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InnoGames is one of the worldwide leading developers and publishers of online games. Currently, more than 400 people from over 30 countries are working in the office in Hamburg. Community management, development and system administration work seamlessly together. This, combined with close contact to our players, creates a strong foundation that promotes the continued improvement of our games.
All of our online games are free to play without restrictions or time limits. Players have the option to purchase premium accounts or items that offer additional advantages in the games. We strive to make sure that all players, regardless of standard or premium account, have the opportunity to experience optimal gaming gratification.
The InnoGames development team is dedicated to giving players the best possible gaming experience. Long-term gaming enjoyment, technical advances, and high-end graphics are the priority at InnoGames. The opinions of the players of our online games are incredibly important to us and the InnoGames team is always happy to get feedback.
Choose between becoming a gunslinger, a chief, and a mercenary.
InnoGames' online games provide players with a huge choice for finding the game that suits them best:
It is up to you: Which online game do you choose?
InnoGames is a developer and publisher of online games. Located in Hamburg, InnoGames GmbH has been providing players around the world with an ever-growing range of online games and browser games since 2007. Our staff continues to grow both locally and internationally and every day each of us is passionately engaged in making InnoGames games unique in the online gaming market.


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As NBA teams struggle, their coaches' seats get warm
In any other venue, and considering the chill that has come over most of the country, the hot seat would typically be a popular one this time of year.
But not in the NBA, where the goal of coaches and general managers is to keep their keisters cool both before and after Christmas rolls around. And while most of them who aren't named Mike Brown appear on track to do just that, it's still worth canvassing this landscape to see who may or may not be left out in the cold like the former Lakers coach was just five games in. A quick peek, with insight gleaned from power players and decision makers alike…
Toronto (4-17) - As hot seat situations go, the blame game inevitably comes down to the question of whether the team is failing because of the quality of the roster itself or because of how the players on the roster are performing. Coaches are always easier to fire than players, so the latter scenario doesn't typically bode well for the play-calling types.
So when Raptors team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo went out of his way in an interview on the team's network during Sunday's 102-83 loss at the Clippers on Sunday to make it clear that a lack of talent wasn't the problem, then went on to make repeated references to a lack of "attention to detail" and "focus," it was fair to wonder what sort of message that sent about Casey's future. Yet two people with knowledge of the Raptors' thinking who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue told USA TODAY Sports that Casey is not in jeopardy at the moment, and the more relevant question is how long it will be until Colangelo makes a roster move that helps his own situation.
While Casey is under contract through next season, Colangelo's deal expires after this season and he's well aware that he needs to turn this tide. To that end, the Raptors are dangling seventh-year center and 2006 No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani as trade bait but don't have any takers thus far.
The Lakers have been reported as a possible destination for Bargnani as part of a possible deal involving forward Pau Gasol, but the big man is up for discussion in any and all trade talks so long as the potential pieces coming Toronto's are good enough that they could help right this ship. Point guard Jose Calderon has made it clear that he would like to be traded, and Colangelo continues to explore the possibilities there as well. A Raptors trade of some significance, more than likely, is on the horizon.
As for Colangelo's pointed comments – made both on television and in print – it appears his intent was more to rattle the cages of his players than it was to foreshadow a coaching change. Time will tell if it worked, though the Raptors have a prime chance to turn it around considering five of their next six games are at home (against Brooklyn, Dallas, Houston, Detroit and Orlando with a road game at Cleveland).
Like Colangelo, Casey's fate is expected to be determined at the end of the season. It wasn't too long ago, of course, that their bosses were thrilled with Casey's ability to establish a defense-first culture and take the winning percentage from .268 the season prior to Casey's arrival to .348 in his debut campaign.
Phoenix (7-15) – The Suns' Alvin Gentry is in the last year of his contract, has a team that is playing even worse than most expected (the Suns have lost eight in a row), was inherited by the team's current front-office duo of Lon Babby and Lance Blanks that remade this roster and envisioned playoff contention this season, and is surrounded by coaches who are considered head coaching material themselves and thus could slide right into his spot. That's usually a formula for a firing, but Suns owner Robert Sarver told USA TODAY Sports on Monday that Gentry is safe through the end of this season.
"(Gentry) is not an issue for us this year," Sarver said by phone. "We're not looking to make a (coaching) change."
Asked repeatedly if he was saying Gentry would be the coach at season's end, Sarver said "yes."
Sarver, whose team parted ways with future Hall of Famer and fan favorite point guard Steve Nash in the summer when he signed with the Lakers, said he is still confident in his long-term plan.
"Listen, we'd always rather be winning than losing," he said. "We're not comfortable, and we're working to get better. But on the other hand, if you look at the history (of the NBA), it's hard for teams to reinvent themselves in 12 months. The top teams in the league now, very few of them are consistently good for six or seven (straight) years."
Were Gentry in trouble, Suns player development coordinator and former NBA point guard Lindsey Hunter is seen by some as an up-and-comer in the coaching ranks in the vein of Orlando's first-year coach, Jacque Vaughn. But the Suns, as Sarver indicated, are focused elsewhere as they consider how to fix their team.
Shaun Powell of USA TODAY's Sports on Earth reported on Monday that Suns small forward Michael Beasley was a "toxic" presence at the moment and that a "major shakeup" could be coming. Beasley, who was taken second overall out of Kansas State in 2008 and who signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Suns in the summer, is averaging just 11.4 points and shooting just 38.3 percent while giving up a career-high 2.5 turnovers.
The nature of Beasley's role is at the root of the problem. Despite the fact that he was added to be a leading scorer and the closest thing to a star that the post-Steve Nash Suns had, there is an internal sentiment from some that the team has played more effectively when his role is limited. While he leads the team in attempts, it's only by a small margin. His 11.6 field goals per game is ahead of Luis Scola's 11.4, Goran Dragic's 11.3 and Shannon Brown's 11.1. Beasley, who has shared his frustrations publicly recently, played just 15 minutes in Sunday night's loss to Orlando after scoring 21 points in a loss to the Clippers the night before.
Sarver said he hasn't given up hope that the Beasley signing will pay off.
"He's not playing as well as he'd like to, but it's early," Sarver said. "We're working with him. He's working hard, and we still expect to be able to (salvage the situation)."
Washington (2-15) – The Wizards got off to a franchise-worst 0-12 start, but coach Randy Wittman can't be blamed for all of the team's problems, starting with sparse talent and injuries to center Nene and point guard John Wall, who has not played this season. The Wizards had hoped for more improvement this season, but the front office, led by team president Ernie Grunfeld, who received an extension in April, understand it is in a considerable rebuilding effort.
The Wizards had to pay former coach Flip Saunders for this season, even though they fired him after 17 games last season. Wittman, meanwhile, is just 17 games into the first season of his two-year deal. Though Wittman is not getting paid the same as Saunders, Washington isn't enamored with the idea of paying three head coaches in a season that likely will not include the playoffs.
Detroit (7-15) - After a 0-8 start this season, coach Lawrence Frank had the Pistons playing .500 ball in their next 14 games with decent wins against the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. Frank is the fourth Pistons coach since 2007-08 and is in the second-year of a three-year deal with a team option for a fourth year. Most importantly, he was hired with the strong backing of owner Tom Gores and appears to have held onto his support.
Like Washington, Detroit is rebuilding and content with Frank. Still, Gores has high expectations and wants the Pistons moving in the direction of the playoffs. There is pressure to improve, and this is likely a make-or-break season for Frank.
Cleveland (4-17) – Cavs Dan Gilbert and general manager Chris Grant love the way coach Bryon Scott has embraced a young roster. No one is happy with losses, but the Cavaliers seem happy with Scott's teaching and coaching.
It hasn't help that talented second-year point guard Kyrie Irving has missed 11 games with an injured left index finger and standout rookie Dion Waiters has missed the last four games with an ankle problem. Irving will return on Tuesday night against the Lakers, while Waiters is questionable.
Brooklyn (11-8) – Considering the Nets are a New York property now, it's fitting to call on the old mantra of Big Apple superhero, Spiderman: "With great power comes great responsibility."
Avery Johnson isn't exactly deciding the fate of the city, but the third-year Nets coach who is in the final year of his deal will be held accountable for the maximizing of this roster that was made over in the summer (mainly, the re-signing of point guard Deron Williams, small forward Gerald Wallace and center Brook Lopez and trade for shooting guard Joe Johnson). The 11-4 start was just what owner Mikhail Prokhorov had in mind, with no game bigger than their Nov. 26 overtime win vs. the New York Knicks at the Barclays Center. But the Nets have lost four straight games while playing without Lopez (foot injury), who is a gametime decision for Tuesday night's rematch against the Knicks.
As for Johnson's job security, a person with knowledge of the thinking of Nets' management who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue told USA TODAY Sports there's still faith in Johnson at this early juncture and a feeling in the front office that some peaks and valleys are to be expected. As general manager Billy King has said before, though, the expectation is that the Nets not only make the playoffs but are in a position to make an impact once they get there.
Sacramento (7-12) – If ever there was a place for a coach and general manager to get away with an underwhelming effort, this is it. The Maloof family that owns the Kings is spending much of its time figuring out where the franchise will be in the future, as arena efforts in Sacramento continue to fail and there are ongoing discussions with several cities about a possible relocation (no, Virginia Beach is not the only one).
But coach Keith Smart shouldn't worry, not only because the Maloofs remains supportive of his program but because they aren't interested in making what would be fifth coaching change since 2006. Smart already had his 2013-14 contract option picked up, and – record aside - has received major credit for establishing a defense-first culture and connecting with third-year forward DeMarcus Cousins.
Geoff Petrie's future is far more unclear. The longtime president of basketball operations is in the final year of his deal and fans and local media have been calling for his head. Even his most ardent supporters admit that this roster he built is full of pieces that just don't seem to fit.
And unlike three years ago when Tyreke Evans' incredible rookie season had everything to do with Petrie's extension, there isn't a newfound star around to save the day. Still, there's no guarantee that the Maloofs' frustrations will lead to any actual change. They are well aware that financial constraints in recent years have had a serious ripple effect on Petrie's ability to do his job, and their loyalty to him is something that belies the professional sports norm. The Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2006 and, entering Monday, had a record of 166-329 (.335) since then.
Indiana (10-11) – Expectations were raised for the Pacers when they reached the second round of the playoffs last May, but the long-term loss of star small forward Danny Granger to left knee troubles is relieving that pressure on second-year Pacers coach Frank Vogel. He appears to be safe for now and possibly much longer, as a person with knowledge of the team's plans who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue told USA TODAY Sports Vogel's approval rating remains high and the internal hope is that he's there for years to come.
Still, Vogel – who finished third in Coach of the Year voting last season - is yet another coach who has a number of key factors working against him: he is in the final guaranteed year of his deal (with a team option for next season), was not hired by the current front office (Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard), and works with coaches who are seen as head coach quality (associate head coach and former longtime Lakers assistant Brian Shaw).
Granger has yet to play in the regular season and was expected to miss the first three months. It hasn't helped Vogel's cause that center Roy Hibbert isn't living up to his maximum salary contract just yet, as he has seen his scoring plummet by three points per game (12.8 last season to 9.8 this season), his shooting percentage decline (.497 compared to .382) and his rebounding rate also drop (8.8 per compared to 8.3). Hibbert signed a four-year, $58 million deal in the offseason.
Clippers (14-6) – No hot seat story is complete without the inclusion of Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro, whose job security has been in question for quite some time now.
But after leading the Clippers to the second round of the playoffs last season and inspiring owner Donald Sterling to pick the team option for this season, Del Negro is doing more than enough to survive yet again in his second straight make-or-break year. And while he'll never be mistaken for coaching legend Red Auerbach when it comes to the Xs and Os here, his close relationship with Sterling is a major factor in his favor. So long as he keeps point guard and free-agent-to-be Chris Paul content, too, he'll remain in good standing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Influential singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell just turned 70 last Thursday. In a retrospective piece about her career published by U-T San Diego, this particular line caught my attention:
She no longer performs because she has a rare medical condition, Morgellons syndrome, and because decades of chain-smoking have ravaged her once-angelic voice.
It's a huge tragedy that someone of her talent can no longer sing, but what was truly surprising to me was the revelation that she has Morgellons syndrome. It's truly courageous for someone as well-known and widely respected as Mitchell to go public about it because people suffering from Morgellons have often been dismissed by the medical establishment as being "delusional". The issue is clouded by the fact that reported physical symptoms of Morgellons syndrome are indeed similar to delusional parasitosis and in some cases it may also have neurological symptoms (though in most reported cases the symptoms include brain fog, fear, depression, decreased coordination and personality changes rather than delusions).
Joni Mitchell related her personal experience with Morgellons in this excerpt from a 2010 LA Times interview:
LAT: You've come out in the media as a sufferer of a controversial condition known as Morgellons. How is your health currently?
JM: I have this weird, incurable disease that seems like it's from outer space, but my health's the best it's been in a while, Two nights ago, I went out for the first time since Dec. 23: I don't look so bad under incandescent light, but I look scary under daylight. Garbo and Dietrich hid away just because people became so upset watching them age, but this is worse. Fibers in a variety of colors protrude out of my skin like mushrooms after a rainstorm: they cannot be forensically identified as animal, vegetable or mineral. Morgellons is a slow, unpredictable killer — a terrorist disease: it will blow up one of your organs, leaving you in bed for a year. But I have a tremendous will to live: I've been through another pandemic — I'm a polio survivor, so I know how conservative the medical body can be. In America, the Morgellons is always diagnosed as "delusion of parasites," and they send you to a psychiatrist. I'm actually trying to get out of the music business to battle for Morgellons sufferers to receive the credibility that's owed to them.
As disturbing as symptoms of Morgellons Syndrome are, just as frightening is the fact that we know so little about what it is, what causes it, hows it's transmitted, and how to cure people who have it. However, in this article recently reposted at GlobalResearch, they uncovered the following information linking Morgellons to GMOs:
In the Sept. 15-21 issue of New Scientist magazine, Daniel Elkan describes a patient he calls "Steve Jackson," who "for years" has "been finding tiny blue, red and black fibers growing in intensely itchy lesions on his skin." He quotes Jackson as saying, "The fibers are like pliable plastic and can be several millimeters long. Under the skin, some are folded in a zigzag pattern. These can be as fine as spider silk, yet strong enough to distend the skin when you pull them, as if you were pulling on a hair."
Doctors say that this type of disease could only be caused by a parasite, but anti-parasitic medications do not help. Psychologists insist that this is a new version of the well-known syndrome known as "delusional parasitosis." While this is a "real" disease, it is not a physically-caused one.
But now there is physical evidence that Morgellons is NOT just psychological. When pharmacologist Randy Wymore offered to study some of these fibers if people sent them to him, he discovered that "fibers from different people looked remarkably similar to each other and yet seem to match no common environmental fibers."
When they took them to a police forensic team, they said they were not from clothing, carpets or bedding. They have no idea what they are.
Researcher Ahmed Kilani says he was able to break down two fiber samples and extract their DNA. He found that they belonged to a fungus.
An even more provocative finding is that biochemist Vitaly Citovsky discovered that the fibers contain a substance called "Agrobacterium," which, according to New Scientist, is "used commercially to produce genetically-modified plants." Could GM plants be "causing a new human disease?"
To learn more about Morgellons Disease, visit the Charles E. Holman Foundation.


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UH library seeks funding to preserve Vladimir Ossipoff's architectural drawings
Photo: Courtesy University of Hawaii's Hamilton Library
Owners of homes designed by renowned mid-century architect Vladimir Ossipoff may soon get a fuller glimpse into the history of their properties, thanks to a donation made to the University of Hawaii. The architect Sid Snyder recently gifted a collection of original drawings, sketches and blueprints of homes and buildings designed by Ossipoff, rendered during the time they shared an architectural practice. Unfortunately, the gift has revealed itself to be a bit of a white elephant, and the University's Hamilton Library is straining to keep up with the demands of preserving and cataloguing such a vast set of documents.
The Hawaii Architectural Foundation, employing the crowd-funding platform Indiegogo, has stepped in to help the library raise the $27,000 they require to process the gift, as well as make the documents available to students, researchers and owners of Ossipoff-designed homes. The donations have so far ranged from $1 to $10,000, and the HAF and the Hamilton Library have created a range of perks to incentivize giving. A donation of $30, for example, will be matched with an "Awesome-Poff" t-shirt; on the higher end, one man's gift earned him, and nine of his friends, a sunset dinner at Ossipoff's famed Liljestrand House on Tantalus Drive.
As of this posting, the library was still $3,000 shy of hitting its goal. To learn more about the effort, visit igg.me/at/ossipoff.


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How True Believers Dealt With the Failed Apocalypse
Saturday, May 21 was supposed to be the start of end of the world, according to the calculations of radio host Harold Camping. It wasn't. So what happens on May 22?
According Camping's calculations, promoted by a multimillion dollar advertising campaign (most of that money from donations to his nonprofit, Family Radio), the end was supposed to start at 6 p.m. (it was unclear which time zone), at which point a great earthquake would come. The complete destruction of Earth on October 21, following months of famine, disaster and death.
But May 21 came and went around the world, and most of us woke up on May 22 no worse for the wear. And the people who sold their homes or spent their life savings spreading Camping's prophecy?
Reuters was with Robert Fitzpatrick, a retired MTA worker who spent "over $140,000 of his savings on subway posters and outdoor advertisements," at 6 p.m. exactly:
As he stood in Times Square in New York surrounded by onlookers, Fitzpatrick, 60, carried a Bible and handed out leaflets as he waited for Judgment Day to begin. [...]
When the hour came and went, he said: "I do not understand why ...," as his speech broke off and he looked at his watch.
"I do not understand why nothing has happened."
(To be fair to Fitzpatrick, spending any time in Times Square usually leads to disappointment that the apocalypse is not forthcoming.)
Keith Bauer, a trucker who packed his family into their minivan and drove across the country from Maryland, told the Associated Press that he was more disappointed than mad:
"I had some skepticism, but I was trying to push the skepticism away because I believe in God," he said outside the gated Oakland headquarters of Family Radio International, whose founder, Harold Camping, has been predicting the apocalypse for years. "I was hoping for it because I think heaven would be a lot better than this earth,"
But he added, "It's God who leads you, not Harold Camping."
Bauer, a truck driver, began the journey west last week, figuring that if he "worked last week, I wouldn't have gotten paid anyway, if the Rapture did happen." Now, having seen the nonprofit ministry's base of operations, Bauer planned to take a day trip to the Pacific Ocean and then start the cross-country drive back home today with his wife, young son and another relative.
"Worst-case scenario for me, I got to see the country," Bauer told the Los Angeles Times. "If I should be angry at anybody, it should be me." (This is a pretty healthy way to think about it, considering.)
And what about Camping himself? He hasn't made any public appearances. But the Los Angeles Times talked to his daughter, Sue Espinoza:
On Saturday morning, Espinoza, 60, received a phone call from her father, Harold Camping, the 89-year-old Oakland preacher who has spent some $100 million - and countless hours on his radio and TV show - announcing May 21 as Judgment Day. "He just said, 'I'm a little bewildered that it didn't happen, but it's still May 21 [in the United States],'" Espinoza said, standing in the doorway of her Alameda home. "It's going to be May 21 from now until midnight."
We can't imagine he's any less bewildered now.
[image, from demonstrations in front of the Family Radio offices yesterday, via AP]


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Ancient Villages of Northern Syria
List in Danger
2013 -Present
Reporting Trend
Reporting trend based on the frequency at which the World Heritage Committee has deliberated over this property over the past 15 years. 0 = minimum reports, 100 = maximum reports.
For more information consult the The State of Conservation of the World Heritage Forest Network


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Vista + CableCARD = Digital Cable Goodness.
That's how the equation was supposed to go, but as more details about the Vista CableCARD implementation are revealed, more limitations become apparent. The newest one concerns streaming—Windows Vista will only allow CableCARD-decrypted video to be streamed to official Media Center Extenders.
Consumers who hoped to use their new Vista boxes to blast recorded TV content to other PCs on their home network or to a laptop while traveling (much like a SlingBox) will be disappointed, as Vista engineers bowed to the cable industry's demand for content protection by enabling streaming only to Media Center Extenders. The story first appeared at CE Pro, which learned of the limitations from some Microsoft folks in attendance at the recent Electronic House Expo. Ars Technica has been able to confirm this with sources in the know, but official public relations channels aren't commenting.
The limitation means that right now, only one device can pull down content recorded from digital cable broadcasts: an Xbox 360. Sources tell us that other Media Extenders will also support such content, including devices from D-Link, Linksys and others. Existing devices will need updates to support the latest DRM, however.
For many people, this won't be a huge deal, but it is another telling reminder of who's in control when it comes to using content (hint: it's not end users). The new revelation is only the latest in a long series of unpleasant truths about using CableCARDs that have emerged in the last year. Most egregiously, CableCARDs will only function in setups tested and certified by CableLabs, for instance, dealing a death blow to hopes of building a DIY media center PC with CableCARD support. CableLabs also holds all of the cards when it comes what can and cannot be streamed or moved from device to device.
And because CableCARDs still support only one-way access (and it's looking increasingly likely that two-way CableCARDs will be supplanted by a DCAS system), consumers won't be (legally) streaming pay-per-view or video-on-demand titles around the house, no matter what technology they're using.
If Vista makes it easy to synchronize digital cable recordings to a portable media player like the Zune (maybe) or the iPod (not likely), then CableCARD support could still be an attractive feature. But bloggers like Chris Lanier are already reporting that Vista will not allow CableCARD-decrypted content to be transferred to portable devices at all. It's hard to believe that Microsoft wouldn't enable this at least for the Zune (which currently has no way to transfer video back off the device, making it "safe" for content owners), but it's not clear exactly which parties are behind which restrictions. Lanier doesn't seem to know, either, or at least isn't saying. When we contacted Microsoft, a spokesperson simply told us that Zune does not currently support such transfers.
It has been said that the living room PC was dead on arrival, and while we don't entirely agree, we are happy to put a great deal of the blame for the current state of affairs on CableLabs. Thanks to the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA, cable companies had only to encrypt their data streams to give them almost complete control over what happens to content once it reaches the home, and CableLabs holds the reins.


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Filmes Estrangeiros or Buitenlandse Films
Alright, I watched a few of the best foreign film Oscar nominees this week along with some other foreign stuff so let's take a trip around the world as I do the written equivalent of yammering. Bullhead (Roskam, 2011) So … Continue reading
Posted in movies Tagged Audiard, Bar-Aba, Belgium, Billie Piper, Brazilian, Cedar, Christopher Eccleston, Cross, David Tennant, French, Gatiss, Hebrew, Holland, Holocaust, IMDB, Joel Kinnaman, Latin, Lior Ashkenazi, Lund, Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Meirelles, Moffat, Padilha, Portuguese, Roskam, Shlomo, Shlomo Bar-Aba, Spanish, Talmud, Wagner Moura, Wolstencraft Leave a comment


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I got a Raspi 3 with a DVBSky 960 CI tuner with a HD CI Module which decrypts the HD channels for me. We also got an UHD test channel to see if our device supports watching UHD TV, which made me test it with my Raspi. I start recording, the diagnostics page shows valid bitrates around 18000 KBit/s, no errors, no interrupts. The recording file still just is 0 Bytes large, even with some minutes of recording time.
I'm using the latest DVBLink Server Build for Raspi on an old working OpenELEC version. SD and HD channels just work fine.
I started a one minute test recording on 01:24 and attached the log below.
Do you have any idea? I mean, the Raspi isn't capable to process UHD signals in realtime, the CPU is simply to slow, but does this matter? Does it need to process the signal at all instead of simply writing it to the HDD?
Thanks for your help.


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At last – the freedom to stream music wirelessly via Airplay or DLNA from your computer, smartphone or any other mobile device in a way that allows you to experience uncompromised high fidelity sound. Everything about the X300A Wireless digital hi-fi speaker system is designed to make your enjoyment of music easier as well as more intense.
Like a professional studio monitor, each X300A wireless speaker has two dedicated class AB amplifiers – one for LF/MF and one for HF – to ensure accurate, distortion-free sound reproduction. Speaker hum and electromagnetic interference are minimised by using toroidal transformers of the type specified for audiophile grade hi-fi amps. With digital USB connection between speakers, the X300A wireless system turns your desktop, laptop, tablet or other mobile device into a source of listening pleasure to true high fidelity standards.
A dedicated high quality DAC in each speaker virtually eliminates interference by separating decoding from playback, allowing the X300A system to reproduce the full depth and complexity of high resolution music files to the same standard as the artist intended. All this high end technology is complemented by the award-winning Uni-Q 'point source' driver array derived from KEF's flagship speaker, the Blade. The result is a spacious, accurate and exquisitely detailed sound field, whatever device your music is played from.
Configuring the X300A Wireless is easy – it takes only a few minutes, using the Setup Wizard on this site. A balance switch on the back of the master speaker allows you to optimise the sound for whether you place the speaker on the desk, against a wall or in free space. All you have to do then is power up your speakers and choose which tracks to start streaming.
The X300A Wireless is designed for both Apple (Mac OS X version 10.6 or later) and Microsoft (Windows 7 or later) operating systems, and you can stream your music by Airplay or DLNA from any Apple or Android device. To make the best streaming experience from your Android device, we offer an app allowing you to freely swap between different music libraries and stream the music you want, just download our KEF DMC app at Google Play.


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I've been cheated / been mistreated / when will I be loved?When Will I Be Loved? by Phil Everly (1960)
I've been put down / I've been pushed 'round / when will I be loved?
When I find a new man / that I want for mine
He always breaks my heart in two / it happens every time
I've been made blue / I've been lied to / when will I be loved?
Linda Ronstadt's 1975 hit, "When Will I Be Loved?" aptly illustrates separation, the third of the operations of transformation in alchemy, and a necessary aspect of psychological transformation. Someone dies. Someone leaves. Something is lost. You are bitterly disappointed in an outcome. You experience the brokenness of the separation that "breaks [the] heart in two." Suffering reduces you to the smallest particle possible—to the essence of you.
Reduced to the Utmost
The separation process reduces one to his or her utmost, most essential aspect, much as matter can be reduced to the atomic level. It was quite appropriately philosophers, not scientists or physicians, who first proposed atomic theory. In the second century BCE, Hindu philosophers Vaisheshika and Kanada postulated that all objects in the physical universe were reducible to a finite number of atoms. Centuries later, alchemist Pseudo-Geber postulated the existence of corpuscles, a theory expounded upon later in 1661 by natural philosopher Robert Boyle, who proposed atomic theory.
Perhaps philosophers discovered atomic theory because philosophers studied suffering. One who suffers knows what it means to be reduced to the utmost. One "falls apart," "comes unglued," or is "unhinged." We feel disconnected, we withdraw, we seek separations and divorces. The language we use indicates our experience of separatio.
The word "separation" is from the Latin separare, from se– 'apart' and parare, 'prepare.' We can be sure that when we're set apart, or when something or someone is separated from us, our experience of loss is a preparation. No matter how brutal the process feels, it will transform us if we let it.
Before separation, we experienced a nigredo stage of chaos, a massa confusa in which soul and body were inextricably wed and unconscious elements related to everything instinctively. This was a sort of slavery in which the enslaved and his chains were one. During the dissolution phase of transformation, the fetters were dissolved. Unfortunately, the slave still perceived himself a slave. One who has long lived with a harsh master encounters this same harsh master time and again in his environment or in others.
In practical terms, one is enslaved as long as one is deluded by projections. The separation phase of transformation is therefore essential, for by it we come to see where we end, and the other begins. A most important stage of therapy consists in making conscious and dissolving the projections that falsify a person's view of other people and the world, and obstruct his self-knowledge. Once projections are made conscious and dissolved, psychological and physical symptoms may be managed consciously. A person is then able to set up a rational, spiritual, and psychological reality to aid him when he experiences turbulent emotions or troublesome bodily symptoms and urges.
What You See is What You Get
Object relations theory proposes that we relate to people and circumstances in our adult lives according to habits established in our family of origin. For example, a woman with a self-absorbed, abandoning mother will expect similar behavior from those who unconsciously remind her of Mother. She will gravitate to those who remind her of Mother and are similarly abandoning as long as the Abandoning Mother is unconsciously internalized.
As a result of the separation process, however, she is somehow forced to see that the problem isn't actually "out there." The problem is "in here." We go through life projecting our stuff onto others until we meet someone with enough self-knowledge and self-love to object to being objectified. "Stop that," they insist, "Cut it out."
Jesus, one of my favorite psychologists, illustrated the unhappy results of projection when he taught, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Matthew 7:1-2, NIV). Put another way, "we accept the love we think we deserve," (Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower).
When Will I Be Loved?
Without psychological cutting, sifting, and separation, we don't know where we end and the other person begins, what belongs to us and what belongs to the other person, what is essential and what is unnecessary. Our projections veil the reality of things until we withdraw them and set ourselves and others free. Only then are we able to live rationally and perceive truth. Only then will we be loved.
Alchemy: The Great Work on Third Eve


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Website Shasta College
(Part-time) ESL Instructor
The Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College District (Shasta College) sits at the northern end of the Sacramento Valley, surrounded by mountains to the north, east, and west. The area provides a wide array of outdoor amenities and activities with miles of hiking and biking trails, national parks, two lakes, and the Sacramento River. The main campus is located in the city of Redding, population 90,000. The area is characterized by excellent schools with high graduation rates, low traffic, and low housing prices (Zillow average $393,000 vs. California state average of $770,000).
Shasta College is committed to providing its diverse student population with equitable education outcomes, contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic development of our communities. The college has been recognized as a leader in developing and implementing innovative education programs to increase student success, including accelerated pathways for high school students to achieve a bachelor's degree and for returning students to complete their Associate and Bachelor's degrees. Shasta College enrolls more than 11,000 students annually and provides educational services to students with a wide range of skills and abilities.
Our ideal candidate is motivated to join a campus community prioritizing the success of our racially and socio-economically diverse staff and student population. Providing equitable outcomes so all members of our community may enjoy safe, healthy, and vibrant educational and employment environments is critical to our success.
Part-time instructors at Shasta College enjoy significant flexibility in balancing their work schedule with other priorities. Part-time teaching in the California Community College system offers a unique opportunity to empower students to improve their lives and communities while maintaining a healthy work-life balance and pursuing other interests. Our part-time faculty engage with a diverse student population, facilitating equitable outcomes for all students seeking enrichment through our academic programs. As a part-time faculty member at Shasta College, you will join a vibrant community of educators working together to provide a positive, healthy educational environment where our students experience diverse academic and cultural perspectives. With flexible schedules, the ability to control your work hours, and opportunities to improve the quality of our communities, teaching part-time at Shasta College is a highly rewarding and enriching employment experience.
The Shasta College division of Science, Language Arts and Mathematics is seeking to build a pool of qualified applicants for possible part-time instruction. Applicants should have previous teaching experience and experience web-enhancing or delivering courses online. We will respond to applications based on our current needs. If Shasta College no longer has a need for this advertisement, and the position has been filled prior to the closing date, this advertisement will be removed from the website.
General Responsibilities
Under administrative leadership, it is the responsibility of the adjunct instructor to teach courses as assigned and to perform those tasks that support advancement of the vision, mission, and values of the community college district.
Specific Responsibilities
Responsibilities designated below are primary to the adjunct instructor role. Some of the listed professional responsibilities are examples of activities, which are part of the unique role of each adjunct instructor and are reflective of their individual expertise and interests.
Typical Duties, Knowledge and Ability
1. Meet classes/laboratories on days and times as assigned according to the current academic calendar.
2. Develop and implement instruction for each class and laboratory period, which is consistent with the official course outline.
3. Develop and distribute during the first week of class, a written syllabus for each course to communicate to students, course objectives, grading criteria and classroom policies.
4. Demonstrate respect for student rights as specified in District policy and applicable laws.
5. Submit requisitions for textbooks and instructional materials and/or recommend to department chairs/coordinators appropriate text selections, in a timely manner.
6. Refer students to tutoring and related student services when appropriate.
7. Supervise students in off-campus or co-curricular activities when participation is expected as part of a course requirement or where such supervision is part of the instructor's load.
Evaluation of Students
1. Periodically, evaluate student progress toward meeting course objectives; advise the students about methods of evaluation and the results of the evaluation.
2. Return assignments and examination results in a timely fashion.
3. Assign grades to students in the manner provided by District policy and administrative procedure and prescribed by the Education Code and Title V regulations of the State of California.
4. Submit required administrative paperwork, including grade report forms, in a timely and accurate manner.
1. Participate in the development and review of curriculum as needed.
Student Advising
1. Advise students enrolled in the instructor's classes on such matters as:
a. Course content, scope and meaning;
b. major course requirements for the degree or certificate;
c. learning skills;
d. collateral or enrichment reading or experience opportunities for further understanding of the course or subject field; i.e. career alternatives/opportunities related to the subject field.
Professional Development
1. Participate in professional development activities.
2. Continue to develop professional skills and knowledge.
3. Attend/participate in professional conferences, seminars or meetings.
Additional Responsibilities
1. Attend and participate in department/program/division meetings (voluntary).
2. Abide by departmental regulations concerning the proper use, care and security of equipment and District property.
3. Participate in the process of shared governance through committee work of the department, center, college and/or district level; participate in other significant nonclassroom college, district or community activities.
4. Participate in articulation activities and coordination of inter-divisional and intradivisional learning activities (voluntary).
5. Attend advisory committee meetings when required by divisional programs.
6. Report absences due to illness or for personal necessity and the intended date of return, if at all possible, prior to the class meeting to the dean/director.
7. Provide recommendations for purchase of instructional supplies and equipment.
8. Attend/participate in "in house" conferences, seminars or meetings (voluntary).
9. Provide administrators, chairs and coordinators with sample instruction materials as may be deemed necessary, such as examinations, lab projects or course syllabuses.
10. Fulfill all obligations as established in the current collective bargaining agreement.
Minimum qualifications: Master's in TESL, TESOL, applied linguistics with a
TESL emphasis, linguistics with a TESL emphasis,
English with a TESL emphasis or education with a
TESL emphasisORBachelor's in TESL, TESOL, English with a TESL
certificate, linguistics with a TESL certificate, applied
linguistics with a TESL certificate, or any foreign
language with a TESL certificate AND master's in
linguistics, applied linguistics, English, composition,
bilingual/bicultural studies, reading, speech or any
foreign language
OR the equivalent
The state of California has established minimum qualifications for academic positions in California Community Colleges to promote professionalism, instructional integrity, and academic rigor. The primary minimum qualification for academic positions is an advanced degree in the relevant subject matter for the position. Applicants who do not meet the minimum education requirement(s) for a discipline may still be qualified for the position, if they can demonstrate they have acquired the knowledge, skills, and abilities conferred in the degree program through any combination of education and experience.Shasta College is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all candidates and strongly encourages candidates who believe they meet the minimum qualifications for a position through equivalency to apply for consideration. The Shasta College Academic Senate has established standards for determining equivalency in faculty positions, which are described here:
https://scmainweb.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/resources/procedure-for-selection-of-new-faculty-spring-2019.pdf (Download PDF reader)
Please note the Equivalency Committee will consider only those applicants who formally request equivalency consideration. Candidates applying for equivalency must provide evidence demonstrating they possess equivalent qualifications prior to the closing date stated in the job announcement. Candidates interested in equivalency must state their interest in a cover letter and briefly summarize how they meet the minimum qualifications for the position and attach all relevant evidence demonstrating equivalency to their application.The committee will review all documents sent by the candidate and shall approve or disapprove equivalency following the guidelines in the Procedure for Establishing Equivalency.
Questions regarding the application process, including equivalency, may be directed to the Shasta College Human Resources Department at (530) 242-7640 or
Additional Information
To be considered a candidate for this position, the applicant must submit the following materials:
Online Application with Additional Required Materials to be attached to application:
- Cover letter addressing criteria listed in the position announcement
- Current resume
- College transcripts (unofficial will be accepted at the time of application)
The Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College District ("Shasta College") does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religious preference, age, disability (physical and mental), pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), gender identity, sexual orientation, genetics, military or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in admission and access to, or treatment in employment, educational programs or activities at any of its campuses. Shasta College also prohibits harassment on any of these bases, including sexual harassment, as well as sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.


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Alpha Pages: Wouldn't it be dangerous for our economy to go cold turkey on intervention? Would you eliminate the Fed?
Mark Spitznagel: I do think that we should let the markets float. It is the only solution. I don't think there should be a central bank. When people make poor business decisions, they should lose money. When people take on risk and lose, they should lose money. That is basically all I am saying. When the Fed lowers rates, what they are saying is you've got businesses that are under water so let's lower rates to make it look like they are not under water. It is a destructive cycle that we are stuck in. For my business, I want the Fed to keep doing what they have been doing for the last 100 years. That is my profession, I exploit the Fed and what they do to markets. But it is horribly destructive to a lot of other people.
AP: How is it destructive?
MS: It is costing us progress in our economy. There are capital investments being made that wouldn't be made. Every time a company borrows to pay more dividends, a little piece of our economy is sapped away. Borrowing to pay a higher dividend. It is preventing a lot of capital investment that would otherwise happen.
AP: There has been a lot of criticism of alternatives, will this push investors to traditional long equity investments.
MS: All bets are interconnected. There is one big systemic bet that everyone is taking right now. Diversification is hard to come by.
AP: How do you handle the current market?
MS: You simply step aside when markets get distorted. By doing nothing I am doing something real big. A higher level example of that is what I do, which is instead of doing nothing you actually have positions that will [create] a tremendous amount of [profit]. What is the hardest position to have right now? It is cash. The Fed knows what it is doing. It is pushing you out of something it doesn't want you in.
AP: Isn't a lot of the problem the failure of Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice in allowing too big to fail?
MS: I hate to think that the justice department is the answer to this. A lot of the problem is thinking you are protected when you are not or the moral hazard problem; you have a backstop so you can do whatever you want. And it applies to FDIC. If we didn't have deposit insurance all of a sudden we would have a whole subset of banks whose main selling point is that that don't take stupid risks.
There is no discipline among depositors. Similarly there is no discipline among shareholders. Nobody should own bank stocks today. But they do because they don't see a lot of downside. Obviously those shareholders should have been wiped out and it would have been a wake-up call to anyone that is going to buy a bank share again. Government removes discipline. It takes away discipline. I suspect that it would have made everything worse. What would have made it better is if the markets were allowed to work.


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Lexus SC 300/SC 400
Need help getting around? [email protected] - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Tell everyone about your buying experience: Write a Dealer Review
barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379I will be taking possession of a 92' SC400 w/118k miles on it in a few days. It has belonged to a friend of mine since 93'. He has babied it. It's black w/grey leather interior and additional wood pkg on the console to match the dash and doors. It has all options except for the Nagamichi (sp?) stereo. It has been upgraded w/95' chrome wheels. I've read many a good thing about the SCs and am looking forward to owning it as well as posting here.
Thanks Claires for setting up this thread. I like the SC 430 but felt the SC300/400s deserved their own discussion :-)
Newbie in Seattle,
dsroth Member Posts: 6We have a 1995 SC400 that has been a great car. Recently the inside cabin heat works sporadically (when it is turned on). When the car is driving down the road, the inside cabin heater works properly. When the car sits idle at a stop sign, the heater blower still works but the heat turns to cold air. We have replaced the thermostat and cap. What else can be causing the sporadic heat/cold?0
jdimicco1 Member Posts: 5Just purchased a '95 SC 400 with - get this - 59,000 miles on it. It's got every option. I'm looking forward to many, many miles of pleasure (if not ecstasy!) driving this beauty. Seems perfect except for the power antenna (which is now a manual).
Anything I should look for - or look out for - in terms of problems down the road?0
joneshafer Member Posts: 1My 95 SC400 has water in the left headlight. Anyone have advice on removing the lens to clear the water and how to seal the gasket so it won't recur?
Also, both headlight lens are yellowing and dull. I've bought Mequier's plastic cleaner but haven't yet used it. Any advice on whether or not to do so?
Last, the display for the a/c is clouding out on the right side. Is there a fix less expensive and troublesome than replacing the display?0
jwoods1 Member Posts: 192 lexus runs rich idles high and low0
fredleslie Member Posts: 1When I drove "Jade" out of the new car showroom in northern New Jersey in August of 1995 more than 14 years ago, who would have thought we'd still be together and quite happy with each other for so long after that? She was the second SC400 I ever owned and I knew what I was getting into when I returned my 1992 SC400 "Honey"'s lease when it expired. I've owned or leased Jaguars, Mercedes, Cadillacs, BMWs, etc. when I lived in New York City but not once did I ever imagine that I'd still be drawing stares on the street and thumbs up on the road being with Jade! If this were a marriage, it would be a very, very good one. As with my wife, I am planning to be with Jade until my very last day.0
blaine6 Member Posts: 1My 95 SC 400 had the same leak issues in the front left headlight What did you find out as the best way to take care of it in the future.0
310 Member Posts: 1The tail light on this car had a similar issue. I took it all the way out and ran a hair dryer into the lens to dry it out. Before reinstalling, I cleaned the rubber seals and made sure everything joined tightly...it's worked ever since, no more condensation in the lens. The plastic headlight cleaner definitely works and makes a huge difference compared to the yellowed lights the car had before.0
I don't have an answer for you, but I am having a similar problem with a 1992 Lexus SC 300. It was running great & now it is running rough, won't idle & is blowing black smoke. Did you get your problem resolved? If so, what did you do?0
My 1992 Lexus SC 300 with 120,000 miles that has been running fine until recently it started running poorly & dying with a puff of white smoke. Installed a new head gasket, but still running poorly & dying. Took it to a Toyota dealer & they thought it may be bad gas. Had them drain the tank. It ran great for 3 days. Now it's back to running rough, not idling & blowing black smoke. Toyota wants to try replacing the ECM, but they are not sure that is the problem. At $1000.00 I want to be reasonably sure that is the problem & not throwing parts at it until we fix it. Anyone have a similar situation?
ahepp44 Member Posts: 1Does anybody have fixes to this problem? I have observed this in other SC 300 & 400's.0
06nighthawkv6 Member Posts: 55
I just picked up an Sc300. Yes, you heard me right, it is the year 2014 and I just picked up a 1995 Sc 300 and let me tell you boys, it is in EXCELLENT condition! I don't have any problems and I hope I never do cause the prices of some of these problems is REALLY WORRYING ME! Thank god the PREVIOUS owner garaged it and most importantly, drove it nicely and did not abuse it because as a result, I have a very reliable and most important, STYLED RIGHT TO MY SATISFACTION for a DAILY DRIVER! The seats and leather have ELIMINATED my back problem which my previous Honda only made worse and agitated. The engine is so smooth and QUIET and road noise is totally gone. My Accord was horrible at comfort and this car is a pro at quiet and comfort. I'm glad I only paid peanuts for it cause it is not especially stingy on gas but with all the leftover money I have from not having to spend 25 or 30 grand for a decent car now a days, I came out ahead and I now don't drive long distances and waste gas like I did with the Honda. All in all, a great score and a life changer and saver too!0
bigsc400 Member Posts: 1
I have a 1993 SC400 with 55,100 original miles and garaged since it was brandy new All options including sunroof and heated seats. Rides and handles like new. Perfect inside and out. I might let it go for the right offer!0


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We've heard from a few of you about Comic Con and not being able to attend, which we're sorry about. Mostly because it robs you of a good chance to see the new items we have coming. Now I can't give more info than this until after the show in a few weeks, so put your hand down, but here's a sneak peek:
Harry Potter-
Hermione Yule Gown
Snape entire outfit
Dumbledore entire outfit
House outfits complete
Invisibility cloak, not for you muggles
All as worn on screen. We will be displaying at the park in Orlando too, but couldn't get everything together in time to do both events- Grand opening and the Con, but we're on it.
Iron Man 2 Nick Fury leather trench coat
Iron Man 2 Stark racking jacket
Iron Man 2 new arc reactor
Iron Man 2 suitcase suit (as a case)
Nick Fury classic issue SHIELD gun
Nick Fury classic ID set/wallet
Plus all new Star Wars stuff!
We should have many items up on our websites late July for pre-order so check back often. I might even do a special give away, if your nice to me of course...


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All News Releases By Date
EPA Administrator Jackson, Senator Lautenberg and Senator Menendez Mark 25th Anniversary of Toxics Right to Know Law
Release Date: 10/17/2011
Contact Information: John Martin (212) 637-3662 (office), (646) 256-6710 (cell), email@example.com; EPA Press Office (202) 564-6794, email@example.com
(Newark, N.J.) On the 25th anniversary of the law that created the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson was joined by New Jersey Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez to celebrate improved transparency and environmental quality since the legislation passed in 1986.
TRI was established through legislation authored by Senator Lautenberg and signed into law as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The measure requires owners of facilities to report annually on the amount of toxic chemicals that have been released into the air, water or land. These facilities are also required to report how they dispose of chemicals that are not released into the environment.
"When TRI became a reality 25 years ago, our communities and our citizens gained a powerful new tool for defending their health, their environment and the health of their children," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "Serving the public's right-to-know, ensuring that our data is based on the best science and full transparency, and making sure that it is as accessible as possible are critical to everything we do at the EPA. That is why the TRI an indispensable part of fulfilling our mission to protect the health of the American people."
"Everyone has a right to know if danger is lurking in their own backyard, but for a long time, Americans were denied this basic right," said Senator Lautenberg. "The Toxic Release Inventory shows how government empowers people to improve their lives. This common sense law makes sure parents have the information they need to keep their children healthy and safe. I'm proud this movement began in New Jersey and has improved the lives of people all across the country."
"People have the right to know what toxic chemicals are being stored or disposed of in their communities. And we all have Senator Lautenberg to thank for creating that right 25 years ago," said Senator Menendez. "I was proud to work with him to fight off efforts to weaken this fundamental right and look forward to continuing to protect public health with him for years to come."
The EPA has identified numerous uses of TRI data by government, businesses and citizens. Its use enables the public to identify sources of toxic chemical releases, helps analyze potential toxic chemical hazards to human health and the environment and assesses environmental and public health issues that may affect communities. Earlier this year, the Aspen Institute called TRI one of the ten biggest ways EPA has improved America.
In 2006, the Bush Administration EPA finalized a rule that weakened the TRI program by eliminating the requirement to report specific quantities of releases for thousands of smaller facilities nationwide. However, in March 2009, President Obama signed into a law a provision written by Senator Lautenberg that overturned the rule and restored reporting requirements back to the pre-Bush Administration standards.
One of the best indicators that the TRI program has been a success is the steady and significant decline in releases since 1988 – the first full year of data on toxic releases. Since 1988, toxic releases from facilities required to report in New Jersey have declined by more than 94 percent in New Jersey.
For more information on the Toxics Release Inventory, visit: For a full list of reporting US VI facilities, go to: https://www.epa.gov/tri.
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


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In the last couple of weeks, the President Barack Hussein Obama White House, like hitting a bald face hornets nest during the daytime when it ought to know better, "declared war" on not only the Roman Catholic bishops in the United States, but also the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America.
"NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Catholic leaders upped the ante Monday, threatening to challenge the Obama administration over a provision of the new health care law that would require all employers, including religious institutions, to pay for birth control.
As CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reports, it could affect the presidential elections.
Catholic leaders are furious and determined to harness the voting power of the nation's 70 million Catholic voters to stop a provision of President Barack Obama's new heath car reform bill that will force Catholic schools, hospitals and charities to buy birth control pills, abortion-producing drugs and sterilization coverage for their employees.
"Never before, unprecedented in American history, for the federal government to line up against the Roman Catholic Church," said Catholic League head Bill Donohue."
With MANY THANKS To CBS 2 New York. Read More Here:"Catholic League Poised To Go To War With Obama Over Mandatory Birth Control Payments"
This UNHOLY WAR against the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America has been joined by the leadership of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, a number of Protestant Churches leaders, Orthodox Jewish organizations have weighted in as well in protest. Even both American Muslims and GOP/Republican USA Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he is very much opposed to this ruling by both President Obama and Health and Human Services head Catherine Sibelius.
IMHO, President Obama made a very, very big mistake, in picking a fight with a major faith community in which I am a member of. The Roman Catholic Church in the United States has not only for many years run hospitals which serve the general community, but also places of learning from nursery school to graduate schools, plus also agencies which help those in need. Why go after those institutions which have done the greatest good in America? All this will do is simply lost for the Democrats the Roman Catholic vote, but other Christians vote, and even the general faith communities vote as well. This should be a wake-up call that if the President Obama White House can go after the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, than it will do the same for all other faith-related institutions.
This could even not only work to help in the need for Christian unity, but also help to end divisions among Roman Catholics who are liberal, moderate, as well as conservative.
Also this is simply a violation of the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution as well and will only in the end backfire against the President Obama White House and the Democrats in general come in the November 2012 President election year.
Related articles:
- Axelrod defends administration birth control rule (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Separation of Church and State, Plain and Simple (goodolewoody.wordpress.com)
- Top Obama adviser defends divisive birth control rule (ctv.ca)
- The Health and Human Services Department's Attack on Faith-Based Organizations (gratiaetnatura.wordpress.com)
- Did Catholic League President threaten violence in the streets (examiner.com)
- White House defends contraception rules as criticism mounts – Reuters (reuters.com)
- Catholic Leaders Blast White House's Take On Contraception Debate Negotiations Time Frame (newyork.cbslocal.com)
- It's been only a matter of time…Birth control and Obamacare (onemorecup.wordpress.com)
- Catholic Church ready to declare war on Obama (promoteliberty.wordpress.com)
- Catholic League Poised To Go To War With Obama Over Mandatory Birth Control Payments (newyork.cbslocal.com)
Video added in on this subject about the Catholic Church in the United States, the Obama White House, and the GOP Presidential race.
"Under the new health care law, the Obama Administration said religious hospitals, colleges and other institutions must provide contraception in insurance plans. And, as Wyatt Andrews reports, that has set off a firestorm among Catholics and in the GOP presidential race."
With MANY THANKS To Both CBS And YouTube. Watch Video Here:


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I'm not sure how I missed this, but I'm glad I found it. Don't mess with seniors, I'm telling you.
Day: November 1, 2012
Election Breaking For Obama Going Into The Final Weekend Of Campaign!
There is no doubt that in the last week or more, the election has been breaking for President Obama. I don't normally play the polling game, but as I've been saying for over a year, polls are only accurate when you get close to the actual election. Well folks, we're close.
The awesome Michigander, Nate Silver, has been following all the ups and downs during the election and has developed a model that is comprehensive and relies on getting larger samples, thus more accurate results. He does what any statistician would do, adds them up and averages them. I had to laugh when I saw a quote from a Republican scoffing at the idea that he "averages" the polls.
In Ohio, where the rubber meets the road in this election, President Obama has been steadily climbing in damn near every poll taken in the last week. From Nate Silver…(emphasis mine)
Mr. Obama made gains in the FiveThirtyEight forecast on Tuesday, with his chances of winning the Electoral College increasing to 77.4 percent.
A fair amount of this boils down to Ohio, where three polls released on Tuesday gave Mr. Obama leads by margins ranging from three to five percentage points. Two of the polls, from Grove Research and the Mellman Group, generally show strong results for Democrats, which give them less impact in the forecast after applying our adjustment for pollster "house effects". Still, the three polls taken collectively were enough to widen Mr. Obama's projected lead in Ohio to 2.4 percentage points from 2.1 on Monday. Given how central Ohio is to each candidate's electoral strategy — and how little time remains in the race — this was enough to improve Mr. Obama's Electoral College chances. (The forecast does not yet account for the poll by Quinnipiac University for The New York Times and CBS News, which had Mr. Obama five points ahead in Ohio but which was released after we had run the model for the night.)
Today, November 1, Nate Silver currently has President Obama…as of 1:47 pm EST…with a 79% chance of winning the presidency and an estimated 300 electoral votes. It has been climbing all week long as poll after poll shows the gap widening between the president and Mitt Romney. Anyone who is honest with themselves can see that the President is widening his lead in the all important swing states. Republicans are having a hard time this week.
I totally understand how the Republicans feel, we Democrats have been through the same denial in 2004 and even some of us in 2010. It sucks having to rationalize and fool yourself into believing that you have a chance when all the signs are pointing the other way. It's when "denialists" pull out the "momentum" arguments and the "tectonic shift" memes and go searching for the one poll that goes against the grain, clinging to it as if it were their blankie. I've been there, it sucks.
It's been very odd, but not surprising, to watch the media continue to say "the race is tightening", as Chuck Todd did this morning, even though the polls say otherwise. I tweeted him, of course, to point out his inconsistency and clear bias. I have a feeling ole Chuck isn't one of my biggest fans.
So I'm excited, but cautious, going into the final weekend before the election on Tuesday. I never get too confident considering the fact that 59 million people voted to re-elect (or elect for the first time) George W. Bush in 2004. There are still a lot of dumb people (misinformed) in this country who have been getting their daily brainwashing from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and the rest of the gang. The amount of misinformation in the public sphere as a direct result of that well oiled, Republican propaganda machine is very scary.
Just imagine how far ahead President Obama would be if the Republicans dealt in truth instead of lies or if the mainstream media had done their jobs and actually sorted out the truth for the public. I know, it's a fantasy.


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Purchase orders from Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, and government agencies are all accepted at OFConcepts. If you are interested in obtaining credit with OFConcepts, please fill out the credit application below and fax it to 610-935-1728. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and a decision will be made immediately. A customer service representative will then contact you to discuss your terms. Please feel free to call us at 888-632-8480 with questions.
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No I did not take photos yet after shoveling for seven hours in 24 hour period I was too tired to snap a photo really that tired and I fell again. I told him to return my boot cleats he had bought me as I usually am very steady sadly yesterday I was not! I am OK bad bruise that will heal in time I have enough going on never mind see another doctor.
So today I will share some more shots from our day before the storm at the coast. We went for a long walk to see the seals and snowy owls maybe an eagle or two. Mostly seals and gulls as it was cold and windy and I knew I would need my strength for the storm clearing so we were only outside for two hours in it but JT had a great time with me as I did her then we watched her daddy look for treasure. Oh I did change my photo on all my sites to the same photo except for my Friends of Living and Loving Facebook page so no longer will you see a shot of him bent over digging treasure but he is.
So here are a few shots of JT and maybe a landscape or two sorry if photos are too large and take forever to load I will work on that next time I upload. I need the largest format to sell and do not want 3, 4, or 5 of the same photos in my computer all in different sizes I am computer illiterate
so I do things the easiest way I can to find the photo I want to share with you and just click on insert photo.
Seeing him digging down on the beach thinking she would take me there silly girl she is fearless.
She had never paid attention to the seawall but on this cold day feeling no pain she jumped up on her own and wanted to walk it. Seems as she gets older I may have to watch her more.
A pretty place to sit and watch a sunset and a group of very loud seals
back to the truck to wait for the sunset and go home and await the storm good thing they brought dinner for the gulls
Can not wait till I get back to the sea
Winters we have the place to ourselves brrrrrrrr


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2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
Shop All WinesProducer France Italy Wine Type Price Range Farming Type Vintage
Corte Gardoni
Italy | Veneto | Bianco di Custoza
A dry white with an intriguing aroma. You can drink it in good-sized swallows while floating on an inner tube.
Corte Gardoni
Italy | Veneto | Bianco di Custoza
A masterful blend of Garganega, Trebbiano, Trebbianello, and Riesling, this perfumed charmer punches far above its weight.
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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text: Okay, time to get it rolling. I've been on and off blogging for a while (this is where I was previously blogging). Now, I'm ready to get it going at this place. Here is a very interesting site I found on my stroll on numerouse sites today, a project by Colombia University, called The Earth … Continue reading


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This story appears in the Dec. 5 Investment Guide issue of Forbes Magazine. Click here for the full Investment Guide 2012 special report.
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 2005 Jenny Gammello spent two years in New York City struggling to launch an acting career before deciding to make her peace with grown-up job reality—and study for the LSAT. But a funny thing happened on Gammello's way to law school. She answered a Craigslist ad from a local yoga studio and found she could make a living doing something she enjoyed even more than acting.
Now 28, Gammello earns $60,000 a year teaching yoga, training other instructors and leading retreats. Since she spent just $5,000 on advanced instructor certification versus $150,000 on a law degree, she's debt free and saving up to open a yoga retreat in the countryside within the next decade.
"People shouldn't go into yoga for the money,'' she says. "But when you're doing the thing you're supposed to be doing, the universe seems to make everything really easy."
Most Millennials—so called because they were born after 1980 and came of age in the new millennium—wouldn't associate the word "easy" with today's job market. As of October 14% of Americans age 20 to 24 were unemployed. The ranks of Occupy Wall Street are peppered with out-of-work college grads five figures deep in student debt. Young alums lucky enough to have jobs are often overqualified; a recent study by Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies found that only one in two bachelor's degree holders under age 25 currently works at a job requiring a college degree.
"People entering the labor market now not only will face a harder time finding jobs, but they also may have difficulty finding the careers they might be hoping for,'' warns MIT professor James Poterba, president of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Same goes for income. Entering the labor market during a recession means an average of $100,000 in lost lifetime wages, estimates Yale economist Lisa Kahn. (That's in present discounted dollars, for you finance majors.)
All this is a rude shock to Millennials, also known as Gen Y and, less kindly, Generation Me. They grew up believing they'd be flying high so long as they followed a well-defined path: Notch a high score on the SAT or ACT, go to a good college, earn a respectable GPA and get a decent job. Work a few years, then go to grad school for further seasoning and come out with a job lucrative enough to pay off those hefty loans.
But a rough economy is forcing Millennials to create new paths, and while that's been jarring to some, it has liberated the Jenny Gammellos of the world to follow their entrepreneurial instincts and passions. After all, the "opportunity cost" of starting your own business is a lot lower when the alternative is working as a waiter (if you're lucky) and not as a management trainee.
That doesn't mean just anything goes. Here, based on interviews with economists, financial planners and savvy twentysomethings themselves, are some tips to help Millennials thrive in today's economy. There's no foolproof formula, of course. But the rules have changed, and those who embrace the new ones will have the best chance of success.
Keep working—at something
Can't find the job you trained for? Even if you're lucky enough to have a parent who will pay your bills while you wait for the phone to ring with your dream job offer, do something. It can be an unpaid internship or an entrepreneurial venture; either way, it will look better on your résumé than a gap, and you'll gain valuable experience.
In the fall of his final year in Wharton's M.B.A. program Jeff Henretig accepted an offer from Opera Solutions, a data analytics consulting firm. But before he graduated in May 2009 Opera said it would have to delay hiring him until 2010. So Henretig teamed up with two other Wharton grads to launch a Mexican food truck—Coup de Taco—in Philadelphia.
The group raised $47,000 from friends, family and savings to buy a truck and make necessary improvements. Within three months they were up and running. By the end of their first year the business was profitable (though not enough to pay all three founders a living wage). They discussed buying a second truck and opening a restaurant.
Read more: 20 Job Rules For Millennials
When an improved economy led Henretig and his two cofounders to receive lucrative job offers in New York, they sold the business for a $5,000 loss. Now they're all making more than they did on the truck—plus benefits. That doesn't mean Coup de Taco wasn't a worthwhile endeavor.
"The economy presented me with the opportunity to gain some entrepreneurial experience," says Henretig, now 30 and working for a small business consultancy called Next Street. "I learned more from starting up and operating Coup de Taco than I've learned doing anything professionally in my life."
Don't hide in graduate school
Applying just because you're unemployed or don't know what you want to do with your life is a terrible idea. It's much better to be unemployed than unemployed with $150,000 in debt and a law degree, particularly if you don't really want to be a lawyer (according to the Association for Legal Career Professionals, just 68% of 2010 grads landed a job that required passing the bar exam, a record low). Master's degree programs, which can run $100,000 for two years, may leave you in similar straits. Go to graduate school only if you truly want to study something or are reasonably sure it will pay off.
If you want an M.B.A. or master's mostly for career advancement, consider programs that allow you to work full-time while taking classes at night or on the weekend. Find out if your current employer has a continuing education benefit; employers can pay up to $5,250 a year for your schooling without it being counted as taxable income to you.
If you do plan to take loans for graduate school, consider borrowing from family at, say, 4% versus taking the government's 7.9% Graduate Plus loans. (For more on family loans, see "Grandma Beats Uncle Sam"). Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and Fastweb.com, suggests taking on no more debt than your expected annual income upon graduation. (A budding investment banker might take on $100,000 in debt, but an aspiring journalist would be foolish to do so.)
"We're in a period where we're looking at a ton of uncertainty," says Zac Bissonnette, 23, author of the book Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents (Portfolio, 2010). "Leverage and uncertainty are not good things to put together. Younger people should be a lot more conservative about debt than the old rules say you should be."
Get a roommate
Housing is the single biggest expense for many Millennials—and, frequently, the easiest to reduce dramatically. A good rule of thumb: Don't spend more than a third of your gross income on rent; ideally, keep it to no more than a quarter.
For recent grads, living at home while job hunting has become the default, as has remaining on parental health care plans; ObamaCare has extended the age limit to 26. The government hasn't set a cutoff for living with your parents, but take a hint from their new, smaller place. As soon as you're employed, look for an affordable apartment of your own.
That means roommates, especially in expensive locales like Manhattan, where the average studio apartment rents for $2,200 per month. Share a two-bedroom in the East Village for $1,700 each or in Brooklyn's grungy-chic Bushwick neighborhood for half that price.
"It's tempting to live alone because of past bad experiences with roommates, but if you find the right roommate, it's better financially, emotionally and logistically," says Jon Bittner, 26, cofounder of bill-sharing site Splitwise.com. "There's really no good reason why anybody my age should live alone unless they're completely insufferable."
As for buying a home or condo, in some places it's cheaper than renting. But if you have to resell quickly, your savings could turn into big losses. Buy only if you've decided to settle in a certain area and are reasonably sure you won't be moving for a job offer—or are ready to become a landlord if you do.
Make a student debt plan
You've probably already taken out student loans. Two-thirds of the four-year university class of 2010 had debt averaging $25,250, according to the Project on Student Debt. (Those who attended for-profit career schools typically have even more debt and worse prospects.) Law school adds an average of $80,000 and med school $120,000.You can't ignore student debt; it generally can't be wiped out in bankruptcy.
So make a list of your loans and their rates. If you've got private loans that aren't federally guaranteed, they likely carry high variable rates and should be paid off as soon as possible. All repayments must begin six months after graduation. If you don't have a job, apply for deferment (or, if you don't qualify for that, forbearance). Either way, you'll have more options than if you become delinquent or default.
Read more: 20 Job Rules For Millennials
Check into the discount coming in the first half of 2012. Government-guaranteed loans, including those issued through Sallie Mae or a bank, can be consolidated at a rate up to 0.5% lower than the average of your current rates if you agree to have monthly payments automatically taken from your checking account. Most federally guaranteed loans issued since July 2006 carry a fixed rate of 6.8%, but some "subsidized" undergrad loans have rates as low as 3.4%. If your rates vary and you're able to pay extra principal, don't consolidate—pay down whoppers like 7.9% Graduate Plus loans first.
But if you're struggling to make the minimum monthly payment, consider consolidation and Uncle Sam's Income-Based Repayment (IBR) program. Under IBR your monthly payment equals 15% of your "discretionary" income (family income above 150% of the poverty line). After 25 years of such payments, or 10 years if you're working for the government or a nonprofit, any balance of unpaid loans is forgiven. So a single public school teacher earning $35,000 who took out $60,000 in guaranteed loans would pay $402 a month under IBR, instead of $690 under the standard ten-year repayment plan.
If you're going into the private sector and expect your earnings to rise, a better option is the graduated repayment program, where your monthly tithe increases every two years. If you're a newly minted M.B.A. with $50,000 in 6.8% debt and $50,000 in 7.9% loans you'll start out paying $817 a month instead of $1,179. Of course, because you're paying down principal more slowly, you'll shell out somewhat more over the ten years with the graduated plan—$149,719 instead of $141,528.
Save for your retirement—at 70-plus
You've likely heard your boomer parents having conniptions over their own retirement. Take a lesson. Chances are you'll get even less help from Social Security and traditional pensions.
Start saving for retirement as soon as you've built an emergency fund, and don't be afraid of the stock market. A study by Research Collaborative found that 52% of 18- to 30-year-olds liquidated part of their portfolio in 2010 or 2011; only a quarter have reinvested most of the cash they removed. That's a mistake—unlike your parents, you've still got three or four decades to make up for money lost in recent turbulence.
Be sure not to lock up all your money in a company 401(k), though. Put in enough to grab any company match, and then, if you can, put up to $5,000 a year of aftertax money in a Roth individual retirement account. Money in a Roth IRA grows tax free for retirement, but you can withdraw your initial contributions at any time, for any reason, without owing taxes or a penalty. (With a conventional tax-deductible IRA you can withdraw the money without penalty for graduate school, but you'll pay income tax; most other uses, such as starting a business, will involve a 10% penalty.)
Do what you love
In an age of disruptive technologies—for example, when e-discovery software can displace thousands of lawyers—no profession guarantees security. So why not at least start out doing what you love? Cornell economics professor Robert H. Frank offers similar advice to his M.B.A. students, with a wealth-oriented spin.
"The most important thing is to find something you like to do, because only then will you have the passion to get good at something,'' he says. "And then you might have a chance to make a lot of money out of it.''
If you force yourself into a profession you don't like, you may just find yourself reverting to your passion—but with a ton of student debt. Says Gammello: "Even if I had chosen to go to law school, I think I would have ended up teaching yoga anyway."
Full coverage: The Forbes Investment Guide 2011.


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The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
This article or section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality.
|The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
|Video game
|Electronic Arts
|Electronic Arts
|Microsoft Windows
|Release date
|6 December 2004
|Real-time strategy
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth is a 2004 real-time strategy video game developed by Electronic Arts, based on the events of The Lord of the Rings film series and the first entry of The Battle for Middle Earth series.
The system works with units of several puppets and in as such more related to the popular 'Total War'-series than to more traditional RTS games like Age of Empires or its predecessor in several ways, The War of the Ring. Still it has many characteristics of a more traditional game, like the 'top down' camera stance, resource gathering system and relatively low number of units on the field. Against this are put some progressive issues in the game, like the single resource type, money, as upposed to the five different resources from Age of Empires or two from The War of the Ring. Also there are two different strategy modes, which shows some Total War-influence, of which one is a strategical overview of the south of the western part of Middle-earth. In this part of the game a player can decide, within certain borders, which areas of Middle-earth one wants to attack with its armies. Each area gives certain different bonusses to your armies, or create corridors along which your armies may pass. The other part of the game is the battlefield mode, when you can build and use your army to defeat the enemy army in one area. This dual system clearly shows some Total War-influence. Another progressive feat of the game is the strategic use of special powers, and bonusses provided by for example your heroes or villains like Gandalf, Aragorn or Saruman. This enhanced version of the system already used in The War of the Ring creates even more strategic possibilities for the player but makes balancing harder: the fast-running and far-shooting Legolas can easily kill and entire very expensive Orc army controlled by a computer player. The last of the progressive features is the limits to which one can build a base: only a limited number of building spaces is available on a map, thus limiting the number of buildings or defenses one may build. This does make balancing better as even the best possibly defended fortress may fall within a few enemy sieges, thus forcing the defender to break out regularly, and, even better, prevent from getting in such a situation, while still not having to fear being destroyed by a single sneaky unit of enemy soldiers who secretly passed your defense units when you were waging a big battle somewhere else on the map, as can happen in The War of the Ring.
Next to two different single player campaigns, one Good and one Evil, one can also play online against human players. This system uses the custom battlemap system, which uses the campaign maps without their specific objectives. One can, in custom battles as well as online, choose between four different factions, being Rohan, Gondor, Isengard and Mordor, each with different types of units and balanced against each other: Isengard is fairly cheap with focus on technological advancements, Rohan focuses on Riders and Archers, and thus a more strategic command style, Gondor on defense and very strong, but expensive units with possible technological advancements and Mordor on lots and lots of simple, weak masses of units with a few weak units with very strong attacks, and therefor also can benefit from a more strategic command, though sacrificing minions may here be a very acceptable and effective tactic.
|Orcs, cattle
|Dee Bradley Baker
|Chris Edgerly
|Chris Edgerly
|Crispin Freeman
|James Horan
|John Rhys-Davies
|John Rhys-Davies
|Christopher Lee
|Ian McKellen
|Phil Proctor
|Kim Mai Guest
|Isaac C. Singleton Jr.


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A former Nazi concentration camp guard awaiting extradition to Germany has been denied bail by a U.S. judge in Philadelphia.
Lawyers for Johann Breyer, 89, had sought his release before an Aug. 21 extradition hearing, arguing in court papers he suffered from dementia and other ailments, and continued confinement could speed his deterioration and make it difficult to assist in his defense in Germany.
But federal prosecutors opposed that request, saying Breyer, who was arrested on June 18 and is being held in a ward for elderly and infirm detainees at the Philadelphia's Federal Detention Center, is regularly checked on by jail staff and has access to regular medical care.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Rice on Wednesday denied bail in a one-page memo because Breyer had failed to show special circumstances required of detainees facing extradition.
German authorities are charging him with aiding and abetting the deaths of 216,000 Jews, a figure arrived at by estimating the survival rate of prisoners packed into 158 trains that arrived at Auschwitz between May and October 1944, according to documents.
Breyer served as an armed guard at Buchenwald before transferring in 1944 to Auschwitz where, according to court documents, he has said he served as a perimeter guard.
The retired tool-and-die maker, born in Czechoslovakia, joined the Waffen SS at age 17. He has argued that he was coerced into joining and was not involved in deaths at the camps. He emigrated to Philadelphia in 1952.


text: Entertainment and adventures await. Here are some of the best bets for the weekend and week ahead. Make time for music Legendary singer and former Greenwich resident Diana Ross will be returning to the Palace Theatre in Stamford on Saturday after her sold-out show in 2011. Don't miss the outfits, the music and Ross' talented band. Tickets remain at http:\/\/www.scalive.org. There are at least two opportunities to hear some free, outdoor music. The Byram Shore Park Concert Series continues on Saturday with an evening concert by Al Dimarco's jazz quartet. The show runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the park, located at Ritch Avenue and Byram Shore Road. Call 203-861-6100 to check if there is a weather cancellation. If you miss Saturday's show, head over to the Seaside Garden at Greenwich (Tod's) Point on Sunday for the sounds of Too Blue. The concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. For information, visit http:\/\/www.friendsofgreenwichpoint.org. Vehicle and park passes are required for both shows. Natural discoveries Greenwich Point also will be the site of a nature walk this weekend. Join host Dan Barrett at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday for a stroll along the rocky intertidal zone at the site. The group will be meet at the Innis Arden cottage and then head out. Participants are encouraged to wear sturdy sneakers and shoes that can get wet. Program runs rain or shine. The event is presented by Friends of Greenwich Point. Visit www.Friendsofgreenwichpoint.org for details. Carnival concludes Catch the final two nights of St. Catherine of Siena Church's annual Carnival of Fun in Riverside. Concessions feature traditional carnival fare, along with some new items. Park at Eastern Middle School and catch the free shuttle. Hours are 6 to 11 p.m. For more information, visit http:\/\/www.stcath.org. Cinematic art The Avon Theatre will host a 40th anniversary screening of the classic film "American Graffiti" on Wednesday in Stamford. The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with a reception hosted by Lucky's Classic Burger & Malt Shop. There also will be a costume contest and prizes. The movie starts at 7:30 p.m. Make sure to wear your best race car and drive-in movie attire -- think leather jackets, slicked-back hair and poodle skirts. As organizers noted in a recent release: "Prizes await the ones who are most in touch with their inner greaser." To purchase tickets, call 203-661-0321, or the Avon Box Office at 203-967-3660, ext. 2, www.avontheater.org. Farther afield Greenwich artist Dmitri Wright will be presenting an artist's talk at the Weir Farm National Historic Site in Wilton on Saturday. His work is on display at the site in the exhibition Impressions of Spring. The talk begins at 2 p.m. (Another takes place on Sept. 15.) To register, or for more information, call 203-834-1896, ext. 28. And, Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan will host the Labrang Tashikyil monks on Sunday, who, in addition to building a sand Mandala, will host a public session "Let's Travel to Tibet" Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. They will be chanting, dancing and storytelling. The event will take place at the East Campus of the hospital, 208 Valley Road, New Canaan. For more information, email email@example.com. -- Christina Hennessy Check out Culture Cache at http:\/\/blog.ctnews.com\/culturecache\/ email@example.com; 203-964-2241; http:\/\/twitter.com\/xtinahennessy