US-China ties 'to shape century'

'The relationship between the US and China will shape the 21st Century'
The relationship between the US and China will shape the 21st Century, President Barack Obama has said, as top officials met in Washington for talks.

Oracle, Sun, Winners, Losers

It looks like Oracle is going to buy Sun Microsystems for $5.6 billion (net of Sun's cash cache). Maybe the deal won’t happen. Maybe IBM will swing in with a counter offer. At this point, though, the odds are good that Oracle’s going to end up owning Java and all the other Sun technologies.Oracle is getting a lot of very nice intellectual property. Whether that IP — as well as Sun's product lines, maintenance agreements, licenses, consulting gigs and sales contracts — are worth $5.6 billion, that’s hard to say.Overall, though, Oracle is clearly the biggest winner in this deal. It’s getting core technology that will cement its position in the application server market, and also give it obvious control over key industry specifications like the Java language, the enterprise Java EE platform, and the very important Java ME platform. Expect Oracle to exercise that control.Let’s see who else wins and loses.Loser: IBM. For years, I’ve speculated that IBM would purchase Sun just to secure a tight control over Java – which is a core technology that IBM depends upon. Now, that technology, as well as the Java Community Process, is going to fall into enemy hands. Bummer, Big Blue.Winner: Java. Java is very important to Sun. Expect a lot of investment — in the areas that are important to Oracle.Loser: The Java Community Process. Oracle is not known for openness. Oracle is not known for embracing competitors, or for collaborating with them to create markets. Instead, Oracle is known playing hardball to dominating its markets.Winner: Customers that pay for Sun's enterprise software. Oracle will take good care of them, though naturally there will be some product consolidation. Software customers may like being taken of by a company that's focused on software, not hardware.Loser. Customers that use open-source or community-supported versions of Sun's software. Oracle is not in the free software business, except when that free software supports its paid software business. Don't expect that to change.Winner: Enterprise Linux vendors. Red Hat and other enterprise Linux distros will be dancing if Oracle decides that it doesn’t want to be in the Solaris business. On the other hand, this purchase makes it less likely that Oracle will spend big dollars to buy Red Hat in the near future.Loser: MySQL customers. If Oracle keeps MySQL, expect it to be at the bottom of the heap as a lead-in for upgrades to Oracle's big-gun database products. If Oracle decides not to kill or spin off MySQL, that’s going to mean disruption for the community.Winner: Eclipse Foundation. Buh-bye, NetBeans! Oracle is heavily invested in Eclipse, and would be unlikely to continue investing in NetBeans. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would buy it, and the community probably couldn’t thrive if Oracle set it free.Loser: Sun’s hardware customers. If Oracle stays in the hardware business, expect those Sun boxes to be only a bit player in Oracle’s product portfolio. If Oracle sells it, whoever buys it will probably milk it. How does “IBM System s (SPARC)” sound to you? Not very attractive.Biggest Winner: Sun’s shareholders, including employees with options. After watching their shares plummet in value, and after getting a scare from IBM’s palty offer, they must be counting their blessings right now.Z Trek Copyright (c) Alan Zeichick

Bad hair day got worse

It took a jury less than half an hour to exonerate two Boston Store hairdressers of allegations that they were responsible for dye job that was so bad the plaintiff had to have her head shaved.
Vjerana Harasic, a computer consultant who now lives in Portland, Ore., acted as her own lawyer in the case. She told a reporter last May that her quest for justice had already cost her more than $10,000.
Harasic went to the salon on Sept. 1, 2004 because she had had her hair colored the day before at another salon and didn't like the result. She claimed she told the hairdressers that she was sensitive to bleach and they should not any product containing it. The hairdressers denied she told them that.
The results were so bad that Harasic said she had to have her head shaved. She said her hair and scalp were damaged and the whole mess threw her into a bout of depression that lasted until January of this year.
Harasic told the jurythe hairdresser should have done a patch test to determine sensitivity to the bleach; the hairdressers responded that Harasic's hair had been dyed many times before and that she was familiar with the product they were using.
Harasic asked the jury in Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Charles F. Kahn Jr's court to award her $394,000.01.
Janet Cain, representing the Boston Store, called the damages demand laughable.
"She chose to shave her head," Cain told the jury. "She could have cut it shorter, used conditioner, pulled it into a pony tail. Shaving her hair off was a rash decision."

Read these books

I'm granting myself amnesty for about six months of unreviewed books to mention a couple of recently read books.Pirate Sun, Karl SchroederI think that of all the authors I enjoy, Schroeder is the most criminally under-read. If you like SF, I tell you that Virga -- the background of Pirate Sun and its two predecessors -- is the coolest SF construct since Ringworld. Schroeder could write novels in it for the next forty years and only scratch the surface of what's possible. And at that, I'm not sure that the three Virga books -- great as they are -- are his best. Permanence is an exceptional space-opera type book, and Lady of Mazes takes a background that by all rights should be nigh-incomprehensible and makes it clear, compelling, and fascinating.Anyway, Virga is a 5000 mile sphere filled with air and intermittently lit by dozens of small artificial suns. There's not much metal, and electricity is somehow dampened. Most people live in towns that are basically the interior of cylinders that rotate to generate gravity. Because it's not a vacuum, you can travel between towns by almost anything: winged bikes, jet cycles, wooden rocket ships. Pirate Sun is the third book in the series, and without getting into a jillion paragraphs of backstory, the main character is Chaison Fanning, a disgraced admiral hoping to get back to his tiny country to clear his name (I oversimplify, you understand). Along the way, he deals with war, a threat to the basic nature of Virga, not to mention the most amazing thunderstorm SF has ever produced (Hint: Zero-G = Large Raindrops). You know how sometimes a book will have two viewpoint characters who are trying to find each other but keep missing and that's really irritating? Schroeder does something interesting with that here -- he never shows the second viewpoint character. We know she's there from the previous books, plus a brief showing at the beginning. The bulk of the book, though, is all Chaison -- we can infer what other characters are up too somewhat. It's very effective, and not at all irritating.On top of all that, there's a city on city battle seen that is jaw-dropping, and Schroeder casually drops a really neat idea in the background that we're clearly going to hear more of later in the series (please tell me there's a later in the series...). Zoe's Tale, John ScalziScalzi, you're more likely to have heard of, since he's become a very popular writer, especially on the Internet. Zoe's Tale is the fourth book in the Old Man's War trilogy. And I mean that more literally then you might think, since it covers nearly the same ground as The Last Colony, only instead of being from John Perry's viewpoint, it's from his adopted daughter Zoe's (hence, you see, the name).This works a lot better than you might expect, for a couple of reasons. First off, Zoe has a unique place in the OMW universe, what with being a near godling to an alien race, and her perspective is interesting. Second, Last Colony had a couple of obvious Zoe-sized gaps in the story that were worth exploring. Third, Scalzi is smart enough to tell a completely different story against the same plot background -- in this case how Zoe reconciles who she is with what she is.Scalzi has said in a few places that he struggled a bit to find a plausible sixteen year old female voice. I'm not completely qualified to say whether he succeeded (it's enough for me to say the voice works perfectly well as the narrator of the story). But I will say there are spots in the story where Zoe's narration sounds much more like Scalzi-the-blogger than anything else he's written.So, another great book from John Scalzi, and I hope he comes back to this universe a few years on to show the result of the actions of Last Colony and Zoe's Tale

What a weekend...

First, Mama D and Franko Sarto welcomed their little girl into the world on Friday! In an attempt not to break any Blogger "HIPPA" restrictions (and because I am not about to bother Mama during her first few days with the wee one to orally release her name and picture), let's just give her a fake name...."Jessica!" (There are a select few who will get that one.) She is just perfect. When we visited her, she was alert and calm--and I think after Schlotty and I witnessed her latch on like a well seasoned nursee, snuggling in the crook of mom and dad's arms, flying through the first few hours of life without one single obstacle was just about the worst birth control. And then we got to hold her. Game, set, match. Newborn babies are divine.Miles almost slept through his first visit with the new baby. I told him that falling asleep on dates is highly unattractive. Although, he wasn't sporting a particularly "attractive" face when he woke up in a strange hospital room...Did you catch a Schlotty in there? Oh yes. Schlotty ...AND Studs were here this weekend! (Schlotty was avoiding the 'razzi above) Schlotty was on an extended business trip and Studs came to hang with the Heintzes. It was an awesome weekend. We played lots of fun games with Miles and the girls. Peek-a-boo is now a family favorite. That, and flirting with guests.And look-Miles is on all fours!!Okay, so he didn't actually get on all fours alone.But we are more encouraged that it WILL happen! As you will notice, Miles has a new fascination with sticking his tongue out. I have a sneaky suspicion that it is because he is getting ready to bust out a front tooth, but in the meantime, it is stupid cute. Oh, and he is now saying "dadadadada." Honestly, within 1 week this child has grown so much. I am just waiting for a soul patch to emerge on his chin, and for him to escape his crib and steal his mom's Subaru to go cruising down to Perimeter Mall to mall pick up girls.Amish haircut is growing out okay, but we realized that although we have cut the toupee (haircut #1) and the mullet (haircut #2), we haven't really cut the volume from the top. What this means is we can style a mad fauxhawk. Granted, it falls when his hair dries, but it make for a good photo shoot with Dad.

Gene Autry In the 30's

5/4/1934 HCN Elizabeth Yeaman It rather looks as if Jesse Lasky plans to remain at Fox as an independent producer. From time to time rumors have bobbed up that Lasky is dissatisfied with the studio cooperation, or lack of cooperation. And would terminate his contract when his schedule of pictures for the current year was finished. Lasky, however, is lining up stories and casts for the pictures he plans to make for Fox during the coming year. One of them will be a story called The Proud Princess, written by Edward Sheldon and Dorothy Donnelly. According to present plans the star will be Charles Boyer, and that makes it sound like a musical romance. For contrast and variety, Lasky also has scheduled Helldorado, a western melodrama which has an Arizona ghost city as locale. That sounds as if it might be intended for Warner Baxter. In addition, Lasky will produce several pictures that he has announced previously. Among them will be Red Heads On Parade, which will be a musical. The Apple Tree by John Galsworthy, which was planned for production a year ago when the English blossoms were in bloom, and Casanova, which probably will emerge as a torrid love story. Grand Canary, now in production with Warner Baxter and Madge Evans, is the last picture on the Lasky current year schedule at Fox. .... Yesterday a columnist printed a story that a thief, at large on the Radio Pictures lot, had stolen a coat owned by Sidney Blackmer, a clarinet belonging to a musician in a musical picture, and a machine gun. That last item, reported as stolen, sent a federal agent hurry to the studio to make an investigation. If studios are using machine guns and allowing them to be stolen, the federal investigator was going to sift the theft. There was quite a lot excitement for a time, and executives at the studio aided in the investigation. Finally it developed that the studio does have some prop machine guns which are used occasionally on the set. But they are not real machine guns and could not be used as lethal weapons. Furthermore, none of the prop machine guns had been stolen, it was revealed after a careful check. Then it turned out that no musician on the set had lost a clarinet or other instrument, and the coat belonging to Sidney Blackmer had been found on a vacant set by a zealous watchman and turned in at the lost and found desk! All in all it was a false alarm. Some excited informer no doubt was responsible for the story. .... June Knight, who recently returned from a long personal appearance engagement at Palm Beach, is very mysterious these days. She wears a diamond circlet on her engagement finger, and also a slave bracelet which bears a clasp engraved with the name of Charles Ames. Ames, according to reports, is a very, very wealthy Florida man and he is coming out to Hollywood within a few weeks to see June. And she was that excited when she got the news, because she hadn't expected him until August. The ring she is wearing has all the earmarks of a wedding ring, but when quizzed about the significance she only laughs and looks mysterious. Of course she may just be playing a little joke for the sake of publicity, or she may already be Mrs. Ames. .... Helen Vinson, first under contract to Warners, and later at Fox, is doing far better in the way of screen engagements since she became a free-lance actress. She has just completed roles in Sour Grapes and Vergie Winters at Radio Pictures, and yesterday she signed a deal to appear in three more pictures at this studio. The first of the new trio will be Afterwards with Slim Summerville and ZaSu Pitts. Kay Johnson is also an important addition to this cast. .... Lois Wilson's tests, made last week, turned out satisfactorily, and she has been engaged for the role of Frank Morgan's wife in There's Always Tomorrow. The feminine lead is still to be cast, but there is every indication that Genevieve Tobin, who also was tested, will get the part. Edward Sloman is directing for Universal. .... Speaking of Universal, Berton Churchill's success as the star of this studio's picture, Half a Sinner, is keeping him in demand at other studios for engagements. He was signed yesterday at Radio Pictures for the important role of a dishonest mayor in Bachelor Bait, which has Stuart Erwin and Rochelle Hudson in the romantic leads. Churchill replaces Edgar Kennedy who had to be released from the assignment to be free for some short comedies he has contracted to make. .... O.P. Heggie and Sidney Blackmer have been signed by Edward Small for leading roles in The Count of Monte Cristo. Heggie, veteran character actor of the stage and screen, is flying to Hollywood from New York to fulfill the engagement. He has been appearing on Broadway in the successful production of "The Green Bay Tree." Robert Donat, of England, and Elissa Landi and Louis Calhern are the other principals, and Rowland V. Lee will direct.Gene Autry In the 30'sABBREVIATIONSDN — Los Angeles Daily NewsEHE — Los Angeles Evening Herald ExpressFD — Film DailyHCN — Hollywood Citizen NewsIDN — Illustrated Daily News (Los Angeles)LAM — Los Angeles MirrorLAX — Los Angeles ExaminerMPH — Motion Picture HeraldSFC — San Francisco Chronicle8/15/1934 FD A Little From Lots By Ralph Wilk Gene Autry, radio personality, has been signed by Mascot for Down in Old Santa Fe, starring Ken Maynard.9/17/1934 HCN Elizabeth Yeaman Ken Maynard is adding to his film accomplishment. In addition to riding his famous horse, Tarzan, Maynard is to sing "In Old Santa Fe" in his next picture of the same title. Gene Autry and the NBC cowboys will help him out on the chorus.11/15/1934 FD In Old Santa FeMascot 65 Minutes Western has unusual class with intelligent story, superior cast and direction. This western gives you an idea what really can be done with the horse operas if the producers try to put a little money and brains into them. The story is logical and intelligently constructed, and will appeal to grownups as well as the kids. The action keeps moving without any letup and there is a nice balance of all the pop elements that make the westerns appealing. Ken Maynard and his old partner, Cactus, arrive at a dude ranch and soon the lines of conflict are drawn between him and an easterner who has come on to muscle in on the ranch, having something on H.B. Warner, the owner. Ken loses everything he owns on a crooked horse race, the easterner having his henchmen throw him with a wire across the road. A gold shipment is stolen from the ranch and the murder of the stage driver framed on Maynard. Then it is one thrill scene after another as the hero goes into action and finally pins all the deviltry on the villain in a surprise finish. Director David Howard did a fine job, and so did the entire cast. Camera work exceptional. Some good cowboy melodies also. CAST: Ken Maynard, Evalyn Knapp, H.B. Warner, Kenneth Thomson, Wheeler Oakman, George Hayes, Gene Autry, Smiley Burnett, George Cheseboro, George Burton. Director, David Howard; Authors, Wallace MacDonald, John Rathmell; Screenplay, Colbert Clark, James Gruen; Editor, Thomas Scorr; Cameramen, Ernie Miller, William Nobles. Direction, Very Good. Photography, Excellent. 12/29/1934 EHE Gene Autry stars in The Phantom Empire, a Mascot serial for Nat Levine.6/29/1935 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME In Old Santa Fe: Ken Maynard, Gene Autry, Evalyn Knapp—I have recently made it a point not to review the westerns, as they are pretty much the same sort and it is useless to review them. However, I'll have to break over and say a good word for this western. It drew better than average business and pleased. Created a lot of comment. Play it (on Saturday). Running time, 60 minutes. Played May 25.—H.M. Johnson, Avon Theatre, Avon Park, Ga. General Small Town Patronage. Phantom Empire: Gene Autry, Frankie Darro—Here is something different in serials. Based on the fantastic ideas made popular by the comic strips such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Started this on a hot Sunday but it is building and holding those who started it. It is well done with more plot than most serials. Just showed the third episode. The producers deserve credit for this new idea in serials and the clever manner in which this has been produced.—J.E. Stocker, Myrtle Theatre, Detroit, Mich. Neighborhood Patronage. 7/2/1935 FD A Little From Lots By Ralph Wilk The first of the John Wayne westerns produced by Trem Carr, Westward Ho, is finished shooting and is now in the cutting room. Gene Autry, who will make musical westerns produced by Nat Levine, will soon start his first picture. Autry is the singing cowboy of radio and screen fame.7/20/1935 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME In Old Santa Fe: Ken Maynard—Here is an exceptionally good western with fine singing and music. My patrons enjoyed it very much. If you want a fine outdoor picture date this one. It is good.—S.H. Rich, Rich Theatre, Montpelier, Idaho. Town and Rural Patronage.9/5/1935 FD Tumbling TumbleweedsRepublic 61 Minutes Plenty of thrills in action western with singing cowboy featured advantageously. Introducing Gene Autry, the singing cowboy of radio fame, this being the first of a series that will give the new screen star a chance to do his hill-billy singing and a very fine brand of western cowboy riding, fighting and lovemaking. Gene is a very personable lad, and should make a name for himself among the western stars. In this opus he is part owner of a medicine show that hits into the town where his father lives. Gene is thrown into the midst of the mystery killing of his father, and befriends a chap named Brooks, who is accused of the killing. The star learns from the accused's wife of the plot of a rancher to try and get his father's water rights, and that [rest of line obscured]. The story develops into the hero's efforts to pin the crime on this man, and he plants a trap for him and his henchmen, into which they fall. This scene gives opportunity for a grand slam-bang free-for-all fight with a dozen or more men involved while the medicine wagon is careening along at breakneck speed Autry delivers several songs impressively. Altogether a fine western from every angle. CAST: Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Lucille Browne, Norma Taylor, George Hayes, Edward Hearn, Jack Rockwell, Frankie Marvin, George Chesebro, Eugene Jackson, Charles King, Charles Whitaker, George Burton, Tom London, Cornelius Keefe. Producer, Nat Levine; Director Joseph Kane; Author, Alan Ludwig; Screenplay, Ford Beebe; Cameraman, Ernest Miller. Direction, Very Good. Photography, Okay.9/7/1935 MPH What the Picture Did For Me In Old Santa Fe: Ken Maynard, Evalyn Knapp—A good western with plenty of music and fun. Not the usual shoot ‘em up and drag out type, but just a good comical modern western. Give us more of this type. Pleased one hundred percent. Running time, six reels. Played July 26-27.—Charles T. Nelson, Fay Theatre, Jasper, Fla. Small Town and Rural Patronage.9/21/1935 MPH What the Picture Did For Me In Old Santa Fe: Ken Maynard, Evalyn Knapp—No one could ask for a better western. Good action story, thrills and singing. Business exceptionally good for weekend.—A.N. Miles, Eminence Theatre, Eminence, Ky. Small Town Patronage.9/24/1935 FD Melody TrailRepublic 60 minutes (Hollywood Preview) Swell musical western with song-and-dance stuff adding novelty to outdoor action. This is a pip of a cowboy musical, with Gene Autry doing everything including hard riding, bang-up fighting, bronco busting and love-making in addition to his cowboy crooning. And he has a pal, Smiley Burnette, whose style of homely comedy brings forth a steady flow of laughter. Buck, the dog in Call of the Wild, is a thief in this one, and he is swell. Ann Rutherford capably furnishes the love interest. A group of cowgirls get a lot of laughs, furnish a chorus for Gene's singing, and work in nicely for a novel ending. Story by Sherman Lowe and Elizabeth Burbridge has a lot of new angles and Joseph Kane's direction never allows a let down. After opening with a real rodeo, with Abe Lefton doing some clever announcing, Autry is attracted by Ann and in order to be near her he takes the job of cooking on her dad's ranch, being operated by cowgirls since the cowboys have gone to the rodeo. Cattle are being rustled. Autry discovers the gang and after a bang-up battle brings them in A wholesale cowboy-cowgirl marriage makes the closing musical number. CAST: Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Ann Rutherford, Wade Boteler, Al Bridge, Willy Castello, Marie Quillen, Fern Emmett, Gertrude Messinger, Trace Lane, George De Norman, Marion Jowling, Ione Reed, Jane Barnes. Producer, Nat Levine; Director, Joseph Kane; Authors, Sherman Lowe, Elizabeth Burbridge; Screenplay Sherman Lowe; Cameraman, Ernie Miller; Editor, Lester Orlebeck. Direction, Fine. Photography, A-1.10/5/1935 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME In Old Santa Fe: Ken Maynard, Evalyn Knapp, H.B. Warner—One of the best westerns played in this theatre. Many favorable comments from patrons. Pleased our Friday and Saturday patrons 100 percent, and did good business. Played September 20-21.—Robert Wygent, Heghts Theatre, Houston, Texas. Neighborhood Patronage.10/25/1935 FD A Little From Lots By Ralph Wilk Barbara Pepper, Republic contract player, has been assigned by Nat Levine to appear in the leading role opposite Gene Autry in The Sagebrush Troubadour.10/26/1935 EHE Harrison Carroll Quite the fanciest thing in Hollywood for transporting horses is owned by Gene Autry, the western star. His favorite mount, Champ, rides to location in a stream-lined, air-conditioned trailer. It has four inches of cork on the floor and four inches of leather padding on the walls. And non-shatterable glass windows.11/15/1935 LAX I Cover Hollywood By Lloyd Pantages According to Gene Autry (Republic's Western star), the wardrobe of a motion picture cowboy costs around twenty-two hundred and fifty bucks a year, with most of the dough going for ten-gallon hats, so think twice, little man, before you decide to devote your life to a horse.11/16/1935 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME Tumbling Tumbleweeds: Gene Autry, Lucille Browne—A picture no exhibitor need have reluctance in booking. A worthy successor to In Old Arizona, with more emphasis on hard riding and gunplay. Gene Autry sings several songs he has popularized with his recordings and displays a pleasing personality. This well produced film was strong at the box office and received excellent audience response.—J.W. Noah, New Liberty and Ideal Theatres, Ft. Worth, Texas. General Patronage. 11/19/1935 FD The Sagebrush TroubadourRepublic 68 Minutes (Hollywood Preview) First-rate western with plenty of action and some pleasing musical numbers. In addition to putting over some good song numbers, Gene Autry, ably assisted by Smiley Burnette, does some hard fast riding, clever roping, and comes out the winner in bang-up fights. The work of these two boys makes this a number that the outdoor fans are going to like, even though there are a couple of spots in which the action is a bit far-fetched. There is plenty doing all the time, for the boys are out to find the murderer, and when they are not actually at work, their singing and playing furnish enjoyable entertainment. Burnette has a sense of putting over wholesome comedy and with his vocal changes, the fans should like his work. Autry and Smiley enter on the scene to find the murder of the owner of a sway-back horse, which they have found. This leads them through a number of exciting incidents, in which Autry meets the girl whose grandfather was the person killed. The sway-back horse leads all the interested parties to an old mine, where Autry is able to find the killer. CAST: Gene Autry, Barbara Pepper, Smiley Burnette, Fred Kelsey, Hooper Atchley, Frank Glendon, Denny Meadows, Julian Rivero, Tom London, Tommy Gene Fairey, Champion. Producer, Nat Levine; Director, Joseph Kane; Author, Oliver Drake; Screenplay, Oliver Drake, Joseph Poland; Cameraman, Ernest Miller, Jack Marta; Songs, Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette; Editor, Lester Orlebeck. Direction, Fast. Photography, A-1.11/26/1935 HCN Cinemania By Edwin Martin Town In Review: Gene Autry, the radio singing cowboy, who suddenly found himself to be a western star, seeing the Boulevard with his publicity man, George Goodale...11/30/1935 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME Melody Trail: Gene Autry, Ann Rutherford—Would like to buy 100 westerns as good as Republic's Melody Trail. Has everything a small town and country patronage house could ask for in a western. Played November 9.—Harlan C. Dodd, Charlestown Theatre, Charlestown, Ind. Small Town and Country Patronage.12/2/1935 LAX Hollywood Parade By Reine Davies To celebrate the completion of his latest western, The Singing Vagabond, Gene Autry, the picture's crooning star, entertained the members of the cast at a Thanksgiving supper last Wednesday evening. Incidentally and just to prove that Hollywood's back-to-the-land movement is really bearing fruit, or, in this case, turkeys, the handsome bird was raised on Gene's Burbank ranch.12/11/1935 FD The Singing VagabondRepublic 57 Minutes (Hollywood Preview Pleasing musical western with Gene Autry's singing as the highlight. This singing western of frontier days should be good entertainment for houses using this type of product. Although the story is familiar material, the players handle their roles well and Carl Pierson's direction gives this number plenty of action. Gene Autry's singing is the strongest selling point. When he is not warbling there is something else to hold one's attention, including a battle with the Indians. Ann Rutherford, as the girl, looks very nice, sings a number, and all around handles her part well. Smiley Burnette doesn't get a chance to do much, but he grabs the spotlight whenever he is on. The story takes place in 1860. Ann joins a show troupe going West. The wagon train is attacked by bandits, but Autry and his plainsmen come to the rescue Ann's aunt wants her to marry Niles Welch and they follow Ann out West. Autry's enemies fix things o that he is accused of rustling government horses, and of being a tool of the Indians. Since he is working for the government, he is court-martialed. Welch has promised Ann that he would use his political influence in freeing Autry, but instead fixes things to that Gene is sentenced to be shot. With the aid of his pals, Autry escapes, finds the guilty parties and gets his Ann. CAST: Gene Autry, Ann Rutherford, Smiley Burnette, Barbara Pepper, Frank LaRue, Warner Richmond, Henry Rocquemore, Grace Goodall, Niles Welch, Allan Sears, Charles King, Ray Bernard, Bob Burns, Celia McCanon. Producer, Nat Levine; Director, Carl Pierson; Author, Oliver Drake; Screenplay, Oliver Drake, Betty Burbridge; Cameramen, Bill Nobles, Ed Lyons; Editor, Lester Orlebeck. Direction, Good. Photography, A-1.12/14/1935 MPH The Singing Vagabond(Republic)Musical Western Showmen and audiences who appreciate the commercial entertainment worth of novelly treated thrill action adventure amusement should find much in this to engage their attention. Basically the feature is a musical western. Actually, with the production technique that made westerns so popular in the silent days expertly regenerated, it's the U.S. cavalry to the rescue. The well contrived situations move with speedy continuity. Music, which featured Gene Autry mainly and Ann Rutherford in a minor manner with choruses, is effective. Dialogue fills the expected function, but primarily, action carries the story thread. The intent of the picture graphically is geared to arouse mass enthusiasm and to appeal strongly to the younger audience contingents. Captain Tex Autry is the singing head of a troop of singing cavalry men convoying a wagon train of which runaway girl Lettie Morgan is a member. Bandits attack it and Autry's troop rides to the rescue. Romance which has a triangle complex develops for Tex, Lettie and LaCrosse. Arriving at the fort, horses are stolen and Tex suspected is arrested and sentenced to death. The wagon train moves on. Aided by his buddies, Frog and Buffalo, Tex escapes. He catches up with the train just as marauding Indians attack it. Driving off the raiders, Tex puts the finger on Utah Joe as the culprit in the crime of which he is charged. Exonerated, he wins Lettie. As the picture concentrates on delivering the maximum amount of thrill action and makes no pretenses, other than in using music, to be anything than a pulse tingling western, showmen who accept it as such and make a serious effort to convince their audiences, particularly the outdoor action adventure devotees and the youngsters that the attraction is honestly entertaining, should find its presentation an enjoyable occasion.—McCarthy, Hollywood. Produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. Directed by Carl Pierson. Supervised by Armand Schaefer. Story by Oliver Drake. Screenplay by Oliver Drake and Betty Burbridge. Photographed by Bill Nobles and Ed Lyons. Sound by John Stransky. Edited by Lester Orlebeck. Release date, December 16, 1935. General audience classification.12/14/1935 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME Tumblin' Tumbleweeds: Gene Autry, Lucille Browne—Here is a western with all the earmarks of a major studio western. We popularized Gene Autry with the serial, The Phantom Empire, and had a ready-made audience. We had an extra large children's attendance, larger than the usual Thanksgiving matinee. This was double billed with Front Page Woman and the show pleased old and young.—J.E. Stocker, Myrtle Theatre, Detroit, Michigan. Neighborhood Patronage.1/4/1936 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME Tumbling Tumbleweeds: Gene Autry, Lucille Browne—Here's a company that all independents should patronize if they care to show a profit at box office. Their film rentals believe in "live and let live."—Ben Brinck, West Point Theatre, West Point, Iowa. General Patronage.1/11/1936 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME Sagebrush Troubadour: Gene Autry, Barbara Pepper—Good, but not nearly so good as previous Autry films. The picture suffers from too much padding....(line obscured)....Smiley Burnette in order to round it out to feature length. It has hardly more than thirty minutes of real action in it.—J.W. Noah, New Liberty and Ideal Theatres, Ft. Worth, Texas. General Patronage.1/18/1936 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME Melody Trail: Gene Autry, Ann Rutherford—Something a little different. Western fans seemed to go for it.—M.F. Bodwell, Paramount Theatre, Wyoming, Ill. Small Town Patronage. Tumbling Tumbleweeds: Gene Autry, Lucile Browne—This is my first report to "What the Picture Did For Me" in quite a while. These Autry westerns are the outstanding pictures of the season. They are tops in all ways. I am also referring to Melody Trail and Sagebrush Troubadour. Give these pictures your preferred playing time and watch the crowds roll in. As business getters these pictures are ahead of Cantor, Astaire and Rogers and a lot of the big stars. Republic sells these pictures at a just rental so as to leave you a profit. I had more profit left on Tumbling Tumbleweeds than I did Top Hat. And that is saying a-plenty. People came to see this picture that I never seen in the theatre before. And all left satisfied. Running time, 57 minutes. Played January 5-6.—M.S. Porter, Orpheum Theatre, Nelsonville, Ohio. General Patronage.2/1/1936 EHE Strolling Along Hollywood's Gossipy Corners With Jimmy Starr Somebody told Gene Autry, the singing cowboy, that if a skunk was firmly held by the tail it couldn't do a thing. Well it ain't so! Gene had a chance to TEST the belief and now members of his company aren't talking to him.2/5/1936 EHE Jimmy Starr Gene Autry and Mae Clarke have written what they hope is another "Boots and Saddles" song, and which we hope ISN'T...2/8/1936 EHE Harrison Carroll Gene Autry, the western star, has been ordered to bed with an infected arm, the result of a screen fight for the picture, Red River Valley...2/11/1936 LAX I Cover Hollywood By Lloyd Pantages GENE AUTRY (one of the better of our crop of cowboys) revives that old adage about "a man's best friend is his dog," only in this case it's his horse, CHAMPION. "CHAMP" has a fifteen hundred dollar trailer to ride about in, with windows, is electrically heated, has a built-in water trough and feed bin, and a cork floor so his feet won't get TOO tired. Now, on the other hand, AUTRY (not to let his horse outdo him) has a superstition that being a Western star he must always wear cowboy suits and, what's more, he DOES—in fact, the so-tight variety that I'm sure he has to be lifted onto his mount.2/13/1936 FD Little From Lots Ann Rutherford, Republic contract player, has been assigned to the leading role opposite Gene Autry in Coming ‘Round the Mountain, musical western, which Mack Wright is slated to direct from the story and screenplay by Oliver Drake and Dorrell and Stuart McGowan. Smiley Burnette is also featured in the cast.2/21/1936 EHE Jimmy Starr Gene Autry, the cowboy star, and his leading lady, Ann Rutherford, are carrying their film romance OFF the screen!...2/22/1936 EHE Strolling Along Hollywood's Gossipy Corners With Jimmy Starr James Dunn is trying to train a BALKY turtle for Gene Autry's terrapin derby, of all things!2/29/1936 EHE News Flashes! Ann Rutherford, Republic contract player, has the leading role opposite Gene Autry in Comin' Round the Mountain, Republic musical western.2/29/1936 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME Melody Trail: Gene Autry, Ann Rutherford—This is a splendid western. Good riding, good comedy, great singing. This man Autry has personality, voice and everything to please the people and they begin to ask for his pictures. That is going some these days. Played February 7-8.—Bert Silver, New Silver Theatre, Greenville, Mich. City and Country Patronage. The Singing Vagabond: Gene Autry, Ann Rutherford—Our patrons enjoyed this musical western and we received no complaints. It is as well produced as the previous Autry films.—J.W. Noah, New Liberty and Ideal Theatres, Ft. Worth, Texas. General Patronage.3/7/1936 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME The Singing Vagabond: Gene Autry, Ann Rutherford—I can't add anything to this picture in way of praise any more than I have the others of this series. They are so far ahead of other pictures this year that I lack words to describe them. If other companies would drop a lot of their society dramas and add a number of this type of picture, us small town exhibitors would have something to live for. Played February 9-10.—M.S. Porter, Orpheum Theatre, Nelsonville, Ohio. Small Town and Rural Patronage.3/28/1936 MPH WHAT THE PICTURE DID FOR ME Red River Valley: Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Frances Grant—Gene Autry has merited our confidence in him. When these westerns were announced for production and we purchased them. Doubting Thomases shook their heads; Autry was practically unknown to film audiences; Republic might not give its westerns major company quality. Ignoring these warnings we placed the advertising material on Tumbling Tumbleweeds, two weeks in advance in our lobby and the doormen and cashiers were besieged with requests for the date. Needless to say the engagement was profitable and the paramount question among our patrons was, "When are you going to have Autry again?" Each succeeding picture has drawn and pleased. His latest, Red River Valley is the best of the series.. Aside from having a sensible and well written story, it has innumerable directorial touches which show care and thought were put into its making. Its almost continuous musical score highlights the action and is a relief from the library phonographic music which western producers so frequently resort to in order to cut expenses.> And–glory be– there isn't a single Dunning process shot in the picture; even close-up scenes during wild pursuit riding are the real thing and not old action clips thrown on a screen with the star prancing before it. Autry sings "Red River Valley" and other numbers and is cleverly assisted by Smiley Burnette, with his comedy songs.–J.W. Noah, New Liberty and Ideal Theatres, Fort Worth, Texas. General Patronage.4/4/1936 EHE Strolling Along Hollywood's Gossipy Corners With Jimmy Starr Gene Autry, the hoss-opera star, has discovered that cows are just NERTZY about jazz music. What's more, Gene has installed radios in his barn so that his bovines may enjoy all types of music. Isn't that just TOO, TOO cute...4/11/1936 MPH SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS Comin' Round the Mountain(Republic)Western Harking back to the era of the Pony Express with California as a background, this outdoor romance production combines the requisite component parts for well balanced fare for the inveterate as well as the casual western audience. The highlight is a cross-country race to determine the competitive worth of horseflesh for duty with the Pony Express. The race is one to quicken the audience pulse. The plot is typically western with nothing new to distinguish it from numerous others, yet this doesn't detract from the presentation. A Pony Express rider is set upon and robbed of a package of money needed to forestall a sheriff's sale of a ranch. The rider obtains a leave of absence from the Pony Express to track down the robbers. The man who engineered the theft turns out to be the neighboring ranch owner, eager to consolidate both ranches and marry the girl who owns the mortgage property. Gene Autry as the Pony Express rider turns in his usual excellent performance, interspersing two or three songs. In fact, the entire cast is well chosen. Ann Rutherford is the girl, Roy Mason the heavy and Smiley Burnette contributes most of the comedy relief. Bob McKenzie makes much of his small part as the marshal. "El Diablo," A highly spirited horse, plays an important part in the proceedings. Autry escapes from the desert when the animal, running away from the girl's ranch, strays there. The horse later is set free to rejoin a herd of wild horses, and assumes leadership after besting the former leader, a pinto. The pinto is stolen by Mason, painted black and entered in the big race as a thoroughbred. "El Diablo" beats the pinto by a length. Mason's trickery is disclosed when the two horses attempt to renew their fight. The stolen money is recovered, the ranch is saved and Autry marries the girl. Exploitation might be best directed toward children, but the production has material to interest adult patronage. Previewed in projection room. —Mooney, New York Produced and distributed by Republic. Directed by Mack Wright. Supervised by Armand Shaefer. Screenplay by Oliver Drake, Dorrell McGowan and Stuart McGowan. Original story by Oliver Drake. Photography by Bill Nobles. Running time, 55 minutes. Release date, April 13, 1936. General Audience Classification.4/16/1936 LAX I Cover Hollywood By Lloyd Pantages Gene Autry (the singing cowboy) will take an automobile vacation to Mexico in July and with him he will drag along two trailers—one for him to live in and the other to house his favorite horse. That's being a pal to one's four-footed friend.5/13/1936 FD The Singing CowboyRepublic 56 Minutes Entertaining western with good variety makes better type program stuff. Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and gang get together for a superior western in which there is no lack of action but careful pacing of it. The piece presents more music than most pictures, based on the homey plot which has Autry and his cowhand colleagues become television entertainers in order to raise money for an operation on the orphaned little girl of their murdered boss. In familiar complications, the sponsor's daughter wins an amateur contest and joins the show, the murderer of the ranch owner steals the touring television wagon in order to make Autry look like a bad risk to the bank from which the cowboy wants to make a loan, and Autry sets all things right by catching the murder, supplying the necessary money for the operation and marrying the sponsor's daughter. Lon Chaney Jr. is fine as the murderer-partner of the youngster's father. CAST: Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Lois Wilde, Lon Chaney Jr., Ann Gilles, Champion, John Van Pelt, Earl Hodgins, Earl Eby, Ken Cooper, Harrison Greene, Wes Warner, Jack Rockwell, Tracy Layne, Snowflake, Oscar Gahan, Frankie Marvin, Jack Kirk, Audrey Davis, George Pearce, Charles McAvoy. Producer, Nat Levine; Director, Mack Wright; Author, Tom Gibson; Screenplay, Dorrell and Stuart McGowan; Cameraman, Bill Nobles; Editor, Lester Orlebeck. Direction, Fine. Photography, Fine. 5/16/1936 MPH SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS The Singing Cowboy(Republic)Western Comedy Drama Gene Autry's singing of western ballads, with which this picture opens and closes and to which approximately half the screening time is given over in between, is its dominant exploitation factor. Another unusual angle consists of the presentation of television as a realized, commercially practiced and generally accepted medium for the dissemination of entertainment and advertising sales copy. Nevertheless, the setting is the west and there is lots of riding, shooting and a reasonable amount of murder, arson and related villainy. The performance of Lon Chaney Jr., as the bad man in the plot, may serve as a focal point of incidental copy in certain cases. The story is about Gene Autry, cast as Gene Autry, top cowhand in a ranch outfit owned in partnership by one Stevens and his partner, Martin. Stevens catches Martin stealing their own ponies and is murdered, fire destroying the barn and escaping horses trampling down Lou-Ann, Stevens' small daughter, whose guardian Autry becomes by terms of Stevens' will. Her injuries require an expensive operation and Autry organizes his fellow cowboys into a radio feature which he sells to Covered Wagon Coffee to earn money to pay for it. Martin, knowing there is gold on the ranch property, seeks to break the program, which has been joined meanwhile by Helen Blake, missing daughter of the Covered Wagon Coffee president. Autry is given reward money offered for discovery of her whereabouts, finances the operation, marries Helen, saves the ranch, effects the arrest of Martin and makes everything come out even without missing a broadcast. Reviewed at the Republic Pictures trade showing. —Weaver, New York Produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. A Nat Levine production, supervised by Armand Schaefer. Directed by Mack Wright. Screenplay by Dorrell McGowan and Stuart McGowan. Original story by Tom Gibson. Photographed by Bill Nobles. P.C.A. Certificate 2617. Release date, May 11. Running time, 56 minutes. General Audience Classification.

Pizza and pages summer 2009!!

Good news!! Pizza Hut is giving us free pizza again. They are so cool!!
This is how Pizza and Pages works, in case youve never done it before.
Call or stop by here after 12:00 on May 28th to register.
You must be leaving 5th  8th grade.
Pizza and Pages is on Fridays at 12:00.
YOU MUST REGISTER!!! Space is limited and this is a popular program. But, if you end up on a waiting list, dont despair. Especially towards the end of summer, waiting list kids often get to come.
Pick the book up 1 week before the date that we discuss it. Read the book. And yes, you HAVE to read it. Then we will talk about it and eat pizza. Fun, eh? Of course!
Another cool thing, you get to keep the book. BUT, because we are giving you the book, you HAVE to show up for the discussion. If you dont, then I cant give you any more books this summer. There are too many kids on the waiting list who will show up. If you know you cant make it, bring the book back, preferably in time for another kid to read it.
If you dont pick up your book by Monday at noon. We are going to give it to someone on the waiting list.
Lots of rules, I know, but it is a pretty cool program. And there is the possibility that you can get 6 free books and a lot of pizza.
So, wanna know what books we are going to read this summer? Here they are&
Alice I Think by Susan Juby June 26
Alice’s sensible observations are a rich source of humor in this very funny first novel, as she tries to get her life together in spite of the peculiar aberrations of the normal teen and adult population of Smithers, a small ingrown town in British Columbia.
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss July 3
In this fine autobiographical novel, Johanna Reiss depicts the trials of her Dutch-Jewish family during World War II.
An Acquaintance with Darkness by Ann Rinaldi July 10
President Lincoln has just been assassinated. ...

The Ferrari F-450 will make 585 hybrid horsepower.

Posted on 05.11.2009 15:00 by Terence KeonFiled under: Ferrari 2009 hybrid cars Frankfurt Auto Show sports cars Ferrari F450The future Ferrari F-450 will make its auto show debut this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the form of a concept. Compared to the Ferrari F-430, the vehicle it replaces, the 450 will be a little taller, the wheelbase a litte longer and the track a little wider. Even the air intakes in the new fron bumper will grow a little bit. But the news that everyone has been waiting to hear, what's under the hood? Ferrari will use a 4.5 Liter V8 engine that delivers 550 HP. The engine (...) Permalink

let's get this blog back on the road!

Bijou looks on disapprovingly at my lack of blogging.Ok, I've been playing the catch-up game forever! Because of my slowness to post about my travels in Europe, I've also been neglecting the here and now- resulting in a huge blogging backlog which of course makes me afraid to do anything! So resolved, as of today, a schedule for getting this blog back on the road: Saturday, April 4 - BerlinMonday, April 6 - Review of Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul KitchenWednesday, April 8 - Copenhagen and MalmöFriday, April 10 - BelfastSunday, April 12 - England odds and endsTuesday, April 14 - Drawings for 3 prizes, from among those who kindly donated to my charity sky dive way back in September- I have not forgotten!I'm making myself stick to this schedule, and so you can be sure to see all these posts shortly! For all you lovely people who have been gently prodding me in the right direction- thank you!Bijou says "I'll believe it when I see it."

Pampered Mom

Korey and Gabriel are in Limerick again. They left Wednesday in the afternoon and get back around 9 on Friday evening. These pictures were taken on Wednesday morning. As you can see by the picture, Gabriel loves going on these road trips with Daddy. The fact that they ride on two trains (like Thomas the Tank) to get there sure doesn't hurt. Once he was satisfied that I had a picture of him with the suitcase, he wanted to make sure I took a picture of each of his cars (go digital camera, go). Yup, typical boy in some ways, he does love to play "cars and trucks".And that my dear friends, is most likely my last post of the day. I think there's something about the two weeks off coming to an end that makes me realize it might be another few months before I have the energy to blog again and something within me goes crazy wanting to tell you this and show you that before this holiday comes to an end.

CREATE MORE EXCHANGE HOMES AT YOUR DESTINATION

My sister and I are second-generation home exchangers. Back in the 1970's, when we were wee tykes, our parents swapped their second home in New England a few times. My sister and I got to see Colonial Williamsburg and taste Southern delicacies like grits and hush puppies courtesy of a Virginia swap family.These days, sis is an avid scuba diver. She asked me to create a listing for her at HomeExchange.com. She will use it to try to reel in a swap home in a Caribbean dive location like Dominica or the Netherlands Antilles.We searched the main exchange club sites for swap homes in Dominica. We came up almost empty. Each club has one or two homes listed, and some of those may be duplicates. There are very few exchange listings for her first choice get-away. Will my sister be forced to scuba dive in the local rec center pool instead of a beautiful Caribbean beach?It occurred to me that there are a lot more folks renting out their vacation homes in the Caribbean than exchanging them. Many people have rented a condo or house instead of staying in a hotel when on vacation. Few have swapped for the same property, though the benefits are the same -- privacy, more room to spread out in than with a hotel, a homier feel, etc. People who rent their second homes are comfortable having strangers stay there. If they want to visit New York City, perhaps they would consider a home exchange, even if they never did before.I suggested to my sister that she "create" a swap home in her preferred destination by searching for rental properties on vacation rental sites. Since she is considering renting a vacation home if a swap does not come through she can ask if the home is available for rent during her preferred period. She can also broach the possibility of a vacation swap. There is a chance that at least one or two owners of vacation homes might be tempted by my sister's offer. She may be able to create her own swap home in an otherwise sparse area for home exchange. Who knows, she may create new home exchangers where only landlords existed before. You may want to do the same if you are searching for an exchange and coming up empty.SUBSCRIBE NOWYou can subscribe to this blog to receive each day's post. Just enter your email below :Enter your EmailPowered by FeedBlitz

Attend the Gina DePalma Fundraiser on May 18 to Support the Cowgirl Cure Foundation

on May 18 to Support the Cowgirl Cure FoundationFrom Serious Eats: New York There are lots of terrific benefits the food community gets involved in, and we try to tell you about as many of them as we can. But I feel compelled to tell all serious eaters about the cocktail party benefit Mario Batali, his partner Joe Bastianich, and Jim Lahey (of Sullivan Street Bakery and Co.) are doing at Co. on May 18 at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate one of Serious Eats' own, Gina DePalma. This event benefits a truly worthy cause, The Cowgirl Cure Foundation benefiting ovarian cancer research at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. As some of you might know from my James Beard Awards post, Gina is battling cancer. Gina's a fighter, and if anyone can beat back this insanely debilitating disease, it's her. For this benefit, Lahey will be preparing many of his signature pies and spreads, and Batali is going to be rustling up plenty of serious finger food to pass around. Between Lahey's pizza, Batali's food, serious cocktails (and a serious cause), what more could a serious eater ask for? Tickets are $250, and you can buy them here, or even donate money to the Cowgirl Cure Foundation if you can't attend the event. Starting today, May 11, serious eaters can bid on some pretty cool online auction items, like a pizza-making lesson and lunch for six from Jim Lahey, a guided tour of DiPalo Dairy, or even a day at the Guerlain Spa. Hope to see you all there.

ALL PHONES UNLOCKING AND REPAIRING STORE,IPHONE REPAIRS TOO******** (upper darby)

HARRY TELECOM cheap SERVICE IS never good and good SERVICE is never cheap. WE REPLACE IPHONE 3G DIGITIZER FOR $90.00,ORIGINAL PART,NO HIDDEN CHARGES. we have software unlocking of iphone 3g modem firmware 2.30,no need to put any extra chip.just put your t-mobile sim card and it will work,but condition is that your phone should be made before sept 2008. ALL THE WORK IS DONE PROFESSIONALLY WITH ORIGINAL PARTS WE FIX IPHONE BROKEN AND CRACKED GLASS AND LCD'S. WE FIX SPEAKER,MIKE,VIBRATOR,RECEPTION PROBLEM AND MUCH MORE. WE REPAIR DEAD AND WATER DAMAGED PHONES. WE BUY DEAD,WATER DAMAGED AND BROKEN PHONES AND IPHONES. WE SELL UNLOCKED PHONES AND ALL PHONE ACCESSORY INCLUDING PHONE PARTS. FOR PRICE DETAILS PLEASE GIVE US A CALL AT 484-461-4044 (9AM-9PM)CELL 714-675-2323 ASK FOR SHUBH OR PRINCE OR VISIT OUR SHOP AT 7327 WEST CHESTER PIKE, UPPER DARBY PA 19082. FOR ONLINE ORDERS VISIT US AT http://www.point3.net http://harrytelecom.blogspot.com/ opening hours mon- sat 9am to 9pm sunday 9am to 5pm IF YOU ARE FAR AWAY FROM US YOU CAN SEND US PHONE FOR UNLOCKING now we unlock phones by IMEI.very simple procedure ,if you are away from us and can't visit us personally,then login to www.point3.net,click on the option unlock by IMEI,select your phone company and model,make a payment and your calculated code will be send to you in your email in 24 to 48 hours.if you are business professional you can create your own account to unlock phones in bulk ,for that login to www.point3.net,click on the link unlock base by harry telecom,register your account it is free,then buy credits from us and unlock phones in bulk and earn money.

Heroes, 3rd Season finale; "An Invisible Thread" (04/27/2009)

Everybody knows what the TV term "jumping the shark" means....right? This is the point in a TV show or movie series' history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations. This usually corresponds to the point where a show with falling ratings apparently becomes more desperate to draw viewers in. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have "jumped the shark" are typically deemed to have passed their peak.During the 1970's, the TV series, Happy Days had prominent character, Arthur Fonzarelli (aka the "Fonz") ACTUALLY jumping over a penned up shark, while the shows characters were vacationing in California. Of course, the Fonz was doing such a ridiculous thing in response to a dare, but alas, a catchphrase was coined, despite the lameness of the original episode that spawned it.This season has seen more reversals, misbegotten scenarios, and extraneous characters than the previous two seasons combined. They might as well have named this series, The Many Deaths of Nathan Petrelli. And what pray tell, does Claire actually contribute to this storyline anyway? She is cute mind you, but the cheerleader whose salvation was supposed to have saved the world, really hasn't amounted to much of anything. I know the shows writers have long since forgotten this, but Claire's invincible blood would have revived her biological father just fine last night. Don't believe me? Just ask H.R.G.! He took a bullet right through his horned rim glasses, through his eyeball and into his brain last year, and a handy bit of invincible blood had him quickly hopping off the slab in the company morgue pronto. If you want to have Claire continue to hang around just for purposes of eye candy, and nothing else, then have her wear string bikinis and cutesy-pie lingerie. At least then I would understand.I won't miss Nathan much, since his earlier actions had in effect turned him into more of a villain, than a hero. Too bad they didn't dispense with that idiotic Dr. Suresh at the same time and for the same reasons.There was one really, really good moment during the finale and that occurred when Sylar had the tables turned on him by Peter Petrelli in the Presidential limo. It's moments like that that give me some entertainment as a viewer, but as the overall competency of this wayward series has continued to degrade, even stuff like this hasn't led me to expect much going into the summer break.The NBC network executives are in all likelyhood, partially to blame for how badly this show has skewed. Creator Tim Kring obviously didn't have much of a road map to start with, and we have too many aborted plot lines, and too many randomly introduced and rapidly forgotten quest star characters to believe anything else anyway. The originally stated intention of having an evolving cast as the series moved on, was what went wrong here, boys. Sylar just ain't all that! The conceit of hanging onto Zachary Quinto, reminds me of the time when NBC held actor Pierce Brosnan to another year of the faltering series, Remington Steele, just because Brosnan had the inside track to become the next James Bond. Timothy Dalton got the gig instead, but Brosnan eventually got his turn anyway. And there's nothing like having the "new" Mr. Spock in the house, is there? Even when his character has overstayed his welcome.Before season 4 begins filming, I would encourage somebody at the top of the executive food chain to demote Kring to a tertiary position, and let Bryan Fuller either assume full show runner status or simply let the man who helmed Pushing Daisies, hire his own all-new writing staff or have final say on scripts for next year.Kudos for bring back Ali Larter, guys never waste a fine looker like her again. A bonus with her Tracy Strauss character is that she is more interesting than the earlier identify of Nikki-Jessica. Um, don't hesitate to put her in bikinis and lingerie, too.I hope season 4 measures up upon its return - sooner rather than later - because unless it does, I don't think even a cool moment or two is gonna hold my interest further. While we're at it, the Sarah Connor Chronicles is getting axed over on Fox, so Summer Glau is probably going to be available and she has serious genre chops to offer, plus all blonds, all the time, is not the way to go. Trust me!

Act Your Age

Having moved house several times without telling everyone I should have told, I finally caught up with some investments made over five years ago. By an astonishing coincidence, the value of the backlog of dividends and of the investments themselves was sufficient, with enough left over for the running and parking costs for a year, for a second-hand Maserati which I spotted for sale.I was on the brink of trading in the fumiemobile when I remembered that no one looks good driving a sports car except totty. Young guys look like spoilt brats and older guys look like mutton posing (and I choose my words carefully) as lamb. And, as if someone up there was whispering in my ear "Fumie, don't be a prat", I saw a living breathing example driving through Central this afternoon.A greying fellow in an open-topped Porsche (so handy for getting your fill of Hong Kong's pollution, don't you think?), registration number MZ 7980, was driving along Queens Road while reading Hong Kong Magazine, making sure he flipped the pages over so everyone could see how cool he was. Oh, yes, I am sure everyone was mighty impressed by your concern for road safety. To top it off, so to speak, Mr. Mutton had a young kid in the back, ready to be nicely squashed in the event of the accident Mr. Poser was inviting.Nice going!

Death is Afraid of Leningrad

I've written on this subject before, my dad and his Eastern European history loving, East Village living in, eccentric friend.I met my parents for dinner at Katz and my dad's friend joined us. He asked me if I saw the exhibit on German writers in exile at the something something, then about some story in the New Yorker on Gertrude Stein living in Vichy France as she was a right winger. I had no idea what he was talking about, though he is a very nice guy. He makes my interest in Eastern Europe seem beyond amateurish.The exacerberated (sp?) look on my mom's face said it'd been a long day, hanging out with these two sixty something men who quoted obscure movies and made references to things leaving me deep in the dark.It's a window into Toby and my future-our children beffudled, probably embarrassed to some extent and our wives completely lost and certainly exhausted by the immature ramblings, frequently straying into gibberish. This is not to say my dad and his friend speak in gibberish, this is more what Toby and I do, but the parallels are clear.Actual girlfriends have already suffered through some 20-something version. I shudder to think what it will be like when we're in our sixties.No doubt awesome.

Day Ten in Vietnam: 22 May

22 May Hanoi Ha Long Road HA LONG BAY AM: Transfer to Ha Long City through the Red River Delta. PM Transfer to Bai Tho Boat for lunch with fresh seafood, then cruise Ha Long Bay. Stop at Titop Island to relax and swim. “Relax under the starlit sky before retiring to the comfort of your cabin.”Ha Long Bay is one of the most beautiful and romantic sights in all of Vietnam, if not the world. (Liam, we will go back together one day...) As the Lonely Planet guide describes it, "majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious..." The name Ha Long means "where the dragon descends into the sea": the Bay and its many islands created from the thrashing of the dragon as it wriggled its way to the shore.We drove from Hanoi early this morning and arrived at the Bay by late morning. We won't be staying near the bay...we'll be staying ON the bay, in a motorized junk By a stroke of luck, our twenty-person party has scored a boat big enough to hold all of us, and small enough not to share with any other groups. So, in essence, Private Cruise on the Victoria 4!!!. A smaller motorized ferry took us out to the main ship.Lunch was a fabulous seafood feast, with a complementary glass of wine (and the prices ensure that this will be our only glass). When they brought out the first course, steamed crab, I nearly swooned (Avie loves her seafood!). Next we had shrimp, then octopus, and finally, broiled fish.The afternoon was spent in gliding around the islands that dot the Bay, and we all piled into the small boat and stopped at one point to explore Sung Sot (“Amazing Cave,”), a large series of caves on one island. Then we returned and after anchoring in a quiet area, we had a swim from the main ship. I must admit I was a bit apprehensive to jump off the second story of the ship--I am afraid of heights and it requires not only the --but I felt I had to keep up the honor of the professors, as Ken had already (literally) taken the plunge.Here is a great photo of the students jumping in:Here is a photo taken from the water (Ken held the camera with one hand as he treaded water!) I am standing to the extreme right (discretely covered with a towel) as I attempt to gather enough courage to make the jump. (There will be no photos of me in my bathing costume...I can't risk becoming an Internet pin-up sensation)The evening was quiet and cool. Sunset came early and the ship dropped anchor for the night. We watched Indochine in the dining room after another seafood dinner that could not be beat. I celebrated with a glass of Jameson's (pretty pricey but worth it!) Our cabins were cozy and beautiful.

Renewing America's Food Traditions

A casual look around our country’s food supply reveals little more than a mix of sprawling, commercialized monocultures. Plants are grown and animals are raised with an eye to efficiency and profit. The nation’s highways swarm with worker-ant trucks that shuttle our agricultural products 1400 miles, on average, between the farm and the plate. But take a close look, and you’ll see something different on the edges: The last remnants of America’s native foodstuffs and our pre-factory-farm agriculture. These are foods with real flavor, not the stripped-down blandness of food raised more for shippability than taste. Heritage turkeys have enjoyed the spotlight of the food press, but these are only the beginning if you know where to look. If you don't know where to look, however, Renewing America’s Food Traditions is a good place to start. The book divides the United States into “food nations” (a practice already in place at Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) the organization, which birthed the book). A large swatch of California, for instance, is Acorn Nation — a name that rings true to someone like me who learned about acorn grinding holes at summer camp in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Alaska, not surprisingly, is Salmon Nation. The southeastern coast is Crab Nation. And so on. The names evoke the food patterns of the cultures who lived off the native bounty long before semis and trains connected every point in the U.S. with every other point. Each of the book’s small and well-written vignettes focuses on one particular “heritage” food from the food nation that defines each section, focusing on one or two people deeply involved in preserving that food. Some, such as Honey Drip Cane Sorghum, I had never heard of. Some, such as the Olympia Oyster, are treats that I already seek out. Lovely photos and simple recipes accompany each piece. And — you other research-happy food writers will appreciate this — each two-page essay gives a list of resources where you can learn more about the food. But not where to buy it. This is my only complaint about this book, which could live on your reference shelf or your coffee table with equal ease. I can understand why there aren’t instructions for poaching leatherback sea turtles. But where do I buy a Silver Fox rabbit? It could be that the authors don’t want to contribute to the shuttling of food around the country — the editor is locavore founding father Gary Paul Nabhan, after all — but it seems unfair to build up interest in these foods and then snatch away the chance to find them. But this is a must-have book for any food lover who cares about the more interesting ingredients available throughout our country. This book was sent to me for review. Hey all, there’s still room in my upcoming UCB Extension wine class. Sign up soon!

Phoebe crosses the Rainbow Bridge at：2009-05-12 22:43:35 Click: 0 When we came home from vacation we noticed that Phoebe seemed to have lost some w

When we came home from vacation we noticed that Phoebe seemed to have lost some weight. We figured it was probably because the Pig (an aptly named cat) had taken advantage of our absence and crowded his way into Phoebe's food bowl. The house-sitter didn't notice anything wrong with her, so we started feeding her more often and by herself.She didn't gain any weight and seemed to be getting weaker so I took her to our vet on Thursday (the Shabazz-man, as Grendel calls him) and he couldn't find anything visibly wrong; he recommended a blood test.I called him up yesterday to get the results and he said that all her counts were very low and to bring her in for an X-ray. So I did, and when they weighed her they found she had lost another quarter of a pound since Thursday. Not good.I could tell that the Shabazz-man was hoping he's see something obvious in the X-rays, but there was nothing. He decided to give her an antibiotic shot and send her home with more antibiotic and steroid combined, as well as special food, but over the course of the conversation I could tell he was becoming more and more certain that the prognosis was pretty bleak. I asked if there was any specific danger sign to look for, as we did not want her to suffer. He said no, but then said it would be a matter of weeks, not months. It was probably leukemia or bone cancer by how swiftly it progressed.I took her home and she ate a third of the can of cat food. That seemed a good sign. She rested on her blanket on the floor. Before I went to bed I lay down next to her and told her how much we loved her.In the morning it was clear that she was much weaker. That was that, there's no way we were going to let her suffer, so Liam called up the Shabazz-man and was able to bring her right in. I had to go to school to meet with a student. I hated not being able to go with them, but I said goodbye to Phoebe and we loaded her into Liam's car. We were both heartbroken.Liam came into school and said that all went as well as one could expect--she left peacefully and painlessly. The vet agreed it was "an acceptable time" for Phoebe to go.She was a sweet cat, a gentle cat, who never made any trouble. She loved being brushed. We called her "FooFoo," FooFighter" and "Fluffy." She came into our lives suddenly, from a student of ours, D., forced to give up all her cats after a terrible tragedy. She left us too soon.

BMW considering range of two-, three- and four-wheelers for Project i

BMW Clever concept - Click above for an image gallery Back in the summer of 2007, BMW and the University of Bath put their combined heads together and designed a vehicle called the Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transportation, or Clever for short. Using just 3 wheels and an engine that was designed to run on compressed natural gas, the Clever concept emitted just half the carbon dioxide of normal economy cars.BMW may revisit this design for a future production model under its Project i program, which has the goal of finding new ways to create sustainable models for our transportation needs. The Clever would be just one vehicle in a range consisting of multiple two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles.As much as we'd love to see a completely electric line from the German automaker, we may be waiting a while. iMotor in the U.K. quotes an unnamed spokesperson for BMW as saying:We are committed to producing a super economical or zero emission vehicle or range of vehicles. However, it's going to be at least five years until we have production models one the road. In the meantime, BMW may be forced to fall back on its motorcycle division to locate a suitable set of powerplants for Project i.Gallery: BMW Clever concept

SharePoint Server 2010 Preliminary System Requirements

We’ve heard loud and clear that you want system requirements information as early as possible to assist in your budgeting and planning, so today we’re happy to announce (and confirm) some preliminary system requirements for SharePoint Server 2010: SharePoint Server 2010 will be 64-bit only. SharePoint Server 2010 will require 64-bit Windows Server 2008 or 64-bit Windows Server 2008 R2. SharePoint Server 2010 will require 64-bit SQL Server 2008 or 64-bit SQL Server 2005. In addition to the requirements listed above we also wanted to share with you some preliminary detail about SharePoint Server 2010 browser compatibility. To ensure the best possible experience across multiple browsers we’re focusing our SharePoint 2010 engineering efforts on targeting standards based browsers (XHTML 1.0 compliant) including Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3.x. running on Windows Operating Systems. In addition we’re planning on an increased level of compatibility with Firefox 3.x and Safari 3.x on non-Windows Operating Systems. Due to this focus Internet Explorer 6 will not be a supported browser for SharePoint Server 2010. So, what can you do today to get into the best shape for SharePoint Server 2010? Start by ensuring new hardware is 64-bit. Deploying 64-bit is our current best practice recommendation for SharePoint 2007. Deploy Service Pack 2 and take a good look at the SharePoint 2010 Upgrade Checker that’s shipped as part of the update. The Upgrade Checker will scan your SharePoint Server 2007 deployment for many issues that could affect a future upgrade to SharePoint 2010. Get to know Windows Server 2008 with SharePoint 2007, this post is a great starting point. Consider your desktop browser strategy if you have large population of Internet Explorer 6 users. Continue to follow the Best Practices guidance for SharePoint Server 2007. Keep an eye on this blog for updates and more details in the coming months. Info lengkap ada disini

Domestic USAF Operations

If you read USAF news releases, you could be excused for thinking that the Air Force is 100% occupied - and preoccupied - with operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every other day, regular as clockwork, theres an airpower summary posted, all of which are basically summarized as jets kill insurgents, film at 11. Whats easy to overlook is that there are a sizable number of Air Force assets deployed stateside, and who have nothing to do with the Global War on Terra. The 1st Air Force, also known as Air Force Northern or simply AFNORTH, is the body responsible for all those boring domestic operations like providing support for political conventions, major sporting events like the Super Bowl, and things of that sort. Earlier this year, they produced a nifty handbook detailing their organization, operations, and (airborne) assets, as they apply to the support of civil authorities - i.e. domestic security and disaster-relief operations. Its an interesting look at some lesser-known capabilities of the Air Force, and provides details of both lesser-known assets - RC-26, ARCHER, EO-5, Eagle Vision, anyone? - and better-known systems one might not normally associate with domestic civil support operations - the U-2, E-8, MQ-9, or AC-130, for example. If youre a fan of obscure military aviation trivia, this stuffs for you. Even if youre not so into that stuff, its probably worth downloading; theres a lot of interesting information about, lets be honest, quite a number of things buried in this handbook. (A U-2 mission can cost $12,500 per hour? Crikey. A RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV is a mere $3,400 per hour, and an OH-58 helicopter just - albeit quite precisely! - $942 per hour.) Want a map of the CONUS air defense network? Its there. (No, really - page 91.) The handbook - the 1AF Defense Support of Civil Authorities Air Support Handbook 20093 - weighs in at 5.4MB, and can be downloaded here (Adobe PDF). Enjoy

Dea Double Maduro Rated 91!

Today's Email Specials from: WWW.MDCIGARS.COM These specials are good from May 11th to May 23rd or while supplies last! Click on the link below to see the specials in HTML http://www.mdcigars.com/email_specials.htm Dea Double Maduro was rated 91 by Smoke Mag!As you know MD Cigars created the Dea cigar brand with the goal to deliver a great long fill cigar at a good price. You will not find a better cigar for under $5 I guarantee it!Dea cigars beat out many cigars at twice the price and more! Try the new Dea Double Maduro!Now, for a limited time, Buy any bundle of Dea Cigars and we will toss in a FREE 5-pack! Buy any 5-pack and we will toss in a FREE Dea Cigar!http://www.mdcigars.com/email_specials.htm Buy 2 get one free Trinidad Cigars.Trinidad cigars were rated 92 by Cigar Insider, Trinidad is a limited production cigar with a hearty full flavor.Now, for a limited time, buy 2 singles, 5-packs or Boxes and we will toss in the 3rd for free!http://www.mdcigars.com/email_specials.htm This week’s Friday Night Tasting Special! We always try to give something back to our customers, so every Friday We offer 3 Premium Cigars for only $20 delivered! Plus, if you purchase the Friday special, you eligible for a 15% discount on a box of one of the Featured cigars! Shipping is already included! This week’s featured cigars are: Carlos Torano Noventa LatinHavana Sun Grown ToroIndian Tabac Robusto Grandehttp://www.mdcigars.com/fridaynighttastings.htm Come by the shop, or watch the action on our live web cams! http://www.mdcigars.com/humidor_cam.htm Don’t forget to enter our monthly drawing for a Free Bundle of Cigars! Just Signing up to be on our Email Special List! http://www.mdcigars.com/specials.htm Join our MD Cigars club! You get 5 Great Cigars each month for only $29.95 a month. Being an MD Cigars Club member also gives you an automatic 15% discount on all future purchases at MD Cigars as long as you remain an MD Cigars Club member, Plus your name will be automatically entered into our monthly cigar give-away. http://www.mdcigars.com/cigar_club.htm We accept Visa, Master Card American Express and Discover. Thank you for making MD Cigars your Online Cigar Resource. MD Cigars Http://www.mdcigars.com Customer Service: 928-305-8891 Open: 6 Days a Week. 10:30 to 8 on weekdays and 11 to 8 on Sat. http://www.mdcigars.com

Amy Lee Says Band Is 'Alive And Well'

John LeCompt and Rocky Gray depart after four years; tour will carry on as scheduled, according to Lee.By Gil Kaufman Former Evanescence guitarist John LeCompt Photo: Amy V. Cooper And then there was one. With the recent departure of drummer Rocky Gray and guitarist John LeCompt, Amy Lee is now the only member of Evanescence left who has been in the band since the release of its smash 2003 breakout album, Fallen. LeCompt was either fired by the band or decided to move on  depending which account you believe  while Gray left of his own accord recently, making them the latest members of the group to fall by the wayside. Original guitarist/ co-founder Ben Moody left in 2003 (see "Evanescence Singer Says Split With Moody 'For The Best' "), and bassist William Boyd quit last June after three years in the band (see "Evanescence Lose Bassist; Amy Lee Vows To Stay On Schedule"). Though the group's management could not be reached for comment at press time, promising an official statement later in the day on Monday (May 7), Lee posted an undated explanation of the latest lineup changes on the band's official Web site. In the posting, Lee wrote, "Evanescence is alive and well. John and Rocky were in Evanescence for four years and we shared some great times together playing live, but they were ready to move on and so we have parted ways. Evanescence is something I have loved and nurtured since I was 14, and I will continue to protect and fight for it as I always have." Lee said she and guitarist Terry Balsamo  who replaced Moody in 2003 (see "Evanescence Name New Guitarist")  and bassist Tim McCord  the former Revolution Smile guitarist who replaced Boyd last summer  are "very excited to play live with some amazing new musicians and we will rock harder than ever." Lee did not say who would replace the pair, but promised that no dates on the group's current tour will be canceled. The band is scheduled to play the Rock on the Range hard rock festival in Columbus, Ohio, on May 19 and co-headline the Family Values tour this summer. LeCompt's version of the split was not quite as cheerful as Lee's. According to a post on his MySpace blog, LeCompt said he was informed Friday afternoon that he was being fired from the group during a cell phone call with Lee. "This call wasn't from a friend who appreciated me but from an enemy who was prepared to hurt me and my family. Without any warning or negotiations for my future, I was fired for no good reason," he wrote on his site. "We have not always seen eye to eye on everything, but who does? Our common goal was always the same: To make Evanescence the best rock band it could ever be. I have always given blood, sweat and tears to make that happen but apparently that is not enough. I have now become just another of the people fallen by the wayside on the revolving door of her life." In his own MySpace blog post from Sunday, Gray said he was not able to speak about the split, due to an alleged gag ordered imposed by Evanescence's management. "Amy Lee's management e-mailed me last night to tell me that, in their view, the contract I signed to record, perform and tour with the group says that I'm not allowed to have any free speech in regard to Evanescence," Gray wrote. "The way they spin it, I'm not even allowed to say I quit the group, I guess. But the news is out there, so, there ya go. I need to have a lawyer read over all that mess to tell me what, when and how I can tell you all  the REAL FANS  what really went down, if I ever can, haha." Gray said he is preparing to reunite with his old Living Sacrifice band mate Lance Garvin in the group Soul Embraced, with an album due soon. He said he will also continue to play in the group Machina with LeCompt. Related Artists Evanescence

And Now, an Appeal to You, the Reader

Because Im a history geek, every weekend, I like to browse through Wikipedia and look at the day in history for the upcoming week, to see that, for example, MKULTRA was launched on this date in 1953. (And in slightly-less-recent news, the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople on this date way, way back in 1204 CE.) Most of the time, this is fairly useless, but fun. Other times, as is often the case with Wikipedia, I find myself having wasted an hour of my life following links deeper and deeper into the dusty and obscure corners of Wikipedia; its always kind of scary to find pages that havent been edited since 2006& but I digress. I have a favor to ask, that Im hoping one of you great readers can fulfill. I got reading ahead a bit to next week, and was reminded that a week from today is the thirty-first anniversary of the Korean Air Flight 902 incident. That, of course, got me thinking about the much more famous Korean Air Lines incident, Flight 007, which has been surrounded by controversy and conspiracy theories for the better part of three decades. There are a lot of resources on the web about the event, and a great deal of primary and secondary material has been made available over the years. One piece that doesnt seem to be available online is the after action report from Task Force 71, the U.S. Navy search-and-rescue effort that attempted to locate the wreckage of the plane in international waters. It seems to have been made public in the past - its cited in the Wikipedia article, and in several of the books about KAL 007 - but its never been put online, that I can find. About two years ago, I made a FOIA request, hoping to remedy that situation, and was informed, eventually, that the Navy was unable to locate a copy. Make of that what you will. Regardless, now that Ive been reminded of it, Id like to remedy this situation, and make the TF71 report available online, free, for download. So, if youve got a copy, or know someone who does, please get in touch with me so we can work something out. I dont care about proving or disproving this or that theory about the incident; I just want to try and help make a piece of lost history available. Ta, as they say, muchly.

Somethin'

I probably would have written several days ago if I could have come up with an opening line. I still don't have one but I'm tired of nuffin' and want to do somethin'. It's hard to start again after so long, how do you bridge the gap? I don't really know but one thing is for sure, whatever this post is, that's it.Does such a long break require an explanation? Of course the answer is only if I want to give one, which I kind of do. If for no other reason than to organize myself. And possibly bring any lingering readers (there can't be many) in on my story. This is a personal blog after all.I've sort of talked in circles about my "difficult Fall" with regard to stress. It was actually more like a flare up of the anxiety/depression that I've dealt with for many years. Most of the time I manage just fine, my life is not greatly affected by it. But once every 8-10 years something seems to trigger more serious anxiety. That happened for me on September 29. Was just working and a non-issue work situation arose that just triggered panic. I'm still not totally sure why it happened but it has taken months to work out some theories. It's very unfortunate that it was a work related trigger because work is so inescapable. And after I panicked once, I was extremely nervous about it happening again. Which it did...a bunch.It's been my experience that anxiety kind of takes over. When I'm in it, I can't feel happy, love, joy or really anything besides fear. When the fear subsides, I just feel sad for being taken out of my life. This is especially hard as a mom. I generally did a good job with Will but a few times it was clear how clued in he was. One day he asked me why I was so scared. Then he told me it would be OK. He was right, of course. But that made me very sad.From the very beginning I knew I had to face this. My whole life couldn't fall apart, that just wasn't an option. My first step was to begin seeing a therapist. There I began to unravel the larger issues for me. The things that made me so upset at work were all about making mistakes, not doing a flawless job. I was really afraid of being in trouble. I felt overly responsible for things that were outside my control or not even my job. This is not something I've knowingly struggled with at work before though in my life I've always had a hard time with making mistakes. I can be really hard on myself in that way. Therapy has helped me learn to notice the beliefs and thoughts I have about myself, the mean things I tell myself. And it's helping me replace those things with something true.I also decided to stop going to boot camp. After more than a year, I'd lost 40 lbs and essentially accomplished all the goals I had. And I felt that the energy required for that kind of rigorous program wasn't what I had to give, or even wanted to anymore. So instead I began a yoga immersion course - hatha five days a week for a month (my course is over but I am still practicing several times a week). And at the same time I took a meditation class at the local new age bookstore. The idea around both was twofold. First to learn more about controlling my thoughts instead of just letting them carry me a way. And second, to be "in my body" enough to notice that anxiety (for me) is a very physical experience. I generally have a physical sensation first (cold sweats, racing heart, upset tummy), and then my mind begins thinking of ways to justify the feeling. Both practices help me notice the early signs of an anxiety attack and then refocus before my mind and body become entrenched in it.The one area of my life that I did let go was this blog. Throughout I kind of wondered what role this blog may play in my perfectionist tendencies. For certain, it was one more area in my life where I wanted to perform well. And where I held very high expectations of myself. Letting it go was like exposure therapy...what if I failed? But it was also a relief, letting myself off my own hook. In some ways it was just impossible to maintain it. I mean, I really haven't cared about fashion or entertaining at all during this. My interests have gone to the wayside, hard. And I've also felt intensely private and even now, sharing this story is challenging. Even so, I've been hoping that when I began to feel better I would have the space to pick it back up.And I am feeling better. I've come to understand that anxiety/depression is an actual condition I have, like diabetes or asthma. It's been very difficult for me to accept this, it's mental illness after all. Nobody likes that label. But the fact is that it's all over my family tree. Many of us are treating it in healthy pro-active ways and for others it shows up as alcoholism and other addictions. I've spent a lot of time talking to my family about their experiences and symptoms which was great because I ended up feeling less alone and freakish. This also helped me understand that in addition to the spiritual, emotional, and dietary methods I'd been using, I also needed to consider a chemical component. I was just really resistant to using medication but after 4 months, it was clear there was something missing from my treatment plan. After much research and debate, I've been on Wellbutrin for a month and I finally feel like I'm on a well rounded course of treatment. I still have a mountain to climb (we all do) but at least now I have shoes on.So that's my story. I'm on my way to feeling less like this:And more like this:And that's somethin'.

We were what we ate

NEW YORK - After studying the menu at the Gramercy Tavern, a Manhattan restaurant featuring "New American cuisine," writer Mark Kurlansky says, "Nothing screams out '1942,' which may not be a bad thing."There's no Mississippi molasses pie. No Montana fried beaver tail. No Long Island rabbit stew or Nebraska pig fries.But thanks to writers such as Eudora Welty and Zora Neale Hurston, descriptions and recipes of each are found in Kurlansky's The Food of a Younger Land (Riverhead, $27.95, on sale Thursday).It's based on reports, forgotten for more than 60 years, from the Depression-eraFederal Writers Project. Part of the New Deal, it created work for writers, including a few who became famous, such as Welty (The Optimist's Daughter) and Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God).One of its last projects, begun in 1939, was a guidebook to local foods and eating traditions. It was to be called "America Eats," but it was abandoned in 1942, shortly after Pearl Harbor, when federal resources shifted from social to military spending.One part of the project was published in 1992 by the University of Iowa Press, an essay on Midwestern foods by Nelson Algren, who wrote the 1950 best seller The Man With a Golden Arm.Nine years ago, Kurlansky, who has written several books on food, including Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World and Salt, was at the Library of Congress, researching an anthology of food writing.He stumbled upon the "American Eats" files, what he calls "a time capsule from 1942, from an America without frozen food or chain restaurants."There were five boxes of unedited manuscripts and correspondence about topics that included "Georgia Possum and Taters" and "A Los Angeles Sandwich Called a Taco," as well as "The Mint Julep Controversy" between the "don't-crush school" and the "do-crush school" when it came to preparing the sprigs of mint.In six decades, the files at the library had been requested only two or three times.Kurlansky, 60, knew what he had: "I like food too much to be a restaurant reviewer, but I have an anthropological passion for food as a trail of clues to society and history."He spent a week reading the files, which was "like tapping into another America."He notes that in a report from Vermont, Mari Tomasi "knew that Italian food was rare enough for her to feel the need to explain what ravioli is."When it came to collecting recipes, few of the writers were as careful or diligent as Welty, who wrote: "Yankees are welcome to make these dishes. Follow the directions and success is assured."Hurston wrote a short story about a mythical African-American land with great barbecue but ran into racism. Kurlansky found a memo from the project's Florida directors warning their staff that Hurston "is given to putting on airs, including the smoking of cigarettes in the presence of white people."If "America Eats" had been finished and published in 1942, Kurlansky says, it wouldn't have been as interesting then as it is now: "Enough time had to go by."Over a lunch of halibut in hazelnut yogurt sauce, he says food wasn't necessarily better then, "but it was local and seasonal. What you ate told you who you were, where you were and what time of season it was."

Huff Thinks Joba Looks Like a Bitch

DMV is a daily roundup of District-Maryland-Virginia (mostly) sporting links. The Os held a meeting to discuss Joba Chamberlains celebratory style. Aubrey Huff then hit a first-inning HR, fist pumping in Jobas direction while rounding the bases. Joba responded by not allowing any more runs, getting the W and saying, Im not here to make friends, you guys. [Daily News] Os pen wastes another good outing from Koji; Yanks win 5-3. [The Sun] Nats lose as the middle of the lineup showed some serious muscle. The pitching staff kept its competence to an absolute minimum. [Nats Journal] Strasburg tosses his first college no-no in his final home start. [Roto Arcade] Caps are 5-1 in six elimination games over the past 13 months. [WaPo] Maryland may be replacing its Fear the Turtle slogan. [Testudo Times] Handicapping right tackle: Heyer vs. Jansen vs. Williams. [Real Redskins] B-Mitch cut from the Thompson Show, replaced by Doc Walker. [DCRTV] Today: Caps-Pens (7), Nats-Giants (10:15) (Grainy Huff Pump screen captures via the Daily News and Camden Chat.)

Cool Green car

Anjum Niaz: Air Marshal Imran Khan

You’re a friend of the fundos (read Qazi Hussain Ahmad) and a lover of the Taliban. You’re confused …one day you praise the Sharia law in Swat and the next day you accuse Sufi Mohammad of violating the Quran. What’s with you?IK merely smiles. 'Zardari, Maulana Fazlul Rehman and their ilk (notice he leaves out Nawaz Sharif & Asfandyar Wali) are confused. They showcase themselves as westernised liberals because they want American aid. Their somersaults on Swat deal are shameful. They frog marched before Gordon Brown and ordered our troops to kill fellow Pakistanis in Malakand. There are 1.5 million armed men on both sides of the tribal belt. Are you going to kill them all? Qazi sahib is a man of honour. He’s untainted with corruption. I therefore respect him.You were a hot ticket in 1996 elections. On the eve of the polls, PTV carried a damning story about your love affair and a love child. Sita White was on every lip.‘More than the Sita White affair, I was completely demolished by the Jewish lobby claiming that my former father-in-law Jimmy Goldsmith (British billionaire) pumped $40 million for my election campaign. As for Sita, I never claimed to be an angel. I’ve never glossed over my personal life. I admit my faults but have since undergone an inner transformation. Spirituality has made me a better person.’baithak has an aura. sheesha, fireplace, bulging bookshelves, rugs, divan takias and more...

Don't you hate those door to door selling?

I understand that people need to make a living. I don't really totally hate those door to door sales agent. But their scam tactics really makes me dislike them. One day, my father open the door to a sales agent who tried to sale us security alarm system. They told us that we been selected to have a free alarm system, and totally free. I just had skeptical question on how it gonna be free for us? After several questioning, they revealed that we have to pay the installation fee about $89.00. And they keep on pushing us to sign the subscription paper. We just rejected their offer. I don't like that they kept on saying it is free, at the end, you have to pay eventually. No thanks, not interest it this time.

Microsoft to make Windows Mobile OS upgrades easier?

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows Mobile, MicrosoftWhile Apple and Google have let iPhone and Google Android users add new features and operating system upgrades by downloading and installing software over the air, things have always been much more complicated on Windows Mobile devices. The earliest Windows CE devices could only be upgraded by removing a ROM chip and replacing it with a new one obtained from the device manufacturer. If you had a Dell Axim, or an HP Jornada, it was up to Dell and HP to decide whether you would be able to upgrade, not Microsoft.Eventually technological advances made it possible to upgrade a system just by reflashing the ROM on your device. But you still needed to acquire the ROM update either from the manufacturer, or get a hacked version from the gray areas of the internet.But now it looks like Microsoft is building a "Device Update" service for Windows Mobile. In a job listing, Microsoft talks about a new service that would allow the company to deliver new features automatically much the same way it does with Windows Update on the company's desktop operating systems. This means new features and OS updates could be installed with just a click, or maybe even no clicks at all.It will probably be a while before we see this new feature, so you shouldn't expect it in Windows Mobile 6.5. But future versions of the operating system might be easier to update.[via IStartedSomething]Microsoft to make Windows Mobile OS upgrades easier? originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read Permalink Email this Comments

The semiconductor industry

Chipmakers were suffering even before the global economic downturn. Recession is heightening the pain and highlighting changes in structure and ownershipMOST tourists come to Dresden to view the citys architectural wonders. Beautifully rebuilt, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), for instance, reveals no hint that its huge cupola once crumbled after a rain of British bombs. But the capital of the German state of Saxony also has more contemporary attractionsat least for technically inclined travellers. It is the hub of one of Europes biggest technology clusters. Silicon Saxony, as the region has come to be called, boasts 1,500 high-tech firms employing 43,000 people, most of them in the semiconductor industry. Yet industrial tourists had better hurry. Recently Silicon Saxony has taken some hits that have weakened its foundations. On April 1st Qimonda, a maker of memory chips and the clusters largest employer, mothballed its factory, having been forced into insolvency earlier this year. Its last hope is to be bought by an outside investor lured by money from the Saxon government. Inspur, a Chinese computer-maker, is among those expressing interest in Qimonda, which has developed some cutting-edge technology. ...

Toilet in pipe shape