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Oldsmobile Forum: Modern Shaft Stereo Head Units
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August 4th, 2013
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12
Modern Shaft Stereo Head Units
I see this topic has been covered at least once, generally. I'm hoping to get some specifics, if possible. My apologies in advance if I'm beating a dead horse.
1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham. 5.0L v8 (307) engine.
The current head unit in the car is a shaft model, factory installed, with AM/FM and cassette deck. The AM/FM works great, but the cassette deck is non-functional. In addition, there is only one working speaker (rear drivers side).
I'm currently looking into a complete overhaul of the entertainment package, including replacing both the head unit and speaker system, as well as adding a small sub and amp. Before focusing on the speakers and amp, I'd really like to find a shaft style head unit that provides more modern features, such as a front aux port and either a USB or SD port. CD is not necessary if I can get access to a USB or SD port. However, I really would like to maintain the shaft style look, to maintain the look and feel of the car while having the modern conveniences of today's radio systems.
I've done a little bit of digging already and know that these types of head units exist (RetroSoundUSA and Custom AutoSound), but neither of these seem to list anything specific to the 1986. My question is has anyone had any experience with a modern shaft style head unit in the 1986 and will any of these models fit? I have an email into RetroSoundUSA regarding this question and am more than willing to take measurements/pictures of the current setup. I dont have any issue with some trial and error, but I'd like to make sure I have a unit that should fit before going down the path of tearing apart the car.
If I can/should provide any additional information, please let me know and I will be more than happy to get it, if I can. One thing I do not want to do is cheap out on this installation. I've already seen some information on a Pyle head unit, but the reviews I've read so far have been pretty negative toward the unit and have basically not recommended the unit. I like the look of the RetroSound units (especially the Model One's, which is more than enough radio for me).
Thanks for the help/information.
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August 5th, 2013
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 350
The 1986 Cutlass should have, as stock equipment, a Delco DIN & 1/2 style unit (big black rectangular face with two knobs on the LH side of the face. Olds quit using the old shaft style units in Cutlasses in 1984--starting in 1985 they all had the larger corporate radio. So, if your 1986 has an older style two shaft radio someone has changed it out at some point.
You could find a radio faceplate for a 1985-1988 Cutlass which has the DIN & 1/2 style radio opening and that would allow you greater flexibility in finding an aftermarket radio for the vehicle without having to hack on or modify your dash trim.
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August 5th, 2013
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12
You're the second person today to say this (I posted in the G Body forum last night and received a similar response).
I dont have a huge problem replacing the faceplate, but would like to keep it as original as possible (after looking at it, it doesnt appear to be the original faceplate, as it doesnt match the other wood grain trim pieces inside the car. I'd like to stay with the wood grain, if possible, but could easily be talked out of it if its harder to find.
Would this type of information be in the factory service manual that I dont currently have yet, or is this more from experience? Learning more and more about this car as I go, which I don't mind. There's still so much I don't know about this car.
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August 6th, 2013
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 350
Knowing about the switch in radios is more an experience thing. You could probably notice it by looking at original sales brochures. I've been dealing with G-bodies since I was a kid so I'm fairly well versed in them (especially the Oldsmobiles).
The 86 dash woodgrain is a lighter color and grain (teak, I think) than the burled walnut used in prior years.
As far as "original" goes, sounds like the ship has sailed on this particular situation. You can make it stock but it's fairly obvious your car has already been changed by installation of an older style radio.
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August 6th, 2013
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Location: Ohio
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One of the things I like about this car is that its pretty much a blank canvas for me, so my options are pretty much unlimited. One thought I had yesterday while thinking about all of this was to either maintain the shaft radio or put a stock radio in it. While I want this to be as stock as possible, I really like the retro look of the shaft radio. The issue now is making all of the bezels consistent. Currently, the radio faceplate is different than the rest of the plates in the car and to get the right faceplate means moving away from the shaft radio (at least, as far as I can tell, since I havent yet found a faceplate that matches the lighter woodgrain in the shaft style, only DIN style) . They could all use some restoration anyway, so now Im just trying to decide which path I want to take with that.
As much as I want to keep this car as stock as possible, I think my plans for it are to make modifications where necessary that keeps up with the concept of the car. I have plans at some point to swap the engine (currently looking into a 383, but havent completely decided yet).
I should probably start digging to see if I can find/obtain the sales manuals. Those would be sweet to have.
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August 7th, 2013
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The brochures are usually available on eBay.
You're right--I don't think I've ever seen a shaft style bezel with the lighter woodgrain.
Your alternative would be to change all the other woodgrain to match the older wood. But, as you said, it's a blank canvas.
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San Diego State fans, no doubt, look at a stationary Jamaal Franklin being whistled for a blocking foul as Colorado State's Dorian Green crashes into him with 19.4 seconds left in Wednesday night's 66-60 loss and think: We got screwed.
A growing body of researchers looks at 8,745 orange-clad crazies in Moby Arena erupting in approval at referee Randy McCall's call and think: Of course you did.
SDSU coach Steve Fisher pointed out, after watching the game tape on the charter flight home late Wednesday night and again early Thursday morning, that his team failed to "make plays" down the stretch that win tough games, and that No. 24 Colorado State did. But he also did not dispute the conclusion that television replays, Rams coach Larry Eustachy and even Green himself all appeared to reach: that McCall probably blew the call in what, at the time, was a one-point game.
"I feel as if we had the guy in front of him," said Fisher, whose team also was on the wrong end of a questionable call with 19 seconds left in their previous road game, a 70-67 loss at Air Force. "There are certain refs that you would prefer to have at home rather than on the road. There are others that you say, 'I'm glad we got him on this game.' To be honest, when I looked at the crew, I liked it.
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And that's where it gets interesting.
The latest research into the curious phenomenon of home-court advantage in sports – and yes, there is such a pursuit – indicates that rabid crowds do not impact the visiting players as much as the officials. Tobias Moskowitz and Jon Wertheim devoted two chapters to the subject in "Scorecasting," a 2011 book that debunks popular myths and misconceptions of sport. Their theory: "Referee bias," as they call it, is the basis for home-court advantage across most sports.
"Psychology finds that social influence is a powerful force that can affect human behavior and decisions without the subjects even being aware of it," they write. "Psychologists call this influence conformity because it causes the subject's opinion to conform to a group's opinion."
It helps explain why, over 20 seasons, NBA teams made an identical 75.9 percent of their free throws whether at home or in hostile atmospheres. Or why NBA teams are whistled for travelling – largely a judgment call – 15 percent more often on the road.
One study involving soccer linesmen showed videos of the same tackles with and without crowd noise piped in, and asked whether they warranted fouls. The linesmen agreed with the sentiments of the home crowd significantly more often than when it was silent.
A 2007 study tracked calls in Italian soccer games during a season when several teams, as a punishment for crowd violence, played in empty stadiums. The percentage of calls favoring the home team plunged in those games.
Or look at Colorado State, which has won 27 straight at Moby Arena, the nation's third longest home win streak.
The Rams are whistled for an average of 3.5 fewer fouls and shoot nearly five more free throws at home than on the road. And their opponents are called for three more fouls and shoot six fewer free throws at Moby than they do at their home venues.
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In Wednesday's game, Colorado State – a team many rate among the most physical in the nation – was whistled for a single foul in the first 18 minutes. In the second half, the three-man officiating crew began calling more fouls on the Rams, and the soldout crowd that locals called the loudest in Moby Arena history voiced its displeasure with a deafening chorus of boos.
Maybe McCall actually saw something the replays didn't. Maybe he saw Franklin still moving into position after Green had left his feet. Or maybe the recesses of his brain just wanted him to see that.
"We don't think this is conscious," Moskowitz, a professor at the University of Chicago, said at a 2011 forum to discuss his findings. "Basically, what's happening is referees start to see things the home crowd's way."

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It has been about three months since we shipped Flex 4.5 SDK and a corresponding update to Flash Builder, in which we delivered exciting new capabilities to build and deploy applications for Google Android, Apple iOS and BlackBerry Tablet OS platforms. The feedback on the release has been fantastic – with customers blown away that they can leverage one tool, one framework and one codebase to deliver apps across leading mobile platforms, not to mention web and desktop as well.
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What's a Dove Award-winning solo artist who's had multi-platinum album sales doing competing with a group on NBC's a cappella singing series The Sing-Off?
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With a judging panel featuring pop music vets Ben Folds and Sara Bareilles, as well as Shawn Stockman of R&B group Boyz II Men, The Sing-Off features sixteen a cappella singing groups who perform popular songs each week for the votes of the viewing audience. As a member of a group called The Collective, Lampa is now five weeks into the taping of the series and says she's having the time of her life. Formed by Jeremy Lister, a member of Season 2 runner-up group Street Corner Symphony, The Collective is comprised solely of Nashville-based musicians who have each had individual music-making success.
It could certainly seem like a strange career move for an established solo artist such as Lampa, who's amassed an unprecedented nine Top 10 singles (four at No. 1) and also toured with groups including Destiny's Child, Nickel Creek and Boyz II Men. But for Lampa, it's just a step back into the spotlight after some much-needed time away.
Back in 2000, the then 15 year-old was fresh on the Christian music scene, but quickly became known thanks to her monster Christian music hit "Live for You," as well as high-profile appearances on television shows including a prime performance on The Tonight Show. She was young and didn't know otherwise, so Lampa kept up the hectic pace ("write for a record, make a record, promote it, tour it, rinse and repeat") until sometime in 2006 when she decided to walk away for a bit and rediscover a simpler lifestyle.
During the past five years, the singer-songwriter says she has found herself, a husband and some community. And so at the beginning of 2011, she was ready to get back at her craft. One thing led to another, and a record was quickly recorded—an "organic" process, she calls it. And then, naturally perhaps, she found herself being invited to compete with The Collective and try her hand at a little a cappella.
I spoke with Lampa recently to talk about why it was the right time to release another record (All We Need) and what it's like doing two things she's never done before: singing a cappella and singing in ensemble on NBC's The Sing-Off.
First off, and before we get to The Sing-Off, for fans who haven't heard from you these past five or so years what have you been up to?
Well, when I cut my last record—I guess that was 2005 or 2006—I sort of I knew that there was going to be a time where I was going to have to start the next one. And since I was 14, that was all I knew: write for a record, make a record, promote it, tour it, rinse and repeat. So I guess I was at the age where I was starting to look at that and realize that's not healthy and just that formula of feeling like I'm kind of a robot, kind of I'm just following directions. And I knew that if I started another record it just wouldn't be . . . I wasn't at a place I could really pour my heart into it. I was tired, and I just felt uninspired. This felt like a natural time to kind of close that door with Word [Records] and just start something new. So I didn't really have a plan when I did that. I just kind of said, "I can't make the next record until I feel the peace to do it." And I think you know ultimately it was one of those things where you just say, "I don't know why, but this is what God wants for me right now." So I took some years off. I continued to write through all of that just for myself really and continued to entertain the thought of doing a record, but really for the most part just spent time with my family and friends and building actual friendships that I still have now . . . which I didn't really have. I kind of jumped from tour to tour and whoever was on that tour were my friends. It was kind of the way I had designed my life. So really I just wanted to take that time to get to know my friends and my family and just spend time with them, and so that was a big chunk of that.
But also because I slowed down I was able to find a guy that would marry me. So I got married in my time off and was able to spend time on the wedding and just all those cool things that I wouldn't have had time to really sink my teeth into. I also sang background for Jordin Sparks for about seven months which was just one of those things I just wanted to say "yes" to—things that I wouldn't have had time for or wouldn't have made sense career wise. I just felt like I could walk through these open doors that God is leading me through. It was kind of this time of being able to say "yes" to things that I wasn't able to before. And then in the beginning of this year, because I had been writing I had never felt that I wouldn't make another record. I think it was at this point it was like who's the right team to come around me and help me walk in this direction, who's likeminded with my vision. And at the beginning of this year I found a group of guys called 220, that's their company, and we just sat down and it was like, "You feel this way about this and I do too" and "You guys want to be involved with me and I want to be involved with you" and "Let's do it." And they kind of came around me as my label, and we started a record and it was so organic. It happened really fast, and I think that was just a testament to how natural the progression was. We wrote a record in a couple months and now we're putting it out like nine months later. So it was fast.
How would you describe what we'll hear on All We Need?
Well musically I would say it walks the line of pop and soul kind of thing. A little bit of rock. I grew up on pop music and soul music, and so I feel like that's kind of what really comes through. And then lyrically and just subject wise I think it's such a reflection of my time off of just feeling like I've had this crazy childhood and teenage years. I've gotten to do a lot of awesome stuff and was able to see a lot of things, and all I wanted was just to simplify and to just slow down and to enjoy what was actually in front of me—my friendships and my family and little things and that's where I've gotten all my joy from in the past five years. And that's kind of what the record is. I mean "All We Need," that song just came from really just becoming a child again to God and like looking at him as my Father, and there's nothing else. Not as the person who drives my business or who I write about for my music and my record. He's just my Father. When I wrote "All We Need," it was like I just wanted to write a song that just declared that literally he is all we need. Love is all we need. That everything else will fall into place and everything else will make sense if we can just love first. So that kind of sets the tone for the record, just that title and that song. But really a lot of the songs on the record just touch on the fact that God is consistent and he's "getable." You can "get" him. He can embrace you and remind you that you're just his child, and so I wanted to grasp just that simple, childlike kind of view of God.
It sounds like you have been discovering who you are in Christ.
Absolutely. I had some major work to do with that. I had kind of sped through pretty big years of being a Christian and being a young Christian. I think also when I was travelling they were also some of the greatest forming years for me, just putting me around Christian people. I grew up in a Christian home and we went to church and we did all the right things, but I think that what we were missing was community. We didn't have a lot of Christian families or Christian friends around us so being on the road really helped with that because I was around people my age that said words like "let's pray" or "I'll pray for you" and that was a huge thing for me because I didn't have friends who said those things. Some of my best friendships I still have now are from being out on the road. Those were amazing years and great years for me to grow in my faith, and God knew that I needed that. But I think I missed some of the really simple, sweet things about God and being a Christian, and I think that's what I got to see through time off, through getting married, through just having a consistent life. Being home long enough to do certain things once a week was such a big deal to me. It was such a big thing that I knew every Monday night . . . my brothers and my sister and I had started a homeless ministry here in Nashville [Tennessee] called People Loving Nashville. We did that every Monday night, and it was so cool to be able to do that every Monday night. And so the record really does roll back to just shining a light on just the simplicity of enjoying the sweet things like that.
Does the theme of community also apply to the fact that you worked with multiple producers on this album as opposed to just one producer?
That was totally organic, beause we started it with David Garcia and we started to record songs and to write songs with other writers. And for the most part, whoever I wrote the song with produced the song. I thought that was cool. I just love how easy it all was, and I felt like I was creating these relationships with these writers and producers. And whatever made sense to do for that song, it felt like everybody was kind of just in on what was best for the project and the song.
Before your album releases this month, you're beginning to compete on The Sing-off on NBC. Undoubtedly lots of your fans are going to be wondering what in the world you're doing on this show.
It really is out of nowhere that I'm on this show! And it's not just for fans; it's for me, too. I was approached about a month before we started taping by a friend named Jeremy Lister who won second place last season on The Sing-Off with a group called Street Corner Symphony. And he called basically right before the show started. The producer went to Jeremy and said, "You know we want some more groups, some kind of different themes and different angles of groups." And so he was like, "Why don't I call a bunch of solo artists from Nashville that have never sung a cappella before?" And obviously they thought that was going to be a disaster, and I did, too [laughs]. But we all kind of just gave it a shot. Nine of us showed up in a friend's basement and gave it a shot, and we were a little rusty [but] not too rusty to make it on to the show. We just kind of recorded a little bit of it and sent it off to the producer. And they loved it. I think they just loved the fact that it was a bunch of Nashville solo artists with fan bases and names.
It's funny because it is a competition, but the whole show feels like a big camaraderie party where people are just rooting for each other. And we wanted to say that as a group, and so our group's called The Collective. We wanted to say that music is not all about competition, and we're going to go on a competition show to say we're just here to do our best and to see what happens and just do great music and share it. So yeah, we found ourselves on the show and we're trucking through it. Some weeks are easier than others. So basically we shoot a show a week, and sometimes our songs are chosen for us and sometimes they're not. And sometimes we have a little bit to do with the selection process. But really we get a new song a week, and we have to figure out how to make it into an a cappella song. It's been totally random for all of us to be in this position, but it's cool because you will be able to kind of watch our progression on the show and also they give a chance to really talk about our journey and like what we're really facing . . . the challenges we're facing and all of that. It's a cool little time for my fans and our fans and then new fans to kind of get to know our little Nashville crowd.
Did you know any of the other group members of The Collective before you were formed?
Yes. I knew a girl named Ruby Amanfu who is a part of a group called Sam & Ruby. She actually sang background on my record Kaleidoscope which was when I was 16, so like 2001 or 2002. And she's also sung on some other records of mine, so I've known her. I know Sam Brooker who's the other half of that group. And then actually everybody else was totally new to me.
So when you either choose a song during a given week or when one is chosen for your group, who decides who's going to sing what?
We actually get the song and then we kind of look around the room and kind of talk about who would fit the song the best. Whatever makes the most sense. So that was totally a new process for me to do, because you know doing a solo project it's like obviously I know who's going to be singing this. But you know it was cool because we got to like really step back and be supporting roles to each other which was really something that we hadn't had to do in the past. So yeah, you'll see kind of how we chose to push certain people in the spotlight and pull others back and everybody kind of got a little chance to shine. That was kind of a different, interesting process.
Has there been anything that's really stretched you when it comes to singing in an ensemble as opposed to singing by yourself?
For sure. You don't really ever have to think about keeping other people on track, on key. You can just go with the sound of your voice. I've always just kind of sung how I felt emotionally, and on certain days sometimes I have a raspier voice. I have to really control that and I have to really, really think about pitch and just the technical. I guess the way to say that is I think about the technical side more. I'm usually just either kind of by the seat of my pants and just hope for the best. And the band starts playing, I start singing and I hope for the best. And I think with The Sing-Off I have to really dive into my technical side and then on top of that, bring back the emotion and really feel the song, too, and communicate the song.
So yeah, there were just a few more facets. And you know sometimes when I'm not singing lead, I'm singing like these silly little syllables and words and sounds and noises that I've never done before because essentially when you're in an a cappella group, for the most part, you're making up for the band when it's not there. So sometimes you're making guitar noises, or bass noises or sounds effects and stuff. So that was really fun, but also really, really different.
How many weeks in to taping are you?
Five actually.
Can you say at this point which other group is your biggest competition?
You know it's so funny to say that, because I've been asked that question and I'm like, "Oh yeah, it's a competition," because I always forget. I wouldn't say that they're our biggest competition, but I think they're going to win because honestly we all realize that we're new at this and we don't think that we're going to do the best. We've picked who we think is going to win and it's a group called Pentatonix and they're five kids like 19, 20-year-old kids have no idea how talented they are. They're all like totally humble and sweet little angels, and then they get onstage and they're just like this thing you've never heard before. Just totally like futuristic and innovative and amazing. We love them!
After you perform, is it scary to go through the feedback time when the judges are giving their critiques?
I think on some shows it would be scary with certain judges, but these judges are so musically legitimate that you actually want to hear what they're going to say. And I guess the scary part comes in when there's a camera right in your face, and they're waiting for you to kind of have this certain reaction or make some kind of certain face. And so I think that the scary part is where you're kind of like, you're just under the microscope a little bit. But we all agree that like when [the judges] say something, they really are dead on. And actually on one of these episodes, you'll see we are kind of laughing because they're telling us exactly what we walked offstage saying. We walked offstage saying, "Okay we need to work on this, this and this," and then we get onstage and that's exactly what they say. It's almost like we respect them so much that we're not really afraid of what they're going to say. We're more eager and kind of curious about it.
Do you think that that kind of response speaks to the maturity that each of you in The Collective has because of your individual experience as solo artists?
Yeah. Maybe. I think it does have a little bit to do with it and just the fact that we've never been judged before. None of us collectively have ever really done competitions, and a lot of these groups are like college groups that they go around and compete. That's what they do. And so for us, maybe it's a little bit of naiveté. Maybe we're a little ignorant. We don't know what it's like to be judged and so we're more . . . we're less scared of it. So I think our naiveté is on our side and can be used to our advantage. Even going in to these competitions and going in to the episodes, we forget often that we are in a competition because we're really just hanging on by the seat of our pants. We don't really know what our talent is. We just know the works that we've done and the creativity, our own creative spin on it, and that's kind of what we're going by. So yeah, I think that's where most of the nerves come from is that whole part of it.
What's it been like working with the host of The Sing-Off, Nick Lachey, and had you ever met him before?
I did. And I reminded him of it. He is the nicest person on the show. He would come and just talk to us in between commercial breaks, and he's just the greatest. So during one of the commercial breaks he came over, and I was like, "We've done a show together." And he's like, " Really?" And I sang on Miss Teen USA with him, and it was 2001. I sang "Live for You" during the swimsuit competition [chuckles] which was so hilarious. And he sang, 98 Degrees actually sang, they sang on a different segment on the show. And he remembered actually. He remembered the whole event, so that was cool to remind him of that.
Can you talk about any of the songs you've already had to perform so far on The Sing-Off?
We're not allowed to say. I'm sorry. It's so hard.
What do you hope that this experience on The Sing-Off means for you personally or for your career?
I know that during the taping and stuff it's been really cool to just be able to talk to these college kids, because a lot of them are in college. Some of them are more our age, but even then it's been really cool to just share my experience with them, just kind of during the week, behind the scenes . . . because they are all just so precious and just coming out of high school and they love music and they don't all know about Nashville and about even L.A. But I think Nashville represents a group of artists who are making it without "making it" . . . without having to be "Hollywood" and be super famous. You don't have to be super famous to do music for a living, and they don't know about independent music and stuff. So it was cool to be able to share my heart about music and then obviously I even got chances to pray with a lot of the kids that you know weren't really normally doing that or weren't really wanting to. And people go through some pretty hard stuff on the show, and there's a lot of pressure and a lot of stress.
So it was cool to just share the Lord in certain ways. In some ways . . . yes, some ways were more obvious and evident than others, but even just to come with the love of Christ, to walk in this situation like that I just felt that power, that certain thing inside of me that God was giving me to be able to be a light and the strength to shine it to such a stressful little world. And then on a bigger level, just through the show actually being aired and stuff . . . it's one of those things I said "yes" to, and it's a new opportunity. If it reminds old fans of mine that I'm back and that I'm putting out new music, then that'll be great for that. And if it's about gaining new fans and showing new fans about Christian music and about independent music with the other people in my group, then that'll be a great benefit from that.
And beyond the music on the show, we hope that . . . one of our priorities was that we would communicate these songs and not just perform them and sing them, but really communicate something deeper on a deeper level. And so I hope that that comes through. And it's really hard on these shows. You get like a minute and a half, maybe two minutes, to sing and so as artists that was our biggest battle . . . now that we've done all the technical stuff, let's really share this song. So we hope that through just musically and through our songs we'll be able to touch people and move people, and that's the most pressure we can take on. God will do the rest. He'll plant seeds and do the rest. We're just trying to be genuine about our songs and see what happens.
So there are other believers in The Collective besides yourself?
Yes, there are. There's a lot, so that was a good little support system around me.
Do you feel like your years of not recording and touring really prepared you to naturally shine your light in this type of setting?
Totally. Just being a friend, too. I had to relearn how to just be a friend with people and so I think that also is showing now. Now that I'm out doing it again, it feels different because I feel like I'm friends with my producers and friends with my writers and with the people around me.
Let's say that The Collective does win The Sing-Off. That means you'll win a recording contract and release an album, right?
Yes. As The Collective, yes. And I think either way, I think we're probably putting out something just because we've all enjoyed it. But yeah, we're not really sure what that all means toward the end of it.
So that could be a whole new chapter for your career.
It will. I think we're all solo artists, and we all have yet to have that conversation of how much, how little, how much is it going to interfere with what we have going on. So far, I'm the only one in the group with a record coming out this year. So I'm kind of in the tightest position as far as time and all of that, but it always works itself out. It's going to be a fun year, and it will be a lot of work and I'm up for it.
Your album comes out the week following The Sing-Off's premiere. Is that right?
Yes. The premiere of the show is September 19 and my first episode is September 26, so . . . I think some people might be disappointed or think I'm on the first one.
Will you also be fitting in some time for touring All We Need this fall?
I'm actually back out the end of September, early October with Group 1 Crew and Shonlock and Rapture Ruckus.
What about acting? Are you still doing that or is it on the backburner right now as your music has come back to the forefront?
I would love to, yes, when I have time. I loved my experience on Hidden Secrets [2006] and have been sort of putting feelers out for more stuff. It kind of keeps getting pushed back a little bit by the record, by The Sing-Off, by the tour . . . you know all that stuff. So I think it's going to naturally find its way back in to my life maybe early next year or late this year. I think it's just got to make sense.
For more information about Rachael Lampa and her upcoming September 27 project, All We Need, please visit www.rachaellampa.com. NBC's The Sing-Off premieres on Monday night, September 19 at 8/7c. Check your local listings. Or for more information, please visit the official site for The Sing-Off.


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It seems that one of the biggest trends at IFA this year is that of the Windows 8 "hybrid PC", a combination of tablet and keyboard, that can turn a touch device into a laptop and back.
Not wishing to be left behind by equivalents from Samsung, Sony, et al, is HP. It has announced the HP Envy x2, a 11.6-inch device that runs the latest operating system from Microsoft and features Beats Audio system which the manufacturer hopes will give it that extra edge over the rest.
Weighing 1.4kg when the keyboard is attached, 0.68kg when not, the Envy x2 has a HD IPS panel, which should ensure decent brightness (400-nit), and front and rear cameras - it does double as a tablet, after all. The front is HD for webcam duties, the rear 8-megapixel for snapping the family, etc.
NFC is built into the hybrid PC, for use with media sharing, and HP has added proprietary software, including HP Connected Photo, an app that syncs photos across multiple devices and offers basic editing options. There's also HP Connected Music powered by Meridian for music downloads, internet radio and more.
Pricing is yet to be announced, but the HP Envy x2 will be released in time for the Christmas holiday season.
UPDATE: Pocket-lint now has UK pricing and availability details. The HP Envy x2 will be available from late October for £799.


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Old Cold: Living in Ice Age America
by Meg Moss
Back off, Brachiosaurus. Take a hike, T. rex.
Make way for the giant mammals of the Ice Age. That's right. A whole new variety of animals developed after the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. By 3 million years ago, furry elephants and supersized sloths roamed the land.
Oh, Give Me a Home…
What was North America like when giant beasts were at home on the range? Most of it was very different than the place we know now. Ever been to Chicago in the winter? Not cold enough. How about a blizzard in North Dakota? You're getting warmer, er, colder. Antarctica? That's it! There aren't too many places in the world today that resemble North America during the last great Ice Age.
The Earth is ancient. Scientists estimate that it is about 4.6 billion years old. Over all those years, the climate on Earth has changed back and forth between warm and cold. At times, the Earth has been a tropical, humid place. But now and again, the Earth turned cold and wrapped itself in sheets of ice. These cycles of warm and cold take millions of years. They are caused by changes in the way the Earth orbits the sun and how it tilts on its axis, which affect how much of the sun's heat reaches the Earth. The last great cold cycle, which we know as the Ice Age, ended about 10,000 years ago.
During the Ice Age, the Earth's average temperature was about 12 degrees Fahrenheit colder than it is today. That was enough to keep snow from melting during the summers in northern regions. As snow fell on snow, thick sheets of ice called glaciers formed. Their tremendous weight began to push them 200 to 400 feet southward each year until ice covered 17 million square miles of what is now Europe, North and South America, Antarctica, and Asia. Smaller glaciers even formed on mountaintops in Hawaii and Africa. Icebergs filled half the world's oceans. Imagine ice covering nearly everything in North America north of St. Louis—and not just ordinary ice, either. The huge glaciers were up to two miles thick, and they weighed enough to gouge out the Great Lakes, move huge boulders, and scrape and scratch rocks with marks we can still see. Today, only Greenland and Antarctica remain covered with ice; smaller glaciers ebb and flow in the high mountain ranges, but they are mere shadows of the huge ice sheets of 20,000 years ago.
Where the Sabertooth Tiger and the Giant Short–faced Bear Roam
Nothing could live on these ice sheets, of course, but just beyond their reach the land teemed with life. In the colder weather of the Ice Age, enough seawater froze that sea levels were lower by about 300 feet, revealing landmasses unknown today. An entire subcontinent, called Beringia, surfaced and connected Alaska and Russia. Since the melting of the glaciers, much of this frozen land, a thousand miles wide and twice the size of Texas, has been again covered with water. But during the Ice Age, Beringia, though cold, remained remarkably ice-free. No forests or even trees grew there, but grasses and edible plants supported an amazing array of now extinct beasts, including American lions, giant short-faced bears, and wild horses. They used Beringia as a way to cross from Asia into North America, probably searching for new sources of food.
…And the Mammoth and Mastodon Play
But the undisputed king (or queen) of Beringia was the woolly mammoth. This Ice Age creature and the modern elephant share an ancient ancestor, and in many ways they are alike. Both are huge, both have a trunk and tusks, and both are vegetarians. Unlike its hot-weather cousin, however, the woolly mammoth was well adapted to the cold world in which it lived. Four layers insulated the mammoth against temperatures as low as −50 degrees Fahrenheit. Beneath its one-inch-thick skin lay several inches of fat. A dense layer of wool covered the skin, and on top of it all, thick "guard hairs" up to three feet long gave the woolly mammoth its warm and fuzzy look. Its small ears and short trunk lost little body heat. (By contrast, in the heat of Africa and India, modern elephants use their large ears to release heat from their bodies.) Keeping warm takes fuel, and the mammoth ate up to 400 pounds of grass and plants each day, using its curved tusks to push the snow away. During the long, dark winters, when food was scarce, the mammoth had enough body fat to sustain it.
Other varieties of mammoth roamed North America, including the gigantic Columbian mammoth, which lived well south of the ice. The mastodon, another elephant-like creature, ranged all over, from Florida to Washington state.
So what happened to these beasts? At the end of the Ice Age, in a mere 2,000 years, nearly 70 species went extinct. Some scientists think that, as the glaciers melted, the good grazing lands grew wet and forests began to take over the land, making it difficult for the large animals to find food. Other scientists believe that disease may have killed off the big mammals.
Another Ice Age Animal
There is one other theory about the extinction of the Ice Age creatures. Human beings, too, crossed the Beringia land bridge into North America, probably around 12,000 years ago, late in the Ice Age. They gradually spread southward along ice-free pathways. How did humans survive the cold? One way was to hunt and kill the large animals for their meat, fur, bones, and hides. Ice Age humans even made needles out of bone and, using sinew for thread, sewed warm clothes together from animal skins. Archaeologists call these early people the Clovis, and they have found Clovis spearheads alongside the remains of mammoths and mastodons. But could humans have wiped out entire species by hunting, or "overkilling"? Perhaps a changing climate weakened the animals enough to make them easy prey for human hunters. But evidence is scant, and experts disagree about the role humans played in the disappearance of the Ice Age giants.
Want to catch a glimpse of the Ice Age? Check out the muskoxen and caribou at your local zoo. Unlike most other Ice Age beasts, these sturdy creatures still wander the snowy, cold reaches of the far north. The muskox wears a fur coat similar to that of the mammoth, and its impressive horns give it a distinctly ancient look. Oh, and just in case you think ALL the Ice Age animals were giants, meet the tiny pika, a furry mouselike creature that has always made its home on the lonely mountaintops that poke through the glaciers. It survived the Ice Age (and thousands of winters since) by storing grasses to eat among the rock piles that sheltered it against the blustery cold.
Not all of North America was covered in ice during the Ice Age. In Florida, for instance, the climate was a lot like it is today—tropical and hot. The southwestern part of the continent also provided refuge for creatures that preferred warmer weather. Some of these animals were pretty bizarre, even by Ice Age standards. The glyptodon, for example, looked like nothing alive today. This 8-foot-long mammal had teeth like a mouse and a furry face, but its body was protected by a hard turtlelike shell. A little armored cap and a tail sheathed in an armored tube were further protection against predators such as sabertooth tigers. Though the glyptodon was as big as a modern-day car, it was probably a gentle giant. It ate only plants.
Baby Dima
How do we know so much about mammoths and other extinct Ice Age creatures? Dinosaur remains are rare finds, but the bones of Ice Age beasts are relatively plentiful. Many animals were lured to lush waterholes, where they became trapped in gooey mud or tar and died of starvation or exhaustion. Their skeletons, which have been recovered and put back together, tell us everything from how these animals moved to when they lived and how old they were when they died. People once thought that giant tusks poking through the ice were evidence of fearsome underground beasts. But, for scientists, mammoth remains preserved in the frozen ground provide a wealth of information. In parts of Siberia, the ground is frozen to 1,500 feet below the surface. This permafrost can preserve a mammoth's body for tens of thousands of years, until shifting Earth reveals its hiding place. Baby Dima, a mammoth calf discovered in 1977, is one of the best-preserved examples. His body and skin were intact, and tufts of hair still clung to his back legs. Scientists could even take samples of his blood and look inside his stomach.
- refuge:
- Protection or shelter from danger or trouble.
- scant:
- Not enough in amount or size.
- subcontinent:
- A large area of land, such as India, that is part of a continent but is considered a separate geographical or political division.
- Why would a change in Earth's orbit or the tilt of Earth on its axis affect Earth's climate?
- During the last Ice Age, Earth was about 12 degrees Fahrenheit colder than it is today. The temperature in your town or city might change 12 degrees from one day to the next. Why do you think Earth's climate was so affected by the cooler temperature of the last Ice Age? Write a few sentences to explain your answer.
- What possible effect might there be on the planet if the temperature were an average of 12 degrees warmer than it is today?


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Residents in Marseille, France have officially asked for a Batman to come help them with skyrocketing crime.
The mock petition, titled "Will it take Batman to save Marseille?" has thousands of signatures and a Facebook page for the group has more than 4,000 fans.
Europe's current "Capital of Culture" is also considered "Europe's most dangerous place to be young."
More than a quarter of the 800,000 population is living below the poverty line, and there have been 13 gang-related killings so far this year. In 2012, authorities intercepted around 300 Kalashnikovs.
The French city's quest for Batman comes following the death of pensioner Jacques Blondel, 61, who was shot dead trying to stop a robbery by first knocking the thieves over with his car then confronting them with a baseball bat.
The petition says increased police presence in the city hasn't been effective at curbing crime rates, and accuses politicians of empty rhetoric and sound bites.
"A Batman for Marseille aims to encourage Marseille residents to take their own security and not simply outbid opportunistic communication and political meningitis," the petition says.
The petition suggests community groups unite and work toward a "common vision" for the city rather than relying on increased police and military deployment.


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Hendaye Tortoise - Grey lensMHENTOR1ACCRP R 1,200.00
Yes, you'll look better with a pair of these shades on. Featuring a retro square acetate frame and Grey Polarised lenses, the Hendaye sunglasses are an unrivalled classic.
MAWU Hendaye sunglasses come with a limited edition Travis Graffiti cleaning cloth and soft pouch designed by Damn Vandal and a faux leather case.
Frame Colour: Tortoise
Lens Colour: Grey
Lens Technology: CR39 Polarised - 400 UVA + UVB
Frame Material: Acetate Gloss
Accessories: Purple Jungle box, Limited edition Travis Graffiti cleaning cloth and soft pouch, and a faux leather case.
Mawu shades are handcrafted with acetate; a natural plant based material - the highest quality material for eyeglasses. Seriously, this stuff is legendary. It's strong, lightweight and highly flexible, which means it can be shaped and rehashed for the perfect fit. Find out more about reshaping your acetate frames.
Frame size: 53 □ 18 145
Lens curve: 6C
Angle: 11°
Our shades are the correct fit for more than 90% of our customers. But if you have a sizeable head and larger facial features than the average person, our shades might not fit you properly. If this is the case, you have two options:
1) Avoid sunny destinations
2) Hide your tears with less desirable sunglasses
Take a seat… We deliver to your door.
We know you can't wait to improve your appearance with your new pair of sunglasses, but you can expect delivery in 1 – 4 business days after purchase. Oh, and delivery is FREE because we're in a good mood. Our shades are shipped from our SA warehouse in Durban bru!
Take note, we only ship in South Africa on this online store. Check out the USA, UK, European or Australian store if you're somewhere else in the world.
Once you set your eyes on your new sunglasses, you'll want to keep them close. But if you're on the shady side today, we'll reluctantly take your MAWU item back in its original, unworn condition within 7 days of purchase.
If you break your new sunglasses, you'll have to deal with the guilt, the shame and the horror on your own.
Take note, you cannot swap your shades for a different style. If you're making us pay for shipping back and forth, we'll kick you out so that your only option will be to buy less-cool shades that will cost you your life savings.
If your acetate shades aren't a perfect fit or need a little reshaping, you can find out more about reshaping your acetate frames here.
Get to Know Us
What's in a name? Everything, when you name it after a God. Mawu is the creator goddess in African mythology who brings the cool nights after the hot African sun. But who really cares?
Mawu eyewear came about when two friends with different outlooks on life came together to build a shared dream of launching a global brand.
Greg, founder of a skate company and Marshy, a professional helicopter pilot had radically different approaches to life. Greg is all go-go-go from the start, where Marshy prefers to plan ahead.
But when it came to embarking on the epic venture of Mawu eyewear, the two friends were the perfect blend.
Greg and Marshy's dream came to life on a helicopter trip above the African landscape. Greg's favourite pair of shades fell out of the helicopter and faded away.
Greg loved these shades so much, that he was willing to go and search for them. But, that's when the idea was sparked. Wouldn't it be easier to start a sunglasses company than to burn a fortune for a new pair or search for the lost shades in the endless terrain?
Probably not, but they did it anyway.
With a "let's do it" attitude, the two friends set out to build an audacious brand – offering uniqueness, quality and true exclusivity.


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Diddy Wallin Out: Meet Ciroc Obama (Tellin People To Vote On November 4th)
Diddy reports "Don't get comfortable and rely on the polls! Barack Obama needs your vote on November 4th! Get out and Vote November 4th! "
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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Carolyn Latham
|San Rafael, Cal. (Wyoming)
2007: CoSIDA All-Academic District IV Second Team. ...Team captain for both cross county and track. ...All Atlantic Sun Conference performer with seventh place finish in conference cross country championship, moving up 38 places from the year before. ...Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team. ...Personal best time of 23:48 in 6-K at NCAA South Regional Championships. ...24th in Memphis Twilight with 5-K time of 18:55. ...PR at Auburn Invitational with 5-K time of 18:26. ...Time of 15:25 in Belmont Opener 4-K. ...Scored for the Lady Bisons in 5,000 meters in both indoor and outdoor A-Sun Conference track and field championships.
2006:Finished 15th in the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic . ...Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team.
High School: Captain for both cross country and soccer teams… Played soccer four years….Ran cross country two years.
Personal: Parents are Bob and Sharon Finston, Jeff and and Cindy Latham . …Lipscomb 2008-2009 captain. ...Enjoys horseback riding. ...Has done endurance horseback riding since she was 11 years old and hasfinished 4,100-miles in 24 hours endurance rides. Favorite band is Cold Play. ...Major is Exercise Science.


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Quantity: Pack of 1440 Crystals
Brand: SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS
Colour: Light Peach (362)
Size: 4mm
Quantity: Pack 1440 pcs
Hole Size: .812mm/20 gauge
Style: 5328 Xilion Bicone
Country of Origin: Austria
Light Peach is a pale orange colour. These 4mm Xilion bicone beads are part of the Swarovski Elements range of crystals and are diamond shaped with 24 precision cut facets to provide the ultimate in sparkle. This is a wholesale factory pack of 1440 beads which are suitable for stringing on wire, thread or stretch elastic of 0.812mm diameter or smaller and are perfect for adding some glitz or glamour to your jewellery designs. If you require a wholesale pack colour not shown you can give us a call at Crystal and Glass Beads on 01792 524967 or drop us an email and we can order in for you within a few days.
Smaller packs are available if required in our Swarovski Elements bicone beads Small packs section.
All Items will be dispatched within 24 hours of placing an order Monday-Friday (99% of orders placed before 3pm are dispatched the same day (except larger semi precious bead orders which can take longer).
If any item is out of stock we will notify you by email/telephone.
1. Standard Delivery, Royal Mail First Class: £2.20 Usually arrives within 2 working days (Royal Mail can in rare cases can take up to 15 days).
2. Recorded Delivery, Royal Mail First Class Recorded: £2.80 Requires a signature upon receipt and usually arrives within 2 working days (Royal Mail can in rare cases can take up to 15 days).
3. UK Royal Mail Special Delivery: £7.94 Requires a signature upon receipt and usually arrives the next day before 1pm (Royal Mail only guarantee deliver Monday to Friday)
4. Airmail to Europe: £10.00 Usually takes 3-5 working days and requires a signature upon receipt, (Airmail can in rare cases take up to 20 days)
5. Global Delivery: £12.00 Usually takes 5-7 working days and requires a signature upon receipt, (Airmail can in rare cases take up to 20 days)
Note: 1st Class orders of Semi Precious Beads or Glass Beads over 1kg in weight will be sent 2nd Class due to the weight.


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Have you ever wanted to see an Australian platypus in the wild?
The Mackay Region offers the best and most reliable locations to see these unusual mammals swimming in rainforest creeks and rivers. Journey to Finch Hatton Gorge and Eungella National Park for a natural adventure the family will cherish.
The best place to see a platypus in the wild is in the depths of Eungella National Park at Broken River. It takes little over an hour to reach Broken River from Mackay. The best time of day to see a platypus is during dawn or dusk, as this is when they become active to look for food.
|8 Hours
|220 Kilometres
Starting in Mackay, your platypus seeking adventure starts by travelling 60 kilometres west on the Mackay-Eungella Road, weaving through paddocks of Pioneer Valley sugar cane farms.
Country towns full of charm such as Gargett, Pleystowe, Marian and Mirani are worth exploration on your way through.
Feeling peckish? Stop at the famous Pinnacle Pub for one of its delicious pies.
|Route Details
|Mode of Travel
|Car, Motorcycle
|Route Type
|One Way
Continue your journey to Finch Hatton Gorge where your first glimpse of a platypus awaits.
Discover the world's first platypus SCUBA diving adventure, Rainforest Scuba and come face to face with a platypus in the cool rainforest water.
Continue the adventure by walking to one of Finch Hatton's popular waterfalls. Araluen Cascades and the Wheel of Fire Cascades are well worth the walk through the lush landscape of fascinating flora and volcanic boulders.
Distance to Araluen Cascades: 2.8 kilometres return.
Distance to Wheel of Fire Cascades: 4.2 kilometres return.
Another Finch Hatton adventure is Forest Flying. Forest Flying takes you into the tree tops for a fascinating up close view of the pristine rainforest as you glide along a pulley and harness system at your own pace.
|Route Details
|Mode of Travel
Drive 30 kilometres from Finch Hatton to the town of Eungella and be treated to beautiful panoramic vistas of the Pioneer Valley.
Drive along the Eungella Dam Road to the area known as Broken River.
Platypus Walk:
Begin near the café at the Broken River carpark, opposite a camping ground. The platypus path parallels the river to a viewing platform and is suitable for wheelchairs. The short walk only takes a few minutes and caters to all fitness levels. Other attractions can be spotted in the river including turtles and eels.
Another great vantage point is from the pedestrian walkway on the Broken River Bridge itself.
Platypus Spotting TIPS:
Platypuses are shy so be patient and quiet.
Look for air bubbles rising to the surface of the water.
Take binoculars for a better view if they surface on the opposite side of the river.
Dawn and dusk are the best times of day to see them.
As your platypus adventure draws to a close, enjoy a leisurely drive back to Mackay, or stay in Eungella National park and experience a magical evening in the rainforest.
|Route Details
|Mode of Travel
|Car, Four Wheel Drive
|Route Type
|One Way
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Virginia Toyota Dealers:
Virginia may be for lovers, but if you'd love to find a new or used Toyota in Virginia, Buyatoyota.com is the only place to be. From the Cumberland Plateau, to the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the Tidewater and every point in between Buyatoyota.com is your one-stop clearinghouse for Toyota Special Offers & Inventory throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. When you're ready to go places in a Toyota car, truck, minivan, SUV, or hybrid, let Buyatoyota.com help you locate the vehicle that's just right for you. Surf your computer, tablet or smartphone browser to Buyatoyota.com and do it all: Find new and used vehicles. Locate dealers convenient to you. View inventory. Explore options. Request a quote. Or simply get directions to nearby dealerships. You'll love the convenience of it all at Buyatoyota.com


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You say they must be changed, but can they be? In the UK they introduced an appalling curriculum and tried to centrally manage things, and it was ghastly; one of the reasons why I left the country.
NCATE/TESOL Teacher Education Standards
The current NCATE/TESOL teacher education standards are prescriptive, impractical, foster an instrumentalist worldview, and as such are fundamentally flawed and endangering the quality of teacher education programs. As our students (teacher trainees and ESL/EFL students) seek better opportunities in life, they depend on our ability to provide them with quality instruction. What we need is an effective accreditation system relying on peer accreditation in an environment of mutual respect, accountability, and qualitative assessment methods.
Such qualitative assessment could take place through evaluation of narratives in which each domain as defined by NCATE/TESOL (language, culture, planning/implementing/managing instruction, assessment, and professionalism) would be addressed. Reviewers would be able to evaluate these texts based on criteria accepted in the academia (for instance, consistency, treatment of theory and empirical research, adequacy to local needs, and so on). This system would be based on professional evaluation methods such as peer review, self-assessment, and demonstration of knowledge of theory and research. This is the professional model of accreditation.
Unfortunately, instead of such professional model, TESOL focuses on expected candidate outcomes – the prescribed outcomes model. The professional model is ideal for the post-modern world in that it allows multiple approaches and solutions; a prescribed outcomes model promotes a homogeneous curricular mindset based on positivist philosophy and canonical knowledge and "best practices."
Some other problems with the new TESOL standards:
1) There are as many as thirteen standards and no less than seventy performance indicators
2) As any ESL teacher knows, aspects of teaching cannot be isolated
3) Some areas of important knowledge cannot be found in the standards
The present prescriptive form of the document is dangerous because:
1) it tries to justify control and creates a false impression of uniformity
2) it fosters micromanagement
3) it promotes an instrumentalist philosophy (teacher as a mere technician, not a researcher or an independent thinker)
The prescriptive, instrumental, and impractical TESOL/NCATE standards must be changed to accommodate the new professional model of teacher training and education accreditation. In their present form, they are degrading to us as teacher educators and of little practical use to our trainees and students.
Newman, M., & Hanauer, D. (2005). The NCATE/TESOL Teacher education standards: A critical review. TESOL Quarterly, 34 (3).
Last edited by TESOL Researcher; 26-May-2006 at 18:10.
You say they must be changed, but can they be? In the UK they introduced an appalling curriculum and tried to centrally manage things, and it was ghastly; one of the reasons why I left the country.
Hi everyone,
Sorry that I have been away these last few weeks and I didn't visit the site for quite some time. But, I am now back and looking forward to make use of the resources to support my ESL classes.
By the way, could you direct me as to whether I can find some reading material, such as, news, short stories, that I may be able to use?
Have you tried breakingnewsenglish.com?


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What's with the whole lawyer-turned-bestselling-author phenomenon, à la Grisham, Baldacci, and Turow?
Lawyer-turned-bestselling-author Linda Fairstein offers a theory: "People who are litigators are in some sense storytellers. They're bound by the facts. Lots of lawyers have good verbal skills."
And at legal conferences, she observes, classes titled "Lawyers who write fiction" fill up quicker than those on "How to write a will."
Fairstein always wanted to be a writer. "I had a very loving but practical father who said, 'You have nothing to write about,'" she says.
So she opted for another risky move. After graduating from Vassar, she braved the culture shock of entering law school at UVA in 1969.
"I was going from one of the best all-women's colleges in the country, trained to do whatever I set my mind to do, to a school with no women undergrads and where the law school reluctantly admitted them," recalls Fairstein.
For 30 years, Fairstein put her law degree to good use, prosecuting sex crimes as an assistant district attorney in New York. After cases like Robert "Preppie Murder" Chambers and the Central Park "wildings," she had plenty to write about. She's now on tour for her seventh novel, Entombed– about a Manhattan prosecutor named Alex Cooper.
"I'm one of those absolute idiots who enjoy book tours," confesses Fairstein. And she's thrilled to return to her old stomping grounds to spend a day at the law school, chat with David Baldacci on March 18 about "Lawyers who write suspense" and speak at the Crime Wave luncheon March 20. "I have a more interesting book tour than most," she says.
Fairstein left the DA's office in 2002 to write full time, and has no idea how she pulled off writing a nonfiction book on sexual violence and four novels while pursuing her demanding prosecutor's job. "My husband says I did it on his time," she says of the vacations and free time devoted to writing.
Having grown up in the Kennedy era, Fairstein still feels strongly about public service, in particular, the prosecution of sex crimes and violence against women. In fact, there's one question she's tired of being asked: "How could you have stayed in that job for 30 years? It sounds depressing."
And even now, there are cases that she'd kill (oops, bad choice of words) to be on. "I desperately wanted to go through the TV screen and prosecute Scott Peterson," she admits. "Instead of a soap opera, it was an opportunity to educate people that the leading cause of death for pregnant women is homicide."
On the other hand, "Michael Jackson looks like too much of a circus for me."
Age: 57
What do you like best about Charlottesville? The Lawn and original campus that Jefferson designed. I used to love to sit outside and read on the grass in the springtime.
Least: The hideous strip malls leading north out of town on Route 29
Favorite hangout: Keswick
Most overrated virtue? Maybe it's the prosecutor in me, but I like virtues. Honesty, fidelity, purity– never met one I didn't like.
People would be surprised to know: That the two careers I dreamed of having were either to be a classical ballerina... or a back-up dancer for Tina Turner.
Proudest accomplishment: Helping to change the way victims of sexual violence are treated by the criminal justice system
People find most annoying about you: My efforts to cross-examine them
Whom do you admire: Hillary Clinton, Beverly Sills, Anna Quindlen– strong women in nontraditional roles who've challenged myths and stereotypes and been triumphant
Favorite book: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. It has just about every great plot, motive, characterization– and such brilliant use of the English language
Subject that causes you to rant: Mendacity
Biggest 21st-century thrill? I hope that's yet to come.
Biggest 21st century creep-out? The tsunami
What do you drive? A Mercedes and a Miata
In your car CD right now? Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company
Next journey? To open our home on Martha's Vineyard for the spring season.
Most trouble you've ever gotten in: I'm a very law-abiding citizen.
Regret? Life's too short. I've missed some opportunities, but I don't believe in regrets.
Favorite comfort food: A well-toasted English muffin
Always in your refrigerator: Ice cubes for my Scotch
Must-see TV: 60 Minutes
Favorite cartoon: The only cartoons I like are political ones, like those featured in the Sunday NYTimes.
Describe a perfect day. I wake up on Martha's Vineyard, have coffee with my husband, kiss him goodbye then stroll down the hill to my cottage and effortlessly write 10 pages of my next novel. Take a walk on the beach and a brisk swim. Go home and find the massage therapist waiting for me. Catch up with my friends on the phone. Have fresh oysters with our cocktails on the deck and a lobster dinner in front of the fireplace– and fall asleep after reading the latest Baldacci or Crais or Lippman or other favorite crime novel.
Walter Mitty fantasy: Performing back-up with Tina Turner
Who'd play you in movie? Annette Bening
Most embarrassing moment? There are so many of these I wouldn't know where to begin. Maybe candor is an overrated virtue.
Best advice you ever got? Follow your dreams. I never gave up on my childhood ambition to write books– and in the middle of a 30-year career in the law, about which I was enormously passionate, I found a way to make the original dream come true.
Favorite bumper sticker: I hate bumper stickers.
Linda Fairstein PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO


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ITHACA, N.Y. - Tucker Healy (Needham, Mass./Needham), who recently completed his career with the Ithaca College baseball team, has been selected on the third day of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Healy was picked by the Oakland Athletics in the 23rd round with the 709th pick. He's the first Bomber drafted since Shane Wolf and Bryan Gardner were taken in the 2008 draft. He graduated last month from the School of Business.
More coverage from the Needham (Mass.) Patch | D3baseball.com's draft coverage
Healy is a four-time Empire 8 all-star (earning first-team honors in 2009, 2010 and 2012). He went 3-3 with six saves this season, compiling a 3.15 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. His 14.42 strikeouts per nine inngs this spring marked Ithaca's third-highest single-season mark.
"We were following it online, and we had an inkling, because [the Oakland A's] had called last night and said that they were planning on taking him today," Michael Healy, Tucker's father, told the Needham (Mass.) Patch. "But that happened last year—the Mets called him last year and said the same thing and then never took him. You just never know until you hear it called out."
In his career, Healy recorded a school-record-tying 16 saves with a 9-5 record. In 59 career appearances (fourth all-time at Ithaca), which includes six starts, he struck out 152 batters in 100.2 innings; his career average of 13.59 (151 strikeouts in 99.1 innings) is second on the program's all-time list and among Division III's 20 best marks.


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Model# XI3719A
Acer XV HT Iron - Custom Assembled
Base Price $29.95The HT (High Trajectory) has nearly a 30% wider sole and shallower face than our standard Acer XV model to get up in the air quickly from virtually any lie with maximum forgiveness. HT version is favored by beginners, slower swingers and golfers who tend to sweep the ball off of the ground. Learn More
Model# XI3716A
Acer XV Iron - Custom Assembled
Base Price $29.95The standard XV is designed to fit the broadest range of golfers and instill confidence into their game. Features ample offset to help the player square up the face at impact and the enhanced heel-toe weighting enables players to hit both straighter and more solid shots. Learn More
Model# XI3720A
Acer XV Pro Iron - Custom Assembled
Base Price $29.95The XV Pro features the same cutting edge design as the standard, but with a more compact design and reduced offset favored by better players. The XV Pro model also has a slightly narrower sole and thinner topline. Learn More
Model# XI3723C
Acer XV Tour Blade Iron - Custom Assembled
Base Price $34.95The Acer XV Tour Blade is geared for golfers who are seeking maximum shot control or the ability to work the ball, while constructed from 304 stainless steel rivaling that nice soft, solid feel of a forged iron. These can be mixed and matched seamlessly with the Acer XV Pro to make the perfect blended set for the skilled player who may still need some help in the longer irons. Learn More


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Brewers Win Series Finale against Marlins
Nelson Gets 1st Major League Win
Following a memorable afternoon's work, Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jimmy Nelson left Marlins Park with a souvenir baseball and a plane ticket for a trip back to the minors.
Nelson earned his first career victory in his season debut Sunday, pitching 5 2-3 scoreless innings in a spot start to beat the Miami Marlins 7-1.
The Brewers gave Nelson a game ball and sent him back to Triple-A Nashville, which was the plan before the game.
"He was really impressive - dominant stuff," teammate Ryan Braun said. "A guy who's that good, you know you'll see him again soon."
Rated the Brewers' top prospect, Nelson was recalled to start for Yovani Gallardo, who is nursing a sore left ankle. Nelson allowed five hits and three walks, but Miami went 0 for 7 against the 6-foot-5 right-hander with runners in scoring position.
"He's got really good stuff," manager Ron Roenicke said. "He let a lot of balls get away from him, but he made some great pitches when he needed to and threw some great sliders. With him it's just going to be a matter of trying to command the ball, and not let so many balls get up and away from him."
It helped the rookie that he had a 5-0 lead before taking the mound in the second inning. Braun led the way with four hits, including a double and a triple. The Brewers' slugger, who has been nursing a sore right side, came into the game 5 for 27 on their trip.
Jonathan Lucroy had two doubles and a triple to hike his average to .331. Khris Davis doubled twice for the Brewers, who totaled 14 hits, seven for extra bases.
Marcell Ozuna broke up the shutout by hitting his ninth homer in the ninth off Francisco Rodriguez.
Miami's Randy Wolf (0-1) made his first start since September 2012 and was treated harshly. The 37-year-old left-hander, who is trying to come back from the second Tommy John surgery of his career, gave up nine hits and six runs - four earned - in five innings.
"This is not the first time I've had a bad game," Wolf said. "The only thing I can take out of this game is that things got better as the game went on."
Wolf was filling in for ace Jose Fernandez, sidelined earlier this month by a season-ending elbow injury.
NL Central leader Milwaukee won two of three games in the series and improved to 18-6 against the Marlins since the start of 2011.
The Brewers went 4-6 on their longest trip of the season. Miami fell to 20-8 at Marlins Park, still the best home record in the majors.
Nelson hit 94 mph on the radar gun and was at his best pitching from the stretch. He loaded the bases in the fifth but escaped by retiring Derek Dietrich and Giancarlo Stanton.
"I think it was a classic case of being effectively wild," the Marlins' Casey McGehee said. "It was kind of a weird outing. He was giving the appearance that he was all over the place, but then when he was in the zone he wasn't in the fat part of the plate. His stuff was certainly there. There's a lot to like about the kid."
Nelson twice struck out Stanton, the major-league RBI leader. But the rookie wasn't too impressed with himself.
"I battled myself mechanically all day," Nelson said. "I didn't have my best stuff. But you're not going to be at your best every time out. This is good experience. You remember the good and the bad, build off that and build confidence, and hopefully next time up get deeper into games."
Gallardo is scheduled to rejoin the rotation and start Wednesday against Baltimore. Before Nelson's season debut, the Brewers were the only NL team to use just five starting pitchers this season, and he'll return to standby status.
"We like our guys," Roenicke said, "but if something happens with an injury, we feel really good about bringing him back."
Notes: INF Irving Falu will be recalled from Nashville to take Nelson's roster spot. ... The Marlins had two infield hits to increase their season total to 59, most in the majors. ... Miami will begin a three-game series Monday at Washington, with RHP Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 3.41) scheduled to start against RHP Tanner Roark (3-2, 3.42). ... The Brewers return home to begin a three-game series Monday against Baltimore, with RHP Kyle Lohse (6-1, 2.67) scheduled to face RHP Chris Tillman (4-2, 4.21).