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Rosanne Cash "The River & The Thread"
Rosanne Cash journeys through the American south in search of her familial and musical roots
It's amazing how heritage plays a role in a life, how a location can be part of who you are even if you've had minimal experience with it. Although she was born in Memphis, Tennessee where her father Johnny Cash was recording at Sun Records, Rosanne Cash only lived there till she was three. She grew up a child of sunny California. Following her father's death in 2003 she released several personally revealing records that examine her relationship with her family, particularly her father. The River & The Thread takes Cash to her roots, literally, as she examines the land that molded her family - the American deep South.
Cash's journey was spurred by a request from Arkansas State University to purchase her father's boyhood home which lay in ruins. Cash's visits to the area inspired a wave of interest and pride in her ancestry. Accompanied by her husband, producer and musician John Leventhal, the pair began exploring the region, traveling from her birth home, to the dilapidated grocery store where Emmett Till was accosted, on to the gravesite of Robert Johnston, and a memorable visit to the Tallahatchie Bridge. (The album cover was taken on the Tallahatchie bridge.) The pair began writing songs that capture what Cash calls a transcendent experience.
Instead of focusing only on her family, Cash writes about people who intersected with her folks, and creates characters who reel in the magic and mystery of the environs. "Etta's Tune" is an endearing song written for Etta Grant, the widow of Marshall Grant, the original bassist for Johnny Cash's band The Tennessee Two. Cash adeptly captures the couple's enduring love through the use of a phrase the pair greeted each day with – "what's the temperature, dear?" "When the Master Calls the Roll," written with ex-husband Rodney Crowell, is a Civil War love ballad that records the tremendous personal price of the conflict. Taking place in Virginia, it is also the only song that does not take place in the delta region.
Many songs find Cash exploring her own disconnected relationship to the south. "World of Strange Design" explores that alienation. It was recorded in Derek Trucks' Swamp Rag Studios and features Trucks' guitar work as well as several members of his band. "Money Road" named after the lane inhabited by a young Johnny Cash, plays as metaphor for Rosanne's journey. "A Feather's Not a Bird" again follows this thread and is partially inspired by Cash's learning to sew.
Like her father before her Rosanne Cash is a great story teller who is getting better with age. She has an eye for detail and an ear for atmosphere. Her voice is as rich as the rivers and field of which she sings. The River & The Thread features delicate arrangements and subtle production, allowing the melody and stories the room to expand. I don't believe it is hyperbole to say that this is a brilliant album that ranks as her best to date. I don't doubt that there is more mesmerizing music to come from a woman who does her heritage proud.
Rosemary Welsch (Afternoon Host)


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The 15:17 to Paris (2018)
Feb 02, 2018 94 min Watch Trailer
overview : In August 2015, an ISIS terrorist boarded train #9364 from Brussels to Paris. Armed with an AK-47 and enough ammo to kill more than 500 people, the terrorist might have succeeded except for three American friends who refused to give in to fear. One was a college student, one was a martial arts enthusiast and airman first class in the U.S. Air Force, and the other was a member of the Oregon National Guard, and all three pals proved fearless as they charged and ultimately overpowered the gunman after he emerged from a bathroom armed and ready to kill.
Genres : Drama, History, Thriller
Tags : paris, france, based on novel or book, terrorist, classroom, train, terrorism, terrorist group
Spencer StoneHimself
Alek SkarlatosHimself
Anthony SadlerHimself
Ray CorasaniAyoub
Jenna FischerHeidi Skarlatos
Judy GreerJoyce Eskel
Bryce GheisarYoung Alek Skarlatos
Jaleel WhiteGarrett Walden
Tony HaleCoach Murray
P. J. ByrneMr. Henry
Thomas LennonPrincipal Michael Akers
Robert PralgoMr. Skarlatos
Alisa AllapachLisa
Jeanne GoursaudLea
Ethan RainsBen Zomerdyk
Seth MeriwetherFrancis

subset: commoncrawl


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On February 16, we held our fourth India Members Meeting at the Bharti corporate offices in New Delhi.
The meeting focused on climate strategies being followed by companies in India – as well as national and international developments within the climate change space.
Aditi Dass and Mark Kenber of the Climate Group provided an update on COP15 and an overview of corporates, cities, states and regions climate action taking place across the globe. It's clear that the lack of a legally binding international treaty at Copenhagen has not been a roadblock for constructive actions and there is plenty of room for optimism. Large economies like India are committing to domestic action, and incentivizing and collaborating with the private sector to help drive an era of clean growth.
Mr. S. Asokan , Director, Supply Chain, Airtel presented a conceptual summary of the telecoms sector and showcased some of the excellent efforts being made by Airtel to measure and manage carbon emissions. Though the direct footprint of the company is limited, it has an opportunity to influence a wide network. Mr. Asokan stated that the 'Communication' element of ICT is critical in India's transition to the low-carbon economy, particularly on a policy perspective.
Manoj Raathor, Program Director, Global Energy Projects for Johnson Controls, elaborated on his company's goal of creating the smartest, cleanest and most efficient building systems in the world. Johnson Controls has the potential to make huge impact – as it works on buildings in at least 125 countries around the world. Mr. Raathor emphasized that for any effort to yield great results, collaboration and collective action is essential.
The Government of Gujarat, represented by Mr. S.B. Patil from the Gujarat Energy Development Agency, spoke about the optimization of state solar and wind resources, and the different initiatives and policy incentives that the Government there is developing. He highlighted the development of Gandhinagar as one of India's burgeoning new solar-powered city.
In the discussion that followed between the attendees, the need for stable, smart policies; India-specific research; effective corporate engagement; and best-case practice sharing within and across sectors was highlighted.
Mr. Suresh Prabhu, former Minister, Government of India, called climate and energy "two sides of the same coin," and pointed out that a market economy should be an encouraging force to help companies and technologies to make the transition to a low-carbon future. The crucial ingredient, he stressed, is 'policy', particularly related to energy distribution.
Mr. Raghuraman, Adviser, Jaguar overseas; and former senior advisor to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) congratulated the corporates for their insight around the opportunity for innovation in India. Raghuraman cited India's proud tradition of 'frugal engineering' as a powerful force for transformation to the low carbon economy.


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In politics, it always comes down to timing. And right now, it appears the timing just isn't right for congressional Republicans to take up an immigration overhaul…
"It's premature to say it's over. In my discussions with the leadership offices, what they're saying is they can't do it now, they don't have the votes now," said John Feehery, president of communications for Quinn Gillespie, a consulting and lobby shop. "Their might be another time when they can get the votes," said Feehery, a former top House aide. "But we've got a debt limit [vote] and this has been a distraction."…
"The politics of immigration have never been perfect for anybody ever," says Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "Immigration is just one of those issues that's difficult politically. And I don't know if there's ever a perfect time for immigration reform. In some ways it's like dealing with entitlement reform. Has there ever been a good political time to deal with that?"
Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, told msnbc in a separate interview on Friday that it was likely Boehner was buying time while leaders worked on a fuller policy proposal to address GOP concerns and dealt with more immediate issues, like the debt ceiling.
"What I heard [Boehner] saying is 'Let's keep working immigration through the legislative process, we'll get to it later in the Spring, but between now and then let's talk about this nebulous issue of trust,'" he said…
"I think the opponents are getting traction with the argument of 'Why now?'" Noorani said. "I can't see a scenario in 2016 where Republicans have a better chance for claiming the mantle of victory on immigration reform. They're going to be in the midst of a presidential primary where the field will be dragged to the right. Does anyone really think Ted Cruz is all of a sudden going to be calling for immigration reform in 2016?"
So maybe immigration is dead, or maybe this July 2013 report from the Huffington Post is just as applicable today: "Immigration reform is not dead. The doom and gloom is being fed, at least in part, by GOP leadership, to help position them politically for the coming fight."
If that's the case, GOP leaders have successfully established "lack of trust in Obama" as the primary roadblock to reform. It's possible this is all about messaging heading into the midterm elections, but it could also be an attempt to set up a dramatic "game changing" moment to clear the way for legislation in the House…
Some opponents of comprehensive reform have suggested that Obama could announce he is appointing a Republican to lead a special task force to secure the border, or something along those lines, which would allow a sufficient number of Republicans to declare "problem solved" and pass legislation out of the House. Maybe that sounds a tad conspiratorial, but it is probably less preposterous than the media's insistence that what Boehner said Thursday has any bearing on immigration reform's prospects this year.
The populist wing of the party has talked itself into believing the zero-sum economics that immigrants steal jobs from U.S. citizens and reduce American living standards. Neither claim is true, but Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions and the Heritage Foundation might as well share research staffs with the AFL-CIO.
So great is the House GOP fear of a talk-radio backlash that it won't even pass smaller bills that 75% of Republicans agree on. There will be nothing to codify the legal status of children of illegal immigrants who have lived here for decades. And no expanded green cards for foreign graduates of U.S. colleges, a policy Mitt Romney endorsed. And no cleaning up the work-visa morass that has obliged U.S. farmers to hire illegals to harvest their crops.
The result of doing nothing will be a de facto "amnesty" in which 11 million illegal immigrants will continue to work using fake documents. Mr. Obama will look for ways to grant more of them legal status using executive power, and the GOP will look even more unwelcoming to minorities.
Some Republicans who do want to vote for immigration reform say they don't want to divide the party over such a contentious issue in an election year. Better to take this up in 2015, they say. But the opponents will raise the same furor whenever it comes up, and Democrats will be less likely to compromise figuring they can use the issue to drive minority voter turnout in 2016.
But what happens if the Republican party slackens in its commitment to protecting wages and employment? Several decades ago, the GOP began winning the white working class in the South, and more recently it has done so in the border states (Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia). Yet its advance in the Midwest has stalled. Ohio remains less than a sure thing, even though its demographics have changed little. Pennsylvania and Minnesota are creeping closer to the Republican party, but have not yet flipped. Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin remain frustratingly elusive.
These are all states where Republicans regularly win statewide, yet lose presidential contests, in part because Democrats successfully tag GOP nominees as heartless plutocrats. The only way for the GOP to shatter this image is through an explicit and relentless commitment to pocket-book issues of concern to average Americans. A comprehensive immigration bill that lowers wages is a giant step in the wrong direction…
In 1960, Barry Goldwater blasted the policies of Dwight Eisenhower as a "dime store New Deal." This was an exaggeration, but Goldwater was on to something. The Republican party did not enjoy enduring successes until Ronald Reagan's victory in 1980, when the party articulated a compelling alternative to New Deal/Great Society liberalism. So it goes with immigration reform. Offering a "lite" version of the Democratic proposal is poor political strategy, for the party will always be outbid. By contrast, offering a robust critique and a sensible alternative is the proven way to turn the party's fortunes around.
Sometimes politics really is this simple. After all the arguments about economics and assimilation, people understand if they are viewed as a threat to the predominant culture. They know if their voice is not welcome in the national chorus. And this does have implications for political philosophy. Kemp — the GOP congressman and vice presidential candidate who described himself as a "bleeding-heart conservative" — passionately believed that human beings, as a rule, are economic and social advantages, the ultimate sources of energy, creativity and wealth. This included anyone, of any background, who happened to be in front of him and smothered by his enthusiastic attentions. Kemp strongly rejected the notion — common in every generation — that the current cohort of immigrants are somehow inferior to immigrants past.
I'm sorry to wax nostalgic — but not really. I saw how a Republican politician could treat immigrants and minorities as if they were valued national possessions. And I saw Kemp's frustration with the direction of his party. "We sound like we don't want immigration," he said. "We sound like we don't want black people to vote for us. What are we going to do — meet in a country club in the suburbs one day?"…
But the most important change that is needed is the hardest to achieve: A genuine welcome to the party. And an honest prayer: Dios derramó su gracia sobre ti.
Via NRO.
Via Newsbusters.
Via RCP.


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Figuring out Homeschooling
First, I'm not 100% committed to it, yet. We're sort of playing preschool, so that I can get a feel for lesson planning, time management, and teaching. Next year, Lou will be kindergarten age, and we'll have to make some more serious decisions then. Even still, one mom said she takes it one year at a time, each year evaluating what education format works best for her family, and being willing to make changes next year. I'm going to adopt this thinking, because it means never being trapped, and always being open to whatever works best for our family.
Now, if you're in my shoes (i.e. you have no experience with homeschooling, but want to give it a try), you've probably already talked to home schoolers, which means you've heard about million different methods, curricula, and the daunting proclamation, "It can be whatever you want!" People with experience love to say this, but it isn't much help to those of us who have no idea how to get started. And if you feel like you need structure, its a little frightening.
So if you need a place to start, here's what I recommend:
1. Read a book/article about Charlotte Mason. I read this one by Catherine Levison because our library had it, but there are tons. This will help you understand who Charlotte Mason is (an early classical educator) and how to apply her methods at home. Most families I know use Mason's methods or Mason combined with something else (like Montessori or Waldorf). You don't have to use her, of course, but if you need a picture of what homeschooling looks like, this is a great place to start.
2. Read Charlotte Mason or somebody. You don't have to read all of her books at once, but start reading some. You can find a set at the library, or find it online here. Or if you're interested in a different method start reading about those.
3. Join a homeschooling group, whether a yahoo group, or a local co-op, or both! Getting plugged into a group is great for several reasons. You can see others in actions, hear there thoughts about various curricula, age groups, and other challenges. You can figure out which style you like best. Email groups are great, because you can start observe before your kids are old enough to participate. I'm excited and nervous about joining a co-op this year - we'll see how it goes.
4. Start collecting information. When you hear someone rave about a math book they love, or if you have an idea for health class years from now, write it down. You'll collect tons of information like this, and you won't be ready to use most of it. Just start a list (mine is by age group, with subcategories for subjects) and the information will be there when you need it. Keep it in a paper file, a spread sheet, or whatever works.
One mother recommended starting a google site (keep it private) where you can archive your lesson plans, links, and other resources. What a great idea! I started one last week (oh, distractions) with the two units I've planned. No html required, it's all formatted for you, and you customize and add each page as you want. In a couple of years, when J is ready to do what L has already done, it will be there all laid out. And as the kids get older, they can learn to navigate the site to check on homework assignments and calendars, or whatever. I'm already digging it.
There are so many free resources online, for lesson planning, reviewing curricula, buying it, forums for asking questions. It's too much information, sometimes. Just start file things away, with clear labels so you can find it when you need it.
5. Just start. I really don't know how my preschool plans compare to other peoples. I'll probably start comparing too much eventually, so I'll just save that for later. Right now just starting, just doing something at home with my kids helps me gauge what I can do, what they enjoy, how it works. And once you get started you begin to understand how flexible and full of potential homeschooling is, and how it can really be whatever you want.
Good luck!
4 comments:
- Mollie said...
I was homeschooled from birth through high school, and my sister even did it for college! So, I'm definitely someone who feels comfortable with the idea.
That said, my mom likes to remind people that you've already taught your child SO MUCH! It felt natural to get them to this point, and between pre-school and kindergarten, you can ease into it. Soon, it's likely to feel normal to teach your child to read and spell and multiply and on and on!
And yes, Charlotte Mason is a great place to start.
- Butterfly Vintage said...
Great Post Laura! I have some books that I will bring you about teaching them through drawing journals and nature which Charlotte Mason used. Good luck!
- julie said...
When parents start homeschooling with preschoolers or kindergartners (in other words, kids that you didn't pull out of formal school to homeschool), my go-to piece of advice is always to just keep on doing what you're already doing! You explore art materials with your kiddo already, you read to them, you buy them educational toys, you take them to museums and the library, you pay attention to what they're interested in and get them more books and activities and projects having to do with their interests--that's homeschool! Adding structure to it is totally fine, but that first day of structure is not your first day of homeschool--you've been doing that your kiddo's whole life.
I suggest you read The Unschooling Unmanual by Nanda Van Gestel. We favor this method of natural learning and this book is a great summary if you've never researched or read anything about it. Like previous comments, we've already been teaching our kids ever since they were born, why change what is working so well already?


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BRUSSELS — It has been a successful NATO summit for Croatia President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. The World Cup took care of that.
With a come-from-behind 2-1 win over favoured England, Grabar-Kitarovic could eat her NATO gala dinner with that bit more gusto late Wednesday.
"We followed the game over dinner," a beaming Grabar-Kitarovic said as she entered the last sessions of the NATO summit early Thursday.
"It was wonderful because all the allies were cheering for all of us, mostly," she said.
She was at the table together with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday and the two will meet again on Sunday — at the Moscow stadium where France plays Croatia in the final.
"This will be a successful summit and we will win on Sunday," Grabar-Kitarovic confidently predicted.


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April 6, 2011
McGeorge's entry in the 52nd Annual Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition took a fourth-place prize for memorials and finished eighth overall in the 24-team Pacific Super Regional held February 25-27, 2011, in Portland, Oregon.
Matt Fleming, Etan Zaitsu, Carrie Stafford, Alex Thompson and Cassie Shaft comprised the team, which was coached by Professors Sabine Schlemmer-Schulte and Maureen Watkins.
Fleming and Zaitsu, representing the applicant state, won both their first round against Gonzaga as well as their second round against University of Denver, which advanced to the semifinals. Stafford and Thompson, representing the respondent state, performed well in both of their rounds with a particularly strong showing against USC. Shaft was of counsel to both groups, providing essential input to the oralists in all of their rounds.
"These students should be commended on their dedication, enthusiasm and tenacity," Watkins said. "I was especially impressed with their performance given how little time they had to prepare in comparison to their counterparts, many of whom began the process early in the fall. In addition to being talented 'mooters,' these students are fine individuals, who enhance our legal community with their integrity and graciousness."
The Jessup International Law Moot is the world's largest moot court competition with participants from nearly 500 law schools in 80 countries. The competition is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. The University of Sydney (Australia) defeated Columbia University for the world title on March 26, 2011, in Washington, D.C.
Tags: 2011, competition-teams


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The Return of "Temperance & Temptation"
September 18, 2011
Hutchinson Family Singers, 1845, www.metmuseum.org
(founders of Hutchinson, MN, and abolitionist and temperance folksingers)
Celestial Monochord readers will be glad to know that the Rose Ensemble's upcoming season will include Songs of Temperance and Temptation.
The show will be back in November for an eight-city tour of Minnesota and, in abbreviated form, for a Mississippi riverboat cruise on October 23.
This is great news. The three performances of Temperance and Temptation that closed the Ensemble's previous season included the first known performances in over 83 years of a peculiar, foot-stomping composition known as "Moonshiner's Dance Part One." This piece has been the axis around which my research, writing, and preservation efforts have revolved for more than five years.
Hopefully, the Rose's upcoming November performances will give Minnesota another chance to catch an incredibly rare performance of "Moonshiner's Dance," a neglected and nearly forgotten landmark in the state's musical legacy.
But even for me, the hope of seeing more of "Moonshiner" isn't the best reason to look forward to this season's revival of Songs of Temperance and Temptation.
Research as Amazing
The show is very amusing — packed with fresh songs (that is, new-to-you and very alive), sung by skillful, versatile, and charismatic vocalists. The show is also informative, immersing you in a kind of cultural history of alcohol that's likely to transform your understanding.
But the Ensemble's marketing materials reprint a blurb from a local paper saying, "No one makes scholarly research more entertaining than The Rose Ensemble." I think this subtly misses the main point, the best thing about the Rose and this show.
What I like most is the show's unwavering confidence that its surest bet in amusing the audience is to tell them something they didn't already know. The Rose just assumes from the start, correctly and to great effect, that surprising information — learning something — is the among the wildest experiences the stage has to offer.
To me, this approach felt courageous and just a shade radical in its sheer respect for the audience — a belief in the audience's intelligence, but even more in its willingness to be game for something new. My frenzied notes taken during the single performance I attended in June have grown cryptic with time, but at one point I simply wrote, "The amazing research."
I'm fairly well versed in the history of pop music during and just before Prohibition. But the Songs of Temperance and Temptation were almost all completely new to me. And the photographs projected behind the performers were mostly new finds. And the collection of sheet music cover art was fantastic.
The show's stories of Minnesota's temperance movement will surprise most Minnesotans — the city of Hutchinson's founding, for example, by a family of protest singers dedicated to women's rights, the abolition of slavery, and men's liberation from alcohol.
The Andrew Volstead story may also surprise a lot of people.
The Congressman from Granite Falls was seen across the United States as the primary villain of the Prohibition era — an incompetent, humorless zealot who drove the nation to (furtively) drink. He's still remembered this way.
But the Rose Ensemble, perhaps following Daniel Okrent's recent book, invites us to see him in a far more nuanced and sympathetic light.
(My own research has been hinting to me that both Okrent and Rose are going a little far in rehabbing Volstead's reputation. A proper assessment of Volstead isn't really available, so I think the guy is ripe material for a thorough biography.)
"I've Got the Prohibition Blues"
The members of the Rose Ensemble are trained veterans of choral music, and the Rose's seasons always lean toward a wide variety of "early music."
The upcoming season, for example, includes one show on "ancient Mediterranean Jews, Christians, and Muslims" and another on "feasts and saints in early Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Bohemia."
So, of course, there's the question of how well they handle Songs of Temperance and Temptation — and the answer is pretty good news.
The show's first half deals primarily with 19th century conflicts leading up to Prohibition, so a bit of reserve and formal training only improves the verisimilitude. Rest assured, the show cuts loose early on and shows a lot of humor throughout. When they approach something like a barbershop quartet style, they're clearly well prepared.
The real challenge comes during Prohibition, when American pop music fell in love with Jazz and the blues, and searched for something like an authentic "street" credibility. The Rose does very well with it, but it's not surprising that swing and growl aren't its most convincing assets.
But even in the slightly strained way the Rose Ensemble comes to grips with the 1920's, they remain true to the history. One of the great pleasures of listening to, for example, Archeophone's Phonographic Yearbook series is hearing the pop stars of the era grapple with those very same changes in public taste.
The blues and jazz revolution ended a lot of careers, just as Rock & Roll did decades later. Those who survived often did so by learning, with widely varying artistic success, the African American-inflected stomp and swerve in the era's new sounds.
The more you hear what was recorded at the time, the more you appreciate the Rose's mastery of this material today.
Moonshiner's Dance, Part One
And finally, I know some folks will want to know how they did "Moonshiner's Dance." So here goes.
It came late in a show filled with a lot of unfamiliar music, so to suddenly hear a band, right in front of me, strike up that familiar introductory riff followed by that oompah hopped up on goofballs ... it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
The only recording of the piece in existence — the one I've heard perhaps a thousand times — is trapped in the antique shellac of scratchy, store-bought 78s. It has no other existence. Hearing the piece played anew by a live band immediately in front of me was mind-bogglingly rare, and I felt it in every note.
Their approach was to hew quite closely to the original recording. The band was a little light on the beat and lacked the dance band insistence I'd expect, but otherwise tried to "play the record" as closely as possible.
In the recording, the third segment of the medley consists of a harmonica vamping some chords, possibly noodling a bit with an indeciperable tune. The blog Old Weird America claims the tune is "Turkey in the Straw," but this is almost certainly wrong. The Rose Ensemble went with this suggestion, enunciating the tune very clearly.
I think it was the right decision. "Turkey in the Straw" is familiar and rousing (as the whole medley would have been to its original audience), and fits the piece nicely. It also dovetails (turkeytails?) with my thesis about the recording being something like a big-city parody of rural culture.
During the "At The Cross" segment of the medley, the fiddler took up a small American flag and waved it haughtily, which I loved. For one thing, it provided a light suggestion of the satirical stagecraft that I think was the real point of the "Moonshiner's Dance" recording.
What we're hearing in the recording was the soundtrack to something we're not seeing. The Rose's performance, then, also necessarily missed the chaos of the recording's laughing, indecipherable voices, and generally ... thick atmosphere that gives the recording its particular and mysterious register.
Certainly, I think the Rose's performance worked wonderfully on its own terms, and the piece is plenty sturdy to have a performance life of its own.
But the challenges of performing it anew also highlight what I've come to focus on in my years of research — that the original "Moonshiner" recording has the power it has because it is so bursting with its very narrowly specific moment and place. To understand what this peculiar thing really is, then, we need to reconstruct the time and community from which it arose.
The Rose Ensemble has gleefully run directly into the path of that time and place, seeking a new way to make a new kind of performance sense for this piece that so often seems bent on denying the very possibility of sense itself.
In a way, that reinvention of new senses from old contexts is what The Rose Ensemble does for a living. These are brave people, and I want to see more of them.
[See also my thoughts in advance of the show.]


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The only surviving polar bear cub can now be seen by the public (BRB, planning a trip to the zoo) and needs a name!
The Shortlisted names are:
Humphrey: It means Peaceful Warrior. The name was derived from the Germanic elements hun, which means bear cub, and frid, which means peace.
Orson: Latin for bear.
James: Derived from James Bay. A previous cub was name Hudson after Hudson's Bay and is this cub's brother.
Lorek: Comes from the movie Golden Compass. Lorek is derived from the word laurel, which is a symbol of victory.
Searik: Inuit for beautiful.
Stirling: Means genuine, high quality, and pure.
Go here to vote for your favourite.


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Scientific Articles - PTR-MS Bibliography
Scientific Articles - PTR-MS Bibliography
Welcome to the new IONICON scientific articles database!
Please use the search feature and filter options below to access our extensive collection of PTR-MS related literature.
Are you missing a relevant paper? Please tell us and we'll add it.
Link: http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=8836242
Link: https://www.etde.org/etdeweb/details_open.jsp?osti_id=21329230


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New story, new locations, new missions.
Unico promises to continue the fight, 2K appears unfazed.
Play in a rich and beautiful world that -- like the experience it provides -- is awfully hollow.
Long-awaited mob sim sequel is in stores today.
Take-Two responds by pointing out Unico hasn't played the game.
Buzzsaw downloadable demo offers mission, ability to explore slice of Empire Bay.
In game and real-life goodies for gaming gangsters.
Take-Two announces the long-in-development title will finally hit the shelves.
Play a porn-collecting mobster in Mafia II.
Mafia II at IGN
Mafia II Cheats at IGN
Mafia II Guide at IGN
Mafia II at GameSpy
Mafia II at GameStats


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JACKSONVILLE � For some, five years is simply unacceptable.
JACKSONVILLE � For some, five years is simply unacceptable.
Bowe Bergdahl, a 27-year-old sergeant in the Army�s 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment out of Fort Richardson, Alaska, was captured by the Taliban during his 2009 deployment to Afghanistan.
Now, almost five years after being held captive in an unknown location, the local chapter of Rolling Thunder � which advocates for prisoners of war and those missing in action � wants others to know the story behind Bergdahl�s face on a billboard beside one of Jacksonville�s busiest roads.
The billboard features a photograph of Bergdahl before captivity and his date of capture. The posting was funded by POWbracelets.com and SupportBowe.org.
�I�m not going to say it�s nice, but it makes my heart feel good that our community is being made aware of Bowe�s status,� said Paul Levesque, the president of the local Rolling Thunder chapter. �I�m sure the billboard�s location being so busy and right near the Lejeune Memorial Gardens means that he gets the attention he deserves.�
Having spoken out in the community about Bergdahl and his status as a POW since 2009, Levesque said he hopes the billboard continues to broaden the public�s knowledge of Bergdahl and his sacrifice.
Recently, a video of Bergdahl surfaced and was featured on CNN where analysts said they believe Bergdahl still is alive � something that Levesque said should be reason enough to find him and bring him home.
But not enough is being done, Levesque said, who added that with modern intelligence and technology assets, it baffles him that the United States is unable to find Bergdahl.
�I don�t think it is our government�s priority,� he said. �If this billboard sinks in, then maybe people will speak to their elected officials and ask to bring Bowe home.�
Levesque feels as though not enough people know Bergdahl is even missing, he said. One solution, he said, is having a billboard like this in every city across the country, but he admitted that something of that magnitude is not feasible.
�Time is running out,� Levesque said. �Our government wants to pull out of Afghanistan. Do we want to leave someone behind? The answer should be no. My concern is that the U.S. would allow one of our own to be left behind � We need to do something before we abandon one of our own.�
As a former prisoner of war himself, Guy Hunter of Jacksonville described being in captivity as the most hopeless situation he has ever been in throughout his entire life.
�All I can say is that every day ... you feel abandoned and wonder if anyone is looking for you,� Hunter said. �For his situation since it has been so long, it is probably hard for him to keep the faith that people are looking for him ... I�m sure he is wondering if he is ever going to see his family again or make it out alive.�
Hunter also feels not enough is being done for Bergdahl. The government should allocate more resources to finding Bergdahl and bringing him home. The hard part for Hunter, he said, is trying to understand why finding Bergdahl isn�t a top priority for the U.S. government.
�I know people care about him, it�s just that we can�t get people stirred up enough to do anything about it,� Hunter said. �If everyone would write a letter to their elected officials maybe things would change � maybe it would be on our government�s top-10 list of things to accomplish.�
Attempts to reach Bergdahl�s family for comment were unsuccessful.
To purchase support bracelets for Bergdahl, visit powbracelets.com. To sign petitions to the government regarding recovery efforts, visit Supportbowe.org. To contact local politicians, visit Senate.gov or House.gov for your delegates� contact information.


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John Neumeier's Hamburg Ballet performed a very edgy Little Mermaid at Segerstrom Center for The Arts in Orange County Feb 8th, 2012.
Making his mark in Germany for 40 years and creating over 150 choreographies, Neumeier is clearly a genius in his roam. Holder of the Order of the Federal Republic of Germany, Knight of the Legion of Honor and receiving the Nijinsky Award for Lifetime achievement, he has indefinably proven a gift for story telling, presenting exquisite dancers with not only impeccable technique but also great acting ability.
As the artistic director of the Hamburg Ballet since 1996 Neumeier has created his dance Emporium by opening a Ballet school in Hamburg and molding his own dancers for the company. He is also founder of the John Neumeier Foundation with which he is bringing together his collection of dance and ballet related objects, securing his life's work.
Drawing frequently from Classical and Western Literature such as Homer, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Dumas and Arthurian legend, Neumeier has been giving his works a more modern dramatic framework while still focusing on the preservation of Ballet tradition.
That is very apparent in his version of The Little Mermaid where a charming mermaid fights her fate of becoming a very dark creature after loosing first her tale, then her voice and lastly her mind falling for an unavailable prince.
Originally choreographed for the Royal Danish Ballet in 2005 and based on Hans Christian Andersen's folk tale Neumeier's production is stunning but dark and mysterious partially because of the intense musical score of Lera Auerbach, a composer born in Siberia. Her score consisting mostly of circus inspired marry-go-around music and lots of crescendos inspires the audience little. One can hardly enjoy the first act. Too much drama in the music crowds the dancers and gives no room for the audience to enjoy the different variations. Some small passages like the scene with the schoolgirls and the nuns remind of once beautifully composed scores of such greats like Prokofiev or Tchaikovsky but little time is spent to develop a captivating melody that the audience can remember and take home.
Even if you were to compare her music with such great contemporaries such as Stravinsky, there are only few moments where the score allows the audience to take in the beauty of the choreography and the dancers. There is just little to no follow through in melody.
Silvia Azzoni does an amazing job portraying the many moods of the suffering mermaid. Her upper body work and fluid arms in the first act are setting the mood of underwater life and despite the long pants and her being passed around between three male dancers dressed in black lifting her high up in the air to convey her swimming, she never looses her train of thought. Terrifying are also the oversize pants in which she dances for a whole hour. They represent fins and make her feet invisible. One can still see the precision in which her movements are executed that when finally those oversized pants come off the audience embraces the experience of the mermaid memorized watching her learn the use of her feet and legs, a rather painful yet fascinating passage in the Ballet.
Neumeier also challenges his two other soloists by putting them in double roles: Helene Bouchet as Henriette and the princess, has the quality of a Balanchine ballerina, beautiful port de bras (arm movements) exquisite quick foot work and legs for days. Carsten Jung in the double role of Edvard and as the Prince, both two very different characters, shows equally lyrical qualities for a man and morphs from aristocrat to immature Edvard. With gorgeous feet, perfect turn out and fluid turns and jumps he seduces the mermaid, his fiancée and also the audience.
The corps de ballet, all gorgeous dancers dressed in fabulous costumes with lots of technical precision, seem a bit under worked and kept mostly in the background. Neumeier seems to favor the male dancers of the corps the ballet and showcases his pretty choreography in passages for the gentlemen rather then the ladies.
Alexandre Riabko, as the sea witch looks like a character out of an old Japanese opera and gives with his movements and his musical and visual queues the sea life another dark side.
Llyod Riggins represents the poet and is floating between both worlds as a narrator and spectator. His portrayal is believable and keeps the audience connected to keep watching the story.
Neumeier's set designs and costumes are brilliant, elegant and very thought through. He uses neon lights and floating ships to convey the waves and the depth of the ocean and places the little mermaid in a constricted geometrical room to show her psychological struggle.
Neumeier's Little Mermaid is certainly not commercial like Disney's version but will appeal to the artistic avant-garde crowd.
The elaborate production features more than 60 performers at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and continues through Sunday.
For more information go Online: scfta.org
Where: Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
When: Through Sunday. 2 and 7:30 p.m. today, 2 p.m. Sunday
How much: $25-$100
Length: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Suitability: Older children and adults
Tickets: 714-556-2787


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For one day, in one place, all was right in the United States Congress.
"A day of victory," declared Mike Lee, a Republican Senator from Utah, standing on a media stage in the Capitol, surrounded by true conservatives. All were early supporters of Lee's quixotic campaign to force a final showdown over Barack Obama's health care law, one that could shutter the federal government or trigger national default if Democrats don't cave. Until last week, top congressional Republicans derided the idea as a pipe dream. Now, with just 10 days until a government shutdown, it is the official House Republican position. And so the eight Representatives and two Senators were taking a triumphant victory lap, a day before the full House is expected to pass their plan in a Friday vote. "Conventional wisdom in Washington said this day was impossible," rhapsodized Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Elsewhere in the Capitol, Republican Senators were huffing that the effort was pure fantasy. "Everybody knows we can't win this fight," grumbled Utah's Orrin Hatch. The Wall Street Journal's editorial page, a reliable cheerleader for conservative doctrine, compared the architects of the defund plan to kamikaze pilots. Senior strategists warned that sparking a shutdown over a lost cause was a good way to hand Democrats the House.
But that is not how the unofficial congressional Tea Party caucus sees it. To them, there is plenty of time to play ping-pong with budget proposals over the next 11 days. The notion that Republicans would bear the blame for the economic fallout is, to the insurgents' eyes, a talking point parroted by the liberal media. And if a shutdown ensues, they say, the blame would fall on Obama and Senate majority leader Harry Reid, for defying American voters who dislike the law. "We believe we have taken a compromise position," said Idaho Representative Raúl Labrador, explaining that his group had dropped its insistence on a full repeal of the President's signature legislative accomplishment as a condition of funding the government.
The press conference was like an alternate reality from the rest of Washington. All the accounts of fissures opening within the Republican ranks? Nonsense. "Today you see unity," said second-term Representative Tom Graves, the 43-year-old Georgian who authored the House proposal to link defunding Obamacare with the so-called continuing resolution, which Congress must pass to keep the government running in the absence of a functional appropriations process. Speaker after speaker lavished praise on House Speaker John Boehner. And why not? Once cool to the tactic, Boehner buckled this week to the will of his members, scheduling a defunding vote that will eat up valuable floor time. "This is Boehner 2.0," said Arizona Representative Matt Salmon, who served with the Speaker in the 1990s.
To these Republicans, the latest round of budget brinkmanship isn't a matter of tactics or strategy in pursuit of a cleverly disguised goal. You just take a stand and let the chips fall where they may. "Why speculate on what Prince Harry might do?" said Kansas Representative Tim Huelskamp. Red-state Democrats like Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor, who is up for re-election in 2014, might peel off under the strain of a perilous vote, Huelskamp suggested. Obama, who has already signed several bills delaying or altering aspects of the Affordable Care Act, might do so again. The GOP strategy had worked, so why look ahead to the challenges next week might pose? Even savvy play-callers like Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer, Buckeye State Congressman Jim Jordan said, only script the game's opening drives.
Despite the supposed uncertainty, most members believe it is fairly clear how the next act of this drama plays out. On Friday, the House seems certain to pass the defund legislation by a strong majority. Then, as even Cruz admits, Reid will strip the defund provision from the House measure. "Any bill that defunds Obamacare is dead," Reid said Thursday. "Dead." Reaffirming its position, the White House blasted out a formal Statement of Administration Policy on Thursday promising a veto. By the middle of next week, just days before the deadline, the Senate will ship a clean funding measure across the building. At that point, House Republicans will have to decide whether to support a bill to keep the government running — or shoulder the burden of shuttering it.
That's where things get complicated. Sometime during the last days of September, Boehner will likely have to try to persuade his members to support a clean funding bill. One argument he may make is that in a few weeks, Republicans can use the need to lift the U.S. debt ceiling as a leverage point to extract fiscal reforms, as they did successfully in 2011. But this time the backbenchers may not go along. "I don't follow that reasoning," Huelskamp says of the notion that the debt limit is a better fight to pick. A potential default could have even greater economic consequences than a partial shutdown, exposing the GOP to deeper public fury.
Huelskamp predicts that 60 to 70 of the 85 co-signers of the Graves resolution would refuse to back a funding bill that doesn't at least delay Obamacare. That would force Boehner to violate the so-called Hastert Rule, which requires any bill brought to the floor to have majority GOP support, and pass the measure with a few dozen Democratic votes. Whether it happens on Sept. 30 or two weeks after that, House GOP leaders may be forced to abandon their Tea Party faction to avoid imperiling a fragile economy. Even the most ardent conservatives realize the risks at play.
"Shutdowns are bad. Shutdowns are not worth it," Lee said in his triumphal huddle with Tea Partyers on Thursday. "This law is not worth a shutdown over." But the Utah Republican wasn't suddenly realizing the flaws in his strategy; he was imagining himself in Obama's shoes, wondering whether the President would face "reality." Outside the Capitol Hill media studio, around Washington and across the country, Republicans are wondering the same of Lee.


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By Tessa Stuart
At the corner of Houston and Hudson, six blocks from the Soho bakery where ladies in expensive sandals queued up before the crack of dawnall summer to taste the Cronut, a different kind of line was forming. At first it was just a couple of burly men planted in lawn chairs outside the New York City District Council of Carpenters. A week later more than 1,000 others—security guards, welders, construction workers, and baby-faced kids fresh out of high school—had pitched tents and unfurled sleeping bags next to them. A passerby surveyed the crowd and guessed it was some sort of mixed martial arts ticket giveaway.
It wasn't.
Welcome to post-recession New York, where a middle-class job is a lottery prize and folks will camp out on the street just for a chance to play.
The carpenters union apprenticeship lottery only comes around once every few years. Anyone can submit his or her name. You just have to show up, fill out a card, and drop it in a box.
For this year's mid-August call, 750 cards are available. Who gets picked depends on employer demand. There's no telling how many jobs there will be, or when they will open up. But those who are selected will have a shot at one of the last-of-their-kind jobs that virtually guarantee a place in the middle class.
Five years ago, Jason Geronimo didn't have to wait in line. He just walked in and dropped off his card. "I happened to get lucky, I guess. About six to eight months later, I got a letter in the mail saying, you know, come to orientation."
At the time Geronimo was living with his mother in New Jersey, making $15 an hour installing drywall. Last week he was on his new job at Madison Square Garden, where he earns $48 an hour. He just bought a three-bedroom house closer to the city, where he hopes to start a family with his new wife.
He isn't swilling Champagne or gorging on Cronuts—he just has a normal job that pays him enough to provide. "It is a hard life. You're here early, sometimes you've gotta stay late, sometimes you gotta do some really labor-intensive things," Geronimo says. But "show up every day, and show them that you care, and they keep you on. You make enough to have a good life, you know?"
The folks in line outside the carpenters union came for the same thing: a life like his.
Donovan Cole works construction. He and his cousin Wendell Ortiz slept on the street for three nights to enter their names.
If Cole's card is pulled—and it can take years, if it gets pulled at all—he gets to fill out an application, take drug and math tests, and sit for an interview. If he can jump through those hoops, he will get to enroll in the four-year apprentice program. On the other end awaits a job as a union carpenter, where his wages and benefits could exceed $200,000 a year.
With such high stakes, one might think that spending a few days in line would start to feel like competing in the Hunger Games. Cole says it was the opposite. The guys in front of him held his place when he left to shower. And when his partner, Brianne, brought food, they all shared. They bonded, not over anything profound, "just the fact that it's so hard to get a job."
Cole has a job, but a union job—with security, benefits, a pension, and better pay—would be different. It's an increasingly rare commodity these days.
Nationwide, union membership dropped to the lowest rate in a century this year: 11.3 percent, a figure not seen since 1916. The numbers are more encouraging in New York, which, at 23 percent, boasts the highest membership rate in the nation.
"The decline of unions since the 1950s tracks almost exactly with the decline of the American middle class," says Robert Reich, secretary of labor under President Clinton and now a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he teaches a class on income inequality.
Those in line seemed to know that, which is why some slept on the street for a week to get a lottery card. They took turns watching over each other's stuff while some played football in the street and others went to Chelsea Piers for the free kayaking. They read newspapers and slept with the hoods of their sweatshirts pulled over their eyes.
"I couldn't sleep," Marquisse Valentine says. "Motorcycles would ride by real loud. Garbage trucks were picking up trash."
The 20-year-old moved to the Bronx from Connecticut about six months ago. His brother is still living back home, and the drive into the city took him so long that he ended up about 300 people behind Valentine and his uncle in line. They didn't even try to sneak him in.
"It would have caused a domino effect [of ill will]," Valentine explains. "For you to just come and skip—it's disrespectful."
Not everyone saw it the same way. Late Sunday night some "riffraff" tried to cut the line,James Day says. A few tough guys set them straight. Day is already a union member; he was camping out to keep his 19-year-old son company.
By the time the sun came up on Monday, more than 1,600 people were waiting.
"In years past, everyone basically got a slot in the lottery that was in line," says Kwame Patterson, spokesman for the New York City District Council of Carpenters. "In fact, we had guys that would come in maybe two hours, three hours, four hours after the line was depleted, and they'd still get a slot.
"This year we ran out of slots in two hours," Patterson continues. "We had to inform everyone that was still standing in line after we ran out that we may do this again in 2015, but we're out. We don't have any more slots to provide."
Fewer than half of those who waited got a card. Even the ones who did will go back to the jobs they have (or back to the hunt for one) while they wait to hear from the union. They won't hold their breath. "We just recently called somebody who was on the 2009 list," Patterson says.
Outside the union hall, working men say gruff goodbyes and exchange phone numbers to keep in touch. Valentine sits on a loading dock across the street with his uncle, waiting for his brother to reach the front of the line. Asked if he'd be jealous if his brother got the call and he did not, Valentine shakes his head.
"I'd be happy for him," he says. "Can't be mad. This could really change someone's life."
Posted from iPhone
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Carpenters Union Lottery Offers a Shot at the Middle Class
Posted by John Musumeci at 12:03 PM
Labels: Apprentices
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A former stockbroker already facing prison after admitting he conned the Broadway producers of a failed production of "Rebecca" pleaded guilty on Tuesday to money laundering charges stemming from a separate investigation on Long Island, prosecutors said.
Mark Hotton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Central Islip to conspiring to launder the illicit proceeds of almost two decades of fraudulent activity stemming from his work as a stockbroker, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Federal prosecutors said in court filings that between January 1995 and October 2012, Hotton ran a series of securities fraud schemes, mail fraud schemes and other crimes. Hotton faces up to 20 years in prison and agreed to forfeit $1.8 million and pay $5.75 million in restitution to his victims as part of the plea agreement.
Hotton, 47, also laundered proceeds of his frauds to pay employees in cash so he could avoid paying federal withholding taxes, authorities said.
"Mark Hotton was a stockbroker who earned a substantial income, but that wasn't enough for him," U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement. "For almost two decades, he was the star of his own drama, cheating investors, partners and his own employees to prop up the fairy tale of his success."
On Monday, Hotton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to fraud charges, admitting he conned the "Rebecca" producers.
Hotton admitted he scammed the producers of tens of thousands of dollars with promises to raise $4 million to save the adaptation of the psychological thriller. He also admitted cheating a Connecticut real estate firm of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last two years.
Hotton faces up to 3 1/2 years in prison in that case, according to the terms of a plea agreement he signed with federal prosecutors a couple of weeks ago.


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Santiago changes routine in effort to fix slow starts
ST. PETERSBURG -- Hector Santiago has been searching for any solution to cure his early-game issues as a starter, with an ERA of 4.55 over his first three innings pitched dropping to 3.13 from innings four through six.
Throwing his side bullpen session on Saturday after Wednesday's start instead of the usual Friday session is one change that Santiago hopes facilitates other positives.
"Me and [pitching coach Don Cooper] were talking, and we were like, 'Let's move it back to tomorrow, get you closer, move it one day to get you that feel from the bullpen closer to the game,'" Santiago said. "'Take advantage of that first inning instead of having the two days off and that grind to get through the first inning.'
"You get that one day instead of having two days off, of getting that feel off the mound. That's been for me, it has been that tough or long inning in the first or second. After that, your pitch count goes lower and I have a max 20 pitches from there on out."
Santiago threw a career-high 123 pitches against the Orioles, which is the reason Cooper points to for the bullpen adjustment. In fact, Santiago has topped 100 pitches in four of his last five starts.
Aside from those first- or second-inning blues, though, Santiago feels great.
"We are looking at this guy to pitch and stay strong all year," said Cooper. "We limit sidelines a lot of times or skip them sometimes. Or we'll do a Day 3 and just do light touch and feel sometimes.
"I kind of look at myself as the activity coordinator and making sure that you are going to be starting and going every five or six days. You are going 200 innings. I don't need another 75 in the bullpen or high intensity. I just need touch and feel."
As for Santiago's slow starts within a start, Cooper doesn't believe the issue is physical.
"It's focus and I think it's commitment. I think it's approach," Cooper said. "Those are the things that come to mind with him. I also think that when you think about it, this is his second year in the big leagues and he's on a process. There's an asterisk there, too, because now he's starting."


text: United's Courtney Hydrick is one of the team's senior leaders. She is airborne as she scores these two points. Mackenzie Gatchel picked the ideal time to have the best game of her career. The junior hit four three-pointers in the first quarter on her way to a career-high 26 points as United repeated as Division III district champions with a 57-33 victory over Champion on Saturday at Mineral Ridge High School. Morning Journal/Patti Schaeffer


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Watch Mindy Kaling's Hilarious Harvard Law Speech [VIDEO]by Michelle McGahan | PopCrush
Mindy Kaling was asked to speak at Harvard Law School's commencement ceremony last night, May 29, and boy, did she deliver.
The actress and comedian — best known for her eponymous sitcom, 'The Mindy Project' — returned to her hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts to give Harvard Law grads some advice — and plenty of laughs.
Throughout the 17-minute speech (which you can watch in the video above), Kaling touches on a wide variety of topics, including how she knows a lot about law ("I sue everybody," she quipped), how only special celebs like she and "noted drunk driver Justin Bieber" have local burgers named after them and even calling out notable Harvard Law alumni like President Barack Obama and Elle Woods of 'Legally Blonde.'
But ultimately, her speech was humble and uplifting, inspiring those recent grads to go out into the world and make a difference.
"I look at all of you, and see America's future. Attorneys, corporate lawyers, public prosecutors, judges, politicians, maybe even the President of the United States," she concluded. "Those are all positions of such great influence. Understand that one day, you will have the power to make a difference — so, use it well."
Check out Mindy Kaling's Harvard Law speech in the video above.


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Area codes are 850 unless noted.
Easter Brunch
The Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village will host an Easter Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 in the HarborView Room. Call 424-0613 for reservations.
Rock of Ages
NICEVILLE � Rock of Ages, a hilarious, feel-good, rock-n-roll love story told through the hits of Journey, STYX, REO Speedwagon, Twisted Sister, Poison, and many more, can be seen at 7:30 p.m. April 1 on the Mainstage at Mattie Kelly Arts Center at NWFSC. Tickets are $45 each. Group discount of $5 off per ticket is available for groups of 10 or more. Call 729-6000 or visit www.mattiekellyartscenter.org.
Practice session
DESTIN - A free Night Of Stars practice session will be held from 6-9 p.m. April 2 at Sago Sports Bar and Grill at the Palms Of Destin Resort. The Palms will have happy hour all night long as the 14 singers practice their two songs for the finals.
Wednesday Night Concert Series
SANDESTIN � The Village of Baytowne Wharf presents free concerts from 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays in the Events Plaza. Call 267-8186.
AmericanaUnder the Stars
SANTA ROSA BEACH - Lucky Mudd performs at 6 p.m. April 4 at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park for the concert series, Americana Under the Stars.
Call to artists/crafters/performers
DESTIN � The Okaloosa Arts Alliance and HarborWalk Village announce a call for artists, crafters and performers for the Sixth Annual Family Fun Arts Fest, which will be held May 18-19 at HarborWalk Village. Email firstname.lastname@example.com or email@example.com for a vendor application or more information.
Acting classes
DESTIN - The Emerald Coast Theatre Company offers acting classes for middle/high school students from 9:30-11 a.m. Saturdays, April 6-May 25, at the Destin United Methodist Life Center. The adult class, 18 and over, will take place from 6-8 p.m. Mondays April 1-May 20. Class size is limited. Register at www.emeraldcoasttheatre.org, Classes/Camps tab, or call 687-1637.
Art exhibits
NICEVILLE � The Mattie Kelly Arts Center Galleries at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville present the annual juried exhibit showcasing the best in NWFSC student and faculty artworks in both the McIlroy and Holzhauer Galleries through April 5. The event is free. Call 729-6044.
Call to Artists
FORT WALTON BEACH � Submit a poster design for the upcoming annual Latin Salsa Festival to be held May 25 to email@example.com by April 5. Winning design receives $100. Design should reflect the Latin Culture and be colorful. Design submissions should be on both a PDF and JPEG formats.
Coyote Ugly
DESTIN - The "World's Most Famous Bar" will host a grand opening VIP Most Wanted Party from 7-9 p.m. April 5. The saloon will then open to the public. The celebration continues throughout the weekend and wraps April 7 with the The American Country Awards Viewing Party.
FREEPORT � The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast will host its first Rodeo Expo April 5-6 at the Freeport Sports Complex at Hammock Bay. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. each day. Tickets are available online, at partner locations, and gate. Adult tickets $12, and children under 12 are $6.
Poker tournament
DESTIN � A Texas Hold�em Poker Shoot Out to benefit the American Cancer Society and Destin Relay for Life will be held at 5:30 p.m. April 6 at Elks Lodge #1795 on Okaloosa Island. Suggested donation is $30. Email email@example.com or call 225-5679.
DESTIN � Join On the Coast magazine for Destin�s largest outdoor festival just for kids at noon April 6 and 7 at HarborWalk Village. Hands-on activities, face painting, arts and crafts and entertainment will fill both days. Kids can enjoy fish painting, kite making, sidewalk murals, jewelry making, demonstrations from local artisans, kids� karaoke contest and more.
Celebration of Smiles
DESTIN - As part of the nationwide �Celebration of Smiles� campaign, the Destin-based wedding and portrait photographers at Pure7 Studios will host its second annual event at SpringFest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 6-7 at HarborWalk Village. All proceeds raised from the weekend�s festivities will benefit Operation Smile, an international children�s charity that provides free surgeries to children born with a cleft lip or palate. Event offers a free 10-minute mini-portrait session along with the studio's gift of a 5x7 heirloom portrait for a minimum donation of $24 (original value of $200). Adults, teens and children 6 months and older should book in advance at 850-654-6523.


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Hot Chocolate
40 comments:
- Jess said...
Yum! I just bought some gourmet hot cocoa and these cookies will be the perfect match for them! Thanks, Beth :)
- October 2, 2011 at 2:47 PM
- Angie's Recipes said...
Those chocolate cookies with marshmallows look divine!
- October 2, 2011 at 3:01 PM
Oh my goodness, those look delicious! I hope you get a little more warm weather before winter.
- October 2, 2011 at 4:32 PM
- Valerie Gamine said...
Oh my- 42 degrees is chilly! And double, nay, triple, Oh My- These cookies look divine! I love the way that marshmallow is peeking through all that chocolate.
Stay warm! :D
- October 2, 2011 at 5:00 PM
- Julie said...
Oh my these look amazing!!! 42 is way too chilly for this early. Beautiful here, we'll send some your way :)
- October 2, 2011 at 5:51 PM
- MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College said...
Oh wow do these look PERFECT for a chilly day! I will have to keep these tucked away for when winter weather heads over here!
- October 2, 2011 at 6:03 PM
- Saji said...
My mounth is watering now!!! These look delicious
- October 2, 2011 at 6:52 PM
- Lori M. Lee said...
This looks amazing. I am totally making these. Thanks for sharing!
- October 2, 2011 at 7:47 PM
- Joanne said...
Thank goodness for chilly days! Sometimes we just have to splurge on the cookies and forego the salad. We haven't gotten that cold here, yet. Today temps were in the high 60s, but the colder weather is coming ...
- October 2, 2011 at 7:58 PM
- Justine L said...
these sound awesome! We're headed into chillier weather here, too ... off to the kitchen I go!
- October 2, 2011 at 9:17 PM
- laurie said...
What a great recipe!
- October 2, 2011 at 10:02 PM
- Carol said...
They look excellent! I've made them a while back, love them!
- October 2, 2011 at 10:56 PM
Chilly here in Michigan, too. We had our first hot chocolate of the season this weekend. I know that my boys will love these cookies.
- October 3, 2011 at 12:06 AM
- Belinda said...
It's that cold here in DC too! Unbelievable! Where was this today...could definitely have used some.
- October 3, 2011 at 12:21 AM
- Unknown said...
I seriously wish I could taste one of these tonight. I bet they were incredible! As I sit here in my very air conditioned house, DREAMING of cold weather, I am excited to hear that you are able to actually wear a coat! That won't happen here for at least a couple more months and even then, it will just be a light jacket.
- October 3, 2011 at 1:04 AM
What a tasty interpretation on a drink/cookie! Yum!
- October 3, 2011 at 1:18 AM
- shaz said...
They look very hearty indeed. Yikes! At 6 degrees, I'd be eating chocolate for dinner :)
- October 3, 2011 at 6:09 AM
- Angela said...
I've never heard of hot chocolate cookies before. They look like they'd be delicious with a glass of milk.
- October 3, 2011 at 9:17 AM
Hot chocolate in the form of cookies is such a great idea!!!
- October 3, 2011 at 9:48 AM
- Heather said...
Send some of your cool weather this way! On Saturday, it was in the 90's in Southern California!
Your cookies look delicious! I'm looking forward to seeing the salad recipe next! :)
- October 3, 2011 at 10:52 AM
- Rita said...
These looks amazing! I have to save this for my friend who is Martha's biggest fan.
We have been freezing up here in northen Ontario, but it is suppost to turn around for a few days and going up to 20.
- October 3, 2011 at 1:29 PM
- Tasha said...
My three year is always begging me to make hot chocolate (even in 90 degree weather). In theory, it sounds perfect to him, but once I do make it, he loses interest half way through. This would be the ideal for him- all the flavor of hot chocolate in an easy-to-eat treat, suitable for any weather.
- October 3, 2011 at 3:38 PM
- Unknown said...
Yum! I think I just gainned 10 lbs looking at them. ;)
He he. We had something like 19 degrees yesterday in Calgary.
- October 3, 2011 at 7:05 PM
- Trisha said...
Those look so devilishly good! Mmm!
- October 3, 2011 at 8:43 PM
You made the right choice. Of all of the things that I crave when cool weather strikes, salad is not at the top of the list (for better or worse). What a lovely cookie creation!
- October 3, 2011 at 9:33 PM
- Claudia said...
Hot chocolate cookies might be the best idea ever - especially for those like me - in colder climes! We are back to summer - 80 degrees all week. Are you?
- October 3, 2011 at 10:04 PM
- Sweet And Crumby said...
My husband will be so happy when I make these for him and the kids. He such a HUGE marshmallow and chocolate fan. Thanks for sharing this!
- October 3, 2011 at 10:19 PM
- Elaine said...
I like the name you gave your cookies so much better. They look wonderful and I bet are perfect any time of the year. I hope it warms up for you there!
- October 3, 2011 at 10:24 PM
- Patty Price said...
You really have some cold weather right now! We just had our first day of rain, sorry to see the end of Summer but happy to see your lovely cold weather inspired baked treats;-) These look delicious and like fun to make;-)
- October 3, 2011 at 11:29 PM
- Barbara said...
Brrrr! I dearly wish you could share a little of that with South Florida. Just a little, you understand!
Your hot chocolate cookies would really hit the spot in chilly rainy weather. In any weather, actually!
- October 4, 2011 at 6:59 AM
- Jeanne said...
Wow - these are a serious threat to my October Unprocessed diet! I'll have to save this for November. At least the weather hasn't been cold enough here for hot chocolate yet. I hope you're staying warm!
- October 4, 2011 at 9:44 AM
- Emily Malloy said...
Completely scrumptious!
- October 4, 2011 at 10:14 AM
- Lorraine said...
OMG! Yummy! These look amazing. These would be a big hit with my family. Weather is so fickle; here in the Boston area, we have gone from 60's to 80's every few days. I shouldn't complaint but I finally put my summer clothes away and now it is going to be in the 80's this weekend again..lol
- October 4, 2011 at 8:10 PM
- Cakelaw said...
These look fabulous! If it is of any comfort, we are into the second month of spring, and it was 3 degrees on Monday morning and 6 degrees on Tuesday morning.
- October 4, 2011 at 8:33 PM
- Joanne said...
I'd so much rather have hot chocolate than salad right now anyway...especially hot chocolate in cookie form!
- October 4, 2011 at 10:35 PM
How did you know I love cookies with marshmallows inside??? Sneaky...
These look incredible.
- October 6, 2011 at 3:11 PM
- Sue said...
I have wanted to make this recipe for a long time, now more than ever!
- October 7, 2011 at 1:56 AM
- Gloria Baker said...
Hi Beth, these cookies look amazing!!!! yummy!! gloria
- October 7, 2011 at 6:39 PM
- Cindy said...
I love this recipe, it is one of the first recipes I posted on my blog several years ago. It is a showstopper!
- October 13, 2011 at 1:49 AM
- The Three Little Piglets said...
This ranks right up there next to s'more cookies as best cookie idea ever! I love that little puffy marshmallow center.
- October 14, 2011 at 11:01 PM


text:
Returns a sequence of pairs (n, x), where n represents a consecutive integer starting at zero and x represents an element of the sequence.
- Xcode 8.0+
- Swift Standard Library
Return Value
A sequence of pairs enumerating the sequence.
This example enumerates the characters of the string "Swift" and prints each character along with its place in the string.
When you enumerate a collection, the integer part of each pair is a counter for the enumeration, but is not necessarily the index of the paired value. These counters can be used as indices only in instances of zero-based, integer-indexed collections, such as
Array and
Contiguous. For other collections the counters may be out of range or of the wrong type to use as an index. To iterate over the elements of a collection with its indices, use the
zip(_: function.
This example iterates over the indices and elements of a set, building a list consisting of indices of names with five or fewer letters.
Now that the
shorter array holds the indices of the shorter names in the
names set, you can use those indices to access elements in the set.
Complexity: O(1)


text:
The Temple of Music and Art opened in 1927 and served as a 947-seat venue for the performing arts of the time.
Recently discovered 16-millimeter film footage shows the groundbreaking ceremony for the building on Scott Avenue. Brooks Jeffery, director of the Drachman Institute, a research and public service unit of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona, says the footage reveals some details about its origins.
"It was a wonderful snapshot in time," Jeffery says.
The effort to build the Temple was led by a group of dedicated women known as the Saturday Morning Music Club and, according to Jeffery, it represented an important step in the development of Tucson.
"Here you saw the groundbreaking, which was this event where they invited an Italian opera star of the day to come and take that first shovel-full, and the whole celebration of what that meant to the arts community," he says.
Brooks says the history of the Temple of Music and Art is made up of several stories.
"One is the development of cultural institutions in a young and emerging town like Tucson in the 1920s," he says. "The other is about the role of women, as patrons, as artists, as the benefactors of a variety of different movements including the arts and culture. The third is about the architectural traditions that this building represents: this was one of the first masterpieces of the Spanish Colonial Revival style."
David Ira Goldstein, artistic director of the Arizona Theatre Company, says ATC uses the temple as its Southern Arizona home. He's excited about the recently discovered film.
"You can just sense in that footage the pride that the community took in launching this building," says Goldstein.
According to Goldstein the Temple is one of the architectural treasures of the city, and although ATC has only been in the space since 1990, the artistic legacy of the building has deep roots in the community.
"The 1920s were a wonderful era for touring performers, both theatrical troops, of course, but also musicians –classical musicians and bands," Goldstein says. "I think a lot of the great entertainers of the day were able to come here."
Jeffery says the history of the building is not without some low points, and he points out that the building was almost lost to developers during the 1980s.
He credits ATC for providing the stewardship that has preserved the Temple of Music and Art as one of the fixtures of the Tucson artistic community.
"The fact that ATC has sustained this for so long is a real tribute to them as an organization and the patrons that support it," he says.


text:
Trend I Love: Old Portraits in Modern Interiors
I spent a nice day this weekend wandering through the Museum of Fine Art here in Boston (a must of you are visiting) and kept saying to Andrew how some of the gilt frames on the old works were nearly as stunning as the paintings. I kept imagining what it would be like to have some of the massive, amazing old portraits in your home. Which leads me here- to showcasing modern interiors utilizing old, antique portraits in them. There is something so wonderful about the juxtaposition of the very old and very traditional withing a more modern setting. I think in 2014 you'll see people incorporate more traditional items into design, be it a small item or a large sofa. What do you think of this look?
To get this look scour antique shops and eBay (key search worlds "antique portrait" "oil painting portrait" "gilt frame"). You can also look for empty gilt frames and fill them with the art of your choice (even a reproduction portrait- the frame will make it look more authentic as long as it's not a famous portrait!) I did this in my old bathroom- I found a vintage gilt frame (it's chipped and I feel that adds to it) for $25 at an antique store and then got a sketch by Gretchen Kelly on Etsy and brought it to my local frame store who mounted it and added glass, backing and a wire for under $75! I adore having this in the bathroom as it's unexpected and looks great against the black wall (you'll see more of this space in the book!)


text:
Candy, Gum & Mints
Sweet, Affordable Morale Boosters - Show off your sweet side with an array of gummies, chocolates, and hard candies that put smiles on your employees' faces. Give your clients something to remember you by with individually wrapped lollipops and mini chocolates. Equip your reception desk or take some sweets to conferences on the road.
Enjoy a Huge Variety
Candy-lovers can enjoy a delicious variety of sweets perfect for the home or office. The selection offers traditional chocolate bars such as Snickers, Milky Way, Big Hunk, M&M, and Ritter. Show your clients how important their business is to you by sending thank-you baskets filled with jellybeans, chocolate roses, and handcrafted truffles. Order shaped chocolate that fits your business's personality to show off your spunky side.
Healthier Options for Everybody
Please your employees and customers' sweet teeth with a variety of healthier candy alternatives to the traditional candy selection. You can find gluten-free, sugar-free, nut-free, and fat-free options that deliver a fulfilling taste, but satisfy anyone with a dietary restriction. Selections from Haribo, Three Musketeers, Ferrara, Black Forest, Charms, Organic, Jelly Belly, Guittard, and SweetWorks offer gluten-free candies. Individually wrapped candies from Sixlets, Cadbury Adams, Arway, and Hotlix provide nut-free options that protect individuals with allergies from cross-contamination between sweets.
Stock Up the Office Breakroom
Turn a boring breakroom into a social atmosphere with a selection of hard candies, licorices, gums, mints, suckers, candy bars, and jellybeans that liven the office morale. Candy comes in large, family-sized bags or packs to help you save on cost while pleasing your staff. Gum packets come in easy-to-use dispensers that offer individual pieces of gum, or packets with several pieces of gum perfect for your employees' desks.


text:
Scrambling to take care of your year-end financial housekeeping before the last refrain of "Auld Lang Syne"? Then let's get right to business so you have plenty of time to pick a show-stopping New Year's Eve ensemble.
Here's a rundown of top-priority tax tasks -- the stuff that absolutely must be done before popping the bubbly -- plus pointers for procrastinators on what can be put off until after the confetti settles.
1. Slash next year's out-of-pocket health-care/dependent-care expenses
During open benefits enrollment, you not only have the opportunity to tweak your health-care coverage, but also to secure savings of 25% or more on all of those out-of-pocket medical and dependent-care expenses.
This cost-cutting technique is possible via flexible spending accounts (FSAs). FSAs come in two flavors -- medical and dependent-care. In a nutshell, FSAs are funded by you with pre-tax dollars taken out of each paycheck. When you incur expenses not covered by your health insurance plan (or write a check for dependent care), you submit a receipt and get paid back with the money you set aside. See your plan pamphlet for eligible expenses.
Examples of reimbursable medical expenses include doctor visit co-pays and deductibles, prescription co-pays, over-the-counter meds, orthodontics, Lasik eye surgery, contact lenses, birth control, psychotherapy, and acupuncture. Eligible dependent-care costs include what you pay for nannies, au pairs, and nursery schools.
Must do: Enroll in your employer's FSA program. Not enrolled in an FSA? Dude! Sign up now. If you contributed $1,200 (about the national average) to a medical or dependent-care FSA and are in the 25% tax bracket, you'll save about $420 annually (including federal and Social Security taxes paid), or $35 a month. Stash $3,100 -- last year's average contribution -- in a dependent-care account, and you're looking at more than $1,000 in annual tax savings, or $83 a month. To nail the contribution amount, use the worksheet from your plan or fiddle with the Health Expense Calculator at planforyourhealth.com.
And for more advice on maxing out dependent care perks, find out how you can save big with dependent care benefits. Following our advice on signing up for the right health-care plan could add hundreds to your paycheck.
Can wait: Using up last year's FSA dollars. If you already have an FSA but haven't used up all your dollars, don't rush to buy extra pairs of bifocals just yet. Many plans have extended the allowable time frame to incur expenses by two-and-a-half months -- so you may not have to scramble to spend the cash you've already set aside. (Check with HR to be sure.) And for help managing all those receipts, ask your vendor for a hand. If you buy your prescriptions at one place, ask for an annual rundown of what you've spent.
2. Minimize next April's tax tab
Time and money are short around the holidays. But saving strategically to minimize the April tax hit is the best gift you can give yourself. Right now, see whether you're on schedule to max out your employer-sponsored retirement plan. Contribution limits this year are $15,500; those aged 50 and older may be eligible to contribute $20,500.
Must do: Bump up your final work retirement plan contributions. Since pay periods are dwindling, opportunities for maxing out your 401(k) (or other employer-sponsored plan) are limited. That's not an excuse, by the way. Find out if your plan allows you to defer a heftier chunk -- some allow up to 100% of your compensation -- of your final 2007 paychecks. It may be painful to pass up the pay, but giving up the compounding tax-deferred income is worse. Plus, socking away money in a traditional retirement plan reduces your taxable income. If you're in the 25% tax bracket, you'll shave $250 off your federal tax bill for every $1,000 you contribute to your 401(k).
Can wait: Fully funding your IRA. If money's tight, allocate any extra dollars to your company 401(k) (or other employer retirement plan) instead of your IRA. You have until April 15, 2009, to fully fund your IRA; but, again, the deadline for work retirement plan contributions is Dec. 31, 2008.
3. Prioritize your final paychecks
Once you have the year's final pay stub in hand, don't just gawk at the size of Uncle Sam's take. Strategize a few last-minute tax-time maneuvers.
Must do: Put off collecting income, if you can. It's hard to postpone pay, particularly during the spendy holiday stretch. But deferring some compensation -- such as a bonus, or, if you're retired, a retirement account withdrawal -- for one more month may be a better long-term financial move. Also note how your remaining paydays might affect your eligibility to make deductible IRA contributions, both this year and next.
Can wait: Withholding. More than 70% of Americans overpay their taxes each year. While a refund is nice, it's even nicer to earn interest on your money instead of giving the government a free loan. Check your withholdings with the Form W-4 Assistant at paycheckcity.com. You can change your withholdings at any time of the year, so no deadline is looming. Still, you may be inspired to put this on your "must do" list when you realize that you're letting Uncle Sam have a free loan: The average refund for the 2007 tax year was about $2,350.
4. Pretty up your portfolio
It's been an lousy year on Wall Street. The IRS kindly offers a little salve for those who have taken a hit, allowing investors to reduce capital gains taxes owed on any investments held and sold for a profit in regular, taxable accounts by offsetting the tab with capital losses from stocks that have lost value. So if you've seen big losses, getting a tax break is at least a little bit of good news.
How's it done? Sell floundering investments and either put the money in another (but not identical) investment or wait 31 days and buy the investment back (to avoid breaking the IRS's "wash sale" rules).
Must do: Sell your losers. Tax-loss selling must be completed by Dec. 31. But don't do it willy nilly: If you bought stock at multiple cost bases, sell the most expensive shares first. If you don't have capital gains in your taxable accounts to offset the losses, but have investments worth less than you paid, you can use capital losses to reduce your ordinary income by up to $3,000 a year. If you're in the 25% tax bracket, doing so will reduce your taxes by $750.
Can wait: Dumping every loser from your portfolio. Got more stinker stocks than you can use this year? The IRS allows you to carry over your losses for use in future years. Also, you may want to live with your losers a while longer, since a logjam of investors selling off shares may drive prices down even more.


text:
These are happy times in Sacramento, for reasons we previously explained here. But Sacramento is banking on more good budget times ahead, with projections of even small surpluses in the future.
But if these happy times are to continue, much depends on Santa. Specifically, a Santa who will deliver improved revenues to the state.
That's because the happy talk is based on a host of assumptions. Here are three of them.
U.S. & World
1. That the country won't go over the fiscal cliff. Another recession would undermine the state's gains, as the Legislative Analyst's Office has noted.
2. That the temporary taxes in Prop 30 will produce the billions in new revenue expected.
Those revenue assumptions are conservative, but the state has been burned before. In 2009, the state raised the same taxes -- income and sales -- temporarily, and the budget hole remained deep. There are a host of possible reasons for that, but one is that those two taxes have produced relatively unpredictable revenues, with the income tax revenues being famously volatile.
3. That the budget system won't undermine the projections.
Much of the happy talk is based on the assumption that the budget hole won't get any deeper if new revenues materialize and that spending stays at roughly today's level. That would be logical, but the California budget system isn't logical. It's a ratchet that unexpectedly ratchets down revenue and ratchets up spending. The status quo on revenues and spending may not prevent a deeper hole.
For all these reasons, Sacramento's Santa may end up providing little more than a lump of coal -- and more budget problems.
Lead Prop Zero blogger Joe Mathews is California editor at Zocalo Public Square, a fellow at Arizona State University's Center for Social Cohesion, and co-author of California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It (University of California, 2010).
Send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


text:
From levifaur
Forthcoming 2012
The Oxford Handbook of Governance is an innovative, high profile volume that presents an authoritative and accessible state-of-the-art analysis of the governance literature. The volume offers the core concepts and knowledge on governance in different levels and arenas. In doing so it aims to establish itself as the essential point of reference for all those working on politics, society and economics from a governance perspective. The volume is substantial in size and scope, and contains 52 chapters written by leading scholars.
The Oxford Handbook of Governance aimed at senior scholars in disciplines such as political science, public policy & administration, international relations, regulation, international law, European Union studies, regional studies and development studies.
Download Table of Content and Abstracts
Chris Ansell, Ian Bache, Tim Bartley,Christopher Todd Beer, Thomas Bernauer, Susana Borrás, Tanja A. Börzel, Arwin van Buuren, Tom Christensen, William D. Coleman, Marie-Laure Djelic, William H. Dutton, Jurian Edelenbos, Cynthia L. Estlund, Frank Fischer, Elizabeth Fisher, Eran Fisher, Matthew Flinders, Fabrizio Gilardi, Niamh Hardiman, Adrienne Héritier, Alexandria Innes, Arie M. Kacowicz Erik Hans Klijn, Per Lægreid, David Levi-Faur, Orly Lobel, Laurence E. Lynn, Jr., Felicity Matthews, Ellen E. Meade, Catherine Moury, Abraham L. Newman Yannis Papadopoulos, B. Guy Peters, Susan Phillips, Jon Pierre, Dieter Plehwe, Colin Provost, Claudio M. Radaelli, Rod Rhodes, Jeremy Richardson, Thomas Risse Wade T. Roberts, Amit Ron, Bo Rothstein, Charles F. Sabel. Kerstin Sahlin, Lena M. Schaffer, Frank Schimmelfennig, Volker Schneider, Eva Sørensen, Brent J. Steele. Diane Stone, Jacob Torfing, Yael Yishai, Amos Zehavi, Frans van Waarden, Graham Wilson, Jonathan Zeitlin, Peer Zumbansen, Michael Zürn


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The last time Colby Lewis had two RBIs, it helped the Texas Rangers to the second victory of what would become an 11-game winning streak in 2010.
Texas manager Ron Washington is hoping his pitcher's performance on Sunday means good things are ahead for his team.
Lewis allowed four hits in eight-plus innings and drove in two runs, and the Rangers took a five-run lead in the first inning before coasting to a 6-1 win over the Houston Astros.
The latest news from around North Texas.
It was the first time a Rangers pitcher had driven in any runs since Lewis also drove in two in a win over Milwaukee on June 13, 2010, and he's the only Rangers pitcher with an RBI since 2006.
"It was awesome," said Washington of Lewis, who also had a single in the fifth. "The last time he did that we went on an 11-game winning streak, so I hope that's a sign."
Lewis (4-3) capped the Rangers' first-inning scoring with a bases-loaded, two-out single to center field to score two.
"That was a huge hit and it did a lot for his confidence," Washington said.
The Rangers got to Houston starter Jordan Lyles early, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Josh Hamilton and adding two more on a single by Nelson Cruz before the hit by Lewis.
"I always like playing on the National League side and getting some hits in and hacks in, or whatever you want to call it," Lewis said. "It was a lot of fun. It keeps me more involved. I love the National League side of things."
His performance marked the eighth time an AL pitcher has had two hits and two RBI since interleague play began in 1997. He has two of those after also collecting two hits in his other two-RBI game in 2010.
Lewis didn't allow a run until Jed Lowrie's solo shot to right field to start the ninth. He was replaced by Robbie Ross, who allowed one hit. It was the longest outing of the season for Lewis, who walked one and struck out six.
"He was quite sharp today," Washington said. "He had a good breaking ball working, and he was able to spot his fastball and he had a real good changeup."
The performance allowed Lewis to bounce back from a string of three straight losses, where he allowed a combined 19 runs and 23 hits.
"Things didn't go my way in the last couple of starts, so I just wanted to bounce back and go deep into the game," he said.
David Murphy added a solo home run in the fifth inning, a day after hitting his first career inside-the-park homer for Texas.
Lyles (0-1) yielded nine hits and six runs -- both season highs -- in five innings in his third start. The 21-year-old, who has spent most of the season in Triple-A, walked three and struck out six.
"He couldn't get a feel for the ball," Houston manager Brad Mills said. "He had problems locating his pitches in that first inning."
Jose Altuve hit a leadoff double for the Astros before Lewis walked Carlos Lee with two outs. Lewis retired the next nine Astros after that, and Houston didn't have another baserunner until a single by Travis Buck with two outs in the fourth. But Lewis retired Chris Johnson to end that inning.
Lewis retired the side in the fifth before Altuve singled to start the sixth. He sent down the next nine Astros before he was chased by Lowrie's homer.
Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus hit consecutive singles in the first inning before Kinsler scored on the sacrifice fly by Hamilton. Michael Young hit a two-out double before Lyles intentionally walked Murphy to load the bases.
The walk backfired when Cruz knocked a line drive single to left field to score two and push the lead to 3-0.
Lyles then plunked Yorvit Torrealba before the two-RBI single by Lewis.
Kinsler grounded out to end the inning.
There was some confusion in the second inning when Young was batting with two out and two strikes. Young took a pitch for a strike, but the home plate umpire thought it was only strike two. After Lee and Lyles protested, holding up three fingers, he asked the first base umpire and realized it was the third strike and patted Young on the shoulder to leave.
Cruz singled in the ninth inning on a fly ball to center field, but was out when he passed Young on the basepath as Young headed back to first.
NOTES: Texas Japanese star Yu Darvish will face Seattle for the second time on Monday when he opposes right-hander Felix Hernandez. Darvish yielded eight hits, five runs and four walks in 5 2-3 innings in an 11-5 win in his major league debut against the Mariners on April 9. "Although it is my second time facing those guys, my first time I really wasn't able to display the type of pitching that I wanted to," Darvish, who allowed four runs in the first inning before settling down, said through a translator. "But I think this time I'll probably have a better approach in pitching to these guys."... Houston CF Jordan Schafer was doing much better on Sunday, a day after injuring his leg avoiding a collision in center field. Mills said he has a muscle strain on his lower right leg and expects him to return by Wednesday. ... Houston's Bud Norris is set to pitch against Matt Garza when the Astros and Cubs open a three-game series Monday.