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Horizon Bancorp, Inc. is an independent, commercial bank holding company serving Indiana and Michigan through its commercial banking subsidiary, Horizon Bank. Horizon Bancorp, Inc. may be reached online at www.horizonbank.com. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HBNC.
Michigan City, Indiana (NASDAQ GM: HBNC) - Horizon Bancorp today announced its unaudited financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012.
Craig M. Dwight, President and CEO, stated: "Our employees' commitment to delivering superior service and financial solutions led to significant growth in commercial and consumer lending and deposit relationships, which drove year-over-year increases in many key areas. Horizon built market share in its served markets, and we were very pleased with the performance of our newest location in Kalamazoo County, Michigan."
"A sharp reduction in loan loss reserves and ongoing expense management enabled Horizon to flow more revenue to the bottom line, resulting in our best quarterly performance in Horizon's 139 year history. Although the general economy is far from robust, we have seen positive signs that economic activity is stronger than in the past several years."
Mr. Dwight noted the Bank continues to build core deposits to help maintain a low cost of funding. Non-interest bearing deposits increased to $138.6 million at March 31, 2012 compared with $111.2 million in first quarter 2011, which Mr. Dwight explained reflects a growth in the number of banking relationships with small businesses. Interest bearing transaction accounts rose to $641.1 million in the first quarter 2012 compared with $538.1 million at December 31, 2011 and $531.3 million at March 31, 2011. Time deposits declined as the Bank reduced higher priced deposits and didn't aggressively replace them in the continuing low-interest rate environment.
"We experienced balanced performance and gains in our five key business lines, with particularly strong year-over-year increases in mortgage warehouse lending and originated mortgage loans," explained Mr. Dwight. "We grew lending and deposit market share in our established markets, and we were very pleased with the contributions from newer markets."
"We hope to replicate our culture of performance and service in additional markets, which is one of the key reasons for pursuing our strategic merger with Heartland. The preliminary acquisition-related processes are proceeding smoothly, with both sides working well together to coordinate employee communication, analyze operational and technological integration and other activities." The acquisition is still subject to regulatory approval and approval by the Heartland shareholders.
"Horizon is committed to enhancing shareholder value by utilizing our earnings both for growth and returning a portion of earnings to shareholders as a cash dividend. Our Board of Directors believes this represents a prudent and balanced approach to rewarding shareholders for their support and pursuing our goal of becoming a $3 billion asset company in the next few years. This is evidenced by Horizon's recent acquisition announcement and its increase in the quarterly dividend during the first quarter from 12 cents to 13 cents per share."
Performance Highlights
Net income for the first quarter of 2012 was $4.6 million or $.88 diluted earnings per share, up 79% compared to $2.8 million or $.49 diluted earnings per share in the first quarter of 2011. This represents the highest level of net income for a single quarter in the Company's 138-year history.
The net interest margin was 3.87% in the first quarter of 2012 up from 3.57% for the three-month period ending March 31, 2011 but down 8 basis points (Or 0.08%) from the three months ending December 31, 2011. This decrease from the fourth quarter of 2011 primarily reflected a decrease in the yield on interest-earning assets greater than the decrease in the rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities.
Residential mortgage loan activity during the first quarter of 2012 generated $2.3 million in income from the gain on sale of mortgage loans; an increase of $1.7 million from the same period in 2011 and a decrease of $189,000 from the fourth quarter of 2011.
Mr. Dwight stated, "Since first quarter 2011, we increased our mortgage loan origination team to 28 individuals from 22, and the team's strong performance was reflected in originations and gains on sale of loans. In the current low-interest rate environment, the Bank primarily retains adjustable rate mortgages and sells long-term fixed-rate loans to the secondary market."
Lending Activity
Total loans increased by $5.4 million from $983.2 million at December 31, 2011 to $988.6 million at March 31, 2012. Mortgage warehouse loans increased by $4.9 million and consumer loans increased by $4.0 million. Commercial loans decreased by $1.9 million and residential mortgage loans decreased by $1.6 million.
The provision for loan losses was $559,000 for the first quarter of 2012, which was approximately $1.0 million less than the provision for the same period of the prior year and $279,000 less than the previous quarter. The lower provision for loan losses was primarily related to a decrease in charged off loans and $332,000 in commercial loan recoveries.
The ratio of allowance for loan losses to total loans increased to 1.94% as of March 31, 2012 from 1.89% as of December 31, 2011. The increase in the ratio was primarily due to additional specific reserves placed on non-performing loans.
"We feel the overall trend of reduced provision for loan loss reserve expense will continue," explained Mr. Dwight. "We believe our residential, commercial and consumer loan portfolios are markedly stronger than any time in the past four years. Although we added three commercial accounts to non-performing assets, we also placed several back on accrual as the loans were brought current, an encouraging indication of economic improvement. Delinquencies are down compared with both year-end 2011 and first quarter 2011, which we interpret as positive indicators of economic improvement and our ability to manage risk and credit quality."
Non-performing loans totaled $21.1 million on March 31, 2012, down from $22.1 million on March 31, 2011, and up from $20.1 million on December 31, 2011. As a percentage of total loans, non-performing loans were 2.11% on March 31, 2012, down from 2.71% on March 31, 2011, and up slightly from 2.02% on December 31, 2011.
The increase of non-performing loans in the first quarter of 2012 from the prior quarter was primarily due to an increase of non-performing commercial loans from $8.0 million on December 31, 2011 to $9.0 million on March 31, 2012. Non-performing mortgage loans increased from $8.5 million on December 31, 2011 to $8.7 million on March 31, 2012. Non-performing consumer loans declined from $3.7 million on December 31, 2011 to $3.4 million on March 31, 2012.
Non-accrual loans, excluding non-accrual troubled debt resturcturings, were $15.5 million on March 31, 2012, up from $14.4 million on December 31, 2011, but down from $17.4 million on March 31, 2011. Loans 90 days delinquent but still on accrual totaled $28,000 on March 31, 2012, down from $37,000 on December 31, 2011, and $57,000 on March 31, 2011. Loans 30 to 89 days delinquent declined to $2.93 million in first quarter 2012 compared with $3.28 million at December 31, 2011 and $6.95 million at March 31, 2011. At .30% of total loans, this represents the lowest levels of loans 30-89 days delinquent since 2007.
Other Real Estate Owned (OREO) totaled $803,000 on March 31, 2012, down significantly from $2.8 million on December 31, 2011, and $2.3 million on March 31, 2011. During the quarter 15 properties with a book value of $2.1 million as of December 31, 2011 were sold. Only one property with a book value of $107,000 was transferred into OREO. No write downs on OREO occurred during the quarter.
Expense Management
Total non-interest expenses were $902,000 higher in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter of 2011 and $1.9 million lower compared to the three months ending December 31, 2011. Salaries and employee benefits increased $602,000 compared to the same quarter in 2011 and was approximately the same as the three months ending December 31, 2011. This increase over the previous year is primarily the result of annual merit pay increases, increase in employee benefits costs and commission and bonus expense for the first quarter results in 2012. Loan expense and other losses were down $608,000 and $1 million, respectively, for the three months ending March 31, 2012 compared the three months ending December 31, 2011. This was primarily due to less credit and OREO related costs. Included in the first quarter of 2012's non-interest expense was $168,000 of transaction expenses related to the transaction with Heartland.
"It's important to note that we continue to invest in quality people and maintain a very disciplined results-oriented corporate culture that compensates superior performance," explained Mr. Dwight. "We attempt to capitalize on every opportunity to reduce costs related to facilities, equipment and technology and focus on improvements to productivity. We believe our ability to cost-effectively deliver superior products and service has contributed to Horizon's earnings growth."
Other items
Horizon opened a full service branch in Portage, Michigan on March 5, 2012. This new location relocates the existing loan production office that has been located in Portage, Michigan and will serve the Kalamazoo and Portage markets. Horizon also opened its third full service branch in Valparaiso, Indiana on April 16, 2012. This branch will expand services on south side of Valparaiso.
Horizon Bancorp is a locally owned, independent, commercial bank holding company serving Northern and Central Indiana and Southwest Michigan through its commercial banking subsidiary Horizon Bank, NA. Horizon also offers mortgage-banking services throughout the Midwest. Horizon Bancorp may be reached online at www.accesshorizon.com. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol HBNC.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies of Horizon. For these statements, Horizon claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Horizon, including the information in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. The forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements by using words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will" and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include risk factors relating to the banking industry and the other factors detailed from time to time in Horizon's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described in "Item 1A Risk Factors" of Part I of Horizon's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Horizon does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions that may be made to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the events or circumstances after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made, or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.
Contact: Horizon Bancorp
Mark E. Secor
Chief Financial Officer
(219) 873-2611
Fax: (219) 874-9280


text: © 2001–2020 AS LHV Group, Tartu mnt 2, 10145, Tallinn. You are visiting the website of financial service providers AS LHV Pank, AS LHV Finance and AS LHV Varahaldus. AS LHV Pank, AS LHV Finance and AS LHV Varahaldus shall have the right to record any orders or other communication received via means of communication, and to use the recordings for verification of orders or other operations. Before entering into a financial service agreement, please read the service conditions and do not hesitate to ask for additional information. By using the website and the information provided on the website, you agree to the above conditions, as well as the terms of use of the website. Quotes are delayed.

subset: commoncrawl


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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
It looks like all those nasty rumors that Keith Urban was disenchanted with American Idol are dead wrong. Phew! That's because in this new commercial for the upcoming American Idol season , premiering in January, he looks pretty happy and kind of excited to be on the verge of making dreams come true.
After Randy Jackson says, "It's almost that time of year, America," Urban continues with, "The time to make dreams come true." Back in September, Urban had told me he thought of American Idol as American Dream . "You know, you can come from absolutely nothing, from the tiniest town, and have this happen to you," he'd said. "But what's the chance of a kid from Australia making it here?"And now that his dream has come true, and then some, Urban appears to be ready to give a rookie a chance at that.


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How to connect widgets
Ready widget can be created in just a few clicks!
1 Select the type of widget.
2 Select the widget design.
3 Save (or set up your style).
Your widget is ready!
You do not have to place the widget code on the site after the change. Make a change and they will automatically appear on your site.


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Officials: At least 185 killed in Nigeria attack
BAGA, Nigeria -- Fighting between Nigeria's military and Islamic extremists killed at least 185 people in a fishing community in the nation's far northeast, officials said Sunday, an attack that saw insurgents fire rocket-propelled grenades and soldiers spray machine-gun fire into neighborhoods filled with civilians.
The fighting in Baga began Friday and lasted for hours, sending people fleeing into the arid scrublands surrounding the community on Lake Chad. By Sunday, when government officials finally felt safe enough to see the destruction, homes, businesses and vehicles were burned throughout the area.
The assault marks a significant escalation in the long-running insurgency Nigeria faces in its predominantly Muslim north, with extremists mounting a coordinated assault on soldiers using military-grade weaponry.
Authorities had found and buried at least 185 bodies as of Sunday afternoon, said Lawan Kole, a local government official in Baga. He spoke haltingly to Borno state Gov. Kashim Shettima in the Kanuri language of Nigeria's northeast, surrounded by still-frightened villagers.
Brig. Gen. Austin Edokpaye, also on the visit, did not dispute the casualty figures. Edokpaye said the extremists used heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in the assault, which began after soldiers surrounded a mosque they believed housed members of the radical Islamic extremist network Boko Haram.
Edokpaye said extremists used civilians as human shields during the fighting -- implying that soldiers opened fire in neighborhoods where they knew civilians lived.
"'When we reinforced and returned to the scene the terrorists came out with heavy firepower, including (rocket-propelled grenades), which usually has a conflagration effect," the general said.
Sunday afternoon, the burned bodies of cattle and goats still filled the streets. Bullet holes marred burned buildings.
"Everyone has been in the bush since Friday night; we started returning back to town because the governor came to town today," grocer Bashir Isa said. "To get food to eat in the town now is a problem because even the markets are burnt. We are still picking corpses of women and children in the bush and creeks."
The Islamic insurgency in Nigeria grew out of a 2009 riot led by Boko Haram members in Maiduguri that ended in a military and police crackdown that killed some 700 people. The group's leader died in police custody in an apparent execution. From 2010 on, Islamic extremists have engaged in hit-and-run shootings and suicide bombings, attacks that have killed at least 1,548 people before Friday's attack, according to an AP count.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's north, has said it wants its imprisoned members freed and Nigeria to adopt strict Shariah law across the multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people. While the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has started a committee to look at the idea of offering an amnesty deal to extremist fighters, Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau has dismissed the idea out of hand in messages.
Despite the deployment of more soldiers and police to northern Nigeria, the nation's weak central government has been unable to stop the killings. Meanwhile, human rights groups and local citizens blame both Boko Haram and security forces for committing violent atrocities against the local civilian population, fueling rage in the region.
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.


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Two librarians sharing their thoughts with us about how the Summon service is helping to expose their digital and special collections. Check out this video to hear about how discovery is increasing visibility of this unique and valuable content at the University of Miami and the University of South Australia.Read More
With the recent agreement to index The Digital Library of Georgia's collection, users of the Summon® service will soon be able to discover resources in this vast collection of digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, government documents, newspapers, maps, architectural drawings, audio, video, and other resources.Read More
Collection development, analytics and knowledgebase workflows surfaced as hot topics for discussion at the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Serials Solutions Users Group Meeting, held June 14 at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.Read More
Pam's goal for Serials Solutions is simple—support libraries around the world as they move toward discovery across the breadth of their collections and total library workflow managementRead More
"If you're doing serious research, then you need an academic website," says Chris Dames, dean of libraries at the University of Missouri—St. Louis." Dames is bringing in Summon and also making sure that every inch of the library is wireless and adding a coffee service so students can study in caffeinated peace.Read More
What one thing would Stephen Parnell from the University of South Australia and Scott Garrison, formerly of Western Michigan University and currently at Ferris State University, share with libraries considering the Summon service? Hear it from their own lips in this video.Read More
Since June 6, 2012 our team has created over 17,000 new authority title records for e-books and added additional normalizers for over 306,000 e-book holdings.Read More
How did ProQuest celebrate the launch of the digitized version of Queen Victoria's personal journals?Read More
Serials Solutions® has reached agreement to index the LibriVox collection of free audiobooks for discovery in the Summon® service.Read More
Since the introduction of the Summon® discovery service three years ago, Serials Solutions® continues to rapidly release new functionality.Read More


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Lakewood, NJ (PRWEB) May 26, 2013
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the summer holidays are the most dangerous days to drive. July Fourth, Labor Day and Memorial Day each surpass New Year's Eve and Thanksgiving as the holidays with the most fatalities.
There are many factors that lead to the dangers, including drunk driving and the increase in traffic volume; however, one factor that many drivers may not consider is that weather conditions can create road hazards as the temperature heats up. Here are three hazards and solutions to keep drivers safe this summer:
1. Allergy Season: Spring and summer allergies cause both drowsiness and sinus pressure. At 70 mph the driver can lose vision up to 110 yards.
Solution: Speak with your doctor about various allergy medications and their potential side effects. In order to lessen your exposure to pollen, use the air conditioner in your car rather than open windows and regularly vacuum your car and wash car mats. Keep tissues at the ready. Feel a sneeze coming on? Slow down and allow your car to drop back in traffic.
2. High temperatures: The heat can aggravate minor damage to rubber tires leading to punctures and blow-outs.
Solution: To prevent such an occurrence check your tires before your road trip. Look for cracks and check for sufficient air inflation. You may want to increase the air pressure to compensate for any extra weight you may be carrying on your road trip.
3. Thunder Storms: heavy rain can impair vision and the wet raids can decrease the effectiveness of the car's brakes.
Solution: Keep the car's radio on to stay apprised of the storm's development. In rainy weather, use your low beams and drive slower than usual. Brake earlier to leave more distance between your car and the car ahead. If the rain becomes very heavy, pull onto the shoulder of the road, making sure to choose a section of the road with no trees that could become uprooted and fall onto your car. Use your emergency flashing lights. In case of lightning, avoid touching conducting (metal) surfaces both inside and outside of your car.
For more information on Summer Road Safety Tips, please visit:
http://www.kars4kids.org/blog/summer-road-safety-tips/ and follow the Kars4Kids Facebook page.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/5/prweb10761686.htm.
|Source: PRWeb
Copyright©2012 Vocus, Inc.
All rights reserved


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Baltimore County charged a man in the June fatal stabbing of a townhouse property manager in a Reisterstown leasing office, though officials said Wednesday they "cannot speculate about the motive."
Rashaan M. Williams, 27, of the Milford Mill area, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Melinda Schaefer, 29. Schaefer was stabbed in the head and upper body and she was found face down in a pool of blood by a janitor in the morning of June 14, police have said. Signs of a struggle in the Townes at Harvestview leasing office were apparent, police said, with Schaefer's chair overturned and a desk pushed across the room.
Police said Williams was a maintenance worker at the Townes at Harvestview. He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center, and no attorney was listed for him in court records.
In charging documents, investigators said that Williams got the company credit card from Schaefer and used it to buy batteries at a nearby Dollar General store in the morning of June 14, which was captured on the store's surveillance tape. Shortly after, he returned to the rental office, at which time police believe he killed Schaefer.
Williams told investigators he spoke with Schaefer for 10 to 15 minutes before leaving to go to a Home Depot, though he did not admit involvement in the murder. Surveillance tape from the Home Depot showed that Williams did go there later in the morning, but he had changed into different clothes, according to charging documents. When police interviewed Williams later that day, he was wearing the new change of clothes.


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Click on our Secret Library of Evidence ------>
BANKILEAKS Secret Library
Loan Application Forms (LAF's)
Then Click on 'VIEW NOTEBOOK'
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BFCSA investigates fraud involving lenders, spruikers and financial planners worldwide. Full Doc, Low Doc, No Doc loans, Lines of Credit and Buffer loans appear to be normal profit making financial products, however, these loans are set to implode within seven years. For the past two decades, Ms Brailey, President of BFCSA (Inc), has been a tireless campaigner, championing the cause of older and low income people around the Globe who have fallen victim to banking and finance scams. She has found that people of all ages are being targeted by Bankers offering faulty lending products. BFCSA warn that anyone who has signed up for one of these financial products, is in grave danger of losing their home.
"Confidentiality is assured."
Led by award-winning consumer advocate Denise Brailey, BFCSA (Inc) are a group of people who are concerned about the appalling growth of Loan Fraud around the world. BFCSA (Inc) is a not for profit organisation in the spirit of global community concern and justice.
Click on the Cluster Map.
Photo: Karl Hilzinger
The big four held 80 per cent of bank assets and 88 per cent of residential mortgages, the IMF said, making the banks vulnerable to any slump in house prices.
THE International Monetary Fund says the big four banks should be forced to hold more capital because their market dominance and the implicit guarantee of taxpayer support could threaten the economy.
As figures showed a $398 million worsening in the budget, the fund also said the government could abandon its plans for an early return to budget surplus if the economy deteriorated sharply.
In a review of the financial system published on Friday, IMF officials judged the sector to be ''sound, resilient, and well managed'' and said the economy was performing well.
But while the IMF was broadly supportive of the government's economic management, it also highlighted the long-term ''systemic risk'' posed by the dominance of Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ and NAB. ''Significant and protracted difficulties in any one of them would have severe repercussions for the entire financial system and, in turn, the real economy,'' the fund said.
As well, it said the big four benefited from wider margins than their local and international rivals because credit markets assumed they would be supported by the government if needed.
''The four major banks enjoy a funding cost advantage derived from an implicit government guarantee, and should bear some of the cost of mitigating systemic risk,'' it said.
To shelter the economy from any future troubles in the banking sector, the IMF said requiring the banks to hold more capital so they could absorb losses ''would seem a natural next step to take''. It also suggested increased ''stress-testing'' of banks by authorities.
Forcing banks to hold more capital would act as a drain on profits - which are also under pressure from declining credit growth.
With bank profits hitting $25 billion this year, the big four lenders are among the most profitable in the world. But the fund highlighted several longer-term risks facing the sector, such as banks' heavy reliance on overseas funding markets and their large holdings of residential mortgages.
The big four held 80 per cent of bank assets and 88 per cent of residential mortgages, it said, making the banks vulnerable to any slump in house prices.
On the economy, the IMF reaffirmed next year's 3 per cent growth forecast, though this would be ''narrowly driven by a mining investment boom''. It backed the government's goal of reining in spending and public debt.
If the outlook were to worsen dramatically, it said that ''delaying the return to surpluses could be an option'' and the Reserve Bank would have ''scope'' to cut the cash rate further.
The comments came as new figures showed the budget deficit in August was $398 million wider than the government had expected in its May budget, due to weaker than expected tax receipts.
A spokeswoman for Finance Minister Penny Wong said the write down of revenue showed that weakness in the economy had been taken into account in the government's midyear budget review, published last month.
Treasurer Wayne Swan said the IMF's support for government policy objectives represented a ''big tick'' for Australia's economic management.
''The government understands that not everyone is doing it easy, but reports like these demonstrate why all Australians can be proud of what we have achieved working together in the face of acute global challenges,'' Mr Swan said.
While Mr Swan has pledged to deliver a surplus this financial year, the government has recently softened its rhetoric, suggesting it might abandon the goal if conditions worsen significantly.
Since Canberra announced $16 billion in spending cuts in the midyear budget update, it has avoided reaffirming its promise to post a surplus, instead referring to a ''plan''.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/imf-calls-for-big-bank-buffer-20121116-29hom.html#ixzz2CQ2ysOyT


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Triggering Azure Logic Apps from Ultimate Forms
Interested in Azure Logic Apps and you have Infowise Ultimate Forms? Check out a training article on the Infowise Solutions site I published. In the referenced article, I explain how you connect your forms to Azure to kick off Logic App Actions. Click the image below or go to this link: [here]


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The Eating Behavior Laboratory is associated with the Department for Psychology and the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Salzburg.
We are investigating basic mechanisms relevant for eating- and weight-regulation using methods from experimental psychology and neuroscience (more).
Follow us on facebook, twitter or research gate, or contact us here.


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\nTwenty-three-year-old Natalya Rudakova has the kind of beauty that makes you stop in your tracks and stare. And that's exactly what the writer of Transporters 3 did when he spotted the undiscovered Russian redhead on the streets of New York. A few months and a handful of acting classes later, she quit her job at a hair salon and jetted off to Europe to shoot the film. Natalya nailed her on-screen role as the love interest of always hot and often shirtless Jason Statham's character. And offscreen? She's down-to-earth, sweet, and sooo not a Hollywood type. Here, she dishes about her kissing scenes, taking risks, and feeling sexy.
Q: Writer Luc Besson said he first noticed you because of your looks, specifically your "freckles and blue eyes." Do you consider yourself sexy?
A: I'm like every woman — some days I feel sexy and some days I don't. A lot of it depends on what I'm wearing. I feel sexiest when I'm in a nice dress with my hair and makeup done.
Q: Had you ever considered acting before Luc offered you the role?
A: I did some acting when I was younger, but I quit because it didn't pay the bills. When Luc offered to pay for my acting classes, I had no idea what would happen or that there was a movie at the end of all of that. I was just taking advantage of free acting classes.
Q: Did you have any hesitations about leaving your old life for a career as an actress?
A: None. It was a new and interesting opportunity, and even though it was scary, I couldn't say no. I love to try new things. When I was eighteen, I left Russia to move to New York. I've always been someone who just goes for it.
Q: What was it like working with Jason Statham?
A: It was a lot of fun. Jason is an experienced actor, and he was very supportive and protective of me.
Q: And about those hot make-out scenes with him...
A: It wasn't hot at all. In fact, it was freezing! We were filming in the winter, he was half naked, and I was wearing a short dress. I couldn't think of anything else but the cold. I was nervous, but Jason made jokes to relax me.
Q: What's the best advice you've received about how to survive in the movie industry?
A: Jason told me to be myself and not to forget who I am. He said not to get sucked in to the Hollywood scene. I've also learned not to pay much attention to the critics. Not everybody is going to like you. Some people like dark chocolate, some like milk chocolate. So don't base your decisions and thoughts on their opinions.
Q: Who are you dying to work with?
A: I really like Nicole Kidman. She's a great actress and good at taking on different characters.


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Chris Noth is pumped for the upcoming election. "I love politics!" he crows a few weeks before the presidential showdown. But today he's talking about a fictional Democratic gubernatorial primary in the great state of Illinois — and it's a juicy one. After all, Noth's candidate on the CBS drama The Good Wife, Cook County State's Attorney Peter Florrick, has been known to get a little dirt on his hands. Not to mention a little lipstick on his collar.
"I'm enjoying playing this campaign immensely," the actor says. "Politics is fun stuff to act because there's so much deception. It's terrible in life, but it's great for entertainment. Jules [Julianna Margulies, who plays Peter's wronged wife Alicia] and I are having a good time. The story feels so fresh and new and inspired."
Peter's political plot line had been on simmer for much of last season, but it's at full boil now. Three years after The Good Wife's memorable opening scene — when the chastened Chicago power broker, his wife at his side, publicly admitted to liaisons with hookers — many mea culpas, much shrewd glad-handing and a near-monkish celibacy have brought Peter to the precipice of a triumphant comeback.
But all his success could come crashing down in this week's episode, thanks to a pretty young campaign worker named Indira Starr (Liz Holtan), who's been spreading stories about an affair with her boss. Her latest salvo: a salacious description of a distinctive marking on an intimate part of Peter's anatomy. (Shades of Paula Jones and Bill Clinton...)
Alicia — who's splitting her time between law firm Lockhart/Gardner and her husband's
campaign bus — and Eli Gold (Alan Cumming), Peter's trusted campaign manager, "know the birthmark story is untrue," says Robert King, who created the critically praised drama with his wife, Michelle, "but nonetheless you have to play defense when someone lies in a way that makes you seem ridiculous defending yourself. Chris has some very funny scenes as a politician put in that position." But Peter's not laughing. "Not when it could hurt Alicia, whom he had to guide through these swamps before," says Noth.
Birthmarkgate hits just after Peter gets his first serious primary challenger. A former backer and supposed friend of Alicia, billionaire Maddie Hayward (Maura Tierney), has suddenly declared her own candidacy. "She is very formidable," Noth teases, "but if someone betrays Peter, he won't turn the other cheek. He'll destroy them if he can."
Owing to its carefully calibrated blend of smarm and charm, the role of Peter Florrick was tough to cast. "Chris is perfect in it," says Michelle King of Sex and the City's ex-Mr. Big. Adds Robert: "Luckily, despite his leading-man looks, he embraced this role immediately. He loves playing ethically compromised people. He sees Peter walking a tightrope, cutting ethical corners but still being a guy the audience finds desirable."
You can put his not-so-estranged wife in that crowd. Exhibit A: the "I trust you" kiss she planted on her surprised husband after Starr's accusations arose. "Power is the aphrodisiac here," notes Margulies. "When Alicia sees Peter at his best — politicking — that's when she falls in love with him. They are great together as a political couple. He can only win with her at his side, and if he wins, she realizes that she wins in her career."
The Kings admit they're "going for the Hillary Clinton dynamic of someone who acknowledges her husband's faults but believes in the bigger mission," Robert says. But the actors suggest there won't be a romantic reconciliation anytime soon. "They have moments where they feel they could be together, but the wound is so deep they can't quite embrace the idea of it," says Noth, adding, "Well, I think he can, but I don't think she can. At some point he's going to say, 'Fine, I'm going to move on.' But I don't think he's ever given up hope."
At this point, his hopes remain higher for his political future. As do those of his consigliere. "Eli sees Peter's political career going further than just being governor of Illinois," muses Cumming. "He believes in Peter. With all the skullduggery and ruthlessness that he employs, he has real political ideals."
Sounds as if there could be a Florrick run for the White House in the not too distant future. President Florrick sounds good to us. President Alicia Florrick, that is.
The Good Wife airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.


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Down the Rabbit Hole
In his first novel for kids, bestselling author Abrahams unspools a tale that fittingly gets curiouser and curiouser. The story shines on audio via a fine performance by Siegfried. As 13-year-old Ingrid Levin-Hill, Siegfried uses a youthful voice to convey the protagonist's age-appropriate blend of smarts, awkwardness and stubborn streak. Budding thespian and sudden amateur sleuth (who idolizes Sherlock Holmes) Ingrid finds herself in the middle of both the community theater production of Alice in Wonderland and a local murder mystery. Will her connection to the deceased be discovered? Does the creepy new actor-director in town have something to do with it all? Listeners will stick with Ingrid to find out—and may well gather some of their own theories—in this satisfyingly suspenseful outing. The fresh dialogue and believable small-town setting will tempt fans to visit Echo Falls again for any sequels. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)
Release date: 04/01/2005
Genre: Children's


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Learn about: the ways population health makes it easier to identify at-risk patients and give them extra support, the built environment shift beyond healthcare facilities and what this means from a design standpoint, and technologies that will facilitate the delivery of healthcare in the home setting.
Trzpuc, S. J., Wendt, K. A., Heitzman, S. C., Skemp, S., Thomas, D., & Dahl, R. (2016). Does space matter? An exploratory study for a child–adolescent mental health inpatient unit. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 10(1), 23-44.


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Former Mayor Edward I. Koch was famous for asking, "How'm I doing?" He usually received an earful.
In the last two decades, governmental agencies in New York have gotten an earful too. Often, this is the result of reports generated internally, but, in the case of the subways, it is helped along by report of the New York Public Interest Research Group Straphangers Campaign on the State of the Subways. Straphangers' annual subway service report culls data from New York City Transit to evaluate and rank each of the subway system's lines. Scores are based on the frequency and regularity of service, rate of breakdowns, chance of getting a seat, cleanliness inside the cars and in-car announcements.
This year, the L train gained the #1 ranking, based in part on the arrival of new subway cars that reduced the frequency of breakdowns. Other high-ranked lines were the #3, D, E, #6 and #1/9. Ranked last was the #5 line, bedeviled by a high breakdown rate, irregular train arrivals and severe crowding. Other low scorers were the N, C, M and R.
The report also highlighted how service has improved in some respects and worsened in others since release of the 2000 report. (No report was done in the aftermath of the September 2001 terrorist attacks.) The good news is that subway cars are breaking down far less often than they did in 2000. In the second half of 2002, subway cars traveled an average of 151,300 miles without a mechanical problem causing a delay, compared with 110,600 in the second half of 2000. This improvement largely reflects the arrival of new high-tech subway cars.
The bad news is that subway cars were less clean in 2002 than 2000. Over this time period, the proportion of subway cars with clean seats and floors declined from 85 percent to 78 percent.
One of the strengths of the Straphangers report is the detail by subway line. The line-specific data show how varied service is across the system. Take subway car breakdowns, for example. While breakdowns lessened on 10 lines, the situation worsened on five lines (1/9, 4, 7, A and N). Conversely, while cleanliness worsened on 12 lines, it improved on three lines (2, 3 and A).
Looking across subway lines, breakdowns occur twice as often on the #5, #7, A, R and V as compared with the #3, D, L and Q.
Straphangers is not the only organization to make performance indicators readily available for public viewing. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently began to put system-wide performance statistics on its website. Currently showing data through May 2003, the MTA data are more up-to-date compared with the Straphangers report for the latter part of 2002. But the MTA does not break out subway lines or other geographic detail.
City agencies also make performance indicators available on the Internet. The Transportation Department, however, focuses on work measures such as traffic lights installed and permits issued, rather than performance measures. One performance measure concerning Staten Island ferry on-time performance is included.
What comes of the considerable effort put forth to measure agency performance? In some cases, such as the Department of Transportation, what is actually measured is not actually service performance and thus does not fulfill the basic objectives of these efforts.
In other cases, performance is measured but little heed is paid, or action taken, based on the results.
But when agency officials and the public pay attention and take these measures seriously, real improvements felt by everyday citizens can occur. Straphangers has found that complaints and advocacy based on their past reports improved service on certain subway lines. Within government agencies, managers' feet can be held to the fire to produce better results.
More broadly, these reports have two very positive effects. First, they focus attention on the right set of issues. The old saw at the Transit Authority went that the trains would run just fine if there were no passengers. On-time performance was once measured solely by when trains arrived at the end of the line, and dispatchers have been caught faking the numbers. New indicators such as the regularity of train arrivals reflect how passengers actually experience subway service. In government, what isn't measured generally didn't happen, at least officially, so having official and systematic statistics that reflect riders' experiences is very valuable.
Second, these reports underscore that budgetary decisions and choices about priorities have real consequences. The subway car breakdown rate on the L line improved because of millions of dollars spent to purchase them. As the city undergoes one round of budget cutting after another, it's worth watching how services are affected.
Like any good thing, however, performance measurement can have unintended consequences. High-stakes testing in schools has resulted in recently publicized scandals over underreported dropout rates and serious doubt about the appropriateness of Regents exams. Let's hope that performance measures in transit and transportation get the attention they deserve, but without these types of abuses.
Bruce Schaller is Principal of Schaller Consulting, which provides research and analysis to government, business and non-profit groups seeking to identify and meet customer needs in the transportation sector. He is also a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Transportation Policy and Management at New York University.


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ROLLINSFORD — Celebrate the 60th season of Garrison Players with "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Opening on Nov. 2, Garrison Players will present "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the familiar tale of the feuding King and Queen of the fairies, whose bickering has turned their world upside down. Find out what happens when a mischievous sprite is let loose in the woods with a love potion and a cast of pawns to play with, including a troupe of rude mechanicals, four desperate lovers, and even the enchanted Fairy Queen herself.
Featuring faces familiar and new, this fast-paced, funny and vibrant interpretation of one of the Bard's best known works will pull you in and hold you from start to finish. Threaded with singing and dancing, all the best of Shakespeare's ingredients appear for your entertainment.
Live, love and laugh along with this unruly, passionate, and very lovable bunch. Feel the steam heat of a Midsummer Night in the forest around Athens; it will warm your heart.
For more information or to purchase tickets for Garrison Players' production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," call (603) 750-4278 or visit www.garrisonplayers.org. Performance dates are: Nov. 2-4, 9-11, 16-17. All performances will be held at the Garrison Players Arts Center on Route 4 in Rollinsford. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Two Sunday performances only. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students and under 18.
Garrison Players to debut Shakespeare
ROLLINSFORD — Celebrate the 60th season of Garrison Players with "A Midsummer Night's Dream."


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DiS sent Eli Lee to Hyde Park, and here is her report...
So that's it for the Olympics. In Hyde Park, we get BT London Live's Hyde Park Closing Ceremony Celebration Concert (ahem) with an incongruously brilliant line-up: Blur, The Specials, New Order. Across town, there's the Spice Girls and Take That. Only after both end do I see the cynical tweets from over there, slamming the gaudiness, the bad acts, Sebastian Coe. Here, though, there's a delicious calm. We've been tipped out onto the streets with those famous words: "The days they seem to fall through you well just…let them go," resounding in our heads. Is Damon talking about zen-like non-attachment or drug-addled carelessness? I never figured that one out. In any case, Blur close the Olympics with 'The Universal' and it's beautiful and right. One Direction, Muse – even Neil Tennant in a conical hat – seem impossibly distant.
The evening here started with Bombay Bicycle Club, but you'll have to forgive me, I missed them. New Order are next, and although the sound's pretty puny, hearing them play 'Ceremony', 'True Faith', 'Blue Monday' – and especially the gleeful 'Temptation' – is good fun. I'd always wanted to see them in a darkened room somewhere, imagining relentless synths, irrepressible dancing, dirty drugs – but in sunny Hyde Park, squashed in between big-screen Olympic action and mass hamburger chomping, the intensity dissipates. The music's still faultless; it's just a shame it's not blasting out any louder. They end on 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', the words Joy Division helpfully scrolling on the screen behind. Even though this song has ended far too many indie discos, meaning all I can associate it with is the gloomy anticipation of a mother of a hangover, there's still a real thrill in seeing it played live.
The Specials are next, accompanied by violins, and they're a perfect early evening band. No Jerry Dammers, just as there was no Peter Hook for New Order, but it's impossible not to enjoy it. We get 'Too Much, Too Young', a raucous 'Concrete Jungle,' a laidback 'Doesn't Make it Alright' and 'A Message to You, Rudy', as infectious as ever. Full of jaunty, cool conviction, I'd like them to have played for much longer.
But it's time for Blur. The air prickles with excitement. They bound on and launch into 'Girls & Boys'. That legendarily catchy riff, that slide into that sexy beat, Damon sings "Street's like a jungle" – and we're with him. Every word. Except the chorus, which I swear everyone still gets confused. But already, this couldn't be better. Damon bounces around like a cheeky kid, Alex poses languidly, at the back is trainee solicitor Dave, and then there is Graham: looking down, ignoring us, giving me thrills.
They play 'London Loves', 'Tracy Jacks' and 'Jubilee' in quick succession and then the pace slows for 'Beetlebum'. When they crawl to the luxuriant line that, more than any other, pulls me back to the confusing mess of being a '90s teenager: "And when she lets me slip away…", we all sink along with it. Nostalgia, yearning and debauchery swell up inside. Straight after, it's 'Coffee & TV', mainlined straight from Graham's lo-fi dreams of fuzzy American indie. It sounds as uselessly cosy as it always did, a song to wrap yourself in. And while it's odd to be surrounded by thousands of people all singing "sociability, it's hard enough for me…", this touches on one of the greatest aspects of Blur – the contradiction between their fondness for isolation – "running away from this big, bad world" – and the fact that they're populists, down to the bone. The reconciliation of this smart outsider vibe with their crowdpleasing antics was always proof of how brilliant they were – a band who could simultaneously embody laddishness, crude aspirationalism, the simple joys and woes of being British, and yet be at an angle to it all, slipping effortlessly into different registers. The next song, 'Out of Time', perfectly proves this. Damon dedicates it to the Olympics, which seems fitting – Londoners having over the past few weeks been spun out of our workaday rhythm, our minds opened up to minor miracles.
Next, the brilliant 'Trimm Trabb' brings the girl next to me to a crescendo in her praise of Damon's erotic allure. She's been saying all along: "He's so fucking sexy. He's such a sexy man," in her husky Irish accent, and she can't contain herself as he becomes all snaky and seductive for this song. To be honest, I can barely hear him due to her effusions. I turn to her, deciding what to say. "You're right," I come out with. Fuck it, she is.
After the rarely-played but gorgeous 'Caramel', we get back to the hits – the irredeemable yet irresistible 'Country House' and then 'Parklife', both of which get mass sing-a-longs. Phil Daniels bounces onstage for 'Parklife', hams it up for all it's worth and it's great. Inexplicably, Harry Enfield minces on too, dressed as a tealady.
After 'Advert', Damon pays his respects to the fantastic Mo Farah. The audience chants "Mo, Mo, Mo!" Damon does the Mobot, we all do the Mobot. "That's the easiest thing I've done all night," he says. And then they kick off 'Song 2'. Fifteen years later, it still stands up: two perfect minutes of chaotic illogic and compressed brilliance. But then things get sombre with the opening thrums of 'No Distance Left to Run'. What a song. Graham's mellow, juicy guitar, the sweet hopelessness of Damon's voice – it's as sadly sexy as ever. It drifts into the night sky and the evening seems to momentarily close in on us.
And then 'Tender' begins. If ever there's a song to feel conflicted about, it's this. It might be utterly inspired, but these days, it's got something of the 'Angels' about it – and by 'Angels', I do indeed mean those purveyed by the dread Robbie Williams. The 'Angels' effect means that 'Tender', too, has turned into a vehicle for mass public catharsis. Hearing it live hurtles me back to the summer of '99, holed up in my room studying for A-levels, desperate to get to university, and goddamn just waiting for that feeling to come – so yeah, I've got a fair bit of singing to do. But when I stop, people sing on. When Damon stops, people sing on. It won't end. "Blur for Pope!" someone shouts. I decide we need lullabies like this more than we dare admit. In front of me, a guy sniffs poppers. Teeming catharsis around him and he's doing poppers? Fair enough. Graham does his, "Oh my baby, oh my baby," lament and my 19-year-old self tingles with lust. Words that fuelled a decade of straight-up Coxonesque crushes.
Finally the epic singalong staggers to an end. Time for 'This is a Low'. Damon looks tired now, his face etched with sincerity as he sings. This song's 18 years old – how can that be? But then we go back 20 years for 'Sing', sadly underwhelming as the sound system just isn't up to it. 'Under the Westway' is next, a lush paean to West London written especially for tonight, and complemented by the giant mock-up of the overpass that stands onstage. It reminds me that in the days before the dominance of East London, west London was the brightest corner of the city. Seems a very long time ago now. 'End of a Century' and 'For Tomorrow' dig the point in. Damon singing about being lost on the Westway and taking a drive to Primrose Hill gets me going again. I've lived around this area for 25 years, loved and hated it, and tonight I'm in love again.
In front of me, the guy on poppers has doubled over. We wait to see if he's okay. Five minutes later he reels himself up. "What happened?" he asks. His friend laughs hysterically. And then it's our lucky day. Same as 17 years ago when he channeled 'A Clockwork Orange' to tell us that the future was here, Damon's intense and serious for 'The Universal' – though there's less put-on cheek now and more real concern. Maybe, though, this time this isn't because he's thinking about our zombified future. Maybe it's because tonight might be Blur's last ever gig. If that's the case, then it's a truly magnificent one. And we all yield to it in the only way we know how: singing along, arms in the air.
It ends. We want more. 'Charmless Man' someone yells wildly. The chorus of 'Tender' rises and falls as we disperse. I think we just can't believe it's been that good. Is it possible that a band who make us feel so much like ourselves can be this good? All credit to Blur – the answer's yes.
Blur's Setlist:
- 'Girls & Boys'
- 'London Loves'
- 'Tracy Jacks'
- 'Jubilee'
- 'Beetlebum'
- 'Coffee & TV'
- 'Out of Time' (with Khyam Allami)
- 'Young & Lovely'
- 'Trimm Trabb'
- 'Caramel'
- 'Sunday Sunday'
- 'Country House'
- 'Parklife' (with Phil Daniels)
- 'Colin Zeal' (with Harry Enfield)
- 'Popscene'
- 'Advert'
- 'Song 2'
- 'No Distance Left to Run'
- 'Tender'
- 'This Is a Low'
- 'Sing'
- 'Under The Westway'
- 'Intermission'
- 'End of a Century'
- 'For Tomorrow'
- 'The Universal'
Photo via BT London Live.


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The USS ShirKahr (NCC-31905) was a 24th century Federation Miranda-class starship operated by Starfleet.
The ShirKahr fought in the Dominion War, participating in the first Battle of Chin'toka in 2374.
The ShirKahr was destroyed after taking heavy fire to its primary hull from the Cardassian orbital weapon platforms protecting the Chin'toka system. (DS9: "Tears of the Prophets")
While the name and registry of the ShirKahr was visible on screen, the ship's appearance in "Tears of the Prophets" was later confirmed by John Gross and Karen Sickles of Digital Muse in a 25 June 1998 post, by DS9 Visual Effects Supervisor David Stipes, on the newsgroup alt.tv.star-trek.ds9.
The ShirKahr was named for the capital city on Vulcan that was featured in Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "Yesteryear". (Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 274))
|Miranda-class starships
|USS Antares • USS Brattain • USS Lantree • USS Majestic • USS Nautilus • USS Reliant • USS Saratoga (NCC-1887) • USS Saratoga (NCC-31911) • USS ShirKahr • USS Sitak • USS Tian An Men • USS Trial • Unnamed
External link
- USS ShirKahr (NCC-31905) at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
Community content is available under CC-BY-NC unless otherwise noted.


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What's the deadliest infectious disease ever and what currently is the most deadly infectious disease?
The answer to this question is more complex than simply counting up numbers of people who die from infection. For example, diseases like measles and smallpox have proved to be far deadlier in some populations—such as Native Americans—than in others, because of population differences in disease resistance.
Another variable is intensity of the illness a pathogen causes. Influenza comes in many forms of virulence, and as the Spanish flu pandemic of the early 20th century made clear, even that virulence can vary depending on specific population features; the Spanish flu, which took an estimated 50 million lives, killed the young most relentlessly.
Even an individual disease vector can wax and wane in terms of how virulent it is or which tissues it invades. For example, Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the infamous Black Death that swept through Europe in the 14th century, may vary over time in its virulence and is far more deadly when transmitted as an aerosol to lung tissues than when it invades the lymph and causes the bubos that characterize it.
Another issue is, how do we calculate "deadliest?" Is it in terms of sheer overall numbers, or do we calculate it in terms of how many people it kills among the number infected? For the sake of addressing this question, let's talk about both.
Historically, in terms of sheer numbers, the deadliest diseases were smallpox, measles, tuberculosis, plague (e.g., the Black Plague), and malaria. According to a handy Website, the Book of Odds, which calculates odds for us, measles has killed about 200 million people worldwide in the last 150 years and still kills hundreds of thousands in the developing world. Thanks to vaccines, the odds of contracting measles in the United States today are very low unless you are an unvaccinated person living in areas where vaccine uptake is low.
The story on smallpox is similar—it may have killed more people by percent or sheer numbers than any other infectious disease in history, including 300 million in the 20th century alone by some estimates. Yet smallpox as an infectious disease no longer exists thanks to its total elimination through vaccine campaigns.
Thus, along with the plague, smallpox and measles have, for millennia, been the historical killers of humans and would still be among the deadliest infectious diseases today were it not for vaccines. What we have left are some old killers on the list—tuberculosis and malaria—and a newer entity, HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
We have yet to develop efficient vaccines against any of them. According to USAID, in terms of absolute numbers of deaths, AIDS kills the most people each year, with 2.8 million AIDS-related deaths in 2004, followed by tuberculosis and malaria.
Indeed, AIDS and tuberculosis are often co-conspirators in death, as infection with the HIV virus makes people 20 to 30 times more likely to develop active TB with TB infection. Research for vaccines against HIV and malaria has been feverish but as-yet incompletely successful, one reason these diseases remain the top global killers.
But what about the deadliest disease in terms of how many of infected people die? In the absence of effective treatment, HIV might be one candidate. But the ones that come first to mind are the viruses that cause fast-moving hemorrhagic fevers, such as the Marburg or Ebola viruses.
The Marburg virus, named for the location of the first outbreak and a virus that may reside without symptoms in fruit bats, has caused death rates as high as 90% in some areas, although the average is 23–25%. It is a filovirus, in the same viral family as the five Ebola viruses. One of the Ebola viruses, Ebola-Reston, is perhaps the most notorious of the hemorrhagic fever viruses, having led to death rates as high as 89% in outbreaks.
A near-100% mortality rate is about as deadly as an infectious agent can be if that's the measure of "deadly" we're using.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons


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With a spate of local-cops-gone-astray news in the past several days, I keep thinking about comments I've been getting from people expressing a certain geographical bias.
They are relatively recent transplants from "up north" who tell this Florida native that cops "down here" are far less professional and far more prone to bad behavior than those "back home."
My experience with northern police agencies is limited, but I usually tell those commenters that I think they arrived in sunny Florida full of stereotypes based on Hollywood's notion of stupid and thuggish southern cops.
But those commenters have had some ammo for their arguments of late. In just the past several days, for instance, greater-Sarasota area cops in three unrelated cases either resigned under pressure or have been informed of a decision to fire them.
One is a Highway Patrol trooper caught justifying a DUI arrest by either lying in his arrest report or being grossly mistaken in a way I can't really fathom as possible. Among numerous discrepancies from the truth, that trooper wrote and later testified that he smelled a strong odor of alcohol on the driver's breath. An audio and video recording clearly showed that the trooper repeatedly told another trooper at the scene next to Interstate 75 that he didn't smell any alcohol.
Tolerating false arrest reports would be a crime. But in fact, it is Trooper Scott Kunstmann who has now been charged with perjury, as well losing his job.
Another officer, Joseph "Ford" Snodgrass, has resigned after superiors determined he repeatedly lied about an injury he said he got on the job when his department motorcycle fell on his leg. Tapes showed no such incident and an investigation determined he suffered the injury while off duty.
In the same week, Sarasota Police Officer Scott Patrick was fired based on video recordings showing an arrest at a Sarasota nightclub. The video shows him repeatedly punching a man in the head during an arrest, supposedly to gain cooperation but while the arrested man was pinned to the ground and much outnumbered by officers.
Those are all sad cases of local cops doing regrettable things and suffering consequences. But the good news is that the agencies involved are not ignoring those incidents or keeping them buried.
And I can't help but smirk when people tell me that they see this as a Florida problem that they don't have in their home state. I've heard that claim repeatedly, and about numerous places and police agencies, including — to my surprise — the New York City Police Department.
Please. There might be thousands of great cops there, but there are also many examples of bad cop behavior, including some bad enough that the word even makes its way south.
A New York Times story reported some of the bad cop behavior last year: "Seven narcotics investigators are convicted of planting drugs on people to meet arrest quotas. Eight current and former patrol officers are charged with smuggling guns into the state. Another is charged with making a false arrest, apparently as a favor for his cousin. Three more are convicted of robbing a perfume warehouse," the story's opening paragraph stated.
What those NYPD scandals had in common, the story said, wasn't their rarity but rather that none were unearthed and acted upon by NYPD's Internal Affairs investigators. All were developed by outside agencies. And a police commissioner quoted defending NYPD's own efforts did so, in part, by saying the department has been monitoring officer testimony in traffic cases after the discovery that numerous officers had been lying even in those.
Cops are human everywhere. And as long as they are, some will wander from the righteous path. No police agency anywhere is immune to instances of corruption and dishonesty.
And to anyone who says they see little of such news "back home," I suggest that might not be such a good thing. Maybe news organizations and government agencies and citizens groups there have just been less willing or able to expose the problems.
Tom Lyons can be contacted at email@example.com or (941) 361-4964.
Lyons: Florida doesn't have monopoly on police misconduct
With a spate of local-cops-gone-astray news in the past several days, I keep thinking about comments I've been getting from people expressing a certain geographical bias.


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Royals ponder changes to replay system
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Instant replay is being expanded this year to include a variety of plays, and manager Ned Yost, general manager Dayton Moore and the Royals' staff are pondering how it might work out.
"It's still kind of a great unknown. It started that they were going to put a [monitor] in close proximity of the dugout, so it was my thought you can have a bench coach go and check the replay and come back out while you're out on the field," Yost said. "Now the thought seems to be that they're going to install all the replay machines in the video room. So we've had extensive conversations -- Dayton and I and our baseball [operations] people -- on how we're going to do that and who's going to do that."
So when Yost goes out to argue an umpire's call, a staff member presumably would check out the replay in the video room or somewhere and signal the manager on whether or not he should use his one challenge. (If the skipper is right, he retains the right to challenge a call again. Beginning with the seventh inning, the umpires can decide on reviewing plays.)
This certainly changes the dynamics of baseball arguments.
"I'm a competitive guy, but when I go out to argue a call, I can't win. There's no way. I've never won one, will never win one," Yost said, alluding to the old system. "You can't win. At least now I've got a fighting chance. So I welcome it."
Do you use your challenge on a bang-bang play or only on one that you're sure to win?
"Every time I run out on a bang-bang play, when I'm sure that [the umpire] missed it, I always get back and look at the replay and he didn't," Yost said. "It's a real tough angle from the dugout to see that bang-bang play."
Therefore, Yost's conclusion is this: "It's going to be more [on] the obvious plays."
Those obvious plays, however, won't include the "neighborhood" forceouts at second base where sometimes the shortstop or second baseman is just in the "neighborhood" of second base on a force play with a runner bearing down on him. The thinking there is it's better to avoid injuries than be too picky about stepping on the bag.
"They're not going to be able to review that 'neighborhood' play as we go right now. They say right now that's not going to be reviewable," Yost said.
Whether or not there'll much experimentation with the new rules during Spring Training remains to be seen because telecasts are relatively infrequent. So the real shakedown will come once the regular season begins.
"It's new ground and we're going to have to experience it and see how it works out, but I think in the long run it's going to be good for us," Yost said.


text: We determine which names have not yet been assigned and reserve your desired domain if the domain is not already reserved. Important: Where possible we enter our customers name for domain registration as owners and as administrative contacts. Customer ownership and actual access to domain are placed at the disposal of the customer. When ordering a domain the customer assures that he accepts and fulfils the conditions of the respective registry. deLink provides neither a guarantee for availability nor a claim to a domain. Billing for service rendered is issued only after successful registration or completed transfer. A (partial) refund of charges in case of order cancellation is not possible. We comply with a request for a provider change immediately and without complication.


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100 Best Beer Bars: How About These Five Noted Absences
Washington Beer Blog reminded me that Draft Magazine put out their annual 100 Best Beer Bars this week. Thanks for the reminder, Kendall. Now let me go spend two unproductive hours ogling it!
Draft Magazine is a nationally published magazine focused beer culture. They have been around since 2006, sometimes featuring celebrities on their covers. All in all, its not the nerds guide to beer. Its more of a sassy celebration of all things barley pop.
Don't let my description drive you away. Draft Magazine is good. In fact, all 3 of the Beer Blotter writers are subscribers. We enjoy the fact that Draft presents a global expose on happenings in the beer world. Its really a good way to locate beer venues from around the world.
Just this week, Draft released its annual Top 100 beer bars list. This list is sorted geographically into 4 regions. I was afraid that they were attempting to force options for each of these regions, but it appears that the selections are not equally divided (for example, the Northeast has many more than the South). So, it appears that the choices are without prejudice.
In scouring the list, I was very pleased to see places like Avenue Pub (New Orleans), Apex (Portland), Blind Lady Alehouse (San Diego) and our very own Monk's hole – The Stumbling Monk (Seattle).
But, one cannot peruse the list without finding their own list of absentees. While less deserving pubs made it (i.e. Cooter Browns (New Orleans), Green Dragon (Portland), McNulty's Bier Markt (Cleveland)), some of the nation's most celebrated beer venues are missing.
While that absentee list will differ for each of us, here are my Top 5 Absentees:
- Brouwers Cafe (Seattle) – They must have pissed off a Draft Magazine writer. Many of us know that Brouwers can sometimes rub the wrong way (and its been stated by commenters here on the site), but there is no better selection of ale in the NW. Brouwers routinely procures 60 taps of rare beer, one of the best bottle lists in the country and an unprecedented number of unmatched in-house beer festivals (See Sour Fest, Hopfest, Big Wood, and Hard Liver). Again, they must have pissed someone off.
- Bangers & Lace (Chicago) – This might simply be too early for Draft to call this place a winner. But, Bangers & Lace has quickly ascended to the top of the Chicago beer world. Presenting an unmatched selection of rare beer, along with phenomenal food, B&L deserves a spot. Guest writer For Whom the Bell Toales agrees that this is the #1 beer venue in Chi-town.
- Small Bar (San Diego) – Ok Ok, they got it mostly right. Hamilton's Tavern, Blind Lady Alehouse, and O'Brien's Pub should all be on the list. But, Small Bar gives that Top 3 a run for their money. Mixing a spectacular beer selection with epic food and spunky surroundings, I think it deserved a spot above many of the LA selections.
- Brew Kettle (Strongsville, OH) – Draft picked one of the many Cleveland suburb favorites – Buckeye Beer Engine. But, I think they got the wrong one. The Brew Kettle blends an incredible draft lineup (thank god for the connection with Founders), house made ales, and some spectactular bar grub. Get drunk enough? Go brew a batch in the back. Beyond that – its just a cool dark place to grab a beer.
- New York's Forgotten Trio – Ginger Man, Mug's Alehouse and d.b.a. (NY, NY) – They picked a lot of NY spots. I can understand that its pretty tough to run into your editor's office and say we picked the Top 100 – 20 of them are in NY. Its a tough job to pick between the excellent spots in NYC. In my mind, they got the top 3 on the list – Rattle N Hum, Blind Tiger and Spuyten Duyvil. Those three are iconic, and the three places that I spend the most time while in NY. But, the above three all deserve a shot at the list. The Ginger Man is just a few blocks from Rattle N Hum – many would say its the cooler bar. Mug's is tucked away in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But unlike the uber-hipster crowd at Spuyten Duyvil, you will find comfort at this grog spot. d.b.a. is the lone East Village fave. d.b.a. has been pouring beer for a long time and has an excellent wide spread selection.
I will say, writing the Top 5 absentees was pretty tough. All in all they did a great job finding the appropriate bars. The Top 100 is a worthy list and you should take a glance.
What else is missing!?


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This one certainly did. Meet our latest barbershop girl Samantha. This beautiful blonde bombshell was proud to be selected as one of ETV's Barbershop Girls. In this viewer's choice selection, our model starts with below shoulder length hair and goes from long to a short extreme feminine crewcut style. With 7 haircuts, 66 minutes of hi-quality audio/video haircut playtime and a new pricing structure for these trying economic times. It's guaranteed to knock more then just your socks off.
What's the moral of the story? Do blonds really have more fun? No. Getting down to the final extreme haircut it became apparent that our blonde bombshell was in fact a brunette bombshell. She enjoyed it all the same and so did we.
Duration: 66 minutes
File size: 629.23 mb
Playback format: MP4
Available Options:
For Download:PC/MAC - MP4


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Opinion: Should Egypt Ban the Brotherhood?
Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Fouad Ajami on the army-backed campaign to ban the Brotherhood and try its senior leaders.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... the turnout in Egypt a story that really fallen off the front pages of the mainstream media but not here at opinion Journal ... today the interior minister survived assassination attempts ... the attack comes on the heels of the army backed government's measures to ... ban the Muslim Brotherhood and the Tri its senior leadership ... Hoover institution senior fellow for the county will stay with me now to talk about the situation ... I'm glad I was start with the idea of banning the Brotherhood is that really such a good idea is very interesting these two stories you have the mistakes the split screen TV that is the city on the floor is ... and the older things of that happening in Egypt ... I don't think that injected Egypt isn't any good I think it's a bit of attention to it ... and I think many many of the of the liberals ... in Egypt Kuwait the cooler beginning to rethink the cool ... to begin to see a threat to the libertine coming ... from general of the diocese to defend them of Assisi ... and then they began to understand that if you get addicted to power ... then you can never take it back from him ... so the idea of banning the Brotherhood and in this kind of that that the utopia it's not going to work ... it happened before in Egypt ... the Brotherhood was banned ... its leaders was sent to the gallows its leaders and leaders were imprisoned ... and the Brotherhood remains ... I think the economy remains a mess in Egypt ... the question of civil liberties is really is a cute as ever ... and I think the Egyptians need to rethink ... their own ... attitudes to inhibit the two and the other ... two with the other groups in the country well speaking of the liberalism ... was also news out in recent days that Cairo has banned ... for satellite channel including Al Jazeera Egypt ... how can ... the Liberals ... if they exit this didn't ... get any kind of message out if you see this kind of censorship from the government in a myriad of friends of mine in the age of people I've known all my life my adult life that liberals and secularists they fought against one of its et-cetera and I had just been to the key puzzled ... absolutely mystified by the kinds of things ... they say ... no they ... can equate the Brotherhood with cancer ... in the nineties long market is about how ... Egypt must excise this can send in the body ... so I think that that is the kind of there is a question about the direction of Egypt ... and the question about ... if you make this devil's bargain with with the military ... then how do you mean in the Parliament to explode and there are also foreign influences on in Egypt and the US and EU are asking ... the army backed government ... I'd to not to try Morsi and to be far more gentle towards and ... I do you think that that's the right message to send when I think we can just have ... UCC in his and his people his about of offices with content and just run on on on on the market in the country ... we may not like what CNN I think was he was a Despicable cat that in many ways ... but he was just elected president of the new year or so ago the idea that you can put him on trial ... that you can try and promoting people it's it's not persuasive ... the problem with the job today is a striking this Crest ... Oval was taken action on fascism ... and it's not really listening to the UAE onto the nine states ... and into the United States due to the EU ... is getting its inspiration ... from Saudi Arabia ... and in the United Arab Emirates ... and the stupid of money ... and they want to see that the scene ... this new managers team smashed the Brotherhood is there any way to look for in six months or year in Texas a Orkut to postulate that general CC ... might actually put a revised constitution on the table that this is done in the short term ... crackdown that we might be able to see beyond ... miracles can happen ... you know you really have to believe America's I think my own sense in out of politics ... with these military dictators ... with the coup maker is ... they come to power they never ... had to relinquish it to never relinquish power Hoover institution senior fellow Fouad Ajami think something humans ...


text: Confront the dark side of humanity. Download the "Stranded" trailer now! Far beyond the reach of civilization is a mysterious island overrun with violence and suffering. While traveling with friends, you are taken captive and brutalized. Your only hope of survival lies in unraveling the dark secrets of the island and its deranged inhabitants. Alone at the edge of the world, where nothing is what it seems, you must find a way to fight back and escape this island of insanity.


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(CNN) -- In a posting on the Venezuelan president's official Twitter account, Hugo Chavez said Monday that he had returned to Venezuela from Cuba, where was treated for cancer.
"We have arrived again in the Venezuelan homeland," it read. "Thank God! Thank you dear people! Here we will continue the treatment."
Hemos llegado de nuevo a la Patria venezolana. Gracias Dios mío!! Gracias Pueblo amado!! Aquí continuaremos el tratamiento.— Hugo Chávez Frías (@chavezcandanga) February 18, 2013
It added: "Thanks to Fidel, to Raul, to all of Cuba!! Thanks to Venezuela for so much love!!!"
Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Chavez arrived in Caracas at 2:30 a.m.
Venezuelans have seen and heard little of their leader in recent months. Monday's Twitter posts were the first since November 1.
The announcement was preceded by a glimpse of the ailing president on Friday, when the government released a series of photographs that showed a smiling Chavez -- his face bloated -- lying on a blue pillow, flanked by his two daughters.
Since Chavez underwent cancer surgery on December 11, government accounts about his health have been vague.
After previous procedures, Chavez called state television to offer upbeat, if vague, reports on his condition. There have been no such calls in recent weeks.
Venezuelan Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said doctors had inserted a tracheal tube, which had temporarily made it difficult for the president to speak.
"Two months after a complicated post-surgery period, the patient remains conscious, fully intellectually aware, in thorough communication with his governing team and on top of the fundamental duties of his post," Villegas said.
Gracias a Fidel, a Raúl y a toda Cuba!! Gracias a Venezuela por tanto amor!!!— Hugo Chávez Frías (@chavezcandanga) February 18, 2013
A respiratory infection has been controlled, but the president still has some "insufficiency" in his breathing, Villegas said.
The photos were taken Thursday evening at the Cuban hospital where Chavez was treated, the minister said.
In Cuba, Chavez has found a medical system that has greatly benefited from the Castro brothers' focus on health care since the 1959 revolution.
He has also found support from Raul and Fidel Castro, the current and former president respectively, who share Chavez's Socialist views and are indebted to the Venezuelan leader for oil subsidies that have proved crucial to the island's economy.
Finally, the Venezuelan leader has found a government-controlled news media that has revealed few details about his health. For example, authorities have not revealed what kind of cancer Chavez has.
Before Chavez returned, his critics accused him of having left the country without a leader, while his supporters said that he was running the country from Havana.
Opinion: Isn't it time to respect Venezuela's democracy?
This week, in a decision officials said was made by Chavez from Havana, the country devalued its currency, stirring concern among some Venezuelans that the move could portend a spike in the cost of imported goods.
Speaking to the Telesur network, Venezuela's minister of science, technology and innovation, Jorge Arreaza, said Chavez was able to communicate even if he has difficulty speaking.
"He writes, he can be understood," Arreaza said. "It's not the voice he is known for, but he can communicate."
Chavez's voice difficulties are "reversible," he said.
His precarious health prevented Chavez from returning to Caracas for his inauguration on January 10.
While political opponents said that postponing the inauguration was unconstitutional, Venezuela's Supreme Court sided with Chavez's party, which argued that he did not need to be present at the swearing-in for his next term to begin.
Instead of holding a traditional inauguration ceremony, throngs of supporters in Caracas swore an oath of loyalty in Chavez's absence. Many waved flags and carried photos of the president.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.


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ChinaLuxCultureBiz is now Jing Daily! Be sure and check us out at our new location.
NEW YORK – November 5, 2009 – Jing Daily, the source for the most important and timely news about the business of luxury and culture in China, today announced the launch of its new website (http://www.jingdaily.com). With insight and commentary gathered from the Chinese- and English-language blogosphere and top news sources around the world, Jing Daily offers up-to-date information about crucial developments and current trends in China's luxury, business, arts, and cultural markets.


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Sound Off for Jan. 9
So many people in this country need jobs. I spoke about security jobs in the schools. How about the local problem here with shopping carts in Torrington. What about giving some people jobs. Have the stores pay a nominal fee, small fee, for people to take people home with their groceries. That would create jobs for others. Or you can share $5 deposit on a shopping cart. I know if I saw a cart downtown I would bring it back for $5.
Yes, a great deal is being made out of the store carts that are being stored in alleyways, driveways and other places all over the town. Those carts cost money. Two to three hundred dollars for each medium size cart. That's a large problem and it is stealing. You have no right to these carts. They are for every shopper to use in the store that owns them.
Also when people do take them they never bring them back. The next time they shop they just take another one. When these expenses show up on the store's P&L statement prices get adjusted accordingly. It's not up to the stores to transport your purchases.
This is what our taxpayer money is paying for; how sad:
In its latest annual report for fiscal year 2011 to 2012, Planned Parenthood reveals that it performed 333,964 abortions in 2011 - a record year for the organization.
According to annual reports, the organization performed 332,278 abortions in 2009, 329,445 in 2010, making the total number of abortions in three years to 995,687.
Planned Parenthood reported receiving a record $542 million in taxpayer funding, according to a Susan B. Anthony List analysis of the report, in the form of government grants, contracts, and Medicaid reimbursements. The amount is 45 percent of Planned Parenthood's annual revenue.
I'm sure you realize that Planned Parenthood provides more services than just abortion and that Planned Parenthood is being reimbursed and funded for those services the same as any other non-profit provider. I'm sure you also realize that taxpayer money does not go directly to provide any abortion services, but rather cancer screenings, pregnancy testing and counseling, contraception and other women's health functions.
I don't think its right to deny Planned Parenthood funding for those services simply because it also conducts other services, which while not popular, are legal and supported by about 1/2 of Americans.
This type of government interference in health care that you are suggesting is yet another reason to keep government out of the business of funding and paying for health care services. Government should not be in the business of denying funding for recognized and valuable medical procedures and treatment simply because the provider also provides services which, while unpopular among some partisans, are legal.
His election is coming up in 2014, what a great why to take care of the Illegals to get the legals to vote for him. And how about Carmen Espinosa from Appellate Court Judge to Supreme Court nominee since Malloy has been in office, nice judge pick for him, more votes, and also nominating Supreme Court nominee Andrew McDonald, even more votes. We have to learn, this is the Democratic way to reelection.


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So, you want to queue for the Raid Finder on your enhancement shaman, but you don't quite have the required 372 item level for it yet. We've all learned tips and tricks over the year since Cataclysm launched to cheat the ilevel restrictions, like wearing restoration gear to inflate our ilevel. However, if you want to actually benefit the raid and increase your chances of downing bosses, those tricks are not the best way to go. There are multiple accessible 378 items for near every slot.
The first rule of getting geared for Raid Finder is to avoid Hour of Twilight like the plague. There's seriously only one drop in the instance that's worth getting, and that's the Clattering Claw. Dawnslayer Helm? Both our Erupting Volcanic Helmet and Scalp of the Bandit Prince put that ugly hit/haste helm to shame. Betrayer's Pauldrons are a possible good choice, if only because extensive testing by yours truly has proven that Mantle of the Fiery Protector does not actually exist. It's a myth. Flickering Shoulders of the Zephyr/Windstorm are both good choices to use over the Hour of Twilight shoulders, but getting a useful random enchant on an already random drop is not a sure bet.
Hour of Twilight also has the Cinch of the World Shaman as a quest reward. I'm so glad Blizzard decided to create an agility belt with shaman in the name and itemize it to be absolutely awful for the only spec of shaman that uses agility. Well played, Blizzard. If you're fresh to 85, this will unfortunately be your main belt choice, as the Firearrow Belt requires you to be honored with Avengers of Hyjal. However, you're a lucky shaman who has to run Firelands to deal with the itemization woes of the 4.3 heroics anyway, so you should be honored in no time at all!


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Hey hey,
I'm a new forum user just checkin in to say hello
I currently work as a Network Analyst and plan to get in to network security. I also dabble in some web development (HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP) but want to learn C/C++, Perl, Python ...
I am currently CCNA & JNCIA certified and working on my CCNP and JNCIS.
Hopefully I gain a lot of good knowledge, and perhaps even bring some stuff to the table.


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Shaker oval boxes. John Wilson, shown here in front of The Home Shop, is renowned for his reproductions of these useful and decorative pieces, and for teaching others how to make them.
In 1977, Wilson received an offer to teach furniture making at Michigan's Lansing Community College. There was only one catch: The class they wanted him to teach began in two hours. Wilson drove to a library, checked out Ejner Handberg's "Shop Drawings of Shaker Furniture & Woodenware" (Vol. 1), and with the help of his students chose a dovetailed dining tray as the class project. It was in that book the now-famed Shaker-box maker discovered the oval boxes.
Wilson tells this story 30 years later on a cool May evening in Charlotte, Mich., while sitting around a bonfire and eating chocolate with his wife, Sally, and two children, 13-year-old Molly and 7-year-old Will. In front of him is his 32′ x 86′ shop, The Home Shop. To the right is The Little House, 16′ x 16′ of space in which he lived for 12 years, including five years making boxes before his shop was finished. Behind him is his current home. For Wilson, home and shop have always been deeply intertwined. Although once one-in-the-same, the two are now separated only by a small yard that serves as a playground for Molly, Will and a handful of chickens.
Today, the teacher, craftsman and writer is best known for his Shaker boxes (see August 2003, issue #135 for his Popular Woodworking article on how to make these). For more than 20 years he has made boxes, taught box-making classes, and sold bands, tops and bottoms for various sizes and styles of boxes, carriers and trays. Since 1991, Wilson also has produced and sold the hard-to-find copper tacks, distinctive of the box lap.
Rehoboth – Ample Room
Wilson, who grew up in Syracuse, N.Y., was given free reign of his dad's small basement shop, which consisted only of hand tools. "My parents must have subscribed to the adage that hand tools are reasonably safe if reasonably used, or pain intervenes before damage is done," he said. "Think hand saw versus table saw."
While studying anthropology, Wilson, now 68, worked his way through college as a carpenter. After earning his master's degree from London (England) University, Wilson taught anthropology from 1962 to 1972 at Purdue University, Michigan State University and Albion College. Failing to get tenure, Wilson changed careers and became a licensed residential contractor for the next 10 years. Following that was another 10-year period as a teaching craftsman, making and selling Shaker boxes. By 1992 Wilson was a full-time businessman, selling Shaker box supplies and teaching on the side. In 2002 he added writing to the mix.
Walking around his property, Wilson points to a large, old farmhouse, which he no longer owns. There he lived with his first wife and two sons, both now in their early 40s. After his divorce, Wilson moved into The Little House, which he initially built for his sons after vandals burned their fort. Now a guesthouse, The Little House features a wood-burning stove, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances and a loft for sleeping. Carved into the bed is the Hebrew word "Rehoboth," which means "ample room." For five years it also held a workbench, lumber and tools.
Growing Business, Growing Space
Wilson finished the first section of The Home Shop in 1988, just in time for his May 8 wedding to Sally. It was in the then-empty shop that they had a potluck reception with friends, piano and dulcimer music, and folk dancing. After the wedding, Wilson moved his shop out of The Little House and into The Home Shop. He and Sally lived in The Little House until Molly was born.
Today The Home Shop consists of three sections on three different levels, which follow the slope of the land. This allows for a 10′ ceiling in the main room, and 12′ and 14′ ceilings in the inventory and storage rooms. Wilson recycles building materials when possible. The 32′ x 32′ main room contains a 16′ x 20′ cider mill that resembled a carriage house. A friend offered it to Wilson, so he simply loaded it onto a trailer, took it to his property and worked it into the design. Light floods the shop thanks to 13 skylights – made from old sliding glass doors – and, what Wilson calls "window walls" everywhere.
"I don't regard myself so much a green person, as being a resourceful one, which is a virtue I hold in pretty high regard," he says.
Most of the tools Wilson shares with his two partners – Eric Pintar and John Kellogg – are in the main shop. Work areas are arranged in triangular shapes. Wilson spends 15 to 20 hours a week at his Craftsman table saw cutting bands for sale. Completing this triangle is an old 10″ Craftsman radial-arm saw and a jointer. Another triangular work area consists of a 24″ Performax drum sander, a 15″ Delta planer and an 18″ Grizzly band saw.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.


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Michael Hastings was a journalist who had a penchant for writing the stories no one else would touch.
His reporting shook things up, exemplified by his stories on General Petraeus and General McChrystal. His latest piece, "Why Democrats Love to Spy on Americans," promised to be another important contribution to Americans' growing understanding of how our government is destroying our civil liberties through the combined use of bad laws and technology.
If Michael Hastings had died without mystery, in his bed from a diagnosed illness, his journalistic fame, along with widespread public interest in him, would probably have died along with him. But Michael Hastings died in a way that ensures his life, work and death will be a matter of public interest for a long time to come.
This administration, along with most members of Congress in both parties, are clearly implicated in the worst spying and civil liberties violation scandal in the history of this Republic. They have been monitoring the private conversations and emails of millions upon millions of innocent American citizens who not only have committed no crime, they are not under any sort of suspicion of committing a crime.
The legal basis for this activity is the badly misnamed "Patriot" Act. The excuse given for this is that without spying on virtually the entire American populace, the dimwits in Washington would be unable "to keep Americans safe." According to our leaders, the only way to "keep Americans safe" is to put the entire country under surveillance.
The official reaction to leaks that let the American people know that their civil liberties are being trampled by their government is to crank up the media machine in attacks against Edward Snowden, the man who made this public. The government is going at Mr Snowden with everything they have. This isn't about "keeping Americans safe." It's about protecting their own selves.
Their rage at being exposed stems from one fact. These things needed to stay secret because it would get them in trouble if it didn't. All this blab about "security agreements" and "national security" boils down to one thing: They didn't want the American people to know they were spying on them; not because we needed to be in the dark to "keep Americans safe" but because members of Congress and overreaching bureaucrats needed our ignorance to keep themselves safe.
The reason I'm going through this background is to explain why the untimely death of a journalist named Michael Hastings is suddenly such big news.
Michael Hastings had his finger in the spying-on-the-American-people pot, and he was evidently stirring it a bit. Given his reportorial skills, it seems possible that he might well have been jangling a few official nerves that were already raw. Just as it is imperative for the government to make an example of Edward Snowden because he let us know they were spying on us, they need, for the sake of keeping their jobs, for the story to stop stirring.
As I said, if Michael Hastings had died in his bed of a diagnosed disease, things would be different. However, he did not.
He died in a car crash into a tree that caused the car to blow up, tossing what looks in the video below like the car's transmission about a block down the road. A few moments before the crash, he was spotted and recorded on a news video going through an intersection at high speed.
An eyewitness to the whole thing has come forward to describe what happened.
The scene is familiar to all of us. We've seen similar car crashes in movies and they weren't accidents. They were assassinations. We know our government has tortured people. We also know our government lies to us and that they do it a lot.
Did Michael Hastings die in an accidental car crash caused by too much speed on a city street? Or, was he murdered?
I don't know the answer to that question. None of the commenters who are speaking with such certainty on one side of this story or the other knows, either. They are just taking the position which will most benefit the political party they push.
What is certain is that a significant number of Americans think it's possible that he was assassinated because of what he was writing. No matter the facts of Michael Hasting's death, that extraordinary level of distrust in our government is a serious matter, all by itself.
The question, What do we need to "keep us safe" from all those faceless people we've been told "want to kill us" must be juxtaposed with the question, What do we need to keep us safe from the loss of all our freedoms.
We have lived over two hundred years in freedom. It has become almost impossible for Americans to imagine any other way to live. But the price of freedom is, and always has been, eternal vigilance. We need to remember that at least some of this eternal vigilance needs to be focused on the excesses of our own government.
I do not know what happened to Michael Hastings beyond the fact that he died in a horrible car crash. But I do know that our government is spying on all of us and that the entire Congress took part in giving shadowy agencies a blank check to do this.
What I do know is reason enough for concern.
Here are two videos I found about Michael Hastings' death.
The first is from the LoudLabs News who spotted him speeding and followed him. The second is an interview with an eye witness to the crash. They're the best, unbiased information I could find.