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Lenten grass is an old Finnish tradition and a lovely way to mark the season of Lent with children. If you're looking for ideas for observing Lent, planting grass is easy to do, fun for the whole family.
For adult observers, the Christian season of Lent is often a time of quiet contemplation. For kids, however, Lent seems little more than preamble to Easter's bonnets and bunnies and baskets.
To help children observe Lent, consider adopting the old Finnish custom of planting grass seed in small dishes on Ash Wednesday.
For children, it is fun to plant and carefully tend the seeds. Soon delicate blades burst forth from the earth, stretching toward the light. With good care, the grass will grow thick and strong and lush, symbolizing the resurrection and the certainty of spring.
Here's how to mark the Lenten Season with Lenten Grass. It's easy, it's fun! Consider starting several trays and giving them to family and friends.
Plant the seeds for Lenten Grass on Ash Wednesday. But if you happen to miss Ash Wednesday, I don't think God will mind. :-) Starting a few days later will work too.
Start with a pretty bowl or tray about three inches high. For drainage, first lay down an even layer of small rocks – aquarium rocks are perfect. Add a layer of potting soil, the loose stuff works better than dense dirt. Don't fill up the bowl or tray, however, leave room for another layer.
For grass seed, I use rye grass from the local feed store, it costs all of $.40. Sprinkle the seed on top of the soil. Be generous! We want thick grass!
One year, I planted wheat grass but was unhappy with the results; others have good luck, however, so in 2010 I experimented with it again (more information about wheat grass below).
Add more potting soil. If it's dry and airy, use quite a bit because it'll pack down once wet.
For visual interest, especially before germination, arrange a few rocks or perhaps pieces of colorful broken china. Be creative!
A bear, perhaps?
Or a regal cat?
Hey wait! Where'd he come from?!
Me, I'm a minimalist and a naturalist so I start with simple stones from my garden.
Water the seeds, but not too much, we don't want to drown these little guys!
Now. Place the container in a sunny spot, someplace where it's easy to see, often. I put mine right in the middle of the kitchen table.
Moisten the soil every day. Use something with a small spout to control the flow. If you're doing this with kids, a spray mister may prevent over-watering. The soil shouldn't be soaked but it should be moist. And because the soil is shallow, it'll dry out quickly.
And then, about Day 6 ...
... start looking for itsy signs of grass!
In fact, leave for a couple of days and you'll miss the first growth and come home to this! This was taken on Day 8.
After that, the growth will be fascinating to watch. On sunny days, you'll be positive you can see new growth every couple of hours.
At first, the grass will come up in clumps and seem a little sparse.
But don't worry. Soon enough, with sun and water, there will be a thick tray of lush Lenten Grass, green and bright and fresh-smelling, for everyone to enjoy, by Day 10, say.
See the clump of dirt? The sheer power of the thrusting grass is impressive!
When the grass gets unruly, 'mow' it with scissors. From now til Easter, you'll need to 'mow' every week or so.
After each mow, the Lenten Grass will grow back thick and lush. (Day 14.)
If you have a cat, the grass might be a curiosity, unless you have a Finnish cat, like mine, who feigns indifference. Meet Toivo: she's learned that grass doesn't agree with her tummy and leaves the Lenten Grass alone.
In 2009 and 2010, I also planted wheat grass. It requires a deeper dish and grows more slowly.
But by Day 15, the wheat grass is tall and thick and quite pretty.
Can you see how much fun it is to hide things in the grass?
I love the tradition of planting and tending Lenten Grass and hope that others will adopt and enjoy it too!
Recipes for Lent & Easter~ Lent ~
~ My Mom's Pancakes ~
for Shrove Tuesday supper
~ Easter ~
~ Hot Cross Buns ~
for Good Friday
PLANNING AHEAD for CHRISTMAS
my family's tradition for
~ Jesus' Birthday Cake ~
© Copyright 2007 Kitchen Parade
But really, I think any kind of grass seed will do and that this time of year, you'll find bags of grass seed at Target, Wal*Mart or a big hardware store.
I hope this works for your children, it really is a fun thing.
It's been ages since I grew Easter grass. Holidays aren't nearly as much fun when there aren't kids around!
This is a great idea! I grew up in Louisiana and Lent was a huge subject since it is an area with a lot of Catholic churches.
I do love the tie in to the coming spring and Easter...we may try and use this with our children at church.
I'll bookmark this page so that I can come back to it later.
Thanks again!
I'd never heard of this. Thanks for the idea.
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna


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Just moved here a month ago, and would love for someone to hit with.
Have an internship during the day, and work nights/weekends at a restaurant but am pretty flexible when it comes to scheduling.
Just dying to play, ya know?
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Either...I'm versatile.
And, I'm willing to explore the DC area. Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Wheaton, etc...
I'm up for hitting on Sunday, either early morning or late afternoon. Let me know if that suits you.
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The support and dedication offered by our team of volunteer stewards and museum assistants has been crucial to the running of Burgh House since it reopened as a cultural centre and museum in 1979. Most of the volunteers staff the front desk during museum opening hours and public events – welcoming guests and offering them information about the House and the current exhibitions on display. We thought we would have a chat with some of the volunteers to get to know their distinctive backgrounds, what brought them to Burgh House and what they like most about volunteering.
Front-of-house stewards
My name is Suzanne Pinkerton and I have been a volunteer steward at Burgh House for the past 20 years – I'm not sure I can do 20 more, but I'll try! What I love most about volunteering here is getting to know local people – who then often say 'hello' to me on Hampstead High Street – and, of course, my lovely managers! Before I retired, I worked as a professional classical singer and a foreign languages editor for a variety of companies across Europe. I found out about Burgh House through a friend I knew from Hampstead Parish Church who suggested, as I was working as a linguist part time, that volunteering at the House might fill in the gaps (I had already retired from both the singing and my main job at this point).
My name is Frieda and I have worked as a volunteer steward since I retired in 2000. I volunteer at Burgh House because it is a gem of a house, and I think it is worth nurturing. With its delightful small garden and café and friendly staff, Burgh House exudes welcoming warmth – an ambience well appreciated, and reciprocated, by its many visitors. Before retiring, I worked as a Conference and Seminar Secretary to the Director of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine for over 30 years. I first found out about Burgh House during a History of Hampstead evening course at New End School, which later led to me getting involved in the successful local effort to save the House for the community. Once I retired, I was delighted to be able to offer Burgh House my time.
Museum and learning assistants
My name is Ruth Brit and I have worked as a volunteer museum assistant since July 2013. My main roles are writing and editing the content on this website, managing the digitisation of the collection and assisting the Curator, Rebecca Lodge, with upcoming exhibitions. I started volunteering at Burgh House in order to gain more museum experience ahead of the MA in Museum Studies I will be starting in September 2014. What I love about volunteering at Burgh House is being able to gain experience in varied aspects of museum work and the responsibility and freedom to suggest ideas the staff affords me.
My name is Louise and I have worked as a volunteer learning assistant since early 2014. My main role is to help the Curator, Rebecca Lodge, plan and deliver school sessions and family activities and events. I started volunteering at Burgh House because I wanted the opportunity to work with young people in an educational capacity. My favourite thing about volunteering at Burgh House is the openness of the staff and the flexibility offered to volunteers, which leads to great opportunities for personal development.


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ATLANTA (AP) — It looks like a thrilling finish in the first Final Four game.
Louisville, which was down by as many as 12, has rallied for a 65-60 lead with 1:58 remaining.
The Cardinals press has spurred the comeback. Russ Smith and Luke Hancock each have 17 points to lead Louisville. And don't forget walk-on Tim Henderson, who hit two big 3-pointers.
— Paul Newberry — http://twitter.com/@opnewberry1963
NCAA Finals Watch follows the Final Four games and all the activities surrounding the event as seen by journalists from The Associated Press from across Atlanta. It will be updated throughout the day with breaking news and other items of interest. Follow AP reporters on Twitter where available.


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The First Annual Planet Awards
Today we will see which planets are the best in the solar system. We have nine contestants—eight planets and a dwarf planet—who will compete for awards. Each planet will tell us about itself and why it is unique among the planets. When all the planets have spoken, the judges will decide which planets will receive a Best Planet Award.


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Joe Rogowski, the Orlando Magic's head strength and conditioning coach, is leaving the team to join the Houston Rockets.
It's a difficult loss for the Magic, because Rogowski is widely regarded as one of the best strength coaches in the NBA. He's been especially effective through the years at helping to develop the team's young players, including Marcin Gortat and J.J. Redick.
Rogowski's fiancée, Diana Lopez, a bronze medalist for the U.S. in taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics and a member of the 2012 Olympic team, is from the Houston area and lives there now.
Rogowski will remain with the Magic until the end of the Orlando Pro Summer League, which is scheduled to conclude July 12.
His departure comes during an offseason when several of the Magic's young players, including center Nik Vucevic and power forward Andrew Nicholson, are hoping to improve their explosiveness and quickness.
Many observers are bound to view Rogowski's hiring by the Rockets as an effort by Houston General Manager Daryl Morey to entice former Magic All-Star Dwight Howard to sign a free-agent deal with the team.
While Howard likes and respects Rogowski, it's important to note that Howard has his own personal trainer and continued to work with that trainer during the 2012-13 season.
Prior to the 2011-12 season, when he was still a member of the Magic, Howard made a request that his personal strength coach and his personal shooting coach be allowed to work with him at the Magic's Amway Center practice facility.
Otis Smith, the Magic's general manager at the time, denied the request because it had the potential to undermine the Magic's coaching staff if it had been granted.
Josh Robbins covers the Orlando Magic and the NBA for the Orlando Sentinel. You can reach him via e-mail at email@example.com and connect with him on Facebook at facebook.com/JoshuaBRobbins. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.


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Music from iTunes to Trekstor... humbling, stumbling, but possible
I use an APPLE PBook G4 and OS/X 10.4.10 as well as iTunes 7 to save my music on the computer. I have an iPod as well as a Trekstor Organix 2 GB Flashplayer. Unfortunately there is no direct way to transfer music from iTunes to other players than the APPLE one. But I have made myself a work around. I transfer the music to my trekstor the following way.
1. All music has to be in MP3 format, Trekstor can't do anything with APPLEs favourite AAC format. So if you haven't changed the settings in iTunes the way that it imports files alreay as MP3 formats or if you want to leave it as AAC format than do the following:
2. Mark all the files you want to transfer to the Trekstore and right-click onto them, as an APPLE use with a one-button mouse press the Ctrl-key and click onto the files. Than choose "convert to MP3".
3. When the files are converted (Pay attention you have the songs now twice in iTunes, one AAC file and another MP3 file, than pull the MP§ files into a separate folder. For this purpose I have a special folder that is called "Transfer2Trekstor".
4. Than open your attached Trekstore which should be visible as an USB device.
5. Pull all files onto the Trekstor, that should do.
Ok, I admit, it is not very elegant but better than nothing. Hope it works for somebody else as well.
We are still confused ... but on a higher level ...
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Jan 11, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Very sharp '99. I just love all of the Mustangs out there. Well, to be honest, a few years were not my favorites. But I can appreciate all the work people put into them. Nice garage, too. I want to get some actual pics of my real garage and post them. Please visit www.mikes-show-n-shine.com and see some great local (West Michigan) car shows.
Dec 4, 2009 at 7:46 am
very nice stang
Jun 11, 2009 at 2:59 pm
very nice stang and garage.


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Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68 Forum
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The legend of the Pansies
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:00 am
Post subject: The legend of the Pansies
It was a beautiful day, the birds were singing, the sun was shining, and only three people were murdered that day. It might even be called one of the best days of the year in Tenne. I hated it.
My story begins with me, a young hero sitting in his studies reading a fine book. Well, I shouldn't say reading so much as looking at pictures of swords but you get the jest of it. While tearing up yet another book I received a message to meet my comrades in Giveamea in one week.
So after buying a magical credit card since I had the money to blow I set off to Giveamea. When I arrived in Giveamea, Ligre', Jason, and other guy (Kyle) were all set. Jason had the strange feeling to go to Atads for no reason. I think it was because of the magical "plot hole device". This can make even the most broken up story work, and I believe it is what binds Tenne together.
So we went to Atads. The group made good time that day, going all the way to Nacuor at the border of Giveamea in an afternoon. It was there that things went from surprisingly pleasant to bad. Lacking a map of Acerema, I tried to question a bartender for information. Jason then had the brilliant idea of pulling out his weapon in the bar nearly causing a bar fight,
I used my cunning wit and charisma and managed to talk both parties out of slitting each other's throats and the general agreement was that Jason had made a bad move. Enough of a bad move that the gang had to travel blindly to the next town.
Once again, it was a nice day and I was feeling down in the dumps. Why couldn't he be working or something instead of enjoying the good weather? Well anyway The Ziatic guild featuring I, the great and powerful battle mage Oswald made it to Beate and things went from alright to semi annoying.
It turns out they don't speak common in Beate. Luckily for some reason Ligre' knew the local language. Let it be known that I secretly recorded this for the rest of the adventure kept a sharp eye on the possible spy. After sleeping at an overpriced in called the BBB we hired a peasant boy to bring us to Atads.
It was there that things went ok to pretty cool. So far we haven't been attacked and everyone was in high spirits. After entering the dungeon the group messed around for a bit, breaking chest open, destroying libraries in search of hidden switches, and generally getting nowhere.
It wasn't until finding a group of elves in the dungeon that things went from meh to good bad. I say good bad as in the fact it was good and bad. The elves had a magic user who helped the group open two secret doors that we couldn't open. In the first room was a sort of challenge where you took on foes for money. Lacking a cleric the group opted not to endanger our lives.
It was there that the narrator stopped saying stuff went from something to another. The elves saw what the group had "found" the library wrecked and started to have a hissy fit. In a nutshell we told them to shut and open the secret door and they said words in elfish that I understood since I am the man. Inside that was another library, a magic library.
In this library were magical books for clerics and magic users. The snooty elves wouldn't let us in and when we tried to get in a voice from the ceiling said "No". I don't know about you but when a disembodied voice tells you not to do anything you had better listen.
You know what? I am not sure if it was even disembodied. As far as I know it could have just been some guy speaking a megaphone. Heck if I did then I bet I could become rich and people would listen to me.
Blah blah blah, only full blooded elves can open this door and Cooncarin can't get in, nor are we allowed to take out any books for fear of the echoey voice.
We then messed around for a while, killed things, got a gem and went home. The gem was worth a couple thousand and for some reason I think I learned something and I feel stronger.
I know I promised I wouldn't do this but things went from good to bad. While messing around in a town the group encountered a knight and his goons.
"Why, you are a bunch of pansies!" they said, mocking us. I knew when to hold me tongue, but Jason on the other hand didn't take this in good stride.
Pulling out his sword, Jason swung it in the knight's general direction. The knight had super human reaction and easily disarmed the foolish warrior and called him a pansy. We all had a good laugh and made it back to Giveamea alive and richer.
I dunno why though, but I have this nagging feeling that this won't be the last we see of this knight. He looked even stronger then Lucky and Urza even. Maybe not me, but he would put up quite a fight.
So Oswald messed around for a few days, seeing a knight in the corner of his eye, and the word "Pansies" written on almost all of his possessions. Not caring anymore, Oswald went upstairs and climbed into his nice warm bed.
Half asleep Oswald thought he heard the floor moan under the weight of something. Again it happened, and again. Using his super tuned hearing, Oswald tried to listen for the sound once more.
Suddenly Oswald's bed sheets began to move and something climbed into his bed. Something in armor. "Pansies" it whispered into his ear. Oswald let out a loud scream and lit a candle to find nothing there besides the smell of well oiled armor.
Conclusion: Elves stink. Aceremia is hick, do not trash libraries, and elves stink for not letting us have magics. Just wait, in 100 years or so when the Ziatic guild is a dungeon I will be a disembodied voice and scare adventures. That will show'em.
Name: Oswald
Status: ????
Class: Fighter
Level: 6
17 stength
11 intellegence
12 wisdom
17 dexterity
15 constitution
15 charisma
49 hit points
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Posts: 1479
Location: Minneapolis MN
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:15 pm
Post subject:
Pretty good synopsis. I'm glad you remembered to pronounce his name Ligre
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Dakota M
Joined: 25 Mar 2008
Posts: 257
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:49 pm
Post subject:
As am I and Alex how can you think I am a spy we have been adventuring together for years. I think Lucas/Jason is the one that wants to kill us.
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Michael S
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 370
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:02 pm
Post subject:
"He looked even stronger then Lucky and Urza even."
Ha I severly doubt that, secondly, I'm not even in the same league as Urza, Solomon, Lytle, or even Cooncarin...yet
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Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:22 pm
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Mike, are you saying there needs to be a shift of power come Friday night?
AD&D Dungeon Master
The master of all!
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Mike L
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:00 pm
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The U.S. lost 13 soldiers in Iraq during October, eight in combat, matching the lowest total ever:
The sharp drop in American fatalities in Iraq reflects the overall security improvements across the country following the Sunni revolt against al-Qaida and the rout suffered by Shiite extremists in fighting last spring in Basra and Baghdad.
When John McCain started his Presidential campaign, the U.S. was in danger of losing Iraq to some combination of al Qaeda and Iran. In considerable part because of McCain's advocacy, President Bush, against the advice of many of his generals, decided to pursue General Petraeus's counterinsurgency strategy. It was sort of like when Lincoln gave Grant the green light to take his punishing style of warfare to the Confederacy.
Both Barack Obama and John McCain began their Presidential campaigns as candidates who were defined largely by their foreign policy positions. Obama was the "pure" antiwar candidate, who hadn't voted for the Iraq war, mainly because he wasn't in either the House or the Senate at the time. McCain was the candidate who was, more than any other, committed to victory in Iraq and a strong defense against Islamic terrorism.
But because McCain was so spectacularly right, and because President Bush ultimately took his advice, the war has become a non-issue in the campaign. No one could have foreseen it: the 2008 Presidential race is about the banking industry and the stock market, not the war against Islamic terrorism. And, in just one of the many ironies of this election season, the result may well be that the candidate who was most spectacularly wrong about Iraq–Barack Obama–will benefit from the fact that his opponent was proved right, and win the White House. This is why throughout human history, people have referred to the "wheel of fortune," not the "wheel of justice."
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Did you know?
Each seat in the Superdome is a different color than the one next to it, providing the illusion of a full house even when some are empty. — www.experienceneworleans.com
Transportation Page
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Airport Shuttle Service
Airport Shuttle is the official ground transportation for the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Shuttle service is available to and from downtown New Orleans hotels, French Quarter, and the Convention Center, every day of the year (except from 2 AM - 3:30 AM), with vans departing approximately every 30 minutes.
Click here for shuttle and reservation information or call Airport Shuttle at 866-596-2699.
Avis Rental Car
Avis car rental is offering a discount to all AAPT Winter Meeting attendees. Please call Avis directly at 800-331-1600 and use the Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number J945158 or go directly to their website. The discount is effective 7 days before and 7 days after the conference.
Amtrak offers routes to New Orleans from a number of cities across the country. Click here for more information.
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Wild top Preds behind Kuemper's 1st shutout
Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves for his first NHL shutout and the Minnesota Wild beat the Nashville Predators 4-0 on Sunday.
Dany Heatley, Jason Zucker, Matt Cooke and Marco Scandella scored for the Wild, who have won five of their last six.
Kuemper, 23, made five saves in the first period and nine each in the last two as Minnesota beat Nashville for the fourth time in the last five meetings.
Marek Mazanec gave up four goals on just 23 shots for the Predators, who have lost six of their last seven and 11 of their last 14.
"They came out with a lot of juice and got us on our heels in the first," said Nashville coach Barry Trotz.
The first two Wild goals followed Predators turnovers near center ice.
"We tried to stickhandle and makes plays through people, but sometimes you can't," said Trotz.
Heatley tipped the puck past Mazanec 12:03 into the first period to give the Wild the only goal they would need. Heatley's ninth of the season came from the low slot after Charlie Coyle threw a try on net from the high right side.
Zucker made it 2-0 just 2:12 later, scoring his third on a 2-on-1 with Heatley after Minnesota gained the puck again on a neutral-zone turnover.
Cooke scored his sixth of the season 74 seconds into the third period, flipping a shot past Mazanec from in front of the crease after the Predators goaltender had turned one aside.
Scandella capped the scoring with 9:44 left, getting his third of the season on a shot from the left boards after the Wild won a faceoff.
Game Notes
The Wild are home against Ottawa on Tuesday ... Nashville is 1-1-1 on a five- game homestand that ends Tuesday against Calgary.


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In all horse sports equine welfare is paramount. But the major international championships present the most horse-health challenges and also attract the most scrutiny. No other equestrian competition involves the transport of more horses, from all corners of the globe, to a single location than the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Equestrian Games (WEG).
An Olympic Games features three equestrian sports or "disciplines"; the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Sept. 25-Oct. 10 in Lexington, Ky., will, for the first time, feature eight. That's an estimated 800 to 900 horses traveling from nations with unique disease profiles and challenges to the United States, a nation with its own unique disease profile and challenges.
The objective, of course, is to make sure the horses are healthy when they leave their home countries and that they don't introduce any foreign diseases to American equines; to keep all of the horses healthy and sound during the competition; and to send the foreigners home without any unwelcome souvenirs in the form of U.S.-based diseases.
To that end, FEI-appointed veterinary officials and a phalanx of Lexington's finest equine practitioners are working to ensure the 2010 WEG is uneventful, at least from the horse-health standpoint.
The Supporting Players
The cradle of the U.S. Thoroughbred industry, Lexington, Ky., is blessed with world-renowned equine hospitals and -veterinarians--assets that no doubt helped Lexington win the WEG. And the facility that's going to feature most prominently during these Games is Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, the 2010 WEG's official equine hospital and veterinary partner.
"We were approached by Alltech (the 2010 WEG title sponsor) and asked to be a sponsor," says N. Chris Newton, DVM, a partner in Rood & Riddle. "We're awfully excited to be involved, and we will have a pretty dominant presence."
Some of the Rood & Riddle veterinarians have taken on specific roles pertaining to the upcoming Games. Newton, for one, will offer support in the stable area and help organize the placement of the treating veterinarians. Assisting with organization will be Newton's colleague, Frederick B. Peterson, VMD, who will handle the scheduling of officials and ensure the necessary equine ambulances, medications, equipment, and personnel are where they're supposed to be.
Peterson understands the planning and effort required to manage the WEG's veterinary needs, having organized the veterinary support for the 2010 WEG test events. (Each of the eight disciplines held a dress rehearsal of sorts, called a test event, at the Kentucky Horse Park, site of the WEG.)
"The biggest challenge was the endurance trial," says Peterson. The planned 100-mile ride had to be shortened by 25 miles when heavy rain turned the course to slop. It was held in exactly one year before WEG; test event organizers hoped for typical Kentucky fall weather but instead got temperatures that fell into the 40s instead of the usual 60s and 70s. The ensuing slipping and sliding of horses in the muddy conditions kept Peterson and his crew of 23 veterinarians hopping, treating various injuries.
"But as they say in Kentucky, if you don't like the weather, wait a day and it will change," says Peterson. He and his fellow ve-terinarians are prepared for the climatic extremes that can occur during a shoulder season: September and October in Lexington can bring everything from the chilly, raw weather of the endurance test event to summerlike conditions, with high humidity, potential thunderstorms, and the mercury hitting 90, he says.
In Case of Emergency
There is no existing veterinary clinic at the Kentucky Horse Park. But if a WEG horse needs immediate attention, services must be available. The 2010 WEG organizers had hoped for the construction of an actual clinic at the Horse Park, but "that got scrapped due to the economy," according to Peterson. Instead, a temporary clinic will be set up for the event.
The veterinary center will feature two ultrasound units and other diagnostic equipment, plus "two surgeons there 24/7 on a rotational basis," says Peterson. "We should be able to do most anything there." Should a case require the aid of a full-service equine hospital, the patient will be transported to a nearby facility (Rood & Riddle, unless the person responsible for the horse--generally the rider or driver--requests otherwise, says Newton).
Located just 4.7 miles from the Horse Park, Rood & Riddle is a quick trip by equine ambulance. Newton, for one, is uncon-cerned about potential increased volume at the already busy hospital.
"We have a staff of more than 150," he says. And yes, all hands will be on deck during WEG, he adds. "We have the capability to handle five to seven extreme emergencies at a single time. It would be extremely atypical of a WEG to have more than one or two emergencies at a time."
Import, Export, and Disease Control
As discussed in the August issue, this year's WEG represents "the largest airlift [of horses] since World War II, and the largest single importation of horses ever into North America," according to Newton.
The South American horses will enter the U.S. via Miami, where they'll spend a week in quarantine. The Australian and New Zealand horses will spend their quarantine in Los Angeles, while those coming from Europe, Russia, and Asia will all depart via Europe and land at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, Ky., about 80 miles north of Lexington., where they will spend a minimum 42 hours in an on-site quarantine facility before shipping to the Kentucky Horse Park.
Even after arrival at the Horse Park, some horses still will be kept in a quarantine of sorts, Newton says. For instance, stallions and mares coming from Europe and other parts of the world affected by the sexually transmitted disease contagious equine metritis (CEM)--a disease not found in the U.S. horse population--will enter the facility via a designated CEM quarantine area, Newton says.
Another non-native disease that officials don't want establishing a foothold in the U.S. is equine piroplasmosis, a tick-borne protozoal infection.
"We just recently in the U.S. had our first outbreak, in the Texas area," Newton says. "Multiple horses tested positive, but that's been nipped.
"Any horse (at WEG) that tests positive will be confined to a special stabling and grazing area, which will be heavily treated for ticks," he continues. "Horses will be constantly surveyed for ticks."
Other cautionary measures against piroplasmosis include the mowing of course paths before the endurance and eventing cross-country competitions and the prohibition of dogs from Horse Park grounds to further guard against ticks being introduced, Newton says.
Source: www.thehorse.com
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Say hello to five dresses that push the limits. Dresses that give you the confidence to challenge the classic, yet still feel 100% timeless. Would you don one of these beauties on your Big Day? I'm putting this first Alexandra Grecco number on hold for my someday vow renewal. Let us know which one you would dare to wear in the comments!
Timeless in a Two-Piece
There was a time that we thought two-pieces might be a trend, but it seems these beauties are here to stay for a while. A timeless style like this one from Alexandra Grecco makes a sweet statement. Head here to see the back of the dress!
Pretty in Petals
Fresh off the runway, this floral-adorned number from Marchesa will take you from basic to blooming bride. Would you don this pretty petaled piece?
Babe in Black
You don't have to be an edgy bride to rock black. Black gowns add a sophisticated and elegant vibe when done right—like this Elias Gurrola dress.
Take the Plunge
Another Marchesa number pushing the limits with a deep plunging v neck. Would you make a statement in this runway-worthy dress?
Rock a Romper
The romper trend is on the rise and we're kind of loving it. This design by Samuelle is sweet, yet playful. Would you show off a little leg?


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KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — About 10,000 anti-government demonstrators angry about Ukraine's refusal to sign a pro-European Union agreement converged Saturday on a square outside a monastery where protesters driven away in a pre-dawn clash with police were taking shelter.
Opposition leaders called for nationwide strikes and for Ukrainians to mobilize en masse. Another big demonstration was called for Sunday.
The demonstrators outside the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery were shouting "shame" and "resign." Some vowed to spend the night on the square, as temperatures hovered only slightly above freezing.
"Each of you have to come out and express your own position on what kind of country you want to live in — a totalitarian, police-controlled country where your children will be beaten up or in a European country," said Vitaly Klitschko, a world boxing champion and leader of the opposition Udar party.
Klitschko's call encapsulated the two issues agitating the demonstrators: President Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign an association agreement with the EU and the violent dispersal of protests denouncing that decision.
Yanukovych said in an address Saturday evening that he condemned "the actions that led to the forceful confrontation and the suffering of people." He called for an investigation and for those responsible to be punished.
"I confirm that we are united in our choice of a common European future," Yanukovych said.
Yanukovych has said he still hopes that Ukraine will one day sign the agreement with the EU, but that the country was too fragile economically and could not afford to sacrifice trade with Russia.
Moscow regards Ukraine as historically part of its orbit and has tried to block the deal with the EU by banning some of Ukraine's imports and threatening more trade sanctions. A 2009 dispute between Kiev and Moscow on gas prices resulted in a three-week cutoff of gas to Ukraine.
The association agreement would have established free trade and deepened political cooperation between Ukraine and the EU, but stopped short of membership in the regional bloc.
In the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, where sentiment for European integration is especially strong, 10,000 demonstrators protested the failure to sign on Saturday.
Meanwhile, another prominent protest figure, parliament deputy Arseniy Yatsenyuk, is calling for Yanukovych to be impeached and on his government to resign. Yatsenyuk said opposition leaders were working to organize nationwide strikes.
Early Saturday, officers in riot gear moved against several hundred protesters at Independence Square in the Kiev city center, beating some with truncheons. Some protesters then went to the monastery about 500 meters away to take shelter in its cathedral.
In the early morning action, police took 35 demonstrators into custody. Some protesters were bleeding from their heads and arms after the clash.
"It was horrible. We were holding a peaceful demonstration and they attacked us," protester Lada Tromada said. "They threw us away like garbage."
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said in a statement that "the information from different sides which I have at the moment does not allow firm conclusions about who is responsible for this provocation," but said it would be fully investigated.
Kiev police chief Valery Koryak laid the responsibility on the protesters, saying the police were provoked into taking action, the Interfax news agency reported.
The European Union and the U.S. State Department condemned the violence against the protesters.
"We urge Ukraine's leaders to respect their people's right to freedom of expression and assembly," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.
"The European Union strongly condemns the excessive use of force last night by the police in Kiev to disperse peaceful protesters, who over the last days in a strong and unprecedented manner have expressed their support for Ukraine's political association and economic integration with the EU," the EU statement said.
About 10,000 people had rallied on the square Friday evening to protest Yanukovych's backing off from the pact, which had been eagerly anticipated by Ukrainians who want their country of 45 million people to break out of Moscow's orbit and tilt to the West. Opinion surveys in recent months showed about 45 percent of Ukrainians supporting closer integration with the EU and a third or less favoring closer ties with Russia.
Protests had been held in Kiev over the past week since Yanukovych backed away from the EU agreement. It was to have been signed Friday at an EU summit in the capital of Lithuania, and the passing of that date sparked an especially large turnout of protesters.
Saturday's harsh action was in contrast to the mass protests of the 2004 Orange Revolution, when tens of thousands came to the square nightly for weeks and set up a vast tent camp on the main street leading to the square. Police had a mostly low-profile presence during those demonstrations.
Those protests forced the annulment of a fraud-tainted presidential election in which Yanukovych was shown with the most votes. A rerun of the election was ordered and Yanukovych lost to Western-leaning reformist Viktor Yushchenko.
Yanukovych was elected president five years later, narrowly defeating then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the leading figure of the Orange Revolution.
Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 2011 for abuse of office, a case that the West has widely criticized as political revenge. The EU had set Tymoshenko's release, or at least her freedom to go to Germany for treatment of a severe back problem, as a key criterion for signing the association pact with Ukraine.
The prospect of freeing his archenemy was deeply unattractive to Yanukovych.
Tymoshenko's daughter, Eugenia, read a statement from her mother to the crowd outside the monastery calling on Ukrainians to demonstrate "against the dictatorship and violence of Yanukovych."


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Manchester City ended their tour of Scotland with a 2-1 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle.
Manuel Pellegrini's side were beaten by Dundee United on Monday but took a first-half lead through Scott Sinclair on Friday night.
Osman Sow equalised for the hosts after 57 minutes but Aleksandar Kolarov netted the winner 10 minutes from time from the penalty spot following a foul on Emyr Huws.
A second-string Newcastle side were beaten 2-0 by Gateshead in James Curtis' testimonial at Gateshead International Stadium.
The match began with a minute's silence in tribute to Newcastle fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney, who were passengers on the Malaysia Airlines flight that crashed in Ukraine.
Marcus Maddison and Greg McDermott put Gateshead two up before the half-hour mark and that was the way it stayed.
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Priests for Life Outreach-Staten Island, NY
Atlanta, GA – Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said today that the killing of late-term abortionist George Tiller brings tremendous sorrow.
"Two years ago, I visited George Tiller's clinic in hope of telling him that babies desire mercy," said Dr. King. "I wanted to share with him the harm I experienced from abortion. My prayer was that one day he would join me in repentance. I am deeply sorry that his life was taken before that could happen."
"It's especially horrifying that Dr. Tiller was shot in church," added Dr. King. "My grandmother, Alberta King, was killed by a Christian-hating gunman as she played the organ during Sunday services. Just as the womb should be a safe haven, so should church. I condemn this murder in the strongest possible terms."
A colleague of Dr. King's in a pro-life African-American coalition, Pastor Stephen Broden, also declared, "Pro-lifers are devastated by the Tiller killing. In the great tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we pray, march, and counsel peacefully. Just as earlier civil rights workers, pro-lifers do not answer violence with violence."
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.


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Special Collections Additions #7, #8
Don't be fooled by the time elapsed since my last inductions to the Parcell Press Special Collection. A great many hard-hitting, impressive, popular, and unique titles have come through the ranks in the last year or so. And, as always, each and every piece carried by Parcell Press has my personal stamp of approval. But to be honest, as the catalog grows and improves, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish the especially noteworthy from the rest of the selection. Imagine it as hunting for the shiniest piece of gold among a field of gold. Not a bad situation in which to find yourself, but a tricky thing to accomplish nonetheless.
Well, after careful observation over the last year, today's two inductees — Lucia Gunzel's Cranky Pants and Corinne Mucha's My Every Single Thought — have proven themselves as glimmery and shiny beyond their peers.
I am proud to have been in charge of the production for Lucia Gunzel's Cranky Pants. Lucia and her talented illustrator, Louis Forgione were both a pleasure to work with, and their passion for finally completing and self-publishing their collaborative project — which remained unpublished for some time before Summer 2010 — was contagious. I did my best to pour into the production of the book the same level of detail, fun, and enthusiasm as they injected into its creation. The finished product is a book that has broken established Parcell Press sales records and garnered much attention within the field of childrens literature. Is it a great book for any kid in your life? Yes. They'll love the story and the pictures. Is it suited for a grown person? Of course. But the popularity alone has fashioned this to the Parcell Press Special Collection. There are rumors of a sequel. Let's hope they're true.
Corinne Mucha is a Chicago-based illustrator whose work can be seen in many forms, including her Xeric-funded book My Alaskan Summer, The Shortpants Observer #1, and more. I even happened to see a full-page piece by Corinne on the front cover of the Style section of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Uncanny! Her artwork is witty, charming, and her stories are funny and familiar, making for comics that are easy to recommend and fun to read. My Every Single Thought has continued to be wildly popular for all of these reasons. This book, Corinne writes in the introduction, "chronicles the author's attempt to get over an old relationship, and come to terms with a saucy new label — single." A common experience, Corinne presents her illustrated anecdotes as unique and lighthearted and yet they can be related to easily. As the comic has consistently done well in the Parcell Press catalog for so long and continues to attract attention from new and returning Parcell Press customers, it is a natural addition to the Special Collection. One glimpse at its pages will win you over.


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How Do I Collect on a Judgment?
Winning a Judgment may be only half the battle…
…collecting the money owed is the other half.
- Information Subpoena
- Income Execution on the wages of the debtor
- Seizing personal property owned by the debtor
- cars
- trucks
- bank accounts
- Filing a lien against real property (land) owned by the debtor
Information Subpoena | Income Execution | Personal Property Execution | What is the effect of filing a Transcript of Judgment in the County Clerk's Office? | How long is a Judgment Valid For? | What Happens If A Debtor Files For Bankruptcy? | Satisfaction Of Judgment
Before property can be seized, the Creditor must find and identify what property is specifically owned by the Debtor. It is also the Creditor's duty to locate where the Debtor is employed.
An Information Subpoena is a legal document that requires the Debtor to give written answers to several written questions concerning what property they own, where it is located, & where they may be employed. The Creditor can use this information to seize the property or wages of the Debtor. While the Information Subpoena is most often served on the Judgment Debtor, it may also be served on other individuals or organizations (such as banks) to see if they are in possession of any property owed to or owned by the Debtor.
The Judgment Creditor may obtain an Information Subpoena from City Court for a fee. The City Court will provide you with an Information Subpoena, two sets of written questions and a cover letter. The Judgment Creditor must serve the Judgment Debtor with the cover letter, both sets of questions, and provide a postage pre-paid, addressed return envelope for the Debtor or institution to use to mail the answered questions back to the Creditor. If you do not receive a response to the Information Subpoena, you may commence a contempt proceeding against the individual who failed to answer the Subpoena. A Creditor may commence a contempt proceeding by filing the proof of service (for example: the certified mail receipt) of the Information Subpoena with the Court. The Court will schedule a date for the other party to provide the Information Subpoena to the Court, or appear in Court to explain why the information has not been provided. If that party fails to appear on the date set, the Court will issue a Contempt Order and the person shall be in contempt of court until they provide the information demanded.
If a Judgment Creditor knows where a Judgment Debtor is employed, the Creditor can file or request (depending on Court proceedings) an Income Execution on the wages of the Debtor.
The City Constable, Sheriff, or Local Police will serve the income execution on the Debtor's Employer. If the Debtor is earning sufficient income, the employer must deduct 10% of the Debtor's weekly earnings and transmit to the Sheriff or Local Police. If the Debtor is self-employed, retired or on Social Security, no wages can be garnished.
The Judgment Creditor may file or request a Property Execution asking that the property be seized and sold with the sole proceeds being used to pay off the balance due on the Debtor's judgment. There is no charge for filing or requesting a Property Execution. If a Judgment Creditor knows that the Judgment Debtor owns a car, truck, motorcycle or other personal property of significant value, the Judgment Creditor may file a Property Execution.
If the Judgment Creditor knows that the Judgment Debtor has a bank account at a specific bank, the Judgment Creditor may also use a Property Execution to ask that the money in the bank account be seized and used to pay off the balance due on the Debtor's employer. Before the County Sheriff can seize personal property or assets of the Debtor, the Creditor must first identify the property to be seized.
Filing a Lien at the County Clerk's Office
A Judgment Creditor can make their City Court Judgment more powerful by filing their judgment in the County Clerk's Office. This is accomplished by the Judgment Creditor requesting a "Transcript of Judgment" from the City Court Clerk. The cost for the transcript is $6.00 (payable by cash or money order to the City Court). The Judgment Creditor would file it in the County Clerk's Office FOR AN ADDITIONAL COST (payable by cash or money order to the County Clerk).
What is the effect of filing a Transcript of Judgment in the County Clerk's Office?
1) The judgment becomes a lien on any land currently owned
or later acquired by the Debtor anywhere in the County. In
most cases, the land cannot be sold until the judgment is paid.
2) The Credit agencies often check the County Clerk's records to see if a person has any judgments filed against him/her. If the Judgment Debtor attempts to obtain a loan to purchase a vehicle or a mortgage to purchase a home, he/she are often denied credit approval unless they first pay off any unpaid judgments.
A Judgment Debtor may also be denied a credit card until the judgment is paid. If a Judgment Debtor dies and the judgment is on file with the County Clerk, the estate of the deceased debtor may be ordered to pay off the balance due on the judgment.
How long is a Judgment Valid For?
A judgment is valid for ten (10) years and may be extended once for an additional period of ten (10) years. To extend a judgment for an extra ten (10) years, the Judgment Creditor must make written application to the City Court.
What Happens If A Debtor Files For Bankruptcy?
If a Creditor receives a written notice that a Judgment Debtor has filed for bankruptcy, all further efforts to collect the judgment are stayed (put on hold) until the Bankruptcy Court makes a decision as to how the assets of the Debtor should be divided. The Creditor should contact the Trustee in writing at the address listed on the Notice of Bankruptcy to file a claim and to find out whether the judgment debt will be paid or discharged (cleared) by the Bankruptcy Court.
If a Transcript of Judgment has been filed with the County Clerk, once the Debtor pays off the Judgment, the Creditor has a legal responsibility to prepare and sign a Satisfaction of Judgment for the benefit of the Debtor, so that all liens and record of Judgment can be removed from the County Clerk's office. The Creditor must either file the Certified Satisfaction of Judgment with the County Clerk, or provide it to the Debtor so that the Debtor may file it with the County Clerk. The Certified Satisfaction of Judgment must also be filed with the City Court. If the Satisfaction of Judgment is generated by the Court, there is a fee.City Court Home Page


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You've probably seen it - this was the cover story on the Portland Press Herald yesterday:
How Maine missed the bus for a federal transit grant
Maine communities lost a chance to land $20 million from the federal transit system this year, apparently because the state's grant application was incomplete.
State transportation officials said Tuesday that they are trying to figure out how the application for a State of Good Repair grant arrived in Washington by e-mail with a cover letter only.
None of the required supporting documents was received, and a Maine Department of Transportation official said she was unsure if the application was e-mailed without the documents attached or if the attachments were somehow stripped off during transmission.
Kat Beaudoin, who heads the MDOT's Bureau of Transportation Systems Planning, said the state hasn't come to any conclusions.
"We believe that we attached (the supporting documents), but we believe that somewhere in the transmission they got unattached or got lost," she said. "I'm not sure we'll ever know what happened."


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To select the appropriate authentication mode for your MOSS Web application configuration, here's a quick guide to the differences between the available modes.
Trusted Account, Forms Authentication, or Windows Authentication with Trusted Accounts. If you configure the MOSS Web application to use Forms Authentication or Windows Authentication without enabling Kerberos, you must create a domain user account that is authorized to connect to your data source and use stored credentials because the MOSS Web application can't forward the user's credentials in this scenario. MOSS still authenticates the user and manages what the user can see and do, but external queries will run in the context of the trusted account.
Windows Authentication. Windows authentication mode works only when you enable Kerberos. When the user connects to the MOSS site, the Web application authenticates the user. When the user requests a report item, the application sends the user's credentials to the report server to confirm that the user has access to that server. If so, the report server uses the credentials to authorize access to the requested item or operation and allows or denies the request as applicable. If a requested report uses a data source to retrieve data from yet another server, the credentials can be passed to this third server if the data source is configured to use Windows Integrated Security.
Main article: Information Integration: SSRS and MOSS 2007


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CME Group Inc., owner of the world's largest futures market, dropped a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's new rules on trade-data reporting after the agency backed away from the requirements.
CME, in a filing today in federal court in Washington, said it was dismissing the case at least for now that sought to block the agency's cleared-swaps reporting regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act financial reform legislation. Yesterday, the agency amended one policy and said it's seeking public comment on how CME proposes to report swap data.
"We hope the CFTC will reconsider in the coming months whether these redundant rules are necessary and appropriate at all or could be improved to address better the reporting of cleared swaps data," Laurie Bischel, a CME Group spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.
Steve Adamske, a CFTC spokesman, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail message seeking comment on the dismissal.
CME sued the commission on Nov. 8 seeking a permanent injunction against rules requiring registered derivatives- clearing organizations, such as itself, to provide nonpublic reports of cleared swap transactions to a new swap data repository established under the act.
Yesterday, the commission withdrew part of a document governing how trade price and volume information is routed to new databases under the Dodd-Frank Act. The agency also sought comment yesterday on CME's proposed policy of having data for trades guaranteed by its clearinghouse sent to its own so-called swap-data repository.
The case is Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. v. U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 12-cv-01820, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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You know the old saying "it never rains but it pours" well here's another one, "I don`t want to rain on your parade" because KONAMI I am about to do just that.
SILENT HILL DOWNPOUR developed by VATRA games is the eighth instalment of the SILENT HILL series, and most definitely the worst.
If you . . . → Read More: Silent Hill Downpour-It`s A Bit Of A Washout


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Another beautiful Sunday morning here in Mauritius. Life seems to be ebbing slow and calm lately, tiding us from one season into the other. Some things remain constant though... like Six Sentence Sunday.
I'm ready to sit down and browse some fine samples of writing from my fellow SSS posters – join me?
I'm taking you one final time to the Surrey mansion today... We've been with hunky doctor Jamie and uptight pathologist Margo for a good many weeks now, but it's time I let them go on this space, because another couple is screaming for their spotlight moment. As from April, we move to my upcoming release, and Book 2 of the Corpus Brides romantic suspense/espionage series. Change of pace from Calling Home (A Destiny's Child Book)...
But today, we're still with Jamie and Margo. Remember, in the past 2 weeks, Jamie proposed a singular kind of arrangement, and Margo was blindsided... Has she figured out what he's just asked? Maybe this week, we'll find out...
Don't forget to check out my fellow Sixers today – good stuff in the works. Siobhan Muir, Sarah Balance, Lorraine Paton, JM Blackman, Jessica E. Subject, Cate Masters, Liz Crowe, among many others!
From Mauritius with love,


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Stormy Palouse
Christopher Budny 6/19/2012 10:06:53 AMWowsa! I've heard nothing but great things so far from that workshop, and this image is definitely showing why! Beautiful! #1470118
Ken Smith 6/19/2012 4:49:49 PMBeautiful work, Deb. Lightning is fantastic. Palouse is on my bucket list...a long list sadly. I'm glad you could hook up with Ms Doyle! #10189920
Thomas E. Hinds 6/19/2012 6:58:05 PMThis is astonishing, Deb! #10190337
Mike R. Howe 6/19/2012 9:59:31 PMBeautiful capture,Debra!!! #10190745
Renee Doyle 6/20/2012 8:37:18 AMAWESOME!!! Queen of light does her magic again! LOVE this one JSB!! Thanks for such a fun fun fun time :-) #10191274
Carla Capra 6/21/2012 8:04:48 AMWow, Wow!!
Lindley Johnson 6/21/2012 3:57:53 PMGlorious light and a stunningly beautiful scene, Deb. The clouds are amazing! #10194633
Kathy Salerni 6/21/2012 4:29:24 PMWow, the clouds, the light, the shadows and your special touch make this a Winner, Deb! Beautiful! #10194681
Patricia A. Casey 7/13/2012 9:35:56 AMWonderfully beautiful too Debra! Don't know which Palouse shot I like better...they're both stunning! #10227976
Kathryn Wesserling 7/30/2012 1:06:33 PMRight Place. Right Time. and definitely, the Right Photographer. It's stunning, Debra. Congratulations for the Finalist and undoubtedly the Gold! #10250941
Bojan Bencic 7/30/2012 1:17:41 PMBeautiful. Congratulations on your finalist, Debra. #10250992
Deborah C. Lewinson 7/30/2012 1:23:45 PMStunning finalist, Deb!
Debby #10251022
Jill Odice 7/30/2012 1:23:46 PMINcredible light! Wow! Congrats on your finalist Debra! #10251023
Lester A. Garcia 7/30/2012 1:27:47 PMDebra,
Congratulations on your finalist & good luck in the next round.
Lester #10251047
Stefania Barbier 7/30/2012 2:09:04 PMwonderful finalist... congratulations!!! #10251384
Kathy Salerni 7/30/2012 2:55:44 PMHuge congrats on this wonderful Finalist, Deb! Best of luck in the next round! #10251828
The Judges at BetterPhoto.com 7/30/2012 3:52:12 PMGeorgeous image #10252167
Christopher Budny 7/30/2012 4:55:28 PMI don't want to jinx it, but I want this one for GP! ;) Congratulations! #10252501
Thomas E. Hinds 7/30/2012 5:00:31 PMAn awesome and deserving Finalist, Deb! Congratulations! #10252533
JO ANN CLEVELAND 7/30/2012 8:09:02 PMCongratulations on this awesome Finalist Deb!
jo ann c.
Patrick Rouzes 7/31/2012 7:50:39 AMCONGRATS & good luck on this incredible beauty, Debra! WTG!
David M. Montero 7/31/2012 11:29:21 AMI like the way the clouds parted to let in just enough sunlight and the fact that you were there to capture it. Well done Debra! Congratulations on your Finalist selection! #10255295
Erica Murphy 7/31/2012 2:54:20 PMCongratulations on your beautiful finalist Deb!! The light is spectacular! #10255677
Phyllis H. Burchett 7/31/2012 3:03:24 PMSimply beautiful Deb, congrats! #10255701
Stefania Barbier 7/31/2012 4:35:01 PMCongratulations on your beautiful winner!!! #10255962
Michelle L. Frick 7/31/2012 4:47:30 PMCongratulations Deb! The light and gradations you captured are stunning! #10256022
Ken Smith 7/31/2012 5:00:49 PMWay to go, Deb!! Congrats on your well-deserved gold!! #10256087
Leslie McLain 7/31/2012 5:03:04 PMCongrats on a stunning winner, Deb. #10256097
Thomas E. Hinds 7/31/2012 5:20:45 PMVery beautiful Winner, Deb! #10256172
Gail Vitikacs 7/31/2012 5:35:39 PMYou go girl! Congrats! #10256217
Phyllis H. Burchett 7/31/2012 5:36:32 PMCongrats on your win Deb! #10256221
Chris Schlosser 7/31/2012 6:08:14 PMCongratulations on your beautiful winning image, Deb! #10256321
Ellen Hodges 7/31/2012 6:40:48 PMHuge congrats on a fabulous winner, Deb!!!! So well deserved and gorgeous!!! #10256440
Philip B. Ludwig 7/31/2012 6:41:57 PMCongratulations on your second place winner. It is beautiful. #10256445
Carmody Baker 7/31/2012 6:44:32 PMJust beautiful Deb. Love it! #10256461
Carol Eade 7/31/2012 6:49:38 PMCongratulations, Deb, beautiful capture! #10256494
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 7/31/2012 7:00:13 PMWhooo hooo Deb, a beautiful winning image. Huge congratulations!!! #10256542
Cindy Bendush 7/31/2012 7:47:02 PMFabulous win Deb - huge congratulations! #10256704
Mariann Kovats 7/31/2012 10:19:43 PMGorgeous capture, congrats on your win! #10256919
Renee Doyle 8/1/2012 12:22:57 AMDeserves to have that Gold Badge!! BIG congrats to you JSB!! #10256993
Christopher Budny 8/1/2012 5:25:51 AMCongratulations again, on the win! #10257450
Rona L. Schwarz 8/1/2012 9:10:01 AMSpectacular, Deb! Mouth-watering gorgeous! Has your signature lighting that brings out all the beauty of those Palouse hills. Have always wanted to go there...I will definitely look up the Silverman's workshop. SUPER CONGRATS ON THIS VERY DESERVING GOLD WINNER!! #10257854
Bob Cournoyer 8/1/2012 11:34:05 AMI knew I should've stayed closer to you!! Congrats on a terrific image.... :-) #10258052
Bojan Bencic 8/1/2012 12:06:10 PMCongratulations on this amazing win, Debra. WOW! #10258118
David M. Montero 8/1/2012 1:34:08 PMongratulations on your terrific win Debra! #10258250
Deborah C. Lewinson 8/1/2012 2:14:38 PMSo glad to saee this get the gold, Deb!
Congratulations! #10258339
Randy D. Dinkins 8/1/2012 6:23:42 PMBeautiful shot!! Congratulations! #10258934
Usman M. Bajwa 8/2/2012 2:56:50 AMWhat gorgeous light and expanse, Deb. HUGE CONGRATZ on landing the Gold Medal!!!
Patrick Rouzes 8/2/2012 7:38:38 AMBig Congrats on your Winning photo, Debra!
JO ANN CLEVELAND 8/2/2012 8:23:30 AMFannnn...tastic Deb!
Congratulations on this wonderful Second Place Winner! Sooo well deserved too!
jo ann c. #10259789
Mary Beth Aiello 8/4/2012 7:13:21 AMNo one captures the Palouse like you do, Deb. This is extraordinary. The lighting is perfect, and I live the tire tracks that weave throughout. This is on my bucket list too. Truly truly outstanding. Huge congrats. #10262271
Lindley Johnson 8/6/2012 6:17:27 PMSo happy to see this as a winner, Deb! It's stunning! #10265600
Shawn Jennings 8/14/2012 7:14:04 AMCongratulations on your win, Deb! #10275405
Ken Smith 8/15/2012 3:48:50 AMYou were on Snapshot...congrats Deb!! #10276510
Kathryn Wesserling 8/15/2012 4:28:17 AMWhat a treat this morning to see your exquisite image again - this time in Snapshot #590. #10276598
Leslie McLain 8/15/2012 4:38:22 AMCongrats on having your stunning image featured in Snap Shot, Deb. #10276610
Carla Capra 8/15/2012 6:22:13 PMCongratulations on your win and feature. This is stunning! Love the light and shadows. #10277464
Patricia A. Casey 8/28/2012 6:27:04 AMI just returned from five weeks on the road...only two days in Palouse Country and never saw a cloud....A huge congratulations on the Win with this photo.....it is beautiful....Cheers =^..^= #10293656
Andre Larose 6/5/2013 10:13:21 AMThis is breathtaking Debra! Congratulations! #10722851
Just came back from a wonderful Palouse workshop with Neil and Sue Silverman. On our last day of shooting, the morning clouds in the valley were so beautiful and interesting.
Exif: F Number: 8, Exposure Bias Value: -0.33, ExposureTime: 1/200 seconds, Flash: did not fire., ISO: 640, White balance: Manual white balance, FocalLength: 70.00 mm, Model: NIKON D3
Uploaded on 6/19/2012 8:16:48 AM
Camera: Nikon D3 Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Debra R. Harder. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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As a parent, it is nice to know that there are lots of options for supporting your infant's development and helping him reach his potential during this time.
Be sure to check the package for the recommended age range for any toy. Toys that are above a child's age level may pose a safety hazard because of small parts on which your child could choke.
Toys that can be manipulated, such as shape sorters, stacking blocks, and baby-safe puzzles, are great for a child's fine motor, cognitive, and perceptual skills. Babies can have lots of fun while building important developmental skills.
Consider how well the toy is going to hold up over time. Is it washable, well-constructed, durable, and safe?
Check for loose parts on all toys. Remember that long ribbons and strings are a safety issue. Be sure to keep all toys clean by wiping them down regularly.
Developmentally appropriate toys that are colorful and have different textures will grab a child's attention and stimulate his senses. Toy musical instruments, textured puzzles, mobiles, and baby-safe mirrors are excellent multisensory options.


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Just before the USS Enterprise embarked on a new mission with "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1987, an article in the Los Angeles Times referred to the distinguished Englishman portraying the ship's captain as an "unknown British Shakespearean actor."
The description stuck with Patrick Stewart, who refers to the unintentional jibe during the supplemental cast reunion video included on the newly remastered Blu-ray edition of the second season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." It's no surprise he remembers it — his costar Brent Spiner made a point of hanging a sign on Stewart's trailer door reading, "Beware unknown British Shakespearean actor."
Today, Stewart remains beloved for his turn as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on "Next Generation," though he's got another fantastic elder statesman on his résumé too: Professor Charles Xavier in the "X-Men" films (James McAvoy played the younger incarnation of the character in "X-Men: First Class").
He's scheduled to reprise the role in the upcoming "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and he's confirmed for a very different sort of project as well, co-hosting "The Second City Guide to the Opera" with soprano Renée Fleming. An evening of opera-themed sketches and musical performances penned by the famed improv troupe, the event will take place Jan. 5 in Chicago. (Anyone who caught Stewart's guest-starring spot on HBO's Ricky Gervais comedy "Extras" knows how funny he can be.)
Stewart recently spoke to Hero Complex by phone from New York City to reflect on his time aboard the Enterprise and his own connection to Hollywood history, though he was a little more tight-lipped about what to expect from the next installment in the highly anticipated comic book movie franchise.
HC: Have you forgiven The Times for describing you as an "unknown British Shakespearean actor" 25 years ago?
PS: Believe me, it was an accurate description at the time. I tell that story now because it's kind of fun to tell it when circumstances have changed somewhat. But when it appeared, even though I was described as unknown, I had been a very busy working actor for 27 years and there was a slight sting, particularly given the fact that I had worked in the theater in Los Angeles twice and had already appeared in a couple of major Hollywood movies and so forth. But it did lead to my dear friend and colleague, Brent Spiner, playing his joke. Curiously, there was fallout from that. I was once at a show business auction at one of the major auction houses and I saw that this sign that Brent Spiner had made for my trailer door was an item in the auction. And I was able to go to one of the directors of the auction house and ask them to withdraw the item because I happened to have the original. People will buy anything.
HC: Do you have a lot of mementos from "Star Trek"?
PS: I don't have a lot. In fact I have only one physical item from the seven years on TV and eight years of movies. What I do have is a complete, annotated cataloged collection of every script. Every rewrite, every draft, everything. One of my colleagues on Day 2 of the show, seeing me collating new pages on the pilot episode and watching me toss the old pages into a recycling bin very wisely said, "Nooooo. Save everything."
HC: Must be strange going from work in the theater, where all that really matters is the finished product, to this world where every item is a collector's item.
PS: Yes, that was a process that I'd never encountered before, because a lot of the work I'd done during those 27 years I simply felt to be one in a procession of actors playing these great roles in great plays on the same stage or stages and you were a living part of a great theatrical tradition. This tradition was being cataloged anyway, by the simple fact that I had someone say to me, "Don't throw away anything. Hold onto everything." I remember how I felt on the day I discovered, from a wonderful individual named A.C. Lyles, the living historian of Paramount Pictures — he's been associated with the studio for decades and he was very welcoming to us when we arrived on the lot and made us feel part of the Paramount family — A.C. said to me, "Of course, you remember what movie shot on Stage 8 don't you?" Stage 8 was the soundstage that had the bridge, captain's ready room, 10 Forward and the conference room. He said so many films had been shot there, including "Rear Window," which was one of my favorite films. And so I got a big kick out of being in that place. In fact, I don't know if it ever happened, but shortly after we arrived, there was an exchange of executives and Frank Mancuso became head of the studio and one day talking about the history of the studio I said it was so exciting to learn that "Rear Window" had shot on Stage 8, wouldn't it be interesting to maybe put little plaques or signs outside each stage listing the great movies that had been shot on that stage? I remember Stage 16, which is affectionately known as "Planet Hell" because it was where we shot all the alien landscapes with sand or water. Stages 16 and 17 had been where many of the great black-and-white Fred Astaire movies had been shot. It was for me a source of continuing excitement to film in such a historic environment.
HC: Did you leave anything behind there? Carve your initials anywhere?
PS: What is it they say about blood, sweat and tears? No, I'm not a carver of initials at all. But I do remember another thrill was to discover that … this was a very old part of the studio. Above the entrance to Stages 8 and 9, which were connected sets, there were a series of very small offices with wooden steps that led up to an ancient wooden balcony that gave access to all these offices. I worked out myself that it was in one of these offices where they shot the scene between the hero and his girlfriend in "Sunset Boulevard." There is a shot where you see out of the doorway and you are quite clearly looking down the avenue outside our stage. So there was a little bit of Paramount history up above our heads. They repainted that whole block sometime during our tenure and I came across in a plastic waste bag, obviously about to be thrown out, all the little cheap, brass numbers that had been screwed onto the doors of the office. So I took them. It's the only thing that I stole from Paramount.
HC: That's part of the fun of film and TV over theater, finding all the actual locations.
PS: It absolutely is. And as someone coming from Europe who had grown up with Hollywood movies, it was especially exciting. I remember the day when I discovered only a 30-minute walk away from the first house I owned in Los Angeles in Silver Lake, a very short walk away was a staircase where Laurel and Hardy were attempting to move a piano up in "The Music Box." And I got stills from the film and it's unfazed. It looks exactly the same. This is very, very nerdy stuff, but it made me happy. Behind the supermarket where I shopped were cottages that were originally part of the executive offices of the very original Disney studios before they moved over into the Valley. And the Tom Mix studio was just around the corner. I was charmed by all of it, the wonderful Hollywood history. I remember an older guy, a director, telling me how when he grew up in the Valley as a kid, there were still developments and apartment buildings, but there were also still orange groves, and he remembers going to school in the morning and seeing guys, cowboys, extras who worked as cowboys, with saddles over their shoulders, waiting on the street corner for the studio bus to pick them up and take them out on location.
HC: The first seasons of "Next Generation" seemed so chaotic with Denise Crosby leaving the show, Gates McFadden being fired, the writers strike. Did you feel then that any fears you might have had about working in Hollywood were coming true?
PS: You know, I think much of that passed over my head. I was very, very sad, we all were, when Gates left. Although, happily, it was only for one season. I had no expectations of the show, and indeed, I'm on record as saying that there were a handful of people I knew in Hollywood who I consulted during the four days to decide if I wanted the role once it was offered to me. All the people I spoke to assured me the series would be a failure. You could not revive an iconic series like "Star Trek." I should not be remotely anxious about signing a six-year contract because we'd be lucky to make it through Season 1. This was all the advice I was given, including from my own agent. The writers strike, at the time, threatened our existence, and by then I was already excited about the work we were doing. So I would have been, by then, I would have been disappointed. But as is well known I lived out of a suitcase during the time that we were making the first season.
HC: Did your first "Star Trek" convention experience — when you realized how famous you had become — change your approach to the character or the work?
PS: Well it was then, of course, that we had the writers strike. We were due to start shooting the second series in late April/early May and in fact, we didn't start back until late August/September. And we were very happy and relieved to be back, albeit, we had lost Gates. I think at that point we were settling in for the long haul and building a body of work that was as interesting and engaging as we could make it. On the day-to-day basis, that's what we were doing. To do a series like that, there is a bit of a conveyer belt element to it. Sometimes we would wrap an episode at 4 in the afternoon and we'd start a new episode with a new director an hour later, so there wasn't a lot of time for reflection. The reflecting had to be done in front of the camera, and in the long, lengthy conversations I had with Rick Berman, particularly since Gene [Roddenberry] so unexpectedly and disappointingly died so early in the run of the show. I guess my conversations with Rick most locked me into the feeling of creating a specific character and a character with as much complexity we could reasonably give him.
HC: The cast has described you as their leader on and off camera. Did you immediately feel comfortable in that role?
PS: I think once I understood what my role on screen was going to be and then I got to know my friends and colleagues better, I realized that it was no different from being the leading actor in a Shakespearean company, that there are responsibilities that go with being the lead, and they're not just about doing the best possible work. I probably took on too much of this, but I also felt a pastoral role as well, looking after the well-being not just of the cast, but of the crew and everybody on the show was my responsibility. I was the one person that had the voice if there were issues to be raised. I enjoyed that. I always have done it. For me, I've always believed the tone and standard of a project filters down from the top and is imposed from the bottom. I enjoy that aspect of it.
HC: Did you quickly adapt to working in television?
PS: I spent the first season in a state of perpetual terror. I had never done anything where there were always so many lines to be learned and more lines to be learned. And I had never worked those hours before. People complain about life in the theater but you know, really we have it pretty good insofar as rehearsals and performance. The basic 12-hour day a drama series has while shooting is challenging. For me, the pressure in that first season was not so much about creating or building a character who would have legs to run for six more years, but rather staying on top of the work and nothing else. My great fear was to go on the set one day and not know what I was supposed to say. It was all very new to me. But I got accustomed to it and by the second season, a routine began to develop. You acquire a system for doing the work but without stress. That's what happened for all of us particularly during the second season. The second season was where we started to put down markers on who we were and what we thought the whole thing should be about.
HC: You gave an interview recently in which you said you had no knowledge of the new "X-Men" movie. Any updates you might be able to share?
PS: I'm very happy to report that Bryan Singer is coming back to direct the movie. I'm very happy that my lovely friend Ian McKellen is going to be with me. I don't know anyone else who is to be involved in the project. Maybe it's just the two of us! That would be a movie! Magneto and Xavier's conversations…. I'm not being cute. That's all I know. Maybe once the holidays are over, more information will begin to come through. I have a vague idea of the time commitments, but I don't know where we're going to shoot. But I'm greatly looking forward to it.
— Patrick Kevin Day
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'Man of Steel': The Superman we 'need and deserve'?
Snyder: 'There have been no other Superman films'
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Snyder says Superman film has 'date with destiny'
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Snyder: Superman is a tough one to crack


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Add 1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained, to ingredients in slow cooker before heating as directed.
Prepare as directed, doubling all ingredients and increasing the cook time (on LOW) to 4 to 5 hours (or to 3 to 4 hours on HIGH).
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There was an interesting orbit of events last Saturday night, in places both near and far, all of which cosmically tie to Channing Tatum's six-pack.
Orlando, FL: I'm lounging in a hotel room with friends and family. A young woman we'll call Britney mentions that she's going to see Magic Mike with some girlfriends Thursday night. Someone asks Britney if she really wants to see the movie. Britney responds with an emphatic, sing-songy "uhhh-huh," the kind of "uhhh-huh" you hear on TV commercials when the voiceover asks the actress if she's interested in a cream that exfoliates and moisturizes. I should mention that Britney's "uhhh-huh" was deployed within two feet of her husband's ear.
Melbourne, FL: Back in my hometown, an hour away from the hotel, our babysitter takes our boys Jackson and Tanner to a local restaurant. The babysitter runs into a family friend of ours, a dad who's out to dinner with several other men and a gaggle of children. The dad mentions that all the moms are out seeing Magic Mike, so the guys have the kids tonight. Our babysitter asks if he can watch our kids too.
Everywhere else, USA: Wives, girlfriends and single ladies everywhere leave their husbands, boyfriends and nobody special behind to see Magic Mike, the new movie set in a male strip club starring Tatum and Matthew McConaughey.
Magic Mike, directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean's Eleven, Sex, Lies & Videotape), made a huge debut over the weekend, raking in $39.4 million. And it's set to rip the rhinestone-studded, tear-away pants off July 4th weekend. My wife currently has two invites to a Magic Mike night. So does her sister-in-law. So does her sister-in-law's sister.
We are in the golden age of mom porn. The Fifty Shades trilogy has surpassed 10 million copies sold worldwide, and Magic Mike is looking to become the biggest R-rated, G-stringed movie of all time. It's literally a mom pornucopia.
Moms are forming Fifty Shades posses, trading tattered copies and gossiping by the color copiers at work. Moms are planning Magic Mike parties, and aren't inviting the dads. (And why not? We read Playboy for the articles, and we see Magic Mike for the previews.) And they're doing all this while letting the husbands, boyfriends and nobody special know just how "uhhh-huh" these things are.
So try this on for size.
In a couple months, there's a new movie coming out called Magic Monica. It's a movie about female strippers starring Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston. In the weeks prior to its release, we start contacting our guy friends, co-workers and college buddies to plan Magic Monica viewing parties. In no uncertain terms, we tell you how pumped we are to see this movie. We ask you to watch the kids on Saturday night so we can drool over Angelina and Jennifer.
You know how this scenario turns out, right Mom? You are like totally annoyed that we're going to see this movie with our gross, leering friends. You say, "Can you please stop talking about this dumb movie that objectifies women." You get a babysitter so you can come with us.
Oh boy. I can feel it coming. The post-feminist Gatling gun….
Playboy. Hustler. Showgirls. 9 ½ Weeks. Girls Gone Wild. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. YouPorn. Hip hop videos. The Miss Hawaiian Tropic calendar. Ron Jeremy. Britney Spears. Tila Tequila. Spearmint Rhino. Cheetah's. The Paris Hilton video. John Edwards. Anthony Weiner. Bill Clinton. Insert yours here: ________________.
Okay, okay, stop firing. I hear you: We haven't exactly made it easy on ourselves. It's been a dude pornucopia for decades. No wait, centuries. No wait, millenia. No wait, light years. And now we're seeing a tsunami of self-actualized women owning their sexuality, using power in numbers to bolster pride and confidence, which feeds the collective nanny nanny boo boo we like guys who aren't you. Of course, if and when Magic Monica ever hits the big screen, you won't hear any nanny nanny boo boo from us. Thanks to centuries of abusing our privilege, combined with today's politically correct landscape, we're not allowed to. Quite simply, we have to live with the hypocrisy.
Last night during dinner, my wife Brandy asked if I could watch the boys Thursday. She's having dinner with five of her friends and Magic Mike. I tell her about my blog post, about Magic Monica, about the double standard. "Men should be glad we're reading these books and seeing these movies," Brandy tells me. "You all are benefiting from them!" A shared chuckle is followed by a pregnant silence. Then we went back to eating.


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Fairmont Pittsburgh Sip & Sample - 4/10/10
More than 430 guests attended the grand opening Sip and Sample event at the highly anticipated and eco-friendly Fairmont Pittsburgh hotel. Fairmont Pittsburgh is the city's newest and premiere luxury hotel, featuring the highest degree of green living. Sip and Sample allowed black-tie clad guests to preview the hotel while enjoying a modern garden theme, including an orchid chandelier and reflecting pools, along with musical entertainment courtesy of The Roger Humphries Big Band and the Daniel May Band, Cirque Productions aerialists, and delectable cuisine from Habitat, the hotel restaurant. The event featured a silent auction to benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council by raising more than $11,000 for the cause. Event speakers included Chairman and CEO of PNC Bank Jim Rohr, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts President Tom Storey, and Fairmont Pittsburgh General Manager Leonard Czarnecki. Photography by Rachel StadelmeierRead More
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Outside Chalet "this property", 2 storeys. On the outskirts, 350 m from the centre, in a quiet position on a slope. Private: garden with lawn. In Winter: please take snow chains. 20 m stepped path to the house. Shop 350 m, indoor swimming pool 400 m. Tennis 400 m, gondola lift 1 km, ski bus stop 350 m.
Inside 4-room chalet on 2 levels. Living/dining room with Scandinavian wood stove, cable TV and hi-fi system. Exit to the garden. Open kitchen (oven, dishwasher). Shower/WC. Upper floor: 2 rooms, each room with 2 beds. 1 room with 1 x 2 bunk beds. Bath/WC. West facing position, large garden, south facing position. Terrace furniture. Very beautiful view of the mountains and the valley. Facilities: washing machine. Please note: non-smokers only.
Please note, short stays (stays less than 7 nights) may incur an additional supplementary fee, please contact Travelopo for short stay pricing.


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England's Stuart Broad has insisted he'd no role in a parody Twitter account for Kevin Pietersen as the fall out from the batsman's axing for the third Test against South Africa continued Tuesday.
The account - KP Genius - was set up by a friend of Broad, Richard Bailey, and had been thought to have contributed to the strained relations Pietersen felt within the England dressing room amid suggestions some of his team-mates were involved.
But all-rounder Broad, in a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday, just two days before the start of the third and final Test against South Africa at Lord's, said it was nothing to do with him.
"Following last (Monday) night's statement by Mr Richard Bailey that he was responsible for creating a parody Twitter account in Kevin Pietersen's name, I would like to confirm that I had no involvement in this whatsoever," Broad said.
"I met with the Managing Director, England Cricket, Hugh Morris this morning and assured him that I did not play any role in the creation of this account or provide Mr Bailey with any information regarding Kevin Pietersen or the England team.
"As has been widely reported Mr Bailey is a friend of mine, but we had no conversations regarding this issue at all and I am pleased that he has now decided to close the parody account down."
Morris added: "Having discussed this matter with Stuart, I am fully satisfied that he acted in a professional manner at all times and did not breach any confidences regarding fellow England players."
Last weekend, Pietersen was dramatically dropped from England's squad, despite scoring a superb 149 in the second Test at Headingley, after failing to reveal the contents of text messages allegedly sent to South African players during that match.
Bailey said Monday: "Yes, the parody was me.
"No professional cricketers were involved in it...I would also like to apologise to anyone I know involved with England Cricket who I may have put in an awkward or embarrassing position."
If South Africa avoid defeat at Lord's they will replace England as the world's number one ranked Test side.
Broad denies role in fake Pietersen Twitter account
England's Stuart Broad has insisted he'd no role in a parody Twitter account for Kevin Pietersen as the fall out from the batsman's axing for the third Test against South Africa continued Tuesday.


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Twilight Halloween costumes are here for all you Alice and Edward Cullen fans. You can also find a Bella costume and they are just in time for all those Halloween costume parties your going to!
Alice, Bella and Edward are three of the most favorite characters in the Twilight Saga. These costumes are excellent for all you dazzled and obsessed Stephenie Meyer fans out there. This spectacular, Saga has thrilled readers the world over with the intense Vampire and Human love story in the middle of Bella and Edward.
All Halloween Costumes
With the popularity of the Twilight Saga and the publish of New Moon due in November, these Cullen and Bella Swan costumes are going to be very popular. Alice, her brother Edward and Bella are three of the main characters in the Twilight books.
Just imagine the look on everyone's face when you walk into that costume party this Halloween. When population see your Alice costume or your Bella costume, they are going to be so surprised. Not everybody knows where to find a good looking costume for these favorite characters. Of course, if your a guy, all the girls are going to be checking you out when they see you come in dressed up as Edward Cullen! Make a couples costume out of them. You can go as brother and sister using Alice and Edward costumes, go as boyfriend and girlfriend using Bella and Edward costumes, or just dress up like Alice and Bella and have a girl's night out!
You can find lots of other Twilight stuff you can buy along with the costumes. There are party supplies with Bella, Edward, Jacob and the rest of the Cullen clan on them. There are New Moon Tee shirts, bracelets, jewelry and even Bella's birthday dress. How about using Edward to safe you from the rain? There is an umbrella with Edward Cullen on it. Wait until you see them...you are going to want them all! The Bella costume is undoubtedly her New Moon birthday dress. It is not cheap, but it is undoubtedly nice.
Take a look at the collector dolls. Yes, there are New Moon Edward, Jacob and Bella dolls and you can pre-order the New Moon soundtrack...and that is on sale. You can even find the books, but most population I know who are obsessed with this romance already own a copy. In fact, there are many sale items, so be sure to window shop and look at all the Cullen jewelry, puzzles, backpacks and even bedding. Wow, you could have an entire room full of Twilight stuff!
But first things first, the costumes. Halloween is less than a month away. It's time to get those Twilight Halloween costumes you've been looking for.Twilight Halloween Costumes For Alice Cullen, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan


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(EW.com) -- ''That was some melodramatic s---!''
So says Quentin, the bachelor troublemaker played by Terrence Howard in "The Best Man Holiday."
He's talking about one of the film's many heated, if not hysterical, fights, but he might be describing the movie as a whole. Back in 1999 "The Best Man" was an outrageously fresh comedy of love and backbiting, and not just because it marked Hollywood's belated discovery that characters could be upscale and African-American at the same time.
EW: Box office preview - 'The Best Man Holiday' won't best 'Thor'
The movie had wit, verve, spark, and surprise. But writer-director Malcolm D. Lee shouldn't have waited 14 years to do a sequel. "The Best Man Holiday" reunites the characters for a Christmas-weekend house party, and what ensues is like a better-written Tyler Perry movie: too many life crises rooted in too much recycled backstory.
The actors are winning, especially Taye Diggs as the now-struggling Harper, Regina Hall as the ex-stripper Candace, and the great Morris Chestnut as football star Lance. But "The Best Man Holiday" is an eggnog that's sticky-sweet and heavy at the same time. Grade: B-
See the original story at EW.com.
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State Health Department officials are urging Arkansans between the ages of 25 and 50 to get a flu vaccination, calling this influenza season "unusual."
Fifteen deaths have been caused by the influenza virus, seven of which have happened in adults between the ages of 25 and 50, state epidemiologist Dirk Haselow said in a news conference Monday afternoon.
"We're having high numbers of [influenza] cases," he said. "But what's different is that it appears to be targeting younger age groups."
Last week, the total number of reported flu cases was tallied at about 3,800; however, as of Monday that figure has increased by 1,500, bringing the current reported flu-case count to 5,300. At the news conference, Haselow also revealed a paper stack of flu cases that have not been entered yet into the department's system.
"We're still on the upswing in the season," he said. "We have not yet hit the peak."
One of the 15 Arkansans who died had already been vaccinated, he said.
Haselow said only 10 percent of the 61 deaths reported to have been caused by the flu virus last year occurred in adults between 25 and 50 years old.
This year, seven of the 15 deaths attributed to the flu virus occurred in Arkansans in that same age group, which Haselow said is "very unusual." He added that the average age of Arkansans to have died from the flu virus last year was 69. This year, it's 42.
Those who have died from the flu virus this year had no underlying medical conditions, he said.
Only about 30 percent of Arkansans between the age of 25 and 50 have been vaccinated, which means about 650,000 people in that age group have not received the vaccine, he added.
Haselow said those who cannot afford vaccinations may receive free flu shots at the Arkansas Department of Health.
"It's not too late to get your shots," Haselow said. "If not for you, please get your shot for your loved ones."