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Some Canadian athletes have already begun to compete for gold in South Korea, but for many fans around the world, Friday's opening ceremony was the official introduction for the next 21 days of Olympic Winter Games.
The two-hour ceremony was an early one for Canadians: beginning at about 3 a.m. PT.
PyeongChang 2018: Check out Black Press Media's full olympic coverage here
The ceremony's theme was peace and harmony, and symbolic figures were carried across the stadium floor, including a White Tiger – one of the guardians representing trust and strength in Korean culture, as well as the South Korean flag, which represents the balance of yin and yang.
To finish off, Yuna Kim, the South Korean figure skater who won gold at Vancouver 2010 and silver at Sochi 2014, lit the Olympic cauldron.


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Okay, so I'll be the first to admit that I was a little high on the GNR juice (and maybe a few other things) when I wrote this.
It's a review of the "Chinese Democracy World Tour" that hit the Tacoma Dome in 2002 that I wrote for the UW Daily while in college. It is one of my earliest concert reviews and I almost stand by everything I said six years ago when it was written.
I will say that Axl Rose is possibly the best rock frontman I have ever seen perform. He put on an amazing show six years ago and to this day it is still in my top 10 favorite shows I have seen (and I've seen hundreds of shows throughout my career as a music critic). Here's what college me had to say about the show (from the UW Daily archives):
Welcome back to the jungle: Axl Rose returns
By Travis Hay
November 14, 2002
In its first North American tour in nine years, estranged metal rockers Guns N' Roses rocked the Tacoma Dome last Friday with an explosive performance in front of thousands of eager fans.
However, the night's festivities were not intended to begin the tour. The Nov. 8 Tacoma show was originally scheduled to be the group's second show on the tour, but the first show never happened.
In typical Axl Rose style, the tour's first show scheduled for the night before in Vancouver, B.C., got cancelled after event promoters said Rose was a no-show. The cancellation led to rioting concertgoers, the second Canadian riot caused by the band in a decade, making the Tacoma show the impromptu first performance of the North American tour.
During the band's near decade-long hiatus, Rose rebuilt Guns N' Roses from scratch, creating another rock tour de force, making the band bigger, louder and more powerful. After Rose felt comfortable with his creation, the band resurfaced for its first major public appearance earlier this year at the MTV Video Music Awards. There, the transfigured GN'R played a well-received three-song set. This resurrection of a rock n' roll giant set the stage for what possibly was the biggest night in Tacoma Dome history. After a 45-minute wait between opening acts, Guns N' Roses took the stage with a powerful, energy-filled version of "Welcome to the Jungle." The crowd, filled with the usual suspects — women in fishnet stockings with bangs teased high as heaven, and guys with mullets wearing wifebeaters and torn acid-washed jeans — roared with approval.
The band kept the classics coming, with a crowd-pleasing set list filled with GN'R staples like: "It's So Easy," "Live and Let Die," "Mr. Brownstone," "My Michelle," "Sweet Child O' Mine," "You Could Be Mine, "November Rain," "Nightrain," "Rocket Queen" and others filling out the performance.
Three new songs appeared in the middle of the two-and-a-half hour set, including "Madagascar," "Rhiad" and "Chinese Democracy," the latter of the three being the loudest and heaviest song, definitely reminiscent of material from 1987's Appetite For Destruction. "Madagascar," is a softer, more harmonious ballad, which brought out the lighters in force. All three songs show great potential for the highly anticipated Chinese Democracy, expected to be released sometime early next year.
In his return to the stage, Rose brought seven band mates to fill the shoes of his old Guns buddies. He hand-picked a cast of musicians with varying musical experiences to form a lineup that includes Richard Fortus, Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails) and Buckethead on guitars, Tommy Stinson (the Replacements) on bass, Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman playing keyboards, and Brian Mantia (Primus) drumming.
This method of addition by subtraction, replacing the four original members with seven new ones, worked out masterfully in Rose's favor, matching, if not bettering, the technical prowess the old lineup was famous for.
The three guitarists did their best to make fans forget about ex-guitarist Slash's sonic brilliance, nailing their solos perfectly while adding their own touches in the process.
However, the show didn't go off without its share of glitches. Microphone feedback issues plagued what would have otherwise been a perfect start to a welcome-back tour. After the show, a spokesperson from the band's management group said Rose blew out his vocal cords during the performance trying to compensate for the mic difficulties. However, the blown vocal cords were not apparent in the set, as he bellowed, screeched and wailed lyrics in his famous high-pitched, screaming-banshee style.
Perhaps the most surprising part of the evening wasn't that Rose showed up, or that the new band almost sounded better than the classic lineup, the most surprising aspect of the night was the crowd. Rose's new band's coming-out party took place before a sparsely filled T-Dome crowd of slightly more than 6,000.
While GN'R's glory days are long past and primadonna antics were at a minimum in Tacoma, the triumphant return of one of rock's original bad boys coupled with rioting Canadians proves one thing: It's Axl's jungle, we just live in it.

subset: commoncrawl


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Andy G: Our blog subheading reads:
"Commentary on the Minnesota Timberwolves and the National Basketball Association." We've been better about the former than the latter. Most of our readers are Wolves fans, so it makes sense. But we'd like to branch out just a little bit. Patrick J is moving his self to Pittsburgh in a couple weeks. While The Steel City has no pro hoops, it is driving distance from QUICKEN LOANS ARENA. (Eds. Note: Pittsburgh was home to one of the best basketball movies of all time.) In Case You Missed It, that's where Kyrie Lee Irving plays. With this in mind, we thought it'd be fun to expand our coverage — however informally — on a selective basis to include cool and/or interesting players around the league. We'll call it…
What will we call it?
Patrick J: Something like Punch-Drunk Select Team (PDW ASSAULT? Too soon?). Gives that shady AAU exploitation feel to it while retaining NBA coverage of players we're interested in watching anyway. (LEAGUE PASS ALERT!)
Andy G: I like it. PDW ASSAULT will be a short list of players around the league that we'll focus extra league-pass attention to, and blog about at least semi-regularly. For good measure we'll add a "PDW ASSAULT" link to the Categories sidebar, for organization.
Without further ado, here's your 2013-14 PDW ASSAULT roster:


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Hildegard of Bingen, Saint
Hildegard of Bingen, Saint hĭl´dəgärth˝, bĭng´ən [key], 1098–1179, German nun, mystic, composer, writer, and cultural figure, Doctor of the Church, known as the Sibyl of the Rhine. An aristocrat educated in a Benedictine convent, she began experiencing mystical visions as a child. Entering religious life c.1116, she became an abbess in 1136 and founded her own convent at Rupertsberg near Bingen c.1147. Mystical and worldly, she was deeply immersed in religious life yet also involved in political and cultural affairs, maintaining a lively and wide-ranging correspondence. Her theological magnum opus, Scivias (c.1151), contains 26 visions. Today she is best known for her richly lyrical liturgical poetry set to her own innovative monophonic chants, composed mainly in the 1140s and collected in the 1150s. She also wrote a medical encyclopedia, scientific treatises, works of natural history, lives of saints, and other works. Although she was never formally canonized, she has long been venerated, and this was officially recognized by Benedict XVI before he declared her a Doctor of the Church in 2012. Her feast day is celebrated on Sept. 17.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Saints


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Penang Malaysia was one of those places that I constantly heard good things about, but never had made it to. But this year, I set my jets to see it. I planned months in advance to get a good ticket price and timed my hotel reservations, too. I'm so glad that I did. Penang is worth it.
Day One:
We arrived in the afternoon and soon after checking in, we went in search of a money exchanger and food! Malaysia is well-known for its amazing food due to the mix of Indian, Chinese and Malay cultures. Luckily, we stumbled into MonaLiza and had excellent curry. Malay curry is different from Indian or Thai curry, but I'm no curry expert. It tasted though distinctively different and it was so good. In fact, we stuffed ourselves silly and that would be the theme for the rest of the trip.
Then we discovered the Komtar mall complex (3 malls, anyone?), and I have to warn you that we spent a lot of time there. Siem Reap, where we live, is seriously lacking in glorious Asian shopping malls. In America, malls are considered dead, but in Asia, they are free air con paradises, entertaining places to shop, eat, do stuff like laser tag or ice skating, catch a movie, and basically have a nice time.
And part of the reason why I planned this trip was to do some basic clothes shopping. I was a woman on a mission.
Day Two:
I was eager to see the street art since that is what Georgetown seems to be best known for, after the food. We headed in the direction of where most of the art seems to be concentrated and enjoyed the historical aspect of the city.
It was a pleasure to see old and new mixed together, and the best of development working together especially for a SE Asian country. We were so enamored with this that the bf wrote about it here.
After a cheap snack, we strolled around Cheah Kongsi, one of the oldest clan temples in Georgetown.
And at the recommendation of our guesthouse, we went to the fancy new Gurney Mall via bus, where I started to shut down from lack of food. One of the things I hate about travel is figuring out where to eat, what to eat and eating at strange times. Now, Georgetown was a delight in this respect, but trial and error on holiday kind of sucks because you want everything to be perfect, right?
Day Three:
We decided that the hotel breakfast was pale and tasteless in comparison to all the incredible food that's in Georgetown so we wandered just a bit to find a hoppin' dim sum place.
Fortified, we then hit the beach! The bf wanted to check it out so we hopped on a bus to Batu Ferringhi. Apparently, it's better at night with their street market, but I've seen enough street markets to last me for the rest of my life, thank you. Oh, get off at the Holiday Inn because that's basically the beginning of it and if you aren't careful, you'll miss this little town completely. We got off at the last stop only because we asked the driver and then walked back.
About half of our walk was on the beach, collecting shells, taking pictures and just enjoying a quiet beach experience which neither of us has had in a long time.
The other half was walking down the main road which wasn't exciting except for the art gallery where we found a wonderful buffalo print which we promptly bought for $10.
The day ended with high end Indian food that was – pretty damn tasty. (*Sorry, no picture, I scarfed it down too quickly.)
Day Four:
On the 4th day we wanted to see this Indian temple on the map and the clock tower near the water. It was a day of more walking, sightseeing and exploring areas of the city we had not seen.
We then spent the afternoon back at our favorite mall, going back to the things we had seen that we wanted. Which was interesting because the things we were initially crazy about were not so interesting anymore. Really, there is such a thin line between snagging something because you'll never see it again, and taking your time to see if it's something you truly want and need.
Day Five:
We were getting close to ending our beautiful vacation, so we decided to write a list of all the things we wanted to do and assess what was doable, especially since we wanted to avoid the weekend crowds. There really is so much to explore and see and we didn't come close to seeing it all, but that's okay.
With that in mind, we went to check out the 'must see' Kek Lok Si Temple which boasts being the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.
The bus ride there was easy peasy, finding the bus back, however, was a hot endeavor. Thankfully, everyone is helpful and nice and we avoided a meltdown in the middle of our travels. Actually, it was a little tricky finding the entrance to the damn place, too.
I suppose the problem is you are dropped off in the middle of a busy street filled with shops and street vendors. We turned right, the direction of the temple, but then ended up, oddly enough, going through a neighborhood and people's yards (so to speak) before finding this hidden entrance which led you to the temple.
The complex is also filled with hawkers and stalls trying to sell you clothes, food and trinkets. If you're not to use to this, it seems bizarre, maybe even disrespectful, but it just seemed so – Asian. The various religious 'areas' were interesting though. It's very colorful. A little confusing and hot and crowded, but all in all, an alright trip. We probably should have explored the food stalls in town, but by the time we went up the tram to the top and climbed a gazillion stairs, we were ready to be in the blasting cool air of the bus and sit down.
I know, we're such old hens, aren't we?
The evening was rounded out by two dinners. One as soon as we got back from the temple at Food Architect since it was obviously trendy with young Malays, we were curious. And then later at Kapitan for Indian food.
At Kapitan, my meal was fantastic, like off the charts good, but my bf's food arrived much later than mine. It was disappointing because I saw all the plates piled up and ready at the window to be delivered for about 15 minutes. So, the service sucked. Yes, it was busy. Everybody ate with their right hand. How they do it, I'll never know.
Little India is fun to walk through at night. We loved the music playing and feeling like we were in India!
Day Six:
Luckily, we ditched the expensive coffee place we had been going to, and discovered Trois Canon Café, a Hong Kong style eatery with amazing fried noodles, bagels, coffee and tea. We ate there the next day as well. I miss the Indian food and this place, the mostest.
Next up was the Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately, we spent a long time waiting for the #10 because we didn't know how often it ran (every hour). And on the way back, we had to wait again, but at least the driver dropped us off at this little shopping area so we got ice cream and chillaxed. I think because these delays happened at the end of our trip, it helped me to be perfectly okay with it. I don't know. Maybe this is part of travel and just going with the flow.
The gardens are free! And truly a joy to walk around. I really love parks and green public spaces.
On the way back, we walked through the mall, but really we were thinking of those lovely massage chairs you put money in, and wanted to get our cheap massage. After a shower at the hotel, we were out again, trying to find dinner. Monday was a deadly day, as was the hour, 5pm. Most places were closed. But since the city is quite compact, we found "Beans Heritage" off of the Armenian Hotel and I had the cheesy rice curry which was yummy and it has inspired me to try to make it at home.
Day Seven:
For our last day in Penang, we decided to try to see any more street art that we had missed and check out the famous clan jetties. The Chinese clan jetties are neighborhoods on the water, but are some of the oldest settlements on the island that date back to the 19th century and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We tried to go to the pier, but it was closed. Then we walked over to this aquarium that we had found online, but disappointedly learned that it had been closed for several months. But we made the best of the situation by walking around and enjoying new sights, and getting our hands and mouths on more food.
We miss you Penang!
- Call your hotel/guesthouse to confirm airport pickup. Do not trust email or their Internet forms.
- Get to know the bus system (Rapid Penang). It's easy to use and you can see most major sights for $1 or less (round trip).
- Bring good walking shoes. Georgetown is truly a walk-friendly place.
- Pack an empty water bottle. At the airport, it was difficult to buy water and Air Asia no longer provides water free of charge. However, you can find drinking faucets in the airport to fill up your bottle.
- Georgetown is also environmentally conscience and will not provide plastic bags for purchases (unless you are in the mall), so bring a tote for such purposes.
- Street vendors do not come out until the evening and most restaurants close down between 2-5pm.
- Malaysia loves to blast their air con on icy. No, I mean, they love it cold. You might want to bring a jacket.
Have you been to Penang? What are your tips?


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Group: Police shooting of Utah boy shows mental-crisis gaps
A police shooting that wounded a 13-year-old autistic boy in Salt Lake City is revealing shortfalls in the way officers respond to a mental health crisis, an advocacy group said Wednesday, a part of policing that's facing renewed scrutiny during nationwide protests over brutality by law enforcement.
Similar questions are being raised in Rochester, New York, following the death of a Black man whose brother called police about his unusual behavior shortly after a mental health evaluation. It comes as demonstrators have urged cities to "defund the police" and shift money to social services instead.
In Utah, the boy survived with serious injuries. He appears to be white based on a photo posted online by his mother, although police have not provided his race. His mother, Golda Barton, has said she called 911 on Friday night because he was having a breakdown and she needed help from a crisis-intervention officer.
The Salt Lake City officers who came were not specialists in crisis intervention but had some mental health training, and they ended up shooting the boy as he ran away because they believed he made threats involving a weapon, authorities said.
An officer trained in crisis response would have handled the situation differently, focusing on deescalation and avoiding shouting or using sirens, which can be disorienting, said Sherri Wittwer, board president of CIT Utah, a nonprofit that provides crisis intervention training for law enforcement.
"Someone who's in a mental health crisis ... may have different behaviors," Wittwer said. "And that's why we need to have officers who understand the different ways that can look."
Some police departments even undergo training specifically on communicating with people with autism, a developmental disorder that can involve varying degrees of language and social impairment.
The Salt Lake Police Department has about three officers who are crisis-intervention specialists, but they don't respond to every call involving mental health issues, said Detective Michael Ruff, a department spokesman. He stood by the department's model, which includes giving every new recruit 40 hours of crisis-intervention training at its police academy.
"We're very comfortable with the program we used and with the individuals who are teaching it," he said. "There's more than one way to be CIT trained."
Ruff declined to say what tactics the officers used to deescalate the situation before shooting the boy. The department says it will cooperate with multiple investigations.
But for Wittwer, the case is an example of why the state needs a unified, consistent program. In 2016, Salt Lake City police opted out of the training her group provides.
"When people call for an officer, they're in their most vulnerable state, and they need to have trust in who will be coming to their door," she said.
The officers' names, body-camera video and 911 call records have not been released.
The boy's mother, meanwhile, told Salt Lake City's KUTV that she informed police her son has autism, was unarmed and did not know how to regulate his behavior.
Barton hoped they would help deescalate the situation and calm him down. Instead, two officers who entered her home told her son to "get down on the ground" and shot him.
"He's a small child," Barton told the TV station. "Why didn't you just tackle him? He's a baby. He has mental issues."
Eppolito is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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The Story of Cigar Aficionado
By 3 p.m. on May 19, 1993, the line to enter the first Big Smoke snaked around the circular elevator bank that soared from the street level to the eighth-floor lobby of New York's Marriott Marquis hotel. Men in jeans and polo shirts, some in suits fresh from a day at the office and even a couple of gentlemen in tuxedos waited patiently for the event that wasn't scheduled to start until 4:30 p.m. in the sixth-floor Grand Ballroom. Cigar smoke wafted up to the lobby atrium of the hotel, and all the way up to the more than 40 stories of rooms.
When the doors finally opened, more than 500 people were waiting to get in, and they dashed inside like an urban version of the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893. Aisles crisscrossed the large ballroom, the tables were separated by cloth partitions with simple white signs that announced which cigars were there. And within minutes the floor was packed with cigar lovers who were pressed together shoulder to shoulder, all reaching for the samples.
Such cigars as Arturo Fuente, Ashton, Fonseca, H. Upmann, La Aurora, Macanudo, Don Tomás, Zino and Te-Amo were just a few of the 17 brands being handed out. Absolut, Bacardi, Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell and Rémy Martin, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet and 15 other liquor brands were poured. High-end luxury booths included Asprey, Breitling, Cartier, Harry Winston, Louis Vuitton and Mont Blanc. On the sides of the room, restaurants like Montrachet, 21 Club, The Four Seasons, Remi and San Domenico prepared gourmet dishes for the hungry revelers.
The crowd of 1,500 overwhelmed everyone. At the end of the night, there were no more cigars, there was no more food and the liquor guys were rolling their eyes at how many bottles had been consumed.
Simply put, it was one of the greatest adult parties that New York City had ever seen. And that wasn't even the real story. The real story was the realization that Cigar Aficionado magazine had struck a nerve with cigar lovers, and that the crowd proved there was more than just a new magazine on newsstands, but a trigger for a cultural phenomenon almost without precedent in America.
But the saga that was to become Cigar Aficionado began in earnest when Marvin R. Shanken, the chairman of M. Shanken Communications, returned from a pilgrimage to Cuba in October 1991 with an idea: a cigar magazine. Defying all protests that it was a bad idea, he charged his art department and editorial team to come up with a design and an editorial plan. By early summer of 1992, the design was ready and the first copies arrived in the offices around the beginning of August. They were kept under tight wrap before the first unveiling at the Retail Tobacco Dealers Association convention in Chicago. The question remained: Did any one want a cigar magazine?
By the looks of the RTDA show floor, any serious observer would have said, "probably not." At best, the mood at the convention was desultory. And, that's being generous. The cigar industry had been suffering through at least two decades of steady decline in sales, even though in 1991 there had been a small uptick in units sold. Even with that news, there was no positive vibe. Families with generations of history in cigarmaking were encouraging their next generation to become doctors or lawyers.
The convention's location, at least four floors down in the lowest basement level of the Chicago Grand Hyatt, only highlighted how far the industry had fallen. The booths were basic aluminum-pole frames hung with simple curtains; the fanciest had some shelves to display the various brands owned by each company. At least as many booths sold trinkets, chess sets and ashtrays as those that offered cigars; and each non-cigar booth shouted out the idea that a tobacconist needed to have an inventory beyond just cigars to survive.
"There was some new optimism because of some small sales increases," remembers Richard DiMeola, who ran Consolidated Cigar's premium cigar business. "But the magazine started some real buzz at the convention."
George Brightman, who had joined Cigar Aficionado in June 1992 after nearly 20 years in the retail tobacco business, recalls that his former industry colleagues, "looked at us like we were out of out minds." He described one industry big shot, Danny Blumenthal, taking Shanken by the arm and saying, "You do an interview with me, with Frank Llaneza [his partner at Villazon] and Lew Rothman [a big catalog retailer], and you're done. Three issues. Then what are you going to write about?"
Two weeks later, Cigar Aficionado held its official launch party at the St. Regis rooftop in New York City. The guests included nearly every top person in the cigar business, including Zino Davidoff, the legendary owner of the Swiss-based brand. Philippine de Rothschild, of the winery Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, was present, too, and was given the first, and only, Cigar Aficionado Man of the Year award. Beyond from the festivities, the black-tie event signaled that there was a new luxury lifestyle magazine that wasn't going away.
From the beginning, Cigar Aficionado defied its critics. The first issue was mailed to more than 100,000 people. It had articles on Dominican Republic and Cuban cigars, a tasting of robusto-sized cigars, a profile on Gregory Hines, a wonderful essay by award-winning journalist Gay Talese entitled "Walking my Cigar," and articles on gambling, Port, Lalique glass and a back-page feature dubbed Great Moments that had White House press secretary Pierre Salinger writing about his assignment to buy 1,000 H. Upmann Cuban cigars the night before President John F. Kennedy signed the Cuban Trade Embargo into law.
The articles established what would be an almost standard mix of cigar-related articles, with stories about things that would interest an affluent cigar smoker. The first editor's letter stated it best: "Cigar Aficionado is about taste. But it is not limited to the taste of a great smoke. This magazine intends to awaken and explore many of the pleasures that drive successful men … we do dream about creating a very special magazine for the individual who wants the very most out of life."
The magazine focused as much on cigar lifestyle topics, as it did on cigars. From the beginning, only about one-third of the content was directly related to cigars. The covers, in an attempt to differentiate the magazine on newsstands, had still life photos of cigars and cigar accessories, or artistic renditions of such storied cigar smokers as Groucho Marx.
In the spring 1994 issue, the decision was made to put a living cigar-smoking celebrity on the cover: Rush Limbaugh. That issue sold nearly 60 percent of the copies that had been sent to newsstands when a solid industry benchmark—the so-called "sell-through" rate—was about 35 percent. Up to that point, the magazine's sell-through rate had languished in the 25 percent range.
The President Fidel Castro cover on the Summer 1994 issue marked the beginning of a real sea change in Cigar Aficionado's history. First of all, it highlighted how bipartisan the magazine was by putting one of the world's last remaining communist dictators on the cover immediately following one of America's most renowned conservative pundits. More importantly, the Castro interview, conducted by Shanken, created a wave of publicity with literally hundreds and hundreds of stories in newspapers and magazines covering virtually every country.
Those first two celebrity covers also marked the beginning of an incredible string of covers: Bill Cosby, who let the camera lens click 11 times and said, "you got it" before walking off the set; George Burns, in the last big interview he gave before suffering a stroke; Ron Perelman, the infamous corporate raider; and then Jack Nicholson, looking the part of the devilish cigar-smoking rogue.
The magazine's circulation boomed during that same period. The first official ABC audit occurred with the Spring 1995 issue, and was reported at 167,560. By the Fall issue, it had risen to 193,495, and with the Nicholson cover (Winter 1995), Cigar Aficionado rocketed past 200,000 circulation to 241,301. A year later, for the Winter 1996 issue, with Danny DeVito on the cover, the audited circulation was 413,000, and the newsstand sales reached 220,000, an extraordinary newsstand performance for any magazine, let alone a fledgling, niche publication about cigars.
More impressive, was the outpouring of advertiser support for Cigar Aficionado. The DeVito issue hit 544 pages, the largest issue to that point. In part because such big issues were unwieldy, Shanken declared that the magazine would switch from a quarterly publication schedule to a bimonthly frequency. But that didn't slow down the boom in 1997, as the magazine's ad revenues continued growing while circulation remained relatively steady. The November/December issue, with Pierce Brosnan on the cover, topped out at 586 pages, the largest issue in the magazine's history.
By any reasonable assessment, the 1995-1997 period was extraordinary, both for the magazine and for the cigar industry. One of the highlights in those years was Shanken's purchase of the JFK Humidor at the Jackie Onassis estate auction at Sotheby's in New York. The magazine's editors joked that before the purchase, people's reaction upon hearing the title Cigar Aficionado, "Cigar, Fish and Auto, what's that about?" had quickly changed to, "Oh, the magazine from the guy who bought the humidor." The event also triggered another wave of incredible publicity, garnering mention in everything from Time and Newsweek and the New York Times to virtually every major publication in every country on the planet.
The cigar phenomenon, or "fad" as it was called, defied explanation. In 1996, the Big Smoke schedule included six different cities including Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, New York, Las Vegas and San Francisco. Each one drew at least a thousand people, and the first Big Smoke Weekend in Las Vegas attracted more than 3,000 people. People in other cities clamored for a hometown event, and at every city in which one was held, people traveled from nearby states just to take part.
Cigar bars sprang up in every major city. In New York, almost overnight it seemed as if there were dozens of places to smoke. What amounted to a classified ad section at no-charge in Cigar Aficionado for cigar dinners listed hundreds around the country every issue.
The magazine also began to hold charity dinners, such as the Night to Remember that became one of the biggest fundraising events for CapCure (now called the Prostate Cancer Foundation). In 1994, the Dinner of the Century was held first in Paris, as a charity event for Cuban Medical Relief, and then in London the following year.
The cigar business was booming right along with the magazine. The annual imports of cigars, which had remained at about 100 million units a year through much of the 1980s, finished 1993 with a 9.7 percent increase to 117.8 million units and 1994 with a 12.4 percent increase to about 132 million units. Then, the craziness began in earnest. Annual increases of 33.2 percent, 66.7 percent and 42.3 percent in 1995, 1996 and 1997, brought the imports to a total of nearly 418 million cigars. Those increases created distortions at nearly every level of the industry.
"We were competing for everything," says Manuel Quesada, the owner of SAG Imports based in the Dominican Republic and the producer of Fonseca and Casa Magna cigars. "Wood for boxes, tobacco, rollers. Everything." He recalls that tobacco was planted and cultivated in places in the Dominican Republic that had never before seen a tobacco plant.
However, in the underpinnings of incredible boom lay the beginnings of its end. By the end of the 1997, the incredible demand for cigars produced a frenzy of new cigarmakers who couldn't get high-quality tobacco, didn't have qualified rollers and didn't understand the market. They dumped hundreds of thousands of mediocre cigars on the market that ended up sitting on shelves or were heavily discounted. Within months of that peak, dozens of cigars companies disappeared, many of which had been advertisers in Cigar Aficionado.
Despite the brief downturn, the foundation of a wide-ranging international cigar community had been established. In the years following 1997, the magazine went through one major redesign, shifting from a large Cigar, small Aficionado as the magazine's logo, to a small Cigar, big Aficionado. While taken by some readers as an abandonment of cigars, the shift actually returned the publication to its original mission of being a window on the good life, with a special emphasis on cigars. In fact, the editorial ratio of cigar to noncigar content, which had been falling off, actually increased after the logo change and has remained steady ever since–with about 30 percent cigar coverage in each issue.
The magazine's refocus on the Best of the Best brought a new opening section, the Good Life Guide, exploring 10 categories, from cigars and cars to liquor and fashion. Our larger features would include "Confessions of a Weekend Golfer," the Editor and Publisher Marvin R. Shanken's personal golf diary, stories on the ongoing changes in high technology, insider takes on the automotive world and unique angles on phenomena affecting our culture. The magazine reported on the worlds of gambling and sports, writing about everything from the continuing renaissance of Las Vegas to an annual NFL preview, with our Super Bowl pick. The covers during the 21st century have highlighted some of the most interesting people in the world, not just such top film stars as Sylvester Stallone and Daniel Craig, but sports figures like Tiger Woods as well as Jay-Z and Brad Paisley from the music world. We've even profiled such influential types as Hollywood film producer Arnon Milchan and the creators of television's "Homeland" who are not as recognizable, but still cast long shadows. And our Cuba coverage also burgeoned, culminating in our biggest and most comprehensive travel guide to Havana in late 2011.
Once the surplus of the boom years had been sold off, the cigar market began to grow again, continuing to show healthy—as well as stable—increases for most of the first decade of the twenty-first century even as smokers' tastes turned to more full-bodied smokes. Today, sales remain vibrant, and Cigar Aficionado, which weathered the great recession of 2008-2009, thanks in large part to the cigar industry, continues as the standard-bearer for men and women who love cigars.
So flash forward almost two decades from our first Big Smoke and the scene is very similar even if the year and the venue have changed. By 3 p.m., the hallway outside one of the biggest ballrooms at the Venetian Hotel, the ceilings soaring to nearly 25 feet across its football field length, was already filled with more than 300 people awaiting entry to the 2011 Big Smoke. Security men filed down the line using electronic readers to take everyone's tickets and prepare them to go in at the stroke of 6:30. As the afternoon wore on, the line lengthened, stretching back and forth down the hallway, and as the hour approached, more than a 1,000 people were already in line.
There was no smoking on the line, per the latest Nevada antismoking laws, but the crowd was chatting, reclining on the floor, leaning up against the walls, and laughing, joking and having a good old time. Inside, employees from nearly 30 cigar manufacturers were putting the finishing touches on their booths, some with elaborate designs including gigantic pictures of their respective brands. Scotch, Bourbon and rum companies were ready to pour, with beautiful young hostesses set to fill the glasses of the attendees. A huge display of the new Chevy Volt was ready to go. Restaurants from the Las Vegas dining scene, including Andres, Charlie Palmer Steak, Delmonico's, Valentinos and Tao set up at one end of the ballroom.
At exactly 6:30, the crowd began to charge through the doors, some heading to the booths they knew would soon be mobbed. By 7:15, more than 2,000 people were in the ballroom, smoking cigars, drinking great liquors and eating at the more than 20 tables. Even with the siren's call of gambling in the casinos, the myriad shows and spectaculars and dozens of great restaurants in Las Vegas, the floor was still crowded as the 9:30 closing time neared. As the lights began flashing to signal the end was near, the crowd slowly, and reluctantly began to move toward the exits. As many left, they also shouted out to Cigar Aficionado staffers, "See you next year."
The party goes on.


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KHARTOUM, Sudan — A Sudanese woman on death row for apostasy had her sentence canceled and was ordered released by a Khartoum court on Monday, the country's official news agency reported.
SUNA said the Court of Cassation canceled the death sentence against 27-year-old Meriam Ibrahim after defense lawyers presented their case. The court ordered her release.
Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Christian mother, was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian. Sudan's penal code criminalizes the conversion of Muslims to other religions, a crime punishable by death.
Ibrahim married a Christian man from southern Sudan in a church ceremony in 2011. As in many Muslim nations, Muslim women in Sudan are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, though Muslim men can marry outside their faith.
Ibrahim has a son, 18-month-old Martin, who was living with her in jail, where she gave birth to a second child last month, local media reported. By law, children must follow their father's religion.
The sentence drew international condemnation, with Amnesty International calling it "abhorrent." The U.S. State Department said it was "deeply disturbed" by the sentence and called on the Sudanese government to respect religious freedoms.
Sudan introduced Islamic Shariah law in the early 1980s under the rule of autocrat Jaafar Nimeiri, a move that contributed to the resumption of an insurgency in the mostly animist and Christian south of Sudan. The south seceded in 2011 to become the world's newest nation, South Sudan.
Sudanese President Omar Bashir, an Islamist who seized power in a 1989 military coup, has said his country will implement Islam more strictly now that the non-Muslim south is gone.
A number of Sudanese have been convicted of apostasy in recent years, but they all escaped execution by recanting their new faith.


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TALLAHASSEE — Internet giants Google and Yahoo must disclose who established several email accounts held by Gov. Rick Scott, along with his current and former employees, as part of a lawsuit pending in Tallahassee that says the governor routinely circumvented the state's open records law, a court ruled Wednesday.
Tallahassee Circuit Judge Charles A. Francis ordered the companies to respond to a limited request by lawyer Steven R. Andrews to explain who created the Gmail and Yahoo accounts and when they were established.
The governor's lawyers did not deny the existence of the accounts but called the exercise a "fishing expedition" because the email accounts used by senior staff and the governor are private and not used for public business.
Andrews argued that there is no way to verify whether the email accounts did not contain government business unless the court knows who created them and the owners of the accounts are put under oath. Andrews is suing is Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi over whether they hid records related to a dispute between him and the governor's office over property the governor wanted to buy to create a legacy park.
Andrews has produced evidence that Scott and his staff have used the Google and Yahoo accounts to conduct some government business but, when asked to produce the documents, the governor's office replied that "no responsive records were located." Florida law requires emails used for state business to be retained and not destroyed.
Frank Collins, a spokesman for Scott, would not comment but instead criticized Andrews.
"Steve Andrews has a personal grudge against state government and no shortage of time to file lawsuits as a trial lawyer representing himself,'' Collins said. "We are confident the courts will ultimately throw out his baseless arguments and personal attacks."
Scott made headlines in 2012 when he promoted "Project Sunburst," a state-run website that would post all emails to and from the governor and his top staff "to further the goal of government transparency." Critics warned that the move would force the real communications on executive issues underground and, Andrews alleges, the result has been a routine use of Gmail accounts and text messages between the governor's top staff and others, including legislators and lobbyists.
Andrews produced a document that shows that Scott has used at least one account, firstname.lastname@example.com, to discuss public business outside of the sunshine. In 2013, Scott forwarded an email sent to him on the Gmail account, from former chief of staff Steve MacNamara, to his public Sunburst account. In the email, MacNamara urged the governor to consider Sen. John Thrasher as his lieutenant governor.
The email, first discovered by Associated Press reporter Gary Fineout, was written in March 2013, shortly after former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll was forced to resign. It appeared on Sunburst in May 2013.
Andrews also found a January 2012 text message from the governor's former deputy chief of staff, Carrie O'Rourke, to former Department of Education Secretary Gerald Robinson, stating: "Gov just shot me an email that you called. Did you need more clarification from our end?"
When Andrews asked the governor's office to produce all email correspondence generated by the governor regarding state business from the Gmail account, including these, the governor's public records office said "no responsive records were located."
Andrews has also found evidence that members of the executive office staff have forwarded documents to firstname.lastname@example.com and he found that several members of the executive staff routinely used Gmail to conduct state business. Scott spokesman John Tupps said the governor's office discourages employees from using private accounts for text messages and they must forward any emails from private emails accounts to their state emails if they relate to state business, records in the case show.
In addition to the former lieutenant governor, first lady Ann Scott and her former aide, Sarah Hansford, used Gmail to communicate. O'Rourke and other members of the governor's staff used Gmail accounts for state business.
But after Andrews asked the governor's office for all of Hansford's emails, he was told she was the custodian of them, not the governor's office. Hansford left her post as Ann Scott's executive assistant in September 2013.
Andrews told the judge Wednesday he believes the accounts were opened when staff "went to work for the executive office of the governor, and they were instructed to routinely use these accounts."
He says that email chains indicate that the governor's office used members of its staff, whose emails were not published on the Sunburst system, as surrogates to keep the messages between the governor and others out of the public record.
Thomas Bishop, a Jacksonville-based lawyer hired by Scott to represent the governor's office, argued that "it doesn't matter if it's a public account or a private account" because an email is a public record only if it relates to state business. He told the judge they had produced all emails sought by Andrews that involved state business.
"Who is to determine whether it was produced or not? How does he verify that?'' Judge Francis asked.
The First Amendment Foundation has asked to intervene in the case, arguing that the position by Scott's office that employees and former employees are the custodians of public records — and not the state — when the documents are contained on private accounts and devices "has potentially broad implications."
"If this position is upheld, Florida citizens will no longer be able to obtain a complete response to a public records request made to a public agency,'' wrote FAF lawyer Carol Jean LoCicero in the motion to intervene.


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While a lot of gaming mice can really improve the responsiveness of your games, many of them fall into the trap of being feature-packed, while forgetting to be comfortable to use. This is especially true when you're using the mice for tasks other than gaming.
The Logitech Optical Gaming Mouse G400 doesn't have this problem. In fact, it's one of the most comfortable gaming mice we've ever tested. The rounded buttons (in - forgive the pun - sharp contrast to the sometimes uncomfortable harsh oblong buttons of the Rude Gameware Fierce 5000 DPI Laser Gaming Mouse V2) feel comfortable to use, and never rub against your fingers when not in use.
There aren't that many of them, so the Logitech G400 Optical Gaming Mouse is certainly not as customisable as the Rude Gameware mouse, or most other mice from SteelSeries, such as the SteelSeries Sensei Pro Grade Laser Mouse.
Two buttons either side of the scroll wheel increase and decrease the DPI sensitivity of the mouse on the fly - a great feature that enables us to tweak the sensitivity of the mouse without having to exit, or even pause, the game we were playing. The four default DPI setting you can scroll through (3600, 1800, 800 and 400 dpi) are varied enough that you'll notice a difference as you go through them.
If you want more precise control over the responsiveness of the mouse, you can alter the DPI through the software that comes with the mouse. Another button sets the mouse instantly to its default 800 dpi setting, while two buttons on the side act as forward and back buttons for web browsers and other applications. These buttons rarely get pressed by mistake when you're holding the mouse - a nice surprise after using mice with similar buttons that have caused mistakes.
This mouse isn't going to be for professional game players, with its lack of customisable buttons. But for gamers who want greater control over mouse sensitivity while gaming, and who want a mouse for other tasks too, this is a very good input device.


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The Secret Beyond Matter
Slanders on Muslims in History
Slander is one of the ugly methods used by some dishonest and immoral people whose interests have been damaged, and thus are angry, and full of ill-feeling toward the people with whom they are in competition or whom they desire to hurt. There are many forms of slander, from organized and systematic schemes to a few words squeezed in between the lines. In societies that are far removed from religious morality and so do not live by Allah's will, slander is frequently used to put others in a bad light. Most of the people who will read this book have probably been slandered to one degree or another or have witnessed others being slandered.
However, this book is not concerned with the little slanders that individuals hurl at each other. Rather, it deals with an altogether different type of slander: that used by those who do not believe in religion to harm believers, whether physically or spiritually.
In the Qur'an Allah reveals that all of His messengers and other devout people who called their societies to abide by the Qur'an's morality stood accused of avarice, madness, arrogance, theft, and fornication. The Prophet Joseph's (as) life was full of such examples of slander, as were those of the Prophets Moses (as), Solomon (as), and even the Prophet Muhammad (saas). Likewise Mary (as), the mother of the Prophet Jesus (as); A'isha, the wife of our Prophet (saas); and his Companions were all exposed to slander. These people always displayed exemplary patience and reliance upon Allah when confronted with slander, disregarded the unbelievers' such efforts, and continued to live by the morality ordained by Allah and invite people to the righteous path.
No doubt, such determination is exemplary. Allah reveals: "Or did you suppose that you would enter the Garden without facing the same as those who came before you?" (Surat al-Baqara, 214). In other words, it is one of Allah's laws that all Muslims, regardless of when and where they live, will be slandered and pressured to abandon the Qur'an's morality. In another verse, Allah reveals that all believers will hear hurtful words from the unbelievers and will be tested in their possessions and in themselves:
You will be tested in your wealth and in yourselves, and you will hear many abusive words from those given the Book before you and from those who associate [others with Me]. But if you are steadfast and guard against evil, that is the most resolute course to take. (Surah Al 'Imran, 186)
Every righteous and devout believer who encounters such a situation desires to display the same patience, trust in Allah, sincerity, and determination as those earlier believers. Therefore, they are not shocked or saddened, nor do they give way to despair, when the tests mentioned in the Qur'an are sent to them. Instead, to the surprise of the slanderers, they show even greater zeal and joy.
Likewise, when another believer is slandered, his or her fellow believers receive it with patience and zeal, and they rely upon Allah. They believe that, provided that he or she shows patience, their slandered brother or sister will earn Allah's mercy and bounty in this world, as well as our Lord's good pleasure and Paradise in the Hereafter.
There is a great benefit in revealing another aspect of slander: Unlike other slanders, the logic of "If you throw enough dirt, some of it will stick" does not work on believers. Regardless of its apparent severity, in the end it will be known that these devout people have a pure and good character. Both Mary (as) and the Prophet Joseph (as) are known to history as symbols of chastity. The Prophet Joseph's (as) brothers also accused him of various things, but within his lifetime he was recognized as a very trustworthy person and thus was appointed over the stores of Egypt.
All of this shows us a very important reality: It is Allah's will that every plan aimed against believers is destined to be stillborn, and that every piece of slander will come to nothing. Every hurtful word will return to its speaker. In other words, every speech, deed, and cruelty directed against believers will cause the slanderer to feel deep regret in both this world and in the Hereafter, unless he repents and puts his actions right. Allah reveals the fate awaiting those who slander His messengers and devout servants:
As for those who abuse Allah and His messenger, Allah's curse is on them in this world and in the Hereafter. He has prepared a humiliating punishment for them. And those who abuse believing men and women, when they have not merited it, bear the weight of slander and clear wrongdoing. (Surat al-Ahzab, 57-58)


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I am having a discussion on another forum about the left right paradigm. One user posted this image of a political axis and I was wondering if any one of you thought it was correct or incorrect?
According to the modern-day definitions of these terms, it's the most accurate depiction of the spectrum that I've ever seen.
What the hell is ultra-capitalism?
Whats ultra-anarchism?
Why is progressivism near the right side? Isnt progressivism basicaly just another term for democrat-leftists? I may be wrong here.
WHy is liberalism in the middle? Is liberalism meaning the old meaning of classical liberalism or today's meaning of democrat? If its the modern meaning, why is it in the middle? Shouldnt it be on the left?
Whats the difference between statism and all the labels that are NOT-anarchist? If anything, this label should be removed altogether.
Whats the difference between socialism, democratic socialism and social democratism?
In my opinion, too many terms are used that convey too little difference between each other.
"Since people are concerned that 'X' will not be provided, 'X' will naturally be provided by those who are concerned by its absence.""The sweetest of minds can harbor the harshest of men."
I've always been confused by Mutualism. All I ever get out of it is "free-market anti-capitalism" and that makes me want to chew the stuffing out of my couch.
The axis make no sense to me whatsoever, the opposite of authoritarianism is activism? The opposite of progressivism is social democratism?
The diamond shaped political axis maps (Nolan Chart) with economic vs social freedom as the left/right axis and libertarian vs authoritarian for the top down make much more sense to me.
The above is much much better.
The first thing that came out of my mouth when I saw the axis was: What the hell is ultra-capitalism. Why is liberalism in the middle.
I thought it was some what correct but some of the terms should be removed completely and some of them are in the wrong place entirely.
I figured everyone here would be familiar with it, but incase some have missed it , here's a quiz based on the above.
That's an extremely confusing picture even though it's on the right track. Part of what I don't understand is that is that it doesn't have labeled axes and to my knowledge both ultra-anarchist and ultra capitalist are made up terms.
Well what makes mutualism even more confusing is that some of them are crazy and some of them aren't. If you're looking for the sane mutualists just think of anarcho-capitalists who believe that a free market would revolve more around more egalitarian work structures.
Also, I've long liked the idea of a four dimensional political spectrum with libertarianism being "upper wing". I don't know where socialist anarchism would go though...
My personal favorite:
Whether or not I believe in egalitarianism revolves around what their definition of "equality" is. If equality simply means that all humans are individuals with individualistic characteristics that can't be lumped in to some sort of category or statistic, then I agree. It seems like mutualism is considered to somehow be libertarian socialism.
No, here I mean income equality.
Could you explain that more, please?
Also, what do you mean by "some mutualists are crazy, and some aren't?"
In an anarcho-capitalist society it's possible you could end up with a society of perfectly equal incomes. Mutualists believe this to be the case. In terms of actual policy prescriptions the only real difference is that they have a slightly different definition of land ownership which necessitates that the ones who are actually laboring on the land must be the ones who own the land, land owners who do not use the land don't have claim to the land, but I'm pretty sure that as such they believe that capitalists do have a claim upon capital since they provide a productive service.
Other than that the only difference is that the entire attitude of mutualism is different. You can be an anarchist because you believe it will equalize income, which is a relatively "leftist" reason, or you could be an anarchist because you believe that it will uphold traditional values and promote self reliance, a "rightist" reason. Mutualists approach anarcho-capitalism from a "leftist" perspective. When I say that some of them are crazy I'm mostly talking about the ones who haven't updated their views from Proudhon and who usually read a lot of Bakunin, the ones who still uphold the old dogma of usury being immoral and preventable, the LTV holding true, as well as a lot of socialistic beliefs about capitalism itself. These are the ones that believe that communism and small workshops will naturally replace capitalism. Oftentimes they believe in anarchism for extremely awkward reasons.
You bent my mind left, right and center.
Also, could you explain why you have a quote "soft spot in your heart for Peter Kropotkin"
So mutualists are like syndicalists except they apply it to land?
mutualism: land is yours if u work on it
syndicalism: capital is yours when youre working on it?
"You bent my mind left, right and center."
I tend to have that effect on people.
"Also, could you explain why you have a quote 'soft spot in your heart for Peter Kropotkin'"
Because I really like a lot of his material. The problem was that his economics were flawed, as was his very conception of capitalism, something which I can scarcely blame him for during his time.
Please tell me what you find objectionable in this quote:
ANARCHISM (from the Gr. ἅυ, and άρχη, contrary to authority), the name given to a principle or theory of life and conduct under which society is conceived without government — harmony in such a society being obtained, not by submission to law, or by obedience to any authority, but by free agreements concluded between the various groups, territorial and professional, freely constituted for the sake of production and consumption, as also for the satisfaction of the infinite variety of needs and aspirations of a civilized being. In a society developed on these lines, the voluntary associations which already now begin to cover all the fields of human activity would take a still greater extension so as to substitute themselves for the state in all its functions. They would represent an interwoven network, composed of an infinite variety of groups and federations of all sizes and degrees, local, regional, national and international temporary or more or less permanent — for all possible purposes: production, consumption and exchange, communications, sanitary arrangements, education, mutual protection, defence of the territory, and so on; and, on the other side, for the satisfaction of an ever-increasing number of scientific, artistic, literary and sociable needs. Moreover, such a society would represent nothing immutable. On the contrary — as is seen in organic life at large — harmony would (it is contended) result from an ever-changing adjustment and readjustment of equilibrium between the multitudes of forces and influences, and this adjustment would be the easier to obtain as none of the forces would enjoy a special protection from the state.
Or in this work (really relevant material starts at 94 if you feel like skimming)
In the end Kropotkin merely has another vision of the anarchist world, one which I can't object to for the most part, and his passionate belief in personal freedom, spontaneous order, and mutual aid is truly wonderful.
I believe this to generally be the case with the exception that they tend to oppose land ownership if no productive function is being served. This makes the owner of a business, for instance, a legitimate landowner, while the greedy landowner who doesn't do jack besides own land is not a legitimate land owner. I know for a fact that it is true with some mutualists, but I'm sure that you'd find some who would advocate basically indistinguishable things from a socialist anarchist. Also your syndicalist definition applies to most forms of anarcho-communism as well.
So you're into mutual aid, hmm? I downloaded a book about it recently to learn just what it is all about, but I haven't read it yet.
Rothbard certainly didn't like anarcho-communism.
"So you're into mutual aid, hmm?"
Yes, I think that it may well play a very big role in a voluntaryist society.
Give me your definition of it.
Many people come together and put things they dont want or want to give in a box and leave the box on the street for poor people to use.
Is this the kind of mutual aid youre talking about?
I think the anarcho-communists have always been quite vague on the notion of whether or not their communes will be voluntary. Did Kropotkin believe in voluntary association with the communes?
"Many people come together and put things they don't want or want to give in a box and leave the box on the street for poor people to use."
While that is a rather crass and constrained way of putting it, there is some truth to that definition. I also like the link. The ideas in there were what first caused me to accept mutual aid.
I would define it as "actions in which the mutual benefit of both parties are sought, with an emphasis upon the provision of goods and services through gifts and donations, either monetary or direct"
Yes. Voluntary and infinite secession is a very important part of anarcho-communist theory
It certainly wasn't what was at the top of the list of values in Revolutionary Spain and Revolutionary Mexico. Did you read that Rothbard article on anarcho-communism? Because, in this sense, you sound like you could be what I call a voluntary an-comm.
Well I did write this. Strictly speaking the only applied difference between anarcho-communism and anarcho-capitalism is that one believes in non-use ownership of the means of production and the other one does. For this reason it's hard to really separate the two beliefs in terms of voluntary X or involuntary Y. Something that I've never seen, but which is theoretically possible, is propertarian anarcho-communism. All it would take is an anarcho capitalist who has a different definition of property... That's all.
I think that Rothbard mischaracterizes the attitude of anarcho-communism, at least amongst its major theorists. He's right that their economics are shit though.
I think a good modern example of a socialist society coexisting beside a "capitalist" (just using that word for the hell of it) society would be the Kibbutzim in Israel. Point is, it's voluntary socialism.
No doubt.
He's right that their economics are shit though.
He's right that their economics are shit though.
Labor theory of value?
Spooner advocated the labor theory of value. Please state why it's bad, Neodox.
Value of an item is not determined by the amount of labor it takes.
Value is subjective. No matter how many hours you took to make a product, I may value it differently than another person. Its the basic comparison to a bottle of water or a 1 oz crystal diamond.
Lets say it takes 5 hours of labor to make 1 bottle of water, and 200 hours of labor to make 1 oz diamond. If you believe in labor theory of value, both items should be valued equally both in africa and america.
However in reality, here in america, if we were faced with a choice, wed choose the 1 oz diamond, since a bottle of water is so abundant that we would in a heartbeat choose a 1 oz crystal diamond, and as such i value the diamond more than the water even though both items took the same amount of labor to make.
However, in africa, a child that is thirsty will choose the bottle of water. Ddrinkable water is not very abundant in africa and as such, the african child will value the water above the diamond, even though it takes more labor to extract a diamond, than to purify water.
Hence, value comes not from the amount of labor put in it, but from its marginal utility:
Value of an item is not determined by the amount of labor it takes.
Value is subjective. No matter how many hours you took to make a product, I may value it differently than another person. Its the basic comparison to a bottle of water or a 1 oz crystal diamond.
Lets say it takes 5 hours of labor to make 1 bottle of water, and 200 hours of labor to make 1 oz diamond. If you believe in labor theory of value, both items should be valued equally both in africa and america.
However in reality, here in america, if we were faced with a choice, wed choose the 1 oz diamond, since a bottle of water is so abundant that we would in a heartbeat choose a 1 oz crystal diamond, and as such i value the diamond more than the water even though both items took the same amount of labor to make.
However, in africa, a child that is thirsty will choose the bottle of water. Ddrinkable water is not very abundant in africa and as such, the african child will value the water above the diamond, even though it takes more labor to extract a diamond, than to purify water.
Hence, value comes not from the amount of labor put in it, but from its marginal utility:
No, the whole thing. As I recall he might have actually rejected the LTV, I know he did in actually determining how much people should work/what their labor was worth... Ironic, an anarcho-communist biologist might have actually come close to stumbling upon the calculation problem.
The idea that capitalism is necessarily bad and leads to a lower standard of living is the biggest problem in his economics... But that itself is built on a total non-understanding of market mechanisms. The socialist viewpoint, from an economic perspective, traditionally comes about when you look at production first, before consumption. When you look at production away from a the consumption structure capitalism does look pretty evil.
Do you actually want me to go through a critique of the LTV? If so then the answer can be summed up as such: Labor as such has nothing to do with actual value or real price except for insofar as the marginal preferences of individuals, both in consumption and production enact themselves upon the price of labor. The source is desire which acts upon labor, rather than some mystical inversion of these two things.
Full-blown critique, please.
Labor does not give something value. Labor is traditionally needed for the production of goods. This, however, is not what gives it value. What gives a thing value is final product. This is evident by the fact that individuals do not ask how much labor went into producing a good, they only care about the good itself. Labor can be a source of value in the production of goods, both in terms of producing the actual good and in that some people do value labor, but this then means that it is their valuations which matter.
Furthermore labor cannot have any value without land (since it cannot exist), and can have very little value in the absence of capital. Therefore it would be just as correct to talk about a "land theory of value" and, practically speaking, just as true to talk about a "capital theory of value". In the ERE, an economy devoid of change, ultimately all prices result themselves to the costs of production, but these costs in turn, for all the factors, not just labor, are determined by their oppurtunity costs elsewhere, which amount to what the individual is willing to pay for the final product. Therefore, although it is all very interconnected, labor, and all other factors, ultimately obtain value on the market from consumer expenditure. You could produce a beautiful and unparalleled work of art every five minutes, yet this would be meaningless, in terms of market pay, if no one wanted your works of art, unless someone valued your skill in and of itself, rather than the product.
Even Marx, it would appear, had an implicitly subjectivist theory of value, since he claims it is only the fact that utility was produced which even allows work to constitute as labor. See my post here. It's also important to note that Marx's idea of an average socially necessary homogeneous unit of labor which ultimately determines price is just... Messed up. There's no way to even argue that this is the case, Marx simply asserts it and I've never heard a compelling defense. It's such a vague concept that it's hard to know why it would be correct. If I'm a business owner and I'm looking to make profit then I don't give a damn about averages or socially necessary time, I only care about how much I can earn off of hiring a unit of a factor of production as opposed to how much it costs me to do so.
We see two definitions of value: physical value and market value, what actually creates a good and what it sells for on the market. In the physical sense labor does create value, but it's not the only thing which creates value. Indeed labor by itself can make nothing. In the absence of capital it can physically make practically nothing, although it could produce services in a decent manner in some cases. Therefore labor cannot itself constitute as its own theory of value, we have to look at a "factor theory of value", which is exactly what we do look at, that's precisely why they're called "factors of production"! In terms of market value all that matters are the valuations of buyer and seller. This would lead us to at least a subjectivists, and most likely a marginalist, theory of market value. This is because we can tell through praxeology that expended labor cannot cause people to do what their values don't bring them to, only their values can change their action. Therefore individuals value physical goods, not expended labor. This valuation as opposed to money seeps into the price of labor itself, but the source is subjective valuation, not labor.
Does this answer your question?
But anyways, yes, thank you.
What are your thoughts on a "gift economy?" And, do you believe that people could achieve a society completely devoid of money, that was still based on voluntary association?
[insert Jeapordy music here]
Huh? Why the DP?
I'm not sure. If it's possible to overcome the calculation problem then that's the way it would be solved. Otherwise post-scarcity would have to be effectively reached, however. Under modern or historical conditions it would probably be impossible, however.
I see mutual aid and communism/socialism working alongside the market economy, finally providing both a resolution to their century long ideological conflict, rather than mutual aid or socialism replacing capitalism, nor can I see capitalism in the free society totally wiping out mutual aid. Perhaps socialism, however.
Fortunately for me I don't have to give a damn. If society were to get to this point then people would be able to choose and I wouldn't have to make up a policy prescription for them.
If you remove money, then there will be no division of labor.
We would be thrown into the dark ages.
A bartering system would make it very hard to exchange goods.
"DP?" What is that?
But yes, if the communist/socialist society is so grand, I always ask those people that in a voluntaryist society, wouldn't workers, upon seeing that those societies are much better, naturally go over there all by themselves, no coercion necessary?
Double post.
That's the ultimate argument against non-government socialists of nearly all kinds. I talk about that in my thread on socialism.
Another political axis to consider. Though this one focuses only on economics. And no room for anarcho-communists/socialists/syndicalists I see!


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Companies don't often announce that they aren't doing something, much less that they stopped doing it two years ago. But that's what bandwidth-shaping hardware vendor APconnections did in a press release yesterday, throwing deep packet inspection (DPI) under the bus and running it over several times for good measure. Customers, it seems, were increasingly asking questions about the legal implications of deploying the company's products, and CEO Art Reisman said that it is now "quite risky that any public US based ISP would invest in this technique, especially after the FCC slapped Comcast's wrists in a recent decision." Is DPI dying?
Deep packet inspection is a network management tools generally used to identify and control Internet traffic. It was at the heart of the Comcast P2P throttling system that was recently ruled illegal by the FCC. In that ruling, the agency trotted out the envelope metaphor: all Internet packets contain both routing information and content and, when DPI vendors "look inside the envelope," it's no different from postal employees who might do the same thing. In response, Comcast is switching to a system that simply looks at total bandwidth consumption of each user, without trying to identify the type of protocol or content being transmitted.
In the case of APconnections, the company actually shifted to this behavioral approach several years ago, abandoning DPI as a management tool. Reisman says that "our behavior-based techniques worked so well that current customers stopped asking for the layer-7 techniques we had a one time implemented into our system."
"What prompted us to make a formal announcement was the continued industry lack of understanding that deep packet inspection not only does not work very well, but it also puts you at risk of violating privacy laws if you use these techniques without customer consent," he added.
APconnections isn't one of the larger players in the network management space, however; is the company's views shared throughout the industry, or was the announcement simply a way to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) about its competitors' DPI-based tools?
Competitors weigh in
Procera's DPI monster
Procera, a DPI vendor, has an answer: APconnections doesn't know what it's talking about. VP of Global Marketing Jon Lindén tells Ars that his company "strongly disagrees" with APconnections' conclusion.
"The term DPI is being used very broadly here," he says. "It's true; when talking about Layer 7 shaping, if wrongfully used, it can do more harm than good. But the DPI APconnections is referencing—P2P control based on Layer 7 shaping—is a thing of the past. Although P2P originally presented an opportunity for DPI, this technology has—and continues to—evolve."
As evidence of that evolution, Procera yesterday announced a major $4 million contract with an unnamed Tier-1 mobile operator that wanted its DPI gear. As to legality, Lindén says that much of the fear about the technology is based on misconceptions. "All of our customers have been able to utilize DPI to improve their service and their service offerings—without violating any laws or subscriber privacy," he says. "We work very close with them to help them do this properly."
Arbor Networks, another major US DPI vendor, concedes that the Comcast ruling has "helped providers better understand where and how to apply the technology," but insists that demand "remains very strong."
In contrast to APconnections' claim of legal uncertainty regarding DPI, an Arbor spokesperson tells Ars that "the US government has encouraged the use of DPI for security and filtering illegal content" through laws such as CALEA.
"The debate," he adds, "has always been the application of the technology and the disclosure around it."
But even within the industry, concerns about DPI remain quite real. Vendors want to avoid being put of business by unfavorable court rulings or Congressional hearings, which came close to happening this year with NebuAd. Even foreign vendors are watching US cases carefully to see how they might affect their business.
Ipoque, a traffic-shaping vendor based in Germany, uses DPI and behavioral analysis in its products. Is the company have second thoughts about DPI? "Yes, of course," a spokesperson tells Ars. "We are watching the Comcast-FCC debate carefully. And we are afraid that this might go in the wrong direction."
The company hasn't seen a rise in customer concern over DPI deployments, though, and it insists that a combination of DPI and behavioral analysis is necessary for its products. The question, as Arbor Networks says, is about deployment and disclosure. DPI isn't particularly controversial when it comes to finding and filtering viruses from a network, for instance.
Who needs DPI, anyway?
Bandwidth-shaping vendors that have already adopted fully behavioral solutions and don't use DPI at all naturally see the APconnections announcement as vindication of their business model.
Dr. Lawrence Roberts, who heads up Anagran (we profiled the company's approach previously), tells Ars, "I agree with their conclusion and am hearing similar thoughts from the ISPs. I think that APconnections' decision to no longer use DPI techniques in order to avoid potential user privacy invasion concerns is part of a broader trend. Since DPI often inspects the user data portion of network traffic, it invades user privacy and also instantly makes any service provider or enterprise culpable by having access to this potentially sensitive data."
Anagran relies only on measuring flows, without needing to categorize them. Flows are simply shaped based on behavior, not content or protocol. Trying to determine the protocols is a "horrendous waste of time and processing power," says Roberts, and he credits the speed of his company's device to the decision not to bother with any DPI.
"What is required is to equalize the capacity each subscriber paying the same amount receives, not to penalize any particular type of traffic," he adds.
Kyle Rosenthal, who helms the DPI education site dpacket.org (which is sponsored and advised by DPI vendors), doesn't see the trend away from the technology, but he does see the recent public debates over the technology as a good thing.
"I see no industry-wide trend to abandon deep packet inspection," Rosenthal tells Ars. "The technology continues to grow as an underlying capability in next-generation networks. While APconnection's application may not depend on DPI, other applications and services will. APconnection's announcement hopefully reflects a positive sign that vendors and their customers are becoming better educated on the complexities and trade-offs presented when evoking DPI."


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An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
|FNS Document#
|Proposed Rule: Independent Review of Applications Required by the HHFKA of 2010
|Interim Rule: Certification of Compliance With Meal Requirements for the National School Lunch Program Under the HHFKA of 2010
|Interim Final Rule: NSLP School Food Service Account Revenue Amendments Related to the HHFKA of 2010 - Approval of Information Collection Request
|Proposed Rule: NSLP Direct Certification Continuous Improvement Plans Required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
|Proposed Rule: FDPIR Income Deductions and Resource Eligibility


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Taurus Introduces the Raging Judge in New Caliber
Miami, FL -(Ammoland.com)- Personal protection, home defense and sport shooting are easy work for the latest Taurus® Raging Judge that fires the larger, more powerful 28-gauge shotshell. The first Judge of its kind is ready to take on whatever comes your way. Whatever "it" happens to be.
The Taurus Raging Judge in 28 gauge comes equipped with the distinctive "Raging Bull" cushioned insert grip for reduced felt recoil and its strong, ordnance grade steel frame is built to take everything the revolver dishes out. Additional features include a single-action/double-action trigger and highly visible fiber optic front sight.
Available in blued or matte stainless finish with a 6.5 inch barrel, the Raging Judge in 28 gauge has overall length 13.75 inches and weighs 67 ounces. Like all Taurus handguns, the unique onboard Taurus Security System® allows users to securely lock the gun using an inconspicuous key-lock.
Beginning as a small tool manufacturer in Porto Alegre, Brazil more than sixty years ago, Taurus has become a diversified, international company celebrating resounding success as one of the world's leading small arms manufacturers. In 1941 the company produced its first revolver, and in 1984 changed the industry forever by offering customers an unqualified LIFETIME REPAIR POLICY™, posting record growth every year since. For additional information about Taurus and its complete line of products, visit www.taurususa.com.


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After two years of waiting, trans people have finally been added to the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy, an issue which Karen Pollock has been following.
Almost a year ago, The Queerness featured an open letter to the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, calling for trans people to be added to the memorandum of understanding on conversion therapy. There was considerable confusion as to why they had not be included in the first place, and a belief that this protection was vital to prevent the proven harms of conversion therapy.
Yesterday (Monday 16 January), gender was finally added to the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy, which has been signed by the following bodies:
- The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
- The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
- The British Psychoanalytic Council
- The British Psychological Society
- The College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists
- GLADD – The Association of LGBT Doctors and Dentists
- The National Counselling Society
- National Health Service Scotland
- Pink Therapy
- The Royal College of General Practitioners
- The Scottish Government
- Stonewall
- The UK Council for Psychotherapy
A clear and unequivocal statement has been released by some of the signatories.
We the undersigned UK organisations wish to state that the practice of conversion therapy has no place in the modern world. It is unethical and harmful and not supported by evidence.
Conversion Therapy is the term for therapy that assumes certain sexual orientations or gender identities are inferior to others, and seeks to change or suppress them on that basis.
Sexual orientations and gender identities are not mental health disorders, although exclusion, stigma and prejudice may precipitate mental health issues for any person subjected to these abuses.
Anyone accessing therapeutic help should be able to do so without fear of judgement or the threat of being pressured to change a fundamental aspect of who they are.
It is especially important in the current climate that such a strong statement has been delivered. In the past week, the BBC has given a platform to discredited medical professionals who support the idea that children should be forced to conform to their assigned gender roles. In the US, as we approach the inauguration of President Trump, many anti-trans campaigners are feeling empowered to introduce anti-trans legislation.
The MoA means that any member of the signatory organisations cannot attempt to 'fix' someone who is trans, or treat being trans as a mental health condition which needs curing. Even in recent months, the letters page of Therapy Today (the in-house magazine of the BACP) has compared being trans to anorexia. Many followers of Kenneth Zucker insist that gender variant children need to be made to 'love their bodies' rather than having their feelings about their gender listened to and respected.
As Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall, said in her statement as a signatory of the memorandum;
Trans people do not need to be 'cured'. What they need is to be accepted for who they are
It has always been incompatible with the non-judgemental and non-discriminatory stance that medical and mental health professionals are meant to hold that they could attempt to 'cure' someone of being trans. Today puts in black and white what many of us have been campaigning for, and demanding, for over two years. Just as it is wrong to tell someone who is gay, lesbian or bisexual that they should be heterosexual, so it is wrong to tell someone who is trans that they should be cisgender. Furthermore, it is wrong to try to convey the message to them in counselling or psychotherapy that their gender is some kind of symptom or presentation of other underlying mental health conditions.
However, whilst this is a vital step, it is just a first step. I spoke to Tara Stone, CEO of Be: Trans Development, and member of the Stonewall Trans advisory committee. Whilst she welcomed the MoU, she was clear it should be seen as a beginning, not an ending;
I am pleased regarding the creation of a Memorandum of Understanding making it clear gender diverse peoples identities are not a condition to be cured. Let us remember beyond conversion therapy there is still much needed education and awareness raising in health and social care professions.
There are many accounts of trans people receiving less than acceptable treatment from those who should be better trained in sexual and gender diversity. From misgendering to putting trans people on the wrong wards, the need for a complete change in attitudes has been highlighted many times. As Tara Stone goes on to say, this is a day to be pleased with what has been achieved, but not to forget what needs to be done;
Transgender people still face inequalities in accessing appropriate care services and when they do access care, their experiences are often less than the experience of people who are not Trans. There is still much work to be done, but this announcement is a really positive step forward.


text: Kids mature inside a society that demands knowledge of everything. You undoubtedly cannot unwind and determine that understanding from college textbooks is enough for your overall growth and development of your kids. It's age specialty area and your child do not want to miss out on this windows of option. So, check your region for… Continue reading Benefits of a Good After School Program


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Mom's hunch may have saved life of girl who nearly died days after inhaling water
A 4-year-old Florida girl is back home after a freak accident left her very sick.
Lacey Grace, of Sarasota, told WTSP that it was difficult to figure out what was causing Elianna to be ill.
"She was just playing in the pool. We were all playing; it was a bunch of us. We were all just playing taking the noodle and blowing water in each other's faces and then she just happened to put her mouth on it the same time somebody else put their mouth on the other end and it all went down. She immediately vomited, so we were thinking OK good, it came up," Grace said.
Immediately after the incident, which took place on a Saturday, Elianna seemed normal. The next day she felt fine.
On the following Monday she got a fever, and Tuesday her condition continued to decline.
Grace began to suspect what might be behind her daughter's sudden sickness.
A year ago, Grace read an article about a 4-year-old Texas boy, Francisco Delgado Jr., who died last June a week after going swimming in Texas City. "Baby Frankie" seemed fine immediately after swimming, but died a week later from secondary drowning, or "dry drowning." This happens when a person inhales water through the mouth or nose and it gets into the lungs.
"He passed away after seven days and she was on day four so it was just, I don't know what would've happened if we waited," Grace said.
On Wednesday, she took Elianna to the doctor.
"Went from there to the urgent care, which was about five minutes and in that five minutes, her skin turned purple, her heart rate was through the roof, her oxygen level was dropping. The doctor came right in and just said, 'I don't know where the nearest ER is' because he's new to the area, but he said, 'You have to get to it right away.'"
Her quick-thinking helped save Elianna's life.
Grace wrote on Facebook that a chest X-ray revealed inflammation and infection caused by pool chemicals. Elianna is now on antibiotics.
She hopes her story helps other parents act fast if their child feels sick after swimming, the way Delgado's story helped her.
"If your child swallows/inhales a bunch of water, and something seems off AT ALL, I encourage you to immediately get help. I wonder if I would have taken her Monday, would she be better off?? And I wonder if I waited longer what would have happened. It's so scary," she wrote. "If I can even help save one child, this is worth it for me."
Her post has been shared more than 60,000 times. A GoFundMe page has been created to help with Elianna's medical bills.


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Cobb, Howell
Cobb, Howell, 1815–68, American politican, b. Jefferson co., Ga. In 1837 he became solicitor general of the western judicial circuit of Georgia, a district populated largely by small farmers of Unionist sentiments. He championed their cause and from 1843 to 1851 represented them in the House of Representatives. He was elected floor leader of the Democrats in 1848 and speaker in 1849. Cobb united with the Whigs in Georgia to win approval of the Compromise of 1850. His followers and the Whigs formed the short-lived Constitutional Union party, which elected him to the governorship (1851–53). Cobb was returned to Congress in 1855, and in 1857 President Buchanan appointed him Secretary of the Treasury. After Lincoln's election he resigned, advocated secession, and was chairman of the convention in Montgomery, Ala., that organized the Confederacy. In the Civil War he rose to the rank of major general (1863) but saw little active fighting.
See H. Montgomery, Howell Cobb's Confederate Career (1959).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


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You are currently browsing the daily archive for July 20, 2012.
Is Marion M (Greenport, NY 1932) on her own power projecting that potentially gorgeous deck before her? Might she be?
I'll be straightforward for once: Marion M has been moved away from South Street because the museum needs space. She is for sale. You/your organization can get information on purchasing her by contacting Captain Jonathan Boulware, Waterfront Director, South Street Seaport Museum. His tele and email are: 212.748.8772 firstname.lastname@example.com.
Some specifics on her history accompany bowsprite's rendering here. Wooden tugboat W. O. Decker (1930) demonstrates that she has the stuff still in her. Decker stays at South Street Seaport Museum. Here and here are two of my many favorite bowsprite illustrations of Decker.
All these fotos come compliments of Jonathan Boulware, who took them in late June, as
her holding area on the KVK . . . where you can pick her up.
I wanted to add a few more fotos of Helen McAllister . . .
more life ahead of her. Here's how she might look under her own power headed your way.
And with all this movement, what might Peking be thinking, saying . .. .?
Uh . . . she can't talk, can she?
Again, Marion M can be yours. Contact Jonathan Boulware, Waterfront Director, South Street Seaport Museum 212.748.8772 email@example.com I'm told she's listed in WoodenBoat's "Save a Classic" section, but I haven't seen that yet.
I'd love to see her gussied up to 1932 standards. I'd even put greenbacks and sweat equity in the project. I'm reminded of what the "crazy farmers of Villiersdorp" managed to do . . . or the Onrust project in Rotterdam Junction.
Unrelated but NYTimes article about resurgence: Cross-harbor rail about to expand exponentially on the sixth boro!!


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If there are glitter pioneers in the makeup arena, then Urban Decay co-founder Wende Zomnir is a veritable Laura Ingalls Wilder of sparkle. The Texas native partnered with Cisco Systems founder Sandy Lerner in 1996 to create the prestige cosmetics company. "Back in the mid-'90s, the cosmetics department was a sea of pink, beige and red," remembers Zomnir. "For color, you had to go to the drugstore, and back then, the quality of the lines with edgy colors was low. So we set out to create high quality cosmetics in innovative colors." That they did: The brand has since garnered a massive following, and beauty behemoth L'Oréal recently acquired the line. ELLE.com scored Zomnir's counsel on the best New Year's Eve-worthy eye and lip recommendations, as well as how to ensure your makeup stays on longer than reality television's reign on basic cable.
ELLE: For New Year's Eve, what are some eyeshadow tips for an eye so smoky, it'll trigger the smoke detector?
More From ELLE
Wende Zomnir: The most important rule: Smoky eyes involve only a little bit of black. Raccoon eyes happen when the black is too free-flowing. Pick a shadow and a coordinating liner that enhances your eye color: gray, plum, moss green, or taupe. Apply a long-wearing black pencil like 24/7 in Zero, and promise to use it sparingly. Prime lids, then sweep a matte, nude shadow from the crease to the top of the browbone. With your finger, smudge your shadow all along your upper lid and into the crease. Take a crease brush and blend the shade to just above the crease. Smudge a little shadow with a small brush along the lower lashes.
ELLE: Once we've primed the canvas with our shadow, how do we further define our gaze for the biggest night of the year?
WZ: Line upper and lower lashes all the way around with your coordinating eye pencil, making the line thicker at the outer corner of the upper lashes. Make sure to pencil on a soft line and blend into the shadow. Sharpen a black pencil, then line the outer edge of the lower lashes. Using your little brush, smudge the black on the lower lashes into the pencil and shadow. Leave the upper lash line fairly sharp. This part gets tricky, but it's essential for a smoky eye, and it's important to use a long-lasting pencil. Line the upper inner lid of the upper lashline. For extra smokiness, line the inner lower lash lines too. Finish with lots of mascara and use a lash comb. Clumpy lashes can ruin the most perfectly executed smoky eye.
ELLE: Urban Decay primers are legendary. Do you prefer different ones for varied looks?
WZ: The original Eyeshadow Primer Potion's great for everyday. I wear Sin Primer (champagne) when I snowboard or surf to add a little shimmer to my eyes without looking overdone. Eden Primer (matte nude) creates a flawless canvas for a smoky eye.
ELLE: New Year's Eve is a time for glitter. How can we integrate it into our look both subtly and dramatically?
WZ: For a subtle glitter look, use Heavy Metal Glitter Liners. Try a nude shadow on the top lid, then line lower lashes in a bold pencil, like an electric blue. Layer a liquid glitter liner on top for dimension that doesn't scream "glitter" because the pencil keeps it real. To go bold, use tweezers to remove the black rubber wiper from your tube of glitter liner and draw a little on your finger, and dab it across the upper eyelid. It works on everyone—even mature skin, because unlike shimmer (which can settle in fine lines), glitter attracts lots of light around the eye, making it seem alive. Use primer first!
ELLE: What's your party-ready mascara technique?
WZ: Apply a lash primer to thicken lashes, then layer a black mascara, using more on the outer lashes. On lower lashes, angle the brush and apply lightly for longer, less clumpy lashes. Finish with a light coat of waterproof mascara for staying power.
ELLE: Do you have any tips to get your makeup to last from dinner to beyond the ball drop?
WZ: I never fail to impress other women at my CrossFit gym after a sweaty workout. Not because I'm a badass, but because my makeup is still perfectly intact. Use both shadow and complexion primers and spritz a setting spray to seal the deal.
ELLE: What about party-ready blush?
WZ: I love hot pink or bright orange blush, depending on skin tone. Look at a child. They don't blush mauve or peach; their cheeks are pink! Use a light hand and brush it on the apples of cheeks for a pretty glow, then dust finishing powder on top to tone it down for a radiant, natural effect.
ELLE: Which lip shades pair best with a smoky eye?
WZ: I like a glossy neutral or soft pink with smoky eyes. I'm a big believer that you should emphasize lips or eyes. Lara Stone and Daria Werbowy can emphasize both, but mere mortals are better off with smoky eyes and a low-key lip. Ensure it's not so neutral that your lips fade into your face. For a little contrast and some life in the lip area, I prefer a shiny finish.
ELLE: Tell us your favorite bold lip options.
WZ: Fuchsia, red, and garnet-colored lips are among my favorites. I pair a strong lip with shimmer or sparkle on the lid, a soft shade on the browbone, and a sharp black line on the upper lashes only. I use a coat of mascara on upper and lower lashes, and then give the upper outer lashes a second coat. It's important to make sure your brows are defined with this look. For a matte formula, rock a lip balm, lip primer, and a perfectly matched lip liner pencil first. Check your lipstick often and reapply as needed, as mattes tend to wear unevenly. Matte lip colors are not typically hydrating, so while dramatic, it's not as comfortable.


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"I'd be safe and warm if I was in LA" John & Michelle Phillips
While in Anaheim last month, I had a few hours free – the weather was sunny and warm and the LA County Arboretum and Botanical Garden was a short drive away. A beautiful public garden north of Los Angeles and nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, it is spectacular in January when the South African aloes and other tropical plants are in bloom. With six more weeks of "groundhog predicted" winter here in Pennsylvania, I'm still California dreamin'. Enjoy the photos!
All photos ©2012 Lynn Emberg Purse
Please do not reblog.


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SYNOPSIS: A door-to-door vacuum salesman named John Henry struggles to keep his job, his wife and his sanity until he encounters an alien who crash lands in a nearby field. Desperate for success, he agrees to sell alien technology to unsuspecting townsfolk until a rash of missing person reports leads Detective Mike Washurn back to their dastardly plot. REVIEW: They …Read More »
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