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It's not so much about jobs as it is about joy—the kind of joy that comes from victory over fear and doubt and hopelessness.
It's about a 50-year-old bishop and father of five who came home one day and announced to his wife and children that he had been laid off. He no longer had a job to provide for his family.
It's about where he went from there.
This bishop, who had spent hours counseling with ward members regarding employment and living within their means, never supposed he would be the one without a job, without income, without a way to pay his bills. Worse, he never supposed—even if he had lost his job—that he would have a difficult time finding a new one.
But as days turned into weeks, his resources shrank and bills began to grow. He tried new lines of work but wasn't successful at them. Along with his confidence, he lost the ability to present himself well in an interview, feeling more and more useless and unimportant. He stopped going to interviews altogether.
Finally, he visited the LDS Employment Resource Center—the same place he had so often sent members of his own ward. He felt uncomfortable walking in the door, but soon found himself surrounded by understanding, professional employees and volunteers who took a personal interest in him.
Finding a job was not easy or quick, but the bishop worked hard at it every day. As he followed the job search plan outlined for him at the employment resource center, his confidence began to grow again.
The day he accepted a job that would provide needed income and also real satisfaction, he shed tears of joy and thankfulness. Months later, his wife paid tribute to those at the center who helped him overcome this terrible crisis. "Thank you," she said, "for giving me my husband back."
This bishop is representative of the more than 75,000 Church members and others who found jobs through LDS Employment Services last year.
Temporal and Spiritual Blessings
When the Lord told Adam he would have "to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow" (Moses 5:1), what He offered to mankind was not so much a curse but an invitation to experience some of the greatest joys and satisfactions life has to offer. "Work is our blessing, not our doom," taught President Ezra Taft Benson. "God has a work to do, and so should we." 1 Even though we sometimes think of work as a temporal obligation, President Spencer W. Kimball explained, "work is a spiritual necessity as well as an economic necessity." 2
So when a member becomes unemployed, it is a cause of concern not only to the family but also to the Church. Prior to becoming a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Gordon B. Hinckley wrote: "A man out of work is of special moment to the Church because, deprived of his inheritance, he is on trial as Job was on trial—for his integrity. As days lengthen into weeks and months and even years of adversity, the hurt grows deeper." 3
Almost from its beginning, the Church in its actions has attempted to help members have the blessing of work in their lives.
As early as 1831, the Church provided assistance to members in need of employment. Bishops Edward Partridge and Newel K. Whitney organized work projects to help those who had left their homes and jobs and moved to congregate with the Saints. Years later, after the Latter-day Saints gathered in Utah, President Brigham Young spoke of the bishop's duty to see that "there will not be an individual in his Ward that is not employed to the best advantage." 4 He established public works projects to put unemployed members to work erecting buildings such as the Salt Lake Temple, the city's theater, and the Social Hall, as well as walls, bridges, and canals.
After the modern-day welfare program was announced in 1936, employment resource centers began to appear wherever sustained by the needs of the members. Today, employment resource centers serve Church members and others in 20 countries and offer assistance and encouragement to thousands who are unemployed or looking to improve their current employment. The people they help range from executives to entrepreneurs, from clerks to cab drivers.
A Growing International Reach
Lack of suitable employment can have devastating consequences for families in almost any culture, says Gary Winters, former director of LDS Employment Services. "It is difficult to find peace and tranquillity at home when families are forced to confront daily the oppressive realities of hunger, cold, and homelessness. How can mothers and fathers reach their full potential as sons and daughters of God when they are faced with the nearly paralyzing challenges of keeping their children from starving? How can they reach out to bless the lives of others when so much of their existence is wrapped so tightly around a single question: How will they survive the day?"
Responding to the continual need for employment assistance in international areas, the Church has opened more than 60 employment resource centers around the world during the past five years. In 1998 more than 28,000 people outside the United States and Canada found jobs through one of these centers.
A major emphasis of Church employment during the next five years will be to strengthen the services offered in international areas. New offices will be opened, and senior missionary couples will be sought to serve in international areas. This new initiative will help tens of thousands of job seekers each year find career opportunities. Recently offices have been established in areas such as Recife, Brazil; Manila, Philippines; and Ghana, Africa.
LDS employment resource centers work in three major ways to help people obtain employment: assistance with job placement, job training, and self-employment opportunities.
"By the time we had finished interviewing the person you recommended," one employer told Ron Buchanan, manager of the Spokane Employment Resource Center, "there simply was no need to look further." Interestingly enough, the employer was speaking of an applicant who had been looking for work unsuccessfully for months before asking for help from the LDS employment resource center.
This applicant had found a wealth of resources at the LDS employment center. Like tens of thousands of others, he found helpful books, friendly and expert advice, and workshops on a number of topics: résumés, interviewing, finding unlisted jobs, and networking. Volunteers and staff members at the employment centers offer individual counsel on creating a résumé (Brother Buchanan encourages job seekers to put together a portfolio that lists their interests, experience, and abilities) and can help review ways to effectively respond to questions during an interview.
Employment center staff members maintain contacts with local employers and sometimes conduct job fairs that allow applicants and employers to meet face to face in a workshop environment.
If someone does not have the knowledge or skills to obtain and keep a job, LDS employment resource centers can often arrange for the needed training.
Martin, for example, had been living on the streets for over a year and was not active in the Church. When he entered the job preparation program at the employment resource center, the staff helped him enroll in a community-funded program that offered training in a field that interested him. With the help of the employment resource center's staff, Martin developed his own self-reliance plan that included improving his appearance, getting training in general maintenance, and learning about job-search strategies.
Slowly, a transformation in outlook and appearance took place. He cut his long hair and changed the way he dressed. Martin also began attending church again and volunteered for assignments to help others in the ward. Gradually, the look of desperation and hopelessness on his face gave way to one of inner peace and happiness. Eventually, he was offered a job that fit his needs: maintenance mechanic for a group of apartment buildings. Since then, Martin has been to the temple and is now serving in his elders quorum presidency.
Training offered at employment resource centers varies from area to area, according to local needs and economic conditions. In the Philippines, classes are held in basic computer skills; in Ghana, automotive repair; in the Dominican Republic, small appliance repair. In Ukraine, the critical need is to learn English.
Training is frequently adapted to individual needs. In Guatemala, for example, the staff of the employment resource center focused its collective skills on helping a young mother of two who had been abandoned by her husband. She needed a job but had no work experience. A local dental clinic needed a secretary and dental assistant, but it was essential that applicants have at least a familiarity with office equipment, and the deadline for applications was just three days away.
Undaunted, the staff at the employment center gave the woman a crash course in everything from interviewing skills to how to operate a computer and fax machine. She was hired, but for weeks afterward, each time she was asked to do something she was unfamiliar with, she called the employment center and a member of the staff talked her through the steps. After three months, she had gained the confidence and happiness of knowing that she could support herself and her children without the need of help from others.
Self-Employment Assistance
In many areas of the world, the best and sometimes only employment options are those that allow job seekers to develop their own small businesses. LDS employment resource centers can help those interested in self-employment develop a business plan and find needed resources.
José Montemayor, 29, of Monterrey, Mexico, with polio-weakened legs and a speech impediment, dreamed of going into business for himself. He began attending a class sponsored by the LDS employment resource center that taught self-reliance and effective work skills. It also offered information and help for those interested in starting or expanding their own small business. As he began looking for ways to make his dream become a reality, he was offered a job in a small wood shop owned by a Church member. With the confidence and income he gained from that experience, José ultimately set up a small shop in his home where he creates wood furniture.
Hundreds of others have been helped in similar ways. Sometimes a family needs a little "seed money," enough to buy a sewing machine, a few chickens, electronic testing equipment, or a small oven. In these cases, the LDS employment resource centers can often introduce them to people in reliable organizations that offer low-interest loans as well as training to help them begin or improve their businesses.
Blessing Other Lives
More than 400 people currently serve as volunteers or missionaries at LDS employment resource centers around the world—people like Bob and Dorothea Marks. After missions in the Seattle Washington Temple and a mission among Native Americans in the Dakotas, they thought a mission in the employment resource center would be mundane—little more than paper shuffling. Six months later, their opinions had changed completely. "I have done more in six months to help people in a significant way than at any other time in my life," Sister Marks commented. Her husband added: "The people who come here are so eager, so willing to work, so grateful for the kindness you extend to them. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world."
Raylene Dennis, a volunteer at the center in Sacramento, California, recalls that following a serious car accident and the death of her mother, "I found myself in a very deep depression. After the recovery of my physical injuries I came to work here and, through service to others and through the blessings of the Lord, I have discovered healing."
As employment resource centers expand around the world, many more missionaries and volunteers will be needed. Frederick Odero of Nairobi, Kenya, expresses the gratitude that so many feel toward those who give of their time in this way to help others. He writes: "When I told my aging parents about your mission as employment experts, they praised God for His miraculous works—having sent you all the way across oceans to Kenya."
Aiding Quorums and Relief Societies
While the work of Church employment centers is significant, it is intended to serve primarily as a support to the priesthood quorums and Relief Societies in the Church. "The key to success for [the employment] system," taught President Howard W. Hunter, "lies not with the few full-time staff, but with the ward Welfare Services committees and the … quorums. … Our quorums should identify those who need work or who need to upgrade work, and then do all they can to help their members find employment opportunities." 5
Stakes like the Salt Lake Parleys Stake are examples. When a member of that stake is in need of a job, a task force is assembled to help that individual in the job search. Relief Society or quorum leaders and the ward employment specialist are asked to join together as a special council for the job seeker. They review skills, experience, aptitudes, and desires and ultimately come up with a plan to find the ideal job. They network with personal contacts to try to discover available positions. Until a new job is found, they serve as coaches, advisers, and mentors for the individual seeking for work.
This approach is in line with counsel given by President Harold B. Lee when he helped initiate the welfare system of the Church several years before his call as a General Authority: "All Priesthood quorums are … 'commanded' [by the Lord] to marshal their forces and, under the spirit and power of the Priesthood, to see to it that every person who is in distress is assisted by his quorum to become self-sustaining." 6
The blessings that come through this opportunity to eat our bread by the sweat of our brow are important to the well-being of every individual. "If we want to keep the Spirit," said President Ezra Taft Benson, "we must work. There is no greater exhilaration or satisfaction than to know, after a hard day of work, that we have done our best." He also said, "Energetic, purposeful work leads to vigorous health, praiseworthy achievement, a clear conscience, and refreshing sleep." 7
It is the ongoing mission of LDS Employment Services to help bring these blessings into the lives of people who need them.
Four Steps to Finding a Job
Looking for a job can be one of the most stressful experiences we face. Yet there are things we can do to make the experience more productive and far less intimidating.
Call upon the powers of heaven. Seek the Lord's help in your search. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Additional power and spiritual guidance can be yours when you link the power of fasting—including the giving of a voluntary fast offering—with your prayers. Prayer and fasting strengthen your resolve, help focus efforts, and provide spiritual and temporal strength in overcoming barriers. When prompted, ask for a priesthood blessing as an additional source of comfort and strength.
Develop a plan and invite your ward employment specialist to help you. Finding a job is full-time work. Schedule daily and weekly job-search activities, and stick to your schedule. Focus efforts on getting interviews and researching companies you'd like to interview with. Ward and stake employment specialists stand ready to assist you as you plan your job-search strategy. These specialists have access to training materials and job leads and can provide helpful advice and encouragement. From preparing a résumé to helping you rehearse answers to tough interview questions, your ward or stake employment specialist can provide valuable help and reassure you that you are not alone in your quest to find a good job.
Be visible. Overcome the tendency to be embarrassed or keep quiet about the fact that you need work. Let others know what you're doing. Keep an upbeat attitude and be positive. Don't be afraid to ask others for information or advice that might help you. Thank potential employers and others for spending time with you. Send thank-you notes after information meetings or interviews.
Maintain a positive attitude. Being positive in the face of discouraging conditions can be a challenge, but it is an essential component in looking for a new job. Maintain a regular physical exercise program consistent with your health and doctor's recommendations. Provide service to members of your family, the Church, and the community. Talk positively about others. Let them know how much you appreciate them. Smile and laugh; both are good for the soul and brighten the world.
Show References
"Do Not Despair," Ensign, Oct. 1986, 2.
"Follow the Fundamentals," Ensign, May 1981, 80.
Helping Others to Help Themselves: The Story of the Mormon Church Welfare Program, Historical Department Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1945), 4.
Deseret News Weekly, 5 Sept. 1860, 209.
"Prepare for Honorable Employment," Ensign, Nov. 1975, 123.
"The Place of the Priesthood Quorum in the Church Security Program," Improvement Era, Oct. 1937, 634.
The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson (1988), 483, 481.


text: 11/23/16 2/06/13 POPSUGAR Celebrity Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker at amfAR Gala 2013 | Pictures Sarah Jessica Parker Steps Out in Hot Pink to Honor a Friend For amfAR February 6, 2013 by Brittney Stephens 20 Shares Chat with us on Facebook Messenger. Learn what's trending across POPSUGAR. View On One Page Photo 8 of 24 ADVERTISEMENT () Start Slideshow Share This Link Copy What's Your Reaction? Thanks for your reaction Don't forget to share this with your friends! ← Use Arrows Keys → 8 0 previous images -7 more images Previous Next Start Slideshow Top CelebritiesAmfAR GalaSarah Jessica Parker

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Professor Anupam Chander commented for a news report on television station KCRA-3 about the possible need for legal penalties to deter the online posting of "revenge porn," or explicit images posted without consent by vindictive ex-lovers. Alleged victims have sued operators of revenge porn sites, but currently there is no law criminalizing the posting of such images.
Professor Chander said that a criminal law banning revenge porn should be considered as a way to help victims combat the offense. "We haven't yet as a society really come to understand what the implications are. We've never lived in a world where everything we did when we were 20 (years old) is remembered when we are 60," Chander said.
Professor Anupam Chander is a leading scholar in the law of globalization and digitization, and has written widely on international law and cyber law. He is also Director of the California International Law Center at King Hall.


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I picked this tea up from Palais de The when I was wondering around Grafton Street. I love really any black tea based Early Grey, so I was very excited for this. I must say, this is not my favourite tea. I think it may have to do with the fact that it has a Yunnan base (I prefere Ceylon or Darjeeling), but I did enjoy the bergamot (you could definitely tell it was there). I've had it twice now, and steeped it the full five minutes. I may try 3.5-4 minutes to see how it turns out then.
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec


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There's controversy in Santa Barbara County over the fate of two buildings, including one used as a community clinic for decades.
The state is forcing the county to dispose of some of its former redevelopment agency properties.
There are big questions over whether the county can keep the building it owns which houses the Isla Vista Neighborhood Clinic, as well as an adjacent former church being eyed as a community center
KCLU's Lance Orozco has the story.
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[11 November 2008]
"America is not so much a nightmare as a non-dream. The American non-dream is precisely a move to wipe the dream out of existence. The dream is a spontaneous happening and therefore dangerous to a control system, set up by the non-dreamers"—William S. Burroughs
"Do you hear that? It's past the noise in your head. That is the natural world. That was here a long time before us. It's going to be here a long time after we're gone."— Ben, The Signal
Upon the theatrical release of The Signal in early 2008, the movie was received timidly by audiences and critics alike. The cumulative totals on Rotten Tomatoes (55) and Metacritic (63) betray a disparity amongst filmgoers, who mostly found the film's three acts jarring and disjointed, but enjoyable as a break from convention.
Viewers disagreed about where the film's narrative heart lied, and to what exactly it spoke. Most felt cheated either by the inconsistencies in tone or the broadness of its perceived thematic cathexis, both of which they felt spoilt an otherwise rewarding thriller. Whether they envisioned the film as a wry commentary or just a vapid genre exercise, no singular conclusion about The Signal could be reached.
Ironically, the fracture of these parallax views is correlative to The Signal's themes of identity and perspective, and how each are vulnerable to interrogative manipulation by mass media. The creation of these divisions in the film threatens to completely alienate each individual from his or her community and thereby tighten the stranglehold of the transmission and reinforce its ideology of violence as communication.
Many of those initial reviews tended to focus on form and process rather than product. The Signal has a central gimmick in that its acts were divided between its three creators (David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, and Dan Bush), who worked exquisite corpse style on the script and took turns in the director's chair for each of the film's three "Transmissions" ("Crazy in Love", "Jealousy Monster", and "Escape from Terminus"). Knowing that each "Transmission" is attributable to a separate directorial personality makes it easy to dismiss the film's tonal temperaments as dilettante experimentalism for experimentalism's sake, especially as it relates to a crew of cinematic virgins with no longform films on their resumes to buttress the depth of their form experiments.
Yet The Signal is supposed to be a film infected with its own crazy. It is mercurial precisely because its characters are driven to abandon reason in favor of emotion and to abandon emotion in rationalization of their outrageous behavior. The presupposition of reality in the film is questioned at every turn.
With each curtain of the film's three acts comes a shift not only in filmmaking perspective, but in narrative perspective as well. Transmission I or "Crazy in Love" follows Mya, visibly careworn even before the outbreak, as she discovers and subsequently tries to evade the infected. Transmission II or "Jealousy Monster" follows a paranoid trio of partygoers, dividing the film's triptych further, though mostly focusing on Mya's husband Lewis as he struggles to understand his newfound illness. Transmission III or "Escape From Terminus" mostly adopts the vantage of Mya's extramarital fling Ben, who is infected, but has taught himself how to control it, or at least he thinks so. His confusion makes the later narrative increasingly unreliable and deteriorative.
The plot of The Signal centers on Mya (Anessa Ramsey), a 20-something trapped in a not-entirely-loveless, but not-entirely-fulfilling marriage with an exterminator named Lewis (A.J. Lewis). Mya becomes entangled in a tryst with a photographer named Ben (Justin Welborn), who, after a night of bliss, begs her to run off with him.
Anything is possible, Ben informs her, eager to dissuade her hesitancy. "We could go up to the rooftop and build and exotic flower garden. Or take one of my cameras and dress up like homeless people and infiltrate their society. Or we could throw my TV out the window and replace it with coloring books. Or we could leave Terminus tomorrow", Ben rattles off, somewhat presciently. Though she secretly wants to submit to his promise of absolute freedom, Mya doesn't feel she can abandon her obligations to her husband so hastily. Concurrently, a transmission is sent out from an unknown source through various forms of electronic media that begets a massacre at the hands of everyday citizens turning against their loved-ones, co-workers, and the random passerby.
Mya thinks that her identity is fixed, which is a premise the signal reinforces, strengthens, and regulates using an innate violence from within its frustrated hosts as a kind of self-defense mechanism for cultural conformity. The violence is bred familialy, tribally almost, particularly within Mya's husband Lewis, who sees himself as a protector of the ideal of familyhood. All impediments to his (and to a lesser extent Mya's) happiness become perceived threats.
As he searches for her, Lewis's perception of Mya and what she represents becomes an abstraction, a kind of nationalism and absolutism of identity. This is not his own conclusion, the film suggests, but one reached through contact with the signal and its rendering of fear and desire.
"It's telling me what I should do and what I should want", Lewis says at one point. "I want my wife and I want my home and I want all of you people to stop bothering us".
It's no secret that the signal itself functions as a critique of mass media. At a pre-screening of the film in Philadelphia, Bruckner made the unexpected revelation that much of the script had come about in the wake of overdosing on 2004 election coverage. He recounted a crippling depression over the media's role in such a dire debate, how it transformed rhetoric into reality and created a shallow framework for understanding.
Indeed, while the results would by no means inspire men and women to go out gratuitously murdering one another, these were matters of life and death. People's lives for the next four years were literally on the line; in Iraq and Afghanistan, in American hospitals, in hurricane-torn regions, etc. The public, given such critical circumstances, was not given a sufficient enough platform on which to make a decision, regardless of what their options were. They were instead driven by fear and given reinforced and pre-molded American identities.
The absolutism of Lewis' ideals becomes a stopgap for analysis. For him, problems can no longer be solved by any means other than pure visceral, primal response. Yet, Lewis' aggressive impulses are never engendered from any kind of Darwinian bestiality (like, say, a movie werewolf) or a hopeless automatonism (like, say, Romero's zombies), but from constant fear of losing control over his life. Lewis fears not only physical threats on his person and his wife, but also attacks upon his value system. To the infected Lewis, these two are proportionately identical threats and require appropriately proportionate reactions.
Thus, Lewis represents the psychosis of the modern American dream, which is cold, individualistic, self-aggrandizing, and contingent upon the destruction or marginalization of other viewpoints. He is the red-blooded red state alpha male who feels tragically powerless in the face of change. This is a fear that is not entirely baseless, though Lewis' and perhaps many similar Americans' scapegoats are falsely targeted (extradiegetically this may includes gays, immigrants, environmentalists, etc.).
When conflicts are settled using only violence, it reduces language to no more than a perfunctory byproduct of the violent action itself. The signal, while seemingly avoiding logic in favor of survivalism, becomes its own rationale. Every killing has its justification ("He had it coming. Probably." Clark, one of the partygoers from Transmission II says), but the violence itself is the end communication. And like Burroughs' language bug, the message is viral, a meme that spreads rapidly throughout Terminus, escalating the tension with every fresh corpse, killing begetting killing. Even those who have not been switched on by the signal catch the bug via close proximity to, and hence the socialization of, the utter madness of life in Terminus.
This sense of alarmism and bewilderment comes from a concept the filmmakers seem to have borrowed from George A. Romero's The Crazies, a movie about a military occupation trying to contain an outbreak of a rage-like virus. The Crazies, like The Signal, poses the ethical quandary; how can you tell whether someone is being defensive or offensive when they feel that their homeland and/or their person is threatened?
The citizens of Terminus face no looming authoritarian symbol of oppression like the omnipresent military in The Crazies. Their disease instead constitutes a form of mental colonialism. Their situation is accepted as a substitute reality because the pandemonium that surrounds them seems to dictate it. Instead of lashing out at their TVs, the perceived threats from their friends and neighbors become a manufactured source of oppression.
The oppressor in The Signal is an underlying, parental figure in absentia. It goes beyond specific leaders and institutions. It is culture itself, madness personified in its elusion of guilt. Industrial civilization as pathology, inextricably and somehow willfully divorced from reality. This disease leads to a society of individuals, holistically alienated from one another, intimately oppressed within the panopticon and hence unable to huddle as masses to overthrow their jailers.
Mya seemingly avoids infection by plugging herself in to a closed-circuit system in the form of her portable discman. As she walks around listening to Ola Podrida's cover of Joy Division's "Atmosphere" ad nauseum through headphones on the mix CD Ben made for her, her headphones give her the ability to phase out the signal's domination enterprise, its permanent state of hostility. Mya's disconnection appears to be strategic, yet she also maintains an unrealistic fantasy of reengaging with Ben by meeting him at a train station and righting her erroneous decision to leave his side.
Television, the main fountainhead of the signal's strength, allows its viewer to be wired into an exclusive community, a community constituted of the very culture industry its pervasive influence has created through the fetishization and demonization of various images and ideologies. We feel like we are part of that community when we watch, but unless we are part of the privileged elite, we remain unable to democratically alter its trajectory in any meaningful way except in those that mass media allows (mainly through consumption and social identity-building).
The signal ossifies the notion that the choices made under television's influence are empowering, the unspoken backdrop being that much of the rest of life under the American system does not grant us the control available through violent recourse. Any kid who shoots up his school or any downsized worker who runs into the nearest McDonalds or Unitarian church with an automatic weapon can attest to such.
At the Philadelphia pre-screening, the filmmakers revealed that the signal itself, as it is portrayed on screen, was composed of disturbing images from television and popular culture's past which were manipulated and scrambled until they were unrecognizable. Though they're not discernable in film, one could imagine any number that might fit perfectly. Ours is a world in which the collective unconscious is plagued by atrocity. The 20th century was by far the bloodiest in history, even when adjusted for population density. And the 21st is shaping up to be no better, thanks in no small part to the rapid global and domestic growth of sectarianism, nationalism, and other identity politics
Upon first being exposed to the natal culture of violence that rages throughout the apartment complex of Transmission I, the viewer can safely assume that what is happening on screen is actually happening within the film. The violence is stark, brutal, and random, and thereby familiar within the horror and thriller genres. By Transmission II, we're encountering characters who are already, only hours later, desensitized to this culture and facing the prospects of living within in it. The film's second act then becomes a kind of Brechtian farce (complete with the deus ex machina ending of Ben slamming a pesticide tank into Lewis's face) wherein violence becomes, as much for the viewers as the characters, normative.
The casualization of violence is an important factor for the horror genre. The everyday event, such as showering, swimming, talking on your cell phone, breaking up with a girlfriend, or camping, is exploited for its vulnerabilities in the horror film. The fear of death and the trivialization of its finality is part of what makes a horror film thrilling, rather than hopelessly sad.
As viewers, we invite this danger into our lives (and our nightmares) in a sense because there's part of us that empathizes with this bloodlust. We want to see the dumb teens succumb to the serial killer's machete blade. Videodrome's Max Renn and his response to each video nasty is a perfect example of this stimulation. He is not only allured by the rush of the torture films, but also eroticized by the power of the imagery, the camera's ability to render heaven as hell and vice versa.
Max Renn, however, seeks out his transgressions. The Signal subverts its viewers while they think that the cable's gone out. I'd posit that the reason most viewers found the transition to Transmission II jarring is because it invites them to participate in the absurdist perspective of its mass murderers and then punishes them emotionally for their complicity.
In Transmission II, housewife Anna prepares for a New Year's Eve party as the signal overtakes her husband Ken. In self-defense, she kills him with a balloon pump. Soon after, Clark the landlord comes over asking if he can reclaim his hatchet and garbage bags that Ken borrowed. Unbeknownst to Anna, he needs them so he can chop up Rod, whose car crashed in the front of the housing complex.
Soon after, Lewis arrives looking for Mya, who appears to him via hallucination in the form of Anna, who, for her part, simply thinks Lewis has arrived for the party. Things get even more convoluted as an oblivious guest actually shows up for the party, eager to scout out loose women and do terrible, degrading things to them.
Throughout the sequence, there is a nervous tension that inspires a kind of slapstick violence, mostly perpetrated by Lewis, who is eager to "exterminate with extreme prejudice". Just as the expectations of comedy become ripe, the film takes a decidedly grim turn as Lewis begins to suspect Anna and Clark have done something to Mya. Lewis's on-screen execution of Anna is horrific, disfiguring her face by spraying pesticides in her eyes and mouth. Yet, for Lewis, the slapstick continues as she stumbles around, crashing into a wall in her blindness, nearly tripping over the couch full of corpses in party hats that Lewis has modeled. Now that such carnage is being perpetrated against characters we've has come to care about, the viewer immediately becomes culpable in the atrocities, having laughed over similar crimes just moments before.
Rather than wagging a finger at its audience like Michael Haneke's Funny Games, The Signal understands its own complicity in the reproduction, exploitation, and manufacture of tragedy. Its penitence is to expose its violence as bitter and denigrating. Gory and thrilling to be sure, but never something to be relished. At best, even violence in self-defense (and the film is especially deliberate to single out acts of preemptive violence, likely in defiance of the Bush doctrine) is a gray matter. After titillating us in the beginning of the second act with the prospect of normative superficial aggression, it pleads with us by the end of Transmission II to never adopt this perspective outside the realm of fantasy, to never become Lewis.
Transmission III quickly eradicates the guilt by cracking Lewis's skull open with a pesticide tank, Ben's heroic rescue setting the stage for a finalé wherein he can reunite with Mya and ride off into the sunset through train terminal 13. However, true to form, the film affords its characters no such simple resolutions. The pesticide tank assault, it seems, never really happened, or, at best, it was an exaggeration of Ben's psychotic mindset.
This leads us to question what in the film, from the opening reel to the closing credits, is mere representation and what is true. Is any of the violence real? Or is the film's only reality that which we choose to believe, making us as delusioned by media as those infected by the signal?
Ben seems to believe that there is a natural world breathing and billowing beyond the societal static, the albatross of mental interference that constitutes the signal's presence, and thereby culture at large. "Do you hear that? It's past the noise in your head. That is the natural world. That was here a long time before us. It's going to be here a long time after we're gone." Anything beyond that is merely perspective. "It's a trick", he says. "If we change the way we look at things, the things we look at will change".
It follows then that the world of Terminus has become indistinguishable from its representation. The characters' experiences in the natural world are the old reality. The television set has supplanted reality and supplied them with a new version of reality. In a culture so obsessed with believing its own fantasies, where every aspect of its delusions is validated by a system eager to sell you your next one, each representation can only be replaced by a different representation. Hence, erasure of the new reality can only be temporary. As Videodrome's McLuhan-esque figure Brian Oblivion puts it, "Life on TV is more real than life in the flesh … and reality is less than television".
Ben discovers, through observing the signal via terminal 13's departure screen while Mya sits catatonic nearby, that the only way to defeat Lewis is to strip him of his identity. Left without the one thing that defines him, Lewis is pure conditioning, without the will to self-actualize. He is only the sum of his aggression and the consequence of his actions.
Yet it is the film's final vision that prompts perhaps the most disturbing variation on these themes. Mya is forced by Lewis to stare directly into the void of the signal. Lewis, the tragic figure of the film, finds himself without a purpose and commits suicide. Ben snaps Mya out of her trance, they hug, and a wordless montage appears on the screen that features Ben, Mya, and Clark rebuilding their lives and hopping that train out of town.
All seems well, until the façade of their grand finale dissipates and Ben is still trying to reawaken Mya. He finally puts Mya's headphones around her head. As Ola Podrida's version of "Atmosphere" is heard one final time, she closes her eyes and a single tear runs down her face.
There are plenty of ways to interpret this coda. Throughout the film, Ben seems to survive his struggles by returning to a flashing image of Mya staring at him on a train as an image of hope. Many see the montage as a flash forward, the anticipation of Ben's heroic fantasy completed. Yet, the themes discussed above would suggest a different interpretation. This is not Ben's reality, but Mya's dream, fantasized from within her signal-trance. After all, it's a vision that ends when Ben puts on her headphones.
Ultimately, Mya's delusion, her vision to join Ben and "fuck our way to freedom" is just as abstract and untenable as Lewis's concept of the perfect family unit. It's that which puts her in that chair at the terminal and nearly kills her. This kind of simulated reality, albeit an idealistic one, is equally capable of replacing the actual, laying down our defenses, and making us vulnerable and unprepared for the harsh truths of the world around us.
Hence, The Signal ends by inferring that the ideal will always be more attractive than the actual. But there are no fantasy endings, no short ways out, no romance that can defeat modern horrors in and of itself. Beyond the noise, beyond the construct of identity, there's only the natural world. Only that has been here before we started ascribing our mythologies to it. Only that will be here after those same mythologies destroy us.
Published at: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/63342-the-signal-and-the-violence-of-american-identity-politics-1/


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A sickness is moving through the Boston area like a fast ball.
It's characterized by the jitters, exhaustion and an upset stomach. The victims can't eat or sleep. Or they overeat and oversleep. Hearts are racing, mouths are dry, ears are ringing.
Diagnose it Bo Sox Fever, the Sox Pox or Fenway Frenzy. As the gripping World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals continues, the Bean Town illness is reaching epidemic proportions.
RECOMMENDED: Mom Claims Son Has Red Sox Fever
Even doctors aren't immune.
Dr. Suzanne Koven, a primary care doc who wrote about her own symptoms for the Boston Globe, said that when things get intense during a game, she lies on the couch, filled with anxiety, a blanket pulled tightly over her head.
"Starting with the playoffs I noticed I was feeling exhausted and drained," she said. "My patients and coworkers began reporting similar feelings."
Koven admits she is what diehard Bo Sox fans call a "Pink Hat." This is a not-so-flattering term for someone who doesn't consider the team the center of their existence until they are winning.
Imagine the pain and suffering of a true sports fan, she said.
Actually, science has.
German researchers found that on game days, cardiac emergencies more than tripled for male soccer fans and nearly doubled for female soccer fans. The effect was most pronounced for games that really mattered, such as final matches. Presumably, World Series games can be just as stressful for baseball fans, Koven speculated.
Football lovers are also at greater risk for heart troubles, as a 2010 Journal of Clinical Hypertension study revealed. When researchers measured the blood pressure of baseball and football fans before and after games, they found that gridiron enthusiasts experienced higher spikes in blood pressure during a game compared with baseball devotees.
Football must be a faster, more exciting game than baseball, the researchers concluded. Koven said that no doubt this is because they didn't bear witness to the heart-stopping moment in this series Game 3, when the Cardinals scored the winning run on a wildly controversial obstruction call.
WATCH: Red Socks Win 4-2, Tie Series
Game stress seems to affect memory as well. One Boston College study found that Yankee fans retained memories of their team's painful loss to the Red Sox at the 2004 American League Championship series in excruciating detail. By comparison, Boston fan's memories were happy but fuzzy.
Not that Boston fans haven't been on the receiving end of their own Field of Nightmares memories. Bill Buckner's error in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series still stuns even Pink Hats like Koven. And "The Curse of the Bambino?" Let's not even go there.


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Complications and in-hospital deaths more frequent among patients who undergo anterior rather than posterior spine fusion
Research Activities, July 2012, No. 383
Patients who undergo posterior spine fusion (PSF) surgery (approached from the person's back) are less likely to develop complications or die while in the hospital than those who undergo either anterior spine fusion (ASF)—in which surgeons approach the spine from the person's front, or anterior/posterior spine fusion (APSF)—in which the surgeons use both approaches, a new study finds. Even though APSF and ASF were performed in generally younger (44.8 and 44.2 vs. 52.1 years) and healthier patients than PSF, the procedure-related complications were lowest in patients who underwent PSF (15.7 percent) than those who underwent ASF and APSF (18.7 percent and 23.8 percent, respectively).
In addition, in-hospital mortality rates after ASF and APSF were nearly double that for PSF (0.51 percent and 0.44 percent, respectively vs. 0.26 percent). The researchers identified a number of risk factors for in-hospital mortality that need to be confirmed for use in counseling patients about the three types of spinal fusion. They note that the choice of approach is often dictated by the person's pathology and infrequently represents an equivalent choice.
Their findings were based on annual data from the National Inpatient Sample of the Hospital Cost and Utilization Project of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for 1998 through 2006 for 261,356 patients who underwent spine fusion surgery not involving the neck vertebrae (noncervical spine fusion). Information was gathered on patient demographics, characteristics of the hospital, and the prevalence of comorbidities and procedure-related complications. The study was funded in part by AHRQ (HS16075) to the Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERT) at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. For more information on the CERTs program, visit http://www.certs.hhs.gov.
More details are in "Perioperative morbidity and mortality after anterior, posterior, and anterior/posterior spine fusion surgery," by Stavros G. Memtsoudis, M.D., Ph.D., Vassilios I. Vougioukas, M.D., Ph.D., Yan Ma, Ph.D., and others in the October 2011 Spine 36(22), pp. 1867-1877.


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The Richland County Master Gardener Association's logo is the Rocky Shoals Spider Lily (Hymenocallis coronaria), also called the Cahaba Lily.
Who are We?
The Richland County Master Gardener Association (RCMGA) is a not-for-profit organization composed of volunteers whose goal is to promote and teach environmentally sound, research-based gardening practices to the citizens of Richland County, and to provide education to our members needed to accomplish our purpose. Our members have completed a Master Gardener program conducted by state extension service. We serve our county through such activities as assisting in the county extension office, giving educational programs to the public, and participating in community projects related to gardening.
♦2017 RCMGA Intern Guidelines (updated Aug 2017)♦
We offer a RCMGA Scholarship for the Clemson Master Gardener Program.
♦ RCMGA Scholarship Application (updated 2016)
Our Latest Project
Historic Pond House Trail Restoration and Enchancement
This project was made possible with a grant from RCCC and support from Clemson Institute for Economic & Community Development & Sandhill Research and Education Center, Richland County Master Gardeners and South Carolina Master Naturalists. More info on this project will be coming. Link info for Richland County Conservation Commission RCCC
Want to be a Master Gardener?
For information about applying for the Master Gardener classes, contact 803.865.1216 ext. 127. To learn more about the program, visit: Clemson Extension Master Gardeners.
Gardening Tips for Summer
- Scout the garden often. When plants are stressed by insects, heat or drought, they are most vulnerable.
- WATER! Make sure plants receive an inch a week and make sure the beds have 2-4″ of organic mulch.
- Mow grass only when it is dry. During drought raise mower blade 1/2 inch higher.
- Mow regularly. Never remove more than a third of the height.
- Do not bag lawn clippings. Leave them on the lawn to return nutrients to the soil.
- Pick off Japanese beetles. Discard them in a bucket of soapy water.
- Mulch vegetables gardens to keep moisture even and prevent weeds.
- Clean bird baths often to control mosquito larvae.
- Apply fertilizer as recommended by a soil test.
- Regular harvesting of vegetables keeps them producing.
- A consistent supply of water prevents blossom-end rot on tomatoes. If rot occurs on bottom of fruit, spray plants with a calcium solution, mulch and water consistently.
- Cut back herbs to keep them compact and prevent them from bolting.


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Skull Kitchen Knife Block
Chopping things is fun, but, as every serious chopper knows, you need to add a little creepiness to your chop if you want to be looked at as the crme de la crme of choppers. This Skull Knife Block is ideal for doing just that.
Shaped like a human skull, except that it has 5 knives protruding from it for all your chopping needs. Including a Chef's knife, carving knife, bread knife, utility knife and paring knife; your skull is ideal for adding a much sharper, creepier edge to your kitchen and your chopping repertoire!
- 1 x bread knife
- 1 x carving knife
- 1 x chef's knife
- 1 x utility knife
- 1 x paring knife
- Securely held in place with five grip contacts
- This product is strictly for over 18s only
Dimensions: 20 x 35 x 22cm
Skull Kitchen Knife Block Customer Reviews
Related products in Knife Blocks
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have an un-answered question about this product? Simply ask us a question and we'll do our best to help.


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CommonWealth REIT (NYSE:CWH) today announced that, in an effort to bring the prolonged disruption and cost to shareholders caused by Related Fund Management LLC and Corvex Management LP ("Related/Corvex") to an end, CWH has set February 18, 2014 as the record date for shareholders entitled to participate in the written consent proposed by Related/Corvex to remove the entire CWH Board of Trustees, including two recently added Independent Trustees, without cause. This record date is conditioned upon Related/Corvex making a record date demand on or before February 16, 2014, as required by the Arbitration Panel in its November 18, 2013 order. Adam Portnoy, Managing Trustee and President of CWH made the following statement regarding today's announcement: "Despite their professed desire to proceed expeditiously, it appears that Related/Corvex will delay until the last possible moment to ask for a record date in their attempt to take control of CWH for their own benefit and without paying shareholders. Unlike Related/Corvex, the Board believes that it is in the best interests of shareholders to move ahead in order to limit the damage to CWH and its shareholders which may be caused by the disruptive activities of Related/Corvex. We look forward to our continued engagement with shareholders over the coming weeks. We will also continue to vigorously oppose Related/Corvex's disruptive and self-serving actions, and we are confident shareholders will support the Board's continued efforts to create value for all shareholders." CommonWealth REIT is a real estate investment trust that primarily owns office properties located in central business district or urban locations throughout the United States. CWH is headquartered in Newton, MA. WARNING REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS THIS PRESS RELEASE INCLUDES FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 AND OTHER SECURITIES LAWS. THESE FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED UPON CWH'S PRESENT BELIEFS AND EXPECTATIONS, BUT THEY ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO OCCUR AND MAY NOT OCCUR FOR VARIOUS REASONS, INCLUDING SOME REASONS BEYOND CWH'S CONTROL. FOR EXAMPLE, THE RECORD DATE SET BY CWH'S BOARD IS CONDITIONED ON RELATED/CORVEX MAKING A DEMAND BY FEBRUARY 16, 2014 AS REQUIRED BY THE ARBITRATION PANEL'S ORDER. RELATED/CORVEX MAY REALIZE THAT THEIR PROPOSAL IS NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF SHAREHOLDERS OR FAIL TO MAKE A DEMAND FOR ANOTHER REASON. FOR THESE REASONS, AMONG OTHERS, INVESTORS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE UPON FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS IN THIS PRESS RELEASE OR THEIR IMPLICATIONS.
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SUNRISE — Lightning coach Guy Boucher shook up his lineup Saturday night against the Panthers, with wings Teddy Purcell and Ryan Shannon healthy scratches.
Boucher had benched Purcell for the third period of Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Islanders, disappointed he wasn't involved enough in battles.
"Last game I just didn't move my feet and obviously got away from … what coach wants us to do," Purcell said. "I have no one to blame but myself."
Boucher said Shannon, in his first season with Tampa Bay after signing as a free agent in the offseason, is doing fine, he's just having trouble adjusting to the Lightning's system.
Shannon said sitting out "doesn't make me feel good" but acknowledged he has to improve.
"It's just a lot of little things when it comes to when you have space and time (to make a play)," Shannon said. "It's just about … figuring out when you can be dangerous and when you just live to fight another day."
Boucher replaced them with Blair Jones and Tom Pyatt, saying they bring the necessary work ethic and defensive reliability, and can be relentless. That's what Boucher wants to see more from out of Purcell, who was expected to have a large role this year on the second line following a breakout postseason (17 points) and signing a two-year, $4.725 million deal in the offseason.
"I guess it's hard as a pro to get back to where you were when you last finished," Purcell said. "I just have to do a better job of getting that emotion level back up and find my game like I did in the playoffs."
Said Boucher: "When he competes, he's an outstanding player. When he doesn't compete, he's below average. … It's one or the other. … You've got to be involved in the battles. Right now I think he's thinking too much."
LINING UP: D Matt Gilroy was back in the lineup, taking the spot of Bruno Gervais. Boucher said who gets to play will be a daily decision. Sometimes both could play. Rookie wing Brett Connolly played on a line with C Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis for the second straight game.
REMEMBER ME? Panthers LW Sean Bergenheim, a Lightning playoff star last season with nine goals, has fit in well on Florida's third line. And he'll never forget the day he signed his four-year, $11 million free-agent deal with the Panthers. It was July 2, also the day he married his wife, Vilma, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. "I signed the contract at 5 a.m. Finnish time … went to bed around 6, woke up at 9 and got married the same day," he said. "But I wasn't tired, I can tell you that."
QUOTE TO NOTE: When asked what C Nate Thompson brings to the second line, Boucher put it simply: "He represents exactly what we're supposed to be. He's fast, he's gritty, he's smart with the puck, he's incredible defensively. He's everything you want in a player, so it doesn't matter where he plays."
ticket update: Saturday night, 1,500 tickets were left for Monday's home opener against the Panthers at the St. Pete Times Forum, the team said. Check Ticketmaster (outlets, ticketmaster.com, toll-free 1-800-745-3000).


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The Immigration Bureau is planning to change a new guideline for foreign residents to ease concerns that those without social insurance will be forced to choose between losing their visa and entering the insurance system, a bureau official said Monday.
But some foreigners warn the move won't be enough to entirely free them of the risk of being forced to enter the insurance system.
The wording of the guideline, which is to be enforced April 1, currently stipulates that foreign residents must present their health insurance card when reporting changes to or renewing their residential status. It is the last of the guideline's eight items.
"The bureau will delete item No. 8 by the end of March, and 'lightly mention' the need to present a health insurance card in the introductory passage of the guideline," Immigration Bureau spokesman Yoshikazu Iimura told The Japan Times. "The wording will be in a manner to eliminate foreign residents' concerns that their visas won't be renewed if they don't have insurance."
The bureau will try to persuade foreigners who don't have the card to enter the social insurance system by giving out brochures, but not having the insurance won't affect the bureau's decision whether to grant a visa, he said.
Ronald Kessler, who founded the Free Choice Foundation to raise awareness of the issue, hailed the bureau's plan to delete item No. 8.
"We peacefully and diplomatically explained to them our predicament," he said. "They listened, they understood, and we applaud them for taking appropriate action."
His battle, however, isn't over. Kessler wants local immigration offices not to ask foreigners to show the card and only hand out the brochure. Also, he wants to make sure the Immigration Bureau's intention is clearly delivered to immigration officers at local offices.
"Government documents are vaguely written," he said. "Immigration officers can interpret them however they want."
Foreigners and their supporters have protested the new guideline as an infringement on freedom of choice.
Foreign and Japanese residents are required to sign up for Japan's social insurance system, as stipulated in the Health Insurance Act and the National Pension Act, but there is no punishment for not doing so. Some foreigners choose not to enter the insurance system out of preference for the insurance provided by foreign companies or simply because they don't want to pay insurance premiums.
Also, some clinics that employ English-speaking doctors do not take Japanese insurance. They charge patients the full amount and give them a receipt so they can claim the medical expense later with their insurance company.


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Thousands of everyday products and materials containing radioactive metals are surfacing across the United States and around the world.
Common kitchen cheese graters, reclining chairs, women's handbags and tableware manufactured with contaminated metals have been identified, some after having been in circulation for as long as a decade. So have fencing wire and fence posts, shovel blades, elevator buttons, airline parts and steel used in construction.
A Scripps Howard News Service investigation has found that -- because of haphazard screening, an absence of oversight and substantial disincentives for businesses to report contamination -- no one knows how many tainted goods are in circulation in the United States.
But thousands of consumer goods and millions of pounds of unfinished metal and its byproducts have been found to contain low levels of radiation, and experts think the true amount could be much higher, perhaps by a factor of 10.
Recycled radioactive metal contaminates consumer products
Thousands of everyday products and materials containing radioactive metals are surfacing across the United States and around the world.
AP IMPACT: Alternative medicine goes mainstream
People turn to unconventional therapies and herbal remedies for everything from hot flashes and trouble sleeping to cancer and heart disease. They crave more "care" in their health care. They distrust drug companies and the government. They want natural, safer remedies.
But often, that is not what they get. Government actions and powerful interest groups have left consumers vulnerable to flawed products and misleading marketing.
Key to blood clotting discovered
Scientists have discovered a molecular mechanism that is key to regulating the way blood clots.
The team from Harvard University, writing in the journal Science, said the finding could help treat people who have blood-clotting disorders.
Immune therapies finally working against cancer
The approach is called a cancer vaccine, although it treats the disease rather than prevents it.
New Warning on Hormone Replacement
Hormone therapy taken by women to counter the effects of menopause can increase the risk of dying from lung cancer, researchers reported here on Saturday.
The findings represent the latest black mark against a therapy already being used much more sparingly than it once was. But researchers said the new data should serve as a caution to women who did continue to take hormones not to smoke.
Revealed: the best protection against cancer
Boosting levels of vitamin D could cut the incidence of breast cancer by a quarter, bowel cancer by a third and it should be offered to the population as part of a public health drive, scientists say.
The finding is based on a review of 2,750 research studies involving vitamin D, sometimes called "bottled sunshine", which show that taking daily supplements of the vitamin could do more for cancer prevention than a library full of lifestyle advice.
MOBILE phones DO increase the risk of brain cancer, scientists claimed yesterday.
The chances of developing a malignant tumour are "significantly increased" for people who use a mobile for ten years.
The shock finding is the result of the biggest ever study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organisation.
Scientists found a type of brain tumour called glioma is more likely in long-term mobile users.
More Articles...
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Someone, somewhere in the not too distant past, had an idea: Why not offer mountain bikers the same advantages as skiers?
Those being, of course, lots of open country, a nice blend of terrain and trails, all in a scenic mountain setting, and, best of all, a ride uphill.
Oh, and when the riding is done, a chance to sit down, sip a soft drink, nibble on a sandwich and rest those tired legs.
Well, ski resorts took the suggestion to heart and today nearly a third of the country's 400 ski areas offer lift-served, restaurant-catered, staff-groomed trails to mountain bikers.
Here in Utah, seven of the 13 resorts are open to mountain bikers of all ages and ability levels.
One reason for the resorts' interest in mountain biking is the rapid growth. The number of off-road cycling enthusiasts has climbed from roughly 200,000 in 1983 to more than 10 million today.
A dozen years ago, resorts held races but chose to keep their lifts closed in the summer. Some offered scenic rides, but barred bikers.
Once one resort found it possible and profitable, others followed.
Here in Utah, Brian Head, Deer Valley, Snowbird and Solitude were among the first to lure mountain bikers to their lifts.
And, the consensus among the seven now serving bikers is that it's a big success.
One mountain bike magazine wrote of Brian Head that it was "one of the best, unique and most unusual mountain bike vacation resorts" in the country . . . and, indeed, it is.
Located at the base of 11,307-foot Brian Head Peak, it's all downhill. Resort literature claims its lifts offer access to more than 200 miles of single- and double-track trails winding through the resort and nearby forests.
Realizing what goes down, must also come up, at the end of most of the trails off the peak is a waiting vehicle with bike carrier and an idling engine.
There are also a number of trails on and around the ski runs. And, like ski runs, trails are marked according to difficulty.
One of the more popular trails begins at the peak, around 11,000 feet, and glides down to the shores of Panguitch Lake, 12 miles and about 3,000 feet lower.
Deer Valley was among the first resorts in the country to offer lift-served access to its mountain slopes in the summer.
It first turned on a lift in the summer of 1992.
Over the years it has consistently been rated among the top 10 destination mountain biking resorts in the country.
The resort now offers service from two lifts and onto more than 50 miles of trails that spider-web through the mountains. Hikers and bikers can choose to travel the existing road system that services the resort or follow narrow single-track routes through the trees, meadows and down mountain slopes.
Steve Graff, resort bike patrol manager, said that over the years there has been a steady increase in summer business, "and I would expect, with two lifts now running, which make access much easier, we'll see an increase this summer."
The resort also expanded its service programs, offering instruction, guide service, clinics, bike rentals and on-mountain safety patrol.
One of the more popular trails for the serious biker is the Mid-Mountain Trail, which is a stunning, scenic single-track trail that traverses Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons, connecting all three resorts and offering spectacular scenic vistas, lush forests and beautiful aspen groves.
For the more conservative rider at Deer Valley, there's the Lakeside Trails, which is a one-mile series of paved trails that surround the lakes just past the Snow Park parking lots.
Katie Eldridge of The Canyons said the Mid-Mountain Trail is, indeed, one of the more popular. It's four-mile section within the boundaries of the resort is ideal for intermediates and above, "and the scenery is incredible."
The most difficult ride, called Fantasy, starts from the top of the gondola and ends at the mountain top called "9350," which is the elevation or 9,350 feet.
The Canyons has been running its gondola for mountain bikers for four years.
Among the new features at resorts are practice loops. Deer Valley has one near the base, and encourages the less experienced bikers to use it before heading uphill.
Snowbasin, said Mary Rowland, has two practice loops.
"The one at the base is one we constructed, but logs and rollers and bumps. It has been very popular with riders. We also have one at the top of the gondola. This one features more natural terrain. It, too, has become very popular with riders," she said.
One new service the resort offers bikers is a chance to clean their bikes.
"What we've found is that people like to ride on the mountain, then ride the practice loop a few times, then ride over to bike-cleaning station and wash off the bike before they leave or sit down for a drink or a sandwich," she added.
Park City Mountain Resort offers mountain access to bikers off two lifts the Town Lift and PayDay Lift.
The resort will go onto holiday hours this weekend. PayDay will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Monday, and the Town Lift from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
What was a bonus to skiers this past winter has been a hardship to mountain bikers at Snowbird. The ski season didn't end until July Fourth. And, as might be expected, there is still snow in the upper basin, which is keeping mountain bikers off the Tram.
There is biking available around the base on both paved and dirt roads and single track.
Laura Schaffer, public relations director, said mountain crews hope to have the upper trails open for mountain bikers by the end of July.
There are more than 20 miles of single track running through the stands of pines and meadows at Solitude.
For the beginner there's the single/double-track road off the Sunrise lift. The first quarter mile is single track, becoming a wide road, with the lower portion paved. There are also a number of intermediate and advanced trails.
Along with mountain-bike rentals, several resorts also offer mountain scooters. The scooters have large tires and brakes both front and rear, as well as a suspension system that makes them easy to ride.The best part of all, of course, is that ski resorts make it possible for riders to skip all the work and the huffing and puffing that goes into an uphill climb, and simply sit and enjoy the scenery, the openness and the ride downhill.
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those."
Michael Nolan
"Don't trust people that you have only heard great stories of"
Jesus Barraza
"Without LOVE we are no more than an empty canvas..."
Philip T. M.
"Beauty is the strongest weapon is to inspire"
"Forgiveness is the BEST part of our LIFE!"
Sahib Dino
"Once is a Mistake But Twice is not a Mistake!"
"A boy makes his girl jealous of other women. A gentleman makes other women jealous of his girl"
Rana Magdy
Quotes Daddy offers a number of tools for developers and bloggers to integrate quotes into their site including customizable widgets, embeddable quotes and API.
Over 1,000,000 famous quotes and user quotes that you can save to your favorites, share with friends and add to your site, blog or social network.


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Harper International: Carbon Fiber Systems
June 13, 2005
Harper International has received orders from around the world for new carbon fiber furnace systems, and the company is currently supplying these systems on three continents. Carbon fiber usage has surged with increased demand for high strength, lightweight composites. Airbus and Boeing are major consumers of composite materials for their new aircraft designs, along with soaring usage in rotor blades for large wind turbine generators. Harper is a leader in carbon fiber manufacturing systems for both PAN- and PITCH-based technologies. Incorporating new advances in the latest designs has demonstrated superior temperature uniformity with unique atmosphere control for Harper's carbon fiber furnaces.
For more information, call (716) 684-7400 or visit http://www.harperintl.com.
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Our Five Favorite Things About Pizzeria Ortica's Brunch Service
Made you look!
Anne Marie Panoringan
This weekend is the inaugural recurring brunch for Pizzeria Ortica. Typically offered only on a holiday whim, you can now look forward to such savory options such as oven-roasted skirt steak sandwich topped with an optional Chino Valley Ranchers' egg (see above) every Sunday. Executive Chef Justin Miller, Sous Chef Colleen Flynn and Beverage Manager Joel Caruso will be cranking out their interpretation of our favorite meal from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We made a dent in Ortica's menu to provide Forkers with a few recommendations.
Amusing your bouche
Anne Marie Panoringan
1. Fresh baked morning buns
This bite-sized, small plate is a favorite for a couple of reasons. At $3, it's the most affordable option. Although the unexpected bonus is that each table receives an order to start, compliments of the kitchen. These savory morsels taste of slow-roasted tomatoes, finished with Parmigiano. That leaves diners with more coin to invest in additional tastes, like braised pork belly or lemon ricotta stuffed squash blossoms.
We'd be smiling too, with all those drinks!
Anne Marie Panoringan
2. P.O.G. Spritzer
Admittedly, we enjoyed our beverage so quickly we forgot to take a photo. Our version of upgraded mimosas, this blend of passion fruit, orange, guava and bubbly ($10) hits the spot. Sure, you can request a strong Bloody Mary or even their version of a White Russian, El Duderino. But our focus was on the food. Note: The beverage team put together a very accommodating selection of wine and beer as well.
Pre-yolk porn
Anne Marie Panoringan
3. Roasted asparagus
While most of our veg revolved around tomatoes, we found ourselves reaching for perfectly prepared spears. Fully loaded with poached eggs, just enough meaty speck, hazelnut breadcrumbs and a Fontina fonduta (say that fast five times), we could've ended our meal right here. Fortunately, we were sharing. Oh, and twice the yolk porn ($16)!
Meating of the minds
Anne Marie Panoringan
4. Housemade fennel sausage
With all the love for bacon everything, we believe sausage gets a bad rap. We immediately gravitated towards this bowl of goodness ($14). The inclusion of braised Tuscan black kale and Calabrian chile made our mouth water just thinking about it. And of course we couldn't turn down another optional eggy opportunity. . .
Finding its way into our countdown
Anne Marie Panoringan
Upcoming Events
Taco Tuesday
TicketsTue., Dec. 5, 5:00pm
Taco Tuesday
TicketsTue., Dec. 12, 5:00pm
5. Shrimp and polenta
Most recently served as a Father's Day special, this stick-to-your-ribs entree ($15) won us over. Easily the best dish on Pizzeria Ortica's brunch menu, it stands up to all the bread, tomato and yes, egg-centric plates. Wood-grilled shellfish meets Anson Mills polenta and classic fried green tomatoes for a memorable threesome. You gotta eat it to believe it.
For reservations, call Pizzeria Ortica at (714) 445-4900.
Related Location
650 Anton Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
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Karachi, May 22 (ANI): Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has said he hopes to serve the country in a coaching role as he distances himself as an active cricketer.
Yousuf, 38, who is out-of-favour for the national team since the UAE series against South Africa in 2010, made efforts to revive his international career but they bore no fruit. Last year in April, Yousuf, who has scored 7,530 Test and 9,720 ODI runs for Pakistan, attended the training sessions at the National Cricket Academy soon after Dav Whatmore's appointment but failed to convince the team management.
The former captain was also refused permission to play domestic tournaments by the board due to a late entry in this year's season, reports The Express Tribune.
There was strong speculation suggesting that Yousuf had announced retirement from cricket but the veteran clarified it was not true.
Yousuf also said he had no harsh feelings towards the Pakistan Cricket Board or the selectors, who discarded him despite his illustrious performances.
However, Yousuf said he will not completely dissociate himself from cricket. He said he would happily pass on his experience to the youngsters if required, adding that he would be available for national coaching duty "anytime".
He said he might be taking coaching courses in the future, which has become a prerequisite for the job nowadays. (ANI)


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Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link. Two out of the three major indices are trading lower today with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI) trading up 26 points (0.2%) at 15,572 as of Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 12:50 PM ET. The NYSE advances/declines ratio sits at 1,636 issues advancing vs. 1,285 declining with 117 unchanged. The Technology sector currently sits up 0.1% versus the S&P 500, which is down 0.1%. Top gainers within the sector include Telecom Italia SpA ( TI), up 8.7%, Telecom Italia SpA ( TI.A), up 4.8%, Texas Instruments ( TXN), up 4.0%, China Telecom ( CHA), up 2.6% and Philippine Long Distance Telephone ( PHI), up 2.3%. On the negative front, top decliners within the sector include STMicroelectronics ( STM), down 8.3%, Waters Corporation ( WAT), down 5.9%, Broadcom Corporation ( BRCM), down 3.5%, Yahoo ( YHOO), down 1.4% and Wipro ( WIT), down 1.0%. TheStreet would like to highlight 5 stocks pushing the sector higher today: 5. Telefonica ( TEF) is one of the companies pushing the Technology sector higher today. As of noon trading, Telefonica is up $0.31 (2.3%) to $13.57 on heavy volume. Thus far, 993,078 shares of Telefonica exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 1.3 million shares. The stock has ranged in price between $13.52-$13.65 after having opened the day at $13.59 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $13.26. Telefonica, S.A. provides fixed and mobile communication services primarily in Europe and Latin America. The company offers mobile voice, value added, mobile data and Internet, wholesale, corporate, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services, as well as mobile payment solutions. Telefonica has a market cap of $59.0 billion and is part of the telecommunications industry. Shares are down 1.7% year to date as of the close of trading on Monday. Currently there are 2 analysts that rate Telefonica a buy, 1 analyst rates it a sell, and 3 rate it a hold. TheStreet Ratings rates Telefonica as a hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its increase in net income, increase in stock price during the past year and growth in earnings per share. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including generally higher debt management risk and poor profit margins. Get the full Telefonica Ratings Report now. 3x UPSIDE POTENTIAL: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12-months. Learn more.
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He's a TV sitcom stud, an occasional award show host, a film star and, of course, a family man, but Neil Patrick Harris is adding another gig to his plate today with the premiere on Nerdist Channel (on YouTube) of his new web series, "Neil's Puppet Dreams."
The series, co-executive produced by Neil's other half, David Burtka, and co-creator/producer Janet Varney, will drop new episodes every week, diving into the actor's puppet-packed slumbering memories.
Along for the ride are Henson Alternative puppets and a host of guest stars, including "True Blood's" Joe Manganiello, "Drag Race's" Detox and Wilam, and Neil's "Dr. Horrible" co-star Nathan Fillion.
In a new interview with AccessHollywood.com, Neil explained the origins of the weekly series, which puppets were way too "filthy, sexually" on set, and how he got some very busy, and very handsome actors to make guest spots.
AccessHollywood.com: Does the origin of this have to do with you – as a dad – being around cuddly toys for the last few years?
Neil Patrick Harris: (Laughs) Weirdly, in my real life, I don't recall much of my dreams, but Chris Hardwick was trying to entice me with doing some content for his channel, on Nerdist, and his pitch to me was, 'What about a collaboration with you and Brian Henson and the Henson puppets?' I'm a big fan of him and that world and I said, 'Absolutely. What should we do?' And he said, 'Let's figure it out.' So we all met in a conference room at the Henson studios and discussed different ideas and concepts and this dream concept came up and it really sparked everyone's interest.
WATCH: Neil Patrick Harris: 'I'm A Ginormous 'Muppets' Fan'
Access: There are some very not-G-rated puppets in this, including one named Lorainne Thompson, who looks a little like Betty White, dressed in a nurse's costume. Were you aware of how sassy that puppet was going to be? She's got a mouth on her and you can't always counsel the elderly.
Neil: It's a generation gap. I've met some very soft-spoken, genteel elder puppets, but I think, you know, she had a tough life and has done a lot of living and she's got the mouth of a sailor and it was difficult on set. We had to rein her in, but she was also filthy, sexually and that was difficult as well.
Click HERE to watch behind the scenes footage with Lorainne on YouTube
Access: Did you feel sexually harassed? Did you have to contact human resources?
Neil: She was really into the beaver puppet and I'll just leave it at that.
Access: Your whole family is in this. It opens with you addressing your children. And David is all over the series. How did you get him involved?
Neil: David's been involved since the beginning. He's one of the co-creators of the idea. He was not only an actor in it but a co-executive producer, so as my acting schedule is taking up a lot of my time, he was able — even given his E! News schedule — to be able to help deal with all of the elements pre-filming and including filming. We filmed all seven of these in just over two days. But there was a lot that had to be done in a very short amount of time and we had a couple months prior to get all of our puppet ducks in a row and that job fell squarely on the shoulders of David and Janet Varney who is our other co-executive producer. They did a great job.
WATCH: Neil Patrick Harris: 'A Playdate At A Park Is Fun, Yachts Are Better!'
Access: And Joe Manganiello (of 'True Blood' and 'Magic Mike') cameos in this as well. He's very handsome, very tall. How did you get him involved?
Neil: He's a behemoth. That was just extraordinary timing. It was a small, very quick cameo and he was going to be filming 'How I Met Your Mother' for two episodes starting that following week. He was literally flown in from a different country, arrived at the airport, went home for half an hour, came right to the set, filmed it 10, 11 o'clock at night and was out. So it was a 'cross our fingers, hope we can get him.' He said 'Yes.'
Access: In the behind-the-scenes video already up, he's in a pineapple tank top. Is there a special significance to that?
Neil: There is. It's a [running gag] on the episode called 'Dream Bump.' There's a lot of pineapple.
WATCH: Matt Bomer & Joe Manganiello Dish On The Four Steps To Stripping In Magic Mike
Access: What do you get Joe to do when he comes in? First of all, everyone knows he can strip.
Neil: Indeed. I didn't want to be too exploitative. It's a very interesting concept, because we want to be able to be darker in our comedy, but not intentionally blue and lewd, so when someone like Joe is involved, you don't want to exploit him, you want to have him fit into the world. So I asked him if he'd be willing to be a part of something that he knew nothing about. Then I sent him multiple scripts [and] the song that was gonna be in that episode, so he knew the tone. And I also encouraged his input every step of the way from what he was wearing to his dialogue, to any sort of other ideas that he had. I wanted him to feel part of the process. And he's great. He's one of the funnier guys. I don't know if you caught last week's 'How I Met Your Mother' … but you forget when you see him acting so broody and dramatic how funny he actually is. And he got to exploit that. I guess we did get exploit him, just not his body. We exploited his comedy.
Click HERE to watch the premiere episode of "Neil's Puppet Dreams" on YouTube.
Access: And you got Nathan Fillion involved too – your old buddy. Is that the easiest sell in the world?
Neil: Nathan is so dry that you just ask. You'll either get a, 'You got it,' or 'Sorry, can't do it.' And we luckily got a, 'You got it.' And he's one of the nicest people in the world. We've worked together many times and I hope it's the first of a thousand. I want to do like road trip movies with Nathan Fillion.
Access: That would be amazing.
Neil: He's just amazing.
WATCH: Dish Of Salt: Nathan Fillion Talks 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog'
Access: Lastly, was there any puppet on set who had a sassier mouth than others?
Neil: We did an episode called 'Dream Bump,' where my boring dream inadvertently combines with David's awesome dream and we got to work with drag queens Detox and Willam, and while not a puppet, Wilam has one of the sauciest mouths around.
Access: He could have given puppets tips on how to cover up a beard.
Neil: (Laughs) There was some felt covering, for sure.
-- Jolie Lash


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With the smooth integration of lavish indoor spaces and the great outdoors, the remarkable new 45 Cantius offers a seamless flow that feels refreshingly unlike any other on-water lifestyle. With spacious entertaining areas, a full glass enclosure and unprecedented sightlines, the 45 expands your experience beyond the horizon.
The innovative 45 Cantius was designed specifically to eliminate the limitations found in the interior living spaces of most yachts. By capitalizing on every opportunity to replace walls with windows, the 45 invites in an abundance of natural light and fresh air throughout the upper salon and galley. And by opening up all the living spaces, everyone aboard can socialize and share in what will be some of the best times in life.
Below deck, the fun continues with a spacious and state-of-the-art entertainment center. Catch a movie or demonstrate your gaming skills on the large flatscreen TV. And when it's time to call it a day, take refuge in your own private retreat in the either of the lavishly appointed staterooms. Rejuvenate mind and body in plush berths and wake up ready for the promise and enchantment of every new day aboard your 45 Cantius.
Volvo Diesel 500 Twin IPS, 375 hp
Volvo Diesel 600 Twin IPS, 435 hp
For a complete list of specifications, download the PDF.


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News Wrap: U.S. Officials Warn Iran Might Blockade Strait of Hormuz if Attacked
[Sorry, the video for this story has expired, but you can still read the transcript below. ]
HARI SREENIVASAN: Top U.S. officials offered new assessments of Iran's nuclear program. It came a day after the Islamic republic claimed major new achievements in producing its own nuclear fuel.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave his assessment at a House hearing.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA: The intelligence has been very clear on this. They continue to develop their enrichment capabilities.
But the intelligence doesn't show that they have made the decision to proceed with developing a nuclear weapon. That is the red line that would concern us and that would ensure that the international community, hopefully together, would respond.
HARI SREENIVASAN: Panetta repeated that all response options remain on the table to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
At a Senate hearing, top intelligence officials said, if Iran is attacked, it might blockade the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Persian Gulf oil states.
Claims and counterclaims abounded today over possible peace talks involving the U.S. and Afghan governments and the Taliban. Afghan President Hamid Karzai told The Wall Street Journal that discussions have taken place in the past month. That interview appeared as Karzai was in Pakistan.
A top adviser said he would solicit that country's help in negotiating a peace agreement.
ISMAIL QASEMYAR, international relations adviser, Afghan High Peace Council: Hamid Karzai will ask the Pakistan head of state and the head of the government to cooperate to put positive and constructive pressure over the leadership of the Taliban to come close and to come together to start an intra-Afghan dialogue and a process, the negotiation.
HARI SREENIVASAN: A spokesman for the Taliban denied there had been any negotiations. He said the Taliban didn't talk with the Kabul government anywhere.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland refused to confirm or deny either way.
VICTORIA NULAND, State Department spokeswoman: There are lots of Taliban saying lots of different things. So, again, we have said, and the secretary has made clear, this whole process is at a very preliminary stage.
We are still at the stage of trying to build the trust among the Afghans, so that they can sit in the room and have conversations. So that's the stage that we're at, and it's very, very preliminary.
HARI SREENIVASAN: The focus on possible peace talks has intensified, as U.S. and other NATO combat forces begin to withdraw from Afghanistan.
Supporters of legalizing same-sex marriage in the U.S. have won another legislative victory. The New Jersey State Assembly approved a bill allowing the practice today. It already passed the state Senate. The measure is not expected to become law since Republican Governor Chris Christie has promised a veto. He wants the issue put to a referendum.
The U.S. economy is showing more signs of life. Reports today said first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level since March of 2008. And housing starts rose again in January.
The news helped Wall Street to new gains. The Dow Jones industrial average added 123 points to close at 12,904. The Nasdaq rose 44 points to close at 2,959.
General Motors reported its best profit ever in 2011. The automaker said today it made $7.6 billion last year, although it lost momentum in the fourth quarter. GM has staged a turnaround from 2009, when it filed for bankruptcy protection and took a government bailout.
The so-called underwear bomber received a life sentence in a federal court in Detroit today. A Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had admitted that he tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day of 2009. He said it was meant to be a suicide mission for al-Qaida. but he was wrestled down after a bomb in his underclothes failed to go off just before the plane landed in Detroit.
Rescuers on Cape Cod, Mass., spent today trying to save 11 dolphins stranded on a remote beach. It has been a common scene for the past month. Nearly 180 short-beaked common dolphins have beached themselves in the area, and, of those, 125 have died. That's nearly five times the yearly average. The cause remains unclear. Theories include changes in the weather, water temperature and behavior of the dolphins' prey.
Those are some of the day's major stories.


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Detail Information
- Reproducibility of microarray data: a further analysis of microarray quality control (MAQC) dataJames J Chen
Division of Personalized Nutrition and Medicine, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas 72079, USA
BMC Bioinformatics 8:412. 2007....
- Multivariate analysis of variance test for gene set analysisChen An Tsai
Graduate Institute of Biostatistics and Biostatistics Center, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
Bioinformatics 25:897-903. 2009..A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) approach is proposed for studies with two or more experimental conditions...


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I want to reduce wrinkles but I do not want to become completely emotionless in the face.
Is It Possible to Get to Much Botox?
Doctor Answers 24
Frozen in Seattle
Dear Deevis,
To avoid getting results with Botox that you are not happy with such as a frozen, emotionless face, it is important to get your injections performed by a board certified physician who specializes in aesthetics such as a dermatologist, plastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon or oculoplastic. When you establish a healthy doctor-patient relationship with your aesthetic physician, you can get the most from their experience and expertise and achieve the best, most natural results for you.
Sincerely, Dr. Bassichis
How to treat wrinkles with Botox but still look natural
No one wants to look frozen or expressionless. Botox is not a one-size-fits-all treatment. The injection locations, the dose, and the timing of treatment all must be customized for each individual patient. I often give patients enough Botox to decrease the strength of the muscle contraction, but not enough to completely paralyze the muscle, That way they can still make an expression, but they are not making as deep a wrinkle as they were before. Also, the location of the injections may not always be exactly the same every time you have a treatment. Injecting different combinations of muscles can affect the look that you get, as well.
Can I have too Much Botox?
Hi Deevis. The look you achieve using Botox is a very personal decision. We have patients tell us that they want no movement in their foreheads and still others that say they want to be able to move (animate) their eyebrows. As practitioners, we need to use this information to judge how much product we will use.
It is possible to use more Botox than is necessary or too much that it might make you feel "frozen". If you have these concerns, it's best to address them with your practitioner and proceed with caution as far as the number of units that are used to start. You can always add more in a follow up treatment, but you cannot reverse the Botox (at least for a few months) once injected.
Learn more: http://www.celibre.com/botox.aspx
You might also like...
Yes, it is possible to get too much Botox!
Too much Botox can do more than "freeze your face" and prevent normal expressions. It could also potentially be dangerous, if it spreads out of the treatment area and begins to affect muscles that are not part of the intended target. Remember you can always try a little Botox and ADD MORE if you feel the effect is not strong enough. There is no harm in being conservative, except the hassle of having to go back to the board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon you have chosen to treat you.
Learn more: http://www.JessicaKrantMD.com
More shots with smaller amounts of botox per shot give a more natural look.
Botox is technique dependant. The more number of tiny shots with smaller amts of botox per shot tend to give a more natural movement and look. Ex.) 8-10 tiny shots on each outer eye gives a better and more natural look than 3-4 big shots of the total same amount of botox.
Learn more: http://www.TheBestLipoDoc.com/drdavidhansen/landing/
You can easily taper your botox dose to fit your requirments...
try a little first and see how that suits you and then in a couple weeks add more if necessary...but you can definitely reduce muscle contraction without leaving your face emotionless and frozen...just talk with your doctor and make certain he/she understands your specific request...
Botox for a natural look
Please consult an experienced dermatologist or plastic surgeon for Botox injections. You should discuss your concerns and the results you would like to see and your treatment can be tailored to your preferences.
Too much Botox will make you look too frozen!
The effect of too much Botox is to leave your face looking unnatural and mask-like. The idea of proper Botox injection is to make you look younger and more beautiful but not artificial looking. If someone thinks that you had Botox then you probably had too much! You should look better than you did before and friends should be unsure of what you had done.
Learn more: http://www.michelegreenmd.com/botox-cosmetic
"Frozen" face / too much botox?
All the best,
Learn more: http://day-spa-orlando.com/botox/
Overinjections of Botox produce a lifeless appearing face
Overinjections of Botox produce a lifeless appearing face. A face without expression is uninteresting and can even look ill as after a stroke. Eyebrows should always move up and down and squint lines should be small but preserved.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


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Fashionable Manhattan
Drink Type: Cocktail
3 dash(es) Angostura Bitters (more Angostura Bitters drinks)
The Makers Mark Fashionable Manhattan was chosen as the grand champion at the 2006 Kentucky Bourbon Festival Cocktail Challenge.
Place the Angosturo Bitters in a cocktail glass along with a wedge each of lemon, lime and orange. Thoroughly mascerate the fruit in the bitters until fruit oils and bitters completely cover the inside of the glass. Empty the glass and set it aside. Add the Maker's Mark and Sweet Vermouth to a Boston shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 45 seconds to a minute and strain into the cocktail glass. Break one Marischino cherry into the glass and scrape the inside of the glass with a bar spoon to release the fruit oils and bitters. Garnish with a half slice of orange.