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Translators' Preface
Recently the non-Muslim world has forcibly learned that Islam is divided into two sects, Shi'as and Sunni, but there is so little material in languages other than Arabic and Persian on the Shi'as side of the issue that real understanding is all but impossible. This is the consequence of the historical accident that Western contact with Islam was almost entirely with Sunni communities, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ottoman Turkey, most of Muslim India, etc.
The present work corrects this imbalance in a most extraordinary way, for the case for Shi'ite Islam is argued and supported virtually entirely from orthodox Sunni sources. The political, juridical, and spiritual legitimacy of the Shi'ite position has been argued, and documented in the English language, and from sources that the West has largely overlooked.
In fact, it is shown here that the most authoritative source for interpreting of the message of the Prophet Muhammad was his cousin and son-in-law, 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib, and the eleven other designated successors after him, who constitute the Imams of the Ithna Asheri (Twelve Imam) Shi'as. At various times in history this fact has been more, or, less recognized by the Muslim world.
As recently as 1959, for example, Sheikh Mahmud Shaltut, late Rector of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and the Grand Mufti of the Sunni Sect, decreed that in addition to the four Sunni schools of Muslim canon law, Hanafite, Hanbalite, Malakite, and Shafi'ite, the Ja'farite or Shi'as school of law was equally acceptable to Muslims.
A brief account of how this came about at the instigation of Imam Mohamad Chirri, Director of the Islamic Center of North American in Detroit, Michigan, may be found in Chirri's book "The Shiites Under Attack," published by the Center.
The present work is based on the transcript of a dialogue between several Sunni divines and a 31 year-old Shi'ite scholar, al-`Abd al-Fani Muhammad al-Musawi Sultanu'l-Wa'adhim, of Shiraz, Iran, held over a period of ten nights in Peshawar, India, beginning on 27 January 1927. The dialogues were a model of mutual respect, and in spite of the seriousness of the subject and the presence of an audience of some 200, there was no breach of decorum.
The author refers to himself throughout the book as "Da'i," that is, one who prays for or invokes a blessing upon someone, translated here as "Well-Wisher." His success is indicated by the fact that at the end of the dialogue one of his Sunni opponents and five other dignitaries in the audience publicly acknowledged their conversion to the Shi'as sect.
A condition of the dialogue was that only sources acceptable to both sects would be cited. The dialogue was held in Farsi, commonly understood in the city of Peshawar. The transcript, made by four reporters and published in the newspapers daily, was published in book form in Teheran and soon became a classic authority in the East. The present work is based on the fourth edition, published in Teheran in 1971, the year in which Sultanu'l-Wa'adhim died at the age of 75.1
Although the dialogue was extemporaneous, such was the erudition of Sultanu'l-Wa'adhim Shirazi (whose name means "Prince of Preachers from Shiraz") that the transcript serves as a detailed bibliographic reference to hundreds of Sunni treatises, well known and little known, in which the claims of the Shi'ites are acknowledged. For this reason, many of the citations refer to the author's recognized sect or school, i.e., "Sulayman Balkhi Hanafi," indicating an adherent to the Hanafite Sect, Sibt Ibn Jawzi Shafi'i, of the Shafi'ite sect, and so on.
In spite of the acceptance of the thesis of this book in many parts of the Sunni world, it has also aroused hostility, and unfortunately has inspired misguided and even perverse meddling with the published authorities. In his introduction to the fourth Persian edition, the author writes:
"...it is unfortunate enough that the selfishness of some of the scholars reached the point that their commitment to their own belief overcame them, and they dared to meddle with the great works, supposing that by changing or effacing certain studies the truth would be brought out!"
And since the state of him to whom God Most High has entrusted the security and preservation of the truth (namely al-Wa'adhim, who was near the end of his life at the time of writing tr.) does not allow much time for writing an explanatory introduction to this treatise, confirmation of this mischief will be indicated by one example below.
On page 301 of the third volume of the Commentary, Kashshaf, compiled under the direction of Sheikh Mustafa al-Halabi (2nd edition, 1319 A.H. published by the Main Government Printing House of Amiriah Bulaq of Egypt), verses appear in which Jarullah Zamakhshari, the commentator of the Kashshaf, declared publicly his belief in the legitimacy of the Shi'ites. But in the edition of 1373 A.H. from the printing house Istiqamah bi'l-Qahara the aforementioned poem is not to be found.
This is a sample of the actions of the gentlemen of the Sunnis. By the same token some references which we have indicated in the text of this compendium (i.e., the present book - tr.) are not to be found in the newer editions of those references. This is further indication of what has been said. For this reason some of them have been quoted extensively so that you may read them in this summary."
We have heard that this kind of mischief is continuing today, with new, well-financed expurgated editions of the basic collections of traditions, i.e., Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, etc., being offered unsuspecting libraries, to replace the older, but complete editions!
It is for this reason that the extensive bibliographic references in the original have been retained here at the price of making the book lengthier and less easy to read.2
Thus, the work will find a place in every Department of Near Eastern Studies and every divinity school concerned with ecumenical problems in the modern world. It should be closely studied by serious students of political science and world history who are attempting to understand the emerging presence of Islam in world affairs.
And it should, of course, be of intense interest to all English-speaking Muslims who wish to have confidence in the sources on which they depend for their understanding of Islam.
Among the topics treated in detail are the events surrounding the death of the Holy Prophet, his attempt to make a written will, which was frustrated by Omar, and the secret election of Abu Bakr, the first two successors or 'caliphs' of the Sunni Muslims. Also treated in detail are the events at Ghadir Khum at which 'Ali is believed by the Shi'as to have been explicitly designated by the Prophet as his successor. These are matters of incalculable significance to subsequent history and to the alignment of forces today.
Other topics concern misinterpretation of quotations from the Prophet used to argue that any one of his companions was infallible, thus legitimizing the appalling oppression of the people by many subsequent generations of 'successors,' misinterpretation of the presence of Abu Bakr in the Cave with the Prophet during his flight from Mecca to indicate a singular honor; Abu Bakr's unjust seizure of the property of the daughter of the Prophet; the errors and weaknesses of the Caliph Omar, who acknowledged his dependence upon 'Ali to interpret Islamic law (Shari'at), and his termination of the practice of Muta' (temporary marriage) contrary to the decree of the Prophet, as supported by correct understanding of the Qur'an.
The cruelty the Caliph Uthman showed to distinguished Companions who supported 'Ali, such as Abu Dharr; and the strange position of the Prophet's young wife, A'ysha, daughter of Abu Bakr, who led a military campaign against 'Ali, husband of her contemporary, Fatima, the Prophet's own daughter of whom she was fiercely jealous.
Fundamental to all of these is the question of the authority for transmission, and interpretation of Islamic law and science. This was codified among the Sunnis by four principle legalists in the second and third centuries A.H.
Their opinions contradicted each other incredibly on such issues as the lawfulness of wine and eating dog's flesh, and permissibility of marriage to one's own daughter. By contrast, the Shi'as transmission has been singular and consistent - And in reality was often quoted by Sunni authorities in the past, a fact until now ignored, forgotten, or suppressed.
A word needs to be added regarding the transliteration of Arabic and Persian words. We have attempted to follow a middle course between rigorous replication of the full range of the Arabic and Persian sounds, and avoiding any forms that would be daunting to the non-Arabist. We have tended toward the latter, reasoning that the Arabist will recognize and resolve any ambiguities in the treatment, while the non-Arabist needs forms that are recognizable and pronounceable.
Therefore we have not attempted to differentiate between aleph (long 'a') and fatiha (short 'a'), using 'a' in all cases. Similarly we have shown yah (long 'i') and kasra (short 'i') as 'i' except for a few cases where the words are commonly known one way, or, the other, i.e., 'Sulayman.'
Nor have we attempted to distinguish the two letters, 'sin' and 'sad.' Both are rendered as 's.' 'Tha,' another letter often transliterated as 's,' we have shown as 'th' in, for example, 'Ibn Thabit.' Similarly 'zay' and 'zah' are both shown as 'z.' The 'dhad,' rendered by some as 'z' we have distinguished by using 'dh' as in 'dhikr' or 'Ramadhan,' instead of 'z.'
The Arabic and Persian 'qaf' is given as 'q' to distinguish it from the 'ghayn' which is given as 'gh.' There is no true 'g' sound in Arabic, but when it appears in Persian words it is transliterated as 'g,' while the 'jim' which in Cairo is transliterated as 'g' and by the Encyclopedia of Islam as 'dj' is here simply 'j.'
The subtleties of the Arabic terminal 'ah', which in some contexts is pronounced like English 'ah' and in others like 'at' have been largely effaced, the rendering being usually simply 'a'. In combination and in certain plurals, however, 'at' is retained.
The Persian 'ezafeh', which is used to indicate possession by linking the possessor and the possessed (the Persians would say Ibn al-Malik to indicated the son of the king, whereas the Arabs would say Ibni'l-Malik) is difficult to handle. It is usually not written, but understood, and it is not readily apparent in titles of works whether they are in fact Persian or Arabic.
For example, 'Kifayatu't-Talib fi Manaqib al-'Ali Ibn Abi Talib' appears to refer to a work in Arabic 'Kifayatu't-Talib' (Intensive Studies) on the subject of the 'Manaqib al-'Ali', i.e., the virtues of 'Ali. This 'ezafeh' is variously given as 'i' or 'e', coupling either words with hyphens or merely joined to the first with or without a hyphen.
Thus you will see 'Ahlul Bayt' (the people of the house, referring specifically to the immediate family of the Prophet through his daughter, Fatima, and her husband, 'Ali), and 'Sharh al-Nahju'l-Balagha,' 'Explanation of the Eloquent Sermons' (by Ibn Abi'l-Hadid) regarding the addresses of 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib.
Many of the sources quoted are obscure, not available in English, and often referred to in various ways by scholars, and sometimes even by the author, Sultanu'l-Wa'adhim. Where possible, these problems have been resolved, and the name of the work or author commonly used by scholars is given.
Although we have worked from the Persian edition, we would like to acknowledge the help of an English translation published in 1977 by the Peermahomed Ebrahim Trust in Karachi. A similar debate, but by exchange of letters, was published in 1936 and reissued under the title of 'The Right Path' (originally 'al-Muraja'at) by Peermahomed Ebrahim Trust in 1972.
A revised edition was issued by Zahra Publications, Blanco, TX in 1986. This exchange began in 1911 between the Sunni head of Al-Azhar University in Cairo and an eminent Shi'as scholar from Lebanon, explaining the Shi'as beliefs. Its publication no doubt laid the groundwork for the eventual formal recognition by Al-Azhar University in 1959 of the Shi'as Ja'farite school of jurisprudence, identified with the Shi'ite Imam Ja'far Sadiq, mentioned above.
May Allah forgive our errors, and accept our intention, and bless Muhammad and his family!
Hamid Quinlan
Charles 'Ali Campbell
11 Jamadi al-Awwal 1416 A.H.
7 October 1995
- 1. The death of Sultanu'l-Wa'adhim in 1971 is mentioned by Michael M.J. Fischer in Iran - From Religious Dispute to Revolution - p.178, Harvard University Press 1980.
- 2. For instance, see Tahrif! Investigating Distortions in Islamic Texts for a few documented examples of such changes in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Tirmidhi, and other books [Ed.]

subset: commoncrawl


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May 14th, 2012
Britney, Demi Lovato join 'X Factor' as Fox shuffles schedule
Fox is adding three new shows and two familiar faces to its schedule this fall. As expected, Demi Lovato and Britney Spears will join "X Factor's" judges' table, taking the spots left vacant by season 1 judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger.
Both pop stars said in a statement that they're "excited" and "thrilled" with their new gigs, as is Simon Cowell. (We, on the other hand, are "thrilled" the endless speculation about who would judge can now be put to rest.)
"I'm absolutely delighted Britney and Demi are joining us," he said in a statement. "Britney remains one of the biggest stars in the world, she's talented, fascinating – and I believe she knows exactly how to spot 'The X Factor.'"
And as for Lovato, "Demi's had an amazing career in music, TV and film for someone her age," Cowell said of the 19-year-old star. "She's young, confident, and enthusiastic. I think it's really important that she speaks to our younger audience. The new panel will be dynamic and will work really well with the changes we are making to the show."
The "X Factor" will air Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 8 p.m. ET this fall, with "American Idol" taking over the timeslot in the midseason.
Gleeks will also have to switch up their DVR schedule to catch the McKinley High crew on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays in the fall, and they can expect Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson to make guest appearances next season.
For the midseason, Fox is planning to roll out a thriller from Kevin Williamson called "The Following," which centers on a former FBI agent (played by Kevin Bacon) who's called back to the job to track down a serial killer on the loose.
There'll also be a comedy called "The Goodwin Games" starring Scott Foley ("Grey's Anatomy, "Felicity") as the oldest of three adult siblings who return home ready to inherit their father's fortune after his passing - which they'll only receive if they follow his specific challenges.
Check out Fox's fall 2012 schedule below, with all times being eastern and new shows in bold:
8:00-9:00 p.m. - "Bones"
9:00-10:00 p.m. - "The Mob Doctor," a drama featuring Jordana Spiro as a surgeon who's trying to balance her flourishing career and her family's debt to the mob.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDu2q_vjOkY&w=560&h=315]
8:00-8:30 p.m. - "Raising Hope"
8:30-9:00 p.m. - "Ben and Kate," an odd couple comedy about an overachieving single mom (Dakota Johnson) and her irresponsible, kid-at-heart older brother (Nat Faxon).
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WZ8ZK0LMyI&w=560&h=315]
9:00-9:30 p.m. - "New Girl"
9:30-10:00 p.m. - "The Mindy Project," a new comedy from "The Office's" Mindy Kaling that sees the actress/writer/producer star as an OB/GYN balancing her professional and personal life as she searches for her "perfect romantic comedy ending."
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbxYId7KsL4&w=560&h=315]
8:00-10:00 p.m. - "The X Factor"
8:00-9:00 p.m. - "The X Factor" results show
9:00-10:00 p.m. - "Glee"
8:00-9:00 p.m. - "Touch"
9:00-10:00 p.m. - "Fringe"
7:00-10:30 p.m. - Fox Sports Saturday
7:00-7:30 p.m. - NFL Game
7:30-8:00 p.m. - The O.T.
8:00-8:30 p.m. - "The Simpsons"
8:30-9:00 p.m. - "Bob's Burgers"
9:00-9:30 p.m. - "Family Guy"
9:30-10:00 p.m. - "American Dad"
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Since wild raspberries are often found in the Swedish hillsides, nothing could be more natural than introducing Absolut Raspberri. And so it was, in 2004, 25 years after the introduction of Absolut Vodka.
Absolut Raspberri is made exclusively from natural ingredients, and unlike most other flavored vodkas, it doesn't contain any added sugar. It's rich and intense with the fresh and fruity character of ripened raspberries.
For more information and drink recipes, visit: https://www.absolut.com/en/products/absolut-raspberri/


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Dogs carry on without sleeping musher at Iditarod
JUNEAU, Alaska — Add sleep to the already long list of hazards in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
A video posted on the official race website shows a dog team that arrived at a checkpoint without a musher. "Now you've seen it all, huh?" a man in the video says.
As the video scanned the faces of the mellow-mannered dogs, a man could be heard saying, "Where's Linwood?"
That would be Linwood Fiedler, a race veteran. He arrived at the checkpoint about an hour behind his dogs after falling asleep and toppling off his sled, according to information accompanying the video.
Fiedler checked in at 4:09 a.m. Thursday and was back on the trail at 11:37 a.m., race standings show.
He told Anchorage television station KTUU that he had been fighting to stay awake.
"I was doing a pretty good job, and then I lost," he said, laughing.
"I'll tell you one thing. From the minute my body left the sled until my face smashed into the snow, I was still asleep," he said.
Fiedler told the station he has fallen off his sled only a few times during his career. The last time it happened, he was awake, so he said, "Whoa," and his dogs stopped.
"I was really hoping for a repeat of that last night," he said. "You feel a little alone and naked walking down the Yukon River all by yourself in the middle of the night, looking at wolf tracks that every once in a while, you go, 'Hmm.'"
Fiedler began dog mushing in 1977, according to his profile on the race website. For the last 16 summers, he's operated a glacier tour business.
Race director Mark Nordman said Fiedler faced no penalty for his separation from his dogs.
"It's another story for his book," he said.
The winner of the nearly 1,000-mile race across Alaska is expected in Nome early next week. Racers set off from Fairbanks on Monday.


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AncyromonasDavid J. Patterson
- Ancyromonas contorta
- Ancyromonas sigmoides
- Ancyromonas melba
Ancyromonas cells are small, less than 10 µm. They glide and have two flagella. The posterior flagellum inserts below the apex of the cell and trails to the rear; the anterior flagellum may be thin or of normal size, and it may sometimes be absent. There is usually a groove from the point of insertion of the posterior flagellum and along the lateral margin of the cell. The cells wobble as they glide.
This genus is widespread and common. It has been reported from marine and terrestrial habitats. The organisms probably consume bacteria. Three species are currently recognised, of which only two (A. sigmoides and A. melba) have been reported recently (Patterson and Simpson, 1986).
On the basis of comparisons of small subunit ribosomal RNA genes, Atkins and co-workers (Atkins et al., 2000) have suggested that Ancyromonas is closely related to the lineage which gave rise to animals and fungi, although sister group relationships have yet to be resolved.
The type species is A. sigmoides Kent 1880.
The genus has been the subject of one ultrastructural study (Mylnikov 1990) under the generic name Heteromita. The genus has mitochondria with flat cristae. The cell surface is supported by materials within and external to the cell membrane. There are 'ball and cone' style extrusomes present. The most similar taxa are Metopion and Caecitellus, but Ancyromonas can be distinguished from both by the site at which the anterior flagellum inserts.
Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships
Phylogenetic relationships among the species in this genus have not yet been investigated.
Atkins, M. S., A. G. McArthur, and A. P. Teske. 2000. Ancyromonadida: a new phylogenetic lineage among the protozoa closely related to the common ancestor of metazoans, fungi and choanoflagellates (Opisthokonta). Journal of Molecular Evolution 51:278-285.
Hänel, K. 1979. Systematik und Ökologie der farblosen Flagellaten des Abwassers. Arch. Protistenkd. 121:73-137.
Mylnikov, A. P. 1990. Characteristic features of the ultrastructure of colourless flagellate Heteromita sp. Tsitologiya 32:567-571. (In Russian)
Patterson D. J. and Simpson, A. G. B. 1996. Heterotrophic flagellates from coastal marine and hypersaline sediments in Western Australia. European Journal of Protistology 32:423-448.
About This Page
David J. Patterson
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
Page copyright © 2009 David J. Patterson
Page: Tree of Life Ancyromonas Authored by . David J. Patterson. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.
- First online 04 October 2000
Citing this page:
Patterson, David J. 2000. Ancyromonas http://tolweb.org/Ancyromonas/2386/2000.10.04 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/. Version 04 October 2000.


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Hi, remember me? Yes, you're right it MUST be one of my kids' birthdays again. Why else would I have remembered to take pictures and write a post? So, just a few days ago, I had a baby boy and … Continue reading
Author Archives: Ellie's Bites Decorated Cookies
Cookie Catch Up Post (Texture and Guilt!)
I'm not even talking blog guilt. I had a patient yesterday ask me if I still had my blog and I had to think about it for a minute. What blog? I'm just kidding. I love my hobby and I love sharing pictures with you. I hate that over the past year, I have been doing 99 percent of my cookie decorating at night so any pictures I could take would be completely useless. Most times, I am finishing cookies at night and running them out the door first thing in the morning so all I can usually manage is a quick picture on my phone. But things are going to change come next September. And this brings me to my guilt.
Since having Ben, four and a half years ago, I have only worked two days a week. Thirteen hours to be exact. He goes to preschool three days, which means he is home with me the rest of the week. Next year everything is going to change. Bryan will be finishing school next month and (hopefully) working full time soon after that (angels singing!)!! But this means that he will no longer be able to be home on the two days I work. This means if Ben were to go to kindergarden half day next year, no one would be home to get him on the bus. So, even though I'm only working thirteen hours a week, we are probably going to pay to send him to full day kindergarden. This makes me really sad. So this year I have over compensated a bit.
Wait, let me share a cookie picture so you don't get bored and leave me….
Yes. I am aware it's a Halloween picture. Yes, I am aware it's the third week of November.
Anyway…. Overcompensating. My kids, between the two of them, have an activity every single day of the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. When one activity ends for the season, another one starts. I'm having a blast spending so much quality time with them driving back and forth from activity to activity. And believe me, my kids like to be active. They don't complain at all and they are tireless. It's not affecting school work at all, if anything, it's helped Ellie adjust to the demands of third grade by forcing her to manage her time.
But I am definitely sacrificing the "me" time. Fortunately I enjoy making cookies. That won't stop anytime soon, I hope. And I'm trying to let go of some of this guilt that I feel, knowing I'll have three days next year that I am home while the kids are at school. For one thing, I'll have all of those daylight hours to work and even take some step by step photos.
I plan on spending the next few months brainstorming ideas to help Ellie's Bites grow. In order to do that, I'd love to hear your ideas. Is there anything you'd like to see? I know there are a lot of cookie blogs out there now. This is a wonderful community and nothing can replace the friends I have made through this shared hobby. I definitely have no intention of stopping cookies. But would you like to see other things? Other recipes? Not just desserts but anything goes? How about crafts? Maybe some posts that are just ramblings about the really funny things my kids do? Would you stop visiting my site if you showed up to see a cookie, and instead found a post about how my son now goes through approximately three rolls of duct tape a week just building things? (He's seriously like the MacGyver of four year olds with duct tape.) I appreciate any and all feed back. I want to make this a fun place to share and learn and maybe even just laugh. (In the interest of full disclosure, I do not make any money off of this blog. I am on a wordpress hosted site and do not make money from advertisements or endorsements. If I could devote more time and energy to this space, I would like to potentially own my own site and make a little extra money. Not from you, I would never ever charge you. But from allowing advertisements. Anyway…. that's just a thought in the future.)
And I'll leave you with one last picture.
I have a lot of cookies I haven't shared yet sitting on my computer. I thought I would break them down into several posts. Today's post was obviously about my newest obsession. Using stencils and royal icing to create texture on cookies. I just purchased some fondant molds recently and I can't wait for the opportunity to start playing around with those!
Look for more soon, (hopefully lol). And thank you for putting up with my rambling!
A Cookie Platter That Is All About Children
A few months ago, I was approached by a teacher at Ben's daycare. She asked if I'd be willing to make a platter of cookies to donate to the basket raffle the daycare was running to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand. Of course, I said yes. I planned to make some lemons and other citrusy themed cookies.
As the time approached to actually make the cookies, I started rethinking the theme. The proceeds were to go to Alex's Lemonade Stand: a charity started by a child to benefit children. The children of the daycare center would be spending the day raising money by assisting with the lemonade stand and selling basket raffle tickets. A new school year was starting.
I've never had the chance to make back-to-school cookies in the past, so I decided to make this platter back-to-school themed with a twist. I wanted to make the cookie all about celebrating children.
I searched the web for quotes that celebrate children. (Especially Bill Watterson- I could spend all day reading Calvin and Hobbes and not find a single comic that doesn't remind me of my kids! Maybe I should have made an entire Calvin and Hobbes platter!) While decorating, I decided I wanted to make the cookies look childish, like a child sketched them, by roughly outlining the cookies with a black food color marker. I'm really happy with the way this set turned out.
Here's a close up of the quote cookies:(The pictures aren't all that great, sorry!)
I'm thrilled that I could be a part of this special fundraiser and so happy to have people who actually bid on my cookies!
I'm linking this post up to Party In Your Pjs at Simply Sweets By Honeybee and The Cookie Puzzle.
Harry Potter Wizard Wand (Tutorial)
I got the best compliment a few days after Ellie's Harry Potter party. One of her friends hadn't read any of the books or seen any of the movies. (I'm sure a few of her friends hadn't, but this friend happens to be the son of MY friend so I was talking to his mother about it.) In the week leading up to the party, as her attempts to at least make him watch the movie failed, I had to reassure her that the party wasn't so immersed in Potterdom that he would feel alienated. I'm trilled that she took a chance and brought him anyway, because (I think) he wound up having a pretty OK time! But the best part was the text I got two days after the party (TWO DAYS!) asking if I could lend him my copy of The Chamber of Secrets because he blew through The Sorcerer's Stone in TWO DAYS and she only had the books in hard cover.
If I hear that NONE of the kids had a good time, and NOBODY got anything out of this party besides maybe a chocolate frog and some jelly beans, hearing that this party inspired an adamant anti-Potter-ist to pick up the book and read it in two days….well, I'm a happy momma.
One of the favors we gave out at the party were home made wizard wands and I'm going to share with you how I made them. I first came upon the idea of homemade wands from Sugar Bean Bakers. Since her wands were for teenagers and mine would be going to eight year olds, I hesitated to use wooden skewers or chopsticks and I think I came up with a safer solution for younger kids. They could still probably do a little damage if poked in one's eye so I would definitely recommend supervision while younger kids play. And several weeks after the party my kids' wands (even Ben's) seem to be holding up pretty well.
They're perfect to make for your budding wizard or witch. Older kids can even make their own. (My glue gun is a high temperature gun, if you're making this with kids, I would recommend using a low temp gun and perhaps having them wear a thick glove, like a gardening glove, on the had that holds the straw.)This is what you'll need:
- Work surface (for all painting projects, I usually cut open a paper grocery bag and lay it out on my table or counter. This way I can squeeze paint directly onto the bag and fill my brush from there.)
- Paper straws (one for each wand)
- Extra long lollipop sticks (one for each wand- I found these at Michaels) Cookie sticks will not work here, they'll be too thick to fit in the straw.
- A hot glue gun and temperature appropriate glue sticks (about 1.5 per wand- I used a high temperature glue gun)
- Brown acrylic paint
- Sponge brush
- Styrofoam block (I use desert foam- available in the floral section of most craft stores)
- Rhinestones
- A small cup with glitter
- Tweezers (optional- I started out using them but found it easier to place them by hand *note- I burned myself on the glue a few times doing this*)
As you may have guessed, I made a few before thinking to myself "hey I should take some pictures!" and I didn't decide to add the glitter until the very end.
- Hold the straw in one hand and the glue gun in your dominant hand. Gently squeeze the glue onto the straw while spinning the straw around to wrap the glue strands around it.
- I forgot to take a picture so I hope I can explain the next step coherently! Place a dab of hot glue on the tip of a lollipop stick and quickly insert it into the straw. Then run a little line of glue to seal the seam where the end of the straw meets the part of the lollipop stick that sticks out. You can see what I mean by "the part that sticks out" in the picture in step five.
- Place the straws in a styrofoam block until they dry and are cool to the touch. You can tell they are dry as the glue starts out clear and becomes cloudy and a little yellow as it dries.
- Once the glue is dry, use the sponge brush in the brown paint to cover the majority of the straw. It works best to dab the corners of the brush into all of the nooks and crannies. You may need a second coat to cover it completely. At this point, I let it dry over night in the styrofoam blocks.
- Once the paint is dry, use the glue gun to add gems (you can make them as plain or as fancy as you want) and cut the lollipop sticks to different lengths (optional). Then dip the part that is not yet covered in paint into the paint and immediately….
- ….into a shallow cup of glitter. Allow the wands to dry completely. I stood them up glitter tip up in cups overnight.
So, that's it. After a little trial and error, these were really easy to make. I hope you find it to be a fun project to get your kids making a little magic this summer. Maybe they'll even be inspired to read the books!!!!! (You can read about the rest of the party here.)
This post is linked up at:
Harry Potter Birthday Party
At last! The day I have been planning for almost eight years has finally come! I finally got to throw a Harry Potter party!
The first thing I did was promise my husband I wouldn't go overboard. The second thing I did was immediately go overboard. Come on, I mean it will be at least a few years before I get to throw another one, right? I've only just started reading the series to Ben.
We decided to have this party a few weeks early because Ellie's cousins were visiting from Indiana and it's been a while since they have been able to attend each other's parties. Since it was still during the school year, I told her to go ahead and invite her class. Having a summer birthday, we usually only invite a few Girl Scout friends and some friends from camp. After narrowing down the list as much as possible, we wound up with a guest list of 36. ACK! So you can imagine I was thrilled that only 25 were able to come. 25 eight year olds in my house? Crazy you say?
Well, first let me tell you how the party went.
Invitations were sent out (via owl post, of course…. meaning I stamped the envelope with a rubber stamp image of an owl) informing students that they were invited, in honor of Ellie's birthday, to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for one day only. They were to arrive at Platform 9 3/4 (aka… my house) at 10:30am.
From 10:30-10:45 students received their wands.
(Stay tuned for a tutorial!) (Update- Here's the tutorial!)
Since we all know that a wand chooses the wizard, and not the other way around, I had the students sit in a circle on the floor. I held up a wand and my very generous and helpful cousin spun a bowling pin in the middle of the circle. When it stopped, the student it was pointing at took the wand I was holding.
From 10:45 until about 10:50, the students were sorted into their houses. I purchased plastic rings with the house crests and a sorting hat from Amazon. I placed all of the rings into the sorting hat and each student picked one out of the hat. (We had a small "pest" outbreak earlier in the school year, so I chose NOT to have each student place the same hat on their heads… just in case.)
Now that each student had a wand and a house, they gathered around the dessert table where Ellie led them in a round of the Hogwarts school song. Before the song, Ellie announced that Mr. Filch wanted the students to know that anyone caught waving their wand in another student's face would have their wand removed until the end of the party. Sadly, Ben was the only one to have his wand removed. After the song, they proceeded to the
dungeon basement for potions and transfiguration classes.
I found this amazing site called madscience.org and they had a party package for "young wizards". I called them, they were available, and I told them to take my money.
It was the best thing ever!
That right there, ladies and gentlemen, is 25 kids in my basement. Completely enthralled and hanging on their professor's every word. (I almost wanted to call their muggle teacher and tell her how proud she should be!)
And during the demonstration where he showed the kids how to make fireworks different colors and then had to explain that he couldn't make ACTUAL fireworks without setting my basement on fire, he politely resisted the chants of "do it! do it!".
After classes, the students were dismissed to the dining room for pizza and cake.And cookies. The next planned activity was balloon Quidditch, but at this point I lost them. So I dismissed the students back to the dungeon to play with the birthday girl's (and her brother's) toys until their parents came to escort them back to the Hogwarts express. A few kids stayed to play Quidditch, but the snitch was quickly found and everyone was happy.
Along with the wands and rings, students took home an assortment of favors from Hogsmeade Village. They took home Chocolate Frogs (filled with Oreo truffle) and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans from Honeydukes. And an owl from Eeylops. (I KNOW, I KNOW Eeylops is in Diagon Alley, not Hogsmeade!)
Throughout the party, I asked the kids to make funny faces while I snapped pictures. I used the pictures to make thank you notes for Ellie.
I will have a tutorial for the wands soon. If you are interested in the boxes I used for the chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Beans, I found templates through a Google search. I'm sorry I can't share them, I'm sure I'm not supposed to. But with a little search, I know you'll find what you're looking for.
I hope the kids had as much fun as I did! And I hope you had fun reading about the party!
This post is linked up at:
Inspiration Challenge {Paris}
Imagine all of the beautiful sights, flowers, landmarks, artists, or landscapes I could have drawn inspiration from for this challenge. And I go and get inspired by… a rat. Can you honestly blame me? Seriously, we've got the landmark, we've … Continue reading
Spa Cookies
I made a lot of cookies over the past two weeks. It has also been a very eventful week so needless to say this is the first time I am sitting down in… two weeks. Ahhhhh. Ok, moment over. I … Continue reading
Inspiration Challenge {Down The Rabbit Hole}
It's always a good idea to have friends whose minds work a little differently than yours. It helps you to stretch your imagination. I came up with this month's theme: down the rabbit hole. But it was Melissa's (Simply Sweets … Continue reading
All Sports Themed Fourth Birthday
My kid loves his sports. All sports. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, golf, bowling, snow boarding, rollerskating….. Any sport not mentioned, he just hasn't tried it yet.
I asked what he wanted for his fourth birthday. He said, "a sports party." I asked, "which sport?" He replied "all sports." So we had a sports party. All sports. (PS he got to ride in a golf cart!)
I made the invitation in Picmonkey. If you haven't tried it, you should definitely go play around. It's a lot of fun! We had the party at Little Sport. We had never been there, so it was a total shot in the dark when I was researching sports themed party places in our area. We weren't disappointed. Did I mention the golf cart? Selling point. I don't want to share too many party pics since I didn't ask parents if I could share pictures of their kids. There was too much action going on to get many pictures of just my kids. I did get this one, during the obstacle course- mid-leap. But, if I know you, you're here for the desserts, anyway.
I made his cake, and every time I make a cake for my kids' birthdays, I am reminded why I make cookies. Not cakes. But it tasted darned delicious and the kids weren't complaining about sloppy edges and no borders! Ben certainly looks happy with it!
I made cookies, too! And party favors. I went a little bit over board with the party favors. If you want to know how I made those awesome golfballs, check out The Bluebonnet Bakeshop on Facebook. She even has instructions here right in the description.
Lest you think I actually only had one cake for my child this year (hahahahahahaha) we also celebrated his actual birthday last week with the grandparents. In addition to sports, he loves his books. Especially old Skippito Friskito!
Now, excuse me while I run off! I've got thank you notes to finish. Then I can start planning Ellie's next party!
Yet Another Cookie Catchup Post Sports Birthday Edition
In honor of Ben's All Sports Theme Fourth Birthday Party Extravaganza this weekend, I felt that all of the lonely, already edited, sports related pictures sitting on my computer deserved a post of their own. I have been waiting MY. … Continue reading


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Why High-End Luxury Retailers Could Be a Good Bet
With the economy still limping and consumers not loosening their purse strings readily, the retail sector is going through a bumpy ride. However, retailers catering to the affluent class have managed to perform comparatively better, and the fine- watch segment remains one of the hottest segments in retail.
Watch-retailer Movado Group has been able to generate strong demand for its fashion luxury items, similar to Michael Kors Holdings , and recently came up with encouraging third-quarter results. Movado competes directly with Fossil in this retail segment, so we can also take a look at how the two stack up against each other.
Movado impresses
Movado's results were quite impressive. Its revenue grew 18.4% year over year to $189.7 million, fueled by double-digit growth in licensed brands and company outlet stores. Innovative product designs at key price points struck a chord with consumers, leading to a 27.5% jump in the revenue from licensed brands. The results were driven by the launch of Scuderia Ferrari watches.
It has been eight months into the roll-out of the Scuderia Ferrari brand globally. The response has been good, with core product offerings available at 2,000 of the 2,300 doors planned for fiscal 2013. Some of the others from the pack are the Coach Tristen and Boyfriend mini product offerings, the Tommy Hilfiger Windsurf and Ladies Tribeca models, the Hugo Boss Aeroliner and Ultra Slim watches, etc.
In addition, the Movado Bold brand also had a new range of products like Bold bangles, Bold ceramic, and Bold with diamonds introduced at different price points. Bold has grown from 400 doors last year to 700 now. Movado plans to add Bold to a couple of hundred doors every year globally. The company did not spare any effort in advertising, which helped in getting consumers to its doors in good numbers.
Fossil: cracking the Asian market
Globally, the Asia Pacific region is expected to account for 31.2% of the global market for luxury jewelry and watches. It is also projected that this region will be the fastest-growing region in the world, with spending growing by $31.9 billion over the five-year period 2012-2017. However, it remains a challenging market for Movado, and the focus has been not to rush into increasing distribution dramatically but to tread a cautious path and avoid the big ups and downs.
Whereas Movado finds the Asian Pacific market challenging and is treading cautiously, Fossil has done well. In its third quarter, Fossil's Asian business posted currency gains of 20% on the back of robust growth in China, Japan, India, and Australia. The company continues to build its distribution network and leverage its existing footprint to grow newer brands, making strong headway in markets like Japan, Australia, and Korea.
Also, in China, revenue grew more than 50% in the quarter, and the company opened its first Fossil flagship store in Hong Kong at Causeway Bay, a high-traffic, important location in Hong Kong. This will be a growth driver in the region going forward.
Fossil makes watches for luxury fashion brands such as Armani, Tory Burch, and Michael Kors, and this has helped in achieving good sales growth. In addition, Fossil has products at different price-points -- low end and high end -- though like Movado, it leans toward high-end customers. Offering products at different price point helps in widening the target customer base.
Fossil reported revenue growth of 18.1% over last year, with earnings increasing by 25% to $1.58 per share. Moreover, new designer launches such as Karl Lagerfeld have gone over well with customers. Fossil plans to launch a new Tory Burch collection next year, which should bring in additional revenue.
Kors signifies strength
High-end luxury-item sales remain resilient even in troubling times, mainly because those retailers have not had to mark down merchandise to allure buyers. There's no better example of this than Michael Kors, which had an amazing run even last year and hit a new 52-week high of $83.91 on Dec. 13.
Kors has been growing from strength to strength ever since its IPO and has a history of estimate-beating quarters, delivering positive earnings surprises in the last eight quarters with an average surprise of 44.9%. This is also a good growth driver for Fossil, as it sells its watches through Kors' stores, and should continue to offer a stiff challenge to Movado.
Bottom line
The luxury-retail segment has continued to do well despite headwinds. Even luxury retailers have made some good moves such as addressing a wide range of price points and expanding product lines. This is why investors should take a closer look at both Movado and Fossil.
Movado has shown good growth, and its new products are attracting customers. On the other hand, Fossil is making its presence felt in the Asian market. Both of these retailers should continue doing well in the future and might turn out to be good investments.
The article Why High-End Luxury Retailers Could Be a Good Bet originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Neeta Seth has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fossil and Michael Kors Holdings. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2014 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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PERUGIA, Italy Sept. 26, 2011— -- The lawyer for Amanda Knox slain roommate showed an Italian appeals court today autopsy pictures of the more than 40 wounds on her body because he wanted the jury to know "how this girl suffered."
The photos and summation presented by the lawyer for Meredith Kercher's family capped a grueling day for Knox who was earlier described as a "she devil," a "liar" and a woman who has an "angelic" side as well as a "diabolic" side.
The Kerchers' lawyer Francesco Maresca was one of several civil lawyers who addressed the court today in a series of summations in the appeal by Knox, 24, and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 27. Both have been convicted of killing Kercher in November 2007. Knox is serving a 26 year prison term while Sollecito was given a 25 year term.
The stakes are excruciatingly high for the former Seattle college student. While Knox and Sollecito are hoping that will be let out of the Italian prison where they have been confined for the last four years, prosecutors have asked the appeals court to increase their sentences to life in prison.
Maresca was the third lawyer to speak today and he presented the jury with a second look at autopsy photos that had been shown earlier in the appeal. While the court was cleared when the grisly photos were originally shown, spectators were allowed to remain in the courtroom today.
The lawyer held up a lovely photo of Kercher when she was alive and said, "I don't know why such a happy girl was killed."
He then proceeded to show photos of her naked and bloodied body, including a picture of the ugly and fatal gash on Kercher's neck. Some of the jurors looked away. The lawyer said that the lack of any defensive wounds on Kercher indicated that she was either tied up or held by others, preventing her from defending herself.
"I'm showing these photos to make you understand how this girl suffered," Maresca told the court.
"We are asking for justice," he said.
ABC News has the full story in its new video eBook, THE AMANDA KNOX STORY: A Murder in Perugia, available for sale on the iBooks, Kindle, and Nook eBook stores.Some court observers were shocked by the gruesome photos, and the Knox family was appalled that they have been so heavily used in the appeals process.
Knox's mother, Edda Mellas, called the repeated use of the photos "disgusting." She told ABC News that she found the "personal attack on my daughter a sign of desperation because they have no evidence."
A third person, Rudy Guede, was also convicted in a separate trial of taking part in the murder. He has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Earlier in the day, a lawyer described Knox as a "she devil."
Attorney Carlo Pacelli represented Diya "Patrick" Lumumba, a Congolese man who owned a bar where Knox worked part-time. During the nearly 50 hours of her interrogation, Knox implicated Lumumba in Kercher's death, telling police she had a "vision" that Lumumba was present.
Knox tried to retract her statement in the morning, saying the police had confused her with their extended grilling and tough tactics and their insistence that Lumumba was involved because they found a text message Knox had sent to Lumumba hours before Kercher was killed. Italy's Supreme Court threw out her "vision" statement.
Pacelli called Knox a "liar" and said, "The gapless evidence is proof of her guilt."
He said Knox's statement to police destroyed Lumumba as "a man, father and husband."
Knox, he said, is not "the daughter everyone wants." Instead she has a "double soul... on one side angelic," but on the other side "satanic, diabolic." Knox looked down during Pacelli's scathing description of her character, looking very tense.
Outside of the courtroom, Lumumba said, "I ask for justice, not vendetta."
"She is a great actress.... I know her better than most," said Lumumba. "I don't know if she was the assassin, but she lied because she needed time."
The testimony has clearly been taking a toll on Knox, who has been tense throughout the appeals process. She returned from a break in this morning's hearing looking particularly rattled as she passed the television cameras that record her daily entrances. After sitting down, she put her hands over her face.
Knox's father, Curt Knox, summed up the anxiety his daughter is enduring.
"It's life or she gets to come home," he told "Good Morning America" today. "That's a pretty big thing to have on your mind as a 24 year old."
Knox's mother told GMA her daughter is having a hard time sleeping and eating.
Also making a summation was a lawyer for the woman who owned the cottage that Knox and Kercher shared and where the murder occurred.
She was unable to rent the house for 17 months while police kept the crime scene sealed, and it has been almost impossible to rent it because it has been dubbed the "cottage of horrors," the lawyer said. Knox has previously been ordered to pay 10,000 euros to her former landlord, but the landlord is asking that the figure be increased.
A lawyer for Kercher is scheduled to speak today.
Amanda Knox Family Clings to Optimism
The legal teams for Knox and Sollecito will make their summations later this week, followed by rebuttals. Knox and Sollecito will get to make statements in their own defense before the six jurors and two judges retire to deliberate. The prosecution needs a majority vote of the jury to keep Knox and Sollecito in prison. An evenly split vote means they would be freed.
The Knox family began the appeals summations with high hopes largely because court appointed experts have harshly criticized the DNA evidence that helped convict Knox and Sollecito in 2009.
"I'm super optimistic," Knox's younger sister Deanna Knox told GMA.
Deanna Knox said her sister does not realize how polarizing her case is.
"The tiny, tiny bit that she sees is when she walks into court," she said. Deanna Knox said her family is acknowledged on the streets with either looks of sympathy or disgust.
"I have had someone spit on me," Deanna Knox told GMA.
She said if Amanda Knox is freed, the family intends to celebrate all of the birthdays and holidays that she missed while in prison.
Watch more on the Amanda Knox trial on "20/20," Friday at 10 p.m. ET.


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Hanging Signs capture your potential customers' attention the minute they walk in, giving you a boost above the competition. Custom printed hanging banners are ideal for retail fixtures/displays, trade shows, and exhibit spaces.
Our custom hanging banner frame system comes with a hanging harness and carry case for travel. The entire graphic is made from durable dye-sublimated fabric, material that can even be cleaned by a washing machine.
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(1) Harness kit
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|46 lbs
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Most recent templates provided by Zilla upon order.
To get the templates in advance, please contact us here.


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If you want links, it is the Linkerati you need to get the attention of.
The Linkerati are those who link
They are distinctive from your customers or your clients or the other people you would like to impress, but do not have the power to link to you.
There are various tribes within the Linkerati, and these all respond to different stimuli.
Most are excited by information.
Not just any kind of information, but information that intersects their current thinking. Which raises other problems.
How do you find out which kind of information intersects the thinking of the Linkerati?
How do you get the linkerati to take notice of you information?
How do you create information which will juice up the linkerati enough for them to link to you.
You have to tap into the Lizard brain, or the Old brain. You need to get down to fundamentals.
People link, motivated by emotion. It's why popular bloggers can produce mediocre content and get links. Emotion counts.
A lot of the linkerati get emotional about data, particularly when it's represented in a graphical format. Hence the rise of infographics for seo. The brain can digest pictures or visualisations quicker than text and the linkerati love information that is steam pumped into the visual cortex.
Although linkbait is still effective, an infographic or visual based linkbait will generally get more links.
But, if you are not part of the linkerati it's very tricky to get into the head of this tribe. You certainly have no chance if you are a suited marketing executive, you must dip into the tribe and employ a translator, negotiator, emissary.
The best advice I can give is become like them. Even if you are one of the Marketing Executives, come over to the side. Other than that, you are going to have to talk to one of us who can communicate with both sides.


text:
2006 Chrysler Town and Country Base 3.3 from North America
Quality is lacking
- Click in steering rack.
- Turn signal won't automatically click off when turning right.
- Sliding door came off track (missing bolt).
- Sliding door power lock broken.
- Radiator replaced due to leak at 64k.
General Comments:
Although it's a 2006, it is the older, non-stow & go variety. Very comfortable to drive, great visibility; a competent family hauler. Can get as low as 13 MPG around city, and up to 22 MPG on highway cruises.
Small quality issues on a car with this few miles are ridiculous. I was seriously disappointed with the amount of problems. I had an auto transmission filter & fluid changed proactively at the dealership at 50k, as it's a known weak issue on this product.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 8th January, 2013


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Indiana uses late surge to squeak by Temple
Dayton, OH – Khalif Wyatt outdueled Victor Oladipo, but Indiana had the last laugh over the Temple Owls, using a late surge to post a 58-52 decision in third-round action of the East Region.
"It doesn't doanything for me, not right now at least," Wyatt said of putting together his finest performance on a national stage. "They're a really good team. They played really hard. We competed really hard. We battled. A couple plays here and there, we win. It was just a tough-battled game, and they came out on top."
Wyatt led all players with 31 points, but Oladipo hit a three-pointer with 14 seconds to play, the last of his team-high 16 points, to help his top-seeded program advance to the Sweet 16.
Cody Zeller totaled 15 points and six rebounds for the Hoosiers (29-6), who rolled past James Madison in their tourney opener and now face Syracuse in the regional semifinals on Thursday in Washington, DC.
"It's a great feeling," Oladipo said. "I'm just glad that we're going."
Will Sheehey added 10 points and Christian Watford totaled nine with eight boards in the narrow victory.
Anthony Lee poured in 10 points for the Owls (24-10), who got past NC State on Friday but were doomed by poor shooting down the stretch. Rahlir Hollis- Jefferson contributed eight points, seven rebounds in defeat.
"Certainly, I thanked them for all the time and effort they put in, putting up with my BS," Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said of his veteran leaders, including Wyatt. "They're great guys, and they will be successful people as they move forward. Now we have to say good-bye to them, and the cocoon has kind of burst here, their comfort level, and they're out there on their own."
Lee's bucket from right under the basket off a dish from Will Cummings made it 50-46 for Temple as four minutes remained in regulation, but that was the high point for the upset-hopeful Owls.
A Jordan Hulls bucket closed the gap to 52-50 with 2:56 to play, and after Watford stuffed Wyatt in the lane on the next Temple possession, Zeller sank two from the line for a 52-52 deadlock inside of two minutes left.
Wyatt fired away from long distance and missed, and Oladipo made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Hoosiers their first lead of the second half at 53-52 with 1:19 left.
Hollis-Jefferson's airball on a short jumper fell out of bounds and gave the ball back to Indiana, and Oladipo hit the dagger, a long triple from the top of the key to make it 56-52.
Wyatt again failed to find the hoop from beyond the arc, and Watford iced the game with his two free shots.
"I was just being aggressive. My teammates kept (getting the ball) to me, but the last six minutes they just made it really hard for me to catch the ball," Wyatt said of Indiana's late-game adjustments.
Temple missed seven of its first eight shots, but Indiana's poor shooting early kept the contest close in the opening minutes.
The Hoosiers gained separation on a 12-4 run for a 20-11 spread with just under nine minutes played thanks to a Watford jumper, but the Owls struck back with nine straight, evening the score on a Wyatt triple with 6:12 remaining.
Hollis-Jefferson ended the half with a bucket and Temple hit the break up 29-26.
Wyatt began the second half with a basket to give the Owls a five-point edge, and the nine-seed maintained that distance until back-to-back makes from Oladipo pulled the Hoosiers within 33-32 less than 5 1/2 minutes in.
Wyatt's runner from the baseline -- his first points since the initial shot of the half -- and a fadeaway jumper following a Zeller turnover provided a 41-35 edge for Temple just shy of the midway point.
But Hulls and Sheehey hit triples around a Lee bucket to draw the Hoosiers even, 43-43, with 6:49 on the clock, before Wyatt countered on the other end on the next trip down the floor.
"If they were in our league, they'd be fighting for a championship too," Indiana head coach Tom Crean said. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. They're that good."
Game Notes
Indiana trailed at the half for just the fifth time all season, running its record to 3-2 in such games ... Wyatt, who finished 12-of-24 from the field, made only 3-of-12 attempts from long range. He was 8-of-14 for 20 points in the first half alone and his 31 points were the most for any Temple player in the premier March tourney since Mark Macon had 31 in a 75-72 loss to North Carolina in an East Regional Final on March 25, 1991 ... The Owls fell to 0-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament when facing No. 1 seeds ... Hulls, who played just eight minutes in the first half thanks to a a shoulder injury, set a new school record by appearing in his 134th game with the Hoosiers ... Zeller committed a game-high six of Indiana's 12 turnovers ... Scootie Randall had just three points in 38 minutes, but pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for the Owls.


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Debra Joe Chiapuzio teaches CPR – canine pet resuscitation. The La Habra Heights native wants every fire station to learn how to do it and have the specialized equipment needed to save a pet's life.
"I grew up with lots of animals – horses, cows, a donkey. I've always loved animals so I want to help them," Chiapuzio explained.
So the Anaheim resident started the Emma Zen Foundation, named after her frisky black labrador. Together, they raise money to buy pet resuscitation kits for local firefighters.
"We've already outfitted every fire station in Orange County, now we're reaching out to the Los Angeles County Fire Department," Chiapuzio said.
The nonprofit foundation has donated pet oxygen masks to fire stations in Rowland Heights, Diamond Bar and Walnut. The special oxygen masks are specifically designed to fit the muzzles and snouts of dogs, cats and other household pets.
Read more in Rich Irwin's story MASKS.


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Tapflo TX94 Aseptic series pumps are designed for service in pharmaceutic-, biotech- and food industries where a clean process is the key.
Tapflo Aseptic series is EHEDG certified, has FDA and on request USP VI approved materials and conform to the ATEX directive 94/9/EG.
Specification Tx94
|Technical info
|Max flow
|l/min (US gpm)
|94 (24.8)
|Max pressure
|ml (cu in)
|8 (116)
|Max air pressure
|bar (psi)
|8 (116)
|Max suction lift dry
|m (Ft)
|2 (6.6)
|*Max size of solids
|mm (in)
|6 (0.23)
|Min temp
|-20 (-4)
|Max temp**
|110 (230)
|kg (lb)
|15 (33)
| Triclamp DN40, SMS,
DIN and RJT threads,
DIN 11864 clamp
ATEX details Group II, cat 2, T4
Performance curve
* bigger if soft, ** temporary higher
For more detailed information – please download our product leaflet EHEDG aseptic T94.
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Friday, 01 February 2013 07:40 AM EST
Japanese electronics makers Panasonic Corp. and Sharp Corp. both stuck to full year forecasts for massive losses even as results for the latest quarter got a boost from the weaker yen.
The two Osaka-based makers are among the Japanese electronics makers battered by price plunges in gadgets and hot competition from more successful rivals such as Apple Inc. and South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.
Panasonic reported a 61.4 billion yen ($667 million) profit for the October-December period Friday. It had a loss of 698 billion yen in the previous quarter and a loss of 197.6 billion yen a year earlier. Quarterly sales slipped 8 percent to 1.8 trillion yen ($19.6 billion).
The company, which makes Viera TVs and Lumix digital cameras, said global demand weakened for flat panel TVs and digital products and devices while sales grew in LED lighting and auto-related equipment.
Sharp, which makes Aquos TVs and solar panels, reported a smaller flow of red ink for October through December. Its quarterly net loss shrank to 36.7 billion yen ($399 million) from 173.6 billion yen a year earlier.
It posted an operating profit for the period, the first time in five quarters, thanks to a recovery in liquid-crystal panel TVs and devices for smartphones. The operating result excludes one-time gains and losses to provide a clearer picture of financial performance.
Key to its improving fortunes was a return to the black in flat-panel TV operations, which had lost money for a year until the latest quarter. Sharp is promising to return to profit for the fiscal year through March 2014.
Sharp's quarterly sales rose 15 percent to 678.2 billion yen ($7.4 billion).
But both companies left unchanged their dismal forecasts for massive losses for the fiscal year through March.
Panasonic is projecting a 765 billion yen ($9.6 billion) annual loss. Sharp expects a 450 billion yen ($5 billion) loss, record red ink for the manufacturer founded in 1912, making products such as the twist-type mechanical pencil.
Panasonic, a brand that was an archrival to Sony Corp. during the decades of Japan's post World War II economic modernization, has been shifting its business from consumer electronics to focus more on operations that cater to other businesses such as batteries and solar panels.
But it remains strong in appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators in some regions.
As exporters, Panasonic and Sharp got a boost from a favorable exchange rate. The dollar has strengthened about 14 percent against the yen in the past three months on expectations a new government would relax monetary policy to boost the nation's moribund economy.
Panasonic gained 3 billion yen ($33 million) in the latest quarter in operating profit from the weaker yen, according to the company. Sharp did not have a quarterly breakdown, but gained 700 million yen ($7.6 million) from the fall in the yen's exchange rate with the dollar and 500 million yen ($5.4 million) versus the euro over the first nine months of the fiscal year.
Panasonic reported a record loss of 772.2 billion yen ($8.4 billion) for the fiscal year through March 2012 — among the biggest in Japan's manufacturing history.
Sony, which also sank into a record loss for that fiscal year, reports earnings next week.
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For pregnant women and all those who'd like to get pregnant, prenatal vitamins are highly important to support the formation of a new life. Vitamins and mineral supplements are necessary both before and during the pregnancy as such: thus, the folic acid intake should be twice larger than usual in the first trimester. Moreover, women who are planning to get pregnant should also administrate it in combination with calcium, iron and special prenatal vitamins recommended by the doctor. Though it is generally assumed that a woman will take all the vital elements from food, supplementation is often necessary particularly during the second and the third stages of pregnancy.
The administration of prenatal vitamins is crucial and almost compulsory in the case of multiple pregnancies since the woman's body makes strenuous effort to supply not just for one but for two or three babies. Blood tests are the best way to determine what type of prenatal vitamins are required, and we should probably mention here that vitamins are always used in combination with minerals. As a matter of fact, there is a close connection between the action of both types of substances. Calcium and phosphorus processing depends on vitamin C and D3, iron is related to the B complex and the examples could go on.
In case you are taking other medications, you should tell the doctor before actually starting to take the prenatal vitamins since you may be exposed to some negative interactions. Furthermore, several blood tests will be required during various pregnancy stages to monitor the calcium, iron and vitamins level. However, taking prenatal vitamins is not always the guarantee that you will be getting enough essential substances to support your pregnancy. Hence, it is very important that you continue to take great care and develop a well-balanced diet.
Prenatal vitamins are by no means a substitute for healthy eating: cheese, milk, vegetables, eggs and so on, should remain the most important source of nutrients for any pregnant woman. Make sure that you follow not only the doctor's instructions but also the ones included on the prenatal vitamins package. Hence, you should know when to take the supplements: during meals, in between meals and so on, and the directions on the label will most certainly help you. Mention should be made that taken carelessly, prenatal vitamins can be harmful, which is why the doctor's recommendation and constant monitoring is often a must.
Muna wa Wanjiru Has Been Researching and Reporting on Vitamins for Years. For More Information on Prenatal vitamins, Visit His Site at PRENATAL VITAMINSI Will Also Highly Appreciate Your Views On Prenatal vitamins At My Blog here Prenatal Vitamins


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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jay-Z is bringing the "Made in America" music festival back to Philadelphia.
The rapper posted a teaser video on his "Life and Times" website Monday that showed footage from last year. It says this year's festival will again take place on Labor Day weekend — Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
The lineup will be revealed at noon Wednesday on the digital music streaming website Spotify.
Last year's festival was the first of its kind for the entrepreneurial Jay-Z, who is married to superstar Beyonce and owns a music management company, fashion line, nightclub and restaurant. He also has a stake in the Brooklyn Nets.
About 40,000 people attended each of the two days of the 2012 "Made in America" on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
More than two dozen acts performed on three stages, one of which was near the museum steps made famous in the film "Rocky." The eclectic lineup chosen by Jay-Z included Skrillex, D'Angelo, X, Janelle Monae, Calvin Harris, Pearl Jam, The Hives, Run DMC, Odd Future and Drake.
City officials said the festival generated at least $10 million in economic impact for the city and covered all municipal costs associated with the event.
The teaser video says "Made in America" will again be sponsored by Budweiser.
Made in America: http://www.lifeandtimes.com/made-in-america-2013


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Royce White has general anxiety disorder.
He may also have benchitis.
Benchitis isn't a medical condition, but millions of athletes have come down with it. Rookies in professional sports are particularly susceptible to it.
The Rockets' handling of Royce White's benchitis, if he indeed has it, has been weak. Pathetic, actually.
I understand the team must tiptoe around White's mental health issue, but treating White's benchitis as it has can't be helping matters.
The worst known treatment for benchitis is telling the media on the sly that a player is suffering from benchitis.
These are grown men here. If benchitis is the issue, say so and move on.
One known cure for benchitis is for a coach or general manager to say "take two shut-ups and call me in the morning."
The Rockets haven't done that. Instead they have chosen the anemic approach of prodding the media to take the shots for them.
Allowing fans and media leap to the conclusion that White's problem is because he isn't playing, is pretty low. If they have done so accidentally, and I admit that is possible, it is a sign of incompetence.
If the team thinks White's lack of playing time is the cause of his not showing up the last few days the Rockets brass should be men enough to come out on the record and say so.
The team did that once with its greatest player. Things got ugly, but they eventually worked it out. Dreams came true.
It is amazing that someone who is currently at the bottom of the roster has this Rockets front office so flummoxed.
One good thing for the team is White's situation is hardly a distraction. Unless, that is, the guy who normally sits next to him on the bench is irrationally superstitious.
I believe a healthy White could help this team. I want him to get playing time too. The guy can play and I want to be entertained.
He isn't ready to play at a high level right now, though. As I said in today's column, the best move would be to let him step away and come back when he is ready and when the team is better equipped to deal with his issues.
My guess he could go down to the D-League, light it up and show the team that he deserves more playing time. That is what I would love to see.
Just because the Rockets have probably made mistakes in helping White doesn't mean they are against him.
The Rockets are pulling for White to succeed. They have no reason to want him to fail. But helping him right now has proved to be more difficult than they imagined.
At the time, the information the Rockets had made the pick worth the risk. But now we have more information. Surely, if the Rockets had known all that they were taking on, they wouldn't have taken that risk.
But they did, and promised to support the guy, so they need to keep supporting him.
The Rockets willingly jumped into this pool, so I'm not about to sympathize with their complaints about moisture.
Nor will I sprain my arm applauding their efforts to stay afloat by helping White with transportation (something they weren't required to do).
You willingly jumped into the deep end, so yeah, you have to kick your legs to swim.
So keep kicking, damn it.


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Microsoft has appealed an €899 million ($1.39 billion) fine levied against it by the European Commission for failure to comply with an 2004 antitrust ruling. The software giant is asking the Court of First Instance to overturn 488 days of fines levied by the EC for not living up to the Commission's insistence that Microsoft fully document and license its server protocols at reasonable rates.
Although it had been in the works for months, the €899 million fine was not levied until February of this year. Microsoft was actually braced for a worse outcome, as the EC could have fined it a maximum of €1.5 billion.
Starting June 21, 2006, companies licensing Microsoft's server interoperability protocols had to pay a 0.7 percent royalty rate. The EC put Microsoft on notice that the rate was excessive, but it wasn't until October 21, 2007 that the software giant dropped the rate to 0.4 percent.
Microsoft is currently in full compliance with the original antitrust ruling, having disclosed the protocols in question to the EU's satisfaction, as well as having released the unheralded and unpopular Windows XP N, a version of Microsoft's then-flagship OS without any out-of-the-box media playing functionality.
The company characterizes the appeal as a "constructive effort to seek clarity to the court," according to a statement given to the Wall Street Journal (subscription).
Appeal aside, there are still some clouds on the European regulatory horizon for Microsoft. The EU has looked askance at Microsoft's pledge to be a good corporate citizen when it comes to standards support and interoperability, and has launched two additional antitrust probes since the beginning of the year. The first is in response to a complaint filed by Norwegian browser maker Opera in late 2007, one that accuses Microsoft of illegally tying Internet Explorer to Windows and failure to follow "fundamental and open standards." The other investigation concerns the interoperability of a handful of Microsoft products, including the .NET framework, Office 2007, and some of its server products.


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Will peer's harassment case affect Senate hopeful?
SACRAMENTO - News that a sitting California senator is being investigated for sexual harassment against a young female employee has put a fresh spotlight on a legislative leader this week as he begins a bid against the state's first female U.S. senator.
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, the Democratic leader of the state Senate, heads the committee in charge of human resources employees who handle workplace complaints. De Leon also rents a room in the Sacramento home of Democratic Sen. Tony Mendoza, the man accused of improper conduct, de Leon spokesman Anthony Reyes said.
Mendoza is accused of repeatedly inviting a young woman who worked in his office through a fellowship program to the house, although she never went. Mendoza said in a statement that he would never knowingly abuse his authority, though his statement didn't address the allegation that he invited her to his home.
Late Saturday, the Sacramento Bee reported that a second young woman has accused Mendoza of behaving inappropriately toward her when she was a 19-year-old intern in his district office in 2008. A spokesman for Mendoza said the woman's allegations were "completely false," the Bee reported.
The woman, now 28, came forward with her allegations after media reports this week of the Senate investigation into Mendoza's reported behavior toward the first woman, according to the Bee.
De Leon said through spokesmen that he did not know about the complaint against Mendoza or his alleged invitations to the young woman. De Leon's allies have downplayed the two senators' relationship.
But De Leon's handling of impropriety at the Capitol will likely play a role in his U.S. Senate bid against Sen. Dianne Feinstein, one of California's most prominent women in politics and a powerful U.S. senator.
"It really does feel like we're at this inflection point with sex harassment allegations where suddenly they're being taken seriously," said Kim Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at California State University-Sacramento. "It's hard to imagine that Kevin de Leon's bid will be completely untarnished by this revelation that someone close to him was accused of this kind of misbehavior."
The latest allegations against Mendoza, which come after nearly 150 women signed a letter three weeks ago calling harassment pervasive in the capital culture, shed further light on the Senate's murky processes for investigating its own members.
After the initial outcry about harassment in mid-October, De Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon immediately pledged to review the Legislature's policies. De Leon hired an outside investigator, and the Senate asked women to speak to her.
De Leon said at the time that "everyone deserves a workplace free of fear, harassment and sexual misbehavior."
That statement was made before the allegations about Mendoza became public. A month earlier, the Senate began investigating Mendoza, Senate Secretary Danny Alvarez confirmed.
A former employee of Mendoza's complained to the Senate Rules Committee in September that the senator had repeatedly behaved inappropriately toward a young woman who worked for him through the Sacramento State fellows program, said Micha Liberty, a lawyer for the employee. That month, the employee and two others in Mendoza's office were fired. The Senate and Liberty dispute the timing of the firings relative to the complaint.
Mendoza and Alvarez said the firings had nothing to do with the complaints. Liberty, though, said her client made clear she was accusing Mendoza of sexual harassment toward the fellow, and she was forced to sign a confidentiality agreement when she was fired. Liberty would not name her client and did not provide a copy of the confidentiality letter.
Mendoza said he did not know about the complaint until the he was contacted by the Sacramento Bee. A spokesman for the university, Brian Blomster, said the university did not know either.
The Senate's policy says the deputy secretary for human resources will meet with people named in complaints or those who may have knowledge, and will attempt to treat investigations as confidential. Alvarez did not directly answer a question about when, if ever, de Leon would be notified about an investigation in his role as head of the Senate Rules Committee.
"As the process requires, the Senate will take action once Senate Rules completes their investigation," he said.
De Leon's spokespeople declined to make him available for an interview with The Associated Press on allegations of Capitol harassment despite repeated requests, including on Friday. They did not answer Friday when asked if de Leon had spoken to Mendoza since news of the allegations against him broke or if he planned to strip Mendoza of his committee chairmanship. Mendoza heads the Senate Banking, Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee and sits on other key committees.
De Leon campaign spokesman Roger Salazar pointed to his work on gender equity and fighting campus sexual assault as evidence of his record on women's issues. "We're not going to be able to stop people from being shameless in trying to play politics with this issue," Salazar said.
Feinstein's allies, though, said the allegations at the Capitol will hurt de Leon.
"De Leon is challenging a feminist icon," said Nathan Ballard, a Democratic strategist backing Feinstein. "There is now a dark cloud of impropriety surrounding de Leon that won't make him very popular with Sen. Feinstein's base of Democratic women."
It's hard to discern the full scope of sexual harassment allegations at the Capitol because lawmakers shield investigations from disclosure. The Senate and Assembly both rejected requests for information from the AP about how many sexual harassment investigations resulted in discipline since 2012, citing privacy concerns. The Senate reported that in that time it has investigated at least six sexual harassment complaints, although it's unclear if that tally includes Mendoza.
When complaints are resolved, employees who make them may never get documentation spelling out the results. Instead, the Deputy Secretary for Human Resources "will orally report the findings and conclusions to the employee," according to the Senate harassment policy.


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"Fanfare! Drum roll! Yes, we're excited to announce that we've now welcomed 2.5 million paying subscribers to the service," Spotify said in a blog post.
Spotify, which launched in Europe in 2008 and expanded to the United States
in July, did not provide a country-by-country breakdown for subscribers to the
music streaming service.
Spotify had 1.6 million paying subscribers in June and much of its recent growth appears to have come from its availability in the United States and an integration with Facebook in September.
Spotify, which boasts a catalogue of more than 15 million songs for listening on computers or mobile phones, has more than 10 million registered users.
Spotify has invited reporters to attend a press conference in New York on November 30th with chief executive and co-founder Daniel Ek.
"What's next for Spotify?" the invitation teased without providing further details.
Last week, Spotify expanded to Austria, Belgium and Switzerland.
Spotify offers three services: a free, ad-supported streaming service, an ad-free $4.99 a month plan for computer listening, and a $9.99 a month plan allowing subscribers to download as many songs as they want to a mobile phone.


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What the DirecTV/AT&T deal means for you
Telecommunications giant AT&T is proposing a $48.5 billion merger with satellite TV provider DirecTV. If the deal goes through, here's what customers can expect:
At the moment, nothing. The deal is subject to government approval in both the U.S. and Latin America. Until the transaction is approved, the companies will operate separately. AT&T and DirecTV expect to close the deal within 12 months.
WHAT CAN AT&T and DIRECTV CUSTOMERS EXPECT?
1. Customers of both companies will likely see more offers bundling DirecTV's 285 TV-channel service with AT&T wireless and Internet services. AT&T currently offers some plans that bundle DirecTV service, but customers get separate bills from the two companies.
2. Within a few years, AT&T says, consumers can expect to get more DirecTV content on their mobile devices, or even streamed into cars or airplanes.
3. Customers who only want broadband Internet service and get video through services like Netflix and Hulu, will be offered stand-alone broadband service at guaranteed prices for three years.
4. DirecTV customers can continue getting the service on a stand-alone basis at nationwide package prices for at least three years.
5. Within four years, AT&T would provide high-speed broadband to more than 15 million customers, mostly in rural areas. Customers will be able to buy broadband as a stand-along option or as part of a bundle with other AT&T services. With that expansion, AT&T says its broadband network would reach a total of 70 million customers.
6. AT&T says it will remain committed, for at least three years, to federal open internet protections established in 2010 despite recent court action striking down the so-called "net neutrality" provisions.


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Three Stone Diamond Engagement Ring Setting
14K white gold three stone diamond engagement ring setting from the Reis-Nichols Collection. The ring features two pear cut diamonds weighing 1/2 ctw. The ring is designed to hold a 2 ct oval cut center diamond. Center diamond sold separately. Size 6.5 in stock now. Please call or email for size information and availability.
Currently available at our Fashion Mall Commons store
Currently in stock
If you would like to pick this item up at a store location, simply add this item to your bag and then select a store during the checkout process.


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Gun control advocates in Sacramento are putting a new twist on an old NRA slogan: "Guns don't kill people — bullets kill people."
Democratic lawmakers are pushing like never before to regulate or tax ammunition sales. They say the logic is simple: A firearm is nothing but an expensive paperweight without ammunition.
"We regulated gun sales because of our concern about safety, (so) by logical extension we should do so with bullets," said state Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, whose AB48 will be heard Tuesday by the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Gun-rights advocates are preparing a counter-offensive, arguing that ammunition-control bills are a not-so-back-door assault on the Second Amendment.
"It's a way to red-tape the right to bear arms to death," said Chuck Michel, the California Rifle and Pistol Association's attorney, promising to sue if any such bills pass. "It's all part of a campaign of shame, the fight to make it as difficult as possible for law-abiding citizens to make the choice to have a firearm for self-defense."
As lawmakers mull how to curb gun violence in the wake of December's massacre of school children in Newtown, Conn., some note that California and federal laws also forbid those who aren't allowed to own firearms from owning ammunition — but there's no way to tell who's buying it.
Skinner's bill would require all ammo dealers to be licensed and all ammo buyers to provide identification information that would go to a state registry. The registry could then be compared with a state database of people prohibited from owning guns and ammo because of crimes, mental health issues or other reasons. It also would tip police to massive purchases.
Another bill, SB53 by state Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, would require a background check and an estimated $50 fee for a one-year permit to buy ammunition. Bills in Congress similarly would require dealer licensing or buyer background checks, but those are no doubt dead on arrival in the Republican-led House.
Only Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and the District of Columbia now require some sort of license to buy ammunition. New York passed a law in January requiring background checks for ammo purchases, but it hasn't taken effect yet.
So even in California, where guns are heavily regulated, you can walk into a store, show ID to prove you're at least 18 (or for handgun ammunition, 21), plunk down your money and walk out with a box of cartridges. Easier yet, you can buy all you want online.
Gun shops report ammo is flying off the shelves as gun owners worry about proposed new laws.
Assemblyman Rob Bonta said his AB187 — a 10 percent tax on ammunition to fund crime prevention — might merge with another lawmaker's proposed nickel-per-round tax to fund mental-health screening for children. Bonta, D-Oakland, said his tax is mostly about generating money to "combat the gun violence in our communities," but could have the "secondary benefit" of stemming "rampant sales."
Yet he acknowledged it won't be easy to pass, even with Democratic legislative supermajorities and recent Field Poll findings that 61 percent of California voters favor ammunition taxes and 75 percent favor background checks and permits for ammo purchases.
Because a new tax faces the hurdle of a two-thirds vote, "it's a heavy lift," Bonta said.
Some Democratic state lawmakers aren't eager to discuss the bills. Of eight — five assemblymen and three state senators — who scored above zero on the National Rifle Association's 2012 scorecard, only state Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, would be interviewed for this story.
Beall said he's not yet very familiar with the legislation but sees little reason for a state ammunition bureaucracy that would cost taxpayers money to create and maintain. "A lot of those bills probably won't get through the Appropriations Committee" while education is a funding priority, he said.
California's 2009 law requiring dealers to record all handgun ammunition sales remains in limbo after an appeals court ruled that it's too ambiguous because some rounds can be used both in handguns and rifles. The bills now pending would affect all ammunition.
Mike Smith, co-owner of The Gun Works in Pleasant Hill, said the proposed bills would drown sellers in paperwork but have "zero" effect on crime because "criminals don't buy ammunition; they steal it."
As for the proposed ammo tax, he said, gun owners shouldn't be compelled to pay extra for crime prevention.
"Bonta replied that firearms and ammunition taxes date back to 1919 and are "a perfectly responsible way to fund emergency services."
"AB187 is on the right side of history."
Proposed ammunition laws
In the California Legislature:
AB 48 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley — Would require ammunition sellers to be licensed; ammunition purchasers to show identification; ammunition sellers to report all sales to the state Justice Department, which would create a registry of ammunition purchases. First hearing: April 2.
AB 187 by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland — Would impose a 10 percent tax on all ammunition sold in the state, with the revenue directed to a fund for crime-prevention efforts in the state's high-crime areas. No hearing date set.
AB 760 by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento — Would impose a 5-cent tax on each bullet sold in California, dedicating the revenue to an existing program to screen young children for mild to moderate mental illness — and intervene with strategies to address their problems. First hearing: April 15.
SB 53 by state Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles — Would require anyone buying ammunition to first pass a background check and receive a one-year permit, for an estimated $50 fee, from the state Justice Department. First hearing: April 16.
In Congress:
S.35, the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2013, by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. — Would require face-to-face purchases of ammunition, require licensing of ammunition dealers and reporting of bulk purchases of ammunition. A companion bill in the House, HR142, is sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y.
S.174, the Ammunition Background Check Act of 2013, by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. — Would require an instant background check for the purchase of ammunition and would restore pre-1986 requirements that sellers track their inventory and keep records of their customers. Purchases of 1,000 rounds or more, or thefts of large amounts of ammunition, would have to be reported to law enforcement.