gym and cool your body by putting your hand in the cold water. Give it a try."
Link via Sullivan.
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March 14, 2007
March 14 also marks Pi Day, since pi is approximately 3.14. So if you haven't had lunch, I guess you could celebrate by buying some Doritos and discussing Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler. Sounds like a banner Wednesday to me.
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March 13, 2007
I like Meryls' idea of givng her cat tuna as part of the celebration. I have 3 cats and 2 dogs, all of whom would love some tasty animal parts. Guess that I'll have to stop by the store tomorrow to grab us all some grub.
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In a tangential note, reading about Dr. Ruth reminds me of Sam Kinison's little jab at her:
Who is this dried up old woman offering sex advice to people?
::mimicking Dr. Ruth:: First, you must take the man's penis...
Yeah, when's the last time you saw a man's penis? Were there cars back then, or did you suck dick on horseback, Annie Oakley?"
I had the pleasure of seeing Kinison live in concert, back before he became a household name. He was quite funny, and incredibly loud. I swear that they de-amplified his voice, because he sound quieter when yelling into the microphone.
Let me leave you with Kinison's appearance on Married With Children, part 1 and part 2.
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March 09, 2007
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair and,
- Maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6 -year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Tylenol, sun lotion or a band-aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason
He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
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March 07, 2007
The largest and longest-running comparison of diet plans found the low-carbohydrate Atkins regimen produced greater weight loss than three other popular programs the Zone, the Ornish and the U.S. nutritional guidelines.
The average weight reduction was small, and participants started regaining pounds by the end of the one-year study, according to the report in todays Journal of the American Medical Assn. Still, Atkins dieters who consume prodigious amounts of long-demonized saturated fats but shun carbs, such as pasta and breads experienced significant drops in blood pressure and cholesterol.
The finding showed that even a small weight reduction can improve overall health, researchers said.
Atkins dieters lost an average of 10.4 pounds after one year, according to the report, compared with 5.7 pounds for those on a traditional balanced diet based on federal nutritional guidelines, 4.8 pounds for the high-carbohydrate Ornish diet and 3.5 pounds for the Zone diet, which calls for a set ratio of carbohydrate, protein and fat.
Let me state for the record my experience with the Atkins diet. About 12 years ago, I had stopped exercising and put on some extra pounds. I'd had tried going lo-cal, but my body absolutely hoards its fat reserves in the absence of heavy duty exercise. I stumbled across a copy of Atkins Diet Revolution book and decided to give it a try. Here's a brief synopsis:
1) I love meat in all its forms, except for haggis, although technically that contains meat the way Vienna Sausage contains "meat". Anyway, eating lots of high protein foods sounded great to me.
2) I also love baked potatoes, rice, pasta and bread, all of which were a complete no-no on the diet. That part sucked. A lot.
3) I learned to make sandwiches thusly: piles of meat stuck between two slices of cheese, slathered with mustard. A poor substitute for a great big hoagy, but it was better than nothing.
4) My kidneys worked overtime, nights and weekends, too. Since I don't add salt to my food, I became washed out due to the seemingly incessant stream of fluid being emitted by my body. Eventually, I started sprinkling a bit of salt onto my meals; I felt much better.
5) I lost a lot of weight, around 35 pounds or so. I lost 4-5 inches off of my waistline. I then started exercising and eating better because, let's face it, a diet low in fruits and vegetables just isn't healthy.
Anyway, I've read many articles from people, who should really know better, that Atkins doesn't work, that all of the weight lost is simply water weight. I read just such an article in Runner's World, which is a fine magazine, but was completely wrong in this case. Willful ignorance and self-delusion aren't pretty, especially when actual, you know, facts contradict you. Because Atkins works. You will lose weight, and quite rapidly I might add. But it's a sucky diet, especially for someone like me who likes to run long distances. Carbohydrates are fuel for the body, and a diet lacking carbohydrates is lacking in fuel.
For the record, I will state that a fruit, vegetable and pasta filled diet is the ideal, especially when combined with some vigorous exercise. But if you simply want to lose weight, Atkins will get you there. Anyone who claims otherwise is either ignorant or lying.
Update: I had forgotten that Ace was a proponent. He makes a pretty good point about the whole diet thingy:
Diet gurus similarly criticize the study as subjects seem to have cheated on their diets, too, and thus didn't really follow "their diets." But the piece notes that, in practical terms, a diet is not merely a plan, but rather a plan plus the most likely realistic implementation of that plan. And in that sense, Atkins seems to win -- it's simple, it's more livable than other plans (though pretty damn annoying), and easier to avoid cheating on.
Annoying yes, but effective.
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March 06, 2007
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No beefcake, though. Sorry, Val.
Anyhoo, I was bumbling around IMDB to get some background on the new series that Nathan Fillion, captain of the long-lamented cancelled series Firefly, will be starring in on Fox.
Umm, after the way that Fox screwed the pooch with Firefly, I'm not certain how gung ho I'd be about signing onto another TV deal with them.
Where was I? Oh yeah: Drive, the series. Anyway, I checked out the cast and saw that Amy Acker had a part that, based on the last name of her characters, is probably the wife of the main character, played by Fillion. I clicked on Amy's link and saw some quite fetching photos of our beloved Winifred, which whet my appetite for some more Acker shots. My internet search engine immediately returned some even more appealing photos of Amy in a somewhat less covered state. Turns out that Ms. Acker appeared in FHM. Now I don't actually read FHM(not for the articles, anyway) on a regular basis, but I do occassionally check out the magazine rack while standing in line at the local 7-11, just to see who might be gracing the cover. I have no idea how I managed to miss Fred's issue, but I've decided that, as penance, I will post some pictures here.
Back to your regularly scheduled geeky posts soon.
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94 queries taking 0.1607 seconds, 247 records returned.
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As long as modern technology is being utilized more and more, the key to success is in the hand of those companies which make the most of technology in order to provide better services. Kian Iranian smart technology development group was established in 2018, with the aim of creating communication and information infrastructure to improve state of the art technology in social network domain.
Kian Iranian has taken the first step to develop and provide a suitable application for audiences by making a messenger called iGap. Currently the whole focus of this company is on designing, developing and supporting social network applications such as messengers based on smart phones. Our vision in 2026 is designing, developing and presenting word-class social network applications in the region based on our experts and our experience.

subset: commoncrawl


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WeTransfer wins four Lovies for WePresent and The Bunt Machine
Content platform WePresent awarded Gold and Bronze, while short film 'The Bunt Machine' scoops two Gold awards.
WeTransfer has been honored with four awards at the 2018 Lovie Awards, which for the 8th time highlights the most creative digital work in Europe.
WePresent, the company's editorial platform with 2 million monthly readers, launched in January this year and was awarded Gold in the category Art Websites, and Bronze for Websites with Best Design - Aesthetic.
Rob Alderson, editor-in-chief of WePresent and VP of Content at WeTransfer commented:
Ever since we started talking about WePresent we fixated on how to make it special, for both our readers and the creatives whose stories we're so lucky to tell. So it's thrilling to be recognized by the Lovie Awards, and it gives us even more incentive to keep developing the site into what we think it can become.
The short film The Bunt Machine won two Gold Lovie Awards in the category Internet Video, Short Form and Internet Video, Best Art Direction.
The Bunt Machine follows maker Mac Premo on his journey from building a machine that delivers bunts for his baseball-loving daughter, to turning his creative experience into a one-man play - all the while using WeTransfer to share his plans and ideas. The spot, which was directed by Premo, was produced in partnership with Supply & Demand and full-service creative agency Doubleday & Cartwright.
The award ceremony will take place on November 15 in London. The full list of winners can be found here.
About WeTransfer
WeTransfer makes tools to move ideas. Founded in 2009 in Amsterdam as a simple, well-designed file sharing service for the creative community, WeTransfer has grown to include tools that scale across the creative spectrum, including editorial platform WePresent (with 3M monthly readers), mobile app 'Collect by WeTransfer' (with 4M monthly users), quick slide-making tool Paste® (with 40,000 active teams), immersive sketching tool Paper® (with more than 30M downloads), and the original web platform with 60M monthly users and over a billion files sent each month.
From the beginning, WeTransfer has prioritized bringing "offline" values - trust, transparency, and ethics - online. This means having a responsible data policy and tools that don't distract people from their creative flow. WeTransfer has pioneered a new means of online advertising, resulting in the platform's full-page wallpapers, designed by our award-winning in-house creative studio. Advertisers include industry-leading brands like Apple, Saint Laurent, Google, Balenciaga, Samsung, Netflix, Adidas, and Squarespace.
Since its founding, WeTransfer has proudly supported the creative communities and given up to 30% of advertising space to support the arts, donating over 5 billion impressions in 2017. Through our ongoing advertising grant program and content platform, WePresent, we have partnered with hundreds of groundbreaking artists and organizations, including Björk, King Krule, FKA twigs, Ryan McGinley, Ami Vitale, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the UN Development Program, the World Wildlife Foundation and the Prince Estate. In 2016, WeTransfer launched the world's first free Masters of the Arts in design thinking with the University of the Underground and Worldwide FM, the global radio station run by legendary BBC DJ Gilles Peterson.
Following a $25 million investment from Highland Europe in 2015, WeTransfer opened a US office in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, to add to the Amsterdam headquarters. In 2018, WeTransfer acquired popular creative apps Paper® and Paste® and expanded its US presence to New York City.


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Apparently this is the year that personal blogging died, if you haven't read/heard. Dooce allegedly quit blogging…although she's actually still blogging. Andrew Sullivan quit blogging, revealing that he had no choice but to quit because it was literally killing him. Young House Love quit last year…but recently crept back after a year of silence, mostly, it seems, to announce their new book. And these are just a few of the hundreds? Thousands? Millions? of personal bloggers who had either gotten into it for the money and realized it wasn't worth the effort or was becoming too intrusive into their family lives, or who had been blogging since it was a medium for sharing and connecting and since the rise of "content" and pageviews and shares have just become burnt out and discouraged and decided it wasn't worth the time.
I have wavered on the brink of quitting many times over the past decade, as I struggled to find time and energy to blog just for the love of writing while working full time in jobs where I spend all day online, either blogging or managing social media or crafting and executing content strategy…a lot of the time, blogging has just seemed like more work. Unpaid work. Unpaid work that sometimes gets you in all kinds of drama and becomes a huge emotional strain and time-suck. But at the end of the day, I'm still here, driven to carve out time before work or in the evenings or on weekends to blog for whatever reason. It certainly isn't because of money–I think, collectively, over the past decade of personal blogging, I've made maybe a total of $5. There have been other non-monetary benefits, of course, but if I guess the fact that I'm not doing it for the money and hardly anyone reads what I write are pretty much what's let me keep at it even as personal blogging is deemed to be dead or dying.
Maybe I'm still doing it because I'm too cheap to quit, having invested the time and money into buying this domains and blog themes and sweating every customization and tweak, working late into the night even after spending all day long getting paid to do stuff that's not even as taxing as this crazy hobby. But probably it's more along the lines of this reason the Bloggess gives when asked "is blogging dead?" and what blogging is really about:
It's about writing whatever crazy shit you want to write and having some people say "YES! I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE" and some say "What the shit is wrong with you?" and 99.99% of the world say nothing because they don't know I exist. And that is blogging.
Exactly. And ultimately, isn't the way back to "old school" blogging–people just writing to write, sharing on the off chance that what they write will resonate with one person out there who needs to read this particular thing on this particular day–having blogging for money die off, one poorly-written sponsored post at a time and writing just because you feel like it, bad grammar or nonsensical reasoning be damned? Or, better yet, getting to read–and write–stuff like "what the shit is wrong with you?" just because you can.


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Company Details
Dongguan Lang Hong Tin Box Co,. Ltd.
|Payment Type:
|Min. Order:
|5000 Piece/Pieces
|Delivery Time:
|25 Days
Model No.: LH-053
Type: Box
Metal Type: Tinplate
Usage: Electronics, Health Care Products, Cosmetics, Jewelry, Toy, Food, Gifts
Size: Middle
Surface Handling: Varnishing
Shape: Rectangle
Logo Printing: With Logo Printing
Weight: 0.5-1 kg
Style: Simplicity
Detail: 60*27*H105.5 Mm; 60*27*H 93 Mm
Packaging: 1 PC/Poly bag 25 PCS / Carton
Productivity: 20000 Pcs -50000 Pcs
Brand: According to customer's request
Transportation: Ocean,Land,Air
Place of Origin: China
Supply Ability: Very good~
Certificate: IS090001-2008, SGS, EN-71
Port: Shenzhen
Custom High-End Cigarette Pack Hinged Tin Box
With the development of our social life more and more people would like to chose a kind of more environmentally friendly living way. They use recyclable tings, eating green meals, do excersice several times a week. If you are one of them why not use a kind of environmentally friendly way to offer your smoking, which is not looks so healthy, a recyclable packaging way? So try to contact us and your cigaretter will be changed!
Item No.: LH-053
Size: 60*27*H105.5 mm; 60*27*H 93 mm (height can be changed)
Material: 0.23mm Tinplate (0.18-0.35mm, according to customer request)
Printing: Can be customized
Main Market: Europe, Middle East, USA, Mexico, Russia, etc.
Abut us
Lang Hong Tin Box Co,. Ltd. is a professional Supplier and Manufacturer in the field of Metal Packaging, which located in Qiaotou Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China. We specialize in tin boxes, including all shapes of tin boxes, metal trays, and chemical paint cans. All of our products are based on food grade and widely used for Tea, coffee, candy, biscuit, gift, promotion or other storages. We are the golden supplier at international trade platform, and own the certificate of ISO 9001. With more than 15 years of professional experience in tins manufacturing, and also with advanced technology, skilled management system, and considerate & professional service. Please trust that we could meet all of you demands.
Product Categories : Food Tins Packaging > Cigarettes Box


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Every culture and religion have their uniqueness which make them different from the others. The traditions followed by them cannot be justified, they have their own reasons.
Though they are too odd and bizarre but we can't do anything and they exist. So I have brought you some creepiest traditions, check them out:
1. Bullet ant gloves
Also read: 7 Horrible and Bizarre Traditions in The World That Will Leave You Shocked!
This tradition is practised in Amazonian tribe where boys have to prove their manhood by wearing a woven mitt which has deadly creatures called bullet ant placed in it. They have to wear this mitt on hands and dance for 10 minutes. The unusual part is that they have to do it for 20 times in their lifetime.
2. Hindu Thaipusam festival piercings
The devotees of the Lord Murugan, the God of war follow this tradition. They have body piercings and make a pilgrimage to the Malaysia's Batu Caves.
3. Night hunting in Bhutan
This tradition is practised in the eastern parts of the Himalayan Kingdom and is locally called Bomena. Young men go out in search of love in the night and for they broke out in the rooms of eligible spinster. They spend the night there and in case caught they have to marry the girl.
4. Thaipusam
This festival is celebrated on the victory of Lord Murugan over an evil spirit. It includes the piercing of body from different parts with sharp objects.
5. Baby throwing in India
This ritual involves throwing a new born baby off a 50ft height of a temple and then catching them with a cloth. Couples who are blessed with child after they visit Sri Santeswar temple practice this tradition. The tradition has been celebrated for more than 500 years.


text: As I work through my MS again (yes again) I'm wondering if I should post 'snippets' from it. Would you be interested? I know I enjoy reading some but often get put off by the length of them. What's an appropriate length do you think? Hmmmm. Well maybe I'll post one later this week and we'll just see what your response is and go from there *grin*. I received a parcel today! Who doesn't love random parcels, really? It was from the lovely Sharon at Random Thoughts blog. I responded to a post and won! Look at these cute little things : ) Makes … [Read more...]


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Riverside County Under Curfew; Notable Differences Between the Planned Protests—Coachella Valley Independent Daily Digest: June 1, 2020June 01 2020
Welcome to June! Things are a mess!
Here's the latest:
• All of Riverside County is under a curfew starting at 6 p.m. today. Yes, all of it—including the Coachella Valley. The curfew lasts through 6 a.m. tomorrow. But you probably already know this because of an alert screamed by your phone earlier this afternoon.
Some of the details, according to the county:
The curfew is in response to several areas of rioting and looting in Southern California over the weekend, as well as planned protests set to occur today in Riverside County.
"We want the community to be able to peacefully assemble and exercise their first amendment rights," said (County Executive Officer and Director of Emergency Services George) Johnson. "We must also take action to protect our community from threats of rioting and chaos. If you plan to visit a protest today, we urge you to do so peacefully and return home at the time of the curfew."
The curfew will expire Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. and will not apply to residents who must leave their homes to attend essential work or business after 6 p.m. The curfew is intended to prevent any potential acts of destruction and violence at protest sites. Law enforcement will continue to serve the community by conducting patrols and responding to calls for service.
• Three protests motivated by the death of George Floyd were planned for the Coachella Valley today. The first one started at 10 a.m. in downtown Palm Springs, and, by accounts, has been calm and peaceful.
The other two were scheduled for tonight—and there are some key differences.
The first one that was announced was slated for 6 p.m. in Indio, at Miles Park. This was, in every way, a transparent and local effort: The organizers of #NoMoreHashtags said who they were, what their plans were, and emphasized safety—both in terms of being peaceful, and the need for social distancing and masks due to the pandemic.
However, that protest has been cancelled by organizers, in light of the county curfew. Organizer Erin Teran wrote on Facebook:
We the committee of the No More Hashtags Candlelight Vigil regret to inform you of the decision to postpone. The vigil scheduled for this evening, June 1st in Indio will be moved to a future date due to the notification of curfew put in place by Riverside County officials, which currently commenced at 6 p.m. this evening to tomorrow at 6 a.m.
We have made a group decision to postpone the vigil pending further notice in an effort to cooperate with our county and local officials.
We are upset and disappointed to have to postpone the vigil, as we feel it is important for us to assemble together as a community to grieve and express our emotions; however we also acknowledge the concerns of our community.
We ask the public to please respect the curfew. As we had planned a peaceful expression and Vigil, we also do not condone any negativity surrounding this tragedy.
This was and will be a peaceful candlelight vigil and we will see that it will proceed in the coming days.
• The other planned protest is, well, shrouded in mystery.
It was announced by an Instagram account that has no posts published before the protest announcement. At first, the "Coachella Valley Activists" account announced the protest would be starting in front of California Pizza Kitchen, on El Paseo in Palm Desert.
Then, earlier today, the account announced that due to fears over the location chose for the protest—why pick the ritzy shopping area?!—it was being moved to Palm Desert's City Hall and Civic Center Park. After the curfew announcement, the account said the protest would start earlier than originally scheduled, and would go from 4 to 6 p.m.
There are several things worth pointing out about this announced protest. First: It's odd to schedule a protest at the same time as another one just 10 miles down the road. Second: The organizers have refused to identify themselves. The Independent asked the organizers who they were, as did other media sources and all sorts of commenters on the Instagram page—but they have so far refused say.
"It's been brought to our attention that people believe that the El Paseo protest is a setup," posted the page. "We can assure you this is not. We're a group of diverse friends (Black, Latino, White, etc.) who believe that our voices should be heard, and we're locals but not residents of PD."
Regardless of who is behind this protest, it scared the living hell out of people, given the violence and destruction that's taken place over the weekend. At one point on Sunday night, the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce on Facebook announced that "busses are arriving already with people," but soon after removed the post, because it wasn't true. Meanwhile, much of El Paseo has been boarded up … just in case.
So … yeah, things are a mess.
Other news:
• A Villanova University professor, writing for The Conversation, says research has shown "that officers with extensive complaint histories were disproportionately more likely to be named subjects in civil rights lawsuits with extensive claims and large settlement payouts." Translation: The nation's police departments are *BADLY* in need of reform, as these needless acts of violence, often racially tinged, show us over and over and over again.
• Frustratingly related: According to CNN, "under President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice has all but abandoned broad investigations into unconstitutional policing practices, a half-dozen former DOJ lawyers who worked on similar cases told CNN—essentially giving up on one of the federal government's most effective tools to fight police misconduct."
• A tale of two presidents, presented without comment: Earlier today, former president Barack Obama issued a statement. A key quote: "So the bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn't between protest and politics. We have to do both. We have to mobilize to raise awareness, and we have to organize and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform."
• Also earlier today, President Trump lashed out at governors on a phone call with them. Key quote, according to Fox News (yes, Fox News): "You have to dominate; if you don't dominate, you're wasting your time. They're going to run over you; you're going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate."
• The more things change, the more things stay the same: Today's the 99th anniversary of one of the most awful chapters in American history. If you don't know about the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, please read up.
• These protests, while necessary, are coming in the middle of a pandemic that's far from over—and it has medical professionals very worried that these mass gatherings will help the virus spread. Heed the warnings of Atlanta's mayor: If you've been part of a mass protest, please go get tested for the virus.
• Late Friday night, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, affirmed California's right to place restrictions on religious services during the pandemic. Fascinatingly, Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the liberal wing of the court.
• Showing, YET AGAIN, how little we know about this damned virus: There's evidence that SARS-CoV-2 attacks blood vessels, meaning it's not merely a respiratory disease.
• And finally, a teeny, tiny sliver of good news among all the chaos: Hey, the Palm Springs Air Museum is (responsibly) open again!
That's enough for this odd and sad day. Please be safe. If you can afford it, please consider supporting ethical, honest local journalism by becoming a Supporter of the Independent. We'll be back for what we're hoping is a better day tomorrow.
A Night of Wintry Bliss: Coachella Valley Sexual Assault Services Throws a Big Party to Raise Both Awareness and Much-Needed FundsDecember 02 2019
On Dec. 7, the folks with Coachella Valley Sexual Assault Services will transform the Pacific Hangar of the Palm Springs Air Museum into a "winter wonderland." The goals: Raise money for the organization's vital services—and have one heck of a good time while doing so.
CVSAS' Inaugural Winter Wonderland Gala will feature hosted drinks from Tito's Vodka—drinks with other spirits will be available for purchase—and food from the chef at the Arrive Hotel. Entertainment will include music by Lisa and the Gents.
"Our goal is to keep all our services free of charge," said Winette Brenner, the program director at CVSAS. "We usually do mini-fundraisers and stuff. … We do free events; we just had our Anti Human-Trafficking Conference, and we've made that free, because we want to educate the public. But at some point, we had to do something to have a bigger fundraiser, so we can continue to do those free services."
The event is being held on Dec. 7—which is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, marking the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941—and the event is being held in the Air Museum's Pacific Hangar, which includes exhibits and items from the war in the Pacific during World War II. Therefore, CVSAS is honoring all veterans during the event, and offering them free admission, as well as $50 guest tickets.
"We reached out to the Riverside County Education Academy, and their students are going to come and do a salute in honor of Pearl Harbor Day. We're very excited about that," Brenner said.
While the event is happening in December, it's also happening in Palm Springs, where we really don't have "winter." So I had to ask: How will the Air Museum be transformed into a "winter wonderland" of sorts?
"One of our sponsors is Enchanted Memories, and they are going to be giving us a winter-wonderland feeling with decorations and with balloon displays and snow effects," Brenner said. "We'll have a picture booth, and we're going to have a wonderful dessert table. The hangar is going to be open, and it'll be in the evening—so hopefully, we can have kind of a winter feeling."
The larger-scale fundraiser is just the latest move by CVSAS to have more of a public presence. The organization operates the local portion of a national 24-hour hotline (800-656-4673) for victims of sexual assault and human trafficking, and offers counseling, advocacy, referrals and other help to both victims and their families. CVSAS is working hard to spread the word about its services, and raise awareness.
"We are talking to anyone who will listen. It's just so important," Brenner said. "We're trying to really educate our community and spread the word about what's going on in our backyards and in our surroundings. We want to educate parents. It's important that parents are educated and know what's going on, so they can protect their children and look for red-flag warning signs as well.
"That also goes with school educators. … This affects all ages. Unfortunately, sexual assault, human trafficking and domestic violence—at this point, it has no color. It has no age. It can affect all of us."
The Inaugural Winter Wonderland Gala, a fundraiser for Coachella Valley Sexual Assault Services, will take place at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, in Palm Springs. Tickets start at $100; veterans are admitted for free, with $50 guest tickets. For tickets or more information, call 760-568-9071, or visit www.eventbrite.com/e/inaugural-winter-wonderland-gala-tickets-76283055673.
Live: Splash House, Various Venues, June 7-9June 14 2019
I've been fortunate enough to attend the twice-per-summer Splash House festival for at least five years. While the venues have changed over the years, it's almost always hot as hell—and a great time for all.
The June festivities kicked off at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Thousands attended the almost-sold-out preparty, allowing visitors to get acclimated to the heat and learn a better understanding of the necessary hydration levels. Sometimes I wonder: Does music drive the party, or is the party a reason for the music? The music was somewhat mellow on Friday night, but the audience is always entertaining. I overheard a couple of large, athletic guys trying to start a chant in the VIP section, yelling, "Twist the knob!" over and over again. Perhaps it was a cynical observation on their part regarding the the EDM genre?
The highlight of Saturday was definitely Englishman Pete Tong, one of the elder statesmen of EDM music. "Hey, Splash House. How are you doing out there?" he said in his greeting, followed up by a guy directly behind me yelling: "I love you, Pete!" Tong fans were all ears as he melded different decades of music together effortlessly—even impressing old-timers like me.
Justice was up next on Saturday, and the French duo played dance classics, starting with a "Welcome to the Jungle" sample. "Do the Hustle" blended with "YMCA," which was perfect.
The afterhours festivities returned to the Palm Springs Air Museum. Lee Wells went into the wayback machine and plucked out "Heart of Glass" by Blondie. Wells got plenty of love from the audience members, who gobbled up every beat.
For those of you unfamiliar with Splash House: The promoter has a shuttle system with The Renaissance as the hub; attendees can pick up a shuttle from there to The Saguaro or The Riviera, and vice versa. On Sunday, a typical 105-degree June day, the driver announced as I got on that the air conditioning was out. Eek.
Five minutes and 59 seconds later, I arrived at the Saguaro, to check out the balconies and the party scene (since most of the top-tier acts were playing at the Renaissance). I have a tradition where I try to capture a dive into the pool—which is quite a challenge, since the pool is usually filled with too many people. However, I got lucky and saw a woman diving in—with a perfect 10 for effort, and quite a bit less than that for form. She introduced herself on the shuttle back to The Renaissance. The shuttle is always an interesting place to talk to fans and get tips on who to see. I was told to catch Pluko's set at Riviera—and he really pleased the fans on Sunday. He is signed to Odesza's label, and he played on the same stage the group did a few years ago.
Last up on Sunday at The Renaissance was DJ Armand van Helden and Canadian DJ A-Trak. They had their own sets scheduled, but attendees went crazy when they played as Duck Sauce, their collaboration, best known for the hit—which, of course, they performed—"Barbra Streisand." This led to probably the only sing-along of the weekend.
Splash House keeps getting bigger and better. The August edition can't come soon enough.
- Check the Phone Check the Phone
- Des' Dive Des' Dive
- Duck Sauce Duck Sauce
- Big Smiles Big Smiles
- Justice Justice
- Lee Wells Lee Wells
- Happy Fan Happy Fan
- Pete Tong Pete Tong
- Pluko Fans Pluko Fans
- Packed Riviera Pool Packed Riviera Pool
- Pluko Pluko
- Poolside at the Saguaro Sunday Poolside at the Saguaro Sunday
- At The Renaissance At The Renaissance
- On a Floaty On a Floaty
- Men Are Pigs Men Are Pigs
- Splashville Splashville
- From The Saguaro Balcony From The Saguaro Balcony
- Sunday at The Renaissance Sunday at The Renaissance
- At The Renaissance At The Renaissance
Holiday Happenings: There Are a Lot of Festive Things to Do in December; Here's a Quick PrimerNovember 29 2018
The holidays are here again—and that means there are a whole lot of Christmas-themed events going on.
While we could fill pages upon pages of this newspaper with lists of things to do in December, we've selected seven of the most intriguing events for your consideration.
Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade: This is definitely the biggest Christmas-themed event in the Coachella Valley. The parade got its start in the early '90s and has seemingly grown a little larger every year, with more and more illuminated floats—and participants walking whilst wearing lights! The celebrity grand marshal for this year's event is Lorna Luft, while the community grand marshals are architect Hugh Kaptor and news anchor Gino Lamont. 5:45 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1, along Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs; free; psfestivaloflights.com.
Dave Koz Christmas Tour: It's become a holiday tradition of sorts for the McCallum Theatre to host jazz saxophonist Dave Koz during the Christmas season. Last year, Koz celebrated his 20-year anniversary of holiday touring—and this year, Koz promises some special guests during his musical celebration of Christmas. When I interviewed Koz last year, he explained how much he enjoys performing holiday shows, in part because Christmas music takes him and others back to innocent times in their lives—therefore bringing out the holiday spirit. This is just one of a handful of great holiday shows happening at the McCallum; check the website for a complete schedule. 8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, in Palm Desert; $62 to $102; 760-340-2787; www.mccallumtheatre.com.
Morongo Casino Resort Spa Sleigh Ride Toy Run: This event is a fundraiser for the JJ Johnson Foundation and will feature a performance by the Charlie Daniels Band. The Southern rock and country star is a lot of fun to experience live—and, of course, he does perform some Christmas music this time of the year. Also on the bill: Steel Wool, Second Sight and Gethen Jenkins. Go on out to Morongo Casino and support a great cause for the holiday season! 1 to 9 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, in Cabazon; $30 to $40, or $25 with a toy donation at the door; 800-252-4499; www.morongocasinoresort.com.
Brian Setzer Orchestra's 15th Anniversary Christmas Rocks! Tour: In each of the last 15 years, rockabilly/swing guitarist Brian Setzer (below) has embarked upon a holiday tour—often with a stop at Fantasy Springs. This is one best musical events of the holiday season, as Setzer puts on a marvelous, high-energy, holiday-themed show, featuring Christmas tunes as well as hits from both his orchestra and the Stray Cats. I've attended this show a couple of times, and I promise you'll have a great time. 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 21, at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, in Indio; $49 to $79; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus' Men in Tights—A Holiday Spectacular: This show kicks off the 20th anniversary season of the Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus, and will take holiday-themed music … back to the Renaissance? Yep! After the intermission, prepare to hear holiday songs in a more-modern format, including a country-Western-style performance of "Dreydl Dreydl." OK then! 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 15; and 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive, in Palm Springs; $25 to $50; www.psgmc.com.
Santa Fly-In and Winter Fun Land: This is a fun annual family event thrown by the Palm Springs Air Museum that features a very special guest—Santa Claus! Santa will meet with children and pose for photographs in a specialty created Winter Fun Land, including snow he'll bring with him from the North Pole! 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8 and 9, at the Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, in Palm Springs; free with museum admission; 760-778-6262; www.psam.org.
WildLights: The Living Desert hosts this annual event every year on selected evenings from Black Friday through Christmas Eve. The park is transformed into an illuminated winter wonderland, complete with entertainment. This is the most festive way to experience The Living Desert for sure! 6 to 9 p.m. on selected evenings through Monday, Dec. 24, at the Living Desert, 47900 Portola Ave., in Palm Desert; $12 for adults; $10 military and children 3-12; free for children 3 and younger; 760-346-5694; www.livingdesert.org.
Live With Photos: Splash House, Aug. 10-12August 17 2018
The second of this summer's two Splash House parties landed Aug. 10 at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
By now, Splash House is running like a fine vintage watch: Shuttles running from the three main pool-party venues—the Renaissance, the Riviera and the Saguaro—delivered Splashers to the pre-party at the Air Museum on Gene Autry Trail. I'm sure most of the young fans understood the deep connection Autry had to music, baseball and Palm Springs.
I am kidding: These EDM fans were here to party and listen to the best electronic music, in an effort to warm up for the pool parties that followed the next two days.
The Black Madonna headlined the pre-party. I had no idea who she was, which allowed me to listen with no biases or preconceived notions. It turns out she is a native of Kentucky who began her career as many do, by selling mix tapes in warehouses and—in her case—farm fields that became underground music venues. She magically melds different genres of music into tracks that fit well together, helping her stand out in the bro-dominated EDM scene. Her original mix of "He Is the Voice I Hear" was absolutely enchanting.
British DJ Hannah Wants brought her house beats to the Saguaro on a very hot Saturday afternoon. The Saguaro is the über-party place of Splash House; the proximity of the room's balconies to the elevated DJ stage makes it a faultless spot if attendees do not want to leave their rooms.
Louis the Child was excited to be headlining the Renaissance on Saturday night. Robby Hauldren asked the crowd if they wanted a standard set, or a one-of-a-kind set. The crowd was mum on the subject, so the duo went with an incredible new set. "It's Strange" was a pleasing tune. Aware of the long, hot day, Hauldren inquired as to the mood of the audience: "Are you still all right out there? Are you feeling the love? Are you feeling amazing?" This garnered a cheer from the sun-baked crowd.
Hauldren announced with excitement: "This is our first time headlining a festival." He then announced the last song, a recorded track, "Better Not" (featuring Wafia), which played as they waved to fans.
One of the highlights of the Splash House after-hours party, once again held at the Air Museum, was Mija—a post-modern harlequin-like tech-house dream. Her "Notice Me"—with the words "I want you so badly in this weather, If only we could be together"—was joyful.
I was excited to see DJ Alex Harrington, whom I first met several years ago at Splash House when Gorgon City played in front of a few hundred fans at the now-defunct Hard Rock Hotel. Alex got the nod to open on the same stage where Gorgon City was the headliner last Sunday at the Renaissance. Harrington, a local and a former Independent contributor, has a new record coming out, Stargazer, and this was a great opportunity to show case his talent to a noon crowd who got to listen to his original material.
Splash House is like any music festival, in the sense that one can find gems while wandering around early in the day—like Silva, a DJ/producer playing a 1 p.m. set at the Riviera.
On a shuttle ride back the Saguaro, I met Kaley from Los Angeles, and Tina from Portland. Both ladies had floaties that were partially inflated. As Kaley was inflating her floatie, she said the air valve tasted like salad—and that she hates salad. She later explained that the night before, after the Louis the Child set, they'd acquired the floaties after they were abandoned by their previous owners; presumably, the person who previously inflated the floatie liked salads. Later that day, they waved happily when they spotted me at the Riviera. The best thing about Splash House is that everyone is in good spirits; it is easily the most laid-back music scene I cover all year.
Early Sunday evening, Grammy-nominated Camelphat packed the Renaissance during their nearly 90-minute set, keeping the bass strong, which re-energized the dancers.
Gorgon City returned to Splash House to close out the night. Fans adored new track "Love Me." I am sure that while standing on the massive stage, they reflected upon the first time they played this event—in a room that was smaller than that stage.
As Splash House concluded for another year, I wondered: Is this a music festival, or just a well-planned pool party? Frankly, I don't think it matters, because attendees are getting exactly what they paid for—a fun weekend under the sun with thousands of like-minded fun-seekers.
- Tats at the After-Hours Party Tats at the After-Hours Party
- Alex Harrington Alex Harrington
- The Black Madonna The Black Madonna
- Camelphat Camelphat
- Take a Dive Take a Dive
- Gorgon City Gorgon City
- Hannah Wants Hannah Wants
- Kaley and Tina Say Hi Kaley and Tina Say Hi
- Louis the Child Louis the Child
- Fans of Louis the Child Fans of Louis the Child
- Mija Mija
- Raise Your Water at the Pre-Party Raise Your Water at the Pre-Party
- Mysterious at the Pre-Party Mysterious at the Pre-Party
- Dancing at the Pre-Party Dancing at the Pre-Party
- Rabbit Ears Rabbit Ears
- Happy at the Riviera Happy at the Riviera
- Hit the Ball Hit the Ball
- Floatie Fun at the Riviera Floatie Fun at the Riviera
- Have a Sip Have a Sip
- Giraffe Finger at the Riviera Giraffe Finger at the Riviera
- Robbie Hauldren of Louis the Child Robbie Hauldren of Louis the Child
- Fun on the Shuttle Fun on the Shuttle
- Silva Silva
Live With Photos: Splash House, June 8-10June 18 2018
A sold-out Splash House officially got the summer season started in Palm Springs June 8-10. The celebration started at the Palm Springs Air Museum on a pleasant if windy summer night, before the daytime fun began at The Renaissance, The Riviera and The Saguaro.
I've been coming to Splash House for a few years now, so I fully understand how this hip counterpart to Coachella is an excellent excuse to party—and show off the results of your CrossFit training. Cole Porter said it best: "And that's why birds do it, bees do it—even educated fleas do it; let's do it." And so some of the best DJs around created the soundtrack as the young and the young at heart looked for love—or at least a dance partner for the night.
The VIP section at the Palm Springs Air Museum allowed attendees to spread their figurative wings and relax on comfortable couches—and even offered access to the side of the stage, allowing attendees to be next to the talent, yet away from the crowded masses.
Touch Sensitive was the standout in the early evening at the museum, thanks in part to the disco song about positive affirmation, "Veronica": "Hey baby, am I the only one that makes you lose your mind? Yes baby, hey baby, am I the one you want to fuck all the time? Yes baby."
On Saturday afternoon at the Riviera, SMLE was a blast, spinning the original track "With Me" featuring Mary Ellen and Hyper Turner: "I'm waiting for my phone to ring; I'm wondering where you could be, and I'm waiting for that knock on my door, feeling restless; I can't take any more." The Riviera pool was crammed with so much splashing I was surprised there was any water left after the SMLE set.
The Dusky DJ set highlighted an awesome fun mashup featuring "Oh Yeah" by the Swiss band Yellow, highlighted on Ferris Bueller's Day Off—which came out decades before most of the audience was born.
The Grammy-nominated Duke Dumont closed out the Renaissance on Saturday, pleasing sunbathers and dancers loving the cool ambiance of "Ocean Drive": "Don't say a word while we danced with the devil."
Security was over-the-top Sunday for attendees trying to get into the Riviera. People wearing just bikinis and banana hammocks were being patted down in search of contraband … which was odd. However, the line was worth it to see Chet Porter, who greeted the crowd: "Hello, Splash House; my name is Chet Porter. Are you having a good time?" Fans grooved to "Sad Machine X I love Kayne Mashup," a fantastic improvement to the self-love tune, "I Love Kanye" by Kayne West.
After three days in the heat, another enjoyable Splash House was in the can. I'll see you in August for Splash House Part II.
- Cannonball! Cannonball!
- Taking a Pic Taking a Pic
- Saguaro Chains Saguaro Chains
- Chet Porter Chet Porter
- Happy Pre-Party Dancer Happy Pre-Party Dancer
- Duke Dumont Duke Dumont
- Dusky Dusky
- Leah and Her Beau Leah and Her Beau
- Legalize Gay Legalize Gay
- Making Momma Proud Making Momma Proud
- Making a Call Making a Call
- Party at the Renaissance Party at the Renaissance
- Poolside at The Riviera Poolside at The Riviera
- Pose at the Photo Pit Pose at the Photo Pit
- Pre-Party Fans Pre-Party Fans
- Shhhh! Shhhh!
- Posing at The Riviera Posing at The Riviera
- Sonny? Sonny?
- A Little Tongue A Little Tongue
- Touch Sensitive Touch Sensitive
- Umbrella Hat Umbrella Hat
The Bean Boss: Cliff Young Shares His Passion for the Perfect Roast Via His Coachella Valley Coffee Co.June 13 2018
Cliff Young has been a well-known face in the Southern California food scene for more than two decades.
He's owned coffee carts and coffee houses. He's done restaurant reviews. He's organized food festivals. He's hosted popular radio and TV shows, including a local PBS show, Out to Eat, for more than five years. Through it all, however, his true passion has always been coffee—specifically, roasting coffee.
About six months ago, he put aside his media efforts to focus on his passion full-time via his brand-new Coachella Valley Coffee Co. The "small-batch artisanal coffee roasting" company today makes coffees specifically tailored to individual restaurants, while also roasting coffee that's great to brew up at home—and Young always makes sure that a chunk of the proceeds go toward philanthropy. Young's coffee can be purchased online or at retailers including Tipper's Gourmet Marketplace and the Palm Springs Air Museum.
To order coffee or learn more, visit coachellavalleycoffee.com. We recently sat down with Young at—where else?—a coffee house for a chat.
What possessed you to go ahead and start Coachella Valley Coffee Company?
I've been roasting since 1994. I started my first coffee business at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana—a little coffee cart. If you go to any Kaiser … those coffee carts were started by me. So I've been in the coffee business a long time. I wanted more control over my product, so I started going to Seattle, and hanging out with the roasters in San Francisco. I love taking this raw green coffee bean, which is about 12 to 15 percent moisture, and turning it into this gorgeous brown bean. Done rightly, the sugars come out.
A lot of people think, "Oh, I'll just buy a roaster. I'm going to put this in, and it comes out." No, it doesn't. I learned from the old guys up in San Francisco, when Alfred Peet was still alive. It was nose and ears—it was olfactory and your ears. I can smell what's going on with that coffee bean during the roasting process, and I can listen to it. I love standing next to my roaster, and just closing my eyes, and going, "That bean's at 386 degrees," and I'll be within a degree or two, because you can hear what's going on with that coffee. Even though we all have computers now telling us what to do, a computer can't smell; a computer doesn't taste.
I sold all of my other roasting businesses in '08, before I started my PBS television show, because I was going to get rich on PBS. (Laughs.) Out to Eat was a fun show; I was No. 2 in ratings behind Huell Howser. Even after Huell died, he was still beating me in the ratings.
After moving back out here from Los Angeles, I said, "I've got to do something besides PBS, because I'm not paying the bills." I've always been very, very good at roasting. Everybody has something they're good at, and that was my thing. I built my own restaurants, opened my own restaurants—but this coffee thing, it got me. It's my thing. I travel to the farms and meet the farmers …
Let me ask you about that. I just finished a bag of fantastic Nicaraguan coffee from you at home. How do these beans get from Nicaragua or Sumatra, or wherever it is, to your roaster?
Cliff Young, the roastmaster general, goes to Nicaragua, or Guatemala, or Costa Rica, or Colombia—I go to every country except for the African countries. I might buy from brokers who've been in the business for 30 years. I go visit farms. I learned years ago that just because it's from, you know, Columbia, it doesn't mean it's good coffee. Columbia grows a lot of bad coffee, and so does Guatemala. The key is finding the farmers who take care of their crops, who are making sure they have the right fertilizers, natural, and that they're feeding (their crops). Then you pay them properly … so they're making money, and I get a great product.
I just got back from Nicaragua, where I've been going since '03—(with) some of the best coffees ever. Luckily, I took one of my roasting friends with me, a kid who used to work for me, who now owns my very first coffeehouses in Redlands, and is roasting and doing a good job. We bought the entire crop. He said, "This is the best coffee we've ever had," and thank god he has a bigger credit card than me. Then we book shipping containers and get it up here. It takes us a couple of weeks. Then I hold it … in a controlled environment. Even though we're out in the desert, I have a controlled warehouse, because I want to keep that moisture content at 12 percent in that raw bean, so I have something to work with when it's time to roast.
I think that's what sets me apart: I travel. I know the farmers, and I make sure the farmers are taken care of. I enjoy traveling to these countries and making sure that not just the farm, but the local community, is taken care of.
Since you started doing this full-time again, how's the reception been?
I thought it would be better, because I thought, "OK, I know so many of the shops and the restaurateurs in the valley; they've been on my television show, and on my radio shows," so I thought they would just crawl all over me. It's tough, and I know part of it is that I'm new. There are a couple other roasters out here that have been doing it for three years, or five years. I've got 25 years under my belt, and there's a world of difference. I think I just have to put my product in front of them and let them try it, and compare it to anybody else's, and they'll notice the difference.
Where can your coffee be found right now?
A couple of the places in the Coachella Valley are Heirloom Craft Kitchen in La Quinta … and Wabi Sabi (Japan Living) and Tipper's Gourmet Marketplace in downtown Palm Springs; Oscar's just picked us up, and Alebrije Bistro Mexico. … It took me about three tries to get a roast level that they were happy with. Theirs is really a half dark and half city roast.
You're actually customizing your coffee for your different clients?
Yeah, I try to customize it for each restaurant, because … different coffees go with different foods. For Alebrije and the Mexican food with a little more fat in it, I wanted to get a darker roast in there that cleanses the palate. If I was going into more of a strictly breakfast restaurant, I'm going to stick with a little bit of a lighter roast.
What's the best cup of coffee you've ever had?
It was on one of my first trips to Nicaragua in 2004. We didn't want to stay in the city with the farm owner at their nice house, so we stayed at the farm with the workers, because I thought, "Oh, how cute, I want to pick coffee." Well, that lasted about a half-hour, because it's hard, and it was raining, and I'm falling down. … We stayed there at the farm in their new building, which just meant it was a one-room building with a concrete floor. Every day, we had black beans and rice and tortillas. You could hear the cook when she got to work at 5 a.m., because you could just hear slap, slap, slap as she's making tortillas in the morning.
What made it good was … we figured out everything: We got a great coffee; we brewed it correctly. Roasted correctly, coffee has natural sugars in it, and you know you've done it right when people are putting less and less flavored syrups or sweeteners in their coffee. We take that liquid, that 12 percent moisture, and we caramelize (the bean) correctly at the right heat, and we have about 5 seconds while we can turn that into sugar, or we can destroy it. … (It's not) full of sugar; it's not that kind of sweet. It's smooth. It's almost velvety.
Most of us drink our coffee at home. When you're making coffee for the general public, you can't really customize it to a food, like you are for a restaurant. What do you do to make sure that coffee is great?
What am I doing? I'm packing it into a plastic bag with a valve that releases the carbon dioxide, because as coffee ages, it's letting out (carbon dioxide). After a couple of weeks, all the gas is gone; all the CO2 is gone. CO2 is good, because it also moves flavors around in your mouth, so once all the CO2 is gone, it's stale, old coffee.
When you get coffee, grind it right before you brew it, because within a few minutes of grinding coffee, 50 percent of those oils and the flavor disappear. So grind it fresh, and then use good water. If you drink your water from the tap, and it tastes good, then it's good. We don't have to over-complicate this. Buy a decent grinder—you can get one for $30. So you have good, fresh-ground coffee, good water and hot water—water's got to be right off of the boil, about 202 degrees. That's the issue with a lot of home coffee makers—they don't get hot enough, and if you don't get hot enough, you're not extracting everything you want to.
Craft Beer, Airplane Rides and Great Music: Props and Hops Returns to the Palm Springs Air MuseumNovember 07 2017
Thanks to the exploding popularity of craft beer, large-scale beer events these days are becoming ever-more common.
But it's safe to say that the Palm Springs Air Museum's annual Props and Hops Craft Beer Fest is the only large-scale beer event around these parts where you can sample fantastic brews and go for a ride in a vintage airplane.
The Sixth Annual Props and Hops Craft Beer Fest will take place from noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18. Air Museum spokesperson Ann Greer pointed out how great of a venue the Air Museum is for events; the Air Museum now hosts everything from Palm Springs Leather Pride to Splash House after-parties.
"The Air Museum in general is a very unique facility, with 86,000 square feet inside, and 40,000 square feet outside," Greer said. "It's near the airport, so there are no sound issues or concerns about the volume of the music, and there's plenty of parking."
Unlike Splash House and Leather Pride, Props and Hops is the museum's own event—and that means it has a definite airplane vibe. This year, pilots of three different airplanes will be offering attendees rides for an extra fee: a P-51 Mustang; a DC-3; and the B-25 "Executive Sweet." Rides on the DC-3 can be purchased in advance via the Air Museum for $195 (which includes festival admission); rides on the other two planes must be purchased at the event, or by calling the plane owners directly. (See the Props and Hops website for more information.)
If you have no interest in a plane ride, but you love craft beer, no worries: Props and Hops will be featuring beer from 20-plus breweries, including our valley's very own La Quinta Brewing Co. and Coachella Valley Brewing Co. Food from In-n-Out Burger, G's Taco Spot and Knights of Columbus Pizza will be available for sale.
"It's very laid back," Greer said. "You can be outside or inside, whatever your preference. If you want, you can just hang out, listen to music and watch planes take off."
As for that music: Alex Harrington will be providing the day's entertainment, along with singer David Macias. Harrington—the former Coachella Valley Independent resident DJ—is one of the valley's most in-demand DJs, and he said he's a fan of Props and Hops.
"Opportunities to play venues like this don't come along too often," he said. "It's kind of hard to vibe off of airplanes taking off, but the energy at the event is really good."
This will be the first Props and Hops to include the Palm Springs Air Museum's brand-new hangar, which focuses on the Cold War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Greer mentioned that Props and Hops is a useful event for the Air Museum, because it gives the facility exposure to a younger crowd.
In a similar vein, Harrington said he's excited about the fact that Props and Hops will introduce his brand of electronic dance music to people who have never heard him perform before.
"I love to bring my sound and the idea of DJing to new crowds," Harrington said.
The Sixth Annual Props and Hops Craft Beer Fest takes place from noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, in Palm Springs. General admission is $40 in advance, or $45 at the door, and includes a commemorative tasting mug and eight 4-ounce beer-tastings. Designated drivers pay $5 at the door. Props and Hops is a 21-and-older event, although well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome; attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs. For tickets or more information, visit pspropshops.com.
Live: Splash House, August Edition, Aug. 11-13August 17 2017
The three-day party that it is Splash House returned for the second and final time this summer, running Aug. 11-13.
The Friday night pre-party, at the Palm Springs Air Museum, featured the best performances of the entire weekend, in my book—but I must admit I'm biased toward performers who use instruments.
Klatch, hailing from the West Coast dance scene, kicked things off on Friday with a traditional DJ set, igniting the early evening crowd. Edlerbrook took things in a different direction with smoldering vocals merging with ambient digitized electronic sampling. The track "Difficult to Love" is an agreeable tune about how we see early experiences optimistically, compared to the actual eventual reality of the experience: "I'm difficult to love at the best of times; oh, at the best of times, I'm high again (high, high, high); and maybe that was mistake (my mistake, my mistake, uhm); you said I waste time, and I never get why you're in love with me."
Elderbrook wowed fans with the song "How Many Times," ending with the tune and saying, "Peace," before walking off the stage. After his performance, a happy devotee grabbed me by the shoulder and proclaimed, "That's Elderbrook. He is going to be big; write it down."
I just want to say I completely fell in love with Sofi Tukker, a New York-based duo featuring Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. The cheerful Halpern mentioned, "The last time we were out here was for Coachella." Sofi Tukker's music was very danceable, with electronic beats and strong guitar riffs from Hawley-Weld, and lots running around the stage. The song "Greed" took on POTUS directly with full electronic goodness: "Your ego, your crashing, your greed, keeping you up all night."
Bob Moses ended the night with a fantastic song, "Like It or Not," with some words of wisdom: "It's gotta mean something; it's gotta mean something to you; it's gotta keep pushing; you gotta keep pushing through."
The Saguaro, the Riviera, and the Renaissance accommodated crowds once again on Saturday and Sunday. I started Saturday off at the Saguaro, the most intimate of the three venues, where the balconies were covered up more than the attendees. As I walked in, a guy stopped me, seeing my camera gear, and had his friends clear a path in front of the DJ so he could do a summersault … just because. The atmosphere at the Saguaro is all about being there and having fun; most of the crowd was away from the DJ booth, instead enjoying the pool and/or looking for a future mate.
Over at the Riviera on Saturday, the pool was packed and overflowing; there always seem to be pools of water on the sides, caused by the crowded conditions. Manila Killa spun pure joy, enthralling listeners with indie-pop electronica.
On Saturday, Gigamesh, aka Matthew Thomas Masurka, performed on the Renaissance stage. His set was slated to be an hour long, but his time onstage was cut short due to his equipment heating up; the west-facing stage unfortunately lacked protection from the heat.
Splash House ran like a Swiss watch when it came to set times, but security was very strict, even checking wallets for contraband. It was hot as heck, which may have explained the more-subdued crowd on the between-venue shuttles, as compared to the June Splash House: I did not witness any dancing or singing this time around.
Hoping for another great time at the Air Museum, I headed back on Saturday night for former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy's DJ set, which was competent but lacked the punch of the performances the night before. Only the diehards could dance in the sweltering heat that night, and the VIP lounge was packed with seated guests observing instead of engaging in the music.
On Sunday at the Renaissance, Sango sampled some amazing tracks, including Young Thug's rap verse which doubles as sage advice from a gunslinger: "Don't try to take it; I got guns; I'm talkin' guns, not pellets." Sango kept the thumping loud, with plenty of hooks that excited the evening admirers.
Closing out Splash House at the Renaissance was Kaytranada. Unfortunately, the scorching set by Sango may have heated things up too much, because technical difficulties hampered the beginning of his show. He took the problems with a smile: "My shit is not set up yet. I am going to play whatever! ... This is a god damn disaster," he said as a large skipping sound flowed through the massive speakers. Later, the sampling of Suede's "NxWorries" was the perfect way for him to express frustration for this minor glitch in his headlining gig: "If I call you a bitch, it's 'cause you're my bitch, and as long as no one else call you a bitch, then there won't be no problems. Now, If I call you a trick, it's 'cause you paid the rent." We can only speculate whether this track was dropped to express frustration with the production staff. At the end, Kaytranada had everyone dancing, with smiles on the faces of the die-hard partygoers.
Splash House once again was a joyful event. Everyone chills out and gets along, no matter their background, ethnicity or sexual orientation. If we could infuse the inclusiveness of this event into the rest of the country, we would all be better for it.
- Bob Moses Bob Moses
- No Splashing No Splashing
- Missing Letters? Missing Letters?
- Titty City Titty City
- Pinata House Pinata House
- Ledge Lounging Ledge Lounging
- X Marks the Nipple(s) X Marks the Nipple(s)
- Furries? Furries?
- Smiles in the Crowd Smiles in the Crowd
- Dance Dance
- Impending Somersault Impending Somersault
- Posing Posing
- Dive! Dive!
- Goose Goose
- Arms Out Arms Out
- Beauties in Black Beauties in Black
- Splash! Splash!
- Kiss Kiss
- Taking It In Taking It In
- Plush Kiss Plush Kiss
- Baby DJ Baby DJ
- Flamingo Drink Holder Flamingo Drink Holder
- Lick Lick
- Nice Overalls Nice Overalls
- Legs Intertwined Legs Intertwined
- Busy Pool Busy Pool
- Gay AF Gay AF
- Tongue Smile Tongue Smile
- Big Smile Big Smile
- Big Pose Big Pose
- Tip o' the Hat Tip o' the Hat
- Gigamesh Gigamesh
- James Murphy James Murphy
- Kaytranada Kaytranada
- Manila Kila Manila Kila
- Sango Sango
- Soft Tukker Reaches Soft Tukker Reaches
- Sofi Tukker Performs Sofi Tukker Performs
- Sofi Tukker Sofi Tukker
Live: Splash House, at Various Venues, June 9-11June 15 2017
The three-day party known as Splash House returned to Palm Springs last weekend for the first of two stints this summer, opening Friday night with a celebration at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
"Yo, Splash House, right now, this is LondonBridge," said one of the opening-night DJs. "You are all going to kiss someone you've never kissed before," he predicted as he laid down the beats that got the early birds dancing.
Some in attendance partied a little too much, too early, as I ran into some first-year osteopathic medical-school students who created a technicolor yawn near the picnic area that needed to be mopped up. However, not all in attendance were bound to be doctors, as I overheard a bleached-blond surfer dude make a profound statement: "I think that's an airport." His companion, a human version of a Barbie doll, replied: "Yeah I think it is."
Malaa, a rumored Frenchman, who loves heavy bass lines, drew the crowd close; perhaps attendees were trying to peek under the mask. Malaa was a delight when the track "When a Fire Starts to Burn" pounded through the massive speakers—a great start to the first night of Splash House.
For the uninitiated: Splash House is a pool party hosted at three hotels, this time The Saguaro, the Riviera, and the Renaissance, all in Palm Springs. On Saturday, I started things off at the Saguaro with a lot of people showing their body confidence. The layout at the Saguaro allows all balcony guests to have a great view of the happenings below. Kudos to the Holy Ship! Flag-draped balcony—that rocked! Josh Vela, known as MSCLS, had an early slot on Saturday, and he brought a fun underground club set, pumping the crowd up with a question: "Splash House, how are you feeling?" which got a happy cheer back from the fans.
Splash House is a well-run event—including strict ID checks at every venue, and a timely shuttle that transports attendees between each hotel while providing free bottled water to keep people hydrated. The bus drivers are very tolerant of enthusiastic behavior; a young man on one of my shuttle trips scaled the ceiling of the bus, providing bonus entertainment as I was on my way to the Riviera to see Brasstracks, the Brooklyn-based duo that pumps blissful horns mixed with electronic goodness. I have a soft spot for actual instruments, and Brasstracks blew me away the new track "Good Love," off the EP of the same name.
Thomas Jack was back at Splash House after headlining in 2015, bringing tropical and dark house music to the Renaissance on Saturday; it moved the happy and friendly attendees into a blissful place.
The party must go on, so I headed to the Air Museum on Saturday night on a very cool and windy evening to watch the nonstop party. However, I cut things short in order to pace myself for Sunday—which turned out to be my highlight of the festival, at the Renaissance.
Nora En Pure, a former model, combined tribal thumping with piano melodies, crafting a sensual feel. She concentrated on the turntables in front of her, at one point sampling Tears for Fears' "Shout." I highly recommend you listen to her new EP, Conquer Yosemite.
Sam Feldt is best known for his rendering of the party tune "Show Me Love," and the Dutchman brought lots of effervescent tracks to a large audience. His set included a brass section, which brought a bonus layer of complexity.
Bonobo, who performed at Coachella this year, closed out Splash House with a DJ set. His great music was the catalyst for the celebratory and, at times, hedonic happenings that surrounded me as fans were losing their minds.
The laid-back vibe of Splash House is unique to the desert; gone are the attitudes of music fans behind a velvet rope in L.A., giving Splash House an edge for fun-seekers who skip fake tans in favor of some real desert sun.
- Arm Raised Arm Raised
- Big Smile Big Smile
- Bodies Everywhere Bodies Everywhere
- Bonobo Bonobo
- Brasstracks Brasstracks
- Bubbles Bubbles
- Cool Hat Cool Hat
- The Crowd The Crowd
- Dive! Dive!
- End of the Party End of the Party
- Hearts Hearts
- Holy Ship! Balcony Holy Ship! Balcony
- Hot Bodies Hot Bodies
- In the Pool In the Pool
- Inflatable Dong Inflatable Dong
- Ink Ink
- I Kissed a Girl I Kissed a Girl
- LondonBridge LondonBridge
- Malaa Malaa
- Mister Blaqk Mister Blaqk
- Monkey Monkey
- Nice Hat Nice Hat
- Nora En Pure Nora En Pure
- On the Phone On the Phone
- Partygoers Partygoers
- Pastels Pastels
- Pool Chaos Pool Chaos
- Pose for the Camera Pose for the Camera
- Sam Feldt Horns Sam Feldt Horns
- Sam Feldt Sam Feldt
- Shuttle Entertainment Shuttle Entertainment
- Smiles Smiles
- Spinning Light Spinning Light
- Squirt Gun Squirt Gun
- TRex TRex
- That Crown That Crown
- That Look That Look
- Thomas Jack and His Hair Thomas Jack and His Hair
- Thomas Jack Thomas Jack
- Tongue Tongue


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Acorn TV is releasing the 2003 dramatic thriller Alibi on DVD January 16th. This 3 episode mini-series has been released before on DVD but this time it's both widescreen and has a longer run time!
Alibi was directed by London veteran David Richards. He might not be an instantly recognizable name but he worked on Coronation Street, September Song, and Conviction (among many others). The series was written by Paul Abbott who is most known for being the creator of the TV show Shameless. While this is a little older made TV mini-series it still has the look and feel of a more modern modestly budgeted show. It's a character-driven story filled with dark humor and thrilling crime elements.
What is probably most recognizable to audiences about the show would be the main actor Michael Kitchen. In addition to being credited in over 100 roles (according to IMDB), he is well known for the extremely popular Foyle's War series as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle. It's a bit of fun to see him on the other side of the law in this one. While he doesn't go completely overboard in his acting, there is a nicely nuanced performance that separates the characters and he seems like a different person onscreen. I think fans of his will enjoy seeing more of his range of acting in Alibi.
Alibi is about Greg Brentwood (Michael Kitchen), a successful businessman who is throwing a party for his wife. At the end of the night, Greg is found standing over the dead body of his wife's secret lover, who just happens to be his business partner. Was this an accident? Did he know what was going on between his wife and business partner in secret? Greg is discovered by Marcey Burgess (Sophie Okonedo) who decides (after some convincing) to help become his alibi and hide the body. But does she really know all that is going on or is Greg too smooth of a talker?
Alibi is an interesting crime story, with good performances from the cast. I did find a couple situations unrealistic but the show presents itself well and is entertaining for the most part. It has elements of dark, dry comedy mixed in with the thrilling aspects, so some viewers may take those unrealistic elements as part of the humor. Some of it boils down to police detectives not knowing things that they should know, or forensics being nonexistent, but that is almost to be expected these days unless you are watching a true crime documentary. I guess writers are getting back at us for the practically superhuman skills of Perry Mason and Columbo for all those years.
The 152-minute long mini-series is split into 3 episodes on this disc. I believe it was originally aired as 2 episodes, and this seems to be much longer in run time than previous DVD releases, although I could not easily find out if this is completely uncut from the original version or just an extended edition. All of the older releases are listed as just under 2 hours long but IMDB lists the original show at 180 minutes. Could this be an inaccurate listing for the runtime? Since I never saw the original airing I cannot say with any authority if this is the complete release or not, but it seems to be the most comprehensive release on DVD so far.
As far as critiquing the show, I found a couple spots in the story where the pacing dragged a bit, which is probably why it was edited down for the original U.S. DVD release. The show has minor language and disturbing images but nothing that would go beyond a PG-13 movie. However, there was nothing poorly done with the film or characters to complain too much about. I am happy that Acorn has this longer version available and it makes the most sense to watch this one over any other versions that are on physical media. English subtitles are included.
Alibi Final Thoughts:
I thought Alibi was a fun little crime thriller mini-series. Michael Kitchen and Sophie Okonedo were both enjoyable in their roles and seemed to have a good time making the show. It's not so much a whodunit as far as plot goes, but I think viewers who typically enjoy that type of television will find quite a bit to like in Alibi.
For viewers that are already fans of the lead actors, it's certainly worth checking out. This is a suspense based story, so a lot of your interest is going to be tied to what is going to happen with the characters and figuring out what is the truth. Everyone seems to have some secretive guilt and a plausible reason to lie, so it makes the unfolding of the story that much more interesting. I would suggest Alibi if you typically enjoy modern British television productions. You can get your copy from Amazon or other fine retailers.
Note: This DVD was sent to us for review. This has not affected our judgement or editorial process in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this process.


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Tis the season to spend money fa la la la la la la la going shopping and overspending fa la la la la la la la la don we now our credit card debt fa la la la la la la la la How could you spend that I'm going to kill you! Fa la la la la, la la la la
Some of you will find yourselves playing this song during the holiday season but hopefully by the end of this episode you'll be singing a different tune.
And for the Distraction of the Day, Chicago Bears kicker missed field goals because of Jesus. Amy will have a message when she hears this one that you won't want to miss!
Aaaaaaaand in this corner, we have Uncle Joey who's had a little bit to drink and some strong opinions about the recent elections. Annnnnnnd in this corner we have our challenger Aunt Marge who feels the need to correct people about practically everything and is just itching for an opportunity to disagree. In this epic clash of opinions who, Amy, will win in this holiday battle royale?
Amy: Um, I don't really think anyone wins?
Michael: *sarcastic* But there's always a winner!
Amy: No, I don't think so. Really in these family battles no one wins and everyone just feels kinda awkward.
Michael: So what you're saying is engaging in family drama doesn't actually fix anything and just creates more tension? Huh, who knew?
Amy: So today we are going see how engaging in family drama isn't really helpful and how we, as Christ followers, should be seeking to de-escalate conflict instead of provoke it.
Michael: And we're going to teach you a method that can...
Folks it's the holiday season and while our children are getting more and more excited about Christmas and toys parents are already starting to dread the 10 hour drive across country that the in-laws finally guilted them into making this year. If you find yourself stressed about traveling with your crazy family this year then stay tuned for some helpful tips on how to wrangle all those strong personalities into one unified goal.
What in the world did a superintendent of a school district do to get fired behind the bleachers at school? Find out at the end of today's show.
Leave a review and subscribe to the podcast.
Call us at (903) 392-0975 and leave a voicemail question or review that we will air on the show.
Pay attention and be aware of your personality styles when it comes to your holiday travels this year.
The traveling Lion
The traveling Otter
We have a great question from one of you today! It's a newly married listener, but this guy is already on track to being an amazing husband unless he ignores my advice today. I've got something for those of you who are strong at heart and have a steal stomach. Let's just say you'll never want to eat sushi again!
Pursue Oneness: 7 key strategies to the relationship of your dreams
Leave a review and subscribe to the podcast.
Call us at (903) 392-0975 and leave a voicemail question or review.
Newly married, when my wife comes home and is frustrated with her job and negative. How do I validate her without getting discouraged myself.
Just wants to validate and get her to a better place. But make sure you are not assuming responsibility for your wife's feelings. At the end of the day you can't make her be ok and you need to be ok with that.
"Very negative at times"
Love your heart! Sometimes our intentions are really good...
Were you aware that you could be your own worst enemy? Today we are going to help you eliminate the negative self talk that is destroying everything that matters to you. For the distraction of the day: What's the weirdest thing you could imagine happening at a Waffle House? I think we may have found it but you'll have to listen to the very end to discover what it was.
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Call us at (903) 392-0975 and leave a voicemail question or review.
What you tell yourself matters. Me and Amy struggle with this one. If your mind is full of negatives your actions will be filled with negatives. Take those negative messages and turn them into positives.
I'll never succeed = can't wait to see how God comes through
I hate myself = I am worthy and deserve to be honored
Your negative self talk probably comes from how your parents spoke to you
Quieting negative self-talk won't happen overnight. There's not a magic...
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." -- Marie Curie
Words cause fear. "socialistic," "neo-fascist," "immigrant invasion," "racist." The votes are in and this is going to be the first ever politically motivated podcast of my life...and I'm still not going to get into politics. Today we are going to explore how seeking understanding can actually help eliminate fear.
Amy..are you willing to earn $100 an hour at a job? I need you to accept or reject this job before you even hear about it. Do you want the job? Now stay tuned till the end of this podcast to hear if Amy made a wise choice or turned down something spectacular.
Why does understanding help us eliminate fear? The more you know the more you build up confidence. Knowledge really is power, but it is the process of seeking understanding that's the key.
The most important thing you need to understand after...
You have chosen an excellent day to listen in because today, I have the honor of interviewing Sam Lamott, creator and host of the How to Human podcast which if you like listening to him today you can subscribe for free to his podcast on iTunes.
But we're going to give you something else for free today, something Sam likes to call, "a Mood Altering Substance".
Can I be honest and authentic with you? In a million years I never thought I'd get Sam Lamott to be on the show. That's why I had my assistant reach out to him so I didn't have to feel the sting of failure and rejection!
Now that he's on, I realized, "cripes!" I need to come up with some really thoughtful and interesting questions. Then I started obsessing over my writing. Basically I'm just a neurotic mess but somehow the interview survived. Who is Sam Lamott:
"It's the sin we don't struggle with that we tend to vilify most." That's just one of the great lines from Preston Sprinkle and my latest interview. Preston and I get into the topic of how to love someone well you don't agree with and what does it look like from a biblical perspective. You don't want to miss this episode because every one of us has someone in our life we could love better. Of course, I end up oversharing about my own issues, thankfully Preston is a kind man!
You need to check out Preston and his two main ministries:
Equipping Christian leaders, churches and organizations to engage questions about faith, sexuality & gender with theological faithfulness and courageous love.
Today we are taking a question that was asked of me by one of you: the question is "What if your spouse doesn't respond when you ask what is wrong?" Well, to get the answer to that question you'll just have to keep listening!
And for the distraction of the day. Something insane happened recently to a baggage handler for one of the major airlines. I'm giving Amy a multiple choice test you'll wanna hear.
Subscribe and leave a review. Also, if you have a question and you want your voice heard on our podcast, then call and leave us a voicemail on our Podcast Voicemail Hotline at (903) 392-0975 and I'll give you a free membership to our site that's worth $250!
Question from a listener: "What if your spouse doesn't respond when you ask what is wrong?"
Not responding could be the result of:
Well, *cough* today uh, hello podcast listeners. Today we're gonna talk about something, you know, we're gonna talk about uhhhhhhh.... Amy finally interrupts, "We're gonna talk about why women struggle with sex."
Yup. That's what we're doing....
And then for the distraction of the day, there's something you can do with cows but it costs $300 an hour. You'll find out at the end if Amy is open to it.
Subscribe and leave a review. Also, if you have a question and you want your voice heard on our podcast, then call and leave us a voicemail on our Podcast Voicemail Hotline at 1 (903) 392-0975 and I'll give you a free membership to our site that's worth $250!
Why do women tend to struggle sexually?
Everything gets better with age! "As age, education, and income increase, women's likelihood of orgasm increases...
Fill out this form and we will get back with you as quickly as possible.


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Heavy metal therapy is an online resource and community of people who find metal music helpful for mental well being. It is a place to find and share experiences of how metal has helped us, the meaning we take from songs or lyrics, and play lists that we have found useful. It is for everyone, so we don't judge each others metal preferences. If you would like to share your own recovery story about how metal has helped you please contact us, we can make stories anonymous if you prefer. We continue to develop a few shared playlists under heavy metal therapy, which can be expanding and changing. We like people to share their own music or art if it comes with a reason/message to do with mental health. We may be a small and select group, but we are open to suggestions of expanding. Hopefully over time this will become led by and shaped by those who use it, so it's not set in stone, it can grow and change.
Heavy metal therapy is both a website and on social media, so find us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram
Quick disclaimer: we know it's called heavy metal therapy, but we are not claiming to be a substitute for psychological therapy, we are a self-help and peer support community. If you feel you need support from mental health services please seek it through appropriate channels (in the UK this is usually via your GP). Also, all things metal tend to be quite sweary and have dark themes, so there's quite a bit of that in the stories and playlists.
We follow the below principles for our page:
1. We all have struggles
2. Sharing our stories is powerful
3. We are all equal partners
4. Metal helps us process feelings
5. All ways of explaining mental health count equally
6. It's not about money
7. We don't chase celebrities
8. No trolling bands/genres
9. We go tats out, always
10. Always double knot in a mosh pit.
Please see this blog for more about this
Who we are
Heavy metal therapy is run by metalheads who have experience of mental health either by training or experience (or both). It is moderated by Katie (website, facebook and insta) and Nurse Ratched (twitter). We also have some advisors who help us out with specialist things for certain metal genres – black/death, thrash, industrial and of course, a Chief Metalcore Advisor!


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After A Dog Bite, The Responsible Party Should Be Held AccountableBook a ConsultationPhone 520-790-7337
If you or your child is bitten by a dog, even if it doesn't seem serious, you should seek medical treatment. Dog bite injuries can easily lead to serious infection, resulting in further damage. In some cases, a dog may have gotten rabies from another animal, transmitting the virus through a simple dog bite, which can be deadly.
Dogs are known as "man's best friend." However, when a dog owner does not keep control of a dangerous animal, innocent people can be injured. This is why Arizona has a strict liability law when it comes to dog bite injuries. If you or a loved one was injured by someone's dog, the dog owner must be held responsible for the harm the animal caused. Filing a personal injury lawsuit against the owner of the dog will make sure he or she is held liable for your medical bills, lost work and other damages. If the dog owner is on notice that the dog has a propensity to bite (a second occasion of biting), then other damages may apply and be recovered by the victim.
In some cases, the dog owner's insurance policy is supposed to cover an individual's dog bite injury. However, just because the insurance company is supposed to pay does not mean that it will. Insurance representatives want to save the company money and will do what they can to get away with paying out as little money as possible. If you do not have a lot of experience dealing with insurance companies, you may want an advocate to work for you, to make sure you get the compensation you are owed.
Personal injury attorneys deal with insurance companies all the time. They understand the insurance company's tricks and techniques to reduce payouts. You should not talk to an insurance representative about your injury; instead, tell him or her to talk to your attorney. Your attorney will deal with the insurance company, to make sure you are fully compensated for your injuries.
Dog Bite Injuries
In the worst cases, dog owners train their dogs to be vicious animals, to intimidate others or guard property. These dogs are taught to be aggressive and go after anyone who steps into their path. Owners of these attack dogs know that their animals are dangerous and are responsible for any harm they cause. If a dog is trained to be dangerous, then it is up to the owner to keep the animal on a short leash and away from the public, especially young children.
Alternatively, some dog bite injuries involve an average dog. These dogs may not be trained to be aggressive, but may bite out of fear or confusion. Even if these are not considered vicious dog attacks, it is still up to owners to control their pets. All dog owners are responsible for the actions of their animals, especially when that involves a dog bite injury.
Unfortunately, most cases of dog bite injuries involve young children. Dog bite injuries to children can be serious, involving extensive scarring and emotional damage. Children love dogs and don't understand that some dogs can be dangerous.
Let Us Help You
It is not the child's fault if he or she is bitten by a dog, it is the owner's responsibility to keep the animal from harming others. We are West, Longenbaugh and Zickerman P.L.L.C. and we can help. Our offices are located in Tucson, Arizona. Call our lawyers at 520-518-3781 or contact us online.
Let's Begin Solving Your Legal Problem
At West, Longenbaugh and Zickerman P.L.L.C, we are proud to serve people in Tucson and beyond. To speak with an attorney, call us at 520-790-7337
Our Office
West. Longenbaugh & Zickerman PLLC
310 S. Williams Boulevard,
Suite 250
Tucson, AZ 85711
Office Hours
Mon-Fri: 8:30am - 5pm
Sat-Sun: Closed


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Living with pests in your home can be irritating and also a health hazard in worst case scenario. Trying to eliminate the pests yourself can cost you both time and money without fixing the problem entirely. Hiring a reputable pest control company will help you exterminate the pests in your home safely. Here are five reasons why hiring a professional pest control company is the best option when you want to deal with pest infestations.
While pests can be annoying, they also carry harmful bacteria that can make you, your family and even your pets to be sick. For instance, Bites from pests like bed bugs, wasps, bees, and spiders can result in severe allergic reactions, injuries and even worsen asthmatic illness. Tick bites can cause Lyme disease. However, hiring a reputable pest control company will help eliminate the problem and help keep your household healthy
Time and money
It can take you days and much money in trying different pest control concoctions you buy at the store without succeeding. A pest control profession will be able to fix the infestation problem quickly. Moreover, professional have knowledge about some active chemicals which you may not know or even access as a consumer. Hiring a professional will save you both time and money in the long run.
Identify and eliminate pests
Pests infestations can be challenging to determine and control for people without proper training. Pest control companies have appropriate training and knowledge to identify and remove different types of pests inclusive of rodents, spiders and various types of insects. The professional will use the chemicals in their diluted right form to get rid of the identified pests.
Find the source
One of the challenges in pest control is determining their real source of entry into your home. Killing the pests in your home without getting their actual source will not have solved the real problem. Pest control professionals can not only find the problem, but also the source and get rid of it to mitigate any future infestations.
Avoid damage
Pests can cause harm to some of the important things in your home such as carpets, clothing, walls and more. Moreover, they can also tamper with the structural integrity of your home. Hiring a pest control company to eradicate the pests in your home will save you money in the long run. Your property will be safe, and you won't incur repair costs resulting from pest damages. For anyone in Ipswich or Brisbane, Queensland we recommend visiting http://pestcontrolipswichqld.com.au/ for your extermination needs.


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The clock seems to rule our lives as we search frantically for some precious down time. According to Bonnie Thurston, Professor of New Testament at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, it doesn't have to be this way. "We are free to reshape our times, to be transformed by God's grace, and to live differently." The author shows how Christian monasticism teaches us to live in the present moment. She believes that the church's liturgical year enables us to experience all time as God's time.
An imaginative chapter "Time Participles" contains thought-provoking meditations upon spending time, making time, taking time, marking time, and wasting time. Thurston salutes the Sabbath as an opportunity to quiet the heart. It is an occasion to pray, to play, to sleep, to be silent, and to renew our souls. Thurston also reminds us of the importance of taking small Sabbaths of rest and prayer in the midst of our overscheduled and busy work weeks. She quotes Abraham Joshua Heschel: "The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth of information, but to face sacred moments. Spiritual life begins to decay when we fail to sense the grandeur of what is eternal in time."