text: Renew as a Maine Notary Trusted by state commissioning authorities since 1957, the NNA is the undisputed leader in serving and educating Maine Notaries Three Reasons Why More Maine Notaries Choose the NNA Commission specialists trained to answer questions on how to renew your Maine commission. Online Maine Notary application and Maine Commissioning Checklist guide your step-by-step. Total satisfaction guarantee and value pricing! Get Started How to Renew as a Maine Notary in 3 Easy StepsOrder Your State-Specific Seal and Recommended Supplies The NNA will provide everything you need to renew your commission, including a state-recommended seal stamp, journal and supplies. Complete Your Maine Notary Application To renew your Notary commission in Maine, you must follow the directions and fully complete the online renewal process on the Maine Secretary of State website. Renew Your Maine Notary Commission When you have obtained your commission, scan and email a copy of your Commission Certificate to email@example.com or fax to 1-800-833-1211. Let Us Be Your Guide to Renew as a Maine Notary Online application saves you time and effort Total satisfaction guarantee Download your exclusive Maine checklist – make the commissioning process fast and easy The NNA is a great organization. They have some of the best Notary supplies on the market. Requirements to Become a Maine Notary 18 years of age Resident of Maine or resident of adjacent state and be regularly employed or conduct a trade or business in Maine Demonstrated proficiency with English language Not convicted of crime punishable by imprisonment of one year or more, or of lesser offense incompatible with duties of a Notary during 10 years preceding date of application for new/renewed commission Not had a Notary commission revoked for official misconduct in Maine or any other jurisdiction in five years preceding date of application Since 1957, we've helped MILLIONS to renew as Notaries, more than any other organization in America. Let us help you with your Maine Notary CommissionGet Started


text:
Wines - Clare Valley
Discover our range of old and new world wines, created with passion using traditional winemaking techniques and the finest estate grown fruit from our Clare Valley vineyards.
We produce 4 ranges of wines including the super premium RCV range, our signature Dry Land range, the ever popular Reillys range and our renowned Barking Mad range.
All our wines are vegan friendly as we use bentonite (natural clay) as a fining agent rather than animal products.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Product 73/174
Meet the Base5-a shoe as multi-faceted as you are. It's a casual business shoe, with a collapsible heel that allows it to masquerade as a true slip-on, making you equally comfortable in the boardroom or the barroom. Inspired by Vibram's revolutionary FiveFingers outsole and distressed leather and suede uppers, with a touch of distinction that matches your personality.
Hush Puppies Men's Five-Base - B008YB5Z7K


text:
skip to main
skip to sidebar
Friday, January 28, 2011
What We're Up Against
So as someone that spends a lot of time tucked away with other wine professionals, spending most of my time dining with, drinking with, reading the language of people who do this wine thing for a living, it can be easy to forget that the average person either doesn't know or doesn't really care about half the stuff we rattle on and on about. I can stand there with a customer yammering about flavors, aromas and textures and I can literally see them glassing over. "Yeah, but is it good?" often what I hear after a five minute description of a particular bottle of wine. Hard to reel it in at times, especially when you are charged with writing something that will compel a consumer to try it. What do they want to know….I mean other than "Is it good?" the history, the flavors, the texture? Hard to know and honestly much like everything with wine, it's all subjective.
I've gotten to where I love dealing with both the, "Tell me everything" customer as well as the, "Just give me something yummy" ones and all the ones between. Hell, I get to either wax rhapsodic about wines I dig or get to plunk a bottle in someone's hand and save the verbiage for the newsletter and shelf talkers. It's all good but there is one particular kind of consumer that I've yet to learn how to really deal with….
"Do you have that Almond Champagne?" a customer looking for the very popular Almondage sparkling wine. Hey, I don't judge, people love it and I love selling it to them. Sure the word Champagne following the word almond might make me cringe but she's not asking for a lesson, she's looking to get her sweet drink on. So I lead her to the sparkling wine section and as I put the bottle in her hand she says, complete with eye rolling and heavy sigh, "Oh and can you show me a Chenin Blanc? I have to get one for a friend, she knows nothing about wine" Um….really?
doesn't know anything?
"Oh this is a vanilla flavored wine" a customer reading a shelf talker in our Zinfandel department. "This would be perfect since I add grape juice to my wine when I drink it" kind of frozen with fear here. Do we step in and let her know it's not flavored, that the vanilla note is merely a flavor profile not an actual flavoring or do we sell her the bottle hoping that she likes it well enough with her grape juice? In this case we waited to see if she was actually going to grab the bottle before "correcting" her….she didn't and moved on to the Rose section. Here we go again, "Oh this would be Steve's department" again with the rolling eyes and hoity voice. "He likes these kinds of wines" and she laughs!
laughs, vanilla grape juice lady is laughing at her friend who I am assuming drinks White Zinfandel . Awesome.
Yeah, I have a real problem with the whole wine snob business; always have, but the wine snob that has no business trying to be one? Well I'm starting to figure out how to deal with them…bite my tongue until it bleeds. Let someone else call them out on their bullshit. I can just sit back, revel in the joy that can be retail wine sales and hell, even get a little post out of it.
Posted by
Samantha Dugan
11 comments:
Out Where I Belong
"We take Sam!" first picked. I was first picked, this meant only one thing, fucking dodge ball. Ugh. What sadistic asshole thought this was an appropriate game for grade schoolers? Just sayin'. So as the chunky kid I was rarely picked first for anything when it came to schoolyard games, I was the girl that mastered the rings. I could swing my heavy body through the air, weightless and free for the whole recess period. Yeah, just one more thing those little snots gave me crap for, "Oh No! Sam's first in line, we'll never get a turn" yeah that's right bitches.
The bell would ring and I would bolt, fat little legs motoring, shorts bunching up on the insides of my things…the way they do, you know, when the flubber gets to shaking…the outside of the short legs are fine, impervious to the quake that is apparently happing between the thighs. Huffing, face beet red, sometimes a little snot bubble escaping as my face and lungs felt like they were about to explode. This particular look, well looking back now…not so much my favorite but at the time, worth it. I just needed to get to that wooden plank that hovered above the sand, my launch pad, before anyone else did. Once those blistering hot or icy cold, depending on the season, rings were clutched between my calloused and blistered palms….I was, if only for fifteen minutes, alone in my skin and in my head. My feet off the ground, my body pulling and swinging, moving forward, the clank of the metal ring I had released hitting the one I had left just before….my arms reaching for the next. Those countless minutes, those complied hours on those rings taught me a lot about balance, about not looking back and about just how good it felt to be weightless and flying.
Now dodge ball. This was just another reminder that I didn't quite fit. I was always picked first for this brutal game. Always chosen for my brute strength…I could sail that red rubber ball like Randy Johnson, and for my very clear rage. You fuck with the snot bubble, calloused hand, often yanking her shorts from her crotch girl enough…well she is gonna lose it and hurl a big rubber ball at you, and when taunted enough, she won't miss. I played, I hit hard and I always helped my team win but I never felt good about it…okay that's a lie, Lisa A, you deserved it. But for the most part I was kind of like one of those gentle giants, like a cross between the Chunk and Sloth characters in the Goonies movie. I didn't want to hurt anyone and never really relished in winning at the expense of others. That being said, felt really fucking good to be picked first and to have, "your friends" (or those little bastards) see you as good at something for once.
Dodge ball was always a required, as in a physical education thing, never picked it and as would be the pattern for the rest of my schoolin' days, I loathed P.E. Couldn't use the "I have cramps" bullshit in 4th grade so I just sucked it up, pummeled my fellow students, went back to class…3 minutes the hero and then things were right back where they were. I was still the poor fat kid, they still poked fun at me while I stared out the split windows at the rings waiting to feel my feet come out from underneath me. Weightless and alone in my skin…..
So I began "Wine blogging" three years ago, damn…cannot believe it has been that long, hoping to shine a little light on The Wine Country, maybe get some attention for the store that has for years been my…well, my grown up set of rings. To talk about the wines that make me swoon, the winemakers and importers that have touched me, to make wine more human….touchable. Not some fancy beverage that requires years of study to understand. I wanted people to see the connection between the soil, the person that tends it, the soul that imports or distributes it…maybe the silly snot bubble girl that picks it for the store. The dinners, the stories, our customers, their love and loss…I've told those stories to remind anyone that happens upon this silly blog that there is a very human and honestly, a very loving side to this somewhat indulgent and buzzy making elixir.
The late night rants. The posts written after a bottle consumed alone, its purr still making me hum and its fingers in my back as I spill my lust and adoration through my fingertips. It's what I've done and while I often wondered if I'm actually reaching anyone, I've just tried to stay on track…my couch my launch pad, the laptop keys the rings against my palms. Sailing along trying not to get sucked into the same old same old. There are hundreds of wine blogs where people can go to read the latest wine business news, win tickets, talk about phonologic ripeness and the hundred point scale. No one needs me to do that and truthfully its part of this business that has never interested me nor has it made one iota of difference to my customers. Hell, the only people I know that read most of the wine press is other industry people…you know the ones that like to tell me, "Oh this got *# points" while they are trying to sell me something. Means fuck all to me. I need to know the wine…feel it and have it tell me if there is someone I can sell it to.
So while I swung my way around the wine blog world I met and fell in love with some people whose opinions and intellect I found so compelling that I was aching to explore the world they loved and spent hours spilling about. Explored, tried to learn and embrace, feel them through a shared wine moment. Plugged along doing just that, tasting, travelling, expanding my palate and while I appreciate that part of the exchange I always felt as if I was being picked for dodge ball again. Everything is just fine just as long as I am smoking from the same pipe but should I interject with my comments about balance, ripeness or a plain affirmation of, "Yeah I hate that" and I am back to snot bubble girl with short pant legs creeping up my thighs. Anyone have a big red rubber ball?
I'm not only irked, I'm quite frankly embarrassed to be a part of this. I lost my shit about Food & Wine magazine and their…ra-tar-did-ness and now the smug and "I know better" bullshit that I have read in wine blogs this past week make me want to just hang it up. Okay I can "open my mind" to the stuff you dig but should I disagree or god forbid, (insert very snobby gasp here) drink and appreciate beer…well then I'm stupid. Nice….
Very progressive
Very liberal
Very exclusive….
One big red ball in the face and it stings like a mother f'er
Should you need me, I'll be playing on my set of rings
Out here where I belong….
Still "writing"
Still sharing wine stories
But caring less about being picked first.....
Posted by
Samantha Dugan
23 comments:
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Don't Care About Your Body....I Want Your Soul
It happens at least once a month if not more often, "Are you two sisters?" the question that leaves both Merritt and I completely baffled and wondering what the hell? Now I adore Merritt and think she is simply beautiful but c'mon….sisters?! Merritt is not only a coworker but one of my closest friends and most trusted confidants but I'm damn near old enough to be her mother, a fact that was pointed out years ago when her own mother was conspiring to try and hook her up with my son, (he is in fact a wee bit too young for her and she was totally weirded out because she sees Jeremy like a little brother. See? Insert close enough to be her mom thing here) I would love to look like Merritt but the truth is, we couldn't look more different.
We've spent a couple years now trying to figure out just what might give people the impression that this blonde, green eyed Irish chick and a half Japanese girl with black hair might be related, and not just related but so closely related that our parents might in fact be one in the same….did they take turns or something? Did the sixteen or whatever years, (yeah that's me NOT counting) in between rejuvenate pop's sperm to finish coloring in the lines? Did the years of fermentation cause the darker hair and brown eyes? It's crazy and it has been bugging us for awhile now…
So here are the facts at face value; Merritt and I are both thick bodied and have lots of junk in the front, (Merritt also has the junk in the trunk and of this I am forever envious) neither of us exude that "come hug me" vibe and we both wear square, black rimmed glasses. As far as aesthetics go that is where the similarities end. Sure we share a snarky sense of humor, hers much more adorable, mine a little more raw but for the most part snark is what we do well and saucy is not at all unfamiliar to either of us but still….sisters?
I've often kidded and called my glasses my Clark Kents but it's only now that I am beginning to see just how camouflaging they actually are. I had no idea that those frames, hers and mine could hide or deflect so much. Cover so much. Or that people are so short sighted that they call off the memory and investigative dogs so quickly. Kind of depressing really, to have two so different and complex lives reduced down to big boobs, a thick body and black frames.
Merritt's dark wavy hair, often studded with a bunch of flowers tucked near her ear, stark and noticeable against her pale white flesh and enhanced by her big, very round and tremendously expressive brown eyes. A remarkably beautiful girl that wears her father's frame, her father's calm, her father's comfort and knowledge with all things electronic. A life spent in a machine shop fondling tools while her driven and passionate mother worked in kitchens making herself one of the finest chefs many of us has ever known. The fortitude for hard work that came from helping that mother prepare and serve many a dinner in strangers homes….a sweet face that grew up knowing both the revelry of foie gras and the feeling of scrubbing the counters before slipping off and letting the "hosts" enjoy the rest of their dinner party. A comfort in her skin unlike any I have ever known in a woman so young, or many twice and thrice her age. She is not only a friend but there are parts of this young girl that make me admire her on a level that is simply impossible to articulate. Half Japanese, half Pittsburgh…all her. She deserves more than to be lost behind Clark Kents or reduced to just another Sam.
I took a second to look at my face before coming here. To really try and see what it is that others see…hard for me as I am not a fan of spending too much time in the mirror but in the interest of giving this post its due, I did it. Behind my Clark Kents there are green eyes and long features, the ones that were a constant reminder that I was unlike my siblings. I don't look like the rest of the family, I look like my father. My long nose and full mouth, the green eyes and very straight hair….those were all him and while I knew very little of him I can remember my mother telling me that he was the sexiest and most crave inducing man she had ever met. I recently heard one of those things that maybe we aren't supposed to….the fact that my grandparents wanted my mother to leave my father and move to England where they could help care for the two of us and while I let myself feel a little guilty that the man that sired me was so intoxicating to my mother that she wouldn't or couldn't leave him, there was some pride in the fact that I can see her in my face too. My smile is hers. My gestures all her and I find now that rather than feel guilty that she didn't snap up the chance at a better life for herself…she followed her heart and even if she never knew it, she inspired me to follow mine. Did not work for her but her heart and face are here with me always.
My scars, I see those right off and while many never even notice them I wear them in my walk, the way I speak and sadly at times, the way I guard myself. My heart, spirit and pride were once twisted upon a tightrope, hell I was twisted up there too and while I'm not sure I would love reliving the break ins, the broken face, the whimpering soul, the fear, well as odd as it might sound I would do it all again if it would get me here. I slip on my glasses every day but behind them is the face of a woman, scars and all, that just aches to be loved and accepted…wearing the walk and snark of a woman that has been challenged and has done the best she can. Not raised in a machine shop, not brought up on lug nuts and leftover lobster. I'm not Merritt and big tits aside, she's not me.
"Oh Yummy" what happens every time I pour some deeply extracted wine for a customer. Forget that they haven't tasted it, haven't even smelled it but that dark color in the glass is all they seem to need to ensure that the wine is "the best thing ever"…grrr. Get the same kind of deal when I pour some little Pinot Noir from Alsace, "Oh it's thin" what the hell?! You haven't even tasted it yet, how the fuck can you make any intelligible deduction about its texture or weight when you have yet to put it in your mouth? Has this really happened? Have we all become so blinded by flash and shinny that we have all become magpies? Blinded by the first little sliver or impression and not willing or able to see beyond that?
We have a wine at the shop and seeing as I don't wish to ruffle any feathers I shall leave it nameless but, well it is quite frankly like cough syrup in the glass. Deeply purple, sluggish to move around in the glass and as saturated as any wine I have ever come in contact with. So we pour this freak of nature and everyone losses their shit over it. I get to hear what a massive and huge wine it is and I stand there, behind my Clark Kents, wondering what the hell they are talking about?! Yeah it's a chunky wine but it's also flabby, profoundly soft and as far from my idea of big as you can possibly be. Big boobs and black rims….dig deeper and I promise you, there is much to learn.
I love Merritt and think she is as remarkable a human as I have ever met but, she's not me, I'm not her and if you won't or can't get past the first impression….well, you are missing so much with people and with wine. Judge each my their merits and trust me, they each have a story worth knowing and a soul worth sharing…..
Posted by
Samantha Dugan
19 comments:
Thursday, January 20, 2011
I'm Going Where?
"So you leave for Italy in like two weeks right?"
"No. It's like a month or something…..right?!"
"Holy shit. I'm leaving for Italy in like two weeks."
This was the conversation I had this afternoon before leaving the shop. I have no idea why I thought my departure date was still a month away, maybe it's the fact that I am still disbelieving of the fact that I am going. Being invited, and not just invited but being taken, to Italy. To swirl around the north eastern hills of Friuli…tasting, smelling, learning soaking in yet another country's wild scent and accent, well it not only feels like over a month away, it seems unreal to me, like it must be someone else's life. I get to sit away here late at night, early in the morning, buzzy, hungover, ranting, loving, making love to the wines I adore by retelling their story here, the tap-tap-tap of my nails against the keyboard of my beloved laptop keeping me company and not only do people read it….respond to it, I get an email asking me if I would consider travelling with a few other wine bloggers to Italy, a guest there to taste the wines of the region and share my impressions. God, how did I get here?
Vacation only meant one thing to me when I was growing up, it was an extra check that helped pay the bills once a year. We never went anywhere; maybe had a dinner out that week but there was no going, no packing, no camping, not ever. My "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" papers where always the same, they were a recount of watching my little sister and reruns of The Honeymooners, (and ahem…Maury Povich. Don't judge, I just HAD to find out which of the 12 men tested was that woman's baby daddy) Wasn't horrible, was just the way it was and travel never even really entered my consciousness, in fact….in all honesty it scared me in some ways so it was something I rarely even thought about. That whole, "don't look at it and it shall not exist or ever come up" thing…always works that.
I began baby stepping my way around the US once I met a man that was much more fearless than I. A sound and quiet man that booked travel like an agent and held me when I felt like my heart and body were about to leap from my airplane seat and pry the doors off the plane in an effort to save my life….or preserve the dangerously fragile barrier that kept me just as quiet and satiated in my life of up and down the same streets, to and from point A and point B. The life I knew, the foods I knew, the nameless faces of the rest of my fearfully safe crowd. Seattle, DC, Georgia, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine….each flight just a little longer, each taste just a bit more comfortable and each step in a new place a fingerprint resting upon the flesh on my back, pushing me to take the next step. The next deep breath of air that didn't smell like home, smile in the face of someone's verbiage I didn't quite get…to feel a life, if only for a moment, that was thousands of worlds away from any I had ever tasted before. Each time leaving me more ready, more wanting and more eager for the next hesitant step….
So here I sit, almost every state in our union and 4 trips to Europe under my belt about to climb aboard and hear the cla-clunk as yet another stamp is added to my passport. Surreal. Fuck, I cannot even begin to express how humbling and not even close to real, this feeling is. Cannot even begin to imagine what I've done in my life to deserve this, wishing I did as I would not only do it again…I would pass whatever it is along as I would give anything to share this with all of you that have made this next adventure even possible. Without you, your visits and comments, my silly blog would have never been noticed and this rather clumsy voiced, thick bodied, goofy, ranting, somewhat inappropriate girl…turned woman, would not be boarding that plane in….fuck, two weeks! I'm tucking you in my laptop…come with me. I need you.
So I've been scanning my fellow travelers blogs. Been checking out their tone and I gotta tell ya, kinda sucks knowing…before we even leave, that I am likely going to be the worst behaved. (sigh)
I'm starting out with three strikes:
1) Fat
2) Smoker
3) Can't pee while standing
None of those shall be changing before the trip. I can get me some less than ghetto shoes and stuff but I aint about to shed like…erm, a hundred pounds, give up my much dreaded but so adored huffing habit or grow some tubage that will make my pee deficiency better. These are truths that no matter how I ache for them to go away, shan't. So the next worry on my list of shit that makes me a nut job before one of these trips, you know aside from hoping I don't fall out of the sky and junk is…..who shall be my partner in crime? Now on a bigger trip I do what most do, I look for the girl…seeing as that is me on this here wild ride, well I am kinda screwed there. I once relied on the kindness, (read horniness) of one of the hotel workers….long story, very bad plan and very expensive cab ride. Ugh.
I can't help but wonder who will sneak out of our luxurious accommodations, go on the cured meat, the one more glass run with me. Who will be clinking glasses of grappa when Sussudio or Baby Got Back comes screeching through the jukebox or is spun on the wheels of steel. Who will give me that, "Oh I hate you" glare at 11:00 AM when we are picked up to begin our day…
Gonna get those shoes
Still wondering who's down for a little late night grappa....any guesses?
Wayne Young
Alfonso Cevola
David McDuff
Nicolas Contenta
Jeremy Parzen
Can't figure out how in the hell I got so lucky but....
Cannot wait!
Posted by
Samantha Dugan
20 comments:
Sunday, January 16, 2011
My Pleasure. One Year Ago....
So okay, I know I share a bunch of stuff here in this space, you all know far more about me than I am guessing you would like. I stand before you naked time and time again, my life, my friendships, my overindulgence…my heart; it is all out here on display for you all to read in between my miscellaneous wine posts or rants about this and that. Not sure if that brings you closer or runs you off, guessing it is a bit of both. Some stay, follow me along in my quest and self exploration and others will flee in search of something more wine focused. I get it and don't blame the ones that bail, adore the ones that stay and support me on my baby-legged stumble to find my voice in this big wine blogging world. For those that stay I continue to share, share my stories, my inspiration and myself…the only thing I really have to give to thank you all, all those fingers in my back, those eyes on me, that drive that pushes me to continue talking, oozing, waxing rhapsodic about whatever it is that bounces into this wacky head of mine…
So this evening, all alone in my home, I started thinking about sharing, how lovely, how codifying, how powerful it is but….sometimes, well sometimes it's better alone. I'm willing to confess that sometimes pleasure is best served for one…especially when you are serving yourself.
Don't go acting all shocked, don't act like you don't do it too, I know you do..you all do, we all do, and sometimes there is nothing better than the pleasure one can derive than that from one's own hand, one's own voice and from one's own purring sounds. Sure, the Internets assist, they lead us, toy with us; make us think of things that we might not have considered on our own. Offer scintillating photos of what we want, what we secretly ache for, make our mouths water for, "Just a taste" and then we are left to our own devices…our own will, our own want. Tonight I "wanted" more than I have in a very long time….alone or not, I was going to, have…take, and fucking feel…what I wanted, me and me alone.
To be alone with your, self seduction, the way you can feel the little hairs stand up on the base of your neck, the way the skin around your most sensitive parts seem to constrict, tighten and the way that feeling runs up the base of your spine. To have a room so silent that you can hear the groan of pleasure escape your lips, how sexy that echoing silence can be. Just you, your thoughts, your will, your want, your need…your nose caught up in the cacophony of scent, your palate wildly flicking away…bouncing, fighting to taste every last drop, the way your throat seems to expand to take it all in. There is nothing like it. Sharing is sweet, it's wonderful but this feeling…unlike any other.
So tonight I pleasured myself, I'm not afraid to share that here. It felt fantastic, my hairs erect, my throat open, my heart open and me here, with all of you…exposing myself once again, sharing my self exploration with you. I opened a bottle of 2000 Paul Chapelle Meursault and drank the whole damn thing…alone. No one in my ear yammering about texture, length or premature oxidation, just me…alone in my library smelling home. Face washed, jammies on, little hairs tingling the base of my neck…
Great wine is best shared with people that can appreciate it, I have to agree….for the most part, but once in a while, there is nothing that can compare or compete with the knee weakening, heart pounding…….head spinning pleasure that can be had with a night of, "self pleasurevation"…
Posted by
Samantha Dugan
17 comments:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A Visit From Nostrasmartass
While cleaning out my undie drawer this morning I came across this brittle and somewhat crunchy scroll. The handwriting I recognized, the mastery with which it was written familiar, the power and fierceness of opinion nearly palpable....I knew it was something that needed to be shared, a forecast from Our Beloved HoseMaster of Wine of what lies ahead for 2011. I knew it was my duty to share them with you all...oh and Mr. Washam, no need to slink around my pantie drawer, email works fine. Don't even want to begin to imagine why this thing is so crunchy.....
The beginning of the year brings out the prognosticator in all of us, and since I'm over 50 I had to have my prognostate checked. Everything came out fine, if slightly sulfurous around the fingernails. I have an amazing ability to predict the future of the wine business. Most of you will remember that for 2010 I predicted that HoseMaster of Wine would fold. And that Bret Favre would retire. And that Constellation would sell off its Australian wine portfolio because they found out there aren't any Mexicans in Australia. So as you read my predictions for 2011 keep my uncanny accuracy in mind. Now, if only my prognostate exam had been un-canny.
President Obama will serve a screwtop in the White House—Speaker of the House Boehner.
Our quaint little print wine publications will start to slowly disband or merge. It will be revealed that Stephen Tanzer is actually Allen Meadows the Burghound, who, in turn, is actually a pseudonym for Stephen Hawking who tastes every wine submitted via an enema. The hard part is spitting. Ironic, considering his name. Robert Parker finally admits that he's dead and points to hiring Mark Squires as proof of an EEG flatter than sales of Syrah. Connoisseurs' Guide, Wine and Spirits, and Wine Enthusiast merge to form "Connoisseurs' Guide to Enthusiastic Spirits." Richard Simmons gets Three Poofs. Wine Spectator is sold to Riedel which then breaks it up into 29 different publications, each dedicated to only one variety. Riedel argues that the size of the print and the quality of the paper determine how much sense the ratings make. Consumers fall for their bullshit again. Mutineer Magazine turns out to be an elaborate hoax perpetrated by Mormons seeking to turn people off to all forms of alcohol and writers with talent.
DNA evidence will show that Gruner Veltliner is a cross between Riesling and a durian.
An article in the "Journal of Psychiatry" will use wine blogs as a resource for studying megalomania. "Wine bloggers," the authors say, " exhibit the classic signs of megalomania—an unshakable belief in their importance mixed with the conviction that they and their opinions are special and powerful despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary." The only cure, the authors conclude, is to be "…forced to read their own works aloud." Except for the HoseMaster, who should be "lobotomized. Again."
Pinot Noir's popularity will begin to wane in the wake of the discovery that many of the most popular brands were made from expired cans of Cherry Coke. This is discovered by a Denny's waitress at a blind tasting of Marcassin Pinot Noir. Helen Turley appears in a Super Bowl ad for Pepsi. Grenache replaces Pinot Noir as the red wine of choice for sissies, and everyone proclaims New Zealand the best place in the world to grow it even though no one believes it to be true. Constellation buys every New Zealand winery.
Posted by
Samantha Dugan
32 comments:
Thursday, January 6, 2011
I Need To Be With You
I'm not sure how this started. Can't quite pinpoint the exact moment when I first felt my tummy flip, my insides flinch and pull with uncontrollable want just thinking about you. Don't know when this shifted from a playful flirtation, a fun but respectful flash of bare skin, giggles…lowering of the eyes just before things get too intense. Not sure how we got here but here we are and….I need to be with you.
I've gone over all the reasons why it's wrong, sat in my comfortable bubble of familiar…tried to find resolve in the touch and smells of my commitment but now I find even when I'm safely tucked against the chest of my chosen one….you come to me. It seems that no matter how tightly I try and board up the little gaps you seem to find a way in, some little crack, a tiny unseen and unsupported doorway and there you are again. My eyes tightly closed, the fear of losing my way, my heart writhing and pounding against my chest….my breathing becoming more labored and desperate with each imagined and painfully ached for touch.
I'm afraid. Afraid of being found out, afraid of letting myself slip into a relationship that from the beginning has been based not on mutual understanding or paths to the future but on a primal, animalistic craving that holds me hostage to thoughts of devouring every inch….to draw from your well until this insatiable thirst for you is quenched. Afraid that once I surrender and first take you between my lips, feel your power land upon my tongue, afraid that once I swallow that thirst will become a part of me that I will never be able to completely quench…your moisture the only cure. I'm afraid but….I need to be with you.
So here I am....
I don't care what anyone thinks…fuck, not even sure I care what I think but….I'm ready and I need to be with you.
On February 5th I board a plane at Los Angeles International Airport, the first step on this thirst quenching adventure that will have me landing in Venice Italy and from there, along with five other American wine bloggers on to the Eastern hills of Friuli to taste, explore and feel this new lover of mine.
Cannot wait…..
Posted by
Samantha Dugan
25 comments:
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Oh Yeah, You Found My Sweet Spot
Okay so those of you that have been reading this silly blog for any length of time are fully aware of my somewhat odd aversion to almost everything sweet. I drown my fruit in lemon juice and salt, I avoid dessert and dessert wines like I owe them money and I am one of those freaks that has absolutely zero love for chocolate. Earlier this year I was kind of challenged by a friend's wife when I mentioned that I hated chocolate. She seemed perplexed and even more so when I mentioned that maybe once or twice a year I would get a craving for peanut butter and chocolate ice cream….something I threw out in order to keep from looking like a total freak. "But chocolate tastes its best at palate temperature. When it melts in your mouth" she explained and as I sat there trying not to look like an ass I thought, "Exactly. It gets more intense, creamier and in my opinion more flaccid when it's warm which is why the only way I can and do crave it is in its chilled and rigid form" it's not that I don't get it, I just don't like it…flaccid and palate coating sweetness just doesn't do for me.
I prefer Madeira to port and cream sherry, finding that bit of savory almost beef broth like and citrus thing in a Bual Madeira far more enticing and craveable than berries, cassis and caramel. I will happily trade you my dessert for your cheese plate, I find many new world wines a little too sweet upfront (Charlie, I said many and that in no way implies all) and the only cookie I really dug as a kid was Gingersnaps…but with a little pile of sharp cheddar cheese to wash down each bite. Just a freaky quirk I've had for I don't know….the past thirty something years. That being said I am a wine buyer and wine specialist so there are times when I do have to suck up my preferences, like when I was taken to Spain with a group to learn about and taste (like a million) Sherries and where each estate fed us not one but two desserts at each meal….dude, you would think I was working the New York Stock Exchange with the amount of trading I did there. But like I said, I have to forget for a moment what I like personally to taste things I'm either presented to bring in the shop or to educate myself on the things we already have. Part of the job and it's not like I have to drink them.
New Years Eve, the final hoorah of the holiday season. The flow in the shop was steady, everyone in a fantastic mood, (which by the way was most of the season…that was truly awesome) and with each hour that ticked away the light at the end of the very long tunnel was getting brighter and just that much closer. Randy had been in a long and somewhat nostalgic conversation with one of our favorite customers; a lovely French woman that comes to us for Pastis, Chablis and a few other things she misses from home and can't find most anywhere else. They had been talking dessert wines but somewhere in the conversation they had moved on to spirits and were lovingly pointing to and chatting about this liqueur and that.
Randy had been telling her about two very rare items that we have in stock; a prune brandy and a chestnut liqueur by Louis Roque. As he was describing them to her he would call out to any of the staff that happened to be near looking for confirmation and or our opinions on the stuff….that was when he discovered that none of us had tasted either of them. As the night wound down, customers gone and staff gathering and purchasing bottles for our end of the year celebrations I saw Randy grabbing a rack of glass and walking off into the tasting room, knowing him as I do I knew there was going to be a little staff training as we closed up the shop for the last time in 2010. If Randy is anything he is a very passionate teacher, he thrives on showing people new things and seems to love doing so with his staff just as much as with customers….guess that makes him a passionate teacher and smart as hell.
I was counting out one of the registers when I saw a few staff members streaming out of the tasting room, this was my time to strike. So here's another quirk of mine, I find it damn near impossible to not show on my face what I think of something I'm putting in my mouth. It's a terrible habit, one that my beloved Ron Washam aka The HoseMaster of Wine can attest to….poor bastard drove me around Sonoma where I tasted a bunch of Zinfandel, my least favorite of all wine varieties, and he experienced firsthand the Sam, "No sir, don't like it" face. Okay being fully aware of my facial issues I thought the best time for me to try a prune brandy and chestnut liqueur and NOT wear my face on my sleeve was doing so after the others had left the tasting room.
I slipped in the tasting room trying not to attract too much attention, pulled a glass from the rack and started with the Louis Roque La Vieille Prune ($45.99) the prune brandy. Something made me think that I might have at least smelled it before and my memory was that it was kind of rugged, thought it best to start there after all the "sweet" comments I heard about the chestnut stuff. My first sniff was blemished by a big ass blast of heat, habit had me spinning the hell out of the stuff in one of our big glasses which really just inflamed the alcohol, but once settled down I took another sniff and got a very unique, almost floral burst that was quickly followed by a plumy, distinct prune aroma. Pretty, the aromas were delicate and pretty so I took a sip….this is where I should tell you that I'm not a lover of brandy. The flavors mirrored the aromas but there was a very powerful and chest warming….very brandy like aggression on the finish. I can see why people love the stuff but much like warm chocolate, not my thing.
I moved on to the Louis Roque Liqueur de Chataigne ($23.99) and my "face" started as the thick, uber thick liqueur lumbered into the glass, slowly falling upon its big bodied self with the consistency of motor oil, yeah insert "face". Spun the chunky golden liquid in the glass, tapped my foot while I waited for mass of liqueur to move and took my first sniff, my "face" was instantly replaced with a raised eyebrow. There was something so alluring about the aromas, sure there was clearly a nutty thing but it wasn't the dominate aroma. The nose was loaded with wild honey, cinnamon, clove and allspice, reminded me of the incense my stoner friends would burn as to not alert their parents they were smoking pot…wicked smart those stoners. I took the glass to my lips and again found myself a little impatient with the speed at which the thickish stuff moved up the glass and into my mouth but fuck, once it got there all was forgiven. No doubt the stuff is sweet but just for a brief second really as all that clove, sandalwood, cinnamon and allspice, this massive middle of warm cooking spices becomes not only the middle of the liqueur but the center of attention, you can feel it coating the inside of your mouth and creeping up into the nasal passages. Never had a wine or spirit do that, not so intensely anyway and to call the finish haunting is an almost criminal understatement. As unique, alluring and sexy liqueur as I have ever had the pleasure to taste. Before I knew it my tasting pour had been drained and I was wishing I had bought a bottle to take home.
Was back in the shop on Monday for inventory and when I was finished I hunted down the sexy elixir to see if it was just a post holiday euphoria that had me thinking about, dreaming about this sweet but not too sweet spirit…wasn't and before I clock out tonight I will be buying a bottle to take home with me where it will tease and taunt me until I give….have a glass or two. I give it two weeks, tops. Damn…..wild stuff but it sure as hell found my sweet spot.
Posted by
Samantha Dugan
13 comments:
Newer Posts
Older Posts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Follow by Email
Best Sensual Wine Blog Winner
Subscribe To Samantha Sans Dosage
All Comments
All Comments
Blog Archive
What We're Up Against
Out Where I Belong
Don't Care About Your Body....I Want Your Soul
I'm Going Where?
My Pleasure. One Year Ago....
A Visit From Nostrasmartass
I Need To Be With You
Oh Yeah, You Found My Sweet Spot
Cheese and Wine Pairings
Just Wine
My Son and I
Wee Boyfriend
Wine Biz Interviews
Wine for My Soul
About Me
Samantha Dugan
California, United States
View my complete profile
Other Blogs & Sites I Dig
Fermentation Wine Blog
Alcohol Laws and Keeping Santa's Sleigh in the Air
19 hours ago
Poor Oklahoma, and Trump lies again (about Iran, this time)
19 hours ago
On the Wine Trail in Italy
Living Free in a World of Chains
1 day ago
David Lebovitz
Favorite Links this Weekend
1 day ago
The Woks of Life
Stir-fried Chinese Green Beans with Pork
3 days ago
Do Bianchi
Horse meat burgers? Yes, that's right…
1 week ago
Living Out Of The Box
Early Worm Gets the Bird
1 week ago
HoseMaster of Wine™
Six Wines to Drink Before You Die Next Wednesday
2 weeks ago
Jeff Leve The Wine Cellar Insider
2018 Bordeaux Complete Guide to the Best 600 Wines of the Vintage
1 month ago
Sara in Le Petit Village
13 Going on 30 (something or other)
3 months ago
Afro on the Rocks
Kentucky Love in the LBC
1 year ago
Butcher, writer, winemaker
1 year ago
'na cica de vino.
Visit to Giuseppe Rinaldi in Barolo
2 years ago
2 years ago
cook plate shoot
cherimoya punch
3 years ago
Benito's Wine Reviews
Dinner at Goldsmith's in Memphis, July 1, 1914
3 years ago
notes from the winemaker
The Naturalistic Fallacy
5 years ago
Midtown Stomp- A Memphis Food & Wine Blog
The List of 30
5 years ago
The Wine Country
Stupefying Pinot Noir
6 years ago
Peter Liem's Champagne Guide
Alice Feiring - In Vino Veritas
The Wine Country
Beaune Imports
Subscribe To
All Comments
All Comments
is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License


text:
Jupiter Moon Transit, January 24, 2015 (07:10 UT)
Three moons and their shadows parade across Jupiter near the end of the event at 07:10 UT on January 24, 2015. Europa has entered the frame at lower left. Slower-moving Callisto is above and to the right of Europa. Fastest-moving Io is approaching the eastern limb of the planet. Europa's shadow is toward the left side of the image and Callisto's shadow to the right. (The moons' orbital velocities are proportionally slower with increasing distance from the planet.)
NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)


text:
A screenshot of a software code has emerged which suggests T-Mobile will be one of the first US operators to roll out an LTE-connected Windows Phone 8 handset.
The first clue lies in the fact that the user agent string shows the device, which is not named or displayed in the image, as running Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 browser. This is the company's latest version of Internet Explorer and is due to be rolled out only on Windows Phone 8.
So, assuming the code is genuine, then that's confirmation we're looking at the agent string of a Windows Phone 8 device. However, in the same code we also see mention of LTE connectivity.
In July two Samsung Windows Phone 8 handsets were unearthed during the Samsung and Apple court case, both of which were said to have LTE connectivity.
Could this software code be that of the Samsung Odyssey or Samsung Marco, two handsets which the court documents showed were ready to be rolled out before the end of 2012?
Do you think this is the code to Samsung Odyssey or Marco or some other Windows Phone 8 device? Let us know in the comments below...


text:
You are about to enter a website that may contain content of an adult nature.
Hello everyone, this is Indian cam girl PrettyDahlia here. I'm 37 year old Female speak English and Spanish in the Indian live sex chat action. sexy curve hardbody toys round ass smooth skin sexy muscular legs smoking heels i love fetishes and aim to please . Very cute and sexy woman with amazing sports body full of sexual energy!. fit,blond,blue eyes,atletic,beau tiful mature woman is my expertise and also what I will do in Indian live sex private show. I have Gray eyes, Long Blonde hairs and my measurements are 36-25-36. For Turn ons: ready to get nasty?:). For TurnsOff: bad weather:). If you prefer kinks, then are mine. I'm just hungry for a HARD cock, can't wait to see u in my Indian webcam sex chat room! :)
Show more models
This website contains indian cams, desi cam, free hindi chat and tamil sex chat related sexually explicit content.
You must be at least 18 years of age to enter this website. © Since 2012 myindiansexcams.com Indian Sex Chat Network All Rights Reserved
AllHosts1 - AllHosts2 - AllHosts3 - AllHosts4 - AllHosts5 - AllHosts6 - AllHosts7 - AllHosts8 - AllHosts9 - AllHosts10 - AllHosts11 - AllHosts12


text:
Luke Bryan Recalls His Best New Year's Eve
It's that time of year again! Christmas is over and most of us are scrambling to make plans for New Year's Eve. Even though there can be pressure to do something really special in honor of the new year, Luke Bryan recently revealed that his best New Year's Eve was spent with good friends.
Of course, if you're dating someone you really like, New Year's Eve already feels like a special occasion. Bryan's best NYE in memory is from a year when he and his now-wife, Caroline, first started dating. Instead of throwing a blowout party, they spent some time quality with friends.
"My best New Year's Eve is definitely when my wife and I started back dating. We started back dating right before Christmas, and we went on a trip down to Florida and met some friends," Bryan recalls. "And her birthday is New Year's Eve. We celebrated it that night. It was just a great night."
Although the hip-shaking country singer didn't spill his plans for this NYE, we're sure that he'll be celebrating a very successful 2012. This year, Bryan won several awards, including sweeping at least six categories at the 2012 ACAs. Plus, his hit tune 'Drunk on You' not only went No. 1, but also struck platinum this year. Bryan should definitely take some time to pat himself on the back before 2013 rolls in!
From the get-go, next year will be a busy one for the popular country crooner. Bryan will kick off his Dirt Road Diaries Tour on January 17 in Evansville, Ind. The singer-songwriter will be accompanied by husband-wife duo Thompson Square, as well as newcomers Florida Georgia Line.


text:
A leather sofa is out and out good looking and alluring in its own right. The smooth complete and its productivity with regards to achieving its motivation and capacity made it a standout amongst the most favored sofa decision among many. In this manner, it is critical to think about your sofa to advance life span.
Putting in adornments is one great approach to make it increasingly alluring and progressively agreeable. These extras can likewise put some shading particularly if what you possess is the essential dark colored or dark leather lounge chairs. It can give a by and large unique look, feel, and structure when blended and coordinated with shading and adornments.
Managing the essential dark and darker leather sofa is really simpler. Since the base shading is nonpartisan, including frill of various hues, surface, and configuration will consequently compliment your leather sofa. Splendid hued pad pillows can run extremely well with a dark leather sofa while light and warm shades of darker to yellow can suit a darker leather sofa. It would be ideal on the off chance that you purpose to put pillows on your leather sofa to utilize the euro-pillows. You can either arrange them in your sofa or put them on stacks on the floor, working double as a cushion where you can lay your head on and as a stylistic theme adding shading and life to your lounge room. Euro pillows are bigger contrasted with the ordinary toss pillows in this way it will supplement well your leather sofa.
Tristan Pierlot Sofa Saturday December 29th, 2018 21:49:42 PM
Hit One of The Thumbnails Below to Get More Sofa Ideas
Image Detail
866x1390 pixels
Image Format:
Tristan Pierlot
Saturday December 29th, 2018 21:49:42 PM
Image Source:
Monthly Archives
Recent Posts
Static Pages


text:
For many people, a trip down the lighting aisle can be an overwhelming experience,
For many people, a trip down the lighting aisle can be an overwhelming experience, especially when considering the many energy-efficient lighting options available. Whether looking at light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs or compact fluorescent technology (CFL) bulbs, there are some factors you should think about before making a purchase.
Recent studies have found that most homeowners aren't ready to make the leap to newer energy-efficient lighting solutions, such as LED and CFL. Many consumers are overwhelmed by all of the changes in the lighting aisle, and whatever their lighting preference, there is a reliable lighting option for them. For consumers who still want an incandescent-like bulb, incandescent isn't gone, it is now more energy efficient. Consumers are learning that even small upgrades in purchasing new light bulbs can equal big savings over the long term.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, lighting consumes up to 17 percent of a home's overall energy usage. With an annual energy savings of $2.05 per bulb, a household that replaces forty 60-watt incandescent bulbs with new 43-watt high efficient incandescent bulbs could save more than $80 a year based on 3 hours use per day and an 11c/kWh electricity rate.
Newer lighting technologies, such as high efficient incandescent bulbs, are specially engineered to provide the light consumers love the same way it was delivered more than a century ago. Today federal brightness requirements can be reached without as much wasted energy.
One popular option in energy-efficient lighting is the LED bulb. Though the price for this option can be higher than others, experts believe that prices should decrease as LED technology evolves, allowing for a broader mass market appeal. Another more energy-efficient lighting option is CFL bulb technology, which has been in the market now for more than 30 years and has greatly improved to mirror the performance of a traditional incandescent light.
As new energy-efficiency standards are set to take effect Jan. 1, consumers will choose between these more energy-efficient lighting options. Consumers will still be able to find a limited supply of �old� incandescent bulbs at some retailers until inventory is gone. After Jan. 1, old technology incandescent bulbs will no longer be produced in, nor imported into the United States in compliance with the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007.
For those wishing to save money on energy bills, having an understanding of the different energy-efficient lighting options available can help to make an informed purchasing decision. Go to energy.gov for more detailed and up to date information about lighting technology.
Mount Olive College sets campus visitation day
Potential students can experience campus life at Mount Olive College during Visitation Day on Monday, January 20. Registration in the Lois K. Murphy Center begins at 9:15 a.m.
High school juniors and seniors and their parents are encouraged to see first-hand what Mount Olive College has to offer. Prospective students will have the opportunity to tour classrooms, residence rooms, the dining area and other campus facilities. Students can also meet with professors and athletic coaches as well as speak to current students about campus life. Scholarship and financial aid information will also be made available. Lunch will be provided.
For more information, contact Admissions at (919) 658-2502. Registration is requested but not required.


text:
News Networks Regularly Promote Anti-Gay Family Research Council On Air
Research ››› ››› CARLOS MAZA
In November of 2010, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed the Family Research Council as an anti-gay hate group due to its "propagation of known falsehoods" about the LGBT community. Since being listed, however, FRC spokespersons have been invited 52 times to discuss issues ranging from the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," to the 2012 presidential campaign. Despite FRC's long history of producing anti-gay propaganda, every major news network has invited the group on national television while failing to acknowledge its hate group designation.
Analysis: News Networks Regularly Host Family Research Council Spokespersons
FRC Listed As An Anti-Gay Hate Group In November 2010. In November 2010, the Family Research Council (FRC) was added to the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) list of anti-gay hate groups due to its "propagation of known falsehoods" about gays and lesbians. [SPLC, November 2010]
FRC Spokespersons Made 52 Television Appearances Since Being Labeled A Hate Group.According to an Equality Matters analysis*, FRC spokespersons – including Tony Perkins, Peter Sprigg, and Ken Blackwell – have been invited to appear on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News a total of 54 times in the twelve months since Perkins first appeared on MSNBC to discuss being labeled as a hate group. 24 of those appearances were on Fox News, 19 were on MSNBC, and 11 were on CNN:
SPLC: FRC's "Specialty Is Defaming Gays And Lesbians." From an October 7 SPLC report:
The Family Research Council (FRC) bills itself as "the leading voice for the family in our nation's halls of power," but its real specialty is defaming gays and lesbians. The FRC often makes false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science. The intention is to denigrate LGBT people in its battles against same-sex marriage, hate crimes laws and anti-bullying programs. To make the case that the LGBT community is a threat to American society, the FRC employs a number of "policy experts" whose "research" has allowed the FRC to be extremely active politically in shaping public debate. [...]
The FRC also strongly promotes the "ex-gay" movement as a way to combat LGBT civil rights measures, though professional organizations have repeatedly called so-called "reparative therapy" (which seeks to turn gays and lesbians into heterosexuals) into question and issued statements that don't support it. [...]
Part of the FRC's recent strategy is to pound home the false claim that gays and lesbians are more likely to sexually abuse children. This is false. The American Psychological Association, among others, has concluded that "homosexual men are not more likely to sexually abuse children than heterosexual men are." That doesn't matter to the FRC, though. [SPLC Report, "The Anti-Gay Lobby," 10/7/11, via LGBTQNation, emphasis added]
Analysis: News Networks Frequently Host FRC President Tony Perkins
FRC President Tony Perkins Made 32 Television Appearances Since Being Labeled A Hate Group Leader. According to an Equality Matters analysis*, FRC president Tony Perkins has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News a total of 34 times in twelve months after being his organization was labeled as a hate group:
Perkins Has Been A Consistent Source Of Anti-Gay Propaganda. As president of FRC, Perkins has promoted a number of vile and hateful smears about gays and lesbians, including:
- "It Gets Better" Project Tries To "Recruit" Kids Into A "Lifestyle" Of "Perversion." [Right Wing Watch, 8/18/11]
- "Research Is Overwhelming" That Gay Men Are More Likely To Molest Children. [MSNBC,Hardball, 11/29/11]
- Gay Teens Commit Suicide Because They Know Being Gay Is "Abnormal." [National Public Radio, 10/26/10]
- Anti-Bullying Programs Promote "Indoctrination Into Homosexuality." [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 5/26/11]
- Gay Activists Are Intolerant, Hateful, Spiteful Pawns Of The Devil. [Right Wing Watch, 5/3/11]
- Senators Who Vote For DADT Repeal Will Have "The Blood Of Innocent Soldiers On Their Hands." [Right Wing Watch, 12/16/10]
- "Kids Do Worse In These Same-Sex Households. They're More Susceptible To Violence."[Fox News, Fox & Friends Sunday, 4/24/11]
- Gays Are Trying To "Spread Fear And Intimidation So That They Can Disrupt And Destabilize" The Legal System, Like Terrorists. [Good As You, 4/29/11]
SPLC: Perkins Has Ties To Anti-Abortion Extremists And A White Supremacist Organization.Perkins is reported to have "failed to report an illegal conspiracy by antiabortion activists to his superiors" while acting as a reserve police officer in Baton Rouge in 1992. Perkins also has ties to the Louisiana chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a white supremacist group that once described African-Americans as a "retrograde species of humanity." [SPLC Report, "The Anti-Gay Lobby," 10/7/11, via LGBTQNation]
Analysis: News Networks Host FRC "Experts" Peter Sprigg, Ken Blackwell
FRC's Peter Sprigg, Ken Blackwell Have Made 15 Television Appearances In The Past Twelve Months. According to an Equality Matters analysis*, FRC "experts" Peter Sprigg and Ken Blackwell have appeared on either CNN, MSNBC, and Fox 15 times since their organization was labeled an anti-gay hate group:
Sprigg Is One Of FRC's Most Active Producers Of Anti-Gay Propaganda. While acting as FRC's Senior Fellow for Policy Studies, Peter Sprigg has made a number of extreme anti-LGBT remarks and been the chief author of much of FRC's anti-gay propaganda:
- Anti-Bullying Programs Indoctrinate "Impressionable School Children." [FRC Pamphlet, "Homosexuality In Your Child's School," 2006]
- Transgender People Should "Stop Pretending To BE The Opposite Of Your Real Sex."[Peter Sprigg tweet, 3/9/11]
- Harvey Milk May Have Been A Pedophile, Faked A Hate Crime. [WorldNetDaily, 8/12/09]
- It Is Better To "Export Homosexuals From The United States Than To Import Them Into The United States." [Medill Reports, 3/19/08]
SPLC: Sprigg Relies On Junk Science To Produce Anti-Gay Research. From an October 7 SPLC report:
Sprigg authored a 2010 brochure touting "The Top Ten Myths about Homosexuality." In the brochure, Sprigg claimed that ex-gay therapy works, that sexual orientation can change, that gay people are mentally ill simply because homosexuality makes them that way, and that, "Sexual abuse of boys by adult men is many times more common than consensual sex between adult men, and most of those engaging in such molestation identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual." He also claimed that "homosexuals are less likely to enter into a committed relationship" and "less likely to be sexually faithful to a partner." Sprigg's sources are a mixture of junk science issued by groups that support ex-gay therapy and legitimate science quoted out of context or cherry-picked, a tactic long used by anti-gay groups to bolster their claims about gay people. [SPLC Report, "The Anti-Gay Lobby,"10/7/11, via LGBTQNation, emphasis added]
Blackwell Has Promoted "Ex-Gay" Therapy, Compared Gay Couples To Barnyard Animals.Even before becoming FRC's Senior Fellow of Family Empowerment, Blackwell was promoting anti-gay talking points:
- "Homosexuality is A Compulsion That Can Be Contained, Repressed, Or Changed." [The Gist, 1/12/09]
- "Homosexuality Is A Lifestyle, It's A Choice, And That Lifestyle Can be Changed." [Right Wing Watch, 1/6/11]
- Same-Sex Marriage "Defies Barnyard Logic... The Barnyard Knows Better." [WTOL,10/20/04]
- President Obama Shows Same Respect For Marriage That He Did For Osama Bin Laden's Body. [FRC Column, 11/4/11]
Analysis: News Networks Fail To Identify FRC As A Hate Group
Networks Consistently Fail To Inform Audiences About FRC's Hate Group Status. An Equality Matters analysis** found that – aside from two segments on the topic of FRC's hate group label in 2010 – CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News consistently failed to inform audiences about FRC's hate group status while hosting FRC spokespersons:
*Equality Matters searched news transcripts provided by Nexis and TV Eyes for the terms "Family Research," "Tony Perkins," "Ken Blackwell," and "Peter Sprigg" between November 29, 2010 (when MSNBC first profiled FRC's hate group status) and November 29, 2011. For programs that were not available in either search database, we conducted a search through our internal archives. Four segments (three on Fox News and one on MSNBC), did not appear in search results but had been recorded by either Equality Matters or the Family Research Council, so they were included in the report.
**Equality Matters searched news transcripts provided by Nexis and TV Eyes for the terms "hate group," and "Southern Poverty Law Center" between November 29, 2010 and November 29, 2011. For programs that were not available in either search database, we conducted a search through our internal archives.
- Posted In
- Diversity & Discrimination, LGBTQ
- Network/Outlet
- Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNN
- Person
- Tony Perkins, Family Research Council
- Show/Publication
- Southern Poverty Law Center
- Stories/Interests
- Hate Speech
Instructions for signing up and claiming your comment history are located here.
Updated rules for commenting are here.


text:
Gay and lesbian Catholic students in Pennsylvania are joining alumni and others in pushing a Catholic high school near Philadelphia to reinstate a teacher who was fired after he applied for a marriage license with his partner.
The effort is one of several in support of Michael Griffin, who was dismissed by Holy Ghost Preparatory School, and they include a petition at Change.org that had drawn nearly 4,000 signatures as of Friday (Dec. 13).
"Michael Griffin did not deserve to be treated in a way that does not clearly reflect Christ and His teachings," says the letter sponsored by the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition. "He has dedicated his life to the Holy Ghost Community. He is just as much a part of the Holy Ghost family as any other member."
Griffin was dismissed after a Dec. 6 meeting with the school president, the Rev. James McCloskey, and the principal, Jeffrey Danilak. Griffin had emailed Danilak earlier in the week to say he might be late for an in-service day because he was applying for a marriage license with his partner in neighboring New Jersey, where gay marriage became legal earlier this year.
Even though it was widely known in the school that Griffin — who had taught at Holy Ghost for 12 years — was gay, and he often appeared at events with his partner, McCloskey and Danilak said that by seeking to formalize his relationship Griffin had formally violated his contract.
On Monday, McCloskey posted a statement on the school's website acknowledging that the decision "has been difficult for everyone involved — for Mr. Griffin certainly, but also for students, families, faculty and staff, our alumni and all who are a part of the Holy Ghost community."
"We regret the pain that this has caused to any and all involved," he added.
But the priest said that because Griffin's action violated the terms of his teaching contract, "which requires all faculty and staff to follow the teachings of the Church as a condition of their employment," he had "no choice" but to fire him immediately.
Several Holy Ghost alums are also protesting. Former student Dan McQuade wrote a column in Philadelphia Magazine saying the action would lead to reduced support for the school, a private all-boys high school in Bensalem, Pa., operated by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit religious order.
"What McCloskey has done is tell gay students and alums that you're welcome in the community as long as you don't ask for the same rights as straight people," McQuade wrote.
Another Holy Ghost graduate, Zachary Nalbone, a student of Griffin's during the 2006-07 school year, also protested in a press release from the Human Rights Campaign.
"Mr. Griffin was one of the hardest-working and most dedicated teachers who undeniably embodied the spirit of Holy Ghost Prep," Nalbone said. He "deserved a better end to his tenure as a teacher at Holy Ghost, and I sincerely hope my alma mater will rectify this hasty decision."
The publicity over Griffin's firing is likely to complicate efforts by church leaders like New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who said this month that the bishops have been "outmarketed" on gay rights and "caricatured as being anti-gay."
But it's also likely that Griffin will not win his job back no matter how big the protests grow.
When a teacher at a Catholic high school in suburban Los Angeles was fired this summer for marrying his partner it prompted an outpouring of support, including more than 90,000 signatures on a Change.org petition. But the school maintained its stance and would not rehire the teacher, Ken Bencomo.
Gay and lesbian teachers aren't the only ones finding themselves under fire. An unmarried couple in Lawrence, Mass., Sean Houlihan and Natalie Ferland, were fired from their jobs as teachers at a Catholic school after revealing that they were expecting a baby together.
Copyright: For copyright information, please check with the distributor of this item, Religion News Service LLC.


text:
Imperial Star Destroyer
Design Elements
Imperial Star Destroyers (or ISDs) have many design elements in common, the most obvious of which is the streamlined 'arrow' shape. This allows an aggressive, forward-facing attitude to bring many weapons to bear on a target. The upper and lower armour belts end at the side 'slots', lightly armoured areas where the internal honeycomb of the ship is exposed. The basic physical layout of an arrow-head with dorsal tiers of 'crellenations' or superstructure surmounted by a distinctive KDY bridge tower is common across a great many types, classes and sizes of Imperial warships.
Many of these vessels also have one or more hangars on the ventral surface, for the handling of starfighters and various planetary landing craft. Others have clean ventral lines, trading the utility of smaller craft for superior armour coverage. Many classes have powerplants too large to fit entirely within the physical bounds of the armour belts, and there is thus a larger or smaller 'bulb' on the ventral surface, to protect the oversized reactor.
Armament layout on these ships follows from their physical shape. The main armament of turbolasers is placed on either side of the dorsal tiers, in large turrets containing between two and eight individual weapons. The secondary armament is distributed between the side 'slots' (which often feature 'notches' in the upper and lower armour belts to improve fire arcs) and batteries placed along the centerline of the ship. The entire surface of the ship is covered in lighter weapons for defence against smaller craft. Imperial starships have a great deal of redundancy built into their armament - the emplacements are controlled locally, and the larger weapons often have dedicated reactors and fire control systems for use when the main systems are unavailable. This allows the warship's armament to be effective, even after significant damage.
The ships are protected by a powerful shielding system and heavy armour on many surfaces. The shield system protects the ship from both physical impacts and energy weapons (through ray shields), and this protection is limited in the first case by the internal mounting of the shield system and in the second by the capacity of the heat-sinks which absorb the incoming energy. This protection is effective for some time in regular combat - an ISD can survive half an hour of combat with a similar foe.
Imperial-class Star Destroyer
The standard mile-long ISD is the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, a versatile small warship. It was originally called the Imperator-class Star Destroyer before being renamed after the Jedi purge. It combines powerful sublight engines with a flexible turbolaser armament and a wing of 72 TIE craft. There are sub-variants of this class, known as Imperial I-class (ISD-I, sometimes referred to as the Devastator-class) and the Imperial II-class (ISD-II, or the Avenger-class).
Tector-class Star Destroyer
The Tector-class Star Destroyer was much like the Imperator-class Star Destroyer, but differed in that while other Imperial vessels had hangar bays, the Tector-class did not. Instead of a hangar bay, these ships opted for more armoring, their reactor bulb reinforced and not visible. This caused the Tector-class was more efficient at ship-to-ship combat, as there was less access to its internal weak-spots. However, this also caused the Tector-class to be limited in the roles it could be fielded in, since it was not able to board enemy ships, send out TIE squadrons to hunt down fleeing enemies, execute planetary deployments, and depended on other ships for fighter support.


text:
You are hereHome | Learn About Wildlife | Defenders Magazine | Winter 2011 | Defenders in Action: Defenders Shifts Efforts to Wolf Coexistence
Defenders in Action: Defenders Shifts Efforts to Wolf Coexistence
© Tim Springer
When wolves began returning to the Northern Rockies more than two decades ago, Defenders pioneered a program to compensate ranchers for livestock lost to the imperiled animals—a crucial foundation for building rancher tolerance for wolves. But with new federal legislation providing funding for such livestock losses, Defenders is changing its focus to conflict prevention.
Congress passed an Omnibus bill last year authorizing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide up to $1 million in livestock compensation funding to Arizona, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Those states are each eligible for up to $140,000 in federal funds, but they must provide a 50 percent match.
Defenders focus has also changed from paying compensation to further promoting coexistence, with field staff working with ranchers and wolf managers to find and use techniques that deter wolves from preying on livestock. Defenders is also sponsoring a number of demonstration projects to test promising nonlethal methods such as range riders, livestock guarding dogs, and portable fencing to secure sheep overnight.
In 23 years, Defenders paid $1.4 million to livestock owners for verified losses to wolves. "Without our program, wolf recovery in the western United States would not have been possible," says Rodger Schlickeisen, Defenders' president. "We are pleased that federal legislation authored by Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and financial contributions by Defenders of Wildlife are enabling states with recovering wolf populations to continue this legacy by initiating or expanding their own compensation programs. At the same time, we look forward to building more partnerships with livestock owners, helping them find ways to reduce or avoid losses to wolves."


text: The French Connection brand is a stalwart of the British fashion scene. The label is well known for its party dresses and the aesthetic is broad, covering everything from directional casual styles through to smart tailoring that will take you from the office to the dance floor. The range of bracelets from the brand includes chunky multicolor bar bracelets, delicate plaque bracelets and directional hinge bangles. Hexagon bracelets, bar end cuffs, charm bracelets and statement cuffs are all part of the wristwear line, as well as beaded stretch designs, leather straps, chainmail styles and chunky chain ID bracelets. Whether you're looking for cute, edgy, classic or varsity there's an enormous range to choose from.


text:
Buy Here Pay Here Car Lots and In House Financing Dealers- How Can They Help?
Buy Here Pay Here Car Lots specializes in helping people who have bad credit, low credit, or have been denied due to bankruptcy drive again. If you can't get approved through traditional financing, we offer an in house auto financing directly from the dealership to you. Even with bad credit or bankruptcy, we can help you get the financing you need. No credit score is too low!
Our nationwide network of buy here pay here car lots specialize in bad credit financing. Your monthly payments are kept low to meet your budget needs. We offer affordable financial options with multiple ways to make your payment. This allows you to be in control and can help you make your credit better! We also offer zero-down options. With a wide variety of vehicles available to you, you are bound to like the selection and drive home the same day
Buy Here Pay Here Car Lots help buyers with bad credit connect with in house financing dealerships who can get them approved regardless of credit scores. We do this for everyone.
If you have bad credit, low credit, no credit or have been turned down in the past due to bankruptcy, we can help you get a car loan with our national network of buy here pay here car dealers.
Getting Started
1. Apply online – It is quick and easy!.
2. Dealership Matching – Our online system will automatically find the buy here pay here dealership that can help you the most based on your inputs.
3. Processing – Your application is quickly reviewed and pre-approved loan amount decided.
4. The Call – A representative from the buy here pay here car lots contacts you to confirm your approval and answer any question that you might have.
5. Get the keys – At the pay here buy here dealership, choose a car within your loan budget and sign papers.
Advantages of Buy Here Pay Here Car Lots
1. Free fast online application
2. Bad Credit Scores Accepted! Buy Here Pay Here car dealers can still approve you regardless of your credit score even with previous bankruptcy.
3. Affordable payments in monthly, biweekly, or weekly based on your budget!
4. Pre-approval given before your arrival
5. Large selection of vehicles to choose from
6. Trade-ins are welcome and loved! They rely on trade-ins to make profit as they fix them and resell them for profit.
7. Welcoming representatives who are experienced in helping people with similar finances.
What are Buy Here Pay Here Car Dealers?
An in house car financing or buy here pay here dealer is where you arrange a car loan and make payments directly to the dealership. You finance the vehicle through the buy here pay here dealership, no banks or a credit union are involved. In addition, you make bi-weekly or weekly payments at the buy here pay here dealership.
Note: With Buy Here Pay Here financing car dealerships, you will be asked to Apply Now through our secure online application and you will be qualified before you walk to the buy here pay here car lots. The salesperson will go through your current credit and income situation and start showing you the vehicles you will be qualified for.
Understanding In House Financing Dealerships
Buying through in house financing brings many benefits to you as a car shopper. Let us go through some of these advantages to better understand why in house financing dealerships are so successful and loved by so many car buyers.
#1 Realistic – Yes, in house financing dealers present very realistic solution to car buyers. Instead of having to test drive multiple vehicles and then get denied financing for all of them, the financing process is reversed. First, your financial situation is assessed and a pre-approved loan amount is calculated. Using this loan limit can help you know ahead of time which vehicle is worth testing. This way, you do not waste your time on vehicles that you cannot be approved for. No broken hearts from unnecessary denials and no unnecessary visits to multiple locations that can't approve you in the end! With buy here pay here car lots programs, you only visit used car dealerships that can guarantee your pre-approval ahead of your visit. With this peace of mind, you walk into the buy here pay here car lots with confidence and eagerness to try out the cars. Experts will sit with you and discuss exactly what you can afford and the terms that fits your financial situation.
#2 Treated like family – Yes, most dealers are very welcoming when it comes to selling you their vehicles! However, traditional dealers know that they will get their money from the third-party lenders when you sign the loan agreement so they do not need to have direct continuous relationship with their customers. However, the buy here pay here car lots know that you will make your payments directly to them every time since they are offering in house financing. This means that they will probably see you more often and would have to have a continuous business relationship with you till you finish making the payments. Of course this also helps customers because this means that our Buy Here Pay Here car lots would ensure that the vehicles they sell are durable enough to withstand the duration of the loan agreement as they will see you more often.
#3 Quick – Our nationwide network processes your inputs fast, some in as little as five minutes. This is why so many of our customers drive home the car of their choice on the same day they apply online. The form is also easy to follow and available at any time so that our customers find it easy and convenient.
#4 Experts – We are very experienced in the bad credit car loan financing field. We have helped so many people and can help you too. Our team of dealers and the dealers' representatives know the needs of people with bad credit and are eager to help. This way customers can feel at ease when discussing their financial situation. This means that the customers are happy to buy their vehicles and the Buy Here Pay Here car lots are happy to sell their vehicles to all customers, even with to those with the lowest credit scores.
#5 Better Shopping Experience – If you have saved enough cash to buy a passable vehicle, because you think that all dealers will refuse you for more decent vehicles, think again! With buy here pay here car lots financing, you can get yourself into nice vehicles with low payments even if your credit score is the lowest of the low. In house dealership options allows customers to have that second chance into more decent vehicles.
6# Affordable – Buy here pay here car lots want to help you make your payments. They know that the only way they can make money is if you make your payments on time. For this reason, they try to ask for low payments that they know that you can afford based on your financial situation and based on your income.
Do you link to sell your car fast?
If you like to sell my car for cash in Chicago, visit our website
Important Information and Common Questions for Buy Here Pay Here Car Lots
This answer varies greatly from one customer to another. Remember that the buy here pay here car lots try to give you monthly payments that you can afford. Hence they need to give you a financial package that they know that you can afford to pay back. The main elements that affect this are: your provable monthly income, your estimated monthly expenses like rent and other vehicle's payments if any, and the cheap cars for sale dealership that accepts your financial situation and what incentives are running. Once you submit your application, the dealership that can guarantee your pre-approval, will contact you back with more details and discuss your specific loan amount.Q2. Is it OK if I am looking for a specific used cars in Chicago or any other city?
While this is OK, it is wise to have an open mind for similar vehicles. With a variety of used vehicles available, you are bound to find similar vehicles. keep in mind that since we are talking about used cars dealerships, the buy here pay here car lots will not always have all types of vehicles at all times. But with a flow of vehicles coming and going, the vehicles in the used car lots change often with a variety of used vehicles changing often.Q3. From where do the Buy Here Pay Here car lots get their vehicles?
There are usually three ways that Buy Here Pay Here car dealers can get their vehicles. The first is from other customers selling their vehicles or doing a trade-in. This is why Buy Here Pay Here Car Lots love it when you have a vehicle to offer for trade-in. They can fix the trade-in vehicles and resell them for a profit. The second possible way to add vehicles to the BuyHerePayHere car lots is through car auctions. When the banks seize vehicles or when the government does for unpaid back taxes, or when dealerships close and want to sell the vehicles fast, they all turn to wholesale car auctions for fast sale of their vehicles. These auctions are available only to dealers. This is where dealers can buy and compete for auctioned vehicles at low prices, then inspect them and fix them and resell them to their customers. A third possible way that Buy Here Pay Here car dealerships can add to their inventory is by buying vehicles from rental companies. This is easily done because rental companies need to update their fleets often and hence sell their used vehicles to their local Buy Here Pay Here car lots or other used cars for sale dealers.
All vehicles are, of course, inspected and cleaned before placed in the car lot to welcome the new customers. Once you have your eyes on a vehicle, you need to test drive it to ensure that it meets your quality standards. Many dealership locations would not mind if you bring along with you a personal mechanic to help insect the vehicle as well.Q4. Why do Buy Here Pay Here Dealers Not need My Credit Score?
We all know that paying on time is very helpful in building financial trust between you and lenders. However, with the tough financial times, many people have found it hard to keep their bills in check. Whether it was because of a lost job, a family split, or a death in the family, these life event can put stress on the personal finances and make it hard for people to make their payments on time. So instead of looking at the past payment history, Buy Here Pay Here dealerships choose to look at the customers' current financial situations instead. This is why they need to see your proof of income. Whether your income is from a job you have, or you are self employed, or you get checks from social security disability, you need to be able to prove that income source. Many representatives from our Buy Here Pay Here auto sales departments guide you to bring your bank statements along with you to use as proof of income flow to your bank account when you do not have other documents to show proof of income.Q5. Is the online application safe?
We understand your concerns! And we have taken security measures to ensure the safety of your information. The application is free and there is no obligation to buy. Once you submit your application, your information would be processed automatically and then a live representative from the used car dealership would review your inputs and call you back with your guaranteed pre-approved financing. It is fast as many customers get their vehicles the same day they apply online!
Buy Here Pay Here Car Dealers ExplainedUltimate Car Loan Approval Info!
How Credit Scores Affect Buyers
Buy Here Pay Here Charlotte NC


text:
Close Window
Shop exclusive promos & receive FREE SHIPPING on your first order.
Offer valid to first-time registrants in the US only.
Thank you for showing interest in this item. You will be notified by email as soon as this item is available to purchase.
The item you selected has already been subscribed to notify to this email.
System error: Failed to submit email, please contact website administrator.


text:
Bird Walks
Saturday, June 17, 2017
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
This event repeats every week on Saturday between 5/6/2017 and 7/29/2017.
Please note: This event has already taken place. Please use the Search options on the right to find upcoming events.
Head to the park to join bird walks led by experts from the NYC Audubon! Bird walks focus on wildlife happenings in the park.
Van Cortlandt Nature Center in Van Cortlandt Park
Directions to this location
Event Organizer
Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Contact Number
(718) 430-1890


text:
My only surprise is that this hasn't happened before. We're rich and developed, sure, but pockets of people can still find themselves in straits as dire as those in a Third World emergency zone.
Reuters reports here:
Manhattan doctor Lucy Doyle has done stints with the global medical relief organization Doctors Without Borders in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. But her latest assignment is a real eye-opener: New York City.
In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Doctors Without Borders has set up its first-ever medical clinic in the United States, and Doyle finds herself on the front line of disaster just miles from her day job.
"A lot of us have said it feels a lot like being in the field in a foreign country," said Doyle, who specializes in internal medicine at New York's Bellevue Hospital, now closed by Sandy's damage.
A week after Sandy swept through New York City, knocking out power and public transportation for days, Doctors Without Borders established temporary emergency clinics in the Rockaways – a remote part of Queens that faces the Atlantic Ocean – to tend to residents of high-rises that still lacked power and heat and had been left isolated by the storm. Continue reading


text:
AudaVIN is the latest innovation in vehicle identification technology from AudaExplore. Designed for use by collision repair estimators and insurance appraisers, and based on the individual vehicle identification number (VIN) of a car, it provides complete vehicle information – as recorded by auto manufacturers on the production line. Now, you can take advantage of this data to get the correct vehicle parts and option details up front. The result is improved estimating accuracy, reduced errors in the total loss determination process, and significant time savings in the inspection of damaged vehicles.
Start eliminating the guesswork and begin reducing cycle times as well as rental car and vehicle storage costs, with AudaVIN. You'll also realize improvements in customer satisfaction. Its features include:
Intelligent Vehicle Identification – All the data you need is at your fingertips, including information on vehicle year, make, model, edition, standard equipment, factory-installed options, engine, transmission and option packages.
Automatic or One-Click VIN Decoding
Full Integration with Estimating and Total Loss Solutions from AudaExplore
Efficient Total Vehicle Identification in Seconds
Pay Per Use, with Pricing on a Transaction Basis
Manufacture Coverage – AudaVIN now supports more than 28 brands globally, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Mini, Smart, Volkswagen, Volvo, Audi, Porsche – and now GM, Nissan, Infiniti and Jaguar Land Rover. additional car manufacturers are added regularly.
"AudaVIN is an invaluable tool. It captures options that would have been otherwise impossible to capture during the inspection process."
- Brian Viveiros
Carl's Collision, Fall River, MA


text:
Comparison of strain relaxation in epitaxial Si0.3Ge0.7 films grown on Si(001) and Ge(001)
Published on
Surface and interfacial strain have been computed for SiGe thin films grown by UHVCVD,based on measurements via transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.
The authors wish to thank Dr Leanne Henry and Kenneth Vaccaro of AFRL for their assistance with epitaxial growth and
Paul Nitishin of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory for facilitating the high resolution work.
Sponsored by
Financial support was provided by the US Air Force Palace Knight program.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:


text:
Remove ads with our VIP Service
Add Your Comments
- Find Movies Playing in Dolby Cinemas with New Advanced Search Tool [2/27]
- Search for Sensory-Friendly Presentations [4/4]
- We Have a New Writer -- Please Welcome Pippa Roslyn! [10/5]
- New Ways to See and Share Your Reader Reviews [1/12]
- New Navigation with Dropdown Menus [10/21]
- Photo Gallery Upgrades - Larger Photos, Arrow Key Navigation [4/27]
- "Share Links" Added for Theaters to Make Facebook / Social Media Links Easier [6/9]
- The BigScreen Cinema Guide is Now Smartphone-Friendly! [4/29]
- Theaters in Movie Showtimes Now Sorted by Distance or by Theater Name [2/19]
- Theater Showtimes Now Sorted by Release Date by Default, New Date Groups Added [1/30]
More Milestones Articles
Journal Main Page
Subscribe to Journal RSS feeds
Back in January 1995, The BigScreen Cinema Guide started out with very humble beginnings. Originally named The Penguin Cinema Guide, it listed movie showtimes for theaters only in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin metropolitan area.
From there it expanded to cover showtimes for all theaters in Wisconsin, and then to a gradually-increasing number of theaters across the United States. This gradual approach allowed us to concentrate on delivering an excellent publication without the high costs of delivering showtimes for all theaters in the country. This also allowed us to become very familiar with the theaters for which we were listing showtimes, and we were able to publish a higher quality web site as a result.
But there was always that disclaimer "we don't carry showtimes for every theater in the country" and it was time to put that to rest. Quite some time ago, we started preparing for the day when we could go nationwide; with no asterisks and no disclaimers. And last week, the planning and preparing was over, the contract was signed, and the switch was thrown.
The BigScreen Cinema Guide now lists showtimes for every movie theater in the United States. All 5,811 of them. From the AMC Studio 30 in Houston, Texas to the Orpheum Theatre in Kodiak, Alaska!
From sea to shining sea, we've got your movie theater covered!
To see all the theaters listed in The BigScreen Cinema Guide, just head over to The Marquee and visit any one of the sections, depending on if you like your listings nearby, by region, or if you want to search for them.
We're very proud to be able to remove those disclaimers and start serving everyone the showtimes they're looking for, backed by the best publication of its kind! At least it's the best in our humble opinions...
But there is always room for improvement, and that's where you come in. One of our hallmarks is that we encourage feedback from our readers through our Feedback Form. I read every single message sent in via that form, and I answer every message that needs a reply. You won't get that kind of service from a portal that wants to serve up everything from movie showtimes to stock quotes!
We've gotten lots of great feedback from our readers, and some of the best features on this site are a result of suggestions and constructive criticism from all of you. Please keep them coming!
We're not sitting on our laurels (they tend to hurt), so keep an eye out on the home page for more new features to come in the near future...
Help Us Spread the Word!
Please tell your friends, family, neighbors, and anyone else who will listen that the best place for movie information is The BigScreen Cinema Guide! Add it to your Facebook status, give it a digg, and make it the signature in your E-Mail program!
Like our home page says, The BigScreen Cinema Guide is Your guide to what's playing in local movie theaters, all of them!
Add Your Comments
Reader Comments
No comments found. Be the first and let us know what you think!
Add Your Comments
|Please login
|Commenting on Journal Articles is available only to our readers who have customized this site, which makes it easier for you to complete the form and for us to contact you with any questions or concerns about your comments.
Please login or register a new account before continuing.
Already Registered?
Log in to retrieve your saved settings.
Forget Your Passcode?Send My Passcode To Me
Not Registered? Create a New Account!
Our registered members enjoy more features, including:
- Save Your Location -- the site remembers your location, no having to re-enter it each time you visit
- Favorite Theaters List -- keep a handy list of the theaters you attend
- Favorite Movies List - movies you want to see, all in one place
- Write Movie Reviews -- share your opinions of the movies you see
- Block Ads with VIP Service -- view this site ad free (subscription req'd)
Basic accounts are free -- sign up today!
Concerned About Privacy?
So are we! We won't sell, trade, or share your personal information with anyone unless required by law. For more information, please read our Privacy Policy.
Journal/Blog - The Marquee - Movie Links - News and Events - Now Showing - Reader Reviews
Customize - VIP Service
|The BigScreen Cinema Guide is a service of SVJ Designs LLC. All graphics, layout, and structure of this service (unless otherwise specified) are Copyright © 1995-2019, SVJ Designs. The BigScreen Cinema Guide is a trademark of SVJ Designs. All rights reserved.
'ACADEMY AWARDS®' and 'OSCAR®' are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.


text:
Ok.... I should of and would have spent at least two more days on this... but really I shouldn't have build it lol,. I have been on a frantic marathon building spree the past 12 hours and finally got it done.... bleh. not super happy with it, but considering how rushed i was I am happy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraslund/8 ... otostream/


text:
Time Warner Cable, one of the nation's biggest pay-TV distributors with millions of subscribers in New York and Los Angeles, has agreed to carry the news channel Al Jazeera America.
The agreement, unveiled Thursday, means that the channel, owned by the Qatar-based media company Al Jazeera, will reach a total of nearly 55 million homes.
"It has been a pleasure working with TWC over the past few months as their executives evaluated our programming and commitment to fact-based, in-depth reporting," Ehab Al Shihabi, Al Jazeera America's interim chief executive, said in a statement.
PHOTOS: Cable versus broadcast ratings
Financial terms were not disclosed. The companies said that the channel will roll out to Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks customers over the next six months. That will make Al Jazeera America availble to more people in big markets including New York City, Los Angeles and Dallas.
Al Jazeera America launched without the cable giant in August. It has pitched itself as a destination for serious news programming to challenge CNN, Fox News and MSNBC on their own turf, and it has opened 12 bureaus around the country and hired some high-profile journalists.
"We said in January that we would consider Al Jazeera America. Now that the channel is live, we think that it would be of value to our customers and are pleased to make it available," Melinda Witmer, Time Warner Cable's chief video and content officer, said in a statement.
ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll
The channel debuted to some mixed reviews and low ratings, drawing an average of about 22,000 in its first airing, when it could reach only about 45 million homes.
The Time Warner Cable deal adds to Al Jazeera America's current carriage agreements with DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon Fios, RCN Cable and Comcast. Holdouts include some of the bigger carriers, such as Charter, Cox and Cablevision.
Shortly after the launch, the company sued AT&T for not carrying the network on its U-verse pay-TV system. The suit is pending.
BermanBraun seeks to reinvigorate AOL's Moviefone
TV ratings: World Series up from last year, 'Super Fun Night' rises
YouTube to launch subscription music service as soon as December
Follow on Twitter: @rfaughnder
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013 PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen
PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013
PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies