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Cory Everett
Elliott Smith R.I.P
Reply #75 on:
February 06, 2004, 11:53:01 PM
roman candle is interesting to see where he was starting out, but very very low-fi. demos recorded on a 4 track in someones basement, songs are okay. elliott smith (self titled) starts to get a bit better. there are some pretty crushing songs in there incl. needle in the hay, st. ides heaven, the biggest lie. i didnt care for it when i first got it (i started at figure 8 and worked backwards), but its actually really good. still totally acoustic/low-fi songs are getting better. either/or is his first great album. still acoustic and intimate but the songs are fantastic all the way through, highlights being the goodwillhunting tracks angeles, between the bars, say yes. xo, his first major label is fully instrumented and finds some interesting middle ground between either or and figure 8, his totally lush beatles-esque pop album. i love 8, xo, eitheror and think they're all really great albums.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.
The Master of Two Worlds
Elliott Smith R.I.P
Reply #76 on:
February 06, 2004, 11:54:39 PM
i dont know what you're saying. Roman Candle is fucking amazing. And the low-fi aesthetic works PERfectly with the (great) songs. But then again, I think I love all his albums...his self titled is probably my least favorite.
Cory Everett
Elliott Smith R.I.P
Reply #77 on:
February 06, 2004, 11:57:42 PM
yeah? i still have not really gotten into roman candle. i sort of see his songwriting skills developing along the way to either/or when they've fully blossomed and become incredible for the rest of the way.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.
Elliott Smith R.I.P
Reply #78 on:
February 15, 2004, 11:17:29 AM
Long road down
Elliott Smith's death is unsolved. The musician's life and lyrics are just as mysterious.
Source: Los Angeles Times
MAKESHIFT MEMORIAL: A wall outside Solutions, a Silver Lake stereo repair shop, was used on one of Elliott's Smith's album covers. Fans now write notes on the wall.
In a bohemian stretch of Sunset Boulevard that winds through Silver Lake, there's a stereo repair shop with an exterior that seems, for some, oddly familiar: The coiling red and blue lines on its external wall served as the cover for an album by a battered troubadour named Elliott Smith, a Los Angeles musician who at the time of the record's release, in 2000, was one of pop's bright lights — someone who combined dark, sometimes self-lacerating lyrics with melody inspired by the British Invasion.
Signed to the DreamWorks label, with a rabid following among critics and musicians, Smith seemed poised to become a melancholic, low-key version of Beck. Fans — for whom an underground musician is often a secret passed from one to another — responded passionately to the delicacy and bedroom-scale quality of his music. It made them feel like he was singing about their lives too.
Since Oct. 22, the day after Smith's sudden death by knife wound to the chest in his Echo Park apartment, the wall on Sunset has come alive with their remembrances of the musician, who moved to town in 1999 after years of wandering. Now, nearly every space on the wall is covered with a scrawled lyric, a fan wishing the singer well, offering condolence ("I guess you just weren't made for these times"), or expressing frustration at his unexpected departure. Candles, melted over the lips of wine and beer bottles, broken wooden speakers and arrangements of flowers sit on the sidewalk, still tended each day by tattooed acolytes.
Interest in Smith has spread far beyond Silver Lake. Tribute concerts are taking place from Atlanta to Dublin; closer to home, a petition is circulating to turn part of Echo Park into a memorial. Magazine stories keep coming, and a New York journalist is working on a biography. His family is making arrangements for a posthumous album.
A cult musician in life, he seems, like English folkie Nick Drake, Joy Division singer Ian Curtis and alt-country pioneer Gram Parsons, to exert fascination in death as well.
Master of ambiguity
Smith's music, much of which was almost nakedly intimate, often concerned ambiguity, ambivalence: He called one record "Either/Or," a title he borrowed from Kierkegaard. At least one song, "The Biggest Lie," which concludes his self-titled 1995 album, is a masterpiece of obfuscation: He sings about a couple that experience joy and sorrow and then concludes, "I just told the biggest lie."
"He never lets you on to which part of the lyric he's lying about — that happiness or the sadness," Luke Wood, Smith's DreamWorks A&R rep, pointed out on a KCRW-FM appreciation. "And that's Elliott." (Wood and many close to Smith, including his family, declined to discuss him for this story.)
The ambiguity of Smith's life has taken on an even deeper meaning with his death, originally judged a suicide but now under investigation by the LAPD for possible foul play. The report by the L.A. County Department of the Coroner refuses to rule on his death because of circumstances "atypical of suicide" that "raise the possibility of homicide," in the words of the deputy medical examiner.
That, says Stephon Lew, the owner of Solutions repair shop, who knew Smith as a customer and friend, leaves the 34-year-old musician's death "a constant mystery to his fans."
For much of last year — during which, friends say, he seemed to be free from drugs and newly optimistic — Smith had talked with excitement about a double album he'd recorded and hoped to release on an independent label.
Yet few people who knew Smith speculate that his death was anything but a suicide. It's easy to see why: He was a well-known alcoholic, depressive and drug addict whose years in Los Angeles were, reportedly, especially harrowing for him.
Wood argued on KCRW that the mythology of his depression and drug use grew inflated beyond reality since the singer used them as metaphors for love, relationships and other topics. Smith himself once dismissed his image as that of a "gloomy cartoon," and some of his music was more wistful than morbid, closer to the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" and George Harrison's songs than to Goth.
But there's no doubt that he had a dark streak.
"Give me one reason not to do it," Smith sings in an unreleased song called "King's Crossing."
In his heaven, Smith once said, George Jones was always singing.
Ethereal indie records
General audiences know Smith best from his white-suited appearance at the 1998 Academy Awards, where he strummed the song "Miss Misery" from "Good Will Hunting," shortly before Celine Dion belted out the theme song from "Titanic."
For Smith, it was something of an embarrassment. ("I didn't intend to play it," he told Under the Radar magazine last year. "But then they said that if I didn't play it, they would get ... someone like Richard Marx to do it ... maybe Richard Marx is a universal scare tactic.")
Lovers of left-of-the-dial pop, though, already knew Smith from three records on two independent labels. Those albums — of mostly whispered, double-tracked vocals with gently strummed guitar — are so ethereal as to seem to be coming from inside the listener's own head. His two major label efforts on DreamWorks, "XO" and "Figure 8," show Smith playing more sweeping, less insular and in some cases less personal music.
Some talk about these records as belonging to another age — perhaps the era of his beloved Beatles, Kinks and Zombies — though their mix of punk attitude, indie rock reticence and, increasingly, pop grandeur would have stood out as unusual in any decade. Joe Pernice of the chamber pop group the Pernice Brothers calls Smith the finest songwriter of his generation.
It may have been the music's emotional directness — its lack of the hip distance of much '90s indie rock — that inspired what Spin called "a passionate, almost masochistic, fandom."
The passion is now scattered by Smith's unresolved death.
"When someone that big dies — and for the people who loved Elliott his death was as big as Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain or Jim Morrison — there's a sense of wanting to figure it out. It's a way of displacing bad feelings," says Blake Sennett, a friend and guitarist for the band Rilo Kiley.
"Even with metaphors, I've always felt Elliott's lyrics are as open and honest as anyone would be with a close friend," says Charlie Ramirez, who runs the Smith website sweetadeline.net and describes fellow fans as "brokenhearted." Smith's lyrics, he says, "made me feel like someone understood, and it was really comforting."
Benjamin Nugent, a New York-based freelancer who's working on a book tentatively titled "Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing," says the Smith cult comes from "the depth of his songwriting, the timeless artistry and skill," as well as its sense of personal connection.
"His songs provided at least the illusion of great intimacy with the artist," Nugent says. "I think people make the mistake of thinking they afford more intimacy than they do. The real Elliott Smith is a lot more hidden."
Troubled and generous
The real Elliott Smith was shy and troubled but powerfully intelligent and, at times, enormously fun. With his jet-black hair, trademark wool cap, tattoos of the state of Texas and Ferdinand the Bull, he was a frequent sight at Silver Lake bars and clubs like Largo.
Smith was born in 1969 in Omaha, grew up near Dallas, where he lived with his mother and stepfather, years he recalled as unpleasant. At 14 he moved in with his father in Portland, Ore. After graduating from Massachusetts' Hampshire College, where he studied philosophy, and mulling a career as a firefighter, he started a band called Heatmiser and later drifted to Portland, Brooklyn and Washington, D.C. He once said he never stayed put for more than a week or two.
Rob Schnapf, who co-produced Smith's last three albums, described Smith wearing wigs while recording "XO" and loving Schnapf's backyard croquet set. "He would kick my [tail]. He would invite himself over to destroy me."
Smith told his live-in girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, an art therapist, that Kafka's dour "The Hunger Artist" would help her understand him. But she emphasizes his sense of humor, how excited he got reading a book about the strange properties of zero. "He would read parts of it out loud and it would make us both laugh," she says viae-mail, "the way it was worded, what a nuisance zero was to the world of mathematics."
And he enjoyed break-dancing and moon-walking — "he loved to dance and was great at it" — and had a favoriteT-shirt that said "Bust a move."
Friends talk about his generosity: Chiba, who met the musician in 1999, recalls Smith emptying his wallet every time he came to a freeway exit with homeless people, shedding 20s and 100s. He saw himself, she says, as "a champion of the underdog."
Sennett spent weeks recording an album in Smith's Van Nuys studio with its state-of-the-art equipment, 1940s Swedish microphones and a 1960s mixing board like the one George Martin used with the Beatles. Smith didn't charge the guitarist a dime. "He said he built the studio with the intentions of letting it be a free space for musicians."
The studio and the possibilities of studio technology increasingly fascinated Smith, and he was known to stay there experimenting past midnight, staying up for days at a time.
Whoever Smith really was, his musical success was matched with hard living.
In the last few years of his life, there were press reports of crying jags, rough fights, several interventions for alcohol and drugs, at least one suicide attempt and medication for depression and hyperactivity.
Even so, the coroner's office remains inconclusive about his death; its report describes "the absence of hesitation wounds, stabbing through clothing, and the presence of small incised wounds on the right arm and left hand (possible defensive wounds). Additionally, the girlfriend's reported removal of the knife and subsequent refusal to speak with detectives are all of concern."
Chiba, who told investigators she had a fight with Smith right before his death and found a brief suicide note, says she has spoken to police multiple times and prefers not to comment further on the coroner's report.
She says that while Smith was healthy and happy in his last months, he was dealing with "traumatic memories from his childhood" and "biochemical imbalances ... due to the gradual discontinuation of various psychotropic medications."
No drugs were found in Smith's system besides prescription medication. The Jan. 6 coroner's report is almost as ambiguous as an Elliott Smith song: "Detectives believe that this death is possibly suspicious, however, the circumstances are unclear at this time."
Neither the coroner nor the Los Angeles Police Department has issued any new information. "The case has been classified as an undetermined death," Jason Lee of the LAPD's public affairs department said without elaborating; investigating officer James King did not return calls.
Of Smith's last three years Schnapf says, "I'm not gonna go there."
Focus on songwriting
Smith's music — which won fans from Beth Orton to Beck to Bright Eyes to the Kinks' Ray Davies — was so personal that its influence on other musicians is hard to trace.
Classical pianist Christopher O'Riley, who interpreted Radiohead last year, is now performing and recording Smith's music. Despite his melodic and lyrical gift, he says, Smith was too musically sophisticated to be influential. "It's not like you can emulate that."
But Nugent, his biographer, thinks Smith's example gave alternative rock an important new direction. "What he did was return indie rock to '60s songwriting, both conventional and unconventional. The rest of the 'cool' rock world was moving away from that. In the early '90s, rock conventions were almost heresy — the idea was to get away from anything that resembled a pop song."
Smith's solo career, Nugent says, started with quiet, understated music performed "when grunge was still going on and when he was in the Northwest and in a hard rock band." While it's hard to point to a specific group that bears his stamp, Nugent says, "He was greatly admired and listened to by other musicians," and alternative rock has followed the thoughtful, retro road he paved.
"He was extremely restrained; he didn't make the kind of brash, anthemic statements rock musicians are often given to," Nugent says. "In a way he was an anti-Dylan. He loved Dylan's music and covered 'Ballad of a Thin Man' in concert, but he took it away from strident stances and into a personal, ironic place. And he was different from Kurt Cobain because he was not into youth slogans or grandiose statements."
Danny Preston of the band Wiskey Biscuit, a neighbor who performed several of Smith's songs at a November tribute show that may become an annual event, says he really got to know Smith while learning to play his music.
"He has parts that fool you every time," keyboardist Preston says, describing weird chords, tricky bridges and deceptively simple patterns he learned for the concert. Preston's other band, Future Pigeon, now performs Smith's "Waltz #2" and gets an emotional response from fans afterward.
At the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Long Beach two weeks after Smith's death, several musicians, including Iggy Pop and Modest Mouse, performed songs by Smith and there was a tribute by Sebadoh's Lou Barlow leading Smith's old band.
"It's gonna stay with people a long time," Preston says of the impact of Smith's music. "It's gonna be timeless."
Creative control
By most reports, Smith's four years in Los Angeles were fraught. His earliest concerts were brooding but effective alone-with-the-guitar events, while his DreamWorks tours often saw him with a full band and a more extroverted style. By the end, his playing could be unsure and his between-song banter disconnected.
After the tour for 2000's "Figure 8," a bigger, more lavish record, Smith went through a bad period. "Nothing was very good," he told Under the Radar magazine. "It touches on drug use. I got caught up in that for almost two years." He cleaned up about a year before his death, at Beverly Hills' Neurotransmitter Restoration Center, which flushes a patient's system with amino acids and saline solution.
The trouble wasn't all physical. According to musicians who knew him, the pressure of a major label — to sell more records, make videos and tour more often — sometimes became too much for him, and Barlow has said that Smith's last record was rejected by DreamWorks. (Wood disputes this and has called the album "a sabbatical" from his DreamWorks contract.)
In a 2003 interview with Filter magazine, Smith expressed aggravation with "other people [telling] you what songs should be on it." "He was very frustrated with DreamWorks," says Wiskey Biscuit's Preston. "He wanted out of his contract long before that."
The new album, which includes enough material for a double record, has been described as a summing up of his career. Titled "From a Basement on the Hill," it comprises a mix of stripped-down, guitar-and-vocals numbers with sumptuous arrangements that friends say recall the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds." Smith described it to Under the Radar as "impressionistic" and "a pretty big departure."
"Lately I've just been making up a lot of noise," he said of a song that "has no structure in and of itself." Some of the songs, available in pieces on the Internet, sound likely to satisfy fans of his austere, beatific early work. Smith's family will soon choose a label for the release.
"It will help people to hear him say goodbye personally," says Rilo Kiley's Sennett. "But people are still reeling."Besides his music, Smith's legacy includes the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund, which helps fund a foundation for abused children, and the possible Echo Park memorial.
Rick Fein, who began the petition for the memorial, was inspired by Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon memorial in Central Park. He hopes future generations will be "inspired by the incredible harmonies, the 'wall of sound' that he mastered, and of course the lyrics."
Will the new material, or the memorial, ease fans' pain? So far, the shrine on Sunset hasn't.
"When they come to the wall, they're not happy coming," says Solutions' Lew, who watches fans come and go. "They're not happy leaving. You're left with these mixed feelings."
Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art. - Andy Warhol
Skeleton FilmWorks
The Master of Two Worlds
Elliott Smith R.I.P
Reply #79 on:
February 15, 2004, 01:47:52 PM
thanks for posting that.
his producer, Rob, is working with a band called Eisley now. he told them there were 58 songs to sift through for the new record. the fact that people are comparing the arrangements to Pet Sounds is good to hear......can't wait to hear it!
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.
Cory Everett
elliott smith
Reply #80 on:
April 29, 2004, 07:45:04 PM
according to elliott's family...
"Now, the new cd. we are beginning the final mixing and production phase in mid-may and are planning for a september or october release. we will know the name of the label by the end of the month and i'll let you know just as soon as the final decision is made."
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.
The Master of Two Worlds
elliott smith
Reply #81 on:
May 08, 2004, 01:46:47 PM
Rob Schnapf(sp?), Elliott's friend and producer of his last few albums, is mixing the album right now. He's working with a band, Eisley (which is where my avatar comes from), and they took a two week or so break so he could finish mixing. I think at one point there might have been 50 or so songs possibly for the album. That must be really tough to have to listen to your friend's voice after they're gone.
I have recently become a pretty big ES fan. I bought Figure 8 a few years ago, and I just thought it was 'alright.' Last December or so I began listening to it again and really liking it. Then I read the Switchfoot singer, Jon Foreman, say something about X/O. So, I got that and loved it. Next I got the self-titled and loved it. Then I got Either/Or and loved it. All I'm missing, as far as full lengths, is Roman Candle. How does that album compare with the others? At some point I think I want to order the 7" singles of Division Day and Pretty (Ugly Before). I would like a copy of Miss Misery, but I hate to buy the entire soundtrack just for one song.
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.
The Master of Two Worlds
elliott smith
Reply #82 on:
May 09, 2004, 02:24:14 PM
He was really a terrific singer/songwriter. No wonder he was a big influence on Aimee Mann.
Typical US Mother: "Remember what the MPAA says; Horrific, Deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words."
El Duderino
The Master of Two Worlds
elliott smith
Reply #83 on:
May 09, 2004, 04:55:41 PM
i really like the good will hunting soundtrack, that's all i've really heard of him.
Did I just get cock-blocked by Bob Saget?
The Vision Quest
elliott smith
Reply #84 on:
May 16, 2004, 09:38:29 AM
ben folds does a really sad song about elliot smith called Late, you can find a live version at this site
it's supposed to appear on his next LP, heartbreaking stuff
"it's been too late for a long time..."
the rumble of the train trails off to infinity, a place where no one goes anymore
JC, no not that one
The Master of Two Worlds
elliott smith
Reply #85 on:
May 31, 2004, 09:18:58 PM
live elliott video if you're intersted
The Master of Two Worlds
elliott smith
Reply #86 on:
June 01, 2004, 06:09:48 PM
thanks, that's pretty cool.
unfortunately i have a 56k, so it's just still pictures changing from time to time with clear audio feed.
i guess you can't dowload it?
i would like to see how he plays guitar.......chords fingered/movement
has everyone checked out this site?
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.
The Master of Two Worlds
elliott smith
Reply #87 on:
June 01, 2004, 09:34:14 PM
Wow! Thanks!
Typical US Mother: "Remember what the MPAA says; Horrific, Deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words."
Cory Everett
elliott smith
Reply #88 on:
July 15, 2004, 10:47:53 PM
best thing ever...
Elliott Smith's Final Album Due In October
Source: MTV NEWS 07.15.2004 6:03 AM EDT
Nine months after Elliott Smith's death, his final album is being prepared for an October release.
From a Basement on the Hill is slated for an October 19 release on Anti- Records, nearly a year to the day after Smiths death. The singer had almost completed the album before he died from knife wounds suffered in his Los Angeles apartment on October 21 (see "Singer/Songwriter Elliott Smith Dead; Friends, Fellow Musicians Pay Tribute"). Although initial speculation pointed toward suicide, the circumstances of his death are the subject of an ongoing investigation.
The album was assembled by Smith's longtime producer, Rob Schnapf, and Joanna Bolme, Smith's onetime girlfriend and current bassist for Stephen Malkmus' band, the Jicks, who worked on his 1997 breakthrough album, Either/Or. Smith's family commissioned the pair to help finish the album, which Smith had recorded over the course of three years.
Using a combination of detective work, instinct and notes and demos Smith left behind, Schnapf and Bolme carefully steered the album in the direction they believed Smith intended.
Originally conceived as a double album, the final version of From a Basement on a Hill has been pared down to 15 tracks that run the gamut of Smith's musical styles.
Lyrically, the subject matter is less impressionistic than Smith's previous album, Figure 8, and more direct and confessional about his tumultuous life and drug abuse. "Shooting Star" and "Fond Farewell" all contain allusions to his troubled final years. ("The cold comfort of the in-between/ A little less than a human being/ A little less than a happy high/ A little less than a suicide" "Fond Farewell.") "Strung Out Again" conveys the fallout of drug addiction: "Just looking in the mirror will make you a brave man/ I know my place, hate my face."
Musically, the album reconciles Smith's two musical identities the haunting, raw-nerve acoustic work of his early records and the more expansive, psychedelic and symphonic pop of his later material taking its aural cues from the lo-fi aesthetics of 1997's Either/Or while maintaining the exploratory nature of his final albums, XO and Figure 8.
While the songwriting is sophisticated, the sound is intentionally rough around the edges, with a distinct element of controlled chaos.
Some tracks are uncharacteristically heavy and build to crescendos of explosive guitars and drums ("Coast to Coast," "Shooting Star"). Musically, "Strung Out Again" bridges these two worlds, beginning with delicate acoustics before bursting open with abrasive drums and fuzzy, swirling guitar overdubs.
Opening with a droning interlude of mumbling spoken-word passages and ghostly noise, "Coast to Coast" is one of Smith's most ambitious studio creations. The oblique opus soon erupts with a distorted cacophony of drums played by the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd and former Beachwood Sparks member Aaron Sperske.
Conversely, the most emotionally arresting track, "Twilight" a vulnerable, melancholy acoustic number harkens back to Smith's seminal Either/Or disc. Other songs also closely cling to spare and raw minimalism ("Little One," "Let's Get Lost"). Ardent fans will recognize many of the album's songs from Smith's stark acoustic performances over the years.
The album concludes with an alternate, updated version of "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free," the B-side to Smith's last single ("Pretty [Ugly Before]") that was originally released on Suicide Squeeze Records in August of 2003. The new version, free of the "Strawberry Fields"-ish organ, is still Beatlesque but contains drastically different, vaguely political lyrics: "It's so disappointing, first I put it all down to luck/ God knows why my country don't give a f---."
The track will be available a few months before the release of Basement (August 10) on the Future Soundtrack for America, a compilation assembled by Barsuk Records and McSweeny's Publishing to benefit Moveon.org and similar organizations.
Thirty-four tracks were recorded for the From a Basement on the Hill sessions, and currently there are no specific plans for the remaining 19 songs. B-sides and unreleased material from Smith's two previous albums fall under his contract with DreamWorks Records (which is now owned by Universal Music Group) and it is presently unknown if and when that material will see the light of day, though demoed material for XO called "The Jackpot Sessions" has recently leaked online. Basement is being released on Anti- because Smiths contract with DreamWorks allowed him to release albums on smaller independent labels.
From a Basement on the Hill track list, according to Smith's longtime publicist:
"Coast to Coast"
"Let's Get Lost"
"Pretty (Ugly Before)"
"Don't Go Down"
"Strung Out Again"
"Fond Farewell"
"King's Crossing"
"Ostriches & Chirping"
"A Passing Feeling"
"Last Hour"
"Shooting Star"
"Memory Lane"
"Little One"
"A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free"
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.
The Master of Two Worlds
elliott smith
Reply #89 on:
July 16, 2004, 06:56:57 AM
i can't wait to hear this. that description for Coast to Coast sounds amazing. i don't understand why they wouldn't make it a double album if that's what Elliott intended. my guess is that maybe the 15 they chose were tracks they felt were close to how Elliott would release them.......i don't know.........i hope they release all the rest of the songs, finished or not.
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.
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Workers back, but in no way business as usual
Boylston Street was no longer a crime scene Tuesday, but it still felt that way to many business owners and employees who made a long, sad walk to workplaces that seemed frozen in time. Doors were tagged in green paint by authorities, either "OK" or "Locked." Metal Marathon barricades were stacked like cord wood the length of Boylston.
For the first time in eight days, businesses and residents returned to the site of the bombings, most with trepidation.
"I'm just trying to pull it together," said Mark Hagopian, operating partner of the Charlesmark Hotel, before mopping blood from the lobby floor. "It's eerie. It just feels haunted a little bit." Laura Trust, president of Finagle a Bagel, said she approached her business with a heavy heart. "Just walking down Boylston like this is strange," she said, adding that her company's losses pale in comparison to the lives lost or forever changed by the bombings.
"You think about the families and the people hurt. Business seems so insignificant," Trust said. "But you've got to move on and get back to work. This is all part of getting the city running again."
The employees of the Charlesmark Hotel approached their workplace with knots in their stomachs and tears in their eyes.
Inside, donning matching pink jackets that they last wore on Marathon Monday, they mopped up bloodstains from the charcoal gray tiles, brushed shattered glass off the sleek bar top, and hugged each other. While everyone got busy cleaning, many said they could not keep their thoughts from the horrific events of last Monday.
"I'm still shaken up," said manager Leah Bishop, as she filled trash bags with week-old cheese cubes, crackers, moldy baby carrots, and near empty bottles of Corona beer with limes.
"I'm a little lost," she added.
Hundreds of residents and employees of the area first mustered at the Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center and then in small groups were escorted to darkened buildings in the retail hub of the city.
The walk down Boylston brought a mix of anxiety and defiance as business owners fretted about damage and losses, and in the next breath, pledged to reopen even stronger. Once inside their workplaces, many employees felt overwhelmed by horrible memories, especially those nearest the two blast sites.
Businesses such as the Charlesmark were instructed to wash, rinse, sanitize all cups and dishes, drain ice machines, clear beverage lines of sediment, and double bag all trash. They were unable to receive deliveries or customers, as the area remained closed to the public Tuesday to allow the city to finish cleaning the scene and inspecting buildings for structural damage.
Boylston Street is expected to be completely open Wednesday.
Inside the many stores and restaurants, employees cleaned blood and debris, consoled colleagues, and chased away rodents and fruit flies that had moved in during the lock-down following the Marathon Monday attacks that killed three people and maimed and injured at least 260.
At Marathon Sports, at the site of the first explosion, cleaners in biohazard suits scrubbed the pavement and ripped up bloodstained carpets. By 2 p.m., the store resembled a normal business under renovation, with construction workers and employees hustling back and forth to make repairs.
But reminders of the pain and destruction remained: Outsiders coming onto the property were required to wear biohazard booties to prevent exposure to any contamination.
"We're OK. We're managing," said Colin Peddie, Marathon Sports' president. He nodded toward a large window in the front of the store, where employees posted a "Boston Strong" sign that has become a slogan of the city's recovery.
Mike Wiseman, a principal for the biohazard cleanup company 24 Trauma, helped remove railings outside Peddie's store. He and his workers were on their 24th consecutive hour of cleaning businesses.
"It's tragic and humbling to be here because you see all the pain and suffering that happened," Wiseman said. "So many people have been put out by this. You just want to help get them back to a sense of normalcy."
Just before noon Tuesday, employees of Whiskey's Smokehouse walked down Boylston, bracing themselves for what they would encounter inside the restaurant.
The air reeked of spoiled food as about 17 staffers filled trash bags with rotten tomatoes, bottles of sour cream, and other debris that had piled up on the floor from the chaotic evacuation last Monday.
"It's as bad as I thought," said Whiskey's general manager Becky Caloggero as she surveyed the scene. She estimated the restaurant's losses from the bombing and weeklong closure would exceed $250,000.
She said the explosions, and the hiatus from work, had been draining on the restaurant's staff. "Everyone is emotionally spent and exhausted but anxious to get back to work," Caloggero said.
Inside the Globe Bar & Cafe, open bottles of white zinfandel and Sauvignon blanc lay undisturbed as workers began to empty ice bins, clean sinks with bleach, and close out tabs from customers who left their credit cards at the restaurant.
"I don't know what to feel right now — it's a tense time," said Con Coen, a Globe bar manager.
Hazmat vehicles, police, and EMTs hummed along Boylston throughout the day. City workers surveyed owners to catalog details about building damages, spoiled food, and lost revenue. They also collected insurance information to help expedite reimbursement for merchants who have lost tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars in recent days.
Kevin Houlker, property manager for 755 Boylston St., watched crews board windows on the eight-story building, near where the second blast seriously injured two employees of the Forum restaurant on the ground floor. The restaurant was covered in black panels; nearly every window was shattered or blown off its hinges.
At Life is Good, employees collected wallets, bags, and laptops that were left behind. Scattered throughout the office were the orange and blue bracelets they had handed out at the Marathon, emblazoned with the words "Positive Purpose" and "Good Vibes."
On Wednesday, workers from the company's office on Boylston Street will join employees from its Newbury Street store and walk to the bombing sites to heal together. The merchandise store sells items with the company's logo and slogans.
"Yes it was challenging. Sadness hit all of us, and we all process it differently and uniquely," company executive Roy Heffernan said of trying to live the "Life is Good" mission of optimism over the past week.
"But at the end of the day what matters is how quickly we turn what was real tragedy into something that binds us and brings us closer together."
Jenn Abelson can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Casey Ross can be reached at email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Court Scolds Gerber for Marketing Candy as "Fruit Juice Snacks"
Lawsuit Against Company to Move Forward
The Gerber Products Company, owned by Nestle, has drawn harsh criticism from a U.S. Court of Appeals for using pictures of real fruit to market a gummi-bear-like candy formerly called "Fruit Juice Snacks."
The Court said that consumers would likely be deceived because the package depicts images of oranges, cherries and strawberries, though the leading ingredients are corn syrup and sugar.
The case brought against Gerber by a private citizen was initially dismissed by a Federal District Court in California, but then reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on December 22. Gerber argued that consumers could avoid being misled by turning the package around and reading the ingredient list. But the Court stated that consumers should not be "expected to look beyond misleading representations on the front of the box to discover the truth from the ingredient list in small print on the side of the box."
"The Court's decision is a warning to all companies that try to make junk food look healthy by depicting nutritious fruits, vegetables, and whole grains on the labels of sugary, high-calorie snacks," said Bruce Silverglade, CSPI director of legal affairs.
Gerber has since renamed the product "Juice Treats," but continues to sell it alongside its baby and toddler food instead of at the candy counter. With corn syrup and sugar as the major ingredients, the product contains far more refined sugar than fruit juice concentrate. CSPI will serve as lead counsel when proceedings resume.
Contact Jeff Cronin (jcronin[at]cspinet.org) or Ariana Stone (astone[at]cspinet.org).


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Legend Harley-Davidson
Find motorcycle dealers in Motorcycle USA's motorcycle dealer locator. Over 50,000 United States motorcycle dealerships are listed by state and motorcycle brands sold. You can contact, rate and review your local motorcycle dealerships. If we missed it, you can recommend your favorite motorcycle shop.
Legend Harley-Davidson
9625 Provost Road NW
Silverdale, WA 98383
Silverdale, WA 98383
Legend Harley-Davidson is a motorcycle dealership located in Silverdale, WA selling Buell and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Contact and map Legend Harley-Davidson through Motorcycle USA's Dealer Locator.
- legendharleysilverdale.com
- Map It


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Sun Laboratories Ultra Dark Self Tanning Lotion
$ 49.45 was $ 65.95
This product is currently sold out.
Sun Laboratories Ultra Dark Self Tanning Lotion
Sun Laboratories Ultra Dark Self Tanning Lotion Set
Important Facts About Product
Works Fast
Hydrates and protects all skin types
Instantly tints skin to avoid streaks or patches
Provides a deep, dark tan without UV sun exposure
Nice dark colors sets in about three hours
Formulated with a natural blend of ingredients
This formula is safe for all skin types
Before And After Sunless Tanning Photo
How To Apply Sunless Tanning Video
Here are Some Product Reviews
5 out of 5
Great smelling spray tan from san Francisco, CA Verified Purchaser
Smells great, like cherry almond and goes on smooth, no streaks, excellent self tanning spray and I've been using them a long time. I used to use St Tropez but now I'm a fan of this brand. Review posted 4/14/2012.
5 out of 5
I probably will buy again but may not use too regularly as I dread the horrific mess it makes, and if I can get a larger size in a pump I would prefer that as when you get to the end of the bottle it dispenses in bigger blobs, thus wasting product. Since the color and evenness, along with the price, are so good, I certainly recommend it and I am sure I'll use it again. 2/15/2012
5 out of 5
A good Tanner with a nice bronze color from Thomasville, NC Verified Purchaser
Its a good tanner with a nice bronze color. I wish it lasted longer but will buy again. Review posted 6/2/2012.
5 out of 5
This is my all time favorite self tanner by MALGRIFFIN from BRANTFORD, ON
This is the first self tanner I have ever tried. I've been using it for about 3 years now and I've tried quite a few others including st tropez, fake bake and others and this is by far my favorite and everything else I have tried was just a huge let down compared to this. For me this is the longest lasting one, basically fool proof to apply it's so easy and does not streak. This is the only one I've found that will make me dark enough, and I just love it. Nothing has beat this for me yet. Review posted 7/24/2012.
5 out of 5/Superb color from Jackson, NJ Verified Purchaser/This product definitely gets it right on three major counts - great color, looks absolutely natural without the orange-y, rusty cast just about all other self tanners give me, and I've tried a number of them from the highest to lowest end. Amazingly, it has absolutely zero self tanner smell, from the time you put it on through the entire 'baking' process. I can't imagine how they managed this as there is no heavy masking scent either, just a very light hint of almond. Next, it does not streak or leave 'hard' edges as some tanners can when you go too dark and see the line of demarcation between the color and your actual skin tone. The price is great too. So why three stars?9.11/2012
5 out of 5
Best self tanner from New York, NY Verified Purchaser
It gives a great color. The downside, though, is that it is very messy and turns your bathroom brown. Review posted 10/8/2007.
Ingredient List: Sun Laboratories Ultra Dark Self Tanning Lotion Set
Deionized Water, Dehydroxyacetone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Clyceryl Stearate (And) PEG 100 Stearate, Hazelnut/Pecan Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol (And) Ceteareth 20, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Stearate, Aloe Vera Extract, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tetrasodium Edta, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylparaben, Fragrance, Sodium Metabisulfite, Ascorbic Acid, BHT, Citric Acid, Fd&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1.
Directions: Sun Laboratories Ultra Dark Self Tanning Lotion Set
Smooth evenly over face and body. Color is instant and will intensify in three hours. To avoid discoloring palms, wash hands with soap and water immediately after use. Wait at least one hour after use before contact with water or bathing.


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Diva Mariah Carey is threatening to leave American Idol if she keeps having to deal with Nicki Minaj's childish BS, which, we don't blame either of them for wanting out after having to deal with one another! But now rumor has it that the two could be replaced with, wait for it, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez?? RadarOnline.com is reporting that the network has the on-again off-again couple on its list of possible new judges next season.
Yeah, weird. I don't mean to over think this here, but some part of me is thinking Idol producers would soooo pick Jelena just to keep that infamous twosome fighting thing alive. Think about it. We know Biebz and Sel have been flaky for a while now, so to put them together on a TV show is definitely awk. Are they just hoping the two will have feud on the show and draw in more viewers? Classy.
Other prospects include Diddy, Pink, and Keith Urban.
What are your thoughts?
Want more from Ariel? Follow her on Twitter.


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Find Your Perfect Home.
Shelby Real Estate
Shelby is located in Indiana. Shelby, Indiana has a population of 526. Shelby is more family-centric than the surrounding county with 33.95% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 28.33%.
The median household income in Shelby, Indiana is $45,536. The median household income for the surrounding county is $49,617 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Shelby is 40.3 years.
Shelby Weather
The average high temperature in July is 83.8 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 14.4 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 39.3 inches per year, with inches of snow per year.
Shelby Map
Real Estate Near Shelby
Nearby Cities
Nearby Cities Homes for Sale
Shelby Zip Codes


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NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph took a series of snapshots of Saturn's aurora dancing in the sky. The ultraviolet images were taken on Jan. 24, 26, 28 and 30, 2004. This dissolve sequence shows the aurora appearing as a ring of light circling the planet's polar region. Collisions with atoms and molecules make the gases in the planet's atmosphere glow in visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light.
NASA, ESA, J. Clarke (Boston Univ.) and G. Bacon (STScI)
Publication: February 16, 2005


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Vatican City, Sep 25, 2013 / 12:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At an Oct. 11 audience with the Pope, European Parliament president Martin Schulz is expected to formally invite Pope Francis to address the legislative body of the European Union.
The news of Schulz' visit is still not official, but it has been confirmed by a European Union source who spoke to CNA Sept. 24 under condition of anonymity.
The source maintained that Schulz' audience is already scheduled, though "due to unforeseen circumstances these kind of things can change quite late," and this is probably a reason why the audience has not yet been made official.
Schulz had already extended an informal verbal invitation to the Pope to visit the European Parliament at his inaugural Mass as Bishop of Rome on March 19.
Both of Schulz' predecessors – Hans-Gert Pöttering of Germany and Jerzy Buzek of Poland – invited Benedict XVI to address the European Parliament, but he never took up the invitation. The only previous occasion when a Pope addressed the institution was Blessed John Paul II in 1988.
Although Schulz received an education at an institution of the Holy Ghost Fathers, the 57-year-old European leader claims to be a non-believer and has thus far not attended European Union meetings with religious leaders. Such meetings have been attended faithfully by both José Manuel Durao Barroso, president of the European Commission, and Herman van Rompuy, president of the European Council.According to the anonymous source, the program of the audience has Schulz visiting a Sant'Egidio project shortly after his meeting with the Pope.
In the early afternoon, Schulz is also due to participate in a public debate on poverty and humanitarian issues at the Gregorian University.
The press office of Gregorian University told CNA Sept. 24 that "the conference has not yet been confirmed," but did not deny that they have been approached.
The debate is understood to have been organized by Caritas International, with Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa and president of the organization, to be on the podium alongside Schulz.


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This week I have an image for you from outside the scrapbooking world. This is a template for a web layout, but I think it would look great as a layout for a scrapbook page! Can't wait to see what you make with it!
Important Details
Due Date: Sept 5, 2013, 9am (USA Pacific time)
Tag: challenge design aug 2013
Make sure you use this tag exactly, so we can browse easily through the gallery and see all the submissions, and so you can get your points. Please only tag one layout.
See basic challenge rules here.
Check out finished and entered layouts here.


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Featured Listings
December 2018
Choosing Kris was a no-brainer. She has represented several of our friends, so we knew she was an experienced agent. Kris priced our house perfectly which ended up selling above asking price! She communicated quickly and thought of follow-up items before we even could. She provided step-by-step guidance which enabled us to make the right decisions.
Robert and Melissa D
Fort Worth, TX
December 2018
Hilary was an excellent real estate agent and pleasure to work with. We had some unusual situations arise, yet she handled them like a professional. Her communication and follow up were impeccable. I would (and have already) recommend Hilary to any family or friends!
Cynthia B
Mansfield, TX
December 2018
Robyn and Lanae made the home buying process as smooth as possible for me. They gave great advice and were willing to answer any and all questions I had. Both Robyn and Lanae worked with me to ensure I purchased the home that was perfect for my needs. I highly recommend this duo!
Kaleigh G
Grand Prairie, TX
December 2018
From day one, Terri approached us with a no-nonsense attitude about selling our home. She educated us on what buyers want while making some concessions for us based on our needs. Our requests increased Terri's workload and the time it took to sell, but she never backed down from the challenge, and we were very satisfied with the outcome.
Chris and Alexandra K
Plano, TX
December 2018
Curt is a dedicated real estate professional, staying on top of current housing trends and legislation. He goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service and has a sincere desire to help in any way he can. Curt is a seasoned expert, armed with a wealth of knowledge that positions your home to sell quickly.
William B
Flower Mound, TX
December 2018
Richard understood what we needed in a home and worked hard to see that we could get it. There were some setbacks, but he never gave up. Richard utilized his many resources and offered us different options. We are very pleased with how he treated us, as he was patient, honest, fun and helpful along the way.
Rigo C
Cedar Hill, TX
December 2018
Amy handled every detail of the selling process from start to finish. I travel frequently, but it didn't hinder her as she took care of the staging, pictures, advertising and much more. She was always available for questions and gave me a sense of control. Amy knows how to own the transaction, making this process stress-free.
Michelle F
Frisco, TX
December 2018
We listed our home at a less than ideal time of the year, yet Stefanie worked hard for us despite the challenges. She provided important data that guided our decision to reduce the price and remain patient. Stefanie did a great job negotiating on our behalf and was always available when we needed her.
Clayton C
Argyle, TX
November 2018
Lafayette always responded promptly to my calls and text messages. I was extremely impressed by his attendance at the closing alongside my mortgage banker. This shows Lafayette's genuine dedication to the entire buying process.
Leslie M
Venus, TX
November 2018
Megan worked phenomenally with all parties involved, as she handled both sides of our back-to-back closing then purchase. She helped the seller understand our serious interest despite delays in the sale of our old home. Megan also determined why we wanted a house needing major renovations and carefully worked with the many factors of the uncommon renovation loan.
Christy W
Plano, TX
November 2018
Alicia has been our agent for three transactions over 13 years. She is exceptional at identifying the right neighborhoods and price points based upon our wants and needs. Alicia was persistent and patient in an exhaustive search for our new home, yet was always professional and genuinely friendly.
Timothy and Monique K
Fort Worth, TX
November 2018
Beth was helpful and professional in all aspects of our purchase. As first-time buyers we were nervous, but for over two years she stayed in contact with us until we were ready to start the buying process. Each and every question was answered in a timely manner, and we felt as if Beth was always at our disposal.
Brandi P
Mansfield, TX
November 2018
Bill has to be the most reliable, caring and trustworthy agent I've ever worked with. He was always quick to respond and did a superb job explaining the buying process to me. I strongly recommend Bill and have already referred him to friends and family.
Justin M
Weatherford, TX
November 2018
Lori is extremely knowledgeable about the area, home values and current market. She bends over backwards to ensure you find what you need, have all questions answered and are comfortable with the buying process. Your A+ experience isn't over after the buying process is complete, as she is willing to help out with any future tax or valuation questions.
Chase and Stacie C
Fort Worth, TX
November 2018
Rhonda found us a home within our price range with everything that we wanted. She negotiated a great deal and works well with selling agents. Rhonda had our best interest at heart and always responded back to our communications in a timely manner. She also worked closely with the lender to get our closing done within 30 days.
Andrew A
Greenville, TX


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Click the button below to add the Hey Good Lookin' Towel to your wish list.
16" x 24" embroidered microfiber waffle kitchen towel, would also work great as a hand towel.
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Brussels, 1 July 2010
Financial services: Commission acts to improve investor protection and efficiency in the EU investment fund market
The European Commission has today completed a programme of improvements to the EU framework for investment funds. These funds known as UCITS (Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) accounted for over € 5 trillion of assets in 2009, which is equivalent to half of EU GDP. The new rules better empower investors by requiring a new standardised fund document, while also setting out in detail the high standards of conduct of business that UCITS fund managers must comply with. In addition, the new rules improve the efficiency of the UCITS market in the EU by introducing and facilitating new possibilities for the pooling of assets from different funds, by simplifying the cross-border distribution of UCITS and by better coordinating the work of national supervisors. The new rules are to take effect from 1 July 2011.
Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier said: "Today's package will improve investor protection, cut red tape and further strengthen the global competitiveness of Europe's investment funds. Furthermore, the steps we have taken to enhance transparency and the effectiveness of our rules show that Europe has learned its lessons from the crisis. I hope the hard-won trust we have earned from investors will deepen in the future. With the framework now in place, the hard work of implementation for both supervisors and market participants begins."
The Commission has adopted detailed requirements in the form of four acts (two Directives and two Regulations). Member States now have 12 months to implement the directives, while the regulations will apply from 1 July 2011. These acts cover the following areas:
Now that the new European legal framework for UCITS is complete, the focus switches to Member State competent authorities and market participants to implement the changes and deliver the vital improvements to transparency, efficiency and effectiveness.
Investment funds are investment products created with the sole purpose of gathering investors' capital, and investing that capital collectively through a portfolio of financial instruments such as stocks, bonds and other securities.
Directive 2009/65/EC, which replaces the previous UCITS Directive 85/611/EEC, provides for common rules for setting up and operating investment funds in the EU. Fund managers that comply with these rules may benefit from the right to offer their services cross-border. Investment funds authorised in accordance with the provisions of this Directive may be distributed to investors across the EU after following a defined procedure for notifying the relevant competent authorities.
These implementing measures are split across four separate instruments, which, together with the recast of the UCITS Directive and supporting CESR guidelines, form a package that lays the basis for an efficient and competitive UCITS market for the future which enshrines class-leading investor protection measures. They have been prepared on the basis of advice from CESR. They were approved by Member States and subsequently the European Parliament and the Council. .
More information is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/investment/ucits_directive_en.htm
For CESR's guidelines on the methodology for the calculation of the synthetic risk and reward indicator in the Key Investor Information Document (Ref. CESR/10-673) see: http://www.cesr.eu/index.php?docid=6961
For CESR's guidelines on the methodology for calculation of the ongoing charges figure in the Key Investor Information Document (Ref. CESR/10-674) see: http://www.cesr.eu/index.php?docid=6962
Side Bar


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Today we had the opportunity to present at the Discovery Education Day of Discovery Conference. We explored techniques for building a mobile learning environment and ways to use digital media in creating content on the iPad. It was exciting to demonstrate how digital media and web 2.0 tools remove boundaries and promote academic achievement for ELLs. The iPad and other tablet computers can support the use of Discovery Education streaming and allow ELLs to access academic content in a whole new way.
We enjoyed engaging with those educators working hard with ELLs and all struggling learners. Here are just a few recommended apps that were shared during our session:
- Roadshow – Collect web videos and play them back anytime
- Language Builder – A rich environment for improving language development
- ScreenChomp – Sharing tools used to create a sharable, replay-able video
- ShowMe – Record voice-over whiteboard tutorials and share them online
- Videolicious – Create a video combining videos, photos, music, and stories
- Audioboo – Create audio and post to your own account on the web
- SlideShark – View and share PowerPoint presentations on the iPad


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About Us
Brookfield Properties ranks among the largest retail real estate companies in the United States. Our extensive portfolio of mall properties spans the nation, encompassing 170+ locations across 42 states and representing over 146 million square feet of retail space. We're focused exclusively on managing, leasing and redeveloping high-quality retail properties.
We promote long-term success by adhering to a set of common values. We are without a doubt a company that values Humility in our success, that has the right Attitude, and is always striving to Do The Right Thing. Together, we Own It and we are excited to discover how your vision aligns with ours. Brookfield Properties assures premier quality and optimal outcomes for our tenants, business partners, and the communities in which we do business.
Brookfield Properties' retail group is headquartered in Chicago and owned by affiliates of Brookfield Asset Management.
Our Culture
At Brookfield Properties, values matter. We are proud to work together as a team, bound by a common set of goals and a passion for success. Our innovative, relationship-oriented approach creates an outstanding environment for our employees, retailers and investors. We invite you to be a part of our success story.
Community Involvement
Our commitment to the communities we serve is an integral part of our mission statement. By developing strong charitable partnerships and programs, we contribute to the growth and well-being of the neighborhoods and people surrounding our retail centers.
Sustainability Initiatives
Sustainability is an integral component of our long-term success. We strive to incorporate elements into our day-to-day operations and explore ways to foster energy efficiency, conserve natural resources and reduce waste.


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The Council Bluffs Police Department in Iowa tells TMZ Debra Danielson -- the mother of 18-year-old "Teen Mom" Farrah Abraham -- was arrested at around 1 PM on Saturday for suspicion of domestic abuse/serious assault.
According to cops, Farrah and Debra started arguing over childcare issues when Debra allegedly threw an MTV shirt at her daughter ... which landed "on or near" Farrah's baby, who started crying.
That's when Farrah claims she went off on her mother -- who then grabbed Farrah by the throat. Farrah told cops she pushed her mother's hand away from her throat, causing her mother to strike her on the right side of her head and mouth.
In the report, officers say they observed multiple cuts on the right side of Farrah's lips.
The story was first reported by the The Daily Nonpareil.
- Lindsay Lohan Gets Top Marks in Probation
- Jay-Z Accused of 'Faux Fur' Fraud
- Knoxville Pinned in Airport Grenade Incident


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Just like the good old days 🙂
#1: A new bike will ride better than what you're riding. Or what your buddies might be riding now. I've got a top-of-the-line road bike from 2003, and a 2010 TREK Madone 6-series. I am faster, more comfortable and more confident on my new Madone. The difference is more than even I expected it to be.
#2: There may never be a better time to buy one! People ask "When will this bike go on sale?" The answer is today. We've got hundreds of TREK bikes on sale, including every single 2010 & earlier model, with additional savings tacked on for this week only. You don't have to compromise with a lesser brand or a shop that doesn't offer the care & pride & 30 years of the same owner/management that Chain Reaction does. If you want a new bike (and who doesn't?) this is the time, and Chain Reaction is the place!
#3: Be ready for that unexpectedly-great day to ride! Winter in California means great days to ride! Look at the picture on the right; that's from a ride I did with my son last week.
When people think it's going to be gray and wet (like it is right now while I'm writing this), a great day is right around the corner. Even in a "wet" year we have more nice days than bad. You'll miss a lot of great rides if you wait until Spring.
#4: Bikes are one of the few things you can buy that make you better looking, healthier and live longer. Cars, video games, big-screen TVs… don't think so!
#5: Biking is forever. We've got a customer who's 87 years old and still rides 130 miles/week. I asked him how he does it, what's his secret. Simple, he said. Just don't stop. Keep on riding and you'll remain active, and maybe you'll be putting your kids in the retirement home, not the other way around.
Yes, it's totally self-serving of me to say all this, because putting people on bikes, and acting like it's still "our" bike long after we've sold it, is how my brother Steve and I have kept a roof over our heads and put our kids through school these past 30 years.
We believe in cycling. We believe it can make a difference in your life, and even make the world a bit better place. This week, make it a Bike for Christmas. Just like it was 40, OK 50 years ago for some of us, when we woke up and saw that bike under the tree that Santa brought. –Mike Jacoubowsky, partner, Chain Reaction Bicycles
Mike & Steve Jacoubowsky & Joey & Manny & Andrew & Greg & Karen & Ed & Kevin & Becky & Danny & Patrick & Burt & Todd & Charlie & Don & Roger & Tom & Chris & Ron & Richard & Jesus & Adam & Stephen & Frank & Jim & Amy & Adam & Andy all wish you a great holiday season and a lifetime of fun riding!
(This was sent out to our customers on our e-list earlier today. Anyone can sign up for our latest news & sales.)


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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
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Marissa seems like a new goddess in the making! And Gervase! All the way from season 1 <3. CBS <3.
I'm growing on Gervase bit by bit.
When i watched Borneo (less than a year ago) Gervase was up in my Top 3 favourites, and I think I'd put him thereabouts this season as well!
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Five Questions: Backes has high hopes for Bluesby Dan Rosen
NHL.com will periodically be doing a series called "Five Questions With …," a Q&A with some of the key figures in the game today aimed at gaining some insight into their lives and careers.
This edition features St. Louis Blues captain David Backes:
In the time that David Backes was named the captain of the St. Louis Blues, his team has gone from one with potential to a Stanley Cup contender.
So much has changed, including the power of his voice in the dressing room, since Sept. 9, 2011 -- the day Backes got the "C". However, Backes has changed with it in a seamless fashion.
Backes always had a strong opinion; it's just that now it's heard louder than others. He's always played with an enviable combination of power and skill; it's just that now his style tends to define the Blues, who have become one of the toughest teams to play in the National Hockey League.
This season, Backes and the Blues are in a new mode, a win-the-Cup mode. Succeeding will require even more change, even more leadership, an even stronger voice, even more power and skill.
There is a difference between wanting to win and expecting to win. Backes told NHL.com about that and more in the following Q&A:
Here are Five Questions With … David Backes.
After losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the second-round of the playoffs last spring, you said that you guys had gotten too high on yourselves and didn't pick it up a notch when it was necessary. Do you feel that the message has gotten through, or is it still too early to tell?
"You know, it's one of those learning lessons that I think is applicable not only to the playoffs but also to the regular season. Being able to string a bunch of wins together brings you the same challenge. If you win three in a row and everyone is talking about you, you have to remember that there is always someone there to knock you down a peg. We've got to stay hungry. For the most part we have shown consistency, with short memories we're able to put wins behind ourselves to look forward. I think it's working, but it's still a pretty small sample size so far."
What is the difference in mindset and pressure when you expect to make the playoffs, like the Blues do now, as opposed to the time when you were just hoping to get there?
"I think when you're hoping to make the playoffs, you think it's OK to fail and you think about, 'Oh, we lost tonight, but we were slotted to not make the playoffs anyway.' There is always a desire to win, but when it doesn't happen you say, 'If this was different,' or, 'If we had a better team.' There are excuses when you're not expecting it.
"When you're expecting to make the playoffs, it's, 'Let's see results.' If you're not getting them, you're in a mode where things are going to change. I don't think of it as pressure, I think of it as expectations, and when you're prepared for those expectations you don't see it as pressure. I don't think they're parallel by any means."
Last Friday, you received a match penalty for what was called on the ice an illegal hit to the head of the Red Wings' Kent Huskins, your former teammate. It was rescinded by the NHL, but it begs the question: Do you find yourself thinking or perhaps even adjusting your powerful style of play as a result of the crackdown for safety purposes going on in the NHL?
"I'd say there is maybe a little consciously when you get real revved up and emotional about how far you can push the line, but my game in general is pretty honest and respectful. When I'm out there and I'm finishing hits, the first thing in my mind isn't to try to hurt my opponent. Intimidate possibly, but hurt them? I don't see any benefit in that.
"I've earned some rope, if you will, to go out there and play hard, play within the rules, and these hits to the head, that is the kind of ban that should be there. There are a lot of needless hits to the head when you're getting concussions and lasting effects that can really hurt a guy long term. For me, as a taller guy, I try to get down, stay compact, hit guys shoulder-to-shoulder. If there are bruised ribs, that's just part of the game. But trying to give a guy a concussion that could potentially affect his quality of life down the road? No, I want no part of that."
Let's talk about the talk of the team, Vladimir Tarasenko. We've seen some of what he can do already, and it's good, but I'm curious about what you guys -- his teammates -- are doing to help him adjust to St. Louis and the NHL in a way that would allow things to be normal for him, when he's gotta be thinking nothing about this is normal at all?
"It's gotta be tough on the guy. He's not only getting used to a new place to live, but he's getting used to a new place to play, new surroundings, new linemates, a different style of game over here -- and he's done a great job of it. He's got some linemates in Alex Steen and Andy McDonald who have helped him a lot. We've seen how talented he is and that has garnered attention, but when he needs advice more than one person is waiting to answer for him.
"I relish it. I enjoy it. I don't want it any other way."
-- David Backes on serving as the St. Louis Blues' captain
"He's done a good job of getting to know the guys and speaking up rather than just sitting there hoping one magical answer comes to him. His English isn't perfect, but it's good enough to get by. You get to see a sense of humor come out. He's not wide-eyed. He's getting in on the jokes, smiling and having a good time. We don't treat him like every other rookie because you want to make sure it's not taken the wrong way, but he doesn't get too many free passes."
Has being captain in St. Louis been what you expected it to be, or have you been surprised by what the added responsibility entails and how it affects you?
"A lot of it has [been surprising]. I'd say what I expected is maybe there is a little bit of notoriety coming with being a captain, more interviews, but what I didn't expect is how much different the responsibilities and the workload is as a guy with a 'C' on your jersey, not only on the ice but in the [dressing] room, at practice, at the end of games, on the road. It seems like I was at the rink two hours a day [before being named captain] and now it's four-plus just trying to make sure all our ducks in a row, that we're controlling the things we can control.
"I relish it. I enjoy it. I don't want it any other way. But, that was surprising to me. I read a couple of [leadership] books on it and then had, first Davis Payne and now Ken Hitchcock as a mentor leading me down a path that would make us be successful. Outside of that I watched Dallas Drake and Eric Brewer here, saw some things they did to make us successful. I tried to learn whatever I could wherever I could."


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Rare Stellar Alignment Offers Opportunity to Hunt for Planets
The ancients thought that stars were fixed pinpoints of light on the sky. Today we know that they are all moving, like fish in a pond. This so-called proper motion is so small that it is not noticeable to the human eye over a single lifetime. But Hubble can precisely track stellar motions to razor-sharp precision. Not surprisingly the nearest star to our Sun, Proxima Centauri, is one of the fastest moving across the sky. Hubble astronomers have found that it will pass in front of two far-more distant background stars, once in 2014 and again in 2016. This will afford a very rare opportunity to see how Proxima's gravity warps the image of the background stars by bending their light. This effect, called gravitational lensing, can be used to estimate Proxima Centauri's mass and establish the presence of any planets orbiting the star.
The nearest star to our Sun, the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, is on a course for a rare conjunction with two distant background stars. This alignment will offer astronomers a unique opportunity to look for planets orbiting close to Proxima Centauri. In addition, astronomers will be able to precisely measure the mass of this isolated red dwarf.
Observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope were used to plot the star's trajectory across the sky with enough precision that astronomers can predict two "close encounters" of the stellar kind with Proxima Centauri. The red dwarf passes nearly in front of a 20th-magnitude background star in October 2014 and a 19.5-magnitude star in February 2016.
The warping of space by Proxima Centauri's gravitational field will cause the image of each star to be very slightly offset from their real positions on the sky. The amount of offset can be used to measure Proxima Centauri's mass – the greater the offset, the greater the mass of Proxima. If Proxima Centauri has a planet, it may produce a small second position shift due to the companion planet's gravitational field.
The stars will shift very slightly in their apparent position, an estimated 0.5 milliarcsecond and 1.5 milliarcseconds, respectively. (A milliarcsecond is the angular width of a nickel in Honolulu, Hawaii, as viewed from the distance of New York City.) Hubble can make measurements as small as 0.2 milliarcsecond. The European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope on Mt. Cerro Paranal in Chile may be able to make comparable measurements. These so-called microlensing events will last from a few hours to a few days.
Because Proxima Centauri is so close to Earth, the area of sky warped by its gravitation field is larger than for more-distant stars, and this makes the observations easier to look for shifts in apparent stellar position caused by this effect.
So far all attempts to detect planets around Proxima Centauri have been unsuccessful. Radial velocity and astrometric observations, which can measure the gravitational wobble of a star due to the pull of an unseen companion, have not detected the presence of planets. Astrometric observations rule out giant planets with anything larger than 80 percent of Jupiter's mass with a period of less than 1,000 days. Likewise, radial velocity observations exclude the presence of any planet the mass of Neptune or larger within an orbital radius equal to Earth's orbit (assuming the orbit is not face-on to Earth or similarly inclined at a steep angle). Nor have planets been found transiting across the face of the star, which would happen if the planet's orbit were edge-on to Earth. But now, by looking for microlensing effects during these rare stellar alignments, smaller terrestrial planets around Proxima Centauri could be detected.
A team lead by Kailash Sahu of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., first searched 5,000 stars in the Luyten Half-Second catalogue of stars that have a high rate of angular motion across the sky for possible alignment events. "Proxima Centauri's trajectory turned out to offer one of the most interesting opportunities because of its extremely close passage to the two stars," says Sahu. Because it is so close to Earth, Proxima Centauri also moves across the sky at a comparably high angular rate. It crosses a piece of sky with the apparent width of the full Moon every 500 years.
Red dwarfs are the most common class of stars in our Milky Way galaxy – any such star that has ever been born is still shining today, because they live longer than the age of the universe. Therefore, getting a precise determination of mass is critical to understanding a star's temperature, diameter, intrinsic brightness, and longevity.
For every star like our Sun, there are approximately 10 red dwarfs in space. Because lower-mass stars tend to have smaller planets, red dwarfs are ideal places to go hunting for Earth-sized planets.
At a distance of 4.2 light-years from Earth, Proxima Centauri is just 0.2 light-years from the more-distant binary star Alpha Centauri A+B. These three stars are considered part of the triple-star system, though Proxima Centauri evolved in isolation from the two Sun-like companion stars.
This paper has been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal and Dr. Sahu is presenting these results at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
Kailash Sahu
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.


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Aug 30, 2012
From staff reports
Ohio University (OHIO) and Aon Hewitt are working together to develop a new compensation program as part of the overall Compensation 2014 Project.
An important, next step in this project includes gathering information on each administrative/professional and classified non-bargaining unit position within the University.
Employee Role
We are asking each employee at OHIO whose position is included in the study to complete an online job questionnaire (OQ) and tell us about the work that you do. The purpose of this request is to ensure we have a clear understanding of your job including the responsibilities, experience, and qualifications. Aon Hewitt will use the updated job information to develop new job classifications and conduct an external market analysis of OHIO jobs within scope of this project.
Employees should understand that Aon Hewitt will collect employee job information in order to develop broader job classifications. The resulting classifications will not be identical to, or as specific, as the data that is collected by the OQ. The specific job information that is collected from employees will be used to create classifications and appropriately match jobs to the resulting classification.
Supervisor/Reviewer Role
Direct supervisors and designated secondary reviewers of positions covered in this study will be asked to review their employees' input in the questionnaire and provide comments where necessary. Supervisors will have the opportunity to provide input in each section of the OQ, but will not be able to change their employees' input. Reviewers will also not be able to change employee input, but will be able to add comments.
Training Guide
Online training has been provided to help familiarize employees with the look and feel of the OQ. Staff will get the opportunity to learn how to navigate through the questionnaire. The training will also demonstrate the functionality of the questionnaire process as participants are shown an example of the inputs required to complete the OQ.
You may access the training guide through the Compensation 2014 Project Website.
Data Collection Process
On Sept. 5, you will receive an email from email@example.com soliciting your participation in the job content collection process. The email will include instructions on how to access the online questionnaire tool.
There will be two levels of review as part of the data collection process. The first level of review will be completed by your direct supervisor. The second level of review will be completed by your direct supervisor's manager, the business unit head, or the human resources professional aligned with your unit.
Once you have completed the questionnaire, it will be delivered electronically to your direct supervisor for review. Each supervisor will have the opportunity to provide additional information about your job, but will not be able to alter your direct input. Once their portion is completed, the questionnaire will be delivered electronically to the second level reviewer, who will have the opportunity to provide additional input. All reviewed and submitted questionnaires will then be sent directly to Aon Hewitt.
Administrative/Professional and Classified Non-Bargaining Employee Process
Supervisors/Reviewers Process
General Timing Guidelines
The data collection process will be conducted between Sept. 5 – Nov. 16.
HR representatives from your respective business units will provide more detail on timing for your department in an upcoming communication.
Next Steps
The OHIO HR team and Aon Hewitt will review completed questionnaires beginning in September and continuing through the fall. As the project moves forward, we will continue to provide you with updates.
Thank you for your participation in this important step of the project. If you have any questions, please refer to the frequently asked questions section on the Compensation 2014 Project Website or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: L en Dawson ambled into the press club at Arrowhead Stadium expecting to enjoy a little breakfast before broadcasting the Chiefs-San Diego game last Sunday. Instead, he was approached by a couple of reporters who sought his opinion. As part of the Chiefs celebrating their 50th season, The Star selected its All-Time Chiefs team, and who better to ask for comments on the picks than Dawson?


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Now that our naughty little tryst with soccer has come to an end, and Teutonic power has rightfully been restored, it's time to flop back into American sports.
And all due respect to the other leagues, our true love affair is with our own version of football, where a bone better be sticking out before the stretcher is called.
This Ticket City map illustrating each state's most popular team — if popularity can fairly be determined by Google searches over a two-year period — hammers that point home.
NFL teams come out on top for search frequency in 32 states. Specifically, the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks claim four states each. The Bears, Broncos and Vikings three apiece. Even a college team sneaked in there with the Razorbacks in Arkansas.
Most of these picks make plenty of sense, but not all. The Super Bowl punchline Buffalo Bills are New York state's most searched team, beating out the Yankees, Giants, Mets and Knicks? What puts the awful Raiders in California ahead of the Dodgers, Giants and, of course, 49ers? The Bears are tops in Indiana?
Fertile ground for smack talk.
As for baseball, the national pastime earned its share of states (with MLB teams most often searched in 10 states), mostly in the East, where the Red Sox, Pirates and Braves claim two states each. Basketball teams led the way in just five states, including Florida with the newly LeBron James–less Heat.
The Boston Bruins were the only National Hockey League team to appear, earning the most-searched spot in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
-- Shawn Langlois
More must-read stories from the Margin include:
The price of happiness, by state
Snoozing Yankees fan sues ESPN for $10 million