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Irena Knezevic is a young Serbian artist living in Chicago. Before leaving Serbia, she was a student organizer rallying against Slobodon Milosovic's government (1). She moved to Chicago after receiving a scholarship to attend college, where she studied mathematics but later switched to art. She studied at the University of Illinois at Chicago and earned an MFA there in 2007. In 2008, she had a solo exhibition at the MCA Chicago as part of its 12×12 series. That show, like much of Knezevic's work, examined "the search for knowledge and the dangerous avenues through which people seek and receive it," according to the press release.
Knezevic's current solo show at threeewalls, titled Gesture Guild, closed last weekend. Since Knezevic's installation had the (fairly unusual) ability to leave me at a loss for words, I'll rely on the show's press release to describe it:
Friday, March 19th at 6 pm sharp, the Gesture Guild will open its doors at its new headquarters at 119 N Peoria in unit 2C. Join us at 8 pm for the commencement dirge, absinthe induced and sailor sung. (Ed. note: Sailor attire is strongly encouraged, those who do not arrive as sailors will be made into sailors.) The League of Dark Departments have joined forces in the Gesture Guild, a bureau for the recovery and acquisition of lost gestures. The Gesture Guild aims to return and reinforce the primordial anxieties responsible for head-bending weight and other liquid spiraling disasters, topical and tropical. The public, inflicted with involuntary movement, nervous twitches, and ticks, due to the loss of solid surfaces and time-space incongruity, can join various Guild programs in search of gravitational re-calibration. Determined via a brief questionnaire, members of the public are initiated into the Guild, thus participating in prescribed Guild activities at individually appointed times. Throughout the exhibition the Guild will change weekly – please return for: – Duplicate Office of the Dead – Department of Repetition – Department of Manual Re-Education – Department of Polychoral Antiphony – Department of Trade Secrets – Department of Denial Operations and Barriers
So, yeah.
On the night I went to see Knezevic give an artist's talk at threewalls, held in conjunction with this exhibition, I was feeling especially lazy. I didn't want to do much more than lean back on my wobbly wooden folding chair and let Ms. Knezevic do all the talking while my own mind drifted desultorily from one thought to another, as my mind is wont to do.
Alas, this was not meant to be. I should have known that Knezevic wouldn't let me off the hook that easily, given her history of crafting installations and other situation-based events that challenge linear paths of understanding. There's a strong sense of the cryptic and the mysterious and even at times the dangerous surrounding all of her projects–the secret society-like Gesture Guild, sponsored by something called "The League of Dark Departments"(3), being no exception. Since I'm a girl who likes a good mystery I set out to discover for myself what membership in The Guild would actually entail. Knezevic's talk seemed as good a place as any to start.
Knezevic, seated behind a big wooden kiosk of the sort you might encounter at the Department of Motor Vehicles or the post office, asked everyone arriving for the talk if they wanted to fill out a card (like this one) in order to be initiated into The Gesture Guild. Knezevic herself projected a warm and friendly persona which was not at all off-putting–the polar opposite of the type of bureaucratic interpersonal discourse that the desk kiosk signified. Knezevic directed me to the adjacent gallery space in the room next door where the talk would take place. Clutching my pen, clipboard and sign-up sheet, I was the first to head to the next room. Rounding the corner, I came face to face (give or take a couple of feet) with a man in a black ski mask who was bending over. He may have been tying his shoes. He was also wearing a sailor suit.
The sailor scared the crap out of me, just for a second. I quickly regained my composure after realizing he was one of the performers, but what can I say? I walk into a darkened, nearly empty room by myself, I see a guy wearing a ski mask– yeah, I flinch! I took my seat, and not too long after that the talk commenced. Two masked performers, one of which was the aforementioned sailor-suited man, seated themselves at a table in front of the audience. The performer designated as "The Scribe†wore the sailor suit, while Knezevic, who appeared here in the guise of an all-knowing Oracle, wore a glittery black ski mask and a nondescript outfit that may or may not have included black leggings.
The Oracle informed us that the talk would proceed in the form of a Q&A. (4) Audience members could ask any question they wanted to, and they could direct their questions to the Oracle or the Scribe or to both. We could ask as many questions as we liked but were required to ask at least one. The Scribe would select the next questioner by pointing at him or her with a long stick that had a small heart-shaped spear at the end (the stick reminded me of Satan's tail, except that it was straight, not curved). It was also the Scribe's job to record all of the questions and answers in a huge notebook resting between the two performers (5).
The Sailor/Scribe began by reading a quote from a notebook in front of him on the table (6), however, the subject of that quote I cannot for the life of me now recall. After this, the audience questions began. Here are some of the questions asked, and the answers given, during the event (please note: I am paraphrasing all of the below based on my notes and memory, and I make no guarantees of accuracy or authenticity):
Questioner: What is an appropriate gesture for expressing joy, thanks, and grief?
Oracle: Jumping up and down.
Questioner: For all three?
Oracle: Yes.
Questioner: Should I buy a banjo?
Oracle: Depends on what you want the banjo for. What do you want it for?
Questioner: To play it.
Oracle: Then no.
Questioner (to the Scribe): What happened to the decapitated head (lying on a chair in the next room)?
Scribe: Loss is something on which we fixate instead of what is happening now.
Questioner: What is the question that you cannot answer?
Oracle: One where I lose my hands.
Questioner: When will you lose your hands?
Oracle: With too much repetition.
Questioner: What can you make out of chaos?
Oracle: Feelings.
One of the questions whose answer I failed to write down was 'Do you think the critique of instrumental reason has run its course?… Is it useful for us to spend our time still critiquing humanism?' One of the answers whose question I failed to write down was delivered in the form of song sung by the Oracle:
"When you're sad and feeling lonely, just remember my friend, that death is not the end…â€
The scribe requested that The Oracle repeat her answer one more time so he could write it down. She obliged, and sung,
'When you're sad and feeling lonely, just remember my friend, that death is the end….â€
It seemed clear that Knezevic was trying to provide answers to questions of Cosmic breadth and humanistic depth in as straightforward and genuine a fashion as possible, that this was indeed an attempt on the artist's part to establish a meaningful channel of communication between herself and her audience. I don't believe that it was performed ironically (which is why I myself cared enough to write about it) and yet, that being said, I must also admit that I wasn't all that interested in what the Oracle had to say. After all, why should the Oracle/Artist's answers to "the Big Questions†be any more interesting than anyone else's? Nevertheless, as the talk progressed, the Oracle and the Scribe seemed to get into an almost magical sort of groove, hitting their marks with uncanny sharpness and accuracy. I wouldn't deny that there was something there, some type of knowledge (if not wisdom) in the process of being conjured. Maybe it was just the Magic 8 ball kind of knowledge, maybe it was something more, something having to do with human empathy and the ability of the Scribe and the Oracle to feed off the combined energies of the group.
And then there's the matter of the masks. The masks hid the performers noses and cheeks and pretty much all of the face other than the eyes and mouth. But they highlighted each of the performers' mouths in a manner that I found mesmerizing and strangely significant. Especially in the case of the Oracle/Artist. Knezevic's lips kind of naturally turn up at the corners, which makes her look as if she's always laughing just a teeny little bit. It is an extremely charming quality. Knezevic's upturned mouth, which the ski mask neatly abstracted from the rest of her face in the manner of the Cheshire Cat's bodiless grin, perfectly encapsulated the nonsensical logic of the evening's event: You can find answers anywhere, anywhere…as long as you're willing to look, listen, and consider everything surrounding you as a sign. (7)
Alice: Oh wait!
Cheshire Cat: [reappears] There you are! Third chorus…
Alice: Oh, no, no. I was just wondering if you could help me find my way.
Cheshire Cat: Well that depends on where you want to get to.
Alice: Oh, it really doesn't matter, as long as…
Cheshire Cat: Then it really doesn't matter which way you go.
An interview with Irena Knezevic, by way of footnotes.
(1) Can you tell me about your experiences in the student protest movement? I organized the gymnasium students and did the pamphlet printing and dissemination, most days I would help keep the student radio broadcast station from being shut down by moving it around the city, and I marched daily.
(2) What is the source of this quote? Mikhail Bulgakov's Master and Margarita, describing a love of a woman for a man.
(3) Who/what is the League of Dark Departments? League of Dark Departments is an overlord of secret Masonic organizations, it only knows all the lists of members and complete list of lodges. How many members, approximately? The Dark department can confirm that the Gesture guild has a 198 members.
(4) Why did you choose this format? See the question on the book; I chose the format because I wanted the talk to be in the pace of the scribe's hand. He was to write it all down in the Ledger, stopping and starting the talk in the speed of his pen. I also employ the audience as the main protagonists during all my "art talks†because I am bored as well by silence, predictability and overall boredom of click, click, click, powerpoint, does anybody have any questions?
(5) Did the notebook have some kind of official name and/or function? The note book is the official Gesture Guild LEDGER, it lists all appointments, members, black lists, plans and programs, and corresponding scores including the talk, the Guild determined all the initiations in advance and the space in the ledger was allotted for every one.
What are the 'black lists' you refer to? You mean like, black-listed people? Or verboten subjects? Naturally this kind of work, like a manifesto, has supporters, soon to be supporters and enemies. The black list is a collection of enemies. People who have betrayed an oath, or who stand against the ideals of the Guild. The list is secret, of course.
(6) Where did the scribe's texts come from? The scribe holds the discretion of this answer.
(7) How can people find out more about The Guild? The guild endures online until it reconstitutes in 7 years.
Claudine Isé
Latest posts by Claudine Isé (see all)
- Michelle Grabner, Anthony Elms, Stuart Comer Named Curators of 2014 Whitney Biennial - November 29, 2012
- New Fielding Practice Podcast on the Art21 Blog! Episode 16: Summer Review-O-Rama! - July 19, 2012
- Tom Sanford is a Busy Man…Here's Why - June 12, 2012


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Press Releases
Hardee's Launches New Natural Cut French Fries
Aug 20, 2007
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – August 20, 2007 – After a three-year search – and an extensive amount of testing and consumer research – the perfect French fries to compliment Hardee's Angus-beef Thickburgers have been found. Beginning today, guests who order a combo meal or a side of fries will be treated to Hardee's new Natural Cut French Fries – thicker fries with the potato skin left on them to mirror the kind of premium-quality fries found at sit-down restaurants.
To help celebrate the launch of its new Natural Cut Fries, Hardee's has declared this Friday "Free Fry-Day" at all U.S.-based Hardee's restaurants. Guests who stop by any Hardee's restaurant this Friday, Aug. 24, will be treated to a small fry on the house.
"When we first introduced our line of premium quality, Angus beef Thickburgers at Hardee's four years ago, we also began working on the rest of our menu with the goal of matching the quality of food found in sit-down restaurants," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing, Hardee's. "That work led to the subsequent introduction of such popular menu items as our Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shakes and Malts, but our search for French fries good enough to be served next to our charbroiled 1/3-, 1/2- and 2/3-lb. Thickburgers proved to be a bigger challenge than we thought. After many tries, we're pleased to be able to offer our guests a great fry that is the perfect complement to our great Thickburgers. And, now we can say with confidence that we believe we have the best burgers, shakes and fries in the business."
The new Natural Cut Fries will be sold at all Hardee's restaurants in small, medium and large sizes for $1.29, $1.49 or $1.69, respectively. Prices may vary. As previously announced, the chain will begin cooking the new Natural Cut Fries, and all other fried items, in zero trans fat, 100 percent canola oil starting in January.
Hardee's Food Systems, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) of Carpinteria, Calif. As of the first fiscal quarter ended May 21, 2007, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,022 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 43 states and in 13 countries, including 1,101 Carl's Jr.® restaurants, 1,905 Hardee's restaurants. For more information, or to find a Hardee's near you, go to www.ckr.com or www.hardees.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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This week in new hires, HighTower welcomed Thomas Brown and Frank Epinger to its development team; Citibank named Mark Mason private bank CEO and announced that Jane Fraser will become CitiMortgage CEO; Arif Husain was named head of international fixed income at T. Rowe Price; Doug Hammond became CEO at NFP; and Direxion named Stephen Rudman head of sales.
Also, BMO Global Asset Management promoted Don Borschel and welcomed back Jeff Cole; Frances LaFleur rejoined Drinker Biddle & Reath; Clarion Partners welcomed Kerrisha Jenkins; and RegentAtlantic announced that Jim Sonneborn was voted president of the Estate Planning Council of Northern New Jersey.
HighTower Expands Development Team
HighTower announced recently that it has expanded its partnership development team. Thomas Brown joined as an executive director and East Coast relationship manager, and Frank Epinger has joined as an executive director and relationship manager for the West Coast and Midwest. They are based in New York and Los Angeles, respectively, and report to Michael Parker, national director of HighTower partnership.
Brown previously co-founded Black Valley Consulting. Prior to that, he served as a branch manager of a legacy Smith Barney office. He was the head of national recruiting at UBS, and assistant to the northeast division director of Smith Barney.
Epinger spent 13 years working for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, most recently as a complex manager in Pasadena. He also served as a branch manager of the firm's office in Pasadena. During his tenure at Smith Barney, he was a branch manager in offices in Los Angeles and Sherman Oaks.
Citibank Names Mason Private Bank CEO; Fraser to Become CitiMortgage CEO
Citibank announced Monday that Mark Mason would take over as private bank CEO, reporting to Jamie Forese. Mason has been a senior executive at Citi Holdings since its inception. Prior to joining Holdings, he was chief financial officer and head of strategy and M&A for the former global wealth management division, which at the time included Citi Private Bank and Smith Barney.
Sanjiv Das, currently CEO of CitiMortgage, is leaving to pursue other professional opportunities, although he has agreed to remain for the next few months and work with Gene McQuade on mortgage issues related to the government.
Jane Fraser will become CEO of CitiMortgage. She will report to Manuel Medina-Mora and will join Citi's operating committee. She had been private bank CEO for the past four years. Fraser joined Citi in 2004 and prior to that was a partner at McKinsey & Co.
T. Rowe Price Names Arif Husain Head of International Fixed Income
T. Rowe Price International announced Tuesday that it has named Arif Husain head of international fixed income. In this role, he will succeed Ian Kelson and lead the firm's international/global fixed-income investment team and process. He will also take on portfolio management responsibilities following an appropriate transition period. He will start on Aug. 30 and be based in London.
Husain has 18 years of investment experience, and most recently served as director of both European fixed-income and U.K. and European portfolio management for AllianceBernstein. Prior to joining AllianceBernstein in 1999, he was assistant director of European derivatives trading at Greenwich NatWest and traded interest rate swaps at Bank of America.
Kelson, who has more than 30 years of investment management experience and joined T. Rowe Price in 2000, will remain at T. Rowe Price in the fixed-income division; he will continue to serve on the firm's asset allocation committee. He will continue dedicated portfolio management responsibilities before Husain joins, and maintain that effort until an appropriate and seamless transition period is agreed upon and completed. NFP Names Doug Hammond CEO
National Financial Partners Corp. announced Monday that Douglas Hammond, president and chief operating officer, has been named CEO, effective May 17. He succeeds Jessica Bibliowicz, chairwoman and CEO of NFP. Bibliowicz, whose intention to step down as CEO was announced in April 2012, was NFP's CEO since joining the company in April 1999, and chairwoman since June 2003.
As announced on April 15, NFP entered into a definitive agreement with Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP), under which a controlled affiliate of MDP will acquire NFP. The transaction is subject to shareholder approval and other customary closing conditions. Hammond's appointment is part of the company's previously announced management succession plan. Bibliowicz will continue her service on the board as nonexecutive chairwoman of NFP until the close of the transaction with MDP.
Hammond has served as COO of NFP since 2008, and was named president in 2012. Prior to that role, he served as executive vice president and general counsel from 2004 to 2008 and as executive vice president and deputy general counsel from 2002 to 2004. Before joining in 1999, he was an attorney with Dewey & LeBoeuf, where he specialized in corporate insurance and regulatory matters and represented NFP's capital sponsor prior to and during the formation of the company. He also held various business and legal positions in the financial institutions division of Gulf Insurance Group.
Direxion Appoints Stephen Rudman Head of Sales
Direxion announced Monday that Stephen Rudman has joined Rafferty Asset Management, the advisor to Direxion Funds and Direxion Shares, as a managing director and head of sales. He reports to Eric Falkeis, president and COO of Rafferty.
Rudman has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Previously he served as head of internal sales at PIMCO. Earlier in his career, he was a vice president at Eaton Vance in Florida.
BMO Global Asset Management Adds, Promotes
BMO Global Asset Management announced Monday the appointment of Don Borschel to director of national accounts and Jeff Cole to relationship coordinator for BMO Taft Hartley services in its Las Vegas headquarters.
In his new role, Borschel will join the intermediary distribution team, responsible for distribution of BMO global asset management investment strategies and BMO funds to the bank channel as well as various broker-dealer platforms. With more than 26 years of experience in the financial services industry, Borschel will be based in Chicago and report to Mike Robinson, head of intermediary distribution.
Cole was part of the original team that established BMO's Taft-Hartley services business line in 2002, and rejoins the team in his role as relationship coordinator with more than 25 years of experience in financial services. He previously worked within the company as the custody officer for Custody Services of Nevada, supporting Portfolio Services and Servicing Corporation. Based in Las Vegas, he will report to Kristy Perez, managing director, BMO Taft-Hartley services.
Frances LaFleur Rejoins Drinker Biddle's Employee Benefits Practice
Frances LaFleur recently rejoined Drinker Biddle & Reath as a partner in the firm's employee benefits and executive compensation practice group.
Prior to joining Drinker, LaFleur served 10 years at various in-house roles. Her most recent position was senior legal counsel for Schneider Electric. Immediately prior to that, she was senior counsel for Hillshire Brands and its predecessor firm, Sara Lee Corp. She also served as senior attorney for BP America. She worked at Drinker Biddle's predecessor firm in the Chicago market, Gardner Carton & Douglas.
Earlier this month, Theodore Becker joined the firm as chair of its national employee benefits and ERISA litigation team. Additionally, Daniel Collins, former assistant U.S. attorney, joined the Chicago office earlier this year.
Kerrisha Jenkins Joins Clarion Partners
Clarion Partners announced that Kerrisha Jenkins has joined the firm as vice president, a newly created position, in the firm's Los Angeles office. Together with Khalif Edwards, director, she will manage client relationships in the Western United States.
Jenkins brings more than five years of experience as a consultant to institutional investors, with a particular focus on real estate. She was most recently with Mercer Investment Consulting.
RegentAtlantic's Sonneborn Elected President of EPCNNJ
RegentAtlantic announced that wealth advisor Jim Sonneborn was voted in as president of the Estate Planning Council of Northern New Jersey (EPCNNJ). Sonneborn has been a member of the council for five years, most recently holding the position of vice president, membership.
Sonneborn has been with the firm for seven years, and has 25 years of experience in managing investment portfolios and providing financial advice to individuals, families and charitable organizations in the New York metropolitan region.
Read the May 15 New Hire Roundup at AdvisorOne.


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Attributed to the studio of Heinrich Hoffmann, Adolf Hitler's personal photographer, these photographs were originally published in volumes titled Grossdeutschland im Weltgeschehen, Tagesbildberichte, one each for the years 1939-1942. Following a European publishing tradition of albums into which subscribers would paste stickers, art reproductions or photographs, these large-format books featured space for four photos per page with captions already printed under them. In this case, the subject of the books was events in German history from 1939-1942.
An incomplete set of these photographs was found among the Picture Collection's holdings several years ago. The images had been peeled from the pages and their captions cut out separately, the photos and descriptions in two rubber-banded stacks. A system of numbers had been assigned to matching pairs of picture and text, with the presumed idea of mounting them together as individual small items. Picture Collection staff had to match the texts to the items they described, transcribe the old style German "Fraktur" text and finally translate the German into English. The problems of translation were compounded by the fact that the text contained many military terms and names of organizations and ranks peculiar to the national Socialist era.
The photographs of the collection show Nazi Germany as it wanted the world (and its own people) to see it. They show victorious soldiers with mighty weapons, stoic civilians gladly helping the war cause, "atrocities" committed by the dastardly foe, the Fuhrer engaged in military, diplomatic and domestic affairs (aided by senior Nazi and Axis officials) and, most importantly, everyday life under the Third Reich. The photo captions are of equal value to the illustrations, as they give the official "party line" interpretation of the events depicted. In keeping with the purpose of commemorating victory, the collection does not include scenes of hardship on the home front, defeats on the battlefield, or the persecution and murder of Jews, Slavs and others. By the end of 1942, with more bad news than good coming from the fronts, the albums that comprise the collection ceased to be issued.
Baird, Jay W. The Mythical World of Nazi War Propaganda, 1939-1945. (1974)
Bytwerk, Randall and Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI. Nazi Propaganda: 1933-1945. (revised 2011) <http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/ww2era.htm>
Herzstein, Robert Edwin. The war that Hitler won; the most infamous propaganda campaign in history. (1978)
Kershaw, Ian. The "Hitler Myth": Image and Reality in the Third Reich. (1987)
Hoffmann, Heinrich. Hitler was my friend; translated by R. H. Stevens. (1955)
Welch, David. The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda. (2002)


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Kira Rowland heard the shots fired by the gunman when she was shopping at the Clackamas Town Center mall. She describes the chaotic scene.
Post by: Anderson Cooper
Filed under: Oregon mall shooting
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


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In an innocent heartland city, five are shot dead by an expert sniper when a man drives a van up floors of a parking garage across the Allegheny River from the PNC Park stadium and, after paying for parking, readies a sniper rifle in the open, away from his vehicle. He takes aim and appears to randomly kill five people around the stadium and on the river's North Shore Trail before hurriedly fleeing in his van.
The police soon arrive, headed by Detective Emerson, and they discover a shell casing as well as the coin used to pay for parking and a fingerprint taken from the coin points to James Barr, a former army sharpshooter. When they raid his house, they find equipment for making bullets, the rifle in question and Barr himself and they arrest him.
The police quickly identify and arrest the culprit, and build a slam-dunk case. But the accused man claims he's innocent, saying, "Get Jack Reacher."
Reacher himself sees the news report and turns up in the city. The defense is immensely relieved, but Reacher has come to bury the guy. Shocked at the accused's request, Reacher sets out to confirm for himself the absolute certainty of the man's guilt, but comes up with more than he bargained for.
The Usual Suspects' Christopher McQuarrie brings Lee Child's Jack Reacher character to the big screen with this Paramount Pictures release starring Tom Cruise as the lone-wolf investigator on the hunt for a murderous sniper. Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins, Rosamund Pike, and director Werner Herzog co-star.
The intense drama/thriller "Jack Reacher" is rated PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material and will hit the big screen at Brush's Sands Theatre beginning Friday, January 11 with show times slated for 7:30 pm nightly, with a 3pm Sunday Matinee.
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January 6, the twelfth day after Christmas, is the feast day of the Epiphany, which in Western Christian tradition commemorates the visit of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. I have always loved celebrating Epiphany. When my girls were small, we would all dress up in finery for our Epiphany dinner and I decorated the table with scattered glittering "jewels" and candles in golden crown-shaped holders. Based on some holiday books, I baked a cake or cupcakes with one piece of colorful candy tucked inside; the person lucky enough to find that candy would be crowned with a fancy paper crown and be the monarch for the rest of the day.
I'd never really heard of any specific traditional type of cake, though, so I was excited to see a post on Nick Malgieri's blog last January for a Galette des Rois, or traditional King Cake from France. I promised myself that I'd try it the next time Epiphany rolled around. Last week got a little busy, however, and I missed baking the galette for the actual date of Epiphany. Luckily, from what I gather from French sources, the Galette des Rois Season lasts through most of the month of January, so it wasn't too late to enjoy the galette when I baked it on Sunday.
According to French custom the galette is typically baked with a fève, a dried bean or trinket, inside. The person who finds the fève in his or his the piece of galette receives a paper crown and becomes king or queen for the day, and in some circles, has to provide the cake for the next Epiphany celebration. Apparently the French bakeries have gotten quite elaborate these days and the fèves are often lovely little porcelain figurines.
n.o.e.'s notes:
- For my first galette des rois I followed the Nick Malgieri recipe.
- Instead of attempting homemade puff pastry (maybe some day!) I used the duFour brand of store-bought all-butter puff pastry. This comes in 14 oz packages, just over half the size of the 1.5 pounds of puff pastry called for in the recipe. I cut the sheet of puff pastry in half, rolled each half into a square, and cut circles approximately 9 inches in diameter from each square. I made 2/3 recipe of the filling (very easy math, and it used half a can of almond paste - I froze the other half for a future recipe) and had a bit left over after filling the galette.
- My fève was a dried cherry.
- This galette had a traditional almond cream filling flavored with vanilla and kirsch. I reduced the amount of sugar in the filling by just a bit.
- Next time I'll be more careful when scoring the puff pastry and make sure that the knife cuts to an even depth in the pastry so that the cuts will open in a regular pattern as the galette bakes. This, my first galette was a lovely golden brown and it was beautiful to me despite the random way the scoring turned out!
- Here are some galette des rois links:
- Dorie Greenspan's latest blog post talks about glaettes des rois and other types of galettes enjoyed by the French.the verdict:
- Some pretty -and apparently tasty - galettes des rois from Paris bakeries can be found here.
- A step-by-step guide to homemade galette des rois was posted by Clotilde on her beautiful blog Chocolate and Zucchini. I didn't find her post until after I had baked my galette but I will definitely use it as a guide the next time I bake this treat, as it contains some fantastic tips for forming and baking the galette.
The galette presents a simple - and very delicious - combination of flavors, buttery crisp crust and creamy almond filling. I had fun baking this galette des rois, sampling it, and sharing it with a few neighbor families. The galette des rois is destined to become an Epiphany (or at least January) tradition in my kitchen.


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|Hello, friends! I'm taking a break and it might take me a few days to reply to comments and emails. I'll be back! :)
Monday, November 8, 2010
Jeni's Lentil and Mushroom Loaf with Savory Potato Filling
Do you not believe me? Here's what I made for lunch today:
I cooked all that for lunch instead of eating whatever scraps I find in or under the fridge as usual! Isn't it purdy? It's Jeni's Lentil and Mushroom Loaf with Savory Potato Filling, with a side of roasted carrots and parsnips and some greenery. The recipe is for one big loaf, but I only made a couple of small individual loaves for my lunchypoo. The lentil-mushroom part of the loaf is gloriously non-mushy, and the savory, oniony potato filling is the bomb! This loaf will become a regular here at the Wing-It Kitchen. Thank you for sharing the recipe, Jeni! :)
Today's Blog-Love goes out to Jeni Treehugger @ Heathen Vegan! Jeni has been a resident of Blogville since 2008, and I was very lucky to have found her blog only a couple of months after it went live. Jeni is a badass cook and an awesome cute cake maker! Her blog has lots of vegan recipes, and many of them are for traditional UK dishes that Jeni has veganized and awesomized! Also, she's a cat lady and a good witch who specializes in shenanigans and jiggery pokery! Check out Jeni's blog!
This post seems like a good time to announce my celebration of the upcoming made-up Thankspiggin' holiday! What? Thankspiggin'! The mister and I are going to be celebrating it this coming Sunday and we're going to stuff ourselves silly with tasty Autumn offerings and general yumminess. It's a very unofficial celebration, and you are welcome to join in. Food. We're going to celebrate food. Do we really need a reason?
UPDATE: I blogged about this beauty again recently!
28 comments:
I am so in the mood for an old time veggie loaf, and this one sounds perfect. The potato filling makes it special.ReplyDelete
Wow, this loaf looks fantastic. I love all of the flavours!ReplyDelete
I'd love for you to submit one of your beautiful photos, and a link to your post, to my new vegetarian photo gallery showcasing the best vegetarian dishes and recipes on the web.
i can't believe you put that together for lunch. that is crazy bizness. the loaf looks crunchy--in a good way.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 8, 2010 at 11:40 PM
MMMMMMM, this looks so good! How did you adjust the time and everything for your mini loaves. This might be my thanksgiving dinner for a crowd!ReplyDelete
Oh yes a veggie loaf sounds good, my kinda lunch too!ReplyDelete
Awww shucks River! You made I blush.ReplyDelete
Your photos are sooooo sooo beautiful and that is a helluva lunch for sure.
*sprinkles you with some love dust*
Isn't Jeni Treehugger just the bestest? :DReplyDelete
Count me in for Thankspiggin'! I can't wait! But you knew that already ;P
That looks so good- great idea to stuff with potato!ReplyDelete
i got here via the mofo flickr pool... that photo just popped! oh my godfathers, that looks good.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 9, 2010 at 6:28 AM
Ants in your pants! Do you have bees in your bonnet? Really I just think of that song, "I like to move it, move it" because I'm a nerd.ReplyDelete
That loaf looks amazing & Jeni is the bestest!
A loaf! It must be loafin season since I just made one last night :) I can't believe the stuffin stuffed potatoes in this one though, holy yum! What a great idea, <3 Jeni!ReplyDelete
River - your posts always make me laugh out loud! lunchypoo & stinkeye are two words i've used before and it cracks me up knowing that i'm not the only one who uses 'em. aaaaahahahahahaa! sweet gloriousness that is awesome & good - Jeni's potato stuffed lentil & mushies loaf = the most magical meatless loaf of all time! a stuffed meatless loaf is brilliant & i can't wait to give this a whirl!ReplyDelete
looking forward to all of your Thankspiggin' eats as well. i'm out of town at an engagement party that day & evening (supersadface), otherwise i'd soooooo be down for joining in the celebration of all things delicious and autumnal. :)
holy cow! you are a lunch victor. That loaf looks really, really good. It has my thanksgiving sensors going off. I am looking for something a little different this year. Must be soy free. I will go investigate.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 9, 2010 at 1:02 PM
That looks so freakin good! I'm totally jealous of your amazing lunch (as I sit here and eat a crappy sandwich). I can't wait to try that recipe.ReplyDelete
OMG...that loaf looks amazing. I must try that!!!ReplyDelete
That's so cute! What a lunch man!!ReplyDelete
That stuffed lentil loaf looks amazing! You did a great job ... looks like kitty enjoyed too much of it though :)ReplyDelete
OK that looks REAAALLLLLY good. I'm not a fudge gal, (though I do like a good chocolate cake), but the savory stuff gets me drollin' big time. I wanna make that when nobody else is around so I can eat it ALL MYSELF!! Mwahahaha!ReplyDelete
Wow, I made a lentil loaf recently that was pretty good but the potatoes take this to a whooollle nother tasty level.ReplyDelete
It does look so purdy! It's so difficult to fine ones that aren't too moist inside. . . wishing I had a good sub for the mushrooms so I could make this!ReplyDelete
Anon - Sorry I am such a slowpoke! I was winging it with the baking time, but I'm pretty sure it was 25-30 minutes. Tiny little loaves! :)ReplyDelete
River, that is so gorgeous! Looks delicious!ReplyDelete
Just stumbled onto your blog from foodgawker. If that's what you make for lunch I can't wait to poke around and see what you make for ... dinner?
The pics are also amazing. I'm still working on that food photo thing but most of my posts are restaurant reviews. Your pics make me hungry.
Happy Thankspigging Day!
Marty's Flying Vegan Review
vegan tees at www.cafepress.com/veganpilotmarty
Soooo, put this in the oven tonight and thought, really? 180 degrees? But that's what the printed recipe said, so that's what I did. Except that 45 minutes later,it was obviously not done. Next time, could you warn us the recipe is coming from a Brit? Then this yumminess would be in my belly right now, instead of still cooking...ReplyDelete
- Gauri Radha गौरी राधाMay 7, 2011 at 1:26 AM
Looks good, and healthy too!!ReplyDelete
- MyRedSandalsOctober 11, 2012 at 3:20 PM
Sorry, but this vegggie loaf looks kinda dry to me... has anyone tried this?ReplyDelete
The link to the recipe is dead, where can i get the recipe?ReplyDelete
Wills, found it hereReplyDelete


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3 06 08
Contact: Sally Webster
Queen Mary, University of London
Scientists who last year identified a new genetic risk factor for coeliac disease, have, following continued research, discovered an additional seven gene regions implicated in causing the condition. The team, lead by David van Heel, Professor of Gastrointestinal Genetics at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, have further demonstrated that of the nine coeliac gene regions now know, four of these are also predisposing factors for type 1 diabetes. Their research sheds light not only on the nature of coeliac disease, but on the common origins of both diseases. It is published online today (2 March 2008) in Nature Genetics.
Professor van Heel and his team, including collaborators from Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, first performed a genome wide association study in coeliac disease. Genetic markers across the genome were compared in coeliac disease subjects versus healthy controls. They then assessed around 1,000 of the strongest markers in a further ~ 5,000 samples. Their results identified seven new risk regions, six of which harbour important genes critical in the control of immune responses, highlighting their significance in the development of the disease.
Coeliac disease is common in the West, afflicting around 1 per cent of the population. It is an immune-mediated disease, triggered by intolerance to gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley and rye containing foods), that prevents normal digestion and absorption of nutrients. If undetected it can lead to a number of often severe problems among them anaemia, poor bone health, fatigue and weight loss. Currently only a restricted diet can diminish symptoms.
Professor van Heel said: "So far our findings explain nearly half of the heritability of coeliac disease – now studies with many more samples from individuals with coeliac disease are needed to identify the precise causal genetic variants from each region, and understand how these influence biological processes."
The research was funded by Coeliac UK and The Wellcome Trust. Coeliac disease case studies are available for interview from Coeliac UK upon request.
The paper, 'Newly identified genetic risk variant for celiac disease related to the immune response' is published online, on 2 March 2008, in Nature Genetics.
For case studies contact:
Kate Newman
Press Office
Coeliac UK
Tel: 020 8399 7478
Mobile: 07952 071014
Notes to editors:
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry offers international levels of excellence in research and teaching while serving a population of unrivalled diversity amongst which cases of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, TB, oral disease and cancers are prevalent, within east London and the wider Thames Gateway. Through partnership with our linked trusts, notably Barts and The London NHS Trust, and our associated University Hospital trusts – Homerton, Newham, Whipps Cross and Queen's – the School's research and teaching is informed by an exceptionally wide ranging and stimulating clinical environment.
At the heart of the School's mission lies world class research, the result of a focused programme of recruitment of leading research groups from the UK and abroad and a £100 million investment in state-of-the-art facilities. Research is focused on translational research, cancer, cardiology, clinical pharmacology, inflammation, infectious diseases, stem cells, dermatology, gastroenterology, haematology, diabetes, neuroscience, surgery and dentistry.
The School is nationally and internationally recognised for research in these areas, reflected in the £40 million it attracts annually in research income. Its fundamental mission, with its partner NHS Trusts, and other partner organisations such as CRUK, is to ensure that that the best possible clinical service is underpinned by the very latest developments in scientific and clinical teaching, training and research.


text:
Choreography by: Jerome Robbins; Co-choreographed by Peter Gennaro
Music by: Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
A modern love story based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story Suite brings audiences to the feuding streets of 1950s New York City with its crackling energy and heart-rending poignancy.
West Side Story took Broadway by storm in 1957, when it ushered in a new era in musical theater. Jerome Robbins had the idea to update Romeo and Juliet, setting it in modern-day New York, and he engaged composer Leonard Bernstein, playwright Arthur Laurents, and lyricist Stephen Sondheim as collaborators. The musical played for two years on Broadway, then toured the U.S. and ran for nearly three years in London, and has since been staged in cities around the world. The movie followed in 1961, winning 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (for co-directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins), as well as a special award presented to Robbins for his choreography. In 1989, Jerome Robbins' Broadway opened at the Imperial Theater in New York. Included in the retrospective of Robbins' musical theater work was a suite of dances from West Side Story, which the choreographer re-staged at New York City Ballet in 1995.


text: Difference Between Cats And Dogs >> More DIY Ideas << http://www.howtoinstructions.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Cats.mp4 Which one is the better pet? Well! It depends on the owner. >> More DIY Ideas << >> Low Cost Craft Supplies << Get New Posts Right To Your Inbox!Get captivating new Tutorials, just like this one, delivered right to your inbox each day. Just sign up and we will send you the best new tutorials as they come in. Your email address will NEVER been spammed, sold, or shared. You are welcome to unsubscribe at any time with the link in the email. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Name * Email * Website © 2020 How To Instructions.org Tweet Buffer Share on Tumblr


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Q: Every year in the spring, I pick lilacs from my yard and display them all over my home. This year, my husband started sneezing out of nowhere when I brought them in the house! Needless to say, the lilacs were gone as quick as they came. I'd love to have some flowers in my house in the springtime, though. Is there such a thing as hypoallergenic plants?
A: Plastic plants, anyone?
I jest, I jest. Lucky for those of you with allergies out there, you can enjoy flowers, too. Just follow a few simple steps:
First, look for flowers that have low pollen counts or don't make pollen at all. That's because flowering plants (i.e. the male plants) make pollen that can irritate your eyes. The weeping fig and the flowering maple are particularly offending. Look instead for low-pollen plants, such as passionflower or Swedish ivy. HGTV offers some more suggestions for low-pollen plants, or of course, you could avoid pollen altogether and stick with leafy varieties of plants, such as spider plants.
Once you've decided which houseplants are best for you, remember that even though they may not affect your allergies, the dust that collects on them might. Because plants are stationary, they can collect dust (much like the way your husband collects dust when he's glued to the TV for the NBA finals). It's a good idea to spray your plants with water or to rinse the leaves in the sink. (Make sure you have proper drainage to avoid root rot, which is — you guessed it — when the roots of the plant rot because of excess moisture.)
You also want to take care to prevent mold growth, which can also exacerbate your allergies. Mold likes to grow in damp, dark places, so make sure your plants are kept in a sunny, well-ventilated place. Also, don't overwater your plants, and be careful to throw out any dead parts of plants immediately, since mold likes to grow there, too. The Mayo Clinic advises spreading aquarium gravel over the soil of the plants to prevent mold growth as well.
What's interesting about the lilacs you mentioned is that they do not have a significantly high pollen count, but they do have a distinct smell that can be very bothersome to odor-sensitive people, so even if plants seem benign, you might need to test them out in your house first to see if it sets off a reaction in anyone in your household.
Besides the items I mentioned above, you might want to go for the plants that NASA tells us will actually clean the air of harmful chemicals. Now how's that for multi-tasking? Remember, a little greenery can be nice in the spring, but up here in Jersey, where it's been winter for the past eight months, a little greenery indoors is an absolute must.
Thank heavens spring has finally sprung!
— Chanie
Photo: gurdonark/Flickr; MNN homepage photo: TexasEagle/Flickr


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Assuming that he follows through with his promise to campaign from one end of the nation to the other on his new jobs bill, President Barack Obama can skip California.
No need to waste time in a state where so many people think he practically walks on water.
Comparing the popularity of the president nationally with his standing in California is almost like comparing night and day--the differences are fairly dramatic.
U.S. & World
Although Obama's standing has fallen considerably on the national stage, he remains strong here.
Read an alternate view here: Obama's Re-Election Blues
The data tell the story. According to the most recent NBC poll, 44 percent of the nation approve of the president's performance in office, whereas 51 percent disapprove.
Yet in California, the most recent PPIC poll has Obama with 52 percent support, compared with 42 percent who disapprove of the president's work.
With 12 percent officially unemployed, California has a higher percentage of residents out of work than every state except Nevada.
You would expect the president to be in big trouble with those kind of numbers. So how is it that Obama has maintained his popularity here, even if it isn't as high as in the past?
Several factors come into play.
First, California has a high percentage of minorities, particularly Latinos. This fast-rising group voted overwhelmingly for Obama in 2008.
Second, Obama has backed legislation that would end the immigration stalemate; immigration is a huge issue in California, and most of the state's voters these days are comfortable with some kind of reconciliation.
Third, infrastructure repair has been a big element of Obama's post-election platform.
Whatever the state's economic problems, they would have been considerably worse had it not been for the badly needed funds from the Economic Recovery Act.
The distribution formula for those funds was much more friendly to California than the formulas set up during the Bush administration.
No doubt, there are other factors. And we don't want to overlook that Obama's standing in California has diminished in the past year--but it still remains positive.
Of course, the president will be in California over the coming months, but to collect money rather than spend it.
That's because as the 2012 presidential campaign comes into focus, we can expect the president to benefit from his popularity here in the form of generous campaign contributions.
So we will see the president after all, only selling himself not his programs.
If the past is any indication, most Californians will be buyers.
Let us know what you think. Comment below, send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


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From animal experimentation to factory farming, humans have done some horrible things to other animals. Few practices are as cruel, though, as bear bile farming.
The practice is so barbaric that bears kept in captivity for bile harvesting are often driven mad by the poor living conditions and cruelty of the process. Now reports have surfaced that some bile bears may be performing hunger strikes and committing suicide as a last respite to protest the cruel conditions they're kept under, according to Wildlife Extra.
Consider wildlife campaigner Louis Ng's visit to a Laotian bile farm in 2009. There he encountered a female bear lying motionless in a cage. The owner of the farm explained to Ng that the bear was refusing food and was starving herself to death. This kind of behavior was not uncommon, he explained. This bear was on the 10th day of her "hunger strike" and had been left outside, likely dry of bile, to meet her inevitable end.
After a few minutes sitting with the bear and mourning her fleeting life, Ng watched as her paw limply reached out from a hole in the cage toward his hand, as if she wanted to hold it. Filled with emotion, Ng gave it to her. They sat there, hand in paw, for several minutes. Ng described her eyes as filled with both anguish and gentleness. It was a moment he would never forget.
The bear succumbed the following day.
Tragically, this bear's story is just one of many. Around 12,000 bears are currently estimated to populate bile farms across Southeast Asia. It's all done in the name of traditional Chinese medicine, for which bear bile is believed to be an essential ingredient.
The typical bile farm holds its bears in extraction cages — sometimes called "crush cages" — which measure about 2.6 feet by 4.2 feet by 6.5 feet. For animals as large as Asiatic black bears, the species most often harvested for bile, these dimensions can make it impossible to stand up or even roll over. The lack of movement is convenient for farmers, since it allows them easier access to the bear's abdomen, where the bile can be extracted.
"The bile is removed from the bear by inserting a catheter tube through a permanent incision in the abdomen and gall bladder," explained Ng. "Sometimes a permanently implanted metal tube is used."
Needless to say, the process is extremely painful for the bears. Bile is typically tubed from the gall bladder at least twice a day. Often the solitude, pain and fear will drive bears to madness. According to Ng, the dominant sound inside a bile farm is a banging noise — bears slamming their own heads against the cages.
Other bears have been known to chew off their own limbs. One incident in China saw a mother bear escape from her cage, run over and strangle her cub to death, then kill herself by intentionally running into a wall.
These tragedies are difficult to hear, but for some people they may raise further questions. For instance, is it really possible that these animals are capable of consciously and purposely killing themselves, as Ng's encounter might suggest? Might they even be doing it as an act of protest?
Although no one can say for sure what goes on inside another animal's head, these tragedies resonate. Regardless of whether the bear suicides were intended as protest or not, they are waking people up to the horror of bile farming.
For instance, Ng is currently setting up a five-hectare bear rescue center in Laos. Not only will the bears be rescued, but they will also be put through a rehabilitation process that will help adapt them to a community — something they've never experienced on the bile farms.
It's just a first step, but for all the bears who have never stepped foot outside of a crush cage, it's a big one.


text: Five large banks, including Bank of America, have decided not to charge debit users extra each month. By Cameron Huddleston, Former Online Editor November 1, 2011 Score one for debit-card users. They complained loud enough when banks started imposing fees on debit-card purchases that the banks listened. All five of the large banks that had started charging debit-card fees (or had announced plans to do so) said that they were eliminating them. Over the past several days, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Regions Financial Corp. and SunTrust have announced that they wouldn't be charging debit users monthly fees. Bank of America was the one holdout -- until today. It said it was backing off its plans to introduce a $5 monthly debit-card fee in response to "customer feedback and the changing competitive marketplace." Sponsored Content "It's a huge win for consumers," says Alex Matjanec, co-Founder of MyBankTracker.com. The banks had imposed the fees in an attempt to compensate for revenue lost as a result of a new regulation that limits the amount they can charge merchants each time a customer swipes a debit card. But consumer outrage over the new fees prompted the banks to drop them, Matjanec says. "You spoke. We listened," proclaims Regions Financial Corp. on its Web site. The bank, which operates in 16 states in the South and Midwest, said October 31 that it would stop charging the $4 monthly debit-card fee for all accounts effective November 1 and will refund fees already incurred. Refunds will be credited automatically to accounts. Advertisement SunTrust also announced on October 31 that it was eliminating its $5 monthly debit-card fee starting November 2 and refunding customers who already incurred the fee. The move was made in response to customer feedback, according to a press release from the Atlanta-based bank that operates in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. The two regional banks followed in the footsteps of the country's biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase, which announced October 28 that it was dropping a $3 debit-card fee that it had been testing in two states. That same day, Wells Fargo & Co. said it was canceling its planned five-state pilot program of a $3 monthly fee for debit users. Given the recent events, Matjanec says he would be surprised to see any other banks attempt to charge fees on debit-card purchases. However, he says that consumers shouldn't think that their accounts are fee-free now. Many financial institutions have introduced a number of fees over the past year that are, in fact, much higher than the short-lived debit-card fees and aren't going away. That's why it's important for consumers to scrutinize their accounts and look for better banking deals elsewhere if they've been hit with a lot of fees, he says. Check out our list of low-fee and no-fee accounts. For help comparing your options if you want to switch financial institutions, see How to Find a Local Bank. Follow me on Twitter


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I Aint Joking..Lets Stop this Choking
9/24/09 Padres vs Rockies Game 3
I guess I'm not much of a Ballhawk. My stats this year are pathetic. I'm averaging less than a ball a game and that's barely noteworthy.
I don't think I'm slipping. I still catch 'em as good as I ever have. Actually I'm much better this year at maneuvering the pavilion bleachers and I've managed to keep myself injury free.
Everybody has an excuse so here's what I'm going to attribute this lackluster snaggin season to:
The Rain…. If I attend a game and there's no batting practice or batting practice is cancelled due to weather that still counts as a game attended and no baseballs caught,…yep it's sad but true.
I've lost count of the number of BP's that have been cancelled or cut seriously short due to rain or lightning.
Here's another disturbing trend….Lately the Rockies have been cutting their BP short. Coors Field opens two hours early but by the time fans get inside the Rockies have already been out practicing for a while.
Normally fans who show up early get a half hour with the Rockies on the field.
This picture is of the Rockies leaving the field early. For the last several games the Rockies have been ending their BP shortly after I get myself situated.
I hope the Rockies don't think I show up two hours early to watch the opposing team hit? Check this out, finally I get a rain free afternoon and for the most part batting practice is deserted (remember it's the Padres). My team leaves BP early (for the umpteenth time) and lets the uninspiring Padres take over the field.
No offense to Padre fans but in my opinion there is not a stingier group of MLB players in all of baseball. It wouldn't matter so much if they were littering the pavilion with home run balls, but for a team who has had the Rockies number of late these group of guys couldn't seem to hit a ball anywhere close to the fence.
Whatever Padres, be that way. Credit where credit is due…I will congratulate the Padres for their recent hot streak. Too bad it doesn't mean anything now. We're done with you, see you next year.
(I hate losing to the Padres at Coors).
A ballhawk's worst nightmare… A whole section to myself and not one single ball hit there.
Normally I don't take pictures during BP, but this one was a bust so here's a few.
For some reason Jorge De La Rosa was all smiles.
See what I mean. I don't think I have any other pictures of Jorge smiling.
Still smiling, must have been a good joke.
Or maybe Jorge was laughing at Ubaldo's sunglasses.
If you played professional baseball you could afford the cooler things in life like these special sunglasses. They actually snap into your ears and are guaranteed to never to fall off 🙂
After BP or the lack thereof, I walked over to the Rockies side to take a few more pictures and maybe snag Garrett Atkins or Brad Hawpe's autograph.
Today I saw Chris Iannetta run past the fans and not sign. He (so I thought) has a pre-game ritual and always signs for a few minutes before he heads off to warm-up. Sup with that Chris, why are you breaking routine?
First to walk over and start signing was pitching coach Bob Apodaca…Very nice guy, signs his whole name and takes his time while doing it.
Next up is one of the coolest and easiest to talk to Rockies players….Clint Barmes.
A group Coors field employees were being recognized for something. Erik Young Jr was given the assignment of congratulaing each one of them.
Check out this lady…Either EY Jr tickled her palm or he told her the same joke Jorge was laughing at earlier.
A shot of the 850 KOA helicopter hovering above Coors Field.
Miss Colorado's were in the house.
I didnt' realize there were so many variations of Miss Colorado.
Garrett Atkins for my friend Emily 🙂
Tulo and Seth Smith…Each a superstar this season. No time to be resting on our accomplishments though, this season isn't over yet.
If you've ever wondered how they make those rectangles so perfect…now you know.
I respect both of these guys too much to bust on them so come up with your own caption for this picture. You can post it in the comment section if you'd like. I'll let Atkins slide too.
EY Jr taking on first pitch duties. I wonder where Jeff Francis is? Normally that's his job.
Told you that goatee would be back soon.
Here's Helton is doing his thing.
Chris seemed out of it. Maybe it's because Yorvit's having a great season?
These ladies need to practice this maneuver because they damn sure haven't mastered it yet.
What's up with Glenallen Hill's hair? Did he lose a bet? I know the 80's are coming back but damn Gumby.
One of many pitching changes during this game.
This game sucked. Padres win this one 5-4 and take the series 2-1.
It pains me to watch this team drop the ball like this so late in the season when everything is on the line.
Look out for the Braves, they're creeping up on us and have a lot of home games left. At this point we don't have to panic but lets not continue lose games to teams that we should be spanking.
Rockies it's time to kick it into high gear.
I know your tired, at times it's quite visible. The last couple weeks of the season is what separates the men from the boys and I don't go to Coors field to watch boys play baseball.
Step it up fellas, I'm starting to see a smugness in some of the Rockies players and I don't like that. Remember, the only reason you get to play this sport for a living is because we the fans pay to see you.
Note to the higher salaried Rockies players….Lose the fu*king attitudes. I know the difference between confident and smug and unless you're Todd Helton you haven't been playing long enough to have one.
Stop this recent half-steppin, respect your fans and give them some love back, focus, play hard and win some games and we might not look like chumps in the post-season this time.
Go Rockies, I still believe and I'm here to keep your azzes grounded…D
I'd like to say thank you to Jim from Utah who offered me his code to buy tickets for the NLDS series. Unfortunately, you had to purchase for all three games at once and the only seats left were the expensive ones. This Ranter doesn't make that kind of money…But that was a mighty kind thing to do.


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A running discussion on the Cincinnati Reds and everything else in the baseball universe.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Joey Gathright Goes Car Jumping
The Reds are always in need of a leadoff hitter and Gathright might fit the bill rather well in the future.
2 comments:
It wasn't so long ago that Gathright was considered one of the top prospects in baseball. The Royals don't seem to have any idea what to do with him... although the Reds already have too many outfielders.ReplyDelete
Good point, Gathright isn't far removed from prospect status. Personally, I was surprised to see the Royals sign Jose Guillen, of whom I've never been a fan, which pretty much blocks Gathright from any significant playing time. They've got a likely outfield of Teahen/DeJesus/Guillen. So, Gathright does seem like the odd man out, despite having a pretty solid year in 2007.ReplyDelete
That's part of why I mentioned him at all, as he could be a good fit for the Reds. After the 2008 season, the Reds could be without both Dunn and Griffey, so things could be opening up in the outfield. The Reds have long needed a leadoff hitter and Gathright in center *could* be an option.


text:
Proximity to perfect harmony. That was what I believed I was seeking as I hauled myself up the steep, icy slope that was the spine of Danco Island. The sun was shining brightly out of a clear blue sky, the first blue sky I had seen since the start of my Antarctic cruise a few days earlier, and a blanket of snow covered the land from horizon to horizon. Nothing moved. Far below was a rookery of gentoo penguins that I had passed on my way up, but their squabbling presence was already a memory.
Having managed to escape the company of my 66 fellow travelers, I was hoping to find a few moments of solitude to take in the enormity of the landscape. I have traveled the world, but I had never been anywhere like this. I found a ledge and looked across the azure waters toward the Antarctic Peninsula. In the middle distance was the Ocean Nova, the tiny ship that had brought us here, made even tinier by this vast landscape. The words of American explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd came to mind: "This is the way the world will look to the last man when it dies."
Danco Island lies at the southern end of the Errera Channel, off the Danco Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The sea was as still as a pond, and the icebergs, some the size of buildings, seemed to hang suspended. It was, of course, an illusion, for this was sea ice and glacier ice on the move.
My reverie was interrupted by the distant voice of our expedition leader, Laurie Dexter. It was time to rejoin the ship, and I trudged reluctantly in the direction of the others. Instead of tiptoeing down the snowy slope that I had climbed so carefully, I threw caution to the wind and slid on my backside, coming down at a ferocious speed.
That rush of exhilaration, and the laughter of my fellow passengers waiting at the foot of the slope, broke the spell, but it would return again in the days to come.
Just before my trip, I'd had lunch with Sara Wheeler, whose book Terra Incognita is required reading for any wannabe Antarcticaphile. She had warned me that this would be a profound, even life-changing, experience. "It is a metaphysical landscape," Sara said of Antarctica. "In an increasingly grubby world it has been romanticized to fulfill a human need for sanctuary. I think all that comes from its unspoiled status—the only place on the planet not tied down by ownership, laws, a human population. It is beyond all that, and greater than it."
She was right, for here all the tawdry transactions of our modern urban lives are made meaningless. For a brief moment on Danco Island, I believed I had found sanctuary.
Every traveler to the Antarctic is warned that getting there is taxing. In fact, the sea journey is called the Drake Tax, for all one must pay in fear and fortitude to cross the notorious Drake Passage. This 500-mile stretch between the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula has some of the roughest seas on the planet, containing as it does the unimpeded flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which carries a huge volume of water—about 600 times the flow of the Amazon River—through the passage. With winds raging at more than 65 miles per hour, it is nature at its wildest and most unpredictable.
It had taken two nights and two full days for us to cross from Ushuaia in Argentina to the South Shetland Islands, which have been claimed at various times by Great Britain, Argentina, and Chile but are shared peaceably, for exploration purposes, by all 50 countries that have signed the Antarctic Treaty, which in 1959 established the continent as a scientific preserve. The Ocean Nova had bounced and pitched and yawed relentlessly. Even though we were tabbed up with promethazine anti-nausea pills and covered with scopolamine patches, we all teetered on the edge of seasickness. The public areas were lined with paper vomit bags—tucked into the handrails, behind the bar, beside the sofas in the lounge. Taking a meal in the dining room was risky, for every so often you'd be thrown out of your chair by a violent pitch or yaw that sent dishes and everything else flying. In the mornings, those who actually emerged from their cabins had the haunted, hollow-eyed, exhausted look one tends to associate with Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton, and the other suffering explorers of the Antarctic's Heroic Age a century ago.
But we did get there in one piece, and on that first calm morning 48 hours after we'd pushed off from Ushuaia, we awoke to the sight of gigantic icebergs on the horizon and a sea as flat as a pancake. I could see the color coming back to the faces of my fellow travelers and hear the conversation levels returning to their previous intensity.
We were a diverse crowd: doctors, lawyers, university professors, a best-selling novelist, a Belgian aristocrat, and a number of solo-traveling women. Our guides, too, were an impressive array. Laurie Dexter was a hard-core explorer who had made 110 trips to the Antarctic and once crossed the Arctic on skis, a journey that took him three months. Colin Bates, the marine biologist, was a professor at the University of British Columbia and an expert on climate change in the Antarctic. John Harrison, the historian, was a Cambridge-educated author and lecturer who had made some 41 trips to the Antarctic.
I was curious to learn firsthand why this vast, inhospitable continent—a continent of which the most doomed of explorers, Scott, rather succinctly said, "Great God! This is an awful place"—had become a magnet that many people can't help returning to again and again. Yes, it is one of the last pristine wildernesses, covering five million square miles—one and a half times the size of the United States—and holding three-quarters of the world's freshwater. It is a gigantic ice desert that is the highest, driest, windiest, emptiest, coldest place on earth, and it represents ninety percent of the planet's ice.
It is also home to some of the world's most enchanting, revolting, and brutal creatures. Witness gentoo penguins waddling in unison from rookery to water's edge like fussy old men with their pajamas pants around their ankles—enchanting. Witness elephant seals lying side by side like giant greasy slugs as the dominant male yawns to reveal a bright-pink palate—revolting. And witness a leopard seal beating a gentoo on the ice until its body is inside out and ready to eat—brutal.
The fact is, now that swaths of the African bush have been overrun by four-wheel-drive vehicles and air-conditioned bush lodges with Wi-Fi, Antarctica appeals as one of the last really wild empty places left for adventure travel.
Sebastião Salgado captures the breathtaking beauty of Antarctica in these exclusive outtakes and photos.
It was not, however, the higher motives of adventure, discovery, and science that first drew people here in the early nineteenth century but rather the more prosaic pursuit of wealth. The blubber and skin scramble was a precursor to the California Gold Rush, with sealers and whalers from America and Europe descending on the peri-Antarctic islands by the boatload. Within a year of William Smith's discovery of the South Shetlands, in 1819, more than 40 ships had arrived to farm the fur seal skins and oil, and by early 1822, over 90 ships were working the islands.
By the end of 1823, more than 320,000 fur seal skins and 940 tons of oil had been taken. As the fur seal population shrank to the brink of extinction, the sealers went after elephant seals, doing similar damage to these unfortunate creatures. And as the century wore on, the whalers, who had depleted the northern Arctic seas, began to look to the southern oceans. By the early 1880s, reconnaissance voyages led to more than half a century of whaling in these waters. Explorers and scientists weren't far behind. A resolution adopted by the Sixth International Geographical Congress at London's Imperial Institute in 1895 declared that "the exploration of the Antarctic Regions is the greatest piece of geographical exploration still to be undertaken" and unleashed a rush of brave, doomed British explorers in what was to be known as the Heroic Age. The most famous, Royal Navy officer Robert Falcon Scott, not only failed to become the first man to reach the South Pole—Norwegian Roald Amundsen beat him by 33 days—but died on the trek back, frozen in his tent beside two of his companions.
Scott's death set off waves of patriotic fervor among the British as they prepared for war with Germany, and came to define British courage and stiff-upper-lip nobility. One of the survivors of the expedition, Apsley Cherry-Garrard, wrote of Scott and his dead men in his uncompromisingly poetic and moving The Worst Journey in the World: "What they did has become part of the history of England, perhaps of the human race, as much as Columbus or the Elizabethans, David, Hector, or Ulysses. They are an epic."
For all the hero worship of Scott and his men, the age of flag-planting adventurers was short-lived and probably ended with Shackleton's failed expedition of 1914–16. His attempt to become the first person to cross the continent from one side to the other ended with the great man and his crew enduring one of the most extreme survival stories in the history of Edwardian exploration.
The twenty-first century has seen a great increase in travel to the Antarctic. This season—which runs roughly from November through March—more than 35,000 are expected, a jump from last season's 26,000. Travel restrictions are enforced thanks to a 2009 amendment to the original 1959 Antarctic Treaty. Cruise ships carrying more than 500 passengers are prohibited from landing, and only 100 visitors are allowed onshore at a time—not always an easy thing to monitor, but, Dexter noted, everyone traveling to the Antarctic "tends to stick by the rules." Further restrictions came in 2011 when the UN's International Maritime Organization ruled that ships may not burn or carry heavy fuel oil. Instead, they are required to use marine gas oil, which is cleaner but much more expensive. The fuel mandate was also intended to discourage ordinary cruise ships—those not properly equipped to cope with sea ice—from sailing into the area. This point was driven home by the ecologically devastating oil spill following the 2007 sinking of the M.S. Explorer—a double-hulled ship that should have been able to withstand a collision with submerged ice—off the Antarctic Peninsula. (All passengers and crew were safely evacuated.)
The centenary of Scott's 1912 death and the resurgent interest in the Harris Tweed–wearing explorers of a century ago are only two of the reasons for the rise in Antarctic tourism. There is a growing understanding that the Antarctic is, as one researcher told me, "a science playground," a place where battalions of researchers and scientists are studying everything from the geological history of the planet to global warming. And to give the explorers of the Heroic Age their due, their expeditions were as much about science as about flag planting. When Scott set sail for Antarctica in 1910, aboard the Terra Nova was equipment for investigating meteorology, geology, zoology, marine biology, botany, and glaciers.
Those expeditions brought back pioneering research and discoveries that transformed the Antarctic from an unknown wasteland into a profoundly important key to the planet's past and present. Before Scott, Shackleton, Cherry-Garrard, Edward Wilson, and the rest trudged across the region, Antarctica was thought by many geographers to be a colossal raft of ice anchored to a loose group of islands. (It is in fact a continent, nearly twice the size of Australia, 97.5 percent of which is covered by an ice sheet.) Thanks to the explorers, we've come to understand Antarctica's crucial role in global climate and ocean circulation. For example, it was Wilson—who died in that tent alongside Scott—who discovered the 250-million-year-old plant fossils that scientists had been waiting for to confirm the existence of the Mesozoic supercontinent Gondwana. Today, the key markers relating to global warming are being found here, spurred by the discovery in the mid-1980s of the Antarctic ozone hole by three scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, and leading to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer.
"Over the past 15,000 years, the temperature here has risen 10.8 degrees on average," the marine biologist Colin Bates told me. "That's the highest rise in any ecosystem in the world. It's a misnomer to call this global warming—it's climate change. Around the world, we're seeing freak weather, more violent storms, floods—and the deterioration of the Antarctic ice shelves is another consequence of climate change. They're breaking up faster than expected."
You could say the Antarctic has provided us with the alarm bell that may just save life on earth.
My moment of reverie and wonder on Danco Island was the first of many on this exhilarating journey. Every morning we would rise to the cheerful voice of the expedition leader over the loudspeaker, informing us of the time the Zodiacs would be leaving for shore and the outside temperature (which during my trip ranged from 19 degrees to a balmy 32). This was our cue to bolt down breakfast and start layering on kit like a medieval knight donning armor, beginning with a thermal vest and polypropylene tights, then jeans and waterproof leggings, followed by a fleece sweater, gloves with polypropylene innards, a scarf, a wool hat, sunglasses, goggles, gumboots, and a yellow waterproof jacket and life vest. Forget one element and you had to unpeel the layers, insert the missing item, and then painstakingly layer it all on again.
Trussed up like so many bright-yellow chickens, we loaded ourselves into the Zodiacs and powered through the floating ice to various landing points along the Antarctic Peninsula. From the South Shetland Islands, the ship moved down the Bransfield Strait to Deception Island on the fourth day, passing through a narrow channel called Neptune's Bellows into Whalers Bay. The following morning, we traveled down the Gerlache Strait past Orne Harbor to Danco Island, and then that afternoon into Andvord Bay, where we finally set foot on the Antarctic continent for the first time at Neko Harbor.
All this time we were heading south, hoping to reach Petermann Island, home of the most southerly established colony of gentoo penguins. The brash ice was getting thicker, however, and we learned that another expedition ship, Hurtigruten's M.S. Fram, had been trying to reach Petermann and was having problems with the ice.
Ice is the currency of the Antarctic, and an entire lexicon has grown up around it. There is bay ice, bergy bit ice, brash ice, fast ice, glacier ice, and growlers, and much of it can present a serious problem to ships, even to an ice-reinforced vessel such as the Ocean Nova. One can just picture Shackleton's great ship the Endurance being slowly but inexorably crushed, splintered, broken, and sunk by the gathering ice in 1915 as he and his crew stood watching on the frozen land. "Almost like a living creature, she resisted the forces that would crush her," wrote Shackleton.
As we stared out at waters that were studded with ice of different shapes and sizes, Bates warned, "This year we've had a lot of glacial ice blocking the passage south, so we may well be thwarted. We shall find out."
As if on cue, there was a loud report in the distance, like a muffled explosion—a glacier was calving. A few minutes later, the Ocean Nova began to rock gently. A giant slab of ice, probably weighing a few tons, had broken free from the glacial landmass and created a mini tsunami, so when we set out in the Zodiacs we braced for another upheaval, holding tight to the sides of the rubber boat as it bounced toward Neko Harbor.
Once ashore, we climbed to a high peak, past the inevitable gentoo rookery that gave off the now familiar acrid smell of penguin dung, again looking down onto our diminutive vessel dwarfed by this magnificent landscape. Then came another loud report, and this time we could see the glacier calving, a gigantic block of ice falling away from the land and crashing into the water. The waves fanned out, concentric, equidistant—a pattern of nature that a draftsman could not have re-created. Far below, our ship bobbed as the waves reached it. This was a comparatively gentle calving, but one got a sense of the massive forces at play in this remote continent.
Back on the Ocean Nova, the captain announced that we were raising anchor and would continue south to Paradise Bay, so named because it provided whalers with a protected harbor. Deep in the bay is the Argentine base Almirante Brown, named for Admiral Guillermo Brown, the founder of the Argentine navy. Once there, we took to the Zodiacs, buzzing amid the icebergs and twice coming to a halt when we found solitary seals floating on tiny islands of ice.
The Weddell seal, the most southerly of these strange mammals, peeped above the ice at us, an ingenue with round, soulful eyes. This was the Anne Hathaway of the seal world, a creature you'd want to pick up and hug. But on a neighboring floe lay a sleek, sinister-looking beast with razor-sharp teeth and an expression of sheer menace on its face—the leopard seal. As the name suggests, this is a ruthless predator that hunts penguins and has been known to attack humans.
By the time we had returned to the Ocean Nova, happily anticipating the next day's journey to Damoy Point, home to a population of gentoo penguins, snow was beginning to fall and a bitter wind had begun to blow. A few intrepid travelers decided to ignore the deteriorating conditions and camp overnight on the ice (as we would discover the following morning when they returned to the ship, few would actually sleep).
I chose to spend the evening talking to Bates. One of the primary concerns for marine biologists, he told me, is the acidification of the oceans. Approximately 40 percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by humans dissolves into oceans, rivers, and lakes. According to Bates, one of the main consequences of this is that the organisms which form their shells with calcium carbonate (clams, mussels, and the like) are not able to do so as quickly, and thus we may see a drastic falloff in their numbers, creating a huge imbalance in sea creatures that will affect the whole food chain. "If we reach a tipping point of ocean acidity, we'll see a dramatic decrease in creatures that rely on calcium carbonate," Bates said. He also explained how climate change is affecting krill, the zooplankton that are the staple of seals, penguins, baleen whales, and most seabirds. The krill population in the Antarctic is estimated at 600 trillion, and they are the centerpiece of what Bates called "the Antarctic food web." A drop in krill means hunger, starvation, and decreased reproduction in the animals of the region, and this, according to Bates, is something we should be seriously concerned about.
The following morning, we inched south down the Neumayer Channel to Port Lockroy, a year-round British Antarctic Survey base until the scientists left for better facilities in 1962. Now a museum, it describes the work of scientists of another age and houses the world's most southerly working public post office. It is also the most visited site in the Antarctic: 15,622 people stopped there this past austral summer (roughly from November through March).
A glimpse of how the early scientists lived is provided by recipes they used during the winters. "Chop the seal brains into small pieces and mix with eggs, tomato sauce, and nutmeg. Heat butter in a saucepan and mix with the brains. Cook for a minute or two, then serve on hot buttered toast sprinkled with grated cheese." Delicious.
A guide to the cruises, tours, and expeditions of Antarctica including packages from Seabourn, Abercrombie & Kent, and Polar Cruises.
It was no surprise when the captain announced that we could no longer head south. The M.S. Fram had not managed to penetrate the sea ice in the Lemaire Channel and reach Petermann Island, so there was no point in our trying. Instead, we were to sail north and land on Barrientos Island in the South Shetlands before crossing the dreaded Drake Passage. The weather had deteriorated, with a katabatic wind blowing, sleet falling, and the temperature plunging. We dropped anchor in the protected bay off Barrientos, and once we had donned our layers of protective clothing, headed ashore. We were here to see elephant seals, those alien creatures that look like a cross between giant slugs and E.T.
I trudged through the mud and across the hill, then descended to a rocky beach to discover a pod of elephant seals doing just what elephant seals do—nothing. The gigantic male yawned, showing off a bright-pink palate. In the distance, a pair of Antarctic fur seals were fighting with the ferocity of bull terriers, but apart from their grunts the only sound was of the sleet splatting against my jacket. Just as Scott's famous words about this being an awful place came to mind, we were ordered back to the ship.
We were all aboard the Ocean Nova by late afternoon, when Laurie Dexter's voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing that we would be heading for the Drake Passage—and that rough seas were expected. His advice: apply our scopolamine patches.
As I shook off the harshness of Barrientos and prepared myself for the battering that lay ahead, I thought about why those explorers from the Heroic Age kept going back, why our expedition leaders make so many trips to the Antarctic, and why even tourists keep returning. But I already knew the answer.


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Jupiter & moons + shadow transit.
(Photo by Author).
These next few weeks are a great time to keep an eye on the largest planet in our solar system. The planet is fresh off of opposition, which occurred on December 2nd of last year, and resumes direct motion eastward through Taurus towards quadrature on February 25th. In fact, Jupiter doesn't even reach opposition this year, something that hasn't happened since 2001 and wont happen again until 2025. This is because Jupiter orbits the Sun once every 11.9 years and thus successive oppositions occur approximately every 400 days apart.
January finds Jupiter high in the sky at dusk for mid-northern latitudes, shining at magnitude -2.5 and showing a respectable 44 arc second disk. This is a great time for imaging, as Jupiter is very near the zenith post-dusk. Approaching quadrature, we begin to see the three large Jovian moons of Io, Europa, and Ganymede alternately cast shadows and pass into the shadow of the giant planet
Ah, you ask; but what about Callisto? The most distant of the Jovian moons, Callisto takes 17 days to orbit the gas giant. Tilted slightly to our line of view, shadow transits of the moon do not always occur with each orbit. In fact, Callisto transits are set to resume this year on July 20th, 2013 and continue as we approach an orbital plane crossing of the Jovian moons on November 7th, 2014. Mutual phenomena of Callisto will continue until July 21st, 2016. Much like Saturnian ring plane crossings , these seasons occur twice every orbit of the planet Jupiter, spaced 4-5 years apart. Jupiters orbit is itself is tilted 1.3° relative to the ecliptic and its axial tilt is 3.13° relative to its orbit. Callistos orbit is tilted only 0.192° to the invariable plane; all 4 moons have less than 0.5° orbital tilts. Watch the shadows of the moons as well as they transit the Jovian cloud tops; careful observation will reveal differences due to the relative distances of the moons, from the tiny black dot of Callisto to the wide, diffuse spot of Ios shadow.
Scott Degenhardt also has a fascinating campaign underway to observe the mutual transits and eclipses of the Jovian moons as they begin to pass in front each other later this year. This program seeks to model the local dust field and tenuous atmospheres of the moons as well as map the complex flux tube and dust torus that exists surrounding Jupiter and its energetic moon Io. This is a noble pursuit for those suitably equipped and a chance to do real science. This sort of data would also prove invaluable to such radiation sensitive spacecraft as Juno, set to go into orbit around Jupiter in 2016. Juno sports enormous solar panels, a concern as the spacecraft loops close to the radiation and dust-filled environs of Jupiter.
Finally, keep an eye out on Jupiter next week as it begins an exciting series of occultations by the Moon.
The footprint of the January 22 occultation of Jupiter by the Moon. (Note: solid lines denote regions in darkness).
(Graphics created by the author using Occult 4.0).
The next occultation of Jupiter by the Moon after 2013 wont be until July 9th, 2016. Next weeks occultation is centered over South America on January 22nd ~03:03 UT and will be one of the best planetary occultations by the Moon in 2013. Fans of this space will recall last months occultation of Jupiter by the Moon; this months is the second in a series of 3, with the third and final occultation of Jupiter occurring in darkness for southern Australia on February 18th centered on ~11:36UT.
The footprint of the February 18th occultation of Jupiter by the Moon.
This months occultation sees the Moon at 83% waxing gibbous phase, Februarys occultation occurs at 59% waxing gibbous. For the rest of us, this will be a fine chance to engage in the pursuit of daytime planet-spotting; the evening of January 21st presents one such opportunity before sunset;
Daytime orientation of the Moon and Jupiter ~5PM EST for the US East Coast.
(Created by the author in Starry Night).
Do keep an eye on the King of the Planets as it heads towards solar conjunction on June 19th. If youve got cloudy skies, stop by the Virtual Star Party every Sunday night from 9-10PM EST for some live-streaming action! Who knows, the next big Jovian impact MIGHT just be broadcast live


text: Create a stylish and functional built-in look with cabinets or update with pedestals and open units. Bathroom vanities add character to a space that can range from casual or traditional to charming and ultra-modern. They can make small spaces appear larger and bring warmth to expansive areas. Choose among many great designs including wood, resin, chromed framing, glass and natural stone.


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On Sunday, Northwestern, aka the Billy Zabka Finishing School for the Villains of John Hughes Movies, will take the floor against Illinois wearing the disastrous uniform you see above. This basketball uni isn't nearly as bad as the "Wounded Warrior" getup that the school's football team wore earlier this year, but it's still plenty stupid.
You probably noticed all of the words and pictures that are splashed all over the shorts, each one seemingly falling under the theme of "thing that exists." Let's take a closer look:
The NU Facebook page points out the heart-shaped basketball as a reference to coach Chris Collins's "Love the game!" mantra, which is nice. But what's the deal with all this other stuff? There appears to be a grill, a steak, a Nintendo controller, a bunch of Z's, and a refresh button (?). It's an orgy of clip art.
But what's on the other side of the shorts is even funnier:
The Facebook page explains: "CHICAGO SKYLINE: NU is Chicago's Big Ten Team so the skyline was integrated into the uniform to represent the great city they play for."
Right, OK, so the pants are aspirational, as all pants should be. Northwestern, located in Evanston, is "Chicago's Big Ten Team" only in the sense that it is, geographically, the closest. Spiritually, it has no more of a claim on Chicago—a University of Illinois town, even in the lean years—than it does on the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Northwestern is just like that guy you meet who tells you he's from Chicago even though he's from Naperville. Own your city, man.


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Moderators: TingYi, anti-paragon, DarkShive
nokvok wrote:If you tell me how the magic works, I probably will make a character for this.
mandros wrote:hows this for a bio
Name: "rat" (he is self named and not very imaginative)
Age: 18
History: he grew up on the streets, living every day off what little food he could steal. Even though he was a thief he still had a code of honour which was one, never steal more then you needed and two never kill unless you have to. he took to wearing a mask under his hood whenever he went in to town to hide his face from the guards, who have a hate on for him. (probably cause he keeps stealing there sweet rolls). When the time came to go to the king he left with his mask in his sack ready to take on the world, and maybe take a cut of it for himself.
Dreaju wrote:I'm working on modifying Sev's backstory, and I'm thinking of making him a white magic user. Or should it stay black magic?
ChroniclerC wrote:How attached are you to the specific game mechanics? I've got a concept, but it's gonna need some wiggle room.
... On that thought, if we don't have any wiggle room, how meta are we playin' it?
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Young Adult Books Dominate Current Best-Selling Book Listsby Emily Maas Aslanian | PopCrush
This year has been all about the Young Adult lit section. Authors like John Green and Veronica Roth are reaching celebrity status following their best-selling novels (each ranked in Forbes' Celebrity 100 list at No. 79 and No. 95).
What's especially helping these authors are the book-to-screen adaptations, luring in millions of readers with movie trailers and giving the books more promotional content than they're used to. So, what isn't surprising is the fact that both Nielson's Top 20 and Amazon Kindle's Top 20 are topped with YA books that went on to have a big screen debut.
According to Nielsen's Top 20, as of June 29, the first seven spots were taken by both Veronica Roth's 'Divergent' series and John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars' (which steals three separate slots of its own for different versions), and 'Looking For Alaska,' which has recently been given the green light on a film adaption. The No. 1 spot, however, was 'Divergent,' which had its film debut in March, topping the list above this summer's blockbuster, 'TFIOS.'
Five other slots throughout Nielsen's list were taken by novelizations of Disney's 'Frozen,' stealing even more spaces from the seemingly forgotten adult fiction and non-fiction genres.
Amazon Kindle's list isn't much different. One exception, though: 'The Fault in Our Stars' holds the top spot, followed closely by Roth's 'Divergent,' 'Insurgent,' and 'Allegiant,' in their series order. The list also has 'The Divergent Series Complete Collection' at the No. 10 slot. Markus Zusak's 'The Book Thief,' which is often forgotten as belonging to the YA world, and had its film version hit theaters last year, ranks at No. 14.
Further showing the power of advertising is Solomon Northup's '12 Years a Slave,' published in 1853. The film version put this book back on the market when it won an Academy Award in 2013. There's also 'Gone Girl,' Gillian Flynn's novel that also doesn't fall into the YA realm, but does however fall into the books-to-film list, checking in at No. 11 for Amazon Kindle. The film comes out this October, starring Ben Affleck. There's also 'Lone Survivor' by Marcus Luttrell, a true story that had a 2013 film as well.
What's most surprising, however, is not that YA is dominating all of these lists — because, well, YA lit is awesome. What is interesting is seeing the influence that the film industry has over which books sell, and which don't.
Both lists can be found on Publisher's Weekly.


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