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I’ve a new release of NYTProf ready to upload but I’m stuck. The CPAN Testers service is reporting a failure on a number of systems but I can’t reproduce it locally or work out the cause. Can you reproduce the failure with Devel::NYTProf 2.07_94? If so, could you give me remote access via ssh? (Or spare some time to investigate yourself – I’ll happily clue you in if you can reproduce the problem.) Update: No one could reproduce it. It seems that the failures was not what it appeared to be. A clue was that only one tester was affected. Devel-NYTProf-2.07_94.tar.gz unpacked itself into a directory called Devel-NYTProf-2.07. It seems that when using CPANPLUS if the user had already got an old Devel-NYTProf-2.07 directory its contents got merged and tests would fail. I’m not convinced that’s the whole story, but Devel-NYTProf-2.07_95.tar.gz unpacked into a Devel-NYTProf-2.07_95 directory and didn’t run into the problem. Update: More usefully, Andreas made my wish come true by pointing out the –solve parameter to the ctgetreports utility in his CPAN::Testers::ParseReports distribution. It “tries to identify the best contenders for a blame using Statistics::Regression. [...] The function prints the [...] top 3 candidates according to R^2 with their regression analysis.” Cool.

Posted Monday, November 26, 2012 --- 11:27 a.m. Press Release from the City of Madison: It's holiday recycling time. Madison residents have the chance to recycle cooking oil from their Thanksgiving feast and non working Holiday lights and extension cords at the Streets Division's drop off sites. "We know that there are many people who have lots of oil left over after frying their Thanksgiving turkey," Madison recycling coordinator George Dreckmann said. "We are very excited to be able to offer them a chance to turn that old cooking oil into fuel for cars and trucks in our area." Madison residents who wish to recycle their cooking oil must bring it to one of two Streets Division drop off sites. The sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd. on the west side and 4602 Sycamore Av. on the east side. Special cooking oil collection tanks are available at both of these locations. "Every year thousands of gallons of old cooking oil is tossed in the landfill or flushed down the drain. Since we began our cooking oil program we have recovered over thousands of cooking oil" Dreckmann said. "Now we can recover this resource and use it to reduce our reliance on foreign oil and cut air pollution." Cooking oil must be brought to the 1501 W. Badger Rd. or 4602 Sycamore Av. It should not be taken to the waste oil sites. "We know that many residents are changing to new energy efficient LED holiday lights and have lots of older light strings they would like to dispose of," Madison recycling coordinator George Dreckmann said. "We are happy to provide them a recycling option for their old lights." Madison will accept any light strings as well as old extension cords as part of the program. Residents who have older lights with large bulbs are asked to remove those bulbs. There is no need to remove bulbs from strings of mini lights. "We will recycle all of the old lights through our electronics recycler Cascade Asset Management of Madison," Dreckmann said. "We will have a specially marked electronic collection container at the sites for the lights." The sites at Badger Rd. and Sycamore Av. will be open this weekend from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Beginning Monday the sites will be open winter hours M-F from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For more information on the Streets Division's drop off sites visit www.cityofmadison.com/streets. Designed by Gray Digital Media

You have to admit, trends are unavoidable. Some are so stealthy, maybe even ubiquitous, that it’s hard to tell if something is considered “classic” or if it’s actually trendy. Sometimes one piece is a classic over the long term, but comes in and out of popularity throughout the years, taking it from something standard to something really trendy and eventually back again. One of the more recent examples I can think of is the Sperry Top-Sider… a shoe which has resurged in popularity over the past several years, but was actually invented back in the 30s for the sole (pun intended, kinda) purpose of making it safe to run around on a boat deck. According to some, Top-Siders first gained popularity as an everyday “fashionable” shoe choice in the 80s. Soo… trendy or classic? Depends on who you ask, I guess. I say classic, considering its history… but if you ask a 14-year-old who first learns of boat shoes at Urban Outfitters, he might consider it trendy. Could it be both? Anyway, all of this just to say that it doesn’t really matter. Some things are trendy, some are classic, some are classic that become trendy and go back to being regular ol’ classics again. Wear what you like One thing I always tell people who are still figuring out their personal style: Wear what you like. Who cares what other people think, seriously. We’re not in 6th grade anymore. You should wear what you love and what makes you feel good. At the same time, it’s smart to learn what actually makes you look awesome and shows that you’re an adult with good taste. You may love and feel good wearing garbage bags, but that’s not exactly striking the balance between feeling good / comfortable, and being perceived as a grown ass man with, you know, taste… and a job. Before I go too far off on a tangent … here are three ways you can embrace trends (and incorporate them daily) without completely victimizing yourself. 1.) One trendy thing at a time Any more than that and you approach #menswear peacock status. Let me be more specific. If it’s a significant piece of your wardrobe (i.e. Go-to-Hell pants), then tone it down on all the other trendy items on your bod that day. If they’re more subtle, you can probably get away with two or three. So if we’re referring to this photo from GQ, wrist decor like a watch, bracelets, etc, bold socks, and a pocket square are all technically okay to wear at once. It’s when you include all 18 things on this list that you start to peacock the F out, and things just get weird. 2.) Mix your trends with classic styles So the overall idea here is to be classic and understated, but with a few pops of “F you” and “Go To Hell” here and there. The #menswear peacock in the image above is classic to a certain extent (traditional silhouettes with a modern slant, overall good taste) but then he takes it to a whole different level with the way he’s executing it: Loud colors, over-accessorizing, and including every imaginable up-to-the-moment trend. Again, it’s cool rocking a few of these things (max) at a time, just keep it understated overall. Think about when you buy a really awesome garment, and you discover a hidden detail the designer included that no one knows about but you. You want to treat your accessories and trends that way. Do it, but don’t be obnoxious about it. A peek of color here, a crazy brogue paired with a quiet outfit. You get what I’m saying? 3.) Do the complete opposite Are fedoras and trilbies the “in” headgear at the moment? Rock your dad’s old baseball cap. I just whipped out this old Polo Sport cap from my closet back home—much to K’s dismay—and I’m rockin it all the time as if it’s 1996 again. Everyone has 10+ bracelets on their wrists? Wear your best watch, and that’s it. Go the opposite direction of wherever the trend is headed. Oftentimes trends balloon to excessive proportions before they’re dialed back down again, so forge your own path and do whatever everyone else ISN’T doing. Just to clarify, I’m not saying put on your old JNCO wide leg jeans and cheap leather square-toed shoes… that’s a path no one should ever go back down. You can and should adopt certain trends as long as you do it in moderation. So let me open up the floor to you guys: what other ways can you embrace trends without looking like a complete #menswear peacock / fashion victim? If you have suggestions / ideas / questions, let’s hear em below in the comments. ps — tomorrow’s the last day to pick up The Effortless Guide to Graduating Your Style (GYS) with the BONUS bonus, Does This Go With That? A Short Primer on Matching Color. Don’t miss out! Read more about it and pick up your copy before it’s too late.

Lord British was killed during an in-game appearance on Ultima Online’s beta test on August 8, 1997. A royal visit was conducted as a part of server population stress test. A player character known as Rainz cast a spell called “fire field” on Lord British that, surprisingly, killed him. According to Starr Long, the whole thing was just a human error: Lord British’s character, like others, had been made invulnerable, but by design the invulnerability did not persist over several game sessions. Shortly before the incident, the server had crashed, and Richard Garriott had forgotten to set his invulnerability flag on when logging on again. Shortly afterwards, Rainz’s account was banned from the beta test for previously exploiting bugs rather than reporting them (infamously used by his character Aquaman to kill many player characters, a purported griefing incident). According to Origin, he was not banned for the assassination but rather for previous complaints against his account that were brought to light as a result of this attention. The massive amount of lag, caused by the stress test, was a factor in Lord British’s death, as well as the guards being deactivated in the area, which allowed Rainz to steal, avoiding immediate death. 99% of the players were at Lord British’s castle. Only the few at Lord Blackthorn’s castle were the lucky witnesses to this historic event. Those known to have been present besides Lords British and Blackthorn were their jesters Chuckles and Heckles and the following players; Rainz, Dr.Pepper, Mental, DemonSoth, Haaaaaach, Helios, Phobos, Gildoreal, Wind Lord and Kylan. 3) The Epic Heist – EVE Online – November 2005″ This was published in September’s 2005 issue of PC Gamer UK. It is a detailed account of what has to be one of most beautifully executed in-game scams in a MMORPG ever pulled. It breaks all previous world records for ‘virtual crime’. The game in question is Eve Online, where corporate espionage and political intrigue have become an integral part of the game. The perpetrator of the heist was the Guiding Hand Social Club (GHSC) corporation (a corporation being similar to a clan in Eve); a freelance mercenary outfit that offers their services (which usually involves corp infiltration, theft and assassination) to the highest bidder. Over a year in planning, the GHSC infilitrated their target’s corp with their own members and gained their trust, as well as access to the corp hangers, with time. It all concluded in a perfectly timed climax, with a massive theft in multiple corp hangars synchronized with the in-game killing of the corporation’s CEO, the primary target of the contract. What’s most interesting and impressive about this operation is that it was entirely ‘legal’ and within the game’s own rules, and the mastermind and his agents pulled it off together flawlessly, all the while staying in character. The estimated real-life value of the items stolen is, according to PC Gamer, $16,500 US. The in-game value of course is much, much higher as the things stolen would take years and years to aquire. 4) Plague Outbreak – World of Warcraft – September 2005 The Corrupted Blood plague incident was one of the first events to affect entire World of Warcraft servers. Patch 1.7 saw the opening of Zul’Gurub, the game’s first 20-player raid dungeon where players faced off against an ancient tribe of jungle trolls under the sway of the ancient Blood God, Hakkar the Soulflayer. Upon engaging Hakkar, players were stricken by a debuff (a spell that negatively affects a player) called “Corrupted Blood” which would periodically sap their life. The disease would also be passed on to other players who were simply standing in close proximity to an infected person. Originally this malady was confined within the Zul’Gurub instance but made its way into the outside world by way of hunter or warlock pets that contracted the disease. Within hours Corrupted Blood had infected entire cities such as Ironforge and Orgrimmar because of their high player concentrations. Low-level players were killed in seconds by the high-damage disease. Eventually Blizzard fixed the issue so that the plague could not exist outside of Zul’Gurub. 5) Death of the Sleeper – EverQuest – November 15-17, 2003 The guild Blood of the Spider on The Rathe server was the first guild system-wide to kill Ventani (the fourth warder) on July 28, 2001, and therefore wake the sleeper. The event caused a stir on the server when Kerafyrm went into multiple zones, including Skyshrine, killing everyone and everything in his path. On November 15, 2003, on the Rallos Zek PvP server, the three top guilds (Ascending Dawn, Wudan, and Magus Imperialis Magicus) assembled over 180 players with the intent to wake and kill The Sleeper. This was in response to an attempt to wake The Sleeper by an Iksar monk named Stynkfyst, who partnered with the largest random-pk guild of the time. Having been a former member of uber-guild Ascending Dawn, he had the knowledge the random pk guild needed to wake The Sleeper. The top guilds did not assemble their forces until word of Stynkfyst’s intentions had spread, and it became clear that he intended to wake The Sleeper, forever preventing future guilds from farming the old loot table. Until this point, waking The Sleeper had not been seriously considered by any guilds, as it was believed that waking The Sleeper would make the offending guild’s players kill-on-sight to the other guilds of the server. After 3 hours and 15 minutes, at 26% health, Kerafyrm disappeared (despawned). The players talked with the EverQuest Game Masters, and there was a general consensus that a bug had caused the problem, although some suggested (backed by statements from one GM) that higher-ups at SOE had purposely despawned Kerafyrm, because it was not intended to be part of the story. The following day, the players logged in to find that Kerafyrm was back in his “sleeping” state, ready to be triggered again. There was also an apology on the official EverQuest forums from SOE, explaining that they had stopped the encounter because they feared the players were engaging the boss in an unintended manner. Although annoyed (the players pointed out that the reasons SOE gave could not have occurred, and felt lied to), they attempted to battle Kerafyrm once again. On November 17, 2003, after a nearly 3-hour battle, Kerafyrm was defeated. He had between 100 million and 400 million hit points, likely around 250 million (most EverQuest bosses have 2 million at most), was immune to all spells except wizard’s manaburn spell and Shadow Knight’s Harm Touch, possessed two death touch abilities (abilities that automatically killed players), and attacked players for 6999 damage per swing. By using the cleric’s epic weapon and other resurrection spells, the players were able to bring their dead characters back into the battle faster than Kerafyrm could kill them all.

At midday a light snow began to fall; the white was a welcome sight. While parts of the country are shoveling out, we here in southwest Wisconsin have needed only a broom. The ground here has been bare most of the winter. It's been great for the farmers who try to get their corn and soybeans harvested before the snow flies. By late afternoon there was an inch of new white snow on everything--the ground, trees, fence posts, bushes, everywhere. It was nice to see something bright. In Wisconsin, winter just doesn't seem like winter without some snow. I've been itching to slide down a hill on a sled, but I need at least three or four inches before it's soft enough to cushion these old bones. The birds at the birdfeeders seemed extra busy this morning. Blue jays called and flew off in several directions. A pair of cardinals flew by me as I stood in the snow. A gang of black crows sailed high overhead, calling out to me as they passed by. I noticed a pair of jay-sized birds coming at me from the south and passing right over my head. There was no doubt they were robins. This was a nice treat, even though I saw them for only a few seconds. I think the birds knew there was snow on the way, and when they are busy, they tend to add more life at the start of a day. I broomed the snow off the woodpile and picked up three heavy chunks of split hickory. As I climbed the steps, I wondered where those two robins were headed and where they have been. I can't remember the last time I didn't see a robin in the winter, but it's been at least five years. Seeing the first return of a robin in the spring is not so shocking when you know a few are hanging around all winter. These winter robins are shy and rarely will come to the bird feeders. They prefer to fend for themselves, and they are good at it. They will gladly eat the nutritious berries of chokecherry, wild grapes, serviceberry, and highbush cranberry, but the winter robins' favorite food is the seed found in the dark red tops of the sumac. Over the years I have shared many winter stories with my readers--stories of the tracks in the deep snow as the landscape turns white. For me it meant a chance to write about how the wildlife survives in a snowy world. So I, for one, am looking for more snow. An Amish farmer told me the other day about seeing a large white bird on top of a fence post in a hayfield. This, of course, made me very curious, so I had to ask him some more questions. He said the bird was over a foot tall, but seemed to be huddled down over the top of the post. The bird was a hundred yards away, but it looked like there may have been some black spots on its white feathers. The farmer's excellent description was of the great white owl, also known as the snowy owl. It's always a wonderful treat to see one of these magnificent birds from the far north. Life can be very harsh on the Canadian tundra, and the snowy owl is used to cold winter weather. In the spring and summer they raise their young on the treeless landscape. Food is plentiful and the owls catch voles, lemmings, and flightless young birds. When winter comes, their true hunting skills surface, and they look for hares and ptarmigan. If the hunting is bad, many of these large white owls migrate across the northern boundaries of the U.S. in search of food. With their large, keen yellow eyes, snowy owls can spot their next meal at a great distance. On huge and silent white wings, they glide low to the ground and surprise their prey. The female great white owl is larger, and her feathers may be heavily barred with black, while the smaller male is lightly barred or pure white. When everything is covered with snow, the great white owl is perfectly camouflaged to blend with its surroundings. With no snow on the ground, though, the snowy owl stands out like a sore thumb. I've spotted them a mile away, sitting motionless in a tree or on top of a fence post. They truly are one of nature's most beautiful and mysterious winter birds. All art ©2013 Organic Valley

Psalm CXXVI. 5492 1. …How man had come into captivity, let us ask the Apostle Paul.…For he saith: “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” 5493 Behold whence we became captives; because we were sold under sin. Who sold us? We ourselves, who consented to the seducer. We could sell ourselves; we could not redeem ourselves. We sold ourselves by consent of sin, we are redeemed in the faith of righteousness. For innocent blood was given for us, that we might be redeemed. Whatsoever blood he shed in persecuting the righteous, what kind of blood did he shed? Righteous mens blood, indeed, he shed; they were Prophets, righteous men, our fathers, and Martyrs. Whose blood he shed, yet all coming of the offspring of sin. One blood he shed of Him who was not justified, 5494 but born righteous: by shedding that blood, he lost those whom he held. For they p. 604 for whom innocent blood was given were redeemed, and, turned back from their captivity, they sing this Psalm. 2. “When the Lord turned back the captivity of Sion, we became as those that are comforted” (Psa. 126.1). He meant by this to say, we became joyful. When? “When the Lord turned back the captivity of Sion.” What is Sion? Jerusalem, the same is also the eternal Sion. How is Sion eternal, how is Sion captive? In angels eternal, in men captive. For not all the citizens of that city are captives, but those who are away from thence, they are captives. Man was a citizen of Jerusalem, but sold under sin he became a pilgrim. Of his progeny was born the human race, and the captivity of Sion filled all lands. And how is this captivity of Sion a shadow of that Jerusalem? The shadow of that Sion, which was granted to the Jews, in an image, in a figure, was in captivity in Babylonia, and after seventy years that people turned back to its own city. 5495 …But when all time is past, then we return to our country, as after seventy years that people returned from the Babylonish captivity, for Babylon is this world; since Babylon is interpreted “confusion.”…So then this whole life of human affairs is confusion, which belongeth not unto God. In this confusion, in this Babylonish land, Sion is held captive. But “the Lord hath turned back the captivity of Sion.” “And we became,” he saith, “as those that are comforted.” That is, we rejoiced as receiving consolation. Consolation is not save for the unhappy, consolation is not save for them that groan, that mourn. Wherefore, “as those that are comforted,” except because we are still mourning? We mourn for our present lot, we are comforted in hope: when the present is passed by, of our mourning will come everlasting joy, when there will be no need of consolation, because we shall be wounded with no distress. But wherefore saith he “as” those that are comforted, and saith not comforted? This word “as,” is not always put for likeness: when we say “As,” it sometimes refers to the actual case, sometimes to likeness: here it is with reference to the actual case.…Walk therefore in Christ, and sing rejoicing, sing as one that is comforted; because He went before thee who hath commanded thee to follow Him. 3. “Then was our mouth filled with joy, and our tongue with exultation” (Psa. 126.2). That mouth, brethren, which we have in our body, how is it “filled with joy”? It useth not to be “filled,” save with meat, or drink, or some such thing put into the mouth. Sometimes our mouth is filled; and it is more that we say to your holiness, 5496 when we have our mouth full, we cannot speak. But we have a mouth within, that is, in the heart, whence whatsoever proceedeth, if it is evil, defileth us, if it is good, cleanseth us. For concerning this very mouth ye heard when the Gospel was read. For the Jews reproached the Lord, because His disciples ate with unwashen hands. 5497 They reproached who had cleanness without; and within were full of stains. They reproached, whose righteousness was only in the eyes of men. But the Lord sought our inward cleanness, which if we have, the outside must needs be clean also. “Cleanse,” He saith, “the inside,” and “the outside shall be clean also.” 5498 … 4. But let us return to what was just now read from the Gospel, relating to the verse before us, “Our mouth was filled with joy, and our tongue with delight:” for we are inquiring what mouth and what tongue. Listen, beloved brethren. The Lord was scoffed at, because His disciples ate with unwashed hands. The Lord answered them as was fitting, and said unto the crowds whom He had called unto Him, “Hear ye all, and understand: not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” 5499 What is this? when He said, what goeth into the mouth, He meant only the mouth of the body. For meat goeth in, and meats defile not a man; because, “All things are clean to the clean;” and, “every creature of God is good, and none to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.” 5500 … 5. Guard the mouth of thy heart from evil, and thou wilt be innocent: the tongue of thy body will be innocent, thy hands will be innocent; even thy feet will be innocent, thy eyes, thy ears, will be innocent; all thy members will serve under righteousness, because a righteous commander hath thy heart. “Then shall they say among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them.” 6. “Yea, the Lord hath done great things for us already, whereof we rejoice” (Psa. 126.3). Consider, my brethren, if Sion doth not at present say this among the heathen, throughout the whole world; consider if men are not running unto the Church. In the whole world our redemption is received; Amen is answered. The dwellers in Jerusalem, therefore, captive, destined to return, pilgrims, sighing for their country, speak thus among the heathen. What do they say? “The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we rejoice.” Have they done anything for themselves? They have done ill with themselves, for they have sold themselves under sin. The Redeemer came, and did the good things for them. 7. “Turn our captivity, O Lord, as the torrents in the south” (Psa. 126.4). Consider, my p. 605 brethren, what this meaneth.…As torrents are turned in the south, so turn our captivity. In a certain passage Scripture saith, in admonishing us concerning good works, “Thy sins also shall melt away, even as the ice in fair warm weather.” 5501 Our sins therefore bound us. How? As the cold bindeth the water that it run not. Bound with the frost of our sins, we have frozen. But the south wind is a warm wind: when the south wind blows, the ice melts, and the torrents are filled. Now winter streams are called torrents; for filled with sudden rains they run with great force. We had therefore become frozen in captivity; our sins bound us: the south wind the Holy Spirit hath blown: our sins are forgiven us, we are released from the frost of iniquity; as the ice in fair weather, our sins are melted. Let us run unto our country, as the torrents in the south.… 8. For the next words are, “They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy” (Psa. 126.5). In this life, which is full of tears, let us sow. What shall we sow? Good works. Works of mercy are our seeds: of which seeds the Apostle saith, “Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” 5502 Speaking therefore of almsgiving itself, what saith he? “This I say; he that soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly.” 5503 He therefore who soweth plentifully, shall reap plentifully: he who soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly: and he that soweth nothing, shall reap nothing. Why do ye long for ample estates, where ye may sow plentifully? There is not a wider field on which ye can sow than Christ, who hath willed that we should sow in Himself. Your soil is the Church; sow as much as ye can. But thou hast not enough to do this. Hast thou the will? 5504 As what thou hadst would be nothing, if thou hadst not a good will; so do not despond, because thou hast not, if thou hast a good will. For what dost thou sow? Mercy. And what wilt thou reap? Peace. Said the Angels, Peace on earth unto rich men? No, but, “Peace on earth unto men of a good will.” 5505 Zacchæus had a strong will, Zacchæus had great charity. 5506 …Did then that widow who cast her two farthings into the treasury, sow little? Nay, as much as Zacchæus. For she had narrower means, but an equal will. She gave her two mites 5507 with as good a will as Zacchæus gave the half of his patrimony. If thou consider what they gave, thou wilt find their gifts different; if thou look to the source, thou wilt find them equal; she gave whatever she had, and he gave what he had.…But if they are beggars whose profession is asking alms, in trouble they also have what to bestow upon one another. God hath not so forsaken them, but that they have wherein they may be tried by their bestowing of alms. This man cannot walk; he who can walk, lendeth his feet to the lame; he who seeth, lendeth his eyes to the blind; and he who is young and sound, lendeth his strength to the old or the infirm, carrieth him: the one is poor, the other is rich. 9. Sometimes also the rich man is found to be poor, and something is bestowed upon him by the poor. Somebody cometh to a river, so much the more delicate as he is more rich; he cannot pass over: if he were to pass over with bare limbs, he would catch cold, would be ill, would die: a poor man more active in body cometh up: he carries the rich man over; he giveth alms unto the rich. Think not therefore those only poor, who have not money.…Thus love ye, thus be ye affectioned unto one another. Attend not solely to yourselves: but to those who are in want around you. But because these things take place in this life with troubles and cares, faint not. Ye sow in tears, ye shall reap in joy. 10. How, my brethren? When the farmer goeth forth with the plough, carrying seed, is not the wind sometimes keen, and doth not the shower sometimes deter him? He looketh to the sky, seeth it lowering, shivers with cold, nevertheless goeth forth, and soweth. For he feareth lest while he is observing the foul weather, and awaiting sunshine, the time may pass away, and he may not find anything to reap. Put not off, my brethren; sow in wintry weather, sow good works, even while ye weep; for, “They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy.” They sow their seed, good will, and good works. “They went on their way and wept, casting their seed” (Psa. 126.6). Why did they weep? Because they were among the miserable, and were themselves miserable. It is better, my brethren, that no man should be miserable, than that thou shouldest do alms.…Nevertheless, as long as there are objects for its exercise, let us not fail amid those troubles to sow our seed. Although we sow in tears, yet shall we reap in joy. For in that resurrection of the dead, each man shall receive his own sheaves, that is, the produce of his seed, the crown of joys and of delight. Then will there be a joyous triumph, when we shall laugh at death, wherein we groaned before: then shall they say to death, “O death, where is thy strife? O death, where is thy sting?” 5508 But why do they now rejoice? Because “they bring their sheaves with them.” 11. In this Psalm we have chiefly exhorted you to do deeds of alms, because it is thence that we ascend; and ye see that he who ascendp. 606 eth, singeth the song of steps. Remember: do not love to descend, instead of to ascend, but reflect upon your ascent: because he who descended from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among thieves. 5509 …The Samaritan as He passed by slighted us not: He healed us, He raised us upon His beast, upon His flesh; He led us to the inn, that is, the Church; He entrusted us to the host, that is, to the Apostle; He gave two pence, whereby we might be healed, 5510 the love of God, and the love of our neighbour. The Apostle spent more; for, though it was allowed unto all the Apostles to receive, as Christs soldiers, pay from Christs subjects, 5511 that Apostle, nevertheless, toiled with his own hands, and excused the subjects the maintenance owing to him. 5512 All this hath already happened: if we have descended, and have been wounded; let us ascend, let us sing, and make progress, in order that we may arrive. Lat. CXXV. A song of degrees. A sermon to the people.603:5493 Rom. vii. 14.603:5494 Or, “made righteous.”604:5495 Jer. 25:11, Jer. 29:10.604:5496 [A bishop seems to have been present.—C.]604:5497 Matt. xv. 1, etc.604:5498 Matt. xxiii. 26.604:5499 Matt. 15:10, 11.604:5500 1 Tim. iv. 4.605:5501 Gal. vi. 9.605:5503 2 Cor. ix. 6.605:5504 Oxf. mss. “have a good will.”605:5505 Luke ii. 14.605:5506 Luke xix. 8.605:5507 Luke xxi. 1-4.605:5508 1 Cor. xv. 55.606:5509 Luke x. 30.606:5510 Luke 10:35, 37.606:5511 Provincialibus. 1 Cor. iv. 2.606:5512 1 Thess. 2:7, 9, 2 Thess. 3:8, 9.

News of Riverton, Lander and Fremont County, Wyoming, from the Ranger's award winning journalists. Yellowstone winter season ending Feb 28, 2013 - The Associated Press YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK -- Yellowstone National Park's winter season is drawing to a close this week. Park roads that serve commercially guided snowmobile and snow coach travel to Yellowstone locations will be closed in stages beginning Friday, when the East Entrance will close at 9 p.m. Over-snow travel into the park from Mammoth Hot Springs will end at 9 p.m. Sunday. Old Faithful will remain accessible from both the West and South Entrances until March 15, when all remaining interior parks roads will close for the season. At Old Faithful, the Snow Lodge and Cabins will close for the winter season on Sunday. The Geyser Grill, Bear Den Gift Shop and the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center will remain open through March 15.

Many of you reading this are over the age of 27. Why is this important you ask, well of late Gaila and I have been trying hostels to save money. I think the average age is about 22 to 25 but who knows. Haven’t really asked, just observing. But safe to say I have definitely been one of the more “seasoned” guests at all the ones we have stayed at. You know what? Who cares! Truth is we have had very nice stays. Just like we have couchsurfing, camping and cheap hotels. I must admit, some of the hotel stays have been less than pleasant. Some down right disgusting to be perfectly honest. Part of The Bad, if you will. While writing this I am curled up in a hammock on the Pacific Ocean hugging the Nicaraguan coast just west of Leon. We are doing a weekend stay here at Quartzal Playa Hostel http://playa.quetzaltrekkers.org/ after two awesome nights at Lazybones Hostel http://www.lazyboneshostelnicaragua.com/?lg=En in Leon. I really am liking the vibe. Not only do we have clean and functional rooms, but we are getting for well under $30 for private rooms. If you are willing to do the dorm thing, most are in the $7 to $15 dollars a night range. Best of all however are the locations and the facilities. In Leon it was all about location, patio and pool. Here it is the garden, hammocks and ocean waves. Yes, we change the age curve, but who cares! Most of you are young at heart too and can get a dose of youthful enthusiasm from the 20 something guests. We are. We did a couple in the US and they were fine, but I think our expectations were wrong. Now that we are south of the border these relaxed accommodations seem to fit right in. Now, before you think everyone is wet behind the ears, that is simply not true. Last night we shared the Lazybones with a few German couples that were definitely in their late 50′s or 60′s. Even a family with a small 1 1/2 year old baby were there with us. They, like us were in the private rooms. Our motorcycle friends Mark from Idaho on KLR, Marco from Canada on F650GS single and Pedro from Redmond https://www.facebook.com/pages/Redmond-to-Rio/523014447726275 with his Vstrom DL1000 all elected to do the dorms and save even more money. Since you can’t sleep together those are not the best options for us. Four things impress me about the hostel experience: 1. Better than expected rooms 2. Super friendly people excited to have interesting conversations (not to mention Gringos) 3. Cheap food and beverages 4. They are well connected with the locals and can set you up with good tours, adventures & etc. OK, 5 things…just a general sense of happiness and well being. Yes it is true most are backpacking, but even the older folks we met in Honduras and here too all seem to have the same zest for life and inquisitive souls. As such, my advice is this: If you are young hurry up and get out there as the world is waiting for you. If you are middle aged and strapped for cash at the moment and who isn’t, then just go this budget route you will be happy you did. Indeed, at the moment I am sitting between a 30 something couple from North Carolina, 20 somethings from Germany and some 50ish ladies from somewhere TBD. If you are perhaps retired, use this as a way to stretch your financial resources and get a shot of youthful enthusiasm at the same time. All of the hostel hosts have been super gracious and very helpful. Telling us about hidden gems like Canyon Somoto and others. Today is yet another day in paradise and I sure am looking forward to our tree house hostel near Granada. After that, we will be looking for our next deal on Isla de Ometepe (a two volcano island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua) then Costa Rica and Panama! Oooooops, almost forgot to mention hostel in Honduras which is sort of a hotel/hostel/brewery. Seriously, if you get a chance go to D&D Brewery. What a unique place and Bobbie the guy that owns and runs is really excellent. Here are some that we have stayed at so far and can fully endorse & recommend: Lastly, Lonely Planet is full of good suggestions that have been pretty spot on as far as we are concerned. Travel well, with or without lots of money.

Blogger: Steve Rowland, Public Affairs Manager Spring seemed a long way off last week as I took my lunchtime walk through the woods, the leaves on the trees were yet to unfurl, the ground was bare and covered in a mulch of last autumns dead leaves, and a light, cold wintry rain drizzled down. And yet I realised that my mind had picked up on the subtle changes in the quality of light and drawing out of the days. I became aware of a slight tightness in my ears, an unconscious straining and heightened alertness to the bird song around me. And I thought that after more Springs as a birder than I care to remember, my brain was quietly and unobtrusively saying to my ears to be alert for couple of unremarkable notes of bird song one up followed repetitively by another down, up and down in short bursts, from a bird that takes its name from these two notes of song, the chiff chaff. (photo below). Naming a bird after the sound it makes is known as onomatopoeia and two other species that occur in the UK the cuckoo and the kittiwake also take their names from their calls. I will acknowledge here that chiff chaffs are not blessed with the most captivating of names or musical of songs. But for me they compensate for that with the charisma that comes from being the first of our returning migrants to fill our bare Spring woods with their song, perhaps a month before the other returning warblers have got back from a winter spent south of the Sahara. Chiff chaffs like many of our other warblers, might at a glance appear a little drab and indistinct. In particular at first you might easily confuse a chiff chaff with its close relative the willow warbler. (photo below). A rough guide to telling them apart is that a willow warblers legs are a light flesh colour whilst a chiff chaffs are black and a chiff chaffs has a more olive coloured plumage (being a birder you carry a veritable colour palette in your head to describe shades of green and brown feathers). But the surest way to tell these cousins apart is to listen to them singing. Compared to the chiff chaffs repetitive two notes, willow warblers have a to my mind a much nicer song, a lovely tinkling sound that seems to gently descend a set of musical scales before being hauled by the bird back to the top only to descend down them once more. Willow warblers arrive from their wintering grounds in Africa a little later in the spring than chiff chaffs which tend to spend the winter in the Mediterranean. So my brain wasn't tipping my ears off to listen out for a willow warbler practicing its scales, but for that starting gun of the season, a simple two note Chiff then Chaff song that would light up the woods and put a smile on my face, a sign of the end of winter and the beginning of natures headlong rush into spring. I didn’t hear a chiff chaff last week but I’ll be out again for a lunchtime walk in the woods this week, listening carefully for those two notes. If you have some time to spare over the next week or so why don’t you go out and see if you can hear a chiff chaff and then tell us here. Photos credit John Bridges (rspb-images.com) Blogger: Kate Blincoe, Communications Manager Look out of your window. The catkins are swaying in the spring breeze, the blue tit is hunting out caterpillars for its young family and an early bumblebee buzzes by. Nature is busy all around us. What if pound signs were flashing over all these beautiful, natural events? If you look on these living things as paid workers for us then the catkins tree is capturing carbon, the blue tit is performing pest control on your garden and the bumblebee is a professional pollinator. All these creatures are in fact performing tiny actions that in sum, add up to a healthy environment and hence healthy economy. In simple terms, if they didn’t do it for free, we’d have to pay to find a technical replacement. Let’s look at some of the massive ways in which we benefit financially from nature. Carefully managed wetlands reduce the risk of flooding to our homes and businesses. Salt marshes, such wonderful habitats, provide protection from sea level rise, acting like big sponges. Forests and peat bogs store carbon for us, helping in the battle against climate change. The list doesn’t end there: It is estimated that one third of the human food supply depends on insect pollination, most of which is accomplished by bees pollinating crops. Of course, beautiful places with charismatic wildlife also equal booming tourism and lots of visitor spend – especially in our stunning region. What about you and me and a walk together in the bluebell woods? Does that have pound signs attached to it? Yes. It will reduce our stress levels, increase our heart rates and hence improve our health. It’s a proven fact that nature is good news for the NHS budgets. For children, time spent in nature can even improve their behaviour and performance at school. As a bit of a nature loving ‘tree hugger’, a part of me screams at this reduction of wonder and marvel to pounds and pennies. Wildlife means so much more than that and has a basic, intrinsic right to exist. I believe that is the case, however, when so many political arguments are made in financial terms, it doesn’t do us any harm to be able to speak that language too. In a troubled economy, the need for a new development or construction project is often justified by saying growth is critical for our financial future. However, if we trash our special habitats and lose incredible species then, even in crude monetary terms, we risk jeopardising so much more than we gain. We overlook the function that the environment plays in our economy at our peril. The bottom line is this: We need nature more than it needs us. Article in Eastern Daily Press on Saturday 10 March 2012. Photo by Mark Sisson (rspb-images.com) Blogger: Jane Warren, RSPB in the East Green Team As we edge along towards spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s worth sparing a thought for the climate. Today is the beginning of Climate Change Week (12-18 March), and there are easy ways for us all to get involved. Many of us are already doing our bit, but it’s always good to be reminded! So here are three things to do this week: Get cooking with Climate Week cuisine: Make food part of the solution to climate change by eating a low carbon meal during Climate Week. Just follow one or all of these three tips: eat less meat or dairy, eat local and seasonal ingredients, and eat leftovers. Walk, cycle or use public transport: Use Climate Week as an opportunity to use more sustainable ways to get to where you are going. Take the train or bus instead of driving. Take advantage of the spring weather (!) and walk or cycle, getting some additional exercise! Swap, recycle or upcycle old things: Eliminate waste by finding a second life for things that would otherwise be thrown away. Host an event to swap unwanted items, such as books, toys or clothes, with friends or colleagues. Recycle unusual things like batteries, or electrical goods such as old mobile phones. You can even recycle through Ebay, by taking up the RSPB’s Ebay for charity challenge. Do you have something lurking in a loft, back room, garage or shed? Something that you know has some saleable value but you have never got around to selling? This could be your chance to do just that and step up for nature at the same time! Please do get in touch with suggestions of what you might have to sell, and we can check if it is worth us getting our fabulous Ebay volunteers to sell it on the auction site for us. Please do not send anything to us without checking first and please note that we can’t accept electrical goods! (It’s worth repeating that so that our collector Matt Howard isn’t locked in the cellar as punishment along with the potential deluge of books, CDs, DVDs, autographed Barry Manilow LPs etc.) Matt is looking forward to hearing from you at [email protected] Tel: 01603 697515. Our thanks to Climate Week for ideas and tips. Check out their website at www.climateweek.com and get inspired to create a sustainable future! Blogger: Gena Correale-Wardle, Community Fundraising Officer Do you remember in January when I blogged about the great partnership the RSPB had with Dozen Artisan Bakery and Pulse Cafe Bar, two great independent eateries in Norwich? I bet you’ve been waiting with baited breath to see how we got on.... Well, today I went to see the lovely manager of Pulse, Helen, as she presented us with a great big cheque (literally – see the photo!) for £86.50. That equates to 173 starters, mains and desserts eaten in aid of the RSPB. Dozen Artisan Bakery sold their field loaves for nature too – another £91 and 91 satisfied tummies and smiles on faces! Wouldn’t it be nice if all fundraising could be that easy?! The lovely people at both outlets also hosted pin badge boxes and gave out lots of leaflets to promote Big Garden Birdwatch, raising awareness of the project as well as raising even more money (over £40) through pin badge donations. A win-win all round! We are really glad to work with such great local, independent businesses in the area and hope we can do more with them in future. We are always looking for ways to get businesses involved throughout the whole of the Eastern England region so if you have any links or want to promote your business and raise money for nature in the process, do get in touch! The money raised will help the RSPB save and protect wildlife supporting schools and families through field teaching programmes and schools visits as well as directly managing habitats for wildlife at our amazing nature reserves. Thank you to all of you who ate great food and saved nature at the same time. Here’s to more fab little initiatives like this in the future! Email me at [email protected] or call me on 01603 697521. Blogger: Adam Murray, Communications Officer Last June you may have remembered my Swift, Swallows & House martins - I am a bit clueless blog post, well just as think I have nailed some of my bird ID skills I recently went on my hols to Osea Island. We went as a family with my brother and his gang and spent the time walking the island when the causeway (as seen on the Woman in Black movie) was covered by the tide. The island was a perfect tonic as there were no modern day distractions that seem to fill our free time usually. This meant that we had an excuse of not doing very much at all – just what I needed after the crazy hustle bustle of the RSPB Eastern Region office in Norwich. Each day we would spend many hours in wellies walking the island. In the interior we spotted dancing flocks of skylarks, eyeing foxes in the distance and then the adventurers inside us would walk alongside the beaches and salt marshes to circumnavigate our little piece of Essex. If we were lucky enough to get the tides right we would see vast numbers of birds coming into feed or queuing up ready for the seafood frenzy. The rest of my family were happy to spot a “funny looking goose” or distinctive oyster catcher with their carrot beaks. I on the other hand, trained zoologist and bitten by the RSPB bug, realised that I wasn’t just seeing a few species of animals out there on the mud flats but dozens – all ever so slightly different. However, this is my question to you – how on earth are you supposed to tell the difference? I am now going to give it a go. The keen ones amongst you, feel free to correct me, I won’t take it personally ;) Dunlin: Little fella, grey wings, white belly, slightly curved beak Turnstone: Little, black wings, white belly, red legs Common sandpiper: brown body, straight beak, black eye stripe Curlew sandpiper: if you squidged the two sandpipers together Green sandpiper: dark, white bellied sandpiper that is not green Grey plover: a more speckly version of a turnstone Curlew: This one I get, bendy beak and big as a chicken! Redshank: Medium sized, red legs and red beak near face Spotted redshank: red legs, black top beak, red lower beak So, can you see why I was confused. It doesn't help that when I was reading the information on my RSPB i-phone app it told me that these are the winter plumages of these birds - so as new species come in for the summer I will have to learn this all over again. I did however figure out that the bird call I has associated with the wilds of southern Ireland ( a previous family holiday) was not the charismatic oyster catcher but the close neighbours the curlew. I guess the beauty of this whole thing is now, once I get my eye in, I realise how many different species find the eerie and beautiful Essex coast a perfect tonic, just what they need.

"This makes about 30 pints of mincemeat. Have on hand 30 pint canning jars with brand new rings and lids. Reusing old lids is not recommended. A delicious way to use green tomatoes. The recipe came from my Grandfather, and our family has been making it forever! Use straight from the jar for pies, cookies, muffins etc. You can also use 1 cup of oil instead of the beef suet." — April Watch video tips and tricks green tomatoes, minced minced, cored apples distilled white vinegar candied mixed citrus peel orange, peeled, sectioned, and cut into bite-size lemons, finely chopped This is really great! I scaled the recipe back to 4 servings to make and see if we liked. I didn't have any oranges so I put in more lemon. I used it to bake a pie and it was awesome. I plan to make more and freeze it instead of canning. I did cook uncovered for the last hour because it was really juicy. I made this recipe today. I have not put it into any baked goods yet, but when I do, I think I will be inclined to mix it with store-bought mincemeat. The smell is lovely, but it did not cook up like I expected. The texture is more like "real" mincemeat, which is how my family refers to mincemeat with meat in it. I found the recipe difficult to figure out, as per my earlier posting. Weight for the tomatoes and apples would have been much more helpful. I had no idea how many to use. In the end, I went with what my soup pot could hold. I used 3 kilos of tomatoes and 3 kilos of apples. I cut everything else in half except the raisins. I used all the raisins. When I saw how full it was at that point, I cannot imagine what size pot one would need for twice as many apples and tomatoes. I also added about 1/2 lb currants and 1 lb each of red cherries and green cherries. We'll see how it bakes up in tarts or muffins. If I have any further tips after I do that, I will post again. This is just like my mother's recipe which I lost! Thank you for posting so I can make mince again. I use butter instead of suet. Great way to use up green tomatoes! What a great recipe! I had an abundance of green tomatoes and didn't want to fry all of them or let them go to waste. I love mincemeat pie and will love giving jars of mincemeat for Christmas. I scaled it back to 40 servings, and used all of the ingredients called for. I sampled it before I canned and am anxious to make a pie come Thanksgiving or Christmas. It may need a little thickening before putting in a pie as filling. This is a great recipe for using up the last of your tomatoes that won't ripen by the end of the gardening season. It is great as a pie filling but we like it as a pancake, waffle,or ice cream topping too. ******You don't HAVE to add the suet to this recipe and it is still great.****** I am not opposed to adding suet,it is just my personal choice and it keeps the recipe vegan friendly. This is great stuff. I adjusted the recipe to the amount of my tomatoes for a total yield of 13 pints. Chose to use butter rather than suet. I made this 6 weeks ago and have made two pies with it in the last week (testing for the holidays). For a more traditional flavor, added a shot of brandy to the second pie. Again, this is great stuff. Thanks! My tomato plants got caught by the frost, and I was left with "tons". I used the calculator to cut it in half and got 14 pint jars. I used the suet, and added a lb. of currants.I was very, very pleased with the flavour and plan on giving some away for Xmas gifts. I have a meat grinder, and put everything through the meat chopper using a 3/8" blade. It was perfect. I boiled it the 3 hrs. and then processed in a boiling water bath. Don't be afraid to try it! Wow! I made this yesterday omitting the suet and candied fruit, since neither was readily available. Instead, I added a bit of fresh ginger and some orange peel granules I found at our coop. Then today, I tried it out on a pie. I was concerned it was a bit runny, so I added 2 T of tapioca, a diced apple and a handful of raisins. I have made pies all of my life, and I truly think this is my favorite. Thanks for posting the recipe. I only made a quarter recipe since I wasn't sure how it would come out, but I'll definitely be making a bigger batch next weekend. * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Green Tomato Mincemeat Serving Size: 1/120 of a recipe Servings Per Recipe: 120 Amount Per Serving Calories from Fat: 18 This green tomato relish is a perfect sidekick to sandwiches or entrees. See a terrific tomato preparation for sauces, stews, soups, and chili. Fresh homemade tomato sauce is easy and deeply flavorful.

After speaking with Matt Kenseth via phone on Wednesday afternoon, I feel like I have a better grasp on why he made the decision to leave Roush Fenway Racing for a yet-to-be-named team (likely Joe Gibbs Racing). While Kenseth can't or won't say everything that led to his decision, he was very forthcoming about the details he felt he could talk about. Here are some common questions from you and a few answers that might help you understand the move: Kenseth doesn't have a full-time sponsor at Roush this year and might not have had one next year. Was stability the reason he left? The stability of just having a job and staying in the sport ranks "almost on the bottom" of his priority list, Kenseth said. "Winning races and trying to race for championships is on the top of my list, because you never know how long you can do this stuff," the 40-year-old said. "You never know when your last race is or your last lap is or your last win is or any of that." Reading between the lines on everything that's happened, it seems like the decision to leave was Kenseth's -- though it certainly doesn't hurt Roush to move one of its younger, cheaper drivers in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. up the ladder into the Sprint Cup Series. If Kenseth is having such a solid year and leading the points, why did he go looking for another team? He didn't. Other teams knew Kenseth was a free agent who was unsigned past this season, and the driver said he was approached by one who had an opportunity that intrigued him. As recently as a month or two ago, Kenseth planned on being at Roush for his entire career -- just as team owner Jack Roush said he did. When he got the initial phone call expressing interest, Kenseth said he didn't think, "Yeah, that's what I'm going to do for sure." "But after some talking and getting to know some people and some things that were happening, I think it just felt like it was the right thing to do," he said. "You look back and you're like, 'Oh man, I hope this is right.' But I felt really strongly it was the right thing to do and that was the place for me and the time to go do that. And I still feel like that." Was there a behind-the-scenes argument at Roush that we don't know about? Not according to Kenseth, who said he knows the lack of "one great reason" makes it harder for reporters and fans to understand his decision. "It's a combination of a lot of things and timing," he said. "There's nobody that was mad. There wasn't a fight, there wasn't a disagreement or somebody not doing something. There wasn't really any of that. I know that doesn't sound like a good answer, but that's really the truth." Kenseth said there was "no resistance from anywhere," and that it felt like all the pieces just fell into place for his move to happen. It certainly helped Kenseth to know Roush wanted to get Stenhouse Jr. into a Cup car. "I really think things happen for a reason and things line up like that sometimes," he said. "When they do, that's how it was meant to go – and that's what happened here." OK, but this is all about the money, right? Kenseth has always been sensitive about his contract situation and won't discuss financial details. And this year, it's worth noting, Kenseth wouldn't even publicly acknowledge his free agent status. If he was going for a big payday, he perhaps could have used the media to gain leverage -- either with Roush or potential suitors -- but instead, he kept quiet about it the whole time. Sources told SB Nation that Kenseth might actually be taking a pay cut with his new team rather than scoring a bigger deal. If he'd remained at Roush, though, he may have gotten even less due to the sponsorship situation there. Roush will save millions per year by signing Stenhouse Jr. instead of Kenseth, which will lower the price point for sponsorship. Why can't Kenseth and his new team (again, likely JGR) just announce their deal now? Are there sponsorship concerns still to be worked out? Kenseth said he simply couldn't talk about the details of where he's headed in 2013, even the reasons why an announcement can't be made yet. He said the news will be made public "hopefully sooner than later" and all sides had already reached an agreement, including his new sponsors. "Everything is set; everything is in place," he said. "I think we're good there. I feel good about '13 and beyond. I don't think it's any of that." The driver said his new team -- which he called "another very winning organization" -- is a good fit for him and he believes he can be successful there. Isn't Kenseth getting kind of old to start over with a new team? Not at all. Though Kenseth is 40, that's not old for a race car driver. Tony Stewart just won the championship at 40 last year, and Mark Martin is still racing competitively at age 53. Kenseth said Wednesday it's impossible to say right now how much longer he plans to race. "I just don't know," he said. "And by saying 'I don't know,' I feel like that means I'm so far away from the end or when I want to walk away that I can't even fathom when that is. I sure hope to be driving for a long time." Why can't the media just respect Kenseth's decision and leave him alone? Kenseth knew there were questions about his move and wanted to fulfill interview requests for as many reporters as possible. It was his decision to talk for so long. He spent three straight hours on Wednesday afternoon doing phone interviews with 13 different reporters and answering mostly the same questions the entire time. I'm still confused. Will all the details about Kenseth's decision come out eventually? Not if the driver has his way. Kenseth, who has always been a private person, said there's nothing to be gained by talking about some of the specific conversations or factors that led to the move. "There are a fair amount of closed-door things or feelings or circumstances or whatever that will probably never get talked about, just because it doesn't do anybody any good at the end of the day," he said. That said, once Kenseth and his new team make their announcement, everything might make more sense.

What can you do to create a healthier personal environment? Assess your nest. Working with a home inspector, public health professional, contractor, or other construction expert as a guide, ask yourself some questions to evaluate your current house or apartment's environmental health: - Are you free of the "big three?" Radon, mold, and lead are all common home toxins. Radon testing is widely available, and best practices exist in new construction to minimize radon entry into the property. Check for moisture problems that act as hotbeds for mold growth, and look into mold testing if necessary. Finally, lead is present in many older homes' paint and pipes. Call your local public health department for information on testing for and eliminating lead in your home. - How well-ventilated is your home? While solid construction decreases your home's energy loss, a home that is too airtight can seal in indoor air pollutants. Proper ventilation also helps control moisture and reduce risk of mold and other environmental health concerns. Simple fixes to increase ventilation include installing ceiling fans and operable skylights and windows. - Does your landscaping contribute to your environmental health? Large lawns traditionally require greater pesticide use, and increase air and noise pollution generated from mowing. Consider planting perennial groundcovers, native foliage, or other low-maintenance landscaping. Even better, landscape with edible plants and devote a portion of your yard to organic vegetable gardening. Before you rent or begin new construction, consider these additional questions: - Will your new space support recycling/reuse with storage space for cans, bottles, paper, and other items? - What is your potential home's proximity to major noisemakers like airports, railroad tracks, or highways? - What will keep you warm? Although most mainstream commercial insulations are considered safe, check out some healthy alternative insulation, including those made with recycled denim and other cloth, wool, icynene and nanogel. - How big is your planned home? Small is good. A well-planned home with less square footage uses fewer building and maintenance resources. Clear the air. Consider these steps toward improving indoor air quality: - In your home, radon and mold tend to be the most serious barriers to indoor air quality. Relatively inexpensive tests exist to assess your home's mold and radon levels. - The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers guidelines about common workplace air quality complaints, which usually focus on temperature, humidity, lack of outside air ventilation or smoking. Find out more . - For employees in farming and industrial fields, on-the-job outdoor air quality is also a concern. Each state has a department of environmental health within its main health department that can advise workers and employers on outdoor air quality regulations. To find your state's health department, visit the Centers for Disease Control site. - If you smoke, stop. If you live with someone who smokes, insist on a strict outdoor smoking policy. Approximately 3,000 American adults die of lung cancer each year due to secondhand smoke exposure. In young children, secondhand smoke increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and asthma. Know your H20. Increase your water quality with these tips: - The longer water has been sitting in pipes, the more lead it may contain. Run or "flush" your tap for up to two minutes, depending upon how long it's been between uses. - Since hot water is more likely to contain lead, only drink, cook and make baby formula with cold water. - The only way to be totally certain about your home's water quality is to have it tested. This is especially important for people in high-rise buildings, where "flushing" the pipes may not be as effective. Your local water supplier, health department or university can offer information about credible testing resources. - Water filters have been shown to increase purity. Filters can range from simple pitcher-based systems to more elaborate reverse-osmosis home units. - Remember that bottled water is not necessarily of higher quality than regular tap water. And according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 60 million plastic bottles a day are manufactured, transported and then disposed of in U.S. landfills, compromising your community's environmental health. Green your cleaning. Are your cleaning products messing up your health? While we're far from knowing the health impact of all chemicals used in cleaning agents, you can easily (and very inexpensively) create your own house-healthy cleaners. Some tips: - Mix either vinegar or baking soda with warm water in a spray bottle, and you've got an effective, all-purpose cleansing agent. - Bypass commercial air deodorizers, many of which contain formaldehyde. Instead, add cinnamon, essential oils, cloves, or any herbs you like to a pan of boiling water, and let the sweet steam deodorize. - On laundry day, reach for Borax (sodium borate). This natural mineral acts as a stain-remover, bleach alternative and detergent booster. Baking soda can remove stains and deodorizes, and cornstarch absorbs greasy stains and starches your clothing. Lemon juice can also double for bleach. - Salt (sodium chloride) is a mild abrasive for cleaning bathrooms and kitchens. - Consider hiring a "green" cleaning service, or ask your traditional housekeeper to use the methods and products you find healthiest. Increase your chemical awareness. While it's impractical to try to have no contact with chemicals, you can reduce your chemical exposure in relatively simple ways: - Some beauty products contain chemicals that are anything but pretty. For example, nail polish, body lotions, and perfumes often contain phthalates, a controversial substance linked to birth defects in animals and possibly humans. Shampoos that attack dandruff might also play havoc on your health; the active ingredient selenium sulfide is a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen. Hair dyes often have coal tar, another chemical linked to cancer. So read labels, and choose a product that will be as lovely for your health as it is for your appearance. - Don't create toxic trash. If you're tossing old medications, resist flushing them down the toilet, where they can invade water supplies. Also consider calling your local recycler, many of which accept old cleaning products, paint, oil and other chemicals that create even more treacherous landfills. - Be sure to air out your garments after a trip to the drycleaners. Dry cleaning employs a chemical called perchloroethylene, which is actually toxic to humans. Some environmentally conscious cleaners use methods that do not contain "perc;" seek them out. Better yet, when possible choose clothing that only requires a trip to your laundry room, not a professional cleaner. - Be mindful of plastic use. Some plastics contain bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-like chemical potentially linked to cancer. Experts also advise against microwaving food in plastic containers; although research is inconclusive, the heating process is thought to release chemicals from the plastic into your food. Reusing plastic bottles is another source of controversy. Some experts think reuse is safe if you carefully wash and dry the bottles between each use, while others feel that wear and tear on the plastic causes toxic chemical leakage. An always-safe alternative is glass. Finally, you can reduce the amount of plastic produced by recycling. Look at the bottom of your plastic container for a number from 1-7. Items labeled 1 or 2 (usually soft drink, jjuice, water, milk, and detergent containers) are eligible for curbside recycling. Numbers higher than 2 are either unrecyclable or require special drop-off at a recycling center. Reduce the roar. Decrease sound pollution at home and work with these simple suggestions: - Employ low-tech solutions like earplugs and heavy curtains to block street noise. - White noise machines and noise-cancelling headphones also create quiet. - Double-paned windows reduce outdoor noise, including jet traffic. - Before you begin new construction projects, communicate with your architect and/or contractor about noise reduction options. Some building materials and methods offer greater sound absorption or masking than others. - When you are engaged in construction projects, or if you work in construction or another noisy trade, always wear hearing protection on the job. - Be mindful about your personal noise production. For example, are you really watching your television, or is it simply on as "background noise?" Could you use a push mower instead of a power model, a shovel rather than a snow blower? Could you bike instead of drive? Select "vibrate" rather than the latest ringtone? Even small actions increase the peace. Raise your EMF awareness. It is important to note that research on EMF exposure is ongoing. But these easy actions just might improve your wellbeing: - When possible, use a land line rather than your cell phone. - Use a hands free device or speaker phone function if using a cell phone. - Do not stand directly in front of your microwave oven while it's in use, or simply use your conventional oven. - Limit your computer time. - Use manual versions of personal care tools: an old-fashioned toothbrush rather than an electric model, or a razor instead of an electric shaver. - Don't sleep under an electric blanket. - Sit several feet from your television screen. Enjoy local and organic foods. The foods you choose not only impact your health from a nutritional standpoint, but from an environmental angle as well. Think about these fast facts: - Eating locally grown produce means less transportation is required to get that apple from the tree to your table. This translates to reduced air and noise pollution in your community. - Organic farming doesn't employ the pesticides often used in non-organic methods. That means that eating organic produce may reduce your ingestion of chemicals, and that pesticides will not leach into local water supplies. Joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) food plan might "cleanse" your diet and help your water supply. - Research indicates that raising livestock increases greenhouse gas emissions, pollutes water supplies, and contributes to land degradation and deforestation. Food for thought next time you're choosing between a steak and a salad.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the town of Rinteln underwent an economic boom, and the period saw the founding of the Ernestina University. Most of the half timbered buildings standing today date from this period. Rinteln's prosperity was severely affected by its involvement in the in the Thirty Years War, and by the plague which killed off half of the population. During the eighteenth century, the town twice fell to the French army, and on one occasion was almost completely destroyed on the orders of Napoleon. The coming of the railway in 1875 saw a return to economic growth, and the beginning of a large glass manufacturing plant. Rinteln managed to survive WWII without any serious damage. The centre of Rinteln retains its medieval character, with its timbered houses situated with in the old town walls. The Historic Walk starts on the Rinteln market place with the beautiful half timbered houses. The most splendid building at this market place is the Ratskeller, the former Rinteln townhall (until 1900). On foot or by motobike, either way one can discover Rinteln's beauty and its loveliest hilly landscape just by following the paths or routes along the Weser river, which do remain beside the river from the beginning on. The night watchman patrolled through the city and watched out of fires. Today you can still see the night watchman as statue at the market square. But there's also a night watchwoman! She's still alive and you can see her once a month. More info: Next to one of the towers of the fortifications you find the district of "Hinter der Mauer" Once the poorest part of Rinteln it is now the nicest in my eyes. Please compare the size of the house with the size of the car! Unbelievable, there are still living people in the house! This church is the only survival edifice of the former convent. In here, in 1621 the Rinteln University was founded. After the university was removed to Marburg in 1820 the building was used as a classical secondary school. In 1875 it was newly built. The Ratskeller was until 1900 the town hall of Rinteln. It was built in 13th century and between 1598 and 1604 it was remodeled in Weser-Renaissance style. Today it is used for events and in the groundfloor a restaurant can be found. This richly decorated half timbered house has been a museum for a long time. it is one of the oldest buildings in Rinteln. The Church of St. Sturmius was built in New Gothic style between 1884 -1888. It is dedicated to St. Sturmius, a student of Holy Bonifatitius. At this shady park was once located the old fortress It was razed in 1807 and one year later a park was planted there.. The Archivhäuschen was constructed in 1565 by colonel Hilmar von Münchhausen. It is still used as archive.

The Bottom Whisperer: Freak Like Me Greeting fandome! Hope everyone is having an awesome week. Happy hump day! Follow me on facebook and twitter if you aren’t already. If you’re lucky I might go all Chris Brown and tweet pictures of my junk (not really). Check out last week’s column just in case you missed it. Dear Bottom Whisperer, I recently came out of the closet after being away at college for my sophomore year. I made friends at school who helped make my coming out experience really great. My family has also been very supportive since I came out to them. I recently went on a few dates with a guy from one of my classes. On our third date we went back to his place and got it on. Once we got down to our underwear and were making out on his bed he stopped for a second and with a kinda embarrassed look said to me “I just want you to have a heads up so you aren’t disappointed, I am not very hung. Don’t worry tho, I am totally cool just being the bottom sexually.” This really took me off guard and kinda killed the mood. We made out some more but then I told him I had to head home. I feel weird now because we had a nice time together. So many things are going through my head. Do less hung guys have to be the bottom? If I’m not hung do I have to apologize to the guy I’m with? This whole situation just kinda blew my mind. I feel awkward around him now and I think he is into me and wants to keep seeing each other. Trying Out Playing Sorry There is no gay rulebook, and if there were, it would not have a rule that you have to apologize if your member isn’t “above average”. This guy clearly has some insecurity about what he’s packing downstairs, not your issue to deal with/take on/worry about. There are plenty of guys out there who are average and not hung who are tops. Your old pal The Bottom Whisperer can vouch that there are some bottom boys out there packing some serious heat downstairs. Unless you run your sex life like a communist work program, people should be welcome to do whatever they want (within reason) in the bedroom. Not every hung guy wants to be a big old top daddy, not every average guy wants to bite the pillow. Good on you for seeing how ridiculous this way of thinking is. I hope your dinner friend can have a similar moment of clarity. Yes there are people who fetishize hung guys, just like there are people who fetishize certain body types, ethnicity, body modification, etc. Don’t allow yourself to be put into a box because of your physical features. Never apologize for being the way that you are (unless it’s drunk and you just spilled on a really nice piece of furniture) and feel good about you! If you want to top, bottom, both, neither, in a car, in a bar, with a star…. Go for it. There are no rules, besides rules are just there to be broken. Happy humping! Dear Bottom Whisperer, I’m a twenty-something, educated, professional gay man living on the West Coast. I have been seeing a guy romantically for a couple of months now. We really enjoy each other and are about at the point where we should discuss seeing each other exclusively. But there is one thing that has been weighing heavily on my conscience as of late. My awesome gentleman-friend is very close to his ex-boyfriend. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue for me but it is pretty obvious that his ex still has some serious feelings for him. I don’t bring it up because I don’t want to let it affect what we have going on. I will say that I have caught his ex meddling in our affairs a couple of times such as checking up on me with mutual friends. I can’t help but think this is part of a much greater plan to get me out of the picture and get back with him. I’m not an insecure person but this is bothering me and I am looking for a way of resolving it while also keeping this great thing going with my beau. Advice please? Shouldn’t Consider Reciprocating Alleged Manipulation Thanks for the great question! You say that you don’t want the influence of a shady ex to interrupt or affect what you have going on. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it already is. I think it is great that you haven’t flipped and asked your man-friend what is up or to pick one of you, because that would just make you look bad. It is possible your guy is a bit of an attention whore and loves having 2 hot guys pine after him, he could also be completely clueless. Either way, don’t let this guy’s actions sweat you because he is just trying to get a reaction out of you, and if you give it to him, you give him the keys to the Porsche. He will know he can get a stir out of you and then it is game over. Now if he continues and even becomes more brazen with his attempts to manipulate you or your guy, you’re gonna have to put the ball in your man’s court. A simple “Maybe we should take a break so you can work through some of the stuff you have hanging around from your ex.” Should do the trick. If he likes you he will get the picture. By allowing his ex to meddle with your business you are not setting healthy boundaries with your new guy. These situations happen quite a bit and it is very difficult as the new person in the dynamic to come out of it looking like a class act. Most people wanna get all Jerry Springer and start a screaming match. Don’t stoop so low. If this guy is a good fit and meant to be, he needs to reel it in and get his ex in check. I’d even advise you to save that conversation about being exclusive until that very thing happens. Best of luck!

If you're a "Breaking Bad" devotee, news that the Sundance Channel will begin airing Seasons 1 through 4 of the show (beginning tonight at 11 PM) is a welcome chance to rewatch one of (if not the) greatest TV dramas of all time. And for you "Bad" newbies … we envy you, because you have the chance to experience for the first time the unfolding of an incredibly written and acted story, led by two Emmy-winning actors (Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul) and an Emmy-worthy supporting cast. With the last eight episodes of the series scheduled to premiere on AMC this summer, Sundance's off-network airings will run back to back every Monday night for the show's first 46 installments. Here, five moments every "BB" fan -- new and old -- should catch during the Sundance run (oh, MAJOR SPOILERS ahead): (Warning: The following clips contain violence and adult language.) 1. Workin' at the car wash Make that not working at the car wash. In the series premiere, meek, fed-up high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Cranston) -- who has to work a second job at a car wash just to make ends meet for his family -- does his best Johnny Paycheck when he tells his gruff, bushy-browed car wash boss to take his job and shove it, while referencing the eyebrows, slapping around some air fresheners, and throwing in a crotch grab for good measure. It's the first moment Walt really lets go of years of pent-up frustration, though it's certainly not the last. 2. The birth of Heisenberg Season 1, "Crazy Handful of Nothin'" As Walt's partner in crime, Jesse (Paul) would later proclaim, "Yay, science!" In this case, that science is fulminated mercury, which Walt uses to get the attention -- and the business -- of drug lord Tuco. Old Walt, meek Walt, would never have had the nerve to stand up to the menacing Tuco (Raymond Cruz), but Jesse has been beaten up and Walt's had to shave his head for chemotherapy. And in his new, emboldened state, his alter ego "Heisenberg" strides into Tuco's headquarters, blows the joint up (using the mercury), and demands that Tuco buy his special brand of crystal meth. With payment upfront. 3. What would you do? Season 2, "Phoenix" Walt had a choice in this episode, the penultimate installment of the season, when Jesse's new girlfriend, Jane (Krysten Ritter), was choking to death after a drug binge with fellow addict Jesse: Walt could save her life … or, he could save almost a half-million dollars in cash, and make sure Jane was no longer around to influence Jesse. It took the series' ability to shock -- and Walter White's conscience -- to a whole other level, and led to even more shocking fallout in the season finale. 4. "I am the one who knocks" Season 4, "Cornered" Skyler, realizing fully what danger Walt's enterprise has put her and the kids in, pleads with him to turn to the police to protect them. They're in danger, she argues. But Walter, fully believing his own Heisenberg hype by this point, just gets annoyed with her insistence that he's in danger, and that the bad guys are going to come knocking on their door. "I am not in danger, Skyler, I am the danger … a guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks!" 5. Blown away Season 4, "Face Off" Not even "The Wire" or "The Sopranos" put forth a more complicated, calculating, villain than Giancarlo Esposito's Gus Fring, who found out in a very just way in the Season 4 finale that he was smarter than almost everyone … except Walter White. It was part of a Season 4 ender that was so satisfying it could have served as the "Breaking Bad" series finale (though we're very happy it didn't). "Breaking Bad" airs on Sundance Channel Mondays at 11 PM and midnight.

Sweet Tooth is a literary spy novel, both in the sense that it's an espionage story told by a literary writer and because it's an espionage story that, at its heart, is about literature. Set in the early 1970s against a backdrop of IRA bombings, Cold War anxiety, and labor unrest, the book follows a young, pretty MI5 recruit named Serena Frome who gets sucked into a decidedly low-stakes intelligence caper. Anyone looking for John le Carré-style intrigue will be disappointed. There's no clandestine slink through East Berlin, no sniffing out of Soviet moles. Instead, Frome embarks on an unremarkable undercover mission to financially support a young writer who's shown flashes of unfashionable anticommunism. It quickly turns out that the budding novelist and soon-to-be love interest, of course has an awful lot in common with McEwan himself. As things inevitably get complicated, McEwan has a lot of fun digging into (and taking digs at) his own past, even enlisting old pal Martin Amis, first publisher Tom Maschler, and early mentor Ian Hamilton as characters. Sweet Tooth offers enough atmosphere and forward motion to compensate for the story's slightness (and for an unnecessary twist ending that feels forced). It also provides McEwan with plenty of space to ruminate on writers, writing, and the power of stories both the kind in books and those that we spin in real life. B+

Sycerika McMahon set another Irish senior record on the final day of competition at the Irish Short Course Swimming Championships in Lisburn. McMahon, who had already won five national titles on Friday, added three more to her account today to win Swimmer of the Meet. The London Olympian set a new Irish record in the 200m Breaststroke final to dominate Irish breaststroke rankings, now holding records in 50m, 100m and 200m. Her time of 2:25.23 knocked Fiona Doyle's record, set earlier this year, from the books. McMahon won her first gold of the day in the 400m IM final hitting the wall to finish in 4:47.80 - 12 seconds ahead of her closest competitor Lydia Kehoe (5:00.30) of New Ross, who took silver. She then went on to battle it out with Bethany Carson in the 200m Freestyle final. Carson and McMahon were neck and neck right to the end with Sycerika clinching gold in 1:59.63. Lisburn’s Carson (pictured) took the silver medal just .45 of a second behind McMahon in 2:00.08. Tallaght and NAC High Performance Centre swimmer Brendan Hyland continued his recent charge of breaking Irish junior records when he set a new standard for the 400m Individual Medley in the morning heats session, finishing in 4:22.86. The 18-year-old then went on to take over two seconds off that time in the final when he cruised home over 10 seconds ahead of the competition, touching in 4:20.43. Another in-form junior, Brendan Gibbons, set yet another Irish junior record in the 800m Freestyle final, battling it out with Aer Lingus’ Conor Turner (8:12.73), Gibbons held on for gold in 8:11.00. UCD’s Shauna O’Brien set a new Irish senior record in the Women’s 50m Butterfly final. O’Brien broke Julie Douglas’ eight year old record of 27.40 when she touched in 27.30 to claim gold ahead of Kilkenny’s Jane Roberts (28.27). O’Brien’s UCD team-mate Aisling Cooney (1:01.62) won gold in the Women’s 100m Backstroke final, with NAC’s Brian O’Sullivan (55.84) victorious in the men’s equivalent. Bangor’s women (4:23.40) and Aer Lingus’ men (3:55.00) set new Irish Junior Club records in the 4x100m Medley Relay final. Bangor (4:23.40) then went on to set another junior club record in the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay when they finished second behind Galway (3:58.32).

Free the Trucks By Bill Gerdes From the Shrimp Pimp to Bacon Mania to Border Grill, the food truck phenomenon is the culinary zeitgeist of the moment. Contestants on Top Chef have competed in food trucks, there’s the Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network and Food Truck Revolution on the Cooking Channel. Mobile cooking is the new molecular gastronomy with chefs scurrying to throw away their beakers and fire up the trailer in their backyard. In Southern California we’re lucky to live in the Mecca of mobile cooking and one can find a solitary food truck or a whole slew of them at various locales, with many trucks operating seven days a week. Chef Roy Choi’s Kogi trucks are the breakout stars of the movement, often drawing lines of up to an hour for the fusion-filled Korean-Mexican tacos. Choi’s success has helped spearhead a culinary movement that has redefined how we enjoy food in the area—unless one lives in the IE. “A Nation Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand” That’s due to the fact that Riverside and San Bernardino counties are the only two in the state with a ban on most food trucks. We’re the only citizens in the state unable to enjoy trucks with such names as Fishlips Sushi, the Buttermilk Truck and Chomp Chomp Nation. We’re the only people deprived of Dogzilla Hot Dogs and the Flying Pig truck. Lincoln famously said that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. Is it fair that most of the state gets to enjoy some of the most creative cooking going today while those of us in the Inland Empire content ourselves with the occasional food truck festival, currently the only way most of us in the area get to sample what the rest of SoCal takes for granted? The festivals themselves are great, and there are an increasing number around the area. There’s the I.E. Food Truck Fest happening Oct. 8 at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, another at the Fairplex in Pomona Sept. 11; there were a couple of huge ones in June and another in downtown Riverside, the belly of the beast where the trucks got banned in the first place. While the festivals are unique, and one gets to sample a slew of varied grub, having to wait for a festival to try a truck taco becomes a tad irksome. If I loved the Grilled Cheese Truck do I really have to wait for the next festival? Or drive an hour to Los Angeles? The real question here is whether this explosion of festivals is a sign that San Bernardino and Riverside counties may soon be legalizing the trucks? That we’ll get a taste of what L.A and the O.C. have been blessed with during the truck binge? This food writer sure as Hell hopes so—how many mediocre burger shacks can one guy endure? Roach Coach vs. Gourmet Eatery Riverside County officially banned most food trucks in 1980. At the time the ban may have made sense. The popular image of the “Roach Coach,” a dilapidated and skanky trailer that serves up gamy egg-salad sandwiches was already popularly ingrained in the American psyche. And the Board of Supervisors at the time was no doubt acting to insure that food borne pathogens kept their literally filthy claws off the good voters in the county. Despite having wretched air quality, horrible commutes for many of its denizens, potholes the size of Buicks and a lower life expectancy than Orange or L.A. counties, Riverside officials are quite safety conscious—witness the ban on firework sales. Or food trucks for that matter. Hence the 31-year blockade on mobile eateries. The money shot in Ordinance No. 580 reads, “It is the purpose and intent of this ordinance to prohibit the operation of certain types of mobile food facilities . . . in order to safeguard life, limb, property, and the general welfare of the public.” Lynne Wilder, Program Chief for the health department in Riverside County, agrees that the ban came about through legitimate health concerns. One concern she expressed is that water tanks often run dry and then employees are no longer able to clean up or wash their hands. Wilder also suggested that too much food in a small space without sufficient refrigeration could become a problem. The Truth and the Myths Jethro Naude, who owns and runs the Slapfish truck along with Chef Andrew Gruel, sees these health concerns as outdated and based on old stereotypes. As he puts it, “Food trucks are misunderstood and leagues above the old roach coaches.” They also, he points out, offer up some of the freshest and healthiest cooking around, the occasional truck focusing on the deepest of fried notwithstanding. While we’re talking, Jethro lets me sample a “Lobsticle,” basically half a lobster tail on a skewer, along with possibly the best shrimp burrito I’ve ever eaten. My only health concern at the moment is that I’m eating too much, and I leave the shade of the Slapfish truck happy, full, and convinced that Jethro Naude is right about the healthy quality cooking going on inside these admittedly small areas. Edward de la Cruz and his brother Joseph Ramirez run Los Hermanos Lonchera Sin Fronteras, a Riverside-based former food truck company. The brothers now operate a catering company that uses mobile grills when they cater at various functions, including parties. De la Cruz maintains that having to drive to Irvine every day to run the food truck eventually became to stressful and caused them to take a different direction with the business. He’s also no fan of the truck ban saying that he “never understood it,” and that it was “unfair.” De la Cruz also mentioned a few rumors he had heard regarding the origins of the ban, the first being that Riverside and Norco were more agricultural back then and feared the trucks would be inundated with flies. Another more macabre tale concerned a possible former food truck employee who had mysteriously burned to death in a hot oil fire started in a food truck. The Weekly couldn’t confirm either rumor, but both possibilities are far more prosaic than fears of E. coli or local restaurants fretting about competition. The Middle of the Road That fear, one of food trucks parking outside stationary restaurants and poaching potential customers, hovers slightly below the radar in any food truck conversation ban. Wilder mentioned this as a possible reason for the original ban saying it may have been a worry that they would take business away from stationary restaurants. Certainly Jeff Mineo, who works for Farmer Boys Inc., thinks so. At the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meeting to determine if the truck ban would be lifted Mineo mentioned unfair competition since the trucks are mobile. Yes, although unfair competition for Farmer Boys might not be such a terrible idea. The San Bernardino City Council wound up adopting a “middle of the road” compromise according to Supervisor Janice Rutherford’s communications director Scott Van Horne. Supervisor Rutherford who, along with Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, has been an early proponent of opening up San Bernardino County to trucks, saw her efforts to truly free them up somewhat curtailed. Instead the board will allow the trucks at festivals and some special events but only with the approval of the particular city involved. While stressing that middle-of-the-road option was not her first choice Supervisor Rutherford went on to say, “It will—at least—open the door for more food trucks and food truck-related businesses here in our county.” Rutherford also gave an All-American rationale for her support of lifting the ban in the first place saying, “I supported lifting the ban on food trucks because I support free enterprise.” Free enterprise, innovative cooking and healthy food—who could really be against such wholesomeness? Well, I mean besides Riverside and San Bernardino counties of course. Full and Happy On a recent Saturday I slunk out of Riverside intent on committing what in the IE might be considered a crime, aiding and abetting a mobile kitchen facility. Yes, I was going to actually eat at some food trucks. I drove west on the 91, through Corona, steely and determined not to make eye-contact with anyone lest they grasp my nefarious plan to eat food cooked in a trailer. In Yorba Linda, I was almost out of the woods; still a brief moment of paranoia as a highway patrol officer came up on my right, but then I was in Anaheim. I had made it. I was free. Well, free to attend a food truck gathering at Servite High School, a gathering that may or may not have been a fundraiser for the football team—I was too busy eating to find out. As I walked across the track field there were trucks of all colors and cuisines. The blue Bacon Mania truck, the graffiti inspired Brats Berlin and the ultra-chic Barcelona on the Go. I sampled yummy savory crepes from Crepes Bonaparte, bacon-wrapped dates from the Barcelona truck and a roast pork taco from Dos Chinos. I didn’t get sick, just full and happy. And I suppose that’s the point really—the bans in the Inland Empire would make sense if people were getting ill or worse from eating at these trucks. But the most people could come up with about sickness was a rumor about someone being burned alive with cooking oil. Even Wilder failed to come up with any concrete stories of anyone in other counties getting ill from eating at a truck. And people get sick from eating at regular restaurants. Living in the IE can be rough enough at times with scorching temperatures, jokes about “Rivertucky” and Ken Calvert. It’s time to free the trucks and let the good times roll.

PM and Montek rubbish Sibal's telecom proposal By Sps Pannu Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has trashed telecom minister Kapil Sibal's proposal to unilaterally amend the government's licensing agreement with existing telecom companies and force them to pay auction-determined prices for the spectrum they currently hold. The PM put his stamp of approval on the finance ministry views in response to a draft note circulated to various ministries in preparation for a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Sibal seems to be buffeted between the PM and Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who has similarly raised Cain over amending the licensing agreement. Opposed: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia According to sources, Sibal's proposal would have gone against the interests of dual technology companies Tata Teleservices and RCom and benefited GSM operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone. The licenses of dual technology companies are valid till 2021 and beyond, while those of the GSM players are due for renewal a good seven years earlier in 2014-15. The dual technology companies would, therefore, end up losing a lot more than the GSM players if the department of telecommunications (DoT) proposal is pushed through. The PM has, as finance minister, made it clear that the sanctity of contracts need to be weighed carefully, thus implying that this would not be the case if the DoT proposal of unilaterally amending the licence was to be implemented. Cabinet Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD), Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal The finance ministry has pointed out that the government has allotted the start-up spectrum and contracted spectrum to the existing players and by doing so has acquired certain contractual obligations for the duration of the licence. The PM has come out in favour of a careful assessment of the impact on investor sentiment that frequent changes in contract terms may have. The impact on foreign investors is also considered important and has come up for special mention. The Sibal-headed DoT, on the other hand, appears to be banking on the "level playing field" argument for old and new players in its proposal to charge auction- determined prices. The finance ministry's logic is in sync with the views of the Planning Commission, which has gone into the issue in considerable detail. The Commission has also stated that the terms of the unified access (UAS) licence give the government the power to change the terms at any time. 'This is indeed a wide ranging power, but is usually meant to be used in an extreme case. If it is interpreted to mean that any change can be used at any time, it becomes to open ended, leading to uncertainty. It is doubtful that banks or other investors will finance telecom investments if the terms of licences are subject to such open ended certainty,' it concludes. According to the Planning Commission, the only rationale for the change seems to be that there should be a level playing field between new and incumbent operators. It has observed that all industries see new entrants entering at different times. 'New entrants always incur different costs and very often face different tax environments from what the incumbents faced. For example, if interest rates have risen at a time when new incumbents are investing, they have a disadvantage over existing incumbents but interest rates are rationalised retrospectively on all outstanding loans of existing incumbents. New entrants in telecom are entering a field where the advantage of existing incumbents are known and it will be reflected in the competitive bid for the spectrum,' the Planning Commission further argued. Meanwhile, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Monday evening recused himself from heading the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on telecom, three days after he replaced Pranab Mukherjee in the job. Pawar, who was scheduled to chair the first meeting of the new EGoM, postponed the meeting and then wrote to the Prime Minister recalling how attempts were made in the past to drag him in the 2G controversy and that it would be appropriate for him to recuse himself.

- Current Issue SIGN IN to access the Harper’s archive ALERT: Usernames and passwords from the old Harpers.org will no longer work. To create a new password and add or verify your email address, please sign in to customer care and select Email/Password Information. (To learn about the change, please read our FAQ.) Car bombs in Damascus killed more than 50 people in advance of nationwide Internet and telecommunications blackouts, attributed by many to President Bashar al-Assad’s administration, that crippled Syrians’ capacity to self-report on the country’s civil war. Hacker collective Anonymous attacked the websites of Syrian embassies, and the Syrian military relocated chemical-weapons stockpiles, prompting the United States to threaten intervention. In Hillah, Iraq, bombings at a roadside campsite for Shia pilgrims left at least 29 dead, and in Bahrain police fired teargas on protesters condemning Kim Kardashian’s visit to promote a new branch of her milkshake franchise. The United Nations held a day of solidarity with Palestinians, on which its general assembly voted 138–9 to recognize the state of Palestine. In response, Israel announced that it would build 3,000 new homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and would withhold more than $100 million in tax revenue raised for the Palestinian government, dealing what U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called an “almost fatal blow” to the prospect of peace. The U.S. Navy was planning to reduce its reliance on dolphin labor, and an international coalition of researchers concluded that more than 4 trillion tons of ice in Greenland and Antarctica have melted in the past twenty years, causing the world’s sea level to rise by 11 millimeters. Iceland exported over two tons of ram penis to China, and North Korea’s state news agency reported the discovery of a unicorn lair in Pyongyang. President Barack Obama introduced a proposal to prevent the United States from falling over the “fiscal cliff.” The plan, which includes such measures as higher tax rates on wealthy citizens and a $400-billion cut to federal health programs, caused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) to burst into laughter. “Right now, I would say we’re nowhere, period,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), outside whose office nude activists protested potential cuts to HIV programs. “I think it’s important Congress acts now, I mean right now,” said Vice President Joe Biden at the opening day of the first Costco in Washington, D.C. “I’m looking for pies.” Obama and Mitt Romney met for the first time since the U.S. presidential election, over a luncheon of turkey chili at the White House. eBay pulled a listing for Obama in Pee Pee, an artwork by conservative television host Glenn Beck that features a bobblehead of the president purportedly submerged in Beck’s urine, and Bill Clinton disclosed that during his presidency he sent only two emails, one to troops in the Balkans and the other in response to a message sent from space by astronaut John Glenn. “We have gone almost a third of the way around the world in the time it has taken me to write this letter,” wrote Glenn. “The rest of the crew is waiting.” Scientists determined that lying increases the temperature of one’s nose, that having a lot of Facebook friends leads to anxiety, and that hyperparasitic wasps, which lay eggs in parasitic wasps that lay eggs in caterpillars, are sometimes parasitized by other hyperparasitic wasps. Germany moved to criminalize sex with animals, leading zoophilia lobbyist Michael Kiok, who lives with an Alsatian named Cessie, to threaten legal action. “We see animals as partners and not as a means of gratification,” said Kiok. “We don’t force them to do anything.” A Florida woman was arrested after she assaulted her boyfriend for climaxing first. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge[*] announced that they were expecting a royal baby, and a lexicographer published arguments that Robert Burchfield, a former Oxford English Dictionary editor popularly credited with overcoming the dictionary’s Anglocentrism during the 1970s and 1980s, had actually expunged thousands of English words with foreign origins. “If a word gets into the OED, it never leaves,” said the lexicographer. “If it becomes obsolete, we put a dagger beside it, but it never leaves.” The Associated Press eliminated homophobia from its stylebook, and four gay men filed suit against JONAH, a Jewish conversion-therapy office in Jersey City, New Jersey, for defrauding them of thousands of dollars spent on such allegedly curative techniques as visiting bathhouses and beating effigies of their mothers with a tennis racket. “Our therapy,” said JONAH’s co-director, “is very conventional.” Dear Harper’s Magazine, I am a fervent subscriber (if there can be such a thing) to your excellent magazine: we have nothing equivalent in England, and I am very grateful to you for being so challenging and thought-provoking. However, the English pedant in me is reeling at your otherwise excellent Harper’s Weekly in which you announce that “Prince WIlliam and Princess Kate” are having a baby. Yikes! They’re the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. She’s not Princess Kate, as she’s not a princess in her own right; she’s Princess William of Wales, otherwise known as the Duchess of Cambridge, until the Prince of Wales dies, when she’ll be the Princess of Wales, and not Kate, Princess of Wales. Sigh. I know I am fighting a long and hopeless battle. Even British journalists can’t get it right these days. Yours sincerely, and with much admiration for your continued superlative magazinistic efforts, More from Justin Stone: Years of consideration preceding the inclusion of the word “phat” in Random House’s 1996 Compact Unabridged Dictionary: Scientists created crash helmets that stink when cracked and fruit flies to whom blue light smells delicious. In Belize, a construction company bulldozed a 2,300-year-old Mayan temple to make road fill. Subscribe to the Weekly Review newsletter. Don’t worry, we won’t sell your email address! “This is the heart of the magic factory, the place where medicine is infused with the miracles of science, and I’ve come to see how it’s done.”

Anna Karenina (2012) Anna Karenina SynopsisThe third collaboration of Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley with director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, is the epic love story Anna Karenina, adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love). The story unfolds in its original late-19th-century Russia high-society setting and powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart, from the passion between adulterers to the bond between a mother and her children. As Anna (Ms. Knightley) questions her happiness, change comes to her family, friends, and community. Anna Karenina Release Date In Theaters November 16, 2012 Anna Karenina Credits Starring: Keira Knightley, Aaron Johnson, Jude Law, Matthew Macfadyen, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Kelly Macdonald, Ruth Wilson, Olivia Williams, and Emily Watson Written by: Tom Stoppard Directed by: Joe Wright Produced by: Tim Bevan, Alexander Dostal, Alexandra Ferguson MPAA Rating: [ R ] Distributor: Focus Features Subscribe To Anna Karenina Updates if you're excited for Anna Karenina This Week In Home Entertainment: Argo & Anna Karenina, Plus Things Get Sinister There’s a lot of imagination in this week’s best releases. From a ghastly creature haunting old visual mediums to reenvisioned historical moments, and world and their wars built entirely for the small screen, this week in home entertainment offers a little something for everyone, even if that something is watching scantily dressed teens try to find a younger sibling in a haunted house. by Jessica Rawden February 19, 2013 comments Skyfall, Lincoln And More Nominated By The American Society Of Cinematographers Skyfall may be seen by some as just another silly blockbuster action movie, but the truth is that it really was one of the most beautiful films to be released in 2012, the Shanghai sequence alone deserving tons of recognition. But do you think that he deserves the top prize from the ASC? by Eric Eisenberg January 9, 2013 comments The Top 10 Movies Of 2012: Kristy's List Creating this list has filled me with a dizzying amount of joy and dread. Really, 2012 was a year that offered so many examples of daring and thrilling cinema that it was difficult to even determine what the criteria should be for a list of my personal ten favorites. In the end, I went with my gut, selecting those films that not only hit me hard in the theater, but also lingered with me for days, weeks, or months afterwards, and which I can still vividly recall. by Kristy Puchko December 19, 2012 comments The Top 10 Movies Of 2012: Katey's List 2012 was a really, really hard year to sum up in list form, and a top 20 would really be more appropriate to reflect the astonishing variety of blockbusters, out-of-nowhere successes and totally tiny arthouse stuff that grabbed me this year. A lot of these movies snuck up on me, only revealing their brilliance long after I'd written a review or thought I'd forgotten about it. Plenty of those not on this list did the opposite, making an amazing first impression and fading so quickly by Katey Rich December 17, 2012 comments Joe Wright And Keira Knightley Talk Collaboration In Anna Karenina Featurette With the cast and crew gushing so profusely about how terrific Knightley's performance is and how deep her devotion to the role was, it seems this featurette is meant as a kind of "For Your Consideration" ad. It's a relief to see Focus Features making such a push, since—despite all its grace, grandeur and great performances—this film appears to be getting lost in the shuffle with so many hotly anticipated titles nearing release. by Kristy Puchko December 3, 2012 comments Domnhall Gleeson Goes From Holding A Wand In The Background Of Harry Potter To Anna Karenina's Romantic Lead For a while Domhnall Gleeson didn't think he'd become an actor. As the son of famed Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, he had every young person's urge to separate himself from his parents-- even as it became clear to him that acting was what he wanted to do anyway. by Katey Rich November 21, 2012 comments Jude Law On The Difference Between The Theater And The World Of Anna Karenina It’s never easy playing the third wheel in a love triangle, particularly when it’s your wife who wants to leave you for another man. Couple this with the fact that Karenin (Jude Law) is a well-respected and very public figure in Russia’s aristocracy – and his crumbling marriage is being played out on a national stage – and you can understand why Anna Karenina is such a challenge by Sean O'Connell November 19, 2012 comments 5 Oscar Hopefuls You Should Catch Up With Over The Holiday This time of year you're probably overwhelmed figuring out your holiday plans and making a list of everyone you need to give presents, but there's another list you probably have in mind as a movie buff: the Oscar nominations. No, the nominees won't be announced until January 10, but now is the time to start catching up on the names that will probably be read that day by CB Staff November 19, 2012 comments Keira Knightley Explains Why You Shouldn't Be Intimidated By Anna Karenina The conversation, according to Keira Knightley, started on the set of by Sean O'Connell November 19, 2012 comments Aaron Taylor Johnson Talks Anna Karenina's Heightened Style If Anna Karenina was a by-the-numbers, Garry Marshall-directed romantic comedy, we’d actively root for Anna (Keira Knightley) to buck the odds and be with her true love, Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). But this isn’t Hollywood fluff. It’s classic Russian literature – Tolstoy, to be specific. Anna is a married Russian socialite, and Vronsky her forbidden fruit by Sean O'Connell November 16, 2012 comments Operation Kino 89: Swooning For Anna Karenina, And The New Short The Sleepover This week on Operation Kino, we're embarking on a pretty ill-fated affair, as we review Joe Wright's gorgeous new movie Anna Karenina. From there we bring you the newest installment of OpKino Indie, in which Da7e chats with Chris Cullari, Jennifer Raite and Carolyn Jania, the team behind the new short film "The Sleepover," by Operation Kino November 16, 2012 comments Director Joe Wright On Regaining His Confidence To Make A Bold Anna Karenina Now we have Anna Karenina, which might be the umpteenth adaptation of the Tolstoy classic but which stands very much on its own, partly because of Wright's bold decision to set most of the film inside a dilapidated theater, where bedrooms are tucked in among the rafters and horses can trot among the audience seats by Katey Rich November 13, 2012 comments Oscar Eye: Lincoln Holds Strong, Jennifer Lawrence Moves Up, And More Developments Between Election Day and a nasty fever that suddenly took over my life, I didn't have it in me last Tuesday-- and I got the feeling you guys had other things on your mind as well. Plus, what we're talking about this week is the same thing we would have been talking about last week: Lincoln and Skyfall, and the handful of mysteries still waiting for us down the line by Katey Rich November 13, 2012 comments Now Streaming: Netflix Instant Alternatives To Lincoln, Anna Karenina & Breaking Dawn - Part 2 This week, inspired by Lincoln, Anna Karenina, and Breaking Dawn – Part 2, for inspiration, we offer a selection of historical dramas, steamy costume dramas, and supernatural romances. by Kristy Puchko November 11, 2012 comments Joe Wright Considering A Harry Houdini Biopic As for Houdini, his biopic almost landed in the hands of The Hunger Games director Gary Ross. And his life story is informing a Broadway musical backed by Aaron Sorkin and Hugh Jackman. But the escape artist really deserves his own movie, and in my opinion, Wright would be a tremendous choice to take over the project. by Sean O'Connell October 12, 2012 comments Oscar Eye: Argo Prepares To Emerge As A Frontrunner, While Lincoln Surprises New York This week marks the wide release of one of the very big Best Picture contenders, Ben Affleck's Argo, but through sheer chance I've managed to catch up with four major Oscar movies in the last week. Argo is among them, so we'll start there, but there's plenty else to go over, even if the rest of these movies won't emerge in theaters for a few weeks yet. Exciting times to be a moviegoer! by Katey Rich October 9, 2012 comments Anna Karenina Posters Put Different Forms Of Love On Display This is such a smart campaign, because audiences need to be informed that Karenina -- despite being based on centuries-old Russian literature – is a passionate piece of filmmaking that crackles with creative energies, lustful performances, emotional heat and palpable tragedy. Don’t mistake this for another dry costume drama. by Sean O'Connell October 8, 2012 comments Toronto Film Festival Wrap-Up: The Good, The Bad, And The Best Oscar Bets The Toronto Film Festival technically doesn't wrap up until Sunday, when award winners will be announced (including the usually important Audience Award) and the crowds will recede from downtown Toronto for another year. But Team Cinema Blend has already left the premises, with dozens of movies and a handful interviews under our belts by Katey Rich and Sean O'Connell September 14, 2012 comments Anna Karenina: The Best Film Of TIFF 2012 So Far The heavy hitters emerged at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, as audiences got their first look at films that would make any cinema junkie drool. Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina, Ben Affleck’s Argo and Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha all played north of the border to packed houses … and we were there for as much of it as we could absorb. by Sean O'Connell September 8, 2012 comments Keira Knightley, Jude Law In Anna Karenina Character Posters Russian literature might not float your boat, but we remain excited for Karenina because of Wright’s previous collaborations with lithe, beautiful leading lady Keira Knightley. They reinvented Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, then found heat in a steamy pre-war affair on the wrenching Atonement. by Sean O'Connell September 3, 2012 comments Anna Karenina Featurette Shows Off More Theatricality And Glitz It's still hard to know exactly how it will work out, but today we get another glimpse at the film and, once again, it's cramming with arresting visuals and some intriguing looking performance. The clip also has a lot of Keira Knightley and Wright talking about the idea behind the film's melodramatic style. Take a look below by Katey Rich July 30, 2012 comments Joe Wright's Anna Karenina Shows Breathtaking Ambition In Six-Minute Clip Wright has become cheered for his incredible and complicated long takes, like the beach scene in Atonement and the underground fight scene in Hanna. But now his love of this elegant but hard-earned fluidity has informed the entire construction of his Anna Karenina, an epic breathtaking in its ambition. by Kristy Puchko July 23, 2012 comments Anna Karenina Steals Great Gatsby's Thunder With Glamorous Poster And Trailer Between Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby and Joe Wright's Anna Karenina, moviegoers will be spoiled for choice this winter, when it comes to luxurious adaptations of novels that explore ill-fated love in high society. Focus Features has previously unveiled a striking string of first look images for Anna that revealed an almost unrecognizable Jude Law, a stunningly regal Keira Knightley, and a mustachioed—yet dapper—Aaron Johnson. by Kristy Puchko June 20, 2012 comments Robocop Sets August 2013 Release, Anna Karenina Coming This Oscar Season It's hard to think of anything that really connects the upcoming Robocop remake and the upcoming Anna Karenina adaptation, so let's just get down to facts. Recent schedule updates at Box Office Mojo have finally assigned release dates for both films; by Katey Rich March 13, 2012 comments Keira Knightley Dances In First Look At Joe Wright's Anna Karenina In 2007 director Joe Wright made a huge splash when he directed Atonement, a period drama starring Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan and James McAvoy. The film was a huge hit, both with audiences and critics, and it ended up earning seven Academy Award nominations (and it won for Best Original Score). Wright's last two films, The Soloist and Hanna, were both a step away from what we have typically seen from the director by Eric Eisenberg February 24, 2012 comments Exclusive: James McAvoy Still Unsure On Anna Karenina, Talks Welcome To The Punch Wright has been very vocal about wanting McAvoy for the film, but it's been unclear if McAvoy's schedule would cooperate; based on what he told me it seems that's still very much up in the air. by Katey Rich April 13, 2011 comments Benedict Cumberbatch And Kelly Macdonald Join Joe Wright's Stunning Anna Karenina Cast Cumberbatch actually makes this even more of an Atonement reunion, having played the actual rapist who goes off scot free when Ronan's character Briony accuses McAvoy instead. The British actor has been working steadily for years in all kinds of films you might recognize him in by Katey Rich April 7, 2011 comments James McAvoy And Saoirse Ronan May Also Join Joe Wright's Anna Karenina Though Hanna, a modern-day action thriller with strong fairy tale elements, is a bit of a departure from the polished period world of Atonement, Anna Karenina gets Wright back to what he established early as his wheelhouse. It's a classic story that's building a phenomenal cast by Katey Rich April 2, 2011 comments Jude Law Might Join Knightley, Johnson In Anna Karenina It's still a little unclear which role he might potentially be attached to in the eight part novel. There's Anna husband, twenty years her senior, which might work considering Law is thirteen years older than Knightley by Mack Rawden March 19, 2011 comments Kick-Ass Aaron Johnson Considering Tolstoy And New Oliver Stone Flick If he chooses both of these projects, studios should start getting a pretty fair handle on Aaron Johnson’s bankability. All the acting talent in the world doesn’t make you a leading man by Mack Rawden March 17, 2011 comments Joe Wright Hints That Keira Knightley Will Still Star In His Anna Karenina Though Wright says he's "not sure yet" who the star will be, he also admits "it's fairly obvious" and "I'm loyal to my actors," and is only holding back because "she hasn't signed on the dotted line." by Katey Rich March 2, 2011 comments Around The Web

Our editor-in-chief Nate Yapp is proud to have contributed to the new book Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks, edited by Aaron Christensen. Another contributors include Anthony Timpone, B.J. Colangelo, Dave Alexander, Classic-Horror.com's own Robert C. Ring and John W. Bowen. Pick up a copy today from Amazon.com! The Exorcist (1973) I cannot stand listening to either William Friedkin or William Peter Blatty talk about The Exorcist. They have a tendency to speak at great length, not about what they intended, but what the film means to audiences everywhere. How it shakes the foundations of their faith, makes them question their reality, and turns their view of good and evil on its head. It sounds very nice, but even assuming that what Friedken and Blatty say is true, such statements limit the effectiveness of The Exorcist specifically to those people with a strong monotheistic religious bearing. Personally, however, I find it difficult to recommend the film to much of anybody. The problem with The Exorcist is that it's a horror film made by someone in denial of the genre. It's never a good thing to outright deny the type of film you're making. The film will still be made, but it's either going to apologize for itself constantly or it's going to emphasize all the wrong things. The Exorcist does both. Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), the twelve-year-old daughter of actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), hasn't been feeling too well lately. In fact, she's taken to urinating at her mother's parties, flailing violently, and screaming obscenities. Chris seeks medical and psychological help at every level, but when Regan's bed begins bucking of its own accord and random items fly about the room, it's obvious that the problem isn't in Regan's body or mind, but in her soul. Some demon (or the devil himself) has taken hold, and it won't let go until she's dead and rotting her grave. Desperate, she contacts troubled, self-doubting priest-cum-psychiatrist Father Karras for an exorcism. Karras, in turn, calls the only man alive to have performed a successful exorcism, the wizened Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). Breaking down The Exorcist shot-by-shot would actually reveal a treasure trove of directorial moves. There's no disputing that the director Friedkin is talented -- one need only watch The French Connection to know that, and there are a few sequences in The Exorcist that also attest to his skill. Observe the scene where Detective Kinderman (Lee J. Cobb) questions Chris MacNeil regarding a murder that took place in Regan's room. Note how the camera closes in and pulls out on the two participants, and the see-saw of meanings that the movement takes for each (a push in is a trapping box for MacNeil, but a rapidly approaching clue for the detective, for instance). Such intricate analysis is only useful when the film being scrutinized is worthy of it. Sadly, The Exorcist is not. For all the shots worthy of diagramming, they just don't hold up a story. Friedkin's oft-celebrated "documentarian" approach to the subject matter leaves gaping holes in character arcs or strands our interest in a muddle of mundane dialogue. Often the film will simply shift moods, pulling us from one scene of high emotion (Regan writhing and screaming) to another vastly understated one (Father Karras jogging and discussing movies with Detective Kinderman). These shifts disrupt the momentum, jarring whatever tenuous hold the film had built since the last mood shift. Further, most scenes that take place without Regan are so understated that it's difficult to believe that the characters are dealing with such a overwhelming supernatural problem. The understatements only serve to highlight and magnify the vulgarities of the "devil" scenes. The possessed Regan spins her head 180°, smacks her mother in the face, and masturbates with a crucifix, all while screaming phrases like "Let Jesus f**k you" and "Your mother sucks c**ks in hell." I may have a strange sense of humor, but I find that sort of thing very funny coming from a pre-teen, even one in grotesque Dick Smith makeup. She even spews green pea soup. We usually only get that kind of action in splatstick comedies. Sadly, Friedkin and screenwriter Blatty (who also wrote the original novel) cannot see the humor in what they create, nor do they seek to create melodrama by giving the devil some purpose for his gibberish. The few times we see an unpossessed Regan, she is such a blank personality that it is impossible to be too concerned for her well-being. The result of all of the above is that Regan MacNeil, possessed girl, becomes nothing more than a cacophony of pseudo-horrific blather, blaring so loudly above the otherwise low-key soundtrack that she becomes incomprehensible. What's worse than that is what Regan's possession represents to the horror genre as a whole. The being inside Regan is the Devil, Satan himself. Not only that, but Old Scratch appears to have no plan. He just wants to sit inside the little girl until she dies. Since he shows himself to be perfectly capable of escape should it become necessary, the fact that he lies in wait of an exorcism seems, well... stupid. Basically, Friedkin and Blatty have taken the Big Bad, the Ultimate Evil and they've made him into a ridiculous fool who corrupts the body of a pre-teen girl for poops and giggles. While that's all well and good for his ultimate defeat (so to speak), it doesn't do much for the genre itself. Good horror typically requires a credible threat. If you go and make a concentrated statement with millions of dollars of backing that not only is the Devil weak, but he's also stupid, you hamper the effectiveness of our villains. One could argue that Friedkin's undercutting of horror's most mythologically powerful antagonist directly contributed to the rise of the slasher genre later in the same decade. There is, however, an argument to be made that Satan actually has a plan. The argument relies heavily on the fact that Friedkin spends the first 10 minutes of the film following Merrin as he discovers portents of evil in Northern Iraq. The sequence does not appear to have much to do with the film as a whole, although it is unsettling occasionally, if only because xenophobia is difficult habit to shake. It is possible that this prologue is in fact the only truly significant part of the film, as it speaks to the Devil's true intent -- the murder of Father Merrin during Regan's exorcism. The Devil's constant cries of Merrin's name during emotional duress further support this theory. However, accepting it leaves the film with two major problems. One, most of the character-driven scenes that take place outside of Regan's bedroom become useless and inert. Second, it raises the question of why we are being presented a film about the fulfillment of a long-held grudge without getting much detail on the grudge's origin. It would be foolish of me not to acknowledge that my thoughts here fly in the face of most common critical wisdom. I am aware of The Exorcist's vaunted position in the history of horror. I am not denying that it holds power for thousands, even millions across the world. For that fact alone, it should be viewed with some amount of reverence, if only to acknowledge its overall effect on what was to come. I feel largely the same about Friday the 13th. That I cannot recommend the film personally does not mean that it is without merit. If this seems a contradiction of what I've said before, then very well, I contradict myself. The genre is large, it contains multitudes1. Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine were approached to play the mother role that eventually went to Ellen Burstyn.

hat - Goorin Bros floral shirt - c/o Sosie sweater - Loft boyfriend jeans - Madewell hot pink heels - c/o Rachel Roy Miku (!!!) mini nameplate necklace - c/o BaubleBar Rebecca Minkoff quilted swing bag - Confederacy Eventually, I will do an actual photo tour of my apartment. You can catch a glimpse of the bare bones here and here, but it's come a long way since then and is starting to feel like an actual home. It takes me a long while to get settled in, partially because I'm horribly unorganized, but also because I'm picky about my stuff. I don't have expensive taste; it's actually quite the opposite. I adore found items, hand-me-downs, and everything ancient. Almost everything in my apartment is old, down to the brick walls that house them. My furniture and decor are all from my mom's consignment shop, flea markets, Brimfield, thrift shops, the side of the road. Barely any of the furniture was bought new, save for my bed frames and sofa - which will eventually be replaced by something ancient and full of history. I'll save the rest of my stories for when I have actual photos with which to display them, and keep to the two pieces you see here. The large trunk beneath was Bobby's grandfather's, and the one on top was given to us when we lived at our first Brooklyn apartment. We lived in an area surrounded by warehouses, and one of them housed vintage stuff for a flea market seller. When he closed up shop, he gave us a 50s kitchen table, antique chairs, this trunk, and several vintage odds and ends that we still have today. At the time, I was broke, broke, broke, so it was like a dream come true. Actually, it would be a dream come true even if I was the richest gal in the world. Give me millions of dollars and I will still take the old over the new. I got that from my mama.