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Who Wants to Remember Bill Cosby's Multiple Sex-Assault Accusations?
The thing about Dylan Farrow's open letter accusing her father, Woody Allen, of sexual abuse is: There was not much really new about it. It was new that Dylan Farrow herself was signing her name to the accusations, but Vanity Fair had covered the case, in grim detail, more than two decades ago.
So the current crisis over how people are supposed to feel about Woody Allen is on some level odd. Woody Allen's status as an accused child molester has been a matter of public record since before Manhattan Murder Mystery came out. Anyone who didn't think about it before now had chosen not to think about it.
Not thinking about it is a popular and powerful choice. Which brings up another beloved American funnyman, Bill Cosby. Who doesn't love Bill Cosby? I grew up watching Fat Albert and eating Jell-O Pudding Pops, which is a cliché, but Bill Cosby is the creator of some of our most warming and affirming clichés. He is charming and iconic, one of the most culturally important and successful comedians ever, an elder statesman of the entertainment industry.
He's also someone who has been accused by multiple women of drugging them and sexually assaulting them. Here is one of his accusers, describing an incident:
Well, there were a number of people at the table, friends of his, and he said to me, yes, you do seem ill, you're slightly feverish, would you like to have some Contact? You know, the cold medicine. And I thought, why not, can't hurt. So he went into some sort of office area at the back of the restaurant and he produced two capsules in his hand. I thought nothing of it and I took the capsules. In about, I don't know, 20 to 30 minutes I felt great and then about 10 minutes after that I was almost literally face down on the table of this restaurant...
He said, "Oh my, you must be more ill then we believed. I totally lost motor control; I was almost unable to hold my head up. I was very, very, very stoned. He took me into my apartment and then very helpfully and nicely was prepared to take off my clothes and help me into bed and pet me, and that's how the actual assault began.
She recounted this in an on-camera interview, under her own name, with Matt Lauer of the Today show, on February 10, 2005. The assault had allegedly happened back in the 1970s, but she said she had decided to come forward because another woman had accused Cosby of committing a similar assault in January of 2004.
That woman, in a lawsuit, said that Cosby offered her three pills of what he claimed was "herbal medication, which would help her relax," and insisted she take all three:
When Plaintiff advised Defendant she did not feel well, Defendant led Plaintiff to a sofa, because she could not walk on her own, where he laid her down, under the guise of "helping" her.
Subsequently, Defendant positioned himself behind Plaintiff on the sofa, touched her breasts and vaginal area, rubbed his penis against her hand, and digitally penetrated her.
Plaintiff remained in a semi-conscious state throughout the time of this ordeal.
At no time was Plaintiff capable of consent after the pills affected her, and at no time did she consent to Defendant's acts.
Lawyers for the woman filed a motion stating that they intended to call as witnesses the woman who'd given the Today show interview and nine separate Jane Does, from seven different states. Eventually the list grew to a reported 13 accusers. Two more of them put their names on the record, giving interviews to Philadelphia Magazine and later to People. Philadelphia summarized one of their stories:
They started an affair that lasted about six months. Cosby ended it without explanation. Then he called her one night in Denver, where she lived; they met backstage at a nightclub there, where he was performing. He said, "Here's your favorite coffee, something I made, to relax you." She drank it and soon began to feel woozy. Several hours later, she woke up in the backseat of her car, alone. She didn't know what had happened. Her clothes were a mess, her bra undone. Security guards came and said Cosby told them to get her home. She confronted him at his hotel. "You just had too much to drink," he told her.
The other accuser initially withheld the details of her story because of the pending lawsuit. Cosby ended up settling the suit, with the plaintiff agreeing not to discuss it further, after which the prospective witness went ahead and told her story to the magazines. Here's People's account, using her name, Barbara Bowman:
It was in a hotel in Reno, claims Bowman, that Cosby assaulted her one night in 1986. "He took my hand and his hand over it, and he masturbated with his hand over my hand," says Bowman, who, although terrified, kept quiet about the incident and continued as Cosby's protégé because, she says, "Who's gonna believe this? He was a powerful man. He was like the president." Before long she was alone with Cosby again in his Manhattan townhouse; she was given a glass of red wine, and "the next thing I know, I'm sick and I'm nauseous and I'm delusional and I'm limp and ... I can't think straight.... And I just came to, and I'm wearing a [men's] T-shirt that wasn't mine, and he was in a white robe."
A month or two later, she was in Atlantic City and says she was given another glass of red wine and felt "completely doped up again." Confused, Bowman somehow made it back to her room, but the next day Cosby summoned her to his suite. After she arrived, Bowman says, Cosby "threw me on the bed and braced his arm under my neck so I couldn't move my head, and he started trying to take his clothes off. I remember all the clinking of his belt buckle. And he was trying to take my pants down, and I was trying to keep them on." Bowman says that not long after she resisted the assault, Cosby cut off contact with her and had her escorted to the airport for a flight back to Denver.
To reiterate: This was in People magazine, published nationwide in December 2006. Four women said publicly, in major media outlets, that Bill Cosby had drugged and sexually assaulted them. This coverage was more recent and possibly more prominent that the coverage of the abuse allegations against Woody Allen.
And? Basically nobody wanted to live in a world where Bill Cosby was a sexual predator. It was too much to handle. The original Philadelphia Magazine story set off his accusers' testimony in italicized interludes, between long sections about the more digestible controversies around Cosby's lecture tour denouncing black cultural pathology. The usually unflinching Ta-Nehisi Coates, in an otherwise comprehensive 2008 Atlantic essay on the context and politics of Cosby's performance as a public moral scold, dropped a sentence about the lawsuit settlement and its accompanying accusations into parentheses near the end.
Conceptually, it was the sensible way to deal with it. No one was talking about it anymore. The whole thing had been, and it remained, something walled off from our collective understanding of Bill Cosby.
With shocking speed, it was effectively forgotten. When the subject came up today, more than half the Gawker staff had no memory of any sexual allegations against Bill Cosby. In 2009, Cosby was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for his distinguished achievements in humor. In 2010, he was honored with the Marian Anderson Award, for "critically acclaimed artists who have impacted society in a positive way, either through their work or their support for an important cause." In 2011, the Marian Anderson Award went to Mia Farrow.
[Photos via Getty]


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President Obama may have experienced his Walter Cronkite moment over the economy.
Responding to Cronkite's reporting from Vietnam four decades ago that the only way to end the war was by negotiating with the North Vietnamese, President Lyndon Johnson was reported (though never confirmed) to have said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America."
Now President Obama appears to have "lost" New York Times liberal economic columnist Paul Krugman. Krugman, who enthusiastically supported the president's redistributionist and stimulus plans, has bowed to the reality that they are not working. In a recent column titled "This is Not a Recovery," Krugman took issue with the president and Vice President Joe Biden that we have experienced a summer of economic recovery. "Unfortunately, that's not true," he wrote. "This isn't a recovery, in any sense that matters. And policymakers should be doing everything they can to change that fact."
Krugman asked an essential question: "Why are people who know better sugarcoating economic reality? The answer, I'm sorry to say, is that it's all about evading responsibility."
It is that, and more. The administration is so locked into its left-wing, "tax, borrow and spend" ideology that it has become like someone trapped in a cult: unable to escape and endlessly repeating the same mantra.
In a speech last week to central bankers and economists in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledged the economy is fragile, especially in light of the government's latest report, which showed the weakest quarterly growth in a year. He added that high unemployment poses a serious threat. Still, Bernanke tried to sound optimistic by forecasting some pickup in growth in 2011 and beyond.
Optimism not based on reality is false hope based on wishful thinking. One might as well ask a high-performance engine to run at peak level after several of its cylinders have been disabled. It is impossible, no matter how shiny the paint job.
An economy burdened down with debt because of too much government spending, a health care law that will add new and unknown burdens, expiring tax cuts that will take more money from the private sector for government to waste and abuse, and a stock market unsure and thus unable to fuel the economic engine to propel us out of this recession, is not a "summer of recovery," but a winter of discontent.
The solution is not a "Star Trek" approach in which we must go where no one has gone before. We know what works and what must be done. Social Security and Medicare must be reformed; government programs that have failed, or are obsolete, should be scrapped; military spending designed to enhance re-election prospects for some members of Congress, while doing nothing to improve the military, must be ended, and people should be asked to return to the attitude of previous generations that all of us, including government, must live within our means.
Writing in U.S. News & World Report, publisher Mort Zuckerman takes the Krugman view a step further by calling the administration he once supported "The Most Fiscally Irresponsible Government in U.S. History."
Zuckerman writes: "People see the stimulus, fashioned and passed by Congress in such a hurry, as a metaphor for wasted money. They are highly critical about the lack of discipline among our political leaders. The question that naturally arises is how to forestall a long-term economic decline."
The answer is for the Republicans, so eager and so likely to regain power in the House and possibly the Senate in the coming election, to expose the administration's sugarcoating of reality and get out the bad-tasting medicine. The good news is that by swallowing fiscal responsibility, we will all be better off in the end. But can Republicans withstand and prevail over the Democratic demagoguery that will predictably be heaped on them? They'd better, or they don't deserve to lead.
As Walter Cronkite used to say, "That's the way it is."


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There was nothing about the old VHS box for Shaolin Invincibles that made us think we were renting anything other than a standard "kungfu orphans get revenge on villains who murdered their parents" story. We plucked it from the shelves because, well, why not? We were up for renting anything that wasn't Unique Lama. By the time Ocean Shores video splashed that bright red "The End" graphic onto the television screen, we'd seen tongue-waggling ghosts, bug-eyed zombies, and that most treasured of kungfu film appearances — the kungfu gorilla. I won't say that the impact of Shaolin Invincibles on our mental faculties was as pronounced as it was after watching Young Taoism Fighter for the first time, but that's a pretty high bar to set.
At the time, though my friends and I were voracious consumers of any and every kungfu movie on which we could get our hands, we were also operating more or less in a vacuum. Pre-internet days, you know. So while I wanted to know more about the movies I was watching, there simply didn't exist the resources that would help me complete the task. I learned to recognize various stars and directors, I didn't have much historical context beyond that I could paste together based solely on movies I'd seen. There was no way for me to tell a Hong Kong film from a Taiwanese film, and no way for me to understand that I should know the difference — I didn't suspect that the most bizarre kungfu films we were renting were the product of a Taiwanese film industry that seemed to think acid-fueled fever dreams were the best source material for kungfu movie scripts.
We live in a more enlightened time now, and thanks to the tireless efforts of of sites like Die Danger Die Die Kill!, I have a clearer picture of the Taiwanese kungfu film market. With the ability to put everything into context, I'm no longer surprised that director Hau Chang cranked out a movie as bizarre as Shaolin Invincibles. It was really just standard operating procedure for a man who gave us films like Ape Girl and the truly inspired martial arts fantasy Legend of Mother Goddess. In fact, Shaolin Invincibles is one of his more normal films.
Things start out familiar enough. A murderous Ch'ing ruler (Chen Hung-lieh, Temple of the Red Lotus and Come Drink with Me) has a family murdered, but the little daughters are spirited away by a convenient group of Shaolin monks. Years later, the girls ave grown into Lu Szu Liang (Chia Ling, The Legend of Mother Goddess) and Lu Yu Liang (Doris Lung Chun-Erh, Master of the Flying Guillotine and Young Hero of Shaolin), masters of several secret Shaolin techniques. Now that they're grown, the abbot allows them to leave the temple to seek revenge on the men who slaughtered their family. Along the way, they'll be helped by Kan Feng Chih (Carter Wong, 18 Bronzemen and Big Trouble in Little China).
Captain of the guard Lei (Yee Yuen), who happens to own the most splendid robe in all of China (and dolls himself up with matching cosmetics), soon figures out that the guys dropping by the dozens are being offed by the Lu sisters, and even though he's never seen them, somehow he's able to mobilize every thug in the province to try and take them out. This results, as you can imagine, in a lot of dead thugs. Also, one of the women disguises herself as a man for no reason other than there was a law in Taiwan that every kungfu movie had to feature a woman who is obviously a woman but passes for a man simply because she dons traditional men's attire. Afraid that the king will find out that he lied about slaughtering the whole Lu clan, Lei then turns to the sorriest bunch of elite killers I've ever seen. It's your usual assortment — monk with bushy eyebrows, fey dude with fan, dirty old beggar — but this lot seems especially easy to dispatch, even without Carter Wong dropping by at random times to lend a fist.
Lei probably could have spent a little more time shopping around for exotic hired killers, as the king seems preoccupied with the latest additions to his court: a couple of capering gorillas that are, as was usually the case, played by a couple stuntmen in ratty costume store gorilla outfits, complete with loosely flapping pant legs and occasionally crooked masks. As if it that wasn't enough, the gorillas' wranglers are a couple of ghosts. I'm not entirely as up on my Chinese folklore as I should be, but I think these guys are supposed to either be Diao Si Gui — the spirit of someone who has died by hanging (thus the long, engorged tongue) — or Hei Bai Wu Chang — the black and white guardians of hell, recognizable for their tall hats, black and white robes, and the accouterments they usually carry (you can see Billy Chong beat a couple up in Kungfu from Beyond the Grave).
I think these dudes are a couple of Diao Si Gui who were spookin' around one day and found a box of hell guard hats and robes and were like, "We can get free food if we wear these around town!" Otherwise, they're a desultory couple of hell guards who obviously lucked into the job, and so incompetent were they that the king of hell made up the most ridiculous job he could and convinced them that it was super-important that they take these, uhh… I'm gonna say gorillas, and deliver 'em to this guy in the fancy robe. Yeah, that should keep 'em out of my hair for a couple weeks. Sort of like how Lucky the Leprechaun is such a shitty leprechaun that while all the other leprechauns get to guard pots of gold, he has to guard a bowl of cereal. Anyway, the gorillas are almost completely invulnerable except for the top of the head. If you such much as slightly brush against the top of their heads, it sends them into howling fits of agony and, if sustained, they will become totally loyal to you for some reason. I guess this sounded like a decent enough weakness, at least until they ended up in a movie where the heroes' signature move is to leap up into the air and jam a sword into the top of your head.
While the king is farting around with the gorillas, the Lu sisters get jobs as maids so that they can infiltrate the palace and get their final revenge. Even though Lei was able to describe the women to every two-bit killer in the kingdom, and even though he and his men drew up a whole bunch of wanted posters with really detailed sketches of the sisters, no one — including Lei — seems to recognize them when they start skulking around the palace. Killing Lei and the king proves a tricky task, however, as the palace is kitted out with the usual assortment of secret passages, traps, and for some reason, a dude who has been in prison so long that he has turned into a monster. Luckily for Carter Wong and the girls, famed leg fighter Dorian Tan Tao-Liang will pop up out of nowhere, announce "It's me, that one guy who you've all been waiting for even though I haven't been in the movie until now," and then he'll kick a lot of people in the name of helping the Lu's.
Shaolin Invincibles isn't as crazy as I remembered, but it's still a lot of fun. There's a ton of action, pretty good fights, and there's the gorillas and the ghost and the zombie guy just for the hell of it. A little, something for everybody, really. The best part has to be when the Lu's are sneaking through the woods and spy the two gorillas from a distance. The gorillas are doing that usual capering and hopping about that bad actors do when they are trying to play gorillas, even though I don't think a real gorilla has ever moved like that. Upon seeing the two galoots lumbering awkward down a hill, Lu Yu Liang instantly surmises "those beasts seem to know kungfu." This is pretty sloppily made, and I could have used more Dorian Tan Tao-Liang, but as was often the case with Taiwanese martial art cinema from the 70s, the energy, frequent action, and flat out strangeness is more than enough to result in a fun film.
Release Year: 1977 | Country: Taiwan | Starring: Carter Wong, Chia Ling, Doris Lung Chun-Erh, Dorian Tan Tao-Liang, Chen Hung-Lieh, Yee Yuen, Jack Lung Sai-Ga, Blacky Ko Sau-Leung, Lee Keung, Lam Chung | Screenplay: Yeung Gat-Aau | Director: Hau Chang | Music: Eddie H. Wang Chi-Ren | Producer: Geung Chung-Ping | Original Title: Yong zheng ming zhang Shao Lin men


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(visited by Owen Foley)
31-Oct-2001 -- There's a certain satisfaction in eventually getting to a confluence point after a previous unsuccessful attempt. I'd made an attempt at 24S 150E from the west 9 months before but been stopped by a locked gate 13 kilometres out. This time I approached from the east on a track the map indicated would take me to about 2 kilometres from the point. I followed the track 16 kilometres from the road until I reached the homestead at Thuriba, a 26000 acre grazing property.
They'd just finished mustering the cattle and had a lot of them in the yards. The owners were helpful and friendly and gave me directions to a track that would get me closer than the main road I'd followed. Go back to the windmill and turn right. Following that track led me to another windmill only 400 metres from the point.
It was an easy walk across the paddock to get to the confluence where a couple of kangaroos were resting in the shade giving this confluence a very Australian flavour. Just a little way back, I found the other animal depicted on Australia's coat of arms. The emu is a very large flightless bird. They are quite shy but I managed to coax them close enough for a photograph.


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Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight newcomer Julio Paulino (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is on a mission to make something happen.
Of the 110 kids that graduated from his high school in Jersey City, N.J., he estimated all but six are working at supermarket ShopRite, in jail or dead. He managed to escape by joining the Navy and did eight years as a machinist on ships at sea.
At first, fighting was a way to stay out of trouble after the Navy discharged him. Now, he's fighting to support four kids, and after five-plus years in the minor leagues, the time to make his mark has arrived.
"I can make it to the UFC and stay there for three to five years; I can secure my children's future in college," Paulino, who faces Mike Pierce (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC on Versus 1 this Sunday, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
It's also a chance to get some payback.
In November 2007, Paulino dropped to welterweight and lost a decision to now-UFC welterweight Rick Story, a close friend and training partner to Pierce. He said the weight cut sapped his ability to fight and Story "layed and prayed" to victory.
"I've been calling Ricky Story out since the loss because I wanted a chance to fight him when I was 100 percent me," Paulino said. "From what I understand, Mike Pierce is ranked above Rick Story. So if I beat Mike Pierce, that kills two birds with one stone."
Since Story, Paulino has stopped his past seven opponents with five victories by TKO or KO.
Nicknamed the "Dominican Demon," the 34-year-old Paulino wrestled in the Navy and followed a girl to Alaska after discharge. He took up boxing and fought on local cards. He didn't want to end up like his old classmates.
"I reigned supreme (on the boxing shows)," Paulino said.
When MMA became popular, he started training in jiu jitsu and made his MMA debut in January 2005 for the Alaska Fighting Championships.
"It put me in a gym surrounded by people (where) you have a group of friends and you consider them family," he said. "By the time you leave, you're leaving with smiles and laughs. You don't have to take it out on your kids or your wife. It's a healthy relationship I had with the sport."
Then Paulino saw the money to be made in MMA and decided it was a way to support his family.
It wasn't until he fought stateside that he caught the UFC's eye. This past September, he knocked out UFC veteran Terry Martin, and five months later, defended his AFC middleweight belt with a TKO win over another UFC veteran, Rob Yundt.
Around the same time, his relationship began to fall apart, but he continued to chase his dream.
"It was a passion that I knew I would kick myself if I ever stopped," Paulino said. "As they say in poker, I was pot-committed."
Now, he is determined to stay in his children's lives as he reaches for the stars. When a fight approaches, he consults them on what song to use for his entrance.
"If they approve my entry song, it will be one that's never been heard in the UFC before," he said.
Sunday's song in question will remain a secret.
Paulino expected to fight for Strikeforce before he made it to the UFC, but when Pierce's original opponent, Rob Kimmons, was forced to withdraw with injury, he jumped at the chance to fight in the octagon.
Although Pierce is known for solid wrestling skills, Paulino is convinced the fight won't be a battle for takedowns.
"If [Pierce] tries that, he loses and embarrasses himself, and the UFC's not going to want to have anything to do with him," Paulino said. "So he's going to want to try and stand up, which is going to be an even bigger mistake."
The UFC rookie is convinced his future looks bright.
"Either way, [Pierce is] going to be embarrassed," Paulino said. "He's going to underestimate me, and it's going to be a bad night for him."
For complete coverage of "UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones," stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
Steven Marrocco is a staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com and an MMA contributor for The Vancouver Sun.


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Students at New York's Upstate Medical University are required to complete a course in medical literature for graduation. When it emerged that 154 members of the graduating class cheated by working together on online quizzes, the school required the offenders to complete additional work before graduation.
While the students did seem to violate the school's code of ethics, their actions point to an important trend in medical education. Like elsewhere in health care, collaboration is increasingly vital for learning. It his how new discoveries are made and excellent health care is delivered. That so many students sought each other's help in completing the quizzes suggest that the old model of each person completing his or her work individually needs to be reexamined.
Tags: medical students; ethics


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For most dentists, a significant portion of new business comes from people searching online for a local dentist. Perhaps they're new to the neighborhood, unhappy with their existing dentist, or have children who need to start regular dental visits. Whatever the reason these prospective customers are searching online, chances are they carefully read online reviews before selecting a dentist. Knowing the power of online reviews, how can you use them to grow your dental practice?
Start by letting your patients know that you welcome online reviews. Many people never think of reviewing medical professionals, even though they review restaurants all the time. You can visit review sites, such as Yelp, to download signage and decals for display in your office. Simply seeing a Yelp logo in your reception area, for example, can inspire patients to write a review. Include icons for relevant online review sites on your website homepage in a spot where they're easy to see. The icon should link to your review profile so people can easily write reviews if they're inspired to do so.
However, don't wait for inspiration to strike your patients. Make it a practice to ask satisfied patients to review your practice online. Here are some ideas for doing so:
- Train your receptionists to chat with every patient after their appointment and say "We'd love it if you would review us online. You can find our office at (list the review sites)." Of course, receptionists should use their discretion, and only ask customers who are in a good mood.
- You can also add language on your billing statements that encourages customers to review your practice online. For example, at the bottom of the bill, you can say "Like us? Review us online at Yelp.com."
- Include requests for online reviews in any email newsletters you send your patients. Since you don't want to blast out these requests to all of your patients — only the ones you know are satisfied — look for an email marketing solution that makes it easy to segment your email subscribers into different lists. That way, you can carefully target any emails requesting online reviews only to the people who are likely to write them.
As soon as you begin receiving online reviews, make sure to monitor them regularly. Thank people for their positive reviews. Statistics have shown that the majority of people only write positive reviews, but if you get a negative review, respond quickly. Apologize (no matter what) and ask the person to reach out to you off-line (by calling or emailing). It's best to discuss any problems one-on one, rather than trying to resolve them publicly online, which can lead to bad publicity. Of course, once you've resolved the issue and the patient is satisfied, be sure to share the happy outcome on the review site so everyone else can see it. When you can turn an unhappy patient into a satisfied one, it's a powerful marketing tool.
Managing a lot of online reviews can be time-consuming. One way to simplify things and help your busy dental office be more efficient is to use dental management software that automatically collects and posts reviews to all the top online review sites, such as Yelp and Google+.
Finally, amplify the power of your online reviews by sharing them on social media. Lighthouse 360 makes it easy to add reviews and posts to Facebook from within its portal. Be sure to ask your Facebook followers for reviews, too.


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The goal for any cartridge should be to reproduce the sound as close to the artists vision as possible, and the 2M blue takes you further on this journey of authenticity. With the 2M Blue you get serious about listening to vinyl.
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Stylus type - Nude Elliptical
Stylus tip radius - r/R 8/18 µm
Tracking force range - 1.6-2.0 g (16-20 mN)
Tracking force, recommended - 1.8 g (18 mN)
Tracking angle - 20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance - 1.3 kOhm
Internal inductance - 700 mH
Recommended load resistance - 47 kOhm
Recommended load capacitance - 150-300 pF
Cartridge colour, body/stylus - Black/Blue
Cartridge weight - 7.2 g
Replacement stylus unit - 2M Blue (interchangeable with 2M Red and 2M Silver)
Stylus lifetime: with proper care we find that up to 1000 hours is possible without degradation of performance. Please read about stylus care on our FAQ.
2M Series styli interchangeability:
The 2M Series' engines, coils and magnets configurations are not identical: Red and Blue are identical, so are the Bronze and Black and so are the true mono variants 2M Mono and 2M 78. Likewise, 2M series styli are interchangeable within the below combinations:
- 2M Red, 2M Blue and 2M Silver
- 2M Bronze, 2M Black and 2M Black LVB 250
- 2M Mono and 2M 78
Compatibility with Rega brand TT/TA:
REGA brand cartridges' height from stylus tip to the top cartridge mounting surface is lower than standard. Therefore you would need spacers to ensure the correct set-up of the Ortofon cartridge. Please read about cartridge set-up and alignment on tonearm on our FAQ.
Adjusting the height of your Rega tonearm is easy with Acoustic Signature's Spacer Set. It allows you to adjust the height from 0.5 mm to 3.5 mm in precise steps of 0.5 mm - without removing the tone arm. Simply loosen the screws, insert the AS-spacer, then lock the screws back down, and you're tonearm is ready to play.
3.2 - 4 mm spacers should be enough for 2M cartridge.
"...The 2M line has become a de facto reference for moving-magnet cartridges...it is due to both the sound quality of the various 2M models as well as the wide price range across the line... The differences among the four stereo 2M models occur in three primary areas: stylus profile, body material, and engine ...
... The 2M Black is "open, fast, detailed, vivid, full of vitality and sonically spectacular." It is a true high-resolution transducer that consequently puts great demands on the downstream electronics and speakers...
...On the other end, the 2M Red is far more forgiving than the 2M Black, but also less involving, at least in the context of my system (the turntable is a Technics SP-15 with an Audio-Technica ATP-12T tonearm, both in a Technics SH-15B2 base - red.)...
...with the 2M Blue ...you get the audiophile treatment: a full-range, highly resolving presentation that sounds neither stiff nor unforgiving. In fact, the 2M Blue's balance, both tonally and in terms of overall resolution, may be its greatest feat. It's an easy cartridge to listen to, and even novice listeners...
...While the 2M Black sounds more immediately impressive, the 2M Bronze is the more satisfying over the long haul, halving the difference between the Black's speed and resolution and the Blue's balance. In fact... it is a mixture of all of these sonic virtues. It's fast, but not ostentatiously so; it turns information into music, and it does this because it is better balanced, neither leaning in one sonic direction or another. I would say that it represents not just the 2M line's sweet spot but also its musical core. ..."
"...the Ortofon worked fine from new and cold...well - focused and relatively neutral sound, tidy and tuneful...
...more focused around a level midband....could find low bass where needed...
...had a very impressive ability to sound balanced...
...allowing a performance to be listened into with ease...
...will suit anyone after a more natural sound.."
"...The 2M Blue is a simple and easy upgrade that anyone can make to add more detail and definition to an already great cartridge. I found myself wanting to listen back to some of my all-time favorite albums, as the Blue stylus certainly revealed a little extra depth and detail that was pushed further back with the 2M Red..."
Coming soon
The 2M Premounted is a practical and elegant solution for our customers who wish direct and easy mounting and replacement on their S-shaped tonearm. The quality of the SH-4 headshell is sturdy and rigid, yet the design emphasizes a slim and delicate form factor. The strong, lightweight headshell has an ergonomic design with a long finger lift that is easy to pick up.
- Mounted on our popular SH-4 Black headshell.
- Easy and direct mount on S-shaped tonearms with universal mount.
- Correct Baerwald alignment with tonearms with universal mount.
How to replace M2,0 mm screws on 2M Blue Verso
1. Remove the stylus with the stylus protection guard from the cartridge body to avoid any damage to the diamond.
2. Using Torx 8 key, unscrew the black screw from the Verso top plate.
3. Remove the top plate from the cartridge body by pulling the screws off.
4. Remove the two countersunk screws from the top plate.
5. Insert the two M2,0 mm screws in the top plate.
6. Mount the top plate on the cartridge body. Hold the top plate with screw-threads hanging down and turn the cartridge body 180 degrees. Mount from above.
7. Mount the black screw in the top plate and tighten with appropriate force.
8. Mount the cartridge on the tonearm using the enclosed tool.
9. Mount the stylus with the stylus protection guard on the cartridge body.
To find the recommended Ortofon replacement cartridge for your turmtable/tonearm please check out Replacement Cartridges selector »
Marc Mickelson of the Audio Beat wrote about the Ortofon 2M Line in his review of August 2016:
"...The 2M line has become a de facto reference for moving-magnet cartridges...
It is due to both the sound quality of the various 2M models as well as the wide price range across the line...
The differences among the four stereo 2M models occur in three primary areas: stylus profile, body material, and engine ..."
Please watch this amazing video to better understand the concept of the Ortofon 2M Line and the technical configuration of each cartridge in the series >>
The 2M Series is developed in conjunction with the Danish Industrial designer Møller Jensen Design – the same designer who designed the award winning MC Jubilee and Kontrapunkt series. Inspired by the facets of a diamond, whose contours gracefully trace the grooves on a record's surface, the 2M's handsome elegance establishes a great combination of form and functionality.
The name 2M was selected from among several ideas. We wanted a modern name that would be easy to pronounce and remember, and therefore an alphanumerical name was chosen. 2M means MM, which is the abbreviation for moving magnet.
Of course the 2M isn't just another pretty face. It has been engineered to the highest standards and is congruent with Ortofon's unrelenting commitment to providing the most precise and accurate reproduction possible without coloration.
The 2M series of cartridges features Ortofon's trademark split pole pins, an invention that enables moving magnet cartridges to have a flat frequency response, as with a moving coil cartridge. Split pole pins were invented by Ortofon, and were originally presented in the 500 series and OM Super series.
We have optimized the design for ease of mounting the cartridge, and the weight and size to fit the most common turntables on the market today. The 2M Series provides excellent compatibility when used in an assortment of playback systems and with a wide variety of phono preamps.
Reflecting our extensive experience in industrial design and technological know-how, we have become the global leader in the manufacture and supply of phono cartridges.
Our Partners can help you discover the product that is right for you. All new Ortofon products are backed by a guarantee when purchased from an authorized Ortofon Partner.
We are taking care of the customer's needs by providing and delivering professional, prompt, helpful, high quality service and technical support.


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After a long day of sand and surf, come home and lay your head on these nautically themed hook pillows. Cherish every moment of the day outside knowing that as you make your way back from the water, you will rinse the salt off your feet at the door, grab a cool drink, and settle in to the charm and whimsy of your lovingly decorated beach house. Sit down on the couch, put your feet up on the coffee table, and nestle in amongst these aquatic and maritime designs as you listen to the sound of the waves outside. Drift off to sleep and the delightful texture of these beautifully crafted hook pillows will assure your comfort, stacked around the bed during a good night of rest, or adorning the couch on a sunny afternoon's nap. No life jacket required when sailing this sea of dreams!
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Or bring the waves home to your everyday life! These nautical pillows make lovely accents to the family sofa where you can come back from the job and join your loved ones on a beach vacation every night. Lay them out in the children's room, transforming it into a place where the sun shines through ocean air and the seagulls soar into your children's dreams. Visitors are sure to smile at the thoughtful touch you impart on their stay when you fill the guest room with thoughts of the sea, gently lapping at the edge of their bed. Welcome friends and family by sharing your love of the beach and all its joys with a collection of coastal throw pillows.


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Saturday Mar 05, 2011
The Mad Hatterfields - Audition
Saturday Mar 05, 2011
Saturday Mar 05, 2011
In this post, a half-hour audition for potential sponsors of the show "The Mad Hatterfields". Previously broadcast as a quarter-hour serial on WLW-Mutual, this was an attempt to turn the show into something for an evening slot. Announcements during the show highlight different aspects of the talent involved in the series and the show's run as a fifteen minute feature.
In the dramatic portion of the show, Edward arrives and is introduced to the different characters in the eccentric Hatterfield family. A small group of strings and piano are used for the music, rather than the solo piano used in the fifteen minute version of the series. The show, perhaps dating from circa 1939-40, was transferred from an original World Broadcasting two-sided lacquer.
Version: 20221013


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Florida Teen, Still Recovering From Israeli Beating, Hopes To Return to Middle East
(Reuters) — Despite the red scars on his wrists, a souvenir from a summer vacation to see Palestinian relatives that became a nightmare, Tariq Khdeir felt lucky on Sunday as he described his apparent beating by Israeli police earlier this month.
Three cousins arrested with the U.S. teenager during clashes in east Jerusalem are still in jail, while Khdeir is free to think about the start of a new school year and make plans to go fishing back home in a quiet, gated subdivision in Florida.
The bruises on his face that drew international media attention have largely faded, although he suffers painful headaches that have not yet been fully evaluated by doctors.
"I am not scared, but I am mad," the 15-year-old high school student told Reuters at his family's tidy town home in Tampa, where his honor roll certificate decorates the kitchen fridge.
"I just got a taste of it," he added. "There are still people back there going through worse than me."
The Maryland-born teenager was caught up in the escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence after his cousin, Mohammed Abu Khudair, 16, was abducted and killed in early July.
Khdeir said he was not participating in protests before his arrest. He had jumped a fence to avoid a police raid, but said he got caught and pinned down by Israeli police officers, who tied his hands and beat him until he was unconscious.
Khdeir awoke in a hospital, confused by the Hebrew spoken, and spent four days in an Israeli jail before being released under house arrest with the help of U.S. state officials.
His mother, Suha Khdeir, 36, said her Palestinian relatives could not understand why her son's story received so much attention, when it seemed to them such a common experience.
"I felt like I lost my freedom over there," she said, recalling explaining with embarrassment that her son was considered important because he was a U.S. citizen.
She has not yet been able to watch the full video of the teen, identified by relatives as Khdeir, being beaten. The tape helped to stoke the outcry over his treatment, which is under investigation by Israeli authorities.
Tariq Khdeir, who said he has watched the video many times, still wants to return to the region.
"I want to go back so bad," he said. "I miss everybody there."


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Super filmi week: Mera Wala Shah Rukh
From 'Mera Wala Shah Rukh' to Salman's Being Hygienic ways, my super filmi week has a lot on its mind. Monday My day begins on a bittersweet note. One of the worst feelings followed by one of the greatest reliefs … Continue reading
Posted in Columns & Reviews Tagged aditya pancholi, aditya roy kapoor, andaz apna apna, anjana safar, aziz mirza, bernardo bertolucci, biswajeet, BMC, disney, film, fyodor khitruk, juhi chawla, karan johar, katrina kaif, koffee with karan, last tango in paris, maria schneider, marlo brando, moana, parineeti chopra, raja nawathe, reema lagoo, rekha, russian, salman khan, shah rukh khan, short, soyuzmultfilm, yeh nazdeekiyan, yes boss 1 Comment


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Apple unveiled the iOS 5 platform and iCloud at WWDC last week and we thought it would be fun to show you how this thing looks on the iPad or iPad 2. With notifications, iMessage, a much-improved browser and more, the software may help the iPad stay ahead of the competition.
I have to warn you though, the iOS 5 SDK is definitely living up to its beta name, as there is general sluggishness throughout. It's not as bad as previous builds have been but it's definitely not as smooth or as polished as it will be when it hits the streets for consumers. Also, I'm using this on an original iPad, I'm sure the iPad 2's horsepower would make it shine.
I have an Apple iOS developer account, so I simply downloaded iTunes 10.5 beta and the iOS 5 beta for the iPad. There is an NDA but no one seems to be following it, so I guess I don't have to either. I had a hard time just downloading the software and updating, so I had to restore my iPad using the iOS 5 beta software. It worked well enough but having to restore took some extra time.
One of the coolest things about iOS 5 is that it removes the need to use iTunes to truly set up an iPad, as you're greeted with a live screen the first time you turn it on. You can then sign in with your Apple ID or not, and you can activate it over the air or plug it in with a cable to restore from your computer with existing content.
You have to slog through a few screens to connect it to WiFi and to enter your Apple iD information but you're then shown a little animation about iCloud and Find My iPad to toggle these on or off. Many of the cool features in iCloud won't be live until the Fall but I turned it on anyways.
The browser on the iPad is pretty darn good for casual browsing but it's a nightmare if you're actually trying to be productive with it. Hopping between tabs seems to take forever and I've relied on third-party solutions. With iOS 5, the Safari browser finally gets tabbed browsing and I love it. It appears to max out at nine tabs right now and that does push the limits of these increasingly-creaky iPad 1. You can also add stories to a reading list for later viewing but I don't quite find this as good as Instapaper just yet.
Overall, you're going to dig the new Safari browser. It's not a quantum leap in terms of performance but the usability improvements with the tabs and the enhanced keyboard should make a lot of people happy.
The iOS 5 software on the iPad lets you do more things with the virtual keyboard and this is small but much-needed improvement. You can now undock the keyboard from the bottom of the screen and you can enable a split keyboard which makes it much easier to do thumb typing. I've found this split keyboard works pretty well in both landscape and portrait mode but I still wish you could adjust the actual sizes of the keyboards like you can on the upcoming HP TouchPad.
The Newsstand app will now sit on your home page and this aggregates all the news and magazine apps into a single place. You can download new apps from a custom part of the App Store and this should be a solid way to keep track of your news apps. I'm not a huge news and magazine app guy, as I generally stick to the browser or Flipboard.
The Reminders app is trying to displace programs like Remember the Milk and it's not quite as polished as some of the third-party solutions but it's a decent way to keep track of things you need to do. It will stay in tune with your mobile versions via iCloud, so some of those proximity-based reminders may be more useful on an iPhone. Not super impressive but a neat little addition.
The iOS notification system has been reviled for a while now and the iOS 5 version on the iPad takes away the annoying pop-up menu in the middle of the screen whenever you get a new notification. You can now swipe down from the top to reveal your notifications. This works extremely well for the Mail app, as it's finally easy to get a quick glance at your inbox without having to launch the Mail app entirely.
I'm still a bit partial to how Android Honeycomb does notifications but iOS 5 on the iPad should make it a much better device for getting things done. I'll update this as I spend more time with it.
The Photo app has been redesigned and it looks gorgeous. It's easy to find your recent pictures and albums and the interface is great for the big screen of the iPad. Once the Photo Stream app is live via iCloud, this will be a very popular app for keeping track of your pictures. For now, it's just neat on the iPad but not a game changer. It's probably better with the iPad 2 and its cameras.
The iCloud features aren't really fully operational yet but it is a blast to open up the App Store and iTunes and see all the previously-purchased apps and music quickly available for re-downloads. Once this fully rolls out in the Fall with Documents in the Cloud, Photo Stream and more, I think it will actually be an extremely compelling feature for Apple tablet owners.
I'm still playing around with this, so I'll add some more things that I notice with iOS 5 on the iPad. Let me know if you're looking for anything in particular.


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[Editor's note: "Habitat loss has sent many bird species into decline across the United States." This chart  shows the percent change in bird population since 1968, by habitat. I like three things about this chart: (1) it uses direct labeling on the green and red lines thus making it easy to understand for all and allowing color blind viewers access to the encoded information (see post) and (2) the chart segments out important thematic subtrends in the dataset. Also (3) I worked on a bird migration supplement (wall) map for National Geographic in 2004 and Cornell Lab of Ornithology has some of the coolest time-based mapping techniques around. See original artwork from the North America side of the supplement now thru May at NG Explorers Hall in DC.]
Republished from The Washington Post.
Graphic by Patterson Clark. Â March 20, 2009.
SOURCE:Â www.stateofthebirds.org.
Related story by Juliet Eilperin.
Major Decline Found In Some Bird Groups
But Conservation Has Helped Others
Several major bird populations have plummeted over the past four decades across the United States as development transformed the nation's landscape, according to a comprehensive survey released yesterday by the Interior Department and outside experts, but conservation efforts have staved off potential extinctions of others.
"The State of the Birds" report, a broad analysis of data compiled from scientific and citizen surveys over 40 years, shows that some species have made significant gains even as others have suffered. Hunted waterfowl and iconic species such as the bald eagle have expanded in number, the report said, while populations of birds along the nation's coasts and in its arid areas and grasslands have declined sharply.
From the report: "Reveals troubling declines of bird populations during the past 40 years—a warning signal of the failing health of our ecosystems. At the same time, we see heartening evidence that strategic land management and conservation action can reverse declines of birds. This report calls attention to the collective efforts needed to protect nature's resources for the benefit of people and wildlife."
Continue reading at The Washington Post . . .


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Rick Warren: Pride Could Take Me Down
Though money and sex prove to be stumbling blocks for many high-profile leaders, that hasn't been the case for Pastor Rick Warren.
It's easy to give away money and he sets parameters so that he's never alone with a woman.
But pride is another thing.
"The problem has not been money, and the problem has not been sex. But the pride issue is so subtle," the Southern California pastor said in a recent interview with John Piper.
When Warren started Saddleback Church 30 years ago, he was determined not to be on the radio or television.
"I didn't want to be a celebrity. I think always being in the spotlight blinds you," he said.
But when his book, The Purpose Driven Life, unexpectedly became a monumental bestseller some 10 years ago, Warren inevitably gained the world's attention.
"I didn't ask for this notoriety," Warren said in the interview released Friday.
"And actually it scared me to death. It's quite a pain," he said plainly.
Tens of millions of dollars came in, enough to buy an island or a fleet of Bentleys, he illustrated.
"I could've bought an island and retired and have people serve me little glasses of ice tea with umbrellas," Warren said frankly.
Except there was one phrase he couldn't get out of his mind: "It's not about you."
Those are the very words he started his book with and that tens of millions of people have read.
"I had no idea how often I was going to be tested by that sentence," he told Piper honestly.
He was often tested nine to 10 times a day by it.
"I'll walk into a room and I'll go 'it's not about you;' I'll get praised and I'll go 'it's not about you;' and I'll get criticized and I'll say 'it's not about you.'"
The Saddleback pastor appealed to Piper and the rest of the public watching the interview to pray for him.
"I would rather stick a knife in my heart than dishonor the name of God," he said explicitly.
Giving away the money was easy, he stated. He added up the salary he received from the church for 25 years and gave it all back. He stopped taking a salary eight years ago and he and his wife, Kay, became reverse tithers. Today they give away 91 percent of their income and live on nine percent.
Warren and his wife still live in the house they have been living in for 19 years, Warren continues to drive his 11-year-old Ford and he wears a $17 watch from Wal-Mart.
"I don't really have big needs. I got a good pair of jeans and a t-shirt; I'm fine."
While money never proved to be a problem, Warren had one big dilemma: What do I do with this attention?
One way he's been leveraging it is by supporting the marginalized and speaking up for those who don't have influence around the world, through such initiatives as his PEACE Plan.
While going overseas for the past decade to villages where he is little known has been one way of dealing with the attention, he expressed that he continues to struggle today with the pride issue.
It's something Piper had also struggled with and even decided to take his first ever break from ministry last year. He said he saw "several species of pride" in him and felt the need to reexamine his soul. He took an eight-month leave from Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, his ministry Desiring God and all speaking and writing engagements.
Well aware of the dangers of pride himself, Warren pleaded to those watching the interview, "I covet your prayers because this thing could take me down."
Piper prayed for Warren at the end of the interview, asking God to guard Warren from pride, and to not let the "celebrity thing and influence thing" have a light that blinds their eyes but that only Christ would be their light.


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Tyler Perry started his career in what's known in the Black community as the chitlin circuit, and he's not ashamed of it.
During a recent appearance on "The Arsenio Hall Show," the millionaire filmmaker explained why he's proud of his urban theater roots.
"I was on the road from 1998 to 2004 during 300-and-something performances year all over the country," he said. "Before social media, I'm out at the end of my show saying, 'Sign up for my mailing list. Sign up for my website'… I had a few million people following me on my website so I could send out an email and sell out theaters and arenas all over before we even advertised anything. That's where it all started."
MUST READ: The Best Of Friends: Tyler Perry & Oprah Reveal How They Manage Business & Friendship
"It's been the people," he continued. "Let me say this about this chitlin circuit: a lot of times us as African-American people have evolved so much that we look down our nose at certain things. But what I found out about this circuit is it was so wonderful…They had made me so famous within my own culture that I couldn't walk down the street without being recognized. Get to Hollywood, nobody knows my name."
He went on to advise up-and-comers to never despise their beginnings.
"Do not despise where you come from because God will plant you somewhere where you can grow so strong and so tall. As long as you don't turn your back on who you are and where you come from, and you hold every closely to that, it will take you all the way to where you want to go," he said.
MUST READ: PM BUZZ: Amber Rose's Pics of Baby Bash, Tyler Perry's Cartoon & More…
Aside from his loyal African-American fan base, Perry said he come this far by faith.
"For me, the greatest gift my mother gave me is she taught me about the Lord. She gave me Jesus; she taught me about faith," he said. "My mother endured some crazy things but I always saw here go to church and I always saw her smile. So whatever I am going through, I know I owe it to her to always have that. When things are great I have that. When things are not so great I have it."
He added, "I attribute a lot of [my success] to going back to what my roots are and my faith."
Perry's latest film, A Madea Christmas, is in theaters this weekend!
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Deliver mail every other day
Count me as a fan of my local U.S. Postal Service workers. My mail carrier waves to me as if I were his neighbor and cares that I get my mail. The passport and package desk clerks are always pleasant, patient and efficient. I wish them well in their current job satisfaction and eventual retirement.
But, just like our predecessors ultimately decided the United States no longer needed the Pony Express, communications and banking technology has significantly reduced the need for daily mail delivery. Let's encourage the Postal Service to move to Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday delivery, which would allow them to dramatically reduce labor and delivery costs. It is time to concentrate on ways to make this work, instead of dwelling on all the reasons it cannot.
If we need speedier delivery, we can always opt for higher cost next-day service. We can debate union contract implications, draconian retirement funding requirements, entitlement check delivery timing, and the value of expensive television ads endlessly, but the survivability of the Postal Service depends on the application of practical business solutions sooner rather than later. This is not rocket science. Let's tell the Postal Service that every-other-day-delivery meets our needs.
Mike Renninger


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Can American Idol's Revamp Save It? 5 Reasons Why We're Optimistic About Season 13
All signs are pointing to American Idol Season 13 being a lucky one.
The landmark music competition show kicks off another season Wednesday (8/7c, Fox) and is hoping to distance itself from last year's disastrous circus that featured the excruciating weekly rivalry between former judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. Add to that series-low ratings for its forgettable finale, and it's clear that Idol needed to step back, take stock and make big changes.
Harsh troublemaker: The two sides of new Idol judge Harry Connick Jr.
Check out the five ways how American Idol is resetting its brand this season and why we're excited:
1. Judging panel upgrade: Let's be clear: Any panel will be an improvement over last year's train wreck. Fortunately, Keith Urban, the only bright light from Season 12, is back. Mainstay Randy Jackson will only return to the show in the capacity of mentor, which we hope will make him pick his words more thoughtfully and less sound-bite-y. Carey and Minaj are completely out, and returning to fill the diva position is Jennifer Lopez, whose judging style is kind, straightforward and peppered with her catchphrase, "goosies," which is at least innocuous. Rounding out the three-judge panel is jazz great Harry Connick, Jr., who promises to bring a frank honesty but also lighthearted energy to the show. Based on early screenings, this new combo really works -- from offering thoughtful critiques to bringing a fun, rollicking viewing experience.
2. A new boss: Fox fired longtime American Idol executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick and then hired Per Blankens, producer of the Swedish counterpart in addition to the Swedish versions of The Biggest Loser and MasterChef. Unlike American Idol's increasingly dismal numbers, Swedish Idol has been enjoying ratings success thanks to Blankens. Under his leadership, the show also proved to be popular with young viewers.
A Randy Jackson workshop and more changes coming to Idol Season 13
3. Keeping it young: One of the most welcome changes coming to Season 13 is the music choices offered to the contestants. This year, the selection of songs and themes will enjoy a makeover that will allow the wannabes to pick more contemporary tracks. Not only will this play more into their youthful strengths, but we hope that it will also do away with horrifying admissions like never having heard The Beatles' "Let It Be." Sigh.
4. Back to basics: Beginning with the tagline, "The search for a superstar," this season is putting the focus back on the contestants (what a concept!) and the original draw of the series: making dreams come true for the Average Joe/Jane. The audition episodes will also highlight the contestants more -- not only by giving more contestants screentime, but also magnifying the effects of their journey with "The Chamber," a phonebooth-sized holding room in which the wannabes collect themselves on camera before singing in front of the judges.
5. Streamlining: The best news we've learned is that Idol will cut back its results shows. Instead of the bloated mess of yesteryear -- full of unnecessary performances and Seacrest's agonizing attempts at drawing out the tension -- results shows will now only run 30 minutes instead of one hour. Buh-bye, filler! Similarly, the Rush Week round greatly abbreviates the time between Hollywood Week and the live shows.
Will these changes be enough for Idol to trade in its tired, punchline status to reclaim its former glory? Weigh in below.
American Idol XIII premieres on Wednesday and Thursday at 8/7c on Fox.
View original Can American Idol's Revamp Save It? 5 Reasons Why We're Optimistic About Season 13 at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com
- Harsh troublemaker: The two sides of new Idol judge Harry Connick Jr.
- A Randy Jackson workshop and more changes coming to Idol Season 13
Other Links From TVGuide.com


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Matthew 19:27-29 – We Have Left Everything for You!
|| Mark 10:28-30; Luke 18:28-30
MT19:27 Then Peter responded to Jesus, "Look! We [apostles] have left everything behind[1] and followed you! Truthfully, what will there be for us?"[2] MT19:28 But, Jesus told them, "I tell you [apostles] this truth: In the New Genesis[3] [Job 14:14 LXX] – when the Son of Humankind is gloriously enthroned [Daniel 7:13, 14] [for the Judgment][4] – those who have followed me[5] will also sit upon twelve thrones judging[6] the twelve tribes of Israel.[7] MT19:29 Everyone who leaves behind[8] houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields[9] because of my name[10] will receive many times more:[11] he will inherit everlasting life.[12]
[1] We [apostles] have left everything behind: Or, KJV: we have forsaken all; KNX: and what of us who have forsaken all; BECK: we gave up everything. We must ponder this emotional outburst by Peter as if he need assure his Master. Jesus had told the young rabbi to sell everything and give to the poor. Had Peter and the others actually done that? We know they "left" their fishing boats with family, but had they sold all? Note that after the death of Jesus the apostles have returned to their fishing business. Indeed, the Risen Lord must ask Peter what he loved most: Jesus or the fishing business (John 21:3-19). We may suspect Peter and the others had not done as Luke 12:32, 33 directed the "little flock." However, observe that in the Book of Acts all the disciples have sold everything as Jesus directed and then distributed to the needy (Acts 2-4).
[2] Truthfully, what will there be for us: Or, KNX: what is left for us; RIEU: what shall we get by that; WEY: what then shall be our reward; PME: what is that going to be worth to us. The idea is probably: "what will be our lot?"
[3] In the New Genesis: The Greek is PALIN(=again)GENESIA(=genesis). Or, KJV: regeneration; RSV: new world; KNX: new birth; RIEU: when the world is born anew; NEB: in the world that is to be; MON New Creation; WMS: new order of life; BER: new age; AMP: birth of the world. We know the Nazarene originally spoke these words in Hebrew (Aramaic) and Matthew later translated these words into Greek. In the Jewish Greek Septuagint of the second century BC a very similar phrase is found in Job 14:14, PALIN GENOMAI. This whole verse is rendered in Bagster's: "I will wait until I exist again." Translations based on the Hebrew text read: KJV: till my change come; NJB: for my relief to come; ASV: till my release should come. In this same context the root for the word "resurrection" also occurs: ANASTE ("rise again") and the root to "memorial tomb" (or, memorium) – MNEIAN ("remember me") (Job 14:12, 13). The context is surely that of the resurrection and the after-life. Based on this the "new genesis" may refer to the resurrection in general and specifically that time when Messiah and his associate judges (1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 20:4) judge all resurrected mankind (Revelation 20:5, 12-14; Acts 24:15). {the Lord's people judging the world + resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked + 1000 years}
A similar phrase occurs in Peter's writings: "Blessed be The God… who gave us a new genesis (ANA[=again]GENESAS[=genesis]) a living hope by means of the resurrection of Jesus." (1 Peter 1:3) Judging from 1 Peter 1:23 this seems limited to that "new birth" following the justification of the saint (James 1:18; John 3:3-5).
[4] When the Son of Humankind is gloriously enthroned [for the Judgment]: This is an interpretive paraphrase. Similar language occurs in Matthew 25:31 but there the King comes with his angels (and without his Saints), for this is the parousia-Judgment. Compare Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 4:17. We feel this phrase has a prophetic context related to the Thousand Years or thereafter (Revelation 20:4-6, 12-14; 1 Corinthians 6:2; Acts 17:31; Luke 22:30).
[5] Those who have followed me: Read and prayerfully meditate upon 1 Peter 2:21 and Revelation 14:4.
[6] Sit upon twelve thrones judging: Though there are more than twelve judges (1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 20:4) the Nazarene here concentrates on his "little flock" – his apostles (Luke 12:32). Note the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:12-14. There can be no question the original "twelve" (including Matthias) hold a paramount position in the Father's Kingdom.
[7] Twelve tribes of Israel: We feel this refers to the many millions of Israelites and Jews during: a) the Thousand Year judgment (Isaiah 65:17-23); and, b) the last judgment at the general resurrection of all humankind (Acts 17:31; 24:15; Isaiah 26:19 LXX; Revelation 20:5, 12-14; compare Romans 2:12-16; Hebrews 6:2; 9:27; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24).
[8] Everyone who leaves behind: Or, KJV: every one that hath forsaken; ASV: hath left. Jesus exemplified this and his apostles thereafter. Compare also Paul's example (Philippians 3:8, 13).
[9] Houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields: Mark 10:29 adds, "… houses… for the sake of the good news." Luke 18:29 adds, "… wife…" Luke 18:30 adds, "… get many times more in this period of time."
[10] Because of my name: We note this is the name of Jesus and not his Father, Yehowah.
[11] Will receive many times more: Or, KJV: receive an hundredfold; RIEU: shall be many times repaid; BER: shall be refunded a hundred times.
[12] Everlasting life: See notes else where on the phrase ageless life or everlasting life.
Matthew 19:1-2 – The Nazarene's Commentary: From Galilee to Judah
Matthew 19:3-9 – The Nazarene's Commentary: Grounds for Divorce
Matthew 19:3-9 – The Nazarene's Commentary: Grounds for Divorce – additional verses
Matthew 19:10-12 – The Nazarene's Commentary: Celibacy
Matthew 19:13-15 – The Nazarene's Commentary: Kingdom Belongs to Child-lik
Matthew 19:16-24 – The Nazarene's Commentary: Difficulty of Rich Entering the Kingdom
Matthew 19:25-26 – The Nazarene's Commentary: Who Can be Saved


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A malarial mosquito is a flying factory for Plasmodium – a parasite that fills its guts, and storms the blood of every person it bites. By hosting and spreading these parasites, mosquitoes kill 1.2 million people every year. But Plasmodium isn't the only thing living inside a mosquito's guts. Just as our bowels are home to trillions of bacteria, mosquitoes also carry their own microscopic menageries. Now, Sibao Wang from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has transformed one of these bacterial associates into the latest recruit in our war against malaria. By loading it with genes that destroy malarial parasites, Wang has turned the friend of our enemy into our friend. Many groups of scientists have tried to beat malaria by genetically modifying the species of mosquito that carries it - Anopheles gambiae. Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, who led Wang's new study, has been at the forefront of these efforts. In 2002, his team loaded mosquitoes with a modified gene so that their guts produce a substance that kills off Plasmodium. "The approach worked very well in the laboratory," says Jacobs-Lorena, but it would be impossible to load wild mosquitoes with the anti-malarial gene. Instead, you'd have to ensure that the modified mosquitoes could out-compete their wild peers, so that the gene passes from one generation to the next via natural breeding. It must also do so quickly before the parasite can evolve a countermeasure. That's very difficult to guarantee, especially given our limited understanding of the mating habits and ecology of mosquitoes. Jacobs-Lorena found an alternative. He would sneak the Plasmodium-killing gene into the bacteria that live inside a mosquito's guts, rather than the insect's own genome. "We thought that it would be easier to introduce bacteria than genes into mosquitoes in the field," he says. The strategy has one big advantage: the gut is the most vulnerable part of Plasmodium's complicated shape-shifting life cycle. When the mosquito bites an infected human, it sucks up thousands of Plasmodium sex cells, which mate with each other to form fertilised eggs called ookinetes. These invade the lining of the insect's gut and become factories called oocysts. Each one manufactures thousands of long, worm-like sporozoites that swim into the mosquito's salivary glands, ready to jump into a new person. The oocyst stage is the bottleneck in this process. Even if a mosquito swallows thousands of Plasmodium cells, it typically ends up with far fewer oocysts in its gut. In such small numbers, they make an attractive target, and it just so happens that the gut contains potential collaborators – bacteria. Pantoea agglomerans is among the most common of these partners. It's co-exists harmlessly with the mosquito and we still don't know what, if any, role it performs. Wang, a member of Jacobs-Lorena's team, engineered P.agglomerans to make several proteins that turn the mosquito's gut into a hostile zone for Plasmodium. Some of these proteins interact the mosquito's gut to prevent the young Plasmodium parasites from invading it, while others (including one derived from scorpion venom) tear the parasite apart. The bacteria secrete these weapons into the gut where they get to work upon any invading Plasmodium. It also helps that when a mosquito drinks blood, the numbers of P.agglomerans within it shoot up by over 100 times, creating a defence force that's ready for the incoming parasites. Wang found that the engineered bacteria slashed the numbers of oocysts in mosquitoes by 85 to 98 per cent. Just 14 to 18 per cent of the insects carrying the defensive microbes became infected with Plasmodium after drinking contaminated blood, down from a typical proportion of 90 per cent. Scott O'Neill, who is using bacteria to combat dengue fever, says that "results looks very encouraging", but he notes that the biggest stumbling block will be getting the bacteria into wild mosquitoes in sufficient numbers. Other scientists are trying to infect mosquitoes with killer fungi, and are running into the same problem. Jacobs-Lorena envisions that the bacteria could be loaded into sugar-soaked cotton balls and placed in baiting stations around villages in malaria territory. This would be simple and cheap. The mosquitoes would fly over, take a sip, and become loaded with anti-Plasmodium defences. Best of all, the approach should work on all mosquito species that can carry malaria - A.gambiae is the best-known of these, but dozens more are up to the task. Genetically modifying all of them would be impractical, but since P.agglomerans isn't fussy about its choice of hosts, it could provide a one-size-fits-all source of malaria-killing proteins. "A lot of work will have to be performed to make these sugar stations attractive enough," says Jason Rasgon from Pennsylvania State University, who has worked with Jacobs-Lorena before. "And will the bacteria remain viable in the field before they can be picked up by mosquitoes?" Jacobs-Lorena will try to answer these questions in "semi-field enclosures" – natural but enclosed greenhouses that mosquitoes can buzz around in. George Dimopoulos, who also works on mosquito control, thinks that there's another possible pitfall. The modified bacteria would have to spend valuable energy on producing the anti-Plasmodium molecules – energy that would normally go into their everyday activities. As such, they might be less competitive than normal bacteria. "Mosquitoes would therefore have to be continuously exposed to large numbers of these GM bacteria in the field, for the bacteria to stand any chance of becoming a major portion of the microbes that reside in the mosquito gut," he says. "It's easy to criticize, but I think this is a great proof –of-principle first step of this technique," says Rasgon. But the technical challenges are far from the most difficult ones that the team faces. Many people are deeply opposed to the use of genetic modification, and Dimopoulos notes that such antagonism is especially high in many African countries where malaria is endemic. Even if Jacobs-Lorena's bacteria are ready for use, it's likely that they'll face staunch opposition from local residents and environmental lobbyists. "We consider regulatory issues and population approval to be by far the biggest challenges that we will encounter," he says. "We have the advantage though, that unlike genetically modified foods, the aim here is to save lives." That may be little consolation. Scientists who are trying to use GM-mosquitoes to fight dengue fever in Brazil and the US have already encountered severe hostility. The bacterial approach might fare even worse. "It relies on a GM bacterium which can't be contained once released in mosquito populations, and will easily end up in the food chain and eventually also on peoples plates," says Dimopoulos. "While such bacteria may not pose a hazard to humans and animals, the work required to prove, educate and finally convince various stakeholders that the implementation is safe will be lengthy and challenging." Dimopoulos and others have identifiednaturally occurring bacteria that seem to bestow mosquitoes with the ability to block Plasmodium. "Malaria control based on such natural anti-parasitic microbes will likely be easier to gain peoples acceptance and thereby implementation," he says. Reference: Wang, Ghosh, Bongio, Stebbings, Lampe & Jacobs-Lorena. 2012. Fighting malaria with engineered symbiotic bacteria from vector mosquitoes. PNAS http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1204158109Image by Ute Frevert; false color by Margaret Shear More on malaria control:
Skin bacteria affect how attractive we smell to malarial mosquitoes
Buttery perfume deters mosquitoes by overloading their sense of smell
One parasite to rule them all – Wolbachia protects against mosquito-borne diseases
Genetically-modified mosquitoes fight malaria by outcompeting normal ones
Defeating dengue by releasing mosquitoes with virus-blocking bacteria


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Bicycling: Okay Tom, I'm just going to say it: Dude, you are cut!
Tom Boonen: Haha, yeah, I am really fit. I had a lot of time available and used it wisely. It was the first time in a couple of years that I had time to work on my overall fitness. I went to the gym three times a week for three months and healthwise everything went well.
You had a terrible season in 2013, filled with injury.
It was a nasty injury for a rider [the perineal cyst that ended his season]. The problem was that nobody saw it 'cause you are not just going to hang your balls out. It took eight weeks to really heal it and then I took an extra three weeks to make sure that it really healed because if it opened up again I would start all over.
All this happened after one of your best seasons ever, with wins in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. And while you were away, somebody else came into your garden to play, a certain Fabian Cancellara. Was that frustrating?
Well, it is not my garden. It's more like a playground where we go to play. But last year just went wrong from the start. I had a really good winter until I got sick in December with a sort of viral infection in the stomach. I think that ate away a little at my resistance and then in January I had a bacterial infection. I tried to get in shape for the early season, but I had already been off the bike twice for two weeks. Then I had the complication with my arm, so really I lost like two or three months. But I think if I hadn't crashed in Ghent-Wevelgem and Flanders, I would have been there in Paris-Roubaix, perhaps not to win, but I could have been there for a top-three finish or something. But that is life sometimes.
You've had to make a lot of comebacks in your career. I remember talking to you early in 2012 and you were like, "Yeah I got my mojo back. I'm not finished yet." And you weren't. But then instead of building on it in 2013 everything came crashing down again. It must get harder to do it each time, to summon the energy and desire to do all that work to try to climb back to the top.
Well I think it is the stuff that makes athletes quit. But I am actually surprised at my resistance. The trouble was that I really felt like I was going to have another great season. But it didn't happen that way and there just came a point where we decided it was best to forget about 2013 because it just isn't positive to be lining up for races when you don't have the condition. It's not good for the fans. And it is not good for your head. But at the end of the day I have to say that I'm one of the lucky ones. A career is always filled with highs and lows, but fortunately I've also had lots of highs. So I wasn't going to sit back and start crying.
You're sprinting well. You're even climbing well. Do feel like you are starting the season as strong as in your best years?
I wasn't sure about coming [to the Tour San Luis] since I hadn't raced for so long, but actually now after a few days of racing I am sure that I am more fit than I was in 2012 at this point. Now it is about timing, not overdoing it too early. But that is one of my specialties, so I am not worried at all.
Many of cycling's Monuments have gone through serious changes. First there was the Tour of Flanders and now this year's Milan-San Remo. Do you think the added climbs in San Remo will favor a rider like yourself?
No, I think it will be a little too hard. I'll be there as motivated as ever, but I know the new climb. I've done it in training. [The course] was already hard. I think it will be a different kind of rider that wins and a guy that weighs 80 kilos [176 pounds] will suffer.
What do you think of the new Tour of Flanders circuit?
It is hard to say, but fortunately I have won on both the old and the new courses. Right now, since it is new, I think a lot of riders are still scared of the final, but in a few years that will change and there will be other places where the race can happen.
Last year the Classics were dominated by longtime rival Fabian Cancellara and the still up-and-coming Peter Sagan. Who do you see as more dangerous today?
To be honest, during my entire career I have never focused on my rivals. I focused on the race. I try to ride my race and you deal with your main challengers in the final. I would never just focus on Cancellara and Sagan because there will always be others as well.
We are at an amazing time in the sport when two of the greatest Classics riders in the history of cycling—you and Cancellara—are at the top of their game. Do you and Fabian realize that you are writing some of the great pages in the chapter of Classics racing?
I do think about it now from time to time. But I think to fully understand it you have to stop and have the time to look at the complete page, the whole picture. But it is nice having somebody like Fabian. It motivates you. But I've been fortunate to come up with a great generation. And it continues with guys like Peter Sagan, who for me is the biggest talent I've seen since turning pro.
He is not exactly of your generation. He's still quite young.
He's not that young really. He's 24. I was world champion when I was 24. I was 24 when I won my first Flanders. But he looks like he is on schedule. He'll be there. He is an amazing guy. He wins easily. There are guys that are just dripping in talent that don't win that easily. For him, winning is just second nature. He has a good eye in the race. He keeps calm.
After a disastrous 2013 season, Boonen was already back on the podium with a 3rd-place finish on Stage 3 of January's Tour de San Luis. (James Startt)
You have taken the art of cobblestone riding to its highest level. Any pointers?
It is strange to say but I never train on cobbles and the whole secret of Paris-Roubaix is trying to avoid them. You spend all days trying to avoid them because the longer you can stay away from them, the longer you can save your energy. Paris-Roubaix is a crazy race, very surprising. It's not like in Flanders where you can judge your level of fatigue on each climb. In Roubaix you can be feeling great one minute and then all of a sudden be totally empty.
You know, Paris-Roubaix is the only race where you can simply drop somebody on the flats. It's just like all of a sudden the light goes out. All of a sudden you are riding on glue. That said, when you are on the cobbles you have to stay relaxed, stay on the back of the bike. When guys get tired they tend to move more forward, but having the weight on the front of the bike, that kills you. You have to keep the momentum going and let the bike find its way. I keep my hands really loose. It's kind of like riding a motorcycle.
And the Tour de France? It looked as though you closed the book on the Tour, but now you appear motivated to ride it again.
It's all about the objectives. A few years ago I was still going for the green jersey, but the team wasn't really set up for it anymore. It was tough. In 2007 I had one of the best teams ever for the sprints, but in years after that not so much so it was like going from a Ferrari back to a Fiat. Now though it is so much different. Now the team is the best I have ever seen and it would be stupid not to go to the Tour with a sprinter like Mark Cavendish because it is the biggest race of the year.
It's funny because Mark was my rival for a few years and now he is my teammate and now I like to work for him. I probably won't be the last guy on his sprint train but I can play a big role because I can move through the peloton easily and keep things together. So for me the Tour will be a very different approach, one without stress and that is a very big difference for me.
It is funny, when you are competing against someone you actually try not to get to know them, so when you all of a sudden start working with them on the same team it can be strange at first.
I will not lie, the first time Patrick Lefevere asked me about getting Mark on the team I said, "Ah, I have to think about it a little bit." But when I started thinking about it I realized it made sense. I know I'm not going to sprint for stage wins in big Tours anymore and I know how motivational it can be to get stage wins in the big races so it was really the best decision. I put my own ego aside a little and now we really like each other. We actually have a lot of things in common.
And how about your historic rival Cancellara, is he somebody you try not to get to know or do occasionally call or text over the holidays or when one is injured?
With Fabian it is different because we are the same age and we have been racing together at the highest level since we were 16, since we were juniors really. There is such a history between us. Mark, however, is younger and he started coming up when I was still really going for it in the sprints. But Fabian and I are different. As you know we have a good relationship. We've always had a lot of mutual respect for one another. There have been times when we called or texted each other regarding something, but I don't have his phone number right now because, well, I've lost my phone too many times! But on the bike there has always been a real sense of sportsmanship.
How good do you think Sagan can be?
I don't know. The talent is there, but there are other things like injuries and lifestyle. How do you handle injuries, for example, because every cyclist has to deal with them at some point. But to win the green jersey at 23 years old, well that is testament to his talent. He has a really good team that believes in him and he handles it well with a sort of natural flair that is really rare for someone his age. Most of the young guys, even if they had his talent, are not that mature as a bike racer. But he has everything needed to be one of the greats.
You could once again write history this year becoming the first four-time winner of the Tour of Flanders or the first five-time winner of Paris-Roubaix. Do such numbers weigh on you or motivate you?
I know that. Of course I have won Paris-Roubaix four times and I want to win it again, so I have to win it five times. But I try to keep that part of winning out of my mind because that sort of approach just makes it bigger than it already is. Paris-Roubaix is already big enough.
You've won some of the greatest race. You've won them with big solo attacks and you've won them in the final sprint. Do you have a preferred style of winning?
No. Winning is winning!
After two seasons without the Tour de France, Boonen could return this year to support his teammates. (James Startt)


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While 2010 certainly has been an interesting year in reading for me, I have to confess it took me a long time to pull up a list of my five favorite reads of the year. I completely blame myself, as I haven't been all that great at actually reading the types of things I knew would generate a lot of excitement in me. I think my reading has been a little too prescribed at times and in order to avoid this in the upcoming year, I'm going to try to read more of the things that I am excited over and more of what you guys have been raving over. Too often I read multiple raving reviews of a book, add it to my wish list and purchase it, only to let it languish on my shelf for months on end. So this year, I'm going to be doing more reading that's directed by my fellow bloggers, and also reading more classics, in addition to reading some of the great shelf-lingerers that I've put off for too long! Okay, enough with the ranting about how this year was stinky and on to my top five reads of the year. These were all books I was enthralled with for various reasons, and all books that are going to be added to the keeper shelf. They are all very different types of books, but they had that ephemeral spark that kept me reading late into the night, avidly flipping the pages.
|Total number of books read:
|Total Number of pages read:
|Male Authors:
|Female Authors:
|Room by Emma Donoghue
This wickedly haunting story about five year old Jack and his mother, who are being held prisoner in a tiny shed, not only blew my socks off, it really got me to thinking about the ways in which children come to know and relate to the world around them. Aside from being a really good mother, I can't imagine the amount of patience that Jack's mother must have had to be constantly surrounded by a wiggly five year old. I know this book is probably on everyone else's best-of list as well, but if you haven't read it, do yourself a favor and curl up with this amazing tale in 2011. You won't be sorry you did!
|The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
The story of an overwhelmed polygamist who has a handful of wives and a hoard of children, The Lonely Polygamist is a book that is so ridiculously funny that I had strangers looking at me like I was crazy when I was reading and laughing in public. It's also a very sad and cautionary tale that can really wring the tears out of you. I relished the time I got to spend with Golden and his family, and though this book was a doorstop, I would not have cut one single word. It's that good folks. One of the most humble and fantastic reads I've had in a long time.
|The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
This epic saga of the inhabitants of Al-Rassan and the war that's destroying it was my first experience with Guy Gavriel Kay, and it won't be my last! Grand in scope, the characters and plot were so tightly developed and entwined that I couldn't for the life of me put it down. This was also the first time I'd ever read epic historical fantasy, and I found that not only did I love it, but that I appreciated all its nuances as well. A great book to take a chance on and get caught up in.
|The Tiger by John Valliant
The only non-fiction read to make it on my list, The Tiger is a pulse-pounding and terrifying read that not only dealt with an insanely vengeful tiger, but the people of the Russian hinterlands and the ways they survive despite the odds. While I was reading this book I had chills up and down my spine and not only did I have to put the book away at nighttime, but I had some pretty dire nightmares about this particular tiger as well. A chilling and sometimes gruesome read that you won't be able to put down.
|The Third Policeman by Flan O'Brien
This book (review to come soon) was probably the weirdest thing I've read in the past five years, and for that alone, it stood out above the pack. In a truly absurd world, a man goes on a quest for fortune only to discover that the world he lives in is not what it seems. It was surreal, comic and absurd, and it had the most strangely interesting subplot I've ever come across. Who would have known? Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. The story alone is worth its admission price.
So that's it! Though there were other books I considered for this list, these were the cream of the crop and each spoke to a different part of me. Though I wouldn't say that this was my best year of reading, there were surely some gems mixed in the bunch!
To all my blogging buddies, I wish you a very Happy New Year and hope that all your celebrations are crazy fun and safe. I look forward to going into the new year with you all and to reading all you have to share about the books you are reading. You all make all this worthwhile.